Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The equilibrium intermediate of beta-lactoglobulin with non-native alpha-helical structure.

It is generally considered that intermediates of protein folding contain partially formed native-like secondary structures. In contrast, we recently reported that the kinetic folding intermediate of bovine beta-lactoglobulin contains non-native alpha-helical structures. To understand the mechanism that stabilizes the non-native intermediate, we characterized by circular dichroism (CD) the equilibrium unfolding transition of beta-lactoglobulin induced by guanidine hydrochloride (Gdn-HCl) at pH 2 and 4 degrees C. The unfolding transition measured by near-UV CD preceded the transition measured by far-UV CD, indicating the accumulation of the intermediate state. The far-UV CD spectrum of the intermediate, obtained by global fitting analysis of the CD spectra in the presence of various concentrations of Gdn-HCl, was similar to the burst-phase intermediate observed in the refolding kinetics, and contained non-native alpha-helical structures. Addition of 10% (v/v) 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) increased the helical content of the equilibrium intermediate, although the protein still assumed the native structure in the absence of Gdn-HCl. A phase diagram of the conformational states, i.e. the alpha-helical intermediate, unfolded and native states, against the concentration of TFE and Gdn-HCl was constructed. This indicated that, because of the high helical preference of the amino acid sequence of beta-lactoglobulin, the helical region protrudes into the boundary between the native and unfolded states, resulting in non-monotonic accumulation of the helical intermediate upon equilibrium unfolding of the native beta-sheet structure. This is the first observation to indicate that a non-native alpha-helical intermediate accumulates during equilibrium unfolding of a predominantly beta-sheet protein.
Action research in aged care: a model for practice change and development

Action research offers a means for potentially improving the links between research and practice, and in improving educational effectiveness to enhance resident/patient care in aged care settings. This paper defines action research as an approach to achieving practice change that emphasises empowerment of participants, collaboration through participation, acquisition of knowledge, and social change. A model of action research is explained and the application of the model in two projects is described: 1) Improving nutrition and physical activity in aged care residential settings; and 2) Falls prevention in a sub-acute hospital setting. A case study from each of these projects is presented. The key issues arising from these research projects are discussed and some practical strategies for organisations to undertake action research projects or engage in similar initiatives are presented. (author abstract)
The Emergence of Private Military Firms and Their Impact on Global Human Rights

International law has generally been considered by the students of law as a subject with little practical relevance. However, the importance of international law in legal practice is increasingly being recognized in recent years. This may, in great measure, be attributed to the impact of globalization. Great strides in the field of commerce, technology and communication make one doubt whether transnational boundaries are going to disappear. Environmental concerns and human rights issues really transcend state borders and assume global dimensions. International law and international institutions have to play a dynamic role in response to the new challenges. In the current situation, the study of international law can no more remain uninspiring.Arising out of the dying embers of the Cold War, private military firms (PMFs) market their military force and skills primarily to decolonialized States, countries overrun with domestic conflict and unable to provide effectively for their own security needs. As a result, PMFs amass unchecked power to affect conflict resolution, world economic stability, and geostrategic negotiations. Indeed, as corporations become larger - both economically and politically - corporate managers increasingly engage in decision-making traditionally exercised by politicians. The decentralization of international security from state-organized militaries not only threatens the traditional Westphalian model of state-monopolized force, but also accentuates the inability of international law to hold private actors accountable for their unchecked violation of basic human rights in conflict ridden regions.
The Sway of Gender and Anxiety on Perception of Personal Space

The study investigated anxiety and gender as correlates of undergraduates’ perception of personal space. The study aimed at examining the relationship between anxiety and undergraduates’ perception of personal space and also assessed gender differences in undergraduates’ perception of personal space. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. It study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique in the process of the selection and the collection of data. These sampling techniques include: the stratified sampling method and the simple random sampling. A total of 232 respondents were used for this research work; all randomly selected from the various faculties and departments of full-time undergraduate students of University of Lagos. A standardized questionnaire was used to measure respondent’s level of anxiety and perception of personal space. Two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance, using T-test and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. The result of the first hypothesis shows a significant relationship between anxiety and undergraduates’ perception of personal space [r-cal=(0.432), r-tab=(0.139), P-val>(0.05)]. The result of the second hypothesis shows that there is a significant gender difference in undergraduates perception of personal space [t-cal=(11.492), ttab=( 1.645), P-val>(0.05)]. While male (n=106) have a mean score of 1.471 and a standard deviations of 0.733, the corresponding mean score of female (n=126) is 1.936 with a standard deviations of 0.961. The study concluded that, anxiety and gender are significantly correlated with undergraduates’ perception of personal space.
Ultimatum Games, Solved with Human Root Motivation to Be Number One among Acquaintances

In ultimatum game experiments, most subjects will reject very unfair distribution suggestions, such as 80:20 splits of given money. That is, economics experiments have disproved the hypothesis of economic man which insists that rational humans will always maximize their utility. However, academic circles do not know human root motivation; therefore, they cannot know the exact mechanism behind a large number of experimental data. In this paper, we illustrate how to rigorously solve ultimatum games. We first reveal the just distribution principle of social wealth; it is simply the proportional (to equity) distribution principle. We second explain why people commonly accept unjust wealth distribution; it is simply because they each need to compare with their respective neighbors in family wealth. With these two preparations, solving ultimatum games becomes a trivial matter. Actually, feasible solutions of any game do not depend upon splitting rates of given money; they depend upon growth rates of two players' endowments. On the other hand, any game possibly has a continuum of feasible solutions, suggesting that humans are easy to cooperate in economic scenarios; indeed, human economy flourishes.
Additive effects of weight‐bearing exercise and estrogen on bone mineral density in older women

The separate and combined effects of weight‐bearing exercise and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on bone mineral density (BMD) were studied in 32 women, 60 to 72 years of age. HRT consisted of continuous conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg/day and trimonthly medroxyprogesterone acetate 5 mg/day for 13 days. Exercise consisted of 2 months of low‐intensity exercise followed by 9 months of more vigorous weight‐bearing exercise ˜45 minutes/day, ≥3 days/week, at 65–85% of maximal heart rate. Lumbar spine and proximal femur BMD were significantly increased in response to exercise and to HRT, and total body BMD was significantly increased in response to HRT; neither exercise nor HRT had an effect on wrist BMD. The combination of exercise + HRT resulted in increased BMD at all sites except the wrist, with effects being additive for the lumbar spine and Ward's triangle and synergistic for the total body. Based on reductions in serum osteocalcin levels, it appears that increases in BMD in response to HRT and exercise + HRT were due to decreased bone turnover. The lack of change in serum osteocalcin and IGF‐I in response to exercise alone suggests that increases in BMD were due to decreased bone resorption and not increased formation. Results indicate that weight‐bearing exercise + HRT may be effective in preventing and/or treating osteoporosis. It is likely that the additive effects of weight‐bearing exercise and HRT on bone mineral accretion, coupled with other adaptations to the exercise (i.e., increased strength and functional capacity), could effectively reduce the incidence of falls and osteoporotic fractures.
Exhaled nitric oxide predicts exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatic school children.

BACKGROUND Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is of particular importance in children with asthma. It is an important measure of asthma control and should be monitored by exercise testing. However, exercise testing puts a large demand on health-care resources and is therefore not widely used in routine monitoring of pediatric asthma control. The fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) also reflects uncontrolled asthma. We hypothesized that FeNO may be used for prescreening of asthmatic children to exclude those with good asthma control unlikely to have EIB, thereby reducing the need for exercise testing. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to estimate the value of FeNO as a predictor of EIB in asthmatic children. METHODS Stable outpatient asthmatic school children performed standard exercise challenge tests and measurement of FeNO. RESULTS FeNO and response to a standardized submaximal exercise test on the treadmill were measured in 111 school children with asthma. EIB could be excluded with a probability of 90% in asthmatic children with FeNO levels < 20 parts per billion (ppb) without current inhaled corticosteroid treatment, and < 12 ppb in children with current inhaled corticosteroid treatment. CONCLUSION Measurement of FeNO is a simple, and time- and resource-efficient tool that may be used to screen for EIB testing and therefore optimizes the resources for exercise testing in pediatric asthma monitoring.
Social capital and health – implications for health promotion

Abstract This article is a review of the PhD Thesis of Malin Eriksson, entitled ‘Social capital, health and community action – implications for health promotion’. The article presents a theoretical overview of social capital and its relation to health, reviews empirical findings of the links between social capital and (self-rated) health, and discusses the usefulness of social capital in health promotion interventions at individual and community levels. Social capital, conceptualized as an individual characteristic, can contribute to the field of health promotion by adding new knowledge on how social network interventions may best be designed to meet the needs of the target group. The distinction of different forms of social capital, i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking, can be useful in mapping the kinds of networks that are available and health-enhancing (or damaging) and for whom. Further, social capital can advance social network interventions by acknowledging the risk for unequal distribution of investments and returns from social network involvement. Social capital, conceptualized as characterizing whole communities, provides a useful framework for what constitutes health-supporting environments and guidance on how to achieve them. Mapping and mobilization of social capital in local communities may be one way of achieving community action for health promotion. Social capital is context-bound by necessity. Thus, from a global perspective, it cannot be used as a ‘cookbook’ on how to achieve supportive environments and community action smoothly. However, social capital can provide new ideas on the processes that influence human interactions, cooperation, and community action for health promotion in various contexts.
Characterization of Limb Autotomy Factor-Proecdysis (LAFpro), Isolated From Limb Regenerates, That Suspends Molting in the Land Crab Gecarcinus lateralis

Molting and limb regeneration are tightly coupled processes, both of which are regulated by ecdysteroid hormone synthesized and secreted by the Y-organs. Regeneration of lost appendages can affect the timing and duration of the proecdysial, or premolt, stage of the molt cycle. Autotomy of all eight walking legs induces precocious molts in various decapod crustacean species. In the land crab Gecarcinus lateralis, autotomy of a partially regenerated limb bud before a critical period during proecdysis (regeneration index <17) delays molting so that a secondary limb bud (2° LB) forms and the animal molts with a complete set of walking legs. It is hypothesized that 2° LBs secrete a factor, termed limb autotomy factor-proecdysis (LAFpro), that inhibits molting by suppressing the Y-organs from secreting ecdysone. Molting was induced by autotomy of eight walking legs; autotomy of primary (1°) LBs reduced the level of ecdysteroid hormone in the hemolymph 73% by one week after limb bud autotomy (LBA). Injection of extracts from 2° LBs, but not 1° LBs, inhibited 1° LB growth in proecdysial animals, thus having the same effect on molting as LBA. The inhibitory activity in 2° LB extracts was stable after boiling in water for 15 min, but was destroyed by boiling 15 min in 0.1 N acetic acid or incubation with proteinase K. These results support the hypothesis that LAFpro is a peptide that resembles a molt-inhibiting hormone.
Treatment of peri-implantitis defects with autogenous bone grafts: six-month to 3-year results of a prospective study in 17 patients.

As part of an ongoing prospective study, the treatment of peri-implantitis defects using autogenous bone grafts was evaluated. This present report is based on data from 25 ITI screw implants in 17 patients with progressive peri-implant tissue destruction during the maintenance phase. Treatment of these lesions included raising flaps, removal of the surrounding granulation tissue, and air-polishing of the implant surface. Subsequently, corticocancellous bone grafts or particulate bone were placed into the peri-implant osseous defects, and the flaps were sutured around the cervical segment of the implants, allowing for transmucosal healing. Two of the 25 cases resulted in a negative outcome of the procedure. One of the transplants had to be removed 40 days after augmentation because of flap dehiscence and graft mobility. In another patient, the healing period was uneventful until the re-entry surgery, but when the site was reopened, the total graft volume was resorbed. The primary therapeutic success at re-entry surgery evaluated by intraoperative measurements resulted in a median defect depth reduction of 6.9 to 0.7 mm (P = .001), corresponding to a bone repair of 90%. The change in defect width was 1.9 mm (P = .002, repair 100%). A positive result of the reconstructive therapy has been observed during a re-evaluation time of up to 3 years. Median marginal bone loss was reduced from 6.2 to 2.3 mm after 2 and 3 years, respectively. The median vertical bone resorption of 4.5 mm was completely repaired. The crevicular fluid volume, a parameter of the level of marginal inflammation, along with probing depths and attachment levels, were reduced to a physiologic rate. The implant observation period until the first appearance of the lesion seems to be crucial to the effectiveness of the therapy. Early failures appearing within the first 2 years after implant placement showed a more stable therapeutic result over time.
A Simple Algorithm for the Estimation of Phase Difference Between Two Sinusoidal Voltages

A simple algorithm (SAL) and a modified SAL (MSAL) for the estimation of the phase difference between two sine-wave signals are proposed. The results obtained by SAL and MSAL in simulations and on real samples are given. A comparison between the phase difference results estimated by MSAL, quadrature delay estimator (QDE), unbiased QDE (UQDE), three-parameter sine-fitting algorithm (3PSF), four-parameter sine-fitting algorithm (4PSF), and seven-parameter sine-fitting algorithm (7PSF) is presented. The requirements for the application of SAL and MSAL are analyzed.
Euro-Mediterranean Security and Cooperation: Immigration Policies and Implications

Immigration is a sensitive issue that has implications on the economic, political and social dimensions. It is practically impossible to effectively control cross-borders in any country especially in nowadays free-market economy which, in order to remain sustainable, have to maintain its borders open for the freedom of goods, services, capital and labour. In general immigration gains are much higher than its costs but countries are more sensitive towards free movement of people in comparison with free movement of trade and capital. Free movements of labour could be understood through push- and pull-factors among countries. Immigration could be explained through three approaches; ecological, behavioural, and systems. The EU concerns towards its external border control have increased especially after the Arab Spring in 2011 based on two main motives humanitarian and security. The council of the European Union has assigned new funds towards the countries that have massive people movements through four policies: readmission, deployment, EU border assistant mission, and capacity building.
Environmental risk factors for Parkinson's disease in an urban multiethnic community

Environmental risk factors were examined using univariate and multivariate unconditional logistic regression models in 89 nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 188 control subjects in a multiethnic urban community. Rural living, area farming, and drinking well water were associated with PD only in African-Americans. In Hispanics, area farming was protective, whereas drinking unfiltered water was a risk factor for PD. Consideration of ethnic and cultural origin may add to the epidemiologic study of PD.
Beneath the 'Beyond Bean Counting' Reports: Research, Professional Practice and Politics in the Public Sector

The 'Beyond Bean Counting' reports (1997, 2000) sought to provide 'benchmark' descriptions of financial management practices in Australian public sector organisations. Based on survey research, the reports painted a bleak picture of the financial management and competencies of public sector managers. While many of the criticisms and reforms may have been deserved, the rationale for and methodology applied in researching these professional practices appears flawed. This paper critically evaluates the methods, results and findings of the reports, within the context of the prevailing political climate, providing a cautionary tale in researching professional practice in the public sector.
Sarcomere dynamics and contraction‐induced injury to maximally activated single muscle fibres from soleus muscles of rats.

1. The focal nature of contraction‐induced injury to skeletal muscle fibres may arise from heterogeneities in sarcomere length that develop during contractions. We tested the hypothesis that when a maximally activated single permeabilized fibre segment is stretched and a deficit in maximum isometric force (force deficit) is produced, the regions of sarcomeres with the longest lengths of prior to the stretch contain the majority of the damaged sarcomeres when the fibre is returned to optimum length (Lo) after the stretch. 2. Single fibre segments (n = 16) were obtained from soleus muscles of rats. Average sarcomere length at five discrete positions along the length of each fibre was determined by lateral deflection of a diode laser spot. Diffraction patterns were obtained while fibres were relaxed and immediately before, during and after a single stretch of 40% strain relative to Lo. Following the stretch, the regions of each fibre that potentially contained damaged sarcomeres were identified by an increased scatter of the first‐order diffraction patterns. The damage was confirmed by light and electron microscopy. 3. While single fibre segments were in relaxing solution, the mean value for all of the average sarcomere lengths sampled (n = 80) was 2.53 +/‐ 0.01 microns (range, 2.40‐2.68 microns). During the maximum isometric contraction before each stretch, the mean sarcomere length decreased to 2.42 +/‐ 0.02 microns and the range increased to 2.12‐3.01 microns. 4. During the stretch of 40% strain, all regions of sarcomeres were stretched onto the descending limb of the length‐force curve, but sarcomere lengthening was non‐uniform. After the stretch, when the maximally activated fibres were returned to Lo, the force deficit was 10 +/‐ 1%. Microscopic evaluation confirmed that the regions with the longest sarcomere lengths before the stretch contained the majority of the damaged sarcomeres after the stretch. We conclude that when heterogeneities in sarcomere length develop in single permeabilized fibre segments during a maximum isometric contraction, the sarcomeres in the regions with the longest lengths are the most susceptible to contraction‐induced injury.
Short-term treatment effects produced by the Twin-block appliance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate dental, skeletal, and soft tissue effects during Twin-block treatment. METHODS A systematic search of several electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, all EBM reviews, and Web of Science) was conducted until July 2013, as well as a limited grey-literature search (Google Scholar). Human cephalometric studies that used a Twin-block appliance in a non-extraction and non-surgical approach were selected. A comparable control group of untreated subjects was required. Two authors independently reviewed and extracted data from the selected studies. Risk of bias was assessed. The type of meta-analysis was selected based on heterogeneity. RESULTS Ultimately 10 articles were included. Proclination of lower incisors, retroclination of upper incisors, distal movement of upper molars and/or mesial movement of lower molars, increase in mandibular length, and/or forward movement of the mandible were consistently reported. Clinically significant restraint of maxillary growth was not found. Although the mandibular body length is increased, the facial impact of it is reduced by the simultaneous increment of the face height. Changes of lower face height and occlusal plane inclination varied, suggesting that vertical dimension can be manipulated in patients who would benefit from lower molar extrusion. As for lip position, there is not enough evidence to suggest clear lip position changes. CONCLUSIONS Changes associated with a Class II correction were identified. Most of the changes individually were of limited clinical significance, but when combined reached clinical importance. No long-term changes were available.