Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal Arrangement of the Murine Coagulation Factor VII and Factor X Genes`

Samples were collected from 304 Pima Indian subjects as part of a long term epidemiological study of diabetes (5) and from 160 healthy Asian control subjects living in the Leeds and Bradford Area as part of a study of thrombotic risk factors in this population. Samples from 196 healthy Caucasian subjects were collected as previously described (2). Subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded. Factor XIII genotype was determined by PCR amplification followed by single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) as described previously (2). Genotype frequencies were compared using the Chi-square test and did not differ from those predicted by HardyWeinberg equilibrium. The prevalence of this mutation in 196 healthy Caucasian control subjects was 41% heterozygote and 7% homozygote. This study found a higher prevalence of the protective mutation (48% heterozygous, 16% homozygous for the mutation, p <0.00001) in the Pima Indians and a lower incidence of the mutation (17.5% heterozygous, 3.75% homozygous for the mutation p <0.00001) in Asian Indian subjects. A greater degree of cosanguinity will occur among the Pima Indians than in the two other populations studied due to the small size of this ethnic community and this may be a confounding factor in genetic studies of this ethnic group. Allele frequencies are shown in Table 1. The trend in the frequency of this mutation is the direct inverse of the trend in the prevalence of heart disease in these populations, as would be expected for a mutation offering protection from MI. The observed differences in factor XIII genotype frequency do not prove a direct relationship between this mutation and cardiovascular risk and may reflect random ethnic variation. However these results suggest the mutation may contribute to the contrasting cardiovascular risk in these populations.
Role of the Conserved Nucleotide Mismatch within 3′- and 5′-Terminal Regions of Bunyamwera Virus in Signaling Transcription

ABSTRACT Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) is the prototype of the Bunyaviridae family of tri-partite negative-sense RNA viruses. The three BUNV segments possess 3′ and 5′ nontranslated regions (NTRs) that signal two RNA synthesis activities: (i) transcription to generate mRNAs and (ii) replication to generate antigenomes that are replicated to yield further genomes. While the genome acts as a template for synthesis of both transcription and replication products, the antigenome allows synthesis of only replication products, with mRNAs being undetectable. Here, we investigate the basis for the fundamentally different signaling abilities of genomic and antigenomic strands. We show that the identity of only nucleotide position 9 within the genomic 3′ NTR is critical for the different RNA synthesis characteristics of genomic and antigenomic strands, thus identifying this nucleotide as an essential component of the transcription promoter. This nucleotide is distinctive, as it interrupts an unbroken run of conserved complementary nucleotides within the 3′ and 5′ NTRs of all three segments. Our results show that the conserved mismatched arrangement of this nucleotide plays no detectable role in signaling transcription. Instead, we show that the transcription-signaling ability of this position is entirely dependent on its nucleotide identity. We further show that while a U residue at 3′ position 9 is strongly preferred for transcription activity in the context of the genomic promoter, it does not signal transcription in the context of the antigenomic promoter. Therefore, our results show that the identity of 3′ position 9 is crucial for signaling BUNV transcription; however, it is not the sole determinant.
Atrial Fibrillation Burden and Short-Term Risk of Stroke: Case-Crossover Analysis of Continuously Recorded Heart Rhythm From Cardiac Electronic Implanted Devices

Background—The temporal relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke risk is controversial. We evaluated this relationship via a case-crossover analysis of ischemic strokes in a large cohort of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. Methods and Results—We identified 9850 patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices remotely monitored in the Veterans Administration Health Care System between 2002 and 2012. There were 187 patients with acute ischemic stroke and continuous heart rhythm monitoring for 120 days before the stroke (age, 69±8.4 years; 98% with an implantable defibrillator). We compared each patient’s daily AF burden in the 30 days before stroke (case period) with their AF burden during days 91 to 120 pre stroke (control period). Defining positive AF burden as ≥5.5 hours of AF on any given day, 156 patients (83%) had no positive AF burden in both periods and, in fact, had little to no AF; 15 (8%) patients had positive AF burden in both periods. Among the discordant (informative) patients, 13 exceeded 5.5 hours of AF in the case period but not in the control period, whereas 3 had positive AF burden in the control but not in the case period (warfarin-adjusted odds ratio for stroke, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–13.4). Odds ratio for stroke was highest (17.4; 95% confidence interval, 5.39–73.1) in the 5 days immediately after a qualifying occurrence of AF and decreased toward 1.0 as the period after the AF occurrence increased beyond 30 days. Conclusions—In this population with continuous heart rhythm recording, multiple hours of AF had a strong but transient effect raising stroke risk.
Simple and sensitive HPLC method for the fluorometric determination of methotrexate and its major metabolites in human plasma by post-column photochemical reaction.

A simple and sensitive HPLC method has been developed for the determination of methotrexate (MTX) and its major metabolites, 7-hydroxymethotrexate (7-OH-MTX) and 2,4-diamino-N(10-) methylpteroic acid (DAMPA), in human plasma. After deproteinization of the plasma with 5% aqueous acetonitrile solution containing 5% trichloroacetic acid, MTX, 7-OH-MTX, DAMPA and 2,4-diaminopteroic acid (DAPA) as an internal standard were separated on a reversed-phase column, and the eluent was subsequently irradiated with UV light (245 nm), producing fluorescent photolytic degradation products. The analytes were then detected spectrofluorometrically at 452 nm with excitation at 368 nm. The extraction efficiencies of MTX, 7-OH-MTX and DAMPA from plasma at 100 pmol/mL were 81.5±5.4, 82.5±5.3 and 56.2±7.0%, respectively. The limits of quantification for MTX, 7-OH-MTX and DAMPA in plasma were 5 pmol (2.3 ng), 0.8 pmol (0.38 ng) and 10 pmol (3.4 ng)/mL, respectively. The within- and between-day variations for MTX, 7-OH-MTX and DAMPA were reliable (each was lower than 6.3%). This method was also used to monitor the concentrations of MTX and its metabolites in a patient on MTX therapy.
Demographic Factors, TPACK Constructs, and Teachers' Perceptions of Constructivist-Oriented TPACK

Teachers’ knowledge for implementing constructivist instruction with technology is termed as their constructivist-oriented technological pedagogical content knowledge. There are currently no available surveys for understanding teachers’ perceptions in this aspect. Therefore, teachers’ perceived knowledge gaps in terms of constructivist-oriented technology integration are not well understood. Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Meaningful Learning Survey, this study examines the constructivist-oriented technological pedagogical content knowledge perceptions of 354 practicing teachers. The survey was first validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Regression analysis found that teachers’ perceptions of technological pedagogical knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological knowledge had the largest positive relationships with their constructivist-oriented technological pedagogical content knowledge. It was not related to teachers’ age and gender but primary school teachers and those with more teaching experience tend to be less confident of their constructivist-oriented technological pedagogical content knowledge. These results show that when teachers develop intermediate forms of technological pedagogical content knowledge, it contributes to their confidence for constructivist-oriented technology integration. The specific challenges faced by experienced teachers and primary school teachers need to be better understood and considered when designing teacher technology professional development.
Float arm V: hyper-redundant manipulator with wire-driven weight-compensation mechanism

In this paper, the wire-driven weight-compensation mechanism is proposed. This mechanism consists of a parallelogram linkage mechanism that has an extended portion with the wired double pulley. This is a lighter solution compared to others since no springs are utilized. Below, a detailed description of this new weight-compensation mechanism and performances of Float Arm V with this new mechanism are given.
Shear-Layer Instabilities of a Pulsed Stack-Issued Transverse Jet

Shear-layer instabilities of a pulsed stack-issued transverse jet were studied experimentally in a wind tunnel. Jet pulsations were induced by means of acoustic excitation. Streak pictures of the smoke-flow patterns illuminated by the laser-light sheet in the median plane were recorded with a high-speed digital camera. Instantaneous velocities of the shear-layer instabilities in the flow were digitized by a hot-wire anemometer. By analyzing the streak pictures of the smoke-flow visualization, three characteristic flow modes, synchronized flapping jet, transition, and synchronized shear-layer vortices, are identified in the shear layer of the pulsed stack-issued transverse jet at various excitation Strouhal numbers. The shear-layer instabilities of the pulsed stack-issued transverse jet are synchronized by acoustic excitation except for transition mode. In transition flow mode, the shear-layer vortices would exhibit a frequency that would be twice as great as the acoustic excitation frequency. Keywords—Acoustic excitation, jet in crossflow, shear-layer instability.
Lipid-membrane interactions and the pathogenesis of ischemic damage in the myocardium.

A ROLE for abnormal lipid metabolism in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis was suggested over a century ago, when Virchow proposed that transport of plasma lipids into the walls of blood vessels contributed to the development of atheromatous lesions. Lipid abnormalities are now firmly established as one factor leading to ischemic heart disease, although the mechanism by which they lead to coronary artery occlusion remains incompletely understood. More recently, abnormalities of lipid metabolism have been implicated in another quite different aspect of the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease. A large body of evidence now indicates that altered lipid metabolism can alter cardiac function by changing the properties of cardiac cell membranes, and that these functional changes may contribute to the decline in myocardial contractility, the arrhythmias, and the eventual cell death that follow coronary artery occlusion. This article will review some of these disorders in lipid metabolism and possible mechanisms by which they might modify membrane function in the ischemic heart. Disorders of Lipid Metabolism in the Ischemic Heart There are now at least three well-defined mechanisms by which lipid metabolism may be altered in the heart after coronary artery occlusion (Table 1). Each of these mechanisms has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the cardiac abnormalities seen in patients who sustain an acute myocardial infarction.
Virtual pitch and phase sensitivity of a computer model of the auditory periphery

Licklider made his original suggestion in an attempt to explain the human ability to perceive the pitch of a complex tone even though that tone contained no spectral component corresponding to that pitch. He rejected the prevailing theory (Fletcher, 1924) that distortion products of nonlinear cochlear responses could wholly explain the phenomenon. He pointed to the fact that the waveform envelope of unresolved harmonic components could be used to extract pitch information if an autocorrelation analysis could be performed. He thought that this might be achieved by a delay line mechanism at a low level in the auditory nervous system. His theory depended on the idea that the harmonic com
Accuracy of Pedicle Screw Placement with Robotic Guidance System: A Cadaveric Study

Study Design. A cadaveric study. Objective. To investigate the accuracy of pedicle screw placement using a robotic guidance system (RGS). Summary of Background Data. RGS is a unique surgery assistance-apparatus. Although several clinical studies have demonstrated that RGS provides accurate pedicle screw placement, very few studies have validated its accuracy. Methods. A total of 216 trajectories performed with the assistance of the RGS in eight cadavers were evaluated. The RGS was used, with different mounting platforms, to drill pilot holes in the thoracic and lumbosacral spine, using 3-mm diameter fiducial wires as trajectory markers. Deviation between the preoperative plan and executed trajectories was measured at the entry points to the vertebrae and at a depth of 30 mm along the wire. Both the deviation from the preoperative plan and the wire position were evaluated in the axial and sagittal planes using computed tomography (CT). Results. The average deviation from the planned wire placement was 0.64 ± 0.59 mm at the entry point and 0.63 ± 0.57 mm at a depth of 30 mm in the axial plane, and 0.77 ± 0.62 mm and 0.80 ± 0.66 mm, respectively, in the sagittal plane. The magnitude of deviation was not affected by the vertebral level or the platform used. The use of an open approach achieved greater screw placement accuracy at a depth of 30 mm in the sagittal plane, compared with the percutaneous approach. The fiducials were placed completely within the pedicle in 93.9% of trajectories in the axial plane (n = 164 pedicles with a width ≥5 mm) and 98.6% in the sagittal plane (n = 216). Conclusion. In this cadaveric study, RGS supported execution of accurate trajectories that were equal or slightly superior to reports of CT-based navigation systems. Level of Evidence: N/A
Formation of cyclophosphamide specific DNA adducts in hematological diseases

Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are hypersensitive to DNA alkylating agents and require lower doses than non‐FA patients to minimize serious toxicity. The mechanism by which hypersensitivity occurs is thought to be due to the inability of these individuals to effectively repair drug‐induced interstrand DNA–DNA crosslinks. We recently developed a highly sensitive assay for cyclophosphamide specific interstrand DNA–DNA crosslinks (G‐NOR‐G) and are able to quantify and compare formation of these adducts in the blood of patients. Therefore we sought to determine whether FA patients have higher in vivo exposure to the cyclophosphamide specific interstrand DNA crosslink, G‐NOR‐G, relative to patients without FA.
Stimuli-responsive spherical brushes based on D-galactopyranose and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate.

Stimuli-responsive spherical brushes composed of 6-O-methacryloyl-1,2:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-D-galactopyranose (MAIGal) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) are prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using cross-linked polystyrene nanoparticles covered with a thin layer of 2-(2-bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl methacrylate (BIEM) as ATRP initiator by the "grafting from" approach. The stimuli-responsive behavior of the deprotected spherical PMAGal-b-PDMAEMA block copolymer brushes is investigated by dynamic light scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. A brush with arms containing 160 MAGal and 170 DMAEMA monomer units shows a significant contraction of the hydrodynamic radius from 20 to 70 °C at pH = 8 with a cloud point at ≈40 °C, whereas no LCST is detected at pH = 6 and 7 due to the protonation of the DMAEMA units. Aggregates occur at low temperatures and pH 8 due to intermolecular interactions between the chains of different brushes, which disappear above LCST, when the PDMAEMA chains fold back to the core of the brushes, exposing the glycopolymer chains to the outside.
POSSIBLE ANTIDIABETIC AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDAEMIC EFFECT OF FERMENTED PARKIA BIGLOBOSA (JACQ) EXTRACT IN ALLOXAN‐INDUCED DIABETIC RATS §

1 The hypoglycaemic effect of fermented seeds of Parkia biglobosa (PB; African locust bean), a natural nutritional condiment that features frequently in some African diets as a spice, was investigated in the present study in alloxan‐induced diabetic rats. Its effect was compared with that of glibenclamide (Daonil; Sanofi‐Aventis, Paris, France), a reference antidiabetic drug. The effects of PB on lipid profiles were also examined. 2 In order to assess the hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of PB on experimental animals, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol, triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) were determined. In addition, the weight of each animal was determined to assess any possible weight gain or loss in the experimental animals (diabetic rats treated with Daonil (group C), the aqueous extract of PB (group D) or the methanolic extract of PB (group E)) compared with control groups (non‐diabetic (group A) and non‐treated diabetic (group B)). 3 A single dose of 120 mg/kg, i.v. , alloxan administered to rats resulted in significant increases in the FPG (P < 0.001) of test animals compared with controls. However, dietary supplementation with PB (6 g/kg extract for 4 weeks administered orally using an intragastric tube) ameliorated the alloxan‐induced diabetes in a manner comparable with that of the reference antidiabetic drug glibenclamide. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of PB (6% w/w) elicited 69.2% and 64.4% reductions, respectively, in FPG compared with 70.4% in 0.01 mg/150 g glibenclamide‐treated rats. 4 Although animals treated with the aqueous extract of PB gained weight in manner similar to normal controls, animals given the methanolic extract and glibenclamide lost weight in manner similar to non‐treated diabetic rats. In addition, high levels of HDL and low LDL were observed in animals treated with the aqueous extract of PB, a pattern similar to that seen in normal controls. Low levels of HDL and high levels of LDL were observed in animals treated with the methanolic extract of PB, a pattern similar to that seen in non‐treated diabetic controls. 5 The results of the present study demonstrate that both aqueous and methanolic extracts of fermented seeds of PB exert a hypoglycaemic effect; hence, PB has an antidiabetic property. However, only the aqueous extract of PB ameliorated the loss of bodyweight usually associated with diabetes. Although the aqueous extract has a favourable lipid profile, which is probably an indication of its possible anti‐arteriogenic property (hypertension and ischaemic heart diseases being common complications in diabetes mellitus), the methanolic extract shows possible contraindication to ischaemic heart diseases.
A COMPARISON OF THE VALUE-RELEVANCE OF U.S. VERSUS NON-U.S. GAAP ACCOUNTING MEASURES

Firms registered outside the United States and listed on a primary U.S. exchange may provide their U.S. shareholders with financial statements prepared under their domestic (non-U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The Securities and Exchange Commission requires such firms to reconcile their reported earnings and shareholders' equity to U.S. GAAP as part of a Form 20-F filing. These reconciliations provide a set of precise measures of the differences created by alternative accounting practices. We use the reconciliations to address two questions. First, are the differences in U.S. and non-U.S. GAAPas summarized in the aggregate reconciliations of earnings and shareholders' equity value-relevant? That is, do the reconciliations of accounting data to U.S. GAAP increase the associations between accounting measures and price (or return)?
Personality and the experience of environmental adversity

Background. While psychiatric epidemiology often focuses on the causal relationship between environmental adversity and the individual (e.g. environment to person), individuals probably make important contributions to the quality of their environments (person to environment). Method. In a population based sample of >7000 male and female adult twins, we examined the relationship between the personality trait of neuroticism (N) and the occurrence of stressful life events (SLEs) and the quality of interpersonal relationships (IPR). We compared the magnitude of the prediction of twin 1's self-reported SLEs and IPR from: (i) twin 1's self-reported N; (ii) twin 2's report of twin 1's N; and (iii) twin 2's report of twin 2's N in monozygotic pairs. Results. In our entire sample, self-report N significantly predicted the occurrence of most SLEs and all dimensions of IPR. Using the co-twin's report of N produced associations that were of the same magnitude for SLEs and modestly weaker for IPR. In monozygotic pairs, the level of N in one twin predicted SLEs and IPR in the co-twin at levels similar to those found for the co-twin's report of N. Repeating these analyses with a prospective subsample produced similar results. Conclusion. An individual's personality in adulthood plays a significant role in influencing exposure to some forms of environmental adversity and this association is not the result of reporting bias. Furthermore, this relationship is largely mediated by a common set of familial factors that predispose both to a ‘difficult’ temperament and to environmental adversity. Developmental models of psychiatric illness should adopt an interactionist view of individuals and their environment (person and environment).
A high transconductance efficiency FGMOS OTA for gm-C ladder filters

A new low voltage FGMOS OTA is proposed that can achieve high transconductance efficiency and offers flexibility in tuning that is suitable for gm-C ladder filters. OTAs with higher transconductance efficiency contribute to higher filter dynamic range for a given power consumption. Schematic simulations show efficiencies of up to 50 for a minimum DR of 63dB were achieved in an AMS 0. 35μm CMOS process with a supply voltage of 1.8V and power consumption of 56μW.