Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxoplasma gondii: Perfecting an Intracellular Life Style

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread protozoan parasite that infects all nucleated cell types of warm‐blooded vertebrates. Parasite motility is regulated by polymerization of new actin filaments that provide a substrate for the small myosin TgMyoA. Interaction between the cytoplasmic tails of parasite adhesins and the actin‐binding protein aldolase links these cell surface proteins with the cytoskeleton. Translocation of adhesins coupled to extracellular receptors allows the parasite to glide across the substrate. This conserved system is important for active penetration into host cells and tissue migration by T. gondii. Entry into the host cell is accompanied by dramatic remodeling of the intracellular vacuole that the parasite resides in. This compartment resists fusion with host cell endocytic organelles, yet recruits mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in order to gain access to host cell nutrients. The combined abilities to actively penetrate host cells and control the fate of the parasite‐containing vacuole contributes to the remarkable success of T. gondii as an intracellular parasite.
Effect of the NSAID nimesulide on the radical scavenger glutathione S‑transferase in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

ABSTRACT Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a secondary inflammatory, painful disease of the knee joint with increasing destruction of the articular cartilage. In the inflammatory process the formation of free radicals (reactive oxygen species, ROS) plays a major role in progression of disease and in the subsequent destruction of joint cartilage. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the antioxidative potency of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) nimesulide on glutathione S‑transferase (GST), an enzymatic free radical scavenger. In addition, the effects on matrix metalloproteinase MMP‑3 and its antagonist tissue inhibitor of matrix-metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP-1) were determined. Research design and methods: This was an open-pilot study on 20 patients (aged 41–71 years old) suffering from painful OA of the knee, treated for 3 weeks with nimesulide 100 mg b.i. d. Twenty-three healthy subjects (aged 23–57 years), not age matched, served as a comparison group. GST, MMP‑3 and TIMP‑1 were measured by enzyme-immunoassays. Clinical symptoms and joint function were measured using the WOMAC Index. Results: During the 3-week treatment period with nimesulide 100 mg b.i. d. , both scavenger GST and the TIMP‑1/MMP‑3 ratio significantly increased. This change was accompanied by significant clinical improvement in terms of pain reduction, stiffness and joint function. Two adverse events occurred possibly related to nimesulide treatment: one case of moderate eyelid swelling, and one case of moderate diarrhea with no abnormality in the endoscopic examination. Conclusions: These results confirm the antioxidative properties of the study drug, indicating that nimesulide, beside its known anti-inflammatory properties, also shows an evident antioxidative activity that adds further supportive evidence to its key role in the treatment of OA patients (thanks to the absence of degenerative effects on cartilage).
Gender and political economy: explorations of South Asian systems.

In the last decade, international feminist scholarship has undergone a paradigm shift as the women's movement has adopted a more militant and radically analytic stance in Third World societies, in none more so than those of South Asia. As women from many walks of life now consciously struggle with the inequitable burdens they bear in relation to their livelihood and their political life, these burdens are increasingly understood as being imposed on them by systems that support their subordination, both to men as well as in a larger sense. Growing out of this understanding, a vigorous literature has developed on gender from a political-economic perspective. This literature represents a global attempt to understand social transformations of gender which flow out of such world processes as the penetration of colonialism, the development of world economies, and the historical coalescence of a world economic system. The volume contributes to these global dicsussions from within a framework which focuses on the region of South Asia, with its own particularities, traditions, and historical roots. The essays here tie together conditions for women in rural and urban sectors as well as the several subregional economies, with the intensifying pressure of the world system as it has evolved over the last century. The increasing politicization of women at the most market-penetrated margins of the region contrasts with the deepening obfuscation of the interests of those in the rural heartland. This volume is intended to form a bridge between those engaged in gender studies on a world scale, and those engaged in studies of South Asian societies and cultures.
Lack of RUNX3 regulation in human gastric cancer

It has been proposed that the transcription factor RUNX3 is the product of a gastric tumour suppressor gene. We examined RUNX3 expression in gastric biopsies from 105 patients with different histological presentations. Surprisingly, immunohistochemical staining detected RUNX3 protein expression only in infiltrating leukocytes but not in the gastric epithelium. Using laser capture microdissection and quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, we confirmed that the level of RUNX3 mRNA expression in the gastric epithelium was very low and was influenced neither by H. pylori infection nor by neoplastic transformation. Instead, RUNX3 was highly expressed in the gastric stroma and the level of expression correlated with the magnitude of H. pylori‐induced gastric inflammation. The low level of RUNX3 expression in gastric epithelium and the absence of downregulation in gastric cancer do not support the hypothesis that RUNX3 functions as a gastric tumour suppressor gene. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Views on the Effects of the Spanish Dependency Law on Caregivers’ Quality of Life Using Concept Mapping

In 2006 the Spanish Dependency Law established new rights for people in situation of dependency. The impact of the Law could have also affected the quality of life of their carers. This study aims to understand how the Law may have influenced caregivers’ quality of life through their own perceptions and those of Primary Health Care professionals, and to compare both perspectives. The study used Concept Mapping, a mixed methods technique. In total, 16 caregivers and 21 professionals participated. Both groups identified a mix of positive and negative effects. Uncertainties and delays in granting benefits were reported. However, several advantages were identified, such as the possibility of sharing the burden of care, thus reducing its physical, mental and social consequences, while at the same time being able to maintain responsibility. Most of the mechanisms identified were common to both caregivers and professionals; the most notable differences were that the latter attached more importance to economic support and less to the negative effects of implementation of the Law. This study reveals positive effects of the Law on caregivers’ quality of life and the potential for improvement of some negative aspects in its implementation related with the context of austerity.
Creating Supportive Environment for Innovation : A Conceptual Model Study 1

Innovation and creativity is becoming a topic of ev er-increasing interest to organization and researcher. Various scholars have recognized the importance of innovation to organization’s competence. Researchers conceptualiz ed and studied it from different prospects. How to foster innovation within High-Tech firms is a critical aspect of organizational effective management. This paper expands on this line of thin king on the organizational innovation and aims to explore determinants of work environment th at are relevant with organizational innovation. In this paper, we attempts to examine t h determinants of innovation in work environment and addresses the ways in which innovat ion is fostered in firms.Furthermore, we develop a model to expound the mechanism of innovat i n in work context. Key word: Innovation, Creativity, Key Factors, Innovative Pr ocess;Function Mechanism Model
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam

Designed for general readers with little or no knowledge of Islam, this superb Oxford Dictionary provides more than 2,000 vividly written, up-to-date, and authoritative entries organized in an easy-to-use, A-to-Z format. The Dictionary focuses primarily on the 19th and 20th centuries, stressing topics of most interest to Westerners. What emerges is a highly informative look at the religious, political, and social spheres of the modern Islamic world. Naturally, readers will find many entries on topics of intense current interest, such as terrorism and the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, the PLO and HAMAS. But the coverage goes well beyond recent headlines. There are biographical profiles, ranging from Naguib Mahfouz (the Nobel Prize winner from Egypt) to Malcolm X, including political leaders, influential thinkers, poets, scientists, and writers. Other entries cover major political movements, militant groups, and religious sects as well as terms from Islamic law, culture, and religion, key historical events, and important landmarks (such as Mecca and Medina). A series of entries look at Islam in individual nations, such as Afghanistan, the West Bank and Gaza, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United States, and there are discussions of Islamic views on such issues as abortion, birth control, the Internet, the Rushdie Affair, and the theory of evolution. Whether we are listening to the evening news, browsing through the op-ed pages, or reading a book on current events, references to Muslims and the Islamic world appear at every turn. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam offers a wealth of information for anyone curious about this burgeoning and increasingly important world religion.
Long-term results after transplantation of pediatric liver grafts from donation after circulatory death donors

Background Liver grafts from donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors are increasingly accepted as an extension of the organ pool for transplantation. There is little data on the outcome of liver transplantation with DCD grafts from a pediatric donor. The objective of this study was to assess the outcome of liver transplantation with pediatric DCD grafts and to compare this with the outcome after transplantation of livers from pediatric donation after brain death (DBD) donors. Method All transplantations performed with a liver from a pediatric donor (≤16 years) in the Netherlands between 2002 and 2015 were included. Patient survival, graft survival, and complication rates were compared between DCD and DBD liver transplantation. Results In total, 74 liver transplantations with pediatric grafts were performed; twenty (27%) DCD and 54 (73%) DBD. The median donor warm ischemia time (DWIT) was 24 min (range 15–43 min). Patient survival rate at 10 years was 78% for recipients of DCD grafts and 89% for DBD grafts (p = 0.32). Graft survival rate at 10 years was 65% in recipients of DCD versus 76% in DBD grafts (p = 0.20). If donor livers in this study would have been rejected for transplantation when the DWIT ≥30 min (n = 4), the 10-year graft survival rate would have been 81% after DCD transplantation. The rate of non-anastomotic biliary strictures was 5% in DCD and 4% in DBD grafts (p = 1.00). Other complication rates were also similar between both groups. Conclusions Transplantation of livers from pediatric DCD donors results in good long-term outcome especially when the DWIT is kept ≤30 min. Patient and graft survival rates are not significantly different between recipients of a pediatric DCD or DBD liver. Moreover, the incidence of non-anastomotic biliary strictures after transplantation of pediatric DCD livers is remarkably low.
Alternative Sources of Neurons and Glia from Somatic Stem Cells

Stem cell populations have been shown to be extremely versatile: they can generate differentiated cells specific to the tissue in which they reside and descendents that are of different germ layer origin. This raises the possibility of obtaining neuronal cells from new biological source of the same adult human subjects. In this study, we found that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) cooperated to induce the proliferation, self-renewal, and expansion of neural stem cell-like population isolated from several newborn and adult mouse tissues: muscle and hematopoietic tissues. This population, in both primary culture and secondary expanded clones, formed spheres of undifferentiated cells that were induced to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Brain engraftment of the somatic-derived neural stem cells generated neuronal phenotypes, demonstrating the great plasticity of these cells with potential clinical application.
Actigraphy‐assessed sleep during school and vacation periods: a naturalistic study of restricted and extended sleep opportunities in adolescents

School‐related sleep restriction in adolescents has been identified by studies comparing weekday and weekend sleep. This study compared weekday and vacation sleep to assess restricted and extended sleep opportunities. One‐hundred and forty‐six adolescents (47.3% male) aged 16.2 ± 1.0 years (M ± SD) from the general community wore an actigraph continuously for 4 weeks: the last week of a school term (Time‐E), the following 2‐week vacation, and the first week of the next term. Self‐reported sleep was assessed for each of the three time intervals, and chronotype was assessed using the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire at Time‐E. Daily actigraphy bedtime, rise‐time, time‐in‐bed, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and % wake after sleep onset were analysed using latent growth curve modelling. The removal of school‐related sleep restriction was associated with an abrupt delay in sleep timing and increase in sleep duration. Subsequently, bedtime and rise‐time showed further linear delays throughout the vacation, while changes in time‐in‐bed were non‐significant. Sleep onset latency increased linearly, peaking in the middle of the second vacation week. Across the first vacation week, total sleep time and sleep efficiency linearly decreased, while % wake after sleep onset increased. These changes stabilized during the second vacation week. Older age and eveningness were associated with later bedtime and rise‐time, whilst females had longer time‐in‐bed, total sleep time and sleep onset latency. Compared with school days, sleep during the vacation was characterized by later timing, longer duration, lower quality and greater variability. Recovery from school‐related sleep restriction appeared to be completed within the 2 weeks of naturalistic extended sleep.
Development of High Performance AC Drive Train

In its efforts to give best to the consumers, REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) has developed the REVAi - a new model with a high performance AC drive train. The REVAi offers benefits to user in terms of increased power resulting in a higher top speed, 35% better acceleration and grade ability. A new optimized algorithm and higher efficiency motor extends the range. In addition features such as hill restraint and boost power mode enhance drivability. Addition of anti roll bar provides excellent handling of the car. The new AC drive REVA cars are more efficient, reliable and almost maintenance free, as the motors do not need any brush replacements. This has set up a new technology platform for future models involving advanced batteries applications, as the electronics used in the AC DRIVE car are compatible with future generation lithium ion batteries. Development of the AC drive train needed a totally new look at the EMI issues and EMI certification in Europe. REVAi is available in 100% recyclable, color impregnated, lightweight ABS in standard colors, 2000 optional colours. REVAi presently uses cutting edge proprietary technologies with micro process based and also remote vehicle diagnostics. These two on-board computers are provided for energy management and data acquisition for quick diagnostics. The EMS extends range by 15 % and battery life by 25%.
Negative Affect Instability Among Individuals With Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Ecological momentary assessment was utilized to examine affective instability (AI) in the daily lives of outpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD; N = 78), with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A psychiatric control group (n = 50) composed of outpatients with major depressive disorder/dysthymia (MDD/DYS) was employed to compare across subgroups: BPD-only, BPD+PTSD, MDD/DYS-only, and MDD/DYS+PTSD. Compared with the BPD-only group, the BPD+PTSD group had significantly greater instability of fear and sadness, but did not significantly differ in instability of hostility or aggregate negative affect. This pattern of elevated instability of fear and sadness was not present—and, in fact, was reversed—in the MDD/DYS group. Results emphasize the importance of examining AI within the context of specific comorbidities and affect types. Treatment and research addressing AI in the context of BPD-PTSD comorbidity may benefit from a focus on fear and sadness as separate from hostility or general negative affect.
First-line chemotherapy vs bowel tumor resection plus chemotherapy for patients with unresectable synchronous colorectal hepatic metastases.

HYPOTHESIS Bowel resection followed by chemotherapy is a better management strategy than immediate chemotherapy in asymptomatic patients with colorectal cancer and unresectable liver-only metastases at presentation. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Sixty-five consecutive symptom-free colorectal cancer patients with unresectable synchronous metastases confined to the liver undergoing bowel tumor resection plus systemic chemotherapy (42 patients [resection group]) or chemotherapy first (23 patients [chemotherapy group]). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Long-term survival and identification of prognostic indicators of outcome. RESULTS In the resection group, the mean and median overall survival times were shown to be significantly better than those in the chemotherapy group (P = .03). Performance status, basal serum levels of lactic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase, percentage of liver involvement, potentially curative resection of the bowel tumor, and type of treatment (resection vs chemotherapy) were demonstrated to be the only variables significantly correlated with long-term survival. On multivariate analysis, performance status, extent of liver involvement, and type of treatment were shown to be the only covariates independently associated with survival rate. The rate of liver metastasis downstaging with subsequent curative hepatic resection was clearly associated with good performance status, limited liver involvement, and resection of the bowel tumor. CONCLUSIONS Achieving complete cure in asymptomatic colorectal cancer patients with unresectable synchronous liver-only metastases appears to be mostly the result of shrinkage and resection of hepatic metastases. In patients with good performance status and limited liver involvement, bowel tumor resection appears to be the best treatment option for this purpose.
Monacolins J and L, new inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis produced by Monascus ruber.

There is considerable interest in the discovery of hypocholesterolemic drugs whose mode of action is the inhibition of sterol biosynthesis. Culture broths of microorganisms have yielded active compounds that specifically inhibit 3hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMGCoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. The first of these to be described was ML-236B (compactin)1). Its isolation from Penicillium citrinum and hypocholesterolemic properties were extensively studied by ENDO and his associates2.3). The clinical efficacy of ML-236B in lowering plasma cholesterol has also been reported2~5). Later, a more potent relative of ML-236B, designated monacolin K (mevinolin), was isolated by ENDO and ALBERTS et a! from Monascus ruber6,7) and Aspergillus terreus8). Along with these two compounds, several metabolites related to either ML-236B or monacolin K were isolated1,9,10). The present communication describes the isolation, structure and some of the biological properties of two new compounds designated monacolins J and L (Fig. 1). Monascus ruber No. 1005 was grown aerobically in a medium containing glucose 6%, peptone 2.5 %, corn steep liquor (Corn Products Co., U.S.A.) 0.5 %, ammonium chloride 0.5 % at 25°C for 10 days. The culture filtrate (5 liters) was adjusted to pH 3 with HCl and extracted with ethyl acetate (5 liters). The solvent layer was dried over Na2SO4, filtered, and then evaporated to dryness in vacuo. A benzene solution of the oily residue was, after filtration, washed twice with 5 % NaHCO3 (100m]) and then mixed with 100 m] of 0.2 M NaOH. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours to hydrolyze the S-lactone ring. The aqueous layer was adjusted to pH 3 with HCI and then extracted twice with ethyl acetate (100 ml). The solvent layers were dried over Na2SO4 and then evaporated to dryness. The resulting oily residue (260 mg) was dissolved in a small volume of benzene; crystals formed were removed by filtration, and purified by chromatography in a silica gel (Wako gel C-200) column (10 g). The column was developed first with 50 ml of dichloromethane, then with 600 ml of dichloromethane ethyl acetate (9: 1) followed by 900 ml of dichloromethane ethyl acetate (8: 2) to elute monacolins L, K and J, respectively. The dichloromethane fraction was evaporated to dryness and applied to a silica gel column (Wako gel C-200, 5 g). The column was washed with 30 ml of n-hexane, then developed with 500 ml of n-hexane acetone (9: 1) to elute monacolin L. The active fraction was evaporated to dryness and dissolved in 10 ml of benzene. The solution was washed twice with 5 ml of 5 % NaHCO3, dried over Na2SO4 and evaporated to dryness, yielding 24 mg (white powder) of monacolin L. The dichlorornethane ethyl acete (8: 2) fraction obtained above was evaporated to dryness, dissolved in 10 m] of benzene and washed twice with 5 ml of 5 % NaHCO3. The benzene soluFig. 1.
Implementing the Balanced Scorecard at a college of business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how the Balanced Scorecard approach, a performance management system, could be implemented at a college of business.Design/methodology/approach – The authors' own college of business is used as an example, to present how a successful Balanced Scorecard would look.Practical implications – A comprehensive guide for implementation of the Balanced Scorecard approach is presented, including presentation of specific objectives and measures appropriate for a college of business.Originality/value – The paper points out that the Balanced Scorecard approach is well suited to a higher education situation and allows the alignment of a wide variety of measures with the unique mission and strategy of a college of business.