Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Triclinic form of bis{di-μ-hydroxidobis[fac-aquatribromidotin(IV)]} heptahydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title hydrate, 2[Sn(H2O)2(OH)2Br6]·7H2O, comprises two [Br3(H2O)Sn(μ-OH)2SnBr3(OH2)] units, but three independent molecules as two of these are disposed about inversion centres, and seven water molecules. In common with the monoclinic polymorph [Howie et al. (2005 ▶). Inorg. Chim. Acta, 358, 3283–3286], each of the dinuclear species features a central Sn2O2 core, distorted octahedral Sn atom geometries defined by a Br3O3 donor set, and an anti-disposition of the coordinated water molecules. In the crystal, Oh—H⋯Ow, Oa—H⋯Ow, Ow—H⋯Ow, and Ow—H⋯Br (h = hydroxyl, a = aqua, w = water) hydrogen-bonding interactions generate a three-dimensional network.
The Untapped Skilled Labor of Latin America

Increasingly offshoring is concentrated on IT and business processes rather than on manufacturing. Multinational companies have focused primarly on offshoring skilled work to Asia rather than to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, neglecting the region's considerable supply of skilled labor. This study projects LAC's skilled labor supply up to 2020. Our study shows that as LAC countries reach the next stage of their demographic transition, a slowdown in population growth rates is expected suggesting that these economies will face the problems posed by an aging population in the decades ahead. Our results also indicate that LAC countries have gradually lost their lead when it comes to years of formal education, being surpassed by other developing countries such as Korea or Taiwan.
Dynamic Conditional Correlations in International Stock, Bond and Foreign Exchange Markets: Emerging Markets Evidence

The paper models the dynamic conditional correlations in emerging stock, bond and foreign exchange markets using the DCC model of Engle (2002) and the GARCC model of McAleer et al. (2008). The highly restrictive DCC model suggests that the conditional correlations of the overall returns are constant. In contrast, the GARCC model finds that the conditional correlations between bond-bond markets and between stock-stock markets are relatively constant across developed-emerging markets, while those between emerging-emerging markets are dynamic. The conditional correlations between stock-bond markets across developed-emerging markets are also more dynamic as compared with those between emerging-emerging markets.
Recent Advances in CRISPR‐Cas9 Genome Editing Technology for Biological and Biomedical Investigations

The Type II CRISPR‐Cas9 system is a simple, efficient, and versatile tool for targeted genome editing in a wide range of organisms and cell types. It continues to gain more scientific interest and has established itself as an extremely powerful technology within our synthetic biology toolkit. It works upon a targeted site and generates a double strand breaks that become repaired by either the NHEJ or the HDR pathway, modifying or permanently replacing the genomic target sequences of interest. These can include viral targets, single‐mutation genetic diseases, and multiple‐site corrections for wide scale disease states, offering the potential to manage and cure some of mankind's most persistent biomedical menaces. Here, we present the developing progress and future potential of CRISPR‐Cas9 in biological and biomedical investigations, toward numerous therapeutic, biomedical, and biotechnological applications, as well as some of the challenges within. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 81–94, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optical Mapping of coronary-Perfused human atrial Preparations

Circulation. 2016;134:486–498. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115. 021165 486 Ning Li, MD, PhD Thomas A. Csepe, BS Brian J. Hansen, BS Lidiya V. Sul Anuradha Kalyanasundaram, PhD Stanislav O. Zakharkin, PhD Jichao Zhao, PhD Avirup Guha, MD David R. Van Wagoner, PhD Ahmet Kilic, MD Peter J. Mohler, PhD Paul M. L. Janssen, PhD Brandon J. Biesiadecki, PhD John D. Hummel, MD Raul Weiss, MD Vadim V. Fedorov, PhD Original research article
Grain Quality and Crop Breeding when Farmers Consumer their Grain: Evidence from Malawi

When farmers consume much of their grain output, end-use quality, in addition to standard production characteristics, affects farmers' seed choice and the economic returns to investment in crop breeding. Evidence from Malawi suggests that despite a lengthy research lag, emphasizing grain quality in recent years will amplify returns to research. Yet the story of that research breakthrough also suggests that when market signals are weak, physical and the social scientists who seek to play an informative role must be especially cautious in their assessment of research priorities.
The Role of Head Teachers in Instructional Leadership and Implications on K.C.S.E Performance: A Case of Muthambi Division, Kenya

If schools are to progress academically, the principal cannot allow daily duties to interfere with the leadership role in curriculum (Berlin, 1988). The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of head teachers in instructional leadership and the implication to students' performance. The main objective was to find out how instructional leadership in schools influences students performance. The study was conducted using a sample of eight headteachers, eight deputies and sixteen teachers from all the public secondary school in Muthambi Division, Maara district. A stratified sampling technique was used to ensure equal representation of each of the two zones in Muthambi Division. The school clusters was stratified into day mixed secondary, girls boarding secondary schools, boys boarding secondary schools and mixed boarding secondary schools. The schools were then sampled again to ensure each stratum was represented. Simple random sampling method was used where more than one school met the selection criteria. A descriptive survey design was employed and data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedule. The questionnaire was administered to all deputy heads and teachers in the sampled schools. Interview guide was administered to the heads teachers of the sampled schools. Then data was analyzed using descriptive statistics namely mean, mode, median standard deviation and percentages. The study established that most deputies and teachers were not satisfied with instructional leadership provided by their principal so expressed negative views on their school leadership. On the other hand, the study concluded that head teachers' involvement in academic activities such as internal classroom supervision and checking teachers'/students' work leads to high academic performance. The study recommended that head teachers should actively be involved in academic activities so as to influence the school academic performance. The study also recommended that the ministry of Education should plan leadership training programmes for serving principals in order to empower them to become effective instructional leaders in their schools for better academic performance.
Comparison of the safety and efficacy of the fixed combination of dorzolamide/timolol and the concomitant administration of dorzolamide and timolol: a clinical equivalence study

AIMS To compare the tolerability and efficacy of a fixed combination solution of dorzolamide/timolol (Cosopt), administered twice daily with the concomitant administration of its components, dorzolamide (Trusopt) twice daily and timolol (Timoptic) twice daily. METHODS After a 2 week timolol run in, patients with open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were randomised (1:1) to receive treatment with either the dorzolamide/timolol combination solution twice daily (combination) or the dorzolamide solution twice daily plus timolol maleate solution twice daily (concomitant) for 3 months. RESULTS 299 patients were entered and 290 patients completed the study. Compared with the timolol baseline, additional IOP lowering of 16% was observed at trough (hour 0) and 22% at peak (hour 2) at month 3 in both the concomitant and combination groups. The IOP lowering effects of the two treatment groups were clinically and statistically equivalent as demonstrated by the extremely small point differences (concomitant − combination) observed in this study−0.01 mm Hg at trough and 0.08 mm Hg at peak. The safety variables of the concomitant and combination groups were very similar. Both combination and concomitant therapy were well tolerated and few patients discontinued due to adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS The dorzolamide/timolol combination solution administered twice daily is equivalent in efficacy and has a similar safety profile to the concomitant administration of the components administered twice daily.
The role of methotrexate as combination therapy with etanercept in rheumatoid arthritis: Retrospective analysis of a local registry

Objective In a real-life setting, to analyse retrospectively the effects of different methotrexate regimens on etanercept efficacy during the first year of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters and treatment data from patients with RA receiving the first-line biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, etanercept, as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate were analysed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. The study population was stratified into three groups according to the level of concomitant methotrexate therapy: no methotrexate, low-dose methotrexate (≤ 10 mg/week) or high-dose methotrexate (>10 mg/week). Results Clinical response at 6 and 12 months and clinical outcome at 12 months were significantly better in patients concomitantly treated with high-dose methotrexate. Furthermore, this regimen was associated with the lowest discontinuation rate, suggesting a favourable safety profile. Conclusion These data confirm, in a real-life setting, the importance of methotrexate as a combination therapy with etanercept and suggest that the minimal effective dose of methotrexate is >10 mg/week.
PHARMACOKINETICS AND SAFETY OF A SELEGILINE TRANSDERMAL SYSTEM RELATIVE TO SINGLE‐DOSE ORAL ADMINISTRATION IN THE ELDERLY

This open-label, two-phase cross-over study compared the safety and pharmacokinetics of transdermally administered selegiline and orally administered selegiline hydrochloride in elderly men and women (n = 6/gender). Single oral doses of 10 mg selegiline hydrochloride and single 1/2 and 1 selegiline transdermal system (STS) (delivering ~3.4 and 6.3 mg over 24 h) administered topically were safe and well tolerated in all subjects. Plasma concentrations of selegiline (SEL) and its N-desmethylselegiline (DMS), L-amphetamine (AMP), and L-methamphetamine (MET) metabolites were measured using an HPLC/MS/MS method with lower quantitation limits of 10, 50, 200, and 200 pg/mL, respectively. No significant gender-related differences were observed following single 10-mg oral doses of selegiline hydrochloride or single 24-h applications of 1/2 and 1 STS to elderly males and females. The low level of dermal irritation as assessed by erythema and edema rating scales suggests that the STS was similar to Band-Aid (Johnson & Johnson, Skillman, NJ) controls. The transdermal administration of SEL bypasses the first-pass metabolism that is significant after oral administration (first-pass extraction >90%). Peak plasma levels of 1.19, 23.22, 4.78, and 14.08 ng/mL were observed for SEL, DMS, AMP, and MET after a single 10-mg oral dose to the elderly. By contrast, peak plasma levels of 2.10, 0.85, 1.06, and 2.71 ng/mL were observed for SEL, DMS, AMP, and MET after a single 24-h application of 1 STS. Comparison of dose-corrected areas under the curve (AUCs) (made under the assumption of linear pharmacokmetics) indicate that SEL exposure after transdermal application was more than 50-fold greater than that obtained orally. This increase in systemic SEL exposure at the expense of metabolite formation that is reduced to <70% of that obtained orally for N-DMS, L-AMP, and L-MET is hypothesized to be of therapeutic value in patients with a variety of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
Adrenergic influences on the electrical potential across the colonic mucosa of the rabbit.

1. An investigation was undertaken of the role of adrenergic influences on the transient change in colonic potential difference (p.d.) induced by handling in the rabbit. 2. P.d. was increased from 9–5 +/− 0–5 to 27–05 +/− 1‐94 mV during a 2 hr period of handling and wrapping. Atropine and alpha‐adrenergic block during this 2 hr period did not alter the magnitude of the response and the response in adrenalectomized animals was not significantly different from that of normal animals. 3. ‘Total’ adrenergic block and selective beta‐adrenergic block abolished the change in p.d. with handling and infusion of an alpha‐receptor agonist during the 2 hr period significantly reduced the response. 4. The changes in colonic p.d. with handling were greatly increased by the infusion of a beta‐receptor agonist during the 2 hr test period. 5. The results indicate that the change in colonic p.d. with handling is a direct effect of the autonomic nervous system mediated via beta‐receptors and that the changes were not related to the effects of circulating catecholamines or to changes in aldosterone production.
Blood Glutamate Scavenging: Insight into Neuroprotection

Brain insults are characterized by a multitude of complex processes, of which glutamate release plays a major role. Deleterious excess of glutamate in the brain’s extracellular fluids stimulates glutamate receptors, which in turn lead to cell swelling, apoptosis, and neuronal death. These exacerbate neurological outcome. Approaches aimed at antagonizing the astrocytic and glial glutamate receptors have failed to demonstrate clinical benefit. Alternatively, eliminating excess glutamate from brain interstitial fluids by making use of the naturally occurring brain-to-blood glutamate efflux has been shown to be effective in various animal studies. This is facilitated by gradient driven transport across brain capillary endothelial glutamate transporters. Blood glutamate scavengers enhance this naturally occurring mechanism by reducing the blood glutamate concentration, thus increasing the rate at which excess glutamate is cleared. Blood glutamate scavenging is achieved by several mechanisms including: catalyzation of the enzymatic process involved in glutamate metabolism, redistribution of glutamate into tissue, and acute stress response. Regardless of the mechanism involved, decreased blood glutamate concentration is associated with improved neurological outcome. This review focuses on the physiological, mechanistic and clinical roles of blood glutamate scavenging, particularly in the context of acute and chronic CNS injury. We discuss the details of brain-to-blood glutamate efflux, auto-regulation mechanisms of blood glutamate, natural and exogenous blood glutamate scavenging systems, and redistribution of glutamate. We then propose different applied methodologies to reduce blood and brain glutamate concentrations and discuss the neuroprotective role of blood glutamate scavenging.
Nonorthologous gene displacement of phosphomevalonate kinase.

Phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK; EC 2.7.4.2) catalyzes the phosphorylation of 5-phosphomevalonate into 5-diphosphomevalonate, an essential step in isoprenoid biosynthesis via the mevalonate pathway. So far, two nonorthologous genes encoding PMK have been described, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ERG8 gene and the human PMK gene. Here, we report that orthologues of ERG8 are present in eubacteria, fungi, and plants, while orthologues of human PMK are found only in animals, indicative of a nonorthologous gene displacement early in animal evolution. This also is reflected by different consensus ATP-binding motifs: a protein kinase motif in the ERG8 orthologues versus a P-loop or Walker A motif in the animal orthologues. The fact that ERG8 orthologues are found in pathogenic eubacteria and fungi but not in man makes them attractive targets for the development of antibacterial and/or antifungal drugs.
Tutorial 2A: 3D integration - challenges and advantages

The most significant challenge for continued integration of complex systems is energy efficiency. 3D heterogeneous stacking of diverse circuit blocks is one of the most promising solutions. The tutorial will focus on three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) consisting of multiple layers of systems integrated vertically using through silicon vias (TSVs). We will discuss advantages and challenges of current 3D TSV-based technologies and how to exploit various options through tradeoffs and well-educated choices for designing energy efficient heterogeneous systems. Comparisons between various TSV models and layout solutions will be presented and discussed. Influence of TSV-induced thermo-mechanical stress on devices and interconnects will be discussed. Influence and design trade-offs of temperature distribution on system performance and power dissipation will be discussed. As time permits we will also look towards the horizon, exploring monolithic 3D systems, a variety of new materials such as carbon-nanotubes, and the potential of an abundance of energy efficient interconnects.
IfD - information for discrimination

The problem of term mismatch and ambiguity has long been serious and outstanding in IR. The problem can result in the system formulating an incomplete and imprecise query representation, leading to a failure of retrieval. Many query reformulation methods have been proposed to address the problem. These methods employ term classes which are considered as related to individual query terms. They are hindered by the computational cost of term classification, and by the fact that the terms in some class are generally related to some specific query term belonging to the class rather than relevant to the context of the query. In this thesis we propose a series of methods for automatic query reformulation (AQR). The methods constitute a formal model called IfD, standing for Information for Discrimination. In IfD, each discrimination measure is modelled as information contained in terms supporting one of two opposite hypotheses. The extent of association of terms with the query can thus be defined based directly on the discrimination. The strength of association of candidate terms with the query can then be computed, and good terms can be selected to enhance the query. Justifications for IfD are presented from several aspects: formal interpretations of infor­mation for discrimination are introduced to show its soundness; criteria are put forward to show its rationality; properties of discrimination measures are analysed to show its appro­priateness; examples are examined to show its usability; extension is discussed to show its potential; implementation is described to show its feasibility; comparisons with other methods are made to show its flexibility; improvements in retrieval performance are exhibited to show its powerful capability. Our conclusion is that the advantage and promise IfD should make it an indispensable methodology for AQR, which we believe can be an effective technique for improvement in retrieval performance.
Implementation of a pharmacotherapy clinic into the patient centered medical home model by a second year pharmacy resident.

OBJECTIVE Evaluate the impact a post graduate year 2 (PGY-2) pharmacy resident run clinic incorporated into the patient centered medical home (PCMH) model may have on achieving reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) over six months in type 2 diabetics within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). METHODS This was a prospective, quasi-experimental study enrolling type 2 diabetics referred to the pharmacist-run clinic not meeting American Diabetes Association (ADA) treatment goals for A1c less than 7%, and/or LDL less than 100 mg/dL, and/or blood pressure (BP) less than 130/80 mmHg. Once signed informed consent was obtained, veterans were followed according to usual standards of care for six months with visits and lab follow-up at baseline, three, and six months (±45 days). The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c, LDL, and BP from baseline to six months. Secondary endpoints included the change from baseline to three months in A1c, LDL, and BP and the percentage of patients who achieved ADA treatment goals for A1c, LDL, and BP at six months. RESULTS Among the 24 patients included in the data analysis (100% male, 92% Caucasian), A1c decreased significantly from 7.56% to 7.19% (p = 0.0122) as well as LDL from 92.9 to 68.5 mg/dL (p = 0.0023), SBP from 131 to 124 mmHg (p = 0.0302), and DBP from 71.5 to 64.8 mmHg (p = 0.0012). The proportion of patients at recommended goal A1c <7% rose from 17% to 38%, as did the percentage of patients meeting ADA goals for LDL (75% to 96%), SBP (46% to 71%), and DBP (79% to 92%). CONCLUSION Patients followed in a resident run pharmacotherapy clinic in the PCMH model with interventions over six months showed significant improvements in clinical endpoints including A1c, LDL, SBP, and DBP.
Quality assessment of images displayed on LCD screen with local backlight dimming

This paper presents a subjective experiment collecting quality assessment of images displayed on a LCD with local backlight dimming using two methodologies: absolute category ratings and paired-comparison. Some well-known objective quality metrics are then applied to the stimuli and their respective performance are analyzed. The HDR-VDP metric seems to achieve good performance on every source image.
BRAF mutations in papillary thyroid carcinomas inhibit genes involved in iodine metabolism.

CONTEXT BRAF mutations are common in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). By affecting the expression of genes critically related to the development and differentiation of thyroid cancer, they may influence the prognosis of these tumors. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to characterize the expression of thyroid-specific genes associated with BRAF mutation in PTCs. DESIGN/SETTING AND PATIENTS: We examined the expression of key markers of thyrocyte differentiation in 56 PTCs with BRAF mutations (BRAF-mut) and 37 with wild-type BRAF (BRAF-wt). Eight samples of normal thyroid tissue were analyzed as controls. Quantitative PCR was used to measure mRNA levels for the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), apical iodide transporter (AIT-B), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroperoxidase (TPO), TSH receptor (TSH-R), the transcription factor PAX8, and glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1). NIS protein expression and localization was also analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS mRNA levels for all thyroid-specific genes were reduced in all PTCs vs. normal thyroid tissues. NIS, AIT-B, Tg, and TPO expression was significantly lower in BRAF-mut tumors than in the BRAF-wt group. Glut-1 transcript levels were increased in all PTCs, and additional increases were noted in BRAF-mut tumors. In both tumor subsets, the NIS protein that was expressed was abnormally retained in the cytoplasm. CONCLUSION BRAF V600E mutation in PTCs is associated with reduced expression of key genes involved in iodine metabolism. This effect may alter the effectiveness of diagnostic and/or therapeutic use of radioiodine in BRAF-mut PTCs.