Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
p38 Mitogen‐activated protein kinase and c‐Jun‐NH2‐terminal kinase regulate interleukin‐8 and RANTES production in hyperosmolarity stimulated human bronchial epithelial cells

Objective: We have previously shown that p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) regulates, at least in part, hyperosmolarity induced interleukin (IL)‐8 expression in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEC). In the previous study, hyperosmolarity also activated c‐Jun‐NH2‐terminal kinase (JNK); however, the role of the JNK signalling pathway has not been determined. In the present study, we examined the role of the JNK signalling pathway in hyperosmolarity induced IL‐8 and RANTES production by BEC using the novel inhibitor of the JNK signalling pathway CEP 11004 in order to clarify these issues.
The Relationship between Subclinical Thyroid Disease and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score in Koreans

Subclinical hyperthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism are characterized by abnormal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with normal free thyroxine. Subclinical thyroid diseases, to date, have received less attention compared with other thyroid diseases since they are asymptomatic. This study aimed to verify the association between subclinical thyroid diseases and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk score in the Korean population. This was a population-based cohort study using data collected from 3,722 subjects (aged ≥ 30 years) during the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI; 2013–2015). Gender-specific Framingham risk scores were calculated to identify the association between subclinical thyroid diseases and 10-year CVD risk score. Complex survey, with consideration of sampling weight, was analyzed using generalized linear models after stratification by gender. The TSH reference range was between 0.61 and 6.91 mIU/L in this study. TSH showed a positive association with the 10-year CVD risk score only in the female population (P = 0.001). There were significant differences in the least squares means of 10-year CVD risk score by the effect of subclinical hypothyroidism compared with euthyroidism (normal group) in females, after adjusting for body mass index, white blood cell, and urine iodine (P = 0.006 and Bonferroni corrected P = 0.012). In conclusion, subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with increased 10-year CVD risk score in the female Korean population aged 30 years or more. Therefore, we recommend to clinically checkup major CVD risk factors in female patients with subclinical hypothyroidism aged 30 years or more.
Depressive Symptoms and Gestational Length Among Pregnant Adolescents: Cluster Randomized Control Trial of CenteringPregnancy® Plus Group Prenatal Care

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are associated with preterm birth among adults. Pregnant adolescents have high rates of depressive symptoms and low rates of treatment; however, few interventions have targeted this vulnerable group. Objectives are to: (a) examine impact of CenteringPregnancy® Plus group prenatal care on perinatal depressive symptoms compared to individual prenatal care; and (b) determine effects of depressive symptoms on gestational age and preterm birth among pregnant adolescents. Method: This cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 14 community health centers and hospitals in New York City. Clinical sites were randomized to receive standard individual prenatal care (n = 7) or CenteringPregnancy® Plus group prenatal care (n = 7). Pregnant adolescents (ages 14–21, N = 1,135) completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale during pregnancy (second and third trimesters) and postpartum (6 and 12 months). Gestational age was obtained from medical records, based on ultrasound dating. Intention to treat analyses were used to examine objectives. Results: Adolescents at clinical sites randomized to CenteringPregnancy® Plus experienced greater reductions in perinatal depressive symptoms compared to those at clinical sites randomized to individual care (p = .003). Increased depressive symptoms from second to third pregnancy trimester were associated with shorter gestational age at delivery and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation). Third trimester depressive symptoms were also associated with shorter gestational age and preterm birth. All p < . 05. Conclusions: Pregnant adolescents should be screened for depressive symptoms prior to third trimester. Group prenatal care may be an effective nonpharmacological option for reducing depressive symptoms among perinatal adolescents.
Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms and Diseases Associated with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Aim: Investigation of the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Patients and Methods: 299 subjects with GERD were submitted to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and a symptom analysis. Results: Chronic respiratory symptoms or diseases were present in 18% (56/299). Chronic cough was observed in 42/56 patients, while typical reflux symptoms such as heartburn and acid regurgitation were observed in 30/56 and 24/56 cases, respectively. The prevalence of airway diseases was chronic bronchitis 12/56, asthma 10/56, recurrent pneumonia 10/56, chronic sinusitis 7/56 and chronic laryngitis 1/56. In patients with respiratory complications pathologic acid reflux was established in 29/51 cases on the basis of the DeMeester score, while 17/51 had pathologic postprandial, nocturnal or diurnal reflux events. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a normal esophageal mucosa in 6/56, Savary-Miller stage I esophagitis in 23/56, stage II in 15/56, stage III in 5/56 and stage IV in 6/56 patients. Conclusions: These investigations have demonstrated an abnormal 24-hour pH score in about half of the patients with GERD-associated respiratory complications, and indicated that short reflux events are characteristic of the reflux activity in one third of this population.
Distribution of blood lead levels in a birth cohort of New Zealanders at age 21.

Little is known about lead exposure in the general population of young adults. In this study, whole blood lead concentration (PbB) was determined in a sample of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a well-documented birth cohort of New Zealanders aged 21 years in 1993-1994. PbB in those who consented to venipuncture at 21 years of age (n = 779; 411 males, 368 females) was compared to PbB for the same cohort at age 11 years. The PbB at age 21 ranged from 0.4 to 56 micrograms/dl with a geometric mean of 4.5 micrograms/dl (95% CI, 4.3-4.7 micrograms/dl). Only three individuals had a PbB above 30 micrograms/dl. Males had significantly higher PbB than females (geometric mean 6.0 vs. 3.2 micrograms/dl; p < 0.0001). The PbB at age 21 was 53% lower than in the same individuals at age 11 (geometric mean 4.8 vs. 10.2 micrograms/dl; p < 0.001; n = 480) and the correlation between corresponding values was weak (r = 0.19; p < 0.001). PbB at age 21 showed significant associations with high risk occupational activities, recreational exposure, domicile close to a main road, smoking, and male sex. Blood lead concentrations continue to fall in New Zealand, but occupational and recreational activities remain a significant source of lead exposure. ImagesFigure 1.
Protective Effect of Erdosteine Against Hypochlorous Acid‐induced Acute Lung Injury and Lipopolysaccharide‐induced Neutrophilic Lung Inflammation in Mice

The effect of erdosteine, a mucoactive drug, on hypochlorous acid (HOCl)‐induced lung injury, and the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced increase in tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) production and neutrophil recruitment into the airway, was investigated.
Expression of Ki-67 in normal oral epithelium, leukoplakic oral epithelium and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Aims and Objective: To demonstrate the presence, location and pattern of cell proliferation in different histological grades of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and normal oral epithelium (NOE) using an antibody directed against the Ki-67 antigen and its intensity of staining evaluated respectively. Materials and Methods: A total number of 100 archival paraffin embedded blocks obtained from Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology were studied. The case details were retrieved which consisted of histopathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC (n = 20), low risk OED (n = 30), high risk OED (n = 30) and normal appearing mucosa (n = 20) were taken as standard for comparison. Ki-67 immunostaining was detected. Ki-67 positive cells were counted in the five random high power fields in each case. Results: Ki-67 labeling Index (LI) was restricted to the basal and parabasal layers of the normal oral epithelium irrespective of age, sex and site whereas it was seen in the basal, suprabasal and spinous layers in OED. Ki-67 LI is increased in high risk cases than the low risk cases of OED. Ki-67 positive cells in OSCC were located in the periphery of the tumor nests than the center, where frequent mitoses were observed. Conclusion: The architectural alteration evaluated by Ki-67 antibody in proliferating cell distribution in the layers of epithelial dysplasias may provide useful information to evaluate the grading of OED. Ki-67 LI increased in high risk cases than low risk cases of OED. This study showed that over expression of Ki-67 antigen between well-differentiated and poorly differentiated OSCC was in accordance with histologic grade of malignancy but not in accordance with moderately differentiated OSCC.
Computational Methods for Analysis of Foci: Validation for Radiation-Induced γ-H2AX Foci in Human Cells

Abstract Böcker, W. and Iliakis, G. Computational Methods for Analysis of Foci: Validation for Radiation-Induced γ-H2AX Foci in Human Cells. Radiat. Res. 165, 113–124 (2006). Observation and counting of γ-H2AX foci in untreated cells as well as in cells exposed to cytotoxic agents is a widely used method for documenting the presence of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the DNA and for analysis of their repair. Similar methods are employed to analyze formation of foci by a variety of proteins implicated in the cellular responses to DNA damage. Despite the wide application of the approach, the manual counting that is frequently used is prone to inaccuracies and investigator-related biases and artifacts. To alleviate this limitation, we developed and describe here personal computer-based algorithms, operating as utilities on available software, that allow an objective and quantitative analysis of foci from confocal images. The algorithms allow focus counting as well as size definition and correct for focus coincidence due to the overlap normally occurring with an increasing number of foci per nucleus. Furthermore, the software allows measurement of the integrated optical density (IOD) of each individual focus, which enables analysis of properties of foci as a function of time. Finally, the information generated by the above analysis algorithms can be employed to evaluate colocalization between foci formed by different proteins. A validation of the software is presented for radiation-induced γ-H2AX foci in three widely used human cell lines and colocalization tested with RAD51 and γ-H2AX foci. The computational methods presented extend to images generated by digital cameras.
Social Dollars in Online Communities: The Effect of Product, User, and Network Characteristics

Online communities have experienced burgeoning popularity over the last decade and have become a key platform for users to share information and interests, and to engage in social interactions. Drawing on the social contagion literature, the authors examine the effect of online social connections on users’ product purchases in an online community. They assess how product, user, and network characteristics influence the social contagion effect in users’ spending behavior. The authors use a unique large-scale data set from a popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game community—consisting of users’ detailed gaming activities, their social connections, and their in-game purchases of functional and hedonic products—to examine the impact of gamers’ social networks on their purchase behavior. The analysis, based on a double-hurdle model that captures gamers’ decisions of playing and spending levels, reveals evidence of “social dollars,” whereby social interaction between gamers in the community increases their in-game product purchases. Interestingly, the results indicate that social influence varies across different types of products. Specifically, the effect of a focal user's network ties on his or her spending on hedonic products is greater than the effect of network ties on the focal user's spending on functional products. Furthermore, the authors find that user experience negatively moderates social contagion for functional products, whereas it positively moderates contagion for hedonic products. In addition, dense networks enhance contagion over functional product purchases, whereas they mitigate the social influence effect over hedonic product purchases. The authors perform a series of tests and robustness checks to rule out the effect of confounding factors. They supplement their econometric analyses with dynamic matching techniques and estimate average treatment effects. The results of the study have implications for both theory and practice and help provide insights on how managers can monetize social networks and use social information to increase user engagement in online communities.
Direct torsion control of flexible shaft in an observer-based discrete-time sliding mode

This paper presents a new speed control method for a two-mass system coupled by a flexible shaft. Two control loops are proposed; the outer angular speed control loop calculates the reference signal for the inner loop, where the torsion of the shaft is handled as a variable under control. In this paper, the observer-based discrete-time sliding-mode (ODSM) control implementation and experimental verification of direct torsion control is presented. The experimental system consists of a conventional DC servo gear motor with encoder feedback and inertia load coupled by a flexible shaft. The controller was implemented using a transputer as the computation engine.
Ethical Decision Making Process of Albanian Accountants: the Impact of Organizational Factors

Taking into consideration the fact that nowadays ethics regarding the accounting profession constitutes one of the most discussed issues all over the world this paper aims to study the impact of organizational variables in the ethical decision-making process of Albanian accountants. Based on the previous researches made mainly in developed countries and as in Albania researches regarding this discipline are extremely rare in this study four organizational variables will be considered:Code of Ethics, industry type, organization size and ethical climate.A sample of about one hundred management accountants who work in Albanian organizations was chosed and they were asked to fill a questionarie regarding these variables and their impact in the ethical decision-making process. Data were entered and processed in SPSS and concluded that these factors have no significant in the ethical decision-making process of the accountants. This study represents a simple contribution for our country as we have an emerging economy for which understanding the factors that influence the ethical decision-making process is crucial.
5′ cloverleaf in poliovirus RNA is a cis‐acting replication element required for negative‐strand synthesis

A cloverleaf structure at the 5′ terminus of poliovirus RNA binds viral and cellular proteins. To examine the role of the cloverleaf in poliovirus replication, we determined how cloverleaf mutations affected the stability, translation and replication of poliovirus RNA in HeLa S10 translation–replication reactions. Mutations within the cloverleaf destabilized viral RNA in these reactions. Adding a 5′ 7‐methyl guanosine cap fully restored the stability of the mutant RNAs and had no effect on their translation. These results indicate that the 5′ cloverleaf normally protects uncapped poliovirus RNA from rapid degradation by cellular nucleases. Preinitiation RNA replication complexes formed with the capped mutant RNAs were used to measure negative‐strand synthesis. Although the mutant RNAs were stable and functional mRNAs, they were not active templates for negative‐strand RNA synthesis. Therefore, the 5′ cloverleaf is a multifunctional cis‐acting replication element required for the initiation of negative‐strand RNA synthesis. We propose a replication model in which the 5′ and 3′ ends of viral RNA interact to form a circular ribonucleoprotein complex that regulates the stability, translation and replication of poliovirus RNA.
Feasibility Study for Applying Spectral Imaging for Wheat Grain Authenticity Testing in Pasta

Authentication of pasta is currently determined using molecular biology-based techniques focusing on DNA as the target analyte. Whilst proven to be effective, these approaches can be criticised as being destructive, time consuming, and requiring specialist instrument training. Advances in the field of multispectral imaging (MSI) and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) have facilitated the development of compact imaging platforms with the capability to rapidly differentiate a range of materials (inclusive of grains and seeds) based on surface colour, texture and chemical composition. This preliminary investigation evaluated the applicability of spectral imaging for identification and quantitation of durum wheat grain samples in relation to pasta authenticity. MSI and HSI were capable of rapidly distinguishing between durum wheat and adulterant common wheat cultivars and assigning percentage adulteration levels characterised by low biases and good repeatability estimates. The results demonstrated the potential for spectral imaging based seed/grain adulteration testing to augment existing standard molecular approaches for food authenticity testing.
Leveraging Big Data Analytics to Reduce Healthcare Costs

The healthcare sector deals with large volumes of electronic data related to patient services. This article describes two novel applications that leverage big data to detect fraud, abuse, waste, and errors in health insurance claims, thus reducing recurrent losses and facilitating enhanced patient care. The results indicate that claim anomalies detected using these applications help private health insurance funds recover hidden cost overruns that aren't detectable using transaction processing systems. This article is part of a special issue on leveraging big data and business analytics.
Determinants of human resource performance in project oriented organizations in Kericho Municipality

According to Guest (2002), the ideal project-oriented organization has a specific management culture expressed in the efficiency of employee attraction, empowerment, process orientation and teamwork, organizational change, customer orientation, and networking. Therefore, specific competences and skills are needed by the project personnel to successfully work together in projects. In this study, the purpose was to investigate the determinants of human resource performance in the context of project-oriented projects. Specifically, it sought to establish how employee attraction, capacity development, retention efforts, and approach to separation influenced human resource performance. Towards achieving this, the study adopted a descriptive survey design targeting 638 employees working in four project-oriented organizations in Kericho. Data from staff was collected using questionnaires while interviews were used to ascertain information from office directors, after which analysis was accomplished using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Based on findings, it was recommended that project partners work on a detailed contract policy that optimally benefits both the organization and individuals serving within the project context. Also, project-oriented organizations should devise mechanisms of ensuring that staffers are involved in decision making, performance appraisals, collective bargaining, work life balance option broadening, and delegated responsibilities. Finally, it was recommended that a comprehensive pay policy is designed specifying all benefits accruing to employees, including severance payments which should be emphasized to cater for non-employment durations after contract expiry. The project organizations should have an agreeable private pension arrangement or lump-sum pay at the end of individual contracts rather than staggering them together with monthly salaries.
The List Chromatic Index of a Bipartite Multigraph

Abstract For a bipartite multigraph, the list chromatic index is equal to the chromatic index (which is, of course, the same as the maximum degree). This generalizes Janssen′s result on complete bipartite graphs Km, n with m ≠ n; in the case of Kn, n, it answers a question of Dinitz. (The list chromatic index of a multigraph is the least number n for which the edges can be colored so that adjacent edges get different colors, the color of each edge being chosen from an arbitrarily prescribed list of n different colors associated with that edge.)
VCSEL-Based Interconnects for Current and Future Data Centers

The vast majority of optical links within the data center are based on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) operating at 850 nm over multimode optical fiber. Deployable links have evolved in speed from 1 Gb/s in 1996 to 28 Gb/s in 2014. Serial data links at 40 and 56 Gb/s are now under development and place even more demand on the VCSEL and photodiodes. In this paper, we present the characteristics of VCSELs and photodiodes used in current generation 28 Gb/s links and present several methods to extend link distances using more advanced data encoding schemes. Finally, we will present results on wavelength division multiplexing on multimode optical fiber that demonstrate 40 Gb/s Ethernet connections up to 300 m on duplex OM3 optical fiber, and present results on fiber optimized for modal bandwidth in the 850 to 980 nm range.
Inhibition of autophagy through MAPK14-mediated phosphorylation of ATG5

Autophagy is a catabolic mechanism that is important for many biological processes such as cell homeostasis, development and immunity. Though many molecular components of the autophagy pathway have been identified, the signaling pathways regulating the activity of essential autophagy mediators are still poorly defined. We recently demonstrated that the mitogen-activated protein kinase MAPK14 (p38α), when activated by the GADD45B (Gadd45β)-MAP3K4 (MEKK4) signaling complex (but not other MAPK14 activators), is directed to autophagosomes. Therefore, we demonstrated for the first time that MAPK14 operates at this subcellular compartment. Importantly, activation of MAPK14 impairs autophagosome-lysosome fusion and, thus, autophagy. This was demonstrated by increased autophagic flux in MAPK14-deficient as well as in GADD45B-deficient cells. Moreover, we identified a novel post-translational modification of the crucial autophagy mediator ATG5, since MAPK14 directly phosphorylates ATG5 at threonine 75, which is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human. Using ATG5-deficient cells, which we reconstituted with either a phosphorylation-defective or a phospho-mimetic mutant of ATG5, we demonstrated that phosphorylation of ATG5 results in impaired autophagy.