Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential binding of the Escherichia coli HU, homodimeric forms and heterodimeric form to linear, gapped and cruciform DNA.

We have shown recently that the relative abundance of the three dimeric forms (alpha2, alphabeta and beta2) of the HU protein from Escherichia coli varies during growth and in response to environmental changes. Using gel retardation assays we have compared the DNA binding properties of the three dimers with different DNA substrates. The determination of their DNA binding parameters shows that the relative affinities of HUalphabeta and HUalpha2 are comparable. Both recognize, with a high degree of affinity under stringent conditions, cruciform structures or DNA molecules with a nick or a gap, whereas they bind to linear DNA only at low salt. DNA containing a gap of two nucleotides is in fact the substrate recognized with the highest degree of affinity by these two forms under all conditions. Conversely, HUbeta2 binds very poorly to duplex DNA and shows a much lower affinity for nicked or gapped DNAs. However, HUbeta2 binds to cruciform DNA structures almost as well as HUalphabeta and HUalpha2. This almost exclusive binding of HUbeta2 to a unique substrate is surprising in regards of the quasi identity, in the three forms, of the flexible arms considered as the DNA-binding domains of the three forms of HU. Cruciform DNA may stabilize HUbeta2 structure which could be structurally defective.
Falling into the Medical Poverty Trap in Sri Lanka: What Can be Done?

Sri Lanka's public health care system is free at the point of use and maintains a focus on equity. However, noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, are rapidly increasing in prevalence and posing new challenges to the system and to patients and households. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in four districts of Sri Lanka to investigate the care-seeking experiences of diabetes patients from households at different income levels. Although health care is free, other direct and indirect costs served as deterrents to care seeking before and after diagnosis, and placed a high burden on households. The need for frequent visits to clinics with appropriate facilities for diagnosis and management of diabetes, often far from rural communities, posed high costs, in particular due to income foregone. Households employed coping strategies, but the need for frequent clinic visits posed repeated costs, which made it difficult for households to recover their economic status. Many patients, especially those from low-income, rural households, could not maintain the management regimen, and their condition deteriorated. There is a need for specialist facilities for the diagnosis and management of diabetes at locations closer to rural areas.
Studies on the Morphology and Life-History of Strongyloides mirzai n.sp. from Snakes in India

In 1985, the writer in collaboration with Prof. M. B. Mirza described Strongyloides from John's Sand-boa (Eryx johnii) in Aligarh and assigned it to S. stercoralis, creating for its reception a new variety, S. stercoralis var. eryxi. During July and August, 1950, while examining certain snakes at Hyderabad for helminth parasites, the writer found that Strongyloides infection was very common in the Rat-snake. Ptyas (Zamenis) mucosus, for almost all the snakes examined were found infected. In light infections not more than a few, ten to fifteen worms, were obtained from a single host, but as many as 100 to 125 specimens were collected from heavily parasitized snakes. It was also observed that though they may be found throughout the length of the oesophagus and the intestine, the seat of heaviest infection is the duodenum of the host. It seemed rather strange that one and the same species should parasitize a reptile as well as a mammal so a detailed study of the worm, both in its parasitic and free-living generations, was undertaken with a view to determining definitely whether, as previously believed, it is identical with the human worm Strongyloides stercoralis. As a result of this study the writer has come to the conclusion that the species infesting certain snakes in India is not identical with the human worm, S. stercoralis or any other species of the genus hitherto described.
The Effect of Relative Needle Diameter in Puncture and Sham Injection Animal Models of Degeneration

Study Design. Biomechanical study and literature review. Objectives. To quantify the acute effect of needle diameter on the in vitro mechanical properties of cadaver lumbar discs in the rat and sheep. To review published in vivo animal studies and evaluate disc changes with respect to the relative needle size. Summary of Background Data. There are many cases where a disc needle puncture or injection is applied to animal models: puncture injuries to induce degeneration, chemonucleolysis to induce degeneration, and delivery of disc therapies. It is not clear what role the size of the needle may have in the outcome. Methods. Mechanics were measured after sham phosphate buffered saline injection with a 27 G or 33 G needle in the rat and with a 27 G needle in the sheep. A literature review was performed to evaluate studies in which animal discs were treated with a needle puncture or a sham injection. For each study, the ratio of the needle diameter to disc height (needle:height) was calculated. Results. When the rat was injected with a 27 G needle (52% of disc height), the compression, tension, and neutral zone stiffnesses were 20% to 60% below preinjected values and the neutral zone length was 130% higher; when injected with a 33 G needle (26% of disc height), the only affected property was the neutral zone length, which was only 20% greater. When the sheep was injected with a 27 G needle (10% of disc height), none of the axial properties were different from intact, the torsion stiffness was not different, and the torque range was 15% smaller. Twenty-three in vivo studies in the rat, rabbit, dog, or sheep were reviewed. The disc changes depended on the ratio of needle diameter to disc height as follows: significant changes were not observed for needle:height less than 40%, although between 25% and 40% results were variable and some minor nonsignificant effects were observed, disc changes were universal for needle:height over 40%. Conclusion. A needle puncture may directly alter mechanical properties via nucleus pulposus depressurization and/or anulus fibrosus damage, depending on the relative needle size. As more basic science research is aimed at treating disc degeneration via injection of therapeutic factors, these findings provide guidance in design of animal studies. Such studies should consider the relative needle size and include sham control groups to account for the potential effects of the needle injection.
Parafascicular nucleus projection to the extrastriatal basal ganglia in monkeys

We have analyzed the parafascicular thalamic projection to extrastriatal structures of the basal ganglia using anterograde and retrograde tracing in monkeys. We identified (1) retrogradely labeled neurons in the parafascicular nucleus projecting to the anteromedial, limbic part of the external and internal pallidum, the substantia nigra and the subthalamic nucleus, (2) labeled terminals scattered in all these structures after anterograde tracer injection into the medial part of the parafascicular nucleus and (3) individual parafascicular terminals that arborized rather poorly in a large portion of each basal ganglia structure. Our study provides evidence that the parafascicular nucleus, and especially its medial part, can relay emotional and motivational information back to all basal ganglia components in primates.
FAMILIAL LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS.

SINCE Sequeira (1903) described lupus erythematosus in two sisters, forty further examples with a familial background have been reported. The majority had the discoid form. In only eight families was there evidence of systemic involvement and these have been reviewed by Leonhardt (1957). This author added a further family in which three members out of eight with hypergammaglobulinaemia had systemic lupus eruthematosus. Although Kaposi (1872) first suggested a relationship between the discoid and systemic forms of lupus erythematosus, there is still no agreement that they are forms ofthe same disease. There are many experienced dermatologists and general physicians who believe that the two diseases are distinct, or have never seen the discoid form develop into the systemic (Reiches, 1957). Reiches himself disagrees with the latter view, as do Cohen and Cadman (1953), Harvey et al. (1954) and Marten and Blackburn (1956) who believe that the division is artificial, that the disease categories often overlap and that discoid lupus erythematosus may progress into systemic lupus erythematosus. The view of the majority appears to be that the two diseases are closely related. The following case reports describe a mother and daughter with lupus erythematosus and show certain unusual features, in particular the clinical dissimilarity of the two cases, contrasting with previously published reports.
Disentangling the Effects of State Ownership on Investment – Evidence from Europe

This paper investigates the relation between state ownership and corporate investment and tests theoretical channels of influence. Using a matched panel of 624 European firms, we find that state ownership curtails firms’ responsiveness to investment opportunities. With increasing government ownership, investment becomes more sensitive to internal funds when capital constraints and external financing needs are high, and the government has minimal control of domestic bank assets. State ownership negatively affects investment levels but mitigates reductions during the financial crisis. Overall, our evidence suggests that state ownership is associated with inefficient but stability-seeking investment policies and increased levels of capital constraints.
Expression of GLUT1 in stratified squamous epithelia and oral carcinoma from humans and rats

Most cells express facilitative glucose transporters. Four isoforms (GLUT1‐4) transporting D‐glucose across the plasma membrane show a specific tissue distribution, which is the basis for tissue‐specific patterns in glucose metabolism. GLUT1 is expressed at high levels in tissue barriers such as the blood‐brain barrier, and this isoform has been suggested as an indicator of such barriers. GLUT1 has been found in basal layers of human epidermis where no such tissue barrier is present. To further clarify these issues, we examined the distribution of GLUT1 and GLUT4 in skin, different types of oral mucosa from rat and man, and a human oral careinoma by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. The results showed that GLUT1 was expressed in the basal and parabasal layers of the different stratified squamous epithelia, with some variations between keratinized and non‐ keratinized subtypes. GLUT1 was also expressed in ductal‐ and myoepithelial cells of minor salivary glands and perineural sheath located in the lamina propra, and furthermore in the cells of an oral careinoma. GLUT4 was not expressed in any of the tissues examined. This distribution of GLUT1 does not fit with the idea of GLUT1 as a general indicator of tissue barriers. In contrast, our results support the prevailing, but limited knowledge of glucose metabolism in squamous stratified epithelia, a metabolism believed to depend mostly on glycolysis, especially in the basal layers. High‐level expression seemed to be confined to keratinocytes without glycogen stores.
The many faces of impaired bladder emptying

Purpose of review Impaired bladder emptying is a common clinical problem for which currently no effective drug treatment is available. There has been an increasing interest in the condition, and the present review updates the terminology issues, common causes, and potential future pharmacological treatment possibilities. Recent findings Impaired bladder emptying can be described in many ways, but general agreement on the terminology has not yet been reached. The disorder can have many underlying causes, including aging, bladder outflow obstruction, diabetes mellitus, and neurogenic disturbances. There is no effective pharmacological treatment, and to what extent drug treatment of the associated morbidities (e.g., diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis) also can improve impaired bladder emptying has only been investigated to a limited extent. Summary Impaired bladder emptying may be caused by a spectrum of pathophysiologically defined disorders. To describe the condition, underactive bladder (UAB) can be used as a general term, covering detrusor underactivity as the urodynamic diagnosis, and the UAB syndrome for its symptomatic manifestations. In order to understand UAB, identification of the underlying cause(s) is necessary. Effective pharmacologic therapy is lacking and further basic research is needed to find targets for treatment.
Female Mate Choice as a Condition‐Dependent Life‐History Trait

The acquisition of resources is an important determinant of patterns of variation in and covariation among traits that are costly to produce and are dependent on condition for their expression. However, the extent to which variation in female mate choice behavior is condition dependent, and how this is related to other life‐history traits, remains largely unknown. We manipulated the acquisition of dietary protein in the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus, and measured the effects of this on several important life‐history traits and on female mate choice behavior. Females reared on a high‐protein diet developed faster, were heavier at eclosion, and lived longer than females reared on a low‐protein diet. Two lines of evidence suggest that female mate choice behavior in T. commodus is condition dependent. First, females reared on the high‐protein diet were more sexually responsive and expressed stronger linear and quadratic preference functions for call rate and dominant frequency, respectively. Second, within treatments, females that developed faster were lighter, generally less sexually responsive, and, in the high‐protein‐diet treatment, expressed weaker preferences than slower‐developing females. Collectively, our findings suggest an important role for resource acquisition in generating variation in mate choice behavior.
Mechanically Tunable, Self‐Adjuvanting Nanoengineered Polypeptide Particles

DNA-loaded polypeptide particles are prepared via templated assembly of mesoporous silica for the delivery of adjuvants. The elasticity and cargo-loading capacity of the obtained particles can be tuned by the amount of cross-linker used to stabilize the polypeptide particles. The use of polypeptide particles as biocarriers provides a promising method for vaccine delivery.
Solid-state lighting: an energy-economics perspective

Artificial light has long been a significant factor contributing to the quality and productivity of human life. As a consequence, we are willing to use huge amounts of energy to produce it. Solid-state lighting (SSL) is an emerging technology that promises performance features and efficiencies well beyond those of traditional artificial lighting, accompanied by potentially massive shifts in (a) the consumption of light, (b) the human productivity and energy use associated with that consumption and (c) the semiconductor chip area inventory and turnover required to support that consumption. In this paper, we provide estimates of the baseline magnitudes of these shifts using simple extrapolations of past behaviour into the future. For past behaviour, we use recent studies of historical and contemporary consumption patterns analysed within a simple energy-economics framework (a Cobb–Douglas production function and profit maximization). For extrapolations into the future, we use recent reviews of believed-achievable long-term performance targets for SSL. We also discuss ways in which the actual magnitudes could differ from the baseline magnitudes of these shifts. These include: changes in human societal demand for light; possible demand for features beyond lumens; and guidelines and regulations aimed at economizing on consumption of light and associated energy.
Long‐range transport of organic chemicals in the environment

The long‐range transport (LRT) of organic chemicals in the environment is reviewed, with particular focus on the role of environmental fate and transport models and the relationship between model results and field data. Results from generic multimedia box models, spatially resolved multimedia box models, and atmospheric transport models are highlighted, including conceptual investigations of cold‐trap effect and global fractionation as well as results for particular chemicals, such as hexachlorocyclohexanes, DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls, perfluoroocctanoic acid, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Comparison of model results to field data shows that in many cases environmental fate models provide a good description of the distribution dynamics observed in the field, with deviations between measured and modeled concentrations around a factor of five. Sorption to atmospheric aerosols as a key process influencing the LRT of semivolatile organic chemicals (SOCs) is discussed, and the need for more measurements of the aerosol–air partitioning of SOCs and of the reactivity of particle‐bound chemicals is pointed out. Key findings from field campaigns measuring legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as well as new POPs are summarized. Finally, the relationship between science and politics in the field of POPs is addressed. Research into the LRT of organic chemicals has always occurred in interaction with political activities aiming to reduce the emissions of POPs. Since the late 1990s, the Stockholm Convention and the Aarhus Protocol on POPs have formed an important political context for research concerning POPs; the implementation of these international treaties creates a demand for ongoing research into the LRT of organic chemicals.
A chronicle of injuries of an American intercollegiate football team

Many studies concerning the injuries occuring in high school and intercollegiate football have been re ported, including those emphasizing the number and type of injuries, geographic distribution of injuries, and the rate of injury compared to position, condition ing, officiating, equipment, and type of playing sur face. This report focuses on the individual player involved in a sports program for four or five years and emphasizes the statistical probability of that individual sustaining an injury during his playing career. Conclusions, drawn from statistics compiled at Memphis State University from 1975 through 1979, involved 265 athletes. These 265 athletes sustained 283 injuries during this period. Of these 283 injuries, 69% were mild, 20% were moderate, and 11% were severe. The knee was most often involved and suf fered the most severe injuries. Ankle injuries ac counted for the second highest incidence of injury, but these were primarily mild or moderate injuries. The defensive line, especially the defensive ends, received the greatest percentage of injuries. The prob ability of injury for the individual player was found to be 106.7% for a five-year participant, 99.1% for a four-year participant, and 46.6% for a one-year par ticipant.
High efficiency LED driver featuring auto output-voltage tuning

This paper presents a high efficiency LED driver that employs a current-mode buck regulator to energize four linear constant-current regulators. An auto-tuning procedure is introduced in to adjust the output voltage of buck regulator, which keeps the dropout voltage of the passive devices in linear regulators at a possible minimum level while maintaining high performance. Thus, the conversion efficiency of the linear regulator is maximized and so is the overall efficiency. A prototype of the high efficiency LED driver was designed with a standard 0. 35µm CMOS process. The simulation results show that the expectant functions are well achieved.
Increased levels but preserved diurnal variation of serum leptin in GH-deficient patients: lack of impact of different modes of GH administration.

The regulation of leptin production in humans is poorly understood but appears to depend on total body fat, changes in energy intake and insulin levels. Since growth hormone (GH) is an important regulator of both lipid metabolism and insulin secretion and action, we tested whether GH status directly or indirectly regulates leptin secretion. Circadian serum leptin concentrations were measured in GH-deficient patients in two different protocols involving different modes of acute and prolonged GH exposure. In study I, eight GH-deficient patients all underwent three 4 week study periods in random order: (1) evening (2000 h) s.c. GH injections (2 IU); (2) morning (0800 h) s.c. GH injections (2 IU); (3) no GH administration. At the end of each period the patients were admitted to hospital for 24-h measurements of hormones and metabolites. For comparison, 10 age- and sex-matched healthy untreated subjects were hospitalised under identical conditions. In study II, six GH-deficient patients were hospitalised for 44 h on three occasions, separated by at least 4 weeks without GH treatment. On each occasion they received 2 IU GH, administered i.v. as (1) two boluses (at 2000 and 0200 h), (2) eight boluses (at 3 h intervals starting at 2000 h) or (3) a continuous (2000-2000 h) infusion. In both studies, serum leptin levels peaked between midnight and early morning followed by low day-time levels (P < 0.01). The mode of GH treatment or previous discontinuation did not affect the leptin level (P > 0.05), but the patients had significantly higher leptin levels than the controls (P < 0.01). The diurnal variation in leptin was compared with changes in GH, insulin, non-esterified fatty acids, 3-hydroxybutyrate, insulin-like growth factor I and glucose, but no robust cross-correlations could be demonstrated. The following conclusions were made. (1) The circadian pattern of serum leptin is not influenced by either experimental or spontaneous changes in serum GH concentrations. (2) GH deficiency is associated with elevated leptin levels which most likely reflects increased fat mass in these patients.
Analysis of Parathyroid Neoplasms by Interphase Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

Recent studies have indicated that numerical chromosomal abnormalities, including changes in cyclin D1 and p53, may be involved in parathyroid tumorigenesis. We analyzed a series of parathyroid neoplasms with DNA fluorescent probes to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic utility of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 22 and cyclin D1 and p53 gene loci. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 15 parathyroid adenomas and 18 parathyroid carcinomas. Directly labeled fluorescent DNA probes for the centromere region of chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 11, 15, and 17, and locus-specific probes for chromosome 22 and chromosome 13 and for cyclin D1 and p53 gene loci were used for dual-probe hybridization. Sixty-seven percent (10 of 15) parathyroid adenomas and 78% (14 of 18) of parathyroid carcinomas showed chromosome gains. Seventy-three percent (11 of 15) of parathyroid adenomas and 33% (6 of 18) of parathyroid carcinomas showed chromosome losses. Normal parathyroid tissues used as controls showed no chromosomal abnormalities. Parathyroid hyperplasias averaged 1.8 gains and 0.2 losses per case. Parathyroid adenomas averaged 2.8 gains and 0.8 losses per case, and parathyroid carcinomas averaged 3.6 gains and 0.6 losses per case. In summary, chromosome abnormalities, both gains and losses, are common in parathyroid adenomas and carcinomas. Parathyroid carcinomas tend to show gains of more chromosome than adenomas. Chromosome 11 was the most frequent chromosome loss identified in parathyroid adenomas and a frequent chromosomal gain in parathyroid carcinomas. These results indicate that gain of chromosome 11 is associated with more aggressive biologic behavior in parathyroid neoplasms.