Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long tandem repeats as a form of genomic copy number variation: structure and length polymorphism of a chromosome 5p repeat in control and schizophrenia populations

Objectives Genomic copy number variations (CNVs) are a major form of variation in the human genome and play an etiologic role in several neuropsychiatric diseases. Tandem repeats, particularly with long (>50 bp) repeat units, are a relatively common yet underexplored type of CNV that may significantly contribute to human genomic variation and disease risk. We therefore carried out a pilot experiment to explore the potential role of long tandem repeats as risk factors in psychiatric disorders. Methods A bacterial artificial chromosome-based array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) platform was used to examine CNVs in genomic DNA from 34 probands with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Results The aCGH screen detected an apparent deletion on 5p15.1 in two probands, caused by the presence in each proband of two low copy number (short) alleles of a tandem repeat that ranges in length from fewer than 10 to greater than 50 3.4 kb units in the population examined. Short alleles partially segregate with schizophrenia in a small number of families, though linkage was not significant. An association study showed no significant difference in repeat length between 406 schizophrenia cases and 392 controls. Conclusion Although we did not demonstrate a relationship between the 5p15.1 repeat and schizophrenia, our results illustrate that long tandem repeats represent an intriguing type of genetic variation that have not been studied in earlier connection with psychiatric illness. aCGH can detect a small subset of these repeats, but systematic investigation will require the development of specific arrays and improved analytical methods.
Geographic distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype in patients with chronic HBV infection in Japan

The geographic distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Japan and its clinical relevance are poorly understood. We studied 731 Japanese patients with chronic HBV infection. HBV genotype was determined by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method after polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 720 patients with positive PCR, 12 (1.7%) were HBV genotype A, 88 (12.2%) were genotype B, 610 (84.7%) were genotype C, 3 (0.4%) were genotype D, and 7 (1.0%) were of mixed genotype. Over 94% of patients on the Japanese mainland had genotype C, while 60% of the patients on Okinawa, the most southern islands, and 22.9% in the Tohoku area, the northern part of the mainland, harbored genotype B. Compared with genotype C patients, genotype B patients were older (53.6 to 42.2 years; P < .01), had a lower rate of positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (18.4% to 50.6%; P < .01), and a lower level of serum HBV DNA (5.02 to 5.87 log genome equivalents (LGE)/mL; P < . 01). The mean age of the genotype B patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was 70.1 ± 9.2 years, compared with 55.2 ± 9.7 of genotype C patients (P < .01). These results indicate that genotypes C and B are predominant in Japan, and there are significant differences in geographic distribution and clinical characteristics among the patients with the different genotypes. (HEPATOLOGY 2001;34:590‐594.)
How lichens impact on terrestrial community and ecosystem properties

Lichens occur in most terrestrial ecosystems; they are often present as minor contributors, but in some forests, drylands and tundras they can make up most of the ground layer biomass. As such, lichens dominate approximately 8% of the Earth's land surface. Despite their potential importance in driving ecosystem biogeochemistry, the influence of lichens on community processes and ecosystem functioning have attracted relatively little attention. Here, we review the role of lichens in terrestrial ecosystems and draw attention to the important, but often overlooked role of lichens as determinants of ecological processes. We start by assessing characteristics that vary among lichens and that may be important in determining their ecological role; these include their growth form, the types of photobionts that they contain, their key functional traits, their water‐holding capacity, their colour, and the levels of secondary compounds in their thalli. We then assess how these differences among lichens influence their impacts on ecosystem and community processes. As such, we consider the consequences of these differences for determining the impacts of lichens on ecosystem nutrient inputs and fluxes, on the loss of mass and nutrients during lichen thallus decomposition, and on the role of lichenivorous invertebrates in moderating decomposition. We then consider how differences among lichens impact on their interactions with consumer organisms that utilize lichen thalli, and that range in size from microfauna (for which the primary role of lichens is habitat provision) to large mammals (for which lichens are primarily a food source). We then address how differences among lichens impact on plants, through for example increasing nutrient inputs and availability during primary succession, and serving as a filter for plant seedling establishment. Finally we identify areas in need of further work for better understanding the role of lichens in terrestrial ecosystems. These include understanding how the high intraspecific trait variation that characterizes many lichens impacts on community assembly processes and ecosystem functioning, how multiple species mixtures of lichens affect the key community‐ and ecosystem‐level processes that they drive, the extent to which lichens in early succession influence vascular plant succession and ecosystem development in the longer term, and how global change drivers may impact on ecosystem functioning through altering the functional composition of lichen communities.
Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channels Mediate Membrane Depolarization following Activation of Store-operated Calcium Entry in Endothelial Cells*

Calcium agonists induce membrane depolarization in endothelial cells through an unknown mechanism. Present studies tested the hypothesis that pulmonary artery endothelial cells express a cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) cation channel activated by store-operated calcium entry to produce membrane depolarization. In the whole-cell configuration, voltage-clamped cells revealed a large non-inactivating, outwardly rectifying cationic current in the absence of extra- or intracellular Ca2+ that was reduced upon replenishment of Ca2+. The inward current was non-selective for K+, Na+, Cs+, and Rb+ and was not inhibited by high tetraethylammonium concentrations. cAMP and cGMP stimulated the current and changed the cation permeability to favor Na+. Moreover, 8-bromo-cAMP stimulated the current in voltage-clamped cells in the perforated patch mode. The cationic current was inhibited by the CNG channel blocker LY83,583, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction cloning identified expression of a CNG channel resembling that seen in olfactory neurons. Activation of store-operated calcium entry using thapsigargin increased a current through the CNG channel. Stimulation of the current paralleled pulmonary artery endothelial cell membrane depolarization, and both the current and membrane depolarization were abolished using LY83,583. Taken together, these data demonstrate activation of store-operated calcium entry stimulates a CNG channel producing membrane depolarization. Such membrane depolarization may contribute to slow feedback inhibition of store-operated calcium entry.
Post-marketing study of biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13) to evaluate its safety and efficacy in Korea

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of CT-P13 (Remsima®) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in South Korea. Methods: This post-marketing study included patients with active moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease (CD), fistulizing CD (FCD), or moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with CT-P13 and followed for 30 weeks. Assessments included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and disease-specific clinical response and remission. Results: No unexpected TEAEs were observed in the 173 patients recruited to date. TEAEs occurred in 18.1, 16.7, and 26.9% of CD, FCD, and UC patients, respectively. Treatment-related TEAEs occurred in 10% of patients and were mostly mild-moderate in severity. There were five serious TEAEs (two infusion-related reactions, two infections, one abdominal pain) and no cases of malignancy, pneumonia, or death. Positive outcomes for response/remission were reported regardless of whether patients had received prior infliximab or not. Conclusion: CT-P13 was well tolerated and efficacious in patients with IBD.
Who is missing the message? Targeting strategies to increase food label use among US adults

Abstract Objective To evaluate the associations between sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics and food label (FL) use in US adults. Design Data from the 1994–1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey were used. High socio-economic status (SES) was defined as >high school education and poverty–income ratio (PIR) >350 %, low SES as <high school level or PIR <130 %. Dietary intakes were assessed using 24 h recalls. Setting Metropolitan statistical area-central city, -suburban, and rural areas in the USA. Subjects US adults (n 2797; 1460 men, 1337 women) aged 20–64 years. Results Approximately 80 % of Americans reported using FL, including checking the nutrition panel, list of ingredients, short phrases, serving size, or health benefits. Only 26 % used all FL information. Compared with white women of higher SES, white men, black men and women with lower SES were 77–90 % less likely to use FL. Rural residents were 40 % less likely (OR = 0·60; 95 % CI 0·42, 0·86). Participants with good nutrition knowledge, perceptions and beliefs were twice as likely to check FL for nutrient content of foods (OR = 2·28; 95 % CI 1·53–3·40). Those who were unaware of diet–disease relationships were less likely to use FL (OR = 0·53; 95 % CI 0·32–0·85). Among overweight/obese Americans (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), those who perceived their weight ‘about right’ were 51 % less likely to use FL than those perceiving themselves as overweight. Conclusions Men, especially black men, women of low SES, rural residents and overweight Americans with inaccurate self-perception of body weight are less likely to use FL and should be targeted for increased intervention.
Geographical distribution and oncogenic risk association of human papillomavirus type 58 E6 and E7 sequence variations

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 58 accounts for a notable proportion of cervical cancers in East Asia and parts of Latin America, but it is uncommon elsewhere. The reason for such ethnogeographical predilection is unknown. In our study, nucleotide sequences of E6 and E7 genes of 401 HPV58 isolates collected from 15 countries/cities across four continents were examined. Phylogenetic relationship, geographical distribution and risk association of nucleotide sequence variations were analyzed. We found that the E6 genes of HPV58 variants were more conserved than E7. Thus, E6 is a more appropriate target for type‐specific detection, whereas E7 is more appropriate for strain differentiation. The frequency of sequence variation varied geographically. Africa had significantly more isolates with E6‐367A (D86E) but significantly less isolates with E6‐203G, ‐245G, ‐367C (prototype‐like) than other regions (p ≤ 0.003). E7‐632T, ‐760A (T20I, G63S) was more frequently found in Asia, and E7‐793G (T74A) was more frequent in Africa (p < 0.001). Variants with T20I and G63S substitutions at E7 conferred a significantly higher risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade III and invasive cervical cancer compared to other HPV58 variants (odds ratio = 4.44, p = 0.007). In conclusion, T20I and/or G63S substitution(s) at E7 of HPV58 is/are associated with a higher risk for cervical neoplasia. These substitutions are more commonly found in Asia and the Americas, which may account for the higher disease attribution of HPV58 in these areas.
Adenosine actions on CA1 pyramidal neurones in rat hippocampal slices.

Intracellular recordings with a bridge amplifier of CA1 pyramidal neurones in vitro were employed to study the mechanisms of action of exogenously applied adenosine in the hippocampal slice preparation of the rat. Adenosine enhanced the calcium‐dependent, long‐duration after‐hyperpolarization (a.h.p.) at least in part by a reduction in the rate of decay of the a.h. p. Both the reduced rate of decay and that of the control can be described with a single exponential. Antagonism of the calcium‐dependent potassium current (and as a result, the a.h.p.) by bath application of CdCl2 or intracellular injection of EGTA (ethyleneglycolbis‐(beta‐aminoethyl ether)N,N'‐tetraacetic acid) did not reduce the adenosine‐evoked hyperpolarization or decrease in input resistance. Similarly, TEA (tetraethylammonium), which antagonizes both the voltage‐ and calcium‐sensitive, delayed, outward rectification, had no effect on the adenosine‐evoked changes in resting membrane properties. Adenosine did not affect the early, transient, outward rectification. During exposure to 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP) in concentrations sufficient to antagonize this early rectification, the changes in resting membrane properties evoked by adenosine were unaffected. We conclude that the enhancement of the a.h. p. and accommodation by adenosine may be mediated by a change in the regulation of intracellular calcium. However, the mechanism responsible for the hyperpolarization and decrease in input resistance evoked by adenosine is both calcium and voltage insensitive. Thus, it appears distinct from that mediating the enhancement of the a.h. p. and accommodation.
Design & Development of On-Board DC Fast Chargers for E-Rickshaw

This paper proposes a single-phase 3.3 kW onboard battery charger for E-Rickshaw with a Single-stage Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) Buck-Boost Converter topology. Normally, E-Rickshaw battery charger is heavy and bulky in dimensions and comprises of a power-factor corrector (PFC) and a DC-DC converter. A traditional single-phase PFC converter has three sensors namely input voltage, input current, and output voltage for measurement. The proposed converter is more compact and more flexible in terms of control and conversion stages a with new Unity Power Factor alongside a combination of a full-bridge diode rectifier and a single switch Buck-Boost converter by just using one output voltage sensor is presented. The suggested control technique uses only one integrator to compensate for the steady-state error and is very simple to implement. The proposed battery charger accomplish Unity Power Factor at variable AC input with a small inductance. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, the proposed battery charger topology is simulated in PSIM. The simulation result indicates a 95% peak efficiency at 220Vac and 93% at a variable input voltage from 170V-280V at 3.3kW. A scaled-down lab prototype of 1.5kW is built and experimental results are presented to verify the suitability of the proposed converter.
Serum cholesterol level, use of a cholesterol-lowering drug, and breast cancer: results from the prospective E3N cohort

Metabolic syndrome, including low HDL cholesterol, has been associated with an increased breast cancer risk, whereas little is known of the relationship with total cholesterol. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to evaluate the association between self-reported total serum cholesterol, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and risk of breast cancer in 69 088 women from the French E3N cohort study. A total of 2932 cases of primary invasive breast cancer were reported during 12 years of follow-up. Compared with women with low/normal serum cholesterol (<6.6 mol/l), users of cholesterol-lowering drugs had a significantly decreased breast cancer risk [hazard ratio (HR): 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68, 0.93]. There was no variation in HRs according to the menopausal status. In strata defined by the hormone receptor status of the tumor, the risk reached statistical significance only for the estrogen-positive and progesterone-positive receptor subtype (HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.82). A high cholesterol without cholesterol-lowering drug use was not associated with breast cancer risk (HR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.15) in the entire population. Our result concerning cholesterol-lowering drugs is consistent with studies showing that hypolipidemic molecules are effective in inhibiting cancer cell growth proliferation. Further studies should investigate whether these findings apply to all classes of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Shockley-Frank stacking faults in 6H-SiC

We report on Shockley-Frank stacking faults (SFs) identified in 6H-SiC by a combination of low temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the faulted area, stacking faults manifested as large photoluminescence emissions bands located in between the 6H-SiC signal (at ∼2.99 eV) and the 3C-SiC bulk-like one (at ∼2.39 eV). Each of the stacking fault related emission band had a four-fold structure coming from the TA, LA, TO, and LO phonon modes of 3C-SiC. Up to four different faults, with four different thickness of the 3C-SiC lamella, could be observed simultaneously within the extent of the laser excitation spot. From the energy of the momentum-conservative phonons, they were associated with excitonic energy gaps at Egx1 = 2.837 eV, Egx2 = 2.689 eV, Egx3 = 2.600 eV and Egx4 = 2.525 eV. In the same part where low temperature photoluminescence was performed, high resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed stacking faults which, in .
La Gestión de los costes en el sector ganadero porcino

LA GESTION DE LOS COSTES EN EL SECTOR GANADERO PORCINO En este trabajo se propone un modelo de costes adaptado a las necesidades de las explotaciones ganaderas porcinas de ciclo cerrado. Se han analizado los factores de costes, se han propuesto los lugares principales y auxiliares, segun sea su intervencion en el ciclo de explotacion de la empresa, y se han propuesto los portadores de costes de cada uno de los lugares principales. Finalmente, se ha demostrado mediante aplicacion practica la constatacion del modelo de costes propuesto.
Long‐term results of endoscopic stenting and surgical drainage for biliary stricture due to chronic pancreatitis

A retrospective evaluation was made of the long‐term results of endoscopic stenting in 58 patients with benign biliary stricture due to chronic pancreatitis. Immediate relief of jaundice and cholestasis was achieved in all patients after endoscopic stent insertion. Median follow‐up was 49 months. Five (9 per cent) of the 58 patients had complications following therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Late stent‐related complications occurred in 37 (64 per cent) of 58 patients. There were no deaths. Sixteen (28 per cent) of the 58 patients had regression of the biliary stricture and permanent removal of the stent. Forty‐two patients had persistent biliary stricture: 26 had continued stenting and 16 underwent surgical procedures. Early morbidity after surgery was found in six of 16 patients, with no deaths. Postoperative relief of jaundice was achieved in 15 of the 16 patients. In conclusion, endoscopic stenting and surgery are both effective treatments for biliary stricture in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Endoscopic stenting is associated with fewer early complications. However, late stent‐related complications remain a major limitation. Endoscopic stenting offers definitive treatment in more than one‐quarter of patients (28 per cent).
A speed control method for a linear switched reluctance motor with different pole width

Stator and translator pole width have a great effect on the LSRM's performance. However machining error and assembly error usually cause some dimensional difference among stators and translators. Thus a speed control method immune to dimensional difference is proposed for a four-phase linear switched reluctance motor (LSRM) with different pole width in this paper. The LSRM designed in such a structure is to explore how the pole width affects its performance and validate the proposed speed control method meanwhile. Since the parameters of each phase are non-identical due to the different pole width, a direct current controller is proposed. In order to avoid force dip, double phase excitation is suggested to against pole width variation and a new force distribution that is beneficial to reducing vibration and noise effectively is established. Finally, experiments are carried out to test and verify the speed control method. The speed response curves show the actual speed can be held within its specified value along the whole travel distance fast and precisely. Besides, the LSRM can track square and sinusoidal reference signal very well. All the experimental results validate that the proposed speed control method is immune to pole width variation and valid along the whole travel distance.
Simple extensions of the PD-with-gravity-compensation control law for robot manipulators with bounded inputs

This brief proposes two alternative approaches for the global regulation of robot manipulators with input saturations. They prove to be simple extensions of the PD-with-gravity-compensation (PDgc) control law to the bounded-input case. Moreover, they turn out to be in a better position to approach (within the restricted range of the control variables) a PDgc control signal than other algorithms previously proposed under the same analytical framework. Closed-loop performance improvements are, therefore, obtained through their implementation. This is corroborated through experimental results
Results of the Retrospective Analysis of Renal Artery Stenting for the Salvage of Renal Function Study

Renal artery stenting is expected to improve or stabilize renal function. However, the efficacy of renal artery stenting in severely reduced renal function is unclear. We evaluated 23 patients with class IV or V renal dysfunction who were treated for renal artery stenosis between 2004 and 2009. Improvement in renal function was found in 7 (30%) patients, all of whom were treated with distal protection device. Deterioration of renal function was found in 4 (17%) cases. In these 4 cases, distal protection device could not be used for anatomical reasons. The use of distal protection device was associated with significantly less renal deterioration after the procedure (P < .05, odds ratio 0.21 [confidence interval 0.09-0.50]). Renal artery stenting can stabilize or improve renal function in patients with severe renal dysfunction. Distal protection devices may be beneficial in patients who require renal artery stenting due to severely reduced renal function.