Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Determination of Glucose by Quartz Crystal Nanobalance Technique

Accurate determination of glucose is of great importance in various biotechnological processes, food industries, and diagnosing several metabolic disorders. To this point, many methods have been developed to meet this goal. Most of these methods are based on the enzymatic oxidation of glucose. However, the enzymes may be deactivated in different possible condition during storage and use. In this paper, a quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) modified with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was developed for online monitoring of glucose in aqueous media without the use of enzymes. The MIP was synthesized by free radical polymerization using different functional monomers, including acrylamide, acrylic acid, allyl alcohol, and acrylonitrile. The findings indicate that acrylic acid has significantly better performance in terms of sensitivity and response time as compared with the other functional monomers. All measurements were performed in a flow cell. The frequency shifts due to the adsorption of glucose were found to be linear versus the concentration of glucose within the concentration range of 10-200 mg L-1 with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.9996. The sensitivity and lower limit of detection of the sensor were found to be 1.20 Hz/mg L-1 and 4.4 mg L-1, respectively. The results also indicate that organic compounds do not cause any significant interference with glucose determination by the MIPmodified QCN sensor, and using ion exchange resins can eliminate interference of ionic compounds.
Analytical techniques and formulation strategies for the therapeutic protein alkaline phosphatase

De snelle ontwikkeling van de moleculaire biologie gedurende de afgelopen decennia heeft geleid tot een sterke stijging van het aantal geneesmiddelen van biotechnologische oorsprong. Veel van deze (potentiele) geneesmiddelen zijn eiwitten. Dit zijn stoffen met een complexe structuur, wat op vele terreinen vraagt om een andere aanpak dan voor de traditionele laagmoleculaire geneesmiddelen. Omdat het grote aantal functionele groepen en de complexe structuur bepalend zijn voor de therapeutische activiteit van het eiwit, is et van groot belang om over analytische methoden te beschikken welke de zuiverheid en structuur van het eiwit kunnen vaststellen. Verder is het belangrijk dat voor deze eiwitten formuleringen worden ontwikkeld waarin de conformatie van de eiwitten gehandhaafd blijft en die via geschikte toedieningswegen door de patient gebruikt kunnen worden. Zie: Samenvatting
10-year trend in USA Cup soccer injuries: 1988-1997.

OBJECTIVE To prospectively document the incidence of competition-related injury rates in an international youth soccer tournament and to analyze the type and location of injuries by age and gender. DESIGN A prospective injury report form completed for injured players presenting to a medical facility for evaluation by the medical staff. SETTING An international youth soccer tournament occurring annually during mid-July. PARTICIPANTS 89,500 soccer players, ages 9-19. MEASUREMENT/MAIN RESULTS: A total of 3840 new, play-related injuries were evaluated during 290,344 player-hours of competition from 1988 through 1997. New, play-related injuries per 1000-player-hours decreased from 19.87 in 1988 to 9.89 in 1997. Female injury rates ranged from a maximum of 20.11 in 1989 to a minimum of 10.23 in 1996 and the male injury rate ranged from a maximum of 20.04 in 1988 to a minimum of 7.60 in 1996. The lowest injury rate occurred in the under-19 females (10.64) and highest rates occurred in under-16 (17.68) and under-15 (16.92) females. Heat illness correlated with mean temperature. The aggregate rate of heat illness was 0.6 cases/1000 player-hours under "normal" conditions compared to a rate of 2.8/1000 player-hours during "hot" years. CONCLUSIONS Injury rates for both genders declined over the 10-yr span of the USA Cup study. The aggregate rate of injury was slightly higher for females than males although the difference between male and female rates became less significant as the tournament matured. In conditions of extreme heat and humidity (1988 and 1995) the rate of new, heat illness increased compared with normal years and females were 1.6 times more likely to sustain heat illness than males.
Perspectives of constraining and enabling factors for health‐promoting physical activity by adults with intellectual disability

Abstract Background Physical activity influences health in individuals and within populations. This study explored factors perceived as enabling or inhibiting participation in physical activity by adults with intellectual disability from a health promotion perspective. Method Six focus group interviews were conducted: adults with intellectual disability (1 group, n = 9), direct care workers (1 group, n = 5), group home supervisors (2 groups, n = 9 and n = 6), managers (1 group, n = 4), and parents (1 group, n = 7). Results Three major themes were identified from the focus group interviews: motivation for participation, social support, and political and financial support. Conclusions The most critical issue was the lack of clear policies. Both day training centres and accommodation services would benefit from development of policies related to health‐promoting physical activity. Flowing on logically from the development of policy would be much needed training and support of staff.
Image reconstruction with a shift‐variant filtration in circular cone‐beam CT

It is well known that cone‐beam data acquired with a circular orbit are insufficient for exact image reconstruction. Despite this, because a cone‐beam scanning configuration with a circular orbit is easy to implement in practice, it has been widely employed for data acquisition in, e.g., micro‐CT and CT imaging in radiation therapy. The algorithm developed by Feldkamp, Davis, and Kress (FDK) and its modifications, such as the Tent–FDK (T‐FDK) algorithm, have been used for image reconstruction from circular cone‐beam data. In this work, we present an algorithm with spatially shift‐variant filtration for image reconstruction in circular cone‐beam CT. We performed computer‐simulation studies to compare the proposed and existing algorithms. Numerical results in these studies demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has resolution properties comparable to, and noise properties better than, the FDK algorithm. As compared to the T‐FDK algorithm, our proposed algorithm reconstructs images with an improved in‐plane spatial resolution. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 14, 213–221, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20026
Infectious Risks Associated with the Transfusion of Blood Components and Pathogen Inactivation in Japan

Even after the implementation of the nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) system, there remains a residual risk of viral transmission through blood transfusion because of the limited sensitivity of the reagents used and the pooling strategy of the current NAT system. From the calculation using NAT yield and the length of the window period, we presume that we will obtain 0.75 donations for human immunodeficiency virus and 0.58 donations for hepatitis C virus annually that are individual donation-NAT positive but 50-individual pool-NAT negative, figures that are comparable with those in other developed countries. The number of donations potentially positive for the hepatitis B virus genome is, however, considerably high in Japan and is estimated to be more than 100 annually, which is the sum of the donors in the minipool-NAT window period and the chronic carriers with a low viral load. The incidence of bacterial sepsis after transfusion is relatively low in Japan. This incidence is possibly attributable to the short shelf lives of platelet concentrate and red blood cell component, which are 3 and 21 days, respectively. In Japan, the implementation of a new technology to screen out or abrogate infectious agents in blood components is necessary while considering the balance between benefits and possible new risks or costs.
Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis Serovar Israelensis Strain HD-789

ABSTRACT Bacillus thuringiensis is an important microbial insecticide for controlling agricultural pests. We report the finished genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis strain HD-789, which contains genes encoding 7 parasporal crystals consisting of Cry4Aa3, Cry4Ba5 (2 genes), Cry10Aa3, Cry11Aa3, Cry60Ba3, and Cry60Aa3, plus 3 Cyt toxin genes and 1 hemagglutinin gene.
Catalytic activities of NifEN: Implications for nitrogenase evolution and mechanism

NifEN is a key player in the biosynthesis of nitrogenase MoFe protein. It not only shares a considerable degree of sequence homology with the MoFe protein, but also contains clusters that are homologous to those found in the MoFe protein. Here we present an investigation of the catalytic activities of NifEN. Our data show that NifEN is catalytically competent in acetylene (C2H2) and azide (N3−) reduction, yet unable to reduce dinitrogen (N2) or evolve hydrogen (H2). Upon turnover, C2H2 gives rise to an additional S = 1/2 signal, whereas N3− perturbs the signal originating from the NifEN-associated FeMoco homolog. Combined biochemical and spectroscopic studies reveal that N3− can act as either an inhibitor or an activator for the binding and/or reduction of C2H2, while carbon monoxide (CO) is a potent inhibitor for the binding and/or reduction of both N3− and C2H2. Taken together, our results suggest that NifEN is a catalytic homolog of MoFe protein; however, it is only a “skeleton” version of the MoFe protein, as its associated clusters are simpler in structure and less versatile in function, which, in turn, may account for its narrower range of substrates and lower activities of substrate reduction. The resemblance of NifEN to MoFe protein in catalysis points to a plausible, sequential appearance of the two proteins in nitrogenase evolution. More importantly, the discrepancy between the two systems may provide useful insights into nitrogenase mechanism and allow reconstruction of a fully functional nitrogenase from the “skeleton” enzyme, NifEN.
Genetic Thrombophilias and Preeclampsia: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between the factor V Leiden (1691 G-A) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677 C–T SNP, and the prothrombin 20210 G-A SNP and the risk of preeclampsia, by conducting a meta-analysis of all case-control studies with data on these polymorphisms and the risk of preeclampsia. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (1966 to November 2002), EMBASE (1980 to November 2002). Search terms included “preeclampsia,” “thrombophilia,” “factor V Leiden,” “protein C,” “MTHFR,” “methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase,” “homocysteine,” and “prothrombin gene 20210. ” METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Case-control studies of genetic thrombophilias and preeclampsia were included. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: We identified 349 titles and reviewed 47 articles for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-one studies with 7,522 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Data from patients characterized as having severe preeclampsia were extracted and analyzed separately. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for the association of factor V Leiden and all cases of preeclampsia was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–2.87) and 2.24 (95% CI 1.28–3.94) for cases of severe preeclampsia. The pooled OR for the MTHFR 677 TT genotype and all preeclampsia was 1.01 (95% CI 0.79–1.29) and 1.38 (95% CI 0.93–2.06) for severe preeclampsia. The OR for the prothrombin 20210 polymorphism and all preeclampsia was 1.37 (95% CI 0.72–2.57) and 1.98 (.94–4.17) for severe preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that the factor V Leiden SNP is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia. Further studies are warranted to determine whether subgroups of high-risk women should be screened for this mutation.
Tunable Low Noise Amplifier Implementation With Low Distortion Pseudo-Resistance for in Vivo Brain Activity Measurement

This paper presents a low power neural signal amplifier with tunable cut-off frequencies. The presented compact amplifier, which is used for sensing various types of neural signals, reduces the size and the power consumption of the whole circuit. The distinguishing features of this solution are the large time constant, linearity, and small achievable area, which are realized with a configurable series of pseudo resistances. The proof of concept has been manufactured on TSMC 90 nm technology.
Effects of size mismatch in dual-function near-field antennas

Effective deployment of near-field wireless power transfer mechanisms requires the concurrent transfer of status and control data between the coupled terminals. The implementation of simultaneous data and power transfer requires an understanding of the interplay between the transfer efficiency and bandwidth. This paper examines the transfer efficiency and bandwidth of links with independently matched circular loop antennas. Three scenarios are investigated. In the first, both paired antennas have the same size. The second and third scenarios deal with bigger and smaller transmit antennas relative to the receive antenna. The results suggest that equal-sized antennas provide a higher level of efficiency than with size mismatched antennas. Further, a marginal increase in link bandwidth is observed for the case of a larger transmit antenna relative to the receive antenna.
Cognitive profile in young Icelandic children with cerebral palsy

We describe the cognitive profile in a complete national cohort of children with cerebral palsy (CP). One hundred and twenty‐seven Icelandic children (67 females, 60 males) with CP, born between 1985 and 2000 and assessed between the ages of 4 and 6 years 6 months (mean age 5y 5mo, SD 6mo), were included in the study. IQ was measured using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and developmental quotient (DQ) was obtained using various developmental scales. Physiological classification of CP in the children was: spasticity, n=104 (82%); dyskinesia, n=14 (11%); ataxia, n=six (4.7%), and unclassified CP, n=3 (2.3%). Spastic diplegia was the most prevalent subtype (35%) followed by hemiplegia and quadriplegia. Forty‐five per cent of the group were at Level I of the Gross Motor Function Classification System, 32% were at Levels II and III, and 23% were at Levels IV and V. Sixty per cent of the children had an IQ or DQ >70. Median scores on the WPPSI were Full‐scale IQ 84, Verbal IQ (VIQ) 92, and Perf o rmance IQ (PIQ) 77. Children with spastic diplegia and quadriplegia had a significantly lower PIQ than VIQ. Of the children who failed to complete the WPPSI, 20% had DQ >85. Thus, cognitive skills can be masked by limitations of movement and motor control in children with CP.
Stock Splits and the Trading Speed Improvement Hypothesis

Managers have repeatedly indicated in surveys that stock splits are intended to improve liquidity. However, previous studies using bid-ask spread and turnover as measures of liquidity find results to the contrary. This paper offers a new perspective on the issue. Stock splits can make buying shares more affordable to smaller investors, and split-induced higher trading costs can help attract more brokers to promote the stock and new limit-order traders to supply liquidity. Accordingly, we hypothesize that managers of firms facing order execution difficulty and lock-in risk have incentives to use stock splits to improve trading speed at the expense of higher trading costs. Consistent with the hypothesis, we find evidence that firms face trading difficulty prior to splits, and following the split trading speed improves. On average, about 72 percent of the split announcement returns could be attributed to the net benefit of anticipated trading speed improvement. Our findings indicate that trading difficulty is an important factor in firms' split decisions, and that the benefit of the improved trading speed outweighs the increased trading costs.
Inhibition of zebrafish fgf8 pre‐mRNA splicing with morpholino oligos: A quantifiable method for gene knockdown

Antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) have been used successfully in zebraﬁsh and Xenopus to knock down gene function by gene-speciﬁc inhibition of mRNA translation (Ekker, 2000). In addition to their ability to block cytosolic processes, MO can enter the nucleus (Partridge et al., 1996) and have been shown to be effective inhibitors of pre-mRNA splicing in mammalian tissue-culture cell lines (Schmajuk et al. , 1999). We show here that MO efﬁciently block pre-mRNA splicing in zebraﬁsh embryos. Splice-blocking MO have the advan-tages that the efﬁcacy of gene knockdown can be quantiﬁed without the use of antibodies, and that they speciﬁcally target zygotic, and not maternal, transcripts. We targeted the fgf8 gene (Furthauer et al. , 1997; Reifers et al. , 1998) with splice-blocking MO. An ENU induced mutation in fgf8, acerebellar ( ace ; referred to here as fgf8 it282 ), has previously been described (Reifers et al., 1998). fgf8 it282 is a splice donor mutation that results in the production of an aberrantly spliced mRNA (Reifers et 1998). Hence, blocking the same splicing event using MO should result in a phenotype similar to fgf8 it282 . We
Appropriate research design for investigating innovation in small knowledge-intensive professional service firms

Performance improvement in the construction industry is significantly influenced by the innovation performance of small knowledge-intensive professional service firms. The importance of knowledge-based innovation as a critical source of sustainable competitive advantage in such firms has hitherto not been adequately appreciated or investigated. There is thus an urgent need to develop appropriate research design which enable us to better understand the nature and process of innovation in small knowledge-intensive professional service firms. This paper details a ‘nested approach’ which integrates an interpretative philosophy, case studyand actionresearch approaches and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The operationalisation of the ‘nested approach’ is then discussed by drawing upon ongoing collaborative research with a single case study company. The paper concludes with the identification of lessons learned from the research design aspects of the collaborative research and their methodological implications for future investigation into knowledge-based innovation in small knowledge-intensive professional service firms.
Economic Development with Economies of Agglomeration: FDI versus Import Substitution

We contrast FDI liberalization and import substitution as alternative development strategies in the presence of agglomeration economies. We first develop a two-country model where firm-level increasing returns and inter-firm linkages, stemming from the use of intermediates , generate external economies in manufacturing . With positive transport costs, such external economies are partly country-specific. Hence, industry agglomerates in one country (the North), while the other (the LDC) enjoys lower wages and welfare, as in Krugman & Venables (QJE 1995). We then remove policy restrictions on inward FDI. Firms have an incentive to become multinationals (MNC) to reap gains from proximity to foreign customers. We show that MNC may be able to operate profitably in the LDC, even if indigenous firms cannot: the MNC’s cost advantage, stemming from firm-level scale economies, helps them overcome the disadvantages of a small local industrial base. In turn, MNC entry expands this industrial base, encouraging further entry. Hence, MNC promote convergence in industrial structure and income. This may hurt the North, since its manufacturing output may contract, but always benefits the LDC. In contrast, LDC tariffs increase both the domestic demand facing local manufacturers, and the cost of imported intermediates used in local production for both domestic and foreign markets. If potential export markets are relatively large, if tariffs mainly affect intermediates, or if production relies heavily on intermediates, the cost effect dominates and LDC tariffs reinforce the incentive for industry to cluster in the North. Intuitively, tariffs on intermediates reduce LDC firms’ ability to exploit external economies generated abroad. Hence, conventional measures of the gains from trade can substantially underestimate the benefits of LDC trade liberalization.
A simple gel electrophoretic method for analyzing the muropeptide composition of bacterial peptidoglycan

The muropeptide composition of bacterial peptidoglycan is currently most efficiently determined by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Though sensitive, the HPLC procedure is technically demanding and has been applied to a relatively small number of bacterial strains and species. We have found that fluorescence-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) is a simple, rapid method by which reducing muropeptides from multiple peptidoglycan samples can be visualized. Individual reducing muropeptides were covalently labeled with the fluorescent molecule 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, after which they were separated by electrophoresis through a 35% polyacrylamide gel and visualized by exposure to UV light. FACE detected the appropriate numbers of reducing muropeptides in the proper proportions for four bacteria: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Yersinia enterocolitica. As little as 2 to 5 pmol per muropeptide was detected when the intensity of the fluorescent signal was measured with a charge-coupled device camera, at a level of sensitivity between 50 and 250 times higher than that of the classic HPLC technique. Thus, FACE may be used to identify interesting peptidoglycan samples prior to more-extensive analysis by HPLC, or FACE may eventually replace HPLC for some applications.
Design of synthesized hybrid magnetite filler in the porous texture of activated carbon and influence on the microwave properties of natural rubber composites

The aim of our study is to synthesize nano-sized magnetite in the porous texture of activated carbon (with different concentration). Our main hypothesis is that the porous texture of activated carbon contains a significant amount of nano-sized pores. By steric reasons if magnetite synthesized in situ in the porous texture of activated carbon, it will be nanosized too. The fillers have been characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy, establishing the influence of the magnetite layer on the texture characteristics. It has been exploring the impact of the synthesized hybrid fillers on the microwave properties and effectiveness of electromagnetic shielding — the real and imaginary part of permittivity and permeability, as well as the influence on the some physics mechanical properties of the composites. The obtained results show that the filler comprising about 5% magnetic phase is the most effective. Introduction of magnetic phase leads to improvement in the microwave properties of the composites and expanding the frequency range of the examined hybrid materials.