Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pay Dispersion and Organizational Performance in Korea: Curvilinearity and the Moderating Role of Congruence with Organizational Culture

Abstract This study examines the curvilinear relationship between pay dispersion and organizational performance. According to the pay dispersion literature, a large pay gap has benefits and drawbacks for organizational performance because employees can feel motivated or demotivated depending on the degree of pay dispersion. We investigate the possibility of nonlinearity in the context of these countervailing forces, and aim to uncover the condition under which the positive effect of high pay dispersion prevails. Our empirical analysis of data from 436 Korean cross-industry firms shows that pay dispersion and organizational performance have an inverted U-shaped relationship. Moreover, when a pay scheme matches current organizational culture, the positive relationship between pay dispersion and organizational performance is more pronounced. We discuss the implications for future compensation research and practice.
Oral zidovudine during labor to prevent perinatal HIV transmission, Bangkok: tolerance and zidovudine concentration in cord blood

Objectives:To evaluate tolerance for the oral administration of zidovudine (ZDV) during labor and measure the resulting ZDV concentrations in umbilical cord blood. Design:A cross-sectional study of women in a placebo-controlled trial of short-course ZDV (twice a day from 36 weeks' gestation until labor and every 3 h during labor) to prevent perinatal HIV transmission in Bangkok. Methods:Umbilical cord blood was collected. Sixty control specimens and specimens from 372 women (182 in the ZDV group, 190 in the placebo group) were tested for ZDV by radioimmunoassay (lower detection limit < 1 ng/ml). Results:All women in the ZDV group took one or more labor dose, 170 (93%) took their last dose within 3 h of delivery, and only five (3%) experienced nausea or vomiting, a proportion similar to the placebo group. The median concentration of ZDV in the cord blood in the ZDV group was 252 ng/ml (range, < 1–1133 ng/ml); 31 (17%) specimens were less than 130 ng/ml (0.5 μM), the concentration thought to be active against HIV in vitro. Median concentrations were 189 ng/ml in specimens from women taking one or two labor doses, 290 ng/ml in those taking three or four doses, and 293 ng/ml in those taking more than four doses (P < 0.01). The ZDV concentration was not associated with time since the last dose, body weight, or perinatal transmission. Conclusion:Oral intrapartum ZDV was feasible and well tolerated. Most ZDV concentrations in the cord blood after oral dosing during labor were at therapeutic concentrations but were lower than those reported after continuous intravenous administration. Although concentrations were not associated with perinatal transmission, these data do not exclude the possibility that intrapartum and neonatal chemoprophylaxis is effective.
Neuropilins in physiological and pathological angiogenesis

Neuropilin‐1 (Np1) and neuropilin‐2 (Np2) are transmembrane glycoproteins with large extracellular domains that interact with both class 3 semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and are involved in the regulation of many physiological pathways, including angiogenesis. The neuropilins also interact directly with the classical receptors for VEGF, VEGF‐R1 and ‐R2, mediating signal transduction. The heart, glomeruli and osteoblasts express both Np1 and Np2, but there is differential expression in the adult vasculature, with Np1 expressed mainly by arterial endothelium, whereas Np2 is only expressed by venous and lymphatic endothelium. Both neuropilins are commonly over‐expressed in regions of physiological (wound‐healing) and pathological (tumour) angiogenesis, but the signal transduction pathways, neuropilin‐mediated gene expression and the definitive role of neuropilins in angiogenic processes are not fully characterized. This review details the current evidence for the role of neuropilins in angiogenesis, and suggests future research directions that may enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of action of this unique family of proteins. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Membrane fusion of Semliki Forest virus in a model system: correlation between fusion kinetics and structural changes in the envelope glycoprotein.

This paper presents a kinetic analysis of low‐pH‐induced fusion of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) with cholesterol‐containing unilamellar lipid vesicles (liposomes), consisting otherwise of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin. Fusion is monitored continuously with a lipid mixing assay, involving virus bio‐synthetically labeled with the fluorophore pyrene. At pH 5.55, 37 degrees C, SFV‐liposome fusion occurs on the time scale of seconds. Extensive fusion (up to 60% of the virus) requires an excess of liposomes, while a low‐pH preincubation of the virus alone results in inactivation of its fusion capacity. The onset of fusion after acidification of virus‐liposome mixtures is preceded by a pH‐ and temperature‐dependent lag phase. Early in this lag phase, a conformational change in the E2E1 spike glycoprotein occurs, involving formation of a trypsin‐resistant E1 homotrimer, exposing a conformation‐specific epitope (E1″). These changes are followed by a rapid, cholesterol‐dependent binding of the virus to the liposomes (as assessed by sucrose density gradient analysis), subsequent fusion starting only after an additional delay. This sequence of events strongly suggests that the E1 homotrimeric structure represents the fusion‐active conformation of the SFV spike, the actual fusion complex possibly involving a higher order oligomer of E1 trimers.
Acute thrombocytopenic purpura following measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. A report on 23 patients

An acute thrombocytopenic purpura developed shortly after measles‐mumps‐rubella vaccination in 23 of approximately 700 000 children immunized over a period of seven years. The mean interval from inoculation to the onset of purpura was 19 days. Bone marrow aspirates obtained from 13 patients showed increased or normal amounts of megakaryocytes. Platelet survival time was markedly shortened in the two patients studied. Fifteen patients recovered (the platelet count exceeded 100 x 109/1) in one month, five in two months and two in six months. Increase in platelet‐associated immunoglobulin was detected in 10 of 15 patients. Circulating antiplatelet autoantibodies (AAb) against glycoprotein IIb/IIIa were detected in 5 of 15 patients. The findings are compatible with an autoimmune mechanism triggered by immune response to measles‐mumps‐rubella vaccination. As evaluated by the clinical course and the presence of AAb, post‐vaccination thrombocytopenic purpura appears to be indistinguishable from childhood acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
A General Theory of Environmental Noise in Ecological Food Webs

We examine the effects of environmental noise on populations that are parts of simple two‐species food webs. We assume that the species are strongly interacting and that one or the other population is affected by the noise signal. Further assuming that a stable equilibrium with positive population densities exists, we are able to perform a complete frequency analysis of the system. If only one of the populations is subject to noise, the relative noise response by both populations is fully determined by the sign of a single element of the Jacobian matrix. The analysis is readily extended to cases when both species are affected by noise or when the food web has more than two species. The general conclusion about relative responses to noise is then less unambiguous, but the power spectra describing the frequency composition of the population variabilities are nevertheless completely determined. These results are entirely independent on the exact nature of the interaction (i.e., predation, competition, mutualism) between the populations. The results show that the interpretation of the “color” of ecological time series (i.e., the frequency composition of population variability over time) may be complicated by species interactions. The propagation of noise signals through food webs and the importance of web structure for the expected response of all parts of the web to such signals is a challenging field for future studies.
Applying small RNA molecules to the directed treatment of human diseases: realizing the potential

Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and microRNAs (miRNA) are gaining considerable attention in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as research has revealed their likely clinical and agricultural applications. The capacity of siRNAs to dramatically and specifically reduce the expression of targeted genes has spawned multiple clinical trials to establish the therapeutic potential of small RNAs targeting viral, cancer and other disease-related genes. The successful application of siRNAs will enable the development of therapeutic applications based on miRNAs that have been observed to contribute to a variety of human diseases. This article reviews advances that have been made to apply small RNAs as therapeutics.
Role of (cid:1) -Catenin/T-Cell Factor-Regulated Genes in Ovarian Endometrioid Adenocarcinomas

In various cancers, inactivating mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli or Axin tumor suppressor proteins or activating mutations in (cid:1) -catenin’s amino-terminal domain elevate (cid:1) -catenin levels, resulting in marked effects on T-cell factor (TCF)-regulated transcription. Several candidate (cid:1) -catenin/TCF-regulated genes in cancer have been proposed. Expression of a few of these genes has been studied in primary human cancers, but most studies have focused on colon cancers and not on other cancer types that harbor mutational defects in adenomatous polyposis coli, AXIN, or (cid:1) -catenin. Mutations leading to (cid:1) -catenin deregulation are found in nearly half of ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinomas (OEAs). We report here on the expression of 6 candidate (cid:1) -catenin/TCF-regu-lated genes in a panel of 44 primary OEAs, more than a third of which carry demonstrable defects in (cid:1) -cate-nin regulation. Using quantitative assays of gene expression, we found significantly elevated expression of the MMP-7 , CCND1 ( Cyclin D1 ), CX43 ( Connexin 43 ), PPAR- (cid:2) , and ITF2 genes in OEAs with deregulated (cid:1) -catenin. This correlation was not observed for
High-frequency-link micro-inverter with front-end current-fed half-bridge boost converter and half-wave cycloconverter

A high-frequency-link micro-inverter is proposed for integrating a single photovoltaic panel to a local load or utility grid. The number of power switches is minimized in addition to reduced magnetic components in order to design a low cost, light weight, compact and efficient inverter. A front-end current-fed isolated boost converter is used to integrate the photovoltaic panel to the rest of micro-inverter that consists of a half-wave cycloconverter and half-bridge inverter. The two basic building modules are interconnected via a high voltage DC-link capacitor. A series resonant tank is used to implement soft-switching in the half-bridge inverter and in the half-wave cycloconverter at the grid side. A highly optimized switching scheme is proposed to have soft-switching in all possible power conversion stages. The proposed micro-inverter is simulated using the MATLAB/Simulink Simpower block-set and with PSIM in order to verify the feasibility of the proposed converter and the effectiveness of the proposed switching control scheme.
Rapid detection of mycobacteria in clinical specimens by using the automated BACTEC 9000 MB system and comparison with radiometric and solid-culture systems

Recovery rates of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and the mean time to their detection from clinical specimens were determined by using the fluorescent BACTEC 9000 MB system. Data were compared to those assessed by the radiometric BACTEC 460 system and by cultivation on solid media. A total of 3,095 specimens were processed with N-acetyl-L-cysteine-NaOH by two laboratories. The contamination rates for the BACTEC 9000 MB system were 6.8% (center 1) and 9.8% (center 2). A total of 451 mycobacterial isolates were detected (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, n = 296; nontuberculous mycobacteria [NTM], n = 155). These isolates originated from 94 (20.8%) smear-positive and 357 (79.2%) smear-negative specimens. The BACTEC 9000 MB system was significantly better than solid media (P < 0.05) in detecting AFB, but it was less efficient than the radiometric system (P < 0.01). The BACTEC 9000 MB system plus solid media (combination A) recovered 393 (87.1%) of the isolates, while the BACTEC 460 system plus solid media (combination B) detected 430 (95.3%) of all AFB isolates. Between combination A and B there was no statistically significant difference for the detection of isolates from smear-positive specimens (P > 0.05), in contrast to the recovery of AFB from smear-negative specimens for M. tuberculosis complex, P < 0.05; for NTM, P < 0.01). The mean time to detection of M. tuberculosis complex was 12.2 days for smear-positive specimens and 18.1 days for smear-negative specimens with the BACTEC 9000 MB system; 9.3 and 15.6 days, respectively, with the BACTEC 460 system; and 21.2 and 28.4 days, respectively, with solid media. For NTM, the average detection times were 15.1, 17.3, and 31.3 days by the three methods, respectively. In conclusion, the BACTEC 9000 MB system is a rapid, less labor-intensive detection system which allows for higher levels of recovery of AFB than solid media. There is no risk of cross contamination, which is known to be the case for the BACTEC 460 system, and data management is greatly facilitated. As a whole, however, the BACTEC 9000 MB system should only be used in conjunction with solid media.
The Effects of Tuning an Ankle-Foot Orthosis Footwear Combination on Kinematics and Kinetics of the Knee Joint of an Adult with Hemiplegia

The effects of tuning the AFO footwear combination (AFOFC) for an adult with post-stroke hemiplegia were investigated. Gait analysis and tuning were carried out using a Vicon 3D motion analysis system and two force plates. Tuning of the AFOFC was accomplished by gradually modifying its design over a number of gait trials, to achieve optimal (i.e., as close as possible to normal, within the capability of the patient) knee kinematics and alignment of the Ground Reaction Force vector (GRF) relative to the knee joint. Heel wedges and a stiff rocker were used to tune mid-stance and terminal stance, respectively. Temporal-spatial parameters and selected kinetic and kinematic variables were compared between the non-tuned AFOFC, the tuned AFOFC immediately after tuning, and the tuned AFOFC after three months. There were several changes after three months compared to the non-tuned AFOFC, including improvement in stride length and a reduction in knee hyperextension. A subjective reduction in knee pain and improvement in function were also reported. The feasibility and the lack of objective evidence of tuning AFOFCs as a part of a clinical service need to be addressed in future research.
Management of adults with Tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common form of cyanotic congenital cardiac disease. Patients with previously repaired tetralogy of Fallot are the most common patients seen in the Program for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease at The Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute. Guidelines for the management of these patients are available from multiple sources including The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and The American Heart Association (AHA), The Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and The European Society of Cardiology (ESC). These guidelines describe multiple components related to the care for these patients including strategies for medical follow-up, the management of arrhythmias and electrophysiological diseases, and the treatment of chronic pulmonary insufficiency and stenosis. Several new strategies are available for replacement of the pulmonary valve including transcatheter replacement of the pulmonary valve and replacement of the pulmonary valve with a self-manufactured bicuspid polytetrafluoroethylene pulmonary valve.
Quantification of the Multiplexing Effects in Multi-Pinhole Small Animal SPECT: A Simulation Study

Our goal is to study the trade-off between image degradation and improved detection efficiency and resolution from allowing multiplexing in multi-pinhole (MPH) SPECT, and to determine the optimal pinhole number for MPH design. We used an analytical 3D MPH projector and two digitized phantoms: the mouse whole body (MOBY) phantom and a hot sphere phantom to generate noise-free and noisy projections, simulating pinhole collimators fitted with pre-studied pinhole patterns. We performed three schemes to achieve different degrees of multiplexing: 1. Fixed magnification and detection efficiency; 2. Fixed detection efficiency and changed magnification; 3. Fixed magnification and changed detection efficiency. We generated various noisy data sets by simulating Poisson noise using differently scaled noise-free projections and obtained 20 noise realizations for each setting. All datasets were reconstructed using 3D MPH ML-EM reconstruction method. We analyzed the quantitative accuracy by the normalized-mean-square-error. We evaluated the image contrast for the hot sphere phantom simulation, and also the image noise by the average normalized-standard-deviation of certain pixels for different degrees of multiplexing. Generally, no apparent artifacts were observed in the reconstructed images, illustrating the effectiveness of reconstructions. Bias increased for increased degree of multiplexing. Contrast was not significantly affected by multiplexing in the specific simulation scheme (1). Scheme (2) showed that excessive multiplexing to improve image resolution would not improve the overall trade-off of bias and noise compared to no multiplexing. However, scheme (3) showed that when comparing to no multiplexing, the trade-off improved initially with increased multiplexing by allowing more number of pinholes to improve detection efficiency. The trade-off reached a maximum and decreased with further multiplexing due to image degradation from increased bias. The optimal pinhole number was 7 for a compact camera with size of 12 cm times 12 cm and 9 for a standard gamma camera with size of 40 cm times 40 cm in this scheme. We conclude that the gains in improved detection efficiency and resolution by increased multiplexing are offset by increased image degradations. All the aforementioned factors must be considered in the optimum MPH collimator design for small animal SPECT imaging.
Impact of in-hospital enteroviral polymerase chain reaction testing on the clinical management of children with meningitis.

BACKGROUND Enteroviral meningitis is a common cause of meningitis in children which requires only supportive care. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of implementing an in-hospital enteroviral polymerase chain reaction (EVPCR) testing protocol on the clinical management of children with meningitis. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. POPULATION Children <19 years old with meningitis. INTERVENTION EVPCR testing differed by time period: send-out testing protocol from July 1, 2006-June 23, 2008 (pre-period) versus in-house testing protocol from June 24, 2008-June 30, 2010 (post-period). MEASUREMENTS Test turnaround time, test utilization, length of stay, and duration of parenteral antibiotics. RESULTS Of the 441 study patients, 216 (49%) presented during the post-period. Median age was 2.9 months (interquartile range, 1.5-96 months). Test turnaround time decreased with the in-house test (53 hours pre vs 13 hours post, P < 0.001), and test utilization increased (28% pre vs 62% post, P < 0.001). Among children with a positive EVPCR test, both length of stay (44 hours pre vs 28 hours post, P = 0.005) and duration of parenteral antibiotics (48 hours pre vs 36 hours post, P = 0.04) decreased in the post-period. No change in either of these outcomes was observed in children with meningitis and a negative EVPCR test. CONCLUSION In-house EVPCR testing reduced test turnaround time, increased test utilization, and reduced both length of stay and duration of parenteral antibiotics for children with a positive result. Clinicians caring for children with meningitis should have access to in-hospital EVPCR testing.
Interdependence of the Ypt/RabGAP Gyp5p and Gyl1p for Recruitment to the Sites of Polarized Growth

Gyp5p and Gyl1p are two members of the Ypt/Rab guanosine triphosphatases‐activating proteins involved in the control of polarized exocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We had previously shown that Gyp5p and Gyl1p colocalize at the sites of polarized growth and belong to the same complex in subcellular fractions enriched in plasma membrane or secretory vesicles. Here, we investigate the interaction between Gyp5p and Gyl1p as well as the mechanism of their localization to the sites of polarized growth. We show that purified recombinant Gyp5p and Gyl1p interact directly in vitro. In vivo, both Gyp5p and Gyl1p are mutually required to concentrate at the sites of polarized growth. Moreover, the localization of Gyp5p and Gyl1p to the sites of polarized growth requires the formins Bni1p and Bnr1p and depends on actin cables. We show that, in a sec6‐4 mutant, blocking secretion leads to coaccumulation of Gyp5p and Gyl1p, together with Sec4p. Electron microscopy experiments demonstrate that Gyp5p is associated with secretory vesicles. Altogether, our results indicate that both Gyp5p and Gyl1p access the sites of polarized growth by transport on secretory vesicles. Two polarisome components, Spa2p and Bud6p, are involved in maintaining Gyp5p and Gyl1p colocalized at the sites of polarized growth.
Unattended Blood Pressure Measurements in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial: Implications for Entry and Achieved Blood Pressure Values Compared With Other Trials

The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) enrolled 9361 participants aged ≥50 years in ≈100 expert medical centers and clinical practices throughout the United States.1 SPRINT excluded patients with diabetes mellitus and stroke survivors since previous clinical trials included those populations.2,3 Between 2010 and 2013, the SPRINT investigators randomly allocated the study participants into a standard treatment group receiving an average of 2 different blood pressure (BP) medications to achieve a systolic BP (SBP) target <140 mm Hg and into an intensive treatment group receiving an average of 3 BP medications to achieve a SBP target <120 mm Hg. The Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute stopped SPRINT early because of a positive effect. The significant preliminary results of SPRINT were announced on September 11, 20154 and the study results were quickly and favorably commented on by the New York Times5 and the Washington Post.6 The target SBP <120 mm Hg had reduced rates of the composite primary outcome that included myocardial infarction (MI), other acute coronary syndromes, stroke, heart failure, or death from cardiovascular causes by 25% and the risk of death from all causes by 27%, when compared with the target SBP of <140 mm Hg. The primary results of the trial were presented at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Orlando on November 9, 2015 and published on the same day.7 The SPRINT study was published with an accompanying statement from the Editor of New England Journal of Medicine 8 saying that “This clinical trial will change practice, and we are proud to publish it and to defend the importance of the expedited peer-review and publication process that it has undergone. The report is now in the public domain, and the investigators’ data …