Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The toxicology of iodate: a review of the literature.

Because it is more stable than iodide, most health authorities preferentially recommend iodate as an additive to salt for correcting iodine deficiency. Even though this results in a low exposure of at most 1,700 microg/d, doubts have recently been raised whether the safety of iodate has been adequately documented. In humans and rats, oral bioavailability of iodine from iodate is virtually equivalent to that from iodide. When given intravenously to rats, or when added to whole blood or tissue homogenates in vitro or to foodstuff, iodate is quantitatively reduced to iodide by nonenzymatic reactions, and thus becomes available to the body as iodide. Therefore, except perhaps for the gastrointestinal mucosa, exposure of tissues to iodate might be minimal. At much higher doses given intravenously (i.e., above 10 mg/kg), iodate is highly toxic to the retina. Ocular toxicity in humans has occurred only after exposure to doses of 600 to 1,200 mg per individual. Oral exposures of several animal species to high doses, exceeding the human intake from fortified salt by orders of magnitude, pointed to corrosive effects in the gastrointestinal tract, hemolysis, nephrotoxicity, and hepatic injury. The studies do not meet current standards of toxicity testing, mostly because they lacked toxicokinetic data and did not separate iodate-specific effects from the effects of an overdose of any form of iodine. With regard to tissue injury, however, the data indicate a negligible risk of the small oral long-term doses achieved with iodate-fortified salt. Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data for iodate are scarce or nonexisting. The proven genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of bromate raise the possibility of analogous activities of iodate. However, iodate has a lower oxidative potential than bromate, and it did not induce the formation of oxidized bases in DNA under conditions in which bromate did, and it may therefore present a lower genotoxic and carcinogenic hazard. This assumption needs experimental confirmation by proper genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data. These in turn will have to be related to toxicokinetic studies, which take into account the potential reduction of iodate to iodide in food, in the intestinal lumen or mucosa, or eventually during the liver passage.
A Formal Foundation for Workflow Composition, Workflow View Definition, and Workflow Normalization based on Petri Nets

In retail information systems it is common practice to subsume the data of products into product groups, which offers organizational advantages for example when new branches are opened, because they are assigned product groups instead of single products. Inspired by this approach, this paper focuses on business processes and proposes the usage of workflow modules stored in a workflow warehouse, which represent reusable, standardized components that are used to build more complex workflow models. In particular, the paper provides a formal foundation for such compositions in form of a workflow algebra based on Petri nets, which has similar operators known from relational algebra in databases. In addition, the need for a concept of workflow normalization is presented, which arises during the composition of workflow modules. Finally, it is shown how the algebra can also be applied in the context of Web service composition.
Stress responses of the oil-producing green microalga Botryococcus braunii Race B

Plants react to biotic and abiotic stresses with a variety of responses including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may result in programmed cell death (PCD). The mechanisms underlying ROS production and PCD have not been well studied in microalgae. Here, we analyzed ROS accumulation, biomass accumulation, and hydrocarbon production in the colony-forming green microalga Botryococcus braunii in response to several stress inducers such as NaCl, NaHCO3, salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate, and acetic acid. We also identified and cloned a single cDNA for the B. braunii ortholog of the Arabidopsis gene defender against cell death 1 (DAD1), a gene that is directly involved in PCD regulation. The function of B. braunii DAD1 was assessed by a complementation assay of the yeast knockout line of the DAD1 ortholog, oligosaccharyl transferase 2. Additionally, we found that DAD1 transcription was induced in response to SA at short times. These results suggest that B. braunii responds to stresses by mechanisms similar to those in land plants and other organisms.
Effects of Targeted Suppression of Glutaryl-CoA Dehydrogenase by Lentivirus-Mediated shRNA and Excessive Intake of Lysine on Apoptosis in Rat Striatal Neurons

In glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1), glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) deficiency has been shown to be responsible for the accumulation of glutaric acid and striatal degeneration. However, the mechanisms by which GA1 induces striatal degeneration remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to establish a novel neuronal model of GA1 and to investigate the effects of GCDH deficiency and lysine-related metabolites on the viability of rat striatal neurons. Thus we constructed a lentiviral vector containing short hairpin RNA targeted against the GCDH gene expression (lentivirus-shRNA) in neurons. A virus containing a scrambled short hairpin RNA construct served as a control. Addition of lysine (5 mmol/L) was used to mimic hypermetabolism. Cell viability was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Apoptosis was assessed using Hoechst33342 staining and Annexin V-PE/7-AAD staining. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MPP) was monitored using tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester. The expression levels of caspases 3, 8, and 9 were determined by Western blotting. We found that lentivirus-shRNA induced apoptosis and decreased MMP levels in neurons, and addition of 5 mmol/L lysine enhanced this effect markedly. Lentivirus-shRNA upregulated the protein levels of caspases 3 and 9 regardless of the presence of 5 mmol/L lysine. The expression level of caspase 8 was higher in neurons co-treated with lentivirus-shRNA and 5 mmol/L lysine than in control. Benzyloxy-carbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone, a pan-caspase inhibitor, blocked the apoptosis induced by lentivirus-shRNA and 5 mmol/L lysine to a great extent. These results indicate that the targeted suppression of GCDH by lentivirus-mediated shRNA and excessive intake of lysine may be a useful cell model of GA1. These also suggest that GA1-induced striatal degeneration is partially caspase-dependent.
2Fast : Collaborative Downloads in P2P Networks

P2P systems that rely on the voluntary contribution of bandwidth by the individual peers may suffer from free riding. To address this problem, mechanisms enforcing fairness in bandwidth sharing have been designed, usually by limiting the download bandwidth to the available upload bandwidth. As in real environments the latter is much smaller than the former, these mechanisms severely affect the download performance of most peers. In this paper we propose a system called 2Fast, which solves this problem while preserving the fairness of bandwidth sharing. In 2Fast, we form groups of peers that collaborate in downloading a file on behalf of a single group member, which can thus use its full download bandwidth. A peer in our system can use its currently idle bandwidth to help other peers in their ongoing downloads, and get in return help during its own downloads. We assess the performance of 2Fast analytically and experimentally, the latter in both real and simulated environments. We find that in realistic bandwidth limit settings, 2Fast improves the download speed by up to a factor of 3.5 in comparison to state-of-the-art P2P download protocols
Local-pooled-error test for identifying differentially expressed genes with a small number of replicated microarrays

MOTIVATION In microarray studies gene discovery based on fold-change values is often misleading because error variability for each gene is heterogeneous under different biological conditions and intensity ranges. Several statistical testing methods for differential gene expression have been suggested, but some of these approaches are underpowered and result in high false positive rates because within-gene variance estimates are based on a small number of replicated arrays. RESULTS We propose to use local-pooled-error (LPE) estimates and robust statistical tests for evaluating significance of each gene's differential expression. Our LPE estimation is based on pooling errors within genes and between replicate arrays for genes in which expression values are similar. We have applied our LPE method to compare gene expression in naïve and activated CD8+ T-cells. Our results show that the LPE method effectively identifies significant differential-expression patterns with a small number of replicated arrays. AVAILABILITY The methodology is implemented with S-PLUS and R functions available at http://hesweb1.med.virginia.edu/bioinformatics
Designing and Conducting Phishing Experiments

We describe ethical and procedural aspects of setting up and conducting phishing experiments, drawing on experience gained from being involved in the design and execution of a sequence of phishing experiments (second author), and from being involved in the review of such experiments at the Institutional Review Board (IRB) level (first author). We describe the roles of consent, deception, debriefing, risks and privacy, and how related issues place IRBs in a new situation. We also discuss user reactions to phishing experiments, and possible ways to limit the perceived harm to the subjects.
Random non‐crossing plane configurations: A conditioned Galton‐Watson tree approach

We study various models of random non‐crossing configurations consisting of diagonals of convex polygons, and focus in particular on uniform dissections and non‐crossing trees. For both these models, we prove convergence in distribution towards Aldous’ Brownian triangulation of the disk. In the case of dissections, we also refine the study of the maximal vertex degree and validate a conjecture of Bernasconi, Panagiotou and Steger. Our main tool is the use of an underlying Galton‐Watson tree structure. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 45, 236–260, 2014
Harnessing neural networks: A random matrix approach

This article proposes an original approach to the performance understanding of large dimensional neural networks. In this preliminary study, we study a single hidden layer feed-forward network with random input connections (also called extreme learning machine) which performs a simple regression task. By means of a new random matrix result, we prove that, as the size and cardinality of the input data and the number of neurons grow large, the network performance is asymptotically deterministic. This entails a better comprehension of the effects of the hyper-parameters (activation function, number of neurons, etc.) under this simple setting, thereby paving the path to the harnessing of more involved structures.
Guns N Roses : Markets , Relational Contracts and the E ¤ ects of Ethnic Violence on Kenyan Flower Exports

With the exception of primary commodities, most goods internationally traded are exchanged through direct relationships with foreign buyers, rather than in spot markets. Do these di¤erent organizational forms matter for rms performance in export markets? This paper presents a model of how an unanticipated supply shock a¤ects exports through di¤erent distribution channels in foreign markets. It then exploits cross-regional variation in the post-election violence in Kenya to identify the value of direct relationships in export markets. The paper nds a negative, large and signi cant e¤ect of violence on exports of owers. In particular, exports through direct relationships su¤er signi cantly less than exports to spot markets. This holds both across rms using di¤erent distribution channels and within rms using both distribution channels. Further evidence is consistent with rms exerting e¤ort to overcome the negative shock and keep valuable direct relationships in export markets. Keywords: Contracts, Marketing Channels, Ethnic Violence, Non-Traditional Agriculture, Export Oriented Industry. JEL Codes: F14, F23, L14, O13, Q17. Oxford University and CEPR. E-mail: rocco.macchiavello@nu¢ eld.ox. ac.uk. yLondon School of Economics and Political Science and STICERD. zThis paper is part of an ongoing research project studying Kenyan ower exporters, which is done in collaboration with Christopher Ksoll. This research would have not been possible without the collaboration of many people in the Kenyan ower industry and the help of sta¤ at the Steadman Group in Nairobi. We thank them all. We also thank Oriana Bandiera, Robin Burgess, Stefan Dercon, Marcel Fafchamps, Greg Fischer, Maitreesh Ghatak, Beata Javorcik, Clare Leaver, Torsten Persson and seminar participants in Dublin, Essex, LSE, Nottingham, Oxford and Southampton for helpful comments and suggestions. Financial support from the iiG research programme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), is greatfully acknowledged. Ameet Morjaria would like to thank STICERD for a travel award and ESRC for nancial support.
1 Oxidant Sensing by Reversible Disulfide Bond Formation

Maintenance of the cellular redox balance is crucial for cell survival. An increase of reactive oxygen, nitrogen, or chlorine species can lead to oxidative stress conditions, potentially damaging DNA, lipids, and proteins. Proteins are very sensitive to oxidative modifications, particularly methionine and cysteine residues. The reversibility of some of these oxidative protein modifications makes them ideally suited to take on regulatory roles in protein function. This is especially true for disulfide bond formation, which has the potential to mediate extensive, yet fully reversible structural and functional changes, rapidly adjusting the protein’s activity to the prevailing oxidant levels.
Vulnerability to heatwaves and drought. Case studies of adaptation to climate change in South-west England

What it means to be vulnerable to climate change and how early examples of climate change adaptation may affect vulnerable groups in society. Climate change will, among other impacts, bring increased risks to health and well-being from more frequent and intense heatwaves, as well as increased droughts threatening the security of affordable water supplies in the UK. This report: ■introduces the concept of vulnerability to climate change within the context of social justice; ■examines two early case studies of adaptation in the south-west of England: the implementation of the national Heatwave Plan; and the trend towards differential water pricing based on usage (including the trial of a rising block tariff for water); and ■highlights the need for a more systematic consideration of current and future vulnerabilities in local, sectoral and national adaptation planning.
Monitoring adherence to Standard Precautions.

BACKGROUND Health care workers (HCWs) do not consistently follow Standard Precautions (SP). This is a serious problem because inadequate compliance is associated with increased blood exposure thus predisposing HCWs to bloodborne pathogen transmission. METHODS The primary goal of this study was to identify institutional factors associated with adequacy of HCW training to monitor coworkers' adherence to SP. Surveys were sent to all community hospital infection control practitioners (ICPs) in Iowa and Virginia. ICPs indicated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree, their assessment of HCW training adequacy. Data from another statewide survey of HCWs in Iowa were assessed to validate this outcome measure. Multiple logistic regression models were developed to identify predictors of assessed training adequacy. Independent variables included methods of education, training, approaches to SP compliance assessment, provision of SP reinforcement by clinical leaders, and organizational data. RESULTS A total of 149 institutions (62%) participated. Models of training program adequacy varied across occupations. Management commitment to SP training programs, leadership support, frequency of providing bloodborne pathogen information, and safety climate were important institutional predictors of assessed adequacy of training. The outcome was validated by demonstrating an association between the ICPs' assessment of HCW training and workers who reported having sufficient information to comply with SP (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS Institutional safety climate, leadership support, and frequency of education play an important role in HCWs' training adequacy to monitor coworkers' adherence to SP. Occupational groups should be considered independently when strategies are developed to increase compliance. Interventions based on modifiable factors identified by this study may reduce bloodborne pathogen exposure among HCWs.
Unfairness of Certain Events in the Olympic Games

Boxing, weight-lifting, wrestling, and judo are graded events in that opponents are matched by weight. If protection were to be denied by removing this restriction such sports would overwhelmingly favour the heavyweights. Data on Olympic winners show that many running and jumping events are seriously biased in favour of the very tall. It is suggested that the rules of these events should be revised to include a grading by height. This would remedy an element of unfairness in many athletic contests, beginning at school.
The Equatorial Thermocline Outcropping—A Seasonal Control on the Tropical Pacific Ocean–Atmosphere Instability Strength

Abstract One of the major factors determining the strength and extent of ENSO events is the instability state of the equatorial Pacific coupled ocean–atmosphere system and its seasonal variations. This study analyzes the coupled instability in a hybrid coupled model of the Indo–Pacific region, using the adjoint method for sensitivity studies. It is found that the seasonal changes in the ocean–atmosphere instability strength in the model used here are related to the outcropping of the thermocline in the east equatorial Pacific. From July to December, when the thermocline outcrops over a wide area in the east Pacific, there is a strong surface–thermocline connection and anomalies that arrive as Kelvin waves from the west along the thermocline can reach the surface and affect the SST and thus the coupled system. Conversely, from February to June, when the thermocline outcropping is minimal, the surface decouples from the thermocline and temperature anomalies in the thermocline depth range do not affect the s.
Clinical Value of Hypochromia Markers in the Detection of Latent Iron Deficiency in Nonanemic Premenopausal Women

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common cause of anemia in fertile women and hemoglobin (Hb) within the reference interval does not exclude ID. The consequence of an imbalance between the iron requirements and supply is a reduction of red‐cell Hb content, which causes hypochromic cells. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of new parameters low Hb density (LHD%), reticulocyte Hb equivalent (RetHe), and percentage of hypochromic erythrocytes (%HypoHe) in the detection of latent ID (LID), defined as depletion of iron stores without anemia.
2D-pattern matching image and video compression

We propose a lossy data compression scheme based on an approximate two-dimensional pattern matching (2D-PMC) extension of the Lempel-Ziv lossless scheme. We apply the scheme to image and video compression and report on our theoretical and experimental results. Theoretically, we show that the so-called fixed database model leads to suboptimal compression. Furthermore, the compression ratio of this model is as low as the generalized entropy that we define. We use this model for our video compression scheme and present experimental results. For image compression we use a growing database model. The implementation of PD-PMC is a challenging problem from the algorithmic point of view. We use a range of novel techniques and data structures such as k-d trees, generalized run length coding, adaptive arithmetic coding, and variable and adaptive maximum distortion level to achieve good compression ratios at high compression speeds. We demonstrate bit rates in the range of 0.25-0.5 bpp for high-quality images and data rates in the range of 0.15-0.4 Mbit/s for video compression.
Singular control with state constraints on unbounded domain

We study a class of stochastic control problems where a cost of the form E ∫ [0,∞) e -βs [l(X s )ds + h(Y o s )d|Y| s ] is to be minimized over control processes Y whose increments take values in a cone Y of R p , keeping the state process X = x + B + GY in a cone X of R k , k < p. Here, x e X, B is a Brownian motion with drift b and covariance E, G is a fixed matrix, and Y° is the Radon-Nikodym derivative dY/d|Y|. Let £ = -(1/2)trace(ΣD 2 ) - b · D where D denotes the gradient. Solutions to the corresponding dynamic programming PDE, [(£+β)f-l]V sup [-Gγ·Df-h(γ)]=0, γ∈Y:|Gγ|=1 on X" are considered with a polynomial growth condition and are required to be supersolution up to the boundary (corresponding to a "state constraint" boundary condition on 3X). Under suitable conditions on the problem data, including continuity and nonnegativity of l and h, and polynomial growth of l, our main result is the unique viscosity-sense solvability of the PDE by the control problem's value function in appropriate classes of functions. In some cases where uniqueness generally fails to hold in the class of functions that grow at most polynomially (e.g., when h = 0), our methods provide uniqueness within the class of functions that, in addition, have compact level sets. The results are new even in the following special cases: (1) The one-dimensional case k = p = 1, X = Y = R + ; (2) The first-order case Σ = 0; (3) The case where l and h are linear. The proofs combine probabilistic arguments and viscosity solution methods. Our framework covers a wide range of diffusion control problems that arise from queueing networks in heavy traffic.
Multiple Motifs Regulate Trafficking of the LAMP‐Like Protein p67 in the Ancient Eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei

p67 is a lysosome‐associated membrane protein–like lysosomal type I transmembrane glycoprotein in African trypanosomes. The p67 cytoplasmic domain (CD) is both necessary and sufficient for lysosomal targeting in procyclic insect‐stage parasites. The p67CD contains two [DE]XXXL[LI]‐type dileucine motifs, which function as lysosomal targeting signals in mammalian cells. Using a green fluorescent protein fusion to the p67 transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains as a reporter system, we investigated the role of these motifs in lysosomal targeting in procyclic trypanosomes. Pulse–chase turnover studies, steady‐state immunolocalization and quantitative flow cytometry all gave consistent results. Mutagenesis of the membrane‐distal dileucine motif impairs lysosomal trafficking leading to partial appearance of the reporter on the cell surface. Mutagenesis of the membrane‐proximal motif has little effect on proper targeting. Simultaneous mutagenesis of both motifs results in quantitative delivery to the cell surface. Thus, the distal motif plays a dominant role, but both dileucine motifs are necessary for maximal lysosomal targeting. Additional studies suggest that the upstream acidic residues in each motif influence lysosomal targeting and may also affect forward trafficking in the early secretory pathway. These results strongly suggest an evolutionary conservation in lysosomal trafficking mechanisms in the ancient eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei.