Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bee Products Prevent Agrichemical-Induced Oxidative Damage in Fish

In southern South America and other parts of the world, aquaculture is an activity that complements agriculture. Small amounts of agrichemicals can reach aquaculture ponds, which results in numerous problems caused by oxidative stress in non-target organisms. Substances that can prevent or reverse agrichemical-induced oxidative damage may be used to combat these effects. This study includes four experiments. In each experiment, 96 mixed-sex, 6-month-old Rhamdia quelen (118±15 g) were distributed into eight experimental groups: a control group that was not exposed to contaminated water, three groups that were exposed to various concentrations of bee products, three groups that were exposed to various concentrations of bee products plus tebuconazole (TEB; Folicur 200 CE™) and a group that was exposed to 0.88 mg L−1 of TEB alone (corresponding to 16.6% of the 96-h LC50). We show that waterborne bee products, including royal jelly (RJ), honey (H), bee pollen (BP) and propolis (P), reversed the oxidative damage caused by exposure to TEB. These effects were likely caused by the high polyphenol contents of these bee-derived compounds. The most likely mechanism of action for the protective effects of bee products against tissue oxidation and the resultant damage is that the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) are increased.
Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection Initiates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and an Unfolded Protein Response

ABSTRACT The malfunctioning of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of cells in hosts ranging from yeast to mammals can trigger an unfolded protein response (UPR). Such malfunctioning can result from a variety of ER stresses, including the inhibition of protein glycosylation and calcium imbalance. To cope with ER stresses, cells may rely on the UPR to send a signal(s) from the ER to the nucleus to stimulate appropriate cellular responses, including induction of chaperone expression. During Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection, the lumen of the ER rapidly accumulates substantial amounts of viral proteins for virus progeny production. In the present study, we demonstrate that as evidenced by certain chaperone inductions, JEV infection triggers the UPR in fibroblast BHK-21 cells and in neuronal N18 and NT-2 cells, in which JEV results in apoptotic cell death. By contrast, no UPR was observed in apoptosis-resistant K562 cells infected by JEV. JEV infection also activates expression of CHOP/GADD153, a distinctive transcription factor often induced by the UPR, and appears to trigger activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, a posttranslational activator of CHOP. Ectopic enforcement of CHOP expression enhanced JEV-induced apoptosis, whereas treatment with a p38-specific inhibitor, SB203580, partially blocked JEV-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, bcl-2 overexpression and treatment with a pancaspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, inhibited CHOP induction and diminished JEV-induced apoptosis, suggesting that Bcl-2 and caspases could be the upstream regulators of CHOP. Our results thus suggest that virus-induced ER stress may participate, via p38-dependent and CHOP-mediated pathways, in the apoptotic process triggered by JEV infection.
Computational modelling of polyethylene wear and creep in total hip joint replacements: Effect of the bearing clearance and diameter

Computational wear modelling has been improved using a contact area dependent wear law for the conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene used in total hip joint bearings. The current designs of polyethylene bearings tend to use larger diameter heads to achieve improved motion function for patients in clinical practice, but the wear of the bearing may also increase due to the increase in contact area associated with the larger bearings. Additionally, bearing clearance, which is the difference in diameter or radius between the cup and head bearing surfaces, may also play an important role in affecting the wear. This study particularly investigates the effect of bearing clearance on polyethylene wear, for different femoral head diameters, through a parametric study using the computational modelling method. The effect of creep of polyethylene on the contact area and wear was considered, since polyethylene creep can account for a significantly large proportion of volumetric change, particularly during the initial loading stage, and an increase in the contact area. The predicted wear rate was found to be comparable to the experimental wear rate found in independent simulator tests. The polyethylene bearing with decreased bearing clearances led to a substantial increase in the wear rate, particularly when combined with large diameters.
Critical factors in adopting a knowledge management system for the pharmaceutical industry

– The objective of this study is to discuss the critical success factors involved in implementing a knowledge management system (KMS), in order to enhance a firm's competitiveness, while keeping costs to a minimum. , – Based on field studies and a literature review, this study outlined 32 variables in the implementation of a KMS. The research targets were on members of the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Association (TPMMA). Out of the 355 questionnaires sent, 98 valid questionnaires were returned, resulting in a valid return rate of 27.6 percent. , – After completing the statistical analysis, seven factors were determined to be critical: a benchmarking strategy and knowledge structure; the organizational culture; information technology; employee involvement and training; the leadership and the commitment of senior management; a learning environment and resource control; and evaluation of professional training and teamwork. , – This paper chooses members of TPMMA as research targets; thus, to apply this study to other than pharmaceutical industries requires further research. , – Strategy and organizational culture are important in the adoption of a KMS. This study has determined that the pharmaceutical industry has paid special attention to benchmarking strategy. Adopting a KMS can be easy with a core department to maintain proper function of the system. However, companies should utilize the intangible assets available through a KMS to attain full participation from the employees to ensure the success of implementing an effective KMS. , – This paper identifies critical factors in adopting a KMS for the pharmaceutical industry. That can offer pragmatic indication for those companies intent on introducing a KMS.
A Practical Relay Attack on ISO 14443 Proximity Cards

Contactless smart cards are used in access control and pay- ment systems. This paper illustrates an attack which effectively allows an attacker to 'borrow' the victim's card for a short period without requir- ing physical access to the victim's card. As a result the legitimate owner will remain unaware of the attack. We show that our hardware success- fully executed a relay attack against an ISO 14443A contactless smart card, up to a distance of 50 m. Simply relaying information between the card and reader over a longer distance does not require the same techni- cal resources from the attacker as hardware tampering or cryptanalysis. This attack is therefore a feasible method for circumventing current se- curity protocols with little effort. Since application-level measures fail to protect against relay attacks, we discuss possible solutions involving characteristics of the physical communication medium.
Where and When Should Sensors Move? Sampling Using the Expected Value of Information

In case of an environmental accident, initially available data are often insufficient for properly managing the situation. In this paper, new sensor observations are iteratively added to an initial sample by maximising the global expected value of information of the points for decision making. This is equivalent to minimizing the aggregated expected misclassification costs over the study area. The method considers measurement error and different costs for class omissions and false class commissions. Constraints imposed by a mobile sensor web are accounted for using cost distances to decide which sensor should move to the next sample location. The method is demonstrated using synthetic examples of static and dynamic phenomena. This allowed computation of the true misclassification costs and comparison with other sampling approaches. The probability of local contamination levels being above a given critical threshold were computed by indicator kriging. In the case of multiple sensors being relocated simultaneously, a genetic algorithm was used to find sets of suitable new measurement locations. Otherwise, all grid nodes were searched exhaustively, which is computationally demanding. In terms of true misclassification costs, the method outperformed random sampling and sampling based on minimisation of the kriging variance.
Plantar Fibromatosis: An Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Study

The analogies between plantar fibromatosis and Du-puytren's disease (palmar fibromatosis) are well known. The latter is clinically more frequent and has been the object of extensive immunohistochemical and ultra-structural studies, with a view to investigating its patho-genesis. By contrast, such data on plantar fibromatosis are quite scarce. A histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study was performed on nodule tissue from six patients who were subjected to total fasciectomy for plantar fibromatosis. The study of myo-fibroblasts revealed features suggestive of their fibro-blastic origin and evidenced a cytoskeleton and an extracellular filamentous system that could enable myofibroblasts to generate and exert the intracellular forces that contribute to the contraction of the aponeu-rosis. These aspects are similar to those observed in Dupuytren's disease and seem to lend support to the theory that the two diseases are expressions of the same disorder.
MODIFICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS TO FOODS OF THE GENERAL FOODS SENSORY TEXTURE PROFILE TECHNIQUE

The primary attributes of the General Foods sensory texture profile technique are standardization, reproducibility, and ease of correlation with instrumental measurements. Since the original publication in 1963, the method has undergone modifications and refinements such as: addition of an initial stage for evaluation of surface properties, evaluation of certain mechanical characteristics of elasticity and cohesiveness on specific products, and development of texture profile techniques and terminology for the evaluation of semi-solids. Application of this expanded texture profile method is demonstrated using foods such as vanilla cookies, frankfurters, and whipped toppings.
Targeting coagulation factor XII provides protection from pathological thrombosis in cerebral ischemia without interfering with hemostasis

Formation of fibrin is critical for limiting blood loss at a site of blood vessel injury (hemostasis), but may also contribute to vascular thrombosis. Hereditary deficiency of factor XII (FXII), the protease that triggers the intrinsic pathway of coagulation in vitro, is not associated with spontaneous or excessive injury-related bleeding, indicating FXII is not required for hemostasis. We demonstrate that deficiency or inhibition of FXII protects mice from ischemic brain injury. After transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, the volume of infarcted brain in FXII-deficient and FXII inhibitor–treated mice was substantially less than in wild-type controls, without an increase in infarct-associated hemorrhage. Targeting FXII reduced fibrin formation in ischemic vessels, and reconstitution of FXII-deficient mice with human FXII restored fibrin deposition. Mice deficient in the FXII substrate factor XI were similarly protected from vessel-occluding fibrin formation, suggesting that FXII contributes to pathologic clotting through the intrinsic pathway. These data demonstrate that some processes involved in pathologic thrombus formation are distinct from those required for normal hemostasis. As FXII appears to be instrumental in pathologic fibrin formation but dispensable for hemostasis, FXII inhibition may offer a selective and safe strategy for preventing stroke and other thromboembolic diseases.
Approximate similarity search in metric spaces using inverted files

We propose a new approach to perform approximate similarity search in metric spaces. The idea at the basis of this technique is that when two objects are very close one to each other they 'see' the world around them in the same way. Accordingly, we can use a measure of dissimilarity between the view of the world, from the perspective of the two objects, in place of the distance function of the underlying metric space. To exploit this idea we represent each object of a dataset by the ordering of a number of reference objects of the metric space according to their distance from the object itself. In order to compare two objects of the dataset we compare the two corresponding orderings of the reference objects. We show that efficient and effective approximate similarity searching can be obtained by using inverted files, relying on this idea. We show that the proposed approach performs better than other approaches in literature.
Longitudinal Predictors of Nonadherence to Maintenance of Mammography

Background: Regular adherence to screening mammography, also known as maintenance of mammography, reduces breast cancer morbidity and mortality. However, mammography maintenance is uncommon and little is know about why women do not maintain regular screening schedules. We investigated longitudinal predictors of women not maintaining adherence. Methods: Participants were insured women enrolled in an intervention trial who had screening mammograms 8 to 9 months before study enrollment (n = 1,493). Data were collected from 2003 to 2008. We used discrete event history analysis to model nonadherence to mammography maintenance over three successive annual screening intervals (+ 2 months). Results: Most (54%) women did not maintain screening adherence over 3 years. Women who did not maintain adherence were more likely to be ages 40 to 49 years, rate their health fair or poor, be less satisfied with their last mammography experiences, report one or more barriers to getting mammograms, be less than completely confident about getting their next mammograms (lower self-efficacy), or have weaker behavioral intentions. The odds of not maintaining adherence decreased over time. Discussion: Although great strides have been achieved in increasing the proportion of women who have received mammograms, most women still are not maintaining regular mammography use over time. Our findings provide insights into targets for future mammography maintenance interventions. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(4); 1103–11. ©2010 AACR.
Factors influencing pregnancy outcome in women with type 2 versus type 1 diabetes mellitus

Aim. To compare pregnancy outcome and factors related to adverse perinatal outcome in women with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Material and methods. Multicentre retrospective study. Some 404 women were studied, 257 with type 1 DM and 147 with type 2 DM. Main outcome measures were rates of prematurity, macrosomia, instrumental deliveries, congenital malformations, need for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and perinatal mortality. Results. There were no significant differences in pregnancy outcome between women with type 1 and type 2 DM, except for an increased rate of instrumental deliveries in women with type 1 DM. In these women, duration of diabetes was a significant predictor of caesarean delivery (OR =1.06 (1.01–1.12); p = 0.02). Chronic hypertension was positively related to prematurity (p = 0.02), and proved to be a significant predictor of birth weight lower than 2,500 g (OR =3.54 (1.4–12.49); p = 0.043) and perinatal mortality (OR =10.6 (1.15–117.6); p = 0.04). In women with type 2 DM, third trimester higher glycosylated haemoglobin was related to both prematurity (OR 4.9 (1.7–14.4; p = 0.004) and low birth weight. Macrosomia was a significant risk factor for caesarean section. First trimester glycosylated haemoglobin was related to congenital malformations and proved to be a significant predictor of perinatal mortality (OR =2.4 (1.02–5.74); p = 0.04). Conclusions. Duration of DM and chronic hypertension were the most influential factors related to adverse perinatal outcomes in women with type 1 DM, and poor metabolic control and macrosomia in women with type 2 DM.
Bayesian Density Estimation and Inference Using Mixtures

Abstract We describe and illustrate Bayesian inference in models for density estimation using mixtures of Dirichlet processes. These models provide natural settings for density estimation and are exemplified by special cases where data are modeled as a sample from mixtures of normal distributions. Efficient simulation methods are used to approximate various prior, posterior, and predictive distributions. This allows for direct inference on a variety of practical issues, including problems of local versus global smoothing, uncertainty about density estimates, assessment of modality, and the inference on the numbers of components. Also, convergence results are established for a general class of normal mixture models.
Benefits of Exercise with Mini Tennis in Intellectual Disabilities: Effects on Body Image and Psychopathology

The present study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an introductory mini tennis programme as a therapeutic aid in the psychosocial rehabilitation of participants affected by mild/moderate intellectual disability in semi-residential care. Two groups (N=12) of participants diagnosed with intellectual disability, one of which followed the mini tennis rehabilitation programme, were compared at time t0, t1 (after 2 months) and t2 (after 6 months). Psychopathological status was assessed by means of the Italian version of the Assessment and Information Rating Profile (AIRP). Motor coordination, lateral dominance and body scheme were assessed by means of structured tools. Psychopathological total scores showed a statistically significant decrease in the experimental group in comparison with the control group. A statistical decrease in the group with the mini tennis rehabilitation programme was found also in the anxiety sub-scale while the sub-scales schizophrenia, depression, adjustment disorder, personality problems, somatoform disorders and psychosexual disorders did not reach any statistical difference between groups. A statistically significant increase in the visuo manual coordination was highlighted in the experimental versus the control group. No statistically significant differences were reported with regard to general movement skills, dynamic balance and coordination. In spite of the limitations of this study, the results obtained are encouraging and suggest the potential efficacy of mini tennis as an auxiliary aid in rehabilitation programmes, particularly to improve visuo manual coordination skills and to boost the patient/participants' self esteem. These findings warrant confirmation by further research studies.
Association of Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 (CTLA4) Gene Polymorphisms with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease in Children and Adults: Case-Control Study

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), including Graves disease (GD) and Hashimoto disease (HD), is an organ-specific autoimmune disease with a strong genetic component. Although the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) polymorphism has been reported to be associated with AITD in adults, few studies have focused on children. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the CTLA4 polymorphisms, including -318C/T (rs5742909), +49A/G (rs231775), and CT60 (rs3087243), were associated with GD and HD in Han Chinese adults and children. We studied 289 adult GD, 265 pediatric GD, 229 pediatric HD patients, and 1058 healthy controls and then compared genotype, allele, carrier, and haplotype frequencies between patients and controls. We found that CTLA4 SNPs +49A/G and CT60 were associated with GD in adults and children. Allele G of +49A/G was significantly associated with GD in adults (odds ratio [OR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21–1.84; corrected P value [Pc] < 0.001) and children (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.15–1.77; Pc = 0.002). Allele G of CT60 also significantly increased risk of GD in adults (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.27–2.09; Pc < 0.001) and GD in children (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.22–2.04; Pc < 0.001). Significant linkage disequilibrium was found between +49A/G and CT60 in GD and control subjects (D’ = 0.92). Our results showed that CTLA4 was associated with both GD and HD and played an equivalent role in both adult and pediatric GD in Han Chinese population.
Avoiding Interference: Adult Attachment and Emotional Processing Biases

The present study investigated attachment-related differences in emotional processing biases. Consistent with the proposal that avoidant individuals limit attention to potentially distressing information, attachment avoidance was associated with reductions in emotional Stroop (ES) interference for attachment-related words (e.g., intimate, loss). These biases were strongest among individuals who were currently in a romantic relationship, suggesting that being in a close relationship may activate avoidant defensive strategies. In addition, avoidant attentional biases were attenuated under cognitive load, suggesting that inhibiting attention to attachment-related information requires cognitive effort. Finally, avoidance was unrelated to ES performance for emotional, nonattachment-related words, demonstrating the specificity of these attentional biases. The present findings suggest that avoidant individuals can inhibit attention to potentially threatening information, that this ability requires cognitive effort, and that relationship status may be an important moderator of avoidant defensive strategies. The implications of these strategies for emotional functioning and well-being are discussed.
Tensor-based approach to channel estimation in amplify-and-forward MIMO relaying systems

A novel method is devised to jointly estimate the channel matrices involved in a relay-assisted MIMO communication system. We first propose a trilinear coding structure to be used at the amplify-and-forward (AF) relays for combining the received signals while spreading the combined signals across transmit antennas and time blocks, before retransmission. This structure provides antenna selection at the relays and different amplification schemes with non-diagonal amplification matrices. Then, by exploiting the tensor structure of the end-to-end MIMO links, the channel matrices are iteratively estimated by means of a combined alternating least squares (Comb-ALS-MIMO) algorithm that couples PARAFAC and Tucker2 decompositions for the received signals. The proposed method provides an effective solution to the channel estimation problem due to the efficient use of cooperative diversity and tensor-based signal processing.