Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental occupational pesticide exposure and the risk of childhood leukemia in the offspring: Findings from the childhood leukemia international consortium

Maternal occupational pesticide exposure during pregnancy and/or paternal occupational pesticide exposure around conception have been suggested to increase risk of leukemia in the offspring. With a view to providing insight in this area we pooled individual level data from 13 case‐control studies participating in the Childhood Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC). Occupational data were harmonized to a compatible format. Pooled individual analyses were undertaken using unconditional logistic regression. Using exposure data from mothers of 8,236 cases, and 14,850 controls, and from fathers of 8,169 cases and 14,201 controls the odds ratio (OR) for maternal exposure during pregnancy and the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78, 1.30] and for paternal exposure around conception 1.20 (95% 1.06, 1.38). For acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the OR for maternal exposure during pregnancy was 1.94 (CI 1.19, 3.18) and for paternal exposure around conception 0.91 (CI 0.66, 1.24.) based on data from 1,329 case and 12,141 control mothers, and 1,231 case and 11,383 control fathers. Our finding of a significantly increased risk of AML in the offspring with maternal exposure to pesticides during pregnancy is consistent with previous reports. We also found a slight increase in risk of ALL with paternal exposure around conception which appeared to be more evident in children diagnosed at the age of 5 years or more and those with T cell ALL which raises interesting questions on possible mechanisms.
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Escherichia coli Are Live Biotherapeutics for UTI

Urinary tract infections (UTI) account for approximately 8 million clinic visits annually with symptoms that include acute pelvic pain, dysuria, and irritative voiding. Empiric UTI management with antimicrobials is complicated by increasing antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens, but live biotherapeutics products (LBPs), such as asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) strains of E. coli, offer the potential to circumvent antimicrobial resistance. Here we evaluated ASB E. coli as LBPs, relative to ciprofloxacin, for efficacy against infection and visceral pain in a murine UTI model. Visceral pain was quantified as tactile allodynia of the pelvic region in response to mechanical stimulation with von Frey filaments. Whereas ciprofloxacin promoted clearance of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), it did not reduce pelvic tactile allodynia, a measure of visceral pain. In contrast, ASB E. coli administered intravesically or intravaginally provided comparable reduction of allodynia similar to intravesical lidocaine. Moreover, ASB E. coli were similarly effective against UTI allodynia induced by Proteus mirabilis, Enterococccus faecalis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Therefore, ASB E. coli have anti-infective activity comparable to the current standard of care yet also provide superior analgesia. These studies suggest that ASB E. coli represent novel LBPs for UTI symptoms.
Insights into the physiological function of the β-amyloid precursor protein: beyond Alzheimer's disease

The β‐amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been extensively studied for its role as the precursor of the β‐amyloid protein (Aβ) of Alzheimer's disease. However, the normal function of APP remains largely unknown. This article reviews studies on the structure, expression and post‐translational processing of APP, as well as studies on the effects of APP in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that the published data provide strong evidence that APP has a trophic function. APP is likely to be involved in neural stem cell development, neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth and neurorepair. However, the mechanisms by which APP exerts its actions remain to be elucidated. The available evidence suggests that APP interacts both intracellularly and extracellularly to regulate various signal transduction mechanisms.
Infrared spectroscopy of low-mass X-ray binaries

Using CGS4 on UKIRT, we have obtained 2.00–2.45 μ m infrared spectra of a number of low-mass X-ray binaries including Sco X-1, Sco X-2 and GX1 3+1. Sco X-1 shows emission lines only, supporting our previous conclusion that the spectral type of the evolved secondary must be earlier than G5. Emission lines are also seen in the spectrum of Sco X-2, confirming the identity of the IR counterpart. We report the detection of CO bands in GX1 3+1, and estimate the most likely spectral type of the secondary to be K5III. We also find P Cygni-type profiles in the Brackett γ lines of Sco X-1 and GX1 3+1, indicating the presence of high-velocity outflows in these systems. We present spectra of candidate IR counterparts to several other elusive X-ray binaries. Finally, implications for the nature and classification of these systems are discussed.
Self-efficacy in educational settings: Recent research and emerging directions

For half a century, psychologist Albert Bandura has worked to advance a cognitive interactional model of human functioning that emphasizes the role of cognitive and symbolic representations as central processes in human adaptation and change. In his seminal 1977 publication, Bandura emphasized that these representations – visualized actions and outcomes stemming from reflective thought – form the basis from which individuals assess their personal efficacy. An efficacy belief, he contended, is the “conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes” one desires (p. 193). Efficacy beliefs serve as the primary means by which people are able to exercise a measure of control over their lives. During the next two decades, Bandura (1986, 1997) advanced his social cognitive theory, in which people are viewed as self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting, and self-regulating rather than as solely reactive organisms, products of environmental or concealed inner influences. From this agentic perspective, people are seen as contributors to their life circumstances, not just recipients of them. In this way, people are “partial architects of their own destinies” (Bandura, 1997, p. 8).
NAÏVE BAYESIAN CLASSIFIER FOR ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA DETECTION

Leukemia is a malignant neoplasm of the blood and is one of the major causes of death throughout the world. Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is the most common type of Leukemia and it generally affects children and adults above fifty years of age. Examination of Peripheral blood smear Image is one of the most widely used technique for Leukemia detection though it suffers from problems such as subjective interpretations, operator tiredness and efficiency. The objective of this work is to develop a method that can classify lymphocyte and lymphoblast nuclei from the ALL-IDB2 dataset. In the present paper, from a set of forty Images of Lymphocytes and Lymphoblasts, nucleus is segmented using Kmeans clustering method after which a set of features are extracted. Naive Bayesian classifier was used in this work for Lymphocyte classification which yielded 75% accuracy.
Piglet survival-Implications of large litter sizes : Genetic Focus on What is Happening as Litter Sizes Increase to Levels That Create Challenges to Survival

Introduction As an industry, our success in selecting for increased litter size is coming back to haunt us. Data from breeders’ herds in Ontario and reports from elsewhere show that there is a non-linear relationship between litter size and piglet survival, especially peri-natal survival (e.g. Robinson and Quinton, 2002, Lecour. 2000). Data from Robinson and Quinton (2002) reproduced below as Figure 1 suggest that if we continue to increase litter size without worrying about survival, we can expect a corresponding and more rapid increase in piglet mortality in the peri-partum period at least.
THE ASYMPTOTIC DISTRIBUTION AND BERRY-ESSEEN BOUND OF A NEW TEST FOR INDEPENDENCE IN HIGH DIMENSION WITH AN APPLICATION TO STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION

Let $\mathbf{X}_1,. ,\mathbf{X}_n$ be a random sample from a $p$-dimensional population distribution. Assume that $c_1n^{\alpha}\leq p\leq c_2n^{\alpha}$ for some positive constants $c_1,c_2$ and $\alpha$. In this paper we introduce a new statistic for testing independence of the $p$-variates of the population and prove that the limiting distribution is the extreme distribution of type I with a rate of convergence $O((\log n)^{5/2}/\sqrt{n})$. This is much faster than $O(1/\log n)$, a typical convergence rate for this type of extreme distribution. A simulation study and application to stochastic optimization are discussed.
Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for patients with completely resected stage IIIA(N2) non-small cell lung cancer

Background The patient prognosis after complete resection for pathologic stage IIIA(N2) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a significant concern. The clinical relevance of the host immune response to NSCLC has yet to be established. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in a uniform cohort of patients with completely resected stage IIIA(N2) NSCLC. Methods From 2005 to 2012, consecutive patients with pathologic stage IIIA(N2) NSCLC who underwent complete resection at our institution were reviewed. For each case, full-face hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from surgical specimens were evaluated for the TIL density. A published, recommended TIL scoring scale was followed. The patients were stratified into the TIL− or TIL+ group based on pathologic evaluation. Results Data from 320 patients were included in the analysis. Based on a median follow-up duration of 30.8 months, a higher density of TILs was associated with an improved postoperative survival time (P = 0.06). Subgroup analyses indicated that this positive effect was the greatest for patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; P = 0.03). Among those with SCC, the TIL+ patients experienced a significantly increased 3-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) compared to the TIL− patients (60.6% versus 42.7%, P = 0.02). Multivariate analyses of the 93 patients with SCC tumors confirmed that TIL+ was an independent prognostic factor for an increased DMFS (HR = 0.39, 95%CI 0.17–0.87, P = 0.02) and a prolonged overall survival (OS; HR = 0.47, 95%CI 0.22–1.00, P = 0.05). Conclusions Our data suggest a potential role of TILs in predicting the survival of patients with completely resected stage IIIA(N2) NSCLC. The beneficial effects of TILs were more pronounced in the prediction of the DMFS and the OS in patients with SCC. This parameter should be considered for prospective inclusion in clinical trials.
Genetic variation of germination cold tolerance in Japanese rice germplasm

Low temperatures at the initial stages of rice development prevent fast germination and seedling establishment and may cause significant productivity losses. In order to develop rice cultivars exhibiting cold tolerance, it is necessary to investigate genetic resources, providing basic knowledge to allow the introduction of genes involved in low temperature germination ability from accessions into elite cultivars. Japanese rice accessions were evaluated at the germination under two conditions: 13°C for 28 days (cold stress) and 28°C for seven days (optimal temperature). The traits studied were coleoptile and radicle length under optimal temperature, coleoptile and radicle length under cold and percentage of the reduction in coleptile and radicle length due to low temperature. Among the accessions studied, genetic variation for traits related to germination under low temperatures was observed and accessions exhibiting adequate performance for all investigated traits were identified. The use of multivariate analysis allowed the identification of the genotypes displaying cold tolerance by smaller reductions in coleoptile and radicle lenght in the presence of cold and high vigour, by higher coleoptile and radicle growth under cold.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports the Great Escape? a Quantitative Evaluation of the Fed's Liquidity Facilities the Great Escape? a Quantitative Evaluation of the Fed's Liquidity Facilities

This paper presents preliminary findings and is being distributed to economists and other interested readers solely to stimulate discussion and elicit comments. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not necessarily reflective of views at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors. Abstract We introduce liquidity frictions into an otherwise standard DSGE model with nominal and real rigidities, explicitly incorporating the zero bound on the short-term nominal interest rate. Within this framework, we ask: Can a shock to the liquidity of private paper lead to a collapse in short-term nominal interest rates and a recession like the one associated with the 2008 U.S. financial crisis? Once the nominal interest rate reaches the zero bound, what are the effects of interventions in which the government exchanges liquid government assets for illiquid private paper? We find that the effects of the liquidity shock can be large, and we show some numerical examples in which the liquidity facilities prevented a repeat of the Great Depression in 2008-09. participants in various seminars and conferences. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System.
Développement cérébral normal et convulsions fébriles : étude d'électrophysiologie visuelle

The developrnent of non invasive techniques for the assessment of fiinctional brain maturation is criticai. The present study analyzed 63 babies’ and children’s (15 days to 5,5 years) cerebral responses to a pattern reversai visual stimulation using high density (128 electrodes) eiectrophysiological recordings. Developmentai data were further compared to those of young aduits (n = 16). Tremendous changes in pVEPs rnorphology were observed between 7 to 24 months characterized by the emergence of negative components labeled”N70” and “N145” and the reduction ofthe P100 amplitude. The aduit pattem ofresponse appears from 24 rnonths on. Spectral density values show an increase ofhigher frequencies with age. Coherence values show a reduction between 3 and 23 months of age as well as a further increase toward adulthood between areas implicated in visual processing. These resuits are discussed in light of developmental features such as synaptogenesis, myelination and neuronal networks refinement.
Molecular and Morphological Characterisation of Back Cross Generations for Yield and Blast Resistance in Rice

Blast caused by Pyricularia oryzae is one of the major constraints limiting rice production globally. Study was undertaken at TNAU, India using a set of selected genotypes including cultivated varieties and (Near Isogenic Lines) NILs and they were screened for blast resistance both genotypically and phenotypically. Genetic diversity was studied among the genotypes and those which are diverse in blast resistance but had similar morphological and quality traits were selected as parents for breeding programme. Selected genotypes were crossed and advanced to further generations up to BC4F1 by marker assisted back crossing. Genetic variability and heritability parameters were assessed among these segregating generations for yield and resistance traits and their trend in each generation was analysed. The disease resistance traits showed high variability in segregating generations as the parents were selected based on the diversity in disease reaction and therefore gives scope for improvement through selection. High heritability coupled with low genetic advance was found in all characters in the segregating generations except single plant yield and panicle length.
Hydrogen Sulfide Regulates Homocysteine-Mediated Glomerulosclerosis

Background/Aims: In this study we tested the hypothesis that H2S regulates collagen deposition, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and inflammatory molecules during hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) resulting in attenuation of glomerulosclerosis and improved renal function. Materials and Methods: A genetic model of HHcy, cystathionine β-synthase heterozygous (CBS+/–) and wild-type (WT) 2-kidney (2K) mice were used in this study and supplemented with or without NaHS (30 µmol/l, H2S donor) in drinking water for 8 weeks. To expedite the renal damage associated with HHcy, uninephrectomized (1K) mice of similar groups were also used. Results: Results demonstrated that NAD(P)H oxidase (p47phoxsubunit) and blood pressure were upregulated in WT 1K, CBS+/– 2K and CBS+/– 1K mice with downregulation of H2S production and reduced glomerular filtration rate. These changes were normalized with H2S supplementation. Both pro- and active MMP-2 and -9 and collagen protein expressions and glomerular depositions were also upregulated in WT 1K, CBS+/– 2K and CBS+/– 1K mice. Increased expressions of inflammatory molecules, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, as well as increased macrophage infiltration, were detected in WT 1K, CBS+/– 2K and CBS+/– 1K mice. These changes were ameliorated with H2S supplementation. Conclusion: Together, these results suggest that increased oxidative stress and decreased H2S in HHcy causes matrix remodeling and inflammation resulting in glomerulosclerosis and reduced renal function.
SecDM: Securing Data Migration between Cloud Storage Systems

with the development of cloud computing, cloud security issues have recently gained traction in the research community. Although much of the efforts are focused on securing the operation system and virtual machine, or securing data storage inside a cloud system, this paper takes an alternative perspective to cloud security-the security of data migration between different clouds. First, we describe some threats when we are doing data migration. Second, we propose a security mechanism to deal with the security issues on data migration from one cloud to another. Third, we design a prototype to give the mechanism a brief implementation based on HDFS(Hadoop Distributed File System) and we do a series of tests to evaluate our prototype. Here, the solutions to securing data migration between clouds mainly involve in SSL negotiation, migration ticket design and block encryption in distributed file system and cluster parallel computing.
Reliability Analysis of Aircraft Servo-Actuation Systems Using Evidential Networks

Abstract Servo-actuation system is one of the key executing subsystems of the flight control system of an aircraft. With the development of fly-by-wire control systems, redundant servo-actuation systems have been extensively applied. A servo-actuation system has a long life and high reliability, which results in the lack of failure information. In the mean time, available data is insufficient and imprecise during its design stage. In this paper, evidential networks (EN) are used to handle imprecise probabilities. The formulae of marginal belief mass for series system, parallel system, series-parallel system and parallel-series system are represented respectively. The basic reliability model and the mission reliability model of a three-redundancy servo-actuation system in an aircraft flight control system are analyzed using EN approach, respectively. The EN manage and quantify the imprecision of the servo-actuation effectively, and propagate imprecision from the root nodes to the top nodes representing the system reliability.
Distributed Association and Relaying With Fairness in Millimeter Wave Networks

Millimeter wave (mmWave) systems are emerging as an essential technology for enabling extremely high data rate wireless communications. The main limiting factors of mmWave systems are blockage (high penetration loss) and deafness (misalignment between the beams of the transmitter and receiver). To alleviate these problems, it is imperative to incorporate efficient association and relaying between terminals and access points. Unfortunately, the existing association techniques are designed for the traditional interference-limited networks, and thus are highly suboptimal for mmWave communications due to narrow-beam operations and the resulting non-negligible interference-free behavior. This paper introduces a distributed approach that solves the joint association and relaying problem in mmWave networks considering the load balancing at access points. The problem is posed as a novel stochastic optimization problem, which is solved by distributed auction algorithms where the clients and relays act asynchronously to achieve optimal client-relay-access point association. It is shown that the algorithms provably converge to a solution that maximizes the aggregate logarithmic utility within a desired bound. Numerical results allow quantification of the performance enhancements introduced by the relays, and the substantial improvements of the network throughput and fairness among the clients by the proposed association method as compared to standard approaches. It is concluded that mmWave communications with proper association and relaying mechanisms can support extremely high data rates, connection reliability, and fairness among the clients.
Dopamine Modulates Excitability of Spiny Neurons in the Avian Basal Ganglia

The neural substrate of vocal learning in songbirds is an accessible system for studying motor learning and motor control in vertebrates. In the so-called song system, the anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), which is essential for song learning, resembles the mammalian basal ganglia–thalamocortical loop in its macroscopic organization, neuronal intrinsic properties, and microcircuitry. Area X, the first station in the AFP, and the surrounding lobus parolfactorius (LPO), are both parts of the avian basal ganglia. Like their mammalian counterparts, they receive dense dopaminergic innervation from the midbrain, but the physiological functions of this projection remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of dopamine (DA) on excitability of spiny neurons in area X and LPO. We recorded from neurons in brain slices of adult zebra finches and Bengalese finches, using whole-cell and perforated-patch recording techniques in current-clamp configuration. We found that DA modulates excitability in spiny neurons; activation of D1- and D2-like DA receptors enhances and reduces excitability, respectively. These effects are similar to those observed in the mammalian neostriatum, with the main difference being that D1-like DA receptor activation enhances excitability in avian spiny neurons at hyperpolarized states. Our findings also indicate that some spiny neurons express both receptor types and suggest that receptor colocalization in the entire population can account for the spectrum of DA actions. The diversity of DA actions enables the DA system to fine-tune the dynamics of the song system and allows flexible control over song learning and production.
Chapter 10 Behavioral and Experimental Economics as a Guidance to Anticorruption

This chapter argues that reciprocity provides a key to understanding corrupt behavior and its limitations. It allows for an understanding why agents not only are guided by explicit incentives but also serve those to whom they owe gratitude. It allows to observe how citizens disregard their narrow-minded interests and engage in altruistic punishment, potentially exercising negative reciprocity toward a corrupt leadership. It shows how reciprocity is at the center of criminal networks and how reform sometimes enhances rather than inhibits this dismal form of reciprocity. It finally reveals how humans are at risk of reciprocating toward their own self-image, which may inhibit them from impartially assessing their misdeeds. A thorough understanding of the power of reciprocity can inspire novel avenues for reform, some of which are presented here.