Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Rectal Aberrant Crypt Foci by Standard Chromoscopy and its Predictive Value for Colonic Advanced Neoplasms

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are thought to be preneoplastic lesions and are assessed by magnifying chromoscopy with methylene blue staining. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of rectal ACF recognized by conventional chromoscopy for colonic advanced neoplasms.METHODS:Total colonoscopy, involving rectal chromoscopy using indigo carmine with standard colonoscopies, was performed on 386 patients. Patients who showed no ACF were classified as Grade 0, and those who had 1–4, 5–9, and 10+ ACF were classified as Grades 1, 2, or 3, respectively. The correlation between ACF grading and the prevalence of colonic advanced neoplasm, any adenoma ≥1 cm in size and/or with villous or tubulovillous morphology, and/or with high-grade dysplasia or invasive cancer, was assessed.RESULTS:Sixty-three patients were classified as ACF Grade 0, 119 as Grade 1, 116 as Grade 2, and 88 as Grade 3. Colonic advanced neoplasm was observed in 4 patients (6.3%) for Grade 0, 43 (36.1%) for Grade 1, 61 (52.6%) for Grade 2, and 57 (64.8%) for Grade 3. As the ACF grade increased, the chance of a patient having a colonic advanced neoplasm increased. For multivariate analyses, compared with patients with Grade 0, those with Grades 1, 2, or 3 had a greater risk of colonic advanced neoplasm (odds ratio [OR] 9.18, 95% CI 3.08–27.33, OR 20.44, 95% CI 6.81–61.42, and OR 32.94, 95% CI 10.49–103.41, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:Chromoscopic assessment of rectal ACF by conventional techniques is useful for predicting colonic advanced neoplasms.
The Vaccinia Virus I3L Gene Product Is Localized to a Complex Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Structure That Contains the Viral Parental DNA

ABSTRACT The vaccinia virus (VV) I3L gene product is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein made early in infection that localizes to the cytoplasmic sites of viral DNA replication (S. C. Rochester and P. Traktman, J. Virol. 72:2917-2926, 1998). Surprisingly, when replication was blocked, the protein localized to distinct cytoplasmic spots (A. Domi and G. Beaud, J. Gen. Virol. 81:1231-1235, 2000). Here these I3L-positive spots were characterized in more detail. By using an anti-I3L peptide antibody we confirmed that the protein localized to the cytoplasmic sites of viral DNA replication by both immunofluorescence and electron microscopy (EM). Before replication had started or when replication was inhibited with hydroxyurea or cytosine arabinoside, I3L localized to distinct cytoplasmic punctate structures of homogenous size. We show that these structures are not incoming cores or cytoplasmic sites of VV early mRNA accumulation. Instead, morphological and quantitative data indicate that they are specialized sites where the parental DNA accumulates after its release from incoming viral cores. By EM, these sites appeared as complex, electron-dense structures that were intimately associated with the cellular endoplasmic reticulum (ER). By double labeling of cryosections we show that they contain DNA and a viral early protein, the gene product of E8R. Since E8R is a membrane protein that is able to bind to DNA, the localization of this protein to the I3L puncta suggests that they are composed of membranes. The results are discussed in relation to our previous data showing that the process of viral DNA replication also occurs in close association with the ER.
Role of Disulfide Bridges in the Activity and Stability of a Cold-Active α-Amylase

ABSTRACT The cold-adapted α-amylase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis unfolds reversibly and cooperatively according to a two-state mechanism at 30°C and unfolds reversibly and sequentially with two transitions at temperatures below 12°C. To examine the role of the four disulfide bridges in activity and conformational stability of the enzyme, the eight cysteine residues were reduced with β-mercaptoethanol or chemically modified using iodoacetamide or iodoacetic acid. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that all of the cysteines were modified. The iodoacetamide-modified enzyme reversibly folded/unfolded and retained approximately one-third of its activity. Removal of all disulfide bonds resulted in stabilization of the least stable region of the enzyme (including the active site), with a concomitant decrease in activity (increase in activation enthalpy). Disulfide bond removal had a greater impact on enzyme activity than on stability (particularly the active-site region). The functional role of the disulfide bridges appears to be to prevent the active site from developing ionic interactions. Overall, the study demonstrated that none of the four disulfide bonds are important in stabilizing the native structure of enzyme, and instead, they appear to promote a localized destabilization to preserve activity.
Increased Mortality Associated with Well-Water Arsenic Exposure in Inner Mongolia, China

We conducted a retrospective mortality study in an Inner Mongolian village exposed to well water contaminated by arsenic since the 1980s. Deaths occurring between January 1, 1997 and December 1, 2004 were classified according to underlying cause and water samples from household wells were tested for total arsenic. Heart disease mortality was associated with arsenic exposure, and the association strengthened with time exposed to the water source. Cancer mortality and all-cause mortality were associated with well-water arsenic exposure among those exposed 10–20 years. This is the first study to document increased arsenic-associated mortality in the Bayingnormen region of Inner Mongolia.
The Pink Triangle and Political Consciousness: Gays, Lesbians, and the Memory of Nazi Persecution

When, in the winter of 1993, the gay magazine 10 Percent criti? cized the use ofthe pink triangle as an emblem of gay identity, it touched a nerve.1 "As a symbol of shared victimization, it is indefensible," wrote Sara Hart, a senior editor ofthe magazine. "To equate the discrimination and harassment ofthe present with the savagery inflicted upon the lesbians and gay men ofthe Holocaust trivializes their suffering. "2 Readers disagreed, however, and the letters in the following two issues underscored the relevance of the pink triangle to the gay and lesbian community. One reader stated, "You editorialize about how the wearing of this symbol 'trivializes' the suffering of concentration camp victims. Are the deaths of tens of thousands of people (as a result ofthe Reagan administration's inaction on AIDS) trivial? "3 Another argued that the pink triangle raised the political consciousness of gays and lesbians and "compels us to take action against homophobic trends, such as current attempts to pass antigay initiatives throughout the country. "4 A third reader, even though she deplored the
Image construction versus empirical evaluations: automobile safety

The present study expands upon earlier work examining advertising as it relates to the construction of safety-related images in the automobile industry. Comparisons are made between automaker portrayal of vehicle safety in magazine advertising and their real-world safety-related performances. Such an analysis enables suggestions regarding, whether or not, the extent to which particular automakers demonstrate a misleading concern for safety and potentially produce false advertisements that violate the standards of law. In this sense, misleading claims related to automobile safety could be considered corporate deviance, particularly in relation to false advertising practices. This paper examines safety and vehicle marketing, a noted gap in recent literature, by looking at three magazine publications over the course of five years and comparing the marketing strategies and assessing the extent to which automaker crash test evaluations correspond with their socially constructed, safety-based image. Our findings suggest that automakers are largely accurate in their advertising practices with regard to promoting and supporting safety claims.
Live Visualization of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Compartment Dynamics

ABSTRACT We have constructed a recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) that simultaneously encodes selected structural proteins from all three virion compartments—capsid, tegument, and envelope—fused with autofluorescent proteins. This triple-fluorescent recombinant, rHSV-RYC, was replication competent, albeit with delayed kinetics, incorporated the fusion proteins into all three virion compartments, and was comparable to wild-type HSV-1 at the ultrastructural level. The VP26 capsid fusion protein (monomeric red fluorescent protein [mRFP]-VP26) was first observed throughout the nucleus and later accumulated in viral replication compartments. In the course of infection, mRFP-VP26 formed small foci in the periphery of the replication compartments that expanded and coalesced over time into much larger foci. The envelope glycoprotein H (gH) fusion protein (enhanced yellow fluorescent protein [EYFP]-gH) was first observed accumulating in a vesicular pattern in the cytoplasm and was then incorporated primarily into the nuclear membrane. The VP16 tegument fusion protein (VP16-enhanced cyan fluorescent protein [ECFP]) was first observed in a diffuse nuclear pattern and then accumulated in viral replication compartments. In addition, it also formed small foci in the periphery of the replication compartments which, however, did not colocalize with the small mRFP-VP26 foci. Later, VP16-ECFP was redistributed out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm, where it accumulated in vesicular foci and in perinuclear clusters reminiscent of the Golgi apparatus. Late in infection, mRFP-VP26, EYFP-gH, and VP16-ECFP were found colocalizing in dots at the plasma membrane, possibly representing mature progeny virus. In summary, this study provides new insights into the dynamics of compartmentalization and interaction among capsid, tegument, and envelope proteins. Similar strategies can also be applied to assess other dynamic events in the virus life cycle, such as entry and trafficking.
Current Strategies in the Evaluation and Management of Cocaine-Induced Chest Pain

With each successive year, the number of Emergency Department (ED) visits related to illicit drug abuse has progressively increased. Cocaine is the most common illegal drug to cause a visit to the ED. Cocaine use results in a variety of pathophysiological changes with regards to the cardiovascular system, such as constriction of coronary vessels, dysfunction of vascular endothelium, decreased aortic elasticity, hemodynamic disruptions, a hypercoagulable state, and direct toxicity to myocardial and vascular tissue. The clinical course of patients with cocaine-induced chest pain (CCP) is often challenging, and electrocardiographic findings can be potentially misleading in terms of diagnosing a myocardial infarction. In addition, there is no current satisfactory study regarding outcomes of use of various pharmacological drug therapies to manage CCP. At present, calcium-channel blockers and nitroglycerin are two pharmacological agents that are advocated as first-line drugs for CCP management, although the role of labetalol has been controversial and warrants further investigation. We performed an extensive search of available literature through a large number of scholarly articles previously published and listed on Index Medicus. In this review, we put forward a concise summary of the current approach to a patient presenting to the ED with CCP and management of the clinical scenario. The purpose of this review is to summarize the understanding of cocaine’s cardiovascular pathophysiology and to examine the current approach for proper evaluation and management of CCP.
High performance human resource practices and organizational performance: The mediating role of occupational safety and health

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of occupational safety and health (OSH) on the relationship between high performance human resource practices (HPHRP) and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected data from 227 human resource management professionals in Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China and used exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression for data analysis.Findings – The results supported the construct validity of the preliminary measure of HPHRP with the inclusion of a measure on OSH. The mediating role of perceived safety climate in the relationship of HPHRP and organizational performance was also confirmed.Research limitations/implications – This research highlights the importance of OSH on HPHRP in Hong Kong organizations. Results explored that HPHRP positively influences organizational performance through the mediator of perceived safety climate.Originality/value – This paper adds value by improving the understan.
Molecular Characteristics of ERCC1-Negative versus ERCC1-Positive Tumors in Resected NSCLC

Purpose: Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a protein involved in repair of DNA platinum adducts and stalled DNA replication forks. We and others have previously shown the influence of ERCC1 expression upon survival rates and benefit of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with resected non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of ERCC1-positive and ERCC1-negative tumors. Experimental Design: We took advantage of a cohort of 91 patients with resected NSCLC, for which we had matched frozen and paraffin-embedded samples to explore the comparative molecular portraits of ERCC1-positive and ERCC1-negative tumors of NSCLC. We carried out a global molecular analysis including assessment of ERCC1 expression levels by using both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR), genomic instability, global gene and miRNA expression, and sequencing of selected key genes involved in lung carcinogenesis. Results: ERCC1 protein and mRNA expression were significantly correlated. However, we observed several cases with clear discrepancies. We noted that ERCC1-negative tumors had a higher rate of genomic abnormalities versus ERCC1-positive tumors. ERCC1-positive tumors seemed to share a common DNA damage response (DDR) phenotype with the overexpression of seven genes linked to DDR. The miRNA expression analysis identified miR-375 as significantly underexpressed in ERCC1-positive tumors. Conclusions: Our data show inconsistencies in ERCC1 expression between IHC and qRT-PCR readouts. Furthermore, ERCC1 status is not linked to specific mutational patterns or frequencies. Finally, ERCC1-negative tumors have a high rate of genomic aberrations that could consequently influence prognosis in patients with resected NSCLC. Clin Cancer Res; 17(17); 5562–72. ©2011 AACR.
Transposition médiatique et catastrophisme spectaculaire :Conceptions des lycéens et des enseignants tunisiens du tsunami

La relation necessaire entre la transposition didactique et la transposition mediatique souleve plusieurs problemes sur l’acquisition des connaissances par l’apprenant vu la specificite de chacun des deux champs. Dans cet article, nous traitions cette interference media-savoir a travers l’exemple du « Tsunami », survenu fin 2004 en Asie, qui a ete largement mediatise et a fait l’objet de plusieurs discours. Dans ce contexte de mediatisation du savoir, nous nous interrogeons sur l’operationnalite du savoir enseigne aux eleves dans une situation nouvelle. Comment des lyceens et des enseignants tunisiens expliquent-ils cet evenement? Les apprenants mobilisent-ils une explication qui renvoie au catastrophisme spectaculaire sur l’origine duquel nous nous interrogeons. Telles sont les questions auxquelles nous apportons quelques reponses, en analysant un questionnaire administre a la population interrogee.
Preclinical alterations of oral epithelial cells in contact with orthodontic appliances.

AIM This study evaluated the behavior of oral epithelial cells in contact with orthodontic appliances. METHODS Oral epithelial cells of clinically normal buccal mucosa were obtained by liquid-based exfoliative cytology from 22 orthodontic patients. The following regions were evaluated: a) oral mucosa exposed to friction from orthodontic brackets; b) oral mucosa exposed to friction from the tube on the orthodontic band, and c) oral mucosa not exposed to friction (control area). Nuclear (NA) and cytoplasmic (CA) areas and NA/CA ratio were assessed by an image analysis system. Cell morphology and cellularity were also analyzed by Papanicolaou technique. RESULTS The NA of the cells in contact with orthodontic brackets and bands were smaller than the control area. Cells in contact with the brackets showed the greatest reduction in CA in comparison with the cells subjected to friction from the tube, and the control group. Smears classified as type I predominated in all regions analyzed, although type II were predominant, together with superficial epithelial cells, mainly in the oral mucosa in contact with the band tube. CONCLUSION Preclinical alterations in the epithelial cells of oral mucosa, caused by orthodontic appliances, are reduction in NA, increase in cell keratinization and inflammatory features, especially in the band tube area.
Analisis efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan di kecamatan Delanggu kabupaten Klaten

Kelompok tani sebagai kelembagaan petani berfungsi sebagai kelas belajar-mengajar, wahana kerjasama, dan unit produksi. Dengan mengetahui pentingnya fungsi kelompok tani maka kelompok tani hamparan sebagai salah kelembagaan tani perlu diberdayakan agar kelompok tani hamparan menjadi mandiri, tangguh, dan dapat menjalin mitra usaha dengan pihak lain serta adanya keefektifan dalam kelompok tani hamparan. Dari uraian diatas mengenai fungsi kelompok tani, Peneliti tertarik untuk mengetahui dan mengkaji kelompok tani hamparan yang ditinjau dari segi efektivitas terutama pada faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mengkaji faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan, tingkat efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan, dan hubungan antara faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi efektivitas kelompok tani dengan efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan di Kecamatan Delanggu Kabupaten Klaten. Metode dasar penelitian adalah metode deskriptif dengan teknik survei. Penentuan lokasi penelitian secara purposive atau sengaja yaitu di wilayah Kecamatan Delanggu dengan pertimbangan Kecamatan Delanggu merupakan penghasil jenis beras bermutu dengan trademark yang dikenal “Beras Delanggu”. Pada tahun 2004 Kecamatan Delanggu merupakan daerah dengan produktivitas padi sawah tertinggi (59,61 kwintal per hektar). Di samping itu memiliki kelompok tani hamparan dengan kelas pemula dan kelas lanjut terbanyak dibandingkan dengan kecamatan lainnya di Kabupaten Klaten. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah 48 kelompok tani hamparan, sedangkan metode pengambilan sampel kelompok dengan stratified proportioned random sampling. Tingkat efektivitas kelompok tani beserta faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya di analisis dengan rumus interval, hubungan antar variabel penelitian dianalisis dengan koefisien korelasi rank Spearman, dan tingkat signifikansi diuji dengan uji distribusi t - student pada tingkat kepercayaan 95%. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kepemimpinan kelompok tani dan tingkat karya Penyuluh pertanian lapang termasuk dalam kategori tinggi. Sedangkan kehomogenan, waktu pertemuan, fungsi tugas kelompok tani dan tingkat penguasaan materi penyuluhan oleh Penyuluh prtanian lapang termasuk dalam kategori sedang. Tingkat efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan termasuk dalam kategori sedang. Dimana produktivitas kelompok tani termasuk dalam kategori sedang, kepuasan anggota kelompok tani termasuk dalam kategori sedang, dan semangat kelompok tani termasuk dalam kategori tinggi. Hubungan antar variabel penelitian berdasarkan nilai koefisien korelasi rank Spearman pada tingkat kepercayaan 95% adalah kepemimpinan, waktu pertemuan, fungsi tugas kelompok tani dan tingkat karya Penyuluh pertanian lapangan memiliki hubungan signifikan dengan efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan. Sedangkan kehomogenan kelompok tani, dan tingkat penguasaan materi penyuluhan oleh Penyuluh pertanian lapangan memiliki hubungan tidak signifikan dengan efektivitas kelompok tani hamparan.
Detection and classification of malicious JavaScript via attack behavior modelling

Existing malicious JavaScript (JS) detection tools and commercial anti-virus tools mostly use feature-based or signature-based approaches to detect JS malware. These tools are weak in resistance to obfuscation and JS malware variants, not mentioning about providing detailed information of attack behaviors. Such limitations root in the incapability of capturing attack behaviors in these approches. In this paper, we propose to use Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA) to abstract and summarize common behaviors of malicious JS of the same attack type. We propose an automatic behavior learning framework, named JS*, to learn DFAs from dynamic execution traces of JS malware, where we implement an effective online teacher by combining data dependency analysis, defense rules and trace replay mechanism. We evaluate JS* using real world data of 10000 benign and 276 malicious JS samples to cover 8 most-infectious attack types. The results demonstrate the scalability and effectiveness of our approach in the malware detection and classification, compared with commercial anti-virus tools. We also show how to use our DFAs to detect variants and new attacks.
Flipping 419 Cybercrime Scams: Targeting the Weak and the Vulnerable

Most of cyberscam-related studies focus on threats perpetrated against the Western society, with a particular attention to the USA and Europe. Regrettably, no research has been done on scams targeting African countries, especially Nigeria, where the notorious and (in)famous 419 advanced-fee scam, targeted towards other countries, originated. How- ever, as we know, cybercrime is a global problem affecting all parties. In this study, we investigate a form of advance fee fraud scam unique to Nigeria and targeted at Nigerians, but unknown to the Western world. For the study, we rely substantially on almost two years worth of data harvested from an on-line discussion forum used by criminals. We complement this dataset with recent data from three other active forums to consolidate and generalize the research. We apply machine learning to the data to understand the criminals' modus operandi. We show that the criminals exploit the socio-political and economic problems prevalent in the country to craft various fraud schemes to defraud vulnerable groups such as secondary school students and unemployed graduates. The result of our research can help potential victims and policy makers to develop measures to counter the activities of these criminal groups.