Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Folic acid and vitamin B-12 supplementation and common infections in 6 2 30-mo-old children in India : a randomized placebo-controlled trial 1 – 3

Background: Young children in lowand middle-income countries frequently have inadequate vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) status. Poor folate status is also common and is associated with increased diarrheal and respiratory morbidity. Objective: The objective was to measure the effect of folic acid and/or vitamin B-12 administration on the incidence of diarrhea and acute lower respiratory tract infections. Design: One thousand North Indian children (6230 mo of age) were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive 2 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance of folic acid and/or vitamin B-12 or placebo daily for 6 mo. Children were individually randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio in blocks of 16. Primary outcomes were the number of episodes of acute lower respiratory infections, diarrhea, and prolonged diarrhea. Results: Folic acid and vitamin B-12 supplementation significantly improved vitamin B-12 and folate status, respectively. Neither folic acid nor vitamin B-12 administration reduced the incidence of diarrhea or lower respiratory infections. In comparison with placebo, children treated with folic acid alone or in combination with vitamin B-12 had a significantly higher risk of persistent diarrhea (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.8). Conclusions: Folic acid or vitamin B-12 supplementation did not reduce the burden of common childhood infections. In view of the increased risk of diarrhea, the safety of folic acid supplements in young children should be further assessed. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT00717730 and at www.ctri. nic.in as CTRI/2010/091/001090. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;98:731–7.
To Review or Not to Review? Limited Strategic Thinking at the Movie Box Office

Film studios occasionally withhold movies from critics before their release. These cold openings provide a natural setting to apply laboratory-developed models of limited strategic thinking to the field. In a set of 1,303 widely released movies, cold opening is correlated with a 10-30 percent increase in domestic box-office revenue, and a pattern of fan disappointment, consistent with the hypothesis that some moviegoers do not infer low quality from cold opening. While selection and endogeneity may play a role in these regressions, the full pattern of results is consistent with level-k and cognitive hierarchy behavioral-game-theoretic models. (JEL D12, D82, L82, M37)
Analyzing the impact of modeling choices and assumptions in compartmental epidemiological models

Computational disease spread models can be broadly classified into differential equation-based models (EBMs) and agent-based models (ABMs). We examine these models in the context of illuminating their hidden assumptions and the impact these may have on the model outcomes. Drawing relevant conclusions about the usability of a model requires reliable information regarding its modeling strategy and its associated assumptions. Hence, we aim to provide clear guidelines on the development of these models and delineate important modeling choices that cause the differences between the model outputs. In this study, we present a quantitative analysis of how the choice of model trajectories and temporal resolution (continuous versus discrete-event models), coupling between agents (instantaneous versus delayed interactions), and progress of patients from one stage of the disease to the next affect the overall outcomes of modeling disease spread. Our study reveals that the magnitude and velocity of the simulated epidemic depends critically on the selection of modeling principles, various assumptions of disease process, and the choice of time advance. In order to inform public health officials and improve reproducibility, these initial decisions of modelers should be carefully considered and recorded when building and documenting an ABM.
A Stochastic Dilemma Zone Protection Algorithm Based on the Vehicles’ Trajectories

A common method of the dilemma zone (DZ) protection at intersections is to hold the green until the number of vehicles in DZ is lower than a threshold. Since the threshold is typically empirical and fixed, it cannot accommodate the dynamic and time-varying traffic patterns and therefore should be adjusted regularly. This article presents a new Markov-process-based DZ protection algorithm, which considers the number of vehicles in DZ (i.e., the state) over time to be a Markov process. At each time step, the algorithm first predicts the future states with the Markov state-transit matrix, then compares them with the current state to determine whether to end the green or not. In this way, the new end-green criterion is not the fixed threshold value but the current state and the prediction with the Markov state-transit matrix. Meanwhile, the Markov matrix is automatically updated whenever the new observed detected state transitions come in. The new algorithms were also evaluated in simulation and the simulation results showed that the new algorithm maintains reliable and effective protection in a dynamic traffic environment. At last, we find that the new algorithm performance can be further improved if the vehicle trajectories are precisely measured rather than estimated.
Adding Prediction Risk to the Theory of Reward Learning

Abstract: This article analyzes the simple Rescorla–Wagner learning rule from the vantage point of least squares learning theory. In particular, it suggests how measures of risk, such as prediction risk, can be used to adjust the learning constant in reinforcement learning. It argues that prediction risk is most effectively incorporated by scaling the prediction errors. This way, the learning rate needs adjusting only when the covariance between optimal predictions and past (scaled) prediction errors changes. Evidence is discussed that suggests that the dopaminergic system in the (human and nonhuman) primate brain encodes prediction risk, and that prediction errors are indeed scaled with prediction risk (adaptive encoding).
Genetic diversity in Jatropha curcas populations in the state of Chiapas, Mexico.

Jatropha curcas L. has become an important source of oil production for biodiesel fuel. Most genetic studies of this plant have been conducted with Asian and African accessions, where low diversity was encountered. There are no studies of this kind focusing in the postulated region of origin. Therefore, five populations of J. curcas were studied in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. One hundred and fifty-two useful markers were obtained: overall polymorphism = 81.18% and overall Nei’s genetic diversity (He) = 0.192. The most diverse population was the Border population [He: 0.245, Shanon’s information index (I): 0.378]. A cluster analysis revealed the highest dissimilarity coefficient (0.893) yet to be reported among accessions. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that the greatest variation is within populations (87.8%), followed by the variation among populations (7.88%). The PhiST value (0.121) indicated moderate differentiation between populations. However, a spatial AMOVA (SAMOVA) detected a stronger genetic structure of populations, with a PhiST value of 0.176. To understand the fine structure of populations, an analysis of data with Bayesian statistics was conducted with software Structure©. The number of genetic populations (K) was five, with mixed ancestry in most individuals (genetic migrants), except in the Soconusco, where there was a tiny fraction of fragments from other populations. In contrast, SAMOVA grouped populations in four units. To corroborate the above findings, we searched for possible genetic barriers, determining as the main barrier that separating the Border from the rest of the populations. The results are discussed based on the possible ancestry of populations.
Is early HIV testing of infants in poorly resourced prevention of mother to child transmission programmes unaffordable?

Objectives Paediatric HIV infection is predominantly vertically transmitted and 90% of the global burden is carried by Sub Saharan Africa. Diagnosis of HIV infection is important to ensure access to appropriate healthcare. Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programmes in low resource settings fail to identify HIV‐infected children because of high lost to follow‐up rates by 12 months of age when HIV testing is performed. The cost of diagnosing HIV infection earlier in infancy was measured.
The Politics of the Body and the Body Politic: Magic Johnson and the Ideology of AIDS

This paper analyzes the discourse surrounding AIDS and HIV in the light of Magic Johnson’s public announcement that he was HIV positive. In the context of the New Right backlash of the 1980s, the bodies of Johnson and others have been used to (re)produce specific, narrowly defined messages about the meaning of AIDS and the HIV virus. Commercial and professional sports interests have used this event to enter into a well-established discourse that reproduces and reinforces the dominant messages of homophobia and misogyny surrounding the syndrome.
triazolam in both young and old golden hamsters Feeding melatonin enhances the phase shifting response to

You might find this additional info useful.This article cites€44 articles, 17 of which you can access for free at: http://ajpregu.physiology. org/content/282/5/R1382.full#ref-list-1Updated information and services including high resolution figures, can be found at: http://ajpregu.physiology. org/content/282/5/R1382.fulland Comparative Physiology can be found at: Additional material and information about American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrativehttp://www.the-aps.org/publications/ajpreguThis information is current as of June 11, 2013.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.org Significant Differences between Ldl-cholesterol Levels Obtained by Friedewald Formula and a Direct Method

Estimation of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level in serum is considered to be the basis of classification and management of hypercholesterolemia. In most clinical laboratories, LDL-C is usually estimated indirectly with the Friedewald's equation or more accurately with direct methods. The lack of agreement between the two methods has been reported in several clinical laboratories using different methods. The present study is designed to compare LDL-cholesterol values obtained by Friedewald's formula and a direct method available in our laboratory (Dimension, RxL, SIEMENS). In the present study, we have found no significant differences between LDL-C obtained by Friedewald's formula (94.49 mg/dl ±28.81) and those determined by the direct method (93.98 mg/dl ±27.77) from samples with TG levels at <100 mg/dl (p>0.4) with correlation coefficient of 0.86. The LDL-C levels produced by Friedewald's formula were significantly lower than those obtained by the direct method when serum TG levels at 101-200 mg/dl (p <0.001) and 201-300 mg/dl (p <0.01) with correlation coefficient of 0.96 and 0.97 respectively. These differences are in agreement with those previously reported results in other laboratories. Therefore Friedewald's formula must be replaced by the direct method for better classification and management of hypercholesterolemia.
Controlling Assembly of Mixed Thiol Monolayers on Silver Nanoparticles to Tune Their Surface Properties

Modifying the surfaces of metal nanoparticles with self-assembled monolayers of functionalized thiols provides a simple and direct method to alter their surface properties. Mixed self-assembled monolayers can extend this approach since, in principle, the surfaces can be tuned by altering the proportion of each modifier that is adsorbed. However, this works best if the composition and microstructure of the monolayers can be controlled. Here, we have modified preprepared silver colloids with binary mixtures of thiols at varying concentrations and modifier ratios. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy was then used to determine the effect of altering these parameters on the composition of the resulting mixed monolayers. The data could be explained using a new model based on a modified competitive Langmuir approach. It was found that the composition of the mixed monolayer only reflected the ratio of modifiers in the feedstock when the total amount of modifier was sufficient for approximately one monolayer coverage. At higher modifier concentrations the thermodynamically favored modifier dominated, but working at near monolayer concentrations allowed the surface composition to be controlled by changing the ratios of modifiers. Finally, a positively charged porphyrin probe molecule was used to investigate the microstructure of the mixed monolayers, i.e., homogeneous versus domains. In this case the modifier domains were found to be <2 nm.
The Effects of Incentives on Workplace Performance: A Meta‐analytic Review of Research Studies 1

A meta-analytic review of all adequately designed field and laboratory research on the use of incentives to motivate performance is reported. Of approximately 600 studies, 45 qualified. The overall average effect of all incentive programs in all work settings and on all work tasks was a 22% gain in performance. Team-directed incentives had a markedly superior effect on performance compared to individually-directed incentives. This effect was not influenced by the location of the study (business, government, or school), the competitive structure of the incentive system (programs where only the highest performers get incentives versus programs where everyone who increased performance receives incentives), the type of study (whether the study was a laboratory experiment or a field study), or the performance outcome (quality, quantity, or both). In these studies, money was found to result in higher performance gains than non-monetary, tangible incentives (gifts, travel). More research is needed on the relative cost-benefit of cash and gift incentives, and the way different types of tangible incentives are selected. Long-term programs led to greater performance gains than shorter-term programs did, and somewhat greater performance gains were realized for manual than for cognitive work. Explanations based on cognitive psychological principles accompany each of the analyses.
FK506 can activate transforming growth factor-beta signalling in vascular smooth muscle cells and promote proliferation.

AIMS FK506-binding protein (FKBP) 12 is an inhibitor of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta type I receptors. Several lines of evidence support the view that TGF-beta stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and matrix accumulation. We investigated the effect of FK506, also known as tacrolimus, on cellular proliferation and on matrix protein production in human VSMCs. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured cell proliferation with flow cytometry using BrdU incorporation and fluorimetrically by measuring DNA concentration with Hoechst 33258. Western blot assay of whole-cell lysates was used to measure the levels of signalling proteins involved in proliferative pathways, in particular beta-catenin, pErk, pAkt, pmTOR, and cyclin D1. Collagen synthesis was also investigated by Western blotting. The TGF-beta signal was studied by both Western blotting and confocal microscopy. We used the SiRNA technique for FKBP12 gene silencing. Our results show that FK506 stimulates VSMC proliferation and collagen type I production. FK506 enhanced beta-catenin levels and activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin kinase, which are important effectors of proliferation. Accordingly, cyclin D1 expression was increased. We also demonstrate that FK506 activates the TGF-beta signal in VSMCs and that, through this mechanism, it stimulates cell proliferation. CONCLUSION FK506 can act as a growth factor for VSMCs.
Two Studies of Good Clinical Judgment

There is a continuing controversy about the quality of unaided clinical judgment. This paper reports two studies that show that experienced medical providers made accurate probability assessments and applied those assessments to patient care in a manner consistent with principles of optimal decision making. In the first study, experienced clinicians and physician assistants accurately judged the relative frequency of three cough-related diagnoses in an outpatient population, suggesting that their encounter with several "unrelated" diagnostic problems does not interfere with their ability to judge accurately the frequency of any single diagnostic problem. In the second study, a group of clinicians assessed the probability that each patient seen in an outpatient clinic had pneumonia. Physicians were more likely to assign a pneumonia diagnosis and to order a radiograph for patients with a greater assessed probability of pneumonia (p less than 0.05). Most of the physicians appeared to use cutoff probabilities or "thresholds" above which they acted as though the patient had the disease and below which they acted as though the patient did not have the disease, consistent with rational decision-making principles. However, the threshold probabilities being used were quite different from physician to physician, implying that the physicians managed the patient population in a nonuniform manner. Thus it may be desirable to supplement "good" clinical judgment with decision aids to ensure standardized medical care.
A solution for the mixture problem in agricultural remote sensing

A novel conceptual approach to address the mixture problem in agricultural remote sensing is presented in this study. The method, referred to as Signal Unmixing, combines both in situ and hyperspectral data in an adapted spectral mixture analysis algorithm and allows the extraction of pure and complete hyperspectral vegetation spectra (400–2400 nm) from mixed image pixels. The technique is evaluated using images generated from ray tracing simulations of a fully calibrated virtual orchard. Results show a proper extraction of pure vegetation spectra with a relative root mean square error < 0.075. As such, the undesired background effects in vegetation index calculations are reduced to a minimum, which in turn improved the monitoring of canopy water status and LAI.
Oscillatory neuronal dynamics associated with manual acupuncture: a magnetoencephalography study using beamforming analysis

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) enables non-invasive recording of neuronal activity, with reconstruction methods providing estimates of underlying brain source locations and oscillatory dynamics from externally recorded neuromagnetic fields. The aim of our study was to use MEG to determine the effect of manual acupuncture on neuronal oscillatory dynamics. A major problem in MEG investigations of manual acupuncture is the absence of onset times for each needle manipulation. Given that beamforming (spatial filtering) analysis is not dependent upon stimulus-driven responses being phase-locked to stimulus onset, we postulated that beamforming could reveal source locations and induced changes in neuronal activity during manual acupuncture. In a beamformer analysis, a two-minute period of manual acupuncture needle manipulation delivered to the ipsilateral right LI-4 (Hegu) acupoint was contrasted with a two-minute baseline period. We considered oscillatory power changes in the theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), and gamma (30–100 Hz) frequency bands. We found significant decreases in beta band power in the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex and superior frontal gyrus (SFG). In the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere, we found significant power decreases in beta and gamma frequency bands in only the SFG. No significant power modulations were found in theta and alpha bands. Our results indicate that beamforming is a useful analytical tool to reconstruct underlying neuronal activity associated with manual acupuncture. Our main finding was of beta power decreases in primary somatosensory cortex and SFG, which opens up a line of future investigation regarding whether this contributes toward an underlying mechanism of acupuncture.
Adoptive Transfer of Dendritic Cells Expressing Fas Ligand Modulates Intestinal Inflammation in a Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic relapsing inflammatory conditions of unknown cause and likely result from the loss of immunological tolerance, which leads to over-activation of the gut immune system. Gut macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for maintaining tolerance, but can also contribute to the inflammatory response in conditions such as IBD. Current therapies for IBD are limited by high costs and unwanted toxicities and side effects. The possibility of reducing intestinal inflammation with DCs genetically engineered to over-express the apoptosis-inducing FasL (FasL-DCs) has not yet been explored. Objective Investigate the immunomodulatory effect of administering FasL-DCs in the rat trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) model of acute colitis. Methods Expression of FasL on DCs isolated from the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) of normal and TNBS-colitis rats was determined by flow cytometry. Primary rat bone marrow DCs were transfected with rat FasL plasmid (FasL-DCs) or empty vector (EV-DCs). The effect of these DCs on T cell IFNγ secretion and apoptosis was determined by ELISPOT and flow cytometry for Annexin V, respectively. Rats received FasL-DCs or EV-DCs intraperitoneally 96 and 48 hours prior to colitis induction with TNBS. Colonic T cell and neutrophil infiltration was determined by immunohistochemistry for CD3 and myeloperoxidase activity assay, respectively. Macrophage number and phenotype was measured by double immunofluorescence for CD68 and inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase. Results MLN dendritic cells from normal rats expressed more FasL than those from colitic rats. Compared to EV-DCs, FasL-DCs reduced T cell IFNγ secretion and increased T cell apoptosis in vitro. Adoptive transfer of FasL-DCs decreased macroscopic and microscopic damage scores and reduced colonic T cells, neutrophils, and proinflammatory macrophages when compared to EV-DC adoptive transfer. Conclusion FasL-DCs are effective at treating colonic inflammation in this model of IBD and represent a possible new treatment for patients with IBD.
Two‐year drinking water carcinogenicity study of methyl tertiary‐butyl ether (MTBE) in Wistar rats

Methyl tertiary‐butyl ether (MTBE) has been used as a gasoline additive to reduce tailpipe emissions and its use has been discontinued. There remains a concern that drinking water sources have been contaminated with MTBE. A two‐year drinking water carcinogenicity study of MTBE was conducted in Wistar rats (males, 0, 0.5, 3, 7.5 mg ml−1; and females, 0, 0.5, 3, and 15 mg ml−1). Body weights were unaffected and water consumption was reduced in MTBE‐exposed males and females. Wet weights of male kidneys were increased at the end of two years of exposure to 7.5 mg ml−1 MTBE. Chronic progressive nephropathy was observed in males and females, was more severe in males, and was exacerbated in the high MTBE exposure groups. Brain was the only tissue with a statistically significant finding of neoplasms. One astrocytoma (1/50) was found in a female rat (15 mg ml−1). The incidence of brain astrocytomas in male rats was 1/50, 1/50, 1/50 and 4/50 for the 0, 0.5, 3 and 7.5 mg ml−1 exposure groups, respectively. This was a marginally significant statistical trend, but not statistically significant when pairwise comparisons were made or when multiple comparisons were taken into account. The incidence of astrocytoma fell within historical control ranges for Wistar rats, and the brain has not been identified as a target organ following chronic administration of MTBE, ethyl tert‐butyl ether, or tertiary butyl alcohol (in drinking water) to mice and rats. We conclude that the astrocytomas observed in this study are not associated with exposure to MTBE. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.