Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxicity Evaluation of New Engineered Nanomaterials in Zebrafish

The effect of the nanoparticles on the marine organisms, depends on their size, chemical composition, surface structure, solubility and shape. In order to take advantage from their activity, preserving the surrounding environment from a possible pollution, we are trying to trap the nanoparticles into new nanomaterials. The nanomaterials tested were synthesized proposing a ground-breaking approach by an upside-down vision of the Au/TiO2 nano-system to avoid the release of nanoparticles. The system was synthesized by wrapping Au nanoparticles with a thin layer of TiO2. The non-toxicity of the nano-system was established by testing the effect of the material on zebrafish larvae. Danio rerio o zebrafish was considered an excellent model for the environmental biomonitoring of aquatic environments and the Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity Test (ZFET) is considered an alternative method of animal test. For this reason zebrafish larvae were exposed to different concentrations of nanoparticles of TiO2 and Au and new nanomaterials. As biomarkers of exposure, we evaluated the expression of metallothioneins by immunohistochemistry analysis and western blotting analysis also. The results obtained by toxicity test showed that neither mortality as well as sublethal effects were induced by the different nanomaterials and nanoparticles tested. Only zebrafish larvae exposed to free Au nanoparticles showed a different response to anti-MT antibody. In fact, the immunolocalization analysis highlighted an increase of the metallothioneins synthesis.
Cellular Mechanisms of High Mobility Group 1 (HMGB-1) Protein Action in the Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the main microvascular complications of diabetes and remains one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Recent studies have revealed an important role of inflammatory and proangiogenic high mobility group 1 (HMGB-1) cytokine in diabetic retinopathy. To elucidate cellular mechanisms of HMGB-1 activity in the retina, we performed this study. The histological features of diabetic retinopathy include loss of blood-vessel pericytes and endothelial cells, as well as abnormal new blood vessel growth. To establish the role of HMGB-1 in vulnerability of endothelial cells and pericytes, cultures of these cells, or co-cultures with glial cells, were treated with HMGB-1 and assessed for survival after 24 hours. The expression levels of the cytokines, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecules in glial and endothelial cells were tested by quantitative RT-PCR to evaluate changes in these cells after HMGB-1 treatment. Animal models of neovascularization were also used to study the role of HMGB-1 in the retina. We report that pericyte death is mediated by HMGB-1-induced cytotoxic activity of glial cells, while HMGB-1 can directly mediate death of endothelial cells. We also found that HMGB-1 affects endothelial cell activity. However, we did not observe a difference in the levels of neovascularization between HMGB-1-treated eyes compared to the control eyes, nor in the levels of proangiogenic cytokine VEGF-A expression between glial cells treated with HMGB-1 and control cells. Our data also indicate that HMGB-1 is not involved in retinal neovascularization in the oxygen-induced retinopathy model. Thus, our data suggest that retinal pericyte and endothelial injury and death in diabetic retinopathy may be due to HMGB-1-induced cytotoxic activity of glial cells as well as the direct effect of HMGB-1 on endothelial cells. At the same time, our findings indicate that HMGB-1 plays an insignificant role in retinal and choroidal neovascularization.
Infeasible Start Semidefinite Programming Algorithms Via Self-Dual Embeddings

The development of algorithms for semide nite programming is an active research area, based on extensions of interior point methods for linear programming. As semide nite programming duality theory is weaker than that of linear programming, only partial information can be obtained in some cases of infeasibility, nonzero optimal duality gaps, etc. Infeasible start algorithms have been proposed which yield di erent kinds of information about the solution. In this paper a comprehensive treatment of a speci c initialization strategy is presented, namely self-dual embedding, where the original primal and dual problems are embedded in a larger problem with a known interior feasible starting point. A framework for infeasible start algorithms with the best obtainable complexity bound is thus presented. The information that can be obtained in case of infeasibility, unboundedness, etc., is stated clearly. Important unresolved issues are discussed. iii
The Theory of Economic Regulation

The potential uses of public resources and powers to improve the economic status of economic groups (such as industries and occupations) are analyzed to provide a scheme of the demand for regulation. The characteristics of the political process which allow relatively small groups to obtain such regulation is then sketched to provide elements of a theory of supply of regulation. A variety of empirical evidence and illustration is also presented.
Why Nonprofits Fail: Overcoming Founder's Syndrome, Fundphobia and Other Obstacles to Success

Preface.Acknowledgments. The Author.Part I: Charting a New Path to Success.1. Preventing Failure, Ensuring Success.2. The Need for Alternative Tools.3. The Framework and the Steps.4. First-Order and Second-Order Approaches to Change.Part II: Seven Tough Problems and How to Solve Them.5. Recruitment Disorientation.6. Cultural Depression in Nonprofit Organizations.7. Political Performance.8. Role Confusion.9. Financial Misfortune.10. Fundphobia.11. Founder's Syndrome.Conclusion: Managing Nonprofit Organizational Change.Resource A: A Review of Organizational Behavior Theories.Resource B: Recommended Reading.References. Index.
Antioxidant Activity in Two Pearl Millet (Pennisetum typhoideum) Cultivars as Influenced by Processing

Research on the effect of processing on the retention of bioactive components with potential antioxidant activity is gaining importance. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of various processing methods (milling, boiling, pressure cooking, roasting and germination respectively) on the antioxidant components as well as the antioxidant activities in the commonly used pearl millet cultivars—Kalukombu (K) and Maharashtra Rabi Bajra (MRB). The methanolic extracts of processed pearl millet flours were analyzed for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, reducing power assay (RPA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays respectively. The samples were also evaluated for tannin, phytic acid and flavonoid content which was then correlated with the antioxidant activity assayed using three methods. The results indicated that the bran rich fraction showed high antioxidant activity (RPA) owing to high tannin, phytic acid and flavonoid levels. Heat treatments exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher antioxidant activity (DPPH scavenging activity and RPA) reflecting the high flavonoid content. Processing did not have any significant effect on the FRAP activity of pearl millet. The data on the correlation coefficient suggests that DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power assay in the K variety was largely due to the presence of flavonoid content, however in MRB, no relationship was found between antioxidant activities and antioxidant components.
The q Theory of Investment with Many Capital Goods

The "q " theory of investment, which relates investment to the ratio of market to replacement value of capital, has attracted considerable attention in a recent series of papers. For instance, a q variable has been used as an independent variable in empirical investment equations estimated by George von Furstenberg (1977), von Furstenberg et al. (1980), Burton Malkiel et al. (1979), and others. These papers, however, leave somewhat unclear the theoretical rationale for using q as an investment determinant. This has motivated work by Hiroshi Yoshikawa (1980), Lawrence Summers (1981), Michael Salinger and Summers (1981), and Fumio Hayashi (1982), who show that under certain conditions the rate of investment of a sharevalue-maximizing firm is indeed a function of q. This is an important result because it shows that investment equations with q an independent variable are not ad hoc constructions. Rather, they are grounded in a theory of the firm with an appealing behavioral hypothesis, viz, value maximization. An important assumption underlying this research is that capital can be treated as a homogeneous good. Of course, this is an extremely common assumption in the analysis of investment, and is not particularly more bothersome in the q theory context than elsewhere. Nonetheless, there are certain situations where it may be desirable or even essential to be able to study investment disaggregated by type of capital good. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how the q theory can be extended to this more general case.1 Intuitively, one would expect some difficulty with the q theory in the many-capitalgood context, as already noted by James Tobin and William Brainard (1977, p. 243) and by Salinger and Summers (p. 12). One way to see why is to recall the Tobin-Brainard distinction between "marginal" and "average" q. As Hayashi writes,
In Search of the Natural Rate of Unemployment

The natural rate of unemployment can be measured as the time-varying steady state of a structural vector autoregression. For post-War U.S. data, the natural rate implied by this approach is more volatile than most previous estimates, with its movements accounting for the bulk of the variation in the unemployment rate, as well as substantial portions of the variation in aggregate output and inflation. These movements, in turn, can be related to variables associated with labor-market search theory, including unemployment benefits, labor productivity, real wages, and sectoral shifts in the labor market. There is also a strong negative relationship between inflation and the corresponding measure of cyclical unemployment, supporting the existence of a short-run Phillips Curve.
Identities, Genres, and Organizational Forms

I n recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis within organizational ecology on identity as a fundamental basis for the conceptualization and identiﬁcation of organizational forms. This paper highlights the beneﬁts of an identity-based conceptualization of organizational forms and outlines an identity-based agenda for organizational ecology. We begin by discussing fundamental properties of organizational identity, drawing extensively from the formal-theoretical conceptualization proposed by Pólos et al. (2002). We then build on this foundation by proposing a number of systematic ways in which forms can be speciﬁed and differentiated in terms of identity. We also address the challenge of measuring forms by discussing various approaches researchers may use to assess the beliefs contemporaneous audiences hold regarding organizational identities. This paper concludes with a discussion of research questions revolving around three issues core to an ecological approach to organizations: (1) the emergence of identities, (2) the persistence of identities, and (3) the strategic trade-offs among different types of identities.
Trauma- and Stressor Related Disorders in the Tuareg Refugees of a Camp in Burkina Faso

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is reported to be common among refugees. We set out to explore risk of Trauma- and Stress-or-Related Disorders and the associated burden of psychological distress in a refugee camp of Malian Refugees in Burkina Faso. Methods: One out of five persons living in the camp was selected randomly and interviewed using the French version of the Short Screening Scale for PTSD and the validated K6 scale to measure psychiatric morbidity. Results: Around 60% of the interviewed sample (N=408) met the criteria for Trauma- and Stress-or-Related Disorders and also reported severe mental distress on K6 scores. Women aged 40 and over were found to be at higher risk of Trauma- and Stress-or-Related Disorders whereas young people (39 or younger) scored higher on K6 ratings. Around 83% of the surveyed subjects had a family member killed in the war, 91% a relative in the war, more than 80% had a family member suffering from physical injuries, and 90% reported problems with food and housing. The frequency of these life events was not surprisingly higher in persons with Trauma- and Stress-or-Related Disorders, with the death of a family member and severe problems with food being specifically related to them.Conclusion: These results point to important psychological suffering in a population that is often ignored by the media and international political authorities. Immediate steps are required to provide urgent legal and humanitarian protection to those who are forced to flee their homes and cross international borders because of disasters.
Simultaneous Induction of CD4 T Cell Tolerance and CD8 T Cell Immunity by Semimature Dendritic Cells1

Previous studies suggested that depending on their maturation state, dendritic cells (DC) could either induce T cell tolerance (immature and semimature DC) or T cell activation (mature DC). Pretreatment of C57BL/6 mice with encephalitogenic myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35–55 peptide-loaded semimature DC protected from MOG-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis. This protection was mediated by IL-10-producing CD4 T cells specific for the self Ag. Here we show that semimature DC loaded with the MHC class II-restricted nonself peptide Ag (OVA) induce an identical regulatory T cell cytokine pattern. However, semimature DC loaded simultaneously with MHC class II- and MHC class I-restricted peptides, could efficiently initiate CD8 T cell responses leading to autoimmune diabetes in a TCR-transgenic adoptive transfer model. Double-peptide-loaded semimature DC also induced simultaneously in the same animal partially activated CD8 T cells with cytolytic function as well as protection from MOG-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Our study suggests that the decision between tolerance and immunity not only depends on the DC, but also on the type and activation requirements of the responding T cell.
Streptozocin Diabetes Elevates all Isoforms of TGF-β in the Rat Kidney

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a major promoter of diabetic nephropathy. While TGF-β1 is the most abundaft renal isoform, types 2 and 3 are present as well and have identical in vitro effects. Whole kidney extracts were studied 2 weeks after induction of streptozocin diabetes and in control rats. Mean glomerular area was 25% greater in the diabetic animals. TGF-β1 showed a 2-fold increase in message with a 3-fold increase in protein. TGF-β2 mRNA increased approximately 6% while its protein doubled. TGF-β-message increased by 25%, producing a 35% increase in its protein. TGF-β- inducible gene H3 mRNA was increased 35% in the diabetic animals, consistent with increased activity of this growth factor. All isoforms of TGF-β are increased in the diabetic rat kidney. Future studies need to address the specific role that each isoform plays in diabetic nephropathy as well as the impact of therapies on each isoform.
Outcomes of thoracoscopy versus thoracotomy for esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula repair

Background:A thoracoscopic approach for repair of esophageal atresia (EA) with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) has become a standard procedure in many pediatric surgical centers. However, whether thoracotomy or thoracoscopy offer advantages in terms of surgical outcomes is not known. Methods:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of thoracoscopic repair (TR) versus conventional open repair (COR) for EA with TEF.PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched to identify relevant literature until 2016.Studies comparing surgical outcomes of patients undergoing TR versus COR for EA with TEF were reviewed.The quality of each included study was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale score. A fixed or random-effect model was applied depending on heterogeneity tests. Results:Eight observational clinical studies involving 452 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of 2 major postoperative complications (leaks and strictures) did not show significant differences between TR and COR. Overall estimates of the odds ratio (OR) of TR versus COR for leaks and strictures were: 1.57 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77–3.20; P = 0.22) and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.27–2.97; P = 0.86), respectively. However, meta-analysis of operation time (OR = 19.59, 95% CI = 0.77–38.40, P = 0.04), timing of extubation (OR = −2.50, 95% CI = −3.39 to −1.62, P < 0.001), time to 1st oral feeding (OR = −2.58, 95% CI = −3.79 to −1.36, P < 0.001), and duration of hospital stay (OR = −10.76, 95% CI = −16.39 to −5.12, P < 0.001) showed significant differences.No randomized controlled trial was included, and most studies had small sample sizes and were based on retrospective analysis. Conclusion:TR and COR show a similar complication rates of leaks and strictures for EA/TEF repair. Although associated with a longer operative time, TR has the advantages of an earlier time to extubation and 1st oral feeding, and shorter hospital stay.
Preliminary Study on the Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Nekemte and Its Surroundings -Western Ethiopia

Epidemiological study for Tuberculosis (TB) has been conducted in developed and developing countries to accesses the burden of the disease in their countries. However, this study was lacking in Nekemte and its surroundings, western Ethiopia. Therefore, present study was designed for cross-sectional study to generate preliminary epidemiological information on TB in Nekemte and its surroundings, Western Ethiopia. Clinical examination, chest X-ray, acid-fast staining, culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used in the study. In addition, five years Nekemte Hospital and Nekemte Health center data were analyzed to assess the five years situation of TB, TB and HIV co-infection, and treatment outcome. The results of the study reveals that out of 30,945 TB cases registered from 2003-2008, 19,494 (63%) had pulmonary TB (PTB) and 11,451 (37%) suffered from extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) (÷2=81.936; p<0.001). From 19,494 registered PTB cases, smear positive PTB accounted for 2,462 (12.6%) of cases. The incidences of all forms of TB were gradually declining in the last five years, while the trend of smear positive TB was almost constant, according to retrospective analysis. The disease was also showed to be more prevalent in 15- 64 age groups (÷2 =288.035; p<0.001). In addition, around 11.5% of HIV positive patients were positive for TB. During two months study period, 520 new TB cases were registered. Out of these, 68 (13.1%) were smearing positive. The extrapolated annual incidence of clinically diagnosed and smear positive TB in the study area were 124.8/100,000 and 6.32/100,000 population, respectively. Out of 25 isolate analyses by PCR, 15 were M. tuberculosis (Mtb), 4 were mixed with Mtb and M. bovis (Mb), 2 were unknown band and five were negative. The retrospective and present study showed that the significance of TB problem in the study area was not at the level to be undermined
Molecular Epidemiological Survey of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Two Highly Endemic Metropolises of Iran, Application of FTA Cards for DNA Extraction From Giemsa-Stained Slides

Background: PCR has been used for confirmation of leishmaniasis in epidemiological studies, but complexity of DNA extraction and PCR approach has confined its routine use in developing countries. Objectives: In this study, recent epidemiological situation of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in two hyper-endemic metropolises of Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran was studied using DNA extraction by commercial FTA cards and kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA)-PCR amplification for detection/identification of Leishmania directly from stained skin scraping imprints. Patients and Methods: Fifty four and 30 samples were collected from clinically diagnosed CL patients referred to clinical laboratories of leishmaniasis control centers in Isfahan and Shiraz cities, respectively. The samples were examined by direct microscopy and then scrapings of the stained smears were applied to FTA cards and used directly as DNA source in a nested-PCR to amplify kDNA to detect and identify Leishmania species. Results: Fifty four of 84 (64.2%) slides obtained from patients had positive results microscopically, while 79/84 (94%) of slides had positive results by FTA card-nested-PCR. PCR and microscopy showed a sensitivity of 96.4% and 64.2% and specificity of 100% and 100%, respectively. Interestingly, Leishmania major as causative agent of zoonotic CL was identified in 100% and 90.7% of CL cases from Isfahan and Shiraz cities, respectively, but L. tropica was detected from only 9.3% of cases from Shiraz city. All cases from central regions of Shiraz were L. tropica and no CL case was found in Isfahan central areas. Conclusions: Filter paper-based DNA extraction can facilitate routine use of PCR for diagnosis of CL in research and diagnostic laboratories in Iran and countries with similar conditions. Epidemiologic changes including dominancy of L. major in suburbs of Shiraz and Isfahan metropolises where anthroponotic CL caused by L. tropica had been established, showed necessity of precise studies on CL epidemiology in old urban and newly added districts in the suburbs.
Measurements and Observations of IP Multicast Traffic

In this report, we present measurements of IP multicast traffic taken at the University of California at Berkeley. We note that the volume and distribution of IP multicast traffic is highly variable, and can depend on a small number of active conversations. From examining many-way multimedia conferences, we note the need for some kind of conference control, either provided by the application or the users. We see that IP multicast conferencing traffic can exhibit characteristics very different from that of conventional wide-area data traffic. Finally, we show that scope control (controlling the extent of the propagation of data through the network) must be addressed by the network, because users have been seen to mismanage the scopes of their own transmissions.
Time Series Properties of the Renewable Energy Diffusion Process: Implications for Energy Policy Design and Assessment

Confronted by increasingly tight budgets and a broad range of alternative options, policy makers need empirical methods to evaluate the effectiveness of policies aimed at supporting the diffusion of renewable energy sources (RES). Rigorous empirical studies of renewable energy policy effectiveness have typically relied on panel data models to identify the most effective mechanisms. A common characteristic of some of these studies, which has important econometric implications, is that they assume that the contribution of RES to total electricity generation will be stationary around a mean. This paper reviews such assumptions and rigorously tests the time series properties of the contribution of RES in the energy mix for the presence of a unit root. To that end, we use both individual and panel unit root tests to determine whether the series exhibit non-stationary behavior at the country level as well as for the panel as a whole. The analysis, applied to a panel of 19 OECD countries over the period 1990–2012, provides strong evidence that the time series of the renewable share of electricity output are not stationary in 17 of the 19 countries examined. This finding has important implications for energy policy assessment and energy policy making, which are discussed in the paper.