Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Latent Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on Growth and Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease in Late Adolescence: Design and Methods

Prenatal cocaine exposure has been linked to neurocognitive and developmental outcomes throughout childhood. The cardiovascular toxicity of cocaine is also markedly increased in pregnancy, but it is unknown whether this toxicity affects anthropometric growth and the development of cardiometabolic disease risk factors in the offspring across the lifespan. During the early 1990s, the Miami Prenatal Cocaine Study enrolled a cohort of 476 African American children (253 cocaine-exposed, 223 non-cocaine-exposed) and their biological mothers at delivery in a prospective, longitudinal study. The MPCS has collected 12 prior waves of multidomain data on over 400 infants and their mothers/alternate caregivers through mid-adolescence and is now embarking on an additional wave of data collection at ages 18-19 years. We describe here the analytical methods for examining the relationship between prenatal cocaine exposure, anthropometric growth, and cardiometabolic disease risk factors in late adolescence in this minority, urban cohort. Findings from this investigation should inform both the fields of substance use and cardiovascular research about subsequent risks of cocaine ingestion during pregnancy in offspring.
American Journal of Epidemiology Original Contribution Determinants of the Incidence of Childhood Asthma: a Two-stage Case-control Study

Extensive literature exists on potential risk factors for childhood asthma. To the authors' knowledge, no investigators have yet attempted to disentangle the effects of those determinants within a single study setting. The authors aimed to evaluate the independent effects of 47 potential determinants (from the prenatal, perinatal, and childhood periods) of asthma development in children within the first 10 years of life. From a Canadian birth cohort of 26,265 children (1990–2002), a 2-stage case-control study was conducted. In the first stage, 20 controls per case were selected from 3 administrative databases. In the second stage, selected mothers were mailed questionnaires for assessment of additional determinants. Increased risks of childhood asthma were found for 1 previous diagnosis of bronchopulmonary disease and atopic dermatitis in the child, oxygen administration after birth, prescription of antibiotics within the first 6 months of life, male gender, asthma during pregnancy, use of antibiotics during pregnancy, maternal receipt of social aid, paternal asthma, and asthma in siblings. Protective effects included use of intranasal corticosteroids during pregnancy, having a wood-burning fireplace, having pets in the home prior to the index date, breastfeeding, and day-care attendance. This study allowed the authors to identify, within a single setting, the most influential determinants of childhood asthma among 47 predictors assessed for the prenatal, perinatal, and childhood periods. Donné es pour l'E ´ tude de la Clientè le Hospitaliè re; RAMQ, Ré gie de l'assurance-maladie du Qué bec. The prevalence of childhood asthma has been increasing over the last few decades, as has its related burden (1, 2). In addition to the personal and social impacts of childhood asthma, increases in emergency-room visits, hospitalizations , and missed school days due to asthma exacerbations in children have emphasized the need to understand the development of childhood asthma and identify its key determinants , especially modifiable ones (3, 4). The presence of asthma and atopy in the family, most importantly maternal history of asthma, is one of the many risk factors reported in the literature (5, 6). Furthermore, the timing of exposure is also of interest, as there is evidence that some of the atopic response of the child could be primed in utero and influenced after birth (6–8). However, while the literature on potential determinants of childhood asthma is extensive, results obtained are sometimes mitigated and/or could still be confounded, since most investigators have been providing risk estimates adjusted only for subsets of …
Chemical coupling of thiolated chitosan to preformed liposomes improves mucoadhesive properties

Aim To develop mucoadhesive liposomes by anchoring the polymer chitosan-thioglycolic acid (chitosan-TGA) to the liposomal surface to target intestinal mucosal membranes. Methods Liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and a maleimide-functionalized lipid were incubated with chitosan-TGA, leading to the formation of a thioether bond between free SH-groups of the polymer and maleimide groups of the liposome. Uncoated and newly generated thiomer-coated liposomes were characterized according to their size, zeta potential, and morphology using photon correlation spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The release behavior of calcitonin and the fluorophore/quencher-couple ANTS/DPX (8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid/p-xylene-bis- pyridinium bromide) from coated and uncoated liposomes, was investigated over 24 hours in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. To test the mucoadhesive properties of thiomer-coated and uncoated liposomes in-vitro, we used freshly excised porcine small intestine. Results Liposomes showed a concentration-dependent increase in size – from approximately 167 nm for uncoated liposomes to 439 nm for the highest thiomer concentration used in this study. Likewise, their zeta potentials gradually increased from about −38 mV to +20 mV, clearly indicating an effective coupling of chitosan-TGA to the surface of liposomes. As a result of mucoadhesion tests, we found an almost two-fold increase in the mucoadhesion of coupled liposomes relative to uncoupled ones. With fluorescence microscopy, we saw a tight adherence of coated particles to the intestinal mucus. Conclusion Taken together, our current results indicate that thiomer-coated liposomes possess a high potential to be used as an oral drug-delivery system.
Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology Open Access Hyperprolactinemia after Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling: an Unknown Phenomenon

Background: The effects of ovarian drilling on the serum levels of gonadotropins and androgens have been studied previously. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of ovarian drilling on the serum prolactin levels and its relation to ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Impaired health-related quality of life in preschoolers with obesity.

OBJECTIVES To examine whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for treatment-seeking preschoolers with obesity (N = 60) differed from preschoolers in a nonclinical comparison sample (N = 457). METHODS Parents in both samples completed the parent-proxy form of the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL). Between-group comparisons were conducted to examine differences for all scales and summary scores of the PedsQL. RESULTS Parent proxy-reported HRQOL was significantly lower for treatment-seeking preschoolers with obesity for all scales and summary scores except school functioning. Differences on the total scale score met the criterion for being a clinically important difference. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests treatment-seeking families perceive worse HRQOL for children with obesity as early as the preschool years. Discussion of HRQOL may be a more effective strategy for health care professionals in broaching the topic of weight with parents and identifying families who may be more receptive to weight management suggestions for preschoolers.
ERICCA and RIPHeart: two nails in the coffin for cardioprotection by remote ischemic conditioning? Probably not!

Brief episodes of ischaemia/reperfusion in peripheral organs or limbs render the heart and other parenchymal organs more resistant to subsequent injury by more prolonged periods of ischaemia and reperfusion.1 Such remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) has not only been demonstrated in experimental animals, but is also operative in humans. In proof-of-concept studies, RIC reduced infarct size in patients undergoing elective interventional2 or surgical coronary revascularization,3–5 as evidenced by reduced cardiac biomarker (creatine kinase, troponin I or T) release, and this effect translated into improved short-term5 and long-term4,6 clinical outcomes which were, however, analysed only as secondary endpoints from studies with reduced infarct size as primary endpoint. Also in patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction, RIC before interventional reperfusion still reduced infarct size, as evidenced by SPECT imaging,7 or improved salvage, as evidenced by MRI,8 and this protection again translated into improved short-term8 and long-term clinical outcome,9 again analysed as secondary endpoints only. Recently, it was shown that in patients with acute myocardial infarction infarct size was reduced when RIC was combined with thrombolysis.10 However, not all studies on RIC in humans have been positive, and the discrepancies have been largely attributed to confounding variables,11 such as co-morbidities or concomitant medications or, in case of surgery, anaesthetics12 which interfere with the protection by RIC. While infarct size is a most important determinant of remodelling, progression to heart failure, and ultimate prognosis,13 studies on RIC sufficiently powered for …
Diabetes and Thyroid Cancer Risk: Literature Review

Diabetic patients have a higher risk of various types of cancer. However, whether diabetes may increase the risk of thyroid cancer has not been extensively studied. This paper reviews and summarizes the current literature studying the relationship between diabetes mellitus and thyroid cancer, and the possible mechanisms linking such an association. Epidemiologic studies showed significant or nonsignificant increases in thyroid cancer risk in diabetic women and nonsignificant increase or no change in thyroid cancer risk in diabetic men. A recent pooled analysis, including 5 prospective studies from the USA, showed that the summary hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for women was 1.19 (0.84–1.69) and was 0.96 (0.65–1.42) for men. Therefore, the results are controversial and the association between diabetes and thyroid cancer is probably weak. Further studies are necessary to confirm their relationship. Proposed mechanisms for such a possible link between diabetes and thyroid cancer include elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, insulin, glucose and triglycerides, insulin resistance, obesity, vitamin D deficiency, and antidiabetic medications such as insulin or sulfonylureas.
First impressions: emotional and cognitive factors underlying judgments of trust e-commerce

Different communication media create different shopping experiences, e.g., the phone vs. the web. In this study, we examined the early formation of trust and the likelihood that a shopper will return to a website for subsequent purchases. Consumers were asked to select a blender as a gift for someone they knew using one of four types of user interfaces: (1) a standard web interface with no audio or real time interpersonal communication, (2) a web interface with text and audio descriptions of the products, (3) a web interface augmented with Instant Messaging and the ability of a sales agent to push web pages to the customer's web browser, and (4) a TV-based application that allowed a salesperson to talk to the customer while pushing catalog items to the customer's TV. Results indicate that real-time interactivity, but not voice, increased judgments of friendliness and of the trustworthiness of the salesperson. In this paper we discuss these and other results, and their implications for e-commerce.
Systematic Surveillance Detects Multiple Silent Introductions and Household Transmission of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 in the East of England

Background. The spread of USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) across the United States resulted in an epidemic of infections. In Europe, only sporadic cases or small clusters of USA300 infections are described, and its prevalence in England is unknown. We conducted prospective surveillance for USA300 in the east of England. Methods. We undertook a 12-month prospective observational cohort study of all individuals with MRSA isolated from community and hospital samples submitted to a microbiology laboratory. At least 1 MRSA isolate from each individual underwent whole-genome sequencing. USA300 was identified on the basis of sequence analysis, and phylogenetic comparisons were made between these and USA300 genomes from the United States. Results. Between April 2012 and April 2013, we sequenced 2283 MRSA isolates (detected during carriage screening and in clinical samples) from 1465 individuals. USA300 was isolated from 24 cases (1.6%). Ten cases (42%) had skin and soft tissue infection, and 2 cases had invasive disease. Phylogenetic analyses identified multiple introductions and household transmission of USA300. Conclusions. Use of a diagnostic laboratory as a sentinel for surveillance has identified repeated introductions of USA300 in eastern England in 2012–2013, with evidence for limited transmission. Our results show how systematic surveillance could provide an early warning of strain emergence and dissemination.
Monte Carlo techniques for direct lighting calculations

In a distributed ray tracer, the sampling strategy is the crucial part of the direct lighting calculation. Monte Carlo integration with importance sampling is used to carry out this calculation. Importance sampling involves the design of integrand-specific probability density functions that are used to generate sample points for the numerical quadrature. Probability density functions are presented that aid in the direct lighting calculation from luminaires of various simple shapes. A method for defining a probability density function over a set of luminaires is presented that allows the direct lighting calculation to be carried out with a number of sample points that is independent of the number of luminaires.
ErbB4-Neuregulin Signaling Modulates Synapse Development and Dendritic Arborization through Distinct Mechanisms*

Perturbations in neuregulin-1 (NRG1)/ErbB4 function have been associated with schizophrenia. Affected patients exhibit altered levels of these proteins and display hypofunction of glutamatergic synapses as well as altered neuronal circuitry. However, the role of NRG1/ErbB4 in regulating synapse maturation and neuronal process formation has not been extensively examined. Here we demonstrate that ErbB4 is expressed in inhibitory interneurons at both excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic sites. Overexpression of ErbB4 postsynaptically enhances size but not number of presynaptic inputs. Conversely, knockdown of ErbB4 using shRNA decreases the size of presynaptic inputs, demonstrating a specific role for endogenous ErbB4 in synapse maturation. Using ErbB4 mutant constructs, we demonstrate that ErbB4-mediated synapse maturation requires its extracellular domain, whereas its tyrosine kinase activity is dispensable for this process. We also demonstrate that depletion of ErbB4 decreases the number of primary neurites and that stimulation of ErbB4 using a soluble form of NRG1 results in exuberant dendritic arborization through activation of the tyrosine kinase domain of ErbB4 and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway. These findings demonstrate that NRG1/ErbB4 signaling differentially regulates synapse maturation and dendritic morphology via two distinct mechanisms involving trans-synaptic signaling and tyrosine kinase activity, respectively.
Architecture and climate

claims that the film is a digital dystopia which is not unlike the arguments over the film’s ideological message. In addition, the film’s technological achievement constitutes yet another layer in the problem of reading the film. Basu Thakur further states that the emergence of digital technology (the CGI images used by Cameron and celebrated by critics) itself bears the mark of ‘the Western imperial project’. For him, digital images are problematic if they subordinate existing, older images to the digital regime and transform reality into a malleable whole unconstrained by historicity. Basu Thakur ends his book with two most telling examples from the land of the ‘óther’‘Sishu’, a short story by Mahasweta Devi, a Bengali writer of considerable repute. Incidentally, Mahasweta Devi’s short story, ‘Draupadi’ has also been úsed by Spivak while deconstructing Postcolonial Theory. The other example he uses is that of Michael Haneke’s film, Cache (The Intimate Enemy) which was released in 2005. Basu Thakur argues that both films differ from Avatar because they violently disrupt the production of meaning, subjectivity and audience satisfaction. For Basu Thakur, both these texts are truly postcolonial in their content since they discuss such issues as race, multiculturalism, hegemony and representational politics which include attention to otherness otherwise unregistered in mainstream films and literary criticism. These texts also help illustrate, challenge and negotiate the history of Colonialism and its diverse outcomes. Instead of simply being a critique of Colonialism, the book draws us into a discussion of neo-colonialism, issues of representation, subject formation and subalternity. Adopting a fresh perspective as well as inviting a sharp critical stance, the book is a pleasurable and excellent read.
Valuing a Global Environmental Good: U.S. Residents' Willingness to Pay to Protect Tropical Rain Forests

Although contingent valuation (CV) is the most common technique for valuing nonmarket environmental resources, rarely has it been applied to global environmental goods. This study uses CV in a national survey to assess the value U.S. residents place on tropical rain forest protection. On average, respondents were willing to make a onetime payment of approximately $21-31 per household to protect an additional 5 percent of tropical forests. Although respondents were able to give consistent responses across two different CV formats, focus groups were unwilling or unable to allocate their aggregate rainforest valuations across or among regions or specific rain forests.
Intestinal Bacteria Composition and Translocation of Bacteria in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background Live commensal intestinal bacteria are present in the peripheral blood where they can induce inflammation. Objective To evaluate the intestinal bacteria composition and translocation of bacteria in IBD. Methods Both blood and tissue biopsy samples were collected from adult patients with active/inactive Crohn’s disease (CD), active/inactive ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy individuals. Most of the patients were newly diagnosed and none of them received antibiotics. Using a reverse transcription–quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) method, we determined the composition of microbiota. NOD2/CARD15 genotyping was also studied. Results Total bacterial DNA concentration was increased in tissue and blood samples of IBD patients compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, the active IBD cases had higher total bacterial DNA concentration levels compared to the inactive cases. Three species characterized dysbiosis in IBD, namely an increase of Bacteroides spp in active and inactive IBD samples, and a decrease in Clostridium leptum group (IV), and Faecalibacterium prausnitzi in both active and inactive IBD patients. No significant association between bacterial translocation and NOD2/CARD15 mutations was found. Conclusions The composition of the microbiota in IBD patients differs from that of healthy controls. The high rate of bacterial DNA in the blood samples indicates translocation in inflammatory bowel disease.
MECS-VINE®: A New Proximal Sensor for Segmented Mapping of Vigor and Yield Parameters on Vineyard Rows

Ground-based proximal sensing of vineyard features is gaining interest due to its ability to serve in even quite small plots with the advantage of being conducted concurrently with normal vineyard practices (i.e., spraying, pruning or soil tilling) with no dependence upon weather conditions, external services or law-imposed limitations. The purpose of the present work was to test performance of the new terrestrial multi-sensor MECS-VINE® in terms of reliability and degree of correlation with several canopy growth and yield parameters in the grapevine. MECS-VINE®, once conveniently positioned in front of the tractor, can provide simultaneous assessment of growth features and microclimate of specific canopy sections of the two adjacent row sides. MECS-VINE® integrates a series of microclimate sensors (air relative humidity, air and surface temperature) with two (left and right) matrix-based optical RGB imaging sensors and a related algorithm, termed Canoyct). MECS-VINE® was run five times along the season in a mature cv. Barbera vineyard and a Canopy Index (CI, pure number varying from 0 to 1000), calculated through its built-in algorithm, validated vs. canopy structure parameters (i.e., leaf layer number, fractions of canopy gaps and interior leaves) derived from point quadrat analysis. Results showed that CI was highly correlated vs. any canopy parameter at any date, although the closest relationships were found for CI vs. fraction of canopy gaps (R2 = 0.97) and leaf layer number (R2 = 0.97) for data pooled over 24 test vines. While correlations against canopy light interception and total lateral leaf area were still unsatisfactory, a good correlation was found vs. cluster and berry weight (R2 = 0.76 and 0.71, respectively) suggesting a good potential also for yield estimates. Besides the quite satisfactory calibration provided, main improvements of MECS-VINE® usage versus other current equipment are: (i) MECS-VINE® delivers a segmented evaluation of the canopy up to 15 different sectors, therefore allowing to differentiate canopy structure and density at specific and crucial canopy segments (i.e., basal part where clusters are located) and (ii) the sensor is optimized to work at any time of the day with any weather condition without the need of any supplemental lighting system.
Research on Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ and Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Physical Education Identities: A Systematic Review

The purposes of this project were to conduct an overall review of research on preservice physical education (PE) teacher (referred to preservice PE teachers as preservice specialist) and/or preservice elementary teacher (referred to preservice elementary teachers as preservice generalist) PE identities and to identify any new trends in research on the topic. Studies were selected for analysis through searches of databases in English without time limits. In total, 27 articles were identified including 14 data-based studies. The majority of the selected studies (85.7%) employed qualitative methods. Research on the topic was not dominated by any single country. The focus of previous research was centered on determinants of preservice specialists’ PE identity construction such as PE coursework and student teaching. Information about the development and measurement of PE identity among preservice specialists and generalists is still sparse. More research on examining the complexity, nurturing, and reshaping of.