Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The next 200 years : a scenario for America and the world

In this work the authors, with assistance of the staff of the Hudson Institute, confront the issue of the second half of the twentieth century; whether technological and economic growth tends to destroy mankind or to improve the prospects for peace and prosperity. The population explosion, coupled with economic growth, could prove catastrophic within a century, or so say the prophets of doom; therefore, economic growth must be severely limited. Mr. Kahn and his associates do not agree. Not only will the world's population increase at a slower rate, but the world can afford prosperity. Studies undertaken at the Hudson Institute suggest that economic growth will continue well into the next century, reaching an eventual worldwide plateau characterized by affluence and a universally high standard of living. Asserting that America and the world are at the turning point in history, Mr. Kahn and his associates present important facts, assumptions, analyses, and conclusions of these studies in each of the major current problem area--population, energy, mineral resources, food, and environment. From these analyses they evolve an affirmative strategy for the future. Their vision of the passage through a super-industrial period to a post-industrial era of abundance and fulfillment is sure tomore » be as controversial as the doomsday view it refutes. « less
Contact transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation for refractory glaucoma.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of contact transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation on intraocular pressure (IOP), vision, number of medications, and complications in a heterogenous population of patients with refractory glaucoma. METHODS Clinical data for all patients undergoing contact transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation for refractory glaucoma at the Medical College of Georgia between November 1994 and November 1996 were reviewed. Forty-seven eyes of forty-seven patients followed for at least one month were included. Visual acuity, IOP, number of medications, and complications were noted for follow-up periods as long as 24 months. RESULTS At final follow-up examination (range 1-24 months, median 9 months), the average decrease in IOP was 21+/-16 mmHg. Thirty-one (66%) patients had final IOP between 7 and 21 mmHg. Medications were decreased by an average of 1.1. Twenty-six (62%) of 42 patients with vision before surgery had stable or improved visual acuity at the final follow-up visit; 16 (38%) had a deterioration in visual acuity. Neovascular glaucoma was associated with a posttreatment IOP less than 7 mmHg. CONCLUSION Contact transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation is effective in lowering IOP in eyes with refractory glaucoma. It also serves to reduce the number of medications required for appropriate IOP control. Loss of visual acuity remains an important concern. Acute complications tend to be transient. Further study is needed to identify patients at risk for markedly reduced IOP after this procedure and for modulation of the protocol to decrease such risk.
Mechanisms of tumor vascular shutdown induced by 5,6‐dimethylxanthenone‐4‐acetic acid (DMXAA): Increased tumor vascular permeability

The novel vascular targeting agent 5,6‐dimethylxanthenone‐4‐acetic acid (DMXAA) has completed phase 1 clinical trial and has shown tumor antivascular activity in both mice and humans. We have investigated its ability to change tumor vascular permeability, relating it to tumor vascular perfusion and other responses. The murine colon 38 adenocarcinoma was grown in C57Bl wild‐type mice and mice lacking expression of either tumor necrosis factor receptor‐1 (TNFR1−/−) or TNF (TNF−/−). Tumor vascular permeability, as measured by extravasation of albumin‐Evans Blue complexes 4 hr after DMXAA treatment, was significantly increased in tumor tissue in C57Bl, TNFR1−/− and TNF−/− mice but not in normal (skin) tissue. Significant linear relationships were found between increased tumor vascular permeability, decreased functioning tumor blood vessels (measured by Hoechst 33342 staining at 4 hr), increased plasma 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid concentrations (as a measure of serotonin release by platelets) and the degree of induced tumor hemorrhagic necrosis. The results support the hypothesis that DMXAA increases tumor vascular permeability both directly and through the induction of other vasoactive mediators, including TNF. DMXAA might be useful clinically to potentiate the vascular permeability of other anticancer modalities such as cytotoxic drugs, antibodies, drug conjugates and gene therapy. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trends in incidence of esophageal and gastric cardia cancer in high-risk areas in China

Incidence rates have risen for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, whereas rates have remained stable for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in many western countries. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze trends in incidence rates for esophageal cancer and gastric cardia cancer in Cixian county, which is one of the high-risk areas for esophageal cancer in China as well as in the world. The data were obtained from the Cixian Cancer Registry, which is a population-based registry. All the data were checked and analyzed using SPSS 11.5. Between the years 1988 and 2003 there were 11 183 cases of esophageal cancer in the county. The age-standardized incidence rate was 168.55 per 100 000. In 1988, the age-standardized incidence rate for male patients was 250.76/100 000; it declined to 160.05/100 000 in 2003, representing a decrease of 36.2%. The age-standardized incidence rate for female patients was 153.86/100 000 in 1988; it declined to 82.55/100 000 in 2003, showing a decrease of 46.3%. A slight decreasing trend was observed during the period, with a yearly decrease of 3.61% in male patients and 3.39% in female patients. For gastric cardia cancer, there were 1654 cases from 1988 to 2003. The age-standardized incidence rate was 25.58 per 100 000. The age-standardized incidence rate for male patients was 13.75/100 000 in 1988; it increased to 28.55/100 000 in 2003, with a yearly increase of 7.65%. The age-standardized incidence rate for female patients was 7.12/100 000 in 1988; it increased to 12.91/100 000, with a yearly increase of 5.44%. A statistically significant increasing trend of gastric cardia cancer was observed during the study period. Cixian county is a geographical region with a very high incidence of esophageal cancer and cardia cancer. The trend in the incidence rates of esophageal cancer had decreased slightly; on the other hand, gastric cardia cancer showed a significantly increased trend in the last 16 years. Detailed epidemiological analyses of demographic trends and risk factors will help to guide future cancer control strategies.
Effect of Cog Threads under Rat Skin

Background The aging face loses the tensile strength of structural integrity. Cog threads have been used recently to tighten lax skin and soft tissue. Objective A comparative study of the effects of cog, monofilament, and multifilament threads under rat skin. Methods Each cog, monofilament, and multifilament thread was inserted under the facial skin of a cadaver and the panniculus carnosus of rat dorsal skin. The maximum holding strength (MHS) of the thread and the tearing strength of the skin around the thread were measured with a tensiometer. The thickness of the capsule around the thread and the myofibroblasts was observed histologically. Results In the cadaver, the MHS of the cog thread was 190.7 ± 65.6 g. It was greater than that of the monofilament (22.4 ± 7.7 g) or multifilament (40.4 ± 19.7 g) thread. In the rat, the MHS of the cog thread was 95.1 ± 18.8 g. It was greater than that of the monofilament (4.3 ± 1.3 g) or multifilament (10.9 ± 2.1 g) thread in the second week. The thickness of the capsule around the cog thread was 93.0 ± 3.2 μm. It was thicker than the monofilament thread's capsule, 39.2 ± 12.1 μm, in the fourth week. The number of myofibroblasts presented significantly more in the cog (96.0 ± 72.4) than in the monofilament thread (4.3 ± 4.4). The rumpled in-between skin suspended by each of the three different threads returned to its original state in 2 weeks. Conclusion The cog thread placed under the rat skin immediately pulled the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The myofibroblasts around the thread played a role in fibrous tissue contracture 4 weeks postinsertion of the thread. These findings could be the basis for clinical application.
A Data-Driven Method for Energy Consumption Prediction and Energy-Efficient Routing of Electric Vehicles in Real-World Conditions

Limited driving range remains one of the barriers for widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). To address the problem of range anxiety, this paper presents an energy consumption prediction method for EVs, designed for energy-efficient routing. This data-driven methodology combines real-world measured driving data with geographical and weather data to predict the consumption over any given road in a road network. The driving data are linked to the road network using geographic information system software that allows to separate trips into segments with similar road characteristics. The energy consumption over road segments is estimated using a multiple linear regression (MLR) model that links the energy consumption with microscopic driving parameters (such as speed and acceleration) and external parameters (such as temperature). A neural network (NN) is used to predict the unknown microscopic driving parameters over a segment prior to departure, given the road segment characteristics and weather conditions. The complete proposed model predicts the energy consumption with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 12–14% of the average trip consumption, of which 7–9% is caused by the energy consumption estimation of the MLR model. This method allows for prediction of energy consumption over any route in the road network prior to departure, and enables cost-optimization algorithms to calculate energy efficient routes. The data-driven approach has the advantage that the model can easily be updated over time with changing conditions.
The role of natural killer T cells in lung inflammation

Invariant NK T cells (iNKT) bridge the innate and adaptive immune response, being characterized by the ability to use invariant T cell receptors to recognize glycolipid antigens presented by CD1d, leading to an explosive cytokine effector response. As such it has been proposed that iNKT cells perform important roles as both effector and regulatory cells in a wide range of disease settings. These roles have been characterized in experiments depending on the use of iNKT‐null mice, due to lack of either CD1d expression or Jα18 and the use of CD1d tetramers loaded with the model glycolipid antigen, α‐galactosylceramide (αGalCer). Several studies have examined lung disease, infectious and allergic, in humans and mice. While the lung itself does not carry an exceptionally large population of iNKT cells (compared with, say, the liver), it does appear to be a site at which these cells can exert a profound effect. Several models of bacterial, fungal and viral murine lung infection have been investigated that have sometimes produced conflicting results. Abrogation of iNKT cell function in knockouts is often associated with disease exacerbation, indicating a regulatory role in lung infection. Studies in murine asthma models and in patients have similarly probed the role of iNKT cells in these settings. While there are again somewhat contradictory findings, evidence suggests a likely role for iNKT cells in mediating airway hyper‐responsiveness (AHR), but probably not in Th2 polarization or lung eosinophilia. In marginally different models, administration of αGalCer has either ameliorated or exacerbated AHR. Different studies of BAL from human asthma patients show variously that there is either a very enlarged population of iNKT cells in the asthmatic lung, or that there is no significant difference from controls. Taken together, there are some observations that argue compellingly for an important role of iNKT cells in the lung, but resolution of some of the contradictory findings may await the development of reagents capable of providing alternative readouts of iNKT activation in these diverse disease settings. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Per se performance of anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Linden Ex André) cultivars for yield and quality under Shevaroys condition eastern ghat.

A study was conducted to evaluate the twenty nine anthurium cultivars at Horticultural Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Yercaud between June 2008 and 2010 for quantitative and qualitative characters. Significant differences were observed for all the characters. In respect to the plant height cultivar Ria Bamboo Red recorded the highest plant height (73.90 cm) and Flamingo Blush Pink produced the maximum number of leaves per plant (11) and cv. Gino Orange (3.50) recorded minimum number of leaves per plant . Cultivars Lima White (4.21 no.) and Peach (3.60 no.) recorded maximum number of suckers. Linda De mole had the maximum plant spread (73.20 cm) and minimum was recorded in cv. Red KLP (32 cm). The highest leaf length was produced in Liver Red (40.84 cm) and maximum breadth (21.60 cm). In respect, to stalk length cultivar Hawaiin Red recorded the highest stalk length (64.90 cm) and Merignue Red (30.40 cm) recorded the lowest stalk length. Temptation recorded the highest spathe length (18.10 cm),spathe width (15.00 cm), spadix length of (11.5 cm) and the highest numbers of spikes per plant (9 no.). Honduras (24 d) recorded maximum vase life in water and vase life of flower on plant (23.68 d). In correlation and path co-efficients the characters viz., plant height, plant spread, leaf length, leaf breadth, stalk length, spathe length, spathe width, spadix length emerged out as important component. It could be concluded from the present investigation that out of twenty nine cultivars evaluated the Temptation, Honduras, Peach Ria Bamboo Red and Verdun Red were found to be the best cultivars with superior in qualities for cut flower production under Shevaroy condition of eastern ghat.
Post-Meal Responses of Elongation Factor 2 (eEF2) and Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) to Leucine and Carbohydrate Supplements for Regulating Protein Synthesis Duration and Energy Homeostasis in Rat Skeletal Muscle

Previous research demonstrates that the anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) to a meal is regulated at the level of translation initiation with signals derived from leucine (Leu) and insulin to activate mTORC1 signaling. Recent evidence suggests that the duration of the meal response is limited by energy status of the cell and inhibition of translation elongation factor 2 (eEF2). This study evaluates the potential to extend the anabolic meal response with post-meal supplements of Leu or carbohydrates. Adult (~256 g) male Sprague-Dawley rats were food deprived for 12 h, then either euthanized before a standard meal (time 0) or at 90 or 180 min post-meal. At 135 min post-meal, rats received one of five oral supplements: 270 mg leucine (Leu270), 80:40:40 mg leucine, isoleucine, and valine (Leu80), 2.63 g carbohydrates (CHO2.6), 1 g carbohydrates (CHO1.0), or water (Sham control). Following the standard meal, MPS increased at 90 min then declined to pre-meal baseline at 180 min. Rats administered Leu270, Leu80, CHO2.6, or CHO1.0 maintained elevated rates of MPS at 180 min, while Sham controls declined from peak values. Leu80 and CHO1.0 treatments maintained MPS, but with values intermediate between Sham controls and Leu270 and CHO2.6 supplements. Consistent with MPS findings, the supplements maintained elongation activity and cellular energy status by preventing increases in AMP/ATP and phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acetyl-CoA carboxylase ACC and eEF2. The impact of the supplements on MPS and cellular energy status was in proportion to the energy content within the individual treatments (i.e., Leu270 > Leu80; CHO2.6 > CHO1.0), but the Leu supplements produced a disproportionate anabolic stimulation of MPS, eEF2 and energy status with significantly lower energy content. In summary, the incongruity between MPS and translation initiation at 180 min reflects a block in translation elongation due to reduced cellular energy, and the extent to which Leu or carbohydrate supplements are able to enhance energy status and prolong the period of muscle anabolism are dose and time-dependent.
Surface deformation studies of Tenerife Island, Spain from joint GPS-DInSAR observations

This work presents results for the three-dimensional displacement field at Tenerife Island calculated from campaign GPS and ascending and descending ENVISAT DInSAR interferograms. The goal of this work is to provide an example of the flexibility of the technique by fusing together new varieties of geodetic data, and to observe surface deformations and study precursors of potential activity in volcanic regions. Interferometric processing of ENVISAT data was performed with GAMMA software. All possible combinations were used to create interferograms and then stacking was used to increase signal-to-noise ratio. Decorrelated areas were widely observed, particularly for interferograms with large perpendicular baseline and large time span. Tropospheric signal was also observed which significantly complicated the interpretation. Subsidence signal was observed in the NW part of the island and around Mount Teide and agreed in some regions with campaign GPS data. It is expected that the technique will provide better results when more high quality DInSAR and GPS data is available.
p120 catenin is required for morphogenetic movements involved in the formation of the eyes and the craniofacial skeleton in Xenopus

During Xenopus development, p120 transcripts are enriched in highly morphogenetic tissues. We addressed the developmental function of p120 by knockdown experiments and by expressing E-cadherin mutants unable to bind p120. This resulted in defective eye formation and provoked malformations in the craniofacial cartilage structures, derivatives of the cranial neural crest cells. Closer inspection showed that p120 depletion impaired evagination of the optic vesicles and migration of cranial neural crest cells from the neural tube into the branchial arches. These morphogenetic processes were also affected by p120-uncoupled cadherins or E-cadherin containing a deletion of the juxtamembrane domain. Irrespective of the manipulation that caused the malformations, coexpression of dominant-negative forms of either Rac1 or LIM kinase rescued the phenotypes. Wild-type RhoA and constitutively active Rho kinase caused partial rescue. Our results indicate that, in contrast to invertebrates, p120 is an essential factor for vertebrate development and an adequate balance between cadherin activity and cytoskeletal condition is critical for correct morphogenetic movements.
The status of hospital medicine groups in the United States.

BACKGROUND Hospitalists, defined as hospital-based physicians who take responsibility for managing the medical needs of inpatients, represent a significant trend in physician specialization. However, only limited anecdotal data quantifying the status of hospital medicine groups around the country is available. OBJECTIVE To better understand the extent and nature of the hospitalist movement, utilizing data from the 2003 Annual Survey of the American Hospital Association (AHA). STUDY POPULATION 4895 acute care hospitals in the United States. MEASUREMENTS Number and percentage of hospitals with hospital medicine groups; mean number of hospitalists per group; hospitalists per average daily census (ADC) of 100 patients; distribution of groups by employment model. DESCRIPTIVE VARIABLES: Census region; rural/urban status; number of beds; organizational control; teaching status. RESULTS There are approximately 1415 hospital medicine groups and 11,159 hospitalists in the United States. The overall penetration of hospital medicine groups at hospitals is 29% (55% at hospitals with 200 or more beds), and the in-hospital impact at hospitals with hospital medicine groups is 3.93 hospitalists per 100 ADC. The average hospital medicine group has 7.9 hospitalists. There is a fairly equal distribution among the 3 major employment models for hospital medicine groups: hospital employees, independent provider groups, and physician groups. All these measures can vary substantially, depending on the characteristics of individual hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Hospital medicine appears to have become part of the mainstream delivery of health care in the United States. No employment model of hospital medicine group appears to dominate this specialty. We expect there will continue to be growth and diversity in the implementation of hospital medicine groups.
The Effectiveness of Whole-School Antibullying Programs: A Synthesis of Evaluation Research

Abstract Bullying is a serious problem in schools, and school authorities need effective solutions to resolve this problem. There is growing interest in the whole-school approach to bullying. Whole-school programs have multiple components that operate simultaneously at different levels in the school community. This article synthesizes the existing evaluation research on whole-school programs to determine the overall effectiveness of this approach. The majority of programs evaluated to date have yielded nonsignificant outcomes on measures of self-reported victimization and bullying, and only a small number have yielded positive outcomes. On the whole, programs in which implementation was systematically monitored tended to be more effective than programs without any monitoring.
A New Method of Locating the Optic Canal Based on Structures in Sella Region: Computed Tomography Study

BackgroundThe location of optic canal and the intracranial segment of optic nerve is difficult because of the high possibility of the deficiency of optic protuberance as well as its complex relationship to sphenoid and ethmoidal sinus. A new method of locating the optic canal and a comprehensive analysis of it and the structures around is of great importance. PurposeOur study aimed to provide a new method to locate the optic canal and analyze the relationship between optic canal and other structures in the sella region, which can be a guidance for endoscopic sinus surgery such as the optic nerve decompression and transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary adenoma and reduced complications caused by the injury of optic nerve. MethodsComputed tomography images of 120 sphenoid sinuses in adults were reviewed, and multiplanar reconstruction was used to make it possible to make the measurement in coronal, sagittal, and axial plane at the same time. The positional relationship between optic canal and the stationary structures in sella region was analyzed. ResultsThe horizontal distance between the lowest point of sella bottom (SB) and sulcus prechiasmaticus in the sagittal plane was 8.08 (SD, 0.79) mm. The distance between the medial wall of optic canal and the midline of SB were 7.01 (SD, 1.43) mm in plane 1, 7.78 (SD, 0.86) mm in plane 2, 11.08 (SD, 0.82) mm in plane 3, and 13.81 (SD, 0.66) mm in plane 4; the angles between line BO and line BC were 87.99 (SD, 5.04) degrees in plane 1, 87.71 (SD, 4.98) degrees in plane 2, 82.54 (SD, 5.78) degrees in plane 3, and 82.57 (SD, 6.99) degrees in plane 4. As for the relationship between optic canal and the sphenoid sinus, there were 2.08% of sphenoid sinus of type A, 19.17% of type B, 45.00% of type C, 17.50% of type D, and 16.25% of type E. ConclusionsOptic canal can be located by the structures or markers in sella region such as the midline of SB, the lowest point of SB, the midpoint in the top edge of sphenoid sinus, and tubercular recess. The analysis of the relationship between optic canal and the sphenoid sinus as well as the data measured in our study is helpful to make an accurate location of the optic canal when the bony landmarks of optic canal are not available.