Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colorectal and Prostate Cancer Risk in Diabetes: Metformin, an Actor behind the Scene

Both diabetes and cancer are prevalent diseases whose incidence rates are increasing worldwide, especially in countries that are undergoing rapid industrialization changes. Apparently, lifestyle risk factors including diet, physical inactivity and obesity play pivotal, yet preventable, roles in the etiology of both diseases. Epidemiological studies provide strong evidence that subjects with diabetes are at significantly higher risk of developing many forms of cancer and especially solid tumors. In addition to pancreatic and breast cancer, the incidence of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer is increased in type 2 diabetes. While diabetes (type 2) and cancer share many risk factors, the biological links between the two diseases are poorly characterized. In this review, we highlight the mechanistic pathways that link diabetes to colorectal and prostate cancer and the use of Metformin, a diabetes drug, to prevent and/or treat colorectal and prostate cancer. We review the role of AMPK activation in autophagy, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression.
Diabetic ketoacidosis in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus: Role of demographic, clinical, and biochemical features along with genetic and immunological markers as risk factors. A 20‐year experience in a tertiary Belgian center

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Little is known about the association between genetic and immunological markers and the risk for DKA at onset of T1D. The aim of this study was to create a model foreseeing the onset of DKA in newly diagnosed patients.
Gamma irradiation induced degradation of orange peels

In this study, gamma irradiation induced degradation of orange peels (OP) was investigated. The lignocellulosic biomass degradation was carried out at doses of 0 (control), 600, 1800 and 3500 kGy using a Co-60 gamma radiation source. The samples were tested for total and reducing sugars. The concentrations of total sugars ranged from 0.530 g∙g −1 in control sample to 0.382 g∙g −1 of dry weight in the sample which received the highest radiation dose. The reducing sugars content varying from 0.018 to 0.184 g∙g −1 of dry weight with the largest rise occurring in the sample irradiated at 3500 kGy. The concentrations of sucrose, glucose and fructose were determined. The changes generated in physico-chemical properties were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and termogravimetric analysis (TG-DTG). The results show that OP was affected, but not significantly, which suggests that lignocellulose and sugars profiles were partially degraded after gamma irradiation.
Characterization of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in human placenta cell types across gestation

ABSTRACT The placenta is an important organ in pregnancy, however, very little is understood about placental development at a molecular level. This includes the role of epigenetic mechanisms and how they change throughout gestation. DNA methylation studies in this organ are complicated by the different cell types that make up the placenta, each with their own unique transcriptome and epigenome. Placental dysfunction is often associated with pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia (PE). Aberrant DNA methylation in the placenta has been identified in pregnancy complications. We used immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) to localize 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in placenta tissue from first and second trimester as well as uncomplicated term and PE samples. IHC analysis of whole placental tissues showed 5-mC increased across gestation. When cytotrophoblasts (CTB) and syncytiotrophoblasts (STB) were isolated and assessed using IF, both 5-mC and 5-hmC increased in term CTBs compared to first/second-trimester samples. Staining intensity of 5-hmC was higher in first/second trimester STBs compared to CTBs (P = 0.0011). Finally, IHC staining of term tissue from PE and uncomplicated pregnancies revealed higher 5-mC staining intensity in placentas from PE pregnancies (P = 0.028). Our study has shown increased 5-mC and 5-hmC staining intensities across gestation and differed between two trophoblast populations. Differences in DNA methylation profiles between placental cell types may be indicative of different functions and requires further study to elucidate what changes accompany placental pathologies.
Pre-enrichment effect on PCR detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in artificially-contaminated raw chicken meat.

Salmonella remains to be a major foodborne pathogen for animals and humans and is the leading cause of foodborne infections and outbreaks in various countries. Salmonella Enteritidis is one of the most frequently isolated serotypes in poultry and poultry products from human food poisoning cases. It can cause mild to acute gastroenterititis as well as other common food poisoning symptoms when infection takes place in human. Nucleic acid amplification technologies such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a tool that is rapid and sensitive for detection of bacterial pathogen. We report the successful detection of S. Enteritidis by PCR in raw chicken meat artificially-contaminated with serial concentration of S. Enteritidis using crude DNA extracts as DNA template. PCR primers, ENT-F and ENT-R targeted on sdfI gene were used to amplify DNA region unique to S. Enteritidis with crude DNA extract of the samples, yielded product with the size of 303 bp. These primers were specific to S. Enteritidis when tested by in-silico simulation against genome database of targeted bacterial species and confirmed in PCR as amplification bands were observed with S. Typhimurium, S. Polarum and S. Gallinarum. The established PCR can detect as few as 9.4 X 101 CFU/ml of inoculated S. Enteritidis concentration and proved that pre-enrichment effect have significant effect on PCR detection by increasing 1000-fold of the sensitivity limit compared to the non pre-enriched samples. The PCR technique indicated that it can be successfully coupled with pre-enrichment step to offer advantage in routine screening and surveillance of bacterial contamination in food samples.
Powerline Communications Channel Modelling Methodology Based on Statistical Features

This paper proposes a new channel modelling method for powerline communications networks based on the multipath profile in the time domain. The new channel model is developed to be applied in a range of Powerline Communications (PLC) research topics such as impulse noise modelling, deployment and coverage studies, and communications theory analysis. To develop the methodology, channels are categorised according to their propagation distance and power delay profile. The statistical multipath parameters such as path arrival time, magnitude and interval for each category are analyzed to build the model. Each generated channel based on the proposed statistical model represents a different realisation of a PLC network. Simulation results in similar the time and frequency domains show that the proposed statistical modelling method, which integrates the impact of network topology presents the PLC channel features as the underlying transmission line theory model. Furthermore, two potential application scenarios are described to show the channel model is applicable to capacity analysis and correlated impulse noise modelling for PLC networks.
On the Performance of Multithreaded Architectures for Network Processors

With the ever-increasing performance and flexibility requirements seen in today’s networks, we have seen the development of programmable network processors. Network processors are used both in the middle of the network, at nodes composing the backbone of the Internet, as well as at the edges of the network in enterprise class routers, switches, and host network interfaces. The application workloads for these processors require significant processing capacity but also exhibit packet-level parallelism.
Leukotriene C4- and D4-induced diffuse peripheral constriction of swine coronary artery accompanied by ST elevation on the electrocardiogram: angiographic analysis.

Effects of leukotriene (LT) C4 and LTD4 on coronary artery spasm in atherosclerotic miniature pigs were examined angiographically. Endothelial balloon denudation of the left circumflex coronary artery was performed in 15 Göttingen miniature pigs; 11 were fed a 2% cholesterol diet and four were fed a regular diet for 3 months. Three months after this denudation, the area of the coronary artery was reduced by 94 +/- 2% and 43 +/- 5% (p less than .01) in the denuded and nondenuded areas by the intracoronary administration of 10 micrograms/kg histamine after pretreatment with 60 mg/kg iv cimetidine. The effects of LTC4 and LTD4 on coronary diameter and the preventive effects of FPL-55712, a LTC4 and LTD4-receptor blocker, or diphenhydramine, a histamine H1-receptor blocker, on histamine-induced coronary spasm were then examined angiographically. Administration of LTC4 or LTD4 in doses of 1 and 10 micrograms into the left coronary artery, or selectively into the left circumflex and left anterior descending coronary arteries in a dose of 5 micrograms, led to the elevations in the ST segment on the electrocardiogram and there was delayed filling of the contrast medium in the peripheral coronary artery. However, these LTs provoked no augmented constrictions at any site on the epicardial coronary arteries (n = 15). Diphenhydramine, 1 mg/kg (n = 6), abolished the histamine-induced coronary spasm FPL-55712, 0.1 mg/kg, with which the LT-induced myocardial ischemia was abolished, did not prevent the histamine-induced coronary artery spasm. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Persistence and Change in Community Composition of Reef Corals through Present, Past, and Future Climates

The reduction in coral cover on many contemporary tropical reefs suggests a different set of coral community assemblages will dominate future reefs. To evaluate the capacity of reef corals to persist over various time scales, we examined coral community dynamics in contemporary, fossil, and simulated future coral reef ecosystems. Based on studies between 1987 and 2012 at two locations in the Caribbean, and between 1981 and 2013 at five locations in the Indo-Pacific, we show that many coral genera declined in abundance, some showed no change in abundance, and a few coral genera increased in abundance. Whether the abundance of a genus declined, increased, or was conserved, was independent of coral family. An analysis of fossil-reef communities in the Caribbean revealed changes in numerical dominance and relative abundances of coral genera, and demonstrated that neither dominance nor taxon was associated with persistence. As coral family was a poor predictor of performance on contemporary reefs, a trait-based, dynamic, multi-patch model was developed to explore the phenotypic basis of ecological performance in a warmer future. Sensitivity analyses revealed that upon exposure to thermal stress, thermal tolerance, growth rate, and longevity were the most important predictors of coral persistence. Together, our results underscore the high variation in the rates and direction of change in coral abundances on contemporary and fossil reefs. Given this variation, it remains possible that coral reefs will be populated by a subset of the present coral fauna in a future that is warmer than the recent past.
Pyelonephritis in young women. A 10- to 20- year follow-up.

Follow-up was conducted on 74 of 163 women admitted to hospitals in Madison, Wis, for pyelonephritis. Admission occurred between 1950 and 1960 when the women were from 15 to 35 years old. Clinical illness in most patients began in association with marriage, pregnancy, or the postpartum period. Repeat episodes of infection occurred within three years of follow-up in 29 (40%) of the patients and within six months in 16 (23%). Twelve (17%) were bacteriuric at the time of follow-up. Twenty-one (28%) had had an operative urologic procedure; 17 (23%) had a history of renal stone. Elevated blood pressure was found in only 10 (14.5%). One patient had died of complications of pyelonephritis, one had required renal transplantation for end-stage renal disease, and two other patients had azotemia. Seven patients had undergone unilateral nephrectomy for pyelonephritis, but most were doing well at the time of follow-up.
COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL GENETICS '99 Visuospatial Construction

The ability to see an object or picture as a set of parts and then to construct a replica of the original from these parts is known as visuospatial constructive cognition. Examples of visuospatial construction include drawing, buttoning shirts, constructing models, making a bed, and putting together furniture that arrives unassembled. Visuospatial construction is a central cognitive ability. At the same time, there are enormous individual differences among people in their ability to perform visuospatial constructive tasks. Some individuals draw extremely well; others cannot draw at all. Some people can copy complex patterns accurately and rapidly; others can copy accurately but slowly; still others can copy only simple patterns or none at all. The importance of visuospatial construction for everyday life, coupled with the wide range of ability shown by individuals of the same age, has led to the inclusion of measures of visuospatial construction on virtually every full-scale assessment of intelligence. In addition to the wide range of ability evidenced in individuals with normal intelligence, the phenotype of at least one neurodevelopmental disorder (Williams syndrome) includes a hallmark weakness in visuospatial construction. In this report, we review what is known about a possible genetic contribution to visuospatial constructive ability. The remainder of the report is divided into four parts. In the first, we consider, in brief, general intelligence (g) and spatial intelligence, with a focus on individual differences in visuospatial constructive abilities of people with normal intelligence. With this information as background, the second and third sections focus on the visuospatial constructive abilities of individuals with Williams syndrome or small deletions in the Williams syndrome region; we conclude that there is a specific genetic basis for the extreme difficulties with visuospatial construction evidenced by most individuals with Williams syndrome. In the fourth part, we review
Early degradation of plant alkanes in soils : a litterbag experiment using C13-labelled leaves Than

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Early degradation of plant alkanes in soils: a litterbag experiment using C-13-labelled leaves Than Thuy Nguyen Tu, Céline Egasse, Bernd Zeller, Gérard Bardoux, Philippe Biron, Jean-François Ponge, Brigitte David, Sylvie Derenne
STUDENTS OF "EASY" LANGUAGES, THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING

This paper investigates the beliefs about language learning held by 53 first-month university students enrolled in Swahili compared to those of 113 students of French and Spanish. Based in part upon the research design and instrument of Elaine Horwitz (University of Texas-Austin), this paper isolates the results from a larger study of eight languages. The greatest number of Etudents agreed that repeat and practice are important for foreign language learning; overall, there was 30 percent agreement on the statements between the 2 groups of students (Swahili versus French and Spanish). Swahili students reported strongest disagreement with "do not speak until correct," while the other group reported greatest disagreement on "to read in a foreign language, one must know all the words. " Overall, statements indicated a more positive response from students of Swahili than from the other students. Findings identify the most strongly rated beliefs, the significant different beliefs for students of Swahili, and the underlying structure of beliefs, and they provide strong evidence that studomts of Swahili do hold uniqUe beliefs concerning language learning. Actual result data is avended. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/NAV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** STUDENTS OF "EASY" LANGUAGES, THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING
Quantitative Proteomics of the Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Cell Envelope and Membrane Vesicles for the Discovery of Potential Therapeutic Targets*

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) is a human-specific pathogen, and the agent of a sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea. There is a critical need for new approaches to study and treat GC infections because of the growing threat of multidrug-resistant isolates and the lack of a vaccine. Despite the implied role of the GC cell envelope and membrane vesicles in colonization and infection of human tissues and cell lines, comprehensive studies have not been undertaken to elucidate their constituents. Accordingly, in pursuit of novel molecular therapeutic targets, we have applied isobaric tagging for absolute quantification coupled with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for proteome quantitative analyses. Mining the proteome of cell envelopes and native membrane vesicles revealed 533 and 168 common proteins, respectively, in analyzed GC strains FA1090, F62, MS11, and 1291. A total of 22 differentially abundant proteins were discovered including previously unknown proteins. Among those proteins that displayed similar abundance in four GC strains, 34 were found in both cell envelopes and membrane vesicles fractions. Focusing on one of them, a homolog of an outer membrane protein LptD, we demonstrated that its depletion caused loss of GC viability. In addition, we selected for initial characterization six predicted outer membrane proteins with unknown function, which were identified as ubiquitous in the cell envelopes derived from examined GC isolates. These studies entitled a construction of deletion mutants and analyses of their resistance to different chemical probes. Loss of NGO1985, in particular, resulted in dramatically decreased GC viability upon treatment with detergents, polymyxin B, and chloramphenicol, suggesting that this protein functions in the maintenance of the cell envelope permeability barrier. Together, these findings underscore the concept that the cell envelope and membrane vesicles contain crucial, yet under-explored determinants of GC physiology, which may represent promising targets for designing new therapeutic interventions.
An Effective Approach for the Synthesis of Uniform Amplitude Concentric Ring Arrays

In this letter, an effective approach that aims at minimizing the peak-sidelobe level of uniform amplitude concentric ring arrays (UACRAs) is presented. The element number in each ring is specified by a new deterministic formulation derived from the continuous weighting-density approximation. Meanwhile, the ring radii are adjusted by a fine-adjustment synthesis procedure. This newly developed method is flexible to synthesize UACRAs with multiple constraints, such as total number of array elements, aperture size, and minimum element spacing. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the outperformance of this approach.
The Informal Sector: An Equilibrium Model and Some Empirical Evidence from Brazil

We test implications of a simple equilibrium model of informality using a survey of 48,000+ small firms in Brazil. In the model, agent's ability to manage production differ and informal firms face a higher cost of capital and limitation on size, although these informal firms avoid tax payments. As a result, informal firms are managed by less able entrepreneurs, are smaller and employ a lower capital-labor ratio. When education is an imperfect proxy for ability, the model predicts that the interaction of the manager's education and formality is positively correlated with firm size. Using the model, we estimate that informal firms in our dataset faced at least 1.3 times the cost of capital of formal firms.
Interethnic accommodation: The role of norms

(From the chapter) explore . the manner in which norms work in interethnic encounters and . suggest some ways they may influence communication accommodation /// examines the role of . CAT [communication accommodation theory] in directing research on interethnic communication / describe the findings of research guided by Cat and the value of developing a more comprehensive understanding of situational factors in communication accommodation / in order to function effectively and happily in a new culture, people must gain cultural skills and knowledge about the communication-based norms that facilitate daily interactions with people in all aspects of the host culture.
Self-Excited Walking of a Biped Mechanism

The authors studied the self-excited walking of a four-link biped mechanism that possesses an actuated hip joint and passive knee joints with stoppers. They showed that the self-excitation control enables the three-degree-of-freedom planar biped model to walk on level ground by numerical simulation. From the parameter study, it was found that stable walking locomotion is possible over a wide range of feedback gain and link parameter values and that the walking period is almost independent of the feedback gain. Various characteristics of the self-excited walking of a biped mechanism were examined in relation to leg length, and length and mass ratios of the shank. Next, a biped mechanism was manufactured similar to the analytical model. After parameter modification, the authors demonstrated that the biped robot can perform natural dynamic walking on a plane with a 0.8 degree inclination. The simulated results also agree with the experimental walking locomotion.