Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Chronic Arsenic Poisoning Due to Consumption of Contaminated Ground Water in West Bengal, India

Background: Chronic arsenic poisoning is an important public health problem and most notable in West Bengal and Bangladesh. In this study different systemic manifestations in chronic arsenic poisoning were evaluated. Methods: A nonrandomized, controlled, cross-sectional, observational study was carried out in Arsenic Clinic, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, over a period of 1 year 4 months. Seventy-three cases diagnosed clinically, consuming water containing arsenic ≥50 μg/L and having hair and nail arsenic level >0.6 μg/L, were included. Special investigations included routine parameters and organ-specific tests. Arsenic levels in the drinking water, hair, and nail were measured in all. Twenty-five nonsmoker healthy controls were evaluated. Results: Murshidabad and districts adjacent to Kolkata, West Bengal, were mostly affected. Middle-aged males were the common sufferers. Skin involvement was the commonest manifestation (100%), followed by hepatomegaly [23 (31.5%)] with or without transaminitis [7 (9.58%)]/portal hypertension [9 (12.33%)]. Restrictive abnormality in spirometry [11 (15.06%)], bronchiectasis [4 (5.47%)], interstitial fibrosis [2 (2.73%)], bronchogenic carcinoma [2 (2.73%)], oromucosal plaque [7 (9.58%)], nail hypertrophy [10 (13.69%)], alopecia [8 (10.95%)], neuropathy [5 (6.84%)], and Electrocardiography abnormalities [5 (6.84%)] were also observed. Conclusions: Mucocutaneous and nail lesions, hepatomegaly, and restrictive change in spirometry were the common and significant findings. Other manifestations were characteristic but insignificant.
The Role of Molecular Modeling in TiO2 Photocatalysis

Molecular Modeling methods play a very important role in TiO2 photocatalysis. Recent advances in TiO2 photocatalysis have produced a number of interesting surface phenomena, reaction products, and various novel visible light active photocatalysts with improved properties. Quantum mechanical calculations appear promising as a means of describing the mechanisms and the product distributions of the photocatalytic degradation reactions of organic pollutants in both gas and aqueous phases. Since quantum mechanical methods utilize the principles of particle physics, their use may be extended to the design of new photocatalysts. This review introduces molecular modeling methods briefly and emphasizes the use of these methods in TiO2 photocatalysis. The methods used for obtaining information about the degradabilities of the pollutant molecules, predicting reaction mechanisms, and evaluating the roles of the dopants and surface modifiers are explained.
Regional Conservation Status of Scleractinian Coral Biodiversity in the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Preventing the loss of biodiversity is a major challenge in mega-diverse ecosystems such as coral reefs where there is a critical shortage of baseline demographic data. Threatened species assessments play a valuable role in guiding conservation action to manage and mitigate biodiversity loss, but they must be undertaken with precise information at an appropriate spatial scale to provide accurate classifications. Here we explore the regional conservation status of scleractinian corals on isolated Pacific Ocean atolls in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. We compile an integrated regional species list based upon new and historical records, and compare how well the regional threat classifications reflect species level priorities at a global scale. A similar proportion of the 240 species of hard coral recorded in the current survey are classified as Vulnerable at the regional scale as the global scale using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria (23% and 20% respectively), however there are distinct differences in the composition of species. When local abundance data is taken into account, a far greater proportion of the regional diversity (up to 80%) may face an elevated risk of local extinction. These results suggest coral communities on isolated Pacific coral reefs, which are often predicted to be at low risk, are still vulnerable due to the small and fragmented nature of their populations. This reinforces that to adequately protect biodiversity, ongoing threatened species monitoring and the documentation of species-level changes in abundance and distribution is imperative.
Self-Distancing Buffers High Trait Anxious Pediatric Cancer Caregivers Against Short- and Longer-Term Distress

Pediatric cancer caregivers are typically present at their child’s frequent, invasive treatments, and such treatments elicit substantial distress. Yet variability exists in how even the most anxious caregivers cope. Here we examined one potential source of this variability: caregivers’ tendencies to self-distance when reflecting on their feelings surrounding their child’s treatments. We measured caregivers’ self-distancing and trait anxiety at baseline, anticipatory anxiety during their child’s treatment procedures, and psychological distress and avoidance 3 months later. Self-distancing buffered high (but not low) trait anxious caregivers against short- and long-term distress without promoting avoidance. These findings held when controlling for other buffers, highlighting the unique benefits of self-distancing. These results identify a coping process that buffers vulnerable caregivers against a chronic life stressor while also demonstrating the ecological validity of laboratory research on self-distancing. Future research is needed to explicate causality and the cognitive and physiological processes that mediate these results.
Inhibitor-Induced Conformational Stabilization and Structural Alteration of a Mip-Like Peptidyl Prolyl cis-trans Isomerase and Its C-Terminal Domain

FKBP22, an Escherichia coli-encoded PPIase (peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase) enzyme, shares substantial identity with the Mip-like pathogenic factors, caries two domains, exists as a dimer in solution and binds some immunosuppressive drugs (such as FK506 and rapamycin) using its C-terminal domain (CTD). To understand the effects of these drugs on the structure and stability of the Mip-like proteins, rFKBP22 (a chimeric FKBP22) and CTD+ (a CTD variant) have been studied in the presence and absence of rapamycin using different probes. We demonstrated that rapamycin binding causes minor structural alterations of rFKBP22 and CTD+. Both the proteins (equilibrated with rapamycin) were unfolded via the formation of intermediates in the presence of urea. Further study revealed that thermal unfolding of both rFKBP22 and rapamycin-saturated rFKBP22 occurred by a three-state mechanism with the synthesis of intermediates. Intermediate from the rapamycin-equilibrated rFKBP22 was formed at a comparatively higher temperature. All intermediates carried substantial extents of secondary and tertiary structures. Intermediate resulted from the thermal unfolding of rFKBP22 existed as the dimers in solution, carried an increased extent of hydrophobic surface and possessed relatively higher rapamycin binding activity. Despite the formation of intermediates, both the thermal and urea-induced unfolding reactions were reversible in nature. Unfolding studies also indicated the considerable stabilization of both proteins by rapamycin binding. The data suggest that rFKBP22 or CTD+ could be exploited to screen the rapamycin-like inhibitors in the future.
Reform Processes and Policy Change : Veto Players and Decision-Making in Modern Democracies

Dynamizing Veto Player Theory: How Veto Player Theory Can be Used as a Starting Point for a More Comprehensive Model of the Policy Process. - Do Veto Players Have Veto Power? - Veto Player Theory Revisited: Low Policy Reform Capacity in Parliamentary Democracies with Strong Government. - Veto Players: How Can We Measure Their Policy Preferences. - Strategic Voting in a Bicameral Setting. - Who is Powerful in the EU Legislative Process? A New Approach. - The Sources of Bipartisan Politics in Parliamentary Democracies. - Legislative Involvement in Parliamentary Systems: Opportunities, Conflict and Institutional Constraints. - Testing the Theories of Law Making in a Parliamentary Democracy: A Roll Call Analysis of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. - Veto Players and Environmental Regulation: Assessing the Impact of Institutional and Positional Factors for Policy Change in 24 Countries. - Conditional Veto Player Effects in Tax Policy. - Guarding Status Quo or Amplifying Change? Veto-Players and Welfare State Reforms. - The Veto Player Approachy in Comparative Politics: Concepts and Explanatory Power. - Annoying, but Pacifying: Veto Players and the Onset of Civil War. - Veto Players, Bargaining and the Empirical Analysis of EU Policy Making: A Quantal Response Approach. - Mutual Veto? How Coalitions Work. - Veto Players, Agenda Control and Cabinet Stability in 17 European Parliaments, 1945-1999
Interventions for families with multiple problems: Similar contents but divergent formats

For families with multiple problems (FMP), knowledge is lacking on the practice elements of interventions (the distinct techniques practitioners use to promote positive outcomes) and their program elements (intervention design and delivery systems). The aim of this study is to identify both common and specific practice and program elements so as to determine contents and overlap between interventions. For FMP, we selected interventions that had at least moderate (>0.5) effect sizes in the Dutch context (N = 8). A deductive content analysis was used to assess the manuals of these interventions with the taxonomy of interventions for FMP. We defined as common those elements found in at least five of the eight interventions and as specific those found in fewer than five. Of the practice elements, 79% were common across the interventions, and 21% were intervention specific. Interventions with the highest percentages of intervention-specific elements derived from the taxonomy were 10 for the Future (15%), Family Central (14%), Intensive Family Therapy (14%), and Multisystemic therapy (11%). Core program elements: duration, intensity, intervision, supervision, and consultation, varied greatly between interventions. Among interventions for FMP, we found practice elements to have considerable overlap. Among program elements, we found greater variety.
Metabolic Dysregulation in Hepacivirus Infection of Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Chronic hepatitis C has been associated with metabolic syndrome that includes insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and obesity. These metabolic aberrations are risk factors for disease severity and treatment outcome in infected patients. Experimental infection of marmosets with GBV-B serves as a tangible, small animal model for human HCV infection, and while virology and pathology are well described, a full investigation of clinical disease and the metabolic milieu is lacking. In this study six marmosets were infected intravenously with GBV-B and changes in hematologic, serum biochemical and plasma metabolic measures were investigated over the duration of infection. Infected animals exhibited signs of lymphocytopenia, but platelet and RBC counts were generally stable or even increased. Although most animals showed a transient decline in blood glucose, infection resulted in several fold increases in plasma insulin, glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). All infected animals experienced transient weight loss within the first 28 days of infection, but also became hypertriglyceridemic and had up to 10-fold increases in adipocytokines such as resistin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). In liver, moderate to severe cytoplasmic changes associated with steatotic changes was observed microscopically at 168 days post infection. Collectively, these results suggest that GBV-B infection is accompanied by hematologic, biochemical and metabolic abnormalities that could lead to obesity, diabetes, thrombosis and atherosclerosis, even after virus has been cleared. Our findings mirror those found in HCV patients, suggesting that metabolic syndrome could be conserved among hepaciviruses, and both mechanistic and interventional studies for treating HCV-induced metabolic complications could be evaluated in this animal model.
Interference effect of observed human movement on action is due to velocity profile of biological motion

Abstract It has previously been shown that observing an action made by a human, but not by a robot, interferes with executed actions (Kilner, Paulignan, & Blakemore, 2003). Here, we investigated what aspect of human movement causes this interference effect. Subjects made arm movements while observing a video of either a human making an arm movement or a ball moving across the screen. Both human and ball videos contained either biological (minimum jerk) or non-biological (constant velocity) movements. The executed and observed arm movements were either congruent (same direction) or incongruent (tangential direction) with each other. The results showed that observed movements are processed differently according to whether they are made by a human or a ball. For the ball videos, both biological and non-biological incongruent movements interfered with executed arm movements. In contrast, for the human videos, the velocity profile of the movement was the critical factor: only incongruent, biological human movements interfered with executed arm movements. We propose that the interference effect could be due either to the information the brain has about different types of movement stimuli or to the impact of prior experience with different types of form and motion.
Private Wealth and Public Revenue in Latin America: Business Power and Tax Politics

1. Tax policy and economic elites: going where the money is 2. The power of economic elites 3. Organized business and direct taxation in Chile: restricting the agenda 4. Circumventing business power in Chile: progress at the margins 5. Weak economic elites and direct tax policy successes in Argentina 6. Sectoral tax politics in Argentina: finance 7. Sectoral tax politics in Argentina: agriculture 8. Bolivia's tax-policy tightrope: powerful elites and mobilized masses 9. Tax developments under left rule in Bolivia and right rule in Chile 10. Conclusions.
2012 International Conference on Information Management, Innovation Management and Industrial Engineering the Impact of Privacy Concern on Users' Usage Intention of Mobile Payment Yijunhuang

As mobile payment will get and use personal information of users to complete the payment process, which may generate the problems of users' privacy information stolen, leaked, improperly used, bringing about users' concern on personal information privacy. This paper uses structural equation model to analyze the impact of privacy concern on users' intention to use mobile payment. The results show that privacy concern has significant effects on perceived risk and trnst, and indirectly affects the usage intention through the trnst. Mobile payment service providers should take effective measures to alleviate users' privacy concern in order to reduce their risk perception and enhance their trust, and eventually improving users' usage intention and adoption behavior of mobile payment.
A New Character-based Indexing Organization using Frequency Data for Japanese Documents

A character based indexing is preferable for Japanese IR systems since Japanese words are not segmented. This paper proposes a new character indexing method to enhance our previous method which divided character pair index entries into disjoint groups based on character classes. Since frequency data is used to determine hashed entries for character pairs and to establish a special string index, both search speed and precision are improved. Moreovel<, bit strings are managed using small and large blocks, so registration and retrieval are accelerated. Experiments using patent abstracts showed these proposals are quite effective.
Immunophenotypic patterns of childhood acute leukemias in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND Immunophenotyping, as suggested by WHO, may improve diagnosis of childhood leukemia since it offers a better classification of the hematopoietic lineage of malignant cells as compared to morphology. Therefore, we aimed to determine the proportion of the immunophenotypic subtypes of acute leukemia in Indonesian children. METHODS Samples were obtained from patients (0-14 years of age) in 4 hospitals in Indonesia. We analyzed 541 suspected leukemia samples presented over a 4-year period (March 2006 - July 2010) by flow cytometry. Immunophenotyping allowed classification into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ALL (B-lineage and T-lineage ALL). RESULTS Of 541 samples, 136 were tested using a single color method and 405 with a three-color method. Concordance with morphology was very good (? =0.82) using the three-color method with a panel of 15 monoclonal antibodies (n=387). A relatively high percentage of acute leukemia was classified as AML (23%). Of the ALL samples 83% were B-lineage ALL and 17% T- lineage ALL. Nine out of 239 morphological ALL were labeled AML, and 12/79 morphological AML were in fact ALL. CONCLUSION Immunophenotyping in a multi-center study proved feasible and appears particularly important for prognostic assessment of childhood leukemia in low income countries such as Indonesia.
DEK in the synovium of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: characterization of DEK antibodies and posttranslational modification of the DEK autoantigen.

OBJECTIVE DEK is a nuclear phosphoprotein and autoantigen in a subset of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Autoantibodies to DEK are also found in a broad spectrum of disorders associated with abnormal immune activation. We previously demonstrated that DEK is secreted by macrophages, is released by apoptotic T cells, and attracts leukocytes. Since DEK has been identified in the synovial fluid (SF) of patients with JIA, this study was undertaken to investigate how DEK protein and/or autoantibodies may contribute to the pathogenesis of JIA. METHODS DEK autoantibodies, immune complexes (ICs), and synovial macrophages were purified from the SF of patients with JIA. DEK autoantibodies and ICs were purified by affinity-column chromatography and analyzed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. DEK in supernatants and exosomes was purified by serial centrifugation and immunoprecipitation with magnetic beads, and posttranslational modifications of DEK were identified by nano-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS). RESULTS DEK autoantibodies and protein were found in the SF of patients with JIA. Secretion of DEK by synovial macrophages was observed both in a free form and via exosomes. DEK autoantibodies (IgG2) may activate the complement cascade, primarily recognize the C-terminal portion of DEK protein, and exhibit higher affinity for acetylated DEK. Consistent with these observations, DEK underwent acetylation on an unprecedented number of lysine residues, as demonstrated by nano-LC-MS/MS. CONCLUSION These results indicate that DEK can contribute directly to joint inflammation in JIA by generating ICs through high-affinity interaction between DEK and DEK autoantibodies, a process enhanced by acetylation of DEK in the inflamed joint.
Multiple Indicators in Survey Research: The Concept "Sense of Political Efficacy"

*This is a revised and expanded version of Balch (1971c), I am indebted to the following people for their comments on earlier versions of the paper: Peter Burke, Thomas Cook, Doris Graber, Anne Heinz, Malcolm Hicks, Paul Hiniker, Richard Hofstetter, Richard Johnson, Lyman Kellstedt, Byung Koh, David Leege, Charles Levine, Charles McCall, Steven Puro, Leroy Rieselbach, Frank Scioli, Jr. , Elaine Sharp, and Frank Tachau. I am particularly indebted to Kellstedt, who has commented extensively and provocatively on several of the most recent drafts. Computing services used in this research were provided by the Computer Center of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.
Demand Allocation in Multiple-Product, Multiple-Facility Make-to-Stock Production Systems

We consider the problem of allocating demand arising from multiple products to multiple production facilities with finite capacity and load-dependent lead times. Production facilities can choose to manufacture items either to stock or to order. Products vary in their demand rates, holding and backordering costs, and service-level requirements. We develop models and solution procedures to determine the optimal allocation of demand to facilities and the optimal inventory level for products at each facility. We consider two types of demand allocation, one in which we allow the demand for a product to be split among multiple facilities and the other in which demand from each product must be entirely satisfied by a single facility. We also consider two forms of inventory warehousing, one in which inventory locations are factory based and one in which they are centralized. For each case, we offer a solution procedure to obtain optimal demand allocations and optimal inventory base-stock levels. For systems with multiple customer classes, we also determine optimal inventory rationing levels for each class for each product. We use the models to characterize analytically several properties of the optimal solution. In particular, we highlight eight principles that relate the effects of cost, congestion, inventory pooling, multiple sourcing, customer segmentation, inventory rationing, and process and demand variability.
Antibacterial activity of calcium hydroxide and chlorhexidine containing points against Fusobacterium nucleatum and Parvimonas micra

Objective: Up to 90% of the flora of an infected root canal consists of obligate anaerobic bacteria. However, most studies have centred on microaerophiles. This quantitative assay investigated the antibacterial effects against Fusobacterium nucleatum and Parvimonas micra of gutta-percha (GP) points containing either calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) or chlorhexidine (CHX) compared to those of conventional GP points. Methods: Standardized root canals were prepared in 192 bovine incisors. The canals were sterilized and then inoculated with one of two bacterial species (n=96 teeth per bacterium). After anaerobic incubation at 37°C, the inoculum was removed and the canals were filled with one of the three points. Control teeth were filled with a saline/serum mixture. After 0, 1, 4 and 8 days of anaerobic incubation, the numbers of viable bacteria (CFU/ml) were determined on both the points and the canal wall dentin. Six replicates were carried out for each experiment. Results: None of the points completely eradicated the bacteria in the canal. GP+CHX was significantly more effective than GP+Ca(OH)2 and GP (P<.05 in each case). The inhibitory effect of GP+Ca(OH)2 did not significantly differ from that of GP (P>.05). Compared to the controls, the antibacterial effect of the medicated points was reached initially. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the in vitro model, the incorporation of commonly used medicaments in GP does not offer a long-lasting antibacterial advantage over non-medicated GP.
Observation of spontaneous bursting spike patterns in simple three memristor circuits

The distinctive switching spikes seen in single memristor circuits can be suppressed in networks of memristors. Instead oscillatory behaviour interrupted by spontaneous irregular bursting spike patterns are observed. An investigation of two and three memistor circuits was undertaken to elucidate the origin and nature of these rich dynamics. No spiking or oscillations are seen in circuits where all the memristors are arranged with matching polarity. Spiking is seen in circuits where memristors are arranged anti-parallel. These dynamics may be due to increased sensitivity to initial conditions or deterministic chaos and are potentially useful for neuromorphic computing.