Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Critical Mass Hypothesis and Homicide

Lester (1987) found that nations with higher suicide rates in 1970 had larger increases in the suicide rate from 1970 to 1980, and he noted that this supported the existence of suggestion effects in precipitating suicide once a critical rate of suicide occurred. (The hypothesis is explained in greater detail by Lester [1988b].) The same effect was not found, however, for suicide rates in the 48 continental states of the USA from 1970 to 1980 (Lester, 1988a). States with the higher rates of suicide in 1970 &d not report a greater increase in suicide rates by 1980. The present note explores whether a similar phenomenon may be observed for homicide. The homicide rates of 17 nations were available for 1970 and 1980 from the United Nations (1983-1985). The Pearson correlation between the homicide rates in 1970 and the increase in rates from 1970 to 1980 was 0.80 (one-tailed p<.005), so nations with higher homicide rates in 1970 showed greater increases in their homicide rates by 1980. The nations with the five highest homicide rates in 1970 (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Thailand, the USA, and Venezuela) had five of the six largest increases. (Northern Ireland also had a large increase.) However, a study of the continental states of the USA during the same time period showed no similar association ( r = -0.01). States with higher rates of homicide in 1970 did not show a greater increase in homicide rates by 1980. These results parallel those for suicide, which also supported a critical mass effect for nations of the world but not for states of the USA. It appears that the phenomenon is found for nations, but not for regions within a nation. It will be of interest to see whether these results are replicated for the period 1980 to 1990.
Inhibition of neuronal hypersynchrony in vitro differentiates levetiracetam from classical antiepileptic drugs.

Field potentials were recorded from rat hippocampal slices in order to compare the electrophysiological action of the new antiepileptic drug (AED), levetiracetam (LEV), with that of the classical AEDs, valproate, clonazepam and carbamazepine, on epileptiform responses induced by a 'high K(+)-low Ca(2+)' perfusion fluid. Increasing [K(+)] from 3 to 7.5 mM and decreasing [Ca(2+)] from 2.4 to 0.5 mM, in the bathing fluid, produced population spikes (PSs) of increasing amplitudes in the CA3 area of the slices, repetitive PSs evoked by single stimuli, and spontaneous bursts. Clinically relevant concentrations of LEV, 32 and 100 micro M, consistently reduced the second (PS(2)) and third (PS(3)) population spikes, and the number (N) of repetitive PSs per evoked response. Levetiracetam 32 micro M also opposed the increase in amplitude of the first PS (Delta PS(1)). Neither valproate 1 mM, nor clonazepam 1 micro M, nor carbamazepine 50 micro M, produced any decrease in Delta PS(1)and in PS(2), but all decreased N. These results show that LEV contrasts to reference AEDs by its ability to antagonize neuronal (hyper)synchronization, in the highly seizure-prone CA3 area of rat hippocampal slices.
Cannabidiol-Induced Apoptosis in Human Leukemia Cells: A Novel Role of Cannabidiol in the Regulation of p22phox and Nox4 Expression

In the current study, we examined the effects of the nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, cannabidiol, on the induction of apoptosis in leukemia cells. Exposure of leukemia cells to cannabidiol led to cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2)-mediated reduction in cell viability and induction in apoptosis. Furthermore, cannabidiol treatment led to a significant decrease in tumor burden and an increase in apoptotic tumors in vivo. From a mechanistic standpoint, cannabidiol exposure resulted in activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3, cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and a decrease in full-length Bid, suggesting possible cross-talk between the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. The role of the mitochondria was further suggested as exposure to cannabidiol led to loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c. It is noteworthy that cannabidiol exposure led to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as an increase in the expression of the NAD(P)H oxidases Nox4 and p22phox. Furthermore, cannabidiol-induced apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels could be blocked by treatment with the ROS scavengers or the NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors. Finally, cannabidiol exposure led to a decrease in the levels of p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, which could be blocked by treatment with a CB2-selective antagonist or ROS scavenger. Together, the results from this study reveal that cannabidiol, acting through CB2 and regulation of Nox4 and p22phox expression, may be a novel and highly selective treatment for leukemia.
The Prognosis of Depression in Old Age

The initial features and progress of depressive symptomatology over 42 to 104 months are presented for 100 elderly patients admitted with severe, non-neurotic depressive states; none had experienced a previous hypomanie episode. Sixty per cent either remained well throughout or had further episodes followed by full recovery; only 7% suffered continuous depressive symptoms. Of potential prognostic factors, only male sex and poor physical health, both at presentation and developing subsequently, were associated with poorer outcomes. The view is supported that treatment with well established methods achieves worthwhile and sustained improvement for most patients.
Brain alkaline intracellular pH after neonatal encephalopathy

Experimental studies demonstrate an alkaline shift in brain intracellular pH (pHi) after hypoxia‐ischemia (HI). In infants with neonatal encephalopathy after HI, our aims were to assess (1) brain pHi during the first 2 weeks after birth in infants categorized according to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the first 2 weeks after birth and at more than 3 months of age, and neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year; (2) the relationship between brain pHi and lactate/creatine; and (3) duration of alkaline brain pHi. Seventy‐eight term infants with neonatal encephalopathy were studied using MR techniques. One hundred and fifty‐one studies were performed throughout the first year including 56 studies of 50 infants during the first 2 weeks after birth. pHi was calculated using phosphorus‐31 MR spectroscopy and lactate/creatine was measured using proton MRS. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) brain pHi during the first 2 weeks after birth in infants with severely abnormal versus normal MRI was 7.24 (SD, 0.17) versus 7.04 (SD, 0.05; p < 0.001); in infants who subsequently developed cerebral atrophy versus those who did not: 7.23 (SD, 0.17) versus 7.06 (SD, 0.06; p < 0.05); in infants who died or had a severe neurodevelopmental impairment versus normal outcome: 7.28 (SD, 0.15) versus 7.11 (SD, 0.09; p < 0.05). Brain alkalosis was associated with increased brain lactate/creatine (p < 0.001). pHi remained more alkaline in the severe outcome group up to 20 weeks after birth (p < 0.05). Ann Neurol 2002;52:000–000
Therapeutics , Targets , and Chemical Biology Wnt Inhibitor Screen Reveals Iron Dependence of b-Catenin Signaling in Cancers

Excessive signaling from the Wnt pathway is associated with numerous human cancers. Using a high throughput screen designed to detect inhibitors of Wnt/b-catenin signaling, we identified a series of acyl hydrazones that act downstream of the b-catenin destruction complex to inhibit both Wnt-induced and cancerassociated constitutive Wnt signaling via destabilization of b-catenin. We found that these acyl hydrazones bind iron in vitro and in intact cells and that chelating activity is required to abrogate Wnt signaling and block the growth of colorectal cancer cell lines with constitutive Wnt signaling. In addition, we found that multiple iron chelators, desferrioxamine, deferasirox, and ciclopirox olamine similarly blocked Wnt signaling and cell growth. Moreover, in patients with AML administered ciclopirox olamine, we observed decreased expression of the Wnt target gene AXIN2 in leukemic cells. The novel class of acyl hydrazoneswould thus be prime candidates for further development as chemotherapeutic agents. Taken together, our results reveal a critical requirement for iron in Wnt signaling and they show that iron chelation serves as an effective mechanism to inhibit Wnt signaling in humans. Cancer Res; 71(24); 7628–39. 2011 AACR.
Dopamine-Dependent Periadolescent Maturation of Corticostriatal Functional Connectivity in Mouse

Altered corticostriatal information processing associated with early dopamine systems dysfunction may contribute to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mice with neonatal dopamine-depleting lesions exhibit hyperactivity that wanes after puberty and is reduced by psychostimulants, reminiscent of some aspects of ADHD. To assess whether the maturation of corticostriatal functional connectivity is altered by early dopamine depletion, we examined preadolescent and postadolescent urethane-anesthetized mice with or without dopamine-depleting lesions. Specifically, we assessed (1) synchronization between striatal neuron discharges and oscillations in frontal cortex field potentials and (2) striatal neuron responses to frontal cortex stimulation. In adult control mice striatal neurons were less spontaneously active, less responsive to cortical stimulation, and more temporally tuned to cortical rhythms than in infants. Striatal neurons from hyperlocomotor mice required more current to respond to cortical input and were less phase locked to ongoing oscillations, resulting in fewer neurons responding to refined cortical commands. By adulthood some electrophysiological deficits waned together with hyperlocomotion, but striatal spontaneous activity remained substantially elevated. Moreover, dopamine-depleted animals showing normal locomotor scores exhibited normal corticostriatal synchronization, suggesting that the lesion allows, but is not sufficient, for the emergence of corticostriatal changes and hyperactivity. Although amphetamine normalized corticostriatal tuning in hyperlocomotor mice, it reduced horizontal activity in dopamine-depleted animals regardless of their locomotor phenotype, suggesting that amphetamine modified locomotion through a parallel mechanism, rather than that modified by dopamine depletion. In summary, functional maturation of striatal activity continues after infancy, and early dopamine depletion delays the maturation of core functional capacities of the corticostriatal system.
Parent Experience With False-Positive Newborn Screening Results for Cystic Fibrosis

BACKGROUND: The risk of psychosocial harm in families of infants with false-positive (FP) newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) results for cystic fibrosis (CF) is a longstanding concern. Whether well designed retrieval and confirmatory testing systems can mitigate risks remains unknown. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods cohort design, we obtained prospective self-report data from mothers of infants with FP CF NBS results 2 to 3 months after confirmatory testing at Ontario’s largest follow-up center, and from a randomly selected control sample of mothers of screen negative infants from the same region. Mothers completed a questionnaire assessing experience and psychosocial response. A sample of mothers of FP infants completed qualitative interviews. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-four mothers of FP infants (response rate, 55%) and 411 controls (response rate, 47%) completed questionnaires; 54 mothers of FP infants were interviewed. Selected psychosocial response measures did not detect psychosocial distress in newborns or 1 year later (P > .05). Mothers recalled distress during notification of the positive result and in the follow-up testing period related to fear of chronic illness, but valued the screening system of care in mitigating concerns. CONCLUSIONS: Although immediate distress was reported among mothers of FP infants, selected psychometric tools did not detect these concerns. The NBS center from which mothers were recruited minimizes delay between notification and confirmatory testing and ensures trained professionals are communicating results and facilitating follow-up. These factors may explain the presence of minimal psychosocial burden. The screening system reflected herein may be a model for NBS programs working to minimize FP-related psychosocial harm.
Convex Quadrilaterals and k-Sets

We prove that the minimum number of convex quadrilaterals determined by n points in general position in the plane ‐ or in other words, the rectilinear crossing number of the complete graph Kn ‐ is at least ( 3 + 10 ! 5 ) ! n " + O(n 3 ). This is closely related to the rectilinear crossing number of complete graphs and to Sylvester’s Four Point Problem from the theory of geometric probabilities. As our main tool, we prove a lower bound on the number of (! k)-sets of the point set: for every k ! n/2, there are at least 3 ! k+1 2 " subsets of size at most k that can be separated from their complement by a straight line.
Las edades del Cenozoico mamalífero de la Argentina, con especial atención a aquellas del territorio bonaerense

“ T he ages o f the M am m a l-bear ing Cenozoic of A rg e n t in e spec ia l ly those o f the Buenos A i re s t e r r i t o ry . The first part of the paper deais with the stratigraphical classification, terminology and nomenclature of units specially those mammal-bearing of Argentina. Difficulty is emphasized in applying stratigraphical codes in connexion with the stages and ages. Savage criteria is here adopted recognizing only Land-Mammal Ages. The second part analizes the criteria used for recognizing the Argentine Land-Mammals Ages specially those of the Province of Buenos Aires. An attempt is made to correlate them with those of Europe and North America. Finally a sistematic list ending with the genus with indication of “guide fossils” and “characteristic fossils”, etc., of each Land-Mammal Ages of the Province of Buenos Aires is displayed. R o s e n d o P a s c u a l y o t r o s , Las Edades del Cenozoico, etc. 167
Polynomial bounds for VC dimension of sigmoidal neural networks

We introduce a new method for proving explicit upper bounds on the VC Dimension of general functional basis networks, and prove as an application, for the (cid:12)rst time, the VC Dimension of analog neural networks with the sigmoid activation function (cid:27)(y) = 1=1+e (cid:0)y to be bounded by a quadratic polynomial in the number of programmable parameters.
Correspondence labelling for wide-timeframe free-form surface matching

This paper addresses the problem of estimating dense correspondence between arbitrary frames from captured sequences of shape and appearance for surfaces undergoing free-form deformation. Previous techniques require either a prior model, limiting the range of surface deformations, or frame-to-frame surface tracking which suffers from stabilisation problems over complete motion sequences and does not provide correspondence between sequences. The primary contribution of this paper is the introduction of a system for wide-timeframe surface matching without the requirement for a prior model or tracking. Deformation- invariant surface matching is formulated as a locally isometric mapping at a discrete set of surface points. A set of feature descriptors are presented that are invariant to isometric deformations and a novel MAP-MRF framework is presented to label sparse-to-dense surface correspondence, preserving the relative distribution of surface features while allowing for changes in surface topology. Performance is evaluated on challenging data from a moving person with loose clothing. Ground-truth feature correspondences are manually marked and the recall-accuracy characteristic is quantified in matching. Results demonstrate an improved performance compared to non-rigid point-pattern matching using robust matching and graph-matching using relaxation labelling, with successful matching achieved across wide variations in human body pose and surface topology.
Global Coordination and Standardisation in Marine Biodiversity through the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and Related Databases

The World Register of Marine Species is an over 90% complete open-access inventory of all marine species names. Here we illustrate the scale of the problems with species names, synonyms, and their classification, and describe how WoRMS publishes online quality assured information on marine species. Within WoRMS, over 100 global, 12 regional and 4 thematic species databases are integrated with a common taxonomy. Over 240 editors from 133 institutions and 31 countries manage the content. To avoid duplication of effort, content is exchanged with 10 external databases. At present WoRMS contains 460,000 taxonomic names (from Kingdom to subspecies), 368,000 species level combinations of which 215,000 are currently accepted marine species names, and 26,000 related but non-marine species. Associated information includes 150,000 literature sources, 20,000 images, and locations of 44,000 specimens. Usage has grown linearly since its launch in 2007, with about 600,000 unique visitors to the website in 2011, and at least 90 organisations from 12 countries using WoRMS for their data management. By providing easy access to expert-validated content, WoRMS improves quality control in the use of species names, with consequent benefits to taxonomy, ecology, conservation and marine biodiversity research and management. The service manages information on species names that would otherwise be overly costly for individuals, and thus minimises errors in the application of nomenclature standards. WoRMS' content is expanding to include host-parasite relationships, additional literature sources, locations of specimens, images, distribution range, ecological, and biological data. Species are being categorised as introduced (alien, invasive), of conservation importance, and on other attributes. These developments have a multiplier effect on its potential as a resource for biodiversity research and management. As a consequence of WoRMS, we are witnessing improved communication within the scientific community, and anticipate increased taxonomic efficiency and quality control in marine biodiversity research and management.
Rare Lipomatous Tumors with Osseous and/or Chondroid Differentiation in the Oral Cavity Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of lipoma/fibrolipoma with rare occasions as osseous and/or chondroid differentiation in the oral cavity. Two cases of the tumors, who presented with a painless, relatively hard mass on the oral mucosa, were studied. These were consisted of a well-circumscribed mass of fatty tissue with chondroid and significant fibrous component intermixed with the lobules of fat cells with chondroid and woven bone component, respectively. Immunohistochemical study revealed that peripheral spindle cells around chondroid tissue stained diffusely for S-100 α & β and Sox-9, though peripheral spindle cells around osteoid tissue only stained for RUNX-2. According to review of the literature, lipoma/fibrolipoma with osseous and/or chondroid differentiation was 18 cases. Also fibrolipoma with osseous and chondroid differentiation is the first to be reported here. These results indicated that the cartilage/bone is produced by differentiation of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells of stroma.
Functional Representation of the Ablowitz – Ladik Hierarchy . II

In this paper we continue studies of the functional representation of the Ablowitz– Ladik hierarchy (ALH). Using formal series solutions of the zero-curvature condition we rederive the functional equations for the tau-functions of the ALH and obtain some new equations which provide more straightforward description of the ALH and which were absent in our previous paper. These results are used to establish relations between the ALH and the discrete-time nonlinear Schrödinger equations, to deduce the superposition formulae (Fay’s identities) for the tau-functions of the hierarchy and to obtain some new results related to the Lax representation of the ALH and its conservation laws. Using the previously found connections between the ALH and other integrable systems we derive functional equations which are equivalent to the AKNS, derivative nonlinear Schrödinger and Davey–Stewartson hierarchies.
Hantaviruses in the Americas and Their Role as Emerging Pathogens

The continued emergence and re-emergence of pathogens represent an ongoing, sometimes major, threat to populations. Hantaviruses (family Bunyaviridae) and their associated human diseases were considered to be confined to Eurasia, but the occurrence of an outbreak in 1993–94 in the southwestern United States led to a great increase in their study among virologists worldwide. Well over 40 hantaviral genotypes have been described, the large majority since 1993, and nearly half of them pathogenic for humans. Hantaviruses cause persistent infections in their reservoir hosts, and in the Americas, human disease is manifest as a cardiopulmonary compromise, hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), with case-fatality ratios, for the most common viral serotypes, between 30% and 40%. Habitat disturbance and larger-scale ecological disturbances, perhaps including climate change, are among the factors that may have increased the human caseload of HCPS between 1993 and the present. We consider here the features that influence the structure of host population dynamics that may lead to viral outbreaks, as well as the macromolecular determinants of hantaviruses that have been regarded as having potential contribution to pathogenicity.
Gene Structure and Promoter Variation of Expressed and Nonexpressed Variants of the KIR2DL5 Gene1 2

Two variants of the novel KIR2DL5 gene (KIR2DL5.1 and .2) were identified in genomic DNA of a single donor. However, only the KIR2DL5.1 variant was transcribed in PBMC. In this study, analysis of seven additional donors reveals two new variants of the KIR2DL5 gene and indicates that transcription, or its lack, are consistently associated with particular variants of this gene. Comparison of the complete nucleotide sequences of the exons and introns of KIR2DL5.1 and KIR2DL5.2 reveals no structural abnormalities, but similar open reading frames for both variants. In contrast, the promoter region of KIR2DL5 shows a high degree of sequence polymorphism that is likely relevant for expression. Substitution within a putative binding site for the transcription factor acute myeloid leukemia gene 1 could determine the lack of expression for some KIR2DL5 variants.
Online Network Coding for Time-Division Duplexing

We study an online random linear network coding approach for time division duplexing (TDD) channels under Poisson arrivals. We model the system as a bulk-service queue with variable bulk size and with feedback, i.e., when a set of packets are serviced at a given time, they might be reintroduced to the queue to form part of the next service batch. We show that there is an optimal number of coded data packets that the sender should transmit back-to-back before stopping to wait for an acknowledgement from the receiver. This number depends on the latency, probability of packet erasure, degrees of freedom at the receiver, the size of the coding window, and the arrival rate of the Poisson process. Random network coding is performed across a moving window of packets that depends on the packets in the queue, design constraints on the window size, and the feedback sent from the receiver. We study the mean time between generating a packet at the source and it being ``seen", but not necessarily decoded, at the receiver. We also analyze the mean time between a decoding event and the next, defined as the decoding of all the packets that have been previously ``seen" and those packets involved in the current window of packets. Inherently, a decoding event implies an in-order decoding of a batch of data packets. We present numerical results illustrating the trade-off between mean delay and mean time between decoding events.