Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of cell proliferation, micronuclei and hyperdiploidy/polyploidy in the mammary cells of DDT‐ and DMBA‐treated pubertal rats

The environmental estrogen, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and its metabolites have been implicated in the development of breast cancer through mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. It has been hypothesized that exposure to DDT and its metabolites, during critical periods of development, can contribute to an elevated risk for breast cancer in adults. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of o,p′‐DDT on mammary gland cell proliferation and chromosomal alterations, in a rat mammary cancer model (commonly used to study human cancer), to gain insights into its potential role in the development of breast cancer. Twenty‐one‐day‐old female Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were administered o,p′‐DDT, 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), genistein, DDT+DMBA, or DDT+DMBA+genistein, over a 14‐day period. To determine changes in chromosome number and structure, we used the micronucleus assay as well as multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) region‐specific DNA probes for rat chromosomes 4 and 19. Cell proliferation was evaluated using 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU). Significant increases in BrdU‐incorporated cells were seen in the rats treated with DDT+DMBA. Although micronucleus frequencies were somewhat elevated in several of the treatment groups, significant increases were not seen in any of them. Significant increases in numerical chromosomal aberrations were detected in all of the DDT‐ and DMBA‐treated groups. Genistein significantly reduced BrdU incorporation and polyploidy in the DDT+DMBA‐treated rats. These initial studies indicate that DDT and DMBA can induce cellular and chromosomal alterations in the rat mammary gland, which is consistent with the hypothesis that these agents can induce early events in mammary carcinogenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Changing Energy Requirements in the Mediterranean Under Changing Climatic Conditions

This study investigates the impacts of climate change on energy requirements in the Mediterranean. Energy requirements, especially for space heating and cooling, are closely linked to several weather variables, mainly air temperature. The analysis is based on daily temperature outputs from several regional climate models run at a resolution of 25 km × 25 km in the framework of EU project ENSEMBLES using the A1B emissions scenario. The impacts of changes in temperature on energy requirements are investigated using the concept of degree days, defined as the difference of mean air temperature from a base temperature. Base temperature should be chosen to coincide with the minimum energy consumption. In this way, changes in heating and cooling requirements between the reference and the future period are calculated and areas about to undergo large changes identified. These changes are calculated between a 30-year reference period 1961–1990 and a near future period 2021–2050 taking the ensemble mean of all regional climate models. The near-term future has been chosen instead of the frequently used end-of-the-century period to assist policy makers in their planning. In general, a decrease in energy requirements is projected under future milder winters and an increase under hotter summers.
Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of polylactide-layered silicate nanocomposites

Polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposites were prepared using melt blending technique. Two different commercially available nanoclays, Cloisite 93A (C93A) and Cloisite 30B (C30B) at various wt%, have been used to prepare the nanocomposites. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites have been studied to evaluate the effect of the nanoclay within the matrix polymer. Mechanical tests revealed an increase in the mechanical properties with the incorporation of organically modified nanoclays as compared with PLA matrix. PLA/C30B nanocomposites exhibited optimum tensile modulus at 3 wt% of clay loading. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies were also performed to evaluate the thermal behavior of the nanocomposites. Further, viscoelastic behavior in the nanocomposites has been investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to study the damping behavior of the materials. Also the morphological study was carried out through X-ray diffraction analysis, and a better exfoliation or dispersion of C30B clay with PLA matrix was observed. The interaction between the clays and PLA matrix has also been studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
What We Need to Know about Responsiveness to Intervention (and Shouldn't be Afraid to Ask)

During the past several years, one of the most frequently addressed topics at conferences and in professional journals is responsiveness to intervention (RTI). This is because it is viewed by many as a new way to think about both early intervention and disability identification. Despite its relative newness, a subset of RTI proponents contend researchers and practitioners know everything they need to know to implement it effectively. We disagree and argue that the smartest and most responsible way to move forward with RTI implementation is to recognize what all of us collectively do know and do not know. In this article, we identify unresolved issues—general and specific—important to RTI implementation, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement.
Reduced Circulating Levels of miR-433 and miR-133b Are Potential Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease

Aberrant expression of microRNA (miRNA) in tissues may lead to altered level in circulation. Considerable evidence has suggested that miRNA deregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we screened a set of PD-associated miRNAs and aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in plasma of PD patients and to evaluate their potentiality to serve as PD biomarkers. A total of 95 subjects consisting of 46 sporadic PD cases and 49 controls were recruited. Plasma levels of six miRNAs including miR-433, miR-133b, miR-34b, miR-34c, miR-153, and miR-7 were evaluated using reverse transcribed quantitative PCR, among which we found that miR-34c and miR-7 were below detection limit under our condition. The results showed that levels of circulating miR-433 (P = 0.003) and miR-133b (P = 0.006), but not miR-34b and miR-153, were reduced in PD patients. miR-433 and miR-133b were strongly correlated in both control and PD groups (rs = 0.87 and 0.85, respectively). The correlation between miR-34b and miR-153 expressions was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in the PD group. Although miR-433 and miR-133b were likely to be functionally complimentary as suggested by Pathway and Gene Ontology analyses, these two miRNAs per se might not be sufficient to predict PD. No correlation was observed between the four miRNAs and age or severity of disease. Collectively, our results demonstrate that circulating miR-433 and miR-133b are significantly altered in PD and may serve as PD biomarkers.
Assessment of Hand Hygiene Resources and Practices at the 2 Children’s Hospitals in Greece

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective way to prevent health care-associated infections and the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. The aim of our study was to assess the existing HH resources and current HH practices at 2 hospitals in Athens, Greece. Methods: Observational HH data and an inventory of HH resources were collected from 13 wards including medical/surgical, oncology/transplant and intensive care units, during 65, 1-hour observations periods. Results: A total of 1271 HH opportunities were observed during the study period, including 944 of Health Care Workers (HCW) and 327 of visitors and parents. The nursing HH compliance was highest (49%) followed by medical compliance (24%, P < 0.001). HCW HH compliance was highest in intensive care units and the transplant unit (64–87%). The rate of appropriate HH for HCW was 22.6%. HCW most commonly used soap and water (76.1%). The HH procedure was more likely to be appropriate when soap and water were used as compared with alcohol based hand rub (64.6% and 47.5%, P = 0.006). A marginally significant association was identified between the HH compliance rate and the number of alcohol based hand rub dispensers per room (P = 0.057). In visitors and parents, the HH compliance was found to be 19%, whereas the rate of appropriate HH was 8.9%. Conclusions: Low levels of HH were observed.
Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe

BACKGROUND Most research asks whether or not cohabitation has come to rival marriage. Little is known about the meaning of living apart together (LAT) relationships, and whether LAT is an alternative to marriage and cohabitation or a dating relationship. OBJECTIVE We examine across Europe: (1) the prevalence of LAT, (2) the reasons for LAT, and (3) the correlates of (a) LAT relationships vis-à-vis being single, married, or cohabiting, and (b) different types of LAT union. METHODS Using Generations and Gender Survey data from ten Western and Eastern European countries, we present descriptive statistics about LATs and estimate multinominal logistic regression models to assess the correlates of being in different types of LAT unions. RESULTS LAT relationships are uncommon, but they are more common in Western than Eastern Europe. Most people in LAT unions intend to live together but are apart for practical reasons. LAT is more common among young people, those enrolled in higher education, people with liberal attitudes, highly educated people, and those who have previously cohabited or been married. Older people and divorced or widowed persons are more likely to choose LAT to maintain independence. Surprisingly, attitudinal and educational differences are more pronounced in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. CONCLUSIONS A tentative conclusion is that LAT is more often a stage in the union formation process than an alternative to marriage and cohabitation. Yet some groups do view LAT as substituting for marriage and cohabitation, and these groups differ between East and West. In Eastern Europe a cultural, highly educated elite seems to be the first to resist traditional marriage norms and embrace LAT (and cohabitation) as alternative living arrangements, whereas this is less the case in Western Europe. In Western Europe, LAT unions are mainly an alternative for persons who have been married before or had children in a prior relationship.
Combustion of Biomass in fluidized-bed Furnace

The combustion of biomass (cassava stalk, peanut shell and rice straw) in fluidized-bed furnace was studied in order to examine the effects of air / fuel ratio on the combustion efficiency.The experiment was performed by changing air/fuel ratio at constant fuel feeding rate of 15 kg/hr.Results showed that the combustion efficiency of cassava stalk, peanut shell and rice straw are 99.71%, 99.07% and 97.92% at A/F ratio of 7.25, 6.0 and 7.15, respectively. The over bed temperature is higher than the in-bed, due to high volatile content of biomass fuel. In addition, the emission of CO was in the range of 290-340 ppm while NO X was in the range of 120-200 ppm.
Ferritin and Transferrin Are Both Predictive of the Onset of Hyperglycemia in Men and Women Over 3 Years

OBJECTIVE—The aim of the present work was to determine, in a cohort of men and women, whether ferritin and transferrin were associated with glucose metabolism and whether they were predictive of the onset of hyperglycemia (impaired fasting glycemia or type 2 diabetes) after 3 years of follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Among 4,501 subjects from the French Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) cohort, 1,277 subjects (644 men and 633 women) were randomly selected for the analysis of iron biomarkers at baseline and at 3 years. In addition, to determine whether these parameters were relevant to pathological changes, all 231 subjects normoglycemic at baseline and hyperglycemic 3 years later were analyzed for iron biomarkers. RESULTS—At baseline, plasma ferritin concentrations were positively correlated with fasting insulin and fasting glucose in the 1,277 subjects. Although transferrin and ferritin were negatively correlated, transferrin was also positively correlated with fasting insulinemia. Baseline ferritin concentration was an independent predictor of an increase in insulin concentration over a 3-year period (P = 0.002). Further, baseline ferritin and transferrin were independently associated with the onset of hyperglycemia over a 3-year period in the whole population (P < 0.001 for both) and in each sex. CONCLUSIONS—Although negatively correlated, both transferrin and ferritin were positively associated with the onset of abnormalities in glucose metabolism in a prospective study. These results further support the hypothesis of a causative role of iron metabolism in the onset of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Effect of methotrexate on cerebellar development in infant rats

Six-day-old rats were treated intraperitoneal injections with methotrexate 1 mg/kg, and the cerebellum was examined. Both the length and width of the vermis decreased in the methotrexate-treated group instead of the control from 4 day after treatment (DAT) onward. A significant reduction in the width of the external granular layer was detected on 2 and 3 DAT in the methotrexate group. By 4 DAT, the width of the external granular layer of the methotrexate group was indistinguishable from the control, and by 8 DAT, it was greater than that of the control. The molecular layer of methotrexate group on 8 and 15 DAT was thinner than that of the control. On 1 DAT, in the methotrexate group, there were many TUNEL and cleaved caspase-3-positive granular cells throughout the external granular layer, and they decreased time-dependently. On 1 DAT, in the methotrexate group, phospho-histone H3-positive cells in the external granular layer were fewer than in the control and tended to increase on 2–4 DAT. The p21-positive-rate of the external granule cells in the MTX group was higher than in the control on 1–4 DAT. These results suggested that methotrexate exposure on postnatal day 6 induces a delay, slowing in the migration of external granular cells to the inner granular layer, attributed to decrease or inhibition in the production of external granular cells that had arisen from apoptosis and the decrease in cell proliferative activity, resulting in cerebellar hypoplasia.
Are body fluctuating asymmetry and the ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length reliable predictors of semen quality?

BACKGROUND Recent attention has been paid to patterns of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in paired bilateral traits and the extent to which they reflect phenotypic and genetic quality. The FA-fertility hypothesis proposes that FA may be a reliable indicator of ejaculate quality in humans and other animals. The common control by the Hox genes of the differentiation of both the urogenital system and the appendicular skeleton in vertebrates has been proposed as an explanation for the recent finding that FA, and the second to fourth digit ratios (2D:4D) are both associated with semen quality in men. METHODS A group of 50 men was evaluated for FA, calculated by the sum of three different body FAs, 2D:4D ratios, and seminal parameters of masturbatory semen samples. RESULTS Composite FA had a significant effect on semen parameters; the 2D:4D ratios did not predict semen quality. CONCLUSIONS Comparison of our data with previous studies suggests that the putative relationship between semen quality and 2D:4D may have been driven by the inclusion of severely oligozoospermic men within the original subject group. Our sample included men with equally high 2D:4D ratios but who had normal semen. Thus, the 2D:4D ratio may not reliably indicate poor semen quality although FA might.
Functional Coupling of Chromogranin with the Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Shapes Calcium Signaling*

Chromogranins A and B are high capacity, low affinity calcium (Ca2+) storage proteins that bind to the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-gated receptor (InsP3 R). Although most commonly associated with secretory granules of neuroendocrine cells, chromogranins have also been found in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of many cell types. To investigate the functional consequences of the interaction between the InsP3 R and the chromogranins, we disrupted the interaction between the two proteins by adding a chromogranin fragment, which competed with chromogranin for its binding site on the InsP3R. Responses were monitored at the single channel level and in intact cells. When using InsP3 R type I incorporated into planar lipid bilayers and activated by cytoplasmic InsP3 and luminal chromogranin, the addition of the fragment reversed the enhancing effect of chromogranin. Moreover, the expression of the fragment in the ER of neuronally differentiated PC12 cells attenuated agonist-induced intracellular Ca2+ signaling. These results show that the InsP3R/chromogranin interaction amplifies Ca2+ release from the ER and that chromogranin is an essential component of this intracellular channel complex.
Location-Aided Fast Distributed Consensus

Existing works on distributed averaging explore linear iterations based on reversible Markov chains. The convergence of such algorithms is bounded to be slow due to the diffusive behavior of the reversible chains. It has been observed that by overcoming the diffusive behavior, certain nonreversible chains lifted from reversible ones mix substantially faster than the original chains [1], [2]. In this paper, we investigate the idea of fast distributed consensus via lifting Markov chains, and propose a class of Location-Aided Distributed Averaging (LADA) algorithms for wireless networks, where nodes’ location information is used to construct nonreversible chains that facilitates distributed computing and cooperative processing. We first show that it is possible to achieve an ǫ-averaging time of O(r log(ǫ)) in a wireless network with transmission radius r with a centralized algorithm, which is close to a performance lower bound derived based on resistance, an invariant of Markov chains. We then present a distributed LADA algorithm, which utilizes only the direction information of neighbors to construct nonreversible chains. The constructed chain does not naturally possess a uniform stationary distribution, which is in turn compensated by a weight estimation procedure to yield the average estimate. It is shown that LADA achieves the same scaling law in averaging time as the centralized scheme in wireless networks for all r satisfying the connectivity requirement. Finally, we propose a cluster-based LADA (C-LADA) algorithm, which requires no central coordination for clustering, and provides the additional benefit of reduced message complexity compared with LADA.
Thermal stress in a polymer-coated optical glass fiber with a low-modulus coating at the ends

A polymer-coated glass fiber with a low-modulus coating at the ends is considered. The objective of the analysis is to find out if there is sufficient incentive to use such a dual coating system for lower interfacial thermally induced stresses. These are due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion (contraction) of the dissimilar materials in the trimaterial structure. The study is restricted to the evaluation of the shearing stresses only and is based on a simplified strength-of-materials model, rather than on a rigorous theory-of-elasticity method. Such a approach seems to be justified, since the most accurate predictions of the magnitude and the distribution of the induced stresses are beyond the scope of this analysis. On the basis of the calculated data, we conclude that there is a definite incentive for employing a bimaterial coating system, in which “conventional” (high modulus) polymeric material is used in the midportion of the fiber, while a low-modulus material (typically, with a higher coefficient of expansion) is applied at its ends. Such a system could be recommended, when there is a need to bring down the interfacial stresses, and the possible increase in the manufacturing cost is not viewed as an obstacle.
Infants ask for help when they know they don’t know

Significance Although many animals have been shown to monitor their own uncertainty, only humans seem to have the ability to explicitly communicate their uncertainty to others. It remains unknown whether this ability is present early in development, or whether it only emerges later alongside language development. Here, using a nonverbal memory-monitoring paradigm, we show that infants are able to strategically ask for help to avoid making mistakes. These findings reveal that infants are capable of monitoring and communicating their own uncertainty. We propose that explicit metacognition develops earlier than previously thought, enabling infants to communicate their own uncertainty nonverbally to gain knowledge from others. Uncertainty monitoring is a core property of metacognition, allowing individuals to adapt their decision-making strategies depending on the state of their knowledge. Although it has been argued that other animals share these metacognitive abilities, only humans seem to possess the ability to explicitly communicate their own uncertainty to others. It remains unknown whether this capacity is present early in development, or whether it emerges later with the ability to verbally report one’s own mental states. Here, using a nonverbal memory-monitoring paradigm, we show that 20-month-olds can monitor and report their own uncertainty. Infants had to remember the location of a hidden toy before pointing to indicate where they wanted to recover it. In an experimental group, infants were given the possibility to ask for help through nonverbal communication when they had forgotten the toy location. Compared with a control group in which infants had no other option but to decide by themselves, infants given the opportunity to ask for help used this option strategically to improve their performance. Asking for help was used selectively to avoid making errors and to decline difficult choices. These results demonstrate that infants are able to successfully monitor their own uncertainty and share this information with others to fulfill their goals.
Risk factors for mortality in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

OBJECTIVE To analyze risk factors for, and the role of methicillin resistance in, mortality in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. DESIGN Nested case-control study. SETTING General teaching hospital with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, in São Paulo, Brazil. PATIENTS 136 patients over 14 years old with documented S aureus bacteremia. Those who died were compared with those who survived at least 14 days. RESULTS Mortality within 14 days of bacteremia was 39% (53/136). Mean age was 47 years. Hospital-acquired bacteremia represented 86% (117/136) of episodes. In 26% (35/136), infection was related to an intravascular catheter and in 13% (17/136) to the respiratory tract. Septic shock occurred in 22% (30/136) of cases. MRSA was isolated in 66% (90/136). Multivariate analysis identified three variables that were significantly and independently associated with mortality: site of entry (lung, odds ratio [OR], 17.0; unknown, OR, 12.3; others, OR, 6.6); occurrence of shock (OR, 8.9), and resistance of S aureus to methicillin (OR, 4.2). CONCLUSION Our study shows that S aureus bacteremia has a high mortality, especially when the lung is the source of infection and when shock develops; resistance to methicillin may be another risk factor for poor outcome.