Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety in Numbers for walkers and bicyclists: exploring the mechanisms

Safety in Numbers is the phenomenon by which the per-walker or per-bicyclist frequency of being struck by motorists declines as the amount of walking or bicycling on a street or in a region increases.1 That is, while the absolute number of walkers or bicyclists struck by motorists may increase with more people walking or bicycling, due to the increase in exposure, the number of such collisions is observed to increase more slowly than the increase in the number of walkers or bicyclists, or even decrease. The emergence of Safety in Numbers in the 1990s as a widely observed phenomenon reinforces the understanding that the number of injuries suffered by walkers or bicyclists is an imperfect indicator of the danger of walking or bicycling. Rather, the number of walking or bicycling injuries must be adjusted for the numbers of individuals walking or bicycling. An example from a different context may be helpful here. The fact that no one is attacked in shark-infested waters doesn’t demonstrate that the waters are safe for swimming. The low casualties could simply mean no one swims. Similarly, people tend to refrain from walking or bicycling where they believe they will place themselves in danger by doing so.2 Consequently, safety is best measured by the risk of injury, not by the number of injuries. Safety is indicated by the absence of danger, not by an absence of injuries. The Safety in Numbers effect for motorist collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists was first described in the context of intersections in Sweden in 1993.3 Thereafter, the effect was also found to apply to entire towns, cities and countries, and even across time periods.1 Numerous additional studies using a variety of data sources confirmed the existence of the Safety in Numbers effect.4 Mathematically, the most …
Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Serratia marcescens and Enterobacter liquefaciens

Production of 5′-nucleotides by Serratia marcescens and Enterobacter liquefaciens correlates with deoxyribonuclease production, indicating the close relationship between these two organisms. To determine further relationships, susceptibilities of 279 strains of the tribe Klebsielleae were determined by the high-potency disc method, agar-dilution method, or both, by using 14 antibiotics. Ninety-seven per cent of S. marcescens (201 of 207 strains) and 100% of E. liquefaciens (17 strains) had minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 100 μg/ml or greater with colistin and polymyxin B. With these two antibiotics, 93% of other Enterobacter species (28 strains) had MIC values of less than 1.6 μg/ml, and 100% of Klebsiella (27 strains) had MIC values less than 1.6 μg/ml. Consistent patterns were not noted with the other antibiotics tested, but the results with colistin and polymyxin B provide additional evidence of the close relationship of S. marcescens and E. liquefaciens.
DNA Copy Number Aberrations and Disruption of the p16Ink4a/Rb Pathway in Radiation-Induced and Spontaneous Rat Mammary Carcinomas

Abstract Chromosomal amplifications and deletions are thought to be important events in spontaneous and radiation-induced carcinogenesis. To clarify how ionizing radiation induces mammary carcinogenesis, we characterized genomic copy number aberrations for γ-ray-induced rat mammary carcinomas using microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization. We examined 14 carcinomas induced by γ radiation (2 Gy) and found 26 aberrations, including trisomies of chromosomes 4 and 10 for three and one carcinomas, respectively, an amplification of the chromosomal region 1q12 in two carcinomas, and deletions of the chromosomal regions 3q35q36, 5q32 and 7q11 in two, two and four carcinomas, respectively. These aberrations were not observed in seven spontaneous mammary carcinomas. The expression of p16Ink4a and p19Arf, which are located in the chromosomal region 5q32, was always up-regulated except for a carcinoma with a homozygous deletion of region 5q32. The up-regulation was not accounted for by gene mutations or promoter hypomethylation. However, the amounts of Rb and its mRNA were down-regulated in these carcinomas, indicating a disruption of the p16Ink4a/Rb pathway. This is the first report of array CGH analysis for radiation-induced mammary tumors, which reveals that they show distinct DNA copy number aberration patterns that are different from those of spontaneous tumors and those reported previously for chemically induced tumors.
Efficacy of localized chemical treatments for Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in naturally infested lumber.

Localized injection of insecticides into termite galleries in infested wood represents an alternative to whole-structure fumigation for drywood termite control. The efficacy of this method is limited, however, by the use of repellant insecticides and the difficulty of locating drywood termite colonies. The present study addressed both issues by the use of an experimental acoustic emissions (AE) detector to assist in location of termite infestations in naturally infested shipping pallets, and application of the non-repellant insecticide spinosad (Dow AgroSciences). Chlorpyrifos 0.5% aerosol, 15% aqueous disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT), resmethrin 0.25% aerosol, distilled water (control) and two treatments of 0.5% spinosad suspension concentrate (one with the injection site based on visual evidence and the other on acoustic evidence) were injected into boards in hardwood shipping pallets naturally infested with the drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis Walker. Termite mortality was greatest with spinosad treatments, although variability was high due to the continued difficulty of identifying and treating all separate areas of infestation in the boards.
Gray and white matter volume changes in early RRMS

Background: Brain atrophy, in excess of that seen with normal aging, has been observed early in the clinical course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Previous work has suggested that at this stage of the disease, gray matter (GM) atrophy progresses more rapidly than the white matter (WM) atrophy. Objectives: To characterize the evolution of GM and WM volumes over 2 years, and their associations with lesion loads in a cohort of patients with clinically early RRMS. Methods: Twenty-one patients with RRMS (mean age 37.5 years, mean disease duration from symptom onset 2.1 years) and 10 healthy control subjects (mean age 37.1 years) were studied. Tissue volumes, as fractions of total intracranial volumes, were estimated at baseline and 1- and 2-year follow-up. Brain parenchymal fractions (BPF), GM fractions (GMF), and WM fractions (WMF) were estimated. In subjects with MS, brain lesion loads were determined on conventional T2-weighted along with pre- and post-gadolinium (Gd) enhanced T1-weighted images at each timepoint. Results: A decrease in GMF was observed in subjects with MS vs normal controls over the 2 years of the study (mean −2.1% vs −1.0%, p = 0.044), while no change was seen in WMF over the same period (mean −0.09% vs +0.09%, p = 0.812). However, when the MS cohort was divided in half, dependent upon change in Gd-enhancing lesion load over 2 years (n = 20), a decrease in WMF was seen in the group (n = 10) with the largest decline in Gd volume, whereas WMF increased in the other half (n = 10) concurrent with a net increase in volume of Gd-enhancing lesions (difference between groups: p = 0.034). Conclusions: Increasing gray matter but not white matter (WM) atrophy was observed early in the clinical course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Fluctuations in inflammatory WM lesions appear to be related to volume changes in WM over this time period.
Validation of the Simplified Psoriasis Index in Dutch children and adolescents with plaque psoriasis

The Simplified Psoriasis Index (SPI) is a three‐domain assessment measure for psoriasis, including separate indicators of current severity (SPI‐s), psychosocial impact (SPI‐p), and past history and interventions (SPI‐i). There are two complementary versions available designed for completion by a health professional (proSPI) or by patient self‐assessment (saSPI). The validity and reliability of the proSPI vs. saSPI have already been demonstrated in adults. To date, validated severity measures for paediatric psoriasis do not exist.
Informal Family Caregiver Burden in Elderly Assistance and Nursing Implications

Nowadays, 15% of the Italian population is 65 years or older. As individuals age, they increasingly experience limitations in their facility to achieve activities of daily living. In this study fifty informal family caregivers were recruited and their burden levels were quantified, by using the “Objective Burden Scale” (OBS) and the “Subjective Burden Scale” (SBS). All the caregivers considered take care of an elderly person. Then, a nursing planning was redacted by including all nursing interventions necessary to caregiver in order to ameliorate their performances. Caregivers need help to promote their wellbeing and to guide their actions in the
Toward a tripartite model of intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation (IM) refers to engaging in an activity for the pleasure inherent in the activity. The present article presents a tripartite model of IM consisting of IM to know (i.e., engaging in an activity to experience pleasure while learning and trying to understand something new), IM toward accomplishment (i.e., engaging in an activity for the pleasure experienced when attempting task mastery), and IM to experience stimulation (i.e., engaging in an activity for feelings of sensory pleasure). The tripartite model of IM posits that each type of IM can result from task, situational, and personality determinants and can lead to specific types of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this research was to test some predictions derived from this model. Across 4 studies (Study 1: N = 331; Study 2: N = 113; Study 3: N = 58; Study 4: N = 135), the 3 types of IM as well as potential determinants and consequences were assessed. Results revealed that experiencing one type of IM over the others depends in part on people's personality styles. Also, each type of IM was found to predict specific outcomes (i.e., affective states and behavioral choices). The implications of the tripartite model of IM for motivation research are discussed.
LA MILpA MAYA YUCATECA EN EL SIGLO XVI: EVIDENCIAS ETNOHISTÓRICAS Y CONJETURAS

En Yucatan, la milpa maya es un fenomeno cultural y tecnologico de aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales que tiene dos acepciones: a) la parcela, donde se cultivan especies anuales, donde el maiz es la principal; y b) el sistema de manejo y aprovechamiento de la selva. La consulta de dos importantes fuentes del siglo XVI, a saber, Las Relaciones historicosGeograficas de la Gobernacion de Yucatan de 1577, escritas con base en sabios mayas consultados por encomenderos a peticion de Felipe II, y La Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan de Diego de Landa de 1566, permiten tener un importanteacercamiento a este fenomeno durante el momento del contacto con la cultura hispana, al compararse con la milpa actual, se observan muchas de las similitudes y diferencias existentes en aspectos como: papel del maiz y la milpa en el entorno maya; uso intensivo de la tierra; el proceso de adaptacion de la milpa al ambiente, partiendo del conocimiento y tecnologia del campesino maya; las plantas cultivadas; los senores o dioses de la milpa y la agricultura; las practicas de cultivo y los instrumentos; asi como los principales problemas que enfrentaba en ese momento. Las citas textuales de las fuentes, permitenademas hacer un conjunto de nuevas preguntas, algunas de las cuales tratan de responderse a partir de conjeturas basadas en la interpretacion de estas y en la experiencia del trabajo de campo y bibliografia consultada por el autor.
Title-Botulinum Toxin and Gummy Smile- A Review

A smile is one of the most effective means by which people convey their emotions. When an excess of gingiva superior to the maxillary anterior teeth is displayed upon full smile, it is termed a gingival smile or Gummy smile. Treatment modalities for gummy smile change according to its etiology. One cause of excessive gingival display is the muscular capacity to raise the upper lip higher than average. Several surgical procedures have been reported to improve the condition, but surgery always involves risk and is costly. Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) (Botox; Allergan, Irvine, Calif) has been studied since the late 1970s for the treatment of several conditions associated with excessive muscle contraction. Injection with BTX-A at preselected sites is a novel, cosmetically effective, minimally invasive alternative for the temporary improvement of gummy smiles caused by hyperfunctional upper lip elevator muscles.
Improvement of the output characteristics of magnetrons using the transparent cathode

The output characteristics of magnetrons can be significantly improved by using a cathode that is transparent to the synchronous electromagnetic fields thereby providing improved conditions for fast conversion of the electrons' potential energy into electromagnetic energy. The transparent cathode consists of separate longitudinal metal strips, arranged to form a cylindrical surface, that act as individual electron emitters. Favorable prebunching of electrons to excite the desired operating mode is provided by a suitable choice of the number and azimuthal position of the cathode strips. The strong azimuthal wave field in the cathode region rapidly captures the prebunched electrons into rotating spokes forming the anode current. This process provides faster start-of-oscillations than priming using a solid cathode. The strong wave field in the electron sheath over the cathode, for any sheath thickness, gives the possibility of improving the efficiency by concomitantly increasing the applied voltage and magnetic field. Computer simulations of the A6 magnetron driven both by a solid and transparent cathode demonstrate the advantages of this approach
Simultaneous overexpression of avian pp60c-src and polyomavirus middle T antigen in mammalian cells

Recombinant adenoviruses bearing the avian c-src gene and polyomavirus middle-T-antigen gene were isolated and used to simultaneously overexpress both proteins in human 293 cells. Cells overexpressing both proteins had greater middle-T-antigen-associated tyrosine kinase activity than cells overexpressing only middle T antigen. By contrast, the intrinsic pp60c-src tyrosine kinase activity was not greater in cells overexpressing both proteins than in cells overexpressing only pp60c-src. This system of simultaneous overexpression provides a means of obtaining large quantities of pp60c-src, middle T antigen, and the complex between them.
The daily you: How the new advertising industry is defining your identity and your worth

Joseph Turow’s The Daily You takes us behind the scenes of the advertising industry to get a better sense of not just how its capitalistic rationale is put into practice but its potential impact on individuals in a consumer society. While readers are probably most familiar with his Breaking Up America (Turow, 1997), this book is a more natural development of its 2006 antecedent, Niche Envy. Indeed The Daily You contains familiar arguments Turow has made previously about marketing discrimination and profiling in a digital age, but this book delves further into the actual mechanics and end-goals of how advertising companies gather data, profile people, and try to follow “valuable” individuals across as many possible geographic locations and devices as possible.
Acid-Functionalized Nanoparticles for Pretreatment of Wheat Straw

Perfluoroalkylsufonic (PFS) and alkylsufonic (AS) acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized, then evaluated for their ability to hydrolyze hemicelluloses. The magnetic core was made of cobalt spinel ferrite and was coated with silica to protect it from oxidation. The silanol groups allowed surface chemical modification of the nanoparticles with the PFS and AS acid functionalities. Thermogravimetric analysis gave a total organic load of 12.6% and 32.5% (w/w) for AS and PFS nanoparticles, respectively. The surface sulfur content was calculated from XPS analysis as 1.37% and 1.93% for PFS and AS nanoparticles, respectively. Wheat straw samples were treated with the acid-functionalized nanoparticles at two different conditions: 80℃ for 24 h and 160℃ for 2 h. These experiments aimed to hydrolyze wheat straw hemicelluloses to soluble oligosaccharides. PFS nanoparticles solubilized significantly higher amounts of hemicelluloses (24.0% ± 1.1%) than their alkyl-sulfonic counterparts (9.1% ± 1.7%) at 80℃, whereas the hydrothermolysis control solubilized 7.7% ± 0.8% of the original hemicelluloses in the sample. At 160℃, PFS and AS nanoparticles gave significantly higher amounts of oligosaccharides (46.3% ± 0.4% and 45 ± 1.2%, respectively) than the control (35.0% ± 1.8%). The hemicelluloses conversion at 160? C reached 66.3% ± 0.9% using PFS nanoparticles and 61.0% ± 1.2% using AS nanoparticles compared with the control experiment, which solubilized 50.9% ± 1.7% of hemicelluloses in the biomass.
West Nile Virus-Induced Interferon Production Is Mediated by the Double-Stranded RNA-Dependent Protein Kinase PKR

ABSTRACT Cells carry a variety of molecules, referred to as pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs), which are able to sense invading pathogens. Interaction of PRRs with viral compounds instigates a signaling pathway(s), resulting in the activation of genes, including those for type I interferon (IFN), which are critical for an effective antiviral response. Here we demonstrate that the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase PKR, which has been shown to function as a PRR in cells treated with the dsRNA mimetic poly(I:C), serves as a PRR in West Nile virus (WNV)-infected cells. Evidence for PKR's role as a PRR was obtained from both human and murine cells. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), we demonstrated that PKR gene knockout, posttranscriptional gene silencing of PKR mRNA using small interfering RNA (siRNA), and chemical inhibition of PKR function all interfered with IFN synthesis following WNV infection. In three different human cell lines, siRNA knockdown and chemical inhibition of PKR blocked WNV-induced IFN synthesis. Using the same approaches, we demonstrated that PKR was not necessary for Sendai virus-induced IFN synthesis, suggesting that PKR is particularly important for recognition of WNV infection. Taken together, our data suggest that PKR could serve as a PRR for recognition of WNV infection.
Design and analysis of a growable multicast ATM switch

This work designs and analyzes a cost-effective growable multicast asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch that has a new grouping network structure. The proposed switch can easily be enlarged by using more stages, since both cell routing and contention resolution are designed to distribute over the switch elements. Experimental results indicate that, by allowing valid cells to enter grouping networks from two directions (the west and north sides), the modular ATM switch proposed herein not only meets the ATM performance requirements for both unicasting and multicasting but also uses fewer switch elements and has a shorter cell delay than the ATM switch.
Paravahlkampfia francinae n. sp. Masquerading as an Agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis

ABSTRACT. Paravahlkampfia francinae n. sp. , a new species of the free‐living amoeba genus Paravahlkampfia, designated as CDC:V595, was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with headache, sore throat, and vomiting, typical symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri. The isolate grew at 33 °C, 37 °C, 40 °C, and 42 °C and destroyed mammalian cell cultures. However, it did not kill young mice upon intranasal inoculation. P. francinae does not produce flagellates and does not grow on agar plates coated with Gram‐negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, the usual food source of Paravahlkampfia ustiana, the type species of the genus. The trophozoite at light microscopy exhibited eruptive locomotion and possessed a single vesicular nucleus. Ultrastructurally, the trophozoites had numerous mitochondria with discoidal cristae but did not have a Golgi apparatus. The trophozoites differentiated into cysts after consuming most of the monolayer. The cyst had an inner well‐differentiated endocyst and an outer thin, wrinkled, and wavy ectocyst with no pores. During excystation trophozoites ruptured the cyst wall and emerged from the cysts. A unique feature seen in the cysts was the presence of bacterial endosymbionts, both in the endoplasm and within the cyst wall. Full‐length sequencing analysis of the 18S and 5.8S RNA genes of P. francinae showed that they were distinct from those of other Paravahlkampfia species. The patient recovered within a few days indicating that some of the previously reported cases of PAM that survived may have been due to P. francinae.
Distribution of carotene and vitamin A in liver, pancreas and body fat of Ghanaians

I. The carotene and vitamin A levels of liver, pancreas and body fat were determined in seventeen Ghanaians coming from areas where carotene-rich foods were freely available. 2. The liver was confirmed as the main storehouse of vitamin A, and vitamin A values for it were exceptionally high. Values for the other tissues were not higher than average. 3. In the study the carotene and vitamin A concentrations in the liver were higher in the females than in the males. 4. Under the conditions of high intake of carotene-rich foods, carotene was found to be distributed more evenly in various tissues than vitamin A.
Melatonin treatment stabilizes chronobiologic and cognitive symptoms in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES: A retrospective study on the efficacy of melatonin in treatment of sleep and cognitive disorders of Alzheimer's disease was conducted. METHODS: Fourteen patients (8 females, 6 males), mean +/- S.D. age 72 +/- 9 years were included. All patients received 9 mg gelatin melatonin capsules p.o. daily at bedtime for 22 to 35 months. Overall quality of sleep was assessed from sleep logs filled in by the patients or their caretakers. Neuropsychological evaluation was performed by Functional Assessment Tool For Alzheimer's Disease (FAST), Mini-Mental, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS), and Mattis' and Blessed's scales. At diagnosis, all patients had cognitive and neuroimaging alterations (cortical and bitemporal atrophy) compatible with different evolutionary stages of the disease. RESULTS: At the time of assessment, a significant improvement of sleep quality was found in all cases examined. There were no significant differences between initial and present evaluation in scores of FAST, Mini-Mental, and ADAS, and of Mattis' and Blessed's scales. Clinically, the patients exhibited lack of progression of the cognitive and behavioral signs of the disease during the time they received melatonin. Sundowning was no longer detectable in 12 patients and persisted, although attenuated, in 2 patients. CONCLUSION. The results suggest that melatonin can be useful for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.