Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acid Violence: A Burning Issue of Bangladesh—Its Medicolegal Aspects

Throwing acid on others’ face and body to cause grievous injuries is a barbaric act of vengeance. For the last few years, it has been on the rise in both urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. The perpetrators are mostly men and adolescent boys. The victims are girls and young females. The reasons for attacks are sexual advances from man, refusal of marriage proposal, and vengeance. Cheap and easy availability of acids makes it the most effective weapon for man to use against girls’ or young women's faces to prove that they have no right to deny a man's proposal and is one of the extreme forms of repression and violation of women's right. The consequence of acid attacks on survivors brings dramatic change in their lifestyle. Most of them have to give up their education or work. Social isolation, fear of further attacks, and insecurity damage their self-esteem and confidence. Illiteracy, poverty, threats to further retribution, and ignorance about legal support increase their miseries. Gradual increase of acid attacks suggests that legal provisions and their enforcement are not adequate and effective. Social awareness, economic and psychologic support, rehabilitation, and strict enforcement of laws are key to combat acid violence in Bangladesh.
Inhibition of cyclooxygenase‐2 causes regression of gastric adenomas in trefoil factor 1 deficient mice

Cyclooxygenase‐2 (Cox‐2) expression is a marker of reduced survival in gastric cancer patients, and inhibition of Cox‐2 suppresses gastrointestinal carcinogenesis in experimental animal models. To investigate the role of Cox‐2 in gastric carcinogenesis in vivo, we utilized trefoil factor 1 (Tff1) deficient mice, which model the neoplastic process of the stomach by developing gastric adenomas with full penetrance. These tumors express Cox‐2 protein and mRNA, and we have now investigated the effects of genetic deletion of the mouse Cox‐2 gene [also known as prostaglandin‐endoperoxide synthase 2 (Ptgs2)] and a Cox‐2 selective drug celecoxib. Our results show that genetic deletion of Cox‐2 in the Tff1 deleted background resulted in reduced adenoma size and ulceration with a chronic inflammatory reaction at the site of the adenoma. To characterize the effect of Cox‐2 inhibition in more detail, mice that had already developed an adenoma were fed with celecoxib for 8–14 weeks, which resulted in disruption of the adenoma that ranged from superficial erosion to deep ulcerated destruction accompanied with chronic inflammation. Importantly, mice fed with celecoxib for 16 weeks, followed by control food for 9 weeks, redeveloped a complete adenoma with no detectable inflammatory process. Finally, we determined the identity of the Cox‐2 expressing cells and found them to be fibroblasts. Our results show that inhibition of Cox‐2 is sufficient to reversibly disrupt gastric adenomas in mice.
Characterization of regulatory functions of the varicella-zoster virus gene 63-encoded protein

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gene 63 encodes a protein (IE63) with a predicted molecular mass of 30.5 kDa which has amino acid similarities to the immediate-early (IE) protein 22 (ICP22) of herpes simplex virus type 1. ICP22 is a polypeptide synthesized in herpes simplex virus type 1-infected cells, and as is the case for its VZV counterpart, its regulatory functions are unknown. On the basis of the VZV DNA sequence, it has been shown that IE63 exhibits hydrophilic and acidic properties, suggesting that this protein could play a regulatory role during the infectious cycle. We report in this article cotransfection experiments which demonstrate that the VZV gene 63 protein strongly represses, in a dose-dependent manner, the expression of VZV gene 62. On the other hand, transient expression of the VZV gene 63 protein can promote activation of the thymidine kinase gene but cannot affect the expression of the genes encoding glycoproteins I and II. The results of transient expression experiments strongly suggest that the VZV gene 63 protein could play a pivotal role in the repression of IE gene expression as well as in the activation of early gene expression.
Adoption of Internet Banking Services in India : An Empirical Study

Understanding the adoption of a new technology is an essential process to determine its uses and future advancements. This study aims at investigating the adoption of such similar technology i.e., Internet Banking (IB). The study adapted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Perceived Web Security (PWS) construct to understand the adoption of IB services in India. Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU) are considered as the two main determinants to evaluate the Attitude towards Use (ATU) and Intention to Use (INTU) internet banking services. A well-designed questionnaire is used and 340 responses were collected to empirically test the hypothesized relations of the theoretical model developed. The relationship between the constructs are tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The extended model of TAM once again confirmed the role of PU and PEoU in affecting the attitude and intention to use IB services. All the hypothesis were significant except the effect of PWS on attitude towards use of IB services.
The Downstream Consequences of Problem-Solving Mindsets: How Playing with LEGO Influences Creativity

Business leaders, governments, and scholars are increasingly recognizing the importance of creativity. Recent trends in technology and education, however, suggest that many people are facing fewer opportunities to engage in creative thought as they increasingly solve well-defined (vs. ill-defined) problems. Using three studies that involve real problem-solving activities (e.g., putting together a LEGO kit), the authors examine the mindset created by addressing such well-defined problems. The studies demonstrate the negative downstream impact of such a mindset on both creative task performance and tendency to choose to engage in creative tasks. The research has theoretical implications for the creativity and mindset literature streams as well as substantive insights for managers and public policy makers.
Adult Day Care for the Frail Elderly

Objectives: To assess outcomes and satisfaction among frail elderly day care clients and their informal caregivers and the impact of adult day care on the cost of health services. Methods:One-hundred eight elderly participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (immediate admission to an adult day care center) and 104 participants to the control group (3 months on a waiting list). Results:Participants’ and caregivers’ subjective perceptions of the day center’s effects were positive. However, using standard research instruments, there was no evidence of an effect of day center attendance on the client’s anxiety, depression, or functional status; on caregiver burden; or on the cost of health services. Discussion:It is difficult to demonstrate objectively the benefits of programs and interventions that are perceived by clients, caregivers, and staff to have positive effects. In future studies, maintenance of high levels of participation should be incorporated as an explicit program goal.
Optimizing weight for maternal and infant health: tenable, or too late?

Obesity in pregnancy is the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity. Furthermore, gestational weight gain is one modifiable risk factor that improves pregnancy outcomes. Most pregnant women experience a weight increase that is higher than the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations, particularly with already overweight and obese women. Gestational weight gain less than the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines in obese women may improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce large-for-gestational-age infants, an independent risk factor for childhood obesity, without increasing small-for-gestational-age infants. Unfortunately, despite the fact that over 50 interventional trials designed to decrease excess gestational weight gain have been conducted, these interventions have only been modestly effective, and interventions designed to facilitate postpartum weight loss have also been disappointing. Successful interventions are of paramount importance not only to improve pregnancy outcomes but also for the future metabolic health of the mother and her infant, and may be key in attenuating the trans-generational risk on childhood obesity.
In vivo and in vitro neurogenesis in human olfactory epithelium

The birth and differentiation of neurons have been extensively studied in the olfactory epithelium (OE) of rodents but not in humans. The goal of this study was to characterize cellular composition and molecular expression of human OE in vivo and in vitro. In rodent OE, there are horizontal basal cells and globose basal cells that are morphologically and functionally distinct. In human OE, however, there appears to be no morphological distinction among basal cells, with almost all cells having round cell bodies similar to rodent globose basal cells. Unlike the case in rodents, human basal cells, including putative neuronal precursors, express p75NGFR, suggesting a distinctive role for p75NGFR in human OE neurogenesis. Molecular expression of neuronal cells during differentiation in human OE grossly follows that in rodents. However, the topographical organization of immature and mature ORNs in human OE differs from that of rodents, in that immature and mature ORNs in humans are dispersed throughout the OE, whereas rodent counterparts have a highly laminar organization. These observations together suggest that the birth and differentiation of neuronal cells in human OE differ from those in rodents. In OE explant culture, neuronal cells derived from human OE biopsy express markers for immature and mature neurons, grossly recapitulating neuronal differentiation of olfactory neurons in vivo. Furthermore, small numbers of cells are doubly label for bromodeoxyuridine and olfactory marker protein, indicating that neuronal cells born in vitro reach maturity. These data highlight species‐related differences in OE development and demonstrate the utility of explant culture for experimental studies of human neuronal development. J. Comp. Neurol. 483:154–163, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Purification and characterization of human antiplasmin, the fast-acting plasmin inhibitor in plasma.

A simple and rapid purification procedure for antiplasmin is described using affinity chromatography on plasminogen-Sepharose, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and chromatography on Concanavalin-A-Sepharose. The final product was shown to be homogeneous using several polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic systems. It is a single-chain glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 70000 as determined both by dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The sedimentation constant was estimated to be 3.45 S and the carbohydrate content about 14%. Sequence analysis showed the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence to be: Asn-Gln-Glu-Gly-. Immunochemically this protein is different from all the known protease inhibitors in plasma. It was also shown that antiplasmin is a very stable protein if the pH is kept above 6. Antiplasmin rapidly forms a very stable complex with plasmin. Reduction of the complex shows that it is the B-chain of plasmin which is involved. The purified partially reduced and S-carboxy-methylated B-chain of plasmin can also progressively form a complex with antiplasmin. If the reaction between plasmin and antiplasmin is studied in an excess of plasmin a peptide bond seems to be clipped somewhere in the complex between the plasmin B-chain and antiplasmin leading to release of a 14000-Mr fragment (after reduction). This is, however, an event which occurs after complex formation.
Age at treatment and long‐term performance results in medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is highly radioresponsive, and recent treatment results have improved greatly since the introduction of megavoltage machine in 1960s. There is increasing evidence for the potential cure of medulloblastoma if properly treated in its early stages. The curable group represents approximately 75% of diagnosed patients. Long‐term treatment effects were examined in this study. The study reveals age‐dependent late effects in learning ability; the patients less than 4‐years‐old at treatment had major learning problems; patients of 5 to 7 years old performed at satisfactory‐to‐low passing levels in school work; patients older than 8 years old had no major intellectual impairment. Short stature was common when growth potential was present at the time of therapy, but endocrine tests were generally negative. These observations indicate special educational requirement needs, especially for children treated at a young age.
DO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PLAY ANY ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES AND SÉZARY SYNDROME?

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and its leukemic variant, the Sezary syndrome (ss), are the most common cutaneous lymphomas, being characterized by progressive evolution and interrupted by periods of remission. The etiology of these entities is obscure and the risk factors for their development are not well understood. In 1988, Weinstock and Horm^ investigated the descriptive epidemiology of MF. From 1973 to 1984, 721 new cases were reported to nine cancer registry offices in the United States; this corresponds to a rate of 0.29 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Older age groups were predominantly affected; the incidence in blacks was twice that of Caucasians; and men were afflicted twice as often as women. During this period, a dramatic increase in incidence of 3.2 times was recorded. Relative differences in age, sex, ^^^ race were maintained. The percentage of MF cases in relation to the total numbers of lymphomas also increased from 1.6 to 2.8%. It can be argued that an iroprovement in the diagnostic criteria could be responsible for these increases and that this would reflect a better detection of the disease rather than a real increase in incidence. If the latter supposition held true, these patients would also show an increase in their survival rate because they would be diagnosed and treated earlier and better. This improvement is not apparent from the epidemiologists' data that indicate we are possibly facing a true increase in incidence.
The relation of thyroid function and ventricular repolarization: decreased serum thyrotropin levels are associated with short rate-adjusted QT intervals.

CONTEXT The linkage of thyroid dysfunction with ventricular repolarization properties has not been investigated extensively, although alterations might be associated with an increased ventricular vulnerability. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate whether there is an association between functional thyroid status and rate-adjusted QT intervals (QTc). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The population-based Study of Health in Pomerania included 4310 subjects aged 20-79 yr. Data of 3610 subjects (1862 women and 1748 men) without branch bundle blocks or pacemaker were available for the present analyzes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES QTc with respect to thyroid status. Short QTc was defined below the 25th percentile, and long QTc above the 75th percentile of the gender-specific distribution. RESULTS TSH levels were positively associated with QTc independent from potential confounders in multivariable analyses (P for trend = 0.001). Subjects with decreased TSH levels had shorter QTc than those with normal TSH levels (426.4 +/- 8.2 vs. 430.2 +/- 8.2; P < 0.001). Adjusted odds ratios for short QTc in subjects with elevated, normal, and decreased TSH were 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.58-1.31), 1.00 (reference), and 1.53 (95% confidence interval 1.16-2.03), respectively (P for trend = 0.008). CONCLUSION TSH levels were positively related to QTc in a population-based sample. Subjects with decreased serum TSH levels had an increased risk for short QTc. Whether these findings are of clinical significance has to be investigated by further studies.
Steroid biosynthesis in prokaryotes: identification of myxobacterial steroids and cloning of the first bacterial 2,3(S)‐oxidosqualene cyclase from the myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca

Steroids, such as cholesterol, are synthesized in almost all eukaryotic cells, which use these triterpenoid lipids to control the fluidity and flexibility of their cell membranes. Bacteria rarely synthesize such tetracyclic compounds but frequently replace them with a different class of triterpenoids, the pentacyclic hopanoids. The intriguing mechanisms involved in triterpene biosynthesis have attracted much attention, resulting in extensive studies of squalene‐hopene cyclase in bacteria and (S)‐2,3‐oxidosqualene cyclases in eukarya. Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about steroid biosynthesis in bacteria. Only three steroid‐synthesizing bacterial species have been identified before this study. Here, we report on a variety of sterol‐producing myxobacteria. Stigmatella aurantiaca is shown to produce cycloartenol, the well‐known first cyclization product of steroid biosynthesis in plants and algae. Additionally, we describe the cloning of the first bacterial steroid biosynthesis gene, cas, encoding the cycloartenol synthase (Cas) of S. aurantiaca. Mutants of cas generated via site‐directed mutagenesis do not produce the compound. They show neither growth retardation in comparison with wild type nor any increase in ethanol sensitivity. The protein encoded by cas is most similar to the Cas proteins from several plant species, indicating a close evolutionary relationship between myxobacterial and eukaryotic steroid biosynthesis.
Genetic susceptibility to cancer: the role of polymorphisms in candidate genes.

CONTEXT Continuing advances in genotyping technologies and the inclusion of DNA collection in observational studies have resulted in an increasing number of genetic association studies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the overall progress and contribution of candidate gene association studies to current understanding of the genetic susceptibility to cancer. DATA SOURCES We systematically examined the results of meta-analyses and pooled analyses for genetic polymorphisms and cancer risk published through March 2008. STUDY SELECTION We identified 161 meta-analyses and pooled analyses, encompassing 18 cancer sites and 99 genes. Analyses had to meet the following criteria: include at least 500 cases, have cancer risk as outcome, not be focused on HLA antigen genetic markers, and be published in English. DATA EXTRACTION Information on cancer site, gene name, variant, point estimate and 95% confidence interval (CI), allelic frequency, number of studies and cases, tests of study heterogeneity, and publication bias were extracted by 1 investigator and reviewed by other investigators. RESULTS These 161 analyses evaluated 344 gene-variant cancer associations and included on average 7.3 studies and 3551 cases (range, 508-19 729 cases) per investigated association. The summary odds ratio (OR) for 98 (28%) statistically significant associations (P value <.05) were further evaluated by estimating the false-positive report probability (FPRP) at a given prior probability and statistical power. At a prior probability level of 0.001 and statistical power to detect an OR of 1.5, 13 gene-variant cancer associations remained noteworthy (FPRP <0.2). Assuming a very low prior probability of 0.000001, similar to a probability assumed for a randomly selected single-nucleotide polymorphism in a genome-wide association study, and statistical power to detect an OR of 1.5, 4 associations were considered noteworthy as denoted by an FPRP value <0.2: GSTM1 null and bladder cancer (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3-1.6; P = 1.9 x 10(-14)), NAT2 slow acetylator and bladder cancer (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.26-1.68; P = 2.5 x 10(-7)), MTHFR C677T and gastric cancer (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.31-1.77; P = 4.9 x 10(-8)), and GSTM1 null and acute leukemia (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25; P = 8.6 x 10(-15)). When the OR used to determine statistical power was lowered to 1.2, 2 of the 4 noteworthy associations remained so: GSTM1 null with bladder cancer and acute leukemia. CONCLUSION In this review of candidate gene association studies, nearly one-third of gene-variant cancer associations were statistically significant, with variants in genes encoding for metabolizing enzymes among the most consistent and highly significant associations.
Throughput-fairness trade-off in probabilistic medium access control for wireless ad hoc networks

In this work we investigate the interaction between fairness and overall efficiency of wireless networks utilizing minimum-effort signaling and rough administration structure. In such networks the QoS control, like e.g. total throughput maximization, assuring fairness of link-rates etc., has to be accomplished by appropriate medium access design. Using the tools of majorization theory we characterize the interdependence between max-min fair, efficiency-optimal and worst-case probabilistic medium access schemes, with efficiency described by a general function of link-QoS parameters, e.g. total network throughput, sum of logarithmic rates etc. In particular, we characterize the interesting efficiency functionals, which are optimized under max-min fair medium access.
Exterior egg quality as affected by enrichment resources layout in furnished laying-hen cages

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of enrichment resources (a perch, dustbath, and nest) layout in furnished laying-hen cages (FC) on exterior quality of eggs. Methods One hundred and sixty-eight (168) Hy-Line Brown laying hens at 16 weeks of age were randomly distributed to four treatments: small furnished cages (SFC), medium furnished cages type I (MFC-I), medium furnished cages type II (MFC-II), and medium furnished cages type III (MFC-III). Each treatment had 4 replicates or cages with 6 hens for SFC (24 birds for each SFC) and 12 hen/cage for MFC-I, -II, and -III (48 birds for each MFC-I, -II and -III). Following a 2-week acclimation, data collection started at 18 weeks of age and continued till 52 weeks of age. Dirtiness of egg surface or cracked shell as indicators of the exterior egg quality were recorded each week. Results The results showed that the proportion of cracked or dirty eggs was significantly affected by the FC type (p<0.01) in that the highest proportion of cracked or dirty eggs was found in MFC-I and the lowest proportion of dirty eggs in SFC. The results of this showed that furnished cage types affected both dirty eggs and cracked eggs (p<0.01). The results also indicated that not nest but dustbath lead to more dirty eggs. Only MFC-I had higher dirty eggs at nest than other FC (p< 0.01). The results of dirty eggs in MFC-I and MFC-II compared with SFC and MFC-III seemed suggest that a low position of dustbath led to more dirty eggs. Conclusion SFC design affected exterior egg quality and the low position of dustbath in FC resulted in higher proportion of dirty eggs.
Parallel bit-level pipelined VLSI designs for high-speed signal processing

This paper explores the potential of bit-level pipelined VLSI for high-speed signal processing. We discuss issues involved in designing such fully pipelined architectures. These include clock skew, clock distribution networks, buffering, timing simulation, area overhead due to pipelining, and testing. A total of six bit-level pipelined designs, including a multiplier, an FIR filter block, and a multichannel multiply-accumulate/add chip, have now been fabricated in CMOS technology. These chips have been tested both for functionality and speed. The results of these tests and the applications of these chips are presented and discussed.