Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Very early increase in nitric oxide formation and oxidative cell damage associated with the reduction of tissue oxygenation is a trait of blast casualties.

BACKGROUND In our previous experimental studies, we found evidence for the increase of nitric oxide (NO) formation immediately after blast injury. In the present study we investigated whether NO overproduction was a trait for the period immediately after blast injury in humans. Concomitant metabolic disturbances were also studied, and compared to the alterations in other traumatized patients. METHODS Blast casualties (group B, n = 13), surgical patients with the hip replacement or fractures, not exposed to blast effects (group S, n = 7) and healthy volunteers as controls (group C, n = 10), were examined. Both arterial and venous blood samples were taken within 6 hours, and 24 hours after blast injuries or surgical procedures, respectively. Plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate (NOx), superoxyde anion (O2-), sulfhydrils (SH), malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as acid-base status and other biochemical parameters (glucose, urea, creatinine, total proteins, albumin) were measured. RESULTS Significant, but transient increase in plasma NOx levels occurred only in group B. It was associated with the significant increase of hemoglobin oxygen (sO2) saturation of the venous blood and the concomitant decrease of its arterial--venous difference. In group S the venous sO2 decreased, its arterial--venous difference increased, while NOx levels were within the control limits. In both groups, other parameters of arterial acid-base status were kept within the control limits throughout the examined period. The decrease of SH levels were similar in the examined groups, while the increase of O2- was greater in group B. CONCLUSION Early NO overproduction was a trait of blast injuries in humans, contributing to the reduction of tissue the oxygenation and intensifying the oxidative cell damage that had to be considered in the therapy of casualties with blast injuries. These alterations were different from those observed in other surgical patients without blast injuries.
Detection and Differentiation of Diffuse Liver Disease by Quantitative Echography: A Retrospective Assessment

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES.The detectability of diffuse liver diseases by quantitative echography was retrospectively investigated using scans of patients with known pathologic findings (n=103) and of normal subjects (n=129). The authors determined the best set of quantitative parameters for this task. METHODS.Quantitative echography was comprised of acoustospectrographic parameters (frequency dependence of attenuation and backscattering) and image texture parameters. The disease processes studied included: acute hepatitis, hepatitis/cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis/cirrhosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and steatosis. RESULTS.Correct differentiation of these diseases ranged from 88% to 97%. Correlations between histologic grading and echographic parameters were poor. With only one exception, the differentiation between any two of the diseases could be made in 60% to 99% of cases. Different parameters better differentiated abnormal from normal scans than among diseases. CONCLUSIONS.The detection of diffuse liver diseases can be based on echographic parameters, related to a diffuse scattering model, whereas the differentiation among diseases needs additional parameters derived from a structural scattering model. Further studies are indicated to assess the prospective potential of the devised methods.
The Side-Hustle: Diversified Livelihoods of Kenyan Educated Young Farmers

Side-hustling – the engagement in diverse income-earningactivities – has become a common phenomenon among Kenyan educated youth who are increasingly faced with formal employment uncertainties. In this article, I examine how aspirations and expectations of educated youth are formed within their opportunity space, involving their assessment of what is possible within their geographical, socioeconomic and political contexts, and given their own qualities and characteristics. Through the life stories of six educated young farmers interviewed in 2014, I show how side-hustling offered them an alternative livelihood strategy; a means for self-improvement; and a reconfiguration of their imagined futures. The article suggests moving beyond our deductive statistical analyses of who is employed and who is not; and instead utilising a youth livelihood framework which helps to understand how young people make meaning of themselves and opportunities around them in extreme socioeconomic conditions.
Blue notes: Slovenian jazz festivals and their contribution to the economic resilience of the host cities

ABSTRACT In this article we explore the effects of two Slovenian jazz festivals on the economic resilience of the host cities: Jazzinty Novo Mesto and Jazz Cerkno. We analyse to what extent the two jazz festivals contribute to the original pre-crisis status (e.g. static economic resilience) of the two host cities as reaction to the financial crisis of 2008. Using a monthly based dataset of Statistical Office of Republic of Slovenia, covering the period 2008–2015, and ex-post econometric verification methodology (time series and panel data methods), we estimate the effects of these festivals on tourism inflows and employment. The results confirm important effects of the events in both cities, but with wide variation across the years, being more present in the earlier years of the festivals, and being on a very different scale for both cities.
BRCA1 Germ‐Line Mutations and Tumor Characteristics in Eastern Chinese Women with Familial Breast Cancer

Although several studies detected the BRCA1 germ‐line mutations in Chinese women with familial breast cancer, most of them did not employ conventional full gene sequencing, especially in eastern China. In addition, the clinicopathological features of BRCA1‐associated breast cancer in Chinese women were not well investigated. In this study, we screened the complete coding regions and exon‐intron boundaries of BRCA1 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐sequencing assay. Immunohistochemistry analyses were performed on tumor samples to detect the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), P53, and human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 (HER‐2). Breast cancer patients having one or more affected relatives referred from the Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, eastern China during 2008–2011 were selected for the study. A total of 62 familial breast cancer patients received the BRCA1 germ‐line mutation screening. Five deleterious mutations were detected in this cohort. The mutation rate was 11.3% (7/62). We found two novel mutations (3414delC and 5,280 C > T) and two recurrent mutations (5,273 G > A and 5589del8). BRCA1 mutation tumors tended to be negative for ER, PR, and HER‐2, and exhibited high histological grade compared with tumors without BRCA1 mutations. Our study suggests that recurrent mutations may exist in eastern Chinese women with familial breast cancer and PCR‐sequencing assay is a useful tool to screen these mutations. It also suggests that BRCA1‐associated breast cancers in Chinese women exhibit an aggressive phenotype. Anat Rec, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Land Vehicle Dynamics-Aided Inertial Navigation

The major challenge of using low-cost micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) inertial navigation system (INS) is the rapid navigation error drift when the aiding sensors are unavailable. A self-contained dynamics-aided error correction method is developed to overcome this problem. Additional measurements are generated to update the navigation filter and control the navigation error based on the knowledge of land vehicle dynamics. The contribution of the proposed dynamics-aided method to INS/GPS navigation during long GPS outages has been demonstrated through field tests.
A Special Case of Bilateral Ovarian Metastases in a Woman with Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is a slow growing tumor with low metastatic potential. The most frequent sites of distant metastases are lung and bone; less frequent sites are brain, liver, kidney, and skin. Ovarian metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma are exceptional. We describe a case of bilateral ovarian metastases from a papillary thyroid carcinoma associated with autoimmune thyroiditis in a 38-year-old woman who underwent thyroidectomy and cervical lymph-node dissection 7 years before, followed by 948 mCi of 131I. A primary ovarian cancer could be excluded by the typical pathological aspects of a papillary thyroid carcinoma in a context of an aggressive form of thyroid cancer. On the other hand, the clinical history and the absence of normal thyroid epithelium and teratomatous components could exclude a papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in struma ovarii. This is a singular case of papillary thyroid carcinoma metastasizing to the ovary, combined with an autoimmune thyroiditis.
A Case Study On Big Bath Earnings Management With Large Shareholder Changes With A Focus On The Setting Of Loan Loss Allowances For A Savings Bank

The management performance of a bank is highly affected by bad debt the bank has written off related to loan receivables. When this happens, discretionary action regarding the setting of the allowance for loan losses is enabled, through which the big bath phenomenon often occurs. The present study investigates this big bath phenomenon. In particular, it attempts to determine whether it occurs when the allowance for loan losses is set during a specific period of time – namely the period in which large shareholders change and the new shareholder brings a capital influx. An examination was carried out through a case analysis for a savings bank. Z Savings Bank was selected, and for comparison and analysis, similar savings banks were studied. From 2002 to 2014, large shareholders at Z Savings Bank changed four times. The analysis revealed that when individual-to-individual shareholder changes took place, the big bath phenomenon did not occur. However, in two cases, one in 2011 and the other in 2014, individual-to-company shareholder changes took place. In these two cases, management performance showed high variations, and it was confirmed that the typical big bath phenomenon occurred. According to the analysis, this was due to an environmental factor that caused distressed debts to be reflected at their maximum value. This was done via an inspection process that was triggered when the capital held by the large companies – both Korean and foreign – was brought in. Specifically, the bad debt being written off and the allowances for loan losses were intentionally exposed in the accounting in order to provide transparency when the shareholder changes took place. This phenomenon occurred because the Financial Supervisory Commission reinforced the obligatory allowance-setting rate to ensure the soundness of assets.
The finding of eggs of Diphyllobothrium in human coprolites (4,100-1,950 B.C.) from northern Chile.

Twenty six coprolites from an archaeological site in the province of Iquique, northern Chile, were examined for parasites. Coprolites were found in two excavation units, I and II (Tiliviche site), dated respectively at 5,900 B.C. to 4,110 B.C. and 4,110 B.C. to 1,950 B.C., and identified as of human origin. Only at the unit II coprolites containing helminth eggs identified as Diphyllobothrium pacificum were found. The presence of this tapeworm, a parasite of the American Sea Lion, in human coprolites, points to a diet which included marine fishes and provides information on the antiquity of infection by Diphyllobothrium pacificum. It is interesting to note that Baer (1969) suggests the presence of this tapeworm in pre-Columbian populations when diagnosing the first human cases in today's population in Peru.
Molecular Cloning and Expression of Prohormone Convertases PC1 and PC2 in the Pituitary Gland of the Bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

Abstract We cloned cDNAs encoding PC1 and PC2 from a cDNA library constructed for the anterior pituitary gland of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and sequenced them. The bullfrog PC1 cDNA consisted of 2972 base pairs (bp) with an open reading frame of 2208 bp and encoded a protein of 736 amino acids, including a putative signal peptide of 26 amino acids. The protein showed a high homology to R. ridibunda PC1 (95.1%) and mammalian PC1 (72.6%). The bullfrog PC2 cDNA consisted of 2242 bp with an open reading frame of 1914 bp and encoded a protein of 638 amino acids, including a putative signal peptide of 23 amino acids. This protein showed a high homology to R. ridibunda PC2 (95.5%) and mammalian PC2 (84.8%). The catalytic triad of serine proteinases of the subtilisin family was found at Asp-168, His-209, and Ser-383 in the PC1 protein and at Asp-167, His-208, and Ser-384 in the PC2 protein. In situ hybridization staining revealed that PC2 mRNA was detected in corticotrope cells of the tadpoles, but not in those of the adults. In the adult, only PC1 mRNA was detected in the pars distalis but both PC1 and PC2 mRNAs were detected in the pars intermedia. The data also showed that PC1 mRNA was expressed in gonadotrope cells.
Adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer: A joint analysis of randomised trials by the Nordic Gastrointestinal Tumour Adjuvant Therapy Group

Due to uncertainties regarding clinically meaningful gains from adjuvant chemotherapy after colorectal cancer surgery, several Nordic Groups in the early 1990s initiated randomised trials to prove or reject such gains. This report gives the joint analyses after a minimum 5-year follow-up. Between October 1991 and December 1997, 2 224 patients under 76 years of age with colorectal cancer stages II and III were randomised to surgery alone (n = 1 121) or adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 1 103) which varied between trials (5FU/levamisole for 12 months, n = 444; 5FU/leucovorin for 4–5 months according to either a modified Mayo Clinic schedule (n = 262) or the Nordic schedule (n = 397). Some centres also randomised patients treated with 5FU/leucovorin to ± levamisole). A total of 812 patients had colon cancer stage II, 708 colon cancer stage III, 323 rectal cancer stage II and 368 rectal cancer stage III. All analyses were according to intention-to-treat. No statistically significant difference in overall survival, stratified for country or region, could be found in any group of patients according to stage or site. In colon cancer stage III, an absolute difference of 7% (p = 0.15), favouring chemotherapy, was seen. The present analyses corroborate a small but clinically meaningful survival gain from adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer stage III, but not in the other presentations.
The effect of P2Y-mediated platelet activation on the release of VEGF and endostatin from platelets

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endostatin are key protein modulators of angiogenesis found within platelets. The platelet activation pathways that control angiogenic protein release are incompletely elucidated. The differential release of pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic proteins from the platelet has been demonstrated for proteinase activated receptors (PARs). Given the ability of tumors to secrete ADP and the availability of ADP receptor antagonists clinically, we determined the influence of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and the ADP receptors, P2Y1 and P2Y12, on platelet release of the angiogenic stimulator protein, VEGF, and the angiogenic inhibitor protein, endostatin. Minimally altered whole blood (WB) and platelet rich plasma (PRP) from healthy volunteers was stimulated with ADP alone (12.5 uM), in combination with a P2Y1 antagonist (MRS2179) or a P2Y12 antagonist (cangrelor). VEGF and endostatin protein concentrations were assessed by an ELISA assay. We report that maximally stimulating concentrations of ADP significantly increased VEGF release from platelets in both PRP and WB by 36+/−12% 36+/−12% 54+/−18% 36 ± 12% (p < 0.05) respectively as compared to control. Both P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptor antagonism inhibited this release. Conversely, endostatin levels did not change following ADP stimulation in PRP, while a 4.7% (p = 0.03) increase was observed in WB. As compared to thrombin receptor activation, ADP activation was a weaker stimulus for VEGF release. We found that activation of platelets by ADP results in an increase in soluble VEGF concentrations with minimal effects on endostatin concentrations, suggesting ADP release in the tumor microenvironment may be, on balance, proangiogenic. P2Y receptor antagonism abrogates ADP mediated proangiogenic protein release and thus may represent a potential pharmacologic strategy for regulating platelet mediated angiogenesis.
Differential kinetics for induction of interleukin‐6 mRNA expression in murine peritoneal macrophages: Evidence for calcium‐dependent and independent‐signalling pathways

It is presently unclear what role elevations in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) play in the control of monokine secretion, or whether such alterations underlie the ability of physiologic stimuli to induce production of these important signalling molecules. To address these issues, we have performed experiments in murine peritoneal macrophages to determine whether lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) initiate production of the proinflammatory monokine interleukin 6 (IL‐6) concomitant with elevations in [Ca2+]i and with kinetics similar to that seen with known Ca2+ mobilizing agents. Alterations in [Ca2+]i after treatment with LPS, IFN‐γ, platelet activating factor (PAF), or thapsigargin were measured by fluorimetric methods. These effects were compared with the ability of each to induce IL‐6 mRNA expression as measured by semiquantitative reverse‐transcribed polymerase chain reactions. We report that neither LPS nor IFN‐γ elicited detectable elevations in [Ca2+]i but that both up‐regulated expression of IL‐6 mRNA expression within 60 min. In contrast, experiments using either thapsigargin or PAF showed rapid and dramatic elevations in [Ca2+]i with marked increases in IL‐6 mRNA expression, as quickly as 15 min after initial exposure. Elevations in mRNA encoding IL‐6 by thapsigargin and PAF were found to occur in a dose‐dependent manner, mirroring their ability to elicit elevations in [Ca2+]i. These data demonstrate that LPS and IFN‐γ induce IL‐6 message expression by means of Ca2+‐independent signalling pathways. Furthermore, Ca2+‐mobilizing agents that evoke monokine message expression do so far more rapidly than do LPS or IFN‐γ. Taken in concert, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that multiple signalling pathways exist by which production of proinflammatory monokines are initiated. J. Cell. Physiol. 177:232–240, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
VMD2 mutations in vitelliform macular dystrophy (Best disease) and other maculopathies

Mutations in the gene VMD2 are associated with autosomal dominant vitelliform macular dystrophy (Best disease). VMD2 is expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium and codes for a 585 amino acid putative transmembrane protein with undetermined functional properties. To date, 48 different mutations, predominantly missense, have been described in Best disease families. These mutations generally affect amino acids in the first 50% of the protein, and occur in four distinct clusters possibly representing regions of functional importance. VMD2 has also been investigated in other macular diseases. Mutations have been documented in a significant percentage of patients with adult vitelliform macular dystrophy (AVMD) and in a single case of “bull's‐eye” maculopathy. Results of analysis in two large series of individuals with age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) suggest that VMD2 does not play a major role in this prevalent disorder. Hum Mutat 15:301–308, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ecological Niche Modeling Identifies Fine-Scale Areas at High Risk of Dengue Fever in the Pearl River Delta, China

Dengue fever (DF) is one of the most common and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases in tropical and subtropical regions. In recent years, this imported disease has posed a serious threat to public health in China, especially in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Although the severity of DF outbreaks in the PRD is generally associated with known risk factors, fine scale assessments of areas at high risk for DF outbreaks are limited. We built five ecological niche models to identify such areas including a variety of climatic, environmental, and socioeconomic variables, as well as, in some models, extracted principal components. All the models we tested accurately identified the risk of DF, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were greater than 0.8, but the model using all original variables was the most accurate (AUC = 0.906). Socioeconomic variables had a greater impact on this model (total contribution 55.27%) than climatic and environmental variables (total contribution 44.93%). We found the highest risk of DF outbreaks on the border of Guangzhou and Foshan (in the central PRD), and in northern Zhongshan (in the southern PRD). Our fine-scale results may help health agencies to focus epidemic monitoring tightly on the areas at highest risk of DF outbreaks.
In Whom Do We Trust? Racial Trust in the Early Years of Barack Obama’s Presidency

For many African Americans, Barack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008 was a step toward a racially tolerant society. Yet for others, the attack on Obama’s religious faith and citizenship status reflected long-standing racial divisions within the electorate. Using ordered probit analyses, our study focuses on racial trust and social capital in the early years of Obama’s presidency. In assessing the relationship between Obama’s domestic policies and racial trust, our study closely aligns with the research on policy feedbacks. We investigate the possibility that Obama’s flagship economic and social policies—specifically the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and unemployment insurance—operated as a bridge between whites, blacks, and Latinos. We further consider whether higher support for these policies reproduced greater levels of interracial trust among the groups. To measure racial trust, we draw from a 2010 survey sponsored by the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society at the University of Arkansas. The Blair-Rockefeller Poll was administered shortly after the 2010 midterm elections and includes a sample size of 3,406 respondents with an oversample of blacks (825) and Latinos (932). Although we found noticeably high rates of racial distrust, blacks expressed the lowest levels of distrust compared to whites and Latinos. We also discovered varying effects of Obama’s policies on increasing racial trust.
Asset Pricing with Idiosyncratic Shocks

This study shows the relationship between idiosyncratic shocks and expected returns on stock regarding theoretical and empirical results. The dynamic stochastic general equilibrium is derived from idiosyncratic stochastic productivity level in production function of heterogenous firms to come up with a new asset pricing model. Given any state S, the main finding states that expected stock returns depends on the rate of time preference, depreciation rate, capital share, expected idiosyncratic productivity level at time t + 1,\ the percentage deviation of capital from steady state at time t + 1, and the percentage deviation of labor from steady state at time t + 1, In fact, expected idiosyncratic productivity level, expected capital, and expected labor are the determinant factors that affect on expected stock returns. Eventually, expected idiosyncratic stochastic productivity level is positively related to expected stock returns similar to expected labor. In contrast, expected capital has a negative effect on expected stock returns.