Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological Risk Assessment of Copper in Coastal Areas of Japan: How will Bioavailability Considerations Change the Assessment Results?

We conducted ecological risk assessment of copper in coastal areas of Japan. For risk assessment, we used a method in the initial environmental risk assessment conducted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and several methods considering bioavailability, used for setting water quality criteria in Europe and the United States. The hazard quotient （ HQ ） method was used for risk characterization. Risk assessment was conducted using 1,622 copper concentration values from the Japanese coastal areas over the past 31 years that we were able to collect. As a result, the area with HQ exceeding 1 was 70.2% of the total in the screening level evaluation; considering bioavailability, it was 3.6 to 4.0%, and the risk characterization result changed depending on the hazard assessment method. Also, considering bioavailability, it was clear that there is a difference in the risk characterization result because water quality varies depending on the location even within the same bay. These results suggest that it is important to obtain toxicological data of species inhabiting Japan and copper concentrations in Japanese coastal areas and to examine what kind of evaluation method should be used for risk assessment.
Effect of forage conservation method, concentrate level and propylene glycol on the fatty acid composition and vitamin content of cows' milk

Based on potential health benefits, there is a need to develop effective strategies for enhancing milk fat concentrations of cis-9 18[ratio ]1, 18[ratio ]3 n-3 and conjugated linoleic (CLA) content in milk without compromising the sensory or storage characteristics of processed milk or dairy products. Sixteen Finnish Ayrshire dairy cows were used in a cyclic change-over experiment with four 21-d experimental periods and a 4×2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments to evaluate the effects of forage conservation method, concentrate level and supplements of propylene glycol (PG), and their interactions on milk fatty acid composition and vitamin content. Experimental treatments consisted of four conserved forages offered ad libitum, supplemented with two levels of a standard concentrate (7 or 10 kg/d) and PG (0 and 210 g/d) fed as three equal meals. Primary growths of timothy and meadow fescue sward were conserved by ensiling with none (NA), an inoculant enzyme preparation (IE) or a formic acid based (FORM) additive or as hay 1 week later. Conservation of grass by drying rather than ensiling resulted in lower forage 18[ratio ]2n-6, 18[ratio ]3n-3, total fatty acid and fat-soluble vitamin concentrations. In spite of lower intakes, milk fat 18[ratio ]2n-6 and 18[ratio ]3n-3 content was higher (P<0·05) for hay than for silage diets (12·1, 9·6, 9·6 and 9·3 and 5·00, 3·51, 4·27 and 2·93 g/kg total fatty acids, for hay, NA, IE and FORM silages, respectively). Forage conservation method had no clear effects on milk trans 18[ratio ]1 or CLA content. Compared with silage, hay diets resulted in milk containing lower (P<0·001) riboflavin, α-tocopherol and β-carotene concentrations, but had no effect on ascorbic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine or retinol content. Feeding more concentrates had no effect on milk fatty acid composition or milk vitamin content, other than lowering (P<0·001) 16[ratio ]0 concentrations from 348 to 338 g/kg fatty acids. Supplements of PG led to small (P<0·05) increases in milk 13[ratio ]0 anteiso and 15[ratio ]0 content from 1·06 and 11·3 to 1·22 and 12·6 g/kg fatty acids and reduced (P<0·05) the concentrations of ascorbic acid (16·1 v. 15·1 g/kg milk).
Safety and Efficacy of Pegfilgrastim When Given Less Than 14 Days Before the Next Chemotherapy Cycle: Review of Every 14-Day Chemotherapy Regimen Containing 5-FU Continuous Infusion

Background:Pegfilgrastim should not be given <14 days from the next chemotherapy because of concerns for cytopenias. Some clinicians are prescribing pegfilgrastim to be given <14 days in patients receiving 5-fluorouracil continuous infusion (5-FUCI) regimens. Objective: To determine the effectiveness and safety of pegfilgrastim administered <14 days from the next chemotherapy in patients receiving 5-FUCI administered >46 hours. Methods: Single-institution retrospective cohort study of patients who received 5-FUCI administered >46 hours from June 2013 to December 2015. The unit of measurement was chemotherapy cycles. End points included the safety and efficacy of giving pegfilgrastim <14 days from the next chemotherapy (Pegfilgrastim-Less-Than-14-Days-Group) and comparing that to pegfilgrastim given ≥14 days (Pegfilgrastim-More-Than-14-Days-Group), filgrastim only (Filgrastim-Group), and no colony stimulating factors (No-CSF-Group). Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to compare mean absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and white blood cell count (WBC). Poisson regression models with GEE were used to estimate relative risk (RR) for neutropenia. Results: There were no incidences of neutropenia, febrile neutropenia (FN), or hospitalizations for FN with the Pegfilgrastim-Less-Than-14-Days-Group. There was also a high mean ANC of 9.9 (5.7) × 109/L. Mean ANC and WBC were statistically significantly less with the Filgrastim-Group, No-CSF-Group, and Pegfilgrastim-More-Than-14-Days-Group compared with the Pegfilgrastim-Less-Than-14-Days-Group. The Filgrastim-Group and the No-CSF-Group had a 32% (1.10-1.56, P = 0.002) and 8% (1.04-1.12, P < 0.001) increased risk of incidence of neutropenia, respectively, compared with the Pegfilgrastim-Less-Than-14-Days-Group. The risk of incidence of neutropenia was the same with the Pegfilgrastim-More-Than-14-Days-Group and Pegfilgrastim-Less-Than-14-Days-Group (0.95-1.04, P = 0.821). Conclusion: This study shows a promising possibility that administering pegfilgrastim <14 days from the next chemotherapy cycle could be a safe and effective practice. However, better controlled clinical trials are needed.
A Latchable Valve for High-Pressure Microfluidics

In this paper, the strongest yet latchable valve in subcubic-centimeter size for microfluidic applications is presented. The device has an integrated actuator cavity consisting of three segments filled with paraffin, each operated by a separate heater. At one of the segments, a membrane valve head is deflected by the expansion of the resistively melted paraffin to close against its valve seat. Different heating sequences provide a latched closed or opened valve. The maximum pressure before any leakage occurred was 2.5 MPa. The leak pressure is found to be progressively dependent on the clamping pressure applied. The valve has an opening and closing time of 7 and 1 s, respectively. At an applied pressure of 0.3 MPa, the closed valve needs to be reactivated every 100 min to remain leakage free, leading to an average power consumption of 4.5 mW.
A Comparison of Quality of Life of Patients on Automated and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Objective Data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients are scarce. The objectives of this study were (1) to explore HRQOL of APD patients and compare it with HRQOL of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients and a general population sample, and (2) to study the relationship between HRQOL assessment outcomes and background variables. Design Home interviews of APD and CAPD patients. HRQOL, social-demographic, clinical, and treatment-related background data were collected at the interview and from patient charts. Multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to study the relationship of HRQOL assessment outcomes with background variables. Setting Sixteen Dutch dialysis centers. Patients Convenience sample of 37 APD patients and 59 CAPD patients matched for total time on dialysis. Main Outcome Measures Four HRQOL instruments: Short-Form 36, EuroQol EQ-5D, Standard Gamble, and Time Trade Off. Results Physical functioning of both APD and CAPD patients was impaired compared with the general population; mental functioning was not different. In multivariate analyses, the mental health of APD patients was found to be better than that of CAPD patients. In addition, APD patients were less anxious and depressed than CAPD patients. With respect to physical aspects of HRQOL and role-functioning, no differences were observed between APD and CAPD patients. Other variables to explain HRQOL assessment outcomes were age, the number of comorbid diseases, and primary kidney disease. Conclusions HRQOL of APD patients is at least equal to HRQOL of CAPD patients.
Boundary Sentinels with Given Sensitivity

The notion of sentinels with given sensitivity was introduced by J.-L. Lions in [10] in order to identify parameters in a problem of pollution ruled by a semilinear parabolic equation. He proves that the existence of such sentinels is reduced to the solution of exact controllability problem with constraints on the state. Reconsidering this notion of sentinels in a more general framework, we prove the existence of the new sentinels by solving a boundary null-controllability problem with constraint on the control. Our results use a Carleman inequality which is adapted to the constraint.
Lessons from validation of computational electromagnetics computer modeling and simulations based on IEEE standard 1597

This paper presents the benchmark examples from IEEE standard 1597 to evaluate their practical modeling and simulation. Three benchmark examples: a dipole antenna, a loop antenna, and a rectangular cavity with two apertures are considered. Three different numerical techniques are applied in all examples and these numerical results obtained by the different numerical techniques are compared and discussed by the validation procedure in IEEE standard 1597.
The nursing legacy of the Korea Sisters

During the Korean War (1950–1953), the Norwegian government sent a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) to support the efforts of the United Nations (UN) Army. During the war, 111 Norwegian nurses served in seven contingents, each 6 month, at the Norwegian Field Hospital in Korea. The nurses were nicknamed “The Korea Sisters”. The aim of this study is to explore the impact and influence of their wartime nursing on Norwegian post‐Korean‐War nursing.
The social defeat hypothesis of schizophrenia: issues of measurement and reverse causality

Eleven years ago, two of us1 published the social defeat hypothesis of schizophrenia, in an attempt to find a common denominator for several schizophrenia risk factors. The hypothesis posits that the long‐term experience of being excluded from the majority group leads to an increased baseline activity and/or sensitization of the mesolimbic dopamine system, putting the individual at increased risk for the disorder1, 2.
Thermal design and optimization of natural convection polymer pin fin heat sinks

The design and optimization methodology of a thermally conductive polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) polymer staggered pin fin heat sink, for an advanced natural convection cooled microprocessor application, are described using existing analytical equations. The geometric dependence of heat dissipation and the relationships between the pin fin height, pin diameter, horizontal spacing, and pin fin density for a fixed base area and excess temperature are discussed. Experimental results of a pin finned thermally conductive PPS heat sink in natural convection indicate substantially high thermal performance. Numerical results substantiate analytical modeling results for heat sinks within the Aihara et al. fin density range. The cooling rates and coefficient of thermal performance, COP/sub T/, that relates cooling capability to the energy invested in the formation of the heat sink, has been determined for such heat sinks and compared with conventional aluminum heat sinks.
“Live in Israel. Live the Dream”: Identity, Belonging, and Contemporary American Jewish Migration to Israel

ABSTRACT Most current sociological literature on migration examines international moves to the United States and internal migration. Scant research addresses religious migration out of the United States. Utilizing in-depth, semi-structured interviews, we explore motivations behind recent American Jewish migration to Israel and how Jewish identity plays a role in the decision to move. We find that a combination of religious and cultural factors, Zionism, social networks, and the desire for a new start play a major role in motivating migration to Israel. Jewish identity is a common thread across these motivations. Many participants created a strong bond between their Judaism and Israel, viewing their connection to Israel as a way to belong to a larger community and demonstrate their attachment to Judaism. We discuss the implications for studying religious emigration from the United States that move beyond traditional economic models.
Molecular characterization of the family of choline transporter‐like proteins and their splice variants

We show here that the choline transporter‐like (CTL) family is more extensive than initially described with five genes in humans and complex alternative splicing. In adult rat tissues, CTL2–4 mRNAs are mainly detected in peripheral tissues, while CTL1 is widely expressed throughout the nervous system. During rat post‐natal development, CTL1 is expressed in several subpopulations of neurones and in the white matter, where its spatio‐temporal distribution profile recalls that of myelin basic protein, an oligodendrocyte marker. We identified two major rat splice variants of CTL1 (CTL1a and CTL1b) differing in their carboxy‐terminal tails with both able to increase choline transport after transfection in neuroblastoma cells. In the developing brain, CTL1a is expressed in both neurones and oligodendroglial cells, whereas CTL1b is restricted to oligodendroglial cells. These findings suggest specific roles for CTL1 splice variants in both neuronal and oligodendrocyte physiology.
Influence of hypernatraemia and urea excretion on the ability to excrete a maximally hypertonic urine in the rat

Rats normally excrete 20‐25 mmol of sodium (Na+) + potassium (K+) per kilogram per day. To minimize the need for a large water intake, they must excrete urine with a very high electrolyte concentration (tonicity). Our objective was to evaluate two potential factors that could influence the maximum urine tonicity, hypernatraemia and the rate of urea excretion. Balance studies were carried out in vasopressin‐treated rats fed a low‐electrolyte diet. In the first series, the drinking solution contained an equivalent sodium chloride (NaCl) load at 150 or 600 mmol l−1. In the second series, the maximum urine tonicity was evaluated in rats consuming 600 mmol l−1 NaCl with an 8‐fold range of urea excretion. Hypernatraemia (148 ± 1 mmol l−1) developed in all rats that drank 600 mmol l−1 saline. Although the rate of Na++ K+ excretion was similar in both saline groups, the maximum urine total cation concentration was significantly higher in the hypernatraemic group (731 ± 31 vs. 412 ± 37 mmol l−1). Only when the rate of excretion of urea was very low, was there a further increase in the maximum urine total cation concentration (1099 ± 118 mmol l−1). Thus hypernatraemia was the most important factor associated with a higher urine tonicity.
The Pediatric Population of Two Free-standing Emergency Clinics

We studied the pediatric patient population of two free-standing emergency clinics (FECs) through an audit of medical records for 20 days randomly selected throughout 1983. We recorded the age, sex, number of visits, patient diagnoses, laboratory work, and charges. This information was compared with earlier national studies of physician practice. Of the 1062 visits audited, 27.6 percent were by patients 21 years of age or younger. This number is comparable to the percentage of office visits made to a national sample of general and family practitioners but well below the same figure for pediatricians. The pattern of FEC visits by this age group emerged as quite different from the pattern of visits to a national sample of office-based physicians by the same age group. The most frequent diagnoses for pediatric patients visiting FECs were upper respiratory infection (31.9%) and trauma related problems (28.5%). The number of laboratory diagnostic procedures ordered in FECs was lower than similar statistics for a national sample of pediatricians. Mean charges for visits in the FECs studied were $40.23.
Different energetic diets affect the maintenance of Apis mellifera L. colonies during off-season

The aim of this study wasto evaluate the best energetic foodforuse in the maintenance of honey bee colonies during the off-season. To do this, 20Apis mellifera beehives were used(with five beehives per treatment): CTL,control (without feeding); SJ,sugarcane juice; SS,sugar syrup; and IS,inverted sugar. We evaluated the food consumption, population development, and physiological state (expression of vitellogenin and hexamerin 70agenes)of eachcolony.The results showed that the supplementation of colonieswith sugar syrup resulted in an intermediateconsumption and thebetter development of the colony.In addition, this diet ensured that the colonies were in a good physiological state,as beesfed this diet presentedthe highest relative expression levels of vitellogenin and hexamerin 70ameasuredamong all thediets tested.Therefore, sugar syrup was concluded to be the best artificial energetic food for use in thesupplementation of honey bee colonies during the off-season.
Perception about BCG vaccination and tuberculosis among urban mothers

Aim: To identify perception about BCG vaccination and Tuberculosis awareness among urban mothers. Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried out among mothers residing in urban areas through health camps to know awareness about schedule of BCG vaccination, purpose of giving it and also find out awareness about Tuberculosis disease. Data was collected from August 2016 to January 2017 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was utilized to find the factors which are associated with students’ knowledge about TB Results: Among 241 study participants, main source of vaccine information was health department [n=127, 52.7%] were aware of side effects of BCG vaccination [n=219, 90.9%] . All the participants had heard about Tuberculosis disease [n=241, 100%], majority knew that it was a contagious [n=236, 97.9%] and mode of transmission [n= 199, 82.6%]. Conclusion: Health workers continue to be main source of information for BCG vaccination and Tuberculosis. Awareness has to be improved regarding transmission of TB and prevention of TB meningitis through BCG vaccination. Keywords: BCG, TB, Perception, Mothers, Vaccination.
Relational Capital and Performance: Assessing the Mediating Role of Supply Chain Agility and the Moderating Role of Environmental Contexts

It is widely considered that relational capital serves as an important factor to foster collaboration in supply chain context. However, current knowledge on relational capital mechanisms which affects firm performance remains unclear. According to resource-based view, this article proposes a model to examine how relational capital affect firm performance through enhancing supply chain agility. In addition, the moderating effects of environmental contexts (i.e. munificence, complexity, and dynamism) are taken into consideration when discussing the relationship between relational capital and supply chain agility. Survey data show that supply chain agility fully mediates the association between relational capital and performance. Meanwhile, different kinds of environmental contexts play various moderating roles. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
Online Shopping Intermediaries: The Strategic Design of Search Environments

An online shopping intermediary is an Internet platform on which consumers and third-party sellers transact. Shopping intermediaries provide a search environment (e.g., search aids) to lower the search costs incurred by consumers when finding and evaluating sellers’ products. We study strategic incentives of an intermediary in the design of its search environment as a means to ease search costs. An important aspect of our analysis is that consumers optimally decide how many sellers to evaluate and how deeply (e.g., number of attributes) to evaluate each of them. We find that the equilibrium search environment embeds sufficiently high search costs to prevent consumers from evaluating too many sellers, but not too high to cause them to evaluate sellers’ products at partial depth. This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing .
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Book Reviews Rae Weara; Andy Asquithb; Tom Roundc; Brian Heada; Desley Deacond; Damien Cahille; Rae Weara; Mary Walshf; Brian Heada; Jake Lynche; Tom Conleyg; Andy Asquithb; Peter Shearmanh; Jennifer Curtini; Tanya Lyonsj; Christian Enemarke; John Uhrd; John Uhrd a University of Queensland, b Massey University, c Southern Cross University, d Australian National University, e University of Sydney, f University of Canberra, g Griffith University, h Webster University, Bangkok i University of Auckland, j Flinders University,
Properties of Various RHO1 Mutant Alleles of Cryptococcus neoformans

ABSTRACT The RHO1 homologue of Cryptococcus neoformans complemented Saccharomyces cerevisiae rho1mutations. The results of overexpression and site-specific mutagenesis of CnRHO1 in C. neoformans and S. cerevisiae indicated that although CnRHO1 could functionally substitute for the RHO1 gene of S. cerevisiae, mutants of cnrho1 manifested unique features in certain aspects.
Adeno-Associated Virus Type 2-Mediated Gene Transfer: Role of Cellular T-Cell Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase in Transgene Expression in Established Cell Lines In Vitro and Transgenic Mice In Vivo

ABSTRACT The use of adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV) vectors has gained attention as a potentially useful alternative to the more commonly used retrovirus and adenovirus vectors for human gene therapy. However, the transduction efficiency of AAV vectors varies greatly in different cells and tissues in vitro and in vivo. We have documented that a cellular protein that binds the immunosuppressant drug FK506, termed the FK506-binding protein (FKBP52), interacts with the single-stranded D sequence within the AAV inverted terminal repeats, inhibits viral second-strand DNA synthesis, and consequently limits high-efficiency transgene expression (K. Qing, J. Hansen, K. A. Weigel-Kelley, M. Tan, S. Zhou, and A. Srivastava, J. Virol., 75: 8968-8976, 2001). FKBP52 can be phosphorylated at both tyrosine and serine/threonine residues, but only the phosphorylated forms of FKBP52 interact with the D sequence. Furthermore, the tyrosine-phosphorylated FKBP52 inhibits AAV second-strand DNA synthesis by greater than 90%, and the serine/threonine-phosphorylated FKBP52 causes ∼40% inhibition, whereas the dephosphorylated FKBP52 has no effect on AAV second-strand DNA synthesis. In the present study, we have identified that the tyrosine-phosphorylated form of FKBP52 is a substrate for the cellular T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP). Deliberate overexpression of the murine wild-type (wt) TC-PTP gene, but not that of a cysteine-to-serine (C-S) mutant, caused tyrosine dephosphorylation of FKBP52, leading to efficient viral second-strand DNA synthesis and resulting in a significant increase in AAV-mediated transduction efficiency in HeLa cells in vitro. Both wt and C-S mutant TC-PTP expression cassettes were also used to generate transgenic mice. Primitive hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from wt TC-PTP-transgenic mice, but not from C-S mutant TC-PTP-transgenic mice, could be successfully transduced by recombinant AAV vectors. These studies corroborate the fact that tyrosine phosphorylation of the cellular FKBP52 protein strongly influences AAV transduction efficiency, which may have important implications in the optimal use of AAV vectors in human gene therapy.