Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 'perfect storm' in developing countries: economic growth and the alcohol industry.

In late October 1991 unusual weather conditions created a major storm off the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard of the United States of America. Winds were above hurricane force, and waves up to 30 feet high were common from the coast of North Carolina to Nova Scotia (http:// www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/ pfctstorm91/pfctstorm.html). The total damage caused by the storm reached upwards of 200 million dollars. The United States Weather Service, taking into account the factors that combined to create this weather event, labeled it ‘the perfect storm’. A book describing the storm (Junger 1997) became a bestseller. A movie describing the effects of the storm, and focusing in particular on the loss at sea of a fishing boat, the Andrea Gail , and its crew appeared in the USA in 2000. Almost immediately after the movie was shown in the USA, the term ‘perfect storm’ became common in colloquial American English, the usage implying a disastrous event resulting from a series of factors acting synergistically. It is with precisely this usage that the term is employed in this editorial. Here it refers to the confluence of a series of factors that may lead to an increase in alcohol availability, alcohol consumption and a weakening of alcohol control polices in developing countries. This is important because of the strong evidence that the best approach to prevent alcohol problems at the population level is a harmonic set of policies whose ultimate goal is to decrease the availability of alcohol in the community. Recent evaluations of the effectiveness of various alcohol control policies to achieve this goal are available (Babor et al . 2003). What are the factors coming together to create the ‘perfect storm’? First, this editorial is written from a Latin American perspective, and more specifically, from that of the country the authors know best, Brazil. This perspective may not be applicable to all developing nations, given the wide variation in culture, alcohol use history and patterns, and economic development across these countries. Further, alcohol problems are already at high levels in many developing nations. The alcohol-attributable burden of disease in the two regions of the Americas that include most Latin American countries (WHO’s Americas ‘B’ and ‘D’) varies between 8.6% and 17.3% for men and 2.2% and 4.1% for women (Babor et al . 2003). As a comparison, the world burden from men is 6.5% and for women it is 1.3%. With this in mind, we will identify under subheadings eight factors predisposing to an alcohol storm before outlining briefly how the threat can be countered and abated.
Effects of neurotrophins on early auditory neurones in cell culture

During the first week of postnatal development, the innervation of the organ of Corti changes from an immature to an adult pattern. Dissociated cell cultures of early postnatal spiral ganglia were used to investigate the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on maturing auditory neurones. BDNF was the most potent stimulator of neuritogenesis, NT-3 provided the strongest support for neuronal survival, while NGF supported limited neuritogenesis, and only at pharmacological levels. These findings suggest that both BDNF and NT-3 participate in the postnatal maturation of cochlear innervation and that NGF is most probably not involved in this process.
An evaluation of integrated fuel cell and energy storage systems for residential applications

One of the strategies that can be applied to achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions is to introduce micro combined heat and power (μCHP) technologies into residential energy systems, especially fuel cell technology. Consequently, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell based μCHP system has been chosen for this research since it offers several advantages. A model of an integrated PEMFC based μCHP and energy storage systems, has been built. Results show that the integrated μCHP system can significantly reduce the operational costs and the CO2 emissions of single dwellings. In addition, it has been concluded that optimally sizing the prime mover unit and choosing the most appropriate control strategy for its operation are of great importance.
Nitric Oxide Stimulates Proliferation and Differentiation of Fetal Calvarial Osteoblasts and Dural Cells

Background: Infant dura mater plays a critical role in calvarial development. This investigation examines the expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in the craniofacial skeleton and the influence of nitric oxide signaling on the growth and differentiation of fetal dural and calvarial bone cells. Methods: Sections of fetal and adult calvaria were evaluated for endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by immunohistochemistry. Primary fetal (E18) murine dural cell and calvarial osteoblast cultures were treated with 1 &mgr;M or 10 &mgr;M DETA-NONOate, a nitric oxide donor compound, or 1 mM NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Controls were left untreated. Cell proliferation was measured at 48 hours, and mRNA transcripts for Runx2, alkaline phosphatase, and osteopontin were measured by reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction at 2 to 18 days. Experiments were performed in triplicate. Results: Fetal, but not adult, dural cells express endothelial nitric oxide synthase. DETA-NONOate stimulated osteoblast mitogenesis by 16 percent (p < 0.05) but did not affect proliferation of dural cells. l-NMMA inhibited proliferation of dural cells and calvarial osteoblasts by 35 percent (p < 0.01) and 17 percent (p = 0.05), respectively. Exogenous nitric oxide increased dural cell transcription of Runx2, alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.03), and osteopontin (p = 0.09) and calvarial osteoblast transcription of Runx2 (p = 0.02) and osteopontin (p < 0.01). Fetal calvarial osteoblasts and dural cells treated with l-NMMA demonstrated reduced transcription of Runx2 and alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Fetal dural cells and calvarial osteoblasts express endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Nitric oxide enhances proliferation and differentiation of fetal dural cells and calvarial osteoblasts. These results suggest that endothelial nitric oxide synthase–derived nitric oxide may play an important role in development of the fetal craniofacial skeleton.
Effect of quality of sperm chromatin structure on in -vitro production of cattle embryos

Abstract. Bull effect on results of in vitro embryo production has been well documented. The aim of the present study was to find the relationship between quality of bull sperm chromatin and its effect on in vitro embryo production. Bovine in vitro matured oocytes were fertilized in vitro using capacitated spermatozoa (freshly ejaculated or frozen-thawed) of 12 bulls. Semen was simultaneously processed according to the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) method and was analysed by flow cytometry. At least 3 replications of IVP with the same semen sample were done. The percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin ranged from 0.4% to 23.8%. All bulls used for the experiment were divided into three groups showing minimal (0.82% ± 6.82%), low (1.70% ± 15.82%) and high (18.16% ± 53.59%) percentages of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin structure. Both cleavage rates and embryo development to the blastocyst stage were correlated significantly with sperm chromatin abnormalities and resulted in 23.1, 17.7 and 12.2% of blastocysts respectively for sperm with minimal, low and high percentages of chromatin abnormalities. The SCSA method may be used as a practical indicator of suitability of bull ejaculate for IVP purposes.
Exploring the affective dimension of the life review process: Facilitators’ interactional strategies for fostering personhood and social value among older adults with early dementia

We employed an auto-ethnography approach to explore the affective dimension of life review sessions with community-dwelling older military veterans with minor cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia. Using researchers’ analytic memos, we identified facilitators’ interactional strategies that fostered the participant’s sense of personal identity, dignity and social self-worth. Interaction among participant, caregiver, and facilitators evoked a range of emotional responses, offering a window into the affective world of MCI and early dementia. Positive emotional responses outnumbered negative emotional responses by a ratio of two-to-one in the life review sessions; however, negative emotions were more revelatory of current struggles with declines in health and function. Facilitators utilized two interactional strategies, in particular, to foster personhood and social value of participants: focusing on the participant and creating an empathic connection with the participant. Further work is needed to understand the role of emotions in research interactions and to examine the psychosocial mechanisms through which positive affect functions in promoting identity, personhood and social value among persons with MCI and early dementia.
Evaluation of SAR Jamming Performance

The basic principles of SAR jamming performance evaluation (JPE) are discussed firstly. A novel evaluation method of SAR jamming performance by combining the subjective evaluation and objective evaluation is proposed. Namely, based on the objective evaluation parameters, a nominal value of SAR jamming performance can be obtained by weighting the objective evaluation parameters, where the weighted factors come from expert's judgments. Detailed derivations are given as well as the simulation experiments.
Generalising user behaviour in online travel sites through the Travel 2.0 website acceptance model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse tourist behaviour with regard to the new Web 2.0‐based sites, or Travel 2.0 websites. Concretely, it seeks to generalise the underlying behavioural model in explaining intention to use such sites according to its main determinants.Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop a structural equations model (SEM), which is applied to three websites selected for the study – i.e. the blog of a hotel, its Tripadvisor community and its Facebook profile. Rigorous empirical research was conducted by asking respondents to visualise the three different Travel 2.0 websites and complete a web questionnaire.Findings – The findings reveal that the original technology acceptance model (TAM) is a robust underlying model for studies aimed at examining these sites. Focusing on blogs, social networks and virtual communities, the study shows that the relationship between certain cognitive and behavioural variables may vary depending on the specific website.Research limitat.
Cartilage Lesions of the Patella in Recurrent Patellar Dislocation

Background The etiology of patellar cartilage lesions in recurrent patellar dislocation has been poorly understood. Hypothesis The pathology of cartilage lesions of the patella accompanied by recurrent patellar dislocation can be analyzed. Study Design Series of case reports. Methods In 70 knees from 57 patients with recurrent patellar dislocation, the cartilage lesions of the patella were examined using arthroscopy and/or macroscopic observation. The average age of the patients was 22 years (range, 13 to 40 years). Lesions that involved only softening were not included. Results Sixty-seven knees (96%) had articular cartilage lesions of the patella, and only 3 knees had no change. Fissuring was observed in 53 knees (76%). The most common site of fissuring was on the central dome. There were basically two types of fissuring: multiple longitudinal fissuring and marginal/radial fissuring. Fibrillation and/or erosion were observed in 54 knees (77%). Of these, 40 knees had fissuring and 14 did not have fissuring. The main site of fibrillation and/or erosion was the medial facet. Conclusions Cartilage lesions of the patella in recurrent patellar dislocation cases were very common. Fissuring was observed mainly on the central dome, and fibrillation and/or erosion were observed mainly on the medial facet.
Characterization of an intergenic polymorphic site (pp‐hC1A_5) in Wolbachia pipientis (wPip)

Wolbachia pipientis (wPip) is an intracellular bacterium causing cytoplasmic incompatibility in arthropods, including mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex. Here, we present a method useful for genotyping within the wPip group. Primers were designed using a Tandem Repeat Finder program to amplify an intergenic, polymorphic site (pp‐hC1A_5) of wPip. The polymorphic site is located between genes that code for polynucleotide phosphorylase and a hypothetical protein (C1A_5). Comparison of these wPip genomic regions from C. pipiens mosquitoes sampled in different geographic regions revealed deletions of fragments that proved useful in phylogenetic analysis.
Total Capture: A 3D Deformation Model for Tracking Faces, Hands, and Bodies

We present a unified deformation model for the markerless capture of human movement at multiple scales, including facial expressions, body motion, and hand gestures. An initial model is generated by locally stitching together models of the individual parts of the human body, which we refer to as "Frank". This model enables the full expression of part movements, including face and hands, by a single seamless model. We capture a dataset of people wearing everyday clothes and optimize the Frank model to create "Adam": a calibrated model that shares the same skeleton hierarchy as the initial model with a simpler parameterization. Finally, we demonstrate the use of these models for total motion tracking in a multiview setup, simultaneously capturing the large-scale body movements and the subtle face and hand motion of a social group of people.
The impact of breast cancer screening among younger women in the Barretos Region, Brazil.

AIM To verify the impact of breast cancer screening in women aged 40-49 years in one region of Brazil. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a cross-sectional study, targeted to asymptomatic women aged 40-69 years who had breast cancer screening mammography performed between January 2003 and December 2007. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of breast cancer by age groups (40-49, 50-59, 60-69 years). RESULTS Of the 27,133 screened women, 51.9% (14,082) were aged between 40-49 years. The odds ratio (OR) of breast cancer among the 45-49 year age cohort was not significantly different from that of 60 to 69-year-old women (OR=0.64; 95% Confidence Interval 0.39 to 1.03). CONCLUSION The risk of breast cancer among women aged 45 to 49 years is equivalent to that of women aged 60 to 69 years, indicating that breast cancer screening in this region of Brazil should start at the age of 45 years or immediately thereafter.
Power Allocation for Secondary Outage Minimization in Spectrum Sharing Networks with Limited Feedback

We address an optimal transmit power allocation problem that minimizes the outage probability of a secondary user (SU) who is allowed to coexist with a primary user (PU) in a narrowband spectrum sharing cognitive radio network, under a long term average transmit power constraint at the secondary transmitter (SU-TX) and an average interference power constraint at the primary receiver (PU-RX), with quantized channel state information (CSI) (including both the channels from SU-TX to SU-RX, denoted as g1 and the channel from SU-TX to PU-RX, denoted as g0) at the SU-TX. The optimal quantization regions in the vector channel space is shown to have a "stepwise" structure. With this structure, the above outage minimization problem can be explicitly formulated and solved by employing the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) necessary optimality conditions to obtain a locally optimal quantized power codebook. A low-complexity near-optimal quantized power allocation algorithm is derived for the case of large number of feedback bits. More interestingly, we show that as the number of partition regions approaches infinity, the length of interval between any two adjacent quantization thresholds on the g0 axis is asymptotically equal when the average interference power constraint is active. Similarly, we show that when the average interference power constraint is inactive, the ratio between any two adjacent quantization thresholds on the g1 axis becomes asymptotically identical. Using these results, an explicit expression for the asymptotic SU outage probability at high rate quantization (as the number of feedback bits goes to infinity) is also provided, and is shown to approximate the optimal outage behavior extremely well for large number of bits of feedback via numerical simulations. Analysis on the extension to multiple secondary users case (cognitive multiple-access network) is also discussed. Numerical results illustrate that with only a few bits of feedback, the derived algorithms provide secondary outage performance very close to that with full CSI at the SU-TX.
Retromer Guides STxB and CD8‐M6PR from Early to Recycling Endosomes, EHD1 Guides STxB from Recycling Endosome to Golgi

Retrograde trafficking transports proteins, lipids and toxins from the plasma membrane to the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To reach the Golgi, these cargos must transit the endosomal system, consisting of early endosomes (EE), recycling endosomes, late endosomes and lysosomes. All cargos pass through EE, but may take different routes to the Golgi. Retromer‐dependent cargos bypass the late endosomes to reach the Golgi. We compared how two very different retromer‐dependent cargos negotiate the endosomal sorting system. Shiga toxin B, bound to the external layer of the plasma membrane, and chimeric CD8‐mannose‐6‐phosphate receptor (CI‐M6PR), which is anchored via a transmembrane domain. Both appear to pass through the recycling endosome. Ablation of the recycling endosome diverted both of these cargos to an aberrant compartment and prevented them from reaching the Golgi. Once in the recycling endosome, Shiga toxin required EHD1 to traffic to the TGN, while the CI‐M6PR was not significantly dependent on EHD1. Knockdown of retromer components left cargo in the EE, suggesting that it is required for retrograde exit from this compartment. This work establishes the recycling endosome as a required step in retrograde traffic of at least these two retromer‐dependent cargos. Along this pathway, retromer is associated with EE to recycling endosome traffic, while EHD1 is associated with recycling endosome to TGN traffic of STxB.
Comparison between Male and Female Sprague-Dawley Rats in the Response of Urinary Biomarkers to Injury Induced by Gentamicin

Differences were examined between male and female Sprague-Dawley rats in the response of 16 urinary biomarkers (measured using several assay platforms) to renal injury produced by gentamicin administered subcutaneously for 10 days at a dosage of 75 mg/kg. Urinary biomarkers expressed as fold difference from contemporaneous controls and renal histopathology were assessed after 3 and 10 doses. On day 4, minimal proximal tubular changes were observed microscopically in all males but no females; on day 11, more extensive and more severe injury was observed to a similar extent in all animals of both sexes. Modest increases (maximum 5-fold) in all urinary biomarkers (except epidermal growth factor [EGF], which was decreased) on day 4 and marked elevations (maximum 271-fold) on day 11 were seen consistently in both sexes. However, the magnitude of the increases differed between the sexes. On day 4, despite the lack of tubular injury, many biomarkers were more elevated in females than males but this rarely led to statistically significant sex differences; only 2 biomarkers (β2-microglobulin and total protein) showed a greater increase in males than females in line with the histopathology. On day 11, there were many more biomarkers that showed a statistically significant difference between the sexes in fold change with treatment; in line with the results on day 4, the majority of biomarkers were more increased in females than males. It remains unresolved if sex differences in the magnitude of biomarker response at injury threshold would lead to any difference in diagnostic interpretation between the sexes. These data highlight the need for publication of more studies using animals of both sexes to fully explore the influence of sex on the diagnostic performance of the novel biomarkers.
Sugar and salt in the pathogenesis of elevated blood pressure.

See related article, pp 695–701 In the last few years a significant number of studies have been published linking consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with obesity, hypertension, and other metabolic disturbances. The term “SSBs” includes sodas (carbonated beverages, eg, colas), along with fruit drinks, lemonade, and iced tea. Findings from large cross-sectional studies, in conjunction with those from well-powered prospective cohort studies with long periods of follow-up, show a positive association between greater intakes of SSBs and obesity in both children and adults.1 Findings from few short-term feeding trials in adults also support an induction of positive energy balance and weight gain by intake of sugar-sweetened sodas.1 Consumption of SSBs, particularly carbonated soft drinks, may be a key contributor to the epidemic of overweight and obesity, by virtue of the high added sugar content, the reduced satiety response, and the promotion of a positive energy balance by liquid calories relative to isoenergetic solid calories. Moreover, increased SSB intake in US adolescents2 and young adults3 was shown to be independently associated with insulin resistance–associated metabolic parameters, including increased homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index,2 waist circumference,2,3 body mass index,2 low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides,3 and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.2 These cross-sectional studies also reported positive association between intake of SSB and elevated blood pressure (BP)2 or prevalence of hypertension.3 Furthermore, 2 large prospective studies reported the positive association between SSB consumption and the incidence of hypertension. The investigators of the Nurses' Health Study observed a strong positive association between cola beverage intake, assessed by food frequency questionnaire (usual intake 1 year before the examination) and incident physician-diagnosed hypertension in a large cohort of 155 594 US women followed up over 12 years ( P for trend <0.001). …
Lightyear: technological toolkits characteristics and creativity in cross-disciplinary teams

The use of technological tools to execute creative tasks is pervasive within cross-disciplinary teams, yet little attention has been paid to their role in influencing team creativity. In particular, no research has focused on how the characteristics of a team’s technological toolkit – the set of technological tools a team can draw upon to construct its actions – can affect team creativity. I propose that considering the toolkit, rather than just isolated tools, and the multiple functions played by tools is critical to understand how technology characteristics influence team creativity. I hypothesize that creativity in cross-disciplinary teams is influenced by the size and field diffusion of the team toolkit, with size having a curvilinear relationship with creativity, and diffusion having a positive relationship. Moreover, I hypothesize that these effects will be mitigated when the number of team members who are experts with the focal tool is high. I test and find support for these hypotheses in a study set in the context of the Hollywood animation industry, a knowledge-intensive industry characterized by the presence of cross-disciplinary teams using a variety of technological tools. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.