Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methodologies for Determining the Sources, Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of Asbestiform and Nonasbestiform Amphibole and Serpentine in Ambient Air and Water

Anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic (erosion) processes contribute to the continuing presence of asbestos and nonasbestos elongated mineral particles (EMP) of amphibole and serpentine in air and water of urban, rural, and remote environments. The anthropogenic processes include disturbance and deterioration of asbestos-containing materials, mining of amphibole- and serpentine-bearing rock, and disturbance of soils containing amphibole and serpentine. Atmospheric dispersal processes can transport EMP on a global scale. There are many methods of establishing the abundance of EMP in air and water. EMP include cleavage fragments, fibers, asbestos, and other asbestiform minerals, and the methods employed do not critically distinguish among them. The results of most of the protocols are expressed in the common unit of fibers per square centimeter; however, seven different definitions for the term “fiber” are employed and the results are not comparable. The phase-contrast optical method used for occupational monitoring cannot identify particles being measured, and none of the methods distinguish amphibole asbestos from other EMP of amphibole. Measured ambient concentrations of airborne EMP are low, and variance may be high, even for similar environments, yielding data of questionable value for risk assessment. Calculations based on the abundance of amphibole-bearing rock and estimates of asbestos in the conterminous United States suggest that amphibole may be found in 6–10% of the land area; nonanthropogenic erosional processes might produce on the order of 400,000 tons or more of amphibole per year, and approximately 50 g asbestos/km2/yr; and the order of magnitude of the likelihood of encountering rock bearing any type of asbestos is approximately 0.0001.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Therapy

Hemorrhagic stroke is a common and severe neurological disorder and is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity, especially for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Increasing evidence demonstrates that oxidative stress responses participate in the pathophysiological processes of secondary brain injury (SBI) following ICH. The mechanisms involved in interoperable systems include endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, neuronal apoptosis and necrosis, inflammation, and autophagy. In this review, we summarized some promising advances in the field of oxidative stress and ICH, including contained animal and human investigations. We also discussed the role of oxidative stress, systemic oxidative stress responses, and some research of potential therapeutic options aimed at reducing oxidative stress to protect the neuronal function after ICH, focusing on the challenges of translation between preclinical and clinical studies, and potential post-ICH antioxidative therapeutic approaches.
[Variation of LNK Gene in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE To compare the mutation and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of LNK gene between chronic myeloid leukemia(CML) and control groups, and to explore the relationship between LNK gene variation and the occurrence of CML. METHODS A total of 36 patients with CML were selected, 46 healthy persons were used as normal controls. DNA was extracted from bone marrow and peripheral blood, BCR/ABL1 fusion gene was detected by Q-PCR. The whole exon of LNK gene was amplified by PCR. The amplified sequences included the Rs3184504 (C/T) and Rs78894077 (A/C/G/T) affecting the expression of amino acids in LNK gene, and the Rs7973120 (A/T) unaffecting the expression of the amino acids. The mutations and SNP of LNK gene were analyzed by DNA sequencing. RESULTS Thirty-six cases of CML had BCR/ABL1 mutation, while no mutation was found in the control group. One case of CML had LNK heterozygous mutation (A300V), and the mutation rate was 2.8%, no mutation was seen in normal control group. Rs3184504: C/T allele frequency was 50%/50% in the control group, 94.4%/5.6% in the CML group, and the C allele in CML group was significantly higher than that in the control group; CC genotype accounted for 94.4% (P<0.01). Rs78894077: C/T allele in the control group was 9.8%/90.2%, in CML group was 16.7%/83.3%, the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05); but CC genotype in CML group was very statistically significant higher than that in control group(P<0.01). Rs7973120: A/T allele frequency was 10.9%/89.1% in the control group, 25%/75% in the CML group, the LNK A allele in CML group was very significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION CML patients have been confirmed to have LNK mutation; the SNPs of LNK are related with the development of CML, and the most CML patients carry the LNK Rs3184504 C allele and the Rs7973120 A allele.
Design and characterization of acoustic 4f imaging system by using an optical microring ultrasound detector

We propose an acoustic 4f imaging system by using a pair of acoustic lens and an optical microring ultrasound detector (OMUD). The system was designed to have a long range imaging, and the signal strength was enhanced by a factor of ~13 by using an acryl-based acoustic lens at an imaging distance of close to 10 cm. The acoustic signal had a broadband and high frequency spectrum for a given focal distance owing to the unique characteristic of the OMUD. The imaging was obtained without using any reconstruction algorithms. Several performances of the designed system have been investigated by using photo-acoustic microspheres (301 μm in diameter) which are excited by pulsed laser beam. The resolution of images were compared, which consist of full frequency spectrum and harmonic frequency components. With high frequency (10 MHz and 15 MHz), the images showed consistently better resolutions (440 μm and 370 μm) for the microsphere. Frequency analysis of a time-domain signal waveform showed that the signal spectrum of the current system extends up to 20 MHz.
Small Profits and Quick Returns: A Practical SocialWelfare Maximizing Incentive Mechanism for Deadline-Sensitive Tasks in Crowdsourcing

As the driving force of crowdsourcing is the interaction among participants, various incentive mechanisms have been proposed to attract sufficient participants. However, the existing works assume that all the providers always meet the deadline and the task value accordingly remains constant. To bridge the gap of such impractical assumption, we model the heterogeneous punctuality behavior of providers and the task value depreciation of requesters. Based on those models, we propose an Expected Social Welfare Maximizing (ESWM) mechanism that aims to maximize the expected social welfare in polynomial time. Simulation results show that our heuristic-based mechanism achieves higher expected social welfare and platform utility via attracting more participants.
A Nonmotorized Treadmill Test to Assess Children's Short-Term Power Output

The purpose of this study was to develop a nonmotorized treadmill sprint test (ExNMT) to assess children’s short-term power output, to establish the test’s repeatability, and to compare the results to corresponding Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) measurements. Nineteen children (aged 10.9±0.3 years) completed 2 ExNMTs and 2 WAnTs. Statistical analysis revealed coefficients of repeatability for the ExNMT that compared very favorably with the WAnT for both peak power (26.6 vs. 44.5 W) and mean power (15.3 vs. 42.1 W). The validity of the ExNMT as a test of anaerobic performance is reflected by significant correlations (p ≤.05) with the WAnT (peak power, r = 0.82; mean power, r = 0.88) and reinforced by the relatively high post-exercise blood lactate concentrations (7.1 ± 1.3 vs. 5.6 ± 1.5 mmol · L−1 for the ExNMT and WAnT, respectively). This study has developed a promising laboratory running test with which to examine young people’s short-term power output.
Control-oriented design guidelines to extend the stability margin of switching converters

Power electronic systems exhibit different types of fast- and slow-scale instabilities which limit the stable operating range of the parameters. It has been shown that the stability of complex power electronic systems can be fruitfully investigated using the Filippov method, where the stability of the system is given by the eigenvalues of the monodromy matrix, which is a combination of the state transition matrices through each subsystem and those across the switching events, called saltation matrix. In this paper we show that the components of the saltation matrix can be used to change the stability status of the system, and propose three specific techniques, which can be used individually or together to extend the range of stability significantly. The performance of these techniques are shown using line and load disturbances.
A comparison of conventional tube test and gel technique in evaluation of direct antiglobulin test

Abstract In vivo coating of red cells by antibody and/or complement is detected using various sensitive techniques, however most hospitals even today rely on the conventional tube technique (CTT). We compared the performance of the CTT and recently introduced gel test (GT) in the evaluation of direct antiglobulin test (DAT). The CTT and GT were first compared using in-house prepared control cells. The polyspecific DATs were performed simultaneously by CTT and GT on 170 consecutive blood samples. Positive samples were further tested for monospecific IgG and C3d by both techniques. GT demonstrated stronger agglutination scores (60 vs. 43) compared to CTT using control cells. The sensitivity and specificity of the GT was 98.4 and 95.2%, respectively as compared to CTT for polyspecific DAT. Discordance between the two test systems was seen in 6/170 patients. Of these, 5 were missed by CTT while GT failed to detect in vivo coating in only 1 case. The agreement between two methods of DAT was 96.4% (κ = 0.926) using polyspecific AHG and 95.7% (κ = 0.379) with mono specific anti-IgG. We conclude that GT is a better alternative to CTT for detecting red cell bound antibodies in various clinical conditions.
Mental Rotation, Mental Representation, and Flat Slopes

The "mental rotation" literature has studied how subjects determine whether two stimuli that differ in orientation have the same handedness. This literature implies that subjects perform the task by imagining the rotation of one of the stimuli to the orientation of the other. This literature has spawned several theories of mental representation. These theories imply that mental representations cannot be both orientation-free and handedness-specific. We present four experiments that demonstrate the contrary: mental representations can be both orientation-free and handedness-specific. In Experiment 1 we serendipitously discovered a version of R. N. Shepard and J. Metzler's (1971) "mental rotation" task in which subjects accurately discover the handedness of a stimulus without using "mental rotation," i.e., in which reaction time to compare the handedness of two forms is not a function of the angular disparity between the two forms. In Experiment 2 we generalize this finding to different experimental procedures. In Experiment 3 we replicate this finding with a much larger group of subjects. In Experiment 4 we show that when we preclude the formation of an orientation-free representation by never repeating a polygon, subjects carry out the handedness comparison task by performing "mental rotation. "
Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 as a potential therapeutic target in osteosarcoma

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNA metastasis‐associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) plays an important role in the development of several solid tumors. However, the function of MALAT1 in the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma remains unknown. In the present study, levels of MALAT1 in human osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues were detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The roles of MALAT1 in osteosarcoma were investigated by using in vitro and in vivo assays. We observed that MALAT1 expression was up‐regulated in human osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues. In vitro knockdown of MALAT1 by siRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. In addition, MALAT1 knockdown markedly suppressed the formation of tubular network structures and caused breakage of stress fibers in osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS and MNNG/HOS. Furthermore, MALAT1 knockdown delayed tumor growth in an osteosarcoma xenograft model. Specifically, we found that administration of MALAT1 siRNA decreased the protein levels of RhoA and its downstream effectors Rho‐associated coiled‐coil containing protein kinases (ROCKs). Taken together, these findings suggest that MALAT1 plays an oncogenic role in osteosarcoma and may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of osteosarcoma patients. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:932–941, 2016.
Discretely Tunable Laser Based on Filtered Feedback for Telecommunication Applications

A novel discretely tunable laser based on filtered feedback is presented. The semiconductor device consists of a Fabry-Perot laser with deeply etched broadband distributed Bragg reflector mirrors. Single-mode operation is achieved by using feedback from an integrated filter. This filter contains an arrayed waveguide grating wavelength router and a semiconductor optical amplifier gate array. Design, simulation, and the first characterization results of this new integrated filtered-feedback tunable laser device are presented. It shows a combination of a simple and robust switching algorithm with good wavelength stability. A rate equation model predicts that a properly designed device can switch within 1 ns. The fast switching and reduced control complexity makes the device very promising for various advanced applications in optical telecommunication networks.
Pain experiences of men and women after cardiac surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To compare the prevalence and severity of pain in men and women during the first year following cardiac surgery and to examine the predictors of persistent postoperative pain 12 months post surgery. BACKGROUND Persistent pain has been documented after cardiac surgery, with limited evidence for differences between men and women. DESIGN Prospective cohort study of patients in a randomised controlled trial (N = 416, 23% women) following cardiac surgery. METHODS Secondary data analysis of data collected prior to surgery, across postoperative days 1-4, at two weeks, and at one, three, six and 12 months post surgery. The main outcome was worst pain intensity (Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form). RESULTS Twenty-nine percent (97/339) of patients reported persistent postoperative pain at rest at 12 months that was worse in intensity and interference for women than for men. For both sexes, a more severe co-morbidity profile, lower education and postoperative pain at rest at one month post surgery were associated with an increased probability for persistent postoperative pain at 12 months. Women with more concerns about communicating pain and a lower intake of analgesics in the hospital had an increased probability of pain at 12 months. CONCLUSION Sex differences in pain are present up to one year following cardiac surgery. Strategies for sex-targeted pain education and management pre- and post-surgery may lead to better pain outcomes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE These results suggest that informing patients (particularly women) about the benefits of analgesic use following cardiac surgery may result in less pain over the first year post discharge.
De ollitas y paredes volteadas a urnas y monumento patrimonial. La Comunidad India de Quilmes y las resignificaciones del sitio arqueológico a partir de la reconstrucción

El objetivo de este trabajo es reflexionar sobre el rol/vinculacion que las distintas materialidades asociadas al sitio arqueologico denominado Ciudad Sagrada de Quilmes han tenido y tienen en el desarrollo pasado y presente de la Comunidad India de Quilmes. En particular analizaremos como a partir del proceso de reconstruccion del sitio, llevado a cabo a fines de la decada de 1970, se fueron produciendo diferentes transformaciones en los aspectos economicos, simbolicos, politicos y cotidianos de la relacion de los pobladores locales con el mismo asi como con otros actores externos a la Comunidad involucrados en tales procesos.
Effect of polar solvents on β-carotene radical precursor

β-Carotene forms radicals in chloroform upon photo-excitation (i) in the femtosecond time-scale by direct electron ejection into chloroform and (ii) in the microsecond time-scale by secondary reactions with chloroform radicals formed in the faster reactions. The precursor for β-carotene radical cation decays in a second-order reaction in the mixed solvents, with a rate decreasing for increasing dielectric constant of cosolvent (acetic acid < ethanol < acetonitrile∼methanol). The precursor is assigned as an ion pair from which the β-carotene radical cation is formed in neat chloroform, but in more polar solvents it reacts at least partly through disproportionation in a bimolecular reaction promoted by the presence of ions. The stabilization of the radical precursor by increased solvent polarity, allowing for deactivation of the precursor by an alternative reaction channel, is discussed in relation to the balance of pro- and antioxidative properties of β-carotene at lipid/water interfaces.
La cuarta fase del constitucionalismo iberoamericano: el ascenso del constitucionalismo social (1917-1949)

Este articulo pretende analizar, segun la metodologia del constitucionalismo comparado, la difusion del constitucionalismo social en la America de la primera mitad del siglo XX. En primer lugar, se quiere contextualizar el ascenso de este complemento clave del constitucionalismo liberal del siglo XIX, discutiendo tanto las influencias de la transformacion hacia la sociedad industrial como los cambios paradigmaticos. Seguidamente se presenta el texto originario de la tendencia socioeconomica en las Americas, es decir, la constitucion mexicana de 1917, para analizar en los capitulos posteriores la ola americana de difusion de las constituciones social-liberales entre Peru y Argentina, asi como las tendencias absolutamente opuestas en algunas “republicas bananeras” de Centro-America. Finalmente, se pretende concluir con las caracteristicas comunes que perfilaron esta fase del constitucionalismo moderno en America Latina.
Acceptance and Impact of Point‐of‐Use Water Filtration Systems in Rural Guatemala

PURPOSE Infants and children in developing countries bear the burden of diarrheal disease. Diarrheal disease is linked to unsafe drinking water and can result in serious long-term consequences, such as impaired immune function and brain growth. There is evidence that point-of-use water filtration systems reduce the prevalence of diarrhea in developing countries. In the summer of 2014, following community forums and interactive workshops, water filters were distributed to 71 households in a rural Maya community in Guatemala. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the uptake of tabletop water filtration systems to reduce diarrheal diseases. DESIGN A descriptive correlational study was used that employed community partnership and empowerment strategies. One year postintervention, in the summer of 2015, a bilingual, interdisciplinary research team conducted a house-to-house survey with families who received water filters. METHODS Survey data were gathered from the head of household on family demographics, current family health, water filter usage, and type of flooring in the home. Interviews were conducted in Spanish and in partnership with a village leader. Each family received a food package of household staples for their participation. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all responses. Fisher's exact test and odds ratios were used to determine relationships between variables. FINDINGS Seventy-nine percent (n = 56) of the 71 households that received a water filter in 2014 participated in the study. The majority of families (71.4%; n = 40) were using the water filters and 16 families (28.6%) had broken water filters. Of the families with working water filters, 15% reported diarrhea, while 31% of families with a broken water filter reported diarrhea. Only 55.4% of the homes had concrete flooring. More households with dirt flooring and broken water filters reported a current case of diarrhea. A record review of attendees at an outreach clinic in this village noted a decrease in intestinal infections from 2014 (53%) to 2015 (32%). CONCLUSIONS A trend suggests that water filter usage was both practically and clinically significant in reducing the incidence of diarrheal disease in this sample. Some homes did not have flat surfaces for water filter storage. Housing conditions should be taken into consideration for future diarrheal disease prevention initiatives. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Point-of-use water filters using a community-university partnership can reduce diarrheal disease in rural regions of Guatemala.
Obinutuzumab for B-cell malignancies

Introduction: We analyse data for the use of obinutuzumab in the treatment of CD20+ lymphoproliferative disorders with a focus on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Targeted therapy against CD20 with the mAb rituximab led to significant improvements in survival for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and is the current mainstay of treatment for CD20+ malignancies. Despite this, many patients relapse or become refractory after rituximab-containing therapies, so efforts have been made to develop better anti-CD20 mAbs. Obinutuzumab recently demonstrated superiority over rituximab in the only published Phase III study comparing the two antibodies. Areas covered: Obinutuzumab is a humanised, anti-CD20 mAb being compared to rituximab in several Phase III studies. An overview of obinutuzumab, its mechanisms of action and results of Phase I–III studies are presented. Expert opinion: The demonstration of superiority of obinutuzumab over rituximab in the CLL11 Phase III study is potentially practice-changing. Obinutuzumab has also proven safe and efficacious in CD20+ NHL in Phase I/II studies and results of Phase III studies in NHL are eagerly awaited. The potential implications of improved outcomes for CLL and NHL with the introduction of this more potent anti-CD20 antibody are tremendous given the impressive results obtained after the introduction of rituximab over a decade ago.
Effects of prolonged Acipimox treatment on glucose and lipid metabolism and on in vivo insulin sensitivity in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

The effect of prolonged treatment with Acipimox on in vivo peripheral insulin sensitivity, and on glucose and lipid metabolism, was investigated in patients with NIDDM in a double-blind study. Twelve NIDDM patients were randomized to treatment with either placebo or Acipimox in pharmacological doses (250 mg x 3) for three months. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide and HbA1c concentrations were unaffected after three months of acipimox treatment. However, fasting plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were twofold elevated after Acipimox treatment (1.34 +/- 0.09 vs 0.66 +/- 0.09 mmol/l; p < 0.05). Despite this, repeated acute Acipimox administration after the three months' treatment period enhanced total insulin-stimulated glucose disposal to the same extent as acute Acipimox administration before the treatment period (367 +/- 59 vs 392 +/- 66 mg.m-2.min-1, NS; both p < 0.05 vs placebo glucose disposal) (267 +/- 44 mg.m-2.min-1). In conclusion, insulin resistance or tachyphylaxis towards the effects of Acipimox on insulin stimulated glucose disposal was not induced during prolonged Acipimox treatment. The lack of improvement of blood glucose control in the patients with NIDDM may be due to the demonstrated rebound effect of lipolysis.