Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retention of Metribuzin by Sugarcane Residue: Adsorption-Desorption and Miscible Displacement Experiments

Assessment of herbicide retention in the soil environment is essential for minimizing their potential contamination of surface and groundwater resources. In this study, metribuzin retention characteristics by sugarcane mulch residue were quantified. Batch methods were used to quantify adsorption and desorption of metribuzin by the residue over a wide range of input concentrations and reaction times. Desorption was carried out after 1- and 21-day adsorption, which was followed by methanol extraction. Metribuzin retention by the residue exhibited linear adsorption where the partitioning coefficient (Kd) increased over time. Adsorption-desorption exhibited strong hysteresis indicative of time-dependent retention. The extent of hysteresis and nonextractable or residual amounts increased as the time for adsorption increased. A multireaction model provided good description of the time-dependent adsorption and desorption behavior for all input concentrations. In addition, based on measured Kd values, we found that metribuzin retention by the residue did not change significantly with the age of the decaying residue. Metribuzin breakthrough results (breakthrough curves) from miscible displacement experiments showed high mobility of metribuzin in residue-amended Sharkey and Commerce soil columns. Metribuzin breakthrough curves exhibited gradual release during leaching as well as significant responses to flow interruption and were well described using the multireaction model.
Neisseria meningitidis induces the expression of the TNF-alpha gene in endothelial cells.

Pilus-mediated adhesion plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of Neisseria meningitidis by allowing the initial localized adhesion to epithelial and endothelial cells. Non-piliated bacteria are not adherent. Moreover, cytokine production during infection is a key feature of meningococcal pathogenesis. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is known to be produced early during meningococcal infections and experimental endotoxemia. Monocytic cells are thought to be responsible for this systemic production of TNF-alpha which is involved in many aspects of meningococcal pathogenesis such as coagulopathy and activation of endothelial cells. In this report, both adherent and non-adherent N. meningitidis were shown to induce the expression of TNF-alpha gene in monocytic cells, however, only adherent N. meningitidis was able to induce the expression of TNF-alpha gene in endothelial cells. This latter induction required the presence of monocytes. These data suggest that endothelial cells may be activated selectively and efficiently by adherent N. meningitidis and can locally produce TNF-alpha upon bacterial adhesion.
Closed-Loop Artificial Pancreas Using Subcutaneous Glucose Sensing and Insulin Delivery and a Model Predictive Control Algorithm: Preliminary Studies in Padova and Montpellier

New effort has been made to develop closed-loop glucose control, using subcutaneous (SC) glucose sensing and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) from a pump, and a control algorithm. An approach based on a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm has been utilized during closed-loop control in type 1 diabetes patients. Here we describe the preliminary clinical experience with this approach. In Padova, two out of three subjects showed better performance with the closed-loop system compared to open loop. Altogether, mean overnight plasma glucose (PG) levels were 134 versus 111 mg/dl during open loop versus closed loop, respectively. The percentage of time spent at PG > 140 mg/dl was 45% versus 12%, while postbreakfast mean PG was 165 versus 156 mg/dl during open loop versus closed loop, respectively. Also, in Montpellier, two patients out of three showed a better glucose control during closed-loop trials. Avoidance of nocturnal hypoglycemic excursions was a clear benefit during algorithm-guided insulin delivery in all cases. This preliminary set of studies demonstrates that closed-loop control based entirely on SC glucose sensing and insulin delivery is feasible and can be applied to improve glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes, although the algorithm needs to be further improved to achieve better glycemic control. Six type 1 diabetes patients (three in each of two clinical investigation centers in Padova and Montpellier), using CSII, aged 36 ± 8 and 48 ± 6 years, duration of diabetes 12 ± 8 and 29 ± 4 years, hemoglobin A1c 7.4% ± 0.1% and 7.3% ± 0.3%, body mass index 23.2 ± 0.3 and 28.4 ± 2.2 kg/m2, respectively, were studied on two occasions during 22 h overnight hospital admissions 2–4 weeks apart. A Freestyle Navigator® continuous glucose monitor and an OmniPod® insulin pump were applied in each trial. Admission 1 used open-loop control, while admission 2 employed closed-loop control using our MPC algorithm.
Psychische vermoeidheid en werk: Cijfers, trends en analyses

Dit rapport, dat een overzicht wil bieden van de huidige stand van zaken met betrekking tot psychische vermoeidheid en werk, is geschreven in het kader van het door de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) gesubsidieerde onderzoeksprogramma 'Psychische Vermoeidheid in de Arbeidssituatie' (PVA), waarin Nederlandse universiteiten en onderzoeksinstellingen samenwerken. Werkgerelateerde psychische problematiek staat momenteel in het middelpunt van de belangstelling. Eind 1999 waren werkgerelateerde psychische klachten goed voor ruim 31% van de WAO-intreders. Dat aandeel is al jaren nagenoeg stabiel, terwijl het totale aantal WAO-ers sinds enkele jaren gestaag stijgt. Ongeveer de helft van de uitval in de WAO is werkgebonden, terwijl dat bij uitval om psychische redenen nog wat vaker het geval is. Opvallend is dat risico's in het werk die worden geassocieerd met het ontstaan van psychische klachten, zoals een hoge werkdruk en grote intensiteit van het werk, eveneens gestaag toenemen. Bij het type psychische klachten waarmee mensen uitvallen, speelt vermoeidheid een centrale rol.
Monumental Decisions: How Direct Democracy Shapes Attitudes in the Conflict over Confederate Memorials

ABSTRACT Americans are engaged in a heated, sometimes violent, debate over the fate of Confederate monuments. As communities decide whether to remove these monuments, elected and appointed officials typically have had the final say. What if instead of allowing elected officials to make such decisions, voters had the power? Would this affect how the public feels about the outcome, win or lose? We used a survey experiment to examine whether the mode of decision making affects public attitudes, testing the effects of a decision made by public referendum versus by a city council. We found that respondents view decisions made by referendum to be fairer and more legitimate and allow multiple perspectives to be heard. These results hold even for respondents who oppose the referendum’s outcome. Our results speak to the potential of direct democracy to enhance public acceptance of decisions, particularly when the public is divided.
Multivariate product adapted grading of Scots Pine sawn timber for an industrial customer, part 2: Robustness to disturbances

ABSTRACT Holistic-subjective automatic grading (HSAG) of sawn timber by an industrial customer's product outcome is possible through the use of multivariate partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), shown by part one of this two-part study. This second part of the study aimed at testing the robustness to disturbances of such an HSAG system when grading Scots Pine sawn timber partially covered in dust. The set of 308 clean planks from part one of this study, and a set of 310 dusty planks, that by being stored inside a sawmill accumulated a layer of dust, were used. Cameras scanned each plank in a sawmill's automatic sorting system that detected selected feature variables. The planks were then split and processed at a planing mill, and the product grade was correlated to the measured feature variables by partial least squares regression. Prediction models were tested using 5-fold cross-validation in four tests and compared to the reference result of part one of this study. The tests showed that the product adapted HSAG could grade dusty planks with similar or lower grading accuracy compared to grading clean planks. In tests grading dusty planks, the disturbing effect of the dust was difficult to capture through training.
Differences in morphology and polarization properties of heat-treated XLPE and LDPE insulation

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) is the most commonly used insulating material for extruded high voltage cable applications. Degassing is a heat-treatment process that is performed to remove methane from XLPE insulation which is formed during the crosslinking reactions as a by-product. Apart from removing methane, heat-treatment influences the electrical properties through changing the morphology due to annealing and also removal of polar crosslinking by-products. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is generally used to observe the changes in crystalline structure of the polymer. Frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) is widely used to study polarization properties of dielectric materials. In this study these two methods are used for a comparative analysis of XLPE and LDPE subjected to different heat-treatment time, with or without a diffusion barrier. Electrical measurements are performed at room temperature. From the SEM imaging conducted after permanganate acid etching, formation of spherulites due to heat-treatment is not obvious in neither LDPE nor in XLPE. However, distinctions between LDPE and XLPE in SEM micrographs are evident. From studies with dielectric polarization spectroscopy, it is found that the LDPE samples are less sensitive to heat-treatment in comparison to the XLPE samples while dissipation factor of XLPE samples are influenced by the choice of pressing film used during sample preparation.
Co-transplantation of pure blood stem cells with antigen-specific but not bulk T cells augments functional immunity

Impaired immunity is a fundamental obstacle to successful allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Mature graft T cells are thought to provide protection from infections early after transplantation, but can cause life-threatening graft-vs.-host disease. Human CMV is a major pathogen after transplantation. We studied reactivity against the mouse homologue, murine CMV (MCMV), in lethally irradiated mice given allogeneic purified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) or HSCs supplemented with T cells or T-cell subsets. Unexpectedly, recipients of purified HSCs mounted superior antiviral responses compared with recipients of HSC plus unselected bulk T cells. Furthermore, supplementation of purified HSC grafts with CD8+ memory or MCMV-specific T cells resulted in enhanced antiviral reactivity. Posttransplantation lymphopenia promoted massive expansion of MCMV-specific T cells when no competing donor T cells were present. In recipients of pure HSCs, naive and memory T cells and innate lymphoid cell populations developed. In contrast, the lymphoid pool in recipients of bulk T cells was dominated by effector memory cells. These studies show that pure HSC transplantations allow superior protective immunity against a viral pathogen compared with unselected mature T cells. This reductionist transplant model reveals the impact of graft composition on regeneration of host, newly generated, and mature transferred T cells, and underscores the deleterious effects of bulk donor T cells. Our findings lead us to conclude that grafts composed of purified HSCs provide an optimal platform for in vivo expansion of selected antigen-specific cells while allowing the reconstitution of a naive T-cell pool.
The clinical and biochemical parameters in relation to the serum neopterin levels in Indian children and adolescents.

INTRODUCTION An adverse pattern of blood lipids and cardiovascular abnormalities starts in obese children during childhood and neopterin serves as a marker for cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the data for children and adolescents, particularly, in the Indian population, are scarce. The present study aimed at evaluating the levels of serum neopterin in obese and overweight children and adolescents of the Indian population. METHODS The study groups included 296 school going children and adolescents. (96 obese and 97 overweight subjects were compared with 103 normal controls who were aged between 10-17 years). The anthropometric variables, the lipid profile, the fasting serum glucose which was analyzed by using an autoanalyzer and the serum neopterin levels were assayed by HPLC (Shimazdu) by using the method of Palfrey et al., 1993. The serum insulin levels were measured by using ELISA kits. RESULTS The serum neopterin levels (nmol/l) were elevated significantly in the obese (7.4±1.4) and overweight (6.4±0.8) (p<0.001) children and adolescents than in the controls (4.9±0.9). The serum neopterin levels showed a positive correlation with the BMI (r=0.79), WHR (r=0.5), systolic (r=0.44) and diastolic blood pressures (r= 0.25), insulin (r=0.57), HOMAIR (r=0.55), total cholesterol (r=0.35), triglycerides (r=0.20) and LDL-C (r=0.27) and they showed a negative correlation with HDL-C (r=-0.15) and fasting glucose (r= -0.3). CONCLUSION This study revealed a good relationship between serum neopterin and the anthropometric and biochemical parameters. We, therefore, aim to conduct regular camps at schools to counsel and advise the identified overweight and obese children to go for physical exercise and a balanced diet. The implementation of preventive measures from early childhood will have far reaching benefits, as even the prevalence of other obesity related disorders could decline.
Farm Management, Environment, and Weather Factors Jointly Affect the Probability of Spinach Contamination by Generic Escherichia coli at the Preharvest Stage

ABSTRACT The National Resources Information (NRI) databases provide underutilized information on the local farm conditions that may predict microbial contamination of leafy greens at preharvest. Our objective was to identify NRI weather and landscape factors affecting spinach contamination with generic Escherichia coli individually and jointly with farm management and environmental factors. For each of the 955 georeferenced spinach samples (including 63 positive samples) collected between 2010 and 2012 on 12 farms in Colorado and Texas, we extracted variables describing the local weather (ambient temperature, precipitation, and wind speed) and landscape (soil characteristics and proximity to roads and water bodies) from NRI databases. Variables describing farm management and environment were obtained from a survey of the enrolled farms. The variables were evaluated using a mixed-effect logistic regression model with random effects for farm and date. The model identified precipitation as a single NRI predictor of spinach contamination with generic E. coli, indicating that the contamination probability increases with an increasing mean amount of rain (mm) in the past 29 days (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5). The model also identified the farm's hygiene practices as a protective factor (OR = 0.06) and manure application (OR = 52.2) and state (OR = 108.1) as risk factors. In cross-validation, the model showed a solid predictive performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 81%. Overall, the findings highlighted the utility of NRI precipitation data in predicting contamination and demonstrated that farm management, environment, and weather factors should be considered jointly in development of good agricultural practices and measures to reduce produce contamination.
Thyroid Orbitopathy , an Overall View of Immunomodulatory Treatment with Special Attention to the Role of the Radiotherapy

Thyroid orbitopathy is the most prevalent non-thyroid symptom in Graves’ syndrome. It has a high incidence, especially affecting young women. There is a clear causal relationship between smoking status and the onset, evolution and response to the different treatments. It is an autoimmune process that usually evolves in an independent way from the thyroid status. When it is severe and progressive, it can represent a major therapeutic challenge. Clinical evaluation presents great difficulties in the absence of a truly objective rating scale that is representative of the disease activity. The new molecular and/or inflammatory markers can aid diagnosis and categorization. In this article we review new findings on pathophysiology and describe the different techniques used for treatment of this disease over time. Finally we discuss the immunomodulatory effect of the radiotherapy and the role of corticosteroids.
A desensitized form of neuronal acetylcholine receptor detected by 3H- nicotine binding on bovine adrenal chromaffin cells [published erratum appears in J Neurosci 1988 Dec;8(12):preceding 4415]

A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) on bovine adrenal chromaffin cells in culture has previously been identified using the alpha- neurotoxin n-Bgt and the monoclonal antibody mAb 35. Here, we report that the cells have 2 classes of high-affinity binding sites for 3H- nicotine, one being associated with the AChR and the other being associated with the alpha-bungarotoxin binding component that is distinct from the AChR. Scatchard analysis of 3H-nicotine binding to the AChR site yields a KD of 20 +/- 3 nM and a Bmax of 104 +/- 12 fmol/mg protein. Nicotinic antagonists block 3H-nicotine binding to the AChR site with the same rank order of potency and affinity with which they block nicotine-induced catecholamine release from the cells. About 80% of the AChRs are on the cell surface, as judged by the distribution of both 3H-nicotine binding and 125I-mAb 35 binding to the receptor, and the ratio of nicotine/mAb 35 binding to the AChR on the cell surface is approximately 1:1. Chronic treatment of the cells with mAb 35 results in receptor modulation such that all of AChR-related nicotine binding is lost from the cell surface, and all of the functional response to nicotine is lost as well. The results confirm that 3H-nicotine binding is associated with AChRs on the cells. The 3H- nicotine binding observed to the AChR represents binding to a desensitized form of the receptor having increased affinity for agonists and unchanged affinity for antagonists. This conclusion derives from the following observations. The KiS for agonist competition of 3H-nicotine binding indicate agonist affinities several orders of magnitude greater than do the KDS measured for receptor activation. Exposing cultures to low concentrations of nicotine and substance P causes receptor densensitization, and the concentration dependence of the nicotine-induced desensitization displays an EC50 of 20 nM, in good agreement with the KD obtained from equilibrium binding studies with 3H-nicotine. In addition, the rate of 3H-nicotine binding is increased both by substance P, which enhances the rate of agonist- induced desensitization on adrenal chromaffin cells, and by preincubation with nicotine. The increased rate of association, together with the dissociation rate, yields a kinetically derived KD of 19 nM, again in good agreement with the KD obtained from equilibrium binding studies. These results demonstrate that the bovine adrenal chromaffin AChR is similar to AChRs from muscle and electric organ in undergoing an agonist-induced conversion to a desensitized state having increased affinity for agonists.
Openness to International Trade and Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Empirical Investigation

In this paper, we revisit the empirical evidence on the relationship between trade openness and long-run economic growth over the sample period 1960-2000. In contrast to previous studies focusing mainly on the period 1970-1990, this paper reassesses the openness-growth nexus over a much longer sample period, enabling us to better account both trade policy stance and long-run growth dynamics. We carry out our empirical investigation by employing various openness measures suggested in the literature rather than relying on a few proxy variables. We also construct three additional composite trade policy indexes directly measuring trade policy stance. Our findings indicate that many openness variables are positively and significantly correlated with long-run economic growth. However, in some cases, this result is driven by the presence of a few outlying countries. Adding to the fragility of the openness-growth association, the significance of openness variables disappears once other growth determinants, such as institutions, population heterogeneity, geography and macroeconomic stability are accounted for.
Metabolically active functional food ingredients for weight control

The scale of the obesity epidemic creates a pressing consumer need as well as an enormous business opportunity for successful development and marketing of food products with added benefits for weight control. A number of proposed functional food ingredients have been shown to act post‐absorptively to influence substrate utilization or thermogenesis. Characteristics and supporting data on conjugated linoleic acid, diglycerides, medium‐chain triglycerides, green tea, ephedrine, caffeine, capsaicin and calcium, are reviewed here, giving examples of how these could act to alter energy expenditure or appetite control. Consideration is also given to other factors, in addition to efficacy, which must be satisfied to get such ingredients into foods. We conclude that, for each of the safe, putatively metabolically active agents, there remain gaps in clinical evidence or knowledge of mechanisms, which need to be addressed in order to specify the dietary conditions and food product compositions where these ingredients could be of most benefit for weight control.
Impact of genetic variation on perioperative bleeding

Variation in bleeding in the perioperative period is a complex and multifactorial event associated with immediate and delayed consequences for the patient and health care resources. Little is known about the complex genetic influences on perioperative bleeding. With the discovery of multiple variations in the human genome and ever‐growing databases of well‐phenotyped surgical patients, better identification of patients at risk of bleeding is becoming a reality. In this review, polymorphisms in the platelet receptor genes, plasminogen activator inhibitor, and angiotensin genes among others will be discussed. We will explore the nature, effects, and implications of the genetics that influence perioperative bleeding above and beyond surgical bleeding, particularly in cardiac surgery. Am. J. Hematol. , 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Normal oscillometric heart rate of term African infants in the early days of life

Abstract Background: Heart rate (HR) measurement is an important means of evaluating clinical status of newborns. Differences in HR between caucasian and negroid infants have been reported. Clinical estimation of HR is less accurate than estimates using devices. Aim: To establish the normal HR of term negroid newborns in the early days of life using an oscillometric device. Methods: The mean of three HR readings of consecutively recruited term newborns was obtained with Dinamp 8100 monitor (Critikon, Tampa, FL). On recruitment, the infants were aged between 1 and 4 days. Gestational age was determined by menstrual dates and the Dubowitz method. Results: A total of 473 term newborns were recruited, 229 (48·4%) of whom were males. Median HR was 132 (range 90–189) beats per minute (bpm). The lowest median HR (130 bpm) was obtained on the 3rd day of life and this was significantly different from the highest value of 138 bpm recorded on the 4th day of life (P = 0·025). The 5th and 95th percentiles were 111 and 158 bpm, respectively. Conclusion: The lower limit of the range of oscillometrically generated normal HR in term African newborns in the early days of life is lower than that which is commonly used in clinical practice.