Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exposures to IARC Carcinogenic Agents in Work Settings Not Traditionally Associated with Sinonasal Cancer Risk: The Experience of the Italian National Sinonasal Cancer Registry

The aim of this study is to highlight tasks and jobs not commonly considered at high risk for sinonasal cancer (SNC) identified by Regional Operating Centers currently active in the Italian National Sinonasal Cancer Registry (ReNaTuNS), which retrieve occupational histories through a standardized questionnaire. Data on exposures to IARC carcinogenic agents in work settings unknown to be associated with SNC risk were collected and analyzed. Out of 2,208 SNC cases recorded in the ReNaTuNS database, 216 cases and their worked exposure periods were analyzed. Unsuspected jobs with exposure to wood dust include construction-related tasks, production of resins, agriculture and livestock jobs (straw and sawdust), and heel factory work (cork dust). Other examples are hairdressers, bakers (formaldehyde), dressmakers, technical assistants, wool and artificial fiber spinners, and upholsterers (textile dusts). Moreover, settings with coexposure to different agents (e.g., wood with leather dusts and chromium–nickel compounds) were recognized. The study describes jobs where the existence of carcinogenic agents associated with SNC risk is unexpected or not resulting among primary materials employed. The systematic epidemiological surveillance of all epithelial SNC cases with a detailed collection of their work history, as performed by a dedicated population registry, is essential for detecting all potential occupational cases and should be considered in the context of forensic medicine and the compensation process.
Modulation of the Arterial Coronary Blood Flow by Asynchronous Activation with Ventricular Pacing

This study aims to test the assumptions that: (1) coronary arterial flow is attenuated in an early activated region by ventricular pacing; (2) asynchronous mechanical activation caused by ventricular pacing under controlled perfusion pressure and intact coronary tone is associated with reduced coronary flow compared to atrial pacing; and (3) abolishment of vascular tone under controlled perfasion pressure diminishes the expected difference in blood flow between atrial and ventricular pacing. Blood flow velocity (BFV) in the left anterior descending (LAD) and the left circumflex arteries (CFX) and a wall thickening index were measured in 14 open‐chest dogs under normal conditions, and constant perfasion pressure. Four pacing sites were used: right atrium (RAJ, mid‐right ventricle (RVyJ, mid‐left ventricle (LVp), and left ventricular apex (Apex. Pacing modes were either sequential ventriculoatrial (VA) (protocol A, n = 7), or sequential atrioventricalar (AV) (protocol B, n = 7), with a shorter AV difference (30 msec) than normal. Residis: BFV was decreased in the LAD during HV and Apex, pacingby 9.7%‐12.9% versas LVp and by 1.6%‐14.6% versus LVp (P < 0.05). No BFV variations were observed in the CFX. Flow velocity conductance (FVC = mean blood flow velocity divided by the mean aortic pressure) was higher by 16%‐28% in the CFX for the three ventricular pacing sites versus the airial pacing, and higher by 14.1%± 6.1% only in LVp versus RAp pacing in the LAD (P < 0.05). Wall thickening index reduced during ventricular pacing in all three ventricular sites by 50%‐64% (P < 0.05) compared to atrial pacing. Under constant perfusion pressure, LAD blood flow decreased with ventricular pacing as compared to right atrial pacing; this was particularly pronounced during the diastolic phase (16.6%−45.5%, P < 0.02). Normalized oscillatory flow amplitude (OFA.J was reduced in RVy, pacing compared to RAp and LVp pacing (16.2 ± 3.5 and 21.7%± 4.1%, respectively, P < 0.03). The variations in blood flow and OFAn disappeared with adenosine‐mediated maximum vasodilatation. Summary; (1) Mean and phasic flows are reduced in the early activated LAD region by ventricular pacing (RVp, Apex. (2) Under controlled perfusion pressure and intact vascular tone, ventricular pacing compromises blood flow compared with atrial pacing. (3) This effect disappears when vascular tone is eliminated by intracoronary injection of adenosine, suggesting that the coronary autoregulation is responsible for some of the effects.
Challenges in Setting Up Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units in a Resource-Limited Country

In collaboration with a host country and international medical volunteers, a PICU and an NICU were conceptualized and realized in the developing country of Nepal. We present here the challenges that were encountered during and after the establishment of these units. The decision to develop an ICU with reasonable goals in a developing country has to be made with careful assessments of need of that patient population and ethical principles guiding appropriate use of limited resources. Considerations during unit design include space allocation, limited supply of electricity, oxygen source, and clean-water availability. Budgetary challenges might place overall sustainability at stake, which can also lead to attrition of trained manpower and affect the quality of care. Those working in the PICU in resource-poor nations perpetually face the challenges of lack of expert support (subspecialists), diagnostic facilities (laboratory and radiology), and appropriate medications and equipment. Increasing transfer of severely ill patients from other health facilities can lead to space constraints, and lack of appropriate transportation for these critically ill patients increases the severity of illness, which leads to increased mortality rates. The staff in these units must make difficult decisions on effective triage of admissions to the units on the basis of individual cases, futility of care, availability of resources, and financial ability of the family.
Comparisons of Different Lighting Systems for Horticultural Seedling Production Aimed at Energy Saving

Nowadays, the evaluation of sustainability is an important aspect in the study of agricultural systems and the number of projects and methods for impact assessment of food production systems is increasing. In this work, we initially carried out a survey to know the status of the artificial lighting establishment in horticultural seedling nurseries in southern Spain. Taking into account the data obtained in the survey, we conducted an experiment with different types of fluorescent lamps (TLD-18, CF, TL5, TLD-56), light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and their combinations along with the novelty white LEDs lamps and XTRASUN LEDs to evaluate their technical parameters and spectral light qualities. In addition, the effectiveness of light irradiance (ELIplant) and the use of irradiance (UI) by cucumber and tomato seedling plants were estimated considering their light absorbance capacity previously analyzed. The results showed that TLD-18 lamps and their combinations, CF and XTRASUN LEDs, had a limited value of energy efficiency (VEEI) ≤ 2. The lamps essayed with the lowest total irradiance were LEDs (B, R, V, W) and the ones with the highest values were TLD58-6 lamps. The effectiveness of light irradiance (ELIplant) and the UI were slightly higher in the case of cucumber than that of the tomato for all essayed lamps. Considering the effectiveness of the light irradiance (ELIplant), TL5-6 lamps showed the highest values. On the other hand, considering the use of irradiance, XTRASUN LEDs on the mode of vegetative growth (VG) showed the highest values.
Purification and in vitro activities of the Bacillus subtilis TnrA transcription factor.

The Bacillus subtilis nitrogen regulatory protein TnrA was purified and its interaction with the nrgAB regulatory region examined. The TnrA protein activates transcription from the nrgAB promoter in vitro. DNase I footprinting and methylation protection experiments demonstrated that TnrA binds to an inverted repeat, upstream of the -35 region of the nrgAB promoter. Gel mobility retardation assays were used to determine the affinity of TnrA for its DNA-binding site. The equilibrium dissociation binding constant for the interaction of TnrA with the nrgAB promoter fragment was 7.7 nM under the conditions used here. Mutations in the TnrA consensus sequence that reduce nrgAB expression in vivo were found to reduce significantly the in vitro affinity for TnrA. An A+T rich region located upstream of the TnrA-binding site was found to be necessary for optimal transcriptional activation. A mutant protein, TnrA(HTH), was constructed in which the putative helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif was altered by exchanging two arginine residues for alanine residues. The TnrA(HTH) protein was unable to activate the in vivo expression of nrgAB and had an in vitro affinity for the nrgAB promoter that was significantly lower than that of the wild-type protein.
Diversity of antimicrobial resistance pheno- and genotypes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 from diseased swine.

OBJECTIVES Fifty-four methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST398 isolates from unrelated diseased swine collected all over Germany were comparatively investigated for their antimicrobial resistance and virulence properties, and for their genomic relatedness. METHODS MICs of 30 antimicrobial agents were determined by broth microdilution. Resistance and virulence genes were detected via a diagnostic DNA microarray and specific PCRs. The genomic relationships were determined by ApaI-PFGE, spa typing and SCCmec typing. RESULTS Twenty-two distinct resistance patterns were observed. All 54 isolates were tetracycline resistant, mediated by tet(M), tet(K) and/or tet(L), with 14 isolates being only resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics and tetracyclines. Trimethoprim resistance, seen in 28 isolates, was mostly due to the gene dfrK or dfrG. Among the 24 macrolide/lincosamide-resistant isolates, the genes erm(A), erm(B) and/or erm(C) were detected. The two chloramphenicol/florfenicol-resistant isolates harboured the gene fexA. The eight gentamicin-resistant isolates carried the gene aacA/aphD. Fifty-three isolates harboured SCCmec type V elements while the remaining one carried mecA and ugpQ, but no recombinase genes. All isolates were PVL negative, but one and three isolates, respectively, were positive for the enterotoxin B and enterotoxin K and Q genes. Eight different spa types were identified with t011 being the most predominant. Six ApaI-PFGE clusters with up to nine individual patterns were detected. CONCLUSIONS MRSA ST398 isolates varied slightly in their virulence properties and spa types but differed distinctly in their antimicrobial resistance pheno- and genotypes as well as their ApaI-PFGE patterns. These data underline the ability of ST398 to acquire genetic material that might increase antimicrobial resistance and virulence.
Construction of High-Density Linkage Maps of Populus deltoides × P. simonii Using Restriction-Site Associated DNA Sequencing

Although numerous linkage maps have been constructed in the genus Populus, they are typically sparse and thus have limited applications due to low throughput of traditional molecular markers. Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq) technology allows us to identify a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) across genomes of many individuals in a fast and cost-effective way, and makes it possible to construct high-density genetic linkage maps. We performed RADSeq for 299 progeny and their two parents in an F1 hybrid population generated by crossing the female Populus deltoides ‘I-69’ and male Populus simonii ‘L3’. A total of 2,545 high quality SNP markers were obtained and two parent-specific linkage maps were constructed. The female genetic map contained 1601 SNPs and 20 linkage groups, spanning 4,249.12 cM of the genome with an average distance of 2.69 cM between adjacent markers, while the male map consisted of 940 SNPs and also 20 linkage groups with a total length of 3,816.24 cM and an average marker interval distance of 4.15 cM. Finally, our analysis revealed that synteny and collinearity are highly conserved between the parental linkage maps and the reference genome of P. trichocarpa. We demonstrated that RAD sequencing is a powerful technique capable of rapidly generating a large number of SNPs for constructing genetic maps in outbred forest trees. The high-quality linkage maps constructed here provided reliable genetic resources to facilitate locating quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control growth and wood quality traits in the hybrid population.
In vitro and in vivo models of Huntington's disease show alterations in the endocannabinoid system

In this study, we analyzed the components of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in R6/2 mice, a widely used model of Huntington's disease (HD). We measured the endogenous content of N‐arachidonoylethanolamine and 2‐arachidonoylglycerol and the activity of their biosynthetic enzymes (N‐acyl‐phosphatidylethanolamine‐hydrolyzing phospholipase D and diacylglycerol lipase, respectively) and hydrolytic enzymes [fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase, respectively] and of their target receptors (type 1 cannabinoid receptor, type 2 cannabinoid receptor, and transient receptor potential vanilloid‐1) in the brains of wild‐type and R6/2 mice of different ages, as well as in the striatum and cortex of 12‐week‐old animals. In addition, we measured FAAH activity in lymphocytes of R6/2 mice. In the whole brains of 12‐week‐old R6/2 mice, we found reductions in N‐acyl‐phosphatidylethanolamine‐hydrolyzing phospholipase D activity, diacylglycerol lipase activity and cannabinoid receptor binding, mostly associated with changes in the striatum but not in the cortex, as well as an increase in 2‐arachidonoylglycerol content as compared with wild‐type littermates, without any other change in ECS elements. Then, our analysis was extended to HD43 cells, an inducible cellular model of HD derived from rat ST14A cells. In both induced and noninduced conditions, we demonstrated a fully functional ECS. Overall, our data suggest that the ECS is differently affected in mouse and human HD, and that HD43 cells are suitable for high‐throughput screening of FAAH‐oriented drugs affecting HD progression.
Scanning electron microscope observations of hoof horn from horses with brittle feet

Two types of defect were observed when hoof clippings from horses with brittle feet were viewed in the scanning electron microscope. The first defect showed a loss of structure and horn in the stratum externum. This defect was remedied after biotin treatment. The second defect showed poor attachment of the horn squames and failed to respond to biotin treatment alone. An improvement in this case was achieved by the addition of powdered limestone to the diet.
Irregular Receipts Leading to Budget Deficits in Kosovo

Abstract The aim of the paper is to analyse the irregular budget receipts, their behaviour and impact on budget deficits in Kosovo. Since its independence, Kosovo has been engaging in large infrastructure projects based mainly on initially high cash balances and overestimation of revenue capacity, in particular of irregular receipts. This led to the creation of future liabilities and budget deficits, which had to be financed by public debt. Further, the politically motivated increase of wage and salary bill and social transfers increased the burden on budget deficit already caused by infrastructure projects. Thus, budget deficits became the lasting feature of Kosovo economy. All this was supported by a lack of legal infrastructure or fiscal rules for several years. There is extensive literature on the causes of budget deficit, its definition and measurement. The literature review method is adopted in the present study, and research is refined by including selected papers that contain empirical and theoretical studies on budget deficit. Therefore, special-purpose deficit, the so-called “regular” budget deficit, which considers only regular receipts and outlays, has been defined and measured in the present study. This analysis leads to the conclusion that irregular receipts used by the government to engage in large infrastructure projects and/or the politically motivated increase of wage and salary bill and social transfers lead to a budget deficit that has to be financed through public debt. This is a case study of Kosovo and research has been carried out using primary data drawn from Kosovo budget annual financial reports. The implications of the paper may be of high importance for policymakers as well as for academic issues. This is a unique approach to the issues of Kosovo budget deficit and irregular receipts.
The Cadaveric Studies and the Definition of the Antero-Lateral Ligament of the Knee: From the Anatomical Features to the Patient-Specific Reconstruction Surgical Techniques

Cadaver studies represented a milestone in surgical orthopaedic research, and still today they play a crucial role in the achievement of new knowledge about joint disease behaviour and treatment. In this review, an overview of the cadaver studies available in the literature about the anatomy, role, and treatment of the antero-lateral ligament (ALL) of the knee was performed. The aim of the review was to describe and gain more insight into the part of in vitro study in understanding knee joint anatomy and biomechanics, and in developing surgical reconstruction techniques. The findings of the review showed that cadaver studies had, and will continue to have, a key role in the research of knee joint biomechanics and surgical reconstruction. Moreover, they represent a powerful tool to develop and test new devices which could be useful in clinical and surgical practice.
Cell Death, Axonal Damage, and Cell Birth in the Immature Rat Brain Following Induction of Hydrocephalus

We hypothesized that hydrocephalus can cause death of brain cells and that generation of new brain cells might compensate for the cell loss. Hydrocephalus was induced in 3-week-old rats by injection of kaolin into the cisterna magna. The brains were studied 1 to 4 weeks later by histochemical, immunochemical, and ultrastructural methods. The ventricles enlarged progressively. Some axons in the corpus callosum were injured as early as 1 week, but axonal damage was not prevalent until 4 weeks when ventriculomegaly became severe. Dying cells detected by DNA end labeling and often identified as oligodendrocytes by electron microscopy were evident in white matter. Late-stage hydrocephalus was associated with a significant increase in the quantity of dying cells. Hydrocephalus was associated with increased Ki67 labeling and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in the subependymal zone. Reactive changes were identified among astrocytes, oligodendroglia, and microglia. We conclude that hydrocephalus causes, in addition to axonal injury, gradual cell death in the cerebrum, particularly the white matter. The brain response includes production of new glial cells, but whether the new cells play any beneficial role remains unknown.
Quetiapine treatment of children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term safety and effectiveness of quetiapine in the treatment of children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder. METHODS This was an 8-week, open-label trial that included 12 subjects with a mean age of 11.4 +/- 2.4 years. The subjects were seen every week throughout the study. RESULTS Clinical responses, as measured by the Turkish version of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, revealed a statistically significant reduction in tic scores ranging from 30-100%. Mean dose of quetiapine at the end of the study was 72.9 +/- 22.5 mg/day. Three subjects complained of sedation in the first week of treatment. CONCLUSIONS The favorable results of this open-label study should be interpreted with caution due to the uncontrolled nature of the study. Spontaneous waxing and waning of symptoms should also be considered. Further controlled studies are required.
Role of Helicobacter pylori serology in atrophic body gastritis after eradication treatment

It has been reported that 50% of patients with atrophic body gastritis have positive Helicobacter pylori antibody titres only. In atrophic body gastritis, a decrease in H. pylori antibodies after eradication treatment has been reported, suggesting that serology may indicate an active H. pylori infection.
Research on remanence calibration and orbit determination for satellite

A duplex filter scheme with two parallel processors is presented in this paper to estimate the satellite state and remanence. Processor I, using batch filtering algorithm, estimates the stead state remanence and zero-bias of the magnetometer. Processor II, using UKF filter algorithm, receives error compensation term from the processor I and then determines the orbit in real-time. The mentioned scheme has two advantages. First, massive measured data are used to estimate the steady-state remanence, which could improve the compensation. Second, in order to improve the efficiency of onboard computer, after system error compensation, Processor I could be used to carry out other tasks. Compared with the scheme using UKF filter only, this scheme could enhance the estimation accuracy from 10km to less than 4km. The simulation results confirm the validity of the presented algorithm.
Does Gender in the C-Suite Really Matter?

This study empirically tests the implications of five theories on the importance of gender in the C-suite, employing two different settings. Specifically, we examine the impact of gender of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on the stock price response at the appointment of the executive and on post-hiring firm performance. The results from both tests are in support of the notion that female executives are less overconfident, but not less risk-averse, than their male counterparts. Particularly, we find that investors respond relatively less (more) favorably to the appointment of female CFOs compared with that of male CFOs at firms characterized by high (low) uncertainty. Furthermore, the evidence also shows that female CFOs significantly improve operating performance at firms operating in low volatility settings. The enhanced firm performance can be attributed to reduction in costs and enhanced efficiency of working capital management. The findings are robust to a battery of robustness checks.