Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Population Growth and Environmental Changes: Conclusions Drawn from the Contradictory Experiences of Developing Countries

This review paper is intended to exhibit the interplays between environmental change and rapid population growth in developing countries. In the course of discussion, the impacts of rapidly population growing on the environment have been discussed, and evidence, from various parts of the world have been traced. Studies on the impacts of population pressure on environment have been critically reviewed. It is revealed that all across the developing countries, farm size is shrinking as farmers continue to subdivide holdings among their children. In countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nepal and Bangladesh, population growth rates are high, and the non-farm sector is still in its early stages of development. Demographic pressure, land scarcity, and land fragmentation drive greater rural vulnerability and poverty, marked by decreased food security, inadequate response to such natural disasters such as drought or pest infestations, weakened resilience to shocks, and poor health. It is not just the supply of food, fodder, and fuel wood but the resource base itself and the lives that depend upon it are being affected. The evidences pinpoints that man through his non-sustainable production and consumption patterns, is placed at the heart of environmental changes. However, contradictory view, and practices are also in place that the population growth has positive impacts environmental restoration and improvements, while other evidences show insignificant effect of population on the environment. This contradicting scenario puts scholars in argument, and still need further research. Hence, it would be a blind generalization to draw conclusion from this relationship alone, rather, another factor that acts beyond population pressure must also be considered to justify the impact of population on environmental changes.
Phase III randomized trial comparing three platinum-based doublets in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE To evaluate whether two commonly used newer platinum-based regimens offer any advantage over vinorelbine-cisplatin (reference regimen) in response rate for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Chemotherapy-naive patients were randomized to receive gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m(2) days 1 and 8 plus cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) day 2 every 21 days (GC arm), or paclitaxel 225 mg/m(2) (3-hour infusion) then carboplatin (area under the concentration-time curve of 6 mg/mL x min), both on day 1 every 21 days (PCb arm), or vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2)/wk for 12 weeks then every other week plus cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) day 1 every 28 days (VC arm). RESULTS Six hundred twelve patients were randomized to treatment (205 GC, 204 PCb, and 203 VC). Overall response rates for the GC (30%) and PCb (32%) arms were not significantly different from that of the VC arm (30%). There were no differences in overall survival, time to disease progression, or time to treatment failure. Median survival for the GC, PCb, and VC groups was 9.8, 9.9, and 9.5 months, respectively. Neutropenia was significantly higher on the VC arm (GC 17% or PCb 35% v VC 43% of cycles, P <.001), as was thrombocytopenia on the GC arm (GC 16% v VC 0.1% of cycles, P <.001). Alopecia and peripheral neurotoxicity were most common on the PCb arm, as was nausea/vomiting on the VC arm (P <.05). CONCLUSION Efficacy end points were not significantly different between experimental and reference arms, although toxicities showed differences. These findings suggest that chemotherapy in NSCLC has reached a therapeutic plateau.
High Energy Gamma Ray Beams from Compton Backscattered Laser Light

Collisions of light photons with relativistic electrons have previously been used to produce polarized ¿-ray beams with modest (~10%) resolution, but relatively low intensity. In contrast, the LEGS project (Laser+Electron Gamma Source) at Brookhaven will produce a very high flux (>2×107 s-1) of background-free polarized ¿ rays whose energy will be determined to a high accuracy (¿E =2.3 MeV). Initially, 300(420) MeV ¿ rays will be produced by backscattering UV light from the new 2.5(3.0) GeV X-ray storage ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). The LEGS facility will operate as one of many passive users of the NSLS. In a later stage of the project, a Free Electron Laser is expected to extend the ¿-ray energy up to 700 MeV.
The state of the art: New Zealand planners reflect on education, capabilities, and confronting the future

What are the main challenges which New Zealand planners identify for the future and how do they view their preparedness to address them? The quality of public debate on key issues? What is the role of universities in imparting the skills and research base required? And how best to inspire a future generation of planners? Responses to such lines of inquiry are documented here from a small cohort of NZ-based practitioners and academics contributed as part of a broader on-line survey of planners undertaken in late 2015-early 2016. A stimulus for the study was a survey of attitudes of European academics and practitioners undertaken by Klaus Kunzmann and Martina Koll-Schretzenmayr in 2015. We asked a mix of open and 'closed' questions attracting over 250 respondents across Australia and New Zealand although only two-thirds completed all questions. About 10% of total respondents unequivocally identified as NZ-based and this paper provides an overview of the survey results for this cohort. The specific topics revolve around identifying the grand challenges for planning, the planning skill-set required to address them, improving relationships between the worlds of practice and academia, promoting planning as a profession, the quality of public debate on planning issues, and the state of planning education. While the number of respondents is modest, key and sobering insights are obtained into the collective confidence of the NZ planning profession in positively shaping future environments.
An axonal transport study of the ascending projection of medial lemniscal neurons in the rat

The pattern of projection of the rat medial lemniscus was studied by axonal transport labeling following injections of tritiated leucine, proline and/or adenosine, or of horseradish peroxidase for retrograde identification of the neurons of origin. The vast majority of neurons in the gracile, cuneate, and principal trigeminal nuclei contribute to an almost totally crossed projection primarily to the thalamic ventrobasal complex. Additional thalamic components were traced to specific sites within the “posterior group”, including a medial component largely traversed by lemniscal axons and a caudolateral component lying between the principal nucleus of the medial geniculate and ventral nucleus of the lateral geniculate. We have designated this latter zone “intermediate geniculate”, distinguishing a somatosensory portion of the geniculate group on the basis of its myelo‐and cytoarchitecture, as well as its connections.
Failure to achieve the association of professors in gynecology and obstetrics objectives for abortion in third-year medical student curriculum.

OBJECTIVE To determine if third-year medical students achieve the Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) objectives regarding abortion. STUDY DESIGN Medical students at the University of Colorado were surveyed at the end of the third year (May 2009) regarding their knowledge and experience in abortion training. Results were analyzed using chi2 and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS One hundred twenty-seven of 131 surveys were completed. Students scored 47% correct on knowledge-based questions. No formal didactics were reported by 57%, and only 24% rotated through a clinic that provided abortions. Didactics and clinical exposure were not associated with higher scores. Students with "any reading focused on abortion" had higher scores (52% vs. 42%, p=0.02), as did those intending to pursue obstetrics and gynecology residencies (63% vs. 46%, p=0.05). Students were receptive to abortion training: 80% wanted didactics and 45% reported unsatisfactory clinical opportunities. CONCLUSION The current curriculum does not meet the APGO objectives or the needs of medical students. Given that many students will eventually care for reproductive-age women, focus on meeting these objectives is warranted.
Analytical and diagnostic accuracy of the EliA™ automated enzyme fluoroimmunoassay for antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody detection

Abstract Anti-proteinase 3 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (PR3-ANCA) and anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies (MPO-ANCA) are considered important serological markers for several forms of idiopathic systemic vasculitis. The aim of the study was to verify the analytical and clinical performance of a new automated enzyme fluoroimmunoassay, the EliA system, for PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA detection. For this purpose the sera of 52 consecutive well-defined patients with a clinical diagnosis of Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) (n = 29) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) (n = 23), and 70 controls suffering from connective tissue disease (25 systemic lupus erythematosus, 25 Sjögren’s syndrome and 20 rheumatoid arthritis) were tested for PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA with the EliA assay (Pharmacia Diagnostics, Freiburg, Germany). For comparison purposes, the same sera were also tested by indirect immunofluorescence, another direct immunometric assay (Varelisa, Pharmacia Diagnostics) and a capture PR3-ANCA (Wieslab AB, Lund, Sweden) method. Both the EliA PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA assays showed between- and within-assay precision of < 10%. The dilution test gave straight lines (r2 = 0.998) for both antibody assays. The recovery ranged from 97.9% to 102.7% for PR3-ANCA and from 84.9% to 91.4% for MPO-ANCA. There was a high positive correlation between the EliA and Varelisa methods for quantitative detection of MPO-ANCA levels (r2 = 0.949) and a lower correlation for PR3-ANCA (r2 = 0.771). Conversely, poor correlation was observed between EliA PR3-ANCA and capture PR3-ANCA (r2 = 0.537). The overall sensitivity and specificity of EliA PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA for the vasculitides considered in this study were 82.7% and 97.2%, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 96.6% and a negative predictive value of 84.9%. Comparison of the results obtained with the indirect immunofluorescence, Varelisa and capture PR3-ANCA methods showed that the indirect immunofluorescence assay is the most sensitive method for the diagnosis of vasculitis (88.5%), but the least specific (94.3%); the EliA method is slightly more specific (97.2%) than the Varelisa method (95.7%), and also slightly more sensitive (82.7% vs. 80.8%). Capture PR3-ANCA proved to be the most sensitive method for detection of anti-proteinase 3 antibodies in WG (89.7% vs. 86.2% EliA and 79.3% Varelisa). In conclusion, the EliA MPO-ANCA and PR3-ANCA methods provide good diagnostic accuracy and excellent analytical accuracy, which, in association with the practicality of the automated EliA system, make this method a useful tool for the diagnosis of ANCA-associated vasculitides.
Reproductive Senescence in a Long‐Lived Seabird: Rates of Decline in Late‐Life Performance Are Associated with Varying Costs of Early Reproduction

Evolutionary theories of senescence predict that rates of decline in performance parameters should be shaped by early‐life trade‐offs between reproduction and somatic maintenance. Here we investigate factors influencing the rate of reproductive senescence in a long‐lived seabird, the common guillemot Uria aalge, using data collected over a 23‐year period. In the last 3 years of life, individual guillemots had significantly reduced breeding success and were less likely to hold a site or attempt to breed. Females senesced at a significantly faster rate than males. At the individual level, high levels of reproductive output earlier in life were associated with increased senescence later in life. This trade‐off between early‐ and late‐life reproduction was evident independent of the fact that as birds age, they breed later in the season. The rate of senescence was additionally dependent on environmental conditions experienced earlier in life, with evidence that harsh conditions amplified later declines in breeding success. Overall, individuals with intermediate levels of early‐life productivity lived longer. These results provide support for the antagonistic‐pleiotropy and disposable‐soma theories of senescence and demonstrate for the first time in a wild bird population that increased rates of senescence in reproductive performance are associated with varying costs of reproduction early in life.
Wnt pathway activation and ABCB1 expression account for attenuation of Proteasome inhibitor-mediated apoptosis in multidrug-resistant cancer cells

Multiple drug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle to attenuating the effectiveness of chemotherapy to many human malignancies. Proteasome inhibition induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells and is recognized as a novel anticancer therapy approach. Despite its success, some multiple myeloma patients are resistant or become refractory to ongoing treatment by bortezomib suggesting that chemoresistant cancer cells may have developed a novel mechanism directed against the proteasome inhibitor. The present study aimed to investigate potential mechanism(s) of attenuation in a MDR cell line, MES-SA/Dx5. We found that compared to the parental human uterus sarcoma cell line MES-SA cells, MES-SA/Dx5 cells highly expressed the ABCB1 was more resistant to MG132 and bortezomib, escaping the proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis pathway. The resistance was reversed by co-treatment of MG132 and the ABCB1 inhibitor verapamil. The data indicated that ABCB1 might play a role in the efflux of MG132 from the MES-SA/Dx5 cells to reduce MG132-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the canonical Wnt pathway was found activated only in the MES-SA/Dx5 cells through active β-catenin and related transactivation activities. Western blot analysis demonstrated that Wnt-targeting genes, including c-Myc and cyclin D1, were upregulated and were relevant in inhibiting the expression of p21 in MES-SA/Dx5 cells. On the other hand, MES-SA cells expressed high levels of p21 and downregulated cyclin D1 and caused cell cycle arrest. Together, our study demonstrated the existence and participation of ABCB1 and the Wnt pathway in an MDR cell line that attenuated proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis.
Esophageal tuberculosis: is it so rare? Report of 12 cases and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE:Mycobacterial involvement of the esophagus is rare in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts with advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, even in countries with high prevalence rates like India. Most of the reported cases of esophageal tuberculosis (ET) are secondary to tuberculosis elsewhere in the body, most commonly pulmonary tuberculosis. Very few cases of isolated or primary ET have been reported, and most of them have been from developing countries. The upsurge in reported cases of tuberculosis linked to the AIDS epidemic has increased the incidence of this infection in developed countries also. Our aim is to study tuberculosis as an etiological factor in the causation of dysphagia, the role of cytology and histopathology in establishing its diagnosis, and the outcome of antitubercular treatment in these patients.METHODS:A hospital-based, retrospective study was performed. We reviewed records of all of the patients who underwent upper GI endoscopic examination for complaints of persistent dysphagia (>6 wk) in a tertiary care hospital in India between 1995 and 1999. Patients with abnormal endoscopic findings were subjected to endoscopic fine needle aspiration/brush cytology and biopsies. Those with pathological findings suggestive of tuberculosis were treated with antitubercular therapy.RESULTS:Tubercular involvement of the esophagus, confirmed by pathological examination, was found in 12 patients. They constituted 0.5% of all patients with persistent dysphagia, and 1.3% of all patients having abnormal esophagoscopic findings. Cytological examination provided a very useful diagnostic parameter in detection of these cases. Patients diagnosed as having ET responded well to antitubercular therapy.CONCLUSIONS:Tuberculosis as a causative factor for dysphagia should be considered in developing countries with high incidences of tuberculosis and in immunocompromised hosts. Detection of these cases by careful examination of cytological smears and biopsies and treatment with standard antitubercular therapy appear effective.
Kidney Allocation to Liver Transplant Candidates with Renal Failure of Undetermined Etiology: Role of Percutaneous Renal Biopsy

The feasibility, value and risk of percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) in liver transplant candidates with renal failure are unknown. PRB was performed on 44 liver transplant candidates with renal failure of undetermined etiology and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <40 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 37) or on renal replacement therapy (RRT) (n = 7). Patients with ≥30% interstitial fibrosis (IF), ≥40% global glomerulosclerosis (gGS) and/or diffuse glomerulonephritis were approved for simultaneous‐liver‐kidney (SLK) transplantation. Prebiopsy GFR, urinary sodium indices, dependency on RRT and kidney size were comparable between 27 liver‐transplant‐alone (LTA) and 17 SLK candidates and did not relate to the biopsy diagnosis. The interobserver agreement for the degree of IF or gGS was moderate‐to‐excellent. After a mean of 78 ± 67 days, 16 and 8 patients received LTA and SLK transplants. All five LTA recipients on RRT recovered kidney function after transplantation and serum creatinine was comparable between LTA and SLK recipients at last follow‐up. Biopsy complications developed in 13, of these, five required intervention. PRB is feasible in liver transplant candidates with renal failure and provides reproducible histological information that does not relate to the pretransplant clinical data. Randomized studies are needed to determine if PRB can direct kidney allocation in this challenging group of liver transplant candidates.
Benchmarking PSI-BLAST in genome annotation.

The recognition of remote protein homologies is a major aspect of the structural and functional annotation of newly determined genomes. Here we benchmark the coverage and error rate of genome annotation using the widely used homology-searching program PSI-BLAST (position-specific iterated basic local alignment search tool). This study evaluates the one-to-many success rate for recognition, as often there are several homologues in the database and only one needs to be identified for annotating the sequence. In contrast, previous benchmarks considered one-to-one recognition in which a single query was required to find a particular target. The benchmark constructs a model genome from the full sequences of the structural classification of protein (SCOP) database and searches against a target library of remote homologous domains (<20 % identity). The structural benchmark provides a reliable list of correct and false homology assignments. PSI-BLAST successfully annotated 40 % of the domains in the model genome that had at least one homologue in the target library. This coverage is more than three times that if one-to-one recognition is evaluated (11 % coverage of domains). Although a structural benchmark was used, the results equally apply to just sequence homology searches. Accordingly, structural and sequence assignments were made to the sequences of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (see http://www.bmm.icnet. uk). The extent of missed assignments and of new superfamilies can be estimated for these genomes for both structural and functional annotations.
Somatic mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway in lung cancers

Somatic mutations in the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in lung cancers have generated enormous interest, because they predict for sensitivity to TK inhibitors (TKIs). While mutational status is of great importance in determining response to TKIs, it is not the sole factor, and evidence is accumulating that EGFR gene amplification, other members of the EGFR family (HER2, HER3) and genes downstream of EGFR signaling (KRAS, BRAF), may be involved in cancer pathogenesis and the response of TKIs. EGFR mutations occur in highly selected subpopulations of lung cancer patients: adenocarcinoma histology, never‐smoker status, East Asian ethnicity and female gender. The recent finding of “a resistance associated” mutation for TKIs also provides new insights into this complicated mechanism. Thus, molecular‐based studies to analyze the biological functions and to assess TKI sensitivity depending on the type of mutations are required. Epidemiological studies to identify possible carcinogenic factor(s) affecting different subpopulations are also of interest. In addition, for optimal therapeutic approach a comprehensive understanding of the genes related to EGFR signaling pathway, including RAS/RAF/MAPK and PI3K‐AKT pathways, are required. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minimum Wages, Employment, and College Enrollment

Most studies of the effects of minimum wage laws look exclusively at the labor market. This article investigates the less-researched topic of the effects of a minimum wage increase on enrollment in undergraduate higher education institutions in the United States. With a higher opportunity cost of pursuing an education given a higher minimum wage, potential students may opt to work instead of attend college. Conversely, if an increase in the minimum wage raises the unemployment rate for young workers, more people may enroll in college, as they are unable to find employment. Using restricted geocode variables and panel data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) over a period of time in which every state saw an increase in its effective minimum wage, we find that higher minimum wages do correspond to lower levels of college enrollment. We use a multinomial probit model to examine how tradeoffs are made between employment and college enrollment. Finally, we examine the transition path between college enrollment and employment. JEL Classification : I23, J24, and E24.
Soluble HLA‐G: Purification from Eukaryotic Transfected Cells and Detection by a Specific ELISA

PROBLEM: The detection of soluble forms of human leukocyte antigen‐G molecule (sHLA‐G) at the maternal–fetal interface suggest that sHLA‐G may play a role during pregnancy. To study the potential functions of sHLA‐G, we developed a procedure to detect and produce such HLA‐G isoforms.
Childhood leukemia and road traffic: A population‐based case‐control study

To assess the effect of road traffic exhaust on the risk of childhood leukemia, we carried out a population‐based case‐control study in the Province of Varese, northern Italy, covered by a population‐based cancer registry. All 120 incident cases from 1978–97 were included in the study. Four controls per case, matched by age and gender, were sampled from population files. As index of exposure to traffic exhaust we estimated the annual mean concentration of benzene outside the home using a Gaussian diffusion model. This model uses traffic density (vehicles/day) on nearby main roads, distance between roads and residence, and information on vehicle emissions and weather conditions to estimate benzene concentration. Compared to children whose homes was not exposed to road traffic emissions (<0.1 μg/m3 of benzene as estimated by the model), the risk of childhood leukemia was significantly higher (relative risk [RR] = 3.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.36–11.27) for heavily exposed children (over 10 μg/m3 estimated annual average). For the intermediate exposure group (0.1–10 μg/m3) the relative risk was 1.51 (95% CI = 0.91–2.51). These data, considered with other available evidence, suggest that motor traffic emissions can be involved in the etiology of childhood leukemia. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.