Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal smokeless tobacco effects on the rat fetus.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of an aqueous extract of smokeless tobacco (ST) on the development and bone ossification of the Sprague Dawley rat fetus at known nicotine blood levels. Dams were intubated with the ST extract three times daily on gestational days (GD) 6-18 with one of the following: ST equivalent to either 1.33 mg nicotine/kg body weight (STD-1), 6 mg nicotine/kg body weight (STD-2), or equal amounts of distilled water (sham-treated controls). Parallel groups of rats were used for nicotine-blood-level determinations. Dams were killed on GD 19, fetuses and placentas were weighed, and resorptions, deaths, and/or malformations were noted. Two thirds of the fetuses were further examined by Wilson's method, and the remaining one third was stained and cleared for skeletal examinations. Mean plasma nicotine levels, determined in a parallel group of nonpregnant/pregnant rats, were 220.4/283.3 ng/ml in the STD-1 group and 869.1/846.3 ng/ml in the STD-2 group. At these ST dosages, weight gain of dams was reduced in comparison with sham-treated controls (P < .05), but fetal weights were reduced in the STD-2 group only. Placental weights, litter size, resorptions, deaths, and malformations were not significantly affected. Skeletal examinations revealed several dose-related differences between the ST-treated and sham-treated control groups. In the STD-1 group, reductions in ossification were seen in the nasal and femur width measurements only. In the STD-2 group, reductions in ossification were seen in femur length and width, in the number of ossification centers in the forelimb, in the maxillary, mandibular, and nasal bone measurements. We conclude that under these experimental conditions the effects of ST at the low dose are minimal, whereas the high ST dose resulted in significant growth retardation and decreased ossification levels (P < .05).
Monetary and Fiscal Policy Interaction with Various Degrees and Types of Commitment

Monetary and Fiscal policies interact in many ways. Recently the stance of fiscal policy in a number of countries has raised concerns about the risks for the outcomes of monetary policy. This paper first shows that these concerns are justified since, under ambitious fiscal policy makers, inflation bias and lack of monetary policy credibility may obtain in equilibrium even if the central banker is fully independent, patient and responsible. To reach a solution, the paper proposes an asynchronous game framework that generalises the standard commitment analysis. It allows concurrent and partial commitment; both policies may be committed at the same time for varying degrees or different periods. It is demonstrated that these undesirable outcomes can be prevented if monetary commitment is sufficiently strong relative to fiscal commitment. Interestingly, monetary commitment can not only resist fiscal pressure, but also discipline an ambitious fiscal policy maker to achieve socially desirable outcomes for both policies. We extend the setting to the European monetary union case with a common central bank and many fiscal policy makers, to show that these results carry over. The implication therefore is: by explicitly committing to a long run inflation target, the central bank can not only ensure its credibility, but also indirectly induce more disciplined fiscal policies. The paper shows that these predictions are broadly supported empirically.
Form, function and intracortical projections of spiny neurones in the striate visual cortex of the cat.

We have studied the neuronal circuitry and structure‐function relationships of single neurones in the striate visual cortex of the cat using a combination of electrophysiological and anatomical techniques. Glass micropipettes filled with horseradish peroxidase were used to record extracellularly from single neurones. After studying the receptive field properties, the afferent inputs of the neurones were studied by determining their latency of response to electrical stimulation at different positions along the optic pathway. Some cells were thus classified as receiving a mono‐ or polysynaptic input from afferents of the lateral geniculate nucleus (l.g.n.), via X‐ or Y‐like retinal ganglion cells. Two striking correlations were found between dendritic morphology and receptive field type. All spiny stellate cells, and all star pyramidal cells in layer 4A, had receptive fields with spatially separate on and off subfields (S‐type receptive fields). All the identified afferent input to these, the major cell types in layer 4, was monosynaptic from X‐ or Y‐like afferents. Neurones receiving monosynaptic X‐ or Y‐like input were not strictly segregated in layer 4 and the lower portion of layer 3. Nevertheless the X‐ and Y‐like l.g. n. fibres did not converge on any of the single neurones so far studied. Monosynaptic input from the l.g. n. afferents was not restricted to cells lying within layers 4 and 6, the main termination zones of the l.g. n. afferents, but was also received by cells lying in layers 3 and 5. The projection pattern of cells receiving monosynaptic input differed widely, depending on the laminar location of the cell soma. This suggests the presence of a number of divergent paths within the striate cortex. Cells receiving indirect input from the l.g. n. afferents were located mainly within layers 2, 3 and 5. Most pyramidal cells in layer 3 had axons projecting out of the striate cortex, while many axons of the layer 5 pyramids did not. The layer 5 cells showed the most morphological variation of any layer, were the most difficult to activate by electrical stimulation, and contained some cells which responded with the longest latencies of any cells in the striate cortex. This suggests that they were several synapses distant from the l.g. n. input. The majority of cells in layers 2, 3, 4 and 6 had the same basic S‐type receptive field structure. Only layer 5 contained a majority of cells with spatially overlapping on and off subfields (C‐ and B‐type receptive fields). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A GIS-Based Assessment of Environmental Influences on Allergy Development in Children

This study aims to assess potential environmental influences on allergy development in children. Based on a parent-completed questionnaire survey administered in Hong Kong in 2003 in accordance with the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood protocol, the prevalence and incidence of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis of 508 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years in Yuen Long District were determined and a range of indoor and outdoor environmental factors were assessed. Exposure to moisture and mold in the first year of life increased the risk of asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.40-4.68) and rhinoconjunctivitis (aOR = 2.09; 95% CI = 1.15-3.80). Current maternal smoking was also associated with a higher prevalence of asthma (aOR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.04-3.84). No association was observed between outdoor traffic-related air pollutants and the prevalence of the allergic conditions. Indoor home environments had a stronger influence on allergy development, whereas exposure to traffic-related external environment gave a variable effect, the significance of which would be difficult to be substantiated.
Melioration, matching, and maximization.

Pigeons were studied in an experiment involving two concurrently available response keys. Conditions were such that in the first condition the predictions of melioration (Herrnstein & Vaughan, 1980), minimization of deviation from matching, and maximization were identical: relative time on the right key should have fallen between . 125 and . 25, which in fact occurred. In the second condition, melioration predicted a shift in relative time on the right to between . 75 and . 875, which would involve a transient deviation from matching as well as a substantial drop in rate of reinforcement. All three birds eventually shifted their distribution of behavior to within the range predicted by melioration.
Intramuscular betamethasone dipropionate vs. oral prednisolone in hay fever patients

In a double‐blind group comparative study, 36 adult, birch pollen‐allergic outpatients with seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis, were treated with either oral prednisolone 7.5 mg daily for 3 weeks or an injection with 2 ml suspension of betamethasone dipropionate and betamethasone disodium phosphate (Diprospan®) immediately prior to the birch pollen season. Both treatments were able to prevent an increase in symptoms from the nose and the eyes during the 3‐week birch pollen season. There was no significant difference in symptom score or nasal peak flow between the two treatments. However, there was a significant suppression of adrenal gland function after oral prednisolone treatment in contrast to Diprospan treatment. Unless there are contraindications for treatment with depot steroid injections (children, pregnant women, patients suffering from peptic ulcer, tuberculosis, eye disease, herpes, hypertension or diabetes) it seems to be a reasonable alternative to ored prednisolone in hay fever patients.
Effect of intensive exercise-induced testicular gametogenic and steroidogenic disorders in mature male Wistar strain rats: a correlative approach to oxidative stress.

AIMS In order to investigate the effects of intensive exercise on reproductive dysfunctions in relation to oxidative stress, a total of 12 male rats (age: 3 months, weight: 127 +/- 2.86 g) were randomly divided into: (1) control group (CG, n = 6) and (2) experimental group (Exp. G, n = 6). METHODS An exercise protocol of 3 h swimming day(-1), 5 days week(-1) was followed for 4 weeks in Exp. G, with no exercise in CG. All the animals were killed; blood, testes and the accessory sex organs were collected for estimation of different parameters. RESULTS A significant diminution (P < 0.001) was noted in testicular Delta5, 3beta-hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase (Delta5, 3beta-HSD), 17beta-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase (17beta-HSD); plasma levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH); preleptotine spermatocytes (pLSc), midpachytene spermatocytes (mPSc) and stage 7 spermatids (7Sd); with no significant alteration in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and spermatogoia A (Asg) after intensive exercise. A significant elevation (P < 0.001) in malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (CD) along with significant reduction (P < 0.001) in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and peroxidase were found in testes of Exp. G. Moreover, the somatic index of testes and accessory sex organs were also decreased significantly (P < 0.001) after exercise. High correlations have been found in 17 beta-HSD with CAT (r = 0.90, P < 0.05) and peroxidase (r = 0.83, P < 0.05), epididymal somatic index with CD (r = -0.91; P < 0.05) and GSH (r = 0.84, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The present study focused an chronic intensive exercise-induced oxidative stress that may cause dysfunctions in male reproductive system including steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis.
Investigación del reciclado de neumáticos a requisitos elastoméricos por técnicas de termocompresión

En esta tesis se investiga el reciclado de neumaticos a requisitos elastomericos por tecnicas de termocompresion. La fabricacion de productos reciclados se realiza a partir del polvo, de naturaleza elastomerica, proveniente del triturado de neumaticos fuera de uso denominado GTR (Ground Tire Rubber) de diferentes granulometrias, aunque el objetivo fundamental es el reciclado del polvo de esta naturaleza de granulometria de 0,2mm. El proceso de conformado empleado para la obtencion del producto reciclado es la termocompresion, dada su sencillez y bajo coste. Se ha analizado la composicion del polvo y tambien la influencia sobre las caracteristicas elastomericas del producto reciclado de diferentes variables: Tamano de grano, presion de compactacion, temperatura, tiempo, espesor del producto reciclado y combinacion de tamanos. Se plantea por ultimo la hipotesis que justifica el mecanismo que da cohesion al polvo y permite por tanto su reciclado. Se ha realizado tambien un analisis de las lineas de Investigacion en la actualidad sobre el reciclado de neumaticos en general y un estudio economico de la viabilidad del producto frente a productos presentes en el mercado algomerados con Poliuretano, que tienen su aplicacion en usos para diferentes tipos de suelos.
Discrimination thresholds for smiles in genuine versus blended facial expressions

Abstract Genuine smiles convey enjoyment or positive affect, whereas fake smiles conceal or leak negative feelings or motives (e.g. arrogance, contempt, embarrassment), or merely show affiliation or politeness. We investigated the minimum display time (i.e. threshold; ranging from 50 to 1,000 ms) that is necessary to distinguish a fake from a genuine smile. Variants of fake smiles were created by varying the type of non-happy (e.g. neutral, angry, sad, etc.) eyes in blended expressions with a smiling mouth. Participants judged whether faces conveyed happiness or not. Results showed that thresholds vary as a function of type of eyes: blended expressions with angry eyes are discriminated early (100 ms), followed by those with disgusted eyes, fearful, and sad (from 250 to 500 ms), surprised (750 ms), and neutral (from 750 to 1,000 ms) eyes. An important issue for further research is the extent to which such discrimination threshold differences depend on physical or affective factors.
Word : “ LR ” Word : “ ME ” Word : “ LR ” Word : “ ME ” Word : “ LR ”

The attentional scope model of rumination describes the links between rumination and attentional breadth. The model postulates that a more narrow attentional scope, caused by negative mood, increases the likelihood that thoughts become repetitive on the same topic, which in turn could exacerbate negative mood and lead to more attentional narrowing. We experimentally tested this model by examining the attentional effects of rumination using a newly developed ruminationversus problem-solving induction. In the first experiment we found that only at high levels of trait rumination, induction of rumination compared to a problem-solving approach was associated with more attentional narrowing for self-related information relative to other-related information. A second experiment on the relationship between trait rumination and attentional breadth in the absence of induced rumination, revealed that especially trait brooding was related to more narrowed attention for self-related information relative to other-related information.
Information epidemics control for data delivery in opportunistic networks

Data delivery in opportunistic networks requires robustness and resiliency due to the mobility and the probabilistic propagation of the channels caused by fading. The store-carry-forward (SCF) based routing has become a conventional data forwarding mechanism in such networks. Due to the information dissemination nature of SCF routing, information epidemics control has become a necessary mechanism in SCF routing to prevent from the epidemics outbreak. In this paper, we propose an information epidemics control approach which provides earlier control signal distribution time and faster recovery rate for the data delivery solutions in opportunistic networks. We study the effectiveness of the proposed scheme based on the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model and prove that it provides a higher vaccination rate and recovery rate. Due to the flexibility of the proposed scheme, it can be integrated with any SCF-based routing. We integrate the proposed vaccinating mechanism in a SCF-based routing and show that a robust data delivery is achieved and a substantial amount of unnecessary transmissions are well deterred.
Gender differences in leucine kinetics and nitrogen balance in endurance athletes.

The current Canadian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for protein (0.86 g.kg-1.day-1) makes no allowance for an effect of habitual physical activity. In addition, Tarnopolsky et al. (J. Appl. Physiol. 68: 302-308, 1990) showed that males may catabolize more protein than females consequent to endurance exercise. We examined nitrogen (N) balance and leucine kinetics during submaximal endurance exercise to determine the adequacy of the current Canadian RNI for protein for male and female endurance athletes. Athletes were matched for equal training volume, competitive status, and conditioning and were fed diets isoenergetic with their habitual intake, containing protein at the Canadian RNI. Subjects were adapted to the diet for 10 days before completing a 3-day measurement of N balance. N balance showed that the RNI was inadequate for females (-15.9 +/- 6.0 mg.kg-1.day-1) and males (-26.3 +/- 11.0 mg.kg-1.day-1). Leucine kinetics during exercise were determined for each subject on day 3 of the N balance experiment by use of a primed continuous infusion of L-[1-13C]leucine and the reciprocal pool model. Exercise resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) increase in leucine oxidation for both groups. Males oxidized a greater amount of leucine during the infusion than females (P < 0.01). Leucine flux also increased significantly (P < 0.01) during exercise in both groups. We conclude that the current Canadian RNI for protein is inadequate for those who chronically engage in endurance exercise. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Phase II Randomized Trial of Lycopene-Rich Tomato Extract Among Men with High-Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia

A diverse body of evidence suggests that lycopene might inhibit prostate cancer development. We conducted a 6-mo repeat biopsy randomized trial among men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN). Here we report results for serum lycopene, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) proteins, histopathological review, and tissue markers for proliferation [minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (MCM-2)] and cell cycle inhibition (p27). Participants consumed placebo or tomato extract capsules containing 30 mg/day lycopene. Pre- and posttreatment biopsies were immunostained and digitally scored. Serum lycopene was determined by LC-MS-MS. In secondary analyses, pathologists blindly reviewed each biopsy to score histological features. Fifty-eight men completed the trial. Serum lycopene increased 0.55 μmol/L with treatment and declined 0.29 μmol/L with placebo. We observed no meaningful differences in PSA, IGF-1, or IGF binding protein 3 concentrations between groups, nor any differences in expression of MCM-2 or p27 in epithelial nuclei. Prevalences of cancer, HGPIN, atrophy, or inflammation posttreatment were similar; however, more extensive atrophy and less extensive HGPIN was more common in the lycopene group. Despite large differences in serum lycopene following intervention, no treatment effects were apparent on either the serum or benign tissue endpoints. Larger studies are warranted to determine whether changes observed in extent of HGPIN and focal atrophy can be replicated. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00416325.
Safety of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

OBJECTIVE The prevalence of concurrent rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is probably underestimated because of the increasing spread of this virus worldwide, especially in developing countries. In these patients, anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) therapy may aggravate hepatitis and increase viremia. We evaluated the safety of these treatments, which remain controversial. METHODS Thirty-one HCV-positive patients (23 women, 8 men, mean age 59+/-13 yrs, mean disease duration 13+/-11.5 SD yrs) with active RA [Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28)>3.2] unresponsive to conventional therapies were treated with TNF-alpha blockers (infliximab 11, etanercept 17, adalimumab 3) at standard dosages. Safety and efficacy were evaluated at the third month of treatment and at the patient's last observation. RESULTS A significant clinical-serological improvement was recorded at the 3-month reevaluation. Mean values of patients assessment of general health on visual analog scale (range 0.100) decreased from 69+/-29 (SD) to 35+/-27 (p<0.0001), Ritchie index from 21.6+/-13.9 to 10.1+/-3.7 (p<0.0001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate from 36+/-25 to 28+/-22 mm/h (p=0.04), and DAS28 from 5.2+/-1.6 to 2.78+/-1.3 (p<0.0001); a DAS28<2.6 was recorded in 15/31 (48%) patients. At the last observation 19 patients (61%) continued TNF-alpha blockers, and the observed benefits persisted after 22+/-11 months of followup. Mean values of transaminases (ALT) and HCV viral load showed no significant variations; TNF-alpha blockers were discontinued in only one patient because of persistently elevated ALT not correlated to the variations of HCV viremia; this latter increased significantly (>or=2 log10) in 4 cases. CONCLUSION Previous observations had suggested the safety of TNF-alpha blockers for treatment of RA in patients with concurrent HCV infection. Given the clinical-therapeutic implications, our results support the safety of TNF-alpha blockers in patients with HCV, provided there is close monitoring of clinical and virological data (mainly ALT and HCV viremia).
Effect of Total Hip Bone Area on Osteoporosis Diagnosis and Fractures

DXA is affected by skeletal size, with smaller bones giving lower areal BMD despite equal material density. Whether this size effect confounds the use of BMD as a diagnostic and fracture risk assessment tool is unclear. We identified 16,205 women of white ethnicity ≥50 yr of age undergoing baseline hip assessment with DXA (1998–2002) from a population‐based database that contains all clinical DXA test results for the Province of Manitoba, Canada. Total hip measurements were categorized according to quartile in total hip bone area (Q1 = smallest, Q4 = largest). Longitudinal health service records were assessed for the presence of nontraumatic osteoporotic fracture codes during a mean of 3.2 yr of follow‐up after BMD testing (757 osteoporotic fractures, 186 hip fractures). Total hip bone area strongly affected osteoporosis diagnosis with much higher rates in Q1 (14.4%) than Q4 (8.9%). However, incident fracture rates were constant across all area quartiles, and prevalent fractures were paradoxically fewer in smaller area quartiles (p < 0.001 for trend). Age was a potential confounder that correlated positively with area (r = 0.12, p < 0.0001). When age was not included in a Cox regression model, Q1 seemed to have a lower rate of incident osteoporotic fractures (HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.66–0.98, reference Q4) and hip fractures (HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43–0.94) for a given level of BMD. In age‐adjusted regression models, total hip BMD was strongly predictive of incident osteoporotic fractures (HR per SD = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.68–1.99) and hip fractures (HR per SD = 2.80, 95% CI = 2.33–3.35), but there was no independent effect of bone area (categorical or continuous). Nested matched subgroup analysis and ROC analysis confirmed that bone area had no appreciable effect on incident fractures. We conclude that total hip areal BMD categorizes a substantially higher fraction of women with smaller bone area as being osteoporotic despite younger age. Incident fracture rates correlate equally well with BMD across all bone area quartiles when adjusted for age.
Role of Thromboxane A2 Receptor on the Effects of Oxidized LDL on Microvascular Endothelium Nitric Oxide, Endothelin‐1, and IL‐6 Production

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine to what extent thromboxane A2 (TP) receptor mediates the effect of oxidated low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) on nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)‐6, and endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) release by microvascular endothelial cells.