Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Methanol and Formate Concentrations in Fatalities Where Methanol Is Detected

Abstract: An automated headspace gas chromatography method was developed for the determination of formate (formic acid) in postmortem specimens, based on the in situ sulfuric acid–methanol methylation of formic acid to methyl formate. Diisopropyl ether was used as an internal standard. The method was applied to over 150 postmortem cases where methanol was detected. Of the 153 cases presented, 107 deaths were attributed to acute methanol toxicity. In the vast majority of the remaining 46 deaths, the methanol was determined to be present as a postmortem or perimortem artifact, or was otherwise incidental to the cause of death. Of the 76 victims who were found dead and blood was collected by the medical examiner, all but one had a postmortem blood formate concentration greater than 0.50 g/L (mean 0.85 g/L; n = 74). The sole exception involved suicidal ingestion of methanol where the blood methanol concentration was 7.9 g/L (790 mg/100 mL) and blood formate 0.12 g/L. In 97% (72/74) of the cases where blood was available, the blood formate was between 0.60 and 1.40 g/L. In 31 of the 153 cases, the victim was hospitalized and blood obtained on admission or soon after was analyzed for methanol and formate during the subsequent death investigation; the vast majority (27/30) had antemortem blood formate concentrations greater than 0.50 g/L. Cases with samples taken prior to death with blood formate concentrations less than 0.5 g/L can readily be explained by active treatment such as dialysis. The blood formate method has also been useful in confirming probable perimortem or postmortem contamination of one of more fluids or tissues with methanol (e.g., windshield washer fluid or embalming fluid), where methanol ingestion was unlikely.
Integration of Segmentation Techniques for Classification of Hyperspectral Images

A new spectral-spatial method for classification of hyperspectral images is introduced. The proposed approach is based on two segmentation methods, fractional-order Darwinian particle swarm optimization and mean shift segmentation. The output of these two methods is classified by support vector machines. Experimental results indicate that the integration of the two segmentation methods can overcome the drawbacks of each other and increase the overall accuracy in classification.
The feminization of agriculture or the feminization of agrarian distress? Tracking the trajectory of women in agriculture in India

ABSTRACT The rising share of farm work in India undertaken by women – a phenomenon commonly referred to as the feminization of agriculture – raises questions about the changing character of rural India, particularly with regards to women's social and economic roles. Based on an analysis of four sets of occupational data drawn from the Indian Census (1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011), this paper demonstrates that, as a process driven largely by the outmigration of men from rural areas, the feminization of agriculture has no necessary relationship with wider INDICATORS of women's social or economic empowerment. Instead, women's growing participation in agriculture appears to be strongly related to several indicators of poverty. This paper concludes that women's growing contribution of labour in agriculture adds to the already heavy work burdens of most rural women, thereby further undermining their well-being, and suggests that the feminization of agriculture may better be described as the feminization of agrarian distress.
Is there convincing evidence for the use of chemotherapy alone in patients with limited stage Hodgkin's lymphoma?

Abstract: Standard practices for patients with stages I and IIA non‐bulky Hodgkin's lymphoma have evolved to include combined‐modality therapy consisting of two or three cycles of ABVD and radiation therapy to the involved field. Long‐term disease control can be expected in more than 90% of patients. However, long‐term survival will also be dependent on the occurrence of treatment‐related toxicities (late‐effects) that include second cancers and cardiovascular events; deaths from these causes will outnumber those due to progressive Hodgkin's lymphoma. Data from randomized trials testing the role of chemotherapy alone are now available. These trials are based on the hypothesis that avoidance of radiation therapy will result in fewer deaths from late‐effects, and that long‐term survival will be at least comparable and possibly superior. With intermediate periods of follow‐up, the results of these randomized trials demonstrate that with chemotherapy alone, disease control is reduced by approximately 5–7%, but this difference has not translated into a survival advantage. While further follow‐up is required to evaluate longer term overall survival, current data can be interpreted as showing that a trade‐off exists that requires balancing the advantage of superior disease control achieved with inclusion of radiation therapy and minimization of late‐effects resulting from use of chemotherapy alone. The balance associated with this trade‐off makes chemotherapy alone a legitimate treatment option; patients and clinicians need to be aware of these options in when making treatment decisions.
In search of conclusive evidence on the trade-off and pecking order theories of capital structure: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

ABSTRACT This paper tests the validity of the trade-off and pecking order theories of capital structure for non-financial firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Firstly, we find that the pecking order model is superior than the partial adjustment regressions at rejecting random financing behaviour. Secondly, tests on real data show that partial adjustment regressions confirm (reject) target adjustment behaviour for off (on) target firms. However, when falsely generated random financing gaps are used, the GMM model records a higher error rate compared to the Censored Tobit Regressions. Lastly, we propose alternative tests of both theories, and show that the pecking order theory works well, except under conditions where firms with reported financial deficits are at the bottom of the pecking order.
Pulses and lipaemia, short- and long-term effect: Potential in the prevention of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in most developed countries. Most CVD deaths are preventable through life-style measures such as diet, exercise and avoidance of cigarette smoking. Decreased intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and increased intake of cholesterol-reducing foods, such as pulses, deserve a high priority for activities designed to prevent CVD. Epidemiological and observational studies indicate that habitual intakes of large amounts of dietary fibre or of vegetables are associated with significantly lower rates of CVD. Studies over four decades document the hypocholesterolaemic effect of pulses and soyabeans. We performed a meta-analysis of eleven clinical trials that examined the effects of pulses (not including soyabeans) on serum lipoproteins. Intake of non-soya pulses was associated with these changes: fasting serum cholesterol, –7·2%, 95% CI –5·8, –8·6%; LDL–cholesterol, –6·2%, 95% CI –2·8, –9·5%; HDL–cholesterol, +2·6%, 95% CI +6·3, –1·0%; triacylglycerols, –16·6 %, 95% CI –11·8 %, –21·5 %; and body weight, –20·9%, 95% CI +2·2%, –4·1%. The hypocholesterolaemic effects of pulses appear related, in estimated order of importance, to these factors: soluble dietary fibre, vegetable protein, oligosaccharides, isoflavones, phospholipids and fatty acids, saponins and other factors. Intake of pulses may also reduce risk for CVD by favourable effects on blood pressure, glycaemia and risk for diabetes, and risk for obesity. Overall, the available evidence indicates that regular consumption of pulses may have important protective effects on risk for CVD.
Leftism Reinvented

Professional appointments (post-PhD) 2018-present Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California, Davis, 2009-2018 Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California, Davis 2013 -2014 Research Fellow, Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), UK 2008-2009 Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute (MPIfG), Cologne, Germany 2007-2008 Max Weber Fellow, European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
Types of Solidarity in the Reconstituting of Groups

on the former does seem (with some exception) to characterize the efforts of those types of researchers who are represented in this book, while emphasis on the latter more formal conception seems to characterize the work of some of those researchers not represented in this book. In concluding, it may be hoped that sociologists will undertake more frequently to write chronicles of their research efforts; these might appear as appendices to extended reports, or in some cases as separate short articles directed to more limited sociologically sophisticated audiences. Not only would pragmatist-oriented sociologists applaud these efforts. Positivist-oriented sociologists may be expected to scrutinize such chronicles in the hopes that the logic-in-use so revealed will, reversing Kaplan's view, help to illuminate the reconstructed logic of our future methodological texts.
Multiple Ku orthologues mediate DNA non‐homologous end‐joining in the free‐living form and during chronic infection of Sinorhizobium meliloti

The bacterial non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) apparatus is a two‐component system that uses Ku and LigD to repair DNA double‐strand breaks. Although the reaction mechanism has been extensively studied, much less is known about the physiological role of bacterial NHEJ. Recent studies suggest that NHEJ acts under conditions where DNA replication is reduced or absent (such as in a spore or stationary phase). Interestingly, genes encoding Ku and LigD have been identified in a wide range of bacteria that can chronically infect eukaryotic hosts. Strikingly, Sinohizobium meliloti, an intracellular symbiont of legume plants, carries four genes encoding Ku homologues (sku1 to sku4). Deletion analysis of the sku genes indicated that all Ku homologues are functional. One of these genes, sku2, is strongly expressed in free‐living cells, as well as in bacteroid cells residing inside of the host plant. To visualize the NHEJ apparatus in vivo, SKu2 protein was fused to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Ionizing radiation (IR) induced focus formation of SKu2‐YFP in free‐living cells in a dosage‐dependent manner. Moreover, SKu2‐YFP foci formed in response to IR in non‐dividing bacteroids, indicating that NHEJ system is functional even during the chronic infection phase of symbiosis.
How many roads lead to cohesinopathies?

Genetic mapping studies reveal that mutations in cohesion pathways are responsible for multispectrum developmental abnormalities termed cohesinopathies. These include Roberts syndrome (RBS), Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), and Warsaw Breakage Syndrome (WABS). The cohesinopathies are characterized by overlapping phenotypes ranging from craniofacial deformities, limb defects, and mental retardation. Though these syndromes share a similar suite of phenotypes and arise due to mutations in a common cohesion pathway, the underlying mechanisms are currently believed to be distinct. Defects in mitotic failure and apoptosis i.e. trans DNA tethering events are believed to be the underlying cause of RBS, whereas the underlying cause of CdLS is largely modeled as occurring through defects in transcriptional processes i.e. cis DNA tethering events. Here, we review recent findings described primarily in zebrafish, paired with additional studies in other model systems, including human patient cells, which challenge the notion that cohesinopathies represent separate syndromes. We highlight numerous studies that illustrate the utility of zebrafish to provide novel insights into the phenotypes, genes affected and the possible mechanisms underlying cohesinopathies. We propose that transcriptional deregulation is the predominant mechanism through which cohesinopathies arise. Developmental Dynamics 246:881–888, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Inconsistency and Over‐Determination in Neo‐Kaleckian Growth Models: A Note

This short note argues that the canonical neo‐Kaleckian growth model does not yield a balanced growth path due to the absence of an inbuilt mechanism by which desired and actual rates of capital accumulation are equalized. Introducing non‐generating capacity autonomous demand does not solve such inconsistency. Contrary to what Lavoie () claims, we show that the latter is also unable to bring capacity utilization to its normal level. In light of recent contributions (e.g., Nikiforos, ), we suggest that making normal capacity utilization an endogenous variable is an alternative better suited to deal with the issue.
Occult hepatitis B virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review

Occult hepatitis B (OHB) infection has been reported to play an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this systematic review, a significantly higher prevalence of OHB was observed in patients with HCC in the presence or absence of HCV infection when compared with control populations without HCC. Correspondingly, among adequately designed prospective studies, the cumulative probability of developing HCC was significantly greater among patients with OHB than among HBV DNA‐negative patients in the presence or absence of HCV infection. Study design, inclusion criteria, treatment options, methodology and potential confounding variables were evaluated, and immunopathogenic mechanisms that could be involved in OHB as a risk factor in HCC were reviewed. From this analysis, we conclude that although OHB is an independent risk factor in HCC development in anti‐HCV‐negative patients, a synergistic or additive role in the occurrence of HCC in HCV‐coinfected patients is more problematic due to the HCC risk attributable to HCV alone, especially in patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Increase of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Woodsmoke-Induced Lung Emphysema in Guinea Pigs

Elastolysis, collagenolysis and gelatinolysis are essential in the pathogenesis of tobacco smoke-induced emphysema; however, these activities have been scantily studied in emphysema secondary to woodsmoke. The aim of this study was to analyze elastolysis, collagenolysis and gelatinolysis, MMP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression, and apoptosis in guinea pigs exposed to smoke produced by 60 g/day of pine wood, 5 days/week, from 1 to 7 months. Histological analysis after 4 to 7 months in smoke exposed guinea pigs showed alveolar mononuclear phagocyte and lymphocytic peribronchiolar inflammation, epithelial and smooth muscle hyperplasia, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Mild to moderate emphysematous lesions were observed in woodsmoke-exposed animals at 4 to 7 months by increase of mean linear intercepts. A higher percentage of whole blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and elastolytic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages and lung tissue homogenates was observed at all times. Collagenolysis was increased after 4 to 7 months in woodsmoke-exposed animals, although collagen concentration did not change. Zymography revealed increase in lysis bands of the active MMP-2 and MMP-9 at 4 and 7 months in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue homogenate. Positive immunostaining for MMP-1 and MMP-9 was observed in epithelial cells and macrophages in wood exposed animals at 4 to 7 months. Real-time PCR showed MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression at 3 to 7 months in exposed animals. Furthermore, apoptosis was increased at all times in bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages and lung tissue from exposed animals. Results support a role of metalloproteinases and apoptosis in emphysema secondary to woodsmoke exposure.
The influence of diabetes and hyperglycemia on clinical course after intracerebral hemorrhage

Objective: To determine whether diabetes and admission hyperglycemia in nondiabetic patients influence outcome and the occurrence of cerebral and medical complications after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: The study sample included 764 patients with ICH. The effects of diabetes and admission hyperglycemia were examined in relation to 30-day and 3-month mortality using Cox regression models controlling for potential confounders. The analysis was conducted for the entire sample of patients and repeated in comatose and noncomatose patients. Results: Among comatose patients, neither diabetes nor admission hyperglycemia contributed significant predictive information, as nearly all patients died. In noncomatose patients, diabetes was an independent predictor of 30-day (odds ratio [OR] 1.31; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.58) and 3-month (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.56) mortality and was associated with a greater incidence of infectious (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.49) and cerebral (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.83) complications. Among nondiabetic patients with Glasgow Coma Scale score of >8, hyperglycemia was an independent predictor of 30-day (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.58) and 3-month (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.53) mortality and was associated with a greater incidence of cerebral complications (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.12 to 2.94). Conclusions: Both diabetes and admission hyperglycemia in nondiabetic patients are predictors of poor outcome after supratentorial ICH. This may be related to the greater incidence of cerebral and infectious complications in diabetic patients and of cerebral complications in hyperglycemic nondiabetic patients.
Information Use and Attention Deferment in College Student Loan Decisions: Evidence From a Debt Letter Experiment

A prominent concern is that college students are harming their long-term economic prospects by making student loan decisions without full information about the implications of their choices. We designed an experiment to examine students’ responses to a debt letter, an increasingly popular strategy to provide easily accessible information about student loans. The debt letters are modeled after requirements in recent state laws that attempt to encourage students to make informed borrowing decisions. Our results suggest that information alone is not sufficient to systematically change students’ borrowing choices. The debt letter led to no change in the amount that students borrow or the likelihood that they will borrow. We supplement results from the experiment with semistructured interviews to examine why the intervention did not change behavior.
An approach for quantifying the conductor and dielectric losses in PCB transmission lines

An experimental method for separately determining the contribution of the conductor and dielectric losses to the signal attenuation occurring in PCB transmission lines is presented in this paper. This method is based on an analytical extraction of the model parameters for the propagation constant and takes into consideration the dominant effects influencing the signal attenuation. It is demonstrated through a careful model-experiment correlation that the application of this method allows the accurate representation of the loss mechanisms in PCB technology. Furthermore, the frequency beyond which the dielectric losses surpass the skin effect losses is also easily determined in a simple and direct way using the proposed method.
CA1 neurons in the human hippocampus are critical for autobiographical memory, mental time travel, and autonoetic consciousness

Autobiographical memories in our lives are critically dependent on temporal lobe structures. However, the contribution of CA1 neurons in the human hippocampus to the retrieval of episodic autobiographical memory remains elusive. In patients with a rare acute transient global amnesia, highly focal lesions confined to the CA1 field of the hippocampus can be detected on MRI. We studied the effect of these lesions on autobiographical memory using a detailed autobiographical interview including the remember/know procedure. In 14 of 16 patients, focal lesions in the CA1 sector of the hippocampal cornu ammonis were detected. Autobiographical memory was significantly affected over all time periods, including memory for remote periods. Impairment of episodic memory and autonoetic consciousness exhibited a strong temporal gradient extending 30 to 40 y into the past. These results highlight the distinct and critical role of human hippocampal CA1 neurons in autobiographical memory retrieval and for re-experiencing detailed episodic memories.
Hydrogen peroxide-induced increase in endothelial adhesiveness is dependent on ICAM-1 activation.

Reactive oxygen radicals (ROS) generated by phagocytes promote human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC). We determined the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a phagocyte-derived ROS, on EC adhesiveness by determining steady-state intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) mRNA and ICAM-1 protein expression. The adhesion of PMN to H2O2-treated EC was concentration dependent with maximal adhesion achieved at 0.1 mM H2O2. PMN adhesion occurred rapidly, reaching its maximum value within a 1-h treatment time. The PMN adhesion was dependent on the interaction between CD11/CD18 integrins on PMN and ICAM-1 on EC, since either anti-CD18 or anti-ICAM-1 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) inhibited (by > 90%) the adhesive interaction between PMN and EC. In parallel with the increases in EC adhesivity, we detected a two- to threefold increase in EC surface expression of ICAM-1 between 0.5 and 1 h after H2O2 challenge. Northern analysis revealed an increase in the steady-state ICAM-1 mRNA signal within 0.5 h after H2O2 exposure, and the response was sustained up to 2 h. Inhibition of intracellular catalase in H2O2-treated EC by 3-amino-1,2,3-triazole augmented the PMN adhesion by 20%, whereas enhancement of EC H2O2-scavenging activity by addition of catalase abrogated the H2O2-induced PMN adhesion, indicating that oxidant-antioxidant balance at the EC interface is a critical factor modulating PMN-EC adhesive interactions. The results suggest that H2O2-induced PMN adhesion is dependent on the rapid induction of the ICAM-1 mRNA signal and the surface expression of ICAM-1 on EC. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Performance of a thermal management system for thermophoresis based soot sensors — Design, performance and verification

This paper presents the thermal performance of a proposed thermal management device (patented in 2009) intended for a thermophoretic based soot sensor. The performance was studied for temperatures ranging from 50°C to 400°C and for exhaust speeds up to 10m/s. It also presents the design and basic concepts. The performance study and design development was performed with finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA results were then verified with experiments in a heated wind tunnel. The relative performance of the device was found to increase for higher temperatures and lower wind speeds. The main conclusion drawn from this study was that it is feasible to cool a sensor surface enough for a thermophoretic based soot sensor in a diesel exhaust system.