Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hand injuries due to high-pressure injection devices for painting in shipyards: circumstances, management, and outcome in twelve patients.

BACKGROUND Injuries due to high-pressure injections are frequently underestimated occupational accidents, which may have disabling outcomes. METHODS The occupational injuries logbooks of two shipyards were examined. Twelve accidents due to the utilization of high-pressure equipment were reported. Data were obtained by reviewing the employers' logbooks and hospital records. RESULTS Contaminants were epoxy paint and stucco, paint solvent, hydraulic and industrial oil. In three cases, the palm was injured and the fingers in nine. In 91% of cases, the accident occurred in the last 2 hr of the work shift. Mishandling (n = 9) and rupture of the high-pressure equipment (n = 3) were the causes. Mean time to medical treatment was 42.5 hr (SD 56.0). Ten workers were permanently disabled. CONCLUSIONS Prompt surgical intervention with debridement and decompression was done in two workers, who healed completely. The ten patients who were not treated immediately eventually experienced a high rate of disability and five of them also suffered amputation.
A 3D metallic structure array for refractive index sensing with optical vortex

A simple and large-scale fabrication technique for three dimensional structure arrays using a photolithography process was applied to realize an array of high-aspect-ratio metallic fins. The fin array enables light confinement between the high-aspect-ratio fins, thus generating optical vortices. The light confinement between the fins produces sharp dips in the reflection spectrum of the array. We show that the position of the dip wavelength is sensitive to change in the refractive index of the surrounding medium. Sensitivity to change in the refractive index was quantified by optical simulation and experimental measurements.
The effect of breed, β-lactoglobulin variants and somatic cell count on yield, chemical components and whey protein composition in milk of non-dairy sheep.

The number of studies regarding the influence of genetic and environmental factors of ovine milk properties of non-dairy breeds is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of breed, -lactoglobulin variants and somatic cell count on the content of the principal milk ingredients and whey protein components. The study was carried out on 60 Polish Lowland and Polish Heath ewes, which come from the same flock and were kept under the same management and feeding practise. Both these breeds did not differ in respect of the principal components of milk. The milk of the Lowland sheep was characterized by a higher -lactoglobulin/-lactalbumin ratio compared to milk of Polish Heath breed. The -lactoglobulin variants have affected the content of casein and lactose, which was higher in the milk of ewes with the BB genotype. The increase in somatic cell count decreased total protein, casein and -lactoglobulin, and significantly increased the share of lactoferrin. The -lactoglobulin variants and somatic cell count mainly affected the components of the protein fraction of milk.
The impact of elevated CO2 and temperature on grain quality of rice grown under open-air field conditions.

BACKGROUND Rising atmospheric CO2 is accompanied by global warming. However, interactive effects of elevated CO2 and temperature have not been well studied on grain quality of rice. A japonica cultivar was grown in the field using a free-air CO2 enrichment facility in combination with a canopy air temperature increase system in 2014. The gas fumigation (200 µmol mol(-1) above ambient CO2 ) and temperature increase (1 °C above ambient air temperature) were performed from tillering until maturity. RESULTS Compared with the control (ambient CO2 and air temperature), elevated CO2 increased grain length and width as well as grain chalkiness but decreased protein concentrations. In contrast, the increase in canopy air temperature had less effect on these parameters except for grain chalkiness. The starch pasting properties of rice flour and taste analysis of cooked rice indicated that the palatability of rice was improved by CO2 and/or temperature elevation, with the combination of the two treatments showing the most significant changes compared with ambient rice. CONCLUSION It is concluded that projected CO2 in 2050 may have larger effects on rice grain quality than the projected temperature increase. Although deterioration in milling suitability, grain appearance and nutritional quality can be expected, the taste of cooked rice might be better in the future environment. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Value at risk and self-similarity

The concept of Value at Risk measures the "risk" of a portfolio and is a statement of the following form: With probability q the potential loss will not exceed the Value at Risk figure. It is in widespread use within the banking industry. It is common to derive the Value at Risk figure of d days from the one of one–day by multiplying with √d. Obviously, this formula is right, if the changes in the value of the portfolio are normally distributed with stationary and independent increments. However, this formula is no longer valid, if arbitrary distributions are assumed. For example, if the distributions of the changes in the value of the portfolio are self–similar with Hurst coefficient H, the Value at Risk figure of one–day has to be multiplied by dH in order to get the Value at Risk figure for d days. This paper investigates to which extent this formula (of multiplying by √d) can be applied for all financial time series. Moreover, it will be studied how much the risk can be over– or underestimated, if the above formula is used. The scaling law coefficient and the Hurst exponent are calculated for various financial time series for several quantiles.
The Effect of Banking Relationships on the Firm's IPO Underpricing

This paper investigates the effects of pre-IPO banking relationships on a firm's IPO. Using a new and unique data set, which compares the firm's pre-IPO banking relationships to the underwriters managing the firm's new issue, I test whether banking relationships established before the firm's IPO ameliorate asymmetric informa tion problems behind high IPO underpricing. The results show that firms with a pre-IPO banking relationship with a prospective underwriter face about 17% lower underpricing than firms without such banking relationships. These results are robust to controlling for the firm's endogenous selection of the pre-IPO banking institution. Copyright 2004 by The American Finance Association.
Investigating a ‘Glasgow Effect’: Why do equally deprived UK cities experience different health outcomes?

This report presents the results of the first of two phases of research aimed at gaining a better understanding of what lies behind the so-called 'Glasgow Effect', a term increasingly used in recent years to describe the poor health status of Glasgow over and above that attributable to the city's high levels of socio-economic deprivation. This study had two complementary objectives: To establish whether there is evidence of a 'Glasgow Effect', even when Glasgow is compared to its two most similar and comparable UK cities, and when based on a more robust and spatially sensitive measure of deprivation that has previously been available to researchers. To develop data that facilitate the identification of comparable small areas within the three cities as a focus for a second, qualitative, piece of research: specifically, to identify communities in Glasgow which experience significantly different health outcomes comapred to similarly deprived communities in Liverpool and Manchester.
Genetic analysis of a region of the Bordetella pertussis chromosome encoding filamentous hemagglutinin and the pleiotropic regulatory locus vir

The vir locus of Bordetella pertussis apparently encodes a trans-acting positive regulator that is required for the coordinate expression of genes associated with virulence: pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), hemolysin, and adenylate cyclase toxin. DNA clones of vir and of genes required for the synthesis of some of the factors under vir control were obtained with DNA probes from the chromosomal DNA surrounding sites of Tn5 insertion mutations that inactivated those genes. Two vir clones were found which also contained genes required for the proper expression of FHA in B. pertussis. The plasmids which contained both the fha and vir genes expressed immunologically reactive FHA in Escherichia coli, as detected by colony blots, whereas plasmids which contained only fha or vir were negative in this assay. The regulation of FHA production in E. coli, as in B. pertussis, was temperature dependent and inhibited by high concentrations of either magnesium ions or nicotinic acid, indicating that the sequences cloned in E. coli contained the information required to preserve the physiological responses seen in B. pertussis. Further characterization of the vir-fha clones by Tn5 mutagenesis in E. coli and by the return of cloned sequences to B. pertussis in trans and to the B. pertussis chromosome led to the localization of the vir locus, the structural gene for FHA, and genes that are possibly required for the synthesis and export of FHA.
Pregnancy and severe aplastic anaemia: causal relation or coincidence?

The relationship between aplastic anaemia (AA) and pregnancy remains uncertain. To assess whether an association between pregnancy and severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) exists, we compared the frequency of pregnancy in 35 young women with newly diagnosed SAA with the expected frequency in the general population. The observed pregnancy rate in the SAA group was 3–6%. This percentage approximates the expected pregnancy rate of 4.4% in the general population and is not compatible with a strong association between pregnancy and SAA.
Combinative ligand‐receptor interactions: Effects of CAMP, epinephrine, and met‐enkephalin on RAW264 macrophage morphology, spreading, adherence, and microfilaments

Cell surface ligand‐receptor interactions play a central role in the regulation and expression of macrophage function. Included among these macrophage membrane receptors are the β‐adrenergic and opioid receptors. We studied the abilities of epinephrine, met‐enkephalin, forskolin, and adenosine 3′:5′ cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) analogues to affect macrophage morphology, spreading, and adherence. Cell spreading was quantitated by measuring the perimeters of adherent cell images recorded by videomicroscopy. Epinephrine induced a dose‐dependent decrease in macrophage spreading; at 10‐5 M epinephrine the mean perimeter was 10.4 ± 0. 3μm in comparison to 15.0 ± 1.0 μm for controls. The inhibition of spreading can be blocked by the antagonist propranolol. On the other hand, met‐enkephalin induced a dose‐dependent increase in macrophage spreading, with a perimeter of 18.5 ± 1.0 μm at 10‐8 M. Since catecholamines and opioids are simultaneously released from chromaffin cells of the adrenal, we examined the combinative effects due to treatment with both ligands. When macrophages were exposed to 10‐5 M epinephrine and 10‐8 M met‐enkephalin, cell morphology and spreading were indistinguishable from that due to 10‐5 M epinephrine alone. The epinephrine dose‐response curve in the presence of 10‐8 M met‐enkephalin, was similar to that of epinephrine alone. The β‐adrenergic receptor is apparently capable of diminishing or abrogating the opioid receptor signal(s). These combinative and epinephrine‐mediated effects may be at least partially accounted for by the action of cAMP. Forskolin and the cAMP analogues N6 –2′‐O‐dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′ cyclic monophosphate (dbcAMP) and 8‐bromoadenosine 3′:5′ cyclic monophosphate (Br‐cAMP) affected cell morphology and spreading in the same fashion as epinephrine. These differences in morphology and spreading behavior were accompanied by changes in the distribution of F‐actin, as judged by phalladicin staining and fluorescence microscopy. We suggest that cAMP and microfilaments play important roles in receptor‐mediated neuroregulation of macrophage function.
Association of First-Trimester Echogenicity of the Puborectalis Muscle With Mode of Delivery

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between mean echogenicity of the puborectalis muscle, measured using transperineal ultrasonography, in women during their first pregnancy and the subsequent mode of delivery. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study on the association between stress urinary incontinence and levator muscle avulsion after delivery of a first pregnancy. In this study, 280 nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies were examined with transperineal ultrasound examination at 12 and 36 weeks of gestation. Patients were recruited from an obstetrics practice associated with the university medical center in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Mean echogenicity of the puborectalis muscle values were measured at rest, in pelvic floor muscle contraction, and during the Valsalva maneuver. The subsequent mode of delivery was classified into five categories: spontaneous vaginal delivery, instrumental vaginal delivery, elective cesarean delivery, cesarean delivery resulting from nonreassuring fetal status, and cesarean delivery resulting from failure to progress. Mean echogenicity of the puborectalis muscle values according to mode of delivery were compared by analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. RESULTS: Of the 254 women included, 157 had spontaneous vaginal delivery, 47 underwent cesarean delivery (11 elective, 36 emergency), and 45 had vacuum operative vaginal delivery; in five patient files, the mode of delivery was not recorded. Of the analyzed women, those who delivered by cesarean because of failure to progress had a significantly lower mean echogenicity of the puborectalis muscle in pelvic floor contraction at 12 weeks of gestation (mean echogenicity of 116±14) than women who had spontaneous vaginal delivery (132±21; Tukey's post hoc test, P=.03), instrumental vaginal delivery (138±21; P=.004), and cesarean delivery resulting from nonreassuring fetal status (139±20; P=.02). CONCLUSION: Lower mean echogenicity of the puborectalis muscle values in pelvic floor contraction during the first pregnancy at 12 weeks of gestation is associated with subsequent cesarean delivery as a result of failure to progress.
Re: "Conjugated equine estrogens and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial and observational study".

In their combined analyses of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial and observational study data, Prentice et al. conclude that their findings ‘‘. do not provide clear evidence of either an overall reduction or an increase in breast cancer risk with CEEs [conjugated equine estrogens]’’ (1, p. 1407). However, combination of the data was illegitimate. In the observational study, 100% of the women were aware of their exposure. Particularly since they had originally been invited to participate in a clinical trial (1) but had not, greater anxiety among CEE users and their medical attendants made selective detection of otherwise occult breast cancer inevitable. By contrast, in the clinical trial, <2% of the women had their treatments unblinded (2). The occasional woman might have guessed that she was on CEEs because of breast swelling or tenderness, but otherwise there was little or no opportunity for detection bias. Given this striking discrepancy, in the WHI studies the most valid estimates of breast cancer risk in CEE users remain those identified in the trial (2)—although, to be sure, the nonadherence rates of >50% also render those estimates suspect. The clinical trial findings for CEEs also cast doubt on the WHI findings for estrogen plus progestin (3): In that trial, the respective unblinding rates among CEE and placebo recipients were 44% and 7%. That difference was mainly due to persistent vaginal bleeding, and it would have created greater concern about endometrial cancer and, consequently, breast cancer as well among recipients of estrogen plus progestin.
Survival of Escherichia coli cells exposed to iodoacetate and chlorodinitrobenzene is independent of the glutathione-gated K+ efflux systems KefB and KefC

The KefB and KefC systems of Escherichia coli cells are activated by iodoacetate (IOA) and chlorodinitrobenzene (CDNB), leading to a rapid drop in the intracellular pH. However, survival of exposure to IOA or CDNB was found to be essentially independent of KefB and KefC activation. No correlation was found between the toxicity of the compound and its ability to elicit protective acidification via activation of KefB and KefC.
Cellular Expression of V1a Vasopressin Receptor mRNA in the Female Rat Preoptic Area: Effects of Oestrogen

The preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in female rats is dependent upon signals from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the site of a dominant circadian pacemaker. Various lines of evidence indicate that arginine‐vasopressin (AVP)‐containing projections from the SCN to the preoptic area (POA) contribute to the production of the surge of LH‐releasing hormone (LHRH). These actions may be mediated by V1a because the transcript for this AVP receptor subtype is predominant within the POA of the female rat. In this study, in situ hybridization histochemistry was used to examine V1a mRNA expression, either by itself or together with LHRH or glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) mRNA, within the POA of ovariectomized rats in the presence or absence of oestrogen. V1a mRNA was found in cells across the rostro‐caudal axis of the POA; some were in close proximity to cells expressing LHRH mRNA. Coexpression of V1a and LHRH mRNAs was detected only very rarely. By contrast, cells with V1a mRNA commonly displayed GAD65 mRNA. The density of V1a mRNA‐expressing cells was particularly high within the anteroventral periventricular nucleus; at this site, V1a mRNA expression was elevated following oestrogen treatment. The present results indicate that V1a‐mediated AVP actions may influence LHRH release via cells in the immediate vicinity of LHRH neurones and/or via oestrogen‐regulated cells in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, which is a site that lacks LHRH neurones but plays an essential role in initiating the preovulatory LH surge.
On the Monochromatic Schur Triples Type Problem

We discuss a problem posed by Ronald Graham about the minimum number, over all 2-colorings of $[1,n]$, of monochromatic $\{x,y,x+ay\}$ triples for $a \geq 1$. We give a new proof of the original case of $a=1$. We show that the minimum number of such triples is at most $\frac{n^2}{2a(a^2+2a+3)} + O(n)$ when $a \geq 2$. We also find a new upper bound for the minimum number, over all $r$-colorings of $[1,n]$, of monochromatic Schur triples, for $r \geq 3$.
Mechanical Strain Differentially Regulates Endothelial Nitric-oxide Synthase and Receptor Activator of Nuclear κB Ligand Expression via ERK1/2 MAPK*

Exercise promotes positive bone remodeling through controlling cellular processes in bone. Nitric oxide (NO), generated from endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS), prevents resorption, whereas receptor activator of nuclear κB ligand (RANKL) promotes resorption through regulating osteoclast activity. Here we show that mechanical strain differentially regulates eNOS and RANKL expression from osteoprogenitor stromal cells in a magnitude-dependent fashion. Strain (0.25–2%) induction of eNOS expression was magnitude-dependent, reaching a plateau at 218 ± 36% of control eNOS. This was accompanied by increases in eNOS protein and a doubling of NO production. Concurrently, 0.25% strain inhibited RANKL expression with increasing response up to 1% strain (44 ± 3% of control RANKL). These differential responses to mechanical input were blocked when an ERK1/2 inhibitor was present during strain application. Inhibition of NO generation did not prevent strain-activated ERK1/2. To confirm the role of ERK1/2, cells were treated with an adenovirus encoding a constitutively activated MEK; Ad.caMEK significantly increased eNOS expression and NO production by more than 4-fold and decreased RANKL expression by half. In contrast, inhibition of strain-activated c-Jun kinase failed to prevent strain effects on either eNOS or RANKL. Our data suggest that physiologic levels of mechanical strain utilize ERK1/2 kinase to coordinately regulate eNOS and RANKL in a manner leading to positive bone remodeling.
Proteolytic Activation of the Essential Parasitophorous Vacuole Cysteine Protease SERA6 Accompanies Malaria Parasite Egress from Its Host Erythrocyte*

Background: Malaria parasite egress from host erythrocytes requires cysteine protease activity, but the identity of key parasite proteases is unknown. Results: SERA6 is an essential parasite cysteine protease that resides in the parasitophorous vacuole and is activated by SUB1, a parasite serine protease. Conclusion: SERA6 may play a role in egress. Significance: SERA6 is a potential new antimalarial drug target. The malaria parasite replicates within an intraerythrocytic parasitophorous vacuole (PV). The PV and host cell membranes eventually rupture, releasing merozoites in a process called egress. Certain inhibitors of serine and cysteine proteases block egress, indicating a crucial role for proteases. The Plasmodium falciparum genome encodes nine serine-repeat antigens (SERAs), each of which contains a central domain homologous to the papain-like (clan CA, family C1) protease family. SERA5 and SERA6 are indispensable in blood-stage parasites, but the function of neither is known. Here we show that SERA6 localizes to the PV where it is precisely cleaved just prior to egress by an essential serine protease called PfSUB1. Mutations that replace the predicted catalytic Cys of SERA6, or that block SERA6 processing by PfSUB1, could not be stably introduced into the parasite genomic sera6 locus, indicating that SERA6 is an essential enzyme and that processing is important for its function. We demonstrate that cleavage of SERA6 by PfSUB1 converts it to an active cysteine protease. Our observations reveal a proteolytic activation step in the malarial PV that may be required for release of the parasite from its host erythrocyte.
Speculative Design and Heterogeneity in Indigenous Nation Building

This paper presents a methodological exploration in postcolonial HCI. We share early insights of designing a digital platform for Indigenous nation building in Australia that speculate ways to catalyse, provoke and support necessary discussions of governance, plurality, cultural integrity and knowledge ownership. Rather than expecting consensus building or striving for problem-resolution, prototyping this digital platform has begun revealing tensions, complexities and possibilities that are significant to nation building. Manifesting and actively debating these became an epistemological pursuit for knowledge generation, but also a necessary ontological one in actively carving out "agonistic" engagements that challenges hegemony and practice ploy-vocal future-making.