Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection and characterization of engineered nanoparticles in food and the environment

Nanotechnology is developing rapidly and, in the future, it is expected that increasingly more products will contain some sort of nanomaterial. However, to date, little is known about the occurrence, fate and toxicity of nanoparticles. The limitations in our knowledge are partly due to the lack of methodology for the detection and characterisation of engineered nanoparticles in complex matrices, i.e. water, soil or food. This review provides an overview of the characteristics of nanoparticles that could affect their behaviour and toxicity, as well as techniques available for their determination. Important properties include size, shape, surface properties, aggregation state, solubility, structure and chemical composition. Methods have been developed for natural or engineered nanomaterials in simple matrices, which could be optimized to provide the necessary information, including microscopy, chromatography, spectroscopy, centrifugation, as well as filtration and related techniques. A combination of these is often required. A number of challenges will arise when analysing environmental and food materials, including extraction challenges, the presence of analytical artifacts caused by sample preparation, problems of distinction between natural and engineered nanoparticles and lack of reference materials. Future work should focus on addressing these challenges.
Impaired conflict resolution and alerting in children with ADHD: evidence from the Attention Network Task (ANT).

BACKGROUND An important theory of attention suggests that there are three separate networks that execute discrete cognitive functions. The 'alerting' network acquires and maintains an alert state, the 'orienting' network selects information from sensory input and the 'conflict' network resolves conflict that arises between potential responses. This theory holds promise for dissociating discrete patterns of cognitive impairment in disorders where attentional deficits may often be subtle, such as in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS The Attentional Network Test (ANT), a behavioural assay of the functional integrity of attention networks, was used to examine the performance of 73 children with ADHD and 73 controls. RESULTS Performance on the ANT clearly differentiated the children with and without ADHD in terms of mean and standard deviation (SD) of reaction time (RT), the number of incorrect responses made and the number of omission errors made. The ADHD group demonstrated deficits in the conflict network in terms of slower RT and a higher number of incorrect responses. The ADHD group showed deficits in the alerting network in terms of the number of omission errors made. There was no demonstration of a deficit in the orienting network in ADHD on this task. CONCLUSIONS The children with ADHD demonstrated deficits in the alerting and conflict attention networks but normal functioning of the orienting network.
Galanin receptor 3 – a potential target for acute pancreatitis therapy

Background Galanin participates in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP). The galanin receptor (GALR) sub‐types involved, however, are unclear. We aimed to determine GALRs messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in mouse pancreas, describe their localization, and ascertain if GALR2 and GALR3 are involved in AP.
A Critical Discussion Game for Prohibiting Fallacies

The study of fallacies is at the heart of argumentation studies. In response to Hamblin’s devastating critique of the state of the theory of fallacies in 1970, both formal dialectical and informal approaches to fallacies developed. In the current paper, we focus on an influential informal approach to fallacies, part of the pragma-dialectical theory of argumentation. Central to the pragma-dialectical method for analysing and evaluating argumentative discourse is the ideal model of a critical discussion. In this discussion model, a dialectical perspective on argumentation is combined with a pragmatic take on communicative interaction. By formalising and computationally implementing the model of a critical discussion, we take a first step in the development of software to computationally model argumentative dialogue in which fallacies are prohibited along the pragmadialectical norms. We do this by defining the Critical Discussion Game, a formal dialogue game based on the pragma-dialectical discussion model, executable on an online user-interface which is part of a larger infrastructure of argumentation software.
Physician as teacher: Promoting health and wellness among elementary school students

Background: Every day, physicians engage in teaching during their patient encounters. It may be that medical students who are introduced to the principles of teaching and learning are more likely to become good communicators and learners. Service-learning may be an effective way for medical students to practice skills in teaching and communication in a real-world setting, while also filling a need within the community. The purpose of this study was to identify common themes within medical students′ reflections on what they learned through participating in a teaching exercise with local elementary school children. Methods: As a required component of a longitudinal prevention and public health course that spans the first and second years of undergraduate medical education, second year students at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, in Detroit, Michigan, in the USA completed a service-learning activity, which included teaching a standardized curricular module to local elementary school children. Students were required to complete a reflection assignment based on their teaching experience. Medical students′ responses to assignment′s three guided questions were qualitatively coded to identify common themes among the responses related to the teaching activity. Results: Qualitative analysis of students′ reflections revealed several themes regarding what the students learned and viewed as the benefits of the activity: The importance of early education and parental involvement; the importance of understanding your audience when teaching; the importance of simplifying complex concepts to the audience′s level; and the importance of preparation for teaching. Medical students identified the difficulties of communicating at an audience appropriate level and providing patient education outside the confines of a controlled classroom setting. Discussion: This activity provided medical students with hands-on experience presenting to an audience age-appropriate, health-related topics. Presenting in an elementary school environment helped students better understand what health information various age groups knew about and the importance of clarifying information when communicating with a younger audience.
Monetary Policy with Parameter Uncertainty in Small-Open Economy

ABSTRACT This paper computes optimal robust monetary policy in a new Keynesian small-open economy model with Knightian uncertainty about the degree of price stickiness and the elasticity of substitution between domestic and foreign goods. Due to the simple model structure used in the paper, I can derive analytical results for the min–max solution under discretion and assess how a robust optimal Taylor rule must be set in small-open economy. I find that, in an optimal robust discretionary equilibrium, the central bank should assume that the degree of price stickiness and the elasticity of substitution between domestic and foreign goods take on their highest numerical values. In terms of interest rate setting, if the optimal discretionary robust equilibrium is implemented with a Taylor rule, the policy rate should react to inflation in a less aggressive way than in the case of complete information.
Low-Power CMOS Image Sensor Based on Column-Parallel Single-Slope/SAR Quantization Scheme

This paper presents a low-power megapixel image sensor design. In this paper, a column-parallel 11-bit two-step quantization scheme is proposed. It consists of a 3-bit single-slope analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and an 8-bit successive approximation register (SAR) ADC. The power consumption of the column-parallel circuitry is significantly reduced when compared with the traditional single-slope ADC and other low-power ADC schemes because smaller SAR ADC reference voltages are selected after quantizing the first three most significant bits. In addition, as only an 8-bit SAR ADC is required in the proposed quantization scheme, the capacitor array matching can be greatly relaxed compared with an 11-bit SAR ADC thus, resulting in noncalibration feature. A 1200 × 800 pixel resolution color CMOS image sensor (CIS) is fabricated using TSMC 0.18-μm CIS technology. The measurement result shows that the total power consumption figure-of-merit of this research is only 1.33 mW/megapixel/frame under 3.3-V (analog)/1.8-V (digital) power supply.
Ultrasound RF Time Series for Classification of Breast Lesions

This work reports the use of ultrasound radio frequency (RF) time series analysis as a method for ultrasound-based classification of malignant breast lesions. The RF time series method is versatile and requires only a few seconds of raw ultrasound data with no need for additional instrumentation. Using the RF time series features, and a machine learning framework, we have generated malignancy maps, from the estimated cancer likelihood, for decision support in biopsy recommendation. These maps depict the likelihood of malignancy for regions of size 1 mm2 within the suspicious lesions. We report an area under receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84%-0.90%) using support vector machines and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78-0.85) using Random Forests classification algorithms, on 22 subjects with leave-one-subject-out cross-validation. Changing the classification method yielded consistent results which indicates the robustness of this tissue typing method. The findings of this report suggest that ultrasound RF time series, along with the developed machine learning framework, can help in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions, subsequently reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies after mammography screening.
Party Rules and Equitable Representation in U.S. Presidential Nominating Contests

Party rules for determining allocation of delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions once again drew criticism in 2016. Analyses of the effects of various rules indicate that the inclusion of party leader and elected official delegates (“superdelegates”) within the Democratic Party and use of winner-take-all primary elections by Republicans bias the representativeness of states’ delegations to national conventions; neither the choice of primary election or caucuses nor of open or closed events affect representativeness. The choice of primary election or caucuses did affect vote percentages of candidates, but the choice of open or closed events had no effect on candidates’ vote percentages in recent nominating contests. The basic conclusion is that the party rules that created biased, unrepresentative state delegations to national conventions and that benefited certain candidates in the 1980s continue to do so in the 21st century.
Public Perceptions Towards Children Brought Up by Single Mothers: A Case of Queenstown, South Africa

ABSTRACT Single motherhood is becoming common in many households across the globe. The paper sought to explain perceptions upheld by community members of Queenstown, about the behaviour of children raised by single mothers. Qualitative approach and phenomenological design were utilised. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw participants from Queenstown area. Face-to-face in-depth interviews, complemented by written narratives were used to collect data. An interpretive phenomenological analysis was employed to analyse data. Verbatim and thick descriptions were used to present data. The paper established that children raised by single mothers were viewed as troublemakers who had lost values because they had no adult males to model and be disciplined by. The paper concluded that the society still views children raised by single mothers as problematic and a threat to social order. The community should accept single mother families and view them as normal families just like the ‘traditional’ family.
Prediksi Value-at-risk Dengan Efek Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (arch)

Abstrak Investor yang menginvestasikan dana pada saham mengharapkan nilai return yang tinggi dan risiko yang sekecil mungkin, namun setiap investasi yang dilakukan tidak dapat memprediksi dengan mudah seberapa besar nilai risiko yang akan didapat. Untuk mendapatkan nilai risiko dari suatu saham dapat menggunakan metode Value-at-Risk (VaR). Penentuan nilai VaR ini dapat menggunakan time series, oleh karena itu pada Tugas Akhir ini digunakan model Autoregressive (AR) dan Generealized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) untuk menentukan nilai VaR pada dua indeks saham yang berdistribusi normal. Setiap data saham memiliki perbedaan volatilitas atau pergerakan harga saham, maka sebelum membahas model time series dan perhitungan VaR, data indeks saham dilakukan pengujian dengan uji efek ARCH. Agar mendapatkan hasil yang relevan maka dilakukan perhitungan akurasi kedua model time series tersebut menggunakan VaR violation dan dibandingkan untuk mendapatkan model time series yang baik. Berdasarkan hasil analisis, model time series yang baik digunakan untuk memprediksi VaR pada saham NASDAQ adalah model GARCH(1,1) dengan jumlahan tingkat error sebesar 26, dan untuk saham NYSE model time series yang baik untuk memprediksi VaR adalah model AR(1) dengan jumlahan tingkat error sebesar 30. Kata kunci : VaR, AR, GARCH, Uji efek ARCH, VaR violation. Abstract Investors who invest funds in stock expect a high return value and the lowest risk possible, but every investments can not predict the value risk with easily. To obtain the risk value of a stock can use Value-at-Risk (VaR) method. The determination of the VaR can use time series model, therefore in this final project used Autoregressive (AR) and Generealized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) to determine VaR on two stock indexes which have normal distribution. Each stock data has different volatility or movement of stock price, then before discuss about time series model and VaR calculation, stock index data is tested by ARCH effect test. In order to obtain a relevant results, both time series model are calculated the accuracy using VaR violation and compared to get a good time series model. Based on the result of the analysis, time series model which is GARCH(1,1) of normal distributuon have better result with the total error rate of 26 to predict VaR for stock index NASDAQ, and for stock index NYSE a good time series model to predict VaR is AR(1) with the total error rate of 30. Keywords: VaR, AR, GARCH, ARCH effect test, VaR violation
Extended leukocyte differential count and C-reactive protein in septic patients with liver impairment: diagnostic approach to evaluate sepsis in intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND Sepsis is still a major cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Patients with liver impairment express an imbalanced cytokine response which alters common sepsis biphasic nature. Cytokines measurement is expensive, often unavailable, whereas leukocytes (WBC) evaluation performed through hematology analyzers can provide a practical strategy for monitoring inflammatory response. METHODS A total of 200 healthy subjects (HS) and 84 patients (18 with, 66 without liver impairment) admitted to ICU, were assessed for International Sepsis Definitions, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. We tested 1,022 peripheral blood samples using Sysmex XN-9000, estimating diagnostic accuracy of leukocyte differential count and nontraditional parameters through receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analysis compared to clinical classification. RESULTS Median value of all-leukocyte parameters was different in ICU patients compared to HS. Leukocytes, neutrophils (NE) and immature granulocytes (IGs) in sepsis and septic shock (SS) were higher than no sepsis (NS), with an area under the curve: 0.81, 0.82 and 0.78 respectively. Lymphocytes (LY) and monocytes (MO) were significantly associated with liver impairment. CONCLUSIONS Diagnostic accuracy of all-leukocyte parameters may provide valuable information for diagnosis and follow-up of sepsis in ICU patients, especially those with liver impairment.
In Silico Identification of Putative Regulatory Sequence Elements in the 5′-Untranslated Region of Genes That Are Expressed during Male Gametogenesis

During pollen development, transcription of a large number of genes results in the appearance of distinct sets of transcripts. Similar mRNA sets are present in pollen of both mono- and dicotyledonous plant species, which indicates an evolutionary conservation of genetic programs that determine pollen gene expression. In pollen, regulation of gene expression occurs at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level. The 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of several pollen transcripts has been shown to be important for regulation of pollen gene expression. The important regulatory role of 5′-UTR sequences and the evolutionary conservation of genetic programs in pollen led to the hypothesis that the 5′-UTRs of pollen-expressed genes share regulatory sequence elements. In an attempt to identify these pollen 5′-UTR elements, a statistical analysis was performed using 5′-UTR sequences of pollen- and sporophytic-expressed genes. The analysis revealed the presence of several pollen-specific 5′-UTR sequence elements. Assembly of the pollen 5′-UTR elements led to the identification of various consensus sequences, including those that previously have been demonstrated to play a role in the regulation of pollen gene expression. Several pollen 5′-UTR elements were found to be preferentially associated to genes from dicots, wet-type stigma plants, or plants containing bicellular pollen. Moreover, three sequence elements exhibited a preferential association to the 5′-UTR of pollen-expressed genes from Arabidopsis andBrassica napus. Functional implications of these observations are discussed.
Addition of simvastatin to cold storage solution prevents endothelial dysfunction in explanted rat livers

Pathophysiological alterations in the endothelial phenotype result in endothelial dysfunction. Flow cessation, occurring during organ procurement for transplantation, triggers the endothelial dysfunction characteristic of ischemia/reperfusion injury, partly due to a reduction in the expression of the vasoprotective transcription factor Kruppel‐like Factor 2 (KLF2). We aimed at (1) characterizing the effects of flow cessation and cold storage on hepatic endothelial phenotype, and (2) ascertaining if the consequences of cold stasis on the hepatic endothelium can be pharmacologically modulated, improving liver graft function. Expression of KLF2 and its vasoprotective programs was determined in (i) hepatic endothelial cells (HEC) incubated under cold storage conditions with or without the KLF2‐inducer simvastatin, and (ii) rat livers not cold stored or preserved in cold University of Wisconsin solution (UWS) supplemented with simvastatin or its vehicle. In addition, upon warm reperfusion hepatic vascular resistance, endothelial function, nitric oxide vasodilator pathway, apoptosis, inflammation, and liver injury were evaluated in not cold stored livers or livers preserved in cold UWS supplemented with simvastatin or vehicle. Expression of KLF2 and its vasoprotective programs decrease in HEC incubated under cold storage conditions. Cold‐stored rat livers exhibit a time‐dependent decrease in KLF2 and its target genes, liver injury, increased hepatic vascular resistance, and endothelial dysfunction. The addition of simvastatin to the storage solution, maintained KLF2‐dependent vasoprotective programs, prevented liver damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress and improved endothelial dysfunction. Conclusion: Our results provide a rationale to evaluate the beneficial effects of a vasoprotective preservation solution on human liver procurement for transplantation. (Hepatology 2012)
Is deflation costly after all? The perils of erroneous historical classifications

Measurement error in historical data distorts descriptive analyses based on binary classifications. Modern replications of deficiencies in retrospective CPI estimates for the 19th century show that measurement issues cause misclassification of inflationary and deflationary episodes. We therefore underestimate the shortfall in real activity during deflation. Using various approaches to control for measurement error in 19th century US CPI data, a series of stylized facts emerge: (i) Real activity was on average substantially lower during deflations; (ii) CPI deflations were associated with at least as severe shortfalls in real activity as equity price declines and banking crises; (iii) Only severe deflations were associated with declines in real activity; (iv) Transitory and persistent deflations, as well as, monetary and nonmonetary deflations were equally associated with lower GDP growth.
Glycosaminoglycan Accumulation in Primary Culture of Rabbit Intervertebral Disc Cells

Study Design. With the heterogeneity of the intervertebral disc as the focus, intervertebral discs from normal young rabbits were separated into nucleus pulposus (NP), inner anulus fibrosus (IAF), and outer anulus fibrosus (OAF) zones. Disc cells from each zone were isolated and propagated under monolayer and within agarose gel culture. The metabolism of these cultured disc cells was examined in terms of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) accumulation. Objectives. The object was to study the metabolism of disc cells derived from each zone and characterize them on the basis of GAG accumulation and composition. Summary of Background Data. It has been shown that three-dimensional culture systems, such as within-agarose gels or in alginate beads, permit long-term maintenance of the articular chondrocyte phenotype in vitro. However, little has been reported on how the metabolism of intervertebral disc cells, especially GAG accumulation, is affected by different culture conditions. Methods. Cells from each zone were subjected to monolayer or three-dimensional culture for up to 12 days. GAG accumulation in the different culture systems was analyzed using chemical, histologic, and immunohistologic methods. Differences of GAG and DNA content among NP, IAF, and OAF cells were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance. The data of keratin sulfate content in three-dimensional culture were compared with that in monolayer culture using nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Monolayer culture revealed that increases in GAG content were significantly higher in IAF cells than in OAF cells. However, in three-dimensional culture GAG content was similar in the two groups. AF cells in three-dimensional cultures showed immunohistochemical localization of chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate, suggesting the existence of pericellular matrix. High performance liquid chromatography confirmed the expression of keratan sulfate in cultured cells. Conclusions. GAG accumulation in cultures of cells from different zones of the intervertebral disc varied according to the culture conditions used. The importance of choosing the appropriate culture systems to meet the objectives of a study should be emphasized.