Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current Assessment of the Effects of Environmental Chemicals on the Mammary Gland in Guideline Rodent Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and National Toxicology Program (NTP)

Background: Evaluation of the structural and/or functional integrity of the mammary gland (MG) across life stages is integral to the assessment of developmental, reproductive, and carcinogenic risk for environmental chemicals. Objectives: In this commentary I characterize MG assessment recommended in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and National Toxicology Program guideline toxicology study protocols and identify any information gaps for the evaluation of MG development, structure, and function. Discussion: Several data gaps, issues, and challenges were identified. Current guidelines that include a lactation phase do not provide specific recommendations to record observations on maternal or offspring lactation or nursing behavior. In guideline studies, the assessment of MG toxicity often relies upon indirect, nonspecific, or surrogate end points, and information that could be useful in the interpretation of these data (e.g., mode of action or toxicokinetics) is often unavailable. Most guideline studies designed to assess general organ toxicity do not expose test animals during sensitive stages of MG development; histopathological evaluation of the developing MG is not routinely conducted; and evaluation of MG tissue for both sexes is inconsistently recommended. Conclusions: I propose the following general recommendations to enhance MG assessment in guideline toxicology studies: a) inclusion of more specific criteria for the evaluation of MG end points in guideline language, b) inclusion of histopathological evaluation of MG development (using whole-mount techniques) in existing or new guideline protocols that include offspring with perinatal and/or pubertal treatment, c) incorporation of perinatal exposures into rodent subchronic and carcinogenicity assays, and d) expansion of the histopathological evaluation of male MG tissue.
Appraising relative and excess mortality in population-based studies of chronic diseases such as end-stage renal disease

Purpose: Modeling excess and relative mortality represents two ways of considering general population mortality rates (ie, background mortality) in cohort studies. Excess mortality is obtained by subtracting the expected mortality from the observed mortality (additive hazard model). Relative mortality is obtained by dividing the observed mortality by the expected mortality (multiplicative hazard model). Our first objective was to compare the results of these two models in a population-based cohort including 5115 dialyzed patients older than 70 years (mean age 79 years, range 70–97 years). Our second objective was to explore an alternative model combining both excess and relative mortality. Patients and methods: Effects of covariates on excess mortality and relative mortality were assessed using a generalized linear model and a Cox model, respectively. The model, combining both excess and relative mortality, is derived from the Aalen model. Results: The effect of age and sex was different according to the additive or multiplicative model used, whereas the effect of the first modality of dialysis or the primary nephropathy was similar. Because there was no evidence of lack of fit, the choice of one of these two models was not obvious. The combined model showed that the two components, additive and multiplicative, had to be kept. In this case, the combined model led to results similar to the pure additive and multiplicative univariate models, except for the method of dialysis, which did not exert an effect on both excess and relative mortality. Conclusion: We underlined the complementary interest of modeling excess and relative mortality in looking for factors associated with mortality related to end-stage renal disease. The combined model appeared attractive in offering the possibility of reducing the model to the most appropriate one. When both components have to be retained, it better describes the effect of covariates on excess and relative mortality.
Jackson's paradox and its resolution by the four-dimensional geometric quantities

In this paper it is shown that the real cause of Jackson's paradox is the use of three-dimensional (3D) quantities, e.g., $\mathbf{E}$, $% \mathbf{B}$, $\mathbf{F}$, $\mathbf{L}$, $\mathbf{T}$, their transformations and equations with them. The principle of relativity is naturally satisfied and there is no paradox when the physical reality is attributed to the 4D geometric quantities, e.g., to the 4D torque $N$ (bivector) or, equivalently, to the 4D torques $N_{s}$ and $N_{t}$ (1-vectors), which together contain the same physical information as the bivector $N$.
Increased substrate oxidation and mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle of endurance-trained individuals

Endurance exercise training is accompanied by physiological changes that improve muscle function and performance. Several studies have demonstrated that markers of mitochondrial capacity are elevated, however, these studies tend to be performed ex vivo under conditions that yield maximal enzyme activities or in vivo but monitoring the response to exercise. Therefore, it is unclear whether basal mitochondrial metabolism is affected by exercise training. To explore whether resting muscle metabolism was altered in trained individuals in vivo, two independent parameters of metabolic function—tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux (VTCA), and ATP synthesis (VATP)—were assessed noninvasively by using magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a cohort of young endurance trained subjects (n = 7) and a group of matched sedentary subjects (n = 8). VTCA was 54% higher in the muscle of endurance trained compared with sedentary subjects (91.7 ± 7.6 vs. 59.6 ± 4.9 nmol/g/min, P < 0.01); however, VATP was not different between the trained and sedentary subjects (5.98 ± 0.43 vs. 6.35 ± 0.70 μmol/g/min, P = 0.67). The ratio VATP/VTCA (an estimate of mitochondrial coupling) was also significantly reduced in trained subjects (P < 0.04). These data demonstrate that basal mitochondrial substrate oxidation is increased in the muscle of endurance trained individuals yet energy production is unaltered, leading to an uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation at rest. Increased mitochondrial uncoupling may represent another mechanism by which exercise training enhances muscle insulin sensitivity via increased fatty acid oxidation in the resting state.
On the architectural requirements for efficient execution of graph algorithms

Combinatorial problems such as those from graph theory pose serious challenges for parallel machines due to non-contiguous, concurrent accesses to global data structures with low degrees of locality. The hierarchical memory systems of symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) clusters optimize for local, contiguous memory accesses, and so are inefficient platforms for such algorithms. Few parallel graph algorithms outperform their best sequential implementation on SMP clusters due to long memory latencies and high synchronization costs. In this paper, we consider the performance and scalability of two graph algorithms, list ranking and connected components, on two classes of shared-memory computers: symmetric multiprocessors such as the Sun Enterprise servers and multithreaded architectures (MTA) such as the Cray MTA-2. While previous studies have shown that parallel graph algorithms can speedup on SMPs, the systems' reliance on cache microprocessors limits performance. The MTA's latency tolerant processors and hardware support for fine-grain synchronization makes performance a function of parallelism. Since parallel graph algorithms have an abundance of parallelism, they perform and scale significantly better on the MTA. We describe and give a performance model for each architecture. We analyze the performance of the two algorithms and discuss how the features of each architecture affects algorithm development, ease of programming, performance, and scalability.
American Society and the African American Foreign Policy Lobby Constraints and Opportunities

African American efforts to internationalize their ethnicity and influence U.S. governmental behavior toward the global Black diaspora have historical roots. This quest received an impetus during the 1960s and 1970s as Black racial consciousness grew and as efforts to create an organizational mechanism for its expression on the international stage picked up momentum. In 1977, TransAfrica, the first legally mandated African American foreign policy lobby devoted exclusively to Black diaspora issues outside of the United States, was formed (personal interview with W. Johnson, professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, March 1986). TransAfrica's political fortunes would fluctuate in subsequent years as its successful advocacy of comprehensive South African sanctions in 1986 was not emulated on most congressional issues. The history of TransAfrica's congressional initiatives has received attention, but little has been written about the societal factors that may have contributed to its influence on foreign policy issues. This study examines organizational and ethnic factors that have inhibited or enhanced TransAfrica's influence. Its purpose is to demonstrate that lobby and ethnic group variables play a role in the influence of the African American lobby on foreign policy issues. A section on methodology is followed by a history of TransAfrica including a delineation of how legislation it endorsed fared in
Content Classification by folksonomies: Framework of Social Bookmarking System

Social bookmarking is a recent phenomenon which has the potential to give us a great deal of data about pages on the web. In this paper, we present an improved framework to web content classification based on Folksonomy. Since Folksonomy is keyword-based, it is associated with semantic problems. Various academicians have constructed ontologies to solve semantic problems. However, ontology depends on expert knowledge of the problem domain, and the process of constructing knowledge depends on the participation of knowledge engineers. This study presents an improved weighting mechanism to solve the semantic problems and the problematic effects of poor classification. An experimental prototype called FSBS (Folksonomy Social Bookmarking System) was developed. Testing indicates that the FSBS can effectively reduce the number of classification results by more than 30% significantly improved the quality of tagging, and increased user satisfaction. We believed that our works have provided a feasible framework for an intelligent social bookmarking system.
PARP1 inhibition affects pleural mesothelioma cell viability and uncouples AKT/mTOR axis via SIRT1

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MMe) is a rare but increasingly prevalent, highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. The aetiology of MMe is essentially a function of previous exposure to asbestos fibres, which are considered to be an early‐stage carcinogen. Asbestos is toxic to human mesothelial cells (HMCs), that activate the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase‐1 (PARP1) to repair DNA. The targeting of PARP1 is showing considerable potential for delivering selective tumour cell kill while sparing normal cells, and offers a scientifically rational clinical application. We investigated PARP1 expression in normal mesothelial and MMe tissues samples. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed low PARP1 staining in peritumoural mesothelium. As opposite, a progressive increase in epithelioid and in the most aggressive sarcomatoid MMe tissues was evident. In MMe cell lines, we correlated increased PARP1 expression to sensitivity to its inhibitor CO‐338 and demonstrated that CO‐338 significantly reduced cell viability as single agent and was synergistic with cis‐platin. Interestingly, we described a new correlation between PARP1 and the AKT/mTOR axis regulated by SIRT1. SIRT1 has a role in the modulation of AKT activation and PARP1 has been described to be a gatekeeper for SIRT1 activity by limiting NAD+ availability. Here, we firstly demonstrate an inverse correlation between AKT acetylation and phosphorylation modulated by SIRT1 in MMe cells treated with CO‐338. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that PARP1 overexpression defines increased responsiveness to its inhibition, then these results imply that a substantial fraction of patients could be candidates for therapy with PARP inhibitors.
The Relationship Between Romantic Partner Support Styles and Body Image Disturbance

ABSTRACT American women have long been affected by perceptions of beauty being described as the thin female idealizing standards far below the standards for what is considered the ideal body weight. Women have also been strongly influenced by their partners and the opinions that are expressed. To explore this concept further, 170 females were assessed to determine whether romantic partner social support could be a predictor of female body image and eating disturbances. Of the 117 participants that met full criteria for the project, the measures for figure rating preferences, eating disturbance, and body image dissatisfaction were investigated. Along with these indicators, intimate bonding, self-esteem, stress, general social support, and romantic partner support were also collected. Statistical results supported that higher body image dissatisfaction was inversely related to the perception of lower levels of romantic partner support. In addition, esteem support was predictive of female body image disturbance, with no support style being predictive of female eating disturbance. Therefore, findings in this study highlight that receiving support from a romantic partner and general support from other intimates can be directly related to report levels of body image disturbance and anxiety associated with physical appearance. Results are presented to assist evidence-based practice efforts stressing the need to identify and foster all possible types of supportive communication used within intimate relationships.
Ethics in Internet Ethnography

Doing research and collecting data online is not the same as offline. This chapter discusses the wide range of possible ethical conflicts we are confronted with when we do Internet research, as well as how and in which cases existing ethical guidelines may be difficult to apply when our research field is online. It is also discusses how research ethics may be reconsidered: how we may think about, reason and make decisions when doing ethnographic Internet research. Above all, it illustrates the importance of reflecting and being conscious of our role as researchers and about the consequences that our research may have. INTRODUCTION The new environments that we find on the Internet have come to pose a number of questions and challenges. Not only have we been faced with new ways of looking at community and communication, we have also had to reconsider questions on how to do research on such phenomena. Notably, Internet research has actualized issues of research ethics. Research ethics on the Internet might mean several things. In this 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com INFORMATION SCIENCE PUBLISHING This chapter appears in the journal, International Journal of Global Information Management, 11(3), edited by Guy Gable. Copyright © 2003, Idea Group Publishing. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited.
ATM system buffer design under very low cell loss probability constraints

This work deals with a general method for buffer design in an ATM system in which the target loss probability should be very low (e.g. less than 10/sup -9/). This method is based on the application of the generalized extreme value theory (GEVT) to results arising from simulation runs. This theory allows the estimation of very small probabilities which would not be evaluable with the traditional Monte Carlo approach. An advantage of 4/5 decades with respect to Monte Carlo limits can be obtained utilizing the same sample set. The extension of the theory to the case of distribution functions of discrete random variables is discussed. The applicability of the method is demonstrated with reference to known probability distribution functions. Moreover, the GEVT is applied in the cases of classical queuing systems. The general criteria for the evaluation of the basic GEVT parameters are discussed. <<ETX>>
Cognitive processes and social identity through focused introspection

A method is presented to explore, empirically, patterns of social and personal identity: the social identity inventory (SII). The SII is based on free associations describing a person's principal group memberships (first order data). The responses obtained are used as stimuli to generate ‘second order data’ through focused introspection. The results reveal patterns of relationship between self-representation and group representation, the differential probability of different group memberships to elicit self-representations, and the cognitive processes underlying the natural represen-tations of group memberships.
Depression and Cognitive Functioning as Predictors of Social Network Size

Social networks change with age and may affect physical and mental health outcomes. Few studies have examined the influence of cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms on social network sizes among older adults. This study examined the impact of cognition and depression on the social networks of 79 community dwelling elderly. Social network sizes were measured using Antonucci's Convoy method. Consistent with predictions, participants with lower cognitive functioning scores had fewer outer circle social contacts. Higher depressive symptomatology was associated with smaller numbers of close, inner circle relationships. These results suggest potentially greater network changes in older adults experiencing depressive symptomatology or cognitive decline, albeit in different aspects of the social network (close vs. peripheral relationships). Possessing fewer emotionally rewarding close relationships may be particularly difficult for elderly individuals relying on emotional and instrumental support. These findings also imply that poorer cognitive functioning may accelerate the reduction of outer circle networks.
Road trafficking description and short term travel time forecasting, with a classification method

The purpose of this work is, on the one hand, to study how to forecast road trafficking on highway networks and, on the other hand, to describe future traffic events. Here, road trafficking is measured by vehicle velocities. The authors propose two methodologies. The first is based on an empirical classification method, and the second on a probability mixture model. They use an SAEM‐type algorithm (a stochastic approximation of the EM algorithm) to select the densities of the mixture model. Then, they test the validity of their methodologies by forecasting short term travel times.
Building trusted national identity management systems: Presenting the privacy concern-trust (PCT) model

—This paper discusses the effect of trust and information privacy concerns on citizens’ attitude towards national identity management systems. We introduce the privacy-concerns-trust model, which shows the role of trust in mediating and moderating citizens’ attitude towards identity management systems. We adopted a qualitative research approach in our analysis of data that was gathered through a series of interviews and a stakeholder workshop in Ghana. Our findings indicate that, beyond the threshold level of trust, societal information privacy concern is low; hence, trust is high, thereby encouraging further institutional collaboration and acceptance of citizens’ informational self-determination.
Massed sentence repetition training can augment and speed up recovery of speech production deficits in patients with chronic conduction aphasia receiving donepezil treatment

Background: In the past two decades, single-case studies evaluated the effect of massed repetition training to improve speech production and short-term memory deficits in conduction aphasia (CA). Improvements were reported in treated language and memory domains with modest generalisation of gains to spontaneous speech or auditory comprehension. Although these results are encouraging, sentence repetition training has not been compared with distributed speech-language therapy, and no studies have examined the role of pharmacological interventions to enhance gains promoted by these behavioural interventions in CA. Aims: The effects of massed sentence repetition therapy (MSRT) were compared to those of distributed speech-language therapy (DSLT) in measures of verbal output, short-term memory and repetition in patients with chronic post-stroke CA receiving treatment with the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil (DP). Methods and Procedures: Three patients with chronic CA aphasia associated to large left perisylvian infarctions participated in a 28-week open-label study combining DP with DSLT or MSRT. A within-patient design, with baselines across behaviours and a washout period was used. Patients were treated with DP (10 mg/day) combined first with DSLT (16 weeks, 40 hours) and after a washout period (4 weeks) with MSRT (8 weeks, 40 hours). Language functions were assessed with the Western Aphasia Battery and experimental repetition tasks prior to and after DSLT and MSRT. Outcomes and Results: Both interventions improved performance in speech production tasks, but better improvements were found with DP-MSRT than with DP-DSLT. Larger treatment effects were found for DP-MSRT in comparison with baselines and DP-DSLT in repetition of word pairs and triplets, and novel and experimental sentences with generalisation of gains to aphasia severity, connected speech and non-treated control sentences. Conclusions: Combined interventions with DP and two different aphasia therapies (DSLT and MSRT) significantly improved speech production deficits in CA, but DP-MSRT augmented and speeded up most benefits provided by DP-DSLT.
SAM: Semantics Aware Instant Messaging for the Networked Semantic Desktop

While instant messaging (IM) became a mature communication means in business organizations over the last years, IM systems did not follow this evolution comparably. Communicated content is often stored insufficiently and hard to recall, integration into other desktop applications impossible. In this paper, we address these shortcomings and provide concepts for novel instant messaging. In contrast to prior work such as the Haystack system, which integrates IM data into a personal information management application, we enhance IM based on a ready to integrate ontological meta model that introduces semantics to instant messaging and its content to foster advanced management. In particular, we address networked exchange of semantic meta information to integrate IM into the Networked Semantic Desktop. The Semantics Aware Messenger (SAM) is a prototypical implementation of the concepts presented in this paper.