Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indian Companies Engaged in Agricultural “Land Grabbing” in Africa: The Need for Indo-african Solidarity Linkages

Indian agricultural companies have been involved in the recent trend in large-scale overseas acquisitions of farmland, criticized as “land grabbing”. India has joined China, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and South Korea among other nations heavily investing in large-scale agricultural projects in Africa and elsewhere. Several factors are driving India's effort to “outsource its food production,” including the Government's growing strategic concerns about ensuring long-term food security and concerns about falling ground water tables. Eager developing country governments have also courted Indian agricultural investors, offering special incentives, including offers to lease massive tracts of arable land on very generous terms at much cheaper rates than land and water in India. The Indian Government has supported this trend through high-level trade diplomacy, foreign aid, and subsidized credit for its agricultural companies investing overseas. Critics call the trend “land grabbing” and claim there have been negative impacts on local peoples, who are often displaced in the process. The public disclosure of lease contracts between the Ethiopian Government and five Indian investors sheds light on the negative ethical, political, human rights and environmental consequences for local people in host countries. New and ongoing advocacy strategies are discussed, including the idea to establish international advocacy linkages between Indian activists fighting for small farmers rights and addressing “land grabbing” actions within India, and small farmers in Africa and elsewhere facing similar problems. One idea is for such linkages to inform Indian citizens who can take action to address the problem of land-grabbing by Indian companies operating overseas. International land rights advocates see a common struggle in which land deals must involve transparent and participatory relations between governments, companies and local democratic communities.
Obesity and Placental Function

Abstract An increasing number of women of reproductive age are obese which affects the continuum of pregnancy and is associated with an increased incidence of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including preeclampsia, preterm birth, stillbirth, congenital anomalies, and macrosomia. Maternal obesity is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic and cardiovascular disease later in life in the mother and in the offspring who are developmentally programed by the obese pregnancy environment. The placenta transduces and mediates the effect of the adverse maternal environment to the fetus. The obese maternal environment is characterized by hyperlipidemia and an exaggerated state of inflammation and oxidative stress compared with normal pregnancy. Heightened inflammation and oxidative/nitrative stress are found in the placenta in association with placental dysfunction. We have described reduced mitochondrial respiration and ATP generation in trophoblast isolated from placentas of obese compared with lean women, again suggesting compromised placental function. In utero development exhibits sexual dimorphism with the male fetus at greater risk of poor outcome. We have shown dimorphism in inflammation-mediated regulation of trophoblast mitochondrial respiration. There is also increasing evidence that the obese in utero environment may cause epigenetic changes in placenta leading to altered function.
A Prevention Strategy to Reduce the Incidence of Injury in High School Basketball: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective:To examine the effectiveness of a sport-specific balance training program in reducing injury in adolescent basketball. Design:Cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting:Twenty-five high schools in Calgary and surrounding area. Subjects:Nine hundred and twenty high school basketball players (ages 12-18). Intervention:Subjects were randomly allocated by school to the control (n = 426) and training group (n = 494). Both groups were taught a standardized warm-up program. The training group was also taught an additional warm-up component and a home-based balance training program using a wobble board. Main Outcome Measures:All injuries occurring during basketball that required medical attention and/or caused a player to be removed from that current session and/or miss a subsequent session were then recorded and assessed by a team therapist who was blinded to training group allocation. Results:A basketball-specific balance training program was protective of acute-onset injuries in high school basketball [RR = 0.71 (95% CI; 0.5-0.99)]. The protective effect found with respect to all injury [RR = 0.8 (95% CI; 0.57-1.11)], lower-extremity injury [RR = 0.83 (95% CI; 0.57-1.19)], and ankle sprain injury [RR = 0.71 (95% CI; 0.45-1.13)] were not statistically significant. Self-reported compliance to the intended home-based training program was poor (298/494 or 60.3%). Conclusions:A basketball-specific balance training program was effective in reducing acute-onset injuries in high school basketball. There was also a clinically relevant trend found with respect to the reduction of all, lower-extremity, and ankle sprain injury. Future research should include further development of neuromuscular prevention strategies in addition to further evaluation of methods to increase compliance to an injury-prevention training program in adolescents.
Visual Causality Judgments Correlate with the Phase of Alpha Oscillations

The detection of causality is essential for our understanding of whether distinct events relate. A central requirement for the sensation of causality is temporal contiguity: As the interval between events increases, causality ratings decrease; for intervals longer than approximately 100 msec, the events start to appear independent. It has been suggested that this effect might be due to perception relying on discrete processing. According to this view, two events may be judged as sequential or simultaneous depending on their temporal relationship within a discrete neuronal process. To assess if alpha oscillations underlie this discrete neuronal process, we investigated how these oscillations modulate the judgment of causality. We used the classic launching effect with concurrent recording of EEG signal. In each trial, a disk moved horizontally toward a second disk at the center of the screen and stopped when they touched each other. After a delay that varied between 0 and 400 msec after contact, the right disk began to move. Participants were instructed to judge whether or not they had a feeling that the first disk caused the movement of the second disk. We found that frontocentral alpha phase significantly biased causality estimates. Moreover, we found that alpha phase was concentrated around different angles for trials in which participants judged events as causally related versus not causally related. We conclude that alpha phase plays a key role in biasing causality judgments.
Macrophages and Dendritic Cells in Antigen‐Induced Arthritis

Two non‐lymphoid cell types play an important role in the pathogenesis of arthritis, i.e. the ‘classical’ macrophage and the antigen‐presenting dendritic cell [33]. In the present sludy, the roles of both cell types are studied in antigen‐induced arthritis of the rat knee joint. Cryostat sections of whole, unfixed, undecalcified knee joints were used for immunohistochemical staining of non‐lymphoid cells and lymphocyte subsets. For the demonstration of the different types of non‐lymphoid cells, monoclonal antibodies against rat macrophages (ED1. ED2, and ED3) and against Ia antigen were used with an immunoperoxidase method. The results show in an overalls view of the arthritic joint the different sites of action of the classical macrophages on the one hand and the Ia‐positive dendritic cells on the other. Classical macrophages were mainly found in the superficial layers of the synovium bordering joint space and articular cartilage. Dendritic cells and T cells of the helper phenotype were mainly found in clusters surrounding small blood vessels within the synovium. These clusters express the immunological background of the antigen‐induced arthritis and may well be responsible for the continuation of the arthritic process.
Surface and superficial surgical anatomy of the posterolateral cranial base: significance for surgical planning and approach.

We have performed an anatomic study, 15 using fixed cadaveric preparations, with the goal of identifying surface landmarks that will reliably locate the underlying transverse and sigmoid sinus complex. Simple morphometric relationships were first determined on both sides of each specimen to yield 30 sides measured. The following relationships were determined: 1) zygoma root-asterion, 2) asterion-mastoid tip, 3) zygoma root-suprameatal spine (Henle's spine), 4) asterion-suprameatal spine, 5) mastoid tip-suprameatal spine. The relationship of the asterion to the transverse-sigmoid junction was determined by bone removal. Also, the distances from the asterion to the sigmoid sinus-superior petrosal sinus junction and the superior margin of the transverse sinus were studied. Surface and marks were found to have definitive relationships to underlying anatomic substrates in all specimens studied. The critical relationships that were concluded from this study can be described in terms of two easily identified lines between bony surface structures. A line drawn from the zygoma root to the inion, i.e., the superior nuchal line, reliably located the rostrocaudal level of the transverse sinus in all specimens. Although the asterion did not consistently fall on this line, the transverse-sigmoid junction could reliably be placed at the anteroposterior level of the asterion. Further, a line drawn from the squamosal-parietomastoid suture junction to the mastoid tip reliably defined the axis of the sigmoid sinus through the mastoid. We also found that the junction of the squamosal and parietomastoid sutures lay over the anterior border of the upper curve of the sigmoid sinus. The anterior portion of the supramastoid crest correlated with the level of the middle fossa. These surface relationships all have significance for posterolateral approaches to the cranial base. Since performing this study, these relationships have been found reliable for operative planning in our clinical cases.
Genetic variation at the microRNA binding site of CAV1 gene is associated with lung cancer susceptibility

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may influence the genesis and development of cancer in a variety of ways depending on their location. Here we conducted a study in Chinese female non-smokers to investigate the relationship between rs1049337, rs926198 and the risk or survival of lung cancer. Further, we explored whether rs1049337 could alter the binding affinity between the mRNA of CAV1 and the corresponding microRNAs. Finally, we evaluated the relationship between expression level of CAV1 and prognosis of lung cancer. The results showed that the rs1049337-C allele and rs926198-C allele were the protective alleles of lung cancer risk. Haplotype analysis indicated that the C-C haplotype (constructed by rs1049337 and rs926198) was a protective haplotype for lung cancer risk. The result of luciferase reporter assay showed that rs1049337 can affect the binding affinity of CAV1 mRNA to the corresponding microRNAs both in A549 cell line and H1299 cell line. Compared with C allele, T allele had a relatively decreased luciferase activity. Compared with paired normal adjacent tissue or normal lung tissue, lung cancer tissue showed a relatively low level of CAV1. Refer to those patients at early stage of lung cancer, the expression level of CAV1 in patients at late stage of lung cancer was relatively low. In conclusion, the results indicated that rs1049337, it's a SNP located at 3′UTR region of CAV1 may affect lung cancer risk by altering the binding affinity between the mRNA of CAV1 and the corresponding microRNAs.
Verrucous Carcinoma of the Endometrium: A Rare and Challenging Diagnosis

Verrucous carcinoma of the endometrium is an exceedingly rare disease with only a few cases reported in the literature. We describe the case of a 68-year-old postmenopausal patient who presented with vaginal discharge. PAP smears were repeatedly reported negative and an endometrial curettage 2 years prior to the diagnosis only showed fragments of benign squamous epithelium. Because of continuous symptoms a hysterectomy was performed and revealed extensive squamous metaplasia of the endometrium with focal transition to verrucous carcinoma. This case demonstrates that benign appearing squamous epithelium in curettage specimens, especially when abundant, is not necessarily ordinary portio epithelium. In this setting, the clinical presentation becomes paramount for considering a well differentiated squamous carcinoma of the endometrium and avoiding diagnostic delay.
Parents? and Children?s Preferences about Parents Sharing about Children on Social Media

Prior research shows that parents receive a number of benefits through sharing about their children online, but little is known about children? s perspectives about parent sharing. We conducted a survey with 331 parent-child pairs to examine parents? and children? s preferences about what parents share about their children on social media. We find that parents and children are in agreement in their perception of how often and how much information parents share about their children on social media. However, there is disagreement about the permission-seeking process: children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should, and parents believe they should ask for permission more often than they actually do, especially younger parents. We describe two categories of content that children are okay, or not okay, with their parents sharing about them. We offer design directions for managing parent sharing.
Alterations of Serum IP-10 and TARC in Patients with Early Acute Rejection after Liver Transplantation

Background/Aims: To analyze alterations of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) levels in early acute liver transplantation rejection. Methods: Thirty-six patients with early acute liver transplantation rejection were classified as non-, mild, moderate, and severe rejection groups. The levels of serum IP-10 and TARC were determined on days 3, 2, 1, and 0 before biopsy. Results: The IP-10 activities in all rejection groups were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in the non-rejection group at all time points and correlated with the extent of rejection (p < 0.05). The differences in TARC among the three rejection groups were significant (p < 0.05), and its highest level was found in the mild rejection group at all observed time points, whereas its lowest level was detected in the severe rejection group. The analysis of the TARC/IP-10 ratio revealed that the volume was correlated with the rejection degree. This ratio in the moderate and severe rejection groups on days 2, 1, and 0 before biopsy were 20% lower than that before transplantation. Conclusion: Serum IP-10 showed an increasing trend during early acute liver transplantation rejection. IP-10 increase or TARC/IP-10 ratio decrease combining with abnormal hepatic enzymatic alteration could be a valuable and specific sign for early rejection of the transplanted liver.
Performance of statistical arbitrage in petroleum futures markets

This paper investigates the intermarket and intercommodity linkages of petroleum and petroleum product futures markets and proposes trading strategies based on the combination of fundamental and technical analyses. These trading strategies use the cointegration between futures prices as fundamental relationships and implement technical trading rules to determine timing of long-short positions. The robustness of the trading strategies is also tested using the stationary bootstrap approach. Our results indicate that expected market prices in the relative form (spreads) incorporate inefficiencies, which can be translated to abnormal profits through appropriate trading strategies even when high levels of transaction costs (bid-ask spreads) are considered.
Identification of neural progenitors in the adult mammalian eye.

We have shown that the embryonic mammalian retina contains neural progenitors which display stem cell properties in vitro. Here we report the characterization of neural progenitors isolated from the adult mammalian eye. These quiescent cells, located in the pigmented ciliary bodies, proliferate in the presence of FGF2 and express the neuroectodermal marker nestin. The proliferating cells give rise to neural spheres and are multipotential; they express cell type-specific markers corresponding to neurons and glia. In addition, neural progenitors can generate secondary neural spheres, thus displaying potential to self-renew. The ciliary body-derived neural progenitors display retina-specific properties; the undifferentiated cells express Chx10, a retinal progenitor marker, and upon differentiation express markers corresponding to specific retinal cell types. Therefore, the pigmented ciliary body in the adult mammalian eye harbors neural progenitors that display stem cell properties and have the capacity to give rise to retinal neurons in vitro.
Randomized Controlled Trials in Psychiatry. Part II: Their Relationship to Clinical Practice

Objective: To discuss the extent to which the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in psychiatry can be generalized to clinical practice. Method: Threats to internal and external validity in psychiatric RCTs are reviewed. Results: Threats to internal validity increase the possibility of bias. Psychiatric RCTs have problems with small samples, arbitrary definitions of caseness, disparate definitions of outcome and high spontaneous recovery rates. Particular issues arise in psychotherapy RCTs. Threats to external validity reduce the extent to which the results of a RCT produce a correct basis for generalization to other circumstances. These include high rates of comorbidity and sub syndromal pathology in normal clinical practice, manual-based treatment protocols and varying definitions of successful treatment. Conclusions: Randomized controlled trials remain the most robust design to investigate the effectiveness of treatments. They should be applied to important clinical questions; and carried out, as far as possible, with typical patients in the clinical conditions in which the treatment is likely to be used.
NEUROPATHIC PAIN SECTION Original Research Articles Efficacy of Gabapentin Enacarbil vs Placebo in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia and a Pharmacokinetic Comparison with Oral Gabapentin

Background. The efficacy of gabapentin in some patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) may be limited by suboptimal drug exposure from unpredict- able and saturable absorption. Gabapentin enacarbil (GEn) was designed for absorption by high-capacity transporters expressed throughout the intestine and undergoes rapid postabsorption hydrolysis to gaba- pentin. GEn extended-release tablets provide sus- tained, dose-proportional gabapentin exposure. This study assessed the efficacy of GEn vs placebo and compared the pharmacokinetics of gabapentin after oral dosing of GEn or gabapentin in patients with PHN. Methods. In this double-blind, randomized study, 115 patients with PHN completed a 7-day baseline period and 11-day gabapentin run-in period. Eligible patients were randomized and 101 received double- blindGEn1,200 mg(624 mg-equivalentsgabapentin) (n = 47) or placebo (n = 54), twice daily for 14 days. We evaluated patient-reported pain, sleep, mood, global improvement, and adverse events, plus gaba- pentin pharmacokinetics. Results. The improvement in mean weekly pain scores from baseline to the end of treatment (primary endpoint) was significantly greater for GEn (-2.1) vs placebo (-1.2), P = 0.0321. Significant improvements from GEn vs placebo were also seen in sleep, mood, and patient global assessment (P < 0.05). With a 31% lower daily dose of gabapen- tin equivalents, GEn tablets provided a significant increase in average steady state gabapentin con- centrations vs gabapentin capsules in the same patients (n = 42; P = 0.0050). Conclusions. GEn was effective in providing PHN painrelief,improvedgabapentinexposurecompared with gabapentin capsules, and was generally safe and well tolerated in patients with PHN.
Burning mouth in Parkinson's disease sufferers.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of burning mouth (BM) in a population of Parkinson's Disease (PD) sufferers and also to assess the use of pain profiles in identifying the type of burning sensation experienced. DESIGN Subjects were surveyed by means of a one shot postal questionnaire for which ethical approval had previously been granted. Anonymity was guaranteed and therefore no attempt was made to follow up non-respondents. MAIN OUTCOME BM was reported by 24% of respondents. The pain profiles were completed by 17 BM sufferers. CONCLUSION Burning mouth is reported to occur in 24% of PD sufferers which is 5 times greater than that of the general population. The reason for this is uncertain but the result has implications for the future care of PD patients and indicates the need for increased dental input at PD outpatient clinics.
Genetic variation of the FADS1 FADS2 gene cluster and n-6 PUFA composition in erythrocyte membranes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study

Delta-5 (D5D) and delta-6 (D6D) desaturases are key enzymes in PUFA metabolism. Several factors (e.g. hyperglycaemia, hypertension, blood lipids, statins and fatty acids in diet and biological tissues) may influence desaturase activity. The goals were to evaluate the associations between variation in genes encoding these desaturases (FADS1 and FADS2) and blood concentrations of n-6 PUFA and estimated D5D and D6D activities (evaluated as product/precursor ratio), and to investigate whether other factors influencing the activity of desaturases modify these associations. A random sample of 2066 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study (n 27 548) was utilised in the analyses. Crude and adjusted associations between rs174546 genotypes (reflecting genetic variation in the FADS1FADS2 gene cluster), n-6 PUFA in erythrocytes and estimated desaturase activities were evaluated using multiple linear regression. Potential effect modification was determined by performing stratified analyses and evaluating interaction terms. We found rs174546 genotypes to be related to linoleic (r2 0·060), γ-linolenic (r2 0·041), eicosadienoic (r2 0·034), arachidonic (r2 0·026), docosatetraenoic acids (r2 0·028), estimated D6D activity (r2 0·052) and particularly strongly to dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA, r2 0·182) and D5D activity (r2 0·231). We did not observe effect modifications with regard to the estimated D5D activity, DGLA and arachidonic acid (AA) for most of the factors evaluated; however, the genetic effect on D5D activity and DGLA may be modified by the dietary n-6:n-3-ratio (P-values for interaction: 0·008 and 0·002), and the genetic effect on DGLA and AA may be modified by lipid-lowering medication (P-values for interaction: 0·0004 and 0·006). In conclusion, genetic variation in the FADS1 FADS2 gene cluster affects n-6 PUFA profiles in erythrocytes reflecting altered D5D activity.
Focal administration of neuropeptide Y into the S2 somatosensory cortex maximally suppresses absence seizures in a genetic rat model

Purpose: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that suppresses focal and generalized seizures in animal models. In this study, we investigated the sites within the thalamocortical circuit that NPY acts to suppress seizures in genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS).