Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between biomass fuel and pulmonary tuberculosis: a nested case–control study

Objective: To quantify the association between biomass fuel usage and sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Methodology: A tuberculosis prevalence survey was conducted in a random sample of 50 rural units (villages) and three urban units in the Tiruvallur district of Tamilnadu, India during the period 2001–2003. Additional data regarding exposure to tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, biomass fuel usage and Standard of Living Index (SLI) were also collected from the study participants. A nested case–control study was carried out in this population. Cases are defined as bacteriological-positive cases diagnosed by either sputum smear or culture examination. For each case, five age- (within ±5 years of age) and sex-matched controls were selected randomly from the non-cases residing in the same village/unit. Thus, 255 cases and 1275 controls were included in this study. Results: The unadjusted OR measured from univariate analysis for biomass fuel is 2.9 (95% CI 1.8 to 4.7). The adjusted OR measured from multivariate analysis using Cox regression is 1.7 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.9). Thirty-six percent of cases are attributable to biomass fuel usage. Conclusion: The findings from this case–control study add to the evidence for an independent association between biomass smoke and pulmonary tuberculosis. Improvement in standards of living brought about by economic development will lead to more people using cleaner fuels for cooking than biomass fuel which in turn will lead to a reduction in the occurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the community.
Aspergillus Cyclooxygenase-Like Enzymes Are Associated with Prostaglandin Production and Virulence

ABSTRACT Oxylipins comprise a family of oxygenated fatty acid-derived signaling molecules that initiate critical biological activities in animals, plants, and fungi. Mammalian oxylipins, including the prostaglandins (PGs), mediate many immune and inflammation responses in animals. PG production by pathogenic microbes is theorized to play a role in pathogenesis. We have genetically characterized three Aspergillus genes, ppoA, ppoB, and ppoC, encoding fatty acid oxygenases similar in sequence to specific mammalian prostaglandin synthases, the cyclooxygenases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed that production of PG species is decreased in both Aspergillus nidulans and A. fumigatus ppo mutants, implicating Ppo activity in generating PGs. The A. fumigatus triple-ppo-silenced mutant was hypervirulent in the invasive pulmonary aspergillosis murine model system and showed increased tolerance to H2O2 stress relative to that of the wild type. We propose that Ppo products, PG, and/or other oxylipins may serve as activators of mammalian immune responses contributing to enhanced resistance to opportunistic fungi and as factors that modulate fungal development contributing to resistance to host defenses.
Energy-efficient resource allocation in OFDMA-based wireless multicast systems

At present, the user experience provided by smart mobile terminals is limited to the battery capacity. This paper focuses on how to improve the energy efficiency of terminals in OFDMA-based wireless multicast systems with frequency-selective channels. We assume that multicast terminals can switch to sleep mode during the transmission of some OFDM symbols according to their OFDMA frame-level quality of service (QoS) requirements. Based on it, we combine resource allocation with terminal sleeping mechanism, and propose a new resource allocation problem model. The task is to minimize the total time when terminals are in receive mode through jointly optimizing the subcarrier allocation for different multicast terminals and the power allocation between different subcarriers, which is a NP-hard problem. To adapt to the needs of real-time applications, we separate subcarrier and power allocation, and propose a low-complexity suboptimal algorithm for this problem. Performance evaluations are conducted in homogenous and heterogeneous networks respectively. Simulation results show that compared with traditional multicast and unicast, our proposed method reduce the total energy consumption of terminals significantly with the same QoS requirements of terminals guaranteed. Additionally, the advantage of our proposed method over traditional multicast diminishes with the increase of the maximum transmission power, and increase with the number of multicast terminals.
Analyses of Transient Behaviors of No-Insulation REBCO Pancake Coils During Sudden Discharging and Overcurrent

Stability margin of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil is two or three orders of magnitude greater than that of a low-temperature superconducting coil. In recent years, many papers have reported test results of turn-to-turn no-insulation (NI) HTS coils having extremely enhanced thermal stability, such that burnout never occurs in an NI coil, even at an operating current exceeding 2.5 times the critical current. Thus, The main goal of this paper is to clarify transient electromagnetic and thermal behaviors and mechanism of the high thermal stability in an NI REBCO coil. A partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) model is proposed for the numerical simulation of an NI REBCO coil, which considers a local electrical contact resistance between turns, an I-V characteristic of an REBCO tape, and local self and mutual inductances of the NI REBCO coil. Using the PEEC model, we investigate the influence of the turn-to-turn contact resistance on the transient behavior of the NI REBCO coil during sudden discharging. We also perform thermal conduction analyses with the PEEC model to clarify the transient behavior of an NI REBCO coil during an overcurrent operation.
Liderança distribuída em equipes de trabalho: uma aproximação conceitual

The success of work teams in modern organizations goes far beyond collaboration to achieve organizational objectives. The purpose of this study is to review the history, conceptual foundations, characteristics and studies that different authors have conducted about the Distributed Leadership (DL) in work teams, as an alternative for optimizing their effectiveness. It identifies their distinctive elements, conceptual currents and factors to be considered in their implementation. It discusses how DL may positively influence the performance of the teams
Three-dimensional computerized mobilization of the cervical spine for the treatment of chronic neck pain: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Manual therapies for chronic neck pain are imprecise, inconsistent, and brief due to therapist fatigue. A previous study showed that computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in the sagittal plane is a safe and potentially effective treatment of chronic neck pain. OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and efficacy of computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in a three-dimensional space for the treatment of chronic neck pain. DESIGN Pilot, open trial. SETTING Physical therapy outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS Nine patients with chronic neck pain. INTERVENTIONS A computerized cradle capable of three-dimensional neck mobilizations was used. Treatment sessions lasted 20 minutes, biweekly, for six weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, cervical range of motion (CROM), neck disability index (NDI), joint position error (JPE), and muscle algometry. RESULTS Comparing baseline at week one with week six (end of treatment), the VAS scores dropped by 2.9 points (P < 0.01). The six directions of movement studied by the CROM showed a combined increase of 11% (P = 0.01). The NDI decreased significantly from 16 to 10 (P = 0.03), and the JPE decreased significantly from 3.7° to 1.9° (P = 0.047). There was no change in the pressure pain threshold in any muscle tested. There were no significant adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results demonstrate that this novel, computerized, three-dimensional cervical mobilization device is probably safe. The data also suggest that this method is effective in alleviating neck pain and associated headache, and in increasing the CROM, although the sample size was small in this open trial.
Characterization of Cbl-Nck and Nck-Pak1 interactions in myeloid FcgammaRII signaling.

Fc receptors modulate inflammatory processes, including phagocytosis, serotonin and histamine release, superoxide production, and secretion of cytokines. Aggregation of FcgammaRIIa, the low-affinity receptor for monomeric IgG, activates nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinases such as Lyn, Hck, and Syk, potentially driving the phosphorylation of the downstream adaptor proteins, including Cbl and/or Nck. Previous work from our laboratory using interferon-gamma-differentiated U937 (U937IF) myeloid cells investigated mechanisms which regulate Fcgamma receptor-induced assembly of adaptor complexes. Herein we report that FcgammaRII receptor signaling in U937IF and HEL cells involves Cbl and Nck, suggesting that Cbl-Nck interactions may link FcgammaRII to downstream activation of Pak kinase. FcgammaRII crosslinking induced the phosphorylation of Cbl and Nck on tyrosine. The alphaCbl immunoprecipitations revealed constitutive binding of Nck and Grb2 to Cbl and FcgammaRII-inducible binding of CrkL to Cbl. The interactions of Cbl with Nck and CrkL were phosphorylation dependent since dephosphorylation of cellular proteins with potato acid phosphatase abrogated binding. GST-Nck fusion protein pulldown experiments show that Cbl and Pak1 bind to the second SH3 domain of Nck. A specific Src inhibitor, PP1, was shown to completely abrogate the FcgammaR-induced superoxide response, correlating with a decrease in Cbl and Nck tyrosine phosphorylation. Our results provide the first evidence that Src is required for FcgammaR activation of the respiratory burst in myeloid cells and suggest that Cbl-Nck, Cbl-Pak1, and Nck-Pak1 interactions may regulate this response.
Primary paraganglioma of the facial nerve canal.

Paragangliomas of the temporal bone occur relatively frequently and are classified as glomus jugulare or glomus tympanicum tumors, depending on their sites of origin. Large tumors may secondarily involve the facial nerve canal by direct extension from the jugular foramen or middle ear cavity (1). Primary facial nerve paragangliomas originating within the fallopian canal, however, are quite rare, with only seven cases reported in the literature, to our knowledge (2). This unusual location is probably linked to the presence of branches of Arnold’s nerve with attendant glomus bodies that ascend the facial canal via mastoid canaliculi. Diagnosis of a primary fallopian canal paraganglioma is contingent on the absence of attached jugular foramen or tympanic cavity lesions. Patients typically present with a several-month history of progressive facial nerve paresis, pulsatile tinnitus, and a red retrotympanic mass. Less commonly, patients may experience conductive hearing loss and sense of ear fullness. Surgery and facial nerve grafting offer the best chance of cure and preserved function. This 37-year-old woman had left facial weakness and an external auditory canal mass. Computed tomography demonstrated permeative expansion of the fallopian canal by a destructive soft tissue mass that breached the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity and external auditory canal (Figs. 1 and 2). The left jugular foramen and middle ear cavity were normal. As far as we are aware, she is only the second reported patient to have magnetic resonance imaging findings for this unusual tumor. Her lesion was isointense compared with brain on T1weighted and hyperintense on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images with intense, homogeneous enhancement (Fig. 3). Although not exemplified in this case, large lesions would be expected to have a “salt and pepper” appearance on unenhanced T1-weighted images, as reported in paragangliomas of other sites. Angiography revealed a densely staining retroauricular mass fed by the posterior auricular branches of the external carotid artery (Fig. 4). Differential considerations on imaging include extension into the facial canal by a glomus jugulare or glomus
Effects of Vigabatrin on the GABAergic System as Determined by [123I]Iomazenil SPECT and GABA MRS

Summary: Purpose: To evaluate effects of vigabatrin (VGB) by using [123I]iomazenil single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to estimate central γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABAA)/benzodiazepine receptors (BZRs), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to assess tissue GABA levels.
What If Your Project's Timeline is a 100 Years?: Reflections on Computational Literacies

What could it mean to have a project with goals that take decades or even a century to realize? In this talk, I reflect on my own intention to work toward a genuinely new and deep literacy-computational literacy--which I would place in eventual impact about halfway between algebra/calculus (as a literacy) and the root prototype, mass literacy centered on written text. I start by explaining what I mean by computational literacy and what experiences have concretized it for me and made it an attractive and plausible goal. Because of its nature as a cultural phenomenon, a literacy can only be achieved by a long and meandering path of social genesis. I illustrate the nature of such development with phenomena-cultural memes, movements, sensitivities, and values (MMSVs)--as they influence development. Example MMSVs include "computational thinking" as construed by the computer science community, and the widespread current popularity of "coding academies. " Finally, I position some of the best modern allies in the quest for computational literacy--such as constructionism and computer modeling--in what I take to be the larger frame: the development of a true computational literacy.
Development and Functional Characterization of Insulin-releasing Human Pancreatic Beta Cell Lines Produced by Electrofusion*

Three novel human insulin-releasing cell lines designated 1.1B4, 1.4E7, and 1.1E7 were generated by electrofusion of freshly isolated of human pancreatic beta cells and the immortal human PANC-1 epithelial cell line. Functional studies demonstrated glucose sensitivity and responsiveness to known modulators of insulin secretion. Western blot, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry showed expression of the major genes involved in proinsulin processing and the pancreatic beta cell stimulus-secretion pathway including PC1/3, PC2, GLUT-1, glucokinase, and K-ATP channel complex (Sur1 and Kir6.2) and the voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channel. The cells stained positively for insulin, and 1.1B4 cells were used to demonstrate specific staining for insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin together with insulin secretory granules by electron microscopy. Analysis of metabolic function indicated intact mechanisms for glucose uptake, oxidation/utilization, and phosphorylation by glucokinase. Glucose, alanine, and depolarizing concentrations of K+ were all able to increase [Ca2+]i in at least two of the cell lines tested. Insulin secretion was also modulated by other nutrients, hormones, and drugs acting as stimulators or inhibitors in normal beta cells. Subscapular implantation of the 1.1B4 cell line improved hyperglycemia and resulted in glucose lowering in streptozotocin-diabetic SCID mice. These novel human electrofusion-derived beta cell lines therefore exhibit stable characteristics reminiscent of normal pancreatic beta cells, thereby providing an unlimited source of human insulin-producing cells for basic biochemical studies and pharmacological drug testing plus proof of concept for cellular insulin replacement therapy.
Up to Four Distinct Polypeptides Are Produced from the γ34.5 Open Reading Frame of Herpes Simplex Virus 2

ABSTRACT The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) ICP34.5 protein strongly influences neurovirulence and regulates several cellular antiviral responses. Despite the clinical importance of HSV-2, relatively little is known about its ICP34.5 ortholog. We found that HSV-2 produces up to four distinct forms of ICP34.5 in infected cells: a full-length protein, one shorter form sharing the N terminus, and two shorter forms sharing the C terminus. These forms appeared with similar kinetics and accumulated in cells over much of the replication cycle. We confirmed that the N-terminal form is translated from the primary unspliced transcript to a stop codon within the intron unique to HSV-2 γ34. 5. We found that the N-terminal form was produced in a variety of cell types and by 9 of 10 clinical isolates. ICP27 influenced but was not required for expression of the N-terminal form. Western blotting and reverse transcription-PCR indicated the C-terminal forms did not contain the N terminus and were not products of alternative splicing or internal transcript initiation. Expression plasmids encoding methionine at amino acids 56 and 70 generated products that comigrated in SDS-PAGE with the C1 and C2 forms, respectively, and mutation of these sites abolished C1 and C2. Using a recombinant HSV-2 encoding hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged ICP34.5, we demonstrated that the C-terminal forms were also produced during infection of many human and mouse cell types but were not detectable in mouse primary neurons. The protein diversity generated from the HSV-2 γ34. 5 open reading frame implies additional layers of cellular regulation through potential independent activities associated with the various forms of ICP34.5. IMPORTANCE The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) protein ICP34.5, encoded by the γ34. 5 gene, interferes with several host defense mechanisms by binding cellular proteins that would otherwise stimulate the cell's autophagic, translational-arrest, and type I interferon responses to virus infection. ICP34.5 also plays a crucial role in determining the severity of nervous system infections with HSV-1 and HSV-2. The HSV-2 γ34. 5 gene contains an intron not present in HSV-1 γ34. 5. A shorter N-terminal form of HSV-2 ICP34.5 can be translated from the unspliced γ34. 5 mRNA. Here, we show that two additional forms consisting of the C-terminal portion of ICP34.5 are generated in infected cells. Production of these N- and C-terminal forms is highly conserved among HSV-2 strains, including many clinical isolates, and they are broadly expressed in several cell types, but not mouse primary neurons. Multiple ICP34.5 polypeptides add additional complexity to potential functional interactions influencing HSV-2 neurovirulence.
Socio-economic & household risk factors of malaria in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, central India

Background & objectives: Malaria is a major public health problem in many States of the country, particularly, in Madhya Pradesh where both Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum are endemic. Although many studies have been conducted to investigate risk factors for malaria, but only a few have examined household and socio-economic risk factors. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to explore the relationship of different socio-demographic, socio-economic and behavioural risk factors with malaria prevalence in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, India. Methods: This study was undertaken in all 62 villages of Bargi Primary Health Centre from May 2005 to June 2008. These villages comprised 7117 households with an average family size of five members. Fortnightly fever surveys were conducted in all villages to assess prevalence of malaria infection in the community. The distinct univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted on the data set. Results: The important socio-demographic risk factors like age of household head, social group, occupation and family size; socio-economic factors like type of walls of house, place of drinking water source, irrigated land, cash crop; and behavioural variables like place of sleeping, use of bed nets, etc. were found significantly associated with malaria in univariate analyses. In multivariate analyses only social groups, family size, type of walls of house, and place of sleeping had strong significant association with prevalence of malaria. Interpretation & conclusions: The study shows that in tribal areas where people are living in poor quality of houses with no proper use of preventive measures, malaria is firmly established. We conclude that community based interventions which bring improvement in standard of living, access to healthcare facilities and health awareness, will have a significant impact on malaria prevention in these areas.
Grip strength reference values for Canadians aged 6 to 79: Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007 to 2013.

BACKGROUND Grip strength is a measure of overall muscular strength and has been associated with disability, morbidity and mortality. Normative data are used to interpret an individual's grip strength measurements, but Canadian reference values are not available for a wide age range. DATA AND METHODS The data pertain to 11,108 respondents aged 6 to 79 to the 2007-to-2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey, whose right-hand and left-hand grip strength were measured with a handgrip dynamometer. Quantile regression was used to develop reference equations for males and females for maximum, right-hand and left-hand grip strength for selected percentiles as a function of age, height and weight. RESULTS Reference values for grip strength increased through childhood and adolescence, peaked around age 40, and then declined. Reference values were higher for males than for females; differences between the sexes were smaller during childhood than in adolescence and adulthood. Differences between reference values for maximum, right-hand and left-hand grip strength varied by age and sex. INTERPRETATION Based on a large, healthy, nationally representative sample, reference equations were developed for grip strength of Canadians from childhood to older adulthood. These equations can be used to determine the reference values that correspond to an individual of a given age, sex, height and weight.
Corporate Crime

This chapter surveys the law and economics literature on corporate crime, focusing on theory but also touching on empirical research and policy issues. We set the stage by updating some stylized facts about prosecuted firms. We then proceed to the theory, organizing the discussion within a unified framework provided by the principal-agent model. We distill several core principles from the theoretical literature concerning the optimal sanction level and the optimal sanction target (employee, shareholders, or both). The chapter further addresses more nuanced questions including among others whether the state should consider corporate misdeeds a civil or criminal violation and whether the state should forbid corporations from indemnifying employees. A final section concentrates on securities fraud, a topic of much academic interest in the wake of recent corporate scandals (Enron and WorldCom) and resulting policy reforms (Sarbanes-Oxley Act). JEL Classification: K22, K14, K42, D86
Incidence and Mechanisms of Acute Ankle Inversion Injuries in Volleyball

In a retrospective cohort study of ankle inversion injuries performed after the 1991-1992 season in the top two divisions of the Norwegian Volleyball Federation, 63 in juries were found among 318 players during 60,612 hours of training and 928 matches. The study was lim ited to acute ankle inversion injuries that caused an ab sence of 1 or more days from training or match play. The total injury rate was 0.9 ± 0.12 per 1000 player hours: 0.7 ± 0.11 during training and 2.6 ± 0.56 during match play. The relative risk of injury during match play versus training was 3.9 (P < 0.001). Women had an injury rate of 1.1 ± 0.18, whereas that of men was 0.7 ± 0.15 (relative risk = 1.47; not significant). Most of the players (78%) had suffered at least one previous injury of the affected ankle. Most injuries were mild to moderate. The majority of the injuries (86%) occurred at the net, mainly when landing after blocking (63%) or attacking (29%). We suggest that simple measures such as rule changes, technical training, and prophylactic taping or bracing may lead to a significant reduction in the inci dence and severity of such injuries.