Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nested case-control study of esophageal cancer in relation to occupational exposure to silica and other dusts.

BACKGROUND Standardized proportionate mortality ratio (SPMR) was found to be 2.2 (95% CI = 1.3-3.5) for esophageal cancer (EC) among workers exposed to refractory brick dust in a large iron-steel complex in China. METHODS A nested case-control design within a cohort of industrial workers. One hundred and twenty-five EC cases and 250 controls were identified from the death registry file. Interviews were conducted of the next of kin for past exposure information on job, domestic, and lifestyle factors. History of occupational exposure to various dusts was reconstructed from personnel files and by interviewing colleagues utilizing a job-exposure matrix. RESULTS After adjusting for confounders, occupational exposure to silica dust was the most important risk factor among all variables investigated, with a 2.8-fold risk and a clear dose-response by length of exposure. Alcohol drinking (OR = 1.8) and coal cooking (OR = 2.0) were risk factors and high consumption of fruit diet (OR = 0.5) and meat diet (OR = 0.6) were protective factors. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between occupational exposure to silica dust and the risk of EC found in an earlier SPMR study was confirmed. Ingestion of silica particles after lung clearance may increase the risk of EC among workers exposed to silica.
Can Cyclosporine-A Associated to Methotrexate Maintain Remission Induced by Anti-TNF Agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients? (Cynar Pilot Study)

Biological therapies, such as etanercept, adalimumab and infliximab, have demonstrated good efficacy in inducing rheumatoid arthritis to low disease activity levels. Nevertheless, their cost, as well as the related risk of side effects, especially in long-term therapies, are still high. Furthermore, there is a good deal of evidence proving loss of efficacy of such therapies in the long term, often necessitating the shift from one specific anti-TNF biological treatment to another. There are also other open debates on the amount of time a patient should undergo an anti-TNF therapy, on the possibility of inducing a complete remission in early arthritis and, once remission or low disease activity is obtained, on the possibility of interrupting the anti-TNF-based therapy. In this study we investigated whether A-Cyclosporin and Methotrexate association may be effective in maintaining low disease activity obtained by anti-TNF therapies. Twenty-three rheumatoid arthritis-affected patients, whose diagnosis was made according to ACR criteria, with a disease duration of less than 3 years, and DAS28<3.2 that reached a level of low disease activity within 6–8 months from beginning anti-TNF and Methotrexate therapy, were enrolled in the study. After the suspension of anti-TNF therapy, patients were started on A-Cyclosporine (2–3 mg/kg/day) and Methotrexate (15mg/week) therapy. DAS28, Pain VAS, Erythrosedimentation Rate (ESR), and C Reactive Protein (CRP) were all tested at time 0 and at 6 months, as well as liver and kidney profiles, after the interruption of the anti-TNF therapy and the beginning of A-Cyclosporine and Methotrexate therapy. Side effects were also recorded. Of 23 patients undergoing the A-Cyclosporin and Methotrexate therapy for maintaining low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis obtained by 6–8 months of anti-TNF therapy, 21 completed the study with a 6 month follow-up. Thirteen patients maintained clinical parameters within low disease activity values, while 8 patients showed an increase in DAS28 and other parameters. Only two patients showed an increase in blood pressure that was diagnosed after two months from the beginning of the A-Cyclosporin and Methotrexate therapy. The reduction in the dosage of A-Cyclosporin from 3mg/kg/day to 2mg/kg/day caused a slow normalization of blood pressure values. Our data seem to suggest that more than half of the patients undergoing A-Cyclosporin and Methotrexate therapy seemed to maintain low disease activity parameters of rheumatoid arthritis, obtained after 6–8 months of anti-TNF therapy. Further studies on larger populations are necessary in order to confirm such results and identify predictor factors for different responses.
Bloggers’ reported tourist experiences: Their utility as a tourism data source and their effect on prospective tourists

The present study evaluates the value of tourists’ blogs as a research data source by using them to evaluate the tourist experience and to assess their influence on the decision-making process of prospective tourists. The blogs of 103 tourists visiting South Tyrol, 32 written in English and 71 written in Italian, were analyzed using textual and image content analysis. The text of 246 comments posted to these blogs was analyzed to evaluate the possible influence of bloggers’ narrative on prospective tourists. The results show cultural differences in the way tourists use blogs. Italian blogs appear to have more potential to influence the decision-making process of prospective visitors since their comments often contain recommendations and authors’ declaration of their own future intentions to travel to South Tyrol. They also demonstrate significant potential for revealing market-relevant aspects of tourists’ experience although they do not always convey the ‘experience essence’.
Contribution of SK and BK channels in the control of catecholamine release by electrical stimulation of the cat adrenal gland.

1. Transmural electrical stimulation (10 Hz, 1 ms, 40 V for 10 s) of cat adrenal glands perfused at room temperature with Krebs‐Hepes solution produced catecholamine secretory responses which were reproducible when stimulations were applied at 5 min intervals. Such responses were inhibited about 20% by atropine (1 microM) and 80% by hexamethonium (30 microM). Apamin (100 nM) increased the secretory response 2.5‐fold in the presence of atropine and 8‐fold in the presence of hexamethonium. 2. Potentiation by apamin of secretory responses evoked by 100‐pulse trains was similar at 5, 10 and 20 Hz (about 2‐fold). When glands were continuously stimulated at 3 Hz, apamin increased 4‐fold the initial secretion plateau. Continuous stimulation at a higher frequency (20 Hz) produced a sharp secretory peak followed by a small, sustained plateau; apamin did not alter this plateau. Apamin also enhanced the secretory responses obtained with sustained stimulation with acetylcholine (10 or 200 microM). 3. Secretion peaks induced by brief acetylcholine pulses (10 microM for 10 s) applied to isolated and superfused cat adrenal chromaffin cells were enhanced more than 3‐fold by 100 nM apamin. Charybdotoxin (10 nM) did not enhance these secretory peaks. 4. In perfused cat adrenal glands, charybdotoxin (10 nM) affected neither the secretion evoked by trains of electrical stimulation applied at different frequencies nor the secretion evoked by acetylcholine pulses. 5. In 0.5 mM [Ca2+]o, apamin enhanced 3‐fold the secretion evoked by electrical stimulation trains of 100 pulses (10 Hz, 10 s) and almost 6‐fold the acetylcholine (10 microM for 10 s)‐induced secretion. In 5 mM Ca2+, apamin enhanced the secretory responses to electrical stimulation and acetylcholine 2‐ and 10‐fold, respectively. Charybdotoxin enhanced 2.5‐fold the secretory response to electrical stimulation in 0.5 mM Ca2+, although this effect was not statistically significant. A synergistic interaction between the two toxins on catecholamine release induced by electrical stimulation was observed at low but not at high [Ca2+]o. 6. Simultaneous release of acetylcholine and catecholamines upon electrical stimulation was achieved in glands in which the endogenous acetylcholine stores in the splanchnic nerve terminals had been prelabelled by perfusion with [3H]choline. While apamin enhanced more than 2‐fold the postsynaptic release of catecholamines, the presynaptic release of acetylcholine remained unaffected. 7. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that, under physiological conditions, Ca(2+)‐activated SK channels present in chromaffin cells control the firing patterns of action potentials induced by the acetylcholine released from splanchnic nerves during stress. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Future Fiscal Needs of Ontario's College System: Total Resource Development and Strategic Philanthropy.

This paper discusses the idea that for Ontario’s colleges to meet the intentions and legal requirements of their original mandates, they will need to consider extending the scope of their advancement departments to implement key components of both the Total Resource Development Model (Worth, 2002, ascited by Barrette, 2013) and the Strategic Philanthropy Model (Porter and Kramer, 2002). A delay in adopting these philanthropic tenets may jeopardize the future evolution of the college system.
Hormone replacement therapy , calcium and vitamin D 3 versus calcium and vitamin D 3 alone decreases markers of cartilage and bone metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis : a randomized controlled trial [ ISRCTN 46523456 ]

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), known to prevent osteoporosis and fractures, on markers of bone and cartilage metabolism. Furthermore, we assessed whether changes in these markers corresponded to alterations in bone mineral density and radiographic joint destructions in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis. Eighty-eight women were randomized to receive HRT, calcium, and vitamin D3, or calcium and vitamin D3 alone, for 2 years. Bone turnover was studied by analyzing serum levels of C-terminal telopeptide fragments of type I collagen (CTX-I), C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), bone sialoprotein, and C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) and cartilage turnover by urinary levels of collagen type II C-telopeptide degradation fragments (CTX-II) and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in serum. Treatment with HRT resulted in decrease in CTX-I (P < 0.001), ICTP (P < 0.001), PICP (P < 0.05), COMP (P < 0.01), and CTX-II (P < 0.05) at 2 years. Reductions in CTX-I, ICTP, and PICP were associated with improved bone mineral density. Of the markers tested, CTX-I reflected bone turnover most sensitively; it was reduced by 53 ± 6% in the patients receiving HRT. Baseline ICTP (P < 0.001), CTX-II (P < 0.01), and COMP (P < 0.05) correlated with the Larsen score. We suggest that biochemical markers of bone and cartilage turnover may provide a useful tool for assessing novel treatment modalities in arthritis, concerning both joint protection and prevention of osteoporosis.
Novel miniaturized broadband HF antenna

Research on miniaturization of HF antennas is one of the hot research areas. A novel miniaturized broadband HF antenna whose largest size is only 3.6m is presented in this paper. Simulated results demonstrate that the antenna is self-resonant and can be matched to a 50 Ω input feed line without external matching networks or loading in a wide band. The antenna has realized miniaturization while maintaining good performance. It is proposed to be used in shortwave radio communication and other fields with good prospects.
A Note On The Value Line Stock Highlight Effect

Each week Value Line highlights one or two timeliness rank 1 stocks. We find a significant 2.65 percent three-day return around this event. However, this effect is temporary and largely reverses over the next several weeks. We also find that the market response to a highlighted stock is stronger when the stock has a lower price/earnings ratio, is smaller, and has fewer institutional owners. We cannot find evidence against the semistrong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Finally, we present a hypothesis examining whether a favorable Value Line report permanently or temporarily affects stock price.
Automated detection of diabetic retinopathy using SVM

Diabetic retinopathy is a common eye disease in diabetic patients and is the main cause of blindness in the population. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy protects patients from losing their vision. Thus, this paper proposes a computer-assisted diagnosis based on the digital processing of retinal images in order to help people detecting diabetic retinopathy in advance. The main goal is to automatically classify the grade of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy at any retinal image. For that, an initial image processing stage isolates blood vessels, microaneurysms and hard exudates in order to extract features that can be used by a support vector machine to figure out the retinopathy grade of each retinal image. This proposal has been tested on a database of 400 retinal images labeled according to a 4-grade scale of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. As a result, we obtained a maximum sensitivity of 95% and a predictive capacity of 94%. Robustness with respect to changes in the parameters of the algorithm has also been evaluated.
Back to Keynes

After a brief review of classical, Keynesian, New Classical and New Keynesian theories of macroeconomic policy, we assess whether New Keynesian Economics captures the quintessential features stressed by J.M. Keynes. Particular attention is paid to Keynesian features omitted in New Keynesian workhorses such as the micro-founded Keynesian multiplier and the New Keynesian Phillips curve. These theories capture wage and price sluggishness and aggregate demand externalities by departing from a competitive framework and give a key role to expectations. The main deficiencies, however, are the inability to predict a pro-cyclical real wage in the face of demand shocks, the absence of inventories, credit constraints and bankruptcies in explaining the business cycle, and no effect of the nominal as well as the real interest rate on aggregate demand. Furthermore, they fail to allow for quantity rationing and to model unemployment as a catastrophic event. The macroeconomics based on the New Keynesian Phillips curve has quite a way to go before the quintessential Keynesian features are captured.
The Option to Work at Home: Another Privilege for the Favoured Few?

This paper compares and contrasts the demographic and employment characteristics of those who have the option to work at home with those who actually carry out paid work where they live. The results suggest that having the opportunity to choose where to work represents another perk for those already occupying an advantaged position in the labour market. However, some of the most disadvantaged in society are found among those who actually do most of their work at home.
Target‐dependent regulation of acetylcholine secretion at developing motoneurons in Xenopus cell cultures

1 Myocyte‐dependent regulation of acetylcholine (ACh) quantal secretion from developing motoneurons was studied in day‐3 Xenopus nerve‐muscle co‐cultures. Spontaneous synaptic currents (SSCs) were measured in manipulated synapses by using whole‐cell voltage‐clamped myocytes. Changes in SSC amplitude were assumed to reflect changes in the ACh content of secreted quantal packets. Compared with natural synapses, motoneurons without any contact with a myocyte (naive neurons) released ACh in smaller quantal packets. 2 Bipolar cultured motoneurons, which were in contact with a myocyte with one axon branch (contact‐end) but remained free at another axon branch (free‐end), were further used to examine quantal ACh secretion. The ACh quantal size recorded at free‐end terminals was similar to that of naive neurons and was smaller than that at the contact‐end, indicating that myocyte contact exerts differential regulation on quantal secretion in the same neuron. 3 Some of the neurons that formed a natural synapse with a myocyte continued to grow forward and ACh quantal secretion from the free growth cone was examined. The ACh quantal size recorded at free growth cones was inversely proportional to the distance to the natural synapse, implying localized regulation of quantal secretion by the myocyte. 4 Chronic treatment of day‐1 cultures with veratridine and d‐tubocurarine, respectively, increased and decreased the neurotrophic action of myocytes when assayed on day 3. 5 Taken together, these findings suggest that the myocyte is an important postsynaptic target in the regulation of quantal secretion and that the trophic action is spatially restricted to the neighbourhood of the neuromuscular junction.
Role of uncoupling protein UCP2 in cell-mediated immunity: How macrophage-mediated insulitis is accelerated in a model of autoimmune diabetes

Infiltration of inflammatory cells into pancreatic islets of Langerhans and selective destruction of insulin-secreting β-cells are characteristics of type 1 diabetes. Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a mitochondrial protein expressed in immune cells. UCP2 controls macrophage activation by modulating the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MAPK signaling. We investigated the role of UCP2 on immune cell activity in type 1 diabetes in Ucp2-deficient mice. Using the model of multiple low-dose streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, we found that autoimmune diabetes was strongly accelerated in Ucp2-KO mice, compared with Ucp2-WT mice with increased intraislet lymphocytic infiltration. Macrophages from STZ-treated Ucp2-KO mice had increased IL-1β and nitric oxide (NO) production, compared with WT macrophages. Moreover, more macrophages were recruited in islets of STZ-treated Ucp2-KO mice, compared with Ucp2-WT mice. This finding also was accompanied by increased NO/ROS-induced damage. Altogether, our data show that inflammation is stronger in Ucp2-KO mice and islets, leading to the exacerbated disease in these mice. Our results highlight the mitochondrial protein UCP2 as a new player in autoimmune diabetes.
cGAS‐cGAMP‐STING: The three musketeers of cytosolic DNA sensing and signaling

Innate immunity is the first line of host defense against invading pathogens. The detection of aberrant nucleic acids which represent some conserved PAMPs triggers robust type I IFN‐mediated innate immune responses. Host‐ or pathogen‐derived cytosolic DNA binds and activates the DNA sensor cGAS, which synthesizes the second messenger 2′3′‐cGAMP and triggers STING‐dependent downstream signaling. Here, we highlight recent progress in cGAS‐cGAMP‐STING, the Three Musketeers of cytosolic DNA sensing and signaling, and their essential roles in infection, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. We also focus on the regulation of these critical signal components by variant host/pathogen proteins and update our understanding of this indispensable pathway to provide new insights for drug discovery. © 2016 IUBMB Life, 68(11):858–870, 2016
Is “subcortical dementia” a recognizable clinical entity?

The concept of “subcortical dementia” is controversial, lacking clinical validation and having only a questionable pathological basis. Over 100 patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, subdivided into three functional disability stages, were given a brief quantitative neuropsychological assessment. Patients with Huntington's or Parkinson's disease were less intellectually impaired than those with Alzheimer's disease at each functional stage. Criteria for dementia were present in all of the Alzheimer's patients but in only half of the Huntington's and Parkinson's disease groups. Patients with similar overall intellectual function scores had no distinct pattern of neuropsychological test performance. Depression, absent in patients with Alzheimer's disease, was present in half the patients with Huntington's and Parkinson's disease and was correlated with intellectual decline. The concept of subcortical dementia is misleading. The pattern of neuropsychological impairment is not distinct, and the neuropathological basis of dementia in these diseases may result from a combination of cortical and subcortical degeneration.
Corporate debt policy of small firms: an empirical (re)examination

The capital structure decision can be considered a difficult problem for academics as well as for managers. Corporate debt policy has been studied in the context of both large and small firms in developed countries, but comparatively less developed countries have received much less attention in the literature. This is particularly true in the case of medium income economies with an above average weight of financial intermediaries. This paper tests the factors affecting the capital structure decision of small firms in one such country. The pooled time series cross‐section regression estimates for 995 firms and four years, suggests variables such as taxes, bankruptcy costs, size, collateral, age and growth opportunities affect the capital structure decisions of small firms. These findings have significant implications, both at the firm level and for the support of policies that redefine the financial infrastructure that may foster the emergence of local entrepreneurs in these economies.
Quality in a New Zealand Local Authority: A case study

Abstract This paper presents a critical analysis of quality initiatives implemented by a Territorial Local Authority in New Zealand. The purpose of the research was to develop a quality implementation framework to enhance the authority's ability to meet legislative and community expectations. The research comprised critical analysis of quality initiatives undertaken over the past decade or more within the authority. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of staff to establish current perspectives on quality. Ideas from the literature and lessons from past quality efforts were synthesized using a variety of management and planning tools into a process superstructure to support a Quality Management strategy. Quality principles, tools, and procedures have substantial relevance to Local Government in New Zealand with the introduction of the Local Government Act 2002. An integrated implementation framework reflecting the particular characteristics of the organization was developed. The research re-enforces to the need to ensure that quality concepts and frameworks are adapted to reflect local context if potential benefits are to be realized.
Analysing Message Numbers in Actor Systems

Constructing a fitting actor system to solve a problem is a task which needs experience. Deducing its properties and behaviour without a running instance and a set of test cases is even harder. In this paper, we show how methods from linear algebra allow us to make statements about the number of messages in a given system. This can be used to reason about reaction to bigger or changed inputs and to analyse how optimisations will change the behaviour of a system. Further different numbers of actors or other design alternatives can be compared.
The Normalized Quadratic Expenditure Function

A concise introduction to the Normalized Quadratic expenditure or cost function is provided so that the interested reader will have the necessary information to understand and use this functional form. The Normalized Quadratic is an attractive functional form for use in empirical applications as correct curvature can be imposed in a parsimonious way without losing the desirable property of flexibility. We believe it is unique in this regard. Topics covered included the problem of cardinalizing utility, the modeling of nonhomothetic preferences, the use of spline functions to achieve greater flexibility and the use of a â€œsemiflexibleâ€ approach to make it feasible to estimate systems of equations with a large number of commodities.
Our Current Inflationary Experience

The old "cost push" versus "demand pull" debate on inflation is being reargued in the context of the current world inflation. In the best of the current debate, which is carried on in a world context, the contrast is between "special factors" and a "demand pull" explanation that focuses on the build up of price expectations, initiated and buttressed by the lack of any mechanism to control the rate of growth of the world money supply. The key determinant of the world money supply since the last war has been the United States money supply and, since the mid 1960s, this has been increasing rapidly.