Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cancer and the Cure: Security, State and Power in Mexico

This paper aims to understand the role of the Mexican state in a drug war context and the impact of Mexican drug policies to its institutional legitimacy. In this sense, we will discuss how the institution adopted security policies as counter measures concerning the narco-traffic. Such militarized action adopted by the Mexican government, in addition to the support offered by its neighbor United States, echoes how society imagines the use of force within public policies. In this sense, the main question is how the use of violence becomes central in the public policies’ formulation and why it represents an attempt to re-claim power and legitimacy. We will assess how this conception of public policy formulation does not encompass the dynamics in which violence emerges. This effort regards ultimately the final manifestation through which actors conduct violence, focusing in a unilateral conception of monopoly ownership. The paper will offer a critical discussion focused on violence and its role as an instrument of power and as a main part of the monopoly of state control. Our central argument is that the, Mexican government takes for granted other power relations implementing those policies. Such concerns should embody policy formulation in order to understand violence and its manifestations inside Mexican society regarding narco-traffic. “Sé que México enfrenta un gran problema de seguridad. Éste es un cáncer que se ha venido incubando durante años y al que no se le dio la debida atención, pero es un cáncer que vamos a erradicar” Felipe Calderón Hijinosa
The Proportion of Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Meta-Analysis

Objective Accumulating evidence indicates that regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). As different markers have been used to identify Tregs, some studies on the proportions of Tregs in AS patients have generated considerable controversy. To clarify the status of Tregs in such patients, we determine the proportion changes of peripheral Tregs during development of the disease, with different cellular markers. Methods We systematically searched Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge, FDA.gov, and Clinical Trials.gov for the studies reporting the proportion of Tregs in AS patients. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis of the frequencies of peripheral Tregs defined in different ways. Inconsistency was evaluated using the I-squared index (I 2), and publication bias was assessed by examining funnel plot asymmetry using the Begger and Egger tests. Results A total 29 studies involving 1732 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Their conclusions of using the diversity of Tregs surface markers were inconsistent with each other. No significant difference in the proportions of Tregs was evident regardless of the definitions used [-0.709, (-1.455, 0.037, p = 0.063), I 2 = 97.3%]. Six studies used "single CD25-positive" cells as Tregs, which revealed a significant increase in AS patients compared with healthy blood donors [0.736, (0.138, 1.334), p = 0.016, I 2 = 80.7%]. Notably, the proportions of "CD4+CD25+FOXP3+," "CD4+CD25highCD127low/-," or "CD4+CD25+CD127low" T cells were lower in AS patients [-2.856, (-4.645, -1.066), p = 0.002; -1.812, (-2.648, -0.977), p < 0.001; -1.12, (-1.605, -0.635), p < 0.001]. Tregs defined as "CD25high," "CD25bright," "CD25bright/highCD127low/-," "CD4+FOXP3+," "CD4+CD25highFOXP3+," and "CD4+CD25+CD127-" did not differ in proportion between AS patients and healthy blood donors. Conclusions The levels of Tregs varied based on the cellular identification markers used. The proportions of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Tregs, CD4+CD25highCD127low/-, or CD4+CD25+CD127low in blood of AS patients were significantly decreased as compared with those in healthy blood donors, and our findings lend support to the idea that the Treg status of AS patients is important. And we recommend the above as the best definition of Tregs when evaluating the status of such patients.
The Third Dimension of Financialization

We provide the first detailed empirical evidence on the financialization of intraday trading activity in the world’s largest commodity market and show that this development had a first-order positive impact on market liquidity and pricing efficiency. We use a unique, confidential regulatory dataset to show that the electronification of U.S. crude oil futures trading in 2006 brought about a massive growth in intraday activity by “non-commercial” institutional financial traders. We exploit differences in the post-electronification growth rates of institutional financial trading in crude oil futures contracts of different maturities to tease out the effect of financialization on key metrics of commodity market quality. We show that increased institutional financial trading reduces the variance of pricing errors, narrows bid-ask spreads, and improves market depth. Our inferences are robust to differences in the nature and volume of non-financial trading. Finally, we provide novel evidence of notable differences between the respective contributions of high-frequency traders (HFTs) vs. other (non-HFT) institutional financial traders to different market quality attributes. JEL Classification: Q02, G10, Q49, G12, G13, G23
Study on MSCs transplantation in respiratory diseases

Respiratory diseases threat to human life safety seriously, at present there is no good treatment for a number of diseases such as acute lung injury, pulmonary hypertension. Cell replacement and gene therapy is the development trend of the future. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as a widely used stem cells have unlimited potential applications in acute lung injury, pulmonary hypertension and asthma therapy. In this paper, a brief overview on the latest progress of stem cell therapy for these diseases.
Sex‐specific behavioural deficits induced at early life by prenatal exposure to the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55, 212‐2 depend on mGlu5 receptor signalling

Marijuana is the illicit drug most commonly used among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Different studies reported long‐term adverse effects induced by in utero exposure to the main component of marijuana, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both in rodents and in humans. However, little is known about any potential sex‐dependent effects of marijuana consumption during pregnancy on newborns at early developmental ages.
Levels of Abstraction and the Apparent Contradictory Philosophical Legacy of Turing and Shannon

In a recent article, Luciano Floridi explains his view of Turing’s legacy in connection to the philosophy of information. I will very briefly survey one of Turing’s other contributions to the philosophy of information and computation, including similarities to Shannon’s own methodological approach to information through communication, showing how crucial they are and have been as methodological strategies to understanding key aspects of these concepts. While Floridi’s concept of Levels of Abstraction is related to the novel methodology of Turing’s imitation game for tackling the question of machine intelligence, Turing’s other main contribution to the philosophy of information runs contrary to it. Indeed, the seminal concept of computation universality strongly suggests the deletion of fundamental differences among seemingly different levels of description. How might we reconcile these apparently contradictory contributions? I will argue that Turing’s contribution should prompt us to plot some directions for a philosophy of information and computation, one that closely parallels the most important developments in computer science, one that understands the profound implications of the works of Turing, Shannon and others. Floridi’s recent article [5] seems to leave little doubt that Turing’s most important contribution to the philosophy of information was the imitation game that he put forward [12] as a strategy for inquiring into and evaluating the intelligence capabilities of computing machines (today we call it the Turing test):
Basis of articulation and articulatory setting in pronunciation teaching: Focusing on English and Russian

This dissertation investigates the notion of the basis of articulation (basis of articulation) in relation to the widely used concept of articulatory setting (articulatory setting) with speci c focus on English and Russian as examples. After a detailed survey of the original sources and contemporary literature it is concluded that the basis of articulation and articulatory setting represent two distinct although closely related ideas that are not fungible. The term `basis of articulation' was originally conceived as a language speci c posture of the tongue continuously held in speech-ready and inter-utterance positions. Based on modern research, this posture is associated with a language speci c centre of mass of the tongue maintained during speech which a ects all aspects of speech production such as vowel quality, place of articulation etc. Such gross position generally corresponds to the articulatory targets of language speci c `neutral' vowels and hesitation vowels. Speech production is viewed as a heterogeneous Complex System with multiple `nested' subsystems. The commonly used articulatory setting is taken as such subsystem in which the basis of articulation plays the role of a causative agent and a stabilising centre. The nal part the paper gives an assessment of the history of application of the basis of articulation and articulatory setting concepts in pronunciation teaching and shows some implications and advantages of their di erentiation within the proposed framework.
Temporamandibuler Eklem Artritinde Intrartikuler Trombositten Zengin Plazma Kullanımının Etkisi: Sıçanlarda Deneysel Çalışma

Meandros Med Dent J Ad dress for Cor res pon den ce/Ya zış ma Ad re si: Heval Selman Özkan MD, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Aydin, Turkey Phone: 0256 244 12 56 E-mail: selman_ozk@yahoo.com Received/Geliş Ta rihi : 20.03. 2017 Accepted/Ka bul Ta ri hi : 20.11. 2017 Anah tar Ke li me ler Temporomanbibuler eklem, trombositten zengin plazma, osteoartrit
Disentangling Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Patterns in Children with Low Motor Competence

Children with low motor competence (MC) are at high-risk for physical inactivity, yet little is known about their physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) patterns throughout the day. The purpose of this study is to disentangle PA and SB patterns among children with low MC across segmented day periods taking into account differences in gender and age. Data collection took place between May and July 2017. The Athletic Skills Track was used to measure MC. PA levels were objectively measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph, GT3X+) on school days. Data were segmented for (1) time before school, (2) time during school (based on school schedules), and (3) time after school. In total, data from 117 7-to-11 years-old children with low MC were eligible for analyses (N = 58 girls; N = 59 boys). Differences in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and SB between segmented periods, gender, and grade were analyzed by ANOVAs with post hoc tests (Tukey) and Independent Sample T-tests respectively. Time spent at school is the major contributor of time spent in SB in children with low MC. Low MC is equally distributed among gender, but large differences exist among boys and girls in both MVPA and SB, indicating low-MC girls as most inactive group. This pattern is found in all segmented periods of the school day, i.e., before, during, and after school. This study stresses the negative contribution of current school curricula on PA and SB in children with low MC, indicating the most efficient period of the day to intervene. Future school-based PA and SB interventions should particularly focus on specific high-risk populations, i.e., children with low MC, and girls in particular.
Serotipos y resistencia antimicrobiana de cepas de Shigella flexneri aisladas de niños con diarrea aguda: Relación entre el serotipo y la severidad del episodio

Se determino el serotipo, susceptibilidad a los antimicrobianos y la relacion de severidad de la infeccion con el serotipo, a un grupo de 50 cepas de S. flexneri aisladas de ninos menores de 5 anos con diarrea: 25 ninos deshidratados y 25 no deshidratados. Para la tipificacion se utilizaron antisueros comerciales y la susceptibilidad a los antimicrobianos se realizo por el metodo de difusion en disco. Caracteristicas epidemiologicas y clinicas de los episodios: media de edad 13,32 meses ± 12, clase obrera y marginal 94% (P 0,05). El serotipo con mayor frecuencia fue el 2a (40%), seguido por el 3a (24%), 2b (18%), 1a (6%), 6 (4%), 3b (2%), 4a (2%), variante “X” (2%) y variante “Y” (2%). El mayor porcentaje de resistencia se observo a tetraciclina (96%), seguido por ampicilina (94%), cloranfenicol (90%), amoxicilina acido clavulanico (84%) y trimetoprin-sulfametoxazol (72%). La desnutricion (36%, P< 0,05) y el serotipo 2a (56%, P< 0,05) se observaron con mayor frecuencia en los ninos deshidratados, mientras que el serotipo 2b predomino en los no deshidratados (32%, P< 0,05). La prevalencia del serotipo 2a, su asociacion con la severidad del episodio y la elevada resistencia a los antibioticos alertan sobre la problematica de la infeccion por Shigella en el pais y refuerza la necesidad de estudios para ajustar pautas en el tratamiento.
A Framework of Integrating Digital City and Eco-city

The nature of mankind is longing for better residential environments. City, as a major living style, has never stopped exploring more comfortable urban modes. The main stream of city development theory resulted in ‘eco-city’. Recently a new concept, digital city, was push forward with the hot tides of IT technologies. However there is few research linking these two concepts together. This paper tried to explicit the affiliation and comparable elements between these two concepts. It overviewed the recent research achievements on both eco-city and digital city. It pictured an integrative prospect of digital city and eco-city on the point of view from urban sustainable development with IT technologies widely applied. It proposed a fundamental technological framework of the integration of digital city and eco-city. It finally concluded that the integration of eco-city and digital city is the future of sustainable urban development.
Precision mapping of snail habitat provides a powerful indicator of human schistosomiasis transmission

Significance Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects ∼206 million people globally. The World Health Organization recently endorsed control of the freshwater snails that host schistosome infectious stages, and here, we show how to better target those snail control efforts. Schistosomiasis infection occurred on a local scale at our study sites in northwestern Senegal, suggesting that small-scale interventions can suppress transmission. However, snail clusters were so ephemeral that attempts to target them for removal would be inefficient. Instead, we found easy-to-measure environmental proxies that were more effective than snail variables at predicting human infections, including area of snail habitat within the site and total site area. Our work indicates that satellite- or drone-based precision mapping could efficiently identify high-transmission areas. Recently, the World Health Organization recognized that efforts to interrupt schistosomiasis transmission through mass drug administration have been ineffective in some regions; one of their new recommended strategies for global schistosomiasis control emphasizes targeting the freshwater snails that transmit schistosome parasites. We sought to identify robust indicators that would enable precision targeting of these snails. At the site of the world’s largest recorded schistosomiasis epidemic—the Lower Senegal River Basin in Senegal—intensive sampling revealed positive relationships between intermediate host snails (abundance, density, and prevalence) and human urogenital schistosomiasis reinfection (prevalence and intensity in schoolchildren after drug administration). However, we also found that snail distributions were so patchy in space and time that obtaining useful data required effort that exceeds what is feasible in standard monitoring and control campaigns. Instead, we identified several environmental proxies that were more effective than snail variables for predicting human infection: the area covered by suitable snail habitat (i.e., floating, nonemergent vegetation), the percent cover by suitable snail habitat, and size of the water contact area. Unlike snail surveys, which require hundreds of person-hours per site to conduct, habitat coverage and site area can be quickly estimated with drone or satellite imagery. This, in turn, makes possible large-scale, high-resolution estimation of human urogenital schistosomiasis risk to support targeting of both mass drug administration and snail control efforts.
Comparison of the Cardiomyogenic Potency of Human Amniotic Fluid and Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background and Objectives Most studies in cardiac regeneration have explored bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) with variable therapeutic effects. Amniotic fluid MSC (AF-MSC) having extended self-renewal and multipotent properties may be superior to bone marrow MSC (BM-MSC). However, a comparison of their cardiomyogenic potency has not been studied yet. Methods The 5-azacytidine (5-aza) treated AF-MSC and BM-MSC were evaluated for the expression of GATA-4, Nkx2.5 and ISL-1 transcripts and proteins by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively as well as for the expression of cardiomyogenic differentiation markers cardiac troponin-T (cTNT), beta myosin heavy chain (βMHC) and alpha sarcomeric actinin (ASA) by immunocytochemistry. Results The AF-MSC as compared to BM-MSC had significantly higher expression of GATA-4 (183.06±29.85 vs. 9.80±0.05; p<0.01), Nkx2.5 (8.3±1.4 vs. 1.82±0.32; p<0.05), and ISL-1 (39.59±4.05 vs. 4.36±0.39; p<0.01) genes as well as GATA-4 (2.01±0.5 vs. 0.6±0.1; p<0.05), NKx2.5 (1.9±0.14 vs. 0.8±0.2; p<0.01) and ISL-1 (1.7±0.3 vs. 0.9±0.1; p<0.05) proteins. The AF-MSC also had significantly elevated expression of cTNT (5.0×104±0.6×104 vs. 3.5 ×104±0.8×104; p<0.01), β-MHC (15.7×104±0.9×104 vs. 8.2×104±0.6×104; p<0.01) and ASA (18.6×104±4.9×104 vs. 13.1×104±3.0×104; p<0.05) than BM-MSC. Conclusions Our data suggest that AF-MSC have greater cardiomyogenic potency than BM-MSC, and thus may be a better source of MSC for therapeutic applications in cardiac regenerative medicine.
Penalized Poisson Regression Model Using Elastic Net and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) Penality

Variable selection in count data using Penalized Poisson regression is one of the challenges in applying Poisson regression model when the explanatory variables are correlated. To tackle both estimate the coefficients and perform variable selection simultaneously, Lasso penalty was successfully applied in Poisson regression. However, Lasso has two major limitations. In the p > n case, the lasso selects at most n variables before it saturates, because of the nature of the convex optimization problem. This seems to be a limiting feature for a variable selection method. Moreover, the lasso is not well-defined unless the bound on the L1-norm of the coefficients is smaller than a certain value. If there were a group of variables among which the pairwise correlations are very high, then the lasso tends to select only one variable from the group and does not care which one is selected. To address these issues, we propose the elastic net method between explanatory variables and to provide the consistency of the variable selection simultaneously. Real world data and a simulation study show that the elastic net often outperforms the lasso, while enjoying a similar sparsity of representation. In addition, the elastic net encourages a grouping effect, where strongly correlated predictors tend to be in the model together.
On the Optimal Non-Personalized Recommendation: From the PRP to the Discovery False Negative Principle

We revisit the Probability Ranking Principle in the context of recommender systems. We find a key difference in the retrieval protocol with respect to query-based search, that leads to the identification of a different optimal ranking principle for nonpersonalized recommendation. Based on this finding, we explore the definition of practical ranking functions that may lean towards the optimal ranking. We run an experiment confirming and illustrating our theoretical analysis, and providing further observations and hints for reflection and future research.
Potential Application of Graphene/Antimonene Herterostructure as an Anode for Li-Ion Batteries: A First-Principles Study

To suppress the volume expansion and thus improve the performance of antimonene as a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries, we have systematically studied the stability, structural and electronic properties of the antimonene capped with graphene (G/Sb heterostructure) upon the intercalation and diffusion of Li atoms by first-principles calculations based on van der Waals (vdW) corrected density functional theory. G/Sb exhibits higher Young’s modulus (armchair: 145.20, zigzag: 144.36 N m−1) and improved electrical conductivity (bandgap of 0.03 eV) compared with those of antimonene. Li favors incorporating into the interlayer region of G/Sb rather than the outside surfaces of graphene and antimonene of G/Sb heterostructure, which is caused by the synergistic effect. The in-plane lattice constants of G/Sb heterostructure expand only around 4.5%, and the interlayer distance of G/Sb increases slightly (0.22 Å) at the case of fully lithiation, which indicates that the capping of graphene on antimonene can effectively suppress the volumetric expansion during the charging process. Additionally, the hybrid G/Sb heterostructure has little influence on the migration behaviors of Li on the outside of graphene and Sb surfaces compared with their free-standing monolayers. However, the migration energy barrier for Li diffusion in the interlayer region (about 0.59 eV) is significantly affected by the geometry structure, which can be reduced to 0.34 eV simply by increasing the interlayer distance. The higher theoretical specific capacity (369.03 mAh g−1 vs 208 mAh g−1 for antimonene monolayer) and suitable open circuit voltage (from 0.11 V to 0.89 V) of G/Sb heterostructure are beneficial for anode materials of lithium-ion batteries. The above results reveal that G/Sb heterostructure may be an ideal candidate of anode for high recycling–rate and portable lithium-ion batteries.
The Adoption of Environmentally Friendly Technologies in Agriculture

A farmer’s decision to adopt a new technology is largely based on balancing the economic costs against the economic benefits. The technology will be adopted if it yields an expected profit that is high enough to compensate for any higher risk it offers relative to current technology. In particular, when there is an irreversible cost of adopting, there is an option value to waiting to adopt. This option value means adoption may not occur until the expected benefits are substantially larger than the costs.