Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic mucosal resection of flat and sessile colorectal adenomas: our experience with long-term follow-ups.

BACKGROUND/AIM Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or mucosectomy is a removing method of flat or sessile lesions, laterally spreading tumors and carcinoma of the colon or the rectum limited to mucosa or the surface part of the submucosa. The aim of the study was to estimate the efficacy and safety of EMR in removing flat and sessile colorectal adenomas. METHODS This prospective study involved 140 patients during the period of 8 years. A total of 187 colorectal adenomas were removed using the EMR method "inject and cut with snare". RESULTS The approximate size of mucosectomised adenomas was 13.6 mm (from 8 mm to 60 mm). There was a total of 48 (25.7%) flat adenomas and 139 (74.3%) sessile adenomas, P < 0.01). Using "en bloc" and "piecemeal" resection, 173 (92.5%) and 14 (7.5%) of colorectal adenomas were removed, respectively. In all the cases, a complete removal of colorectal adenomas was achieved. Two (1.4%) patients had adenoma removal with intramucosal carcinoma each. In the average follow-up period of 21.2 +/- 17.8 months, 2 (1.4%) patients had adenoma relapse after EMR. Considering complications, there was bleeding in 1 (0.7%) patient with a big rectum adenoma removed with EMR. Furthermore, one (0.7%) patient had a postcoagulation syndrome after cecal adenoma was removed by EMR. CONCLUSION EMR is an efficient, safe and minimally invasive technique of removing flat and sessile adenomas in the colon and the rectum, with a very low percentage of adenoma recurrence over a long period of monitoring.
Effect of flash and field luminance upon human reaction time.

Reaction time is measured from the onset of a signal flash to the manual release of a microswitch. Responses are made by two trained subjects over wide ranges of stimulus intensity and under varying conditions of signal flash and background field luminance. Two types of experimental conditions prevail: (1) variable flash luminance at each of three field levels, and (2) variable field luminance at three constant flash intensities. Thirty-six reactions are collected for every flash-field combination at each of two fixation positions (foveal and peripheral). The results are described by the following equation: T=1B logI/I0+K,where B, I0, and K depend upon the field luminance.
Empirical Formula of Cavity Dominant Mode Frequency for 60-GHz Cavity-Backed Wide Slot Antenna

An empirical formula of the dominant mode resonant frequency of the cavity which is used to back a wide slot antenna is presented. The antenna is formed by etching a wide slot onto the broad wall of a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity fed by an SIW through an inductive coupling window. The widely slotted cavity resonates at the dominant mode when the wide slot radiates. Based on the analysis of the field distribution in the slotted-cavity, an empirical formula is derived to determine the dominant mode resonant frequency of the cavity with respect to the width to length ratio (WLR) of the etched slot. The empirical formula is numerically verified at a 60-GHz band.
Circulating Progenitor Cells Are Reduced in Patients with Severe Lung Disease

Patients with chronic severe lung disease are prone to develop pulmonary vascular remodeling, possibly through pulmonary endothelial dysfunction. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in maintenance of endothelial homeostasis. The aim of this study was to assess whether obstructive and restrictive lung diseases are associated with modification of EPC number in peripheral blood. The study was cross‐sectional and involved patients with obstructive (n = 15) and restrictive (n = 15) lung disease on oxygen therapy and 15 control subjects. Circulating EPCs were defined by the surface expression of CD34, CD133, and kinase‐insert domain receptor. Results from spirometric tests, blood gas analyses, and blood cell counts have been related to EPC numbers. Patients with chronic hypoxia and severe lung disease showed lower levels of all progenitors than do control subjects. A consensual further reduction of EPC was found in restrictive patients in comparison with obstructive patients. Among restrictive patients, EPC reduction was related to reduced lung volumes and impaired alveolo‐arterial diffusion, whereas progenitor cell levels were directly related to erythrocyte number. Considering obstructive patients, significant correlations were found between progenitor cell levels and bronchial obstruction and between progenitor cell levels and arterial oxygen tension. These findings demonstrate a reduction of EPCs in patients with chronic lung disease and long‐lasting hypoxia. This alteration was more evident in restrictive patients and correlated to disease severity. Depletion of circulating EPCs may be involved in altered endothelial homeostasis of pulmonary circulation in these disorders.
Living as an adolescent with HIV in Zambia – lived experiences, sexual health and reproductive needs

Abstract HIV services in developing countries are often ill-equipped to address the specific needs of HIV-positive adolescents. Studies suggest a lack of consistent, age-appropriate support regarding sexuality, relationships and transitioning to adulthood. The aims of this study were to explore and document the informational, psychosocial, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of adolescents (aged 10–19 years) living with HIV in Zambia, and identify gaps between these needs and existing services. This paper reports a qualitative explorative study. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 111 HIV-positive adolescents and 59 key informants, including health care workers (n=38) and parents/guardians (n=21). Participants were selected via a purposive sampling method. Three sites – Lusaka, Kitwe and Kalomo – were selected to ensure a broad representation of service-delivery settings in Zambia. Data were entered into NVIVO (QSR International) software, and analysed inductively to extract key themes, gather results and draw conclusions. Findings confirm that social networks have significant impact on treatment adherence and assist adolescents in coming to terms with an HIV diagnosis. The trauma of diagnosis, however, is exacerbated if poorly managed. Nevertheless, many adolescents are determined not to let HIV change their lives. They want to know SRH and HIV information, but service providers do not often adequately meet these informational needs. Where available, tailored and participatory events around HIV and SRH are greatly appreciated. Services that are welcoming, empowering and provide tailored information are highly valued. Adolescents living with HIV require effective, targeted and sustainable HIV services to navigate safely through adolescence.
Specification and testing of autonomous agents in e‐commerce systems

This paper presents a generic formal framework to specify and test autonomous e‐commerce agents. First, the formalism to represent the behaviour of agents is introduced. The corresponding machinery to define how implementations can be tested follows. Two testing approaches are considered. The first of them, which can be called active, is based on stimulating the implementation under test (IUT) with a test. The peculiarity is that tests will be defined as a special case of autonomous e‐commerce agent. The second approach, which can be called passive, consists of observing the behaviour of the tested agent in an environment containing other agents. As a case study the framework is applied to the e‐commerce system Kasbah. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antidepressant- and anxiogenic-like effects of acute 5-HT2C receptor activation in rats exposed to the forced swim test and elevated plus maze

This study investigated the behavioral effects in the forced swim test (FST) and the elevated plus-maze (EPM) of acute administration of WAY 161503 ([4aR]-8,9-dichloro-2,3,4,4a-tetrahydro-1H-pyrazino[1,2-a]quinoxalin-5[6 H]-one), a selective 5-HT2C receptor agonist with putative antidepressant-like properties. Fifteen minutes after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of either WAY 161503 (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) or saline, naive male Wistar rats were exposed to the EPM for 5 min to assess classical and ethological anxiety-like measures. Immediately after EPM exposure, each animal was exposed to the FST, and the latency to the first episode of immobility was recorded (trial session). Twenty-four hours later, the rats were reexposed to a second EPM-FST exposure sequence (test session for FST) under the effect of the same pharmacological treatment. The two lowest WAY 161503 doses selectively reduced open-arm exploration and increased risk-assessment without affecting locomotor activity. This selective anxiogenic-like effect was observed in both the first and second EPM exposures. The highest WAY 161503 dose produced robust locomotor impairment. In the FST, the same WAY 161503 doses significantly increased the latency to the first immobility in the test session, a behavioral profile that suggests an antidepressant-like action. These results further support the involvement of 5-HT2C receptors in the mediation of anxiety and suggest an intricate relationship between anxiogenic- and antidepressant-like actions.
Cancer health disparities among Asian Americans

Asian Americans are the nation's fastest growing racial group in terms of percentages, and they constitute a very heterogeneous population. The author reviewed the literature and proposed an agenda to reduce cancer health disparities based on this review and the accomplishments and aspirations of the National Cancer Institute‐funded Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training. The Asian American cancer burden is unique, unusual, and, to a certain extent, unnecessary. The Asian American cancer burden is unique, because Asians are the only racial/ethnic population to experience cancer as the leading cause of death. The unusual aspects of the cancer burden among Asian Americans include experiencing proportionally more cancers of infectious origin, such as human papillomavirus‐induced cervical cancer, hepatitis B virus‐induced liver cancer, and stomach cancer, than any other racial/ethnic population and, at the same time, experiencing an increasing numbers of cancers associated with “Westernization. ” To a certain extent, the cancer burden for Asian Americans is unnecessary if barriers to cancer screening, overcoming resistance to physician visits, and culturally competent interventions to reduce smoking, unhealthy diet, and increasing proper exercise can be instituted. Reducing cancer health disparities among Asian Americans will involve research into their unique, unusual, and unnecessary cancer burden. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
The regulatory functions of Ly‐49A, Ly‐49D and Ly‐49G2 on NK cells in the recognition and rejection of the alloantigen in vivo *

Ly‐49A is an inhibitory receptor that binds H‐2Dd and H‐2Dk. The downregulation of Ly‐49A is thought to mediate NK self tolerance in vivo. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of Ly‐49A, D and G2 on NK cells in an in vivo rejection model. After injection with 1 × 108 B10.D2 spleen cells (SC) into B 10 mice, we found Ly‐49A downregulated within 3 h on NK cells of B10 mice, whereas expressions of Ly‐49D and G2 were augmented. To investigate effects of different expression patterns of Ly‐49 receptors on NK cells, Ly‐49A, D or G2‐depleted B10 mice were inoculated with B10.D2 SC. NK cells from SC of Ly‐49A‐depleted and B10.D2 SC‐injected B10 mice showed enhanced cytotoxicity to Dd‐positive targets in vitro. Furthermore, reduced numbers of B10.D2 SC were observed in Ly‐49A or G2‐depleted B10 mice, whereas increased numbers of B10.D2 SC were observed in Ly‐49D‐depleted B10 mice after inoculation with B10.D2 SC in vivo. These findings indicated that the downregulation of Ly‐49A and the augmentation of Ly‐49D expression may mediate NK cells to recognize and kill Dd antigen efficiently. In conclusion, each Ly‐49 isoform may play independent roles in the regulation of activation or inhibition on NK cells.
Familiarisation: Restructuring Layouts with Visual Learning Models

In domains where users are exposed to large variations in visuo-spatial features among designs, they often spend excess time searching for common elements (features) in familiar locations. This paper contributes computational approaches to restructuring layouts such that features on a new, unvisited interface can be found quicker. We explore four concepts of familiarisation, inspired by the human visual system (HVS), to automatically generate a familiar design for each user.
Differential genetic influences on competitive effect and response in Arabidopsis thaliana

1 Competition plays an important role in structuring populations and communities, but our understanding of the genetic basis of competitive ability is poor. This is further complicated by the fact that plants can express both competitive effect (target plant influence upon neighbour growth) and competitive response (target plant growth as a function of a neighbour) abilities, with these ecological characteristics potentially being independent. 2 Using the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, we investigated patterns of intraspecific variation in competitive effect and response abilities and their relationships to other plant traits and resource supply rates. 3 Both competitive effect and response were measured for 11 genotypes, including the Columbia ecotype and 10 derived mutant genotypes. Plants were grown alone, with intragenotypic competition, and with intergenotypic competition in a replicated blocked design with high nutrient and low nutrient soil nutrient treatments. We quantified competitive effect and response on absolute and per‐gram bases. 4 Competitive effect and response varied among genotypes, with the relative competitive abilities of genotypes consistent across fertilization treatments. Overall, high rates of fertilization increased competitive effect and competitive response abilities of all genotypes. Both competitive effect and response were correlated with neighbour biomass, though genotype‐specific traits also influenced competitive response. 5 At the genotype level, there was no correlation between competitive effect and response in either fertilization treatment. Overall patterns in competitive response appeared consistent among inter‐ and intragenotypic competition treatments, indicating that a target genotype's response to competition was not driven by the genetic identity of the competitor. 6 These findings indicate that within A. thaliana, there is the potential for differential selection on competitive effect and response abilities, and that such selection may influence different sets of plant traits. The concept of a single competitive ability for a given plant is not supported by these data, and we suggest continued recognition of these dual competitive abilities is essential to understanding the potential role of competition in influencing intra‐ and interspecific processes.
Comparison of polyethylene tibial insert damage from in vivo function and in vitro wear simulation

Function and wear of total knee arthroplasties were compared by analysis of damage patterns on polyethylene tibial inserts retrieved from patients (Group R) with inserts obtained after in vitro force‐controlled knee joint wear simulation. Two simulator input profiles were evaluated, including standard walking (Group W), and combined walking and stair descent (Group W + S), simulating varied activities and a more severe physiological environment. Damage regions on all inserts were quantitatively assessed. On average, inserts in all groups had internally rotated damage patterns and the greatest articular deformation in the lateral compartment. These patterns were more pronounced in Group W + S compared to Group W. Deformation rates of simulated inserts were analogous to about six years of physiologic function. However, both groups of simulated inserts generally underestimated the magnitude of damage area and extent observed on retrieved inserts, consistent with differences in the simulator's tibiofemoral contact mechanics and those known to occur in patients during functional activities. Modification of simulator inputs, such as the increased anteroposterior excursion and more severe loading conditions in Group W + S, can generate greater wear volume, larger damage areas, and increased surface deformation rates compared to standard inputs. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 540–548, 2009
The Consolidation of Task Knowledge for Lifelong Machine Learning

Lifelong Machine Learning (LML) considers situations in which a learner faces a series of tasks over a lifetime. An LML system requires a method of using prior knowledge to learn models for new tasks as efficiently and effectively as possible, and a method of retaining task knowledge after it has been learned. Knowledge retention is necessary for a lifelong learning system, however it is not sufficient. We propose that domain knowledge must be integrated for the purposes of efficient and effective retention and for more efficient and effective transfer during future learning. The process of integration we define as consolidation. The challenge for an LML system is consolidating the knowledge of a new task while maintaining and possibly improving knowledge of prior tasks; this requires a solution to the stability-plasticity problem. This paper provides a summary of prior work by the author on the consolidation problem within various LML systems.
Repression of tyrosine hydroxylase is responsible for the sex-linked chocolate mutation of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Pigmentation patterning has long interested biologists, integrating topics in ecology, development, genetics, and physiology. Wild-type neonatal larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, are completely black. By contrast, the epidermis and head of larvae of the homozygous recessive sex-linked chocolate (sch) mutant are reddish brown. When incubated at 30 °C, mutants with the sch allele fail to hatch; moreover, homozygous mutants carrying the allele sch lethal (schl) do not hatch even at room temperature (25 °C). By positional cloning, we narrowed a region containing sch to 239,622 bp on chromosome 1 using 4,501 backcross (BC1) individuals. Based on expression analyses, the best sch candidate gene was shown to be tyrosine hydroxylase (BmTh). BmTh coding sequences were identical among sch, schl, and wild-type. However, in sch the ∼70-kb sequence was replaced with ∼4.6 kb of a Tc1-mariner type transposon located ∼6 kb upstream of BmTh, and in schl, a large fragment of an L1Bm retrotransposon was inserted just in front of the transcription start site of BmTh. In both cases, we observed a drastic reduction of BmTh expression. Use of RNAi with BmTh prevented pigmentation and hatching, and feeding of a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor also suppressed larval pigmentation in the wild-type strain, pnd+ and in a pS (black-striped) heterozygote. Feeding L-dopa to sch neonate larvae rescued the mutant phenotype from chocolate to black. Our results indicate the BmTh gene is responsible for the sch mutation, which plays an important role in melanin synthesis producing neonatal larval color.
L'accompagnement des malades par les bénévoles des « petits frères des Pauvres »

Le benevolat procede d’un engagement libre et gratuit. C’est un moyen privilegie pour innover.Dans le domaine specifique de la sante et de l’accompagnement des grands malades, il se trouve aujourd’hui contraint d’intervenir a l’interieur d’un cadre legislatif et reglementaire assez strict. Il s’agit la d’une nouvelle donne qui exige de lui qu’il se livre a des procedures de selection, qu’il se forme, s’organise et agisse en concertation etroite avec les professionnels de sante. Exiger des benevoles des competences confirmees en matiere de savoir-faire et de savoir-etre, mettre en œuvre des pratiques d’evaluation dans les associations, developper les methodologies de projet, tout cela est necessaire, mais ne doit pas pour autant conduire a « professionnaliser » ou instrumentaliser le benevolat. Il incombe aujourd’hui aux associations de veiller a proteger ce qui fait sa force et sa valeur : cette liberte de donner de son temps sans contrepartie financiere pour proposer des reponses nouvelles a des problemes de societe.
Efectos potenciales de un proceso de integración económica. La experiencia de América Latina

Resumen: Cuando un pais decide participar en un proceso de integracion economica es porque, al margen de las razones politicas, espera que como consecuencia de esa integracion sera capaz de alcanzar un mayor nivel de bienestar. El efecto neto para el bienestar es el resultado de multiples efectos, tanto positivos como negativos y tanto en el corto como en el largo plazo, que la integracion genera. En este articulo se analizan, revisando la literatura mas relevante, los efectos potenciales que habitualmente se asocian a un proceso de integracion comercial, asi como las razones que pueden llevar a algunas areas a ir mas alla en el proceso de integracion.
Impaired Maturation, Fertilization, and Embryonic Development of Porcine Oocytes Following Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Organochlorine Mixture1

Abstract The reproductive health risks related to exposure to persistent organic pollutants in the environment remain controversial. This debate is partly because most studies have investigated only one or two chemicals at a time, whereas populations are exposed to a large spectrum of persistent chemicals in their environment. Using the pig as a toxicological model, we hypothesized that exposing immature cumulus-oocyte complexes to an organochlorine mixture during in vitro maturation (IVM) would adversely affect oocyte maturation, fertilization, and subsequent embryo development. This organochlorine mixture mimics that which contaminates the Arctic marine food chain. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were cultured in IVM medium containing increasing concentrations of the organochlorine mixture, similar to that found in women of highly exposed populations. Organochlorines reduced the quality of cumulus expansion and the viability of cumulus cells in a dose-response manner. The proportion of apoptotic cumulus cells also increased due to organochlorine exposure. Half of the oocytes were fixed after insemination, and the remainders were cultured for 8 days. Concentrations of organochlorines did not affect the rates of oocyte degeneration, sperm penetration, and development to morula. However, incidence of incompletely matured oocytes increased and polyspermy rate decreased, both in a dose-response manner with increasing organochlorine concentrations. Blastocyst formation and number of cells per blastocyst declined with organochlorine concentration. Exposing porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes to an environmentally pertinent organochlorine mixture during IVM disturbs oocyte development, supporting recent concerns that such pollutants harm reproductive health in humans and other mammalian species.