Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pesticides and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: an overview for the clinician.

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) represents a heterogeneous group of malignant diseases arising from the lymphatic tissues. Grossly, those disease entities can be subdivided into T-and B-cell lymphomas. Several systems have been developed over the last decades in order to further subclassify NHL. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes greater than 40 pathological subtypes of NHL. As molecular techniques evolve, the heterogeneity of this group of diseases is expanding further. There were an estimated 56,390 new cases and 19,200 deaths from NHL in 2005. It was the 6th most common cancer among men and the 5th most common cancer among women. The incidence of NHL increased at a rate of 3-4% per year during the 1970s and 1980s and stabilized in the 1990s. Initially, better diagnostic techniques, changes in the classification patterns of NHL and the AIDS epidemic were potential explanations for this rise. However, more recent data revealed that the changes in NHL incidence are not fully explained by those phenomena and suggest that increasing exposures to not fully defined environmental factors, like diet or occupational exposures seem to be of importance. The incidence of NHL is not homogenous throughout the United States (US). NHL-related mortality is higher in the central, more agricultural areas of the US. Hence, agricultural occupational exposures to pesticides have been investigated as causes for the development of NHL in numerous laboratory and epidemiological studies. Because of the large variety of potentially toxic substances, the corresponding wide spectrum of chemical structures and the sophisticated statistical techniques employed in the epidemiological investigations, the literature on the subject of the association of the development of NHL and use of pesticides is not straightforward.
The Paradoxes of Maurice Allais in Economics and Psychology

Maurice Allais died on October 9, 2010, in Paris at age 99. An early researcher in what would today broadly be called ‘‘behavioral economics,’’ Allais is a member of a distinguished roster of Nobelists in our field: bookended by Herbert Simon in 1978 and Daniel Kahneman (for work conducted mainly with Amos Tversky) in 2002, Allais received his prize in 1988. The prize was awarded for his ‘‘pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources. ’’ Like Albert Einstein, Allais began his professional career as a civil servant (he was in charge of mines and railways), and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines sustained his scholarly work even after he retired from the civil service in 1980. This practical beginning fostered a longstanding commitment to public policy. His interests spanned history and physics; an anomalous effect in the angular velocity of the plane of oscillation of a pendulum also bears his name. Most of us know him through one of the Allais paradoxes, featured as the ‘‘common consequence effect’’ in Kahneman and Tversky’s prospect theory in 1979. Consider a choice between 2 options:
TAKATERU IZUMI AND

In a preceding paper (1) i t was shown tha t protect ion against the lethal effects of intravenously injected virulent mycobacter ia in mice is related to the vaccinal populat ion which develops within an animal 's tissue. Living Calmette-Gu6rin bacillus (BCG) is also capable of inducing significant ant i tubercular protect ion against respiratori]y induced tuberculosis (2, 3). But few a t tempts have been made to correlate the size of the vaccinal populat ion in vivo with the evolution of the immune state. In the experiments to be described herein, mice were immunized with the Mont rea l strain of BCG. After vaccination, they were superinfected with virulent human bacilli adminis tered by the aerosol route, A t sequential intervals thereafter the numbers of vaccinal or of challenge bacilli present in lungs or spleens were determined. The extent of re tardat ion of the growth of challenge bacilli was used as a measure of immune resistance. A slight degree of protect ion was found in the lungs and splanchnic tissues of vaccinated animals. This heightened resistance appeared only after extensive mult ipl icat ion of the vaccine had occurred, resulting in the accumulat ion of large numbers of BCG bacilli in the animal 's tissues.
Acute hyperglycemia adversely affects stroke outcome: A magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy study

Controversy exists whether acute hyperglycemia is causally associated with worse stroke outcome or simply reflects a more severe stroke. In reversible ischemia models, hyperglycemia is associated with lactic acidosis and conversion of penumbral tissue to infarction. However, the relationship between hyperglycemia, lactic acidosis, and stroke outcome has not been explored in humans. Sixty‐three acute stroke patients were prospectively evaluated with serial diffusion‐weighted and perfusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging and acute blood glucose measurements. Patients with hypoperfused at‐risk tissue were identified by acute perfusion‐diffusion lesion mismatch. As a substudy, acute and subacute magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed in the 33 most recent patients to assess the relationship between acute blood glucose and lactate production in the ischemic region. In 40 of 63 patients with acute perfusion‐diffusion mismatch, acute hyperglycemia was correlated with reduced salvage of mismatch tissue from infarction, greater final infarct size, and worse functional outcome. These correlations were independent of baseline stroke severity, lesion size, and diabetic status. Furthermore, higher acute blood glucose in patients with perfusion‐diffusion mismatch was associated with greater acute‐subacute lactate production, which, in turn, was independently associated with reduced salvage of mismatch tissue. In contrast, acute blood glucose levels in nonmismatch patients did not independently correlate with outcome measures, nor was there any acute‐subacute increase in lactate in this group. Acute hyperglycemia increases brain lactate production and facilitates conversion of hypoperfused at‐risk tissue into infarction, which may adversely affect stroke outcome. These findings support the need for randomized controlled trials of aggressive glycemic control in acute stroke.
Stepwise arteriovenous fate acquisition during mammalian vasculogenesis

Arteriovenous (AV) differentiation is a critical step during blood vessel formation and stabilization. Defects in arterial or venous fate lead to inappropriate fusion of vessels, resulting in damaging arteriovenous shunts. While many studies have unraveled the molecular underpinnings that drive AV fate, surprisingly, the spatiotemporal emergence of arteries and veins in mammalian embryos remains unknown. Here, we examine artery and vein specification and differentiation during vasculogenesis. We show that the first intraembryonic vessels formed are arteries, which differentiate in a stepwise manner. By contrast, veins emerge later, progressively forming after embryonic turning. In addition, we demonstrate that hemodynamic flow is not required for arterial specification, but is required for maintenance of select arterial markers. Together, our results provide a first spatiotemporal analysis of mammalian AV cell fate establishment and anatomy, as well as a delineation of a molecular toolkit for analysis of arteries and veins during early vessel development. Developmental Dynamics 240:2153–2165, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microenvironmental pH-modification to improve dissolution behavior and oral absorption for drugs with pH-dependent solubility

Introduction: Drug release and oral absorption of drugs with pH-dependent solubility are influenced by the conditions in the gastrointestinal tract. In some cases, poor oral absorption has been observed for these drugs, causing insufficient drug efficacy. The pH-modification of a formulation could be a promising approach to overcome the poor oral absorption of drugs with pH-dependent solubility. Areas covered: The present review aims to summarize the pH-modifier approach and strategic analyses of microenvironmental pH for formulation design and development. We also provide literature- and patent-based examples of the application of pH-modification technology to solid dosage forms. Expert opinion: For the pH-modification approach, the microenvironmental pH at the diffusion area can be altered by dissolving pH-modifying excipients in the formulation. The modulation of the microenvironmental pH could improve dissolution behavior of drugs with pH-dependent solubility, possibly leading to better oral absorption. According to this concept, the modulated level of microenvironmental pH and its duration can be key factors for improvement in drug dissolution. The measurement of microenvironmental pH and release of pH-modifier would provide theoretical insight for the selection of an appropriate pH-modifier and optimization of the formulation.
Cytogenetic and molecular characterization of A2BP1/FOX1 as a candidate gene for autism

Cytogenetic imbalances are increasingly being realized as causes of autism. Here, we report a de novo translocation between the short arms of chromosomes 15 and 16 in a female with autism, epilepsy, and global developmental delay. FISH analysis identified a cryptic deletion of approximately 160 kb at the boundary of the first exon and first intron of the 1.7 Mb ataxin‐2 binding protein‐1 (A2BP1) gene, also called FOX1. Quantitative real time PCR (Q‐PCR) analysis verified a deletion of exon 1 in the 5′ promoter region of the A2BP1 gene. Reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR) showed reduced mRNA expression in the individual's lymphocytes, demonstrating the functional consequence of the deletion. A2BP1 codes for a brain‐expressed RNA binding or splicing factor. Because of emerging evidence in the role of RNA processing and gene regulation in pervasive developmental disorders, we performed further screening of A2BP1 in additional individuals with autism from the Autism Genetics Resource Exchange (AGRE) collection. Twenty‐seven SNPs were genotyped across A2BP1 in 206 parent‐child trios and two regions showed association at P ≤ 0.008 level. No additional deletions or clear mutations were identified in 88 probands by re‐sequencing of all exons and surrounding intronic regions or quantitative PCR (Q‐PCR) of exon 1. Although only nominal association was observed, and no obvious causal mutations were identified, these results suggest that A2BP1 may affect susceptibility or cause autism in a subset of patients. Further investigations in a larger sample may provide additional information regarding the involvement of this gene in the autistic phenotype. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanistic Studies of Capsaicin‐Induced Apnea in Rodents

&NA; Inhalation of capsaicin‐based sprays can cause central respiratory depression and lethal apneas. There are contradictory reports regarding the sites of capsaicin action. Furthermore, an understanding of the neurochemical mechanisms underlying capsaicin‐induced apneas and the development of pharmacological interventions is lacking. The main objectives of this study were to perform a systematic study of the mechanisms of action of capsaicin‐induced apneas and to provide insights relevant to pharmacological intervention. In vitro and in vivo rat and transient receptor potential vanilloid superfamily member 1 (TRPV1)‐null mouse models were used to measure respiratory parameters and seizure‐like activity in the presence of capsaicin and compounds that modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission. Administration of capsaicin to in vitro and in vivo rat and wild‐type mouse models induced dose‐dependent apneas and the production of seizure‐like activity. No significant changes were observed in TRPV1‐null mice or rat medullary slice preparations. The capsaicin‐induced effects were inhibited by the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine, amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptor antagonists CNQX, NBQX, perampanel, and riluzole, a drug that inhibits glutamate release and increases glutamate uptake. The capsaicin‐induced effects on breathing and seizure‐like activity were accentuated by positive allosteric modulators of the AMPA receptors, CX717 and cyclothiazide. To summarize, capsaicin‐induced apneas and seizure‐like behaviors are mediated via TRPV1 activation acting at lung afferents, spinal cord‐ascending tracts, and medullary structures (including nucleus tractus solitarius). AMPA receptor‐mediated conductances play an important role in capsaicin‐induced apneas and seizure‐like activity. A pharmaceutical strategy targeted at reducing AMPA receptor‐mediated glutamatergic signaling may reduce capsaicin‐induced deleterious effects.
Multi-Dimensional Factors Impacting on E-Government Adoption in Botswana, Mozambique and Malawi

With widespread adoption of ICT usage in public service delivery platforms (e-Government) throughout the world, African countries have vowed not to be left behind in this marathon. Robust e-Government adoption depends on the strategy employed to implement it. This paper presents the different initiatives that have been employed to promote e-Government development and development in Botswana, Mozambique and Malawi thereby showing the impact of such initiatives on overall e-Government agenda. Using extensive document and literature reviews, this paper further intends to investigate the status of e-Government implementation in these three countries and understand the multi-dimensional factors that dictate adoption and use of e-Government services. The paper has found that deliberate fiscal ICT policies, trust of e-applications, availability of ICT infrastructures such as appropriate mobile phone and base stations technology, usability of ICT platforms, and relevant ICT skills of ordinary citizens have a lasting positive impact on peopleâ€™s intention to engage in e-Government.
D-Galactose injured neurogenesis in the hippocampus of adult mice

Abstract Objectives: We studied the effects of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) on neural progenitor cell proliferation and survival in the dentate gyrus (DG). Methods: The adult mice were treated with D-galactose for 7 weeks to mimic natural aging in mice. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the serum were detected. Neurodegeneration and neurogenesis in the hippocampus were explored using terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated UTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) to detect the dying cells and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to label the newly born cells. Results: After the treatment of D-galactose, the level of MDA increased and the activities of the antioxidant enzyme decreased in the serum. TUNEL-positive cells significantly increased in the DG, CA1 and CA3 subfields. The BrdU-labeled proliferating cells and surviving cells in the DG decreased significantly in number after D-galactose treatment. Discussion: D-Galactose induced the impairment of neurogenesis in the DG, which is similar to natural aging in mice. ROS accumulation as a result of D-galactose may be related to the decrease of neurogenesis in the DG.
ICT Spending and Governance in Brazilian Public Administration

This paper reports on an exploratory study based on publicly available accounts of ICT expenditures of the Secretaries of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil and relates these data to their stages of ICT development and governance. E-Government has been a priority for Administrations, with expectations of gains in services to citizens and performance of government processes as strong drivers for significant investments, focused managerial and political actions, leading to new services for corporations and citizens’ live-events. These highly visible front-end interfaces require the support of effective and integrated back-office processes and informed management. Therefore e-government management has to be considered in the context of the agency’s global ICT (Information and Communications Technology) activities. Effective ICT governance contributes to performance and e-value generation, but requires political will and determination to be implemented and enacted. The relationship between ICT use, growth stages and governance and ICT budget participation and growth, demonstrated in this paper, can be used both as indirect and robust measures for the effectiveness of ICT governance and as indications to managers of governance pre-condition for e-value generation in Government.
Featuring Immediate Revocation in Mikey-Sakke (FIRM)

The use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is becoming ubiquitous due to the multiple shortcomings of traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) systems. As a result, the development of secure key establishment protocols is becoming increasingly important. The Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG), in response to this demand, has published new key agreement protocols for the Multimedia Internet KEYing (MIKEY) protocol to provide low-cost secure VoIP communications, supported on Identity-based Public-Key Cryptography (IDPKC). In the context of IDPKC, the identity of users is used to derive their public-keys, which eliminates the expenses of maintaining a Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI). However, IDPKC systems suffer from inefficient user revocation and key renewal. In this paper, we take advantage of the fact that users need to be connected to the Internet to communicate, for introducing a SEcurity Mediator (SEM), who possesses a share of the users' private-keys, and with whom the users must cooperate, to sign and decrypt cryptograms. By taking advantage of this sharing, we introduce mechanisms to provide immediate user revocation and key renewal.
ras-induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells: possible involvement of fos and jun

Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells differentiate to sympathetic neuron-like cells upon treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF). The ras and src transforming proteins also induce PC12 neuronal differentiation and are likely to involve the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway. Using a number of ras mutants, we have established that the domains of oncogenic ras protein responsible for PC12 differentiation overlap those required for cellular transformation. All of the ras mutants that induced neuronal differentiation also activated c-fos transcription through the dyad symmetry element (DSE). Transforming ras protein activated an intracellular signal pathway, which led to the induction of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate-responsive elements; activation was enhanced by coexpression of the proto-oncogene jun (encoding AP-1) and was further augmented by fos. Nuclear extracts from ras-infected PC12 cells showed an increased AP-1 DNA-binding activity. Transcriptional activation by ras was independent of the cyclic AMP-dependent pathway of signal transduction. We propose a possible involvement of fos and jun in ras-induced differentiation.
Effects of environmental temperature on heat production, energy retention, protein and fat gain in early weaned piglets

1. Six experiments each involving two groups of six piglets, were designed to study the influence of environmental temperature on heat production, energy retention and protein and fat gain in early weaned piglets. Immediately after weaning, at a mean age of 25 d, the animals were raised in two open circuit respiratory chambers. Each chamber was equipped with a totally wired cage. The piglets were paired-fed and maintained at environmental temperatures of 20, 24 or 28°. Four replicates were used for each temperature. Metabolizable energy, heat production and nitrogen balance were measured during two consecutive periods (A and B), each of 6 d duration. 2. Heat production was higher at 20° than at 24 and 28° during periods A and B. Energy retention was negative during period A, it was positive during period B and increased with temperature. 3. Protein deposition was always positive and independent of environmental temperature. The net efficiency of protein utilization was 0.77. 4. Body fat was mobilized during period A at a higher rate at 20° than 28°. During period B, fat gain increased with increase in temperature. 5. The calculated ME requirement for maintenance amounted to 411 kJ/kg body-weight0.75 per d at 28°. 6. The critical temperature of early weaned piglets raised in intensive modern housing and fed at about 90% of the ad lib. intake is close to 28° during the first 12 d after weaning.
Tracking 3-D Motion of Dynamic Objects Using Monocular Visual-Inertial Sensing

Six degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) visual tracking of dynamic objects is fundamental to a large variety of robotics and augmented reality (AR) applications. A key to this problem is accurate distance measurement of dynamic objects, which is usually obtained via stereo cameras, RGB-D sensors, or LiDARs. In this paper, however, we address the problem using only a monocular camera rigidly mounted with a low-cost inertial measurement unit. This is a light-weight, small-size, and low-cost solution, which is particularly suitable for tracking dynamic objects on drones or on mobile phones. Starting from a generic image-based two-dimensional tracker, we propose a novel method to resolve the object scale ambiguity in monocular vision in a geometric manner based on correlation analysis. This enables accurate metric three-dimensional tracking of arbitrary objects without requiring any prior knowledge about the object shape or size. We discuss the applicability by analyzing the observability condition and degenerated cases for object scale recovery. Simulation and real-world experimental results with ground truth comparison, along with AR application examples, demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed 6-DoF tracking method.
China power grid and its future development

The uneven distribution of energy resources and power load center, as an impetus, is driving China power grid to strengthen its national-wide interconnection to achieve high utilization efficiency. The current situation and planning of China power grid is introduced in this paper. Specific problems considered in planning of national-wide interconnection and their countermeasures are analyzed, such as low frequency oscillation, stability of receiving-end system, and security of multi-infeed HVDC systems etc.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: Xcix. Reductions in Numbers of Neurons within the Parasolitary Nucleus in Rats Exposed Perinatally to a Magnetic Pattern Designed to Imitate Geomagnetic Continuous Pulsations: Implications for Sudden Infant Death

Correlational analyses have shown a moderate strength association between the occurrence of continuous pulsations, a type of geomagnetic activity within the 0.2-Hz to 5-Hz range, and the occurrence of Sudden Infant Deaths. In the present study, rats were exposed continuously from two days before birth to seven days after birth to 0.5-Hz pulsed-square wave magnetic fields whose intensities were within either the nanoTesla or microTesla range. The magnetic fields were generated in either an east-west (E-W) or north-south (N-S) direction. At 21 days of age, the area of the parasolitary nucleus (but not the solitary nucleus) was significantly smaller, and the numbers of neurons were significantly less in rats that had been exposed to the nanoT fields generated in the east-west direction or to the microTesla fields generated within either E-W or N-S direction relative to those exposed to the N-S nanoTesla fields. These results suggest nanoTesla magnetic fields, when applied in a specific direction, might interact with the local geomagnetic field to affect cell migration in structures within the brain stem that modulate vestibular-related arousal and respiratory or cardiovascular stability.