Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental drivers reveal fragmented spatial patterns of Eurasian badger (Meles meles) occurrence in Portugal

badger, badger sett, road mortality, habitat modelling, distribution, conservation Understanding the environmental features that influence organism’s occurrence and distribution is essential to formulate efficient conservation measures. The European badger (Meles meles) is one of the most common carnivores in Mediterrranean environments but the increase of habitat fragmentation over the last decades may lead to a change in their status and distribution. Badger have an wide geographic distribution and together with the fact that are generalist in terms of habitat and food makes it difficult to find a unic habitat selection pattern. In this study we address to analyse the environmental drivers that influence the location of badger setts (used for reproduction and refuge), the occurrence of badgers and their risk of road mortality. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the spatial patterns of habitats of high quality and high risk for badger conservation in Portugal. We surveyed the centre of Portugal in search of badger setts and compiled badger occurrence and road-kill data at a national level. We used generalized linear modelling (GLM) to examine which factors influence the badger sett sites and maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt) to analyse the drivers of badger occurrence and road mortality. Finally, we overlapped the three models to identify priority areas for badger conservation. Our results reveal a fragmented pattern of primary habitats for badgers. Surprisingly, when selecting the location of badger setts they seem to avoid densily forested areas and their occurrence is positively related to some amount of agricultural fields, sedimentary ground and open areas. Road mortality risk is high at highways with low sinuosity and close to open areas. Our results highlight the importance of the mantainance of natural Mediterranean forests, pastures and some agricultural lands. Priority should be given to risky areas in terms of reasearch (by validating the results with the estimation of road-kill rates) and of conservation (inclusion of crossing structures to minimize the number of road-kill events). Further research should be performed to determine whether the available primary habitat have an effect on populations viability over time.
Proteins and amino acids in bovine oviducal fluid.

Oviducal fluid is important in the reproductive process because of its key function in relation to fertilization and early development of the embryo. Hafez & Blandau (1969) reported an abundance of information concerning the fluid and its function in several species but only a limited amount of information is available on protein and amino acid concentration in bovine oviducal fluids. Olds & VanDemark (1957) published data on bovine fluids obtained by stripping slaughterhouse reproductive tracts. Fahning, Schultz & Graham (1967) collected uterine fluid from adult dairy
Role of Human-Computer Interaction Factors as Moderators of Occupational Stress and Work Exhaustion

Software professionals perform boundary-spanning activities, and thus need strong interpersonal, technical, and organizational knowledge to be professionally competent. They have to perform in a demanding work environment characterized by strict deadlines, differing time zones, interdependency in teams, increased interaction with clients, and extended work hours. These characteristics lead to occupational stress and work exhaustion. Yet, the impact of stress is felt in different ways by different people, even if they perform the same functions. These differences in the perception of stress can be caused by varying confidence in their technical capabilities. People possess varying technical capabilities, based on their acquisition of technical skills, comfort level in using the technology, and intrinsic motivation. These attributes represent the human-computer interaction (HCI) personality of software professionals. This article examines whether these HCI factors moderate the relationship between occupational stress and work exhaustion. Data were collected from software professionals located in Chennai and Bangalore in India. The data revealed that HCI factors had a main effect but no significant moderating effects on work exhaustion. The control over the technology variable emerged as the key variable among the HCI factors that affected software professionals' ability to cope with stress and work exhaustion.
Brief report: unintentional injury risk among children with sensory impairments.

OBJECTIVE Pediatric injuries result from a multifaceted process involving a range of individual, interpersonal, and environmental influences. One risk that remains poorly understood is the role of children's perception and perceptual disabilities. METHODS Injury counts (parent-report of injuries requiring professional medical treatment over the past year) in three groups of children were compared: those without vision or hearing sensory impairments, those with deficits who use eyeglasses or hearing aids, and those with deficits who do not use aids as recommended. A national sample of 7391 5-year-olds in the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study was studied. RESULTS Injury counts over the past year were higher among children with sensory impairments, and higher still among children with sensory impairments who did not use prescribed sensory aids. CONCLUSIONS Awareness of increased injury risk among children with hearing and vision impairment could help professionals protect children from injury.
Establishing movement heuristics for voluntary action: Electrophysiological correlates of movement-outcome learning and the sense of agency

Human behaviour is effect-oriented; we perform many different types of movements to obtain and respond to a variety of sensory consequences. In our everyday lives we have the experience of being in control of our movements and the sensory outcomes they elicit. This sense of agency, and the ability to initiate voluntary movements to obtain desired outcomes, originates from learning mechanisms that associate voluntary movements and sensory outcomes that often occur together. It is the anticipation of an outcome that allows for the selection of voluntary behaviour and the experience of control over movements and the outcomes they produce. Thus, movement heuristics that capture the predictive link between movement and outcome are necessary for voluntary behaviour and the sense of agency. Event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with outcome monitoring and evaluation, namely the feedback correct-related positivity (fCRP) and the P3, were examined in this thesis to investigate the cognitive processes mediating the formation of movement heuristics. To differentiate learning a movement heuristic from previous movement-outcome learning paradigms that establish a simple one-to-one association between movement and outcome, a novel movement-learning task was developed. The task was designed so that multiple movements could elicit the desired sensory outcome, but learning of a movement heuristic depended on principal aspects common across all movements. This task and movement-related control tasks to isolate the learning component were initially tested in healthy controls. The ERP results demonstrated that the formation of a movement heuristic is the result of joint cognitive processes. Performance monitoring processes mediating the fCRP indicated the degree of movement-goal coupling, and the P3 indexed the evaluation of novel sensory information with regard to the preceding movement. It was proposed that the unique roles of the basal ganglia and the anterior cingulate cortex in the plasticity and consolidation, respectively, of movement-related information provided a potential outcome monitoring and evaluation system necessary for learning movement heuristics. To elucidate whether dysfunction of basal ganglia signalling results in disruption of movement heuristic formation, and potentially altered outcome monitoring, a study was conducted with individuals with mild Parkinson’s disease (PD). In dopamine-medicated individuals with PD there was an overall enhancement in P3 amplitude. Additionally, the
Prophylactic versus no brain irradiation in regional small cell lung carcinoma

AMONG 104 COMPLETE RESPONDERS entered in a randomized prospective trial of treatments for regional small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the lung, 52 received prophylactic irradiation of the brain, 3,000 rad in 10 fractions, and 52 did not. The median survivals were 53 and 52 weeks respectively, and the incidences of brain metastases were 5% and 20%. Prophylactic brain irradiation was not associated with significant long-term toxicity.
Finding out more about teacher candidates' prior knowledge: implications for teacher educators

While it is recognised that prior knowledge is a key factor in determining future learning, its influence on learning to teach is less well known. This study investigates two cohorts of teacher candidates studying for a one-year, graduate qualification for primary teaching, who completed two tasks at entry to their initial teacher education programme: a task in writing and a task in mathematics. The tasks focused on teacher candidates' ability to recognise the key features of a piece of student work. The teacher candidates' responses to the tasks highlighted the diverse nature of the prior knowledge that underpinned their responses. The study raises questions about the pedagogy of initial teacher education, particularly in relation to the assumptions teachers educators make about the candidates they teach. The findings suggest that the prior knowledge that students bring to initial teacher education is both a resource and a challenge for teacher educators.
Probiotics, fibre and herbal medicinal products for functional and inflammatory bowel disorders

Functional bowel disorders (FBD), mainly irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation (FC, also called chronic idiopathic constipation), are very common worldwide. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, although less common, has a strong impact on patients' quality of life, as well as being highly expensive for our healthcare. A definite cure for those disorders is still yet to come. Over the years, several therapeutic approaches complementary or alternative to traditional pharmacological treatments, including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, fibre and herbal medicinal products, have been investigated for the management of both groups of diseases. However, most available studies are biased by several drawbacks, including small samples and poor methodological quality. Probiotics, in particular Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacilli (among which Lactobacillus rhamnosus), synbiotics, psyllium, and some herbal medicinal products, primarily peppermint oil, seem to be effective in ameliorating IBS symptoms. Synbiotics and fibre seem to be beneficial in FC patients. The probiotic combination VSL#3 may be effective in inducing remission in patients with mild‐to‐moderate ulcerative colitis, in whom Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 seems to be as effective as mesalamine in maintaining remission. No definite conclusions can be drawn as to the efficacy of fibre and herbal medicinal products in IBD patients due to the low number of studies and the lack of randomized controlled trials that replicate the results obtained in the individual studies conducted so far. Thus, further, well‐designed studies are needed to address the real role of these therapeutic options in the management of both FBD and IBD.
Molecular Imaging of the Paracrine Proangiogenic Effects of Progenitor Cell Therapy in Limb Ischemia

Background— Stem cells are thought to enhance vascular remodeling in ischemic tissue in part through paracrine effects. Using molecular imaging, we tested the hypothesis that treatment of limb ischemia with multipotential adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) promotes recovery of blood flow through the recruitment of proangiogenic monocytes. Methods and Results— Hind-limb ischemia was produced in mice by iliac artery ligation, and MAPCs were administered intramuscularly on day 1. Optical imaging of luciferase-transfected MAPCs indicated that cells survived for 1 week. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound on days 3, 7, and 21 showed a more complete recovery of blood flow and greater expansion of microvascular blood volume in MAPC-treated mice than in controls. Fluorescent microangiography demonstrated more complete distribution of flow to microvascular units in MAPC-treated mice. On ultrasound molecular imaging, expression of endothelial P-selectin and intravascular recruitment of CX3CR-1-positive monocytes were significantly higher in MAPC-treated mice than in the control groups at days 3 and 7 after arterial ligation. Muscle immunohistology showed a >10-fold-greater infiltration of monocytes in MAPC-treated than control-treated ischemic limbs at all time points. Intravital microscopy of ischemic or tumor necrosis factor-&agr;–treated cremaster muscle demonstrated that MAPCs migrate to perimicrovascular locations and potentiate selectin-dependent leukocyte rolling. In vitro migration of human CD14+ monocytes was 10-fold greater in response to MAPC-conditioned than basal media. Conclusions— In limb ischemia, MAPCs stimulate the recruitment of proangiogenic monocytes through endothelial activation and enhanced chemotaxis. These responses are sustained beyond the MAPC lifespan, suggesting that paracrine effects promote flow recovery by rebalancing the immune response toward a more regenerative phenotype.
Challenges in neck ultrasonography: lymphadenopathy and parathyroid glands.

OBJECTIVE To assess the performance of neck ultrasonography (US) in the detection of lymph node lesions metastatic from differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and the detection of parathyroid adenomas. METHODS Neck US was performed in 667 patients with DTC (173 men and 494 women; mean age, 47.7 years). In cases of suspicious neck nodes, US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) plus measurement of thyroglobulin in the needle washouts (FNAB-Tg) was done. In addition, 75 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) (15 men and 60 women; mean age, 56 years) underwent neck US and sestamibi scintiscanning for localization of parathyroid adenoma. For confirmation of US findings, US-FNAB plus measurement of parathyroid hormone in the needle washouts (FNAB-PTH) was performed. FNAB-PTH was also measured in 129 suspected parathyroid adenomas incidentally detected in a series of 4,129 patients undergoing neck US examination for thyroid disease. RESULTS The presence of DTC metastatic lesions was confirmed in 46 of 95 patients with suspicious neck nodes. US sensitivity and specificity were 82.1% and 91.2%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of US-FNAB + FNAB-Tg was 94.7%. In the 75 patients with pHPT, US followed by US-FNAB + FNAB-PTH showed a higher PPV (97.5%) in comparison with sestamibi scintiscanning (83.7%) in the detection of parathyroid adenoma. A parathyroid adenoma was also incidentally detected in 0.62% of the 4,129 patients undergoing neck US for thyroid disease. CONCLUSION US accurately detects DTC neck metastatic lesions and localizes parathyroid adenomas. Moreover, neck US may lead to discovery of parathyroid incidentalomas.
Negros y afromestizos en México: viejas y nuevas lecturas de un mundo olvidado

Although there has been very little research on black Mexican populations, recent years have seen an increase in this type of studies, which in turn has revealed a relatively unexplored field of study that is problematic in many respects. On the basis of the literature re- viewed to date, I propose dealing with the theo- retical and methodological issues concerning the double question: What place do Afro-Mexi- can studies occupy in the intellectual debate on black populations? How could this "social group" be analyzed?
Proactive Personality and Intent to Remain with an Organization: Understanding Factors Affecting Retention of Israeli Employees

This study examined the factors that affect retention of proactive employees. Data was collected from employees in Israel and the results supported the mediating effect of three factors—organizational commitment, perceived organizational support and managerial communication in the relationship between proactive personality and intent to remain with the organization. Implications for organizations and future research are discussed.
Anatomy and spatial organization of Müller glia in mouse retina

Müller glia, the most abundant glia of vertebrate retina, have an elaborate morphology characterized by a vertical stalk that spans the retina and branches in each retinal layer. Müller glia play diverse, critical roles in retinal homeostasis, which are presumably enabled by their complex anatomy. However, much remains unknown, particularly in mouse, about the anatomical arrangement of Müller cells and their arbors, and how these features arise in development. Here we use membrane‐targeted fluorescent proteins to reveal the fine structure of mouse Müller arbors. We find sublayer‐specific arbor specializations within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) that occur consistently at defined laminar locations. We then characterize Müller glia spatial patterning, revealing how individual cells collaborate to form a pan‐retinal network. Müller cells, unlike neurons, are spread across the retina with homogenous density, and their arbor sizes change little with eccentricity. Using Brainbow methods to label neighboring cells in different colors, we find that Müller glia tile retinal space with minimal overlap. The shape of their arbors is irregular but nonrandom, suggesting that local interactions between neighboring cells determine their territories. Finally, we identify a developmental window at postnatal Days 6 to 9 when Müller arbors first colonize the synaptic layers beginning in stereotyped inner plexiform layer sublaminae. Together, our study defines the anatomical arrangement of mouse Müller glia and their network in the radial and tangential planes of the retina, in development and adulthood. The local precision of Müller glia organization suggests that their morphology is sculpted by specific cell to cell interactions with neurons and each other.
A Methodology for Developing Computational Implementations of Scientific Theories

Computer programs have become a popular representation for scientific theories, particularly for implementing models or simulations of observed phenomena. Expressing a theory as an executable computer program provides many benefits, including: making all processes concrete, supporting the development of specific models, and hence enabling quantitative predictions to be derived from the theory. However, as implementations of scientific theories, these computer programs will be subject to change and modification. As programs change, their behaviour will also change, and ensuring continuity in the scientific value of the program is difficult. We propose a methodology for developing computer software implementing scientific theories. This methodology allows the developer to continuously change and extend their software, whilst alerting the developer to any changes in its scientific interpretation. We introduce tools for managing this development process, as well as for optimising the developed models.
High-Throughput Screening Assay for Sphingosine Kinase Inhibitors in Whole Blood Using RapidFire® Mass Spectrometry

To facilitate discovery of compounds modulating sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling, the authors used high-throughput mass spectrometry technology to measure S1P formation in human whole blood. Since blood contains endogenous sphingosine (SPH) and S1P, mass spectrometry was chosen to detect the conversion of an exogenously added 17-carbon-long variant of sphingosine, C17SPH, into C17S1P. The authors developed procedures to achieve homogeneous mixing of whole blood in 384-well plates and for a method requiring minimal manipulations to extract S1P from blood in 96- and 384-well plates prior to analyses using the RapidFire® mass spectrometry system.
Early Results of the Modified Simmonds-Menelaus Procedure for Adolescent Hallux Valgus

Adolescent hallux valgus is a common problem, and there is no agreement about the best surgical technique to use to correct this deformity. Excellent results have been reported with a distal soft tissue procedure and an associated osteotomy at the base of the first metatarsal. The current study reports the early results of using an incomplete osteotomy at the base of the first metatarsal. No hardware was used to fix the osteotomy, and the postoperative immobilization was shorter. The study included 20 feet in 11 female patients. All osteotomies healed primarily without complications. The average preoperative hallux valgus of 31.2° was reduced to 17.8° at a minimum of 2 years follow-up. The average intermetatarsal angle improved from 13.5° in the preoperative period to 11.3°. Using the duPont bunion rating score as an outcome assessment, the authors had 4 excellent and 16 good results.
Vital Pulp Therapy with Three Different Pulpotomy Agents in Immature Molars: A Case Report

Introduction This case report describes apexogenesis treatment of three molar teeth of an 8-year-old boy using three different pulpotomy agents. Methods Pulpotomy was performed on decayed immature molar teeth with established irreversible pulpitis and the remaining pulp was capped with either zinc oxide eugenol, ProRoot mineral trioxide aggregate or calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement. Teeth were restored with stainless steel crowns. Results Eighteen months clinical and radiographic follow-up revealed successful preservation of pulpal vitality with continued root development in all treated teeth. Conclusion Based on this case report, CEM cement may be an alternative option for pulpotomy treatment of immature permanent molars.
Unexpected Deposition Patterns of Recombinant Proteins in Post-Endoplasmic Reticulum Compartments of Wheat Endosperm1

Protein transport within cereal endosperm cells is complicated by the abundance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived and vacuolar protein bodies. For wheat storage proteins, two major transport routes run from the ER to the vacuole, one bypassing and one passing through the Golgi. Proteins traveling along each route converge at the vacuole and form aggregates. To determine the impact of this trafficking system on the fate of recombinant proteins expressed in wheat endosperm, we used confocal and electron microscopy to investigate the fate of three recombinant proteins containing different targeting information. KDEL-tagged recombinant human serum albumin, which is retrieved to the ER lumen in leaf cells, was deposited in prolamin aggregates within the vacuole of endosperm cells, most likely following the bulk of endogenous glutenins. Recombinant fungal phytase, a glycoprotein designed for secretion, was delivered to the same compartment, with no trace of the molecule in the apoplast. Glycan analysis revealed that this protein had passed through the Golgi. The localization of human serum albumin and phytase was compared to that of recombinant legumin, which contains structural targeting information directing it to the vacuole. Uniquely, legumin accumulated in the globulin inclusion bodies at the periphery of the prolamin bodies, suggesting a different mode of transport and/or aggregation. Our results demonstrate that recombinant proteins are deposited in an unexpected pattern within wheat endosperm cells, probably because of the unique storage properties of this tissue. Our data also confirm that recombinant proteins are invaluable tools for the analysis of protein trafficking in cereals.