Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classes of organic molecules targeted by a methanogenic microbial consortium grown on sedimentary rocks of various maturities

Organic-rich shales are populated by methanogenic consortia that are able to degrade the fossilized organic matter into methane gas. To identify the organic fraction effectively degraded, we have sequentially depleted two types of organic-rich sedimentary rocks, shale, and coal, at two different maturities, by successive solvent extractions to remove the most soluble fractions (maltenes and asphaltenes) and isolate kerogen. We show the ability of the consortia to produce methane from all rock samples, including those containing the most refractory organic matter, i.e., the kerogen. Shales yielded higher methane production than lignite and coal. Mature rocks yielded more methane than immature rocks. Surprisingly, the efficiency of the consortia was not influenced by the removal of the easily biodegradable fractions contained in the maltenes and asphaltenes. This suggests that one of the limitations of organic matter degradation in situ may be the accessibility to the carbon and energy source. Indeed, bitumen has a colloidal structure that may prevent the microbial consortia from reaching the asphaltenes in the bulk rock. Solvent extractions might favor the access to asphaltenes and kerogen by modifying the spatial organization of the molecules in the rock matrix.
Volar Locking Plate or External Fixation With Optional Addition of K-Wires for Dorsally Displaced Distal Radius Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objectives: To compare the outcomes after open reduction and fixation with a volar locking plate or external fixation with optional addition of K-wires in patients aged 50–74 years. Design: Randomized controlled trial according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials criteria. Setting: Single-center second-level trauma center in the capital of Sweden. Patients: One hundred forty patients presenting with a dorsally displaced distal radius fracture were randomized to fixation with a volar locking plate (n = 70) or external fixation with optional addition of K-wires (n = 70). Main Outcome Measurement: The primary outcome was the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) at 12 months. EuroQol-5D, radiography, and recordings of complications were performed at 2 and 6 weeks and at 3 and 12 months. Patients were investigated for DASH, the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation, range of motion, and grip strength at 3 and 12 months. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of DASH and Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation at 3 months and 1 year (P > 0.05). EuroQol-5D was lower during the first 6 weeks in the external fixation group (P < 0.05), but the difference was no longer significant at 3 months. Radiographic restoration of alignment was better for the volar locking plate group in terms of volar tilt and radial length. The range of motion was equal in both groups except for radial deviation, which was better in the volar locking plate group at 1-year follow-up. The total rate of complications was equal for both groups. Conclusions: Volar plating and external fixation with optional addition of K-wires are 2 equally suitable treatment options for dorsally displaced distal radius fractures after low-energy trauma in a population aged 50–74 years. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Integral representations and Liouville theorems for solutions of periodic elliptic equations

Abstract The paper contains integral representations for certain classes of exponentially growing solutions of second order periodic elliptic equations. These representations are the analogs of those previously obtained by S. Agmon, S. Helgason, and other authors for solutions of the Helmholtz equation. When one restricts the class of solutions further, requiring their growth to be polynomial, one arrives to Liouville type theorems, which describe the structure and dimension of the spaces of such solutions. The Liouville type theorems previously proved by M. Avellaneda and F. -H. Lin and J. Moser and M. Struwe for periodic second order elliptic equations in divergence form are significantly extended. Relations of these theorems with the analytic structure of the Fermi and Bloch surfaces are explained.
Future wood and fibre sources - case North Karelia in eastern Finland.

Information on the potential wood supply is important for the wood industry. In this study, the future development of growing stock, cutting potential and wood properties corresponding to the regional scenario of North Karelian Forest Programme 2006 –2010 was analysed. The simulations were performed by employing the Finnish MELA system together with the sample plot and tree data of the 9th Finnish National Forest Inventory (NFI9) as initial data for the simulations. Disc-based models for basic wood density, proportion of latewood and fibre length of Norway spruce and Scots pine in Sweden were calibrated and integrated into the MELA system. The wood properties at breast height of both harvested and standing trees were analysed in different strata (age, site type and cutting method) during the scenario period of 50 years (2002 –2052). The average wood properties within the same strata varied only slightly over time. However, the results for different strata differed considerably. In general, wood density, fibre length and proportion of latewood increased, on average, as a function of tree age and along with a decrease in site fertility (excl. wood density and proportion of latewood in harvested Norway spruce in the first case and fibre length in the latter case for both species). For trees less than 80 years, properties in harvested trees were equal to or slightly greater than those of standing trees. The values for clear-cuttings were greater or equal to those of thinnings (excl. wood density and proportion of latewood in Norway spruce). The study demonstrates the value of model-based analyses utilising NFI tree measurements in regions that are considered to be sources of raw material.
What should chris say? The ability of children with specific language impairment to recognize the need to dissemble emotions in social situations.

PURPOSE In this study, the authors examined the ability of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and their typical peers to judge when an experienced emotion should be dissembled (hidden) in accord with social display rules. METHOD Participants included 19 children with SLI and19 children with typical language skills, both groups ranging in age from 7;9 (years;months) to 10;10, with a mean age of 9;1. Children were presented with 10 hypothetical social situations in which a character, Chris, experienced an emotion that should be dissembled for social purposes. The participants' responses were categorized as to whether or not they dissembled or displayed the emotion. RESULTS Although the task was difficult for many participants, children with SLI indicated that the experienced emotion should be dissembled significantly less often than did their typical peers. Children in the 2 groups did not significantly differ in their judgments of the social display rules governing these situations. CONCLUSION These results suggested that the children with SLI did not understand the impact of displaying emotion on relationships in the same way as did their typical peers. In this respect, they seemed to lag behind the typical children in their developing emotion knowledge.
Dyadic Playfulness Differences Between Sexual and Marital Therapy Couples

Thirty-three clinical couples (17 sex therapy and 16 marital therapy) and fifty non-clinical couples were examined for potential differences in relationship playfulness utilizing the Couples Play Questionnaire. For clinical couples, Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Edmond's Marital Conventionalization Scale scores were also comparcd. Both sex therapy and marital therapy couples were found to be deficient in play compared to non-clinical couples, while marital therapy couples were found to be most deficient. Greater marital conventionalization scores were found for sex therapy couples suggesting that they favorably distort their self-assessmcnts. Results suggest that sex therapy couples may be the more inflexible of the three sample groups and may need therapeutic assistance with general relationship play as well as sexual play.
Dermoscopic hemorrhagic dots: an early predictor of response of psoriasis to biologic agents

Background Biologic agents are routinely used in the treatment of severe psoriasis. The evaluation of treatment response is mainly based on the physician’s global clinical assessment. Objective To investigate whether dermoscopy might enhance the assessment of response of psoriasis to treatment with biologic agents. Methods Patients with severe psoriasis scheduled to receive a biologic agent were enrolled in the study. A target lesion from each patient was clinically and dermoscopically documented at baseline and after one, two and six months. The clinical response was evaluated by the recruiting clinicians at all visits, while dermoscopic images were evaluated by two independent investigators, blinded to the clinical information. Chi Square test was used for cross-tabulation comparisons, while odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals and p values were calculated using univariate logistic regression. Results Overall, there was a significant correlation between clinical response and vessel distribution at all time points: a regular vessel distribution correlated with no response, a clustered distribution with partial response, and the dermoscopic absence of vessels with complete response. The presence of dermoscopic hemorrhagic dots was a potent predictor of favorable clinical response at the subsequent visit at all time points. Among lesions initially clinically responding and later recurring, 87.5% displayed dermoscopic dotted vessels despite the macroscopic remission. Conclusion Dermoscopy might be a useful additional tool for evaluating the response of psoriatic patients to biologic agents. Hemorrhagic dots represent an early predictor of clinical response, while the persistence or reappearance of dotted vessels might predict clinical persistence or recurrence, respectively.
Health and Function of Older Persons Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity

The purpose of this mixed method research study was to describe the health and functioning of a group of 40 older persons volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. We used qualitative interviews, participant observation, the updated version of the Short-Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12v2TM), and health items on a questionnaire to explore health and functioning of older adult volunteers ages 57 to 88. The older participants were not physically healthier, but were mentally healthier than their community dwelling counterparts. Major health and functioning themes identified were: I’m still healthy; Adjusting to limitations; Everyone contributes; and Working hard. Participants discussed accommodations for age-related changes but performed a wide variety of tasks necessary to build a house. Implications are that older persons can provide valuable services beyond “traditional” volunteering activities and should be recruited and supported in these activities.
Anomalous centrality variation of minijet angular correlations in Au–Au collisions at 62 and 200 GeV from STAR

We have measured 2D autocorrelations for all charged hadrons in STAR with p t > 0.15 GeV/c and |η| < 1 from Au+Au collisions at 62 and 200 GeV. The correlation structure is dominated by a peak centered at zero relative opening angles on η and Φ which we hypothesize is caused by minimum-bias jets (minijets). We observe a large excess of minijet correlations in more-central Au-Au collisions relative to binary-collision scaling (more correlated pairs than expected from surface emission or even volume emission). We also observe a sudden increase of the minijet peak amplitude and η width relative to binary-collision scaling of scattered partons which occurs at an energy-dependent centrality point. There is a possible scaling of the transition point with transverse particle density. The large minijet correlations bring into question the degree of thermalization in RHIC collisions.
The role of hyperglycemia in acute stroke.

BACKGROUND Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and long-term disability, and hyperglycemia is believed to aggravate cerebral ischemia. OBJECTIVES To review animal and human studies on the relationship between hyperglycemia and brain ischemia that elucidate some of the mechanisms for the deleterious effect of hyperglycemia. To discuss present and future clinical recommendations for glucose control. METHODS Computerized data sources and published indexes and articles from 1976 through 2000 were searched for human studies that evaluated the association between stroke and hyperglycemia, and studies focused on experimental models of hyperglycemic animals with focal and global brain ischemia. RESULTS Most human studies have shown that in acute stroke, admission hyperglycemia in patients with or without diabetes is associated with a worse clinical outcome than in patients without hyperglycemia. This association is more consistent in the nonlacunar type of stroke. Animal studies support these findings by showing both in global and in focal postischemic models that hyperglycemia exaggerates the following damaging processes: intracellular acidosis, accumulation of extracellular glutamate, brain edema formation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and tendency for hemorrhagic transformation. Insulin treatment of hyperglycemic animals was found to have a beneficial effect in focal and global brain ischemia, which may be mediated by the glucose-reduction effect or by a direct neuroprotection. CONCLUSIONS Most studies show the deleterious effect of early hyperglycemia, especially in patients with nonlacunar focal or global ischemia. Clinical trials of intensive insulin treatment are needed. Meanwhile simple measures to avoid excessive hyperglycemia are recommended.
Involvement of Raft-Like Plasma Membrane Domains of Entamoeba histolytica in Pinocytosis and Adhesion

ABSTRACT Lipid rafts are highly ordered, cholesterol-rich, and detergent-resistant microdomains found in the plasma membrane of many eukaryotic cells. These domains play important roles in endocytosis, secretion, and adhesion in a variety of cell types. The parasitic protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, was determined to have raft-like plasma membrane domains by use of fluorescent lipid analogs that specifically partition into raft and nonraft regions of the membrane. Disruption of raft-like membrane domains in Entamoeba with the cholesterol-binding agents filipin and methyl-β-cyclodextrin resulted in the inhibition of several important virulence functions, fluid-phase pinocytosis, and adhesion to host cell monolayers. However, disruption of raft-like domains did not inhibit constitutive secretion of cysteine proteases, another important virulence function of Entamoeba. Flotation of the cold Triton X-100-insoluble portion of membranes on sucrose gradients revealed that the heavy, intermediate, and light subunits of the galactose-N-acetylgalactosamine-inhibitible lectin, an important cell surface adhesion molecule of Entamoeba, were enriched in cholesterol-rich (raft-like) fractions, whereas EhCP5, another cell surface molecule, was not enriched in these fractions. The subunits of the lectin were also observed in high-density, actin-rich fractions of the sucrose gradient. Together, these data suggest that pinocytosis and adhesion are raft-dependent functions in this pathogen. This is the first report describing the existence and physiological relevance of raft-like membrane domains in E. histolytica.
Insulin Treatment May Alter Fatty Acid Carriers in Placentas from Gestational Diabetes Subjects

There is little information available on the effect of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treatment (diet or insulin) on placental lipid carriers, which may influence fetal fat accretion. Insulin may activate placental insulin receptors protein kinase (AKT) and extracellular signal regulated kinase ERK mediators, which might affect lipid metabolism. Placenta was collected from 25 control women, 23 GDM-Diet and 20 GDM-Insulin. Western blotting of insulin signaling mediators and lipid carriers was performed. The human choricarcinoma-derived cell line BeWo was preincubated with insulin inhibitors protein kinase (AKT) and extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and ERK inhibitors to evaluate insulin regulation of lipid carriers. Maternal serum insulin at recruitment correlated to ultrasound fetal abdominal circumference in offspring of GDM and placental endothelial lipase (EL). Lipoprotein lipase in placenta was significantly reduced in both GDM, while most of the other lipid carriers tended to higher values, although not significantly. There was a significant increase in both phosphorylated-Akt and ERK in placentas from GDM-Insulin patients; both were associated to placental fatty acid translocase (FAT), fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP), and EL. BeWo cells treated with insulin pathway inhibitors significantly reduced A-FABP, fatty acid transport protein (FATP-1), and EL levels, confirming the role of insulin on these carriers. We conclude that insulin promotes the phosphorylation of placental insulin mediators contributing to higher levels of some specific fatty acid carriers in the placenta and fetal adiposity in GDM.
Routine same-day discharge after acute or interval appendectomy in children: a prospective study.

HYPOTHESIS The outcomes of and parental satisfaction with same-day discharge in children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy warrant making it the usual and customary pathway. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS Between July 1, 2010, and March 30, 2011, a total of 207 children were considered for same-day discharge after acute or interval laparoscopic appendectomy. The all-in-one single-incision single-instrument technique was used in 95.7% of children. INTERVENTIONS Same-day discharge vs overnight admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Operative details, postoperative length of stay, adverse events, and parental satisfaction. RESULTS Of 207 consecutive children undergoing acute (n = 186) or interval (n = 21) appendectomy, 162 (78.3%) were discharged on the day of surgery. The remaining 45 children were admitted overnight because the hour was too late for discharge in 35 (77.8%), medical indications dictated admission in 5 (11.1%), and social reasons required admission in 5 (11.1%). In all the children, oral medication alone was used for postoperative pain. The complication rates were similar in the same-day discharge group (8.0%) and in the admitted group (6.6%), as were the rates of urgent postoperative visits (7.4% vs 4.4%%) and the readmission rates (2.5% vs 2.2%) (P > .05 for all). The same-day discharge group had a reduced postoperative length of stay compared with the admitted group (mean, 5 vs 16 hours, P < .05). At the time of discharge, most parents (87.0%) stated they were happy with the expeditious discharge, whereas 8.0% indicated they felt nervous but were ultimately satisfied. In retrospect, 8 of 162 parents (4.9%) were not sure early discharge was best, but only 1 parent would insist on admission if faced with the situation again. CONCLUSION Routine same-day discharge after pediatric appendectomy seems safe, with good parental satisfaction.
Predicting the Usage of P2P Sharing Software: The Role of Trust and Perceived Risk

Peer-to-Peer, or P2P sharing has gone through fast growth in recent years and drawn the interests of Information Systems (IS) researchers. However, there is a lack of empirical study on the individual's behavior of using P2P sharing software. Given the current existence of various uncertainties in P2P sharing, it is crucial to understand the factors that affect individual's usage of P2P sharing software. In this paper, we develop and empirically test a usage intention model which includes trust in the vendor of P2P sharing software and perceived risk as two major antecedent beliefs to the usage intention. Several trust antecedents are also identified in the model. Our preliminary results show the support for the model, and offer some important implications for software vendors in P2P sharing industry and regulatory bodies.
Long-term nose-only cigarette smoke exposure induces emphysema and mild skeletal muscle dysfunction in mice

SUMMARY Mouse models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) focus on airway inflammation and lung histology, but their use has been hampered by the lack of pulmonary function data in their assessment. Systemic effects such as muscle dysfunction are also poorly modeled in emphysematous mice. We aimed to develop a cigarette-smoke-induced emphysema mouse model in which serial lung function and muscular dysfunction could be assessed, allowing the disease to be monitored more appropriately. C57Bl6 mice were nose-only exposed to cigarette smoke or filtered air for 3–6 months. Lung function tests were repeated in the same mice after 3 and 6 months of cigarette smoke or air exposure and compared with lung histological changes. Contractile properties of skeletal muscles and muscle histology were also determined at similar time points in separate groups of mice. Serial lung function measurements documented hyperinflation after 3 and 6 months of cigarette smoke exposure, with a significant 31–37% increase in total lung capacity (TLC) and a significant 26–35% increase in compliance (Cchord) when compared with animals exposed to filtered air only (P<0.001 after 3 and after 6 months). These functional changes preceded the changes in mean linear intercept, which became only significant after 6 months of cigarette smoke exposure and which correlated very well with TLC (r=0.74, P=0.004) and Cchord (r=0.79, P=0.001). After 6 months of cigarette smoke exposure, a significant fiber-type shift from IIa to IIx/b was also observed in the soleus muscle (P<0.05), whereas a 20% reduction of force was present at high stimulation frequencies (80 Hz; P=0.09). The extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle was not affected by cigarette smoke exposure. These serial pulmonary function variables are sensitive outcomes to detect emphysema progression in a nose-only cigarette-smoke-exposed animal model of COPD. In this model, muscular changes became apparent only after 6 months, particularly in muscles with a mixed fiber-type composition.
Managing the Risk of Life

This study analyzes the role of individual’s and spouse’s survival expectations and knowledge about Social Security rules on the expected Social Security claiming age, taking into account the various incentives single and married individuals face. There is substantial heterogeneity in the level of knowledge about SS rules according to demographic characteristics. We find that single men and women who expect to be long-lived plan on delaying Social Security claiming. When we allow for differential effects of survival on knowledge about Social Security rules, subjective survivals matter only for single women who are knowledgeable. For single men, knowledge is not so important in their decisions. The claiming decision of married individuals is more complicated, because they are entitled to spouse’s and survivor’s benefits. Consistent with the incentives provided by Social Security rules, we find that married men base their expected claiming age on their spouse’s survival expectations but not on their own survival. For married women, both own and spouse’s subjective survivals positively influence the timing of claiming. Knowledge about Social Security rules affects the expected claiming age of both married men and women.