Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate on remineralization of artificial caries-like lesions: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy of CPP-ACP containing Tooth Mousse on the remineralization of enamel lesions and to compare its efficacy to that of a fluoride-containing toothpaste. METHODS Permanent teeth were placed in demineralizing solution for 96 hours to produce artificial caries-like lesions 120-200 microm in depth. They were sectioned into 100-150 microm thick samples and randomly assigned to five groups: for Group A, a fluoridated toothpaste (1100 ppm) was used as a positive control and in Group B, a non-fluoridated toothpaste was used as a negative control. Tooth Mousse containing CPP-ACP was tested by three different means: as a toothpaste (Group C); as a topical coating (Group D); and (Group E) as a topical coating after treating the sections with the same fluoridated toothpaste as in Group A. RESULTS The lesion depth decreased significantly by 7 per cent in Group A, 10.1 per cent in Groups C and D, and 13.1 per cent in Group E (Paired t- test, p < 0.05), while in Group B the lesion depth increased significantly by 23 per cent. CONCLUSIONS Based on the data obtained, CPP-ACP containing Tooth Mousse remineralized initial enamel lesions and it showed a higher remineralizing potential when applied as a topical coating after the use of a fluoridated toothpaste.
Stabilization in a chemostat with sampled and delayed measurements

We study chemostat models with constant substrate input concentrations. We allow growth functions that are not necessarily monotone. The measurement is the substrate concentration, which is piecewise constant with a nonconstant delay, so only sampled observations are available. Under new conditions on the size of the delay and on the largest sampling interval, we solve the problem of asymptotically stabilizing a componentwise positive equilibrium point with the dilution rate as the control. We use a new Lyapunov approach.
Complexity-optimized low-density parity-check codes for gallager decoding algorithm B

The complexity-rate tradeoff for error-correcting codes below the Shannon limit is a central question in coding theory. This paper makes progress in this area by presenting a joint numerical optimization of rate and decoding complexity for low-density parity-check codes. The focus of this paper is on the binary symmetric channel and on a class of decoding algorithms for which an exact extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) chart analysis is possible. This class of decoding algorithms includes the Gallager decoding algorithm B. The main feature of the optimization method is a complexity measure based on the EXIT chart that accurately estimates the number of iterations required for the decoding algorithm to reach a target error rate. Under a fixed check-degree distribution, it is shown that the proposed complexity measure is a convex function of the variable-degree distribution in a region of interest. This allows us to numerically characterize the complexity-rate tradeoff. We show that for the Gallager B decoding algorithm on binary symmetric channels, the optimization procedure can produce complexity savings of 30-40% as compared to the conventional code design method
Prevalence of Acute Vasoresponsiveness in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension: Treatment Implications

Objective: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious and often progressive disorder that results in right ventricular dysfunction. The general reported rate of patients who are responders is 10%–26%. More recently, using the current criteria, the rate of acute vasodilator response was as low as 6%. This study used the most current guidelines to assess the prevalence of acute vasoresponsiveness in patients with PH. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 618 patients seen in the PH clinic at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville from 1991 to June 2008 was conducted. We assessed the prevalence of acute vasoresponsiveness in patients with PH who had undergone vasodilator trial with epoprostenol or nitric oxide, using the current accepted criteria. Results: One hundred and seventy-six patients who underwent a vasodilator trial that had complete hemodynamic data were identified. The average age was 61 ± 14 years and most were women (67%). The PH was severe with most patients in the World Health Organization (WHO) functional class III-IV (82%), and an average mean pulmonary artery pressure of 48 ± 11 mm Hg. Although the study group included all WHO diagnostic groups, 69% were diagnosed as Group I pulmonary arterial hypertension. We found an overall prevalence of response to acute vasodilator therapy to be 26%. Conclusion: Using the most current criteria to identify acute responders to vasodilator therapy in PH patients, we found a slightly higher rate of “responders” than previously reported. Acute vasodilator testing identifies a clinically important group who may benefit from calcium channel blockers (CCBs), and this study confirms that a significant percentage of PH patients are acutely vasoresponsive.
BOYS AND GIRLS AND THE COSTS OF GENDERED BEHAVIOUR

Eva Cox was a founder member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby, and has been Convenor of the Women’s Economic Thinktank since 1989. A sociologist, lecturer, and previously Director of the NSW Council of Social Service, she is a frequent commentator on social policy areas, and delivered the 1995 Boyer Lectures. Her book Leading Women (Random House, 1996) further explores issues raised in this paper. She is Head of the Department of Social, Political and Historical Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
Regulation of opioid receptors by opioid antagonists: implications for rapid opioid detoxification

Opioid receptor antagonists have long been used in the diagnosis of opioid dependence and in the treatment of both opioid overdose and addiction. More recently they have been used in rapid opioid detoxification, a technique which has generated much ethical and scientific controversy. Because of this, the present review aims to integrate and summarize the current state of knowledge on adaptational changes to opioid systems as a result of antagonist administration. It is generally accepted that chronic treatment with an opioid antagonist results in opioid receptor upregulation. However, the mechanism(s) underlying this resultant opioid supersensitivity remain unresolved. In addition, there is not yet consensus regarding whether changes in opioid receptor number are directly responsible for the functional changes observed after chronic opioid antagonist treatment. Moreover, changes in opioid receptor number and sensitivity to opioid agonists and antagonists after chronic opioid antagonist treatment are dependent on dosing regimes as well as the kinetic properties of the antagonist itself. The role of these variables is appraised critically given the implication that an opioid antagonist can enhance functional responses. For example, such responses are an important consideration in the use of opioids because of possible adverse outcomes, such as overdose, after cessation of administration. Based on the literature discussed in this review it is concluded that caution is essential in the use of opioid antagonists for rapid opioid detoxification.
Regulation of eNOS Expression in Brain Endothelial Cells by Perinuclear EP3 Receptors

We reported upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by PGE2 in tissues and presence of perinuclear PGE2 receptors (EP). We presently studied mechanisms by which PGE2 induces eNOS expression in cerebral microvessel endothelial cells (ECs). 16,16-Dimethyl PGE2 and selective EP3 receptor agonist M&B28767 increased eNOS expression in ECs and the NO-dependent vasorelaxant responses induced by substance P on cerebral microvessels. These effects could be prevented by prostaglandin transporter blocker bromcresol green and actinomycin D. EP3 immunoreactivity was confirmed on plasma and perinuclear membrane of ECs. M&B28767 increased eNOS RNA expression in EC nuclei, and this effect was augmented by overexpression of EP3 receptors. M&B28767 also induced increased phosphorylation of Erk-1/2 and Akt, as well as changes in membrane potential revealed by the potentiometric fluorescent dye RH421, which were prevented by iberiotoxin; perinuclear KCa channels were detected, and their functionality corroborated by NS1619-induced Ca2+ signals and nuclear membrane potential changes. Moreover, pertussis toxin, Ca2+ chelator, and channel blockers EGTA, BAPTA, and SK&F96365, as well as KCa channel blocker iberiotoxin, protein-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and PD 98059, and NF-&kgr;B inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate prevented M&B28767-induced increase in Ca2+ transients and/or eNOS expression in EC nuclei. We describe for the first time that PGE2 through its access into cell by prostaglandin transporters induces eNOS expression by activating perinuclear EP3 receptors coupled to pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, a process that depends on nuclear envelope KCa channels, protein kinases, and NF-&kgr;B; the roles for nuclear EP3 receptors seem different from those on plasma membrane.
Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Cardiac Function and Coronary Blood Flow

Open heart surgery is commonly performed for coronary artery disease and valvular diseases worldwide. Certain postoperative complications, such as atrial arrhythmias, delirium, renal injury and persistent incisional pain remain common and hinder recovery and have enormous cost implications. The etiologies of these complications are linked with the inflammatory response associated with surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. There is increasing evidence that, dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used for conscious sedation, may reduce the risk of these events due to its favorable pharmacologic effects on the heart and anti-inflammatory properties. This paper addresses the pertinent pharmacologic effects of dexmedetomidine on cardiac physiology and the current evidence for use of perioperative dexmedetomidine to prevent postoperative complications after cardiac surgery.
Arabidopsis SDIR1 Enhances Drought Tolerance in Crop Plants

Arabidopsis E3 ligase salt- and drought-induced RING-finger 1 (SDIR1) has been found to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-related stress signaling. SDIR1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibit improved tolerance to drought. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and rice (Oryza sativa) are two important agronomic crop plants. To determine whether SDIR1 enhances drought resistance in crop plants, SDIR1 transgenic tobacco and rice plants were generated. Ectopic expression of SDIR1 in both plants conferred improved drought tolerance ability. These results suggest that SDIR1 can function as a drought-tolerance gene in both dicotyledons and monocotyledons, and that it can serve as a drought-tolerance engineering candidate gene in crop plants.
Advanced Techniques for Face Recognition under Challenging Environments

Automatically recognizing faces captured under uncontrolled environments has always been a challenging topic in the past decades. In this work, we investigate cohort score normalization that has been widely used in biometric verification as means to improve the robustness of face recognition under challenging environments. In particular, we introduce cohort score normalization into undersampled face recognition problem. Further, we develop an effective cohort normalization method specifically for the unconstrained face pair matching problem. Extensive experiments conducted on several well known face databases demonstrate the effectiveness of cohort normalization on these challenging scenarios. In addition, to give a proper understanding of cohort behavior, we study the impact of the number and quality of cohort samples on the normalization performance. The experimental results show that bigger cohort set size gives more stable and often better results to a point before the performance saturates. And cohort samples with different quality indeed produce different cohort normalization performance. Recognizing faces gone after alterations is another challenging problem for current face recognition algorithms. Face image alterations can be roughly classified into two categories: unintentional (e.g., geometrics transformations introduced by the acquisition devide) and intentional alterations (e.g., plastic surgery). We study the impact of these alterations on face recognition accuracy. Our results show that state-of-the-art algorithms are able to overcome limited digital alterations but are sensitive to more relevant modifications. Further, we develop two useful descriptors for detecting those alterations which can significantly affect the recognition performance. In the end, we propose to use the Structural Similarity (SSIM) quality map to detect and model variations due to plastic surgeries. Extensive experiments conducted on a plastic surgery face database demonstrate the potential of SSIM map for matching face images after surgeries.
Opportunities and barriers for successful return to work after acquired brain injury: A patient perspective

BACKGROUND: Many people who suffer an acquired brain injury (ABI) are of working age. There are benefits, for the patient, the workplace, and society, to finding factors that facilitate successful return to work (RTW). OBJECTIVE: The aim was to increase knowledge of opportunities and barriers for a successful RTW in patients with ABI. METHOD: Five men and five women with ABI participated. All had successfully returned to work at least 20 hours a week. Their experiences were gathered by semi-structured interviews, which were subsequently subjected to qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three themes that influenced RTW were identified: individually adapted rehabilitation; motivation for RTW; and cognitive and social abilities. An individually adapted rehabilitation was judged important because the patients were involved in their own rehabilitation and required individually adapted support from rehabilitation specialists, employers, and colleagues. A moderate level of motivation for RTW was needed. Awareness of the person’s cognitive and social abilities is essential, in finding compensatory strategies and adaptations. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the vocational rehabilitation process is a balancing act in individualized planning and support, as a partnership with the employer needs to be developed, motivation needs to be generated, and awareness built of abilities that facilitate or hinder RTW.
Upper and Lower Extremity Motor Performance and Functional Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease

This report examines the relation of upper and lower extremity motor performance to functional impairment among 371 persons with probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Cognitive and motor performance tests were administered at 6-month intervals for up to 4 years. Motor performance was assessed using 3 lower extremity tests and 2 upper extremity tests. Functional impairment was measured at 3-month intervals using caregiver ratings of impairments in activities of daily living, mobility, and range of motion. Both lower and upper extremity performance were inversely related to functional impairments on all 3 scales (all Ps < .001), after controlling for age, sex, and level of cognitive impairment. This suggests that motor performance contributes to functional impairments in AD, independent of cognitive impairment. It is important to preserve motor performance in individuals with AD because it influences physical function throughout the course of the disease.
The Impact of Immigration on Occupational Wages: Evidence from Britain

This paper asks whether immigration to Britain has had any impact on average wages. There seems to be a broad consensus among academics that the share of immigrants in the workforce has little or no effect on the pay rates of the indigenous population. But the studies in the literature have typically not refined their analysis by breaking it down into different occupational groups. In this paper we find that once the occupational breakdown is incorporated into a regional analysis of immigration in Britain, the immigrant-native ratio has a significant, small, negative impact on average wages. Closer examination reveals that the biggest impact is in the semi/unskilled services sector. This finding accords well with intuition and anecdote, but does not seem to have been recorded previously in the empirical literature.
Extracellular Matrix Promotes Highly Efficient Cardiac Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Matrix Sandwich Method

Rationale: Cardiomyocytes (CMs) differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are increasingly being used for cardiovascular research, including disease modeling, and hold promise for clinical applications. Current cardiac differentiation protocols exhibit variable success across different PSC lines and are primarily based on the application of growth factors. However, extracellular matrix is also fundamentally involved in cardiac development from the earliest morphogenetic events, such as gastrulation. Objective: We sought to develop a more effective protocol for cardiac differentiation of human PSCs by using extracellular matrix in combination with growth factors known to promote cardiogenesis. Methods and Results: PSCs were cultured as monolayers on Matrigel, an extracellular matrix preparation, and subsequently overlayed with Matrigel. The matrix sandwich promoted an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition as in gastrulation with the generation of N-cadherin-positive mesenchymal cells. Combining the matrix sandwich with sequential application of growth factors (Activin A, bone morphogenetic protein 4, and basic fibroblast growth factor) generated CMs with high purity (up to 98%) and yield (up to 11 CMs/input PSC) from multiple PSC lines. The resulting CMs progressively matured over 30 days in culture based on myofilament expression pattern and mitotic activity. Action potentials typical of embryonic nodal, atrial, and ventricular CMs were observed, and monolayers of electrically coupled CMs modeled cardiac tissue and basic arrhythmia mechanisms. Conclusions: Dynamic extracellular matrix application promoted epithelial–mesenchymal transition of human PSCs and complemented growth factor signaling to enable robust cardiac differentiation.
Role of Sexual Self-Disclosure in the Sexual Satisfaction of Long-Term Heterosexual Couples

This study examined two proposed pathways between sexual self-disclosure (SSD) and sexual satisfaction in a sample of 104 heterosexual couples in long-term relationships. According to the proposed instrumental pathway, disclosure of sexual preferences increases a partner's understanding of those preferences resulting in a sexual script that is more rewarding and less costly. A more favorable balance of sexual rewards to sexual costs, in turn, results in greater sexual satisfaction for the disclosing individual. According to the proposed expressive pathway, mutual self-disclosure contributes to relationship satisfaction, which in turn leads to greater sexual satisfaction. Support was found for the instrumental pathway for both men and women. Support also was found for an expressive pathway between own SSD and partner nonsexual self-disclosure (NSD) and men's sexual satisfaction, and between own NSD and women's sexual satisfaction. These results are interpreted in terms of mechanisms for establishing and maintaining sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships in men and women.
A Little Bird Told Me So...:the Emotional, Attributional, Relational And Team-Level Outcomes Of Engaging In Gossip

In this paper, I examine the consequences, both positive and negative, of initiating and participating in gossip in work-related contexts. While a commonly held perspective is that gossip is harmful in that it hurts relational interactions by encouraging coalition-building and engendering divisiveness, an alternative hypothesis is that gossip's emotional attributes, can also help to foster stronger relationships and help individuals navigate complex environments. Specifically, I explore the influence of gossip at multiple levels of analysis: individual, dyadic and group. In Study 1, a laboratory experiment that looks at the short-term benefits of engaging in gossip (versus two control conditions, self-disclosure and task discussion), I find that individuals who engage in gossip experience higher positive emotions, energy and motivation but lower levels of state self-esteem. These gossiping dyads also experience dyadic benefits of relationship closeness and cooperation. Study 2 explored both the reputational and team-level outcomes of gossip. This study showed that team members who engaged in gossip were seen as being less trustworthy. Furthermore, gossip centrality had an inverted Ushaped curvilinear relationship with perceptions of competence. Study 2 showed that gossip about team members negatively influenced team outcomes such as psychological safety, cooperation and viability and increased team-level perceptions of politics while gossip about individuals outside the team has a positive effect on these outcomes, enhancing levels of team cooperation and decreasing perceptions of politics at the team-level. More detailed mediation analyses showed that team process variables, psychological safety and perceptions of politics measured halfway through the course of the team, mediated the negative relationship between intra-team gossip density and team cooperation and team viability measured at the end of the team's lifecycle. In terms of the relationship between extra-team gossip density and team cooperation, it was mediated by decreased team perceptions of politics. This research contributes to the emerging field of inquiry on gossip by providing a comprehensive model of the consequences of gossip at three different levels of analysis as well as a strong empirical test of the effect of gossip on organizationally-relevant outcomes. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Management First Advisor Sigal G. Barsade
Asymmetric Behavioral Effects of Informal Sanction and Reward on Cooperation in an Experimental Public Good Game

This study reports data from a laboratory experiment that investigates the effects of nonmonetary sanctions and rewards on cooperation in a standard public good game. We use performance based disapproval and approval ratings for nonmonetary sanction and reward, respectively. The treatments vary in terms of subjects' opportunities to assign (1) only the approval ratings to other group members, (2) only the disapproval ratings to other group members, and (3) either the approval or the disapproval ratings (but not both) to other group members, after they play a public good game. Since these ratings are costless, payoff irrelevant, and are assigned anonymously, the Nash prediction for all the games is still the zero individual contribution. The results show, however, that the contributions are significantly higher in all the treatments relative to the baseline treatment where no such rating exists. However, the approval ratings generate significantly lower contributions than that of the disapproval ratings. The treatment in which subjects could assign either the approval or the disapproval ratings produces the highest level of contributions. We conclude that the induced approval and disapproval ratings have asymmetric behavioral effects on cooperation. We discuss the implications that these findings may have for design of efficient institutions.