Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essential oil from the leaves of Xylopia langsdorfiana (Annonaceae) as a possible spasmolytic agent

Xylopia langsdorfiana A. St.-Hil. &Tul. (Annonaceae) is popularly known in the northeast of Brazil as ‘pimenteira da terra’, and an essential oil (XL-OE) was extracted from its leaves. Since Xylopia species are cited in folk medicine and diterpenes from X. langsdorfiana have spasmolytic activity, this study aimed to investigate a possible spasmolytic action of XL-OE on smooth muscle models. XL-OE (243 and 729 μg/mL) showed low pharmacologic efficacy on guinea pig trachea and rat aorta and uterus. However, in guinea pig ileum, XL-OE (27–729 μg/mL) inhibited carbachol or histamine-induced phasic contractions (1 μM) in a significant and concentration-dependent manner. In addition, XL-OE (81 μg/mL) reduced fluorescence intensity in ileal myocytes stimulated by histamine, indicating a decrease in cytosolic calcium concentration, which could explain the spasmolytic activity. Thus, XL-OE proved to be a promising natural product to be used in gastrointestinal diseases acting by modulating the cytosolic calcium concentration.
CleanOS: Limiting Mobile Data Exposure with Idle Eviction

Mobile-device theft and loss have reached gigantic proportions. Despite these threats, today's mobile devices are saturated with sensitive information due to operating systems that never securely erase data and applications that hoard it on the vulnerable device for performance or convenience. This paper presents CleanOS, a new Android-based operating system that manages sensitive data rigorously and maintains a clean environment at all times. To do so, CleanOS leverages a key property of today's mobile applications - the use of trusted, cloud-based services. Specifically, CleanOS identifies and tracks sensitive data in RAM and on stable storage, encrypts it with a key, and evicts that key to the cloud when the data is not in active use on the device. We call this process idle eviction of sensitive data. To implement CleanOS, we used the TaintDroid mobile taint-tracking system to identify sensitive data locations and instrumented Android's Dalvik interpreter to securely evict that data after a specified period of non-use. Our experimental results show that CleanOS limits sensitive-data exposure drastically while incurring acceptable overheads on mobile networks.
Population Genetic Patterns of Threatened European Mudminnow (Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) in a Fragmented Landscape: Implications for Conservation Management

The European mudminnow (Umbra krameri) is a Middle Danubian endemic fish species, which is characterised by isolated populations living mainly in artificial habitats in the centre of its range, in the Carpathian Basin. For their long term preservation, reliable information is needed about the structure of stocks and the level of isolation. The recent distribution pattern, and the population genetic structure within and among regions were investigated to designate the Evolutionary Significant, Conservation and Management Units (ESUs, CUs, MUs) and to explore the conservation biological value of the shrinking populations. In total, eight microsatellite loci were studied in 404 specimens originating from eight regions. The results revealed a pronounced population structure, where strictly limited gene flow was detected among regions, as well as various strengths of connections within regions. Following the results of hierarchical structure analyses, two ESUs were supposed in the Carpathian Basin, corresponding to the Danube and Tisza catchments. Our results recommend designating the borders of CUs in an 80–90km range and 16 clusters should be set up as MUs for the 33 investigated populations. How these genetic findings can be used to better allocate conservation resources for the long term maintenance of the metapopulation structure of this threathened endemic fish is discussed.
Development and implementation of a Curriculum to Develop Social Competence for Students with Visual Impairments in Germany

Research has shown, and educators in the field have acknowledged, that students with visual impairments (those who are blind or have low vision) who are in general education, as well as in special education, settings, can lack social competence (Bauman, 1973; Davidow, 1974; Doll, 1953; Hatlen, 2000, 2003; Huebner, 1986; Sacks, Kekelis, & GaylordRoss, 1997; Sacks & Silberman, 2000; Schindele, 1974; Stockley & Brooks, 1995; Tuttle, 1987; Van Hasselt, Hersen, & Kazdin, 1985). For a person who is visually impaired, social competence is a key component of a positive self-concept, higher self-esteem, more assertive behavior, and the ability to accept one's disability as a part of oneself. There is no doubt among professionals in the field that lessons in how to acquire social competence need to be an integral part of teaching students who are visually impaired to increase their self-confidence and selfefficacy. Despite their awareness of the need to teach these skills, professionals "do not seem to be able to implement a creative, sequential curriculum in this area" (Sacks et aI., 1997). Various programs to teach social skills have been developed in the United States and many other countries over the past decades (Johnson & Johnson, 1991; Stockley, 1994; Stewart, Van Hasselt, Simon, & Thompson, 1985; Thienwiebel, 1996; Van Hasselt, Simon, & Mastanuono, 1982), but most of them were training or intervention programs of short duration (usually 4 16 weeks, followed by a booster session). In addition, these programs generally had a limited focus on social skills in the context of social interaction (for example, teaching nonverbal or verbal communication skills) and did not include a more holistic approach of teaching visually impaired students more of the skills that are needed to acquire and develop social competence.
A polymeric sealant inhibits anastomotic suture hole bleeding more rapidly than gelfoam/thrombin: results of a randomized controlled trial.

HYPOTHESIS An experimental polymeric sealant (CoSeal [Cohesion Technologies, Palo Alto, Calif]) provides equivalent anastomotic sealing to Gelfoam (Upjohn, Kalamazoo, Mich)/thrombin during surgical placement of prosthetic vascular grafts. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Nine university-affiliated medical centers. PATIENTS One hundred forty-eight patients scheduled for implantation of polytetrafluoroethylene grafts, mainly for infrainguinal revascularization procedures or the creation of dialysis access shunts, who were treated randomly with either an experimental intervention (n = 74) or control (n = 74). INTERVENTION Following polytetrafluoroethylene graft placement, anastomotic suture hole bleeding was treated intraoperatively in all control subjects with Gelfoam/thrombin. Subjects in the experimental group had the polymeric sealant applied directly to the suture lines without concomitant manual compression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary treatment success was defined as the proportion of subjects in each group that achieved complete anastomotic sealing within 10 minutes. The proportion of subjects that achieved immediate sealing and the time required to fully inhibit suture hole bleeding also were compared between treatment groups. RESULTS Overall 10-minute sealing success was equivalent (86% vs 80%; P =.29) between experimental and control subjects, respectively. However, subjects treated with CoSeal achieved immediate anastomotic sealing at more than twice the rate of subjects treated with Gelfoam/thrombin (47% vs 20%; P<.001). Consequently, the median time needed to inhibit bleeding in control subjects was more than 10 times longer than for experimental subjects (16.5 seconds vs 189.0 seconds; P =.01). Strikingly similar findings for all comparisons were observed separately for subgroups of subjects having infrainguinal bypass grafting and for those undergoing placement of dialysis access shunts. CONCLUSIONS The experimental sealant offers equivalent anastomotic sealing performance compared with Gelfoam/thrombin, but it provides this desired effect in a significantly more rapid time frame.
Phylogenetic Relationships of Citrus and Its Relatives Based on matK Gene Sequences

The genus Citrus includes mandarin, orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime, which have high economic and nutritional value. The family Rutaceae can be divided into 7 subfamilies, including Aurantioideae. The genus Citrus belongs to the subfamily Aurantioideae. In this study, we sequenced the chloroplast matK genes of 135 accessions from 22 genera of Aurantioideae and analyzed them phylogenetically. Our study includes many accessions that have not been examined in other studies. The subfamily Aurantioideae has been classified into 2 tribes, Clauseneae and Citreae, and our current molecular analysis clearly discriminate Citreae from Clauseneae by using only 1 chloroplast DNA sequence. Our study confirms previous observations on the molecular phylogeny of Aurantioideae in many aspects. However, we have provided novel information on these genetic relationships. For example, inconsistent with the previous observation, and consistent with our preliminary study using the chloroplast rbcL genes, our analysis showed that Feroniella oblata is not nested in Citrus species and is closely related with Feronia limonia. Furthermore, we have shown that Murraya paniculata is similar to Merrillia caloxylon and is dissimilar to Murraya koenigii. We found that “true citrus fruit trees” could be divided into 2 subclusters. One subcluster included Citrus, Fortunella, and Poncirus, while the other cluster included Microcitrus and Eremocitrus. Compared to previous studies, our current study is the most extensive phylogenetic study of Citrus species since it includes 93 accessions. The results indicate that Citrus species can be classified into 3 clusters: a citron cluster, a pummelo cluster, and a mandarin cluster. Although most mandarin accessions belonged to the mandarin cluster, we found some exceptions. We also obtained the information on the genetic background of various species of acid citrus grown in Japan. Because the genus Citrus contains many important accessions, we have comprehensively discussed the classification of this genus.
Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Modern Era: Analysis of Outcomes and Toxicity from a Single Center in a Nonendemic Area

We analyzed treatment outcomes for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a single institute. MATERIALS AND METHODSFrom 1992 to 2002, 82 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer were treated. Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall and disease-free survival were calculated. The log-rank test was used to determine significant prognostic determinants of overall and disease-free survival. RESULTSPatients received one of three regimens: radiotherapy alone (n = 19), radiotherapy with concurrent carboplatin (n = 46), or radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin (n = 17). Fifty-seven percent of patients had their radiotherapy planned using fluoroscopy-based methods. Overall, 93.9% of patients received all prescribed radiotherapy. Response rate to treatment was 98.7%. Three-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates for all patients were 69.0% and 65%, respectively. Five patients had late grade 3–4 toxicities. There were no treatment-related deaths. Twenty-four percent of patients were hospitalized during treatment, and 72.6% lost = 9.9% of pretreatment weight. Forty-two percent of failures were local and 27.3% were distant. Ninety percent of deaths were nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related. Disease stage was the only significant predictor of overall survival. DISCUSSIONAt our center, treatments given for nasopharyngeal carcinoma from 1992 to 2002 had acceptable toxicity rates. Further follow-up of patients treated with modern radiotherapy planning methods and chemotherapy regimens is needed to compare our institutional results with other published outcomes with more validity.
Prosodic stems in Zezuru Shona

Abstract In the traditional Prosodic Hierarchy, the Prosodic Word is the lowest level of the hierarchy defined in terms of the interface between morphosyntactic and prosodic constituents. Recent work by Itô and Mester reaffirms this, defining Prosodic Word as matching the syntactic category X (N, V, and offering no sub-lexical constituents. In this article, we present empirical arguments in favour of the Prosodic Stem as a level of the Prosodic Hierarchy, immediately dominated by Prosodic Word. Minimality effects, tone and vowel hiatus resolution processes in Zezuru demonstrate that Prosodic Stem and Prosodic Word levels play distinct roles; they are domains for different phonological processes. Thus, we argue that more constituents of the Prosodic Hierarchy are needed, where the Prosodic Stem domain is distinct from the Prosodic Word.
Chapter 4. Multimodal realisations of mind style in Enduring Love

Mind style is the term traditionally discussed in stylistics to refer to the linguistic features that project the peculiarities of characters’ cognitive make-up. As stylistics mainly focuses on written forms, mind style has generally been discussed in relation to its textual manifestations although new research is emerging which is redressing this lack (Gibbons 2010; Norgaard 2010). When considering textual forms, scholars identify many and varied linguistic indicators as markers of mind style. In this chapter I look into the way both verbal and multimodal markers are exploited in Ian McEwan’s novel Enduring Love (1997) and its homonymous cinematic adaptation by Roger Michell (2004) to create particular mind styles. This chapter argues that tools traditionally discussed in stylistics can shed light on the way multimodal discourse functions and also that the inclusion of multimodal formats can refine existing stylistic frameworks and models.
Empirical tests of the absolute sleeper effect predicted from the discounting cue hypothesis

Two experiments tested the absolute sleeper effect predicted by the discounting cue hypothesis. These experiments included strong tests of the hypothesis because 'they (a) demonstrably created the conditions that the theory indicated were necessary for the effect to occur; (b) demonstrably minimized the impact of a force known to countervail against the effect; and (c) employed statistical tests that had adequate power to detect the effect should it occur. In Experiment 1, subjects read one of two persuasive messages accompanied by a discounting cue. All the requirements for a strong test were demonstrably met with one message, and an absolute sleeper effect was obtained when attitudes were measured again after 5 weeks. Not all the requirements for a strong test were met with the other message, and the effect was not obtained. In Experiment 2, subjects read a persuasive message and one of five discounting cues. All the requirements for a strong test were demonstrably met in three cue conditions, and absolute sleeper effects were found in each of them after 6 weeks. Absolute sleeper effects were not observed in the two cue conditions in which the necessary conditions for the effect were not met. It was concluded that absolute sleeper effects can be reliably obtained when all the necessary theoretical conditions are met, a known countervailing force is absent, and the statistical tests have adequate power.
Outcomes following surgical management of cervical chordoma: A review of published case reports and case series

Aim: This review aimed to summarize the clinical outcomes in relation to tumor resection margins of cervical chordomas. Methods: Studies that described any surgical intervention for cervical chordoma were identified. Cervical chordomas with cranial or spinal extension, purely retropharyngeal chordomas or where resection type was not reported, were excluded from the study. Results: Seventy-six articles were obtained and these reported a total of 195 patients. Seventy-six percent cervical chordoma patients had intralesional resection with adjuvant radiotherapy. Ninety-two percent chordoma recurrences and all chordoma metastases occurred in patients with intralesional resection. En bloc surgeries were longer (900 min vs. 619 min) and staged surgeries. Intralesional surgeries (2899 ml vs. 2661 ml) had greater intraoperative blood loss. Vertebral artery and nerve root sacrifice were greater in en bloc patients (35%, 39%) compared to intralesional patients (17%, 10%). Postoperative complications were more common in en bloc (54%) than in intralesional patients (11%). Conclusions: En bloc resection cervical chordomas are associated with less recurrence and no metastasis compared to intralesional resection. En bloc is possible through wide exposure of the vertebrae via a multidisciplinary team approach and utilization of particular surgical equipment. The higher rate of complications associated with en bloc surgeries may be acceptable, particularly when there is a chance of cure of disease.
Cognitive Skills Behavior Programs for Offenders in the Community

This study presents the findings of an evaluation of the effect on reconviction of three general offending behavior programs involving adult male offenders in the English and Welsh Probation Service. Using a quasi-experimental design controlling for population factors, there was no difference in the reconviction rates of offenders allocated to programs and a comparison group. Offenders who completed a program had a lower rate of reconviction compared to the nonstarter, noncompleter, and comparison groups. A range of explanations for this “completion effect” is discussed, particularly with regard to the emerging literature on readiness to change.
Location sensitivity in locative journalism: an empirical study of experiences while producing locative journalism

New possibilities for journalism arise by virtue of the emergence of an ‘always on’ generation of mobile device users. Positioning technologies, such as GPS, as part of mobile devices opens opportunities for adopting content to both the user's physical and social contexts (context-aware services) and so have the potential to transform ways in which people conceive of and relate to news. This article focuses on aspects of production of locative news texts. Through the project LocaNews, we used the mobile phones' built-in GPS in order to tailor news relevant to the physical position of users. This project explores what kind of spatial notions are required for production of locative journalism for a mobile platform. The project consists of two iterations with empirical experiences from a total of 89 informants.
Beyond Occupational Differences

We use data from a 12-month ethnographic study of two medical-surgical units in a U.S. hospital to examine how members from different occupations can collaborate with one another in their daily work despite differences in status, shared meanings, and expertise across occupational groups, which previous work has shown to create difficulties. In our study, nurses and patient care technicians (PCTs) on both hospital units faced these same occupational differences, served the same patient population, worked under the same management and organizational structure, and had the same pressures, goals, and organizational collaboration tools available to them. But nurses and PCTs on one unit successfully collaborated while those on the other did not. We demonstrate that a social structure characterized by cross-cutting demographics between occupational groups—in which occupational membership is uncorrelated with demographic group membership—can loosen attachment to the occupational identity and status order. This allows members of cross-occupational dyads, in our case nurses and PCTs, to draw on other shared social identities, such as shared race, age, or immigration status, in their interactions. Drawing on a shared social identity at the dyad level provided members with a “dyadic toolkit” of alternative, non-occupational expertise, shared meanings, status rules, and emotional scripts that facilitated collaboration across occupational differences and improved patient care.
Bone Density and Insertion Torque as Predictors of Anterior Cruciateligament Graft Fixation Strength

Background Bone mineral density and interference screw insertion torque are thought to be useful predictors of anterior cruciate ligament graft fixation strength. Hypothesis Bone mineral density and insertion torque are reliable predictors of anterior cruciate ligament graft fixation strength. Study Design Randomized experimental study. Methods The volumetric bone mineral density, maximum insertion torque, and initial fixation strength (determined both as cyclic-loading-induced displacement and yield load) were recorded on 21 pairs of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. To assess the accuracy of bone mineral density and insertion torque in predicting the fixation strength, half of the specimens were first used to determine the regression equations between the variables, and then the data from the remaining specimens were used to validate the prediction equations. Results Despite the relatively high group correlations, the ability of bone mineral density and insertion torque to predict the strength of graft fixation was poor. Errors ranging from –150% to 92%, –22% to 50%, –56% to 121%, and –23% to 50% were observed when bone mineral density and insertion torque were used to predict individual cyclic-loading-induced displacement and yield load, respectively. Conclusions Neither bone mineral density nor insertion torque provides a sufficiently accurate prediction of the fixation strength of an individual soft tissue anterior cruciate ligament graft. Clinical Relevance Bone mineral density and insertion torque cannot be used to estimate the strength of interference screw fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Taxation and savings: a survey

The choice of how much of society’s income to consume today and how much to save for future consumption is among the most important economic decisions. It can have implications not only for the well-being of the households taking the decisions, but also for the rate at which the economy invests and grows, and therefore the well-being of future generations. The way in which savings decisions are taken is a matter of ongoing research in the literature, involving such important and unresolved issues as the degree of foresight and rationality of households, the extent to which capital markets are complete and wellfunctioning, the importance of life-cycle versus bequest versus precautionary motives for saving, and more generally the weight, if any, that current savers put on the welfare of future generations.