Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative histologic evaluation of titanium platelet-rich fibrin and platelet-rich fibrin in hypertensive and smoker participants: A cell cytology study

Introduction: In recent years, a growing interest has emerged with the use of platelet-rich products for the treatment of many clinical conditions in dentistry. Objective: The present study aimed to define the structural characteristics of titanium platelet-rich fibrin (TPRF) and PRF in hypertensive and smoker participants . Materials and Methods: Ten milliliters of blood samples was drawn using a syringe form ninety participants (healthy, hypertensive, and smokers). Five milliliters of blood was transferred to each of dry glass tube and titanium tube. The clot obtained after centrifugation from each tube was processed for light microscopy analysis. Results: The TPRF samples have demonstrated a highly organized and thicker fibrin network with continuous integrity as compared to PRF in healthy participants. The hypertensive and smokers showed less prominent fibrin border between the cellular structures in both the platelet concentrates, but sufficient fibrin mesh network was found in TPRF clot as compared to PRF clot in the test participants. Conclusion: This is the first human histologic study to define the fibrin meshwork in both TPRF and PRF clots in hypertensive and smokers. The platelet activation by titanium offered high characteristics to fibrin network.
A reputation-based stackelberg game model to enhance secrecy rate in spectrum leasing to selfish IoT devices

The problem of cooperative spectrum leasing to unlicensed Internet of Things (IoT) devices is studied to account for potential selfish behavior of these devices. A distributed game theoretic framework for spectrum leasing is proposed where the licensed users can willingly lease a portion of their spectrum access to unlicensed IoT devices, and in return the IoT devices provide cooperative services, firstly to enhance information secrecy of licensed users via adding intentional jamming to protect them from potential eavesdroppers, and secondly to enhance the quality of communication through cooperative relaying. The cooperative behavior of the potentially selfish IoT devices is monitored using a reputation-based mechanism to enable the primary users to only interact with the reliable IoT devices. The simulation results show that using the proposed reputation-based method enhances the secrecy rate of the primary users by reducing the possibility of attacks from selfish IoT devices. Hence, this model can offer a practical solution for spectrum leasing with mobile IoT devices when assuring the required quality of communication and information secrecy for the spectrum owners1.
Measurement of Bolt Pre‐load in Torqued Composite Joints

Torquing of bolts in composite joints can have significant effects on joint strength [1] and fatigue life [2]. Therefore, it is an important factor to include in finite-element studies of composite joints [3, 4]. Torquing a bolt produces axial load (pre-load), inducing tensile stress in the bolt shank and compressive stress in the washers and material being fastened. The resulting clamping effect is advantageous as when the joint is loaded, a significant percentage of the load can be taken by friction, which delays the onset of the damage of the material because of bearing loads at the hole. However, after torquing, some of the stress introduced will disappear as the fastener and joint members relax because of viscoelastic effects, and hence it is important to allow for this relaxation [5]. While manufacturers may sometimes supply charts relating torque and pre-load, information is often not provided concerning the applicability of these charts when joining different kinds of materials (e.g. metals or composites), and in general little quantified information is available in the literature on how to measure such relationships or on the effects of relaxation of pre-load over time. This technical note describes experiments to measure pre-load caused by torque in composite joints. The effects of relaxation of load over time when joining composite plates and steel plates and the influences of washers are also presented.
Normal and histopathological organization of the opercular bone and vertebrae in gilthead sea bream sparus aurata

This study provides a comprehensive description of the tissue organization of non- deformed and deformed opercula and vertebrae from gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata juveniles by means of histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical approaches. Two types of oper- cular anomalies are described: the folding of the opercle and subopercle into the gill chamber, starting at the upper corner of the branchial cleft and extending down to its lower third; and the partial lack of the operculum (opercle, subopercle, interopercle and preopercle underdeveloped) with a regression of the loose edge extending down to its lower third. Histological observations revealed a rare type of bone remodelling process in the opercular structure, which consisted of the coalescence of contacting bone tissues (presumably from the preopercle and opercle), resulting in skeletal tissue with a trabecular aspect filled by a single-cell epithelium of cubic osteoblastic-like cells. Differences in collagen fiber thickness and its 3-dimensional arrangement between normal and deformed opercula were also found. Lordotic vertebrae were characterized by the formation of fibrous cartilage in the haemal and/or neural sides, indicating that a metaplastic shift occurred during the process of lordosis. Another major histomorphological change found in lordotic verte- brae was the complete loss of notochordal sheath integrity. Histological alterations were coupled with an imbalance of cell death and cell proliferation processes in lordotic vertebrae as well as that of bone formation/resorption, and extracellular matrix deposition activity differences which might have resulted from the remodelling process occurring in lordotic vertebrae. Altogether, these results provide an increase in our basic knowledge of bone disorders that contribute to our under- standing of the mechanisms by which these skeletal anomalies appear in this fish species and which hamper its production efficiency.
Survival of, and competition between, oligodendrocytes expressing different alleles of the Plp gene

Mutations in the X-linked Plp gene lead to dysmyelinating phenotypes and oligodendrocyte cell death. Here, we exploit the X inactivation phenomenon to show that a hierarchy exists in the influence of different mutant Plp alleles on oligodendrocyte survival. We used compound heterozygote mice to study the long-term fate of oligodendrocytes expressing either the jimpy or rumpshaker allele against a background of cells expressing a Plp-null allele. Although mutant and null oligodendrocytes were generated in equal numbers, the proportion expressing the mutant allele subsequently declined, but whereas those expressing the rumpshaker allele formed a reduced but stable population, the number of jimpy cells fell progressively. The age of decline in the jimpy cells in different regions of the CNS correlated with the temporal sequence of myelination. In compound heterozygotes expressing rumpshaker and jimpy alleles, oligodendrocytes expressing the former predominated and were more abundant than when the rumpshaker and null alleles were in competition. Thus, oligodendrocyte survival is not determined solely by cell intrinsic factors, such as the conformation of the misfolded PLP, but is influenced by neighboring cells, possibly competing for cell survival factors.
Acceptability of health care interventions: A theoretical framework and proposed research agenda

The important role of service users in managing their own health care is widely recognized. The advent of person-centred care (Royen et al., 2010) has legitimized the views of people who receive health-related interventions. Evidence of this is seen in the growing focus on assessing the ‘acceptability’ of interventions to recipients as well as to those who deliver them (Sekhon, Cartwright, & Francis, 2017). But is there consensus in the literature about the nature of acceptability and how best to assess it? In this editorial, we argue that acceptability (of health care interventions) is ill-defined, under-theorized, and poorly assessed. Health psychology has a long history of theorizing and operationalizing constructs used in applied health research, so we examine our discipline’s efforts to define, theorize, and assess acceptability. We conclude this editorial by proposing a definition of acceptability and a theoretical framework to guide empirical investigation (Sekhon et al., 2017). Leading guidance in the health sciences (e.g., Craig et al., 2008; Eldridge et al., 2016; Moore et al., 2015) emphasizes the importance of assessing acceptability. However, both guidance documents and empirical articles addressing acceptability typically omit any explicit definition of the construct. Dictionary definitions of acceptability include ‘pleasure to the receiver, satisfactory; capable of being endured; tolerable [and] bearable’ (Dictionary.com 2017). In a recent systematic overview of systematic reviews (Sekhon et al., 2017), we showed that in the context of trials of a range of health care interventions (e.g., drug, screening, self-management, physical activity), acceptability is most often inferred from participants’ behaviour, notably in the levels of consent to participate in a study; degree of uptake, adherence, or engagement (with the intervention); and extent of retention or dropout. Authors of papers included in the overview made the assumption that low intervention acceptability explained low participation rates and high dropout rates in these trials. However, behavioural factors may not fully explain participant withdrawal and ignore the value of participant-reported evaluations of acceptability. The overview also revealed that only a small number of primary studies included in the systematic reviews assessed acceptability using direct self-reportmeasures, for example,measures of satisfaction with treatment, measures assessing participants’ attitudes towards the intervention, or completion of interviews to explore participant experiences and perceptions of the intervention. This overview of reviews of the broader applied health literature found no clear conceptual definition of acceptability and no shared theoretical understanding of the
Experiment-Calculated Investigation of the Forced Convection of Nanofluids Using Single Fluid Approach

An experiment-calculated investigation of forced convection of nanofluids based on Al2O3 nanoparticles was carried out. The hydrodynamic description and a model of homogeneous nanofluids were used. The homogeneous nanofluids model assumes that the hydrodynamics and heat transfer can be described by conventional Navier-Stokes and heat transfer equations with the physical parameters corresponding to nanofluids. The results showed that this model very well described the experimental data in some cases. However, in some other cases, there are discrepancies between experiment and theory that can be explained by the real heterogeneity of nanofluids and the errors in the experimental determination of thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids.
Morphology, Morphogenesis, and Molecular Phylogeny of a New Soil Ciliate, Sterkiella multicirrata sp. nov. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia) from China

The morphology and morphogenesis of a new soil hypotrich ciliate, Sterkiella multicirrata sp. nov., was investigated using live observation and protargol staining. The new species is characterised by: body elliptical, 110–180 × 45–75 μm in vivo, an average of 35 adoral membranelles; usually 19 frontoventral‐transverse cirri, consisting of three frontal, five frontoventral, one buccal, four postoral ventral, two pretransverse, and four transverse cirri; four macronuclear nodules, and 2–5 micronuclei. S. multicirrata sp. nov. differs from its congeners mainly in the number of frontoventral‐transverse cirri and macronuclear nodules. Morphogenesis of the new species is similar to its congeners; the primary difference exists in the segmentation of the frontoventral‐transverse cirral anlagen, which is usually generated in a 1:2:3:3:5:5 pattern. Based on the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence, the phylogenetic position of the new species is discussed.
Cataract surgery outcome in patients with non-glaucomatous pseudoexfoliation

Aim. To study the outcome of cataract surgery in eyes with pseudoexfoliation without signs of glaucoma. Methods. This prospective study was done over nine months on patients with pseudoexfoliation undergoing small incision cataract surgery. Only patients with normal intraocular pressure (Central Corneal Thickness Corrected), normal cup disc ratio and open angles were included. Patients on anti-glaucoma medication were excluded. Patients underwent surgery performed by a single senior surgeon. Intraoperative and postoperative day (POD) 1 findings were noted. Results. The mean age of the patients was 61.60 years +/ - 10.21 years. Males were 46% (n=16). Right eye was operated upon in 60% of the cases (n=21). The mean pupil dilation was 5.1 mm +/ - 1.47 mm. The postoperative day 1 visual acuity of the patients was logMar 1.02 +/- 0.64 and the mean POD 1 intraocular pressure was noted to be 26.23 mmHg +/ - 11.40 mmHg. Five cases had a zonular dialysis intraoperatively due to weak zonules. 11 cases had high anterior chamber reaction of 2+ or more. Four cases had unavoidable sphincter tears and two cases had iridodialysis superiorly during nucleus delivery. Conclusions. Intraoperative complications should be anticipated in patients with pseudoexfoliation even without glaucomatous changes due to poor pupillary dilation and zonular weakness. First postoperative day visual acuity in pseudoexfoliation patients undergoing cataract surgery was found to be low due to severe anterior chamber inflammation causing elevated intraocular pressure and corneal edema. Abbreviations. POD = Postoperative day, PEX = Pseudoexfoliation syndrome, LOXL 1 = Lysyl oxidase-like 1, IOP = Intraocular pressure, AC = Anterior chamber, IOL = Intraocular lens
Rapid Cycling of Lipid Raft Markers between the Cell Surface and Golgi Complex

The endocytic itineraries of lipid raft markers, such as glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins and glycosphingolipids, are incompletely understood. Here we show that different GPI-anchored proteins have different intracellular distributions; some (such as the folate receptor) accumulate in transferrin-containing compartments, others (such as CD59 and GPI-linked green fluorescent protein [GFP]) accumulate in the Golgi apparatus. Selective photobleaching shows that the Golgi pool of both GPI-GFP and CD59-GFP constantly and rapidly exchanges with the pool of these proteins found on the plasma membrane (PM). We visualized intermediates carrying GPI-GFP from the Golgi apparatus to the PM and separate structures delivering GPI-GFP to the Golgi apparatus. GPI-GFP does not accumulate within endocytic compartments containing transferrin, although it is detected in intracellular structures which are endosomes by the criteria of accessibility to a fluid phase marker and to cholera and shiga toxin B subunits (CTxB and STxB, which are also found in rafts). GPI-GFP and a proportion of the total CTxB and STxB taken up into cells are endocytosed independently of clathrin-associated machinery and are delivered to the Golgi complex via indistinguishable mechanisms. Hence, they enter the Golgi complex in the same intermediates, get there independently of both clathrin and rab5 function, and are excluded from it at 20°C and under conditions of cholesterol sequestration. The PM–Golgi cycling pathway followed by GPI-GFP could serve to regulate lipid raft distribution and function within cells.
Online Tobacco Marketing and Subsequent Tobacco Use

In this article, we assess whether engagement with online tobacco marketing is a risk factor for tobacco use initiation, increased frequency of use, progression to poly-product use, and cessation. BACKGROUND: Nearly 2.9 million US adolescents engaged with online tobacco marketing in 2013 to 2014. We assess whether engagement is a risk factor for tobacco use initiation, increased frequency of use, progression to poly-product use, and cessation. METHODS: We analyzed data from 11 996 adolescents sampled in the nationally representative, longitudinal Population Assessment for Tobacco and Health study. At baseline (2013–2014), we ascertained respondents’ engagement with online tobacco marketing. At follow-up (2014–2015), we determined if respondents had initiated tobacco use, increased frequency of use, progressed to poly-product use, or quit. Accounting for known risk factors, we fit a multivariable logistic regression model among never-users who engaged at baseline to predict initiation at follow-up. We fit similar models to predict increased frequency of use, progression to poly-product use, and cessation. RESULTS: Compared with adolescents who did not engage, those who engaged reported higher incidences of initiation (19.5% vs 11.9%), increased frequency of use (10.3% vs 4.4%), and progression to poly-product use (5.8% vs 2.4%), and lower incidence of cessation at follow-up (16.1% vs 21.5%). Accounting for other risk factors, engagement was positively associated with initiation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.57), increased frequency of use (aOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.24–2.00), progression to poly-product use (aOR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.20–2.43), and negatively associated with cessation (aOR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.50–1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Engagement with online tobacco marketing represents a risk factor for adolescent tobacco use. FDA marketing regulation and cooperation of social-networking sites could limit engagement.
Regenerative effects of human embryonic stem cell‐derived neural crest cells for treatment of peripheral nerve injury

Surgical intervention is the current gold standard treatment following peripheral nerve injury. However, this approach has limitations, and full recovery of both motor and sensory modalities often remains incomplete. The development of artificial nerve grafts that either complement or replace current surgical procedures is therefore of paramount importance. An essential component of artificial grafts is biodegradable conduits and transplanted cells that provide trophic support during the regenerative process. Neural crest cells are promising support cell candidates because they are the parent population to many peripheral nervous system lineages. In this study, neural crest cells were differentiated from human embryonic stem cells. The differentiated cells exhibited typical stellate morphology and protein expression signatures that were comparable with native neural crest. Conditioned media harvested from the differentiated cells contained a range of biologically active trophic factors and was able to stimulate in vitro neurite outgrowth. Differentiated neural crest cells were seeded into a biodegradable nerve conduit, and their regeneration potential was assessed in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. A robust regeneration front was observed across the entire width of the conduit seeded with the differentiated neural crest cells. Moreover, the up‐regulation of several regeneration‐related genes was observed within the dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord segments harvested from transplanted animals. Our results demonstrate that the differentiated neural crest cells are biologically active and provide trophic support to stimulate peripheral nerve regeneration. Differentiated neural crest cells are therefore promising supporting cell candidates to aid in peripheral nerve repair.
Age‐related differences in autism: The case of white matter microstructure

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is typified as a brain connectivity disorder in which white matter abnormalities are already present early on in life. However, it is unknown if and to which extent these abnormalities are hard‐wired in (older) adults with ASD and how this interacts with age‐related white matter changes as observed in typical aging. The aim of this first cross‐sectional study in mid‐ and late‐aged adults with ASD was to characterize white matter microstructure and its relationship with age. We utilized diffusion tensor imaging with head motion control in 48 adults with ASD and 48 age‐matched controls (30–74 years), who also completed a Flanker task. Intra‐individual variability of reaction times (IIVRT) measures based on performance on the Flanker interference task were used to assess IIVRT‐white matter microstructure associations. We observed primarily higher mean and radial diffusivity in white matter microstructure in ASD, particularly in long‐range fibers, which persisted after taking head motion into account. Importantly, group‐by‐age interactions revealed higher age‐related mean and radial diffusivity in ASD, in projection and association fiber tracts. Subtle dissociations were observed in IIVRT‐white matter microstructure relations between groups, with the IIVRT‐white matter association pattern in ASD resembling observations in cognitive aging. The observed white matter microstructure differences are lending support to the structural underconnectivity hypothesis in ASD. These reductions seem to have behavioral percussions given the atypical relationship with IIVRT. Taken together, the current results may indicate different age‐related patterns of white matter microstructure in adults with ASD. Hum Brain Mapp 38:82–96, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Diagnostic Utility and Clinical Implications of Wrist MRI in the Pediatric Population

Background: Unexplained wrist pain is a common presentation in children. To our knowledge, no studies have explored the clinical utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnostic workup of pediatric patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 307 consecutive wrist MRIs ordered at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital. Demographic data and the indication for imaging were recorded and grouped into admitting categories. The final impression of each MRI was scored with regard to potential impact on future treatment (0 = normal, 1 = minimal, 2 = moderate, 3 = high). Patients who went on to wrist surgery within 1 year were noted. Results: In our cohort, 27% of all studies were normal, including 34% of those with pain. Although pain was the most common category, MRI was most useful in the delineation of a mass/cyst, evaluating for infection and evaluating arthropathy. Compared with all other categories, patients with pain were 3.6 times more likely to have a normal study and 4.6 times more likely to have a clinical score less than or equal to 1. Given an admitting diagnosis of pain, females were 1.7 times more likely to present for an MRI and 2.4 times more likely to have a normal MRI. The Spearman correlation revealed no linear relationship between age and MRI outcome. In all, 13% of patients went on to have surgery within 1 year of MRI. Conclusions: At our pediatric institution, the majority of wrist MRIs were ordered for wrist pain. Given our data, wrist MRI is not an ideal screening tool in children, particularly in those with wrist pain, and should only be used to exclude or confirm a specific diagnosis.