Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Total Knee Arthroplasty Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Wear Using a Clinically Relevant Hyaluronic Acid Simulator Lubricant

Abstract In this study, osteoarthritic and periprosthetic synovial fluid samples were rheologically and biochemically compared to develop a hyaluronic acid (HA) supplemented bovine serum (BS) lubricant that mimicked the properties of human joint synovial fluid. The effect of this BS + HA lubricant (50 per cent bovine calf serum + 1.5 g/l HA) on the wear rate of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) during a total knee replacement wear test was then investigated. In conjunction with biochemical similarities, the rheological analysis showed that the BS + HA lubricant viscosity was not statistically different to aspirated total knee arthroplasty (TKA) revision joint fluid viscosity over a range of physiologic shear rates. Gravimetric results at 5 million wear testing cycles showed that the BS + HA lubricant produced an average of 6.88 times more UHMWPE wear than 50 per cent bovine serum lubricant alone. The BS + HA lubricated CoCr femoral component surfaces revealed pitting and surface roughening that was not observed using standard bovine serum only lubricants, but that was similar to the metallic surface corrosion observed on in vivo CoCr femoral component retrievals. These findings support the hypothesis that the addition of HA to simulator lubricant is capable of producing CoCr femoral component surface damage similar to that observed in vivo.
Chlamydia pneumoniae and the risk of first ischemic stroke : The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Serological evidence of infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae has been associated with cardiovascular disease in multiple epidemiological studies. The data on its association with ischemic stroke are limited. We sought to determine whether chronic C pneumoniae infection is associated with ischemic stroke in a multi-ethnic population. METHODS The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study contains a population-based, case-control study component. Cases had first ischemic stroke and matched control subjects were derived through random digit dialing. Titers of IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies specific for C pneumoniae were measured with the use of microimmunofluorescence, and titers >/=1:16 were considered positive. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) after adjustment for medical, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS Eighty-nine cases and 89 control subjects were selected. Mean age among cases was 68.5+/-12.8 years; 53% were women and 15% of the subjects were white, 28% were black, and 54% were Hispanic. Elevated C pneumoniae IgA titers were significantly associated with risk of ischemic stroke after adjusting for other stroke risk factors (adjusted OR 4. 51, 95% CI 1.44 to 14.06). IgG titers were less strongly associated with stroke risk (adjusted OR 2.59, 95% CI 0.87 to 7.75). The association of IgA with stroke risk was detected in both younger and older groups, in men and women, and in whites, blacks, and Hispanics. There was also a significant continuous increase in risk associated with the log-transformation of the titer for IgA (adjusted OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.66) but not IgG. CONCLUSIONS Serological evidence of chronic infection with C pneumoniae is associated with risk of ischemic stroke in an urban, multi-ethnic population. IgA titers may be a better marker of this risk than are IgG titers. This association is independent of other vascular disease risk factors. Further prospective epidemiological studies of the effect of this infection on stroke risk are warranted.
Elite Vs. Folk Bilingualism: The Mismatch between Theories and Educational and Social Conditions

This article aims at contributing to the ongoing discussion about how bilingualism is understood in the current National Bilingualism Plan (PNB for its initials in Spanish). Based on previous research and discussions held at academic events, it is evident that the promoters of the PNB use the term “bilingualism” in a rather indiscriminate way, without adopting a clear approach or definition. This ambiguity in conceptualization has serious consequences in the way the PNB is implemented around the country. The main contribution of this reflection article is, then, to explore from a theoretical perspective two opposite types of bilingualism: elite/folk bilingualism to show that even though on the surface the PNB seems to aim at an elite bilingualism, the educational and social conditions show otherwise.
Structural Integration and The Trees: An Analysis of Deforestation in Less-Developed Countries, 1990–2005

This study tests a hypothesis derived from an expanded theory of foreign investment dependence. The tested hypothesis states that less-developed countries with higher levels of primary sector foreign investment exhibit greater rates of deforestation. Findings for cross-national analyses of deforestation from 1990 to 2005 for 40 less-developed countries confirm the hypothesis, providing support for the proposed theorization. Additional results indicate that the presence of environmental international nongovernmental organizations is beneficial for natural forest areas, while population growth is a key driver of deforestation in less-developed countries. Besides confirming the hypothesis, this research underscores the importance for sociologists to consider both political–economic forms of integration and human-ecological factors when investigating how humans impact the environment.
Brucella Lumazine Synthase Elicits a Mixed Th1-Th2 Immune Response and Reduces Infection in Mice Challenged with Brucella abortus 544 Independently of the Adjuvant Formulation Used

ABSTRACT The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant lumazine synthase from Brucella spp. (rBLS) administered with different adjuvants was evaluated in mice. Mice were immunized with rBLS in the absence or the presence of aluminum hydroxide gel (BLS-Al), monophosphoryl lipid A (BLS-MPA), or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (BLS-IFA). rBLS per se induced a vigorous immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, with high titers of IgG1 as well as IgG2. All the adjuvants increased this response; the BLS-IFA formulation was the most effective at inducing BLS-specific IgG antibodies. In addition, after in vitro stimulation with rBLS, spleen cells from BLS-IFA-, BLS-Al-, or BLS-MPA-immunized mice proliferated and produced interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), IL-10, and IL-4, suggesting the induction of a mixed Th1-Th2 response. Immunization with rBLS protected mice against challenge with B. abortus 544. The levels of protection in the spleen were similar for all adjuvants, but only BLS-Al and BLS-IFA were effective in the liver. Our results indicate that BLS might be a useful candidate for the development of subunit vaccines against brucellosis, since it elicits antigen-specific cellular responses, with production of IFN-γ and protection, independently of the adjuvant formulation used.
Disgust and Behavioral Avoidance in Colorectal Cancer Screening and Treatment: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Background: The emotion of disgust appears to promote psychological and behavioral avoidance, a dynamic that has significant implications in physical and psychological outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients, caregivers, and health professionals alike are all potentially susceptible to responding with disgust and the associated avoidance. Objective: This article aimed to review the early-stage literature related to disgust and CRC, consider the clinical implications, and suggest an appropriate research agenda. Methods: Given limited research in this area, a systematic review of the literature was broadened to include disgust and all cancers. MEDLINE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses databases were searched, with additional works sourced by reviewing citation lists and/or by contacting the lead authors. Results: Nine studies were identified relating to disgust and cancer screening, and 6 related to disgust and cancer treatment. Two broad findings emerged: (1) disgust appears to be promoting aversion to (and avoidance of) CRC screening, and (2) several known elicitors of disgust are widely apparent in CRC contexts. Conclusions: Disgust likely represents a key emotional substrate for avoidance among CRC patients, caregivers, and health professionals. Further research is required to identify disgust’s elicitors and effects in CRC contexts, informing interventions that target early identification of persons at risk of maladaptive outcomes. Exposure therapies and mindfulness training may be well suited to treating disgust-generated avoidance. Implications for Practice: Disgust has significant implications in CRC contexts. Oncology nurses are uniquely positioned to guide clinical interventions and ultimately improve outcomes in this area.
Vectorial chemiosmotic processes.

RESEARCH STRATEGY: A CALCULATED GAME OF CHANCE 996 Coupling Hypotheses: Chemiosmotic versus Nonosmotic 996 Chemiosmotic Reaction Mechanisms: Direct and Indirect . 999 PROTON MOTIVE CHEMIOSMOTIC SYSTEMS . 1000 Reversible Proton motive ATPase . 1000 Proton motive Cytochrome Systems and Q Cycles 1001 Protonmotive NADH Dehydrogenase and NAD(P) Transhydrogenase . 1002 Bacterial Proton motive Cytochrome Systems, Photoredox Systems, and Redox Loops 1002 Stoichiometry, Thermodynamics, and Kinetics 0/ Coupled Systems . 1002 SOLUTE PORTER SySTEMS 1003 CONCLUSION 1004
Motivational Determinants of Training Utilisation in Enterprise Systems

System utilisation is important for enterprise systems (ES) implementations to succeed. However, even though users may have undergone training on these systems, they may not decide to apply the skills they have learned. This affects the benefits that can accrue to firms from their IT investments, as well as being a waste of the time and money spent on training. We interviewed end-users of enterprise systems to find out what influenced them to use the skills that they had learnt during enterprise systems training sessions. Individual malleable characteristics and workplace favourability were the main drivers of their decision to apply the skills they had learned to accomplish their workplace tasks, confirming previous conceptual propositions.
Energy based Efficiency Evaluation of Cluster-Based Routing Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

The design of routing protocols for wireless sensor network (WSN) is influenced by many challenging factors such as fault tolerance, energy efficiency, scalability, latency, power consumption and network topology etc. Among all of them the energy is often considered as primary resource constraint in a wireless sensor network. The main factors affecting energy consumption are: perceptual data, data processing and radio communications, the radio communication is the main part of energy consumption. Hence, energy conservation is one of the foremost priorities in the design of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) protocols having significant impact on the overall energy consumption. Recently, clustering routing techniques show their great attitude towards efficient data gathering by minimizing overall energy consumption as well as load balancing with improved network reliability and scalability. However, in harsh nature lossy wireless deployment all above mentioned advantages can not be achieved simultaneously by all routing schemes. Therefore, this paper examines the performance as well as energy consumption issues of the existing routing schemes by providing periodic data from a sensing field to a remote receiver in lossy wireless environment. So that, the network lifetime can be increased to reasonable times. We formulate the energy consumption and study their estimated lifetime based on varying parameters related to the sensing field, e.g., size, and distance etc. The simulation is conducted though the network simulation tool MATLAB7.0, over various routing schemes show that long distance communication, unnecessary multihop data transmission, data path looping, data redundancy, memory overflow, synchronization issues and inappropriate selection of MAC layer mechanism are the main challenging issues which leads to excessive data packet loss and consumes a significant amount of node energy in cluster based WSNs.
p63 regulates cell proliferation and cell cycle progression-associated genes in stromal cells of giant cell tumor of the bone

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCT) is a destructive neoplasm of uncertain etiology that affects the epiphyseal ends of long bones in young adults. GCT stromal cells (GCTSCs) are the primary neoplastic cells of this tumor and are the only proliferating cell component in long-term culture, which recruits osteoclast-like giant cells that eventually mediate bone destruction. The oncogenesis of GCT and factors driving the neoplastic stromal cells to proliferate extensively and pause at an early differentiation stage of pre-osteoblast lineage remain unknown. Overexpression of p63 was observed in GCTSCs and there is growing evidence that p63 is involved in oncogenesis through different mechanisms. This study aimed to understand the specific role of p63 in cell proliferation and oncogenesis of GCTSCs. We confirmed p63 expression in the mononuclear cells in GCT by immunohistochemical staining. By real-time PCR analysis, we showed a higher level (>15-fold) of TAp63 expression in GCTSCs compared to that in mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, we observed that knockdown of the p63 gene by siRNA transfection greatly reduced cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at S phase in GCTSCs. We found that the mRNA expression of CDC2 and CDC25C was substantially suppressed by p63 knockdown at 24–72 h. Moreover, p63 was found to be recruited on the regulatory regions of CDC2 and CDC25C, which contain p53-responsive elements. In summary, our data suggest that p63 regulates GCTSC proliferation by binding to the CDC2 and CDC25C p53-REs, which may inhibit the p53 tumor suppressor activity and contribute to GCT tumorigenesis.
Association of HK2 and NCK2 with Normal Tension Glaucoma in the Japanese Population

Although family studies and genome-wide association studies have shown that genetic factors play a role in glaucoma, it has been difficult to identify the specific genetic variants involved. We tested 669 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the region of chromosome 2 that includes the GLC1B glaucoma locus for association with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in the Japanese population. We performed a two-stage case-control study. The first cohort consisted of 123 POAG cases, 121 NTG cases and 120 controls: the second cohort consisted of 187 POAG cases, 286 NTG cases, and 271 controls. Out of six SNPs showing significant association with POAG in the first round screening, seven SNPs were tested in the second round. Rs678350 in the HK2 gene coding sequence showed significant allelic (p = 0.0027 in Stage Two, 2.7XE-4 in meta-analysis) association with POAG, and significant allelic (p = 4.7XE-4 in Stage Two, 1.0XE-5 in meta-analysis) association with NTG. Although alleles in the TMEM182 gene did not show significant association with glaucoma in the second round, subjects with the A/A allele in TMEM182 rs869833 showed worse visual field mean deviation (p = 0.01). Even though rs2033008 in the NCK2 gene coding sequence did not show significant association in the first round, it had previously shown association with NTG so it was tested for association with NTG in round 2 (p = 0.0053 in Stage Two). Immunohistochemistry showed that both HK2 and NCK2 are expressed in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Once multi-testing was taken into account, only HK2 showed significant association with POAG and NTG in Stage Two. Our data also support previous reports of NCK2 association with NTG, and raise questions about what role TMEM182 might play in phenotypic variability. Our data suggest that HK2 may play an important role in NTG in the Japanese population.
Contagious Adverse Selection

We illustrate the corrosive effect of even small amounts of adverse selection in an asset market and show how it can lead to the total breakdown of trade. The problem is the failure of "market confidence," defined as approximate common knowledge of an upper bound on expected losses. Small probability events can unravel market confidence. We discuss the role of contagious adverse selection and the problem of "toxic assets" in the recent financial crisis. (JEL D82, G01, G12, G14)
Cache coherence for GPU architectures

While scalable coherence has been extensively studied in the context of general purpose chip multiprocessors (CMPs), GPU architectures present a new set of challenges. Introducing conventional directory protocols adds unnecessary coherence traffic overhead to existing GPU applications. Moreover, these protocols increase the verification complexity of the GPU memory system. Recent research, Library Cache Coherence (LCC) [34, 54], explored the use of time-based approaches in CMP coherence protocols. This paper describes a time-based coherence framework for GPUs, called Temporal Coherence (TC), that exploits globally synchronized counters in single-chip systems to develop a streamlined GPU coherence protocol. Synchronized counters enable all coherence transitions, such as invalidation of cache blocks, to happen synchronously, eliminating all coherence traffic and protocol races. We present an implementation of TC, called TC-Weak, which eliminates LCC's trade-off between stalling stores and increasing L1 miss rates to improve performance and reduce interconnect traffic. By providing coherent L1 caches, TC-Weak improves the performance of GPU applications with inter-workgroup communication by 85% over disabling the non-coherent L1 caches in the baseline GPU. We also find that write-through protocols outperform a writeback protocol on a GPU as the latter suffers from increased traffic due to unnecessary refills of write-once data.
A Modular Localization System as a Positioning Service for Road Transport

In recent times smart devices have attracted a large number of users. Since many of these devices allow position estimation using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals, a large number of location-based applications and services have emerged, especially in transport systems. However GNSS signals are affected by the environment and are not always present, especially in dense urban environment or indoors. In this work firstly a Modular Localization Algorithm is proposed to allow seamless switching between different positioning modules. This helps us develop a positioning system that is able to provide position estimates in both indoor and outdoor environments without any user interaction. Since the proposed system can run as a service on any smart device, it could allow users to navigate not only in outdoor environments, but also indoors, e.g., underground garages, tunnels etc. Secondly we present the proposal of a 2-phase map reduction algorithm which allows one to significantly reduce the complexity of position estimation processes in case that positioning is performed using a fingerprinting framework. The proposed 2-phase map reduction algorithm can also improve the accuracy of the position estimates by filtering out reference points that are far from the mobile device. Both algorithms were implemented into a positioning system and tested in real world conditions in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Direct Modulation of Pancreatic CCK Receptors and Enzyme Secretion by Insulin in Isolated Pancreatic Acini from Diabetic Rats

The effect of insulin on pancreatic enzyme secretion was studied in vitro by using isolated pancreatic acini prepared from rats rendered diabetic with streptozotocin. Preincubation of acini with insulin increased the maximal release of amylase and ribonuclease in response to CCK8 but not to carbamylcholine, a secretagogue acting via a different receptor. Insulin by itself had no effect on enzyme release. The effect of insulin was time dependent and increased up to 2 h, the longest time studied. An effect was observed at 1 nM insulin and the maximal effect was observed at 100 nM The properties of CCK receptors on the acini were studied using biologically active 125I-BH-CCK33. Insulin pretreatment decreased both the affinity of the high-affinity CCK receptors and the capacity of the low-affinity CCK receptors. Within the framework of the current model, in which occupancy of high-affinity CCK receptors stimulates and low-affinity receptors inhibits amylase release, the change in receptors induced by insulin could account for the altered enzyme secretion. Thus, insulin appears to have a direct effect to regulate CCK receptors and CCK-induced secretion in isolated pancreatic acini.
AUTOESTIMA E AUTOIMAGEM DOS ADOLESCENTES PRATICANTES E NÃO PRATICANTES DE HANDEBOL SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-IMAGE OF ADOLESCENTS PRACTITIONERS AND NON PRACTITIONERS OF HANDBALL LA AUTOESTIMA Y LA AUTOIMAGEN DE ADOLESCENTES EN RELACIÓN CON LA PRÁCTICA O NO PRÁCTICA DEL BALONMANO

The purpose of this study was to look at the self-esteem and self-image of two groups of adolescents: i) practitioners of handball from the School St. Louis, Brusque / SC and ii) not practitioners of this sport, from the Elementary School Teacher Patrick Teixeira Brazil, St. John the Baptist / SC. The work was characterized as a descriptive field study. The sample consisted of 25 adolescents aged 13 to 14 years. We used a structured questionnaire related the self-image and self esteem (Stobaus). Quantitative data were analyzed according to the content and object of the study. Data revealed that the self-image of most practitioners and not practitioners wasn’t either high or low, but rather average. However, regarding self-esteem, most of handball practitioners ranked also quite average while those not involved in the sport had a lower perception of themselves.
Prognostic effect of peripheral blood cell counts in advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP-like chemotherapy: A single institution analysis

The primary objective of the present study was to correlate blood cell counts (lymphocyte, monocyte and platelet counts) with early disease relapse following the attainment of complete remission (CR) by the rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP)-like regimen in patients with advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In total, 30 patients were evaluated, with a median follow-up period of 43 months. All the participating patients attained CR. In total, eight patients experienced relapse within two years of the diagnosis, and the three-year overall survival rate was recorded as 77%. The peripheral counts for lymphocytes, monocytes and platelets, and the lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, all of which have been reported to be prognostic in DLBCL, were assessed. None of these parameters were correlated with the incidence of early relapse or with the prognosis. The lymphocyte count was higher in the patients with durable remission than in those who relapsed, however, no significant differences were identified. Thus, the present study concluded that early disease relapse was not predicted by peripheral blood cell counts in advanced DLBCL that reached CR using the R-CHOP-like regimen.