Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Localization of Phenolics in Phloem Parenchyma Cells of Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

Norway spruce (Picea abies) bark contains specialized phloem parenchyma cells that swell and change their contents upon attack by the bark beetle Ips typographus and its microbial associate, the blue stain fungus Ceratocystis polonica. These cells exhibit bright autofluorescence after treatment with standard aldehyde fixatives, and so have been postulated to contain phenolic compounds. Laser microdissection of spruce bark sections combined with cryogenic NMR spectroscopy demonstrated significantly higher concentrations of the stilbene glucoside astringin in phloem parenchyma cells than in adjacent sieve cells. After infection by C. polonica, the flavonoid (+)‐catechin also appeared in phloem parenchyma cells and there was a decrease in astringin content compared to cells from uninfected trees. Analysis of whole‐bark extracts confirmed the results obtained from the cell extracts and revealed a significant increase in dimeric stilbene glucosides, both astringin and isorhapontin derivatives (piceasides A to H), in fungus‐infected versus uninfected bark that might explain the reduction in stilbene monomers. Phloem parenchyma cells thus appear to be a principal site of phenolic accumulation in spruce bark.
Increasing Incidence of IDDM in Austrian Children: A nationwide study 1979–1993

OBJECTIVE A nationwide population-based study was conducted to assess the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) incidence in childhood over a 15-year period (1979–1993). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A questionnaire was sent to all Austrian pediatric departments and diabetologists. The secondary data source was based on patient organization lists and hospital administration data. The data from 1979-1987 were collected retrospectively, while from 1988 to 1993 the registration of cases was performed prospectively in the same network. Estimates of probability of ascertainment were calculated according to the capture-recapture method. RESULTS The achieved ascertainment was 94%. The overall annual incidence was 7.9/100,000 person-years in children 0–14 years old. During the observation period, the incidence rose by 2.4% annually. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of childhood IDDM in Austria, a European country with an intermediate risk for IDDM, showed a proportionally similar increase to that of Northern European countries over the past decade. The increase seems to be continuous, following mainly a linear trend with superimposed sudden outbreaks indicating environmental causative factors.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Implants

Abstract Silicone breast implants have significantly evolved since their introduction half a century ago, yet implant rupture remains a common and expected complication, especially in patients with earlier-generation implants. Magnetic resonance imaging is the primary modality for assessing the integrity of silicone implants and has excellent sensitivity and specificity, and the Food and Drug Administration currently recommends periodic magnetic resonance imaging screening for silent silicone breast implant rupture. Familiarity with the types of silicone implants and potential complications is essential for the radiologist. Signs of intracapsular rupture include the noose, droplet, subcapsular line, and linguine signs. Signs of extracapsular rupture include herniation of silicone with a capsular defect and extruded silicone material. Specific sequences including water and silicone suppression are essential for distinguishing rupture from other pathologies and artifacts. Magnetic resonance imaging provides valuable information about the integrity of silicone implants and associated complications.
What Is It Like to Be a Student in a Religious School?

ABSTRACT In many countries, religious schools are a source of political dispute. Aiming to inform this debate, this article reviews a number of studies to examine the differences between cognitive learning outcomes, civic learning, and promotion of autonomy in religious schools compared with nonreligious schools. The author concludes that students in religious schools seem to score higher on cognitive learning outcomes. Surprisingly, with respect to civic learning the finding is the same: Religious schools perform better. However with regard to promotion of private autonomy there may be grounds for the concerns of some regarding the role of particular sorts of religious schools.
A Survey of Approved Social Work in England and Wales

SUMMARY A survey of approved social workers (ASWs) was undertaken with local authorities in England and Wales, to review the provision and organization of ASW services, and the contribution they make towards the establishment and maintenance of a comprehensive mental health service. The findings show some variation in provision which is in itself indicative of a variety of factors operating to produce local and regional patterns of provision. Some of these are related directly to policy decisions, others to demographic and geographic variables, while still more are related to team structure, workload demands, and generic/specialist issues. The future pattern of mental health social work following the implementation of the NHS and Community Care Act is considered in the light of the findings from the survey. Under section 114 of the Mental Health Act, 1983, local authorities are required to appoint a sufficient number of approved social workers (ASWs) to carry out the functions given to them by the Act. The Act enhanced the role of the ASW and stimulated many local authorities towards investing resources into the training and approval of ASWs. The goal of having ASWs as an integral part of a comprehensive mental health service, offering assessment, care and treatment, and discharging their statutory powers in an informed and responsible manner has been hard to achieve for some authorities. The task involves the determining of clear principles and policies to underpin and guide service delivery, familiarity with geographic and demographic data (particularly with regard to minority groups), the ability to calculate the resources needed to meet the requirements of section 114, and sufficient negotiation and liaison skills to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. Selection and
Attributional Theory in investigating public music performance in higher music education

The purpose of this research was to investigate the causes attributed by undergraduate music students to situations of failure and success in public music performance. Attributional Theory has been used in this research as the theoretical framework to understand how situations of success and failure are interpreted by the person of the activity. The analysis was conducted from an Intrapersonal perspective of motivation, i.e., how the attributions made by the students doing an undergraduate course in music revealed their notions and beliefs. The methodology used included a non-probabilistic survey and the data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire involving 130 undergraduate music students of southern Brazil. The results show that in situations considered to be successful, the most frequent attributed causes are effort (77.7%), persistence (65.4%), and interest in the performance (63.1%), whereas in situations considered to be failures the most important aspects are emotional (60.8%), difficulty of the task (36.2%), and lack of effort (30.8%). This research shows that students who have more musical experience regard their performances as good or excellent, whereas those that have little experience do not view themselves in this way. The data reveal that the greater the importance that is attached to an activity, the more time is spent on preparing for it; in the same way students tend to be more engaged with musical activities and devote more time to them when they are aware of their skills and value them. Music students feel responsible for their results, which shows that they are engaged in their learning and seek to satisfy an inner need to achieve success.
Identification of a Thiomicrospira denitrificans-Like Epsilonproteobacterium as a Catalyst for Autotrophic Denitrification in the Central Baltic Sea

ABSTRACT Identification and functional analysis of key members of bacterial communities in marine and estuarine environments are major challenges for obtaining a mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical processes. In the Baltic Sea basins, as in many other marine environments with anoxic bodies of water, the oxic-anoxic interface is considered a layer of high bacterial turnover of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon compounds that has a great impact on matter balances in the whole ecosystem. We focused on autotrophic denitrification by oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds as a biogeochemically important process mediating concomitant turnover of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon. We used a newly developed approach consisting of molecular analyses in stimulation experiments and in situ abundance. The molecular approach was based on single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of the bacterial community RNA, which allowed identification of potential denitrifiers based on the sequences of enhanced SSCP bands and monitoring of the overall bacterial community during the experiments. Sequences of the SSCP bands of interest were used to design highly specific primers that enabled (i) generation of almost complete 16S rRNA gene sequences using experimental and environmental DNA as templates and (ii) quantification of the bacteria of interest by real-time PCR. By using this approach we identified the bacteria responsible for autotrophic denitrification as a single taxon, an epsilonproteobacterium related to the autotrophic denitrifier Thiomicrospira denitrificans. This finding was confirmed by material balances in the experiments that were consistent with those obtained with continuous cultures of T. denitrificans. The presence and activity of a bacterium that is phylogenetically and physiologically closely related to T. denitrificans could be relevant for the carbon budget of the central Baltic Sea because T. denitrificans exhibits only one-half the efficiency for carbon dioxide fixation per mol of sulfide oxidized and mol of nitrate reduced of Thiobacillus denitrificans hypothesized previously for this function.
Occupational exposure to wood dust and health effects on the respiratory system in a minor industrial estate in Bursa, Turkey.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to estimate occupational exposure to wood dust in the furniture industry in a minor industrial estate in Bursa, Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted between October 2006 and May 2007. In this study, a total of 656 persons, 328 woodworkers and 328 controls were included. A questionnaire was used in the study. Physical examination and the pulmonary function tests (MIR-Spirobank G) of the workers were performed. A portable Aircheck 2000 pump was used to collect the specimens of wood dust from the workplaces. NIOSH Method 0500 was employed for the gravimetric measurements of dust. RESULTS The average dust concentration at the workplace was 2.04+/-1.53 mg/m3. It was reported that 176 of workers (53.7%) had blocked nose while working, 141 (43.0%) had redness of the eyes, 135 (41.2%) had itching eyes and 78 (23.8%) had runny nose. No symptoms were observed in the control group while they were working at the workplace. The mean FEV1 and FVC values of woodworkers, among both smokers and non smokers, were significantly low, although the FEV1/FVC value was high (p < 0.05). An increase both in FEV1 and FVC values was detected among the woodworkers who had a working period less than 10 years and were exposed to wood dust at concentrations over 4 mg/m3 compared to the woodworkers who were exposed to wood dust at less than 4 mg/m3 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS As a result, in this study it was pointed out that the exposure to wood dust adversely influenced the workers respiratory functions. Besides, in this study a question associated with the healthy worker effect that can adversely influence health of workers exposed to wood dust at less than (4 mg/m3) is revealed.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy – is there a need to convert?

Introduction: The difficult gallbladder is the most common ‘difficult’ laparoscopic surgery being performed by general surgeons all over the world and the potential one that places the patient at significant risk. We present our experience of 6147 cases since January 1993 in a single center with respect to conversion to open cholecystectomy. Methods: Patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) from January 1993 to December 2004 were analyzed. The cases were analyzed in relation to conversion rate to open surgery, factors affecting the conversion, and completion rate of LC. Patients having absolute contraindications to LC like cardiovascular and pulmonary disease were not included in the study. Results: Out of 6147 cases, 1518 patients (21.5%) were identified as difficult cases. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was successfully completed in 6125 patients with a completion rate of 99.6%. Laparoscopic procedure had to be converted to the open procedure in 22 patients with a conversion rate of 0.36% of the total LCs performed and 1.66% of the difficult cases. Conversion had to be done due to several reasons. Conclusion: It can be reliably concluded that LC is the preferred method even in the difficult cases. Our study emphasizes that although the rate of conversion to open surgery and complication rate are low in experienced hands the surgeon should keep a low threshold for conversion to open surgery and it should be taken as a step in the interest of the patient rather than be looked upon as an insult to the surgeon.
Multimodal Imaging Nanoparticles Derived from Hyaluronic Acid for Integrated Preoperative and Intraoperative Cancer Imaging

Surgical resection remains the most promising treatment strategy for many types of cancer. Residual malignant tissue after surgery, a consequence in part due to positive margins, contributes to high mortality and disease recurrence. In this study, multimodal contrast agents for integrated preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intraoperative fluorescence image-guided surgery (FIGS) are developed. Self-assembled multimodal imaging nanoparticles (SAMINs) were developed as a mixed micelle formulation using amphiphilic HA polymers functionalized with either GdDTPA for T1 contrast-enhanced MRI or Cy7.5, a near infrared fluorophore. To evaluate the relationship between MR and fluorescence signal from SAMINs, we employed simulated surgical phantoms that are routinely used to evaluate the depth at which near infrared (NIR) imaging agents can be detected by FIGS. Finally, imaging agent efficacy was evaluated in a human breast tumor xenograft model in nude mice, which demonstrated contrast in both fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging.
How People Write Together Now

Today's commercially available word processors allow people to write collaboratively in the cloud, both in the familiar asynchronous mode and now in synchronous mode as well. This opens up new ways of working together. We examined the data traces of collaborative writing behavior in student teams’ use of Google Docs to discover how they are writing together now. We found that student teams write both synchronously and asynchronously, take fluid roles in the writing and editing of the documents, and show a variety of styles of collaborative writing, including writing from scratch, beginning with an outline, pasting in a related example as a template to organize their own writing, and three more. We also found that the document serves as a place where they share a number of things not included in the final document, including links or references to related materials, the assignment requirements from the instructor, and informal discussions to coordinate the collaboration or to structure the document. We computed a number of measures to depict a group's collaboration behavior and asked external graders to score these documents for quality. We found that the documents that included balanced participation and/or exhibited leadership were judged higher in quality, as were those that were longer. We then suggested system design implications and behavioral guidelines to support people writing together better, and concluded the paper with future research directions.
Aggressive periodontitis: laser Nd:YAG treatment versus conventional surgical therapy.

AIM The aim of the study was to compare two methods of treatment for aggressive periodontitis: traditional surgical and Nd:YAG laser, evaluating their possible objective clinical advantages. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 36 hemiarches of 18 patients were analysed, 10 males and 8 females of average age of 14, selected according to predefined criteria. Overall we examined 70 radicular surfaces (sites) of 50 teeth. Each hemiarch to treat was randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION The results, analysed using the Friedman's test, showed a clinically appreciable validity both for the surgical and the laser treatment, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test didn't highlight any statistically significant difference between the two types of treatment. The laser itself appears as a valid alternative to conventional therapy, in relation to the young age of the patients and for individuals at increased anaesthesiological risk and/or with coagulation and platelet function disorders.
Mild Uncertainty Promotes Checking Behavior in Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder respond to clinical uncertainty with perseverative checking, which, ironically, enhances uncertainty. However, patients also display general subclinical uncertainty, which may tempt vulnerable individuals to seek reassurance by perseveration in response to mild uncertainty that is superimposed on general uncertainty. An experimental eye-tracking paradigm was developed to investigate whether mild uncertainty indeed induces checking behavior in people with high obsessive-compulsive tendencies (OC+, n = 34), compared to people with low obsessive-compulsive tendencies (OC–, n = 31). Participants were presented 50 visual search displays, and they indicated whether a target was “present” or “absent. ” Decisions about target presence induced little uncertainty, but decisions about its absence were more ambiguous, because participants relied on not having overlooked the target. Results revealed no differences on target-present trials. However, in target-absent trials, OC+ participants searched longer and used more fixations. Thus, even in mildly uncertain situations, individuals with subclinical obsessive-compulsive disorder respond with more checking behavior, which has implications for treatment.
The Study of Oral Reading Errors: A Survey of the Literature

REVIEWS HOW oral reading errors have been analyzed in more than thirty studies to establish norms for the diagnosis of reading difficulties and to provide insight into the nature of the reading process. The assumption that oral reading reflects the silent reading process is discussed and various systems for describing errors, studies indicating the strategies that readers use to exploit graphic and contextual information, related variables such as maturity, differential training, difficulty of materials, and response style are considered. Notable in much of the research in this area is the failure of investigators to take into account the various levels of linguistic structure or to indicate how closely an erroneous response approximates an expected response on any of those levels.
Inverse Modeling of Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from the 2010 Russian Wildfires by Using Satellite Measurements of Nitrogen Dioxide

Observational constraints to biomass burning (BB) NOx emissions as provided by satellite measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) critically depend on quantitative assumptions regarding the atmospheric NOx lifetime. In this study, we investigated NOx emissions from the extreme wildfires that occurred in the European part of Russia in summer 2010 by using an original inverse modeling method that allowed us to avoid any a priori assumptions regarding the NOx lifetime. The method was applied to the tropospheric NO2 columns retrieved from the measurements performed by the OMI satellite instrument, while the relationship between BB NOx emissions and tropospheric NO2 columns was simulated with the CHIMERE mesoscale chemistry transport model. Our analysis indicated that this relationship depends strongly on BB emissions of volatile organic compounds and that a dependence of the effective NOx lifetime on the NOx fluxes can be essentially nonlinear. Our estimates of the total NOx emissions in the study region are found to be at least 40% larger compared to the respective data from the GFASv1.0 and GFED4.1s global fire emission inventories.
Risk Factors for Postoperative Pulmonary Complications after Abdominal Surgery

BACKGROUND: Incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) in patients undergoing non-cardiothoracic surgery remains high and the occurrence of these complications has enormous implications for the patient and the health care system. AIM: The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for PPC in patients undergoing abdominal surgical procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study in abdominal surgical patients, admitted to the emergency and surgical ward of the UHC of Tirana, Albania, was conducted during the period: March 2014-March 2015. We collected data on the occurrence of a symptomatic and clinically significant PPC using clinical, laboratory, and radiology data. We evaluated the relations between PPCs and various pre-operative or intra-operative factors to identify risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 450 postoperative patients admitted to the surgical emergency and surgical ward were studied. The mean age were 59.85 ±13.64 years with 59.3% being male. Incidence of PPC was 27.3% (123 patients) and hospital length of stay was 4.93 ± 4.65 days. Length of stay was substantially prolonged for those patients who developed PPC (7.48 ± 2.89 days versus 3.97± 4.83 days, p < 0.0001. PPC were identified as risk factors for mortality, OR: 21.84; 95% CI: 11.66-40.89; P < 0.0001. The multivariate regression analysis identified as being independently associated with an increased risk of PPC: age ≥ 65 years (OR 11.41; 95% CI: 4.84-26.91, p < 0.0001), duration of operation ≥ 2.5 hours (OR 8.38; 95% CI: 1.52-46.03, p = 0.01, history of previous pulmonary diseases (OR 11.12; 95% CI: 3.28-37.65, P = 0.0001) and ASA > 2 (OR 6.37; 95% CI: 1.54-26.36, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: We must do some efforts in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications, firstly to identify which patients are at increased risk, and then following more closely high-risk patients because those patients are most likely to benefit.
The Impact of Strategic Assets on Financial Performance and on Internet Performance

Abstract Whereas the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm is the dominant theory in strategic management research, it has hardly been applied to e‐Business. This paper aims at identifying key performance drivers for small and medium‐sized companies that sell online (e‐SMEs), by empirically examining the impact of resources and capabilities on financial performance and on Internet performance. Regression results of 106 companies showed that resources and capabilities differ in their impact on financial and on Internet performance. Business resources are important predictors of both financial performance and Internet performance. However, dynamic capabilities only affect financial performance (and not Internet performance), and IT resources only drive Internet performance (and not financial performance). The findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners. For researchers the results imply that the choice of the dependent variable can change the main conclusions of a study and, therefore,.