Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corneal Thickness and Anterior Chamber Depth by Orbscan in Normal and Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Patients in Korea

PurposeTo characterize central corneal thickness (CCT), thinnest corneal thickness, and anterior chamber depth (ACD) in Koreans and assess their variation between nonglaucomatous eye and eye with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). MethodsThis observational cross-sectional study included patients previously diagnosed as POAG (n=226), and nonglaucomatous patients (n=580). Thinnest corneal thickness, CCT, and ACD were measured by Orbscan. Means of measurements and their correlations with glaucoma diagnosis, age, spherical equivalent, and sex were evaluated. ResultsNo difference was seen in CCT among POAG and nonglaucomatous subjects (532.7 and 537.0 μm, respectively, P=0.224). Neither thinnest corneal thickness was different between these groups (P=0.150). There was no statistically significant difference in mean central or thinnest corneal thickness between eyes with different sex. Central or thinnest corneal thicknesses were not correlated with age. ACD was inversely correlated with age and refractive error (both, P<0.0001). ConclusionsIn Koreans, neither central nor thinnest corneal thickness was different between POAG and nonglaucomatous eyes. There was an inverse relationship between age and ACD.
Behavioral Health Screening in Pediatric Primary Care

This pilot study investigated the effect of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) on identification of and physician response to behavioral health (BH) concerns. Researchers reviewed 1211 charts of youth aged 4 to 16 years. Records were compared during baseline and an intervention consisting of implementation of the PSC to determine the rate of BH identification and pediatrician response. Access to PSC data resulted in a trivial difference in BH concerns identified by physicians and did not affect physician responses. This case study demonstrates that simply implementing BH screening in primary care may not result in improved outcomes for these children.
Expatriate Management: New Ideas for International Business

Preface Expatriation Internationalizing Managers: Expatriation and Other Strategies by Gary Oddou, Brooklyn Derr, and Stewart Black Corporate Selection Strategies and International Manager Success by Mary Teagarden and Gary Gordon Increasing Receptivity to Expatriate Assignments by Jay Yurkiewicz and Ben Rosen Effective Expatriate Training by Chris Brewster Expatriate Executive Succession by Jan Selmer Assignment and Repatriation Expatriate Adjustment: Causes and Consequences by Glenn McEvoy and Barbara Parker The Paradox of Expatriate Adjustment by Chris Brewster Expatriates' Intercultural Effectiveness by Chance of Birth by Aminu Mamman Host Country Workforce Training in Support of the Expatriate Assignment by Charles Vance and Yongsun Paik Expatriate Performance Appraisal: Principle, Practices and Challenges by Hal Gregersen, Stewart Black, and Julie Hite Adjustment of Expatriate Children by Corinna de Leon and Diana McPartlin Personal and Organizational Factors Associated with Effective Repatriation by Christopher Baughn New Trends TCN Expatriate Manager Policies by William Chadwick Expatriate Women Managers by Nancy Adler New Markets, New Firms-New Expatriates? by Ingemar Torbiorn Conclusions: New Ideas for International Business by Jan Selmer Index
Occurrence and abundance of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea and bacteria from the surface to below the water table, in deep soil, and their contributions to nitrification

Using molecular biology methods (qualitative and quantitative PCR), we determined the occurrence and abundance of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) from a dry inland soil in Basel, Switzerland, and from the riparian zone of Baiyangdian Lake, China. We also determined the contributions of these microorganisms to ammonia oxidization at different depths based on the nitrification rate. The number of archaeal amoA genes (the key functional gene in AOA) was larger than the number of bacterial amoA genes in each sample, suggesting a dominant role for the AOA amoA gene in environments with a low ammonium concentration. In Baiyangdian Lake, the number of archaeal amoA genes was highest at 6 m and lowest at 12 m from the land–water interface in the soil (at depths from 40 to 60 cm), close to the groundwater, which suggests that AOA become more competitive in environments with a low dissolved oxygen content and are promoted by low pH. The nitrification rate was significantly negatively correlated with depth in the Baiyangdian Lake soil and significantly positively correlated with the number of AOB amoA genes at this site, 6 m from the water.
A Chlamydomonas Outer Arm Dynein Mutant with a Truncated Heavy Chain

A new allele of the Chlamydomonas oda4 flagellar mutant (oda4-s7) possessing abnormal outer dynein arms was isolated. Unlike the previously described oda4 axoneme lacking all three (a, /3, and 3") outer-arm dynein heavy chains, the oda4-s7 axoneme contains the c~ and 3' heavy chains and a novel peptide with a molecular mass of •160 kD. The peptide reacts with a mAb (18~B) that recognizes an epitope on the NH2-terminal part of the/3 heavy chain. These observations indicate that this mutant has a truncated ~3 heavy chain, and that the NH2-terminal part of the/3 heavy chain is important for the stable assembly of the outer arms. In averaged electron microscopic images of outer arms from cross sections of axonemes, the mutant outer arm lacks its mid-portion, producing a forked appearance. Together with our previous finding that the mutant odal I lacks the t~ heavy chain and the outermost portion of the arm (Sakakibara, H., D. R. Mitchell, and R. Kamiya. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 113:615-622), this result defines the approximate locations of the three outer arm heavy chains in the axonemal cross section. The swimming velocity of oda4-s7 is 65 + 8/~m/s, close to that of oda4 which lacks the entire outer arm (62 + 8/zm/s) but significantly lower than the velocities of wild type (194 + 23/zm/s) and odal l (119 + 17 #m/s). Thus, the lack of the/3 heavy chain impairs outer-arm function more seriously than does the lack of the ot heavy chain, suggesting that the ot and/3 heavy chains play different roles in outer arm
Capital, Containment, and Competition: The Dynamics of British Imperialism, 1730–1939

What causes imperialism? Classic explanations of imperialism theorized causes within the imperial metropole, such as nationalist culture or the imperatives of capital accumulation. More recent theories emphasize global pressures. To assess these longstanding but rarely adjudicated theories, this paper employs original time-series data and qualitative evidence on British imperialism from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The analysis shows that British imperialism was not only a domestically produced process but also a global one. British imperialism was a strategy for meeting the state's imperatives of geopolitical security (containment) and economic growth (capital) in the face of external threats. Those threats were most likely to be perceived when the global system was at its most economically competitive. These findings affirm a “structural competition” approach that builds upon existing global-oriented theories but specifies the structural conditions and causal processes driving imperialism.
THE GENETICS OF AN ISOLATING MECHANISM BETWEEN TWO SIBLING SPECIES OF DROSOPHILA

Matings between Drosophila simulans females and males of the sibling species D. mauritiana are of abnormally short duration. These rapid matings interrupt the transfer of sperm, leading to substantial reproductive isolation in interspecific as compared to intraspecific copulations. Genetic analysis of this behavior shows that it is influenced much more by the male than the female genotype, with genes from D. simulans being dominant. In males, shortened copulation is caused by interspecific divergence at a minimum of three loci, with one gene on each of the major chromosomes. This is an underestimate of the true number of loci affecting the trait, which could be much larger. The two autosomes have the largest effect, whereas that of the X chromosome is much smaller. The genetic architecture of copulation duration and the larger effect of male than female genotype suggest that females can detect and discriminate against differences in male genitalia.
Contribution of the Lipopolysaccharide to Resistance of Shigella flexneri 2a to Extreme Acidity

Shigella flexneri is endemic in most underdeveloped countries, causing diarrheal disease and dysentery among young children. In order to reach its target site, the colon, Shigella must overcome the acid environment of the stomach. Shigella is able to persist in this stressful environment and, because of this ability it can initiate infection following the ingestion of very small inocula. Thus, acid resistance is considered an important virulence trait of this bacterium. It has been reported that moderate acid conditions regulate the expression of numerous components of the bacterial envelope. Because the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major component of the bacterial surface, here we have addressed the role of LPS in acid resistance of S. flexneri 2a. Defined deletion mutants in genes encoding proteins involved in the synthesis, assembly and length regulation of the LPS O antigen were constructed and assayed for resistance to pH 2.5 after adaptation to pH 5.5. The results showed that a mutant lacking O antigen was significantly more sensitive to extreme acid conditions than the wild type. Not only the presence of polymerized O antigen, but also a particular polymer length (S-OAg) was required for acid resistance. Glucosylation of the O antigen also contributed to this property. In addition, a moderate acidic pH induced changes in the composition of the lipid A domain of LPS. The main modification was the addition of phosphoethanolamine to the 1′ phosphate of lipid A. This modification increased resistance of S. flexneri to extreme acid conditions, provide that O antigen was produced. Overall, the results of this work point out to an important role of LPS in resistance of Shigella flexneri to acid stress.
Grid-based image resizing with user-selected constraint

We present a novel method for content-aware image resizing based on grid transformation. In our proposed method, an original image is projected onto a grid, and then the vertical and horizontal grid lines are moved to resize the image. For obtaining plausible results, our method preserves not only important regions but also aspect ratios of objects and shapes of lines. We define three distortion measures for achieving these preservations. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm resizes images with less distortion than other resizing methods.
Structural and Electrochemical Consequences of Al and Ga Cosubstitution in Li7La3Zr2O12 Solid Electrolytes

Several “Beyond Li-Ion Battery” concepts such as all solid-state batteries and hybrid liquid/solid systems envision the use of a solid electrolyte to protect Li-metal anodes. These configurations are very attractive due to the possibility of exceptionally high energy densities and high (dis)charge rates, but they are far from being realized practically due to a number of issues including high interfacial resistance and difficulties associated with fabrication. One of the most promising solid electrolyte systems for these applications is Al or Ga stabilized Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) based on high ionic conductivities and apparent stability against reduction by Li metal. Nevertheless, the fabrication of dense LLZO membranes with high ionic conductivity and low interfacial resistances remains challenging; it definitely requires a better understanding of the structural and electrochemical properties. In this study, the phase transition from garnet (Ia3̅d, No. 230) to “non-garnet” (I4̅3d, No. 220) space group as a function of composition and the different sintering behavior of Ga and Al stabilized LLZO are identified as important factors in determining the electrochemical properties. The phase transition was located at an Al:Ga substitution ratio of 0.05:0.15 and is accompanied by a significant lowering of the activation energy for Li-ion transport to 0.26 eV. The phase transition combined with microstructural changes concomitant with an increase of the Ga/Al ratio continuously improves the Li-ion conductivity from 2.6 × 10–4 S cm–1 to 1.2 × 10–3 S cm–1, which is close to the calculated maximum for garnet-type materials. The increase in Ga content is also associated with better densification and smaller grains and is accompanied by a change in the area specific resistance (ASR) from 78 to 24 Ω cm2, the lowest reported value for LLZO so far. These results illustrate that understanding the structure–properties relationships in this class of materials allows practical obstacles to its utilization to be readily overcome.
Availability of nonpigmentary antioxidant affects red coloration in gulls

Red, orange, and yellow carotenoid-based colorations displayed by fishes and birds may function as honest sexual signals of the bearer's quality. However, the mechanisms underlying the expression of these traits and the information they convey are still controversial. Because carotenoids are antioxidants and carotenoid-based pigmentation is bleached as a consequence of oxidative processes, it has been suggested that the pigmentation may signal antioxidant status. We tested this hypothesis in the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), a seabird that exhibits a carotenoid-based red spot on the lower mandible. The availability of a nonpigmentary antioxidant (i.e., vitamin E) to the gulls was modified before egg laying by means of a supplementary feeding experiment. During the incubation period, breeding pairs were captured to assess the intensity of the color and the size of the red bill spots. We measured the plasma level of lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity, and carotenoids. We found that males that received vitamin E supplements had larger red spot than control birds but that color intensity was not affected by the supplements. Moreover, we found that only those plasma carotenoids involved in the red coloration were affected by the antioxidant supplementation, suggesting an active mechanism to increase red coloration. Overall, our results provide experimental evidence for the hypothesis that carotenoid-based coloration reflects the bearer's antioxidant status in male gulls. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Effects of metformin on pregnancy outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Aim:The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of metformin on pregnancy outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods:We searched electronic databases and bibliographies of relevant papers to identify studies comparing the pregnancy outcomes in the metformin group with those in the placebo or blank control group. Then, we did this meta-analysis based on the PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcomes included early pregnancy loss (EPL), preterm delivery, term delivery, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Secondary outcomes included pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal malformation, vaginal delivery (VD), cesarean section (CS), and metformin's side effects, such as nausea or gastrointestinal discomfort. Certainly, data about neonatal death and macrosomia were analyzed if data available. Results:Finally, 13 studies including 5 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 8 cohort studies involving 1606 pregnant women with PCOS were analyzed. The pooled OR of EPL was 0.19 with obvious statistical significance, manifesting that metformin help to lower the rate of EPL (95% CI 0.12–0.28, P < 0.00001). Simultaneously, metformin showed the advantage of reducing the prevalence of preterm delivery (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.20–0.68, P = 0.002). In addition, metformin could promote term delivery greatly and the pooled OR was 5.23 with sharp statistical difference (95% CI 3.12–8.75, P < 0.00001). Conclusion:Metformin treatment in women with PCOS throughout pregnancy could increase the possibility of term delivery, VD and reduce the risk of EPL, preterm labor, pregnancy complications such as GDM and PIH, with no serious side effects. Moreover, metformin was not teratogenic based on the limited data. So we may recommend metformin treatment for women with PCOS during the whole pregnancy period for it is quite beneficial and safe for both mothers and babies.
Interaction of linear vestibular and visual stimulation in the macaque ventral intraparietal area (VIP)

Navigation in space requires the brain to combine information arising from different sensory modalities with the appropriate motor commands. Sensory information about self‐motion in particular is provided by the visual and the vestibular system. The macaque ventral intraparietal area (VIP) has recently been shown to be involved in the processing of self‐motion information provided by optical flow, to contain multimodal neurons and to receive input from areas involved in the analysis of vestibular information. By studying responses to linear vestibular, visual and bimodal stimulation we aimed at gaining more insight into the mechanisms involved in multimodal integration and self‐motion processing. A large proportion of cells (77%) revealed a significant response to passive linear translation of the monkey. Of these cells, 59% encoded information about the direction of self‐motion. The phase relationship between vestibular stimulation and neuronal responses covered a broad spectrum, demonstrating the complexity of the spatio‐temporal pattern of vestibular information encoded by neurons in area VIP. For 53% of the direction‐selective neurons the preferred directions for stimuli of both modalities were the same; they were opposite for the remaining 47% of the neurons. During bimodal stimulation the responses of neurons with opposite direction selectivity in the two modalities were determined either by the visual (53%) or the vestibular (47%) modality. These heterogeneous responses to unimodal and bimodal stimulation might be used to prevent misjudgements about self‐ and/or object‐motion, which could be caused by relying on information of one sensory modality alone.
Physical vacuum as the source of the standard model particle masses

We present an effective model for mass generation of the standard model particles in which the fermions acquire their masses from their interactions with the physical vacuum and the gauge bosons from the charge fluctuations of the vacuum. A remarkable aspect of this model is that the left-handed neutrinos are massive because they have weak charge. We obtain consistently the masses of the electroweak gauge bosons in terms of the masses of the fermions and the running coupling constants of the strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions. In this paper we focus our interest in finding some phenomenological consequences of this effective model as for instance a restriction on the possible number of families, a prediction of the top quark mass, and an upper limit for the sum of the the square of the neutrino masses.
Apoptotic proteins and cancer: many faces.

Faris Q. Alenzi, Mohamed L. Salem*, Fadel S. Alyaqoub**, Fahad G. B. Alanazi***, Wafa G. Alanazi, Mona G. Alanazi, Abdulmajeed G. Alanazi, Majed G. Alanazi, Hamdan Al-Shehri, Abdulwahab A. Abuderman, Waleed Tamimi College of Applied Medical Sciences, Salman bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudia Arabia, *Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Egypt, **The International Centre for Academic & Scientific Services, Dammam, ***Department of Pharmacy, MoH, Riyadh, Primary Health Care at Nassem, MoH, Riyadh, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Role of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Specific T-Cell Immunity in Control of Dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 Infection

ABSTRACT Progressive immune dysfunction and AIDS develop in most cases of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection but in only 25 to 30% of persons with HIV-2 infection. However, the natural history and immunologic responses of individuals with dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection are largely undefined. Based on our previous findings, we hypothesized that among patients with dual infection the control of HIV-1 is associated with the ability to respond to HIV-2 Gag epitopes and to maintain HIV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses. To test this, we compared the HIV-specific ex vivo IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay responses of 19 dually infected individuals to those of persons infected with HIV-1 or HIV-2 only. Further, we assessed the functional profile of HIV Gag-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from nine HIV dually infected patients by using a multicolor intracellular cytokine staining assay. As determined by ELISPOT assay, the magnitude and frequency of IFN-γ-secreting T-cell responses to gene products of HIV-1 were higher than those to gene products of HIV-2 (2.64 versus 1.53 log10 IFN-γ spot-forming cells/106 cells [90% versus 63%, respectively].) Further, HIV-1 Env-, Gag-, and Nef- and HIV-2 Gag-specific responses were common; HIV-2 Nef-specific responses were rare. HIV-specific CD4+ T helper responses were detected in nine of nine dually infected subjects, with the majority of these T cells producing gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and, to a lesser extent, interleukin-2. The HIV-1 plasma viral load was inversely correlated with HIV-2 Gag-specific IFN-γ-/TNF-α-secreting CD4+ and HIV-2 Gag-specific IFN-γ-secreting CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, the T-cell memory responses associated with containment of single HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection play a similar significant role in the immune control of dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection.
Origins of the Sense of Security. (Book Reviews: Patterns of Attachment. A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation)

Part I: Introduction 1. Theoretical Background Part II: Method 2. Procedures 3. Measures and Methods of Assessment Part III: Results 4. Descriptive Account of Behavior in Each Episode 5. Normative Trends across Episodes 6. An Examination of the Classificatory System: A Multiple Discriminate Function Analysis 7. Relationships between Infant Behavior in the Strange Situation and at Home 8. Relationships between Infant Behavior in the Strange Situation and Maternal Behavior at Home 9. A Review of Strange-Situation Studies of One-Year-Olds 10. A Review of Strange-Situation Studies of Two- to Four-Year-Olds 11. The Effects of Repetition of the Strange Situation 12. Subgroups and Their Usefulness Part IV: Discussion 13. Discussion of Normative Issues 14. Individual Differences: In Light of Contrasting Paradigms 15. An Interpretation of Individual Differences Appendix I: Instructions to Mother Appendix II: Instructions for Coding and Tabulating Frequency of Behaviors Appendix III: Scoring System for Interactive Behaviors Appendix IV: Maternal Caregiving and Interaction Scales Appendix V: Secure Base Behavior At Home Appendix VI: Supplementary Statistical Findings
Quantitative molecular similarity analysis (QMSA) methods for property estimation: A comparison of property-based, arbitrary, and tailored similarity spaces

Three classes of arbitrary quantitative molecular similarity analysis (QMSA) methods have been computed using atom pairs, topological indices, and physicochemical properties. Tailored QMSA models have been developed using a selected number of TIs chosen by ridge regression. The methods have been applied to the K -nearest neighbor based estimation of log P of two sets of chemicals. Results show that the property-based and tailored QMSA methods are superior to the arbitrary similarity methods in estimating log P of both sets of chemicals