Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RELEVANCE OF THE CHANGES IN CELL SURFACE CHARGE DENSITY TO CELL AGGREGATION AND MORPHOGENESIS

The reduction in the cell surface charge density of Dictyostelium discoideum during differentiation has been studied by the technique of cell electrophoresis. It was abolished under conditions in which cell aggregation was inhibited (e.g. low temperature, the presence of actinomycin D or cycloheximide). In the presence of nutrients incapable of supporting growth, cell aggregation occurred without a reduction in surface charge density. Cell adhesion in these aggregates was impaired, and a reduction in surface charge density appeared to be necessary for further development. Brief treatment of exponential phase and aggregating cells with agents which disaggregate slugs failed to alter their electrophoretic mobilities. Low concentrations of magnesium chloride caused extensive agglutination, especially in aggregating cell suspensions, but little change in their electrophoretic mobilities. Magnesium chloride could agglutinate cells by association with cell surface components undetectable by cell electrophoresis. This, together with immunological evidence from other workers, supports the possibility of involvement of specific surface macromolecules in cellular slime mould aggregation. It was concluded that changes in surface charge density, though important for cell adhesion and morphogenesis, cannot account for all aspects of cell interactions in D. discoideum.
Investments in Health and Education Help Save Lives

Economies with large labor population and labor oriented production face problems of quality of labor provided. This quality can be divided into two components; one the skill component and other the health component. The purpose of the paper is to identify the root causes of low health standards in the working population. The district wise data of Punjab (Pakistan), revealed that fertility rate, number of hospitals, literacy rate, and proxy income are the major determinants that can improve health rates among the population.
Detection of cytokine mRNA production in infiltrating cells in proliferative vitreoretinopathy using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

AIMS To determine whether the infiltrating cells in the vitreous and subretinal fluid of patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) express messenger RNA for various cytokines found in this condition. METHODS The presence of mRNA coding for HPRT, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNFα was investigated in 20 vitreous and subretinal fluid (SRF) samples from patients with PVR by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). 16 samples from patients with retinal detachment and macular holes were used as controls. RESULTS HPRT was detected in all samples of PVR and in 11 (69%) control cases. Patients with PVR demonstrated mRNA for the cytokines tested more often than controls. The difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION The presence of mRNA encoding for IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNFα is significantly detected by RT-PCR in vitreous and SRF samples of patients with PVR, indicating local production of these cytokines by vitreous and SRF cells.
Errors-in-variables estimation with wavelets

This paper proposes a wavelet (spectral) approach to estimate the parameters of a linear regression model where the regressand and the regressors are persistent processes and contain a measurement error. We propose a wavelet filtering approach which does not require instruments and yields unbiased estimates for the intercept and the slope parameters. Our Monte Carlo results also show that the wavelet approach is particularly effective when measurement errors for the regressand and the regressor are serially correlated. With this paper, we hope to bring a fresh perspective and stimulate further theoretical research in this area.
Self-organization of single filaments and diffusive plasmas during a single pulse in dielectric-barrier discharges

Self-organization of filaments in dielectric-barrier discharges (DBDs) probably has many origins. However, the dominant cause is proposed to be the accumulation of charge on the surfaces of the bounding dielectrics that reinforces successive discharge pulses to occur at the same locations. A secondary cause is the electrostatic repulsion of individual plasma filaments. Self-organization typically develops over many discharge pulses. In this paper, we discuss the results of a computational investigation of plasma filaments in overvoltage DBDs that, under select conditions, display self-organized patterns (SOPs) of plasma density during a single discharge pulse. (Overvoltage refers to the rapid application of a voltage in excess of the quasi-dc breakdown voltage.) The origin of the SOPs is a synergistic relationship between the speed of the surface-ionization waves that propagate along each dielectric and the rate at which avalanche occurs across the gap. For our test conditions, SOPs were not observed at lower voltages and gradually formed at higher voltages. The same conditions that result in SOPs, i.e. the application of an overvoltage, also produce more diffuse discharges. A transition from a single narrow filament to a more diffuse structure was observed as overvoltage was approached. The sensitivity of SOPs to the orientation and permittivity of the bounding dielectrics is discussed.
Drivers and predictions of coral reef carbonate budget trajectories

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the long-term maintenance of coral-dominated tropical ecosystems, and has received considerable attention over the past two decades. Coral bleaching and associated mortality events, which are predicted to become more frequent and intense, can alter the balance of different elements that are responsible for coral reef growth and maintenance. The geomorphic impacts of coral mass mortality have received relatively little attention, particularly questions concerning temporal recovery of reef carbonate production and the factors that promote resilience of reef growth potential. Here, we track the biological carbonate budgets of inner Seychelles reefs from 1994 to 2014, spanning the 1998 global bleaching event when these reefs lost more than 90% of coral cover. All 21 reefs had positive budgets in 1994, but in 2005 budgets were predominantly negative. By 2014, carbonate budgets on seven reefs were comparable with 1994, but on all reefs where an ecological regime shift to macroalgal dominance occurred, budgets remained negative through 2014. Reefs with higher massive coral cover, lower macroalgae cover and lower excavating parrotfish biomass in 1994 were more likely to have positive budgets post-bleaching. If mortality of corals from the 2016 bleaching event is as severe as that of 1998, our predictions based on past trends would suggest that six of eight reefs with positive budgets in 2014 would still have positive budgets by 2030. Our results highlight that reef accretion and framework maintenance cannot be assumed from the ecological state alone, and that managers should focus on conserving aspects of coral reefs that support resilient carbonate budgets.
Interventions for treating obesity in children.

BACKGROUND Child and adolescent obesity is increasingly prevalent, and can be associated with significant short- and long-term health consequences. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of lifestyle, drug and surgical interventions for treating obesity in childhood. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched CENTRAL on The Cochrane Library Issue 2 2008, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Science, DARE and NHS EED. Searches were undertaken from 1985 to May 2008. References were checked. No language restrictions were applied. SELECTION CRITERIA We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of lifestyle (i.e. dietary, physical activity and/or behavioural therapy), drug and surgical interventions for treating obesity in children (mean age under 18 years) with or without the support of family members, with a minimum of six months follow up (three months for actual drug therapy). Interventions that specifically dealt with the treatment of eating disorders or type 2 diabetes, or included participants with a secondary or syndromic cause of obesity were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data following the Cochrane Handbook. Where necessary authors were contacted for additional information. MAIN RESULTS We included 64 RCTs (5230 participants). Lifestyle interventions focused on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in 12 studies, diet in 6 studies, and 36 concentrated on behaviorally orientated treatment programs. Three types of drug interventions (metformin, orlistat and sibutramine) were found in 10 studies. No surgical intervention was eligible for inclusion. The studies included varied greatly in intervention design, outcome measurements and methodological quality.Meta-analyses indicated a reduction in overweight at 6 and 12 months follow up in: i) lifestyle interventions involving children; and ii) lifestyle interventions in adolescents with or without the addition of orlistat or sibutramine. A range of adverse effects was noted in drug RCTs. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS While there is limited quality data to recommend one treatment program to be favoured over another, this review shows that combined behavioural lifestyle interventions compared to standard care or self-help can produce a significant and clinically meaningful reduction in overweight in children and adolescents. In obese adolescents, consideration should be given to the use of either orlistat or sibutramine, as an adjunct to lifestyle interventions, although this approach needs to be carefully weighed up against the potential for adverse effects. Furthermore, high quality research that considers psychosocial determinants for behaviour change, strategies to improve clinician-family interaction, and cost-effective programs for primary and community care is required.
Coupled Optical and Electronic Modeling of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells for Steady-State Parameter Extraction

The design and development of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) is currently often realized on an empirical basis. In view of assisting in this optimization process, we present the framework of a model which consists in a coupled optical and electrical model of the DSC. The experimentally validated optical model, based on a ray-tracing algorithm, allows accurate determination of the internal quantum efficiency of devices, an important parameter that is not easily estimated. Coupling the output of the optical model—the dye absorption rate—to an electrical model for charge generation, transport, and first-order (linear) recombination allows extraction of a set of intrinsic parameters from steady-state photocurrent measurements, such as the diffusion length or the dye electron injection efficiency. Importantly, the sources of optical and electric losses in the device can be separated and quantified (i.e., transmittance, reflectance, absorptance, charge injection, recombination, and potential losses). The mod.
Growth dynamics and genotypic variation in tropical, field‐grown paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) in response to increasing carbon dioxide and temperature

While previous studies have examined the growth and yield response of rice to continued increases in CO2 concentration and potential increases in air temperature, little work has focused on the long‐term response of tropical paddy rice (i.e. the bulk of world rice production) in situ, or genotypic differences among cultivars in response to increasing CO2 and/or temperature. At the International Rice Research Institute, rice (cv IR72) was grown from germination until maturity for 4 field seasons, the 1994 and 1995 wet and the 1995 and 1996 dry seasons at three different CO2 concentrations (ambient, ambient + 200 and ambient + 300 μL L–1 CO2) and two air temperatures (ambient and ambient + 4 °C) using open‐top field chambers placed within a paddy site. Overall, enhanced levels of CO2 alone resulted in significant increases in total biomass at maturity and increased seed yield with the relative degree of enhancement consistent over growing seasons across both temperatures. Enhanced levels of temperature alone resulted in decreases or no change in total biomass and decreased seed yield at maturity across both CO2 levels. In general, simultaneous increases in air temperature as well as CO2 concentration offset the stimulation of biomass and grain yield compared to the effect of CO2 concentration alone. For either the 1995 wet and 1996 dry seasons, additional cultivars (N‐22, NPT1 and NPT2) were grown in conjunction with IR72 at the same CO2 and temperature treatments. Among the cultivars tested, N‐22 showed the greatest relative response of both yield and biomass to increasing CO2, while NPT2 showed no response and IR72 was intermediate. For all cultivars, however, the combination of increasing CO2 concentration and air temperature resulted in reduced grain yield and declining harvest index compared to increased CO2 alone. Data from these experiments indicate that (a) rice growth and yield can respond positively under tropical paddy conditions to elevated CO2, but that simultaneous exposure to elevated temperature may negate the CO2 response to grain yield; and, (b) sufficient intraspecific variation exists among cultivars for future selection of rice cultivars which may, potentially, convert greater amounts of CO2 into harvestable yield.
Treatment with Synthetic Glucocorticoids and the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

Chronic glucocorticoid (GC) treatment represents a widely-prescribed therapy for several diseases in consideration of both anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity but, if used at high doses for prolonged periods, it can determine the systemic effects characteristic of Cushing’s syndrome. In addition to signs and symptoms of hypercortisolism, patients on chronic GC therapy are at risk to develop tertiary adrenal insufficiency after the reduction or the withdrawal of corticosteroids or during acute stress. This effect is mediated by the negative feedback loop on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which mainly involves corticotropin-release hormone (CRH), which represents the most important driver of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release. In fact, after withdrawal of chronic GC treatment, reactivation of CRH secretion is a necessary prerequisite for the recovery of the HPA axis. In addition to the well-known factors which regulate the degree of inhibition of the HPA during synthetic GC therapy (type of compound, method of administration, cumulative dose, duration of the treatment, concomitant drugs which can increase the bioavailability of GCs), there is a considerable variation in individual physiology, probably related to different genetic profiles which regulate GC receptor activity. This may represent an interesting basis for possible future research fields.
Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Psychological Well-Being of Housewives. -

Background: Stress, if prolonged or of abnormal level can lead to long term physical & psychological problems. It can result in psychosocial responses like anxiety, hopelessness, irritability, general feeling of not being able to cope with the world, behavioral disruptions, avoidance of social and occupational activities. In Indian culture it is usually felt that males are more stressed than females. Also it is not always working women who are under stress; in fact housewives also are stressed in fulfilling family and social expectations. Objective: Purpose of study is to assess the effect of aerobic exercise on psychological well-being of housewives. Study design: Experimental study Sample: Random sampling Method: 60 housewives aged 25-45were recruited into two groups. Group A, n=30, underwent 12 weeks of aerobic exercise program, group B, n=30, which did not participate in any form of exercise program. Perceived Stress Scale Index, Psychological General Well-Being Index and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index were included as outcome measures. Results: After 12 weeks of aerobic exercise program, the exercise group showed a significant improvement in the pre and the post aerobic training, Psychological General Well-Being Indexscores, decrease in the perceived stress score and improvement in Sleep Quality Index score. Conclusion: Study concludes that aerobic exercise has a beneficial effect on stress, general well-being and quality of sleep in housewives and can be used as a means of promoting psychological health in housewives.
Sympathetic overactivity prevails over the vascular amplifier phenomena in a chronic kidney disease rat model of hypertension

We examined whether increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) accounts for enhanced depressor responses to ganglionic blockade in the Lewis polycystic kidney (LPK) model of chronic kidney disease (CKD) or whether it reflects increased vascular responses to vasodilation (vascular amplifier). Under urethane anesthesia, depressor responses to ganglionic blockade (hexamethonium, 0.5–40 mg/kg i.v.), and direct vasodilation (sodium nitroprusside [SNP], 2.5–40 μg/kg i.v. and adenosine, 3–300 μg/kg i.v.) were compared in the LPK with normotensive Lewis and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) (total n = 37). Hexamethonium (8 mg/kg) produced a greater depressor response in the LPK (−51 ± 3 mmHg) compared with Lewis (−31 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05) but not SHR (−46 ± 3 mmHg). In LPK, the ratio of the hexamethonium/vasodilator MAP responses was greater when compared with Lewis (hexamethonium/SNP 1.34 ± 0.1 vs. 0.9 ± 0.09 and hexamethonium/adenosine: 2.28 ± 0.3 vs. 1.16 ± 0.1, both P < 0.05) but not SHR. Results for systolic blood pressure (SBP) were comparable. The slope of the relationship between the fall in SBP induced by hexamethonium and normalized low frequency (LFnu) power was also greater in the LPK (17.93 ± 3.26 mmHg/LFnu) compared with Lewis (2.78 ± 0.59 mmHg/LFnu, P = 0.001) and SHR (3.36 ±0.72 mmHg/LFnu, P = 0.003). These results indicate that in the LPK, sympathetic activity predominates over any vascular amplifier effect, supporting increased sympathetic vasomotor tone as a major contributor to hypertension in this model of CKD.
Multifrequency radio-continuum observations of NGC 1569: evidence for a convective wind

We present high-sensitivity radio-continuum observations with the Very Large Array (VLA) and Ryle Telescope at 1.5, 4.9, 8.4 and 15.4 GHz of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 1569. The radio data show an extended, irregularly shaped halo with filamentary structure around the galaxy. The spectral index maps reveal an unusually patchy distribution with regions of flat spectral index extending into the halo. The data allow us to perform a spatially resolved spectral-fitting analysis of the continuum emission from which we derive maps of the thermal and synchrotron emission. The thermal radio emission is concentrated towards the brightest H ii region west of the super star clusters A and B, whereas the distribution of the synchrotron emission peaks in a bar-like structure in the disc extending between the two clusters. The total flux density of the thermal radio emission allows us to derive the integrated synchrotron spectrum and we confirm the break in the spectrum that was found by Israel & de Bruyn. We discuss various possibilities that could produce such a break and conclude that the only mechanism able to fit the radio data and remain consistent with data at other wavelengths is a convective wind allowing cosmic ray electrons to escape from the halo.
The modulation of SiO maser polarization by Jovian planets

Aims. Searching for planets in the atmosphere of AGB stars is difficult, due to confusion with the stellar wind and pulsations. The aim here is to provide a complementary strategy for planet searches in such a dense environment. Methods. The polarization properties of SiO masers, especially their circular polarization, are, under certain conditions, good tracers of rapid magnetospheric events. A Jovian planet with a magnetosphere whose dipole axis is misaligned with its rotation axis naturally provides such conditions. Here I present several models showing that the polarization will be periodically modulated. Results. The linear and circular polarization of an SiO maser in a planetary magnetosphere is modulated by the precessing dipole component of the latter. The effect is measurable in saturated masers, while unsaturated masers only exhibit weak changes, because of dilution effects, and because the circular polarization there stems from the Zeeman effect making it as weak as for thermal radiation. The situation would change if anisotropic pump- and loss-rates were included, which would increase the fractional linear and, via magnetorotation, the circular polarization of the modulation. Conclusions. Single-dish monitoring with a dense enough time sampling and a carefully calibrated polarimeter, in combination with VLBI observations, are suited to detecting and locating a periodic modulation of the circular maser polarization due to a precessing Jovian magnetosphere. The phenomenon will be rare, because a favorable arrangement of maser and magnetosphere is needed. Otherwise the polarization may be below the detection threshold, especially if the maser is unsaturated. Though exhibiting a qualitatively similar modulation, linear polarization is likely to suffer more from confusion due to dilution of the magnetosphere within the maser cross section, even in VLBI observations.
Bullying and victimization among African American adolescents: a literature review.

TOPIC Bullying among African American adolescents. PURPOSE This article reviews the current literature on bullying and victimization among African American adolescents. It highlights bullying and violence disparity among African American adolescents, associated risk and protective factors, and effects of bullying on adolescent health. SOURCES USED Twenty-three English language peer-reviewed articles from CINAHL, Pubmed, and Psyc-INFO databases. CONCLUSION African American adolescents have higher rates of bullying and victimization compared to other adolescent populations. This review found strong associations among bullying involvement, substance abuse, and family factors. Bullying also had a significant impact on adolescent health, particularly psychological symptoms and school performance.
Profiling ISIS Supporters on Twitter

Cyber Terrorism is a real threat to the modern society. Many terrorist organizations spread their ideas and recruit new supporters over Online Social Networks. Among all terrorist organizations, ISIS can be considered as the biggest one, which is responsible for inspiring terrorist actions in more than 20 countries. As expected, ISIS uses Twitter for spreading its hatred, and an important issue is how to characterize these supporters in order to understand their motivation. Our work investigates and discusses the way ISIS organizes within Twitter. We base our analyses on two curated datasets. The first dataset, "How ISIS Uses Twitter? " (HIUT), is provided by the Fifth Tribe digital agency. The second dataset, "Syria and ISIS Mentioners? " (SIM), we collected ourselves and curated without participation of experts in the field. We made the SIM dataset publically available, helping new studies in the understanding of ISIS supporters' profiles on Twitter. The main contribution of this work is a characterization of both HIUT and SIM datasets.