Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of Occupational Accidents in Workers with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the single most important preventable medical cause of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and driving accidents. OSA may also adversely affect work performance through a decrease in productivity, and an increase in the injury rate. Nevertheless, no systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between OSA and work accidents has been performed thus far. METHODS PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched. Out of an initial list of 1,099 papers, 10 studies (12,553 participants) were eligible for our review, and 7 of them were included in the meta-analysis. The overall effects were measured by odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). An assessment was made of the methodological quality of the studies. Moderator analysis and funnel plot analysis were used to explore the sources of between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS Compared to controls, the odds of work accident was found to be nearly double in workers with OSA (OR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.53-3.10). Occupational driving was associated with a higher effect size. CONCLUSIONS OSA is an underdiagnosed nonoccupational disease that has a strong adverse effect on work accidents. The nearly twofold increased odds of work accidents in subjects with OSA calls for workplace screening in selected safety-sensitive occupations. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 1171.
Structure–function analysis of rods and cones in juvenile, adult, and aged C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice

To determine whether the photoreceptors change structurally and functionally during aging, and to analyze whether pigmentation in the retinal pigment epithelium might be a contributing factor. Young, adult, and aged C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice (1, 4, and 17 months of age) were housed under a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle, with an ambient light intensity at the eye level of the mice of 85 ± 18 lux. Scotopic single-flash and photopic-flicker electroretinograms (ERGs) after complete dark adaptation were used to assess rod and cone function, respectively. Numbers of rod photoreceptors were counted in plastic sections, and rhodopsin levels were measured using absorption difference spectrophotometry. Numbers and types of cones were determined using lectin staining in retinal flatmounts and cone-specific antibodies in radial frozen sections. Young pigmented C57BL/6 and nonpigmented Balb/c mice had similar numbers of rods. In both mouse strains, there was an overall decline in rod photoreceptor number during aging, which was more pronounced in albino mice. Rod cell numbers correlated with a drop in the overall amount of rhodopsin and a reduction in the maximum a-wave of the rod ERG. The number of short-wavelength cones was unaffected by age and pigmentation, whereas an age-related decline was observed in mid-wavelength (MWL) cones in albino, but not in pigmented mice. In contrast, MWL cone function was reduced during aging in both strains.
PCR Amplification and Direct Sequencing of gyrB Genes with Universal Primers and Their Application to the Detection and Taxonomic Analysis of Pseudomonas putida Strains

Degenerate PCR primers, UP-1 and UP-2r, for the amplification of DNA gyrase subunit B genes (gyrB) were designed by using consensus amino acid sequences of gyrases from Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Bacillus subtilis. In addition to the degenerate sequences, these primers have sequences at the 5* end which allow direct sequencing of amplified PCR products. With these primers, DNA segments of the predicted size were amplified from a variety of gram-negative and gram-positive genera. The nucleotide sequences of the amplified gyrB DNA from three P. putida strains were determined directly from the amplified fragments. The base substitution frequency of gyrB between the strains of P. putida was much higher than that of the 16S rRNA gene. With a specific set of PCR primers, it was possible to amplify gyrB fragments selectively from P. putida or its subgroups. The direct sequencing method of gyrB developed in this study provides a rapid and convenient system for bacterial identification, taxonomic analysis, and monitoring of bacteria in the natural environment.
Determinación de la capacidad de carga turística en los sitios de visita de la Reserva Nacional Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Perú (Determination the carrying capacity of tourism in the visit sites of the National Reserve of Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru )

The study aimed at determining the carrying capacity of tourism sites (CCT) of the National Reserve of Allpahuayo-Mishana (RNAM), Loreto, Peru. The trials "A1", "A2" and "A3", located in Llanchama, San Martin and Mishana communities, respectively, on the right banks of the Nanay river, were surveyed using the Cifuentes method (1992), which establishes the CCT in three levels: physical carrying capacity (CCF), actual carrying capacity (CCR) and effective carrying capacity (CCE). Moreover, the correction factors and the management capacity (CM) were estimated in each trail. The results show that trail "A2" recorded the highest CCE of 157,32 visits/day while trials "A1" and "A3" reported 115,85 visits/day and 67,41 visits/day, respectively; mainly due to the forest of trial “A2” was kept and maintained better than the other two trials; the correction factors of social (0,0909), precipitation (0,6233) and biological (0,6111) highly influenced the results. Besides, the trial "A2" has an outstanding CM of administrative implementation, making it ideal for receiving and providing a degree of satisfaction to visitors; it is concluded that the correction factors and management capacity influence the determination of the CCR and CCE, respectively.
Longitudinal assessment of the effects of oestrogen on blood pressure and cardiovascular autonomic activity in female rats

1 Published data concerning the effects of ovarian hormones on haemodynamic variability are contradictory. For the first time, the present study used radiotelemetric haemodynamic monitoring to investigate the long‐term effects of chronic oestrogen depletion and repletion on cardiovascular autonomic control and arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in female rats. 2 Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and +dP/dtmax of arterial pressure (an estimate of myocardial contractility) were monitored in sham‐operated (SO), ovariectomized (OVX) and oestrogen‐replaced OVX rats (OVXE2) for 16 weeks. Cardiovascular autonomic control and baroreflexes were assessed by frequency domain analysis of interbeat intervals (IBI) and systolic BP (SBP). 3 Compared with SO rats, OVX rats exhibited no changes in BP, short‐lived decreases in HR and sustained reductions in +dP/dtmax of arterial pressure. The high‐ (HF; 0.75–3 Hz) and low‐frequency (LF; 0.25–0.75 Hz) components of spectral power of IBI were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, by ovariectomy. An increase in the IBILF/HF ratio in OVX rats suggests a shift in the cardiac sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic dominance. Index α, the spectral index of spontaneous BRS, was reduced by OVX. 4 Oestrogen replacement caused significant reductions in BP and HR and reversed OVX‐induced changes in +dP/dtmax of arterial pressure and cardiac autonomic activity. The LF oscillations of SBP were reduced in OVXE2 rats, suggesting a reduction in vascular sympathetic tone by oestrogen. 5 These findings highlight the importance of long‐term oestrogen therapy in rectifying the detrimental effects of depletion of ovarian hormones on the cardiovascular system and baroreflex.
Tumor óseo de células gigantes en pacientes de menos de 20 años de edad

Antecedentes: Entre los elementos mas importantes para llegar al diagnostico de las neoplasias oseas se encuentran la edad del paciente, la localizacion del tumor y la imagen radiologica convencional de esta. El tumor de celulas gigantes es una neoplasia localmente agresiva, que presenta predileccion especifica de localizacion con una apariencia radiologica caracteristica que se presenta en pacientes de entre la tercera y cuarta decada de la vida. Objetivo: Describir los hallazgos generales encontrados en una serie de pacientes menores de 20 anos de edad con diagnostico de tumor oseo de celulas gigantes. Material y metodos: Estudio observacional, descriptivo, de prevalencia, de una sola medicion y retrospectivo. La informacion se obtuvo de la Consulta de Oncologia Ortopedica de nuestro hospital. Resultados: De un total de 56 pacientes diagnosticados y documentados adecuadamente, ocho fueron menores de 20 anos de edad. Hubo siete pacientes femeninos, y uno masculino, todos ellos cursando la segunda decada de la vida. Las localizaciones difirieron de las mas frecuentemente reportadas en la literatura. En pacientes con las epifisis abiertas, la neoplasia se origino metafisariamente; cuatro pacientes se diagnosticaron en estadio II de Campanacci y cuatro en estadio III. Un paciente desarrollo metastasis pulmonares, y uno mas se presento con una metastasis saltarina. Conclusiones: Se trata de una neoplasia infrecuente en pacientes esqueleticamente inmaduros. Cuando se presenta en pacientes mas jovenes de lo esperado, lo hace con caracteristicas peculiares.
Strontium source and depth of uptake shifts with substrate age in semiarid ecosystems

Without exogenous rock‐derived nutrient sources, terrestrial ecosystems may eventually regress or reach a terminal steady state, but the degree to which exogenous nutrient sources buffer or slow to a theoretical terminal steady state remains unclear. We used strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) as a tracer and measured 87Sr/86Sr values in aeolian dust, soils, and vegetation across a well‐constrained 3 Myr semiarid substrate age gradient to determine (1) whether the contribution of atmospheric sources of rock‐derived nutrients to soil and vegetation pools varied with substrate age and (2) to determine if the depth of uptake varied with substrate age. We found that aeolian‐derived nutrients became increasingly important, contributing as much as 71% to plant‐available soil pools and tree (Pinus edulis) growth during the latter stages of ecosystem development in a semiarid climate. The depth of nutrient uptake increased on older substrates, demonstrating that trees in arid regions can acquire nutrients from greater depths as ecosystem development progresses presumably in response to nutrient depletion in the more weathered surface soils. Our results demonstrate that global and regional aeolian transport of nutrients to local ecosystems is a vital process for ecosystem development in arid regions. Furthermore, these aeolian nutrient inputs contribute to deep soil nutrient pools, which become increasingly important for maintaining plant productivity over long time scales.
Influence of language abilities and alcohol expectancies on the persistence of heavy drinking in youth.

OBJECTIVE It has been suggested that neuropsychological functioning and cognitive factors influence substance use and treatment outcomes in youth. This study examined a model in which language skills moderate the extent to which expectancies about the positive effects of alcohol predict the persistence of alcohol involvement in youth over an 8-year period. METHOD Participants were substance use disordered adolescents recruited from inpatient alcohol and drug treatment centers (N = 139). Exclusion criteria included major head trauma, neurological illness and psychiatric disorders. Participants were administered neuropsychological tests, expectancy questionnaires and substance involvement interviews that spanned an 8-year period from ages 16 to 24 on average. Substance involvement was assessed by self-report, collateral reports and urine toxicology screens. RESULTS Using latent class growth analysis of alcohol use over 8 years, participants were classified as abstainers, infrequent users, worse with time or frequent users. Language x Expectancy interactions were significant at all time points (p range .05 to .0001, effect size eta2 range 0.03 to 0.20). This interaction significantly predicted 8-year alcohol dependence symptoms over and above effects accounted for by covariates or main effects (F = 2.98, 5/100 df, p < .05; R2delta = 4%, beta = 0.21, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS For youths with above average language skills, positivealcohol expectancies predicted alcohol use frequency and dependence symptoms in the 8 years following treatment; expectancies were less related to outcomes for youths with poorer language scores. Results suggest that verbal skills may magnify the relationship between alcohol expectancies and drinking behavior.
Congenital prosopagnosia in a child: Neuropsychological assessment, eye movement recordings and training

Here we report the assessment and treatment of a 6-year-old boy (L.G.) who was referred to us for congenital prosopagnosia (CP). We investigated his performance using a test battery and eye movement recordings pre- and post-training. L.G. showed deficits in recognising relatives and learning new faces, and misrecognition of unfamiliar people. Eye movement recordings showed that L.G. focused on the lower part of stimuli in naming tasks based on familiar or unfamiliar incomplete or complete faces. The training focused on improving his ability to explore internal features of faces, to discriminate specific facial features of familiar and unfamiliar faces, and to provide his family with strategies to use in the future. At the end of the training programme L.G. no longer failed to recognise close and distant relatives and classmates and did not falsely recognise unknown people.
Leaf Development in the Single-Cell C4 System in Bienertia sinuspersici: Expression of Genes and Peptide Levels for C4 Metabolism in Relation to Chlorenchyma Structure under Different Light Conditions1[OA]

Bienertia sinuspersici performs C4 photosynthesis in individual chlorenchyma cells by the development of two cytoplasmic domains (peripheral and central) with dimorphic chloroplasts, an arrangement that spatially separates the fixation of atmospheric CO2 into C4 acids and the donation of CO2 from C4 acids to Rubisco in the C3 cycle. In association with the formation of these cytoplasmic domains during leaf maturation, developmental stages were analyzed for the expression of a number of photosynthetic genes, including Rubisco small and large subunits and key enzymes of the C4 cycle. Early in development, Rubisco subunits and Gly decarboxylase and Ser hydroxymethyltransferase of the glycolate pathway accumulated more rapidly than enzymes associated with the C4 cycle. The levels of pyruvate,Pi dikinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were especially low until spatial cytoplasmic domains developed and leaves reached maturity, indicating a developmental transition toward C4 photosynthesis. In most cases, there was a correlation between the accumulation of mRNA transcripts and the respective peptides, indicating at least partial control of the development of photosynthesis at the transcriptional level. During growth under moderate light, when branches containing mature leaves were enclosed in darkness for 1 month, spatial domains were maintained and there was high retention of a number of photosynthetic peptides, including Rubisco subunits and pyruvate,Pi dikinase, despite a reduction in transcript levels. When plants were transferred from moderate to low light conditions for 1 month, there was a striking shift of the central cytoplasmic compartment toward the periphery of chlorenchyma cells; the mature leaves showed strong acclimation with a shade-type photosynthetic response to light while retaining C4 features indicative of low photorespiration. These results indicate a progressive development of C4 photosynthesis with differences in the control mechanisms for the expression of photosynthetic genes and peptide synthesis during leaf maturation and in response to light conditions.
Dental and skeletal changes in mild to moderate Class II malocclusions treated by either a Twin-block or Xbow appliance followed by full fixed orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVE To compare the short-term skeletal and dental effects of two-phase orthodontic treatment including either a Twin-block or an XBow appliance. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective clinical trial of 50 consecutive Class II cases treated in a private practice with either a Twin-block (25) or XBow (25) appliance followed by full fixed orthodontic treatment. To factor out growth, an untreated Class II control group (25) was considered. RESULTS A MANOVA of treatment/observation changes followed by univariate pairwise comparisons showed that the maxilla moved forward less in the treatment groups than in the control group. As for mandibular changes, the corpus length increase was larger in the Twin-block group by 3.9 mm. Dentally, mesial movement of mandibular molars was greater in both treatment groups. Although no distalization of maxillary molars was found in either treatment group, restriction of mesial movement of these teeth was seen in both treatment groups. Both treatment groups demonstrated increased mandibular incisor proclination with larger increases for the XBow group by 3.3°. The Wits value was decreased by 1.6 mm more in the Twin-block group. No sex-related differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS Class II correction using an XBow or Twin-block followed by fixed appliances occurs through a relatively similar combination of dental and skeletal effects. An increase in mandibular incisor inclination for the XBow group and an increased corpus length for the Twin-block group were notable exceptions. No overall treatment length differences were seen.
Hydrogen diffusion characterization of amorphous Yttrium Stabilized Zirconia dielectrics

We computed the Hydrogen diffusivity and activation energies in bulk amorphous Yttrium Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), (Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>)<sub>8</sub>(ZrO<sub>2</sub>)<sub>92</sub>, using a Molecular Dynamics approach based on reactive forcefields. We found the Hydrogen diffusion activation energy to be approximately twice that in Silicon dioxide at around 0.35 eV, and found the Hydrogen diffusivity to be 2×10<sup>-13</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>/s. We have also calculated the Hydrogen diffusion coefficient under a constant unidirectional electric field.
Constituents from the roots of Heracleum rapula Franch

A new coumarin glucoside, 8-hydroxy-5- O - g - d -glucosylpsoralen, along with 17 known coumarins and one steroid, was isolated from the roots of Heracleum rapula Franch. Four coumarin glucosides, including the new one, were obtained from the water-soluble fraction. The other coumarins isolated from the ethyl acetate-fraction included 10 furanocoumarins, a simple coumarin and three types of bicoumarins. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis.
d‐lactic acid production from renewable lignocellulosic biomass via genetically modified Lactobacillus plantarum

d‐lactic acid is of great interest because of increasing demand for biobased poly‐lactic acid (PLA). Blending poly‐l‐lactic acid with poly‐d‐lactic acid greatly improves PLA's mechanical and physical properties. Corn stover and sorghum stalks treated with 1% sodium hydroxide were investigated as possible substrates for d‐lactic acid production by both sequential saccharification and fermentation and simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF). A commercial cellulase (Cellic CTec2) was used for hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and an l‐lactate‐deficient mutant strain Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 ldhL1 and its derivative harboring a xylose assimilation plasmid (ΔldhL1‐pCU‐PxylAB) were used for fermentation. The SSCF process demonstrated the advantage of avoiding feedback inhibition of released sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, thus significantly improving d‐lactic acid yield and productivity. d‐lactic acid (27.3 g L−1) and productivity (0.75 g L−1 h−1) was obtained from corn stover and d‐lactic acid (22.0 g L−1) and productivity (0.65 g L−1 h−1) was obtained from sorghum stalks using ΔldhL1‐pCU‐PxylAB via the SSCF process. The recombinant strain produced a higher concentration of d‐lactic acid than the mutant strain by using the xylose present in lignocellulosic biomass. Our findings demonstrate the potential of using renewable lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative to conventional feedstocks with metabolically engineered lactic acid bacteria to produce d‐lactic acid. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 32:271–278, 2016
Bone density at the os calcis: reference values, reproducibility, and effects of fracture history and physical activity

Aims: To establish reference values for bone mineral density (BMD) measured at the os calcis (OC) in healthy UK Caucasian children. Secondary objectives were to assess the reproducibility of the measurement and the effects of fracture history and habitual physical activity. Methods: A total of 403 children aged 5–18 were studied. Main outcome measures were: BMDoc measured by peripheral DXA, total BMD measured by whole body axial scanner, age, anthropometry, pubertal status, self-reported fracture history, and physical activity (PA) expressed as a three point score. Results: Complete data were available on 171 girls and 123 boys free of a history of fracture. BMDoc was related positively to age, body size, and total BMD, and could be predicted using a proportional model based on height alone (R2: 65% girls, 77% boys). Mean BMDoc appears to plateau in girls at 15 years and attain a value that concurs with the mean peak value in adult women. The 95% limits of agreement in repeated measures were −0.029 to 0.029 g/cm2 (n = 53). Compared with sedentary children, those doing regular sports or PA for more than five hours a week had an increased BMDoc (by about 0.03 g/cm2 or about 7% of the overall mean). A history of fracture (n = 81) was associated with a reduced BMDoc in boys but not in girls, though our study may have been underpowered for a subgroup analysis. Conclusions: BMDoc can be measured easily and quickly in children older than 5 years and provides an objective measure of areal bone density for clinical and research studies using a reference range derived from its relation to height.
Cross-correlations of zero crossings in jointly Gaussian and stationary processes with zero means

Zero crossing data contain information of a process in compact form and is therefore of interest in wireless sensor networks where only reduced amounts of data can be transmitted. When analyzing the properties of certain algorithms using zero crossing data, the cross-covariance between the zero crossing rates of two jointly Gaussian and stationary processes is needed. The evaluation of such a cross-covariance is considered in the paper and an exact numerical expression as well as an asymptotic expression are presented.