Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional anatomy of the caudal thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spine in the horse.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Research in spinal biomechanics and functional anatomy has advanced back pain research in man. Yet, despite the performance limiting nature of back pain in horses, there are few data for the equine spine. OBJECTIVES To describe aspects of functional anatomy of the equine thoracolumbar and lumbosacral (LS) spine and potential effects on performance. METHODS The first study investigated variations in LS vertebral formula by post mortem examination of 120 horses. Midline vertebral transection was carried out on 65 Thoroughbred (TB), 24 Standardbred (SB) and 31 other breeds. The second study investigated morphology and biomechanics of the deep stabilising epaxial muscles of 13 horses using MRI (n = 3), anatomical dissection (n = 11) and biomechanical analysis (n = 6). The spinous process angular orientation relative to the vertebral body, was analysed at vertebrae T13, T18, L3, L5, L6 and S1. RESULTS LS variations were found in 33.3% of the total group, 40.0% TB and 45.2% others, but 0% SB. Sacralisation of lumbar vertebra (L) 6 with LS motion between L5 and L6 occurred in 32.3% TB and 29.0% others. Five segmental multifidus fascicles were identified originating from spinous processes and vertebral laminae running craniocaudally onto the mammillary processes and lateral border of the sacrum, crossing between 1-5 intervertebral discs. Sacrocaudalis dorsalis (SCD) lateralis muscle was an extension of multifidus from L4, L5 and L6 depending on the vertebral formula whereas SCD medialis mm originated from S3. Both inserted on caudal vertebrae. Based on the location and direction of fibres, the principal action of the deep epaxial muscles was dorsoventral sagittal rotation. This action was dependent on vertebral spinous process/body orientation. We hypothesise that equine multifidus and SCD lateralis muscles act as caudal sagittal rotators of their vertebra of origin, as is the case in man, allowing dynamic stabilisation during dorsoventral motion. CONCLUSION Equine multifidus anatomy and function are comparable to that of man. The high prevalence of anatomical variations in the LS spine may affect maximal dorsoventral motion, the stability of the LS joint and, therefore, have consequences for athletic performance. Further studies of these structures are warranted in appropriately selected poorly performing horses.
Age diversity management and organisational outcomes: The role of diversity perspectives

An aging population has led to unprecedented levels of age diversity in organizations. Little is known about which age diversity policies, practices and programs are effective in which types of organizations for what outcomes. This paper proposes and tests a positive relationship between age diversity management (diversity policies and systems, age diversity practices, and work-life programs) and three organizational outcomes (corporate social responsibility, voluntary turnover, and operating revenue), derived from signaling theory. It also proposes and tests for the moderating effect of the diversity perspective (fairness, access or learning) on the main relationships, derived from contingency theory. Data were collected in 248 medium- to large-sized for-profit organizations. The results partially support all the hypotheses. The findings suggest different business cases for policies, practices, and worklife programs. Theoretical, research and practical implications are discussed.
In-hospital mortality of intermittent vs daily antitubercular regimen in patients with meningeal tuberculosis--a retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), the State-run Tuberculosis Control Initiative of the Government of India, recommends intermittent thrice a week Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) both during intensive phase and continuation phase for a total of nine months for tubercular meningitis. However, most recent guidelines recommend daily regimen. OBJECTIVE Assessment of the in-hospital mortality in patients with meningeal tuberculosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients (n = 98) admitted with a diagnosis of meningeal tuberculosis from January 1st 2006 to December 31st 2009 in a tertiary care centre in South India. Thwaites index score of four or less was used for diagnosis of meningeal tuberculosis which is a weighted diagnostic index score for dichotomised clinical variables including age, blood white cell count, duration of illness, CSF total white cell count, and CSF neutrophil percentage. We compared in-hospital treatment outcome of patients on thrice weekly intermittent DOTS regimen with daily regimen patients. RESULTS The inhospital mortality was same (27%) in the two treatment regimens (p 0.944). However, there was less incidence of hepatic dysfunction in the intermittent DOTS regimen, even though it was not statistically significant (p 0.148). CONCLUSIONS In the short-term, both regimens have similar mortality outcomes and no statistically significant difference in hepatic dysfunction during the hospital stay.
Ride-On Car Training for Behavioral Changes in Mobility and Socialization Among Young Children With Disabilities

Purpose: To characterize behavioral changes in mobility and socialization in children with disabilities aged 1 to 3 years while they are receiving ride-on car training in the hospital environment. Methods: Ten young children with motor disabilities received ride-on car training for 9 weeks (2 hours per session, 2 sessions per week). The driving and socialization behaviors were videotaped for 20 minutes per session (1 session per week) within the same period. Results: Independent mobility, visual attention to the switch, and positive facial expressions during the training period were significantly improved. Conclusions: Ride-on car training has positive effects on behavioral changes in mobility and socialization among young children with motor disabilities. This provides clinicians a novel option for implementing early mobility training in a hospital-based environment.
Bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein promotes complement activation for neutrophil‐mediated phagocytosis on bacterial surface

The neutrophil bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein (BPI) has both bactericidal and lipopolysaccharide‐neutralizing activities. The present study suggests that BPI also plays an important role in phagocytosis of Escherichia coli by neutrophils through promotion of complement activation on the bacterial surface. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that fluorescein‐labelled E. coli treated with BPI were phagocytosed in the presence of serum at two‐ to five‐fold higher levels than phagocytosis of the bacteria without the treatment. In contrast, phagocytosis of the fluoresceined bacteria with or without treatment by BPI did not occur at all in the absence of serum. The phagocytosis stimulated by BPI and serum was dose‐dependent. The effect of BPI on phagocytosis in the presence of serum was not observed on Gram‐positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Interestingly, the complement C3b/iC3b fragments were deposited onto the bacterial surface also as a function of the BPI concentration under conditions similar to those for phagocytosis. Furthermore, the BPI‐promoted phagocytosis was blocked completely by anti‐C3 F(ab′)2 and partially by anti‐complement receptor (CR) type 1 and/or anti‐CR type 3. These findings suggest that BPI accelerates complement activation to opsonize bacteria with complement‐derived fragments, leading to stimulation of phagocytosis by neutrophils via CR(s).
Biomechanical finite element analysis of small diameter and short dental implant

Abstract Short and mini dental implants have been widely used as treatment alternatives in certain selected clinical situations. However, a profound scientific analysis of the mechanical and biomechanical impact of the reduced length and diameter of these implant geometries has not been published until now. Using finite element analysis, a series of different experimentally designed short and mini implants have been analysed with regard to their load transfer to the alveolar bone and have been compared to respective standard commercial implants. Mini implants have been inserted in an idealised bone bed representing the anterior mandibular jaw region and loaded with a force of 150 N. An immediate loading condition was assumed and analysed using the contact analysis option of the FE package MSC.Marc/Mentat. Short implants were inserted in an idealised posterior bone segment and loaded in osseointegrated state with forces of 300 N. Clearly increased bone loading was observed for the short and mini dental implants compared with standard implants, clearly exceeding the physiological limit of 100 MPa. The determined biomechanical characteristics could explain the slightly increased failure rate of short and mini dental implants.
A self-adaptive memeplexes robust search scheme for solving stochastic demands vehicle routing problem

In this article, we proposed a self-adaptive memeplex robust search (SAMRS) for finding robust and reliable solutions that are less sensitive to stochastic behaviours of customer demands and have low probability of route failures, respectively, in vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands (VRPSD). In particular, the contribution of this article is three-fold. First, the proposed SAMRS employs the robust solution search scheme (RS 3) as an approximation of the computationally intensive Monte Carlo simulation, thus reducing the computation cost of fitness evaluation in VRPSD, while directing the search towards robust and reliable solutions. Furthermore, a self-adaptive individual learning based on the conceptual modelling of memeplex is introduced in the SAMRS. Finally, SAMRS incorporates a gene-meme co-evolution model with genetic and memetic representation to effectively manage the search for solutions in VRPSD. Extensive experimental results are then presented for benchmark problems to demonstrate that the proposed SAMRS serves as an efficable means of generating high-quality robust and reliable solutions in VRPSD.
Assessing the Effect of Economic Growth on Well-Being in the Eu-27. A Pareto-Optimum Approach

In various fields of research self-perceived health has been defined and analyzed as a significant measure of well-being and also as a predictor of health status. This paper examines the economic determinants of self-perceived health in the EU-27 area in order to find whether a common set of governmental policies could improve the self-perceived health and whether this positive effect would remain positive and significant on other measures of well-being as well as across the quintiles of income distribution. In subsidiary, the effect of economic growth on well-being is also examined. A number of panel regression models using the first-difference GMM estimator are applied to comparatively analyze self-perceived health together with other measures of health status and well-being, based on Eurostat data from 2003 to 2012. The empirical results of the paper could provide useful insights for the European health policy and other common actions and policies in the field of economic growth and well-being.
Acute Crises and Complications of Sickle Cell Anemia Among Patients Attending a Pediatric Tertiary Unit in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the incidence of sickle cell anemia (SCA) is estimated to affect 30,000 to 40,000 neonates per year. However, there is paucity of data on acute clinical manifestations in sickle cell children. In these circumstances, it is difficult to develop a health care policy for an adequate management of sickle cell patients. This was a seven years’ retrospective study of children admitted with acute sickle cell crisis in the Department of Pediatrics in University Hospital of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 108 patients were identified as having SCA. There were 56 (51%) girls and 52 (49%) boys. Median age was 10.5 years (range 1-24 years). No child was diagnosed by neonatal screening. The median age of diagnosis of sickle cell anemia was 90 months (range: 8-250 months). The median age at the first transfusion was 36 months (range 4-168). In this series, 61 (56.5%) patients were eligible for hydroxyurea. However, this treatment was only performed in 4 (6.6%) of them. Pain episodes, acute anemic crisis and severe infection represent respectively 38.2%, 34.3% and 21.9% of events. Altered sensorium and focal deficit were encountered occasionally and represented 3.4% of acute events. Acute renal manifestations, cholelithiasis and priapism were rarely reported, in this cohort. In Kinshasa, the care of patients suffering from sickle cell anemia is characterized by the delayed diagnosis and low detection of organ complications compared to reports of Western countries. This situation is due to resources deficiencies.
Characterization of SSIIIa-Deficient Mutants of Rice: The Function of SSIIIa and Pleiotropic Effects by SSIIIa Deficiency in the Rice Endosperm[C][OA]

Starch synthase IIIa (SSIIIa)-deficient rice (Oryza sativa) mutants were generated using retrotransposon insertion and chemical mutagenesis. The lowest migrating SS activity bands on glycogen-containing native polyacrylamide gel, which were identified to be those for SSIIIa, were completely absent in these mutants, indicating that they are SSIIIa null mutants. The amylopectin B2 to B4 chains with degree of polymerization (DP) ≥ 30 and the Mr of amylopectin in the mutant were reduced to about 60% and 70% of the wild-type values, respectively, suggesting that SSIIIa plays an important part in the elongation of amylopectin B2 to B4 chains. Chains with DP 6 to 9 and DP 16 to 19 decreased while chains with DP 10 to 15 and DP 20 to 25 increased in the mutants amylopectin. These changes in the SSIIIa mutants are almost opposite images of those of SSI-deficient rice mutant and were caused by 1.3- to 1.7-fold increase of the amount of SSI in the mutants endosperm. Furthermore, the amylose content and the extralong chains (DP ≥ 500) of amylopectin were increased by 1.3- and 12-fold, respectively. These changes in the composition in the mutants starch were caused by 1.4- to 1.7-fold increase in amounts of granules-bound starch synthase (GBSSI). The starch granules of the mutants were smaller with round shape, and were less crystalline. Thus, deficiency in SSIIIa, the second major SS isozyme in developing rice endosperm affected the structure of amylopectin, amylase content, and physicochemical properties of starch granules in two ways: directly by the SSIIIa deficiency itself and indirectly by the enhancement of both SSI and GBSSI gene transcripts.
Steroid-triggered death by autophagy.

Programmed cell death is a critical part of normal development, removing obsolete tissues or cells and sculpting body parts to assume their appropriate form and function. Most programmed cell death occurs by apoptosis of individual cells or autophagy of groups of cells. Although these pathways have distinct morphological characteristics, they also have a number of features in common, suggesting some overlap in their regulation. A recent paper by Lee and Baehrecke provides further support for this proposal. (1) These authors present, for the first time, a genetic analysis of autophagy, using the steroid-triggered metamorphosis of Drosophila as a model system. They demonstrate a remarkable degree of overlap between the control of apoptosis and autophagy as well as a key role for the steroid-inducible gene E93 in directing the autophagic death response. This paper also shows that E93 can direct cell death independently from the known death-inducer genes, defining a novel death pathway in Drosophila.
ClipR-59 Interacts with Akt and Regulates Akt Cellular Compartmentalization

ABSTRACT Akt is activated on the plasma membrane and its substrates are distributed throughout various cellular compartments. To phosphorylate its substrates, Akt needs to be recruited to specific intracellular compartments. Thus, regulation of Akt cellular compartmentalization constitutes an important mechanism to specify Akt signaling. Here, we report the identification of ClipR-59 as an Akt interaction protein. We show that the interaction of ClipR-59 with Akt is mediated by the CAP-Gly domain of ClipR-59 and kinase domain of Akt and is regulated by Akt phosphorylation. We demonstrate that ClipR-59 regulates the Akt membrane association through its interaction with Akt and membrane localization and, by modulating Akt cellular compartmentalization, differentially modulates phosphorylation of Akt substrates in adipocytes. Finally, we provide evidence that one of the Akt substrates whose phosphorylation is upregulated by ClipR-59 is AS160, a negative regulator of adipocyte glucose transport. Accordingly, ectopic expression of ClipR-59 enhances, whereas knockdown of ClipR-59 suppresses, adipocyte glucose transport. We suggest that ClipR-59 functions as a scaffold protein that interacts with phospho-Akt and recruits active Akt on the membrane and may play an important role in adipocyte glucose transport.
Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of the Effectiveness of a Teacher Evaluation System and Its Impact on Student Learning

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP JUNOR-CARTY, PORTIA B.A. LEHMAN COLLEGE, CUNY, 2002 M.S.ED. LEHMAN COLLEGE, CUNY, 2005 ED.S. MERCER UNIVERSITY, 2014 TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR PERCEPTION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING Committee Chair: Trevor Turner, Ph.D. Dissertation dated May 2017 The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of teachers’ and administrators’ perception of the effectiveness of a teacher evaluation system to the effects of the system on student learning. Teacher surveys were administered electronically and administrator and teacher focus group discussions were held to determine the relationship between the following variables: Teacher perception of evaluation activities, teacher perception of the effectiveness of the evaluation system, administrators perception of evaluation activities, administrator perception of the effectiveness of the evaluation activities, professional development of teachers and teacher perception of the effects of the evaluation system on student learning. TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR PERCEPTION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION BY PORTIA JUNOR-CARTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Glioma‐expressed antigen 2 (GLEA2): a novel protein that can elicit immune responses in glioblastoma patients and some controls

Glioma constitutes the most frequent brain tumour in man with glioblastoma as the most prevalent and malignant type. The average survival time of less than 16 months underlines the need for improvements in diagnosis and therapy. Here, we report the identification of a novel antigen termed glioma‐expressed antigen 2 (GLEA2) causing a frequent immune response in glioma patients. Screening of 450 000 clones from a glioblastoma lambda zap expression library with autologous patient serum revealed a group of five serum‐positive clones sharing a high sequence homology. Further sequence analysis showed a sequence homology to a hepatocellular carcinoma associated antigen 58 (HCA58). We localized the novel HCA homologous gene termed glioma‐expressed antigen 2 (GLEA2) on chromosome 20 by somatic cell hybrid panel mapping. Using allogenic sera from 39 glioblastoma patients, we found an immune response against GLEA2 in 17 patients (43%). In addition, screening with allogenic sera from other glioma patients revealed GLEA2 directed antibodies in two out of five pilocytic astrocytomas and in one out of two astrocytomas. Unrelated tumour sera revealed no immune response and sera from healthy persons showed an immune response in two out of 14 cases (14%). Northern blot hybridization and RT‐PCR showed ubiquitous GLEA2 gene expression in glioma and normal tissues. The novel HCA homologous gene, GLEA2, appears to induce a frequent immune response in glioma. In the light of the lack of useful glioma markers, it appears reasonable to consider GLEA2 as a potential future diagnostic marker.
The effect of zirconia or titanium as abutment material on soft peri-implant tissues: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM The objective of this review was to analyze research with regard to the effect of zirconia or titanium as abutment material on soft peri-implant tissues. METHODS Clinical studies were selected via electronic and hand searches in English language journals until December 1, 2014. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective controlled clinical trials (CCTs) showing direct comparison between zirconia (Zr) and titanium (Ti) abutments in the same patient were considered. The outcome measures were (1) soft tissue color, (2) soft tissue recession, (3) peri-implant probing, (4) bleeding on probing, (5) esthetic indexes, (6) patient-reported outcome, (7) marginal bone level, and (8) biological complications. RESULTS Nine relevant studies (11 papers) were identified: 4 RCTs and 5 CCTs. Due to heterogeneity in the study design, statistical methods, and reported results, a meta-analysis of the data was feasible only for soft tissue color. The outcome was found to be significantly superior for Zr abutments. For the other outcome measures, a qualitative analysis of the selected articles was performed. The studies did not show any statistically significant differences between Zr and Ti abutments on soft tissue recession, probing depths, bleeding on probing, marginal bone level, and patient-reported outcome. One study reported significantly higher pink esthetic score (PES) scores at Zr implants with Zr abutments, compared to metal implants and Ti abutments. CONCLUSION Overall, the research does not support any obvious advantage of Ti or Zr abutments over each other. However, there is a significant tendency in Zr abutments evoking better color response of peri-implant mucosa and superior esthetic outcome measured by PES score.