Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confocal microscopic study of glial‐vascular relationships in the retinas of pigmented rats

Astroglia are interposed between the cerebral vasculature and neurons, where they may mediate the transfer of substances from the circulation to neurons and couple changes in neuronal activity to changes in cerebral blood flow. The retina is a particularly advantageous model system for studying glial‐vascular interactions in situ. Confocal microscopy and three‐dimensional image reconstruction were used to study the anatomical relationships between glia and the surface vasculature in retinas acutely isolated from adult pigmented rats. Retinas were immunostained using antibodies directed against the basal lamina surrounding the vasculature as well as antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein. Surface vessels of all calibers were contacted by the processes of astrocytes. The vitreal surfaces of the large retinal vessels were covered by a meshwork of immunoreactive astrocyte processes of a variety of shapes, whereas the scleral surfaces of the vessels were supported by thick bundles of astrocyte processes. In addition, glial cells were filled intracellularly with the gap junction‐permeable tracers Lucifer yellow and Neurobiotin. Intracellular fills clearly demonstrated the presence of astrocytes with somata that were closely apposed to the large retinal vessels. Tracer‐filled astrocytes displayed a variety and complexity of shapes that was not apparent in immunostained material. Gap junctional coupling was stronger between astrocytes adjacent to the same artery than between periarterial astrocytes and astrocytes located away from arteries. Significantly fewer Müller cells were labeled when Neurobiotin was injected into astrocytes associated with arteries than when Neurobiotin was injected into astrocytes that were distant from arteries. J. Comp. Neurol. 429:253–269, 2001. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Influence of Transformational Leadership on Employee Well-Being: Results From a Survey of Companies in the Information and Communication Technology Sector in Germany

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a transformational leadership style on employee well-being. Methods: Data for the study were taken from an on-line survey of all employees from six German companies in the information and communication technology sector. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple logistic regressions. Results: Analysis of data from a total of 318 employees (response rate 58.4%) revealed a significant relationship between transformational leadership and employee well-being (P = 0.00; OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.22). A higher degree of perceived transformational leadership is associated with greater well-being. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that a transformational leadership style, which both conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually challenges and develops employees, also has a positive effect on employee well-being.
Gender-specific association of weight perception and appearance satisfaction with slimming attempts and eating patterns in a sample of young Norwegian adolescents

Abstract Objective To examine gender-specific associations of weight perception and appearance satisfaction with slimming attempts and eating patterns among young Norwegian adolescents. Design Cross-sectional study. Adolescent dietary data were reported by parents using a retrospective FFQ. Eating patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Adolescents’ reported weight perception, appearance satisfaction and slimming attempts were analysed using cross-tabulation and Pearson’s χ 2 test. Associations between perceived weight, appearance satisfaction and slimming attempts/eating patterns were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Setting Primary schools, Telemark, Norway. Subjects Children (n 469), mean age 12·7 (sd 0·3) years, and parents. Results Gender differences were observed in self-perceived weight and appearance satisfaction. Girls were most satisfied with appearance when feeling thin, boys when feeling just the right weight. Perceived overweight was the main predictor of slimming attempts across genders (adjusted OR=15·3; 95 % CI 6·0, 39·1 for girls; adjusted OR=18·2; 95 % CI 5·8, 57·3 for boys). Low appearance satisfaction was associated with slimming attempts (adjusted OR=3·3; 95 % CI 1·0, 10·5) and a dieting eating pattern (adjusted OR=2·8; 95 % CI 1·5, 5·2) in girls. Perceived underweight was associated with a junk/convenience eating pattern in boys (adjusted OR=2·8; 95 % CI 1·2, 6·4). Conclusions Gender differences were observed in subjective body concerns. Perceived overweight was the main predictor of slimming attempts by both genders. Different aspects of body dissatisfaction were related to different food behaviours in boys and girls. Health professionals should be aware of these gender differences when planning health promotion programmes targeting young adolescents.
Quality of ambulatory care for women and men in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

BACKGROUND Gender differences in inpatient quality of care are well known. However, whether men and women receive equivalent ambulatory care is less well understood. OBJECTIVE To study gender differences in quality of care for patients receiving primary care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System. DESIGN Cross-sectional samples of VA enrollees during fiscal years 1999 to 2000. PARTICIPANTS Samples of 6,442 to 86,405 men and women treated at VA facilities for whom at least 1 of 9 quality measures was available. MEASUREMENTS Appropriate general preventive services (pneumococcal vaccination, influenza vaccination, colorectal cancer screening), and specific services for diabetes (annual hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] testing, good glycemic control, annual diabetic eye exam), hypertension (good blood pressure control), or prior myocardial infarction (use of beta-blockers or aspirin). RESULTS In adjusted analyses, there were no substantial gender differences in rates of appropriate care. For women compared with men, the adjusted relative risk for appropriate care ranged from 0.96 for blood pressure control (95% confidence interval: 0.93 to 0.99; P=.02) to 1.05 for HbA1c< or =8.0% (95% confidence interval: 1.03 to 1.07; P<.01). Analyses stratified by age demonstrated equivalent care between men and women in 9 of the 14 subgroups evaluated. CONCLUSIONS In this large national health care system that predominantly serves men, the quality of ambulatory care is equivalent for women and men on numerous measures.
A Performance Comparison of Locking Methods with Limited Wait Depth

A number of recent studies have proposed lock conflict resolution methods to improve the performance of standard locking, i.e., strict two-phase locking with the general waiting method. This paper is primarily concerned with the performance of wait depth limited methods with respect to each other and some other methods. The methods considered include the general waiting, wound-wait, and no-waiting methods, symmetric and asymmetric versions of cautious waiting and running priority methods, the wait depth limited (WDL) method, and a modified version of it. In spite of the availability of analytic solutions for most of wait depth limited methods, for reasons given in-the paper, the performance comparison is based on simulation results. The contributions of this study are as follows: 1) modeling assumptions, i.e., a careful definition of transaction restart options; 2) new results concerning the relative performance of wait depth limited methods, which show that a) the running priority method outperforms cautious waiting and may even outperform the WDL method in a system with limited hardware resource, b) WDL outperforms other methods in high lock contention, high capacity systems, and c) modified WDL has a performance comparable to WDL, but incurs less overhead in selecting the abort victim; and 3) contrary to common belief, Tay's Effective Database Size Paradigm for dealing with shared and exclusive locks and/or skewed database accesses in standard locking is applicable to some wait depth limited methods and provides acceptably accurate approximations in others-as long as locking modes for restarted transactions are not resampled.
Relation between preferred and optimal cadences during two hours of cycling in triathletes

Objectives: To determine whether the integrated electromyographic signal of two lower limb muscles indicates preferred cadence during a two hour cycling task. Methods: Eight male triathletes performed right isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) knee extension and plantar flexion before (P1) and after (P2) a two hour laboratory cycle at 65% of maximal aerobic power. Freely chosen cadence (FCC) was also determined, also at 65% of maximal aerobic power, from five randomised three minute sessions at 50, 65, 80, 95, and 110 rpm. The integrated electromyographic signal of the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscles was recorded during MVC and the cycle task. Results: The FCC decreased significantly (p<0.01) from P1 (87.4 rpm) to P2 (68.6 rpm), towards the energetically optimal cadence. The latter did not vary significantly during the cycle task. MVC of the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius lateralis decreased significantly (p<0.01) between P1 and P2 (by 13.5% and 9.6% respectively). The results indicate that muscle activation at constant power was not minimised at specific cadences. Only the gastrocnemius lateralis muscle was affected by a two hour cycling task (especially at 95 and 110 rpm), whereas vastus lateralis remained stable. Conclusion: The decrease in FCC observed at the end of the cycle task may be due to changes in the muscle fibre recruitment pattern with increasing exercise duration and cadence.
Income inequality and depression: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the association and a scoping review of mechanisms

Most countries have witnessed a dramatic increase of income inequality in the past three decades. This paper addresses the question of whether income inequality is associated with the population prevalence of depression and, if so, the potential mechanisms and pathways which may explain this association. Our systematic review included 26 studies, mostly from high‐income countries. Nearly two‐thirds of all studies and five out of six longitudinal studies reported a statistically significant positive relationship between income inequality and risk of depression; only one study reported a statistically significant negative relationship. Twelve studies were included in a meta‐analysis with dichotomized inequality groupings. The pooled risk ratio was 1.19 (95% CI: 1.07‐1.31), demonstrating greater risk of depression in populations with higher income inequality relative to populations with lower inequality. Multiple studies reported subgroup effects, including greater impacts of income inequality among women and low‐income populations. We propose an ecological framework, with mechanisms operating at the national level (the neo‐material hypothesis), neighbourhood level (the social capital and the social comparison hypotheses) and individual level (psychological stress and social defeat hypotheses) to explain this association. We conclude that policy makers should actively promote actions to reduce income inequality, such as progressive taxation policies and a basic universal income. Mental health professionals should champion such policies, as well as promote the delivery of interventions which target the pathways and proximal determinants, such as building life skills in adolescents and provision of psychological therapies and packages of care with demonstrated effectiveness for settings of poverty and high income inequality.
Individual motivational factors of optimistic knowledge sharing behavior among University academia

This study attempts to comprehend individual motivational factors (outcome expectations, selfefficacy, and enjoyment in helping others) that contribute toward knowledge sharing behavior of University faculty of Pakistan. 327 faculty members from public and private sector University of twin cities (Rawalpindi, Islamabad) were chosen as a sample of study. AMOS and SPSS were used to analyze the data collected via questionnaires. The study found that all the stated individual motivational factors are positively and strongly associated with optimistic knowledge sharing behavior of University academia. Moreover, the study also discovered that knowledge sharing intention mediates the relationship of knowledge sharing attitude and knowledge sharing behavior.The management of Academia should invest in individuals motivational factors, to augment their knowledge sharing behavior. Regardless of significance contributions, the study also entails some limitations which are also discussed in this paper. Moreover, future line of study is also addressed. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Plant defence — what can we learn from clubroots?

The interaction of the obligate biotrophic pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae with host plants of the family Brassicaceae leads to the formation of root galls which create a strong metabolic sink, and reprograms host growth and development. Ultimately, the plant succumbs to the loss of both root nutrients and water, and assimilates are redirected from leaves to roots. Central regulators of these changes are the plant hormones auxins and cytokinins. Plant hormones such as abscisic acid might be involved in drought protection of the host roots during late stages of pathogen development. However, other signalling molecules might play important roles in defence reactions. It is long known that salicylic acid is induced in plants during defence responses with a methyl systemic signal that confers resistance to the upper parts of the plant, but whether this plays a role in the establishment of the clubroot pathogen is not yet clear. Jasmonic acid and ethylene might also play a role in the intricate relationship between the obligate biotrophic pathogen and its host.
Monetary Policy Rules for Convergence to the Euro

This paper investigates the applicability of open-economy convergence-consistent instrument rules for monetary policies in the economies undergoing monetary convergence to a common currency area. The proposed policy rule is forward-looking, consistent with a monetary framework based on inflation-targeting containing input variables that are relative to the corresponding variables in the common currency area. Robust forms of the policy rule are tested empirically for three inflation-targeting countries converging to the euro, i.e. the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. Empirical tests imply systemic differences in monetary policies among these euro-candidates. The Czech monetary policy seemingly follows the rule prescribed by our model. Both the Czech and the Polish central bank interest rate policies respond predominantly to changes in the inflation gap, while the Hungarian responds mainly to the exchange rate gap. In all three cases, changes in the eurozone short-term interest rates strongly drive adjustments in the central banks' reference interest rates.
Ganciclovir susceptibilities of cytomegalovirus (CMV) isolates from solid organ transplant recipients with CMV viremia after antiviral prophylaxis.

Ganciclovir susceptibility studies were done on the last cytomegalovirus (CMV) isolate available from 42 solid organ transplant recipients with CMV viremia who were enrolled in a prospective CMV prophylactic trial. Viruses were categorized as follows: 13 isolates (group 1) from patients who received ganciclovir prophylaxis; 9 isolates (group 2) from patients who received acyclovir prophylaxis; 8 isolates (group 3) from patients who received acyclovir prophylaxis and ganciclovir treatment; and 12 isolates (group 4) from patients who received prophylaxis and treatment with ganciclovir. All CMV isolates were sensitive to ganciclovir (mean 50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] 1.7 microM; range, 0.2-5.3 microM). Mean IC50 values (in microM) were 1.7 for group 1 isolates, 1.2 for group 2 isolates, 2.2 for group 3 isolates, and 1.7 for group 4 isolates (P > .05). Thus, acyclovir or ganciclovir prophylaxis in solid organ transplant patients did not select ganciclovir-resistant isolates of CMV.
Exploring social exchange theory dynamics in Native American casino settings.

The proliferation of Native American casino (NAC) gambling over the past few decades has generated a concern over the social, economic. and environmental impacts. This study examined the local resident perceptions of casino gambling impacts and their subsequent support for the NACs within the Social Exchange Theory (SET) framework. It further applied a similar framework to the non-NAC settings. While majority of the impact constructs failed to generate support for the NACs in the presence of intervening variables, a significant application of SET appeared among the non-NAC communities. Benefits were found to be significant for facilitating higher levels of support for the nonNACs. Overall, the results indicated that SET is not a universal phenomena and nature of casino ownership is more likely to influence residents' level of support.
The effect of Doppler flow screening studies and elective revisions on dialysis access failure.

A retrospective study was undertaken to see if screening ultrasounds and elective surgical revision could decrease access failure. Two hundred fifty-three accesses [177 gortex grafts, 76 arteriovenous (AV) fistulas] were studied with duplex imaging. Patients were subdivided by access type, flow, percent stenosis, and whether they were surgically revised. Data was examined to determine access failure within 6 months. Ten of 76 fistulas clotted (13.1%), while 53 of 177 grafts clotted (29.9%) (p = 0.005). In Gortex grafts, stenosis (p < 0.05) and decreased flow (p = 0.005) correlated with clotting. In unrevised grafts with flow < or = 801 ml/min, 13 of 14 (92.8%) clotted, whereas of those with flow > or = 1603 ml/min only, 10 of 38 (26.3%) clotted (chi-square = 24.74; p < 0.0001). Only 1 of 18 (5.6%) revised grafts with flow < or = 1300 ml/min clotted, while 29 of 69 (42%) unrevised grafts clotted (p = 0.004). We were unable to demonstrate decreased clotting in fistulae with revisions. In conclusion, screening duplex scanning was able to select groups with a higher risk of access failure over the subsequent 6 months. Elective revision with correction of areas of stenosis in grafts with flows < or = 1300 ml/min significantly decreased the incidence of clotting.
THE ANALYSIS OF SMOOTHERS FOR MULTIGRID ALGORITHMS

The purpose of this paper is to provide a general technique for defining and analyzing smoothing operators for use in multigrid algorithms. The smoothing operators considered are based on subspace decomposition and include point, line, and block versions of Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel iteration as well as generalizations. We shall show that these smoothers will be effective in multigrid algorithms provided that the subspace decomposition satisfies two simple conditions. In many applications, these conditions are trivial to verify.
Pupil response to tropicamide in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

Excessive mydriatic response to dilute tropicamide has been suggested as a possible non‐invasive diagnostic test in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To further evaluate the sensibility and specificity of this test we studied the pupillary response to tropicamide in 24 patients with AD, 30 age‐matched controls, 7 patients with dementia other than AD and 13 patients with extrapyramidal disorders (EXD). Maximum dilatation response over baseline was much higher in AD with significant differences compared to controls (p<0.001) and to EXD (p<0.05). However, there was a quite wide range of overlap between AD and controls and no cut‐off point was found with a high enough specificity to consider this a conclusive diagnostic test. Lower dilatation response in the overlapping range (13%), however, may be useful because of its negative predictive value (93.5%) and as a screening tool due to its sensitivity (87.5%).
3H‐Thymidine autoradiographic analysis of telencephalic histogenesis in the chick embryo: I. Neuronal birthdates of telencephalic compartments in situ

The birthdates of neuronal populations comprising the chick telencephalon were determined by 3H‐thymidine labeling and were mapped with respect to their terminal positions in the 16‐day embryo. Essentially all neurons were generated between four and nine days of embryonic development. Each telencephalic structure (based on terminology used by Karten and Hodos, '67) was characterized by a specific range of birthdates: some regions such as the core of the ectostriatum or the paleostriatum primitivum, were generated within a single day, while others, such as the hyperstriatum accessorium, required up to five days for generation of the complete population. Spatial‐temporal gradients of neuronal birthdates, lateromedial and ventrodorsal, were seen in the telencephalon as a whole and within individual subcompartments as well. An “outside‐in” pattern of histogenesis predominated throughout the entire telencephalon, including the dorsolateral cortex. However, notable exceptions pertaining to the paleostriatum augmentatum, hyperstriatum intercalatus and field “L” were observed. Glial cells, generated for the most part after day ten, were found to be distributed homogeneously throughout all areas of the telencephalon. These data provide the first birthdating data for an avian telencephalon and bring greater resolution to previous analyses of the histogenesis of this brain region. Further, the compartmentalization of the proliferative neuroepithelium is revealed by these data, and the possibility of a common time of origin in the neuroepithelium for neurons of related function is discussed.
Evaluation of Cedrela gum as a binder and bioadhesive component in ibuprofen tablet formulations

Propriedades de compressao, mecânicas e de formulacoes de comprimidos bioadesivos, que incorporam nova goma de mascar obtidas a partir de incisao de tronco da arvore de Cedrela odorata, foram avaliadas e comparadas com aquelas contendo hidroxipropilmetilcelulose (HPMC). Propriedades de compressao foram avaliadas usando a razao de Hausner, indice de Carr, ângulo de repouso e os graficos de Heckel, Kawakita e Gurnham. Prepararam-se comprimidos de ibuprofeno utilizando o metodo de granulacao a umido. Realizaram-se estudos de bioadesividade utilizando o metodo de cilindro rotativo em tampao fosfato pH 6,8, ou meio acido com 0,1 M de acido cloridrico. A goma e um polimero de baixa viscosidade (48 cPs) e a espectroscopia no infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FTIR) revelou a presenca de um grupo hidroxila. Valores de Py e Pk, que sao medidas de plasticidade, mostraram que a goma e significativamente (p <0,05) mais plastica do que HPMC e que a plasticidade aumenta com a concentracao de polimero. Todas as formulacoes de comprimidos mostraram-se nao-friaveis (<1,0%) e aquelas contendo a goma apresentaram maior resistencia ao esmagamento (130.95N) do que aquelas contendo HPMC (117.85N) em 2,0% (p/p) do ligante. As formulacoes que incorporaram a goma eram nao-desintegrantes e apesentaram tempo de liberacao significativamente maior do que aquelas contendo HPMC. As formulacoes de goma de Cedrela aderiram a incisao de ileo de porco por tempo maior do que aquelas contendo HPMC com a maior concentracao de ligante. A goma Cedrela apresentou melhor fluxo, compressao e propriedades de ligacao do que HPMC e e adequada como bioadesivo e para a liberacao sustentada de farmacos.