Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND GROUP PROCESSES Implicit and Explicit Prejudice and Interracial Interaction

The present research examined how implicit racial associations and explicit racial attitudes of Whites relate to behaviors and impressions in interracial interactions. Specifically, the authors examined how response latency and self-report measures predicted bias and perceptions of bias in verbal and nonverbal behavior exhibited by Whites while they interacted with a Black partner. As predicted, Whites’ self-reported racial attitudes significantly predicted bias in their verbal behavior to Black relative to White confederates. Furthermore, these explicit attitudes predicted how much friendlier Whites felt that they behaved toward White than Black partners. In contrast, the response latency measure significantly predicted Whites’ nonverbal friendliness and the extent to which the confederates and observers perceived bias in the participants’ friendliness.
Changes in growth factor levels after thermal ablation in a murine model of colorectal liver metastases.

OBJECTIVES This study examines changes in the expression of growth factors following thermal ablation (TA) of selected colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases. METHODS Using mice with established CRC liver metastases, two tumours in each animal were thermally ablated. Liver and tumour tissues were collected at various time-points (days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7) following TA treatment from the ablation site and from sites distant from ablated tumour. Changes in growth factor expression (epidermal growth factor [EGF], vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], hepatocyte growth factor [HGF] and transforming growth factor-β[TGF-β]) in comparison with baseline levels (non-ablated) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Baseline TGF-β and VEGF levels in the liver parenchyma of tumour-bearing mice were significantly higher than levels in naive liver parenchyma. Levels of VEGF and HGF decreased after TA treatment in all tissues. Levels of EGF decreased in ablated and distant tumour tissues, but displayed a tendency to increase in liver tissue. Levels of TGF-β also decreased during the first 2 days following TA, but later increased in liver and tumour tissues distant from the ablation site to a level that reached significance in tumour tissue at day 7 (P < 0.001). Decreases in growth factor levels were also observed in animals that underwent laparotomy without TA treatment, which indicates that these decreases were caused by the experimental procedure. CONCLUSIONS Tumour induces upregulation of TGF-β and VEGF in liver parenchyma. Growth factors decreased after TA, but this appears to be the result of the experimental procedure rather than the TA itself. However, TA resulted in increased levels of TGF-β, which may contribute to tumour recurrence.
Evaluation of dazomet as fumigant for the control of brown root rot disease.

BACKGROUND Brown root rot disease caused by Phellinus noxius is widespread in approximately 216 tree and plant species in tropical and subtropical countries. No direct means of protection against P. noxius infection have thus far been developed. Therefore, in this field survey, a method was developed for preventing and controlling brown root rot disease using fumigation with dazomet. RESULTS Tracers were used to monitor the effect of dazomet fumigation. The results from field surveys and phytotoxicity tests showed that dazomet is able to kill P. noxius without any side effects on plants. CONCLUSION The use of an environmentally friendly agent to control brown root rot disease is needed, and prevention of the disease is more important than treatment. Hence, chemical fumigation with 60 g m(-2) of 98% dazomet may be a possible means of preventing P. noxius incursion in agriculture, gardening and agroforestry.
Establishing the Relationship between Turbidity and Total Suspended Sediment Concentration

This laboratory work examines the relationship between turbidity (NTU) and total suspended sediment concentration (TSS, mg/L) for a Cecil Ap soil, a common Southeastern Piedmont soil type. We show a 1:1 correlation between NTU and TSS for the silt and clay fractions, but a smaller ratio for clay and bulk-soil samples. These results suggest that NTU measurements can be used to estimate sediment concentrations for fine soil fractions, but underestimates the total sediment concentration when sand-size fractions are present.
An Introduction to Gerontology: List of tables

1. Introduction Ian Stuart-Hamilton 2. The biology of ageing: a primer Joao Pedro de Magalhaes 3. Fostering resilience, promoting health, and preventing disease in older adults Sharon Ostwald and Carmel Dyer 4. Ageing and health: managing co-morbidities and functional disability in older people Carmel Dyer and Sharon Ostwald 5. Social care and older people Raymond Ngan 6. Cognitive processes and ageing Paul Verhaeghen 7. The psychology of atypical ageing Bob Woods 8. Sociological perspectives on ageing Kate Davidson 9. Retirement Lynn McDonald 10. Sexuality and ageing Rebecca Flyckt and Sheryl A. Kingsberg 11. Policies on ageing Suzanne Wait 12. Cross-cultural differences in ageing Sandra Torres 13. Technology and ageing Anthea Tinker 14. Literary portrayals of ageing Diana Wallace 15. Palliative care for older adults Lynn O'Neill and Sean Morrison 16. Conclusions Ian Stuart-Hamilton.
STABILITY OF CLUSTER SOLUTIONS IN A TRITROPHIC FOOD CHAIN MODEL

We study a tritrophic food chain model which is based on Schnakenberg type kinetics. This model is realistic in a predator-prey context if cooperation of predators is prevalent in the system. The system also serves as a model for a sequence of irreversible autocatalytic reactions in a container which is in contact with a well-stirred reservoir. It is an extension of the Schnakenberg model suggested in [11, 27] for which there is only one prey and one predator. In this food chain model there is one predator feeding on the prey and a second predator feeding on the first predator. This means that the first predator plays a hybrid role: it acts as both predator and prey. It is assumed that the prey diffuses much faster than the first predator and that the first predator diffuses much faster than the second predator. It is further assumed that the feed rates are large. We construct single cluster solutions on an interval for which the profile of the second predator is that of the commonly observed spike in the Schnakenberg model. However, for the first predator a new cluster-type profile is observed which comes from the fact that it acts as predator and prey simultaneously. Its profile in leading order is that of two partial spikes connected by a thin transition layer. For this profile different scales are involved: The spikes for the first predator are on the small scale, the spike for the second on the very small scale, the width of the transition layer for the first predator is between the small and the very small scale. This type of interaction is a new effect for spike layer solutions. It is shown that these patterns exist if the feed rates are small enough. We study the stability properties of this solution in terms of the system parameters. We use a rigorous analysis for the linearized operator around single cluster solutions based on nonlocal eigenvalue problems. The following result is established: There is coexistence of a stable and an unstable cluster solution if the time-relaxation constants are small enough. Otherwise both solutions are unstable. Pattern Formation, Food Chain, Predator Prey Model, Reaction-Diffusion System, Cluster Solutions, Stability. Primary 35B35, 92C40; Secondary 35B40
Can Enteroviruses Cause Type 1 Diabetes?

Abstract: Enterovirus infections have long been considered as one possible environmental trigger of type 1 diabetes. These viruses have been detected from diabetic patients more often than from control subjects and they can infect beta cells in cell culture and induce diabetes in animal models. Furthermore, a same kind of seasonality has been observed in both the onset of clinical diabetes and subclinical beta cell autoimmunity (appearance of autoantibodies) as in enterovirus infections. Recently, considerable new evidence has cumulated from prospective studies indicating the risk effect of enterovirus infections long before clinical diabetes was diagnosed. In addition, several studies have reported enterovirus genome sequences in diabetic patients more often than in control subjects. Currently, the evidence for the role of enteroviruses is stronger than for most other environmental agents, but still the final proof is lacking. The ongoing studies aim to prove the risk effect in different populations and to identify the underlying mechanisms. This research field is becoming more and more important because it could open up possibilities to prevent type 1 diabetes by an enterovirus vaccine.
A General Strategy for Selecting High-Affinity Zinc Finger Proteins for Diverse DNA Target Sites

A method is described for selecting DNA-binding proteins that recognize desired sequences. The protocol involves gradually extending a new zinc finger protein across the desired 9- or 10-base pair target site, adding and optimizing one finger at a time. This procedure was tested with a TATA box, a p53 binding site, and a nuclear receptor element, and proteins were obtained that bind with nanomolar dissociation constants and discriminate effectively (greater than 20,000-fold) against nonspecific DNA. This strategy may provide important information about protein-DNA recognition as well as powerful tools for biomedical research.
Perinatal vitamin D and calcium status of northern Canadian mothers and their newborn infants.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to examine the vitamin D and calcium status of mothers and their newborns. METHODS The intakes of vitamin D and calcium were determined prenatally in 121 women including 33 Caucasians, 51 Inuits, and 37 Native Indians, living in the Inuvik zone of the Northwest Territories. Plasma concentrations of 25-(OH)-D and calcium were also measured in mothers as well as in their offspring at delivery. RESULTS The daily mean vitamin D intake of native mothers, including Inuits and Indians, with (8.1+/-5.5 microg) and without supplements (3.4+/-2.5 microg) was significantly lower than that of non-native mothers (13.2+/-5.9 microg and 5.8+/-4.3 microg, respectively). According to the predicted prevalence of low vitamin D intake, there existed a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency without supplementation in both native (88.6% vs 48.4%) and non-native (63.5% vs. 15.1%) mothers. The trend for calcium intakes with and without supplementation was similar to vitamin D intake. At the point of delivery, the plasma levels of 25-(OH)-D were lower in native mothers (50.1 19.3 nmol/L) and their offspring (34.2+/-13.1 nmol/L) than their counterparts (59.8+/-29.4 nmol/L and 41.4+/-23.5 nmol/L, respectively). Its plasma levels in newborn infants averaged only 67% of their mothers. None of these infants showed clinical evidence of vitamin D deficiency. In fact, their plasma calcium levels were significantly higher than their mothers. CONCLUSIONS Plasma 25-(OH)-D concentrations of 60 to 70% of maternal levels may represent a "normal" range for newborn infants. However, a supplementation in native northern Canadian mothers during pregnancy and in their neonates during infancy may have a role to play in the prevention of vitamin D deficiency.
Aging School Bus Drivers: Is Mandatory Retirement Appropriate?

There exists very little evidence to determine whether aging school bus drivers pose an increased safety risk with advancing age since few drivers have continued to work beyond age 65 in those jurisdictions that do not have mandatory retirement policies. Consequently, there have not been opportunities where direct data are available to empirically show how safety risk might change as school bus drivers advance in age beyond traditional retirement limits. This creates a knowledge void that is problematic as a recent trend shows an increasing number of drivers who wish to continue to drive beyond the traditional age of retirement. The objective of this paper is to interpret past findings and illustrate how safety levels typically change in concert with advancing age among the general population of drivers. While school bus drivers are a subset of the general population, evidence is drawn from a recent study of older commercial truck drivers to show that similar trends exist even among professional drivers. Finally, a discussion is presented that associates the extraordinary tasks involved while driving a school bus with decreased capabilities commonly found among aging drivers. The paper is written in the context of a recent Human Rights hearing in New Brunswick which effectively resulted in the removal of mandatory retirement for school bus drivers at age 65.
Ocular manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis. Analysis of nine cases.

PURPOSE To report a series of nine patients of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) with diverse ocular and systemic manifestations. METHODS Retrospective analysis of nine consecutive patients seen between 1987 and 2002. RESULTS The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 43.89 years (range: 33-56 years). Redness, pain and photophobia (8 patients) were the common presenting complaints. Sinusitis (6 patients) and arthralgia (6 patients) were the commonly associated systemic complaints. Necrotising scleritis with peripheral keratopathy (6 patients) was the most common ocular sign. Serum antibodies against the cytoplasmic component of neutrophils and monocytes (cANCA) were positive in 7 of 8 patients. Biopsy diagnosis was done in one patient for whom cANCA was not done. Cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids alleviated the symptoms in 6 patients. Ocular and systemic condition remained stable in 7 patients. One patient expired due to the severity of the disease and another patient was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Scleritis with peripheral corneal involvement was the most commonly observed ocular manifestation of WG in our series. cANCA was a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of WG. When clinical and serologic findings were inconclusive, biopsy remained indispensable. A combination of cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids is essential and critical not only for the ocular condition but also for the survival of the patient.
How to interpret high levels of distress when using the Distress Thermometer in the long-term follow-up clinic? A study with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia survivors

ABSTRACT Objectives: Recent guidelines recommend to assess emotional distress in pediatric oncology during treatment and in after care. One tool used to do this is the distress thermometer (DT), a simple tool which has almost exclusively been studied in its screening abilities. Given its increased used as a measure of distress per se, it is necessary to document its concurrent validity. The goal of this study was to identify clinical domains (eg, depression, anxiety) and individual symptoms associated with pediatric cancer survivors’ rating on the DT. Participants: To do so we used data collected from 84 young (≤18 years old), and 120 older (>18 years old) survivors who were treated for pediatric leukemia. Methods: Participants responded to self-report questionnaires as part of a research visit. Results: Results from stepwise regressions show that in the younger group, high scores on the thermometer were associated with higher negative affectivity only. In adults, high scores were associated with higher anxiety, higher negative affectivity, and lower positive affectivity. When exploring associations with individual items, we found that the main emotional tone reflected by the thermometer score was anxiety. Conclusions: Interpreting ratings on the thermometer should probably focus on anxiety in childhood cancer survivors. This widely used tool also does not measure the same domains in young versus older survivors, so that age groups should be considered separately in future work.
Benign adenomyoepithelioma of the breast: imaging findings mimicking malignancy and histopathological features

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast is a rare neoplasm. We present a case of a benign adenomyoepithelioma of the breast in an asymptomatic 60-year-old woman. This report illustrates the mammogram, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance appearances of this unusual lesion, with histopathological correlation.
The Gujerati Muslim Community in North East London : Origins and Language Use

Author(s): Sneddon, Raymonde. Article Title: Language and Literacy: Children’s Experiences in Multilingual Environments Year of publication: 2000 Citation: Sneddon,R. (2000) 'Language and Literacy: Children’s Experiences in Multilingual environments. ' International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 3 (4) 265-282. Link to published version: http://www.multilingual-matters.net/10.1080/13670050008667711 DOI: 10.1080/13670050008667711
Evaluation of compressive strength for refractory casts made from different investment materials

Aims: To compare the compressive strength of refractory casts made from investments for cobalt– chromium and investment for titanium and to study the effect of mixing fluid on compressive strength. Materials and Methods: Three types of investments were used, one for titanium and two for cobalt– chromium, each one is mixed with three types of mixing fluids; tap water, distilled water and special liquid, to produce refractory casts. Compressive strength test was carried out using compression testing machine. Results: Showed significant differences in compressive strength between the types of investments, with titanium investment mixed with special liquid showed the highest value. There were significant differences between subgroups of the same type by changing mixing fluid type. Conclusions: Refractory casts made from titanium investment showed significantly higher compressive strength than refractory casts made from Co–Cr investments, and there was a difference between the two special liquids used, and tap water in which it produced casts with higher compressive strength than distilled water in two out of the three investment materials tested.
Intratympanic gentamicin therapy for Ménière's disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intratympanic gentamicin therapy for the treatment of Meniere's disease. STUDY DESIGN We compared retrospective case series with historical controls. SETTING A tertiary referral center--the ambulatory clinic at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. PATIENTS The study consisted of 28 patients with Meniere's disease who failed conventional medical therapy and were offered gentamicin treatment or surgical intervention. Patients had to be followed for at least 2 years to be eligible for review. INTERVENTION Intratympanic gentamicin solution injections were given by serial titration to the involved ear on a weekly or biweekly schedule. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Adhering to the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery 1985 criteria for reporting treatment results in Meniere's disease, the hearing status, control of vertigo, and disability scores using intratympanic gentamicin therapy were reported and compared with historical controls. RESULTS Complete or substantial control of vertigo was achieved in 91% of patients. Hearing loss occurred in approximately one third of patients. Historically, similar hearing loss occurs in patients who were treated successfully, either medically or surgically. Ototoxicity (high frequency hearing loss) was more likely to be seen in patients with pre-treatment 8,000 Hz hearing thresholds better than 65dB. CONCLUSIONS Intratympanic gentamicin therapy given by serial titration injections provides significant control of vertigo without the significant cost and potential morbidity of a more invasive surgical procedure.
Fine structure of germinal center forming cells in chick spleen.

Ultrastructural changes of the cells forming germinal centers were examined in the chick spleen after intravenous injection of sheep red blood cells. The germinal center was formed by a cluster of large lymphoid cells and a septum of flattened reticular cells. The large lymphoid cell was characterized by numerous polysomes and a large euchromatic nucleus with a prominent nucleolus. In the developing germinal center the large lymphoid cells proliferated and became smaller in size. After the peak of development of the center they were gradually atrophied and finally became degenerative to exhibit pyknotic nuclei, condensed cytoplasm, some vacuoles and many cytoplasmic processes. From the formation of the germinal center through its degeneration, the transformation of lymphoid cells into plasma cells did not occur within the center. Plasma cells were appeared in the red pulp prior to the germinal center formation, and then they proliferated to aggregate around a periarterial lymphatic sheath.
Prevention and treatment of child and adolescent depression: challenges and opportunities

Objective. To examine the current theoretical rationale and empirical evidence for preventing and treating major depressive disorder in childhood and adolescence. Methods. Selective review of recent controlled investigations on the efficacy and safety of preventive and treatment interventions. Results. Even more than in adults, pediatric clinical trials in depression are dominated by symptomatic improvement with non-specific clinical contact (on average, 50% ‘placebo response’). The additional benefit of specific psychotherapeutic or pharmacological treatment is on average modest. Antidepressant medication is effective in speeding up improvement, but more than a third of patients do not reach full remission even after prolonged treatment. The advantage of routinely combining medication with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is unclear. Depressed suicidal adolescents can benefit from CBT and medications. CBT can protect high-risk youths from developing a depressive episode. Conclusions. Effective interventions to prevent and treat depression in youth exist, but their therapeutic benefit appears to be, on average, small, possibly due to the clinical heterogeneity subsumed under the current diagnostic construct of depressive disorder. More specifically, targeted interventions tailored to individual clinical and biological characteristics may result in greater effectiveness and overall efficiency.
Bone morphogenetic protein 6 inhibit stress‐induced breast cancer cells apoptosis via both smad and P38 pathways

Breast carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors and has become a more common cancer in women. BMP6 was abnormally expressed in breast cancer specimens and cell lines. However, the contribution of BMP6 in promoting breast cancer progression remains unknown. The purpose of our study was to establish whether expression of BMP6 in breast cancer cells affect their proliferation or apoptosis and the mechanism. We found that BMP6 inhibited proliferation of MDA‐MB‐231 cells and blocked cell cycle at G0/G1 stage. BMP6 also inhibited serum deprivation induced apoptosis in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. At the 4 days of serum starvation, BMP6 reduced the percentage of caspase‐3 positive cells from 49% to 21%, BMP6 also reduced sub‐G1 peak induced by serum starvation. In contrast, BMP6 significantly enhanced survivin expression both at mRNA and protein levels. Dominant negative‐survivin and Antisense‐survivin impaired BMP6 induced antiapoptotic effect. BMP6 enhanced survivin expression at the transcription level in a Smad‐dependent manner. BMP6 also played its antiapoptotic effect through activation p38 MAPK signal pathway, independent of smad/survivin pathway. These results suggested that BMP6 induced cell cycle arrest in estrogen‐insensitive breast cancer cells. BMP6 inhibits stress‐induced apoptosis via both Smad and p38 signal pathways. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 1584–1597, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.