Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Sonicare Elite and a manual toothbrush in the evaluation of plaque reduction.

PURPOSE To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of a new oral hygiene device, the Sonicare Elite toothbrush, with a soft-bristled manual toothbrush (Oral-B 35). MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was designed as a single-blind crossover with two arms. A sample of 25 subjects who met the entrance criteria was divided into two sequences at random: manual-Sonicare Elite, or Sonicare Elite-manual. Within each treatment arm, subjects were given a dental cleaning and polish, and written brushing instructions, and were allowed to use the assigned brush for at least 10 days at home before reporting for two plaque reduction evaluations. Upon completion of the first treatment arm, subjects were assigned the remaining brush and repeated the same protocol as before. Pre- and post-brushing scores were recorded at all visits after 12-18 hours of overnight plaque accumulation and were used to calculate a plaque reduction score at each evaluation. The scores were then averaged over the repeated visits with the same brush and the averages from the two brushes were paired within subjects. ANOVA was performed to determine if a difference existed between the two groups in terms of overall plaque reduction. RESULTS The Sonicare Elite achieved a significantly greater reduction in plaque than the manual toothbrush (36.0% compared to 25.7%; P < 0.05). No adverse events related to either brush were reported during the study.
Nasal IL-12p70 DNA Prevents and Treats Intestinal Allergic Diarrhea1

OVA-induced allergic diarrhea occurs as a consequence of over-expression of Th1 inhibitory IL-12p40 monomers and homodimers in the large intestine, establishing a dominant Th2-type environment. In this study, we demonstrate that intranasally administered murine IL-12p70 naked DNA expression plasmids resulted in the synthesis of corresponding cytokine in the large intestinal CD11c+ dendritic cells, leading to the inhibition of Ag-specific Th2-type response for the prevention of allergic diarrhea and the suppression of clinical symptoms including OVA-specific IgE Ab synthesis. The nasal IL-12p70 DNA treatment proved effective even after the establishment of allergic diarrhea. These results suggest that the mucosal administration of naked IL-12p70 DNA plasmid should be considered as a possible preventive and therapeutic treatment for Th2 cell-mediated food allergic diseases in the intestinal tract.
A methodology to understand student choice of higher education institutions: the case of the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT The need to understand how prospective students decide which higher education institution to attend is becoming of paramount importance as the policy context for higher education moves towards market-based systems in many countries. This paper provides a novel methodology by which student preferences between institutions can be assessed, using the United Kingdom as a case study. It applies both revealed preference and discrete choice modelling techniques to estimate the priority attributes and potential trade-offs of students choosing between different UK universities. Whereas the former methodology has the advantage of being based on actual decisions, the latter provides an experimental setting for more nuanced findings to be elicited; the combination of approaches allows for a rich and detailed set of results. This methodology can also be used to ask detailed strategic questions of higher education institutions and further applied to other international markets.
Market reactions to unexpected relative earnings performance*

Abstract This paper documents that investors value unexpected changes in a firm’s relative earnings performance (REP) in addition to its absolute earnings surprise on the firm’s earnings announcement date. Consistent with REP filtering out industry-wide common shocks and conveying information about the firm’s competitive advantage over its industry peers, investors react more strongly to unexpected relative earnings for firms with a stronger peer-firm earnings correlation and for firms with fewer growth options in their operations relative to their industry peers. Moreover, current unexpected REP is positively associated future growths in sales, market share, and earnings performance, suggesting that firms with stronger REP are better able to capture future industry opportunities.
Who is willing to take the risk? Assessing the readiness for living liver donation in the general German population

Background: Shortage of donor organs is one of the major problems for liver transplant programmes. Living liver donation is a possible alternative, which could increase the amount of donor organs available in the short term. Objective: To assess the attitude towards living organ donation in the general population to have an overview of the overall attitude within Germany. Methods: A representative quota of people was evaluated by a mail questionnaire (n = 250). This questionnaire had 24 questions assessing the willingness to be a living liver donor for different potential recipients. Factors for and against living liver donation were assessed. Results: Donating a part of the liver was almost as accepted as donating a kidney. The readiness to donate was highest when participants were asked to donate for children. In an urgent life-threatening situation the will to donate was especially high, whereas it was lower in the case of recipient substance misuse. More women than men expressed a higher disposition to donate for their children. Sex, religion, state of health and age of the donor, however, did not influence other questions on the readiness to consider living organ donation. The will for postmortem organ donation positively correlated with the will to be a living organ donor. Conclusions: The motivation in different demographic subgroups to participate in living liver transplantation is described. Differences in donation readiness resulting from the situation of every donor and recipient are thoroughly outlined. The acceptance for a living liver donation was found to be high – and comparable to that of living kidney donation.
Essential Role of the Dynamin Pleckstrin Homology Domain in Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis

ABSTRACT Pleckstrin homology (PH) domains are found in numerous membrane-associated proteins and have been implicated in the mediation of protein-protein and protein-phospholipid interactions. Dynamin, a GTPase required for clathrin-dependent endocytosis, contains a PH domain which binds to phosphoinositides and participates in the interaction between dynamin and the βγ subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins. The PH domain is essential for expression of phosphoinositide-stimulated GTPase activity of dynamin in vitro, but its involvement in the endocytic process is unknown. We expressed a series of dynamin PH domain mutants in cultured cells and determined their effect on transferrin uptake by those cells. Endocytosis is blocked in cells expressing a PH domain deletion mutant and a point mutant that fails to interact with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2]. In contrast, expression of a point mutant with unimpaired PI(4,5)P2 interaction has no effect on transferrin uptake. These results demonstrate the significance of the PH domain for dynamin function and suggest that its role may be to mediate interactions between dynamin and phosphoinositides.
Roles of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADPH) Oxidase in Angiogenesis: Isoform-Specific Effects

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting ones and is implicated in physiologic vascular development, pathologic blood vessel growth, and vascular restoration. This is in contrast to vasculogenesis, which is de novo growth of vessels from vascular precursors, or from vascular repair that occurs when circulating endothelial progenitor cells home into an area and develop into blood vessels. The objective of this review is to discuss the isoform-specific role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX) in physiologic and pathologic angiogenesis and vascular repair, but will not specifically address vasculogenesis. As the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vascular endothelial cells (ECs), NOX has gained increasing attention in angiogenesis. Activation of NOX leads to events necessary for physiologic and pathologic angiogenesis, including EC migration, proliferation and tube formation. However, activation of different NOX isoforms has different effects in angiogenesis. Activation of NOX2 promotes pathologic angiogenesis and vascular inflammation, but may be beneficial in revascularization in the hindlimb ischemic model. In contrast, activation of NOX4 appears to promote physiologic angiogenesis mainly by protecting the vasculature during ischemia, hypoxia and inflammation and by restoring vascularization, except in models of oxygen-induced retinopathy and diabetes where NOX4 activation leads to pathologic angiogenesis.
Influence of indole acetic acid on antioxidant levels and enzyme activities of glucose metabolism in rat liver

Indole acetic acid (IAA) is an auxin and can be synthesized in animals. This compound is metabolized in vitro by peroxidase, producing reactive oxygen species. The toxic effect of indole acetic acid in leukocytes is associated with peroxidase activities and these processes have been implicated in activation of glucose and glutamine metabolism. However, studies in vitro have shown that IAA, in absence of peroxidase, is an antioxidant almost as high in potency as those of other indolic compounds. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible involvement of a toxic effect of indole acetic acid in the liver, as evidenced by oxidative stress and enzyme activities of the glucose pathway. The animals received IAA by subcutaneous or gavage administration in a phosphate buffered saline (the control group received only the phosphate buffered saline). The other groups received IAA at concentrations of 1 mg, 18 mg and 40 mg per kg of body mass per day. Treatments with 18 mg and 40 mg IAA decreased the activity of catalase by both subcutaneous (30% and 26%) or gavage administration (19% and 28%), respectively. A similar effect was observed on the activity of glutathione peroxidase of animals exposed to 18 mg and 40 mg IAA: A decrease of 34% and 29%, respectively, for subcutaneous administration and a decrease of 29% and 25%, respectively, for gavage administration. However, in neither source of administration did the acid alter superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and myeloperoxidase activities. Another alteration was observed in respect of reduced glutathione content in this organ. The lipid peroxidation level showed a significant decrease with subcutaneous (30%, 29% and 24%) and gavage administration (25%, 26% and 24%) using 1 mg, 18 mg and 40 mg of IAA, respectively compared with the control. The reduced glutathione content and catalase activity in the plasma were not altered by either of the two methods of administration. In addition to these findings, after subcutaneous or gavage administration of IAA, the activities of hepatic enzymes of glucose metabolism were not affected (glucokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase). Evidence is presented herein that IAA did not have a pro‐oxidant effect in the liver as deduced from a reduction of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, a decrease of lipid peroxidation content and no alteration of the pool of reduced glutathione. The effects of IAA were independent of the way of administration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of problematic cell phone use in an adult population in Spain as assessed by the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS)

Problematic cell phone use has alarmingly increased in industrialized countries in the past 10 years. For many perpetrators, it can turn into a behavioural addiction, although this is not a recognized medical condition. Although there are many tools for evaluating this use, one of the most widely used tools is the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS), which we test on a representative sample of the population in Spain to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of problematic cell phone use in our midst. The age range consists of 16–65 years, with 1,126 surveys conducted. In this population, we verify that the reliability and internal consistency of the MPPUS (α = 0.939) are maintained. Additionally, the construct validity, considering the derived factors (Abuse and Dependence, Craving and Loss of Control, and Dependence on the Social Environment) are aligned with other research and with diverse external criteria of addiction. We establish four categories of users (Casual, Regular, At Risk, and Problematic) and obtain a prevalence of 15.4% among At Risk Users and 5.1% among Problematic Users. This finding implies a total of 20.5% of Users with Problems. A binary logistic regression analysis shows that age, gender, level of education, and daily cell phone use predict problematic cell phone use. The results, based on multiple criteria, show that such problematic use shares features of recognized addictions, affecting large segments of the population and not only adolescents.
Fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian low malignant potential tumors.

OBJECTIVE Ovarian low malignant potential (LMP) tumors have an excellent prognosis when treated by surgical resection. Conservative management usually involves leaving behind the uterus and contralateral adnexa to allow future childbearing. The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of women treated with fertility-sparing surgery. METHODS All patients diagnosed with ovarian LMP tumors between 1984 and 2003 were identified at three institutions. Data were retrospectively extracted from clinical records. RESULTS Thirty-eight (15%) of 249 women with LMP tumors underwent fertility-sparing surgery. Twenty-three were nulliparous and four primiparous. Thirty-three (87%) underwent unilateral salpingo-ophorectomy and five (13%) cystectomy. Fourteen patients also had contralateral cystectomy or biopsy. Thirty-four (89%) were stage I, one (3%) stage II and three (8%) stage III. Most tumors had serous (55%) or mucinous (42%) histology. No patients received adjuvant therapy. Six (16%) of 38 recurred after a median follow-up of 26 months: five in the remaining ovary were salvaged with surgical resection alone, and none died from recurrent LMP tumor. Five women delivered six term infants during post-treatment surveillance. CONCLUSION Fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian LMP tumors is an option for motivated patients. Preservation of the contralateral adnexa increases the risk of recurrence, but surgical resection is usually curative.
Ambidextrous innovation capabilities, antecedents and performance

R&D intensive firms have faced many kinds of innovation dilemmas which firms have to develop both radical innovation to tap new opportunities and incremental innovation to enhance existing capabilities. The designed organizational structure allows to excel at both conflicting modes of innovation can be termed as organizational ambidexterity. However, how R&D intensive firms deal with various kinds of innovation dilemmas strategically still remain understudied. Based on the schools of organizational learning, strategic management, organizational design, and innovation studies, the study develops a notion of ambidextrous innovation capabilities (AIC) and AIC scale. AIC is formed by three dimensions: commitment, searching, learning and structure ambidexterity. And elaborates antecedents into three dimensions: corporate entrepreneurship, creative support and contingency reward. This paper proposes two hypotheses addressing the relationships between AIC and performance, antecedents and AIC. The survey generated 718 usable questionnaires responses in 68 BUs from 32 firms. The results show that AIC is positively associated with performance and antecedents are positively associated with AIC. In the future work, the paper concludes that the development of AIC could overcome innovation dilemmas, in turn enhance the performance. Firms could apply the proposed instrument to diagnose the condition of AIC in order to achieve higher performance.
Survival and death of Salmonella typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni in processing water and on chicken skin during poultry scalding and chilling.

Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni were inoculated in scalding water, in chilled water, and on chicken skins to examine the effects of scalding temperature (50, 55, and 60 degrees C) and the chlorine level in chilled water (0, 10, 30, and 50 ppm), associated with the ages of scalding water (0 and 10 h) and chilled water (0 and 8 h), on bacterial survival or death. After scalding at 50 and 60 degrees C, the reductions of C. jejuni were 1.5 and 6.2 log CFU/ml in water and <1 and >2 log CFU/cm2 on chicken skins; the reductions of Salmonella Typhimurium were <0.5 and >5.5 log CFU/ml in water and <0.5 and >2 log CFU/cm2 on skins, respectively. The age of scalding water did not significantly (P > 0.05) affect bacterial heat sensitivity. However, the increase in the age of chilled water significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the chlorine effect. In 0-h chilled water. C. jejuni and Salmonella Typhimurium were reduced by 3.3 and 0.7 log CFU/ml, respectively, after treatment with 10 ppm of chlorine and became nondetectable with 30 and 50 ppm of chlorine. In 8-h chilled water, the reduction of C. jejuni and Salmonella Typhimurium was <0.5 log CFU/ml with 10 ppm of chlorine and ranged from 4 to 5.5 log CFU/ml with 50 ppm of chlorine. Chlorination of chilled water did not effectively reduce the bacteria attached on chicken skins. The D-values of Salmonella Typhimurium and C. jejuni were calculated for the prediction of their survival or death in the poultry scalding and chilling.
Multicenter comparison of alpha particle measurements and methods typical of semiconductor processing

Alpha counting measurement methods have been widely used in the semiconductor industry for many years to assess the suitability of materials for semiconductor production and packaging applications. Although a number of published articles describe aspects of this counting, a multicenter, comparative trial has not been carried out to assess the methodological accuracy of current methods. This paper reports on experience with a 9 center, international, round-robin style trial using a shared set of samples to quantify variability in alpha emission measurements. Four samples representing low and ultralow alpha materials were counted by each participating lab in a blinded trial. The consensus mean emissivity for low alpha material was estimated as 30.9 khr-1-cm-2 with a range from 20.2 to 45.5, less than half of which can be attributed to counting uncertainty or other known sources of error. A strong correlation for replicate measurements within a lab was also observed supporting the conclusion that there are systematic variations in equipment or calibration among labs. Eleven of 23 measurements of ultralow alpha materials were within 1 standard deviation of the consensus mean and 7 were at or below background. The high level of counting uncertainty for these measurements is thought to be sufficient to mask any systematic variation similar to the low alpha observations. Comparison of the reported values with a standard calculation demonstrates that there are also differences in the interpretation of the values reported for emissivity and error, underscoring the need for careful interpretation of results.
Neonatal ACTH Administration Elicits Long‐term Changes in Forebrain Monoamine Innervation

The findings from this study demonstrated that the manipulation of the HPA system resulting from ACTH administration during neonatal development produces long-term, differential effects, not only on adrenocortical activity, but also on the activity and integrity of the forebrain monoamine systems. Increased concentrations of the monoamines within the forebrain regions studied at days 7 and 15, suggest a hastened maturation of these neural systems in animals neonatally treated with ACTH. The observed neurochemical alterations in these animals at one year are suggestive of an accelerated aging in the monoamine systems. A further consequence of these disturbances during development is an altered functioning of the HPG axis, as demonstrated by a delayed onset of puberty as previously reported, as well as significantly decreased proestrus plasma estradiol. Although deficits in sexual behavior also existed, it seems probable that these behavioral changes are a manifestation of altered neural systems regulating the ability to cope with a novel stimulus or situation, rather than a disruption of the "feminization" of the brain during sexual differentiation. This is in contrast to the male rat which exhibits permanent deficits in male typical sexual behavior following developmental ACTH treatment. The clinical relevance of these findings may be extensive. Perinatal exposure to events or agents that markedly increase ACTH and the corticosteroids may cause significant immediate and long-term changes in central monoamine functioning. These changes may constitute some of the most deleterious effects of stress exposure in infants and children. The alterations may be especially devastating in individuals with predispositions to stress-sensitive disorders such as anxiety, depression, and Tourette's syndrome. Finally, the use of ACTH in the treatment of infantile spasms may need to be reassessed in light of the possible long-term effects of ACTH on central monoamine functioning.
Allelic variation of Mhc class II in Atlantic salmon; a population genetic analysis

We have studied the degree of genetic variation at a variable Mhc class II β gene in four populations of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar by using RFLPs. The class II β gene encodes the part of the Mhc class II molecule that contains the antigen binding region and is therefore essential for disease resistance. There was extensive genetic variation in all four populations; the expected heterozygosity (HSi) varied between 0.50 and 0.81. Heterozygosity tended to be higher in broods surviving a syndrome causing high mortalities (60–95%) in Swedish salmon hatcheries. Populations that had experienced more incidences of genetic bottlenecks (years when fewer than 60 adults had been used for breeding) and had a lower average effective population size (Ne), had a lower degree of heterozygosity. The four populations differed significantly in allele frequencies as measured by FST=0.13 and Nei's genetic distance (D=0.09−∞). Pairwise FST values varied between 0.01 and 0.23, all but one being highly significant, indicating a differentiation between the populations in Mhc class II β. This study shows that the four populations of Atlantic salmon have a high degree of polymorphism in the Mhc class II β gene. However, there was great variation between different hatcheries, both in heterozygosity levels and allele frequencies.