Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mating triggers dynamic immune regulations in wood ant queens

Mating can affect female immunity in multiple ways. On the one hand, the immune system may be activated by pathogens transmitted during mating, sperm and seminal proteins, or wounds inflicted by males. On the other hand, immune defences may also be down‐regulated to reallocate resources to reproduction. Ants are interesting models to study post‐mating immune regulation because queens mate early in life, store sperm for many years, and use it until their death many years later, while males typically die after mating. This long‐term commitment between queens and their mates limits the opportunity for sexual conflict but raises the new constraint of long‐term sperm survival. In this study, we examine experimentally the effect of mating on immunity in wood ant queens. Specifically, we compared the phenoloxidase and antibacterial activities of mated and virgin Formica paralugubris queens. Queens had reduced levels of active phenoloxidase after mating, but elevated antibacterial activity 7 days after mating. These results indicate that the process of mating, dealation and ovary activation triggers dynamic patterns of immune regulation in ant queens that probably reflect functional responses to mating and pathogen exposure that are independent of sexual conflict.
An evaluation of bovine derived xenograft with and without a bioabsorbable collagen membrane in the treatment of mandibular Class II furcation defects.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of applying Bio-Oss, an anorganic bovine bone xenograft (control group) to the combined use of Bio-Oss and Bio-Gide (a bioabsorbable collagen membrane) (test group) in human mandibular Class II furcation defects. METHODS A total of 18 furcations (8 tests and 10 controls) in 14 patients suffering from chronic periodontitis were treated in this randomized clinical trial. Open vertical and horizontal furcation depths (OVFD and OHFD), vertical and horizontal clinical attachment levels (VCAL, HCAL), probing depth (PD) and free gingival marginal level (GML) were among the clinical parameters measured prior and six months after treatment, at re-entry surgery. The data were analysed by statistical tests while a p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS At the surgical re-entry, the mean reduction for OVFD of the control and test groups was 1.9 +/- 1.3 and 2.1 +/- 1.0, and for OHFD 2.1 +/- 0.7 and 2.4 +/- 1.3, respectively. The control and test treatments resulted in significant reductions in PD, VCAL and HCAL measurements at re-entry but there was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments in all soft and hard tissues measurements. CONCLUSIONS This clinical trial failed to demonstrate the superiority of the combined use of Bio-Gide and Bio-Oss to the use of Bio-Oss alone, although both therapies resulted in significant gains in attachment level and bone fill.
Toda-Yamamoto Causality Test between Inflation and Nominal Interest Rates: Evidence from Three Countries of Europe

This paper investigates the relationship between inflation and nominal interest rates for three European countries, Germany (member of EMU), Great Britain (member country of EU but not EMU) and Switzerland (a non-EU country) from January 1995 until May 2015. For testing the long run equilibrium relationship we use the ARDL cointegration technique (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) as well as Granger no-causality approach developed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995) in a two-variable vector autoregression (VAR) model. The results of ARDL approach (bound test) shown that there is a cointegrated vector for the three examined countries thus Fisher assumption is valid. Finally, the results of Toda and Yamamoto approach show that the nominal interest rate has a positive relationship and affects inflation on a large scale in the three countries that we study, while inflation influences interest rate only in Germany.
Periorbital cellulitis in the era of Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine: predisposing factors and etiologic agents in hospitalized children.

PURPOSE The incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) infection, once the most common cause of periorbital cellulitis, declined dramatically after the introduction of HIB vaccine in 1990. The aim of the current study was to determine the predisposing factors and agents in the pathogenesis of periorbital cellulitis in hospitalized children in the post-HIB vaccination era. METHODS Children with clinical findings of periorbital inflammation who were hospitalized in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Israel in 2000-2001 were observed prospectively. Special attention was directed to the predisposing medical condition in each case. RESULTS One hundred sixty-three patients had a final discharge diagnosis of periorbital cellulitis. Mean age was 34 months (median = 24 months). The predisposing conditions were conjunctivitis (42.9%), infected wound or trauma (20.9%), insect bites (9.8%), sinusitis (8%), dacryostenosis (4.9%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteremia (0.6%). Children with conjunctivitis and sinusitis had the most severe inflammatory signs. None of the cultures was positive for HIB, although only 71% of the children had complete immunization. CONCLUSION The epidemiology of periorbital cellulitis in children has changed in the post-HIB vaccine era. The most common predisposing medical conditions are conjunctivitis or an infected wound in the vicinity of the eye. Bacteremia is rarely a source of the disease. These findings have important clinical implications in terms of choice of treatment.
Infection with Mycobacterium avium induces production of interleukin-10 (IL-10), and administration of anti-IL-10 antibody is associated with enhanced resistance to infection in mice

Organisms of the Mycobacterium avium complex are associated with disseminated infection in patients with AIDS. The mechanisms that account for the survival of the intracellular bacteria are unknown. We document here that infection of C57BL/6 black mice with M. avium 101 triggered interleukin-10 (IL-10) production. The synthesis of IL-10 peaked after 2 weeks of infection and remained elevated throughout the period of infection. Treatment of M. avium-infected peritoneal macrophages with recombinant IL-10 suppressed the stimulatory effect of tumor necrosis factor alpha and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. To confirm the possible role of IL-10 in the infection in vivo, mice were infected with M. avium 101 and simultaneously received treatment with neutralizing anti-IL-10 antibody. After 4 weeks the animals were harvested and the numbers of viable bacteria were quantitated in the liver, spleen, and blood. The liver and spleen of animals receiving anti-IL-10 antibody had 2 to 3 log units fewer bacteria than did those of control animals. These results suggest a role for IL-10 in the pathogenesis of M. avium infection.
Inhibition of Seminal emission is the main cause of anejaculation induced by a new highly selective alpha1A-blocker in normal volunteers.

INTRODUCTION Recent studies have highlighted the influence of alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists on ejaculatory function. AIM We evaluated the effect of a new, highly selective alpha1A-blocker, silodosin, on ejaculatory function of normal volunteers. METHODS The study included 15 healthy male urologists who voluntarily participated in the study. They took 4 mg of silodosin or a placebo twice daily for 3 days in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We investigated the ejaculatory volume, sperm count in urine after ejaculation, and fructose concentration in seminal plasma before and after administration of the agents. RESULTS All volunteers on silodosin had a complete lack of ejaculation. Three days after completion of silodosin, the mean ejaculatory volume recovered to the baseline level. There was no sperm in urine after ejaculation under silodosin administration in any volunteer. CONCLUSIONS All volunteers on silodosin had anejaculation and did not show post-ejaculate sperm in their urine. The mechanism of ejaculatory dysfunction caused by silodosin is a loss of seminal emission.
Your Language or Mine? The Noncommunicative Benefits of Language Skills

Do languages matter beyond their communicative benefits? We explore the potential role of preferences over the language of use, theoretically and empirically. We focus on Catalonia, a bilingual society where everyone is fully proficient in Spanish, to isolate linguistic preferences from communicative benefits. Moreover, we exploit the language‐in‐education reform of 1983 to identify the causal effects of language skills. Results indicate that the policy change has improved the Catalan proficiency of native Spanish speakers, which in turn increased their propensity to find Catalan‐speaking partners. Hence, the acquisition of apparently redundant language skills has reduced endogamy. (JEL C26, C78, I28, J12, J15, Z13)
The role of personal biases in the explanation of confabulation

Introduction. Previous research has demonstrated that motivational forces play an important role in determining the content of confabulation. In particular the content of confabulation has been shown to contain a positive emotional bias. This study investigated the role of personal biases in the confabulations of six patients with diverse aetiologies. Method. Confabulations were elicited with a series of structured interviews. We then compared the patients’ confabulations to their actual situations. Further analyses compared confabulations about current (i.e., the postmorbid period) and past (i.e., premorbid events and general life circumstances) events. Results. Group analysis confirmed a general bias to recall events that were more positive than the reality. However, examination of individual cases revealed that positive biases were not universal. Confabulations about current circumstances showed the positive bias, whereas an emotional bias was not evident in past confabulations. Conclusion. We conclude that motivational forces play a role in determining the content of confabulations but conceive of this role primarily in terms of a need to maintain a consistent self-concept (whether positive or negative) overlaid upon the ease with which an individual can retrieve familiar premorbid daily activities and routines.
Maximizing Efficiency in State Infrastructure Finance: The Role of Competition, Citizen Monitoring Capacity, and Institutions

In the United States, despite record levels of public infrastructure spending, evidence on rising traffic congestion and deteriorating infrastructure condition raises questions about the efficiency of government infrastructure spending. This research aims at empirically assessing and explaining the relative efficiency in producing public highway infrastructure outcomes among American states. To achieve this purpose, a semiparametric analysis—the two-stage double bootstrap data envelopment analysis method—is applied to examine how highway infrastructure efficiency scores can be estimated and explained by a number of exogenous variables among 47 American states from 1995 to 2009. This study finds that there is a large efficiency variation among states in terms of producing quality highway infrastructure services. Furthermore, interstate competition, jurisdiction size, fiscal capacity, and political and fiscal institutions are the key factors influencing the efficiency performance of state highway infrastructure systems.
Externally Acquired or Internally Generated? Knowledge Development and Perceived Environmental Dynamism in New Venture Innovation

We investigate the relative importance of external market knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge generation in new venture innovation. We argue that the effectiveness of externally acquired knowledge is less important in environments that are perceived as highly dynamic. To test our model, we examine 316 new ventures in one singular, high-growth sector. We find that managers have different interpretations of dynamism within this single sector and that these perceptual variations have important implications for how new ventures develop knowledge in pursuit of innovation. In so doing, we illustrate important within-sector mechanisms and boundary conditions behind new venture knowledge development and innovation.
Sclerostin and bone strength in women in their 10th decade of life

Sclerostin is a potent inhibitor of bone formation but has been shown to correlate positively with areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Little is known about its relationship to parameters of bone strength and volumetric BMD (vBMD) as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). We measured both serum sclerostin and parameters of tibial bone size and strength by pQCT to characterize this relationship. Our study population consisted of 223 white and 35 African American women (mean age 87 years) from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) cohort, who had usable pQCT scans of the tibia at sites 4% (T4%), 33% (T33%), and 66% (T66%) from the ankle. Analysis of covariance was used to test for differences in age‐adjusted means of aBMD, pQCT variables, and serum biomarkers across sclerostin quartiles. African American women had significantly lower median sclerostin (34.3 pmol/L) than white women (48.5 pmol/L) (p = 0.05). Women in the highest sclerostin quartile had 7% to 14.5% higher hip aBMD and pQCT parameters of vBMD and bone size than those in the lowest quartile in multivariate models adjusting for age, race, weight, height, and diabetes status. The association of sclerostin with parameters of bone strength differed dramatically between T33% and T66% sites. At T66%, women in the highest sclerostin quartile had pQCT strength parameters 9.4% to 15.3% greater than the lowest quartile, whereas no trend was found for the T33% site. Our results suggest paradoxical associations between circulating sclerostin and bone size, density, and strength.
Decreased frequency of adenoidectomy by a 12-week nasal budesonide treatment

Objective There is little evidence on the role of topical budesonide in reducing the frequency of adenoidectomy, although it was reported that topical budesonide can effectively ameliorate the symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy (AH). This study was aimed to investigate the possibility and safety of alternatives to adenoidectomy with a 12-week treatment with nasal budesonide. Materials and methods One hundred patients with AH were randomized to receive either a double-blind budesonide (1 mg once daily) or placebo treatment for 2 weeks by transnasal nebulization. A further 12-week open study, budesonide spray (64 μg per nostril at bedtime) was administered to the treatment group. During the final 12 weeks of follow-up, the frequency of adenotonsillectomy, side effects, the degree of nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, and snoring were assessed. Results Out of the 100 total enrolled patients, 92 children with AH completed the study. After the 2-week treatment with transnasal budesonide nebulization, the symptoms of AH significantly decreased compared to the control group. Responders (n=26) who had initially improved showed significantly decreased symptoms of AH, and the frequency of adenotonsillectomy during the follow-up (14 and 26 weeks) was compared with that of the control group and non-responders (n=21) who did not respond to the initial 2-week budesonide therapy. The 12-week nasal budesonide treatment did not suppress the growth rate of children’s height or cause other side effects. Conclusion AH children who had improved after an initial 2-week budesonide therapy can achieve clinical improvements and decreased frequency of adenoidectomy following the therapy with a 12-week treatment with nasal budesonide.
Operational Water Withdrawal and Consumption Factors for Electricity Generation Technology in China—A Literature Review

As two indispensable resources for human development, energy and water are closely related. China, as the world’s largest consumer of electricity, is also experiencing very serious water shortages. Understanding the water consumption intensity in various types of electric power production technologies according to China’s national conditions is a prerequisite for understanding the potential impact of electrical power production on water resources. Therefore, following the steps of a meta-analysis, this paper provides a literature review on operational water withdrawal and consumption factors for electricity generation technology in China. We observed that 50% of water consumption for electricity generation was for coal power, whereas there was no research on the water consumption intensity of natural gas power generation, and a shortage of studies on water intake during electrical power production. The average water consumption intensity of hydropower is the largest. The results indicate that compared with other fuel types, hydropower is not a sustainable energy with respect to water conservation, and the study of hydropower applications should be improved in China.
Acoustic detection of single and multiple air-gap partial discharges with piezoelectrets transducers

Electrical equipment installed in power transmission and distribution lines are usually subjected to abnormal conditions and intense electric fields, which eventually lead, among others phenomena, to partial discharges (PD). These, have been pointed as one of the main causes of equipment failures and premature aging. Therefore, detect PD became an important issue in the prospect of efficient and reliable electric energy. Concerning PD detection there are several sensors that can be employed e.g. optical, magnetic or acoustic, and each of them presenting particular advantages and limitations. One of the drawback of such sensors are their elevated costs for transmission lines equipments, which has restrict the PD monitoring to power transformers. Although, if the intention is only to detect the PD occurrence a new class of acoustic sensors implemented with piezoelectrets may be a feasible economic alternative. Therefore, in this work we have investigated the acoustic behavior of such transducers exposed to different PD conditions, for instance, the piezoelectret sensor was employed on the detection of PD produced by a single or multiple point-to-point electrode setup with different air gaps driven by high AC voltages. The recorded signals amplitudes were than correlated with the gap distance and voltage amplitude.
Does press freedom cause human development? Examining Bangladesh

The study investigates the casual relationship between press freedom and human development in Bangladesh by using data from the Reporters Without Borders and United Nations Development Programme over the period 2002–2014. The modified causality test “Toda–Yamamoto” has been applied to analyze the data. Though, it is widely believed that press freedom and development go hand in hand, the results suggest that there is no evidence of causal relationship either from freedom of the press and human development in Bangladesh. This implies that in the long-run, press freedom does not cause human development and vice versa. This result is obvious for the country as it is still lag behind in achieving improvements to this two –press freedom and human development. Thus, the causal relationship between the two is not established in Bangladesh. This study suggests for shaping appropriate policies to advance press freedom in the country and thereby human development should be redefined considering improvements in press freedom.
Increase of both circulating Th1 and Th2 T lymphocyte subsets in IgA nephropathy

IgA nephropathy (IgAN), characterized by glomerular deposition of IgA and frequently elevated plasma IgA levels, has increased T helper cell activity. In vitro measurement of cytokines in supernatant of cultured peripheral lymphocytes revealed conflicting findings. We examined the profile of cytokine mRNA expressed in purified CD4+ cells in patients with IgAN in order to study their pattern of Th1 (releases IL‐2 and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ)) and Th2 (releases IL‐4 and IL‐5) T cell response. We assessed the circulating CD4+ T cells in patients and normal controls by the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) for IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5 and IFN‐γ. The cytokine mRNAs were analysed with reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and were measured semiquantitatively by using a housekeeping gene, β‐actin. Compared with the control subjects, CD4+ T lymphocytes from patients with IgAN expressed a higher level of IL‐2 mRNA (p=0.007), IFN‐γ mRNA (P = 0.04), IL‐4 mRNA (p = 0.048), and IL‐5 mRNA (P=0.016). Within these patients with IgAN, a good correlation was demonstrated between the gene expression of cytokines in Th1 or Th2 cells. The IL‐2 mRNA levels in Th1 cells from these patients with IgAN also correlated significantly with the IL‐4 or IL‐5 mRNA levels in their Th2 cells. Our study revealed IgAN is associated with activation in circulating lymphocytes of the IL‐2, IFN‐γ, IL‐4 and IL‐5 gene cluster, a pattern compatible with activation of both the Th1‐ and Th2‐like T lymphocyte population. The increased transcription of these cytokine genes may be contributory to the immunopathologic findings in IgAN.
Influence of growth medium and supplement on growth of Haemophilus influenzae and on antibacterial activity of several antibiotics

In the present study, five non-beta-lactamase- and five beta-lactamase-producing strains of Haemophilus influenzae were used to determine whether three different growth media, Mueller-Hinton broth and agar, brain heart infusion broth and agar, and tryptic soy broth and agar, and their added supplements (0.2% hemin-0.1% IsoVitaleX, 1% hemin-1% IsoVitaleX, 2% sheep blood, 10% Fildes enrichment, 5% Fildes enrichment, 1% supplement B, 5% horse erythrocytes, and 2% hemoglobin-1% IsoVitaleX) would influence the growth rate of this microorganism and the antibacterial activity of eight antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, cefamandole, erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), and cefoperazone. The growth curve studies were carried out with an initial inoculum of 10(4) bacteria per ml, and MICs were determined with an inoculum of 5 X 10(5) microorganisms. Mueller-Hinton broth, brain heart infusion broth, and tryptic soy broth enriched with 5% Fildes resulted in a maximal growth of more than 10(8) CFU/ml at 24 h. When 10% Fildes or 2% sheep blood was added as enrichment to Mueller-Hinton broth, a considerable reduction in the growth rate of H. influenzae strains resulted (P less than 0.01). Significant variations in MICs (P less than 0.01) were observed with chloramphenicol, TMP-SMX, erythromycin, and cefoperazone when brain heart infusion agar, Mueller-Hinton agar, or tryptic soy agar was used. Chloramphenicol, gentamicin, erythromycin, and TMP-SMX were all affected by the different enrichments added to Mueller-Hinton agar. MICs were in general higher with 5% Fildes enrichment and lower with 1% supplement B. Cefoperazone was the only drug which exhibited a lower MIC in 5% Fildes enrichment for ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains.
Gendered Intersections: Negotiating Power, Status, and Identity in Interdisciplinary Science.

xi Chapter 1: Introduction.1 Chapter 2: Literature Review.23 Chapter 3: Explaining Difference in the BIRG: “Different but Equal” or “Outsiders Within”. 62 Chapter 4: Origins of Inequality: How Structural Inequalities and Existing Hierarchies Shape Interdisciplinary Science.104 Chapter 5: Status Matters: How Perceptions of Status Shape Interdisciplinary Science. 148 Chapter 6: Saving Face, Resisting Status, and the Making of a Symbolic Divide. 197 Chapter 7: Conclusion. 235 Appendices . 256 Bibliography . 264