Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study on inhibitory effects of Sığla tree (Liquidambar orientalis Mill. var. orientalis) storax against several bacteria

In this study, Sığla (Liquidambar orientalis Mill.) storax (styrax) was investigated for antibacterial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. brevis, B. cereus, B. megaterium, B. subtilis, Corynebacterium xerosis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica. The storax was dissolved in absolute ethanol and was tested at concentrations of 10.0%, 1.0%, 0.4%, 0.2% and 0.1%. Pure ethanol was used for the control. The antibacterial activity of the Sığla storax was determined by using the agar diffusion method. The growths of A. hydrophila, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. megaterium, E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes and Y. enterocolitica were not inhibited by any of the concentrations of Sığla storax. The results showed that Sığla storax has antibacterial activity against many bacteria at concentrations of 10.0% and against some bacteria at concentrations of 1.0%, 0.4% and 0.2%. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Role for the Phosphorylation of hRad9 in Checkpoint Signaling*

The integrity of the human genome is preserved by signal transduction pathways called checkpoints, which delay progression through the cell cycle when DNA damage is present. Three checkpoint proteins, hRad9, hRad1, and hHus1, form a proliferating cell nuclear antigen-like, heterotrimeric complex that has been proposed to function in the initial detection of DNA structural abnormalities. hRad9 is highly modified by phosphorylation, in a constitutive manner and in response to both DNA damage and cell cycle position. Here we present evidence that Thr292 of hRad9 is subject to Cdc2-dependent phosphorylation in mitosis. Furthermore, our data are also consistent with four other hRad9 phosphorylation sites (Ser277, Ser328, Ser336, and Thr355) being regulated in part by Cdc2. We also identify Ser387 as a novel site of hRad9 constitutive phosphorylation and show that phosphorylation at Ser387 is a prerequisite for one form of DNA damage-induced hyperphosphorylation of hRad9. Characterization of nonphosphorylatable mutants has revealed that hRad9 phosphorylation plays a critical role in checkpoint signaling. Overexpression of these mutants blocks the interaction between hRad9 and the DNA damage-responsive protein TopBP1 and impairs the cellular response to DNA damage during S phase.
Prevalence of Anemia and Its Impact on Mortality and Hospitalization Rate in Predialysis Patients

Background/Aim: Anemia is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in both early and very late stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to assess whether anemia is a risk factor for mortality or hospitalization in CKD stage 4–5 predialysis patients not yet on dialysis. Methods: Incident predialysis patients were included between 1999 and 2001 and followed until January 2008 or death. Anemia was defined as mean hemoglobin (Hb) ≤11 g/dl in the 3 months before the start of predialysis. Associations were assessed by Cox regression, linear and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 472 patients were included (median follow-up time 12 months, 11% died, 79% started dialysis). Mean Hb was 11.2 g/dl (minimum 7.6, maximum 16.9). Forty-eight percent of patients had anemia at the start of predialysis care. The adjusted mortality risk (hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval) for anemic compared to nonanemic patients was 1.92 (1.04, 3.52). Anemia tended to be related to all-cause but not to non-dialysis-related hospitalization risk. Conclusion: At the start of predialysis care, 48% of patients had anemia. Anemia as defined in guideline targets is not associated with an increase in hospitalizations not related to renal replacement therapy, but is likely an important risk factor for mortality in predialysis patients.
Drinking, smoking, and illicit drug use among 15 and 16 year olds in the United Kingdom

Abstract Objective: To examine patterns of self reported drinking, smoking, and illicit drug use among a representative United Kingdom sample of people born in 1979. Design: Cross sectional, single phase survey based on a stratified cluster sample of 70 United Kingdom secondary schools during March and April 1995. Pupils completed a 406 item standardised questionnaire under examination conditions. Setting: United Kingdom state and private secondary schools. Subjects: 7722 pupils aged 15 and 16. Main outcome measures: Reported use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. Results: Almost all the pupils had drunk alcohol, 36% (2772/7689) had smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, and 42.3% (3264/7722) had at some time used illicit drugs, mainly cannabis. 43% (1546/3546) of boys and 38% (1529/4009) of girls had tried cannabis. Higher levels of smoking were associated with poorer school performance (20.4% (783/3840) with average performance v 44.1% (214/486) with below average performance, F = 79.06, P<0.01). Levels of drug use in 15 and 16 year olds in 1995 were higher in Scotland than in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Conclusions: Drug experimentation was high among 15 and 16 year olds, and use of cannabis was particularly high among smokers. Cigarette smoking was more common among girls than boys. Key messages More than 40% had tried illicit drugs at some time, mainly cannabis. This represents a sharp increase over the past five years Just over one third of the sample had smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days and cigarette smoking was higher among girls than boys Higher levels of drug use were associated with poorer school performance Levels of illicit drug use tended to be higher in Scotland than in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland
Lanthanide/ATP interaction in water mediated by luminescent hemispherical-shaped complexes.

Ligand LH(2), composed of two bipyridylcarboxylate fragments linked to an amino butyl chain, reacts with europium and terbium to form luminescent complexes in water at neutral pH. When testing these unsaturated complexes as anion sensors with NO(3)(-), HPO(4)(2)(-), AMP, ADP, and ATP, a marked selectivity is observed for HPO(4)(2)(-) and ATP(4)(-) at pH = 7.0. The interaction of these anions with the complex was investigated by means of absorption and emission spectroscopies. With ATP(4)(-), ES-MS and (31)P NMR experiments revealed the formation of a [Ln.L. (ATP)](3)(-) ternary species.
Application of the wave propagation approach to sandwich structures : Vibro-acoustic properties of aluminum honeycomb materials

Sandwich structures are manufactured using multiple combinations of materials for core and laminates. The real performances are influenced by variability in the composing layers and even by the uncertainties introduced while bonding them together. Therefore, experimental tests are usually the preferred way to assess the most important parameters required to develop and to characterize the product, the main downsides lying in their cost and time consumption. This work explores a practical application of the wave propagation approach by means of a case study, in which some significant properties of an aluminum honeycomb panel are obtained starting from simple vibro-acoustic tests carried out on beam specimens. After determining the frequency-dependent bending stiffness function, the sound transmission loss is predicted and compared with the experimental results obtained in sound transmission suites. The same vibro-acoustic tests are used to estimate the core shear modulus. Finally, a parametric study is proposed to show how this technique can be effectively used in the early design stage, when producing physical samples is often impossible due to time and money constraints. The method proved to be a reliable and powerful tool in all the tested applications, providing good results with limited computational effort.
Sobreajustamento no mercado de capitais português

As materias relacionadas com a eficiencia do mercado de capitais portugues estao ainda numa fase embrionaria. Neste trabalho e nosso proposito investigar a existencia de sobreajustamento no mercado de capitais portugues para o periodo entre 1989 e 1994. Questionar a existencia de sobreajustamento mais nao e do que investigar a versao fraca da hipotese de eficiencia dos mercados. Os resultados nao confirmaram a hipotese de sobreajustamento seguindo a metodologia aritmetica no calculo da rendibilidade, pois verificou-se empiricamente para o periodo de analise que a rendibilidade da carteira ganhadora e maior do que a rendibilidade da carteira perdedora. No entanto, seguindo a metodologia geometrica, parecem existir indicios de reversao de rendibilidade, isto e, a carteira perdedora obtem maior rendibilidade do que a carteira ganhadora.
Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in lumbar spine infection: a retrospective study

Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes for patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lumbar spine infection. Patients and methods This retrospective study included 16 patients (10 men and six women); their mean age was 55.0±8.61 years, presented with lumbar infection treated surgically through posterior approach after failure of conservative treatment. Registration Number:- Ortho-surg. _4Med. Research_PED. Def. _0000004. All patients underwent clinical assessment, laboratory investigations included erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the first hour, white blood cell and C-reactive protein and radiological evaluation included conventional radiographs, computed tomographic scan, and MRI. Pain and disability scores were collected preoperatively and postoperatively including back and bilateral leg pain visual analog scale (VAS) scores. In 10 patients, the lesion was located in a single level, whereas in six patients two levels were affected. The surgical maneuver included posterior instrumentation, disc space debridement, and grafting. The mean follow-up period was 31.50±4.23 months. All patients agreed to be included in this study. Results There were no instances of intraoperative complications or delayed complications requiring subsequent interventions. Patients demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the back and leg pain VAS. The average intraoperative time consumed for the whole surgery was 156 min; the average blood loss for this procedure was 812 ml. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 4.6 days. All patients showed improved VAS. Fifteen patients out of 16 have solid fusion with a fusion rate of 93.75±2.5%. The average postoperative kyphosis decreased from 15 to 8. Conclusion This study demonstrated that single-stage debridement and instrumentation using the posterior approach (posterior lumbar interbody fusion) appears to be a safe approach in treating lumbar spine infections with no infection recurrence. Pain, neurological deficits, and spinal deformity are likely to improve after surgery.
Twenty-Four-Hour Light Exposure and Melatonin Levels Among Shift Workers

Objectives: We sought to measure melatonin levels and 24-hour light intensity exposure in health care workers over a 7-day period in natural occupational and residential settings. Methods: Five office workers and 17 nurses working either days or rotating night and day shifts wore a device to record light intensity exposure for one or two 7-day periods, completed a questionnaire, and provided three saliva samples for melatonin. Results: Rotating shift workers had irregular light exposure patterns and abnormal melatonin levels compared with those working days. In addition to lower-than-normal melatonin levels during sleep periods, rotating shift workers exhibited higher-than-normal melatonin levels on arising and during work. Self-reported years of shift work were correlated with measured melatonin and light. Conclusions: Rotating shift work is supported as a surrogate for exposure to light-at-night and circadian disruption.
Time-Based Competition with Benchmark Effects

We consider a duopoly where firms compete on waiting times in the presence of an industry benchmark. The demand captured by a firm depends on the gap between the firm's offer and the benchmark. We refer to the benchmark effect as the impact of this gap on demand. The formation of the benchmark is endogenous and depends on both firms' choices. When the benchmark is equal to the shorter of the two offered delays, we characterize the unique Pareto optimal Nash equilibrium. Our analysis reveals a stickiness effect in which firms equate their delays at the equilibrium when the benchmark effect is sufficiently strong. When the benchmark corresponds to a weighted average of the two offered delays, we show the existence of a pure Nash equilibrium. In this case, we reveal a reversal effect , in which the market leader, i.e., the firm that offers a shorter delay, becomes the follower when the benchmark effect is sufficiently strong. In both cases, we show that customers' equilibrium waiting times are shorter with the benchmark effect than without it. Our models also capture customers' loss aversion, which, in our setting, states that demand is more sensitive to the gap between the delay and the benchmark when the delay is longer than the benchmark (loss) than when it is shorter (gain). We characterize the impact of this loss aversion on the equilibrium in both settings. Finally, we show numerically that the stickiness and reversal effects still exist when firms also compete on price.
Verbal Labels Modulate Perceptual Object Processing in 1-Year-Old Children

Abstract Whether verbal labels help infants visually process and categorize objects is a contentious issue. Using electroencephalography, we investigated whether possessing familiar or novel labels for objects directly enhances 1-year-old children's neural processes underlying the perception of those objects. We found enhanced gamma-band (20–60 Hz) oscillatory activity over the visual cortex in response to seeing objects with labels familiar to the infant (Experiment 1) and those with novel labels just taught to the infant (Experiment 2). No such effect was observed for objects that infants were familiar with but had no label for. These results demonstrate that learning verbal labels modulates how the visual system processes the images of the associated objects and suggest a possible top–down influence of semantic knowledge on object perception.
On the basis of belief in causal and diagnostic conditionals

According to the suppositional theory of conditionals, people assess their belief in a conditional statement of the form “if p then q” by conducting a mental simulation on the supposition of p in which they assess their degree of belief in q. This leads to them to the judge the probability of a conditional statement to be equal to the conditional probability, P(q|p). Evidence for this conditional probability hypothesis has been adduced in earlier studies for abstract, causal, and counterfactual conditionals. For the realistic conditionals, it is natural to assume that people perform such mental simulations by building causal mental models from prior causes to later effects. However, in the present study we show that the conditional probability hypothesis extends to diagnostic conditionals, which relate effects to causes. This new finding presents a major challenge for theoretical accounts of the mental processing of conditional statements.
Dosimetry of two extraoral direct digital imaging devices: NewTom cone beam CT and Orthophos Plus DS panoramic unit.

OBJECTIVES This study provides effective dose measurements for two extraoral direct digital imaging devices, the NewTom 9000 cone beam CT (CBCT) unit and the Orthophos Plus DS panoramic unit. METHODS Thermoluminescent dosemeters were placed at 20 sites throughout the layers of the head and neck of a tissue-equivalent RANDO phantom. Variations in phantom orientation and beam collimation were used to create three different CBCT examination techniques: a combined maxillary and mandibular scan (Max/Man), a maxillary scan and a mandibular scan. Ten exposures for each technique were used to ensure a reliable measure of radiation from the dosemeters. Average tissue-absorbed dose, weighted equivalent dose and effective dose were calculated for each major anatomical site. Effective doses of individual organs were summed with salivary gland exposures (E(SAL)) and without salivary gland exposures (E(ICRP60)) to calculate two measures of whole-body effective dose. RESULTS The effective doses for CBCT were: Max/Man scan, E(ICRP60)=36.3 micro Sv, E(SAL)=77.9 micro Sv; maxillary scan, E(ICRP60)=19.9 micro Sv, E(SAL)=41.5 micro Sv; and mandibular scan, E(ICRP60)=34.7 micro Sv, E(SAL)=74.7 micro Sv. Effective doses for the panoramic examination were E(ICRP60)=6.2 micro Sv and E(SAL)=22.0 micro Sv. CONCLUSION When viewed in the context of potential diagnostic yield, the E(ICRP60) of 36.3 micro Sv for the NewTom compares favourably with published effective doses for conventional CT (314 micro Sv) and film tomography (2-9 micro Sv per image). CBCT examinations resulted in doses that were 3-7 (E(ICRP60)) and 2-4 (E(SAL)) times the panoramic doses observed in this study.
Prevention of diarrhoea in young children in developing countries.

An updated review of nonvaccine interventions for the prevention of childhood diarrhoea in developing countries is presented. The importance of various key preventive strategies (breast-feeding, water supply and sanitation improvements) is confirmed and certain aspects of others (promotion of personal and domestic hygiene, weaning education/food hygiene) are refined. Evidence is also presented to suggest that, subject to cost-effectiveness examination, two other strategies-vitamin A supplementation and the prevention of low birth weight-should be promoted to the first category of interventions, as classified by Feachem, i.e. those which are considered to have high effectiveness and strong feasibility.
Rendaku (Japanese sequential voicing) as rule application: an ERP study

Japanese sequential voicing (rendaku) is a process of voicing the initial obstruent of the second member of a compound word in Japanese (e.g. hon ‘book’+tana ‘shelf’→hon-dana). We conducted an event-related potential measurement experiment to investigate whether rendaku is a regular process of rule application or an analogical process based on lexical memory. When rendaku was applied wrongly to words lexically specified to resist rendaku, a left anterior negativity component, followed by a P600 was observed, whereas applying rendaku against a phonological constraint known as Lyman’s law elicited a P600 component alone. Failure of rendaku application where it should apply yielded an N400. These results suggest that rendaku is a process involving rule application.
Are electrocardiogram electrodes acceptable for electroencephalogram bispectral index monitoring?

Background: The monitoring of electroencephalogram bispectral index (EEG‐BIS) during anaesthesia reduces anaesthetic use and improves recovery. However, it also increases the direct costs of anaesthesia due to the need for special EEG electrodes. In the present study we tested the feasibility of less expensive electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes for EEG‐BIS monitoring.
Body size and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Previous studies suggest that obesity is related to increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, only a few studies report on measures of central vs. peripheral adiposity. We examined the association between anthropometric measures, including waist and hip circumference and RCC risk among 348,550 men and women free of cancer at baseline from 8 countries of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During 6.0 years of follow‐up we identified 287 incident cases of RCC. Relative risks were calculated using Cox regression, stratified by age and study center and adjusted for smoking status, education, alcohol consumption, physical activity, menopausal status, and hormone replacement therapy use. Among women, an increased risk of RCC was conferred by body weight (relative risk [RR] in highest vs. lowest quintile = 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16–3.90; p‐trend = 0.003), body mass index (BMI) (RR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.14–4.44; p‐trend = 0.009), and waist (RR = 1.67; 95% CI = 0.94–2.98; p‐trend = 0.003) and hip circumference (RR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.22–4.34; p‐trend = 0.01); however, waist and hip circumference were no longer significant after controlling for body weight. Among men, hip circumference (RR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.20–0.98; p‐trend = 0.03) was related significantly to decreased RCC risk only after accounting for body weight. Height was not related significantly to RCC risk. Our findings suggest that obesity is related to increased risk of RCC irrespective of fat distribution among women, whereas low hip circumference is related to increased RCC risk among men. Our data give further credence to public health efforts aiming to reduce the prevalence of obesity to prevent RCC, in addition to other chronic diseases. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions Absorbed Zinc and Exchangeable Zinc Pool Size Are Greater in Pakistani Infants Receiving Traditional Complementary Foods with Zinc-Fortified Micronutrient Powder 1 , 2

Adequacy of zinc intake from breast milk alone becomesmarginal in relation to infant requirements by around 6 mo of age. Simple and cost-effective strategies are needed at the population level to ensure adequate intakes of zinc in infants and toddlers in populations at risk of zinc deficiency. We determined the amount of absorbed zinc (AZ) from a micronutrient powder (MNP) without and with 10 mg of zinc (MNP+Zn) added to local complementary foods used in Pakistan and the impact on the exchangeable zinc pool (EZP) size. As a nested study within a large, prospective, cluster randomized trial, 6-mo-old infants were randomly assigned to receive MNP or MNP+Zn. Stable isotope methodology was applied after;3 and 9 mo of use to measure AZ fromMNP-fortified test meals of rice-lentils (khitchri) and EZP. Nineteen infants per group completed the first metabolic studies and 14 and 17 infants in the MNP andMNP+Zn groups, respectively, completed the follow-up studies. AZs were (mean6 SD) 0.16 0.1 and 1.26 0.5 mg at the first point for the MNP and MNP+Zn groups, respectively (P < 0.001); results were nearly identical at the follow-up measurement. EZP did not differ between groups at the first measurement but was less in the MNP group (3.7 6 0.6 mg/kg) than in the MNP+Zn group (4.5 6 1.0 mg/kg) at the second measurement (P = 0.01). These data confirm that the MNP+Zn in khitchri were well absorbed and after 1 y of home fortification, zinc status assessed by EZP was significantly better for the MNP+Zn group. Additional field studies may be necessary to ascertain the adequacy of this dose for infants at high risk of deficiency. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT00705445. J. Nutr. 144: 20–26, 2014.