Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of oxidized alginate-gelatin-BCP hydrogels and evaluation of the microstructure, material properties and biocompatibility for bone tissue regeneration

Composite hydrogel systems consisting of oxidized alginate, gelatin, and biphasic calcium phosphate were fabricated by the Schiff-base reaction and the effect of oxidation of alginate on the microstructure, material properties, and biocompatibility were evaluated. Alginate was modified by oxidizing the attached −OH groups to a −CHO group to facilitate interactions with the −NH2 groups of gelatin. The increased interactions between the functional groups had several effects on the materials properties, physical behaviors, and bio-compatibility. A higher degree of oxidation and thereby a higher extent of crosslinking between the −CHO and −NH2 groups resulted in an increase in water uptake and compressive strength, which was associated with a decrease in porosity, gelation time, bio-degradation rate, and to a smaller degree, biocompatibility. The hydrogel structure was highly porous and showed unique channel zed morphology with an extensive branching of the channels. The channels were not continuous and were divided into multiple segments by thin separators that were 5 µm thick and branched off of the 10–25 µm thick frame. The pores in the hydrogel system were interconnected and the porosity ranged from 44.45 to 67.89% with a pore size ranging from 100 to 300 µm. The compressive stress failure of the wet hydrogel was at 12.0 ± 1.2 MPa when the degree of alginate oxidation was 66.6%. The biocompatibility of the hydrogel system was excellent, although it was slightly lowered by oxidation. These hydrogels are promising biomaterials for bone regeneration with adjustable gelation and bio-degradation time, good mechanical strength, and excellent bio-compatibility.
Unbounded program memory adds to the expressive power of first-order dynamic logic

The aim of this paper is to-compare various logics of programs with respect to their expressibility. The main result of the paper states that no logic of bounded memory programs is capable of defining the algebra of standard binary trees T = (T, CONS, NIL). Since the usual logics of unbounded memory programs are able to define the above algebra - we derive from the main result a couple of results which solve some questions about comparing expressive powers of programming logics.
Ligation of the ovarian pedicles in dogs with a resorbable self-locking device – a long-term follow-up study

A prospective clinical trial was performed to evaluate applicability, hemostatic efficiency, and long-term tissue reactions of a novel medical device. The device was made of polydioxanone and designed in principle as a cable-tie with a flexible band running through a locking case. It was tested for ligation of the ovarian pedicles during ovariohysterectomy in nine intact female dogs. The dogs were followed-up monthly by physical examination and ultrasonography of the abdomen for 5–12 months after surgery. Macroscopic and histological post mortem examinations were performed in two dogs 7 and 18 months after surgery. Hemostasis was achieved with the devices although 1 of the 18 devices needed further tightening during a reoperation. Ultrasonography revealed a hyperechoic device that caused acoustic shadowing, which decreased over time indicating gradual resorption. Post mortem examinations demonstrated adhesions and a local transient tissue reaction at site of the device. The results show that the device may be a future alternative for ligation of ovarian pedicles in dogs.
Substitution, Spending Offsets, and Prescription Drug Benefit Design

Many U.S. employers have recently adopted less generous prescription drug benefits. In addition, in 2006 the U.S. began to offer prescription drug insurance to approximately 42 million Medicare beneficiaries. We used data on individual health insurance claims and benefit data from 1997 to 2003 to study how changes in consumers co-payments for prescription drugs affect use of and expenditure on prescription drugs, inpatient care, and outpatient care. We analyzed the effects both in the year of the co-payment change and in the year following the change. Our results show that increases in prescription drug prices reduce both use of and spending on prescription drugs. They also show that consumers substitute the use of outpatient care for prescription drug use and that about 35% of the expenditure reductions on prescription drugs are offset by increases in other spending.
Checklists, global health and surgery: a five-year checkup of the WHO Surgical Safety checklist programme

The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist has become a high-profile symbol for patient safety efforts in surgery. Since the landmark study by Haynes et al. 1 documenting its success at reducing peri-operative morbidity and mortality in a diversity of settings, others have gone on to show positive effects of the checklist on teamwork, communication, and patient outcomes. The widespread dissemination of the checklist has now allowed for a more global analysis of its role in surgery, and has highlighted two key points: first, the success of the checklist relies on effective and appropriate implementation; and second, the checklist needs to be introduced as part of a broader patient safety movement. Beyond universal challenges with implementation, some questions have been asked about its applicability to low- and middle-income countries. WHO acknowledges that checklist implementation in such settings needs to be well considered; limited availability of resources and less structure around patient safety provides a different context for effective use. Further research needs to be undertaken to better understand what if any modifications need to be made. WHO also hope to better coordinate patient safety efforts with the global surgery movement to maximize the effect of the checklist and improve surgical safety in low- and middle-income countries.
Neural correlates of strategic reasoning during competitive games

Although human and animal behaviors are largely shaped by reinforcement and punishment, choices in social settings are also influenced by information about the knowledge and experience of other decision-makers. During competitive games, monkeys increased their payoffs by systematically deviating from a simple heuristic learning algorithm and thereby countering the predictable exploitation by their computer opponent. Neurons in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) signaled the animal’s recent choice and reward history that reflected the computer’s exploitative strategy. The strength of switching signals in the dmPFC also correlated with the animal’s tendency to deviate from the heuristic learning algorithm. Therefore, the dmPFC might provide control signals for overriding simple heuristic learning algorithms based on the inferred strategies of the opponent. Neuronal responses in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex predict choices and switches in gaming strategies in monkeys. Smart monkeys can outwit a computer What happens in the brain when we are learning to compete against an opponent? Seo et al. observed monkeys competing against a computer that can adapt to the monkey's behavior. The monkeys switched their learning strategies when they worked out that their opponent was reacting to their behavior. The responses of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex cells in the monkey brains predicted their choices and switches in strategies. Science, this issue p. 340
Bioactive bredigite coating with improved bonding strength, rapid apatite mineralization and excellent cytocompatibility

Previous studies have shown that bredigite (Ca7MgSi4O16) bioceramics possessed excellent biocompatibility, apatite-mineralization ability and mechanical properties. In this paper, the bredigite coating on Ti-6Al-4 V substrate was prepared by plasma spraying technique. The main compositions of the coating were bredigite crystal phase with small parts of amorphous phases. The bonding strength of the coating to Ti-6Al-4 V substrate reached 49.8 MPa, which was significantly higher than that of hydroxyapatite coating and other silicate-based bioceramic coatings prepared by same method. After immersed in simulated body fluid for 2 days, a distinct apatite layer was deposited on the surface of bredigite coating, indicating that the prepared bredigite coating has excellent apatite-mineralization ability. The prepared bredigite coating supported the attachment and proliferation of rabbit bone marrow stem cells. The proliferation level of bone marrow stem cells was significantly higher than that on the hydroxyapatite coating. Our further study showed that the released SiO44– and Mg2+ ions from bredigite coating as well as the formed nano-apatite layer on the coating surface might mainly contribute to the improvement of cell proliferation. The results indicated that the bredigite coating may be applied on orthopedic implants due to its excellent bonding strength, apatite mineralization and cytocompatibility.
Evaluation of bone repair of critical size defects treated with simvastatin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres in rat calvaria

Purpose Statins are hypolipemiant drugs with osteoinductive effect. We evaluated the potential of simvastatin loaded into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres to heal critical size defects in rat calvaria. Methods PLGA scaffolds (50:50 ratio) were synthesized as pure membranes or as microspheres loaded with 2.5% simvastatin. Critical size defects (5-mm diameter) were created in the parietal bone of 3-month-old male Wistar rats; they were either left filled with blood clot (C group), covered with a PLGA membrane (M group) or with PLGA microspheres loaded with simvastatin (MSI group) or not (MM group), and then covered with the PLGA membrane. The defects were evaluated after 30 or 60 days by light and electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry for osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteoadherin (OSAD), and immunocytochemistry for OPN. Results Scanning electron microscopy showed that the calvarial defects treated with MSI were almost completely healed after 60 days, while groups M and C presented less bone formation, whereas the bone matrix formed into the defects of MSI group was more organized and mature. The immunolabeling for OPN and BSP on the matrix in groups C and M showed typical areas of primary bone unlike the MSI that presented weak labeling at the formed area. In the MSI group, there was an intense immunostaining for OSAD in osteoid, as well as in osteocyte cytoplasm. The immunocytochemistry showed intense labeling for OPN with homogeneous distribution in the interfibrillar spaces in all groups after 30 days and after 60 days; however, while C and M groups exhibited similar aspect, the MSI specimens showed weak labeling. The ultrastructural evaluation showed the interaction between the biomaterial and the surrounding tissue where some cells established intimate contact with microspheres. Conclusions The repair of critical size bone defects was accelerated and enhanced by the implantation of simvastatin-loaded PLGA microspheres.
On selecting a satisfying truth assignment

The complexity of certain natural generalizations of satisfiability, in which one of the possibly exponentially many satisfying truth assignments must be selected, is studied. Two natural selection criteria, default preference and minimality (circumscription), are considered. The thrust of the complexity results seems to be that hard problems become harder, while easy problems remain easy. This consideration yields as a byproduct a new and very natural polynomial-time randomized algorithm for 2SAT. <<ETX>>
The burden of abdominal obesity with physical inactivity on health expenditure in Brazil

The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between the clustering of physical inactivity with abdominal obesity and public health care expenditure in Brazilian adults. The sample was composed of 963 patients of both genders, randomly selected in the Brazilian Public Health care System during 2010. Entire health care expenditures during the last year were computed and stratified into: medical consultations, medication dispensing, laboratory tests and overall expenditure. Waist circumference was used to diagnose abdominal obesity and physical activity was assessed by previously validated questionnaire. Sedentary and abdominally obese patients (OR= 3.01 (OR 95%CI = 1.81-4.99)) had higher likelihood be inserted in the group of higher expenditures than only abdominally obese patients (OR= 1.66 (OR 95%CI = 1.07-2.59)). There is a synergic effect between abdominal obesity and physical inactivity on overall health care expenditures. Resumo—"O peso da obesidade abdominal e inatividade fisica em despesas de saude no Brasil. " O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a associacao entre a agregacao de inatividade fisica com a obesidade abdominal e despesas de saude publica em adultos brasileiros. A amostra foi composta de 963 pacientes de ambos os sexos, selecionados aleatoriamente no Sistema Unico de Saude em 2010. Gastos com saude durante o ultimo ano foram computados e estratificados em: consultas medicas, distribuicao de medicamentos, exames laboratoriais e gasto total. A circunferencia da cintura foi usada para diagnosticar a obesidade abdominal e atividade fisica foi avaliada atraves de um questionario previamente validado. Pacientes sedentarios e com obesidade abdominal (OR = 3.01 (IC95% = 1.81-4.99)) apresentaram maior probabilidade de ser inserido no grupo de despesas mais elevadas do que apenas os pacientes com obesidade abdominal (OR= 1.66 (IC95%= 1.07-2.59)). Existe um efeito sinergico entre a obesidade abdominal e sedentarismo em despesas totais de saude.
Observation of Fermi arc surface states in a topological metal

Nailing down the topology of a semimetal Topological insulators are exotic materials that have a conducting surface state that can withstand certain types of material imperfection. Theoreticians have predicted a different kind of surface state in related three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetals, which do not have an energy gap in the band structure of the bulk. Xu et al. used photoemission spectroscopy to map out the band structure of the material Na3Bi and detected the predicted surface state. Their results may lead to further insights into the physics of topological matter. Science, this issue p. 294 Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to map out the band structure of Na3Bi and detect its exotic surface state. The topology of the electronic structure of a crystal is manifested in its surface states. Recently, a distinct topological state has been proposed in metals or semimetals whose spin-orbit band structure features three-dimensional Dirac quasiparticles. We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to experimentally observe a pair of spin-polarized Fermi arc surface states on the surface of the Dirac semimetal Na3Bi at its native chemical potential. Our systematic results collectively identify a topological phase in a gapless material. The observed Fermi arc surface states open research frontiers in fundamental physics and possibly in spintronics.
Momentum sharing in imbalanced Fermi systems

Scattering electrons off nuclear targets Atomic nuclei consist of fermions—protons and neutrons—bound together by interactions. Because two identical fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state, both protons and neutrons have a broad range of momenta inside the nucleus. Hen et al. scattered electrons off nuclei of varying sizes to study the distribution of the protons' and neutrons' momenta. Protons formed high-momentum pairs with neutrons much more frequently than with other protons. Thus, surprisingly, the average momentum of a neutron was lower than that of a proton, even in nuclei with a larger number of neutrons than protons. Science, this issue p. 614 Electron scattering off various nuclear targets is used to deduce the momentum distributions of nucleons. The atomic nucleus is composed of two different kinds of fermions: protons and neutrons. If the protons and neutrons did not interact, the Pauli exclusion principle would force the majority of fermions (usually neutrons) to have a higher average momentum. Our high-energy electron-scattering measurements using 12C, 27Al, 56Fe, and 208Pb targets show that even in heavy, neutron-rich nuclei, short-range interactions between the fermions form correlated high-momentum neutron-proton pairs. Thus, in neutron-rich nuclei, protons have a greater probability than neutrons to have momentum greater than the Fermi momentum. This finding has implications ranging from nuclear few-body systems to neutron stars and may also be observable experimentally in two-spin–state, ultracold atomic gas systems.
Three-dimensional plotted hydroxyapatite scaffolds with predefined architecture: comparison of stabilization by alginate cross-linking versus sintering

Scaffolds for bone tissue engineering are essentially characterized by porous three-dimensional structures with interconnected pores to facilitate the exchange of nutrients and removal of waste products from cells, thereby promoting cell proliferation in such engineered scaffolds. Although hydroxyapatite is widely being considered for bone tissue engineering applications due to its occurrence in the natural extracellular matrix of this tissue, limited reports are available on additive manufacturing of hydroxyapatite-based materials. In this perspective, hydroxyapatite-based three-dimensional porous scaffolds with two different binders (maltodextrin and sodium alginate) were fabricated using the extrusion method of three-dimensional plotting and the results were compared in reference to the structural properties of scaffolds processed via chemical stabilization and sintering routes, respectively. With the optimal processing conditions regarding to pH and viscosity of binder-loaded hydroxyapatite pastes, scaffolds with parallelepiped porous architecture having up to 74% porosity were fabricated. Interestingly, sintering of the as-plotted hydroxyapatite–sodium alginate (cross-linked with CaCl2 solution) scaffolds led to the formation of chlorapatite (Ca9.54P5.98O23.8Cl1.60(OH)2.74). Both the sintered scaffolds displayed progressive deformation and delayed fracture under compressive loading, with hydroxyapatite–alginate scaffolds exhibiting a higher compressive strength (9.5 ± 0.5 MPa) than hydroxyapatite–maltodextrin scaffolds (7.0 ± 0.6 MPa). The difference in properties is explained in terms of the phase assemblage and microstructure.
Enteric bacteria promote human and mouse norovirus infection of B cells

Bacteria help norovius infect B cells Stomach ache, nausea, diarrhea—many people know the sort of gastrointestinal havoc norovirus can wreak. Despite this, norovirus biology remains unclear, because human norovirus cannot be grown in culture. Jones et al. now report that with the help of bacteria, human norovirus can infect cultured B cells (see the Perspective by Robinson and Pfeiffer). To infect B cells, human norovirus required the presence of gut bacteria that expressed proteins involved in determining blood type. Mouse norovirus also infected B cells, and the treatment of mice with antibiotics protected them from norovirus infection. Science, this issue p. 755; see also p. 700 Gut bacteria that express histo-blood group antigens help human norovirus to infect B cells. [Also see Perspective by Robinson and Pfeiffer] The cell tropism of human noroviruses and the development of an in vitro infection model remain elusive. Although susceptibility to individual human norovirus strains correlates with an individual’s histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) profile, the biological basis of this restriction is unknown. We demonstrate that human and mouse noroviruses infected B cells in vitro and likely in vivo. Human norovirus infection of B cells required the presence of HBGA-expressing enteric bacteria. Furthermore, mouse norovirus replication was reduced in vivo when the intestinal microbiota was depleted by means of oral antibiotic administration. Thus, we have identified B cells as a cellular target of noroviruses and enteric bacteria as a stimulatory factor for norovirus infection, leading to the development of an in vitro infection model for human noroviruses.
Formation mechanism and biological activity of novel thiolated human-like collagen iron complex

To develop an iron supplement that is effectively absorbed and utilized, thiolated human-like collagen was created to improve the iron binding capacity of human-like collagen. A thiolated human-like collagen-iron complex was prepared in a phosphate buffer, and one mole of thiolated human-like collagen-iron possessed approximately 28.83 moles of iron. The characteristics of thiolated human-like collagen-iron were investigated by ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the thiolated human-like collagen-iron complex retained the secondary structure of human-like collagen and had greater thermodynamic stability than human-like collagen, although interactions between iron ions and human-like collagen occurred during the formation of the complex. In addition, to evaluate the bioavailability of thiolated human-like collagen-iron, an in vitro Caco-2 cell model and an in vivo iron deficiency anemia mouse model were employed. The data demonstrated that the thiolated human-like collagen-iron complex exhibited greater bioavailability and was more easily utilized than FeSO4, ferric ammonium citrate, or ferrous glycinate. These results indicated that the thiolated human-like collagen-iron complex is a potential iron supplement in the biomedical field.
Clinical Governing Non-Medical Prescribing in an NHS Trust: Issues for Consideration in Mental Health and Learning Disability

The Department of Health (2006a) assert that Non-Medical Prescribing (NMP) has provided patients with faster access to medicines, improved access to health services and made better use of health professionals’ skills since it’s inception over a decade ago. NMP operates from statute, and is required be underpinned by a robust clinical governance framework. This article provides the reader with a summary of the NMP policy and legal context to date, attempting throughout to apply the discussion to the field of mental health and learning disability. It then proceeds to demonstrate the means by which NMP was clinically governed in an acute NHS trust. The aspects of clinical governance to be particularly focused upon comprise the auditing of NMP, implementing independent prescribing, regulating NMP for children and young people as well as producing patient/service user information. To date mental health and learning disability organisations have mostly implemented supplementary prescribing only, and have been slow to implement independent prescribing compared to general or primary care settings (Bradley et al 2008). However given that independent prescribing is now nationally implemented (Department of Health 2006b), it is hoped that the sharing of practice innovations and lessons learned in one acute NHS trust with colleagues in mental health and learning disability, will be timely. The article then concludes by indicating how monitoring and evaluation of the clinical governance established thus far is the necessary next step, as well as signposting some further governance challenges for NMP.