Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lesbian women and knowledge about human papillomavirus.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore the association between lesbians' knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) cancer risk with age, education, and openness with a woman's healthcare provider; and to explore the relationship between lesbians' knowledge of female-to-female HPV transmission with age, education, and openness with one's physician. DESIGN A descriptive correlational survey. SETTING Surveys were distributed at lesbian and gay community events such as Bingo A-Go-Go; Rainbow Support Group meetings; Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Student Union of the University of Delaware meetings; and the Second Annual Women's Conference of the Women's Project of CAMP (Create a More Positive) Rehoboth. SAMPLE 96 women who self-identified as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender and lived in the state of Delaware. METHODS A 35-question survey, modified from an existing survey from the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Health Interview Survey. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Knowledge of HPV transmission, age, education, openness about sexual preference with physician, sexual preference, and knowledge of the relationship between HPV and development of cancer. FINDINGS Twenty-nine women (30%) either did not know or did not believe that HPV could be spread by female-to-female sexual contact. Similarly, 29 (30%) of the women did not identify HPV as a cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS Lack of HPV knowledge was prevalent in this population of women. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Cultural awareness by nurses is essential when discussing cancer prevention and early detection for this vulnerable population. Every woman, regardless of sexual orientation, needs to be informed about routine health screenings, vaccinations, and relative risk for the development of diseases. Culturally competent interventions are essential and are a priority for health professionals who screen and educate women about their healthcare needs.
Nuclear DNA Content of Altered Hepatic Foci in a Rat Liver Carcinogenesis Model 1

In individual altered hepatic foci (AHF), aneuploidy occurs before malignant changes can be diagnosed histologically (O. Sudilovsky and T. K. Hei. Fed. Proc., 42: 2225, 1983). In the current experiments SpragueDawley rats of both sexes were given i.p. injections of diethylnitrosamine (50 mg/kg body weight) 18 h after partial hepatectomy and were given a choline-sufficient diet (CS) for 1 wk. Four treatment groups were then formed and fed CS, CS containing 0.05% phÃ©nobarbital(PUB), cholinedeficient diet (CD), and CD with 0.05% PHB. An extra female group received infusions of saline after the hepatectomy and fared CD. Control animals were partially hepatectomized, inoculated i.p. with saline, and placed on CS. The rats were sacrificed 16 wk later, liver sections were stained with a combined F'eulgen-7-glutamyl transpeptidase stain, and the DNA content of â€¢y-glutamyltranspeptidase-positive foci was meas ured cytospectrophotometrically. There were no AHF in the control animals. Hepatocytes from control livers and cells adjacent to foci in treated livers had peaks corresponding to the 2C, 4C, and 8C range. In AHF the ploidy, however, was predominantly diploid, tetraploid, or heterogeneous. The ratio of diploid to tetraploid cells in foci of rats provided with CS+PHB was 5.5 and in those supplied with CD+PHB was 0.09. This suggested that dietary manipulations change the nuclear DNA distribution of AllÃ-. Aneuploidy was also present, as expected, in 4 of 33 AHF in the animals placed on CD-f PHB. It was observed as well in 2 of 26 AHF of rats given CD but in none of the 20 AHF fed CS+PHB. These data indicate that CD (which acts as both initiator and promoter) may be responsible for the appearance of aneuploidy. A general model, based on these results and the clonality of each individual focus, is proposed for the development of cells through the preneoplastic stage.
Fine-tunable plasma nano-machining for fabrication of 3D hollow nanostructures: SERS application

Novel processing sequences for the fabrication of artificial nanostructures are in high demand for various applications. In this paper, we report on a fine-tunable nano-machining technique for the fabrication of 3D hollow nanostructures. This technique originates from redeposition effects occurring during Ar dry etching of nano-patterns. Different geometries of honeycomb, double ring, nanotube, cone and crescent arrays have been successfully fabricated from various metals such as Au, Ag, Pt and Ti. The geometrical parameters of the 3D hollow nanostructures can be straightforwardly controlled by tuning the discharge plasma pressure and power. The structure and morphology of nanostructures are probed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Finally, a Ag nanotube array was assayed for application in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), resulting in an enhancement factor (EF) of 5.5 × 105, as an experimental validity proof consistent with the presented simulation framework. Furthermore, it was found that the theoretical EF value for the honeycomb array is in the order of 107, a hundred times greater than that found in nanotube array.
Estimating the elastic modulus of non‐atherosclerotic elastic arteries

Background Non-invasive measurements of the diameter and wall thickness of arteries in vivo combined with recordings of pressure, permit the assessment of some mechanical aspects of arteries in vivo. However, arteries are anisotropic cylinders with complex elastic properties which can only be determined by a detailed evaluation. Many of the parameters required to calculate the anisotropic circumferential elastic modulus cannot be obtained in patients in vivo, or can be obtained only with difficulty. Aims Experiments were performed to assess the true anisotropic circumferential elastic modulus, and to find simpler methods of estimation. Methods One hundred and twenty dog carotid arteries were mounted in vitro and were extended to four lengths, 120, 130, 160 and 180% of the retracted length. The different lengths were applied in random order. The vessels were pressurized in steps while the longitudinal force and vessel diameter were measured. When a reproducible mechanical behavior was observed, the pressure, diameter and longitudinal force were recorded. These values were used to calculate the longitudinal elastic modulus, the circumferential-longitudinal Poisson's ratio and the true anisotropic circumferential elastic modulus with respect to the dimensions of the fully unloaded vessel. A number of simpler expressions were then evaluated for their value as approximations of the true anisotropic modulus. Results Excellent estimates were obtained with a variety of expressions. Conclusions These methods may be useful for non-invasive assessments of the elastic properties of non-atherosclerotic arteries in patients.
Coupled mode analysis of forward and backward coupling in multiconductor transmission lines

The nonorthogonal coupled mode theory is extended to the analysis of multiconductor transmission lines by including backward coupling. Coupling coefficients are expressed as overlap integrals of the eigenfields and currents belonging to individual lines. These eigenmode solutions are calculated using the finite-difference time-domain method, which can provide a broadband solution through a single simulation. General termination conditions are given, and scattering parameters of a multiconductor transmission line can be obtained directly by solving the coupled mode equations subject to these termination conditions. As illustrative examples, several configurations of coupled microstrip lines are analyzed, and numerical results are presented. It is observed that both the forward and backward coupling results agree fairly well with results from Advanced Design System Momentum software.
Subzonal insemination with a single spermatozoon using manipulation assisted sperm adhesion onto the ooplasmic membrane in mouse ova

A simple and successful method of microinjection of a single spermatozoon under the zona pellucida of a mouse oocyte has been developed. A characteristic of this method is that the tip of the sperm injection needle pierces the zona pellucida without touching the ooplasmic membrane. All the ova (277) used for this series of experiments had normal morphology after the injection procedure. Spermatozoa preincubated in culture medium for capacitation and those treated with ionophore A23187 for induction of acrosome reaction were used. In combination with some of these injections, a manipulation assisting the adhesion of the sperm head onto the ooplasmic membrane was employed. The fertilization rate (67.3%) of the ova injected with the ionophore‐treated sperm using the sperm‐adhesion treatment was significantly higher (P<0.005) than that obtained by the injection of the preincubated sperm without applying the adhesion treatment (23.6%). All three of the recipients that received the 24 fertilized ova became pregnant and gave birth to 11 off‐spring (45.8%). The inseminations performed with the sperm‐adhesion treatment using the immotile sperm from the preincubated population and/or those from the ionophore‐treated population did not result in fertilization in any case. These results suggest that the fertilization rate of subzonal insemination with motile ionophore‐treated sperm can be improved by applying the sperm‐adhesion treatment and that sperm motility might be involved in the establishment of fertilization, even after the adhesion of the sperm head with the mouse ovum membrane.
Disorder-controlled-kinetics model for negative bias temperature instability and its experimental verification

A model for NBTI is proposed based on disorder-controlled diffusion and drift in amorphous dielectrics. Experimental data on finFETs confirm all major predictions of the model: temperature dependence of the NBTI exponent, non-Arrhenius behavior of NBTI, log(t) and electric field dependencies of recovery. Experimental challenges with determining NBTI parameters are also highlighted.
Measuring the Influence of Information Networks on Transaction Costs Using a Non-parametric Regression Technique

All business transactions as well as achieving innovations take up resources, subsumed under the concept of transaction costs (TAC). One of the major factors in TAC theory is information. Information networks can catalyse the interpersonal information exchange and hence, increase the access to nonpublic information. Our analysis shows that information networks have an impact on the level of TAC. Many resources that are sacrificed for TAC are inputs that also enter the technical production process. As most production data do not separate between these two usages of inputs, high transaction costs are unveiled by reduced productivity. A cross-validated local linear non-parametric regression shows that good information networks increase the productivity of farms. A bootstrapping procedure confirms that this result is statistically significant.
Long-term results of a phase 2 study of rituximab and bendamustine for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

To the editor: Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) present in most cases as localized disease and can be successfully treated with local therapies or antibiotics. [1][1][⇓][2][⇓][3]-[4][4] Moreover, patients with multicentric or extensive disease
Comparison of the steroidogenic response of luteinized granulosa cells from rhesus monkeys to luteinizing hormone and chorionic gonadotropin.

The dynamics of the steroidogenic response of nonprimate gonadal cells to gonadotropins suggests that the biologic action of pituitary LH differs from that of placental CG. To compare the response to LH and CG in primate species, luteinized granulosa cells (LGCs) obtained from rhesus monkeys following follicle stimulation were cultured in vitro. The pattern and levels of progesterone (P) produced during culture was influenced by the concentration (0-10%) and type (fetal bovine or macaque) of serum in the medium and whether LGCs were plated on plastic or extracellular matrix from bovine corneal endothelial cells. After 2-3 days of culture, LGCs were exposed acutely (15-30 min) or chronically (6 h) to 1 or 100 ng/ml human LH (hLH, NIH 1-2) or hCG (CR123), 50 micrograms/ml ovine LH (oLH, NIH-oLH-25), or incubated in the absence of gonadotropins (controls). After the first 15-30 min, the media were changed at 30-min intervals. Both acute and chronic exposure to hLH, hCG, and oLH increased (p less than 0.05) P concentrations above control levels within 15-30 min. There were no differences in the patterns or levels of P elicited by hLH or hCG over time for each treatment condition. Chronic exposure to 1 and 100 ng/ml hLH or hCG and 50 micrograms/ml oLH sustained P levels above that of controls for the 6-h interval. Acute exposure to 1 ng/ml hLH or hCG failed to maintain elevated P levels throughout the experiment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Norepinephrine Modulates the Motility of Resting and Activated Microglia via Different Adrenergic Receptors*

Background: Microglia respond to cell death by extending their processes toward ATP released at the site of damage. Results: Norepinephrine induces process retraction in resting and activated microglia through β2 and α2A receptors, respectively. Conclusion: Norepinephrine alters the ability of microglia to respond to ATP. Significance: Adrenergic receptor signaling might alter the ability of microglia to detect and respond to tissue damage in vivo. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), monitor the brain for disturbances of tissue homeostasis by constantly moving their fine processes. Microglia respond to tissue damage through activation of ATP/ADP receptors followed by directional process extension to the damaged area. A common feature of several neurodegenerative diseases is the loss of norepinephrine, which might contribute to the associated neuroinflammation. We carried out a high resolution analysis of the effects of norepinephrine (NE) on microglial process dynamics in acute brain slices from mice that exhibit microglia-specific enhanced green fluorescent protein expression. Bath application of NE to the slices resulted in significant process retraction in microglia. Analysis of adrenergic receptor expression with quantitative PCR indicated that resting microglia primarily express β2 receptors but switch expression to α2A receptors under proinflammatory conditions modeled by LPS treatment. Despite the differential receptor expression, NE caused process retraction in both resting and LPS-activated microglia cultured in the gelatinous substrate Matrigel in vitro. The use of subtype-selective receptor agonists and antagonists confirmed the involvement of β2 receptors in mediating microglial process dynamics in resting cells and α2A receptors in activated cells. Co-application of NE with ATP to resting microglia blocked the ATP-induced process extension and migration in isolated microglia, and β2 receptor antagonists prolonged ATP effects in brain slice tissues, suggesting the presence of cross-talk between adrenergic and purinergic signaling in microglia. These data show that the neurotransmitter NE can modulate microglial motility, which could affect microglial functions in pathogenic situations of either elevated or reduced NE levels.
CEREBRAL LATERALITY AND MEDITATION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Within the last decade, Western psychologists have begun to investigate the processes by which meditation may induce changes in mental experience. Most recently, several authors have hypothesized that through the manipulation of attention, most systems of meditation alter consciousness by inhibiting cognitive functions associated with the dominant or left corti­ cal hemisphere. Ornstein (1975), for example, has suggested that meditation can be considered a method of "turning off" the verbal, linear and analytic style of processing associated with the normal waking state. Similarly, Prince (1979) has proposed that meditation interferes with the functioning of the dominant lobe such that the sense of time, logic and verbal processing no longer dominate consciousness. In association with this proposed left hemisphere inhibition is a hypothesized shift to a non-dominant or right hemisphere specific mode of experience which has been described as holistic, receptive and beyond language or logic (Bakan, 1971; Fischer, 1975). Indeed, Davidson (1976) has even argued that meditation may lead to the development of dormant right hemisphere associated abil­ ities. Support for the right hemisphere theory of meditation is derived principally from descriptions of the phenomenology of meditative experience, comparisons of cognitive task perfor­ mance of meditators and non-meditators, and electrophysio­ logical investigations. However, consideration of data from similar sources suggests that the cortical hemispheres are af­ fected similarly by meditation and that inhibitory and excita­ tory influences within each hemisphere may be generated and evolve as meditation practice progresses. In the following dis­ cussion, a review of these data will be presented with the aim of delineating the role both hemispheres may play in the pro­ duction of meditative states of consciousness. meditation and changes in mental experience
Ionizing radiation‐induced death in bovine lens epithelial cells: Mechanisms and influence of irradiation dose rate

We recently reported, in a series of patients receiving total body irradiation before transplant, an influence of dose rate (DR) on cataract formation. The aim of our present in vitro study was to investigate the influence of DR and the mechanisms of lens cell death in a bovine model. After a single fraction of 10 Gy, delivered using low (0.05 Gy/min) or high (2 Gy/min) DR (LDR and HDR, respectively), cells were incubated in media supplemented with two different fetal calf serum (FCS) concentrations (1% and 10%). Cell proliferation was evaluated using Hoechst 33342 (HO) probe and cell viability, with neutral red probe. These fluorimetric assays used a cold light cytofluorimeter. After HO assay, stained cells were examined with fluorescence microscopy to evaluate the nuclear changes related to apoptosis. Global comparison of the mean HO fluorescent values observed with LDR/controls (c) vs. HDR/c revealed a significant difference only after 96 hr (P = 0.036). In 1% FCS conditions, the difference between HDR/c and LDR/c was also statistically significant at 96 hr (P = 0.04). Pairwise multiple comparison using values observed in 1% FCS conditions after 96 hr incubation showed significant difference between HDR vs. c (P = 0.001) and HDR vs. LDR (P = 0.007). This difference, in terms of fluorescence, was correlated to the proportion of cells with nuclear apoptotic morphology. In contrast, cell viability was not influenced by DR whatever the FCS concentration used, from 24 to 96 hr after irradiation. We conclude that our fluorimetric methodology is adapted to evaluate intracellular DNA modifications and cell viability after x‐ray irradiation. We observed that a single fraction of 10 Gy induces in vitro lens epithelial cell apoptosis, which is influenced by DR. In humans, HDR is considered more cataractogenic than LDR. Thus, we speculate that lens cell apoptosis could be one of the major mechanisms of radiation‐induced cataract. Further investigations are necessary to study the other possible mechanisms of cataractogenesis. Int. J. Cancer (Radiat. Oncol. Invest.) 90, 138–144 (2000). © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Adolescent Brain

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by suboptimal decisions and actions that are associated with an increased incidence of unintentional injuries, violence, substance abuse, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Traditional neurobiological and cognitive explanations for adolescent behavior have failed to account for the nonlinear changes in behavior observed during adolescence, relative to both childhood and adulthood. This review provides a biologically plausible model of the neural mechanisms underlying these nonlinear changes in behavior. We provide evidence from recent human brain imaging and animal studies that there is a heightened responsiveness to incentives and socioemotional contexts during this time, when impulse control is still relatively immature. These findings suggest differential development of bottom‐up limbic systems, implicated in incentive and emotional processing, to top‐down control systems during adolescence as compared to childhood and adulthood. This developmental pattern may be exacerbated in those adolescents prone to emotional reactivity, increasing the likelihood of poor outcomes.
The Pecking Order Theory and the Static Trade Off Theory : Comparison of the Alternative Explanatory Power in French Firms

The purpose of this study is to revisit the capital structure theory and compares the explanatory power of the Pecking Order Theory (POT) and the Static Trade-off theory (STT). Using a sample of French firms introduced on the stock exchange and belonging to SBF 250 index over a period from 1999 to 2005. We use in the paper a panel data. It provides the researcher a large number of data points, increasing the degrees of freedom and reducing the colinearity among explanatory variables, hence improving the efficiency of econometric estimates. Basing on the studies made by Shyam-Sunder and Myers (1999); Frank and Goyal (2003), our result shows that the estimation of both empirical models explaining the financial structure favors the pecking order theory on the French companies. These results can be explained by the existence of asymmetric information involving adverse selection problems. While static trade-off-model is not fit to explain the issuance of new debt issue in French firms. The evidence from pecking order model suggests that the internal fund deficit is the most important determinant that possibly explains the issuance of new debt. The simple form of the target adjustment model states that changes in the debt ratio are explained by deviations of the current ratio from the target. This paper compares the explanatory power of the Pecking Order Theory (POT) and the Static Tradeoff theory (STT) on French firm.
Increased Expression of Glutathione S-Transferase-&pgr; in the Islets of Patients with Primary Chronic Pancreatitis But Not Secondary Chronic Pancreatitis

The mechanism of tissue alteration in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is still unclear. Different hypotheses have been discussed, including increasing oxidant stress in the acinar cells, often as a result of exposure to xenobiotics. To evaluate the role of oxidative stress in CP, the authors investigated the expression of the drug-metabolizing phase II enzyme, glutathione S-transferase-&pgr; (GST-&pgr;), in the pancreatic tissue of patients with CP and compared it with the healthy pancreatic tissue from age-matched donors. Pancreatic tissue from patients with secondary CP resulting from ductal obstruction by pancreatic cancer (PC) was also examined. The percentage of cells immunoreacting with anti–GST-&pgr; was counted within 15 randomly selected islets in each slide of the three groups. In all specimens, ductal and ductular cells, and in PC, cancer cells, expressed GST-&pgr; in a moderate intensity. Acinar cells did not stain. Various numbers of islet cells in each of the three groups were stained strongly. More islet cells expressed GST-&pgr; in CP (42%) than in healthy pancreatic tissue (16%, p < 0.001) or PC (17%, p < 0.001). Our results imply an important role of islet cells in the metabolism of substances, which are the substrate for GST-&pgr;, and lend support to the hypothesis of oxidative stress as the cause of CP.