Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ff ect of temporal onsets of mechanical loading on bone formation inside a tissue engineering sca ff old combined with cell therapy

Several approaches to combine bone substitutes with biomolecules, cells or mechanical loading have been explored as an alternative to the limitation and risk-related bone autoand allo-grafts. In particular, human bone progenitor cells seeded in porous poly(L-lactic acid)/tricalcium phosphate scaffolds have shown promising results. Furthermore, the application of mechanical loading has long been known to be a key player in the regulation of bone architecture and mechanical properties. Several in vivo studies have pointed out the importance of its temporal offset. When an early mechanical loading was applied a few days after scaffold implantation, it was ineffective on bone formation, whereas a delayed mechanical loading of several weeks was beneficial for bone tissue regeneration. No information is reported to date on the effectiveness of applying a mechanical loading in vivo on cell-seeded scaffold with respect to bone formation in a bone site. In our study, we were interested in human bone progenitor cells due to their low immunogenicity, sensitivity to mechanical loading and capacity to differentiate into osteogenic human bone progenitor cells. The latest capacity allowed us to test two different bone cell fates originating from the same cell type. Therefore, the general aim of this study was to assess the outcome on bone formation when human bone progenitor cells or pre-differentiated osteogenic human bone progenitor cells are combined with early and delayed mechanical loading inside bone tissue engineering scaffolds. Scaffolds without cells, named cell-free scaffold, were used as control. Surprisingly, we found that (1) the optimal solution for bone formation is the combination of cell-free scaffolds and delayed mechanical loading and that (2) the timing of the mechanical application is crucial and dependent on the cell type inside the implanted scaffolds.
Employment of the Elderly: An Annotated Bibliography

Series Foreword by Erdman B. Palmore Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction General Works Labor Market Issues Concerning Older Workers Data Bases and Selected Periodicals Age Discrimination and Employment Programs and Strategies for Helping Older Workers Employers and Older Workers Job Search Information and Strategies for the Older Worker Special Populations The Future: Prospects and Challenges Author Index Subject Index
target processing efficiency , and shifts in perceptual discrimination and response bias Lorazepam induces multiple disturbances in selective attention : attentional overload , decrement in

Original Papers J Journal of Psychopharmacology 21(7) (2007) 691–699 © 2007 British Association for Psychopharmacology ISSN 0269-8811 SAGE Publications Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore 10.1177/0269881106074011 There is a general consensus that benzodiazepines affect attentional processes, yet only few studies have tried to investigate these impairments in detail. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a single dose of lorazepam on performance in a target cancellation task with important time constraints. We measured correct target detections and correct distractor rejections, misses and false positives. The results show that lorazepam produces multiple kinds of shifts in performance, which suggests that it impairs multiple processes: (a) the evolution of performance over time was not the same between the placebo and the lorazepam groups, with the lorazepam affecting performance quite early after the beginning of the test. This is suggestive of a depletion of attentional resources during sequential attentional processing; (b) lorazepam affected differently target and distractor processing, with target detection being the most impaired; (c) misses were more frequent under lorazepam than under placebo, but no such difference was observed as far as false positives were concerned. Signal detection analyses showed that lorazepam (d) decreased perceptual discrimination, and (e) reliably increased response bias. Our results bring new insights on the multiple effects of lorazepam on selective attention which, when combined, may have deleterious effects on human performance.
A Multiplex PCR for Detection of Virulence Associated Genes in Listeria monocytogenes

Listeriosis is an important food-borne infection ca used by Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes has been isolated from various foodstuffs including milk (Ba rbuddhe et al., 2002). Identification of listeriae from samples contaminated with multiple species relies on select iv enrichments and subsequent biochemical analyses. It is laborious and requires at least five days for confi rmation. In vitro amplification of specific DNA sequences by PCR allows direct detection and identification of the p athogen (Herman et al. 1995). Multiple key virulence factors such as hemolysin ( hlyA), phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C (plcA), actin polymerization protein ( actA) and invasive associated protein ( iap) are important in L. monocytogenes pathogenesis (Furrer et al., 1991, Portnoy et al., 1992). Therefore, detection of just one virulence-associat ed gene by PCR is not always sufficient to identify L. monocytogenes (Nishibori et al., 1995). In addition, it is plausible that some L. monocytogenes strain may lack one or more virulence determinants because of spontaneo us mutations (Cooray et al., 1994). Therefore, simultaneous detection of virulent genes in a single step will b e desirable as it reduces time, labour and it will be useful in a large scale survey for detecting virulent strain of Listeria. Direct detection of pathogens from foods by PCR may be problematic due to the presence of a PCR-inhibitory factor in the food (Fluit et al., 1993). Various sample preparation methods have been developed to remove or to reduce the effects of PCR inhibitors in food stuffs (Lantz et al. 1994). A pre-enrichment method (Niederhauser et al., 1992) has been reported to overcome the problem of inhibitors . In the present study, we tried to find a procedure enablin g the detection of individual virulence-associated genes of L. monocytogenes by PCR in milk samples with and without enrichment and simultaneously comparing it with conventional cultural method. Later, we developed a multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of four vi rulenceassociated genes of L. monocytogenes namely, plcA, hlyA, actA and iap and employed for PCR analysis of virulenceAbstract: Listeriosis is an important food-borne infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. A multiplex PCR assay was developed for detection of four virulence-associated genes of L. monocytogenes namely, plcA, hlyA, actA and iap. The method was used to detect L. monocytogenes in milk samples with and without enrichment and simultaneously comparing it with conventional cultural method. The assay could detect as low as 15 cells after enrichment. Later, the multiplex PCR was successfully employed to detect virulence-associated genes in L monocytogenes isolated from various sources.
Effects of Two Trichoderma Strains on Plant Growth, Rhizosphere Soil Nutrients, and Fungal Community of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Annual Seedlings

Trichoderma spp. are proposed as major plant growth-promoting fungi that widely exist in the natural environment. These strains have the abilities of rapid growth and reproduction and efficient transformation of soil nutrients. Moreover, they can change the plant rhizosphere soil environment and promote plant growth. Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica has the characteristics of strong drought resistance and fast growth and plays an important role in ecological construction and environmental restoration. The effects on the growth of annual seedlings, root structure, rhizosphere soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and fungal community structure of P. sylvestris var. mongolica were studied after inoculation with Trichoderma harzianum E15 and Trichoderma virens ZT05, separately. The results showed that after inoculation with T. harzianum E15 and T. virens ZT05, seedling biomass, root structure index, soil nutrients, and soil enzyme activity were significantly increased compared with the control (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in the effects of T. harzianum E15 and T. virens ZT05 inoculation on the growth and rhizosphere soil nutrient of P. sylvestris var. mongolica (p < 0.05). For the E15 treatment, the seedling height, ground diameter, and total biomass of seedlings were higher than that those of the ZT05 treatment, and the rhizosphere soil nutrient content and enzyme activity of the ZT05 treatment were higher than that of the E15 treatment. The results of alpha and beta diversity analyses showed that the fungi community structure of rhizosphere soil was significantly different (p < 0.05) among the three treatments (inoculated with T. harzianum E15, T. virens ZT05, and not inoculated with Trichoderma). Overall, Trichoderma inoculation was correlated with the change of rhizosphere soil nutrient content.
Alendronate in Vitro Differences in Otosclerotic and Normal Human Stapedial Osteoblast Properties Are Normalized

Objective. Identify and compare phenotypic properties of osteoblasts from patients with otosclerosis (OSO), normal bones (HOB), and normal stapes (NSO) to determine a possible cause for OSO hypermineralization and assess any effects of the bisphosphonate, alendronate. Study Design. OSO (n = 11), NSO (n = 4), and HOB (n = 13) cultures were assayed for proliferation, adhesion, mineralization, and gene expression with and without 10M-10M alendronate. Setting. Academic hospital. Methods. Cultures were matched for age, sex, and passage number. Cell attachment and proliferation 1 alendronate were determined by Coulter counting cells and assaying tritiated thymidine uptake, respectively. At 7, 14, and 21 days of culture 1 alendronate, calcium content and gene expression by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were determined. Results. OSO had significantly more cells adhere but less proliferation than NSO or HOB. Calcification was significantly increased in OSO compared to HOB and NSO. NSO and HOB had similar cell adhesion and proliferation rates. A dosedependent effect of alendronate on OSO adhesion, proliferation, and mineralization was found, resulting in levels equal to NSO and HOB. All cultures expressed osteoblast-specific genes such as RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase, type I collagen, and osteocalcin. However, osteopontin was dramatically reduced, 9.4-fold at 14 days, in OSO compared to NSO. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand/osteoprotegerin (RANKL/OPG), important in bone resorption, was elevated in OSO with decreased levels of OPG levels. Alendronate had little effect on gene expression in HOB but in OSO increased osteopontin levels and decreased RANKL/OPG. Conclusions. OSO cultures displayed properties of hypermineralization due to decreased osteopontin (OPN) and also had increased RANKL/OPG, which were normalized by alendronate.
Macroscopic framework for viscoelasticity , poroelasticity and wave-induced flows – Part I : General Linear Solid

Most field and laboratory observations of seismic wave propagation and attenuation are explained by using the viscoelastic (VE) model and effective moduli for rocks. This model is used to approximate most mechanisms of internal friction within materials including poroelasticity and wave-induced fluid flows (WIFF). However, the modulus-based viscoelasticity is still fundamentally different from pore-fluid effects. For example, wave attenuation in a poroelastic material is best described by a complexvalued effective density rather than by a VE modulus. In layered poroelastic medium, the VE approximation leads to incorrect predictions for the frequency-dependent Poisson’s ratios and reflection coefficients. In heavy-oil compounds and media with WIFF, frictional forces should generally behave intermediately between the VE stresses and body-wave Darcy forces characteristic for poroelasticity. Thus, a broader theoretical framework is needed to incorporate the traditional viscoelasticity and poroelasticity and to extend them to broader WIFF models. Such a unified framework called the General Linear Solid (GLS) is proposed here. The GLS is a first-principle approach based on Lagrangian continuum mechanics, and it can be summarized as multiphase poroelasticity extended by solid and fluid viscosities. The formulation is carried out strictly in terms of measurable physical properties and boundary conditions from which the observable effects such as wave velocities and attenuation are predicted. Explicit differential equations are formulated in matrix form, from which a variety of numerical modeling schemes can be derived. In the GLS framework, the viscoelasticity represents an endmember characterized by zero Darcy-type friction, whereas the poroelasticity is an endmember with zero solid viscosity. Transitions between these end-members and their extensions yield new models such as ‘visco-poroelasticity’ and poroelasticity with multiple saturating fluids. The approach is illustrated on practical models of layered poroelastic and visco-poroelastic media. Applications of this framework are continued in Part II of this study.
APPLICATION OF CHARACTERISTIC BASIS FUNCTION METHOD FOR SCATTERING FROM AND PROPAGATION OVER TERRAIN PROBLEMS

Electromagnetic scattering from and propagation over rough-terrain problems are investigated using an integral equation (IE)-based characteristic basis function method (CBFM), which substantially reduces the size of impedance matrix arising in the Method of Moments (MoM). The method is also hybridized with the forward-backward method (FBM) to improve its efficiency. Numerical results for the induced current and scattered field are presented and compared with both previously published as well as measured results, in order to assess the accuracy and efficiency of this method. INTRODUCTION Accurate analysis of electromagnetic scattering from and propagation over rough terrain profiles has great importance for military and commercial applications; and can be performed using integral equation (IE)-based methods solved via the Method of Moments (MoM). However, these methods suffer from the storage and computational cost requirements when applied to electrically large geometries. The stationary iterative forward-backward method (FBM) [1] provides accurate solution within a few iterations, and has a storage and computational cost requirements of O(N), N being the number of surface unknowns. These requirements are further reduced to O(N) using the spectral acceleration algorithm [2], and applied for terrain propagation in [3]. However, as the roughness increases or in the case of a reentrant surface profile, serious convergence problems can arise. Therefore, in this paper, the characteristic basis function method (CBFM) proposed in [4] is applied to electromagnetic scattering from and propagation over various electrically large terrain profiles. Futhermore, the method is successfully hybridized with FBM, and its hybridization with spectrally accelerated FBM (FBSA) as well as other acceleration techniques is under progress. Numerical results for the induced current and scattered field are presented and compared with both previously published as well as measurement results to assess the accuracy and efficiency of this method. In addition, CBFM is applied to several terrain profiles, which cannot be investigated via FBM either because of convergence difficulties, or because they require many iterations when investigated by non-stationary iterative algorithms. FORMULATION Consider a 2-D electrically-large rough terrain profile, which is illuminated by an incident electromagnetic field, an electric (or magnetic) field integral equation is developed using the impedance boundary conditions for transverse magnetic (or electric) polarization. Then the use of a point-matching MoM formulation with pulse basis functions, results in a matrix equation: V = Z̄ I. (1) 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 640 660 680 700 720 Distance (km) Su rf ac e H ei gh t ( m ) (a) 2km Terrain Profile 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 −160 −140 −120 −100 −80 −60 −40 Distance (km) In du ce d C ur re nt (d B A ) (b) 100 Blocks of 200 Unknowns Each
Effect of Duration of Exposure to Vapors and Gases on Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function Test of Females

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of duration of exposure to fumes, gases and chemical vapourson lung function tests. For this study, 174 females are selected. Their ages ranged from 15 to 40 years. The participants are classified into two groups by the virtue of the distance from the factories . The first group (n=71) is residing close to the local factories and west Zawia Electrical Station in Azzawia city.Females in this group are exposed to gases, fumes and chemical vapours and are regarded as the experimental (exposed) group. The second group is healthy females randomly selected from other places located 25-30 km distant from the factories and an Electrical Station and is regarded as the control group (n = 103). Spirometric measurements including FVC, FEV1 and FEV1% are obtained by a standardized spirometer (Vitalograph limited-Spirometer), while measurements of PEFR are done with the use of a standardized Mini-Wright peak flow meter. Data are statistically analyzed by mean, standard error, and pairedt-test. All (P) values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses revealed that FVC, FEV1 and PEFR are significantly higher in the control group (unexposed females) than in the experimental group. The mean values of FVC, FEV1, FEV1% and PEFR for the participantsof the control group are: 3.7 L, 3.1 L, 85 %, and 448 L/min respectively, whereas the results of their counterparts (exposed) are: 3.2 L, 2.7L, 81.1 %, and 412 L/min respectively.
MiR-1365 p is involved in the pathogenesis of LUSC through targeting MTDH : a study based on RT-qPCR , IHC , public database and dual-luciferase reporter assay

MiRNAs have been implicated to be involved in the carcinogenesis and development of human cancers. This study was designed to investigate the clinic-pathological significance of miR-136-5p in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and the underlying molecular mechanism. We analyzed expression of miR-136-5p in LUSC with available data from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was conducted to further verify the results from TCGA. Then we identified the differential expression level of MTDH in LUSC and non-cancer tissues via immunohistochemistry (IHC) and data mining of public databases. Furthermore, the targeting regulatory relationship between miR-136-5p and MTDH was validated by dual luciferase reporter assay. According to the results, miR-136-5p exhibited lower expression in LUSC tissues than in non-cancer tissues and was significantly associated with TNM stage of LUSC (P = 0.001). MTDH presented notable overexpression in LUSC (P = 0.041). Statistical analysis for IHC suggested that MTDH was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.010) and tumor size (P = 0.009). Moreover, results from dual luciferase reporter assay evidenced MTDH as a direct target of miR-136-5p. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-136-5p might be involved in vasculature development, focal adhesion and mitogen-activated protein kinases. In summary, miR-136-5p and MTDH can be treated as a break through point for the improved diagnosis and therapy of LUSC.
AN OPTIONAL HYBRID FUNCTIONS METHOD OF AN IDEAL GAS ADIABATIC PROCESS EQUATION DERIVATION

Considered a multi-optional method of finding an ideal gas adiabatic process equation. Specific hybrid optional functions are taken into account at the optimization of an objective functional which includes an entropy uncertainty measure for those specific hybrid optional functions. Required mathematical models of the presented doctrine for obtaining the optimal multi-optional distributions suppose existence of some thermodynamic states options special functions (logarithmic values of the specific volumes), certain hybrid optional functions (temperatures) relating to the options special functions and an intrinsic parameter of the process (ratio constructed with the specific heat capacities). This is a new insight into the scientific substantiation of the well-known dependency derived in another way; also it is a plausible explanation of the widely used in theoretical thermodynamics phenomenon.
Providing QoS for Networked Peers in Distributed Haptic Virtual Environments

Haptic information originates from a different human sense (touch), therefore the quality of service (QoS) required to support haptic traffic is significantly different from that used to support conventional real-time traffic such as voice or video. Each type of network impairment has different (and severe) impacts on the user’s haptic experience. There has been no specific provision of QoS parameters for haptic interaction. Previous research into distributed haptic virtual environments (DHVEs) have concentrated on synchronization of positions (haptic device or virtual objects), and are based on client-server architectures. We present a new peerto-peer DHVE architecture that further extends this to enable force interactions between two users whereby force data are sent to the remote peer in addition to positional information. The work presented involves both simulation and practical experimentation where multimodal data is transmitted over a QoS-enabled IP network. Both forms of experiment produce consistent results which show that the use of specific QoS classes for haptic traffic will reduce network delay and jitter, leading to improvements in users’ haptic experiences with these types of applications.
association of vitamin B 12 deficiency with homozygosity of the tt mthFr c 677 t genotype , hyperhomocysteinemia , and endothelial cell dysfunction

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but treatment with folic acid has no effect on outcome in unselected patient populations. objectives: To confirm previous observations on the association of homozygosity for the TT MTHFR genotype with B12 deficiency and endothelial dysfunction, and to investigate whether patients with B12 deficiency should be tested for 677MTHFR genotype. methods: We enrolled 100 individuals with B12 deficiency, tested them for the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and measured their homocysteine levels. Forearm endothelial function was checked in 23 B12-deficient individuals (13 with TT MTHFR genotype and 10 with CT or CC genotypes). Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was tested after short-term treatment with B12 and folic acid in 12 TT MTHFR homozygotes. results: Frequency of the TT MTHFR genotype was 28/100 (28%), compared with 47/313 (15%) in a previously published cohort of individuals with normal B12 levels (P = 0.005). Mean homocysteine level was 21.2 ± 16 μM among TT homozygotes as compared to 12.3 ± 5.6 μM in individuals with the CC or CT genotype (P = 0.008). FMD was abnormal (≤ 6%) in 9/13 TT individuals with B12 deficiency (69%), and was still abnormal in 7/12 of those tested 6 weeks after B12 and folic treatment (58%). conclusions: Among individuals with B12 deficiency, the frequency of the TT MTHFR genotype was particularly high. The TT polymorphism was associated with endothelial dysfunction even after 6 weeks of treatment with B12 and folic acid. Based on our findings we suggest that B12 deficiency be tested for MTHFR polymorphism in order to identify potential vascular abnormalities and increased cardiovascular risk.