Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loss and recovery of corneal sensitivity following photorefractive keratectomy for myopia.

BACKGROUND Photorefractive keratectomy affects corneal innervation in a new, and drastic, way. This inevitably results in a significant loss of corneal sensitivity. This paper investigates the pattern of sensitivity loss and recovery following PRK for low to moderate myopia. METHODS Patients were recruited for two separate studies. Longitudinal Study: 10 patients, treated with a -6.00 D/6 mm PRK ablation, were examined over a 1-year period. Transverse Study: A comparison was made between 35 non-contact lens wearers, 80 contact lens wearers, and 60 patients who underwent five different PRK treatments, 1 year previously. Corneal sensitivity was assessed using the Non-Contact Corneal Aesthesiometer at four corneal locations: centrally, temporally, medially, inferiorly, on all patients. RESULTS Longitudinal Study: Corneal sensitivity was significantly reduced at week 1, with a further significant reduction at week 2. A gradual recovery in sensitivity then followed to reach preoperative levels by 1 year. Transverse Study: There was no significant difference in corneal sensitivity found as a result of different PRK ablation depths. The depth of ablation was not a factor in corneal sensitivity recovery in low to moderate myopic corrections. Corneal sensitivity in the PRK treated eyes was significantly lower than in the control groups. CONCLUSION The immediate loss of corneal sensitivity after surgery was due to the total removal of the corneal epithelial nerve supply and a substantial portion of the underlying stromal nerves. The further decrease at week 2 was probably due to the new epithelium acting as barrier to stimulation. The gradual recovery of corneal sensitivity was most likely caused by epithelial reinnervation within the ablation zone, but this was still below normal levels at 1 year after surgery. Corneal nerve function demonstrates a biphasic pattern of loss and recovery following the excimer laser correction of low to moderate myopia.
Endothelial-specific deficiency of Junctional Adhesion Molecule-C promotes vessel normalisation in proliferative retinopathy

Summary In proliferative retinopathies, like proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the hypoxia response is sustained by the failure of the retina to revascularise its ischaemic areas. Non-resolving retina ischaemia/hypoxia results in upregulation of proangiogenic factors and pathologic neovascularisation with ectopic, fragile neovessels. Promoting revascularisation of the retinal avascular area could interfere with this vicious cycle and lead to vessel normalisation. Here, we examined the function of endothelial junctional adhesion molecule-C (JAM-C) in the context of ROP. Endothelial-specific JAM-C-deficient (EC-JAM-C KO) mice and littermate JAM-C-proficient (EC-JAM-C WT) mice were subjected to the ROP model. An increase in total retinal vascularisation was found at p17 owing to endothelial JAM-C deficiency, which was the result of enhanced revascularisation and vessel normalisation, thereby leading to significantly reduced avascular area in EC-JAM-C KO mice. In contrast, pathologic neovessel formation was not affected by endothelial JAM-C deficiency. Consistent with improved vessel normalisation, tip cell formation at the interface between vascular and avascular area was higher in EC-JAM-C KO mice, as compared to their littermate controls. Consistently, JAM-C inactivation in endothelial cells resulted in increased spreading on fibronectin and enhanced sprouting in vitro in a manner dependent on β1-integrin and on the activation of the small GTPase RAP1. Together, endothelial deletion of JAM-C promoted endothelial cell sprouting, and consequently vessel normalisation and revascularisation of the hypoxic retina without altering pathologic neovascularisation. Thus, targeting endothelial JAM-C may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for promoting revascularisation and vessel normalisation in the treatment of proliferative retinopathies.
Strömungssimulation als Werkzeug zur Bioreaktorcharakterisierung

Die Entwicklungszeiten von Bioprozessen konnen durch Miniaturisierung und Parallelisierung von Bioreaktoren signifikant verkurzt werden. Viele der fur eine erfolgreiche Masstabsubertragung notwendigen verfahrenstechnischen Kenngrosen sind aber in miniaturisierten Bioreaktoren nicht messtechnisch zuganglich. Daher war es das Ziel dieser Arbeit, am Beispiel von unterschiedlichen Ruhrkesselreaktoren im Millilitermasstab zu untersuchen, welche dieser Kenngrosen mithilfe von numerischer Stromungssimulation abschatzbar sind. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass Energiedissipation und –verteilung und auch die fur den Stofftransport Gas–Flussig wichtige Phasengrenzflache in vielen Fallen gut simuliert werden konnen. Am Beispiel der Homogenisierung von feststoffhaltigen Reaktionsmedien konnten durch die Anwendung der numerischen Stromungssimulation die Entwicklungszeit geeigneter Ruhrsysteme verkurzt und Mischzeiten gut voraus berechnet werden.
Living in the city: urban environments shape the evolution of a native annual plant

Urban environments are warmer, have higher levels of atmospheric CO2 and have altered patterns of disturbance and precipitation than nearby rural areas. These differences can be important for plant growth and are likely to create distinct selective environments. We planted a common garden experiment with seeds collected from natural populations of the native annual plant Lepidium virginicum, growing in five urban and nearby rural areas in the northern United States to determine whether and how urban populations differ from those from surrounding rural areas. When grown in a common environment, plants grown from seeds collected from urban areas bolted sooner, grew larger, had fewer leaves, had an extended time between bolting and flowering, and produced more seeds than plants grown from seeds collected from rural areas. Interestingly, the rural populations exhibited larger phenotypic differences from one another than urban populations. Surprisingly, genomic data revealed that the majority of individuals in each of the urban populations were more closely related to individuals from other urban populations than they were to geographically proximate rural areas – the one exception being urban and rural populations from New York which were nearly identical. Taken together, our results suggest that selection in urban environments favors different traits than selection in rural environments and that these differences can drive adaptation and shape population structure.
Plasma Omega-3 and Omega-6 Concentrations and Risk of Cutaneous Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Australian Adults

Laboratory-based evidence suggests that omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids may affect skin photocarcinogenesis, but epidemiologic evidence is inconsistent. In 1,191 White Australian adults, we prospectively investigated associations between baseline plasma concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and cutaneous basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated on the basis of number of histologically confirmed tumors diagnosed during follow-up (1997–2007). Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations and omega-3/-6 ratio showed significant inverse associations with SCC tumors, comparing higher tertiles with the lowest, in age- and sex-adjusted models (Ptrend = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively) which weakened after adjustment for past sun exposure. Associations between EPA and SCC were stronger among participants with a history of skin cancer at baseline (n = 378; highest vs. lowest tertile: RR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28–0.92; Ptrend = 0.01). Total omega-6 was inversely associated with BCC tumors in multivariate models (P = 0.04; highest vs. lowest tertile: RR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51–0.99), and more strongly in the subgroup with past skin cancer. Linoleic and linolenic acids were also inversely associated with BCC occurrence in this subgroup. When fatty acids were analyzed as continuous variables, however, there was no evidence of any linear or nonlinear associations. This study provides some support for reduced skin cancer risk with high plasma concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, but results depended on how fatty acid data were modeled. Further investigation of these associations in larger datasets is needed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(10); 1900–5. ©2013 AACR.
Biotoxicity and by-product identification of dye wastewaters

Dyeing effluent is a typical refractory wastewater containing toxic pollutants. It is difficult to treat it to meet discharge regulations. The biotoxic effects of pollutants on microorganisms are one of the main constraints on efficient wastewater degradation. The aim of this study was to evaluate biotoxic effects and try to screen toxic substances from dye wastewater. The toxic effects of wastewaters collected at different treatment stages from a wastewater treatment plant in a dye industrial park were determined using bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67). Toxic substances from both influent and effluents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients indicated significant positive correlations between the toxicity values, and chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH3-N, and total nitrogen (TN). After identifying the toxic levels, phenol, pyridine, and esters were confirmed as the principal organic pollutants in dye wastewater, and increase its toxicity.
Investigating Shear Wave Physics in a Generic Pediatric Left Ventricular Model via In Vitro Experiments and Finite Element Simulations

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a potentially valuable tool to noninvasively assess ventricular function in children with cardiac disorders, which could help in the early detection of abnormalities in muscle characteristics. Initial experiments demonstrated the potential of this technique in measuring ventricular stiffness; however, its performance remains to be validated as complicated shear wave (SW) propagation characteristics are expected to arise due to the complex non-homogenous structure of the myocardium. In this work, we investigated the (i) accuracy of different shear modulus estimation techniques (time-of-flight (TOF) method and phase velocity analysis) across myocardial thickness and (ii) effect of the ventricular geometry, surroundings, acoustic loading, and material viscoelasticity on SW physics. A generic pediatric (10–15-year old) left ventricular model was studied numerically and experimentally. For the SWE experiments, a polyvinylalcohol replicate of the cardiac geometry was fabricated and SW acquisitions were performed on different ventricular areas using varying probe orientations. Additionally, the phantom’s stiffness was obtained via mechanical tests. The results of the SWE experiments revealed the following trends for stiffness estimation across the phantom’s thickness: a slight stiffness overestimation for phase speed analysis and a clear stiffness underestimation for the TOF method for all acquisitions. The computational model provided valuable 3-D insights in the physical factors influencing SW patterns, especially the surroundings (water), interface force, and viscoelasticity. In conclusion, this paper presents a validation study of two commonly used shear modulus estimators for different ventricular locations and the essential role of SW modeling in understanding SW physics in the pediatric myocardium.
An Empirical Comparison of Several Clustered Data Approaches Under Confounding Due to Cluster Effects in the Analysis of Complications of Coronary Angioplasty

Summary. In the analysis of binary response data from many types of large studies, the data are likely to have arisen from multiple centers, resulting in a within‐center correlation for the response. Such correlation, or clustering, occurs when outcomes within centers tend to be more similar to each other than to outcomes in other centers. In studies where there is also variability among centers with respect to the exposure of interest, analysis of the exposure–outcome association may be confounded, even after accounting for within‐center correlations. We apply several analytic methods to compare the risk of major complications associated with two strategies, staged and combined procedures, for performing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), a mechanical means of relieving blockage of blood vessels due to atherosclerosis. Combined procedures are used in some centers as a cost‐cutting strategy. We performed a number of population‐averaged and cluster‐specific (conditional) analyses, which (a) make no adjustments for center effects of any kind; (b) make adjustments for the effect of center on only the response; or (c) make adjustments for both the effect of center on the response and the relationship between center and exposure. The method used for this third approach decomposes the procedure type variable into within‐center and among‐center components, resulting in two odds ratio estimates. The naive analysis, ignoring clusters, gave a highly significant effect of procedure type (OR = 1.6). Population average models gave marginally to very non significant estimates of the OR for treatment type ranging from 1.6 to 1.2 with adjustment only for the effect of centers on response. These results depended on the assumed correlation structure. Conditional (cluster‐specific) models and other methods that decomposed the treatment type variable into among‐ and within‐center components all found no within‐center effect of procedure type (OR = 1.02, consistently) and a considerable among‐center effect. This among‐center variability in outcomes was related to the proportion of patients who receive combined procedures and was found even when conditioned on procedure type (within‐center) and other patient‐ and center‐level covariates. This example illustrates the importance of addressing the potential for center effects to confound an outcome‐exposure association when average exposure varies across clusters. While conditional approaches provide estimates of the within‐cluster effect, they do not provide information about among‐center effects. We recommend using the decomposition approach, as it provides both types of estimates.
Site-specific polyubiquitination differentially regulates parathyroid hormone receptor–initiated MAPK signaling and cell proliferation

G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and trafficking are essential for cellular function and regulated by phosphorylation, β-arrestin, and ubiquitination. The GPCR parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) exhibits time-dependent reversible ubiquitination. The exact ubiquitination sites in PTHR are unknown, but they extend upstream of its intracellular tail. Here, using tandem MS, we identified Lys388 in the third loop and Lys484 in the C-terminal tail as primary ubiquitination sites in PTHR. We found that PTHR ubiquitination requires β-arrestin and does not display a preference for β-arrestin1 or -2. PTH stimulated PTHR phosphorylation at Thr387/Thr392 and within the Ser489–Ser493 region. Such phosphorylation events may recruit β-arrestin, and we observed that chemically or genetically blocking PTHR phosphorylation inhibits its ubiquitination. Specifically, Ala replacement at Thr387/Thr392 suppressed β-arrestin binding and inhibited PTHR ubiquitination, suggesting that PTHR phosphorylation and ubiquitination are interdependent. Of note, Lys-deficient PTHR mutants promoted normal cAMP formation, but exhibited differential mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Lys-deficient PTHR triggered early onset and delayed ERK1/2 signaling compared with wildtype PTHR. Moreover, ubiquitination of Lys388 and Lys484 in wildtype PTHR strongly decreased p38 signaling, whereas Lys-deficient PTHR retained signaling comparable to unstimulated wildtype PTHR. Lys-deficient, ubiquitination-refractory PTHR reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. However, elimination of all 11 Lys residues in PTHR did not affect its internalization and recycling. These results pinpoint the ubiquitinated Lys residues in PTHR controlling MAPK signaling and cell proliferation and survival. Our findings suggest new opportunities for targeting PTHR ubiquitination to regulate MAPK signaling or manage PTHR-related disorders.
Latency Sites and Reactivation of Duck Enteritis Virus

SUMMARY. Duck virus enteritis (DVE) is a contagious disease caused by herpesvirus in waterfowl populations. Recovered birds become carriers and shed the virus periodically. Reactivation of latent duck enteritis virus (DEV) has been implicated in outbreaks of DVE in domestic and migrating waterfowl populations. In this study, the sites for virus latency were determined in white Pekin ducks infected with the DEV-97 strain. At 3 wk postinfection, infectious virus was not detectable in tissues or cloacal swabs (CSs). At 7 and 9 weeks postinfection, the viral DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the trigeminal ganglia (TG), suggesting that the virus is latent. Viral DNA was detected in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), spleen, thymus, bursa, and CSs only after in vitro cocultivation. In vivo virus reactivation was demonstrated when dexamethasone or a combination of dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide was inoculated in latently infected ducks. The reactivation of DEV occurred without any clinical evidence of the disease, but the virus was detected in PBL and CSs. We conclude from this study that DEV establishes latency in TG and lymphoid tissues including PBL.
Obstetric Care Providers Knowledge and Practicetowards Active Management of Third Stage ofLabourat Hawassa City, SNNPRS, Ethiopia

Background: Active management of third stage of labour properly is frontline to prevent post-partum haemorrhage related maternal morbidity and mortality. 99% of the maternal deaths take places in developing countries. The majority causes of death occur within 4 h after delivery because of haemorrhage. Clinical trial suggests that Routine practice of active management third stage of labour dramatically reduce haemorrhage by 60%. Active management third stage of labour can help to save thousands of women life with low cost. The aims of this study to assess Obstetric care providers Knowledge and Practices o n active management of third stage of labour at Hawassa city, South Ethiopia 2015. Methods: An institutional based cross sectional study was conducted to health institution in Hawassa city, from April to May 2015. By using pretested structured questionnaires for knowledge assessment and observation checklists for practice. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 76 obstetric care providers. Data were entered using Epi Info version 3.5. 1 was coded, edited, exported and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify independent predictors of knowledge and practice of obstetric care providers. Results: 24 ( 33.3%) of obstetric care providers had knowledgeable about active management third stage of labour and 16.7 % obstetric care providers was applied correctly active management of third stage of labour. Obstetric care providers who took pre/in-service training were 7.4 times was done correctly active management of third stage of labour than didn’t take training [AOR=7.4, 95% CI, (1.07-51)]. Conclusion and recommendation: In this study knowledge and practice of obstetric care providers towards active management of third stage of labour is still low. The governmental and non-governmental organization which works in health related activities plan to give trainings on active management of third stage of labour.
Heritability Estimate and Response to Selection for Body Weight in the Ardennaise Chicken Breed

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and response to selection for body weight at 11 weeks of age in the Ardennaise chicken breed. Estimations were realized over four generations. From an assumed animal model including fixed effects of hatching year and sex interaction, two models were derived; one included direct genetic and residual random effects; the other included, in addition , random maternal genetic effect. Additive direct heritability was found to be moderate (h = 0.30), suggesting 2 a that selection may be effective in improving body weight and related feed efficiency in our breed. Maternal heritability was low (h = 0.16) and the genetic direct-maternal correlation was negative (r = -0.69) . 2 m am Effectiveness of mass selection was confirmed by the phenotypic results obtained in this experiment with body weight increasing from 924.70g (±206.84 g) to 1443.64 g (±145.79 g) in males and from 766.51 g (±176.99 g) to 1128.99 g (±106.26 g) in females. Selection for higher body weight at 11 weeks in as-hatched chickens resulted in more than one and half folds difference in feed efficiency (5.97 in generation 0 vs 3.64 in generation 3).
Tibial Sesamoid Position Influence on Functional Outcome and Satisfaction After Hallux Valgus Surgery

Background: During hallux valgus surgery, the abnormal position of the first metatarsal bone relative to the sesamoids is addressed. Our study aimed to investigate the influence of postoperative tibial sesamoid position (TSP) on functional outcome and patient satisfaction after hallux valgus surgery. Methods: Between February 2007 and November 2011, 250 patients who underwent hallux valgus surgery at our tertiary hospital were followed for 2 years after surgery. They were categorized into 2 groups based on Hardy and Clapham’s TSP classification, recorded on postoperative weight-bearing anteroposterior (AP) radiographs: (1) normal (grades I-IV) and (2) outliers (grades V-VII). Results: The mode TSP improved from grade VII preoperatively to grade IV postoperatively (P < .001). The visual analog scale for pain was 1 (95% CI 0, 1) point better in the normal group compared to the outlier group at 2 years after surgery (P = .050), whereas the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Hallux Metatarsophalangeal-Interphalangeal Scale was 6 (95% CI 2, 11) points higher in the normal group (P = .009). Patients in the outlier group were also more likely to be dissatisfied with the surgery performed when compared to the normal group (OR 3.881, 95% CI 1.689, 8.920, P = .001). Conclusion: We recommend correcting the TSP to grade of IV or less to improve functional outcome and satisfaction after hallux valgus surgery. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative series.
The marginalisation of social justice as a form of knowledge in teacher education in England

This paper utilises the analytical concepts developed in the work of Basil Bernstein to reflect on the ways in which discourses such as social justice are especially vulnerable in teacher education in England. In particular, under new-managerial regimes the forms of knowledge which are emphasised and valued focus on the instrumental and performative. As a consequence, critical and vertical forms of knowledge associated with social justice in teacher education are either absent or marginalised and reframed away from an appreciation and awareness of the structural and economic causes of inequality. Moreover, the criteria needed to effectively introduce social justice as a knowledge base in teacher education are positioned antithetically to neo-liberalism–neo-conservatism, making them arguably impossible to achieve within the current system of education in England.