Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in the expression of surface receptors on lymphocyte subsets in the elderly: Quantitative flow cytometric analysis

The immunophenotype of circulating lymphocytes, including the intensity expression of surface receptors, changes with ageing. Until now, no results of systematic studies on age‐dependent changes with respect to the expression of the major lymphocyte surface receptors in healthy elderly subjects have been reported. In order to identify age‐related changes in both representation and immunophenotype of lymphocyte populations, we investigated, by means of triple‐color whole‐blood immunostaining and quantitative flow cytometry, the percent values and the absolute numbers, as well as the levels of surface antigen expression or antigen molecules per cell (ABC values × 103), of different peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets from 23 healthy elderly subjects and 13 young donors. Naive (CD45RA+CD3+) T cells, total B cells, and CD5+ B lymphocytes are decreased (22%, 6%, 0.8% vs. 30%, 12%, 1.4%, respectively), whereas activated (HLA‐DR+CD3+) and memory (CD45RO+CD3+) T cells, CD3+CD7− T lymphocytes, and lymphocytes expressing the NK marker CD56 are expanded in the elderly (2%, 53%, 13%, 6% vs. 0.8%, 45%, 8%, 8%, respectively). Moreover, T lymphocytes from elderly individuals express lower CD3 (61 ± 10) compared to young (69 ± 10). Considering the different T‐cell populations, CD3 antigen is respectively decreased on CD45RO+ T cells (55 ± 14 vs. 66 ± 14) and up‐regulated on CD56+ T lymphocytes (62 ± 21 vs. 45 ± 20). Increased CD8 expression characterizes CD3+CD7− lymphocytes (70 ± 34 vs. 44 ± 17) while HLA‐DR on activated T cells is lower in old (39 ± 7) than young (46 ± 9) donors. CD7 is down‐regulated both in T (22 ± 3 vs. 28 ± 3) and NK (48 ± 18 vs. 71 ± 18) cells, whereas CD2 expression, unchanged on NK cells, is up‐regulated on T lymphocytes (54 ± 10 vs. 41 ± 8). Age‐related changes in B‐cell antigen expressions were also found: CD20 is increased (124 ± 23 vs. 105 ± 16) whereas, despite the unchanged CD5 expression of T cells, CD5 intensity on the B‐cell subset co‐expressing this antigen is higher in old (49 ± 37) than in young (22 ± 4) people. The observed changes in the expression of functionally important cellular receptors can contribute to the remodeling of immune function characteristic of the elderly. Moreover, since quantitative flow cytometry is becoming widely employed in clinical practice, our results also contribute to the assessment of specific age‐dependent antigen expression changes to be considered for diagnostic approaches in the elderly. Am. J. Hematol. 67:63–72, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inductions Buffer Nurses’ Job Stress, Health, and Organizational Commitment

Nurses suffer disproportionate levels of stress and are at risk of sickness-absence and turnover intentions, but there is a lack of research clarifying preventions. This study investigated the impact of inductions (job preparation courses) about mental health for nurses’ job stress, general health, and organizational commitment. Data from 6,656 nurses were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), showing that mental health inductions increase nurses’ job satisfaction, which reduces their occupational stress and improves their health. SEM showed that these occupational health benefits increase the nurses’ commitment to the organization. Job satisfaction (feeling valued, rewarded) also had a direct effect on nurses’ intentions to continue working for the organization. Mental health inductions are therefore beneficial beyond job performance: they increase occupational health in the nursing profession.
Clear cell ependymoma: a mimicker of oligodendroglioma – report of three cases

Clear cell variant of ependymoma is a rare entity which morphologically mimics oligodendroglioma and poses a diagnostic dilemma. We describe three cases of clear cell ependymoma in male children which were supratentorial in location. On microscopic examination, these tumors were composed of sheets of clear cells and resembled oligodendroglioma. Electron microscopy confirmed the ependymal nature of these tumors. Clear cell ependymomas are rare and aggressive tumors. More cases need to be reported to determine their therapeutic responsiveness and prognosis.
Proanthocyanidins from Grape Seeds Inhibit UV–Radiation‐Induced Immune Suppression in Mice: Detection and Analysis of Molecular and Cellular Targets

Ultraviolet (UV)–radiation‐induced immunosuppression has been linked with the risk of skin carcinogenesis. Approximately, 2 million new cases of skin cancers, including melanoma and nonmelanoma, diagnosed each year in the USA and therefore have a tremendous bad impact on public health. Dietary phytochemicals are promising options for the development of effective strategy for the prevention of photodamaging effects of UV radiation including the risk of skin cancer. Grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) are such phytochemicals. Dietary administration of GSPs with AIN76A control diet significantly inhibits UV‐induced skin tumor development as well as suppression of immune system. UV‐induced suppression of immune system is commonly determined using contact hypersensitivity (CHS) model which is a prototype of T–cell‐mediated immune response. We present evidence that inhibition of UV‐induced suppression of immune system by GSPs is mediated through: (i) the alterations in immunoregulatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)‐10 and IL‐12, (ii) DNA repair, (iii) stimulation of effector T cells and (iv) DNA repair‐dependent functional activation of dendritic cells in mouse model. These information have important implications for the use of GSPs as a dietary supplement in chemoprevention of UV‐induced immunosuppression as well as photocarcinogenesis.
11 Podocarp Roots , Mycorrhizas , and Nodules

Podocarps are often found on lownutrient soils and further exacerbate nutrient limitation through the production of recalcitrant litter. Understanding podocarp ecology therefore depends on understanding the root adaptations of podocarps to obtain nutrients. The roots of podocarps are heterorhizic (having two root forms) with abundant spherical determinate short roots, a unique form of largely unknown function, as well as indeterminate fine roots. There is no strong evidence for nitrogen fixation in the nodules. Although nodules are frequently and abundantly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, they are neither required for mycorrhizal infection nor dependent on mycorrhizal infection for their development. The fungal symbiont community associated with podocarps does not appear to be distinctive from that of other plants at a global scale, although it may differ from cooccurring plants within a site. Perhaps the most obvious, yet largely overlooked, hypothesis is that the form of the nodules is the function. The presence of nodules permits a doubling of root cortex volume, while simple geometry indicates that a spherical form involves the lowest possible cost in producing cell wall and membrane material per unit of root volume. Increased root volume permits greater arbuscular mycorrhizal interaction, and hence, nodules may be analogous to the determinate ectomycorrhizal roots of the Pinaceae as a structure to maximize fungal interactions at minimal root construction cost.
Hepatitis B virus infection and metabolic syndrome: Fact or fiction?

Although hepatitis C virus infection is known to be linked with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis, the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and metabolic factors remains unclear. HBV infection is a health problem worldwide, especially in endemic regions such as Asia and Africa. It induces liver decompensation, cirrhosis, hepatocellualr carcinoma, and premature mortality. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome continues to increase in parallel with the epidemic of obesity, which is closely associated with the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or even cancer. The systemic review shows that chronic HBV infection protects against instead of promotes fatty liver. The mechanism is possibly due to a lower frequency of dyslipidemia profile in patients with chronic HBV infection. The association of HBV with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and the risk of arteriosclerosis is still inconclusive. In addition, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome may accelerate the progression of liver disease in patients with chronic HBV infection and synergistically induce cirrhosis or even hepatocellualr carcinoma development.
Motivational Influences on Controlled Processing: Moderating Distractibility in Older Adults

ABSTRACT Research has suggested that aging is associated with a decline in the efficiency of controlling processing operations. Three studies examined the moderating impact of personal relevance on age differences in one index of such operations: the ability to ignore distracting information. Young (17–26) and older (58–86) adults read a series of passages interspersed with irrelevant, distracting information, with the relevance of the passage content to these two age groups being systematically varied. For both groups, processing was more efficient and comprehension enhanced when passage relevance was high. These effects were particularly strong among older adults, a finding consistent with a growing body of data highlighting the importance of motivational factors in determining age differences in cognitive performance.
CRITICAL REVIEW ON TECHNIQUES FOR SIGN LANGUAGE RECOGNITION

Sign language is a language used by hearing impaired people to convey their messages and communicate with rest of people. By using the concept of human computer interaction developing a system useful for both hearing impaired and for that can hear. These people use special symbols called signs for this purpose called sign language. A Signlanguage recognition is the process by which the signs made by the user are recognized by the computer. It can be seen as a way for computers to begin to understand human signs, thus building a richer bridge between machines and humans. A translation system would help people to communicate with hearing impaired people. In this paper a critical review is made about the techniques which are used for performing recognition of symbols for sign language. This paper gives year wise developments and inventions made in HCI for impaired people.
Purification and biochemical characterization of an extracellular lipase from psychrotolerant Pseudomonas fluorescens KE38

An extracellular lipase producing bacterium was isolated from a soil sample, and identified as a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. It was named Pseudomonas fluorescens KE38. KE38 showed psychrotolerant properties with an optimum growth temperature of 25 °C. The lipase enzyme secreted by KE38 was purified 41.13-fold with an overall yield of 54.99%, and a specific activity of 337.3 U/mg. The molecular mass of purified lipase was estimated to be approximately 43 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Although the lipase was active at a temperature range of 1565 °C, it exhibited maximum activity at 45 °C, at pH 8.0. The enzyme exhibited high stability retaining 100% and 70% of its activity after an incubation period of 45 and 100 min at 45 °C and pH 8.0 respectively. It also showed a broad substrate specificity acting on p-nitrophenyl esters with C8-C18 acyl groups as substrates and was activated by Ca2+ and Ni2+ at 1 mM. While the enzyme retained its activity levels in the presence of a variety of organic solvents, DMSO and dimethylformamide enhanced this. High stability, broad substrate specificity and activity at cold temperatures in the presence of organic solvents, and metal ions make the extracellular lipase of KE38 a candidate for industrial applications.
Properties of liquid group-V elements: A numerical tight-binding simulation.

We present a calculation of the structure of liquid As and Sb obtained from the electronic structure described in the tight-binding approximation. We find pair correlation functions of liquid As and Sb in excellent agreement with the experimental data. We show that the structure of liquid As still shows a Peierls distortion whereas liquid Sb is no longer distorted. In our model, the difference between As and Sb can be attributed to a harder repulsive potential of Sb which penalizes the Peierls distortion.
Degradation of endogenous plasma membrane fibronectin concomitant with Treponema denticola 35405 adhesion to gingival fibroblasts

Treponema denticola adhesion and degradation of fibronectin (Fn) on human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were studied by immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The number of adherent bacteria increased and the amount of immunoreactive Fn decreased as a function of increasing T. denticola concentration. The distribution of cell-bound Fn was punctate in micrographs. Anti-human Fn impaired bacterial adhesion to HGF. Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride inhibited Fn degradation but not adhesion. Sonicated extracts and diluted spent growth medium degraded HGF Fn but, unlike intact T. denticola cells, they hardly stimulated F-actin rearrangements.
The interplay of genetic influences and social processes in developmental theory: Specific mechanisms are coming into view

In the coming years we can look forward to research that clarifies specific mechanisms that account for the interplay between genetic and environmental influences on psychological development. Certain misconceptions, arising from research traditions initiated by Francis Galton on the one hand and G. Stanley Hall on the other, may now be set aside in the light of new evidence. Three important findings promise a new synthesis. First, while each of us is born with about 100,000 genes that, under ordinary circumstances, do not change, the expression of these genes on behavior is dynamic. Some genetic influences are expressed early in development, but others are manifest many years later. Second, genetic factors often account not only for some of the individual differences in the measures of adjustments we typically use to monitor development but also for individual differences in environmental experiences that covary with those measures of adjustment. Indeed, genetic factors have been found to account for a surprising amount of covariance between measures of the social environment and of adjustment in young children, adolescents, and adults. Third, the expression of genetic influences are very malleable and responsive to the social environment. These new findings are revealing specific mechanisms for the interplay of genetic and social environmental factors in four domains. First, the social environment may play both a necessary and specific role in the expression of particular genetic influences on a range of behaviors from depression to social responsibility. Second, an understanding of the interplay between the social environment and genetics may lead to a clearer definition of the phenotypic manifestations of particular genetic influences. Third, we will—as a result of these studies—have a clearer fix on the timing of important events and their sequence in development. Fourth, this new genre of work promises to illumine more completely mechanisms by which the social environment influences development independent of genetic influence.
Contemporary Review 2009: Cognitive Aging

This article addresses key topics in cognitive aging, intending to provide the reader with a brief overview of the current state of research in this growing, multidisciplinary field. A summary of the physiological changes in the aging brain is provided as well as a review of variables that influence cognitive abilities in older age. Normal aging differentially affects various aspects of cognition, and specific changes within various domains such as attention, executive functioning, and memory are discussed. Various theories have been proposed to account for the cognitive changes that accompany normal aging, and a brief examination of these theories is presented in the context of these domain-specific changes.
Transthoracic electrical impedance s a guide to intravascular overload.

Electrical impedance methods have been used to document the accumulation of fluid in living tissues. Change in transthoracic electrical impedance was studied in dogs during deliberate overinfusion with albumin in normal saline solution. Fall in transthoracic impedance was regularly observed with acute intravascular volume overload. Change in transthoracic impedance was accompanied by elevated cardiac output, fall in peripheral resistance and peripheral and pulmonary arteriovenous shunting. Pulmonary interstitial edema occurred in all animals. Impedance changes occur as the result of increased conductivity due to decreased intrapulmonary aeration (atelectasis) or to increased intrathoracic fluid volume. Relative changes in electrical impedance appear to be as sensitive as central venous pressure in the detection of intrathoracic volume changes.
Effectiveness of a prevention program for diabetic ketoacidosis in children. An 8-year study in schools and private practices.

OBJECTIVE To shorten the period of carbohydrate intolerance preceding the diagnosis of IDDM in children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was studied in newly diagnosed diabetic children aged 6-14 years, in the area of Parma, Italy, 8 years after an information program on DKA was introduced to teachers, students, parents, and pediatricians. Information was provided by displaying a poster with a few practical messages in 177 primary and secondary public schools. The pediatricians working in the same area were given equipment for the measurement of both glycosuria and blood glucose levels, as well as cards listing guidelines for the early diagnosis of diabetes, to be given to patients. A toll-free number was also provided. Clinical and laboratory features of 24 young diabetic patients diagnosed in the Parma area (group 1) were compared with those of 30 patients coming from two nearby areas in which no campaign for the prevention of DKA had been carried out (group 2). RESULTS From 1 January 1991 to 31 December 1997, DKA was diagnosed in 3 children from group 1 (12.5%) and in 25 children from group 2 (83.0%) (chi 2 = 26.8; P = 0.0001). The three cases of DKA in group 1 were observed in 1991 (n = 1) and in 1992 (n = 2). No patients from the Parma area who had DKA were admitted to our unit after 1992. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 5.0 +/- 6.0 and 28.0 +/- 10.0 days (P < 0.0001), in groups 1 and 2, respectively, Metabolic derangements were less severe in patients of group 1 than in those of group 2. Hospitalization for the treatment of overt diabetes and for the teaching of self-management of the disease lasted 5.4 +/- 1.2 days in group 1 and 13.3 +/- 2.4 days in group 2 (P = 0.002). The total cost of the 8-year campaign was $23,470. CONCLUSIONS The prevention program for DKA in diabetic children aged 6-14 years, carried out in the Parma area during the last 8 years, was successful. Thanks to this program, cumulative frequency of DKA in new-onset IDDM decreased from 78% during 1987-1991 to 12.5% during 1991-1997. None of the newly diagnosed diabetic children aged 6-14 years and from the Parma area were ever admitted to the hospital for DKA after 1992.
Miniaturized conical spiral antenna with tapered resistive roading and corrugated arms

In this paper, we proposed a new broadband conical spiral antenna. This antenna adopted corrugated arms in the outer turns to improve low frequency operation. Tapered resistive loading along an exponential profile was also applied to suppress the reflected backward traveling wave which causes undesirable radiation characteristics in low frequency band. Characteristics of antenna components and parameters are provided along with guidelines and recommendations for miniaturization. The proposed antenna aimed to operate from 300 MHz to 1.2 GHz using 7 inch aperture and 6 inch height. Antenna characteristics were analyzed by FEKO simulations and simulation results will be presented.
Probabilistic Judgements in Deluded and Non-Deluded Subjects

An experiment is described in which deluded subjects were compared with a non-deluded psychiatric control group and a normal control group on a probabilistic inference task. Deluded subjects were found to request less information before reaching a decision and to express higher certainty levels than either control group. They also exhibited over-confidence on estimates of the probability of a future event. Delusion. A false personal belief based on incorrect inference about external reality and firmly sustained in spite of what almost everyone else believes and in spite of what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's subculture. [American Psychiatric Association, 1980]
The radiation of the Cape flora, southern Africa

The flora of the south‐western tip of southern Africa, the Cape flora, with some 9000 species in an area of 90 000 km2 is much more speciose than can be expected from its area or latitude, and is comparable to that expected from the most diverse equatorial areas. The endemism of almost 70%, on the other hand, is comparable to that found on islands. This high endemism is accounted for by the ecological and geographical isolation of the Cape Floristic Region, but explanations for the high species richness are not so easily found. The high species richness is accentuated when its taxonomic distribution is investigated: almost half of the total species richness of the area is accounted for by 33‘Cape floral clades'. These are clades which may have initially diversified in the region, and of which at least half the species are still found in the Cape Floristic Region. Such a high contribution by a very small number of clades is typical of island floras, not of mainland floras. The start of the radiation of these clades has been dated by molecular clock techniques to between 18 million years ago (Mya)(Pelargonium) and 8 Mya (Phylica), but only six radiations have been dated to date. The fossil evidence for the dating of the radiation is shown to be largely speculative. The Cenozoic environmental history of southern Africa is reviewed in search of possible triggers for the radiations, climatic changes emerge as the most likely candidate. Due to a very poor fossil record, the climatic history has to be inferred from larger scale patterns, these suggest large‐scale fluctuations between summer wet (Palaeocene, Early Miocene)and summer dry climates (Oligocene, Middle Miocene to present). The massive speciation in the Cape flora might be accounted for by the diverse limitations to gene flow (dissected landscapes, pollinator specialisation, long flowering times allowing much phenological specialisation), as well as a richly complex environment providing a diversity of selective forces (geographically variable climate, much altitude variation, different soil types, rocky terrain providing many micro‐niches, and regular fires providing both intermediate disturbances, as well as different ways of surviving the fires). However, much of this is based on correlation, and there is a great need for (a)experimental testing of the proposed speciation mechanisms, (b)more molecular clock estimates of the age and pattern of the radiations, and (c)more fossil evidence bearing on the past climates.