Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adolescent Physical Activity and Endometriosis Risk

Background In the one study examining the relationship, adolescent physical activity was not associated with risk for endometriosis. Case-control studies have shown 40–80% reductions in risk for adult activity, while only an 11% reduction in endometriosis risk was observed in a recent prospective analysis. Methods Using data collected from the Nurses’ Health Study II, a prospective cohort study of premenopausal US nurses that began in 1989, we have attempted to clarify this relation. Data are updated every 2 yrs with follow-up for these analyses through to 2001. Women reported the average amount of time per week spent in moderate and strenuous recreational activity during three age periods: ages 12–13, ages 14–17, and ages 18–22. A metabolic equivalent (MET) score was assigned to each activity and these were summed to estimate total activity. Results During 637,747 person-years of follow-up, 1,481 cases of laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis were reported among women with no past infertility. After adjusting for age, calendar time, birth weight, age at menarche, parity, oral contraceptive use, and body mass index (BMI), we observed a 16% increase in the risk for endometriosis comparing the greatest amount of activity (≥80 MET-h/wk) with the least (<20 MET-h/wk) during ages 12–13 (RR=1.16, 95% CI=0.98–1.37, p-value test for trend=0.02), and no associations for ages 14–17 or ages 18–22. In analyses of the individual activity types within each time period, only strenuous activity during ages 12–13 was associated with endometriosis. Conclusions We did not find evidence of a beneficial association between adolescent physical activity and laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis, but in fact found a small increase in risk.
Young adult daughters of BRCA1/2 positive mothers: What do they know about hereditary cancer and how much do they worry?

The objectives of this study are to determine (i) what daughters, ages 18–24 years, of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers understand about their 50% chance of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation and about risk reduction or management options for mutation carriers, (ii) the extent and nature of daughters' cancer‐related distress, and (iii) the effects of knowing mother's mutation status on daughters' future plans.
Does optic disc appearance distinguish ischemic optic neuropathy from optic neuritis?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether characteristics of optic nerve swelling assist in distinguishing between optic neuritis and anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. METHOD Optic nerve stereophotograph review by masked observers. RESULTS Altitudinal swelling, pallor, arterial attenuation, and hemorrhage are found more commonly in anterior ischemic optic neuropathy than in optic neuritis. CONCLUSION Optic disc appearance does help to distinguish anterior ischemic optic neuropathy from optic neuritis, although there are overlapping features.
French Settlers, Familial Suffrage, and Citizenship in 1920s Tunisia

After the First World War, many politicians sought, and ultimately failed, to replace universal suffrage with familial suffrage in French elections. This article analyzes how this new effort to think of French citizens in terms of gender and familial identities extended to the empire with the 1922 introduction of familial suffrage in Tunisia. This reform redefined the relationship between French settlers and their government. It also shows that Tunisia, which has thus far been absent from the developing literature on settler citizenship in the empire, represents a particularly compelling case study of the intersection of gender and familial status with definitions of citizenship.
Protein-based therapies for acute lung injury: targeting neutrophil extracellular traps

Introduction: Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are the acute onset of noncardiac respiratory insufficiency associated with bilateral lung infiltrations. During the past decade, mechanical ventilation strategies using low tidal volumes have reduced the mortality of ALI/ARDS to ∼ 20 – 40%. However, ALI/ARDS continues to be a major factor in global burden of diseases, with no pharmacological agents currently available. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss several inflammatory proteins involved in the molecular pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS. The complement cleavage product, C5a, is a peptide acting as a potent anaphylatoxin. C5a may trigger the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and release of histone proteins to the extracellular compartment during ALI/ARDS. NETs may activate platelets to release TGF-β, which is involved in tissue remodeling during the later phases of ALI/ARDS. Interception of C5a signaling or blockade of extracellular histones has recently shown promising beneficial effects in small animal models of ALI/ARDS. Expert opinion: Novel protein-based strategies for the treatment of ALI/ARDS may inspire the hopes of scientists, clinicians, and patients. Although neutralization of extracellular histones/NETs, C5a, and TGF-β is effective in experimental models of ALI/ARDS, controlled clinical trials will be necessary for further evaluation in future.
Epitaxial (Al,Ga)InP-oxide distributed Bragg reflectors for use in visible-wavelength optical devices

Epitaxially-grown distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR's) employing thermally oxidized AlAs as the low refractive index constituent and (Al,Ga)InP as the high index constituent are fabricated. The 4.5-pair Ga/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/ P-oxide and Al/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/ P-oxide DBR's exhibit high reflectivity (>90%) over a range of 635-967 nm and 470-676 nm, respectively. The (Al,Ga)InP-oxide DBR's are shown to require less material to produce high reflectivity and to have significantly wider bandwidth than all-semiconductor DBR's used in the visible spectrum. <<ETX>>
Identical Miniature Inverted Repeat Transposable Elements Flank Class 1 Integrons in Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter spp

ABSTRACT Miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (MITEs) have been identified flanking class 1 integrons. We have identified and characterized a 439-bp MITE-like structure in seven Acinetobacter species isolates from Portugal and Brazil. The complete sequence similarity of the elements and flanking regions suggests that MITEs may act as mobilizable vectors for the dissemination of integrons.
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Manis pentadactyla (Pholidota, Manidae): Comparison of M. pentadactyla and M. tetradactyla

In this paper, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the Manis pentadactyla (Pholidota: Manidae), which is considered as an endemic species in China. It is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List and also an endangered species in China. The genome is 16,578 bp in size. Its gene arrangement pattern was identical with those of Manis tetradactyla. We compared the mitochondrial genome of M. pentadactyla with that of the M. tetradactyla. Nucleotide sequence similarity between the two whole mitochondrial genomes was 79.30%, and the relatively low similarity seems to indicate that the two species are distinctly separated on the species level. The information on the mitochondrial genome comparison of the two species was discussed in detail in this paper.
Effects of Fatigue From Resistance Training on Barbell Back Squat Biomechanics

Abstract Hooper, DR, Szivak, TK, Comstock, BA, Dunn-Lewis, C, Apicella, JM, Kelly, NA, Creighton, BC, Flanagan, SD, Looney, DP, Volek, JS, Maresh, CM, and Kraemer, WJ. Effects of fatigue from resistance training on barbell back squat biomechanics. J Strength Cond Res 28(4): 1127–1134, 2014—Exhaustive resistance training programs that have been previously referred to as extreme conditioning protocols have increased in popularity in military and civilian populations in recent years. However, because of their highly fatiguing nature, proprioception is likely altered during such programs that would significantly affect the safety and efficacy of such programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the alterations in movement patterns that result from extreme conditioning protocols and to evaluate if these protocols can be deemed safe and effective. Twelve men (age 24 ± 4.2 years, height 173.1 ± 3.6 cm, weight 76.9 ± 7.8 kg, body fat percentage 9.0 ± 2.2%) and 13 women (age 24.5 ± 3.8 years, height 166.9 ± 8.5 cm, weight 66.1 ± 9.2 kg, body fat percentage 18.6 ± 4.0%) with at least 6 months of resistance training experience involving barbell bench press, barbell deadlift, and barbell back squat performed a highly fatiguing resistance training workout. During the barbell back squat, a 2-dimensional analysis was performed where the knee and hip angles were recorded throughout the 55 repetitions of the workout. At the early stages of the protocol, knee angle was significantly lower in men and in women demonstrating less knee flexion. Also, hip angle was significantly lower early in the program in men and in women, demonstrating a greater forward lean. The technique changes that occur in high repetition sets do not favor optimal strength development and may increase the risk of injury, clearly questioning the safety and efficacy of such resistance training programming. This is likely a display of self-preservation by individuals who are faced with high repetition programs.
Optimal PMU placement for state estimation robustness

Given a sufficient number of properly placed synchronized voltage and current phasor measurements, an L1 estimator (also known as the Least Absolute Value or LAV estimator) can be shown to be robust against gross measurement errors. This paper is concerned about the placement of phasor measurement units (PMU) in order to establish a desired level of robustness. It develops a PMU placement strategy which will ensure a desired level of robustness for an L1 state estimator against bad measurements.
Herbaceous monocot plant form and function along a tropical rain-forest light gradient: a reversal of dicot strategy

Whole plant form and function vary spectacularly across the seed plants. In recent years, plant evolutionary ecologists have begun to document this diversity on large geographic scales by analysing ‘functional traits’ that are indicative of whole plant performance across environmental gradients (Swenson & Enquist 2007, Wright et al. 2004). Despite the high degree of functional diversity in tropical forests, convergence in function does occur locally along successional or light gradients (Bazzaz & Pickett 1980, Swaine & Whitmore 1988).
The effect of seasonal differences on prognostic factors in Turkish patients with breast cancer

Several studies have shown that solar light affects the prognosis of breast cancer. This effect is mostly associated with vitamin D. In-vitro studies showed that vitamin D analogs change the receptor expression in breast cancer cell lines. In our study, we studied the effect of solar light on prognostic factors of breast cancer. Patients with breast cancer from two different regions of Turkey were included in the study. These regions have different seasonal features and solar light exposures. Nine hundred and eighty-six patients were from the Akdeniz University Medical Faculty of Antalya region, and 463 patients were from the Kayseri Education and Research Hospital of Kayseri region. The Antalya region has warm climate and more solar light exposure. The Kayseri region has relatively colder climate and less solar light exposure. When histological features are considered, the estrogen and progesterone receptor expressions were higher in the Kayseri group, and a significant difference was observed for the progesterone receptor (P=0.013). No significant difference was observed for the estrogen receptor but a significant trend was observed (P=0.056). No significant difference was observed in CerbB2 expression between groups. There were significant differences for histological and nuclear grade (P<0.001 and P=0.002). The ratio of histological grade 3 was higher in the Kayseri group and the ratio of nuclear grade 1 was higher in the Antalya group. Our study showed that, due to seasonal differences, solar light exposure leads to significant changes in prognostic factors for breast cancer. This result may be interpreted as the reflection of in-vitro findings in a clinical setting and may be accepted as one of the first such reports in the literature.
Chemical Engineering Education in Europe: Trends and Challenges

At least three major issues influence the education of chemical and process engineers in Europe at the beginning of the new century. First a lack of students entering chemical engineering programmes in several European countries, second the process towards a harmonized higher education area in Europe (Bologna Process), and finally a distinct uncertainty as to what chemical engineering as well as education in chemical engineering should be in the future. All three of these issues require full attention by the chemical engineering community. This paper will discuss them against the background of actual experiences gathered by the EFCE Working Party on Education.
The Effects of Cross-infection Control Procedures on the Tensile and Flextural Properties of Superelastic Nickel-titanium Wires

The development of Superelastic nickel-titanium archwires has simplified the alignment phase of orthodontic treatment by permitting the use of highly flexible, resilient archwires and avoiding the need for complex loops. The majority of relatively high cost has led to sterilization and recycling of these wires by some clinicians. This study way designed to examine the effects of currently used infection contorl procedures on the mechanical properties of superelastic nickel-titanium alloy (SENTA®) archwires. One-hundred-and-forty lengths of a SENTA® wire were subjected to various sterilization and disinfection procedures. These included cold disinfection in 2 per cent glutaraladehyde solution for 3-and 24-hour cyles, and steam autoclaving. Single and double cycles were used. The properties investigated were the 0·1 per cent yield strengh, the ultimate tensile strength, and the flexural regidity. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups or against an untreated control.
How Innate Immune Mechanisms Contribute to Antibody-Enhanced Viral Infections

ABSTRACT Preexisting antibodies may enhance viral infections. In dengue, nonneutralizing antibodies raised by natural infection with one of four dengue viruses (DENVs) may enhance infection with a different virus by a process we term “intrinsic antibody-dependent enhancement” (iADE). In addition, nonprotective antibodies raised by formalin-inactivated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and measles virus vaccines have led to enhanced disease during breakthrough infections. Infections under iADE conditions not only facilitate the process of viral entry into monocytes and macrophages but also modify innate and adaptive intracellular antiviral mechanisms, suppressing type 1 interferon (IFN) production and resulting in enhanced DENV replication. The suppression observed in vitro has been documented in patients with severe (dengue hemorrhagic fever [DHF]) but not in patient with mild (dengue fever [DF]) secondary dengue virus infections. Important veterinary viral infections also may exhibit iADE. It is thought that use of formalin deconforms viral epitopes of RSV, resulting in poor Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation; suboptimal maturation of dendritic cells with reduced production of activation factors CD40, CD80, and CD86; decreased germinal center formation in lymph nodes; and the production of nonprotective antibodies. These antibodies fail to neutralize RSV, allowing replication with secondary stimulation of RSV-primed Th2 cells producing more low-avidity antibody, resulting in immune complexes deposited into affected tissue. However, when formalin-inactivated RSV was administered with a TLR agonist to mice, they were protected against wild-type virus challenge. Safe and effective vaccines against RSV/measles virus and dengue virus may benefit from a better understanding of how innate immune responses can promote production of protective antibodies.
Discovery of pyrazines as pollinator sex pheromones and orchid semiochemicals: implications for the evolution of sexual deception.

Sexually deceptive orchids employ floral volatiles to sexually lure their specific pollinators. How and why this pollination system has evolved independently on multiple continents remains unknown, although preadaptation is considered to have been important. Understanding the chemistry of sexual deception is a crucial first step towards solving this mystery. The combination of gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD), GC-MS, synthesis and field bioassays allowed us to identify the volatiles involved in the interaction between the orchid Drakaea glyptodon and its sexually attracted male thynnine wasp pollinator, Zaspilothynnus trilobatus. Three alkylpyrazines and one novel hydroxymethyl pyrazine were identified as the sex pheromone of Z. trilobatus and are also used by D. glyptodon for pollinator attraction. Given that our findings revealed a new chemical system for plants, we surveyed widely across representative orchid taxa for the presence of these compounds. With one exception, our chemical survey failed to detect pyrazines in related genera. Collectively, no evidence for preadaptation was found. The chemistry of sexual deception is more diverse than previously known. Our results suggest that evolutionary novelty may have played a key role in the evolution of sexual deception and highlight the value of investigating unusual pollination systems for advancing our understanding of the role of chemistry in evolution.
The Futile Quest for a Grand Explanation of Long-Run Government Expenditure

This paper carries out a critical reappraisal of the two contending theories purporting to explain long-run government spending: Wagner's Law and different variants of the ratchet effect. We analyze data spanning from the early 19th century until the present day in Sweden and the United Kingdom. Hence, in contrast to previous studies, we evaluate the validity of Wagner's Law and the ratchet effect hypothesis over a very long time period, starting at the beginning of industrialization. Cointegration analysis is used to investigate the long-run relationships between government expenditure and GDP, focusing on sub-periods and structural breaks. Moreover, we test the ratchet effect hypothesis by estimating models which allow for asymmetric adjustment. According to our main results, Wagner's Law does not hold in the long run, although the data are consistent with Wagner's Law between roughly 1860 and the mid 1970s. This can be traced to the formation of the modern public sector, including the introduction of public education, health care, and so forth. Yet Wagner's Law did not hold during the initial industrialization phase (before 1860), and in recent periods GDP only affects the government spending share when we control for population age structure. Finally, we find some evidence of asymmetric adjustment in the UK, particularly in the post-WWII period. However, the ratchet effect is not a general cause of the growth of government spending.
Deletion of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) and VEGF-D Is Not Equivalent to VEGF Receptor 3 Deletion in Mouse Embryos

ABSTRACT Lymphatic vessels play an important role in the regulation of tissue fluid balance, immune responses, and fat adsorption and are involved in diseases including lymphedema and tumor metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 3 (VEGFR-3) is necessary for development of the blood vasculature during early embryogenesis, but later, VEGFR-3 expression becomes restricted to the lymphatic vasculature. We analyzed mice deficient in both of the known VEGFR-3 ligands, VEGF-C and VEGF-D. Unlike the Vegfr3−/− embryos, the Vegfc−/−; Vegfd−/− embryos displayed normal blood vasculature after embryonic day 9.5. Deletion of Vegfr3 in the epiblast, using keratin 19 (K19) Cre, resulted in a phenotype identical to that of the Vegfr3−/− embryos, suggesting that this phenotype is due to defects in the embryo proper and not in placental development. Interestingly, the Vegfr3neo hypomorphic mutant mice carrying the neomycin cassette between exons 1 and 2 showed defective lymphatic development. Overexpression of human or mouse VEGF-D in the skin, under the K14 promoter, rescued the lymphatic hypoplasia of the Vegfc+/− mice in the K14-VEGF-D; Vegfc+/− compound mice, suggesting that VEGF-D is functionally redundant with VEGF-C in the stimulation of developmental lymphangiogenesis. Our results suggest VEGF-C- and VEGF-D-independent functions for VEGFR-3 in the early embryo.
Predicting an Aptamer ’ s Target Binding Affinity Using its Nucleotide Sequence

Modern molecular and cellular biology depends on markers that can very selectively bind to a target molecule. Unfortunately, the process of finding such a marker is generally slow, through trial and error, and often in vivo. Aptamers (short nucleotide sequences) are a promising type of marker that can be generated and evaluated synthetically. Currently, the process of aptamer selection involves the generation of several thousand different nucleotide sequences and the measurement of their target affinity using fluorescence. Those aptamers with high affinity will fluoresce brightly. Through successively stronger washes, those aptamers that do not bind the target tightly are removed and the batch is refined down to those aptamers that very tightly bind the target. New technologies such as microfluidic chips and DNA arrays are now enabling millions of aptamers to be generated and evaluated in a single day, but it is still costly to run each batch, and only a small number of the possible aptamers of a fixed length can be evaluated. [1] A single batch generates large amounts of information about the target binding characteristics of many different aptamers. Using this information, it could be possible to automatically classify proposed aptamers as tightly or weakly binding and to create a model of the underlying function mapping the aptamer’s nucleotide sequence to the its target affinity.
Analgesia following Thoracotomy: A Survey of Australian Practice

This survey examines pain management after thoracotomy in Australian hospitals. Questionnaires were sent to senior thoracic anaesthetists at 27 hospitals (16 public and 11 private) with thoracic surgical units. Twenty-six anaesthetists replied and 24 responses were included in the analyses. Seventy-two percent of respondents were from hospitals with acute pain services (APS), and in 94% of these hospitals patients are reportedly visited by the APS. The most frequently used analgesic modalities are epidural analgesia, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA), and nurse-controlled intravenous opioid infusions. Over half of the anaesthetists reported using local anaesthetic intercostal nerve block, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or paracetamol. Combinations of analgesic techniques were cited frequently. Respondents reported that cryoanalgesia, interpleural blockade, paravertebral blockade, subarachnoid infusions, ketamine, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are used infrequently. Anaesthetists from public hospitals reported using epidural analgesia, IVPCA and NSAIDs more frequently than those from private hospitals. When epidural analgesia is used, most respondents place the catheter in the mid-thoracic region (91%), use a regimen of opioids plus local anaesthetic (96%), use a constant infusion technique (100%), and continue analgesia for up to three days (83%). Over half of the respondents reported that post-thoracotomy patients are nursed in a high-dependency area. Seventy-nine percent of respondents selected epidural analgesia as the best available analgesia technique, whereas 21% consider IVPCA to be the best. Only 75% of respondents reported that the type of analgesia they consider best is also the type which they use most frequently‡.