Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variation of Oxygenation Conditions on a Hydrocarbonoclastic Microbial Community Reveals Alcanivorax and Cycloclasticus Ecotypes

Deciphering the ecology of marine obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (MOHCB) is of crucial importance for understanding their success in occupying distinct niches in hydrocarbon-contaminated marine environments after oil spills. In marine coastal sediments, MOHCB are particularly subjected to extreme fluctuating conditions due to redox oscillations several times a day as a result of mechanical (tide, waves and currents) and biological (bioturbation) reworking of the sediment. The adaptation of MOHCB to the redox oscillations was investigated by an experimental ecology approach, subjecting a hydrocarbon-degrading microbial community to contrasting oxygenation regimes including permanent anoxic conditions, anoxic/oxic oscillations and permanent oxic conditions. The most ubiquitous MOHCB, Alcanivorax and Cycloclasticus, showed different behaviors, especially under anoxic/oxic oscillation conditions, which were more favorable for Alcanivorax than for Cycloclasticus. The micro-diversity of 16S rRNA gene transcripts from these genera revealed specific ecotypes for different oxygenation conditions and their dynamics. It is likely that such ecotypes allow the colonization of distinct ecological niches that may explain the success of Alcanivorax and Cycloclasticus in hydrocarbon-contaminated coastal sediments during oil-spills.
Breast-feeding in sub-Saharan Africa: outlook for 2000

Abstract The World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that 1.5 million infants die annually, unnecessarily, from deprival or from insufficiency of breast milk. Hence, the need for its maximal use, very particularly in impoverished populations, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa. In many developed populations, a generation ago the practice was very low, but now it has risen considerably. In contrast, in Africa and in most developing populations, despite the far greater need for breast-feeding, the practice is tending to decrease, especially among urban mothers. While the most common reasons given concern insufficiency of breast milk and employment of mothers, the latter, especially urban mothers, are under strong and increasing pressure to use proprietary replacement foods. These are often made up unsatisfactorily and are contaminated. Also influential are the often less than enthusiastic, and confusing, attitudes of staff at clinics and hospitals, albeit, due in part to their very heavy workloads. Additionally, there is societyp's relatively indifferent attitude to breast-feeding. Currently, a hugely adverse factor is the danger of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transference from seropositive mothers to their infants – in some African countries almost half of antenatal mothers are infected. Chances of early control of the infection are remote. However, apart from this danger, and from the pressure from replacement food companies, the outlook for breast-feeding practice in many African countries is unlikely to improve significantly until greater encouragement is given from State, local and other health authorities.
Increasing Ventilation Pressure Increases Cortical Subarachnoid Cerebrospinal Fluid Prostanoids in Newborn Pigs

ABSTRACT. This study examines the responses of pial arterioles and venules to increased mean airway pressure (Paw) in newborn pigs. We further characterized the changes in cortical subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid prostanoids with increased Paw, both before and after cyelooxygenase inhibition with indomethacin. Eight chloralose anesthetized newborn pigs were equipped with closed cranial windows and ventilated with a conventional infant pressure-cycled respirator. Increasing Paw from 3.2 ± 0.3 cm water to 14.3 ± 0.6 cm water did not change pial arteriole or venule diameters. Cerebrospinal fluid prostanoids (6–keto-PGF1a TxB2, PGE2, and PGF2a), however, were increased reversibly (3- to 5-fold) by increasingPaw After indomethacin (5 mg/kg, intravenous) pial arterioles constricted approximately 15% with increased Paw. These results suggest that increasing ventilation pressure increases brain prostanoid production. Prostanoids appear to inhibit vasoconstriction and may be important in maintaining cerebral blood flow during the stress of mechanical ventilation.
Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa derepressed R-plasmids

A genetic study of conjugal transmissibility of two R-plasmids was undertaken in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conjugally derepressed mutants of the R-plasmids were isolated, and examination of 11 independent mutants revealed that 10 were recessive to the wild-type transfer repressor, whereas 1 mutant was cis dominant. Cross-repression was observed between the two R-plasmids, suggesting that they have functionally equivalent systems for regulating the expression of tra loci. The derepressed R-plasmid mutants exhibited several characteristics, in addition to derepressed transfer, that were not expressed by the parental plasmids. These included sensitivity to certain donor-specific phages, inhibition of multiplication of a transducing phage, and, in the one case examined, a high degree of entry exclusion. The coexpression of these different functions suggests that their respective genetic loci are controlled by the same regulatory system as that of tra, or else that they are part of the tra complex.
Culture, Product Differentiation and Market Segmentation: A Structural Analysis of the Motivation and Satisfaction of Tourists in Amsterdam

The varied supply of tourism services — with particular emphasis on tangible and intangible cultural aspects — corresponds ideally to visitors' characteristics and wishes. This paper considers a major tourist destination, such as Amsterdam, as an export-oriented multi-product company, characterized by spatial and functional market segmentation and monopolistic competition reflected in product differentiation. Urban branding and attractiveness may favour tourist destination loyalty. The complex decision web of motivation and satisfaction of tourists in Amsterdam is analysed with a structural equations model (SEM). The authors find that different tourist profiles, in terms of personal characteristics and motivations, can significantly impact the satisfaction received from tourism services. Furthermore, and most interestingly, the results suggest that satisfaction does not necessarily lead to improved destination loyalty, but is contingent on the source of satisfaction. In this case, satisfaction resulting from tangible or intangible cultural sources has clearly different implications for loyalty, with relevant managerial implications.
Horizontal cell density and mosaic regularity in pigmented and albino mouse retina

The present study has examined the density and mosaic regularity of the population of horizontal cells in the pigmented and albino mouse retina. Retinal wholemounts were immunostained for calbindin, and labeled cells within sampled fields were analyzed to determine horizontal cell soma size and density. The X‐Y positional coordinates of each cell were determined, from which the geometrical properties of the mosaic were examined using nearest neighbor and Voronoi domain analyses, and regularity indices were derived from those measures. Autocorrelation and density recovery profile analyses were also conducted to identify the presence of exclusion zones within the population of horizontal cells. For each sampled field, random simulations of matched density, constrained by the physical size of the horizontal cells, were generated and analyzed in parallel. Neither retinal area, nor horizontal cell soma size, nor density differed between the pigmented and albino retinas. Mosaic regularity in pigmented and albino retinas did not differ, but each differed significantly from random simulations of identical density. Horizontal cells in the mouse retina exhibit exclusion zones extending beyond the physical size of the soma, but these were identical in size in the pigmented and albino retina. Such exclusion zones are suggested to reflect homotypic interactions between horizontal cells during early development that mediate cellular repulsion and tangential movement. The lack of any discernable effect brought about by the albino mutation, despite numerous developmental abnormalities associated with the retinal neuroepithelium in albino mice, is consistent with other results showing that homotypic interactions are sufficient for the genesis of the global patterning characteristic of mature retinal mosaics. J. Comp. Neurol. 454:168–176, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Volunteering and Social Capital: A Case Study of Older Hospital Volunteers in Southern Ontario

Volunteering as a form of social activity can facilitate older adults’ active aging through community engagement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the views on older adults’ volunteerism in a community hospital network in Southern Ontario. Utilizing in-depth interviews with 10 older volunteers (over the age of 65), document analysis, and a key informant interview, I explored their experiences of volunteering and social capital development at six hospitals in the network. Data analyses included open and axial coding, and conceptualization of the themes. Four major themes emerged from the data: reasons to volunteer, management’s influence, negative experiences of volunteering, and connections with others. The findings of this research emphasized older volunteers’ strong commitment and enthusiasm to support the hospital in their own communities, the power of volunteering to enhance the development of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, and the influence of two major contextual factors (i.e. the Auxiliary Factor and the Change Factor) to facilitate or hinder older volunteers’ social capital development in the hospitals. Future research directions should focus on further unpacking the different degrees to which each type of social capital is developed, placing emphasis on the benefits of social capital development for volunteers in healthcare settings. The implications for practice include the targeted recruitment of older adults as healthcare volunteers while creating volunteer positions and environments in which they can develop social capital with their peer volunteers, hospital staff, patients, and people in surrounding communities. To sustain their existing dedicated long-term volunteers, in particular their Auxiliary groups, the community hospital network can enhance facilitating factors such as the Auxiliary Factor while mitigating the negative effects of the Change Factor. By developing social capital through volunteering in their own communities, older adults can engage in active aging, while participating in the development of an age-friendly community.
Chronic Health Conditions and Internet Behavioral Interventions: A Review of Factors to Enhance User Engagement

The objective of this study was to review the evidence about what factors influence user engagement in Internet-based behavioral interventions for chronic illness. We conducted a systematic review of the recent published literature. Searches of MEDLINE (using Ovid and PubMed), The Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO, from January 2000 to December 2008, were completed. Additional articles were identified from searching the bibliographies of retrieved articles. We identified studies of interactive health communication interventions delivered via the Internet that, apart from delivering health information, had another component such as interactive tools to manage illness, decision support for treatment, or social support. We restricted the age range to adulthood. The search identified 186 abstracts; 46 articles were reviewed. We used a qualitative approach called "positive deviance" to study those interventions that have succeeded in engaging users where most have failed. Some ways to improve user engagement in Internet interventions suggested by our review include addressing health concerns that are important and relevant to an individual patient or consumer and an individualized approach, such as personally tailored advice and feedback. Interventions that are part of larger health management programs that include clinicians appear to be especially promising.
Trial fitting of a removable partial denture framework made using computer-aided design and rapid prototyping techniques

Abstract Previous studies of CAD/CAM-produced sacrificial patterns for removable partial denture frameworks have been documented but to date, no such restorations have been test-fitted to a patient. This paper provides details of the first trial fitting to a patient of an RPD framework, the sacrificial pattern of which was produced by CAD/CAM and RP technologies. A cast of the patient was scanned and the normal procedures of dental surveying and pattern build were undertaken with reference to the scanned model using computer-aided design. A sacrificial pattern of the design was produced by rapid prototyping technology. After spruing the pattern, investment-casting and finishing techniques were carried out according to conventional principles. The framework was successfully trial-fitted to the patient and clinically judged to be acceptable for the next stage of denture fabrication, that of adding acrylic bases and artificial teeth.
Parallel sequence decoupled full Newton-Raphson three phase power flow

A three phase power flow program based on symmetrical components comprises three independent subproblems corresponding to positive, negative, and zero-sequence networks. The positive sequence network is solved using sequence decoupled full Newton-Rahpson method without any modifications in their formulation. The negative- and zero-sequence networks are solved using nodal voltage equations. These three sequence networks have been modelled by three independent equivalent circuits and solved simultaneously using multi-core processors parallel programming. The parallel three-phase power-flow program has been tested using IEEE 13, 34 and 123 node feeder and a practical 37 node distribution feeder. The result showed that parallel three phase load flow produced execution speedup for every test system.
Akodon sex reversed females: the never ending story

The existence of fertile A. azarae females with a chromosome sex pair indistinguishable from that of males was reported more than 35 years ago. These heterogametic females were initially thought to occur due to an extreme process of dosage compensation in which X inactivation was restricted to Xp and complemented by a deletion of Xq (Xx females). Later on, a C-banding analysis of A. mollis variant females showed that these specimens were in fact XY* sex reversed and not Xx females. The finding of positive testing for Zfy and Sry multiple-copy genes in Akodon males and heterogametic females confirmed the XY* assumption. At the present time, XY* sex reversed females have been found to exist in nine Akodon species. Akodon heterogametic females produce X and Y* oocytes, which upon sperm fertilization give rise to viable XX (female), XY* (female), and XY (male) embryos, and to non-viable Y*Y zygotes. Heterozygous females exhibit a better reproductive performance than XX females in order to compensate the Y*Y zygote wastage. XY* sex reversed females are assumed to occur due to a deficient Sry expression resulting in the development of ovaries instead of testes. Moreover, the appearance of Y* elements is a highly recurrent event. It is proposed that homozygosity for an autosomal or pseudoautosomal recessive mutation (s–) inhibits Sry expression giving rise to XY* embryos with ovary development. Location of the Y* chromosome in the female germ cell lineage produces an ovary-specific imprinting of the Sry* gene maintaining its defective expression through generations independently from the presence or absence of s– homozygosity. By escaping the ovary-specific methylation some Y* chromosomes turn back to normal Ys producing Y oocytes capable of generating normal male embryos when fertilized by an X sperm. Fluctuations in the rate of variant females in field populations and in laboratory colonies of Akodon depend on the balance between the appearance of new variant females (s–/s–, XY* specimens) and the extinction of sex reversed specimens due to imprinting escape.
Relationship between subjective social status and perceived health among Latin American immigrant women.

OBJECTIVE to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and subjective social status and explain how subjective social status predicts health in immigrant women. METHODS cross-sectional study based on data from 371 Latin American women (16-65 years old) from a total of 7,056 registered immigrants accessed through community partners between 2009-2010. Socioeconomic status was measured through education, income and occupation; subjective social status was measured using the MacArthur Scale, and perceived health, using a Likert scale. RESULTS a weak correlation between socioeconomic and subjective social status was found. In the bivariate analysis, a significantly higher prevalence of negative perceived health in women with no education, low income, undocumented employment was observed. In the multivariate analysis, higher odds of prevalence of negative perceptions of health in the lower levels of the MacArthur scale were observed. No significant differences with the rest of the variables were found. CONCLUSIONS the study suggests that subjective social status was a better predictor of health status than the socioeconomic status measurements. Therefore, the use of this measurement may be relevant to the study of health inequalities, particularly in socially disadvantaged groups such as immigrants.
Extending the Classification of European Countries by their IFRS Practices: A Research Note

Abstract This paper expands the IFRS accounting systems’ classification proposed by Nobes [(2011). IFRS practices and the persistence of accounting system classification. Abacus, 47(3), 267–283] to a broader set of European countries. The results suggest a classification distinguishing between four groups of European countries, and add to the evidence, reported by Kvaal and Nobes [(2010). International differences in IFRS policy choice. Accounting and Business Research, 40(2), 173–187] and Nobes (2011). , that pre-IFRS accounting differences influence the options adopted by firms. This study contributes to the literature suggesting that the widespread adoption of IFRS has not eliminated the differences between national accounting practices and that accounting systems classification did not lose its relevance.
Evaluation of Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic‐PCR for Discrimination of Fecal Escherichia coli from Humans, and Different Domestic‐ and Wild‐Animals

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of repetitive extragenic palindromic anchored polymerase chain reaction (rep‐PCR) in differentiating fecal Escherichia coli isolates of human, domestic‐ and wild‐animal origin that might be used as a molecular tool to identify the possible source(s) of fecal pollution of source water. A total of 625 fecal E. coli isolates of human, 3 domestic‐ (cow, dog and horse) and 7 wild‐animal (black bear, coyote, elk, marmot, mule deer, raccoon and wolf) species were characterized by rep‐PCR DNA fingerprinting technique coupled with BOX A1R primer and discriminant analysis. Discriminant analysis of rep‐PCR DNA fingerprints of fecal E. coli isolates from 11 host sources revealed an average rate of correct classification of 79.89%, and 84.6%, 83.8%, 83.3%, 82.5%, 81.6%, 80.8%, 79.8%, 79.3%, 77.4%, 73.2% and 63.6% of elk, human, marmot, mule deer, cow, coyote, raccoon, horse, dog, wolf and black bear fecal E. coli isolates were assigned to the correct host source. These results suggest that rep‐PCR DNA fingerprinting procedures can be used as a source tracking tool for detection of human‐ as well as animal‐derived fecal contamination of water.
Prediction of recurrence in recurrent depression and the influence of consecutive episodes on vulnerability for depression: a 2-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVE Depression is a recurring disease. Identifying risk factors for recurrence is essential. The purpose of this study was to identify factors predictive of recurrence and to examine whether previous depressive episodes influence vulnerability for subsequent depression in a sample of remitted recurrently depressed patients. METHOD Recurrence was examined prospectively using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders in 172 euthymic patients with recurrent depression (DSM-IV) recruited from February 2000 through September 2000. Illness-related characteristics, coping, and stress (life events and daily hassles) were examined as predictors. RESULTS Risk factors for recurrence were a high number of previous episodes, more residual depressive symptomatology and psychopathology, and more daily hassles. Factors with both an increasing and decreasing pathogenic effect with increasing episode number were detected. CONCLUSION We found some support for dynamic vulnerability models that posit a change of vulnerability with consecutive episodes. Preventive interventions should be considered in patients with multiple recurrences, focusing on residual symptomatology and specific coping styles.
Two Distinct Epidemics: The Rise of HIV-1 and Decline of HIV-2 Infection Between 1990 and 2007 in Rural Guinea-Bissau

Objectives:To assess changes in HIV incidence and prevalence in Caió, a rural area of Guinea-Bissau, between 1990 and 2007. Design:Three cross-sectional community surveys. Methods:In 1990, 1997, and 2007, surveys were conducted among adults. The prevalence of HIV-1 and of HIV-2 was estimated for each survey, and incidence rates were calculated for the first (1990-1997) and second period (1997-2007). Results:The HIV-1 incidence was approximately 4.5/1000 person-years in the two periods, whereas the HIV-2 incidence decreased from 4.7 (95% confidence interval 3.6-6.2) in the first to 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.4-3.0) per 1000 person-years in the second period (P < 0.001). HIV-1 prevalence rose from 0.5% in 1990 to 3.6% in 2007, and HIV-2 prevalence decreased from 8.3% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2007. HIV-1 prevalence was less than 2% in 15 to 24 year olds in all surveys and was highest (7.2%) in 2007 among 45 to 54 year olds. The HIV-2 prevalence was fivefold higher in older subjects (≥45 yr) compared with those less than 45 years in both sexes in 2007. Conclusions:HIV-1 incidence is stable, and its prevalence is increasing, whereas HIV-2 incidence and prevalence are both declining. In contrast with what has been observed in other sub-Saharan countries, HIV-1 prevalence is lower in younger age groups than older age groups.
Transcranial direct current stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere in stroke patients

Recovery of function after a stroke is determined by a balance of activity in the neural network involving both the affected and the unaffected brain hemispheres. Increased activity in the affected hemisphere can promote recovery, while excessive activity in the unaffected hemisphere may represent a maladaptive strategy. We therefore investigated whether reduction of the excitability in the unaffected hemisphere by cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation could result in motor performance improvement in stroke patients. We compared these results with excitability-enhancing anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the affected hemisphere and sham transcranial direct current stimulation. Both cathodal stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere and anodal stimulation of the affected hemisphere (but not sham transcranial direct current stimulation) improved motor performance significantly. These results suggest that the appropriate modulation of bihemispheric brain structures can promote motor function recovery.