Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Mineralization of Electrospun Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

We investigated different techniques to enhance calcium phosphate mineral precipitation onto electrospun poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) scaffolds when incubated in concentrated simulated body fluid (SBF), 10×SBF. The techniques included the use of vacuum, pre-treatment with 0.1 M NaOH and electrospinning gelatin/PLLA blends as means to increase overall mineral precipitation and distribution throughout the scaffolds. Mineral precipitation was evaluated using environmental scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping and the determination of the mineral weight percents. In addition we evaluated the effect of the techniques on mechanical properties, cellular attachment and cellular proliferation on scaffolds. Two treatments, pre-treatment with NaOH and incorporation of 10% gelatin into PLLA solution, both in combination with vacuum, resulted in significantly higher degrees of mineralization (16.55 and 15.14%, respectively) and better mineral distribution on surfaces and through the cross-sections after 2 h of exposure to 10×SBF. While both scaffold groups supported cell attachment and proliferation, 10% gelatin/PLLA scaffolds had significantly higher yield stress (1.73 vs 0.56 MPa) and elastic modulus (107 vs 44 MPa) than NaOH-pre-treated scaffolds.
Axon calibre, neurofilaments, microtubules, sheath thickness and cholesterol in cat optic nerve fibres.

This study of cat optic fibres concerns relations between the axon calibre and the thickness of the myelin sheath, as well as the number of neurofilaments and microtubules. The latter provide the first available information on filament and tubular density in central nerve fibres. The optic fibres of cat were investigated because chemical assays of human optic fibres showed a 100% increase in the cholesterol content per fresh weight and a 840 increase in total lipid content between the proximal* portion of the nerve near the eyeball and the distal portion of the tract near the lateral geniculate body. The increase was gradual along the entire fibre system and was thought to indicate a proximo-distal increase in the thickness of the myelin sheaths along the fibres (Friede & Hu, 1967 a). The present study was initiated in the hope that investigation of the fine structure of cat optic fibres would explain the increase in lipid content along the fibre system. The results were contrary to expectation but shed some light on the problems involved in comparing morphological with chemical data.
THE ANTECEDENTS , CONSEQUENCES , AND MEDIATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL AMBIDEXTERITY

We investigated contextual organizational ambidexterity, defined as the capacity to simultaneously achieve alignment and adaptability at a business-unit level. Building on the leadership and organization context literatures, we argue that a context characterized by a combination of stretch, discipline, support, and trust facilitates contextual ambidexterity. Further, ambidexterity mediates the relationship between these contextual features and performance. Data collected from 4,195 individuals in 41 business units supported our hypotheses.
Role of gyrB Mutations in Pre-extensively and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Thai Clinical Isolates

ABSTRACT DNA gyrase mutations are a major cause of quinolone resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We therefore conducted the first comprehensive study to determine the diversity of gyrase mutations in pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) (n = 71) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) (n = 30) Thai clinical tuberculosis (TB) isolates. All pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB isolates carried at least one mutation within the quinolone resistance-determining region of GyrA (G88A [1.1%], A90V [17.4%], S91P [1.1%], or D94A/G/H/N/V/Y [72.7%]) or GyrB (D533A [1.1%], N538D [1.1%], or E540D [2.2%]). MIC and DNA gyrase supercoiling inhibition assays were performed to determine the role of gyrase mutations in quinolone resistance. Compared to the MICs against M. tuberculosis H37Rv, the levels of resistance to all quinolones tested in the isolates that carried GyrA-D94G or GyrB-N538D (8- to 32-fold increase) were significantly higher than those in isolates bearing GyrA-D94A or GyrA-A90V (2- to 8-fold increase) (P < 0.01). Intriguingly, GyrB-E540D led to a dramatic resistance to later-generation quinolones, including moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, and sparfloxacin (8- to 16-fold increases in MICs and 8.3- to 11.2-fold increases in 50% inhibitory concentrations [IC50s]). However, GyrB-E540D caused low-level resistance to early-generation quinolones, including ofloxacin, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin (2- to 4-fold increases in MICs and 1.5- to 2.0-fold increases in IC50s). In the present study, DC-159a was the most active antituberculosis agent and was little affected by the gyrase mutations described above. Our findings suggest that although they are rare, gyrB mutations have a notable role in quinolone resistance, which may provide clues to the molecular basis of estimating quinolone resistance levels for drug and dose selection.
The mediation of cognitive attitude for online shopping

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, flow, cognitive attitudes, perceived satisfaction, and purchase intention of consumers’ online shopping from a cognitive attitudes perspective. This study collected data from consumers having bought goods on the e-shopping platform. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted online questionnaire through my3q (www.my3q.com) for data collection. This research collected and analyzed 866 samples by using the structural equation modeling for validation of the proposed model. Findings – The results indicated that hedonic value, utilitarian value, security, and privacy significantly affected cognitive attitudes (i.e. cognitive trust and perceived risk). Cognitive attitudes significantly affected perceived satisfaction and purchase intention, respectively. Flow significantly and positively influenced cognitive trust and purchase intentions, respectively. Cognitive trust is the mediators betw.
The Welfare Effects of Monopoly Quality Choice: Evidence from Cable Television Markets

We measure the welfare consequences of market power over quality in cable television markets. We extend the analytical approach commonly used in the theoretical screening literature to specify an empirical model that endogenizes the prices and qualities offered by multiproduct monopoly cable television systems. We estimate the model on an unbalanced panel of xxx cable systems between xxx and 2000. Preliminary results using a single cross-section in 1998 and a simplified empirical model show significant degradation in the quality of offered cable service relative to first-best levels, the welfare consequences of which are roughly half that from monopoly pricing. The proposed empirical framework readily adapts itself to analyzing competition in prices and qualities.
[Normal physiological variations of pubertal development: starting age of puberty, menarcheal age and size].

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of early, mid-onset, and late maturation, assessed by the age at menarche, height at the beginning of puberty, time of menarche, at one and two years after menarche in a group of healthy girls. The time lapse between the start of puberty and the advent of menarche was observed in that group of girls. To investigate whether their weight status (body mass index) is causally implicated in early start of puberty in these girls. PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospective observational study was performed on 266 healthy Caucasian girls, who were followed up with visits at the beginning of puberty, at menarche and then every six months. Physical examinations included height, weight and pubertal stages, and were assessed by clinical examination according to methods of Tanner. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 12.0 package. RESULTS We found that mean age of breast development 2 (B2) was 10.72 years and mean menarcheal age was 12.43 years. The correlation coefficient (r) between the onset of puberty and its duration was r = -0.406 (p < 0.01), and that of age of pubertal onset versus age of menarche was r = 0.34 (p < 0.01). According to 25th and 80th percentiles, early matures were shorter at onset of puberty, at menarche and two years later. Post-menarcheal increase in stature was greatest in early maturers. There is also a correlation between the "z" score of body mass index and the age at onset of puberty (r = -0.398). CONCLUSIONS The puberty began at 10.72 years, the menarche appears at 12.43 as average. Girls who matured early were shorter at onset, at menarche and two years after, despite having greater peak height velocity and post-menarcheal increase in height. The age of menarche correlated with the "z" score of body mass index.
Serum levels of IL‐10, IL‐15 and soluble tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) receptors in type C chronic liver disease

We previously reported that the number of TNF‐α‐producing cells was increased in the liver of patients with type C chronic liver disease. To understand further the pathophysiology of this change, we examined serum levels of two soluble TNF receptors, TNF‐αRI (p55) and ‐αRII (p75), and IL‐10, all of which act as TNF‐α buffer, and IL‐15, a novel cytokine sharing many immunological activities with IL‐2, using ELISA methods. We studied control individuals and patients with type C chronic liver disease, including asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers with persistently normal serum ALT values, and those with chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Both types of sTNF‐αR closely correlated with disease progression. Patients with LC and HCC had significantly elevated levels for sTNF‐αRII compared with the other patient groups and controls. Serum IL‐10 levels were significantly greater in all chronic liver disease groups than in controls. With respect to IL‐15, the values were high in CH, LC and HCC compared with those of controls. Notably, HCC patients showed highest values for both IL‐10 and IL‐15, with significant differences from the other patient groups. Serial determinations revealed that interferon (IFN) treatment for CH patients resulted in the suppression of circulating IL‐10 and IL‐15 levels along with decrease in serum aminotransferase values. Both cytokines remained at decreased levels after cessation of therapy in patients who went into clinical and virological remission. On the other hand, treatment did not affect serum levels of sTNF‐αRs. These findings indicate that serum levels of these molecules correlated with disease progress in chronic HCV infection, and that IL‐10 and IL‐15 may reflect the degree of inflammation in the liver. It is also suggested that both cytokines may be related to the development of HCC.
The role of bifidobacteria in gut barrier function after thermal injury in rats.

BACKGROUND Early multiple organ dysfunction syndrome appears to be facilitated with bacterial translocation in severe burn injury, yet the mechanisms of bacterial translocation remain in dispute. The aim of this study was to characterize the potential role of intestinal bifidobacteria in the pathogenesis of gut-derived bacterial translocation after burns and to analyze the effects of bifidobacterial supplement on gut barrier function. METHODS Wistar rats were randomly divided into burn group (Burn, n = 60), sham burn group (SB, n = 10) in experiment 1, and burn + saline group (BS, n = 30), burn + bifidobacteria group (BB, n = 30), and sham-burn + saline group (SS, n = 30) in experiment 2. Animals in BB group were fed bifidobacterial preparation (5 x 10(9) CFU/mL) after burns, 1.5 mL, twice daily. Animals in BS and SS were fed saline. Samples were taken on postburn days 1, 3, and 5. The incidence of bacterial translocation and counts of Bifidobacterium, fungi and Escherichia coli in gut mucosa, as well as the sIgA levels in mucus of the small intestine were determined. The positive sIgA expression in lamina propria and ileum mucosal injury were evaluated light microscopically by blinded examiners. RESULTS The incidence of bacterial translocation was increased after burns, which was accompanied by significant decrease in number of bifidobacteria but significant increase in E. coli and fungi in gut mucosa, and elevation of levels of plasma endotoxin and IL-6 (p < 0.001). The incidence of bacterial translocation was markedly reduced after 3- and 5-day supplementation of bifidobacteria compared with control group (p < 0.05). The counts of mucosal bifidobacteria were increased by 4- to 40-fold, whereas E. coli and fungi were decreased by 2- to 30-fold and 10- to 150-fold, respectively, after bifidobacterial supplementation. The damage of mucosa tended to be less pronounced after 3-day bifidobacteria-supplemented formula compared with control group (grade 2 [0-6] versus grade 4 [3-6], p < 0.05). Moreover, the expression and release of sIgA was markedly augmented after 3-days of bifidobacteria-supplementation formula and it returned to normal range on postburn day 5. CONCLUSIONS The decrease in counts and proportion of bifidobacteria to other flora in gut may play an important role in the development of bacterial translocation after thermal injury. Supplementation of exogenous bifidobacteria could improve gut barrier function, and attenuate bacterial/endotoxin translocation secondary to major burns.
Simple and Accurate PCR-Based System for Typing Vacuolating Cytotoxin Alleles of Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Alleles of the vacuolating cytotoxin gene (vacA) ofHelicobacter pylori vary between strains, particularly in the region encoding the signal sequence (which may be type s1 or s2) and the midregion (which may be type m1 or m2). Using a PCR-based typing system developed in the United States, we showed that 36 strains from Asia and South America were all vacA signal sequence type s1; 3 were midregion type m1 and 11 were m2, but 22 could not be typed for the vacA midregion. All strains possessedcagA (cytotoxin-associated gene A), another virulence marker. vacA nucleotide sequence analysis showed that midregion typing failure was due to base substitutions at the primer annealing sites. Using the new sequence data, we developed two new PCR-based vacA midregion typing systems, both of which correctly typed 41 U.S. strains previously typed by the old system and successfully typed all 36 of the non-U.S. strains. All previously untypeable strains were vacA m1, other than one m1/m2 hybrid. In summary, we describe and validate a simple PCR-based system for typing vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) alleles of H. pylori and show that this system correctly identifies the signal and midregion types of vacA in 77 strains from Asia and North and South America.
Identification of the Onset of Cracking in Gear Teeth Using Acoustic Emission

The development of diagnostic methods for gear tooth faults in aerospace power transmission systems is an active research area being driven largely by the interests of military organisations or large aerospace organisations. In aerospace applications, the potential results of gear failure are serious, ranging from increased asset downtime to, at worst, catastrophic failure with life-threatening consequences. New monitoring techniques which can identify the onset of failure at earlier stages are in demand. Acoustic Emission (AE) is the most sensitive condition monitoring tool and is a passive technique that detects the stress wave emitted by a structure as cracks propagate. In this study a gear test rig that allows the fatigue loading of an individual gear tooth was utilised. The rig allows a full AE analysis of damage signatures in gear teeth without the presence of constant background noise due to rotational and frictional sources. Furthermore this approach allows validation of AE results using crack gauges or strain gauges. Utilising a new approach to AE monitoring a sensor was mounted on the gear and used to continuously capture AE data for a complete fatigue load cycle of data, rather than the traditional approach where discrete signals are captured on a threshold basis. Data was captured every 10th load cycle for the duration of the test. A developed fast fourier transform analysis technique was compared with traditional analytical methods. In this investigation the developed techniques were validated against visual inspection and were shown to be far superior to the traditional approach.
The Effect of Paclitaxel on Conjunctival Wound Healing: A Pilot Study

PurposeTo compare the effects of mitomycin C (MMC) and paclitaxel entrapped within Carbopol 980 hydrogel (CH) on conjunctival wound healing. MethodsTwenty rabbits were randomized into 2 groups. In group 1, limbal-based conjunctival flaps were created in both eyes. In this stage, eyes were randomized for 4 different processes. In process 1, a dry cellulose sponge soaked with 0.2 mg/mL of MMC was applied to the scleral surface. A cellulose sponge soaked with balanced saline solution was applied in the same manner in process 2. In process 3, paclitaxel 1 mg/mL entrapped within CH was placed between the conjunctiva and sclera. In process 4, CH without paclitaxel was applied in the same manner. The conjunctiva was then sutured. All procedures were applied in the same manner in both eyes of animals in group 2. Eyes from group 1 were sampled at the seventh day, and the sampling was also carried out in group 2 on day 14. The inflammatory response and fibrosis were evaluated with light microscopy. ResultsAmong 4 different processes, lower cell counts and fibrosis scores were found in eyes treated with MMC and paclitaxel compared with balanced saline solution and CH groups (P<0.05). There was no difference between eyes treated with MMC and paclitaxel in terms of these histopathologic parameters (P>0.05). ConclusionsPaclitaxel was shown to provide MMC-like antifibrotic effects during conjunctival wound healing, particularly when delivered with CH and might be a promising alternative as an adjunctive antimetabolite in glaucoma filtration surgery.
Why are there apes? Evidence for the co‐evolution of ape and monkey ecomorphology

Apes, members of the superfamily Hominoidea, possess a distinctive suite of anatomical and behavioral characters which appear to have evolved relatively late and relatively independently. The timing of paleontological events, extant cercopithecine and hominoid ecomorphology and other evidence suggests that many distinctive ape features evolved to facilitate harvesting ripe fruits among compliant terminal branches in tree edges. Precarious, unpredictably oriented, compliant supports in the canopy periphery require apes to maneuver using suspensory and non‐sterotypical postures (i.e. postures with eccentric limb orientations or extreme joint excursions). Diet differences among extant species, extant species numbers and evidence of cercopithecoid diversification and expansion, in concert with a reciprocal decrease in hominoid species, suggest intense competition between monkeys and apes over the last 20 Ma. It may be that larger body masses allow great apes to succeed in contest competitions for highly desired food items, while the ability of monkeys to digest antifeedant‐rich unripe fruits allows them to win scramble competitions. Evolutionary trends in morphology and inferred ecology suggest that as monkeys evolved to harvest fruit ever earlier in the fruiting cycle they broadened their niche to encompass first more fibrous, tannin‐ and toxin‐rich unripe fruits and later, for some lineages, mature leaves. Early depletion of unripe fruit in the central core of the tree canopy by monkeys leaves a hollow sphere of ripening fruits, displacing antifeedant‐intolerant, later‐arriving apes to small‐diameter, compliant terminal branches. Hylobatids, orangutans, Pan species, gorillas and the New World atelines may have each evolved suspensory behavior independently in response to local competition from an expanding population of monkeys. Genetic evidence of rapid evolution among chimpanzees suggests that adaptations to suspensory behavior, vertical climbing, knuckle‐walking, consumption of terrestrial piths and intercommunity violence had not yet evolved or were still being refined when panins (chimpanzees and bonobos) and hominins diverged.
Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist anakinra improves functional status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the benefit of anakinra, a human recombinant form of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist, on the functional status of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite taking maximally tolerated doses of methotrexate (MTX). METHODS Patients (n = 419) were randomized to receive, in addition to MTX (15 to 25 mg/wk), placebo or anakinra doses of 0.04, 0.1, 0.4, 1, or 2 mg/kg once daily for 24 weeks. Functional status measured on 8 scales (dressing and grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip, and activities) was evaluated at baseline and every 4 weeks with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). A weighted sum of the scale scores is the HAQ disability index (HAQ-DI). Primary analysis of the HAQ-DI was based on an omnibus test for a positive dose-response relationship between anakinra treatment and change in HAQ-DI from baseline to week 24. RESULTS Patients receiving anakinra experienced rapid and sizeable improvements in their HAQ-DI scores in a dose-related fashion. For patients receiving either of the 2 highest doses of anakinra, improvements in the HAQ-DI occurred by week 4 that were of a magnitude considered clinically important and statistically significantly superior to placebo. CONCLUSION In patients with persistence of RA despite MTX therapy, treatment with anakinra results in a rapid improvement in functional status as measured by the HAQ-DI.
Inhibition of Ergosterol Biosynthesis in Fungal Plant Pathogens by Bacillus sp.

Antifungal activity of Bacillus coagulans creates the possibility to use this microorganism in biological control of fungal plant pathogens. Activity of Bacillus coagulans (No 6), isolated from lupine compost, against seven pathogenic species of indicator fungi: Bipolaris sorokiniana, Trichothecium roseum, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Fusatium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Fusarium culmorum were examined in this work. Ergosterol assessment and counting colony forming units (CFU) carried out determination of fungal growth. The addition of Bacillus coagulans to culture of fungi resulted in inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis in mycelium. The strongest inhibition in all tested fungal plant pathogens was observed when Bacillus coagulans was co-inoculated at the beginning of culture. The decrease of ergosterol level did not always correlate with the decrease of CFU.