Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infection Control in Dentistry and Drug-Resistant Infectious Agents: A Burning Issue. Part 1

Using molecular biological methods and retrospective investigations, some outbreaks in dental settings have been proven to be caused by mainly blood-borne viruses and water-borne bacteria. Nowadays, drug-resistant bacteria seem further hazards taking into account the worldwide overuse of antibiotics in dentistry, the limited awareness on infection prevention guidelines, and the lapses and errors during infection prevention (reported in more detail in Part 2). We chose MRSA and VRE as markers since they are considered prioritized bacteria according antibiotic resistance threats. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections inside of dental setting are relevant, and we argue about some hazards in dentistry, including dedicated surgeries. MRSA has a key role for its colonization in patients and dental workers, presence on gloves, resistance (days-months on dry inanimate surfaces), the contamination of different clinical contact surfaces in dental settings, the ability of some strains to produce biofilm, and finally its estimated low infective dose. For better dental patient and healthcare personnel safety, we need evidence-based guidelines to improve education and training initiatives in surgery.
Developmental patterns of a large set of barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivars in response to ambient temperature

Ambient temperature plays an important role in plant development. In cereals, little is known about the exact effects of ambient temperature in the range between it being a vernalising agent and an abiotic stress factor; thus the genetic determinants involved in the registering and response to ambient temperature, and their natural variation has not been dissected either. Principally, we wished to establish the level of natural variation in response to ambient temperature in barley via studying plant phenological development. The responses to temperature of 168 barley genotypes of different provenances and seasonal growth habit groups were observed in controlled environments. The effects of four temperature regimes (13 ◦ C, 16.5 ◦ C, 18 ◦ Ca nd 23 ◦ C) on the duration of plant phenophases were examined. The plant development was characterised in a series of consecutive phenophases that span the plant life cycle from germination through flowering to attainment of maximum plant height. Ambient temperature affected significantly plant development, with substantial variation in responses among the genotypes. Six major types of responses were identified, which depended strongly on seasonal growth habit, with only a small degree of overlap. Although the differences in the timing of development among clusters were significant under each temperature regime, the 23 ◦ C treatment resulted in the largest diversity of responses, with significant changes in the ranking of the six clusters compared to other treatments. Two clusters showed particularly unusual responses to 23C: the development of one winter barley cluster was extremely accelerated by the 23C treatment, whereas the development of one spring barley cluster was significantly delayed. Ambient temperature assumes importance as a regulatory cue in the intricate and complex temporal and spatial regulation network of plant development in cereals and acts mostly through its regulatory effect on certain developmental phases such as the onset and duration of the intensive stem elongation.
VECTORIAL LABELING OF DINOFLAGELLATE CELL SURFACE PROTEINS 1

Our objective was to identify cell surface proteins in the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum. Proteins on the surface of living cells that had regions exposed to the external medium were labeled with Na125I. After partial purification of membrane proteins and analysis by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and autoradiography, a protein of roughly 43 kDa was found to have incorporated the radiolabel. This protein was cloned using a combination of protein microsequencing and PCR amplification. The derived protein sequence in the cDNA has a signal peptide at the N‐terminal end of the protein and thus represents the first plasma membrane protein ever reported for a dinoflagellate. The function of the protein is unknown, but its cloning provides a proof of principle for the general use of vectorial labeling in identifying cell surface proteins of marine algae.
P2X7 receptor activation induces CD62L shedding from human CD4 + and CD8 + T cells

The P2X7 receptor is expressed on T cells, however knowledge of its presence and function on human CD4 + and CD8 + subsets is limited. Immunolabeling with an anti-human P2X7 monoclonal antibody and flow cytometry demonstrated that P2X7 is present on the cell-surface of peripheral blood CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. Time-resolved flow cytometry demonstrated that extracellular ATP induced ethidium + uptake into both T cell subsets. Flow cytometric measurements also demonstrated that ATP induced the rapid loss of CD62L (L-selectin) from CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. ATP-induced ethidium + uptake and CD62L shedding were dramatically impaired in CD4 + and CD8 + T cells homozygous for the Glu496Ala loss-of-function single nucleotide polymorphism in the P2RX7 gene, demonstrating that both processes were a result of P2X7 activation. In summary, these results show that both human CD4 + and CD8 + T cells express P2X7 receptors, and that ATP activation of this receptor can lead to the rapid shedding of CD62L from these cells.
Indo‐Pacific Colored‐Band Diseases of Corals

7–50. NOVA Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Rosenberg, E. and Ben‐Haim, Y. (2002) Microbial diseases of corals and global warming. Environmental Microbiology 4, 318–326. Rutzler, K. and Santavy, D. (1983) The Black Band Disease of Atlantic reef corals 1. Description of the cyanophyte pathogen. PSZNI: Marine
Microbiological characteristics of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis in an Asian
tertiary hospital 2011–2014

Background Peritonitis is the leading cause of technique failure among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The study aimed to examine the microbiological characteristics of PD-related peritonitis in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Data of patients diagnosed with PD-related peritonitis from January 2011 to December 2014 were collected. Microbiological characteristics of PD-related peritonitis were reported using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 377 episodes of peritonitis occurred in 247 patients. The average peritonitis rate in the centre was 0.23 episodes per patient year. There were 118 (31.2%) Gram-positive, 98 (26.0%) Gram-negative, 58 (15.4%) polymicrobial, 16 (4.2%) fungal, 2 (0.5%) mycobacterium and 85 (22.6%) culture-negative, PD-related peritonitis episodes. The three main Gram-positive micro-organisms isolated from peritoneal fluid cultures were Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus (CoNS) (n=70, 17.6%), Streptococcus spp. (n=52, 13.1%) and Enterococcus spp. (n=28, 7.1%), while the three main Gram-negative isolates were Escherichia coli (n=50, 12.6%), Klebsiella spp. (n=46, 11.6%) and Enterobacter spp. (n=27, 6.8%). Candida parapsilosis (n=9, 1.9%) was the commonest fungus identified. Only 33 (47.1%) CoNS strains were sensitive to cefazolin, which was used in the institution for empiric coverage of Gram-positive micro-organisms in PD-peritonitis. All Streptococcus strains were sensitive to cefazolin (n=52). The majority of Escherichia coli (n=38, 76%), Klebsiella spp. (n=37, 80.4%) and Enterobacter spp. (n=18, 66.7%) strains were sensitive to gentamicin, the empiric antibiotic used for coverage of Gram-negative micro-organisms. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of regular monitoring of micro-organisms and their antimicrobial sensitivities in determining appropriate, centre-specific empirical antibiotics.
Macro and Micro Mineral Levels in the Tissues of Menhaden Fish

Various tissues of menhaden fish were analyzed for macro and micro minerals. Tissues selected were gill, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, muscle, spleen, and stomach. Phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, manganese, and zinc were found to be most concentrated in the gill. Potassium, iron, and boron were least concentrated in the gill. Liver contained the highest concentration of copper, selenium and boron. The stomach was the highest in potassium and lowest in phosphorus. Sodium and selenium concentrations were lowest in the muscle. Mercury concentrations were approximately 2 mg/g dry matter in all tissues
Rethinking ‘policebuilding’

In recent years, policebuilding has moved centre stage in international security. Not only have the numbers of police officers deployed externally significantly increased in the last decade, but the police have also come to be regarded as key with regard to the stabilizing of weak or failed states. It is hereby assumed that the police, as a civilian force, are better trained and equipped to establish order and stability than the military. This article challenges such a military–police divide, according to which the police are understood to be a civilian institution that mainly ‘serves and protects’ while the military ‘breaks things and kills people’. It argues that while the blurring between military functions and police functions might be more bleak and observable as part of international interventions in so-called zones of disorder, we need to understand the police theoretically as part of a single continuum of state institutions designed to simultaneously serve and protect the population and to establish and maintain liberal state power through (sometimes) forceful, exclusionary means. The article will illustrate this theoretical argument through a detailed analysis of the evolution of European Union international police power.
Effect of aluminum on the growth, anatomy, and nutrient content of ectomycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal eastern white pine seedlings

Effect of aluminum (Al) on the growth, anatomy, and nutrient content of eastern white pine (Pinusstrobus L.) was determined by growing newly germinated seedlings for 12 weeks in sand irrigated with nutrient solution (pH 3.8) containing 0, 12.5, 25, 50, 75, or 100 mg/L of Al. To determine the influence of mycorrhizal infection on Al toxicity, half of the seedlings were inoculated with the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithustinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch. Across Al concentrations, shoot growth (height, needle length, biomass) but not root growth (lateral root length, biomass) was significantly greater in ectomycorrhizal (ECT) than nonmycorrhizal (NM) seedlings. Aluminum significantly decreased shoot and root growth in ECT and NM seedlings but had less effect on growth in ECT seedlings. Foliar symptoms of Al toxicity (chlorosis, tip necrosis) were more pronounced in NM than in ECT seedlings. Cellular and ultrastructural injury to needles and root meristematic tissues was observed at lower concentrations of A.
The Efficacy of Intra-Muscular Botulinum Toxin A (Btx-A) Injections on Spasticity Reduction in Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is known as a clinical syndrome that occurs following a breakdown to the motor areas of the immature brain. Therapeutic options include the injection of BTX-A. Study Objectives: the main objective of the present study is to investigate the impact of BTX-A injection on the spasticity scores of children with CP. Methods and Subjects: A prospective study design was conducted from January 2017 to June 2018 at Royal Rehabilitation Center. A total of 128 children with CP were included. Children with were treated with BTX-A and followed for 3 and 6 months. At basal level, demographical and clinical data were recorded. Data included age, gender, and spasticity scores. Spasticity scores were determined using Modified Ashworth Scale pre and post injections. Study Results: The age mean was 8.73±5.70 years. The score of spasticity at basal level was 3.34±0.67, and then it was decreased further after three months follow up and reached 1.27±0.99. The spasticity score was further increased to the level of 3.07±0.86 after 6 months follow up. There was a significant impact of using single injection of BTX-A on lowering the spasticity score levels after 3 months and 6 months follow up (p<0.001). There were also significant differences in the mean of scores at 3 and 6 months follow up (p<0.001). At basal level, males have significantly increased levels spasticity scores compared with females (p=0.002). At 3 and 6 months follow up, no significant differences were attributed to gender (p>0.05). Conclusion: The study findings showed that single doses of ABT-X has therapeutic effects in decreasing the levels of spasticity scores.
Shrubs and herbaceous seed flow in a semi‐arid landscape: dual functioning of shrubs as trap and barrier

Shrubs in arid and semi‐arid ecosystems are often associated with three distinct patch types: the shrub core, the shrub periphery and surrounding open patches. The distribution of herbaceous seeds in such a patchy system exhibits a well‐documented spatial heterogeneity. However, the mechanisms that generate this heterogeneity are poorly understood, not least because of the difficulty of separating possible effects of the shrub on seed production (via the shrub's modification of resource distribution), seed dispersal and post‐dispersal processes. We used a well‐studied system dominated by a common east Mediterranean shrub (Sarcopoterium spinosum) to directly test the effect of shrubs on herbaceous community seed dispersal. We clipped all potential herbaceous seed sources from plots with or without a shrub at their centre, designated ‘shrub’ or ‘open’, respectively. Seed rain was then sampled over a 7‐month period, along four directions within a fine‐scale radial sampling pattern from the shrub core to its periphery and in corresponding positions in the open plots. Seed predation was monitored likewise. The overall abundance and species richness of herbaceous seeds were similar at all distances from the core in the open plots and at the shrub periphery, but lower under the shrub canopy. However, the observed patterns were clearly directional, with the highest seed abundance and species richness found on the upslope periphery of the shrub patch. These patterns were observed after the elimination of all within‐patch herbaceous seed sources, which suggests that the movement of seeds was mainly driven by gravity‐related mechanisms whose effect was modified by the shrubs. Synthesis. A shrub can function simultaneously as both a seed trap and a barrier to herbaceous seed flow, with the exact balance determined by location within the patch. Furthermore, whether the effect of the shrub on herbaceous seeds is regarded as facilitatory or competitive is scale‐dependent. A mechanistic dissociation of seed dispersal from other processes modulated by the shrub in shaping the herbaceous community, as done in this study, is important for understanding the resilience of semi‐arid and arid ecosystems to environmental changes, especially to the increasingly observed drought‐induced mortality of shrubs associated with climate change.
Relationship-oriented values and marital and life satisfaction among Chinese couples

Objective and background: The present study tested whether the similarity levels of relationship-oriented values among Chinese couples would be higher than those among randomly matched male–female pairs. Furthermore, we examined whether couple similarity of relationship-oriented values would predict spouses’ marital satisfaction and life satisfaction above the actor and partner effects of relationship-oriented values over time and the potential marriage cohort differences. Method: Data were retrieved from the China Family Panel Studies data set in 2010–2014. Our study included a nationally representative sample of 10,860 first-married couples who provided data on relationship-oriented values, marital satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Results: The average profile similarity on relationship-oriented values of the real couples was higher than that of the randomly matched male–female pseudo couples. Actor–Partner Interdependence Model analyses showed that (1) couple similarity of relationship-oriented values was positively associated with husbands’ and wives’ life satisfaction indirectly through wives’ marital satisfaction among couples with short to medium marital duration, even after controlling for life satisfaction 4 years ago and a set of sociodemographic variables; (2) husbands’ relationship-oriented values were positively associated with couples’ life satisfaction indirectly through husbands’ marital satisfaction among couples with short to medium and long marital duration. Conclusion: With a large dyadic sample of Chinese couples, our findings expand the literature on the significant role of couple similarity of relationship-oriented values in personal and relational well-being.
THE FOOD REQUIREMENTS BY WEIGHT OF SOME BRITISH NABIDAE (HETEROPTERA)

Experiments in which the weight of prey eaten was determined for each nymphal instar of Stalia major Costa, gave an overall conversion ratio of live weight increase to wet weight of food eaten of 0.51. The conversion ratio did not vary with temperature in the range 13.5 to 22° C. A simple relationship between the initial weights of successive instars, i.e. that they follow a regular geometric progression, is shown for S. major and is used to calculate mean initial weights for nymphs of 3 other species of Nabidae. The results are confirmed by comparison with weights of field captured specimens.
Restoration of ditch bank plant species richness: The potential of the soil seed bank

Abstract Small-scale landscape elements, such as ditch banks, play an important role in preserving plant species richness in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we investigate whether the seed bank might be useful for restoring the above-ground plant species richness. We studied the vegetation and seed bank composition at six species-rich and six species-poor ditch banks, where agri-environment schemes are running to maintain and enhance ditch bank plant diversity. We show that the number of species in the seed bank was low, regardless of the number of species in the established vegetation. Moreover, the seed bank was always dissimilar to the established vegetation. Target species for nature conservation were occasionally present in the seed bank at both species-poor and species-rich sites, but rarely so if the species was absent from the established vegetation. We conclude that the potential use of the seed bank for restoration of ditch banks is minimal. At present, plant species richness seems to be largely controlled by germination opportunities; high biomass and competition appear to hamper germination at species-poor sites. We recommend continued nutrient reduction at such sites. Soil disturbance measures and deliberate sowing should also be considered. Nomenclature: van der Meijden (1996).
Nutrient uptake in mycorrhizal plants – role of earthworms

Both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and earthworms often coexist in agriculture ecosystems, but very little is known on the interactions between them. A two-compartment air gap-incorporating device was used to investigate the effects of three species of earthworm (epigeic Eisenia foetida, endogeic Aporrectodea trapezoide, and anecic Pheretima guillelmi) on AMF (Glomus intraradices) under the exclusion of plant roots, and then on maize (Zea mays L.) performance and nutrients uptake. Results showed a strong correlation between hyphal length density and subsequent plant growth and nutrient uptake. Earthworms improved soil nutrients availability in hyphal compartment (HC): E. foetida improved the concentration of soil inorganic N, A. trapezoide changed the concentration of available phosphate in the soil, and P. guillelmi changed the soil's physical properties. We found some indications that different species of earthworm and AMF might interact within the soil. Earthworms and AMF mainly acting on different nutrients create distinct niches for plants. The feeding and burrowing activities did not significantly destroy hyphal length density and made negative affect on plant performance.
Plasticity in leaf traits of 38 tropical tree species in response to light; relationships with light demand and adult stature.

1. The sun? shade acclimation and plasticity of 16 functional leaf traits of 38 tropical tree species were studied in relation to their light demand, maximum adult stature and ontogenetic changes in crown exposure. 2. Species differed significantly in all leaf traits, which explained a large part of the observed variation (average R2 = 0·72). Light had a significant effect on 12 traits and species showed a similar proportional response to light, indicating that the species ranking in trait performance is largely maintained in different light environments. 3. Specific leaf area, leaf nutrient content and chlorophyll : nitrogen ratio showed the largest plasticity to irradiance. These traits are important for maximizing growth in different light conditions because they are closely linked to the photosynthetic capacity and carbon balance of the plant. 4. Plasticity is generally thought to be greatest for pioneer species that occupy early successional habitats with a large variation in irradiance. This hypothesis was rejected because short-lived pioneers showed the lowest plasticity to irradiance. 5. An alternative hypothesis states that plasticity is largest for tall species that experience large ontogenetic changes in irradiance during their life cycle. Yet plasticity was barely related to adult stature or ontogenetic changes in crown exposure. Short-lived pioneers that experience consistently high light levels did have low plasticity, but shade-tolerant species that experience consistently low light levels had high plasticity. 6. Tropical rainforest species show a large variation in plasticity. Plasticity is a compromise between many factors and constraints, and all of these may explain the observed patterns to some extent.
“We talked about our hookups”: A diary study of sexual communication among U.S. college women

For many young women, college is a time of major changes in sexual behavior and attitudes, driven in part by their social environment. Yet little is known about how young women actually talk about sex day-to-day. To understand daily sexual communication, 96 U.S. college students who identify as women kept a sexual communication diary for 7 days, generating 1,211 records. A content analysis revealed that women talked about sex an average of 13 times per week. Most conversations were with friends, face-to-face, and mostly about previous sexual encounters, dating, and potential sexual activity. The underlying function of most conversations was exchanging opinions, recapping, and gossiping. Sex appears to be a somewhat regularly discussed topic for college women and a way of socializing and exploring attitudes. The results have important implications for health promotion efforts targeted at college women.