Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severe Extracellular Matrix Abnormalities and Chondrodysplasia in Mice Lacking Collagen Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase Isoenzyme II in Combination with a Reduced Amount of Isoenzyme I*

Background: Roles of collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylases (C-P4Hs) I and II in growth plate development were studied. Results: Proliferating chondrocytes undergo apoptosis in C-P4H-I+/−;C-P4H-II−/− growth plates, and the mice develop chondrodysplasia. Conclusion: Biomechanically impaired extracellular matrix is the primary cause of death of C-P4H-I+/−;C-P4H-II−/− growth plate chondrocytes. Significance: Sufficient C-P4H activity is essential for growth plate chondrocyte survival and proper skeletogenesis. Collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylases (C-P4H-I, C-P4H-II, and C-P4H-III) catalyze formation of 4-hydroxyproline residues required to form triple-helical collagen molecules. Vertebrate C-P4Hs are α2β2 tetramers differing in their catalytic α subunits. C-P4H-I is the major isoenzyme in most cells, and inactivation of its catalytic subunit (P4ha1−/−) leads to embryonic lethality in mouse, whereas P4ha1+/− mice have no abnormalities. To study the role of C-P4H-II, which predominates in chondrocytes, we generated P4ha2−/− mice. Surprisingly, they had no apparent phenotypic abnormalities. To assess possible functional complementarity, we established P4ha1+/−;P4ha2−/− mice. They were smaller than their littermates, had moderate chondrodysplasia, and developed kyphosis. A transient inner cell death phenotype was detected in their developing growth plates. The columnar arrangement of proliferative chondrocytes was impaired, the amount of 4-hydroxyproline and the Tm of collagen II were reduced, and the extracellular matrix was softer in the growth plates of newborn P4ha1+/−;P4ha2−/− mice. No signs of uncompensated ER stress were detected in the mutant growth plate chondrocytes. Some of these defects were also found in P4ha2−/− mice, although in a much milder form. Our data show that C-P4H-I can to a large extent compensate for the lack of C-P4H-II in proper endochondral bone development, but their combined partial and complete inactivation, respectively, leads to biomechanically impaired extracellular matrix, moderate chondrodysplasia, and kyphosis. Our mouse data suggest that inactivating mutations in human P4HA2 are not likely to lead to skeletal disorders, and a simultaneous decrease in P4HA1 function would most probably be required to generate such a disease phenotype.
Assessment of the Opinion of Youths on the Use of Sports and Vocational Education for Crisis Management in the Niger Delta Region

The study was carried out to assess the opinion of youths in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria on the use of sports and vocational education in crisis management. To effectively carry out the study, five null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey research design was used for the study. The sample for the study comprises of one thousand youths purposively sampled from the nine oil producing states commonly referred to as the Niger Delta region. A self generated questionnaire tailored towards a four point Likert type was used for gathering information. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained by a test-retest method using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and the reliability of 0.87 was ascertained. Percentages and mean were used in analysing the demographic data while Chi-square was used in testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between sporting activities and crisis management. The study also revealed that there is a significant relationship between vocational skill acquisition through vocational education and crisis management. Age, level of education and parental background significantly influence the opinion of youths on the use of sports and vocational education for crisis management. It was recommended that government and well meaning Nigeria should help to provide facilities and vocational skill acquisition centres in the Region.
Design and Construction of an Inexpensive Homemade Plant Growth Chamber

Plant growth chambers produce controlled environments, which are crucial in making reproducible observations in experimental plant biology research. Commercial plant growth chambers can provide precise controls of environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and light cycle, and the capability via complex programming to regulate these environmental parameters. But they are expensive. The high cost of maintaining a controlled growth environment is often a limiting factor when determining experiment size and feasibility. To overcome the limitation of commercial growth chambers, we designed and constructed an inexpensive plant growth chamber with consumer products for a material cost of $2,300. For a comparable growth space, a commercial plant growth chamber could cost $40,000 or more. Our plant growth chamber had outside dimensions of 1.5 m (W) x 1.8 m (D) x 2 m (H), providing a total growth area of 4.5 m2 with 40-cm high clearance. The dimensions of the growth area and height can be flexibly changed. Fluorescent lights with large reflectors provided a relatively spatially uniform photosynthetically active radiation intensity of 140–250 μmoles/m2/sec. A portable air conditioner provided an ample cooling capacity, and a cooling water mister acted as a powerful humidifier. Temperature, relative humidity, and light cycle inside the chamber were controlled via a z-wave home automation system, which allowed the environmental parameters to be monitored and programmed through the internet. In our setting, the temperature was tightly controlled: 22.2°C±0.8°C. The one-hour average relative humidity was maintained at 75%±7% with short spikes up to ±15%. Using the interaction between Arabidopsis and one of its bacterial pathogens as a test experimental system, we demonstrate that experimental results produced in our chamber were highly comparable to those obtained in a commercial growth chamber. In summary, our design of an inexpensive plant growth chamber will tremendously increase research opportunities in experimental plant biology.
Randomised controlled trial comparing hypnotherapy versus gabapentin for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors: a pilot study

Objectives To compare the efficacy of hypnotherapy versus gabapentin for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors, and to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial comparing a drug with a complementary or alternative method (CAM). Design Prospective randomised trial. Setting Breast health centre of a tertiary care centre. Participants 15 women with a personal history of breast cancer or an increased risk of breast cancer who reported at least one daily hot flash. Interventions Gabapentin 900 mg daily in three divided doses (control) compared with standardised hypnotherapy. Participation lasted 8 weeks. Outcome measures The primary endpoints were the number of daily hot flashes and hot flash severity score (HFSS). The secondary endpoint was the Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS). Results 27 women were randomised and 15 (56%) were considered evaluable for the primary endpoint (n=8 gabapentin, n=7 hypnotherapy). The median number of daily hot flashes at enrolment was 4.5 in the gabapentin arm and 5 in the hypnotherapy arm. HFSS scores were 7.5 in the gabapentin arm and 10 in the hypnotherapy arm. After 8 weeks, the median number of daily hot flashes was reduced by 33.3% in the gabapentin arm and by 80% in the hypnotherapy arm. The median HFSS was reduced by 33.3% in the gabapentin arm and by 85% in the hypnotherapy arm. HFRDIS scores improved by 51.6% in the gabapentin group and by 55.2% in the hypnotherapy group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups. Conclusions Hypnotherapy and gabapentin demonstrate efficacy in improving hot flashes. A definitive trial evaluating traditional interventions against CAM methods is feasible, but not without challenges. Further studies aimed at defining evidence-based recommendations for CAM are necessary. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00711529).
Power, Politics and Global Civil Society

Although there remains considerable dispute about Global Civil Society (GCS) — whom or what it includes, whether it is international or truly global, and how it is constituted — there is no doubt that the agents, actors, organisations, and institutions of transnational social and economic exchange and action exist. But what is GCS? Is it a space or locus of sovereign agents, or merely a structural effect? Does it wield compulsory power or it is a mere epiphenomenon, a reflection of the state system? Is GCS an institutional phenomenon, the result of the exercise of power by other actors, or is it a productive phenomenon, constituted by the social roles and relations growing out of contemporary states and markets? In this article, I adopt a neo-Hegelian approach, and propose a dialectical relationship between developing modes of global political rule and the markets that it shapes and governs. I problematise GCS as a central and vital element in an expanding global neo-liberal regime of governmentality, which is constituted out of the social relations within that regime and which, to a large degree, serves to legitimise that regime.
Evaluation of delivery of enteral nutrition in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND Published reports consistently describe incomplete delivery of prescribed enteral nutrition. Which specific step in the process delays or interferes with the administration of a full dose of nutrients is unclear. OBJECTIVES To assess factors associated with interruptions in enteral nutrition in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. METHODS An observational prospective study of 59 consecutive patients who required mechanical ventilation and were receiving enteral nutrition was done in an 18-bed medical intensive care unit of an academic center. Data were collected prospectively on standardized forms. Steps involved in the feeding process from admission to discharge were recorded, each step was timed, and delivery of nutrition was quantified. RESULTS Patients received approximately 50% (mean, 1106.3; SD, 885.9 Cal) of the prescribed caloric needs. Enteral nutrition was interrupted 27.3% of the available time. A mean of 1.13 interruptions occurred per patient per day; enteral nutrition was interrupted a mean of 6 (SD, 0.9) hours per patient each day. Prolonged interruptions were mainly associated with problems related to small-bore feeding tubes (25.5%), increased residual volumes (13.3%), weaning (11.7%), and other reasons (22.8%). Placement and confirmation of placement of the small-bore feeding tube were significant causes of incomplete delivery of nutrients on the day of admission. CONCLUSIONS Delivery of enteral nutrition in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation is interrupted by practices embedded in the care of these patients. Evaluation of the process reveals areas to improve the delivery of enteral nutrition.
FL Pronunciation on the Elementary Level: A Neglected Area of Early Expertise.

Sicher w~ire es nicht zweckvoll, unsere Studenten in das Gebiet der deutschen Ortsnamenforschung systematisch einzufi hren, zumal wir hier von den Ortlichkeiten, die untersucht werden muiten, zu weit entfernt sind. Forschung an Ort und Stelle, das Einsehen alter Urkunden und das Beherrschen der Mundarten sind auf diesem Wissensgebiet unerliglich. Aber ein Auswerten vorhandener Forschungsergebnisse im praktischen Unterricht ist durchaus geboten. Es wird bei Studenten Interesse erregen und ihnen historische und kulturelle Umstdinde lebendiger erscheinen lassen.
GENETIC CORRELATIONS AMONG TRAITS DETERMINING MIGRATORY TENDENCY IN THE SAND CRICKET, GRYLLUS FIRMUS

Migration by flight is an important component of the life cycles of most insects. The probability that a given insect will migrate by flight is influenced by many factors, most notably the presence or absence of fully‐developed wings and functional flight musculature. Considerable variation has also been reported in the flight propensity of fully‐winged individuals with functional flight musculature. We test the hypothesis that these components of migratory tendency are genetically correlated in a wing‐dimorhic cricket, Gryllus firmus. Flight propensity and condition of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles (DLM) are examined in fully‐winged (LW) crickets from lines selected for increasing and for decreasing %LW, as well as from unselected control lines. Increased %LW is found to be associated with increased flight propensity among individuals with intact DLM, and with retention of functional DLM. The opposite is true for lines selected for decreased %LW. These results indicate both phenotypic and genetic correlations among behavioral, physiological, and morphological traits determining migratory tendency. We propose that these correlations may result from the multifunctional role of juvenile hormone, which has been reported to influence wing development, flight muscle development and degeneration, and flight propensity. Finally, we discuss the potential influence of genetic correlations for migratory traits on the evolution and maintenance of migratory polymorphisms in insects.
Clinical evidence for myocardial derecruitment downstream from severe stenosis: pressure-flow control interaction.

To verify the interaction between coronary pressure (CP) and blood flow (CBF) control, we studied nine candidates for angioplasty of an isolated lesion of the left anterior descending coronary artery [i.e. , percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)]. CBF (i.e., flow velocity x coronary cross-sectional area at the Doppler tip) and CP were monitored during washout of 2-5 mCi of (133)Xe after bolus injection into the left main artery before and after PTCA. Xe mean transit time (MTT) was calculated as the area under the time-activity curve, acquired by a gamma camera, divided by the dose obtained from a model fit of the Xe curve in the anterior wall. CBF response to intracoronary adenosine (2 mg) was also assessed. PTCA increased baseline CBF (from 14.5 +/- 9.4 to 20 +/- 8 ml/min, P < 0.01), coronary flow reserve (from 1.52 +/- 0.24 to 2.33 +/- 0.8, P < 0.01), and CP (from 64 +/- 9 to 100 +/- 10 mmHg, P < 0.05). MTT decreased from 89 +/- 32 to 70 +/- 19 s (P < 0.05) after PTCA; however, MTT and CBF changes were not correlated (r = -0.09, not significant). Inasmuch as MTT is the ratio of distribution volume to CBF, MTT x CBF was used as an index of perfused myocardial volume. Volume increased after PTCA from 23 +/- 18 to 56 +/- 30 ml. A direct correlation was observed between the percent increase in distal CP and percent increase in perfused volume (r = 0.91, P < 0.01). Thus low CP was not associated with exhaustion of flow reserve but, rather, with reduction of perfused myocardial volume. These data suggest that, in the presence of a severe coronary stenosis, derecruitment of vascular units occurs that is proportional to the decrease in driving pressure. Residual perfused units maintain a vasomotor tone, thus explaining the paradoxical persistence of coronary reserve.
MMP expression and abnormal lung permeability are important determinants of outcome in IPF

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degrade all of the extracellular matrix components of the intersititium and may play a role in abnormal alveolar permeability, which is a feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The aims of the present study were to evaluate MMP protein levels in patients with IPF and determine any relationship to treatment and markers of permeability. In total, 20 patients with IPF and eight normal controls underwent bronchoalveolar lavage. MMP, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were related to clinical outcome and protein permeability index. MMP-3, -7, -8 and -9 were elevated in IPF lavage fluid and levels remained high despite treatment. Levels of MMP-3, -7, -8 and -9, VEGF and protein permeability index were higher in those who died early during follow-up. VEGF, and MMP-8 and -9 levels were higher in those with a rapidly declining lung function over 1 yr. Levels of MMP-3, -7, -8 and -9 correlated with an increased permeability index. Matrix metalloproteinase levels were elevated in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients and were not modulated by current standard treatment. Matrix metalloproteinase production through an interaction with the known vascular permogen, vascular endothelial growth factor, was potentially associated with abnormal capillary permeability and may have potentiated the neo-angiogenesis seen in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The changes were greatest in those who died or progressed during follow-up, suggesting that drugs targeting vascular endothelial growth factor or matrix metalloproteinase activity warrant assessment as novel therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The Role of Dietary Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) Inhibitors in Health and Disease

Modification of the histone proteins associated with DNA is an important process in the epigenetic regulation of DNA structure and function. There are several known modifications to histones, including methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation, and a range of factors influence each of these. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) remove the acetyl group from lysine residues within a range of proteins, including transcription factors and histones. Whilst this means that their influence on cellular processes is more complex and far-reaching than histone modifications alone, their predominant function appears to relate to histones; through deacetylation of lysine residues they can influence expression of genes encoded by DNA linked to the histone molecule. HDAC inhibitors in turn regulate the activity of HDACs, and have been widely used as therapeutics in psychiatry and neurology, in which a number of adverse outcomes are associated with aberrant HDAC function. More recently, dietary HDAC inhibitors have been shown to have a regulatory effect similar to that of pharmacological HDAC inhibitors without the possible side-effects. Here, we discuss a number of dietary HDAC inhibitors, and how they may have therapeutic potential in the context of a whole food.
Data Warehousing and Hadoop : A Critical Examination With Connections to Bioinformatics

The Data Warehousing field has been fundamentally changed by the Big Data revolution. Computational and storage methodologies such as Hadoop provide an alternate way of managing and analyzing the torrent of data that is flooding in from all manner of instrumentation. This review article will elucidate the relationship between traditional enterprise data warehousing and one of the primary analytics technologies developed in the last decade, Hadoop through the lens of bioinformatics and genomics principles. Keywords— Data Warehousing, Star Schema, ETL, Hadoop, MapReduce, Bioinformatics, Genomics
The course of “culture” in multiculturalism

In this essay Tim McDonough analyzes a number of different positions within the ongoing discussion on multicultural education in order to provide a conceptual map of the development of the term “culture. ” His examination of the discourse begins with liberal multiculturalism; moves through the stages of difference, critical, and poststructural multiculturalism; and ends with what he terms “transfigurative multiculturalism. ” McDonough describes how a conception of culture as a field of collective symbolic work has been arrived at through a dialectical movement of the concept across these different phases of multicultural discourse. This review does not attempt to provide a comprehensive account of the complex discourse of multiculturalism. Rather, McDonough charts a course representative of the field for the purpose of enhancing the readers’ understanding of “transfigurative” multiculturalism, which represents a fresh approach in the continuing inquiry into democratic multicultural education in an increasingly global society.
Single‐Center, Double‐Blind, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of 4% Lidocaine Cream versus Vehicle Cream During Botulinum Toxin Type A Treatments

Background Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injections are overwhelmingly safe and effective treatment in cosmetic treatment, but some patients are apprehensive about pain associated with injection. Objective To determine whether preprocedural application of lidocaine 4% topical anesthetic cream to the injection site will reduce pain on injection of BTX-A for the treatment of crow's feet. Methods Twenty-four participants receiving bilateral injections for crow's feet were enrolled. Subjects were randomized to one of four study groups. Prior to BTX-A injection, group 1 (n = 6) received lidocaine 4% cream on the right side of the face and vehicle cream on the left side of the face; group 2 (n = 6) received vehicle cream on the right side and lidocaine 4% on the left side; group 3 (n = 6) received lidocaine 4% on both sides; and group 4 (n = 6) received vehicle cream on both sides. Results We observed a statistically significant reduction in subject-reported procedural pain in participants pretreated with lidocaine 4% on both sides of the face compared with controls. Conclusion Lidocaine 4% cream is effective in reducing the pain associated with BTX-A injection for crow's feet. We encourage further study to clarify the optimal use of topical anesthetics in the practice of cosmetic dermatology.
Domestic moves: An exploration of intra-national labour mobility in the working lives of professional footballers

This article investigates the domestic, intra-state labour mobility of professional footballers. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a snowball sample of 49 male professional footballers who represent a range of career trajectories; the specific object of 19 interviews was to examine meanings and experiences tied to job relocation. An interactionist perspective was employed to highlight the ways in which players came to define, control and negotiate their workplace social realities. The article explores the working contexts that lead players to find new employment and appreciate the temporally oriented workplace situations that colour their experiences. The interview data illuminate the way ‘work’ opportunities are denied, how players are marginalised from the club’s central activity, and why these contexts lead to the dilution of feelings of job security. The conclusion argues that the spirit of community needs to be retained in professional football, and offers direction for further research for an activity that has become somewhat instrumental and expedient.