Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens

2 pesquisadora que tem investigado, nos últimos anos, como os jovens usam a mídia social em suas práticas cotidianas, tornou-se especialista em cultura juvenil, participando de discussões sobre as políticas públicas e sobre as práticas da juventude na sociabilidade em rede. Entre suas publicações, encontramos trabalhos que analisam o uso de tecnologias digitais pelos jovens e as implicações das redes sociais para a formação da identidade na juventude. No início de 2014, boyd publicou o livro “It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens”, pela Yale University Press. Esse livro é resultado de oito anos de pesquisa nos quais a autora observou e entrevistou adolescentes de etnias e níveis socioeconômicos distintos, explorando os diferentes aspectos do seu envolvimento com as mídias sociais e outras tecnologias em rede. Entrevistou pais, professores e outras pessoas que trabalham diretamente com adolescentes. Mesmo se tratando da cultura norte-americana, ela acredita que suas análises possam ser relevantes também em outras culturas e contextos.
Pilot study of high‐frequency ultrasound to assess cutaneous oedema in the conservatively managed breast

Cutaneous oedema is a relatively frequent complication in patients treated conservatively for breast cancer. The factors that contribute to this complication have not been precisely determined. We performed a pilot study to assess the usefulness of high‐frequency ultrasound as a quantitative measure of cutaneous oedema. Eleven patients undergoing breast‐conserving therapy for breast cancer were studied. Both the treated and untreated breasts were examined. Total cutaneous thickness provided a useful measure of cutaneous oedema. The treated breast was significantly thicker than the untreated breast (P < 0.001). The medial aspect of the breast was thicker than the lateral aspect in both the treated and untreated breast (P < 0.001). The increase in cutaneous thickness predated radiotherapy in those patients who had undergone an axillary dissection. Intrapatient variation in skin thickness was much less than interpatient variation in skin thickness (coefficient of variation 6.4% vs. 18.2% for the untreated breast; coefficient of variation 13.9% vs. 30.9% for the treated breast). Increasing cutaneous thickness was associated with decreasing cutaneous echodensity. We were unable to derive quantitative estimates of echodensity. Cutaneous oedema is an important outcome variable following conservative treatment of breast cancer. High‐frequency ultrasound is able to quantify this accurately. It can readily detect changes invisible to the naked eye. High‐frequency ultrasound should enable the effects of different treatment options (e.g., extent of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy) on cutaneous oedema to be differentiated and for the time course of oedema to be accurately characterised. Int. J. Cancer (Radiat. Oncol. Invest.) 90, 295–301 (2000). © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
INDICADORES SOBRE O ENVELHECIMENTO NA REGIÃO DE ABRANGÊNCIA DE 3 SECRETARIAS DE DESENVOLVIMENTO REGIONAL DO EXTREMO OESTE CATARINENSE

O objetivo geral que permeia o artigo consistiu em caracterizar a populacao idosa dos municipios das SDRs de Itapiranga, Sao Miguel do Oeste e Dionisio Cerqueira. Buscou-se fazer uma analise sobre o processo de envelhecimento na regiao Oeste de Santa Catarina tendo como base os indicadores sociais disponibilizados pelo IBGE, obtidos pelos censos demograficos dos anos 2000 e 2010. Tem-se, a partir desses dados, como intencao a analise das situacoes de domicilio (urbano ou rural) e genero da populacao idosa residente na regiao das Secretarias de Desenvolvimento Regional de Itapiranga, Sao Miguel do Oeste e Dionisio Cerqueira. Os objetivos foram atingidos por meio da realizacao de pesquisa bibliografica e documental junto ao banco de dados Sidra do IBGE. Foi constatado que na regiao o numero de pessoas com faixa etaria superior a 60 anos subiu nos ultimos 10 anos, observando as alteracoes registradas em nivel nacional. Percebeu-se que a maioria da populacao idosa e do genero feminino e que houve uma migracao do meio rural para o meio urbano. Concluiu-se que uma observacao e acompanhamento por parte de orgaos publicos e instituicoes privadas se fazem necessaria, a fim de se obter um melhor posicionamento de acoes no que diz respeito a promocao de politicas e praticas para o desenvolvimento regional direcionadas para essa populacao que envelhece. A melhoria na qualidade de vida, que teve como consequencia o aumento na expectativa de vida da populacao faz com que os resultados obtidos possam ser justificados. Palavras chave: Envelhecimento. SDR de Itapiranga. SDR de Sao Miguel do Oeste. SDR de Dionisio Cerqueira. Desenvolvimento Regional.
Comparative Experiments To Examine the Effects of Heating on Vegetative Cells and Spores of Clostridium perfringens Isolates Carrying Plasmid Genes versus Chromosomal Enterotoxin Genes

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is an important virulence factor for both C. perfringens type A food poisoning and several non-food-borne human gastrointestinal diseases. Recent studies have indicated that C. perfringensisolates associated with food poisoning carry a chromosomalcpe gene, while non-food-borne human gastrointestinal disease isolates carry a plasmid cpe gene. However, no explanation has been provided for the strong associations between certain cpe genotypes and particular CPE-associated diseases. Since C. perfringens food poisoning usually involves cooked meat products, we hypothesized that chromosomalcpe isolates are so strongly associated with food poisoning because (i) they are more heat resistant than plasmid cpeisolates, (ii) heating induces loss of the cpe plasmid, or (iii) heating induces migration of the plasmid cpe gene to the chromosome. When we tested these hypotheses, vegetative cells of chromosomal cpe isolates were found to exhibit, on average approximately twofold-higher decimal reduction values (Dvalues) at 55°C than vegetative cells of plasmid cpeisolates exhibited. Furthermore, the spores of chromosomalcpe isolates had, on average, approximately 60-fold-higherD values at 100°C than the spores of plasmidcpe isolates had. Southern hybridization and CPE Western blot analyses demonstrated that all survivors of heating retained theircpe gene in its original plasmid or chromosomal location and could still express CPE. These results suggest that chromosomalcpe isolates are strongly associated with food poisoning, at least in part, because their cells and spores possess a high degree of heat resistance, which should enhance their survival in incompletely cooked or inadequately warmed foods.
Oral Hygiene Practices: Ancient Historical Review

The ancient history of the world’s fascination with oral health is a long and illustrious one. Numerous dental epidemiological studies indicate that people are keeping their teeth longer than over before in this century. Neolithic age and prehistoric age people used agents and devices that have evolved, by custom, myth, beliefs and by research, to enable people, with professional assistance, to maintain good oral health. The first mentions of teeth and dental hygiene were found in inscriptions from Mesopotamian clay tablets, so called ‘oral hygiene products’ including toothpicks, chewing sticks, tooth powders and mouthwashes, dating back to 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians, Mesopotamians’, Greco-Romans, Hindus and Chinese discovered variety of dental treatments and intricate surgical operations. The profession has met the challenge by developing and perfecting a myriad of devices and agents to thwart these pathogenic factors since ages. We certainly eat well, speak well, look fine and ‘smell fresh’–but we also have plaque, gingivitis and dental caries. The reader can determine how much our ancestors thought, invented and practiced oral hygiene long long ago and which gave raise to later inventions.
Development of an ELISA for Autoantibodies to Prothrombin Showing their Prevalence in Patients with Lupus Anticoagulants

Summary Some lupus anticoagulants (LA) have been shown to be directed against phospholipid-bound prothrombin. While developing an ELISA to detect anti-prothrombin autoantibodies in patient serum or plasma, no or very low signal was observed using human prothrombin immobilized on plain polystyrene plates. In contrast, the same LA-positive samples bound specifically to prothrombin coated on γ-irradiated plates, depending on the radiation dose, in the absence of added calcium and phospholipid. Optimization of the assay required the addition of 0.1% Tween 20 to the buffers. Antibody specificity for immobilized prothrombin was ascertained by competition using liposome-bound prothrombin, since fluid-phase prothrombin competed poorly. Seventy-seven of 139 patients (55.4%) with LA related to a variety of underlying diseases possessed anti-prothrombin antibodies (27 IgG, 35 IgM and 15 both isotypes), either isolated or more often associated with anti-(β2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies. These included 67-71% of the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and related disorders, primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome or drug-induced LA (autoimmune groups), but only 19-20% of those with infection or malignancy (p <0.001). As previously shown for anti-β2GPI antibodies, IgG2 was the predominant IgG subclass reactive with prothrombin. Thus, autoimmune patients with LA have a high incidence of antibodies to β2GPI and prothrombin, the binding of which could similarly require high antigen density and/or exposure of cryptic epitopes resulting from protein interaction with an irradiated (i. e. more anionic) polystyrene surface.
Expression of Aberrant Forms of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR8 Stimulates Parthenocarpy in Arabidopsis and Tomato1[W][OA]

Fruit initiation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is generally repressed until fertilization occurs. However, mutations in AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR8 (ARF8) uncouple fruit initiation from fertilization, resulting in the formation of seedless, parthenocarpic fruit. Here we induced parthenocarpy in wild-type Arabidopsis by introducing either the mutant genomic (g) Atarf8-4 sequence or gAtARF8:β-glucuronidase translational fusion constructs by plant transformation. Silencing of endogenous AtARF8 transcription was not observed, indicating that the introduced, aberrant ARF8 transcripts were compromising the function of endogenous ARF8 and/or associated factors involved in suppressing fruit initiation. To analyze the role of ARF8 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) we initially emasculated 23 tomato cultivars to test for background parthenocarpy. Surprisingly, all had a predisposition to initiate fertilization-independent fruit growth. Expression of gAtarf8-4 in transgenic tomato (‘Monalbo’) resulted in a significant increase in the number and size of parthenocarpic fruit. Isolation of tomato ARF8 cDNA indicated significant sequence conservation with AtARF8. SlARF8 may therefore control tomato fruit initiation in a similar manner as AtARF8 does in Arabidopsis. Two SlARF8 cDNAs differing in size by 5 bp were found, both arising from the same gene. The smaller cDNA is a splice variant and is also present in Arabidopsis. We propose that low endogenous levels of the splice variant products might interfere with efficient formation/function of a complex repressing fruit initiation, thereby providing an explanation for the observed ovary expansion in tomato and also Arabidopsis after emasculation. Increasing the levels of aberrant Atarf8-4 transcripts may further destabilize formation/function of the complex in a dosage-dependent manner enhancing tomato parthenocarpic fruit initiation frequency and size and mimicking the parthenocarpic dehiscent silique phenotype found in homozygous Atarf8-4 mutants. Collectively these data suggest that similar mechanisms involving auxin signaling exist to inhibit parthenocarpic fruit set in tomato and Arabidopsis.
Chaperone domains convert prolyl isomerases into generic catalysts of protein folding

The cis/trans isomerization of peptide bonds before proline (prolyl bonds) is a rate-limiting step in many protein folding reactions, and it is used to switch between alternate functional states of folded proteins. Several prolyl isomerases of the FK506-binding protein family, such as trigger factor, SlyD, and FkpA, contain chaperone domains and are assumed to assist protein folding in vivo. The prolyl isomerase activity of FK506-binding proteins strongly depends on the nature of residue Xaa of the Xaa-Pro bond. We confirmed this in assays with a library of tetrapeptides in which position Xaa was occupied by all 20 aa. A high sequence specificity seems inconsistent with a generic function of prolyl isomerases in protein folding. Accordingly, we constructed a library of protein variants with all 20 aa at position Xaa before a rate-limiting cis proline and used it to investigate the performance of trigger factor and SlyD as catalysts of proline-limited folding. The efficiencies of both prolyl isomerases were higher than in the tetrapeptide assays, and, intriguingly, this high activity was almost independent of the nature of the residue before the proline. Apparently, the almost indiscriminate binding of the chaperone domain to the refolding protein chain overrides the inherently high sequence specificity of the prolyl isomerase site. The catalytic performance of these folding enzymes is thus determined by generic substrate recognition at the chaperone domain and efficient transfer to the active site in the prolyl isomerase domain.
Toward an International Standard for PCR-Based Detection of Food-Borne Thermotolerant Campylobacters: Assay Development and Analytical Validation

ABSTRACT As part of a European research project (FOOD-PCR), we developed a standardized and robust PCR detection assay specific for the three most frequently reported food-borne pathogenic Campylobacter species, C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari. Fifteen published and unpublished PCR primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene were tested in all possible pairwise combinations, as well as two published primers targeting the 23S rRNA gene. A panel of 150 strains including target and nontarget strains was used in an in-house validation. Only one primer pair, OT1559 plus 18-1, was found to be selective. The inclusivity and exclusivity were 100 and 97%, respectively. In an attempt to find a thermostable DNA polymerase more resistant than Taq to PCR inhibitors present in chicken samples, three DNA polymerases were evaluated. The DNA polymerase Tth was not inhibited at a concentration of 2% (vol/vol) chicken carcass rinse, unlike both Taq DNA polymerase and DyNAzyme. Based on these results, Tth was selected as the most suitable enzyme for the assay. The standardized PCR test described shows potential for use in large-scale screening programs for food-borne Campylobacter species under the assay conditions specified.
Validation of a new index for seat comfort assessment based on objective and subjective measurements

This work aims at validating a new statistical index (Weighted Pressure Comfort Loss, WPCL) for seat comfort assessment. The validation is carried out by deepening the relationship between subjective comfort evaluations and objective measures of seat comfort and comparing, from an engineering standpoint, the new index with the pressure peak which is currently one of the most used indexes for seat comfort assessment.
Assessing the Clinical Benefit of Systemic Adjuvant Therapies for Early Breast Cancer

Abstract Oncologic therapy is currently undergoing significant changes. A number of innovative targeted medications currently in clinical development have raised high expectations. With that in mind, discussions about terms such as “clinical benefit” and “clinical relevance” are highly topical. This also applies to further developments in the field of adjuvant systemic therapies for early-stage breast cancer. As the treatment aim is curative, assessment of the clinical benefit of adjuvant therapies must be largely based on efficacy outcomes. The focus must be on improving disease-free survival rates and lowering the risk of recurrence. Because of the current low mortality rates, statements about overall survival rates are only possible after very long observation periods. Consequently, new drugs in adjuvant therapies should be considered as offering a clinical benefit, if they reduce the risk of recurrence below current low levels of risk. The evidence for established adjuvant therapy standards in early-stage breast cancer can be used as objective criteria for comparison. This review article considers the requirements for clinical benefit of new adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer, based on examples from adjuvant endocrine therapy, adjuvant polychemotherapy and adjuvant anti-HER2 therapy. Zusammenfassung Die onkologische Therapie befindet sich im Umbruch. Hohe Erwartungen sind mit einer Reihe innovativer zielgerichteter Medikamente verknüpft, die sich derzeit in der klinischen Entwicklung befinden. Vor diesem Hintergrund erfahren Diskussionen um die Begriffe klinischer Nutzen oder klinische Relevanz neue Aktualität. Dies gilt auch für die Weiterentwicklungen der adjuvanten systemischen Therapie des frühen Mammakarzinoms. In Anbetracht der kurativen Zielsetzung erfolgt die Beurteilung des klinischen Nutzens einer adjuvanten Therapie maßgeblich anhand von Wirksamkeitsendpunkten. Der Fokus liegt hierbei auf Verbesserungen des krankheitsfreien Überlebens und des Rezidivrisikos. Eine Aussage zum Gesamtüberleben ist aufgrund der heute erreichten niedrigen Mortalitätsraten erst nach sehr langen Beobachtungszeiten möglich. Folgerichtig sollte neuen Medikamenten für die adjuvante Therapie ein klinischer Nutzen zugesprochen werden, wenn sie eine weitere Reduktion des Rezidivrisikos über den heutigen hohen Standard hinaus ermöglichen. Die Evidenz für etablierte adjuvante Therapiestandards beim frühen Mammakarzinom kann als objektiver Maßstab zum Vergleich herangezogen werden. Am Beispiel der adjuvanten endokrinen Therapie, der adjuvanten Polychemotherapie und der adjuvanten Anti-HER2-Therapie werden in diesem Übersichtsartikel die Anforderungen für den klinischen Nutzen neuer adjuvanter Therapien beim frühen Mammakarzinom abgeleitet.
FRS2α attenuates FGF receptor signaling by Grb2- mediated recruitment of the ubiquitin ligase Cbl

Attenuation of growth factor signaling is essential for the regulation of developmental processes and tissue homeostasis in most organisms. The product of Cbl protooncogene is one such regulator, which functions as an ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates and promotes the degradation of a variety of cell signaling proteins. Here, we demonstrate that Grb2 bound to tyrosine-phosphorylated FRS2α forms a ternary complex with Cbl by means of its Src homology 3 domains resulting in the ubiquitination of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor and FRS2α in response to FGF stimulation. These observations highlight the importance of FRS2α in the assembly of both positive (i.e., Sos, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) and negative (i.e., Cbl) signaling proteins to mediate a balanced FGF signal transduction. However, the partial inhibition of FGF receptor down-regulation in FRS2α−/− cells indicates that the attenuation of signaling by FGF receptor is regulated by redundant or multiple mechanisms.
Written Accounts of an Amazonian Landscape Over the Last 450 Years

Abstract: Books, articles, government documents, and other written accounts of tropical biology and conservation reach a tiny fraction of their potential audience. Some texts are inaccessible because of the language in which they are written. Others are only available to subscribers of developed‐world journals, or distributed narrowly within tropical countries. To examine this dysfunction in the tropical literature—and what it means for conservation—we tried to compile everything ever written on the biology and conservation of the department of Madre de Dios, Peru, in southwestern Amazonia. Our search of libraries, databases, and existing bibliographies uncovered 2,202 texts totaling roughly 80,000 pages. Texts date from 1553 to 2004, but 93% were written after 1970. Since that year the publication rate has increased steadily from fewer than 10 texts/year to nearly 3 texts/week in 2004. Roughly half of the Madre de Dios bibliography is in Spanish‐language texts written by Peruvian authors and mostly inaccessible outside Peru. Most of the remaining material is English‐language texts written by foreign authors and largely inaccessible in Peru. Foreign authors tended to write about ecological studies with limited relevance to on‐the‐ground conservation challenges, whereas Peruvian authors were more likely to make specific management recommendations. The establishment of a Web‐based digital library for Neotropical nature would help make the tropical literature a more efficient resource for science and conservation. Additional recommendations include investing in syntheses, translations, popular summaries, and peer‐reviewed journals in tropical countries, providing incentives for management‐relevant research in tropical protected areas, and reinforcing training of scientific reading and writing in tropical universities.
Density heterogeneities and the influence of multiple Coulomb and nuclear scatterings on the Bragg peak distal edge of proton therapy beams

Density heterogeneities in the path of proton beams are known to cause degradation of the Bragg peak and, thus, widening of its distal fall-off. Inadequate accounting for this effect may lead to unwanted dose delivered to normal tissue distal to the target volume. In low-density regions, such as the thorax, this may lead to large volumes of healthy tissue receiving unnecessary dose. Although it is known that multiple Coulomb scattering within the density heterogeneities is the main cause of Bragg peak degradation, no systematic attempt has been made to quantify the contribution of multiple Coulomb scattering and nuclear scattering. Through a systematic study using a 220 MeV proton beam, we show that nuclear scattering contributes to about 5% of the distal fall-off width and is only slightly dependent on heterogeneity complexity. Furthermore, we also show that the energy spectra of the proton fluence downstream of various heterogeneity volumes are well correlated with the Bragg peak distal fall-off widths. Based on this correlation, a novel method for predicting distal fall-offs is suggested. This method is tested for three clinical setups of a voxelized model of a human head based on computer tomography data. Results are within 3% of the distal fall-off values obtained using Monte Carlo simulations.
Speckle tracking echocardiography predicts early subclinical anthracycline cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer

This study aimed to assess the early changes of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) mechanics associated with anthracycline treatment for breast cancer and to determine whether two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D‐STE) analysis could predict chemotherapy‐induced cardiotoxicity.