Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drug Delivery for Treatment of Inner Ear Disease: Current State of Knowledge

Delivery of medications to the inner ear has been an area of considerable growth in both the research and clinical realms during the past several decades. Systemic delivery of medication destined for treatment of the inner ear is the foundation on which newer delivery techniques have been developed. Because of systemic side effects, investigators and clinicians have begun developing and using techniques to deliver therapeutic agents locally. Alongside the now commonplace use of intratympanic gentamicin for Meniere's disease and the emerging use of intratympanic steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss, novel technologies, such as hydrogels and nanoparticles, are being explored. At the horizon of inner ear drug-delivery techniques, intracochlear devices that leverage recent advances in microsystems technology are being developed to apply medications directly into the inner ear. Potential uses for such devices include neurotrophic factor and steroid delivery with cochlear implantation, RNA interference technologies, and stem-cell therapy. The historical, current, and future delivery techniques and uses of drug delivery for treatment of inner ear disease serve as the basis for this review.
Causes for improvement in nutritive value of broiler chicken diets with whole wheat instead of ground wheat

1. Two experiments were conducted with broiler chicks to compare nutritive values of ground and whole wheat diets containing titanium oxide as indigestible marker. 2. In Experiment 1, a wheat and soy isolate based cold-pelleted diet, in which all the wheat was ground in a hammer mill to pass through a 3 mm sieve, was compared with a diet in which about half (375 g/kg) of the ground wheat was taken out of the diet and supplied as whole wheat mixed into the diet after pelleting. 3. In Experiment 2, a diet based on ground wheat and soy isolate which was pelleted after preconditioning (final temperature 81°C) was compared with a diet in which 500 g of the ground wheat was replaced by whole wheat mixed into the diet before pelleting. 4. In Experiment 1, replacement of ground wheat with whole wheat increased apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content and starch digestibility measured at ileal as well as faecal level, while weight gain and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were not affected. Jejunal chyme showed increased amylase activity and bile salt concentration. 5. In Experiment 2, replacement of ground wheat with whole wheat increased dry matter content as well as bile content of gizzard, and stimulated an increase in gizzard as well as pancreas weight. Jejunal amylase and bile concentrations were not significantly affected and neither were growth, FCE or AME. 6. Results from this experiment indicate that the improved feed value sometimes observed with whole wheat may be associated with modulation of digestive processes resulting in increased pancreas and liver secretions.
An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road

Many authors have suggested that the negative effects of roads on animals are largely owing to traffic noise. Although suggestive, most past studies of the effects of road noise on wildlife were conducted in the presence of the other confounding effects of roads, such as visual disturbance, collisions and chemical pollution among others. We present, to our knowledge, the first study to experimentally apply traffic noise to a roadless area at a landscape scale—thus avoiding the other confounding aspects of roads present in past studies. We replicated the sound of a roadway at intervals—alternating 4 days of noise on with 4 days off—during the autumn migratory period using a 0.5 km array of speakers within an established stopover site in southern Idaho. We conducted daily bird surveys along our ‘Phantom Road’ and in a nearby control site. We document over a one-quarter decline in bird abundance and almost complete avoidance by some species between noise-on and noise-off periods along the phantom road and no such effects at control sites—suggesting that traffic noise is a major driver of effects of roads on populations of animals.
Evaluation of Various Crude Extracts of Zingiber officinale Rhizome for Potential Antibacterial Activity: A Study in Vitro

In vitro antibacterial activity of crude aqueous and organic extracts of rhizome of Zingiber officinaleRoscoe (ginger) was studied against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes) bacterial strains. The present study reveals that the pattern of inhibition varied with the solvent used for extraction and the organism tested. Plant extracts prepared in organic solvents provided more consistent antibacterial activity as compared to aqueous extracts. Methanol extract was the most active against maximum number of bacterial species tested. Gram-positive bacteria were found the most sensitive as compared to Gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus was significantly inhibited by almost all the extracts even in very low MIC followed by other Gram-positives. Escherichia coli (a Gram-negative bacterium) was showing the least inhibition with highest MIC values, while Salmonella typhi was found completely resistant. Methanol extract yielded the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins in phytochemical screening. Results of the present study sign the interesting assurance of designing a potentially active antibacterial agent from Zingiber officinale.
Long-haul 16 x 10 Gb/s WDM transmission experiment using higher order fiber dispersion management technique

We propose a dispersion management scheme for long-haul wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) transmission systems that considers not only second-, but also third-order dispersion using transmission fibers with opposite dispersion signs; it eliminates waveform distortion due to the existence of third-order dispersion with reducing interchannel interaction caused by fiber nonlinearity. With this technique, WDM transmission with a total capacity of 160 Gb/s is demonstrated over 9412 km.
Magnification—An Interesting Optical Property of Dentin

Thin disks of calcified and decalcified coronal dentin were examined for optical properties. When images were transmitted from a pulpal-to-occlusal direction, the image was magnified ; when the disks were inverted, the image was reduced in size. Magnification is presumably the result of the divergence of dentinal tubules. The image transmission may be a light-pipe or fiberoptic phenomenon.
Cultural diversity in the Dublin maternity services: the experiences of maternity service providers when caring for ethnic minority women

Background. Ireland has seen an expansion of new migrant communities over the past decade and the country has struggled to cope with this new multi-culturalism, especially within the health services. The maternity services in particular have seen an increase in deliveries from ethnic minority women. Little research has been done exploring this issue with maternity service providers. Methods. Using a grounded theory approach, this study sought to explore the experiences, understanding and perspectives of maternity service providers when working with ethnic minority women in the Dublin maternity services during 2002 and 2003. Results. Four themes emerged from the study: Communication difficulties, knowledge and use of services, cultural differences and ‘Them and Us’. These encompassed a variety of issues including inadequacy of interpretation services, childcare issues, coping with labour, identification as different and racism. Ethnic minority women are expected to adapt to the system rather than the maternity services being responsive or adapting to the new multi-cultural population. Discussion. These issues were relevant a decade ago internationally and are still pertinent today for not only Irish services but also for other European countries. There is an opportunity to improve the services for all women by learning from the experience of Dublin maternity service providers.
Kalman-Filter-Based Multilevel Analysis to Estimate Electric Load Composition

This paper presents a novel method by the multilevel analysis (MLA) to estimate the composition rate of electric loads with respect to measured total current waveform by improving the performance of a previous estimation scheme proposed by the authors. The proposed MLA makes it possible to analyze the electric load composition rate (LCR), which indicates the portions of several typical loads connected to a single point of common coupling (PCC), with the partition of several levels. Then, the Kalman-filter (KF) algorithm is applied to solve the estimation problem of LCR based on formulation with current waveforms in each level. The effectiveness of MLA based on the KF in practice is verified by the experimental implementation based on the prototype's setup in laboratory. It consists of a 3-kW photovoltaic grid-connected inverter, which contributes to a small distortion in voltage at PCC, and practical nonlinear loads connected to PCC. Also, the harmonic-current-injection-model-based time-domain simulations are carried out to prove the potential of the proposed method under various circumstances with different nonlinear loads.
Examining the relationships between participative organisational communication practices and burnout among IT professionals

This study examines the relationships two important participative organisational communication practices, namely employee work participation (EWP) and internal communication adequacy (ICA), and information technology (IT) workers’ burnout symptoms. Using a sample of 111 IT workers from an IT company based in the Midwest of the United States, results from multiple regression analyses show that ICA and EWP both play important – albeit different – roles in reducing employees’ burnout symptoms. ICA is positively associated with employees’ sense of professional efficacy/personal accomplishment and negatively associated with depersonalisation/cynicism. EWP, on the other hand, is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Essentially, the results of this study suggest that both ICA and EWP constitute important protective factors against burnout, especially among knowledge workers. Based on these results, implications and recommendations for reducing IT workers’ burnout and building communicatively healthy workplaces are provided.
Lifting the Lid: the Private Financing of Motorway PPPs in Ireland

This paper addresses the complete absence of detailed information on, and analysis of, the financial aspects of Ireland’s road public–private partnership (PPP) programme to date. We focus on the eight hard toll roads in operation by 2010 and provide a financial analysis of their performance. Although privately financed we find that projects also received considerable public money. Whereas four projects are profitable, the other four have accumulated significant losses. The risk premia paid to profitable projects and the potential renegotiations that may be necessary for loss-making projects raise questions as to whether value for money can be achieved. We conclude with a number of policy recommendations.
Food for two seasons: Culinary uses of non-cultivated local vegetables and mushrooms in a south Italian village

The use of non-cultivated plants in a daily diet based on local cuisines is potentially of considerable interest to nutritional scientists, because of the plants’ role as local products and their potential as sources of novel nutraceuticals. In many Mediterranean regions these traditions are at risk of disappearing, hence the urgent need to study such knowledge systems. Accordingly, an ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the 850 inhabitants of the village of Castelmezzano, in central Lucania, which is located in the inland southern Italy. Seventy-five taxa of non-cultivated and semi-cultivated local food plants and mushrooms were documented, and uncommon food uses of a few species were reported for the first time. These include Bellavalia romana, Lepista nebularis and Onopordum illyricum. Most of the recorded non-cultivated food plants and mushrooms are cooked in oil or fat. Very few are consumed raw. This article discusses in detail the traditional culinary uses of these plants, their seasonality, ethnoecology, and their economic and nutritional potentials. The article also demonstrates how food agro-biodiversity is inextricably connected with cultural heritage.
Amino acid deletions are introduced into the V2 region of gp120 during independent pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus/HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) infections of rhesus monkeys generating variants that are macrophage tropic

Highly pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus/HIV chimeric viruses (SHIVs) cause extremely rapid, irreversible, and systemic depletions of CD4+ T lymphocytes in inoculated rhesus monkeys. In the absence of this T cell subset, virus production can be sustained for several months by tissue macrophage. During independent infections of seven animals with uncloned virus stocks, SHIV variants emerged bearing amino acid deletions that affected specific residues of the gp120 V2 loop. Some of these macrophage-phase SHIVs replicated to high levels in alveolar macrophage.
A street-level perspective on non-compliance in the EU: new lessons to draw?

ABSTRACT European integration fundamentally depends upon the respect for and implementation of harmonized rules that ensure equivalent conditions between all member states. However, these rules are only as good as their practical implementation. While there is a vast amount of literature analysing how EU legislation is enshrined into national law, EU implementation studies still struggle to explain deficiencies in their application on the ground. Especially accounts on the role of street-level implementers, i.e. those actors making most discretionary decisions and holding the technical knowledge, are scarce. This article intends to contribute to our understanding of practical implementation by presenting the results of a qualitative case study on the remaining challenges for street-level implementers to comply with EU drug safety legislation in four member states. The analysis substantiates two factors that were already identified by previous studies, i.e. insufficient resources and a lack of effective enforcement practices, and identifies two additional impediments that hitherto received only scant attention, namely implementers’ resistance to the content of a certain policy as well as a lack of proper training possibilities.
Evaluating Business Accelerator Participants’ Experiences: Effectuation at Play?1

Responding to the new phenomena in entrepreneurship ecosystems in Poland, the author undertakes the study that aims to explore experiences of the participants of (pre)accelerator programme for start-ups. Clipster is a business acceleration and incubation programme, where participants have a unique co-living opportunity and work on their new venture ideas. With phenomenological interviews with six nascent entrepreneurs – participants working on their new venture ideas andemployment of inductive research approach, the author uses grounded theory analysis methods. The results provide 4 key categories that reflect effectuation heuristics. The findings contribute to acceleration and incubation literature by providing insights into the interactive and dynamic nature on the micro level of individual and interpersonal behaviours and processes among the programme participants.
Review of meniscal injury and associated sports

Meniscal injuries produce disability in a large portion of the population, and sports injuries are a common cause. Nicholas emphasized the importance of epidemiologic studies in an effort to better define the risk of various sports. There are significant regional differences in sports-related meniscal injuries depending upon the popularity of specific sports. Although publications in the European literature document some of these vari ations, there is little epidemiologic documentation of the variation in specific areas of the United States. Meniscectomies performed in Syracuse, New York, from 1973 to 1982 were reviewed. Sports-related men iscal injuries were tabulated and compared against all other causes. Our results indicate that the incidence of meniscal injury resulting in meniscectomy is 61 per 100,000 population. The sex ratio was three males to one female. Medial versus lateral meniscus injury was 81 versus 19%. Football had a 75% predominance of medial meniscectomy; basketball, 75%; wrestling, 55%; skiing, 78%; and baseball, 90%. Our data indicate that there are differences in the ratio of medial versus lateral meniscal disruption associated with specific sports activities. Medial meniscal injuries were, never theless, consistently more common in all of our cate gories except wrestling, where the frequency of lateral meniscal tear is nearly equal to that of medial meniscal tear. Additionally, the right knee is at a greater risk of meniscal injury in basketball than in other sports or the general population, and female skiers are at equal or greater risk of meniscal injury compared to male skiers.
Branchio‐oto‐renal syndrome: The mutation spectrum in EYA1 and its phenotypic consequences

EYA1 mutations cause branchio‐oto‐renal (BOR) syndrome. These mutations include single nucleotide transitions and transversions, small duplications and deletions, and complex genomic rearrangements. The last cannot be detected by coding sequence analysis of EYA1. We sought to refine the clinical diagnosis of BOR syndrome by analyzing phenotypic data from families segregating EYA1 disease‐causing mutations. Based on genotype–phenotype analyses, we propose new criteria for the clinical diagnosis of BOR syndrome. We found that in approximately 40% of persons meeting our criteria, EYA1 mutations were identified. Of these mutations, 80% were coding sequence variants identified by SSCP, and 20% were complex genomic rearrangements identified by a semiquantitative PCR‐based screen. We conclude that genetic testing of EYA1 should include analysis of the coding sequence and a screen for complex rearrangements. Hum Mutat 23:582–589, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A pivotal role for ERK in the oncogenic behaviour of malignant melanoma?

During the process of oncogenic transformation, melanoma cells escape from normal growth‐control mechanisms and acquire the ability to invade surrounding tissues and organs. The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway is a major pathway involved in the control of growth signals, cell survival and invasion. Melanomas are known to harbour activating mutations of both Ras and BRAF, suggesting that the downstream effector ERK may be playing a major role in the oncogenic behaviour of these tumours. The past few years have seen a growth in the understanding of the role of ERK and the MAP kinase pathway in melanoma. The aim of the current review is to assess the role of ERK in melanoma behaviour and to determine whether modulation of these kinases could offer new therapeutic opportunities. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acetylcholine stimulates release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in coronary arteries of human organ donors.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether cholinergic stimulation of human coronary endothelial cells induces the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), denuded human coronary artery rings or denuded rabbit aorta rings were either directly perfused or superfused by the effluent of intact or denuded human coronary artery segments in a perfusion bioassay system. DESIGN Coronary vessels were dissected from hearts of organ donors and prepared for use as donor segments and detector rings in the perfusion bioassay system. Segments were continuously perfused by an oxygenated Krebs-Ringer solution. Rings were suspended between two stirrups, one of which was connected to an isometric force transducer. They were either directly perfused (no tissue had been previously perfused by the same Krebs-Ringer) or superfused by the effluent of an endothelium-intact or -denuded coronary segment. Human rings were contracted with prostaglandin F2 alpha (2 x 10(-6) M) and rabbit rings were contracted with phenylephrine (10(-6) M). RESULTS Tension in detector tissue did not change during superfusion with effluent from endothelium-denuded or -intact human coronary artery segments, showing that there was no basal release of EDRF/nitric oxide (NO) in this preparation. Acetylcholine (ACh) (10(-6) or 10(-5) M) added to the perfusate increased the tension of the precontracted endothelium-denuded human rings directly perfused (50 +/- 32%) but not of the precontracted rabbit rings, showing that ACh is a potent agonist of human coronary vascular smooth muscle. ACh added to the coronary segment in the endothelium-intact superfusion mode had no effect in 33% or induced a small relaxation (8.8 +/- 1.6%) in 66% of the preparations. Hemoglobin (10(-5) M), a scavenger of EDRF/NO, caused a further increase in tension (32 +/- 15%). Adding calcium ionophore (A 23187;10(-5) M), which stimulates EDRF/NO release through a nonreceptor-mediated mechanism, to the coronary artery segment induced a relaxation in the endothelium-perfused detector rings which did not relax to ACh (30 +/- 2%); this relaxation was reversed by methylene blue (10(-5) M), a blocker of soluble guanylate cyclase. NO endothelin, a potent vasoconstrictor released by the endothelial cells, was detected in the effluent of intact coronary vessels. CONCLUSION The results suggest that in two-thirds of the six preparations studied, cholinergic stimulation can release EDRF from human donor coronary artery endothelial cells.
Extent of Modifications in Human Proteome Samples and Their Effect on Dynamic Range of Analysis in Shotgun Proteomics*S

The complexity of the human proteome, already enormous at the or ga nism level, increases further in the course of the proteome analysis due to in vitro sample evolution. Most of in vitro alterations can also occur in vivo as post-translational modifications. These two types of modifications can only be distinguished a posteriori but not in the process of analysis, thus rendering necessary the analysis of every molecule in the sample. With the new software tool ModifiComb applied to MS/MS data, the extent of modifications was measured in tryptic mixtures representing the full proteome of human cells. The estimated level of 8–12 modified peptides per each unmodified tryptic peptide present at ≥1% level is approaching one modification per amino acid on average. This is a higher modification rate than was previously thought, posing an additional challenge to analytical techniques. The solution to the problem is seen in improving sample preparation routines, introducing dynamic range-adjusted thresholds for database searches, using more specific MS/MS analysis using high mass accuracy and complementary fragmentation techniques, and revealing peptide families with identification of additional proteins only by unfamiliar peptides. Extensive protein separation prior to analysis reduces the requirements on speed and dynamic range of a tandem mass spectrometer and can be a viable alternative to the shotgun approach.