Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial biofilm on contact lenses and lens storage cases in wearers with microbial keratitis

Bacterial biofilm formation on contact lenses (CLs), and CL storage cases may be a risk factor for CL‐associated corneal infection and may explain the persistence of organisms in CL storage cases. This study evaluated biofilm formation on, and microbial contamination of, CLs and CL storage cases from patients with microbial keratitis. Contact lenses and CL storage cases from 20 wearers with microbial keratitis were sampled microbiologically and visualized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Culture results from the cornea were also noted. Bacterial biofilm was present more frequently (P < 0·05) on CL storage case surfaces (17/20) compared with CL surfaces (11/20) and biofilm density was significantly greater on case surfaces (P < 0·05). There was no association between poor compliance and microbial contamination of the CL storage case, nor between poor compliance and biofilm formation or density on the CL or CL storage case. Biofilm formation occurred equally frequently with hydrogen peroxide and chlorine release care systems. Microbial keratitis in CL wearers is frequently associated with bacterial biofilm in the CL storage case. Despite the use of current CL disinfection systems, the CL storage case is a favourable environment for proliferation of certain organisms. Biofilm on CLs may prolong the retention time of organisms at the ocular surface and increase their potential pathogenicity.
Auditive and cognitive factors in speech perception by elderly listeners. III. Additional data and final discussion.

A key issue in research on speech perception in the elderly is whether the difficulties in understanding speech are caused by auditive and/or cognitive factors. A test battery was developed comprising auditive (sensitivity, frequency selectivity, and temporal resolution), cognitive (memory performance, processing speed, and intellectual abilities), and speech perception tests (at the phoneme, spondee, and sentence level). This test battery was administered to 72 elderly subjects (aged 60 to 93 years). The results show that the deterioration of speech perception in the elderly consists of two statistically independent components: (a) a larger component, mainly representing the progressive high‐frequency hearing loss with age and (b) a smaller component, mainly representing a general performance decrement due to reduced mental efficiency (indicated by reduction of processing speed and a diminished memory capacity). Although both components are correlated with age, it was found that the balance between auditive and cognitive contributions to speech perception performance did not change with age. [Work supported by Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO). ]
Patterning as a signature of human epidermal stem cell regulation

Understanding how stem cells are regulated in adult tissues is a major challenge in cell biology. In the basal layer of human epidermis, clusters of almost quiescent stem cells are interspersed with proliferating and differentiating cells. Previous studies have shown that the proliferating cells follow a pattern of balanced stochastic cell fate. This behaviour enables them to maintain homeostasis, while stem cells remain confined to their quiescent clusters. Intriguingly, these clusters reappear spontaneously in culture, suggesting that they may play a functional role in stem cell auto-regulation. We propose a model of pattern formation that explains how clustering could regulate stem cell activity in homeostatic tissue through contact inhibition and stem cell aggregation.
Two-mode bifurcation in solution of a perturbed nonlinear fourth order differential equation

In this paper, we are interested in the study of bifurcation solutions of nonlinear wave equation of elastic beams located on elastic foundations with small perturbation by using local method of Lyapunov-Schmidt.We showed that the bifurcation equation corresponding to the elastic beams equation is given by the nonlinear system of two equations. Also, we found the parameters equation of the Discriminant set of the specified problem as well as the bifurcation diagram.
Vernonia cinerea Less. Inhibits Tumor Cell Invasion and Pulmonary Metastasis in C57BL/6 Mice

The effect of Vernonia cinerea Less. extract on the inhibition of lung metastasis induced by B16F-10 melanoma cells was studied in C57BL/6 mice. V cinerea extract significantly (P < .001) inhibited lung tumor formation (78.8%) and significantly increased the life span (72.5%). Moreover, lung collagen hydroxyproline, uronic acid, and hexosamine and also serum sialic acid, γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were found to be significantly (P < .001) lower in treated animals compared with untreated controls. Histopathological analysis of the lung tissues also correlated with these findings. V cinerea treatment significantly inhibited the invasion of B16F-10 melanoma cells across the collagen matrix of the Boyden chamber. V cinerea also inhibited the migration of B16F-10 melanoma cells across a polycarbonate filter in vitro. It downregulated the production and expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α, IL (interleukin)-1β, IL-6, and GM-CSF (granulocyte monocyte colony-stimulating factor). V cinerea extract administration could suppress or downregulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, lysyl oxidase, prolyl hydroxylase, K-ras, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-1, ERK-2, and VEGF and also upregulate the expression of nm-23, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), and TIMP-2 in the lung tissue of metastasis-induced animals. It also inhibited the protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in gelatin zymographic analysis of B16F-10 cells. These results indicate that V cinerea could inhibit the metastatic progression of B16F-10 melanoma cells in C57BL/6 mice by regulating MMPs, VEGF, prolyl hydroxylase, lysyl oxidase, ERK-1, ERK-2, TIMPs, nm23, and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression in metastatic lung tissue.
Is there a new autocracy promotion

Actualmente se esta discutiendo si la autocracia como forma de gobierno esta cobrando mas vigor y ganando cada vez mas adeptos en el mundo. Para la promocion internacional de la democracia es una mala noticia no solo porque significa una mayor competencia sino porque dentro de muchos paises estan aumentando las reticencias para realizar cualquier reforma democratica. Este estudio de Peter Burnell sostiene que si la promocion de la democracia quiere ofrecer una respuesta efectiva necesita examinar mas detenidamente la naturaleza de esta amenaza. El desafio tiene diferentes formas, hay que tomar en cuenta que, a pesar de que la exportacion de la autocracia tampoco debe ser exagerada, el autoritarismo y sus valores se estan extendiendo en el mundo por otras vias. Un factor que merece mas atencion.
How High Is US CEO Pay ? A Comparison with UK CEO Pay

We examine US and UK CEO pay and incentives from 1997 to 2003. Pay is the total of cash pay, stock and option grants, and other pay. Controlling for firm characteristics, US CEOs have higher compensation and much higher incentives. In 2003, US CEO pay was 1.6 times UK CEO pay, as compared to about 2.2 times in 1997. US CEO incentives in 2003 were about 5.2 times UK CEO incentives, as compared to 8.4 times in 1997. These narrowing differences over time result from substantial increases in UK pay and incentives and flat US pay and incentives. Although US pay is higher than that of the UK, we argue that a portion of US CEOs’ relatively greater pay is due to risk premiums related to their relatively greater equity incentives. Using reasonable estimates of these risk premiums, we find that, when normed by the larger amount of risky incentives held, US CEO pay does not appear large compared to that of the UK. (JEL G31, G34, M41)
Competition between internal and external sources of information during exercise: influence on RPE and the impact of the exercise load.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the exercise setting on perceived exertion during sustained low and high intensity cycling exercise. METHODS Thirteen untrained males completed 4 15-min cycling sessions at 50% VO(2peak) and at 80% VO(2peak) under each of the following conditions: control, sensory deprived, video, and music. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) from Borg's 6-20 scale and heart rate (HR) were recorded at 5 min intervals during all sessions. RESULTS RPE increased with exercise duration at both intensities and, as expected, was substantially higher at the harder workload. Exercising to music resulted in significantly lower RPE when compared to all other conditions at both the low and high workloads, while RPE was higher in the sensory deprived condition when compared to the other 3 conditions. However, RPE was similar for the control and video conditions at both workloads. A significant ordinal interaction existed between conditions and exercise duration during the low but not the high workload. While HR was higher for the harder workload and increased during each workload as a function of exercise duration, it was not different among the 4 conditions at either workload. CONCLUSIONS Varying the type of sensory information available to the exercising individual did influence perceptual responses to the exercise with the degree of influence dependent on the intensity and duration of the exercise. These results are consistent with information processing models that suggest a limited capacity to attend to the information available. The type of information available, the work intensity, and the work duration were important elements influencing perceptual responses to exercise.
Metabolic Syndrome, Inflammation, and Incident Heart Failure in the Elderly: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background—Inflammation markers and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are associated with risk of congestive heart failure (CHF). We evaluated whether combining inflammation markers and MetS provided additive information for incident CHF and if incorporating inflammation markers to the MetS definition added prognostic information. Methods and Results—We studied 4017 men and women ≥65 years old, without baseline CHF or diabetes, participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study, an observational study with 12.2 years follow-up and 966 cases of incident CHF. Baseline “C-reactive protein (CRP)-MetS” or “interleukin (IL)-6–MetS” were defined as presence of 3 out of 6 components, with elevated CRP (≥3 mg/L) or IL-6 (≥2.21 pg/mL) as a sixth component added to ATPIII criteria. Cox models adjusted for CHF risk factors and incident coronary disease were used to calculate hazard ratios for CHF. MetS and elevated inflammation markers were independently associated with CHF risk (hazard ratios, 95% CI: 1.32, 1.16 to 1.51 for MetS; 1.53, 1.34 to 1.75 for CRP; 1.37, 1.19 to 1.55 for IL-6). There was a 20% relative excess risk attributed to the combination of MetS and CRP (95% CI, −44% to 88%). CRP-MetS and IL-6–MetS definitions reclassified 18% and 13%, respectively of participants as MetS. Both CRP-MetS and IL-6–MetS increased risk of CHF by 60% compared with those without MetS. Conclusion—MetS and inflammation markers provided additive information on CHF risk in this elderly cohort. Inflammation-incorporated MetS definitions identified more participants with the same risk level as ATPIII MetS. Considering inflammation markers and MetS together may be useful in clinical and research settings.
Tight Junction Protein Abundance and Apoptosis During Involution of Rat Mammary Glands

To examine tight junction protein abundance and apoptosis of epithelial cells at the onset of involution in rodent mammary glands, milk accumulation and mammary engorgement were induced by teat‐sealing with an adhesive for 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 h (n = 6 per group) at peak lactation. In non‐sealed control glands, histological analysis confirmed a lactating phenotype, indicating suckling by pups throughout the experiment. In contrast, alveoli of teat‐sealed glands were distended within 6 h, with maximal luminal size observed by 12 h of non‐suckling. By 18 h following teat‐sealing, an involuting phenotype was observed, indicated by alveolar lumina engorged with milk vesicles and increased leukocytes. Relative to non‐sealed glands, mammary apoptosis was increased in engorged glands 18 h following teat‐sealing. The abundance of ZO‐1 and occludin proteins was decreased in engorged glands by 12 and 18 h, respectively, following teat‐sealing. In contrast, the claudin‐1 22 kDa band was increased by 6 h and peaked at 12–18 h, whereas the 28 kDa band declined by 36 h, relative to controls. There were no temporal changes in ZO‐1, occludin, and claudin‐1 22 kDa proteins within control glands, although there were minor differences in claudin‐1 28 kDa. These data indicate that intramammary milk accumulation due to cessation of milk removal is associated with mammary apoptosis. The apoptotic event is preceded by a rapid loss of abundance of ZO‐1, occludin and an initial increase in claudin‐1. The loss of cell–cell communication may initiate involution and apoptosis of mammary epithelial cells and is a localized intramammary event, occurring only in non‐suckled glands. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2075–2082, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
L'albufera del Baix Vinalopó com a recurs didàctic

L’article va adrecat, en primer lloc, als i les docents; pero tambe els lectors i les lectores no docents poden trobar interes en la seua lectura. Des del punt de vista educatiu, s’aborden aspectes d’interes tant per a l’educacio formal, com per la no formal i la informal. I dins d’aquest ambit educatiu se centra en aspectes relacionats amb l’ensenyament de la biologia i la promocio de l’educacio ambiental. Queden de banda molts altres aspectes que haurien de ser abordats per professionals d’altres arees com la historia, l’economia, la geografia, el paisatgisme, el turisme, l’urbanisme, etc. Des del punt de vista de l’ensenyament formal, la LOGSE estableix entre els objectius generals de l’Educacio Secundaria Obligatoria:
Wirtschaftsnationalismus im Wandel der Zeit: Der politische Diskurs um ausländische Unternehmensübernahmen in Großbritannien seit den 1950er-Jahren

Jungere Studien kritisieren die weitverbreitete Gleichsetzung von Wirtschaftsnationalismus und Protektionismus mit der Begrundung, dass auch Marktliberalisierung oft mittels nationalistischer Motive gerechtfertigt wird. Wir erganzen, dass spiegelbildlich dazu die Befurworter von Protektionismus zunehmend marktliberalisierende Motive anfuhren. Anhand britischer Parlamentsdebatten uber Auslandsubernahmen seit 1956 dokumentiert der vorliegende Artikel die protektionistische und liberale Form von Wirtschaftsnationalismus sowie die protektionistische Form von Wirtschaftsliberalismus. Die zeitliche Entwicklung dieser drei Diskursstrange veranschaulicht einen graduellen Wertewandel und erganzt damit neuere Studien zu Mechanismen kapitalistischer Dynamik um eine diskursive Dimension. Im Gegensatz zu beiden Formen von Wirtschaftsnationalismus wertet protektionistischer Liberalismus offene Markte nicht als Mittel zur Forderung oder Schwachung des nationalen Interesses. Stattdessen werden offene Markte zum Selbstzweck, der keiner Rechtfertigung mehr bedarf und sogar Protektionismus legitimieren kann.
Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 Ameliorates Hepatic Insulin Resistance in High-Fat Diet/Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Insulin resistance (IR) is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was performed to investigate the antidiabetic effect of Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 and its possible mechanisms of action in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Thirty SPFKM mice were randomly assigned to three groups: control, diabetic model, and diabetes + Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 group. After 35 days, blood was collected for biochemical analysis and liver tissue samples for histopathological analysis using H&E staining, qPCR, and ELISA. The results showed that the administration of B. toyonensis SAU-19 significantly improved the blood glucose, hepatic insulin resistance, and morphological changes of the liver characterized by significant improvement of dyslipidemia, glycogen synthesis, and antioxidant status (p < 0.05), indicating the strains’ ameliorating effects on hepatic insulin resistance in T2DM. In conclusion, the probiotic strain (B. toyonensis SAU-19) inhibits T2DM by reducing insulin resistance, improving antioxidant status, and downregulating genes related to glucose synthesis; hence, it may be used in treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders. This study provides the basis for further studies into the molecular mechanisms of B. toyonensis SAU-19 in treating T2DM.
A comparison of the stress response to laryngoscopy

The cardiovascular changes and catecholamine concentrations were compared in 20 patients before and after laryngoscopy with either the Macintosh or the McCoy laryngoscope blades. Following induction with fentanyl and thiopentone and muscle relaxation with vecuronium the vocal cords were visualised for 10 s with either the Macintosh or McCoy blade, chosen at random. Heart rate, arterial blood pressure and plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations were measured before, and at, laryngoscopy, and 1, 3 and 5 min later. There was a significant increase in both heart rate (33%) and arterial blood pressure (27%) after laryngoscopy using the Macintosh blade (p < 0.01). Use of the McCoy blade did not result in any significant change in either heart rate or arterial blood pressure. There was a slight increase (p > 0.05) in plasma noradrenaline concentrations using the Macintosh blade which persisted for 5 min after laryngoscopy. This was not observed with the McCoy blade. There was no change in plasma adrenaline concentrations with either blade during the 5 min after laryngoscopy when compared to the values before laryngoscopy. It is concluded that the stress response to laryngoscopy is less marked with the use of the McCoy blade and is probably due to a reduction in the force necessary to obtain a clear view of the larynx.
Orientation bias of neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus of macaque monkeys

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the influence of stimulus orientation on the responses of individual neurons in the monkey's lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Our specific goals were to assess the prevalence and the degree of orientation tuning in the monkey LGN and to determine if the preferred stimulus orientations of LGN neurons varied as a function of receptive-field position. The primary motivation for this research was to gain insight into the receptive-field configuration of LGN neurons and consequently into the neural mechanisms which determine the spatial organization of LGN receptive fields in primates. In both the parvocellular and magnocellular layers, the responses of the majority of individual neurons to sine-wave gratings varied as a function of stimulus orientation. The influence of stimulus orientation was, however, highly dependent on the spatial characteristics of the stimulus; the greatest degree of orientation bias was observed for spatial frequencies higher than the cell's optimal spatial frequency. On a population basis, the degree of orientation bias was similar for all major classes of LGN neurons (e.g. ON vs. OFF center; parvocellular vs. magnocellular) and did not vary systematically with receptive-field eccentricity. At a given receptive-field location, LGN neurons, particularly cells in the parvocellular laminae, tended to prefer either radially oriented stimuli or stimuli oriented more horizontally than their polar axis. Our analyses of the orientation-dependent changes in spatial-frequency response functions, which was based on the Soodak et al., (1987; Soodak, 1986) two-dimensional, difference-of-Gaussian receptive-field model, suggested that the orientation bias in LGN neurons was due to an elongation of the receptive-field center mechanism which in some cases appeared to consist of multiple subunits. Direct comparisons of the orientation-tuning characteristics of LGN cells and their retinal inputs (S potentials) indicated that the orientation bias in the monkey LGN reflects primarily the functional properties of individual retinal ganglion cells. We conclude that orientation sensitivity is a significant property of subcortical neurons in the primate's geniculo-cortical pathway.
Periodical Cicadas as Resource Pulses in North American Forests

Resource pulses are occasional events of ephemeral resource superabundance that occur in many ecosystems. Aboveground consumers in diverse communities often respond strongly to resource pulses, but few studies have investigated the belowground consequences of resource pulses in natural ecosystems. This study shows that resource pulses of 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) directly increase microbial biomass and nitrogen availability in forest soils, with indirect effects on growth and reproduction in forest plants. These findings suggest that pulses of periodical cicadas create “bottom-up cascades,” resulting in strong and reciprocal links between the aboveground and belowground components of a North American forest ecosystem.
A Charge-Based Capacitance Model for Double-Gate Tunnel FETs With Closed-Form Solution

Based on an analytical surface potential and a simple mathematical approximation for the source depletion width, a physics-based capacitance model with closed form for silicon double-gate tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) is developed. Good agreements between the proposed model and the numerical simulations have been achieved, which reveal that the tunneling carriers from source have negligible contribution to the channel charges and the gate capacitance can be almost acted as the gate–drain capacitance, which is quite different from that of MOSFETs. This model without involving any iterative process is more SPICE friendly for circuit simulations compared with the table-lookup approach and would be helpful for developing the transient performance of TFET-based circuits.
Circular Migration or Permanent Return: What Determines Different Forms of Migration?

This paper addresses the following questions: To what extent do the socio-economic characteristics of circular/repeat migrants differ from migrants who return permanently to the home country after their first trip (i.e. return migrants)? and What determines each of these distinctive temporary migration forms? Using Albanian household survey data and both a multinomial logit model and a maximum simulated likelihood (MSL) probit with two sequential selection equations, we find that education, gender, age, geographical location and the return reasons from the first migration trip significantly affect the choice of migration form. Compared to return migrants, circular migrants are more likely to be male, have primary education and originate from rural, less developed areas. Moreover, return migration seems to be determined by family reasons, a failed migration attempt but also the fulfillment of a savings target.