Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of prostatic neoplasia in Australian men

Aims: The purpose of this study was to document the extremely high level of prostatic neoplasia among Australian men. Methods: The study was based on histological assessment of prostate tissue sampled from an unselected series of 133 cadavers referred for coronial autopsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Sydney South West Area Health Service, New South Wales. Results: Evidence of neoplastic growth was identified in prostate tissue sampled from 30% of the 70 men aged 50 years and over, with invasive carcinoma present in 25.7% of subjects, and suspected prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) in a further 4.3% of subjects. These findings were in marked contrast to the 63 subjects under 50 years of age. In this age group one subject had invasive prostate carcinoma, and one other had suspected PIN. Conclusions: The prevalence of invasive prostate carcinoma is extraordinarily high in this sample of Australian men. Among those subjects who were 50 years of age or over, more than one in four had apparently undiagnosed invasive cancer of the prostate gland.
Frequency of Scale Elevations and Factor Structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in Children and Adolescents With Intractable Epilepsy

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) is a standardized rating scale that provides information about the nature and extent of executive function deficits displayed by children and adolescents in daily life. BRIEF protocols completed by parents of 80 children with intractable epilepsy were evaluated with respect to prevalence and severity of scale elevations in the sample, and also with respect to factor structure. Overall, the sample was rated as having significantly more executive function problems than healthy children in the BRIEF standardization sample; elevations on the Working Memory and Plan/Organize scales were most frequently seen. Fully 36% of the sample had four or more significantly elevated scales. However, 31% of the sample had no clinically elevated scales, indicating that executive difficulties, though frequent, are not necessarily characteristic of all children with severe epilepsy. As in the validation studies reported in the manual, a two-factor solution emerged from a principal factor analysis of BRIEF scales. However, the factor structure as given in the manual was not entirely replicated; specifically, the Monitor scale was found to load equivalently on both factors. The results of this study suggest that a substantial proportion of children with intractable epilepsy display significant executive function deficits in daily life. Research into the relationship of BRIEF scores to other measures of executive functioning in children with epilepsy is needed to further clarify its clinical utility.
High sensitivity of transgenic mice expressing soluble TNFR1 fusion protein to mycobacterial infections: Synergistic action of TNF and IFN‐γ in the differentiation of protective granulomas

To investigate the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in protective immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG), we have used transgenic mice unable to use TNF because of the expression of high amounts of a soluble TNF receptor (R) type I (sTNFR1) fusion protein, and studied resistance of these mice to infection by lethality assays, evaluation of bacterial recovery and histologic examination. These mice showed a strongly increased sensitivity to M. tuberculosis and BCG infections, with bacterial overgrowth and marked inhibition of macrophage differentiation within granulomas; after M. tuberculosis infection, this resulted in extensive lesions of caseous necrosis in the lung. To explore the respective roles of TNF and interferon (IFN)‐γ in resistance to BCG and granuloma differentiation, controls and sTNFR1‐transgenic mice were compared to IFN‐γR mutant mice and mice double defective in TNF and IFN‐γ activity (obtained by crossing transgenic and mutant mice). The three groups of deficient mice showed a strongly enhanced susceptibility to BCG infection, with the following decreasing order of sensitivity between groups: TNF + IFN‐γ → TNF → IFN‐γ‐deficient mice. The hepatic granulomas of IFN‐γR mutant mice were small and contained eosinophils but few differentiated macrophages; compared to those of sTNFR1‐transgenic mice, acid‐fast bacilli were less numerous within the macrophages. Granulomas of double‐deficient mice were strikingly different by their very large size and cellular content, made up large numbers of polymorphonuclears, eosinophils, and cells undergoing apoptosis, but without detectable differentiated macrophages; acid‐fast bacilli were spread in the lesions. These studies show the essential role of both TNF and IFN‐γ in the development, during mycobacterial infections, of protective granulomas containing highly differentiated macrophages capable of destroying ingested bacteria, and emphasize that these two cytokines act synergistically in granuloma formation.
REVIEW OF DOSE-RATE EFFECTS IN THE THERMOLUMINESCENCE OF Lif: mg,ti (HARSHAW)

The literature describing the experimental investigations of possible dose-rate effects in the thermoluminescence (TL) of LiF:Mg,Ti (Harshaw) is reviewed. The total lack of glow curve analysis, coupled with inclusion of all or part of the high temperature TL and absence of parallel measurements of possible dose-rate effects in the irradiation stage severely limit the scientific and technical level of the experiments. In addition, the experimental procedures are far from sufficient to warrant any conclusion concerning the presence or absence of dose-rate effects in the TL of LiF:Mg,Ti. This decision is contrary to the widely held belief that there are no dose-rate effects in the TL of LiF:Mg,Ti. In addition, the literature on dose-rate effects in the optical absorption (irradiation stage) of LiF is reviewed and is found contradictory. No dose-rate studies have been carried out on optical absorption in LiF:Mg,Ti. Kinetic simulations demonstrating the possibility, even likelihood, of dose-rate effects are also reviewed. Dose-rate effects are shown to be likely due to competition between excitation and recombination in the irradiation stage. Some other possible mechanisms involving multiple charge carrier trapping are suggested. Further definitive experiments are sorely needed, but the interested researcher should beware, it is not an easy task.
Cortical activation to illusory shapes as measured with MEG Abbreviated title : Cortical activation to illusory shapes in humans

Spatiotemporal patterns of cortical activation during the perceptual grouping of elements to form illusory shapes were estimated using anatomically-constrained magnetoencephalography (MEG). Subjects were shown an array of Kanizsa-style figures which were either aligned to form illusory squares, or mis-alligned so that no illusory contour or shape was perceived. Differential activity is more pronounced in the right hemisphere. After a weak modulation at ~110ms in the occipital pole, a prominent peak appears at ~155ms in the lateral occipital cortex. Modulation then spreads back from this location toward the occipital pole, as well as ventrally to involve ventral occipital and temporal cortices for the next 180ms, eventually involving ventral orbitofrontal cortex at 325ms. The early occipital pole modulation could represent a direct response to stimulus configuration. The prominent lateral occipital response is consistent with fMRI studies with similar stimuli which found activation in that region as well as in V3A, V4v, V7 and V8. Furthermore, the timing of this activation, after the occiptial pole but before ventral temporal, is consistent with a putative role for this region in mid-level vision. The late ventral temporal response (235ms) is centered in the lingual and fusiform areas implicated in object identification. The V1/V2 modulation at this time likely reflects top-down modulation by lateral occipitotemporal and ventral temporal areas.
Nucleus Accumbens MC4-R Stimulation Reduces Food and Ethanol Intake in Adult Rats Regardless of Binge-Like Ethanol Exposure during Adolescence

The melanocortin (MC) system regulates feeding and ethanol consumption. Recent evidence shows that melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4-R) stimulation within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) elicits anorectic responses and reduces ethanol consumption and ethanol palatability in adult rats. Ethanol exposure during adolescence causes long-lasting changes in neural pathways critically involved in neurobehavioral responses to ethanol. In this regard, binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence reduces basal alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and alters the levels of agouti-related peptide (AgRP) in hypothalamic and limbic areas. Given the protective role of MC against excessive ethanol consumption, disturbances in the MC system induced by binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence might contribute to excessive ethanol consumption during adulthood. In the present study, we evaluated whether binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence leads to elevated ethanol intake and/or eating disturbance during adulthood. Toward that aim, Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with ethanol (3 g/kg i.p.; BEP group) or saline (SP group) for 14 days (PND 25 to PND 38). On PND73, all the groups were given access to 20% ethanol on an intermittent schedule. Our results showed that adult rats given intermittent access (IAE) to 20% ethanol achieved high spontaneous ethanol intake that was not significantly enhanced by binge-like ethanol pretreatment during adolescence. However, BEP group exhibited an increase in food intake without a parallel increase in body weight (BW) relative to SP group suggesting caloric efficiency disturbance. Additionally, we evaluated whether binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence alters the expected reduction in feeding and ethanol consumption following NAc shell administration of a selective MC4-R agonist in adult rats showing high rates of ethanol consumption. For that, animals in each pretreatment condition (SP and BEP) were divided into three subgroups and given bilateral NAc infusions of the selective MC4-R agonist cyclo(NH-CH2-CH2-CO-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Glu)-NH2 (0, 0.75 or 1.5 μg). Results revealed that MC4-R stimulation within the NAc reduced feeding and ethanol intake in high ethanol-drinking adult rats, regardless of previous binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence, which adds new evidence regarding the dual ability of MC compounds to control excessive ethanol and food intake.
Jens Weidmann: Germany - current economic policy debates

But I know that Managing Director Christine Lagarde is very fond of John F Kennedy’s saying that, "the best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining". And in the face of imminent demographic shifts in Germany, prudence requires that we take this wisdom to heart. I am more than happy that Christine will chair today’s concluding panel, guiding the discussion on a possible post-crisis agenda for Germany and the euro area.
Warmer spring conditions increase annual methane emissions from a boreal peat landscape with sporadic permafrost

About a fifth of the global wetland methane emissions originate from boreal peatlands, which represent an important land cover type in boreal landscapes in the sporadic permafrost zone. There, rising air temperatures could lead to warmer spring and longer growing seasons, changing landscape methane emissions. To quantify the effect of warmer spring conditions on methane emissions of a boreal peat landscape in the sporadic permafrost zone of northwestern Canada, we analyzed four years (2013–2016) of methane fluxes measured with the eddy covariance technique and long-term (1951–2016) meteorological observations from a nearby climate station. In May, after snowmelt was complete, mean air temperatures were more than 2 °C warmer in 2013, 2015, and 2016 than in 2014. Mean growing season (May–August) air temperatures, in contrast, differed by less than 1 °C over the four years. Warmer May air temperatures caused earlier wetland soil warming, with temperatures rising from ~0 °C to >12 °C 25 to 40 days earlier and leading to ~6 °C warmer mean soil temperatures between May and June. However, from July to August, soil temperatures were similar among years. Mean May to August and annual methane emissions (6.4 g CH4 m−2 and 9.4 g CH4 m−2, respectively) of years with warmer spring (i.e. May) temperatures exceeded emissions during the cooler year by 20%–30% (4.5 g CH4 m−2 and 7.2 g CH4 m−2, respectively). Among years with warmer springs, growing season methane emissions varied little (±0.5 g CH4 m−2). The observed interannual differences are most likely caused by a strong soil temperature control on methane fluxes and large soil temperature differences during the spring. Thus, in a warming climate, methane emissions from waterlogged boreal peat landscapes at the southern limit of permafrost are likely to increase in response to more frequent occurrences of warm springs.
Communication Styles of Millennials:Trends & Relevance for the Industry

The current study explores trends in communication styles of millennials by investigating a sample of 135 PG students from an institute in Mumbai, India. Communication styles(director, socializer, relater, thinker) are examined vis-a-vis various demographics. The findings have scope for being empirically tested and validated by future researchers. Results suggest that students have a disposition for being socializers irrespective of their gender or sector. Directors and thinkers draw maximum salary package offers. Results highlight the relevance of self-awareness for capitalizing on ones’ communication styles and ensuring a good person-job fit, consequently benefiting the organizations. Findings of this study have implications for students and organizations.
Book Review: Economics in the Twenty-First Century

Elson, D. , and R. Pearson. 1981. “Nimble fingers make cheap workers”: An analysis of women’s employment in third world export manufacturing. Feminist Review 7 (1): 87–107. Polanyi, K. 2014. The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Times. Boston: Beacon Press. Power, M. 2004. Social provisioning as a starting point for feminist economics. Feminist Economics 10 (3): 3–19.
Fluid–fluid demixing of off-critical colloid–polymer systems confined between parallel plates

We investigate the off-critical demixing of colloid–polymer systems confined between two parallel plates, where the surface potential is short ranged. We study the case where the minority phase completely wets the surfaces. We find that initially the sample separates as in bulk, until the size of the domains becomes sufficiently large such that further growth is restricted by the plate spacing. The behaviour of the droplets is then determined by the wettability of the walls. We furthermore explore a sample where the loss of wetting phase material to the surfaces causes a shift from a morphology associated with an unstable sample, showing spinodal decomposition, to that associated with a metastable sample. This underlines the importance of the rich interplay between the viscosity contrast and the local volume fraction on the observed morphologies.
The Two Major Oligomeric Forms of Human Mannan-Binding Lectin: Chemical Characterization, Carbohydrate-Binding Properties, and Interaction with MBL-Associated Serine Proteases1

Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is an oligomeric C-type lectin assembled from homotrimeric structural units that binds to neutral carbohydrates on microbial surfaces. It forms individual complexes with MBL-associated serine proteases (MASP)-1, -2, -3 and a truncated form of MASP-2 (MAp19) and triggers the lectin pathway of complement through MASP-2 activation. To characterize the oligomerization state of the two major MBL forms present in human serum, both proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Mass values of 228,098 ± 170 Da (MBL-I) and 304,899 ± 229 Da (MBL-II) were determined for the native proteins, whereas reduction of both species yielded a single chain with an average mass of 25,340 ± 18 Da. This demonstrates that MBL-I and -II contain 9 and 12 disulfide-linked chains, respectively, and therefore are trimers and tetramers of the structural unit. As shown by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, trimeric and tetrameric MBL bound to immobilized mannose-BSA and N-acetylglucosamine-BSA with comparable KD values (2.2 and 0.55 nM and 1.2 and 0.96 nM, respectively). However, tetrameric MBL exhibited significantly higher maximal binding capacity and lower dissociation rate constants for both carbohydrates. In contrast, no significant difference was detected for binding of the recombinant MASPs or MAp19 to immobilized trimeric or tetrameric MBL. As shown by gel filtration, both MBL species formed 1:2 complexes with MASP-3 or MAp19. These results provide the first precise analysis of the major human MBL oligomers. The oligomerization state of MBL has a direct effect on its carbohydrate-binding properties, but no influence on the interaction with the MASPs.
Psychiatric Problems in Patients Infected with Hepatitis C Before and During Antiviral Treatment with Interferon-Alpha: A Review

Objective. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and can potentially be exacerbated by interferon-alpha treatment. Such symptoms can contribute to problems with treatment adherence, which can significantly compromise epidemiological virus control. This review summarizes current knowledge about the etiology, course, and management of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with CHC. Method. Studies were identified using computerized searches, with further references obtained from the bibliographies of the reviewed articles. Results. Psychopathological syndromes that occur during interferon-alpha treatment frequently have atypical features that may complicate their recognition using standard diagnostic criteria. In addition, prospective studies in this area often exclude patients with psychiatric disorders and have methodological disparities that make it difficult to develop guidelines for management of psychiatric side effects induced by interferon-alpha. Despite the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with psychiatric and substance use disorders, neu-ropsychiatric concerns often lead to the exclusion of such patients from interferon-alpha treatment, inappropriately depriving them of the potential benefits of this therapy. Conclusion. Consultation-liaison psychiatrists should become familiar with the clinical spectrum of presentations associated with HCV infection as well as with related neuropsychiatric symptoms in order to promote the creation of multidiscipli-nary teams who specialize in the care of patients with HCV infections. More studies are needed to define neuropsychiatric syndromes that can be induced by interferon-alpha and to clarify best assessment and treatment procedures for these syndromes. It is also important to create and evaluate psychoeducational programs for all patients with chronic HCV infections, even those with low risk of complications, in order to promote adherence to therapy and optimize patients' quality of life. (Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2009;15:262-281).
Lived Experiences of Muscle Tightness Symptoms From Patients’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to understand symptoms of chronic muscle tightness from the patient’s perspective and explore symptom management strategies used by them. Muscle tightness, a common symptom, is a challenge to manage in clinical practice because it is commingled with other orthopedic conditions. Nurses may not be aware of the negative impact of tight muscles because this symptom is presumed to be self-limiting; however, if not treated appropriately, muscle tightness can become chronic. The focus of this study is the lived experience of patients with chronic muscle tightness. The researchers used a qualitative descriptive design in which patients provided insights into the experiences and self-management of chronic muscle tightness. Sixteen adult subjects experiencing physical impairments who were managed by physical therapists in a specialty clinic participated in the study. The subjects participated in 45- to 60-minute semistructured interviews to provide understanding of chronic muscle tightness. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for content analysis. Results indicate that patients identify day-to-day experiences of chronic muscle tightness as unresolving; these patients experience myriads of sensations and live with life restrictions that negatively affect their quality of life. Uses of complementary therapies are commonplace in managing this symptom. The symptom of chronic muscle tightness may linger, and patients use workarounds to manage their lives. Nurses must understand patients’ perspectives to assist them in achieving an acceptable quality of life.
Autonomous differentiation of Drosophila spermatogonia in vitro

Spermatogenesis is a complex process that produces functional sperm by establishing male germline stem cells (mGSCs) in adult testes. To study Drosophila spermatogenesis in vitro, we examined various culture conditions of spermatogonia. Spermatogonia from larval testes began to differentiate soon after culture, whereas mGSCs did not undergo self‐renewal division. Strikingly, 16‐cell spermatogonia from early and late larval testes differentiated into motile spermatids autonomously. Furthermore, individual spermatogonia developed into motile spermatids even after mechanical dissociation from encapsulating cyst cells. This is the first study to report that spermatogonia in larval testes retain the ability to differentiate into spermatids in the absence of gonadal tissue. Our in vitro system should provide an excellent opportunity to study spermatogenesis in detail and apply genetic manipulation.
Nocardia veterana sp. nov., isolated from human bronchial lavage.

A nocardioform bacterium was isolated from the bronchoscopic lavage of a 78-year-old man with a past history of tuberculous pleurisy, who presented with bilateral upper lobe lesions at Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Australia. The strain was aerobic, Gram-positive, produced beige substrate mycelium and scant white aerial mycelium. It showed chemotaxonomic markers which were consistent with the classification of Nocardia: i.e. meso-diaminopimelic acid, N-glycolylmuramic acid, arabinose and galactose as diagnostic sugars; phospholipids phosphatidylinositol mannosides, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine and diphosphatidylglycerol; a menaquinone with a cyclic isoprene side chain, MK-8(H4cycl.); a fatty acid pattern composed of unbranched saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids with a considerable amount of tuberculostearic acid; and mycolic acids composed of 54-62 carbon atoms with three principal mycolic acids which were mono- and polyunsaturated, showing a chain length C56, C58 and C60 and accounting for over 70% of the entire pattern. The 16S rDNA sequence showed the highest similarity to the type strain of Nocardia vaccinii; the DNA-DNA similarity of the two strains was 31%. These data, together with distinct physiological traits and molecular biological analyses, as well as chemotaxonomic results, led to the conclusion that the novel isolate represents a new species within the genus Nocardia for which the name Nocardia veterana sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is M157222T (DSM 44445T = NRRL B-24136T).