Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of collagen secreting cells in gingival fibrosis--an immunohistochemical assessment and a review of the literature.

AIM In this work, we compared the histological features of the gingival lesions clinically diagnosed as fibrotic overgrowths due to various etiologic factors as well as an immunohistochemical assessment of fibroblasts phenotypic heterogeneity using the specific labeling for vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP1). MATERIALS AND METHODS Tissue samples were obtained from 12 patients clinically diagnosed with fibrotic gingival overgrowth, divided in four groups. Fragments of gingiva were processed for paraffin embedding. Serial sections were used for routine staining Hematoxylin-Eosin, trichromic Masson and Goldner-Szekely, and for immunohistochemical reactions to label vimentin, α-SMA and FSP1 using for signal amplification several techniques (EnVision, LSAB, ABC). RESULTS Storage of collagen fibers, increase of fibroblast number and frequent presence of inflammatory infiltrate are histological issues of all fibrotic gingival overgrowth. The incidence of granulation tissue varies but the frequency of its presence point the attention to the involvement in collagen metabolism imbalance. Immunostaining for vimentin showed a difference between its expression in samples from different groups. Except the cases of fibrosis induced by orthodontic devices, cells positive for α-SMA were rare. FSP1-positive fibroblasts were the most frequent in all cases from all the groups selected for this study. CONCLUSIONS The phenotype of fibroblasts is different in gingival fibrosis in relation to the risk factor, at present the most common being vimentin-positive and FSP1-positive fibroblasts. Myofibroblasts are rare in gingival fibrosis, the most numerous being in local lesions caused by wearing orthodontic devices and in syndromic fibromatosis. Further studies are required to elucidate the manner in which the active fibroblasts are recruited in relation to the etiologic factor of gingival overgrowth.
Phosphatidylserine Containing ω–3 Fatty Acids May Improve Memory Abilities in Non-Demented Elderly with Memory Complaints: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background: Phosphatidylserine (PS) may have beneficial effects on cognitive functions. We evaluated the efficacy of a novel preparation of PS containing ω–3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids attached to its backbone (PS-DHA) in non-demented elderly with memory complaints. Methods: 157 participants were randomized to receive either PS-DHA or placebo for 15 weeks. Efficacy measures, assessed at baseline and endpoint, included the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey Complex Figure Test, and a computerized cognitive battery. Clinicians’ Global Impression of Change was assessed following 7 and 15 weeks of treatment. Results: 131 participants completed the study although 9 were excluded from the efficacy analysis due to protocol violation. At endpoint, verbal immediate recall was significantly improved in the PS-DHA group compared to the placebo group. Post-hoc analysis revealed that a subset of participants with relatively good cognitive performance at baseline had significant treatment-associated improvements in immediate and delayed verbal recall, learning abilities, and time to copy complex figure. These favorable results were further supported by responder analysis. Conclusions: The results indicate that PS-DHA may improve cognitive performance in non-demented elderly with memory complaints. Post-hoc analysis of subgroups suggests that participants with higher baseline cognitive status were most likely to respond to PS-DHA. The results of this exploratory study should be followed up by additional studies aimed at confirming the present tentative conclusions.
The analysis of service acceptance framework for social games based on extensive technology acceptance model

The social networking website has been one of the most popular Internet websites in recent years. Lately social games such as "happy farm" drew a lot of attentions and accumulated millions of players in short period of time. The popularity of social games is changing the ecosystem of online games. Companies in this industry have to be concerned about the impact of it to keep their competitiveness. Technology acceptance model (TAM) has been pervasively used by researchers in that this model systematically helps the users to find out the process of user behaviors, and explores the impact of external variables which change the attitude and desire of users to adopt new technologies. This study reviewed the behaviors of social game players and used “perceived enjoyment”, “perceived attractiveness”, “social norms”, and “platform service and corporate image” as the external variables and “intention toward playing social games”, “customer preference”, “customer loyalty” as the dependent variables in the TAM for social games. DEMATEL is used as the analysis tool in this study. The result shows that “social norms” and “perceived enjoyment” are the top two factors that can help to improve the popularity of social games. This study provides a reference to the companies in social game business and helps them to offer a more popular social game to players.
The gladiatorial sponsorship arena: how ambushing impacts memory

PurposeThe practice whereby a non-official sponsor brand attempts to “ambush” an official sponsor’s rights continues to threaten sporting events. A key motivator of the ensuing regulatory response is grounded in the ambiguity that ambush marketing generates, namely, by obscuring public awareness of the legitimate sponsor. However, the cognitive processes underpinning sponsorship identification have only recently been investigated empirically. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of ambush advertising on sponsorship memory.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (brand advertising: sponsorship-linked vs non-sponsorship-linked) × 2 (ambush advertisement: ambush advertisement vs filler) experimental design was used to test the impact of exposure on sponsor recall and recognition.FindingsThe results indicate that exposure to ambush advertising has adverse effects cognitively. When presented with a sponsorship-linked advertisement and an ambush advertisement, the participants had diminished recall of who the legitimate sponsor was, and were less likely to recognize them.Research limitations/implicationsThis work has important theoretical implications in that it draws together the existing literature on sponsorship, advertising and cognitive fields. Moreover, on a practical level, this work informs the debate on increased regulatory intervention into ambushing practices, which is centered on tensions between balancing fair marketing practice with the rights of sponsors and event organizers.Originality/valueTo date, there is a paucity of research that examines the effects of ambushing in a sports sponsorship context. The unique contribution of this study is that it shows the process through which ambushing advertising adversely impacts sponsors’ rights.
Endothelial Function and Oxidant Stress

Both endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells are capable of producing reactive oxygen species from a variety of enzymatic sources. In disease states such as atherosclerosis and hypertension, vascular production of these reactive oxygen metabolites can increase substantially. Increases in the production of superoxide anion can lead to decreases in ambient levels of nitric oxide via a facile radical/radical reaction that occurs more rapidly than the reaction of superoxide anion with superoxide dismutase. This phenomenon alters endothelial regulation of vasomotion in a variety of disease conditions. Recent evidence suggests that the major source of vascular superoxide ion and hydrogen peroxide is a membrane‐bound, reduced nicotinamide‐adenine dinucleotide (NADH)‐dependent oxidase. The activity of this enzyme system is regulated by angiotensin II and is elevated following prolonged exposure to nitroglycerin. Alterations of vascular oxidant state caused by angiotensin II may contribute substantially to vascular pathology and may also provide a link between hypertension and atherosclerosis.
On generating distributed intelligence systems architectures using genetic algorithms

A methodology for generating large scale distributed intelligence systems (DIS's) using genetic algorithms is presented. An organizational structure (chromosome) is characterized by generic interactions (genes) among the individual nodes comprising it. The objective function evaluates each structure in the generated population against a set of structural constraints and some user defined criteria. The structures satisfying these constraints are feasible solutions to the design problem.
Serum haptoglobin: an objective indicator of experimentally-induced Salmonella infection in calves.

Experimental models of Salmonella -induced gastroenteritis have previously relied on crude subjective clinical markers of infection to assess disease severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that changes in serum levels of the acute phase protein, haptoglobin, may be used as an objective, quantitative measurement of infection. Eight 3- to 4-week-old animals were challenged with a mixture of three Salmonella serotypes containing 6 x 10(10)bacteria and compared with five animals given a placebo preparation. Animals were monitored and characteristic clinical symptoms of infection; diarrhoeal scores, morbidity scores and rectal temperature, were recorded. Serum samples, from both animal groups, taken prior to challenge and again on days 1, 3, and 5 post-challenge, were analysed for haptoglobin levels using a direct serum binding assay. Prior to challenge, all 13 animals had normal levels of haptoglobin in their serum. By day 3 post-challenge six of eight animals challenged with Salmonella had abnormal serum haptoglobin levels (median level = 212 microg ml(-1)), while haptoglobin levels remained normal in placebo-challenged animals (median level = 0 microg ml(-1)). The change in haptoglobin levels during the 5-day observation period was statistically significant in the Salmonella -challenged animals (P = 0.0003, H = 16.477). Serum haptoglobin levels showed a statistical correlation with clinical measures of disease severity; diarrhoeal scores (P = 0.0015, H =8. 988), morbidity scores (P = 0.0004, H = 15.711) and rectal temperature (P = 0.0001, Z = 4.304). Thus, serum haptoglobin levels closely reflect the clinical symptoms of infection and are therefore a useful marker of infection severity in salmonellosis in calves.
[The use of HoNOS in the treatment of patients].

BACKGROUND In order to use outcome scores for making decisions about treatment, practitioners need to know the course of scores of several groups of patients. AIM To test the applicability of methods for computing cut-off scores and individual changes. METHOD Using Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS), we analysed repeated assessments of 699 adults and 414 elderly patients in different treatment settings. RESULTS Mean HoNOS scores and cut-off scores differentiated between patient groups reasonably well. Scores and threshold values for elderly patients were relatively high. The reliable change index showed few individual changes even for groups where change was expected. The effect size and the standard error of measurement were found to be more sensitive to change. CONCLUSION More research is needed before the findings can be generalised.
Chemical messengers: a view from the gut.

The peptides usually called gastrointestinal hormones belong to a broader group of regulatory substances distributed in many parts of the body and delivered to their targets not only by the blood but also by neural and paracrine paths. The neural, endocrine, and paracrine cells as a group might be called "regulator cells" and the chemical messengers they produce might be called "regulins. " Twenty peptides have been isolated from the alimentary tract and pancreas: 12 have been sequenced, 4 have been partially sequenced, and 4 more have been identified only by immunoreactivity. Gastrin, gastric inhibitory peptide, glucagon, insulin, and secretin can be regarded as established hormones that are released into the blood by identified stimuli and produce identified physiological responses. The evidence for the hormonal status of cholecystokinin, pancreatic polypeptide, and motilin is incomplete but suggestive. The possible physiological roles of the other 12 peptides remain to be determined. If specific antagonists of these peptides can be found, they will greatly assist in elucidating the peptides' physiological roles.
Dialogue on Reverse‐Engineering Assessment and Methods

Abstract: The biotechnological advances of the last decade have confronted us with an explosion of genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data. These data need to be organized and structured before they may provide a coherent biological picture. To accomplish this formidable task, the availability of an accurate map of the physical interactions in the cell that are responsible for cellular behavior and function would be exceedingly helpful, as these data are ultimately the result of such molecular interactions. However, all we have at this time is, at best, a fragmentary and only partially correct representation of the interactions between genes, their byproducts, and other cellular entities. If we want to succeed in our quest for understanding the biological whole as more than the sum of the individual parts, we need to build more comprehensive and cell‐context–specific maps of the biological interaction networks. DREAM, the Dialogue on Reverse Engineering Assessment and Methods, is fostering a concerted effort by computational and experimental biologists to understand the limitations and to enhance the strengths of the efforts to reverse engineer cellular networks from high‐throughput data. In this chapter we will discuss the salient arguments of the first DREAM conference. We will highlight both the state of the art in the field of reverse engineering as well as some of its challenges and opportunities.
Effect of a phytogenic additive on blood serum indicator levels and fatty acids profile in fattening turkeys meat

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of a phytogenic additive on blood serum indicator levels and fatty acids profile of breast, leg muscles and liver in fattening turkeys. The experiment was realized in private turkey farm and in the Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. A total of 300 clinically healthy female turkeys (broad-breasted white turkey, hybrid XL) were used in the experiment. Female turkeys were randomly divided into two groups (150 pcs per each). In the control group, turkey were fed with standard complete feed mixtures for fattening, in the experimental group, standard diets from the beginning to 12th week were supplemented with the a blend of essential oils from origanum, anise and citrus fruits as well as a prebiotic rich fructooligosaccharides in dosage 1kg per 1000 kg of feed mixture. Fattening lasted 18 weeks. Blood serum was collected at the end of the experiment, during the slaughter of birds. Samples of breast and leg muscles, and liver for fatty acids composition evaluation were collected during birds dissection (10 samples per each group). After the 12 weeks of phytoadditive supplementation, a tendency of lower activity of serum alanine aminotransferase (53.963 vs. 3.499 U/L) and aspartate aminotransferase (6.238 vs. 1.012 U/L) in experimental group of turkeys was found (P 0.01) content of cis-8,11,14-eicosadienoic and arachidonic acids. The phytoadditive supplementation significantly (P < 0.01) decreased content of some unsaturated fatty acids in turkeys tissues, as well. In experimental group of turkey have been recorded lower level of elaidic and oleic acids in the breast muscle and cis-11,14-eicosadienoic and arachidonic acids in the liver, compare to birds from control group.
The Effect of Identifying Intangible Assets in an Acquisition on Investors’ Judgments

Standard setters struggle with the costs and benefits of separate recognition of intangible assets in business combinations. In this study, we experimentally show that separately identifying intangibles enables investors to more easily envision how an acquiring company can benefit from an acquisition. When intangibles are subsumed into goodwill, though, we show that providing a narrative that describes the strategic reasons for the acquisition acts as a substitute for intangible identification, with similar effects on investors’ judgments. Thus, providing investors with either the separate identification of intangibles or a strategic narrative can help investors better understand and foresee the benefits of such business decisions. Given variation in the content of narrative disclosures in practice and the difficulty of mandating such content, our results suggest that requiring the identification of acquired intangibles may be the best approach for providing investors with useful information.
Digital Literacy: A Barrier to Adoption of Connected Health Technologies in Older Adults

BACKGROUND Adoption and effective use of digital health technologies is especially important for older adults, who bear the greatest burden of chronic disease. However, some older adults lack the digital literacy skills needed to reap the benefits of these tools. Despite the greater infiltration of smartphones in all age groups, including older adults, smartphone ownership does not equate to adept smartphone use. Impediments to smartphone use can impede adoption and use of digital health technologies that rely on apps. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to 1) determine the barriers to adoption and use of digital health technologies, specifically wearable activity trackers, by older adults; and 2) identify and test facilitators to adoption and use. METHODS We recruited more than 100 older adults aged 50-75 who owned a smartphone for our tracker studies. We provided each participant with a tracker and hands-on support for its setup and use. Support was tailored to each participant’s level of comfort and adeptness with his or her smartphone and new tracker, with the goal of having participants leave with a working tracker and an app they could engage with. RESULTS While all participants owned a smartphone, we identified several barriers to successful engagement with their own smartphones as well as with their new trackers. Some older model or pay-as-you-go phones could not download apps. Many participants required assistance to download and setup an app, as well as sync their tracker to the app. In several cases, the use of jargon such as “sync with Bluetooth” required an explanation. Some app features required guidance, such as changing the default of 10,000 steps to one that was more achievable and realistic for older adults. Furthermore, the design of some tracker faces and bands were preferred or more comfortable for participants. We found that once participants were able to overcome barriers to setup through hands-on training, other facilitators, such as a visual reminder of their commitment to physical activity and the immediate gratification of seeing their activity reflected in the tracker and the app, kept them engaged with the tracker. CONCLUSIONS The digital health market is growing rapidly and has great potential to improve health outcomes, yet it is failing to reach and meet the needs of older adults. Poor digital literacy skills impede adoption of digital health technologies, and their effective use once adopted. While a high-touch approach to helping older adults overcome barriers to adoption and use of digital health technologies has proven to be a successful facilitator in our studies, the challenge is in bringing this approach to scale and applying it to both consumer- and medical-grade technologies. In future studies, we hope to build on this knowledge and further identify design and training solutions that can be scaled to increase successful engagement of digital health technologies by older adults.
Speech-driven 3d facial animation for mobile entertainment

This paper presents an entertainment-oriented application for mobile service, which generates customized speech-driven 3D facial animation and delivers to end-user by MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). Some important methods of this application are discussed, including the 3D facial model based on 3 photos, the 3D facial animation driven by speech or text on-line and the video format transformer for most smart phones. The implementation shows the facial animation runs vividly and the system gets a positive feedback by subjects’ evaluation
'Self-Regulation among Management Graduates: An employability perspective' with special reference to North Kerala

It is imperative to address the unemployment issue in India through structural changes in the educational system. Since the universities and other educational institutions vigorously engaged in producing global cadres of youth with exclusive skills, it is the duty of the authorities to make sure that no Indian youth to be brought out from the frames of Indian educational system as unemployable. According to A P J Abdulkalam, Former President of India, with regard to Indian conditions ‘Employability’ is the biggest problem than unemployment. As they have become more and more frontier-less, modern-day careers are often portrayed as ones wherein personnel are proactive, employable, and self-regulative. In the context of education and learning, self-regulation refers to a student application of self-directed process and behaviors that lead to the attainment of goals. Self-regulation of learning encompasses creating a plan, selecting a learning strategy, and then monitoring progress and making adjustments as needed. This paper examines the perspective among Management students at post-graduation level about self-regulatory learning and its various dimensions including gender differences. The data for the study has collected as part a primary survey and standard questionnaire is used for data collection. The trend of the result is more favorable to the Female students that the female students have more consciousness regarding self-regulatory measures when compared with their male counterpart. The conclusion of the study is that the Self-regulation is one of the most in-demand abilities for individuals entering a workplace and if we want anticipates prosperous talented Next generation of India, the system has to be equipped with more employable skill including self-regulatory skill.
A new neocentromere locus on chromosome 13 resulting in mosaic tetrasomy for distal 13q and an asymmetric phenotype

An 8‐year‐old girl was referred to the Genetics Centre with mild developmental delay, mild dysmorphic features, and a head circumference on the 98th centile. She was noted to have large irregular ear lobes, torticollis, and mild hemihypertrophy. Karyotype analysis of cultured peripheral lymphocytes and skin fibroblasts revealed the presence of a symmetrical supernumerary marker chromosome in 13% of cells from both tissue types. Further analysis showed that this marker chromosome originated from the distal region of chromosome 13 and contained no centromeric α‐satellite DNA. The marker chromosome was not found in blood from the parents. This case represents a novel symmetrical structure with a previously unreported neocentromere locus, leading to an unusual phenotype. Similar cases of individuals with a chromosome 13 with a neocentromere have been reported. They are reviewed and compared with the current case. The importance of scanning metaphases for abnormalities in individuals presenting with asymmetry is emphasized. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.