Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Composition of fatty oils from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae and its cardiotonic effect on isolated toad hearts

In this study, the composition of fatty oil from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae and its cardiotonic activity on the heart isolated from a toad were studied. Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of fatty oil were prepared by the perfusion method. The fatty oil had a positive inotropic effect on isolated rat hearts at a concentration between 5 × 10−3 and 2 × 10−2 mL/10 mL, and the effect was in positive correlation with the concentration of calcium ions. In addition, this effect was inhibited by 2 mg/mL nifedipine, suggesting that the cardiotonic mechanism could be responsible for accelerating the inflow of calcium ions. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that the main constituents of the fatty oil were 9-octadecenoic acid (43.32%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (42.57%), hexadecanoic acid (4.76%), 9-eicosenoic acid (2.95%), stearic acid (2.41%) and arachidic acid (0.81%). This preliminary study revealed that the fatty oil of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae exhibited remarkable cardiotonic activity in the tested models, and it is necessary to further reveal the effective substances of the fatty oil.
The exposed ocular surface and its relationship to spontaneous eyeblink rate in elderly caucasians.

The purpose of this study was to assess spontaneous eyeblink activity in the primary eye position, and its relationship to the exposed ocular surface area in elderly individuals without significant ocular surface disease. Spontaneous eyeblink frequency (SEBF) was assessed for a group of Caucasians aged 61 to 81 years, by videography in silence over a 5 min period; inter-blink interval (IBI), the maximum inter-blink interval (mIBI) and the modal eyeblink frequency (mEBF) were derived from video recordings. The ocular surface area was calculated from video-planimetry using different formulae. The average palpebral aperture was 8.3 +/- 2.3 mm (n = 45, +/- S.D.), resulting in an average exposed area of 1.13-2.13 cm2 depending on the formula used; the preferred estimate was 1.25 cm2. A highly significant relationship (P < 0.001, r2 = 0.835) was found between time-averaged palpebral aperture (p) and exposed ocular surface (A = 0.244p-0.763). An average SEBF of 11.9 blinks min-1 was measured (range 0.8-43.6). No correlation (P > 0.35, r2 < or = 0.01) was found between SEBF, IBI, mIBI, or mEBF and the palpebral aperture or the exposed surface area, regardless of the formulae used. The exposed ocular surface area per se does not appear to be an important determinant of spontaneous eyeblink activity in elderly Caucasians.
Study on Quality Indicators in Higher Education: An Application of The SERVQUAL Instrument

Evaluation of the Customer Perceived Service Quality in a quantifying is the most important part of the service management literature. Over the past decade, SERVQUAL instrument has emerged as perhaps the most popular standardized questionnaire to measure service quality. This paper starts with elaborating the great significance to carry out this instrument in Chinese educational institutions. Based on the brief introduction and related review of SERVQUAL instrument, criteria of it are re-designed in order to be suitable to evaluate the service quality of Chinese higher education. Moreover, the data obtained from the utilization of it are analyzed and then applied in a more effective, comprehensive way. As a result, a new quantifying is provided
Preference for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs over acetaminophen by rheumatic disease patients: a survey of 1,799 patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE Because there is controversy regarding the efficacy of acetaminophen in rheumatic diseases and because apparently safer nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are being produced, we surveyed rheumatic disease patients about their preferences for these agents to determine the degree to which one type of therapeutic agent is preferred over the other. METHODS In 1998, we surveyed by mailed questionnaire 1,799 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia who were participating in a long-term outcome study. Patients who had taken acetaminophen rated the effectiveness of acetaminophen, compared its effectiveness with that of NSAIDs, and then rated their overall satisfaction with acetaminophen compared with NSAIDs when both effectiveness and side effects were considered. RESULTS Two-thirds of study participants had taken acetaminophen. About 37% of patients who had taken acetaminophen found it to be moderately or very effective and about 63% indicated that it was not effective or was only slightly effective. One-fourth of the patients found acetaminophen and NSAIDs to be equally effective, but >60% found acetaminophen to be much less effective or somewhat less effective. About 12% preferred acetaminophen to NSAIDs. When both effectiveness and side effects were considered together, 25% of the patients had no preference, 60% preferred NSAIDs, and 14% preferred acetaminophen. CONCLUSION There was a considerable and statistically significant preference for NSAIDs compared with acetaminophen among the 3 groups of rheumatic disease patients. Although this preference decreased slightly with age and was less pronounced in OA patients, the preference was noted among all categories of patients and was not altered by disease severity. If safety and cost are not issues, there would hardly ever be a reason to recommend acetaminophen over NSAIDs, since patients generally preferred NSAIDs and fewer than 14% preferred acetaminophen. If safety and costs are issues, then the recommendation of the American College Rheumatology that acetaminophen be tried first seems correct, since 38.2% found acetaminophen to be as effective or more effective than NSAIDs.
Flight-based chemical characterization of biomass burning aerosols within two prescribed burn smoke plumes

Biomass burning represents a major global source of aerosols impacting direct radiative forcing and cloud properties. Thus, the goal of a number of current studies involves developing a better understanding of how the chemical composition and mixing state of biomass burning aerosols evolve during atmospheric aging processes. During the Ice in Clouds Experiment-Layer Clouds (ICE-L) in the fall of 2007, smoke plumes from two small Wyoming Bureau of Land Management prescribed burns were measured by on-line aerosol instrumentation aboard a C-130 aircraft, providing a detailed chemical characterization of the particles. After ~2–4 min of aging, submicron smoke particles, produced primarily from sagebrush combustion, consisted predominantly of organics by mass, but were comprised primarily of internal mixtures of organic carbon, elemental carbon, potassium chloride, and potassium sulfate. Significantly, the fresh biomass burning particles contained minor mass fractions of nitrate and sulfate, suggesting that hygroscopic material is incorporated very near or at the point of emission. The mass fractions of ammonium, sulfate, and nitrate increased with aging up to ~81–88 min and resulted in acidic particles. Decreasing black carbon mass concentrations occurred due to dilution of the plume. Increases in the fraction of oxygenated organic carbon and the presence of dicarboxylic acids, in particular, were observed with aging. Cloud condensation nuclei measurements suggested all particles >100 nm were active at 0.5% water supersaturation in the smoke plumes, confirming the relatively high hygroscopicity of the freshly emitted particles. For immersion/condensation freezing, ice nuclei measurements at −32 °C suggested activation of ~0.03–0.07% of the particles with diameters greater than 500 nm.
A retrospective evaluation of the eruption of impacted permanent incisors after extraction of supernumerary teeth.

AIMS Delayed eruption of teeth may be caused by the presence of one or more supernumerary teeth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate findings, predisposing factors and differentiate different techniques used that affect the outcome following removal of supernumerary teeth. A comprehensive literature review was also undertaken. METHODS A longitudinal retrospective study was carried out at the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital. A total of 120 patients were identified from the general anesthesia records that had supernumeraries extracted. Only 43 cases had delayed eruption of teeth caused by supernumeraries. The pre and post extraction record data collected were the gender, radiographic assessment, position of the supernumerary, age at time of referral and extraction of the supernumerary, age at time of eruption of the impacted tooth and the orthodontic and surgical management. RESULTS The mean age of referral was 9.1 years with a male to female ratio of 4.4:1. There was a greater predilection for supernumeraries to be on the left side and be positioned palatally. Tuberculate type supernumeraries were the most frequent followed by the conical type. Spontaneous eruption of the impacted tooth occurred in 49% of cases. Eruption of the impacted tooth within eighteen months following removal of the supernumerary was observed in 91% of cases. The chronological age and space availability were the two factors that were critical in determining if eruption was spontaneous following removal of the supernumerary. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study reiterates the fact that given early referral, sufficient space and time, the majority of teeth prevented from erupting by a supernumerary tooth would erupt spontaneously following removal of the supernumerary alone. Randomized multi-centre prospective studies are suggested.
A giant radio flare from Cygnus X-3 with associated γ-ray emission

With frequent flaring activity of its relativistic jets, Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) is one of the most active microquasars and is the only Galactic black hole candidate with confirmed high-energy γ-ray emission, thanks to detections by Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi/LAT) and AGILE. In 2011, Cyg X-3 was observed to transit to a soft X-ray state, which is known to be associated with high-energy γ-ray emission. We present the results of a multiwavelength campaign covering a quenched state, when radio emission from Cyg X-3 is at its weakest and the X-ray spectrum is very soft. A giant (∼20 Jy) optically thin radio flare marks the end of the quenched state, accompanied by rising non-thermal hard X-rays. Fermi/LAT observations (E≥ 100 MeV) reveal renewed γ-ray activity associated with this giant radio flare, suggesting a common origin for all non-thermal components. In addition, current observations unambiguously show that the γ-ray emission is not exclusively related to the rare giant radio flares. A three-week period of γ-ray emission is also detected when Cyg X-3 was weakly flaring in radio, right before transition to the radio quenched state. No γ-rays are observed during the ∼1-month long quenched state, when the radio flux is weakest. Our results suggest transitions into and out of the ultrasoft X-ray (radio-quenched) state trigger γ-ray emission, implying a connection to the accretion process, and also that the γ-ray activity is related to the level of radio flux (and possibly shock formation), strengthening the connection to the relativistic jets.
A systematic review evaluating health-related quality of life, work impairment, and healthcare costs and utilization in bipolar disorder

Background: Bipolar disorder greatly impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical and social functioning, employment, and work productivity, and greatly increases health-care utilization and costs. Our objective was to characterize how bipolar disorder impacts HRQoL, work impairment, and health-care utilization and costs. Data sources and study selection: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify bipolar disorder studies of HRQoL, functioning, work impairment, and health-care utilization and costs. We searched Medline, ClinPSYC, and HealthSTAR for English-language articles published between January 1985 and November 2002 using MeSH headings and keywords. Additional articles were identified from references of relevant articles. Results: We identified 65 HRQoL articles, 14 work-impairment articles, and 28 utilization-and-care-cost articles. For all HRQoL instruments used, bipolar disorder patients' HRQoL was rated similarly to that of unipolar depression patients, and equal to or lower compared with patients with other chronic nonmental illnesses. Current treatments have been shown to improve HRQoL and physical and social functioning; some data indicate that management may improve self-reported work impairment and absenteeism. Bipolar disorder patients have been found to utilize health-care services more than do patients with depression or chronic medical conditions. Inpatient costs are the largest cost contributor; treatment to prevent recurrence has been shown to be the most effective way to reduce costs. Conclusion: Bipolar disorder imposes a tremendous burden on patients and the healthcare system, resulting in decreased HRQoL and increased medical and work impairment costs. Limited data suggest that appropriate management can improve HRQoL and functioning while reducing utilization and cost.
The impact of health literacy on patient understanding of counseling and education materials

Abstract Low health literacy is reported to have negative consequences on patient understanding of health-related information; however, there is a dearth of research regarding health literacy in an audiology-specific context. This study examines the grade level of language used in verbal and written communication samples during routine hearing aid orientation appointments. Patient counseling sessions were videotaped and transcribed; hearing aid instruction guides used during counseling sessions were also transcribed. The Flesch-Kincaid grade level formula was used to determine the approximate United States grade level equivalent of the counseling sessions, hearing aid instruction guides, and to predict patient health literacy. The results indicate that patient predicted health literacy likely impacts understanding of both one-on-one counseling and hearing aid instruction guides. Sumario Los bajos conocimientos en salud se reportan como causantes de consecuencias negativas en la comprensión de la información relacionada con la salud; no obstante, son escasas las investigaciones dirigidas a los conocimientos en salud en el contexto audiológico específico. Este estudio examina el nivel de lenguaje usado en muestras de comunicación verbal y escrita obtenidas durante citas rutinarias de orientación sobre auxiliares auditivos. Las sesiones de asesoría a pacientes se videograbaron y transcribieron; las guías de instrucción sobre auxiliares auditivos usadas en estas sesiones, también fueron transcritas. Se usó la fórmula de niveles de Flesch-Kincaid para determinar el equivalente aproximado en los Estados Unidos, de las sesiones de asesoría y las guías de instrucción de auxiliares auditivos y para predecir los conocimientos en salud de los pacientes. Los resultados indican que los conocimientos sobre salud que en ellos se pueden predecir, impactan la comprensión tanto de la asesoría personal, como de las guías de instrucción de auxiliares auditivos.
Modélisation vectorielle de l'éclairement global en lancer de rayons

Le photorealisme est l'un des themes de la recherche en synthese d'images. Il s'agit de produire des images visuellement indiscernables de photographies, pour des scenes virtuelles simulant des scenes reelles. Cette approche se scinde en deux domaines independants : la modelisation geometrique decrit la forme et la position des objets, alors que la modelisation energetique explicite les proprietes de la lumiere emise par les sources, et ses interactions avec les materiaux des objets. Nous nous situons dans ce deuxieme cadre. Nous presentons une methode de calcul de l'eclairement global dans un environnement de lancer de rayons. La prise en compte des interreflexions multiples est une operation tres couteuse, car elle necessite un echantillonnage tres fin, et genere un tres grand nombre de rayons. Notre modelisation vectorielle represente de facon concise l'energie incidente en une surface, en tenant compte des proprietes du materiau. Elle exploite les coherences de la scene et de la lumiere en reutilisant les valeurs connues lorsque les variations sont moderees, permettant une importante reduction des temps de calcul. Les operations complexes sont alors remplacees par de simples interpolations vectorielles. La lumiere est separee en composantes independantes : directe, indirecte et caustique. Des methodes optimisees sont adaptees a ces cas particuliers, pour detecter les zones ou l'interpolation est possible. D'autre part, nous proposons une methode de prise en compte des sources etendues en lancer de rayons, pour obtenir des penombres douces. Dans le cas des sources planes rectangulaires, une subdivision adaptative decoupe la surface en zones d'angles solides proches, vues depuis le point courant. Pour une meme precision, le nombre de zones est plus faible que celui obtenu par un decoupage regulier classique de la surface. Ce procede est ensuite etendu a des sources de forme quelconque, puis adapte a la simulation de l'eclairement naturel du ciel.
Assessing Desistance in Child Molesters

The aim of the study was to investigate the process of desistance from sexual crime by comparing two groups of child molesters: One group was deemed to be desisting, while men in the other group were deemed as being still potentially active offenders. Men in the desisting group reported being optimistic for the future, reported an enhanced sense of personal agency and a more internalized locus of control, and identified treatment as being a turning point in their lives. In comparison, men in the active group were found to be more pessimistic and were more likely to blame external events, or situations, for their problems. One of the most striking findings of the research was that the desisting group had found a place within a social group or network, unlike the still potentially active offenders who all described a life of social isolation and alienation.
Disposition, intestinal absorption and drug metabolizing enzyme activities after multiple doses of indomethacin in rat and effect of antacid and dicyclomine on the parameters.

The effect of repeated treatment with indomethacin (IND) on the disposition and intestinal absorption of the drug and microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme activities were studied in comparison with coadministration of the drug and magnesium silicate or dicyclomine in male Wistar rats. The plasma decay curve of IND following a rapid i.v. injection (6 mg/kg) was found to be biexponential. The elimination rate constant (beta) of beta phase was 0.138 +/- 0.015 h-1. The beta after the multiple dosing of IND (6 mg/kg/d for 7 d, p.o.) was significantly decreased as compared with that after a single dosing. In the multiple dose group coadministered magnesium silicate (0.6 g/kg), the AUC0 leads to infinity was 2 times that after the multiple dosing of IND alone. The repeated administration (8 times every 16 h) with IND (4 mg/kg) alone and IND plus the antacid respectively gave the results similar to those in the multiple dosing. In the multiple treated group with IND alone, the drug-metabolizing enzyme activities were significantly decreased (32-43%) as compared with the control, however, the coadministration of magnesium silicate partly protected the decrease. The intestinal absorption rate constant of IND determined by in situ method was decreased after the multiple dosing of IND alone, but the constant was recovered to the control value after coadministration of the antacid. Following the multiple dosing of IND alone, the centrilobular necrosis in liver and a partial omission of the villi of intestinal epithelium were observed, but the concurrent dosing of magnesium silicate did not produce histopathological changes.
Phosphorylation-Independent Activity of the Response Regulators AlgB and AlgR in Promoting Alginate Biosynthesis in MucoidPseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Overproduction of the capsular polysaccharide alginate appears to confer a selective advantage for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The regulators AlgB and AlgR, which are both required as positive activators in alginate overproduction, have homology with the regulator class of two-component environmental responsive proteins which coordinate gene expression through signal transduction mechanisms. Signal transduction in this class of proteins generally occurs via autophosphorylation of the sensor kinase protein and phosphotransfer from the sensor to a conserved aspartate residue, which is present in the amino terminus of the response regulator. Recently,kinB was identified downstream of algB and was shown to encode the cognate histidine protein kinase that efficiently phosphorylates AlgB. However, we show here that a null mutation inkinB in a mucoid cystic fibrosis isolate, P. aeruginosa FRD1, did not block alginate production. The role of the conserved aspartate residue in the phosphorylation of AlgB was examined. The predicted phosphorylation site of AlgB (D59) was mutated to asparagine (N), and a derivative of an AlgB lacking the entire amino-terminal phosphorylation domain (AlgBΔ1-145) was constructed. A hexahistidine tag was included at the amino terminus of the wild-type (H-AlgB), H-AlgBΔ1-145, and mutant (H-AlgB.59N) AlgB proteins. These derivatives were purified by Ni2+affinity chromatography and examined for in vitro phosphorylation by the purified sensor kinase protein, KinB. The results indicated that while KinB efficiently phosphorylated H-AlgB, no phosphorylation of H-AlgBΔ1-145 or H-AlgB.D59N was apparent. An allelic exchange system was developed to transfer mutantalgB alleles onto the chromosome of a P. aeruginosa algB mutant to examine the effect on alginate production. Despite the defect in AlgB phosphorylation,P. aeruginosa strains expressing AlgB.D59N or H-AlgBΔ1-145 remained mucoid. The roles of the conserved aspartate residues in the phosphorylation of AlgR were also examined. As seen with AlgB, mutations in the predicted phosphorylation site of AlgR (AlgR.D54N and AlgR.D85N) did not affect alginate production. These results indicate that in vivo phosphorylation of AlgB and AlgR are not required for their roles in alginate production. Thus, the mechanism by which these response regulators activate alginate genes in mucoid P. aeruginosa appears not to be mediated by conventional phosphorylation-dependent signal transduction.
Polymorphisms in nucleotide excision repair genes and basal cell carcinoma of the skin

Mutations in nucleotide excision repair (NER) genes are the cause of xeroderma pigmentosum, a genetic syndrome with proneness to basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may affect the effectiveness of DNA repair and hence influence individual susceptibility to a variety of neoplasms. The aim of this study was to find associations between SNPs in selected NER genes and sporadic BCC development.