Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teaching Self-Care Through Mindfulness Practices: The Application of Yoga, Meditation, and Qigong to Counselor Training

Faculty in counseling training programs often give voice to the importance of self-care for students during the training period and into practice after training is completed. However, few programs specifically address this issue in their curricula. To address this perceived need, a course was developed to provide students with (a) personal growth opportunities through self-care practices and (b) professional growth through mindfulness practices in counseling that can help prevent burnout. A focus group assessed course impact on students who reported significant changes in their personal lives, stress levels, and clinical training.
Linkage analysis of geographic and clinical clusters in Pseudomonas cepacia infections by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and ribotyping

Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and ribotyping were used to characterize 83 strains of Pseudomonas cepacia, mostly isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, although a number of isolates from non-CF nosocomial infections and reference environmental strains were represented. Twenty enzyme electrophoretic types (ETs) were determined; of these, one clone (ET12) was associated with six of nine ribotypes (RTs) said to be geographically representative of the United Kingdom and all of the Ontario (Canada) isolates from CF patients. This clone was not associated with nosocomial infections or environmental strains and was never found in CF isolates from British Columbia or Nova Scotia, Canada, or a center in the eastern United States. Individual isolate EcoRI RT signatures did not cluster geographically as did the ET signatures by clonal analysis. Frequently RTs occurred in more than a single ET. Known point source focal nosocomial outbreaks were typified by single ETs and stable RTs. Dendrographic analysis of the strains grouped those strains from CF patients, nosocomial outbreaks, and environmental sources into separate ET families, and diversity analysis indicated that, with the exception of ET17, CF isolates clustered in unique and closely related ETs different from those from nosocomial and environmental sources. This study has also shown the potential of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis to monitor the intercontinental spread of P. cepacia strains in CF patients, and this may have a significant impact on plans for CF patient summer camps and design of infection control practices. Whether the intercontinental ET12 clone, which predominates in the United Kingdom and the province of Ontario, linked by summer camp acquisition, has increased virulence for CF patients remains to be established.
Structural Variability of the Initiation Complex of HIV-1 Reverse Transcription*

HIV-1 reverse transcription is initiated from a \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{tRNA}_{3}^{\mathrm{Lys}}\) \end{document} molecule annealed to the viral RNA at the primer binding site (PBS), but the structure of the initiation complex of reverse transcription remains controversial. Here, we performed in situ structural probing, as well as in vitro structural and functional studies, of the initiation complexes formed by highly divergent isolates (MAL and NL4.3/HXB2). Our results show that the structure of the initiation complex is not conserved. In MAL, and according to sequence analysis in 14% of HIV-1 isolates, formation of the initiation complex is accompanied by complex rearrangements of the viral RNA, and extensive interactions with \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{tRNA}_{3}^{Lys}\) \end{document} are required for efficient initiation of reverse transcription. In NL4.3, HXB2, and most isolates, \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{tRNA}_{3}^{Lys}\) \end{document} annealing minimally affects the viral RNA structure and no interaction outside the PBS is required for optimal initiation of reverse transcription. We suggest that in MAL, extensive interactions with \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{tRNA}_{3}^{Lys}\) \end{document} are required to drive the structural rearrangements generating the structural elements ultimately recognized by reverse transcriptase. In NL4.3 and HXB2, these elements are already present in the viral RNA prior to \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{tRNA}_{3}^{Lys}\) \end{document} annealing, thus explaining that extensive interactions with the primer are not required. Interestingly, such interactions are required in HXB2 mutants designed to use a non-cognate tRNA as primer (tRNAHis). In the latter case, the extended interactions are required to counteract a negative contribution associate with the alternate primer.
Cervical human papillomavirus infection in accra, ghana.

BACKGROUND This study was aimed at estimating the human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and its determinants among a sample of Ghanaian women. DESIGN Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING Gynaecology outpatient clinic of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana; the largest tertiary care gynaecology outpatient clinic in Ghana. PARTICIPANTS Convenient sample of 75 consenting women visiting the clinic. METHODS Information was obtained through personal interviews using structured questionnaire, Pap smears obtained, and laboratory testing of cervical exfoliated cells was performed. HPV DNA was detected using a GP5+/6+ polymerase chain reaction assay. These data were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate techniques. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 33.3 years (standard deviation, 9.2) and the percentage of lifetime monogamy was 21.3%. The crude HPV DNA prevalence was 10.7%. Unlike most populations studied so far, HPV prevalence was high not only among young women, but also in middle and old age. Independent HPV determinants were being illiterate (prevalence odds ratio [POR], 13.9; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.9-100) and reporting more than three lifetime sexual partners (POR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.0-22.2). CONCLUSIONS The study indicates a high crude prevalence of HPV in a largely polygamous Ghanaian population with a high crude prevalence in older age groups, which may be a distinctive feature of polygamous populations where HPV transmission continues into middle age and cervical cancer incidence is very high.
HLA Antigens in Turkish Race With Rheumatic Heart Disease

BackgroundRheumatic valvular disease has been reported to be associated with HLA antigens. To determine whether genetic factors could be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), we analyzed the distribution of HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR antigens in Turkish patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease Methods and ResultsThe association of class I and class II HLA antigens was examined in 107 ethnic Turkish patients with chronic RHD. The diagnosis was supported by echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, angioventriculography, and histological findings in patients who underwent valve replacement. Two hundred three control subjects, also of Turkish origin, were chosen. The phenotypes B16, DR3, and DR7 were encountered in a significantly higher frequency in patients with RHD compared with the control population (corrected p<0.05, p<0.00005, and p<0.0005, respectively). There also was a decrease in the antigen frequency of DR5 in patients compared with controls (corrected p<0.0005). ConclusionThe results are consistent with the hypothesis that susceptibility to RHD is genetically linked, and this in turn may be associated mainly with HLA class II antigens and weakly with class I antigens, with DR3, DR7, and B16 influencing susceptibility and DRS conferring protection. (Circulation 1993;87:1974-1978)
Inhaled Corticosteroids and Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have been used as first line treatment of asthma for many decades. ICS are a form of exogenous glucocorticosteroids that can suppress the endogenous production of glucocorticosteroids, a condition known as adrenal suppression (AS). As a result, cessation, decreasing the dose or changing the type of ICS may trigger features of adrenal insufficiency (AI). AI may cause a spectrum of presentations varying from vague symptoms of fatigue to potentially life threatening acute adrenal crises. This article reviews the current literature on ICS and AI particularly in adults (although majority of data available is from the paediatric population). It aims to increase awareness of the potential risk of AI associated with ICS use, delineate the pathogenesis of AI and to provide recommendations on screening and management. From our literature review, we have found numerous case reports that have shown an association between ICS and AI particularly in children and patients using high doses. However, there have also been reports of AI in adults as well as in patients using low to moderate doses of ICS. To conclude, we recommend screening for AI in select patient groups with an initial early morning serum cortisol. If results are abnormal, more definitive testing such as the low dose corticotropin stimulation test may be done to confirm the diagnosis.
The Majority of Primate-Specific Regulatory Sequences Are Derived from Transposable Elements

Although emerging evidence suggests that transposable elements (TEs) have contributed novel regulatory elements to the human genome, their global impact on transcriptional networks remains largely uncharacterized. Here we show that TEs have contributed to the human genome nearly half of its active elements. Using DNase I hypersensitivity data sets from ENCODE in normal, embryonic, and cancer cells, we found that 44% of open chromatin regions were in TEs and that this proportion reached 63% for primate-specific regions. We also showed that distinct subfamilies of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) contributed significantly more accessible regions than expected by chance, with up to 80% of their instances in open chromatin. Based on these results, we further characterized 2,150 TE subfamily–transcription factor pairs that were bound in vivo or enriched for specific binding motifs, and observed that TEs contributing to open chromatin had higher levels of sequence conservation. We also showed that thousands of ERV–derived sequences were activated in a cell type–specific manner, especially in embryonic and cancer cells, and we demonstrated that this activity was associated with cell type–specific expression of neighboring genes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that TEs, and in particular ERVs, have contributed hundreds of thousands of novel regulatory elements to the primate lineage and reshaped the human transcriptional landscape.
Sixth International Conference on Sensitivity Analysis of Model Output Cost-effectiveness of varicella and zoster vaccination in England & Wales : importance measures for correlated parameters

This study aims to explore irregular relationships between input and outcomes in cost-effectiveness analysis, accounting for interdependencies between many input parameters. We used a dynamic infectious disease transmission model investigating the cost-effectiveness of varicella and zoster vaccination as a case study. Incremental costs and effects were used separately as the outcomes of interest, rather than the ratio between these, and a single R2 was calculated for groups of interdependent input parameters. Partial R2 was obtained as measure for the marginal proportion of variance explained. The most important input parameters were related to zoster epidemiology and disease transmission. In case of linear relationships, R2 is an easy to obtain importance measure, also in the presence of interdependent input parameters.
Accuracy of mammography and ultrasound for detecting breast cancer at a breast care clinic in Karachi, Pakistan

Objectives: Mammography is an important screening tool which can effectively detect breast cancer earlier before it becomes palpable on breast self examination. The main objective of this study was to determine screnning accuracy of mammography and ultrasound (US) in a local population. Material and Methods: This prospective analysis included 1104 women (median age 40; 11-81 years) attended a breast care clinic at Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN), Karachi, Pakistan, for screening (559) or presented with palpable breast lump (545). As per American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines 2003, mammogram and US was performed. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was subjected in 217 women with Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BIRADS) IV/V, high risk patients with III on mammography and with suspicious US findings, while women with normal to benign looking US, BIRADS I, II and III were followed after 12 ±3 months. Results: Mammography was performed on 564 (51%) women and classified as BIRADS I in 227 (40%), II in 110 (20%), III in 53 (9%), IV in 130 (23%) and as V in 44 (8%). Remaining 540 (49%) women were subjected for breast US, among them 408 (76%) were absolutely normal, 97 (18%) revealed benign pathology and 35 (6%) had suspicious findings. On FNAC, 206/217 (19%; incidence rate=1:6 with 95% CI of 1:6 to 1:5, p <0.001) were diagnosed as breast cancer. Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive predictive value (PPV) and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were 80.47%, 73.07%, 64.79% and 85.86% for mammogram; 86.84%, 99.6%, 94.29% and 99.01% for US respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of US as compared to mammogram was statistically significant i-e. p=0.005 (χ 2 =7.701), p<0.0001 (χ 2 =159.58), p<0.0001 (χ 2 =144.05) and p<0.0001 (χ 2 =65.22) respectively. Conclusion: We concluded that US should be considered as a primary screening tool in younger population and as an adjunct to mammogram in elder women to minimize the chances of missing diagnosis of breast cancers in relatively younger women.
Relationship between circulating levels of RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted) and carotid plaque characteristics: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Carotid MRI Study.

AIMS To assess the relationship between regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and carotid atherosclerotic plaque burden and plaque characteristics. METHODS AND RESULTS Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the carotid artery was performed in 1901 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Wall thickness and volume, lipid-core volume, and fibrous cap thickness (by MRI) and plasma RANTES levels (by ELISA) were measured. Regression analysis was performed to study the associations between MRI variables and RANTES. Among 1769 inclusive participants, multivariable regression analysis revealed that total wall volume [beta-coefficient (β) = 0.09, P = 0.008], maximum wall thickness (β = 0.08, P = 0.01), vessel wall area (β = 0.07, P = 0.02), mean minimum fibrous cap thickness (β = 0.11, P = 0.03), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (β = 0.09, P = 0.01) were positively associated with RANTES. Total lipid-core volume showed positive association in unadjusted models (β = 0.18, P = 0.02), but not in fully adjusted models (β = 0.13, P = 0.09). RANTES levels were highest in Caucasian females followed by Caucasian males, African-American females, and African-American males (P < 0.0001). Statin use attenuated the relationship between RANTES and measures of plaque burden. CONCLUSION Positive associations between RANTES and carotid wall thickness and lipid-core volume (in univariate analysis) suggest that higher RANTES levels may be associated with extent of carotid atherosclerosis and high-risk plaques. Associations between fibrous cap thickness and RANTES likely reflect the lower reliability estimate for fibrous cap measurements compared with wall volume or lipid-core volume measurements. Statin use may modify the association between RANTES and carotid atherosclerosis. Furthermore, RANTES levels vary by race.
RALI: SMT Shared Task System Description

Thanks to the profusion of freely available tools, it recently became fairly easy to built a statistical machine translation (SMT) engine given a bitext. The expectations we can have on the quality of such a system may however greatly vary from one pair of languages to another. We report on our experiments in building phrase-based translation engines for the four pairs of languages we had to consider for the SMT shared-task.
From Kalman filtering to set-valued filtering for dynamic systems with uncertainty

In this paper, a brief survey is dedicated to the developments from Kalman filtering for the stochastic dynamic systems to set-valued filtering for the dynamic systems with bounded uncertain model biases. The former has been developed and extended for more than fifty years, and the set-valued estimations have been proposed also for more than forty years but has received more extensive attention than before for the dynamic systems with bounded uncertain model biases just in the past twenty years. They are two types of estimations in terms of completely different optimization criterions to deal with different formulations of dynamic systems with uncertainty. The main focus on this survey is to present some progress in the two filters and compare their own advantage and weakness in order to provide some guidance for people to decide which formulation for dynamic systems with uncertainty and the corresponding filtering method should be chosen in practical applications.
Franchise Relocation and Fan Allegiance

This article examines how the fans of four sports teams reacted when their favorite team relocated to another city: the Houston Oilers to Nashville, the Quebec Nordiques to Denver, the Hartford Whalers to Raleigh, and the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix. Drawing on conversations among fans of these teams on Web sites, it was found that, despite the differences in sports, teams, and cities across these four franchises, the people studied expressed similar feelings about the importance of the teams in their lives and of their desire for the franchises to return. In addition, differences were found among fans as to what aspect of the team they were expressing continued allegiance to. Some fans pledged to continue to fight for a team for their city, whereas another group pledged allegiance to the team name and logo. The article concludes with a discussion suggesting some future directions for research on fan allegiance to sports teams.
Relationships among milk yield, body weight, and reproduction in Holstein and Czech Fleckvieh cows

The objective of this study was to determine the dynamics and relative body weight (BW) changes after parturition and their relationships to milk yield in Holstein (H) and Czech Fleckvieh (F) cows, and also the relationships between their BW changes in the first 8 weeks of lactation and reproduc - tive performance. A retrospective, observational study comprised analyses of individual cow records from a computerised herd management system. Production, body weight, and reproduction data were collected between December 2004 and February 2009 from F and H cows kept in a single experimental station. A total of 475 calving interval records (F: N = 132; H: N = 343) were included in the analysis. The data were evalu- ated using the mixed linear model with repeated measures, and parameters were estimated by the REML method. Whereas BW changes in F first-parity cows significantly (P 0.83, P < 0.0001) in both breeds. In H cows, the average BW change in weeks 1 to 8 and in NADIR significantly (P < 0.01) negatively correlated with the length of postpartum anoestrus, days between parturition and conception, days between first service and conception, and calving interval (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In F cows, the only significant correlations were those with days between parturition and first service (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). It was concluded that BW changes postpartum might indicate reproduction problems particularly in H cows.
Identification, Cloning, and Characterization of a Lactococcus lactis Branched-Chain α-Keto Acid Decarboxylase Involved in Flavor Formation

ABSTRACT The biochemical pathway for formation of branched-chain aldehydes, which are important flavor compounds derived from proteins in fermented dairy products, consists of a protease, peptidases, a transaminase, and a branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase (KdcA). The activity of the latter enzyme has been found only in a limited number of Lactococcus lactis strains. By using a random mutagenesis approach, the gene encoding KdcA in L. lactis B1157 was identified. The gene for this enzyme is highly homologous to the gene annotated ipd, which encodes a putative indole pyruvate decarboxylase, in L. lactis IL1403. Strain IL1403 does not produce KdcA, which could be explained by a 270-nucleotide deletion at the 3′ terminus of the ipd gene encoding a truncated nonfunctional decarboxylase. The kdcA gene was overexpressed in L. lactis for further characterization of the decarboxylase enzyme. Of all of the potential substrates tested, the highest activity was observed with branched-chain α-keto acids. Moreover, the enzyme activity was hardly affected by high salinity, and optimal activity was found at pH 6.3, indicating that the enzyme might be active under cheese ripening conditions.
Norms for Letter and Category Fluency: Demographic Corrections for Age, Education, and Ethnicity

Letter and category fluency tasks are used to assess semantic knowledge, retrieval ability, and executive functioning. They appear to be useful in detecting different types of dementia, but accurate detection of neuropsychological impairment relies on appropriate normative data. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop demographically corrected norms for letter and category fluency in 768 normal adults. T-score equations were developed on a base subsample of 403, and crossvalidated on a separate subsample (n = 365). Participants ranged in age from 20 years to 101 years; in educational level from 0 to 20 years; 55% were Caucasian and 45% were African American. Together, age, education, and ethnicity were significant predictors of letter and category fluency performance, accounting for 15% and 25% of variance, respectively. Formulas and tables for converting raw fluency scores to demographically corrected T scores are presented.
The great success of Asian kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Little has been written about allograft survival in non-African-American minority groups. We examine the success of kidney transplantation in 1900 Asian recipients. METHODS Data from 42,252 cadaveric and 16,115 live donor kidney transplant recipients were monitored from the United Network for Organ Sharing Scientific Renal Transplant Registry from 1991 through 1996. RESULTS Asian recipients exhibited the highest cadaveric allograft survival rates (89% 1-year and 83% 3-year survival) and the longest mean allograft half-life (18 years). Asian women had the highest mean graft half-life (23 years). Asians were less likely to be broadly sensitized and had a high incidence of IgA nephropathy causing end-stage renal disease. Although it has been suggested that their low body weights may help explain the excellent allograft outcome, Asians exhibited superior graft survival rates even when compared with low body weight recipients of other races. CONCLUSION Asian renal allograft recipients, particularly Asian females, have the highest allograft survival rates of all racial groups.