Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“You Know What I Mean?”- Language and Cultural Retention in Luso-Canadian Mothers in the Greater Toronto Area

The Portuguese community is one of the largest diasporic groups in the Greater Toronto Area and the choice of retention and transmission of language and culture to Luso-Canadians is crucial to the development and sustainability of the community. The overall objective of this study is to learn about the factors that influence Luso-Canadian mothers’ inclination to teach Portuguese language and cultural retention to their children. To explore this topic I employed a qualitative research design that included in-depth interviews conducted in 2012 with six LusoCanadian mothers. Three central arguments emerged from the findings. First, Luso-Canadian mothers interviewed posses a pronounced desire for their children to succeed academically, and to provide opportunities that their children that they did not have. Second, five of the mothers attempt to achieve this mothering objective partly by disconnecting from their Portuguese roots, and by disassociating their children from the Portuguese language and culture. Third, the disconnection they experience and enact is influenced by the divisions evident in the Portuguese community in the GTA that divides regions and hierarchically ranks dialects, and groups. I conclude that the children in these households inevitably bear the prospects of maintaining a vibrant Portuguese community in the GTA and I propose that actions by the community in ranking dialects influence mothers’ decisions about transmitting language and culture to their
Induced Sputum MMP-1, -3 & -8 Concentrations during Treatment of Tuberculosis

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) destroys lung tissues and this immunopathology is mediated in part by Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs). There are no data on the relationship between local tissue MMPs concentrations, anti-tuberculosis therapy and sputum conversion. Materials and Methods Induced sputum was collected from 68 TB patients and 69 controls in a cross-sectional study. MMPs concentrations were measured by Luminex array, TIMP concentrations by ELISA and were correlated with a disease severity score (TBscore). 46 TB patients were then studied longitudinally at the 2nd, 8th week and end of treatment. Results Sputum MMP-1,-2,-3,-8,-9 and TIMP-1 and -2 concentrations are increased in TB. Elevated MMP-1 and -3 concentrations are independently associated with higher TB severity scores (p<0.05). MMP-1, -3 and -8 concentrations decreased rapidly during treatment (p<0.05) whilst there was a transient increase in TIMP-1/2 concentrations at week 2. MMP-2, -8 and -9 and TIMP-2 concentrations were higher at TB diagnosis in patients who remain sputum culture positive at 2 weeks and MMP-3, -8 and TIMP-1 concentrations were higher in these patients at 2nd week of TB treatment. Conclusions MMPs are elevated in TB patients and associate with disease severity. This matrix-degrading phenotype resolves rapidly with treatment. The MMP profile at presentation correlates with a delayed treatment response.
Effect of Optimized Antibiotic Prophylaxis on the Incidence of Surgical Site Infection

Objective. To compare the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) before and after an intervention period in which an optimized policy for antibiotic prophylaxis was implemented. To demonstrate that a more prudent, restrictive policy would not have a detrimental effect on patient outcomes. Design. Before-after trial with prospective SSI surveillance in the Dutch nosocomial surveillance network (Preventie Ziekenhuisinfecties door Surveillance [PREZIES]), using the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control, including postdischarge surveillance for up to 1 year. Methods. During a preintervention period and a postintervention period (both 6-13 months), 12 Dutch hospitals collected data on antimicrobial prophylaxis and SSI rates. The study was limited to commonly performed surgical procedures in 4 specialties: vascular, intestinal, gynecological and orthopedic surgery. Selected risk factors for analysis were sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, wound contamination class, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay before surgery, and urgency of surgery (elective or acute). Results. A total of 3,621 procedures were included in the study, of which 1,668 were performed before the intervention and 1,953 after. The overall SSI rate decreased from 5.4% to 4.5% (P = .22). Among the procedures included in the study, the largest proportion (55%) were total hip arthroplasty, and the smallest proportion (2%) were replacement of the head of the femur. SSI rates varied from 0% for vaginal hysterectomy to 21.1% for femoropopliteal or femorotibial bypass surgery. Crude and adjusted odds ratios showed that there were no significant changes in procedure-specific SSI rates after the intervention (P>.1). Conclusions. An optimized and restrictive antibiotic prophylaxis policy had no detrimental effect on the outcome of clean and clean contaminated surgery, as measured by SSI rate.
Can Good Principals Keep Teachers in Disadvantaged Schools? Linking Principal Effectiveness to Teacher Satisfaction and Turnover in Hard-to-Staff Environments

Background High rates of teacher turnover likely mean greater school instability, disruption of curricular cohesiveness, and a continual need to hire inexperienced teachers, who typically are less effective, as replacements for teachers who leave. Unfortunately, research consistently finds that teachers who work in schools with large numbers of poor students and students of color feel less satisfied and are more likely to turn over, meaning that turnover is concentrated in the very schools that would benefit most from a stable staff of experienced teachers. Despite the potential challenge that this turnover disparity poses for equity of educational opportunity and student performance gaps across schools, little research has examined the reasons for elevated teacher turnover in schools with large numbers of traditionally disadvantaged students. Purpose This study hypothesizes that school working conditions help explain both teacher satisfaction and turnover. In particular, it focuses on the role of effective principals in retaining teachers, particularly in disadvantaged schools with the greatest staffing challenges. Research Design The study conducts quantitative analyses of national data from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey and the 2004-05 Teacher Follow-up Survey. Regression analyses combat the potential for bias from omitted variables by utilizing an extensive set of control variables and employing a school district fixed effects approach that implicitly makes comparisons among principals and teachers within the same local context. Conclusions Descriptive analyses confirm that observable measures of teachers’ work environments, including ratings of the effectiveness of the principal, are generally less positive in schools with large numbers of disadvantaged students. Regression results show that principal effectiveness is associated with greater teacher satisfaction and a lower probability that the teacher leaves the school within a year. Moreover, the positive impacts of principal effectiveness on these teacher outcomes are even greater in disadvantaged schools. These findings suggest that policies focused on getting the best principals into the most challenging school environments may be effective strategies for lowering perpetually high teacher turnover rates in those schools.
Localization of thrombomodulin antigen in rabbit endothelial cells in culture. An immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscope study.

A total of 13 rabbit endothelial cell lines were examined for the presence, distribution, and localization of the thrombomodulin (TM) antigen. Three endothelial cell lines were derived from aorta, 5 lines from brain microvessels, and 5 lines from fat microvessels. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of the TM antigen in all cell endothelial lines examined, at all passage levels, and at all stages of growth i.e., log phase, confluent, postconfluent stationary. The percentage of positive cells in a given culture and the distribution of the TM antigen within the cells, as well as on their surfaces, was a cell line characteristic. The intercellular variation in the expression of the TM antigen was insignificant in some cell lines but was striking in others. These characteristics were clonable. Immunofluorescence indicated and immunoperoxidase electron microscopy confirmed the localization of the TM antigen to the outer cell surface and in the Golgi-endoplasmic reticulum (GERL) complex.
Thrombus aspiration in ST elevation myocardial infarction: comparative efficacy in patients treated early and late after onset of symptoms

Background Restoration of myocardial perfusion is the goal of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction. A major predictor of no-reflow is the increasing time to treatment (TTT). Thrombus aspiration (TA) is reported to improve myocardial reperfusion as compared with standard PCI (SP). Objective To investigate the influence of TTT on TA efficacy. Design Pooled analysis of individual patients' data of three prospective randomised trials comparing TA and SP. Patients A total of 299 patients (150 in TA group and 149 in SP group) entered the study. The study population was divided into three subgroups according to the TTT: ≤3 h (short TTT subgroup), >3 h to ≤6 h (intermediate TTT subgroup), >6 h to ≤12 h (long TTT subgroup). Main outcome measures The goal of the study was the comparison of optimal myocardial reperfusion, defined as the combination of myocardial blush grade 2 or 3 at post-PCI angiography and ST resolution more than 70% at post-PCI ECG, between SP and TA according to TTT. Results In the SP group, increasing TTT was associated with a decreased rate of optimal reperfusion (27.4% vs 17.9% vs 10%, p for trend=0.06), whereas in the TA group the same trend was not seen (40.9% vs 33.8% vs 50%, p for trend=0.93). In a multivariate logistic regression model, a significant interaction (p=0.04) between time to treatment and thrombus aspiration was observed. Conclusions TA limits the adverse effects of TTT prolongation on myocardial reperfusion.
Benefits of breakfast meals and pattern of consumption on satiety-related sensations in women

Abstract This study evaluated the effects on satiety-related sensations of seven isoenergetic cereal-based breakfasts and two fruit products (salad and juice) consumed within breakfast or as a midmorning snack. Nine healthy women participated to 11 sessions following a randomized repeated-measures design. Subjects were asked to consume seven breakfasts consisting of a standard beverage and a different cereal-based product, and also fruit salad or apricot juice consumed within breakfast or as a midmorning snack. Satiety, desire-to-eat and perceived characteristics of products consumed were monitored on Visual Analog Scales from 8:30 am until lunch. Ratings registered and areas under the curve of sensations were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA. All breakfast meals maintained the satiety-related sensations at lunch time higher than basal values. The best satiety control was obtained when the fruit salad was consumed as a midmorning snack. Consequently, regular consumption of breakfast and of whole fruit as midmorning snack may be a valid strategy to achieve appetite control.
Computational Analysis and Prediction of the Binding Motif and Protein Interacting Partners of the Abl SH3 Domain

Protein-protein interactions, particularly weak and transient ones, are often mediated by peptide recognition domains, such as Src Homology 2 and 3 (SH2 and SH3) domains, which bind to specific sequence and structural motifs. It is important but challenging to determine the binding specificity of these domains accurately and to predict their physiological interacting partners. In this study, the interactions between 35 peptide ligands (15 binders and 20 non-binders) and the Abl SH3 domain were analyzed using molecular dynamics simulation and the Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Solvent Area method. The calculated binding free energies correlated well with the rank order of the binding peptides and clearly distinguished binders from non-binders. Free energy component analysis revealed that the van der Waals interactions dictate the binding strength of peptides, whereas the binding specificity is determined by the electrostatic interaction and the polar contribution of desolvation. The binding motif of the Abl SH3 domain was then determined by a virtual mutagenesis method, which mutates the residue at each position of the template peptide relative to all other 19 amino acids and calculates the binding free energy difference between the template and the mutated peptides using the Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Solvent Area method. A single position mutation free energy profile was thus established and used as a scoring matrix to search peptides recognized by the Abl SH3 domain in the human genome. Our approach successfully picked ten out of 13 experimentally determined binding partners of the Abl SH3 domain among the top 600 candidates from the 218,540 decapeptides with the PXXP motif in the SWISS-PROT database. We expect that this physical-principle based method can be applied to other protein domains as well.
An overview of nosocomial infections, including the role of the microbiology laboratory

An estimated 2 million patients develop nosocomial infections in the United States annually. The increasing number of antimicrobial agent-resistant pathogens and high-risk patients in hospitals are challenges to progress in preventing and controlling these infections. While Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus remain the most common pathogens isolated overall from nosocomial infections, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), organisms previously considered contaminants in most cultures, are now the predominant pathogens in bloodstream infections. The growing number of antimicrobial agent-resistant organisms is troublesome, particularly vancomycin-resistant CoNS and Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to imipenem. The active involvement and cooperation of the microbiology laboratory are important to the infection control program, particularly in surveillance and the use of laboratory services for epidemiologic purposes. Surveillance is used to identify possible infection problems, monitor infection trends, and assess the quality of care in the hospital. It requires high-quality laboratory data that are timely and easily accessible.
Anisotropic electron spin resonance of Y bIr2Si2

A series of electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments were performed on a single crystal of the heavy fermion metal Y bIr2Si2 to map out the anisotropy of the ESR-intensity IESR which is governed by the microwave field component of the g-factor. The temperature dependencies of IESR(T) and g(T) were measured for different orientations and compared within the range 2.6 K ≤ T ≤ 16 K. The analysis of the intensity dependence on the crystal orientation with respect to both the direction of the microwave field and the static magnetic field revealed remarkable features: the intensity variation with respect to the direction of the microwave field was found to be one order of magnitude smaller than expected from the g-factor anisotropy. Furthermore, we observed a weak basal plane anisotropy of the ESR parameters which we interpret to be an intrinsic sample property.
Consumers' subjective and objective consumerism knowledge and subsequent complaint behaviour concerning consumer electronics : a South African perspective

Although there is immense international support for consumer protection, the notion exists that consumer protection can only exist in developed countries with ample fiscal resources and expertise to properly act in the interest of consumers. This conception leaves consumers in emerging and transitional economies in a difficult position as these economies indeed generally lack sufficient funding and the required capacity to educate consumers on their rights. With the South African Consumer Protection Act that came into effect in 2011, South African consumers can now claim to be among the best protected consumers in the world. However, many consumers are still not aware of their consumer rights, and do not have the necessary knowledge to pursue redress when they are dissatisfied. The objective of this research was therefore to explore and describe the relationship between consumers’ knowledge of consumerism (consumer protection) and their consumer complaint behaviour (CCB) concerning their dissatisfaction with a technologically advanced product, in this case, a consumer electronic product. This study attempts to differentiate between subjective consumerism knowledge and objective consumerism knowledge and by extension the measures used. In addition, we explored and described the relationship between demographic variables and levels of subjective and objective consumerism knowledge as well as the combined effect of the two types of knowledge on CCB. The findings revealed that the respondents had a reasonable level of subjective consumerism knowledge relative to a low level of objective consumerism knowledge. No significant relationship was found between subjective consumerism knowledge and demographic variables. However, the factors of race, gender and level of income were related to objective knowledge. A higher level of subjective knowledge could be associated with public action. Respondents with reasonable levels of objective knowledge were also better equipped to take private and public action. CHAID (Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis highlighted that a combination of subjective and objective knowledge was the best predictor of taking public action only and of taking both private and public complaint action. The study has implications for policy makers, consumer protection organisations, retailers and the individual consumer. Our approach to measuring knowledge of consumerism could possibly be applied in other emerging contexts where consumers generally lack awareness of consumer protection.
Heterosexual Men and Women Both Show a Hypothalamic Response to the Chemo-Signal Androstadienone

The odorous steroid compound 4,16-androstadien-3-one (androstadienone), found in axillary sweat, was previously reported to evoke hypothalamic activation in heterosexual women, but not in heterosexual men. However, subjects were exposed to the pure crystalline form of androstadienone, which raised the question whether the observed hypothalamic response is physiologically relevant. Therefore, in the present study, we asked whether sexually dimorphic hypothalamic responses could be measured when subjects were exposed to lower, more physiologically relevant concentrations of androstadienone. A total of 21 women and 16 men, all heterosexual, participated in our functional magnetic resonance imaging study (fMRI). Three different concentrations of androstadienone diluted in propylene glycol (10 mM “high,” 0.1 mM “medium” and 0.001 mM “low”) were delivered to the subjects’ nostrils using a computer-controlled stimulator. When exposed to the “high” androstadienone concentration, women showed stronger hypothalamic activation than men. By contrast, men showed more hypothalamic activation when exposed to the “medium” androstadienone concentrations in comparison to women. Thus, we replicated that smelling the chemo-signal androstadienone elicits a hypothalamic activation. However, this effect does not seem to be gender-specific, because androstadienone activated the hypothalamus in both men and women, suggesting that androstadienone exerts specific effects in heterosexual individuals of both sexes.
Modularity and Web Ontologies

Modularity in ontologies is key both for large scale ontology development and for distributed ontology reuse on the Web. However, the problems of formally characterizing a modular representation, on the one hand, and of automatically identifying modules within an OWL ontology, on the other, has not been satisfactorily addressed, although their relevance has been widely accepted by the Ontology Engineering and Semantic Web communities. In this paper, we provide a notion of modularity grounded on the semantics of OWL-DL. We present an algorithm for automatically identifying and extracting modules from OWL-DL ontologies, an implementation and some promising empirical results on real-world ontologies.
Structure of the gene for human coagulation factor V.

Activated factor V (Va) serves as an essential protein cofactor for the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin by factor Xa. Analysis of the factor V cDNA indicates that the protein contains several types of internal repeats with the following domain structure: A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2. In this report we describe the isolation and characterization of genomic DNA coding for human factor V. The factor V gene contains 25 exons which range in size from 72 to 2820 bp. The structure of the gene for factor V is similar to the previously characterized gene for factor VIII. Based on the aligned amino acid sequences of the two proteins, 21 of the 24 intron-exon boundaries in the factor V gene occur at the same location as in the factor VIII gene. In both genes, the junctions of the A1-A2 and A2-A3 domains are each encoded by a single exon. In contrast, the boundaries between domains A3-C1 and C1-C2 occur at intron-exon boundaries, which is consistent with evolution through domain duplication and exon shuffling. The connecting region or B domain of factor V is encoded by a single large exon of 2820 bp. The corresponding exon of the factor VIII gene contains 3106 bp. The 5' and 3' ends of both of these exons encode sequences homologous to the carboxyl-terminal end of domain A2 and the amino-terminal end of domain A3 in ceruloplasmin. There is otherwise no homology between the B domain exons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Context and Intonation in the Perception of Sarcasm

This experiment investigated the relative contribution of context and tone of voice in the perception of sarcasm in short utterances. Eighty-two participants heard short stories read in a monotone voice reflecting either a positive or a negative context, followed by a relevant statement in a sarcastic or sincere tone of voice. Context and tone of voice were either congruent (e.g., positive context with sincere tone) or incongruent (e.g., positive context with sarcastic tone). Participants were asked to rate from 1 to 7 whether they perceived the statement as very sincere (1) or very sarcastic (7). Results indicated a significant context by tone interaction on both ratings and response time. Specifically, mid-range ratings and longer reaction times were obtained when context and tone were incongruent compared to when they were congruent. The discussion emphasizes the interplay of context and tone of voice in the perception of a sarcastic statement.
Effect of Chronic Nutritional Iron Deficiency on the Small Intestinal Disaccharidase Activities of Growing Dogs∗

Summary Lactase, sucrase, and maltase activities were reduced to approximately 50% of controls in both jejunal mucosal homogenates and brush border preparations from puppies with chronic severe nutritional iron deficiency. In vitro studies failed to show a requirement for free inorganic iron by these enzymes. On the other hand, folate conjugase activity was similar in the jejunal mucosa of iron-deficient and control puppies. No histological abnormalities were noted in the mucosa of the iron-deficient animals. It is suggested that iron deficiency may cause a functional impairment in the brush border region of the growing animal before structural changes occur.