Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case–Control Study of Maternal Residential Atrazine Exposure and Male Genital Malformations

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals has been associated with risk for male genital malformations. However, residential prenatal exposure to atrazine, an endocrine disrupting pesticide, has not been evaluated. We obtained data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry for 16,433 cases with isolated male genital malformations and randomly selected, population‐based controls delivered during 1999–2008. County‐level estimates of atrazine exposure from the United States Geological Survey were linked to all subjects. We evaluated the relationship between estimated maternal residential atrazine exposure and risk for male genital malformations in offspring. Separate unconditional logistic regression analyses were conducted for hypospadias, cryptorchidism, and small penis. We observed modest, but consistent, associations between medium‐low and/or medium levels of estimated periconceptional maternal residential atrazine exposure and every male genital malformation category evaluated (e.g., adjusted odds ratio for medium compared to low atrazine levels and all male genital malformations: 1.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.1–1.3). Previous literature from animal and epidemiological studies supports our findings. Our results provide further evidence of a suspected teratogenic role of atrazine. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Questioning to scaffold: an exploration of questions in pre-service teacher training feedback sessions

The purpose of this research was to explore trainer questioning strategies which aimed to scaffold development and learning in teacher training feedback sessions. Research was conducted with a group of Turkish pre-service English teacher trainees at an English-medium university in Turkey. Findings include a categorisation of different question types which seemed to prompt reflection and construction of knowledge. The data also suggest that trainees need varying levels of support through different question types to better scaffold their understanding of teaching. This study concludes with a data-driven framework of questioning strategies which can be a potential guide for trainers working with pre-service English teacher trainees.
Innovations in air sampling to detect plant pathogens

Many innovations in the development and use of air sampling devices have occurred in plant pathology since the first description of the Hirst spore trap. These include improvements in capture efficiency at relatively high air-volume collection rates, methods to enhance the ease of sample processing with downstream diagnostic methods and even full automation of sampling, diagnosis and wireless reporting of results. Other innovations have been to mount air samplers on mobile platforms such as UAVs and ground vehicles to allow sampling at different altitudes and locations in a short space of time to identify potential sources and population structure. Geographical Information Systems and the application to a network of samplers can allow a greater prediction of airborne inoculum and dispersal dynamics. This field of technology is now developing quickly as novel diagnostic methods allow increasingly rapid and accurate quantifications of airborne species and genetic traits. Sampling and interpretation of results, particularly action-thresholds, is improved by understanding components of air dispersal and dilution processes and can add greater precision in the application of crop protection products as part of integrated pest and disease management decisions. The applications of air samplers are likely to increase, with much greater adoption by growers or industry support workers to aid in crop protection decisions. The same devices are likely to improve information available for detection of allergens causing hay fever and asthma or provide valuable metadata for regional plant disease dynamics.
Non-sexist language reform and generic pronouns in Australian English

This paper explores changes in the use of generic pronouns in Australian English. We examine a database of public non-scripted speech to establish to what extent generic pronouns promoted through non-sexist language reform have become part of public speech. The results show that the use of masculine generic he has decreased substantially mainly in favour of singular they. The pronoun he or she does not appear to have been adopted widely by people speaking in a public context.
Clinical comparative study of sulbactam/ampicillin and imipenem/cilastatin in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical usefulness of sulbactam/ampicillin therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly. METHODOLOGY A randomized prospective clinical study was conducted in the elderly patients with moderate-to-severe community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. RESULTS Overall clinical efficacy of sulbactam/ampicillin therapy (6 g/day) in these patients (efficacy rate: 91.4%) was comparable to that of imipenem/cilastatin therapy (1 g/day; efficacy rate: 87.5%), when each therapy was administered intravenously twice daily for 7-14 days. With regard to clinical efficacy based on disease severity, bacteriological efficacy, improvement of chest X-ray findings and adverse reactions, the two therapies were comparable. CONCLUSION These results suggest that sulbactam/ampicillin therapy has excellent efficacy and tolerability and that it may be highly effective, even in severe cases of pneumonia. This regimen may thus serve as first-line treatment for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in elderly patients.
Reboxetine, a New Noradrenaline Selective Antidepressant, Is at Least as Effective as Fluoxetine in the Treatment of Depression

The clinical profile of reboxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, was compared with that of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and placebo in a double-blind, multicenter, parallel-group clinical trial of patients with major depression. Among the 381 patients treated with reboxetine 8 to 10 mg/day, fluoxetine 20 to 40 mg/day, or placebo for up to 8 weeks, a statistically significant greater reduction in the mean Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (21-item HAM-D) total score (the primary efficacy variable) was seen for both active treatment groups compared with placebo (p < 0.024). A significantly greater proportion of patients treated with either reboxetine or fluoxetine also achieved a response (≥50% reduction in HAM-D) or remission (HAM-D ≤10 points) than those who received placebo (p < 0.01 for both analyses). Similar findings were recorded in a subpopulation of severely ill patients, with statistically significantly greater decreases in the mean HAM-D total score between both active treatment groups compared with placebo (p < 0.024). Additional efficacy assessments (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression) reflected the primary efficacy analysis, with both active treatments offering comparable efficacy that was superior to that of placebo. Reboxetine and fluoxetine are more effective than placebo in the treatment of major depression. Futhermore, both antidepressants are well tolerated but possess different adverse event profiles.
From students to teachers: using surveys to build a culture of evidence and inquiry

In an effort to make decisions about teacher education policy and practice that were informed by research and evidence, participants in Boston College's ‘Teachers for a New Era’ Evidence Team (http://www.teachersforanewera.org) designed a portfolio of assessments and studies. This article describes one project in the portfolio – a series of surveys that trace teacher candidates' experiences over time and track shifts in these experiences as respondents progress from students during the pre‐service period to teachers in the first few years of work in the profession. The article illustrates how various constituencies in the teacher education programme and the larger university used survey data to guide practice, shape policies, and raise new questions about the curriculum, relationships with schools, and the performance of teachers and their pupils. The article argues that these surveys helped to create a new ‘culture of evidence and inquiry’ within which decisions about local policy and practice were made in the teacher preparation programme and the larger university.
More spoken or more translated ?: Exploring a known unknown of simultaneous interpreting

Since the early 1990s, with the advance of computerized corpora, translation scholars have been using corpus-based methodologies to look into the possible existence of overriding patterns (tentatively described as universals or as laws) in translated texts. The application of such methodologies to interpreted texts has been much slower in developing than in the case of translated ones, but significant progress has been made in recent years. After presenting the fundamental methodological hurdles � and advantages � of working on machine-readable (transcribed) oral corpora, we present and discuss several recent studies using cross-modal comparisons, and examine the viability of using interpreted outputs to explore the features that set simultaneous interpreting apart from other forms of translation. We then set out to test the hypothesis that modality may exert a stronger effect than ontology � i.e. that being oral (vs. written) is a more powerful influence than being translated (vs. original).
Differences in the performance of commercially available 10-g monofilaments.

OBJECTIVE This independent study was designed to determine the accuracy of 10-g monofilaments manufactured and supplied by popular commercial companies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 160 new 10-g monofilaments (30 Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments [North Coast Medical], 30 Timesco/Sensory Testing Systems monofilaments, 50 Owen Mumford Neuropens, and 50 Bailey Instruments monofilaments) were tested using a calibrated load cell. Each monofilament was subjected to 10 mechanical bucklings of 10 mm while the load cell detected the maximum buckling force. Longevity testing was performed on a subset of the monofilaments by subjecting them to continuous compressions until the buckling force was <9 g. RESULTS The accuracy of monofilaments to produce a buckling force of 10 g varies among manufacturers. Bailey Instruments and Owen Mumford filaments were the most accurate with 100% buckling within +/-1.0 g of 10 g. Only 70% of the Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments from North Coast Medical buckled within +/-1.0 g of 10 g. A total of 80% of Timesco filaments buckled at <8 g. Longevity tests on Bailey Instruments and Owen Mumford monofilaments demonstrated that 80% continued to buckle within 10% of 10 g after 100 compressions, but only 50% were within this range after 200 compressions. The maximum amount of recovery achieved in any monofilament occurred within 24 h. CONCLUSIONS Monofilaments made by either Bailey Instruments or Owen Mumford are recommended for use in clinical practice. North Coast Medical monofilaments may operate differently in the U.S. because of different environmental conditions such as differences in humidity. Timesco/Sensory Testing Systems monofilaments were neither accurate enough nor Conformity European marked to recommend their use in the U.K. Longevity and recovery testing suggest that each monofilament will survive usage on approximately 10 patients before needing a recovery time of 24 h before further use.
Mutations to the Kainate Receptor Subunit GluR6 Binding Pocket That Selectively Affect Domoate Binding

Kainate receptor responses to domoate are characterized by large steady-state currents and slow deactivation kinetics. To improve our understanding of these responses, we mutated residues at the mouth of the agonist binding pocket of GluR6 using whole-cell electrophysiology to characterize the effects of the mutants. We identified two residues where mutations had significant ligand-specific effects. One, Met691, forms a hydrogen bond that seems to facilitate domoate binding by affecting the main-chain conformation. We found that mutation of Met691 to alanine significantly attenuated responses to domoate but had no effect on responses to glutamate, confirming the importance of this main-chain interaction in GluR6. The second residue, Val685, is located at the mouth of the binding pocket, adjacent to the domoate side-arm. Mutation of Val685 to glutamine increased the rate of decay from steady-state responses to domoate by more than 50-fold but had no effect on the rate or extent of desensitization or on the kinetics of responses to either glutamate or kainate. The V685Q mutant also significantly reduced the potencies of both glutamate (peak) and domoate (peak and steady-state). Empirical analysis using a basic kinetic model indicated that the V685Q phenotype could be fully explained by faster ligand dissociation. The V685Q mutant accelerated receptor deactivation without affecting either desensitization or gating, making it a potentially useful tool for further dissection of ligand binding and gating in kainate receptors.
Benzodiazepine use by women prisoners: Association with personality disorder and behavioural dyscontrol

Benzodiazepine use is common in women prisoners and causes considerable concern to prison authorities. This article outlines some of the factors involved in benzodiazepine use and dependence, and presents results from a pilot study on benzodiazepine use/abuse in women prisoners. The doses used and the frequency of paradoxical effects are highlighted. The results suggest that particular personality types may be more at risk of such effects. Further study is needed to determine whether benzodiazepine use plays a role in offending behaviour. It is suggested that the medical profession should pay greater attention to prescribing practice in this area.
Evolution of the human life cycle

Social mammals have three basic stages of postnatal development: infant, juvenile, and adult. Some species also have a brief female post‐reproductive stage. The human life cycle, however, is best described by five stages: infant, child, juvenile, adolescent, and adult. Women in both traditional and industrial societies may also have a long post‐reproductive stage. Analyses of bones and teeth of early hominids who died as subadults suggest that the evolution of the new life stages of childhood and adolescence are not of ancient origin. The current human pattern evolved after the appearance of Homo erectus. It is possible that evidence for the existence of the post‐reproductive stage for women will also be recoverable from the fossil record because the hormonal changes associated with menopause have profound effects on bone density and histology of tubular bones. It is hypothesized that the new life stages of the human life cycle represent feeding and reproductive specializations of the genus Homo. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of the implementation of an enterprise-wide Electronic Health Record on productivity in the Veterans Health Administration

Since 1995, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has had an ongoing process of systems improvement that has led to dramatic improvement in the quality of care delivered. A major component of the redesign of the VHA has been the creation of a fully developed enterprise-wide Electronic Health Record (EHR). VHA’s Health Information Technology was developed in a collaborative fashion between local clinical champions and central software engineers. Successful national EHR implementation was achieved by 1999, since when the VHA has been able to increase its productivity by nearly 6 per cent per year.
Do the Paths to STEMM Professions Differ by Gender?

In this article we examine gender differences in factors related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education and employment between the ages of 36 and 39. Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, we identified a STEMM high school talent pool. We found early gender differences in interest in engineering, although we found no such differences in entry into a general STEMM undergraduate major. Throughout the course of the study, we developed and tested structural equation models. We discovered that there were no major gender differences in family encouragement or precollege educational experiences, except that high school boys were slightly more likely to take calculus in high school. There were no significant differences in entrance into medicine and other health professions, but there were substantial gender differences in earned engineering degrees and employment in engineering. The completion of a graduate or professional degree was a stronger predictor of female employment in a STEMM profession than for young men. Among young adults with academic qualifications for a STEMM profession, the presence of children 18 years of age or younger in the family made no difference in the likelihood of employment in a STEMM profession.
Persuasion

Preface Chapter 1: Persuasion, Attitudes, and Actions The Concept of Persuasion The Concept of Attitude Attitude Measurement Techniques Attitudes and Behaviors Assessing Persuasive Effects Conclusion Notes Chapter 2: Social Judgment Theory Judgments of Alternative Positions on an Issue Reactions to Communications Critical Assessment Conclusion Notes Chapter 3: Functional Approaches to Attitude A Classic Functional Analysis Subsequent Developments Commentary Conclusion Notes Chapter 4: Belief-Based Models of Attitude Summative Model of Attitude Research Evidence and Commentary Conclusion Notes Chapter 5: Cognitive Dissonance Theory General Theoretical Sketch Some Research Applications Revisions of, And Alternatives to, Dissonance Theory Conclusion Notes Chapter 6: Reasoned Action Theory The Reasoned Action Theory Model Influencing Intentions Intentions and Behaviors Adapting Persuasive Messages to Recipients Based on Reasoned Action Theory Commentary Conclusion Notes Chapter 7: Stage Models The Transtheoretical Model The Distinctive Claims of Stage Models Other Stage Models Conclusion Notes Chapter 8: Elaboration Likelihood Model Variations in the Degree of Elaboration: Central versus Peripheral Routes to Persuasion Factors Affecting the Degree of Elaboration Influences on Persuasive Effects under Conditions of High Elaboration: Central Routes to Persuasion Influences on Persuasive Effects under Conditions of Low Elaboration: Peripheral Routes to Persuasion Multiple Roles for Persuasion Variables Adapting Persuasive Messages to Recipients Based on the ELM Commentary Conclusion Notes Chapter 9: The Study of Persuasive Effects Experimental Design and Causal Inference Two General Challenges in Studying Persuasive Effects Conclusion Notes Chapter 10: Communicator Factors Communicator Credibility Liking Other Communicator Factors Conclusion Notes Chapter 11: Message Factors Message Structure and Format Message Content Sequential Request Strategies Conclusion Notes Chapter 12: Receiver Factors Individual Differences Transient Receiver States Influencing Susceptibility to Persuasion Conclusion Notes References Author Index Subject Index About the Author
Teachers’ Experience of Support in the Mainstream Education of Pupils with Autism

This article reports a study of support for pupils with autism in a Scottish education authority. The pupils attend mainstream classes in primary schools but receive additional support from an outreach service. The study aimed to understand the nature of outreach support from a mainstream teacher’s point of view. The principal data of the project were interview transcripts from a critical-case sample of five schools. The data were subjected to two levels of analysis. First, they were grouped under five themes concerning teachers’ perceptions of support: speech and language therapy; parents, special assistants, communications, and the existing generic learning support team. Second, these five themes were reassembled as a textural and structural analysis which identified areas which influenced teachers’ perception of their own competence and the support of others. Among these areas, other professionals’ experience of working with pupils who are autistic was valued highly as a source of support.
Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement

We constructed am odel of workplace psychosocial safety climate (PSC) to explain the origins of job demands and resources, worker psychological health, and employee engagement. PSC refers to policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety . U sing the job demands–resources framework, we hypothesized that PSC as an upstream organizational resource influenced largely by senior management, would precede the work context (i.e. ,j ob demands and resources) and would in turn predict psychological health and work engagement via mediation and moderation pathways. We operationalized PSC at the school level and tested mesomediational models using two-level (longitudinal) hierarchical linear modelling in a sample of Australian education workers ð N ¼ 209 –2 88 Þ . D ata were repeated measures separated by 12 months, nested within 18 schools. PSC predicted change in individual psychological health problems (psychological distress, emotional exhaustion) through its relationship with individual job demands (work pressur ea nd emotional demands). PS Cm oderate dt he relationshi pb etwee ne motional demand sa nd emotional exhaustion. PSC predicted change in employee engagement, through its relationship with skill discretion. The results show that the PSC construct is ak ey upstream component of work stress theor ya nd al ogical intervention site for work stress intervention. This article addresses ag ap in the wor kp sychology literature regarding the origins of psychosocial working conditions. We define an ew construct ,p sychosocial safety climate (PSC), and explain how PSC as influenced by senior management affects psychosocial working conditions and in tur np sychological health and engagement, via
Unbound Brain Concentration Determines Receptor Occupancy: A Correlation of Drug Concentration and Brain Serotonin and Dopamine Reuptake Transporter Occupancy for Eighteen Compounds in Rats

It is a commonly accepted hypothesis that central nervous system (CNS) activity is determined by the unbound brain drug concentration. However, limited experimental data are available in the literature to support this hypothesis. The objective of this study was to test this hypothesis by examining the relationship between in vitro binding affinity (KI) and in vivo activity quantified as the drug concentration occupying 50% of the transporters (OC50) for 18 serotonin (SERT) and dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitors. In vivo rat OC50 was determined by autoradiography using [3H]N,N-dimethyl-2,2-amino-4-cyanophenylthiobenzylamine and [3H](–)-2-β-carbomethoxy-3-β-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane-1,5-napthalenedisulfonate (WIN35,428) as the ligands to assess SERT and DAT occupancy, respectively. The unbound brain concentrations were calculated from total brain concentrations and the unbound brain fraction, which was determined by the brain homogenate method. The in vivo total brain SERT and DAT OC50 values (mean ± S.D.) were 408 ± 368- and 410 ± 395-fold greater than the KI values, respectively. In contrast, the in vivo unbound brain SERT and DAT OC50 values were only 3.3 ± 2.1- and 4.1 ± 4.0-fold different from the KI values. Therefore, prediction of the biophase drug concentration by using the unbound brain concentration rather than the total brain concentration results in an approximately 100-fold improvement for the accuracy. In the present study, a 10-fold improvement was also observed by using the unbound plasma concentration rather than the total plasma concentration to predict the biophase concentration in the brain. This study supports the hypothesis that CNS activity is more accurately determined by the unbound brain drug concentration and not by the total brain drug concentration.