Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-administered vaginal swabs are a feasible alternative to physician-assisted cervical swabs for sexually transmitted infection screening in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND Screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the emergency department (ED) is limited by the need for pelvic examination. It has been suggested that using self-administered vaginal swabs (SAVS) for this purpose may save time and resources and may be more comfortable for patients. OBJECTIVES The objective was to test the feasibility of using SAVS for STI screening in the ED. METHODS This was a prospective study of female ED patients 18 to 55 years old who consented to physician-assisted cervical swab (PACS) and SAVS in two urban teaching hospitals. The ED personnel offered the test to all patients, whether or not a pelvic examination was indicated, based on their chief complaint. All specimens were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Data are presented as mean +/- standard deviation (SD). Categorical data are presented as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a positive test result for Chlamydia trachomatis and/or Neisseria gonorrhoeae were considered positive for STI. PACS were used as the criterion standard. RESULTS One-hundred sixty-two subjects were enrolled from July 2006 to July 2007 (mean [+/-SD] age = 32 [+/-10] years). Eighty-one percent of patients had a genitourinary symptom (most common: vaginal bleeding/spotting). SAVS had a sensitivity of 91% (95% CI = 60% to 99%), specificity of 99% (95% CI = 95% to 99%), positive likelihood ratio of 91, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.09 in diagnosing STIs. None of the patients reported difficulty or discomfort using this technique. CONCLUSIONS Self-administered vaginal swabs can be utilized as a feasible alternative to PACS for STI screening in the ED.
Differential Cerebral Cortex Transcriptomes of Baboon Neonates Consuming Moderate and High Docosahexaenoic Acid Formulas

Background Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) are the major long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) of the central nervous system (CNS). These nutrients are present in most infant formulas at modest levels, intended to support visual and neural development. There are no investigations in primates of the biological consequences of dietary DHA at levels above those present in formulas but within normal breastmilk levels. Methods and Findings Twelve baboons were divided into three formula groups: Control, with no DHA-ARA; “L”, LCPUFA, with 0.33%DHA-0.67%ARA; “L3”, LCPUFA, with 1.00%DHA-0.67%ARA. All the samples are from the precentral gyrus of cerebral cortex brain regions. At 12 weeks of age, changes in gene expression were detected in 1,108 of 54,000 probe sets (2.05%), with most showing <2-fold change. Gene ontology analysis assigns them to diverse biological functions, notably lipid metabolism and transport, G-protein and signal transduction, development, visual perception, cytoskeleton, peptidases, stress response, transcription regulation, and 400 transcripts having no defined function. PLA2G6, a phospholipase recently associated with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, was downregulated in both LCPUFA groups. ELOVL5, a PUFA elongase, was the only LCPUFA biosynthetic enzyme that was differentially expressed. Mitochondrial fatty acid carrier, CPT2, was among several genes associated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation to be downregulated by high DHA, while the mitochondrial proton carrier, UCP2, was upregulated. TIMM8A, also known as deafness/dystonia peptide 1, was among several differentially expressed neural development genes. LUM and TIMP3, associated with corneal structure and age-related macular degeneration, respectively, were among visual perception genes influenced by LCPUFA. TIA1, a silencer of COX2 gene translation, is upregulated by high DHA. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified a highly significant nervous system network, with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as the outstanding interaction partner. Conclusions These data indicate that LCPUFA concentrations within the normal range of human breastmilk induce global changes in gene expression across a wide array of processes, in addition to changes in visual and neural function normally associated with formula LCPUFA.
An examination of social and environmental reporting strategies

The purpose of this study is to examine three electric utilities, two publicly owned and one privately owned. The basis of this examination is legitimacy theory employing a small sample case‐type approach. In particular we are interested in social and environmental disclosures found in annual reports and how these disclosures differentiate between publicly owned and privately owned enterprises. In our examination we use some traditional efficiency measures but we also employ effectiveness measures relying on the proprietary costs and information costs views in our analysis. Our major findings are that ownership status and size, which are likely to affect legitimacy, influence the amount of social and environmental disclosure. Finally, while environmental disclosures seem to be related to information costs and benefits, this relationship does not seem to hold for social disclosures.
Collaborative inquiry driving leadership growth and school improvement

Australia’s largest schooling system, the NSW Department of Education, is in a period of unprecedented change as the Department of Education initiates a range of reforms. One critical reform occurred in 2014 when the Department of Education and the New South Wales Teachers’ Federation agreed to link teachers’ salaries with accreditation. For the first time, all Department of Education principals, executives and teachers must complete an annual Performance and Development Plan. This article describes the work of a team of academics from the School of Education, Southern Cross University, and the Department of Education school leaders in northern NSW, exploring opportunities to accomplish school improvement through the “North Coast Initiative for School Improvement” (NCISI). The impetus for this initiative is based on the work of Alberta academics and researchers, Dr. David Townsend and Dr. Pamela Adams. The approach is based upon small teams, comprising a member of a school district’s central office, a district principal and university academics, who once a month visit the leadership team of a school in order to build instructional leadership. This process involves the use of a guiding question, generative dialogue and a collaborative inquiry methodology. Early findings indicate the NCISI’s approach is having positive impact leadership growth, through collaboration. Key elements of trust and professional identity have developed within teams. The very positive reaction of school communities to the project in its early stages is heartening and shows that there is a strong desire by school leaders to draw upon collaborative support in order to grow professionally. The project also demonstrates a strong level of commitment from a regional university to build productive relationships with schools.
Leads to Increased Cellular Radiosensitivity Overexpression of Hyperactive Integrin-Linked Kinase

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK), bound to the cytoplasmic tails of integrin 1, 2, and 3, is thought to signal through AKT and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3 ) for survival and proliferation regulation. To determine the role of ILK in the cellular radiation response, stably transfected A549 lung cancer cells overexpressing either wild-type (ILK-wk) or hyperactive ILK (ILK-hk) were studied for survival, signaling, proliferation, and examined in immunofluorescence and adhesion assays. Strong radiosensitization was observed in ILK-hk in contrast to ILK-wk mutants and empty vector controls. ILK small interfering RNA transfections showed radioresistance similar to irradiation on fibronectin. AKT, GSK-3 -cyclin D1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2-mitogen-activated protein kinase, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase signaling was dysregulated in irradiated ILK-hk mutants. Immunofluorescence stainings of ILK-hk cells indicated disturbed ILK and paxillin membrane localization with concomitant decrease in focal adhesions. Profound ILK-hk-dependent changes in morphology were characterized by spindle-like cell shape, cell size reduction, increased cell protrusions, strong formation of membranous f-actin rings, and significantly reduced adhesion to matrix proteins. Additionally, ILK-wk and ILK-hk overexpression impaired 1-integrin clustering and protein Tyr-phosphorylation. Taken together, the data provide evidence that ILK signaling modulates the cellular radiation response involving diverse signaling pathways and through changes in f-actin-based processes such as focal adhesion formation, cell adhesion, and spreading. Identification of ILK and its signaling partners as potential targets for tumor radiosensitization might promote innovative anticancer strategies by providing insight into the mechanism of cell adhesion-mediated radioresistance, oncogenic transformation, and tumor growth and spread.
Assessing teamwork in undergraduate education: a measurement tool to evaluate individual teamwork skills

Effective teamwork skills are essential for success in an increasingly team-based workplace. However, research suggests that there is often confusion concerning how teamwork is measured and assessed, making it difficult to develop these skills in undergraduate curricula. The goal of the present study was to develop a sustainable tool for assessing individual teamwork skills, with the intention of refining and measuring these skills over time. The TeamUp rubric was selected as the preliminary standardised measure of teamwork and tested in a second year undergraduate course (Phase One). Although the tool displayed acceptable psychometric properties, there was concern that it was too lengthy, compromising student completion. This prompted refinement and modification leading to the development of the Team-Q, which was again tested in the same undergraduate course (Phase Two). The new tool had high internal consistency, as well as conceptual similarity to other measures of teamwork. Estimates of inter-rater reliability were within a satisfactory range, although it was determined that logistical issues limited the feasibility of external evaluations. Preliminary evidence suggests that teamwork skills improve over time when taught and assessed, providing support for the continued application of the Team-Q as a tool for developing teamwork skills in undergraduate education.
Final Report FWF Θ-Project ( P 17757-N 04 ) U

The Θ-project was devoted to an in-depth investigation of the benefits and limitations of the partially synchronous Θ-Model originally proposed in [36]. The project proposal foresaw algorithmic work devoted to the definition and correctness/performance analysis of Θ-algorithms, as well as a coverage analysis based on experimental evaluation and real-time scheduling analysis. The actual work in the Θ-project followed the original project plan, except that we had to considerably reduce the coverage-related part due to the substantial shortening (more than 1/3) of the project budget. A FIT-IT project (FIDIS) devoted to the development of a hardware-assisted framework for monitoring and fault-injection in distributed systems, launched last year, shall allow us to eventually close this gap.
Heuristic models for decision making in rule-based compositions

Scores that require participants to negotiate inter-personal relationships during performance encourage the development of individual and collective strategies for decision-making as part of the performance practice. Such strategies might be codified through rules specified in the score or developed more informally through the preferences of the performers. In both cases, models drawn from decision-making theory can be usefully applied to help explain the ways in which composers initiate these processes and how performers respond to them. In particular, heuristics suggest possible explanations for the ways in which such pieces operate in practice. A heuristic is a useful decision-making strategy that “ignores part of the information, with the goal of making decisions more quickly, frugally, and/or accurately than more complex methods” (Gigerenzer & Gaissmaier, 2011, p. 454). By reducing the amount of information to be considered, there is a corresponding reduction in the cognitive effort required to make a decision. This paper considers the creative potential for heuristics as a compositional strategy. It explores implicit uses of heuristics in work by Christian Wolff and Joseph Kudirka, as well as my own recent music. It examines how performer decisions in such pieces create different modes of interaction between individuals and rules. The practice presented in the paper provides possible models for embodying heuristics, and decision-making theories more generally, as a compositional strategy. I contend that defined heuristics are present in existing compositions where performers are required to make judgments based on available information, and that composers have deployed such heuristics intuitively. By making links between current heuristics theory and compositional practice, as well as showing how such theory might actively inform the creation of new work, the paper suggests future possibilities for creative practice.
Poverty and income inequality in Girar Jarso District of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

The paper examines the status and determinants of poverty and inequality among rural households in Girar Jarso district of Central Ethiopia. To measure the status of poverty and inequality, the study made use of cost of basic need approach, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke indices and Gini coefficient. Based on the survey of 120 households, the logistic model was estimated. A three-stage sampling procedure was applied for selection of respondents. The poverty line is found to be 4315.7 Ethiopian Birr. The incidence of poverty was computed to be 45% with an average poverty gap and squared poverty gap of 18.6 and 9.99%, respectively. The Gini coefficient was calculated to be 0.33. The logit model shed light on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of households behind the persistence of poverty. The result revealed that poverty is strongly linked to family size, remittance, farm and non-farm income and receiving food aid. The findings suggest also that livelihood diversification, encouraging flow of remittances, promotion of non-farm activities, besides agricultural intensification, and appropriate target to avoid distortionary effects of food aid will constitute an important strategy to accelerate poverty reduction. Key words: Poverty, income inequality, determinants, household, Ethiopia.
Translational control: a general mechanism for gene regulation during T cell activation

Distributional changes of individual mRNAs between free ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNP) and ribosome‐bound transcripts are used to assess translational control. Simultaneous analysis of many mRNA species is required to estimate the overall contribution of translation to the regulation of gene expression. To this purpose, total cytoplasmic RNA was fractionated in sucrose step gradients and poly(A)+ RNA was prepared from mRNP and ribosome‐bound fractions. Since direct, simultaneous analysis of a profusion of mRNAs is not feasible, distribution of their in vitro translation products was examined after separation in 2‐dimensional gels, followed by computer‐based analysis of autoradiographs. When this analysis was applied to antigenically stimulated T cells, 36% of in vitro translation products showed a greater than 10‐fold increase in intensity, suggesting transcriptional activation of the corresponding mRNAs. In comparison, 7.9% of individual mRNAs (54 of 685 species) were translationally activated. They were redistributed from free mRNP to ribosome‐associated fractions; 4.7% (32 species) were translationally repressed, as indicated by the opposite pattern. The differential recruitment of 12.6% of mRNA species demonstrates specificity and the general significance of translational control during T cell activation, which implies that translation may play a similar role in regulating gene expression in a variety of physiological processes. —Garcia‐Sanz, J. A. , Mikulits, W. , Livingstone, A. , Lefkovits, I. , MÜLLNER, E. W. Translational control: a general mechanism for gene regulation during T cell activation. FASEB J. 12, 299–306 (1998)
Living after confronting death; story telling during the recovery trajectory of intensive care unit survivors: An interpretive biographical approach

I DECLARATION . III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IV DEDICATION . VI STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION BY OTHERS . VII SUMMARY OF PUBLICATIONS . VIII LIST OF FIGURES . XV LIST OF TABLES . XVI CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION .
Diversity of thermophiles in a Malaysian hot spring determined using 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenome sequencing

The Sungai Klah (SK) hot spring is the second hottest geothermal spring in Malaysia. This hot spring is a shallow, 150-m-long, fast-flowing stream, with temperatures varying from 50 to 110°C and a pH range of 7.0–9.0. Hidden within a wooded area, the SK hot spring is continually fed by plant litter, resulting in a relatively high degree of total organic content (TOC). In this study, a sample taken from the middle of the stream was analyzed at the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region by amplicon metagenome sequencing. Over 35 phyla were detected by analyzing the 16S rRNA data. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria represented approximately 57% of the microbiome. Approximately 70% of the detected thermophiles were strict anaerobes; however, Hydrogenobacter spp. , obligate chemolithotrophic thermophiles, represented one of the major taxa. Several thermophilic photosynthetic microorganisms and acidothermophiles were also detected. Most of the phyla identified by 16S rRNA were also found using the shotgun metagenome approaches. The carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism within the SK hot spring community were evaluated by shotgun metagenome sequencing, and the data revealed diversity in terms of metabolic activity and dynamics. This hot spring has a rich diversified phylogenetic community partly due to its natural environment (plant litter, high TOC, and a shallow stream) and geochemical parameters (broad temperature and pH range). It is speculated that symbiotic relationships occur between the members of the community.
Interfaces Homme-Machine et Théorie du Regulatory Fit : les caractéristiques graphiques d’interfaces Homme-Machine comme moyen d’adapter l’orientation stratégique des utilisateurs au type de tâche

Resoudre une tâche nous met regulierement au defit d'adopter les strategies les plus adaptees au contexte et a la nature de celle-ci. En se basant sur la Theorie du Regulatory Focus, la presente etude propose d'utiliser certaines caracteristiques visuelles, formes et couleurs, afin d'amorcer une regulation cognitive susceptible de correspondre a des tâches demandant soit de la precision, soit de la creativite. Ainsi, une premiere etude identifie certaines formes et couleurs comme ayant la capacite d'activer une cognition soit de type « prevention », soit de type « promotion ». Ces resultats ont servi de base pour concevoir des interfaces graphiques amorcant de maniere ciblee l'une ou l'autre de ces orientations cognitives. Il est suggere que la concordance entre le type d'amorce (e.g., induisant une cognition « prevention »)et le type de tâche (e.g., demandant de la precision) influence positivement performance ainsi que vecu subjectif. Les resultats supportent ces hypotheses : Les participants executent plus correctement les tâches lorsque le type de celles-ci concorde avec l'orientation strategique amorcee par les caracteristiques visuelles de l'interface graphique. De plus, les participants rapportent un vecu plus positif dans ces memes conditions. De maniere generale, les resultats soulignent les avantages a utiliser le potentiel inherent des caracteristiques visuelles afin d'optimiser une situation de resolution de tâche. Ces resultats sont consideres comme developpant autant la recherche que les domaines plus appliques.
Treatment of Bacterial Overgrowth in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Background: Rifaximin is an effective treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), yet long-term management has not been well studied. Patients with functional bowel symptoms were characterized by lactulose breath test (LBT), and a comprehensive approach to long-term SIBO therapy was employed. Methods: On day 0, eligible patients completed a baseline symptom questionnaire and were offered rifaximin 1200 mg/d for 10 days followed by tegaserod 3 mg nightly (long-term) plus 1 month of zinc 220 mg/d and a bifidobacteria-based probiotic once daily. Two months later, patients were administered a follow-up questionnaire regarding symptoms at the time of completion of rifaximin therapy and their current symptoms. Results: 161 of 212 patients with an abnormal LBT met Rome II criteria for IBS. High-methane producers were more likely to have constipation. After completion of rifaximin treatment, ≥50% improvement from baseline was reported by 72% of patients for abdominal pain, 67% for flatulence, 62% for bloating, 58% for constipation, 56% for diarrhea, and 53% for fullness. Similar results were reported at 2 months. Global IBS symptoms at 2 months were reported by 60% of patients to be moderately or greatly improved. Moderately or greatly improved symptoms were more frequent among high-methane producers (83%) than high-hydrogen producers (56%) or high producers of both methane and hydrogen (44%). Conclusions: Rifaximin treatment followed by adjunctive therapy was associated with sustained improvement in patients with IBS and SIBO. High-methane producers experienced more frequent constipation and reported greater clinical response compared with high-hydrogen producers.
Automated High-Content Assay for Compounds Selectively Toxic to Trypanosoma cruzi in a Myoblastic Cell Line

Background Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, represents a very important public health problem in Latin America where it is endemic. Although mostly asymptomatic at its initial stage, after the disease becomes chronic, about a third of the infected patients progress to a potentially fatal outcome due to severe damage of heart and gut tissues. There is an urgent need for new drugs against Chagas disease since there are only two drugs available, benznidazole and nifurtimox, and both show toxic side effects and variable efficacy against the chronic stage of the disease. Methodology/Principal Findings Genetically engineered parasitic strains are used for high throughput screening (HTS) of large chemical collections in the search for new anti-parasitic compounds. These assays, although successful, are limited to reporter transgenic parasites and do not cover the wide T. cruzi genetic background. With the aim to contribute to the early drug discovery process against Chagas disease we have developed an automated image-based 384-well plate HTS assay for T. cruzi amastigote replication in a rat myoblast host cell line. An image analysis script was designed to inform on three outputs: total number of host cells, ratio of T. cruzi amastigotes per cell and percentage of infected cells, which respectively provides one host cell toxicity and two T. cruzi toxicity readouts. The assay was statistically robust (Z´ values >0.6) and was validated against a series of known anti-trypanosomatid drugs. Conclusions/Significance We have established a highly reproducible, high content HTS assay for screening of chemical compounds against T. cruzi infection of myoblasts that is amenable for use with any T. cruzi strain capable of in vitro infection. Our visual assay informs on both anti-parasitic and host cell toxicity readouts in a single experiment, allowing the direct identification of compounds selectively targeted to the parasite.