Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural and antigenic types of cell wall polysaccharides from viridans group streptococci with receptors for oral actinomyces and streptococcal lectins

Lectin-mediated interactions between oral viridans group streptococci and actinomyces may play an important role in microbial colonization of the tooth surface. The presence of two host-like motifs, either GalNAc beta1-->3Gal (Gn) or Gal beta1-->3GalNAc (G), in the cell wall polysaccharides of five streptococcal strains accounts for the lactose-sensitive coaggregations of these bacteria with Actinomyces naeslundii. Three streptococcal strains which have Gn-containing polysaccharides also participate in GalNAc-sensitive coaggregations with strains of Streptococcus gordonii and S. sanguis. Each Gn- or G-containing polysaccharide is composed of a distinct phosphodiester-linked hexa- or heptasaccharide repeating unit. The occurrence of these polysaccharides on 19 additional viridans group streptococcal strains that participate in lactose-sensitive coaggregations with actinomyces was examined. Negatively charged polysaccharides that reacted with Bauhinia purpurea agglutinin, a Gal and GalNAc binding plant lectin, were isolated from 17 strains by anion exchange column chromatography of mutanolysin-cell wall digests. Results from nuclear magnetic resonance and immunodiffusion identified each of 16 polysaccharides as a known Gn- or G-containing structural type and one polysaccharide as a new but closely related Gn-containing type. Unlike the reactions of lectins, the cross-reactions of most rabbit antisera with these polysaccharides were correlated with structural features other than the host-like motifs. Gn-containing polysaccharides occurred primarily on the strains of S. sanguis and S. oralis while G-containing polysaccharides were more common among the strains of S. gordonii and S. mitis examined. The findings strongly support the hypothesis that lectin-mediated recognition of these streptococci by other oral bacteria depends on a family of antigenically diverse Gn- and G-containing cell wall polysaccharides, the occurrence of which may differ between streptococcal species.
Comparative efficacy of newer hypnotic drugs for the short‐term management of insomnia: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

To compare the clinical effectiveness of zaleplon, zolpidem or zopiclone (Z‐drugs) with either benzodiazepines licensed and approved for use in the UK for the short‐term management of insomnia (diazepam, loprazolam, lorazepam, lormetazepam, nitrazepam, temazepam) or with each other.
Effect of vitamin D on MS activity by disease-modifying therapy class

Objective: To determine whether vitamin D status predicts disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) taking interferon-β (IFN), glatiramer acetate (GA), and fingolimod (FTY). Methods: Participants (n = 324) with relapsing-remitting MS on IFN (96), GA (151), or FTY (77) were identified from the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of MS at Brigham and Women's Hospital (CLIMB) Study at the Partners MS Center. FTY-treated participants were analyzed separately because of differences in selection. Serum vitamin 25(OH)D concentration was adjusted for season. We evaluated the relationship between 25(OH)D tertile and time to relapse or gadolinium-enhancing lesion using a Cox model adjusted for age, sex, and disease duration. Results: Higher 25(OH)D was associated with longer time to the combined endpoint in the overall IFN/GA cohort (p for trend = 0.042; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77) and in the IFN subgroup (HRIFN = 0.58; pIFN = 0.012), but not in GA-treated participants (p = 0.50; HR = 0.89). For gadolinium-enhancing lesions alone, there was a significant association observed in GA and IFN subgroups, although the effect was more pronounced on IFN (HRGA = 0.57; pGA = 0.039 vs HRIFN = 0.41; pIFN = 0.022). No significant associations were found for relapses. For FTY, higher 25(OH)D was associated with longer survival for the combined endpoint (HRFTY = 0.48; pFTY = 0.016) and for relapses (HRFTY = 0.50; pFTY = 0.046), but not for gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Conclusions: Disease activity generally improved with higher 25(OH)D, but this study raises the question of effect modification by treatment class.
Estimating the rate of molecular evolution: incorporating non-contemporaneous sequences into maximum likelihood phylogenies

MOTIVATION TipDate is a program that will use sequences that have been isolated at different dates to estimate their rate of molecular evolution. The program provides a maximum likelihood estimate of the rate and also the associated date of the most recent common ancestor of the sequences, under a model which assumes a constant rate of substitution (molecular clock) but which accommodates the dates of isolation. Confidence intervals for these parameters are also estimated. RESULTS The approach was applied to a sample of 17 dengue virus serotype 4 sequences, isolated at dates ranging from 1956 to 1994. The rate of substitution for this serotype was estimated to be 7.91 x 10(-4) substitutions per site per year (95% confidence intervals of 6.07 x 10(-4), 9.86 x 10(-4)). This is compatible with a date of 1922 (95% confidence intervals of 1900-1936) for the most recent common ancestor of these sequences. AVAILABILITY TipDate can be obtained by WWW from http://evolve.zoo. ox.ac. uk/software. The package includes the source code, manual and example files. Both UNIX and Apple Macintosh versions are available from the same site.
Development of teachers' attitude scale towards science fair

This study was conducted to develop a new scale for measuring teachers’ attitude towards science fair. Teacher Attitude Scale towards Science Fair (TASSF) is an inventory made up of 19 items and five dimensions. The study included such stages as literature review, the preparation of the item pool and the reliability and validity analysis. First of all, the draft scale including 48 items was prepared depending on science fair studies and interviews of teachers reported in related literature. The draft version of the scale was applied to 275 teachers from the cities of Zonguldak and Isparta in Turkey. The results of the exploratory factor analysis revealed that the teachers’ attitude scale towards science fair made up of five factors including such dimensions as contribution to students’ development, educational importance, judgment, negative behaviour and mentorship. The final version of the TASSF included 19 items. The reliability coefficients were found to be 0.82, 0.84, 0.70, 0.76 and 0.66, respectively, and the explained variances were calculated as 15.14, 14.09, 7.83, 7.35 and 6.93, respectively. The total variance of TASSF was 51.37, and the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.77. The results of the study demonstrated that this new Teacher Attitude Scale towards Science Fair was a valid and reliable scale to measure teachers’ science fair attitudes.
Prevalence of Legionella spp. in water systems of hospitals and hotels in South Western Greece

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Legionella spp. in water systems of hospitals and hotels located in South Western Greece, to study the molecular epidemiology of the isolated strains and their possible association with bacterial contamination (total count and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), the water pH, and temperature. A prevalence survey for Legionella spp. by culturing techniques in water distribution systems of eight hospitals and nine hotels occurred in South Western Greece. Water sampling and microbiological analysis were carried out following the ISO methods. Legionella pneumophila was detected in 33% and 36% of the distribution systems of hospitals and hotels, respectively. Our survey results suggest a frequent prevalence of elevated concentrations of Legionella spp. in water systems of hospitals and hotels. Our investigation has confirmed the need to regularly monitor the microbiological condition of water systems in hospitals and hotels.
Affective processing in left and right hemisphere brain-damaged subjects with and without subcortical involvement

Affective processing ability was examined in right and left hemisphere brain-damaged subjects with cortical lesions that were grouped according to the presence or absence of concomitant subcortical basal ganglia damage. The ability to process affective speech prosody, emotional facial expressions, and linguistically coded emotional messages was measured in isolated identification tasks. Results indicated that subjects with damage to subcortical structures in addition to cortical left or right hemisphere brain damage had difficulty processing emotional words, facial expressions, and prosodic intonations. Subjects with cortical damage only, regardless of side of lesion (left or right), performed without significant difficulty across all tasks. There were hemispheric differences found in the cortical-subcortical groups. The left cortical-subcortical subjects had the greatest difficulty processing linguistic information and the right cortical-subcortical subjects had the most difficulty processing facial expression and prosodic information. Findings support the connection between higher- and lower-order brain structures in processing messages that are affectively coded.
‘Voice’ is not enough: conceptualising Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

This article provides a children's rights critique of the concept of ‘pupil voice’. The analysis is founded on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which gives children the right to have their views given due weight in all matters affecting them. Drawing on research conducted on behalf of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, the article assesses some of the barriers to the meaningful and effective implementation of the right within education. It is argued that the phrases which are commonly used as abbreviations for Article 12, such as ‘pupil voice’, have the potential to diminish its impact as they provide an imperfect summary of the full extent of the obligation. The article proposes a new model, which has four key elements, for conceptualising Article 12—Space, Voice, Audience and Influence.
Eeective Equations for Sound and Void Wave Propagation in Bubbly Uids

EEective equations that describe both sound wave and void wave propagation for bubbly ows at high Reynolds numbers are derived in this paper. First ideal bubble ows are considered and a new method for solving Laplace's equation for the velocity potential is presented. This approach is based on a generalization of the method of images and also yields a precise deenition of the ambient eld experienced by a bubble. With the velocity potential known, the Lagrangian is then computed and equations of motion for a nite number of bubbles using the Euler-Lagrange equations are derived. The continuum limit is then used to obtain our eeective equations. Our expressions for the sound wave and void wave speeds agree well with previous investigations. The eeects of gravity and viscosity on void waves are considered. Viscous eeects are incorporated using a dissipation function. The steady rise speed and void wave speed for a column of rising bubbles are computed and found to agree well with experiments.
Impacts of 120 years of fertilizer addition on a temperate grassland ecosystem

The widespread application of fertilizers has greatly influenced many processes and properties of agroecosystems, and agricultural fertilization is expected to increase even further in the future. To date, most research on fertilizer impacts has used short-term studies, which may be unrepresentative of long-term responses, thus hindering our capacity to predict long-term impacts. Here, we examined the effects of long-term fertilizer addition on key ecosystem properties in a long-term grassland experiment (Palace Leas Hay Meadow) in which farmyard manure (FYM) and inorganic fertilizer treatments have been applied consistently for 120 years in order to characterize the experimental site more fully and compare ecosystem responses with those observed at other long-term and short-term experiments. FYM inputs increased soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, hay yield, nutrient availability and acted as a buffer against soil acidification (>pH 5). In contrast, N-containing inorganic fertilizers strongly acidified the soil (<pH 4.5) and increased surface SOC stocks by increasing the C stored in the coarse (2.8 mm-200 μm) and fine (200–50 μm) fractions. Application of N fertilizers also reduced plant species richness and the abundance of forbs and legumes. Overall, our results were broadly consistent with those observed in other very long-term studies (the Park Grass and Steinach Grassland experiments) in that fertilization effects on plant and soil properties appeared to be driven by differences in both nutrient input and changes to soil pH. We also established that the direction of long-term fertilization effects tended to be comparable with short-term experiments, but that their magnitude differed considerably, particularly where ammonium sulphate-induced acidification had occurred. We therefore conclude that short-term studies are unlikely to possess the required timeframe to accurately predict long-term responses, thus necessitating the use of long-term study sites. Such experiments should be strategically established in regions where future fertilizer use is expected to increase rapidly.
Identification of Riccati dynamics under perspective and orthographic observations

The problem of identifying motion and shape parameters of a planar object undergoing a Riccati motion, from the associated optical flow generated on the image plane of a single CCD camera, is studied. The optical flow is generated by projecting feature points on the object onto the image plane via perspective and orthographic projections. An important result we show is that, under perspective projection, the parameters of a specific Riccati dynamics that extend the well-known "rigid motion" can be identified up to choice of a sign. The paper also discusses other Riccati equations obtained from quadratic extension of a rigid motion and affine motion. For each of the various motion models considered and for each of the two projection models, we show that the extent to which motion and shape parameters can be recovered from optical flow can in fact be recovered from the linear approximation of the optical flow. We also extend our analysis to a pair of cameras.
Predicting Early Adolescents’ Academic Achievement, Social Competence, and Physical Health From Parenting, Ego Resilience, and Engagement Coping

This study examined ego resilience and engagement coping as mediators of the relationships between supportive and controlling parenting practices and early adolescents’ academic achievement, social competence, and physical health. Participants were 240 predominantly Mexican American early adolescents, their parents, and their teachers. There were significant positive correlations between supportive parenting and ego resilience and between ego resilience and achievement, social functioning, and health. Supportive parenting was also positively related to engagement coping, which in turn was positively related to achievement and health. Controlling parenting was significantly negatively related to ego resilience but not engagement coping. As hypothesized, ego resilience mediated relationships between supportive or controlling parenting and outcomes. Engagement coping mediated relationships between supportive parenting and academic achievement and supportive parenting and physical health. Findings support the roles of ego resilience and engagement coping in positive functioning across fundamental domains of development.
Dealing with racist incidents: what do beginning teachers learn from schools?

This article focuses on how schools respond to racist incidents, and what new teachers learn from their involvement in those processes. It analyses four incidents involving the pupils of four beginning teachers. The article suggests that in each case, schools either partly or wholly avoided addressing the incident, and that this avoidance can be understood in terms of the colour and power evasive discourse, which is the dominant discourse on race in Western societies, and in most schools. One aspect of this discourse is that racism is defined on the basis of individual intentions, not outcomes. The article argues that it may be possible to adopt a more race cognisant approach with student teachers and staff in schools, building on nascent understandings of institutional racism, which shifts the focus to outcomes rather than intentions. The article demonstrates this approach, analysing each incident in terms of its consequences for the learning of the new teacher, and for the promotion of race equality in the school. While the small number of incidents may initially appear heartening, their negative impact on both teacher confidence and children’s understanding may be significant. The findings suggest that in the changing context of initial teacher education in England, approaches to supporting both schools and new teachers in this often misunderstood area are much needed, and that one way forward may be to give teachers time and support to critically reflect on and discuss their experiences.
Constructing bullying in Ontario, Canada: a critical policy analysis

As the prevalence and negative effects of bullying become widely known, people around the world seem desperate to solve the bullying “problem”. A sizeable body of research about many aspects of bullying and a plethora of anti-bullying programmes and policies now exist. This critical policy analysis asks: how does Ontario, Canada’s bullying policy support and/or undermine critical democracy; and how does it reflect, support and further the interests of neoliberalism and/or neoconservatism? Findings indicate that the policy constructs the problem of bullying as a problem of individuals and a “behaviour for learning” problem. The policy also prescribes standardised responses to bullying incidents. We explore ways in which these constructions are undemocratic and unjust. The findings are particularly concerning because bullying policies are often viewed as innocuous by practitioners. This paper offers more than just critique by providing suggestions for how research and policies can become more just and equitable and how bullying policy may be enacted to support critical democracy.
Glorious Work: Employment of adults with a learning disability in Guangzhou from the perspective of their parents

Promises and policies in ensuring employment opportunities for disabled people are stipulated in the State Laws and local regulations of the People's Republic of China. It is assumed that having a job implies better integration in society. However, the experience of young adults with learning disability in finding jobs tells a very different story. This article analyses the experience, perceptions and worries of parents of such young adults who are employed or have striven hard to obtain a job, comparing the ideal with a very different reality.
Determination of gas‐trapping during high frequency oscillatory ventilation

Objective:To determine the effect of frequency and percent inspiratory time on tidal volume and gastrapping during high‐frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). Subjects: Nine preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome tested in the first 48 h of life. Methods: Tidal volumes and the presence of gas‐trapping were measured by respiratory jacket plethysmography at frequencies of 10,14, and 17.8 Hz and at inspiratory times of 30%, 50% and 70%, using a commercially available high frequency oscillator. Results: Mean (SD) tidal volumes were 2.40 (1.06) ml/kg at 10 Hz, 2.52 (1.07) ml/kg at 14 Hz and fell significantly to 1.96 (0.92) at 17.8 Hz (p < 0.05). Tidal volumes at 50% inspiratory time were significantly greater than at 30% inspiratory time [2.81 (1.42) ml/kg and 2.32 (1.18) ml/kg, respectively] but fell to baseline levels at 70% inspiratory time. There was no significant gas‐trapping with increases in either frequency or percent inspiratory time. Conclusions: Gas‐trapping is not a significant problem during HFOV in premature infants. Changes in tidal volume with increases in frequency and percent inspiratory time are similar to that seen in animal models.
Business Networks, Collaboration and Embeddedness in Local and Extra-local Spaces: The Case of Port Hardy, Canada

As rural economies become more complex, locally based small-sized and medium-sized enterprises are playing a larger role in economic development. Recent studies of rural entrepreneurship have been strongly influenced by the new regionalism literature, which focuses primarily on place-based social and economic attributes (such as inter-firm networks, embeddedness, institutional thickness and untraded interdependencies). While this emphasis has been theoretically fruitful, more research is needed into how local and extra-local connections coexist and interact to generate and distribute wealth, increase business capacities and allow rural firms to participate in larger markets. This article draws on research from an in-person survey of all firms operating in the community of Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada (N = 181) to examine the structure and content of local and extra-local business links and partnerships. Among the key findings are that locally and extra-locally oriented firms in the case-study community have different types of help networks that reflect different competitive realities in local versus extra-local economies and that the social resources that do well at one scale frequently come from the other.
Are Extremes of Consumption in Eating Disorders Related to an Altered Balance between Reward and Inhibition?

The primary defining characteristic of a diagnosis of an eating disorder (ED) is the “disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food” (DSM V; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is a spectrum, ranging from those who severely restrict eating and become emaciated on one end to those who binge and overconsume, usually accompanied by some form of compensatory behaviors, on the other. How can we understand reasons for such extremes of food consummatory behaviors? Recent work on obesity and substance use disorders has identified behaviors and neural pathways that play a powerful role in human consummatory behaviors. That is, corticostriatal limbic and dorsal cognitive neural circuitry can make drugs and food rewarding, but also engage self-control mechanisms that may inhibit their use. Importantly, there is considerable evidence that alterations of these systems also occur in ED. This paper explores the hypothesis that an altered balance of reward and inhibition contributes to altered extremes of response to salient stimuli, such as food. We will review recent studies that show altered sensitivity to reward and punishment in ED, with evidence of altered activity in corticostriatal and insula processes with respect to monetary gains or losses, and tastes of palatable foods. We will also discuss evidence for a spectrum of extremes of inhibition and dysregulation behaviors in ED supported by studies suggesting that this is related to top-down self-control mechanisms. The lack of a mechanistic understanding of ED has thwarted efforts for evidence-based approaches to develop interventions. Understanding how ED behavior is encoded in neural circuits would provide a foundation for developing more specific and effective treatment approaches.