Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Efficacy of a Hydrogen Peroxide Dry-Mist Disinfection System and Sodium Hypochlorite Solution for Eradication of Clostridium difficile Spores

Objective. To compare a hydrogen peroxide dry-mist system and a 0.5% hypochlorite solution with respect to their ability to disinfect Clostridium difficile-contaminated surfaces in vitro and in situ. Design. Prospective, randomized, before-after trial. Setting. Two French hospitals affected by C. difficile. Intervention. In situ efficacy of disinfectants was assessed in rooms that had housed patients with C. difficile infection. A prospective study was performed at 2 hospitals that involved randomization of disinfection processes. When a patient with C. difficile infection was discharged, environmental contamination in the patient's room was evaluated before and after disinfection. Environmental surfaces were sampled for C. difficile by use of moistened swabs; swab samples were cultured on selective plates and in broth. Both disinfectants were tested in vitro with a spore-carrier test; in this test, 2 types of material, vinyl polychloride (representative of the room's floor) and laminate (representative of the room's furniture), were experimentally contaminated with spores from 3 C. difficile strains, including the epidemic clone ribotype 027-North American pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type 1. Results. There were 748 surface samples collected (360 from rooms treated with hydrogen peroxide and 388 from rooms treated with hypochlorite). Before disinfection, 46 (24%) of 194 samples obtained in the rooms randomized to hypochlorite treatment and 34 (19%) of 180 samples obtained in the rooms randomized to hydrogen peroxide treatment showed environmental contamination. After disinfection, 23 (12%) of 194 samples from hypochlorite-treated rooms and 4 (2%) of 180 samples from hydrogen peroxide treated rooms showed environmental contamination, a decrease in contamination of 50% after hypochlorite decontamination and 91% after hydrogen peroxide decontamination (P < .005). The in vitro activity of 0.5% hypochlorite was time dependent. The mean (±SD) reduction in initial log10 bacterial count was 4.32 ± 0.35 log10 colony-forming units after 10 minutes of exposure to hypochlorite and 4.18 ± 0.8 logl0 colony-forming units after 1 cycle of hydrogen peroxide decontamination. Conclusion. In situ experiments indicate that the hydrogen peroxide dry-mist disinfection system is significantly more effective than 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution at eradicating С difficile spores and might represent a new alternative for disinfecting the rooms of patients with C. difficile infection.
Climate Change May Boost the Invasion of the Asian Needle Ant

Following its introduction from Asia to the USA, the Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis) is rapidly spreading into a wide range of habitats with great negative ecological affects. In addition, the species is a concern for human health because of its powerful, sometimes deadly, sting. Here, we assessed the potential of P. chinensis to spread further and to invade entirely new regions. We used species distribution models to assess suitable areas under current climatic conditions and in 2020, 2050 and 2080. With a consensus model, combining five different modelling techniques, three Global Circulation (climatic) Models and two CO2 emission scenarios, we generated world maps with suitable climatic conditions. Our models suggest that the species currently has a far greater potential distribution than its current exotic range, including large parts of the world landmass, including Northeast America, Southeast Asia and Southeast America. Climate change is predicted to greatly exacerbate the risk of P. chinensis invasion by increasing the suitable landmass by 64.9% worldwide, with large increases in Europe (+210.1%), Oceania (+75.1%), North America (+74.9%) and Asia (+62.7%). The results of our study suggest P. chinensis deserves increased attention, especially in the light of on-going climate change.
The Role of Domain-Specific Disgust Propensity in Behavioral Avoidance and Self-Reported Fainting Symptoms in Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia

Recent research has implicated the role of disgust in avoidance and fainting associated with blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia. While several studies suggest that disgust propensity has a ‘domain-specific’ association (e.g. animal-reminder disgust) with these features of BII phobia, other studies have found a more generalized association (e.g. animal reminder and core disgust). The present study attempts to address this inconsistency in the literature by utilizing in vivo behavioral exposure to examine the role of disgust in avoidance and fainting among BII fearful (n = 38) and non-fearful (n = 35) participants. Avoidance and fainting symptoms were assessed during exposure to threat-relevant (bloody gauze, severed deer leg) and threat-irrelevant (worm, cockroach) stimuli. Contrary to hypotheses, regression analyses revealed that when the stimulus was threat-relevant, disgust propensity did not predict avoidance above and beyond BII fear. However, when the stimulus was threat-irrelevant, generalized disgust propensity predicted avoidance. Further, generalized disgust propensity predicted fainting symptoms during exposure to threat-relevant and threat-irrelevant stimuli above and beyond BII fear, whereas animal-reminder disgust did not. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of disgust propensity domains in avoidance and fainting associated with BII phobia are discussed.
Gender Factor in Lane Keeping and Speech Comprehension Dual Tasks

Driving-related dual-task performance has been studied by many transportation human factors studies; however, previous studies on the effects of cognitive load on driving performance have obtained mixed results. In the current study, we focus on the analysis of the effect of gender factor on lane keeping and speech comprehension dual-task performance with improved experimental control of potential confounding factors. The results showed that the speech comprehension task did not significantly affect lane keeping performance when priority was given to lane keeping, at least within the approximate 80 min of the experiment. The speech comprehension performance in dual-task showed a speed-accuracy tradeoff that sacrificed accuracy for speed. Males showed better lane keeping ability in single-task, because the increase of standard deviation of lane position (SDLP) with higher driving speed was less dramatic in males than females. Females showed better speech comprehension ability indicated by higher comprehension correct rate. The interaction between the gender and dual-task factors was only significant in a three-way interaction involving vehicle speed. It shows that females, in comparison to males, had a trend of dual-task lane keeping improvement with increasing speed. Implications from the results are discussed.
Factors Associated With Hospitalizations Among HIV-Infected Adults in the United States

Although improving health outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons has been identified as a national priority, little is known about the factors associated with hospitalizations of HIV-infected persons in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Since the introduction of HAART in 1996, there has been a dramatic increase in the life expectancy of HIV-infected persons. However, aging and the long term use of HIV medications have led to an increased incidence of chronic, non-HIV-related illnesses. To improve patient outcomes, the factors that contribute to co-morbidities in HIV-infected persons need to be identified. As a first step, we will summarize the current literature on causes and contributing factors of hospitalizations in adults infected with HIV in the HAART era.
Cross-dialectal variation in propositional anaphora: Null objects and propositional lo in Mexican and Peninsular Spanish

Abstract Despite the interest in null direct objects in Spanish, the case of direct objects with propositional antecedents, which complement cognition and communication verbs, remains mostly uninvestigated. This article investigates, from a comparative variationist perspective, null direct objects with propositional antecedents, variably coded by the clitic lo, in Mexican and Peninsular Spanish. Variable rule analysis of six Spanish corpora reveals a big difference between the two dialects in the frequency of overt vs. null neuter pronoun yet shows that some of the linguistic constraints conditioning the variation are shared by both dialects (presence of a dative pronoun, type of antecedent, sentence type), suggesting that the null pronoun has the same grammatical role in both dialects. Some divergences in the conditioning of the null pronoun also emerge from the analysis and the sociodemographic information available suggests the existence of a change in progress in Mexican Spanish.
Human Papillomavirus Testing Following Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure Identifies Women at Risk for Posttreatment Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2 or 3 Disease

Background: Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is the predominant treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2+) in the United States, yet following treatment ∼10% of women are diagnosed again with CIN2+, necessitating close follow-up of such patients. Methods: Surveillance strategies using cytology and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) testing were compared among women who underwent LEEP (n = 610) in the Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS) Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL) Triage Study. Cervical specimens, collected at 6-month visits for 2 years, were used for cytology, Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) detection of carcinogenic HPVs, and PCR for genotyping of carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic HPV types. At exit, women had colposcopy for safety and disease ascertainment. Results: At the visit post-LEEP (median time: 4.5 months after LEEP), 36.9% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 32.7-41.1%] of women were positive for carcinogenic HPV by PCR and 33.7% (95% CI, 29.7-37.9) had ASCUS or more severe (ASCUS+) cytology. The overall 2-year cumulative incidence of histologically confirmed posttreatment CIN2+ was 7.0%; this could be further stratified by the HPV risk category detected at the 6-month visit after LEEP. The 2-year risk associated with HPV16 positivity was 37.0%, significantly higher than for other carcinogenic HPV types (10.8%, P < 0.001), noncarcinogenic types (1.5%, P < 0.001), or testing HPV negative (0%). Post-LEEP cytology (using a positive threshold of ASCUS+) was 78.1% (95% CI, 60.0-90.7%) sensitive for detection of posttreatment CIN2+. By comparison, PCR for carcinogenic HPV and combination testing (using a positive result from carcinogenic HPV testing or cytology as the test threshold with HPV-negative ASCUS not referred) were significantly more sensitive (96.9% for each, P = 0.03); HC2 alone was nonsignificantly more sensitive (90.6%, P = 0.3). Specificity was similar for ASCUS+ cytology (69.1%, 95% CI, 64.6-73.3%) and PCR for carcinogenic HPV (67.1%, P = 0.5), yet was lower for HC2 (63.8%, P = 0.048) and combination testing (62.9%, P = 0.02). Conclusion: Women who tested positive after LEEP for carcinogenic HPV types, especially HPV16, had high risk of subsequent CIN2+. HPV-based detection methods, alone or in combination with cytology, may be useful to incorporate in post-LEEP management strategies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(5):908–14)
Analyzing Washback Effect of SEPPPO on rospective English Teachers

Problem Statement: High-stakes examinations are critical turning points in the professional careers of student-teachers. Little is known; however, about the degree to which these examinations affect the educational practices of the student-teachers and their approach to their program. The present study attempts to analyze the washback effect of SEPPPO, a national high-stakes examination, on prospective English teachers. Purpose of Study: This paper reports on a research study in which washback effect of "The Selection Examination for Professional Posts in Public Organizations" (SEPPPO) in Turkey. The findings may illuminate the practice of the authorities who may make a possible modification in this examination in the future. Methods: In a mix-method design, the data were obtained from 164 student-teachers following a private SEPPPO course. A survey was administered to the participants to reveal certain social and economic effects of getting prepared for the examination. The data gathered in interview sessions were utilized to provide a crystal clear portrait of the prospective teachers’ experiences about the examination. Findings and Results: The results revealed that The Selection Examination for Professional Posts in Public Organizations (SEPPPO) exerts negative and harmful effects not only on these student-teachers but also on educational faculties and families. Conclusions and Recommendations: The present study suggests that SEPPPO has serious and negative effects on teacher candidates, on families who financially support them and finally on teacher education programs. The greatest limitation of the examination seems to be the validity since it does not assess any competences critical for English teachers. Necessary measures should be taken so as to modify the examination with the goal of exerting a positive washback effect.
Stress Power Dependent Self-Heating Degradation of Metal-Induced Laterally Crystallized n-Type Polycrystalline Silicon Thin-Film Transistors

Self-heating degradation of n-type metal-induced laterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors is systematically investigated under various stress powers. A two-stage degradation behavior with turnaround effect at the initial stage is characterized. The initial degradation stage is related to breaking of weak Si–H bonds. The floating-body effect by released hydrogen ions is responsible for the observed backshift of the transfer curve during the initial stress. On the other hand, the normal degradation stage occurs by breaking of strong Si–Si bonds and trap generation at grain boundaries (GBs) and the gate oxide/channel interface. Our model is supported by observed different activation energies related to two degradation stages and a direct observation of the continuous increase in GB trap density during the normal degradation. Furthermore, during the normal degradation stage, an anomalous continuous field-effect mobility increase along with its $V_{g}$ dependence shift is first observed. It is clarified that this behavior is not a true channel mobility increase, but a consequence of stress-related trap generation.
HIV Stigma and Specified Correlates in North India

Background: Worldwide, the stigma and discrimination impede HIV-AIDS programs across the continuum of prevention to care. We studied stigma and related issues in HIV-positive subjects. Materials and Methods: At a tertiary care hospital in North India, we studied 100 HIV-positive outpatients not receiving antiretroviral therapy. The subjects self-administered ‘Tanzania Stigma Indicator and Community Endline-Individual Questionnaire’. Psychiatric morbidity was screened with General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-I2 Hindi) and diagnosed with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Results: A typical subject was middle aged (25-44 years, 77%), school non-completer (63%), village dweller (61%), and male (59%). Only 35 subjects could differentiate between HIV and AIDS, and only 24 were aware of antiretroviral therapy. Unprotected sex, sharing injections, and blood transfusions were reported spontaneously as possible sources of transmission by 56-79% subjects each. About 80% of subjects reported no fear in touching HIV-positive subjects or their objects. Avoiding injections, being faithful to uninfected partner, avoiding blood transfusions, using condoms, and avoiding sharing razors/blades were reported spontaneously as HIV preventive measures by 40 to 26 subjects each. Half of the subjects blamed self for contracting HIV. Only 38 subjects reported others behaving differently with HIV-positive subjects. HIV status disclosure was reported by 98 subjects (73 to family or relatives). Urban subjects reported higher primary stigma and shame or blame. Psychiatric disorders, present in 45 subjects, showed no association with stigma items. Conclusions: The subjects had a limited knowledge, especially of treatment aspects. Stigma showed no association with psychiatric disorders. The study reflects a strong need for public health measures to enhance awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS.
Development of starch-gelatin complex microspheres as sustained release delivery system

The starch was isolated from jackfruit seeds and evaluated for its preformulation properties, like tapped density, bulk density, and particle size. The fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was done and compared with that of the commercially available starch which confirmed the properties. Using the various concentrations of jackfruit seed starch, the microspheres were prepared, combining with gelatin by ionotropic gelation technique. The developed microspheres were subjected to analysis of particle size, drug content, entrapment efficiency, and percentage yield. The spectral analysis confirmed the presence of drug and absence of interactions. Scanning electron microscope image showed that the particles were in spherical shape with a rough surface. The in vitro drug release in water for 12 hours proved to be in the range of 89 to 100%. The various kinetic models were applied using release data to confirm the mechanism of drug. It was concluded that the jackfruit starch-gelatin microspheres gave satisfactory results and met pharmacopieal limits.
FXR Agonist INT-747 Upregulates DDAH Expression and Enhances Insulin Sensitivity in High-Salt Fed Dahl Rats

Aims Genetic and pharmacological studies have shown that impairment of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) pathway is associated with hypertension and insulin-resistance (IR). In addition, inhibition of NOS by the endogenous inhibitor, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), may also result in hypertension and IR. On the other hand, overexpression of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), an enzyme that metabolizes ADMA, in mice is associated with lower ADMA, increased NO and enhanced insulin sensitivity. Since DDAH carries a farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-responsive element, we aimed to upregulate its expression by an FXR-agonist, INT-747, and evaluate its effect on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity. Methods and Results In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effect of INT-747 on tissue DDAH expression and insulin sensitivity in the Dahl rat model of salt-sensitive hypertension and IR (Dahl-SS). Our data indicates that high salt (HS) diet significantly increased systemic blood pressure. In addition, HS diet downregulated tissue DDAH expression while INT-747 protected the loss in DDAH expression and enhanced insulin sensitivity compared to vehicle controls. Conclusion Our study may provide the basis for a new therapeutic approach for IR by modulating DDAH expression and/or activity using small molecules.
NARNIA: a new twist to an old tale. A pilot RCT to evaluate a multilevel approach to improving discourse in aphasia

Background: Developing effective interventions for people with aphasia, which both ameliorate impaired language and directly impact on real-life communication, is a key focus of aphasia research. While single-word and sentence-level models of language processing have informed effective interventions, there is limited evidence of intervention approaches that extend the principles from these models to discourse. Aims: This pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) aimed to compare a novel multilevel intervention, a Novel Approach to Real-life communication: Narrative Intervention in Aphasia (NARNIA), with usual care (UC), with a view to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the approach and estimate effect sizes to design and power a definitive trial. Methods & Procedures: In a prospective, single-blind, RCT, 14 people with mild to moderate aphasia, between 2 and 165 months following stroke, were randomised to the two interventions. Both therapy conditions were delivered four times weekly over 5 weeks. The NARNIA intervention specifically combined word retrieval, sentence production, and discourse macrostructure across a range of everyday discourse (ED) genres. UC comprised any speech-language therapy routinely used in clinical practice, individually tailored to meet the assessed needs of the participant. The Curtin University Discourse Protocol (CUDP) was used to measure verb access, sentence production, and discourse structure. Outcomes & Results: Eight participants were assigned to the NARNIA intervention and six participants to UC. No significant differences were present in baseline prognostic factors between the two groups prior to intervention. Following intervention, orientation aspects of macrostructure were significantly greater in the NARNIA group on ED measures than in the UC group, with no other between-group differences found. Significant changes were, however, seen within groups across ED genres. The NARNIA group made significant gains across all language levels, while the UC made isolated gains in sentence production. Few changes were seen in narrative discourse for either group. While single-word processing was not significantly different between groups, significant within-group differences were seen. While both groups significantly improved in retrieving nouns in isolation, only the NARNIA group made significant improvement in verb processing. No change was seen in constrained sentence production for either group. Conclusions: These findings are highly promising in demonstrating the use of macrostructure to scaffold production of words and sentences and improve discourse organisation. The significantly greater within-group gains for the NARNIA participants will provide a platform to power a larger trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this integrated multilevel intervention for aphasia.
Adaptive servoventilation for treatment of opioid-associated central sleep apnea.

RATIONALE Opioids have become part of contemporary treatment in the management of chronic pain. Although severe daytime ventilatory depression is uncommon, chronic use of opioids could be associated with severe central and obstructive sleep apnea. OBJECTIVES To determine the acute efficacy, and prolonged use of adaptive servoventilation (ASV) to treat central sleep apnea in patients on chronic opioids. METHODS Twenty patients on opioid therapy referred for evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were found to have central sleep apnea (CSA). The first 16 patients underwent continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration, which showed persistent CSA. With the notion that CSA will be eliminated with continued use of CPAP, 4 weeks later, 9 of the 16 patients underwent a second CPAP titration which proved equally ineffective. Therefore, therapy with CPAP was abandoned. All patients underwent ASV titration. MAIN RESULTS Diagnostic polysomnography showed an average apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 61/h and a central-apnea index (CAI) of 32/h. On CPAP 1, AHI was 34/h and CAI was 20/h. Respective indices on CPAP 2 were AHI 33/h and CAI 19/h. During titration with ASV, CAI was 0/h and the average HI was 11/h on final pressures. With a reduction in AHI, oxyhemoglobin saturation nadir increased from 83% to 90%, and arousal index decreased from 29/h of sleep to 12/h on final ASV pressures. Seventeen patients were followed for a minimum of 9 months and up to 6 years. The mean long-term adherence was 5.1 ± 2.5 hours. CONCLUSIONS Chronic use of opioids could be associated with severe CSA which remains resistant to CPAP therapy. ASV device is effective in the treatment of CSA and over the long run, most patients remain compliant with the device. Randomized long-term studies are necessary to determine if treatment of sleep apnea with ASV improves quality of life and the known mortality associated with opioids.