Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing of alcohol and other drug use and sexual risk behaviors among unmarried adolescents and young adults.

CONTEXT Although alcohol and drug use by young people has been associated with sexual risk behavior in some research, detailed data are lacking on the timing of substance use in relationship to sexual risk-taking. METHODOLOGY Cross-sectional data on 7,441 unmarried young people aged 14-22 from the 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (household supplement) were used in the analysis. Alcohol and other drug use at last sexual intercourse, substance use in the past 30 days (recent use), the number of different substances ever used (lifetime use) and age at initiation of alcohol use are examined here. The outcome variables assessed through multivariate regression analyses were condom use at last intercourse and more than one sexual partner in the past three months. RESULTS Failure to use a condom was strongly associated with the lifetime substance-use scale or, alternatively, with age at initiation of alcohol. Once the number of substances ever used was controlled for, neither substance use at last sexual intercourse nor recent use was associated with the likelihood of using a condom at last coitus. Among young men and women, recent substance use and use of either alcohol or drugs at last intercourse were both strongly associated with having had more than one sexual partner in the past three months. For females only, lifetime use also increased the probability of recent multiple partners. CONCLUSIONS The relationships between alcohol and other drug use and two sexual behaviors--condom use and multiple partners-suggest distinct mechanisms of influence and the need for different prevention strategies.
spa Typing Method for Discriminating among Staphylococcus aureus Isolates: Implications for Use of a Single Marker To Detect Genetic Micro- and Macrovariation

ABSTRACT Strain typing of microbial pathogens has two major aims: (i) to index genetic microvariation for use in outbreak investigations and (ii) to index genetic macrovariation for use in phylogenetic and population-based analyses. Until now, there has been no clear indication that one genetic marker can efficiently be used for both purposes. Previously, we had shown that DNA sequence analysis of the protein A gene variable repeat region (spa typing) provides a rapid and accurate method to discriminate Staphylococcus aureus outbreak isolates from those deemed epidemiologically unrelated. Here, using the hypothesis that the genetic macrovariation within a low-level recombinogenic species would accurately be characterized by a single-locus marker, we tested whether spa typing could congruently index the extensive genetic variation detected by a whole-genome DNA microarray in a collection of 36 isolates, which was recovered from 10 countries on four continents over a period of four decades, that is representative of the breadth of diversity within S. aureus. Using spa and coa typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and microarray and multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) data in molecular epidemiologic and evolutionary analyses, we determined that S. aureus likely has a primarily clonal population structure and that spa typing can singly index genetic variation with 88% direct concordance with the microarray and can correctly assign isolates to phylogenetic lineages. spa typing performed better than MLEE, PFGE, and coa typing in discriminatory power and in the degree of agreement with the microarray at various phylogenetic depths. This study showed that genetic analysis of the repeat region of protein A comprehensively characterizes both micro- and macrovariation in the primarily clonal population structure of S. aureus.
A computerized reminder system to increase the use of preventive care for hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND Although they are effective in outpatient settings, computerized reminders have not been proved to increase preventive care in inpatient settings. METHODS We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to determine the effects of computerized reminders on the rates at which four preventive therapies were ordered for inpatients. During an 18-month study period, a computerized system processed on-line information for all 6371 patients admitted to a general-medicine service (for a total of 10,065 hospitalizations), generating preventive care reminders as appropriate. Physicians who were in the intervention group viewed these reminders when they were using a computerized order-entry system for inpatients. RESULTS The reminder system identified 3416 patients (53.6 percent) as eligible for preventive measures that had not been ordered by the admitting physician. For patients with at least one indication, computerized reminders resulted in higher adjusted ordering rates for pneumococcal vaccination (35.8 percent of the patients in the intervention group vs. 0.8 percent of those in the control group, P<0.001), influenza vaccination (51.4 percent vs. 1.0 percent, P< 0.001), prophylactic heparin (32.2 percent vs. 18.9 percent, P<0.001), and prophylactic aspirin at discharge (36.4 percent vs. 27.6 percent, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS A majority of hospitalized patients in this study were eligible for preventive measures, and computerized reminders significantly increased the rate of delivery of such therapies.
Acute myocardial infarction occurring in versus out of the hospital: patient characteristics and clinical outcome. Maximal Individual TheRapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction (MITRA) Study Group.

OBJECTIVES We describe the baseline characteristics and clinical course of patients who had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during their hospital stay. BACKGROUND In comparison with patients who had an AMI outside of the hospital (prehospital AMI), the data on patients who had an AMI in the hospital are poorly described. METHODS Patients with an in-hospital AMI were prospectively registered in the Southwest German Maximal Individual TheRapy in Acute myocardial infarction (MITRA) study and compared with patients with prehospital AMI. RESULTS Of 5,888 patients with AMI, 403 patients (6.8%) had an in-hospital AMI. These patients were older, more often male and sicker as compared with the patients with a prehospital AMI. They also showed a higher prevalence of concomitant diseases, such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency and contraindications for thrombolysis. There was no significant difference regarding the use of reperfusion therapy, either thrombolysis (in-hospital AMI 44.2% vs. prehospital AMI 49.1%; odds ratio [OR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70 to 1.05) or primary angioplasty (9.9% vs. 8.2%; OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.73), or a combination of both, between the two groups. The interval from symptom onset to the start of treatment in patients receiving reperfusion therapy was 55 min for patients with an in-hospital AMI versus 180 min for patients with a prehospital AMI (p = 0.001). In-hospital death occurred in 110 (27.3%) of 403 patients with an in-hospital versus 762 (13.9%) of 5,485 patients with a prehospital AMI (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.85 to 2.94). This was confirmed by logistic regression analysis after adjusting for other confounding variables (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.24). CONCLUSIONS In-hospital AMI occurred in 6.8% of patients. Time to intervention was shorter; however, the use of reperfusion therapy for in-hospital AMI was not different from that for prehospital AMI. In particular, primary angioplasty seems to be underused in these patients. This, as well as the selection of patients, may result in the high hospital mortality rate of 27.3%.
Z / gamma * plus Multiple Hard Jets in High Energy Collisions

We present a description of the production of di-lepton pair production (through Z boson and virtual photon) in association with at least two jets. This calculation adds to the fixed-order accuracy the dominant logarithms in the limit of large partonic centre-of-mass energy to all orders in the strong coupling αs. This is achieved within the framework of High Energy Jets. This calculation is made possible by extending the high energy treatment to take into account the multiple t-channel exchanges arising from Z and γ∗-emissions off several quark lines. The correct description of the interference effects from the various t-channel exchanges requires an extension of the subtraction terms in the all-order calculation. We describe this construction and compare the resulting predictions to a number of recent analyses of LHC data. The description of a wide range of observables is good, and, as expected, stands out from other approaches in particular in the regions of large dijet invariant mass and large dijet rapidity spans.
Clinical Study Benefit from the Chin-Down Maneuver in the Swallowing Performance and Self-Perception of Parkinson ’ s Disease Patients

1Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 2Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 3Department of Neurology and Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 4Department of Surgery and Orthopaedics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
ABA Is Involved in Regulation of Cold Stress Response in Bermudagrass

As a representative warm-season grass, Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L). Pers. ] is widely used in turf systems. However, low temperature remarkably limits its growth and distribution. ABA is a crucial phytohormone that has been reported to regulate much important physiological and biochemical processes in plants under abiotic stress. Therefore, the objective of this study was to figure out the effects of ABA on the cold-sensitive (S) and cold-resistant (R) Bermudagrass genotypes response to cold stress. In this study, the plants were treated with 100 μM ABA solution and exposed to 4°C temperature. After 7 days of cold treatment, the electrolyte leakage (EL), malonaldehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content were significantly increased in both genotypes compared with control condition, and these values were higher in R genotype than those of S genotype, respectively. By contrast, exogenous ABA application decreased the electrolyte leakage (EL), MDA and H2O2 content in both genotypes compared with those plants without ABA treatment under cold treatment condition. In addition, exogenous ABA application increased the levels of chlorophyll a fluorescence transient curve for both genotypes, and it was higher in R genotype than that of S genotype. Analysis of photosynthetic fluorescence parameters revealed that ABA treatment improved the performance of photosystem II under cold condition, particularly for the R genotype. Moreover, cold stress significantly increased δ13C values for both genotypes, while it was alleviated by exogenous ABA. Additionally, exogenous ABA application altered the expression of ABA- or cold related genes, including ABF1, CBF1, and LEA. In summary, exogenous ABA application enhanced cold resistance of both genotypes by maintaining cell membrane stability, improving the process of photosystem II, increasing carbon isotopic fractionation under cold stress, and more prominently in R genotype compared with S genotype.
Merkel disc is a serotonergic synapse in the epidermis for transmitting tactile signals in mammals

Significance The Merkel disc is a main type of tactile end organ for sensing gentle touch and is essential for sophisticated sensory tasks, including social interaction, environmental exploration, and tactile discrimination. Despite recent studies showing that Merkel cells in Merkel discs are main sites of mechanotransduction in response to tactile stimuli, it remains unclear how Merkel cells transmit tactile signals to Aβ-afferent endings, leading to tactile sensations. Here we show that Merkel discs are serotonergic synapses in the epidermis, that tactile stimuli trigger serotonin release from Merkel cells to excite their associated whisker Aβ-afferent endings, and that this epidermal serotonergic transmission is critical to both electrophysiological and behavioral responses to tactile stimulation. The evolution of sensory systems has let mammals develop complicated tactile end organs to enable sophisticated sensory tasks, including social interaction, environmental exploration, and tactile discrimination. The Merkel disc, a main type of tactile end organ consisting of Merkel cells (MCs) and Aβ-afferent endings, are highly abundant in fingertips, touch domes, and whisker hair follicles of mammals. The Merkel disc has high tactile acuity for an object’s physical features, such as texture, shape, and edges. Mechanisms underlying the tactile function of Merkel discs are obscured as to how MCs transmit tactile signals to Aβ-afferent endings leading to tactile sensations. Using mouse whisker hair follicles, we show herein that tactile stimuli are transduced by MCs into excitatory signals that trigger vesicular serotonin release from MCs. We identify that both ionotropic and metabotropic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors are expressed on whisker Aβ-afferent endings and that their activation by serotonin released from MCs initiates Aβ-afferent impulses. Moreover, we demonstrate that these ionotropic and metabotropic 5-HT receptors have a synergistic effect that is critical to both electrophysiological and behavioral tactile responses. These findings elucidate that the Merkel disc is a unique serotonergic synapse located in the epidermis and plays a key role in tactile transmission. The epidermal serotonergic synapse may have important clinical implications in sensory dysfunctions, such as the loss of tactile sensitivity and tactile allodynia seen in patients who have diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and undergo chemotherapy. It may also have implications in the exaggerated tactile sensations induced by recreational drugs that act on serotoninergic synapses.
Title Regional climate change and local urbanization effects onweather variables in Southeast China

This paper presents the analyses of regional climate change features and the local urbanization effects on different weather variables over Southeast China. The weather variables considered are: daily mean (Tm), minimum (Tmin), and maximum (Tmax) near surface air temperature, diurnal temperature range (DTR), relative humidity (RH), and precipitation (P). With analysis of two datasets (a station dataset for the period from 1960 to 2005 that is mainly used and a grid dataset for the period 1960– 2000), this study reveals that the trends in the variations of these weather variables can be separated into two periods, before and after 1984. Before 1984, there were no significant urbanization effects, and Tmin, RH, and P steadily increased but Tmax decreased, resulting in a considerable decrease in DTR and a slight decrease in Tm. After 1984, Tmin and Tmax increased considerably, and the urbanization influence on Tmin, but not Tmax, is observable. The urbanization effect causes an extra increasing trend in Tmin with a rate of about 0.6 C/decade and, accordingly, extra decreasing trends in DTR and RH. The analysis of the seasonal trends reveals that the urbanization influence results in a near-uniform increase of Tmin for all four seasons and a strong decrease of RH in summer and autumn. Moreover, there is no significant change in P at the annual scale and an increasing rate of 11.8%/decade in summer. With the urbanization influence, a considerable increase in P is noticeable at the annual scale; specifically, the increasing rates of 18.6%/decade in summer and 13.5%/decade in autumn are observed.
Altered Arrangement of Proteins in the Spore Coat of a Germination Mutant of Bacillus subtilis

Spores produced by a mutant of Bacillus subtilis were slow to develop their resistance properties during sporulation, and were slower to germinate than were wild-type spores. The coat protein composition of the mutant spores, as analysed by SDS-PAGE, was similar to that of the wildtype spores. However, one of the proteins (mol. wt 12000) which is normally present in the outermost layers of mature wild-type spores and which is surface-exposed, was assembled abnormally into the coat of the mutant spores and not surface-exposed. The mutation responsible for this phenotype (spo-520) has been mapped between pheA and leuB on the B. subtilis chromosome, and was 47% cotransformable with leuB16. This mutation, and three others closely linked to it, define a new sporulation locus, spoVIB, which is involved in spore coat assembly. The phenotype of the mutant(s) supports the contention that spore germination and resistance properties may be determined by the assembly of the coat.
Detection and Typing of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and Analysis of Indicator Organisms in Three Waterborne Outbreaks in Finland

ABSTRACT Waterborne outbreaks associated with contamination of drinking water by Campylobacter jejuni are rather common in the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where in sparsely populated districts groundwater is commonly used without disinfection. Campylobacters, Escherichia coli, or other coliforms have rarely been detected in potential sources. We studied three waterborne outbreaks in Finland caused by C. jejuni and used sample volumes of 4,000 to 20,000 ml for analysis of campylobacters and sample volumes of 1 to 5,000 ml for analysis of coliforms and E. coli, depending on the sampling site. Multiple samples obtained from possible sources (water distribution systems and environmental water sources) and the use of large sample volumes (several liters) increased the chance of detecting the pathogen C. jejuni in water. Filtration of a large volume (1,000 to 2,000 ml) also increased the rate of detection of coliforms and E. coli. To confirm the association between drinking water contamination and illness, a combination of Penner serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (digestion with SmaI and KpnI) was found to be useful. This combination reliably verified similarity or dissimilarity of C. jejuni isolates from patient samples, from drinking water, and from other environmental sources, thus confirming the likely reservoir of an outbreak.
Understanding the Role and Challenges of ELL Departments at Public Schools: An inquiry from pre-service teachers’ perspectives

Number of English Language Learners (ELLs) at U.S. public schools is increasing each year, and putting more and more mainstream teachers in need of teaching to this student group. ELLs are a vulnerable group with low academic success level and high drop-out rate. Preparing in-service and pre-service teachers to teach these students is crucial since ELLs need special accommodations and scaffolding to be more successful academically. In addition, research on mainstream teachers and ELL students have uncovered that mainstream teachers may have some wrong and unwelcoming perceptions of ELLs. This study investigates how taking a class on ELL education affects the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of this student group. In addition, this study reveals some of the most common challenges ELL teachers come across at public schools. The results uncovers that taking even only one class on ELL education changes pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ELLs positively. At the end of the paper, some pedagogical implications for preparing pre-service teachers to teach ELLs are given. This article is available in The Advocate: https://newprairiepress.org/advocate/vol22/iss3/3
Effects of time on feed on beef nutrient composition.

Forty-eight Angus x Hereford yearling steers were used to assess the effect of time on feed (TOF) on the nutrient composition of beef longissimus muscle (LM). Steers were fed a high-concentrate diet with the exception of the d-0 group, which served as a grass-fed control, and then were serially slaughtered at 28-d intervals during the 196-d feeding period. Steaks were removed from the 10th rib and trimmed of exterior fat and epimysial connective tissue before nutrient analysis. Intramuscular fat content doubled (P < .05) between d 84 and 112 but did not differ (P > .05) from d 0 to 84 or from d 112 to 196. This increase in fat content resulted in decreased (P < .05) concentrations of moisture, protein, and ash in the LM. Concentrations of Mg, K, and Fe in the LM increased (P < .10) with advanced TOF. The increase in the total lipid (TL) content of the LM stemmed from a proportional increase (P < .05) in neutral lipid (NL). Polar lipid (PL) remained constant (P = .33) throughout TOF. The NL and TL became more unsaturated as TOF increased, primarily due to a linear (P < .01) increase in oleic (C18:1) acid concentration. In contrast, the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentration in the PL exhibited a linear (P < .01) decrease across TOF. As a result, advanced TOF increased the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content by 22% and decreased the PUFA content by 72% in the LM. The ratio of hypercholesterolemic (C14 + C16):hypocholesterolemic (MUFA+PUFA) fatty acids was unaffected by increasing TOF from d 28 to 196; however, this ratio was lower (P < .05) for grass-fed controls (d 0) than for d 28 to 84 and d 196. Cholesterol content (milligrams/100 grams) changed cubically (P = .06) across TOF. Ultimately, by limiting TOF to 112 d, the beef industry could provide consumers a palatable beef product that easily fits into a healthy diet and at the same time diminishes the costs associated with external fat trim.
Pr epr int Cross-Gramian-Based Model Reduction : A Comparison

As an alternative to the popular balanced truncation method, the cross Gramian matrix induces a class of balancing model reduction techniques. Besides the classical computation of the cross Gramian by a Sylvester matrix equation, an empirical cross Gramian can be computed based on simulated trajectories. This work assesses the cross Gramian and its empirical Gramian variant for state-space reduction on a procedural benchmark based to the cross Gramian itself.
Milk Leptin Surge and Biological Rhythms of Leptin and Other Regulatory Proteins in Breastmilk

A significant number of chronic diseases are linked to perinatal nutrition, and prevention may be associated to naturally occurring components of breast milk. One key hormone in breast milk is leptin, related with the protection from obesity in the adulthood, thus knowing its changes through the day or lactation is crucial. We aimed to investigate the daily rhythms in the milk levels of leptin, together with other two related hormones, ghrelin and adiponectin, during lactation (days 5, 10 and 15) in rat dams, and the relation with morphometric parameters (dams and pups). Summarizing the main results, the existence of biological rhythms, but not daily and maybe circasemidian, was confirmed for the three hormones at the earliest period of lactation. The correlations performed generally showed a possible dependence of milk hormone levels on plasma levels at the early phase of lactation, while with the progression of lactation this dependence may fade and the hormone levels are suggested to be more dependent on mammary gland production/maturation. There was also a correlation between milk leptin and adiponectin levels, especially in the first half of lactation, suggesting a possible parallel regulation. Interestingly, we describe a milk leptin surge around the mid of lactation (at day 10) which may be related with pup´s growth (males and females) and with the well-known (in the literature) plasma leptin surge in pups. All this knowledge may be crucial for future applications in the development of formula milk and in relation with the role of leptin surge during lactation.