Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Endocervical Specimen Adequacy on Ligase Chain Reaction Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis

ABSTRACT Several studies have demonstrated that the sensitivity of a commercially available PCR test for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (Roche Diagnostics) is affected by the cellular quality of the endocervical swab specimens. The cellular adequacies of 1,633 female endocervical swab specimens were assessed and compared with the results of C. trachomatis detection obtained by ligase chain reaction (LCR; Abbott Laboratories). Specimen adequacy studies and LCR were performed with samples from the same swab, after demonstration of the stability of human epithelial cells in LCR transport medium. Prior to heat treatment of the swab specimen, an aliquot was removed and cytocentrifuged onto a slide. Cell spots were stained and examined at ×400 magnification for endocervical (columnar epithelial or metaplastic) cells and erythrocytes. The overall rate of positivity of the LCR was 6.5% (106 of 1,633 specimens) with pooled specimens (pools of 4 specimens each; reduced cutoff). Of the 1,633 specimens examined, 655 (40.1%) were found to contain one or more endocervical cells. The rate of positivity for C. trachomatis was 10.8% (71 of 655 specimens) among specimens containing endocervical cells, whereas it was 3.6% (35 of 978 specimens) among specimens lacking endocervical cells (P < 0.0001). There was no linear trend between the rate of positivity for C. trachomatis and the number of endocervical cells (P = 0.24). The rate of positivity for C. trachomatis was 5.4% (8 of 147 specimens) among specimens containing large numbers of erythrocytes (≥100 per high-power field), whereas it was 6.6% (98 of 1,486 specimens) among specimens containing less than 100 erythrocytes per high-power field (P = 0.59). These results show that the sensitivity of the Abbott C. trachomatis LCR test is affected by the presence of endocervical cells. Additionally, they indicate that the presence of a single endocervical cell is as good an indicator of specimen adequacy as the presence of many endocervical cells. The presence of a large number of erythrocytes was not associated with an increased rate of sensitivity of the LCR.
Co‐circulation of multiple measles virus genotypes during an epidemic in France in 2008

In 2008, measles reappeared in France in a series of outbreaks. During this period, 604 measles cases were reported to a routine surveillance system and 305 (50%) of these cases were then confirmed in the laboratory. To understand better the current epidemiological situation and the circulation of different measles strains, a phylogenetic characterization of 113 (19%) of the measles cases from these outbreaks was performed. All measles cases met the WHO clinical criteria and were confirmed either by laboratory detection of measles‐specific IgM and/or by detection of the virus genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and viral isolation. PCR products generated from blood, oral fluid, urine, or nasopharyngeal‐swab samples were sequenced for molecular epidemiology studies. Phylogenetic analysis showed a co‐circulation of genotypes D4 and D5 during the first measles outbreak in the city of Reims in early 2008. Over the course of the year, the A, B3.2, D8, and D9 genotypes also appeared. The data from this study show the simultaneous circulation of several measles genotypes in France and describe genotypes D8 and D9 for the first time in this country. The data also suggest that there are still many pockets of unvaccinated individuals helping to maintain the circulation of measles virus in the population. Phylogenetic studies allowed the corroboration of epidemiologic links and showed that nosocomial transmission can create significant risk for measles dissemination. Finally, the pattern of changes in viral genotypes during 2008 suggests a regular introduction of measles strains from abroad. J. Med. Virol. 82:1033–1043, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Software Value Chain: Methods for Construction and their Application

The value chain is a widely used framework for industry and firm analysis. To our knowledge, the conceptualisation of value chains is so far guided by “soft” criteria like intuition of experts rather than clearly stated methods with regard to the value chain boundaries and the granularity as well as the separation of activities. Therefore, we propose a combination of well-known methods – such as the Delphi study approach and clustering algorithms – to (1) ensure a holistic view of the industry at hand by covering all underlying economic concepts, (2) ensure the uniqueness of activities, and (3) provide a hierarchy of activities that allows deriving value chains at different levels of granularity. Since software is a good with specific economic properties, practitioners and researchers require a value chain framework reflecting the industry specifics. This paper contributes by proposing methods for value chain construction and applying these methods to the software industry. The resulting universal and hierarchical software value chain can serve as a sound foundation for further studies of the software industry. Furthermore, practitioners can tailor the proposed methods to their needs and apply the software value chain to their firms.
Historical Foundations of Education: Bridges from the Ancient World to the Present

PART I Education in the Greek and Roman Empires, and the Middle Ages Chapter 1 Education in the Greek World: Greek Contributions to Education (500 to 168 B.C.) Chapter 2 Life and Education in the Roman Empire (168 B.C. to 476 A.D.) Chapter 3 The Middle Ages (476 A.D. to 1150 A.D.) PART II Rebirth of Learning: Renaissance and Reformation Chapter 4 The Renaissance: New Consciousness and Love of Learning (1150 to 1570) Chapter 5 The German Reformation: Social Enlightenment and Reform (1517 to 1534) Chapter 6 Reformation and Education in Tudor England (1534 to 1625) PART III Formation of the American Educational System Chapter 7 Education in the American Colonies (1625 to 1820) Chapter 8 Enlightenment and Early National Periods: Advances in Thought and Education (1820 to 1890) Chapter 9 Urbanization and Expansion of the Public Schools (1890 to 1930) PART IV Modern Educational Problems and Reform Movements (1930 to 2005) Chapter 10 Education from the Depression to the War on Poverty (1930-1960) Chapter 11 Reform Movements from 1960-1982: From the War on Poverty to Back to Basics Chapter 12 Reform Movements after "A Nation at Risk": Increased Federal Involvement and Accountability (1983 to 2005)
Manipulation of Base Excision Repair to Sensitize Ovarian Cancer Cells to Alkylating Agent Temozolomide

Purpose: To improve the treatment of women with ovarian cancer, we are investigating the modulation of a prominent DNA-damaging agent, temozolomide, by manipulating the DNA base excision repair (BER) pathway via BER inhibitor, methoxyamine, and overexpression of N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG). Experimental Design: Enhancement of temozolomide via methoxyamine and MPG overexpression was analyzed using in vitro assays, including 3-(4-5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium salt (MTS) assay, apoptosis via Annexin staining, and Western blotting for H2AX phosphorylation to quantitate DNA damage. Results: Our data show that we can effectively modulate the activity of the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide, via modulator methoxyamine, in three ovarian cancer cell lines, SKOV-3x, Ovcar-3, and IGROV-1. This enhancement of temozolomide-induced cytotoxicity is not dependent on p53 status as we transfected an ovarian cancer cell line with a dominant-negative p53-expressing plasmid (IGROV-1mp53) and obtained similar results. Our results show that MPG-overexpressing IGROV-1 and IGROV-1mp53 cells are significantly more sensitive to the clinical chemotherapeutic temozolomide in combination with methoxyamine as assayed by cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and levels of DNA damage than either agent alone. Conclusions: These studies show that although clinical trials in ovarian cancer to determine temozolomide single-agent efficacy are in development, through manipulation of the BER pathway, an increase in response to temozolomide is achieved. The combination of temozolomide plus methoxyamine has potential for second-line therapy for patients who have failed standard platinum plus paclitaxel chemotherapy.
Cross-Education of Strength Depends on Limb Dominance: Implications for Theory and Application

Cross-education of strength is much greater when the dominant arm is trained in right-handed individuals. This asymmetry of strength transfer in the upper limbs is similar to what has been shown for skill transfer between limbs. The discussion focuses on the connection between transfer of strength and skills and the potential for cross-education to be used during recovery from unilateral injury.
Integrating Expatriate Careers with International Business Activity

The second in this series on international and expatriate career activity argues for increased attention to developing a strategic link between international business activity and the HRM and career management functions that purport to support such business activity. Looks towards addressing some of the problems potentially experienced by firms in the international marketplace and their expatriates. This is achieved by: (1) overviewing research that is currently under way with respect to the expatriate career management practices of selected Australian organizations; and (2) identifying some of the more important concerns that existing empirical and case study research on expatriate career management has shown in terms of the types of career initiatives to which organizations need to pay attention, prior to an overseas move by their staff, during an overseas appointment, and finally when repatriating staff.
Hydroxypropylation of high-amylose maize starch changes digestion and fermentation-dependent parameters in rats / Development of the gut microbiota in southern Indian infants from birth to 6 months: a molecular analysis – ERRATUM

Hydroxypropylation of high-amylose maize starch changes digestion and fermentation-dependent parameters in rats – ERRATUM Kiyoshi Ebihara, Makoto Tachibe, Natsumi Kaneko and Taro Kishida Development of the gut microbiota in southern Indian infants from birth to 6 months: a molecular analysis – ERRATUM Jayakanthan Kabeerdoss, Shama Ferdous, Ramadass Balamurugan, John Mechenro, R. Vidya, Sridhar Santhanam, Atanu K. Jana and Balakrishnan S. Ramakrishna The publishers regret to announce that the papers by Ebihara et al.(, 1 ) and Kabeerdoss et al.(, 2 ) were published with the incorrect volume and article numbers. The correct volume and citation details are as follows: Ebihara K, Tachibe M, Kaneko N, et al. (2013) Hydroxypropylation of high-amylose maize starch changes digestion and fermentation-dependent parameters in rats. J Nutr Sci 2, e17 doi:10.1017/jns.2013. 5. Kabeerdoss J, Ferdous S, Balamurugan R, et al. (2013) Development of the gut microbiota in southern Indian infants from birth to 6 months: a molecular analysis. J Nutr Sci 2, e18 doi:10.1017/jns.2013. 6. The publisher sincerely apologises for this error.
Spatial Learning Depends on Both the Addition and Removal of New Hippocampal Neurons

The role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in spatial learning remains a matter of debate. Here, we show that spatial learning modifies neurogenesis by inducing a cascade of events that resembles the selective stabilization process characterizing development. Learning promotes survival of relatively mature neurons, apoptosis of more immature cells, and finally, proliferation of neural precursors. These are three interrelated events mediating learning. Thus, blocking apoptosis impairs memory and inhibits learning-induced cell survival and cell proliferation. In conclusion, during learning, similar to the selective stabilization process, neuronal networks are sculpted by a tightly regulated selection and suppression of different populations of newly born neurons.
Quantification of Alternative Splicing Variants of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase and Correlations with Telomerase Activity in Lung Cancer

Telomerase plays important roles in the development and progression of malignant tumors, and its activity is primarily determined by transcriptional regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Several mRNA alternative splicing variants (ASVs) for hTERT have been identified, but it remains unclear whether telomerase activity is directly associated with hTERT splicing transcripts. In this study, we developed novel real-time PCR protocols using molecular beacons and applied to lung carcinoma cell lines and cancerous tissues for quantification of telomerase activity and three essential hTERT deletion transcripts respectively. The results showed that lung carcinoma cell lines consistently demonstrated telomerase activity (14.22–31.43 TPG units per 100 cells) and various hTERT alternative splicing transcripts. For 165 lung cancer cases, telomerase activity showed significant correlation with tumor differentiation (poorly->moderately->well-differentiated, P<0.01) and with histotypes (combined small cell and squamous cell carcinoma>squamous cell carcinoma>adenosquamous carcinoma>adenocarcinoma, P<0.05). Although the overall hTERT transcripts were detected in all the samples, they were not associated with telomerase activity (r = 0.092, P = 0.24). Telomerase activity was significantly correlated with the transcriptional constituent ratio of α-deletion (r = -0.267, P = 0.026), β-deletion (r = -0.693, P = 0.0001) and γ-deletion (r = –0.614, P = 0.001). The positive rate and average constituent ratio of β-deletion transcripts (92.12%, 0.23) were higher than those of α-deletion (41.82%, 0.12) or γ-deletion (16.36%, 0.18) transcripts. The combined small-cell and squamous cell carcinomas expressed less deletion transcripts, especially β-deletion, than other histotypes, which might explain their higher telomerase activity. In conclusion, the molecular beacon-based real-time PCR protocols are rapid, sensitive and specific methods to quantify telomerase activity and hTERT ASVs. Telomerase activity may serve as a reliable and effective molecular marker to assist the evaluation of histological subtype and differentiation of lung carcinomas. Further studies on hTERT deletion splicing transcripts, rather than the overall hTERT transcripts, may improve our understanding of telomerase regulation.
Minimally Redundant 2-D Array Designs for 3-D Medical Ultrasound Imaging

In real-time ultrasonic 3-D imaging, in addition to difficulties in fabricating and interconnecting 2-D transducer arrays with hundreds of elements, there are also challenges in acquiring and processing data from a large number of ultrasound channels. The coarray (spatial convolution of the transmit and receive arrays) can be used to find efficient array designs that capture all of the spatial frequency content (a transmit-receive element combination corresponds to a spatial frequency) with a reduced number of active channels and firing events. Eliminating the redundancies in the transmit-receive element combinations and firing events reduces the overall system complexity and improves the frame rate. Here we explore four reduced redundancy 2-D array configurations for miniature 3-D ultrasonic imaging systems. Our approach is based on 1) coarray design with reduced redundancy using different subsets of linear arrays constituting the 2-D transducer array, and 2) 3-D scanning using fan-beams (narrow in one dimension and broad in the other dimension) generated by the transmit linear arrays. We form the overall array response through coherent summation of the individual responses of each transmit-receive array pairs. We present theoretical and simulated point spread functions of the array configurations along with quantitative comparison in terms of the front-end complexity and image quality.
Orthogonal Pyramid Transforms For Image Coding.

We describe a set of pyramid transforms that decompose an image into a set of basis functions that are (a) spatial frequency tuned, (b) orientation tuned, (c) spatially localized, and (d) self-similar. For computational reasons the set is also (e) orthogonal and lends itself to (f) rapid computation. The systems are derived from concepts in matrix algebra, but are closely connected to decompositions based on quadrature mirror filters. Our computations take place hierarchically, leading to a pyramid representation in which all of the basis functions have the same basic shape, and appear at many scales. By placing the high-pass and low-pass kernels on staggered grids, we can derived odd-tap QMF kernels that are quite compact. We have developed pyramids using separable, quincunx, and hexagonal kernels. Image data compression with the pyramids gives excellent results, both in terms of MSE and visual appearance. A non-orthogonal variant allows good performance with 3-tap basis kernels and the appropriate inverse sampling kernels.
An analysis of technical college student motivation to pursue a higher grade in core academic classes

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to investigate the motivation of students seeking a vocation in the technical college setting. The study used Vroom’s expectancy theory as it relates to students’ beliefs in their ability to attain a higher grade (expectancy) and their desire for that grade (valence) to the effect on student academic effort (motivational force). The study’s participants were selected from degree seeking students at a technical college in the Middle Georgia area. For the correlational element of the study, Hierarchical Multiple Regressions models were used and a statistically significant correlation was found, p < 0.05, thus supporting the use of the expectancy theory as an effective model for predicting student motivation resulting in a mean adjusted R2 = . 66. Further analysis from this data found that the predictors –valence and expectancycan predict effort levels of motivation in the technical college degree student with near identical (p = .942) squared semi-partial correlation coefficients of . 325 and.324 respectively. This correlational design, employing a within-persons decisionmodeling research approach is an attempt to fill the gap in the research in the area of student motivation as it relates to technical college students, whose academics are designed for the sole purpose of preparing the student for employment in areas as diverse as accounting and welding.
Disruption of cortical association networks in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder.

IMPORTANCE Psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic bipolar disorder) are devastating illnesses characterized by breakdown in the integration of information processing. Recent advances in neuroimaging allow for the estimation of brain networks on the basis of intrinsic functional connectivity, but the specific network abnormalities in psychotic disorders are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE To compare intrinsic functional connectivity across the cerebral cortex in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders or psychotic bipolar disorder and healthy controls. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We studied 100 patients from an academic psychiatric hospital (28 patients with schizophrenia, 32 patients with schizoaffective disorder, and 40 patients with bipolar disorder with psychosis) and 100 healthy controls matched for age, sex, race, handedness, and scan quality from December 2009 to October 2011. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Functional connectivity profiles across 122 regions that covered the entire cerebral cortex. RESULTS Relative to the healthy controls, individuals with a psychotic illness had disruption across several brain networks, with preferential reductions in functional connectivity within the frontoparietal control network (P < .05, corrected for family-wise error rate). This functionally defined network includes portions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posteromedial prefrontal cortex, lateral parietal cortex, and posterior temporal cortex. This effect was seen across diagnoses and persisted after matching patients and controls on the basis of scan quality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our study results support the view that cortical information processing is disrupted in psychosis and provides new evidence that disruptions within the frontoparietal control network may be a shared feature across both schizophrenia and affective psychosis.
Clinical Use of Aspirin in Treatment and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), principally heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death for both males and females in developed countries. Aspirin is the most widely used and tested antiplatelet drug in CVD, and it is proven to be the cornerstone of antiplatelet therapy in treatment and prevention of CVD in clinical trials in various populations. In acute coronary syndrome, thrombotic stroke, and Kawasaki's disease, acute use of aspirin can decrease mortality and recurrence of cardiovascular events. As secondary prevention, aspirin is believed to be effective in acute coronary syndrome, stable angina, revascularization, stroke, TIA, and atrial fibrillation. Aspirin may also be used for patients with a high risk of future CVD for primary prevention, but the balance between benefits and the possibility of side effects must be considered.
PCBs in Sludge: Development of a Practical Extraction Procedure and Its Application in an Urban Water Resource Recovery Facility

Sludges originating from water resource recovery facilities act as a sink for various contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Investigation of such pollutants provides detailed information about the pollutant burden of the region from which incoming wastewater is derived. However, the current extraction methods for PCBs in wastewater and sludge are both time‐ and solvent‐consuming. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to develop a practical PCB extraction procedure and to monitor PCB levels in sludge originating from an urban water resource recovery facility (WRRF). Procedure applicability was shown by comparing the extraction results of certified reference materials with that of Soxhlet and by checking surrogate recovery. Diethyl ether, hexane, and hexane:acetone mixture were evaluated as the PCB extraction solvent; hexane was the most efficient solvent with the recovery results (89 to 102%) in an acceptable range of 70 to 130%. The PCB concentrations of the WRRF sludges were in the range of 3.6 ± 0.3 to 64.4 ± 9.3 μg/kg dry matter.