Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endomyocardial fibrosis in Sub Saharan Africa: The geographical origin, socioeconomic status, and dietary habits of cases reported in Yaounde, Cameroon

Background : Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a neglected heart condition of the inter-tropical regions. Numerous hypotheses suggest a relationship between its geographical distribution in the affected regions and other etio-pathogenic factors such as dietary habits, infectious causes, and geochemical causes. Knowledge of its epidemiology in Cameroon remains limited, which is why we decided to describe the profile of a paediatric series of EMF in Yaoundé. Patients and Methods : A retrospective study was carried out on EMF in 54 patients diagnosed from 1 January 2006-31 December 2014 in a Paediatric Centre of Yaoundé. Diagnosis was mainly echocardiographic. We compiled data on the geographic origins of the patients, their dietary habits and the socioeconomic profile of their families. Results : The patients′ ages ranged from 2 to 17 years, most of whom (83.3%) were between 5 and 15 years. For geographical distribution, all came from three tropical forest zones where they have lived since their childhood. These were Center (32/54), South (12/54), and East (10/54). All families had a moderate income, consumed tubers at least twice a week especially cassava (43/54) and had low sources of proteins. Conclusion : Apart from geographical similarities all patients of our series shared the same dietary habits. Our study was conducted in a hospital setting; therefore a screening of the disease in the whole national territory would enable a more reliable mapping.
Economics in a Family Way

This paper is an advertisement for some facts and ideas that I think likely to lead to a richer theory of the economics of the family. The discussion references many papers from anthropology and biology. Because of the intimate connection between the family and reproduction, it should not be surprising that there is much to be learned about the economics of the family from the study of evolutionary biology. Given the increased prevalence in recent decades of unwed parenthood, divorce with sequential monogamy, and ``non-traditional'' family arrangements, it also seems plausible that anthropological studies of alternative family structures would help us to understand our own. The first section presents an evolutionary theory of interpersonal sympathy among family members. It discusses the genetic theory of kin selection and its implications for human preferences and relate these ideas to theories of the cultural evolution of preferences. The next section takes an evolutionary viewpoint in exploring the riddles posed by the demographic transition and the question of intergenerational flows of wealth. The third section discusses non-monogamous family structures in our own culture and in other cultures. The final section draws on a more traditional source of inspiration for economists. This section outlines an approach to bargaining theory within the family based on recent discoveries in non-cooperative game theory and discusses ways of integrating the theory of spousal bargaining with the theory of marriage markets. (Revised, January 1966)
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism and cervical cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of folate, and the role of MTHFR C677T polymorphism in cervical carcinogenesis is still controversial. METHOD We performed a meta-analysis of all relevant case-control studies that examined any association between the C677T polymorphism and cervical cancer risk. We estimated summary odds ratios (ORs) with their confidence intervals (CIs) to assess links. RESULTS Finally, 10 studies with a total of 2113 cervical cancer cases and 2804 controls were included. Results from this meta-analysis showed that significantly elevated cervical cancer risk was associated with the MTHFR T allele in the Asian population under conditions of two genetic comparison models (for TT vs. CC, OR=1.37, 95%CI 1.00-1.87, P=0.050; for TT vs. TC+CC: OR=1.34, 95%CI 1.01-1.77, P=0.039). However, there was no obvious association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and cervical cancer risk in the other populations. CONCLUSION The MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with cervical cancer risk in Asians, while any possible link in the Caucasian population needs further studies.
Engaging Teachers

On average, secondary school students in the United States are absent from school three weeks per year. For this study, we are able to link middle and high school teachers to the class-attendance of students in their classrooms and create measures of teachers’ contributions to student class-attendance. We find systematic variation in teacher effectiveness at reducing unexcused class absences. These differences across teachers are as stable as those for student achievement, but teacher effectiveness on attendance only weakly correlates with their effects on achievement. A high value-added to attendance teacher has a stronger impact on students’ likelihood of finishing high school than does a high value-added to achievement teacher. Moreover, high value-added to attendance teachers can motivate students to pursue higher academic goals. These positive effects are particularly salient for low-achieving and low-attendance students.
Asymptotic wave-like modeling of dielectric lenses

We propose asymptotic wave-like approximations for the accurate modeling of dielectric lenses used in quasi-optical systems of millimeter, submillimeter, and infrared wave applications. For the comparison, we obtain an exact full-wave solution of two-dimensional focusing lens problem and use it as a benchmark for testing and validation of asymptotic models being proposed.
Full Paper Isolation and characterization of monochloroacetic acid-degrading bacteria

from DCA. Because PCR analyses revealed that all ﬁ ve isolates have an identical group II dehalogenase gene fragment and no group I deh gene, only strain CL-1 was analyzed further. The partial amino acid sequence of the group II dehalogenase of strain CL-1, named DehCL1, showed 74.6% and 65.2% identities to corresponding regions of the two MCA dehalogenases, DehCI from Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS-3 and Hdl IVa from Burkholderia cepacia strain MBA4, respectively. The secondary-structure motifs of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily and the amino acid residues involved in substrate binding, catalysis, and hydrophobic pocket formation were conserved in the partial amino acid sequence of DehCL1.
Formation and stability of eisosomes in the filamentous fungus Ashbya gossypii

One hallmark of the rapid expansion of the polar surface of fungal hyphae is the spatial separation of regions of exocytosis and endocytosis at hyphal tips, as recently shown for Ashbya gossypii and Aspergillus nidulans. To determine where cortex-associated eisosomes form with respect to these two regions, we monitored fluorescently marked eisosomes in A. gossypii. Each minute, 1.6±0.5 eisosomes form within the first 30 μm of each hypha and are exclusively subapical of the endocytosis region. This spatial separation of the processes of eisosome formation and endocytosis, and the much lower frequency of eisosome formation compared with that of endocytic vesicle production do not support a recently proposed role for eisosomes in endocytosis. Levels of mRNA encoding eisosome components are tenfold higher in spores than in hyphae, explaining the observed higher eisosome density at the cortex of germ bubbles. As in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, eisosomes in A. gossypii are very stable. In contrast to S. cerevisiae, however, the A. gossypii homologue of Pil1, one of the main eisosome subunits, is very important for polar growth, whereas the homologue of Nce102, which colocalizes with eisosomes, is not needed for eisosome stability. By testing partial deletions of the A. gossypii homologue of Ymr086w, another component of the eisosome, we identified a novel protein domain essential for eisosome stability. We also compare our results with recent findings about eisosomes in A. nidulans.
Immunoserological comparison of 104-kilodalton proteins associated with hemolysis and cytolysis in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Actinobacillus suis, Pasteurella haemolytica, and Escherichia coli

A homologous polyclonal antibody was produced in a rabbit to the 104-kilodalton (kDa) protein hemolysin of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 strain CM-5. In immunoblots, this antibody recognized a similar 104-kDa protein produced in culture supernatants by A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 to 12 and taxon "Minor group" in addition to Pasteurella haemolytica, Actinobacillus suis, and alpha-hemolysin-producing Escherichia coli (but only weakly in the latter two organisms). These results were reproduced by using a mouse monoclonal antibody to the CM-5 104-kDa protein hemolysin, except that the monoclonal antibody bound more strongly to the alpha-hemolysin produced by E. coli, only weakly to the 104-kDa protein produced by "Minor group," and not at all to any extracellular antigens produced by A. suis. Pigs experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 to 10 and A. suis produced an antibody that recognized the 104-kDa hemolysin produced by CM-5. A pig challenged with a "Minor group" strain did not have such antibodies. Rabbit antiserum produced against the leukotoxin of P. haemolytica and alpha-hemolysin-producing E. coli also recognized the CM-5 hemolysin, but the latter only weakly. The hemolytic activity produced by CM-5 in culture supernatant was neutralized strongly by the pig serum to serotypes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10 and A. suis, only partially by serotype 8 antiserum and the rabbit antiserum to P. haemolytica leukotoxin, and not all by the antiserum to serotypes 3, 4, and 7 and "Minor group" and the E. coli alpha-hemolysin. These results indicate that a similar but not identical 104-kDa protein is produced in vitro and in vivo by all serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae and may be related to cytolysins produced by other gram-negative bacteria.
Randomized Prospective Study to Compare Laparoscopic Appendectomy Versus Umbilical Single-Incision Appendectomy

Introduction: The use of single-incision laparoscopic surgery may represent an improvement over conventional laparoscopic surgery. In recent years, more and more articles have been published demonstrating the feasibility of this approach. Hence, for this reason, we present this randomized prospective study to compare the 2 techniques. Methods: Between September 2009 and December 2010, a total of 184 patients with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis and indicated for surgery were included in the study, of whom, 91 received an appendectomy via a single umbilical incision and 93 via conventional laparoscopy. The study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital (Murcia). The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with inscription number NCT0151529. All the operations were performed by the same team of surgeons. Results: As far as the demographical results of the study population are concerned, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups for age, weight, sex, body mass index, and removed appendix type. Operating time was longer with the single-port approach: 38.13 ± 13.49 versus 32.12 ± 12.44 minutes (P = 0.02). Significant differences were observed for postoperative pain, which was measured on the visual analog scale, with less pain reported in the single-incision group: 2.76 ± 1.64 versus 3.78 ± 1.76 (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups for early and late complications and lengths of hospital stay measured in postoperative hours. Conclusions: The transumbilical single-port approach is seen as a feasible technique for performing appendectomy. It does not increase the rate of complications and represents a possible alternative to conventional laparoscopic appendectomy.
Robotic Assist-As-Needed as an Alternative to Therapist-Assisted Gait Rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training (BWSTT) with therapists' assistance is often used for gait rehabilitation post-stroke. However, this training method is labor-intensive, requiring at least one or as many as three therapists at once for manual assistance. Previously, we demonstrated that providing movement guidance using a performance-based robot-aided gait training (RAGT) that applies a compliant, assist-as-needed force-field improves gait pattern and functional walking ability in people post-stroke. In the current study, we compared the effects of assist-as-needed RAGT combined with functional electrical stimulation and visual feedback with BWSTT to determine if RAGT could serve as an alternative for locomotor training. METHODS Twelve stroke survivors were randomly assigned to one of the two groups, either receiving BWSTT with manual assistance or RAGT with functional electrical stimulation and visual feedback. All subjects received fifteen 40-minutes training sessions. RESULTS Clinical measures, kinematic data, and EMG data were collected before and immediately after the training for fifteen sessions. Subjects receiving RAGT demonstrated significant improvements in their self-selected over-ground walking speed, Functional Gait Assessment, Timed Up and Go scores, swing-phase peak knee flexion angle, and muscle coordination pattern. Subjects receiving BWSTT demonstrated significant improvements in the Six-minute walk test. However, there was an overall trend toward improvement in most measures with both interventions, thus there were no significant between-group differences in the improvements following training. CONCLUSION The current findings suggest that RAGT worked at least as well as BWSTT and thus may be used as an alternative rehabilitation method to improve gait pattern post-stroke as it requires less physical effort from the therapists compared to BWSTT.
Myocardial ischaemia associated with general anaesthesia. A review of clinical studies.

The incidence of perioperative myocardial ischaemia in patients with coronary artery disease, as reported in the literature, varies widely (tables I, II). Much of the confusion surrounding this issue can probably be related to differences in patient populations studied, study programmes and techniques used to establish ischaemia (table III). Until recently, efforts to avoid myocardial ischaemia concentrated primarily upon decreasing myocardial oxygen demand by controlling hypertension and tachycardia. It was accepted widely that a reduction of arterial pressure was safe in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), provided the contractility of the heart, and hence oxygen consumption, were depressed proportionally by the anaesthetic agent [18]. More recently, it has been recognized that myocardial oxygenation may, under some circumstances, be impaired, despite apparently normal systemic haemodynamics. When the first reports of non-haemodynamically related myocardial ischaemia, associated with inhalation anaesthesia in man, appeared in 1983 [52], it was not surprising that these data stimulated many investigators [4,36-39] and created the impetus for intense research in the field.
The Second Language Acquisition of French Tense, Aspect, Mood and Modality

Temporal-aspectual systems have a great potential of informing our understanding of the developing competence of second language learners. So far, the vast majority of empirical studies investigating L2 acquisition have largely focused on past temporality, neglecting the acquisition of the expression of the present and future temporalities with rare exceptions (aside from ESL learners), leaving unanswered the question of how the investigation of different types of temporality may inform our understanding of the acquisition of temporal, aspectual and mood systems as a whole. This monograph addresses this question by focusing on three main objectives: a) to contribute to the already impressive body of research in the L2 acquisition of tense, aspect and mood/modality from a generative perspective, and in so doing to present a more complete picture of the processes of L2 acquisition in general; b) to bridge the gap between linguistic theory and L2 acquisition; c) to make empirical findings more accessible to language instructors by proposing concrete pedagogical applications.
Multidose drug dispensing and discrepancies between medication records

Background The objective of this study was to investigate whether implementation of multidose drug dispensing (MDD) for elderly outpatients is associated with a change in the number of discrepancies in the medication record at the general practitioners (GPs) and at the community home-care services. Methods A controlled follow-up study with paired design of patients' medication records was performed during implementation of MDD. Medication records from the home care units and from the GPs were reviewed, and the discrepancies were noted. The discrepancies were rated into four classes based upon the potential harm, and a risk score system was applied, giving the potentially most harmful discrepancies the highest score. Results Medication records from 59 patients with a mean age of 80 years were included. The number of discrepancies was reduced from 203 to 133 (p<0.001), and the total risk score decreased from 308 to 181 (p<0.001) after the implementation of MDD. For both drugs subject to MDD and drugs not suitable for MDD, the reductions in discrepancies were significant (39% and 31% reduction respectively). Conclusions Calculated health risk due to discrepancies between the medication records from the home-care service and from the GPs decreased during the time of implementation of the MDD system. It seems likely that most of the positive effect was caused by the change in routines and enhanced focus on the medication process rather than by MDD per se.
Sub-Nanomolar Sensitivity of Nitric Oxide Mediated Regulation of cGMP and Vasomotor Reactivity in Vascular Smooth Muscle

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent dilator of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) by modulating intracellular cGMP ([cGMP]i) through the binding and activation of receptor guanylyl cylases (sGC). The kinetic relationship of NO and sGC, as well as the subsequent regulation of [cGMP]i and its effects on blood vessel vasodilation, is largely unknown. In isolated VSM cells exposed to both pulsed and clamped NO we observed transient and sustained increases in [cGMP]i, with sub-nanomolar sensitivity to NO (EC50 = 0.28 nM). Through the use of pharmacological inhibitors of sGC, PDE5, and PKG, a comprehensive VSM-specific modeling algorithm was constructed to elucidate the concerted activity profiles of sGC, PDE5, phosphorylated PDE5, and PDE1 in the maintenance of [cGMP]i. In small pressure-constricted arteries of the resistance vasculature we again observed both transient and sustained relaxations upon delivery of pulsed and clamped NO, while maintaining a similarly high sensitivity to NO (EC50 = 0.42 nM). Our results propose an intricate dependency of the messengers and enzymes involved in cGMP homeostasis, and vasodilation in VSM. Particularly, the high sensitivity of sGC to NO in primary tissue indicates how small changes in the concentrations of NO, irrespective of the form of NO delivery, can have significant effects on the dynamic regulation of vascular tone.
The power of servant-leadership

Based on the seminal work of Robert K. Greenleaf, a former AT&T executive who coined the term almost thirty years ago, servant-leadership emphasizes an emerging approach to leadership—one which puts serving others, including employees, customers, and community, first. The Power of Servant Leadership is a collection of eight of Greenleaf's most compelling essays on servant-leadership. These essays, published together in one volume for the first time, contain many of Greenleaf's best insights into the nature and practice of servant-leadership and show his continual refinement of the servant-as-leader concept. In addition, several of the essays focus on the related issues of spirit, commitment to vision, and wholeness.
Karyotypic differences in two sibling species of Scotophilus from South Africa (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera, Mammalia)

Karyotype descriptions are given for Scotophilus dinganii (2n = 36, FNa = 50) and a recently discovered sister-species, Scotophilus sp. nov. (2n = 36, FNa = 52). These two sibling species occur sympatrically and are distinguished by body size, echolocation frequency and cytochrome b sequence. Cytogenetically, both species differ from other Scotophilus species in the subtelocentric morphology of chromosome 2 and a terminal heterochromatic segment on the X chromosome. Further, Scotophilus sp. nov. is characterized by a subtelocentric chromosome 4 not found in any other Scotophilus species. Comparing the Scotophilus karyotype with that of the vespertilionid genus Myotis, extensive conservation of whole chromosome arms has been found recently. However, out of 25 chromosomal arms six could not be identified in Scotophilus. Therefore, in the present study fluorescence in situ hybridization with whole chromosome painting probes from Myotis myotis was carried out on metaphase preparations from Scotophilus dinganii and Scotophilus sp. nov. These experiments revealed that three previously unidentified Scotophilus chromosomes (A, B, C) contain homologous sequences to Myotis chromosomes 18 plus 22, 19 plus 25, and 16/17, respectively.
Attention with Intention for a Neural Network Conversation Model

In a conversation or a dialogue process, attention and intention play intrinsic roles. This paper proposes a neural network based approach that models the attention and intention processes. It essentially consists of three recurrent networks. The encoder network is a word-level model representing source side sentences. The intention network is a recurrent network that models the dynamics of the intention process. The decoder network is a recurrent network produces responses to the input from the source side. It is a language model that is dependent on the intention and has an attention mechanism to attend to particular source side words, when predicting a symbol in the response. The model is trained end-to-end without labeling data. Experiments show that this model generates natural responses to user inputs.