Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Model in Action: Individual Innovativeness Profiles of Pre-service Teachers in Turkey / Rogersov model difuzije inovacije u praksi: pojedinačni profili inovativnosti budućih nastavnika u Turskoj

The purpose of the study was to determine adopter categories and individual innovativeness levels of pre-service teachers. Four hundred and twenty pre-service teachers from five different departments participated in the study. The application of Rogers’ adopter measurement scale revealed that early pre-service teachers dominated the group of participants in the study. The study also revealed that department and gender of the participants made a significant difference in their innovativeness level. The majority of female participants were early majority whereas the majority of male participants were early adopters. The analysis showed that male participants were highly innovative as opposed to female participants. The study indicated that unlike Rogers’ bell shaped, normal distribution of the adopter categories, the distribution in this study was positively skewed. The results support the idea that pre-service teachers, especially in some departments, need change in their perception of innovation. Evidence also suggests that Rogers’ model of innovation decision process should be taken into consideration while planning the course objectives. Key words: adopter categories; adoption of innovation; innovation; teacher training --- Svrha ovoga istraživanja bila je odrediti kategorije usvajanja i pojedinacne razine inovativnosti buducih nastavnika. 420 buducih nastavnika iz pet razlicitih odjela sudjelovalo je u ovome istraživanju. Primjena Rogersove skale za mjerenje usvajanja otkrila je da kod buducih nastavnika u uzorku ispitanika u istraživanju dominiraju rani usvojitelji. Istraživanje je također otkrilo da odjel i spol ispitanika cine znacajnu razliku u razini njihove inovativnosti. Vecina ispitanika – žena bili su rani usvojitelja, a vecina muskih ispitanika bila je u skupini ranih usvojitelja. Analizom je otkriveno da su muski ispitanici visoko inovativni za razliku od ispitanica. Istraživanje je također ukazalo na to da je za razliku od Rogersove normalne distribucije (zvonastog oblika) kategorija usvojitelja, distribucija u ovome istraživanju pozitivno zakrivljena. Rezultati podupiru ideju da buduci nastavnici, posebno u nekim odjelima, moraju promijeniti svoju percepciju inovacije. Dokazi također upucuju na to da se Rogersov model odlucivanja o inovaciji mora uzeti u obzir za vrijeme određivanja ciljeva kolegija. Kljucne rijeci: kategorije usvojitelja; inovacija; obuka nastavnika; usvajanje inovacije
Evolution of Drug Resistance During 48 Weeks of Zidovudine/Lamivudine/Tenofovir in the Absence of Real-Time Viral Load Monitoring

Objectives:To describe the resistance mutations selected by a first-line regimen of zidovudine/lamivudine/tenofovir in the absence of real-time viral load monitoring. Design:A substudy of 300 participants from the Development of Antiretroviral Therapy in Africa trial in Uganda and Zimbabwe, which compared managing antiretroviral therapy with and without laboratory monitoring. Methods:Stored plasma samples from selected time points were assayed retrospectively for HIV-1 RNA. The pol gene in all baseline samples and those with HIV RNA >1000 copies per milliliter at weeks 24 and 48 were sequenced. Results:The proportion with HIV RNA >1000 copies per milliliter increased from 15% at 24 weeks to 24% at 48 weeks. Eighteen of 31 (58%) genotyped samples at 24 weeks had ≥1 major nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-associated mutations compared with 41 of 47 (87%) at 48 weeks. Excluding 1 nonadherent patient, a mean of 2.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 2.8) thymidine analogue mutations (TAMs) developed between weeks 24 and 48 among 14 patients with HIV RNA >1000 copies per milliliter at both time points. K65R was detected in 8 of 63 (13%) patients and was negatively associated with number of TAMs (P = 0.01) but not viral subtype (P = 0.30). Conclusions:A high rate of acquisition of TAMs, but not of K65R, among patients with prolonged viraemia was observed. However, most patients were virologically suppressed at 48 weeks, and long-term clinical and immunological outcomes in the Development of Antiretroviral Therapy in Africa trial were favorable.
Generative and Discriminative Text Classification with Recurrent Neural Networks

We empirically characterize the performance of discriminative and generative LSTM models for text classification. We find that although RNN-based generative models are more powerful than their bag-of-words ancestors (e.g., they account for conditional dependencies across words in a document), they have higher asymptotic error rates than discriminatively trained RNN models. However we also find that generative models approach their asymptotic error rate more rapidly than their discriminative counterparts---the same pattern that Ng & Jordan (2001) proved holds for linear classification models that make more naive conditional independence assumptions. Building on this finding, we hypothesize that RNN-based generative classification models will be more robust to shifts in the data distribution. This hypothesis is confirmed in a series of experiments in zero-shot and continual learning settings that show that generative models substantially outperform discriminative models.
Acticoat™ stimulates inflammation, but does not delay healing, in acute full‐thickness excisional wounds

Acticoat™ has antimicrobial and anti‐inflammatory effects which aid wound healing. However, in vitro studies indicate that Acticoat™ is cytotoxic and clinical and in vivo studies suggest that it may delay healing in acute wounds. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of Acticoat™ on healing in acute full‐thickness excisional wounds. Using a porcine model, healing was assessed on days 3, 6, 9 and 15 post‐wounding. Five wounds dressed with Acticoat™ and five wounds dressed with polyurethane film (control) were assessed per day (n = 40 wounds). The rate of healing, inflammatory response, restoration of the epithelium and blood vessel and collagen formation were evaluated. No difference was found in the rate of healing between wounds treated with Acticoat™ and the control wounds. Inflammation was increased in Acticoat™‐treated wounds on day 3 post‐wounding compared to the control wounds. However, by day 15 post‐wounding, the epithelium of the Acticoat™‐treated wounds closely resembled normal epithelium. Acticoat™‐treated wounds also contained a higher proportion of mature blood vessels, and differences in collagen deposition were apparent. Despite inducing an inflammatory response, Acticoat™ did not delay healing in acute wounds. Conversely, the improved quality of the epithelium and blood vessels within Acticoat™‐treated wounds indicates that Acticoat™ has a beneficial effect on healing.
Radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis/axial spondyloarthritis: how fast and how clinically meaningful?

Purpose of reviewRadiographic progression in the axial skeleton is considered as an important outcome in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and in the whole group of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). Recently new data on the rates and predictors of radiographic progression from observational cohorts have become available. Here we summarize recent data and discuss their clinical relevance and directions for further investigations. Recent findingsNonradiographic axial SpA progresses to AS with a rate of about 12% over 2 years; elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important predictor of such a progression. The rate of radiographic progression in the spine is strongly dependent on the presence of the following risk factors: syndesmophytes at baseline, elevated acute phase reactants (CRP and/or erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and smoking. The presence of radiographic damage in the spine has a strong impact on spinal mobility and functional status, although the association of radiographic sacroiliitis progression with the functional status remains unclear. SummaryRadiographic progression in the spine and, to a lesser extent, in the sacroiliac joint represents a clinically relevant clinical outcome and treatment target in AS/axial SpA.
Host-Inducible Immunogenic Sphingomyelinase-Like Protein, Lk73.5, of Leptospira interrogans

ABSTRACT Leptospira interrogans causes a variety of clinical syndromes in animals and humans. Although much information has accumulated on the importance of leptospiral lipopolysaccharide in protective antibody responses, relatively little is known about proteins that participate in immune responses. Identification of those proteins induced only in the host is particularly difficult. Using a novel double-antibody screen designed to identify clones in a gene library of L. interrogans serovar Pomona expressing host-inducible proteins, we have characterized a gene (lk75.3) encoding a sphingomyelinase-like preprotein of 648 amino acids with cytotoxic activity for equine pulmonary endothelial cells and weak hemolytic activity for equine and rabbit erythrocytes. lk73.5 was found as a single gene copy in all serovars of L. interrogans but not in other Leptospira spp. except L. inadai. The open reading frame (ORF) for Lk73.5 is followed by another partially homologous sequence containing an ORF (sph-like 2) for a 28.7-kDa peptide. Lk73.5 and Sph-like 2 share 95.1 and 97.7% amino acid identity with putative sphingomyelinases Sph2 and Sph1 (N terminus) from L. interrogans serovar Lai (S.-X. Ren, G. Fu, X.-G. Jiangk, R. Zeng, Y.-G. Miao, H. Xu, Y.-X. Zhang, H. Xiong, G. Lu, L.-F. Lu, H.-Q. Jiang, J. Jia, Y.-F. Tu, J.-X. Jiang, W.-Y. Gu, Y.-Q. Zhang, Z. Cai, H.-H. Sheng, H.-F. Yin, Y. Zhang, G.-F. Zhu, M. Wank, H.-L. Huangk, Z. Qian, S.-Y. Wang, Wei Ma, Z.-J. Yao, Y. Shen, B.-Q. Qiang, Q.-C. Xia, X.-K. Guo, A. Danchinq, I. S. Girons, R. L. Somerville, Y.-M. Wen, M.-H. Shik, Z. Chen, J.-G. Xuk, and G.-P. Zhao, Nature 422:88-893, 2003). Substantial homologies to sphingomyelinases from other leptospiras and other bacteria are also present. Lk73.5 was not detected in leptospiras cultured at 30 or 37°C. The recombinant protein reacted strongly with sera from recently infected mares but not with sera from horses vaccinated with commercial pentavalent bacterin. The host-inducible immunogenic Lk73.5 should have value in distinguishing vaccine from infection immune response.
Emerging Heterogeneities in Italian Customs and Comparison with Nearby Countries

In this work we apply techniques and modus operandi typical of Statistical Mechanics to a large dataset about key social quantifiers and compare the resulting behaviors of five European nations, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The social quantifiers considered are i. the evolution of the number of autochthonous marriages (i.e., between two natives) within a given territorial district and ii. the evolution of the number of mixed marriages (i.e., between a native and an immigrant) within a given territorial district. Our investigations are twofold. From a theoretical perspective, we develop novel techniques, complementary to classical methods (e.g., historical series and logistic regression), in order to detect possible collective features underlying the empirical behaviors; from an experimental perspective, we evidence a clear outline for the evolution of the social quantifiers considered. The comparison between experimental results and theoretical predictions is excellent and allows speculating that France, Italy and Spain display a certain degree of internal heterogeneity, that is not found in Germany and Switzerland; such heterogeneity, quite mild in France and in Spain, is not negligible in Italy and highlights quantitative differences in the habits of Northern and Southern regions. These findings may suggest the persistence of two culturally distinct communities, long-term lasting heritages of different and well-established customs. Also, we find qualitative differences between the evolution of autochthonous and of mixed marriages: for the former imitation in decisional mechanisms seems to play a key role (and this results in a square root relation between the number of autochthonous marriages versus the percentage of possible couples inside that country), while for the latter the emerging behavior can be recovered (in most cases) with elementary models with no interactions, suggesting weak imitation patterns between natives and migrants (and this translates in a linear growth for the number of mixed marriages versus the percentage of possible mixed couples in the country). However, the case of mixed marriages displays a more complex phenomenology, where further details (e.g., the provenance and the status of migrants, linguistic barriers, etc.) should also be accounted for.
Suppression of in vivo growth of human cancer solid tumor xenografts by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

It has been demonstrated previously that several human cancer cell lines possess specific, high affinity receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3, calcitriol] and that 1,25-(OH)2D3 and certain of its metabolites inhibit the growth in vitro of several human breast cancer and malignant melanoma cell lines, i.e., analogous to the effect of estrogens on breast cancer. Furthermore, it has been shown that 1,25-(OH)2D3 and one of its synthetic analogues prolonged the survival in mouse leukemia, induced by inoculation of leukemic cells into syngeneic mice. However, until now no growth-inhibitory effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3 has been demonstrated in vivo for human cancer cells or for solid cancers. This paper describes the suppression by 1,25-(OH)2D3 of the growth of human cancer cell-derived xenografts in immune-suppressed mice. However, the 24-hydroxylated metabolite and the 24-difluorinated analogue of 1,25-(OH)2D3, both of which are active in vitro, were ineffective in this xenograft model system. The suppression by 1,25-(OH)2D3, which was achieved without significant toxicity, was observed with xenografts derived from two 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor-positive cell lines (COLO 206F, derived from a colonic cancer, and COLO 239F from a malignant melanoma) but not in those from a receptor-negative line (RPMI 7932, also derived from a malignant melanoma). These studies demonstrate that pharmacological doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3 can be tolerated in the presence of a low calcium diet and that these doses can suppress the growth of human solid xenograft tumors in vivo. This is the first report of 1,25-(OH)2D3 growth suppression of solid tumors derived from human cancer cells in an in vivo model system, and it supports the hypothesized potential of the hormone in the treatment of 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor-positive human cancers.
The extratropical transition of Tropical Storm Ophelia (2005): Summary of forecasts and meteorological observations

Hurricane Ophelia formed from a tropical depression that developed over the northwestern Bahamas on 06 September 2005 (see Fig. 1). Ophelia first attained hurricane status with winds near 65 knots on 08 September east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. After stalling there, the storm weakened back to tropical storm strength, and then moved to the north where it regained hurricane status (maximum sustained winds (MSW) near 75 knots (38.6 m s)) with a minimum sea level pressure (MSLP) of 977 hPa on 10 September. Ophelia then weakened while stalled well south of Cape Hatteras. On 13 September the storm began to move toward the South Carolina coast, away from the cool water it had upwelled, and regained hurricane strength once again. The hurricane moved slowly toward the north, then northeast, paralleling the outer banks of North Carolina on 14 and 15 September with MSW reaching 80 knots (41.2 m s) and a MSLP of 979 hPa.
Protective Immunity Against Hepatitis C: Many Shades of Gray

The majority of individuals who become acutely infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) develop chronic infection and suffer from progressive liver damage while approximately 25% are able to eliminate the virus spontaneously. Despite the recent introduction of new direct-acting antivirals, there is still no vaccine for HCV. As a result, new infections and reinfections will remain a problem in developing countries and among high risk populations like injection drug users who have limited access to treatment and who continue to be exposed to the virus. The outcome of acute HCV is determined by the interplay between the host genetics, the virus, and the virus-specific immune response. Studies in humans and chimpanzees have demonstrated the essential role of HCV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses in protection against viral persistence. Recent data suggest that antibody responses play a more important role than what was previously thought. Individuals who spontaneously resolve acute HCV infection develop long-lived memory T cells and are less likely to become persistently infected upon reexposure. New studies examining high risk cohorts are identifying correlates of protection during real life exposures and reinfections. In this review, we discuss correlates of protective immunity during acute HCV and upon reexposure. We draw parallels between HCV and the current knowledge about protective memory in other models of chronic viral infections. Finally, we discuss some of the yet unresolved questions about key correlates of protection and their relevance for vaccine development against HCV.
Long-term relations between intentions, planning, and exercise: a 3-year longitudinal study after orthopedic rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE Planning has been hypothesized to operate as a mediator linking intentions to health behaviors. To explore the temporal variation of these constructs and their interrelationships, a long-term study of intentions, planning, and physical activity was conducted. METHOD A sample of 328 individuals in orthopedic rehabilitation provided data at five measurement occasions over 3 years after their discharge from rehabilitation. A process-oriented approach combining mediation analysis and latent growth curve (LGC) modeling was applied. RESULTS The orthopedic rehabilitation led to an initial increase in planning and behavior, followed by a decrease after 6 months and stabilization for the next 2.5 years. Intention revealed a slight but constant decrease for 6 months and remained stable up to 3 years after rehabilitation. The mediation model confirmed planning as mediator between intention and physical activity in former rehabilitation participants. CONCLUSIONS Prior evidence on the mediating role of planning in the intention-behavior relation is corroborated and extended by the present findings at the level of long-term processes. Planning can and should be integrated in rehabilitation treatment programs to facilitate sustainable recovery.
Enhancer timing of Hox gene expression: deletion of the endogenous Hoxc8 early enhancer

The proper expression of Hox genes is necessary for the accurate patterning of the body plan. The elucidation of the developmental genetic basis of transcriptional regulation of Hox genes by the study of their cis-regulatory elements provides crucial information regarding the establishment of axial specification. In this report, we investigate the role of the early enhancer (EE) of the murine Hoxc8 gene to better understand its role in pattern formation. Previous reports show that knockouts of the endogenous Hoxc8 coding region result in a combination of neural, behavioral and skeletal phenotypes. In this report, we limit ourselves to a consideration of the skeletal abnormalities. Early reports from our laboratory based on exogenous transgenic reporter constructs implicate a 200 bp non-coding element 3 kb upstream of the Hoxc8 promoter as a crucial enhancer that regulates the transcription of Hoxc8. In the present work, we have deleted this regulatory region from the endogenous genome using embryonic stem cell technology. Our results show that the deletion of the EE results in a significant delay in the temporal expression of Hoxc8. We also show that the deletion of the EE does not eliminate the expression of the Hoxc8 protein, but delays the attainment of control levels of expression and anterior and posterior boundaries of expression on the AP axis. The temporal delay in Hoxc8 expression is sufficient to produce phenocopies of many of the axial skeletal defects associated with the complete absence of Hoxc8 gene product as previously reported for the Hoxc8-null mutation. Our results are consistent with emerging evidence that the precise temporal expression of Hox genes is crucial for the establishment of regional identities. The fact that the EE deletion does not eliminate Hoxc8 expression indicates the existence of a Hoxc8 transcriptional regulatory apparatus independent to some degree of the Hoxc8 EE. In a comparison of our results with those reported previously by others investigating temporal control of Hox gene expression, we have discovered a structural similarity between the Hoxc8 EE reported here and a transcriptional control element located in the Hoxd11 region. We speculate that a distributed system of expression timing control may exist that is similar the one we propose for Hoxc8. Last, our data is consistent with the position that disparate regulatory pathways are responsible for the expression of Hoxc8 in the organogenesis of somites, neural tube and limb bud.
Body Mass Index, Initial Neurological Severity and Long-Term Mortality in Ischemic Stroke

Background: Obesity is believed to increase the risks of ischemic stroke or coronary heart disease; however, regarding outcome after established vascular diseases, recent unexpected evidence has suggested that an increased body mass index (BMI) might have beneficial effects (obesity paradox). The aim of this study was to evaluate the independent association between BMI and long-term mortality after ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 1,592 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke were prospectively included through our stroke cohort. In this study, the levels of BMI were classified based on guidelines for the Asian-Pacific population. Initial neurological severity was estimated by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Information on mortality was collected until the end of 2009, and the median follow-up period was 4 years. To examine the association between BMI and long-term mortality, we used Cox’s proportional regression analysis. Results: During follow-up, 23% of patients died. Linear regression analysis showed that the level of BMI was inversely related to initial neurological severity (p = 0.002). In the model of adjustment of age and gender using Cox’s proportional regression analysis, this inverse trend was also significant (reference, normal weight; hazard ratio of underweight, 2.45; overweight, 0.77; obesity, 0.60). However, after adjustment of all covariates, including initial neurological severity, only the harmful effect of underweight remained significant (2.79; 95% CI, 1.92–4.05); however, beneficial effects of overweight and obesity did not. Conclusion: Our study showed that an independent association between BMI and long-term mortality after ischemic stroke was found only in underweight patients. The obesity paradox phenomenon seems to be limited, and might not be interpreted as a direct causal relationship due to a strong association with initial neurological severity.