Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli Detection in Stool Samples Screened for Viral Gastroenteritis in Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important cause of diarrheal disease. The most notorious STEC serotype is O157:H7, which is associated with hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). As a result, this serotype is routinely screened for in clinical microbiology laboratories. With the bias toward the identification of the O157 serogroup in routine diagnostic processes, non-O157 STEC has been largely underrepresented in the epidemiology of STEC infections. This diagnostic bias is further complicated by the fact that many non-O157 STEC infections cause nonspecific gastroenteritis symptoms reminiscent of enteric viral infections. In this study, real-time PCR was used to amplify Shiga toxin genetic determinants (stx 1 and stx 2) from enriched stool samples that were initially submitted for the testing of enteric viruses in patients with suspected viral gastroenteritis between May and September of 2006, 2007, and 2008 (n = 2,702). Samples were submitted from the province of Alberta, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, Canada. A total of 38 samples (1.4%) tested positive for Shiga toxin genes, and 15 isolates were cultured for further characterization. Several of the serotypes identified (O157:H7, O26:HNM, O26:H11, O103:H25, O121:H19, and O145:HNM) have been previously associated with outbreaks and HUS. This study outlines the importance of combining molecular methods with classical culture techniques to enhance the detection of emerging non-O157 as well as O157 serotypes in diarrheal stool samples. Furthermore, atypical diarrhea disease caused by non-O157 STEC can be routinely missed due to screening only for viral agents.
Culture and the Emotion Socialization of Preschoolers

iii LIST OF TABLES . v LIST OF FIGURES . vi CHAPTER 1. CULTURE AND THE EMOTION SOCIALZIATION OF PRESHCOOLERS . 1 2. THE PRESENT STUDY . 16 3. RESULTS . 21 4. DISCUSSION . 32 APPENDIX: EMOTION SOCIALIZATION CODING SYSTEM . 52 REFERENCES . 68
In Vivo Effects of an Intrafollicular Injection of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 on the Mechanism of Follicle Deviation in Heifers and Mares1

Abstract In cattle and mares, free insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is higher in the future dominant follicle (F1) than in the future largest subordinate follicle (F2) before deviation in diameter or selection is manifested between the two follicles. The effect of IGF-1 on other follicular-fluid factors and on the destiny of F2 were studied in two experiments in each species, using a total of 40 heifers and 42 mares. An injection of IGF-1 was made into F2 at the expected beginning of deviation (heifers, F1 ≥ 8.5 mm; mares, F1 ≥ 20.0 mm; Hour 0). In heifers, follicular fluid was taken from F2 at Hours 3, 6, 12, or 24; each heifer was sampled only once. In mares, sequential F2 samples were taken from each mare at Hours 0, 6, and 24 or at Hours 12 and 24. Transvaginal ultrasound guidance was used for treatment and sample collection. In heifers, IGF-1 treatment of F2 stimulated the secretion of estradiol (P < 0.05) between Hours 3 and 6 and androstenedione (P < 0.05) between Hours 3 and 12. In F2 of control heifers, estradiol decreased (P < 0.05) and androstenedione did not change significantly. In mares, IGF-1 treatment of F2 did not affect the concentrations of estradiol during the 24-h posttreatment period; androstenedione decreased (P < 0.04) in the IGF-1 group and increased (P < 0.006) in the controls. Compared with control mares, the IGF-1 group had higher (P < 0.04) activin-A at Hours 12 and 24 and higher (P < 0.0006) inhibin-A at Hour 24. After ablating F1 at Hour 24 in mares, F2 became dominant and ovulated in more mares (P < 0.0002) in the IGF-1 group (12/14) than in the control group (2/14). These results are consistent with reported temporal relationships among follicular factors during deviation in both species and indicate that IGF-1 plays a key role in controlling the temporal relationships; however, no indication was found that IGF-1 stimulated estradiol production in mares during the 24 h after treatment.
Affective video and problem solving within a Web-environment

Currently there is a growing interest in Web-based multimedia learning environments, particularly those making use of asynchronous streaming video. This interest motivates renewed attention to properties of video for educational purposes. A typical property of video is its emotion-evoking potential. Research by Isen, Daubman, and Nowicki (1987), Kaufmann and Vosburg (1997) and by Vosburg (1998) on video-evoked positive or negative mood states inspired a research project on the didactical functionality of emotion-evoking video materials in relationship to (educational) problem solving tasks within a Web-based environment. The results show that the video materials that were used in the experiment induced the expected positive or negative mood. Differential effects of positive or negative mood for problem solving tasks, however, were not observed. This outcome is discussed in the context of the findings of the above-mentioned authors.
The Influence of Transformational Leadership and Job Burnout on Child Protective Services Case Managers' Commitment and Intent to Quit

ABSTRACT Job burnout is prevalent in child welfare with turnover rates estimated between 20% and 40% nationwide. Although effective leadership has been shown to facilitate positive job attitudes and low job burnout in many industries, including healthcare organizations, limited research exists examining whether transformational leadership affects job burnout and job attitudes among child protective services (CPS) case managers. Moreover, no research exists examining whether job burnout mediates the relationships between transformational leadership and job attitudes. This study was designed to examine the relationships between transformational leadership, job burnout, and job attitudes among CPS case managers and whether job burnout mediates those relationships. Bass's theory of transformational leadership and Maslach's theory of job burnout provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. In this nonexperimental study, 197 CPS case managers (83% women) participated by completing an online survey. Results indicated that transformational leadership and job burnout correlated with each other and with job attitudes as hypothesized, and job burnout partially mediated the relationships between transformational leadership and the criterion variables. Our findings suggest that child welfare organizations should hire and/or train transformational leaders to reduce job burnout and increase job attitudes among CPS case managers. Directions for future research are discussed.
XIAP-mediated Caspase Inhibition in Hodgkin's Lymphoma–derived B Cells

The malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and HL-derived B cell lines were previously shown to be resistant to different apoptotic stimuli. We show here that cytochrome c fails to stimulate caspases-9 and -3 activation in cytosolic extracts of HL-derived B cells, which is due to high level expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP). Coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed that XIAP, apoptosis protease-activating factor–1, and caspase-3 are complexed in HL-derived B cell lysates. Even after stimulation with exogenous cytochrome c and dATP, XIAP impairs the proteolytic processing and activation of caspase-3. In cytosolic extracts, inhibition of XIAP by the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac)/DIABLO, or immunodepletion of XIAP restores cytochrome c–triggered processing and activation of caspase-3. Smac or a Smac-derived agonistic peptide also sensitized intact HL-derived B cells for the apoptotic action of staurosporine. Finally, Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells of primary tumor HL tissues also constitutively and abundantly express XIAP. The results of this paper suggest that high level XIAP expression is a hallmark of HL, which may play a crucial role in resistance to apoptosis.
A simplified expression for optical absorbance in Si solar cells

An expression for optical absorbance in Si is derived, which is a simplification of the expression for the same quantity given by Basore. Unlike the Basore expression, the simplified expression does not require the determination of the front-surface external and internal reflectance prior to be used. For textured solar cells it is equivalent to the Basore expression, if the average ray-path angle with respect to the surface normal is equal at all passes of light across a cell. Unlike the Basore expression, it allows fitting the measured quantum efficiency of planar solar cells with diffuse rear surface. The simplified expression can be easily implemented in the numerical simulation program PC1d. The measured quantum efficiency of a textured solar cell is fitted with both the new and Basore expressions. Overlapping fit-curves are obtained. The measured quantum efficiency of a planar solar cell with not-polished rear surface is fitted by using the new expression. Finally, with the new expression, the maximum absorbance for weakly absorbed light is estimated in solar cells with textured back surface at both flat and textured front surfaces.
A Wearable Accelerometer System for Unobtrusive Monitoring of Parkinson's Diease Motor Symptoms

Parkinson's disease is a complex condition currently monitored at home with paper diaries which rely on subjective and unreliable assessment of motor function at nonstandard time intervals. We present an innovative wearable and unobtrusive monitoring system for patients which can help provide physicians with significantly improved assessment of patients' responses to drug therapies and lead to better-targeted treatment regimens. In this paper we describe the algorithmic development of the system and an evaluation in patients for assessing the onset and duration of advanced PD motor symptoms.
Spatial Representation by Persons who are Blind: A Study of the Effects of Learning and Development

Children and adolescents who are congenitally and adventitiously blind were divided into four age groups and introduced to two different unfamiliar environments (small and large) in a maximum of four trials. Spatial representation was assessed through the subjects’ construction of models and estimates of distance. It was found that age is the most important factor, while learning seems to play a subordinate role in the development of spatial representation of blind people.
Reconstruction of the Radar Image From Actual DDMs Collected by TechDemoSat-1 GNSS-R Mission

In this study, a new high-level remote sensing image product is generated by exploiting Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) measurements collected by the TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1) mission. This product consists of normalized radar cross-section (NRCS) measurements arranged in a gridded format. The product is obtained reconstructing NRCSs from actual TDS-1 delay Doppler maps (DDMs) using a deconvolution method based on the two-dimensional (2-D) truncated singular-value decomposition (TSVD). The proposed method is here tested, for the first time, on actual DDMs that include nonhomogeneous areas related to land/sea transition. Experimental results demonstrate that: 1) the gridded product can be successfully reconstructed from actual DDMs; 2) this product is suitable for imaging remote sensing purposes since it exhibits a uniform spatial resolution of 8 × 30 km within an area of around 40 × 40 km; 3) land/sea transitions, which can be hardly recognized in the DDM, can be well located in the gridded product.
Interpreting Modern Political Philosophy: From Machiavelli to Marx

Introduction A.Edwards and J.Townshend Machiavelli M.Ramsay Hobbes A.Edwards Locke T.Kenyon Hume J.Salter Rousseau A.Apperley Burke D.Shugarman Kant K.Flikschuh Hegel A.Burns Mill J.Seglow Marx J.Townshend
Goals as Reference Points: Empirical Evidence from a Virtual Reward System

Heath et al. (1999) propose a prospect theory model for goal behavior which offers insights on how goals affect individual and group performance. Their analytical model is based on the assumption that goals inherit the main properties of the prospect theory value function, i.e., reference point dependence, loss aversion, and diminishing sensitivity. Evidence from laboratory experiments as well as first evidence from the field support this modeling choice. In this paper, we complement this work by investigating whether the main properties of the prospect theory value function transfer to goal behavior in the field. In particular, we analyze how individual performance is affected by the presence of goals. For our research, we take user activity data from a popular German Question & Answer community and analyze how users adjust their contribution behavior in the days surrounding goal achievement, where goals are represented by badges. We find that users gradually increase their performance in the days prior to earning a badge, with performance peaking on the day of the promotion. In subsequent days, user performance gradually diminishes again, with the decline being strongest on the day immediately following the badge achievement. Overall, user performance is higher in the days preceding badge achievement, compared to subsequent days. These findings reflect the characteristic S-shape of the prospect theory value function which is convex below the reference point and concave above it. Our results thus support the transferability of the main properties of the prospect theory value function to goal behavior in the field and suggest a distinct shape of the value function around goals.
36-month treatment experience of two doses of leuprolide acetate 3-month depot for children with central precocious puberty.

CONTEXT We have recently demonstrated short-term (6-month) efficacy and safety of leuprolide acetate 3-month depot 11.25 and 30 mg in children with central precocious puberty (CPP). OBJECTIVE To assess long-term (36-month) hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis suppression and safety of leuprolide acetate 3-month depot 11.25 and 30 mg in children with CPP. DESIGN Open-label, 36-month extension. SETTING Twenty pediatric endocrine centers. PATIENTS Seventy-two children (mean age, 8.5 ± 1.6 y; 65 females) with CPP completed and showed maintenance of LH suppression after a 6-month lead-in study. INTERVENTION Leuprolide acetate depot (11.25 or 30 mg) administered im every 3 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Peak-stimulated LH, estradiol, T, growth rate, pubertal progression, and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS Twenty-nine of 34 subjects in the 11.25-mg group and 36 of 38 subjects in the 30-mg group had LH values < 4 mIU/mL after day 1 at all time points. All seven subjects who escaped LH suppression at any time still maintained sex steroid concentrations at prepubertal levels and showed no signs of pubertal progression. AEs were comparable between groups, with injection site pain being the most common (26.4% overall). No AE led to discontinuation of study drug. The safety profile over 36 months was comparable to that observed during the 6-month pivotal study. CONCLUSIONS The two doses of leuprolide acetate 3-month depot were associated with an acceptable safety profile and provided maintenance of LH suppression in the majority of children with CPP during the 36 months of the study or until readiness for puberty.
Activation of Different Anterior Cingulate Foci in Association with Hypothesis Testing and Response Selection

Much everyday behavior is implicitly guided by hypotheses about the world which are monitored and updated in the light of changing circumstances. The process of translating these hypotheses into behavior typically involves implementing choices, often based on incompletely specified information. The present study aimed at modeling these processes to determine the neural substrates of hypothesis testing and, in particular, how these are modulated by the requirement to make choices. We used positron emission tomography to study six right-handed volunteers performing an insoluble hypothesis testing task in which subjects attempted to identify a rule determining which of two black and white checkerboard stimuli was correct. This task was compared with a control task matched for perceptuomotor requirements, but involving no hypothesis testing. Both tasks were performed with or without a requirement to make a choice. Structures activated in association with hypothesis testing included the cerebellum, left anterior cingulate, right precuneus, right thalamus, and left inferior frontal gyrus. The requirement to choose a response was associated with activation of the left anterior cingulate and right lateral orbitofrontal cortex. A significant modulation of activation associated with hypothesis testing was observed in the anterior cingulate region that was also activated by making a choice. These findings are discussed in terms of the neural substrates of complex "executive" tasks. We argue that the precise cognitive parameters of such tasks, and specifically the requirement to implement decisions in actual behavior, are critical in determining the associated neural response.
Improving CUR matrix decomposition and the Nyström approximation via adaptive sampling

The CUR matrix decomposition and the Nystrom approximation are two important low-rank matrix approximation techniques. The Nystrom method approximates a symmetric positive semidefinite matrix in terms of a small number of its columns, while CUR approximates an arbitrary data matrix by a small number of its columns and rows. Thus, CUR decomposition can be regarded as an extension of the Nystrom approximation. In this paper we establish a more general error bound for the adaptive column/row sampling algorithm, based on which we propose more accurate CUR and Nystrom algorithms with expected relative-error bounds. The proposed CUR and Nystrom algorithms also have low time complexity and can avoid maintaining the whole data matrix in RAM. In addition, we give theoretical analysis for the lower error bounds of the standard Nystrom method and the ensemble Nystrom method. The main theoretical results established in this paper are novel, and our analysis makes no special assumption on the data matrices.
Cell uptake survey of pegylated nanographene oxide

Graphene and more specifically, nanographene oxide (GO) has been proposed as a highly efficient antitumoral therapy agent. Nevertheless, its cell uptake kinetics, its influence in different types of cells and the possibility of controlling cellular internalization timing, is still a field that remains unexplored. Herein, different cell types have been cultured in vitro for several incubation periods in the presence of 0.075 mg ml−1 pegylated GO solutions. GO uptake kinetics revealed differences in the agent’s uptake amount and speed as a function of the type of cell involved. Osteoblast-like cells GO uptake is higher and faster without resulting in greater cell membrane damage. Moreover, the dependence on the commonly used PEG nature (number of branches) also influences the viability and cell uptake speed. These facts play an important role in the future definition of timing parameters and selective cell uptake control in order to achieve an effective therapy.
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY FROM CHLOROFORM EXTRACT OF ZILLA SPINOSA

Six known compounds, bergaptane, psoralene, umbleferone, s-amyrin, friedelene and sterol-β-D-glucopyranoside in addition to Campesterol, Spinasterol, s -Sitosterol and Stigmasterol were isolated and identified from chloroform extract of the aerial parts of Zilla spinosa. Air-dried powder of the aerial parts of Zilla spinosa was extracted with petroleum ether (40-60oC) and the solvent was stripped off under reduced pressure. The above lipoidal matter was subjected to saponification for subsequent investigation. GLC analysis of the unsaponifiable matter from petroleum ether extract revealed series of hydrocarbons ranging from C14- C28 in addition to Campesterol, Spinasterol, s-Sitosterol, α-Amyrine, s–Amyrine, Squalene, and Stigmasterol. Fatty acids analysis by using GLC technique revealed the presence of nine fatty acids. The anti-inflammatory activity of CHCl3 extract from the aerial parts of Zilla spinosa was assayed in male rate using carrageenan–induced rat paw edema in comparison with Indomethacin. Analgesic activity of CHCl3 extract of Zilla spinosa was assayed in mice using acetic acid. The crude drugs were maximally active at dose (400mg/kg b.wt). Biological screening of the chloroform extract showed that the plant is highly safe and has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects. The chloroform extract was tested against two human tumor cell lines namely; colon (HCT116) and liver (HepG2). The extract showed the more active against colon (HCT116) cell line IC50 14.5 ug/ml.
Utility of CT angiography and MR angiography for the follow-up of experimental aneurysms treated with stents or Guglielmi detachable coils.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous studies have depicted arterial and aneurysmal anatomy with three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D-TOF) MR angiography before and after treatment with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) and with CT angiography before and after treatment with stents and stent-grafts. We investigated the ability of time-resolved contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography (3D MR digital subtraction angiography [DSA]) to accurately depict the anatomy of experimental lateral aneurysms before and after treatment with GDCs and a variety of stents or stent-grafts, and compared these findings with 3D-TOF MR angiography without and with contrast enhancement and CT angiography. METHODS Two nitinol stents, two nitinol-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) stent-grafts, and two stainless steel stents were deployed in three dogs with experimental carotid aneurysms. In a fourth animal, one of three aneurysms was completely occluded with GDCs. The other two aneurysms were loosely packed to ensure persistence of some residual aneurysmal lumen. Cut-film angiography, CT angiography, 3D-TOF MR angiography without and with contrast enhancement, and 3D MR DSA were performed in all dogs before and 3 weeks after treatment. RESULTS 3D MR DSA was superior to conventional 3D-TOF MR angiography without and with contrast enhancement in accurately depicting experimental lateral aneurysms and superior to CT angiography in depicting aneurysms treated by GDCs. 3D MR DSA and CT angiography were comparable in depicting vessels treated with nitinol stents and stent-grafts, whereas CT angiography was superior for showing vessels treated by stainless steel stents. CONCLUSION We recommend further development and clinical evaluation of 3D MR DSA for imaging cerebral aneurysms before and after treatment with GDCs. 3D MR DSA or CT angiography may be useful for evaluating vessels containing nitinol stents or nitinol-PTFE stent-grafts, whereas CT angiography should be used for follow-up of vessels treated by stainless steel stents.
A Fast Variational Approach for Learning Markov Random Field Language Models

Language modelling is a fundamental building block of natural language processing. However, in practice the size of the vocabulary limits the distributions applicable for this task: specifically, one has to either resort to local optimization methods, such as those used in neural language models, or work with heavily constrained distributions. In this work, we take a step towards overcoming these difficulties. We present a method for global-likelihood optimization of a Markov random field language model exploiting long-range contexts in time independent of the corpus size. We take a variational approach to optimizing the likelihood and exploit underlying symmetries to greatly simplify learning. We demonstrate the efficiency of this method both for language modelling and for part-of-speech tagging.