Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current status of vaccination against African trypanosomiasis

SUMMARY Anti-trypanosomiasis vaccination still remains the best theoretical option in the fight against a disease that is continuously hovering between its wildlife reservoir and its reservoir in man and livestock. While antigentic variation of the parasite surface coat has been considered the major obstacle in the development of a functional vaccine, recent research into the biology of B cells has indicated that the problems might go further than that. This paper reviews past and current attempts to design both anti-trypanosome vaccines, as well as vaccines directed towards the inhibition of infection-associated pathology.
A theoretical proposal for the relationship between context and disease

Studies of ‘context’ are increasingly widespread. These studies often become entrenched in methodological debates rather than being conceptually satisfying. We suggest that part of the problem lies in an inappropriate use of ‘classic’ methods used by epidemiologists to study context and that it may be useful to study, instead, the relationship between agency (the ability for people to deploy a range of causal powers), practices (the activities that make and transform the world we live in) and social structure (the rules and resources in society). We utilise two examples from the current literature to illustrate these problems; the study of lifestyles and social inequalities in disease outcomes. We develop the notion of collective lifestyles as a tentative solution, inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social action, Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory and Amartya Sen’s capability theory. Collective lifestyles are defined as an expression of a shared way of relating and acting in a given environment. It is proposed that context is created by relationships between people.
The changing face of the ‘good mother’: trends in research into families with a child with intellectual disability, and some concerns

This article reviews changing perspectives in recent social science research into families of children with intellectual disability. These latest trends emphasise family resilience, adaptation, and transformation, with the focus predominantly on mothers and their ability to psychologically adjust to their caring challenges. A concern is that by concentrating on the adaptive strategies of mothers, researchers risk minimising the socio-political dimensions of this experience. The theme of the ‘good mother’ figures strongly in this research, linked to the limiting socio-cultural narratives available to mothers of children with intellectual disability that, it is argued, may condone their continuing marginalisation.
Comparison of optimization methods for discriminative training criteria

In this work we compare two parameter optimization techniques for discriminative training using the MMI criterion: the extended Baum-Welch (EBW) algorithm and the generalized probabilistic descent (GPD) method. Using Gaussian emission densities we found special expressions for the step sizes in GPD, leading to reestimation formula very similar to those derived for the EBW algorithm. Results were produced for both the TI digitstring and the SieTill corpus for continuously spoken American English and German digitstrings. The results for both techniques do not show significant differences. This experimental results support the strong link between EBW and GPD as expected from the analytic comparison.
Improved 6.7GHz CMOS VCO delay cell with up to seven octave tuning range

The choice facing most VCO and PLL designers in modern CMOS processes is whether to use LC oscillators with large area and low phase noise, or to use an inverter based all transistor solution with poor phase noise, but much smaller size. This paper makes significant progress in closing the gap in performance between the inverter based and LC approaches. A novel double feedback dual inverter delay cell is proposed that achieves a significantly wider tuning range than previously reported whilst maintaining excellent phase noise performance. A design methodology is presented that includes noise analysis relating transistor level dimensions to the predicted phase noise performance. Two 120 nm 1.2 V design examples demonstrate that VCOs based on the improved delay cell can reach frequencies in excess of 6.7 GHz, and that tuning ranges of over 7 octaves can be achieved.
Cloning, characterization, and expression of a gene region from Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP involved in the dechlorination of atrazine

We previously identified a Pseudomonas sp. strain, ADP, which rapidly metabolized atrazine in liquid culture, agar plates, and soils (R. T. Mandelbaum, D. L. Allan, L. P. Wackett, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:1451-1457, 1995). In this study, we report the cloning and partial characterization of a gene region from Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP that encodes atrazine degradation activity. A 22-kb EcoRI genomic DNA fragment, designated pMD1, was shown to encode atrazine dechlorination activity in Escherichia coli DH5 alpha. Atrazine degradation was demonstrated by a zone-clearing assay on agar medium containing crystalline atrazine and by chromatographic methods. A gene conferring the atrazine-clearing phenotype was subsequently subcloned as a 1.9-kb AvaI fragment in pACYC184, designated pMD4, and was expressed in E. coli. This result and random Tn5 mutagenesis established that the 1.9-kb AvaI fragment was essential for atrazine dechlorination. High-pressure liquid and thin-layer chromatographic analyses were used to rigorously establish that E. coli containing pMD4 degraded atrazine and accumulated hydroxyatrazine. Hydroxyatrazine was detected only transiently in E. coli containing pMD1. This is consistent with the idea that hydroxyatrazine is the first metabolite in atrazine degradation by Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP. A 0.6-kb ApaI-PstI fragment from pMD4, containing the putative atrazine chlorohydrolase gene, hybridized to DNA from atrazine-degrading bacteria isolated in Switzerland and Louisiana. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gender differences in advancing to the top

Recently, there has been much empirical interest in why women are so poorly represented in executive ranks in organizations. This review summarizes the findings from recent empirical studies into the causes of gender differences in advancement to executive levels. The results are categorized to answer three questions based on the major arguments for, and assumptions made about, gender differences in advancement to the top of organizations. Are there gender differences in advancing to the top of organizations because (1) women lack the relevant knowledge, skills and expertise, that is, human capital, (2) women lack the relevant networks, are stereotyped as unsuitable, and are in male organizational cultures, that is, social capital, and/or (3) different factors are needed to advance to higher than to lower levels; women incrementally develop fewer of these factors and resources than men, and thus advance less to the top? The review most supports the second proposition. Surprisingly, even though there are many studies, several critical questions have not been addressed with strong research designs. Research using rigorous designs is especially needed to test the major theoretical frameworks.
Evaluation of in vivo analgesic activity of Scrophularia kotscyhana and isolation of bioactive compounds through activity-guided fractionation

Abstract The present study was undertaken to evaluate the in vivo analgesic activities of the extracts prepared from the aerial parts and roots of Scrophularia kotscyhana and to isolate the bioactive metabolites from the most active extract. Analgesic activities of all extracts and subextracts at the doses of 5, 10 and 30 mg/kg (i.p.) were examined using hot plate test in mice. Among the tested extracts, MeOH extract prepared from the aerial parts and the n-butanol subextract prepared thereof displayed the best analgesic activity at all doses. Phytochemical studies on n-butanol subextract led to the isolation of two new iridoid glycosides as an inseparable mixture, 8-O-acetyl-4′-O-(E)-(p-coumaroyl)-harpagide (1) and 8-O-acetyl-4′-O-(Z)-(p-coumaroyl)-harpagide (2) along with five known secondary metabolites, β-sitosterol 3-O-β-glucopyranoside (3), apigenin 7-O-β-glucopyranoside (4), apigenin 7-O-rutinoside (5), luteolin 7-O-β-glucopyranoside (6) and luteolin 7-O-rutinoside (7). The iridoid mixture (1 and 2), 3 and 4 elicited significant inhibition of pain at 5 mg/kg dose.
Animating the Pioneer versus Late Entrant Debate: An Historic Case Study

This paper examines the debate about whether early entrants/pioneers to an industry enjoy long–term advantage over their successors. While most of the research suggests that pioneers are advantaged, there are methodological problems with these studies that tend to enhance the likelihood that pioneers will be found to be more successful. Through a case study of the US animation industry, it is shown that being a late entrant was almost certainly advantageous to some of the companies concerned. The paper explores the reasons why some late entrants prevailed over others and some of the mechanisms that allowed late entrants to overcome pioneers. The factors involved in survival relative to pioneers include the limited protection of patents, complacency, the mobility of staff with expertise in a new technology (in this case cel animation), and the neglected importance of managerial and organizational factors. It is shown that the findings also have implications for the population ecology approach.
A Follow-Up Investigation of University Graduates with Learning Disabilities

Limited research explores the outcomes of postsecondary graduates with learning disabilities (LD). We surveyed 132 graduates with LD of a large, public, competitive, postsecondary institution to determine information about current levels of employment, salary, postgraduate education, and self-disclosure rates in the workplace. Based upon a response rate of 67% (n = 89), results indicated that graduates were employed at comparable rates and salaries to graduates from the institution at large and to graduates with LD described in similar studies. Levels of employment and salaries exceeded those described in previous studies of individuals with LD who did not graduate from postsecondary institutions. We also provide data on rates of postgraduate education obtainment, types of employment, and rate of employment self-disclosure.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Research Review for School Counselors

The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has risen significantly in recent years (CDC, 2012), and students with ASD present unique challenges to schools and school counselors. This article presents a synthesis of recent research literature related to ASD for the purpose of providing school counselors with assistance in understanding and addressing the needs of students with ASD. Specific areas of focus include the prevalence, developmental course, and defining characteristics of ASD, and research on the effectiveness of interventions for students with ASD. Students with ASD are at increased risk for a range of problems, including social deficits and limitations, anxiety, aggression, peer victimization, and underachievement (Ashburner, Ziviani, & Rodger, 2010). Interventions to address the social deficits of students with ASD have shown promise but also have been found to lack results that are generalizable and that persist over time (Schreiber, 2011). This article provides specific recommendations for school counselors.
PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis version 2.09

A comprehensive, but simple-to-use software package for executing a range of standard numerical analysis and operations used in quantitative paleontology has been developed. The program, called PAST (PAleontological STatistics), runs on standard Windows computers and is available free of charge. PAST integrates spread-sheet-type data entry with univariate and multivariate statistics, curve fitting, time-series analysis, data plotting, and simple phylogenetic analysis. Many of the functions are specific to paleontology and ecology, and these functions are not found in standard, more extensive, statistical packages. PAST also includes fourteen case studies (data files and exercises) illustrating use of the program for paleontological problems, making it a complete educational package for courses in quantitative methods
DNA Methyltransferase Inhibition Reverses Epigenetically Embedded Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Preferentially Affecting Polycomb Target Genes

Purpose: Cancer cell phenotypes are partially determined by epigenetic specifications, such as DNA methylation. Metastasis development is a late event in cancerogenesis and might be associated with epigenetic alterations. Experimental Design: An in vivo selection approach was used to generate highly aggressive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (A549 and HTB56) followed by genome-wide DNA methylation analysis. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects of the epigenetic agent azacytidine on DNA methylation patterns and the in vivo phenotypes were explored. Results: Widespread changes of DNA methylation were observed during development of highly aggressive cell lines. Up to 2.5% of the CpG-rich region was differentially methylated as identified by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing compared with the less aggressive parental cell lines. DNA methyltransferase inhibition by azacytidine reversed the prometastatic phenotype; this was highly associated with the preferential loss of DNA methylation at sites that were hypermethylated during the in vivo selection. Of note, polycomb (PRC2) binding sites were particularly affected by DNA methylation changes after azacytidine exposure that persisted over time. Conclusions: We could show that metastatic capability of NSCLC is closely associated with DNA methylome alterations. Because inhibition of DNA methyltransferase reversed metastasis-prone phenotype, epigenetic modulation seems to be a potential therapeutic approach to prevent metastasis formation. Clin Cancer Res; 20(4); 814–26. ©2013 AACR.
The Epidemiology of Anemia in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Prevalence and Associated Factors at Diagnosis and Follow-up and the Impact of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition

Background:Anemia is poorly studied in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. This study explored the epidemiology and associated factors of anemia at diagnosis, after 1 year, and during treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN). Methods:Three cohorts were included: (1) a representative population of newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease children (n = 184); (2) patients currently receiving care with data available at diagnosis (n = 179) and after 1 year (n = 139); and (3) 84 children treated with EEN. Results:At diagnosis, 72% were anemic. Abnormal inflammatory markers were more common in Crohn’s disease with severe anemia (severe versus no anemia [%]: raised C-reactive protein; 89% versus 48%; suboptimal albumin; 97% versus 29%; P < 0.002). Anemic children with Crohn’s disease had shorter diagnosis delay and lower BMI than nonanemic patients (severe versus mild versus no anemia, median [interquartile range]; diagnosis delay [months]: 3 [3.9] versus 6 [10] versus 8 [18], P < 0.001; BMI z score [SD]: −1.4 [1.4] versus −1.3 [1.5] versus −0.2 [1.4], P = 0.003). Extensive colitis was associated with severe anemia in ulcerative colitis. The proportion of severely anemic patients decreased from 34% to 9% and mild anemia doubled at 1 year. After EEN, severe anemia decreased (32% to 9%; P < 0.001) and the hemoglobin concentration increased by 0.75 g/dL. This was observed only after 8 weeks of treatment. Disease improvement and low hemoglobin at EEN initiation but not weight gain were associated with hemoglobin improvement. Conclusions:Anemia is high at diagnosis and follow-up and should receive more attention from the clinical team; however, the focus should remain suppression of inflammatory process in active disease.
Reliability and Validity of a Dutch Translation of a Short Scale of Attitude toward Christianity

To facilitate cross-cultural research in the psychology of religion, the reliability and validity of a Dutch translation of a seven-item short-form of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity was examined among a sample 980 young people attending Catholic secondary schools within the state-maintained sector in the Netherlands. The data support the reliability and validity of the scale and commend it for further use among young people in the Netherlands.
Are Dogs Children, Companions, or Just Animals? Understanding Variations in People's Orientations toward Animals

ABSTRACT This paper examines the variations in dog owners' attitudes toward, treatment of, and interactions with, animals. Based on 28 in-depth interviews with dog owners from a county in the Midwestern United States, I demonstrate that pets are an important part of many people's lives, often providing companionship, entertainment, and meaningful interactions; however, there are notable, distinct variations in how people relate to them. Pet owners typically exhibit one of three orientations toward pets: “dominionistic,” “humanistic,” or “protectionistic. ” The dominionistic have relatively low regard for their pets, valuing them primarily for the uses they provide, such as protection. Those employing the humanistic orientation elevate their pets to the status of surrogate humans and value their pets primarily for the affective benefits they enjoy from their close attachments. The protectionistic have high regard for both pets and animals more generally. They view pets as valuable companions and as creatures with their own interests. This typology offers insights for understanding the source and variety of the often ambiguous and contradictory relations between people and pets. I argue that individual characteristics and experiences impact how people understand and relate to animals, in large part, because they represent exposure to different cultural messages. I suggest that these orientations represent three sets of distinct cultural logics, each with distinct histories and contemporary sources.
Homogeneous Cell-Based Fluorescence Polarization Assay for the Direct Detection of cAMP

A fluorescence polarization-based functional assay for cyclic AMP (cAMP) production in cells has been proven effective for the detection of agonist-stimulated cAMP production in a HEK 293 recombinant cell line expressing the corticotropin-releasing factor subtype 2cr (CRF2a) receptor. Assays were completed in a single well of a 384-well microplate with no transfer, separation, or wash steps incurred. The assay performance is excellent for adaptation to the high throughput screening environment in terms of speed of analysis, magnitude of displaced signal, precision, and detection limits for cAMP quantitation. Relative potencies of agonists and antagonists are maintained with respect to radiometric assays. The assay withstands up to 5% DMSO and up to 10 μM concentrations of highly colored compound. These attributes suggest that accurate assessment of drug binding can be measured using this assay.
An Exploration of School Membership among Middle- and High-School Students

A personalized school environment is one of the guiding principles of many recent school reform plans. One useful model of school personalization, school membership, is proposed by Wehlage as part of his theory of drop-out prevention. Recently, Goodenow (1993) constructed a measure of school membership, the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (PSSM). The PSSM was employed with two samples of adolescents to investigate the scale's reliability and delineate its factor structure, while also extending its use to high school age youth. Consistent with the author's hypotheses, the PSSM was associated closely with students' self-concepts and ratings of school climate. Findings were integrated into Wehlage's model of school membership, and the relevance of this model for typical secondary school youth is described.
Ordinary cities: between modernity and development

specialist texts addressing these subjects. Subjects include those found on any mainstream undergraduate geography course such as cartography and environment; theoretical approaches such as post-structuralism, postmodernism and postcolonialism; and subjects found at the core of cultural geographies such as the body, sexuality, identity and heritage (although consumption is touched on in other sections, I was surprised there was no entry dedicated to this topic). An average undergraduate may use this book to guide them through the conceptually and theoretically rich and diverse field of cultural geography (even if they cannot define the field at the end, they should be able to explain why). A student who really engages with this collection, may find themselves engaged in some form of critical cultural geography for life.
Resisting ‘Empowerment’ and Realizing Power: an exploration of aspects of the GNVQ

Abstract This article examines the GNVQ pedagogy of independent learning. It focuses particularly on the key objective of transferring responsibility for learning to students, which underlies the claim that the GNVQ represents an empowering and ‘progressive’ innovation. The article explores a critical case of classroom practice in which students seized their newly acquired freedoms for their own purposes but resisted the accompanying burden of responsibility for managing their own work. Their meaning and actions are readily reconcilable, even predictable, in the light of a wealth of classroom and youth research. The article suggests that this poses problems for programmes which seek to self‐responsibilise learning without also extending opportunities for negotiating the meaning of what is to be learned. Finally, the article considers a possible interpretation of the data‐‐which is that in resisting ’empowerment’ these students in fact exercised their classroom power.
S-R correspondence effects of irrelevant visual affordance: Time course and specificity of response activation

It has been suggested that representations for action, elicited by an object's visual affordance, serve to potentiate motor components (such as a specific hand) to respond to the most afforded action. In three experiments, participants performed speeded left-right button press responses to an imperative target superimposed onto a prime image of an object suggesting a visual affordance oriented to left or right visual space. The time course of response activation was measured by varying the onset time between the prime and target. Long-lasting and gradually developing correspondence effects were found between the suggested affordance of the prime and the side of response, with little effect of response modality (hands uncrossed, hands crossed, or foot response). We conclude that visual affordances can evoke an abstract spatial response code, potentiating a wide variety of lateralized responses corresponding with the affordance.