Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of methods of DNA extraction from stream sediments

In Upper Three Runs Creek (Aiken, S.C.) and many other environments, less than 1% of bacteria visible microscopically can be cultured. Exploitation of molecular biology techniques has led to development of new methods, such as extraction of nucleic acids from soils or sediments, to study the dominant, nonculturable bacteria. The purpose of this study was to compare three published methods of DNA extraction that fall into two general categories: those in which cells are lysed in sediments (the Ogram and Tsai and methods [A. Ogram, G. S. Sayler, and T. Barkay, J. Microbiol. Methods 7:57-66, 1987; Y. L. Tsai and B. H. Olson, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:1070-1074, 1991]) and those in which cells are removed from sediments prior to lysis (the Jacobsen method [C. S. Jacobsen and O. S. Rasmussen; Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:2458-2462, 1992]). DNA yield varied with extraction method; the Ogram method had a significantly higher yield than the other methods. However, DNA extracted via the Ogram method was badly sheared and contained a smaller proportion of eubacterial DNA. The Tsai method was less time consuming than the other methods, but DNA samples were of lower purity. If DNA purity is of paramount concern (as would be the case if PCR was to be performed) and quantity is not important, the Jacobsen method is recommended because of the low concentration of contaminants. If DNA is to be used directly in DNA-DNA hybridizations, the Ogram method is recommended since it gives maximal yields. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
eHealth Activity among African American and White Cancer Survivors: A New Application of Theory

ABSTRACT eHealth is a promising resource for cancer survivors and may contribute to reducing racial disparities in cancer survivorship. This research applies the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to examine eHealth activity among African American (AfAm) and White cancer survivors. In a population-based sample of AfAm and White survivors (n = 300), a Poisson regression tested whether UTAUT constructs (facilitating conditions, social influence, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness) and beliefs about security/trustworthiness of eHealth were associated with the number of eHealth activities respondents had used. To test whether the effects varied across racial groups, interactions between each of these five facets and survivor race were included in the model. The model adjusted for demographic characteristics, cancer history, and internet access and use. Across racial groups, facilitating conditions (IRR = 1.44, 95%CI [1.17, 1.77]) and perceived usefulness (IRR = 1.16, 95%CI [1.08, 1.24]) were associated with increased eHealth activity. A marginally significant interaction between race and perceived ease of use (IRR = 1.17, 95%CI [0.99, 1.39]) indicated this perception was associated with decreased eHealth activity for White but not AfAm survivors. A significant interaction between race and perceived security/trustworthiness (IRR = 1.16, 95%CI [1.02, 1.32]) indicated this perception was associated with increased eHealth activity for AfAm but not White survivors. Social influence was not associated with eHealth use for either group (IRR = 1.07, 95%CI [0.98, 1.16]). Interventions targeting attitudes about eHealth may encourage its adoption and use. Furthermore, eHealth tools intended for use among AfAm cancer survivors should ensure they are secure and emphasize trustworthiness to intended users.
Contribution of the LIM Domain and Nebulin-Repeats to the Interaction of Lasp-2 with Actin Filaments and Focal Adhesions

Lasp-2 binds to actin filaments and concentrates in the actin bundles of filopodia and lamellipodia in neural cells and focal adhesions in fibroblastic cells. Lasp-2 has three structural regions: a LIM domain, a nebulin-repeat region, and an SH3 domain; however, the region(s) responsible for its interactions with actin filaments and focal adhesions are still unclear. In this study, we revealed that the N-terminal fragment from the LIM domain to the first nebulin-repeat module (LIM-n1) retained actin-binding activity and showed a similar subcellular localization to full-length lasp-2 in neural cells. The LIM domain fragment did not interact with actin filaments or localize to actin filament bundles. In contrast, LIM-n1 showed a clear subcellular localization to filopodial actin bundles. Although truncation of the LIM domain caused the loss of F-actin binding activity and the accumulation of filopodial actin bundles, these truncated fragments localized to focal adhesions. These results suggest that lasp-2 interactions with actin filaments are mediated through the cooperation of the LIM domain and the first nebulin-repeat module in vitro and in vivo. Actin filament binding activity may be a major contributor to the subcellular localization of lasp-2 to filopodia but is not crucial for lasp-2 recruitment to focal adhesions.
Burnout , vicarious traumatization and its prevention What is burnout , what is vicarious traumatization ?

Previous studies on burnout and vicarious traumatization are reviewed and summarized with a list of signs and symptoms. From the author’s own observations two histories of caregivers working with torture survivors are described which exemplify the risk, implications and consequences of secondary trauma. Contributing factors in the social and political framework in which caregivers operate are analyzed and possible means of prevention suggested, particularly focussing on the conflict of roles when providing evaluations on trauma victims for health and immigration
The Anatomy of a Confession: An Examination of Verbal and Nonverbal Cues Surrounding a Confession

Many deception studies focus on interviewees who do not confess to wrongdoing; confessions are often treated as anomalies and ignored. This study begins to explore confessions by using a mixed-methods secondary analysis of verbal and nonverbal cues that accompany confessions about wrongdoing. Confederates encouraged participants to cheat for extra money during a trivia game, and expert interviewers subsequently interrogated participants about their behavior. Using the relational topoi as our guiding lens, we examined changes in participants’ nonverbal behavior from before their confession to after their confession. Compared to the period leading up to their confession, participants became more pleasant and dominant but less synchronized with the interviewer after their confession. Qualitative analysis of the verbal tactics used by interviewers to elicit confessions revealed that one interviewer was more likely than the other three interviewers to offer diffusion of responsibility which subsequently prompted the participant to confess and lead to a high detection success rate. Practical implications of these findings are considered.
Clinical Evaluation of Subcutaneous Lactate Measurement in Patients after Major Cardiac Surgery

Minimally invasive techniques to access subcutaneous adipose tissue for glucose monitoring are successfully applied in type1 diabetic and critically ill patients. During critical illness, the addition of a lactate sensor might enhance prognosis and early intervention. Our objective was to evaluate SAT as a site for lactate measurement in critically ill patients. In 40 patients after major cardiac surgery, arterial blood and SAT microdialysis samples were taken in hourly intervals. Lactate concentrations from SAT were prospectively calibrated to arterial blood. Analysis was based on comparison of absolute lactate concentrations (arterial blood vs. SAT) and on a 6-hour lactate trend analysis, to test whether changes of arterial lactate can be described by SAT lactate. Correlation between lactate readings from arterial blood vs. SAT was highly significant (r2 = 0.71, P < .001). Nevertheless, 42% of SAT lactate readings and 35% of the SAT lactate trends were not comparable to arterial blood. When a 6-hour stabilization period after catheter insertion was introduced, 5.5% of SAT readings and 41.6% of the SAT lactate trends remained incomparable to arterial blood. In conclusion, replacement of arterial blood lactate measurements by readings from SAT is associated with a substantial shortcoming in clinical predictability in patients after major cardiac surgery.
On the Signed (Total) $k$-Domination Number of a Graph

Let $k$ be a positive integer and $G=(V,E)$ be a graph of minimum degree at least $k-1$. A function $f:V\rightarrow \{-1,1\}$ is called a \emph{signed $k$-dominating function} of $G$ if $\sum_{u\in N_G[v]}f(u)\geq k$ for all $v\in V$. The \emph{signed $k$-domination number} of $G$ is the minimum value of $\sum_{v\in V}f(v)$ taken over all signed $k$-dominating functions of $G$. The \emph{signed total $k$-dominating function} and \emph{signed total $k$-domination number} of $G$ can be similarly defined by changing the closed neighborhood $N_G[v]$ to the open neighborhood $N_G(v)$ in the definition. The \emph{upper signed $k$-domination number} is the maximum value of $\sum_{v\in V}f(v)$ taken over all \emph{minimal} signed $k$-dominating functions of $G$. In this paper, we study these graph parameters from both algorithmic complexity and graph-theoretic perspectives. We prove that for every fixed $k\geq 1$, the problems of computing these three parameters are all \NP-hard. We also present sharp lower bounds on the signed $k$-domination number and signed total $k$-domination number for general graphs in terms of their minimum and maximum degrees, generalizing several known results about signed domination.
Correlation between OFF and ON Channels Underlies Dark Target Selectivity in an Insect Visual System

In both vertebrates and invertebrates, evidence supports separation of luminance increments and decrements (ON and OFF channels) in early stages of visual processing (Hartline, 1938; Joesch et al., 2010); however, less is known about how these parallel pathways are recombined to encode form and motion. In Drosophila, genetic knockdown of inputs to putative ON and OFF pathways and direct recording from downstream neurons in the wide-field motion pathway reveal that local elementary motion detectors exist in pairs that separately correlate contrast polarity channels, ON with ON and OFF with OFF (Joesch et al., 2013). However, behavioral responses to reverse-phi motion of discrete features reveal additional correlations of the opposite signs (Clark et al., 2011). We here present intracellular recordings from feature detecting neurons in the dragonfly that provide direct physiological evidence for the correlation of OFF and ON pathways. These neurons show clear polarity selectivity for feature contrast, responding strongly to targets that are darker than the background and only weakly to dark contrasting edges. These dark target responses are much stronger than the linear combination of responses to ON and OFF edges. We compare these data with output from elementary motion detector-based models (Eichner et al., 2011; Clark et al., 2011), with and without stages of strong center-surround antagonism. Our data support an alternative elementary small target motion detector model, which derives dark target selectivity from the correlation of a delayed OFF with an un-delayed ON signal at each individual visual processing unit (Wiederman et al., 2008, 2009).
New detections of Mn, Ti and Mg in damped Lyα systems: Toward reconciling the dust/nucleosynthesis degeneracy

We have combined new high resolution UVES-VLT observations of a sample of four damped Ly systems (DLAs) at redshifts between zabs= 1:7 2:5 with the existing HIRES-Keck spectra to undertake a comprehensive study of their physical conditions and their abundances of up to 15 elements. In this paper, we present abundance measurements for Mn, Ti and Mg which are among the first presented in the literature at these redshifts. We confirm the underabundance of Mn with respect to Fe as observed in lower redshift DLAs and a trend with decreasing metallicity very similar to the one observed in Galactic metal-poor stars. This agreement between the Mn/Fe ratios in DLAs and in Galactic stars suggests that the DLAs and the Milky Way share some similarities in their star formation histories. However, these similarities must be cautiously interpreted and investigated in light of all of the elements observed in the DLAs. We have obtained a first measurement and a significant upper limit of the Ti abundance at zabs 2 from the Tiii lines atrest> 3000 A, and we discuss how the relative abundance of this highly depleted element can be used to prove unambiguously any enhancement of the abundance of the-elements relative to Fe-peak elements. We present the abundances of Mg for two DLAs in addition to the single Mg measurement existing in the literature. Contrary to the trend expected from dierential depletion, the (Mg/Si, S) ratios tend to be over-solar. The eect is at the level of the measurement errors, but worth investigating in a larger sample because it could be suggestive of a peculiar nucleosynthesis eect.
Radiotherapy Suppresses Bone Cancer Pain through Inhibiting Activation of cAMP Signaling in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion and Spinal Cord

Radiotherapy is one of the major clinical approaches for treatment of bone cancer pain. Activation of cAMP-PKA signaling pathway plays important roles in bone cancer pain. Here, we examined the effects of radiotherapy on bone cancer pain and accompanying abnormal activation of cAMP-PKA signaling. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were used and received tumor cell implantation (TCI) in rat tibia (TCI cancer pain model). Some of the rats that previously received TCI treatment were treated with X-ray radiation (radiotherapy). Thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia were measured and used for evaluating level of pain caused by TCI treatment. PKA mRNA expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was detected by RT-PCR. Concentrations of cAMP, IL-1β, and TNF-α as well as PKA activity in DRG and the spinal cord were measured by ELISA. The results showed that radiotherapy significantly suppressed TCI-induced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. The level of PKA mRNA in DRG, cAMP concentration and PKA activity in DRG and in the spinal cord, and concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in the spinal cord were significantly reduced by radiotherapy. In addition, radiotherapy also reduced TCI-induced bone loss. These findings suggest that radiotherapy may suppress bone cancer pain through inhibition of activation of cAMP-PKA signaling pathway in DRG and the spinal cord.
Addiction in Extreme Sports: An Exploration of Withdrawal States in Rock Climbers

Background and aims Extreme sports athletes are often labeled “adrenaline junkies” by the media, implying they are addicted to their sport. Research suggests during abstinence these athletes may experience withdrawal states characteristic of individuals with an addiction (Celsi, Rose, & Leigh, 1993; Franken, Zijlstra, & Muris, 2006; Willig, 2008). Despite this notion, no research has directly explored withdrawal experiences of extreme sports athletes. Methods Using semi-structured interviews, we explored withdrawal experiences of high (n = 4) and average-ability (n = 4) male rock climbers during periods of abstinence. We investigated the psychological and behavioral aspects of withdrawal, including craving, anhedonia, and negative affect; and differences in the frequency and intensity of these states between groups. Results Deductive content analysis indicated support for each of the three categories of anhedonia, craving, and negative affect. Consistent with existing substance addiction literature, high-ability climbers recalled more frequent and intense craving states and negative affect during abstinence compared with average-ability climbers. No differences in anhedonic symptoms between high and average-ability participants were found. Conclusions Rock climbing athletes appear to experience withdrawal symptoms when abstinent from their sport comparable to individuals with substance and behavioral addictions. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

Previous quantitative research examining Disney movies has highlighted that whilst prince characters display largely balanced gender profiles, princesses exhibit biased gender role portrayals—performing mostly feminine characteristics, rarely participating in rescue behavior, and concluding movies in romantic relationships with the prince. However, such research, as well as public commentary, has also suggested that princess characters in movies released across the 2000s and 2010s may have more positive gender role portrayals. This study aimed to test these assertions by utilizing content coding analysis to examine the behavioral characteristics, rescue behavior, and romantic conclusions of prince and princess characters in five iconic Disney films released between 2009 and 2016 (The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave (released under Pixar), Frozen, and Moana). Comparisons were also made with earlier titles to assess historical changes. Results showed that princesses in “2000s to 2010s” movies exhibited an almost equal number of masculine and feminine behaviors, thus demonstrating more egalitarian profiles over time. In contrast, princes appeared to adopt a more feminine behavioral profile in later movies. In addition, characters engaged in equal numbers of rescue behaviors, and princesses were more likely to remain single in “2000s to 2010s” movies. Results therefore suggest that Disney is indeed presenting more diverse, androgynous, balanced characters to viewers, and the theoretical and practical implications for the socialization of young child viewers are discussed.
Large-scale modulation of star formation in void walls

We perform a statistical study of the characteristics of galaxies in voids and void walls in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey catalogues. We investigate dependencies of the distribution of galaxy spectral types and colours as a function position to void centres for different luminosity and local density ranges. We find a trend towards bluer, star-forming galaxies in void walls beyond the local density dependence. These results indicate that luminosity and local density do not entirely determine the distribution of galaxy properties such as colours and spectral types, and point towards a large-scale modulation of star formation. We argue that this effect is due to the lower accretion rate and merger histories of galaxies that arriving at void walls from the emptier inner void regions.
Design and implementation of a scalable web cluster system using a light-weight cluster control protocol

The need for web services is constantly increasing, while the requirements for web services are getting more and more complicated. Thus, web server systems with ever increasing performance are constantly in need. To efficiently satiate this need, web cluster systems, which have been a topic of much research, have been suggested due to its scalability. In this paper, we design and implement a scalable web cluster system using a light-weight cluster control protocol on the IP layer in the Linux operating system. Experimental results illustrate that our implementation of the web cluster system linearly improves performance as the server nodes increase. We show that although the web cluster control protocol implemented on the IP layer does not support any reliable mechanism, the problem related to packet loss or fault has little effect on the system performance.
The Impact of Timed Reading Activity on Iranian EFL learners Reading Speed, Comprehension, and Attitudes at Intermediate Level

Learning English is one of the most important activities around the world. Learning a language includes a number of skills and sub-skills. Reading is one of the skills of language learning, and it is the focus of the present study. Comprehension and speed are two main parts of the reading skill. The main aim of this study is to investigate the effects of timed reading activity on speed, comprehension and the attitudes of English learners regarding the use of timed reading activity. To this aim, a pre-test, a post-test and a questionnaire were used to gather data. 40 intermediate language learners participated in this study, and they were divided into two groups; experimental and control groups. Timed reading activity was employed as the treatment for the experimental group. The collected data revealed that the treatment had effect on the reading speed of the participants in the experimental group. Moreover, the data indicated that the timed reading activity was not highly effective to develop the reading comprehension skill of the language learners. And the results of the questionnaire indicated that a large number of the participants had positive attitude toward the timed reading activity.
Retrospective cohort study of false alarm rates associated with a series of heart operations: the case for hospital mortality monitoring groups

Abstract Objective To examine the efficacy of different methods of detecting a high death rate and determining whether an increase in deaths after heart transplantation could be explained by chance. Design Retrospective analysis of deaths after heart transplantation. Seven methods were used: mortality above national average, mortality excessively above national average, test of moving average mortality, test of number of consecutive deaths, sequential probability ratio test (SPRT), cusum graph with v-mask, and CRAM chart. The national average mortality was not available and a rate of 15% was used instead as the benchmark. Setting Regional cardiothoracic unit. Participants All 371 patients who received a heart transplant in the programme, 1986-2000. Main outcome measures 30 day survival after transplantation. Results All methods provided evidence that the 30 day mortality had been high at some stage. The probability that the finding was a false positive depended on which test was used. At the end of the series the average mortality, sequential probability ratio, and cusum tests indicated a level of deaths higher than the benchmark while the remaining four tests yielded negative results. Conclusions If the decision to test for outlying mortality is made retrospectively, in the light of the data, it is not possible to determine the false positive rate. Prospective on-site mortality monitoring with the CRAM chart is recommended as this method can quantify the death rate and identify periods when an audit of cases is indicated, even when data from other institutions are not available. A hospital mortality monitoring group can routinely monitor all deaths in the hospital, by specialty, using hospital episode statistics (HES) data and appropriate statistical methods.