Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-traumatic growth following acquired brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The idea that acquired brain injury (ABI) caused by stroke, hemorrhage, infection or traumatic insult to the brain can result in post-traumatic growth (PTG) for individuals is increasingly attracting psychological attention. However, PTG also attracts controversy as a result of ambiguous empirical findings. The extent that demographic variables, injury factors, subjective beliefs, and psychological health are associated with PTG following ABI is not clear. Consequently, this systematic review and meta-analysis explores the correlates of variables within these four broad areas and PTG. From a total of 744 published studies addressing PTG in people with ABI, eight studies met inclusion criteria for detailed examination. Meta-analysis of these studies indicated that growth was related to employment, longer education, subjective beliefs about change post-injury, relationship status, older age, longer time since injury, and lower levels of depression. Results from homogeneity analyses indicated significant inter-study heterogeneity across variables. There is general support for the idea that people with ABI can experience growth, and that various demographics, injury-related variables, subjective beliefs and psychological health are related to growth. The contribution of social integration and the forming of new identities post-ABI to the experience of PTG is explored. These meta-analytic findings are however constrained by methodological limitations prevalent in the literature. Clinical and research implications are discussed with specific reference to community and collective factors that enable PTG.
PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVES ON THE PRETERITE IN PERSIAN

The preterite in Persian can be used, particularly in its colloquial variety, to designate the future time and for immediate warning. These rather unusual uses of the preterite have not been investigated adequately by grammarians of the Persian language. As a purely grammatical approach will be unable to explain such non-characteristic uses of the preterite, this paper aims to explore the issue from a pragmatic perspective. Interestingly enough, such uses of the preterite are associated with the pragmatic category of deixis. For this reason, the current paper argues that the deicticity of the preterite used for expressing futurity must be explained in terms of subjective deixis, rather than from the perspective of mere temporality. The paper also argues that deontic modality can be an appropriate alternative to account for the preterite being used for the speech act of warning.
Bee Venom Mitigates Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity by Regulating CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells in Mice

Cisplatin is used as a potent anticancer drug, but it often causes nephrotoxicity. Bee venom (BV) has been used for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, and its renoprotective action was shown in NZB/W mice. However, little is known about whether BV has beneficial effects on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and how such effects might be mediated. In the present study, the BV-injected group showed a significant increase in the population of Tregs in spleen. Although there was no significant difference in the numbers of Tregs 3 days after cisplatin injection between the BV- and PBS-injected groups, more migration of Tregs into the kidney was observed 6 hours after cisplatin administration in BV group than in PBS group. In addition, BV-injected mice showed reduced levels of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, renal tissue damage, proinflammatory cytokines, and macrophage infiltration into the kidney 3 days after cisplatin administration. These renoprotective effects were abolished by the depletion of Tregs. The anticancer effect of repeated administrations of cisplatin was not affected by BV injection. These results suggest that BV has protective effects on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice, at least in part, through the regulation of Tregs without a big influence on the antitumor effects of cisplatin.
Flow-Injection Preconcentration of Chloramphenicol Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for HPLC Determination in Environmental Samples

The residue of antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP) is important issue for food quality control and also for the environmental monitoring. It is banned for use in food-producing animals and has very limited use in human medicine, because of its severe impact on human health. Determination of trace level of CAP in environmental samples requires a very sensitive analytical method and efficient preconcentration procedure. CAP can be efficiently preconcentrated in flow-injection system using flow-through reactor packed with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), but determination of CAP in eluate from MIP requires the application of chromatographic separation, which was made in reversed-phase HPLC system with UV detection. In optimized conditions the limit of detection for 100 mL sample in HPLC with offline preconcentration on MIP was evaluated as 0.66 mg/L. In hyphenated FIA-HPLC system with zone sampling the LOD for developed method was evaluated as 15 ng/L, which indicates the possibility of using it for analysis of environmental samples.
Induction of senescent cell-derived inhibitor of DNA synthesis gene, SDI1, in hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells arrested in the G2-phase of the cell cycle by 9-nitrocamptothecin.

BACKGROUND Recent studies have demonstrated that the plant-derived alkaloid camptothecin (CPT) and its derivative, 9-nitro-CPT (9NC), are cytotoxic in tumorigenic cells but cytostatic in nontumorigenic cells in vitro and in vivo. Also, CPT induces differentiation of human leukemia cells in vitro along specific lineages. In this study, we have investigated the effects of 9NC on nontumorigenic HepG2 cells derived from human hepatoblastoma. A newly discovered senescent cell-derived inhibitor (SDI1) plays a critical role in the cell cycle, so we evaluated the effect of 9NC on the expression of the SDI1 gene. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The effects of 9NC on HepG2 cells were evaluated by monitoring DNA synthesis, morphologic and ultrastructural changes of cells, and perturbation in the cell cycle and by assessing the levels of p53 protein and SDI1 mRNA. RESULTS Treatment of HepG2 cells with 9NC results in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content showed that 9NC-treated HepG2 cells are arrested in the G2-phase of the cell cycle. Light and electron microscopic examination revealed that 9NC at low concentrations induces morphologic and growth features that resemble properties highly differentiated or senescent cells, i.e., increased cell size and decreased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, as well as enlarged numbers of lysosomes, mitochondria, and lipid in the cytoplasm. No significant alteration in the p53 protein level was noted in 9NC-treated cells. In contrast to untreated, logarithmically grown HepG2 cells, 9NC-treated cells arrested at the G2-phase of the cell cycle and contained increased levels of SDI1 mRNA. Kinetic studies revealed gradual increases in SDI1 mRNA synthesis. CONCLUSIONS Induction of SDI1 mRNA by 9NC represents the first documentation that the SDI1 gene can be overexpressed in the G2-phase of the cell cycle and provides a valuable cell culture system to dissect the events controlling the G2 checkpoint. In addition, this finding corroborates the hypothesis that genes up-regulated in senescent cells can also be induced in tumor-derived immortalized cells.
Experimental Design for Human-in-the-Loop Driving Simulations

This report describes a new experimental setup for human-in-the-loop simulations. A force feedback simulator with four axis motion has been setup for real-time driving experiments. The simulator will move to simulate the forces a driver feels while driving, which allows for a realistic experience for the driver. This setup allows for flexibility and control for the researcher in a realistic simulation environment. Experiments concerning driver distraction can also be carried out safely in this test bed, in addition to multi-agent experiments. All necessary code to run the simulator, the additional sensors, and the basic processing is available for use.
The benefit of cochlear-implant users' head orientation to speech intelligibility in noise

Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in noise improve when the speech and noise sources are spatially separated. This spatial release from masking (SRM) is usually investigated in fixed-head situations. We studied free-head situations in audio and audio-visual conditions. We compared normally- hearing and cochlear-implant (CI) users’ spontaneous and directed head- orientation strategies when attending to speech in noise with a progressively declining signal-to-noise ratio. SRM-model predictions suggested benefits of head orientation away from the target speech that we hypothesized would motivate head rotation. As signal-to-noise ratio declined, observed head tracks differed greatly between listeners. Audio-visual presentation reduced the amount of head rotation. When directed, listeners made more effective use of head rotation. Audio and audio-visual SRTs were acquired at fixed, 0, and 30 deg head orientations with respect to the target speech. At the most favourable 30-deg head orientation, SRM reached 8 and 6 dB for NH listeners and CI users respectively. Lip-reading yielded improvements of 3 and 5 dB on average across conditions. CI users confirmed that training in optimizing both their position and head orientation with respect to target speaker and noise source position in a social setting was both currently missing and likely valuable.
Inhibition of kynureninase (L-kynurenine hydrolase, EC 3.7.1.3) by oestrone sulphate: an alternative explanation for abnormal results of tryptophan load tests in women receiving oestrogenic steroids

1. A partial purification of kynureninase (L-kynurenine hydrolase, EC 3.7.1.3) from rat liver and a total resolution of the apoenzyme have been achieved. The hypothesis that conjugates of oestrogenic steroids compete with pyridoxal phosphate for the cofactor binding site of the enzyme, and so disturb tryptophan metabolism, leading to apparent vitamin B6 deficiency, has been tested. 2. Kynureninase from rat liver was partially purified, and the cofactor-free apoenzyme was prepared. Oestrone sulphate inhibited the enzyme uncompetitively with respect to pyridoxal phosphate, and competitively with respect to kynurenine, with a mean (±SE) inhibitor constant (Ki) of 82 ± 6 μM. 3. The addition of a saturating concentration of pyridoxal phosphate to unfractionated liver homogenates led to an approximately fivefold increase in kynureninase activity, indicating the presence of a relatively large amount of apo-kynureninase in the tissue. 4. It is suggested that the abnormal results of tryptophan load tests in women receiving oestrogens are the result of inhibition of kynureninase by oestrogen conjugates, and that there is no evidence for oestrogen-induced vitamin B6 deficiency in such cases.
The Drama! Teen Conflict, Gossip, and Bullying in Networked Publics

While teenage conflict is nothing new, today’s gossip, jokes, and arguments often play out through social media like Formspring, Twitter, and Facebook. Although adults often refer to these practices with the language of “bullying,” teens are more likely to refer to the resultant skirmishes and their digital traces as “drama. ” Drama is a performative set of actions distinct from bullying, gossip, and relational aggression, incorporating elements of them but also operating quite distinctly. While drama is not particularly new, networked dynamics reconfigure how drama plays out and what it means to teens in new ways. In this paper, we examine how American teens conceptualize drama, its key components, participant motivations for engaging in it, and its relationship to networked technologies. Drawing on six years of ethnographic fieldwork, we examine what drama means to teenagers and its relationship to visibility and privacy. We argue that the emic use of “drama” allows teens to distance themselves from practices which adults may conceptualize as bullying. As such, they can retain agency - and save face - rather than positioning themselves in a victim narrative. Drama is a gendered process that perpetrates conventional gender norms. It also reflects discourses of celebrity, particularly the mundane interpersonal conflict found on soap operas and reality television. For teens, sites like Facebook allow for similar performances in front of engaged audiences. Understanding how “drama” operates is necessary to recognize teens’ own defenses against the realities of aggression, gossip, and bullying in networked publics.
Virulence Genes among Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Coastal Beaches and Human and Nonhuman Sources in Southern California and Puerto Rico

Most Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium are harmless to humans; however, strains harboring virulence genes, including esp, gelE, cylA, asa1, and hyl, have been associated with human infections. E. faecalis and E. faecium are present in beach waters worldwide, yet little is known about their virulence potential. Here, multiplex PCR was used to compare the distribution of virulence genes among E. faecalis and E. faecium isolated from beaches in Southern California and Puerto Rico to isolates from potential sources including humans, animals, birds, and plants. All five virulence genes were found in E. faecalis and E. faecium from beach water, mostly among E. faecalis. gelE was the most common among isolates from all source types. There was a lower incidence of asa1, esp, cylA, and hyl genes among isolates from beach water, sewage, septage, urban runoff, sea wrack, and eelgrass as compared to human isolates, indicating that virulent strains of E. faecalis and E. faecium may not be widely disseminated at beaches. A higher frequency of asa1 and esp among E. faecalis from dogs and of asa1 among birds (mostly seagull) suggests that further studies on the distribution and virulence potential of strains carrying these genes may be warranted.
A phase II randomized, controlled trial of continuous hemofiltration in sepsis

Objective To study the effect of early and continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) on the plasma concentrations of several humoral mediators of inflammation and subsequent organ dysfunction in septic patients. Design Randomized, controlled trial. Setting Intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital. Patients Twenty-four patients with early septic shock or septic organ dysfunction. Interventions Random allocation to receive 48 hrs of isovolemic CVVH at 2 L/hr of fluid exchange or no hemofiltration. Measurements and Main Results We measured the plasma concentrations of complement fractions C3a and C5a, interleukins 6, 8, and 10, and tumor necrosis factor &agr; at baseline and 2, 24, 26, 48, and 72 hrs. A multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS) was calculated daily for each patient until death or discharge from the intensive care unit. The concentrations of most mediators decreased between baseline and 72 hrs. Some significant falls in concentration could be identified between specific time points, but CVVH was not associated with an overall reduction in any plasma cytokine concentrations. There was also no difference between the mean cumulative MODS for control survivors (43.3 ± 19.7) and CVVH survivors (33.2 ± 19.0;p = .30), and no difference between the average MODS calculated for all controls (4.1 ± 1.9) and all CVVH subjects (3.3 ± 1.7;p = .26). CVVH did not improve oxygenation, lower the platelet count, or reduce the duration of vasopressor support and mechanical ventilation. Conclusions Early use of CVVH at 2 L/hr did not reduce the circulating concentrations of several cytokines and anaphylatoxins associated with septic shock, or the organ dysfunction that followed severe sepsis. CVVH using current technology cannot be recommended as an adjunct to the treatment of septic shock unless severe acute renal failure is present.
Characterization of monoclonal antibodies that react with unique and cross-reacting determinants of cholera enterotoxin and its subunits

Seventeen selected hybridoma cell lines that produced monoclonal antibodies against cholera enterotoxin (CT) were isolated and characterized. All of the monoclonal antibodies contained the kappa light chain; 14 were of the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) isotype and 3 were IgG2a. The 17 monoclonal antibodies were divided into a minimum of seven different specificity groups based on their abilities to bind to the following purified test antigens in solid-phase radioimmunoassays: CT, the A and B polypeptides of CT (CT-A and CT-B, respectively), and the heat-labile enterotoxins designated LTh and LTp from Escherichia coli. The binding of these antibodies to the following subunits and fragments of CT was also determined in Western blots: pentameric CT-B, monomeric CT-B, intact CT-A, and the A1 fragment of CT-A. Each of the monoclonal antibodies was tested for neutralization of CT and for precipitation with CT in immunodiffusion tests. Antigenic determinants were identified on CT that were not present either on CT-A or CT-B. One class was unique for CT and another was shared with LTh and LTp. Antibodies directed against these holotoxin-specific determinants had no neutralizing activity. Most of the monoclonal antibodies that reacted strongly with CT-A or CT-B also reacted strongly with CT holotoxin; however, one class of antibody reacted strongly with CT-A but weakly with CT. Among the monoclonal antibodies against CT-A or CT-B, some were specific for CT and others cross-reacted with LTh and LTp or with LTh only. The most potent neutralizing antibodies were against CT-B, and all of our monoclonal antibodies against CT-B had some neutralizing activity. In contrast, only some of the monoclonal antibodies against CT-A had neutralizing activity, and their specific activities were low. We found no direct correlation between the ability of monoclonal antibodies to neutralize CT and to cross-react with LTh or LTp. None of the epitopes recognized by our monoclonal anti-CT antibodies was present on CT-A and CT-B.
The problem of loneliness in the elderly in the community: characteristics of those who are lonely and the factors related to loneliness.

Two samples of patients aged over 70 years were selected, one sample from a large urban general practice and one from a randomized rural general practice. Patients were interviewed in order to assess their mental, physical and social well-being. Included in the interview were questions on subjective feelings of loneliness.More patients in the urban practice than in the rural practice reported feeling lonely, the proportion increasing with age in both samples. More women than men experienced feelings of loneliness; widowhood was closely associated with loneliness, particularly recent widowhood. Feelings of loneliness were consistently associated with disability in both study areas.
The relationship between students' perceptions of school climate, attitudes towards school, and substance use among early adolescents

This study investigated the relationships between early adolescent substance use and perceptions of school climate and attitudes towards school using self-report data from a sample of 443 middle school students. The present study examined school climate and attitudes towards school comprehensively in order to identify important relationships between these classes of variables and multiple types of substance use in early adolescents. The results of the study include that the model of school climate consisting of six factors (fairness, order and discipline, parental involvement, sharing or resources, student interpersonal relations, and student-teacher relations) accurately predicted 11% of the variance in middle school students' alcohol use. Additionally, the study found the model of attitudes towards school consisting of four factors (school satisfaction, academic self-efficacy, school belonging, and goal valuation) accurately predicted 13% of the variance in students' alcohol use and 4% of the variance in students' use of illicit drugs. Substance use was most highly associated with student-teacher relations, academic self-efficacy, and attachment to school. Implications for practice are discussed.
Role of Psychological Sense of Community in Enhancing Employee’s Well-Being

Yearning for sense of community is in part fostered by decline of traditional place of community due to which people feel less satisfied at workplace. Thus drawing on psychological sense of community theory, this paper is going to focus on relationship between employee’s sense of community and life satisfaction; a critical, yet under research relationship. Using regression analysis, it was found that if employees are provided with sense of community at workplace, then they are satisfied with their life.
Omnidirectional Wideband E-Shaped Cylindrical Patch Antennas

Two novel wideband cylindrical microstrip array antennas (CMAAs) are proposed. They involve two symmetrically located probe-fed E-shaped radiating elements mounted on a cylindrical ground platform. The first design consists of two E-shaped patches located on a textile circular dielectric substrate. The second design involves a radiating element consisting of four strongly coupled E-shaped patches. For both CMAAs, the design has been performed using CST Microwave Studio. In both cases, an omnidirectional radiation pattern (ORP) in the horizontal plane with a deviation of less than 3 dB (maximum over minimum) is obtained. The two antennas are operational at 3.4 and 3.3 GHz with realized bandwidths of 33% and 21% and peak gain values of 2.98 and 4.56 dBi, respectively. A - 10 dB sidelobe level is reached in the vertical plane for the second antenna. The CMAA with the higher gain has been fabricated and measured. Above the - 10 db Breflection level, simulations and measurements are in good agreement.
Incorporation and Replication of 8-Oxo-deoxyguanosine by the Human Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase*

To assess the role of oxidative stress on the replication of mitochondrial DNA, we examined the kinetics of incorporation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxodG) triphosphate catalyzed by the human mitochondrial DNA polymerase. Using transient state kinetic methods, we quantified the kinetics of incorporation, excision, and extension beyond a base pair containing 8-oxodG. The 8-oxodGTP was incorporated opposite dC in the template with a specificity constant of 0.005 μm-1 s-1, a value ∼10,000-fold lower than that for dGTP. Once incorporated, 96% of the time 8-oxodGMP was extended by continued polymerization rather than being excised by the proofreading exonuclease. The specificity constant for incorporation of 8-oxodGTP opposite a template dA was 0.2 μm-1 s-1, a value 13-fold higher than incorporation opposite a template dC. The 8-oxodG:dA mispair was extended rather than excised at least 70% of the time. Examination of the kinetics of polymerization with 8-oxodG in the template strand also revealed relatively low fidelity in that dCTP would be incorporated only 90% of the time. In nearly 10% of events, dATP would be incorporated, and once incorporated dA (opposite 8-oxodG) was extended rather than excised. The greatest fidelity was against a dTTP:8-oxodG mismatch affording a discrimination value of only 1800. These data reveal that 8-oxodGTP is a potent mutagen. Once it is incorporated into DNA, 8-oxodGMP codes for error prone DNA synthesis. These reactions are likely to play important roles in oxidative stress in mitochondria related to aging and as compounded by nucleoside analogs used to treat human immunodeficiency virus infections.