Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First‐year Pre‐service Teachers in Taiwan—Do they enter the teacher program with satisfactory scientific literacy and attitudes toward science?

Scientific literacy and attitudes toward science play an important role in human daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether first‐year pre‐service teachers in colleges in Taiwan have a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. The domains of scientific literacy selected in this study include: (1) science content; (2) the interaction between science, technology and society (STS); (3) the nature of science; and (4) attitudes toward science. In this study, the instruments used were Chinese translations of the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) and the Test of Science‐related Attitudes. Elementary education majors (n = 141) and science education majors (n = 138) from four teachers’ colleges responded to these instruments. The statistical results from the tests revealed that, in general, the basic scientific literacy of first‐year pre‐service teachers was at a satisfactory level. Of the six scales covered in this study, the pre‐service teachers displayed the highest literacy in health science, STS, and life science. Literacy in the areas of the nature of science and earth science was rated lowest. The results also showed that science education majors scored significantly higher in physical science, life science, nature of science, science content, and the TBSL than elementary science majors. Males performed better than females in earth science, life science, science content, and the TBSL. Next, elementary education majors responded with more “don’t know” responses than science education majors. In general, the pre‐service teachers were moderately positive in terms of attitudes toward science while science education majors had more positive attitudes toward science. There was no significant difference in attitudes between genders. Previous experience in science indicated more positive attitudes toward science. The results from stepwise regression revealed that STS, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science could explain 50.6% and 60.2% variance in science content in elementary education and science education majors, respectively. For science education majors, the first three scales—the nature of science, health science and physical science—determined basic scientific literacy. However, for elementary education majors, the top three factors were physical science, life science and the nature of science. Based on these results, several strategies for developing the professional abilities of science teachers have been recommended for inclusion in pre‐service programs.
Attitudes, practices on allergic rhinitis of generalists and specialists in Philippine National Capital Region

Background Treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) consistent with consensus guidelines is reported to result in better patient outcomes. However, physicians may manage patients independently of guidelines. Asian data on physician perspectives regarding AR diagnosis and management is limited. Objective The study objective is to assess attitudes and practices on AR of Filipino specialists and generalists. Methods A cross sectional survey of 100 specialists and 100 generalists was conducted from November 2014 to January 2015. A previously validated and pilot tested questionnaire was administered via structured face to face interviews. Results Specialists reported greater adequate knowledge of AR (specialists, 58%; generalists, 39%) and adherence to guidelines (specialists, 84%; generalists, 54%). Diagnostic tests were not routinely used (specialists, 81%; generalists, 92%). Monotherapy, specifically antihistamines, was preferred for mild AR. For moderate-severe AR, preference for monotherapy versus combination therapy (specialists, 49% vs. 51%; generalists, 44% vs. 56%) was similar. Both groups preferred intranasal corticosteroid spray (INCS) for monotherapy and antileukotrienes, antihistamines, INCS for combination therapy. For adjuvant therapy, specialists (82%) preferred nasal irrigation/douche. Primary consideration for choice of therapy was efficacy. Cost was the perceived reason for patients' noncompliance with treatment. Conclusion Despite differences in awareness of and adherence to guidelines, prescribing patterns on management of mild and moderate-severe AR are similar among Filipino specialists and generalists. This can be attributed to a shared perception of efficacy and cost as drivers for therapeutic choices.
Analysis of Metagene Portraits Reveals Distinct Transitions During Kidney Organogenesis

Grouping microarray expression data into metagenes, followed by organization of these gene clusters into self-organizing maps, reveals distinct stages of kidney organogenesis. Revealing Kidney Formation Through Metagenes By collecting the more than 30,000 genes into 650 groups called metagenes, Tsigelny et al. uncover genes that may orchestrate the transitions between stages of kidney development. Organization of the metagenes into self-organizing maps revealed up to eight distinct stages of kidney development. Entropy calculations of the self-organizing maps allowed the metagene-defined stages to be correlated with morphometric parameters and with specific gene networks. Genes included those already known for their involvement in kidney development as well as ones previously not implicated in this process of organogenesis, thus yielding new insight. Organogenesis is a multistage process, but it has been difficult, by conventional analysis, to separate stages and identify points of transition in developmentally complex organs or define genetic pathways that regulate pattern formation. We performed a detailed time-series examination of global gene expression during kidney development and then represented the resulting data as self-organizing maps (SOMs), which reduced more than 30,000 genes to 650 metagenes. Further clustering of these maps identified potential stages of development and suggested points of stability and transition during kidney organogenesis that are not obvious from either standard morphological analyses or conventional microarray clustering algorithms. We also performed entropy calculations of SOMs generated for each day of development and found correlations with morphometric parameters and expression of candidate genes that may help in orchestrating the transitions between stages of kidney development, as well as macro- and micropatterning of the organ.
Domestic Abuse and Children's Health in the Canary Islands, Spain

This study analyzed the association between domestic partner abuse and children's health. The sample consisted of 420 abused women with at least one child, for a total of 406 female children and 504 male children in 420 households. The women reported that one or more of their children had psychological problems in 27.4% of the cases, 13.6% reported physical health problems, and 7.6% reported both psychological and physical health problems. Externalizing problems were reported most frequently (in 11.7% of the children), while internalizing problems were reported in 5.6% of the children. A greater percentage of children with psychological and physical health problems was found in families in which the abusive partner was also abusive toward the children. We found better mental health in children whose mothers did not abuse them. Women whose children did not exhibit physical or mental health problems were younger, had suffered fewer years of abuse, and had fewer children than the women whose children exhibited health problems.
Determinants of Erythrocyte Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Content in Response to Fish Oil Supplementation: A Dose–Response Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The erythrocyte membrane content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which constitutes the omega‐3 index (O3I), predicts cardiovascular disease mortality. The amount of EPA+DHA needed to achieve a target O3I is poorly defined, as are the determinants of the O3I response to a change in EPA+DHA intake. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive model of the O3I response to EPA+DHA supplementation in healthy adults, specifically identifying factors that determine the response. Methods and Results A randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, parallel‐group study was conducted in 115 healthy men and women. One of 5 doses (0, 300, 600, 900, 1800 mg) of EPA+DHA was given daily as placebo or fish oil supplements for ≈5 months. The O3I was measured at baseline and at the end of the study. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics between the groups at baseline. The O3I increased in a dose‐dependent manner (P<0.0001), with the dose of EPA+DHA alone accounting for 68% (quadratic, P<0.0001) of the variability in the O3I response. Dose adjusted per unit body weight (g/kg) accounted for 70% (linear, P<0.0001). Additional factors that improved prediction of treatment response were baseline O3I, age, sex, and physical activity. Collectively, these explained 78% of the response variability (P<0.0001). Conclusions Our findings validate the O3I as a biomarker of EPA+DHA consumption and identify additional factors, particularly body weight, that can be used to tailor EPA+DHA recommendations to achieve a target O3I.
Phonemic Stage Not Necessary for Reading

Subjects can classify, as not making sense, phrases which sound as though they make sense, e.g. “tie the not”, as quickly as other phrases which do not even sound right, although they make more errors on the former. When asked whether or not phrases sound sensible regardless of how the phrases look, they are faster and make fewer errors on the phrases that look sensible as well as sound sensible. It is concluded that meaning can be efficiently derived from a visual analysis of text without the use of an intermediate phonemic code, or “inner speech”, although such a code may be used some of the time.
Increased basal glucose production and utilization in nondiabetic first-degree relatives of patients with NIDDM.

To characterize the abnormalities in basal glucose homeostasis in people who are at increased risk for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we measured the rates of basal hepatic glucose output (HGO), glucose disappearance, and metabolic clearance of glucose (MCR) in 27 nondiabetic first-degree relatives of NIDDM patients and 16 age-, sex-, and weight-matched healthy control subjects with no family history of NIDDM. Mean fasting plasma glucose was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) in control subjects (mean +/- SE 77 +/- 2 mg/dl) than in relatives (84 +/- 2 mg/dl). Mean basal insulin levels were not significantly different between relatives and control subjects (10.0 +/- 1.5 vs. 7.7 +/- 1.0 microU/ml). Mean basal HGO was significantly lower in control subjects compared with relatives (1.83 +/- 0.07 vs. 2.20 +/- 0.10 mg.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05). Mean MCR was similar in relatives (2.58 +/- 0.12 mg.kg-1.min-1) and control subjects (2.35 +/- 0.09 mg.kg-1.min-1). In summary, this study demonstrates that basal hepatic glucose production and glucose utilization are increased in glucose-tolerant first-degree relatives compared with healthy control subjects. We conclude that impaired basal hepatic glucose regulation rather than glucose disposal is present as an early defect in glucose-tolerant first-degree relatives of NIDDM patients.
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Pediatric Hypertension: A Mini Review

Adults with arterial hypertension (HTN) have stroke, myocardial infarction, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or die at higher rates than those without. In children, HTN leads to target organ damage, which includes kidney, brain, eye, blood vessels, and heart, which precedes “hard outcomes” observed in adults. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) or an anatomic and pathologic increase in left ventricular mass (LVM) in response to the HTN is a pediatric surrogate marker for HTN-induced morbidity and mortality in adults. This mini review discusses current definitions, clinically relevant methods of LVM measurements and normalization methods, its epidemiology, management, and issue of reversibility in children with HTN. Pediatric definition of LVH and abnormal LVM is not uniformed. With multiple definitions, prevalence of pediatric HTN-induced LVH is difficult to ascertain. In addition while in adults cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is considered “the gold standard” for LVM and LVH determination, pediatric data are limited to “special populations”: ESRD, transplant, and obese children. We summarize available data on pediatric LVH treatment and reversibility and offer future directions in addressing LVH in children with HTN.
Supporting Adults with an Intellectual Disability during Experiences of Loss and Bereavement: Staff Views, Experiences and Suggestions for Training.

Background Care staff are a major source of information and support for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) following a bereavement. How staff perceive the loss experience has implications for the quality and level of support provided to individuals with ID at times of personal loss. Method Twenty-four staff members participated in the three focus groups aimed at examining staff knowledge and attitudes to bereavement, experiences of supporting people with ID during times of loss, the degree of service agency support and staff training needs. Results Staff described service users’ reactions to loss as for the most part similar to those observed in the typical population. Staff reported a lack of confidence and uncertainty, particularly around operational procedures following bereavement. Conflicting attitudes between themselves and the service agency around bereavement support procedures and a lack of awareness of the emotional impact of grief on service users and staff were highlighted by participants along with the need for quality information, skill development and further training. Conclusions Service agencies need to be more proactive in supporting staff and in developing policy and guidelines in conjunction with practical training initiatives. There is a general need for greater awareness of the emotional impact of loss on staff and service users within specialist services.
Comparing genotoxic signatures in cord blood cells from neonates exposed in utero to zidovudine or tenofovir

Objectives:Zidovudine and tenofovir are the two main nucleos(t)ide analogs used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In vitro, both drugs bind to and integrate into human DNA and inhibit telomerase. The objective of the present study was to assess the genotoxic effects of either zidovudine or tenofovir-based combination therapies on cord blood cells in newborns exposed in utero. Design:We compared the aneuploid rate and the gene expression profiles in cord blood samples from newborns exposed either to zidovudine or tenofovir-based combination therapies during pregnancy and from unexposed controls (n = 8, 9, and 8, respectively). Methods:The aneuploidy rate was measured on the cord blood T-cell karyotype. Gene expression profiles of cord blood T cells and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells were determined with microarrays, analyzed in a gene set enrichment analysis and confirmed by real-time quantitative PCRs. Results:Aneuploidy was more frequent in the zidovudine-exposed group (26.3%) than in the tenofovir-exposed group (14.2%) or in controls (13.3%; P < 0.05 for both). The transcription of genes involved in DNA repair, telomere maintenance, nucleotide metabolism, DNA/RNA synthesis, and the cell cycle was deregulated in samples from both the zidovudine and the tenofovir-exposed groups. Conclusion:Although tenofovir has a lower clastogenic impact than zidovudine, gene expression profiling showed that both drugs alter the transcription of DNA repair and telomere maintenance genes.
Perfect visual short-term memory for periodic patterns

Abstract The short-term memory for spatial frequency information was assessed by measuring the spatial frequency discrimination thresholds for briefly flashed luminance gratings as a function of the time interval between the test and reference gratings, using a computer-controlled two-interval forced-choice procedure. Discrimination thresholds were stable for interstimulus intervals in the range 1–30 sec under all conditions tested. At low contrasts, short exposure times and low spatial frequencies discrimination thresholds increased, but no interactions between stimulus parameters affecting thresholds and interstimulus interval were observed. It is concluded that factors limiting spatial discrimination are associated with the sensory coding stage. Spatial discrimination and visual memory may be based on a common representation, which is perfectly retained in short-term memory. Visual half-field tests revealed no hemispheric differences in the processing and retention of spatial frequency information.
Taxonomic Status of Ixodes didelphidis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract Ixodes didelphidis Fonseca & Aragão was described in Brazil in 1952 as a new tick species that differed from Ixodes loricatus Neumann by the spiracular plate pattern. We have reared four tick colonies from different geographic areas in the laboratory that were started from single engorged females originally identified as I. didelphidis (BMG colony) and I. loricatus (CSP, PSP, and TRJ colonies). We analyzed the spiracular plate morphology of F1 adult ticks from each tick colony, compared their biological data, and performed a molecular analysis of the second internal transcribed rDNA spacer (ITS2) to test the validity of the species I. didelphidis. The spiracular plate analysis of laboratory F1 adult ticks yielded from single females from the four colonies showed variations that invalidate morphological parameters for differentiation of I. loricatus and I. didelphidis. Biological data of the BMG, CSP, and TRJ colonies were similar. The biology of the PSP colony was not evaluated. The ITS2 sequence variations observed between the tick colonies ranged from 1.3 to 4.9%, and the similarity tree constructed by the neighbor-joining method with nucleotide distances showed that the distances between the samples were similar to what is expected for intraspecific variations found in other ticks species. The morphological and biological results, in conjunction with the ITS2 analysis, supported the conspecificity of I. loricatus and I. didelphidis. RESUMO Ixodes didelphidis Fonseca e Aragão foi descrito no Brazil em 1952 como uma nova espécie de carrapato que se diferenciava de Ixodes loricatus Neumann através do padrão da placa espiracular. Nós criamos em laboratório quatro colônias de carrapatos de diferentes áreas geográficas, iniciadas a partir de fêmeas ingurgitadas originalmente identificadas como I. didelphidis (colônia BMG) e I. loricatus (colônias CSP, PSP, e TRJ). Nós analisamos a morfologia da placa espiracular dos adultos F1 de cada colônia, comparamos seus dados biológicos e fizemos uma análise molecular do segundo espaço transcrito interno do rDNA (ITS2) para verificar a validade da espécie I. didelphidis. A análise da placa espiracular de adultos provenientes de uma mesma fêmea de cada uma das colônias demonstrou resultados controversos que invalidam os parâmetros morfológicos publicados para diferenciação de I. loricatus e I. didelphidis. Os dados biológicos das colônias BMG, CSP, e TRJ foram similares. As variações nas seqüências do ITS2 entre as colônias de carrapatos (amplitude: 1,3–4,9%) e a árvore de similaridade com as distâncias de nucleotídeos mostraram que as distâncias entre as amostras foram similares ao esperado para variações intra-específicas encontradas em outras espécies de carrapatos. Os resultados morfológicos, biológicos e moleculares fornecem evidências para considerarmos I. loricatus e I. didelphidis como a mesma espécie.
Universal decoders for channels with memory

A universal decoder for a parametric family of channels is a decoder that for any channel in the family attains the same random coding error exponent as the best decoder for that particular channel. The existence and structure of such a decoder is demonstrated under relatively mild conditions of continuity of the channel law with respect to the parameter indexing the family.
The Company You Keep: The Effects of Family and Neighborhood on Disadvantaged Youths

We examine the effects of family background variables and neighborhood peers on the behaviors of inner-city youths in a tight labor market using data from the 1989 NBER survey of youths living in low-income Boston neighborhoods. We find that family adult behaviors are strongly related to analogous youth behaviors. The links between the behavior of older family members and youths are important for criminal activity, drug and alcohol use, childbearing out of wedlock, schooling, and church attendance. We also find that the behaviors of neighborhood peers appear to substantially affect youth behaviors in a manner suggestive of contagion models of neighborhood effects. Residence in a neighborhood in which a large proportion of other youths are involved in crime is associated with a substantial increase in an individual's probability of the being involved in crime. Significant neighborhood peer effects are also apparent for drug and alcohol use, church attendance, and the propensity of youths to be out of school and out of work. Our results indicate that family and peer influences both operate in manner such that "like begets like. "
Factors affecting prognosis in myelofibrosis

Studies investigating factors affecting prognosis in primary myelofibrosis have been numerous over the years because of the high heterogeneity with regard to its natural clinical course. Recently, the increasing application of reduced-intensity conditioning with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as well as the ongoing rapid development of new experimental agents, such as JAK2 inhibitors, have made the requirement for simple and accurate scoring systems to select individual patients for the most appropriate treatment strategy even more critical. This short report summarizes the state of the art and the most recent advances in this area.
Handbook of Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

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Oncologic Safety of Skin-Sparing and Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy: A Discussion and Review of the Literature

Breast conservation therapy has been the cornerstone of the surgical treatment of breast cancer for the last 20 years; however, recently, the use of mastectomy has been increasing. Mastectomy is one of the most frequently performed breast operations, and with novel surgical techniques, preservation of the skin envelope and/or the nipple-areolar complex is commonly performed. The goal of this paper is to review the literature on skin-sparing mastectomy and nipple-sparing mastectomy and to evaluate the oncologic safety of these techniques. In addition, this paper will discuss the oncologic importance of margin status and type of mastectomy as it pertains to risk of local recurrence and relative need for adjuvant therapy.