Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Healthcare Providers' Knowledge of Trichotillomania and its Treatment

Given the low prevalence rate and rather secretive nature of trichotillomania, it is uncertain how much trichotillomania‐related knowledge physicians and psychologists possess, what the perceived role of a psychologist is in the treatment process, what level of familiarity practitioners have with effective treatments and whether providers have resource materials available for patients. In a postal survey of 501 psychologists and physicians in the USA, providers responded correctly to 61% of the general knowledge items about trichotillomania. Most providers believed that psychologists may play a variety of roles in the clinical management of the disorder. Although providers were fairly accurate about the effectiveness of certain treatments for trichotillomania (e.g. medication, habit‐reversal), a number of non‐empirically supported treatments were endorsed as being effective. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of healthcare providers did not have resources or referral information available for patients with trichotillomania. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.
The Ecology of School Psychology: Examining and Changing Our Paradigm for the 21st Century

Abstract A conceptual model (paradigm) for school psychology is presented based upon ecological and contextual considerations that frame the practice, training, and research agendas of the field. We argue that despite previous calls by noteworthy scholars, school psychology has failed to heed efforts to move toward effective prevention and intervention models of service. We provide a synthesis of issues that have prevailed to limit the quality of school psychological services during the past decades (i.e., the anomaly), integrate contemporary theoretical and research advances that address the core problems (i.e., the paradigm), and suggest methods for changing the predominant focus of school psychological services (i.e., changing our own ecology). We suggest that school psychology be guided by an ecological framework of service delivery that addresses needs at multiple ecosystemic levels.
The influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on strategic, behavioral, and electrophysiological indices of arithmetic cognition in preadolescent children

The current study investigated the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on arithmetic cognition in forty 9–10 year old children. Measures included a standardized mathematics achievement test to assess conceptual and computational knowledge, self-reported strategy selection, and an experimental arithmetic verification task (including small and large addition problems), which afforded the measurement of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). No differences in math achievement were observed as a function of fitness level, but all children performed better on math concepts relative to math computation. Higher fit children reported using retrieval more often to solve large arithmetic problems, relative to lower fit children. During the arithmetic verification task, higher fit children exhibited superior performance for large problems, as evidenced by greater d' scores, while all children exhibited decreased accuracy and longer reaction time for large relative to small problems, and incorrect relative to correct solutions. On the electrophysiological level, modulations of early (P1, N170) and late ERP components (P3, N400) were observed as a function of problem size and solution correctness. Higher fit children exhibited selective modulations for N170, P3, and N400 amplitude relative to lower fit children, suggesting that fitness influences symbolic encoding, attentional resource allocation and semantic processing during arithmetic tasks. The current study contributes to the fitness-cognition literature by demonstrating that the benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness extend to arithmetic cognition, which has important implications for the educational environment and the context of learning.
The RASputin effect.

By 1916, Rasputin had become an important figure of the corruption of the Romanov court and its treacherous, unpatriotic behavior. For many people on the fringes of the court, Rasputin's corruption was taken as the cause of all of Russia's problems itself. There was the belief that if one could get rid of Rasputin the revolution may not happen. In a sense, Rasputin's assassination in December 1916, should be seen as just one of a number of palace coup plots.
Socio-clinical characteristics of modern contraceptives users at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence and socio-clinical characteristics of modern contraceptive users. And the common methods clients received their first information on family planning. DESIGN A retrospective observational review of clients between 1st of January 1996 and 31st of December 2001. SETTING University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) Maiduguri, Nigeria. METHODS AND METHODS Records of new family planning clients were reviewed to determine among other things, age of the patients, educational background, religion, number of living children and the methods chosen by the clients. The data extracted were analyzed by absolute values and percentages. Where necessary mean values and student t-test were calculated. RESULTS There was a family planning consultation prevalence of 10% of total gynaecological consultations. All the clients were females, 79.7% were for child spacing and 17% for birth control. About 90% of those women who decided not to have any more children opted for temporary methods of contraception. Contraceptive use in teenagers was only 3.6% with peak age prevalence at 25 to 29 years. Almost half of the clients had 4 or more living children. Only 11.6% of clients first heard of family planning through the Radio or Television. CONCLUSION For a family planning program to be effective in our community, strategic planning should target the males, teenagers and multiparous women. The electronic and print media should be involved more in the propagation of family planning programs. And women who have completed their family size should be encouraged to go for sterilization.
The relationship between epidermal growth factor receptor mutations and clinicopathologic features in non-small cell lung cancers.

PURPOSE Recent studies reported that clinical responsiveness to gefitinib was associated with somatic mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Here, we investigated the relationship between EGFR mutation and clinicopathologic features. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN EGFR mutational status of 120 NSCLCs was determined mainly in EGFR exons 18 to 21 by direct sequence and correlated with clinicopathologic parameters. RESULTS EGFR mutations were present in 38 cases (32%) and the majority of mutations were in-frame deletions of exon 19 (19 cases) and a missense mutation in exon 21 (18 cases). EGFR mutations were frequently associated with adenocarcinoma (P < 0.0001), never smoker (P < 0.0001), and female gender (P = 0.0001). Of interest, increasing smoke exposure was inversely related to the rate of EGFR mutation (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that smoking and histology were independent variables. Furthermore, gender difference was observed for the mutational location (P = 0.01) dominance of exon 19 for males and exon 21 for females. Twenty-one cases were treated with gefitinib and found that EGFR mutation was significantly related to gefitinib responsiveness (P = 0.002). In addition, median survival times of patients with and without EGFR mutations treated with gefitinib were 25.1 and 14.0 months, respectively. Patients with EGFR mutations had approximately 2-fold survival advantage; however, the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS We show that EGFR mutations were significantly related to histology and smoke exposure and were a strong predictive factor for gefitinib responsiveness in NSCLC.
prediction: time series descriptors and machine learning

Although several in silico promoter prediction meth-ods have been developed to date, they are still limited in predictive performance. The limitations are due to the challenge of selecting appropriate features of pro-motersthatdistinguishthemfromnon-promotersand thegeneralizationorpredictiveabilityofthemachine-learningalgorithms.Inthispaperweattempttodefine anovelapproachbyusinguniquedescriptorsand machine-learningmethodsfortherecognitionof eukaryoticpolymeraseIIpromoters.Inthisstudy, non-lineartimeseriesdescriptorsalongwithnon-linearmachine-learningalgorithms,suchassupport vectormachine(SVM),areusedtodiscriminate betweenpromoterandnon-promoterregions.The basicideahereistousedescriptorsthatdonot dependontheprimaryDNAsequenceandprovide acleardistinctionbetweenpromoterandnon-promoterregions.Theclassificationmodelbuilton asetof1000promoterand1500non-promoter sequences,showeda10-foldcross-validationaccur-acyof87%andanindependenttestsethadanaccur-acy . 85% in both promoter and non-promoter identification. This approach correctly identified all 20 experimentally verified promoters of human chromosome 22. The high sensitivity and selectivity indicates that n -mer frequencies along with non-linear time series descriptors, such as Lyapunov component stability and Tsallis entropy, and supervised machine-learning methods, such as SVMs, can be useful in the identification of pol II promoters.
In Vitro Interaction between Alginate Lyase and Amphotericin B against Aspergillus fumigatus Biofilm Determined by Different Methods

ABSTRACT Aspergillus fumigatus biofilms represent a problematic clinical entity, especially because of their recalcitrance to antifungal drugs, which poses a number of therapeutic implications for invasive aspergillosis, the most difficult-to-treat Aspergillus-related disease. While the antibiofilm activities of amphotericin B (AMB) deoxycholate and its lipid formulations (e.g., liposomal AMB [LAMB]) are well documented, the effectiveness of these drugs in combination with nonantifungal agents is poorly understood. In the present study, in vitro interactions between polyene antifungals (AMB and LAMB) and alginate lyase (AlgL), an enzyme degrading the polysaccharides produced as extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) within the biofilm matrix, against A. fumigatus biofilms were evaluated by using the checkerboard microdilution and the time-kill assays. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to image and quantify the effects of AlgL-antifungal combinations on biofilm-growing hyphal cells. On the basis of fractional inhibitory concentration index values, synergy was found between both AMB formulations and AlgL, and this finding was also confirmed by the time-kill test. Finally, AFM analysis showed that when A. fumigatus biofilms were treated with AlgL or polyene alone, as well as with their combination, both a reduction of hyphal thicknesses and an increase of adhesive forces were observed compared to the findings for untreated controls, probably owing to the different action by the enzyme or the antifungal compounds. Interestingly, marked physical changes were noticed in A. fumigatus biofilms exposed to the AlgL-antifungal combinations compared with the physical characteristics detected after exposure to the antifungals alone, indicating that AlgL may enhance the antibiofilm activity of both AMB and LAMB, perhaps by disrupting the hypha-embedding EPSs and thus facilitating the drugs to reach biofilm cells. Taken together, our results suggest that a combination of AlgL and a polyene antifungal may prove to be a new therapeutic strategy for invasive aspergillosis, while reinforcing the EPS as a valuable antibiofilm drug target.
Tissue Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase Is Activated via a Two-step Mechanism by Zinc Transport Complexes in the Early Secretory Pathway*

A number of enzymes become functional by binding to zinc during their journey through the early secretory pathway. The zinc transporters (ZnTs) located there play important roles in this step. We have previously shown that two zinc transport complexes, ZnT5/ZnT6 heterodimers and ZnT7 homo-oligomers, are required for the activation of alkaline phosphatases, by converting them from the apo- to the holo-form. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of this activation. ZnT1 and ZnT4 expressed in chicken DT40 cells did not contribute to the activation of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP). The reduced activity of TNAP in DT40 cells deficient in both ZnT complexes was not restored by zinc supplementation nor by exogenous expression of other ZnTs that increase the zinc content in the secretory pathway. Moreover, we showed that expression of ZnT5/ZnT6 heterodimers reconstituted with zinc transport-incompetent ZnT5 mutant failed to restore TNAP activity but could stabilize the TNAP protein as the apo-form, regardless of zinc status. These findings demonstrate that TNAP is activated not simply by passive zinc binding but by an elaborate two-step mechanism via protein stabilization followed by enzyme conversion from the apo- to the holo-form with zinc loaded by ZnT complexes in the early secretory pathway.
Calorie intake of enteral nutrition and clinical outcomes in acutely critically ill patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND The appropriate calorie intake to be provided to critically ill patients via enteral nutrition (EN) remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to compare the effect of initial underfeeding and full feeding in acutely critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We searched the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases to identify randomized controlled trials that compared underfeeding with full feeding in critically ill patients. The primary outcome was overall mortality. The secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, incidence of pneumonia, Clostridium difficile colitis, other infectious complications, and gastrointestinal intolerance. RESULTS In total, 4 studies were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in overall mortality between the underfeeding and full-feeding groups (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-1.19; I (2) = 26.6%; P = . 61). Subgroup analysis of the underfeeding subgroup that was fed ≥33.3% of the standard caloric requirement indicated that overall mortality was significantly lower in this underfeeding subgroup than in the full-feeding group (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40-1.00; I (2) = 0%; P = . 05). In contrast, no difference in overall mortality was noted between the underfeeding subgroup that was fed <33.3% of the standard caloric requirement and the full-feeding group. The length of hospital stay and length of ICU stay did not differ between the 2 groups. Moreover, no differences in other secondary clinical outcomes were noted. CONCLUSIONS None of the analyzed clinical outcomes for the acutely critically ill patients were significantly influenced by the calorie intake of the initial EN.
On the bounds of certain maximal linear codes in a projective space

The set of all subspaces of F<sup>n</sup><sub>q</sub> is denoted by P<sub>q</sub>(n). The subspace distance d<sub>S</sub>(X, Y) = dim(X)+dim(Y)-2 dim(X∩Y) defined on P<sub>q</sub>(n) turns it into a natural coding space for error correction in random network coding. A subset of P<sub>q</sub>(n) is called a code and the subspaces that belong to the code are called codewords. Motivated by classical coding theory, a linear coding structure can be imposed on a subset of P<sub>q</sub>(n). Braun, Etzion and Vardy conjectured that the largest cardinality of a linear code, that contains F<sup>n</sup><sub>q</sub>, is 2<sup>n</sup>. In this paper, we prove this conjecture and characterize the maximal linear codes that contain F<sup>n</sup><sub>q</sub>.
Infertility and pregnancy loss in euthyroid women with thyroid autoimmunity

Thyroid autoimmunity is the most prevalent autoimmune state that affects up to 5–20% of women during the age of fertility. Prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity is significantly higher among infertile women, especially when the cause of infertility is endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome. Presence of thyroid autoimmunity does not interfere with normal embryo implantation and have been observed comparable pregnancy rates after assisted reproduction techniques in patients with or without thyroid autoimmunity. Instead, the risk of early miscarriage is substantially raised with the presence of thyroid autoimmunity, even if there was a condition of euthyroidism before pregnancy. Furthermore the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, used as preparation for assisted reproduction techniques, can severely impair thyroid function increasing circulating estrogen levels. Systematic screening for thyroid disorders in women with a female cause of infertility is controversial but might be important to detect thyroid autoimmunity before to use assisted reproduction techniques and to follow-up these parameters in these patients after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and during pregnancy.
Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli in Wastewaters, Surface Waters, and Oysters from an Urban Riverine System

ABSTRACT The antibiotic resistance (AR) patterns of 462 Escherichia coli isolates from wastewater, surface waters, and oysters were determined. Rates of AR and multiple-AR among isolates from surface water sites adjacent to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge sites were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those among other isolates, whereas the rate of AR among isolates from oysters exposed to WWTP discharges was low (<10%).
Proteomic signatures of infertile men with clinical varicocele and their validation studies reveal mitochondrial dysfunction leading to infertility

To study the major differences in the distribution of spermatozoa proteins in infertile men with varicocele by comparative proteomics and validation of their level of expression. The study-specific estimates for each varicocele outcome were combined to identify the proteins involved in varicocele-associated infertility in men irrespective of stage and laterality of their clinical varicocele. Expression levels of 5 key proteins (PKAR1A, AK7, CCT6B, HSPA2, and ODF2) involved in stress response and sperm function including molecular chaperones were validated by Western blotting. Ninety-nine proteins were differentially expressed in the varicocele group. Over 87% of the DEP involved in major energy metabolism and key sperm functions were underexpressed in the varicocele group. Key protein functions affected in the varicocele group were spermatogenesis, sperm motility, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which were further validated by Western blotting, corroborating the proteomics analysis. Varicocele is essentially a state of energy deprivation, hypoxia, and hyperthermia due to impaired blood supply, which is corroborated by down-regulation of lipid metabolism, mitochondrial electron transport chain, and Krebs cycle enzymes. To corroborate the proteomic analysis, expression of the 5 identified proteins of interest was validated by Western blotting. This study contributes toward establishing a biomarker "fingerprint" to assess sperm quality on the basis of molecular parameters.
Becoming a Researcher: A Companion to the Research Process

This book presents the research process as an engagement with text in which, as researchers, we are both readers and writers. Indeed, the idea of texts and textualization in research is a vertical theme that runs through the book as it interrogates methodological concerns associated with particular methods. In the first place, the researcher collaborates with participants to construct text in the form of data. Analysis of this data when accompanied by reflection on context involves a process of deconstruction. The choice of data to present and interpret is then seen as a reconstruction of a final text. The underlying perspective is that research derives from the social interaction of the researcher with the researched in which the nature of the social world and of power relations is unavoidably implicated. Reflexivity involves then a consciousness of the centrality of the researcher and of their position in social research.
Autism in the Emergency Department

Background. This is a retrospective chart review of autistic patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) in a tertiary care pediatric center during the year 2011. Results. There were 160 ED visits by 130 patients, 25% of visits were repeated, and 20% were admitted to the hospital. There were 126 (79%) male and 34 (21%) female patients mean age of 12 years, 79% had comorbid health conditions. Forty percent were CTAS 2 (Canadian Triage Acuity Score) acuity, 42% of visits were CTAS 3 acuity, and 7% rated their pain as “severe. ” Visits were for behavior (10%), neurological concern (13%), 3% dental related, and the remainder were for gastrointestinal infections and other complaints. Average length of stay was 6 hours 21 minutes, with 2-hour wait to start assessment with physician. Conclusions. Autism is a prevalent diagnosis and patients with autism are accessing the ED. We hope to use these demographic findings to better serve these patients and their families.
Age‐dependent, steroid‐specific effects of oestrogen on long‐term potentiation in rat hippocampal slices

1 Long‐term potentiation (LTP) of hippocampal population spike responses and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) from area CA1 stratum pyramidale was induced in slices of rat hippocampus maintained in vitro following brief high‐frequency stimulation (HFS) of the Schaffer collateral‐commissural pathway. When administered to slices prior to HFS, 17β‐oestradiol (OE2), at a concentration as low as 0.1 nm, suppressed the magnitude of the resultant HFS‐induced potentiation in slices from prepubertal animals (3 and 4 weeks old) of both sexes. 2 OE2 did not suppress the induction of LTP in slices taken from the hippocampus of adult animals of either sex. 3 There was no similar suppressant effect of 17α‐oestradiol (OE1), progesterone (PRG) or testosterone (TST) on LTP in the young animals, even at a concentration 100 times greater than was effective for OE2. 4 The anti‐oestrogen compound tamoxifen (TMX; 1.0 and 10.0 μm), which acts principally at intracellular binding sites within the nucleus, was without effect in diminishing the suppressant effect of OE2 on LTP in slices from young animals. 5 The LTP observed in slices from both 3‐week‐old and adult rats was AP5 sensitive and thus was shown to be dependent on activation of NMDA receptors. Results from whole‐cell recording experiments suggested that OE2 caused the LTP‐suppressant effect through an action on NMDA‐mediated currents. 6 These data suggest an age‐dependent and possibly a surface membrane receptor‐mediated role for oestrogens in modulating the efficacy of input‐output properties of CA1 neurones produced by HFS during a critical period in development.