Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Educational differences in the intention to stop smoking: explanations based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

BACKGROUND At this time, the mechanisms by which socioeconomic differences in smoking develop are not completely understood. In this paper the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a potential explanatory framework for socioeconomic differences in smoking is tested. It was hypothesized that components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour may be unequally distributed over educational groups and therefore contribute to the explanation of socioeconomic differences in smoking. Educational differences in the intention to quit smoking are described and attempts are made to understand these in the light of educational patterns in attitude towards smoking cessation, perceived subjective norm concerning quitting smoking, and self-efficacy. METHODS This cross-sectional study was part of the longitudinal GLOBE study on socioeconomic differences in The Netherlands. Components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour were measured in 1997 among 602 Dutch daily smokers. RESULTS No educational differences in the intention to quit smoking were found. Persons with a more positive attitude towards smoking cessation and a high subjective norm significantly more often intended to quit smoking. But, positive attitude and high subjective norm were not related to education, which explains the lack of educational differences in intention to quit smoking. Higher educated respondents reported significantly higher self-efficacy to refrain from smoking, which, however, was not related to the intention to quit smoking. CONCLUSION It is anticipated that, from all components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, only the direct effect of self-efficacy on behaviour may contribute to educational differences in smoking cessation.
Adolescent girls’ perceptions of their physical activity behaviors and social environment.

The purpose of this study was to explore how social relationships and environmental settings impact physical activity attitudes and behaviors for adolescent girls. Guided by a social ecological framework and following a phenomenological interpretive tradition, focus group interviews were conducted with 32 adolescent girls (17 African American, 15 Caucasian) between the ages of 11 and 13 who attended public middle schools. Adolescent girls indicated that parents and peers play a significant role in shaping their physical activity behaviors as does the physical and social environments in which they live. Themes that emerged from the analyses of data include (a) differing conceptualizations of physical activity, (b) parents and peers as facilitators of activity, (c) lack of girls’ active space in school and neighborhood environments, and (d) policy restrictions on girls’ access to physical activity time. African American girls reported conceiving of physical activity as unstructured play, often outside, where as White girls indicated they considered physical activity to be closely related to adult-directed, organized sport. Girls described a desire to engage in more physical activities with the mothers and other female relatives. A lack of playground space at school and unsafe community environments hindered the amount of activity in which girls engaged. Educational policies that prevent middle school girls from participating in school sport programs, as well as restricting recess and lunch periods to inside spaces impeded access to desired physical activity outlets by middle school girls in this study. Findings support previous research and extend understanding of girls’ perceptions of physical activity by allowing girls to voice their opinions and concerns.
Induction of p53-Specific Immunity by a p53 Synthetic Long Peptide Vaccine in Patients Treated for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: The tumor-associated self-antigen p53 is commonly overexpressed in cancer, including colorectal cancer, and can serve as a target for immunotherapy. The safety and immunogenicity of a p53 synthetic long peptide (p53-SLP) vaccine were investigated in patients treated for metastatic colorectal cancer. Experimental Design: Ten patients were vaccinated twice with a set of 10 overlapping p53-SLP in a phase I/II trial. Both the safety and the breadth, magnitude, and polarization of vaccine-induced p53-specific T cells was evaluated in blood samples drawn before and after vaccination by IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot, proliferation, cytokine secretion, and multiparameter flow cytometry. The migratory capacity of p53-specific T cells was evaluated by assessing their presence in a biopsy of the second vaccination site. Results: Toxicity was limited to grade 1/2, mostly at the vaccination site. p53-specific T-cell responses were induced in 9 of 10 colorectal cancer patients as measured by IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot, proliferation, and cytokine bead array. In 6 of 9 tested patients, p53-specific T-cell reactivity persisted at least 6 months. Furthermore, p53-specific T cells isolated from the vaccination site were characterized as CD4+ T cells producing both T-helper types 1 and 2 cytokines on stimulation with p53 peptide and p53 protein. Multiparameter flow cytometry revealed that only a minor population of the p53-specific CD4+ T cells was optimally polarized. Conclusions: The p53-SLP vaccine is safe and capable to induce p53-specific T-cell responses in patients treated for colorectal cancer. New trials should focus on improving the polarization of the p53-SLP vaccine-induced T-cell response.
Characterization of the Ebre and Rhone estuaries: A basis for defining and classifying salt‐wedge estuaries

River discharge is the main factor controlling the hydrologic dynamics of the Ebre and Rhone estuaries. The topography of the estuary bed also influences the extent, advance, and retreat of the salt wedge. Tides have little influence because of the low tidal range. Mean annual river discharge is close to the critical value determining the formation and breakup of the salt wedge. This is related to the fact that river flow controls the sedimentary dynamics of the estuary, including the sandbar at the mouth. When discharge is lower than the mean annual river flow, the salt wedge is established and the estuary becomes a depositional environment. With higher flows the salt wedge is washed away and erosive conditions prevail. On the basis of the conditions in which the salt wedge is formed, two types of highly stratified estuaries can be identified. In the first one, a salt‐wedge regime is established during low river flows, whereas during high flows the wedge is washed away and the estuary becomes a river. This circulation pattern corresponds to the “salt‐wedge estuary” or type 4 of the Hansen‐Rattray classification, typical of river‐dominated estuaries in microtidal seas. In the second one, a salt wedge is established during high river flows, whereas a partially mixed estuary occurs during low flows. This pattern corresponds to types 3b and 2b of the Hansen‐Rattray classification.
Differential Expressions of Synaptogenic Markers between Primary Cultured Cortical and Hippocampal Neurons

Primary dissociated neuronal cultures are widely used research tools to investigate of pathological mechanisms and to treat various central and peripheral nervous system problems including trauma and degenerative neuronal diseases. We introduced a protocol that utilizes hippocampal and cortical neurons from embryonic day 17 or 18 mice. We applied appropriate markers (GAP-43 and synaptophysin) to investigate whether neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis can be distinguished at a particular period of time. GAP-43 was found along the neural processes in a typical granular pattern, and its expression increased proportionally as neurites lengthened during the early in vitro period. Unlike GAP-43, granular immunoreactive patterns of synaptophysin along the neurites were clearly found from day 2 in vitro with relatively high immunoreactive levels. Expression of synaptic markers from cortical neurons reached peak level earlier than that of hippocampal neurons, although neurite outgrowths of hippocampal neurons were faster than those of cortical neurons. The amount of peak synaptic markers expressed was also higher in cortical neurons than that in hippocampal neurons. These results strongly suggest the usefulness of primary cultured neurons from mice embryos for synaptic function and plasticity studies, because of their clear and typical patterns of morphology that establish synapses. Results from this study also suggest the proper amount of time in vitro according to neuronal types (cortical or hippocampal) when utilized in experiments related with synaptogenesis or synaptic activities.
Antiproliferative and cytotoxic secondary metabolites from fruits of Leplaea mayombensis

Abstract Two new seco-lanostane-type triterpenes, named mayomlactones A (1) and B (2) were isolated from the fruits of Leplaea mayombensis together with 10 known compounds (3–12). Structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic studies. Except compounds 11 and 12, all the other chemical compounds are newly reported from Leplaea genus. From the results of this investigation, compounds 1–10 were examined for antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells as well as cytotoxicity against 3T3 cell line. Compounds 3 and 4 showed moderate antiproliferative activity with IC50 values of 10.4 ± 0.1 and 18.6 ± 0.2 μM, respectively. On the other hand, compounds 1, 4 and 9 showed weak cytotoxicity with IC50 values 44.1 ± 0.5, 55.8 ± 0.7 and 55.1 ± 0.5 μM. Overall, none of the tested compounds showed good selectivity (SI ranging from 0.51 to 3.06) but high toxicity against the 3T3 cell line.
Candidate Genes Involved in Beneficial or Adverse Responses to Commonly Eaten Brassica Vegetables in a New Zealand Crohn’s Disease Cohort

Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of the two manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. Particular foods are thought with CD to exacerbate their illness. Vegetables, especially Brassicaceae, are often shunned by people with CD because of the negative effects they are alleged to have on their symptoms. Brassicaceae supply key nutrients which are necessary to meet recommended daily intakes. We sought to identify the candidate genes involved in the beneficial or adverse effects of Brassicaceae most commonly eaten, as reported by the New Zealand adults from the “Genes and Diet in Inflammatory Bowel disease Study” based in Auckland. An analysis of associations between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the beneficial or adverse effects of the ten most commonly eaten Brassicaceae was carried out. A total of 37 SNPs were significantly associated with beneficial effects (p = 0.00097 to 0.0497) and 64 SNPs were identified with adverse effects (p = 0.0000751 to 0.049). After correcting for multiple testing, rs7515322 (DIO1) and rs9469220 (HLA) remained significant. Our findings show that the tolerance of some varieties of Brassicaceae may be shown by analysis of a person’s genotype.
Pointwise testing with functional data using the Westfall–Young randomization method

We consider hypothesis testing with smooth functional data by performing pointwise tests and applying a multiple comparisons procedure. Methods based on general inequalities, such as Bonferroni's method, do not perform well because of the high correlation between observations at nearby points. We consider the multiple comparison procedure proposed by Westfall & Young (1993) and show that it approximates a multiple comparison correction for a continuum of comparisons as the grid for pointwise comparisons becomes finer. Simulations and an application verify that this result applies in practical settings. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Information Acquisition, Perception, Preference, and Convergence by Gulf Coast Residents in the Aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina Crisis

This study identifies the arguments and information sources perceived as most credible by coastal Mississippi residents recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Twenty-five interviews were conducted with residents who remained in Mississippi during the most devastating storm in the state's history. The interviews provided a description of how residents both perceived and responded to the crisis. Results indicate residents were most influenced by information received through local media sources. Local sources provided data that contributed directly to the residents' potential for self-protection and recovery. In contrast, the national media presented data as part of a larger dramatic narrative and, by residents' standards, that data did not always reflect the local experience. The larger narrative was perceived as inaccurate and even offensive by many interviewees.
BACTERIAL GROWTH EFFICIENCY IN NATURAL AQUATIC SYSTEMS

Heterotrophic bacteria perform two major functions in the transformation of organic matter: They produce new bacterial biomass (bacterial secondary production [BP]), and they respire organic C to inorganic C (bacterial respiration [BR]). For planktonic bacteria, a great deal has been learned about BP and its regulation during the past several decades but far less has been learned about BR. Our lack of knowledge about BR limits our ability to understand the role of bacteria in the carbon cycle of aquatic ecosystems. Bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) is the amount of new bacterial biomass produced per unit of organic C substrate assimilated and is a way to relate BP and BR: BGED (BP)=(BPC BR). Estimates of BGE for natural planktonic bacteria range from <0.05 to as high as 0.6, but little is known about what might regulate this enormous range. In this paper we review the physiological and ecological bases of the regulation of BGE. Further, we assemble the literature of the past 30 years for which both BP and BR were measured in natural planktonic ecosystems and explore the relationship between BGE and BP. Although the relationship is variable, BGE varies systematically with BP and the trophic richness of the ecosystem. In the most dilute, oligotrophic systems, BGE is as low as 0.01; in the most eutrophic systems, it plateaus near 0.5. Planktonic bacteria appear to maximize carbon utilization rather than BGE. A consequence of this strategy is that maintenance energy costs (and therefore maintenance respiration) seems to be highest in oligotrophic systems.
Assessing Negative Automatic Thoughts: Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Cognition Checklist

Background: Beck’s theory of emotional disorder suggests that negative automatic thoughts (NATs) and the underlying schemata affect one’s way of interpreting situations and result in maladaptive coping strategies. Depending on their content and meaning, NATs are associated with specific emotions, and since they are usually quite brief, patients are often more aware of the emotion they feel. This relationship between cognition and emotion, therefore, is thought to form the background of the cognitive content specificity hypothesis. Researchers focusing on this hypothesis have suggested that instruments like the cognition checklist (CCL) might be an alternative to make a diagnostic distinction between depression and anxiety. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the CCL in a psychiatric outpatient sample. Patients and Methods: A total of 425 psychiatric outpatients 18 years of age and older were recruited. After a structured diagnostic interview, the participants completed the hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS), the automatic thoughts questionnaire (ATQ), and the CCL. An exploratory factor analysis was performed, followed by an oblique rotation. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and discriminant validity analyses were undertaken. Results: The internal consistency of the CCL was excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0.95). The test-retest correlation coefficients were satisfactory (r = 0.80, P < 0.001 for CCL-D, and r = 0.79, P < 0.001 for CCL-A). The exploratory factor analysis revealed that a two-factor solution best fit the data. This bidimensional factor structure explained 51.27 % of the variance of the scale. The first factor consisted of items related to anxious cognitions, and the second factor of depressive cognitions. The CCL subscales significantly correlated with the ATQ (rs 0.44 for the CCL-D, and 0.32 for the CCL-A) as well as the other measures of mood severity (all Ps < 0.01). To a great extent, all items of the CCL were able to distinguish the clinical and non-clinical groups, suggesting the scale has high discriminating validity. Conclusions: The current study has provided evidence that the Turkish version of the CCL is a reliable and valid instrument to assess NATs in a clinical outpatient sample.
Striped sheets and protein contact prediction

MOTIVATION Current approaches to contact map prediction in proteins have focused on amino acid conservation and patterns of mutation at sequentially distant positions. This sequence information is poorly understood and very little progress has been made in this area during recent years. RESULTS In this study, an observation of 'striped' sequence patterns across beta-sheets prompted the development of a new type of contact map predictor. Computer program code was evolved with an evolutionary algorithm (genetic programming) to select residues and residue pairs likely to make contacts based solely on local sequence patterns extracted with the help of self-organizing maps. The mean prediction accuracy is 27% on a validation set of 156 domains up to 400 residues in length, where contacts are separated by at least 8 residues and length/10 pairs are predicted. The retrospective accuracy on a set of 15 CASP5 targets is 27% and 14% for length/10 and length/2 predicted pairs, respectively (both using a minimum residue separation of 24). This compares favourably to the equivalent 21% and 13% obtained for the best automated contact prediction methods at CASP5. The results suggest that protein architectures impose regularities in local sequence environments. Other sources of information, such as correlated/compensatory mutations, may further improve accuracy. AVAILABILITY A web-based prediction service is available at http://www.sbc. su.se/~maccallr/contactmaps
Demystifying Russian drinking

This book is acontribution to the discussion on Russian drinking culture. The core of the book is an examination of qualitative data from surveys on drinking habits. It is also a very timely book, as it engages in a debate on cultural features of Russia that frame the country's ongoing transformation process. To write a review on this book was a real challenge for me, for different reasons. Firstly, it explores an intriguing issue, both imporcant and underinvestigated in Russian sociology. Secondly, I am myself carrying out research on drinking patterns in Russia using biographical interviews so the top ic is very much in line with my own research interests. Thirdly, I felt "politically" embarrassed, as I knew that my PUSiLiuIl cuukl never be objective, lacking the distance and dispassion needed to be a noninterested observer. I also expected to read another horror-story, reinforcing the mythology of "drunken Russia" . Forcunately most of the book did not meet my expectation. With all these considerations in mind I approached the book and was pleased to find it extremely interesting and innovative. Simpura and Levin have produced rich empirical data and some illuminating analysis. It undoubtedly makes a significant contribution to the study of this exciting and problematic field. The collection is the result of one of the several joint Russian-Finnish projeccs of the last decade. A research situation where both foreign and native researchers study the same issue seems to be the most efficient for the study of the cultural patterns of everyday life. On the one hand, the view of a foreign observer is not jaded, and he can focus on practices and habits that stay unquestioned by those who look at it from inside. an the other, the relevance of ascribed meanings can be deciphered only with proper knowledge of the insider's codes. The methodology of such a research team is therefore inevitably of an ethnological character. Behind the inter-
JCloudScale: Closing the Gap Between IaaS and PaaS

Building Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) applications today is a complex, repetitive, and error-prone endeavor, as IaaS does not provide abstractions on top of virtual machines. This article presents JCloudScale, a Java-based middleware for moving elastic applications to IaaS clouds, with minimal adjustments to the application code. We discuss the architecture and technical features, as well as evaluate our system with regard to user acceptance and performance overhead. Our user study reveals that JCloudScale allows many participants to build IaaS applications more efficiently, compared to industrial Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions. Additionally, unlike PaaS, JCloudScale does not lead to a control loss and vendor lock-in.
Influence of sex on the out-of-hospital management of chest pain.

BACKGROUND Sex disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of chest pain or suspected angina have been demonstrated in multiple clinical settings. Out-of-hospital (OOH) care for chest pain is protocol-driven and may be less likely to demonstrate differences between men and women. OBJECTIVES The objectives were to investigate the relationship between sex and the OOH treatment of patients with chest pain. The authors sought to test the hypothesis that OOH care for chest pain patients would differ by sex. METHODS A 1-year retrospective cohort study of 683 emergency medical services (EMS) patients with a complaint of chest pain was conducted. Included were patients taken to any one of three hospitals (all cardiac referral centers) by a single municipal EMS system. Excluded were patients transported by basic life support (BLS) units, those younger than 30 years, and patients with known contraindications to any of the outcome measures. Multivariable regression was used to adjust for potential confounders. The main outcome was adherence to state EMS protocols for treatment of patients over age 30 years with undifferentiated chest pain. Rates of administration of aspirin, nitroglycerin, and oxygen; establishment of intravenous (IV) access; and cardiac monitoring were measured. RESULTS A total of 342 women and 341 men were included. Women were less likely than men to receive aspirin (relative risk [RR] = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.59 to 0.96), nitroglycerin (RR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.96), or an IV (RR 0.86; 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.96). These differences persisted after adjustment for demographics and emergency department (ED) evaluation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as a blunt marker for cardiac risk. Women were also less likely to receive these treatments among the small subgroup of patients who were later diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). CONCLUSIONS For OOH patients with chest pain, sex disparities in treatment are significant and do not appear to be explained by differences in patient age, race, or underlying cardiac risk.