Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mentors assessing mentees? An overview and analyses of the mentorship role concerning newly qualified teachers

Sweden has no tradition of mentors participating in the formal summative assessment of newly qualified teachers. However, an Inquiry Committee Report proposed that mentors should have some involvement in this process. This article reports on the results of an examination of 108 official responses to the Inquiry Report submitted to the Ministry of Education and provides a research overview. The results show that only 23 of the 108 responses mention assessment, and none of these are positive to the proposed expansion of the mentor’s duties. Only four responses include an explicit discussion of the relationship between mentors and mentees. These results are discussed in the light of research into relations between mentors and mentees and whether or not mentors should participate in the assessment of their mentees. One conclusion is that answers to this question need to relate to the prerequisites, values and objectives of the educational context.
Internal link prediction: A new approach for predicting links in bipartite graphs

Many real-world complex networks, like actor-movie or file-provider relations, have a bipartite nature and evolve over time. Predicting links that will appear in them is one of the main approach to understand their dynamics. Only few works address the bipartite case, though, despite its high practical interest and the specific challenges it raises. We define in this paper the notion of internal links in bipartite graphs and propose a link prediction method based on them. We thoroughly describe the method and its variations, and experimentally compare it to a basic collaborative filtering approach. We present results obtained for a typical practical case. We reach the conclusion that our method performs very well, and we study in details how its parameters may influence obtained results.
Outcomes of carotid artery stenting at a high-volume Brazilian interventional neuroradiology center

OBJECTIVES: Carotid artery stenting is an emerging revascularization alternative to carotid endarterectomy. However, guidelines have recommended carotid artery stenting only if the rate of periprocedural stroke or death is < 6% among symptomatic patients and < 3% among asymptomatic patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare clinical outcomes of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients who had undergone carotid artery stenting as a first-intention treatment. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent carotid artery stenting by our interventional neuroradiology team was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups: symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The primary endpoints were ipsilateral ischemic stroke, ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events at 30 days. The secondary endpoints included ipsilateral ischemic stroke, ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage, ipsilateral transient ischemic attack and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events between the 1- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: A total of 200 consecutive patients were evaluated. The primary endpoints obtained in the symptomatic vs. asymptomatic groups were ipsilateral stroke (2.4% vs. 2.7%, p = 1.00), ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage (0.8% vs. 0.0%, p = 1.00) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (4.7% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.71). The secondary endpoints obtained in the symptomatic vs. asymptomatic groups were ipsilateral ischemic stroke (0.0% vs. 0.0%), ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage (0.0% vs. 0.0%), ipsilateral TIA (0.0% vs. 0.0%, p = 1.00) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (11.2% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, carotid artery stenting was similarly safe and effective when performed as a first-intention treatment in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The study results comply with the safety requirements from current recommendations to perform carotid artery stenting as an alternative treatment to carotid endarterectomy.
Prevention of Abdominal Adhesions – Present State and What’s beyond the Horizon?

Intra-abdominal adhesions are normally found after most surgical procedures. Many of the adhesions are asymptomatic, but in about 5% they will lead to readmission due to adhesion-related disorders, such as small bowel obstruction, pelvic pain and infertility. This review discusses possible ways to prevent abdominal adhesions and provides an update as comes to where we stand today in research regarding experimental and clinical use of various antiadhesive agents.
A role for cGMP during tetanus toxin blockade of acetylcholine release in the rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line

In order to identify the specific molecular mechanisms involved in neurosecretion, we investigated the mechanism of action of tetanus toxin, a potent presynaptic neurotoxin, in the rat adrenal pheochromocytoma PC12 cell line. It has recently been reported that tetanus toxin is a potent inhibitor of the release of depolarization- evoked 3H-acetylcholine (ACh) from nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells (Sandberg et al., 1989a). In PC12 cells, as in many neural tissue preparations, cGMP accumulation in intact cells increased 6- to 17-fold when stimulated with veratridine (200 microM), carbachol (1 mM), Ba2+ (2 mM), or K+ (30 mM). Preincubation of the cells with tetanus toxin inhibits this accumulation by greater than 95%. The toxin dose-inhibition curves for 3H-ACh release and cGMP accumulation are similar, with half-maximal doses of tetanus toxin seen at approximately 5 nM. The time courses for the development of the effects of tetanus on 3H-ACh release and on cGMP accumulation were also similar. Protocols which elevated intracellular cGMP levels reversed the action of the toxin. For example, evoked ACh release was restored in intoxicated PC12 cells by a 15 min exposure to 100 microM 8-bromo-cGMP. The half-maximal dose was observed at 50 microM nucleotide. Examination of the nucleotide specificity revealed that only cyclic guanine analogs were effective in reversing the effects of tetanus toxin. These results suggested that the inhibition of depolarization-evoked cGMP accumulation is causally related to the action of tetanus toxin on neurosecretion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Industrial hygiene, occupational safety and respiratory symptoms in the Pakistani cotton industry

Objectives In the cotton industry of Pakistan, 15 million people are employed and exposed to cotton dust, toxic chemicals, noise and physical hazards. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of health symptoms, particularly respiratory symptoms, and to measure cotton dust and endotoxin levels in different textile factories of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Methods A cross-sectional investigation was performed in a representative sample of 47 cotton factories in the Faisalabad region in Punjab, Pakistan. Respiratory symptoms of 800 workers were documented by questionnaire. Occupational safety in the factories was assessed by a trained expert following a checklist, and dust and endotoxin levels in different work areas were measured. Results Prevalence of respiratory disease symptoms (fever, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough) was generally high and highest in the weaving section of the cotton industry (20–40% depending on symptoms). This section also displayed the poorest occupational safety ratings and the highest levels of inhalable cotton dust (mean±SD 4.6±2.5 vs 0.95±0.65 mg/m3 in compact units). In contrast, endotoxin levels were highest in the spinning section (median 1521 EU/m3), where high humidity is maintained. Conclusions There are still poor working conditions in the cotton industry in Pakistan where workers are exposed to different occupational hazards. More health symptoms were reported from small weaving factories (power looms). There is a dire need for improvements in occupational health and safety in this industrial sector with particular focus on power looms.
Antecedents and Consequences of Skepticism toward Health Claims: An Empirical Investigation of Singaporean Consumers

This paper reports on an adaptation of the Skepticism toward Advertising framework (Obermiller and Spangenberg, 1998, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7(2), 189–186) in examining Singapore consumers' skepticism toward health claims made by manufacturers. The study found that Singaporean consumers, like their Western counterparts, are skeptical about health claims. Age and consumer's self‐confidence in information acquisition, identification of product alternatives, and getting recognition from others about purchase decisions made, are important antecedents to Singaporeans' skepticism toward health claims. Cynicism is also found to be a distinct concept from skepticism. While motivation to process nutrition information positively influences Singaporeans' skepticism toward health claims, use of health claims is negated by skepticism toward such claims. Managerial implications arising from the findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.
Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major human pathogens which colonizes and infects both hospitalized patients with decreased host defenses and healthy, immunologically competent people in the community. Most people become intermittently colonized by S. aureus, harboring the organism either in their nasopharynx, on the skin, but also in the vagina, in the rectum or perineal region. From this site, S. aureus can spread by interpersonal transfer, predominantly by direct or indirect contact, and rarely by air. In the early 1940s the introduction of penicillin G temporarily solved the problem of staphylococcal infection. The frequent use of penicillin in hospital in the 1950s resulted in the selection of resistant strains, which produced penicillinase (ß-lactamase). By the end of the 1950s, S. aureus had acquired resistance to virutally all available antibiotics, including erythromycin, streptomycin, and the tetracyclines, and its virulence remained unaffected. As a consequence, nosocomial infections emerged as a life-threatening problem. The introduction of methicillin in 1960 and other penicillinase-resistant penicillins had an important impact on the treatment possibilities of staphylococcal infections. However, shortly after the introduction of methicillin, S. aureus strains resistant to methicillin (MRSA) were detected and outbreaks of infections due to MRSA were encountered in hospitals throughout the world. In this paper we describe the epidemiology of MRSA, the measures and the controversies of control of their spread.
Bilingual advantage in attentional control: Evidence from the forced-attention dichotic listening paradigm*

It has been claimed that due to their experience in controlling two languages, bilinguals exceed monolinguals in certain executive functions, especially inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli. Here we investigated the effects of bilingualism on an executive phonological task, namely the forced-attention dichotic listening task with syllabic stimuli. In the standard non-forced (NF) condition, the participants reported all syllables they heard, be it from the right or the left ear. In the forced-right (FR) and forced-left (FL) attention conditions, they had to direct their attention to either the right- or the left-ear stimulus and inhibit information coming to the other ear. We tested Finnish monolinguals and early simultaneous Finnish–Swedish bilinguals from two age groups: (30–50-year-olds and 60–74-year-olds). The results showed that the bilinguals performed better than the monolinguals in the FR and FL conditions. This supports the idea of a bilingual advantage in directing attention and inhibiting task-irrelevant stimuli.
Results of imatinib mesylate therapy in chronic myelogenous leukaemia with variant Philadelphia chromosome

Five to 10 per cent of patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)‐positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) have variant translocations involving chromosomes other than 9 and 22. We investigated the characteristics and outcome of patients with variant translocations treated with imatinib. Among 721 patients, 44 (6%) had variant translocations, involving one (n = 39) or two (n = 4) additional chromosomes. Nineteen patients (44%) were in chronic (12 previously untreated), 24 (55%) in accelerated and one (2%) in blastic phase. A major cytogenetic response was achieved in 14 (74%) patients treated in chronic phase and in 14 (58%) treated in accelerated phase. Six of 13 (46%) evaluable patients had deletion of derivative chromosome 9, and there was a trend for a lower response rate in these patients. We compared the 43 patients in chronic or accelerated phase to 678 patients with classic Ph treated with imatinib. The only significant difference in clinical characteristics was a higher frequency of accelerated phase among those with variant translocations (56%) compared with those with classic translocations (38%). No differences in outcome were evident. In a multivariate analysis, variant Ph translocations had no impact in response rate, overall survival or duration of response. We conclude that patients with variant Ph translocations have a similar prognosis to those with classic Ph translocations when treated with imatinib.
Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in subjects hospitalized due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Beijing from 2000 to 2010

Objectives To investigate the overall prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and explore the prevalence of the major CVD complications and trends in patients with COPD over a 10-year period. Methods Medical records in the PLA General Hospital, Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, and Beijing Hospital from 2000/01/01 to 2010/03/03 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 4960 patients with COPD were reviewed in the study (3570 males, mean age, 72.2 ± 10.5 years; 1390 females, mean age, 72.0 ± 10.4 years). Results The prevalence of CVD in COPD patients was 51.7%. The three most prevalent CVDs were ischemic heart disease (28.9%), heart failure (19.6%), and arrhythmia (12.6%). During the 10-year study period, the prevalence of various CVDs in COPD patients showed a gradual increasing trend with increasing age. There was higher morbidity due to ischemic heart disease (P < 0.01) in male COPD patients than in the female counterparts. However, heart failure (P < 0.01) and hypertension (P < 0.01) occurred less frequently in male COPD patients than in female COPD patients. Furthermore, the prevalence of ischemic heart disease decreased year by year. In addition to heart failure, various types of CVD complications in COPD patients tended to occur in younger subjects. The prevalence of all major types of CVD in women tended to increase year by year. Conclusions The prevalence of CVD in patients hospitalized for COPD in Beijing was high. Age, sex and CVD trends, as well as life style changes, should be considered when prevention and control strategies are formulated.
Adult attachment, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction: A study of married couples

The goal of this research was to extend prior work on adult attachment and sexuality, which has tended to focus on samples of adolescents and undergraduate students. A Canadian sample of 116 married couples aged 21–75 years completed self-report measures of adult attachment, marital, and sexual satisfaction. Results revealed that participants with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance reported lower levels of sexual satisfaction at the individual level. Individuals with more avoidant spouses also reported lower levels of sexual satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationship between sexual and marital satisfaction was stronger for more anxiously attached individuals and those with more anxiously attached spouses. These results suggest that attachment is linked in theoretically predictable ways to marital and sexual satisfaction.
Comparison of the Clearview Chlamydia, the PACE 2 assay, and culture for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis from cervical specimens in a low-prevalence population

The Clearview Chlamydia assay (Wampole Laboratories, Cranbury, N.J.), the PACE 2 DNA probe assay (GenProbe, San Diego, Calif.), and culture were compared for their abilities to detect Chlamydia trachomatis from cervical specimens in a population with a low prevalence (3.9%) of chlamydial infections. A consensus reference method was used. The consensus reference method defined a positive specimen as one with a positive culture result or positive by both of the two nonculture methods. Of the 940 specimens tested, 37 were positive; 36 were positive by culture, 28 were positive by the PACE 2 assay, and 27 were positive by the Clearview assay, giving sensitivities of 97.3, 75.5, and 72.9%, respectively, and specificities of 100, 97.1, and 98.9%, respectively. There was a direct correlation between the number of inclusion-forming units detected by culture and the ability of the two nonculture methods to detect the positive specimens.
Teachers’ acceptance of absenteeism: towards developing a specific scale

Purpose – This study aims to develop and validate a measure of a specific attitude toward teachers’ absenteeism that predicts this behavior more accurately than other general measures of job attitudes.Design/methodology/approach – Participants were 443 teachers from 21 secondary schools in Israel. In the first phase, the teachers answered anonymous questionnaires related to their general attitudes and their specific attitude through “absenteeism acceptance”. In the second phase, each teacher submitted copies of his half‐year absenteeism records six months after the end of the first phase.Findings – The authors used CFA to cross‐validate the different job attitudes measures. They confirmed the construct validity of “absenteeism acceptance” through convergent and discriminant validity, finding relatively weak negative relationships between “absenteeism acceptance” and the general job attitudes. The criterion validity and predictive validity of the new measure was confirmed by intercorrelations that were fou.
De Novo Transcriptome Analysis to Identify Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Genes Responsible for Tissue-Specific Pigmentation in Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.)

Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) is commonly found in temperate climate regions and widely used for lawns, in part, owing to its uniform green color. However, some zoysiagrass cultivars accumulate red to purple pigments in their spike and stolon tissues, thereby decreasing the aesthetic value. Here we analyzed the anthocyanin contents of two zoysiagrass cultivars ‘Anyang-jungji’ (AJ) and ‘Greenzoa’ (GZ) that produce spikes and stolons with purple and green colors, respectively, and revealed that cyanidin and petunidin were primarily accumulated in the pigmented tissues. In parallel, we performed a de novo transcriptome assembly and identified differentially expressed genes between the two cultivars. We found that two anthocyanin biosynthesis genes encoding anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) were preferentially upregulated in the purple AJ spike upon pigmentation. Both ANS and DFR genes were also highly expressed in other zoysiagrass cultivars with purple spikes and stolons, but their expression levels were significantly low in the cultivars with green tissues. We observed that recombinant ZjDFR1 and ZjANS1 proteins successfully catalyze the conversions of dihydroflavonols into leucoanthocyanidins and leucoanthocyanidins into anthocyanidins, respectively. These findings strongly suggest that upregulation of ANS and DFR is responsible for tissue-specific anthocyanin biosynthesis and differential pigmentation in zoysiagrass. The present study also demonstrates the feasibility of a de novo transcriptome analysis to identify the key genes associated with specific traits, even in the absence of reference genome information.
Parental attitudes toward child rearing: Instruments, issues, and implications.

Describes historical use of surveys to assess parents' global child-rearing attitudes and reviews the structure and content of the 83 parent attitude questionnaires published from 1899 through 1986 designed to quantify variations in parental attitudes and, presumably, parental behavior. Inspection of the surveys' psychometric properties reveals marginally acceptable levels of reliability and questionable validity. One suspected source of problems with the instruments, the use of vague and ambiguous items, was confirmed in a study of mothers' reactions to one survey. In addition to instrument errors, conceptual problems associated with assumptions about the structure of parental attitudes and how attitudes relate to parental behavior are discussed. Alternative methods for assessing parental social cognitions and individual differences in parents are advocated. One of the oldest and most important questions in psychology concerns the role the environment plays in the development of an individual. At least in the opening scenes of ontogeny, parents are generally recognized to be the protagonists and the family to be the "primary arena" for socialization (Maccoby, 1984). Parents have frequently been implicated as principal causal agents in their children's behavioral, emotional, personality, and cognitive development. This influence is achieved through a variety of active and passive, reactive and nonreactive processes (Baumrind, 1980; Radke-Yarrow & Zahn-Waxler, 1986; Scarr
A Role for Ecological Restoration Work in University Environmental Education.

Abstract The effects of ecological restoration field work and in-class instruction on students' ecological behavior, environmental attitudes, and perceptions of restorative qualities in a natural environment were studied in 3 classes of university undergraduates (N = 488). In 1 class, students (n = 145) carried out ecological restoration work on 8 field trips. Students in 2 control classes (n = 157; n = 186) each made only 1 field trip, to a site where the other class had done restoration work, but did no restoration work. In 1 of the control classes, data were collected from 5 subgroups at different points in the course to examine the effects of cumulating in-class instruction. Ecological restoration work positively affected environmental attitudes and ecological behavior, but within the attitude measures it affected only ecological behavior intention and not environmental knowledge or environmental values. In-class instruction was associated with perceived restorative qualities in the study site; percep.
Immunization with Genetic Toxoids of the Arcanobacterium pyogenes Cholesterol-Dependent Cytolysin, Pyolysin, Protects Mice against Infection

ABSTRACT Pyolysin (PLO), a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin expressed by Arcanobacterium pyogenes, is an important host-protective antigen. However, this molecule is toxic and requires inactivation prior to its use as a vaccine. Three genetically toxoided, nonhemolytic PLO molecules, HIS-PLO.F497, HIS-PLO. ΔP499, and HIS-PLO.A522, were found to be nontoxic, and vaccinated mice were protected from infection, indicating the potential of these toxoids as vaccines. Furthermore, in a mouse model of infection, A. pyogenes carrying the F497 mutation was as attenuated as a PLO-deficient strain, indicating that the cytolytic activity of PLO is important in virulence.