Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectacle Compliance among Adolescents: A Qualitative Study from Southern India.

PURPOSE To understand the perceptions of adolescents and their parents about spectacle compliance of adolescents in Southern India. METHODS Using a qualitative snapshot design, three focus group discussions were conducted each with parents and adolescents studying in schools located in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of participants. Separate focus group guides were developed for parents and adolescents. All focus group discussions were conducted in the school premises and audio recorded. These audio files were then transcribed verbatim and then translated into English. A framework analytical approach was used for data analysis that involved gaining familiarity with the data to identify a thematic framework. RESULTS Two major themes that emerged were (1) perceptions on barriers to spectacle compliance that was further subdivided into physical, psychological, and societal barriers; and (2) solutions to improve spectacle use. Barriers identified included scars on the nose, unattractive frames contributing to poor appeal, adolescents feeling discriminated and set apart, fears of injury to eyes, lack of parental involvement, and negative attitudes of society toward those wearing spectacles. Solutions given by the stakeholders included provision of lightweight, well-fitting, trendy frames of adolescents' choice, importance and need for periodical eye examinations, including teachers in encouraging spectacle use and preventing bullying and teasing by other adolescents, provision of free spectacles along with periodic replacement, and inclusion of awareness sessions on spectacle use for both parents and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS The study has identified both barriers and solutions for improving spectacle compliance among school adolescents from the viewpoint of the stakeholders involved. Implementing the solutions suggested by the stakeholders through planned intervention programs could possibly help in ensuring better compliance of spectacle use among school adolescents.
Growth Hormone Deficiency in Two Children with Cerebral Palsy

The authors describe two children with cerebral palsy and linear growth failure secondary to growth hormone deficiency. One of the children was successfully treated with growth hormone replacement therapy. His linear growth velocity increased from 3cm/ycar before therapy to 8.3cm/year during the first two years of therapy. Potential complications such as worsening orthopedic status did not occur. Psychosocial benefits were noted. The authors conclude that growth hormone deficiency may play a role in linear growth failure in some children with cerebral palsy and that some of these children may benefit from growth hormone therapy.
Off-Target Verbosity, Everyday Competence, and Subjective Well-Being

Background: Off-target verbosity (OTV), defined as prolific speech that is lacking in focus, is exhibited by relatively few older adults, but increases in prevalence with age. Objective/Methods: The hypothesis that a high level of OTV is associated with declining competence in other aspects of everyday life was examined in 142 older adults, previously screened for the level of OTV. Competence was assessed based on self-reported changes since age 50 years in quality and quantity of engagement in eleven domains of instrumental and voluntary activities of everyday life. Results: Path models indicated that a high level of OTV was associated with a decreased competence in everyday activities and was indirectly linked, through competence, with lower well-being and greater loneliness. With competence level controlled, a high level of OTV directly predicted less loneliness. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that a high level of OTV is symptomatic of a more general decline in competence and of less successful aging. However, a high level of OTV also entails a strong motivation for talking to others and thus may offer protection against loneliness.
Angiotensin II‐stimulated collagen gel contraction by heart fibroblasts: Role of the AT1 receptor and tyrosine kinase activity

The accumulation and organization of extracellular matrix (ECM) components play critical roles in development, maintenance, and pathogenesis of most organ systems. These processes are regulated by the precisely orchestrated expression of ECM components, their receptors, and matrix proteases. The collagen gel culture system has been extensively used as a model to examine ECM remodeling similar to that which occurs during development and wound healing. Growth factors, including transforming growth factor‐β, platelet‐derived growth factor, insulin‐like growth factor, and angiotensin II, have been shown to stimulate collagen gel contraction. The present studies were undertaken to begin to examine the mechanisms through which angiotensin II stimulates collagen remodeling and gel contraction. These studies indicate that angiotensin II stimulates collagen gel contraction by isolated heart fibroblasts in a dose‐dependent manner and that this response is inhibited by the AT1 receptor antagonist Losartan. Furthermore, stimulation of collagen gel contraction by angiotensin II is also blocked by the src‐related tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin, indicating that activation of tyrosine kinases plays critical roles in this process. Stimulation of gel contraction by angiotensin II also involves the activation of JAK2, a member of the JAK/STAT pathways of transcriptional activation. Immunoprecipitation of surface‐labeled fibroblasts indicate that cell surface levels of collagen‐binding integrins also increase in response to angiotensin II treatment. Determining the underlying mechanisms regulating ECM remodeling is essential to understanding the role of ECM organization in development and disease. J. Cell. Physiol. 177:224–231, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Defining Plasmids Required by Borrelia burgdorferi for Colonization of Tick Vector Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract Maintenance in nature of Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogenic bacterium that causes Lyme disease, requires transmission through an infectious cycle that includes a tick vector and a mammalian host. The genetic requirements for persistence in these disparate environments have not been well defined. B. burgdorferi has a complex genome composed of a chromosome and >20 plasmids. Previous work has demonstrated that B. burgdorferi requires two plasmids, lp25 and lp28-1, in the mammalian host. To investigate the requirement for these same two plasmids during tick infection, we experimentally infected larval ticks with B. burgdorferi lacking either lp25 or lp28-1 and then assessed the spirochete load in ticks at different points of the infection. Whereas plasmid lp28-1 was dispensable in ticks, plasmid lp25 was essential for tick infection. Furthermore, we investigated the requirement in ticks for the lp25 gene bbe22, which encodes a nicotinamidase that is necessary and sufficient for mammalian infection by B. burgdorferi clones lacking lp25. This gene was also sufficient in ticks to restore survival of spirochetes lacking lp25. This is the first study to investigate the requirement for specific plasmids by B. burgdorferi within the tick vector, and it begins to establish the genomic components required for persistence of this pathogen throughout its natural infectious cycle.
A Review on Energy Efficient Clustering Protocol of Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network

— Today is the era of information technology, collect the information and use it for required application with technology support. Sensor nodes operating remotely are the popular approach for today’s researcher for collecting real time information. But, facing difficulty due to constraints of energy resource for long life monitoring. So there is high need to have energy efficient communication scheme for the betterment of sensor network communication. Clustering protocol is the best option in designing routing protocol for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Though we have option of heterogeneity, Clustering approach enhances the energy efficiency of WSN by systematically sharing the load and hence prolongs the lifetime of the network. Most of the researchers achieve energy efficient approach in WSN, by adding different level high energy nodes and use clustering approach to prolong the lifetime of WSN. There are lots of efforts put in reality by researchers for the development of energy efficient schemes with WSN. This paper explored the contribution of different clustering scheme reported in published literature in the three sections as Clustering algorithm basic and its different attributes, suggested Cluster head selection criteria, literature survey and the identified gaps found in published material. The main aim of this paper is to present basic considered in designing clustering algorithm and metrics available for validation.
A 15-year follow-up of neuromuscular function in patients with prior poliomyelitis

A population-based cohort of poliomyelitis survivors was established and followed for 15 years (mean time since poliomyelitis was 40 years). Over time, the cohort demonstrated only a modest decline in function as measured by strength measurements, electrophysiologic assessments, and timed functional tasks. There was no association between symptoms of late deterioration and magnitude of decline. Rather, the presence of these symptoms was associated with the magnitude of the residual deficits.
The therapy of maple syrup urine disease.

BOTH THE clinical picture and the metabolic abnormality in maple urine disease pose special problems in its management. The rapid progression of symptoms (from feeding problems and apathy to the onset of central nervous system signs with periods of hypertonicity alternating with hypotonia, loss of Moro's reflex, difficulties with respiration to convulsions and death) makes prompt and proper treatment imperative. The nature of the defect, involving three essential amino acids, triples the problems of dietary management. In the seven years since treatment of the first case was initiated, 1 our group at New York University has been able to develop a fairly well-defined schedule for initiating and continuing therapy. The metabolic defect is the failure of oxidative decarboxylation of the keto-acid derivatives of the branched chain amino acids (Fig 1). This results in the accumulation of these compounds as well as of the branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and
Respiratory Toxicity of Mattress Emissions in Mice

Abstract Groups of male Swiss-Webster mice breathed emissions of several brands of crib mattresses for two 1-hr periods. The authors used a computerized version of ASTM-E-981 test method to monitor respiratory frequency, pattern, and airflow velocity and to diagnose abnormalities when statistically significant changes appeared. The emissions of four mattresses caused various combinations of upper-airways irritation (i.e., sensory irritation), lower-airways irritation (pulmonary irritation), and decreases in mid-expiratory airflow velocity. At the peak effect, a traditional mattress (wire springs with fiber padding) caused sensory irritation in 57% of breaths, pulmonary irritation in 23% of breaths, and airflow decrease in 11% of breaths. All mattresses caused pulmonary irritation, as shown by 17–23% of breaths at peak. The largest airflow decrease (i.e., affecting 26% of the breaths) occurred with a polyurethane foam pad covered with vinyl. Sham exposures produced less than 6% sensory irritation, pulmonary irritation, or airflow limitation. Organic cotton padding caused very different effects, evidenced by increases in both respiratory rate and tidal volume. The authors used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify respiratory irritants (e.g., styrene, isopropylbenzene, limonene) in the emissions of one of the polyurethane foam mattresses. Some mattresses emitted mixtures of volatile chemicals that had the potential to cause respiratory-tract irritation and decrease airflow velocity in mice.
Is patients ’ loneliness a matter for general practi ce ? A qualitative

Background Loneliness is linked to morbidity and mortality and use of social and health services resources. Therefore, general practitioners may have an import ant role to play. Hoverer, not much is known about how general practitioners handle loneliness i n their patients, and not much is known about the GPs’ attitudes and willingness to take on this task . Objective This study focuses on GPs awareness of patients’ lo neliness and their attitudes towards and perceptions of possibilities to actively address lo ne iness during consultations. Methods We performed semi-structured interviews with 13 Dan ish general practitioners from urban and rural areas. The interviews were transcribed for thematic analysis. Results The interviewees had slightly different definitions of loneliness, but these differences did not seem to affect their attitudes and behaviour regarding l one y patients. Some were hesitant to mention the word loneliness in the dialogue with the patient an d to write it in the patient record. The interviewees all regarded social network and loneli ness to be a natural part of an anamnesis when relevant, but they did not consider it obvious to i nvestigate feelings of loneliness in patients as an isolated task of theirs. Reasons for this were that ”jus diagnosing loneliness” was of limited use – or might be contraindicated – because GPs themselve s normally have no tools or options to alleviate this feeling. Knowledge of municipal and other support activities for lonely people that GPs can refer to or recommend was limited. Conclusions Patients’ feelings of loneliness were rarely on the ag nda during general practice consultations though general practitioners regarded patients’ lon eliness and social network as a critical factor in disease and recovery. The dominant feeling of the G Ps was that they themselves cannot help the patient get rid of the feeling of loneliness; and t he GPs called for updated information on relevant activities outside general practice in order to be a le to guide, motivate, and refer lonely patients.
A Comparison of Bifactor and Second-Order Models of Quality of Life

Bifactor and second-order factor models are two alternative approaches for representing general constructs comprised of several highly related domains. Bifactor and second-order models were compared using a quality of life data set (N = 403). The bifactor model identified three, rather than the hypothesized four, domain specific factors beyond the general factor. The bifactor model fit the data significantly better than the second-order model. The bifactor model allowed for easier interpretation of the relationship between the domain specific factors and external variables, over and above the general factor. Contrary to the literature, sufficient power existed to distinguish between bifactor and corresponding second-order models in one actual and one simulated example, given reasonable sample sizes. Advantages of bifactor models over second-order models are discussed.
Water-soluble photoluminescent silicon quantum dots.

For silicon quantum dots to be used in biomedical applications it is essential that they have a substantial photoluminescence quantum yield in the visible region, have a fast radiative recombination rate, and are water soluble and hydrophilic to prevent aggregation and precipitation in a biological environment. The chemical process used to terminate the surfaces of the silicon quantum dots changes the internal electronic structure and thus plays an important role in the resultant emission wavelength and radiative lifetime, and ultimately determines the solubility. [18] Silicon quantum dots with an oxide surface passivation typically display a dipole-forbidden yellow-red emission with radiative lifetimes of 10 3 –10 6 s. [18, 26] This slow rate of recombination limits the use of oxide-passivated silicon quantum dots in biological imaging. However, silicon quantum dots with a hydrogen or carbon surface passivation have electric-dipole-allowed direct band gap transitions that lead to blue photoluminescence with fast recombination rates of 10 8 –10 9 s. [18, 20]
Nucleotide Excision Repair- and Polymerase η-Mediated Error-Prone Removal of Mitomycin C Interstrand Cross-Links

ABSTRACT Interstrand cross-links (ICLs) make up a unique class of DNA lesions in which both strands of the double helix are covalently joined, precluding strand opening during replication and transcription. The repair of DNA ICLs has become a focus of study since ICLs are recognized as the main cytotoxic lesion inflicted by an array of alkylating compounds used in cancer treatment. As is the case for double-strand breaks, a damage-free homologous copy is essential for the removal of ICLs in an error-free manner. However, recombination-independent mechanisms may exist to remove ICLs in an error-prone fashion. We have developed an in vivo reactivation assay that can be used to examine the removal of site-specific mitomycin C-mediated ICLs in mammalian cells. We found that the removal of the ICL from the reporter substrate could take place in the absence of undamaged homologous sequences in repair-proficient cells, suggesting a cross-link repair mechanism that is independent of homologous recombination. Systematic analysis of nucleotide excision repair mutants demonstrated the involvement of transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair and a partial requirement for the lesion bypass DNA polymerase η encoded by the human POLH gene. From these observations, we propose the existence of a recombination-independent and mutagenic repair pathway for the removal of ICLs in mammalian cells.
A DNA based implementation of an evolutionary search for good encodings for DNA computation

Computation based on manipulation of DNA molecules has the potential to solve problems with massive parallelism. DNA computation, however, is implemented with chemical reactions between the nucleotide bases, and therefore, the results can be error-prone. Application of DNA based computation to traditional computing paradigms requires error-free computation, which the DNA chemistry is unable to support. Careful encoding of the nucleotide sequences can alleviate the production of errors, but these good encodings are difficult to find. In this paper, an algorithm for evolutionary computation with DNA is sketched. Evolutionary computation does not require error-free DNA chemistry, and in fact, takes advantage of errors to produce change and variation in the population. An application of the DNA based evolution program to a search for good DNA encodings is sketched.
The effect of age-related differences in body size and composition on cardiovascular determinants of VO2max.

BACKGROUND A reduction in maximal stroke volume (SVmax) and total blood volume (TBV) has been hypothesized to contribute to the decline in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) with healthy aging. However, these variables have rarely been collected simultaneously in a board age range to support or refute this hypothesis. It is also unclear to what extent scaling size-related cardiovascular determinants of VO2max affects the interpretation of age-related differences. METHODS A retrospective analysis of VO2max, maximal cardiac output (QCmax), TBV, and body composition including fat-free mass (FFM) in 95 (51% M) healthy adults ranging from 19-86 years. RESULTS Absolute and indexed VO2max, QCmax, and maximal heart rate decreased in both sexes with age (p ≤ .031). SVmax declined with age when scaled to total body mass or body surface area (p ≤ .047) but not when expressed in absolute levels (p = .120) or relative to FFM (p = .464). Absolute and indexed TBVs (mL/kg; mL/m(2)) were not significantly affected by age but increased with age in both sexes when scaled to FFM (p ≤ .013). A lower arteriovenous oxygen difference (a-vO2diff) contributed to the reduction in VO2max with age in treadmill exercisers (p = .004) but not in the entire cohort (p = .128). CONCLUSION These results suggest (a) a reduction in absolute SVmax, and TBV do not contribute substantially to the age-related reduction in VO2max, which instead results from a smaller QCmax due to a lower maximal heart rate, and (b) body composition scaling methods should be used to accurately describe the effect of aging on physical function and cardiovascular variables.
Transducer of regulated CREB-binding proteins (TORCs) induce PGC-1α transcription and mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells

PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α) is a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and plays an important role in several other aspects of energy metabolism. To identify upstream regulators of PGC-1α gene transcription, 10,000 human full-length cDNAs were screened for induction of the PGC-1α promoter. A number of activators of PGC-1α transcription were found; the most potent activator was the transducer of regulated CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) binding protein (TORC) 1, a coactivator of CREB. The other two members of the TORC family, TORC2 and TORC3, also strongly activated PGC-1α transcription. TORCs dramatically induced PGC-1α gene transcription through CREB. Forced expression of TORCs in primary muscle cells induced the endogenous mRNA of PGC-1α and its downstream target genes in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and TCA cycle. Importantly, these changes in gene expression resulted in increased mitochondrial oxidative capacity measured by cellular respiration and fatty acid oxidation. Finally, we demonstrated that the action of TORCs in promoting mitochondrial gene expression and function requires PGC-1α. Previous studies had indicated that TORCs function as a calcium- and cAMP-sensitive coincidence detector and mediate individual and synergistic effects of these two pathways. Our results, together with previous findings, strongly suggest that TORCs play a key role in linking these external signals to the transcriptional program of adaptive mitochondrial biogenesis by activating PGC-1α gene transcription.
Effects of Behavioral Intervention and Interpersonal Feedback on Fear and Avoidance Components of Severe Agoraphobia: A Case Analysis

Four treatments with a severe agoraphobic were compared in a single-case analysis in which daily anxiety, self-appraisal, Valium intake, and mileage ridden in a car were dependent variables. Treatment conditions sequentially added were relaxation, self-instruction, cognitive restructuring, and interpersonal feedback. Behavioral interventions produced desired changes in anxiety, Valium intake, and self-appraisal, but only after interpersonal feedback did these treatments influence avoidant behavior per se (mileage). A 16-mo. (post-treatment) follow-up showed that, while the patient continued to travel distances from his home which were roughly equivalent to those attained in Phase 4 of treatment, his travels were mainly confined to an area within a 5-mi. radius of his home. This adjustment was accompanied by far fewer hospitalizations, relative freedom from panic, and more expressed interest in family and sexual matters (the latter verified by spouse).