Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between student performances on course level integrated clinical skills examinations and objective structured clinical examinations in a chiropractic college program.

PURPOSE This retrospective study measured correlation of student performance between 2 objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and an introductory integrated clinical skills course that preceded the OSCEs. The hypothesis was that there would be a strong, positive correlation between the earlier level examinations and the upper level OSCE, high enough that earlier examinations could be viewed as predictors of upper level OSCE performance. METHODS Using student scores for 5 academic terms of upper level OSCEs for 2008-2009 (n = 208) and respective earlier scores, correlation coefficients were calculated for the upper level OSCE and Clinical Skills course, and upper and lower level OSCEs. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate how well the lower level OSCE and clinical skills scores, both as lone and combined independent variables, predicted the upper level OSCE scores. RESULTS There was at least a moderate correlation between both sets of scores: r = . 51 (p < .001) between upper level OSCE and clinical skills course, r = . 54 (p < .001) between the upper and lower level OSCEs. A combination of clinical skills and lower level OSCE scores suggested a moderate prediction of upper level OSCE scores (R(2) = . 38. ) CONCLUSIONS Correlations were found to be of at least a moderate level. According to linear regression analysis, a combination of the earlier scores was moderately predictive for the upper level OSCE. More research could be done to determine additional components of student performance.
Immunological response of recombinant H. pylori multi-epitope vaccine with different vaccination strategies.

OBJECTIVE To investigate different protective effects of recombinant H. pylori multi-epitope antigen (rIB) with cholera toxin subunit B (rCTB) as the intramolecular/extramolecular adjuvant though different immunization routes in a Helicobacter pylori infected mouse model. METHODS By using rCTB as the intramolecular/extramolecular adjuvant of rIB, BALB/c mice were immunized through oral administration or intramuscular injection, on day 0, 14, 28. Every 14 days, ELISA was used to detect serum specific IgG and IgA titers after immunization. After the last immunization, H. pylori SS1 challenge was performed, and urease test, Gram staining after smearing of mouse gastric tissue, PCR, pathology and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate preventive effect of the recombinant protein vaccine. RESULTS After immunization three times, intramolecular injection could induce high titers of serum specific IgG antibody, and the antibody titer in rIB group, rCTB+rIB and rBIB group was 2000, 5000 and 7500, respectively (P < 0.05). Specific IgA antibody was only detected in rBIB oral administration group. The immune protection rate in rBIB oral administration group was significantly higher than that in rBIB intramolecular injection group (33.3% vs. 83%), indicating significant difference. CONCLUSION rCTB has good intramolecular/extramolecular immune adjuvant effects, and its intramolecular immune adjuvant effect is better. Both intramolecular injection and oral administration of rBIB have immune protective effect against H. pylori challenge, and oral administration of rBIB exerts better immune protective effect.
Is Neutrality a Feature or a Bug? Delegation, Discretion, and the Democratic Implications of Administrative Law in a Polarized Institutional Environment

The Weber–Wilson tenets of administration, primarily the neutrality principle and the politics–administration dichotomy, have come under heavy criticism in recent years. This article assesses the administrative state in terms of democratic fundamental principles. Due to important developments in the evolution of executive bureaucratic discretion, such as the civil service reforms, the end of the legislative veto, Chevron deference, and political polarization, administrative law has been decoupled from popular input, and administrative agencies have become increasingly isolated from the elective institutions of government. At the same time, the foundational principles of administration that justify the insulation of agencies from democratic consent have been undermined. The article contends that the raison d’être for administrative law is intimately tied to the foundational tenets, and that without them administrative law faces a legitimacy crisis, given it is discordant with both the principles of popular sovereignty and the rule of law. Administrative discretion must be bounded by the neutrality norm and a strong check by popular institutions. Using illustrative examples from administrative law, the article shows that political polarization has created an administrative law environment ripe for the abuse of discretion in administrative law for political ends and calls for renewed commitment to neutrality and the politics–administration dichotomy.
EarBit

Chronic and widespread diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia require patients to monitor their food intake, and food journaling is currently the most common method for doing so. However, food journaling is subject to self-bias and recall errors, and is poorly adhered to by patients. In this paper, we propose an alternative by introducing EarBit, a wearable system that detects eating moments. We evaluate the performance of inertial, optical, and acoustic sensing modalities and focus on inertial sensing, by virtue of its recognition and usability performance. Using data collected in a simulated home setting with minimum restrictions on participants’ behavior, we build our models and evaluate them with an unconstrained outside-the-lab study. For both studies, we obtained video footage as ground truth for participants activities. Using leave-one-user-out validation, EarBit recognized all the eating episodes in the semi-controlled lab study, and achieved an accuracy of 90.1% and an F1-score of 90.9% in detecting chewing instances. In the unconstrained, outside-the-lab evaluation, EarBit obtained an accuracy of 93% and an F1-score of 80.1% in detecting chewing instances. It also accurately recognized all but one recorded eating episodes. These episodes ranged from a 2 minute snack to a 30 minute meal.
Female multiple mating behaviour in the common shrew as a strategy to reduce inbreeding

Three hypotheses concerning potential genetic benefits of female multiple mating behaviour are evaluated for the common shrew. In a high-density population, many successful copulations took place between individuals estimated to be close relatives (e.g. full or half siblings). Juveniles resulting from such matings tended to be relatively small at weaning, and were generally less likely to survive to sexual maturity than more outbred individuals. Multiple paternity was discovered in eight of nine litters examined. The incidence of matings between close relatives, the cost of inbreeding, and the high incidence of multiple paternity presented are each consistent with the hypothesis that female multiple mating is a strategy to reduce inbreeding. That is, if females cannot always distinguish close kin, then they may copulate with several different males and so reduce the risk that all their offspring will be sired by a close relative.
Splenectomy improves liver function in patients with liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Partial splenic embolization or splenectomy has been reported to improve liver function as well as hypersplenism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of splenectomy in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) on liver function. METHODOLOGY Twelve consecutive patients with LC were followed for more than 6 months using laboratory examinations, ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography. Portal blood flow was measured using color Doppler US before and after splenectomy in 6 cases. RESULTS Hypersplenism was improved in all patients. Protein synthesis in the liver was improved, which significantly correlated with these patients' increased liver volume. Having a large spleen and a low serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are predictive factors for favorable improvement of liver function after splenectomy. Splenectomy was safely carried out in all patients without major complications except for portal thrombus occurred in 4 patients, but did not affect liver function if it was well treated. CONCLUSIONS Splenectomy improved liver function in patients with LC, and could be a supportive and bridging therapy for patients waiting for liver transplantation, especially with large spleen and lower ALT levels.
Indigenous cultural training for health workers in Australia.

PURPOSE Culturally inappropriate health services contribute to persistent health inequalities. This article reviews approaches to indigenous cultural training for health workers and assesses how effectively they have been translated into training programmes within Australia. DATA SOURCES CINAHL PLUS, MEDLINE, Wiley InterScience, ATSIHealth and ProQuest. STUDY SELECTION The review focuses on the conceptual and empirical literature on indigenous cultural training for health workers within selected settler-colonial countries, together with published evaluations of such training programmes in Australia. Data extraction Information on conceptual models underpinning training was extracted descriptively. Details of authors, year, area of investigation, participant group, evaluation method and relevant findings were extracted from published evaluations. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS Six models relevant to cultural training were located and organized into a conceptual schema ('cultural competence, transcultural care, cultural safety, cultural awareness, cultural security and cultural respect'). Indigenous cultural training in Australia is most commonly based on a 'cultural awareness' model. Nine published evaluations of Australian indigenous cultural training programmes for health workers were located. Of the three studies that assessed change at multiple points in time, two found positive changes. However, the only study to include a control group found no effect. CONCLUSION This review shows that the evidence for the effectiveness of indigenous cultural training programmes in Australia is poor. Critiques of cultural training from indigenous and non-indigenous scholars suggest that a 'cultural safety' model may offer the most potential to improve the effectiveness of health services for indigenous Australians.
The Need for Change in UK Mental Health Services: South Asian Service Users’ Views

Objectives. UK literature on mental health services for ethnic minority service users relies heavily on perceptions of professionals, carers and community representatives. This research investigates the views of South Asian service users themselves about experiences of mental health services and how they might be improved. Design. Thematic analysis of material from focus groups and individual interviews with Asian mental health service users within one local area. Results. South Asian service users clearly identify the impact of socio-economic exclusion upon their mental health. Cultural and institutional exclusion compound this, leading to continuing insensitivity towards their particular needs within hospital and community-based services. Asian service users feel unsafe to share their particular concerns within many service settings. They see advocacy that recognises their experience of exclusion as a significant resource for mental health improvement. They want sounder financing of culturally appropriate services for recovery; further development of the cultural competence of staff within mainstream services; and educational programmes about mental health directed at minority communities. Conclusion. UK mental health services remain unresponsive to the consistently expressed views of South Asian service users. A major cultural change is required if the UK Government initiative Delivering Race Equality is to impact successfully at the local level. It will have a greater chance of success if the rhetoric of user involvement is matched by systematic consultation with South Asian service users.
Management of childhood illness at health facilities in Benin: problems and their causes.

OBJECTIVES To prepare for the implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in Benin, we studied the management of ill children younger than 5 years at outpatient health facilities. METHODS We observed a representative sample of consultations; after each consultation, we interviewed caregivers and reexamined children. Health workers' performance was evaluated against IMCI guidelines. To identify determinants of performance, statistical modeling was performed and 6 focus groups with health workers were conducted to solicit their opinions. RESULTS Altogether, 584 children were enrolled and 101 health workers were observed; 130 health workers participated in focus group discussions. Many serious deficiencies were found: incomplete assessment of children's signs and symptoms, incorrect diagnosis and treatment of potentially life-threatening illnesses, inappropriate prescription of dangerous sedatives, missed opportunities to vaccinate, and failure to refer severely ill children for hospitalization. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed various health facility-, health worker-, caregiver-, and child-related factors as possible determinants of health worker performance. CONCLUSIONS Action is urgently needed. Our results suggest that to improve health care delivery, interventions should target both the health system and the community level.
A model for genetic complementation controlling the chromosomal abnormalities and loss of heterozygosity formation in cancer

The relationship between the apparently random chromosomal changes found in aneuploidy and the genetic instability driving the progression of cancer is not clear. We report a test of the hypothesis that aneuploid chromosomal abnormalities might be selected to preserve cell-survival genes during loss of heterozygosity (LOH) formations which eliminate tumor suppressor genes. The LOHs and structurally abnormal chromosomes present in the aneuploid LoVo (colon), A549 (lung), SUIT-2 (pancreas), and LN-18 (glioma) cancer cell lines were identified by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and Spectral Karyotyping (SKY). The Mann-Whitney U and chi square tests were used to evaluate possible differences in chromosome numbers and abnormalities between the cell lines, with two-tailed P values of <0.01 being considered significant. The cell lines differed significantly in chromosome numbers and frequency of structurally abnormal chromosomes. The SNP analysis revealed that each cell line contained at least a haploid set of somatic chromosomes, consistent with our hypothesis that cell-survival genes are widely scattered throughout the genome. Further, over 90% of the chromosomal abnormalities seemed to be selected, often after LOH formation, for gene-dosage compensation or to provide heterozygosity for specific chromosomal regions. These results suggest that the chromosomal changes of aneuploidy are not random, but may be selected to provide gene-dosage compensation and/or retain functional alleles of cell-survival genes during LOH formation.
Empirical analysis of economic growth

viii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Chapter 2: Solow Model with CES Technology . 8 2.
Oncogenic bystander radiation effects in Patched heterozygous mouse cerebellum

The central dogma of radiation biology, that biological effects of ionizing radiation are a direct consequence of DNA damage occurring in irradiated cells, has been challenged by observations that genetic/epigenetic changes occur in unexposed “bystander cells” neighboring directly-hit cells, due to cell-to-cell communication or soluble factors released by irradiated cells. To date, the vast majority of these effects are described in cell-culture systems, while in vivo validation and assessment of biological consequences within an organism remain uncertain. Here, we describe the neonatal mouse cerebellum as an accurate in vivo model to detect, quantify, and mechanistically dissect radiation-bystander responses. DNA double-strand breaks and apoptotic cell death were induced in bystander cerebellum in vivo. Accompanying these genetic events, we report bystander-related tumor induction in cerebellum of radiosensitive Patched-1 (Ptch1) heterozygous mice after x-ray exposure of the remainder of the body. We further show that genetic damage is a critical component of in vivo oncogenic bystander responses, and provide evidence supporting the role of gap-junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in transmission of bystander signals in the central nervous system (CNS). These results represent the first proof-of-principle that bystander effects are factual in vivo events with carcinogenic potential, and implicate the need for re-evaluation of approaches currently used to estimate radiation-associated health risks.
Mapping of MST1 Kinase Sites of Phosphorylation

MST1 is a member of the Sterile-20 family of cytoskeletal, stress, and apoptotic kinases. MST1 is activated by phosphorylation at previously unidentified sites. This study examines the role of phosphorylation at several sites and effects on kinase activation. We define Thr183 in subdomain VIII as a primary site of phosphoactivation. Thr187 is also critical for kinase activity. Phosphorylation of MST1 in subdomain VIII was catalyzed by active MST1 via intermolecular autophosphorylation, enhanced by homodimerization. Active MST1 (wild-type or T183E), but not inactive Thr183/Thr187 mutants, was also highly autophosphorylated at the newly identified Thr177 and Thr387 residues. Cells expressing active MST1 were mostly detached, whereas with inactive MST1, adhesion was normal. Active MKK4, JNK, caspase-3, and caspase-9 were detected in the detached cells. These cells also contained all autophosphorylated and essentially all caspase-cleaved MST1. Similar phenotypes were elicited by a caspase-insensitive D326N mutant, suggesting that kinase activity, but not cleavage of MST1, is required. Interestingly, an S327E mutant mimicking Ser327 autophosphorylation was also caspase-insensitive, but only when expressed in caspase-3-deficient cells. Together, these data suggest a model whereby MST1 activation is induced by existing, active MST kinase, which phosphorylates Thr183 and possibly Thr187. Dimerization promotes greater phosphorylation. This leads to induction of the JNK signaling pathway, caspase activation, and apoptosis. Further activation of MST1 by caspase cleavage is best promoted by caspase-3, although this appears to be unnecessary for signaling and morphological responses.
Assessment of low signal adjacent to the falciform ligament on contrast-enhanced MRI.

OBJECTIVE Geographic low signal in the medial segment of the liver seen on contrast-enhanced MRI has been attributed to focal fatty infiltration. Using in- and opposed-phase gradient-recalled echo (GRE) T1-weighted MRI, we attempted to determine if this finding represents focal fatty infiltration. MATERIALS AND METHODS From a radiology information system, we identified 174 consecutive patients who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominal MRI. Subjects with diffuse liver disease were excluded. The presence of geographic low signal adjacent to the falciform ligament in the anterior medial aspect of the medial segment of the liver during dynamic gadolinium-enhanced imaging was assessed during the arterial, portal venous, and equilibrium phases of enhancement. If this finding was present on any contrast-enhanced sequence, in- and opposed-phase images were qualitatively evaluated to determine if signal loss occurred on opposed-phase imaging. RESULTS Fifty-three patients were excluded because of diffuse liver disease. Twenty-one (17.4%) of the remaining 121 patients showed focal low signal during gadolinium-enhanced MRI. This finding was present in all 21 patients during the portal venous phase and in seven and five during the arterial and equilibrium phases of enhancement, respectively. Of the 21 patients, three showed signal loss on opposed-phase imaging and 18 (85.7%) did not. CONCLUSION Although low attenuation or signal adjacent to the falciform ligament may represent focal fat, it usually does not and is likely related to anomalous venous drainage into the liver.
A 0.5–16.3 Gbps Multi-Standard Serial Transceiver With 219 mW/Channel in 16-nm FinFET

This paper presents a flexible-reach 0.5–16.3 Gb/s serial transceiver which is integrated into a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and fabricated in 16-nm FinFET CMOS. The transceiver is fully adaptive to cover the FPGA requirement to support a multitude of combinations of data-rates and standards such as 10 G-KR, PCIe Gen3/4, and SFP+ across a wide range of channel loss profiles. High-performance techniques employed include a fully adaptive continuous-time linear equalizer, automatic gain control, an 11-tap decision feedback equalizer, wideband LC phase-locked loops, and a high-tracking-bandwidth clock and data recovery loop with low latency. Low-power techniques such as half-rate clocking, active inductors and data-rate programmability are employed to meet stringent power budgets at the different rates. At 16.3 Gb/s, the receiver has a jitter tolerance of >0.3UI at 100 MHz. The transceiver achieves a bit error rate < 10e − 15 with up to 28-dB loss at Nyquist. It consumes 219 mW/channel at 16.3 Gb/s. The design has robust performance across process, voltage, and temperature, and the architecture allows for a high degree of tuning to handle different system environments in deployment.
Regulation of carboxylesterase‐2 expression by p53 family proteins and enhanced anti‐cancer activities among 5‐fluorouracil, irinotecan and doxazolidine prodrug

For four decades, 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) has been a major anti‐cancer medicine. This drug is increasingly used with other anti‐cancer agents such as irinotecan. Irinotecan and many others such as PPD (pentyl carbamate of p‐aminobenzyl carbamate of doxazolidine) require activation by carboxylesterase‐2 (CES2). 5‐FU, on the other hand, reportedly induces CES2 in colorectal tumour lines. The aims of this study were to determine the molecular basis for the induction and to ascertain interactive cell‐killing activity between 5‐FU and ester prodrugs.
The evaluation of fiscal consolidation strategies

In this paper, we present a framework and perform an assessment of different fiscal consolidation strategies both on the revenue as well as on the expenditure sides of the budget in the context of Slovakia. The model we use for simulations is a behavioural general-equilibrium what_if model. We analyse the simulated impacts of consolidation strategies on growth and on fiscal balance (both in short- and long- term). The microsimulation approach allows us also to evaluate the distributional impacts. In addition, the approach permits to compare the statutory with the resulting tax incidence in the long-run. We simulate strategies based on taxing labour income, taxing consumption as well as cutting expenditures on social transfers. We document that corporate and labour taxes are more unfavourable to output growth, while consumption taxes belong to less damaging instruments for consolidation. We show that spending cuts may promote employment and are not detrimental to output growth.