Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and dental erosions in adults: influence of acidified food intake and impact on quality of life

Background and aim Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and dental erosions (DE) have an established association. We assessed whether GORD is associated with DE controlling for acidified food intake and their relationships with quality of life (QOL). Methods In this cross-sectional study, 419 adult patients who sought dentistry consultation were considered eligible. Patients responded to questionnaires for GORD symptoms, acidified food ingestion and World Health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL Bref), followed by an oral examination, in which DE were characterized according to the Smith & Knight criteria. Results A total of 417 patients were included (43.8±13.7 years; 68.8% women). There were 143 patients with GORD (34.3%) and 274 controls without GORD. The prevalence of DE was higher in GORD patients compared with the controls (25.9 vs. 17.2%; P=0.041). GORD was associated with DE after adjusting for acidified food intake (P=0.035), with a prevalence ratio of 1.52 (0.95 confidence interval 1.03–2.22). The WHOQOL Bref score was significantly lower in the presence of GORD [median 17.2 (GORD−DE−) vs. 15.4 (GORD+DE+); P<0.01], irrespective of DE. Conclusion In adults examined in a referential dentistry centre in South America, DE were prevalent and significantly associated with GORD. This association was independent of the intake of acidified food in our study. Impairment in QOL was observed in GORD patients irrespective of the presence of DE.
Extending the Parameters: An Inquiry into Teaching Practices for Children from Diverse Populations and Homeless Environments

ii Dedication . iv Acknowledge . v Vita . vii List of Tables . xv List of Figures . xvi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 The Unwritten Curriculum . 2 Getting an Education . 4 Living My Testimony . 5 Influencing Perspectives . 7 A Reflection of Society . 9 Understanding the Poverty Experience of Children in the United States . 11 Crossing Over the River: Lessons from the Shelter School . 12 The Relationship between Poverty and Homelessness . 15 Raising My Consciousness . 16 Lessons on Teaching . 17 Lessons from the Children . 19 x The Problem . 21 Overview of Chapters . 25 Chapter 2: Review of Literature . 27 Introduction . 27 Today’s Classroom . 30 Homeless in America: The Political Story . 32 A Portrait of Homelessness in America . 35 Homeless and children in poverty: Are they different? 37 The Effects of Homelessness on Children . 39 Teacher’s Beliefs . 42 Resiliency . 43 Empowerment Theory . 45 The Influence of Human, Cultural, and Social Capital . 46 The Impact of Homelessness . 50 Educating homeless students . 51 Define Culture . 51 Multicultural education . 52 Preservice Teacher Education for Diverse Populations . 53 What does this mean for teacher education? 54 Collaboration and community: Critical to teacher development . 55 Teacher preparation for homeless populations . 58 Curricular concerns and recommendations for teacher education . 58
Optimal Group Size for Software Change Tasks: A Social Information Foraging Perspective

Group size is a key factor in collaborative software development and many other cybernetic applications where task assignments are important. While methods exist to estimate its value for proprietary projects, little is known about how group size affects distributed and decentralized cybernetic applications and in particular open source software (OSS) development. This paper presents a novel approach in which we frame developers' collective resolution of OSS change tasks as a social information foraging problem. This new perspective enables us to predict the optimal group size and quantify group size's effect on individual performance. We test the theory with data mined from two projects: 1) Firefox and 2) Mylyn. This paper not only uncovers the mismatch of optimal and actual group sizes, but also reveals the association of optimality with improved productivity. In addition, the social-level productivity gain is observed as project evolves. We show this paper's impact by extending the frontiers of knowledge in two areas: 1) social coding and 2) recommendation systems.
Comparative Proteomic Profiling of Ehrlichia ruminantium Pathogenic Strain and Its High-Passaged Attenuated Strain Reveals Virulence and Attenuation-Associated Proteins

The obligate intracellular bacterium Ehrlichia ruminantium (ER) causes heartwater, a fatal tick-borne disease in livestock. In the field, ER strains present different levels of virulence, limiting vaccine efficacy, for which the molecular basis remains unknown. Moreover, there are no genetic tools currently available for ER manipulation, thus limiting the knowledge of the genes/proteins that are essential for ER pathogenesis and biology. As such, to identify proteins and/or mechanisms involved in ER virulence, we performed the first exhaustive comparative proteomic analysis between a virulent strain (ERGvir) and its high-passaged attenuated strain (ERGatt). Despite their different behaviors in vivo and in vitro, our results from 1DE-nanoLC-MS/MS showed that ERGvir and ERGatt share 80% of their proteins; this core proteome includes chaperones, proteins involved in metabolism, protein-DNA-RNA biosynthesis and processing, and bacterial effectors. Conventional 2DE revealed that 85% of the identified proteins are proteoforms, suggesting that post-translational modifications (namely glycosylation) are important in ER biology. Strain-specific proteins were also identified: while ERGatt has an increased number and overexpression of proteins involved in cell division, metabolism, transport and protein processing, ERGvir shows an overexpression of proteins and proteoforms (DIGE experiments) involved in pathogenesis such as Lpd, AnkA, VirB9 and B10, providing molecular evidence for its increased virulence in vivo and in vitro. Overall, our work reveals that ERGvir and ERGatt proteomes are streamlined to fulfill their biological function (maximum virulence for ERGvir and replicative capacity for ERGatt), and we provide both pioneering data and novel insights into the pathogenesis of this obligate intracellular bacterium.
Host-Specific Modulation of the Selective Constraints Driving Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1env Gene Evolution

ABSTRACT To address the evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) within a single host, we analyzed the HIV-1 C2-V5env regions of both cell-free genomic-RNA- and proviral-DNA-derived clones. Sequential samples were collected over a period of 3 years from six untreated subjects (three typical progressors [TPs] and three slow progressors [SPs], all with a comparable length of infection except one. The evolutionary analysis of the C2-V5 env sequences performed on 506 molecular clones (253 RNA- and 253 DNA-derived sequences) highlighted a series of differences between TPs and SPs. In particular, (i) clonal sequences from SPs (DNA and RNA) showed lower nucleotide similarity than those from TPs (P = 0.0001), (ii) DNA clones from SPs showed higher intra- and intersample nucleotide divergence than those from TPs (P < 0.05), (iii) higher host-selective pressure was generally detectable in SPs (DNA and RNA sequences), and (iv) the increase in the genetic distance of DNA and RNA sequences over time was paralleled by an increase in both synonymous (Ks) and nonsynonymous (Ka) substitutions in TPs but only in nonsynonymous substitutions in SPs. Several individual peculiarities of the HIV-1 evolutionary dynamics emerged when the V3, V4, and V5 env regions of both TPs and SPs were evaluated separately. These peculiarities, probably reflecting host-specific features of selective constraints and their continuous modulation, are documented by the dynamics of Ka/Ks ratios of hypervariable env domains.
Urethrocutaneous fistula complicating circumcision in children.

INTRODUCTION Urethrocutaneous fistula is an unusual but preventable complication following circumcision. We describe our experience with the management of this potentially challenging condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed all patients who had surgical repair of post-circumcision urethrocutaneous fistula from September 2008 to September 2011 in our institution. RESULTS Thirty-one cases presenting at age 4 weeks to 12 years were managed. Twenty-six (84%) had had circumcision in the neonatal period. Most circumcisions (81%) were carried out by nurses using the dissection method and without anesthesia. In 30 (97%) patients, the fistula was single. The fistula size ranged from 1.5 to 12 mm in the widest diameter. Modified Mathieu's flap procedure was used in the repair of 18 (56%) fistulae and 9 (28%) fistulae were by simple closure. Recurrence of the fistula was seen in 8 (25%) patients with large fistulae > 5 mm in diameter. The recurrent fistulae were small and were repaired by simple closure. CONCLUSION Urethrocutaneous fistula post-circumcision is frequently seen in our practice and the surgical repair is challenging and associated with high recurrence rate in large fistulae. This preventable condition may be avoided by proper education and training of circumcisers.
[Efficacy of three prognostic scoring systems on evaluating the prognosis for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia].

OBJECTIVE To retrospectively analyze the efficacy of three prognostic scoring systems on evaluating the prognosis for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP). METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, we collected 234 patients with CML in CP, who were treated with imatinib mesylate (IM). Patients were stratified into low-, intermediate- and high- risk groups according to three scoring systems (Sokal, Hasford and EUTOS), respectively. We compared the agreement of overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), event free survival (EFS) in CML patients stratified by three prognostic scoring systems. The median for follow-up was 20.5 months. RESULTS EUTOS scoring system: In the low- and high-risk groups, the 5-year OS was 94.6% and 84.7% (P=0.011), 5-year EFS was 92.6% and 77.6% (P=0.001), and 5-year PFS was 95.3% and 82.4% (P=0.001), respectively. While stratified by Sokal or Hasford scoring system, there was no significant the correlation between low-, intermediate- and high- risk groups with the prognosis for CML patients (P>0.05). Compared with Sokal and Hasford scoring system, the outcome of EUTOS prognostic scoring system showed highly accordance with 5-year expect OS, PFS and EFS of CML patients. CONCLUSION EUTOS scoring system could predict the long-time outcome of CML-CP patients better than Sokal and Hasford scoring system. Chang of treatment may affect the prognostic value of EUTOS scoring system.
Parental Perceptions of the Psychological Adjustment of Children with Diabetes and Their Siblings

This study examined the psychological adjustment of children with diabetes and their siblings. Data were collected for 41 diabetic children and their siblings between ages 6 and 11 yr who were followed in a large pediatric practice. The diabetic group was matched with 35 control children who were followed for routine pediatric care and their siblings. Diabetic families and the controls did not differ on divorce rate or level of marital adjustment. Behavior problems were measured through the use of the Achenbach Behavior Checklist for both sexes separately at the 6–11 and 12–16-yr-old age levels. Diabetic boys, aged 6–11 yr, were higher than nondiabetic boys on internalizing and externalizing symptom scales, particularly on measures of schizoid tendencies, obsessive compulsive symptoms, hyperactivity, and aggression. Neither female patients, male siblings, nor female siblings in the 6–11-yr-old age group differed from controls on emotional adjustment. Among the 12–16-yr-old males, diabetic patients were higher on internalizing symptoms than male siblings and their controls. Male siblings tended to be lower than diabetic patients and controls on school performance. Social class differences may have contributed to the differences at the 12–16-yr age levels. Female subjects in the 12–16-yr-old age group did not differ on measures of adjustment. Level of control was unrelated to patients' or siblings' adjustment, but behavioral symptoms tended to increase for male diabetic patients with length of illness, and tended to decrease for male siblings. Results are interpreted according to social class effects and sex differences.
RNA interference of valosin-containing protein (VCP/p97) reveals multiple cellular roles linked to ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent proteolysis

We have used RNA interference (RNAi) to examine the functional relationship between valosin-containing protein (VCP/p97/Cdc48p/TER94) ATPase and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in Drosophila S2 and human HeLa cells. In both cell types, RNAi of VCP (and, to a lesser extent, of certain VCP-interacting proteins) caused significant accumulation of high-molecular-weight conjugates of ubiquitin, an indication of inhibited UPS function. However, decreased VCP levels did not directly inhibit proteasome activity. In HeLa cells, polyubiquitinated proteins accumulated as dispersed aggregates rather than as single aggresomes, even in the presence of proteasome inhibitors, which normally promote aggresome formation. RNAi of VCP caused extensive vacuolization of the cytoplasm, and proteasome inhibitors exaggerated this feature. RNAi of VCP had little effect on S2 cell proliferation but blocked cell-cycle progression and induced mitotic abnormalities and apoptosis in HeLa cells. These results indicate that VCP plays an important general role in mediating the function of the UPS, probably by interacting with potential proteasome substrates before they are degraded by the proteasome.
Analisis Prospek Ekspor Karet Indonesia ke Jepang

The main point of this research is to analyze how Indonesian rubber export prospect to Japan dan factors that affect it. Where observed factors in this research are Indonesian rubber export volume to Japan, Indonesia rubber production, International rubber price, exchange rate dan Japan GDP. For analyze, the research use time series data from 1990-2013. The research model use econometric model. Analysis method use forecasting and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) Linear Regression. Result of this research show that Indonesian rubber export volume variable to Japan will increase every year in the future. Rubber production variable has positive relationship and significant towards Indonesian rubber export to Japan. International rubber price variable has negative relationship and insignificant towards Indonesian rubber volume export to Japan. Exchange rate variable has positive relationship and insignificant towards Indonesian rubber export volume to Japan. Japan GDP variable has negative relationship and insignificant towards Indonesia rubber export volume to Japan. Keywords: prospect, production, exchange rate, GDP, and rubber export
Assessing the Binding of Four Plasmodium falciparum T Helper Cell Epitopes to HLA-DQ and Induction of T-Cell Responses in HLA-DQ Transgenic Mice

ABSTRACT A subunit vaccine for Plasmodium falciparum malaria will need to contain well-defined T helper cell epitopes that induce protective immune responses to the parasite. One major barrier to the use of subunit vaccines is the requirement for T helper cell epitopes to be presented by the HLA class II molecules that are present in the population being vaccinated. Since the majority of malaria studies have focused on HLA-DR, little information on the role of HLA-DQ in the binding and immune response to malarial epitopes is available. This study used an in vitro peptide-binding assay to predict the extent of HLA-DQ binding of four conserved T helper cell epitopes identified from asexual-stage malaria vaccine candidate antigens. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed human B-cell lines expressing 14 different DQ molecules (DQ2.1, -2.2, -4.1, -4.2, -5.1 to -5.3, -6.1, -6.2, -6.4, -7.1, -7.3, -8, and -9) representing all broad serological specificities, including common DQ molecules present in populations in areas where malaria is endemic, were used in the binding assay. Moreover, an HLA-DQ transgenic mouse model was employed to evaluate the correlation between the in vitro DQ binding of the peptides and the generation of in vivo immune responses following peptide immunization. This study identified two broad DQ-binding peptides, ABRA#14 and SERA#9. ABRA#14 also induced T-cell proliferation and Th1-associated cytokine production in DQ8+ transgenic mice. The combination of peptide binding to EBV-transformed cell lines and DQ transgenic mice provides a method for identifying additional T-cell epitopes for inclusion in a vaccine.
Wing Size and Shape Variation of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) Populations from the South and North Slopes of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco

ABSTRACT: The wing shape and size morphology of populations of the medically important phlebotomine sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi, were examined in two endemic (south of the Atlas Mountains) and nonendemic (north of the Atlas Mountains) foci of cutaneaous leishmaniasis by using geometric morphometrics in Morocco. Although it is present in all of Morocco, P. papatasi is the main vector of Leishmania major in only southern part of the Atlas Mountains. There are four major mountain ranges that serve as geographical barriers for species distribution in the study area and at least four gaps were recognized among these barriers. We found statistically significant differences in wing shape morphology between southern and northern populations. Analysis clearly recognized two main groups of populations on both sides of the mountains. The graphical depiction of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variates Analysis (CVA) confirmed our morphometric study suggesting that the difference in wing morphology between the populations indicates that the population of P. papatasi shows phenotypic plasticity in the study area. According to centroid size analyses, which were used as measures of wing size differences among different sites, the north population of P. papatasi had relatively larger wings than the south population.
Association of Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness with Complex Aortic Atherosclerosis in Patients with Recent Stroke

This study was undertaken to determine whether carotid intima-media thickness can predict complex aortic atherosclerosis. A retrospective review was conducted of 64 consecutive patients who underwent transesophageal echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography for evaluation of recent ischemic stroke at MCP Hahnemann University, Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 1999. The mean age was 65 ± 14 years and 59% of the patients were women. Thirty-nine patients (61 %) had carotid atherosclerosis (defined as an intima-media thickness ≥ 1 mm) and seven patients (11%) had complex aortic atherosclerosis (defined as the presence of protruding atheroma ≥4 mm thick, mobile atherosclerotic debris, or plaque ulceration in any aortic segment by transesophageal echocardiography). Compared to patients without complex aortic atherosclerosis, patients with complex aortic atherosclerosis were more likely to have hypercholesterolemia (19% vs 57%, p = 0.05) and a carotid intima-media thickness of 2 mm or greater (35% vs 86%, p = 0.02). A carotid intima-media thickness of 2 mm or more had 86% sensitivity, 65% specificity, 23% positive predictive value, 97% negative predictive value, 2.5 positive likelihood ratio, and 0.22 negative likelihood ratio for the diagnosis of complex aortic atherosclerosis. Carotid intima- media thickness measurement can be used to noninvasively estimate the probability of complex aortic atherosclerosis. A carotid intima-media thickness less than 2 mm makes complex aortic atherosclerosis very unlikely.
Analysing the mechanical performance and growth adaptation of Norway spruce using a non-linear finite-element model and experimental data.

Thirteen Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst. ] trees of different size, age, and social status, and grown under varying conditions, were investigated to see how they react to complex natural static loading under summer and winter conditions, and how they have adapted their growth to such combinations of load and tree state. For this purpose a non-linear finite-element model and an extensive experimental data set were used, as well as a new formulation describing the degree to which the exploitation of the bending stress capacity is uniform. The three main findings were: material and geometric non-linearities play important roles when analysing tree deflections and critical loads; the strengths of the stem and the anchorage mutually adapt to the local wind acting on the tree crown in the forest canopy; and the radial stem growth follows a mechanically high-performance path because it adapts to prevailing as well as acute seasonal combinations of the tree state (e.g. frozen or unfrozen stem and anchorage) and load (e.g. wind and vertical and lateral snow pressure). Young trees appeared to adapt to such combinations in a more differentiated way than older trees. In conclusion, the mechanical performance of the Norway spruce studied was mostly very high, indicating that their overall growth had been clearly influenced by the external site- and tree-specific mechanical stress.
A hybrid semantic discovery approach to capture concepts, attributes and relationships

Building ontology from scratch need identify the basic concepts, and their attributes and relationships. In terms of information integration, draft concepts, attributes and relationships can be directly captured by processing schemas of data sources. In this context, we present a hybrid semantic discovery approach, which is an extension of our previous work[1][2] to capture concepts, attributes and relationships from relative schemas. The approach consists of two stages: column oriented matching phase and schema oriented matching phase. Column oriented matching phase focuses on catching a set of attributes of potential concepts by schema columns similarity computing using a composite matcher, and columns clustering using neural network matcher. Schema oriented matching phase categorizes schemas (regarded as potential draft concepts) into clusters or explicit concepts, and attaches relative attributes to the concept through high-dimensional sparse clustering process, which computes the relationship or semantic distance between potential concepts by comparing the corresponding attributes set of each potential concept. The explicit concepts with attributes discovered by our approach can be used as draft material or seeds for further ontology modeling.
‘Missing girls’ in China and India: trends and policy challenges

ABSTRACT Child sex ratios plateaued in China between the censuses of 2000 and 2010, a major change from decades of sharp rises. In India they rose by 1.4 per cent during the intercensal period 2001–2011, which is a much slower rate of increase than in previous decades, and reported son preference is falling. In both countries, the largest declines are in regions that had the highest child sex ratios earlier, while some surrounding regions show rises. State policies to reduce sex-selection through offering financial incentives or banning the use of sex-selective technology show limited evidence of effectiveness. In China, the overall level of sex-selection remained stable, while the census data show a sharp shift towards sex-selection at the first birth—likely related to the mode of implementation of the program to reduce sex-selection. Studies indicate that media outreach can be very effective at changing norms and behaviors, including reducing son preference. Reducing the demand for sex-selection may offer the most effective long-term solution.