Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patients treated at multiple acute health care facilities: quantifying information fragmentation.

BACKGROUND Fragmentation of medical information places patients at risk for medical errors, adverse events, duplication of tests, and increased costs. We sought to quantify, at the population level, the burden of fragmentation in the acute care setting across the state of Massachusetts by measuring the rates at which individuals seek care across multiple sites. METHODS A retrospective observational study of all adult patients with at least 2 visits or hospitalizations to the emergency departments, inpatient units, and observation units in Massachusetts from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2007. RESULTS The 3,692,178 adult patients who visited an acute care site during our study period accounted for 12,758,498 acute care visits. A total of 1,130,124 adult patients (31%) visited 2 or more hospitals during the study period, accounting for 56.5% of all acute care visits, while a subgroup of 43,794 patients (1%) visited 5 or more hospitals, contributing to almost one-tenth of all acute visits. Patients who visited multiple sites were younger (P < .001), more likely to be male (P < .001), more likely to have a primary psychiatric diagnosis (P < .001), and more frequently hospitalized (P < .001) and incurred higher charges than patients who used only a single site of care (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS A large number of patients seek care at multiple acute care sites. These findings provide one basis for assessing the value of an integrated electronic health information system for clinicians caring for patients across sites of care and therefore the return on investment in health information technology.
Repair and evolution of nef in vivo modulates simian immunodeficiency virus virulence

Experimental evidence from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model of AIDS has shown that the nef gene is critical in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Consequently, nef is of considerable interest in both antiviral drug and vaccine development. Preliminary findings in two rhesus macaques indicated that a deletion of only 12 bp found in the overlapping nef/3' long terminal repeat (LTR) region (9501 to 9512) of the SIVmacC8 molecular clone was associated with reduced virus isolation frequency. We show that this deletion can be repaired in vivo by a sequence duplication event and that sequence evolution continues until the predicted amino acid sequence of the repair is virtually indistinguishable from that of the virulent wild type. These changes occurred concomitantly with reversion to virulence, evidenced by a high virus isolation frequency and load, decline in anti-p27 antibody, substantial reduction in the CD4/CD8 ratio, and development of opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. These findings clearly illustrate the capacity for repair of small attenuating deletions in primate lentiviruses and also strongly suggest that the region from 9501 to 9512 in the SIV nef/3' LTR region is of biological relevance. In addition, the ability of attenuated virus to revert to virulence raises fundamental questions regarding the nature of superinfection immunity.
Interventions to increase condom use among middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review of theoretical bases, behaviour change techniques, modes of delivery and treatment fidelity

This systematic review collates, examines and syntheses condom use interventions for middle-aged and older adults. Associations between effectiveness and theoretical basis, behaviour change techniques, mode of delivery and treatment fidelity were explored. Five interventions were included; one was effective. Compared to interventions with non-significant findings, the effective telephone-administered intervention used theory to a greater extent, had a higher number of behaviour change techniques and employed more treatment fidelity strategies. There is a need to develop theory-based interventions targeting condom use among this population and evaluate these in randomised controlled trials that are rigorously designed and reported. Health psychologists have a key role in this endeavour.
Games and machine learning: a powerful combination in an artificial intelligence course

Project MLeXAI (Machine Learning eXperiences in Artificial Intelligence (AI)) seeks to build a set of reusable course curriculum and hands on laboratory projects for the artificial intelligence classroom. In this article, we describe two game-based projects from the second phase of project MLeXAI: Robot Defense – a simple real-time strategy game and Checkers – a classic turn-based board game. From the instructors' prospective, we examine aspects of design and implementation as well as the challenges and rewards of using the curricula. We explore students' responses to the projects via the results of a common survey. Finally, we compare the student perceptions from the game-based projects to non-game based projects from the first phase of Project MLeXAI.
Innate Immune Collectin Surfactant Protein D Simultaneously Binds Both Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Carbohydrate Ligands and Promotes Bacterial Trapping

Neutrophils release DNA-based extracellular traps to capture and kill bacteria. The mechanism(s) and proteins that promote neutrophil extracellular trap (NET)-mediated bacterial trapping are not clearly established. Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is an innate immune collectin present in many mucosal surfaces. We hypothesized that SP-D can bind both the pathogens and NETs to augment NET-mediated bacterial trapping. To test this hypothesis, we used LPS and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia mouse models and performed in vivo and ex vivo assays. In this study, we show that NETs are produced by the neutrophils recruited to the airways in response to the bacterial ligand. Notably, NETs are detected as short fragments of DNA–protein complexes in the airways as opposed to the long stringlike structures seen in ex vivo cultures. SP-D recognizes both the short NET fragments and the long NET DNA structures. SP-D–NET copurification studies further show that SP-D can simultaneously recognize NETs and carbohydrate ligands in vivo. Similar to the LPS model, soluble DNA–protein complexes and increased amounts of SP-D are detected in the murine model of P. aeruginosa pneumonia. We then tested the effect of SP-D on NET-mediated trapping of P. aeruginosa by means of Western blots, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Results of these experiments show that SP-D microagglutinates P. aeruginosa and allows an efficient bacterial trapping by NETs. Collectively, these findings provide a unique biological relevance for SP-D–DNA interactions and places SP-D as an important innate immune protein that promotes bacterial trapping by NETs during neutrophil-mediated host defense.
Decreased interferon‐α production and impaired regulatory function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells induced by the hepatitis C virus NS 5 protein

pDC are known to produce large amount of IFN‐α/β in response to viruses, and act as a major link between the innate and adaptive immune response. This study concentrated on the interaction of human peripheral blood derived pDC with HCV NS3, NS4, and NS5 proteins, and their maturation, cytokine secretion and functional properties. It was shown that HCV NS5 interferes with CD40L induced maturation of pDC as indicated by decreased expression of CD83 and CD86 markers. CpG ODN stimulated HCV NS3 and NS5 treated pDC showed decreased production of IFN‐α. In the case of NS3, IFN‐α production was reduced to 126 pg/ml as compared to 245 pg/ml in controls (P < 0.01), and with NS5, IFN‐α production was reduced to 92 pg/ml as compared to 238 pg/ml in controls (P < 0.05). In the presence of HCV NS5, the T cell stimulatory capacity of pDC was impaired, as indicated by decreased proliferation of T cells, and decreased production by the T cells of IFN‐γ, which were down to 86 pg/ml as compared to 260 pg/ml in controls (P < 0.05). These results suggest that HCV NS5 impairs pDC function and is in agreement with several other in vivo studies indicating decreased numbers of, and dysfunctional pDC, in chronic HCV infected patients.
Feeding rate of the oyster Crassostrea gigas in a natural planktonic community of the Mediterranean Thau Lagoon

The Mediterranean Thau Lagoon is an important European oyster farming area. Oyster growth levels are among the highest in France, although chlorophyll a concentration is low. Previous studies have demonstrated that picophytoplankton, nano-microphytoplankton, dinoflagellates and loricate ciliates such as tintinnids are abundant in the Thau Lagoon. Moreover, heterotrophic flagellates and aloricate ciliates have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to assess picophytoplankton, protist and zooplankton abundances in water columns of the Thau Lagoon and to understand the particular structure of the Thau microbial food web, which may explain such a paradoxical oyster growth. In oligotrophic waters in the Thau Lagoon, the picoeukaryote Ostreococcus tauri is the dominant autotrophic picoplankter with a maximum Summer abundance. On 17 August 1998, the picophytoplankton and nanophytoplankton abundances were not as high as expected and we observed the development of large diatoms. At this time, available carbon resources arose from microphytoplankton (84.5 %) and picoplanktonic cells represented only 1.27 % in terms of carbon. The heterotrophic cells were few in abundance and constitued only 5 μm flagellates, microphytoplankton, dinoflagellates, ciliates and large zooplankton were retained by the oyster gills. Only < 5 μm flagellates and picoeukaryotic cells, Ostreococcus tauri, were not very well retained (45 % and 2 %). The high clearance rates of Crassostrea gigas found in this experiment can be explained by a low suspended particulate matter (0.65 mg l-1). Oysters adapted their retention mechanism when they lived in oligotrophic waters. These results indicate that, under the given experimental conditions, picophytoplankton did not represent a valuable trophic resource for farmed oysters because (1) Crassostrea can not retain picoparticles and (2) the picoplankton represented a poor available carbon resource to be transferred via a weak heterotrophic protist community. In the oyster pends of the Thau Lagoon during this study, which followed a rainfall event, microphytoplanktonic primary producers, in particular diatoms, could be considered as the main food sources for bivalve suspension feeders.
Association between alphavbeta6 integrin expression, elevated p42/44 kDa MAPK, and plasminogen-dependent matrix degradation in ovarian cancer.

Altered expression of alphav integrins plays a critical role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, we show that normal human epithelial ovarian cell line, HOSE, and ovarian cancer cell lines, OVCA 429, OVCA 433, and OVHS-1, expressed alphav integrin and associated beta1, beta3, and beta5 subunits, but only ovarian cancer cell lines OVCA 429 and OVCA 433 expressed alphavbeta6 integrin. The expression of alphavbeta6 in OVCA 429 and OVCA 433 was far higher than alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta5 integrin and correlated with high p42/p44 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity and high secretion of high molecular weight urokinase plasminogen activator (HMW-uPA), pro-metalloproteinase 2 and 9 (pro-MMP-9 and pro-MMP-2). In contrast to HOSE and OVHS 1, OVCA 433 and OVCA 429 exhibited approximately 2-fold more plasminogen-dependent [3H]-collagen type IV degradation. Plasminogen-dependent [3H]-collagen IV degradation was inhibited by inhibitor of uPA (amiloride) and MMP (phenanthroline) and by antibodies against uPA or MMP-9 or alphavbeta6 integrin, indicating the involvement of alphavbeta6 integrin, uPA and MMP-9 in the process. The alphavbeta6 correlated increase in HMW-uPA and pro-MMP secretion could be inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein or the MEK 1 inhibitor U0126, consistent with a role of active p42/44 MAPK in the elevation of uPA, MMP-9, and MMP-2 secretion. Under similar conditions, genistein and U0126 inhibited plasminogen-dependent [3H]-collagen type IV degradation. These data suggest that sustained elevation of p42/44 MAPK activity may be required for the co-expression of alphavbeta6 integrin, which in turn may regulate the malignant potential of ovarian cancer cells via proteolytic mechanisms.
Microalgae growth modeling and control for a vertical flat panel photobioreactor

Microalgae have the potential to produce enough biofuels to meet the current US fuel demands. In order to achieve this potential, photobioreactors (PBRs) need to be developed that are efficient, scalable, and affordable. Models are an analytical tool that can be used to evaluate various PBRs. In this article, a dynamic model is developed for growing microalgae in a vertical flat panel photobioreactor (PBR) that may be used to measure PBR efficiency for various architectures independent of scale. The growth model is used to estimate the microalgae growth and byproduct production and consumption as a function of incident light. A feed-forward controller is developed that uses the estimated amount of CO2 consumed to determine the amount of additional CO2 to add to the system during photosynthesis. An overall controller structure that uses both feed-forward and feedback control is presented for growing microalgae inside a PBR.
Psychosocial Intervention for Adults With Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Cancer affects a significant number of people and their families. In addition to physical symptoms, people with cancer experience considerable levels of psychosocial distress. Psychosocial oncology has been developed to address this distress. In this meta-analysis, psychosocial interventions for adults with cancer were systematically reviewed. A central finding was the dearth of clinical trials published by social work researchers and clinicians. Small intervention effects were noted for some psychosocial interventions, particularly those in which a focus on stress and coping were included; however, the poor quality of reporting negated conclusive results. The synthesis of research conducted and reported with methodological rigor may inform social work practice, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of patient care and the quality of patient outcomes. The implications for social work clinicians and researchers are discussed.
Learning Set in Squirrel Monkeys as Affected by Encasement of Problem Objects in Plexiglas Bins

The effect of the presence or absence of the Plexiglas shell portion of the bins used to encase learning set (LS) problem objects, as in the apparatus used by Rumbaugh and Rice (1962), was assessed with 2 groups of 5 squirrel monkeys in the learning of a single discrimination problem, 6-trial/problem LS training, and the learning of 10 LS problems to a criterion. It was determined that quite apart from the fact that the transparent shell prevents direct hand contact with the stimulus objects, the bins appear to have characteristics that render squirrel monkeys nearly learning-setless in a 6-trial LS training situation.
The recognition of DNA containing an AP site by E.coli endonuclease VI (exonuclease III).

The major apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) DNA-repair endonuclease of Escherichia coli is the endonuclease VI (exonuclease III) protein. To elucidate the substrate specificity of the AP endonuclease, we used the double- and single-stranded oligo deoxyribonucleotides containing an AP residue such as 2-deoxyribosylformamide (1), 2-deoxyribose (2), 1,2-dideoxyribofuranose (3), and propanediol (4) as the substrate. The endonuclease VI cleaved the phosphodiester bond 5' at these AP sites of the duplexes. The endonucleolytic activity was not influenced by the kind of nucleotide residue on the opposite side of the AP site. Further, it was observed that the AP endonuclease cleaved single-stranded oligomers containing an AP site.
Factors associated with different measures of dental fear among children at different ages.

PURPOSE This study's purpose was to determine the associations between 4 dental fear measures and treatment procedures, oral habits, and family characteristics at different ages. METHODS Independent random samples of 6-, 9-, 12-, and 15-year-olds were drawn in 2 cities (N=180 per age group from both cities). The study group comprised 270, 283, 311, and 293 subjects who were 6, 9, 12, and 15 years old, respectively. The total inclusion rate was 80%. The data concerning dental treatment procedures during the 3 preceding years were collected from patient records. Four measures (treatment of dental decay, attending dentist, general dental fear, and peak value for dental fear) were drawn from the questionnaire, including 11 fear-related questions (a modified children's dental fear survey schedule). Oral health habits and family characteristics were also recorded. Age-specific logistic regression analyses were performed using different fear measures as dependent variables. RESULTS The relationship between child's dental fear (CDF) and oral health habits, family characteristics, and earlier treatment procedures differed among different ages, even when the same CDF measure was used as the dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS When evaluating children's dental fear, dentists should understand that CDF-related factors vary at different ages and according to the fear type.
Studies on a marine Streptomyces fradiae BW 2-7 producing glycopeptide antibiotic Vancomycin effective against skin pathogens

A total of 124 marine actinomycetes were isolated from east and west coastal regions of Indian peninsula and assessed for its antimicrobial activity. A potent actinomycete isolated from west coast of India was selected by its antibacterial and antifungal activities and was identified as Streptomyces fradiae BW2-7 using 16S rRNA sequencing which produces antibacterial metabolite extracellularly and antifungal metabolite intracellularly under submerged fermentation conditions. Crude extract of the strain showed board antimicrobial activity spectra against the bacterial skin pathogens Staphylococcus aureus (25mm), Staphylococcus epidermidis (21mm) and fungal pathogen Trichophyton rubrum (15mm). Fermentation conditions for the production of antibiotic were optimized by using statistical method, Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Purified compound was subjected to structural elucidation. After medium optimization the antibiotics activity showed 8% improvement compared with unoptimized condition. The isolated compound MRK1 was found to be Vancomycin and showed effective against skin pathogens. This is the first report, where the compound was isolated from a new source S. fradiae and inhibiting the skin pathogens.
Supplementary Listeria‐typing with defective Listeria phage particles (monocins)

The potential use of monocins for listeria typing was investigated. Monocins are defective phage particles still capable of lysing listerial cells. They were induced by u.v. ‐irradiation, precipitated with polyethylene glycol and purified by density gradient centrifugation. Using 26 monocins, it was possible to type 48% of Listeria monocytogenes strains, 92% of L. innocua strains and 94% of L. ivanovii strains. Overall typability of 480 strains was 68%. None of the monocins was able to lyse L. grayi. Monocin typing was found to be a valuable supplementary tool for typing strains which were non‐typable by the Weihenstephan phage typing set. A combination of phage typing and monocin typing increased overall typability of Listeria strains to 95%.
Effective Gene Silencing in a Microsporidian Parasite Associated with Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Colony Declines

ABSTRACT Honeybee colonies are vulnerable to parasites and pathogens ranging from viruses to vertebrates. An increasingly prevalent disease of managed honeybees is caused by the microsporidian Nosema ceranae. Microsporidia are basal fungi and obligate parasites with much-reduced genomic and cellular components. A recent genome-sequencing effort for N. ceranae indicated the presence of machinery for RNA silencing in this species, suggesting that RNA interference (RNAi) might be exploited to regulate Nosema gene expression within bee hosts. Here we used controlled laboratory experiments to show that double-stranded RNA homologous to specific N. ceranae ADP/ATP transporter genes can specifically and differentially silence transcripts encoding these proteins. This inhibition also affects Nosema levels and host physiology. Gene silencing could be mediated solely by Nosema or in concert with known systemic RNAi mechanisms in their bee hosts. These results are novel for the microsporidia and provide a possible avenue for controlling a disease agent implicated in severe honeybee colony losses. Moreover, since microsporidia are pathogenic in several known veterinary and human diseases, this advance may have broader applications in the future for disease control.
Teaching Generation Me

Today’s college students are significantly different from previous generations. On average, they are overconfident, have high expectations, report higher narcissism, are lower in creativity, are less interested in civic issues, and are less inclined to read long passages of text. They are highly confident of their abilities and received higher grades in high school despite doing fewer hours of homework than previous generations. They also believe in equality regardless of ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Strategies for teaching Generation Me include: frequent and honest feedback on performance; interactive learning; explaining why the material is important; using images and video clips; eliminating makeup exams and exceptions; and shorter textbooks. Teachers can use self-esteem and success as an example of a correlation explained by reverse causation and/or confounding variables, and can cover cultural differences such as individualism and collectivism. Overall, the best practice may be solutions that preserve high standards for learning but accommodate this generation's preferences.
IL-17 Regulates CXCL1 mRNA Stability via an AUUUA/Tristetraprolin-Independent Sequence

IL-17 contributes to inflammatory response in part by promoting enhanced expression of chemokines, such as CXCL1, by prolonging the t1/2 of this constitutively unstable mRNA. Although IL-17 is a weak stimulus for transcription of the CXCL1 gene, it strongly potentiates message accumulation via stabilization when the mRNA is transcribed in cells stimulated with TNF. In myeloid cells, LPS-induced CXCL1 mRNA stabilization is dependent on AUUUA-containing sequence motifs that are recognized by the RNA binding protein tristetraprolin (TTP). Using deletion and site-specific mutagenesis, we report that IL-17–mediated stabilization of CXCL1 mRNA in nonmyeloid cells depends on a sequence that does not contain the AUUUA motif. Furthermore, a specific two-nucleotide mutation within this region markedly abrogates sensitivity for IL-17–mediated stabilization. Consistent with this finding, the IL-17–sensitive sequence does not exhibit increased instability in the presence of TTP, and CXCL1 mRNA remains unstable and can be stabilized in response to treatment with IL-17 in embryo fibroblasts from mice in which the TTP gene has been deleted. Whereas the RNA binding protein KSRP has been shown to participate in regulating the instability of human CXCL8 mRNA, inhibitory RNA-based reduction in KSRP does not effect the instability mediated by the IL-17–sensitive sequence motif. These findings suggest that IL-17–mediated chemokine mRNA stabilization in nonmyeloid cells uses a mechanism that is distinct from that operating to control AU-rich mRNA stability in myeloid cells.