Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Familial, obstetric, and other clinical correlates of minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated possible antecedents of minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia, particularly in terms of obstetric and genetic factors, and demographic, clinical and cognitive correlates of such anomalies in schizophrenia. METHOD Forty-one outpatients satisfying the DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia were examined for minor physical anomalies by using the Waldrop scale. These subjects were drawn from a group of 45 such patients whose cognitive function had been previously evaluated with Trail Making Tests A and B and whose biological mothers had been interviewed for any history of obstetric complications or family history of schizophrenia. RESULTS Linear multiple regression analysis showed that higher scores for minor physical anomalies were associated with impaired cognitive flexibility on Trail Making Test B, family history of schizophrenia in a first-degree relative, maternal history of obstetric complications, smaller number of siblings, later position in the birth order, and male sex. A family history of schizophrenia was particularly associated with abnormalities of the mouth. The association between minor physical anomalies in the patients and obstetric complications in their mothers appeared to be confined to instances in which the mother had a history of bleeding in early pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS Minor physical anomalies indicate early dysmorphogenesis in schizophrenia, particularly in males, which appears to be associated more reliably with genetic rather than obstetric factors and with cognitive impairment.
Cadmium uptake in rat hepatocytes in relation to speciation and to complexation with metallothionein and albumin

Cadmium (Cd) uptake has been studied in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes focusing on the impact of inorganic and organic speciation. Uptake time‐course studies over a 60‐min exposure to 0.3 μM 109Cd revealed a zero‐time uptake and a slower process of accumulation which proceeds within minutes. 109Cd uptake showed saturation kinetics (Km = 3.5 ± 0.8 μM), and was highly sensitive to inhibition by Zn and Hg. There was no evidence for sensitivity to the external pH nor for any preferential transport of the free cation Cd2+ over CdCln2–n chloro‐complexes. According to the assumption that only inorganic metal species are available, metal uptake decreased upon albumin (BSA) addition to the exposure media. In contrast, higher levels of 109Cd accumulation were obtained under optimal conditions for Cd complexation by MT. Comparison among uptake data obtained under inorganic and organic conditions revealed that Cd‐MT would be taken up 0.4 times as rapidly as Cdinorg. We conclude that uptake of Cd in rat hepatocytes involves specific transport mechanism(s) subjected to Zn or Hg interactions. Uptake of inorganic Cd is not proportional to the levels of free Cd2+ and does not involve the divalent cation transporter DCT1 nor the co‐transporter Fe2+‐H+ NRAMP2. We found Cd‐MT but not Cd‐BSA to be available for the liver cells, and have estimated a binding affinity four orders of magnitude higher for Cd complexation with MT compared to BSA; MT may have a significant role in Cd delivery to the liver. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
DNA methylation in repetitive elements and post-traumatic stress disorder: a case-control study of US military service members.

AIM We investigated serum DNA methylation patterns in genomic repetitive elements, LINE-1 and Alu, for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases and controls who were US military service members recently deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. METHODS Cases (n = 75) had a postdeployment diagnosis of PTSD. Controls (n = 75) were randomly selected service members with no postdeployment PTSD diagnosis. Pre- and post-deployment sera were accessed, DNA was extracted and DNA methylation (percentage 5-methyl cytosine) was quantified via pyrosequencing. Conditional and unconditional logistic regressions were used to compare: cases post- to pre-deployment; controls post- to pre-deployment; cases to controls predeployment; cases to controls postdeployment. RESULTS LINE-1 was hypermethylated in controls post- versus pre-deployment (odds ratio [OR]: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.06-1.65) and hypomethylated in cases versus controls postdeployment (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.67-1.01). Alu was hypermethylated for cases versus controls predeployment (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.08-1.97). CONCLUSION Patterns of hypermethylation of LINE-1 in controls postdeployment and of Alu in cases postdeployment are intriguing and may suggest resilience or vulnerability factors.
Leadership Attributes and Behaviors as Predictors of Organizational Resilience in Academic Health Care Systems

Leadership Attributes and Behaviors as Predictors of Organizational Resilience in Academic Health Care Systems by Patti L. Besuner MN, [University of California at Los Angeles] BSN, [Xavier University] Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Health Sciences Walden University February 2017 Abstract Research intentionally addressing how leadership attributes and behaviors collectively contributed to the socioecological perspective of organizational resilience were not found. This is a problem for organizations who must hire without benefit of how a collective leadership effect might influence their psychological capital. The purpose of this study was to explore whether or not self-efficacy, psychological empowerment,Research intentionally addressing how leadership attributes and behaviors collectively contributed to the socioecological perspective of organizational resilience were not found. This is a problem for organizations who must hire without benefit of how a collective leadership effect might influence their psychological capital. The purpose of this study was to explore whether or not self-efficacy, psychological empowerment, personal resilience, and leadership style were associated with or predicted organizational resilience among clinical managers in an academic medical center setting. Metatheory of resilience and resiliency was used to frame the study. A quantitative correlational design was used. Self-reported data was collected via the Leader Efficacy Questionnaire, Psychological Empowerment Instrument, Connor and Davidson’s Resilience Scale, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and Workplace Resilience Instrument. Intellectual stimulation (rs .480, τ .432, p = .00), personal resilience (rs .483, τ .465, p = .00), and selfefficacy (rs .522, τ .462, p = .00) had the highest statistical correlations to organizational resilience. Negative predictor effects were found for personal resilience and idealized attributes ascribed to self-oriented versus other-oriented resilience qualities, x(2) = 50.70, p < . 01, and p < . 05 respectively. Resilience is important for organizational survival and adaptation to the external and internal forces of change. Resilient organizations with available reserves can collaborate with community leaders to optimize the social, environmental, and economic determinants of health foundational for community resilience and positive social change. Leadership Attributes and Behaviors as Predictors of Organizational Resilience in Academic Health Care Systems
Oral health in institutionalised elderly people in Oslo, Norway and its relationship with dependence and cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE Investigating oral health's relationship with dependency and cognitive state. BACKGROUND Oral hygiene is poor in the institutionalised elderly. There are problems regarding the oral care of residents having poor mobility or cognitive impairment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cross-sectional study involving 135 participants (mean age 85.7, SD 8.8 years) in two categories: nurses doing tooth cleaning and residents doing tooth cleaning. Those cleaned by nurses were categorised as co-operative or unco-operative. The oral hygiene status, presence of caries, retained roots and denture-related stomatitis were recorded. RESULTS Of the participants, 70% had only natural teeth. The prevalence of caries was 28%. A significant correlation showed that having more teeth gave a poorer Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) (p = 0.018). The number of retained roots increased with the severity of cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found between nurses or residents doing the tooth cleaning on the OHI-S (p = 0.05) and percentage of dental plaque (p = 0.003). Unco-operative residents had poorer oral hygiene (p = 0.028), more caries (p = 0.008) and were more often moderate-severe cognitive impaired (p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of participants had unacceptable oral hygiene. Residents whose teeth were cleaned by the nurses had poorer oral hygiene. Unco-operative residents had the worst oral hygiene and more caries.
Pesticide residues survey in citrus fruits

The use of pesticides is widespread in citrus fruits production for pre- and post-harvest protection and many chemical substances may be applied in order to control undesirable moulds or insects. A survey was carried out to evaluate levels of pesticide residues in citrus fruits. Two multiresidue analytical methods were used to screen samples for more than 200 different fungicides, insecticides and acaricides. A total of 240 samples of citrus fruits including lemon, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, pomelo and kumquat were taken in various markets in the Geneva area during the year 2003. Ninety-five percent of the 164 samples issued from classical agriculture contained pesticides and 38 different compounds have been identified. This high percentage of positive samples was mainly due to the presence of two post-harvest fungicides, imazalil and thiabendazole, detected in 70% and 36% of samples respectively. Only three samples exceeded the Swiss maximum residue limits (MRLs). Fifty-three samples sold with the written indication “without post-harvest treatment” were also controlled. Among theses samples, three exceeded the Swiss MRLs for penconazole or chlorpyrifos and 18 (34%) did not respect the written indication since we found large amounts of post-harvest fungicides. Finally, 23 samples coming from certified organic production were analysed. Among theses samples, three contained small amounts of pesticides and the others were pesticides free.
The role that the school governing bodies (SGBs) play in the implementation of language policy in Brits District

The study was conducted in the Brits District. Six schools were chosen of which 3 belonged to the former model C schools where the language of teaching and learning is Afrikaans, and the other 3 schools were previously disadvantaged/rural schools. A qualitative study was used to garner information in the form of interviews, document analysis and observation. The study attempt to find out the exact role that the School governing body (SGBs) play in the implementation of language policy as stipulated in the Constitution. It was revealed that of the 2 types of schools the school governing body (SGBs) for former model C schools are aware of the role they have to play in the implementation of the language policy whereas the school governing body (SGBs) for the rural schools are still grappling with their role as custodian of language policy implementation. A number of concepts emerged from the study where it became apparent that rural schools and former model C school’s play field were not equally levelled from the onset. Former model C school governing body (SGBs) seem to be aware of their role in the implementation of language policy, whereas the rural school, school governing body (SGBs) are aware of their other roles e.g. school maintenance, school fund and hiring of educators. On the other hand they are of the opinion that language policies is for the principal and the school management team. In addition it was observed that the school governing body (SGBs) for rural schools has low morale, do not have the language policy document and generally lack interest in the services they are supposed to provide critical theory underpins this study.
Subunit order of eukaryotic TRiC/CCT chaperonin by cross-linking, mass spectrometry, and combinatorial homology modeling

The TRiC/CCT chaperonin is a 1-MDa hetero-oligomer of 16 subunits that assists the folding of proteins in eukaryotes. Low-resolution structural studies confirmed the TRiC particle to be composed of two stacked octameric rings enclosing a folding cavity. The exact arrangement of the different proteins in the rings underlies the functionality of TRiC and is likely to be conserved across all eukaryotes. Yet despite its importance it has not been determined conclusively, mainly because the different subunits appear nearly identical under low resolution. This work successfully addresses the arrangement problem by the emerging technique of cross-linking, mass spectrometry, and modeling. We cross-linked TRiC under native conditions with a cross-linker that is primarily reactive toward exposed lysine side chains that are spatially close in the context of the particle. Following digestion and mass spectrometry we were able to identify over 60 lysine pairs that underwent cross-linking, thus providing distance restraints between specific residues in the complex. Independently of the cross-link set, we constructed 40,320 (= 8 factorial) computational models of the TRiC particle, which exhaustively enumerate all the possible arrangements of the different subunits. When we assessed the compatibility of each model with the cross-link set, we discovered that one specific model is significantly more compatible than any other model. Furthermore, bootstrapping analysis confirmed that this model is 10 times more likely to result from this cross-link set than the next best-fitting model. Our subunit arrangement is very different than any of the previously reported models and changes the context of existing and future findings on TRiC.
Interrater Reliability and Content Validity of a Minimal Data Set to Measure Outcomes of Students Receiving School-Based Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy

Background and Purpose: The 1997 Amendments of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act increased the emphasis on accountability for outcomes of students with disabilities in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine the content validity and estimate the interrater reliability of the School Outcomes Measure, a new minimal data set to measure groups of students' performance in the areas addressed by school-based therapy. Method: Forty-five occupational therapists and physical therapists working in Oklahoma's public schools participated in the content validity study. Eight occupational therapist-physical therapist pairs rated 17 students for the interrater reliability study. Therapists were recruited and data were collected by mail for both studies. Results: Most validity study participants thought the tool was comprehensive and clear, and that they could complete the tool twice a year for their students. The weighted kappa statistic indicated that the therapists' agreement was substantial (.73) to almost perfect (.96) for 25 of the 28 student functional status items. Discussion: The results support the content validity and interrater reliability of the items. This study was an initial step in development of the tool and further studies are needed in the validation process.
Modeling Membrane Proteins Utilizing Information from Silent Amino Acid Substitutions

This unit describes predicting the structure of simple transmembrane α‐helical bundles. The protocol is based on a global molecular dynamics search (GMDS) of the configuration space of the helical bundle, yielding several candidates structures. The correct structure amongst these candidates is selected using information from silent amino acid substitutions, employing the following premise: Only the correct structure must (by definition) accept all of the silent amino acid substitutions. Thus, the correct structure is found by repeating the GMDS for several close homologues and selecting the structure that persists in all of the trials.
Capped mRNA with a Single Nucleotide Leader Is Optimally Translated in a Primitive Eukaryote, Giardia lamblia*

The 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of an mRNA plays an important role in translation initiation in eukaryotes. A minimal length of about 20 nucleotides is required to prevent leaky ribosome scanning. In one of the most primitive eukaryotes, Giardia lamblia, however, the mRNAs have 5′-UTRs mostly in the range of 0 to 14 nucleotides without a conserved sequence, which raises the question on how the ribosome could effectively scan such short 5′-UTRs for an accurate initiation of translation. In the present study, we expressed capped transcripts of luciferase gene in Giardia trophozoites via transfection and observed that when the 5′-UTR of the transcript was lengthened from 9 to 21 nucleotides, there was a corresponding decrease of translation efficiency. Conversely, shortening of the 5′-UTR from nine nucleotides down to a single nucleotide did not result in any reduced translation or leaky scanning. Translation appeared to initiate exclusively from the first initiation codon located downstream from the cap. Experimental evidence indicated also that a stem-loop structure immediately downstream from the initiation codon exerted significant inhibition on translation initiation when the 5′-UTR consisted of less than seven nucleotides. This inhibitory effect was abolished by increasing the distance between the stem-loop and the cap-G structure either upstream or downstream from the start codon, thus suggesting a spatial requirement for effective ribosome recruitment. Overall, our results suggest an absence of ribosome scanning for AUG in initiating translation in Giardia. A capped mRNA with a single nucleotide leader is apparently sufficient for recruiting ribosome and initiating translation.
Improvement of POC-CCA Interpretation by Using Lyophilization of Urine from Patients with Schistosoma mansoni Low Worm Burden: Towards an Elimination of Doubts about the Concept of Trace

Background Accurate diagnostic techniques for schistosomiasis are essential for prevalence determination and identification of positive patients. A point-of-care test for detecting schistosome circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) has been evaluated for its accuracy in different endemic regions. This reagent strip/dipstick based assay has showed high sensitivity for individuals with high or moderate worm burden, but the interpretation of light infections is less clear, especially for trace readings. Methodology/Principal Findings We introduced a urine lyophilization step to the POC-CCA assay to improve its sensitivity and clarify the interpretation of traces. We evaluated POC-CCA sensitivity and specificity within individuals with low parasite burdens in a Brazilian endemic area where a high number of traces were detected. Patients that were positive for other helminths were also evaluated for cross reactions. In all cases, a combined parasitological diagnosis using Kato-Katz (24 slides) and Saline Gradient (1 g of feces) were used as reference. At baseline, diagnosis by POC-CCA (1–2 cassettes) showed 6% sensitivity, inaccurately predicting a low prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infections (2 POC-CCA positives/32 egg positives). After urine lyophilization, the sensitivity was increased significantly (p < 0.05). Prevalence rates changed from 2% to 32% (27 POC-CCA positives/32 egg positives), equivalent to parasitological techniques. Most of the trace readings changed to positive after lyophilization while some negatives turned into traces. Cross reaction analysis confirmed the specificity of POC-CCA. Conclusions/Significance Trace readings cannot be primarily defined as positive or negative cases. It is critical to verify case-by-case by concentrating urine 10 fold by lyophilization for the diagnosis. Following lyophilization, persistent trace readings should be read as negatives. No trained technician is needed and cost is restricted to the cost of a lyophilizer and the electricity to run it.
Outbreak of cholera in the East Akim Municipality of Ghana following unhygienic practices by small-scale gold miners, November 2010.

BACKGROUND In October 2010 an outbreak of cholera began among a group of small-scale gold miners in the East-Akim Municipality (EAM), Eastern Region. We investigated to verify the diagnosis, identify risk factors and recommend control measures. METHODS We conducted a descriptive investigation, active case-search and an unmatched case-control study. A cholera case-patient was a person with acute watery diarrhoea, with or without vomiting in EAM from 1st October to 20(th) November, 2010. Stool from case-patients and water samples were taken for laboratory diagnosis. We performed univariate and bivariate analysis using epi-info version 3.3. RESULTS Of 136 case-patients, 77 (56.6%) were males, of which 40% were miners or from miners households. Index case, a 20 yr-old male miner from Apapam village reported on October 13(th), and case-patients peaked (18.4%) 20 days later. Attack rate was 2/1000 population with no fatality. Ages ranged from 1-84 years; mean of 34±18 yrs. Age-group 20-29 yrs was mostly affected (30.1%) with Apapam village having most case-patients (19.9%). Vibrio cholera serotype ogawa was isolated from stool samples. The main water source, Birim river was polluted by small-scale miners through defecation, post-defecation baths and sand-washings. Compared to controls, case-patients were more likely to have drunk from Birim-River [OR= 6.99, 95% CI: 2.75-18]. CONCLUSION Vibrio cholera serotype ogawa caused the EAM cholera-outbreak affecting many young adult-males. Drinking water from contaminated community-wide -River was the major risk factors. Boiling or chlorination of water was initiated based on our recommendations and this controlled the outbreak.
A Second Life First Year Experience

Learning experiences within Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE’s) focus on discovery and active experiences and provide many opportunities to support multicultural learners. Virtual worlds have the potential to become meaningful, highly sophisticated tools for educators and students, and it is timely to consider how educators can move from the hype to the how and why? Consideration needs to be given to the characteristics of meaningful pedagogical activities that move learners from playing to an enhanced learning experience? This paper presents a case study in which the MUVE Second Life was used to support a First Life (Real-World) orientation programme for students within the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Presented is an overview of the approach, rationale for the use of Second Life as well as lessons learned in relation to the application of virtual worlds for learners within the Hong Kong context. The study concludes that the Second Life orientation programme was not as successful as envisioned. However, the specific lessons learned, and ‘moments’ of intervention and further assistance identified have provided rich material and an emerging interest’ in relation to the incorporation of Second Life into meaningful educational activities in the university.