Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A qualitative study exploring the psychosocial value of weekend camping experiences for children and adolescents with complex heart defects.

BACKGROUND Children living with complex heart defects (CHD) are likely to have ongoing social, emotional, physical, and health concerns, and are in need of additional psychosocial support. Summer camps can provide therapeutic benefits. Little research exists regarding the value of shorter camping experiences from the perspectives of children with CHD. The aim of our study was to explore what children and adolescents with CHD considered meaningful when attending a therapeutic camping weekend in the company of peers with similar medical diagnoses. METHODS Engaging a phenomenological approach we used participant generated photography and reflective semi-structured interviews to explore participants' lived experience and value derived from their weekend camping experiences. The study was completed with thirteen participants ranging in age from 9 to 16 years. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using Van Manen's guidelines. RESULTS Three themes reflecting the camp experiences were generated from the data. Meaningful experiences spanned three outcomes which had some overlapping influences: (i) Developing relationships and feeling accepted by peers and counsellors at camp; (ii) Enjoying and learning during the weekend; and (iii) Experiencing the natural and human-built therapeutic environmental features of camp. The camping programme features, inputs, and processes as identified by the participants in contributing to these outcomes are described. CONCLUSION This qualitative study showed that children living with complex CHD valued the opportunity for participating in weekend camping experiences in the company of peers with similar heart defects. Findings contribute to a better understanding of what programme features and processes were considered meaningful. Given the scarcity of resources to devote to such social support activities, the findings may help professionals to plan effective interventions to maximize benefits during a shorter camping experience.
Sentence repetition as a measure of morphosyntax in monolingual and bilingual children

Bilingual children are frequently misdiagnosed as having Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Misdiagnosis may be minimized by tests with high degrees of sensitivity and specificity. The current study used a new test, the School-Age Sentence Imitation Test-English 32 (SASIT-E32), to investigate sentence repetition in monolingual and bilingual children, and specifically to compare overall repetition accuracy and error patterns in the two groups. Eighteen English-speaking monolingual children (mean age = 8;8) and 18 Farsi-English bilingual children (8;2) participated. Monolingual children repeated sentences more accurately than bilingual children, but, once receptive vocabulary scores were taken into account, this group difference disappeared. However, the groups demonstrated a different pattern of errors, with the bilingual group producing a higher proportion of substitution and addition errors on function words compared to content words. The main error expected from children with SLI according to the existing literature, i.e. the omission of function words, did not characterize the bilingual children's performance. We therefore propose that the SASIT-E32 might prove to be a valuable tool in identifying SLI in bilingual children.
Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferivlsE Gene Expression and Recombination in the Tick Vector

ABSTRACT Expression and recombination of the antigenic variationvlsE gene of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi were analyzed in the tick vector. To assessvlsE expression, Ixodes scapularis nymphs infected with the B. burgdorferi strain B31 were fed on mice for 48 or 96 h or to repletion and then crushed and acetone fixed either immediately thereafter (ticks collected at the two earlier time points) or 4 days after repletion. Unfed nymphs also were examined. At all of the time points investigated, spirochetes were able to bind a rabbit antibody raised against the conserved invariable region 6 of VlsE, as assessed by indirect immunofluorescence, but not preimmune serum from the same rabbit. This same antibody also bound to B31 spirochetes cultivated in vitro. Intensity of fluorescence appeared highest in cultured spirochetes, followed by spirochetes present in unfed ticks. Only a dim fluorescent signal was observed on spirochetes at the 48 and 96 h time points and at day 4 postrepletion. Expression of vlsE in vitro was affected by a rise in pH from 7.0 to 8.0 at 34°C. Hence, vlsE expression appears to be sensitive to environmental cues of the type found in theB. burgdorferi natural history. To assessvlsE recombination, nymphs were capillary fed theB. burgdorferi B31 clonal isolate 5A3. Ticks thus infected were either left to rest for 4 weeks (Group I) or fed to repletion on a mouse (Group II). The contents of each tick from both groups were cultured and 10 B. burgdorferi clones from the spirochetal isolate of each tick were obtained. ThevlsE cassettes from several of these clones were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Regardless of whether the isolate was derived from Group I or Group II ticks, no changes were observed in thevlsE sequence. In contrast, vlsEcassettes amplified from B. burgdorferi clones derived from a mouse that was infected with B31-5A3 capillary-fed nymphs showed considerable recombination. It follows that vlsErecombination does not occur in the tick vector.
Streamer propagation and breakdown in natural ester at high voltage

This paper reports an experimental investigation about streamer propagation and breakdown in natural esters (rape-seed oils). Experiments are carried out over a large range of gap distances (from 2 to 20 cm) and voltage (up to 460 kV), in order to determine the properties of natural esters for high voltage insulation. A detailed description of positive and negative streamers is obtained by the measurement of propagation velocity, stopping length, transient currents, charge, streak photographs of the emitted light. As in previous studies carried out in mineral transformer oil, several propagation "modes" can be observed in rape-seed oil. They show the transition from "slow" streamers (velocity about 1 km/s), to fast streamers (velocity up to 200 km/s). Fast positive streamers propagate at much lower voltage in rape-seed oil compared to mineral oil. In turn, this induces lower breakdown voltages and shorter time to breakdown in this liquid. Measurements of currents and streak photographs bring the evidence of the stepped character of fast positive streamers and show the constancy of their velocity under very high voltage.
Learning curve in transradial cardiac catheterization: procedure-related parameters stratified by operators' transradial volume.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether radial artery access is associated with a reduction in fluoroscopy time, procedure time, and other procedural variables over a 27-month period during which the radial artery approach was incorporated in a single academic Medical Center. BACKGROUND Although previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between increased volume and decreased procedural time, no studies have looked at the integration of radial access over time. METHODS Data were collected from consecutive patients who presented to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center cardiac catheterization laboratory from January 1, 2009 to April 1, 2011. Patients who underwent radial access diagnostic catheterization with and without percutaneous coronary intervention were included in this study. A total of 1112 diagnostic cardiac catheterizations through the radial access site were analyzed. High-volume, intermediate-volume, and low-volume operators were grouped based on the percentage of procedures performed through a radial approach. RESULTS From 2009 to 2011, there was a significant decrease in fluoroscopy time in all operator groups for diagnostic catheterization (P=.035). The high-volume operator group had 1.88 and 3.66 minute reductions in fluoroscopy time compared to the intermediate- and low-volume operator groups, respectively (both P<.001). Likewise, the intermediate-volume operator group had a 1.77 minute improvement compared to the low-volume operator group, but this did not reach statistical significance (P=.102). The improvement in fluoroscopy time and other procedure-related parameters was seen after approximately 25 cases with further improvement after 75 cases. CONCLUSIONS The incorporation of the radial access approach in the cardiac catheterization laboratory led to a decrease in fluoroscopy time for each operator and operator group over the last 3 years. Our data demonstrated that higher-volume radial operators have better procedure, room, and fluoroscopy times when compared to intermediate- and low-volume operators. However, lower-volume operators have a reduction in procedure-related parameters with increased radial cases. Number of procedures needed to become sufficient was demonstrated in the current study.
The Organizational Change Process: Its Influence on Competences Learned on the Job

This study was developed in a Brazilian court that was subjected to the introduction of e-process, and bears the following objectives: (a) describe the context of changes in terms of planning and perceived risk degree; (b) describe the results perceived after the introduction of the e-process; (c) describe the support to learning and the competences learned during the e-process implementation; (d) identify the links between variables of changing context, support to learning and the competences learned during the introduction of the e-process at the Higher Justice Court. 219 civil servants participated in the study, which used scales of changing context, results of the change of competences and support to learning. Scales were subjected to exploratory factor analysis with robust statistical indexes and three multiple regressions to test the associations between variables. Results pointed out that characteristics of the change process and support to learning affect learned competences.
Activation of FOXO 3 a by the Green Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Induces Estrogen Receptor A Expression Reversing Invasive Phenotype of Breast Cancer Cells

Previously, we showed that the bioactive green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibits growth in soft agar of breast cancer cells with Her-2/neu overexpression. Using gene expression profiling, here we show that EGCG treatment of Her-2/neu–driven mammary tumor cells alters the expression of key regulators in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway, reducing invasive phenotype. Specifically, the epithelial genes E-cadherin, g-catenin, MTA3 , and estrogen receptor a (ERa) were up-regulated by EGCG, whereas the proinvasive snail gene was down-regulated. Consistently, EGCG inhibited branching colony growth and invasion in Matrigel. EGCG treatment similarly inhibited invasive phenotype of mouse mammary tumor cells driven by Nuclear Factor-KB c-Rel and protein kinase CK2, frequently found overexpressed in human breast disease. Recently, we identified the Forkhead box O transcription factor FOXO3a as a major transcriptional regulator of ERA. Given the pivotal role of ERA in preventing EMT, we hypothesized that the activation of FOXO3a by EGCG plays an important role in the observed reversal of invasive phenotype in ERA-positive breast cancer cells. EGCG treatment activated FOXO3a. Ectopic expression of a constitutively active FOXO3a overrode transforming growth factor-B1–mediated invasive phenotype and induced a more epithelial phenotype, which was dependent on ERA expression and signaling. Conversely, a dominant negative FOXO3a reduced epithelial phenotype of ERA-low breast cancer cells. These results identify, for the first time, a role for FOXO3a in the inhibition of invasive phenotype in breast cancer cells with active ERA signaling and elucidate a novel mechanism whereby EGCG represses EMT of breast cancer cells. [Cancer Res 2007;67(12):5763–70]
Pleasure, prophylaxis and procreation: a qualitative analysis of intermittent contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy.

CONTEXT Although pregnancy ambivalence is consistently associated with poorer contraceptive use, little is known about the sexual, social and emotional dynamics at work in pregnancy ambivalence. METHODS During in-depth sexual and reproductive history interviews conducted in 2003, 36 women and men were asked about the relational and emotional circumstances surrounding each pregnancy, as well as their thoughts about conceiving a baby with both current and previous partners. An ethnographic, inductive approach was used to analyze the data. RESULTS Half of respondents had experienced at least one unintended pregnancy. Respondents described three categories of pleasure related to pregnancy ambivalence: active eroticization of risk, in which pregnancy fantasies heightened the charge of the sexual encounter; passive romanticization of pregnancy, in which people neither actively sought nor prevented conception; and an escapist pleasure in imagining that a pregnancy would sweep one away from hardship. All three categories were associated with misuse or nonuse of coitus-dependent methods. CONCLUSIONS For some individuals, the perceived emotional and sexual benefits of conception may outweigh the goal of averting conception, even when a child is not wholly intended. Future behavioral studies should collect more nuanced data on pregnancy-related pleasure. Clinicians and patients would benefit from clearer guidelines for assessing ambivalence and for linking ambivalent clients with longer-acting methods that are not coitus-dependent.
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without induction chemotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer.

5553 Background: Recent trials suggest that induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (SEQ) may improve outcomes for patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) over concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone (CRT). SEQ and CRT have not been prospectively compared in a phase III trial, therefore we retrospectively compared these approaches with patients treated on prospective trials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. METHODS From 1995 to 2007, 114 patients with LAHNC of the larynx, hypopharynx, oral cavity or oropharynx were treated with definitive SEQ or CRT on prospective trials. All patients who received SEQ (n = 38) were treated on one phase I/II trial with three cycles of docetaxel and cisplatin, followed by docetaxel concurrent with radiotherapy (RT). CRT was delivered on a variety of trials (n = 13) with weekly cetuximab (n = 19), carboplatin/paclitaxel (n = 4), carboplatin/paclitaxel and celecoxib (n = 14), cisplatin/paclitaxel (n = 1), or every three week cisplatin (n = 17), cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (n = 14) cisplatin/weekly cetuximab (n=6), or cisplatin/5-fluorouracil daily during the last 10 RT treatments (n = 1). Patient, tumor, and treatment factors were compared with Pearson chi square. Loco-regional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS Median follow up for patients treated with SEQ was 33.5 months and 32 months for CRT. Patients in the SEQ group were more likely to have a Performance Status <90 (p = 0.04). Additionally, SEQ patients were more likely to have both altered fractionation RT (p < 0.001) and a shorter RT treatment time (p < 0.001). At 3 years there were no significant differences in LRC (69.7% v 71.2%, p = 0.84), DMFS (86.6% v 76.7%, p = 0.38), or OS (62.7% v 56.8%, p = 0.27) between CRT or SEQ, respectively. Use of SEQ therapy was not associated with improvements in LRC, DMFS, or OS on multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS In this retrospective analysis of patients with LAHNC treated on prospective clinical trials, SEQ therapy was not associated with gains in LRC, DMFS, or OS compared with CRT.
Effect of neem seed extracts on the development of the Soybean Cysts Nematode

The effect produced by neem seed extracts and a neem seed concentrate (NSC) on the mortality and development of Heterodera glycines was evaluated. Second-stage juvenile (J2) mortality produced by the extracts and NSC was determined. Soybean seedlings treated with each of the extracts (aqueous, methanolic and hexane) were inoculated with J2 and the number of females and eggs per root system determined after 30 days. Both the hexane extracts were ineffective as no statistical difference (P>0.05) in J2 mortality was observed between them and the control. No statistical difference (P>0.05) in J2 mortality (>98%) was obtained between the water extracts and methanol extract at 1000 mg L-1 treatments. The J2 percentage of mortality exponentially increased with the NSC dosages (R2=0.94). LD50 was 42.6 mg L-1 for NSC on H. glycines. In the greenhouse experiment, the highest reduction in the number of females was 84%, obtained with the aqueous (41.6 mg L-1) and methanolic extracts (1000 mg L-1). In the same way, the highest reduction in the number of eggs, of about 90%, was obtained with the same extracts. Thus, using aqueous extracts is more suitable than the remaining extracts in field conditions. The activities of the methanol and NSC extracts were attributed to the seven tetranortritepenoids (azadirachtin H, azadirachtin A, azadirachtin B, desacetylnimbin, desacetylsalannin, nimbin and salannin) identified by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography.
Ten Difference Score Myths

Difference scores have been widely used in studies of fit, similarity, and agreement. Despite their widespread use, difference scores suffer from numerous methodological problems. These problems can be mitigated or avoided with polynomial regression analysis, and this method has become increasingly prevalent during the past decade. Unfortunately, a number of potentially damaging myths have begun to spread regarding the drawbacks of difference scores and the advantages of polynomial regression. If these myths go unchecked, difference scores and the problems they create are likely to persist in studies of fit, similarity, and agreement. This article reviews 10 difference score myths and attempts to dispel these myths, focusing on studies conducted since polynomial regression was formally introduced as an alternative to difference scores.
Comparison of 15 laboratory and patient-derived strains of Mycobacterium avium for ability to infect and multiply in cultured human macrophages

Mycobacterium avium is a cause of nontuberculous chronic granulomatous infections which is attracting increased attention as a frequent opportunistic pathogen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Some important aspects of its human pathogenicity were investigated by using cultured human macrophages infected with it. The uptake and replication of various strains of M. avium in the macrophages could be measured by CFU counts of the bacteria in samples of lysed, sonicated macrophages. Microscopic counts of acid-fast bacilli were not useful because the bacteria multiplying in the macrophages were usually not acid fast. Electron microscopy showed the intracellular bacilli to multiply by transverse fission, to be surrounded in individual vacuoles by a broad electronlucent zone, and to have thinner cell walls than extracellularly grown M. avium. Fifteen strains, including examples of serovars 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9, were studied for uptake and rate of replication in cultured macrophages from three normal subjects. The strains were isolates from patients with nontuberculous granulomatous infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or unrelated problems, or they were laboratory reference cultures. There were no differences among them in phagocytosis, but there were differences in intracellular replication. Laboratory strains tended to be avirulent, that is, they did not replicate in the macrophages. Patient isolates usually were virulent and could be compared for virulence by intracellular replication rates. Virulence correlated with flat, transparent bacterial colony morphology on nutrient agar but not with serovar or kind of patient from whom the bacteria were isolated. However, among strains of transparent colony morphology there were wide differences in virulence. A virulent bacilli generally produced domed, opalescent colonies on nutrient agar. A virulent bacilli predominated in populations of M. avium conditioned to growth in bacteriologic culture medium. Bacilli of virulent colony morphology predominated in populations passaged through cultured macrophages. The model described here presents a new approach to the investigation of the pathogenicity of M. avium for human subjects and may be more patient relevant than animal models.
Role of cannabinoid receptors and RAGE in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND The endocannabinoid system is involved in many inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The distribution and expression of cannabinoid receptors 1 (CNR1) and 2 (CNR2) in combination with inflammatory cytokines and RAGE (receptor of advanced glycation end products), which is also overactive in these diseases, in dependency of the extent of inflammation and alteration of the colon barrier is still unclear and needs to be elucidated. MATERIAL AND METHODS 10 specimens of CD patients who underwent colectomy and 14 colectomy specimens of patients suffering from UC were investigated histologically for inflammatory infiltrate, extent of fibrosis and for disturbance of the intestinal barrier. Immunohistochemistry was carried out to examine the distribution and localization of CNR1, CNR2 and RAGE. Additionally, qRT-PCR was performed to study the expression of CNR1, CNR2, RAGE and inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, TGFβ, CTGF, IL12, IFNγ). 35 morphological and histological normal specimens of colectomy cases served as controls. RESULTS The expression level of CNR2 did not differ between the control group and the group of patients with IBD, while CNR1 displayed a significant up regulation, especially in cases of CD. A differential association between the expression of CNR1/CNR2 and RAGE with morphological changes and expression of molecular markers of inflammation could be established. CONCLUSION We showed that cannabinoid receptors are expressed differentially in inflammatory bowel disease and that the expression seems to be influenced by the underlying disease and by localized inflammation.