Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scientific Writing of Novice Researchers: What Difficulties and Encouragements Do They Encounter?

Purpose Writing scientific articles is a daunting task for novice researchers. In this qualitative study carried out in 2007, the authors evaluated the experiences of a group of novice researchers engaged in the writing process, to elucidate the main difficulties and sources of encouragement they encountered. Method Sixteen novice researchers were interviewed. Most were women (10), and most were enrolled in programs of medicine (9), followed by nursing (4) and physical therapy (3). These were drawn via convenience sampling from a randomized control trial in which 48 of them were equally assigned to either an online or a face-to-face course of instruction. On completion, interviews were conducted in focus groups of four students each. The interviews were transcribed and read independently by two of the authors, who then encoded the material based on the principles of grounded theory. Initial categories were converted to major emerging themes, which were validated when participants were asked to review the findings. Triangulation of results was carried out by discussing the emerging themes in an online forum with five specialists in college writing education. Results Classifying the diverse responses of participants led to the emergence of four major themes: cognitive burden, group support and mentoring, difficulty in distinguishing between content and structure, and backward design of manuscripts. Conclusions The themes produced by this study provide some insight into the challenges faced by novice researchers in their early attempts at scientific writing. Remedies that address these challenges are needed to substantially improve scientific writing instruction.
The comparative effects of teleost and beef pituitary on chromatophores of cold-blooded vertebrates.

1. Fish and beef acetone-desiccated pituitaries cause a distal migration of pigment granules in melanophores when injected into the elasmobranch Urobatis halleri, the teleost Ameiurus melas, the amphibians Hyla regilla and Rana pipiens, and the reptile Anolis carolinensis. These preparations not only disperse melanin but also induce a proximal migration of the white granules in leucophores of Rana pipiens larvae.2. Fish pituitary injected into the teleosts Gambusia affinis, Fundulus parvipinnis, Girella nigricans, Gillichthys mirabilis, Lepomis cyanellus and Leuresthes tenuis causes a proximal migration of melanin and, at least in the first three species, a distal migration of pigment in the xanthophores. Desiccated fish brain, beef whole gland, beef posterior lobe and commercial pituitrin have no obvious effect on their chromatophores.3. There is an opposite migration of melanin in certain different species of teleosts treated with fish pituitary. The diverse chromatic reaction of teleosts may have phylo.
Supervised Mind Reading : Uncovering Text from Neural Data

Often, applications of natural language processing assume a bag-of-words model to represent a sentence or a document, in which each word is treated independent of the remaining words. While sentence models following this assumption may yield satisfactory results when using corpora data, such models fail to capture the integration of words into context. As an essential part of language processing in the brain (Altmann & Steedman, 1988), word integration should be included in any model that aims to capture the neural representation of sentence processing.
The Incidental Postmenopausal Adnexal Mass

The postmenopausal ovary continues to produce cysts; the prevalence in an ovarian cancer screening population approaches 18%. Yet 60% to 70% of unilocular cysts resolve spontaneously. Optimal management of an asymptomatic adnexal mass allows surveillance of women at low malignancy risk while triaging intermediate/high-risk women to surgery. Women with unilocular cysts on transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and a normal CA-125 are monitored with repeat TVS at 3 to 6 months. Those with a complex mass <5 cm and normal CA-125 should have repeat TVS and CA-125 testing in 4 weeks. Surgery is recommended for any women with increasing morphologic complexity or a rising CA-125.
Anticancer Activity of Zinc Nanoparticles Made using Terpenoids from Aqueous Leaf Extract of Andrographis Paniculata

In recent years, the evolution of green chemistry in the production of nanoparticles has wrapped up an immense consideration because traces of chemicals left unreacted in the chemical synthesis process can be precarious. Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles is an interesting issue of the nanoscience and nanobiotechnology. There is a growing attention to biosynthesis the metal nanoparticles using organisms. Among these organisms, plants seem to be the best candidate and they are suitable for large scale biosynthesis of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles produced by plants are more stable, and the rate of synthesis is faster than that in the case of other organisms. Natural products, especially of plant origin, represent an excellent starting point for research. In traditional medicine there are also several plants that are used to treat many diseases. Therefore, a competent protocol for the production of ZnNPs without calcinations was developed by green synthesis method using one of the major constituents, terpenoids from aqueous leaf extracts of Andrographis paniculata. Among the single compounds extracted from Andrographis paniculata, andrographolide is the major one in terms of bioactive properties and abundance. The anticancer activities of Zn-TAP NPs have been evaluated in cancer models such as HeLa, Hep-2 cells and were examined in different concentrations by MTT assay method. The Zn-TAP NPs showed a maximum activity against HeLa (human cervical cancer cells) and Hep-2 (human liver cancer cells) with maximal inhibition of 59% and 63% at 250 μg/ml, respectively. This approach offers environmentally beneficial alternatives to more hazardous chemicals and processes and promotes pollution prevention by the production of nanoparticle in their natural environs.
A prospective study of adherence and viral load in a large multi-center cohort of HIV-infected women

Objectives: To examine the relationship between antiretroviral adherence and viral load, and to determine the predictors of adherence over time in HIV-infected women. Design: Prospective observational study. Methods: One-hundred sixty-one HIV-infected women who were taking antiretroviral therapy for a median of 3.0 years were recruited from the HIV Epidemiology Research Study, a multicenter cohort study of HIV infection in women. Antiretroviral adherence (percent of doses taken as prescribed) was measured over a 6-month period using MEMS caps. At baseline and follow-up, CD4 lymphocyte count and viral load were measured, and a standardized interview was administered to elicit medication history and drug use behaviors. To examine changes in adherence over time, the mean adherence to all antiretroviral agents was calculated for each monitored month. Results: Adherence varied significantly over time (P < 0.001), ranging from a mean of 64% in month 1 to 45% in month 6. Nearly one-fourth of the participants had a 10% or greater decrease in adherence between consecutive months. Virologic failure occurred in 17% of women with adherence of ⩾ 88%, 28% of those with 45–87% adherence, 43% of those with 13–44% adherence, and 71% of those with ⩽ 12% adherence. In multivariate analysis, factors predicting lower adherence included active drug use, alcohol use, more frequent antiretroviral dosing, shorter duration of antiretroviral use, younger age, and lower initial CD4 lymphocyte count. Conclusions: Antiretroviral adherence is not stable over time. Interventions aimed at monitoring and improving long-term adherence in women are urgently needed.
Group coding of RF tags to verify the integrity of group of objects

RFID is an essential technology to uniquely identify physical objects. In many practical business processes using RFID, we check not only individual objects but also check if there is no missing objects and no extra objects in a group of objects. While individual objects identifications are done by using RFID, group verifications are usually done by looking up a shipping list or corresponding EDI data which require a network connection. In this paper, we propose “group coding of RF tags” by which we can verify the integrity of a group of objects just by writing additional data in RF tags' memory. The additional data is computed from unique IDs of objects that belong to the group. We propose fundamental and general group codings. With the fundamental group coding, we can check if the integrity of a group of objects is preserved or not. It is a parity check of hashes of unique IDs in a group. We also propose general group coding by extending the fundamental group coding. With the general group coding, we can estimate the number of missing objects if the integrity of a group is not verified. The strength of the missing number estimation can be controlled by the size of data written to RF tags. It can be considered as a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) in physical objects. The theory of group coding is confirmed by a numerical simulation and an experiment. It is shown by the simulation and experiment that we can detect 10 missing RF tags out of 20 RF tags with 99.5% reliability by writing 96-bit data into each RF tags besides its 96-bit unique ID.
Effect of impurities and associated minerals on quartz toxicity.

Abstract Pulmonary toxicity by inhalation of two coal-mine dusts containing 15 and 5% quartz was compared with that of artificial coal-quartz mixtures having the same quartz content. The natural dust mixtures were slightly toxic, while the artificial ones produced considerably more lesions and fibrosis in relation to the quartz content. Intratracheal tests carried out with sands of various origins show that certain types of quartz may be only slightly toxic at first, then they progressively gain the usual toxicity of quartz in the lungs. Quartz extracted from various coal-mine dusts by chemical attack was also very toxic. It is inferred that the absence of toxicity of coal-mine dust containing quartz is due to the presence of protective impurities on the surface of the quartz particles or to the inhibitory action of certain constituents.
Predicting Physical Activity of First-Year University Students: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Objective: The purpose of this study was to apply Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) and a measure of past physical activity behavior to predict first-year students' physical activity intentions and behavior. Participants and Methods: First-year university students (N = 212) completed measures of TPB variables and past physical activity at the start of the 2006 fall semester and a measure of physical activity 8 weeks later. Results: The TPB variables explained 37% of the variance in intentions, increasing to 39% with the addition of past behavior. Logistic regression showed that past behavior predicted whether students met Health Canada standards for being physically active (4 sessions of moderate/vigorous physical activity per week). Conclusions: Findings are consistent with other research showing that the TPB offers a good prediction of physical activity intentions but falls short of predicting behavior.
Effect of duration of dosing on onset of ovarian failure in a chemical-induced mouse model of perimenopause

Objective: Repeated daily dosing with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) causes gradual ovarian failure in mice. As a result, the animal undergoes ovarian failure, but retains residual ovarian tissue. The purpose of this study was to use a mouse model to regulate the induction of a period analogous to perimenopause in women. Design: Female B6C3F1 mice (28 days old; n = 8) were dosed daily for 10 or 20 days with VCD (160 mg/kg/d) or sesame oil. The animals were evaluated for reproductive function on days 10, 20, 35 after the onset of dosing, and on the day of follicle depletion. Each animal was killed at the specified time points, and ovaries, uteri, and plasma were collected. Results: VCD reduced (P < 0.05) the number of primordial (by 93.2%) and primary (by 85.1%) follicles after 10 days of dosing, whereas essentially all primordial and primary follicles were lost (P < 0.05) after 20 days of dosing. The average time to ovarian failure was on day 135 for 10-day-dosed mice and on day 52 for 20-day-dosed mice. Follicle-depleted mice in both groups had decreased (P < 0.05) ovarian and uterine weights. Circulating follicle-stimulating hormone levels were increased (P < 0.05) on day 44 after the onset of dosing in 10-day-dosed mice and on day 35 in 20-day-dosed mice. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that ovarian failure can be caused by VCD more rapidly if repeated daily dosing occurs for a longer period. Thus, the length of time leading up to ovarian failure (model for perimenopause) can be adjusted by varying the length of exposure.
Clinical significance of chemokine receptor CXCR4 and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract To assess the relevance of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) to large-B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), levels of protein expression were measured in 56 DLBCL patients who had received rituximab-based therapy. Of these, 34 were positive for CXCR4 expression (60.7%) and 31 for mTOR (55.4%). CXCR4 expression was positively correlated with mTOR expression (r = 0.602; p = .000). CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (p = .009), high IPI score (p = .030) and non-GCB subtype (p = .006). Furthermore, the expression levels of CXCR4 and mTOR were negatively correlated with the chance of remission (p < .05). Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients positive for CXCR4 and mTOR expression. The combination therapy with CXCR4 inhibitor WZ811 and mTOR inhibitor everolimus showed syncergistic effect in DLBCL cell lines. These results suggest that the expression of CXCR4 and mTOR may be suitable as biomarkers of the prognosis of DLBCL and for development of new therapeutic strategies.
Interactions between the impacts of ultraviolet radiation, elevated CO_2, and nutrient limitation on marine primary producers

It is well known that UV radiation can cause deleterious effects to the physiological performance, growth and species assemblages of marine primary producers. In this review we describe the range of interactions observed between these impacts of ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm) with other environmental factors such as the availability of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), nutrient status and levels of dissolved CO_2, all of which can, in turn, be influenced by global climate change. Thus, increases in CO_2 levels can affect the sensitivity of some species to UV-B radiation (UV-B), while others show no such impact on UV-B susceptibility. Both nitrogen- and phosphorus-limitation can have direct interactive effects on the susceptibility of algal cells and communities to UVR, though such effects are somewhat variable. Nutrient depletion can also potentially lead to a dominance of smaller celled species, which may be less able to screen out and are thus likely to be more susceptible to UVR-induced damage. The variability of responses to such interactions can lead to alterations in the species composition of algal assemblages.
Discovering User-Communities and Associated Topics from YouTube

Most of the popular multimedia sharing web-sites such as YouTube, Flickr etc not only allow users to author and upload content but also facilitate "social" networking amongst users. These social interactions can be in the form of - user-to-user interactions i.e. adding existing users to friend or contact list or user-to-content interactions : commenting on a video or picture, marking a picture/video as "favorite", subscribing to a user created "channel" etc. Analyzing these social interactions jointly with the content metadata (such as the description of the video, keywords associated with the image/video etc) can reveal interesting insights about user activity on these social media platforms. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised method that jointly models "social" interaction and content metadata in YouTube to discover user-communities and the nature of topics beings discussed in these communities. We report the effectiveness of the proposed method on real-world dataset.
Relationships among Self-Esteem, Stress, and Physical Activity in College Students

The purpose of this study was to identify population and sex-specific relationships between perceived stress, self-esteem, and physical activity in college students. 90 students, ages 18 and older and enrolled in five sections of a health and human behavior class during the spring 2010 semester, were contacted for this study with 74 consenting to serve as study participants. Each participant completed three surveys: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Significant correlations were observed between perceived stress and self-esteem in men, and in women. Physical activity was not significantly correlated with perceived stress or self-esteem.
Vaginal birth after cesarean does not increase risk of mortality to the mother or infant

The most recent Cochrane Review found that both VBAC and repeat lowtransverse cesarean section have benefits and risks associated with them; however, after reviewing the limited data, they concluded that no trial exists to adequately help women and their caregivers make an informed decision between the two. A strong theme in the Cochrane Review, echoed in most reviews, was the ■ Evidence summary Contrary to the goals of Healthy People 2010, the rate of cesarean sections is increasing. The repeat cesarean rate for low-risk women of all ages and racial groups is now 88.7%, the highest rate since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking the statistic in 1989. Is VBAC safe, or is a trial of labor no longer supported by the data? How safe is vaginal birth after cesarean section for the mother and fetus?
Training working memory in kindergarten children: Effects on working memory and early numeracy

This study investigated the relationship between working memory and early numeracy. It aimed to explore the possibility of training young children’s working memory and to investigate the effects of such training both on working memory and on the specific domain of early numerical skills. Measures of working memory and numeracy were used with low-performing children in kindergarten. A total of 51 five-year-old children received one of two different versions of working memory training or no training at all. The two versions differed in the type of information the children were given to practice: non-numerical or numerical. After a pretest, 4 weeks of intervention took place, followed by a posttest. Children who participated in one of the working memory interventions significantly improved their working memory skills. Furthermore, their early numeracy skills also improved. Differences between both experimental conditions were small.
Femtosecond two‐photon high‐resolution 3D imaging, spatial‐volume rendering and microspectral characterization of immunolocalized MHC‐II and mLangerin/CD207 antigens in the mouse epidermis

Langerhans cells (LCs) play a sentinel role by initiating both adaptive and innate immune responses to antigens pertinent to the skin. With the discovery of various LCs markers including antibodies to major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC‐II) molecules and CD1a, intracellular presence of racket‐shaped “Birbeck granules,” and very recently Langerin/CD207, LCs can be readily distinguished from other subsets of dendritic cells. Femtosecond two‐photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM) in recent years has emerged as an alternative to the single photon‐excitation based confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), particularly for minimally‐invasive deep‐tissue 3D and 4D vital as well as nonvital biomedical imaging. We have recently combined high resolution two‐photon immunofluorescence (using anti MHC‐II and Langerin/CD207 antibodies) imaging with microspectroscopy and advanced image‐processing/volume‐rendering modalities. In this work, we demonstrate the use of this novel state‐of‐the‐art combinational approach to characterize the steady state 3D organization and spectral features of the mouse epidermis, particularly to identify the spatial distribution of LCs. Our findings provide unequivocal direct evidence that, in the mouse epidermis, the MHC‐II and mLangerin/CD207 antigens do indeed manifest a high degree of colocalization around the nucleus of the LCs, while in the distal dendritic processes, mLangerin/CD207 antigens are rather sparsely distributed as punctuate structures. This unique possibility to simultaneously visualize high resolution 3D‐resolved spatial distributions of two different immuno‐reactive antigens, namely MHC‐II and mLangerin/CD207, along with the nuclei of LCs and the adjacent epidermal cells can find interesting applications. These could involve aspects associated with pragmatic analysis of the kinetics of LCs migration as a function of immuno‐dermatological responses during (1) human Immunodeficiency virus disease progression, (2) vaccination and targeted gene therapy, (3) skin transplantation/plastic surgery, (4) ultraviolet and other radiation exposure, (5) tissue‐engineering of 3D skin constructs, as well as in (6) cosmetic industry, to unravel the influence of cosmeceuticals. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bimodal Hearing Aid Retention after Unilateral Cochlear Implantation

The goal of this study was to investigate contralateral hearing aid (HA) use after unilateral cochlear implantation and to identify factors of influence on the occurrence of a unilateral cochlear implant (CI) recipient becoming a bimodal user. A retrospective cross-sectional chart review was carried out among 77 adult unilateral CI recipients 1 year after implantation. A bimodal HA retention rate of 64% was observed. Associations with demographics, hearing history, residual hearing and speech recognition ability were investigated. Better pure-tone thresholds and unaided speech scores in the non-implanted ear, as well as a smaller difference in speech recognition scores between both ears, were significantly associated with HA retention. A combined model of HA retention was proposed, and cut-off points were determined to identify those CI recipients who were most likely to become bimodal users. These results can provide input to clinical guidelines concerning bimodal CI candidacy.
The Impact of Heat Shock Protein 70 Gene Variations on Clinical Presentation and Outcome in Schizophrenic Inpatients

We previously investigated a group of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of a set of genes coding for heat shock proteins (HSPA1A, HSPA1B and HSPA1L) and found a significant association between one HSPA1B variation and schizophrenia (SZ). We now report an association between a set of variations (rs2227956, rs2075799, rs1043618, rs562047 and rs539689) within the same genes and a larger sample of schizophrenic inpatients. A single variation, rs539689 (HSPA1B), was found to be marginally associated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive scores at discharge, and haplotype analysis revealed a significant association between improvement in PANSS scores with both A-C-G-G and A-C-G-G haplotypes. These findings further support a role of heat shock proteins in the pathophysiology of SZ.