Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Coping Information and Value Affirmation on Responses to a Perceived Health Threat

In this study, we examined the effects of coping information and self-affirmation on an individual's response to threatening health information. A total of 202 women college students read an essay containing threatening information about breast cancer. The essay described their population as being at risk for breast cancer and included both pictures of cancerous breasts and vivid descriptions of chemotherapy treatments. Participants were randomized into either the low-affirmation condition or the high-affirmation condition when they first arrived. In addition, half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive coping information that described breast self-examinations as an effective method of detecting breast cancer and focused on the importance of early detection. Participants who received coping information scored lower on maladaptive behaviors (avoidance, hopelessness, religiosity), suggesting that coping information plays a role in decreasing maladaptive behaviors. No significant differences were found between the low-affirmation and high-affirmation conditions. Supplemental analyses indicated that vicarious exposure to breast cancer (having a friend, relative, or mother diagnosed with breast cancer) affected how individuals interpret threatening health information. Participants with previous exposure scored higher on the adaptive coping modes (behavioral intentions, rational problem solving) and 1 maladaptive coping mode (religiosity) when compared to individuals without previous exposure. In addition, participants in the high-affirmation condition with previous exposure scored higher on avoidance and hopelessness than those without previous exposure. The results suggest that coping information and previous exposure are factors that need to be considered when presenting threatening health information.
Experience of pallidal deep brain stimulation in dystonia at a tertiary care centre in India: An initial experience

Introduction: Dystonia is one of the most prevalent forms of movement disorders and is characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing abnormal, often repetitive, movements, postures, or both. Dystonia causes significant morbidity with an adverse impact on the quality of life. When dystonia is medically refractory, causing severe pain and impairment in activities of daily living, deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus interna (GPi) is a potential option to reduce disability. Materials and Methods: This is a chart review of patients who underwent DBS for dystonia (from 2009 to 2015) at our tertiary referral centre. A total of ten patients (7 males, 3 females) underwent DBS for non-parkinsonian conditions. The patients were selected after failure of adequate medical management. All the patients had a severe disability with normal cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination) and psychiatric profile. They also had to have a suitable GPi for DBS based on magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The mean baseline Burke–Fahn–Marsden dystonia movement score of the 10 patients selected for surgery was 60.3 ± 27.3 (ranging from 19 to 104). On repeated-measures analysis of variance, there was significant difference in the different time points (pre-DBS, post-DBS at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year) F (3, 5) = 7.68, P = 0.026. The data showed that there was a maximum improvement after 1 year of stimulation (pre-DBS vs. 3 months 12.9 ± 1.9 vs 8.8 ± 2.1, P = 0.01; pre-DBS vs. 6 months 12.9 ± 1.9 vs 7.4 ± 1.6, P = 0.04; pre-DBS vs. 1 year, 12.9 ± 1.9 vs. 7 ± 2.4. Conclusion: In medically refractory primary or secondary dystonia patients, bilateral GPi DBS can be considered as an option. Patients with disabling symptoms that significantly deteriorate activities of daily life may consider DBS before these symptoms become fixed.
Dyslexia: Sensory Deficits or Inattention?

An important question in regard to dyslexia is whether or not this condition is the result of sensory deficits. A number of studies have indeed found sensory deficiencies in dyslexic readers. However, it has been proposed that these are due simply to inattention. If so, this would be expected to produce either (i) a general reduction or (ii) random reductions in performance. On the basis of published data, it seems that neither of these is in fact the case. Rather the data indicate reproducible non-random patterns of deficiencies with regard to stimulus conditions. The stimulus specificity of the deficits represents, therefore, an important issue which needs to be addressed by any attempt to account for the sensory deficiencies of dyslexic readers in terms of inattention.
WHOLE-BODY AND ORGAN RETENTION OF CADMIUM AFTER REPEATED ADMINISTRATION TO RATS

Male Wistar rats were exposed to a water solution of cadmium chloride (labelled with cadmium-109) at a dose corresponding to 10 mg Cd/kg diet for 28 days. Carcass, hepatic, renal and testicle distribution of cadmium was studied for 32 days after dosing. Our results indicate that the carcass deposition of cadmium was at a comparative level during the experimental period. Hepatic distribution pattern of cadmium resembled that in the carcass. No substantial alterations in renal and testicle cadmium content were noted. The muscles demonstrated markedly different pattern of cadmium distribution in relation to the other organs; the highest levels were found till day 2 after dosing and decreased steadily thereafter. The liver, kidneys and muscles contained a substantial part (about 95%) of the total dose of cadmium.
The Genotoxic Potential of Novel Materials Used in Modern Hip Replacements for Young Patients

Total hip replacement (THR), one of the most successful and cost effective surgical interventions introduced in the last 50 or so years in medicine and the second most common elective operation in the UK (Sheldon et al., 1996, Garellick et al., 1998), owes most of its success to the introduction of hard-on-soft arthroplasty by Charnley. Arthroplasty (from the Greek ‘arthrosis’ = ‘joint’ and ‘-plasty’ = ‘the making of’) describes the surgical reconstruction or replacement of a malformed, degenerated or traumatised joint. THR is the treatment of choice for conditions that affect both the articular surfaces (i.e. acetabulum and femur) of the hip joint. Worldwide, approximately one million artificial hips are implanted annually (Smith & Learmonth, 1996). Problems with polyethylene (PE) wear debris from soft-on-hard articulations (causing an infiltration of macrophages, eventually leading to destruction of bone and soft tissue and initiating loosening of the implant) led to the development of hard-on-hard bearing combinations for artificial hips as the latter produce minimal wear and therefore implant failure is delayed.
An integrated approach for thermal stabilization of a mesophilic adenylate kinase

Thermally stable proteins are desirable for research and industrial purposes, but redesigning proteins for higher thermal stability can be challenging. A number of different techniques have been used to improve the thermal stability of proteins, but the extents of stability enhancement were sometimes unpredictable and not significant. Here, we systematically tested the effects of multiple stabilization techniques including a bioinformatic method and structure‐guided mutagenesis on a single protein, thereby providing an integrated approach to protein thermal stabilization. Using a mesophilic adenylate kinase (AK) as a model, we identified stabilizing mutations based on various stabilization techniques, and generated a series of AK variants by introducing mutations both individually and collectively. The redesigned proteins displayed a range of increased thermal stabilities, the most stable of which was comparable to a naturally evolved thermophilic homologue with more than a 25° increase in its thermal denaturation midpoint. We also solved crystal structures of three representative variants including the most stable variant, to confirm the structural basis for their increased stabilities. These results provide a unique opportunity for systematically analyzing the effectiveness and additivity of various stabilization mechanisms, and they represent a useful approach for improving protein stability by integrating the reduction of local structural entropy and the optimization of global noncovalent interactions such as hydrophobic contact and ion pairs. Proteins 2014; 82:1947–1959. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Application of Statistics to Problems in Bacteriology

In the first paper of this series (1932) we presente(d a mathematical treatment of the dilution method of estimating bacterial populations. In addition to a brief review of the work that had been done on this problem, we developed equations that could be used for the evaluation of the most probable number of organisms from the number of tubes that show no growth, either when a series of tubes is inoculated with a single dilution or when several series of tubes are inoculated with different dilutions. Tables were also presented to facilitate the solution of these equations. In the first paper, however, there was no consideration of the factors which determine the accuracy of the results. In the present paper we wish to consider the accuracy of data obtained by using a series of tubes inoculated with a single dilution. This problem has been considered by several of the earlier workers, particularly McCrady (1915), Stein (1919), Greenwood and Yule (1917), Reed (1925), and Wohlman and Weaver (1917). All these investigators have pointed out that the accuracy of dilution data depends largely upon the number of tubes used, and that to get results which are at all reliable it is necessary to use a comparatively large series. Stein, for example, has pointed out that if 365 tubes are inoculated with 1 cc. each, the error may be as large as 50 per cent. We believe, however, that in the case of a single dilution the accuracy depends not only on the number of tubes inoculated but also upon the bacterial population. It is 331
Common and specific dimensions of self-reported anxiety and depression: implications for the cognitive and tripartite models.

The common and specific symptom dimensions of anxiety and depression proposed by the tripartite (L.A. Clark & D. Watson, 1991 c) and cognitive (A.T. Beck, 1976, 1987) models were investigated in 844 psychiatric outpatients and 420 undergraduates. Principal-factor analyses with oblique rotations performed on the 42 items of the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory for both samples revealed that there were 2 correlated factors. Depression and Anxiety. Second-order factor analyses of the interfactor correlation matrices indicated a large general distress or negative affect factor underlying the relationship between the 2 first-order factors. Specific depression and anxiety dimensions were apparent even after we controlled for negative affect. The results were consistent with both the tripartite and cognitive models, with the cognitive and motivational symptoms specific to depression and the physiological arousal symptoms unique to anxiety.
[Perioperative substitution therapy in congenital adrenogenital syndrome with salt loss].

Patients with an inborn error of adrenal steroid synthesis suffer from primary adrenocortical insufficiency requiring corticosteroid replacement therapy and appropriate stress coverage. The case report of a two year old infant with congenital adrenal hyperplasia of the salt-losing type demonstrates the consequences of an accidental steroid underdosage. The necessity of increased cortisol replacement therapy in case of anesthetic procedures--even of short duration and without surgical measures--is underlined. The details of adequate perioperative steroid and i.v. fluid therapy in pediatric patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia of the salt-losing type are discussed.
Cyclosporiasis associated with imported raspberries, Florida, 1996.

OBJECTIVES Until 1995, infection with Cyclospora cayetanenis, a parasite that causes gastroenteritis, was diagnosed in the US primarily in overseas travelers; its modes of transmission were largely unknown. In 1995, 45 cases of cyclosporiasis were diagnosed in Florida residents who had no history of recent foreign travel, but an investigation could not pinpoint a source for the parasite. In 1996, a North American outbreak of cyclosporiasis resulted in more than 1400 cases, 180 of them in Florida. The authors investigated the 1996 Florida outbreak to identify the vehicle of transmission. METHODS The authors conducted a matched case-control study in which each of 86 laboratory-confirmed sporadic cases was matched with up to four controls. They also investigated nine clusters of cases associated with common meals and attempted to trace implicated foods to their countries of origin. RESULTS In the case control study, eating raspberries was strongly associated with cyclosporiasis (matched odds ratio = 31.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.4, 138.2). In the cluster investigation, raspberries were the only food common to all nine clusters of cases; a summary analysis showed a strong association between consumption of raspberries and confirmed or probable cyclosporiasis (risk ratio = 17.6; 95% CI 1.9, 188.8). Guatemala was the sole country of origin for raspberries served at six of nine events. CONCLUSIONS Guatemalan raspberries were the vehicle for the 1996 Florida cyclosporiasis outbreak. Cyclospora is a foodborne pathogen that may play a growing role in the etiology of enteric disease in this country as food markets become increasingly international.
A sub-0.3V CMOS rectifier for energy harvesting applications

This paper presents a sub-0.3V CMOS full-wave rectifier for energy harvesting devices. By adopting a body-input comparator with simple bias circuit and body bias technique, the lowest input voltage amplitude can be reduced to 0.28V when using a standard CMOS 0. 18µm process. The voltage drop of negative voltage converter can be reduced to enhance the output voltage by the body bias technique. In combination with the proposed comparator with minimum reverse current, the proposed active rectifier can achieve the peak voltage conversion efficiency of over 96 % and the maximum power efficiency near to 94 %.
Exercise Training Reduces Intrathoracic Fat Regardless of Defective Glucose Tolerance

Purpose Epicardial (EAT) and pericardial (PAT) fat masses and myocardial triglyceride content (MTC) are enlarged in obesity and insulin resistance. We studied whether the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) similarly decrease ectopic fat in and around the heart and whether the decrease is similar in healthy subjects and subjects with defective glucose tolerance (DGT). Methods A total of 28 healthy men (body mass index = 20.7–30.0 kg·m−2, age = 40–55 yr) and 16 men with DGT (body mass index = 23.8–33.5 kg·m−2, age = 43–53 yr) were randomized into HIIT and MICT interventions for 2 wk. EAT and PAT were determined by computed tomography and MTC by 1H-MRS. Results At baseline, DGT subjects had impaired aerobic capacity and insulin sensitivity and higher levels of whole body fat, visceral fat, PAT, and EAT (P < 0.05, all) compared with healthy subjects. In the whole group, HIIT increased aerobic capacity (HIIT = 6%, MICT = 0.3%; time × training P = 0.007) and tended to improve insulin sensitivity (HIIT = 24%, MICT = 8%) as well as reduce MTC (HIIT = −42%, MICT = +23%) (time × training P = 0.06, both) more efficiently compared with MICT, and without differences in the training response between the healthy and the DGT subjects. However, both training modes decreased EAT (−5%) and PAT (−6%) fat (time P < 0.05) and not differently between the healthy and the DGT subjects. Conclusion Whole body fat, visceral fat, PAT, and EAT masses are enlarged in DGT. Both HIIT and MICT effectively reduce EAT and PAT in healthy and DGT subjects, whereas HIIT seems to be superior as regards improving aerobic capacity, whole-body insulin sensitivity, and MTC.
Power Disaggregation for Low-sampling Rate Data

In this paper, we focus on energy disaggregation at low-sampling rates (at 6sec and 1min) and use only active power measurements for training and testing. Specifically, we develop two algorithms: one is a low-complexity, supervised approach based on Decision Trees and another is an unsupervised method based on Dynamic Time Warping. Both proposed algorithms share common pre-classification steps. These are benchmarked with a state-of-the-art Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based approach. Experimental results using the REDD dataset as well as data collected from a real UK household, show that the two proposed methods outperform the HMM-based approach and are capable of disaggregating a range of domestic loads even when the training period is very short.
Hydroxyurea responsiveness in β-thalassemic patients is determined by the stress response adaptation of erythroid progenitors and their differentiation propensity

β-thalassemia is caused by mutations in the β-globin locus resulting in loss of, or reduced, hemoglobin A (adult hemoglobin, HbA, α2β2) production. Hydroxyurea treatment increases fetal γ-globin (fetal hemoglobin, HbF, α2γ2) expression in postnatal life substituting for the missing adult β-globin and is, therefore, an attractive therapeutic approach. Patients treated with hydroxyurea fall into three categories: i) ‘responders’ who increase hemoglobin to therapeutic levels; (ii) ‘moderate-responders’ who increase hemoglobin levels but still need transfusions at longer intervals; and (iii) ‘non-responders’ who do not reach adequate hemoglobin levels and remain transfusion-dependent. The mechanisms underlying these differential responses remain largely unclear. We generated RNA expression profiles from erythroblast progenitors of 8 responder and 8 non-responder β-thalassemia patients. These profiles revealed that hydroxyurea treatment induced differential expression of many genes in cells from non-responders while it had little impact on cells from responders. Part of the gene program up-regulated by hydroxyurea in non-responders was already highly expressed in responders before hydroxyurea treatment. Baseline HbF expression was low in non-responders, and hydroxyurea treatment induced significant cell death. We conclude that cells from responders have adapted well to constitutive stress conditions and display a propensity to proceed to the erythroid differentiation program.
Buchnera has changed flatmate but the repeated replacement of co-obligate symbionts is not associated with the ecological expansions of their aphid hosts

Symbiotic associations with bacteria have facilitated important evolutionary transitions in insects and resulted in long-term obligate interactions. Recent evidence suggests that these associations are not always evolutionarily stable and that symbiont replacement and/or supplementation of an obligate symbiosis by an additional bacterium has occurred during the history of many insect groups. Yet, the factors favoring one symbiont over another in this evolutionary dynamic are not well understood; progress has been hindered by our incomplete understanding of the distribution of symbionts across phylogenetic and ecological contexts. While many aphids are engaged into an obligate symbiosis with a single Gammaproteobacterium, Buchnera aphidicola, in species of the Lachninae subfamily, this relationship has evolved into a “ménage à trois”, in which Buchnera is complemented by a cosymbiont, usually Serratia symbiotica. Using deep sequencing of 16S rRNA bacterial genes from 128 species of Cinara (the most diverse Lachninae genus), we reveal a highly dynamic dual symbiotic system in this aphid lineage. Most species host both Serratia and Buchnera but, in several clades, endosymbionts related to Sodalis, Erwinia or an unnamed member of the Enterobacteriaceae have replaced Serratia. Endosymbiont genome sequences from four aphid species+confirm that these coresident symbionts fulfill essential metabolic functions not ensured by Buchnera. We further demonstrate through comparative phylogenetic analyses that co-symbiont replacement is not associated with the adaptation of aphids to new ecological conditions. We propose that symbiont succession was driven by factors intrinsic to the phenomenon of endosymbiosis, such as rapid genome deterioration or competitive interactions between bacteria with similar metabolic capabilities.
Comparing Brief Internet-Based Compassionate Mind Training and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Perinatal Women: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Depression that occurs during the perinatal period has substantial costs for both the mother and her baby. Since in-person care often falls short of meeting the global need of perinatal women, Internet interventions may function as an alternate to help women who currently lack adequate access to face-to-face psychological resources. However, at present there are insufficient empirically supported Internet-based resources for perinatal women. Objective The aim of this study is to compare the relative efficacy of Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to a novel Internet-based compassionate mind training approach (CMT) across measures of affect, self-reassurance, self-criticizing, self-attacking, self-compassion, depression, and anxiety. While CBT has been tested and has some support as an Internet tool for perinatal women, this is the first trial to look at CMT for perinatal women over the Internet. Methods Participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and professional networks. Following completion of demographic items, participants were randomly assigned to either the CBT or CMT condition. Each condition consisted of 45-minute interactive didactic and follow-up exercises to be completed over the course of two weeks. Results Post course data was gathered at two weeks. A 2x2 repeated measures analysis of variance will be conducted to analyze differences between conditions at post course. Conclusions The implications of the trial will be discussed as well as the strengths and limitations of MTurk as a tool for recruitment. We will also briefly introduce the future directions along this same line of research. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02469324; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02469324 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6fkSG3yuW)