Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Religious Practice and Depression among Geriatric Home Care Patients

Objective: To examine the relationship between religious practice and depression in a sample of geriatric patients receiving homecare nursing services. Methods: Patients were sampled weekly for six months from all those aged 65 to 102, and newly enrolled in a visiting nurse agency (N = 130). Depression was assessed by home interviews using the SCID and HRSD. Patients reported their religious service participation prior to receiving homecare and currently. Health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression were also assessed. Results: The current prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) was significantly greater (p < .05), and depressive symptoms were more severe (p < .02), among those persons who had not attended religious services prior to receiving homecare. Logistic regression demonstrated that the effect of religious attendance remained significant when controlling for health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression. A subsequent analysis compared three groups of patients. They were those who had: 1) Not attended religious services; 2) Stopped attending since homecare; 3) Continued attending. Data demonstrated significantly decreasing prevalence of MDD (p < .03) across the groups. Conclusions: Prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder and the severity of depressive symptoms were significantly lower among homecare patients who attend religious services. Because a large proportion of persons stop attending religious services after initiating homecare, it is suggested that visitation by clergy may improve depressive symptoms for these patients.
Efficacy of oxitard capsules in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis.

AIM Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a high-risk premalignant condition predominantly seen in the Indian subcontinent. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of oxitard capsules in the management of OSMF. MATERIALS AND METHODS Total of 120 subjects with clinico-pathologically diagnosed OSMF were included in the study and divided equally in 2 groups; Group A (oxitard group) and Group B (placebo group). Group A was administered 2 oxitard capsules twice daily and Group B was given placebo tablets twice daily, for 3 months. Evaluation for different clinical parameters was done at regular intervals and data was analyzed using the Student's paired t test and Chi-square test. P < 0.001 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Clinical improvements in mouth-opening and tongue protrusion were significant in the Group A (P < 0.001). Subjective symptoms of burning sensation (P = 0.0001), pain associated with the lesion (P = 0.000), difficulty in swallowing (P = 0.0003) and speech (P = 0.0005) also significantly improved in the Group A. There was a mild to moderate decrease in the size of the lesion. CONCLUSION Though there is no definitive treatment for the condition; however, oxitard capsules can bring about significant clinical improvements in the symptoms like mouth-opening, tongue protrusion, burning sensation, difficulty in swallowing and speech and pain associated with the lesion, thereby improving the quality of life of the affected individuals.
Preparing Educators to Teach Effectively in Inclusive Settings.

Florida Senate Bill 1108, requires educators applying for re-certification to earn one college credit or the equivalent in-service points in teaching students with disabilities (SWD). To assist educators in fulfilling this requirement, a college of education designed an online course and an educator’s summer institute (ESI). This article examines the changes in perception of self-efficacy and knowledge of content in specialized instruction in working with SWD in inclusive settings resulting from participation in the two offerings. Results describe participants’ gains in ESE content knowledge and a significant and positive impact on perceptions of self-efficacy to teach in inclusive settings.
Virtual Schools

This chapter investigates some of the critical issues associated with virtual schools. It reviews historical forms of school education and the different types of virtual schools that are currently emerging. The educational value of virtual schooling is considered in terms of cognitive and affective outcomes, and some of the factors that promote the rise of virtual schools are outlined. The implications of related philosophical viewpoints and communication theory are explored, together with the benefits and disadvantages of virtual schools for society. A number of problems associated with virtual schools are identified and some possible solutions are outlined. Future trends in the growth of virtual schooling and the characteristics of the next generation of virtual schools are discussed in terms of their implications for school education.
Why Black Women Teachers Leave and What Can Be Done About it

Abstract This study uses the most recent national data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), 2011–2012 and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), 2012–2013 to investigate attrition trends among Black teachers, and Black female teachers in particular, to inform a qualitative analysis of proposed and adopted teacher retention policy interventions. This study asks: Why do Black teachers report leaving, and what would bring them back to the classroom? What working conditions are associated with Black teacher attrition? What policy interventions can meet the needs of Black teachers in having successful and supported teaching experiences? How have these interventions been successful, and what are the considerations for applying them more broadly? We find that Black teacher turnover rates are significantly higher than those of other teachers and that there are several substantive differences in their preparation, school characteristics, and reasons for leaving. We describe policy interventions that target these conditions, such as teacher residencies, loan forgiveness, mentoring and induction, and principal training programs. We include in that discussion the relative benefits and challenges of each implications for policymaking.
Comparison of obstetric outcomes in twin pregnancies after in vitro fertilization, ovarian stimulation and spontaneous conception

Objective: To compare the outcomes of liveborn twin gestations conceived after in vitro fertilization (IVF) or ovarian stimulation with spontaneously conceived twin pregnancies. Methods: A review of all twin gestations delivered at Winthrop-University Hospital from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2000. Women who underwent fetal reduction or had a demise of one twin were excluded. Maternal demographics, antepartum complications, mode of delivery and perinatal outcome were compared. Results: Sixty pregnancies were conceived after IVF, 34 were conceived by ovarian stimulation and 101 were spontaneously conceived. Women in the IVF group were older (p < 0.001), were more often 35 years or older (p < 0.001) and primiparous (p = 0.005). More women in the ovarian stimulation group had a poor obstetric history (p = 0.04). Spontaneous gestations had a higher incidence of monochorionic placentations (p = 0.002). There were no differences in gestational age at delivery, antepartum complications, or mode of delivery. There were fewer low-birth-weight neonates in the IVF group (odds ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.98; p = 0.03) than in the spontaneous group, but the difference disappeared when only the dichorionic pregnancies were compared. Other neonatal outcomes studied were the same among groups. Conclusion: Twin gestations conceived following IVF and ovarian stimulation appear to have similar outcomes to spontaneously conceived twin gestations.
Composition and Biting Activity of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Amazon Region of Colombia

ABSTRACT To provide information for public health policy on mosquito nets in the Amazon region of Colombia, we conducted landing catches to estimate Anopheles species composition and biting activity. Two hundred twenty person-nights of catches were done in seven locations over a period of 14 mo. A total of 1,780 Anopheles mosquitoes were caught (8.1 per person-night). Among the nine species found, An. oswaldoi Peryassú was the most common (776 mosquitoes, 44%), followed by An. darlingi Root s.l. (498, 28%). An. oswaldoi was the most common species collected outdoors, where its biting rate dropped steadily from a peak of >15 bites/person-night at the start of the night (1800–1900 hours) to ≈2 bites/person-night before dawn. An. darlingi was the most common species collected indoors, with a biting rate of ≈3–4 bites/person-night until about midnight, when the rate dropped below 1 bite/person-night, before showing a secondary peak before dawn. Sixty-four mosquito nets were analyzed by the technique of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for levels of deltamethrin (DM). Allbuttwo (62) of these were reported by their owners to have been impregnated with insecticide, and 53 were found by HPLC to have deltamethrin. However, one half (32) of the nets had concentrations <4 mg/m2 and therefore were likely to have been inadequately protective. An inverse association was found between the reported time between washes and deltamethrin concentration. These findings show a need for additional protection from mosquitoes when not inside nets, as well as for more effective impregnation, possibly through wash-resistant insecticide formulation.
Physical versus Futures-Based Replication: The Case of Commodity ETFs

This article examines various issues concerning the performance of commodity exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by taking into account whether these funds adopt a physical or a synthetic replication technique. The analysis first demonstrates that the physically backed ETFs perform better than their futures-based counterparts but they are riskier than them. Moreover, it is shown that the pricing of commodity ETFs, and especially the pricing of futures-based commodity ETFs, is somehow affected by developments in the equity market. The return of commodity ETFs is further affected by the implied and contemporaneous volatility of equity market as well as daily changes in the exchange rates of USD with such basic currencies as EUR and JPY. The tracking error of commodity ETFs is influenced by these market factors too. Finally, it is revealed that the tracking error of futures-based commodity ETFs is significantly higher than the tracking error of commodity ETFs that invest in the underlying commodities directly. This pattern applies both to bear and bull markets. In addition, the tracking error of the majority of commodity ETFs displays a mean-reverting behavior.
Effect of instability and resistance on unintentional squat-lifting kinetics.

CONTEXT Resistance training while using an instability-training device is known to increase activation of stabilizing muscle groups while decreasing the force generated by the prime movers during isometric contractions. PURPOSE To investigate differences in squat kinetics during dynamic resistance training in an increasingly unstable training environment. METHODS Fourteen active men participated in this study. In each testing session, each participant performed 3 repetitions of squats with a 10-repetition maximum (10-RM) resistance, 40% of their 10-RM resistance, and 20.45 kg. The 3 testing session consisted of standing on a stable floor, foam pads, or BOSU balls. All repetitions were recorded with an optical encoder to record barbell kinetics. RESULTS The transition from stable (floor) to very unstable (BOSU) resulted in high likelihoods (>75%) of clinically meaningful differences ranging from small to large (effect size [ES] 0.31-1.73) in factors relating to concentric kinetics, eccentric power, and squat depth, regardless of the resistance used for training. There were also likely differences at the heaviest resistance in peak concentric power (stable to foam: ES 2.06; foam to BOSU: ES 0.38), eccentric power (stable to foam: ES 1.88; foam to BOSU: ES 0.74), and squat depth (stable to foam: ES 0.50; foam to BOSU: ES 0.67). CONCLUSIONS Resistance training in an unstable environment at an intensity sufficient to elicit strength gains of the prime movers results in deleterious effects in concentric squat kinetics and squat technique. Such observations are particularly evident on very unstable platforms.
Protein–Protein Interactions Modulate the Docking-Dependent E3-Ubiquitin Ligase Activity of Carboxy-Terminus of Hsc70-Interacting Protein (CHIP)*

CHIP is a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain protein that functions as an E3-ubiquitin ligase. As well as linking the molecular chaperones to the ubiquitin proteasome system, CHIP also has a docking-dependent mode where it ubiquitinates native substrates, thereby regulating their steady state levels and/or function. Here we explore the effect of Hsp70 on the docking-dependent E3-ligase activity of CHIP. The TPR-domain is revealed as a binding site for allosteric modulators involved in determining CHIP's dynamic conformation and activity. Biochemical, biophysical and modeling evidence demonstrate that Hsp70-binding to the TPR, or Hsp70-mimetic mutations, regulate CHIP-mediated ubiquitination of p53 and IRF-1 through effects on U-box activity and substrate binding. HDX-MS was used to establish that conformational-inhibition-signals extended from the TPR-domain to the U-box. This underscores inter-domain allosteric regulation of CHIP by the core molecular chaperones. Defining the chaperone-associated TPR-domain of CHIP as a manager of inter-domain communication highlights the potential for scaffolding modules to regulate, as well as assemble, complexes that are fundamental to protein homeostatic control.
Efficiency and validity of commonly used substance abuse screening instruments in public psychiatric patients.

BACKGROUND The more commonly used screening instruments for substance abuse were largely developed for addictive populations. We compared several alcohol and drug abuse scales to determine their efficiency and validity for psychiatric patients. METHOD The subjects were 100 consecutively admitted patients to a public psychiatric facility. DSM-III-R diagnoses, obtained from the alcohol and drug scales of the SCID-P, were the criterion measure. Methods of reliability included inter-rater agreement, estimates of internal consistency, and repeat test administration. Sensitivity, specificity and more infrequently used accuracy indices, such as likelihood ratios and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, were utilized to assess scale validity. RESULTS First, the reliability of all scales was high. Second, the instruments generally demonstrated highly acceptable levels of screening accuracy. Third, the intake evaluation was as reliable and valid as screening after admission on the unit. Finally, instruments were least discriminating for current problems (past 30 days). CONCLUSIONS Lifetime measures were found to be reliable and valid for public psychiatric patients but further research is need on increasing the accuracy of screening for current substance abuse problems and the effectiveness of multiple screening approaches.
Glutamine Uptake and Metabolism Are Coordinately Regulated by ERK/MAPK during T Lymphocyte Activation

Activation of a naive T cell is a highly energetic event, which requires a substantial increase in nutrient metabolism. Upon stimulation, T cells increase in size, rapidly proliferate, and differentiate, all of which lead to a high demand for energetic and biosynthetic precursors. Although amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein biosynthesis and contribute to many other metabolic processes, the role of amino acid metabolism in T cell activation has not been well characterized. We have found that glutamine in particular is required for T cell function. Depletion of glutamine blocks proliferation and cytokine production, and this cannot be rescued by supplying biosynthetic precursors of glutamine. Correlating with the absolute requirement for glutamine, T cell activation induces a large increase in glutamine import, but not glutamate import, and this increase is CD28-dependent. Activation coordinately enhances expression of glutamine transporters and activities of enzymes required to allow the use of glutamine as a Krebs cycle substrate in T cells. The induction of glutamine uptake and metabolism requires ERK function, providing a link to TCR signaling. Together, these data indicate that regulation of glutamine use is an important component of T cell activation. Thus, a better understanding of glutamine sensing and use in T cells may reveal novel targets for immunomodulation.
Costs of childhood physical abuse: comparing inflicted and unintentional traumatic brain injuries.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the effect of early childhood abuse (ie, inflicted injury) on medical costs of head trauma. METHODS Abstracts of patient records were drawn from the annual 1993-2000 Colorado state-mandated hospital discharge database maintained by the Colorado Hospital Association. The 2 dependent variables were total charges (TC) and length of stay. Our key independent variable was the nature of injury, ie, inflicted or unintentional; other independent variables were age, severity level, death, and trauma designation of the hospital. Comparisons of variables between patients with inflicted and unintentional head trauma were performed using Student's t tests or chi2 statistics. Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate the marginal and total effects of inflicted injury on TC and LOS. RESULTS Of the 1097 head trauma patients <3 years old, 814 had unintentional and 283 had inflicted head trauma. Head trauma was defined using the Centers for Disease Control definition of traumatic brain injury. Patients with inflicted injuries were younger and had a higher average severity level and overall mortality rate than did patients with unintentional head trauma. The regression models showed that, controlling for age and severity, patients with inflicted head trauma stayed in the hospital 52% longer (2 days), and had a mean total bill 89% higher (4232 dollars more) than did patients with unintentional head trauma. CONCLUSIONS The findings from multivariate models of TC and length of stay corroborate the simpler univariate findings of earlier studies. By focusing on the impact of those cases of child abuse that lead to a specific, severe clinical entity (traumatic brain injury), we isolated a significant economic impact of abuse on health care expenditures for injury.
Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein Positively Regulates Inclusion of an Alternative 3′-Terminal Exon

ABSTRACT Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) is an abundant vertebrate hnRNP protein. PTB binding sites have been found within introns both upstream and downstream of alternative exons in a number of genes that are negatively controlled by the binding of PTB. We have previously reported that PTB binds to a pyrimidine tract within an RNA processing enhancer located adjacent to an alternative 3′-terminal exon within the gene coding for calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide. The enhancer consists of a pyrimidine tract and CAG directly abutting on a 5′ splice site sequence to form a pseudoexon. Here we show that the binding of PTB to the enhancer pyrimidine tract is functional in that exon inclusion increases when in vivo levels of PTB increase. This is the first example of positive regulation of exon inclusion by PTB. The binding of PTB was antagonistic to the binding of U2AF to the enhancer-located pyrimidine tract. Altering the enhancer pyrimidine tract to a consensus sequence for the binding of U2AF eliminated enhancement of exon inclusion in vivo and exon polyadenylation in vitro. An additional PTB binding site was identified close to the AAUAAA hexanucleotide sequence of the exon 4 poly(A) site. These observations suggest a dual role for PTB in facilitating recognition of exon 4: binding to the enhancer pyrimidine tract to interrupt productive recognition of the enhancer pseudoexon by splicing factors and interacting with the poly(A) site to positively affect polyadenylation.
Free water excess is not the main cause for hyponatremia in critically ill children receiving conventional maintenance fluids.

OBJECTIVE To examine occurrence of hyponatremia in critically ill children receiving conventional maintenance fluids (0.18% saline in 5% dextrose) and its relationship with electrolyte free water (EFW), sodium intake and natriuresis. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. SUBJECTS Thirty eight patients, 3 months-12 years, consecutively admitted to PICU over 30 days. Main outcome measure was occurrence of hyponatremia (serum sodium < 130 mEq/L). Serum and urinary sodium, and osmolality were measured, and type and volume of intravenous fluids and total urine output were recorded 12 hourly. Daily intake of sodium and EFW, urinary sodium excretion and net balance of fluid and sodium were estimated from above. Data of hyponatremic and non-hyponatremic patients was compared using ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-square tests. RESULTS Fourteen episodes of hyponatremia were recorded in 12 patients over 397 patient days (3.5 episodes/100 patient days). Their mean (SD) serum sodium dropped from 139 (9.3) at admission to 128 (1.0) mEq/L, over a median interval of 3.5 days (range 1-15 days). Net fluid and sodium balance in hyponatremic patients did not differ significantly from non-hyponatremic patients. Within the hyponatremic group, sodium intake, urinary sodium and sodium balance were similar before and after the occurrence of hyponatremia, while total fluid (P=0.009) and EFW intake (P=0.001) were lower in the days preceding hyponatremia. CONCLUSIONS Fluid and sodium balance, magnitude of natriuresis and EFW intake alone did not explain occurrence of hyponatremia in critically ill children; contribution of other mechanisms needs to be studied.
Identification of a Domain in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Rev That Is Required for Functional Activity and Modulates Association with Subnuclear Compartments Containing Splicing Factor SC35

ABSTRACT The activity of human immunodeficiency virus Rev as a regulator of viral mRNA expression is tightly linked to its ability to shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm; these properties are conferred by a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) and by an arginine-rich nuclear localization signal/RNA binding domain (NLS/RBD) required for binding to the Rev-responsive element (RRE) located on viral unspliced and singly spliced mRNAs. Structure predictions and biophysical measurements indicate that Rev consists of an unstructured region followed by a helix-loop-helix motif containing the NLS/RBD and sequences directing multimerization and by a carboxy-terminal tail containing the NES. We present evidence that the loop portion of the helix-loop-helix region is an essential functional determinant that is required for binding to the RRE and for correct intracellular routing. Data obtained using a protein kinase CK2 phosphorylation assay indicated that the loop region is essential for juxtaposition of helices 1 and 2 and phosphorylation by protein kinase CK2. Deletion of the loop resulted in partial accumulation of Rev in SC35-positive nuclear bodies that resembled nuclear bodies that form in response to inhibition of transcription. Accumulation of the ΔLoop mutant in nuclear bodies depended on the presence of an intact NES, suggesting that both the loop and the NES play a role in controlling intranuclear compartmentalization of Rev and its association with splicing factors.