Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing relaxation states and positive emotions in physicians through a mindfulness training program: A one-year study

Previous research on mindfulness has focused mainly on stress-related negative symptoms and short-term effects. In contrast, the present article focuses on the impact of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on improving well-being (i.e. relaxation states and related positive emotions) in a longitudinal study for a period of one year. A randomized controlled trial in a sample of 42 physicians was used. The intervention group participated in an 8-week MBSR program, with an additional 10-month maintenance period and completed measures of mindfulness and relaxation at pre-intervention, post-intervention and after 10 months. Heart rate measures were also obtained. Significant improvements in favor of the experimental group compared with the control group on the levels of mindfulness and relaxation (including positive emotional states, such as at ease/peace, renewal, energy, optimism, happiness, acceptance, and even transcendence) were obtained after eight weeks. Remarkably, change magnitudes (effect size) significantly increased at the end of the maintenance period after a year, especially for mindfulness and positive energy. Additionally, heart rate significantly decreased for the intervention group and maintained a year after the beginning of the treatment. Results are relevant in terms of practical consequences for improving health and well-being in this population and also in terms of cost-efficiency.
Acute alcohol consumption and injury: risk associations and attributable fractions for different injury mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE Most studies on alcohol as a risk factor for injuries have been mechanism specific, and few have considered several mechanisms simultaneously or reported alcohol-attributable fractions (AAFs)-which was the aim of the current study. METHOD Data from 3,592 injured and 3,489 noninjured patients collected between January 2003 and June 2004 in the surgical ward of the emergency department of the Lausanne University Hospital (Switzerland) were analyzed. Four injury mechanisms derived from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, were considered: transportation-related injuries, falls, exposure to forces and other events, and interpersonal violence. Multinomial logistic regression models were calculated to estimate the risk relationships of different levels of alcohol consumption, using noninjured patients as quasi-controls. The AAFs were then calculated. RESULTS Risk relationships between injury and acute consumption were found across all mechanisms, commonly resulting in dose-response relationships. Marked differences between mechanisms were observed for relative risks and AAFs, which varied between 15.2% and 33.1% and between 10.1% and 35.9%, depending on the time window of consumption (either 6 hours or 24 hours before injury, respectively). Low and medium levels of alcohol consumption generally were associated with the most AAFs. CONCLUSIONS This study underscores the implications of even low levels of alcohol consumption on the risk of sustaining injuries through any of the mechanisms considered. Substantial AAFs are reported for each mechanism, particularly for injuries resulting from interpersonal violence. Observation of a so-called preventive paradox phenomenon is discussed, and prevention or intervention measures are described.
The maize regulatory locus Opaque‐2 encodes a DNA‐binding protein which activates the transcription of the b‐32 gene.

The maize locus, Opaque‐2, controls the expression in developing endosperm of structural genes encoding a family of storage proteins, the 22 kd zeins, and an abundant albumin, termed b‐32. It is shown that the promoter of the b‐32 gene is activated in vivo in the presence of the O2 gene product and that the information necessary for this activation resides in a 440 bp DNA fragment containing five O2 binding sites (GATGAPyPuTGPu). Two of these sites are embedded in copies of the ‘endosperm box’, a motif thought to be involved in endosperm‐specific expression, which is also represented in 22 kd zein promoters. The O2 protein is also shown to be capable of binding in vitro and activating in vivo, its own promoter.
Relationship between the face and the tooth form.

The aim of this study was to re-examine Leon Williams geometric theory and to find the degree of correspondence between the face and the tooth form in the population of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two thousand individuals with intact frontal teeth, in age between 17 and 24 years, were measured for 3 horizontal distances on the face: temporal width (Ft-Ft), zygomatic width (Zyg-Zyg) and gonial width (Go-Go) and for 3 horizontal distances on the both upper incisors: cervical width (CW), contact point width (CPW) and incisal width (IW). The length of the face (Tr-Gn) as well as the length of the central maxillary incisors were also measured. The results revealed: 1. Men had significantly larger dimensions for all facial and tooth dimensions (p < 0.05) than women, except for the cervical tooth width (p > 0.05); the left and the right central incisors were of identical dimensions and forms (p > 0.05). 2. The width of upper central incisors were smaller approximately 1.5 mm than in west Europeans. 3. Upon the relation between the 3 horizontal dimensions measured on the face and upper maxillary incisor, 11 facial forms and 10 upper central tooth forms could be recognised in the study population, but 98% of the population had only 3 tooth and face forms. Face shapes: oval face--83.3%, square-tapered face--9.2% and tapered face--7%; tooth forms: tapered-square incisor--53%, oval incisor--30%, tapered incisor--16%. 4. Reversed and enlarged tooth form was in line associated with the facial form in only 30%, while the most common combination was of the oval face form and the tapered-square central incisor (45%). 5. These results disapprove William's theory and may be helpful for the choice of artificial teeth in complete denture construction and the dental industry.
Who's Naughty? Who's Nice? Social Preferences in Online Industries

We conduct a battery of social preference experiments on business people from two controversial internet industries—domain trading and adult entertainment (pornography). We then conduct the same experiments on Berkeley students. Levitt and List (2007) conjecture that selection pressures among business people would reduce or eliminate pro-social choices. We find the opposite: Internet business people were significantly more altruistic, more trusting, reciprocate more, lie less, and respond differently to shame than students. We present a model of reverse selection that rationalizes our findings.
Characterization and evaluation of accessions of Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdcourt) from Burkina Faso

Three hundred and ten (310) Bambara groundnut accessions mainly from the Northern semi arid zone of Burkina Faso were assessed for phenotypic variability of agronomic and morphological traits. Mixture of seed types in a given accession is common in Northern area of Burkina Faso. Two to twelve types of seeds compose the majority of accessions collected (82%) and only 18% of accessions are homogeneous. Characters like canopy spread, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, seed length, seed width and weight of 100 seeds are positively correlated to yield per plant. A negative correlation was revealed between days to 50% flowering and yield per plant indicating that plants which take more time on vegetative stage have less yield in semi-arid conditions of production. Accessions from Burkina assessed for agronomic and morphological characteristics in this study are less variable than 1384 accessions assessed by IITA in 1985 and 1986. This result can be explained by the restricted origin of accessions from Burkina Faso. La variabilite phenotypique des traits agronomiques et morphologiques de 310 accessions de pois Bambara collectees principalement dans la zone semi aride nord du Burkina Faso a ete evaluee. Le melange de differents types de semences dans les accessions est une pratique repandue dans le Nord du Burkina Faso. Deux a douze types de semence composent la majorite des accessions (82%) et seulement 18% des accessions sont homogenes. Les caracteres tels que la largeur du feuillage, le nombre de gousses par plante, le nombre de graines par gousse, la longueur et largeur des graines et le poids de 100 graines ont une correlation positive avec le rendement en graine par plante. Une correlation negative a ete mise en evidence entre la date de 50% floraison et le rendement par plante montrant que les plantes qui prennent plus de temps pour leur phase vegetative produisent moins dans les conditions de production semi arides. Les accessions du Burkina evaluees pour leurs caracteristiques agronomiques et morphologiques sont moins variables que les 1384 accessions evaluees par l\'IITA en 1985 et 1986. Ce resultat peut s\'expliquer l\'origine restreinte des accessions originaires du Burkina. Keywords : Agronomic evaluation, Bambara groundnut, Mixture of seeds, Phenotypic variability, Vigna subterranea . Sciences & Nature Vol. 5 (2) 2008: pp. 191-197
The association of emergency department crowding and time to antibiotics in febrile neonates.

OBJECTIVES The objective was to assess the relationship between emergency department (ED) crowding and timeliness of antibiotic administration to neonates presenting with fever in a pediatric ED. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of febrile neonates (aged 0-30 days) evaluated for serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in a pediatric ED from January 2006 to January 2008. General linear models were used to evaluate the association of five measures of ED crowding with timeliness of antibiotic administration, controlling for patient characteristics. A secondary analysis was conducted to determine which part of the ED visit for this population was most affected by crowding. RESULTS A total of 190 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean time to first antibiotic was 181.7 minutes (range = 18-397 minutes). At the time of case presentation, the number of patients waiting in the waiting area, total number of hours spent in the ED by current ED patients, number of ED patients awaiting admission, and hourly boarding time were all positively associated with longer times to antibiotic. The time from patient arrival to room placement exhibited the strongest association with measures of crowding. CONCLUSIONS Emergency department crowding is associated with delays in antibiotic administration to the febrile neonate despite rapid recognition of this patient population as a high-risk group. Each component of ED crowding, in terms of input, throughput, and output factors, was associated with delays. Further work is required to develop processes that foster a more rapid treatment protocol for these high-risk patients, regardless of ED crowding pressures.
Resistance to abiotic stresses in durum wheat: which ideotype?

SUMMARY – Resistance to stresses is a complex character. Abiotic stresses affect crop production and despite manydecades of research, they continue to be a major challenge to agricultural scientists. Drought, heat and salt are themost important to be considered in the selection of new geno types. Stay-green trait in durum wheat is also evaluated.When water is limited during the grain filling period, ge notypes possessing this trait maintain more photosyntheticallyactive leaves. In this presentation an idea of a new ideotype of plant is discussed. Key words: Drought, tolerance, stay-green, durum wheat. RESUME – “Resistance aux stress abiotiques chez le ble dur : Quel ideotype ? ”. La resistance aux stress est uncaractere complexe. Les stress abiotiques influencent la production des cultures et, bien que plusieurs decades derecherches aient ete faites, ils continuent a etre la plus grande provocation pour les chercheurs agricoles. Lasecheresse, la haute temperature et la salinite sont le plus important a considerer pour la selection de nouvellesvarietes. Le caractere “semper virens” dans le ble dur est aussi considere. Lorsque l’eau est limitee pendant laperiode de remplissage de la semence, les varietes avec ce caractere maintiennent les feuilles activesphotosynthetiquement. Dans cet article est discutee une idee de nouvel ideotype.
Complex Interplay between FleQ, Cyclic Diguanylate and Multiple σ Factors Coordinately Regulates Flagellar Motility and Biofilm Development in Pseudomonas putida

Most bacteria alternate between a free living planktonic lifestyle and the formation of structured surface-associated communities named biofilms. The transition between these two lifestyles requires a precise and timely regulation of the factors involved in each of the stages that has been likened to a developmental process. Here we characterize the involvement of the transcriptional regulator FleQ and the second messenger cyclic diguanylate in the coordinate regulation of multiple functions related to motility and surface colonization in Pseudomonas putida. Disruption of fleQ caused strong defects in flagellar motility, biofilm formation and surface attachment, and the ability of this mutation to suppress multiple biofilm-related phenotypes associated to cyclic diguanylate overproduction suggests that FleQ mediates cyclic diguanylate signaling critical to biofilm growth. We have constructed a library containing 94 promoters potentially involved in motility and biofilm development fused to gfp and lacZ, screened this library for FleQ and cyclic diguanylate regulation, and assessed the involvement of alternative σ factors σN and FliA in the transcription of FleQ-regulated promoters. Our results suggest a dual mode of action for FleQ. Low cyclic diguanylate levels favor FleQ interaction with σN-dependent promoters to activate the flagellar cascade, encompassing the flagellar cluster and additional genes involved in cyclic diguanylate metabolism, signal transduction and gene regulation. On the other hand, characterization of the FleQ-regulated σN- and FliA-independent PlapA and PbcsD promoters revealed two disparate regulatory mechanisms leading to a similar outcome: the synthesis of biofilm matrix components in response to increased cyclic diguanylate levels.
Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance and β-lactamases in Escherichia coli from healthy animals from Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES The animal reservoir of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) and β-lactamases is still controversial and little information is available on the prevalence of these resistance determinants in developing countries. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize PMQR and β-lactamases in a collection of commensal ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from healthy chickens and pigs at slaughter, collected in November-December 2006, in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS One hundred and sixty-two ampicillin-resistant E. coli were obtained from healthy chickens and pigs at slaughter in Ibadan, Nigeria. Strains were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility by disc diffusion assay. MICs of ciprofloxacin were determined by Etest. Resistance genes were screened by PCR and DNA sequencing. Clonal relatedness of the isolates was determined by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR. Plasmids were transferred by conjugation and transformation and characterized by PCR-based replicon typing and plasmid multilocus sequence typing. RESULTS PMQR genes were detected in 18 E. coli strains; 11 of them showed reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Twelve strains carried qnrS1, three strains carried qnrB19, one strain carried qnrB10 and three strains carried qepA; one strain carried both qepA and qnrB10. All strains carried the bla(TEM) gene; one strain was positive for the CTX-M-15 extended-spectrum β-lactamase. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that food animals could represent an important reservoir of PMQR in this region of Africa. Previous studies reported high prevalence of qnr genes in clinical isolates from humans in Nigeria, suggesting that the spread of these resistance determinants in this country could be particularly relevant.
Do Financial Conglomerates Create or Destroy Economic Value?

This paper investigates whether functional diversification is value-enhancing or value-destroying in the financial services sector, broadly defined. Based on a U.S. dataset comprising approximately 4,060 observations covering the period 1985-2004, we report a substantial and persistent conglomerate discount among financial intermediaries. Our results suggest that it is diversification that causes the discount, and not that troubled firms diversify into other more promising areas. In addition, the discount applies to all financial services activity-areas with the exception of investment banking and is stable over different combinations of financial activity-areas with the exception of commercial banking units combined with insurance companies and/or investment banking activities.
Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cell Lines Express a Fusion Protein Encoded by Intergenically Spliced mRNA for the Multilectin Receptor DEC-205 (CD205) and a Novel C-type Lectin Receptor DCL-1*

Classic Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) tissue contains a small population of morphologically distinct malignant cells called Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, associated with the development of HL. Using 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) we identified an alternative mRNA for the DEC-205 multilectin receptor in the HRS cell line L428. Sequence analysis revealed that the mRNA encodes a fusion protein between DEC-205 and a novel C-type lectin DCL-1. Although the 7.5-kb DEC-205 and 4.2-kb DCL-1 mRNA were expressed independently in myeloid and B lymphoid cell lines, the DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion mRNA (9.5 kb) predominated in the HRS cell lines (L428, KM-H2, and HDLM-2). The DEC-205 and DCL-1 genes comprising 35 and 6 exons, respectively, are juxtaposed on chromosome band 2q24 and separated by only 5.4 kb. We determined the DCL-1 transcription initiation site within the intervening sequence by 5′-RACE, confirming that DCL-1 is an independent gene. Two DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion mRNA variants may result from cotranscription of DEC-205 and DCL-1, followed by splicing DEC-205 exon 35 or 34–35 along with DCL-1 exon 1. The resulting reading frames encode the DEC-205 ectodomain plus the DCL-1 ectodomain, the transmembrane, and the cytoplasmic domain. Using DCL-1 cytoplasmic domain-specific polyclonal and DEC-205 monoclonal antibodies for immunoprecipitation/Western blot analysis, we showed that the fusion mRNA is translated into a DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion protein, expressed in the HRS cell lines. These results imply an unusual transcriptional control mechanism in HRS cells, which cotranscribe an mRNA containing DEC-205 and DCL-1 prior to generating the intergenically spliced mRNA to produce a DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion protein.
Rodgers , Peter ( 2000 ) Constructs for Programming with Graph Rewrites . In : GRATRA 2000 : Joint APPLIGRAPH and GETGRATS Workshop on Graph Transformation Systems

Graph rewriting is becoming increasingly popular a s a method for programming with graph based data structures. We pr esent several modifications to a basic serial graph rewriting paradigm an d discuss how they improve coding programs in the Grrr graph rewriting program ming language. The constructs we present are once only nodes, attractor n odes and single match rewrites. We illustrate the operation of the construc ts by example. The advantages of adding these new rewrite modifiers is to reduce the size of programs, improve the efficiency of execution and simplify the host g raph undergoing rewriting.
Toothache pain: a comparison of visits to physicians, emergency departments and dentists.

BACKGROUND Researchers' understanding of the use of emergency departments (EDs) and physicians' offices for the treatment of toothaches is limited. The authors conducted a study to explore their use by low-income and minority adults in comparison with the use of traditional dental services. METHODS Participants included low-income white, African-American and Hispanic adults who had experienced a toothache during the previous 12 months. A stratified random sample of 4,200 households in Maryland participated in a cross-sectional telephone survey. Trained survey staff completed interviews with someone in 272 (68.3 percent) of 398 eligible households. RESULTS Only 8.7 percent of respondents contacted an ED for toothache pain relief, while 20.1 percent contacted physicians. The majority of respondents who contacted an ED (80.5 percent) or a physician (82.6 percent) also contacted a dentist. Contacts with a dentist were reported by 58.6 percent of respondents. The authors conducted tabular analyses using chi(2) tests of statistical significance (P < .05) and SUDAAN's multivariable logistic regression procedure (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, N.C.) (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Respondents experiencing toothache pain ultimately sought definitive resolution of their pain from dentists while visiting EDs and physicians for temporary relief. Access to dentists' services was particularly problematic for Hispanics and was exacerbated by health literacy issues. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The elimination of oral health disparities must involve consideration of cultural influences on minority populations, as well as the responsibilities of the dental profession.
Effects of dietary virginiamycin on performance and liver abscess incidence in feedlot cattle.

The effects of dietary virginiamycin level on performance and liver abscesses in feedlot cattle were evaluated in seven dose-response studies. Steers and heifers were fed finishing diets ranging in energy content from 1.34 to 1.51 Mcal of NEg/kg of DM. In all studies, virginiamycin added to the diet improved average daily gain and(or) feed conversion, with no substantial effect on dry matter intake. Pooled analyses of four studies providing virginiamycin at 11.0, 19.3, and 27.6 mg/kg of DM in the complete diet indicated that growth and feed conversion were linearly improved (P < .05); feeding 19.3 mg/kg improved these measurements by 3.0 and 3.8%, respectively. Overall incidence (score 0 vs score 1, 2, and 3) and severity (score 0, 1, and 2 vs score 3) of liver abscesses were reduced (P < .01) by feeding virginiamycin at either 19.3 or 27.6 mg/kg. Linear plateau modeling indicated that the effective dose range for virginiamycin in feedlot diets (DM basis) was 19.3 to 27.3 mg/kg for increasing average daily gain, 13.2 to 19.3 mg/kg for improving feed conversion, and 16.5 to 19.3 mg/kg for reducing liver abscess incidence.