Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An English Word Database of EMOtional TErms (EMOTE)

Research in the socio-emotional domain may require words for experimental settings rated on emotionally and socially relevant word characteristics (e.g., valence and desirability). In addition, cognitively relevant word characteristics (e.g., imagery) are important for research in the interface of emotion and cognition (e.g., emotional memory). To provide researchers with a corresponding word pool, the database of English EMOtional TErms (EMOTE) provides subjective ratings for 1287 nouns and 985 adjectives. Nouns and adjectives were rated on valence, arousal, emotionality, concreteness, imagery, familiarity, and clarity of meaning. In addition, adjectives were rated on control, desirability, and likeableness. EMOTE norms provide an easily accessible word pool for research in the socio-emotional domain. To illustrate the usefulness of this database, norms were linked to memorability scores from a word recognition task for EMOTE nouns. The database as well as future directions are discussed.
Asthma among workers in healthcare settings: role of disinfection with quaternary ammonium compounds

An increased incidence of asthma has been reported among healthcare workers. The role of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), commonly used in cleaning/disinfection products, has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to analyse associations between asthma and occupational exposure to disinfectants, especially QACs.
Bilexical Dependencies as an Intermedium for Data-Driven and HPSG-Based Parsing

Bilexical dependencies capturing asymmetrical lexical relations between heads and dependents are viewed as a practical representation of syntax that is well-suited for computation and intelligible for human readers. In the present work we use dependency representations as a bridge between data-driven and grammar-based parsing, both for cross-framework parser comparison and for parser integration. We observe that the state of the art in dependency parsing for English is characterized by broad diversity of dependency representations and seek to systematize properties of various dependency formats pointing out their similarities and differences by carrying out qualitative and quantitative structural analysis and furthermore exploring learnability of four of these representations in automatic syntactic analysis. In addition to comparing syntactic dependencies along several evaluation measures for parsing, we also evaluate the representations in application to the negation resolution task. Using a dependency representation extracted from HPSG structures we contrast three different approaches to parsing—data-driven dependency, phrase structure and a hybrid grammarbased—observe what trade-offs apply along accuracy, efficiency, coverage, and resilience to domain variation and show that explicit, hand-engineered grammatical knowledge helps in both accuracy and cross-domain parsing performance. We complement intrinsic parser evaluation with extrinsic comparison on the negation resolution and semantic dependency parsing tasks discovering that accuracy gains sometimes but not always translate into improved end-to-end performance. A combination of complementary approaches is often a good strategy for achieving improvement. We explore parser integration as a method for advancing the efficiency of a grammarbased parser. Bilexical dependencies serve as an interface for enforcing constraints drawn from the output of the statistical, data-driven systems on the unification-based processing of the grammar-based parser. We experiment with confidence thresholding, filtering and parser ensembles for tackling the problem of selecting high-quality dependencies and propose a technique of static analysis as preliminary evaluation in navigating a large space of various combination setups. We choose configurations optimizing for speed, coverage and balancing the two metrics and carefully evaluate the trade-offs along efficiency, coverage, accuracy and domainresilience.
Coagulase-negative staphylococci causing blood stream infection at an Indian tertiary care hospital: Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and molecular characterisation

Introduction: Recent years have seen a rise of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) from common contaminants to agents of nosocomial blood stream infections (BSI's). Molecular typing and establishing a correlation with antibiotic resistance is essential particularly in countries like India where genotyping studies for drug-resistant CoNS are sparse. Methods: A prospective study was done over 18 months, wherein 42,693 blood samples were received, and 59 patients with BSI due to CoNS were evaluated. The isolates recovered were identified by a biochemical test panel and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization – time of flight mass spectrometry followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Kirby–Baur disc diffusion method and E-test strips. Staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) element was characterised by multiplex polymerase chain reaction for all methicillin-resistant (MR) isolates. Results: The majority of CoNS isolated were constituted by Staphylococcus haemolyticus (47.5%) followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (33.9%), Staphylococcus hominis (11.86%), Staphylococcus cohnii (5.08%) and Staphylococcus warneri (1.69%). Among all isolates 57.6% were MR with statistically significant higher resistance versus methicillin sensitive-CoNS. This difference was significant for erythromycin (76% vs. 44%, P = 0.011), rifampicin (50% vs. 12%,P= 0.002) and amikacin (26.5% vs. 4%, P = 0.023), ciprofloxacin (64.7% vs. 20%, P = 0.001) and cotrimoxazole (55.9% vs. 20%, P = 0.006). SCCmec type I was predominant (61.8%, P = 0.028) and exhibited multidrug resistance (76.2%). Coexistence of SCCmec type I and III was seen in 8.82% MR isolates. Conclusion: CoNS exhibit high antimicrobial resistance thereby limiting treatment options. The presence of new variants of SCCmec type in hospital-acquired CoNS may predict the antibiotic resistance pattern. This is the first evaluation of the molecular epidemiology of CoNS causing BSI from India and can serve as a guide in the formulation of hospital infection control and treatment guidelines.
Role of histology in the diagnosis of infectious causes of granulomatous lung disease

Purpose of review Histologic examination and microbiologic cultures are the gold standards for the diagnosis of infectious granulomatous lung diseases. Although biopsies require invasive procedures, they often yield information that cannot be obtained by other methods. The aims of this article are to outline the major infections that cause granulomatous inflammation in the lung and to familiarize clinicians with the utility of histologic examination in their diagnosis. Recent findings The histopathologic features of acute pulmonary histoplasmosis and granulomatous Pneumocystis pneumonia have been described in detail, the relative contributions of histology and microbiologic cultures in the diagnosis of blastomycosis have been delineated, and Cryptococcus gattii has emerged as a significant cause of granulomatous pulmonary nodules. Summary The major infectious causes of granulomatous lung disease are mycobacteria and fungi. Histologic examination is particularly important in the diagnosis of pulmonary granulomatous infections when clinical, radiologic and serologic findings are nonspecific. Histology and microbiology play complementary but distinct roles in diagnosis. For organisms that grow slowly in cultures, histology has the additional advantage of being able to provide a rapid diagnosis.
Structure, function and regulation of P-glycoprotein and its clinical relevance in drug disposition

1. P-glycoprotein (P-gp/MDR1), one of the most clinically important transmembrane transporters in humans, is encoded by the ABCB1/MDR1 gene. Recent insights into the structural features of P-gp/MDR1 enable a re-evaluation of the biochemical evidence on the binding and transport of drugs by P-gp/MDR1. 2. P-gp/MDR1 is found in various human tissues in addition to being expressed in tumours cells. It is located on the apical surface of intestinal epithelial cells, bile canaliculi, renal tubular cells, and placenta and the luminal surface of capillary endothelial cells in the brain and testes. 3. P-gp/MDR1 confers a multi-drug resistance (MDR) phenotype to cancer cells that have developed resistance to chemotherapy drugs. P-gp/MDR1 activity is also of great clinical importance in non-cancer-related drug therapy due to its wide-ranging effects on the absorption and excretion of a variety of drugs. 4. P-gp/MDR1 excretes xenobiotics such as cytotoxic compounds into the gastrointestinal tract, bile and urine. It also participates in the function of the blood–brain barrier. 5. One of the most interesting characteristics of P-gp/MDR1 is that its many substrates vary greatly in their structure and functionality, ranging from small molecules such as organic cations, carbohydrates, amino acids and some antibiotics to macromolecules such as polysaccharides and proteins. 6. Quite a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms have been found for the MDR1 gene. These single nucleotide polymorphisms are associated with altered oral bioavailability of P-gp/MDR1 substrates, drug resistance, and a susceptibility to some human diseases. 7. Altered P-gp/MDR1 activity due to induction and/or inhibition can cause drug–drug interactions with altered drug pharmacokinetics and response. 8. Further studies are warranted to explore the physiological function and pharmacological role of P-gp/MDR1.
Impact of Information Technology on Employee Attitudes: A Longitudinal Field Study

This longitudinal study examined the impact of an information technology system on the job and employee attitudes in a parts distribution center for a Fortune 500 company. Data were collected prior to, during, and following the implementation of an automated information technology system. Results of both the within subjects (N=24) and between subjects (N=58) analyses indicated that the automated technology reduced motivational and increased mechanistic aspects of the job as well as reduced employee attitudes.
Effect of amitriptyline on symptoms, sleep, and visceral perception in patients with functional dyspepsia.

OBJECTIVE Tricyclic antidepressants in low doses are widely used in the therapy of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, yet the mechanism(s) of action of these drugs in these disorders is not known. In the current study, we sought to determine in a group of patients with functional dyspepsia and associated poor sleep how amitryptiline affects digestive symptoms, perceptual responses to gastric distension, and subjective and objective measures of sleep. METHODS Patients were randomized to 4 wk of amitryptiline 50 mg taken at bedtime versus placebo. There was a 3-wk washout phase, followed by a cross-over to the alternate treatment. Perceptual sensitivity to gastric distention and sleep EEG were recorded at the end of each treatment period. Diaries of symptoms were maintained throughout. RESULTS Seven of seven patients reported significantly less severe gastrointestinal symptoms after 4 wk on amitryptiline compared to placebo. Five of seven patients had evidence for altered perception of gastric balloon distension during placebo. However, the subjective symptom improvement on amitryptiline was not associated with a normalization of the perceptual responses to gastric distension. Baseline sleep dysfunction in the form of reduced sleep efficiency, increased arousal, or abnormal amounts of REM sleep was found in all seven patients. Amitryptiline significantly reduced absolute and relative amounts of REM sleep, but had no effect on sleep parameters related to nonregenerative sleep. CONCLUSION The beneficial effect of low dose amitryptiline seen in functional dyspepsia is not related to changes in perception of gastric distension, or to measures of arousal from sleep. An increased tolerance to aversive visceral sensations may play a role in the therapeutic effect.
İlköğretim 6. Sınıf Kesirler Ünitesinde Çoklu Zeka Kuramına Uygun Öğretimin Öğrenci Tutumuna Etkisi

Bu arastirmanin amaci "Coklu Zekâ Kurami icin temel ogretimin ogrencilerin matematik tutumuna etkisi "nin olup olmadigi arastirmaktir. Arastirma yari deneysel bir calisma olup, 2004-2005 ogretim Kocaeli ili Izmit ilcesindeki bir ilkogretim okulunun 6. siniflarinda okuyan 70 ogrenci uzerinde yurutulmustur. Bir kez ve bir denetim grubu kullanilmistir. Kontrol grubunda "Kesirler" konusu Geleneksel yontemle islenirken, coklu Zekâ Kurami dogru tamamlanmis ders planlari ile islenmistir. Uygulama sonucunda "Matematik Tutum Olcegi" ile elde edilen bilgi karsilastirma analizi yontemiyle degerlendirildi. Elde edilen urune dogrultusunda, Coklu Zekâ Kurami dogrultusunda hazirlanmis ders planlari ile yapilandirmak ogretimin, geleneksel anlatim yontemine gore ogrencilerin matematige karsi bakim ve olumlu yonde etkili oldugu bulunmustur.
Temozolomide treatment for aggressive pituitary tumors: correlation of clinical outcome with O(6)-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation and expression.

CONTEXT The typically indolent behavior of pituitary tumors is juxtaposed with high rates of tumor cell invasion into adjacent dural structures, and occasional aggressive behavior. Although clinically significant invasion and malignant transformation remain uncommon, there are limited treatment options available for the management of these aggressive tumors. Recently, case reports have described efficacy of temozolomide for the treatment of aggressive pituitary tumors. DESIGN Seven patients with aggressive pituitary tumors have been treated with temozolomide. We compared O(6)-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation and MGMT expression in 14 surgical specimens from these seven patients and correlated these molecular features with the clinical response to temozolomide. RESULTS Significant tumor regression was seen in two patients (29%), a 20% reduction in tumor volume with subsequent stable tumor size was noted in one patient, arrest of tumor growth occurred in three patients, and progressive metastatic disease developed during treatment in one patient. The DNA promoter site for MGMT was unmethylated in all 14 adequate specimens, and variable MGMT expression was seen in all 14 cases. There was no correlation between MGMT expression and clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that medical therapy with temozolomide can be helpful in the management of life-threatening pituitary tumors that have failed to respond to conventional treatments. The optimal duration of treatment in patients with stabilization or reduction of tumor size has not been established, and long-term follow up studies are needed.
Extracellular ATP potentiates nitric oxide synthase expression induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 was increased from two- to four-fold after co-exposure of the cells to low doses of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and micromolar ATP, compared to LPS alone. Extracellular ATP and its analogs "per se", i.e. without LPS, were not able to induce iNOS activity. The stimulating effect of UTP too, the concentration range of activity (1-100 mM nucleotides) and the rank of potency (ATP-gamma-S = AMP-PNP > ATP = ADP >> AMP-CPP = UTP) seem to indicate an involvement of P2y-type purinergic receptors. GTP, CTP and adenosine were virtually ineffective. These data suggest that binding of extracellular nucleotides to purinergic receptors may increase nitric oxide production by macrophages. This effect might occur in pathological conditions (i.e. inflammation/infection or trauma) where significant amounts of intracellular ATP can be released due to cellular damage.
Health promotion and participatory action research with South Asian women.

PURPOSE To examine South Asian immigrant women's health promotion issues and to facilitate the creation of emancipatory knowledge and self-understanding regarding health-promoting practices; to promote health education and mobilization for culturally relevant action. METHOD The study was based on critical social theory; the research model was participatory action research (PAR). Two groups of South Asian women (women from India and of Indian origin) who had immigrated to Canada participated in the project. The qualitative data were generated through focus groups. Reflexive and dialectical critique were used as methods of analyzing qualitative data. The data were interpreted through reiterative process, and dominant themes were identified. FINDINGS Three themes that were extracted from the data were: (a) the importance of maintaining culture and tradition, (b) placing family needs before self, and (c) surviving by being strong. An issue for action was the risk of intergenerational conflicts leading to alienation of family members. Over a period of 3 years, the following action plans were carried out: (a) workshops for parents and children, (b) sharing of project findings with the community, and (c) a presentation at an annual public health conference. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The project activities empowered participants to create and share knowledge, which was then applied toward action for change. Health and health promotion were viewed as functions of the women's relationships to the world around them.
Antimicrobial susceptibility of Bartonella henselae using Etest methodology.

OBJECTIVES Bartonella henselae is a fastidious slow growing pathogen which is seldom cultured in the laboratory. Previous descriptions of antimicrobial susceptibility have been largely limited to feline isolates and/or laboratory reference strains, with no accounting for genotypic or phenotypic diversity. METHODS An optimal method of antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Etest was established to compare the antimicrobial susceptibilities of 12 different isolates of B. henselae, 5 human and 7 feline, which have previously been well characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), phase variation and passage number. RESULTS No difference in susceptibility could be attributed to differences in genotype, source of the isolate or passage number. Where comparisons were drawn with previously published results, these were found to be concordant. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that antibiotic susceptibility can be determined by a simple Etest method for B. henselae isolates. This method is reproducible among diverse strains, and is sufficiently predictable that generalizations can be confidently made about optimal antibiotic choices.
THE LANGUAGES OF AFRICA.

Description There are close to two thousand indigenous languages, or one third of the world’s languages, spoken on the African continent, making for an extremely rich and complex linguistic environment befitting of the continent where humanity originated. This course is intended as an introduction to the four main language families of Africa, and will present an overview of their component sub-groups, their history and geographical distribution, and their characteristic linguistic features, including phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic features, all the while keeping in mind the role of African languages in their respective societies. You will contribute to the class knowledge of individual African languages by ‘adopting’ a grammar and presenting information on specific features of your adopted language at appropriate points during the semester.
A multifaceted study of human papillomavirus and prostate carcinoma

The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the prostate and its role in prostate carcinoma are in dispute. To address these issues, two laboratories with extensive HPV experience were selected to test specimens from two populations at different risk for prostate carcinoma, using three different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and two serologic assays for HPV.
Intrathecal and serum interleukin-6 and the acute-phase response in patients with severe traumatic brain injuries.

Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) show a profound acute-phase response. Because interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important mediator of these pathophysiological changes, IL-6 levels were monitored in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of 20 patients with severe isolated TBI. All patients received indwelling ventricular catheters for intracranial pressure monitoring and for release of CSF when intracranial pressure exceeded 15 mmHg. CSF and blood samples were drawn daily for up to 14 days. The CSF/serum albumin ratio (QA) served as a parameter of blood brain barrier dysfunction. Differential blood counts as well as the acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein, alpha 1-antitrypsin, and fibrinogen were recorded. IL-6 was detected in all CSF samples and reached values of up to 31,000 pg/mL, while serum levels remained significantly lower (alpha < or = .01) and never exceeded 1,100 pg/mL the entire study period. A correlation between CSF and serum IL-6 was found initially after the trauma and corresponded to a severe dysfunction of the blood brain barrier (r = .637, p = .001). Maximum IL-6 concentrations in serum correlated with peak levels of acute-phase proteins (C-reactive protein, alpha 1-antitrypsin, and fibrinogen). With regard to blood cell count, an initial leukocytosis combined with a borderline lymphocytopenia was observed. Thrombocytes decreased to a subnormal level during the first few days, but reached supranormal numbers by the end of the study period. Our results show that the increase of IL-6 levels in CSF and serum is followed by a profound acute-phase response in patients with TBI. Because cytokine concentrations are significantly lower in serum compared with CSF, we hypothesize that IL-6 produced in the central nervous system may play a role in initiating the acute-phase response.
Intrinsic optical signals in the rat optic nerve: Role for K+ uptake via NKCC1 and swelling of astrocytes

Measurements of extracellular space volume and imaging of intrinsic optical signals (IOSs) have shown that neuronal activity increases light transmittance by causing cellular swelling. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying these volume changes and the contribution of astrocyte swelling to the changes in tissue volume are unclear. In this study, we have investigated IOSs in optic nerves to analyze the mechanisms contributing to these signals in a system consisting of only axons and glial cells. We examined both intact optic nerves and enucleated optic nerves, which contained no axons and consisted primarily of astrocytes. Electrical stimulation of intact optic nerves evoked an increase in light transmittance, which was graded with increasing stimulation frequency and was mimicked by raising extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o). The stimulation‐induced IOS grew in amplitude and had a time course similar to extracellular space shrinkage. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) blocked the electrically induced but not the high K+‐induced IOS. In enucleated nerves, light transmittance progressively increased in higher [K+]o. The high [K+]o‐induced IOSs were reversibly depressed by furosemide and bumetanide, antagonists for Na‐K‐2Cl cotransport, but were unaltered by TTX. We also used a monoclonal antibody to the NKCC1 form of the Na‐K‐2Cl cotransporter to show that NKCC1 is expressed in optic nerves as shown in Western blotting and is colocalized in GFAP immunopositive astrocytes. In summary, these results indicated that KCl uptake into astrocytes via an Na‐K‐2Cl cotransporter during raised [K+]o contributes to the generation of cellular swelling and the intrinsic optical signals. GLIA 37:114–123, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.