Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The problem of non-compliance in schizophrenia: Opinions of patients and their relatives. A pilot study

INTRODUCTION: The relapse rate in patients suffering from schizophrenia is considerably higher than that which would be expected from the appropriate use of antipsychotics as prophylactic treatment. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is patients' non-compliance. In this study we examine reasons given by patients and their relatives as causes for past or possible future non-compliance. METHOD: Questionnaires were completed by 29 stabilized outpatients and their relatives, followed-up regularly (at least once per month), by the Mental Health Centre of Volos. RESULTS: Fifty percent of the questionnaires collected from schizophrenic patients (n=22) mentioned non-compliance in the past or the possibility in the future. Among the reasons stated by patients and their relatives in general, 60% had to do with lack of knowledge about the disease, and, specifically, its course and management; 20% had to do with lack of insight, 10% with social pressure and 10% with drug side-effects. Overall 50% of the causes were related to the use of medications. The major reason for compliance (54%) was the feeling of trust in the doctor. CONCLUSION: Mental health professionals should be aware of the high potential for non-compliance, even among regular attenders of outpatient psychiatric clinics. Part of the solution to this problem could be the provision of information to patients and relatives in lay terms, aided by written suggestions to the doctors on how to present the information. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2000; 4:147-150)
A CLADISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE TRIBE EPISCIEAE (GESNERIACEAE) BASED ON NDHF SEQUENCES : ORIGIN OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The neotropical members of Gesneriaceae are characterized by numerous characters that appear to be adaptations to life in the wet tropics. Among these are epiphytism, anisophylly, hummingbird- pollination, and bird-dispersal of seeds. Many of these characters have diversified to a broad extent in the single tribe Episcieae. This analysis investigates the phylogenetic relationships among genera of Episcieae and also examines the evolutionary origin of several characters found within this tribe such as fruit characters, epiphytism, chromosome numbers, and tubers. All genera of the tribe were included in the analysis except the Guyana endemic Rhoogeton and the Central American Oerstedina. Larger genera such as Columnea and Episcia were represented by several species with attempts to include members of the different sections of these genera. Columnea appears to be a monophyletic group but its relationship to Drymonia and Alloplectus is not resolved. The latter genera may need to be included in Columnea to make it strictly monophyletic. Neomortonia is polyphyletic with one species in the Columnea clade and another with Episcia. - The anomalous position of some Paradrymonia indicate a more thorough analysis of this genus is necessary to resolve phylogenetic relationships.
Safety Assessment of Continuous Glass Filaments Used in Eclipse

Eclipse is a cigarette that produces smoke by primarily heating, rather than burning, tobacco. The Eclipse heat source assembly employs a continuous filament glass mat jacket to insulate the heat source. The glass mat insulator is composed of continuous glass filaments and a binder. The purpose of this article is to address the potential toxicological significance of the continuous glass filaments under the conditions of intended use. Transfer data and the unique physical characteristics of the filaments demonstrate that significant exposure of the smoker will not occur. The available environmental survey data clearly demonstrate that Eclipse smokers are extremely unlikely to be exposed to continuous glass filaments at a level that represents a biologically significant increase over background exposure to glass fibers. The chemical composition of the continuous glass filaments used in Eclipse is generally similar to C-glass fiber compositions such as MMVF 11 that have failed to produce either tumors or fibrosis in chronic inhalation studies conducted in rats. In vitro dissolution data demonstrate that the continuous glass filaments used in Eclipse are more soluble than biologically active fibers such as rock wool (MMVF 21) or asbestos. However, the continuous glass filaments used in Eclipse were not as soluble in simulated extracellular lung fluid as representative C-glass fibers (MMVF 10 and MMVF 11). In brief, exposure of Eclipse smokers to continuous glass filaments is extremely unlikely to occur at a level that may be construed to be of biological significance.
Parasites, predators and the duration of developmental periods

Nest predation has been suggested to be the most important environmental factor determining the evolution of incubation and nestling periods in birds. This paradigm is based on a number of comparative analyses that have shown correlations between rates of nest predation and the relative duration of the nestling period. A second important natural selection pressure on reproduction is caused by parasitism. Here, I investigated the independent effects of daily nest predation rates and daily nest mortality rates due to parasites to assess the relative importance of these two environmental factors as determinants of the relative duration of incubation and nestling periods in birds, using the 43 species for which information on parasite-induced nestling mortality was available. The relative duration of the incubation period was negatively related to daily mortality rate due to parasitism, while nest predation had no significant effect. The relative duration of the nestling period was not significantly related to daily rate of mortality due to parasitism or nest predation. Daily nest predation rate was significantly negatively correlated with daily mortality rate due to parasitism in the subsample of species, for which some mortality due to parasitism was recorded. These findings are mainly based on hole nesters and colonially breeding species, because estimates of parasite-induced mortality generally is unavailable from open nesting and solitarily breeding species, precluding any generalizations to these species. However, the conclusions did not change after statistically controlling for nest site and sociality. These results suggest that developmental rates may be more influenced by the effects of parasites rather than nest predators, and that parasites constitute a neglected selective force affecting developmental rates.
Challenges of potato cultivation in Bangladesh and developing digital databases of potato

The study was conducted to build the union level digital database and maps of potato during 2008-09. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study. Data were collected from all blocks of four upazilas of four districts and farmers’ level. Union, upazila, district, and country level digitized maps of Bangladesh were used in the programme. GIS, GPS, and MIS related IT were used in the study. Out of total cultivable land (1,00611 ha) in four upazilas, potato cultivated area and production were 27,414 ha and 3,32,424 t, respectively. Eighteen (18) varieties of potato were cultivated in the study areas, among them 13 were HYVs and 5 were local varieties. Out of 41 HYVs of potato developed by BARI upto 2008, 13 were cultivated in the study areas. Maximum (89.7%) area of HYV potato was covered by Diamant, Cardinal, Granola and Multa. At Chandina and Gozaria, potato area was only cultivated by HYVs. Shibganj and Pirganj shared 64 and 61% potato areas, respectively under HYVs. Average potato yields of these upazilas and Gozaria were 14.34 and 24.36 t/ha, respectively, during 2008-09. Production cost and selling price were Tk. 8.73 and 11.56 per kg, respectively at the time of harvest in 2009. Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of potato was 1.32 and maximum was 1.37 at Pirganj. Besides adopting high yielding and hybrid varieties, management practices should be improved. It is possible to increase potato production by vertical and horizontal expression (Uddin, 2009). Keywords: Union level digital database; maps; area; production; adoption; potato DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i3. 6452 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(3) : 453-463
Modifications to MOET nucleus breeding schemes to improve rates of genetic progress and decrease rates of inbreeding in dairy cattle

The effect of changes in the mating system on the rates of genetic progress and rates of inbreeding are considered for MOET nucleus breeding schemes. Methods are derived to calculate best linear unbiased predictors of breeding value in MOET schemes and the rate of inbreeding under selection. These are applied to different mating systems in which the numbers of sires and dams, and the number of offspring per sire and offspring per dam, remain constant. Results showed that compared with nested mating systems, factorial mating systems in which the maternal half-sibs are produced instead of full-sibs, could increase genetic progress by 1·12-fold with no additional inbreeding. The increased progress arose through an increase in the selection intensity applied. The rates of inbreeding derived were found to be approximately double those estimated by the formula of Wright (1931) in the absence of selection. In practice, even if a complete factorial system were to increase the generation interval and consequently reduce progress below that predicted, changes in the mating system avoiding this problem could be implemented that would be of immediate benefit.
Níveis de lisina digestível para pintos de corte machos na fase de 1 a 21 dias de idade

The objective of this experiment was to determine the digestible lysine requirement for male broilers from 1 to 21 days. Six hundred male broiler chicks, Hubbard, with an average weight of 48 g were allotted to randomized blocks experimental design with five treatments, six replicates and 20 chicks per experimental unit. The treatments corresponded to the basal diet, with 20.85% of crude protein and 3000 kcal of ME/kg, attending the requirements of protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus and amino acids, except lysine supplemented with five L-lysine levels, resulting on diets with . 84, . 93, 1.02, 1.11, and 1.20% of digestible lysine in the diet. The true amino acid digestibility in the basal diet was determined by means of a digestibility trial with cecectomized Leghorn roosters. The digestible lysine levels in the diet influenced the weight gain, feed:gain ratio, lysine intake, the ether extract content of the carcass and the protein and fat deposition rate in the carcass. However, there was no effect on diet intake and the concentration of uric acid in the blood serum and crude protein, dry matter and water of the carcass. Based on the results of WG, F:G and protein deposition rate in the carcass, the digestible lysine requirements were estimated in 1.05, 1.03, and 1.08%, respectively.
Transthoracic defibrillation with chopping-modulated biphasic waveforms

The superiority of different biphasic pulses for transthoracic defibrillation was proven by several studies. These efficient waveforms were implemented in some commercially available defibrillators. Recently we have devised and evaluated a biphasic waveform with a specially balanced ratio of the first-to-second phase voltages and with 5 kHz frequency 1 : 1 on-off chopping. It used less than half the energy for successful defibrillation in comparison with the 'classic' monophasic damped sinusoidal wave and showed considerably less postshock negative effects. This experience led us to try several laws of chopping modulation. A pulse-width modulation, combining low energy with gradual upslope of the modelled transmembrane potential, proved to have better performance than the standard damped sinusoid wave and the nonchopped biphasic truncated exponential pulse. This waveform was tested in a series of animal experiments in comparison with other modulated pulses, with the non-modulated waveform and the standard damped sinusoid wave. The experiments demonstrated the superiority of the modulated waveform, assessed by combining the parameters of threshold defibrillation energy and of post-shock disturbances reduction.
Development of a multiplex panel of microsatellite markers for two species of gliding marsupials, Petaurus breviceps and Petaurus norfolcensis

Abstract. Here, we describe the development of seven new microsatellite loci from Petaurus breviceps. Together with eight loci from previous studies of gliders, we tested their utility for amplification, multiplexing and polymorphism in two glider species, P. breviceps and P. norfolcensis. Of the 15 loci tested, all were polymorphic in P. breviceps and 12 were polymorphic in P. norfolcensis. Overall, 260 sugar gliders from 13 sites in south-eastern South Australia and 106 squirrel gliders collected throughout south-east Queensland were used in analyses. Numbers of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 27 in P. breviceps and from 2 to 44 in P. norfolcensis. Observed heterozygosity ranged between 0.438 and 0.904 in P. breviceps and between 0.189 and 0.981 in P. norfolcensis. Within the populations analysed, one of the 15 loci for P. breviceps and two of the 12 loci for P. norfolcensis deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The microsatellite loci will provide valuable tools for further study of social organisation, mating systems and population biology of these gliding marsupials.
Possible role of elevation of glutathione in the acquisition of enhanced proliferation of mouse splenocytes exposed to small-dose γ-rays

Purpose : To examine the relation between the induction of an increased glutathione level and the elevated proliferative response of mouse splenocytes by a small dose of γ-rays. Materials and methods : Male ICR strain mice, 7 weeks of age, were divided into irradiated and non-irradiated control groups. Irradiation was done with γ-rays from a 137 Cs source at a dose of 50cGy (1.11Gy/min). Glutathione content in the splenocytes was measured using a modified spectrophotometric technique. Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced proliferative response of the splenocytes after whole-body γ-ray irradiation was estimated from the 3 H-thymidine incorporation into the cells. Results : The glutathione level in mouse splenocytes increased 2h after whole-body γ-ray irradiation at 50 cGy, peaked at 4h and thereafter decreased almost to the zero-time level by 12-h postirradiation. A significant enhancement of Con A-induced proliferation was observed in the splenocytes obtained from the wholebody-irradiated animals between 2h and 6h post-irradiation. Glutathione exogenously added to splenocytes obtained from normal mice enhanced the Con A-induced proliferation of splenocytes in a dose-dependent manner. This enhancement was completely blocked by buthionine sulfoximine, a specific inhibitor of the de novo pathway of glutathione synthesis. Conclusions : The induction of endogenous glutathione immediately after low-dose γ-ray irradiation is at least partially responsible for the enhancement of immune function, and may throw light on the mechanisms of carcinostatic effects induced by low dose ionizing radiation.
List of Papers

Notation for Publications ML1 – Machine Learning/Data Mining, GA – Graph Algorithms/Network Science, NLP – Natural Language Processing/Text Mining, MS – Multiscale Methods, QC – Quantum Computing, CSC – Combinatorial Scientific Computing, AGT – Agent-based Modeling, BIO – Applications in Biology/Medicine/Healthcare, ENG – Applications in Computational Engineering, VIS – Visualization, COMB – Other Combinatorics
Clinicians' Impact on the Quality of Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Clinicians' impact on substance use disorder treatment has been much less studied than therapy and patient variables. Yet, in this selective review of literature, a growing body of empirical work on clinicians' impact highlights several key issues that have relevance both to clinical practice and future research. These issues include clinicians' effect on treatment retention and outcome, professional characteristics, recovery status, adherence to protocols, counter- transference, alliance, personality, beliefs about treatment, and professional practice issues. Specific recommendations are offered to help improve the quality of care clinicians provide. In particular, it is suggested that greater accountability for clinicians' performance be balanced with increased support for their very difficult role. Methodological issues in studying clinicians are also addressed.
Data on reproduction and fecundity of Processa bermudensis (Rankin, 1900) (Caridea, Processidae) from the southern coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico

The aim of the present study was to provide data on reproductive aspects of Processa bermudensis (Rankin, 1900), such as sex ratio, embryo size and volume, fecundity and brood loss. Shrimps were collected with a Coleman-Seagrove sledge net with 800 μm mesh on Thalassia testudinum Banks & Solander ex Konig meadows in Mahahual reef lagoon, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The sample of 2720 specimens had a sex ratio of 0.40 males per female. The carapace length of ovigerous females varied from 2.40 mm to 6.50 mm. Average fecundity of ovigerous females with embryos at first stage of development was 176.80 ± 136.64 embryos per female (range 39-753). There was a positive correlation between number of embryos and carapace length, but fecundity also varied in females within the same size class. Average embryo length was 0.39 ± 0.028 mm during the early stage of development, and 0.50 ± 0.029 mm in the late stage. The average volume increased by 89.5% (from 0.019 ± 0.003 mm3 to 0.036 ± 0.005 mm3). Embryo loss during development was 9.4%, and was independent of female size. To our knowledge this is the first study on the reproductive biology for any member of the Processidae on the Atlantic coast of Mexico.
SUBCHRONIC INHALATION BY RATS OF MAINSTREAM SMOKE FROM A CIGARETTE THAT PRIMARILY HEATS TOBACCO COMPARED TO A CIGARETTE THAT BURNS TOBACCO

A subchronic, nose-only inhalation study comparing the potential biological activity of mainstream smoke from a cigarette that primarily heats tobacco (Eclipse) to mainstream smoke from a 1R4F reference cigarette was conducted using Sprague-Dawley rats of each gender. Smoke exposures were for 1 h/day, 5 days/wk for 13 wk, at concentrations of 0, 0.16, 0.32, or 0.64 mg wet total particulate matter (WTPM)/L air. Smoke was generated at the Federal Trade Commission standard of a 2-s puff of 35 ml, taken once per minute. Clinical signs, body and organ weights, clinical chemistry, hematology, carboxyhemoglobin, serum nicotine, plethysmography, gross pathology, and histopathology were determined. Plethysmography indicated that respiratory rate was decreased at all concentrations of 1R4F smoke, but only at the high concentration of Eclipse smoke. Tidal volume was depressed and minute volume was lower for all smoke-exposed rats. Rats exposed to Eclipse smoke inhaled more smoke at the low and mid-concentration exposures than rats exposed to equivalent concentrations 1R4F smoke. Carboxyhemoglobin and serum nicotine were directly related to the exposure concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and nicotine in an exposure-dependent manner. Body weights were slightly lower in smokeexposed rats, while no treatment-related effects were seen in clinical signs, clinical chemistry, hematology, or gross changes at necropsy. The only treatment-related effect seen in organ weights was an increase in heart weight in females in the Eclipse high-concentration exposure group, attributed to higher CO in the Eclipse exposure atmosphere. Higher CO resulted from the lower dilution of Eclipse smoke required to maintain WTPM concentrations equal to those of the 1R4F smoke, and not from a higher CO yield from Eclipse cigarettes. Nasal epithelial hyperplasia and ventral laryngeal squamous metaplasia were noted after exposure to either the 1R4F or Eclipse smoke. The degree of change was less in Eclipse smoke-exposed rats. Lung macrophages were increased to a similar extent in the Eclipse and 1R4F smoke-exposed groups. Brown/gold pigmented macrophages were detected in the lungs of rats exposed to 1R4F smoke, but not those exposed to Eclipse smoke. Subsets of rats from each group were maintained for an additional 13 wk without smoke exposures. Most of the changes noted at the end of the smoke exposures had disappeared, while those that remained were regressing toward normal. Evaluation of these findings indicated the overall biological activity of Eclipse smoke was less than 1R4F smoke at comparable exposure concentrations.
Pesticides: Amounts Applied and Amounts Reaching Pests

Almost 500 million kilograms(kg) of pesticides, primarily synthetic organic chemicals but also including 27 million kg of sulfur and copper sulphate fungicides, are used in the united states each year to control pest arthopods plant pathogens, and weeds (USDA 1982a). It is estimated that 341 million kg are used by farmers
Expression and secretion of human epidermal growth factor in Escherichia coli

E. coli 294 cells were transformed with a plasmid containing a hybrid gene in which the sequence encoding mature human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) was joined to the closed sequence encoding the signal peptide of E. coli alkaline phosphatase. During phosphate limitation these cells secreted hEGF to the periplasmic space.
Blue-green algal growth and sporulation in response to simulated surface bloom conditions

Physical and chemical factors were investigated for their effect on growth and differentiation of unialgal isolates and natural planktonic populations of blue-green algae from the Salopian meres under laboratory conditions. Most extensively investigated were two strains of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs. Deficiencies of orthophosphate and nitrate, and of minor elements, were found to reduce growth but not to stimulate sporulation. N-glycyl-glycine inhibited both heterocyst differentiation and sporulation, and HEPES stimulated sporulation; but extracellular compounds contained in filtrates from sporulating cultures had no effect on morphology. Exposures to extremes of light intensity, and to u.v. light of 365 nm reduced and often stopped growth, but did not induce akinete formation in either of the algal isolates or in any of the populations collected from the lakes.