Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of nurses’ ethical climate perceptions

Background: Acting ethically, in accordance with professional and personal moral values, lies at the heart of nursing practice. However, contextual factors, or obstacles within the work environment, can constrain nurses in their ethical practice – hence the importance of the workplace ethical climate. Interest in nurse workplace ethical climates has snowballed in recent years because the ethical climate has emerged as a key variable in the experience of nurse moral distress. Significantly, this study appears to be the first of its kind carried out in New Zealand. Aim/objective: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how registered nurses working on a medical ward in a New Zealand hospital perceive their workplace ethical climate. Research design/participants/context: This was a small, qualitative descriptive study. Seven registered nurses were interviewed in two focus group meetings. An inductive method of thematic data analysis was used for this research. Ethical considerations: Ethics approval for this study was granted by the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Central Regional Health and Disability Ethics Committee on 14 June 2012. Findings: The themes identified in the data centred on three dominant elements that – together – shaped the prevailing ethical climate: staffing levels, patient throughput and the attitude of some managers towards nursing staff. Discussion: While findings from this study regarding staffing levels and the power dynamics between nurses and managers support those from other ethical climate studies, of note is the impact of patient throughput on local nurses’ ethical practice. This issue has not been singled out as having a detrimental influence on ethical climates elsewhere. Conclusion: Moral distress is inevitable in an ethical climate where the organisation’s main priorities are perceived by nursing staff to be budget and patient throughput, rather than patient safety and care.
Assessment of rhizospheric culturable bacteria of Phragmites australis and Juncus effusus from polluted sites

This study aimed at the isolation and characterization of metal(loid)‐tolerant bacteria from the rhizosphere of Phragmites australis and Juncus effusus plants growing in two long‐term contaminated sites in Northern Portugal. Site 1 had higher contamination than Site 3. Bacteria were isolated using metal(loid)‐supplemented (Cd, Zn, and As) media. Isolates were grouped by random amplified polymorphic DNA and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Strains were also examined for their metal(loid) tolerance. The counts of metal(loid)‐tolerant bacteria were higher in Site 1 and ranged between log 7.17 CFU g−1 soil in As‐containing medium and log 7.57 CFU g−1 soil in Zn‐containing medium, while counts at Site 3 varied between log 5.33 CFU g−1 soil in Cd‐containing medium and log 6.97 CFU g−1 soil in As‐containing medium. The composition of bacterial populations varied between locations. In Site 1, the classes Actinobacteria (36%) and Bacilli (24%) were well represented, while in Site 3 strains were mainly affiliated to classes Actinobacteria (35%), γ‐Proteobacteria (35%), and β‐Proteobacteria (12%). The order of metal(loid) toxicity for the isolated strains was Cd > As > Zn. Overall, 10 strains grew at 500 mg Cd L−1, 1000 mg Zn L−1, and 500 mg As L−1, being considered the most metal(loid)‐tolerant bacteria. These strains belonged to genera Cupriavidus, Burkholderia, Novosphingobium, Sphingobacterium, Castellaniella, Mesorhizobium, Chryseobacterium, and Rhodococcus and were mainly retrieved from Site 1. The multiple metal(loid)‐tolerant strains isolated in this study have potential to be used in bioremediation/phytoremediation.
Time‐resolved detection of stimulus/task‐related networks, via clustering of transient intersubject synchronization

Several methods are available for the identification of functional networks of brain areas using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time‐series. These typically assume a fixed relationship between the signal of the areas belonging to the same network during the entire time‐series (e.g., positive correlation between the areas belonging to the same network), or require a priori information about when this relationship may change (task‐dependent changes of connectivity). We present a fully data‐driven method that identifies transient network configurations that are triggered by the external input and that, therefore, include only regions involved in stimulus/task processing. Intersubject synchronization with short sliding time‐windows was used to identify if/when any area showed stimulus/task‐related responses. Next, a first clustering step grouped together areas that became engaged concurrently and repetitively during the time‐series (stimulus/task‐related networks). Finally, for each network, a second clustering step grouped together all the time‐windows with the same BOLD signal. The final output consists of a set of network configurations that show stimulus/task‐related activity at specific time‐points during the fMRI time‐series. We label these configurations: “brain modes” (bModes). The method was validated using simulated datasets and a real fMRI experiment with multiple tasks and conditions. Future applications include the investigation of brain functions using complex and naturalistic stimuli. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3404–3425, 2015. © 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Focal Transcriptional Activity of Murine Cytomegalovirus during Latency in the Lungs

ABSTRACT Interstitial pneumonia is a frequent and critical manifestation of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in immunocompromised patients, in particular in recipients of bone marrow transplantation. Previous work in the murine CMV infection model has identified the lungs as a major organ site of CMV latency and recurrence. It was open to question whether the viral genome is transcriptionally silent or active during latency. Transcription could be latency associated and thus be part of the latency phenotype. Alternatively, transcriptional activity could reflect episodes of reactivation. We demonstrate here that transcription of the immediate-early (IE) transcription unitie1-ie3 selectively generatesie1-specific transcripts during latency. Notably, while the latent viral DNA was found to be evenly distributed in the lungs, transcription was focal and randomly distributed. This finding indicates that IE transcription is not a feature inherent to murine CMV latency but rather reflects foci of primordial reactivation. However, this reactivation did not initiate productive infection, sinceie3 gene mRNA specifying the essential transactivator IE3 of murine CMV early gene expression was not detectable. Accordingly, transcripts encoding gB were absent during latency. By contrast, during induced virus recurrence, IE-phase transcription switched from focal to generalized and ie3-specific transcripts were generated. These data imply that latency and recurrence are regulated not only at the IE promoter-enhancer and that there exists an additional checkpoint at the level of precursor RNA splicing. We propose that focal transcription reflects random episodes of nonproductive reactivation that get terminated before IE3 is expressed and ignites the productive cycle.
Decreased E12 and/or E47 Transcription Factor Activity in the Bone Marrow As Well As in the Spleen of Aged Mice1

The E2A-encoded transcription factors E12 and E47 are key regulators of B cell functions. They bind to the E-box site, found in regulatory regions of B cell-specific genes; promote cell survival of early pre-B cells; help to initiate Ig rearrangements; and are also involved in class switch in mature B cells in the periphery. We have investigated the expression and function of E47 and E12 in IL-7-expanded pro-B/pre-B cell precursors and in unstimulated or LPS-activated splenic B cells from young and old BALB/c mice. Results show that B cell precursors from the bone marrow of old mice exhibit a reduced expression of E2A proteins and a reduced ability to bind DNA, as compared with young mice. In the spleen, E2A protein expression and DNA binding are present in unstimulated B cells from young mice and, to a significantly lesser extent, from old mice. These are both strongly induced by activation in splenic B cells from young mice but only moderately induced in old mice, indicating that aging affects the expression and activity of E2A-encoded genes and also that DNA binding correlates with the amount of protein expression. The levels of E2A DNA binding in the spleen correlate with those in the bone marrow for individual mice. In splenic mature B cells, only E47/E47 complexes bind DNA; whereas in bone marrow B cell precursors, E47/E12 complexes participate in DNA binding. Only nuclear extracts of splenic mature B cells, but both nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts of bone marrow B cell precursors, exhibit DNA binding.
Distribution, morphology, and synaptic targets of corticothalamic terminals in the cat lateral posterior‐pulvinar complex that originate from the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian cortex

The lateral posterior (LP) nucleus is a higher order thalamic nucleus that is believed to play a key role in the transmission of visual information between cortical areas. Two types of cortical terminals have been identified in higher order nuclei, large (type II) and smaller (type I), which have been proposed to drive and modulate, respectively, the response properties of thalamic cells (Sherman and Guillery [1998] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95:7121–7126). The aim of this study was to assess and compare the relative contribution of driver and modulator inputs to the LP nucleus that originate from the posteromedial part of the lateral suprasylvian cortex (PMLS) and area 17. To achieve this goal, the anterograde tracers biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) or Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL) were injected into area 17 or PMLS. Results indicate that area 17 injections preferentially labelled large terminals, whereas PMLS injections preferentially labelled small terminals. A detailed analysis of PMLS terminal morphology revealed at least four categories of terminals: small type I terminals (57%), medium‐sized to large singletons (30%), large terminals in arrangements of intermediate complexity (8%), and large terminals that form arrangements resembling rosettes (5%). Ultrastructural analysis and postembedding immunocytochemical staining for γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) distinguished two types of labelled PMLS terminals: small profiles with round vesicles (RS profiles) that contacted mostly non‐GABAergic dendrites outside of glomeruli and large profiles with round vesicles (RL profiles) that contacted non‐GABAergic dendrites (55%) and GABAergic dendritic terminals (45%) in glomeruli. RL profiles likely include singleton, intermediate, and rosette terminals, although future studies are needed to establish definitively the relationship between light microscopic morphology and ultrastructural features. All terminals types appeared to be involved in reciprocal corticothalamocortical connections as a result of an intermingling of terminals labelled by anterograde transport and cells labelled by retrograde transport. In conclusion, our results indicate that the origin of the driver inputs reaching the LP nucleus is not restricted to the primary visual cortex and that extrastriate visual areas might also contribute to the basic organization of visual receptive fields of neurons in this higher order nucleus. J. Comp. Neurol. 497:847–863, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Perceptions of the Pediatric Hospice Experience among English- and Spanish-Speaking Families.

OBJECTIVE Many children who die are eligible for hospice enrollment but little is known about parental perceptions of the hospice experience, the benefits, and disappointments. The objective of this study was to explore parental perspectives of the hospice experience in children with cancer, and to explore how race/ethnicity impacts this experience. STUDY DESIGN We held 20 semistructured interviews with 34 caregivers of children who died of cancer and used hospice. Interviews were conducted in the caregivers' primary language: 12 in English and 8 in Spanish. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using accepted qualitative methods. RESULTS Both English and Spanish speakers described the importance of honest, direct communication by medical providers, and anxieties surrounding the expectation of the moment of death. Five English-speaking families returned to the hospital because of unsatisfactory symptom management and the need for additional supportive services. Alternatively, Spanish speakers commonly stressed the importance of being at home and did not focus on symptom management. Both groups invoked themes of caregiver appraisal, but English-speaking caregivers more commonly discussed themes of financial hardship and fear of insurance loss, while Spanish-speakers focused on difficulties of bedside caregiving and geographic separation from family. CONCLUSIONS The intense grief associated with the loss of a child creates shared experiences, but Spanish- and English-speaking parents describe their hospice experiences in different ways. Additional studies in pediatric hospice care are warranted to improve the care we provide to children at the end of life.
Job Strain and Risk of Breast Cancer

Background: Cohort studies investigating the association between stress and breast cancer have shown highly inconsistent results. Methods: The Women’s Lifestyle and Health Cohort Study included 36,332 Swedish women age 30–50 years who were employed at baseline (1991–1992). Participants were followed through December 2004 using linkages to national registries. A total of 767 women were diagnosed with breast cancer during follow-up. Results: Among women working full-time, low job control and high job demands were weakly associated with breast cancer risk (hazard ratios of 1.2; 95% CI = 1.0–1.5). Women with both low job control and high job demands (“job strain”) had higher risk of breast cancer than women with high job control and low demands (“low strain”) (1.2; 0.9–1.6). Multivariate adjustment slightly strengthened the association between breast cancer and job strain (1.4; 1.1–1.9), whereas the associations with control and demands were unchanged. Work characteristics were unrelated to breast cancer risk among women working part-time. Discussion: There was a small increased risk of breast cancer among women in full-time employment who experienced job strain, but not among part-time workers.
Duodenal Expression of 25 Hydroxyvitamin D 3 -1 (cid:2) hydroxylase Is Higher in Adolescents Than in Children and Adults

Context: Puberty is associated with increased dietary calcium absorption. However, little is known about the metabolic adaptations that enhance calcium absorption during puberty. Objectives: To investigate duodenal 25-hydroxy vitamin D-1 (cid:2) -hydroxylase (CYP 27B1) mRNA expression and duodenal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ) production in children, adolescents, and adults. Design and Methods: CYP27B1and IGF1 mRNA expression and 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 production were determined
Beyond Hispanics: sub-ethnic differences in depression, post-traumatic distress, and suicidal ideation among patients with coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVES Our study of cardiac outpatients participating in a mental health screening program aimed to explore: a) sub-ethnic differences in the severity and/or prevalence of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation, and b) whether intrusion and avoidance symptoms of distress equally or differentially predict severity of depression among sub-ethnic groups. DESIGN Five hundred ninety Caucasian (n = 103) and immigrant Hispanic (n = 487) cardiac outpatients were recruited. Participants completed measures of depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms and were categorized into sub-ethnic groups according to regional and national origins. RESULTS For regional comparisons, South American and Caribbean Hispanic patients exhibited greater symptoms of depression than US born Caucasians (UBC). Significant differences in the proportion of patients screening positive for depression were found among regional subethnic groups. When these groups were further stratified by national origin, Colombian and Dominican patients demonstrated higher levels of depression than UBC patients. Dominican patients reported greater levels of distress than UBC patients. Significant differences in rates of positive depression screens were found among comparisons between UBC and Hispanic national sub-ethnic groups. Finally, stepwise regression analyses revealed that intrusion symptoms predicted depression severity better than avoidance symptoms among all of sub-ethnic groups tested. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that collapsing ethnic sub-groups into catchall ethnic labels may undermine high resolution screening strategies for concurrent medical and psychiatric conditions.
Thought suppression is associated with psychological distress in homebound older adults

Engaging in thought suppression as a coping mechanism has been associated with higher rates of anxiety and depressive disorders in younger adults. Homebound older adults are a population of elders experiencing poor health and high levels of depression and anxiety. It is unclear the extent to which psychological factors, such as thought suppression, are associated with distress, given that their health and disability status may be more salient. The aim of this study was to investigate thought suppression in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms in homebound older adults.
Minimum Clinically Important Difference in Diffusing Capacity of the Lungs for Carbon Monoxide Among Patients with Severe and Very Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract Background: The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) has not yet been solidly established. Methods: We used the dataset of surgical cohort of National Emphysema Treatment Trial. Briefly, severe and very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who were candidate for volume reduction surgery and who could provide sufficient data at 12-month follow-up were included. We used two anchor methods using 6-minute walk distance (6MWD. MCID = 40 m) and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1. MCID = 100 ml) as anchors, and two distribution methods. We proposed MCID with a median of estimated values. We estimated MCID for DLCO in raw value and % change from the baseline independently. Results: The surgical cohort included 356 patients, whose average age was 66.6 ± 5.5 years, and the average % predicted FEV1 was 27.8 ± 7.3%. The estimated MCID for DLCO in raw value and % change from the baseline were as follows: anchor method (average, 6MWD) 1.2 ml/min/mmHg, 17%; anchor method (average, FEV1) 0.7 ml/min/mmHg, 11%; anchor method (receiver operating characteristic, 6MWD) 1.1 ml/min/mmHg, 10%; anchor method (receiver operating characteristic, FEV1) 1.2 ml/min/mmHg, 3%; distribution method (0.3 units of standard deviation), 0.9 ml/min/mmHg, 11%; distribution method (standard error of measurement), 1.1 ml/min/mmHg. The median of these values was 1.1 ml/min/mmHg and 11%. Conclusion: We estimated the group-level MCID for DLCO for patients with severe and very severe COPD patients as 1.1 ml/min/mmHg and 11% of baseline DLCO.
Portal hypertensive enteropathy before and after variceal obliteration: an endoscopic, histopathologic and immunohistochemical study.

AIM To study portal hypertensive enteropathy (PHE) before and after the obliteration of esophageal varices. METHODS 30 patients with portal hypertension and esophageal varices were included. Band ligation was performed for every patient until the obliteration of esophageal varices. Enteroscopy and biopsies from gastric, duodenal and jejunal mucosa were taken at the beginning of the study and after variceal obliteration. Morphometric measurement of mean vascular areas and estimation of tissue vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were also completed. RESULTS The number of patients with enteropathy increased from 6.6% before obliteration to 46.7% after variceal obliteration (p< 0.001). Angiogenesis, vascular ectasia and blood extravasation were the main histopathological findings and all increased significantly after variceal obliteration. The mean vascular area of ectatic vessels in the gastric, duodenal and jejunal biopsies also increased after variceal obliteration. The mean VEGF in the gastric, duodenal and jejunal biopsies increased after variceal obliteration. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration were significantly lower after variceal obliteration. CONCLUSION the portal hypertensive enteropathic changes increased in frequency and severity after esophageal variceal obliteration with a probability of causing anemia.
Critical Conditions for Phytoplankton Blooms

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Decentralized Management of Random Walks over a Mobile Phone Network

Gossip learning is a form of decentralized stochastic gradient descent search that is implemented through randomized walks within a network. Our goal is to enable one to deploy gossip learning in open distributed systems, for example, in overlay networks formed by mobile devices, where different data mining tasks could be launched by many users. Among the many problems this long term goal raises, here we focus on the problem of running many random walks simultaneously. This is a challenging problem in itself in a decentralized setting because all the walks have to be persistent (they have to perform many hops) and agile (they need to move quickly). At the same time, the solution must take hard bandwidth constraints into account. Here, we propose a protocol to manage O(n) random walks in a network of n nodes. Although our motivation is gossip learning, this protocol may be viewed as a general middleware service for the management of walks over networks. A key element of our protocol is a multi-level restarting mechanism designed to prevent the failure of random walks due to node churn, while respecting a set of bandwidth constraints. Here, we simulate our solution using a trace collected from real smartphones. We demonstrate that the random walks are kept alive and are run at close to optimal speed under the given bandwidth constraints.