Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for meeting the communication needs of persons with severe disabilities. National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities.

In summary, the current best practices in the facilitation and enhancement of communication among persons with severe disabilities reflect six major tenets: (a) communication is social behavior; (b) effective communicative acts can be produced in a variety of modes; (c) appropriate communicative functions are those that are useful in enabling individuals with disabilities to participate productively in interactions with other people; (d) effective intervention must also include efforts to modify the physical and social elements of environments in ways that ensure that these environments will invite, accept, and respond to the communicative acts of persons with severe disabilities; (e) effective intervention must fully utilize the naturally occurring interactive contexts (e.g., educational, living, leisure, and work) that are experienced by persons with severe disabilities; and (f) service delivery must involve family members or guardians and professional and paraprofessional personnel. These six tenets have resulted in assessment, intervention, and service delivery models that offer maximum responsiveness to the need to establish communicative repertoires that will allow persons with severe disabilities to function effectively in least restrictive environments--in productive interactions with others.
High protein, saturated fat and cholesterol diet, and low levels of serum lipids in colorectal cancer

In a case‐control study probing the role of diet on the occurrence of colorectal cancer and undertaken in Athens, Greece, sera were collected from 100 cases and 100 controls, and serum total cholesterol, high‐density‐lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were determined. The biochemical results were analyzed in conjunction with nutrient intakes and a dietary score that summarizes in a linear way the dietary contrast between high‐risk (high protein, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol; low vegetable) and low‐risk (low protein, saturated fat and cholesterol; high vegetable) patterns. Cases with colorectal cancer had significantly (p < 0.001) and substantially lower values of serum total cholesterol and particularly HDL cholesterol, but these associations did not reflect dietary practices, since protein intake and, to a lesser (and nonsignificant) extent, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol intake were higher among cases than among controls. In absolute terms, the dietary effect (as summarized in the linear dietary score) is more evident among persons with low serum total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol than among those with high levels of these serum lipids. These results indicate that a diet beneficial with respect to the risk of coronary heart disease is also likely to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, even though low levels of serum total cholesterol and particularly HDL cholesterol represent important independent correlates of clinically overt colorectal cancer.
Effects of diffusion anisotropy on lesion delineation in a rat model of cerebral ischemia

The effects of white and gray matter diffusion anisotropy on ischemic lesion delineation have been studied in the rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps obtained by conventional pulsed gradient spin echo diffusion‐weighted imaging (PGSE‐DWI) were compared with maps of the trace of the diffusion tensor in both normal and occluded animals. Diffusion tensor trace maps were derived from the average of the ADC maps from three separate experiments with diffusion weighting along three orthogonal axes, and also from a single‐scan method. A marked degree of diffusion anisotropy was observed in both cortical gray matter and white matter from ADC maps of the control animals. In the occluded animals, the systematic effects of anisotropy on ADC and lesion area influenced the delineation of the ischemic territory in the PGSE‐DWI ADC maps. However, the two trace methods eliminated these effects and gave consistent ischemic lesion depiction, despite the use of differing diffusion times in the two measurements.
On the Mixed Indirect Effects of Oil Prices on International Trade

This study concentrates on the indirect effects of oil prices on the international trade of oil‐exporting countries and their trade partners. We analysed the total imports of the leading oil‐exporting countries (Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Mexico) and exports of the major trade partners exporting to them (China, United States, India, France, Korea, Germany and Japan). VAR models, Granger Causality Tests, Impulse Response Function and Variance Decomposition analysis are used as empirical methods. We find that oil price increases have a negative impact on the imports of oil‐exporting countries in general. However, effects on the exports of their trade partners are varied across the countries. Oil prices have positive indirect effects on the foreign trade of China, India and France while a negative effect is observed for Korea and the United States.
Corporate Governance and Capital Structure: A Spanish Study

This study explores the relationship between capital structure and corporate governance using a data panel of Spanish listed firms over the period 2005 to 2011. Specifically, two notable conflicts in the area of corporate governance have been analysed: (i) managerial ownership; and (ii) controlling shareholders ownership. Our findings confirm a non-monotonic relationship between both managerial ownership and ownership concentration, and capital structure. In order to mitigate endogeneity concerns, a number of robustness tests have been performed. The empirical evidence obtained yields a number of implications such as the shareholders' need to monitor entrenched managers, the insufficient protective legislation to prevent the expropriation of minority shareholders and the desirability of examining corporate governance factors in order to better understand a firm's financial policy.
A Method for the Inclusion of Sphenoidal Electrodes in Realistic EEG Source Imaging

Summary: Although EEG source imaging (ESI) has become more popular over the last few years, sphenoidal electrodes (SPE) have never been incorporated in ESI using realistic head models. This is in part because of the true locations of these electrodes are not exactly known. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of determining the true locations of SPE and incorporating this information into realistic ESI. The impact of including these electrodes in ESI in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is also discussed. Seventeen patients were retrospectively selected for this study. To determine the positions of SPE in each case, two orthogonal x-rays (sagittal and coronal) of the SPE needle stilette were taken in the presence of previously digitized scalp electrodes. An in-house computer program was then used to find the locations of the tip of the needle stilette relative to the surface electrodes. These locations were then incorporated in a realistic head model based on the finite element method. EEG source imaging was then performed using averaged spikes for included patients suspected of having mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Including SPE significantly shifted the ESI result even in the presence of subtemporal electrodes, resulting in an inferior and mesial displacement.
Factors Associated with Domestic Violence against Rural Bangladeshi Women

This study examines the causes of domestic violence against rural Bangladeshi women. By drawing on thirty-nine semi-structured in-depth interviews through phenomenological approach of qualitative study, conducted in eight rural settings in Netrokona and Mymensingh districts, it was found that every experience of the women with domestic violence has a context or contexts. Broadly, the prominent causes of domestic violence were identified as dowry-demand, polygamy and extramarital relations, in-laws syndrome, childless and sonless state, questioning husbands, and not meeting the husbands’ and in-laws’ expectations. Patriarchal structure and system of the society are broadly and dominantly interwoven in every factor of domestic violence. Making structural changes to women’s subordination is the most important strategic response to eliminate or prevent domestic violence from the society.
Resilient routing using MPLS and ECMP

The increasing commercial importance of the Internet together with a rising number of real-time and mission-critical applications make fast resilience mechanisms a major issue for IP network planning and operation. Current IP-layer rerouting is too slow to meet these requirements. Therefore we propose a new approach combining two protocols readily available in every router: The fast local reaction of the equal-cost-multiple-path extension of OSPF operating on a network with its connectivity enhanced by the introduction of a limited number of MPLS paths in critical areas of the topology. We describe an algorithm for the determination of these MPLS paths and its optimization to obtain an equal loading of the physical network links. Numerical results on the basis of real network topologies show that already a small number of MPLS paths can offer sufficient connectivity for fast protection via ECMP. Furthermore, it can be proven that the bandwidth overhead necessary for this enhanced network resilience is as small as possible.
Role of fetal echocardiography in stepwise sequential screening for chromosomal disorders (combined test associated with modified genetic sonography)

Objectives: To evaluate the contribution made by fetal echocardiography in identifying Down’s syndrome (DS) and other chromosomal disorders in a stepwise sequential screening method (first step: combined test (CT), second step: modified genetic sonography (MGS) (major malformation and nuchal fold)), for DS in the general population of pregnant women. Methods: Prospective study. During a 5-year study period (July 2005–June 2010) 17,911 pregnant women underwent CTs with MGS (with fetal cardiac morphological evaluation performed by obstetricians in a tertiary hospital) as a screening method for DS. We evaluated the sensitivity and false positive rate (FPR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of three screening methods for DS and all chromosomal disorders: CT, CT + MGS, and CT + fetal echocardiography. Results: A total of 17,911 cases were analyzed with 67 chromosome disorders and 45 DS cases being found. For DS, the CT sensitivity was 80% (95% CI; 68.3–91.7) (36/45) and 79.1% (95% CI; 69.4–88.8) (53/67) for all chromosome disorders, with a FPR of 4.2% (95% CI; 3.9–4.5) (752/17,866) and 4.1% (95% CI; 3.8–4.4) (735/17,844), respectively. For CT + MSG and CT + fetal echocardiography, the sensitivity for DS was 93.3% (95% CI; 85.9–0.99) (42/45) and 95.5% (95% CI; 90.5–0.99) (64/67) for all chromosome disorders. The FPR for CT + MSG was 4.8% (95% CI; 4.5–5.1) (860/17,866) and 4.6% (95% CI; 4.3–4.9) (836/17,844), respectively. The FPR of CT + fetal echocardiography was 4.4% (95% CI; 4.1–4.7) (792/17,866) for DS screening and 4.3% (95% CI; 4–4.6) (770/17,844) for chromosome abnormality screening. Conclusions: Fetal echocardiography is highly capable of identifying DS and other chromosomal disorders as a part of genetic sonography in stepwise sequential screening.
Differential Regulation of Dynein and Kinesin Motor Proteins by Tau

Dynein and kinesin motor proteins transport cellular cargoes toward opposite ends of microtubule tracks. In neurons, microtubules are abundantly decorated with microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) such as tau. Motor proteins thus encounter MAPs frequently along their path. To determine the effects of tau on dynein and kinesin motility, we conducted single-molecule studies of motor proteins moving along tau-decorated microtubules. Dynein tended to reverse direction, whereas kinesin tended to detach at patches of bound tau. Kinesin was inhibited at about a tenth of the tau concentration that inhibited dynein, and the microtubule-binding domain of tau was sufficient to inhibit motor activity. The differential modulation of dynein and kinesin motility suggests that MAPs can spatially regulate the balance of microtubule-dependent axonal transport.
Quantitation of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase expression by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Several recent studies have reported a correlation between intratumor dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). However, significant tissue requirements and labor-intensive methodology have limited the large-scale studies necessary for statistical validation. In addition, the semiquantitative results obtained by these methods further limit their application. We have developed a real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay, based on TaqMan fluorescence methodology, capable of rapid and accurate quantitation of DPD mRNA levels in biopsy-sized tissue samples. Results obtained with this approach indicate a linear dynamic range of 10(8)-10(3) DPD mRNA copies, with an intra-assay variation of <5%. We evaluated the data using three different methods (absolute standard curve, relative standard curve, and comparative C(T)) and show them to be equivalent. This RT-PCR assay was validated by quantitative comparison to Northern blot analysis in five tissues. In addition, analysis of 18 colorectal tumor and liver tissue specimens demonstrated a significant correlation (r(2) = 0.90) between DPD enzyme activity and mRNA levels. This method provides the first high-throughput, reproducible, and sensitive technique capable of determining DPD mRNA expression levels in nanogram amounts of total RNA.
In vitro mutagenesis of a full-length cDNA clone of Semliki Forest virus: the small 6,000-molecular-weight membrane protein modulates virus release

We report on the construction of a full-length cDNA clone of Semliki Forest virus (SFV). By placing the cDNA under the SP6 promoter, infectious RNA can be produced in vitro and used to transfect cells to initiate virus infection. To achieve efficient transfections, a new protocol for electroporation of RNA was developed. This method gave up to 500-fold improvement over the traditional DEAE-dextran transfection procedure. Since virtually 100% of the cells can be transfected by electroporation, this method is a useful tool for detailed biochemical studies of null mutations of SFV that abolish production of infections virus particles. We used the cDNA clone of SFV to study what effects a deletion of the 6,000-molecular-weight membrane protein (6K membrane protein) had on virus replication. The small 6K protein is part of the structural precursor molecule (C-p62-6K-E1) of the virus. Our results conclusively show that the 6K protein is not needed for the heterodimerization of the p62 and E1 spike membrane proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, nor is it needed for their transport out to the cell surface. The absence of the 6K protein did, however, result in a dramatic reduction in virus release, suggesting that the protein exerts its function late in the assembly pathway, possibly during virus budding.
Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Prostate Cancer Survival

Background: Recent epidemiologic evidence suggests that higher circulating vitamin D does not protect against prostate cancer and, in fact, may increase the risk of developing this malignancy. However, few studies have examined the most clinically relevant outcome, prostate cancer mortality. Methods: We examined prediagnostic serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) and prostate cancer survival in a cohort of 1,000 cases in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study. During 23 years of follow-up, 363 men died from their disease. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of death from prostate cancer by season-specific quintile of 25(OH)D. Multivariable models were adjusted for age, physical activity, cigarettes per day, and family history of prostate cancer. Results: Men with higher serum 25(OH)D were less likely to die from their prostate cancer (Q5 vs. Q1 HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52–0.99; Ptrend = 0.006). This finding was independent of stage or grade at diagnosis and appeared restricted to men who survived longer (survived <3.3 years: Q5 vs. Q1 HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.61–1.50; Ptrend, 0.53; survived ≥3.3 years: Q5 vs. Q1 HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.34–0.85; Ptrend, 0.0002). Conclusions: In this population of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, higher serum 25(OH)D years prior to diagnosis was associated with longer prostate cancer survival. Impact: In light of inconsistent evidence regarding the role of vitamin D in the development of prostate cancer, the present findings regarding the most clinically relevant prostate cancer outcome, disease-specific mortality, could have important public health implications. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(4); 665–9. ©2016 AACR.
Web Application Scanners: A Review of Related Articles [Essay]

This article mainly focuses on a new type of tool called "Web application scanners. " Detailed information about this tool and its behavior, functionality, and require ments is presented here. In order to know what security is, what different tools are available, and what Web scanners can do, this article explains the functional requirements and gives us an idea on what a scanner should basically do when used for security purposes.
Jordanian married Muslim women's intentions to use oral contraceptives.

BACKGROUND High fertility rates and moderate to low contraceptive use in the Arab Islamic countries, and Jordan in particular, are issues of international nursing importance. AIM By using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as the conceptual framework, the relationships between married Jordanian Muslim women's previous contraceptive use, type of experience, and intention to use oral contraceptives (OCs) were examined. The relationship between selected demographic variables and intention to use OCs was also examined. METHODS The study was part of a large cross-sectional survey. The Intention to Use Oral Contraceptive Tool was used to elicit participants' intentions and beliefs regarding oral contraceptive use. SAMPLE The study sample was composed of 245 Jordanian married Muslim women. RESULTS Results revealed a significant relationship between previous oral contraceptive use and intention to use OCs. The relationships between type of experience, whether successful or unsuccessful, with previous OC use, and intention to use OCs were not significant. CONCLUSION Nursing implications regarding the provision of family planning services that are sensitive to Jordanian Muslim women's religious preferences are discussed.
Skin sodium measured with 23Na MRI at 7.0 T

Skin sodium (Na+) storage, as a physiologically important regulatory mechanism for blood pressure, volume regulation and, indeed, survival, has recently been rediscovered. This has prompted the development of MRI methods to assess Na+ storage in humans (23Na MRI) at 3.0 T. This work examines the feasibility of high in‐plane spatial resolution 23Na MRI in skin at 7.0 T. A two‐channel transceiver radiofrequency (RF) coil array tailored for skin MRI at 7.0 T (f = 78.5 MHz) is proposed. Specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations and a thorough assessment of RF power deposition were performed to meet the safety requirements. Human skin was examined in an in vivo feasibility study using two‐dimensional gradient echo imaging. Normal male adult volunteers (n = 17; mean ± standard deviation, 46 ± 18 years; range, 20–79 years) were investigated. Transverse slices of the calf were imaged with 23Na MRI using a high in‐plane resolution of 0.9 × 0.9 mm2. Skin Na+ content was determined using external agarose standards covering a physiological range of Na+ concentrations. To assess the intra‐subject reproducibility, each volunteer was examined three to five times with each session including a 5‐min walk and repositioning/preparation of the subject. The age dependence of skin Na+ content was investigated. The 23Na RF coil provides improved sensitivity within a range of 1 cm from its surface versus a volume RF coil which facilitates high in‐plane spatial resolution imaging of human skin. Intra‐subject variability of human skin Na+ content in the volunteer population was <10.3%. An age‐dependent increase in skin Na+ content was observed (r = 0.78). The assignment of Na+ stores with 23Na MRI techniques could be improved at 7.0 T compared with current 3.0 T technology. The benefits of such improvements may have the potential to aid basic research and clinical applications designed to unlock questions regarding the Na+ balance and Na+ storage function of skin. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Symbiotic Innovation in the Oxymonad Streblomastix strix

Abstract Streblomastix strix is an enigmatic oxymonad found exclusively in the hindgut of the damp-wood termite Zootermopsis. Streblomastix has a number of unusual morphological characters and forms a complex but poorly understood symbiosis with epibiotic bacteria. Here we described the ultrastructure of S. strix, with emphasis on the axial cytoskeleton and cell-cell associations, in its normal state and when treated with antibiotics. In untreated cells, epibiotic bacteria were orderly arranged end-to-end on six or seven longitudinal vanes, giving S. strix a stellate appearance in transverse section. The epibiotic bacteria were unusually long bacilli of at least three different morphotypes. Bacteria adhered to the oxymonad host by distinct cell-cell junctions that protruded between the poles of adjacent epibiotic bacteria. Treating termites with the antibiotic carbenicillin led to the loss of most (but not all) of the bacteria and the transformation of S. strix from a long slender cell to a teardrop-shaped cell, where the axostyle was compacted and became bifurcated near the posterior end.
CD4+ T cell regulation of CD25 expression controls development of short-lived effector CD8+ T cells in primary and secondary responses

Both CD4+ T cell help and IL-2 have been postulated to “program” activated CD8+ T cells for memory cell development. However, the linkage between these two signals has not been well elucidated. Here we have studied effector and memory CD8+ T cell differentiation following infection with three pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, vesicular stomatitis virus, and vaccinia virus) in the absence of both CD4+ T cells and IL-2 signaling. We found that expression of CD25 on antigen-specific CD8+ T cells peaked 3–4 days after initial priming and was dependent on CD4+ T cell help, likely through a CD28:CD80/86 mediated pathway. CD4+ T cell or CD25-deficiency led to normal early effector CD8+ T cell differentiation, but a subsequent lack of accumulation of CD8+ T cells resulting in overall decreased memory cell generation. Interestingly, in both primary and recall responses KLRG1high CD127low short-lived effector cells were drastically diminished in the absence of IL-2 signaling, although memory precursors remained intact. In contrast to previous reports, upon secondary antigen encounter CD25-deficient CD8+ T cells were capable of undergoing robust expansion, but short-lived effector development was again impaired. Thus, these results demonstrated that CD4+ T cell help and IL-2 signaling were linked via CD25 up-regulation, which controls the expansion and differentiation of antigen-specific effector CD8+ T cells, rather than “programming” memory cell traits.