Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of a brief tobacco-use cessation intervention in public health dental clinics.

BACKGROUND Public health dental clinic patients use tobacco at disproportionately high rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a tobacco-use cessation program delivered via public health dental practitioners. METHODS Two public health dental clinics participated in this quasiexperimental design study. First, all patients in one clinic who used tobacco (n = 178) received usual care. Next, the authors trained all practitioners to conduct a tobacco-use assessment and provide a brief cessation intervention. Subsequently, all patients in both clinics who used tobacco (N = 190) received the intervention. All enrolled patients had an income at or below the federal poverty level. The authors conducted follow-up assessments at six weeks and three and six months after enrollment. RESULTS Differences in self-reported quitting by condition between participants in the two groups were significant across all endpoints. Patients in the intervention group were more likely to quit than those receiving usual care (15.5 versus 4.3 percent) and after 12 months (18.8 versus 4.6 percent). Controlling for enrollment differences between patients in the two groups (age, race/ethnicity, time to first cigarette after waking), the authors found that differences between groups were significant for quitting at three months (P < .05; odds ratio [OR] = 4.85; 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.20, 19.60), and six months (P < . 01; OR = 5.25; 95 percent CI = 1.35, 20.36). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest the viability and effectiveness of delivering a tobacco intervention to low-income smokers via public dental practitioners. A randomized clinical trial is warranted. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The potential reach of public health dental clinics is great. Because of the high percentage of tobacco-using patients in these clinics, the public health impact of a program such as the one reported here would be significant.
The comparative selectivity of adjuvants for humoral and cell-mediated immunity. I. Effect on the antibody response to bovine serum albumin and sheep red blood cells of Freund's incomplete and complete adjuvants, alhydrogel, Corynebacterium parvum, Bordetella pertussis, muramyl dipeptide and saponin

A comparison was made of seven recognized adjuvants, Freund's incomplete and complete, alhydrogel, Corynebacterium parvum, Bordetella pertussis, muramyl dipeptide and saponin, administered with BSA or SRBC by the S.C. route of immunization. Strong selectivity as well as differences in potency were revealed in relation to these two antigens. Only FIA, FCA, alhydrogel and MDP promoted the primary response to 50 microgram of BSA, and FIA was significantly superior to FCA. Immunological memory to a low dose (0.5 microgram) of BSA, which did not evoke a primary response with any adjuvant, was potentiated by alhydrogel and by MDP and, relatively poorly, by FIA. Radioimmunoelectrophoresis showed that potentiation of the response with MDP was confined to IgG1, whereas alhydrogel, FIA and FCA stimulated both IgG1 and IgG2. Saponin was outstandingly the best adjuvant for both primary and secondary haemagglutinin responses to SRBC. Of the others, alhydrogel for the primary, and alhydrogel and B. pertussis for the secondary were active to a lesser degree. The results show that the relative potency of adjuvants differs markedly according to the antigen used, and suggest that saponin may be a particularly effective adjuvant for antigens in cell membranes.
Diversity of the Ring-Cleaving Dioxygenase GenepcaH in a Salt Marsh Bacterial Community

ABSTRACT Degradation of lignin-related aromatic compounds is an important ecological process in the highly productive salt marshes of the southeastern United States, yet little is known about the mediating organisms or their catabolic pathways. Here we report the diversity of a gene encoding a key ring-cleaving enzyme of the β-ketoadipate pathway, pcaH, amplified from bacterial communities associated with decaying Spartina alterniflora, the salt marsh grass that dominates these coastal systems, as well as from enrichment cultures with aromatic substrates (p-hydroxybenzoate, anthranilate, vanillate, and dehydroabietate). Sequence analysis of 149 pcaH clones revealed 85 unique sequences. Thirteen of the 53 amino acid residues compared were invariant in the PcaH proteins, suggesting that these residues have a required catalytic or structural function. Fifty-eight percent of the clones matched sequences amplified from a collection of 36 bacterial isolates obtained from seawater, marine sediments, or senescent Spartina. Fifty-two percent of thepcaH clones could be assigned to the roseobacter group, a marine lineage of the class α-Proteobacteria abundant in coastal ecosystems. Another 6% of the clones matched genes retrieved from isolates belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Bacillus, and Stappia, and 42% of the clones could not be assigned to a cultured bacterium based on sequence identity. These results suggest that the diversity of the genes encoding a single step in aromatic compound degradation in the coastal marsh examined is high.
Measuring Professionalism: A Review of Studies with Instruments Reported in the Literature between 1982 and 2002

Purpose To describe the measurement properties of instruments reported in the literature that faculty might use to measure professionalism in medical students and residents. Method The authors reviewed studies published between 1982 and 2002 that had been located using Medline and four other databases. A national panel of 12 experts in measurement and research in medical education extracted data from research reports using a structured critique form. Results A total of 134 empirical studies related to the concept of professionalism were identified. The content of 114 involved specific elements of professionalism, such as ethics, humanism, and multiculturalism, or associated phenomena in the educational environment such as abuse and cheating. Few studies addressed professionalism as a comprehensive construct (11 studies) or as a distinct facet of clinical competence (nine studies). The purpose of 109 studies was research or program evaluation, rather than summative or formative assessment. Sixty five used self-administered instruments with no independent observation of the participants’ professional behavior. Evidence of reliability was reported in 62 studies. Although content validity was reported in 86 studies, only 34 provided strong evidence. Evidence of concurrent or predictive validity was provided in 43 and 16 studies, respectively. Conclusions There are few well-documented studies of instruments that can be used to measure professionalism in formative or summative evaluation. When evaluating the tools described in published research it is essential for faculty to look critically for evidence related to the three fundamental measurement properties of content validity, reliability, and practicality.
Analysis of the multimer resolution system encoded by the parCBA operon of broad‐host‐range plasmid RP4

The broad‐host‐range plasmid RP4 encodes a highly efficient partitioning function, termed par, that is capable of stabilizing plasmids in a variety of Gram‐negative bacteria independently of the nature of the replicon. The mechanism responsible for plasmid stabilization by this locus appears to be a complex system which includes a site‐specific recombination system mediating resolution of plasmid multimers. In this report we present a detailed study on this multimer resolution system (mrs). The parA gene encodes two forms of a resolvase capable of catalysing site‐specific recombination between specific sites situated in the promoter region of the parCBA operon. The two ParA proteins that are produced as a result of independent translation initiation at two different start codons within the same open reading frame were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and partially purified. Both forms of the enzyme are able to recombine a supercoiled cointegrate substrate containing two cis‐acting elements with the same orientation in an in vitro resolution assay. ParA‐mediated, site‐specific recombination was found to be independent of any other gene product encoded by the RP4 par locus in vitro and in vivo. The DNA‐binding sites for the ParA resolvase were determined using DNase I protection experiments. The results identified three binding sites within the mrs cis‐acting region. Both the biochemical properties of the ParA protein and the organization of the cis‐acting recombination site revealed a high degree of similarity to the site‐specific recombination systems of Tn3‐llke transposable elements suggesting an evolutionary retationship.
Physician Views on Practicing Professionalism in the Corporate Age

Arnold Relman argues that medical education does not prepare students and residents to practice their profession in today’s corporate health care system. Corporate health care administrators agree: Physicians enter the workforce unskilled in contract negotiation, evidence-based medicine, navigating bureaucratic systems, and so forth. What about practicing physicians? Do they agree as well? According to this study, they do. Feeling like decentered double agents and unprepared, physicians find themselves professionally lost, struggling to balance issues of cost and care and expressing lots of negativity toward the cultures of medicine and managed care. However, physicians are resilient. A group of physicians, who may be called proactive, are meeting the professional demands of corporate health care by becoming sophisticated about its bureaucratic organization and the ways in which their professional and personal commitments fit within the system. Following the lead of proactive physicians, the authors support Relman’s thesis that education for both students and physicians requires a major overhaul.
Peptides corresponding to helices 5 and 6 of Bax can independently form large lipid pores

Proteins of the B‐cell lymphoma protein 2 (Bcl2) family are key regulators of the apoptotic cascade, controlling the release of apoptotic factors from the mitochondrial intermembrane space. A helical hairpin found in the core of water‐soluble folds of these proteins has been reported to be the pore‐forming domain. Here we show that peptides including any of the two α‐helix fragments of the hairpin of Bcl2 associated protein X (Bax) can independently induce release of large labelled dextrans from synthetic lipid vesicles. The permeability promoted by these peptides is influenced by intrinsic monolayer curvature and accompanied by fast transbilayer redistribution of lipids, supporting a toroidal pore mechanism as in the case of the full‐length protein. However, compared with the pores made by complete Bax, the pores made by the Bax peptides are smaller and do not need the concerted action of tBid. These data indicate that the sequences of both fragments of the hairpin contain the principal physicochemical requirements for pore formation, showing a parallel between the permeabilization mechanism of a complex regulated protein system, such as Bax, and the much simpler pore‐forming antibiotic peptides.
A “ Green ” Approach to Synthesis of trans-4-Methoxycinnamic acid in the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory

A green Knoevenagel reaction is described utilizing microwave irradiation. Students prepare trans-4methoxycinnamic acid from malonic acid and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (p-anisaldehyde) with ammonium acetate as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions. The product is purified by recrystallization and analyzed by proton NMR. The proton NMR spectrum allows students to determine the substitution pattern of the benzene ring and relative stereochemistry of the double bond through examination of the splitting pattern and coupling constants. The principles of green chemistry are demonstrated through use of low hazard reactants and reagents. The solvents used in purification of the product are derived from renewable resources and are biodegradable. Furthermore, the use of solvent-free conditions and microwave heating demonstrate resource conservation and waste reduction techniques.
Inhibition of RhoA/Rho kinase pathway and smooth muscle contraction by hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in smooth muscle relaxation. Here, we investigated the expression of enzymes in H2S synthesis and the mechanism regulating colonic smooth muscle function by H2S. Expression of cystathionine‐γ‐lyase (CSE), but not cystathionine‐β‐synthase (CBS), was identified in the colonic smooth muscle of rabbit, mouse, and human. Carbachol (CCh)‐induced contraction in rabbit muscle strips and isolated muscle cells was inhibited by l‐cysteine (substrate of CSE) and NaHS (an exogenous H2S donor) in a concentration‐dependent fashion. H2S induced S‐sulfhydration of RhoA that was associated with inhibition of RhoA activity. CCh‐induced Rho kinase activity also was inhibited by l‐cysteine and NaHS in a concentration‐dependent fashion. Inhibition of CCh‐induced contraction by l‐cysteine was blocked by the CSE inhibitor, dl‐propargylglycine (DL‐PPG) in dispersed muscle cells. Inhibition of CCh‐induced Rho kinase activity by l‐cysteine was blocked by CSE siRNA in cultured cells and DL‐PPG in dispersed muscle cells. Stimulation of Rho kinase activity and muscle contraction in response to CCh was also inhibited by l‐cysteine or NaHS in colonic muscle cells from mouse and human. Collectively, our studies identified the expression of CSE in colonic smooth muscle and determined that sulfhydration of RhoA by H2S leads to inhibition of RhoA and Rho kinase activities and muscle contraction. The mechanism identified may provide novel therapeutic approaches to mitigate gastrointestinal motility disorders.
Diagnosis of Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Comparison of the Arterial, the Portal, and the Combined Set Using 64-Section Computed Tomography

Objectives: To compare the respective capabilities of the arterial, the portal, and the combined set in the detection and localization of acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding with 64-section computed tomography (CT). Methods: A total of 46 patients with acute GI bleeding and who had undergone both 64-section CT and digital subtraction angiography were included in this study. The results of angiography were used as a reference standard. Two radiologists independently reviewed the 3 sets of CT images (arterial set, the unenhanced and arterial-phase images; portal set, the unenhanced and portal venous-phase images; combined set, the unenhanced and arterial-phase and portal venous-phase images). The diagnostic accuracy was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: For each observer, the Az values were 0.915 and 0.931 for the arterial set, 0.903 and 0.933 for the portal set, and 0.919 and 0.911 for the combined set, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant among the 3 data sets for each observer (P > 0.05). Both observers correctly detected the bleeding site in 81.3% and 84.4% on the arterial set, in 81.3% and 84.4% on the portal set, and in 84.4% and 84.4% on the combined set, respectively. Conclusions: Using 64-section CT, the diagnostic performance was not different among the arterial, the portal, and the combined set for the detection and localization of acute GI bleeding.
ERBB2 gene amplification detected by fluorescent differential polymerase chain reaction in paraffin‐embedded breast carcinoma tissues

For quantificative determination of ERBB2 gene amplification in archival human carcinoma specimens we have developed a rapid, non‐radioactive approach, which is based on the differential polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fluorescent DNA technique. Sequences from the ERBB2 gene and from a singlecopy reference gene were amplified simultaneously by PCR, in which one of each primer pair was fluorescently labelled. PCR products were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in an automated DNA sequencer and directly quantified after laser activation and emission scanning using appropriate software. This fluorescent differential polymerase chain reaction (fd‐PCR) method was used for quantificative determination of ERBB2 gene amplification in 195 formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded breast carcinoma tissues. ERBB2 gene amplification was found in 52 (26%) of these tumors and correlated significantly with tumor size, absence of estrogen receptor (ER) and pS2 expression, but not with absence of progesterone receptor (PR) or presence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF‐R) expression, lymph‐node metastases or grading. In univariate analysis, ERBB2 gene amplification showed no significant correlation with clinical outcome, either in the whole population or in the subgroup defined by positive axillary lymph‐node metastases. However, within the node‐negative subgroup, patients with ERBB2 gene amplification had significantly decreased relapse‐free survival and overall survival (p < 0.05). The fd‐PCR assay is a valuable tool for determination of amplification of ERBB2 gene as well as further oncogenes. In this way, more detailed information about individual tumor biology may be acquired by a routine assay. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Deconvolution Protocol for ChIP-Seq Reveals Analogous Enhancer Structures on the Mouse and Human Ribosomal RNA Genes

The combination of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation and Massively Parallel Sequencing, or ChIP-Seq, has greatly advanced our genome-wide understanding of chromatin and enhancer structures. However, its resolution at any given genetic locus is limited by several factors. In applying ChIP-Seq to the study of the ribosomal RNA genes, we found that a major limitation to resolution was imposed by the underlying variability in sequence coverage that very often dominates the protein–DNA interaction profiles. Here, we describe a simple numerical deconvolution approach that, in large part, corrects for this variability, and significantly improves both the resolution and quantitation of protein–DNA interaction maps deduced from ChIP-Seq data. This approach has allowed us to determine the in vivo organization of the RNA polymerase I preinitiation complexes that form at the promoters and enhancers of the mouse (Mus musculus) and human (Homo sapiens) ribosomal RNA genes, and to reveal a phased binding of the HMG-box factor UBF across the rDNA. The data identify and map a “Spacer Promoter” and associated stalled polymerase in the intergenic spacer of the human ribosomal RNA genes, and reveal a very similar enhancer structure to that found in rodents and lower vertebrates.
Individual tree crown (ITC) delineation using watershed transformation algorithm for tropical lowland dipterocarp

Tropical forest embraces a large stock of carbon and contributes to the enormous amount of above and below ground biomass in the global carbon cycle. Very high resolution imagery (VHR) satellite imagery can provide new opportunities to estimate the biomass and carbon stock of the forest area using crown projection area (CPA) as one of the predictor variable for accurately estimation the biophysical of the individual trees. Using multi-resolution segmentation resulted in inclusive accuracy of 82% in 1:1 correspondence and 78% segmentation accuracy with 21% error was observed from goodness of fit (D) value. Watershed transformation algorithm had been proven that suitable to be used to delineate the tree crown of the tropical lowland Dipterocarp forest area. In this study, data had been collected in tropical lowland Dipterocarp Royal Belum Forest Reserve, Perak State, Malaysia. The dominant species of this studies comes from families Dipterocarpaceae, Myrtaceae, Fabaceae and Lauraceae. A circular plot of 500 m2 area with a 12.62 m radius had been used during forest inventory data collection. This paper offer a methodology and accuracy assessment for measuring the crown delineation for tropical forest inventory data using very high resolution imagery(VHR) assembly to accomplish the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) monitoring, reporting and verification process.
Attitudes Toward International Harmonization Efforts: A Cross-Cultural Study.

ix CHAPTER ONE OVERVIEW OF THE S T U D Y . 1 Background . 3 Accounting and the International Environment . 3 IASC and Exposure Draft 3 2 . 4 Benefits of Harmonization . 6 Opposition to Harmonization . 8 Concept of Culture. 12 Cultural Dimensions . 15 Research Objectives . 20 Research Question . 21 M e t h o d . 23 Research Hypotheses . 23 Target Countries. 23 Subjects. 24 Analysis . 24 Expected. Contribution. 25 TWO LITERATURE R E V I E W . 27 Classification Studies . 28 S e i d l e r . 29 DaCosta, Bourgeous, and Lawson . 29 F r a n k . 30 Nair and F r a n k . 31 N o b e s . 32 Alkafaji. 32 iii Harmonization Studies . 33 Evans and Taylor. 33 Gokarn. 34 McKinnon and J a n e l l . 34 Doupnik and Taylor. 35 McKinnon. 35 N o b e s . 36 Taylor, Evans, and J o y . 37 Van der T a s . 38 Tay and Parker. 38 Cross-Cultural Research . 39 Hofstede. 41 Hofstede and B o n d . 52 Hofstede. 52 Triandis et a l . 53 Birnberg and Snodgrass . 54 Soeters and Schreuder . 55 Karnes et al. 56 Shackleton and A l i . 56 Frucot and Shearon. 57 S u m m a r y . 58 THREE METHOD. 59 Research Question . 60 Target Countries. •. 60 Statement of Hypotheses . 61 Hypothesis O n e . 62 Hypothesis T w o . 63 Hypothesis Three . 65 Hypothesis F o u r . 67 Research Design . 69 Subjects. 69 Hypothesis Testing . 70 Additional Analysis . 71 V a r i a b l e s . 73 Questionnaire . 73 S u m m a r y . 79 FOUR DATA ANALYSIS. 80 Data Collection. 80 Response R a t e . 81 Data Entry and A n a l y s i s . 83
Genetic distinction of wildcat (Felis silvestris) populations in Europe, and hybridization with domestic cats in Hungary

The genetic integrity and evolutionary persistence of declining wildcat populations are threatened by crossbreeding with widespread free‐living domestic cats. Here we use allelic variation at 12 microsatellite loci to describe genetic variation in 336 cats sampled from nine European countries. Cats were identified as European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris), Sardinian wildcats (F. s. libyca) and domestic cats (F. s. catus), according to phenotypic traits, geographical locations and independently of any genetic information. Genetic variability was significantly partitioned among taxonomic groups (FST = 0.11; RST = 0.41; P < 0.001) and sampling locations (FST = 0.07; RST = 0.06; P < 0.001), suggesting that wild and domestic cats are subdivided into distinct gene pools in Europe. Multivariate and Bayesian clustering of individual genotypes also showed evidence of distinct cat groups, congruent with current taxonomy, and suggesting geographical population structuring. Admixture analyses identified cryptic hybrids among wildcats in Portugal, Italy and Bulgaria, and evidenced instances of extensive hybridization between wild and domestic cats sampled in Hungary. Cats in Hungary include a composite assemblage of variable phenotypes and genotypes, which, as previously documented in Scotland, might originate from long lasting hybridization and introgression. A number of historical, demographic and ecological conditions can lead to extensive crossbreeding between wild and domestic cats, thus threatening the genetic integrity of wildcat populations in Europe.