Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Differentiation of Self on Adolescent Risk Behavior: Test of the Theoretical Model

Background: Innovative theoretical models are needed to explain the occurrence of high-risk sexual behaviors, alcohol and other-drug (AOD) use, and academic engagement among ethnically diverse, inner-city adolescents. Objective: The aim of this study was to test the credibility of a theoretical model based on the Bowen family systems theory to explain adolescent risk behavior. Specifically tested was the relationship between the predictor variables of differentiation of self, chronic anxiety, and social problem solving and the dependent variables of high-risk sexual behaviors, AOD use, and academic engagement. Methods: An ex post facto cross-sectional design was used to test the usefulness of the theoretical model. Data were collected from 161 racially/ethnically diverse, inner-city high school students, 14 to 19 years of age. Participants completed self-report written questionnaires, including the Differentiation of Self Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Social Problem Solving for Adolescents, Drug Involvement Scale for Adolescents, and the Sexual Behavior Questionnaire. Results: Consistent with the model, higher levels of differentiation of self related to lower levels of chronic anxiety (p < .001) and higher levels of social problem solving (p < .01). Higher chronic anxiety was related to lower social problem solving (p < .001). A test of mediation showed that chronic anxiety mediates the relationship between differentiation of self and social problem solving (p < .001), indicating that differentiation influences social problem solving through chronic anxiety. Higher levels of social problem solving were related to less drug use (p < .05), less high-risk sexual behaviors (p < .01), and an increase in academic engagement (p < .01). Conclusions: Findings support the theoretical model's credibility and provide evidence that differentiation of self is an important cognitive factor that enables adolescents to manage chronic anxiety and motivates them to use effective problem solving, resulting in less involvement in health-comprising behaviors and increased academic engagement.
PubMed: bridging the information gap.

On-line literature searches of bibliographic databases such as PubMed ([www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi][1]) are now integral to the lives of clinicians. A huge amount of knowledge can be gleaned from even a basic PubMed search, while the use of advanced functions can add speed and focus. The
FPGA implementation of modified leaky least mean square channel estimation algorithm

Channel estimation is a technique used to reduce channel inference in multipath data transmission. This paper analyses and implemented a suggested new method for channel estimation in MIMO-OFDM system. The proposed modified leaky least mean square channel estimation algorithm (M-LLMS) improves channel estimation accuracy in noisy environment. We compare the results of the proposed method with LMS, RLS and VLLMS channel estimators for SNR (1-35) and over 10,000 itertions. The computational complexities and the Bit Error Rate (BER) are reduced by the proposed algorithm.
Raptors as Indicators of Environmental Change in the Scrub Habitat of Baja California Sur, Mexico

“Indicator” species of natural habitat quality are potentially useful tools for managers of biodiversity (Rohlf 1991). Predators are often considered indicators because they are at the top of food webs and need wide home-range areas to function. Predators play an important role in ecosystems because they can determine the community structure patterns of their prey (Menge et al. 1994). In addition, predators, including facultative scavengers, have been used as “umbrella” species in world conservation strategies because their protection may facilitate the conservation of great portions of unaltered habitats (Simberloff 1987). Raptors, here defined to include New World vultures, Falconiformes, and Strigiformes, have been considered good indicators of habitat quality because of their sensitivity to human disturbance and environmental contamination (Newton 1979; Taylor 1984). Population declines of some raptor species indicate dysfunctional ecosystems because population dynamics of top-order predators often reflect the nature of the ecosystems they inhabit (Newton 1979; Greene 1988; Olendorff et al. 1989; Burnham et al. 1990; Terborgh 1992). Thus, it has been recommended that raptors should be included in the management and conservation plans of any region, especially for threatened habitats (Olendorff et al. 1989; Burnham et al. 1990). The use of raptors as indicator species has been particularly advocated for tropical forests (Thiollay 1989, 1996). Their role as indicators of habitat naturalness in Neotropical areas, however, remains controversial. Raptors may benefit from some human activities (Vannini 1989; Bird et al. 1996). Some raptors may be opportunistic when habitat changes occur because new feeding sources and nesting structures become available (Donazar et al. 1993 a ). We examined how local breeding and wintering raptor populations are affected by human activities in the desert of Baja California, until recently one of the most undisturbed areas in the world. Habitat changes have occurred along the peninsula over the last 10 years, especially in the southern part of Baja California, mostly because of increasing human activity (Masey & Palacios 1994). Because management plans for the region may include extensive land-use changes throughout Baja California (OEA-SEDESOL-INE 1993), data on the potential effects of these changes on the status and distribution of vertebrates should be considered. Because most raptors are considered sensitive species, we expected that populations of most species of raptors would be negatively affected by anthropogenic changes in the environment.
Multiple AV Nodal Pathways with Multiple Peaks in the RR Interval Histogram of the Holter Monitoring ECG during Atrial Fibrillation

Two or more peaks on the 24‐hour electrocardiogram (ECG) RR interval histogram of patients with atrial fibrillation suggests the presence multiple AV nodal pathways. The prevalence of multiple AV nodal pathways in this population is unknown. The study included 250 patients with permanent atrial fibrillation during 24‐hour ECG. The number of peaks on the RR interval histogram was measured in each patient. A single peak was present in 153 patients (61%), 80 patients (32%) had two peaks, 13 patients (5%) had three, and 4 patients (2%) had four peaks. Among the 97 patients (39%) with >1 AV nodal pathway, the estimated mean heart rate reduction by hypothetical ablation of all supernumerary AV nodal pathways with short refractory periods was 16 beats/min, from 82 to 65 beats/min. Among the overall population, 16 patients (6%) with >1 AV nodal pathway had a mean heart rate >100 beats/min. In this subgroup, modulation of AV node conduction by hypothetical ablation of all supernumerary AV nodal pathways with short refractory periods yielded an estimated reduction in mean heart rate of 26 ± 15 beats/min, from 110 ±9 beats/min to 84 ± 14 beats/min (P < 0.01), a 23% decrease. The presence of >1 AV nodal pathway was suspected in 39% of all patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. The hypothetical ablation of all supernumerary AV nodal pathways with short refractory periods resulted in a clinically significant reduction in heart rate in 6% of patients in this population.
Enriching ASR Lattices with POS Tags for Dependency Parsing

Parsing speech requires a richer representation than 1-best or n-best hypotheses, e.g. lattices. Moreover, previous work shows that part-of-speech (POS) tags are a valuable resource for parsing. In this paper, we therefore explore a joint modeling approach of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and POS tagging to enrich ASR word lattices. To that end, we manipulate the ASR process from the pronouncing dictionary onward to use word-POS pairs instead of words. We evaluate ASR, POS tagging and dependency parsing (DP) performance demonstrating a successful lattice-based integration of ASR and POS tagging.
Partial purification and characterization of an inactive precursor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase

An inactive precursor of the extracellular elastase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was extensively purified by immunoadsorption chromatography of the soluble bacterial cell fraction on a column of Sepharose coupled to antielastase antibodies. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified precursor fraction revealed two major protein bands with molecular weights of about 36,000 (P36) and 20,000 (P20) that in the absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate were associated with each other. The following findings identify P36 as the elastase precursor and indicate that proteolytic processing of this molecule is required for activation: (i) P36 is larger than the elastase, and it binds antielastase antibodies; (ii) trypsin activation is associated with the disappearance of P36 and the appearance of a new protein band migrating identically with the elastase and reacting with antibodies against the elastase; (iii) peptide maps generated from P36 and the elastase are similar although not identical. P20 by itself was not recognized by antielastase antibodies. Its association with P36 accounts for its adsorption to the immunoaffinity column and suggests that it may serve in elastase secretion.
Heated, Humidified High-Flow Nasal Cannula vs Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Respiratory Distress Syndrome of Prematurity: A Randomized Clinical Noninferiority Trial.

Importance Heated, humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) has gained increasing popularity as respiratory support for newborn infants thanks to ease of use and improved patient comfort. However, its role as primary therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of prematurity needs to be further elucidated by large, randomized clinical trials. Objective To determine whether HHHFNC provides respiratory support noninferior to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) or bilevel nCPAP (BiPAP) as a primary approach to RDS in infants older than 28 weeks' gestational age (GA). Design, Setting, and Participants An unblinded, monocentric, randomized clinical noninferiority trial at a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. Inborn infants at 29 weeks 0 days to 36 weeks 6 days of GA were eligible if presenting with mild to moderate RDS requiring noninvasive respiratory support. Criteria for starting noninvasive respiratory support were a Silverman score of 5 or higher or a fraction of inspired oxygen higher than 0.3 for a target saturation of peripheral oxygen of 88% to 93%. Infants were ineligible if they had major congenital anomalies or severe RDS requiring early intubation. Infants were enrolled between January 5, 2012, and June 28, 2014. Interventions Randomization to either HHHFNC at 4 to 6 L/min or nCPAP/BiPAP at 4 to 6 cm H2O. Main Outcomes and Measures Need for mechanical ventilation within 72 hours from the beginning of respiratory support. The absolute risk difference in the primary outcome and its 95% confidence interval were calculated to determine noninferiority (noninferiority margin, 10%). An intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Results A total of 316 infants were enrolled in the study: 158 in the HHHFNC group (mean [SD] GA, 33.1 [1.9] weeks; 52.5% female) and 158 in the nCPAP/BiPAP group (mean [SD] GA, 33.0 [2.1] weeks; 47.5% female). The use of HHHFNC was noninferior to nCPAP with regard to the primary outcome: failure occurred in 10.8% vs 9.5% of infants, respectively (95% CI of risk difference, -6.0% to 8.6% [within the noninferiority margin]; P = .71). Significant between-group differences in secondary outcomes were not found between the HHHFNC and nCPAP/BiPAP groups, including duration of respiratory support (median [interquartile range], 4.0 [2.0 to 6.0] vs 4.0 [2.0 to 7.0] days; 95% CI of difference in medians, -1.0 to 0.5; P = .45), need for surfactant (44.3% vs 46.2%; 95% CI of risk difference, -9.8 to 13.5; P = .73), air leaks (1.9% vs 2.5%; 95% CI of risk difference, -3.3 to 4.5; P = .70), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (4.4% vs 5.1%; 95% CI of risk difference, -3.9 to 7.2; P = .79). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, HHHFNC showed efficacy and safety similar to those of nCPAP/BiPAP when applied as a primary approach to mild to moderate RDS in preterm infants older than 28 weeks' GA. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02570217.
Genomic Structure of an Attenuated Quasi Species of HIV-1 from a Blood Transfusion Donor and Recipients

A blood donor infected with human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) and a cohort of six blood or blood product recipients infected from this donor remain free of HIV-1-related disease with stable and normal CD4 lymphocyte counts 10 to 14 years after infection. HIV-1 sequences from either virus isolates or patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells had similar deletions in the nef gene and in the region of overlap of nef and the U3 region of the long terminal repeat (LTR). Full-length sequencing of one isolate genome and amplification of selected HIV-1 genome regions from other cohort members revealed no other abnormalities of obvious functional significance. These data show that survival after HIV infection can be determined by the HIV genome and support the importance of nef or the U3 region of the LTR in determining the pathogenicity of HIV-1.
Evidence Base Update: 50 Years of Research on Treatment for Child and Adolescent Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder among children and adolescents. We examined 111 treatment outcome studies testing 204 treatment conditions for child and adolescent anxiety published between 1967 and mid-2013. Studies were selected for inclusion in this review using the PracticeWise Evidence-Based Services database. Using guidelines identified by this journal (Southam-Gerow & Prinstein, 2014), studies were included if they were conducted with children and/or adolescents (ages 1–19) with anxiety and/or avoidance problems. In addition to reviewing the strength of the evidence, the review also examined indicators of effectiveness, common practices across treatment families, and mediators and moderators of treatment outcome. Six treatments reached well-established status for child and adolescent anxiety, 8 were identified as probably efficacious, 2 were identified as possibly efficacious, 6 treatments were deemed experimental, and 8 treatments of questionable efficacy emerged. Findings from this review suggest substantial support for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as an effective and appropriate first-line treatment for youth with anxiety disorders. Several other treatment approaches emerged as probably efficacious that are not primarily CBT based, suggesting that there are alternative evidence-based treatments that practitioners can turn to for children and adolescents who do not respond well to CBT. The review concludes with a discussion of treatments that improve functioning in addition to reducing symptoms, common practices derived from evidence-based treatments, mediators and moderators of treatment outcomes, recommendations for best practice, and suggestions for future research.
Thromboelastography (TEG)‐Based Algorithm Reduces Blood Product Utilization in Patients Undergoing VAD Implant

Multiple blood products are often required during and after ventricular assist device (VAD) implants. Generally, transfusion therapy is empirically guided by conventional laboratory tests. In this study, we aimed to compare a thromboelastography (TEG)‐based algorithm with a laboratory coagulation test‐based algorithm with respect to blood product utilization in patients undergoing VAD implant.
Amplification and modelling of bioaffinity detection with terahertz spectroscopy

A new bioaffinity sensor based on pulsed terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is able to sensitively detect the presence of ultra-thin bound biomolecular layers. The protein avidin and lipid biotin are noted for their very high binding affinity, and the ease for which they can be attached to residues with importance in many biosensing applications. We demonstrate the sensitivity of the pulsed THz spectrometer to thin avidin layers and to avidin amplified with micron-sized agarose beads. The experimental results can be simply modelled by considering transmission of the THz radiation at the thin film interfaces. We detect less than 10.3 ng/cm2 avidin, giving the THz system a detection capability of sub-thin solid films better than ellipsometry and reflectometry techniques.
Evaluation of a Continuing Education Course for Occupational Therapy Practitioners on the Use of Applied Behavior Analysis

ABSTRACT A three hour continuing education course combining occupational therapy practice and behavior analysis strategies related to children with autism spectrum disorders was developed and delivered to 24 occupational therapy practitioners. Participants completed evaluations pre-course, post-course, and one month follow up on their self-efficacy, knowledge, and skills in managing challenging behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders. Overall, ratings scores showed an increase in participants’ self-efficacy and knowledge and skill at post-course and one-month follow-up. Despite this increase, participants continued to implement sensory strategies to decrease challenging behaviors due to increased self-efficacy in using sensory strategies and the lack of support in implementing behavior techniques outside their session time.
Integrating fire-spread and household-level trigger modeling to stage wildfire evacuation warnings

Wildfire evacuation trigger points are agreed-upon prominent geographic features (e.g., ridges, rivers, and roads) used in wildfire evacuation practices, and when a fire crosses these features, an evacuation is recommended for the communities or firefighter crew in the path of the fire (Cook, 2003; Cova et al., 2005). Spatial modeling of wildfire evacuation triggers has used fire-spread modeling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to calculate evacuation trigger buffers (ETBs) around a location with a specified amount of warning time as the input (Cova et al., 2005; Dennison et al., 2007). Sorensen (1991) points out that evacuation warnings have a significant effect on evacuation timing. This work explores the potential uses of fire-spread and household-level wildfire evacuation trigger modeling in establishing staged evacuation warning zones.
Feature-based attentional set as a cause of traffic accidents

Voluntary and relatively involuntary subsystems of attention often compete. On one hand, people can intentionally “tune” attention for features that then receive visual priority; on the other hand, more reflexive attentional shifts can “short-circuit” top-down control in the face of urgent, behaviourally relevant stimuli. Thus, it is questionable whether voluntary attentional tuning (i.e., attentional set) can affect one's ability to respond to unexpected, urgent information in the real world. We show that the consequences of such tuning extend to a realistic, safety-relevant scenario. Participants drove in a first-person driving simulation where they searched at every intersection for either a yellow or blue arrow indicating which way to turn. At a critical intersection, a yellow or blue motorcycle—either matching or not matching drivers’ attentional set—suddenly veered into drivers’ paths and stopped in their way. Collision rates with the motorcycle were substantially greater when the motorcycle did not match drivers’ attentional sets.
Vroni and ArcVroni: Software for and Applications of Voronoi Diagrams in Science and Engineering

We survey algorithms and software for computing Voronoi diagrams of points, line segments and circular arcs in the Euclidean plane, and report on an experimental evaluation of two state-of-the-art Voronoi codes: Held's VRONI and the Voronoi code implemented by Karavelas within the framework of the CGAL project. We conclude this survey by an extensive (albeit not comprehensive) discussion of applications of Voronoi-based algorithms in diverse fields.
Incidence and morphology of equine and murine chondrocytic cilia

The incidence and structure of equine and murine chondrocytic cilia were studied using serial sections and transmission electron microscopy. Overall, 96% of all equine chondrocytes and 100% of all murine chondrocytes had one cilium. The structure of these cilia included rootlets, basal feet, alar sheets, and an axoneme of nine peripheral doublets which progressively bent and terminated as they coursed towards the tip of the ciliary shaft. Together with the previous studies on neonatal and adult canine chondrocytic cilia, we conclude that the structure and incidence of chondrocytic cilia does not vary among species, regions within a joint, cell types, or age groups.
The specificity of recognition of a cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope

An Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone (LC13) was shown to recognize the minimal peptide determinant FLRGRAYGL from the EBNA 3 antigen of the BL74 strain of EBV. The equivalent epitope from the B95‐8 strain (FLRGRAYGI) is not recognized when endogenously presented and the peptide is 15‐fold less active than FLRGRAYGL. A replacement set of peptides was synthesized in which each residue within FLRGRAYGL was sequentially replaced with all other genetically coded amino acids. These peptides were tested for their ability to sensitize target cells to lysis by LC13. Of the 171 single‐amino acid replacement peptides only 15 were more active than the peptide FLRGRAYGI. Five peptides had significantly greater activity than FLRGRAYGL and a peptide incorporating the most active of these single‐amino acid substitutions (HIRGRAYSL) induced lysis at concentrations approximately 30‐fold less than FLRGRAYGL. Simplified theoretical calculations based on this study suggest that CTL LC13 has a specificity for its target epitope of 1 in 4.7 × 1010. This represents the first complete analysis of the role of single amino acids within a minimum epitope on the specificity of CTL recognition.
Expression of Osteopontin in a Macrophage Cell Line and in Transgenic Mice with Pulmonary Fibrosis Resulting from the Lung Expression of a Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Transgene

The expression level of osteopontin (OPN) mRNA was found to be increased in a macrophage cell line in the presence of recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). OPN mRNA level was also explored in the lungs of transgenic mice which were expressing TNF-alpha in type II pneumocytes, a condition leading to pulmonary alveolitis and progressive fibrosis. OPN mRNA was significantly increased in the lungs of these transgenic mice. In situ hybridization showed that it was localized mostly in alveolar macrophages. Since OPN can be induced in macrophages by TNF-alpha stimulation and since on the other hand osteopontin appears to decrease the level of nitric oxide synthase, and thus the production of nitric oxide, osteopontin might also indirectly have an antifibrotic effect. The role played by osteopontin in fibrotic lesions resulting from the release of TNF-alpha deserves further study, since it may be involved in the balance of opposite effects eventually leading to local tissue damage ending in fibrosis.
Strict and efficient solution methods for robust programming problems with ellipsoidal distributions under fuzziness

This paper considers robust programming problems with ellipsoidal distributions including fuzziness. Since this problem is not well-defined due to randomness and fuzziness, it is hard to solve it directly. Therefore, introducing chance constraints, fuzzy goal and necessity measures, the proposed model is transformed into the deterministic equivalent problems. Furthermore, since it is difficult to solve the main problem analytically and efficiently due to nonlinear programming, the solution method is constructed introducing an appropriate parameter and performing the equivalent transformations. By providing a numerical example, the feature of the proposed model is obtained.