Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Systems Approach to Improving Rural Care in Ethiopia

Background Multiple interventions have been launched to improve the quality, access, and utilization of primary health care in rural, low-income settings; however, the success of these interventions varies substantially, even within single studies where the measured impact of interventions differs across sites, centers, and regions. Accordingly, we sought to examine the variation in impact of a health systems strengthening intervention and understand factors that might explain the variation in impact across primary health care units. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a mixed methods positive deviance study of 20 Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs) in rural Ethiopia. Using longitudinal data from the Ethiopia Millennium Rural Initiative (EMRI), we identified PHCUs with consistently higher performance (n = 2), most improved performance (n = 3), or consistently lower performance (n = 2) in the provision of antenatal care, HIV testing in antenatal care, and skilled birth attendance rates. Using data from site visits and in-depth interviews (n = 51), we applied the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis to identify key themes that distinguished PHCUs with different performance trajectories. Key themes that distinguished PHCUs were 1) managerial problem solving capacity, 2) relationship with the woreda (district) health office, and 3) community engagement. In higher performing PHCUs and those with the greatest improvement after the EMRI intervention, health center and health post staff were more able to solve day-to-day problems, staff had better relationships with the woreda health official, and PHCU communities' leadership, particularly religious leadership, were strongly engaged with the health improvement effort. Distance from the nearest city, quality of roads and transportation, and cultural norms did not differ substantially among PHCUs. Conclusions/Significance Effective health strengthening efforts may require intensive development of managerial problem solving skills, strong relationships with government offices that oversee front-line providers, and committed community leadership to succeed.
Neuroanatomical correlates of externally and internally generated human emotion.

OBJECTIVE Positron emission tomography was used to investigate the neural substrates of normal human emotional and their dependence on the types of emotional stimulus. METHOD Twelve healthy female subjects underwent 12 measurements of regional brain activity following the intravenous bolus administration of [15O]H2O as they alternated between emotion-generating and control film and recall tasks. Automated image analysis techniques were used to characterize and compare the increases in regional brain activity associated with the emotional response to complex visual (film) and cognitive (recall) stimuli. RESULTS Film- and recall-generated emotion were each associated with significantly increased activity in the vicinity of the medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus, suggesting that these regions participate in aspects of emotion that do not depend on the nature of the emotional stimulus. Film-generated emotion was associated with significantly greater increases in activity bilaterally in the occipitotemporparietal cortex, lateral cerebellum, hypothalamus, and a region that includes the anterior temporal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampal formation, suggesting that these regions participate in the emotional response to certain exteroceptive sensory stimuli. Recall-generated sadness was associated with significantly greater increases in activity in the vicinity of the anterior insular cortex, suggesting that this region participates in the emotional response to potentially distressing cognitive or interoceptive sensory stimuli. CONCLUSIONS While this study should be considered preliminary, it identified brain regions that participate in externally and internally generated human emotion.
Distribution of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase Mutation Patterns in 4,183 Persons Undergoing Genotypic Resistance Testing

ABSTRACT In a sample of 6,156 sequences from 4,183 persons, the top 30 patterns of protease inhibitor, nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor, and nonnucleoside RT inhibitor mutations accounted for 55, 46, and 66%, respectively, of sequences with drug resistance mutations. Characterization of the phenotypic and clinical significance of these common patterns may lead to improved treatment recommendations for a large proportion of patients for whom antiretroviral therapy is failing.
Automatic basic-level object and scene categorization

Categorization is the act of generalizing over multiple instances of an object*abstracting over some object differences while highlighting others. Human observers categorize both objects and scenes with remarkable efficiency (Thorpe, Fize, & Marlot, 1996), so fast that it has been claimed to be an automatic process (Grill-Spector & Kanwisher, 2005). However, the degree of conceptual penetrability of perception is deeply debated (Pylyshyn, 1999). Evidence for automatic categorization has primarily come through examining the time course of detection versus recognition. Whereas some have found that object detection and categorization follow indistinguishable perceptual time courses (Grill-Spector & Kanwisher, 2005), categorization tasks can be made slower without affecting detection ability (Bowers & Jones, 2008; Mack, Gauthier, Sadr, & Palmeri, 2008), suggesting that categorization is not automatic. A classic method for testing automatic processing is the Stroop task. Originally presented (MacLeod, 1991; Stroop, 1935), a Stroop experiment presents observers with colour nouns printed in either the congruent colour (the word ‘‘red’’ typed in red ink) or an incongruent colour (the word ‘‘red’’ written in blue ink). Observers are asked to read the ink colour of each word. Although the words are irrelevant to the task, incongruent words result in significantly longer reaction times as reading is automatic and obligatory. We tested the automaticity of basic-level scene and object categorization using a Stroop-like paradigm.
Alcohol Inhibits Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation via Regulation of the Notch Signaling Pathway

Objective—To determine the role of Notch signaling in mediating alcohol's inhibition of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation. Methods and Results—Treatment of human coronary artery SMCs with ethanol (EtOH) decreased Notch 1 mRNA and Notch 1 intracellular domain protein levels, in the absence of any effect on Notch 3. EtOH treatment also decreased C-promoter binding factor-1 (CBF-1)/recombination signal-binding protein (RBP)-jk promoter activity and Notch target gene (hairy related transcription factor [HRT-1] or HRT-2) expression. These effects were concomitant with an inhibitory effect of EtOH on SMC proliferation. Overexpression of constitutively active Notch 1 intracellular domain or human hairy related transcription factor-1 (hHRT-1) prevented the EtOH-induced inhibition of SMC proliferation. In vivo, Notch 1 and HRT-1 mRNA expression was increased after ligation-induced carotid artery remodeling. The vessel remodeling response was inhibited in mice that received “moderate” amounts of alcohol by gavage daily; intimal-medial thickening was markedly reduced, and medial and neointimal SMC proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression was decreased. Moreover, Notch 1 and HRT-1 expression, induced after ligation injury, was inhibited by moderate alcohol consumption. Conclusion—EtOH inhibits Notch signaling and, subsequently, SMC proliferation, in vitro and in vivo. The modulation of Notch signaling in SMCs by EtOH may be relevant to the cardiovascular protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption purported by epidemiological studies.
Performance of the in vitro transgene mutation assay in MutaMouse FE1 cells: Evaluation of nine misleading (“False”) positive chemicals

The screening of chemicals for the protection of human health and the environment requires the assessment of genetic toxicity. However, existing, internationally‐accepted in vitro mammalian genotoxicity tests have been criticized for their low specificity (i.e. high frequency of “false” or “misleading” positive results for compounds that are negative in vivo). An in vitro transgene mutation assay has been established that uses a metabolically competent cell line derived from MutaMouse lung (i.e. FE1 cells). Mutation scoring employs the well‐characterized lacZ positive selection system, and the assay is proposed as an alternative in vitro assessment tool. In this study, the performance of the FE1 cell assay was evaluated by examining responses to nine non‐DNA‐reactive chemicals that previously elicited misleading positive results in other mammalian cell genotoxicity assays. FE1 cells were exposed to concentrations up to approximately 10 mM and/or concentrations that yielded approximately 80‐90% cytotoxicity (as measured by relative increase in cell count). The assay demonstrated excellent specificity; exposures to the chemicals examined did not yield any positive responses even when tested in the presence of an exogenous metabolic activation system (i.e. S9) or with an extended sampling time. These results indicate that the FE1 cell mutagenicity assay is an effective and practical alternative to traditional mammalian cell gene mutation assays. The development and validation of effective in vitro tools such as the MutaMouse FE1 cell assay will contribute to international efforts to reduce, refine, and replace experimental animals for toxicity assessment. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:582–591, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical findings in parvovirus B19 infection in 30 adult patients in Kyoto

To relate the clinical findings of parvovirus B19 infection to the phase of the disease, we performed a retrospective chart review of 30 adult patients who tested positive for IgM antibody against parvovirus B19 at our hospital from March 2003 to November 2008. Median patient age was 38 years, with 86.7% aged between 26 and 45 years. The male-to-female ratio was 4:26 (86.7% female). Symptoms in the first phase were mainly flu-like, including fever, headache, or myalgia. Symptoms in the second phase were arthralgia in 24 (85.7%) and rash in 23 (82.1%). Fever was observed in 21 (70.0%), and 22 (75.9%) were found to be lymphopenic. The onsets in 73.3% of cases were concentrated within 10.1% of the study period, an observation nearly consistent with an outbreak of erythema infectiosum. Three patients had symmetrical swelling of joints, all of whom also had rash. Most patients visited the hospital within a week of onset and prognosis was favorable. In the parvovirus B19 infection, flu-like symptoms were frequent in the first phase, while rash and arthralgia were common in the second. Female sex, age between 26 and 45, and presence of rash, arthralgia, fever, and lymphopenia were clinical findings with a high frequency (≥70%), and these factors may contribute to diagnosis. In an era when early diagnosis and therapy is required in rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to recognize the parvovirus B19 infection with a presentation of acute arthritis and a favorable prognosis.
Everyday Creativity: Consumption, Participation, Production, and Communication by Teenagers in The Netherlands

This research aims to advance our knowledge of the positive aspects of Internet use by investigating how Dutch teenagers (11–17 years) utilize its opportunities. We organized ten focus groups in secondary schools to study the online activities of this group and their motivations for being active online. Uses and gratifications theorizing was used to acquire an understanding of the teenagers' perspectives on the needs that may be met by these activities. The results revealed that most time was spent on somewhat passively consuming online content, although many were also busy communicating, which implied a more active form of engagement. A small group reported a high level of activity. The findings confirmed that everyday creativity is quite common in teenagers. They also suggested that this group's social needs and requirement to express and enjoy themselves were gratified. The article ends with a reflection on the focus group methodology and directions for future research.
Functional Elements in Initiation Factors 1, 1A, and 2β Discriminate against Poor AUG Context and Non-AUG Start Codons

ABSTRACT Yeast eIF1 inhibits initiation at non-AUG triplets, but it was unknown whether it also discriminates against AUGs in suboptimal context. As in other eukaryotes, the yeast gene encoding eIF1 (SUI1) contains an AUG in poor context, which could underlie translational autoregulation. Previously, eIF1 mutations were identified that increase initiation at UUG codons (Sui− phenotype), and we obtained mutations with the opposite phenotype of suppressing UUG initiation (Ssu− phenotype). Remarkably, Sui− mutations in eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1 (eIF1), eIF1A, and eIF2β all increase SUI1 expression in a manner diminished by introducing the optimal context at the SUI1 AUG, whereas Ssu− mutations in eIF1 and eIF1A decrease SUI1 expression with the native, but not optimal, context present. Therefore, discrimination against weak context depends on specific residues in eIFs 1, 1A, and 2β that also impede selection of non-AUGs, suggesting that context nucleotides and AUG act coordinately to stabilize the preinitiation complex. Although eIF1 autoregulates by discriminating against poor context in yeast and mammals, this mechanism does not prevent eIF1 overproduction in yeast, accounting for the hyperaccuracy phenotype afforded by SUI1 overexpression.
MCAM contributes to the establishment of cell autonomous polarity in myogenic and chondrogenic differentiation

ABSTRACT Cell polarity has a fundamental role in shaping the morphology of cells and growing tissues. Polarity is commonly thought to be established in response to extracellular signals. Here we used a minimal in vitro assay that enabled us to monitor the determination of cell polarity in myogenic and chondrogenic differentiation in the absence of external signalling gradients. We demonstrate that the initiation of cell polarity is regulated by melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM). We found highly polarized localization of MCAM, Moesin (MSN), Scribble (SCRIB) and Van-Gogh-like 2 (VANGL2) at the distal end of elongating myotubes. Knockout of MCAM or elimination of its endocytosis motif does not impair the initiation of myogenesis or myoblast fusion, but prevents myotube elongation. MSN, SCRIB and VANGL2 remain uniformly distributed in MCAM knockout cells. We show that MCAM is also required at early stages of chondrogenic differentiation. In both myogenic and chondrogenic differentiation MCAM knockout leads to transcriptional downregulation of Scrib and enhanced MAP kinase activity. Our data demonstrates the importance of cell autonomous polarity in differentiation. Summary: CD146/MCAM regulates cell autonomous polarization and asymmetric localization of Scribble, Van-Gogh-like 2 and Moesin, which is required in skeletal muscle myotube elongation and chondrocyte differentiation.
A Treatment of Correlated Attribute Uncertainty in Array Database Systems

The purpose of this document is to summarize ongoing research into handling uncertainty in database systems, and present my contributions to that research. Uncertainty presents a particular problem for databases because the relational model leaves no room for ambiguity in database fields. Traditional database operators such as selection and join operate on constant values as opposed to probability distributions. In order for a database system to correctly handle this uncertainty, values must be sampled from the distributions and the operators must operate on those sampled values. If this process is not done intelligently, one join operation on deterministic data can turn into one thousand join operations on probabilistic data. Additionally, if the uncertainty of different attributes is correlated, the entire joint distribution of all the correlated attributes must be sampled at once, as opposed to sampling from each distribution individually. In this paper, I describe the query semantics for handling correlated uncertainty, jointly developed with Tingjian Ge. I then describe the S-Join algorithm that efficiently performs a join when the join attribute is a continuous distribution, also codeveloped with Tingjian Ge. Finally, I present experimental results that I obtained from an implementation of the algorithms that I constructed. This work is discussed in much greater detail in a paper of the same name, authored by Tingjian Ge, David Grabiner, and Stan Zdonik [1].
Phylogenomics of the Reproductive Parasite Wolbachia pipientis wMel: A Streamlined Genome Overrun by Mobile Genetic Elements

The complete sequence of the 1,267,782 bp genome of Wolbachia pipientis wMel, an obligate intracellular bacteria of Drosophila melanogaster, has been determined. Wolbachia, which are found in a variety of invertebrate species, are of great interest due to their diverse interactions with different hosts, which range from many forms of reproductive parasitism to mutualistic symbioses. Analysis of the wMel genome, in particular phylogenomic comparisons with other intracellular bacteria, has revealed many insights into the biology and evolution of wMel and Wolbachia in general. For example, the wMel genome is unique among sequenced obligate intracellular species in both being highly streamlined and containing very high levels of repetitive DNA and mobile DNA elements. This observation, coupled with multiple evolutionary reconstructions, suggests that natural selection is somewhat inefficient in wMel, most likely owing to the occurrence of repeated population bottlenecks. Genome analysis predicts many metabolic differences with the closely related Rickettsia species, including the presence of intact glycolysis and purine synthesis, which may compensate for an inability to obtain ATP directly from its host, as Rickettsia can. Other discoveries include the apparent inability of wMel to synthesize lipopolysaccharide and the presence of the most genes encoding proteins with ankyrin repeat domains of any prokaryotic genome yet sequenced. Despite the ability of wMel to infect the germline of its host, we find no evidence for either recent lateral gene transfer between wMel and D. melanogaster or older transfers between Wolbachia and any host. Evolutionary analysis further supports the hypothesis that mitochondria share a common ancestor with the α-Proteobacteria, but shows little support for the grouping of mitochondria with species in the order Rickettsiales. With the availability of the complete genomes of both species and excellent genetic tools for the host, the wMel–D. melanogaster symbiosis is now an ideal system for studying the biology and evolution of Wolbachia infections.
Extremely Delayed Brain Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma

Brain metastasis occurs in 3.9-24% of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with an average interval from nephrectomy to brain metastasis of 1 to 3 years. A few cases have been reported where brain metastasis occurred after a delay of more than 10 years from the initial onset of renal cell carcinoma. This long interval for central nervous system metastasis from the primary cancer has been recognized as an indicator of better prognosis. Histopathological confirmation and aggressive treatment must be considered in these delayed brain metastases cases, since the patients usually show long survival and good prognosis. We present a case of a 76-year-old woman who developed extremely late multiple brain metastases 18 years after a nephrectomy for RCC.
Skin cancer chemoprophylaxis in renal transplant recipients: 5 years of experience using low‐dose acitretin

Renal transplant recipients have an increased risk of developing skin cancers, which are often multiple and aggressive. Frequently, these tumours develop on a background of widespread epidermal dysplasia. Systemic retinoids are known inhibitors of skin cancer but reports of their use in renal transplant patients are limited. We describe our experience using 0.3 mg/kg daily of acitretin in 16 patients over a 5‐year period. Overall, there was a significant reduction in the number of new tumours excised in 12 of 16 patients during treatment compared with the same pretreatment interval. A significant chemoprophylactic effect was shown for up to 4 years of treatment. Patients with five or more tumours prior to acitretin benefited most. Two patients discontinued treatment because of side‐effects and two patients developed hyperlipidaemia. Two patients with end‐stage graft failure proceeded to haemodialysis. The introduction of low‐dose acitretin proved to be a useful strategy in the long‐term reduction of skin cancer in renal transplant recipients with multiple skin cancers and extensive epidermal dysplasia.
Perspectives of Taiwanese practitioners on therapeutic reactions to disclosure of childhood sexual abuse

Disclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a difficult decision, because CSA is a traumatic experience. Because of the sensitive nature of CSA in Taiwan, reactions to disclosure of CSA in treatment contexts can be challenging for practitioners. Little is known about Taiwanese practitioners' reactions to disclosure that occurs while they are working with CSA survivors. In-depth, phenomenological interviews were used to fully explore three practitioners' clinical reactions to disclosure of CSA. The significant categories and themes that emerged from the study are discussed. Limitations and implications of the present study and recommendations for future research are addressed.
ATLAS magnet common cryogenic, vacuum, electrical and control systems

The superconducting magnet system for the ATLAS detector at the LHC at CERN comprises a barrel toroid, two end cap toroids and a central solenoid with overall dimensions of 20 m diameter by 26 m length and a stored energy of 1.6 GJ. Common proximity cryogenic and electrical systems for the toroids are implemented. The cryogenic system provides the cooling power for the 3 toroid magnets considered as a single cold mass (600 tons) and for the CS. The 21 kA toroid and the 8 kA solenoid electrical circuits comprise both a switch-mode power supply, two circuit breakers, water cooled bus bars, He cooled current leads and the diode-resistor ramp-down unit. The vacuum system consists of a group of primary rotary pumps and sets of high vacuum diffusion pumps connected to each individual cryostat. The magnet safety system guarantees the magnet protection and human safety through slow and fast dump treatment. The magnet control system ensures control, regulation and monitoring of the operation of the magnets. The updated design, layout, development and construction of the systems, as well as the first results of prototyping and commissioning are presented.