Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solar disinfection of drinking water protects against cholera in children under 6 years of age

BACKGROUND AND AIMS We have previously reported a reduction in risk of diarrhoeal disease in children who used solar disinfected drinking water. A cholera epidemic, occurring in an area of Kenya in which a controlled trial of solar disinfection and diarrhoeal disease in children aged under 6 had recently finished, offered an opportunity to examine the protection offered by solar disinfection against cholera. METHODS In the original trial, all children aged under 6 in a Maasai community were randomised by household: in the solar disinfection arm, children drank water disinfected by leaving it on the roof in a clear plastic bottle, while controls drank water kept indoors. We revisited all households which had participated in the original trial. RESULTS There were 131 households in the trial area, of which 67 had been randomised to solar disinfection (a further 19 households had migrated as a result of severe drought). There was no significant difference in the risk of cholera in adults or in older children in households randomised to solar disinfection; however, there were only three cases of cholera in the 155 children aged under 6 years drinking solar disinfected water compared with 20 of 144 controls. CONCLUSIONS Results confirm the usefulness of solar disinfection in reducing risk of water borne disease in children. Point of consumption solar disinfection can be done with minimal resources, which are readily available, and may be an important first line response to cholera outbreaks. Its potential in chorine resistant cholera merits further investigation.
Validation of targeted next-generation sequencing for RAS mutation detection in FFPE colorectal cancer tissues: comparison with Sanger sequencing and ARMS-Scorpion real-time PCR

Objective To validate the targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform-Ion Torrent PGM for KRAS exon 2 and expanded RAS mutations detection in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens, with comparison of Sanger sequencing and ARMS-Scorpion real-time PCR. Setting Beijing, China. Participants 51 archived FFPE CRC samples (36 men, 15 women) were retrospectively randomly selected and then checked by an experienced pathologist for sequencing based on histological confirmation of CRC and availability of sufficient tissue. Methods RAS mutations were detected in the 51 FFPE CRC samples by PGM analysis, Sanger sequencing and the Therascreen KRAS assay, respectively. Agreement among the 3 methods was assessed. Assay sensitivity was further determined by sequencing serially diluted DNA from FFPE cell lines with known mutation statuses. Results 13 of 51 (25.5%) cases had a mutation in KRAS exon 2, as determined by PGM analysis. PGM analysis showed 100% (51/51) concordance with Sanger sequencing (κ=1.000, 95% CI 1 to 1) and 98.04% (50/51) agreement with the Therascreen assay (κ=0.947, 95% CI 0.844 to 1) for detecting KRAS exon 2 mutations, respectively. The only discrepant case harboured a KRAS exon 2 mutation (c.37G>T) that was not covered by the Therascreen kit. The dilution series experiment results showed that PGM was able to detect KRAS mutations at a frequency of as low as 1%. Importantly, RAS mutations other than KRAS exon 2 mutations were also detected in 10 samples by PGM. Furthermore, mutations in other CRC-related genes could be simultaneously detected in a single test by PGM. Conclusions The targeted NGS platform is specific and sensitive for KRAS exon 2 mutation detection and is appropriate for use in routine clinical testing. Moreover, it is sample saving and cost-efficient and time-efficient, and has great potential for clinical application to expand testing to include mutations in RAS and other CRC-related genes.
A new scenario of hypothalamic organization: rationale of new hypotheses introduced in the updated prosomeric model

In this essay, we aim to explore in depth the new concept of the hypothalamus that was presented in the updated prosomeric model (Puelles et al., 2012b; Allen Developing Mouse Brain Atlas). Initial sections deal with the antecedents of prosomeric ideas represented by the extensive literature centered on the alternative columnar model of Herrick (1910), Kuhlenbeck (1973) and Swanson (1992, 2003); a detailed critique explores why the columnar model is not helpful in the search for causal developmental explanations. In contrast, the emerging prosomeric scenario visibly includes many possibilities to propose causal explanations of hypothalamic structure relative to both anteroposterior and dorsoventral patterning mechanisms, and insures the possibility to compare hypothalamic histogenesis with that of more caudal parts of the brain. Next the four major changes introduced in the organization of the hypothalamus on occasion of the updated model are presented, and our rationale for these changes is explored in detail. It is hoped that this example of morphological theoretical analysis may be useful for readers interested in brain models, or in understanding why models may need to change in the quest for higher consistency.
The Online Therapeutic Relationship: Examining Tradeoffs between Convenience and Depth of Engagement

This qualitative, phenomenological study gathered data from ten online therapists in order to answer the following questions: How do online practitioners/therapists experience the therapeutic relationship with their clients online? How do online practitioners experience the process of developing and maintaining the therapeutic relationship with the clients online? Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Skype with a sample of nine online therapists and analyzed by means of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The main finding of the study was that there was a trade-off between depth of and convenience in online therapy. The loss of physical presence affected both the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic alliance in ways that required therapists to be more mindful of how to structure the relationship, and build the alliance, in a manner that compensated for the shortcomings of the online medium. As such, it was concluded that online therapy is most appropriate for less complex clinical problems in which the online medium poses fewer risks to the either the therapeutic relationship or the therapeutic alliance.
Critical Aspects of Initiation, Promotion, and Progression in Multistage Epidermal Carcinogenesis

Abstract Carcinogenesis in mouse skin can be divided into three distinct stages: initiation, promotion, and progression (malignant conversion). Initiation, induced by a single exposure to a genotoxic carcinogen, can result from a mutation in a single critical gene (e.g., rasHa), apparently in only a few epidermal cells. The change is irreversible. Promotion, resulting in the development of numerous benign tumors (papillomas), is accomplished by the repeated application of a nonmutagenic tumor promoter. The effects of single applications of tumor promoters are reversible since papillomas do not develop after insufficient exposure of initiated skin to promoters or when the interval between individual promoter applications is increased sufficiently. The reversibility of promotion suggests an epigenetic mechanism. Promoter treatment provides an environment that allows the selective clonal expansion of foci of initiated cells. The conversion of squamous papillomas to carcinomas (termed progression or malignant conversion) occurs spontaneously at a low frequency. The rate of progression to malignancy can be significantly increased by treatment of papilloma-bearing mice with certain genotoxic agents. These progressor agents or converting agents are likely to act via a second genetic change in papillonias already bearing the initiating mutation. Progression in the skin is characterized by genetic changes that result in several distinct changes in the levels or activity of structural proteins, growth factors, and proteases. The mechanisms involved in progression are being studied in epidermal cell culture. In order to determine the in vivo phenotype of cultured cells, a grafting system was developed in which the cells were transferred from culture to a prepared skin bed in athymic mice. Introduction of an activated v-fos oncogene into initiated cells bearing an activated ras Ha gene produced cells with a carcinoma phenotype, of Initiation i.e., carcinomas formed when the cells were grafted as part of reconstituted skin. Grafted keratinocytes containing the ras Ha gene alone produced papillomas; with v-fos alone, normal skin formed when grafted. The ras Ha/fos carcinomas showed changes in differentiation markers characteristic of chemically induced carcinomas. A cell culture assay utilizing cells initiated by the introduction of an activated ras Ha oncogene was developed to study progression. After exposure of initiated cells to progressor agents under conditions in which the proliferation of the ras Ha-initiated cells was suppressed, proliferating foci developed, with a good correlation of activity in the assay with activity in the progression stage in vivo. The cell culture assay provides a quantitative model to study chemically induced neoplastic progression and may be useful to identify potential progressor agents.
A Chunking-and-Raising Partial Parser

Parsing is often seen as a combinatorial problem. It is not due to the properties of the natural languages, but due to the parsing strategies. This paper investigates a Constrained Grammar extracted from a Treebank and applies it in a non-combinatorial partial parser. This parser is a simpler version of a chunking-and-raising parser. The chunking and raising actions can be done in linear time. The short-term goal of this research is to help the development of a partially bracketed corpus, i.e., a simpler version of a treebank. The long-term goal is to provide high level linguistic constraints for many natural language applications.
Update Consistency for Wait-Free Concurrent Objects

In large scale systems such as the Internet, replicating data is an essential feature in order to provide availability and fault-tolerance. Attila and Welch proved that using strong consistency criteria such as atomicity is costly as each operation may need an execution time linear with the latency of the communication network. Weaker consistency criteria like causal consistency and PRAM consistency do not ensure convergence. The different replicas are not guaranteed to converge towards a unique state. Eventual consistency guarantees that all replicas eventually converge when the participants stop updating. However, it fails to fully specify the semantics of the operations on shared objects and requires additional non-intuitive and error-prone distributed specification techniques. This paper introduces and formalizes a new consistency criterion, called update consistency, that requires the state of a replicated object to be consistent with a linearization of all the updates. In other words, whereas atomicity imposes a linearization of all of the operations, this criterion imposes this only on updates. Consequently some read operations may return out-dated values. Update consistency is stronger than eventual consistency, so we can replace eventually consistent objects with update consistent ones in any program. Finally, we prove that update consistency is universal, in the sense that any object can be implemented under this criterion in a distributed system where any number of nodes may crash.
Feasibility, acceptance and impact of Team-based Learning in Neurology: a pilot study

Background/Goal: Neurology is rated as one of the most difficult specialties by medical students, as well as by medical practitioners in other areas. Team-based learning (TBL) as a method of active and group-based learning seems to be a suitable method to achieve greater learning success and a better understanding of neurology. Methods: The TBL neurology course was designed as a supplemental program within the regular neurology course for third-year medical students. This supplemental course consisted of six 90-minute units as a pilot study during the 2011-12 winter semester and was evaluated in terms of time and effort. The acceptance of the TBL concept in general, as well as of the TBL neurology course in particular, was assessed using written evaluations. The results of the final exam were analyzed with regard to participation in TBL and the content imparted therein. Results: The preparation time was approximately 8 hours per unit. The implementation was without difficulty. The high rate of regular attendance and the consistently very positive evaluation results indicated a high acceptance of the TBL concept in general, as well as of the TBL neurology course in particular. TBL participants displayed better results on the final exam in topics also covered in the TBL units. Conclusion: The resulting achievement of a subjectively better understanding and a simultaneously higher level of interest in neurology justified the one-time, relatively intense preparation effort for TBL. The high acceptance among students inexperienced in teamwork suggests an unproblematic transfer to other preclinical or clinical courses. The impact on measurably improved results in clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills should be further investigated in the context of controlled studies.
Factors Affecting the Adoption of ICTs Among SMEs: Evidence From an Italian Survey

The adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is a phenomenon that has been the object of increasing interest by the academic literature and the policy makers. In this paper, we carry out an econometric analysis of a sample of 168 enterprises located in the Ancona Province (Central Italy). An important result is that, in order to understand the main factor that drive SMEs to the adoption of ICTs, it is useful to divide the available technologies according to a taxonomy based on their typical use. In all cases, however, the availability of highly educated workers turns out to be a key factor. Policy implications are also discussed.
A human cardiopulmonary system model applied to the analysis of the Valsalva maneuver.

Previous models combining the human cardiovascular and pulmonary systems have not addressed their strong dynamic interaction. They are primarily cardiovascular or pulmonary in their orientation and do not permit a full exploration of how the combined cardiopulmonary system responds to large amplitude forcing (e.g., by the Valsalva maneuver). To address this issue, we developed a new model that represents the important components of the cardiopulmonary system and their coupled interaction. Included in the model are descriptions of atrial and ventricular mechanics, hemodynamics of the systemic and pulmonic circulations, baroreflex control of arterial pressure, airway and lung mechanics, and gas transport at the alveolar-capillary membrane. Parameters of this combined model were adjusted to fit nominal data, yielding accurate and realistic pressure, volume, and flow waveforms. With the same set of parameters, the nominal model predicted the hemodynamic responses to the markedly increased intrathoracic (pleural) pressures during the Valsalva maneuver. In summary, this model accurately represents the cardiopulmonary system and can explain how the heart, lung, and autonomic tone interact during the Valsalva maneuver. It is likely that with further refinement it could describe various physiological states and help investigators to better understand the biophysics of cardiopulmonary disease.
A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Balance Training Performed after Exertion versus before Exertion

Margaret J Peck, LAT, ATC Balance Training Performed after Exertion versus Before Exertion (Under the direction of Troy Blackburn) Lower extremity injuries occur at a high rate in women's collegiate field hockey and lacrosse, and they occur more frequently in the later stages of practices and games. Poor balance ability is a predictor of injury risk. However, balance ability can be improved with training, and balance training reduces injury risk. Balance ability has also been shown to decrease with fatigue. In an effort to discover if balance training is more effective when performed after exertion, 45 collegiate women's lacrosse and field hockey players were randomly assigned to two training groups. One training group performed a six week balance training program immediately before their sport-specific practice sessions, and the other group performed the balance training immediately after practice. Eleven physically active colleged-aged students served as a control group. Balance was assessed via center of pressure elliptical sway area and sway speed, and the Balance Error Scoring System before and after the training intervention. We found that the effects of balance training did not differ when performed before versus following physical exertion, and that the BESS is not capable of detecting balance changes associated with training. Specifically, both training groups and the control group improved their balance ability from pre-test to post-test, and the BESS was not sensitive or specific to changes in balance following the six-week balance training protocol.
Molecular misreading in non‐neuronal cells

+1 Frame‐shifted proteins such as amyloid precursor protein+1 and ubiquitin‐B+1 have been identified in the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. These frameshifts are caused by dinucleotide deletions in GAGAG motifs of mes· senger RNA encoded by genes that have maintained the unchanged wild‐type DNA sequence. This process is termed ‘molecular misreading’. A key question is whether this process is confined to neurons or whether it could also occur in non‐neuronal cells. A transgenic mouse line (MV‐B) carrying multiple copies of a rat vasopressin minigene as a reporter driven by the MMTV‐LTR promotor was used to screen non‐neuronal tissues for molecular misreading by means of detection of the rat vasopressin+1 protein and mutated mRNA. Molecular misreading was demonstrated to occur in several organs (e.g., epididymis and the parotid gland) where transgenic vasopressin expression is abundant, but its penetrance is variable both between and within tissues. This implies that non‐neural tissues too, could be affected by cellular derangements caused by molecular misreading. –van Leeuwen, F. W. , Hol, E. M. , Hermanussen, R. W. H. , Sonnemans, M. A. F. , Moraal, E. , Fischer, D. F. , Evans, D. A. P., Chooi, K. ‐F. , Burbach, J. P. H. , Murphy, D. Molecular misreading in non‐neuronal cells. FASEB J. 14, 1595–1602 (2000)
Haptoglobin Genotype Is a Determinant of Iron, Lipid Peroxidation, and Macrophage Accumulation in the Atherosclerotic Plaque

Objective—Intraplaque hemorrhage increases the risk of plaque rupture and thrombosis. The release of hemoglobin (Hb) from extravasated erythrocytes at the site of hemorrhage leads to iron deposition, which may increase oxidation and inflammation in the atherosclerotic plaque. The haptoglobin (Hp) protein is critical for protection against Hb-induced injury. Two common alleles exist at the Hp locus and the Hp 2 allele has been associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction. We have demonstrated decreased anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity for the Hp 2 protein. We tested the hypothesis that the Hp 2-2 genotype is associated with increased oxidative and macrophage accumulation in atherosclerotic plaques. Methods and Results—The murine Hp gene is a type 1 Hp allele. We created a murine type 2 Hp allele and targeted its insertion to the Hp locus by homologous recombination. Atherosclerotic plaques from C57Bl/6 ApoE−/− Hp 2-2 mice were associated with increased iron (P=0.008), lipid peroxidation (4-hydroxynonenal and ceroid) and macrophage accumulation (P=0.03) as compared with plaques from C57Bl/6 ApoE−/− Hp 1-1 mice. Conclusions—Increased iron, lipid peroxidation and macrophage accumulation in ApoE−/− Hp 2-2 plaques suggests that the Hp genotype plays a critical role in the oxidative and inflammatory response to intraplaque hemorrhage.
Towards a model of formal and informal address in English

Informal and formal ("T/V") address in dialogue is not distinguished overtly in modern English, e.g. by pronoun choice like in many other languages such as French ("tu"/"vous"). Our study investigates the status of the T/V distinction in English literary texts. Our main findings are: (a) human raters can label monolingual English utterances as T or V fairly well, given sufficient context; (b), a bilingual corpus can be exploited to induce a supervised classifier for T/V without human annotation. It assigns T/V at sentence level with up to 68% accuracy, relying mainly on lexical features; (c), there is a marked asymmetry between lexical features for formal speech (which are conventionalized and therefore general) and informal speech (which are text-specific).
Behavioral Experiments of Small Societies in Social Media : Facebook Expressions of Anchored Relationships

Communities and societies have been changing towards computer mediated communication. This paper explores online and offline identities and how relationships are formed and negotiated within internet environments which offer opportunities for people who know each other offline and move into relationships online. The expectations and norms of behavior within everyday life cause people to be embodied self. According to the age categories of Turkish Cypriots, their measurements of attitudes in Facebook will be investigated. Face-to-face field research and semi-structured interview methods are used in the study. Face-to-face interview has been done with Turkish Cypriots who are using Facebook already. According to the study, in constructing a linkage between real and virtual identities mostly affected from societal relations serves as a societal grooming tool for Turkish Cypriots. Keywords—Facebook, identity, social media, virtual reality.
Power Allocation Games in Interference Relay Channels: Existence Analysis of Nash Equilibria

We consider a network composed of two interfering point-to-point links where the two transmitters can exploit one common relay node to improve their individual transmission rate. Communications are assumed to be multiband, and transmitters are assumed to selfishly allocate their resources to optimize their individual transmission rate. The main objective of this paper is to show that this conflicting situation (modeled by a non-cooperative game) has some stable outcomes, namely, Nash equilibria. This result is proved for three different types of relaying protocols: decode-and-forward, estimate-and-forward, and amplify-and-forward. We provide additional results on the problems of uniqueness, efficiency of the equilibrium, and convergence of a best-response-based dynamics to the equilibrium. These issues are analyzed in a special case of the amplify-and-forward protocol and illustrated by simulations in general.
A novel anchor-free position algorithm based on cluster technique

The WSN has a large spectrum of applications, and most of the applications are associated with position information. Considering the hostile environment of the sensors, it is very important to acquire the node's position without GPS. This paper proposes one novel anchor-free algorithm based on cluster technique, node's energy is considered, connective degree and the geometric limit principles of triangle inequality to heuristically build clusters, then fuse the clusters into one cluster. This algorithm effectively solves the position problem without any anchor node, conquer the cumulative error problem in traditional anchor-free algorithm, improve the localization precision and save the sensors energy. Simulation results show that after improving the fusion section, our algorithm can improve localization precision by 30% to 70% comparing to the traditional algorithm ABC.