Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunogenicity of quadrivalent HPV and combined hepatitis A and B vaccine when co-administered or administered one month apart to 9–10 year-old girls according to 0–6 month schedule

Background. No immunogenicity data has been reported after a single dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (qHPV-Gardasil®) and no data are available on co-administration of this vaccine with the HAV/HBV vaccine (Twinrix-Junior®). Two pre-licensure studies reported similar anti-HPV but lower anti-HBs titers when co-administering HPV and HBV vaccines. Objectives. To assess the immunogenicity of the qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccine when co-administered (Group-Co-adm) or given one month apart (Group-Sep) and to measure the persistence of HPV antibodies three years post-second dose of qHPV vaccine in both study groups. Methods. 416 9–10 year-old girls were enrolled. Vaccination schedule was 0–6 months. Anti-HAV and anti-HBs were measured in all subjects 6 months post-first dose and 1 month post-second dose. Anti-HPV were measured 6 months post-first dose in Group-Co-adm and in all subjects 1 and 36 months post-second dose. Results. Six months post-first dose: 100% of subjects had detectable anti-HAV and 56% and 73% had detectable anti-HBs in Group-Co-Adm and Group-Sep, respectively. In Group-Co-adm 94, 100, 99 and 96% had detectable antibodies to HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18, respectively. One month post-second dose of qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccine, in both study groups 99.5–100% of subjects had an anti-HAV titer ≥ 20IU/L, 97.5–97.6% an anti-HBs level ≥ 10IU/L, and 100% had an anti-HPV titer ≥ 3LU. Thirty-six months post-second dose of qHPV all but four subjects (99%) had antibodies to HPV18 and 100% had antibodies to HPV6, 11 and 16. The great majority (97–100%) had an anti-HPV titer ≥ 3 LU. Post-second dose administration of qHPV and HAV/HBV, no meaningful difference was observed in the immune response in the two study groups to any component of vaccines. Conclusions. The results indicate that qHPV and HAV/HBV can be given during the same vaccination session. Two doses of of qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccines induce a strong immune response. Three years post-second dose of qHPV, the great majority of subjects had antibodies to HPV types included in the vaccine. A two-dose schedule for pre-adolescents might be a reasonable alternative to the currently approved three-dose schedules.
Trimucytin: A Collagen-Like Aggregating Inducer Isolated from Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus Snake Venom

Summary Trimucytin is a potent platelet aggregation inducer isolated from Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus snake venom. Similar to collagen, trimucytin has a run of (Gly-Pro-X) repeats at the N-terminal amino acids sequence. It induced platelet aggregation, ATP release and thromboxane formation in rabbit platelets in a concentration-dependent manner. The aggregation was not due to released ADP since it was not suppressed by creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase. It was not either due to thromboxane A2 formation because indomethacin and BW755C did not have any effect on the aggregation even thromboxane B2 formation was completely abolished by indomethacin. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) was not involved in the aggregation since a PAF antagonist, kadsurenone, did not affect. However, RGD-containing peptide triflavin inhibited the aggregation, but not the release of ATP, of platelets induced by trimucytin. Indomethacin, mepacrine, prostaglandin E1 and tetracaine inhibited the thromboxane B2 formation of platelets caused by collagen and trimucytin. Forskolin and sodium nitroprusside inhibited both platelet aggregation and ATP release, but not the shape change induced by trimucytin. In quin-2 loaded platelets, the rise of intracellular calcium concentration caused by trimucytin was decreased by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13 acetate, imipramine, TMB-8 and indomethacin. In the absence of extracellular calcium, both collagen and trimucytin caused no thromboxane B2 formation, but still induced ATP release which was completely blocked by R 59022. Inositol phosphate formation in platelets was markedly enhanced by trimucytin and collagen. MAB1988, an antibody against platelet membrane glycoprotein Ia, inhibited trimucytinand collagen-induced platelet aggregation and ATP release. However, trimucytin did not replace the binding of 125I-labeled MAB1988 to platelets. Platelets pre-exposed to trimucytin were resistant to the second challenge with trimucytin itself or collagen. It is concluded that trimucytin may activate collagen receptors on platelet membrane, and cause aggregation and release mainly through phospholipase C-phosphoinositide pathway.
The N‐terminal region of GAP regulates cytoskeletal structure and cell adhesion.

Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP) possesses a C‐terminal domain that interacts with GTP‐bound Ras, and an N‐terminal region containing two SH2 domains and an SH3 domain. In addition to its association with Ras, GAP binds stably to autophosphorylated beta PDGF receptors, and to two cytoplasmic phosphoproteins: p62, an RNA binding protein, and p190, which possesses GAP activity towards small guanine nucleotide binding proteins in the Rho/Rac family. To define the region of GAP that mediates these interactions with cellular phosphoproteins, and to investigate the biological significance of these complexes, a truncated GAP polypeptide (GAP‐N) containing residues 1–445 was stably expressed in Rat‐2 fibroblasts. GAP‐N contains the SH2 and SH3 domains, but lacks the Ras GTPase activating domain. Stimulation of cells expressing GAP‐N with PDGF induced association of GAP‐N with the beta PDGF receptor, and phosphorylation of GAP‐N on tyrosine, consistent with the notion that GAP SH2 domains direct binding to the autophosphorylated beta PDGF receptor in vivo. GAP‐N bound constitutively to p190 in both serum‐deprived and growth factor‐stimulated cells. This GAP‐N‐p190 complex had Rho GAP activity in vitro. The expression of GAP‐N in Rat‐2 cells correlated with changes in the cytoskeleton and in cell adhesion, typified by the disruption of action stress fibres, a reduction in focal contacts, and an impaired ability to adhere to fibronectin. These results suggest that the N‐terminal domain of GAP can direct interactions with cellular phosphoproteins in vivo, and thereby exert an effector function which modulates the cytoskeleton and cell adhesion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effect of Cryotherapy on Muscle Soreness and Strength Following Eccentric Exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a post-exercise cryotherapy protocol could facilitate recovery of elbow flexor strength and reduce the severity of delayed onset muscle soreness following eccentric exercise. Eight resistance-trained males (23 +/- 3 yr) performed 64 eccentric elbow flexions with each arm. One arm was subjected to five, 20 minute immersions in a 5 +/- 1 degree C ice-water bath interspersed by 60 minute rest periods. The non-immersed arm served as the control. A main effect for time was observed for all dependent variables (p < 0.05). Isometric torque (mean SE) decreased from a pre-exercise value of 87.9 +/- 4.5 Nm to 65.2 +/- 4.5 Nm immediately post-exercise. Isokinetic torque at 60 and 300 degrees x s(-1) decreased from 71.0 +/- 3.5 NM and 48.4 +/- 2.8 Nm to 55.8 +/- 3.3 Nm and 39.8 +/- 3.1 Nm, respectively. All torque measures returned to pre-test levels by 72 h. Muscle soreness peaked 48 h post-exercise and was evident until 120 h. Limb volume increased by 200 +/- 18 ml immediately post-exercise (p < 0.05) but was not significantly elevated thereafter. No significant difference between the immersed and control arms were observed for any variable. The result suggest that the use of cryotherapy immediately following damaging eccentric exercise may not provide the same therapeutic benefits commonly attributed to cryotherapy following traumatic muscle injury.
The effect of tibolone and continuous combined conjugated equine oestrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate on progression of carotid intima-media thickness: the Osteoporosis Prevention and Arterial effects of tiboLone (OPAL) study.

AIMS At the time of the design of the Osteoporosis Prevention and Arterial effects of tiboLone (OPAL) study in 1996, oral hormone therapy (HT) was assumed to reduce cardiovascular risk. The evidence mainly came from the effects of combined conjugated equine oestrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (CEE/MPA) therapy. Other HT regimes had not been studied widely. Tibolone, a selective tissue oestrogenic activity regulator, has several effects on cardiovascular risk factors, one of which is HDL lowering. Because the overall effect of tibolone on cardiovascular risk was unknown, the OPAL study was designed. METHODS AND RESULTS The OPAL study was a three-arm, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to determine the effect of tibolone (2.5 mg daily) and of CEE/MPA (0.625/2.5 mg daily) over 3 years on progression of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in 866 healthy post-menopausal women. The women were recruited from six US and five European centres. The primary outcome was change in mean common CIMT. Annual common CIMT progression rates in the tibolone and CEE/MPA groups were higher than in the placebo group: 0.0077 mm [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0051-0.0103] in the tibolone group, 0.0074 mm (0.0048-0.0099) in the CEE/MPA group, and 0.0035 mm (0.009-0.0061) in the placebo group. The differences with placebo (0.0042 mm/year for tibolone and 0.0039 mm/year for CEE/MPA) were statistically significant. HDL cholesterol increased in CEE/MPA group and was lowered in the tibolone group. CONCLUSION Both tibolone and CEE/MPA showed increased progression of common CIMT. Translation of the increased common CIMT progression of the CEE/MPA group into cardiovascular disease risk could not fully explain the observed increased cardiovascular risk as observed in the Women's Health Initiative study. This suggests that the net effect of tibolone and CEE/MPA on cardiovascular events may depend on the combined effects on the arterial wall, clotting factors, and possibly inflammation.
Association of drug treatments in pregnant women with the risk of external ear congenital abnormalities in their offspring: A population‐based case‐control study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible association of drug treatments in pregnant women with a higher risk of congenital abnormalities of the external ear, particularly microtia/anotia, in their children. The frequency of drug treatments was compared in the mothers of cases with isolated or multiple (syndromic) ear abnormalities and in the mothers of three different controls: controls matched to cases, all controls (these controls had no defects) and malformed controls in the population‐based large dataset of the Hungarian Case‐Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities. There was no significantly higher use of any drug in the mothers of 354 cases with isolated external ear abnormalities than in the mothers of different controls. However, of 156 cases with multiple ear abnormalities, 11 had mothers with hydroxyethylrutosidea treatment and a characteristic pattern of congenital abnormalities was found in these children. Four cases with multiple ear abnormalities were born to epileptic mothers treated with valproate, phenytoin and polytherapy in two cases. Drug treatments are not important in the origin of isolated ear abnormalities. However, a higher risk of multiple ear abnormalities was found in children born to mothers with treatment of hydroxyethylrutosidea or antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.
Therapist countertransference: in search of common themes and empirical referents.

Throughout this issue on countertransference (CT) and elsewhere, the multiple terms used to describe CT events provide rich conceptual diversity, but also result in theoretical isolation and clinical compartmentalization. Our study and understanding of CT would benefit remarkably if we could agree on empirical-therapist features that any CT conceptualization must target. Subsequent discussions of CT then could specify which of the respective empirical features are being addressed. Accordingly, I offer a descriptive framework that asserts that CT and its hypothesized subtypes (e.g., subjective and objective) can be detected empirically whenever a therapist's experiences and actions with a particular client assume one of several definable "deviations from baseline. " If, in our clinical or research pursuits, we are to understand CT, we have to take the time to assess the necessary behavioral baselines for therapists and their clients.
Glutamate released spontaneously from astrocytes sets the threshold for synaptic plasticity

Astrocytes exhibit spontaneous calcium oscillations that could induce the release of glutamate as gliotransmitter in rat hippocampal slices. However, it is unknown whether this spontaneous release of astrocytic glutamate may contribute to determining the basal neurotransmitter release probability in central synapses. Using whole‐cell recordings and Ca2+ imaging, we investigated the effects of the spontaneous astrocytic activity on neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity at CA3–CA1 hippocampal synapses. We show here that the metabolic gliotoxin fluorocitrate (FC) reduces the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents and increases the paired‐pulse facilitation, mainly due to the reduction of the neurotransmitter release probability and the synaptic potency. FC also decreased intracellular Ca2+ signalling and Ca2+‐dependent glutamate release from astrocytes. The addition of glutamine rescued the effects of FC over the synaptic potency; however, the probability of neurotransmitter release remained diminished. The blockage of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors mimicked the effects of FC on the frequency of miniature synaptic responses. In the presence of FC, the Ca2+ chelator 1,2‐bis(2‐aminophenoxy)ethane‐N,N,N ′,N ′‐tetra‐acetate or group I metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, the excitatory postsynaptic current potentiation induced by the spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity protocol was blocked, and it was rescued by delivering a stronger spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity protocol. Taken together, these results suggest that spontaneous glutamate release from astrocytes contributes to setting the basal probability of neurotransmitter release via metabotropic glutamate receptor activation, which could be operating as a gain control mechanism that regulates the threshold of long‐term potentiation. Therefore, endogenous astrocyte activity provides a novel non‐neuronal mechanism that could be critical for transferring information in the central nervous system.
Exploring the Retention and Career Persistence Factors of African American Women in Information Technology: A Multiple Case Study

ii Acknowledgments. v Vita . vi List of Tables . xi List of Figures . xii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Background of the Problem. 3 Problem Statement . 6 Purpose of the Study . 8 Significance of the Study . 10 Research Questions . 11 Theoretical Framework . 12 Assumptions and Limitations . 14 Summary . 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 18 Introduction . 18 Turnover in Information Technology . 18 Pipeline Challenges . 18 Turnover in Information Technology . 22 Turnover of Women and Minorities in IT . 26 Social Cognitive Career Theory as a Framework for Investigating IT Career Paths . 30 Information Technology as a Career Choice . 31 Representation of Women and Minorities in Information Technology . 34 African American Women in Information Technology . 38 Contextual Support Influences of Retention in Information Technology . 43
A New Method of Poultry Litter Application to Perennial Pasture: Subsurface Banding

Recently, incorporation of poultry litter by subsurface band application into pasture has been shown to reduce surface runoff transport of nutrients; however, data to evaluate the impact of this potential management strategy on forage production, forage nutrient concentrations, or the accumulation of soil nutrients after multiyear applications is limited. Therefore, two experiments, one in bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ] and one in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were initiated in which treatments included (i) a standard commercial fertilizer application, (ii) a surface broadcast litter application, (iii) poultry litter applied in subsurface bands placed 25 cm apart, and (iv) poultry litter applied in subsurface bands placed 38 cm apart. The experiments were conducted for 3 yr on a Hartsells (fine-loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Typic Hapludult) soil at Crossville, AL, and showed that subsurface band applications resulted in forage yields equivalent to those achieved by conventional broadcast litter applications. Subsurface band applications also did not generally impact forage N, P, and K concentrations compared with surface litter applications. Three years of subsurface band applications to a depth of approximately 4 cm did not significantly alter the Mehlich 3 extractable nutrient content of soils collected at a depth of 0 to 15 cm. Data suggest, however, that subsurface band application would allow increases in subsurface movement of nutrients, as was evidenced by increased Cu concentrations at the 15- to 30-cm depth. The data suggest that the environmental benefits of subsurface band application of poultry litter into grass production systems are achieved without detrimental impacts on forage productivity or nutrient concentrations.
The cost of healthcare for children with mental health difficulties

Objective: Childhood mental health difficulties affect one in every seven children in Australia, posing a potential financial burden to society. This paper reports on the early lifetime individual and population non-hospital healthcare costs to the Australian Federal Government for children experiencing mental health difficulties. It also reports on the use and cost of particular categories of service use, including the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) mental health items introduced in 2006. Method: Data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) were used to calculate total Medicare costs (government subsidised healthcare attendances and prescription medications) from birth to the 8th birthday associated with childhood mental health difficulties measured to 8–9 years of age. Results: Costs were higher among children with mental health difficulties than those without difficulties. While individual costs increased with the persistence of difficulties, population-level costs were highest for those with transient mental health difficulties. Although attenuated, these patterns persisted after child, parent and family characteristics were taken into account. Use of the MBS-reimbursed mental health services among children with a mental health difficulty was very low (around 2%). Conclusions: Australian healthcare costs for young children with mental health difficulties are substantial and provide further justification for early intervention and prevention. The current provision of Medicare-rebated mental health services does not appear to be reaching young children with mental health difficulties.
Student Loans as a Pressure on U.S. Higher Education

Abstract The United States has been at the forefront of a global shift away from direct state funding of higher education and toward student loans, and student debt has become an issue of growing social concern. Why did student loans expand so much in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s? And how does organization theory suggest their expansion, and the growth of federal student aid more generally, might affect higher education as a field? In the 1960s and 1970s, policy actors worked to solve what was then a central problem around student loans: banks’ disinterest in lending to students. They did this so well that by 1990, a new field of financial aid policy emerged, in which all major actors had an interest in expanding loans. This, along with a favorable environment outside the field, set the stage for two decades of rapid growth. Organization theory suggests two likely consequences of this expansion of federal student loans and financial aid more generally. First, while (public) colleges have become less dependent on state governments and more dependent on tuition, the expansion of aid means colleges are simultaneously becoming more dependent on the federal government, which should make them more susceptible to federal demands for accountability. Second, the expansion of federal student aid should encourage the spread of forms and practices grounded in a logic focused on students’ financial value to the organization, such as publicly traded for-profit colleges and enrollment management practices.
Reducing the population's sodium intake: the UK Food Standards Agency's salt reduction programme

Abstract Objective To describe the UK Food Standards Agency's (FSA) salt reduction programme undertaken between 2003 and 2010 and to discuss its effectiveness. Design Relevant scientific papers, campaign materials and evaluations and consultation responses to the FSA's salt reduction programme were used. Setting Adult salt intakes, monitored using urinary Na data collected from UK-wide surveys, indicate a statistically significant reduction in the population's average salt intake from 9·5 g/d in 2000–2001 to 8·6 g/d in 2008, which is likely to have health benefits. Subjects Reducing salt intake will have an impact on blood pressure; an estimated 6 % of deaths from CHD in the UK can be avoided if the number of people with high blood pressure is reduced by 50 %. Results Salt levels in food, monitored using commercial label data and information collected through an industry self-reporting framework, indicated that substantial reductions of up to 70 % in some foods had been achieved. The FSA's consumer campaign evaluation showed increased awareness of the benefits of reducing salt intake on health, with 43 % of adults in 2009 claiming to have made a special effort to reduce salt in their diet compared with 34 % of adults in 2004, before the campaign commenced. Conclusions The UK's salt reduction programme successfully reduced the average salt intake of the population and increased consumers’ awareness. Significant challenges remain in achieving the population average salt intake of 6 g/d recommended by the UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. However, the UK has demonstrated the success of its programme and this approach is now being implemented elsewhere in the world.
The Meanings of New Money: Social Constructions of Value in the Rise of Digital Currencies

In the wake of the Great Recession, a novel monetary object was introduced to the world: Bitcoin. As its collective valuation has risen into the billions (USD), it has brought with it a sustained disruption to some of the most deeply taken-for-granted aspects of modern life: money and value. This dissertation undertakes a set of interrelated investigations into the collective processes of social construction and valuation that have been part of this ascent.
Blockchain's three capital markets innovations explained

The article discusses examples of how blockchain technology will practically affect the financial markets. Topics covered include blockchain's role as a distributed ledger technology that underlies cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, potential applications to types of financial products such as commercial paper notes, derivative instruments, and asset-backed securities (ABS), and blockchain-based solutions using smart contracts to replicate legal agreements