Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Peripheral and Central Auditory Processing after Treatment for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Introduction When cases of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) are treated successfully, most clinicians assume the normality and symmetry of the auditory processing. This assumption is based on the recovery of the detection ability on the part of the patients, but the auditory processing involves much more than detection alone. Since certain studies have suggested a possible involvement of the central auditory system during the acute phase of sudden hearing loss, the present study hypothesized that auditory processing would be asymmetric in people who have experienced sudden hearing loss. Objective To assess the physiologic and electrophysiological conditions of the cochlea and central auditory system, as well as behavioral discrimination, of three primary aspects of sound (intensity, frequency, and time) in subjects with normal ears and ears treated successfully for SSNHL. Methods The study included 19 SSNHL patients whose normal and treated ears were assessed for otoacoustic emissions, speech auditory brainstem response, intensity and pitch discrimination, and temporal resolution in a within-subject design. Results The otoacoustic emissions were poorer in the treated ears compared to the normal ears. Ear- and sex-dependent differences were observed regarding otoacoustic emissions and pitch discrimination. Conclusion The asymmetrical processing observed in the present study was not consistent with the hearing threshold values, which might suggest that the central auditory system would be affected regardless of the status of the peripheral hearing. Further experiments with larger samples, different recovery scenarios after treatment, and other assessments are required.
Evidence-Based Spine Surgery

Study Design. Literature review. Objective. To describe the state of the literature regarding the performance of lumbar fusion for low back pain due to degenerative disease of the spine. Summary of Background Data. The effectiveness and costs associated with spinal surgery have been a topic of significant debate in both the popular press and professional literature. Methods. Evidence-based medicine techniques have been applied to many areas of spinal surgery. The results of these analyses are being used by practicing physicians, payors, and others to determine what procedures are appropriate for certain patient populations. Results. This manuscript describes the methodology, strengths, and weaknesses of evidence-based medicine approaches to spinal surgery. The case for lumbar fusion as a treatment for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease is described as an example. Conclusion. Evidence-based medicine is a useful tool for summarizing and grading the evidence available in the literature for or against a particular treatment strategy. Its utility is limited by the quality of the primary literature, and the absence of proof cannot be equated with the proof of absence.
Bosentan Enhances Viral Load via Endothelin-1 Receptor Type-A–Mediated p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activation While Improving Cardiac Function During Coxsackievirus-Induced Myocarditis

Reduced cardiac output is one of the consequences of myocarditis. Bosentan, an endothelin-1 receptor (ET1R) antagonist, could be useful to reduce cardiac afterload, preserving cardiac output. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic use of bosentan in an animal model of viral myocarditis. Using a mouse model of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis, we demonstrated preserved ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) by treatment with bosentan (68±5.8% EF and 40±3.7% FS for treated versus 48±2.2% EF and 25±2.6% FS for controls; P=0.028). However, bosentan enhanced cardiac viral load (10.4±6.7% in the bosentan group versus 5.0±5.5% in control group; P=0.02), likely through enhancement of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation (0.77±0.40% ATF2 activation in the bosentan group versus 0.03±0.02% in controls; P=0.0002), mediated by endothelin receptor type-A. We further demonstrate that a water soluble inhibitor of p38 MAPK, SB203580 HCl, is a potent inhibitor of virus replication in the heart (0.28% antisense viral genome stained area for 3 mg/kg dose versus 2.9% stained area for controls; P=0.01), attenuates CVB3-induced myocardial damage (blinded cardiac histopathologic scores of 1.8±1.6 and 2.05±1.2 for the 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg doses, respectively, versus 3.25±1.2 for the controls), and preserves cardiac function (69±3.5% EF for 3 mg/kg dose and 71±6.7% EF for 10 mg/kg dose versus 60±1.5% EF control; P=0.038 and P=0.045, as compared to control, respectively). Bosentan, a prescribed vasodilator, improves cardiac function but enhances viral load and myocarditis severity through ETRA mediated p38 MAPK activation; p38 MAPK is a desirable antiviral target. Caution must be exercised during treatment of suspected infectious myocarditis with supportive vasoactive remedies.
Achievable performance of decentralized control systems

In this work, an efficient approach for the assessment of achievable performance of decentralized control systems based on a general quadratic performance index involving both system states and inputs is proposed. The performance assessment problem is formulated as an optimization problem subject to constraints in the form of linear/bilinear matrix inequalities which explicitly take the block-diagonal structural constraint on decentralized control systems into account. In order to deal with the block-diagonal constraint, an iterative approach based on the original optimization problem and an equivalent transformation of the original one with parameter space constraint is proposed. The proposed approach solves for both the best achievable performance and the corresponding controller (and observer) gains. The application to one example illustrates the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Modelling and Managing SSD Write-amplification

How stable is the performance of your flash-based Solid State Drives (SSDs)? This question is central for database designers and administrators, cloud service providers, and SSD constructors. The answer depends on write-amplification, i.e., garbage collection overhead. More specifically, the answer depends on how write-amplification evolves in time. How then can one model and manage write-amplification, especially when application workloads change? This is the focus of this paper. Managing write-amplification boils down to managing the surplus physical space, called over-provisioned space. Modern SSDs essentially separate the physical space into several partitions, based on the update frequency of the pages they contain, and divide the over-provisioned space among the groups so as to minimize write-amplification. We introduce Wolf, a block manager that allocates over-provisioned space to SSD partitions using a near-optimal closed-form expression, based on the sizes and update frequencies of groups of pages. Our evaluation shows that Wolf is robust to workloads change, with an improvement factor of 2 with respect to the state-of-the-art. We also show that Wolf performs comparably and even slightly better than the state of the art with stable workloads (over 20% improvement with a TPC-C workload).
Trimetazidine Improves Mitochondrial Dysfunction in SOD1G93A Cellular Models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis through Autophagy Activation

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is considered the prototype of motor neuron disease, characterized by motor neuron loss and muscle waste. A well-established pathogenic hallmark of ALS is mitochondrial failure, leading to bioenergetic deficits. So far, pharmacological interventions for the disease have proven ineffective. Trimetazidine (TMZ) is described as a metabolic modulator acting on different cellular pathways. Its efficacy in enhancing muscular and cardiovascular performance has been widely described, although its molecular target remains elusive. We addressed the molecular mechanisms underlying TMZ action on neuronal experimental paradigms. To this aim, we treated murine SOD1G93A-model-derived primary cultures of cortical and spinal enriched motor neurons, as well as a murine motor-neuron-like cell line overexpressing SOD1G93A, with TMZ. We first characterized the bioenergetic profile of the cell cultures, demonstrating significant mitochondrial dysfunction that is reversed by acute TMZ treatments. We then investigated the effect of TMZ in promoting autophagy processes and its impact on mitochondrial morphology. Finally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of TMZ in terms of the mitochondrial functionality of ALS-rpatient-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In summary, our results emphasize the concept that targeting mitochondrial dysfunction may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for ALS. The findings demonstrate that TMZ enhances mitochondrial performance in motor neuron cells by activating autophagy processes, particularly mitophagy. Although further investigations are needed to elucidate the precise molecular pathways involved, these results hold critical implications for the development of more effective and specific derivatives of TMZ for ALS treatment.
Preserved Imitation of Known Gestures in Children with High-Functioning Autism

It has been suggested that children with autism are particularly deficient at imitating novel gestures or gestures without goals. In the present study, we asked high-functioning autistic children and age-matched typically developing children to imitate several types of gestures that could be either already known or novel to them. Known gestures either conveyed a communicative meaning (i.e., intransitive) or involved the use of objects (i.e., transitive). We observed a significant interaction between gesture type and group of participants, with children with autism performing known gestures better than novel gestures. However, imitation of intransitive and transitive gestures did not differ across groups. These findings are discussed in light of a dual-route model for action imitation.
Hepatic and Renal Functions in HIV-Positive Children with Malaria in Western Kenya

Background: The burden of HIV and malaria co-infection lies disproportionately in the Sub-Saharan Africa region which bears most of the malaria endemic zones. While both malaria and HIV are known to dysregulate hepatic and renal functions, the combined effect of co-infection with malaria and HIV on hepatic and renal function among children remains poorly characterized. Objective: To assess liver and renal functions in HIV-malaria co-infected children in Western Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6-59 months with HIV and malaria coinfection at Kakamega County Referral Hospital, Western Kenya. A total of 138 children were enrolled. Microscopy and clinical chemistry analysers were used to diagnose malaria, and assay hepatic and renal function parameters respectively. Results: HIV positive-malaria positive cases had significantly higher serum creatinine and urea levels compared to the HIV positive-malaria negative controls. Likewise, serum levels of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), total protein, albumin and globulin were significantly elevated in the HIV and malaria-positive cases compared to HIV-positive and malaria-negative controls. Significantly higher proportions of children with HIV and malaria coinfection also had elevated serum levels of ALT, ASP, GGT, total proteins, albumin and globulin compared to children without coinfection. Serum levels of Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were comparable in both groups. Conclusion: Co-infection with HIV and malaria among children is generally associated with disrupted hepatic and renal function parameters.
Doppler and angular spreads estimation using the derivatives of the cross-correlation functions

In this paper, we propose a new method to simultaneously estimate the maximum Doppler Spread (DS), the mean Angle of Arrival (AoA) and the Angular Spread (AS). To this end, the derivatives of the cross-correlation functions (DCCF) of the received signal at a Uniform Linear Array (ULA) are exploited. The Rayleigh channel model where the received signal AoAs follow a Gaussian angular distribution is considered. Simulation results show that, the proposed approach offers better accuracy for maximum DS than the algorithm developed in [1]. For the mean AoA and AS estimation, our approach presents NRMSEs close to the one developed in [2].
A Benefit/Risk Assessment of Intrathecal Ziconotide in Chronic Pain: A Narrative Review

Background: Ziconotide is an intrathecal drug administered for the treatment of chronic pain. The current literature lacks an exhaustive benefit/risk assessment on this drug. We herein focus on Ziconotide’s pharmacology and clinical applications. Methods: Literature research was conducted to identify studies on Ziconotide administration for the treatment of chronic pain, published between January 1990 and March 2023 and located via PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cinahl, and Web of Science, using the following keywords: Ziconotide, Omega conotoxin, Prialt, SNX-111, intrathecal therapy, and neuropathic pain. Only publications written in English were selected. Results: Among the 86 selected studies, we found 4 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and 3 prospective long-term studies concerning the intrathecal use of Ziconotide as a monotherapy in chronic pain. Other studies described the intrathecal infusion of Ziconotide combined with other drugs. Overall, Ziconotide has been proved to have strong efficacy for relieving chronic pain, although patients with co-morbid psychiatric disorders require a careful monitoring when treated with Ziconotide. Conclusions: Overall, the use of Ziconotide, as a monotherapy or in conjunction with other therapies for the treatment of chronic pain, was reported to be efficacious. Overall, its use in patients with chronic pain refractory to other pharmacologic agents outweighs the possible adverse consequences, thus resulting in a favorable benefit/risk assessment.
Child Welfare Knowledge Transmission, Practitioner Retention, and University-Community Impact

Abstract This paper describes the implementation of a Title IV-E child welfare training program in Louisiana. A collaborative arrangement between the state child welfare agency and seven state university social work programs provides for student monetary stipends in return for child welfare training and work as public child welfare employees upon graduation. On a test of child welfare knowledge, students in MSW and BSW programs scored higher following child welfare training; BSW student stipend recipients made greater gains than non-recipients when controlling for initial scores. MSW students' results appear to approach significance; they may not be significant due to low power of the statistical analysis. Child welfare agency retention of the stipend student graduates is considered good by the agency.
ON THE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN DESIGNERS' AND USERS' PERCEPTIONS AS ANTECEDENTS OF FAILURES IN MOTIVATING USE

Motivational aspects of product use have recently attracted an increasing interest in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. This paper presents a study that explored the discrepancies between designers’ and users’ perceptions as antecedents of failures in motivating use. The study corroborates prior findings suggesting that designers often fall short in accounting for users’ views on the product and foreseeing their preferences. Designers seemed to ascribe more weight to efficiency and effectiveness while users seemed to have a more balanced view with a tendency to ascribe more weight to the emotional aspects of the products. Thus, the need for a holistic understanding of the product qualities that motivate use becomes apparent. Finally, a methodological approach for the study of motivational aspects of product use is proposed, based on a relatively unexplored structured interview technique, the Repertory Grid Technique.
Optimally-Weighted Herding is Bayesian Quadrature

Herding and kernel herding are deterministic methods of choosing samples which summarise a probability distribution. A related task is choosing samples for estimating integrals using Bayesian quadrature. We show that the criterion minimised when selecting samples in kernel herding is equivalent to the posterior variance in Bayesian quadrature. We then show that sequential Bayesian quadrature can be viewed as a weighted version of kernel herding which achieves performance superior to any other weighted herding method. We demonstrate empirically a rate of convergence faster than O(1/N). Our results also imply an upper bound on the empirical error of the Bayesian quadrature estimate.
Patient-specific blood rheology in sickle-cell anaemia

Sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disorder exhibiting heterogeneous cell morphology and abnormal rheology, especially under hypoxic conditions. By using a multiscale red blood cell (RBC) model with parameters derived from patient-specific data, we present a mesoscopic computational study of the haemodynamic and rheological characteristics of blood from SCA patients with hydroxyurea (HU) treatment (on-HU) and those without HU treatment (off-HU). We determine the shear viscosity of blood in health as well as in different states of disease. Our results suggest that treatment with HU improves or worsens the rheological characteristics of blood in SCA depending on the degree of hypoxia. However, on-HU groups always have higher levels of haematocrit-to-viscosity ratio (HVR) than off-HU groups, indicating that HU can indeed improve the oxygen transport potential of blood. Our patient-specific computational simulations suggest that the HVR level, rather than the shear viscosity of sickle RBC suspensions, may be a more reliable indicator in assessing the response to HU treatment.
Trace-element geochemistry of pyrite and arsenopyrite: ore genetic implications for late Archean orogenic gold deposits in southern India

Abstract The distribution of Au and associated trace elements in pyrite and arsenopyrite from late Archean Hutti and Hira-Buddini orogenic gold deposits, eastern Dharwar Craton, southern India was investigated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. X-ray element maps acquired by electron probe microanalyser reveal oscillatory zoning of Co and As indicating the crystallization of pyrite and arsenopyrite in an episodic fluid flow regime in which fluid salinity fluctuated due to fault-valve actions. The absence of any relationship between Au and As in pyrite obviate the role of As in the incorporation of Au into pyrite, particularly here and may be generally the case in orogenic gold deposits. On the other hand, positive correlations of Au with Cu, Ag and Te suggest possible influence of these chalcophile elements in the enhanced gold concentration in sulfides. Pb-Bi-Te-Au-Ag bearing micro-particles (<2 μm) are observed exclusively in micro-fractures and pores in arsenopyrite. The absence of replacement features and element gradient suggests direct precipitation of Pb, Bi, Te, Au and Ag from a fluid that was unreactive towards arsenopyrite. An intermittent fall in fluid pressure caused by the fault-valve action would have resulted in the sporadic precipitation of Au, Pb, Ag, Bi and Te.
Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation versus Other Fertility Techniques for Chemoradiation-Induced Premature Ovarian Insufficiency in Women: A Systematic Review and Future Directions

Current advances in cancer therapy have increased survival, emphasizing the need for life quality improvement. Fertility loss is common post-chemotherapy. Current guidelines establish embryo and oocyte cryopreservation to address premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Ovarian tissue cryopreservation has also recently become an acceptable option for fertility preservation, particularly as it is the only option for pre-pubertal patients. Few definitions for optimum fertility outcomes, and few systematic reviews comparing embryo, oocyte, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation as a means of fertility preservation (FP) in pre- and post-pubertal female cancer patients exist. This systematic review aims to improve understanding of gonadotoxic effects of chemoradiation therapy in cancer patients, to analyze the different fertility preservation techniques and procedures available to women with chemoradiation induced ovarian insufficiency, and to compare and recognize the benefits of each technique in restoring fertility, sexual hormone function, and quality of life. Searches were conducted electronically on PubMed, Cochrane, and EBSCOHost, including clinical trials, prospective, and retrospective studies of female cancer patients undergoing anti-cancer therapy, with predefined MeSH terminology. Data were collected, analyzed, and compared. Non-randomized clinical studies were evaluated for risk bias through the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. In total, 23 studies were included. From there, 647 patients opted for oocyte cryopreservation, 267 for embryo cryopreservation, and 1382 for ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC). A total of 175, 18, and 121 live births resulted respectively from oocyte, embryo, and OTC, respectively. Studies without live births discussed other fertility markers as indicators of improvement in sexual hormone function and fertility. The gonadotoxic effects of chemotherapy call for FP intervention. Oocyte and embryo cryopreservation/implantation are well-established procedures. With changing trends and life quality consideration, OTC is a promising interventional method for pre-pubertal patients facing the prospect of fertility loss.