Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher Education Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Dementia after a Stroke or TIA. The Rotterdam Study

Background: Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia, possibly because of a higher tolerance to subclinical neurodegenerative pathology. Whether higher education also protects against dementia after clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unknown. Methods: Within the population-based Rotterdam Study, 12,561 participants free of stroke, TIA and dementia were followed for occurrence of stroke, TIA and dementia. Across the levels of education, associations of incident stroke or TIA with subsequent development of dementia and differences in cognitive decline following stroke or TIA were investigated. Results: During 124,862 person-years, 1,463 persons suffered a stroke or TIA, 1,158 persons developed dementia, of whom 186 developed dementia after stroke or TIA. Risk of dementia after a stroke or TIA, compared to no stroke or TIA, was highest in the low education category (hazards ratio [HR] 1.46, 95% CI 1.18-1.81) followed by intermediate education category (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.81). No significant association was observed in the high education category (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.25-1.54). In gender stratified analyses, decrease in risk of dementia with increasing education was significant only in men. Conclusion: Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia after stroke or TIA, particularly in men, which might be explained by a higher cognitive reserve.
Self-Referential Processing, Rumination, and Cortical Midline Structures in Major Depression

Major depression is associated with a bias toward negative emotional processing and increased self-focus, i.e., the process by which one engages in self-referential processing. The increased self-focus in depression is suggested to be of a persistent, repetitive and self-critical nature, and is conceptualized as ruminative brooding. The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in self-referential processing has been previously emphasized in acute major depression. There is increasing evidence that self-referential processing as well as the cortical midline structures play a major role in the development, course, and treatment response of major depressive disorder. However, the links between self-referential processing, rumination, and the cortical midline structures in depression are still poorly understood. Here, we reviewed brain imaging studies in depressed patients and healthy subjects that have examined these links. Self-referential processing in major depression seems associated with abnormally increased activity of the anterior cortical midline structures. Abnormal interactions between the lateralized task-positive network, and the midline cortical structures of the default mode network, as well as the emotional response network, may underlie the pervasiveness of ruminative brooding. Furthermore, targeting this maladaptive form of rumination and its underlying neural correlates may be key for effective treatment.
Schistosomiasis and HIV in rural Zimbabwe: efficacy of treatment of schistosomiasis in individuals with HIV coinfection.

BACKGROUND There is evidence from experimental models that the praziquantel-induced clearance of schistosomiasis is dependent on the host's immune response. Consequently, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related immunodeficiency may impair the effect of praziquantel treatment. METHODS In a prospective cohort study, schistosome-infected subjects who were or were not coinfected with HIV were treated with praziquantel and followed up 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Quantitative measures of intensity of schistosomiasis (egg counts and levels of circulating anodic antigen in serum) and immunodeficiency (CD4+ cell counts and viral loads) were collected. RESULTS Cure rates based on egg counts 3 months after treatment were satisfactory and were similar for HIV-positive individuals (cure rate, 86%) and HIV-negative individuals (cure rate, 85%); the magnitude of decrease in egg count was equal. Cure rates based on circulating anodic antigen levels were much lower than cure rates based on egg counts, with HIV-positive individuals experiencing significantly less clearance of schistosomiasis (cure rate, 31%) than HIV-negative individuals (cure rate, 52%), whereas the magnitude of decrease in circulating anodic antigen was also lower among HIV-positive individuals (P < .01). CONCLUSION The effect of praziquantel may be limited to affecting the fecundity of adult schistosomes in the immunocompromised host, thus reducing egg excretion while leaving schistosomes metabolically active, as shown by the fact that levels of antigen production are maintained. Special guidelines for treatment of schistosomiasis in HIV-coinfected individuals may need to be developed.
Ultrahigh electrical conductivity in solution-sheared polymeric transparent films

Significance Many applications, including solar cells and touch screens, require coatings that are both optically transparent and electrically conductive. Most device structures use indium tin oxide to serve as this transparent conductor (TC), even though it accounts for a disproportionally large amount of device cost. Alternatives, such as polymer-based materials, may not only provide additional cost benefits, but may also allow for added functionality, such as flexibility. In this paper, we examine conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) deposited by solution shearing as a TC film. Morphological and chemical changes caused by solution shearing deposition lead to record-high conductivities and overall excellent TC performance. With consumer electronics transitioning toward flexible products, there is a growing need for high-performance, mechanically robust, and inexpensive transparent conductors (TCs) for optoelectronic device integration. Herein, we report the scalable fabrication of highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films via solution shearing. Specific control over deposition conditions allows for tunable phase separation and preferential PEDOT backbone alignment, resulting in record-high electrical conductivities of 4,600 ± 100 S/cm while maintaining high optical transparency. High-performance solution-sheared TC PEDOT:PSS films were used as patterned electrodes in capacitive touch sensors and organic photovoltaics to demonstrate practical viability in optoelectronic applications.
Innovation in tourism: perception of tourism providers from Croatia and Serbia

Innovations represent a challenge that every company faces during its life cycle no matter what kind of business sector it operates in. In today’s world of competition and fastgrowing industries, it is paramount to be innovative, especially in tourism. The main aim of this study was to determine how businesses and their employees in two countries Croatia and Serbia, are directed toward new innovations, which innovations are most important to them, what are the main barriers to implementation and if there is a difference between innovation implementation in those two countries. For this purpose, the study was conducted in 13 tourism companies in Croatia and 20 in Serbia, in the period July-October 2016. The results indicate that companies in Croatia (M=3.86) are more open to innovations than Serbian tourism companies (M=3.50). Furthermore, the study showed that respondents have similar wishes and motives when implementing new ideas or innovations, such as educated workforce, health and well-being of people or improved business management. However, when it comes to key areas for innovation implementation, in Croatia emphasis should be on training and education of the workforce, while in Serbia emphasis should be placed on the introduction of new technologies. In addition, the key limiting factors of innovation implementation that stood out only in Serbia are lack of funds and poor ownership structure. However, there is willingness to implement innovations and readiness to work towards it. Education and a capable workforce are deemed essential to accomplish and implement new innovations in most companies.
Value of Functionalized Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Temporal Lobe Epilepsy on MRI

Purpose. Although active targeting of drugs using a magnetic-targeted drug delivery system (MTDS) with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) is a very effective treatment approach for tumors and other illnesses, successful results of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are unprecedented. A hallmark in the neuropathology of TLE is brain inflammation, in particular the activation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) induced by activated glial cells, which has been considered a new mechanistic target for treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of the functionalized SPIONs with anti-IL-1β monoclonal antibody (mAb) attached to render MRI diagnoses and simultaneously provide targeted therapy with the neutralization of IL-1β overexpressed in epileptogenic zone of an acute rat model of TLE. Experimental Design. The anti-IL-1β mAb-SPIONs were studied in vivo versus plain SPIONs and saline. Lithium-chloride pilocarpine-induced TLE models (n = 60) were followed by Western blot, Perl's iron staining, Nissl staining, and immunofluorescent double-label staining after MRI examination. Results. The magnetic anti-IL-1β mAb-SPION administered intravenously, which crossed the BBB and was concentrated in the astrocytes and neurons in epileptogenic tissues, rendered these tissues visible on MRI and simultaneously delivered anti-IL-1β mAb to the epileptogenic focus. Conclusions. Our study provides the first evidence that the novel approach enhanced accumulation and the therapeutic effect of anti-IL-1β mAb by MTDS using SPIONs.
BRAIN ACTIVATION RELATED TO AFFECTIVE DIMENSION DURING THERMAL STIMULATION IN HUMANS: A FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING STUDY

The aim of this study was to identify the activated brain region that is involved with the affective dimension of thermal stimulation (not pain, but innocuous warming) using functional MR imaging. Twelve healthy, right-handed male subjects participated in the study. Thermal stimulation with two different temperatures of 41°C and 34°C was applied to the subjects using a fomentation pack, wrapped around the right lower leg of each subject. On the basis of the subjects’ responses after the scanning sessions, the authors were able to observe that the subjects felt “warm” and “slightly pleasant and comfortable” under the 41°C condition. The experimental results indicated that warm stimulation produced a significant increase of activation compared to thermal neutral stimulation in various regions such as contralateral insular, ipsilateral cerebellum, ipsilateral putamen, contralateral middle frontal gyrus, ipsilateral inferior frontal gyrus, contralateral postcentral gyrus, and contralateral paracentral lobule. The activated regions are known to be related to thermal sensory, affective/emotional awareness, cognitive functions, sensory-discrimination, and emotion/affective processing, and so on. These results suggest that an appropriate thermal stimulation can produce a positive emotion and activate emotion/affect related regions of the brain.
Assessment of Person Fit Using Resampling-Based Approaches.

De la Torre and Deng suggested a resampling-based approach for person-fit assessment (PFA). The approach involves the use of the statistic, a corrected expected a posteriori estimate of the examinee ability, and the Monte Carlo (MC) resampling method. The Type I error rate of the approach was closer to the nominal level than that of the traditional approach of using along with the assumption of a standard normal null distribution. This article suggests a generalized resampling-based approach for PFA that allows one to employ or another person-fit statistic (PFS) based on item response theory, the corrected expected a posteriori estimate or another ability estimate, and the MC method or another resampling method. The suggested approach includes the approach of de la Torre and Deng as a special case. Several approaches belonging to the generalized approach perform very similarly to the approach of de la Torre and Deng's in two simulation studies and in applications to three real data sets, irrespective of the PFS used. The generalized approach promises to be useful to those interested in resampling-based PFA.
Generalized Virtual Full-Duplex Relaying Protocol Based on Buffer-Aided Half-Duplex Relay Nodes

In this paper, we propose a novel full-duplex relaying protocol that relies on half-duplex relay nodes with data buffers. The proposed protocol doubles the transmission rate compared to the conventional half- duplex relaying protocol. In the proposed scheme, multiple relay nodes receive a source packet, while a single relay node transmits a buffered packet to the destination node at the same time slot. Specifically, our protocol exploits the multiple source-to-relay (SR) broadcast links rather than the single SR unicast link of the conventional buffer-aided full-duplex protocol, and hence provides an additional design degree of freedom. We also derive the theoretical bounds of the outage probability and average packet delay based on the Markov chain model. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed full-duplex protocol is capable of attaining a lower outage probability than that of the previous full-duplex max-max relay selection scheme, and the lower outage probability is achieved without imposing any additional cost.
Linearity testing in characteristic two

Let Dist(f,g)=Pr/sub u/ [f(u)/spl ne/g(u)] denote the relative distance between functions f,g mapping from a group G to a group H, and let Dist(f) denote the minimum, over all linear functions (homomorphisms) g, of Dist(f,g). Given a function f:G/spl rarr/H we let Err(f)=Pr/sub u/,v[f(u)+f(v)/spl ne/f(u+v)] denote the rejection probability of the BLR (Blum-Luby-Rubinfeld) linearity test. Linearity testing is the study of the relationship between Err(f) and Dist(f), and in particular the study of lower bounds on Err(f) in terms of Dist(f). The case we are interested in is when the underlying groups are G=GF(2)/sup n/ and H=GF(2). The corresponding test is used in the construction of efficient PCPs and thence in the derivation of hardness of approximation results, and, in this context, improved analyses translate into better non-approximability results. However, while several analyses of the relation of Err(f) to Dist(f) are known, none is tight. We present a description of the relationship between Err(f) and Dist(f) which is nearly complete in all its aspects, and entirely complete (i.e. tight) in some. In particular we present functions L,U:[0,1]/spl rarr/[0,1] such that for all x/spl isin/[0,1] we have L(x)<Err(f)/spl les/U(x) whenever Dist(f)=x, with the upper bound being tight on the whole range, and the lower bound tight on a large part of the range and close on the rest. Part of our strengthening is obtained by showing a new connection between the linearity testing problem and Fourier analysis, a connection which may be of independent interest. Our results are used by M. Bellare et al. (1995) to present the best known hardness results for Max3SAT and other MaxSNP problems.
Development and Aminergic Neuromodulation of a Spinal Locomotor Network Controlling Swimming in Xenopus Larvae a

Abstract: In this article we review our research on the development and intrinsic neuromodulation of a spinal network controlling locomotion in a simple ventral roovertebrate. Swimming in hatchling Xenopus embryos is generated by a restricted network of well‐characterized spinal neurons. This network produces a stereotyped motor pattern which, like real swimming, involves rhythmic activity that alternates across the body and progresses rostrocaudally with a brief delay between muscle segments. The stereotypy results from motoneurons discharging a single impulse in each cycle; because all motoneurons appear to behave similarly there is little scope for altering the output to the myotomes from one cycle to the next. Just one day later, however, Xenopus larvae generate a more complex and flexible motor pattern in which motoneurons can discharge a variable number of impulses which contribute to ventral root bursts in each cycle.
Role of PGI2 and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids in relaxation of bovine coronary arteries to arachidonic acid.

Metabolites of arachidonic acid regulate several physiological processes, including vascular tone. The purpose of this study was to determine which metabolites of arachidonic acid are produced by bovine coronary arteries and which may regulate coronary vascular tone. Arachidonic acid induced a concentration-related, endothelium-dependent relaxation [one-half maximum effective concentration (EC50) of 2 x 10(-7) M and a maximal relaxation of 91 +/- 2% at 10(-5) M] of bovine coronary arteries that were contracted with U-46619, a thromboxane mimetic. The concentration of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), a metabolite of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2), increased from 82 +/- 6 to 328 +/- 24 pg/ml with arachidonic acid (10(-5) M). Treatment with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin attenuated arachidonic acid-induced relaxations by approximately 50% and blocked the synthesis of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. PGI2 caused a concentration-related relaxation (EC50 of 10(-8) M and a maximal relaxation of 125 +/- 11% at 10(-7) M). BW755C, a cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitor, inhibited arachidonic acid-induced relaxation to the same extent as indomethacin. When vessels were treated with both indomethacin and BW755C, the inhibition of relaxation was the same as either inhibitor alone. SKF 525a, a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, reduced arachidonic acid-induced relaxation by approximately 50%. When SKF 525a was given in combination with indomethacin, the relaxation by arachidonic acid was almost completely inhibited. SKF 525a inhibited the synthesis of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Acute Alcohol Exposure Exerts Anti-Inflammatory Effects by Inhibiting IκB Kinase Activity and p65 Phosphorylation in Human Monocytes1

Acute alcohol use is associated with impaired immune responses and decreased proinflammatory cytokine production. Our earlier studies have shown that acute alcohol intake inhibits NF-κB DNA binding in an IκBα-independent manner. We report using human peripheral blood monocytes and Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with CD14 cells that acute alcohol treatment in vitro exerts NF-κB inhibition by disrupting phosphorylation of p65. Immunoprecipitation of p65 and IκBα revealed that acute alcohol exposure for 1 h decreased NF-κB-IκBα complexes in the cytoplasm. Phosphorylation of p65 at Ser536 is mediated by IκB kinase (IKK)β and is required for NF-κB-dependent cellular responses. We show that acute alcohol treatment decreased LPS-induced IKKα and IKKβ activity resulting in decreased phosphorylation of p65 at Ser536. Furthermore, nuclear expression of IKKα increased after alcohol treatment, which may contribute to inhibition of NF-κB. Decreased phosphorylation of nuclear p65 at Ser276 was likely not due to alcohol-induced inhibition of protein kinase A and mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase-1 activity. Although decreased IκBα phosphorylation after acute alcohol treatment was attributable to reduced IKKβ activity, degradation of IκBα during alcohol exposure was IKKβ-independent. Alcohol-induced degradation of IκBα in the presence of a 26S proteasome inhibitor suggested proteasome-independent IκBα degradation. Collectively, our studies suggest that acute alcohol exposure modulates IκBα-independent NF-κB activity primarily by affecting phosphorylation of p65. These findings further implicate an important role for IKKβ in the acute effects of alcohol in immune cells.
Cyberbullying in a population of Slovak teenagers (quantitative research)

Abstract This paper looks at the research results of research into the risky behaviour of Slovak children on the Internet, implemented in late 2013 and 2014 by a research team at the Centre for the Prevention of Risky Virtual Communication, Palacký University in Olomouc. In this article we focus on a key part of the research—cyberbullying from the perspective of victims and attackers. The paper describes the most common forms of attacks Slovak children are exposed to and also focuses on role-switching from victim to attacker which occurs fairly frequently among the Slovak population. The article also looks at the most common Internet services and communication platforms which are exploited in attacks.
Reasoning about Uncertainty in Agent Control

It is paramount for agent-based systems to adapt to the dynamics of open environments. The agents need to adapt their processing to available resources, deadlines, the goal criteria specified by the clients as well their current problem solving context in order to survive in these environments. Design-to-Criteria scheduling is the soft real-time process of custom building a schedule to meet real-time performance goals specified by dynamic client goal criteria (including real-time deadlines). Problem solving tasks are represented using a task model that lays out alternate ways to achieve tasks and subtasks. Recent extensions to this technology has spawned a post-scheduling contingency analysis step that can be employed in deadline critical situations where the added computational cost is worth the expense. This is based on the evaluation of available schedules that can be used to recover from a situation in which partially executed schedules cannot be completed successfully. We describe how this analysis improves the schedule evaluation from the uncertainty perspective, and provide empirical evidence to support our claims.
The Sexual in Chinese Sociology: Homosexuality Studies in Contemporary China

Through a meta-literature review, this paper examines the changing contours of Chinese sociology of homosexuality in contemporary China. It unfolds the different theoretical orientations and methodologies that construct the modern male homosexual subject under major socio-economic and political changes. Chinese sociology of homosexuality started in the reform era and has been dominated by Western knowledge production and the political ideology of the communist party-state. Fused with the bio-medical model and the state's modernization project in the 1980s–1990s, the sociological study adopted a functionalist and positivistic approach with survey-based methodology in the main which focused on the etiology of homosexuality. A new transnational knowledge production of sociology of homosexuality has formed since the 2000s which has shifted towards a constructivist/ post-structuralist approach and reflexive qualitative methodology. The new sociological study examines the rise of male (as well as female) homosexual identity in China, questions the hetero/homosexual binary and discusses how an individual makes sense of homosexual identity to form same-sex intimate relationships. By tracing the epistemology of homosexuality in contemporary China, this paper rethinks the dominance of the Western construction and the role of the state in shaping the knowledge of homosexuality and proposes alternative spaces for theorizing Chinese sexual identities, desires and practices.