Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early somatosensory evoked potential grades in comatose traumatic brain injury patients predict cognitive and functional outcome*

Objectives:To relate early somatosensory evoked potential grades from comatose traumatic brain injury patients to neuropsychological and functional outcome 1 yr later; to determine the day (within the first week after traumatic brain injury) that somatosensory evoked potential grade best correlates with outcome; to determine whether somatosensory evoked potential grade improvement in the first week after traumatic brain injury is associated with improved outcome. Design:Prospective cohort study. Setting:Critical care unit at a university hospital. Patients:Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials were obtained from 81 comatose patients with traumatic brain injury. Somatosensory evoked potential grades were calculated from results obtained on days 1, 3, and 7 after traumatic brain injury. Glasgow Outcome Scale, Barthel Index, Rivermead Head Injury Follow-up Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, Stroop Color-Word Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, and Symbol-Digit Modalities Test scores were obtained 1 yr after injury. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Somatosensory evoked potential grade on days 1, 3, and 7 related significantly with Glasgow Outcome Scale and Barthel scores (day 3 better than day 1) but did not relate with Rivermead Head Injury Follow-up Questionnaire or General Health Questionnaire scores. Day 3 and day 7 somatosensory evoked potential grades related significantly with Stroop scores. Day 3 somatosensory evoked potential grades related significantly with Symbol-Digit Modalities Test scores. Patients with bilaterally present but abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials, whose somatosensory evoked potential grade improved between days 1 and 3, had marginally better functional outcome than those without somatosensory evoked potential grade improvement. Conclusions:Day 3 somatosensory evoked potential grade related to information-processing speed, working memory, and the ability to attend to tasks 1 yr after traumatic brain injury. Day 3 somatosensory evoked potential grade had the strongest relationship with functional outcome. Somatosensory evoked potential grades were not related to emotional well-being.
SpikeDeeptector: a deep-learning based method for detection of neural spiking activity

Objective. In electrophysiology, microelectrodes are the primary source for recording neural data (single unit activity). These microelectrodes can be implanted individually or in the form of arrays containing dozens to hundreds of channels. Recordings of some channels contain neural activity, which are often contaminated with noise. Another fraction of channels does not record any neural data, but only noise. By noise, we mean physiological activities unrelated to spiking, including technical artifacts and neural activities of neurons that are too far away from the electrode to be usefully processed. For further analysis, an automatic identification and continuous tracking of channels containing neural data is of great significance for many applications, e.g. automated selection of neural channels during online and offline spike sorting. Automated spike detection and sorting is also critical for online decoding in brain–computer interface (BCI) applications, in which only simple threshold crossing events are often considered for feature extraction. To our knowledge, there is no method that can universally and automatically identify channels containing neural data. In this study, we aim to identify and track channels containing neural data from implanted electrodes, automatically and more importantly universally. By universally, we mean across different recording technologies, different subjects and different brain areas. Approach. We propose a novel algorithm based on a new way of feature vector extraction and a deep learning method, which we call SpikeDeeptector. SpikeDeeptector considers a batch of waveforms to construct a single feature vector and enables contextual learning. The feature vectors are then fed to a deep learning method, which learns contextualized, temporal and spatial patterns, and classifies them as channels containing neural spike data or only noise. Main results. We trained the model of SpikeDeeptector on data recorded from a single tetraplegic patient with two Utah arrays implanted in different areas of the brain. The trained model was then evaluated on data collected from six epileptic patients implanted with depth electrodes, unseen data from the tetraplegic patient and data from another tetraplegic patient implanted with two Utah arrays. The cumulative evaluation accuracy was 97.20% on 1.56 million hand labeled test inputs. Significance. The results demonstrate that SpikeDeeptector generalizes not only to the new data, but also to different brain areas, subjects, and electrode types not used for training. Clinical trial registration number. The clinical trial registration number for patients implanted with the Utah array is NCT 01849822. For the epilepsy patients, approval from the local ethics committee at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, was obtained prior to implantation.
Playing Atari Games with Deep Reinforcement Learning and Human Checkpoint Replay

This paper introduces a novel method for learning how to play the most difficult Atari 2600 games from the Arcade Learning Environment using deep reinforcement learning. The proposed method, human checkpoint replay, consists in using checkpoints sampled from human gameplay as starting points for the learning process. This is meant to compensate for the difficulties of current exploration strategies, such as epsilon-greedy, to find successful control policies in games with sparse rewards. Like other deep reinforcement learning architectures, our model uses a convolutional neural network that receives only raw pixel inputs to estimate the state value function. We tested our method on Montezuma's Revenge and Private Eye, two of the most challenging games from the Atari platform. The results we obtained show a substantial improvement compared to previous learning approaches, as well as over a random player. We also propose a method for training deep reinforcement learning agents using human gameplay experience, which we call human experience replay.
Through the Eyes of Experts: A Socio-Cognitive Perspective on the Automation of Fingerprint Work

Prior research on technological frames indicates that many of the difficulties associated with systems implementation stem from differences in the meanings users, managers, and system developers attribute to automation projects. Although the concept of technological frames has been used to explore the bases for intergroup conflict during implementation, it is also a useful device for probing more deeply into the effects complex systems have on users' perceptions of their work and the role-altering effects of new technologies. Drawing upon personal construct theory and job characteristics theory, we adapted the repertory grid technique to explore the technology-in-use frames of a group of occupationally certified fingerprint technicians (FPTs). Our investigation reveals the important role the FPTs' occupationally defined values and norms played in structuring their existing work practices and the tensions produced by organizationally mandated efforts to restructure the logic of their expertise-based hierarchies. These insights illuminate the effects work redesign had on the FPTs' task environment, the process logic that guided specific work practices, and the roles defined by their expertise-based hierarchies, providing a basis for understanding the FPTs' unanticipated reactions to the automation of their work.
Are Farm-Reared Quails for Game Restocking Really Common Quails (Coturnix coturnix)?: A Genetic Approach

The common quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a popular game species for which restocking with farm-reared individuals is a common practice. In some areas, the number of released quails greatly surpasses the number of wild breeding common quail. However, common quail are difficult to raise in captivity and this casts suspicion about a possible hybrid origin of the farmed individuals from crosses with domestic Japanese quail (C. japonica). In this study we used a panel of autosomal microsatellite markers to characterize the genetic origin of quails reared for hunting purposes in game farms in Spain and of quails from an experimental game farm which was founded with hybrids that have been systematically backcrossed with wild common quails. The genotypes of these quail were compared to those of wild common quail and domestic strains of Japanese quail. Our results show that more than 85% of the game farm birds were not common quail but had domestic Japanese quail ancestry. In the experimental farm a larger proportion of individuals could not be clearly separated from pure common quails. We conclude that the majority of quail sold for restocking purposes were not common quail. Genetic monitoring of individuals raised for restocking is indispensable as the massive release of farm-reared hybrids could represent a severe threat for the long term survival of the native species.
The Effect of Hearing-Protection Devices on Auditory Situational Awareness and Listening Effort

Objectives: Hearing-protection devices (HPDs) are made available, and often are required, for industrial use as well as military training exercises and operational duties. However, these devices often are disliked, and consequently not worn, in part because they compromise situational awareness through reduced sound detection and localization performance as well as degraded speech intelligibility. In this study, we carried out a series of tests, involving normal-hearing subjects and multiple background-noise conditions, designed to evaluate the performance of four HPDs in terms of their modifications of auditory-detection thresholds, sound-localization accuracy, and speech intelligibility. In addition, we assessed their impact on listening effort to understand how the additional effort required to perceive and process auditory signals while wearing an HPD reduces available cognitive resources for other tasks. Design: Thirteen normal-hearing subjects participated in a protocol, which included auditory tasks designed to measure detection and localization performance, speech intelligibility, and cognitive load. Each participant repeated the battery of tests with unoccluded ears and four hearing protectors, two active (electronic) and two passive. The tasks were performed both in quiet and in background noise. Results: Our findings indicate that, in variable degrees, all of the tested HPDs induce performance degradation on most of the conducted tasks as compared to the open ear. Of particular note in this study is the finding of increased cognitive load or listening effort, as measured by visual reaction time, for some hearing protectors during a dual-task, which added working-memory demands to the speech-intelligibility task. Conclusions: These results indicate that situational awareness can vary greatly across the spectrum of HPDs, and that listening effort is another aspect of performance that should be considered in future studies. The increased listening effort induced by hearing protectors may lead to earlier cognitive fatigue in noisy environments. Further study is required to characterize how auditory performance is limited by the combination of hearing impairment and the use of HPDs, and how the effects of such limitations can be linked to safe and effective use of hearing protection to maximize job performance.
A STUDY ON THE IMPACTS OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT ON JOB AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG HOTEL SALES MANAGERS IN CHINA

The current study investigated the effects of work-family conflict (WFC) on job and life satisfaction among hotel sales managers in China. Data were collected by a field survey on 121 sales managers in 26 hotels at the Pearl River Delta in China. A hierarchical regression analysis by GLM-Multivariate was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that in contract to the study hypotheses, hotel sales managers' WIF (work interfering with family) had negative effects on job satisfaction but not life satisfaction, whereas FIW (family interfering with work) had negative effects on life satisfaction rather than job satisfaction. The results suggested the strategic role of family-friendly HR polices in hotel business and also remind potential limitations to the audience when implying the results in other hotels.
Executive Compensation : Salary vs . Incentive Pay : An Inconvenient Truth

We examine the issue of executive compensation within an intertemporal general equilibrium production context. Intertemporal optimality places strong restrictions on the form of a representative manager's compensation contract, restrictions that appear to be incompatible with the fact that the bulk of many high-profile managers' compensation is in the form of various options and option-like rewards. We therefore measure the extent to which “options-like” convex contracts alone can induce the manager to adopt near-optimal investment and hiring decisions. To ask this question is essentially to ask if such contracts can effectively align the stochastic discount factor of the manager with that of the shareholder-workers. We detail exact circumstances under which this alignment is possible and when it is not. As a corollary, we also explore the business cycle and welfare consequences of suboptimal contracting.
Market Size in Globalization

A salient feature of the current globalization is a loss of manufacturing in developed countries and rapid industrialization in middle-sized developing countries. This paper aims to construct a simple three-country trade and geography model with different market sizes and endogenous wage rates. The large country fosters industrial agglomeration (geographical concentration) in the early stage of globalization, but loses manufacturing in the later stage of globalization. When losing manufacturing, the large country might be worse off. Thus, the large country might have an incentive to implement welfare-maintaining policies to prevent a loss of manufacturing. All of these results can be explained by relative market sizes.
Lifestyle and biological factors influence the relationship between mental health and low-grade inflammation

Mental health modulates the risk of common chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Although inflammation is thought to partly explain this link, its relation with mental health is still unclear and largely unexplored. We investigated three scales assessing psychological resilience (CD-RISC), depression symptoms (PHQ8) and mental wellbeing (SF36-MCS) in an Italian adult population cohort (Nmax=16,952). We performed stepwise generalized linear models to test the association between each scale and INFLA-score, a composite blood-based inflammation index. At each step, a class of potential mediators was included in the model, namely health conditions, lifestyle factors, or both (full model). Full model analysis was also conducted on single blood markers involved in the inflammatory process. In the baseline model, we observed significant associations of PHQ8 (standardized β=0.024, p=8.9×10−3) and SF36-MCS (β = −0.021, p=7×10−3) with INFLA-score. These associations survived adjustment for health conditions but not for lifestyle factors, which explained 81% and 17% of the association with PHQ8 and SF36-MCS, respectively. Significant associations (p<4.2×10−3) after mediator adjustment were observed for single low-grade inflammation markers, including platelet distribution width (with PHQ8 and CD-RISC), granulocyte-and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, monocyte and lymphocyte fractions (with SF36-MCS). These findings suggest that the relationship between mental health and low-grade inflammation is largely influenced by lifestyle. However, the associations with specific biomarkers related to inflammation are partly independent and might be explained by biological factors. Interestingly, these associations are in line with recent blood transcriptomic analyses of depressed subjects, reporting up- and down-regulation of genes related to innate and adaptive immunity, respectively.
Community and International Nutrition The Core Food Security Module Scale Measure Is Valid and Reliable When Used with Asians and Pacific Islanders 1 , 2

The Core Food Security Measure (CFSM) is used nationally to assess the extent and severity of household food insecurity in the previous 12 mo due to inadequate money for food. Both a scale measure and a categorical measure were developed from a national cross-sectional sample. The objective of this research was to determine whether the CFSM scale measure is a reliable and valid food security measure for use in Hawaii, where at least 50% of the population is of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. We completed an independent assessment of the robustness of the internal scale construct validity of the CSFM scale measure and hierarchical order of items using the same Rasch methods used previously to develop the CSFM. From a sample of 1664 respondents, data from 362 were used in the Rasch analysis. Item goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that responses to the “adults cut the size or skip meals” item and its follow-up item were redundant [outfit mean-square residual (MnSq) 5 0.6, z 5 22]. Responses to the “(un)able to eat balanced meals” item were erratic (outfit MnSq 5 2.1, z 5 2). Findings pertaining to goodness-of-fit of the respondents indicated an acceptable rate of misfit (4.7%). Rate of misfit did not vary with family status or with any ethnic group except the Samoans. Overall, the CFSM scale measure fit as well with the Hawaii data as it did with national data, although identified limitations may affect food security monitoring and research. J. Nutr. 130: 2666–2674, 2000.
Purification and properties of a specific Escherichia coli ribonuclease which cleaves a tyrosine transfer ribonucleic acid presursor.

Abstract Precursor molecules of Escherichia coli wild type and mutant tyrosine tRNA's contain at both their 5' and 3' termini extra nucleotides in addition to those of the mature tRNA molecule. The early steps of processing these precursor molecules must involve specific ribonuclease cleavage. We report the isolation from E. coli extracts of the specific endonucleolytic RNase which cleaves only a single phosphodiester bond of the 129 nucleotide tyrosine tRNA precursor molecule. This cleavage removes all extra nucleotides present at the 5' terminus of the precursor as a 41 nucleotide fragment, exposing the 5' end of the mature tRNA. After sufficient purification, this activity has no effect upon the extra nucleotides at the 3' end of the tRNA precursor. Therefore processing of the two ends of this molecule must be carried out by different enzymatic activities. This novel RNase activity, which we have called RNase P, has been purified by washing ribosomes with 0.2 m NH4Cl, followed by ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and phosphocellulose. At this stage it shows no evidence of other E. coli RNase activities. RNase P requires both monovalent and divalent cations for optimal activity, and has a pH optimum of 8.0. In the course of purifying RNase P, we have discovered in other subcellular fractions of E. coli RNase activities potentially responsible for additional steps of precursor tRNA processing.
Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3, fish oil) have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, n-3 therapy may be beneficial in chronic inflammatory disorders such as ulcerative colitis. OBJECTIVES To systematically review the efficacy and safety of n-3 for maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis (UC). SEARCH STRATEGY The following databases were searched from their inception without language restriction: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Healthstar, PubMed, and ACP journal club. Experts were contacted for unpublished data. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT) of fish oil for maintenance of remission in UC were included. Studies must have enrolled patients (of any age group) who were in remission at the time of recruitment, and were followed for at least six months. The intervention must have been fish oil given in pre-defined dosage. Co-interventions were allowed only if they were balanced between the study groups. The primary outcome was relapse rate and the secondary outcome was frequency of adverse events. Other outcomes to assess efficacy were change in disease activity scores and time to first relapse. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two independent investigators reviewed studies for eligibility, extracted the data and assessed study quality. Meta-analysis weighted by the Mantel-Haenszel method was performed using RevMan 4.2. 8 software. Random or fixed effect models were used according to degree of heterogeneity and subgroup analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity. A sensitivity analysis was performed excluding a study of questionable quality . MAIN RESULTS The three studies that were included used different formulation and dosing of n-3 but none used enteric coated capsules. The pooled analysis showed a similar relapse rate in the n-3 treated patients and controls (RR 1.02; 95% CI 0.51 to 2.03; P = 0.96). Combining the studies resulted in virtually no statistical heterogeneity (P = 0.93, I(2) = 0%). Various subgroup and sensitivity analyses showed similar results. However, the total number of patients enrolled in these studies was small (n = 138). No significant adverse events were recorded in any of the studies and not enough data were available to pool the other secondary outcomes for meta-analysis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS No evidence was found that supports the use of omega 3 fatty acids for maintenance of remission in UC. Further studies using enteric coated capsules may be justified.
Thermodynamics for a network of neurons: Signatures of criticality

The activity of a neural network is defined by patterns of spiking and silence from the individual neurons. Because spikes are (relatively) sparse, patterns of activity with increasing numbers of spikes are less probable, but with more spikes the number of possible patterns increases. This tradeoff between probability and numerosity is mathematically equivalent to the relationship between entropy and energy in statistical physics. We construct this relationship for populations of up to N=160 neurons in a small patch of the vertebrate retina, using a combination of direct and model-based analyses of experiments on the response of this network to naturalistic movies. We see signs of a thermodynamic limit, where the entropy per neuron approaches a smooth function of the energy per neuron as N increases. The form of this function corresponds to the distribution of activity being poised near an unusual kind of critical point. Networks with more or less correlation among neurons would not reach this critical state. We suggest further tests of criticality, and give a brief discussion of its functional significance.
Geometric invariants in Manin ’ s Conjecture

We propose an explicit description of the exceptional set in Manin’s Conjecture. Our proposal includes the rational point contributions from any subvariety or cover with larger geometric invariants. We prove that this set is contained in a thin subset of rational points, verifying there is no counterexample to Manin’s Conjecture which arises from incompatibility of geometric invariants.
Red and blonde hair in renal medullary cystic disease.

An earlier clinical observation that renal medullary cystic disease is frequently associated with red and blonde hair has been confirmed. The concomitance of these findings in eight patients in four new kindreds is presented. These observations relating hair color to medullary cystic disease of the kidney will be helpful in suggesting this diagnosis at the bedside in patients with compatible clinical findings.