Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined dyssynchrony and scar imaging with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging predicts clinical response and long-term prognosis following cardiac resynchronization therapy.

AIMS Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is advocated in advanced heart failure; however, patient selection remains challenging. We examined the utility of multi-sequential cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in predicting outcome after CRT. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed multi-sequential CMR on 40 subjects with cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure, despite optimized medical therapy. All patients had been recommended for CRT according to accepted clinical guidelines. Patients were defined by CMR as likely responders if they had significant mechanical dyssynchrony (> or =65 ms delay between septal and posterolateral wall contraction on cine imaging), and no transmural scarring of the anteroseptal or posterolateral wall on delayed contrast-enhanced imaging. Clinical composite score was recorded at baseline and 6 months post-CRT. Long-term follow-up (transplant-free survival) was 497 +/- 55 days post-CRT. A clinical response was achieved in 19/26 (73%) of the CMR-predicted responders and 2/12 (17%) of the CMR-predicted non-responders (P < 0.01, chi(2)). The sensitivity of CMR for prediction of clinical response to CRT was 90%, with a specificity of 59%. Transplant-free survival post-CRT was achieved in 88% of the CMR-predicted responders and 58% of the CMR-predicted non-responders (P < 0.05, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis). CONCLUSION Multi-sequential CMR identifies patients with severe cardiomyopathy who will respond to CRT with a favourable long-term prognosis.
Nasopharyngeal carrier rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae in children: serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to define the nasopharyngeal carrier rates, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae in healthy children less than ten years-old in Tehran. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted from November 2008 until January 2009. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected by trained investigators from 1300 healthy children recruited from 20 randomly selected day care centers and 50 elementary schools in Tehran and inoculated into blood agar. Positive cultures that grew alpha-hemolytic colonies were gram-stained and serotypes of the isolates identified by the Quellung reaction. All isolated pneumococci were tested for sensitivity to different antibiotics by the disc diffusion method. RESULTS The carrier rate for Streptococcus pneumoniae was 44.1%. Serotypes 19, 6, 14, 17, 20, 23, and 21 were most common, found in decreasing order from 11.9% to 6.1%. Only 38.56% of isolates belonged to strains covered by the heptavalent pneumococcal vaccine. Most (69.4%) were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents: tetracycline (69.85%), clarithromycin (57.2%), azithromycin (54.9%), co-trimoxazole (11.8%), penicillin (9.2%), and vancomycin (1.5%). All isolates were sensitive to rifampin and meropenem. CONCLUSION This study has revealed the nasopharyngeal carrier rate, serotype distribution and antibiotic sensitivities of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains in children from Tehran. Our findings may have implications on the type and efficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines that should be used for prevention of pneumococcal invasive disease in Iranian children.
The Genetic Factor in Autonomic Nervous System Function

&NA; Measurements of vaso‐motor persistence time, palmar standing skin resistance, reclining pulse pressure, salivation, respiration rate, reclining volar conductance, “heart period” and “autonomic balance” have been made during three different years upon a group of children between 6 and 12 years of age. The group contained many pairs of siblings and six pairs of monozygotic twins. Comparison of the measures of siblings with those of twins shows them to be less alike than those of the twins. Similar comparisons show the unrelated less alike than the siblings and the unrelated less alike than the twins. Most of the differences are statistically significant. Correlations of the scores of pairs of twins, pairs of siblings and matched unrelated children show the correlations for the twins highest, siblings next and unrelated least. These results suggest that what one might call “autonomic constitution” may be at least partially an inherited characteristic. These findings should help to explain the genetic predisposition to many of the psychosomatic diseases.
Habitually exercising older men do not demonstrate age‐associated vascular endothelial oxidative stress

We tested the hypothesis that older men who perform habitual aerobic exercise do not demonstrate age‐associated vascular endothelial oxidative stress compared with their sedentary peers. Older exercising men (n = 13, 62 ± 2 years) had higher (P < 0.05) physical activity (79 ± 7 vs. 30 ± 6 MET hours per week) and maximal exercise oxygen consumption (42 ± 1 vs. 29 ± 1 mL kg−1 per minute) vs. sedentary men (n = 28, 63 ± 1 years). Brachial artery flow‐mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of vascular endothelial function, was greater (P < 0.05) in the exercising vs. sedentary older men (6.3 ± 0.5 vs. 4.9 ± 0.4%Δ) and not different than young controls (n = 20, 25 ± 1 years, 7.1 ± 0.5%Δ). In vascular endothelial cells sampled from the brachial artery, nitrotyrosine, a marker of oxidative stress, was 51% lower in the exercising vs. sedentary older men (0.38 ± 0.06 vs. 0.77 ± 0.10 AU). This was associated with lower endothelial expression of the oxidant enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (p47phox subunit, 0.33 ± 0.05 vs. 0.61 ± 0.09 AU) and the redox‐sensitive transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) (p65 subunit, 0.36 ± 0.05 vs. 0.72 ± 0.09 AU). Expression of the antioxidant enzyme manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD) (0.57 ± 0.13 vs. 0.30 ± 0.04 AU) and activity of endothelium‐bound extracellular SOD were greater (6.4 ± 0.5 vs. 5.0 ± 0.6 U mL−1 per minute) in the exercising men (both P < 0.05), but differences no longer were significant after correcting for adiposity and circulating metabolic factors. Overall, values for the young controls differed with those for the sedentary, but not the exercising older men. Older men who exercise regularly do not demonstrate vascular endothelial oxidative stress, and this may be a key molecular mechanism underlying their reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Contextual Effects on Sound Quality Judgements: Listening Room and Automotive Environments

This study was designed to assess the effect of the listening context on basic audio quality for stimuli with varied mid frequency range timbral degradations. An assessment of basic audio quality was carried out in two different listening environments; an ITU-R BS.1116 conformant listening room and a stationary vehicle. A group of untrained listeners graded basic audio quality using a novel single stimulus method. The listener population was divided into two subsets – one made evaluations in a listening room and the other in a vehicle. The single stimulus method was investigated as a possible subjective evaluation method for use in automotive environments.
Zebrafish tissue injury causes upregulation of interleukin-1 and caspase-dependent amplification of the inflammatory response

ABSTRACT Interleukin-1 (IL-1), the ‘gatekeeper’ of inflammation, is the apical cytokine in a signalling cascade that drives the early response to injury or infection. Expression, processing and secretion of IL-1 are tightly controlled, and dysregulated IL-1 signalling has been implicated in a number of pathologies ranging from atherosclerosis to complications of infection. Our understanding of these processes comes from in vitro monocytic cell culture models as lines or primary isolates, in which a range and spectra of IL-1 secretion mechanisms have been described. We therefore investigated whether zebrafish embryos provide a suitable in vivo model for studying IL-1-mediated inflammation. Structurally, zebrafish IL-1β shares a β-sheet-rich trefoil structure with its human counterpart. Functionally, leukocyte expression of IL-1β was detectable only following injury, which activated leukocytes throughout zebrafish embryos. Migration of macrophages and neutrophils was attenuated by inhibitors of either caspase-1 or P2X7, which similarly inhibited the activation of NF-κB at the site of injury. Zebrafish offer a new and versatile model to study the IL-1β pathway in inflammatory disease and should offer unique insights into IL-1 biology in vivo.
Near-infrared Spectroscopy–mediated Neurofeedback Enhances Efficacy of Motor Imagery–based Training in Poststroke Victims: A Pilot Study

Background and Purpose— Despite the findings that motor imagery and execution are supposed to share common neural networks, previous studies using imagery-based rehabilitation have revealed inconsistent results. In the present study, we investigated whether feedback of cortical activities (neurofeedback) using near-infrared spectroscopy could enhance the efficacy of imagery-based rehabilitation in stroke patients. Methods— Twenty hemiplegic patients with subcortical stroke received 6 sessions of mental practice with motor imagery of the distal upper limb in addition to standard rehabilitation. Subjects were randomly allocated to REAL and SHAM groups. In the REAL group, cortical hemoglobin signals detected by near-infrared spectroscopy were fed back during imagery. In the SHAM group, irrelevant randomized signals were fed back. Upper limb function was assessed using the finger and arm subscales of the Fugl-Meyer assessment and the Action Research Arm Test. Results— The hand/finger subscale of the Fugl-Meyer assessment showed greater functional gain in the REAL group, with a significant interaction between time and group (F2,36=15.5; P<0.001). A significant effect of neurofeedback was revealed even in severely impaired subjects. Imagery-related cortical activation in the premotor area was significantly greater in the REAL group than in the SHAM group (T58=2.4; P<0.05). Conclusions— Our results suggest that near-infrared spectroscopy–mediated neurofeedback may enhance the efficacy of mental practice with motor imagery and augment motor recovery in poststroke patients with severe hemiparesis.
Feinmotorische Defizite als Ursache des Underachievements begabter Grundschüler

Summary The underachievement of gifted students is one of the most disturbing and at the same time enduring problems of gifted education. Although some of the reasons for underachievement have already been identified, the state of knowledge is still fragmentary and cannot fully explain the phenomenon. In particular the contribution of fine-motor-skills has not been investigated yet. In a study of 4 th grade students, it was demonstrated that underachievers (n = 15) differed from achievers (n = 48) in terms of their fine-motor-skills and concentration, and second in the interaction of these functions. The findings are discussed with regard to the attention-deficit-hypotheses and in terms of educational implications.
Characterization of Cry2-Type Genes of Bacillus Thuringiensis Strains From Soilisolated of Sichuan Basin, China

Sichuan basin, situated in the west of China, is the fourth biggest basin in China. In order to describe a systematic study of the cry2-type genes resources from Bacillus thuringiensis strains of Sichuan basin, a total of 791 Bacillus thuringiensis strains have been screened from 2650 soil samples in different ecological regions. The method of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to identify the type of cry2 genes. The results showed that 322 Bacillus thuringiensis strains harbored cry2-type genes and four different RFLP patterns were found. The combination of cry2Aa/cry2Ab genes was the most frequent (90.4%), followed by cry2Aa (6.8%) and cry2Ab alone (2.5%), and only one novel type of cry2 gene was cloned from one isolate (JF19-2). The full-length of this novel gene was obtained by the method of thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (Tail-PCR), which was designated as cry2Ag1 (GenBank No. ACH91610) by the Bt Pesticide Crystal Protein Nomenclature Committee. In addition, the result of scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation showed that these strains had erose, spherical, bipyramidal, and square crystal. And the results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) demonstrated that these strains harbored about one to three major proteins. These strains exhibited a wide range of insecticidal spectrum toxic to Aedes aegypti (Diptera) and Pieris rapae Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera). Particularly, JF19-2 contained cry2Ag gene had the highest insecticidal activity. All these researches mentioned above revealed the diversity and particularity of cry2-type gene resources from Bacillus thuringiensis strains in Sichuan basin.
Occupational Change and Career Development amongst Graduate Engineers and Scientists

Abstract Results are presented from a continuing study of men who graduated in 1970. Their first jobs after graduation were all typical of people with their degrees (in science, technology and engineering), but by 1977 they were in jobs which were identified as involving some degree of occupational change. These changes, and some of the beliefs the respondents held about them, are discussed. Tentative conclusions are drawn, and some possible implications for careers guidance are noted.
Learning in socio-spatial context: an individual perspective

Roel Rutten is assistant professor at the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences of Tilburg University and has worked as a consultant of regional innovation policy. His research interests include innovation and organization and the geography of innovation and learning. He is a founding member of the Social Dynamics of Innovation Networks research community and an active member of the Regional Studies Association. He frequently engages with practitioners in the field of innovation and regional development.
An Examination of Some Personal Characteristics & Abilities of Sign Language Interpreters

Very little research has focused on those characteristics of sign language interpreters predictive of high levels of skill in interpreting. This study analyzes data collected some 13 years ago by Quigley et al. (1974) on 25 interpreters who were given interpreting tasks to perform and were measured on a number of personal variables. Using a specially designed objective instrument for the evaluation of interpreting abilities, the present authors found that most of the predictor variables hypothesized in the earlier study as related to interpreting skills were indeed poor predictors. Multiple regression analysis revealed the importance of certain personality traits, which differed according to whether the interpreters came from hearing or deaf families. These data provide a basis for comparison with contemporary interpreters in order to document the nature and extent of the changes that are apparently widespread throughout this profession. Further research is called for to examine carefully practicing interpreters and to take into account variables that were not considered when these data were originally collected.
Assessment of the relationship of basal serum anti-mullerian hormone levels with oocyte quality and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing ICSI

Background: Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is constantly secreted during menstrual cycles and may offer several advantages over traditional biomarkers of ovarian reserve. Objective: To assess the relationship of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) values, which are used to evaluate ovary reserves, with oocyte and embryo quality and with ART outcomes in patients undergoing intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was performed using 50 women undergoing ICSI in IVF center of Zeynep Kamil Women's and Children's Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey. All patients received the long protocol. Follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and AMH levels were measured and antral follicle counts were obtained on the 3rd day of menstruation. A cut-off value based on the number of oocytes was determined for AMH, and women were evaluated after being divided into two groups as bad responders and good responders, according to their AMH levels. Results: Twelve (27.3%) women were in bad responders group and 32 (72.7%) women were in good responders group. AMH measurements were statistically significantly different between the two groups (p<0.01). Based on this significance, the researchers used ROC analysis to estimate a cut-off point for AMH. The researchers detected the good responders with an AMH level 1.90 or above, with 87.50% sensitivity, 66.67% specificity, 87.50% positive prediction, and 66.67% negative prediction (AUC=0.777, p<0.01). Conclusion: Basal AMH levels can be used as an indicator to determine the ovarian response in women undergoing ICSI. AMH can be used to predict the number of mature oocytes that can be collected during treatment and the number of oocytes that can be fertilized. However, AMH is not a valuable tool to evaluate oocyte quality, the development of high-quality embryos, or pregnancy conception.
Functional disability in adolescents and young adults with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome: the role of academic, social, and athletic competence.

OBJECTIVE To examine perceived academic, social, and athletic competence as potential moderators of the relation between symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional disability in adolescents and young adults with a history of recurrent abdominal pain (RAP). METHODS We assessed IBS symptoms, competence, and disability by telephone interview in RAP patients five years following their medical evaluation. RESULTS For both male and female subjects, the relation between symptoms and disability was stronger at lower levels of perceived academic competence. Furthermore, among females, the relation between symptoms and disability was stronger at lower levels of perceived social competence; among males, the relation was stronger at lower levels of perceived athletic competence. CONCLUSIONS Perceived competence moderated the relation between IBS symptoms and functional disability. Interventions designed to enhance patient competence in various roles may be useful in reducing disability among adolescents and young adults with symptoms of IBS.
Half a Defence of Positive Accounting Research

This paper examines the positive (scientific) approach to accounting research, defined here as any research intended to understand objective causes of human behaviour in accounting settings. It presents a set of ontological and epistemological assumptions which are minimally required for scientific research to be a feasible intellectual project, and argues that while these assumptions may eventually turn out to be wrong they are neither illogical nor absurd. As far as is known at present, positive research in accounting is a defensible activity.But if the activity is defensible, it is also hard to do well. The best current understanding of how to make progress is due to Popper, and his logic can be applied to both quantitative and qualitative research. Recent papers in auditing (which are typical of good work of their kind) illustrate how far practice falls short of Popper's prescription. Qualitative researchers commonly use theories not as hypotheses which need to be tested and improved, but purely as a lens through which observational findings may be viewed. Quantitative researchers rely on the logic of hypothesis-testing, which is itself less rigorous than Popper's prescription, and combine it with other features that make detection of incorrect hypotheses less likely. Neither qualitative nor quantitative research methods warrant much confidence in accepted findings, and mistaken ideas are not being corrected as rapidly as possible. The success of positive accounting research is argued to be an artefact of setting the bar too low.Kuhn's description of "normal" science appears to fit positive accounting research better than it fits traditional sciences. This suggests that the apparent functional deficiencies are in fact essential features of the social system of positive accounting research. The prospects are briefly discussed for a Kuhnian crisis and revolution, which might liberate positive accounting to achieve its potential. Suggestions are offered for practical acts of resistance to the existing system which might assist such a change.
Who does the numbers? The role of third-party technology assessment to inform health systems' decision-making about the funding of health technologies.

BACKGROUND There is an increasing number of health-care systems using economic evaluations to inform decisions about the reimbursement of health technologies. There are usually two separate elements of this process: assembling relevant evidence and undertaking analyses (technology assessment), and decision-making. In most systems, technology assessment is undertaken by the manufacturer of the technology. In a few, "third-party" assessment is used. METHODS In the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence used a combination of third-party and manufacturer assessments between 1999 and 2005. After this point, a Single Technology Appraisal program (using manufacturer-based assessment) was instituted for some technologies. Here the role of third-party assessment is considered in this from of decision-making. The article reviews the requirements of economic evaluation to support decision-making, and considers the extent to which each type of assessment is likely to meet these requirements. It also attempts to address whether the two forms of assessment differ in their impact on decision-making using a comparison of the decisions made by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (under its multiple-technology appraisal system) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which relies on manufacturer assessment. RESULTS The comparison is limited by the small number of technologies considered by both bodies. Nevertheless, it suggests that there are potentially important differences between the two bodies, with NICE generally placing more restrictions of the use of technologies. CONCLUSIONS The article concludes that there are potential advantages to third-party assessment, but its cost and timing may preclude its use for all new technologies. A hybrid arrangement is suggested where third-party assessment is used in particular circumstances.
Metabolomic Investigation of the Bacterial Response to a Metal Challenge

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 is naturally resistant to the toxic metalloid tellurite, but the mechanisms of resistance are not known. In this study we report the isolation of a KF707 mutant (T5) with hyperresistance to tellurite. In order to characterize the bacterial response and the pathways leading to tolerance, we utilized Phenotype MicroArray technology (Biolog) and a metabolomic technique based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The physiological states of KF707 wild-type and T5 cells exposed to tellurite were also compared in terms of viability and reduced thiol content. Our analyses showed an extensive change in metabolism upon the addition of tellurite to KF707 cultures as well as different responses when the wild-type and T5 strains were compared. Even in the absence of tellurite, T5 cells displayed a “poised” physiological status, primed for tellurite exposure and characterized by altered intracellular levels of glutathione, branched-chain amino acids, and betaine, along with increased resistance to other toxic metals and metabolic inhibitors. We conclude that hyperresistance to tellurite in P. pseudoalcaligenes KF707 is correlated with the induction of the oxidative stress response, resistance to membrane perturbation, and reconfiguration of cellular metabolism.