Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved Diagnosis in Children with Partial Epilepsy Using a Multivariable Prediction Model Based on EEG Network Characteristics

Background Electroencephalogram (EEG) acquisition is routinely performed to support an epileptic origin of paroxysmal events in patients referred with a possible diagnosis of epilepsy. However, in children with partial epilepsies the interictal EEGs are often normal. We aimed to develop a multivariable diagnostic prediction model based on electroencephalogram functional network characteristics. Methodology/Principal Findings Routinely performed interictal EEG recordings at first presentation of 35 children diagnosed with partial epilepsies, and of 35 children in whom the diagnosis epilepsy was excluded (control group), were used to develop the prediction model. Children with partial epilepsy were individually matched on age and gender with children from the control group. Periods of resting-state EEG, free of abnormal slowing or epileptiform activity, were selected to construct functional networks of correlated activity. We calculated multiple network characteristics previously used in functional network epilepsy studies and used these measures to build a robust, decision tree based, prediction model. Based on epileptiform EEG activity only, EEG results supported the diagnosis of with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.77 and 0.91 respectively. In contrast, the prediction model had a sensitivity of 0.96 [95% confidence interval: 0.78–1.00] and specificity of 0.95 [95% confidence interval: 0.76–1.00] in correctly differentiating patients from controls. The overall discriminative power, quantified as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, was 0.89, defined as an excellent model performance. The need of a multivariable network analysis to improve diagnostic accuracy was emphasized by the lack of discriminatory power using single network characteristics or EEG's power spectral density. Conclusions/Significance Diagnostic accuracy in children with partial epilepsy is substantially improved with a model combining functional network characteristics derived from multi-channel electroencephalogram recordings. Early and accurate diagnosis is important to start necessary treatment as soon as possible and inform patients and parents on possible risks and psychosocial aspects in relation to the diagnosis.
Hydroalcoholic extract of needles of Pinus eldarica enhances pentobarbital-induced sleep: possible involvement of GABAergic system

Objective: Insomnia is accompanied by several health complications and the currently used soporific drugs can induce several side effects such as psychomotor impairment, amnesia, and tolerance. The present study was planned to investigate the sleep prolonging effect of Pinus eldarica. Materials and Methods: Hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) of P. eldarica, its water fraction (WF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and n-butanol fraction (NBF) were injected (intraperitoneally) to mice 30 min before administration of pentobarbital. Then, the latent period and continuous sleeping time were recorded. Also, LD50 of P. eldarica extract was determined and the possible neurotoxicity of the extract was tested on neural PC12 cells. Results: The HAE and NBF decreased the latency of sleep (p<0.05) and significantly increased duration of sleep (p<0.05) induced by pentobarbital. These effects of P. eldarica were reversed by flumazenil. The LD50 value for HAE was found to be 4.8 g/Kg. HAE and its fractions did not show neurotoxic effects in cultured PC12-cell line. Conclusion: The present data indicate that P. eldarica potentiated pentobarbital hypnosis without major toxic effect. Most probably, the main components responsible for this effect are non-polar agents which are found in NBF of this plant.
Accuracy of noninvasive hemoglobin and invasive point-of-care hemoglobin testing compared with a laboratory analyzer

Hemoglobin concentration is assessed to detect anemia and its associated morbidities. Hemoglobin is usually determined from venous or capillary blood samples run on a laboratory analyzer. However, this method requires a needle stick and results can be delayed. It also exposes caregivers to risks associated with needle sticks and blood exposure. Noninvasive hemoglobin determination would be of benefit to patients and caregivers because it would allow for quick and painless point‐of‐care assessment.
The long run evolution of inequality and macroeconomic shocks

This thesis is concerned with two main questions. Do systemic banking crises substantially affect the income distribution in a country? Is income inequality a destabilising factor for the macro-economy? In order to answer the first question, this thesis examines a panel of 26 countries since 1900 and assembles a new database of crises, finding that the impact of major banking crises on the national income shares detained by the income groups within the richest decile is mostly small in magnitude. Indeed, the estimated impact is never bigger than a standard deviation of the specific top shares under investigation. Results are also confirmed in a separate analysis for the United States and are robust to a series of checks. These findings lend indirect support to the structuralist hypothesis that only substantial changes in government policies and institutional frameworks can bring about radical changes in income distribution. The analysis also highlights interesting heterogeneity across different income groups, country groups and time periods. The second question is addressed by making use of a newly assembled database on different dimensions of economic inequality. The new data helps to reject the statistical validity of the hypotheses that either growing inequality or a high level of inequality may systematically precede the onset of major banking crises. In addition, simulations based on the UK Family Expenditure Survey data find that even a full equalisation of income would increase the aggregate consumption by 3 percentage points at most. These findings, taken together, point out that an increase in income inequality may not concur to reduce the pressure on aggregate demand or be adduced as a structural factor of financial instability. Nonetheless, the evidence is not yet clear cut as the work further documents that periods of increasing income inequality in the UK were also associated with a reduction of the saving rates across the whole income distribution since 1968. The analysis contends that such evidence of under-saving behaviour may be consistent with the relative income hypothesis and some of its recent formulations such as the ’expenditure cascades’ theory.
Masses, Tidal Radii, and Escape Speeds in Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies under MOND and Dark Halos Compared

We investigate the success and problems of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) in explaining the structural parameters and dynamics of remote Galactic globular clusters (GCs) and dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. Using the MOND value for the mass of the Milky Way, as inferred from the Galactic rotation curve, we derive the tidal radii of Galactic GCs and compare to observed values. Except for Pal 14, the predicted tidal radii of GCs are systematically larger than the observed nominal values. However, the associated uncertainties are so large that tidal radii are consistent on the 1 σ level. We have considered the importance of the Galactic tidal force on the survival of dSphs under MOND. Assuming mass-to-light ratios compatible with a naked stellar population, we found that the present Galactic dSphs preserve their integrity over one Hubble time, except for Sextans, which may survive the tidal interaction only for several Gyr. Mass-to-light ratios as inferred from the internal kinematics of dSph galaxies can be used, but they appear too large to be accounted for only by the stellar population in Willman 1, Coma Berenice, Ursa Minor, Draco, Ursa Major, and possibly Boötes dwarves. Finally, the ability of the Sculptor dwarf to retain the observed population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) is examined. Under the MOND paradigm, we find that the retention fraction in Sculptor is likely not larger than a few percent. Compared to the dark matter scenario, it turns out that MOND makes the retention problem worse. We propose that measurements of the radial velocities of the observed LMXBs in Sculptor could provide a way to distinguish between modified gravities or extended and massive dark matter halos.
Redressing the Energy Challenge of Gas Flaring in Nigeria: The MEEs Approach

This paper examines the need to redress gas flaring activity in Nigeria considering the negative social-economic effects of this unethical practice. The paper makes use of secondary data enriched by the narrative-textual case study (NTCS), an emerging social science research method widely used in Management, Entrepreneurship and Economics (MEEs). The authors observe that gas flaring became endemic in Nigeria because the nation’s regulatory agency lack the political will to stop gas flaring recklessness of the major multinational oil companies. The authors therefore counsel on the need for policy makers to be more proactive in enforcing extant gas policy and sanctioning erring multinational oil companies. The paper concludes that energy challenge of gas flaring can be redressed through the formulation of national gas flaring policy, enforcement of national policy & international protocols on gas flaring, sanctioning of culpable multinational companies, optimal gas utilisation through energy liberalisation, adoption of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and genuine political will on the part of government.
Family Firms, Soft Information and Bank Lending in a Financial Crisis

This paper studies differences in family and non-family firms' access to bank lending during the 2007–2009 financial crisis. The hypothesis is that the former's incentive structure results in less agency conflict in the borrower–lender relationship. Using highly detailed data on bank–firm relations, we exploit the reduction in bank lending in Italy following the crisis in October 2008. We find statistically and economically significant evidence that credit to family firms contracted less sharply than that to non-family firms. The results are robust to observable ex-ante differences between the two types of firms and to time-varying bank fixed effects. We show, further, that the difference is related to an increased role for soft information in some Italian banks' operations, following the Lehman Brothers failure. Finally, by identifying a match between those banks and family firms, we can control for time-varying unobserved heterogeneity among the firms and validate the hypothesis that our results are supply-driven.
SEM evaluation of canal wall dentine following use of Mtwo and ProTaper NiTi rotary instruments.

AIM To compare using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) root canal walls following instrumentation in vitro with two different rotary NiTi instruments. The hypothesis was that no difference should be observable between the experimental groups in terms of debris on canal walls and surface morphology. METHODOLOGY Twenty-four single-rooted human teeth were selected. Two types of NiTi instruments were used, Mtwo (Sweden & Martina, Padova, Italy) and ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). Irrigation for both groups was performed after each instrument change with 5% NaOCl, 3% H2O2 and 17% EDTA solutions. Three different areas (coronal, middle and apical thirds) of the root canal were evaluated using SEM. The canal wall of each sample was assessed and compared using a predefined scale of four parameters, namely, smear layer, pulpal debris, inorganic dentine debris, surface profile. Data were analysed statistically using the Kruskal-Wallis test (anova). RESULTS A statistically significant difference (P < 0.01) was found between the apical third and the middle and coronal thirds for both groups. No difference was observable between instrumentation groups. In the apical third canal walls were often contaminated by inorganic debris and by smear layer. In the apical third, the surface profile was affected by uninstrumented regions, comprising dentine depressions and grooves in which predentine was still visible. CONCLUSION Both instruments produced a clean and debris-free dentine surfaces in the coronal and middle thirds, but were unable to produce a dentine surfaces free from smear layer and debris in the apical third. The presence of deep grooves and depression on dentine walls in the apical third may well explain the presence of less-instrumented areas.
HECS for TAFE: The case for extending income contingent loans

The public vocational education and training (VET) system is now one of the few areas in Australia's tertiary education system where students are required to pay up-front fees without access to loan assistance. These arrangements may lead to sub-optimal educational outcomes to the extent that prospective students reject a VET education on the basis of short-term financial constraints. In this paper we present a case for introducing an income contingent loan to the VET sector. The economic rationale is similar to that for higher education, and the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) provides a useful template. Using data from the first three waves of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, we establish that there are indeed significant private returns to VET qualifications. An income contingent loan is argued to enhance access to these benefits, and the collection streams are analysed for different qualifications. The form that an income contingent loan might take for VET is considered, as are the implications for the Commonwealth Government with respect to potential subsidies associated with the design parameters.
Consumer Cocreation in New Product Development

The area of consumer cocreation is in its infancy and many aspects are not well understood. In this article, we outline and discuss a conceptual framework that focuses on the degree of consumer cocreation in new product development (NPD). The authors examine (a) the major stimulators and impediments to this process, (b) the impact of cocreation at each stage of the NPD process, and (c) the various firm-related and consumer-related outcomes. A number of areas for future research are suggested.
The Social Construction of an Imperative: Why Welfare Reform Happened in Denmark and the Netherlands but Not in Germany

This article seeks to explain why Denmark and the Netherlands made dramatic progress reforming their welfare systems in the 1990s and why Germany had a relatively slow start. Some possible explanations found to be incomplete are institutional differences in welfare programs, the uniqueness of circumstances (for example, German unification), and the balance of political power in governing institutions. An important part of the puzzle is an increasing perception of the need to reform that was more widespread in Denmark and the Netherlands. The social construction of an imperative to reform in these countries generated a political consensus that was elusive in Germany but that may be developing under Gerhard Schröder's government.
COMPUTATION OF WORST-CASE PILOT INPUTS FOR CLEARANCE OF FLIGHT CONTROL LAWS

Abstract In this paper, global optimisation and nonlinear simulation are used to search for the worst-case control demands which may be input by a pilot flying a modern high performance aircraft with a full authority flight control law. The flexibility of global optimisation is exploited to simultaneously search for worst-case pilot inputs and worst-case combinations of uncertain parameters in the nonlinear aircraft model. The importance of explicitly considering uncertainty in the aircraft model is clearly demonstrated by the results obtained.
14 Subspace Image Representation for Facial Expression Analysis and Face Recognition and its Relation to the Human Visual System

Two main theories exist with respect to face encoding and representation in the human visual system (HVS). The first one refers to the dense (holistic) representation of the face, where faces have “holon”-like appearance. The second one claims that a more appropriate face representation is given by a sparse code, where only a small fraction of the neural cells corresponding to face encoding is activated. Theoretical and experimental evidence suggest that the HVS performs face analysis (encoding, storing, face recognition, facial expression recognition) in a structured and hierarchical way, where both representations have their own contribution and goal. According to neuropsychological experiments, it seems that encoding for face recognition, relies on holistic image representation, while a sparse image representation is used for facial expression analysis and classification. From the computer vision perspective, the techniques developed for automatic face and facial expression recognition fall into the same two representation types. Like in Neuroscience, the techniques which perform better for face recognition yield a holistic image representation, while those techniques suitable for facial expression recognition use a sparse or local image representation. The proposed mathematical models of image formation and encoding try to simulate the efficient storing, organization and coding of data in the human cortex. This is equivalent with embedding constraints in the model design regarding dimensionality reduction, redundant information minimization, mutual information minimization, non-negativity constraints, class information, etc. The presented techniques are applied as a feature extraction step followed by a classification method, which also heavily influences the recognition results.
Twitter-based Election Prediction in the Developing World

Elections are the main instrument of democracy. Citizens decide which entity or entities (a political party or a particular politician) should represent them. Traditionally, pre-election polls have been used to learn about trends and likely election outcomes. Predicting an election outcome based on user activity on Twitter has been shown to be a cheap alternative. While past research has focused on election prediction in the developed world (where its use is debatable), in this paper we provide a comprehensive argument for the use of Twitter-based election forecasting in the developing world. For our use case of Indonesia's presidential elections 2014, the most basic Twitter-predictor outperforms the majority of traditional polls, while the best performing predictor outperforms all traditional polls on the national level.
Timing of Tracheotomy in Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Morbidly Obese Patients

Background. The optimal timing of tracheotomy and its impact on weaning from mechanical ventilation in critically ill morbidly obese patients remain controversial. Methods. We conducted a retrospective chart review of morbidly obese subjects (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 and one or more comorbid conditions) who underwent a tracheotomy between July 2008 and June 2013 at a medical intensive care unit (ICU). Clinical characteristics, rates of nosocomial pneumonia (NP), weaning from mechanical ventilation (MV), and mortality rates were analyzed. Results. A total of 102 subjects (42 men and 60 women) were included; their mean age and BMI were 56.3 ± 15.1 years and 53.3 ± 13.6 kg/m2, respectively. There was no difference in the rate of NP between groups stratified by successful weaning from MV (P = 0.43). Mortality was significantly higher in those who failed to wean (P = 0.02). A cutoff value of 9 days for the time to tracheotomy provided the best balanced sensitivity (72%) and specificity (59.8%) for predicting NP onset. Rates of NP and total duration of MV were significantly higher in those who had tracheostomy ≥ 9 days (P = 0.004 and P = 0.002, resp.). Conclusions. The study suggests that tracheotomy in morbidly obese subjects performed within the first 9 days may reduce MV and decrease NP but may not affect hospital mortality.
Identifying, recruiting, and retaining seriously-ill patients and their caregivers in longitudinal research

Background: In order to improve the state of science in palliative care, we must increase our ability to document the real-time experience of patients and families as they traverse the end of life. Yet, frequently, prospective measurement is impeded by difficulty with patient identification, recruitment, enrollment, and retention. The palliative care literature is replete with descriptions of studies unable to meet enrollment goals, and that as a result, do not have adequate power to test hypotheses or draw conclusions. Objectives: To review the literature describing difficulties associated with ascertainment, enrollment, and attrition. To outline the successful recruitment methods of a new longitudinal study of patients and their caregivers. Design: A two-year longitudinal study of 240 patients with Stage IV cancer (breast, prostate, colorectal, lung), advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) LVEFB < 40 or advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pCO2 > 46, and their caregivers, interviewed monthly for up to two years. Patients were identified using clinical and administrative databases from one geographic region. Results: Representative and successful ascertainment was associated with use of clinical criteria and medical record review versus physician or other provider prognostication, use of recruitment letters from personal physician, recruitment letter content, brochure content, small monetary incentives, refined phone scripts, use of matched ethnicity interviewers, in-home and phone interview strategies, measure selection, patient and caregiver rapport, and on-going staff support (including grief and bereavement). Conclusions: Recruitment to prospective longitudinal studies at the end of life is difficult, but possible. The lessons learned from this study are applicable to future investigators conducting prospective research.
The CNGRC-GG-D(KLAKLAK)2 peptide induces a caspase-independent, Ca2+-dependent death in human leukemic myeloid cells by targeting surface aminopeptidase N/CD13

The CD13 antigen's binding site for the Asn-Gly-Arg (NGR) motif enables NGR-containing chemotherapeutic drugs to be delivered to CD13-positive tumours. Human CD13-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells proliferate abnormally and escape death. Here, we show that the CNGRC-GG-D(KLAKLAK)2 peptide induces death in AML cell lines (U937, THP-1, NB4, HL-60) and primary blood cells from AML patients. Cell death was characterized as a caspase-independent mechanism, without DNA fragmentation, but phosphatidylserine externalization and membrane disruption. Our results demonstrate in U937 cells that (i) the NGR-peptide triggers the loss of mitochondrial potential(ΔΨm) and generates superoxide anion (O2−), (ii) N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and extra/intracellular Ca2+ chelators (BAPTA) prevent both O2− production and cell death, (iii) the Ca2+-channel blocker nifedipine prevents cell death (indicating that Ca2+ influx is the initial death trigger), and (iv) BAPTA, but not NAC, prevents ΔΨm loss (suggesting O2− is a mitochondrial downstream effector). AML cell lines and primary blasts responding to the lethal action of NGR-peptide express promatrix metalloproteinase-12 (proMMP-12) and its substrate progranulin (an 88 kDa cell survival factor). A cell-free assay highlighted proMMP-12 activation by O2−. Accordingly, NGR-peptide's downregulation of 88 kDa progranulin protein was prevented by BAPTA and NAC. Conversely, AML blast resistance to NGR-peptide is associated with the expression of a distinct, 105 kDa progranulin isoform. These results indicate that CNGRC-GG-D(KLAKLAK)2 induces death in AML cells through the Ca2+-mitochondria-O2. -pathway, and support the link between proMMP-12 activation and progranulin cleavage during cell death. Our findings may have implications for the understanding of tumour biology and treatment.