Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor and Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor Protect the Vestibular Organ Against Gentamicin Ototoxicity

order to find a way to develop a new treatment for inner ear disorders, the effects of a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) [N-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME)] and a neurotrophin [brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)] investigated. The effect of L-NAME and BDNF on gentamicin-induced vestibular hair cell damage was investigated using the in vitro LIVE DEAD ® system. Both L-NAME and BDNF individually reduced the vestibular hair cell caused by gentamicin but the combination of L-NAME and BDNF was more successful in preventing damage. is therefore suggested that treatment with a combination of an NOS inhibitor and a neurotrophin will help us to treat ear disorders.
Diagnosing lysosomal storage diseases in a Brazilian non-newborn population by tandem mass spectrometry

OBJECTIVES: High-throughput mass spectrometry methods have been developed to screen newborns for lysosomal storage disorders, allowing the implementation of newborn screening pilot studies in North America and Europe. It is currently feasible to diagnose Pompe, Fabry, Gaucher, Krabbe, and Niemann-Pick A/B diseases, as well as mucopolysaccharidosis I, by tandem mass spectrometry in dried blood spots, which offers considerable technical advantages compared with standard methodologies. We aimed to investigate whether the mass spectrometry methodology for lysosomal storage disease screening, originally developed for newborns, can also discriminate between affected patients and controls of various ages. METHODS: A total of 205 control individuals were grouped according to age and subjected to mass spectrometry quantification of lysosomal α-glucosidase, β-glucocerebrosidase, α-galactosidase, acid sphingomyelinase, galactocerebrosidase, and α−L-iduronidase activities. Additionally, 13 affected patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The median activities for each enzyme and each age group were determined. Enzyme activities were significantly lower in individuals aged older than 18 years compared with those in newborns. Affected patients presented enzymatic activities corresponding to less than 20% of the age-matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the mass spectrometry methodology can be used for the screening of lysosomal storage diseases in non-newborn patients. However, for some diseases, such as Fabry and mucopolysaccharidosis I, a combination of biochemical and clinical data may be necessary to achieve accurate diagnoses.
Decadal-scale responses in middle and upper stratospheric ozone from SAGE II version 7 data

Abstract. Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II) version 7 (v7) ozone profiles are analyzed for their decadal-scale responses in the middle and upper stratosphere for 1991 and 1992–2005 and compared with those from its previous version 6.2 (v6.2). Multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis is applied to time series of its ozone number density vs. altitude data for a range of latitudes and altitudes. The MLR models that are fit to the time series data include a periodic 11 yr term, and it is in-phase with that of the 11 yr, solar UV (Ultraviolet)-flux throughout most of the latitude/altitude domain of the middle and upper stratosphere. Several regions that have a response that is not quite in-phase are interpreted as being affected by decadal-scale, dynamical forcings. The maximum minus minimum, solar cycle (SC-like) responses for the ozone at the low latitudes are similar from the two SAGE II data versions and vary from about 5 to 2.5% from 35 to 50 km, although they are resolved better with v7. SAGE II v7 ozone is also analyzed for 1984–1998, in order to mitigate effects of end-point anomalies that bias its ozone in 1991 and the analyzed results for 1991–2005 or following the Pinatubo eruption. Its SC-like ozone response in the upper stratosphere is of the order of 4% for 1984–1998 vs. 2.5 to 3% for 1991–2005. The SAGE II v7 results are also recompared with the responses in ozone from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) that are in terms of mixing ratio vs. pressure for 1991–2005 and then for late 1992–2005 to avoid any effects following Pinatubo. Shapes of their respective response profiles agree very well for 1992–2005. The associated linear trends of the ozone are not as negative in 1992–2005 as in 1984–1998, in accord with a leveling off of the effects of reactive chlorine on ozone. It is concluded that the SAGE II v7 ozone yields SC-like ozone responses and trends that are of better quality than those from v6.2.
The Role of Prosody in Children's Inferences of Ironic Intent.

Cues that may affect how an utterance is interpreted may arise from several sources. The importance of prosody, or vocal affect, in determining if a speaker's intent is ironic has often been assumed, but studies of the role of prosody in children's comprehension of potentially ironic utterances have yielded mixed results. The study presented here sought to examine the effects of prosodie variation on the type of inferences 6‐ and 9‐year‐old children made about a speaker's communicative intent. Sixteen children from each age group were given two‐sentence scenarios about events, in which the event outcome was not stated. Target sentences were presented in three prosodie conditions, and children were asked to infer the event outcome and the speaker's intended meaning. Results demonstrated that children's interpretations of potentially ironic utterances were influenced by prosody, and the nature of this influence differed by age (Age x Prosody interaction).
A randomised clinical trial of the effects of spiritually focused meditation for people with metastatic melanoma

This randomised clinical study assessed the effects of spiritually focused meditation (SpM) and secularly focused meditation on adjustment to illness, relative to a control condition for people in treatment for metastatic melanoma (N = 83). Physical and psychological well-being was assessed at baseline, post-intervention, two, and four months later. Meditation home practice was assessed as an additional predictor. Repeated Measures ANOVA found no interactive effects but there were two group effects. Averaged across time, SpM reduced depression and increased positive affect relative to the other two conditions. Rates of home practice were not associated with adjustment for any condition. Unexpectedly, practicing SpM was associated with a decrease in perceived support. Additionally, program evaluations indicated that most participants preferred programs that included spiritually based material, across all three group conditions. The results highlight the potential importance of providing spiritually based meditation programs to the terminally ill, and the need for further study.
Identification of a truncation mutation of acylglycerol kinase (AGK) gene in a novel autosomal recessive cataract locus

Hereditary forms of cataract are genetically heterogeneous. Mutations in crystallin genes account for most Mendelian forms, but identification of other cataract genes has provided insights into additional molecular mechanisms that control lens transparency. In a multiplex consanguineous family with isolated congenital cataract, we identified a novel autosomal recessive cataract locus on 7q33‐q36.1. Exome sequencing revealed a splice‐site mutation in AGK, encoding acylglycerol kinase, which we confirm led to aberrant splicing and predicted premature truncation. This is the first mutation in this lipid metabolism gene to be implicated in the development of isolated cataract, although it remains to be seen if the mechanism involves perturbation of lenticular lipid composition or aberrant signaling during lens morphogenesis. Hum Mutat 33:960–962, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Robust stabilization for singular systems with time-delays and saturating controls

We studied the delay-dependent stabilization problem for a class of uncertain singular system with time-delays and saturating controls. Theorems derived give sufficient conditions for delay-dependent stabilization of the singular systems with a combination of saturating controls and multiple time-delays in both state and control; we assumed the delays to be constant bounded but unknown, moreover, the uncertainties are also described to be unknown but bounded and the nonlinear terms included in the systems are fallen into a set. Under these sufficient conditions, the solution of the uncertain singular system is regular, impulse free, and locally asymptotically stable for all admissible uncertainties. Furthermore, the results based on several linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are developed to guarantee stability and be computed effectively. Finally, we advance an example to demonstrate the superiority of this method.
Putting the Consequences of IT Turnover on the Map: A Review and Call for Research

Among the many aspects of IT personnel studied by the IS research community, individual voluntary IT turnover is one of the most-examined phenomena. However, research into this phenomenon concentrates mainly on antecedents and cognitive precursors such as turnover intention. Antecedents are essential to understanding the turnover of IT personnel, but they do not represent the complete landscape of IT turnover research. The consequences of individual voluntary IT turnover, an important topic, have received too little attention from the IS community. I investigate this by conducting a multidisciplinary literature review of individual voluntary turnover consequences of IT personnel. My review reveals that only 8 of 130 IT turnover studies consider IT turnover consequences, concentrated primarily on software project management. I present a taxonomy of individual voluntary IT turnover consequences as a starting point for structured research on the consequences of individual voluntary IT turnover.
Does the modified Ballard method of assessing gestational age perform well in a Zimbabwean population?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance and the utility of using birthweight-adjusted scores of the Ballard method of estimating gestational age in a Zimbabwean population. DESIGN A validation study. SETTING Harare Maternity Hospital, from October to December 1999. SUBJECTS Three hundred and sixty four African newborn infants, with a known last menstrual period (LMP), within 56 hours of life. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Ballard scores obtained by examining the newly born infants compared to gestational age calculated from the last menstrual period. RESULTS The Ballard method was a good predictor of gestational age, useful in differentiating term from preterm infants in the Zimbabwean population. There was a strong correlation between total neurological criteria (Pearson coefficient = 0.79), total physical criteria (Pearson coefficient = 0.77), total scores (Pearson coefficient = 0.81), with the gestational age calculated from the last menstrual period. The error of prediction of one single observation was 1.89 weeks. Our regression line for predicting gestational age was Y(LMP gestational age) = 24.493 + 0.420*score. Addition of birthweight to the linear regression model improved estimation of gestational age; Y(LMP gestational age)= 24.002 + 0.292*score + 0.0016*grams. The variance explained r2 was 0.63 and improved to 0.67 after addition of birthweight. CONCLUSION The Ballard method can be used to differentiate pre-term from term infants at birth in a Zimbabwean population. The introduction of birthweight into the maturity scale improves assessment of gestational age and corrects error caused by low birthweight. We, therefore, recommend the use of our birthweight-adjusted Ballard maturity scales for routine clinical practice.
The Effects of Success versus Failure Feedback on Further Self-Control

Past work has found that performing one self-control task leads to decrements on subsequent efforts at self-control. The present experiment compared two possible explanations for these decrements, one being a depletion of energy resources, and the other being self-attribution of failure from the first task. Participants performed a Stroop color-word task (an initial self-control exercise) or not, and some received success or failure feedback about their performance. Performing the self-control task led to impaired persistence on a subsequent figure-tracing task, consistent with the energy-depletion model. Success versus failure feedback had no effect, contradicting the self-attribution model.
Undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver. A clinicopathologic study of a survivor treated with combined technique therapy

Undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma is one of the less common primary malignant tumors of the liver that typically, although not exclusively, presents in later childhood. It has come to be recognized as an aggressive neoplasm with the potential for local recurrence and distant metastasis, despite a seemingly successful total surgical resection. This report documents our experience with an 8‐year‐old boy who had an 80% hepatectomy for an undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma, followed by cisplatin (90 mg/m2), doxorubicin (20 mg/m2/d), and radiation therapy (1950 cGy) to the tumor bed. Residual microscopic tumor was very likely present in the region of the inferior vena cava, but exploratory laparotomies for the purpose of “second‐look” biopsies were performed with negative results after the completion of each course of chemotherapy. The patient is off of treatment and disease‐free 30 months after the diagnosis. Because the survival at this time has been so poor for this highly malignant tumor, we suggest that the combination of therapeutic techniques and second‐look laparotomy(s) to identify any subclinical tumor may be a reasonable approach. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies by us and other investigators indicate that the neoplastic cells are primitive mesenchymal cells by electron microscopic study and have immunoreactivity limited to vimentin, alpha‐1‐antitrypsin, and alpha‐1‐antichymotrypsin.
A Novel Technique for Fetal ECG Extraction Using Single-Channel Abdominal Recording

Non-invasive fetal electrocardiograms (FECGs) are an alternative method to standard means of fetal monitoring which permit long-term continual monitoring. However, in abdominal recording, the FECG amplitude is weak in the temporal domain and overlaps with the maternal electrocardiogram (MECG) in the spectral domain. Research in the area of non-invasive separations of FECG from abdominal electrocardiograms (AECGs) is in its infancy and several studies are currently focusing on this area. An adaptive noise canceller (ANC) is commonly used for cancelling interference in cases where the reference signal only correlates with an interference signal, and not with a signal of interest. However, results from some existing studies suggest that propagation of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the maternal heart to the abdomen is nonlinear, hence the adaptive filter approach may fail if the thoracic and abdominal MECG lack strict waveform similarity. In this study, singular value decomposition (SVD) and smooth window (SW) techniques are combined to build a reference signal in an ANC. This is to avoid the limitation that thoracic MECGs recorded separately must be similar to abdominal MECGs in waveform. Validation of the proposed method with r01 and r07 signals from a public dataset, and a self-recorded private dataset showed that the proposed method achieved F1 scores of 99.61%, 99.28% and 98.58%, respectively for the detection of fetal QRS. Compared with four other single-channel methods, the proposed method also achieved higher accuracy values of 99.22%, 98.57% and 97.21%, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that the proposed method could potentially aid accurate extraction of FECG from MECG recordings in both clinical and commercial applications.
A Caveat on Using Single-Item Measures

ABSTRACT Methodologists advocate the use of multipleitem versus singleitem measures for relatively complex constructs. However, Wanous and his colleagues recently challenged this stringent view. Using the classical formula for the correction for attenuation and data from over 500 subjects, they demonstrated that meaningful reliability estimates can be calculated for single-item measures. The present study provided an independent examination of this approach by using quality of work life data from a sample of 562 teaching and administrative faculty from two Canadian community colleges. The obtained single-item reliability estimates for Overall Job Satisfaction (.45) and Job Dissatisfaction (.21) were low whereas the single-item reliability estimates for the individual job satisfaction facets of Supervision (.80) and Work Group (.57) were higher. While these results are interesting, they are not strong enough to challenge the long-standing view that multipleitem measures are needed to reliably measure relat.
The relationship of academic and social cognition to behaviour in bullying situations among Greek primary school children

This research explored links between cognition (both social and academic) and children's behaviour in a bullying situation (participant roles). Participants were 186 fourth to sixth grade boys and girls from four primary schools in central Greece. Six categories of social cognition (self-efficacy for assertion, self-efficacy for aggression, expectations that aggression will lead to rewards, expectations that aggression will lead to victim suffering, the value placed on rewards and the value placed on suffering in the victim) and two categories of academic cognition (self-efficacy for learning and performance and the self-regulatory strategies used while solving problems) were investigated in connection to six participant roles (bully, victim, assistant, reinforcer, defender and outsider). Results suggest that there are differential associations between cognitions and the roles that children take in bullying situations, according to gender. Academic self-efficacy combined with certain social cognitions predicted both victimisation and bullying behaviour. Self-regulatory strategies combined with social cognitions similar to victim's and bully's predicted both assistant and reinforcer behaviour, while none of the cognition measures predicted defender or outsider behaviour. Implications for interventions against bullying are briefly discussed.
The role of higher education institutions in facilitating organization learning: with HRD managers

The paper introduces an approach to strategic management where organizational strategies when supported by learning are considered to have emergent qualities. A literature review considers organizational learning and a conceptualization is presented. The role of higher education in enabling postgraduate, human resource development managers to be introduced to these approaches and concepts through a role-play activity is examined. Reflections on this activity conclude that the process provides an opportunity for these part-time students to experience and reflect on the organizational learning concept, thus to understand it, and to enable them simultaneously to have the opportunity to consider their own approaches to learning. The insights resulting from the roleplay, it is argued, will enable these managers, with the experience of one model which may be replicated in their own organizations in order to engage individuals with the notion of organizational learning and to help in enabling others to learn through experiential learning.
Obsessive-compulsive hoarding: symptom severity and response to multimodal treatment.

BACKGROUND Compulsive hoarding and saving symptoms, found in many patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), are part of a clinical syndrome that has been associated with poor response to medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). We sought to determine whether patients with the compulsive hoarding syndrome had more severe symptoms and functional impairment than nonhoarding OCD patients and whether they would respond to intensive, multimodal treatment previously found to be effective for treatment-refractory OCD. METHOD We studied 190 consecutive patients with DSM-IV OCD treated openly for approximately 6 weeks with intensive CBT, medication, and psychosocial rehabilitation in a partial hospitalization program for severely ill OCD patients. Twenty of the 190 patients (11%) were identified as having the compulsive hoarding syndrome. All patients were assessed before and after treatment with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). and Global Assessment Scale (GAS). We compared the symptom severity and response to treatment of compulsive hoarders versus nonhoarding OCD patients. RESULTS Compulsive hoarders were significantly older than nonhoarders (p < .001). Hoarders had significantly lower GAS scores and higher HAM-A scores than nonhoarders both before (p = .04) and after (p = .002) treatment, but had similar pretreatment YBOCS scores. Both groups improved significantly with treatment as assessed by YBOCS score (p < .001), but nonhoarders had significantly greater decreases in YBOCS scores than hoarders (p = .02). CONCLUSION While the compulsive hoarding syndrome appears to be a distinct, more disabling, variant of OCD that does not respond as robustly to treatment, it may still improve significantly with intensive, multimodal treatment tailored to its specific features and associated deficits.
The relative predictive validity of two therapeutic alliance measures in cognitive therapy

The current study investigated the relative predictive validity of 2 self-report measures of the therapeutic alliance for patients receiving a version of short-term cognitive therapy that places particular emphasis on the importance of the therapeutic relationship. The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) and the California Psychotherapy Alliance Scale (CALPAS) were administered at the third session to a sample of 22 patients receiving short-term cognitive therapy, and their relationship with outcome on a variety of measures was calculated