Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging temporal trends in tissue plasminogen activator use

Objective: To explore temporal trends in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a biethnic community without an academic medical center and variation in trends by age, sex, ethnicity, and stroke severity. Methods: Cases of AIS were identified from 7 hospitals in the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) project, a population-based surveillance study between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2012. tPA, demographics, and stroke severity as assessed by the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were ascertained from medical records. Temporal trends were explored using generalized estimating equations, and adjustment made for age, sex, ethnicity, and NIHSS. Interaction terms were included to test for effect modification. Results: There were 5,277 AIS cases identified from 4,589 unique individuals. tPA use was steady at 2% and began increasing in 2006, reaching 11% in subsequent years. Stroke severity modified temporal trends (p = 0.003) such that cases in the highest severity quartile (NIHSS > 8) had larger increases in tPA use than those in lower severity quartiles. Although ethnicity did not modify the temporal trend, Mexican Americans (MAs) were less likely to receive tPA than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) due to emerging ethnic differences in later years. Conclusions: Dramatic increases in tPA use were apparent in this community without an academic medical center. Primary stroke center certification likely contributed to this rise. Results suggest that increases in tPA use were greater in higher severity patients compared to lower severity patients, and a gap between MAs and NHWs in tPA administration may be emerging.
Entrepreneurial Intention, Organizational Justice and Job Satisfaction as Determinants of Employees' Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Babcock University Nigeria

This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial intention, organizational justice, and job satisfaction on the organizational commitment of Babcock University Staff. Participants were 180 employees (male= 99, female= 81) randomly selected from 4 faculties and the registry unit of the University. Measures of entrepreneurial intention, organizational justice, job satisfaction and organizational commitment were administered on the sample. Three (3) research hypotheses were formulated and tested using t-test, Multiple Regression Analysis and correlation analysis. Findings revealed that job satisfaction and organizational justice are the potent predictors of organizational commitment while entrepreneurial intentions will lead to turnover intentions among employees. Also, gender has no moderating effect on the relationship between the criterion and the independent variables. The implications of the findings are discussed.
r-PROCESS LANTHANIDE PRODUCTION AND HEATING RATES IN KILONOVAE

r-process nucleosynthesis in material ejected during neutron star mergers may lead to radioactively powered transients called kilonovae. The timescale and peak luminosity of these transients depend on the composition of the ejecta, which determines the local heating rate from nuclear decays and the opacity. Kasen et al. and Tanaka & Hotokezaka pointed out that lanthanides can drastically increase the opacity in these outflows. We use the new general-purpose nuclear reaction network SkyNet to carry out a parameter study of r-process nucleosynthesis for a range of initial electron fractions Ye, initial specific entropies s, and expansion timescales τ. We find that the ejecta is lanthanide-free for Ye ≳ 0.22−0.30, depending on s and τ. The heating rate is insensitive to s and τ, but certain, larger values of Ye lead to reduced heating rates, due to individual nuclides dominating the heating. We calculate approximate light curves with a simplified gray radiative transport scheme. The light curves peak at about a day (week) in the lanthanide-free (-rich) cases. The heating rate does not change much as the ejecta becomes lanthanide-free with increasing Ye, but the light-curve peak becomes about an order of magnitude brighter because it peaks much earlier when the heating rate is larger. We also provide parametric fits for the heating rates between 0.1 and 100 days, and we provide a simple fit in Ye, s, and τ to estimate whether or not the ejecta is lanthanide-rich.
Variation in neuromuscular responses during acute whole-body vibration exercise.

PURPOSE Leg muscle strength and power are increased after whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise. These effects may result from increased neuromuscular activation during WBV; however, previous studies of neuromuscular responses during WBV have not accounted for motion artifact. METHODS Sixteen healthy adults performed a series of static and dynamic unloaded squats with and without two different directions of WBV (rotational vibration, RV; and vertical vibration, VV; 30 Hz; 4 mmp-p). Activation of unilateral vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior was recorded using EMG. During RV and VV, increases in EMG relative to baseline were compared over a range of knee angles, contraction types (concentric, eccentric, isometric), and squatting types (static, dynamic). RESULTS After removing large, vibration-induced artifacts from EMG data using digital band-stop filters, neuromuscular activation of all four muscles increased significantly (P<or=0.05) during RV and VV. Average responses of the extensors were significantly greater during RV than VV, whereas responses of the tibialis anterior were significantly greater during VV than RV. For all four muscles, responses during static squatting were greater than or equal to responses during dynamic squatting, whereas responses during eccentric contractions were equal to or smaller than responses during concentric and isometric contractions. Neuromuscular responses of vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior were affected by knee angle, with greatest responses at small knee angles. CONCLUSIONS Motion artifacts should be removed from EMG data collected during WBV. We propose that neuromuscular responses during WBV may be modulated by leg muscle cocontraction as a postural control strategy and/or muscle tuning by the CNS intended to minimize soft-tissue vibration.
Cognitive training in younger and older adults: effects on brain and behavior

L’objectif de ce travail est de mieux comprendre le potentiel de la plasticite comportementale et cerebrale chez les adultes âges en mettant en œuvre un entrainement de la memoire de travail. Ainsi, nous avons implemente un entrainement de la tâche N-back verbale. Afin d'evaluer les effets de l’entrainement, nous avons administre une batterie de tests cognitifs etendue incluant des mesures EEG avant et apres l’entrainement. Les resultats ont revele que seul l’âge explique une grande partie des differences individuelles dans la courbe d’apprentissage. En outre, un effet d’entrainement et de transfert proximal a ete trouve chez les deux groupes d’âge. Au niveau cerebral, les resultats ont montre une diminution de l’activite frontale pour la tâche entrainee, alors qu’une augmentation de l’activite frontale etait trouvee pour le transfert proximal. Ce travail demontre que les etudes sur l’entrainement ont un grand potentiel pour contribuer a la comprehension des mecanismes du vieillissement cognitif.
Comparison theorems and asymptotic behavior of solutions of discrete fractional equations

Consider the following n-th order nabla and delta fractional difference equa- tions r n(a) x(t) = c(t)x(t), t2 Na+1, x(a) > 0. ( ) We establish comparison theorems by which we compare the solutions x(t) of ( ) and ( ) with the solutions of the equations r n(a) x(t) = bx(t) and D n+n 1 x(t) = bx(t + n 1), respectively, where b is a constant. We obtain four asymptotic results, one of them extends the recent result (F. M. Atici, P. W. Eloe, Rocky Mountain J. Math. 41(2011), 353-370). These results show that the solutions of two fractional difference equationsr n(a) x(t) = cx(t), 0 < n < 1, and D n+n 1 x(t) = cx(t + n 1), 0 < n < 1, have similar asymptotic behavior with the solutions of the first order difference equationsrx(t) = cx(t),jcj < 1 and Dx(t) = cx(t),jcj < 1, respectively.
Model-Portability Experiments for Textual Temporal Analysis

We explore a semi-supervised approach for improving the portability of time expression recognition to non-newswire domains: we generate additional training examples by substituting temporal expression words with potential synonyms. We explore using synonyms both from WordNet and from the Latent Words Language Model (LWLM), which predicts synonyms in context using an unsupervised approach. We evaluate a state-of-the-art time expression recognition system trained both with and without the additional training examples using data from TempEval 2010, Reuters and Wikipedia. We find that the LWLM provides substantial improvements on the Reuters corpus, and smaller improvements on the Wikipedia corpus. We find that WordNet alone never improves performance, though intersecting the examples from the LWLM and WordNet provides more stable results for Wikipedia.
Detection of miR-33 Expression and the Verification of Its Target Genes in the Fatty Liver of Geese

Background: miRNAs are single-stranded, small RNA molecules with a length of 18–25 nucleotides. They bind to the 3′ untranslated regions of mRNA transcripts to reduce the translation of these transcripts or to cause their degradation. The roles of these molecules differ in biological processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and tumor genesis. miRNA-33 is encoded by the gene introns of proteins that bind sterol-regulatory elements. This molecule cooperates with these proteins to control cholesterol homeostasis, fatty acid levels and the genes that are related to the expression of fat metabolism. The examination of miR-33 expression and its target genes can promote the in-depth study of the miRNA regulation mechanism in the formation process of goose fatty liver and can lay a foundation for research into human fatty liver. Methodology/principal findings: (1) Through real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan MicroRNA Assay), we detected the expression of miR-33 during the feeding of Landes geese. The expression level of miR-33 increases significantly in the liver after 19 days in comparison with the control group; (2) By using the bioinformatics software programs TargetScan, miRDB and miRCosm to predict the target genes of miR-33 according to laboratory prophase transcriptome results and references, we screen nine target genes: adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporters A1, adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporters G1, Neimann Pick C, carnitine O-octanoyltransferase (CROT), cyl-CoA dehydrogenase/3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase/enoyl-CoA hydratase, beta subunit (HADHB), AMP-activated protein kinase, alpha subunit 1 (AMPKα1), insulin receptor substrate 2, glutamic pyruvate transaminase and adipose differentiation-related protein. The dual luciferase reporter gene system in the CHO cell line verifies that CROT, HADHB and NPC1 are the target genes of miR-33 in geese. The inhibition rate of CROT is highest and reaches 70%; (3) The seed sequence (5′ 2–8 bases) is the acting site of miR-33. The two predicted target sites of CROT are the target sites of miR-33. Moreover, the predicted target site of HADHB and NPC1 is the target site of miR-33. Conclusions/significance: (1) After 19 days of overfeeding, the expression level of miR-33 increases significantly in the livers of geese; (2) CROT, HADHB and NPC1 are the target genes of miR-33 in geese. These genes determine the combined target site.
Cognitive and Behavioral Factors Associated With Insomnia in Inpatients With Schizophrenia and Related Psychoses

Abstract This study examines cognitive and behavioral factors linked to insomnia in individuals with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (with and without insomnia) and healthy controls (with and without insomnia). Fifty-five psychiatric inpatients and 66 healthy controls (n = 25 with insomnia in both groups) completed the Insomnia Severity Index, Thought Control Questionnaire for Insomnia-Revised, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep scale, Sleep Hygiene Knowledge scale, and Beliefs about Causes of Sleep Problems questionnaires. Both insomnia groups demonstrated night-time rumination, aggressive suppression as a thought control strategy, and exaggerated views regarding the health consequences of poor sleep. In addition, the psychiatric group with insomnia frequently reported the causes of insomnia to be related to their illness (rather than to their lifestyle factors) and had an incomplete understanding of good sleep habits. Psychological interventions should be more commonly pursued as a first line of treatment for insomnia in schizophrenia and psychosis, and these should be adapted to address the unique knowledge gaps and cognitive style of patients.
Deletion Genotypes Reduce Occlusion Body Potency but Increase Occlusion Body Production in a Colombian Spodoptera frugiperda Nucleopolyhedrovirus Population

A Colombian field isolate (SfCOL-wt) of Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) is a mixture of different genotypes. To evaluate the insecticidal properties of the different genotypic variants, 83 plaque purified virus were characterized. Ten distinct genotypes were identified (named A through J). SfCOL-A was the most prevalent (71±2%; mean ± SE) showing a PstI restriction profile indistinguishable to that of SfCOL-wt. The remaining nine genotypes presented genomic deletions of 3.8 - 21.8 Kb located mainly between nucleotides 11,436 and 33,883 in the reference genome SfMNPV-B, affecting the region between open reading frames (ORFs) sf20 and sf33. The insecticidal activity of each genotype from SfCOL-wt and several mixtures of genotypes was compared to that of SfCOL-wt. The potency of SfCOL-A occlusion bodies (OBs) was 4.4-fold higher than SfCOL-wt OBs, whereas the speed of kill of SfCOL-A was similar to that of SfCOL-wt. Deletion genotype OBs were similarly or less potent than SfCOL-wt but six deletion genotypes were faster killing than SfCOL-wt. The potency of genotype mixtures co-occluded within OBs were consistently reduced in two-genotype mixtures involving equal proportions of SfCOL-A and one of three deletion genotypes (SfCOL-C, -D or -F). Speed of kill and OB production were improved only when the certain genotype mixtures were co-occluded, although OB production was higher in the SfCOL-wt isolate than in any of the component genotypes, or mixtures thereof. Deleted genotypes reduced OB potency but increased OB production of the SfCOL-wt population, which is structured to maximize the production of OBs in each infected host.
Dog Demography, Animal Bite Management and Rabies Knowledge-Attitude and Practices in the Awash Basin, Eastern Ethiopia

Background Rabies is a viral zoonosis that has been described in limited numbers of studies in Ethiopia at large and among pastoralists in particular. This study assessed dog demography, bite wound prevalence and management, potential risk factors of disease transmission and knowledge attitude practice towards rabies among urban dwellers, pastoralists and health workers in Awash, Eastern Ethiopia. Methodology Information was collected by means of structured questionnaires and interviews and through medical and official records from the Agricultural and Health bureaus. Principal Findings Respondents totaled 539 (471 urban, 49 pastoralists, 19 medical). Dog(s) were owned in 33% urban and 75.5% pastoralist households respectively. Mean dog number per dog owning household was 1.50 (95%CI: 1.40–1.60) in urban and 2.05 (95%CI: 1.51–2.60) in pastoralists sites. Human Dog Ratio in Metahara was 4.7:1. No bite wounds records were kept in medical facilities, where staff recalled around 100 bites per year, 2/3 being in adults. Over 90% of the respondents claimed knowing rabies but up to 79.2% pastoralist did not know how dogs acquire the disease; 37.3% urban and 23% pastoralist did not know the symptoms of rabies in dogs; 36% urban and 44% pastoralists did not know rabies symptoms in people. Eighty percent of pastoralists did not know that the disease was fatal in people if untreated. Over half (58.7%) of pastoralist respondents go to traditional healers if bitten, despite a health extension worker program in place in the study area. Knowledge gaps were also shown amidst medical staff. Conclusions The study highlighted overall poor disease knowledge, severe under-reporting of human rabies cases, lack of record keeping and poor collaboration between the public and animal health sectors and communities in rabies control.
Speed and Accuracy of Accessing Information in Working Memory: an Individual Differences Investigation of Focus Switching Speed and Accuracy of Accessing Recent Information

Three experiments examined the nature of individual differences in switching the focus of attention in working memory. Participants performed 3 versions of a continuous counting task that required successive updating and switching between counts. Across all 3 experiments, individual differences in working memory span and fluid intelligence were related to the accuracy of the counts, but not to the time cost associated with switching between counts. The authors suggest that working memory span and fluid intelligence measures partially index the ability to accurately switch information in and out of the focus of attention, but this variation is not related to the speed of switching. Working memory (WM) can be defined as a system responsible for the active maintenance, manipulation, and retrieval of task relevant information. Given these varied functions, it is not surprising that measures of WM have been found to be related to many higher-order cognitive functions, including reading comprehension and learning, and more broadly to fluid intelligence (see Engle & Kane, 2004). It is important, therefore, to examine aspects of each construct in detail and to examine the relations among these constructs to gain a better understanding of these important relations. In the present article we explore aspects of a dynamic WM system that combines maintenance of information in the focus of attention with the retrieval of information from outside the focus. To place these two functions in a real-world context, consider the simple example of trying to multiply 2 two-digit numbers in your head (e.g., 47 ϫ 23). To solve this problem, one must typically break the problem up into smaller problems, solve each of the smaller problems, and then combine the results. This process of breaking up the problem into more manageable subcomponents likely requires the use of efficient attention switching and updating mechanisms. The ability to quickly and accurately switch attention to recent representations is also likely required in other higher-order cognitive operations, including reasoning and language comprehension. Several prominent models of memory have suggested that memory can be conceived as a hierarchical system of activated long-model postulates a unitary memory system with three separate levels of activation. These differing levels of activation include long-term memory units that are currently inactive, long-term memory units that are active above some ambient activation level, and memory units that are highly active and are in the current focus of attention. Furthermore, Cowan's model suggests that a central executive …
Cellular and Antibody Based Approaches for Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy

Progress in the use of traditional chemotherapy and radiation-based strategies for the treatment of pediatric malignancies has plateaued in the past decade, particularly for patients with relapsing or therapy refractory disease. As a result, cellular and humoral immunotherapy approaches have been investigated for several childhood cancers. Several monoclonal antibodies are now FDA approved and commercially available, some of which are currently considered standard of practice. There are also several new cellular immunotherapy approaches under investigation, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cells, cancer vaccines and adjuvants, and natural killer (NK) cell therapies. In this review, we will discuss previous studies on pediatric cancer immunotherapy and new approaches that are currently being investigated in clinical trials.
Fitness implications of seasonal climate variation in Columbian ground squirrels

Abstract The influence of climate change on the fitness of wild populations is often studied in the context of the spring onset of the reproductive season. This focus is relevant for climate influences on reproductive success, but neglects other fitness‐relevant periods (e.g., autumn preparation for overwintering). We examined variation in climate variables (temperature, rainfall, snowfall, and snowpack) across the full annual cycle of Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus) for 21 years. We investigated seasonal climate variables that were associated with fitness variables, climate variables that exhibited directional changes across the study period, and finally observed declines in fitness (−0.03 units/year; total decline = 37%) that were associated with directional changes in climate variables. Annual fitness of adult female ground squirrels was positively associated with spring temperature (r = 0.69) and early summer rainfall (r = 0.56) and negatively associated with spring snow conditions (r = −0.44 to −0.66). Across the 21 years, spring snowmelt has become significantly delayed (r = 0.48) and summer rainfall became significantly reduced (r = −0.53). Using a standardized partial regression model, we found that directional changes in the timing of spring snowmelt and early summer rainfall (i.e., progressively drier summers) had moderate influences on annual fitness, with the latter statistically significant (ρ = −0.314 and 0.437, respectively). The summer period corresponds to prehibernation fattening of young and adult ground squirrels. Had we focused on a single point in time (viz. the onset of the breeding season), we would have underestimated the influences of climate change on our population. Rather, we obtained a comprehensive understanding of the influences of climate change on individual fitness by investigating the full lifecycle.
SSUM: Smart Server Update Mechanism for Maintaining Cache Consistency in Mobile Environments

This paper proposes a cache consistency scheme based on a previously proposed architecture for caching database data in MANETs. The original scheme for data caching stores the queries that are submitted by requesting nodes in special nodes, called query directories (QDs), and uses these queries to locate the data (responses) that are stored in the nodes that requested them, called caching nodes (CNs). The consistency scheme is server-based in which control mechanisms are implemented to adapt the process of caching a data item and updating it by the server to its popularity and its data update rate at the server. The system implements methods to handle disconnections of QD and CN nodes from the network and to control how the cache of each node is updated or discarded when it returns to the network. Estimates for the average response time of node requests and the average node bandwidth utilization are derived in order to determine the gains (or costs) of employing our scheme in the MANET. Moreover, ns2 simulations were performed to measure several parameters, like the average data request response time, cache update delay, hit ratio, and bandwidth utilization. The results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed scheme over existing systems.