Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Middle Fossa Approach for Cochlear Implantation: Caution.

In the February issue, a work entitled, ‘‘Middle fossa the more organ of Corti destruction, the fewer ganglion approach for cochlear implantation,’’ Gawecki et al. (1) describe six patients implanted middle fossa to bypass bilateral chronic ear disease. Two surgeries were aborted because of tegmen dehiscences, adhesions, and dural bleeding. A third patient, reoperated for a postoperative epidural hematoma, had notable vestibular disturbance. Three other cases suffered no recorded complications. Mean surgery duration was 3.75 hours. The chosen 24 mm electrode, cochlear implant 24 RE(CA) from Cochlear Corporation, is designed to curl around the modiolus at the entrance to the second turn of the cochlea, a tighter modiolar arc than exists at the round window towards which it was inserted in three of four cases. The insertion path for one was towards the cochlear apex. One postoperative computerized tomogram implies that the tip of the electrode carrier is in the vestibule. Reported outcomes were typical for cochlear implant patients. The report concluded that chronic ear disease would not be used as a reason to choose the middle fossa approach leaving open its application for cochlear luminal obstruction. Colletti in 1998 pioneered the middle fossa cochlear implant surgery to bypass middle ear disease (2). Middle fossa approaches have largely been concerned about infection, adhesive otitis media, otosclerosis, and autoimmune inner ear disease risks (2–6). Colletti also hoped to access better spiral ganglion cell survival in the middle and apical turns of the cochlea (2,3). Colletti suggested a double array for middle fossa approaches for total cochlear coverage and reported improvements in speech recognition compared with the traditional transmastoid approach (4–6). Reaching low pitch ganglia of the cochlea, however, has been addressed with standard cochlear implants with a 28 to 31 mm electrode carrier (7). Speech recognition may be improved with deeper trans-round window cochlear insertions of 21.6 to 26.4 mm depending on the frequency–place map assignment addressing the low pitch regions of the cochlea without employing a middle fossa approach (8). A review of the middle fossa cochlear implant experience of Colletti et al. (2–6) and Bento et al. (9) found similar speech performance results in both groups (10). Usable cochlear ganglion cell-survival after cochlear implantation depends on the amount of cochlear damage:
Effect of an Active Video Gaming Classroom Curriculum on Health-Related Fitness, School Day Step Counts, and Motivation in Sixth Graders.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of an active video gaming (AVG) classroom curriculum on health-related fitness, school day steps, and motivation in sixth graders. METHODS A convenience sample of 65 sixth graders were recruited from 2 classrooms from a school located in the Western United States. One classroom served as the comparison group (n = 32) that participated in active free play, and one classroom served as the intervention group (n = 33) that participated in an AVG curriculum for 30 minutes per day, 3 days per week, for 18 weeks. Cardiorespiratory endurance was assessed using Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run laps. School day steps were recorded, and motivational variables were collected using questionnaires. Measures were collected at baseline and an 18-week posttest time point. RESULTS There was a significant group × time interaction for Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run laps (b = 20.7 laps; 95% confidence interval, 14.6 to 26.8; P < .001). No statistically significant interactions were found for step counts or any of the motivational variables. CONCLUSIONS An 18-week AVG classroom curriculum improved cardiorespiratory endurance relative to the comparison group in sixth graders. This study supports the use of low-cost AVG curricula to improve the health-related fitness of youth.
A Qualitative Study on The Motivation of Turkish EFL Teachers Working At State Universities / Devlet Üniversitelerinde Çalışan Türk İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin Motivasyonu Üzerine Nitel Bir Araştırma

Nitel bir arastirma desenine sahip bu calismada Turkiye’deki devlet universitelerinde calisan Ingilizce ogretmenlerinin motivasyonu incelenmektedir. Arastirmaya farkli devlet universitelerinde calisan 20 okutman katilmis ve katilimcilarin belirlenmesinde amacli ornekleme kullanilmistir. Yari yapilandirilmis gorusme ve gunluk yansitici yazimlar ile toplanan veriler Creswell (2011)’in nitel icerik analizi semasina bagli olarak analiz edilmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar ogretmen motivasyonunun ogretmenler icin meslegi devam ettirmek adina temel bir itici guc oldugunu ortaya cikarmistir. Ayrica ogrencilerin, yonetimle alakali konularin ve calisma kosullarinin ogretmen motivasyonunu olumlu ya da olumsuz etkileyen faktorler oldugu belirlenmistir. Calismaya katilan ogretmenler daha iyi calisma kosullarinin, kurumlarinda olusturulacak daha samimi bir ortamin ve daha sistemli bir yonetim anlayisinin onlari mesleklerinde daha motive edecegini belirtmislerdir. Calismanin son bolumunde bu sonuclar alanyazindaki calismalar esliginde tartisilmis ve Ingilizce ogretmenlerinin motivasyonunu arttirmaya yardimci olacak bazi oneriler getirilmistir
Anti‐tumoral effects of low molecular weight heparins: A focus on the treatment of esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer globally. With current treatment options, the survival is poor, and there are ongoing efforts to find new and more efficient therapeutic approaches. There are several reports on the anti‐tumoral effects of low‐molecular‐weight heparins (LMWH). We have assessed the possible survival benefits and underlying mechanisms of LMWHs in malignancies with a focus on esophageal cancer. We conclude that the effects of LMWHs on survival of cancer patients is probably due to a combination of direct anti‐tumoral, anti‐angiogenic, and immunomodulatory effects and indirect effects on the coagulation system.
Macrophage Biocompatibility of CoCr Wear Particles Produced under Polarization in Hyaluronic Acid Aqueous Solution

Macrophages are the main cells involved in inflammatory processes and in the primary response to debris derived from wear of implanted CoCr alloys. The biocompatibility of wear particles from a high carbon CoCr alloy produced under polarization in hyaluronic acid (HA) aqueous solution was evaluated in J774A.1 mouse macrophages cultures. Polarization was applied to mimic the electrical interactions observed in living tissues. Wear tests were performed in a pin-on-disk tribometer integrating an electrochemical cell in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and in PBS supplemented with 3 g/L HA, an average concentration that is generally found in synovial fluid, used as lubricant solution. Wear particles produced in 3 g/L HA solution showed a higher biocompatibility in J774A.1 macrophages in comparison to those elicited by particles obtained in PBS. A considerable enhancement in macrophages biocompatibility in the presence of 3 g/L of HA was further observed by the application of polarization at potentials having current densities typical of injured tissues suggesting that polarization produces an effect on the surface of the metallic material that leads to the production of wear particles that seem to be macrophage-biocompatible and less cytotoxic. The results showed the convenience of considering the influence of the electric interactions in the chemical composition of debris detached from metallic surfaces under wear corrosion to get a better understanding of the biological effects caused by the wear products.
The 'neural' phonetic typewriter

The factors that make speech recognition difficult are examined, and the potential of neural computers for this purpose is discussed. A speaker-adaptive system that transcribes dictation using an unlimited vocabulary is presented that is based on a neural network processor for the recognition of phonetic units of speech. The acoustic preprocessing, vector quantization, neural network model, and shortcut learning algorithm used are described. The utilization of phonotopic maps and of postprocessing in symbolic forms are discussed. Hardware implementations and performance of the neural networks are considered. <<ETX>>
Non-backtracking walk centrality for directed networks

The theory of zeta functions provides an expression for the generating fu nction of nonbacktracking walk counts on a directed network. We show how this expression can be used to produce a centrality measure that eliminates backtracking walks at no cost. We also show that the radius of convergence of the generating function is determined by the spect rum of a three-by-three block matrix involving the original adjacency matrix. This giv es a means to choose appropriate values of the attenuation parameter. We find that three important a dditional benefits arise when we use this technique to eliminate traversals around the network that are unlikely to be of relevance. First, we obtain a larger range of choices for the attenuation para meter. Second, because the radius of convergence of the generating function is invariant under the remov al of certain types of nodes, we can gain computational efficiencies through reducing the dimension of t he resulting eigenvalue problem. Third, the dimension of the linear system defining the centrali ty measures may be reduced in the same manner. We show that the new centrality measure may be interp reted as standard Katz on a modified network, where self loops are added, and where nonreciproca l edges are augmented with negative weights. We also give a multilayer interpretation, wh ere negatively weighted walks between layers compensate for backtracking walks on the only non-emp ty layer. Studying the limit as the attenuation parameter approaches its upper bound allows us to propose an eigenvector-based nonbacktracking centrality measure in this directed network setting. We find that the two-by-two block matrix arising in previous studies focused on undirected networks must be extended to a new three-by-three block structure to allow for directed edges. We illustrat e the centrality measure on a synthetic network, where it is shown to eliminate a localization effect p resent in standard Katz centrality. Finally, we give results for real networks.
New insights into leishmaniasis in the immunosuppressed

Immunosuppression contributes significantly to the caseload of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). HIV coinfection, solid organ transplantation, malnutrition, and helminth infections are the most important immunosuppression-related factors. This review briefly describes the challenges of these associations. East Africa and the Indian subcontinent are the places where HIV imposes the highest burden in VL. In the highlands of Northern Ethiopia, migrant rural workers are at a greater risk of coinfection and malnutrition, while in India, HIV reduces the sustainability of a successful elimination programme. As shown from a longitudinal cohort in Madrid, VL is an additional threat to solid organ transplantation. The association with malnutrition is more complex since it can be both a cause and a consequence of VL. Different regimes for therapy and secondary prevention are discussed as well as the role of nutrients on the prophylaxis of VL in poverty-stricken endemic areas.
Estimating the direct radiative effect of absorbing aerosols overlying marine boundary layer clouds in the southeast Atlantic using MODIS and CALIOP

Absorbing aerosols such as smoke strongly absorb solar radiation, particularly at ultraviolet and visible/near‐infrared (VIS/NIR) wavelengths, and their presence above clouds can have considerable implications. It has been previously shown that they have a positive (i.e., warming) direct aerosol radiative effect (DARE) when overlying bright clouds. Additionally, they can cause biased passive instrument satellite retrievals in techniques that rely on VIS/NIR wavelengths for inferring the cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective radius (re) of underlying clouds, which can in turn yield biased above‐cloud DARE estimates. Here we investigate Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud optical property retrieval biases due to overlying absorbing aerosols observed by Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and examine the impact of these biases on above‐cloud DARE estimates. The investigation focuses on a region in the southeast Atlantic Ocean during August and September (2006–2011), where smoke from biomass burning in southern Africa overlies persistent marine boundary layer stratocumulus clouds. Adjusting for above‐cloud aerosol attenuation yields increases in the regional mean liquid COT (averaged over all ocean‐only liquid clouds) by roughly 6%; mean re increases by roughly 2.6%, almost exclusively due to the COT adjustment in the non‐orthogonal retrieval space. It is found that these two biases lead to an underestimate of DARE. For liquid cloud Aqua MODIS pixels with CALIOP‐observed above‐cloud smoke, the regional mean above‐cloud radiative forcing efficiency (DARE per unit aerosol optical depth (AOD)) at time of observation (near local noon for Aqua overpass) increases from 50.9Wm−2AOD−1 to 65.1Wm−2AOD−1 when using bias‐adjusted instead of nonadjusted MODIS cloud retrievals.
Epidemiology of Figure Skating Injuries: A Review of the Literature

Context: As the popularity and technical demands of figure skating increase, so will the number of athletes presenting with sport-related problems. Evidence Acquisition: Searches were performed across PubMed from 1980 to 2017. The keywords searched were skating, skaters, incidence, and injuries. The search was limited to English-language articles and human participants. Relevant articles were cross-referenced. Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 5. Results: Previous studies suggest an increase in incidence of figure skating injuries from 1982 to 2003. When combining all disciplines of figure skating, there is a similar proportion of acute and overuse injuries. Within disciplines, overuse injuries appear to be more common in singles skating, while acute injuries are more common in pairs skating, ice dancing, and synchronized skating. Lower extremity injuries are more common than upper extremity injuries in all disciplines, and pairs skating accounts for the majority of upper extremity injuries. Ankle sprains are the most common skating injury, and patellar tendinitis is the most common overuse injury across all disciplines. Stress fractures are the most common overuse injury in female singles skaters. Conclusion: The predominance of overuse injuries in singles disciplines reflects their increasing technical difficulty, with more difficult jumps and longer training hours. Partner disciplines are more likely to involve acute injuries and upper extremity injuries due to high-risk throws and lifts. Emphasis should be placed on properly fitting skating boots, intrinsic foot and ankle strengthening, and lower extremity flexibility, which may prevent many of the common lower extremity and back injuries in figure skating.
Effects of collagen matrix and bioreactor cultivation on cartilage regeneration of a full-thickness critical-size knee joint cartilage defects with subchondral bone damage in a rabbit model

Cartilage has limited self-repair ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different species of collagen-engineered neocartilage for the treatment of critical-size defects in the articular joint in a rabbit model. Type II and I collagen obtained from rabbits and rats was mixed to form a scaffold. The type II/I collagen scaffold was then mixed with rabbit chondrocytes to biofabricate neocartilage constructs using a rotating cell culture system [three-dimensional (3D)-bioreactor]. The rabbit chondrocytes were mixed with rabbit collagen scaffold and rat collagen scaffold to form neoRBT (neo-rabbit cartilage) and neoRAT (neo-rat cartilage) constructs, respectively. The neocartilage matrix constructs were implanted into surgically created defects in rabbit knee chondyles, and histological examinations were performed after 2 and 3 months. Cartilage-like lacunae formation surrounding the chondrocytes was noted in the cell cultures. After 3 months, both the neoRBT and neoRAT groups showed cartilage-like repair tissue covering the 5-mm circular, 4-mm-deep defects that were created in the rabbit condyle and filled with neocartilage plugs. Reparative chondrocytes were aligned as apparent clusters in both the neoRAT and neoRBT groups. Both neoRBT and neoRAT cartilage repair demonstrated integration with healthy adjacent tissue; however, more integration was obtained using the neoRAT cartilage. Our data indicate that different species of type II/I collagen matrix and 3D bioreactor cultivation can facilitate cartilage engineering in vitro for the repair of critical-size defect.
Recent violence and legal involvement among young adults with early psychosis enrolled in Coordinated Specialty Care

Individuals with serious mental illnesses have a small increased risk of engaging in violence or legal involvement compared to the general population. This seems to be particularly true for young adults experiencing early stages of psychosis. This study analysed the prevalence of and risk factors for reports of violence and legal involvement in a sample of young adults receiving Coordinated Specialty Care for early non‐affective psychosis.
Who Pays for the “Welfare” in the Welfare State?: A Multicountry Study

THERE was a time, not so long ago, when the welfare state was viewed as a proud social accomplishment. But recently it has been under considerable attack. At the heart of this attack has been the claim that during its heyday, from the 1950s to the 1970s, the social benefit expenditures of the welfare state led to subsequent economic stagnation and persistent unemployment throughout the advanced world. This paper brings to bear the empirical evidence from a multicountry set of studies. I outline the issues involved, discuss the methodology behind the empirical studies of six major Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and present the main findings. My central finding is that social benefit expenditures were financed out of the taxes paid by recipients of these very expenditures: in other words, by and large, social welfare expenditures were self-financed, and could not have been a source of fiscal deficits or a drag on growth. 1. The Rise and Fall of the Welfare State The growth of welfare states is one of the characteristic features of modern capitalist democracies. European welfare
Albumin-Bilirubin Score Predicts Short-Term Mortality in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Decompensated Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score is a new index for assessing the severity of liver dysfunction. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) related decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DeCi) has a high short-term mortality rate. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the prognostic role of the ALBI score in patients with HBV-DeCi. METHODS This retrospective study included 81 patients who had been diagnosed with HBV-DeCi. All patients were followed up with for at least 2 months, and the relationships between prognosis and ALBI score were analysed. RESULTS The ALBI score was positively correlated with the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and Child-Turcotte-Pugh score. Moreover, non-surviving patients had a significantly higher ALBI score than surviving patients (-0.79 vs. -1.16, respectively; p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that the ALBI and MELD scores were independent predictors of 1-month mortality in HBV-DeCi patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The ALBI score is a simple biomarker to predict 1-month mortality in patients with HBV-DeCi and may assist physicians in determining treatment options.
Psychological and behavioural difficulties following severe TBI in adolescence: a comparison with a sample of peers with brain lesions of other origin and with a control group

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe behavioural and adjustment problems in a group of 57 adolescents with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and compare them with a clinical group of peers with brain lesions of other origin (N = 33) and a control group of healthy adolescents (N = 48). Methods: All subjects received an age-appropriate assessment, including the child behaviour checklist (CBCL) 4/18, the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) and the vineland adaptive behaviour scales (VABS). Results: Compared with healthy peers, adolescents with TBI presented with more marked behavioural problems on most CBCL scales (Internalization and Externalization domains were both affected) and on the SDQ Hyperactivity and Peer problems scales. They also showed a more impaired functioning in most VABS domains. Compared with adolescents with brain lesions of other aetiology, patients with TBI showed more conduct problems on the SDQ scale, but no significant differences were found on the CBCL scales. Regarding the VABS, patients with other lesions presented with the worst outcome in the Motor and Daily Living Skills domains. Conclusions: Adolescents with TBI are exposed at a very high risk to develop behavioural and psychological disturbances with the potential to severely affect their social re-entry. Further knowledge is needed to plan early and well-timed interventions.
H-NMR and FT-IR study of the state of melatonin confined in membrane models: location and interactions of melatonin in water free lecithin and AOT reversed micelles

The state of melatonin confined either in dry lecithin or bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) reversed micelles has been investigated by H-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopies as a function of the melatonin to surfactant molar ratio (R). The analysis of experimental results leads to hypothesize that, independently of R and the surfactant nature and as a consequence of anisotropic melatonin/surfactant interactions, melatonin is totally solubilized in reversed micelles and mainly located by opportune orientation in the nanodomain constituted by the surfactant head groups. The absence of significant spectral changes related to the protons linked to the first carbon atoms of surfactant alkyl chain, indicates a scarce insertion of melatonin into the socalled micellar palisade layer. The possible biological implications of the peculiar solubilization state of melatonin in reversed micelles are discussed.
Characterization of Nanoparticle Batch-To-Batch Variability

A central challenge for the safe design of nanomaterials (NMs) is the inherent variability of NM properties, both as produced and as they interact with and evolve in, their surroundings. This has led to uncertainty in the literature regarding whether the biological and toxicological effects reported for NMs are related to specific NM properties themselves, or rather to the presence of impurities or physical effects such as agglomeration of particles. Thus, there is a strong need for systematic evaluation of the synthesis and processing parameters that lead to potential variability of different NM batches and the reproducible production of commonly utilized NMs. The work described here represents over three years of effort across 14 European laboratories to assess the reproducibility of nanoparticle properties produced by the same and modified synthesis routes for four of the OECD priority NMs (silica dioxide, zinc oxide, cerium dioxide and titanium dioxide) as well as amine-modified polystyrene NMs, which are frequently employed as positive controls for nanotoxicity studies. For 46 different batches of the selected NMs, all physicochemical descriptors as prioritized by the OECD have been fully characterized. The study represents the most complete assessment of NMs batch-to-batch variability performed to date and provides numerous important insights into the potential sources of variability of NMs and how these might be reduced.