Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motor loss and swallowing difficulty after stroke: frequency, recovery, and prognosis.

Abstract Data relating to motor loss and swallowing difficulties in a community sample of 976 patients who suffered an acute stroke have been analysed. About 17% of patients seen within one week had no paralysis; at 6 months 48% of survivors had no paralysis and 9% had severe paralysis. The Motricity Index used to study motor loss related to functional loss and walking ability; it seems to be a simple valid measure of motor loss. Severe paralysis was associated with a high fatality rate, and only 6%‐10% of survivors of an initially severe paralysis made a full recovery by 6 months. If severe paralysis persisted at 3 weeks, full recovery was not observed. Loss of sitting balance was associated with a poor outcome. Of conscious patients seen within one week, 14% choked on attempting to swallow and a further 28% had abnormal swallowing: this 42% of patients had a high fatality rate.
Elementary Science as a Little Added Frill: A Report of Two Case Studies.

I'm quite certain that you could go for a year without teaching science and there would be no comment. Parents sec science as a little added frill, maybe. I don't think they see it being as important, for instance, as math is–that you know how to add, subtract or that you are able to read.
Isolation, characterization, and cellular insertion of the flagella from two strains of the archaebacterium Methanospirillum hungatei

In high (45 mM)-phosphate medium, Methanospirillum hungatei strains GP1 and JF1 grew as very long, nonmotile chains of cells that did not possess flagella. However, growth in lower (3 or 30 mM)-phosphate medium resulted in the production of mostly single cells and short chains that were motile by means of two polar tufts of flagella, which transected the multilayered terminal plug of the cell. Electron microscopy of negatively stained whole mounts revealed a flagellar filament diameter of approximately 10 nm. Flagellar filaments were isolated from either culture fluid or concentrated cell suspensions that were subjected to shearing. Flagellar filaments were sensitive to treatment with both Triton X-100 and Triton X-114 at concentrations as low as 0.1% (vol/vol). The filaments of both strains were composed of two flagellins of Mr 24,000 and 25,000. However, variations in trace element composition of the medium resulted in the production of a third flagellin in strain JF1. This additional flagellin appeared as a ladderlike smear on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacylamide gels with a center of intensity of Mr 35,000 and cross-reacted with antisera produced from filaments containing only the Mr-24,000 and -25,000 flagellins. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, all flagellins stained by the thymol-sulfuric acid and Alcian blue methods, suggesting that they were glycosylated. This was further supported by chemical deglycosylation of the strain JF1 flagellins, which resulted in a reduction in their apparent molecular weight on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacylamide gels. Heterologous reactions to sera raised against the flagella from each strain were limited to the Mr-24,000 flagellins.
Dose-Effect Relations for Psychotherapy of Mild Depression: A Quasi-Experimental Comparison of Effects of 2, 8, and 16 Sessions

Clients (N = 105) presenting with mild depression were assigned to receive 2, 8, or 16 sessions of psychotherapy in a quasi-experimental design involving 2 clinical trials. Rates of recovery were estimated as the proportion of each group achieving reliable and clinically significant change at the end of treatment (shortly after the prescribed dose had been administered) and at a follow-up assessment 2 to 3 months later. Results supported the hypothesis that recovery from interpersonal problems typically requires higher doses of psychotherapy than does recovery from symptoms of depression or broader distress.
Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics to Closed‐Loop Bioreactors: I. Characterization and Simulation of Fluid‐Flow Pattern and Oxygen Transfer

A full‐scale, closed‐loop bioreactor (Orbal oxidation ditch, Envirex brand technologies, Siemens, Waukesha, Wisconsin), previously examined for simultaneous biological nutrient removal (SBNR), was further evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A CFD model was developed first by imparting the known momentum (calculated by tank fluid velocity and mass flowrate) to the fluid at the aeration disc region. Oxygen source (aeration) and sink (consumption) terms were introduced, and statistical analysis was applied to the CFD simulation results. The CFD model was validated with field data obtained from a test tank and a full‐scale tank. The results indicated that CFD could predict the mixing pattern in closed‐loop bioreactors. This enables visualization of the flow pattern, both with regard to flow velocity and dissolved‐oxygen‐distribution profiles. The velocity and oxygen‐distribution gradients suggested that the flow patterns produced by directional aeration in closed‐loop bioreactors created a heterogeneous environment that can result in dissolved oxygen variations throughout the bioreactor. Distinct anaerobic zones on a macroenvironment scale were not observed, but it is clear that, when flow passed around curves, a secondary spiral flow was generated. This second current, along with the main recirculation flow, could create alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions vertically and horizontally, which would allow SBNR to occur. Reliable SBNR performance in Orbal oxidation ditches may be a result, at least in part, of such a spatially varying environment.
Latent Structure of Mentoring Function Scales

The latent structure of a 16-item mentoring function instrument was analyzed with the responses of 568 full-time employees. Features of the analyses included (a) assessment of the items' distributional properties (i.e., skewness and kurtosis); (b) assessment of the factor structure using the Satorra-Bentler scaled test statistic; and (c) evaluation of the instrument's invariance across sex. Confirmatory factor analyses using the scaled chi-square supported a two-factor oblique model that consisted of psychosocial and career-related mentoring functions. The invariance tests suggested that the structure was invariant across sex groups.
Efeitos da internacionalização sobre o desempenho de multinacionais de economias em desenvolvimento

The relationship between the degree of internationalization and performance of multinational corporations (MNCs) has been widely studied in international business literature. However, most studies have been performed with companies from developed countries. In order to contribute to the development of the theory of internationalization-performance, this study examines this relationship in the universe of MNCs from developing economies. The main objective of this study is to analyze if these MNCs' international expansion strategies are being translated in an efficient and effective way in terms of managing company business. Our sample includes 33 of the 100 most highly internationalized multinational companies (MNCs) from developing economies, and the information was collected over a 6 year period (2004-2009). Data were obtained from two sources: (a) the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); and (b) Thomson Reuters Datastream. Multiple regression analysis, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method, and panel data analysis found a negative-linear relationship between the degree of internationalization and developing economy MNC performance, indicating that the higher the degree of internationalization, the lower MNC performance tends to be.
Genetic and biochemical characterization of a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) generates two second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerol. The polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene (PLC1) that encodes a protein of 869 amino acids (designated Plc1p) that bears greatest resemblance to the delta isoforms of mammalian PI-PLC in terms of overall sequence similarity and domain arrangement. Plc1p contains the conserved X and Y domains found in all higher eukaryotic PI-PLCs (51 and 29% identity, respectively, to the corresponding domains of rat delta 1 PI-PLC) and also contains a presumptive Ca(2+)-binding site (an E-F hand motif). Plc1p, modified by in-frame insertion of a His6 tract and a c-myc epitope near its amino terminus, was overexpressed from the GAL1 promoter, partially purified by nickel chelate affinity chromatography, and shown to be an active PLC enzyme in vitro with properties similar to those of its mammalian counterparts. Plc1p activity was strictly Ca2+ dependent: at a high Ca2+ concentration (0.1 mM), the enzyme hydrolyzed PIP2 at a faster rate than phosphatidylinositol, and at a low Ca2+ concentration (0.5 microM), it hydrolyzed PIP2 exclusively. Cells carrying either of two different deletion-insertion mutations (plc1 delta 1::HIS3 and plc1 delta 2::LEU2) were viable but displayed several distinctive phenotypes, including temperature-sensitive growth (inviable above 35 degrees C), osmotic sensitivity, and defects in the utilization of galactose, raffinose, and glycerol at permissive temperatures (23 to 30 degrees C). The findings reported here suggest that hydrolysis of PIP2 in S. cerevisiae is required for a number of nutritional and stress-related responses.
Self-Recusation Protocol for Blockage of Misbehaving Applications in Vehicular Networks

Security is a fundamental issue in the deployment of any kind of network, in particular those networks that affect people integrity. It is therefore important to detect the existence of any failure and to try to avoid its propagation as much as possible. In order to take maximum advantage of ad-hoc networks, protocols should be adapted to these new technologies by proposing new alternatives to centralized systems. Along this paper, a proposal is being discussed to allow blockage of applications that show malfunctioning, through a collaborative system based on weighted accusations. This method is more effective than the complete revocation of the keys since it allows the use of critical applications.
Maximum Likelihood Postprocessing for Differential Privacy under Consistency Constraints

When analyzing data that has been perturbed for privacy reasons, one is often concerned about its usefulness. Recent research on differential privacy has shown that the accuracy of many data queries can be improved by post-processing the perturbed data to ensure consistency constraints that are known to hold for the original data. Most prior work converted this post-processing step into a least squares minimization problem with customized efficient solutions. While improving accuracy, this approach ignored the noise distribution in the perturbed data. In this paper, to further improve accuracy, we formulate this post-processing step as a constrained maximum likelihood estimation problem, which is equivalent to constrained L1 minimization. Instead of relying on slow linear program solvers, we present a faster generic recipe (based on ADMM) that is suitable for a wide variety of applications including differentially private contingency tables, histograms, and the matrix mechanism (linear queries). An added benefit of our formulation is that it can often take direct advantage of algorithmic tricks used by the prior work on least-squares post-processing. An extensive set of experiments on various datasets demonstrates that this approach significantly improve accuracy over prior work.
Understanding Teacher-Student Relationships, Student-Student Relationships, and Conduct Problems in China and the United States

Several previous studies have found that Chinese students perceive teacher-student relationships and student-student relationships more favorably than American students. In this study we examined if the same holds true with respect to teachers' perceptions. Also examined were both students' and teachers' perceptions of conduct problems. The sample included 3,253 students and 345 teachers in China and 2,192 students and 540 teachers in the United States. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed the greatest differences in mean scores between countries were in teachers' and students' perceptions of student-student relationships and student conduct problems. American students perceived their schools much less favorably, and particularly so in middle school and high school. Students tended to report less favorable relationships and greater conduct problems than their teachers, especially in the United States compared with China. Cultural differences are discussed that may account for the findings, including differences in the valuing of education, filial piety, social harmony, self and peer regulation of behavior, classroom management, and the socialization of cultural values.
Identification of a Critical Sp1 Site within the Endoglin Promoter and Its Involvement in the Transforming Growth Factor-β Stimulation*

Endoglin, a component of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptor complex expressed on endothelial cells, is involved in cardiovascular morphogenesis and vascular remodeling, as exemplified by the fact that the endoglin gene is the target for the autosomal dominant disorder known as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1. Since haploinsufficiency is the underlying mechanism for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1, understanding the regulation of endoglin gene expression appears to be a crucial step to correct the disease. In this study we have identified an Sp1 site at −37 as a critical element for the basal transcription of the endoglin TATA-less promoter. Since endoglin promoter activity is stimulated by TGF-β and this stimulation is located at the Sp1-containing proximal region, we have investigated the possible involvement of Sp1 in the TGF-β-mediated induction. Mutation of the Sp1-binding sequence, or addition of the Sp1 inhibitor WP631, abolished both the basal transcription activity and the TGF-β responsiveness of the endoglin promoter. Binding of Sp1 and Smad3 to the proximal promoter region −50/−29 was evidenced by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNA affinity precipitation studies. Furthermore, synergistic cooperation on the promoter activity between Sp1 and TGF-β or Smad3 could be demonstrated by co-transfection experiments of reporter promoter constructs. The molecular mechanism underlying this cooperation appears to involve a direct physical interaction between Sp1 and Smad3/Smad4.
Parental Vaccine Hesitancy in Quebec (Canada)

Introduction: "Vaccine hesitancy" is a concept frequently used in the discourse around vaccine acceptance. This study aims to contribute to the ongoing reflections on tools and indicators of vaccine hesitancy by providing results of a knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB) survey conducted among parents. Methods: Data were collected in 2014 through a computer-assisted telephone interview survey administered to a sample of parents of children aged between 2 months and 17 years of age. Results: The majority of the 589 parents included in the analyses agreed on the importance of vaccination to protect their children’s health and to prevent the spread of diseases in the community. The majority of the parents (81%) reported that their child had received all doses of recommended vaccines and 40% of parents indicated having hesitated to have their child vaccinated. Fear of adverse events and low perceived vulnerability of the child or severity of the disease were the most frequent reasons mentioned by these vaccine-hesitant parents. In multivariate analyses, KAB items remaining significantly associated both with an incomplete vaccination status of the child and parents’ vaccine hesitancy were: not thinking that it is important to have the child vaccinated to prevent the spreading of diseases in the community; not trusting the received vaccination information and having felt pressure to have the child vaccinated. Discussion: Further researches will be needed to better understand when, how and why these beliefs are formed in order to prevent the onset of vaccine hesitancy.
Volumetric MRI Markers and Predictors of Disease Activity in Early Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Objectives To compare clinical and MRI parameters between patients with clinically isolated syndrome and those converting to clinically definite multiple sclerosis within 2 years, to identify volumetric MRI predictors of this conversion and to assess effect of early relapses. Methods The SET study comprised 220 patients with clinically isolated syndrome treated with interferon beta (mean age, 29 years; Expanded Disability Status Scale, 1.5). Three patients with missing data were excluded from the analysis. Physical disability, time to clinically definite multiple sclerosis and volumetric MRI data were recorded for 2 years. Results Patients reaching clinically definite multiple sclerosis showed impaired recovery of neurological function, faster decrease in corpus callosum cross-sectional area, higher T2 lesion volume and more contrast-enhancing lesions. Six-month decrease in corpus callosum cross-sectional area (≥1%) and baseline T2 lesion volume (≥5 cm3) predicted clinically definite multiple sclerosis within 2 years (hazard ratios 2.5 and 1.8, respectively). Of 22 patients fulfilling both predictive criteria, 83% reached clinically definite multiple sclerosis (hazard ratio 6.5). More relapses were associated with poorer recovery of neurological function and accelerated brain atrophy. Conclusions Neurological impairment is more permanent, brain atrophy is accelerated and focal inflammatory activity is greater in patients converting to clinically definite multiple sclerosis. Six-month corpus callosum atrophy and baseline T2 lesion volume jointly help predict individual risk of clinically definite multiple sclerosis. Early relapses contribute to permanent damage of the central nervous system.
Analysis in practical usability evaluation: a survey study

Analysis is a key part of conducting usability evaluations, yet rarely systematically studied. Thus, we lack direction on how to do research on supporting practitioners' analysis and lose an opportunity for practitioners to learn from each other. We have surveyed 155 usability practitioners on the analysis in their latest usability evaluation. Analysis is typically flexible and light-weight. At the same time, practitioners see a need to strengthen reliability in evaluation. Redesign is closely integrated with analysis; more than half of the respondents provide visual redesign suggestions in their evaluation deliverables. Analysis support from academic research, including tools, forms and structured formats, does not seem to have direct impact on analysis practice. We provide six recommendations for future research to better support analysis.
The Quality of Cultural Tools and Cognitive Development: Gal’perin’s Perspective and Its Implications1

Vygotsky theorized that instruction plays a key part in cognitive development by providing culturally evolved cognitive tools which, once internalized by the child, mediate and advance the child’s cognitive functioning. Gal’perin further elaborated this approach arguing that it is the quality (specific character) of cognitive tools (such as concepts, criteria, schemas) acquired by the child that to a large extent defines the specifics of cognitive development. He theoretically explicated and empirically tested an alternative type of instruction which, unlike traditional instruction, directly generated cognitive development by providing cognitive tools of a higher quality (based on theoretical concepts as opposed to empirical concepts). The often overlooked yet important implications of Gal’perinian perspective are: 1) that there is a need for the theory of development to conceptualize and integrate the processes related to learning, and 2) that most existing theories of development capture just one possible version of development – the version that is bound to deficient cognitive tools employed in the currently dominating type of instruction.
Increased anterior temporal lobe T2 times in cases of hippocampal sclerosis: a multi-echo T2 relaxometry study at 3 T.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Increased T2 relaxation times in the ipsilateral hippocampus are present in patients with hippocampal sclerosis. Visual assessment of T2-weighted images of these patients suggests increased signal intensity in the anterior temporal lobe as well. Our aim was to assess hippocampal and anterior temporal T2 relaxation times in patients with partial epilepsy by using a new T2-relaxometry sequence implemented by using a 3-T General Electric imaging unit. METHODS Coronal view T2 maps were generated by using an eight-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence (TE, 28-231) with an acquisition time of 7 min on a 3-T General Electric Signa Horizon LX imaging unit. T2 relaxation times were measured in the hippocampus and anterior temporal lobe of 30 healthy control volunteers and 20 patients with partial epilepsy. RESULTS For the 30 control volunteers, the mean hippocampal T2 relaxation time was 98 +/- 2.8 ms. In all measured areas, the asymmetry index was small (<0.01). For the 15 patients with independent evidence of hippocampal sclerosis established by visual, volumetric, and, when available, pathologic criteria, mean hippocampal T2 relaxation times were 118 +/- 7 ms (P <.0001) on the ipsilateral side and 101 +/- 4 ms (P =.005) on the contralateral side. The T2 values were also increased in the anterior temporal lobe (ipsilateral: 82 +/- 6 ms, P <.0001; contralateral: 79 +/- 6 ms, P =.01) as compared with the values for the control volunteers (75 +/- 3 ms). The five patients with focal cortical dysplasia had hippocampal T2 relaxation times that were not different from control values. CONCLUSION T2 relaxometry at 3 T is feasible and useful and confirmed marked ipsilateral hippocampal signal intensity increase in patients with hippocampal sclerosis. Importantly, definite signal intensity change was also present in the anterior temporal lobe. T2 relaxometry is a sensitive means of identifying abnormalities in the hippocampus and other brain structures.