Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Team-Based Learning on short-term and long-term retention of factual knowledge*

Abstract Purpose: We investigated the effect of Team-Based Learning (TBL) on long-term retention of knowledge in comparison to a traditional curriculum. Methods: As TBL was incorporated into our curriculum in the 2008–2009 academic year, students were compared with those who received the traditional curriculum the year prior. Students in both the groups completed multiple-choice knowledge test at four time points spanning two years. Test performance was compared at each time point to assess changes in knowledge retention as a function of time. Results: Baseline knowledge did not differ significantly between the TBL and control groups [51% versus 46%; t(84) = 0.91, p = 0.37, d = 0.20]. Performance improved after the course for both the groups, but was significantly higher in the TBL group [79% versus 59%; t(84) = 4.96, p = 0.000004, d = 0.95]. However, when assessed prior to the pediatrics clerkship, learning gains from TBL had largely disappeared and the small difference in performance was not significant [57% versus 51%; t(84) = 1.51, p = 0.14, d = 0.32]. Conclusion: Incorporating TBL into the pre-clinical pediatrics curriculum led to large gains in knowledge over the short-term, but these gains did not persist. Further research should focus on extending the impact of TBL on long-term knowledge retention.
Fatigue and physical functioning in children with multiple sclerosis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Background and Objective: Fatigue and physical impairments are a major concern in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) and after acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (post-ADEM). We here aimed to evaluate the interaction between fatigue, exercise capacity, motor performance, neurological status, and quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data of 38 children (MS n = 22, post-ADEM n = 16), aged 4–17 years attending our national pediatric MS center, were studied. Fatigue was measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, exercise capacity with the Bruce Protocol, motor performance with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children second edition, HRQoL with the Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire, and extent of disability with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Results: Children with MS and post-ADEM experienced more fatigue (p < 0.001), reduced exercise capacity (p < 0.001), and impaired motor performance (p < 0.001), despite low scores on the EDSS. Fatigue, but not the other parameters, was significantly correlated with HRQoL. Fatigue was not correlated with exercise capacity. Conclusion: We confirm the major impact of fatigue on quality of life in children with MS and post-ADEM. Fatigue was not explained by reduced exercise capacity or impaired motor performance. An important finding for clinical practice is that the low EDSS score did not reflect the poor physical functioning.
Voice Swinging at a Cocktail Party : Voice Familiarity Aids Speech Perception in the Presence of a Competing

People often have to listen to someone speak in the presence of competing voices. Much is known about the acoustic cues used to overcome this challenge, but almost nothing is known about the utility of cues derived from experience with particular voices—cues that may be particularly important for older people and others with impaired hearing. Here, we use a version of the coordinate-response-measure procedure to show that people can exploit knowledge of a highly familiar voice (their spouse’s) not only to track it better in the presence of an interfering stranger’s voice, but also, crucially, to ignore it so as to comprehend a stranger’s voice more effectively. Although performance declines with increasing age when the target voice is novel, there is no decline when the target voice belongs to the listener’s spouse. This finding indicates that older listeners can exploit their familiarity with a speaker’s voice to mitigate the effects of sensory and cognitive decline.
Limbic-Cortical-Ventral Striatal Activation during Retrieval of a Discrete Cocaine-Associated Stimulus: A Cellular Imaging Study with γ Protein Kinase C Expression

We investigated the neuronal activation associated with reexposure to a discrete cocaine-associated stimulus using in situhybridization to quantify the expression of the plasticity-regulated gene, γ protein kinase C (γ PKC), in the limbic-cortical-ventral striatal system. Groups of rats were trained to self-administer cocaine paired with a light stimulus (Paired) or paired with an auditory stimulus but also receiving light presentations yoked to those in the Paired group (Unpaired). Additional groups received noncontingent cocaine–light pairings (Pavlovian) or saline–light pairings (Saline) that were yoked to the Paired group. After acquisition of self-administration by the Paired and Unpaired groups, all groups had a 3 d drug- and training-free period before being reexposed to noncontingent presentations of the light conditioning stimulus during a 5 min test session in the training context. There were four major patterns of results for regional γ PKC expression 2 hr later. (1) Changes occurred only in groups in which the light was predictive of cocaine. (2) Increases were seen in the amygdala, but decreases were seen in the medial prefrontal cortex. (3) No changes were seen in the hippocampus. (4) Although changes were observed in the basal and central nuclei of the amygdala and the prelimbic cortex in both the Paired and Pavlovian groups, additional changes were observed in the nucleus accumbens core, lateral amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex in the Pavlovian group. These results suggest not only that regionally selective alterations in γ PKC expression are an index of the retrieval of Pavlovian associations formed between a drug and a discrete stimulus, but also that a distinct neural circuitry may underlie Pavlovian stimulus–reward associations in cocaine-experienced rats.
Using Recombinant Proteins from Lutzomyia longipalpis Saliva to Estimate Human Vector Exposure in Visceral Leishmaniasis Endemic Areas

Background Leishmania is transmitted by female sand flies and deposited together with saliva, which contains a vast repertoire of pharmacologically active molecules that contribute to the establishment of the infection. The exposure to vector saliva induces an immune response against its components that can be used as a marker of exposure to the vector. Performing large-scale serological studies to detect vector exposure has been limited by the difficulty in obtaining sand fly saliva. Here, we validate the use of two sand fly salivary recombinant proteins as markers for vector exposure. Methodology/principal findings ELISA was used to screen human sera, collected in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, against the salivary gland sonicate (SGS) or two recombinant proteins (rLJM11 and rLJM17) from Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva. Antibody levels before and after SGS seroconversion (n = 26) were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank paired test. Human sera from an area endemic for VL which recognize Lu. longipalpis saliva in ELISA also recognize a combination of rLJM17 and rLJM11. We then extended the analysis to include 40 sera from individuals who were seropositive and 40 seronegative to Lu. longipalpis SGS. Each recombinant protein was able to detect anti-saliva seroconversion, whereas the two proteins combined increased the detection significantly. Additionally, we evaluated the specificity of the anti-Lu. longipalpis response by testing 40 sera positive to Lutzomyia intermedia SGS, and very limited (2/40) cross-reactivity was observed. Receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the effectiveness of these proteins for the prediction of anti-SGS positivity. These ROC curves evidenced the superior performance of rLJM17+rLJM11. Predicted threshold levels were confirmed for rLJM17+rLJM11 using a large panel of 1,077 serum samples. Conclusion Our results show the possibility of substituting Lu. longipalpis SGS for two recombinant proteins, LJM17 and LJM11, in order to probe for vector exposure in individuals residing in endemic areas.
What grades and achievement tests measure

Significance Grades and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition. This paper examines these measures and their constituent parts. We establish that, on average, grades and achievement tests are generally better predictors of life outcomes than “pure” measures of intelligence. The reason is that they capture aspects of personality that have been shown to be predictive in their own right. All of the standard measures of “intelligence” or “cognition” are influenced by aspects of personality, albeit to varying degrees, depending on the measure. This result has important implications for the interpretation of studies using scores on achievement tests and grades to explain differences in outcomes and for the use of standard cognitive measures to evaluate the effectiveness of public policies. Intelligence quotient (IQ), grades, and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition, but the correlations among them are far from perfect. This paper uses a variety of datasets to show that personality and IQ predict grades and scores on achievement tests. Personality is relatively more important in predicting grades than scores on achievement tests. IQ is relatively more important in predicting scores on achievement tests. Personality is generally more predictive than IQ on a variety of important life outcomes. Both grades and achievement tests are substantially better predictors of important life outcomes than IQ. The reason is that both capture personality traits that have independent predictive power beyond that of IQ.
Temporal Coding: Assembly Formation Through Constructive Interference

Temporal coding is studied for an oscillatory neural network model with synchronization and acceleration. The latter mechanism refers to increasing (decreasing) the phase velocity of each unit for stronger (weaker) or more coherent (decoherent) input from the other units. It has been demonstrated that acceleration generates the desynchronization that is needed for self-organized segmentation of two overlapping patterns. In this letter, we continue the discussion of this remarkable feature, giving also an example with several overlapping patterns. Due to acceleration, Hebbian memory implies a frequency spectrum for pure pattern states, defined as coherent patterns with decoherent overlapping patterns. With reference to this frequency spectrum and related frequency bands, the process of pattern retrieval, corresponding to the formation of temporal coding assemblies, is described as resulting from constructive interference (with frequency differences due to acceleration) and phase locking (due to synchronization).
Modelling of sorption hysteresis and its effect on moisture transport within cementitious materials

The durability of reinforced concrete structures and their service life are closely related to the simultaneous occurrence of many physical and chemical phenomena. These phenomena are diverse in nature, but in common they are dependent on the moisture properties of the material. Therefore, the prediction of the potential degradation of cementitious materials requires the study of the movement of liquid-water and gas-phase transport in the material which is considered as a porous medium. In natural environment, structures are always affected by periodic variations of external relative humidity (RH). However, most moisture transport models in the literature only focus on the drying process. There are few researches considering both drying and wetting, although these conditions represent natural RH variations. Even few studies take into account hysteresis in moisture transport. Thus, this work is devoted to better understand how the moisture behaviour within cementitious materials responds to the ambient RH changes through both experimental investigations and numerical modelling. In particular, hysteretic effects will be included in numerical modelling. In this thesis, we first recalled a complicate multi-phase continuum model. By theoretical analysis and experimental verification, a simplified model can be obtained for the case of that the intrinsic permeability to liquid-water is smaller than the intrinsic permeability to gas-phase. The review of commonly-used hysteresis models enabled to conclude a set of best models for the prediction of water vapour sorption isotherms and their hysteresis. After that, the simplified model was coupled with selected hysteresis models to simulate moisture transport under drying and wetting cycles. Compared with experimental data, numerical simulations revealed that modelling with hysteretic effects can provide much better results than non-hysteresis modelling. Among different hysteresis models, results showed that the use of the conceptual hysteresis model, which presents closed form scanning loops, can provide more accuracy predictions. Further simulations for different scenarios were also performed. All comparisons and investigations enhanced the necessity of considering hysteresis to model moisture transport for varying relative humidity at the boundary. The investigation of moisture penetration depth could provide a better understanding of how deep moisture as well as ions can move into the material. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that the consideration of Knudsen effects for diffusion of vapour can improve the prediction of the apparent diffusivity
Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials induced by bone-conducted vibration in patients with unilateral inner ear disease

Abstract Conclusion: Patients with vestibular neuritis (VN) with complete canal paresis (CP) showed a higher rate of abnormal ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) than those with partial CP. From these results, it is speculated that the superior vestibular nerve function mainly affects oVEMP. Significant correlation was found between the grades of the hearing outcome and oVEMP in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). Objective: We attempted to correlate the results of oVEMP with the results of cervical VEMP (cVEMP), results of subjective visual vertical (SVV), and clinical course in patients with various vestibular disorders. Methods: Twenty-two patients with VN, 65 with SSHL, and 22 with Meniere's disease (MD), were enrolled in this study. We compared the results of oVEMP with those of cVEMP, SVV, and the caloric test. Furthermore, the oVEMP results were compared with the initial hearing threshold, presence of vertigo, and hearing recovery in the patients with SSHL. Results: The patients with VN with complete CP showed a higher rate of abnormal oVEMP than those with partial CP. In the patients with SSHL, the hearing recovery rate was lower in the patients with abnormal oVEMP than in those with normal oVEMP.
Causal evidence for the role of REM sleep theta rhythm in contextual memory consolidation

Let sleeping mice remember The role of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep for memory consolidation has been discussed for a long time. Boyce et al. used optogenetics to inhibit theta oscillations in the mouse hippocampus during REM sleep (see the Perspective by Kocsis). Both object recognition memory and contextual fear memory were impaired. This consolidation mechanism occurred in a critical time window immediately after training. Disrupting the same system for similar durations during non-REM sleep or wakefulness had no effect on memory. Science, this issue p. 812; see also p. 770 Selectively disrupting REM sleep impairs hippocampus-dependent memory formation. Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) has been linked with spatial and emotional memory consolidation. However, establishing direct causality between neural activity during REMS and memory consolidation has proven difficult because of the transient nature of REMS and significant caveats associated with REMS deprivation techniques. In mice, we optogenetically silenced medial septum γ-aminobutyric acid–releasing (MSGABA) neurons, allowing for temporally precise attenuation of the memory-associated theta rhythm during REMS without disturbing sleeping behavior. REMS-specific optogenetic silencing of MSGABA neurons selectively during a REMS critical window after learning erased subsequent novel object place recognition and impaired fear-conditioned contextual memory. Silencing MSGABA neurons for similar durations outside REMS episodes had no effect on memory. These results demonstrate that MSGABA neuronal activity specifically during REMS is required for normal memory consolidation.
Protein drug target activation homogeneity in the face of intra-tumor heterogeneity: implications for precision medicine

Introduction: Recent studies indicated tumors may be comprised of heterogeneous molecular subtypes and incongruent molecular portraits may emerge if different areas of the tumor are sampled. This study explored the impact of intra-tumoral heterogeneity in terms of activation/phosphorylation of FDA approved drug targets and downstream kinase substrates. Material and methods: Two independent sets of liver metastases from colorectal cancer were used to evaluate protein kinase-driven signaling networks within different areas using laser capture microdissection and reverse phase protein array. Results: Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that the signaling architecture and activation of the MAPK and AKT-mTOR pathways were consistently maintained within different regions of the same biopsy. Intra-patient variability of the MAPK and AKT-mTOR pathway were <1.06 fold change, while inter-patients variability reached fold change values of 5.01. Conclusions: Protein pathway activation mapping of enriched tumor cells obtained from different regions of the same tumor indicated consistency and robustness independent of the region sampled. This suggests a dominant protein pathway network may be activated in a high percentage of the tumor cell population. Given the genomic intra-tumoral variability, our data suggest that protein/phosphoprotein signaling measurements should be integrated with genomic analysis for precision medicine based analysis.
Psychological Factors and Reticuloendothelial Disease: II. Observations on a Group of Women with Lymphomas and Leukemias

Summary Observations are reported on 32 women with lymphocytic, myelocytic, or monocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, reticulum‐cell sarcoma, and lymphosarcoma. It is inferred that all of these women had had an unresolved attachment to their mother. Individually they presented various personality characteristics and could be divided into four groups, designated as mothering, clinging, isolated, and manly. The occurrence of various types of losses, separations, or threats of separation in a period 4 years prior to the apparent onset of the lymphoma or leukemia is described. These included the loss of a significant person such as the mother, father, husband, or child by death or illness. Also included as a loss are the menopause, natural or surgical, and a change of home. Half of such separations or losses during the 4‐year prodromal period occurred during 1 year prior to the apparent onset. The symptoms of these patients during months or weeks prior to the apparent onset are described and the frequency of fatigue, weakness, sadness, anorexia, and nausea is noted. The majority of the patients showed an affect of sadness or hopelessness for weeks or months prior to the apparent onset. Psychological manifestations during the established disease are described, particularly the occurrence of exacerbations of the lymphomatous or leukemic process during times of interpersonal stress, such as separations. Data are also presented suggesting a correlation between personality characteristics and the duration of the lymphoma or leukemia. From this additional material on these woman patients, we consider that one of the multiple conditions determining development of lymphoma and leukemia in adults may be separation from a key object or goal with ensuing depression.
Prevalence and Etiology of Dementia in a Japanese Community

Background and Purpose We sought to determine the type-specific prevalence of dementia and its risk factors in elderly persons from the Japanese community of Hisayama. Methods We studied the prevalence of dementia in 887 Hisayama residents (353 men and 534 women) aged 65 years or older (screening rate, 94.6%) using various items of clinical information, neurological examination, and dementia scales. We also studied brain morphology in 50 of 59 determined to have dementia by computed tomography or autopsy during the subsequent 54-month period. Factors relevant dementia were compared between 27 patients with vascular dementia and 789 control subjects without dementia in a retrospective fashion. Results The prevalence rate of dementia among Hisayama residents aged 65 or older was estimated at 6.7%, with a females to males ratio of 1:2. Among 50 cases of dementia in which brain morphology was examined, the frequency of vascular dementia was 56%; this rate was 2.2 times higher than that for senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. Aging, hypertension, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and high hematocrit were significantly (p<0.05) and independently associated with the occurrence of vascular dementia. Conclusions Prevalence of dementia among the Hisayama residents was relatively identical to that previously reported, but vascular dementia was more predominant Risk factors for vascular dementia were similar to those for lacunar infarcts. Control of hypertension may be a key to reducing dementia among the Japanese population.
Near-ultraviolet zinc oxide nanowire sensor using low temperature hydrothermal growth

Two near-ultraviolet (UV) sensors based on solution-grown zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) which are only sensitive to photo-excitation at or below 400 nm wavelength have been fabricated and characterized. Both devices keep all processing steps, including nanowire growth, under 100 °C for compatibility with a wide variety of substrates. The first device type uses a single optical lithography step process to allow simultaneous in situ horizontal NW growth from solution and creation of symmetric ohmic contacts to the nanowires. The second device type uses a two-mask optical lithography process to create asymmetric ohmic and Schottky contacts. For the symmetric ohmic contacts, at a voltage bias of 1 V across the device, we observed a 29-fold increase in current in comparison to dark current when the NWs were photo-excited by a 400 nm light-emitting diode (LED) at 0.15 mW cm−2 with a relaxation time constant (τ) ranging from 50 to 555 s. For the asymmetric ohmic and Schottky contacts under 400 nm excitation, τ is measured between 0.5 and 1.4 s over varying time internals, which is ∼2 orders of magnitude faster than the devices using symmetric ohmic contacts.
Comparison of Swab and Sponge Methodologies for Identification of Acinetobacter baumannii from the Hospital Environment

ABSTRACT The ideal sampling method for identification of Acinetobacter baumannii from the health care environment is unknown. In this study, we sampled 145 surfaces in the rooms of patients with known A. baumannii colonization/infection, comparing two methods: swab and sponge. The sensitivity of the swab method was 87%, while the sensitivity of the sponge method was 75%. Given the comparable results, use of the cheaper and less laborious swab technique is acceptable and may be preferable.