Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hemodynamic Responses Evoked by Neuronal Stimulation via Channelrhodopsin-2 Can Be Independent of Intracortical Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission

Maintenance of neuronal function depends on the delivery of oxygen and glucose through changes in blood flow that are linked to the level of ongoing neuronal and glial activity, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using transgenic mice expressing the light-activated cation channel channelrhodopsin-2 in deep layer pyramidal neurons, we report that changes in intrinsic optical signals and blood flow can be evoked by activation of a subset of channelrhodopsin-2-expressing neurons in the sensorimotor cortex. We have combined imaging and pharmacology to examine the importance of glutamatergic synaptic transmission in this form of neurovascular coupling. Blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors with the antagonists CNQX and MK801 significantly reduced forepaw-evoked hemodynamic responses, yet resulted in no significant reduction of channelrhodopsin-evoked hemodynamic responses, suggesting that stimulus-dependent coupling of neuronal activity to blood flow can be independent of local excitatory synaptic transmission. Together, these results indicate that channelrhodopsin-2 activation of sensorimotor excitatory neurons produces changes in intrinsic optical signals and blood flow that can occur under conditions where synaptic activation of neurons or other cells through ionotropic glutamate receptors would be blocked.
Occupational/Career Decision-Making Thought Processes of Adolescents of High Intellectual Ability

Three competing models of the career decision-making thought processes of adolescents of high intellectual ability were tested in this study. Survey data were collected from 664 intellectually gifted Australian adolescents and analyzed using structural equation modeling procedures. The finally accepted, optimal model suggested that, regardless of cultural orientation, highly able adolescents may place importance on whether a future career will be interesting or enjoyable, which is a probable predictor of their attitudes toward careers and their eventual intentions to pursue particular careers. In addition, the model indicated that those careers considered interesting or enjoyable by intellectually gifted adolescents may also be intellectually stimulating.
A Fatal Case of Intravascular Coagulation After Bee Sting Acupuncture

Bee stings can cause severe adverse reactions, leading to anaphylaxis, cardiovascular collapse, and death. In some cases, bee venom also induces disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). However, to our knowledge, there has been no fatal case of intravascular coagulation accompanied by anaphylaxis caused by bee sting acupuncture. Here, we report a fatal case of a 65-year-old woman with DIC, following anaphylactic shock after bee sting acupuncture. This case emphasizes that practitioners should consider anaphylaxis followed by coagulation abnormalities when a patient's vital signs are unstable after bee sting acupuncture.
Testing Bilingual Educational Methods: A Plea to End the Language‐Mixing Taboo

Language mixing in a given class is often avoided in bilingual education because of the generally held belief that one subject should be taught in only one language and one person should stick to one language in order to minimize confusion. Here, we compared the effects of mixing two languages and monolingual functioning on memory performance in immediate recall as a proxy for comprehension and attention during learning. In Experiment 1, non-balanced bilingual youngsters were provided with definition pairs introducing familiar objects in a single-language or in a mixed-language context. After each definition block, participants were asked to identify previously introduced objects presented amongst a stream of Old and New items. In Experiment 2, the same speaker produced the two definitions in the mixed-language context, thus violating the second principle introduced above In both experiments we found no advantage for the single-language over the mixed-language context of exposure. Keywords:
Political Finance Reform and Public Procurement: Evidence from Lithuania∗

Can political donations buy influence? This paper studies whether firms trade political contributions for public procurement contracts. To answer this question, I focus on the Lithuanian political economy. Combining data on a large number of government tenders, the universe of corporate donors and firm characteristics, I examine how a ban on corporate donations affects the awarding of procurement contracts to companies that donated in the past. Consistent with political favoritism, contributing firms’ probability of winning goes down by five percentage points as compared to that of non-donor firms after the ban. Among different mechanisms, the hypothesis that corporate donors get confidential information on competing bids prevails. The empirical results are in line with predictions from a first-price sealed-bid auction model with one informed bidder. Evidence on firm bidding and victory margins suggests that contributing firms adjust their bids in order to secure contracts at a maximum revenue. I assess that tax payers save almost one percent of GDP thanks to the reform.
Professional Learning Through Video: Reflection of a Pre-Service Teacher One Year On

The research presented in this paper investigates a pre-service teacher’s reflection on professional learning using the medium of video. To promote a reflective activity, we invited the pre-service teacher—now a titular teacher—to comment on their activity while remarking on a recording of one of their lessons conducted one year earlier. The lesson was performed in a professional high school, followed by a meeting with the teacher and a university tutor. Quali-quantitative analysis was used to analyse the data--where the teacher’s reflections emerged during their viewing of the lesson—to trace the typology of the comments of the pre-service teacher, and the topics of the reflection. The analysis highlights the dimensions of reflective activity, which can be a reflection of the professional learning of the pre-service teacher in one year. This study provides useful information in describing the process of professional learning and, at the same time, supports the integration of video into pre-service teacher training as a tool of reflection.
ISIS: a system for performance driven resource sharing

The authors establish the importance of accurate bit-level area and delay modeling to the quality of circuits synthesized by resource sharing systems. They show that bit-level accuracy and integration with logic optimization are both desirable and feasible, since the added execution time is a small fraction of the total optimization time. The implementation of a resource sharing system called ISIS, which uses bit-level modeling, accounts for control delays, and optimizes sharing and resource performance selection together to generate high-quality circuits from register transfer language (RTL) descriptions, is described. <<ETX>>
Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 and 2 Predict Outcomes in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 (sTNFR1) and 2 (sTNFR2) have been associated to progression of renal failure, end stage renal disease and mortality in early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), mostly in the context of diabetic nephropathy. The predictive value of these markers in advanced stages of CKD irrespective of the specific causes of kidney disease has not yet been defined. In this study, the relationship between sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 and the risk for adverse cardiovascular events (CVE) and all-cause mortality was investigated in a population with CKD stage 4-5, not yet on dialysis, to minimize the confounding by renal function. Patients and methods In 131 patients, CKD stage 4-5, sTNFR1, sTNFR2 were analysed for their association to a composite endpoint of all-cause mortality or first non-fatal CVE by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. In the multivariate models, age, gender, CRP, eGFR and significant comorbidities were included as covariates. Results During a median follow-up of 33 months, 40 events (30.5%) occurred of which 29 deaths (22.1%) and 11 (8.4%) first non-fatal CVE. In univariate analysis, the hazard ratios (HR) of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 for negative outcome were 1.49 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-1.75) and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.06-1.20) respectively. After adjustment for clinical covariables (age, CRP, diabetes and a history of cardiovascular disease) both sTNFRs remained independently associated to outcomes (HR: sTNFR1: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.30-1.77; sTNFR2: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.20). A subanalysis of the non-diabetic patients in the study population confirmed these findings, especially for sTNFR1. Conclusion sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 are independently associated to all-cause mortality or an increased risk for cardiovascular events in advanced CKD irrespective of the cause of kidney disease.
Potential benefits of quetiapine in the treatment of substance dependence disorders.

OBJECTIVE Some antipsychotic medications prescribed for the treatment of psychoses, mood disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with coexisting substance dependence disorders (SDD) have reduced substance dependence. We studied the potential benefits of quetiapine in the treatment of SDD. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of data for 9 patients who were admitted to a 28-day residential rehabilitation program designed for individuals with SDD during a 3-month period from January 2003 through March 2003 and treated with quetiapine for nonpsychotic anxiety. These patients also met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, criteria for alcohol, cocaine and/or methamphetamine dependence and substance-induced anxiety disorder. The patients were assessed using the Hamilton-D Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D), a 10-point Likert scale to measure alcohol or drug cravings, and random Breathalyzer and urine drug screens. RESULTS Quetiapine was generally well tolerated. Only 1 of the 9 patients stopped taking the medication because of increased anxiety. Other patients reported improvement in sleep and anxiety. The mean decrease in Ham-D score at discharge for the responders was 18.5 (p < 0.005). The biggest decreases on the Ham-D occurred on the subscales of insomnia, agitation, somatic anxiety, psychologic anxiety, hypochondriasis and obsessional symptoms. The mean decrease in the Likert 10-point craving scale was 5.9 for the responders (p < 0.005). These patients' periodic Breathalyzer and urine test results suggested that they remained abstinent from alcohol and other drug use. CONCLUSION Quetiapine was beneficial in the treatment of SDD in patients with nonpsychotic anxiety.
Design of an efficient space constrained diffuser for supercritical CO2 turbines

Radial inflow turbines are an arguably relevant architecture for energy extraction from ORC and supercritical CO2 power cycles. At small scale, design constraints can prescribe high exit velocities for such turbines, which lead to high kinetic energy in the turbine exhaust stream. The inclusion of a suitable diffuser in a radial turbine system allows some exhaust kinetic energy to be recovered as static pressure, thereby ensuring efficient operation of the overall turbine system. In supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles, the high turbine inlet pressure can lead to a sealing challenge if the rotor is supported from the rotor rear side, due to the seal operating at rotor inlet pressure. An alternative to this is a cantilevered layout with the rotor exit facing the bearing system. While such a layout is attractive for the sealing system, it limits the axial space claim of any diffuser. Previous studies into conical diffuser geometries for supercritical CO2 have shown that in order to achieve optimal static pressure recovery, longer geometries of a shallower cone angle are necessitated when compared to air. A diffuser with a combined annular-radial arrangement is investigated as a means to package the aforementioned geometric characteristics into a limited space claim for a 100kW radial inflow turbine. Simulation results show that a diffuser of this design can attain static pressure rise coefficients greater than 0.88. This confirms that annular-radial diffusers are a viable design solution for supercritical CO2 radial inflow turbines, thus enabling an alternative cantilevered rotor layout.
The Dignity of Resistance: Women Residents' Activism in Chicago Public Housing

battles, large and small, we see the synergism between militant grassroots activists, antipoverty workers, political organizers, and low-income black women, not just on the local level but in relation to national organizations and their battles, like the NTO (National Tenants Organization) and NWRO (National Welfare Rights Organization). Both consciousness and behavior were transformed among Baltimore’s tenants of public housing as they engaged in “customized wars” (p. 191) on the local level, taking advantage of the “spaces” opened up to them by the various political groups, programs, and initiatives of the era. There is quite a lot to be learned from Williams’ qualitative study. Her work argues persuasively that the real politics of public housing need to be framed in the context of the lives of the tenants. We need to look at individual and collective activism among those who lived their lives in the trenches, or in this case, in Murphy Homes or Lexington Terrace, not just among the middle class reformers or professional social movement entrepreneurs. In an activism-rich era, when social justice issues played such a unique part in public discourse, public housing provided a surprisingly effective base for black women’s grassroots “organizing around subsistence and poor women’s issues” (p. 212). In the end, Williams provides more than just a natural history of public housing politics in Baltimore. She presents an analytical model by which the politics of public housing can be more fully understood. In this era, they were not just a function of politicians’ increasing fiscal conservatism but also of a changing consciousness of race, class, and gender, a consciousness inextricably linked to the civil rights and black power movements that, together, made (and still make) the politics of public housing highly contested terrain.
A meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometric studies on migraine.

PURPOSE To identify consistent results of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in migraine. METHODS Whole-brain VBM studies comparing migraine patients with healthy controls (HC) were systematically searched in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Embase, and Medline databases from January 1990 to Dec 2014. Coordinates were extracted from clusters with significant difference in gray matter volume (GMV) between migraine patients with healthy controls (HC). Meta-analysis was performed using activation likelihood estimation (ALE). RESULTS A total of 5 studies, comprising 126 migraineurs, including 23 migraine with aura, 41migraine without aura, 11 epidemic migraine and 16 chronic migraine as well as 19 Mm and 16 nmM, and 134 HC, were enrolled. The included studies report GMV reduction at 84 coordinates in migraine, as well as GMV increase at 2 coordinate in migraine. However, due to only two included studies have classified patients into these two phenotypes and one stated they included only migraine with aura patients , we were not able to perform a subgroup analysis and separate meta-analyses on each phenotype. CONCLUSION There were significant reductions in Middle frontal cortex (BA6, 9) structures and the Inferior frontal cortex (BA44) in migraine. These changes of GMV may indicate the mechanisms of the associated symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction, emotion problems and autonomic dysfunction. But whether this is the characteristics of the subtypes of migraine or can distinguish the types of migraine or primary headache, further studies examining larger samples may better elucidate the changes related to the illness and highlight its pathological mechanism.
Deep Neural Nets as a Method for Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships

Neural networks were widely used for quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) in the 1990s. Because of various practical issues (e.g., slow on large problems, difficult to train, prone to overfitting, etc.), they were superseded by more robust methods like support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), which arose in the early 2000s. The last 10 years has witnessed a revival of neural networks in the machine learning community thanks to new methods for preventing overfitting, more efficient training algorithms, and advancements in computer hardware. In particular, deep neural nets (DNNs), i.e. neural nets with more than one hidden layer, have found great successes in many applications, such as computer vision and natural language processing. Here we show that DNNs can routinely make better prospective predictions than RF on a set of large diverse QSAR data sets that are taken from Merck's drug discovery effort. The number of adjustable parameters needed for DNNs is fairly large, but our results show that it is not necessary to optimize them for individual data sets, and a single set of recommended parameters can achieve better performance than RF for most of the data sets we studied. The usefulness of the parameters is demonstrated on additional data sets not used in the calibration. Although training DNNs is still computationally intensive, using graphical processing units (GPUs) can make this issue manageable.
Excitonic Crystal, Nanotechnology and New Prospect for Optoelectronics

The review demonstrates the results of development of growth technology for perfect and free of contamination gallium phosphide (GaP) crystals and investigation of influence of crystallization conditions on quality and properties of the crystals. The long-term ordered and therefore close to ideal crystals repeat behavior of the best nanoparticles with pro- nounced quantum confinement effect. These perfect crystals are useful for application in top-quality optoelectronic devic- es as well as they are a new object for development of fundamentals of solid state physics. Since the time of original preparation by the author in the 1960s of gallium phosphide crystals doped by nitrogen (GaP:N), followed by the introduction of the excitonic crystal concept in the 1970s, the best methods of bulk, film and na- noparticle crystal growth were elaborated. The results of semi centennial evolution of GaP:N properties are compiled in the paper. Novel and useful properties of perfect GaP including its stimulated emission, very bright and broadband lumi- nescence at room temperature were observed. These results provide a new approach to selection and preparation of perfect materials for optoelectronics and a unique opportunity to realize a new form of solid-state host - the excitonic crystal as high intensity light source with expected low threshold for generation of non-linear optical effects. Using the example of GaP, here is proposed the cheap, resource-saving and impactful way for development of optoelec- tronics with the help of a special transformation of an ordinary semiconductor into the base material for various device structures.
Obesity and Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Review of the Literature

Overweight and obesity are becoming a worldwide health problem associated with numerous co-morbidities. National costs of obesity and pelvic flor disorders have been rising since the 1950s across the world. Obesity is thought to have a very strong effect on pelvic floor disorders, and, considering the high prevalence of both problems worldwide, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the association between these pathologies as well as the impact of obesity on treatment efficacy. This review is based on a selection of reports in the literature (PubMed search), including guidelines and Cochrane reviews. Obesity seems to be a well-documented risk factor for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and is a predictor of exacerbation of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB). Weight loss is also associated with improvement or resolution of SUI and OAB. In the case of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), weight loss is associated with improvement in quality of life. Although obesity is associated with POP in general, the exact role of obesity in symptomatic POP remains uncertain. While outcomes of anti-incontinence surgery among obese women are similar to those in non-obese women, postoperative urge incontinence is more likely to occur. It seems that obesity is not a risk factor for postoperative complications or short-term efficacy of POP surgical treatment. Long-term effects are still uncertain. Obesity is a strong risk factor for LUTS, but in most cases it does not affect efficacy of operative treatment. It may be associated with some post-operative complications. Weight loss in many cases allows avoiding surgical intervention.
A Hybrid Genetic Algorithm for the Multidimensional Knapsack Problem

During the last two decades solving combinatorial optimization problems, using genetic algorithms (GA), has attracted the attention of many researchers. In this paper a strong initial population is created by Dantzig algorithm for solving single knapsack problems. This algorithm is hybridized with the genetic algorithm. A number of novel penalty functions are designed which drive the population toward feasibility rapidly. The algorithm is then applied to some standard knapsack test problems, Computational results shows that our hybridized algorithm outperforms a state of the are algorithm.
Association of heart rate variability and inflammatory response in patients with cardiovascular diseases: current strengths and limitations

Many experimental and clinical studies have confirmed a continuous cross-talk between both sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of autonomic nervous system and inflammatory response, in different clinical scenarios. In cardiovascular diseases, inflammation has been proven to play a pivotal role in disease progression, pathogenesis and resolution. A few clinical studies have assessed the possible inter-relation between neuro-autonomic output, estimated with heart rate variability analysis, which is the variability of R-R in the electrocardiogram, and different inflammatory biomarkers, in patients suffering from stable or unstable coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure. Moreover, different indices derived from heart rate signals' processing, have been proven to correlate strongly with severity of heart disease and predict final outcome. In this review article we will summarize major findings from different investigators, evaluating neuro-immunological interactions through heart rate variability analysis, in different groups of cardiovascular patients. We suggest that markers originating from variability analysis of heart rate signals seem to be related to inflammatory biomarkers. However, a lot of open questions remain to be addressed, regarding the existence of a true association between heart rate variability and autonomic nervous system output or its adoption for risk stratification and therapeutic monitoring at the bedside. Finally, potential therapeutic implications will be discussed, leading to autonomic balance restoration in relation with inflammatory control.