Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of probiotics VSL#3 in prevention of suspected sepsis in low birthweight infants in India: a randomised controlled trial

Objectives To assess the effect of the probiotic VSL#3 in prevention of neonatal sepsis in low birthweight (LBW) infants. Design Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting Community setting in rural India. Participants LBW infants aged 3–7 days. Interventions Infants were randomised to receive probiotic (VSL#3, 10 billion colony-forming units (cfu)) or placebo for 30 days, and were followed up for 2 months. Main outcome measure Possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) as per the Integrated Management of Neonatal Childhood Illnesses algorithm, as diagnosed by fieldworkers/physicians. Results 668 infants were randomised to VSL#3 and 672 to placebo. By intention-to-treat analysis, the risk of PSBI among infants in the overall population of LBW infants was not statistically significant (RR 0.79 (95% CI 0.56 to 1.03)). Probiotics reduced median days of hospitalisation (6 days vs 3 days in probiotics) (p=0.018) but not the risk of hospitalisation (RR 0.66 (95% CI 0.42 to 1.04). The onset of PSBI in 10% of infants occurred on the 40th day in the probiotics arm versus the 25th day in the control arm (p=0.063). Conclusions Daily supplementation of LBW infants with probiotics VSL#3 (10 billion cfu) for 30 days led to a non-significant 21% reduction in risk of neonatal sepsis. A larger study with sufficient power and a more specific primary end point is warranted to confirm the preventive effect of VSL#3 on neonatal sepsis in LBW infants. Trial registration number The study is registered at the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2008/091/000049).
Realism and the Problem of Agency

The central problem of theorising agency is how to conceptualise the human agent as someone who is both partly formed by their sociali ty, but also has the capacity partly to transform their society. The diff iculty is that social theorising has oscill ated between these two extremes. On the one hand, Enlightenment thought promoted an ‘undersocialised’ view of man, one whose human constitution owed nothing to society and thus was a self-suff icient ‘outsider’ , who simply operated in a social environment. On the other hand, there is a later but pervasive ‘oversocialised’ view of man whose every feature, beyond his biology, is shaped and moulded by his social context. He thus becomes such a dependent ‘ insider’ that he has no capacity to transform his social environment. Instead, if we are to understand and model the human being as both ‘ child’ and ‘parent’ of society, then social theory firstly needs a concept of man whose sociality does make a vital contribution to the realisation of his potential qua human being. Secondly, however, it requires a concept of man who does possess sufficient relatively autonomous properties and powers that he can reflect and act upon his social context, along with others li ke him, in order to transform it. It is argued that both the ‘undersocialised’ and the ‘oversocialised’ models of humankind are inadequate foundations for social theory because they present us with either a self-suff icient maker of society, or a supine social product who is made. The preliminary part of this paper seeks to show how these two defective models of the human being have sequentially dominated social theory since the Enlightenment, and to indicate their deficiencies for social theorising. The bulk of the paper attempts to substitute a better conceptionof man, from the perspective of social realism, which grants humankind (i) temporal priority, (ii) relative autonomy, and (ii i) causal efficacy, in relation to the social beings that they become and the powers of transformative reflection and action which they bring to their social context, powers that are independent of social mediation.
Nonlocal Discrete Regularization on Weighted Graphs: A Framework for Image and Manifold Processing

We introduce a nonlocal discrete regularization framework on weighted graphs of the arbitrary topologies for image and manifold processing. The approach considers the problem as a variational one, which consists of minimizing a weighted sum of two energy terms: a regularization one that uses a discrete weighted -Dirichlet energy and an approximation one. This is the discrete analogue of recent continuous Euclidean nonlocal regularization functionals. The proposed formulation leads to a family of simple and fast nonlinear processing methods based on the weighted -Laplace operator, parameterized by the degree of regularity, the graph structure and the graph weight function. These discrete processing methods provide a graph-based version of recently proposed semi-local or nonlocal processing methods used in image and mesh processing, such as the bilateral filter, the TV digital filter or the nonlocal means filter. It works with equal ease on regular 2-D and 3-D images, manifolds or any data. We illustrate the abilities of the approach by applying it to various types of images, meshes, manifolds, and data represented as graphs.
Sharing or commoditising? A discussion of some of the socio-economic implications of Nunavik's Hunter Support Program

ABSTRACT The article considers the perceptions of Inuit in one settlement in Nunavik regarding the dynamic relations between market and subsistence economies. The socio-economic role of country foods in Inuit society are described followed by a discussion about the impacts of the Hunter Support Program (HSP) on Inuit society. A hybrid institution, the HSP buys country foods in order to give them away. Based on interviews that included Inuit purveyors to, and administrators of, the programme, the article discusses some socio-economic effects of commoditisation of country foods on subsistence economies and explores the ways in which this food moves in and out of commodity status. It is argued that these shifts are linked to conflicting notions of value. Some Inuit justify the existence of the HSP because they perceive it to be an essentially non-Inuit institution which lies outside the realm of customary socio-economic organization and thereby frees them from the need to observe those rules strictly while providing them with the income to be able to respect the requirement to share food amongst Inuit. Others express reservations about the programme because it elicits behaviours amongst Inuit that they perceive as threatening their socio-economic reproduction. It is argued that the HSP, an institution that both mimics and breaks with tradition, one which is designed to help Inuit to promote the subsistence way of life yet does so in the context of at least some components of the market, is an example of Wenzel's (2001) contention that the analytical distinction between acculturation and adaptation is not a matter of oppositions, but rather, part of a whole.
Epigenetic pathways and glioblastoma treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant adult brain tumor. Standard GBM treatment includes maximal safe surgical resection with combination radiotherapy and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. Alarmingly, patient survival at five-years is below 10%. This is in part due to the invasive behavior of the tumor and the resulting inability to resect greater than 98% of some tumors. In fact, recurrence after such treatment may be inevitable, even in cases where gross total resection is achieved. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) research network performed whole genome sequencing of GBM tumors and found that GBM recurrence is linked to epigenetic mechanisms and pathways. Central to these pathways are epigenetic enzymes, which have recently emerged as possible new drug targets for multiple cancers, including GBM. Here we review GBM treatment, and provide a systems approach to identifying epigenetic drivers of GBM tumor progression based on temporal modeling of putative GBM cells of origin. We also discuss advances in defining epigenetic mechanisms controlling GBM initiation and recurrence and the drug discovery considerations associated with targeting epigenetic enzymes for GBM treatment.
Engrailed genes are cell-autonomously required to prevent apoptosis in mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons

The neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease is the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, presumably mediated by apoptosis. The homeobox transcription factors engrailed 1 and engrailed 2 are expressed by this neuronal population from early in development to adulthood. Despite a large mid-hindbrain deletion in double mutants null for both genes, mesencephalic dopaminergic (mDA) neurons are induced, become postmitotic and acquire their neurotransmitter phenotype. However, at birth, no mDA neurons are left. We show that the entire population of these neurons is lost by E14 in the mutant animals, earlier than in any other described genetic model system for Parkinson’s disease. This disappearance is caused by apoptosis revealed by the presence of activated caspase 3 in the dying tyrosine hydroxylase-positive mutant cells. Furthermore, using in vitro cell mixing experiments and RNA interference on primary cell culture of ventral midbrain we were able to show that the demise of mDA neurons in the mutant mice is due to a cell-autonomously requirement of the engrailed genes and not a result of the missing mid-hindbrain tissue. Gene silencing in the postmitotic neurons by RNA interference activates caspase 3 and induces apoptosis in less than 24 hours. This rapid induction of cell death in mDA neurons suggests that the engrailed genes participate directly in the regulation of apoptosis, a proposed mechanism for Parkinson’s disease.
Why Does Insect RNA Look Degraded?

Abstract The integrity of extracted ribonucleic acid (RNA) is commonly assessed by gel electrophoresis and subsequent analysis of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) bands. Using the honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), as an example, the electrophoretic rRNA profile of insects is explained. This profile differs significantly from the standard benchmark since the 28S rRNA of most insects contains an endogenous “hidden break. ” Upon denaturation, the masking hydrogen bonds are disrupted, releasing two similar sized fragments that both migrate closely with 18S rRNA. The resulting rRNA profile thus reflects the endogenous composition of insect rRNA and should not be misinterpreted as degradation.
Interrogating disability: the (de)composition of a recovering Paralympian

In this autoethnography, I weave personal narrative with Foucauldian and critical disability theory in order to interrogate the role of parasport in the formation, disciplining and internalising of my own (in)coherent disabled, Paralympian identity. The paper begins with an interrogation scene: a composite of the many times that I have had my body and my disability questioned. I then move through ideas of truth, storytelling, disability, power and subjectivity, borrowing strongly from the theories of Michel Foucault and to a lesser extent, the works of literary authors, disability scholars and scholars of disability sport. The body of this paper continues weaving these earlier influences throughout autobiographical stories of diagnosis, classification, basketball games, media interviews, conversations, internal struggles and attempts at resistance: stories of how I have been composed, and have composed myself, as a disabled Paralympian. In particular, these two sections draw heavily from Foucault’s conceptualisation of the confessional, the examination and the Panopticon. The paper then moves towards ideas of de-composition. That is, it explores the critical and political possibilities of deconstructing and reimagining dominant narratives of disability, and of disability sport. Finally, I end with a return to the same interrogation scene with which I began this paper. In so doing, I attempt to de-naturalise and to de-compose the dominant stories and practices of disability; I attempt to open up new possibilities of imagining, narrating and doing disability otherwise.
Approaches to Studying and Academic Performance in a Traditional Psychology Course

ABSTRACT Richardson's short‐version of the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) was administered to psychology students at the commencement of the semester of study. This inventory seeks to indicate the degree to which students employ a reproducing (i.e., surface,) or meaning (i.e., deep,) approach to learning. Scores for meaning orientation did not predict academic performance in any way, while there was a very small negative relationship between reproducing orientation and academic achievement. The internal reliability of subscales within meaning and reproducing orientation were not satisfactory.
The Development and Preliminary Validation of Three Forms of a Self-Concept Measure Emphasizing School-Related Activities

Subsequent to the presentation of a simple rationale for construction of a self-concept measure emphasizing five school-related constructs, the development and internal validation of three forms of the instrument entitled Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) are described. For three samples of 479 elementary school pupils, 478 junior high school students, and 469 senior high school students in a large metropolitan school district, item-analysis data and factor-analytic information are presented for the three forms designed for students at three different educational levels. Intercorrelations of the scales and split-half reliability estimates are also cited. Covering hypothesized dimensions of level of aspiration, anxiety, academic interest and satisfaction, leadership and initiative, and identification vs. alienation, the three forms of the DOSC appear to offer considerable promise in providing information that would be useful to teachers and counselors in helping students in their cognitive and affective development.
Metabolic and Mechanical Properties of Aortas from Aldosterone‐Salt Hypertensive Rats

Aortas from aldosterone-salt treated hypertensive rats and vehicle-infused normotensive controls were compared with respect to mechanical properties, metabolism, and energy turnover. Passive wall stress at any given circumference was slightly higher in aortas from the hypertensive rats, whereas active isometric force normalized to cross-sectional area was similar in vessels from the two groups at their respective optimal circumference for active tension developments [hypertensive rats: (n = 14), 19.73 ± 1.98; controls: (n = 13), 22.57 ± 2.13 mN/mm2). Metabolic parameters were measured with the aortas held at optimal circumference for active tension development, the optimal length for tension development (n = 6), 5.67 ± 0.17 and (n = 7), 5.29 ± 0.18 mm for control and aldosterone-salt groups, respectively. Basal oxygen consumption rate was elevated significantly in aortas from the hypertensive rats [(n = 14), 0.457 ± 0.026 vs. (n = 13), 0.267 ± 0.028 μmol/min per g; P < 0.001]. Under resting conditions, lactate production rate was similar in aortas from the two groups [hypertensive rats: (n = 20), 0.129 ± 0.010; controls: (n = 21), 0.112 ± 0.008 μmol/min per g]. Upon activation with added KCl, the rate of oxygen consumption and lactate production increased with tension development in both groups, but the stimulated rate of oxygen consumption was higher in hypertensives compared to controls [(n = 14), 0.580 ± 0.031 vs. (n = 13), 0.441 ± 0.049 μmol/min per g; P < 0.025]. The stimulated rates of lactate production were similar in the two groups [hypertensive rats: (n = 20), 0.172 ± 0.009; controls: (n = 21), 0.118 ± 0.009]. Despite the elevated oxygen consumption rate in hypertensives, metabolic tension cost in vessels from these rats was not significantly different from controls [hypertensive rats: (n = 9), 0.049 ± 0.011; controls: (n = 8), 0.047 ± 0.009 μmol adenosine triphosphate/min per g per mN/mm2]. These results indicate that the elevated oxidative metabolism in hypertensives is probably not due to inefficient energy utilization by the contractile system. Similarly, enhanced sodium-potassium transport does not appear to account for the elevated oxygen consumption rate, since the increase in energy utilization is significantly greater than that estimated to support the additional transport activity in these vessels. The elevation in oxygen consumption rate in the hypertensives is not the result of nonspecific effects of the aldosterone treatment, unrelated to the hypertension, since oxygen consumption rate in vessels from aldosterone-treated normotensive rats (no salt) [(n = 4), 0.233 ± 0.024 μmol/min per g] was not elevated. Our results indicate that, unlike the spontaneously hypertensive rat model, in the aldosterone-salt model of hypertension, vascular oxidative metabolism and energy turnover is substantially elevated compared to aortas from normotensive controls.
An Educational Video Improves Technique in Performance of Pediatric Lumbar Punctures

Background Unsuccessful or traumatic lumbar punctures (LPs) occur commonly and contribute to patient discomfort and to challenges in medical decision making in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Objective We produced an instructional video demonstrating the best practices in pediatric LP technique. We hypothesized that the performance of LPs would change and the rate of successful LPs would increase after watching the video. Methods This was a prospective study of LPs performed in an urban, academic pediatric ED before and after an educational intervention. Lumbar punctures performed during year 1 constituted the control arm. During year 2, all medical practitioners working in the ED watched the instructional video, and this constituted the interventional arm. The practitioner performing the LP completed a standardized data collection form after each LP procedure, and medical records were reviewed. Results Data forms were collected on 668 LPs during the study period, 391 during year 1 and 277 during year 2. There was neither a significant change in overall LP success rate between the 2 years (56.8% year 1 vs 53.4% year 2) nor a significant difference in median number of LP attempts required per patient (P = 0.78). Seventy-eight percent of participants who viewed the LP video during year 2 stated that the video helped increase their comfort level with performing LPs. The odds of using the techniques endorsed in the educational video were significantly higher during year 2 compared to year 1 for use of local anesthetic, early stylet removal, and vertical patient position. Conclusions The video increased practitioners’ comfort level with the performance of pediatric LPs and adherence to evidence-based best practices. It was not associated with an increased rate of successful LPs.
Mapping Perfect and Imperfect Duties onto Hierarchically and Partially Restrictive Trait Dimensions

Four experiments tested a proposal that hierarchically and partially restrictive trait dimensions pertaining to morality can be explained by Kant’s distinction between perfect and imperfect duties. Consistent with the proposal, Experiment 1 demonstrated that people change their positive expectancies about others at a faster rate in response to violations of perfect than imperfect duties. In addition, however, Experiment 2 showed that situational factors mitigate the negative trait attributions resulting from violations of imperfect duties more than those resulting from violations of perfect duties. Experiment 3 demonstrated that differences in trait attributions as a result of violations of perfect or imperfect duties are not due to implications of these violations for future behavior. Finally, Experiment 4 further supported the prediction that situational factors mitigate the negative trait attributions caused by violations of imperfect duties more than those caused by violations of perfect duties.
Intravitreous injection of a membrane depolarization agent causes retinal degeneration via matrix metalloproteinase-9.

PURPOSE Membrane depolarization and subsequent synaptic release of l-glutamate have been implicated in ischemic retinal damage. However, the mechanisms that lead to ischemia-induced retinal damage are poorly understood. In this study, KCl, a classic membrane depolarizing agent, was injected into the vitreous humor, and the role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in KCl-induced retinal damage was investigated. METHODS Normal adult CD-1 mice were treated with KCl by intravitreal injection. MMP activity in retinal protein extracts was determined by gelatin zymography. Tissue localization of MMP-9 in the retina was determined by immunohistochemistry. MMP-9, MMP-2, tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2, Bax, and BCl-2 proteins in retinal extracts were determined by Western blot analysis. Apoptotic cell death in the retina was determined by TUNEL assays. Retinal damage was assessed by immunolocalization studies with antibodies against neurofilament-light (NF-L) and calretinin. RESULTS Depolarizing concentrations of KCl induced a dose- and time-related upregulation in MMP-9 activity and protein in the retina. KCl-mediated MMP-9 upregulation was associated with an increase in proapoptotic protein Bax and apoptotic death of cells in the ganglion cell (GCL) and inner nuclear layer (INL), and subsequent loss of NF-L-positive ganglion cells and calretinin-positive amacrine cells. Intravitreal injection of KCl along with an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor antagonist, MK-801, and a non-NMDA-type glutamate receptor antagonist, NBQX, resulted in a reduction in KCl-mediated MMP-9 upregulation in the retina. Furthermore, a synthetic MMP inhibitor inhibited KCl-mediated MMP-9 upregulation, which led to a significant attenuation of KCl-induced retinal damage. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that upregulation of MMP-9, in part, plays a causative role in KCl-induced retinal damage.
Exoskeleton may influence the internal body temperatures of Neotropical dung beetles (Col. Scarabaeinae)

The insect exoskeleton is a multifunctional coat with a continuum of mechanical and structural properties constituting the barrier between electromagnetic waves and the internal body parts. This paper examines the ability of beetle exoskeleton to regulate internal body temperature considering its thermal permeability or isolation to simulated solar irradiance and infrared radiation. Seven Neotropical species of dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae) differing in colour, surface sculptures, size, sexual dimorphism, period of activity, guild category and altitudinal distribution were studied. Specimens were repeatedly subjected to heating trials under simulated solar irradiance and infrared radiation using a halogen neodymium bulb light with a balanced daylight spectrum and a ceramic infrared heat emitter. The volume of exoskeleton and its weight per volume unit were significantly more important for the heating rate at the beginning of the heating process than for the asymptotic maximum temperature reached at the end of the trials: larger beetles with relatively thicker exoskeletons heated more slowly. The source of radiation greatly influences the asymptotic temperature reached, but has a negligible effect in determining the rate of heat gain by beetles: they reached higher temperatures under artificial sunlight than under infrared radiation. Interspecific differences were negligible in the heating rate but had a large magnitude effect on the asymptotic temperature, only detectable under simulated sun irradiance. The fact that sun irradiance is differentially absorbed dorsally and transformed into heat among species opens the possibility that differences in dorsal exoskeleton would facilitate the heat gain under restrictive environmental temperatures below the preferred ones. The findings provided by this study support the important role played by the exoskeleton in the heating process of beetles, a cuticle able to act passively in the thermal control of body temperature without implying energetic costs and metabolic changes.