Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
REPLY TO THE COMMENTARY ON LUIS ET AL. “SPONTANEOUS PLUGGING OF THE HORIZONTAL SEMICIRCULAR CANAL WITH REVERSIBLE CANAL DYSFUNCTION AND RECOVERY OF VESTIBULAR EVOKED MYOGENIC POTENTIALS”

We reported on an unusual patient who presented in the emergency room with symptoms and signs of an exceptional hBPPV (1): acute spontaneous and spinning vertigo, nausea, vomiting, spontaneous nystagmus, and VOR gain deficit on the right side. After being treated with liberatory maneuvers, the patient was free of symptoms and nystagmus and was released from the emergency unit. This case was special in four respects: 1) gravity dependence of spontaneous nystagmus; 2) recovery of the horizontal VOR gain on the affected right side immediately after treatment; 3) asymmetry of VEMP (both cVEMP and oVEMP) to air-conducted sound (ACS) before and 2 days after treatment; and 4) VEMP recovery 30 days after treatment. We hypothesized that the most plausible explanation for all effects is a reversible horizontal canal dysfunction due to the presence of a plug. The Commentary by … (this issue) on our case report (1) reveals the ongoing controversy surrounding the hypothesis of a canal origin of VEMP to ACS. At the heart of the controversy lies the challenge which this hypothesis poses to the widely accepted interpretation that VEMP responses to ACS have an otolithic origin. The Commentary raised a number of issues related to Luis et al. (1) and Zhu et al. (2). Therefore, this joint reply by the authors of both studies aims to address the concerns in the Commentary by … and to clarify several important issues related to the technical aspects of VEMP testing, the time course of VEMP and VOR gain recovery in the reported patient, the observed eye velocity saturation as a possible sign for a canal plug, and to the literature on human and animal VEMP neurophysiology.
Towards Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: The Impact of a Rapid Results Initiative in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Many HIV-positive pregnant women and infants are still not receiving optimal services, preventing the goal of eliminating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and improving maternal child health overall. A Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) approach was utilized to address key challenges in delivery of prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) services including highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) uptake for women and infants. The RRI was conducted between April and June 2011 at 119 health facilities in five districts in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Aggregated site-level data were compared at baseline before the RRI (Oct 2010–Jan 2011), during the RRI, and post-RRI (Jul–Sep 2011) using pre-post cohort analysis. HAART uptake amongst all HIV-positive pregnant women increased by 40% (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.7) and continued to improve post-RRI (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4–1.8). HAART uptake in HIV-positive infants remained stable (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9–1.4) during the RRI and improved by 30% (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.6) post-RRI. Significant improvement in PMTCT services can be achieved through introduction of an RRI, which appears to lead to sustained benefits for pregnant HIV-infected women and their infants.
Altered Ion Channels in an Animal Model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type IA

How demyelination and remyelination affect the function of myelinated axons is a fundamental aspect of demyelinating diseases. We examined this issue in Trembler-J mice, a genetically authentic model of a dominantly inherited demyelinating neuropathy of humans. The K+ channels Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 channels were often improperly located in the paranodal axon membrane, typically associated with improperly formed paranodes, and in unmyelinated segments between internodes. As in wild-type nerves, Trembler-J nodes contained Nav1.6, ankyrin-G, βIV-spectrin, and KCNQ2, but, unlike wild-type nerves, they also contained Kv3.1b and Nav1.8. In unmyelinated segments bordered by myelin sheaths, these proteins were clustered in heminodes and did not appear to be diffusely localized in the unmyelinated segments themselves. Nodes and heminodes were contacted by Schwann cells processes that did not have the ultrastructural or molecular characteristics of mature microvilli. Despite the presence of Nav1.8, a tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel, sciatic nerve conduction was at least as sensitive to tetrodotoxin in Trembler-J nerves as in wild-type nerves. Thus, the profound reorganization of axonal ion channels and the aberrant expression of novel ion channels likely contribute to the altered conduction in Trembler-J nerves.
Understanding and communicating social informatics: A framework for studying and teaching the human contexts of information and communication technologies

Bargaining with reading habit is no need. Reading is not kind of something sold that you can take or not. It is a thing that will change your life to life better. It is the thing that will give you many things around the world and this universe, in the real world and here after. As what will be given by this understanding and communicating social informatics a framework for studying and teaching the human contexts of information and communication technologies, how can you bargain with the thing that has many benefits for you?
The encoding of spatial, temporal, and affective dimensions in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus

Memory of an event must fundamentally include not only the time and place of its occurrence but also a measure of its significance for an organism to maintain and update the most relevant information in its world. It must then follow that the brain structures necessary for learning provide a mechanism to account for these details that cumulatively compose complex memories. To investigate the degree to which the hippocampus accounts for spatial, temporal and affective dimensions in its activity at the single cell and local field potential levels, in vivo electrophysiological recordings were performed in the dentate gyrus of rats during experiments explicitly designed to examine encoding along temporal and affective dimensions. First, to test for the presence of time- dependent single cell activity in the dentate gyrus, rats were exposed to three distinct behavioral contexts presented either simultaneously or separated in time. In this experiment, single cell activity accounted for temporal segregation of contexts by demonstrating activity selective to a single context. In a subset of rats with reduced levels of hippocampal adult neurogenesis, temporally selective contextual encoding was reduced, suggesting that adult neurogenesis contributes to the encoding of temporal dimensions. In a second experiment designed to examine mechanisms by which affective associations are made in the hippocampus, local field potentials were acquired from the dentate gyrus during reinforcement learning. Robust decreases in the amplitude of theta frequency oscillations (4-12Hz) occurred concurrently with increases in the amplitude of beta frequency oscillations during time intervals key to associational learning. These changes in amplitude were observed only during learning epochs and in the presence of reinforcers, suggesting that these oscillatory changes are dedicated to facilitating the encoding of associations with an affective dimension. The results of these experiments further our understanding of how complex memories requiring associations across multiple dimensions are formed in the hippocampus
Functional Analysis of Killer Ig-Like Receptor-Expressing Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD8+ T Cells1

Killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) are expressed by human NK cells and T cells. Although Ag-specific cytolytic activity and cytokine production of KIR+ T cells can be inhibited by KIR ligation, the effect of KIR on proliferation is unclear. KIR+ T cells have been reported to have a general proliferative defect. To investigate whether KIR+ T cells represent end-stage dysfunctional T cells, we characterized KIR+ CMV-specific T cells in allogeneic stem cell transplantation patients and healthy donors. In both patients and healthy donors, a significant percentage KIR+ T cells was detected at various time points. All stem cell transplantation patients studied showed KIR expression on CMV-specific T cells, while not all donors had KIR-expressing CMV-specific T cells. From two of the patients and one donor KIR+ CMV-specific T clones were isolated and analyzed functionally. T cells were detected that expressed KIR that could not encounter their corresponding KIR ligands in vivo, illustrating that KIR expression by these T cells was not based on functional selection but a random process. Our data demonstrate that KIR+ T cells are fully functional T cells that are only restricted in effector functions and proliferation upon KIR ligation. The level of KIR-mediated inhibition of the effector functions and proliferation depended on the strength of TCR stimulation. We observed no diminished general proliferative capacity and therefore we conclude that these T cells do not represent end-stage dysfunctional T cells.
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology How Strongly Do Word Reading times and Lexical Decision times Correlate? Combining Data from Eye Movement Corpora and Megastudies

(2013): How strongly do word reading times and lexical decision times correlate? Combining data from eye movement distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
Effects of Music Training on the Child's Brain and Cognitive Development

Abstract: Research has revealed structural and functional differences in the brains of adult instrumental musicians compared to those of matched nonmusician controls, with intensity/duration of instrumental training and practice being important predictors of these differences. Nevertheless, the differential contributions of nature and nurture to these differences are not yet clear. The musician‐nonmusician comparison is an ideal model for examining whether and, if so, where such functional and structural brain plasticity occurs, because musicians acquire and continuously practice a variety of complex motor, auditory, and multimodal skills (e.g., translating visually perceived musical symbols into motor commands while simultaneously monitoring instrumental output and receiving multisensory feedback). Research has also demonstrated that music training in children results in long‐term enhancement of visual‐spatial, verbal, and mathematical performance. However, the underlying neural bases of such enhancements and whether the intensity and duration of instrumental training or other factors, such as extracurricular activities, attention, motivation, or instructional methods can contribute to or predict these enhancements are yet unknown. Here we report the initial results from our studies examining the brain and cognitive effects of instrumental music training on young children in a longitudinal study and a cross‐sectional comparison in older children. Further, we present a comparison of the results in these children's studies with observations from our cross‐sectional studies with adults.
Survival of coliform bacteria in sewage sludge applied to a forest clearcut and potential movement into groundwater

Anaerobically digested dewatered sludge (10 to 15 cm thick) was applied to a forest clearcut as a fertilizer source in northwest Washington on gravelly glacial outwash soil. This sludge is not microbiologically sterile and may contain pathogenic organisms. Fecal coliform bacterial counts in sludge applied in summer (July) fell from 1.08 X 10(5) to 358/g in 204 days and to 0/g in 267 days. Dieoff appeared more rapid in winter (January)-applied sludge, when colnts fell from 1.2 X 10(5) to 20/g in 162 days. Initial death rates were related to sludge temperature, moisture, pH, physical composition, and microbial competition. Aftergrowth of fecal coliforms occurred in warm summer and fall months, but counts were of similar magnitude to background levels in forest soils, where a maximum count of 54/g was recorded. Total coliform counts in fresh sludge ranged from 1.4 X 10(4) to 1.9 X 10(6)/g. Numbers stabilized at 10(3) to 10(4)/g in spring, fall, and summer, with lower numbers in winter. Both total and fecal bacteria moved from the sludge to the soil beneath, but few penetrated past the first 5 cm. The soil acts as an effective biological filter. Few fecal coliform bacteria were recorded in the groundwater, generally being less than 5/100 ml and mostly 0/100 ml. A maximum count of 52/100 ml was recorded. Groundwater contamination from vertical movement of potential pathogens appears unlikely, but hazards from surface runoff and direct handling in the first year may arise.
Applicability and Optimization of the Alternating-Direction-Implicit Iterative Method for the 2-D Finite-Difference Frequency-Domain Solution of Scattering Problems

The applicability of the alternating-direction-implicit (ADI) iterative method for the 2-D finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) solution of electromagnetic problems is studied, evaluated, and optimized. The ADI is used as an iterative solver of the system of linear equations resulting from the FDFD formulation. The physical limitations of applying the ADI method with a single acceleration parameter are examined in terms of its convergence behavior. In order to overcome these limitations, multiple acceleration parameters are necessary. An optimization procedure based on the simulated annealing algorithm is presented in order to obtain the optimum or near-optimum acceleration parameters. The approach is applied on the scattering problem by a dielectric cylinder as a test. The optimized acceleration parameters are compared with the ones suggested by Hadley. The acceleration parameters depend on the type of transparency conditions used to treat open-boundary problems. A simple absorbing layer (ABL), the stretched-coordinated perfectly matched layer (SC-PML), and the uniaxial PML are tested for both TE and TM polarizations. The SC-PML absorbing condition seems to be the best solution for the ADI iterative implementation of FDFD. Finally, empirical acceleration parameters are proposed for arbitrary scatterers for ABL and SC-PML absorbing conditions.
The Evolution of the Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Domain of the Class A Scavenger Receptors

The class A scavenger receptor (cA-SR) family is a group of five evolutionarily related innate immune receptors. The cA-SRs are known for their promiscuous ligand binding; as they have been shown to bind bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, as well as different modified forms of low-density lipoprotein. Three of the five family members possess a scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain while the remaining two receptors lack the domain. Previous work has suggested that the macrophage-associated receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) shares a recent common ancestor with the non-SRCR-containing receptors; however, the origin of the SRCR domain within the cA-SRs remains unknown. We hypothesize that the SRCR domains of the cA-SRs have a common origin that predates teleost fish. Using the newly available sequence data from sea lamprey and ghost shark genome projects, we have shown that MARCO shares a common ancestor with the SRCR-containing proteins. In addition, we explored the evolutionary relationships within the SRCR domain by reconstructing the ancestral SRCR domains of the cA-SRs. We identified a motif that is highly conserved between the cA-SR SRCR domains and the ancestral SRCR domain that consist of WGTVCDD. We also show that the GRAEVYY motif, a functionally important motif within MARCO, is poorly conserved in the other cA-SRs and in the reconstructed ancestral domain. Further, we identified three sites within MARCO’s SRCR domain, which are under positive selection. Two of these sites lie adjacent to the conserved WGTVCDD motif, and may indicate a potential biological function for these sites. Together, these findings indicate a common origin of the SRCR domain within the cA-SRs; however, different selective pressures between the proteins may have caused MARCOs SRCR domain to evolve to contain different functional motifs when compared to the other SRCR-containing cA-SRs.
Prediction of Dynamic Postural Stability During Single-Leg Jump Landings by Ankle and Knee Flexibility and Strength.

CONTEXT Dynamic postural stability is important for injury prevention, but little is known about how lower-extremity musculoskeletal characteristics (range of motion [ROM] and strength) contribute to dynamic postural stability. Knowing which modifiable physical characteristics predict dynamic postural stability can help direct rehabilitation and injury-prevention programs. OBJECTIVE To determine if trunk, hip, knee, and ankle flexibility and strength variables are significant predictors of dynamic postural stability during single-leg jump landings. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS 94 male soldiers (age 28.2 ± 6.2 y, height 176.5 ± 2.6 cm, weight 83.7 ± 26.0 kg). INTERVENTION None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Ankle-dorsiflexion and plantar-flexion ROM were assessed with a goniometer. Trunk, hip, knee, and ankle strength were assessed with an isokinetic dynamometer or handheld dynamometer. The Dynamic Postural Stability Index (DPSI) was used to quantify postural stability. Simple linear and backward stepwise-regression analyses were used to identify which physical characteristic variables were significant predictors of DPSI. RESULTS Simple linear-regression analysis revealed that individually, no variables were significant predictors of the DPSI. Stepwise backward-regression analysis revealed that ankle-dorsiflexion flexibility, ankle-inversion and -eversion strength, and knee-flexion and -extension strength were significant predictors of the DPSI (R2 = .19, P = .0016, adjusted R2 = .15). CONCLUSION Ankle-dorsiflexion ROM, ankle-inversion and -eversion strength, and knee-flexion and -extension strength were identified as significant predictors of dynamic postural stability, explaining a small amount of the variance in the DPSI.
Set membership estimation of parameters and variables in dynamic networks by recursive algorithms wi

The paper considers a set membership joint estimation of variables and parameters in complex dynamic networks based on parametric uncertain models and limited hard measurements. A recursive estimation algorithm with a moving measurement window is derived that is suitable for on-line network monitoring. The window allows stabilising the classic recursive estimation algorithm and significantly improves estimate tightness. The estimator is validated on a case study regarding a water distribution network. Tight set estimates of unmeasured pipe flows, nodal heads, tank level and pipe resistances are obtained.
Multimodal Communication in a Noisy Environment: A Case Study of the Bornean Rock Frog Staurois parvus

High background noise is an impediment to signal detection and perception. We report the use of multiple solutions to improve signal perception in the acoustic and visual modality by the Bornean rock frog, Staurois parvus. We discovered that vocal communication was not impaired by continuous abiotic background noise characterised by fast-flowing water. Males modified amplitude, pitch, repetition rate and duration of notes within their advertisement call. The difference in sound pressure between advertisement calls and background noise at the call dominant frequency of 5578 Hz was 8 dB, a difference sufficient for receiver detection. In addition, males used several visual signals to communicate with conspecifics with foot flagging and foot flashing being the most common and conspicuous visual displays, followed by arm waving, upright posture, crouching, and an open-mouth display. We used acoustic playback experiments to test the efficacy-based alerting signal hypothesis of multimodal communication. In support of the alerting hypothesis, we found that acoustic signals and foot flagging are functionally linked with advertisement calling preceding foot flagging. We conclude that S. parvus has solved the problem of continuous broadband low-frequency noise by both modifying its advertisement call in multiple ways and by using numerous visual signals. This is the first example of a frog using multiple acoustic and visual solutions to communicate in an environment characterised by continuous noise.
Effect of Acutely Increased Right Ventricular Afterload on Work Output From the Left Ventricle in Conscious Dogs Systolic Ventricular Interaction

In seven conscious, chronically instrumented dogs, left ventricular volume was calculated with an ellipsoidal model from the anteroposterior, septal-free wall, and base-to-apex left ventricular dimensions, measured by implanted ultrasonic transducers. Matched micromanometers measured left and right ventricular transmural and transseptal pressures. Ventricular pressures and volumes were varied by inflation of implanted vena caval and pulmonary arterial occluders. When compared with vena caval occlusion at matched left ventricular end-diastollc volumes, graded pulmonary arterial occlusions were associated with higher right ventricular systolic pressures, reduced left-to-right transseptal systolic pressure gradients, and leftward systolic septal displacement, with increased septal-free wall segment shortening (all p<0.05). Graded pulmonary arterial occlusions, like vena caval occlusions, reduced left ventricular end-diastolic volume, but left ventricular stroke work at a given end-diastolic volume was greater during pulmonary arterial occlusions (2,674 ± 380 10 −3erg) than during vena caval occlusion (l,886 ± 450 10−3 erg, < 0.05). These data indicate that, while transient pulmonary arterial occlusion reduces left ventricular preload, the concomitant increase in right ventricular systolic pressure, which is the pressure external to the interventricular septal segment of the left ventricle, augments septal shortening and assists left ventricular pump function at a given preload through direct systolic ventricular interaction. {Circulation Research 1989;65:135–145)
Understanding the consumer : a psychological approach

List of Figures List of Tables Preface Acknowledgements PART 1: THE CONSUMER IN CONTEXT People as Consumers Market Segmentation New Products and Innovations PART 2: THE INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE Perception Personality Learning Motivation PART 3: THE SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE Family Influences Social and Developmental Influences The Influence of Small Groups The Influence of Social Class Cultural Influences Attitudes PART 4: CONSUMER DECISION MAKING Communication and Persuasion Approaching a Decision The Decision and Its Consequences The Organization as Purchaser PART 5: CONSUMERISM Consumer Awareness The Future Consumer