Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low energy diet and intracranial pressure in women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension: prospective cohort study

Objective To observe intracranial pressure in women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension who follow a low energy diet. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Outpatient department and the clinical research facility based at two separate hospitals within the United Kingdom. Participants 25 women with body mass index (BMI) >25, with active (papilloedema and intracranial pressure >25 cm H2O), chronic (over three months) idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Women who had undergone surgery to treat idiopathic intracranial hypertension were excluded. Intervention Stage 1: no new intervention; stage 2: nutritionally complete low energy (calorie) diet (1777 kJ/day (425 kcal/day)); stage 3: follow-up period after the diet. Each stage lasted three months. Main outcome measure The primary outcome was reduction in intracranial pressure after the diet. Secondary measures included score on headache impact test-6, papilloedema (as measured by ultrasonography of the elevation of the optic disc and diameter of the nerve sheath, together with thickness of the peripapillary retina measured by optical coherence tomography), mean deviation of Humphrey visual field, LogMAR visual acuity, and symptoms. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and three, six, and nine months. Lumbar puncture, to quantify intracranial pressure, was measured at baseline and three and six months. Results All variables remained stable over stage 1. During stage 2, there were significant reductions in weight (mean 15.7 (SD 8.0) kg, P<0.001), intracranial pressure (mean 8.0 (SD 4.2) cm H2O, P<0.001), score on headache impact test (7.6 (SD 10.1), P=0.004), and papilloedema (optic disc elevation (mean 0.15 (SD 0.23) mm, P=0.002), diameter of the nerve sheath (mean 0.7 (SD 0.8) mm, P=0.004), and thickness of the peripapillary retina (mean 25.7 (SD 36.1) µ, P=0.001)). Mean deviation of the Humphrey visual field remained stable, and in only five patients, the LogMAR visual acuity improved by one line. Fewer women reported symptoms including tinnitus, diplopia, and obscurations (10 v 4, P=0.004; 7 v 0, P=0.008; and 4 v 0, P=0.025, respectively). Re-evaluation at three months after the diet showed no significant change in weight (0.21 (SD 6.8) kg), and all outcome measures were maintained. Conclusion Women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension who followed a low energy diet for three months had significantly reduced intracranial pressure compared with pressure measured in the three months before the diet, as well as improved symptoms and reduced papilloedema. These reductions persisted for three months after they stopped the diet.
Hamiltonian actions and homogeneous Lagrangian submanifolds

We consider a connected symplectic manifold M acted on properly and in a Hamiltonian fashion by a connected Lie group G. Inspired to the recent paper [3], see also [12] and [24], we study Lagrangian orbits of Hamiltonian actions. The dimension of the moduli space of the Lagrangian orbits is given and also we describe under which condition a Lagrangian orbit is isolated. If M is a compact Kahler manifold we give a necessary and sufficient condition to an isometric action admits a Lagrangian orbit. Then we investigate Lagrangian homogeneous submanifolds on the symplectic cut and on the symplectic reduction. As an application of our results, we give new examples of Lagrangian homogeneous submanifolds on the blow-up at one point of the projective space and on the weighted projective spaces. Finally, applying Proposition 3.7 that we may call Lagrangian slice theorem for group acting with a fixed point, we give new examples of Lagrangian homogeneous submanifolds on irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of compact and noncompact type.
Half-twisted (0, 2) Landau-Ginzburg models

We compute correlators of chiral operators in (0, 2) supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg theories. The class of theories and the correlators we study are relevant for extending and testing mirror symmetry away from the (2, 2) locus. More generally, these methods provide α'-exact results about certain superpotential couplings in compactifications of the heterotic string.
A Look into the Cell: Honey Storage in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Honey bees, Apis species, obtain carbohydrates from nectar and honeydew. These resources are ripened into honey in wax cells that are capped for long-term storage. These stores are used to overcome dearth periods when foraging is not possible. Despite the economic and ecological importance of honey, little is known about the processes of its production by workers. Here, we monitored the usage of storage cells and the ripening process of honey in free-flying A. mellifera colonies. We provided the colonies with solutions of different sugar concentrations to reflect the natural influx of nectar with varying quality. Since the amount of carbohydrates in a solution affects its density, we used computer tomography to measure the sugar concentration of cell content over time. The data show the occurrence of two cohorts of cells with different provisioning and ripening dynamics. The relocation of the content of many cells before final storage was part of the ripening process, because sugar concentration of the content removed was lower than that of content deposited. The results confirm the mixing of solutions of different concentrations in cells and show that honey is an inhomogeneous matrix. The last stage of ripening occurred when cell capping had already started, indicating a race against water absorption. The storage and ripening processes as well as resource use were context dependent because their dynamics changed with sugar concentration of the food. Our results support hypotheses regarding honey production proposed in earlier studies and provide new insights into the mechanisms involved.
Regulatory Process, Regulatory Reform, and the Quality of Regulatory Impact Analysis

Numerous regulatory reform proposals would require federal agencies to conduct more thorough analysis of proposed regulations or expand the resources and influence of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which currently reviews executive branch regulations. We employ data on variation in current administrative procedures to assess the likely effects of proposed regulatory process reforms on the quality and use of regulatory impact analysis (RIA). Many specific types of activity by agencies and OIRA are correlated with higher-quality analysis and greater use of analysis in decisions, and the effects are relatively large. Our results suggest that greater use of Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemakings for major regulations, formal hearings for important rules, articulation of retrospective review plans at the time regulations are issued, and expansion of OIRA’s resources and role may improve the quality and use of RIAs.
How Self-Generated Thought Shapes Mood—The Relation between Mind-Wandering and Mood Depends on the Socio-Temporal Content of Thoughts

Recent work has highlighted that the generation of thoughts unrelated to the current environment may be both a cause and a consequence of unhappiness. The current study used lag analysis to examine whether the relationship between self-generated thought and negative affect depends on the content of the thoughts themselves. We found that the emotional content could strongly predict subsequent mood (e.g. negative thoughts were associated with subsequent negative mood). However, this direct relationship was modulated by the socio-temporal content of the thoughts: thoughts that were past- and other-related were associated with subsequent negative mood, even if current thought content was positive. By contrast, future- and self-related thoughts preceded improvements of mood, even when current thought content was negative. These results highlight the important link between self-generated thought and mood and suggest that the socio-temporal content plays an important role in determining whether an individual's future affective state will be happy or sad.
Unified Inverse Depth Parametrization for Monocular SLAM

Recent work has shown that the probabilistic SLAM approach of explicit uncertainty propagation can succeed in permitting repeatable 3D real-time localization and mapping even in the ‘pure vision’ domain of a single agile camera with no extra sensing. An issue which has caused difficulty in monocular SLAM however is the initialization of features, since information from multiple images acquired during motion must be combined to achieve accurate depth estimates. This has led algorithms to deviate from the desirable Gaussian uncertainty representation of the EKF and related probabilistic filters during special initialization steps. In this paper we present a new unified parametrization for point features within monocular SLAM which permits efficient and accurate representation of uncertainty during undelayed initialisation and beyond, all within the standard EKF (Extended Kalman Filter). The key concept is direct parametrization of inverse depth, where there is a high degree of linearity. Importantly, our parametrization can cope with features which are so far from the camera that they present little parallax during motion, maintaining sufficient representative uncertainty that these points retain the opportunity to ‘come in’ from infinity if the camera makes larger movements. We demonstrate the parametrization using real image sequences of large-scale indoor and outdoor scenes.
Renminbi Rules: The Conditional Imminence of the Reserve Currency Transition

Against the backdrop of the recent financial crisis and the ongoing rapid changes in the world economy, the fate of the dollar as the premier international reserve currency is under scrutiny. This paper attempts to answer whether the Chinese renminbi will eclipse the dollar, what will be the timing of, and the prerequisites for this transition, and which of the two countries controls the outcome. The key finding, based on analyzing the last 110 years, is that the size of an economy—measured not just in terms of GDP but also trade and the strength of the external financial position—is the key fundamental correlate of reserve currency status. Further, the conventional view that sterling persisted well beyond the strength of the UK economy is overstated. Although the United States overtook the United Kingdom in terms of GDP in the 1870s, it became dominant in a broader sense encompassing trade and finance only at the end of World War I. And since the dollar overtook sterling in the mid-1920s, the lag between currency dominance and economic dominance was about 10 years rather than the 60-plus years traditionally believed. Applying these findings to the current context suggests that the renminbi could become the premier reserve currency by the end of this decade, or early next decade. But China needs to fulfill a number of conditions—making the reniminbi convertible and opening up its financial system to create deep and liquid markets—to realize renminbi preeminence. China seems to be moving steadily in that direction, and renminbi convertibility will proceed apace not least because it offers China's policymakers a political exit out of its mercantilist growth strategy. The United States cannot in any serious way prevent China from moving in that direction.
The R33 G Protein-Coupled Receptor Gene of Rat Cytomegalovirus Plays an Essential Role in the Pathogenesis of Viral Infection

ABSTRACT We have identified a rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV) gene that encodes a G-protein-coupled receptor (GCR) homolog. This gene (R33) belongs to a family that includes the human cytomegalovirus UL33 gene. R33 was found to be transcribed during the late phase of RCMV infection in rat embryo fibroblasts. Unlike the mRNAs from all the other members of the UL33 family that have been studied to date, the R33 mRNA is not spliced. To study the function of the R33 gene, we constructed an RCMV strain in which the R33 open reading frame is disrupted. The mutant strain (RCMVΔR33) did not show differences in replication from wild-type RCMV upon infection of several rat cell types in vitro. However, marked differences were seen between the mutant and wild-type strain in the pathogenesis of infection in immunocompromised rats. First, the mutant strain induced a significantly lower mortality than the wild-type virus did. Second, in contrast to wild-type RCMV, the mutant strain did not efficiently replicate in the salivary gland epithelial cells of immunocompromised rats. Although viral DNA was detected in salivary glands of RCMVΔR33-infected rats up to 14 days postinfection, it could not be detected at later time points. This indicates that although the strain with R33 deleted is probably transported to the salivary glands in a similar fashion to that for wild-type virus, the mutant virus is not able to either enter or replicate in salivary gland epithelial cells. We conclude that the RCMV R33 gene plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of infection.
Simulating the Longitudinal Effects of Changes in Financial Aid on Student Departure from College

We use the estimates from a hazard model of college student departure to simulate how changes in financial-aid packaging affect students' departure decisions over time. We find that changing loans to scholarships, as Princeton has recently done, has a large impact on retention and that frontloading aid has a more modest impact. Our results also suggest that financial aid represents more to the student than just the dollar value of the aid offered. Increased knowledge about the temporal effects of different types of financial aid will help policy makers make more informed choices about the structure of financial aid packages.
Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Aerobic Isolates from Respiratory Samples of Young New Zealand Horses

Background Decreased efficacy of antimicrobials and increased prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) is of concern worldwide. Objectives To describe and analyze bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibilities from respiratory samples submitted from young horses (4 weeks to 3 years old). Animals Samples from 289 horses were submitted to a commercial laboratory. Methods A retrospective database search of submissions made to a New Zealand veterinary laboratory between April 2004 and July 2014. The results of in vitro susceptibility testing by Kirby‐Bauer disc diffusion were described and tabulated for the major bacterial species isolated. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was used to describe the clustering of MDR isolates and selected demographic variables. Results Overall, 774 bacterial isolates were cultured from 237 horses, the majority of these isolates were gram‐positive (67.6%; 95% CI 64.3–70.9%). Streptococcus spp. were the most common genus of bacteria isolated and were 40.1% (95% CI 36.6–43.5%) of the isolates cultured. Susceptibility of Streptococcus spp. to penicillin, gentamicin, and ceftiofur was >85%. Overall, gram‐negative susceptibility to ceftiofur, tetracycline, and TMPS was <75%. MDR was defined as resistance to 3 or more antimicrobials, and was found in 39.2% of horses (93/237; 95% CI 33.0–45.5%). Conclusions and clinical importance Culture and susceptibility results have highlighted that MDR is an emerging problem for young horses in New Zealand (NZ), where a bacterial respiratory infection is suspected. This should be considered when prescribing antimicrobials, and emphasizes the need for submission of samples for culture and susceptibility.
Q fever: single-point source outbreak with high attack rates and massive numbers of undetected infections across an entire region.

BACKGROUND In early 2009, a dairy-goat annex care farm in South Limburg, the Netherlands, reported 220 Coxiella burnetii-related abortions in 450 pregnant goats. These preceded human cases and occurred in a region that was Q-fever free before 2009, providing a unique quasi-experimental setting for investigating regional transmission patterns associated with a Q-fever point source. METHODS Index-farm residents/employees, visitors, and their household contacts were traced and screened for C. burnetii. Distribution of community cases was analysed using a geographic information system. True incidence, including undetected infections, was estimated regionwide by seroprevalence in a pre- versus postoutbreak sample, and near-farm by immunoglobulin M seroprevalence in a municipal population sample. Environmental bacterial load was repeatedly measured in surface and aerosol samples. RESULTS Serological attack rate was 92% (24/26) in index-farm residents/employees, 56% (28/50) in visitors, and 50% (7/14) in household contacts, and the clinical attack rate (ie, the proportion of persons seropositive for acute infection who also had clinical illness) was ≥ 80%. Notified symptomatic community cases (n = 253) were scattered downwind from the index farm, following a significant exposure-response gradient. Observed incidence ranged from 6.3% (0-1 km) to 0.1% (4-5 km), and remained high beyond. True incidence of infections was estimated at 2.9% regionwide, extrapolating to 8941 infections; estimated near-farm incidence was 12%. Coxiella burnetii load was high on-farm (2009), and lower off-farm (2009-2010). CONCLUSIONS Linking a single dairy-goat farm to a human Q-fever cluster, we show widespread transmission, massive numbers of undetected infections, and high attack rates on- and off-farm, even beyond a 5-km high-risk zone. Our investigation may serve as an essential case study for risk assessment in public health and related fields such as bioterrorism response and preparedness.
Socialization of U.S. Doctoral-Degree Students into Evaluation Professionals: The Use of Evaluator Competencies and Experiential Learning Strategies in Selected Programs

xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Evaluators and Two Approaches to Evaluation . 3 Purpose of the Study . 4 Conceptual Framework: Socialization and Experiential Learning . 5 Research Questions . 8 Definition of Terms . 9 Assumptions of the Study . 13 Limitations of the Study . 13 Delimitations of the Study . 13 Significance of Study . 14 Summary . 15 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 16 Mandate for Evaluation Expertise . 16 Accountability in Education . 18 The Decline in Number of Evaluation Degree Programs . 22 What is an Evaluator? 25 Approaches to Evaluation Inquiry . 26 Use approach. 27 Method approach. 27
Serum Copper, Zinc and Lipid Peroxidation in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia in Gorgan

The aim of study was to assay serum copper, zinc and lipid peroxidation levels in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia. There were significant differences between systolic, diastolic blood pressures and copper, Cu/Zn ratio and malondialdehyde among two groups. There were significant differences in weight, pre-pregnancy body mass index, systolic, diastolic blood pressures and copper, Cu/Zn ratio and malondialdehyde levels when compared to healthy pregnant women with mild and severe preeclampsia patients. A positive correlation was observed between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and copper, malondialdehyde and Cu/Zn ratio. Copper and malondialdehyde may play a role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.
Un co rre cte d Pr oo fs Chapter 7 Measuring and Modulating Hemispheric Attention

Studies combining electrophysiological and behavioral laterality measures hold great potential to illuminate hemispheric relations in attention. However, data from event-related potentials as well as spectral analyses (quantitative EEG and band power) are conflicting, and do not support a coherent theory of the electrophysiology of hemispheric attention. At the same time, a definitive behavioral measure of attention does not currently exist. To remedy these lacunae, we carried out the following experiment. Four groups of learning-disabled young adults received the same EEG biofeedback (EEGBF) protocol, consisting of training theta (4–8 Hz) down and training sensorimotor rhythm (12–15 Hz) up at four different electrode sites: C3 (seven subjects), C4 (ten subjects), Cz (nine subjects), and Fz (eight subjects). The C3 site is over left sensory motor cortex, C4 is over right sensory motor cortex, and Fz and Cz are over the front and middle regions of the central strip, respectively. Attention in each hemisphere was measured before and after EEGBF training using the computerized Lateralized Attention Network Test (LANT). The LANT estimates four separate networks of attention: executive-frontal conflict resolution, the benefit and cost of spatial orienting, and alerting, or sustained attention. EEGBF affected different networks maximally at different sites: Training at C3 reduced conflict in the right hemisphere, training at C4 improved alerting bilaterally and training at Cz increased the benefit of spatial orienting bilaterally. Generally, C3 training improved attention in the right hemisphere and C4 training improved attention in the left hemisphere. This suggests that training at C3 and C4 activates a metacognitive control system which is contralaterally organized. We concluded that EEGBF has site-specific and function-specific effects on attention. Further, unilateral training can have bilateral effects or even predominantly contralateral ones. This procedure suggests a new way to probe discrete physiological correlates of discrete behavioral changes following EEGBF. Such data inform functional theories of attention and clinical interventions in disorders of attention. E. Zaidel Eran Zaidel, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA, e-mail: ezaidel@psych.ucla. edu Chap 07.indd 125 8/6/2008 1:15:34 PM
Access to Diagnostic Tests and Essential Medicines for Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes Care: Cost, Availability and Affordability in the West Region of Cameroon

Objective To assess the availability and affordability of medicines and routine tests for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes in the West region of Cameroon, a low-income setting. Methods A survey was conducted on the availability and cost of twelve routine tests and twenty medicines for CVD and diabetes in eight health districts (four urban and four rural) covering over 60% of the population of the region (1.8 million). We analyzed the percentage of tests and medicines available, the median price against the international reference price (median price ratio) for the medicines, and affordability in terms of the number of days’ wages it would cost the lowest-paid unskilled government worker for initial investigation tests and procurement for one month of treatment. Results The availability of tests varied between 10% for the ECG to 100% for the fasting blood sugar. The average cost for the initial investigation using the minimum tests cost 29.76 days’ wages. The availability of medicines varied from 36.4% to 59.1% in urban and from 9.1% to 50% in rural settings. Only metformin and benzathine-benzylpenicilline had a median price ratio of ≤1.5, with statins being largely unaffordable (at least 30.51 days’ wages). One month of combination treatment for coronary heart disease costs at least 40.87 days’ wages. Conclusion The investigation and management of patients with medium-to-high cardiovascular risk remains largely unavailable and unaffordable in this setting. An effective non-communicable disease program should lay emphasis on primary prevention, and improve affordable access to essential medicines in public outlets.