Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PAID- VERSUS DONATED-MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT CAMPAIGNS

Les campagnes liees aux questions d'utilite publique visent a promouvoir des activites socialement desirables ou a combattre un certain nombre d'attitudes ou de pratiques. L'A. etudie le lien entre le mode de financement de ces campagnes et leur impact. Il signale que les organisations caritatives beneficient de dons tres importants de la part des medias americains en terme de diffusion de messages. Il estime toutefois que cette diffusion a souvent lieu dans les creneaux horaires les moins favorables. Il souligne dans le meme temps que le montant des dons octroyes par les medias est proportionnel aux nombres d'organismes qui cherchent a en beneficier. Il insiste sur le fait que les responsables de campagnes devront evaluer le rapport entre le cout d'une campagne et son impact possible. Dans ce but il presente les resultats d'une enquete menee, aux Etats-Unis, concernant l'impact d'une campagne contre l'alcoolisme chez les jeunes au volant. Il montre que ses organisateurs ont fait appel a des dons en matiere de diffusion de message et ont loue les services des medias. Il examine l'impact respectif de ces deux strategies
Measurement by ICP-MS of lead in plasma and whole blood of lead workers and controls.

OBJECTIVES: To test a simple procedure for preparing samples for measurement of lead in blood plasma (P-Pb) and whole blood (B-Pb) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), to measure P-Pb and B-Pb in lead workers and controls, and to evaluate any differences in the relation between B-Pb and P-Pb between people. METHODS: P-Pb and B-Pb were measured by ICP-MS in 43 male lead smelter workers and seven controls without occupational exposure to lead. For analysis, plasma and whole blood were diluted 1 in 4 and 1 in 9, respectively, with a diluted ammonia solution containing Triton-X 100 and EDTA. The samples were handled under routine laboratory conditions, without clean room facilities. RESULTS: P-Pb was measured with good precision (CV = 5%) even at concentrations present in the controls. Freeze storage of the samples had no effect on the results. The detection limit was 0.015 microgram/l. The P-Pb was 0.15 (range 0.1-0.3) microgram/l in controls and 1.2 (0.3-3.6) micrograms/l in lead workers, although the corresponding B-Pbs were 40 (24-59) micrograms/l and 281 (60-530) micrograms/l (1 microgram Pb/I = 4.8 nmol/l). B-Pb was closely associated with P-Pb (r = 0.90). The association was evidently non-linear; the ratio B-Pb/P-Pb decreased with increasing P-Pb. CONCLUSIONS: By means of ICP-MS and a simple dilution procedure, P-Pb may be measured accurately and with good precision down to concentrations present in controls. Contamination of blood at sampling and analysis is no major problem. With increasing P-Pb, the percentage of lead in plasma increases. In studies of lead toxicity, P-Pb should be considered as a complement to current indicators of lead exposure and risk.
Mental rehearsal of motor tasks recruits α‐motoneurones but fails to recruit human fusimotor neurones selectively

1 As mental rehearsal of movements activates multiple cortical areas associated with movement, we assessed whether this increases fusimotor drive and whether enhanced muscle spindle activity could contribute to the improvement in skill that accompanies mental rehearsal. 2 Microneurographic recordings were made from six muscle spindle afferents innervating extensor muscles in the forearm or tibialis anterior, which were selected because their discharge increased during very weak contractions. Activity was monitored while subjects imagined performing a range of activities including simple and complex movements involving the relevant muscles. 3 No activation of muscle spindle afferents occurred during imagined motor tasks without EMG. When the relevant muscles contracted during mental rehearsal, spindle discharge increased, much as in weak contractions. 4 Mental rehearsal increased background EMG in the involved muscles and also increased H reflex amplitude independently of EMG changes. 5 Although there was no evidence for selective fusimotor activation during imagined movement, skeletomotor activity and reflex excitability increased. Similar changes occur with preparation for movement following a cue. It is likely that mental rehearsal usually involves unintentional performance of the planned motor task.
The online processing of only if and even if conditional statements: Implications for mental models

A sentential connective like only if or even if merges two simple propositions into a complex statement. This study used a visual world paradigm experiment to explore how this merging process proceeds online. We first presented participants with a short animation, illustrating different simple propositions that are possible to be merged by the sentential connectives. We then auditorily played an only if or an even if statement and recorded participants' eye movements on the concurrent test image. We observed that hearing the sentential connective results in more fixations on the tokens of the appropriate propositions that are eligible to be merged by the sentential connective. Each sentential connective elicited anticipatory effect suggests that once they heard the sentential connective, participants knew which propositions could be merged. We then discussed the implications of our results to the mental model theory of conditionals and the experimental studies reported in literature.
A Social Network Based Approach to the Evolutionary Analysis of Participatory Messages

Information about the social networks of people is now becoming available through APIs offered by websites such as Facebook and Orkut. Our insight is that this social network information can be used to infer the social context in which people are embedded in real life, and to develop mathematical models that can incorporate context-sensitivity in information retrieval algorithms. We focus on participatory messages such as blog posts and forum discussions, and develop models considering the social network of message authors and recipients to predict the usefulness of messages to different recipients. We validate our claims by surveying real users and correlating their responses with measurements on a web-crawl of a social networking website. The precise mathematical definitions offered by us can be incorporated in personalized document ranking metrics, and demonstrate a novel approach that integrates elements of information science and sociology for analysis of participatory messages.
Genesis of coastal dune fields with vegetation

Vegetation greatly affects the formation and dynamics of dune fields in coastal areas. In the present work, we use dune modelling in order to investigate the genesis and early development stages of costal dune fields in the presence of vegetation. The model, which consists of a set of coupled equations for the turbulent wind field over the landscape, the saltation flux and the growth of vegetation cover on the surface, is applied to calculate the evolution of a sand patch placed upwind of a vegetated terrain and submitted to unidirectional wind and constant sand influx. Different dune morphologies are obtained, depending on the characteristic rate of vegetation growth relative to wind strength: barchans, transverse dunes with trailing ridges, parabolic dunes and vegetated, alongshore sand barriers or foredunes. The existence of a vegetation-free backshore is found to be important for the nucleation time-scale of coastal dune generations. The role of the sand influx and of the maximum vegetation cover density for the dune shape is also discussed.
Thermal Capsulorrhaphy Treatment of Shoulder Instability: Basic Science

Thermal capsulorrhaphy is a new treatment modality for shoulder instability, where the joint capsular tissue is heated and reduced in length by laser or radiofrequency energy to regain joint stability. Experimental studies have shown that (1) joint capsular tissue can be modified significantly (shortened) by thermal energy at the temperature range of 70° to 80° C; (2) thermal energy causes immediate deleterious effects such as loss of the mechanical properties, collagen denaturation, and cell necrosis; (3) thermally treated tissue is repaired actively by a residual population of fibroblasts and vascular cells, with concomitant improvement of mechanical properties; (4) the shrunken tissue stretches with time if the tissue is subjected to physiologic loading immediately after surgery; and (5) leaving viable tissue between treated regions significantly improves the healing process. Therefore, the application of thermal energy to achieve joint stability relies on an initial effect (shrinkage), and to a great extent the tissue’s healing response to regain the tissue’s mechanical properties. Particularly, induction of active repair and joint capsular thickening with tissue remodeling regulated by functional demand seem to be essential factors for a successful outcome. Thermal treatment causes an initial deleterious effect on the tissue’s properties, and overtreatment can lead to severe immediate and permanent tissue damage. In addition, scientific data of newly developed devices are limited, and the information from manufacturers often is unreliable and misleading. Carefully controlled long-term clinical and scientific studies should be done to additionally clarify the advantages and disadvantages of this technique.
Vital Geographies: Life, Luck, and the Human Condition

Life has been problematized anew by recent social change and scientific innovation. There are important and little studied geographical dimensions to any such understanding of “the politics of life itself,” however. A geographical perspective involves, first, highlighting the spatial aspects of both states and capital, two rather neglected dimensions of vital politics. Elaborating the geographical constitution of vital politics entails further describing the related powers of knowledges and practices. Reflecting on the geographical dimensions of longevity and health leads directly to a recognition of the ethical implications of the geographical luck of birth and residence. Taking up this ethical challenge requires specifying at least six components of geographical justice: culpability, fairness, care, state failure, human rights, and solidarity with environmental and social justice.
Functional Connectivity Substrates for tDCS Response in Minimally Conscious State Patients

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique recently employed in disorders of consciousness, and determining a transitory recovery of signs of consciousness in almost half of minimally conscious state (MCS) patients. Although the rising evidences about its possible role in the treatment of many neurological and psychiatric conditions exist, no evidences exist about brain functional connectivity substrates underlying tDCS response. We retrospectively evaluated resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of 16 sub-acute and chronic MCS patients (6 tDCS responders) who successively received a single left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tDCS in a double-blind randomized cross-over trial. A seed-based approach for regions of left extrinsic control network (ECN) and default-mode network (DMN) was performed. tDCS responders showed an increased left intra-network connectivity for regions co-activated with left DLPFC, and significantly with left inferior frontal gyrus. Non-responders (NR) MCS patients showed an increased connectivity between left DLPFC and midline cortical structures, including anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. Our findings suggest that a prior high connectivity with regions belonging to ECN can facilitate transitory recovery of consciousness in a subgroup of MCS patients that underwent tDCS treatment. Therefore, resting state-fMRI could be very valuable in detecting the neuronal conditions necessary for tDCS to improve behavior in MCS.
Interpersonal Communication Systems in Organisations, and their Relationships to Cultural Values, Productivity and Innovation: The Case of Japanese Corporations

This study examines the patterns of the communication system in Japanese corporations in the light of antecedents (cultural values), and in relation to consequents (productivity and innovation). The analysis is based on visits to ten large Japanese companies in Tokyo, and on personal interviews with 37 managerial and non-managerial employees. It was demonstrated that the interpersonal communication system is shaped by the cultural values in line with the traditional patterns of communication in Japanese society. This congruence intensifies the smooth flow of communication, with two important consequences: on the motivational level, sharing of common values makes for better consensus and commitment to those values; on the cognitive level, sharing of knowledge, ideas, and information enhances the level of productivity and innovation.
Selection of Causal Rules.

SHULTZ, THOMAS R. ; FISHER, GARRY W. ; PRATr, CHERYL C. ; and RULF, SYBILL. Selection of Causal Rules. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1986, 57, 143-152. As it has been documented that young children have access to a variety of causal rules, a theoretical model was proposed to account for how causal rules are selected. 3 of the rule-selection principles in the model were investigated in a series of 3 experiments. The overriding principle in the model is that one will use generative transmission information if it is available. Among the secondary principles in the model are those of salience and facility. The salience principle is that one will use the rule that has the most perceptually salient source of information. The facility rule specifies that subjects will favor a rule requiring simple information over a rule that requires information too complex for them to process. Empirical support was found for each of these selection principles, as well as for the principle of discriminability, which specifies that any rule that fails to discriminate among possible causes will not be used.
Effects of cricket ball colour and illuminance levels on catching behaviour in professional cricketers

In recent years there have been many alterations to equipment and technology in professional cricket, including the introduction of white balls during day — night matches. In the present study simulated slip-catching performance and movement initiation time were examined in professional cricketers when ball colour and illuminance levels differed. Five male professional cricketers (mean age: 27.3 ± 1.4 years) volunteered to catch a total of 60 cricket balls, 20 (10 red and 10 white) under each of three illuminance levels (571, 1143 and 1714 lux). Balls were projected from a ball machine at 20 m s−1 (45 mph) over a distance of 8.4 m, to the subject's dominant side. Catching performance was measured using an established catching scale. Movement initiation times for each hand were also calculated for each trial using a motion-analysis system. Data were submitted to separate two-way (ball colour [2] × illuminance level [3]) repeated measures analysis of variance. No significant effects were obtained for ball colour or illuminance levels for either catching performance or movement initiation time. Neither ball colour nor light level (within the range tested) affected slip-catching performance and movement initiation times in professional cricketers. Therefore it was concluded that the changes made to ball colour and light conditions in professional cricket were not detrimental to catching performance.
Suppression of TRH-Stimulated TSH Secretion by Glucose-Induced Hypothalamic Somatostatin Release

To determine whether the combined glucose-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test can be a useful method for the evaluation of the hypothalamic somatostatinergic activity, we investigated whether TRH-induced thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion can be suppressed by the oral glucose administration that stimulates the hypothalamic somatostatin (SRIH) secretion. Six tests were performed in ten healthy young men. Test 1: 1 ml of normal saline was intravenously administered at 0 min. Test 2: TRH was administered intravenously at 0 min. Test 3: Glucose, 75 g, was administered orally at -60 min. Test 4: Glucose and TRH were administered as above. Test 5: Pyridostigmine (PST), 120 mg, was given orally at -90 min followed by the administration of GH and TRH as above. Basal TSH levels were suppressed slightly, but significantly. In Test 3 compared to those observed in Test 1. The oral glucose administration also significantly suppressed TRH-stimulated TSH response by 27-35% between 40 min and 80 min in Test 4. In contrast, the pretreatment with PST completely reverted the suppressive effect of glucose on TRH-stimulated TSH response in Test 5. These data suggest that the increased hypothalamic SRIH secretion induced by oral glucose administration can suppress TRH-stimulated TSH response in normal men, and the combined glucose-TRH test can be a useful method to evaluate the hypothalamic somatostatinergic activity.
Boosting Cognition With Music in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness

Background. Music listening conveys beneficial effects on cognitive processes in both normal and pathologic cerebral functioning. Surprisingly, no quantitative study has evaluated the potential effects of music on cognition and consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness. Objective. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of music on cerebral processing in patients with disorders of consciousness. Methods. Using bedside electroencephalographic recording, we acquired in 13 patients with disorders of consciousness event-related potentials to the patient’s first name after either an excerpt of the patient’s preferred music (music condition) or a continuous sound (control condition). Results. The cerebral response to the patient’s first name was more often observed in the music condition, than in the control condition. Furthermore, the presence or absence of a discriminative response in the music condition seemed to be associated with a favorable or unfavorable outcome, respectively. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate for the first time that music has a beneficial effect on cognitive processes of patients with disorders of consciousness. The autobiographical characteristics of music, that is, its emotional and personal relevance, probably increase arousal and/or awareness.
Functional Neuroanatomy of Impaired Reading in Dyslexia

In reading tasks, an underactivation of the left inferior occipitotemporal cortex in dyslexia seems to be the most consistent finding both in neurophysiological and hemodynamic studies. This marked difference appears at about 150 msec after word presentation when the brain enters the letter-string-specific (or, more generally, object-specific) processing stage. This early prelexical deficit in the letter-string-specific processing stage is apparently the immediate reason for the manifest difficulties in reading. Recent findings strongly suggest that in dyslexia the object-specific analysis stage is intact when faces are processed (Tarkiainen, Helenius, & Salmelin, 2003), thus pointing to a deficit that is rather specific to letter strings. The ability to read is a very new feature in human evolution. The letter-string-specific activation most probably develops with motivated exposure to written text. The important question is why this rapid visual recognition system that would immediately set letter strings apart from other objects does not develop normally in dyslexia. The contribution of functional neuroimaging in the attempt to understand the basis of impaired reading in dyslexia is discussed.
Illegal killing for ivory drives global decline in African elephants

Significance Illegal harvest for commercial trade has recently surged to become a major threat to some of the world’s most endangered and charismatic species. Unfortunately, the cryptic nature of illegal killing makes estimation of rates and impacts difficult. Applying a model based on field census of carcasses, to our knowledge we provide the first detailed assessment of African elephant illegal killing rates at population, regional, and continental scales. Illegal harvest for commercial trade in ivory has recently surged, coinciding with increases in illegal ivory seizures and black market ivory prices. As a result, the species declined over the past 4 y, during which tens of thousands of elephants have been killed annually across the continent. Solutions to this crisis require global action. Illegal wildlife trade has reached alarming levels globally, extirpating populations of commercially valuable species. As a driver of biodiversity loss, quantifying illegal harvest is essential for conservation and sociopolitical affairs but notoriously difficult. Here we combine field-based carcass monitoring with fine-scale demographic data from an intensively studied wild African elephant population in Samburu, Kenya, to partition mortality into natural and illegal causes. We then expand our analytical framework to model illegal killing rates and population trends of elephants at regional and continental scales using carcass data collected by a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species program. At the intensively monitored site, illegal killing increased markedly after 2008 and was correlated strongly with the local black market ivory price and increased seizures of ivory destined for China. More broadly, results from application to continental data indicated illegal killing levels were unsustainable for the species between 2010 and 2012, peaking to ∼8% in 2011 which extrapolates to ∼40,000 elephants illegally killed and a probable species reduction of ∼3% that year. Preliminary data from 2013 indicate overharvesting continued. In contrast to the rest of Africa, our analysis corroborates that Central African forest elephants experienced decline throughout the last decade. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of illegal ivory harvest to date and confirm that current ivory consumption is not sustainable. Further, our approach provides a powerful basis to determine cryptic mortality and gain understanding of the demography of at-risk species.
Seizure in gradual clonazepam withdrawal.

Convulsions from abrupt clonazepam withdrawal in patients with a seizure history or concurrent neuroleptic use have been described in the literature. This is a report of a patient without these precipitating factors developing seizure despite "gradual" reduction of clonazepam by . 5 mg every 4 days. The possibility of clonazepam withdrawal seizures should be kept in mind even in patients not considered at risk for developing seizures. Clonazepam cessation should be more gradual, even slower than . 5 mg every 4 days.
Imputation methods for doubly censored HIV data

In medical research, it is common to have doubly censored survival data: origin time and event time are both subject to censoring. In this paper, we review simple and probability-based methods that are used to impute interval censored origin time and compare the performance of these methods through extensive simulations in the one-sample problem, two-sample problem and Cox regression model problem. The use of a bootstrap procedure for inference is demonstrated.
A STUDY OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS OTHER PSYCHOSIS IN THE REFERRED CASES WITH SOMATIC COMPLAINTS

SUMMARY The study was designed to explore the non-psychotic morbidity amongst the referred cases with somatic symptoms. After excluding all organic, psychotic and mentally retarded cases 81 patients were assessed by General Health Ouestionnaire-36. Physical Illness Items removed (GHO-36P) and diagnosed according ICD-9, 39 matched subjects were taken as control and was assessed also by GHQ-36P. Anxiety neurosis was more common among these patients who were suffering for less than 6 months whereas depression was more common among patients who were suffering for more than a year. Referred cases had significant differences in GHQ-36P scoring.