Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Norms and the relationship of Boston Naming Test performance to vocabulary and education: A review

Background: Performance on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) reflects influences from demographic and ability variables that were not well understood at the time of the publication of the test. Means for normal samples with limited educational backgrounds, or limited vocabularies, that fall as much as two standard deviations below the original norms have been reported (Hawkins et al., 1993). Failure to recognise these influences will lead to substantial levels of misdiagnosis of dysnomia. These influences have, however, been obscured by the publication of studies reporting lesser, or no, relationship between vocabulary, or educational level, and BNT performance. Aims: The present paper aims to review studies yielding BNT norms, and to identify factors that obscure the relationship between vocabulary, education, and test performance. Main Contribution: It is established that few studies generating BNT norms have been adequately representative of the population, with the vast majority featuring a disproportionate representation of highly educated subjects. In combination with the psychometric properties of the BNT, these imbalances obscure the relationship between vocabulary, or education, and BNT demonstrated in studies utilising more representative samples. Some attempts to account for education have been distorted by a disproportionate representation of subjects of higher intellectual ability than would be typical for their stated years of schooling. Conclusions: BNT norms should be finely stratified by education. Whenever possible, the clinical interpretation of BNT scores should be further moderated by estimations of premorbid vocabulary.
Localizing Program Errors via Slicing and Reasoning

Model-based program debugging exploits discrepancies between the program behavior anticipated by a programmer and the program's actual behavior when executed on a set of inputs. From symptoms exhibited by a failing trace, potential culprits in the program canbe localized. However, since the cause of the error is nested deeper into the code than the error itself, localizing errors and correcting the errors are most time consuming hard work. The error trace produced by a model checker may contain more information than it appears. Thus, counter examples can be enough and are indicative for the cause of violation of the property. We present an assumption-based approach to localize the cause of a property violation using reasoning with constraints. In order to reduce the time consuming for error localizing, we first use dynamic program slicing to localize several statements to account for the violation of property. Assumption among these statements is then made to point out which statement(s) is (are) faulty. Some constraints will be introduced from the properties which are model checked for the program. A calculus of reasoning with these constraints is processed under the assumption along a counterexample. If the result may be consistent, the assumption is true (we can localize errors in those statements which the assumption suppose them to be faulty), otherwise, the assumption is wrong and another assumption should be made. Some examples support the applicability and effectiveness of our approach.
Relationship between the stress-coping levels of university students and their probability of committing suicide

The relationship between the stress-coping levels of students studying at Mugla University Health School, and their likelihood of committing crime to help them cope more effectively with stress generators and the number of suicide attempts reduced was explored. Participants were 350 students studying to be nurses and health officers and they completed the information form developed by the researcher. The questionnaire consisted of a Personal Information Form, Stress-Coping Styles Scale (SCSS), and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS). A significant relationship was found to exist between gender, department at the school, class, education level of the mother, existence of a person among the family members with a suicidal history, place of residence in Mugla, sources of stress, level of satisfaction about the students’ department, and stress-coping levels and probability of committing suicide.
Testosterone and cortisol responses to competitive fighting in human males: A pilot study

Departamento de Psicologia Fisiologica (A.S., V.S., F.S.) and Laboratorio de MedicinaNuclear e Isotopos (L.L.), Hospital Clinico Universitario, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia,SpainSerum testosterone and cortisol levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 14young male judo competitors, in samples taken 10 minutes before and 45 minutes aftertwo different pr(Redures. The first involved physical exercise and the second competi-tive fighting. Both procedures were of 5 minutes duration and sessions took plate atthe same time (between 10:00 \.M. and 12:00 P.M. liR-al lime) but on different days.Comparing the two situations over all subjects revealed that testosterone increasedafter exercise and decreased slightly after competition. Between subject comparisonssuggested that contrary to previous claims, winning or losing did not significantlychange the testosterone and cortisol levels. Comparisons of subjects who were membersof the Regional Team with individuals who were not part of thai gronp confirmed thatmemhers increased their testosterone levels after competition, whereas the nonniem-bers showed a significant decrease. Moreover, success of the individuals, in theirsporting record, correlated positively and significantly with the changes of testosteroneohserved during the competition. These preliminary results suggest that previouspersonal experience of success can infiuence the pattern of the psychoend(KTine re-sponse to a contest situation.Key words: physical exercise, judo competition, victory, defeatINTRODUCTIONPhysiological responses to the experiences oi victory and defeat include the modi-fication of circulating levels of some hormones. Clinically, sporting competitions havebeen seen as suitable situations to study hormonal responses to winning and losing.Mazur and Lamb 11980] found that the pattern in changes of testosterone was differentin winners and losers of a tennis match. Winners generally showed increases andlosers decreases in titers of this steroid and significant differences were evident I to2 hours after the match. Hlias [1981] found that subjects winning a wrestling matchshowed significantly greater increases than losers when he compared percentagechanges between testosterone levels seen 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after thematch. Winners also showed significantly greater increases in cortisol than losers.
Occupational benzene exposure from vehicular sources in India and its effect on hematology, lymphocyte subsets and platelet P-selectin expression

Benzene exposure from vehicular sources and its health impact are relatively unexplored in India. We have investigated in this study hematology and lymphocyte subsets of 25 petrol pump attendants, 25 automobile service station workers and 35 controls matched for age, sex and socioeconomic conditions. The participants were non-smoking males of Kolkata (former Calcutta) in eastern India. Compared with controls, the workers had 3.8- times more trans,trans-muconic acid in urine, suggesting higher level of benzene exposure. The exposed subjects had decreased erythrocyte, hemoglobin, lymphocyte and platelet levels, but increased neutrophil, band cells, RBC aniso-poikilocytosis and target cells. In addition, CD4+, CD8+ and CD19+ cells were decreased by 37, 20 and 47% respectively, but CD 16+ 56+ NK cells were increased by 20%. P-selectin expression on platelet surface of the workers was significantly elevated (P < 0.05), indicating upregulation of platelet activity. In summary, the study revealed high level of benzene exposure from vehicular sources in India, and the exposed subjects had hematological and immunological alterations. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 167—175.
A qualitative investigation into non-clinical voice hearing: what factors may protect against distress?

A total of six individuals who identified themselves as “mediums” (people who perceive themselves as able to “communicate” with “spirit” or the deceased) and who reported hearing the voice of spirit (or “Clairaudience”) as a routine part of their work as mediums were interviewed about their experiences using a semi-structured interview format. Interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The resulting three themes suggest that the experience of “Clairaudience” is broadly akin to the “voice hearing” experience. Participants’ explanations of these experiences in terms of “communicating with spirit” appeared to reduce anxiety and distress, added meaning and purpose to their lives and conferred ways to “discipline” or “control” their experiences to avoid intrusiveness, being overwhelmed or to manage negative experiences. The implications for clinical treatment of distressing voice hearing are considered in terms of existing literature around voice hearing.
Do Off-Label Drug Practices Argue Against Fda Efficacy Requirements? Testing an Argument by Structured Conversations with Experts

The Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938 with amendments in 1962 is inconsistent regarding FDA certification of a drug’s efficacy. The act requires efficacy certification for the drug’s initial (“on-label”) uses, but does not require certification before physicians may prescribe for subsequent (“off-label”) uses. Are there good reasons for this inconsistency? Using a sequential online survey we carried on a “virtual conversation” with some 500 physicians. The survey asked whether efficacy requirements should be imposed on off-label uses, and almost all physicians said no. It asked whether the efficacy requirements for initial uses should be dropped, and most said no. We then gently challenged respondents asking them whether opposing efficacy requirements in one case but not the other involved an inconsistency. In response to this challenge we received hundreds of written commentaries. This investigation taps the specialized knowledge of hundreds of physicians and organizes their insights into challenges to the consistency argument. Thus, it employs a method of structured conversations with experts to test the merit of an argument. Is the consistency argument a case of “foolish consistency,” or does it hold up even under scrutiny?
Emerging Infectious Diseases

Chryseobacterium meningosepticum, formerly known as Flavobacterium meningosepticum and CDC II-a, is a gram-negative rod widely distributed in nature. The pathogen causes meningitis in premature and newborn infants (1-3) and pneumonia, endocarditis, postoperative bacteremia, and meningitis usually associated with severe underlying illness in adults (4-7). Although C. meningosepticum infections are rare, accurate diagnosis is important because the species is usually resistant to multiple antibiotics, especially to those (including extendedspectrum ß-lactam agents and aminoglycosides) typically prescribed for treatment of aerobic, gram-negative bacterial infections. Moreover, epidemics may occur, and a death rate as high as 55% has been reported in a nursery outbreak (8,9). Recent studies indicate that the species C. meningosepticum is highly heterogeneous and composed of many subgroups, which may be reclassified as separate species (10,11). Genetically defined subgroups within C. meningosepticum also differ in their pathogenicity (11). From September 1996 to March 1999, 17 culturedocumented systemic infections due to a group of atypical C. meningosepticum strains occurred in two newborns and 15 immunocompromised patients in our institution. All isolates, which were initially misidentified as Aeromonas salmonicida, were resistant to a number of antimicrobial agents. The isolates were definitively identified as atypical strains of C. meningosepticum by full biochemical investigation, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and cellular fatty acid analysis. Random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting (RAPD) studies showed that these strains are distinct from bacteria of other genera tested, as well as from C. meningosepticum isolates from other geographic areas. Atypical Chryseobacterium meningosepticum and Meningitis and Sepsis in Newborns and the Immunocompromised, Taiwan
Post-traumatic stress in pregnant women with primary cytomegalovirus infection and risk of congenital infection in newborns

Background Substantial evidence indicates that perinatal mental disturbances are associated with the risk for negative maternal-newborn outcomes. A neuroendocrine brain-placenta interaction has been described to explain the association between prenatal stress-related disorders and placental abnormalities. Whether these mechanisms may affect the likelihood of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of infections has never been investigated. Aims To evaluate the role of psychological factors in cytomegalovirus (CMV) MTCT in pregnant women with primary CMV infection. Method A cohort of 276 pregnant women with primary CMV infection underwent assessment of (a) reactive psychopathological symptoms, such as current depressive symptoms and ongoing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; and (b) stable personality traits, such as alexithymia and Type D (distressed) personality. Congenital infection was diagnosed by CMV DNA amplification from blood and/or urine and saliva from newborn at birth. Results The occurrence of congenital CMV disease in the newborn was independently predicted by post-traumatic stress symptoms during pregnancy. Conclusions Our findings suggest that psychological stress-related disturbances may weaken the physical and immunological barrier against the mother-to-fetus transmission of viruses.
Plasma d-Dimer as a Useful Marker Predicts Severity of Atherosclerotic Lesion and Short-Term Outcome in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Increased d-dimer is indicative of a hypercoagulable state and found to be associated with acute coronary syndromes. The present study aimed to evaluate whether plasma d-dimer levels could predict subsequent major clinical events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). First, 2209 angiographic-proven patients with CAD were consecutively enrolled. Then, all patients were subjected to follow up for an average of 18 months (ranged from 14 to 1037 days). The relationships of the plasma d-dimer with the severity of CAD and future clinical outcomes were evaluated. We found that plasma d-dimer was higher in patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) than that in patients with nonprior MI (P = .006). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested that the plasma d-dimer was linked to the severity of CAD assessed by Gensini score (β = 0.052, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-6.84, P = .005) even after adjusting for confounding factors. During the follow-up, 42 patients underwent prespecified outcomes. After adjustment for multiple variables in the Cox regression model, the d-dimer levels remained to be a potential predictor of total outcome (hazard ratio = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09-1.37, P = .001). Therefore, plasma d-dimer levels appeared to be a useful predictor for the severity of CAD and the subsequent major clinical events.
When is the Search for Meaning Related to Life Satisfaction

Life meaning is important for psychological and physical health and well-being. Researchers have only recently looked at the presence of life meaning and the search for life meaning as separate constructs. In the current study, 731 adult respondents from the United States completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, which separately assesses the presence of meaning and the search for meaning, and measures of well-being. Presence and search for life meaning showed different relationships with well-being. Consistent with past research, the presence of meaning was positively associated with life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect and negatively associated with depression and negative affect, whereas the search for meaning overall had the opposite pattern of correlates. However, the search for meaning was positively associated with well-being—greater life satisfaction, more happiness, and less depression—among those who already had substantial meaning in their life. The search for meaning is not only morally worthy but as it succeeds, eventually satisfying. Implications of these results for interventions to promote mental health and well-being are discussed.
Cytoplasmic Accumulation and Aggregation of TDP-43 upon Proteasome Inhibition in Cultured Neurons

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are characterized by intraneuronal deposition of the nuclear TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) caused by unknown mechanisms. Here, we studied TDP-43 in primary neurons under different stress conditions and found that only proteasome inhibition by MG-132 or lactacystin could induce significant cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43, a histopathological hallmark in disease. This cytoplasmic accumulation was accompanied by phosphorylation, ubiquitination and aggregation of TDP-43, recapitulating major features of disease. Proteasome inhibition produced similar effects in both hippocampal and cortical neurons, as well as in immortalized motor neurons. To determine the contribution of TDP-43 to cell death, we reduced TDP-43 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA), and found that reduced levels of TDP-43 dose-dependently rendered neurons more vulnerable to MG-132. Taken together, our data suggests a role for the proteasome in subcellular localization of TDP-43, and possibly in disease.
Empirical Evaluation of Collective Rationality for Quota Rules in Judgment Aggregation

A major challenge in multiagent systems research is to design good aggregation rules for combining the judgments—or beliefs, or opinions—of different autonomous software agents collaborating with each other. If the chosen rule is too sophisticated, we may encounter algorithmic difficulties. But if it is too simple, we may encounter some of the paradoxes of social choice theory and end up with inconsistent information at the system level. We report on an empirical study aimed at improving our understanding of how frequently these paradoxes strike in practice for a class of simple aggregation rules, the uniform quota rules. Our results indicate that quota rules can be expected to work significantly better in practice than the still relatively scarce theoretical results may suggest.
Bit plane matching based variable block size motion estimation method and its hardware architecture

Variable Block Size Motion Estimation (VBSME) is one of the most important features of state-of-theart video encoders. In the H.264/AVC encoder, the computational complexity of integer motion estimation is about 75%. Therefore, reducing this complexity is one of the key points to provide low power video encoding. In this paper, a reconfigurable bit plane matching based VBSME method and a runtime reconfigurable hardware architecture are proposed to allow low-power consumer electronic devices to make a trade-off between power requirements and motion estimation (ME) accuracy. The proposed ME method is the only low complexity ME algorithm proposed in the literature so far that can provide compatible ME accuracy for lower block sizes compared to the sum of absolute difference (SAD) criterion. A new data path for the computation of the matching criterion in the proposed hardware architecture which has a fully arithmetic structure is proposed to improve the previously utilized LUT based architectures by having a fully arithmetic structure.
Optimizing the benefit of multiple sclerosis therapy: the importance of treatment adherence

Poor treatment adherence is problematic in many therapy areas, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Several immunomodulatory drugs are available for the treatment of MS, all of which require frequent parenteral administration. Current first-line therapies are two formulations of interferon (IFN) beta-1a, one of IFN beta-1b, and one of glatiramer acetate. Discontinuation of treatment is common, particularly in the first few months after initiation. Although the true effect of poor adherence to MS therapy is not known, it is likely to lead to a fall in treatment efficacy. Many factors influence a patient’s adherence to treatment, including the patient’s MS subtype and disability level, cognitive impairment resulting from MS, perceived lack of efficacy of the prescribed medication, and adverse events associated with MS therapy. This article summarizes the barriers to adherence to MS therapies, and discusses patient management strategies that can be employed to encourage adherence. Future advances in the field of MS treatment will be explored, including the development of orally administered drugs, which may enhance adherence.
Life Course Social Science Perspectives on the GLBT Family

Abstract The life course perspective in the social sciences focuses on the place of generation-cohorts in understanding social life. Emphasizing shared understanding of self and society among a group of persons born in some adjacent birth years (often a decade) and the impact of the experience of certain events (a reminiscence bump) taking place across the early adult years, this approach to the study of social life and social change emphasizes social timing and role changes in understanding the course of life. The life course perspective is used in this discussion in understanding sexual minority families including both families in which an offspring self-defines as GLBT across the years of young adulthood, and families in which a parent self-identifies as GLBT, and which includes offspring of one or both partners. Issues in family formation and morale of family members are explored from this life course perspective emphasizing time, social change and the role of the state as factors influencing sexual minority families.
Eucaryotic Diversity in a Hypersaline Microbial Mat

ABSTRACT To determine the eucaryotic diversity of the hypersaline Guerrero Negro microbial mat, we amplified 18S rRNA genes from DNA extracted from this mat and constructed and analyzed clone libraries. The extent of eucaryotic diversity detected was remarkably low, only 15 species among 890 clones analyzed. Six eucaryotic kingdoms were represented, as well as a novel cluster of sequences. Nematode sequences dominated the clone libraries.
Safety and efficacy of routine postoperative ibuprofen for pain and disability related to ectopic bone formation after hip replacement surgery (HIPAID): randomised controlled trial

Abstract Objectives To determine the benefits and risks of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) as prophylaxis for ectopic bone formation in patients undergoing total hip replacement (or revision) surgery. Design Double blind randomised placebo controlled clinical trial, stratified by treatment site and surgery (primary or revision). Setting 20 orthopaedic surgery centres in Australia and New Zealand. Participants 902 patients undergoing elective primary or revision total hip replacement surgery. Intervention 14 days' treatment with ibuprofen (1200 mg daily) or matching placebo started within 24 hours of surgery. Main outcome measures Changes in self reported hip pain and physical function 6 to 12 months after surgery (Western Ontario and McMaster University Arthritis index). Results There were no significant differences between the groups for improvements in hip pain (mean difference −0.1, 95% confidence interval −0.4 to 0.2, P = 0.6) or physical function (−0.1, −0.4 to 0.2, P = 0.5), despite a decreased risk of ectopic bone formation (relative risk 0.69, 0.56 to 0.83) associated with ibuprofen. There was a significantly increased risk of major bleeding complications in the ibuprofen group during the admission period (2.09, 1.00 to 4.39). Conclusions These data do not support the use of routine prophylaxis with NSAIDs in patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery. Trial registration NCT00145730 [ClinicalTrials.gov].