Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shadow circuits: urban spaces and mobilities across the Mediterranean

In Italy, as in other southern European countries, both the notions of diversity and multiculturalism have only recently come into use. In this article, we show how over the last 30 years two Italian cities, Turin and Naples have been transformed and reshaped by patterns of mobility and informal commerce that we have referred to as ‘shadow circuits’. Shadow circuits work through the connection of distant places in Europe and the Mediterranean and contribute to the understanding of complex, stratified societies, mobile societies in particular. A mobile ethnography perspective has been carried during fieldwork and is discussed in length in this article. The examples of Turin and Naples are particularly useful because, unlike many other Italian cities, both have developed pro-multiculturalism and pro-diversity policies in the last two decades. This makes them particularly interesting case studies for addressing the gap between diversity as a policy and diversity as a social fact.
Evidence of three maternal lineages in near eastern sheep supporting multiple domestication events

The variability of mtDNA was analysed in local sheep breeds reared throughout Turkey, for which a fragment of the D-loop region and the complete cytochrome b were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses performed independently for the D-loop and the Cyt b gene revealed three clearly separated clusters indicating three major maternal lineages, two of which had been previously described as types B and A. The new type, C, was present in all the breeds analysed and showed considerable mtDNA variability. Divergence time was obtained on the basis of Cyt b gene and was estimated to be around 160 000–170 000 years ago for lineages B and A, whereas the divergence of lineage C proved to have occurred earlier (between 450 000 and 750 000 years ago). These times greatly predate domestication and suggest that the origin of modern sheep breeds was more complex than previously thought and that at least three independent sheep domestication events occurred. Our results, together with archaeological information and the current wild sheep populations in the Near East region support the high importance of this area in the sheep domestication process. Finally, the evidence of a third maternal lineage has important implications regarding the history of modern sheep.
Change in Coronary Artery Calcification Score due to Cinacalcet Hydrochloride Administration

We examined the influence of cinacalcet on vascular calcification by measuring the coronary artery calcification score (CACS) in hemodialysis patients who received cinacalcet. The cinacalcet treatment group consisted of eight hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism who received cinacalcet for 7–14 months. The mean CACS change in the treatment group was −0.094/year, showing a decreasing tendency, while that in the control group showed an increasing tendency of 0.034/year. The mean CACS change showed a tendency for improvement in the treatment group, but no significant difference from that in the control group was observed as the number of cases was small (P = 0.102). The results of this study suggest that cinacalcet is effective in preventing the progress of extraosseous calcification.
Agricultural mechanization strategies for sustainable production intensification : concepts and cases from ( and for ) sub-Saharan Africa

Farm mechanization seems to have become, to a certain extent, the neglected waif of agricultural and rural development. As an essential input, mechanization can transform farm family economies by facilitating increased output and reducing the drudgery of hand-powered production. Mechanization, when carefully selected and appropriate to the task, is also capable of protecting natural capital and the environment whilst boosting food production (Kienzle et al., 2013).
Toxicology laboratory analysis and human exposure to p-chloroaniline

Introduction. p-Chloroaniline is more potent at producing methemoglobin than aniline in animal models. This case highlights the clinical presentation of an inhalation exposure to p-chloroaniline and associated laboratory analysis. An in-vitro study evaluating the metabolism of p-chloroaniline in human hepatocytes was undertaken to evaluate the metabolic fate more closely. Case presentation. A 20 year-old man was working at a chemical waste plant when he developed dizziness, abdominal pain, and nausea. The exam was remarkable for coma, tachycardia, cyanosis, and pulse oximetry of 75%. Arterial blood gases showed a pH 7.38, pCO2 41 mmHg, pO2 497 mmHg, bicarbonate 24 mEq/L and methemoglobin 69%. Methylene blue administration led to complete recovery without sequelae. p-Chloroaniline was later identified as the chemical involved. He denied direct contact with the chemical, but was not wearing a dust mask or respirator. GC/MS confirmed p-chloroaniline and metabolites in the patient's urine. Methods. Human hepatocytes were incubated with 100 μM p-chloroaniline for 24 hours, in both rifampicin- and vehicle only-treated cells. The cell culture medium was collected for GC/MS analysis for p-chloroaniline metabolites. Results. Similar to the patient sample, both p-chloroaniline and p-chloroacetanilide were identified by GC/MS in hepatocytes incubated with p-chloroaniline. Neither p-chloroaniline incubated in empty cell culture nor direct GC/MS injection of p-chloroaniline generated any p-chloroacetanilide via non-enzymatic degradation. Discussion/Conclusion. The seemingly innocuous dermal and inhalation exposure to p-chloroaniline dust can lead to life-threatening methemoglobinemia. The diagnosis can be confirmed with GC/MS analysis of the patient's urine, searching for p-chloroaniline and its primary metabolite p-chloroacetanilide.
Predicting outcome of inpatient detoxification of substance abusers.

OBJECTIVE Variables that have been identified as predictors of outcome of substance abuse treatment--coping style, addiction severity and addiction-related problems, psychopathology, and treatment motivation--were examined as predictors of outcome of inpatient detoxification. METHODS A cohort of 175 drug abuse patients consecutively admitted to an inpatient detoxification clinic in the Netherlands were assessed. Baseline data were obtained on psychopathology using the Symptom Checklist-90, on severity and addiction-related problems using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), on personal coping style using the Utrecht Coping List, on motivation using the CMRS scales, and on sociodemographic background. Positive detoxification outcome was defined as transfer to inpatient rehabilitation treatment. RESULTS Of the 175 admissions, 81 (46 percent) had a positive outcome, and 94 (54 percent) had a negative outcome. Severe drug use and severe medical problems, as measured by the ASI, were the best predictors of a negative outcome of detoxification. Self-rated suitability of postdetoxification treatment was also a predictor of positive outcome, although to a lesser degree than the ASI variables. Established predictors of residential drug abuse treatment outcome, such as psychopathology, coping style, and sociodemographic variables, did not predict outcome of detoxification. CONCLUSIONS Caution is necessary when applying results of inpatient treatment outcome studies to inpatient detoxification programs. Different factors may play a role in the outcome of detoxification. To improve the rate at which patients in detoxification programs are transferred to longer-term rehabilitation, more attention should be paid to medical conditions and to the direct consequences of drug use, such as withdrawal symptoms and craving during detoxification.
The Use of the Nursing Process in Spain as Compared to the United States and Canada.

PURPOSE To analyze the development of the nursing method process in Spain, and compare it with the development in the United States and Canada. METHODS This is a narrative review. FINDINGS The teaching of the nursing process in nursing schools started in Spain as from 1977 and that it started being used in professional practice in the 1990's. The development, the difficulties, the nursing models used and its application form are discussed. CONCLUSIONS The development of the nursing process in the United States and Canada started to happen in Spain about 15-20 years later and, today, is a reality. IMPLICATIONS Cross-sectional studies are needed to determine the changes in the development of the nursing process in Spain.
Client and therapist initial experience of using mindfulness in therapy

Abstract Literature has demonstrated the influence of mindfulness practice on both clients and therapists; however, no literature has considered the experience of mindfulness in therapy from both members of the therapeutic dyad. The present study interviewed five separate therapy dyads (n=10) regarding their experience of first using mindfulness in session. Participants, both clients and therapists, had little-to-no experience with mindfulness prior to the study. Interview transcripts were analyzed and common themes were derived. Results indicated that both clients and therapist felt that the practice of mindfulness had an impact on the therapeutic relationship. Furthermore, participants also suggested ways in which therapists may better utilize mindfulness in therapy.
2 Information Theory of Underspread WSSUS Channels

In this chapter, we are interested in the ultimate limit on the rate of reliable communication over Rayleigh-fading channels that satisfy the wide-sense stationary (WSS) and uncorrelated scattering (US) assumptions and are underspread [Bel63, Ken69]. Therefore, the natural setting is an information-theoretic one, and the performance metric is channel capacity [CT91, Gal68]. The family of Rayleigh-fading underspread WSSUS channels (reviewed in Chapter 1) constitutes a good model for real-world wireless channels: their stochastic properties, like amplitude and phase distributions match channel measurement results [SB07,Sch09]. The Rayleigh-fading and the WSSUS assumptions imply that the stochastic properties of the channel are fully described by a two-dimensional power spectral density (PSD) function, often referred to as scattering function [Bel63]. The underspread assumption implies that the scattering function is highly concentrated in the delay-Doppler plane. To analyze wireless channels with information-theoretic tools, a system model, not just a channel model, needs to be specified. A system model is more comprehensive than a channel model because it defines, among other parameters, the transmit-power constraints and the channel knowledge available at the transmitter and the receiver. The choice of a
A decline in platelet activation and inflammatory cell infiltration is associated with the phenotypic redifferentiation of neointimal smooth muscle cells after bare-metal stent implantation in acute coronary syndrome.

AIM This immunohistochemical investigation was to analyze the relationship between platelet activation/aggregation, inflammatory cell infiltration, the differentiation state of neointimal smooth muscle cells (SMCs), expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and endothelial cell regeneration at sites of bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS Sixteen coronary arteries after stenting were obtained at autopsy from ACS patients. Serial frozen sections were stained with antibodies against SMCs (1A4, HHF-35, CGA-7), macrophages, neutrophils, endothelial cells, GP IIb/IIIa, P-selectin, PDGF-B, and PDGF-beta receptor. RESULTS Up to 12 days after BMS, the stent sites contained P-selectin-positive activated platelets with neutrophil infiltration. From 24 to 55 days after BMS, parts of the platelet thrombi were still positive for P-selectin, and infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages was also found. Neointimal SMCs at these stages stained positive with 1A4 but negative with CGA-7, and PDGF-B and PDGF-beta receptor were expressed in macrophages and SMCs. At sites from 3 months onward, platelet thrombi and neutrophil infiltration were not detected, and the neointima contained increased numbers of highly differentiated SMCs with CGA-7 positivity. The P-selectin-positive area was positively correlated with the neutrophil count and macrophage-positive area (neutrophils, r=0.86, p<0.0005; macrophage, r=0.66, p<0.05). In contrast, the P-selectin-positive area was negatively correlated with the HHF-35-positive area and CGA-7-positive area (HHF-35, r=-0.90, p<0.0001; CGA-7, r=-0.82, p<0.005). CONCLUSION These observations suggest that P-selectin-positive platelet thrombi in the neointima are positively associated with the inflammatory cell infiltration and reversely associated with the phenotypic redifferentiation of neointimal SMCs after BMS in ACS patients.
Modeling familial Danish dementia in mice supports the concept of the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with cerebral deposition of Dan-amyloid (ADan), neuroinflammation, and neurofibrillary tangles, hallmark characteristics remarkably similar to those in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have generated transgenic (tg) mouse models of familial Danish dementia that exhibit the age-dependent deposition of ADan throughout the brain with associated amyloid angiopathy, microhemorrhage, neuritic dystrophy, and neuroinflammation. Tg mice are impaired in the Morris water maze and exhibit increased anxiety in the open field. When crossed with TauP301S tg mice, ADan accumulation promotes neurofibrillary lesions, in all aspects similar to the Tau lesions observed in crosses between β-amyloid (Aβ)-depositing tg mice and TauP301S tg mice. Although these observations argue for shared mechanisms of downstream pathophysiology for the sequence-unrelated ADan and Aβ peptides, the lack of codeposition of the two peptides in crosses between ADan- and Aβ-depositing mice points also to distinguishing properties of the peptides. Our results support the concept of the amyloid hypothesis for AD and related dementias, and suggest that different proteins prone to amyloid formation can drive strikingly similar pathogenic pathways in the brain.
Intraocular pressure in the first days after implantation of the semiflexible McGhan/3 M, style 70, anterior chamber lens

Abstract Intracapsular cataract extraction employing a corneal incision and with implantation of the semiflexible McGhan/3 M, style 70, anterior chamber lens was performed in a group of 25 patients with senile cataract. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured prior to and daily in the first 4 days after the operation. IOP was slightly, but significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower in the observed post‐operative period as compared to the pre‐operative measurement. Similar results have previously been found after cataract extraction with an identical technique, but without lens implantation. This probably means that early post‐operative intraocular homeostasis with respect to IOP is unaffected by the implantation of this type of lens. The fine regulation of early postoperative IOP is probably related to the fact that the described surgical technique usually is associated with only minor gonioscopically visible changes of the trabecular meshwork.
Use of Virtual Reality to Enhance Balance and Ambulation in Chronic Stroke: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study

Kim JH, Jang SH, Kim CS, Jung JH, You JH: Use of virtual reality to enhance balance and ambulation in chronic stroke: A double-blind, randomized controlled study. Objective: To examine an additive effect of virtual reality on balance and gait function in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Design: Twenty-four adults with hemiparetic stroke were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 12) or a control group. Both groups underwent conventional physical therapy, 40 mins a day, 4 days a week for 4 wks. The experimental group received an additional 30 mins of virtual reality therapy each session. Balance performance was determined by the Balance Performance Monitor and Berg Balance Scale tests. Gait performance was determined by the 10-m walking test and Modified Motor Assessment Scale, and spatiotemporal parameters were obtained using GAITRite. Analysis of variance and correlation statistics were performed at P < 0.05. Results: In the balance test, the experimental group had improved Berg Balance Scale scores, balance and dynamic balance angles (ability to control weight shifting) compared with the controls (P < 0.05). In the gait performance test, the experimental group showed significant improvements in velocity, Modified Motor Assessment Scale scores, cadence, step time, step length, and stride length (P < 0.05). Improvement in dynamic balance angles was correlated with velocity and cadence (P < 0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that virtual reality has an augmented effect on balance and associated locomotor recovery in adults with hemiparetic stroke when added to conventional therapy.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the residual psychomotor and cognitive effects of zolpidem-MR in healthy elderly volunteers.

AIM To assess residual psychomotor and cognitive effects of a modified-release formulation of zolpidem (zolpidem-MR), developed to provide sustained hypnotic efficacy during the whole night, compared with placebo and flurazepam. METHODS Twenty-four healthy elderly volunteers received four study treatments (zolpidem-MR 6.25 mg and 12.5 mg, placebo and flurazepam 30 mg) using a randomized, cross-over, double-blind design. Residual psychomotor and cognitive effects were assessed with a psychometric test battery. Quality of sleep and residual effects were evaluated subjectively with the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. RESULTS Psychometric performance was significantly impaired with flurazepam but not with zolpidem-MR at either dose. Ease of falling asleep and sleep quality were significantly improved with both doses of zolpidem-MR and with flurazepam. Neither active drug modified perception of well-being on awakening. CONCLUSION In elderly subjects, zolpidem-MR showed no residual functional impairment in psychometric or cognitive tests sensitive to flurazepam.
7 Immunoassays Using Artificial Nanopores

Artificial nanopores can be loosely defined as materials possessing one or more nanometersize pores (1-100 nm in diameter). This recent class of nanostructures is generating great interest in the scientific community as a platform for biomolecular analysis. The first fabrication of an artificial nanopore with true nanometer control dates to 2001 (Li et al., 2001) but the application of nanopores for biological studies started 10 years earlier. Following a rapid review of the highlights of 20 years of nanopore science, we explore the advancement of nanofabrication techniques that allowed the creation of individual nanopores, nanopore arrays, and nanoporous materials. Although most of the methods currently used to fabricate nanopores require expensive equipment and highly-skilled technicians, we focus here upon those technologies that allow the fabrication of nanopores at the bench and discuss signal transduction mechanisms that allow nanopores to be used as biosensors. In particular, we review the creative application of nanopipettes, artificial nanopores that can be easily fabricated from inexpensive glass capillaries, as a biosensing platform and discuss their potential for immunosensing.
Accuracy and Consistency of Absolute Pitch

The accuracy and consistency of absolute pitch (AP) judgments have been measured on three subjects in two longitudinal studies separated by twenty years. The drifts and cyclical variations observed in the earlier study still persisted, and an investigation of two other subjects, one of whom was first studied forty years ago, suggests that they might undergo similar cyclical variations in their pitch perception. Pitch judgments also varied during the day. The detailed observations of these nonrandom fluctuations have been used to determine a value for the underlying consistency of the AP estimates. When the effects of the daytime variations and longer-term drifts were removed, the values for this consistency, as measured by the standard deviation, were calculated to be 3.1, 3.4, 3.7, 4.4, and 4.5 Hz for the five subjects. When an oscillator was used to produce the estimate, the consistency of the judgments was observed to depend on the accuracy of those judgments.
Caffeine affects cardiovascular responses to stress.

The effects of caffeine on cardiovascular activity at rest and during psychological stress were examined in 33 healthy male college students who did not normally ingest caffeinated products. Caffeine (250 mg) and placebo were administered double-blind in separate sessions. Heart rate, blood pressure, and forearm blood flow and vascular resistance were assessed at rest and during the stressful, competitive performance of a mental arithmetic task. Comparisons of caffeine and placebo sessions revealed that caffeine elevated resting blood pressure 4–6 mmHg, an effect which added to the elevation produced by stress. Caffeine did not affect resting forearm blood flow but potentiated the forearm blood flow response to stress and led to higher levels of flow during stress. No caffeine effects appeared in heart rate or in task performance. Family history of hypertension and Type A behavior were examined as potential modulating factors of caffeine effects but results were generally negative. These results suggest possible mechanisms through which caffeine could enhance the pathogenic effects of stress on the cardiovascular system.
Monogenic mutations associated with IgA deficiency

ABSTRACT Introduction: For twenty years, two paradigms have been considered as the main genetic contributors to immunoglobulin A deficiency, including cytogenetic defects involving large chromosomal aberrations and an association with the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus. However, an overview of recent studies suggests a role for several monogenic disorders in the development of this disease. Areas covered: This review examines the concept of monogenic disorders for patients with IgA deficiency in order to identify the underlying pathogenic mechanism(s). Expert commentary: A clinical/immunologic workup followed by targeted gene mutation analysis has been proposed for an approach to IgA deficient patients.
Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocity as a Predictor of Perinatal Outcome in Fetal Growth Restriction

The objective is study the role of fetal MCA-PSV for prediction of perinatal outcome in growth restricted fetuses. A Hospital based cohort study of 40 IUGR fetuses (gestation age 28-36 weeks, EFW < 10 th percentile, UA-PI >95 th percentile) in whom MCA-PSV values were obtained on three or more occasions from the time of admission till delivery depending upon period of gestation and severity of IUGR. MCA-PSV values were considered abnormal when they were above the 95 th percentile for MCA-PSV range. For analysis purpose two groups were made of twenty patients each depending upon MCA-PSV. All the fetuses (100%) in group B (i.e. with abnormal MCA-PSV) had adverse perinatal outcome in the form of either mortality (both IUFD and neonatal mortality) or major neonatal complication consisting of NICU stay ≥ 14 days, requirement of artificial ventilation or presence of intraventricular hemorrhage, respiratory distress or sepsis. Specificity of abnormal MCA-PSV was found to be 100% in predicting adverse perinatal outcome. Doppler study of MCA-PSV should be used in the surveillance of IUGR fetuses together with currently used Doppler parameters so as to decide the optimal time for delivery permitting maximum maturity with minimal fetal hypoxia or acidosis and hence optimizing fetal outcome.