Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEGENERATIVE DISEASES OF THE SPINE IN THE ELDERLY NEUROSURGERY

Degenerative spinal deformity afflicts a significant portion of the elderly and is increasing in prevalence. Recent evidence has revealed sagittal plane malalignment to be a key driver of pain and disability in this population and has led to a significant shift toward a more evidence-based management paradigm. In this narrative review, we review the recent literature on the epidemiology, evaluation, management, and outcomes of degenerative adult spinal deformity (ASD). ASD is increasing in prevalence in North America due to an aging population and demographic shifts. It results from cumulative degenerative changes focused in the intervertebral discs and facet joints that occur asymmetrically to produce deformity. Deformity correction focuses on restoration of global alignment, especially in the sagittal plane, and decompression of the neural elements. General realignment goals have been established, including sagittal vertical axis,50 mm, pelvic tilt,22 , and lumbopelvic mismatch,69 ; however, these should be tailored to the patient. Operative management, in carefully selected patients, yields satisfactory outcomes that appear to be superior to nonoperative strategies. ASD is characterized by malalignment in the sagittal and/or coronal plane and, in adults, presents with pain and disability. Nonoperative management is recommended for patients with mild, nonprogressive symptoms; however, evidence of its efficacy is limited. Surgery aims to restore global spinal alignment, decompress neural elements, and achieve fusion with minimal complications. The surgical approach should balance the desired correction with the increased risk of more aggressive maneuvers. In wellselected patients, surgery yields excellent outcomes.
The Obstacles and Strategy of Project Based Learning Implementation in Elementary School

This study aims to: 1) examine the challenges teachers encounter in implementing project-based learning in 2013 curriculum, 2) to examine teachers' strategies in integrating project-based learning in 2013 curriculum. This research finds several obstacles faced by teachers and strategies that can be done in the implementation of project-based learning, they are: 1) the obstacle in terms of students' capability can be overcome by familiarizing them to complete projects; 2) the obstacle in terms of indiscipline can be solved by optimizing the teacher's role as supervisor; 3) the time constraint is overcome by some alternative ways; 4) the obstacle in terms of equipment availability is addressed by modifying projects; 5) the obstacle in terms of student's inequality is overcome by forming propori sembang group; 6) the cost issues are resolved by using classroom cash or selecting projects suitable for the available resources. Another positive finding is that teachers should have the confidence and commitment in implementing project-based learning. Based on these results, it can be concluded that most teachers and even experienced teachers will experience difficulties and challenges when trying to implement project-based learning. However, experienced teachers have strategies to overcome obstacles, thus project-based learning can still be implemented.
2000 s , the serious political and economical crisis and the following social unrest did not result in increased

1Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece; 2National Development & Research Institutes (NDRI), Inc., New York City, New York, USA; 3International AIDS Society (IAS) & the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); 4Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, National Retrovirus Reference Center, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 5Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 6Laboratory of Drug Regulatory Policies, IRCCS Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy; 7Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Impact of active layer design on InGaN radiative recombination coefficient and LED performance

The relative roles of radiative and nonradiative processes and the polarization field on the light emission from blue (∼425 nm) InGaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been studied. Single and multiple double heterostructure (DH) designs have been investigated with multiple DH structures showing improved efficiencies. Experimental results supported by numerical simulations of injection dependent electron and hole wavefunction overlap and the corresponding radiative recombination coefficients suggest that increasing the effective active region thickness by employing multiple InGaN DH structures separated by thin and low barriers is promising for LEDs with high efficiency retention at high injection. The use of thin and low barriers is crucial to enhance carrier transport across the active region. Although increasing the single DH thickness from 3 to 6 nm improves the peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) by nearly 3.6 times due to increased density of states and increased emitting volume, the internal qua.
Biomarkers Task Force Biomarkers in bipolar disorder : A positional paper from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders

Although the etiology of bipolar disorder remains uncertain, multiple studies examining neuroimaging, peripheral markers and genetics have provided important insights into the pathophysiologic processes underlying bipolar disorder. Neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated loss of gray matter, as well as altered activation of subcortical, anterior temporal and ventral prefrontal regions in response to emotional stimuli in bipolar disorder. Genetics studies have identified several potential candidate genes associated with increased risk for developing bipolar disorder that involve circadian rhythm, neuronal development and calcium metabolism. Notably, several groups have found decreased levels of neurotrophic factors and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers. Together these findings provide the background for the identification of potential biomarkers for vulnerability, disease expression and to help understand the course of illness and treatment response. In other areas of medicine, validated biomarkers now inform clinical decision-making. Although the findings reviewed herein hold promise, further research involving large collaborative studies is needed to validate these potential biomarkers prior to employing them for clinical purposes. Therefore, in this positional paper from the ISBD-BIONET (biomarkers network from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders), we will discuss our view of biomarkers for these three areas: neuroimaging, peripheral measurements and genetics; and conclude the paper with our position for the next steps in the search for biomarkers for bipolar disorder.
A Dynamic Analysis of Educational, Occupational, and Inter-…rm Mobility Decisions

This research examines educational attainment and mobility between …rms and occupations using a dynamic structural model of career choices. The model expands on previous work by jointly modeling transitions between …rms and occupations within a model of career choice. Previous work has generally focused on mobility between either …rms or occupations in isolation, which ignores the fact that people make occupational choices and job search decisions jointly. Incorporating mobility between …rms and occupations within a uni…ed model provides parameter estimates that indicate the relative importance of …rm and occupation-speci…c factors in determining career choices. The estimates suggest that employment choices are driven jointly by …rm-speci…c factors such as matching in wages and occupation-speci…c factors such
Parameters Inducing Motivational Surges in Second Language Learning

Motivational surges in language learning occur when a number of personal and contextual parameters come together to induce intense and long-term motivational experiences. In the second language learning literature, this phenomenon is known as the directed motivational current (DMC) (Dornyei etal., 2014). As a novel concept in the field, little is known about what might induce this extraordinary motivational surge. The current study empirically examined the parameters of nine participants who provided accounts of the conditions around the initial stages of their motivational currents. The qualitative analysis found that five factors triggered the motivational currents in the participants: Emergent opportunities, negative emotion, moments of realization/awakening, new information, and meeting others who shared the goal. The study also revealed two main conditions necessary for a DMC to begin: Goal/ambitions and perceived feasibility. The final section of this paper presents practical implications of the current findings in relation to how second language teachers and educators might benefit from the findings to help incite motivational surges in their language learners.
Genome of alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF 4 reveals adaptations

Benjamin Janto,1 Azad Ahmed,1 Masahiro Ito,2 Jun Liu,3 David B. Hicks,3 Sarah Pagni,3 Oliver J. Fackelmayer,3 Terry-Ann Smith,3 Joshua Earl,1 Liam D.H. Elbourne,4 Karl Hassan,4 Ian T. Paulsen,4 Anne-Brit Kolstø,5 Nicolas J. Tourasse,6 Garth D. Ehrlich,1 Robert Boissy,1 D. Mack Ivey,7 Gang Li,8 Yanfen Xue,8 Yanhe Ma,8 Fen Z. Hu1* and Terry A. Krulwich3* Allegheny General Hospital, Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, Center for Genomic Sciences and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Allegheny Campus, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA. Graduate School of Life Sciences, Toyo University, Ora-gun, Gunma 374-0193, Japan. Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia. Laboratory for Microbial Dynamics and Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern 0316 Oslo, Norway. Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 7270, USA. Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
CLSI broth microdilution for determining b-lactam antimicrobial susceptibility in Haemophilus influenzae

1. Thamlikitkul V, Tiengrim S. Effect of different Mueller– Hinton agars on tigecycline disc diffusion susceptibility for Acinetobacter spp. J Antimicrob Chemother 2008; 62: 847–848. 2. Tiengrim S, Tribuddharat C, Thamlikitkul V. In vitro activity of tigecycline against clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Siriraj Hospital, Thailand. J Med Assoc Thai 2006; 89 Suppl 5: S102–5. 3. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk Susceptibility Tests: Approved Standard M2-A9, 9th edn. CLSI, Wayne, PA, USA, 2006. 4. Jones RN, Ferraro MJ, Reller LB et al. Multicenter studies of tigecycline disk diffusion susceptibility results for Acinetobacter spp. J Clin Microbiol 2007; 45: 227–30. 5. Schafer JJ, Goff DA, Stevenson KB et al. Early experience with tigecycline for ventilator-associated pneumonia and bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Pharmacotherapy 2007; 27: 980–7.
Teacher Education in Italy, Germany, England, Sweden and Finland

This article presents a brief analysis of teacher education in five European countries: Italy, Germany, England, Sweden and Finland. In the post-industrial world, the sense of teaching has profoundly changed, influenced by a rapidly evolving socio-economic context. The responses given by each country are different, but two tendencies emerge: on the one hand, the English model, which seeks to make a teacher a faithful executor with regard to centrally decided learning objectives; on the other, the Nordic model that conceives the teacher as a ‘fully-fledged’ professional. From the point of view of the sustainability and of the safeguard of the educative mission of the school, the second model, though with all the difficulties that its efficacious realisation entails, presents some advantages when compared to the first. The article concludes with some considerations on the need to conceive the reform of teacher education from a systemic point of view, in the context of a global change of national school systems, where the autonomy of the single schools plays a role of paramount importance.
OPTIMAL VELOCITY PROFILES FOR VAULT

The aim of this study was to determine which kinematic characteristics may be used as a performance indicator(s) for vault. Over 600 vaults (299 men and 216 Women, see Table 1) were recorded and analyzed using footage of 3 high-speed cameras taken at the 2010 Rotterdam Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The kinematics were correlated with the judge’s outcome score: type of vault, difficulty and final score. The correlation coefficients between velocity at takeoff and final judges’ scores were r = 0.60 for men and r = 0.52 for women.
Responses in a Canine Model Ticagrelor Inhibits Adenosine Uptake In Vitro and Enhances Adenosine-Mediated Hyperemia

Aims: A routine secondary pharmacology screen indicated that reversibly binding oral P2Y12 receptor antagonist ticagrelor could inhibit adenosine uptake in human erythrocytes, suggesting that ticagrelor may potentiate adenosine-mediated responses in vivo. The aim of this study was to further characterize the adenosine uptake inhibition in vitro and study possible physiological consequences of adenosine uptake inhibition by ticagrelor in an anesthetized dog model of coronary blood flow compared to dipyridamole. Methods and Results: We measured [2-3H]adenosine uptake in purified human erythrocytes and several cell lines in the presence of ticagrelor or the known uptake inhibitor dipyridamole as a comparator. Using an open-chest dog model (beagles), we measured the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery blood flow during reactive hyperemia after 1 minute occlusion or intracoronary infusion of adenosine before and after administration of vehicle, ticagrelor, or dipyridamole (each n1⁄4 8). Ticagrelor concentration-dependently inhibited adenosine uptake in human erythrocytes and in cell lines of rat, canine, or human origin. In the dog model, ticagrelor and dipyridamole dose-dependently augmented reactive hyperemia after LAD occlusion, as assessed by percentage repayment of flow debt relative to control (both Ps < .05). Ticagrelor and dipyridamole also dose-dependently augmented intracoronary adenosine-induced increases in LAD blood flow relative to control (both Ps < .05). Conclusion: Ticagrelor inhibits adenosine uptake in vitro and subsequently augments cardiac blood flow in a canine model of reactive hypoxiaor adenosine-induced blood flow increases. These findings suggest that ticagrelor may have additional benefits in patients with acute coronary syndrome beyond inhibition of platelet aggregation.
Chronosequence studies of ecosystem development of Leymus arenarius dunes in Iceland

Initial soil development and enhanced nutrient retention are often important underlying environmental factors during primary succession. We quantified the accumulation rates of nitrogen (N) and soil organic matter (SOM) in a 37year-long chronosequence of Leymus arenariusdunes on the pristine volcanic island Surtsey in order to illuminate the spatiotemporal patterns in their build-up. The L ymusdune area, volume and height grew exponentially over time. Aboveground plant biomass, cover or number of shoots per unit area did not change significantly with time, but root biomass accumulated with time, giving a root / shoot ratio of 19. The dunes accumulated on average 6.6 kg N ha −1 year−1, which was 3.5 times more than is received annually by atmospheric deposition. The extensive root system of Leymusseems to effectively retain and accumulate a large part of the annual N deposition, not only deposition directly on the dunes but also from the adjacent unvegetated areas. SOM per unit area increased exponentially with dune age, but the accumulation of roots, aboveground biomass and SOM was more strongly linked to soil N than time: a 1 g m −2 increase in soil N led on average to a 6 kg C m −2 increase in biomass and SOM. The Leymusdunes, where most of the N has been accumulated, will therefore probably act as hot spots for further primary succession of flora and fauna on the tephra sands of Surtsey.
placebo-controlled trials Amantadine for olanzapine-induced weight gain : a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized

Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of amantadine for the treatment of olanzapine-induced weight gain. Methods: Studies were identified using online searches of PUBMED/MEDLINE and Cochrane database (CENTRAL), along with websites recording trial information such as ClinicalTrials. gov, Controlled-trials.com, and Clinicalstudyresults.org. Study eligibility criteria included randomized, double-blind clinical trials comparing amantadine with placebo for olanzapineinduced weight gain with body weight as an outcome measure and study duration of at least 12 weeks. The methodological quality of included trials was assessed using the Jadad Scale. Separate meta-analyses were undertaken for each outcome (body weight and frequency of weight loss >7%) and treatment effects were expressed as weighted mean differences (WMD) and Mantel–Haenszel odds ratio for continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. Results: A systematic review of literature revealed six studies that had assessed amantadine for olanzapine-induced weight gain. Of these, two studies (n = 144) met the review inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Meta-analysis was performed to see the effect size of the treatment on body weight and frequency of body weight loss >7%. For body weight change, WMD was –1.85 (95% confidence interval [CI] –3.31 to –0.39) kg with amantadine as compared with placebo; the overall effect was statistically significant (p = 0.01). For frequency of body weight loss >7%, Mantel–Haenszel odds ratio for weight loss was 3.72 (95% CI 1.19–11.62), favoring amantadine as compared with placebo, and the overall effect was significant (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Existing data is limited to two studies, which support the efficacy of amantadine for olanzapine-induced weight gain and a significant proportion of patients might lose weight with amantadine compared with placebo.
Pulmonary , gastrointestinal and urogenital pharmacology Effect of diethylcarbamazine on chronic hepatic inflammation induced by alcohol in C 57 BL / 6 mice

Some pharmacological studies showed that diethylcarbamazine (DEC) interferes with the arachidonic acid metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory drug. The chronic alcohol consumption activates the hepatic inflammatory response associated to T-cell activation and overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The present work analyzed the anti-inflammatory effect of DEC on hepatic cells of alcoholic mice. Thirty-two male C57BL/6 mice were equally divided in the following groups: (a) control group (C), which received only water, (b) DEC-treated group, which received 50 mg/kg for 12 day (DEC50), (c) the alcoholic group (EtOH), submitted to only alcohol and (d) the alcohol-DEC treated group (EtOH50), submitted to alcohol plus DEC treatment after the induction of chronic alcoholism for 5 weeks. Biochemical analyses were performed and liver fragments were processed for light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemical and western blot. The level of AST increased significantly in alcoholic group whereas a significant reduction of serum AST was detected in the EtOH50 group. Histological and ultrastructural analysis of alcoholic group showed evident hepatocellular damage, which was strikingly reduced in the alcoholic DEC-treated group. Immunohistochemistry results revealed highly expression of inflammatory markers as MDA, NF-kB, TNF-a, IL-6, VCAM and ICAM by the hepatic cells of the EtOH group; however no immunoreactivity for any of these cytokines was detected after DEC treatment. Western blot analyses showed increased MCP-1 and iNOS expression in EtOH group, which was significantly inhibited by DEC treatment. According to the present results, DEC can be a potential drug for the treatment of chronic inflammation induced by chronic alcoholism. & 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An Isomorphism between Asset Pricing Models with and Without Linear Habit Formation

We show an isomorphism between optimal portfolio selection or competitive equilibrium models with utilities incorporating linear habit formation, and corresponding models without habit formation. The isomorphism can be used to mechanically transform known solutions not involving habit formation to corresponding solutions with habit formation. For example, the Constantinides (1990) and Ingersoll (1992) solutions are mechanically obtained from the familiar Merton solutions for the additive utility case, without recourse to a Bellman equation or first-order conditions. More generally, recent solutions to portfolio selection problems with recursive utility and a stochastic investment opportunity set are readily transformed to novel solutions of corresponding problems with utility that combines recursivity with habit formation. The methodology also applies in the context of Hindy--Huang--Kreps (1992) preferences, where our isomorphism shows that the solution obtained by Hindy and Huang (1993) can be mechanically transformed to Dybvig's (1995) solution to the optimal consumption-investment problem with consumption ratcheting. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.