Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agomelatine prevents relapse in generalized anxiety disorder: a 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled discontinuation study.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of agomelatine in the prevention of relapse in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHOD Patients with GAD (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HARS] ≥ 22, with items 1 and 2 ≥ 2, item 1 + 2 ≥ 5; Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS] ≤ 16; and < 20% decrease in HARS total score between screening and baseline) who responded to a 16-week course of agomelatine 25-50 mg/d treatment were randomly assigned to receive continuation treatment with agomelatine (n = 113) or placebo (n = 114) for 26 weeks. The main outcome measure was time to relapse during this maintenance period. The estimated risk of relapse was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and groups were compared using a log-rank test stratified for country. The study was undertaken in 31 clinical centers in Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden from November 2007 to September 2009. RESULTS During the 6-month maintenance period, the proportion of patients that relapsed during the double-blind period in the agomelatine group (22 patients, 19.5%) was lower than in the placebo group (35 patients, 30.7%). The risk of relapse over time was significantly lower for patients who continued treatment than for those switched to placebo (P = .046, log-rank test stratified for country). Agomelatine was also superior to placebo in preventing relapse in the subset of more severe patients with baseline HARS total score ≥ 25 and CGI-S score ≥ 5. The tolerability of agomelatine was good throughout the study, and there were no differences in discontinuation symptoms after withdrawal of agomelatine in comparison to maintenance on agomelatine. CONCLUSIONS The present study extends the positive findings of an earlier short-term study of agomelatine in GAD, demonstrating that agomelatine is effective and well-tolerated in the longer-term treatment of this chronic disorder. TRIAL REGISTRATION www.isrctn. org identifier: ISRCTN38094599.
Changes in motor cortex neural discharge associated with the development of cerebellar limb ataxia.

1. The relation between changes in motor cortex neural (MCN) discharge and the development of limb ataxia during cerebellar dysfunction was studied in 4 Cebus monkeys. Elbow movements with decreased accelerations or with tremor were produced by reversible cerebellar nuclear cooling. Discharge from 160 neurons was analyzed in detail. 2. During cerebellar cooling 37 of 80 neurons that discharged before movement onset decreased their phasic, but not their tonic, activity. This could not be explained by decreased peak velocities during cerebellar cooling. It is suggested that this decreased phasic discharge is related to the less abrupt onset and smaller magnitude of agonist EMG activity, and to the decreased initial accelerations, without decreased peak velocities, observed in limb movements during cerebellar dysfunction. This view implies that the cerebellum is involved in some way in the generation of commands to agonist alpha-motoneurons. 3. No evidence was found that 3- to 4-Hz cerebellar intention tremor is driven by a purely central oscillator. All 28 neurons that discharged strongly in relation to cerebellar tremor in movements responded strongly and reciprocally to limb perturbations. 4. A number of changes were observed during cerebellar nuclear cooling in kinematically related neural discharge associated with disordered elbow movements: an increase in discharge of some velocity- and acceleration-like neurons, a decrease in (reciprocal) inhibition, and a shift from an acceleration-like to a velocity-like discharge in some neurons. 5. Fourteen of 29 neurons with muscle-like discharge patterns discharged in a servoassistance-like manner during cerebellar dysfunction that was consistent with them contributing to tremor. 6. The results indicate that a variety of disorders, i.e., in the generation of central commands that initiate movements and in the regulation of the gain and phase of proprioceptive feedback, contribute to the development of limb ataxia during cerebellar dysfunction.
Topical aminocaproic acid in the treatment of traumatic hyphema.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether topically applied aminocaproic acid, like systemic aminocaproic acid, effectively reduces secondary hemorrhage after hyphemas and to compare the safety and effectiveness of topical application with those of systemic use and a control group. DESIGN A prospective, randomized, double-masked, multicenter study. PATIENTS Sixty-four patients with traumatic hyphema treated with topical or systemic aminocaproic acid and compared with 54 control patients with hyphema. Daily slitlamp examinations for hyphema grading and corneal clarity, initial and final visual acuity, applanation tonometry, and fundus indirect ophthalmoscopy were studied. Follow-up was 6 months to 5 1/2 years (mean, 2.96 years). RESULTS Compared with the control group, topical and systemic aminocaproic acid was statistically significant in preventing secondary hemorrhage. Only 3% (2/64) of the patients who received topical or systemic aminocaproic acid had secondary hemorrhage compared with 22% (12/54) of the control group (P = .002). Final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 30 patients (86%) in the topical group compared with 23 patients (43%) in the control group (P < .001). Final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 20 patients (69%) in the systemic aminocaproic acid group compared with 23 patients (43%) in the control group (P = .04). The topical aminocaproic acid group had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better in 86% of patients, compared with 69% of patients in the systemic group. CONCLUSIONS Topical aminocaproic acid appears to be a safe, effective treatment to prevent secondary hemorrhage in traumatic hyphema. It is as effective as systemic aminocaproic acid in reducing secondary hemorrhage. No systemic side effects were observed with topical use. Topical aminocaproic acid provides an effective out-patient treatment for traumatic hyphemas.
Stress of Conscience among psychiatric nursing staff in relation to environmental and individual factors

The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between environmental and individual factors and Stress of Conscience among nursing staff in psychiatric in-patient care. A questionnaire involving six different instruments measuring Stress of Conscience, the ward atmosphere, the psychosocial work environment, Perceived Stress, Moral Sensitivity, and Mastery was answered by 93 nursing staff at 12 psychiatric in-patient wards in Sweden. The findings showed that Sense of Moral Burden, Mastery, Control at Work and Angry and Aggressive Behavior were related to Stress of Conscience. We conclude that Mastery and Control at Work seemed to work as protective factors, while Sense of Moral Burden and perceptions of Angry and Aggressive Behavior made the nursing staff more vulnerable to Stress of Conscience. Future research should investigate whether measures to increase the level of perceived control and being part of decision making will decrease the level of Stress of Conscience among the staff.
A new approach to interpreting late Pleistocene microlith industries in southwest Asia

Archaeologists have long assumed that morphological variability in microliths primarily reflects cultural differences among the makers. This forms the basis for differentiating major cultural/temporal traditions in the late Epipalaeolithic of southwest Asia. An alternative explanation for morphological variability is proposed which emphasizes the dynamic aspects of lithic technology in hunter-gatherer societies and questions current explanations of culture change.
Children of the Street : A re-interpretation based on evidence from Durban , South Africa

Much of the research to date on street children has taken the form of largely quantitative surveys which have sought to establish numbers of street children, the reasons for their presence on the streets, their demographic and household characteristics, and their survival and criminal activities. A constant temptation in broadly quantitative research of this nature is to formulate a ‘composite profile’ of street children. Taçon (1991), for example, formulated such a profile of a ‘typical Namibian street child’ who would most likely:
Neuroleptic-Induced Tardive Cervical Dystonia: Clinical Series of 20 Patients

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) may be classified according to the underlying cause into primary or secondary CD. Previous exposure to neuroleptics is one of the main causes of adult-onset secondary dystonia. There are few reports that characterize the clinical features of primary CD and secondary neuroleptic-induced CD. Herein our aim was to investigate a series of patients with neuroleptic induced tardive CD and to describe their clinical and demographic features. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 20 patients with neuroleptic-induced tardive CD and compared clinical, demographic and therapeutic characteristics to another 77 patients with primary CD. All patients underwent Botulinum toxin type-A therapy. Results: We did not identify any relevant clinical and demographic characteristics in our group of patients that could be used to distinguish tardive and primary CD. Conclusion: Patients with tardive CD presented demographic characteristics and disease course similar to those with primary CD.
Association of frequent consumption of fatty fish with prostate cancer risk is modified by COX‐2 polymorphism

Dietary intake of marine fatty acids from fish may protect against prostate cancer development. We studied this association and whether it is modified by genetic variation in cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2, a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism and inflammation. We assessed dietary intake of fish among 1,499 incident prostate cancer cases and 1,130 population controls in Sweden. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and genotyped in available blood samples for 1,378 cases and 782 controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by multivariate logistic regression. Multiplicative and additive interactions between fish intake and COX‐2 SNPs on prostate cancer risk were evaluated. Eating fatty fish (e.g., salmon‐type fish) once or more per week, compared to never, was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.43–0.76). The OR comparing the highest to the lowest quartile of marine fatty acids intake was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.51–0.97). We found a significant interaction (p < 0.001) between salmon‐type fish intake and a SNP in the COX‐2 gene (rs5275: +6365 T/C), but not with the 4 other SNPs examined. We found strong inverse associations with increasing intake of salmon‐type fish among carriers of the variant allele (OR for once per week or more vs. never = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.18–0.45; ptrend < 0.01), but no association among carriers of the more common allele. Frequent consumption of fatty fish and marine fatty acids appears to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and this association is modified by genetic variation in the COX‐2 gene. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Global pathways. Working class cosmopolitans and the creation of transnational ethnic worlds

The current interest in new diasporas and globalisation processes raises the question of what a transnational subjectivity might be like? What does it mean to be, in some sense or other, at home in the world? The present article responds to debates on cosmopolitans and transnationals, hybridity and globalisation through a consideration of the transnational world created by south Asian migrants. It argues that labour migration forges global pathways, routes along which people, goods, places and ideas travel. The need is, the article argues, to recognise the class dimensions of this movement and the significance of both strong and weak ties in determining emergent forms of cultural transnationalism and cosmopolitanism. The ethnic and religious worlds discussed in the paper – of Pakistani Muslim religious sufis and working class Pakistani ‘cosmopolitans’ – cut across national boundaries and are centred beyond Europe. The global highways along which Pakistani labour migrants travel also carry goods, brides and tourists. Like the Melanesians of whom Strathern writes that they make places and sentiments ‘travel’, Pakistani migration involves the metonymic movement of ceremonial objects such as food, clothing, cosmetics and jewellery which personify moral ‘places’. And it is through these that new global ethnic social worlds are constituted. Global families and trans-national marriages reconfigure the local through global connections, while still being marked by economic class and status.
Simulation of Molecular Distillation Process for Lactic Acid

In this work, a procedure to simulate the MD (molecular distillation) process for lactic acid purification was developed. The simulation was carried out with the aid of the Aspen Plus Process Simulator. Flash vessel was used to represent the MD process since the software does not present this unit operation. The simulation results with efficiency factors were in agreement with previously reported experimental data.
Fully electronically programmable complex filter for multistandard applications

This work presents an improved design of the current amplifier based optimal complex filter providing fully electronically programmable characteristics. It extends the tuning features to include the pole frequency and the gain in addition to the center frequency. The new solution avoids the employment of capacitor and/or resistor banks leading to a more compact design solution while maintaining comparable power consumption. Simulation results obtained from a 0. 18μm standard CMOS process show that the proposed design can be used to accommodate several short range communication applications such as Bluetooth and ZigBee, as well as several mobile TV standards such as Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) and Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB). Performance characteristics of proposed design in terms of dynamic range and image rejection ratios are also provided.
Multiple sclerosis in India: An overview

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is being increasingly diagnosed in India mainly due to increase in the number of practicing neurologists and easy and affordable availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The clinical features and course are largely similar to those seen in the West. The term optico-spinal MS (Asian MS) was coined in the pre-MRI days. Many such patients turn out to be cases of neuromyelitis optica - a distinct disorder and not a variant of MS. Others have shown the classical features of MS on MRI scan. Several of the disease-modifying agents, not all, are now available in India. Their use, however, has been limited in view of the high cost.
MYELOID NEOPLASIA Loss of Asxl 1 leads to myelodysplastic syndrome – like disease in mice

Department of Pediatrics, and Herman B. Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN; Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL; Department of Biostatistics, and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; and Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine,
Acute Ablation of Survivin Uncovers p53-dependent Mitotic Checkpoint Functions and Control of Mitochondrial Apoptosis*

Survivin is a member of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis gene family that has been implicated in cell division and suppression of apoptosis. Here, we show that preferential ablation of the nuclear pool of survivin by RNA interference produces a mitotic arrest followed by re-entry into the cell cycle and polyploidy. Survivin ablation causes multiple centrosomal defects, aberrant multipolar spindle formation, and chromatin missegregation, and these phenotypes are exacerbated by loss of the cell cycle regulator, p21Waf1/Cip1 in p21-/- cells. The mitotic checkpoint activated by loss of survivin is mediated by induction of p53 and associated with increased expression of its downstream target, p21Waf1/Cip1. Accordingly, p53-/- cells exhibit reduced mitotic arrest and enhanced polyploidy upon survivin ablation as compared with their p53+/+ counterparts. Partial reduction of the cytosolic pool of survivin by RNA interference sensitizes cells to ultraviolet B-mediated apoptosis and results in enhanced caspase-9 proteolytic cleavage, whereas complete ablation of cytosolic survivin causes loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and spontaneous apoptosis. These data demonstrate that survivin has separable checkpoint functions at multiple phases of mitosis and in the control of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis.
Exercise-Induced Deep Vein Thrombosis of the Upper Extremity

Paget-Schroetter syndrome or effort-related upper extremity deep vein thrombosis is a rare condition that usually afflicts young healthy individuals, most commonly males. The cause is multifactorial but almost always involves extrinsic compression of the subclavian vein at the thoracic inlet, causing venous stenosis from repetitive trauma. The diagnosis of this condition may be difficult, and its delay may contribute to potential complications including thrombosis progression, pulmonary embolism, thrombosis recurrence, and post-thrombotic syndrome. Similarly, the best therapeutic option has not been established and in the lack of evidence-based guidelines, treatment may be extremely challenging especially in children, in whom long-term complications can be particularly disabling.
Evaluation of finger position estimation with a small ranging sensor array

We implemented the input interface named 'Novest' which can estimate the finger position and classify the finger state (out-of-range/hovering/touching) on the back of a hand with a small ranging sensor array attached on the side of a smartwatch, each of the small ranging sensors gets distance data and strength of signal data. With a prototype of Novest, we conducted the first evaluation to assess the basic performance. In this paper, we conducted the formal user study with two different conditions: the sitting/standing conditions to evaluate the practical performance of Novest as an input interface. The results show that the finger position estimation accuracies in the sitting and standing conditions are 4.2 mm and 5.0 mm, respectively. Additionally, the finger state classification accuracies with parameters adjusted by grid search in the sitting and standing conditions are 97.2% and 97.9%, respectively.
Optimization Design of Coupling Beam Metal Damper in Shear Wall Structures

The coupling beam damper is a fundamental energy dissipation component in coupling shear wall structures that directly influences the performance of the shear wall. Here, we proposed a two-fold design method that can give better energy dissipation performance and hysteretic behavior to coupling beam dampers. First, we devised four in-plane yielding coupling beam dampers that have different opening types but the same amount of total materials. Then the geometry parameters of each opening type were optimized to yield the maximum hysteretic energy. The search for the optimal parameter set was realized by implementing the Kriging surrogate model which iterates randomly selected input shape parameters and the corresponding hysteretic energy calculated by the infinite element method. By comparing the maximum hysteretic energy in all four opening types, one type that had the highest hysteresis energy was selected as the optimized design. This optimized damper has the advantages of having a simple geometry and a high dissipation energy performance. The proposed method also provided a new framework for the design of in-plane coupling beam dampers.
A New Approach For Hand Gestures Recognition Based on Depth Map Captured by RGB-D Camera

We present in this paper a new approach for hand gestures recognition based on depth Map captured by a RGB-D camera like kinect. Although this camera provides two types of information "Depth Map" and "RGB Image", we use only the depth data information to analyze and recognize the hand gestures. Given the complexity of this task, we propose in the first step a new method based on edge detection to eliminate the noise and segment the hand. Then we have introduced new descriptors modeling the hand gesture. These features are invariant to scale, rotation and translation. Our approach has been applied on Alphabet French sign language to show its effectiveness and to evaluate the robustness of the proposed descriptors. The experimental results clearly show that the proposed system is very satisfactory and is able to recognize the French alphabet sign with an accuracy more than 93%. Our approach has been also applied on a public dataset in order to be compared to existing works. The results prove that our system can outperform previous methods using the same database.
Current Applications of 5-ALA in Glioma Diagnostics and Therapy

Gliomas, the most common primary brain tumors, are characterized by rapid proliferation, marked infiltration, and poor prognosis and are known for their dismal outcomes (Iacob & Din‐ ca, 2009; Lefranc et al., 2006). The infiltrative nature of malignant glioma makes complete resec‐ tion difficult, as tumor margins are unclear. Recurrence of glioma takes place within approximately 2 cm of the margins of the resected cavity owing to its invasive character (Aydin et al., 2001; Wallner et al., 1989). The use of fluorescence to delineate tumor margins intraopera‐ tively has emerged as a safe and effective tool for increasing the extent of resection. Therefore, methods that easily detect tumor margins during surgery would be extremely beneficial. 5-ami‐ nolevulinic acid (5-ALA) fluorescence-guided glioma resection is a rapidly growing, novel ap‐ proach to improve the extent of tumor resection with broad applications in both preclinical and clinical settings (Stummer et al., 2000; Stummer et al., 1998b; Stummer et al., 1998c). Intraopera‐ tive tumor fluorescence provided by the chemical compound 5-ALA assists surgeons in identi‐ fying the true tumor margin during resection of glial neoplasms, consequently increasing the extent of the resection. 5-ALA is the most studied fluorescer and has been used in many clinical trials, including a multicenter phase III randomized controlled trial. Recent controlled Phase III clinical trials have demonstrated that this surgical method enables more complete resection of contrast-enhancing lesions than conventional microsurgery and improves progression-free survival in patients with malignant glioma (Pichlmeier et al., 2008; Stummer et al., 2006).
An approach for calculating the limiting bandwidth- reflection coefficient product for microstrip patch antennas

The bandwidth of a microstrip patch antenna is expressed in terms of minimum achievable reflection coefficient using an equivalent circuit and the Bode-Fano theory. The bandwidth-reflection coefficient product is found to be proportional to antenna height and largely independent of feed probe position, for small bandwidths. The product can be computed directly from a numerical evaluation of the first-order Bode-Fano integral. Curves are presented showing how the product becomes limited by the feed probe inductance at very large bandwidths. It is concluded that this effect is unlikely to be a limit on the potential bandwidth of a practical patch antenna. If as a minimal correction the feed inductance is tuned out, the realized bandwidth with low order matching or optimal over-coupling shows the expected relationship to the theoretical limit.