Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epilepsia partialis continua in Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Objectives– We describe a patient with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) with epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) and complex partial seizures. Material, methods and results– The patient presented with semi‐rhythmic jerking movements of the right upper extremity. Serial EEG findings showed progressive changes with initial periodic lateralizing epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) on the left hemisphere which evolved into more generalized periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWCs) at later stage. Video‐EEG monitoring recorded complex partial seizures originating from the left hemisphere in addition to EPC. Conclusions– A diagnosis of CJD should be considered when a rapidly progressive dementia is accompanied by abnormal movements. EPC, although rare, may present as an initial manifestation of CJD.
Treatment of 283 consecutive patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer using high-dose bolus interleukin 2.

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of treatment using high-dose bolus interleukin 2 (IL-2) in patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING Consecutive series of all patients treated with high-dose IL-2 in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute from September 1985 through December 1992. PATIENTS Two hundred eighty-three patients with metastatic melanoma or metastatic renal cell cancer who had failed standard treatment for their cancers. INTERVENTIONS Patients received IL-2 at a dose of 720,000 IU/kg intravenously every 8 hours for a maximum of 15 doses per cycle. Two cycles constituted a treatment course, and patients with stable or responding disease received additional treatment courses. A total of 447 courses of treatment were administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Regression of measurable tumor, durability of response to treatment, and survival. RESULTS Nine patients (7%) with metastatic melanoma achieved complete regression of all disease and 14 patients (10%) had partial regression. Ten patients (7%) with metastatic renal cell cancer experienced complete regression and 20 patients (13%) had partial regression. Of the 19 patients with complete regression, 15 have remained in complete remission from 7 to 91 months after treatment. Three treatment-related deaths (1.1%) occurred early in this series, but as experience with the administration of this IL-2 regimen increased, no treatment-related deaths occurred in 214 patients treated during the last 5 years of the study. CONCLUSION Biologic therapy with IL-2 can cause significant antitumor effects in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer. Because IL-2 does not have a direct effect on cancer cells but rather mediates its antitumor activity by altering host immune reactions, these data represent the best available evidence that immunologic therapy for cancer can be effective in selected patients.
Impulsivity across the course of bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether abnormalities of impulse control persist across the course of bipolar disorder, thereby representing potential state markers and endophenotypes. METHODS Impulse control of 108 bipolar I manic or mixed patients was measured on three tasks designed to study response inhibition, ability to delay gratification, and attention; namely, a stop signal task, a delayed reward task, and a continuous performance task, respectively. Barrett Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11) scores were also obtained. Patients were then followed for up to one year and reassessed with the same measures if they developed depression or euthymia. Healthy comparison subjects were also assessed with the same instruments on two occasions to assess measurement stability. RESULTS At baseline, bipolar subjects demonstrated significant deficits on all three tasks as compared to healthy subjects, consistent with more impulsive responding in the bipolar manic/mixed group. In general, performance on the three behavioral tasks normalized upon switching to depression or developing euthymia. In contrast, BIS-11 scores were elevated during mania and remained elevated as bipolar subjects developed depression or achieved euthymia. CONCLUSIONS Bipolar I disorder patients demonstrate deficits on laboratory tests of various aspects of impulsivity when manic, as compared to healthy subjects, that largely normalize with recovery and switching into depression. However, elevated BIS-11 scores persist across phases of illness. These findings suggest that impulsivity has both affective-state dependent and trait components in bipolar disorder.
Understanding World Commodity Prices: Returns, Volatility and Diversification

In recent times, the prices of internationally-traded commodities have reached record highs and are expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future. This phenomenon is partially driven by strong demand from a small number of emerging economies, such as China and India. This paper places the recent commodity price boom in historical context, drawing on an investigation of the long-term time-series properties, and presents unique features for 33 individual commodity prices. Using a new methodology for examining cross-sectional variation of commodity returns and its components, we find strong evidence that the prices of world primary commodities are extremely volatile. In addition, prices are roughly 30 percent more volatile under floating than under fixed exchange rate regimes. Finally, using the capital asset pricing model as a loose framework, we find that global macroeconomic risk components have become relatively more important in explaining commodity price volatility.
Nutrient losses by water erosion

Water erosion causes soil degradation, which is closely related to nutrient losses either in, the soluble form or adsorbed to soil particles, depending mainly on the adopted soil management system. This study was carried out in Sao Jose do Cerrito, SC, Brazil, between March 2000 and June 2001. The objective was to quantify available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium losses in water erosion obtained with simulated rainfall in the following soil management systems: conventional tillage with no-crop (bare soil) (BS), conventional tillage with soybean (CT), reduced tillage with soybean (RT), no tillage with soybean on a desiccated and burned natural pasture (DBNP), and no tillage with soybean on a desiccated natural pasture (DNP). A rotating boom rainfall simulator was used to perform three rainfall tests with constant intensity of 64 mm h-1 and sufficient duration to reach constant runoff rate, on a clayey-loam, well-structured Typic Hapludox, with an average slope of 0.18 m m-1. The first test was carried out five days before soybean emergence and the second and third at 30 and 60 days, respectively. The nutrient concentration in water and total losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium were higher under CT than in the other soil management systems.
Contribution of the pAD1-encoded cytolysin to the severity of experimental Enterococcus faecalis endophthalmitis

The contribution of the pAD1-encoded cytolysin to Enterococcus faecalis virulence in an experimental endophthalmitis model was studied by using isogenic strains differing only in the location of transposon Tn917. The course of experimental endophthalmitis in New Zealand White rabbits was evaluated by postoperative reduction in retinal neuroresponsiveness, thin-section histopathology, and transmission electron microscopy. Infections caused by cytolytic E. faecalis resulted in 99% loss of retinal function at postoperative day 3, while isogenic, noncytolytic strains produced reductions of only 74.2%. Light microscopy revealed near-total destruction of retinal architecture at 24 h postinfection with cytolytic E. faecalis, while noncytolytic strains produced few or no destructive changes. Transmission electron microscopy revealed tissue destruction in retinal layers as early as 6 h postinfection with cytolytic E. faecalis. In vivo and in vitro growth rates of cytolytic and noncytolytic E. faecalis showed similar kinetics. These data demonstrate the contribution of the pAD1-encoded cytolysin to both the course and the severity of experimental E. faecalis endophthalmitis.
The Deployment of English Learning Strategies in the CLIL Approach: A Comparison Study of Taiwan and Hong Kong Tertiary Level Contexts

This paper compares and contrasts the English learning strategies used by Chinese speakers under the CLIL approach in two different contexts, Taiwan and Hong Kong. We adopted Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) as our instrument to identify their strategy preferences. The results demonstrate that both Taiwanese and Hong Kong CLIL learners use Language Learning Strategies (LLS) to a medium degree, but the former deploy LLS more frequently than the latter. Taiwanese learners tend to use indirect strategies more often than direct strategies, completely opposite to their Hong Kong counterparts. The rankings of the LLS preferences of the two groups also differ. Their preferences differ from the common assumption that Chinese-speaking learners rely more on memory strategies due to the traditional rote learning style. The Taiwan group shows many significant intra-group variations among the gender, discipline, and English level variables. In contrast, the Hong Kong group exhibits less variance between these variables. Finally, it was found that the employment of 27 strategies out of 50 (54%) demonstrated significant differences between the two contexts. Offering bridging courses in ESP or EAP to scaffold learners with specific language knowledge before mastering the subject matter is recommended in the EFL contexts where CLIL will be implemented.
Increased serum osteoprotegerin values in long-lived subjects: different effects of inflammation and bone metabolism.

AIM To evaluate serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentrations in relation to age-dependent changes in serum markers of bone metabolism and systemic inflammation. METHODS Two-hundred and eighty-three healthy subjects were evaluated for plasma estimated creatinine clearance (Cr-clearance), C-reactive protein (CRP), bone alkaline phosphatase, C-telopeptides of type-1 collagen (CrossLaps), nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and OPG concentrations. RESULTS In adult subjects (82 cases aged between 27 and 64 years) serum OPG concentrations were significantly and independently correlated with RANKL and Cr-clearance (R(2): 0.29), but not with CRP and biochemical markers of bone metabolism. In old subjects who were between 65 and 84 years of age (52 cases) serum OPG concentrations were significantly higher as compared with the adult subjects and correlated independently and significantly with serum RANKL, Cr-clearance and CrossLaps values (R(2): 0.63). The highest OPG values were found in the long-lived subjects (149 cases with ages between 85 and 110 years) who also showed increased serum CrossLaps and CRP concentrations as compared with the younger subjects. However, in the long-lived subjects serum OPG concentrations were significantly and independently correlated with Cr-clearance and CRP (R(2): 0.45) but not with CrossLaps values. CONCLUSIONS These data would suggest that different factors might be responsible for the age-dependent enhancement of OPG production. Bone metabolism would seem to be the most important factor influencing serum OPG concentrations in old subjects under 85 years of age, whereas in long-lived subjects the circulating values of this cytokine seem to be mainly correlated with serum CRP which could be a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular risk.
Brucellosis: serological methods compared

SUMMARY At least 12 persons contracted clinical, and 4 persons subclinical Brucella melitensis infection during a brucellosis epidemic in the spring and summer of 1983 in Southern Germany, a region which had been free of this disease for the past 20 years. All cases of illness were traced to one infected herd of sheep. The presence of antibodies against B. melitensis was examined in 72 sera of infected patients using the following tests: agglutination, Coomb's test, two complement fixation tests with different antigen preparations (CFT 1 and 2), IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and opsonophagocytosis; and the occurrence of cross-reacting antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitca O9 was investigated in the agglutination and complement fixation tests. Sera from 100 blood donors and 112 other people with close contact with sheep were also examined. The results revealed the need to consider an intermediate range in the interpretation of ELISA results – due to elevated values of persons in groups at risk but without clinical signs of illness. In all other tests, however, such persons revealed the same cut-off levels as the general population. Results from all initial sera of infected persons revealed titres of optical densities above the baseline levels determined in the present study, with the exception of the Coomb's and CFT 2 tests. The agglutination test, but not brucella CFT2, revealed complete cross-reactivity between Y. enterocolitica O9 and B. melitensis. ELISA stood out as the only test which is suited to diagnosis of both recent and past infection, since ELISA IgM determination permits conclusions about the time of the onset of illness, and determination of IgG may still yield values above the cut-off level up to G23 days after the onset of illness. In 2 of the 1G infected persons, IgG ELISA was the only test revealing previous infection 424 and 528 days after the onset of illness. A procedural scheme is presented which may help to simplify the diagnosis of brucellosis.
Lender Trust and Bank Loan Contracts

We examine the contractual implications of lender trust in bank loan contracts. We measure a lender’s trust using the average trust attitudes in the ancestral country of origin of its CEO. We find that banks with trusting CEOs charge lower loan rates. Furthermore, trusting lenders sanction borrowers more severely following breaches of trust. The results are identified within the same lender-borrower relationships and are robust to controlling for borrower trustworthiness. Overall, our results are consistent with CEOs setting the tone at the top and point to the role of trust as an informal contracting mechanism that mitigates information asymmetry problems.
Analysis and correction of biases in cross‐relaxation MRI due to biexponential longitudinal relaxation

Cross‐relaxation imaging (CRI) is a family of quantitative magnetization transfer techniques that utilize images obtained with off‐resonance saturation and longitudinal relaxation rate (R1) maps reconstructed by the variable flip angle (VFA) method. It was demonstrated recently that a significant bias in an apparent VFA R1 estimation occurs in macromolecule‐rich tissues due to magnetization transfer (MT)‐induced biexponential behavior of longitudinal relaxation of water protons. The purpose of this article is to characterize theoretically and experimentally the resulting bias in the CRI maps and propose methods to correct it.
The effect of outlet fixation on tunnel widening.

PURPOSE To compare the development of tibial tunnel widening after a standard bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft (BPTB) to a flipped BPTB that allows interference screw outlet fixation with a bone plug at both femoral and tibial tunnels, and to identify any observable clinical effect. The hypothesis of this study was that the outlet fixation achieved by the flipped BPTB technique results in diminished tunnel widening at the site of the bone plug. Type TYPE OF STUDY Nonrandomized control trial. METHODS The postoperative radiographs of 67 BPTB anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions were retrospectively reviewed; 31 had conventional BPTBs and 36 had the bone plugs flipped at the tibial end to achieve interference screw fixation of the bone plug at the tibial outlet as well as the femoral outlet. Biodegradable interference screws (PLLA) were used in all cases, which facilitated tunnel measurements. One week after surgery, the maximal tibial bone tunnel widths were measured on anteroposterior and lateral radiographs 1 cm below the tibial plateau. These initial postoperative measurements were compared with measurement from radiographs taken annually thereafter. Clinical information including Lysholm, Tegner, IKDC activity, Lachman, pivot-shift, and range of motion data was also obtained and compared for the 2 groups. RESULTS In the conventional BPTB group, at an average follow-up of 28 months, 28 of 31 (90%) showed at least a 2-mm increase (20%) in the tibial tunnel width. The mean maximum tunnel width increase was 2.2 mm. In the flipped BPTB group, at an average follow-up of 31 months, none of these 36 showed any increase in tunnel size. In fact, 15 patients had no distinct tibial tunnel remaining and, of the other 21, the average remaining tunnel width was 3 mm. The clinical results evaluating the Tegner, Lysholm, IKDC activity levels, KT, and physical examination parameters showed no significant differences between these 2 groups. The tunnel width decreased during the first year, but remained unchanged after 12 months. No tunnel dilation was observed with bone plug outlet fixation while 90% of the conventional group had at least a 20% increase (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS Outlet fixation with the flipped BPTB technique decreased the tibial tunnel width 1 cm below the plateau while 90% of the conventional BPTB patients demonstrated an average widening of 20%.
Owls and rabbits: predation against substandard individuals of an easy prey

The interactions among the multiple factors regulating predator-prey relationships make predation a more complex process than previously thought. The degree to which substandard individuals are captured disproportionately seems to be better a function of the difficulty of prey capture than of the hunting techniques (coursing vs. ambushing predators). That is, when the capture and killing of a prey species is easy, substandard individuals will be predated in proportion to their occurrence in the prey population. In the present study, we made use of eagle owls Bubo bubo and their main prey, the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus: (a) the brightness of the white tails of rabbits seems to be correlated with the physical condition of individuals, (b) by using the tails of predated rabbits as an index of individual condition, we found that eagle owls seem to prefer substandard individuals (characterized by duller tails), and (c) by using information from continuous radiotracking of 14 individuals, we suggest that the difficulty of rabbit capture could be low. Although the relative benefits of preying on substandard individuals should considerably decrease when a predator is attacking an easy prey, we hypothesise that the eagle owl preference for substandard individuals could be due to the easy detection of poor individuals by a visual cue, the brightness of the rabbit tail. Several elements allow us to believe that this form of visual communication between a prey and one of its main predators could be more widespread than previously thought. In fact: (a) visual signalling plays a relevant role in intraspecific communication in eagle owls and, consequently, visual signals could also play a role in interspecific interactions, and (b) empirical studies showed that signals may inform the predator that it has been perceived, or that the prey is in a sufficiently healthy state to elude the predator.
Excess Autocorrelation and Mutual Fund Performance

Informed institutional investors strategic stealth trading has been argued to induce positive autocorrelation in their portfolio returns. Conversely, can one make use of the degree of portfolio return autocorrelation to infer relatively informed/skillful institutional investors? We propose an autocorrelation-based measure of mutual fund portfolio returns, termed the excess autocorrelation the difference between the autocorrelation of actual fund portfolio return and that of the return on a portfolio that invests in the previously disclosed fund holdings. We document that funds with high excess autocorrelation persistently create value. Our main result shows that the excess autocorrelation predicts fund performance.
Peran Pemerintahan Desa terhadap Pembangunan Perekonomian melalui Badan USAha Milik Desa (Bumdes) Mitra USAha Mulya di Desa Marga Mulya Kecamatan Rambah Samo Kabupaten Rokan Hulu Tahun 2014 – 2015

In the village of Marga Mulya District of Rokan Hulu Rambah Samo doing rural development through several activities, such as improving the environment and housing, development of rural economic enterprises, the development of rural financial institutions, as well as activities that can improve the ability of communities to increase their production. Pemerdayaan community is an starategi committed to independence by the socio-economic in the long run. The role of village government should be able to perform tasks empower rural communities. To get the data and information depth interviews to the village and villagers. Informants were selected based sampling nonprobabilitiy by purposive sampling that only people who are experts and understand the phenomena that occur. The results showed that the role of Village Government's role in economic development through BUMDes very dominant in the formation and development BUMDes, Village Government be responsible for any positions each - each. Factors that become an obstacle in pursuing Economic Development Rural Marga Mulya through BUMDes in Rokan Hulu namely: Structuring village institutions has not run optimally so BUMDes is not yet institutionalized in the form of governance and rural economies, limited capacity of human resources in villages to manage and BUMDes develop accountable and well-performing, low local initiatives to drive local economic potential for the improvement of social and economic welfare of the villagers and the village government's lack of responsiveness to make BUMDes as a flagship program to empower rural and community welfare.
Cold chain management: An assessment of knowledge and attitude of health workers in primary health-care facilities in Edo State Nigeria

Background: The use of vaccination to prevent diseases is the greatest public health success of the last century. Due to the sensitive and labile nature of vaccines, appropriate measures need to be put in place to ensure that vaccines remain potent from point of manufacture to administration. Adequate knowledge of cold chain management by health workers is necessary to manage vaccines appropriately and efficiently to ensure the vaccines remain potent. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude toward cold chain management among health workers in primary health-care (PHC) facilities in Benin City, Edo State. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study among health workers working in PHC facilities offering immunization services in Benin City. The participants were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using pretested structured self-administered questionnaires and data analysis was by IBM SPSS (IBM Corp, Armonk, New York, United States) version 21.0. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Of the 425 respondents who participated in the study, 272 (64.0%) had poor knowledge while 396 (93.2%) had positive attitude toward cold chain management. Determinants of knowledge were cold chain management training (P = 0.018), presence of functional refrigerators (P = 0.011), and National Programme on Immunization supervision (P < 0.001). Determinants of attitude were level of education (P = 0.005) and knowledge of cold chain management (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The study showed a gap in knowledge and good attitude toward cold chain management among the respondents. All stakeholders should ensure collective effort in improving the knowledge and attitude of health workers toward cold chain management.