Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychology of Computer Use: IX. A Menu of Self-Administered Microcomputer-Based Neurotoxicology Tests

This study examined the feasibility of repeated self-administration of a newly developed battery of mental acuity tests which may have application in screening for fitness-for-duty or for persons who may be exposed to environmental stress, toxic agents, or disease. 16 subjects self-administered 18 microcomputer-based tests (13 new, 5 “core”), without proctors, over 10 sessions. The hardware performed well throughout the study and the tests appeared to be easily self-administered. Stabilities and reliabilities of the tests from the “core” battery were comparable to those obtained previously under more controlled experimental conditions. Eight of the new tests exceeded minimum criteria for metric and practical requirements and can be recommended as additions to the menu. Although the average retest reliability was high, cross-correlations between tests were low, implying factorial diversity. The menu can be used to form batteries with flexible total testing time which are likely to tap different mental processes and functions.
The Effect of 16-Week Plyometric Training on Explosive Actions in Early to Mid-Puberty Elite Soccer Players

Abstract Söhnlein, Q, Müller, E, and Stöggl, TL. The effect of 16-week plyometric training on explosive actions in early to mid-puberty elite soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 28(8): 2105–2114, 2014—Plyometric training (PT) programs are widely used to improve explosive actions in soccer players of various ages, although there is debate about optimal training duration and time course of improvement. Twenty-two early to mid-puberty elite soccer players were assigned to a control group (CG, n = 10, regular soccer training) or a plyometric training group (PTG, n = 12, regular soccer training substituted with 2 PT sessions each week). Both groups trained for 16 weeks during the in-season period. Control group performed only tests at baseline and after intervention, whereas PTG performed additional tests after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. During each test, subjects' performances in speed (10 and 30 m; 5 and 20 m), agility, shuttle run, multiple 5 bounds (MB5), and standing long jump (LJ) were recorded. The PTG showed improved performance in 20-m sprint time (−3.2%), agility time (−6.1%), MB5 distance (+11.8%), and LJ distance (+7.3%) (all, p ⩽ 0.05) after 16 weeks. All these improvements were higher compared with CG (all, p ⩽ 0.05). The time course of improvement in the PT group showed that 20-m sprint time improved after 16 weeks (p = 0.012); agility after 4 (p = 0.047) and 8 weeks (p = 0.004) but stopped after 12 weeks (p = 0.007); MB5 after 8 (p = 0.039), 12 (p = 0.028), and 16 weeks (p < 0.001); and LJ improved after 4 (p = 0.045), 12 (p = 0.008), and 16 weeks (p < 0.001). Plyometric training seems to be an appropriate training tool to enhance some but not all explosive actions. The results indicate that the duration of a PT program is highly dependent on what type of explosive actions should be improved, or whether several explosive actions should be improved at the same time.
Clostridium Difficile–Associated Diarrhea in a Tertiary Care Medical Center

This retrospective, case-control study aimed to identify variables associated with the incidence of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD) in acute care facilities and to specifically identify the relationship of fluoroquinolones and acid suppressive agents in the development of CDAD. Seventy-one symptomatic patients positive for C. difficile toxin A or B hospitalized for at least 72 hours were compared with 142 control patients hospitalized for at least 72 hours who were not positive for C. difficile toxin A or B. Two controls were matched to one case patient for age within 5 years, unit of admission, and date of admission. The mean ages for cases and controls were 63.5 and 62.7 years, respectively. After adjusting for two confounding variables—hospital stay within 3 months and Charlson Comorbidity Index—conditional multiple logistic regression identified six risk factors for development of CDAD: gastrointestinal procedures within 60 days (odds ratio [OR] 9.1, P < 0.013), levofloxacin exposure (OR 8.2, P < 0.033), moxifloxacin exposure (OR 4.1, P < 0.026), imipenem exposure (OR 14.9, P < 0.014), laxative use (OR 20.2, P < 0.0001), and immunosuppressive use (OR 20.7, P < 0.034). The risk of CDAD after exposure to levofloxacin or moxifloxacin was not significantly different. Acid suppressive therapy was not a risk factor for CDAD development.
Ambiguity Aversion and Household Portfolio Choice: Empirical Evidence

This paper tests the effects of ambiguity aversion on household portfolio choice. We measure ambiguity aversion with custom-designed questions based on Ellsberg urns, using a large representative survey of U.S. households. As theory predicts, ambiguity aversion is negatively associated with stock market participation and with the fraction of wealth allocated to stocks. Moreover, the effect is large: the participation rate is 4.3 percentage points lower among ambiguity averse respondents, compared to ambiguity neutral/seeking respondents. We also find that, conditional on prior stock ownership, ambiguity averse respondents were more likely to sell stocks during the financial crisis.
Regulation of Dscam exon 17 alternative splicing by steric hindrance in combination with RNA secondary structures

The gene Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) potentially encodes 38 016 distinct isoforms in Drosophila melanogaster via mutually exclusive splicing. Here we reveal a combinatorial mechanism of regulation of Dscam exon 17 mutually exclusive splicing through steric hindrance in combination with RNA secondary structure. This mutually exclusive behavior is enforced by steric hindrance, due to the close proximity of the exon 17.2 branch point to exon 17.1 in Diptera, and the interval size constraint in non-Dipteran species. Moreover, intron-exon RNA structures are evolutionarily conserved in 36 non-Drosophila species of six distantly related orders (Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, and Phthiraptera), which regulates the selection of exon 17 variants via masking the splice site. By contrast, a previously uncharacterized RNA structure specifically activated exon 17.1 by bringing splice sites closer together in Drosophila, while the other moderately suppressed exon 17.1 selection by hindering the accessibility of polypyrimidine sequences. Taken together, these data suggest a phylogeny of increased complexity in regulating alternative splicing of Dscam exon 17 spanning more than 300 million years of insect evolution. These results also provide models of the regulation of alternative splicing through steric hindrance in combination with dynamic structural codes.
Occurrence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders among over thousand adult recipients: any role for hepatitis C infection?

Background Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders represent an increasingly important complication of organ transplantation. Although the majority of the post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder are etiologically related to Epstein–Barr virus infection other factors may play a role. Hepatitis C virus may induce clonal expansion of B-lymphocytes and has been associated with extrahepatic lymphoproliferative disorders. Objectives In this study, we have evaluated: (i) the prevalence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder; (ii) presence of Epstein–Barr virus in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder tissue; and (iii) the potential association between post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder development and hepatitis C virus infection in a large cohort of adult solid organ transplant recipients. Methods The study involved 1011 liver, heart and kidney-transplanted patients. Different immunosuppression therapy was recorded from all patients, all were screened for hepatitis C virus infection. When post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder developed, Epstein–Barr virus encoded RNA by in-situ hybridization and EBNA-1 and gp220 by polymerase chain reaction was assessed in tissue samples. Results The overall prevalence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder was 1.4% (2.5% in heart, 0.9% in liver and 0.8% in kidney-transplanted patients) and significantly higher in hepatitis C virus positive than in hepatitis C virus negative patients (3.6 % vs 1.2 %; P=0.04). Epstein–Barr virus was present in 10 (77%) out of 13 tumors tested. Two out of three Epstein–Barr virus-negative post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder developed in hepatitis C virus-positive patients. Thirteen out of 15 (86%) post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder patients had undergone antithymocyte globulin/OKT3 induction therapy. Conclusions Epstein–Barr virus, induction immunosuppression, rejection therapy and also hepatitis C virus infection may play a role in the multifactorial pathogenesis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.
A STUDY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVA WITH RETINOIDS AND SURGICAL EXCISION

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic skin condition involving the apocrine glandular zones. Affected patients may present with acute abscesses, but the condition often progresses to a chronic state with persistent pain, sepsis, sinus tract, fistula formation, purulent discharge, and dermal scarring. The treatment of patients with severe disease can be difficult and may require complex surgical intervention. Materials and Methods: For this study, we selected 30 patients from the outpatient department. The patients were divided into two groups of 15 patients each. In patients of group I, oral acitretin 0.5 mg/kg body weight was given alone. Oral acitretin was given for a period of 12 weeks, and follow-up of the patients was done every 4 weeks for a period of 6 months. In patients of group II, oral acitretin 0.5 mg/kg was given plus a wide surgical excision was done. Results and Discussion: In our study, the commonest site of involvement of hidradenitis suppurativa was axilla in 83.3% patients, perineum was involved in 13.3% patients, and periumbilical involvement was seen in 3.3% patients. The commonest clinical feature was nodules seen in 90% patients; pain was seen in 60% patients, dermal scarring in 73.3% patients, malodorous discharge in 33.3% patients, abscess in 30% patients, and fistulous tracts were seen in 20% patients. The recurrence rate was low (20%) in group II patients in whom oral acitretin was given plus surgical excision was done as compared with group I (40%) in whom oral acitretin was given alone.
Neuroanatomical localization of the motor hand area with magnetic resonance imaging: the left hemisphere is larger in great apes.

Magnetic resonance images of the brain were obtained from 2 gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), 4 orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), 14 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and 4 bonobos (Pan paniscus). The region on the motor cortex of humans identified as responsible for motor skill of the hand (the "knob") was identified in this sample on consecutive 1-mm axial scans. The shape of the knob area was traced on each scan from both hemispheres, and the area from all scans was summed to calculate the knob volume. The width of the knob was also measured and correlated highly with knob volume. A significant population-level leftward asymmetry in the volume and width of the knob was revealed (p < .05). Species differences in knob asymmetry and overall volume were not significant, but the variability in overall volume between species was substantial. Selection for the evolution of a neuroanatomical representation of the hand in primates and an evolutionary trend toward population-level right handedness are discussed.
East with the Night: Longitudinal Migration of the Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata) between Manú National Park, Peru and the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia

We report on the intra-Amazonian migration of a pair of Orinoco Geese (Neochen jubata) from Manú National Park, Peru. The species is Critically Endangered in Peru, so a major aim of the study was to aid conservation planning by learning the wet season location of the country's last known breeding population. We captured a breeding pair on October 27, 2010, and fitted the birds with Microwave Telemetry, Inc. GPS/Argos satellite PTT's. The pair migrated ∼655 km from Manú National Park to the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia (Dept. of Bení) in a predominantly longitudinal migration, reaching their final destination on December 23, 2010. Major movements (>5 km per time period) were almost exclusively at night and were undertaken with and without moonlight. Foraging areas used at stopovers in the Llanos de Moxos were remarkably limited, suggesting the importance of grazing lawns maintained by the geese and other herbivores, possibly including cattle. Orinoco Geese are resident in the Llanos de Moxos year-round, so the Manú geese represent a partial migration from the Bení region. We hypothesize that cavity nest limitation explains the partial migration of Orinoco Geese from the Llanos de Moxos.
Curcumin Induces p53-Null Hepatoma Cell Line Hep3B Apoptosis through the AKT-PTEN-FOXO4 Pathway

Objective Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a yellow-colored polyphenol with antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities to various types of cancer cells. This study explored the mechanism by which curcumin induces p53-null hepatoma cell apoptosis. Results AKT, FOXO1, and FOXO3 proteins were downregulated after curcumin treatment. Conversely, PTEN was upregulated. Subcellular fractionations revealed that the FOXO4 protein translocated from cytosol into the nucleus after curcumin treatment. Overexpression of FOXO4 increases the sensitivity of Hep3B cells to curcumin. Knockdown of the FOXO4 gene by siRNA inhibits the proapoptotic effects of curcumin on Hep3B cell. Conclusions This study revealed the AKT/PTEN/FOXO4 pathway as a potential candidate of target for treatment of p53-null liver cancers.
Impact of thermal effects on Simulation accuracy of nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers

Simulations based on a carrier heating model are performed to investigate the behavior of a directly modulated 1.55-/spl mu/m InGaAsP distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode (LD). Results show that bandgap shrinkage has a significant effect on the simulated nonlinear behavior of LDs. However, the varying nature of lattice temperature and excess carrier energy relaxation is important to produce simulated results that agree with measured results.
The Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Loading on Anaerobic Performance and One-Repetition Maximum Strength

Abstract Zuniga, JM, Housh, TJ, Camic, CL, Hendrix, CR, Mielke, M, Johnson, GO, Housh, DJ, and Schmidt, RJ. The effects of creatine monohydrate loading on anaerobic performance and one-repetition maximum strength. J Strength Cond Res 26(6): 1651–1656, 2012—The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 7 days of supplementation with 20 g·d−1 of creatine monohydrate (CM) on mean power (MP) and peak power (PP) from the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), body weight (BW), 1-repetition maximum (1RM) bilateral leg extension (LE) strength, and 1RM bench press (BP) strength. This study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Twenty-two men (mean ± SD: age = 22.1 ± 2.0 years; height = 178.0 ± 5.8 cm; body weight [BW] = 77.6 ± 7.6 kg) were randomly assigned to either a supplement (SUPP; n = 10) or placebo (PLAC; n = 12) group. The SUPP group ingested 20 g·d−1 of CM powder for 7 days, whereas the PLAC ingested 20 g·d−1 of maltodextrin powder. Measurements for the PLAC and SUPP groups included BW, PP, and MP from two 30-second WAnTs (separated by 7 minutes), and 1RM strength for LE and BP. Testing was conducted before (PRE) and after (POST) 7 days of ingesting either the supplement or placebo. The results of this study indicated that there was a significant (p ⩽ 0.05) increase from PRE to POST testing in MP for the SUPP group (5.4%) but not for the PLAC group (−0.3%). There were no between-group differences, however, for 1RM LE and 1RM BP strength. Furthermore, there were no changes in PP or BW for either group. The findings of this study indicated that loading with 20 g·d−1 of CM for 7 days increased MP (5.4% increase) from the WAnT, but it had no effect on strength (1RM LE and 1RM BP), PP, or BW.
"It takes two to tango": understanding how centrosome duplication is regulated throughout the cell cycle.

The essence of successful mitosis is the generation of two genetically identical daughter cells. This requires the assembly of a strictly bipolar mitotic apparatus that will ensure that all daughter chromosomes are segregated to opposite sides of the cell before the completion of mitosis. The agent of the higher animal cell for the establishment of this essential “twoness” is the pair of centrosomes that organize the spindle poles during mitosis (Mazia 1987). Before the cell enters mitosis, the single interphase centrosome duplicates or reproduces exactly once, and the daughter centrosomes form the two poles of the spindle after breakdown of the nuclear envelope. Failure of the cell to precisely control this duplication of the centrosome can have disastrous consequences. If the centrosome fails to duplicate before the onset of mitosis, most somatic cells eventually return to interphase without dividing, which causes polyploidy. If the centrosome duplicates more than once in a cell cycle, then a multipolar spindle may be assembled and the chromosomes may be unequally distributed to the daughter cells, leading to genetic imbalances that produce cells with aggressive growth characteristics (for reviews, see Orr-Weaver and Weinberg 1998; Brinkley 2001). In fact, the cells of many lethal human tumors are genetically unstable and have abnormally high numbers of centrosomes (Lingle et al. 1998; Pihan et al. 1998; Carroll et al. 1999). Extra centrosomes are a problem because the condition is not remediated; cells do not have a checkpoint that aborts mitosis in response to extra spindle poles (Sluder et al. 1997). In this review, we focus on the mechanisms that control centrosome duplication and coordinate it with nuclear events during the cell cycle.
Regulation of Mre11/Rad50 by Nbs1

The Mre11/Rad50 complex is a critical component of the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks, in organisms ranging from archaebacteria to humans. In mammalian cells, Mre11/Rad50 (M/R) associates with a third component, Nbs1, that regulates its activities and is targeted by signaling pathways that initiate DNA damage-induced checkpoint responses. Mutations in the genes that encode Nbs1 and Mre11 are responsible for the human radiation sensitivity disorders Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) and ataxia-telangiectasia-like disorder (ATLD), respectively, which are characterized by defective checkpoint responses and high levels of chromosomal abnormalities. Here we demonstrate nucleotide-dependent DNA binding by the human M/R complex that requires the Nbs1 protein and is specific for double-strand DNA duplexes. Efficient DNA binding is only observed with non-hydrolyzable analogs of ATP, suggesting that ATP hydrolysis normally effects DNA release. The alleles of MRE11 associated with ATLD and the C-terminal Nbs1 polypeptide associated with NBS were expressed with the other components and found to form triple complexes except in the case of ATLD 3/4, which exhibits variability in Nbs1 association. The ATLD 1/2, ATLD 3/4, and p70 M/R/N complexes exhibit nucleotide-dependent DNA binding and exonuclease activity equivalent to the wild-type enzyme, although the ATLD complexes both show reduced activity in endonuclease assays. Sedimentation equilibrium analysis of the recombinant human complexes indicates that Mre11 is a stable dimer, Mre11 and Nbs1 form a 1:1 complex, and both M/R and M/R/N form large multimeric assemblies of ∼1.2 MDa. Models of M/R/N stoichiometry in light of this and previous data are discussed.
Images and Symbols: Studies in Religious Symbolism

Mircea Eliade--one of the most renowned expositors of the psychology of religion, mythology, and magic--shows that myth and symbol constitute a mode of thought that not only came before that of discursive and logical reasoning, but is still an essential function of human consciousness. He describes and analyzes some of the most powerful and ubiquitous symbols that have ruled the mythological thinking of East and West in many times and at many levels of cultural development.
Variability in Rates of Use of Antibacterials Among 130 US Hospitals and Risk-Adjustment Models for Interhospital Comparison

Objective. To describe variability in rates of antibacterial use in a large sample of US hospitals and to create risk-adjusted models for interhospital comparison. Methods. We retrospectively surveyed the use of 87 antibacterial agents on the basis of electronic claims data from 130 medical-surgical hospitals in the United States for the period August 2002 to July 2003; these records represented 1,798,084 adult inpatients. Hospitals were assigned randomly to the derivation data set (65 hospitals) or the validation data set (65 hospitals). Multivariable models predicting rates of antibacterial use were created using the derivation data set. These models were then used to predict rates of antibacterial use in the validation data set, which was compared with observed rates of antibacterial use. Rates of antibacterial use was measured in days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days. Results. Across the surveyed hospitals, a mean of 59.3% of patients received at least 1 dose of an antimicrobial agent during hospitalization (range for individual hospitals, 44.4%-73.6%). The mean total rate of antibacterial use was 789.8 days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days (range, 454.4-1,153.4). The best model for the total rate of antibacterial use explained 31% of the variance in rates of antibacterial use and included the number of hospital beds, the number of days in the intensive care unit per 1,000 patient-days, the number of surgeries per 1,000 discharges, and the number of cases of pneumonia, bacteremia, and urinary tract infection per 1,000 discharges. Five hospitals in the validation data set were identified as having outlier rates on the basis of observed antibacterial use greater than the upper bound of the 90% prediction interval for predicted antibacterial use in that hospital. Conclusion. Most adult inpatients receive antimicrobial agents during their hospitalization, but there is substantial variability between hospitals in the volume of antibacterials used. Risk-adjusted models can explain a significant proportion of this variation and allow for comparisons between hospitals for benchmarking purposes.
Nut allergy: symptom and Severity reporting

■ Nut allergy, in particular peanut allergy, is becoming more common in children. ■ Immune sensitisation to nuts appears to be occurring earlier in life. ■ High incidence of other allergic diseases in children with nut allergy. ■ Onset of anaphylactic symptoms is quick but symptoms last for a short time. ■ Necessity for hospital admission due to severity of allergic reaction is low.