Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age-related Changes in the Activation of the Intraparietal Sulcus during Nonsymbolic Magnitude Processing: An Event-related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Numerical magnitude processing is an essential everyday skill. Functional brain imaging studies with human adults have repeatedly revealed that bilateral regions of the intraparietal sulcus are correlated with various numerical and mathematical skills. Surprisingly little, however, is known about the development of these brain representations. In the present study, we used functional neuroimaging to compare the neural correlates of nonsymbolic magnitude judgments between children and adults. Although behavioral performance was similar across groups, in comparison to the group of children the adult participants exhibited greater effects of numerical distance on the left intraparietal sulcus. Our findings are the first to reveal that even the most basic aspects of numerical cognition are subject to age-related changes in functional neuroanatomy. We propose that developmental impairments of number may be associated with atypical specialization of cortical regions underlying magnitude processing.
Atheromic and lymphoplasmacytic effects of Mangifera indica methanolic leaf extract on the heart of chinchilla rabbits

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methanol extract of Mangifera indica on serum concentration of creatine kinase, total white blood cell (WBC) count and lymphocyte counts and the micro-anatomical architecture of the heart in chinchilla rabbits in order to find its safe and toxic levels. A total of 24 Chinchilla rabbits aged 10–14 weeks, divided into four experimental groups were orally administered the doses of none, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg body weight of the methanol extract of M. indica, respectively, for 28 days. Methods: The modified International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) method was used to estimate the serum concentration of creatine kinase (CK (-MB)) while the haematology auto-analyser was used to estimate the total WBC count and lymphocyte count. The estimated values were subjected to analysis of variance using the SPSS software application (version 16) and expressed as mean±standard deviation. Tissue sections were stained by phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin and haematoxylin and eosin staining techniques. Results: The result showed significant increases in serum concentrations of CK (-MB) (12.05±3.11–21.55±9.93 U/L) and total WBC count (5.33±0.66–6.51±0.38 103/μL) when the control group was compared with the treated groups (p<0.05). A significant dose-dependent decrease in the weight of the heart (0.053±0.00–0.041±0.003 kg) was also observed (p<0.05). An insignificant increase was observed in the lymphocyte count (4.47±0.94–5.18±0.76 103/μL) in the blood when compared with the control group (p>0.05). Significant differences were also observed in the body weight of the treated groups (p<0.05). The histopathological findings include atheroma, attenuated vasculature, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, necrotic and fibrotic vascular walls. Conclusions: Thus, M. indica is indicated to have some health benefits at 500 mg/kg and shows toxicity on the micro-architecture of the heart at a concentration of ≥1000 mg/kg.
THE EFFECT OF SEPARATING OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL ON CORPORATE LEVERAGE

This paper aims to examine how corporate leverage is affected by the separation of ownership from control . Using data from a sample of 643 listed UK firms, the results show supportive evidence of a statistically significant positive relationship between the largest shareholder’s ownership concentration and debt ratio. More importantly, the results of the paper show a statistically significant and positive relationship between control-wedge (deviation between control rights and cash flow rights) and the debt ratio confirming that control attracts controlling shareholders to extract private benefits. This finding offers directly evidence for the debt-increasing effect of the hypothesis formulated in this paper: the non-dilution entrenchment effect and signaling effects of debt finance contribute to a higher corporate debt level when the control-rights and cash-flow rights of the largest controlling shareholder are highly separated.
Antifungal Susceptibility Testing: Practical Aspects and Current Challenges

SUMMARY Development of standardized antifungal susceptibility testing methods has been the focus of intensive research for the last 15 years. Reference methods for yeasts (NCCLS M27-A) and molds (M38-P) are now available. The development of these methods provides researchers not only with standardized methods for testing but also with an understanding of the variables that affect interlaboratory reproducibility. With this knowledge, we have now moved into the phase of (i) demonstrating the clinical value (or lack thereof) of standardized methods, (ii) developing modifications to these reference methods that address specific problems, and (iii) developing reliable commercial test kits. Clinically relevant testing is now available for selected fungi and drugs: Candida spp. against fluconazole, itraconazole, flucytosine, and (perhaps) amphotericin B; Cryptococcus neoformans against (perhaps) fluconazole and amphotericin B; and Aspergillus spp. against (perhaps) itraconazole. Expanding the range of useful testing procedures is the current focus of research in this area.
Development of Grammatical Accuracy in English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study.

Purpose We sought to evaluate the development of grammatical accuracy in English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span. Method Ten children who received CIs before age 30 months participated in this study at 3, 4, and 5 years postimplantation. For the purpose of comparison, 10 children each at ages 3, 4, and 5 years with typical hearing were included as well. All children participated in a story-retell task. We computed percent grammatical communication units (PGCU) in the task. Results Children with CIs showed significant improvement in PGCU over the 3-year span. However, they produced lower PGCU than children with typical hearing who had matched hearing age at 4 and 5 years postimplantation. At the individual level, some children with CIs were able to produce PGCU comparable to children with typical hearing as early as 3 years after implantation. Better speech-perception skills at earlier time points were associated with higher PGCU at later time points. Moreover, children with and without CIs showed similar rankings in the types of grammatical errors. Conclusion Despite having auditory-perceptual and information-processing constraints, children who received CIs before age 30 months were able to produce grammatical sentences, albeit with a delayed pattern.
Food Affects Zidovudine Concentration Independent of Effects on Gastrointestinal Absorption

Food can change drug concentrations by several mechanisms, including some that are independent of absorption effects. This study tests the hypothesis that a meal decreases zidovudine (ZDV) concentration in blood plasma independent of an effect on drug absorption. The study was conducted as a substudy nested in a larger protocol in which ZDV was given to 7 healthy men by continuous infusion for 5 days starting on day 1. The subjects received only a standardized breakfast meal on day 2 and were fasted on day 3 until the 8‐hour sampling period each day was finished. Blood samples were collected through an indwelling cannula in the arm contralateral to the ZDV infusion at the same time of day on both days. It was found that food decreased the blood plasma ZDV concentration at 1 hour postprandial by 14% (5.0%–22%; geometric mean change with 95% confidence interval). This decrease recovered by 6 hours postprandial. Similar changes were seen with the ZDV primary metabolite, zidovudine glucuronide. The authors conclude that food decreases blood plasma ZDV concentrations independent of any absorption effects. This effect may be due to the increased hepatic metabolism because feeding increases hepatic blood flow and because ZDV has a high hepatic extraction ratio with low affinity to blood plasma proteins.
Characteristics and Validation Techniques for PCA-Based Gene-Expression Signatures

Background. Many gene-expression signatures exist for describing the biological state of profiled tumors. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) can be used to summarize a gene signature into a single score. Our hypothesis is that gene signatures can be validated when applied to new datasets, using inherent properties of PCA. Results. This validation is based on four key concepts. Coherence: elements of a gene signature should be correlated beyond chance. Uniqueness: the general direction of the data being examined can drive most of the observed signal. Robustness: if a gene signature is designed to measure a single biological effect, then this signal should be sufficiently strong and distinct compared to other signals within the signature. Transferability: the derived PCA gene signature score should describe the same biology in the target dataset as it does in the training dataset. Conclusions. The proposed validation procedure ensures that PCA-based gene signatures perform as expected when applied to datasets other than those that the signatures were trained upon. Complex signatures, describing multiple independent biological components, are also easily identified.
Recurrence Rate after Highly Selective Vagotomy

Several ways of analyzing recurrence figures are presented in order to demonstrate the difficult interpretation of recurrence rate with highly selective vagotomy (HSV) in 262 patients operated on for duodenal ulcer with an almost complete follow-up. Actuarial recurrence risks and cumulative recurrence hazards are calculated and compared with several studies on the same subject. We conclude that: (a) There is no such entity as a fixed or definitive recurrence percentage (usually indicated in clinical reports as "recurrence rate") after HSV or other operations for duodenal ulcer; (b) The risk of any patient developing a recurrence at any time after HSV is constant in the immediate future and is as high 6 years after operation as it is after 1 year; and (c) There is no permanent cure after HSV; cure can only be expressed as a certain probability of freedom from recurrence in a similar way to that of oncological or vascular surgery.
The effect of regular and high doses of omeprazole on the intragastric acidity in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer treated endoscopically: a clinical trial with continuous intragastric pH monitoring

Objective In peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB), pH level >4 is considered necessary to prevent dissolving of a formed fibrin clot. The effect of regular or high doses of omeprazole on the intragastric pH in patients with acute PUB was studied. Methods In our earlier study, after endoscopic therapy, PUB patients were randomized to receive a regular dose of intravenous omeprazole (20 mg; i.e. 60 mg/3 days) or a high dose of omeprazole (80 mg bolus+8 mg/h; i.e. 652 mg/3 days). Of these 142 analysed and reported patients, 13 PUB patients also had intragastric pH monitoring for these 3 days; seven of these patients had a regular dose and six received a high dose of omeprazole. Results The mean 24-h intragastric pH (regular versus high dose) on day 1 was 4.9±1.6 versus 6.3±0.5 (P=0.035), on day 2 was 4.9±1.8 versus 6.7±0.3 (P=0.001), and on day 3 was 5.7±1.1 versus 6.7±0.5 (P=NS). The medians of the intragastric pH were 6 versus 6.5 (P=0.082) on day 1, 5.8 versus 6.8 (P=0.001) on day 2, and 6.2 versus 6.8 (P=0.17) on day 3. The proportion of time when pH <4 on day 1 was 29.2±34.1 versus 5.4±5.7% (P=NS). Conclusions A regular dose of omeprazole raises the mean and median 24-h intragastric pH >4 in patients with PUB. This reduction in the acidity together with endoscopic therapy is probably sufficient to maintain haemostasis. A high dose of omeprazole keeps the pH almost constantly >6.
An Investigation into the ICT Vendor – Value Added Reseller Partnership Satisfaction in South Africa

The study was conducted to explore the perceived factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction between Vendors and Value‐added Resellers (VARs) within Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) downstream Supply Chain Management (SCM) in South Africa (SA). The study highlights the challenges faced in these critical dyads by exploring the relationship satisfaction in an under‐researched industry and country context. The study was qualitative and relevant experts from both ICT Vendors and VARs were interviewed. An initial set of findings derived from using the Interaction Approach (IA) as theoretical lens, was published in Hassa and Tanner (2016). This current paper presents an additional set of findings relating to critical factors found to be antecedent and consequent of perceived relationship satisfaction. In particular, this paper specifically discusses factors relating to Commitment, Communication, Trust, Loyalty, Profitability and Value. This inquiry contributes to depicting a more holistic picture of the landscape around perceived relationship satisfaction between Vendors and VARs within the ICT industry in South Africa. The results from these findings could promote transparent cooperation and collaboration between ICT industry partners and stakeholders (customers, government, etc.) and support an increase in ICT diffusion and adoption in South Africa and Africa.
Anxiolytic- and Antidepressant-Like Profile of ATC0065 and ATC0175: Nonpeptidic and Orally Active Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor 1 Antagonists

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic peptide produced in the lateral hypothalamus. It has been implicated in a number of physiological processes including feeding behavior, energy balance, and the regulation of emotional states. Here, we report in vitro and in vivo profiles of ATC0065 [N2-[cis-4-({2-[4-bromo-2-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]ethyl}amino)cyclohexyl]-N4, N4-dimethylquinazoline-2,4-diamine dihydrochloride] and ATC0175 [N-(cis-4-{[4-(dimethylamino)quinazolin-2-yl]amino}cyclohexyl)-3,4-difluorobenzamide hydrochloride], newly synthesized MCH receptor 1 (MCHR1) antagonists. Both ATC0065 and ATC0175 had high affinities for human MCHR1 with IC50 values of 15.7 ± 1.95 and 7.23 ± 0.59 nM, respectively. Both ATC0065 (IC50 = 21.4 ± 1.57 nM) and ATC0175 (IC50 = 13.5 ± 0.78 nM) showed potent antagonist activities at MCHR1, as assessed by MCH-increased guanosine 5′-O-(3-[35S]thio)phosphate ([35S]GTPγS) binding to human MCHR1. Oral administration of ATC0065 (3–30 mg/kg) or ATC0175 (1–10 mg/kg) significantly reduced immobility time in the forced swimming test in rats, indicating antidepressant-like effects. Both ATC0065 and ATC0175 significantly reversed swim stress-induced anxiety in the elevated plus-maze test in rats and stress-induced hyperthermia in mice. ATC0175 significantly increased social interaction between unfamiliar rats and reduced separation-induced vocalizations in guinea pig pups, indicating anxiolytic potential. In contrast, ATC0065 and ATC0175 did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity or rotarod performance in rats. These findings indicate that ATC0065 and ATC0175 are potent and orally active MCHR1 antagonists with anxiolytic and antidepressant activity in rodents.
Frequent Mutation and Nuclear Localization of &bgr;-Catenin in Sertoli Cell Tumors of the Testis

The Sertoli cell tumor (SCT) of the testis is a sex cord stromal tumor, usually sporadic, rarely associated with genetic syndromes. Much remains unclear about the molecular genetic changes involved in SCT and its histogenesis. Recently, nuclear &bgr;-catenin immunostaining has been reported in a case of bilateral SCT, but the molecular basis of the aberrant nuclear &bgr;-catenin expression remains uncertain. In the present study, &bgr;-catenin immunohistochemical assay and mutational analysis of exon 3 of the CTNNB1 gene by direct sequencing were performed in 14 SCTs, 2 of which had an unfavorable clinical course. Immunohistochemical study showed that &bgr;-catenin was located in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in 4 cases (28.6%) and in both the nuclei and the cytoplasm in the remaining 10 cases (71.4%). &bgr;-Catenin mutations were detected in 10 of the 14 patients (71.4%) under evaluation. Ten of 10 mutation-carrying cases showed strong nuclear and diffuse cytoplasmic &bgr;-catenin immunoreactivity. Seven of the 8 CTNNB1-mutated tumors tested for cyclin D1 displayed diffuse immunoreactivity in the nuclei of tumor cells. We conclude that CTNNB1 exon 3 mutations are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of male SCT with nuclear accumulation of &bgr;-catenin and affect the expression of cyclin D1.
Characterization of three inhibitors of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in vitro and in vivo

1 Three analogues of l‐arginine were characterized as inhibitors of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase by measuring their effect on the endothelial NO synthase from porcine aortae, on the vascular tone of rings of rat aorta and on the blood pressure of the anaesthetized rat. 2 NG‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine (l‐NMMA), N‐iminoethyl‐l‐ornithine (l‐NIO) and NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME; all at 0.1–100 μm) caused concentration‐dependent inhibition of the Ca2+‐dependent endothelial NO synthase from porcine aortae. 3 l‐NMMA, l‐NIO and l‐NAME caused an endothelium‐dependent contraction and an inhibition of the endothelium‐dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine (ACh) in aortic rings. 4 l‐NMMA, l‐NIO and l‐NAME (0.03–300 mg kg−1, i.v.) induced a dose‐dependent increase in mean systemic arterial blood pressure accompanied by bradycardia. 5 l‐NMMA, l‐NIO and l‐NAME (100 mg kg−1, i.v.) inhibited significantly the hypotensive responses to ACh and bradykinin. 6 The increase in blood pressure and bradycardia produced by these compounds were reversed by l‐arginine (30–100 mg kg−1 i.v.) in a dose‐dependent manner. 7 All of these effects were enantiomer specific. 8 These results indicate that l‐NMMA, l‐NIO and l‐NAME are inhibitors of NO synthase in the vascular endothelium and confirm the important role of NO synthesis in the maintenance of vascular tone and blood pressure.
Counsellor-delivered HIV risk reduction intervention addresses safer sex barriers of people living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This study developed an HIV risk reduction intervention for people living with HIV (PLWH) obtaining care at primary healthcare clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa by (1) conducting elicitation research to understand the dynamics of risk behaviour among PLWH, (2) modifying an existing HIV risk reduction intervention based on research findings and (3) conducting a pilot study to evaluate feasibility, acceptability and fidelity of the modified intervention implemented by trained lay counsellors at a rural clinic in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 61 healthcare providers and 77 HIV+ patients from four primary healthcare clinics participated in 14 focus groups and 20 individual interviews to identify informational, motivational and behavioural skills (IMB) factors contributing to PLWH's sexual risk behaviour. Elicitation research findings were incorporated into a revised version of Options for Health, an evidence-based risk reduction intervention for PLWH in clinical care. In a 5-day training, lay counsellors learned strategies to address IMB barriers to safer sex identified in elicitation research. The revised intervention, which was implemented by six counsellors with 39 patients, was feasible to implement, acceptable to patients and counsellors, and implemented with good fidelity. This study makes an important contribution towards development of a theory-based HIV risk reduction intervention for PLWH linking prevention with treatment in South Africa.
Compile-Time Type-Driven Data Representation Transformations in Object-Oriented Languages

High-level languages allow programmers to express data structures and algorithms that abstract over the type of data they handle. This improves code reuse and makes it possible to develop general-purpose libraries. Yet, data abstractions slow down program execution, as they require low-level indirection. In this thesis we explore three compile-time approaches that leverage type systems to reduce the cost of data abstractions, thus improving program performance. In the first part of the thesis we present miniboxing, a compile-time transformation that replaces generic classes by more efficient variants, optimized to handle primitive types. These variants use the miniboxed data encoding, producing speedups of up to 20x compared to generic classes. The miniboxing transformation is the main result of this thesis and motivates the other techniques. Generalizing miniboxing, we show the Late Data Layout (LDL) mechanism, which uses the type system to guide performance-oriented program rewritings. It can be instantiated to perform a host of transformations, such as miniboxing generics, inlining value classes and unboxing primitive types. The LDL mechanism has many desirable properties, such as provable correctness in handling different data representations, reduced number of conversions and built-in support for the object-oriented paradigm. Finally, we show Data-centric Metaprogramming, a technique that allows programmers to go beyond standard compiler optimizations by defining custom representations to be used for their data. These representations are then automatically introduced by the compiler when translating programs. This technique, similar in spirit to metaprogramming, opens new directions in programmer-driven optimizations and shows encouraging results, with speedups of up to 25x. Under the hood, Data-centric Metaprogramming uses the Late Data Layout mechanism.
Physiological characteristics of successful mountain bikers and professional road cyclists

The aims of this study were to compare the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of successful mountain bikers and professional road cyclists and to re-examine the power-to-weight characteristics of internationally competitive mountain bikers. Internationally competitive cyclists (seven mountain bikers and seven road cyclists) completed the following tests: anthropometric measurements, an incremental cycle ergometer test and a 30 min laboratory time-trial. The mountain bikers were lighter (65.3 - 6.5 vs 74.7 - 3.8 kg, P = 0.01; mean - s ) and leaner than the road cyclists (sum of seven skinfolds: 33.9 - 5.7 vs 44.5 - 10.8 mm, P = 0.04). The mountain bikers produced higher power outputs relative to body mass at maximal exercise (6.3 - 0.5 vs 5.8 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.03), at the lactate threshold (5.2 - 0.6 vs 4.7 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.048) and during the 30 min time-trial (5.5 - 0.5 vs 4.9 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.02). Similarly, peak oxygen uptake relative to body mass was higher in the mountain bikers (78.3 - 4.4 vs 73.0 - 3.4 ml·kg -1 ·min -1 , P = 0.03). The results indicate that high power-to-weight characteristics are important for success in mountain biking. The mountain bikers possessed similar anthropometric and physiological characteristics to previously studied road cycling uphill specialists.