Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A clinical screening protocol for the RSVP Keyboard brain–computer interface

Abstract Purpose: To propose a screening protocol that identifies requisite sensory, motor, cognitive and communication skills for people with locked-in syndrome (PLIS) to use the RSVP Keyboard™ brain–computer interface (BCI). Method: A multidisciplinary clinical team of seven individuals representing five disciplines identified requisite skills for the BCI RSVP Keyboard™. They chose questions and subtests from existing standardized instruments for auditory comprehension, reading and spelling, modified them to accommodate nonverbal response modalities, and developed novel tasks to screen visual perception, sustained visual attention and working memory. Questions were included about sensory skills, positioning, pain interference and medications. The result is a compilation of questions, adapted subtests and original tasks designed for this new BCI system. It was administered to 12 PLIS and 6 healthy controls. Results: Administration required 1 h or less. Yes/no choices and eye gaze were adequate response modes for PLIS. Healthy controls and 9 PLIS were 100% accurate on all tasks; 3 PLIS missed single items. Conclusions: The RSVP BCI screening protocol is a brief, repeatable technique for patients with different levels of LIS to identify the presence/absence of skills for BCI use. Widespread adoption of screening methods should be a clinical goal and will help standardize BCI implementation for research and intervention. Implications for Rehabilitation People with locked-in syndrome must have certain sensory, motor, cognitive and communication skills to successfully use a brain–computer interface (BCI) for communication. A screening profile would be useful in identifying potentially suitable candidates for BCI.
Amino Acid profile in oral submucous fibrosis: a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) study.

BACKGROUND Collagen is a significant structural protein, the integrity of which is essential to be maintained for proper homeostasis. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), being a collagen metabolic disorder, may be subject to changes in amino acid profiling. AIM The present study was attempted to evaluate the amino acid profile to assess its feasibility as a biological marker in OSMF. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study group comprised of 13 patents with OSMF and the normal group comprised of 13 normal patients without associated habits or systemic disorders. Venous blood was collected from the antecubital vein, plasma was separated and the plasma was then subjected to high profile liquid chromatographic analysis. RESULTS The assay levels of threonine, alanine and tyrosine did not yield any significant results. The decreased assay levels of valine, Isoleucine and the increased assay level of methionine and glycine observed in group II yielded significant results in correlation with the control group. The decreased assay level seen in phenylalanine in group II and III in correlation with group IV is statistically significant. CONCLUSION A few amino acids have been identified which can be used as biological markers for the severity of the disease such as valine, methionine and phenyl alanine. Large scale studies are required to elucidate the potential of these biological markers.
Role of the Second and Third Intracellular Loops of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Mediating Dual Signal Transduction Activation*

On the basis of sequence homology and structural similarities, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), extracellular Ca2+-sensing receptor, γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptor, and pheromone receptors are enlisted in a distinct family within the larger G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. When expressed in heterologous systems, group I mGluRs can activate dual signal transduction pathways, phosphoinositides turnover and cAMP production. To investigate the structural basis of these coupling properties, we introduced single amino acid substitutions within the second and third intracellular loops (i2 and i3) of mGluR1α. Wild-type and mutant receptors were expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and analyzed for their capacity to stimulate both signaling cascades. Each domain appeared to be critical for the coupling to phospholipase C and adenylyl cyclase. Within i2, Thr695, Lys697, and Ser702 were found to be selectively involved in the interaction with Gq class α subunit(s), whereas mutation of Pro698 and the deletion Cys694-Thr695 affected only Gscoupling. Furthermore, the mutation K690A profoundly altered mGluR1α signaling properties and imparted to the receptor the ability to couple to the inhibitory cAMP pathway. Within i3, we uncovered two residues, Arg775 and Phe781, that are crucial for coupling to both pathways, since their substitution leads to receptor inactivation.
Skin recruitment of monomyeloid precursors involves human herpesvirus‐6 reactivation in drug allergy

In drug‐induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS), latent human herpesvirus (HHV)‐6 is frequently reactivated in association with flaring of symptoms such as fever and hepatitis. We recently demonstrated an emergence of monomyeloid precursors expressing HHV‐6 antigen in the circulation during this clinical course.
Effect of periodontal treatment on metabolic control, systemic inflammation and cytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periodontal therapy on the circulating concentration of high-sensitivity capsule-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen (FIB), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and on the metabolic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-three T2DM patients with chronic periodontitis were enrolled in this study. Periodontal clinical parameters, namely visible plaque index, gingival bleeding index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment levels, were evaluated. Blood samples for plasma were collected and assessed for the levels of hs-CRP, FIB, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-alpha. The glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) and fasting plasma glucose were also measured. All parameters were evaluated before and 3 months after non-surgical periodontal therapy. RESULTS All clinical parameters were significantly improved 3 months after the periodontal therapy. A univariate comparison showed a tendency towards a decrease of the measured biomarkers, most pronounced for TNF-alpha and FIB, after therapy. Periodontal treatment also reduced HbA(1c) and hs-CRP levels, albeit not significantly. CONCLUSIONS The clinically successful non-surgical periodontal therapy tended to reduce systemic inflammation and the concentration of some circulating cytokines.
1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cognitive function, and apolipoprotein E genotype in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, metabolic changes in the posterior cingulate detected by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and neuropsychologic measures of memory and cognition both in normally aging elderly, and in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. We studied 67 controls, 18 MCI and 33 AD patients. We used the Dementia Rating Scale total score (DRSTOT) as a measure of general cognitive function and the total learning from the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVTOT) as a measure of memory performance. No differences were noted on 1H-MRS metabolite ratios or cognitive measures across APOE genotype within control and patient groups. In controls, age was a significant predictor of both cognitive test scores, and NAA/Cr was a univariate associate of DRSTOT. All 3 1H-MRS metabolite ratios, N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr), myoinositol (MI)/Cr, and NAA/MI, were univariate associates of AVTOT and DRSTOT scores in the combined MCI and AD group. In stepwise regression analyses in the combined patient group only NAA/MI entered the models. These data suggest NAA/Cr could be a modest predictor of general cognitive function in both healthy elderly and impaired patients, while MI/Cr is a more specific marker for neuropsychologic dysfunction associated with neurodegenerative disease. Among 1H-MRS measurements, the NAA/MI ratio maybe the most efficient predictor of memory and cognitive function in patients with MCI and AD. (JINS, 2002, 8, 934–942.)
GENETIC CONSEQUENCES OF OUTCROSSING IN THE CLEISTOGAMOUS ANNUAL, IMPATIENS CAPENSIS. II. OUTCROSSING RATES AND GENOTYPIC CORRELATIONS

The genetic consequences of a plant's mating system depend on both the degree of outcrossing and the genetic relationship between mates. We examined the electrophoretic genotypes of seeds derived from cleistogamous (CL) and chasmogamous (CH) flowers in six populations of the facultatively cleistogamous annual, Impatiens capensis. Multilocus estimates of the outcrossing rates for the strongly protandrous CH flowers ranged from 0.29 to 0.71 and were higher than estimates based on single‐locus data. Such results suggest that the CH flowers experience variable levels of both geitonogamous self‐fertilization and biparental inbreeding. A new and generally applicable technique based on the relative level of inbreeding within progeny groups provided direct estimates of the correlation between the genotypic values of outcrossed mates. These correlations varied widely among populations and contributed up to half of the inbreeding observed among the CH progeny. Such biparental inbreeding biases estimates of the outcrossing rate based on the mixed‐mating model downward and influences mating‐system evolution by decreasing the “cost of meiosis. ”
Physical Performance in Relation to Age, Sex, Social Class and Sports Activities in Kindergarten and Elementary School

Physical performance of preschool children and elementary school pupils (N = 2309, age: 61 to 108 mo.) was related to characteristics of physical growth and cognitive performance and to ecological variables. Correlations between measures of physical growth and physical performance and between physical and cognitive performance were positive and significant. Measurements of physical fitness and body coordination increased across ages. Significant differences were found between boys and girls; however, boys exceeded on some items, girls on others. Children of higher socioeconomic status performed better than children of lower status and children who participated in sports outside school outperformed those who did not.
Meta‐analysis of neuroimaging studies of the Wisconsin Card‐Sorting task and component processes

A quantitative meta‐analysis using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method was used to investigate the brain basis of the Wisconsin Card‐Sorting Task (WCST) and two hypothesized component processes, task switching and response suppression. All three meta‐analyses revealed distributed frontoparietal activation patterns consistent with the status of the WCST as an attention‐demanding executive task. The WCST was associated with extensive bilateral clusters of reliable cross‐study activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobule. Task switching revealed a similar, although less robust, frontoparietal pattern with additional clusters of activity in the opercular region of the ventral prefrontal cortex, bilaterally. Response‐suppression tasks, represented by studies of the go/no‐go paradigm, showed a large and highly right‐lateralized region of activity in the right prefrontal cortex. The activation patterns are interpreted as reflecting a neural fractionation of the cognitive components that must be integrated during the performance of the WCST. Hum Brain Mapp 25:35–45, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sensorial Saturation for Neonatal Analgesia

AimSensorial saturation (SS) is a procedure in which touch, massage, taste, voice, smell, and sight compete with pain, producing almost complete analgesia during heel prick in neonates. SS is an apparently complex maneuvre, but when correctly explained it is easily learnt. In the present paper, we studied its feasibility, assessing whether a long training is really needed to achieve good results. Materials and MethodsWe enrolled 66 consecutive babies and divided them randomly into 3 groups which received the following forms of analgesia: glucose plus sucking (A), SS performed by nurses (B), SS performed by mothers (C). We did not use perfume on the caregivers' hands, so that babies could smell the natural scent of the hands. We assessed pain level by the ABC scale. ResultsMedian scores of groups A, B, and C were: 1 (0 to 6), 0 (0 to 4), and 0 (0 to 6), respectively. Mean scores were: 0.6, 0.6, and 1.7 and standard errors were 0.38, 0.22, and 0.32, respectively. Scores of groups B and C were significantly lower than that of A (P=0.03 and 0.006, respectively). No significant difference was found between values of scores of groups B and C. ConclusionsEven without the use of perfume on the hands, SS was effective as an analgesic maneuvre. It made no difference whether SS was performed by mothers who applied it for the first time or experienced nurses. SS is rapid to learn and any caregiver (mother, pediatrician or nurse) can effectively use it.
Platelet Activation and Cytokine Production during Hypothermic Cardiopulmonary Bypass – A Possible Correlation?

Summary Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with impaired platelet function and a systemic inflammatory response. The present study was designed to evaluate whether any correlation between platelet activation and inflammatory response during CPB exists. The results obtained from 8 patients undergoing hypothermic CPB for cardiac surgery showed the occurrence of a moderate degree of platelet activation during CPB, demonstrated by an increase of platelet CD62P expression in correlation with an increase of β-thromboglobulin levels, with a concomitant decrease of in vitro platelet response. Plasma IL-1β levels significantly increased during CPB, with a peak between 1 and 4 h after CPB. Similarly, IL-6 levels were elevated 30 min from CPB starting, peaked at 4 h, and remained elevated after 24 h. A direct correlation was found between plasma IL-1β and IL-6 levels. A significant correlation between plasma IL-1β and β-thromboglobulin levels was also found. In turn, plasma β-thromboglobulin levels correlated with CD62P expression on activated platelets. An inverse correlation was found between in vitro platelet aggregation and plasma IL-1β or IL-6 levels. From the present results it may be speculated that platelet activation during CPB may contribute, through the release of IL-1β, to activation of endothelial cells and subsequent release of other cytokines with chemotactic and pro-inflammatory properties, thus playing an important role in the inflammatory response associated with CPB.
Credit Shocks and the European Labour Market

More than five years after the start of the Sovereign debt crisis in Europe, its impact on labour market outcomes is not clear. This paper aims to fill this gap. We use qualitative firm-level data for 24 European countries, collected within the Wage Dynamics Network (WDN) of the ESCB. We first derive a set of indices measuring difficulties in accessing the credit market for the period 2010-13. Second, we provide a description of the relationship between credit difficulties and changes in labour input both along the extensive and the intensive margins as well as on wages. We find strong and significant correlation between credit difficulties and adjustments along both the extensive and the intensive margin. In the presence of credit market difficulties, firms cut wages by reducing the variable part of wages. This evidence suggests that credit shocks can affect not only the real economy, but also nominal variables.
The value of the intracoronary electrogram for the early detection of myocardial ischaemia during coronary angioplasty.

The clinical value of intracoronary electrography for the detection of myocardia ischaemia was assessed during coronary angioplasty and compared to a standard technique of surface ECG monitoring. In 73 patients undergoing single lesion angioplasty, an intracoronary electrogram and four representative surface ECG leads were obtained. During angioplasty of the left anterior descending artery leads, I, V3, V5, V6 were recorded. For the circumflex artery leads I, aVL, aVF, V6, and for the right coronary artery leads II, III, aVF, V6 were monitored. Eight patients were excluded due to transient intraventricular conduction disturbances during balloon inflation; 65 patients remained for further analysis. Out of a total of 154 balloon inflations (35 in the circumflex, 71 in the left anterior descending and 48 in the right coronary artery), the percentage that produced a greater than or equal to 1 mm ST segment elevation, the time to the appearance of a greater than or equal to 1 mm ST segment elevation and the maximal ST segment elevation were recorded. During inflations in the circumflex artery, the respective values of these three parameters were 20%, 22.6 +/- 11.5 s and 0.37 +/- 0.80 mm in V6, the most sensitive surface lead, versus 70% (P less than 0.001), 14.4 +/- 9.6 s (P less than 0.01) and 5.82 +/- 6.35 mm (P less than 0.0001) on the intracoronary electrogram. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Examining Oregon Agriculture Teachers' Professional Development Needs by Career Phase.

Agriculture teachers face challenges at every stage of their career, creating a need for professional development to meet their individual needs. Additionally, research suggests the need for periodic needs assessments to be conducted within individual states. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe, using the Borich needs assessment model, the inservice needs of agriculture teachers in Oregon by career phase. A list of 49 agricultural education competencies were developed from existing research, and responses were analyzed using mean weighted discrepancy scores (MWDS). We found induction-phase teachers (0-5 years of experience) had the highest inservice needs for the following competencies: (a) writing grant proposals for external funding, (b) utilizing a local advisory committee, and (c) utilizing the AET record book system. Non-induction phase agriculture teachers (6 or more years of experience) were most in need of: (a) balancing priorities to make time for career and family/personal life, (b) utilizing the AET record book system, and (c) utilizing techniques and skills to stay organized. Additionally, differences and similarities between inservice needs of induction and non-induction teachers were identified and discussed. Implications of these findings and recommendations are presented.
Ovarian electrocauterization causes LH‐regulated but not insulin‐regulated endocrine changes

OBJECTIVE We studied the effects of ovarian electrocauterization on the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, insulin, sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) and insulin‐like growth factor binding globulin‐1 (IGFBP‐1) in women with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD).
Roxithromycin treatment of mouse chlamydial salpingitis and protective effect on fertility

We used a mouse model of acute chlamydial salpingitis to evaluate the efficacy of roxithromycin in preventing irreversible inflammatory damage leading to tubal infertility. Female C3H/He mice were genitally inoculated with a human strain of Chlamydia trachomatis and then treated with roxithromycin glutamate subcutaneously. Treatment was initiated either 7 or 10 days postinfection (p.i.) and continued for 7 days at a dosage of 50 or 100 mg/kg of body weight per 24 h. The course of the disease was monitored serologically, bacteriologically, and histologically. At the end of the treatment, the mice were encaged with males and their reproductive capacity was recorded over a 19-week period. The protective effect of roxithromycin was assessed in terms of fertility parameters in comparison with values for noninfected control mice. When treatment was initiated on day 7 p.i. and given in twice-daily 25-mg/kg doses, all the mice remained fertile and the total number of offspring was similar to that of sham-infected mice (17.3 +/- 3.3 versus 17.2 +/- 2.3). When treatment was initiated on day 10 p.i. and given in a single daily dose of 50 or 100 mg/kg, 90 and 70% of the mice, respectively, remained fertile; however, in terms of total offspring, fertility was lower in the group treated with the lower dose (5.6 +/- 1.4 versus 13.0 +/- 3.8). Roxithromycin was found to be effective against C. trachomatis in the mouse genital tract, but fertility was only partially preserved when the time between infection and treatment was prolonged.
Robot‐assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in testicular cancer

Robotic surgical techniques are now being applied in the setting of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RPLND) for testicular cancer. While laparoscopic RPLND has not been widely accepted, reports of robot assisted RPLND (RARPLND) are emerging. This manuscript will review the application of RPLND for testicular cancer, evolution of minimally invasive techniques, the controversies, and current status of RARPLND. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015;112:736–740. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prostaglandin E2 Protects Gastric Mucosal Cells from Apoptosis via EP2 and EP4 Receptor Activation*

Prostaglandin E2(PGE2) has a strong protective effect on the gastric mucosain vivo; however, the molecular mechanism of a direct cytoprotective effect of PGE2 on gastric mucosal cells has yet to be elucidated. Although we reported previously that PGE2 inhibited gastric irritant-induced apoptotic DNA fragmentation in primary cultures of guinea pig gastric mucosal cells, we show here that PGE2 inhibits the ethanol-dependent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. Of the four main subtypes of PGE2 receptors, we also demonstrated, using subtype-specific agonists, that EP2 and EP4 receptors are involved in the PGE2-mediated protection of gastric mucosal cells from ethanol-induced apoptosis. Activation of EP2 and EP4 receptors is coupled with an increase in cAMP, for which a cAMP analogue was found here to inhibit the ethanol-induced apoptosis. The increase in cAMP is known to activate both protein kinase A (PKA) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways. An inhibitor of PKA but not of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase blocked the PGE2-mediated protection of cells from ethanol-induced apoptosis, suggesting that a PKA pathway is mainly responsible for the PGE2-mediated inhibition of apoptosis. Based on these results, we considered that PGE2 inhibited gastric irritant-induced apoptosis in gastric mucosal cells via induction of an increase in cAMP and activation of PKA, and that this effect was involved in the PGE2-mediated protection of the gastric mucosa from gastric irritants in vivo.
Retaining an ageing workforce: The effects of high-performance work systems and flexible work programmes

Older workers make up a growing proportion of the work-force, and research on how best to manage them is being conducted accordingly. Here, we explored the employee retention payoff of high ‐ performance work systems (HPWS) and flexible work programmes (FWPs) when used with an older workforce. Drawing from the job demands ‐ resources model, we hypothesised that HPWS retention outcomes decrease as the workforce ages, whereas the retention capacity of FWPs increases. We also explored how the parallel provision of HPWS and FWPs affects workforce retention in more ageing workplaces. The results suggest that workforce age composition affects the HPWS ‐ retention relationship. However, the value of FWPs as retention tools does not vary significantly with workforce ageing. Furthermore, the provision of FWPs alongside HPWS appears to be a less ‐ than ‐ optimal approach to this retention. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the HRM ‐ performance relationship, while inspiring further research into successful age ‐ differentiated HR strategies.