Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Caregiver Credits in France, Germany, and Sweden: Lessons for the United States

Recently, analysts in the United States (US) have proposed adopting caregiver credits, or pension credits, provided to individuals for time spent out of the workforce while caring for dependent children and sick or elderly relatives. The primary objective of these credits, used in almost all public pension systems in the European Union, is to improve the adequacy of old-age benefits for women whose gaps in workforce participation typically lead to fewer years of contributions, lower lifetime average earnings, and consequently lower pensions. This article examines caregiver credits in the context of future reforms to the US Social Security system, with attention given to the adequacy of current spouse and survivor benefits and how changing marital patterns and family structures have increased the risk of old-age poverty among certain groups of women. It then analyzes caregiver credit programs in selected countries, with particular focus on design, administration, and cost.
Education and Family Background: Mechanisms and Policies

In every society for which we have data, people’s educational achievement is positively correlated with their parents’ education or with other indicators of their parents’ socioeconomic status. This topic is central in social science, and there is no doubt that research has intensified during recent decades, not least thanks to better data having become accessible to researchers. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize and evaluate recent empirical research on education and family background. Broadly speaking, we focus on two related but distinct motivations for this topic. The first is equality of opportunity. Here, major the research issues are: How important a determinant of educational attainment is family background, and is family background – in the broad sense that incorporates factors not chosen by the individual – a major, or only a minor, determinant of educational attainment? What are the mechanisms that make family background important? Have specific policy reforms been successful in reducing the impact of family background on educational achievement? The second common starting point for recent research has been the child development perspective. Here, the focus is on how human-capital accumulation is affected by early childhood resources. Studies with this focus address the questions: what types of parental resources or inputs are important for children's development, why are they important and when are they important? In addition, this literature focuses on exploring which types of economic policy, and what timing of the policy in relation to children's social and cognitive development, are conducive to children's performance and adult outcomes. The policy interest in this research is whether policies that change parents' resources and restrictions have causal effects on their children.
Inhibition of p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Attenuates Isoflurane-mediated Neuronal Apoptosis in the Neonatal Central Nervous System

Background:Exposure to anesthetics during synaptogenesis results in apoptosis and subsequent cognitive dysfunction in adulthood. Probrain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) is involved in synaptogenesis and can induce neuronal apoptosis via p75 neurotrophic receptors (p75NTR). proBDNF is cleaved into mature BDNF (mBDNF) by plasmin, a protease converted from plasminogen by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) that is released with neuronal activity; mBDNF supports survival and stabilizes synapses through tropomyosin receptor kinase B. The authors hypothesized that anesthetics suppress tPA release from neurons, enhance p75NTR signaling, and reduce synapses, resulting in apoptosis. Methods:Primary neurons (DIV5) and postnatal day 5-7 (PND5-7) mice were exposed to isoflurane (1.4%, 4 h) in 5% CO2, 95% air. Apoptosis was assessed by cleaved caspase-3 (Cl-Csp3) immunoblot and immunofluorescence microscopy. Dendritic spine changes were evaluated with the neuronal spine marker, drebrin. Changes in synapses in PND5-7 mouse hippocampi were assessed by electron microscopy. Primary neurons were exposed to tPA, plasmin, or pharmacologic inhibitors of p75NTR (Fc-p75NTR or TAT-Pep5) 15 min before isoflurane. TAT-Pep5 was administered by intraperitoneal injection to PND5-7 mice 15 min before isoflurane. Results:Exposure of neurons in vitro (DIV5) to isoflurane decreased tPA in the culture medium, reduced drebrin expression (marker of dendritic filopodial spines), and enhanced Cl-Csp3. tPA, plasmin, or TAT-Pep5 stabilized dendritic filopodial spines and decreased Cl-Csp3 in neurons. TAT-Pep5 blocked isoflurane-mediated increase in Cl-Csp3 and reduced synapses in PND5-7 mouse hippocampi. Conclusion:tPA, plasmin, or p75NTR inhibition blocked isoflurane-mediated reduction in dendritic filopodial spines and neuronal apoptosis in vitro. Isoflurane reduced synapses and enhanced Cl-Csp3 in the hippocampus of PND5-7 mice, the latter effect being mitigated by p75NTR inhibition in vivo. These data support the hypothesis that isoflurane neurotoxicity in the developing rodent brain is mediated by reduced synaptic tPA release and enhanced proBDNF/p75NTR-mediated apoptosis.
Functional Transcranial Doppler: Presymptomatic Changes in Fabry Disease

Background and Aim: Cerebrovascular disease may progress asymptomatically in the early stages of Fabry disease (FD). Our aim was to test whether functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) could provide useful data in the evaluation of these presymptomatic FD patients. Methods: A cohort of 12 adult FD patients from families with the classical phenotype of the disease was evaluated with fTCD in the posterior cerebral artery. Results: Compared to healthy controls, resting blood velocities were significantly lower in the FD cohort (p = 0.032 for systolic, p = 0.021 for diastolic). FTCD suggested a disturbed neurovascular coupling in the visual cortex of FD patients, with lower gain (p = 0.007) and rate time (p = 0.019). Men had a significantly higher attenuation (p = 0.013) and lower natural frequency (p = 0.046) than the heterozygous women. Conclusion: These data are the first to suggest that patients with FD may develop cortical vascular dysfunction in the territory of the posterior circulation, early in the natural history of the disease. If the present findings are confirmed in larger, prospective studies, fTCD will be useful for assessing stroke risk in as yet asymptomatic FD patients, improving preventive therapeutic management.
Near heterophoria in early childhood.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to measure near heterophoria in young children to determine the impact of early growth and development on the alignment of the eyes. METHODS Fifty young children (≥2 and <7 years of age; range of spherical equivalent refractive error -1.25 diopters [D] to +3.75 D) and 13 adults participated. Their eye position and accommodation responses, in the absence of optical correction, were measured using simultaneous Purkinje image tracking and photorefraction technology (MCS PowerRefractor, PR). The resulting heterophorias, and both accommodative convergence/accommodation (AC/A) and convergence accommodation/convergence (CA/C) ratios were then computed as a function of age, refractive error, and an alternating cover test. RESULTS The mean heterophoria after approximately 60 seconds of dissociation at a 33-cm viewing distance was 5.0 prism diopters (pd) of exophoria (SD ± 3.7) in the children (78% of children > 2 pd exophoric) and 5.6 pd of exophoria (SD ± 4.7) in adults (69% of adults > 2pd exophoric; a nonsignificant difference), with no effect of age between 2 and 6 years. In these children, heterophoria was not significantly correlated with AC/A (r = 0.25), CA/C (r = 0.12), or refractive error (r = 0.21). The mean difference between heterophoria measurements from the PR and the clinical cover test was -2.4 pd (SD = ±3.4), with an exophoric bias in the PR measurements. CONCLUSIONS Despite developmental maturation of interpupillary distance, refractive error, and AC/A, in a typical sample of young children the predominant dissociated position is one of exophoria.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields accelerate proliferation and osteogenic gene expression in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells during osteogenic differentiation

Osteogenesis is a complex series of events involving the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to generate new bone. In this study, we examined the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralization of the extracellular matrix, and gene expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) during osteogenic differentiation. Exposure of BMMSCs to PEMFs increased cell proliferation by 29.6% compared to untreated cells at day 1 of differentiation. Semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR indicated that PEMFs significantly altered temporal expression of osteogenesis‐related genes, including a 2.7‐fold increase in expression of the key osteogenesis regulatory gene cbfa1, compared to untreated controls. In addition, exposure to PEMFs significantly increased ALP expression during the early stages of osteogenesis and substantially enhanced mineralization near the midpoint of osteogenesis. These results suggest that PEMFs enhance early cell proliferation in BMMSC‐mediated osteogenesis, and accelerate the osteogenesis. Bioelectromagnetics 31:209–219, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gabapentin does not reduce smoked cocaine self-administration: employment of a novel self-administration procedure

Previously, we reported that gabapentin, a nonselective &ggr;-aminobutyric acid agonist, reduced ‘positive’ subjective effects of cocaine without reducing cocaine self-administration. We speculated that the self-administration procedure used in that study was not sensitive to subtle shifts in the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Thus, this study examined the effects of gabapentin maintenance on cocaine self-administration using a purchase-cocaine choice procedure. During this 48-day inpatient/outpatient study, nontreatment-seeking cocaine abusers (n=12) were maintained on gabapentin (0, 600, 1200 mg/day); four doses of cocaine (0, 12, 25, 50 mg) were each tested twice under each gabapentin condition. All cocaine testing was conducted while participants were inpatients. Before the start of each session, participants were provided with $25 (five $5 bills, one for each choice opportunity) and smoked the ‘sample’ cocaine dose once. Subsequently, participants were given five opportunities to purchase the sampled dose of cocaine (at $5 per dose) or to keep $5 for that choice trial. Choice to self-administer cocaine increased significantly with escalating cocaine doses; gabapentin maintenance did not alter choice to self-administer cocaine. These results concur with findings from our previous investigations of gabapentin and with those from a clinical trial examining the effects of larger gabapentin doses on cocaine use by treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent individuals. Together, the data indicate that gabapentin does not show promise as a treatment medication for cocaine dependence.
Jogos de empresa

Os jogos de empresas tem o objetivo de dinamizar, treinar, selecionar, capacitar os colaboradores da empresa para que esta tenha vantagem competitiva e se posicione positivamente no mercado. Os jogos, de modo como sao trabalhados permitem que os colaboradores assimilem os novos conceitos, re-avaliem os conceitos defasados e tenham mais estimulo ao trabalho pelo desenvolvimento de suas habilidades e competencias. Proporcionam os jogos de empresas que as vivencias do jogo sejam focadas na realidade em que o colaborador vive tanto na empresa quanto no seu cotidiano, uma vez que quanto maior o sincronismo entre as partes empresa-colaborador, maior as suas potencialidades. A metodologia utilizada neste estudo e feita dentro de uma abordagem qualitativa, por meio de levantamentos bibliograficos e em periodicos. Assim, a proposta deste estudo e apontar a eficacia desse instrumento na interacao da equipe, de modo multidisciplinar, proporcionando a empresa, todo o conhecimento possivel por parte de seus colaboradores, a satisfacao deles pelo trabalho desenvolvido, melhor qualidade do produto, a permanente satisfacao dos clientes e, com isso, a ampliacao dos beneficios que tornem a empresa competitiva.
Independence of blood and cerebrospinal fluid lactate.

A RISE in lactic acid concentration in body fluids implies altered tissue metabolism which can take two forms. If pyruvic acid rises in proportion to the increase in lactic acid, both changes can be attributed to an increased breakdown of glucose or to a decreased entry of pyruvic acid into the Krebs metabolic cycle. Such alterations are produced by systemic alkalosis, glucose infusions, and epinephrine injections and are clinically benign. 1 If, on the other hand, pyruvate fails to rise in proportion to the rise in lactate, "excess lactate" is produced. 2 Production of excess lactate is believed to be due to anaerobic glycolysis and to represent clinically ominous tissue hypoxia. Since the brain uses glucose as its only exogenous substrate and is totally dependent upon aerobic metabolism for its continued existence, cerebral metabolic abnormalities can be expected to rapidly alter lactic acid levels in the surrounding cerebral tissue fluids.
Individual variations in the sulcal anatomy of the basal temporal lobe and its relevance for epilepsy surgery: an anatomical study performed using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECT The concept of selective amygdalohippocampectomy is based on pathophysiological insights into the epileptogenicity of the hippocampal region and the definition of the clinical syndrome of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows correlation of the site of histologically conspicuous tissue with anatomical structure. The highly variable sulcal pattern of the basal temporal lobe, however, definitely complicates the morphometric analysis of histomorphologically defined subdivisions of the hippocampal region. The goal of this study was to define individual variations in the sulcal anatomy on the basis of preoperative MR images obtained in patients suffering from TLE. METHODS The authors analyzed coronal MR images obtained in 50 patients for the presence of and intrinsic relationships among the rhinal, collateral, and occipitotemporal sulci. The surface relief of consecutive sections of 100 temporal lobes was graphically outlined and the resulting maps were used for visual analysis. The sulci were characterized by measurement of their depth, distance to the temporal horn, and laterality. The anatomical measurements and frequencies of sulcal patterns were assessed for statistical correlation with patients' histories and the lateralization of the seizure focus. CONCLUSIONS Statistical assessment shows that patient sex is a significant factor in sulcal patterns. Anatomical measurements are significantly decreased on the side of the seizure origin, which relates to loss of white matter, a known morphological abnormality associated with TLE. Magnetic resonance imaging allows for accurate preoperative knowledge of individual sulcal patterns and facilitates intraoperative orientation to anatomical landmarks.
Outcome of patients on azathioprine: a need for a better pre-treatment assessment and dosing guideline.

BACKGROUND Azathioprine (AZA) is a commonly used drug for the management of various rheumatologic disorders. Due to individual variation of the metabolism of AZA, related to genetic polymorphism of the thiopurine methyl transferase (TPMT), serious toxic effects can result if inappropriate dose is administered. AZA dosing according to patients TPMT status can reduce drug-induced morbidity and can be cost effective. AIM To determine the current local practice of AZA dosing, identify AZA-related toxicity and to compare the local practice with the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) recommendations. METHODS Retrospective review of patients on AZA for various rheumatologic conditions from inpatient (n=22) and outpatient (n=38) database at Middlemore Hospital, from January 2003 to January 2007. Data were collected on patient's demographics, treatment history including AZA dosing regimen, TPMT testing, drug-related toxicities and their management. RESULTS The mean age was 53 years; 73% were females. 43% of European ethnicity; mean weight of patient was 75±25 kg. 42% had SLE, 22% had rheumatoid arthritis, and 13% had systemic vasculitis. Average initial dose of AZA prescribed was 100±37 mg. 45% developed AZA related toxicity. AZA was withdrawn in 35 % of patients due to drug-related side-effects and inefficacy.15% of the patients required dose reduction. TPMT status was tested in 6 (10%) patients; three had low TMPT level, needing dose reduction. BSR recommendation for AZA dosing was followed in 15% cases. CONCLUSION A significant proportion of the studied cohort of rheumatologic patients on AZA had drug-related toxicity resulting in discontinuation of AZA. Our data suggests that better pre-treatment assessment including TPMT testing and the practice of guideline based dosing regimen would reduce the incidence of undue side-effects and discontinuation of such treatment.
Evolutionary Relationships among Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with Few Copies of IS6110

ABSTRACT Molecular typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by using IS6110 shows low discrimination when there are fewer than five copies of the insertion sequence. Using a collection of such isolates from a study of the epidemiology of tuberculosis in London, we have shown a substantial degree of congruence between IS6110 patterns and both spoligotype and PGRS type. This indicates that the IS6110 types mainly represent distinct families of strains rather than arising through the convergent insertion of IS6110 into favored positions. This is supported by identification of the genomic sites of the insertion of IS6110 in these strains. The combined data enable identification of the putative evolutionary relationships of these strains, comprising three lineages broadly associated with patients born in South Asia (India and Pakistan), Africa, and Europe, respectively. These lineages appear to be quite distinct from M. tuberculosis isolates with multiple copies of IS6110.
2 Capturing BIG Pictures 2 . 1 Related Work

We present a system to capture and view “Gigapixel images”: very high resolution, high dynamic range, and wide angle imagery consisting of several billion pixels each. A specialized camera mount, in combination with an automated pipeline for alignment, exposure compensation, and stitching, provide the means to acquire Gigapixel images with a standard camera and lens. More importantly, our novel viewer enables exploration of such images at interactive rates over a network, while dynamically and smoothly interpolating the projection between perspective and curved projections, and simultaneously modifying the tone-mapping to ensure an optimal view of the portion of the scene being viewed.
ETHYLENE RESPONSE 1 Histidine Kinase Activity of Arabidopsis Promotes Plant Growth[C][W]

ETHYLENE RESPONSE 1 (ETR1) is one of five receptors for the plant hormone ethylene ([Bleecker et al., 1988][1]; [Chang et al., 1993][2]; for review, see [Bleecker and Kende, 2000][3]; [Schaller and Kieber, 2002][4]). ETR1 contains both an N-terminal ligand-binding hydrophobic domain and light
Provision of agent-based health care services

In the last years there has been a growing interest worldwide in the application of agent technology for providing dynamic, flexible, and compound services. In this paper we report the design and implementation of a multi-agent system that provides health care-related services to the citizens and visitors of a city. The agents of the system allow the user to access his/her medical record, to find out information about the medical centres of the city, and to make a booking to be visited by a particular kind of doctor. Doctors may access and update the medical record of the patient during a visit, and they may also request the performance of clinical tests on the patient. The results of the tests are automatically stored in the patient's medical record, so that they can be accessed by the doctor in the next visit. Two key issues in the design and implementation of the system are discussed: the definition of a basic medical ontology and the implementation of security measures that preserve the confidentiality of sensitive medical information.
Does Muscular Force of the Upper Body Increase Following Acute, Direct Vibration?

Abstract The aim of the current study was to examine the acute effect of direct vibration has on bicep curl force-generating capacity. 11 healthy team and individual sport-trained males performed right and left DB bicep curl at 50% of 1 RM where peak force (PF), mean force (MF), rate of force development (RFD) and electromyography (EMG) were assessed during the concentric phase before and immediately after direct vibration. Using new vibration technology utilizing a pulsing frequency (0–170 Hz) each arm was randomly assigned to receive either 10 min of direct vibration or control (no vibration). Following direct vibration PF increased 6.6±4.5 N (difference pre-post±90 CL; p>0.05) compared to control FP (−1.2±65 N; p>0.05) however, this was not significant. Furthermore, there were no other significant changes (p>0.05) in MP, RFD and EMG between vibration and control arms. This is in agreement with other research that has reported that acute strength changes from vibration elicits negligible changes, however it appears that there are no detrimental effects of using this new vibration device.
[The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy in affective and anxiety disorders using functional neuroimaging].

INTRODUCTION In the last decades psychological studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioural therapy for most anxiety and depressive disorders. Recently, a different and complementary approach in terms of validation of cognitive-behavioural therapy has emerged: testing the efficacy of these therapies using functional neuroimaging techniques. DEVELOPMENT Neurological studies evaluate the cerebral functioning causing the appearance of symptoms and monitoring the brain activity. In this revision study we show the implications of different brain structures (amygdala, cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula) with the characteristic symptoms of many mental disorders studied (obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobia, etc.) and the neurological changes after applying a cognitive-behavioural therapy. CONCLUSIONS At the present there is a very limited number of studies due to the complexity in implementing this type of researches. However, data suggest changes in metabolic activity after cognitive-behavioural therapy at the same time as the decrease of symptoms. Future studies should control the influence of variables such as comorbidity and medication, which prevent more definitive conclusions.