Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The suffering associated with lung cancer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical, psychological, and interactional aspects of lung cancer associated with suffering. A sample of 30 adults with primary pulmonary malignancies was obtained from an oncology clinic and from the practice of a thoracic surgeon. The subjects had been treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation. A structured interview was conducted with each subject to determine the incidence of suffering associated with lung cancer. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to quantify the subjects' responses. The highest level on the scale, “Very Much” suffering, was reported to be associated with lung cancer by 50% of the sample. Ten percent of the sample reported no suffering. The following were reported to be the sources of greatest suffering: disability, pain, anxiety, changed daily activities, and weakness/fatigue. There were no statistically significant differences beyond the 0.05 level in reported suffering among groups treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.028) between groups with known metastatic disease and no known metastatic disease in the amount of suffering associated with the psychological aspects.
Development of the Visual Word Form Area Requires Visual Experience: Evidence from Blind Braille Readers

Learning to read causes the development of a letter- and word-selective region known as the visual word form area (VWFA) within the human ventral visual object stream. Why does a reading-selective region develop at this anatomical location? According to one hypothesis, the VWFA develops at the nexus of visual inputs from retinotopic cortices and linguistic input from the frontotemporal language network because reading involves extracting linguistic information from visual symbols. Surprisingly, the anatomical location of the VWFA is also active when blind individuals read Braille by touch, suggesting that vision is not required for the development of the VWFA. In this study, we tested the alternative prediction that VWFA development is in fact influenced by visual experience. We predicted that in the absence of vision, the “VWFA” is incorporated into the frontotemporal language network and participates in high-level language processing. Congenitally blind (n = 10, 9 female, 1 male) and sighted control (n = 15, 9 female, 6 male), male and female participants each took part in two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments: (1) word reading (Braille for blind and print for sighted participants), and (2) listening to spoken sentences of different grammatical complexity (both groups). We find that in blind, but not sighted participants, the anatomical location of the VWFA responds both to written words and to the grammatical complexity of spoken sentences. This suggests that in blindness, this region takes on high-level linguistic functions, becoming less selective for reading. More generally, the current findings suggest that experience during development has a major effect on functional specialization in the human cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The visual word form area (VWFA) is a region in the human cortex that becomes specialized for the recognition of written letters and words. Why does this particular brain region become specialized for reading? We tested the hypothesis that the VWFA develops within the ventral visual stream because reading involves extracting linguistic information from visual symbols. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that in congenitally blind Braille readers, but not sighted readers of print, the VWFA region is active during grammatical processing of spoken sentences. These results suggest that visual experience contributes to VWFA specialization, and that different neural implementations of reading are possible.
Prevalence and associations between bacterial isolates from dry mammary glands of dairy cows

To assess the prevalence and patterns of bacterial isolates, cultures were made from the dry mammary glands of dairy cows in six commercial dairy herds in the UK. Milk samples were taken from all four quarters of 480 cows at drying off and at weekly intervals from 14 days before to seven days after calving. A major mastitis pathogen was isolated from at least one quarter of 220 (45˙8 per cent) of the cows and from more than one quarter of 90 (18˙8 per cent) of them. During the late dry to calving period, of the 957 quarters with three culture results, a major mastitis pathogen was cultured from 236 (24˙7 per cent) quarters of 186 (88˙8 per cent) cows. The most commonly isolated major pathogen was Escherichia coli, followed by Streptococcus uberis and coagulase-positive staphylococci. There were significant differences between the patterns of isolates from different farms and in different calving months, suggesting that the rate of infection was partially dependent on external conditions. The isolation of E coli, S uberis or coagulasepositive staphylococci from a cow during the late dry/periparturient period was associated with an increased risk of that cow being culled in the next lactation. Bayesian general linear mixed models were used to assess the associations between the different bacterial species. The probability of isolating either E coli or S uberis was significantly greater when the other organism was cultured in a milk sample; this was also true of coagulase-positive staphylococci and S uberis. When Corynebacterium species were isolated from a milk sample, the probability of isolating coagulase-positive staphylococci or S uberis decreased significantly, and when coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated the probability of isolating coagulase-positive staphylococci was reduced.
Ebselen exhibits glycation‐inhibiting properties and protects against osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes in vitro

Diabetic status is associated with an increase on oxidative stress markers in humans and animal models. We have investigated the in vitro effects of high concentrations of glucose on the profile of oxidative stress and osmotic fragility of blood from control and diabetic patients; we considered whether its antioxidant properties could afford some protection against glucose‐induced osmotic fragility, and whether ebselen could act as an inhibitor of hemoglobin glycation. Raising blood glucose to 5–100 mmol/L resulted in a concentration‐dependent increase of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; P < 0.001) and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBA‐RS) content (P < 0.004). Non‐protein SH groups (NPSH) also increased significantly as the concentration of glucose increased up to 30 mmol/L (P < 0.001). The osmotic fragility was more pronounced in blood of uncontrolled diabetic patients than in these non‐diabetic subjects. Ebselen significantly reduced the glucose‐induced increase in osmotic fragility and inhibited HbA1c formation (P < 0.0001). These results indicate that blood from patients with uncontrolled diabetes are more sensitive to osmotic shock than from patients with controlled diabetes and control subjects in relation to increased production of free radicals in vivo.
Training and other predictors of personal protective equipment use in Australian grain farmers using pesticides

Objectives: To investigate patterns of use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce pesticide exposure in a sample of Australian farmers and also to assess the influence of possible predictive factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1102 farmers recruited through the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) was conducted. A written questionnaire was filled out by participants at VFF meetings attended by a visiting research assistant. Participants answered questions about frequency of pesticide use and PPE items they usually used when doing two different pesticide-related tasks, mixing and application, of each of four classes of pesticides. They also answered questions about personal characteristics, farm characteristics, farming activities, career and health. Results: Nearly all surveyed farmers had ever used pesticides, and over 87% had used Herbicides or Animal Health Products in the previous 12 months. Non-use of PPE was frequently reported, with up to 10–40% of farmers routinely using no PPE at all when using pesticides. Across all pesticide classes, PPE use was higher for pesticide mixing than for application. In multivariate analyses PPE use appeared to be most strongly associated with younger age and farm chemical training. Conclusions: PPE use across all pesticide classes was poor, indicating the possibility of clinically significant pesticide exposure in many farmers. Given that PPE use was found to be associated with farm chemical training, the authors suggest that training is likely to be an important intervention for reducing farmers’ pesticide exposure. Poor uptake of farm chemical training by farmers and the aging farming workforce are causes for concern in the light of these findings.
Conditional stimulus probability and activity of hippocampal, cingulate cortical, and limbic thalamic neurons during avoidance conditioning in rabbits.

Past studies of the neuronal correlates of avoidance conditioning in rabbits have led to a model of information flow among structures of the limbic system. A hypothesis of the model is that unexpected stimuli activate certain hippocampal and cingulate cortical neurons. This activity in turn suppresses or "limits" the firing of limbic thalamic neurons. This hypothesis is tested in relation to stimuli classified as unexpected or expected on the basis of their incidence or "probability. " Multi-unit and field potential responses in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices (AC and PC), the dentate gyrus (DG), and the anterior ventral (AV) and medial dorsal (MD) thalamic nuclei were recorded during the acquisition and performance of a locomotor conditioned response (CR). The CR, stepping in an activity wheel in response to a 0.5-s tone (CS+), prevented the occurrence of a shock US scheduled 5 s after CS+ onset. The rabbits also learned to ignore a different tone (CS-), not predictive of the US. Training was given daily (120 trials, 60 with each CS in an irregular sequence) until behavioral discrimination reached criterion. After criterion, asymmetric probability (AP) sessions were given, in which the CS+/CS- proportions were . 2/. 8 or . 8/. 2. The AP sessions were the same as conditioning sessions except for the probability manipulation. A significant discriminative response, i.e., a greater neuronal discharge to the CS+ than to the CS-, developed in all regions during behavioral acquisition. The unit response in the AP sessions was enhanced in all areas by rare presentation of the CS-, compared with the equal and frequent CS- conditions. Rare presentation of the CS+ enhanced the unit response in the cortical areas (AC, PC, and DG), but it suppressed the firing of limbic thalamic (AV and MD) neurons. These results were supportive of the model. Rare CS+ presentations did not alter AV and PC neuronal activity in rabbits with subicular lesions, a result suggesting that an intact hippocampus is essential for normal neuronal responses to stimulus probability in the cingulate cortex and limbic thalamus.
Market Concentration in the Grocery Retail Industry: Application of the Basic Prisonersâ€™ Dilemma Model

We assess spatial concentration ratios in the grocery retail industry across four regions of the country to determine whether there is evidence of covert collusion among the retail chains that can explain why we do not see more price competition among them. We apply a basic theory of the prisonersâ€™ dilemma game model, together with an empirical analysis that utilizes the price-concentration model (PCM) to test both the direction and size of the effect of concentration on prices, whilst controlling for other factors that affect the retail prices of the grocery retail firms. The work explores whether higher concentration does enable collusive behavior that leads to higher set prices of grocery products within and across given spatial locations, by estimating a PCM which allows us to verify the extent to which the grocery retail chains can manipulate and set prices uniformly among themselves in a quasi-collusive behavior.While the theory suggests that the degree of competition as opposed to cooperative collusive outcomes in the industry depends on the accuracy of rival conjectures about each other's moves, the empirical evidence indicates that the pricing patterns observed between the companies may be largely due to covert tacit collusion among these retail firms.
Innovation, Competition and Productivity

We investigate the drivers of firm‐level productivity in catching‐up economies by jointly estimating its relationship to innovation and competition using data from the EBRD‐WB Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The findings confirm an inverted‐U shaped impact of competition on R&D. Both competition and innovation have a simultaneous positive effect on labour productivity in terms of either sales or value added per employee, as does a high share of university graduates and foreign ownership. Further positive impacts come from firm size, exports or population density. Innovation and foreign ownership appear to be the strongest drivers of multifactor productivity.
A comparison of polysomnographic and actigraphic evaluation of periodic limb movements in sleep

Abstract Objective: As a standard method, periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) are detected by means of polysomnography (PSG). Actigraphic detection of PLMS is a recently developed method for performing of multiple-night recordings in an outpatient setting. The aim of our study was to assess sensitivity-related parameters of actigraphic detection of PLMS in comparison to the PSG, when mounted at ankles and at the base of the big toe. Methods: We simultaneously performed PSG and actigraphic recordings at both ankles and at the bases of both big toes (Cambridge Actiwatch AW-64) for 40 nights. The PLM index (PLMI), number of periodic movements per hour of sleep, was the primary output of both methods. Results: We have proven significant correlation of all resulting parameters when comparing actigraphy at either position to the PSG; however, the PLMI values obtained by the actigraphy at toes were significantly higher than by PSG (sign test, p<0.0001). At bases of the big toes, threshold of PLMI=7.6 was used as a cut off for positivity, while PLMI=5 at ankles was used for PSG. Comparing ankle versus toe actigraphic placement, sensitivity was 67% versus 94%, specificity was 95% versus 91% and negative predictive value was 78% versus 95%. The correlation of the results from actigraphy and PSG was not affected by presence of respiratory events. Discussion: Our results suggest good validity of actigraphic PLM evaluation at the base of big toe using AW-64 devices and therefore, actigraphy seems suitable for screening purposes in both clinical and research usage.
Monitoring Community Mobility With Global Positioning System Technology After a Stroke: A Case Study

Background: Stroke survivors often experience difficulty returning to activities and places they deem important to their social, leisure, and occupational aspirations. The extent to which stroke survivors return to community mobility and their ability to navigate and access locations they deem meaningful have not been objectively measured. Purpose: We used global positioning system technology (GPSt) to measure the community mobility of a person poststroke, and assess the relationship between GPSt measures and clinical measures of mobility. Methods: The participant was a 56-year-old man who sustained a right pontine stroke. At discharge from rehabilitation, his Six-Minute Walk Test distance was 73 m. He was fitted with a GPS unit and an accelerometer attached to a single belt and instructed to wear the devices at all times when out of bed. After identifying 10 locations that were important to his goals, he was monitored for 5 separate 1-week periods, on the first, fifth, and ninth weeks and at 6 and 12 months after discharge. Results: During the first 10 weeks, he averaged 7.6 target visits (70%) and 26.7 trips per week. At 1 year, his Six-Minute Walk distance score was 287.5 m. Accelerometry data revealed that he remained primarily sedentary. Target visits and trips per week did not change substantially over the course of 1 year, and compliance wearing the GPS unit was variable. Conclusions: Given the limited correlation in gait speed and distance with target attainment and trips, these outcomes likely measure different constructs for this subject. GPSt may offer insights into participation for stroke survivors following rehabilitation.
Bayesian analysis for nonlinear mixed‐effects models under heavy‐tailed distributions

A common assumption in nonlinear mixed‐effects models is the normality of both random effects and within‐subject errors. However, such assumptions make inferences vulnerable to the presence of outliers. More flexible distributions are therefore necessary for modeling both sources of variability in this class of models. In the present paper, I consider an extension of the nonlinear mixed‐effects models in which random effects and within‐subject errors are assumed to be distributed according to a rich class of parametric models that are often used for robust inference. The class of distributions I consider is the scale mixture of multivariate normal distributions that consist of a wide range of symmetric and continuous distributions. This class includes heavy‐tailed multivariate distributions, such as the Student's t and slash and contaminated normal. With the scale mixture of multivariate normal distributions, robustification is achieved from the tail behavior of the different distributions. A Bayesian framework is adopted, and MCMC is used to carry out posterior analysis. Model comparison using different criteria was considered. The procedures are illustrated using a real dataset from a pharmacokinetic study. I contrast results from the normal and robust models and show how the implementation can be used to detect outliers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultra-sensitive hydrogen gas sensing using DNA-templated palladium nanowires

This paper focuses on an ultra-sensitive H<inf>2</inf> sensor fabricated using a time and cost-effective method. The sensor is comprised of Pd nanowires fabricated using λ-DNA templates. The morphology and the electrical characterisation of the metalized DNA nanowires (diameter = 5–45nm) were investigated by AFM and conductive AFM (cAFM). The conductivity of a single Pd-DNA nanowire, 127 Scm<sup>−1</sup> was substantially lower than that of bulk Pd (9.5×10<sup>4</sup> Scm<sup>−1</sup>). However, the sensor shows high sensitivity towards hydrogen evaluated by recording the change in the resistance on exposure to cycles of different concentrations of H<inf>2</inf> in N<inf>2</inf> flow at 330K. The sensor showed a reversible response to H<inf>2</inf> concentrations between 2300 – 12500 ppm and a response time of ∼85 s. These results indicate that using DNA as a template is a promising method for the fabrication of low cost and rapid response sensors.
Child maltreatment, impulsivity, and antisocial behavior in African American children: Moderation effects from a cumulative dopaminergic gene index

Abstract A model examining the effects of an increasing number of maltreatment subtypes experienced on antisocial behavior, as mediated by impulsivity and moderated by a polygenic index of dopaminergic genotypes, was investigated. An African American sample of children (N = 1,012, M age = 10.07) with and without maltreatment histories participated. Indicators of aggression, delinquency, and disruptive peer behavior were obtained from peer- and counselor-rated measures to form a latent variable of antisocial behavior; impulsivity was assessed by counselor report. Five genotypes in four dopaminergic genes (dopamine receptors D4, D2, known as DRD4, DRD2; dopamine active transporter 1, known as DAT1; and catechol-O-methyltransferase, known as COMT) conferring heightened environmental sensitivity were combined into one polygenic index. Using structural equation modeling, a first-stage, moderated-mediation model was evaluated. Age and sex were entered as covariates, both as main effects and in interaction with maltreatment and the gene index. The model had excellent fit: χ2 (32, N = 1,012) = 86.51, p < . 001; comparative fit index = 0.982, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.977, root mean square error of approximation = 0.041, and standardized root mean square residual = 0.022. The effect of maltreatment subtypes on antisocial behavior was partially mediated by impulsivity (β = 0.173, p < .001), and these relations were moderated by the number of differentiating dopaminergic genotypes. Specifically, a significant Gene × Environment interaction (β = 0.016, p = .013) indicated that the relation between maltreatment and impulsivity was stronger as children evinced more differentiating genotypes, thereby strengthening the mediational effect of impulsivity on antisocial behavior. These findings elucidate the manner by which maltreated children develop early signs of antisocial behavior, and the genetic mechanisms involved in greater vulnerability for maladaptation in impulse control within the context of child maltreatment.
Studies of the repressor (BlaI) of β‐lactamase synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus

Purified BlaI, the putative repressor of the β‐lactamase operon in Staphylococcus aureus, binds specifically to two regions of dyad symmetry (operators) located in the blaZ–blaR1 intergenic region. BlaI binds with similar affinity to the two regions and to the related sequence upstream of the mec gene found in methicillin‐resistant strains of S. aureus, providing physical evidence for the cross‐talk previously observed between these systems. A change from a lysine in the N‐terminus of BlaI to an alanine or deletion of the C‐terminal 23 amino acids severely reduces its DNA‐binding ability, demonstrating the functional importance of both the N‐ and C‐termini. An operator DNA–protein complex observed with crude cell lysates from repressed cells, indistinguishable from that observed with purified BlaI, was eliminated by induction of the β‐lactamase operon. Furthermore, BlaI is proteolytically cleaved in response to the addition of inducer in a blaR1‐dependent manner, providing primary evidence for the molecular basis of induction. Thus, BlaI is shown to be the repressor of the β‐lactamase system.
Ketoprofen 1-Alkylazacycloalkan-2-one Esters as Dermal Prodrugs: In Vivo and In Vitro Evaluations

Abstract Six new 1-alkylazacycloalkan-2-one esters of ketoprofen (1–6) were synthesized and evaluated as potential dermal prodrugs of ketoprofen. Their lipophilicity by both experimental lipophilicity indices (log k′) and calculated ClogP was also determined. In vitro experiments were carried out to evaluate the chemical and enzymatic stability and permeation through excised human skin of these new ketoprofen derivatives. Furthermore, we investigated the in vivo topical anti-inflammatory activity of ester 5, which showed the best in vitro profile, evaluating the ability of this compound to inhibit methyl nicotinate-induced skin erythema on healthy human volunteers. Esters 1–6 showed increased lipophilicity compared with the parent drug (ketoprofen), good stability in phosphate buffer pH 7.4, and were readily hydrolyzed by porcine esterase. Results from in vitro percutaneous absorption studies showed that, among all esters synthesized, only for esters 1 and 5 did a higher cumulative amount of drug penetrate through the skin, compared with that obtained after topical application of ketoprofen. In vivo results showed an interesting delayed and sustained activity of ester 5, compared with the parent drugs.