Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain correlates of fast and slow handwriting in humans: a PET–performance correlation analysis

The present study examined the cerebral control of velocity during handwriting. We employed H215O positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 10 healthy subjects. Participants were required to write the German verb ‘bellen’ (‘to bark’) either at their normal speed (i.e. fast open‐loop handwriting) or to write at approximately half of their normal speed without visual feedback. The second task required a continuous modification of the motor output according to the kinaesthetic feedback from the hand (i.e. slow closed‐loop handwriting). Pencil movements were recorded during PET scanning and analysed off‐line using a stroke‐based analysing program. The mean number of inversions in velocity (NIV) per stroke was used to quantify the mode of motor control during each PET scan. A NIV of 1 indicates fast open‐loop processing, whereas an increase in NIV reflects a shift towards slow closed‐loop processing of handwriting. Foci in the left primary sensorimotor cortex, the right lateral premotor cortex, the left anterior parietal cortex, the left anterior putamen, the left rostral supplementary motor area and the right precuneus showed a graded increase in functional activation with the mean NIV per stroke, suggesting that this set of brain regions is particularly involved in the processing of slow closed‐loop writing movements. No area showed a negative relationship between rCBF and the mean NIV per stroke, suggesting that fast open‐loop handwriting is achieved by an optimized cooperation of the manual sensorimotor network rather than by a selective activation of a distinct network component.
Childhood socio-economic status and ethnic disparities in psychosocial outcomes in New Zealand

Objective: The present study examined the extent to which childhood socio-economic status (SES) could account for differences in adult psychosocial outcomes between Māori and non-Māori individuals in a birth cohort of more than 1000 individuals studied to age 30. Methods: Data were gathered on three measures of childhood SES (family SES, family living standards, family income) and adult psychosocial outcomes including mental health, substance use, criminal offending, and education/welfare dependence outcomes, as part of a longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort (the Christchurch Health and Development Study). Results: Those reporting Māori ethnicity had significantly (p < 0.0001) poorer scores on the three measures of childhood SES, with estimates of Cohen’s d indicating a moderate effect size. Māori cohort members also had significantly (p < 0.05) greater rates of adverse psychosocial outcomes in adulthood. Controlling for childhood SES reduced the magnitude of the ethnic differences in psychosocial outcomes, but did not fully explain the differences between Māori and non-Māori. Adjustment for childhood SES had the strongest effect on education/welfare dependence, but weaker effects on mental health, substance use, and criminal offending. Conclusions: Improvements in SES among Māori in New Zealand may, to some extent, ameliorate the long standing disparities in psychosocial well-being between Māori and non-Māori. However, efforts to improve Māori well-being will require an approach that moves beyond a sole focus on rectifying socio-economic disadvantage.
Do donors matter most? An analysis of conditional cash transfer adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cash transfers, both conditional and unconditional, have become increasingly popular in emerging economies, but relatively little research investigates the types of countries most likely to adopt this form of social assistance. A notable exception is a study by Brooks, which concludes that conditional cash transfers (CCTs) are more likely to be adopted by divided governments and in places where neighbouring, democratic countries have already implemented them. This comparative research tests Brooks’ findings in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and finds that they largely do not apply. Instead, programme funder is offered as a better explanation of cash transfer adoption in SSA from 1990 to 2011. The results show that CCTs are adopted in poor African countries with financial support from the World Bank, while unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) are adopted across a range of countries with the support of various donors. This research contributes to the literature by showing quantitatively that donor support may be more important than some domestic factors, such as bureaucratic capacity, for understanding CCT implementation in SSA.
Clinical utility of quantitative cytomegalovirus viral load determination for predicting cytomegalovirus disease in liver transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND The early detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) after liver transplantation may form the basis of a preemptive strategy for prevention of active CMV disease. METHODS We prospectively analyzed the clinical use of weekly quantitative polymerase chain reaction-(PCR) based plasma viral load determinations and the antigenemia assay for predicting the development of active CMV disease in 97 consecutive liver transplant recipients. RESULTS CMV disease occurred in 21/97 patients. Using a positive cut-off of >400 copies/ml plasma, PCR had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity 47.4%, positive predictive value 34.4% and negative predictive value 100% for prediction of CMV disease. Respective values for a positive antigenemia (>0 positive cells/slide) were 95.2, 55.3, 37.0, and 97.7%. Different cut-off points for a positive test were analyzed using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The optimal cut-off for viral load was in the range of 2000-5000 copies/ml (sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 86.8%, PPV 64.3%, NPV 95.7% for >5000 copies/ml). The optimal cut-off for antigenemia was in the range of four to six positive cells/slide. Mean peak viral load in symptomatic patients was 73,715 copies per/ml versus 3615 copies/ml in patients with asymptomatic CMV reactivation (P<0.001). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors for CMV disease (CMV serostatus, acute rejection, and induction immunosuppression), peak viral load and peak antigenemia emerged as the only significant independent predictors of CMV disease (for PCR, odds ratio=1.40/1000 copy/ml increase in viral load, P=0.0001; for antigenemia odds ratio=1.17/1 positive cell/slide). CONCLUSIONS Plasma viral load by quantitative PCR is useful for predicting CMV disease and could be used in a preemptive strategy.
Raising the bar: the importance of hospital library standards in the continuing medical education accreditation process.

The Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) reviews and accredits the continuing medical education (CME) programs offered by Connecticut's hospitals. As part of the survey process, the CSMS assesses the quality of the hospitals' libraries. In 1987, the CSMS adopted the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) "Minimum Standards for Health Sciences Libraries in Hospitals. " In 1990, professional librarians were added to the survey team and, later, to the CSMS CME Committee. Librarians participating in this effort are recruited from the membership of the Connecticut Association of Health Sciences Librarians (CAHSL). The positive results of having a qualified librarian on the survey team and the invaluable impact of adherence to the MLA standards are outlined. As a direct result of this process, hospitals throughout the state have added staffing, increased space, and added funding for resources during an era of cutbacks. Some hospital libraries have been able to maintain a healthy status quo, while others have had proposed cuts reconsidered by administrators for fear of losing valuable CME accreditation status. Creating a relationship with an accrediting agency is one method by which hospital librarians elsewhere may strengthen their efforts to ensure adequate library resources in an era of downsizing. In addition, this collaboration has provided a new and important role for librarians to play on an accreditation team.
BatchDB: Efficient Isolated Execution of Hybrid OLTP+OLAP Workloads for Interactive Applications

In this paper we present BatchDB, an in-memory database engine designed for hybrid OLTP and OLAP workloads. BatchDB achieves good performance, provides a high level of data freshness, and minimizes load interaction between the transactional and analytical engines, thus enabling real time analysis over fresh data under tight SLAs for both OLTP and OLAP workloads. BatchDB relies on primary-secondary replication with dedicated replicas, each optimized for a particular workload type (OLTP, OLAP), and a light-weight propagation of transactional updates. The evaluation shows that for standard TPC-C and TPC-H benchmarks, BatchDB can achieve competitive performance to specialized engines for the corresponding transactional and analytical workloads, while providing a level of performance isolation and predictable runtime for hybrid workload mixes (OLTP+OLAP) otherwise unmet by existing solutions.
Quantitative Analysis of Tryptase- and Chymase-containing Mast Cells in Eosinophilic Conditions of Cats

The presence and density of tryptase-positive/chymase-positive mast cells (MCs) (MCTC), chymase-positive/tryptase-negative MCs (MCC), and tryptase-positive/chymase-negative MCs (MCT) in lesional skin from cats with eosinophilic conditions were investigated. Skin biopsy specimens from eight cats with eosinophilic plaque (three cats), eosinophilic granuloma (two cats), and eosinophilic dermatitis (three cats) were studied. Toluidine blue staining and a double-enzyme-immunohistochemical staining technique were performed to determine MC density and MC subtypes, respectively. MC density varied from 170.3 to 503 cells/mm2 (mean value of 314.9 cells/mm2). In the superficial dermis, 5.9% of the MC belonged to the MCT, 12.8% to the MCC, and 81.2% to the MCTC subtype. In the deep dermis, 12.8% belonged to the MCT, 12.8% to the MCC, and 73.8% to the MCTC subtype. It is the first time that MCC have been identified. The double-labeling procedure proved to be a reliable tool for identifying simultaneously the presence of MC subtypes in feline skin.
Perceived FOMC: The Making of Hawks, Doves and Swingers

Narrative records in US newspapers reveal that about 70 percent of Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members who served during the last 55 years are perceived to have had persistent policy preferences over time, as either inflation-fighting hawks or growth-promoting doves. The rest are perceived as swingers, switching between types, or remained an unknown quantity to markets. What makes a member a hawk or a dove? What moulds those who change their tune? We highlight ideology by education and early life economic experiences of members of the FOMC from 1960s to 2015. This research is based on an original dataset.
Amino acid transport in taxonomically diverse cyanobacteria and identification of two genes encoding elements of a neutral amino acid permease putatively involved in recapture of leaked hydrophobic amino acids

The activities of uptake of thirteen 14C-labeled amino acids were determined in nine cyanobacteria, including the unicellular strains Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 and Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803; the filamentous strain Pseudanabaena sp. strain PCC 6903, and the filamentous, heterocyst-forming strains Anabaena sp. strains PCC 7120 and PCC 7937; Nostoc sp. strains PCC 7413 and PCC 7107; Calothrix sp. strain PCC 7601 (which is a mutant unable to develop heterocysts); and Fischerella muscicola UTEX 1829. Amino acid transport mutants, selected as mutants resistant to some amino acid analogs, were isolated from the Anabaena, Nostoc, Calothrix, and Pseudanabaena strains. All of the tested cyanobacteria bear at least a neutral amino acid transport system, and some strains also bear transport systems specific for basic or acidic amino acids. Two genes, natA and natB, encoding elements (conserved component, NatA, and periplasmic binding protein, NatB) of an ABC-type permease for neutral amino acids were identified by insertional mutagenesis of strain PCC 6803 open reading frames from the recently published genomic DNA sequence of this cyanobacterium. DNA sequences homologous to natA and natB from strain PCC 6803 were detected by hybridization in eight cyanobacterial strains tested. Mutants unable to transport neutral amino acids, including natA and natB insertional mutants, accumulated in the extracellular medium a set of amino acids that always included Ala, Val, Phe, Ile, and Leu. A general role for a cyanobacterial neutral amino acid permease in recapture of hydrophobic amino acids leaked from the cells is suggested.
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with an intermediate intensity conditioning regimen in multiple sclerosis: the Italian multi-centre experience

Background: Over recent years numerous patients with severe forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) refractory to conventional therapies have been treated with intense immunosuppression followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). The clinical outcome and the toxicity of AHSCT can be diverse, depending on the various types of conditioning protocols and on the disease phase. Objectives: To report the Italian experience on all the consecutive patients with MS treated with AHSCT with an intermediate intensity conditioning regimen, named BEAM/ATG, in the period from 1996 to 2008. Methods: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes of 74 patients were collected after a median follow-up period of 48.3 (range = 0.8–126) months. Results: Two patients (2.7%) died from transplant-related causes. After 5 years, 66% of patients remained stable or improved. Among patients with a follow-up longer than 1 year, eight out of 25 subjects with a relapsing–remitting course (31%) had a 6–12 months confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale improvement > 1 point after AHSCT as compared with one out of 36 (3%) patients with a secondary progressive disease course (p = 0.009). Among the 18 cases with a follow-up longer than 7 years, eight (44%) remained stable or had a sustained improvement while 10 (56%), after an initial period of stabilization or improvement with median duration of 3.5 years, showed a slow disability progression. Conclusions: This study shows that AHSCT with a BEAM/ATG conditioning regimen has a sustained effect in suppressing disease progression in aggressive MS cases unresponsive to conventional therapies. It can also cause a sustained clinical improvement, especially if treated subjects are still in the relapsing–remitting phase of the disease.
Generation of resonance‐dependent oscillation by mGluR‐I activation switches single spiking to bursting in mesencephalic trigeminal sensory neurons

The primary sensory neurons supplying muscle spindles of jaw‐closing muscles are unique in that they have their somata in the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN) in the brainstem, thereby receiving various synaptic inputs. MTN neurons display bursting upon activation of glutamatergic synaptic inputs while they faithfully relay respective impulses arising from peripheral sensory organs. The persistent sodium current (INaP) is reported to be responsible for both the generation of bursts and the relay of impulses. We addressed how INaP is controlled either to trigger bursts or to relay respective impulses as single spikes in MTN neurons. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation enhanced INaP only at low voltages. Spike generation was facilitated by PKC activation at membrane potentials more depolarized than the resting potential. By injection of a ramp current pulse, a burst of spikes was triggered from a depolarized membrane potential whereas its instantaneous spike frequency remained almost constant despite the ramp increases in the current intensity beyond the threshold. A puff application of glutamate preceding the ramp pulse lowered the threshold for evoking bursts by ramp pulses while chelerythrine abolished such effects of glutamate. Dihydroxyphenylglycine, an agonist of mGluR1/5, also caused similar effects, and increased both the frequency and impedance of membrane resonance. Immunohistochemistry revealed that glutamatergic synapses are made onto the stem axons, and that mGluR1/5 and Nav1.6 are co‐localized in the stem axon. Taken together, glutamatergic synaptic inputs onto the stem axon may be able to switch the relaying to the bursting mode.
Trends in Intergenerational Educational Mobility in Canada

Using data from the General Social Survey (2011), this study examines trends in the intergenerational persistence in education in Canada for the birth cohorts 1940 through 1989. The study estimates a correlation coefficient between children's and fathers’ number of years of education attained. The study finds that, over the period of study, the correlation coefficient increased slightly for sons while it decreased for daughters. Decomposition of the correlation coefficient shows that sons with less educated fathers are still very likely to be less educated. However, for daughters, there is less persistence at the lower end of fathers’ education distribution.
Endothelial cells from diverse tissues exhibit differences in growth and morphology.

An increased recognition of the role of endothelial cells in disease and the development of methods for endothelial cell culture has led to an upsurge in in vitro studies of endothelial cell function. However, the cells most often used for these studies do not reflect the in vivo heterogeneity of endothelial cells. To assess intrinsic differences between large and small vessel endothelial cells from different tissues, primary cultures of endothelial cells from capillaries (brain, lung, and adipose tissue) and a large vessel (aorta) of sheep were isolated, purified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting of acetylated low density lipoprotein (DiI-Ac-LDL) labeled cells, and characterized by phase contrast and ultrastructural morphology, expression of von Willebrand factor, and lack of expression of cytokeratin, smooth muscle actin, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Although all endothelial cells were cultured in the same media, only the brain microvascular endothelial cells demonstrated tight junctions by electron microscopy. Only the large vessel (aortic) endothelial cells contained Weibel-Palade bodies. Expression of von Willebrand factor decreased with passage of cells, but uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL was consistently positive regardless of culture conditions or passage number. These studies demonstrate that the unique ultrastructural characteristics of microvascular and macrovascular endothelial cells are intrinsic to the cells themselves and are not determined by differential culture conditions. This system allows the study of pathologic processes that affect endothelial cells of certain target organs selectively and should more accurately represent the response of tissue-specific endothelial cells in inflammatory processes.
Narrowband ultraviolet B radiation therapy for recalcitrant vitiligo in Asians.

BACKGROUND Narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) has recently been reported to be effective therapy for vitiligo. However, reports on its efficacy in recalcitrant vitiligo are lacking. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to assess the efficacy of NBUVB in patients with vitiligo who did not respond to either topical therapy or oral psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA). METHOD This was a retrospective analysis of patients with vitiligo who were treated with NBUVB from February 1998 to January 2001. They received NBUVB treatment 2 times per week, with an initial dose of 100 mJ/cm(2). The dose was increased by 10% to 20% per treatment for 20 treatments. The dose was then increased by 2% to 5% per treatment until 50% repigmentation was observed or persistent erythema developed. The treatment was continued until maximum repigmentation was achieved. The treatment was terminated if the patient showed less than 25% improvement after 40 to 50 exposures. RESULTS There were 60 patients: 22 men and 38 women, aged 11 to 61 years. The mean duration of vitiligo was 8.2 +/- 7.1 years. There were 53 cases of generalized and 7 cases of localized vitiligo. The lesions covered from less than 5% to 50% of body surface. Twenty-five patients were skin type III, 33 patients were skin type IV, and 2 patients were skin type V. Every case had been previously treated with topical steroid with or without topical psoralen with solar light exposure. Thirty-six patients (60%) had been treated with oral PUVA before NBUVB therapy. After NBUVB treatment, 25 of 60 patients (42%) achieved more than 50% repigmentation on face, trunk, arms, and legs. However, hand and foot lesions showed less than 25% repigmentation in all cases. There was no significant difference between the responders and nonresponders in age, sex, duration of diseases, and skin type. The response rate of patients who had not been previously treated with PUVA was significantly higher than that of patients who had been previously treated with PUVA (67% vs 36%, P =.003). CONCLUSION This retrospective, open study demonstrated that NBUVB therapy was effective in 42% of Asian patients with recalcitrant vitiligo without serious side effect. The only clinical parameter that could differentiate nonresponders from responders was previous exposure to PUVA.
Sixteen-row multislice computerized tomography angiography in the postoperative evaluation of patients with intracranial aneurysms

The goal of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of 16-row multislice computed tomography angiography (CTA) compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in the detection of aneurysm remnants and arterial patency after clipping of intracranial aneurysms. Thirty-seven consecutive patients with 40 clipped aneurysms (39 of which had ruptured) were studied with the aid of postoperative CTA and DSA. CTA was performed with a 16-row multislice CT scanner by using collimation of 0.75 mm. Two neuroradiologists evaluated the image quality of CTA and the presence of the residual aneurysms with a 5-point rating scale. DSA was considered a reference standard. Two aneurysms with incomplete closure were identified by the 16-slice CTA reconstructions. With 16-slice CTA, there were no false-positive results of an aneurysm with incomplete closure in any patient. Arterial patency could be reliably evaluated close to the clip. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 16-slice CTA for aneurysm occlusion and arterial patency were 100%[97.5% confidence interval (CI): 15.8 – 100%], 100% (97.5% CI: 90.7 – 100%) and 100% (97.5% CI: 91.2 – 100%), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 100 and 100%, respectively. The mean duration of the examination was 12 min for CTA and 40 min for DSA (p < 0.05). Sixteen-slice CTA was highly cost effective (p < 0.05). Sixteen-slice CTA is a valuable non-invasive diagnostic modality for the assessment of aneurysm remnants and arterial patency in patients after aneurysm clipping. Its high sensitivity and low cost warrant its use for postoperative routine control examinations following clip placement on an aneurysm.