Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial disease in New Zealand, 2004.

AIM To record the incidence and clinical significance of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection in New Zealand (NZ) in 2004. METHOD In 2004 each of NZ's mycobacterium reference laboratories collected data on NTM isolates. The clinical significance of isolates was decided by contacting the requesting clinician. American Thoracic Society criteria were used to assign clinical significance to respiratory isolates. RESULTS 368 patients had NTM isolated from various sites. 21% (78/368) were clinically significant [15% (47/316) of respiratory isolates, 100% (17/17) lymph node and 89% (8/9) of soft tissue isolates]. Of the significant isolates, Mycobacterium avium intracellulare complex (MAIC) was the most common, accounting for 83%, 88%, and 44% of respiratory, lymph node, and soft tissue infections respectively. Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) were the second most common cause of significant infection. Of 47 patients with significant respiratory isolates 79% were female and 83% had underlying lung disease. The incidence of disease caused by NTM in NZ in 2004 was 1.92/100,000 population. The specific incidence of pulmonary, lymph node and soft tissue infections was 1.17, 0.39, and 0.24 per 100,000 population respectively. CONCLUSION The incidence of NTM respiratory disease in NZ during 2004 is approximately twice that recorded for Australia in 2000 (0.56/100,000). MAIC is the most common pathogen, followed by RGM. Both organisms most commonly cause respiratory infections in elderly female patients with underlying lung disease.
Efficient Welfare Weights

How should we measure economic efficiency? The canonical measure is an unweighted sum of willingnesses to pay. In contrast, this paper provides efficient welfare weights that implement the Kaldor-Hicks tests for efficiency but account for the distortionary cost of taxation. The shape of the income distribution yields bounds on these weights that suggest it is efficient to weight surplus to the poor more than to the rich. Point estimates suggest surplus to the poor should be weighted 1.5-2x more than surplus to the rich. I illustrate how to use these weights to evaluate the efficiency of government policy changes.
Ligand-dependent Inhibition of B16 Melanoma Cell Migration and Invasion via Endogenous S1P2 G Protein-coupled Receptor

We investigated mechanisms for inhibition of B16 melanoma cell migration and invasion by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which is the ligand for the Edg family G protein-coupled receptors and also implicated as an intracellular second messenger. S1P, dihydro-S1P, and sphingosylphosphorylcholine inhibited B16 cell migration and invasion with the relative potencies expected as S1P2 receptor agonists. The S1P2-selective antagonist JTE013 completely abolished the responses to these agonists. In addition, JTE013 abrogated the inhibition by sphingosine, which is the S1P precursor but not an agonist for S1P receptors, indicating that the sphingosine effects were mediated via S1P2 stimulation, most likely by S1P that was converted from sphingosine. S1P induced inhibition and activation, respectively, of Rac and RhoA in B16 cells, which were abrogated by JTE013. Adenovirus-mediated expression of N17Rac mimicked S1P inhibition of migration, whereas C3 toxin pretreatment, but not Rho kinase inhibitors, reversed the S1P inhibition. Overexpression of S1P2 sensitized, and that of either S1P1 or S1P3 desensitized, B16 cells to S1P inhibition of Rac and migration. In JTE013-pretreated, S1P3-overexpressing B16 cells, S1P stimulated cellular RhoA but failed to inhibit either Rac or migration, indicating that RhoA stimulation itself is not sufficient for inhibition of migration. These results provide compelling evidence that endogenously expressed S1P2 negatively regulates cell motility and invasion through ligand-dependent reciprocal regulation of cellular Rac and RhoA activities. In the presence of JTE013, S1P instead stimulated Rac and migration in B16 cells that overexpress either S1P1 or S1P3, unveiling counteractions between S1P2 and S1P1 or S1P3 chemotactic receptor.
Pressure Effects on the Segmental Dynamics of Hydrogen-Bonded Polymer Blends

Segmental relaxations in the neat components and the blend of poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVPh) with poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA, with 70 wt % vinyl acetate) are studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy at different temperatures and hydrostatic pressures (up to 750 MPa). Pressure retards the relaxation, with a consequent increase of the glass transition temperature (Tg). The pressure coefficient of Tg is 158 C/GPa for the neat EVA, with temperature and pressure found to exert a comparable effect on segmental relaxation. The shape of the EVA segmental relaxation function, however, is the same for different temperature-pressure conditions at a given relaxation time. On the other hand, PVT measurements on PVPh indicate that temperature is more important than pressure in determining the segmental relaxation time, due to the presence of strong hydrogen bonding. For blends with 20% and 30% PVPh, similar pressure-dependent increases of Tg are observed, although contributions from T and P to segmental relaxation are again comparable, despite the hydrogen bonding between PVPh and EVA. Although both high pressure and temperature reduce the concentration of hydrogen bonds in the blends, which tends to decouple the components' segmental relaxation processes, the relaxation time distribution in the blends is narrowed with increasing pressure at a given relaxation time. This behavior is interpreted by considering the additional mobility achieved from breaking hydrogen bonds at high pressures and high temperatures for the hydrogen-bonded (and thus slow) PVPh-EVA segments compared with the fast relaxation of unassociated EVA segments.
The Stroop Effect From a Mixture of Reading Processes: A Fixed-Point Analysis

For the last 80 years, the Stroop task has been used to test theories of attention and cognitive control and it has been applied in many clinical settings. Most theories posit that the overwhelming power of written words overcomes strict instructions to focus on print color and ignore the word. Recent evidence suggests that trials in the Stroop task could in fact be a mixture of reading trials and non-reading trials. Here we conduct a critical test of this mixture hypothesis, where a mixture of processes should satisfy the fixed-point property (Falmagne, 1968).
Spinal Cord Stimulation as Adjuvant During Chemotherapy and Reirradiation Treatment of Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas

Aims. Relapsed high-grade gliomas (HGGs) have poor prognoses and there is no standard treatment. HGGs have ischemia/hypoxia associated and, as such, drugs and oxygen have low access, with increased resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Tumor hypoxia modification can improve outcomes and overall survival in some patients with these tumors. In previous works, we have described that cervical spinal cord stimulation can modify tumor microenvironment in HGG by increasing tumor blood flow, oxygenation, and metabolism. The aim of this current, preliminary, nonrandomized, study was to assess the clinical effect of spinal cord stimulation during brain reirradiation and chemotherapy deployed for the treatment of recurrent HGG; the hypothesis being that an improvement in oxygenated blood supply would facilitate enhanced delivery of the scheduled therapy. Materials and methods. Seven patients had spinal cord stimulation applied during the scheduled reirradiation and chemotherapy for the treatment of recurrent HGG (6 anaplastic gliomas and 1 glioblastoma). Median dose of previous irradiation was 60 Gy (range = 56-72 Gy) and median dose of reirradiation was 46 Gy (range = 40-46 Gy). Primary end point of the study was overall survival (OS) following confirmation of HGG relapse. Results. From the time of diagnosis of last tumor relapse before reirradiation, median OS was 39 months (95% CI = 0-93) for the overall study group: 39 months (95% CI = 9-69) for those with anaplastic gliomas and 16 months for the patient with glioblastoma. Posttreatment, doses of corticosteroids was significantly decreased (P = .026) and performance status significantly improved (P = .046). Conclusions. Spinal cord stimulation during reirradiation and chemotherapy is feasible and well tolerated. In our study, spinal cord stimulation was associated with clinical improvement and longer survival than previously reported in recurrent anaplastic gliomas. Spinal cord stimulation as adjuvant during chemotherapy and reirradiation in relapsed HGGs merits further research.
Cellular immunity in host resistance to viral infections.

Host resistance to viral infection is a complex phenomenon. In spite of the striking advances that have been made in our knowledge of molecular biology of viruses and in the control of viral diseases through the development of vaccines, our understanding of host resistance has remained relatively limited. As part of this symposium, Baron has reviewed the general area of the host response in viral diseases with emphasis on the role of interferon in this process. Although interest in the contribution of leukocytes and phagocytic cells in host resistance to viral infections may be dated to the time of Metchnikoff and von Pirquet, there has been relatively limited progress in our understanding of this aspect of the host response. Recent recognition that a number of clinical conditions may be associated with enhanced susceptibility to virus infections as well as reports of the development of experimental model infections to study host
Land, ‘Development’ and ‘Security’ in Bangladesh and India: An Introduction

This introduction to the volume addresses some of the complexities surrounding land acquisition in contemporary Bangladesh and India. By interrogating four conceptual issues concerning current land expropriation, we seek to develop some common ground and to reveal important questions addressed in the articles and beyond. First, we discuss recent theoretical approaches to dispossession and land loss and secondly, the ideological apparatus of contemporary dispossessions—the discursive formations of ‘development’ and ‘security’. Thirdly, by contrasting the historical trajectories of both countries, we also explore the coalitions between states, corporations and the military. Finally, we discuss the ways in which violence and security have played a changing role in displacement.
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE REHABILITATION OF A COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL PLAYER FOLLOWING ANKLE FRACTURE: A CASE REPORT.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Multiple rehabilitation factors including overall wellness need to be considered when an athlete returns to sport after an injury. The purpose of this case report is to describe a multidisciplinary approach for return to sport of a Division I collegiate football player following a traumatic ankle fracture requiring surgical repair. The assessment and treatment approach included the use of a performance-based physical therapy outcome measure, self-reported functional abilities, body composition assessments, and nutritional counseling. CASE DESCRIPTION A 21 year-old running back fractured his lateral malleolus due to a mechanism of injury of excessive eversion with external rotation of the ankle. Surgical intervention included an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of the fibula and syndesmosis. In addition to six months of rehabilitation, the patient received consultations from the team sports nutritionist specialist to provide dietary counseling and body composition testing. The Comprehensive High-level Activity Mobility Predictor-Sport (CHAMP-S), a performance-based outcome measure, self-report on the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI-ADL, FADI-S), and body composition testing using whole body densitometry (BOD POD®), were administered throughout rehabilitation. OUTCOMES The subject was successfully rehabilitated, returned to his starting role, and subsequently was drafted by a National Football League (NFL) franchise. High-level mobility returned to above pre-injury values, achieving 105% of his preseason CHAMP-S score at discharge. Self-reported function on the FADI-ADL and FADI-Sport improved to 100% at discharge. Body fat percentages decreased (13.3% to 11.9%) and fat mass decreased (12.0 kg to 11.0kg). Lean body mass (78.1 kg to 81.5 kg) and lbm/in increased (1.14 kg/in to 1.19 kg/in). His BMI changed from 29.8 kg/m(2) to 30.6 kg/m(2). DISCUSSION This case report illustrates the positive effects of a multidisciplinary approach where combining physical therapy and nutritional counseling demonstrated value with return to sport preparation and success following ankle fracture. A targeted physical therapy program combined with a personalized nutrition intervention based on body composition assessment assisted this athlete in avoiding deconditioning (atrophy, decreased aerobic capacities, and increases in body fat) often observed during postoperative care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 5.
THE EFFECT OF PERGOLIDE ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED RATS

In this study, we investigated the effect of pergolide, a dopaminergic agonist, on cognitive ability in young and middle-aged rats using the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Pergolide 0.5/mg/day IP was administered to young and middle-aged rats, whereas only vehicle was given to their age-matched controls. During the acquisition period of 6 days, young rats showed normal escape latency pattern, which was not affected by pergolide. Middle-aged rats, however, showed poor escape latency pattern, and this poor pattern was also not affected by pergolide. On the 7th day, pergolide decreased retention time of young rats compared to control values. Middle-aged rats also showed reduced retention time. In contrast to the findings of young rats, retention time was not affected by pergolide in middle-aged rats. We concluded that pergolide does not alter escape latency at any age. It has a negative effect on retention time of young rats, whereas it has no effect on middle-aged ones.
Long-Term Prognostic Value of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin Myocardial Gated-SPECT Imaging in Asymptomatic Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term prognostic value of Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial gated-SPECT in asymptomatic patients after coronary artery stenting. Materials and Methods: We included 246 consecutive patients in the study. All patients underwent exercise gated-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial imaging 5 to 7 months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and were followed for a mean period of 8.3 years (SD = 2.9). Myocardial scintigrams were evaluated calculating the summed stress score (SSS), summed rest score, and summed difference score (SDS) indexes. Cardiovascular death and nonfatal myocardial infarction were considered hard cardiac events, whereas late revascularization (>3 months after myocardial SPECT) procedures were considered to be soft events. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to evaluate the association between several variables and the investigated outcome. Results: During the follow-up period, hard cardiac events occurred in 32 (13%) patients (cardiac death occurred in 12 patients and nonfatal myocardial infarction in 20 patients). In addition, 60 (24.4%) patients underwent a late revascularization procedure. When multiple Cox regression analysis was implied, the factors that remained significant in the final model for soft events were SSS, SDS, and angina during exercise testing. In addition, SSS, SDS, and left ventricular dilatation were independently associated with hard cardiac events as defined from the results of multiple analysis. However, SSS and SDS were the only independent predictors for both hard and soft events. Conclusions: Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), performed 6 months post-percutaneous coronary intervention, has an independent and powerful clinical value to predict hard and soft cardiac events in asymptomatic patients after PCI.
Trench-foot in Peacetime England

Cerebral infarction is similarly due to a discrepancy between cerebral supply and demand for oxygen. Under adequate general anaesthesia, oxygen demands of the brain are so reduced (to less than half their normal value), that, unless gross anoxia such as that due to delay in treatment of cardiac arrest occurs, the oxygen supply is likely to be adequate. The brain is in a relatively protected state. Of the three patients in the current series whose cerebral infarcts occurred in the first week (on the day of operation and the first post-operative day), two had operations under local and one under spinal anaesthesia, so that this protection was lacking. Later in the post-operative course, continued narcotic administration, without the artificially augmented respiration of the operating-room, may cause respiratory depression and cerebral anoxia. Unfortunately it is the garrulous and wakeful patient with cerebral arteriosclerosis and a reversal of the normal sleep rhythm who is particularly likely to receive heavy nocturnal sedation. The high incidence of cerebrovascular accidents after cataract surgery and skeletal trauma is well known. The balance between the supply and demand of cerebral oxygen is so delicate that only a minor further mishap is needed to tip the scales. Anoxia follows, and need only be unrelieved for five minutes for the cerebral damage to be permanent.
Reversibility of Nerve Growth Factor's Enhancement of Choline Acetyltransferase Activity in Cultured Embryonic Rat Septum

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and survival of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-positive neurons were measured in low-density cultures of embryonic (Day 14-15) rat septum exposed to various sequences of nerve growth factor (NGF) exposure and deprivation for up to 7 weeks in vitro. Most septal cultures grown 4-5 weeks with no exogenous NGF (including exposure to monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies against NGF) retained both a basal ChAT activity and the ability to increase ChAT activity in response to subsequently added NGF. When cultures were exposed to NGF (7S, 0.75 nM) for 2-3 weeks and then deprived of NGF for 2 weeks, ChAT activity fell gradually, but the number of AChE-positive neurons remained unchanged, and in many cases ChAT activity could be restored by subsequent re-exposure to NGF. Thus NGF's enhancement of ChAT activity in embryonic septal neurons in vitro is largely reversible and is not mediated by differential survival of cholinergic neurons.
An experimental evaluation of an anti-corruption intervention among Ukrainian university students

In this paper, we investigate experimentally the effect of an anti-corruption intervention – an info folder based on materials developed by Transparency International – on Ukrainian university students’ willingness to participate in an anti-corruption campaign and their general attitude toward corruption. In a survey of 600 students in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, individuals were randomly exposed to either the anti-corruption folder (treatment group) or a folder with information about Lviv (control group). The results suggest that students who have previous experience with bribing are more open to the campaign, while the effect on the total sample is not statistically significant. Furthermore, the intervention increases the overall perception that corruption is a (long-term) part of society rather than a temporary phenomenon. Finally, students with experience in corrupt practices tend to adopt a more negative view of corruption. For those without such experiences, however, we find some indication that the treatment could bolster the acceptance of corruption by instructing the students about its dissemination. The effects of this intervention are therefore ambivalent and appear to depend on the students’ previous exposure to corruption.
Inbreeding effect on mortality and morbidity in South Brazilian populations *

Inbreeding effect in human populations has been studied a great deal in recent years, especially regarding parameters such as mortality and morbidity. The history of this article is not a recent one, however, since a number of investigations on this subject have been performed in Europe, in the second half of the 19th century. This was the epoch during which the dispute between two schools of thought-the so-called ' consanguinists ' and ' anti-consanguinists '-was the most active. Unfortunately, little data obtained during that period can be of any value for use with the modern techniques of analysis. From a careful study of all the papers published in the last century and in the first years of the present century, Sutter & Tabah (1951) (see also Sutter, 1958) have discovered only two whose data have been reasonably well obtained and could be used, with some degree of accuracy, by modern geneticists. As a matter of fact, the treatment under the concept of lethal equivalents has been already applied to both series of data (Morton, Crow & Muller, 1956). This paper constitutes a full presentation of the data obtained in 1960-61 in the city of Curitiba (with about 350,000 inhabitants), the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Paran&. A summary of these data has been publiahed before (Margallo, Simaes, Freire-Maia & Azevedo, 1961).
An Adaptive Wavelet Neural Network-Based Energy Price Forecasting in Electricity Markets

In a competitive electricity market, an accurate forecasting of energy prices is an important activity for all the market participants either for developing bidding strategies or for making investment decisions. An adaptive wavelet neural network (AWNN) is proposed in this paper for short-term price forecasting (STPF) in the electricity markets. A commonly used Mexican hat wavelet has been chosen as the activation function for hidden-layer neurons of feed-forward neural network (FFNN). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, day-ahead prediction of market clearing price (MCP) of Spain market, which is a duopoly market with a dominant player, and locational marginal price (LMP) forecasting in PJM electricity market, are considered. The forecasted results clearly show that AWNN has good prediction properties compared to other forecasting techniques, such as wavelet-ARIMA, multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks as well as recently proposed fuzzy neural network (FNN).
Attempted suicide among young adults: progress toward a meaningful estimate of prevalence.

OBJECTIVE The results of epidemiologic surveys on attempted suicide are often difficult to interpret; they compare and provide varying estimates of the prevalence of attempted suicide. The authors sought to estimate the prevalence of attempted suicide in a young adult population and to define more precisely what respondents mean when they report a suicide attempt. METHOD Survey respondents were a representative sample of all 18-24-year-old freshman students at a major public university. The self-administered, anonymous survey included questions about suicidal thoughts and behaviors and about any injury and need for medical care resulting from reported attempts. RESULTS Of the 694 respondents, 374 (54%) reported having ever considered suicide and 181 (26%) had considered suicide during the preceding 12 months. Thirteen (2%) students reported having attempted suicide during the preceding 12 months, and 72 (10%) reported ever having attempted suicide. The number of students answering affirmatively to questions about injuries sustained, medical care sought, and hospitalization as a result of attempted suicide decreased progressively: only 18 (3%) students reported having ever sought medical care due to a suicide attempt, and seven (1%) were ever hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of self-reported attempted suicide is not representative of the prevalence of self-injury and provides little information concerning the seriousness of the attempt. The use of specific questions similar to those used in this study should be considered in future surveys.