Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymmetric vestibular stimulation reveals persistent disruption of motion perception in unilateral vestibular lesions

Self-motion perception was studied in patients with unilateral vestibular lesions (UVL) due to acute vestibular neuritis at 1 wk and 4, 8, and 12 mo after the acute episode. We assessed vestibularly mediated self-motion perception by measuring the error in reproducing the position of a remembered visual target at the end of four cycles of asymmetric whole-body rotation. The oscillatory stimulus consists of a slow (0.09 Hz) and a fast (0.38 Hz) half cycle. A large error was present in UVL patients when the slow half cycle was delivered toward the lesion side, but minimal toward the healthy side. This asymmetry diminished over time, but it remained abnormally large at 12 mo. In contrast, vestibulo-ocular reflex responses showed a large direction-dependent error only initially, then they normalized. Normalization also occurred for conventional reflex vestibular measures (caloric tests, subjective visual vertical, and head shaking nystagmus) and for perceptual function during symmetric rotation. Vestibular-related handicap, measured with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) at 12 mo correlated with self-motion perception asymmetry but not with abnormalities in vestibulo-ocular function. We conclude that 1) a persistent self-motion perceptual bias is revealed by asymmetric rotation in UVLs despite vestibulo-ocular function becoming symmetric over time, 2) this dissociation is caused by differential perceptual-reflex adaptation to high- and low-frequency rotations when these are combined as with our asymmetric stimulus, 3) the findings imply differential central compensation for vestibuloperceptual and vestibulo-ocular reflex functions, and 4) self-motion perception disruption may mediate long-term vestibular-related handicap in UVL patients. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A novel vestibular stimulus, combining asymmetric slow and fast sinusoidal half cycles, revealed persistent vestibuloperceptual dysfunction in unilateral vestibular lesion (UVL) patients. The compensation of motion perception after UVL was slower than that of vestibulo-ocular reflex. Perceptual but not vestibulo-ocular reflex deficits correlated with dizziness-related handicap.
Democratic Responsiveness in the European Union: The Case of the Council

Governments’ responsiveness to citizens’ preferences is a key assessment criterion of democratic quality. This paper assesses responsiveness to public opinion in European Union politics with the example of governments’ position-taking in the Council of the EU. The analysis demonstrates that governments’ willingness to adopt negotiation positions that reflect public opinion systematically varies with their electoral incentives flowing from domestic arenas. Governments behave responsive in EU legislative negotiations if they face majoritarian electoral systems at home, when elections are imminent, and when parties or EU-related events trigger the public salience of integration. These findings have important implications for the debate on the EU’s democratic deficit and our understanding of democratic responsiveness outside the national political arena.
Long-Term BMI Trajectories and Health in Older Adults

Objective: This project contributes to the emerging research that aims to identify distinct body mass index (BMI) trajectory types in the population. We identify clusters of long-term BMI curves among older adults and determine how the clusters differ with respect to initial health. Method: Health and Retirement Study cohort (N = 9,893) with BMI information collected in up to 10 waves (1992-2010) is analyzed using a powerful cutting-edge approach: hierarchical clustering of BMI functions estimated via the Principal Analysis by Conditional Expectations (PACE) algorithm. Results: Three BMI trajectory clusters emerged for each gender: stable, gaining, and losing. The initial health of the gaining and stable groups in both genders was comparable; the losing cluster experienced significantly poorer health at baseline. Discussion: BMI trajectories among older adults cluster into distinct types in both genders, and the clusters vary substantially in initial health. Weight loss but not gain is associated with poor initial health in this age group.
Bright Children Become Enlightened Adults

We examined the prospective association between general intelligence (g) at age 10 and liberal and antitraditional social attitudes at age 30 in a large (N = 7,070), representative sample of the British population born in 1970. Statistical analyses identified a general latent trait underlying attitudes that are antiracist, proworking women, socially liberal, and trusting in the democratic political system. There was a strong association between higher g at age 10 and more liberal and antitraditional attitudes at age 30; this association was mediated partly via educational qualifications, but not at all via occupational social class. Very similar results were obtained for men and women. People in less professional occupations—and whose parents had been in less professional occupations—were less trusting of the democratic political system. This study confirms social attitudes as a major, novel field of adult human activity that is related to childhood intelligence differences.
Occurrence and outcome of fever in critically ill adults*

Objective:Although fever is common in the critically ill, only a small number of studies have specifically investigated its epidemiology in the intensive care unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of fever in the critically ill and assess its effect on ICU outcome. Design:Retrospective cohort. Fever was defined by temperature ≥38.3°C and high fever by ≥39.5°C. Setting:Calgary Health Region during 2000–2006. Patients:All adults (≥18 yrs) admitted to ICUs. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:A total of 24,204 ICU admission episodes occurred among 20,466 patients; 35% were classified as medical, 33% as cardiac surgical, 16% as other surgical, and 15% as trauma/neurologic. The cumulative incidence of fever and high fever was 44% and 8% and the incidence density was 24.3 and 2.7 per 100 days of ICU admission, respectively. The incidence density of fever was higher in trauma/neuro patients, males, younger patients, and was lower in those with admission Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores ≥25. Seventeen percent and 31% of patients with fever and high fever had associated positive cultures. Resolution of fever and high fever occurred in 27% and 53% of patients before ICU discharge and prolonged fever and high fever lasting for 5 or more days in the ICU occurred in 18% and 11% of febrile patients, respectively. Although the presence of fever was not associated with increased ICU mortality (13% vs. 12%; p = .08), high fever was associated with significantly increased risk for death (20.3% vs. 12%, p < .0001). After controlling for confounding factors using multivariable logistic regression models, the influence of fever on the ICU mortality varied significantly according to its timing of onset, degree, and main admission category. Conclusions:Fever is common in patients admitted to the ICU and its occurrence and impact on outcome varies among defined patient populations.
The Effects of Corporate Acquisitions on CEO Compensation and CEO Turnover of Family Firms

This paper investigates the impact of corporate acquisitions on CEO compensation and CEO turnover of family firms in Continental Europe. We find that CEOs in family firms do not experience an increase in their compensation during the post-acquisition period, while there is a positive and statistically significant association between the compensation of CEOs in non-family firms and their acquisition activity. This finding is consistent with the view that controlling family shareholders provide monitoring for CEOs mitigating managerial agency problems that arise from the separation of ownership and control. Further, we find that the likelihood of CEO turnover declines following an acquisition in non-family firms, suggesting that these acquiring CEOs do not face a higher likelihood of dismissal while they receive a higher level of compensation. In contrast, there is no significant impact of acquisitions on CEO turnover in family firms.
US Pharmacists' Effect as Team Members on Patient Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

Background:One approach postulated to improve the provision of health care is effective utilization of team-based care including pharmacists. Objective:The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive systematic review with focused meta-analyses to examine the effects of pharmacist-provided direct patient care on therapeutic, safety, and humanistic outcomes. Methods:The following databases were searched from inception to January 2009: NLM PubMed; Ovid/MEDLINE; ABI/INFORM; Health Business Fulltext Elite; Academic Search Complete; International Pharmaceutical Abstracts; PsycINFO; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; National Guideline Clearinghouse; Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects; ClinicalTrials.gov; LexisNexis Academic Universe; and Google Scholar. Studies selected included those reporting pharmacist-provided care, comparison groups, and patient-related outcomes. Of these, 56,573 citations were considered. Data were extracted by multidisciplinary study review teams. Variables examined included study characteristics, pharmacists' interventions/services, patient characteristics, and study outcomes. Data for meta-analyses were extracted from randomized controlled trials meeting meta-analysis criteria. Results:A total of 298 studies were included. Favorable results were found in therapeutic and safety outcomes, and meta-analyses conducted for hemoglobin A1c, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and adverse drug events were significant (P < 0.05), favoring pharmacists' direct patient care over comparative services. Results for humanistic outcomes were favorable with variability. Medication adherence, patient knowledge, and quality of life-general health meta-analyses were significant (P < 0.05), favoring pharmacists' direct patient care. Conclusions:Pharmacist-provided direct patient care has favorable effects across various patient outcomes, health care settings, and disease states. Incorporating pharmacists as health care team members in direct patient care is a viable solution to help improve US health care.
Negative symptoms and concomitant attention deficits in schizophrenia: Associations with prospective assessments of anxiety, social dysfunction, and avoidant coping

Background: Negative symptoms are a significant barrier to function and may have a range of etiological roots and links to outcome. A previous study identified a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia who had both higher levels of negative symptoms and relatively poorer attentional function who had uniquely lower self-esteem and greater internalized stigma. Aims: To determine whether participants previously classified as having High Negative/Poorer Attention would continue to have lower self-esteem, higher self-stigma, and also higher levels of anxiety and avoidant coping 5 months later. Method: Participants were 77 (77.8%) of the original 99 participants who completed follow-up procedures. Results: The High Negative/Poorer Attention group had significantly poorer social functioning, lower appraisal of their competence, higher levels of anxiety, and a higher preference for ignoring stressors five months after classification. Conclusions: Negative symptoms with concomitant attention deficits may lead to more social and psychological dysfunction than negative symptoms or attention deficits alone. Individuals with both high levels of negative symptoms and poor attention may represent a meaningful subgroup with unique psychosocial difficulties that persist over time.
ITER Peer Review Meeting Summary on Carbon Disulfide

An independent panel of expert scientists and risk assessors met in Ottawa, Ontario to review a hazard identification and dose-response assessment on carbon disulfide. Health Canada developed the assessment on carbon disulfide as part of the Priority Substances Program under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This meeting was conducted by Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA); a non-profit organization dedicated to the best use of toxicity data in risk assessment. Expert peer reviewers donated their time and talents to provide an independent review of the assessment. A comprehensive overall review of the materials was provided by the combined experience of all the reviewers.
Decoupling Corporate Social Orientations: A Cross-National Analysis

This study examines the variations in corporate social orientations (CSOs) across developed and developing countries in the context of a legitimacy threat. Conceptualizing CSO as signals, the author develops and validates a seven-code index of CSO that identifies executive orientations toward multiple stakeholders. Using this index on CEO shareholder letters from the United States, Germany, and India, the author finds that firms signal a multi-stakeholder image toward employees, communities, and environment during good times to enhance their social license to operate, and yet such signals are not carried through during the threat period. This disconnect in signaling in the wake of a legitimacy threat is indicative of decoupling in corporate orientations and exposes the multi-dimensionality of the CSO concept. By adding a cross-national and temporal dimension, this research contributes toward better understanding the complexity behind CSOs and opens new areas for future research.
The Determinants of Corporate Dividend Policy in Pakistan

The objective of this study is to identify the significant determinants of firms’ dividend policy across different sectors in Pakistan. Using data on 75 companies listed on the KSE 100 index for the period 2005 to 2010, we find that profitable firms tend to give higher dividends than loss-making firms. Firm size has a negative relationship with the dividend payout ratio and dividend yield, indicating that, the larger the firm, the more likely it is to retain cash to pay off its liabilities. Growth in sales is positively related to dividend yield, whereby an increase in sales leads to higher profitability and higher dividend payments. Ownership concentrated within institutions (such as banks and insurance companies), the management/family, and individuals has a negative impact on the payout ratio. Institutional owners are more likely to retain excess cash and thus omit dividends, individual owners prefer capital gains to dividends given the tax deduction, and management- or family-owned firms avoid dividends, which lead to increased agency problems. Finally, the market-to-book ratio is negative and highly significant: firms with better growth opportunities rely on internal financing more than on generating external funds.
Socioeconomic disparity in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in Wisconsin.

BACKGROUND The number of children receiving services for autism spectrum disorders in Wisconsin and nationally has steadily increased in recent years. The Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities System was developed to study the prevalence of and risk factors for autism spectrum disorders. This analysis of Wisconsin surveillance data examined whether autism prevalence is positively associated with socioeconomic status. METHODS Surveillance methods developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used to determine the number of 8-year-old children with an autism spectrum disorder in a 10-county area of southeastern Wisconsin in 2002. Socioeconomic status quintiles were created based on census block group indicators. Autism prevalence was computed for each socioeconomic status quintile of the population. RESULTS Using educational attainment as an indicator of socioeconomic status, autism spectrum disorder prevalence increased from 2.6 per 1000 in the lowest to 6.8 per 1000 in the highest education quintile. The prevalence ratio for the highest to lowest education quintile was 2.6:1 (95% confidence interval: 1.6, 4.5). Using median household income as an indicator of socioeconomic status produced similar results. CONCLUSION Autism spectrum disorder prevalence is positively associated with socioeconomic status based on population-based surveillance in Wisconsin.
The etiologies of sperm DNA abnormalities in male infertility : An assessment and review

Received: 16 June 2016 Revised: 23 October 2016 Accepted: 20 February 2017 Abstract The sperm DNA damage may occur in testis, genital ducts, and also after ejaculation. Mechanisms altering chromatin remodeling are abortive apoptosis and oxidative stress resulting from reactive oxygen species. Three classifications of intratesticular, post-testicular, and external factors have been correlated with increased levels of sperm DNA damage which can affect the potential of fertility. Alcohol consumption may not increase the rate of sperm residual histones and protamine deficiency; however, it causes an increase in the percentage of spermatozoa with DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. In a medical problem as spinal cord injury, poor semen parameters and sperm DNA damage were reported. Infection induces reactive oxygen species production, decreases the total antioxidant capacity and sperm DNA fragmentation or antigen production that lead to sperm dysfunctions and DNA fragmentation. While reactive oxygen species generation increases with age, oxidative stress may be responsible for the age-dependent sperm DNA damage. The exposing of reproductive organs in older men to oxidative stress for a long time may produce more DNA-damaged spermatozoa than youngers. Examining the sperm chromatin quality in testicular cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients prior to chemotherapy demonstrated the high incidence of DNA damage and low compaction in spermatozoa at the time of diagnosis. In chemotherapy cycles with genotoxic agents in cancer patients, an increase in sperm DNA damage was shown after treatment. In overall, those factors occurring during the prenatal or the adult life alter the distribution of proteins associated with sperm chromatin induce changes in germ cells which can be detected in infertile patients.
Newly Identified Antiatherosclerotic Activity of Methotrexate and Adalimumab: Complementary Effects on Lipoprotein Function and Macrophage Cholesterol Metabolism

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. The reduction in cardiovascular risk that is induced by methotrexate (MTX) and anti–tumor necrosis factor α agents in RA is considered secondary to their anti‐inflammatory action, but their effects on serum lipoprotein function and foam cell formation are unknown. The reduced capacity of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) to promote cell cholesterol efflux and the increased serum cell cholesterol‐loading capacity (CLC) demonstrated in RA may contribute to foam cell development. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of MTX and adalimumab treatment on serum cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) and CLC in RA patients and to study the in vitro effects of the two drugs on macrophage cholesterol handling.
A Smoking Cessation Campaign on Twitter: Understanding the Use of Twitter and Identifying Major Players in a Health Campaign

The current study examined the use of online social media for a health campaign. Collecting tweets (N = 1,790) about the recent smoking cessation campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current study investigated the dissemination of health campaign messages on Twitter and answered questions from the process evaluation of health campaigns: who tweeted about the campaign, who played central roles in disseminating health campaign messages, and how various features of Twitter were used for sharing of campaign messages. Results showed that individuals and nonprofit organizations posted frequently about the campaign: Individuals and nonprofit organizations posted about 40% and 30% of campaign-related tweets, respectively. Although the campaign under investigation was steered by a government agency, nonprofit organizations played a vital role as mediators who disseminated campaign messages. The culture of retweeting demonstrated its particular usefulness for the dissemination of campaign messages. Despite the expectation that the use of social media would expand opportunities for engagement, actual two-way interactions were few or minimal. Drawn from the results, practical suggestions on how to strategize the use of Twitter for future health campaigns are discussed.
Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Shiraz, Iran.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women referred to a University College Hospital in Shiraz, Iran for perinatal care, and also to determine the relation between asymptomatic bacteriuria and pyuria. METHODS This cross-sectional case series study included 389 healthy pregnant women who were referred to Hafez Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, antenatal care unit for regular perinatal care between May and August 2007. A specimen from each candidate was collected and processed following the standard microbiological technique. All the subjects were evaluated for bacteriuria. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 26.3 +/= 4.2 years. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 5.1%. From 75 (19.2%) patients who had > or = 5 pus cells in high power field, only 12 (16%) had positive urine culture. The most common isolated microorganism was Escherichia coli (70%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (20%) and Group B Streptococcus (5%). CONCLUSION We found a rate of bacteriuria in our cohort of asymptomatic pregnant subject that is well within the reported range from the literature. A negative test for pyuria is not a reliable indicator of the absence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women. To prevent asymptomatic bacteriuria complications, all pregnant women should be screened at the first antenatal visit.
Were the measurements standardized sufficiently in published studies about mean platelet volume?

&NA; Recently, several studies about mean platelet volume (MPV) changes in various pathological conditions were published. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the measurement in these studies. The study was performed using the data of 181 studies containing a healthy control groups within 1181 studies about MPV indexed PubMed database since 2012. A total of 81 studies were included retrospectively. The distributions of sex, age, and platelet counts were not reported in 16, 12, and 28 studies, respectively. Type of anticoagulant was not noted in 60 studies. The technology used was not specified in 36 studies. The MPV values measured with Sysmex were significantly higher than measured with Beckman Coulter, Abbott CELL-DYN, and Siemens ADVIA. The MPV measurements varied up to 17.8% by the instruments. The measurement times between 15 min and 2 h was significantly different from the measurement times less than 15 min and more than 2 h. The MPV measurement times from venipuncture were not indicated in 86 studies (47.5%). Maximum deviations in MPV measurements by the MPV measurement times and plus the instruments used varied up to 17.8 and 27.7%, respectively. Both the MPV measurement times and instruments used were not stated in 29 studies (16.0%). Only 47 prospective studies (26.0%) enlightened about the type of anticoagulant, instruments used for MPV measurement, MPV measurement time, platelet counts, and MPV values. As a result, the measurements were not standardized sufficiently in published studies about MPV. It may be explained that the differences between the results of studies made the same pathological conditions.