Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac autonomic control in anabolic androgenic steroid users

OBJECTIVES: Misuse of anabolic androgenic steroids in athletes is a strategy used to enhance strength and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. However, its abuse leads to an imbalance in muscle sympathetic nerve activity, increased vascular resistance, and increased blood pressure. However, the mechanisms underlying these alterations are still unknown. Therefore, we tested whether anabolic androgenic steroids could impair resting baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac sympathovagal control. In addition, we evaluate pulse wave velocity to ascertain the arterial stiffness of large vessels. METHODS: Fourteen male anabolic androgenic steroid users and 12 nonusers were studied. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were recorded. Baroreflex sensitivity was estimated by the sequence method, and cardiac autonomic control by analysis of the R-R interval. Pulse wave velocity was measured using a noninvasive automatic device. RESULTS: Mean spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, baroreflex sensitivity to activation of the baroreceptors, and baroreflex sensitivity to deactivation of the baroreceptors were significantly lower in users than in nonusers. In the spectral analysis of heart rate variability, high frequency activity was lower, while low frequency activity was higher in users than in nonusers. Moreover, the sympathovagal balance was higher in users. Users showed higher pulse wave velocity than nonusers showing arterial stiffness of large vessels. Single linear regression analysis showed significant correlations between mean blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity and pulse wave velocity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence for lower baroreflex sensitivity and sympathovagal imbalance in anabolic androgenic steroid users. Moreover, anabolic androgenic steroid users showed arterial stiffness. Together, these alterations might be the mechanisms triggering the increased blood pressure in this population.
Application and Analysis of a Multi-layered Scheme for Irony on the Italian Twitter Corpus TWITTIRÒ

In this paper we describe the main issues emerged within the application of a multi-layered scheme for the ﬁne-grained annotation of irony (Karoui et al., 2017) on an Italian Twitter corpus, i.e. TWITTIR ` O , which is composed of about 1,500 tweets with various provenance. A discussion is proposed about the limits and advantages of the application of the scheme to Italian messages, supported by an analysis of the outcome of the annotation carried on by native Italian speakers in the development of the corpus. We present a quantitative and qualitative study both of the distribution of the labels for the different layers involved in the scheme which can shed some light on the process of human annotation for a validation of the annotation scheme on Italian irony-laden social media contents collected in the last years. This results in a novel gold standard for irony detection in Italian, enriched with ﬁne-grained annotations, and in a language resource available to the community and exploitable in the cross-and multi-lingual perspective which characterizes the work that inspired this research.
Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block Compared to Modified Pectoral Plane Block for Modified Radical Mastectomy Operations

Background: Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) is the most common surgery for cancer breast that is associated with marked postoperative pain. Effective control of this pain suppresses the surgical stress response and decreases the opioids and general anesthetics' needs. This study compared the erector spinae plane (ESP) block and the pectoral plane (PECS) block effects on the opioid consumption postoperatively, stress response, fentanyl needs intraoperatively, pain scores, and incidence of complications in female patients subjected to MRM surgery. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients were allocated randomly and divided into two groups. Forty-seven patients were included in the final analysis after exclusion. ESP block group (E group, n = 24) received 20 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine plus 0.5 μ/kg dexmedetomidine that was injected in-between erector spinae muscle and transverse process. PECS block group (P group, n = 23) received 30 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine plus 0.5 μg/kg dexmedetomidine divided into 10 mL that was injected between the two pectoralis muscles in the interfascial plane and the other was 20 mL injected between the serratus anterior and the pectoralis minor. Results: Postoperative morphine consumption and stress hormone level in P group were significantly lower than E group. The pain scores and number of patients requested analgesic postoperatively showed significantly higher values in E group. Hemodynamic parameters, fentanyl needed intraoperatively and the incidence of postoperative complications recorded no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that PECS block provides better quality of analgesia than ESP block in patients subjected to MRM operations.
Deep Attractor Networks for Speaker Re-Identification and Blind Source Separation

Deep clustering (DC) and deep attractor networks (DANs) are a data-driven way to monaural blind source separation. Both approaches provide astonishing single channel performance but have not yet been generalized to block-online processing. When separating speech in a continuous stream with a block-online algorithm, it needs to be determined in each block which of the output streams belongs to whom. In this contribution we solve this block permutation problem by introducing an additional speaker identification embedding to the DAN model structure. We motivate this model decision by analyzing the embedding topology of DC and DANs and show, that DC and DANs themselves are not sufficient for speaker identification. This model structure (a) improves the signal to distortion ratio (SDR) over a DAN baseline and (b) provides up to 61% and up to 34% relative reduction in permutation error rate and re-identification error rate compared to an i-vector baseline, respectively.
Bortezomib treatment for severe refractory anti‐NMDA receptor encephalitis

To evaluate the therapeutic potential of bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor that target plasma cells, in order to revive stalled recovery in patients with anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis who remain bedridden even after aggressive immunotherapy.
Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) is Useful to Predict Survival Outcomes in Patients After Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma within Hangzhou Criteria

Background: There is growing evidence that the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), a novel prognostic biomarker based on peripheral lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts, is associated with poor prognosis for several tumors. However, the prognostic value of SII in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who undergo liver transplantation (LT) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between SII and prognosis in these patients. Methods: This retrospective study involved 150 patients with HCC who underwent LT within the Hangzhou criteria. The optimal cut-off value was determined by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to stratify the patients into those with a high SII and those with low SII. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the prognostic value of SII. Finally, we calculated the area under the ROC curve to compare the prognostic power of SII, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR). Results: Patients were divided into high SII (≥ 226) and low SII (< 226) groups. Five-year overall survival (OS) was lower in the high SII group than in the low SII group (56.1% vs. 82.4%, p = 0.002). SII ≥ 226 × 109/L, maximum tumor size> 5 cm, microvascular invasion, and poor differentiation were independent prognostic factors for OS. However, SII did not predict 5-year recurrence-free survival (high vs. low SII: 64.1% vs. 78.4%, p = 0.073). The area under the ROC curve was greater for SII than for PLR, NLR, and MLR. Conclusions: Preoperative SII may be a powerful prognostic biomarker in patients with HCC who undergo LT within the Hangzhou criteria. SII is superior to PLR, NLR, and MLR for prediction of OS in these patients.
Heart rate differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic Brugada syndrome patients at night

Objective: Ventricular arrhythmias in Brugada syndrome (BS) mainly occur at rest, especially during nighttime, suggesting that parasympathetic activity at night may play an important role in the arrhythmogenesis of the disease. This study examined and compared the autonomic function of symptomatic and asymptomatic BS patients overnight. Approach: We analyzed various heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate complexity (HRC) markers in a clinical series including 87 BS patients, where 23 were symptomatic. Main results: Statistically significant differences were found in markers MIRR, SDNN, SDANN, and SampEn, suggesting that symptomatic patients may be related to lower heart rate variability and complexity values, as well as to greater circadian fluctuations overnight. Significance: The results provide further evidence for the role of autonomic imbalance in the pathophysiology of BS, highlighting the relevance of nighttime analysis to the unmasking of significant ANS changes. Based on these outcomes, the role of HRV and HRC assessment at night could be a step forward towards the understanding of BS and the risk for the occurrence of symptoms in these patients, with a potential future impact on therapeutic strategies.
Rapid Screening of Urinary Tract Infection and Discrimination of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Automated Flow Cytometric Analysis Using Sysmex UF-5000

Rapid screening of urinary tract infection is important to determine antibiotic treatment and reduce unnecessary urine culture. We evaluated the performance of the new flow cytometry-based UF-5000 automated urine analyzer (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan). ABSTRACT Rapid screening of urinary tract infection is important to determine antibiotic treatment and reduce unnecessary urine culture. We evaluated the performance of the new flow cytometry-based UF-5000 automated urine analyzer (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan). A total of 1,430 urine samples from 1,226 patients were analyzed and compared to urine cultures to which a Previ Isola (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) system was applied. In total, 878 of 1,430 urine cultures (61.4%) produced ≥103 CFU/ml bacterial growth (309 with Gram-negative [GN] bacteria, 517 with Gram-positive [GP] bacteria, and 52 mixed cultures), with 336 samples (23.5%) presenting ≥105 CFU/ml bacterial growth. The ≥105 CFU/ml bacterial growth was detected by a ≥71 bacteria/μl UF-5000 bacterial count with 95% sensitivity and 84% specificity. Using a cutoff of <15 bacteria/μl to determine whether or not to culture, 50.9% of samples were below the cutoff, 94.8 and 99.5% of which presented <104 and <105 CFU/ml of bacterial growth, respectively. The bacterial discrimination performance of the UF-5000 for GN bacteria was superior to that for GP bacteria, and in ≥105 CFU/ml monobacterial samples, the sensitivity and specificity for reporting GN bacteria were 91.7 and 90.0%, respectively. In summary, UF-5000 demonstrated potential utility for the rapid screening of negative bacterial cultures. However, this utility is dependent on the patient population; cutoff optimizations must be performed for specific populations. In addition, UF-5000 presented improved performance in characterizing GP and GN bacteria, although the concurrence rates were not high enough to replace routine cultures.
Policy Partisanship in Legislative Leadership Recruitment and Behavior

This study proposes a theory of policy partisanship in the selection, retention, and behavior of legislative party leadership and tests that theory on the U.S. Congress. The theory varies from the dominant middleman theory in expecting that legislative leaders will take policy positions away from the party center and toward the position advanced by the majority of a party's members. Strongest support for the theory is found in the House of Representatives and within the majority Democratic party. Institutional differences are cited to explain why the theory applies less well to the Senate. The study primarily concerns the behavior of leaders while in office. A secondary summary of preleadership behavior notes that leadership aspirants do not conform to expectations that they would move in the direction of the party tilt to enhance their leadership candidacies. However, leadership behavior is more partisan than preleadership behavior.
CARBOHYDRATE AND AMINO ACID METABOLISM IN RAT CEREBRAL CORTEX IN MODERATE AND EXTREME HYPERCAPNIA

—The time course of changes in glycolytic and citric acid cycle intermediates and in amino acids was studied in acute and steady state hypercapnia. Experiments on unanaesthetized animals exposed to 10% CO2 for 10, 20 and 60s showed that there was a transient decrease in glycogen concentration, progressive increases in glucose‐6‐phosphate and fructose‐6‐phosphate and decreases in pyruvate and lactate. During this time the levels of amino acids and Krebs cycle intermediates did not change, except for a small fall in malate at 60s. The results indicate that there was a decrease in glycolytic flux due to an inhibition of the phosphofructokinase reaction. Since the tissue levels of phosphocreatine, ATP, ADP and AMP were unchanged inhibition of phosphofructokinase was probably due to the fall in pH.
Acute Bilateral Superior Branch Vestibular Neuropathy

The rapid onset of a bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH) is often attributed to vestibular ototoxicity. However, without any prior exposure to ototoxins, the idiopathic form of BVH is most common. Although sequential bilateral vestibular neuritis (VN) is described as a cause of BVH, clinical evidence for simultaneous and acute onset bilateral VN is unknown. We describe a patient with an acute onset of severe gait ataxia and oscillopsia with features compatible with acute BVH putatively due to a bilateral VN, which we serially evaluated with clinical and laboratory vestibular function testing over the course of 1 year. Initially, bilateral superior and horizontal semicircular canals and bilateral utricles were impaired, consistent with damage to both superior branches of each vestibular nerve. Hearing was spared. Only modest results were obtained following 6 months of vestibular rehabilitation. At a 1-year follow-up, only the utricular function of one side recovered. This case is the first evidence supporting an acute presentation of bilateral VN as a cause for BVH, which would not have been observed without critical assessment of each of the 10 vestibular end organs.
Population characteristics of bighead and silver carp on the northwestern front of their North American invasion.

Invasive species are considered the second largest threat to native biodiversity, and ecosystem function and services. One pair of global invaders, bighead, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and silver carp, H. molitrix, (collectively referred to as Asian carps) have been introduced throughout the world, and are invading three prairie stream tributaries to the Missouri River in the United States. There is a paucity of knowledge and understanding about Asian carp population characteristics and biology in North America. As such, we documented spatial and temporal trends in population dynamics (i.e., density, size structure, age, growth and condition) of Asian carps in three tributaries to the Missouri River in South Dakota: Big Sioux, James and Vermillion from 2009 to 2012. Finally, native planktivore (i.e., gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, and emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides) characteristics were examined using condition (Fulton’s K). Overall, 469 silver carp and eight bighead carp were collected using boat electrofishing and mean catch-per-unit-effort of silver carp increased annually. The three rivers’ populations were similar in length frequencies. Silver carp growth was faster initially than later ages and overall was slower than Middle Mississippi River populations. Recruitment of silver carp was erratic with the 2010 year class dominating 91% of catches. Silver carp condition was also similar across rivers, seasons, and years. South Dakota silver carp populations were predicted from a length-weight regression to be lighter than the Gavins Point reach population of the Missouri River, and heavier than both the middle Mississippi and the Illinois River populations. Additionally, mean catch-per-unit-effort for bigmouth buffalo and emerald shiner decreased over the study period. Continued monitoring and research on this newly invading population of Asian carps will provide additional invaluable insight into complex invasive species, assist with understanding Asian carps population dynamics during and after an invasion, and expose the potential negative impacts Asian carps may be having on prairie stream ecosystems.
Quantitative SWOT analysis for prioritizing ecotourism-planning decisions in protected areas: Igneada case

ABSTRACT As environmental problems and pressures on natural resources escalate, awareness building and efforts to protect natural areas have also became a major goal to ensure sustainability. Ecotourism is one of the major activities to protect natural and cultural resources, while also providing economic benefits to both local people and government. Successful ecotourism planning is a function of establishing sound goals and criteria. In this paper, we have presented the example of Igneada, Turkey, as a case to elaborate this point. Igneada a coastal town, located on the north-west Black Sea region of Turkey, was declared a national park in 2007. The park is well known for its longos forests (flooded), lagoons, endemic and endangered species, and wildlife. However, currently, unsustainable economic activities, overgrazing, and urbanization cause threats to its sensitive ecosystems. Promoting ecotourism is a sustainable approach to balance economic, social, and environmental aspects in the development of Igneada. The aim of this study is to define a set of ecotourism criteria and propose an ecotourism vision for Igneada. The methodology in this research involves field observations and a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis with an Analytical Hierarchy Process. A survey study is conducted with both local people and experts to define a framework to generate a priority ranking for ecotourism-planning decision. The research generated 5 main criteria and 14 subcriteria, among which ‘Proposal of Igneada in Turkey’s 2023 Tourism Strategy Plan’ was the highest ranked opportunity for ecotourism planning and development in the town.
Neural Stem Cell Activation and the Role of Protein Synthesis

Adult neural stem cells are generated at embryonic stages by entering a quiescent state that allows their retention into adulthood and thereby maintenance of life-long brain homeostasis. Thus, a tight balance between the quiescence and activation state is instrumental to meet the brain demands for a specific cell type at the correct numbers, at a given time and position. Protein synthesis is the most energy-consuming process within the cell and, not surprisingly, it occurs at low rates in quiescent stem cells. This way quiescent cells adjust to energy constraints and avoid their premature depletion. Stem cell activation is characterized by upregulation of protein synthesis followed by cell division and differentiation. The role of such upregulation as causative or rather a consequence of the activation remains elusive. Here we summarize recent findings connecting stem cell activation to the regulation of protein synthesis, particularly focusing on embryonic and adult neural stem cells of the ventricular zone.
Serotonin receptor 2A gene and the influence of childhood maternal nurturance on adulthood depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND Gene-environment interactions are assumed to be involved in the development of depression. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the serotonin receptor 2A (HTR2A) gene moderates the association between childhood maternal nurturance and depressive symptoms in adulthood. DESIGN A 21-year, prospective, longitudinal study with 2 measurements of the independent and dependent variables. SETTING A population-based sample. PARTICIPANTS A subsample of 1212 participants of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study, aged 3 to 18 years at baseline. Main Outcome Measure Depressive symptoms in adulthood. RESULTS Individuals carrying the T/T or T/C genotype of the T102C polymorphism of the HTR2A gene were responsive to the protective aspects of nurturing mothering, so that in the presence of high maternal nurturance, they expressed low levels of depressive symptoms, while this was not true with the carriers of the C/C genotype. CONCLUSION The HTR2A gene may be involved in the development of depression by influencing the ability of individuals to use environmental support.
Does impulsivity relate to perceived dependence on and actual use of the mobile phone

Several authors have studied the risks arising from the growth in mobile phone use (e.g. large debts incurred by young people, banned or dangerous use of cellular phones). The aim of this study is to analyse whether impulsivity, which has often been related to various forms of addictive behaviours, is associated with massive use of and dependence on the mobile phone. In this study, 108 female undergraduate psychology students were screened using a questionnaire evaluating actual use of and perceived dependence on the mobile phone, and with the French adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. This scale identifies four distinct components associated with impulsive behaviour: Urgency, lack of Premeditation, lack of Perseverance, and Sensation Seeking. The results showed that a relationship can be established between the use of and perceived dependence on the cellular phone and two facets of impulsivity: Urgency and lack of Perseverance.
Evaluation of Microbiological Quality of Pasteurized Milk Sold in Parts of Northern India

The objective of milk pasteurization is to make it safe and extend its shelflife to few weeks. Pasteurized milk is, however, perishable and evaluation of its quality is one of the prime concerns. The objectives of pasteurization are usually not met in most parts of India and the pasteurized milk is sold with shelf life warrantee of only two to three days. In the study area, evaluation of the bacteriological quality of pasteurized milk is not a routine feature and spoilage of pasteurized milk has been observed especially during summer season. This has necessitated this investigation. Eighty milk samples, 20 each of four market brands of pasteurized milk, were collected during the period May to September, 2010. Each sample was evaluated for Standard Plate Count (SPC), Coliform Count, Laboratory Pasteurization Count (LPC) and Psychrophilic Count. Fifty three (66.25%), 59 (73.75%) and 61 (76.25%) of 80 samples were having SPC, coliforms and LPC well above and 27 (33.75%), 21 (26.25%) and 19 (23.75%), respectively, within the acceptable limits prescribed as per ISI standards/guidelines. Psychrophilic bacteria, varying from 1x10 4.9x10/ml, were invariably present in each sample. Based on the quality control tests on eighty samples of pasteurized milk, levels of different bacterial counts were above the permissible limits across the four brands indicating one or more factors like imperfect pasteurization, inadequately sanitized pasteurizing equipment, and use of improperly sanitized utensils, post pasteurization contamination and poor hygienic conditions in raw milk production.