Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychological progress during 14 years after severe traumatic brain injury in childhood and adolescence

Objective: To investigate the impact of time since injury on neuropsychological and psychosocial outcome after serious TBI in childhood or adolescence. Methods: The subjects were eight patients with serious TBI sustained at a mean age of 14 years who had been assessed neuropsychologically at 1, 7 and 14 years after TBI. A retrospective longitudinal design was chosen to describe the development in six neuropsychological domains on the basis of the assessments. Psychosocial data were gathered from clinical knowledge and a semi-structured interview 14 years after TBI. Results: Performance of verbal IQ shows a declining trend over the three assessments, that the performance of attention and working memory is low and that verbal learning is the cognitive domain which exhibits the largest impairments. The main psychosocial result is that three of the eight subjects went from a school situation with no adjustments to adult life with early retirement. Conclusions: Time since insult is an important factor when assessing outcome after TBI in childhood and adolescence and that assessment of final outcome should not be done before adulthood.
An innovative brilliant blue FCF method for fluorescent staining of fungi and bacteria

Abstract Most natural and synthetic dyes currently used for microbial fluorescent staining are toxic or carcinogenic and are harmful to animals, humans and the environment. A food dye for microbial staining, brilliant blue FCF, was used as an alternative to lactofuchsin and lactophenol blue. Brilliant blue FCF shows pronounced microbial cell fluorescence staining of an array of pathogenic/toxigenic (Fusarium granunearum 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol chemotypes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7) and beneficial fungi and bacteria (Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis). Brilliant blue FCF has no toxic effects on the microbes tested and is inexpensive.
The Role of Diallyl Sulfides and Dipropyl Sulfides in the In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Garlic, Allium sativum L., and Leek, Allium porrum L.

The in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) obtained from fresh bulbs of garlic, Allium sativum L. , and leek, Allium porrum L. ( Alliaceae), was studied. A. sativum (garlic) EO showed a good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition zone 14.8 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (inhibition zone 21.1 mm), and Escherichia coli (inhibition zone 11.0 mm), whereas the EO of A. porrum (leek) had no antimicrobial activity. The main constituents of the garlic EO were diallyl monosulfide, diallyl disulfide (DADS), diallyl trisulfide, and diallyl tetrasulfide. The EO of A. porrum was characterized by the presence of dipropyl disulfide (DPDS), dipropyl trisulfide, and dipropyl tetrasulfide. The antimicrobial activities of the DADS and DPDS were also studied. The results obtained suggest that the presence of the allyl group is fundamental for the antimicrobial activity of these sulfide derivatives when they are present in Allium or in other species (DADS inhibition zone on S. aureus 15.9 mm, P. aeruginosa 21.9 mm, E. coli 11.4 mm). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Letter: The prevention of suicide.

To the Editor. — The recent evidence that we are failing to prevent suicide in the United States (225:992, 1973) necessitates some serious thinking about the reasons for this failure. As has been pointed out (Comp Psychiatry 13:555, 1972), part of the difficulty is in predicting who will kill himself. Because the incidence of suicide is so low and because predictive scales are far from perfect, the number of false positives (ie, individuals who the predictive scales predict to be potential suicides, but who do not kill themselves) is unmanageably high. For example, in a hospital of 12,000 psychiatric patients, with a scale that predicted with 75% accuracy, 3,020 patients would be predicted as potential suicides, of whom only 30 would actually kill themselves. This suggests that we could prevent suicide more easily if it were more common, in which case the proportion of false positives would be much lower. This
Ga-68 Labeled Somatostatin Analogs Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors are a heterogeneous group of malignancy and have an increasing incidence. Different diagnostic imaging tools have been performed to evaluate neuroendocrine tumors such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However these anatomical methods cannot give information about somatostatin receptor expression, which is extremely important in the management of neuroendocrine tumors. For this reason, somatostatin receptor imaging with radiolabelled somatostatin analogs has an increasing clinical practice. Today, planar scintigraphy or SPECT imaging with Tc-99m or In-111 labeled somatostatin analogs are widely being utilized worldwide. Recently, studies about superiority of positron emission tomography/ computed tomography with Ga-68 labeled somatostatin receptor analogs in the management of neuroendocrine tumors have been reported. The aim of this review is to search the recent literature the role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography with Ga-68 labeled somatostatin receptor analogs in the management of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
Investigation of Selected Immunocytogenetic Effects of Wet Cupping in Healthy Men

SUMMARY AIM: This present study was carried out to evaluate effect of cupping therapy using selected immunocytogenetic parameters. METHODS: Forty four males participated as two groups; group I (age 21 ± 1 year) of 30 persons (23 experimental, 7 control) and group II (age over 40 years) of 14 subjects (9 experimental and 5 control). The experimental group received cupping treatment while the control group did not. Basic wet cupping was performed by a practitioner. Peripheral blood samples were collected over a month period; one day before cupping, one week after cupping and a third one month follow up sample was obtained to determine longer term carryover of the possible effects of cupping. White and red blood cells (WBC and RBC) count and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration were measured. 50% Hemolytic Complement (CH50) activity was conducted. Chromosomes were prepared using a colchicines-fixative-air drying-Giemsa schedule. The Cell Replication Index (CRI) and Sister Chromatid Exchanges (SCE) frequencies were recorded. RESULTS: Levels of SCE did not significantly differ between experimental and control groups. The same applied to CRI. Although WBC counts were significantly higher in persons after wet cupping, this was not the case for the number of RBCs and Hb concentration. Complement activity was enhanced by cupping in the older group but not in the younger one. CONCLUSIONS: No correlation between cupping and cytogenetic parameters (CRI and SCE) was observed. However, cupping seems to play a role in activation of complement system as well as modulation of cellular part of immune system.
Bronchoalveolar and serological parameters reflecting the severity of sarcoidosis

The aim of the present study was to determine which bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serological parameters reflect the severity of newly diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis. Seventy-four previously untreated sarcoid patients were categorised into three groups: 10 patients with Löfgren's syndrome, 51 patients with stable disease and 13 patients with progressing disease requiring systemic steroid treatment. Total BALF cell count, percentage of alveolar lymphocytes and lymphocyte CD4/CD8 ratio were not associated with severity of disease. Interestingly, a significant increase in percentages of BALF neutrophils (5.2±1.1%) and eosinophils (1.7±0.6%) was observed in sarcoid patients with progressing disease. Elevated percentages of these two cell types were the only BALF parameters associated with a more frequent necessity for systemic steroid therapy. This association between an elevated percentage of BALF neutrophils and the necessity for steroid treatment was observed in advanced as well as early sarcoidosis (radiological types I and II). Serum levels of soluble interleukin‐2 receptor and neopterin were significantly elevated in progressing disease compared to stable disease or Löfgren's syndrome. The present results demonstrate that increased percentages of neutrophils (>3.0%) and eosinophils (>1%) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from newly diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis is associated with a significantly higher risk of necessity for steroid therapy and may be helpful markers of progressive disease. Furthermore, of the serological parameters investigated, only serum levels of soluble interleukin‐2 receptor and neopterin were associated with disease severity.
On the feasibility of interference alignment in ultra-dense millimeter-wave cellular networks

Recent studies have demonstrated that millimeter-wave cellular networks may operate either in the noise-or in the interference-limited regime, depending on several parameters, which include the density of base stations, the density and size of obstacles/blockages, the antenna beamwidth, and the transmission bandwidth. The objective of the present paper is to exploit tools from stochastic geometry for obtaining a mathematically tractable framework that allows us to identify the operating conditions under which millimeter-wave cellular networks operate in the inference-limited regime and to assess the potential advantages of interference alignment, by taking into account the overhead cost of base station cooperation due to the estimation of channel state information.
Predicting Negative Emotions Based on Mobile Phone Usage Patterns: An Exploratory Study

Background Prompt recognition and intervention of negative emotions is crucial for patients with depression. Mobile phones and mobile apps are suitable technologies that can be used to recognize negative emotions and intervene if necessary. Objective Mobile phone usage patterns can be associated with concurrent emotional states. The objective of this study is to adapt machine-learning methods to analyze such patterns for the prediction of negative emotion. Methods We developed an Android-based app to capture emotional states and mobile phone usage patterns, which included call logs (and use of apps). Visual analog scales (VASs) were used to report negative emotions in dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress. In the system-training phase, participants were requested to tag their emotions for 14 consecutive days. Five feature-selection methods were used to determine individual usage patterns and four machine-learning methods were tested. Finally, rank product scoring was used to select the best combination to construct the prediction model. In the system evaluation phase, participants were then requested to verify the predicted negative emotions for at least 5 days. Results Out of 40 enrolled healthy participants, we analyzed data from 28 participants, including 30% (9/28) women with a mean (SD) age of 29.2 (5.1) years with sufficient emotion tags. The combination of time slots of 2 hours, greedy forward selection, and Naïve Bayes method was chosen for the prediction model. We further validated the personalized models in 18 participants who performed at least 5 days of model evaluation. Overall, the predictive accuracy for negative emotions was 86.17%. Conclusion We developed a system capable of predicting negative emotions based on mobile phone usage patterns. This system has potential for ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for depressive disorders by automatically recognizing negative emotions and providing people with preventive treatments before it escalates to clinical depression.
Host Avian Beta-Defensin and Toll-Like Receptor Responses of Pigeons following Infection with Pigeon Paramyxovirus Type 1

ABSTRACT The high morbidity and mortality in pigeons caused by pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) highlights the need for new insights into the host immune response and novel treatment approaches. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are key components of the innate immune system. In this study, three novel avian β-defensins (AvBDs 2, 7, and 10) were characterized in pigeons and shown to possess direct antiviral activity against PPMV-1 in vitro. In addition, we evaluated the mRNA expression of these AvBDs and other immune-related genes in tissues of 2-month-old infected pigeons at 3 and 7 days postinfection. We observed that the expression of AvBD2 in the cecal tonsil, lungs, and proventriculus, as well as the expression of AvBD10 in the spleen, lungs, proventriculus, and kidneys, was upregulated in infected pigeons. Similarly, the expression of both Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and TLR7 was increased in the spleen, trachea, and proventriculus, while TLR15 expression was increased only in the lungs of infected pigeons. In addition, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was upregulated in the spleen, the bursa of Fabricius, the trachea, and the proventriculus of infected pigeons. Furthermore, we observed a high correlation between the expression of AvBD2 and the expression of either TLR7 or TLR15, as well as between AvBD10 expression and either TLR3 or TLR7 expression in respective tissues. The results suggest that PPMV-1 infection can induce innate host responses characterized by the activation of TLRs, particularly TLR3 and TLR7, AvBDs (2 and 10), and iNOS in pigeons.
Foundations of information science reexamined

Notant l'absence de fondements epistemologiques recouvrant les sciences de l'information dans leur globalite et la multidisciplinarite des fondements proposes, l'objectif de cette synthese est de proposer un cadre ouvert pour l'incorporation progressive des divers champ de l'information, base sur le concept de trajectoire totale du flux d'energie
Microfilariae in Fine Needle Aspirates From a Coastal District of India: AnExperience With Brief Review of Literature

Filariasis is a major public health problem in tropical countries like India. Conventional diagnosis is by demonstrating microfilariae (MF) in the peripheral blood smear. Nocturnal periodicity of the species endemic in India makes it difficult to find microfilariae in blood. Incidental detection of microfilariae (MF) in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears of various sites in clinically unsuspected cases of filariasis without microfilariae in the peripheral blood has been rarely documented in Indian literature. We are reporting interesting detection of MF in 10 aspirates over a period of one year, form various sites as well as lesions ranging from inflammatory to malignancy. This article is intended to highlight that microfilaria can be a finding in clinically unsuspected cases and also without peripheral blood eosinophilia.
Protein kinase C isozymes in human megakaryoblastic leukaemia cell line, MEG‐01: possible involvement of the isozymes in the differentiation process of MEG‐01 cells

The expression of the different protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes in various states of differentiation of the human megakaryoblastic leukaemia cell line MEG‐01 were analysed using thermocycle amplification of mRNA and immunoblotting. MEG‐01 expressed mRNAs of PKCα, ‐βI, ‐βII, ‐δ, ‐ε, ‐η, ‐θ and ‐ζ, but not PKCγ. At the protein molecule level, MEG‐01 was observed to express PKCα, ‐βI, ‐βII, ‐ε, ‐θ and ‐ζ, but lack ‐γ, ‐δ and ‐η. When differentiation of MEG‐01 was induced by 100 nM 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), rapid translocation from cytosol to membrane fraction and down‐regulation of PKCα, ‐ε and ‐θ was observed in 1–2 h. On the other hand, PKCβI and ‐βII were observed to translocate not only to the membrane fraction but also to the cytoskeletal fraction in a different manner, and their down‐regulation, especially βII, was very slow. The myristoylated, alanine‐rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) in the membrane fraction of MEG‐01 cells was observed to decrease gradually throughout the differentiation process. Additionally, time‐course study of TPA treatment indicated that incubation of the cells for 30 min is sufficient for differentiation. These results strongly suggest that the activation of PKCα, ‐ε and ‐θ is involved in the initiation of differentiation, and that PKCβI and ‐βII have important roles in the maintenance of differentiation. Although PKCζ was resistant to TPA treatment and its translocation was reduced, the amount of this isozyme in the cytosol fraction decreased throughout the differentiation process.
Can neurophysiologic measures serve as biomarkers for the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder?

Abstract Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). There are clinical data that support the efficacy of many different approaches to rTMS treatment, and it remains unclear what combination of stimulation parameters is optimal to relieve depressive symptoms. Because of the costs and complexity of studies that would be necessary to explore and compare the large number of combinations of rTMS treatment parameters, it would be useful to establish reliable surrogate biomarkers of treatment efficacy that could be used to compare different approaches to treatment. This study reviews the evidence that neurophysiologic measures of cortical excitability could be used as biomarkers for screening different rTMS treatment paradigms. It examines evidence that: (1) changes in excitability are related to the mechanism of action of rTMS; (2) rTMS has consistent effects on measures of excitability that could constitute reliable biomarkers; and (3) changes in excitability are related to the outcomes of rTMS treatment of MDD. An increasing body of evidence indicates that these neurophysiologic measures have the potential to serve as reliable biomarkers for screening different approaches to rTMS treatment of MDD.
TOTAL LEAST SQUARES ESTIMATION OVER NETWORKS

We consider Total Least Squares (TLS) estimation in a network in which each node has access to a subset of equations of an overdetermined linear system. Previous distributed approaches require that the number of equations at each node be larger than the dimension L of the unknown parameter. We present novel distributed TLS estimators which can handle as few as a single equation per node. In the first scheme, the network computes an extended correlation matrix via standard iterative average consensus techniques, and the TLS estimate is extracted afterwards by means of an eigenvalue decomposition (EVD). The second scheme is EVD-free, but requires that a linear system of size L be solved at each iteration by each node. Replacing this step by a single Gauss-Seidel subiteration is shown to be an effective means to reduce computational cost without sacrificing performance.
Blister roof grafting, cultured melanocytes transplantation and non-cultured epidermal cell suspension transplantation in treating stable vitiligo: A mutual self-control study

Abstract Objectives: To compare the efficacy of blister roof grafting (BG), cultured melanocytes transplantation (CMT) and non-cultured epidermal cell suspension transplantation (NCES) in the treatment of stable vitiligo. Methods: In each person of 83 vitiligo patients one vitiligo macule was selected and divided in three areas for separate treatment with BG, CMT and NCES in the same session. The results were evaluated 12-month post-surgery for the extent of repigmentation and color match. Results: A satisfactory result (>50% repigmentation) was achieved in 92%, 82% and 81% of the 83 patients with the BG, CMT and NCES methods, respectively. Significant differences between the BG and CMT groups (p = 0.038), and between BG and NCES groups (p = 0.017) were observed, but not between the CMT and NCES groups (p = 0.986). The extent of repigmentation on the head neck and trunk was superior to that of the extremities by all the three methods. A difference in the time of onset of repigmentation was observed, with repigmentation first appearing after 10 days, 20–30 days and >30 days in the BG, CMT and NCES groups, respectively. Conclusions: All the three methods are safe and effective to treat vitiligo. Future studies with larger groups are warranted to confirm our results.
Lymphatic Malformations in Children and Adolescents

Purpose This article aimed to present a series of surgically treated lymphatic malformations of the cervicofacial region in a population of children and adolescents during a 13-year period. Methods The medical records of all children and adolescents with cervicofacial lymphatic malformations, treated surgically at our department from 1998 to 2011, were reviewed retrospectively. Results Eighteen patients with 20 lymphatic malformations located within the soft tissues of the cervicofacial region were identified. All patients were submitted to surgical treatment (excision or resection with conventional scalpel or radiosurgery) to address complications (ulceration, bleeding, impaired mastication and feeding, airway obstruction) and/or aesthetic issues. Recurrence was noted in 2 of our patients. Conclusions Accurate diagnosis based on history, clinical examination, and adequate imaging techniques is the key to the optimal treatment of cervicofacial lymphatic malformations; surgical intervention remains the treatment of choice for these lesions.
The Investor Recognition Hypothesis in a Dynamic General Equilibrium: Theory and Evidence

This paper analyzes equilibrium in a dynamic pure-exchange economy under a generalization of Merton's (1987) investor recognition hypothesis (IRH). Because of information costs, a class of investors is assumed to possess incomplete information, which suffices to implement only a particular trading strategy. The IRH is mapped into corresponding portfolio restrictions that bind a subset of agents. The model is formulated in continuous time, and detailed characterization of equilibrium quantities is provided. The model implies that, all else equal, a risk premium on a less visible stock need not be higher than that on a more visible stock with a lower volatility -- contrary to results derived in a static mean-variance setting. An empirical analysis suggests that a consumption-based capital asset pricing model (CCAPM) augmented by the IRH is a more realistic model than the traditional CCAPM for explaining the cross-sectional variation in unconditional expected equity returns.
Jacks-of-All-Trades? The Effect of Balanced Skills on Team Performance

Previous empirical studies have shown that solo entrepreneurs benefit from having balanced skills: Jacks-of-All-Trades (JATs) are better entrepreneurs than specialists are. Nowadays however, the majority of entrepreneurs start up and run ventures together in teams. In this paper we test whether the effect of more balanced skills is also positive in a team of entrepreneurs. We also explore whether (a lack of) individual balanced skills can be substituted by combining the skills of various specialists within one team. Our field experiment studies teams of children participating in an entrepreneurship education program. Based on pupils' precisely measured level of verbal and mathematical ability, we exogenously compose 179 teams separated into four different types: JAT teams, math-specialist teams, verbal-specialist teams and mixed specialist teams. Our results show that balanced skills are beneficial to team performance, and that it is hard to substitute individual balanced skills by combining different specialists within one team.