Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproducibility and optimization of in vivo human diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the corpus callosum at 3T and 7T

Diffusion-weighted MR spectroscopy (DW-MRS) of brain metabolites enables the study of cell-specific alterations in tissue microstructure by probing the diffusion of intracellular metabolites. In particular, the diffusion properties of neuronal N-acetylaspartate (NAA), typically co-measured with N-acetylaspartyl glutamate (NAAG) (NAA + NAAG = tNAA), have been shown to be sensitive to intraneuronal/axonal damage in pathologies such as stroke and multiple sclerosis. Lacking so far are empirical assessments of the reproducibility of DW-MRS measures across time and subjects, as well as a systematic investigation of optimal acquisition parameters for DW-MRS experiments, both of which are sorely needed for clinical applications of the method. In this study, we acquired comprehensive single volume DW-MRS data sets of the human corpus callosum at 3T and 7T. We investigated the interand intra-subject variability of empirical and modeled diffusion properties of tNAA (Davg(tNAA) and Dmodel(tNAA), respectively). Subsequently, we used a jackknife-like resampling approach to explore the variance of these properties in partial data subsets reflecting different total scan durations. The coefficients of variation (CV ) and the repeatability coefficients (CR) for Davg(tNAA) and Dmodel(tNAA) were calculated for both 3T and 7T, with overall lower variability in the 7T results. Although this work is limited to the estimation of the diffusion properties in the corpus callosum, we show that a careful choice of diffusion-weighting conditions at both field strengths allows accurate measurement of tNAA diffusion properties in clinically relevant experimental time. Based on the resampling results we suggest optimized acquisition schemes of 13 minute duration at 3T and 10 minute duration at 7T while retaining low variability (CV ≈ 8%) for the tNAA diffusion measures. Power calculations for the estimation of Dmodel(tNAA) and Davg(tNAA) based on the suggested schemes show that less than 21 subjects per group are sufficient for detecting a 10% effect between two groups in case-control studies.
WEAR, FIXATION, AND REVISION OF TOTAL HIP PROSTHESES

We analyzed the results of different strategies in revision of primary uncemented acetabular cups reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register. The aim was to compare the risk of further cup revisions after liner exchange procedures and whole cup revisions. Furthermore, we compared the results of exchanging well-fixed cups with those of exchanging loose cups. The revisions were reported between September 1987 and April 2005. The following groups were compared: Group 1) Exchange of liner only (n=318), Group 2) Exchange of well-fixed cups (n=398), and Group 3) Exchange of loose cups (n=933). We found that the risk of a second cup revision was lower after revision of well-fixed cups (RR=0.56, 95 % CI [0.37-0.87]) and loose cups (RR=0.56 [0.39-0.80]), compared to revision of liner only. The most frequent reason for second cup-revisions was dislocation, accounting for 28 % of the re-revisions. Other reasons for second cup revisions included pain (12%), cup loosening (11%) and infection (9%). Rerevisions due to pain were less frequent when whole cups (fixed or loose) were revised compared to liner-revisions (RR=0.20 [0.06-0.65] and RR=0.10 [0.03-0.30], respectively). Risk of second cup revisions due to infection however, did not differ
Belonging to Tomorrow: An Overview of Procrastination

Available material indicates that the formal study of procrastination is a relatively recent occurrence. This literature review examines the work of some of the most prominent researchers in this field. This paper will examine the underlying causes of procrastination as delineated by the most current research. In addition, it will explore the hypothesis that procrastination exists on a scale, and that in its most elevated state can have severe, substantial and lasting consequences. Finally, this paper will review some methods for blunting the impact of procrastination, and briefly examine what lies ahead in the study of this condition.
An Empirical Study of Schema Theory and Its Role in Reading Comprehension

Schema is the abstract and organized knowledge structure. Access to pertinent schema in reading would greatly facilitated meaning extraction and meaning retention. This paper quantitatively and qualitatively explored the effect of schema and how it works in reading process and finds out that readers with appropriate schema would perform significantly better than those without in both immediate and delayed recalls. That is they would recall more correct ideas and omit fewer ideas and in their expansion of the original text, more elaborations rather than distortions will be found. Besides, readers provided with schema tend to recall the text more coherently and logically.
ANALYZING THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION ATTRIBUTES ON LECTURERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

This study investigated the influence of the five attributes of diffusion of innovation theory—relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, trialability, and observability—on lecturers' use of information and communication technologies. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 213 lecturers across the seven faculties and one institute at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument; the reliability of the multiple item scales ranged between 0.71 and 0.97. Collected data were first structured into grouped frequency distributions, and stepwise multiple regressions were used to test the five hypotheses formulated. At 0.05 level of significance, the attributes relative advantage, complexity, and observability were found to have a positive influence on attitude of lecturers toward using ICTs, with observability having the highest influence. To enhance widespread use of ICTs, it is recommended that NUL's administration organize relevant training and deploy user-friendly ICTs.
When is bad news really good news ? The case of strategic vs . nonstrategic bankruptcies

We investigate whether the stock market differentiates between firms that file bankruptcy petitions for strategic reasons, and those that file for financial distress-related, i.e., non-strategic reasons. We find that the market is unable to distinguish between strategic and non-strategic Chapter 11s in both the pre-event and event periods. However, we also document an asymmetric longer-term market reaction to bankruptcy announcements conditional on type of filing with the market underreacting in the case of non-strategic bankruptcies but overreacting in the strategic case as indicated by subsequent positive abnormal returns. For non-strategic bankruptcies, we find a significant post-event drift of around -29% over the subsequent 12months. Conversely, in the case of strategic bankruptcies, we report a reversal in the stock return pattern with a significant risk-adjusted abnormal return of around +29% in the 6-month period following the Chapter 11 announcement date. We also demonstrate that our findings are robust to alternative explanations documented in prior literature like the momentum effect, industry, or financial distress. Complementary tests reveal that firm-specific information, trading costs and investor level of sophistication help explain our puzzling results; the market appears to be biased in its treatment of bankruptcy filings.
The Role of IL-17, Metaphase Reactants on Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis disease Activity and Trace Elements

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) represents the most common form of chronic inflammatory joint disease leading to cartilage and bone destruction, It affects approximately 1-2 % of world's population. The inflammatory process causes diffuse thickening and hyperplasia of the joint Interleukin (IL)-17 is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine produced from Th17 cells. IL-17A is the prototypic member belonging to a family of 6 ranging from IL-17A to IL-17F. IL-17A mediates its biological effects through binding to a receptor complex consisting of IL-17RCA and IL-17RCC subunits. Objective. To assess the role of IL-17 on the disease process of Rheumatoid arthritis and the effects on the trace elements such as Zinc, copper , Magnesium. Subjects and method: A total of 60 patients with early Rheumatoid Arthritis were studied. Their ages ranged from 20-52 years with a mean age of ( 39.3 ± 9.01)years. , while the range was between (20-51) years and the mean was (37.5 ± 8.6) years for healthy control non significant difference P > 0.4 with no complaint of other chronic or systemic diseases were considered as control. the samples were collected during period from ( December 2012 - july 2013 ). the mean disease duration of RA was (3.27±1.2) month. Blood samples were collected from patients and controls to assess Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and serum levels of White blood cells ( WBC), Hemoglobin (Hb), Interleukin-17A and were estimated by agglutination test, and IL-17A was estimated by (ELIZA).
How Family, School, and Community Engagement Can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform

of elementary students showed similar findings. Parental expectations of how far they expected their child to go in school also were significant and positive predictors of reading and mathematics achievement (2014). This finding was particularly strong for U.S.-born White students in comparison with other ethnic groups and immigrants. Similar results were found in the Froiland and Davison study of middle and high school students. Parental expectations, defined as the level of education they expected their children to achieve, also were positively associated with academic grades (2014). Likewise, the study by Zhang et al., which looked at special education students in grades two through nine, also showed a positive association between parents’ expectation that their child would graduate high school and student achievement (2011).
Boosted-lopinavir versus boosted-atazanavir plus two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in second-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1 infected patients in Abidjan , Ivory Coast

Introduction: Atazanavir is a protease inhibitor recently introduce in the therapeutic arsenal for second-line antiretroviral therapy in Ivory Coast. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a second-line treatment with 2 NRTIs + boosted lopinavir (LPV/r) versus 2 NRTIs + boosted atazanavir (ATV/r) in HIV-1 positive patients in Abidjan. Patients and Methods: Retrospective, comparative, single-center study, in 194 HIV-1 positive patients (143 with LPV/r, 51 with ATV/r), failed a first-line treatment, followed in Abidjan on 1 May 2009 to 30 June 2010. The analysis focused on clinical parameters and immuno-virological data. The principal judgement criterion was the proportion of patients with undetectable viral load in both groups after 12 months of HAART. Tolerance was found on the frequency of adverse events grade 3-4 during follow-up. Results: Clinically, improvement of the general condition and regression of opportunistic infections was similar in both groups. The average gain of CD4 after 12 months of follow-up was +357/mm3 in the LPV/r group versus +278 mm3 for ATV/r group (p = 0.012). The percentage of patients with undetectable viral load was similar in both groups (92% vs. 96% ; p = 0.535). The frequency of grade 3-4 adverse events was similar in both groups. Conclusion: HAART with LPV/r is at least as efficient as with ATV/r in second-line treatment, in terms of viral load reduction, with better recovery of CD4. LPV/r is an excellent second-line treatment in resource-limited countries. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2016;6(4): 149-155
Strawberry-Flavored Baits for Pharmaceutical Delivery to Feral Swine

Abstract More effective methods to control feral swine (Sus scrofa) damage are needed. We evaluated 8 oral delivery systems designed to deliver pharmaceuticals to feral swine on 2 properties in southern Texas, USA. We used modified PIGOUT® feral pig bait (Animal Control Technologies Australia P/L, Somerton, Victoria, Australia) throughout our trials to compare species-specific visitation and removal rates. Given our consistent finding of high nontarget removal of baits intended for feral swine, we question whether a swine-specific oral delivery system exists for this region.
Unpacking the link between family socioeconomic status and civic engagement during the transition to adulthood: Do work values play a role?

ABSTRACT We investigated whether the link between family-of-origin socioeconomic status (SES) and civic engagement in young adulthood is mediated by youth’s work values, that is, the desired characteristics of their current or future jobs. We used data from a Finnish study: 2004 (age 16–18, NT1 = 1,301); 2011 (age 23–25, NT2 = 1,096); and 2014 (age 25–27, NT3 = 1,138). A higher family SES in 2004 predicted youth’s higher civic engagement in 2014. A higher family SES also predicted a lower importance of extrinsic job rewards (e.g., good pay) in 2011, but it was unrelated to the importance of intrinsic job rewards (e.g., learning opportunities). Extrinsic work values, in turn, predicted lower civic engagement in 2014, above and beyond sociodemographic and personality characteristics. Intrinsic work values predicted higher civic engagement. Thus, extrinsic, but not intrinsic, work values partly mediated the link between family SES and youth civic engagement.
Early development, survival and growth rates of the giant clam Tridacna crocea (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae)

Tridacnid clams are conspicuous inhabitants of Indo-Pacific coral reefs and are traded and cultivated for the aquarium and food industries. In the present study, daily growth rates of larvae of the giant clam Tridacna crocea were determined in the laboratory during the first week of life. Adults were induced to spawn via intra-gonadal serotonin injection through the byssal orifice. After spawning oocytes were collected, fertilized and kept in 3 L glass beakers and raceways treated with antibiotics to avoid culture contamination. Larvae were fed twice with the microalga Isochrysis galbana and zooxanthellae were also offered twice during the veliger stage (days 4 and 6). Larval length was measured using a digitizing tablet coupled to a microcomputer. Larval mortality was exponential during the first 48 hours of life declining significantly afterwards. Mean growth rate was 11.3 μm day-1, increasing after addition of symbionts to 18.0 μm day-1. Survival increased to ca. 75% after the addition of zooxanthellae. The results describe the growth curve for T. crocea larvae and suggest that the acquisition of symbionts by larvae may be useful for larval growth and survival even before larvae have attained metamorphosis.
New record of sap beetle, Nitidula flavomaculata Rossi (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) on an outdoor mummified human corpse, South of Iran

Beetles (Coleoptera) are recognized as important entomological clues in the forensic entomology field for the determination of post-mortem interval (PMI). The necrobiont nitidulid species of beetles are colonizers of human corpses in the advanced stages of decomposition which provide essential complementary data to estimate the PMI in forensic cases. We report the new finding of Palearctic sap beetle, Nitidula flavomaculata Rossi 1790, adults from a mummified human body located outdoor in a xeric mountain setting, north of Shiraz, the capital city of Fars province, Iran. This human corpse was a male discovered in December 2014. Adult beetles of N. flavomaculata were allowed to nourish, copulate and lay eggs in a rearing container at 23±1 °C. The time period from oviposition to the next F1 generation of egg-laying adults lasted 61 days. The species of beetle found in this case could be used in forensic investigations particularly during the cold season in future.
Polyhexamethylene Biguanide in Vaginal Solution Is Effective in the Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: A Pilot Study

Vaginitis is one of the most recurrent conditions that afflict women and require medical care. Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is frequently related to vaginal carriage of Candida albicans, an opportunistic polymorphic fungus, which colonizes the human skin, the mucosa and the reproductive tract. Actually, standard treatments to counteract vaginitis include several topical and oral treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new biguanide compound, polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) in avaginal solution, in women affected by vaginal candidiasis. For this reason, 40 women showing the symptoms previously ascribed to vaginal candidiasis were recruited and treated with a single PHMB dose of vaginal solution. After a single dose of treatment, 80% of them had a complete resolution of the fungal infection; furthermore, all of them reported clinical benefits, statistically significant reduction in both clinical signs and symptoms of candidiasis and a score’s reduction of 50%.
Inter Relationship Among Grain Minerals And Grain Yield Components In Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

Knowledge of association between yield and its component characters and among the component characters themselves can highly improve the efficiency of selection in plant breeding. Hence, association and path analysis studies were conducted among 58 genotypes of sorghum on nine quantitative and six nutritional traits. Traits panicle weight, 100 grain weight and panicle width showed positive and high significant correlation with grain yield per plant. Quality traits total iron and total zinc recorded moderate and significant positive correlation with grain yield indicating no compromise of yield for improving quality. Also high and positive significant interrelation between Fe and Zn help in simultaneous improvement of both the micronutrients. Partitioning of yield and yield components into direct and indirect effects revealed that high positive direct effect was exhibited by the character panicle weight on grain followed by total iron content. Taking into account the indirect effects, high and positive indirect effect was exhibited by 100 grain weight and total iron on grain yield via panicle weight. Hence panicle weight, 100 grain weight, panicle width, total iron and total zinc can be considered as important traits for selection in improving the grain yield owing to their positive associations with grain yield.
‘I want this firm to be in good hands’: Emotional pricing of resigning entrepreneurs

Given the importance of non-economic considerations throughout the entrepreneurial life cycle, I aim to investigate the drivers of owner-managers’ ‘emotional pricing’ when they wish to sell their firms to successors. Emotional pricing thereby denotes those elements of the owner-managers’ price expectations that cannot be traced to economic considerations. Building on arguments from behavioral finance, I hypothesize that ‘emotional pricing’, which in this study reflects owner-managers’ willingness to sell the firm at a discount, is driven by the reluctance to lose access to information about the firm and to lose influence on the firm, and by an aversion to putting the firm’s future at risk. In particular, I argue that a long-term relationship between an owner-manager and a firm, a familiar relationship between an owner-manager and a successor, and situational contingencies – especially unsatisfactory firm performance – increase the owner-manager’s emotional-pricing component. I test the hypotheses using a sample of 1354 owner-managers of Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who provided their views on their exit intentions. I subsequently compare those results to 455 actual ownership transfers involving Swiss SMEs.
"This Website Uses Cookies": Users' Perceptions and Reactions to the Cookie Disclaimer

—For many years, cookies have been widely used by websites, storing information about users’ behaviour. While enabling additional functionality and potentially improving user experience, cookies, especially cookies used by third parties for data analysis, can be a threat to users’ privacy. The EU data protection directive, among other prescriptions, require that the website providers inform the users about cookie use on their websites by displaying a so-called cookie disclaimer. It remains an open question, however, what effect does the cookie disclaimer have on the behaviour of users and whether it succeeds in providing them with sufﬁcient information for making an informed decision. We have conducted an explorative user study in order to investigate the users’ perceptions of cookies when seeing the cookie disclaimer, the users’ reactions to such a disclaimer and different factors that inﬂuence the users’ decision to leave or continue using the website. In this paper we report on the study results and furthermore discuss the implications of the study results for research into methods for ensuring informed privacy-related decisions of users.
Genetic distance between three breeds of dogs based on selected microsatellite sequences.

The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic diversity and genetic distance between three breeds of dogs: Bernese Mountain Dog (BMD), Chihuahua (Ch) and Caucasian Shepherd Dog (CSD), based on microsatellite sequences commonly used to confirm/exclude dogs’ parentage. The study included 60 dogs (20 dogs per breed) from Czech kennels. One dog was randomly selected from a single litter while the litters were unrelated down to the second generation. A commonly used panel of microsatellite markers (PEZ1, FHC2054, FHC2010, PEZ05, PEZ20, PEZ12, PEZ3, PEZ6, PEZ8 and FHC2079) was applied in the study. Loci of each microsatellite revealed different polymorphism levels with an average of 5.1 alleles per locus (from 2 to 9 across breeds). PEZ3 and PEZ12 were the most informative markers (7.0 and 6.7 alleles, respectively). Specific alleles were detected within each breed. Loci PEZ5 and PEZ20 showed the lowest average number of alleles (3.7). Number of observed genotypes ranged from 3 to 14, but only few genotypes were common to all breeds. Average heterozygosity ranged from 0.49 in BMD to 0.72 in Ch. Within CSD, solely the PEZ20 locus was not highly polymorphic (PIC<0.5), while in BMD only half of the microsatellites were highly polymorphic (PIC>0.5). The lowest genetic distance was found between CSD and Ch, whilst relatively large genetic distance was estimated between Ch and BMD, as well as between the CSD and BMD, which may support the hypothesis of these breeds’ separation at an early stage of domestication.
Geometric Integrability of the Camassa-Holm Equation. II

It is known that the Camassa–Holm (CH) equation describes pseudo-spherical surfaces and that therefore its integrability properties can be studied by geometrical means. In particular, the CH equation admits nonlocal symmetries of “pseudo-potential type”: the standard quadratic pseudo-potential associated with the geodesics of the pseudo-spherical surfaces determined by (generic) solutions to CH, allows us to construct a covering π of the equation manifold of CH on which nonlocal symmetries can be explicitly calculated. In this article, we present the Lie algebra of (first-order) nonlocal π-symmetries for the CH equation, and we show that this algebra contains a semidirect sum of the loop algebra over sl(2,R) and the centerless Virasoro algebra. As applications, we compute explicit solutions, we construct a Darboux transformation for the CH equation, and we recover its recursion operator. We also extend our results to the associated Camassa–Holm equation introduced by J. Schiff.