Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonverbal Skill, Personal Charisma, and Initial Attraction

The study of initial attraction has given insufficient attention to the influence of nonverbal expressiveness. This study examined the relative effects of expressive nonverbal skills and physical attractiveness on impressions made in initial encounters. Physical attractiveness is of known importance in the initial stages of a relationship; yet dynamic nonverbal cues of emotion may also have a significant impact. Fifty-four undergraduates were administered standard measures of nonverbal expressiveness, self-monitoring, and extroversion, and they were surreptitiously videotaped while entering a laboratory and meeting new people. Subjects were rated by separate groups of observers on scales of likability and physical attractiveness. The results indicated that emotionally expressive, extroverted, and physically attractive subjects were evaluated more favorably in these initial encounters than were subjects scoring low on these dimensions. The relationships between expressivity/extroversion and initial likability were independent of the effects of physical attractiveness. These results suggest that conceptions of overall attractiveness need to move beyond the physical qualities to include dynamic, emotional aspects.
Evaluation of Auditory Functioning and Rehabilitation Using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

There is lack of a systematic approach concerning how to select an adequate hearing aid and how to evaluate its efficacy with respect to the personal needs of rehabilitation. The goal of this study was to examine the applicability and added value of two widely used self-reporting questionnaires in relation to the evaluation of hearing aid fitting. We analyzed responses, pre- and postfitting, from 1,319 subjects who completed the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI) and a slightly adapted version of the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (in Dutch: AVAB). Most COSI responses were at or near the maximum possible score. Results show a close relation between COSI’s degree of change and final ability (Spearman’s rho = 0.71). Both AVAB and COSI showed a significant effect of hearing aid experience, but—in contrast to AVAB—COSI did not show a significant effect of the degree of hearing loss. In addition, a Friedman test showed significant differences between six dimensions of auditory functioning for both AVAB and COSI, although post hoc analysis revealed that for COSI, the dimension speech in quiet explained most variation between dimensions. In conclusion, the effects of hearing loss were more salient in AVAB, while both AVAB and COSI showed differences regarding hearing aid experience. Combining the advantages of both methods results in a detailed evaluation of hearing aid rehabilitation. Our results therefore suggest that both methods should be used in a complementary manner, rather than separately.
Sero-epidemiological evaluation of rubella immunity among pre-marriage women in Iran

ABSTRACT Few studies have addressed the seroepidemiological profile of rubella among a representative population of young adult women. This study aims to determine the immunity and susceptibility rate against rubella in a representative population of women in reproductive age in Iran through serological evaluation. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 on 804 pre-marriage women in Iran. Multi-stage random sampling was used for choosing study sample. Serologic test were used to assess subjects’ immunity to rubella and their titers of IgG antibody against rubella with ELISA method was measured. In total, 98.4% (95% CI: 97.5% −99.2%) of study participants were immune against rubella. Five women (0.6%) were in borderline category and 1% (8 women) was susceptible to rubella. The proportion of immune people in low and high incidence regions was 99.3% (95% CI: 97.8–99.9%), and 97.5% (95% CI: 96.4–98.5%), respectively (P = 0.05). Our data indicated that level of immunity to rubella in women of reproductive age in Iran is satisfactory. This finding indicates the achievement of Iran to the goal of high level of serum immunity against rubella among young women.
Magnifying Endoscopy with Narrow Band Imaging in Estimating the Invasion Depth of Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging for the diagnosis of depth of invasion by Japan Esophageal Society (JES) classification and inter- and intraobserver agreement of JES intrapapillary capillary loop (IPCL) classification. Methods: It was a retrospective observational study that has analyzed 136 patients with esophageal malignant neoplasia with magnifying endoscopy narrow band imaging to compare JES’s IPCL classification to the histopathologic findings and to evaluate the inter- and intraobserver agreement. Results: Histopathologic examinations revealed 34 (25.7%) intraepithelial neoplasias, 70 (51.5%) squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in the epithelium or with invasion into the lamina propria mucosa, 21 (15.4%) SCCs with invasion into the muscularis mucosa or mild invasion into the submucosa, and 11 (8.1%) SCCs with moderate or deep invasion into the submucosa. IPCL types B1, B2, and B3 also showed high accuracies of 80.8, 83.1, and 94.1%, respectively. The kappa values for inter- and intraobserver agreements of the IPCL classifications were moderate to almost perfect. Conclusions: In the present study, the JES’s IPCL classification has good accuracy to predict the depth of SCC invasion and moderate to almost perfect intra- and interobserver agreements.
Proportion of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug prescription in equine practice

BACKGROUND There is little knowledge of the prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and whether their prescription varies between countries. OBJECTIVE To describe prescription practices of NSAIDs in equids in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and Canada. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive observational study. METHODS Free-text electronic medical records from 141,543 equids from 10 equine practices in the UK, 255,777 equids from 7 equine practices with 20 branches from the USA and 2 practices with 7 branches from Canada were evaluated. A validated text-mining technique was used to describe the proportion of equids prescribed NSAIDs at least once in these countries. The choice of NSAIDs in orthopaedic and colic cases was evaluated. RESULTS The prescription of NSAIDs is more common in the USA (42.4%) and Canada (34.2%) than in the UK (28.6%). Phenylbutazone and flunixin meglumine were the drugs mostly prescribed in all countries. While flunixin meglumine was most prescribed with colic cases in all countries, a proportion received phenylbutazone despite this drug being licensed for use only with musculoskeletal disease. Phenylbutazone was the most commonly prescribed drug in cases with orthopaedic disease followed by flunixin meglumine in all countries. Only a small proportion of cases received meloxicam, ketoprofen or firocoxib. MAIN LIMITATIONS The retrospective design might have resulted in an unknown number of incomplete records, particularly in the reporting of colic and orthopaedic disease. Although the data set is large, the relatively small number of practices recruited from each country may introduce bias. CONCLUSIONS Clinical practice can differ between countries although the influence of individual practitioners and practice-specific policy on apparent intercountry differences requires further research. Despite several other NSAIDs being available and a substantial effort being made to evaluate their efficacy, the prescription of NSAIDs other than phenylbutazone and flunixin meglumine remains rather limited.
Methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews referenced in the clinical practice guideline for pediatric high-blood pressure

Objective: To examine the quality of evidence supporting the Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Methods: Methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews in the Key Action Statements, Consensus Opinions, and in the reference list were assessed using AMSTAR and The PRISMA checklist. Results: For the systematic reviews within the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Guideline as a whole (n = 27), a mean of 47.8% of AMSTAR items were appropriately addressed, and a mean of 61% of PRISMA were appropriately reported. The means for items adhered to in the systematic reviews cited by Key Action Statements (n = 6) were 44.6% for AMSTAR and 67% for PRISMA. The means for items adhered to in the systematic reviews cited by consensus opinion (n = 10) were 41.6% for AMSTAR and 54% for PRISMA. Overall, the AMSTAR and PRISMA scores were highly correlated (r = 0.77). Conclusion: This study further substantiates the call for more quality evidence-based research in pediatric hypertension. The overall methodological and reporting quality of the systematic reviews were lacking in the American Academy of Pediatrics Guideline. Assessment of risk of bias across studies, identification of an accessible protocol, full disclosure of the role of funding entities, funding of included studies, and a complete PICOS statement were areas of greatest concern. These deficiencies should be addressed in future research in pediatric hypertension.
Climate Control: The Relationship Between Social Identity Threat and Cues to an Identity-Safe Culture

Social identity threat has been proposed as a key contributor to the underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), but little research has sought to pinpoint naturally occurring contextual predictors of identity threat for women already training or working in STEM. The focus of the present research was to examine how cues to an identity-safe culture predict more or less positive interactions between men and women in STEM in ways that may trigger or minimize women’s daily experience of social identity threat. Specifically, we examined the role of inclusive organizational policies and/or greater female representation as 2 identity safety cues. In 2 daily diary studies of working engineers’ experiences, and in an experiment with undergraduate engineering students, we tested a model whereby cues to identity safety predict lower social identity threat for women in STEM, as mediated by having (or expecting to have) more positive interactions with male (but not female) colleagues. Results across each study and an internal meta-analysis of overall effects revealed that female engineers’ actual and anticipated daily experience of social identity threat was lower in organizations perceived to have more gender-inclusive policies (but was not consistently predicted by gender representation). The link between gender-inclusive policies and lower social identity threat was mediated by women having (or expecting to have) more positive conversations with male (and not female) colleagues, and was only found for women and not men. The implications for reducing social identity threat in naturalistic settings are discussed.
Effects of wildfire on floral display size and pollinator community reduce outcrossing rate in a plant with a mixed mating system.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Wildfire changes the demography, morphology, and behavior of plants, and may alter the pollinator community. Such trait changes may drastically alter the outcome of pollination mutualisms on plants; however, the direct role of fire on these mutualisms is poorly known. METHODS Following a pair of fires in the northern California coast range chaparral, we censused floral visitor communities of Trichostema laxum (Lamiaceae), quantified visiting bee behavior, and estimated outcrossing rates using a widespread Mendelian recessive floral polymorphism across a matrix of populations in burned and unburned sites. We also compared pre- and postfire floral visitation in two populations. RESULTS Outcrossing rates were significantly lower in burned areas; however, our data suggest that the much larger size of plants in burned areas, not burn status itself, drove this pattern. Large-bodied bees dominated floral visitor communities after fire, likely recruiting to the abundant postfire floral resources. These bees visited more flowers per plant than did the smaller bees prevalent before fire and in unburned areas, likely increasing selfing through geitonogamy (within-plant pollination), an effect made possible by the far larger size of plants in burned areas. CONCLUSIONS Outcrossing rates dropped substantially after wildfires because of changes in the pollinators, plant display size, and their interactions. Reductions in outcrossing following fire may have important implications for population resilience and evolution in a changing climate with more frequent fires.
On Maximum D2D Multiplexing in Asynchronous Communications

This paper studies two different multiplexing problems for Device to Device (D2D) asynchronous communications with different multi-carrier modulations. Several D2D pairs may be multiplexed on the same Resource Blocks (RB) if they are jointly able to reach a high Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR). In asynchronous communications, inter-channel interference (ICI) is present on top of co-channel interference, and the multiplexing problem can consequently not be split per RB since RB are no longer orthogonal. In this paper, we derive the system model that takes into account ICI and then study the maximum multiplexing problem. Two heuristics based on the Frobenius and the infinity norms that lead to lower bounds on the multiplexing gain are proposed. Then, the maximum sum SINR problem is studied with the infinity norm, showing that higher rates are achieved with Filter Bank Multi-Carrier (FBMC) modulation than with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM).
An important role for periplasmic storage in Pseudomonas aeruginosa copper homeostasis revealed by a combined experimental and computational modeling study

Biological systems require precise copper homeostasis enabling metallation of cuproproteins while preventing metal toxicity. In bacteria, sensing, transport and storage molecules act in coordination to fulfill these roles. However, there is not yet a kinetic schema explaining the system integration. Here, we report a model emerging from experimental and computational approaches that describes the dynamics of copper distribution in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Based on copper uptake experiments, a minimal kinetic model describes well the copper distribution in the wild type bacteria but is unable to explain the behavior of the mutant strain lacking CopA1, a key Cu+ efflux ATPase. The model was expanded through an iterative hypothesis-driven approach, arriving to a mechanism that considers the induction of compartmental pools and the parallel function of CopA and Cus efflux systems. Model simulations support the presence of a periplasmic copper storage with a crucial role under dyshomeostasis conditions in P. aeruginosa. Importantly, the model predicts not only the interplay of periplasmic and cytoplasmic pools but also the existence of a threshold in the concentration of external copper beyond which cells lose their ability to control copper levels.
Thalamic short pulse stimulation diminishes adverse effects in essential tremor patients

Objective To investigate the effect of directional current steering and short pulse stimulation in the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) on stimulation-induced side effects in patients with essential tremor. Methods We recruited 8 patients with essential tremor in a stable postoperative condition (>3 months after electrode implantation of deep brain stimulation [DBS] electrodes) with segmented contacts implanted in the VIM. Tremor severity on acute stimulation was assessed by the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale. Cerebellar impairment was evaluated with the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale. Patients rated paresthesia intensity with a visual analog scale. Results In all patients, tremor was reduced to the same extent by VIM stimulation regardless of pulse width using energy dose–equivalent amplitudes. Short pulse stimulation diminished stimulation-induced ataxia of the upper extremities and paresthesia compared with conventional parameters. Directional steering with monopolar stimulation of single segments successfully suppressed tremor but also induced ataxia. No differences in adverse effects were found between single-segment stimulation conditions. Conclusion These proof-of-principle findings provide evidence that acute short pulse stimulation is superior to directional steering in the subthalamic area to decrease stimulation-induced side effects while preserving tremor suppression effects in patients with tremor. Classification of evidence This study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with tremor with thalamic DBS, acute short pulse stimulation reduces adverse effects, while directional steering does not provide a generalizable benefit regarding adverse effects.
A role for trypanosomatid aldo-keto reductases in methylglyoxal, prostaglandin and isoprostane metabolism

Trypanosomatid parasites are the infectious agents causing Chagas disease, visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis. Recent work of others has implicated an aldo-keto reductase (AKR) in the susceptibility and resistance of Trypanosoma cruzi to benznidazole, a drug used to treat Chagas disease. Here, we show that TcAKR and homologues in the related parasites Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani do not reductively activate monocyclic (benznidazole, nifurtimox and fexinidazole) or bicyclic nitro-drugs such as PA-824. Rather, these enzymes metabolise a variety of toxic ketoaldehydes, such as glyoxal and methylglyoxal, suggesting a role in cellular defence against chemical stress. UPLC-QToF/MS analysis of benznidazole bioactivation by T. cruzi cell lysates confirms previous reports identifying numerous drug metabolites, including a dihydro-dihydroxy intermediate that can dissociate to form N-benzyl-2-guanidinoacetamide and glyoxal, a toxic DNA-glycating and cross-linking agent. Thus, we propose that TcAKR contributes to benznidazole resistance by the removal of toxic glyoxal. In addition, three of the four enzymes studied here display activity as prostaglandin F2α synthases, despite the fact that there are no credible cyclooxygenases in these parasites to account for formation of the precursor PGH2 from arachidonic acid. Our studies suggest that arachidonic acid is first converted non-enzymatically in parasite lysates to (PGH2-like) regioisomers by free radical-mediated peroxidation and that AKRs convert these lipid peroxides into isoprostanes, including prostaglandin F2α and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α.
Learning of a Decision-Maker’s Preference Zone With an Evolutionary Approach

A new evolutionary-learning algorithm is proposed to learn a decision maker (DM)’s best solution on a conflicting multiobjective space. Given the exemplary pairwise comparisons of solutions by a DM, we learn an ideal point (for the DM) that is used to evolve toward a better set of solutions. The process is repeated to get the DM’s best solution. The comparison of solutions in pairs facilitates the process of eliciting training information for the proposed learning model. Experimental study on standard multiobjective data sets shows that the proposed method accurately identifies a DM’s preferred zone in relatively a few generations and with a small number of preferences. Besides, it is found to be robust to inconsistencies in the preference statements. The results obtained are validated through a variant of the established NSGA-2 algorithm.
Anti-CTGF Oligonucleotide Reduces Severity of Postsurgical Hypertrophic Scars in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Within-Subject, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) levels are up-regulated in wounded skin and are thought to play a major role in scar formation. An antisense oligonucleotide targeting CTGF was evaluated in adult patients undergoing hypertrophic scar revision surgery, to determine effects on reducing the severity of subsequent scars. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, within-subject, placebo-controlled study, 23 female subjects (aged 28 to 55 years) with bilateral, symmetric, hypertrophic surgical scars of the breast underwent scar revision surgery. The resulting breast incisions were randomized to receive EXC 001 (5 mg/cm) or placebo injected intradermally at postsurgery weeks 2, 5, 8, and 11. Scar severity assessments were performed at weeks 12 and 24 by an expert panel using blinded photographs, and by physicians and subjects using a scar scoring scale, the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale. An assumption of the design is that within-subject variance would be small and that whatever within-subject variance there was would be controlled through the randomization process. Results: EXC 001 significantly reduced scar severity at both 12 and 24 weeks after scar revision surgery in all three measures (expert panel and physician Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, p < 0.001; Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, p < 0.003). Conclusions: This study provided positive preliminary data that intradermal injection of EXC 001 produced a significant reduction in severity of postsurgical skin scars, as measured by physicians, subjects, and an expert panel. This study provided evidence that suppression of CTGF could be a viable strategy for hypertrophic scar reduction therapy and that further study of the antisense oligonucleotide EXC 001 was indicated. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.
Association between thyroid hormone levels, body composition and insulin resistance in euthyroid subjects with normal thyroid ultrasound: The Kangbuk Samsung Health Study

Thyroid hormones play crucial roles in the control of energy homoeostasis and can influence body composition. In contrast, the changes in body composition might influence thyroid hormone levels. We evaluated associations between thyroid hormone levels, body composition and insulin resistance in euthyroid subjects with normal thyroid ultrasound (US) findings.
A model for hydrophobic protrusions on peripheral membrane proteins

With remarkable spatial and temporal specificities, peripheral membrane proteins bind to biological membranes. They do this without compromising solubility of the protein, and their binding sites are not easily distinguished. Prototypical peripheral membrane binding sites display a combination of patches of basic and hydrophobic amino acids that are also frequently present on other protein surfaces. The purpose of this contribution is to identify simple but essential components for membrane binding, through structural criteria that distinguish exposed hydrophobes at membrane binding sites from those that are frequently found on any protein surface. We formulate the concepts of protruding hydrophobes and co-insertability and have analysed more than 300 families of proteins that are classified as peripheral membrane binders. We find that this structural motif strongly discriminates the surfaces of membrane-binding and non-binding proteins. Our model constitutes a novel formulation of a structural pattern for membrane recognition and emphasizes the importance of subtle structural properties of hydrophobic membrane binding sites.