Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What questions do family caregivers want to discuss with health care providers in order to prepare for the death of a loved one? An ethnographic study of caregivers of patients at end of life.

OBJECTIVES To determine what questions family caregivers want to discuss with health care providers (HCPs) in order to prepare for the death of a loved one. METHODS Ethnographic interviews and focus groups were used to collect data from current and bereaved caregivers (n=33) of terminally ill patients. Caregivers were asked about: (1) the questions they believe are important to discuss with HCPs in order to prepare for the death, (2) which questions they asked HCPs, and (3) which questions they did not discuss with HCPs. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using standard methods. RESULTS Caregivers had a wide spectrum of questions that were categorized as medical, practical, psychosocial, or religious/spiritual in nature. Although caregivers felt comfortable asking most questions, many were not discussed with HCPs, particularly questions about what dying "looked like," medical errors, funeral arrangements, family disagreements, the meaning of illness, and the afterlife. The uncertainty associated with unanswered questions could, in turn, cause distress, even after the death. The primary barriers to asking questions were feeling overwhelmed, "not knowing what to ask," the perception that HCPs were untrustworthy, and worries about being perceived as "ignorant. " CONCLUSIONS Family caregivers of patients with terminal illness need more than prognostic information in order to prepare for the death. HCPs should be aware that caregivers may not ask important questions and that unanswered questions may contribute to caregiver distress. Awareness of caregivers' questions can help HCPs improve the care provided to caregivers by better preparing them for the death of their loved one.
A randomized clinical trial of Cogmed Working Memory Training in school-age children with ADHD: a replication in a diverse sample using a control condition.

BACKGROUND Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) has received considerable attention as a promising intervention for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. At the same time, methodological weaknesses in previous clinical trials call into question reported efficacy of CWMT. In particular, lack of equivalence in key aspects of CWMT (i.e., contingent reinforcement, time-on-task with computer training, parent-child interactions, supportive coaching) between CWMT and placebo versions of CWMT used in previous trials may account for the beneficial outcomes favoring CWMT. METHODS Eighty-five 7- to 11-year old school-age children with ADHD (66 male; 78%) were randomized to either standard CWMT (CWMT Active) or a well-controlled CWMT placebo condition (CWMT Placebo) and evaluated before and 3 weeks after treatment. Dependent measures included parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms; objective measures of attention, activity level, and impulsivity; and psychometric indices of working memory and academic achievement (Clinical trial title: Combined cognitive remediation and behavioral intervention for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01137318). RESULTS CWMT Active participants demonstrated significantly greater improvements in verbal and nonverbal working memory storage, but evidenced no discernible gains in working memory storage plus processing/manipulation. In addition, no treatment group differences were observed for any other outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS When a more rigorous comparison condition is utilized, CWMT demonstrates effects on certain aspects of working memory in children with ADHD; however, CWMT does not appear to foster treatment generalization to other domains of functioning. As such, CWMT should not be considered a viable treatment for children with ADHD.
A knowledge transfer framework for virtual projects

Organisations increasingly work in virtual settings. However, few studies discuss knowledge transfer in virtual settings. In this paper, we discuss two questions: (a) To what parties is the knowledge transferred in virtual projects; we present a framework of knowledge transfer to different stakeholder parties. (b) Second, what kind of knowledge (content, organisational and social) is transferred to the stakeholders of a virtual project? Three case studies have been examined in order to answer these questions. It was found that the more virtual cases (complete dispersion of the workforce) transferred less tacit knowledge. Furthermore, the transfer of organisational and social knowledge became important in more virtual settings compared to a case study with physical proximity.
B cell activating factor (BAFF) and BAFF receptors: fakes and facts

Analysis of B cell activating factor (BAFF) receptors before and after B cell depletion therapy (BCDT) might offer a clue to the understanding of whether some B cell subsets may represent useful biomarkers of biological and clinical responses. Among the BAFF receptors in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, the AA have shown, by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis of median fluorescence intensity (MFI), that transmembrane activator and calcium‐modulating cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) do not change, whereas the most important, BAFF receptor 3 (BR3), appears to be decreased before as well as after BCDT in all B cell subsets but not in plasmablasts, the most important subset, depleted by BCDT.
The evolution of knowledge management and transfer processes from domestic to international multi-sport events

ABSTRACT Research question: We examined the knowledge management and transfer (KM/KT) process within two domestic and two international sports events, and determined whether the similarities and differences between these four KM/KT processes could lend themselves to a single, overall sport event KM/KT process. Research methods: Four case studies were built by means of an analysis of 58 interviews and 598 document pages: 2012 Ontario Summer Games (OSG), 2013 Canada Games (CG), 2014 Commonwealth Games, and 2015 Pan American Games. Results and findings: Findings highlight the importance of internal and external knowledge tailoring, as well as individuals’ tacit knowledge. KM/KT processes evolved in sophistication from the OSG (rather linear), through the CG, which includes a feedback loop due to the test event aspect, then to a continual feedback loop for the international events. A generic KM/KT process was therefore developed for domestic events through to the Olympic Games. Implications: The organizing committee's lifespan may influence the effectiveness of the KM/KT process and its benefits. Rights holders should manage the process themselves and include stakeholders in the process. From a theoretical standpoint, the similar KM/KT process undertaken by event stakeholders for small through Olympic-level events, regardless of the existence of a formal event KM/KT process, demonstrates the transferability potential of KM/KT findings between event levels.
Characteristics of youth soccer players who drop out, persist or move up

Abstract In this study, we compared the growth, maturity status, functional capacity, sport-specific skill, and goal orientation of 159 male soccer players, aged 11–12 (n = 87) and 13–14 years (n = 72) years, who at follow-up 2 years later discontinued participation (dropout), continued at the same standard (club) or moved to a higher level (elite). Age group-specific multivariate analysis of variance was used for comparisons. Among 11- to 12-year-old players at baseline, a gradient of elite > club > dropout was suggested for size and function, although differences were not consistently significant. Elite players performed significantly better in only two of the four skills, dribbling and ball control. A gradient of elite > club > dropout was more clearly defined among 13- to 14-year-old players at baseline. Elite players were older chronologically and skeletally, larger in body size and performed better in functional capacities and three skill tests than club players and dropouts. Baseline task and ego orientation did not differ among dropouts and club and elite players at follow-up in either age group. The results suggest an important role for growth and maturity status, functional capacities, and sport-specific skills as factors in attrition, persistence, and moving up in youth soccer.
A Single Aspiration of Rod-like Carbon Nanotubes Induces Asbestos-like Pulmonary Inflammation Mediated in Part by the IL-1 Receptor.

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been eagerly studied because of their multiple applications in product development and potential risks on health. We investigated the difference of two different CNT and asbestos in inducing proinflammatory reactions in C57BL/6 mice after single pharyngeal aspiration exposure. We used long tangled and long rod-like CNT, as well as crocidolite asbestos at a dose of 10 or 40 µg/mouse. The mice were sacrificed 4 and 16 h or 7, 14, and 28 days after the exposure. To find out the importance of a major inflammatory marker IL-1β in CNT-induced pulmonary inflammation, we used etanercept and anakinra as antagonists as well as Interleukin 1 (IL-1) receptor (IL-1R-/-) mice. The results showed that rod-like CNT, and asbestos in lesser extent, induced strong pulmonary neutrophilia accompanied by the proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines 16 h after the exposure. Seven days after the exposure, neutrophilia had essentially disappeared but strong pulmonary eosinophilia peaked in rod-like CNT and asbestos-exposed groups. After 28 days, pulmonary granulomas, goblet cell hyperplasia, and Charcot-Leyden-like crystals containing acidophilic macrophages were observed especially in rod-like CNT-exposed mice. IL-1R-/- mice and antagonists-treated mice exhibited a significant decrease in neutrophilia and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels of proinflammatory cytokines at 16 h. However, rod-like CNT-induced Th2-type inflammation evidenced by the expression of IL-13 and mucus production was unaffected in IL-1R-/- mice at 28 days. This study provides knowledge about the pulmonary effects induced by a single exposure to the CNT and contributes to hazard assessment of carbon nanomaterials on airway exposure.
Inotersen: new promise for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is a fatal autosomal dominant disorder characterized by deposition of transthyretin amyloid into the peripheral nervous system, heart, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. Previous treatments using liver transplantation and small molecule stabilizers were not effective in stopping disease progression. Inotersen, a 2′-O-methyoxyethyl-modified antisense oligonucleotide, which acts by reducing the production of transthyretin, was recently demonstrated to improve disease course and quality of life in early hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis polyneuropathy in a 15-month Phase III study.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of choline supplementation in school-aged children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure results in a broad range of cognitive and behavioral impairments. Because of the long-lasting problems that are associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), the development of effective treatment programs is critical. Preclinical animal studies have shown that choline, which is an essential nutrient, can attenuate the severity of alcohol-related cognitive impairments. OBJECTIVE We aimed to translate preclinical findings to a clinical population to investigate whether choline supplementation can ameliorate the severity of memory, executive function, and attention deficits in children with FASDs. DESIGN In the current study, which was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, we explored the effectiveness of a choline intervention for children with FASDs who were aged 5-10 y. Fifty-five children with confirmed histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure were randomly assigned to either the choline (n = 29) or placebo (n = 26) treatment arms. Participants in the choline group received 625 mg choline/d for 6 wk, whereas subjects in the placebo group received an equivalent dose of an inactive placebo treatment. Primary outcomes, including the performance on neuropsychological measures of memory, executive function, and attention and hyperactivity, were assessed at baseline and postintervention. RESULTS Compared with the placebo group, participants in the choline group did not differentially improve in cognitive performance in any domain. Treatment compliance and mean dietary choline intake were not predictive of treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Findings of the current study do not support that choline, administered at a dose of 625 mg/d for 6 wk, is an effective intervention for school-aged (5-10 y old) children with FASDs. This research provides important information about choline's therapeutic window. Combined with other studies of choline and nutritional interventions in this population, this study emphasizes a further need for the continued study of the role of nutritional status and supplementation in children with FASDs and the contributions of nutrition to neurocognition. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01911299.
Characterization of cable arrangements in terms of the generated high-frequency quantities in PWM motor drives

Transient overvoltages at motor terminals and high-frequency common-mode currents in PWM drive systems have been extensively investigated in the last fifteen years. Nevertheless, some issues concerning such quantities still remain unclear. That is the case of the converter-to-motor cabling influence on the intensity of these high-frequency voltages and currents. Filters of different types have been traditionally used to mitigate these undesired phenomena. However, due to their cost, volume and losses, they can't be considered the ultimate solution of the problem. In this paper, typical industrial cable arrangements will be characterized in terms of the generated transient overvoltages and common-mode currents. It will be shown that variations in the range of 10 to 40 % in the peak values of these quantitites can take place due to different cable disposition. Thus, it can be concluded that special care in the cable installation can lead to significant reduction in these undesired phenomena, which in turn downsizes the required filter.
Applying Fuzzy Linear Regression to Understand Metacognitive Judgments in a Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Environment

In this paper, a new approach to evaluate metacognitive activities is investigated using fuzzy linear regression analysis. Metacognition shows a broad picture of learning competencies that significantly influences learning processes such as confidence judgment and control of learning. However, it is hard to detect changes in metacognitive judgments because there is no direct way to evaluate metacognition while individuals are learning a new task. We investigated the internal relationship between an individual's metacognitive judgments and task performance. Participants performed a radar monitoring task by playing the role of an antiair warfare coordinator in a human-in-the-loop simulation. In order to measure task performance, participants were given a situation awareness (SA) probe. To measure their metacognitive judgments, we administered a retrospective confidence judgments (RCJ) probe. A fuzzy linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between RCJ and SA. There were three groups in this experiment. The first group (SA + RCJ feedback) viewed their SA performance with the correct answers to all SA questionnaires and triangular graphs of both SA confidence and SA scores together. The second group (SA feedback) only watched their SA performance with the correct answers to all SA questionnaires. The third group was the control group, and it did not observe any feedback. The results showed that the SA + RCJ feedback screen could significantly influence the participants' mental state from overconfidence to underconfidence as well as SA accuracy. Using the outcomes of the experiment, we modeled mental state change in metacognitive judgments using fuzzy linear regression.
Coronary endothelial dysfunction in humans is associated with myocardial perfusion defects.

BACKGROUND Coronary endothelial dysfunction may occur in patients with minimally obstructive coronary artery disease and angina, and potentially may cause myocardial ischemia. METHODS AND RESULTS Coronary endothelium-dependent vasodilation was examined in patients with angina and <50% coronary artery diameter (CAD) stenosis by selectively infusing acetylcholine (10(-6) mol/L to 10(-4) mol/L) into the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Percent change in CAD (%deltaCAD) was measured by quantitative coronary angiography, and percent change in coronary blood flow (%deltaCBF) was calculated using intracoronary flow Doppler. Coronary endothelium-independent vasodilation was examined using intracoronary adenosine and nitroglycerin. 99mTc sestamibi was injected intravenously just prior to the infusion of the highest dose of acetylcholine. Patients were divided blindly into three groups: Perfusion defects in non-LAD territory (group 1, n=6), no perfusion defects (group 2, n=7), and perfusion defects in the LAD territory (group 3, n=7). All patients had intact endothelium-independent vasodilation. In group 1, perfusion defects outside the LAD territory reflected an increase in %deltaCAD and %deltaCBF by 24+/-5% and 241+/-46% in the LAD. In group 2, %deltaCAD decreased by 26+/-5%, but %deltaCBF increased by 54+/-17%. In group 3, perfusion defects were within the LAD territory, reflecting a decrease in %deltaCAD and %deltaCBF by 35+/-5% and 51+/-14%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that coronary endothelial dysfunction in humans may be temporally associated with myocardial perfusion defects and supports a role for the coronary epicardial and microcirculation endothelium in regulating myocardial perfusion. Myocardial ischemia may occur in humans with impaired endothelium-dependent coronary flow reserve of the coronary epicardial and microcirculation.
Molecular immune mechanism of C‐phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis induces apoptosis in HeLa cells in vitro

C‐phycocyanin (C‐PC), a water‐soluble protein pigment, isolated from Spirulina platensis, is of great importance because of its various medical and pharmacological properties. In the present study, we first investigated the effect of highly purified C‐PC on growth and proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro. The results indicated that there was a significant decrease in the number of cells that survived for HeLa cells treated with C‐PC compared with control cells untreated with C‐PC. Further electron‐microscopic studies revealed that C‐PC could induce characteristic apoptotic features, including cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, microvilli loss, chromatin margination and condensation into dense granules or blocks. Agarose electrophoresis of genomic DNA of HeLa cells treated with C‐PC showed fragmentation pattern (DNA ladder of oligomers of 180–200 bp) typical for apoptotic cells. Flow‐cytometric analysis of HeLa cells treated with different concentrations of C‐PC demonstrated an increasing percentage of cells in sub‐G0/G1 phase. In addition, we found that C‐PC could promote the expression of Fas and ICAM‐1 (intercellular cell‐adhesion molecule 1) protein, while it held back the Bcl‐2 (B‐cell lymphocytic‐leukaemia proto‐oncogene 2) protein expression. This suggested that C‐PC could induce the activation of pro‐apoptotic gene and downregulation of anti‐apoptotic gene expression and then facilitate the transduction of tumoural apoptosis signals that resulted in the apoptosis of HeLa cells in vitro. Caspases 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 were activated in C‐PC‐treated HeLa cells, which suggested that C‐PC‐induced apoptosis was caspase‐dependent. C‐PC treatment of HeLa cells also resulted in release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol that was related to apoptosis of C‐PC‐treated HeLa cells.
A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial of Early Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke with Atorvastatin and Irbesartan

Background Cholesterol and blood pressure lowering therapies are effective in the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Aim To determine whether 30 days of treatment with atorvastatin, or irbesartan, initiated within 96 h of symptom onset improves recovery from acute ischemic stroke. Methods Eighty-one patients with acute ischemic stroke participated in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of atorvastatin (80 mg) vs. placebo, and/or irbesartan (150 mg) vs. placebo. Fifty-two patients (randomized 53 ± 22 h after onset of symptoms) completed the 30-day primary outcome follow-up. Results The primary outcome, maximal brain infarct size at days 3 and 30 measured by perfusion computed tomography, was not significantly altered by random assignment to irbesartan (1088 (IQR 216, 2594) mm2 at day 3, compared with 398 (144, 2053) mm2 among the placebo group, P=0·79 controlling for baseline values; and 822 (159, 1717) mm2 at day 30, cf 280 (76, 1330) mm2; P=0·63); or atorvastatin (454 (107, 1765) mm2 cf 825 (265, 2509) mm2 at day 3; P=0·33; and 462 (43, 1399) mm2 cf 280 (128, 1559) mm2 at day 30, P=0·79). There were no other significant differences among the treatment groups with the exception of: • high sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations, which were lower in the irbesartan treatment group at day 30 (mean difference 12·6 mg/L; 95% CI: −25·1, −0·1; P=0·048); and • the mean cerebral blood flow in the affected cerebral hemisphere at 30 days after stroke, which was significantly reduced by random assignment to irbesartan compared with placebo in both the affected cerebral hemisphere (−7·5 mL/100 mL/min (95% CI: −1·7 to −13·4, P=0·01)) and in the unaffected hemisphere (−7·3 mL/100 mL/min (95% CI: −1·3, −13·4; P=0·02)). Atorvastatin therapy was well tolerated, but irbesartan therapy was associated with an increased rate of withdrawal from therapy (n=10 (29%), compared with n=3 (9%) who withdrew from placebo, P=0·04). Conclusions Treatment with atorvastatin and irbesartan, initiated on day 3 after acute ischemic stroke, did not appear to substantially modify infarct growth.