Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pragmatics Influence Children's Use of Majority Information

Do children always conform to a majority’s testimony, or do the pragmatics of that testimony matter? We investigate children’s reasoning about mapping a novel word to a referent in an object-labeling task. Across four conditions, we modified the testimony in an object-labeling task, to account for pragmatic principles, so that the majority does and does not provide an explicit opinion about the alternative object chosen by the minority. Fourand 5-year-olds were given a choice between an object endorsed by a three-person majority, or one endorsed by a single minority informant. In the unendorsed condition, informants explicitly unendorsed the unchosen object. In the nothing condition, informants said nothing about the unchosen object. In the ignorance condition, informants explicitly expressed uncertainty about the unchosen object, and in the hidden condition, the chosen object was the only one present at the time of the endorsement. Children were most likely to endorse the majority object in the unendorsed condition, in which the majority explicitly stated that the label applied to only one referent, whereas in the hidden condition, where only one object at a time was present in the discourse, children chose objects endorsed by the majority and the minority equally, with the other two conditions intermediate. This suggests that children might not simply have a conformity bias; rather, they are sensitive to the majority’s implied intentions when learning from testimony.
CHRNA3 rs1051730 genotype and short-term smoking cessation.

INTRODUCTION The rs1051730 genetic variant within the CHRNA5-A3-B4 gene cluster is associated with heaviness of smoking and has recently been reported to be associated with likelihood of stopping smoking. We investigated the potential association of rs1051730 genotype with reduced likelihood of smoking cessation in 2 cohorts of treatment-seeking smokers in primary care in the United Kingdom. METHODS Data were drawn from 2 clinical trials on which DNA was available. One sample was a randomized placebo-controlled trial of nicotine transdermal patch and the other sample an open-label trial where all participants received nicotine transdermal patch. Smoking status was biochemically verified. Logistic regression was used to assess evidence for association in each sample, and data were combined within a meta-analysis. RESULTS There was evidence of association of rs1051730 genotype with short-term (4-week) cessation in our open-label trial sample but not our placebo-controlled trial sample. When combined in a meta-analysis, this effect remained. There was no evidence of association at later follow-up intervals. Adjustment for cigarette consumption and tobacco dependence did not alter these results substantially. CONCLUSIONS Our data, taken together with previous recent studies, provide some support for a weak association between this variant and short-term smoking cessation in treatment-seeking smokers, which does not seem to operate only among those receiving nicotine replacement therapy. Moreover, the rs1051730 variant may not merely operate as a marker for dependence or heaviness of smoking.
Social Support, Insomnia, and Adherence to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia After Cancer Treatment

ABSTRACT Objective/Background: While cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to be efficacious in treating cancer survivors’ insomnia, 30–60% of individuals have difficulty adhering to intervention components. Psychosocial predictors of adherence and response to CBT-I, such as social support, have not been examined in intervention studies for cancer survivors. Participants: Data from a randomized placebo-controlled 2 x 2 trial of CBT-I and armodafinil (a wakefulness promoting agent) were used to assess adherence. Ninety-six cancer survivors participated in the trial (mean age 56, 86% female, 68% breast cancer). Methods: CBT-I and armodafinil were administered over the course of seven weeks, and participants were assessed at baseline, during intervention, postintervention, and at a three-month follow-up. Social support was assessed using a Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy subscale, insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index, and adherence was measured based on CBT-I sleep prescriptions. Results: At baseline, social support was negatively correlated with insomnia severity (r = –0.30, p = 0.002) and associations between social support, CBT-I, and insomnia were maintained through the three-month follow-up. Social support was positively associated with adherence to CBT-I during intervention weeks 3, 4, and 5, and with overall intervention adherence. At postintervention, both social support and treatment with CBT-I independently predicted decreased insomnia severity (p < 0.01) when controlling for baseline insomnia severity. Conclusions: Higher social support is associated with better intervention adherence and improved sleep independent of CBT-I. Additional research is needed to determine whether social support can be leveraged to improve adherence and response to CBT-I.
Young skilled deaf readers have an enhanced perceptual span in reading

Recently, Bélanger, Slattery, Mayberry and Rayner showed, using the moving-window paradigm, that profoundly deaf adults have a wider perceptual span during reading relative to hearing adults matched on reading level. This difference might be related to the fact that deaf adults allocate more visual attention to simple stimuli in the parafovea. Importantly, this reorganization of visual attention in deaf individuals is already manifesting in deaf children. This leads to questions about the time course of the emergence of an enhanced perceptual span (which is under attentional control) in young deaf readers. The present research addressed this question by comparing the perceptual spans of young deaf readers (age 7-15) and young hearing readers (age 7-15). Young deaf readers, like deaf adults, were found to have a wider perceptual span relative to their hearing peers matched on reading level, suggesting that strong and early reorganization of visual attention in deaf individuals goes beyond the processing of simple visual stimuli and emerges into more cognitively complex tasks, such as reading.
Plasmatic coagulation and fibrinolytic system alterations in PNH: relation to clone size

Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) is characterized pathophysiologically by intravascular lysis of blood cells and clinically by thromboembolic events, often atypical in localization. In this study, we examined the plasmatic coagulation system of PNH patients to investigate a potential relation between coagulation alterations and disease intensity (PNH clone size). We found evidence for both an increase in procoagulant and in fibrinolytic activity, resulting in increased fibrin generation and turnover. Whereas a positive association of the procoagulant potential with PNH clone size was notable, fibrinolytic activity showed an inverse association with clone size. As a possible cause, a growing impairment of fibrinolytic activation and/or an increasing displacement of fibrinolytic activity is assumed. These mechanisms are most likely caused by the detachment of the glycosyl-phosphatidyl-inositol-anchored urokinase plasminogen activator receptor from cell surfaces, causing a progressive resistance to fibrinolytic stimuli, together with a probable shift of the fibrinolytic potential from cell surfaces to soluble, circulating complexes, resulting in a cellular fibrinolysis-steal phenomenon. Together, these processes are accused of mediating an increased thrombophilic risk in PNH. As hereditary prothrombogenic defects were found more frequently in patients suffering ischaemic complications, genetic thrombophilia seems to confer an additional thromboembolic risk in PNH, and should therefore be screened for.
Complete heart block occurring during cardiac catheterization in patients with preexisting bundle branch block.

A case of catheter-induced complete heart block in a patient with preexistent left bundle branch block is documented by His bundle recordings. It is recommended that a temporary pacemaker catheter on demand should be placed in the right ventricular apex in all patients with complete bundle branch block undergoing cardiac catheterization. In the coronary care units catheters should never be passed blindly to the right heart chambers in patients with left bundle branch block.
Sex hormones and biomarkers of neuroprotection and neurodegeneration: implications for female reproductive events in bipolar disorder

Previous studies have suggested that women with bipolar disorder are at higher risk for mood episodes during periods of intense hormonal fluctuation (e.g., premenstrual, postpartum, perimenopause). There is converging literature showing that estrogen and progesterone can modulate neurotransmitter systems and intracellular signaling pathways known to be affected by mood stabilizing agents. Here, we critically review clinical aspects of reproductive cycle events in women with bipolar disorder and preclinical studies, with a focus on the functional interactions between sex hormones and biomarkers of neuroprotection and neurodegeneration that are thought to be involved in the neurobiology of bipolar disorder: brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
Spatial changes in the infaunal community of a macrotidal flat in Bahía San Julián, Southern Patagonia, Argentina

The soft-bottom macrobenthos of Bahia San Julian intertidal was surveyed to identify infaunal assemblages and analyze their relationships with the main environmental factors determining species distribution. Four seasonal surveys (summer, autumn, winter and spring) were performed in the middle and lower intertidal levels at seven sampling stations established on both sides of an urban sewage discharge point, and water and sediment variables were measured. To explore possible spatial variations in the community, environmental and biological data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Community composition varied with intertidal level, sediment characteristics and distance to sewage discharge site. In sediment with high mud content, the community was characterized by Darina solenoides, Mysella patagona , Eteone sculpta, Scolecolepides uncinatus and Capitella sp. , in the middle intertidal, and was characterized by M. patagona and Ampelisca sp. in the lower intertidal. In sediment with dominance of fine sand, the community was characterized by Aricidea sp. at both intertidal levels. Near the effluent discharge site, the community was largely dominated by M. patagona . Intertidal level and sediment particle size are the main factors determining the composition of benthic assemblages in the study area. Sewage discharge also affects the composition of the infaunal community, possibly as a result of the contribution of particulate organic matter in suspension that stimulates the populations of detritus feeders.
How to improve antibiotic awareness campaigns: findings of a WHO global survey

Introduction We aimed to examine the characteristics of antibiotic awareness campaigns (AAC) conducted on a national or regional level since 2010. Methods In October 2016, the WHO invited stakeholders involved in the planning or conduct of AACs to answer a web questionnaire. We solicited general information about the characteristics of the AAC, with a particular focus on key messages supporting optimal use of antibiotics. Results Stakeholders in 93 countries were contacted and 55 countries responded. Overall, 60 AACs from 16 low/middle-income countries (LMIC) and 31 high-income countries were identified. Forty-five campaigns (75%) were conducted on a national level and most of them (47/60; 78%) were organised by public health authorities and publicly funded. There were no major differences between LMICs and high-income countries in the types of key messages. The scientifically questionable ‘Finish your prescription’ slogan was used by 31 AACs (52%). A One Health approach was mentioned in 13/60 AACs (22%). Most messages were universally applicable; adaptation to locally prevalent public misconceptions was not systematic. The evaluation of the impact of campaigns was still incomplete, as only 18 AACs (30%) assessed their impact on antibiotic use. Conclusion For future AACs, it seems essential to base messages more rigorously on scientific evidence, context specificities and behavioural change theory. A new generation of messages that encourage first-choice use of narrow spectrum antibiotics is needed, reflecting international efforts to preserve broad spectrum antibiotic classes. Evaluation of the impact of AACs remains suboptimal.
Imaging and neuropsychological correlates of white matter lesions in different subtypes of Mild Cognitive Impairment: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND White matter lesions (WML) are prevalent in older adults. The association between WML and cognition in different subtypes of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is inconsistent in the literature. OBJECTVES We aim to provide a systematic review on the impact of WML in different subtypes of MCI, and discuss the recent findings on white matter plasticity. METHODS We reviewed peer-reviewed articles from January 2011 to August 2016 and identified 12 studies investigating the association between WML and subtypes of MCI with both neuroimaging and cognitive measures. RESULTS Our review shows that 1) WM abnormality was identified between different subtypes of MCI and healthy controls on diffusion imaging; 2) neither visual ratings of WML nor its volumetry differentiate different subtypes of MCI or its prognosis to dementia; and 3) cognitive correlates of WML were evident in the Amnestic-type MCI in the domains of memory, language, psychomotor speed, attention and executive functions. CONCLUSION Cognitive reserve and the plasticity of white matter may modulate the impact of WML on the manifestation of the neurodegenerative disease. Further research is needed to study the plasticity of white matter in the MCI population to evaluate its potential clinical application.
Task Characteristics that Fit Use of Business Intelligence

We present a literature review that identifies a gap in business intelligence knowledge regarding the fit between technology and the tasks solved using the technology. We propose a model that frames the fit between task characteristics and the use of business intelligence. The model represents task, system, and information quality as independent constructs with task compatibility as the dependent construct. A future quantitative study will test the model by looking at business intelligence users and how they use technology to perform tasks for solving problems.
Solitary pulmonary nodules: determining the likelihood of malignancy with neural network analysis.

PURPOSE To test a neural network in differentiation of benign from malignant solitary pulmonary nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS Neural networks were trained and tested on the characteristics of 318 nodules. Predictive accuracy of the network was judged for calibration and discrimination. Network results were compared with those with a simpler Bayesian method. RESULTS The Brier score was 0.142 (calibration, 0.003; discrimination, 0.139) for the neural network and 0.133 for the Bayesian analysis (calibration, 0.012; discrimination, 0.121). Analysis of the calibration curve revealed no significant difference (P < .05) between the slope (b = 1.09) and the line of identity (b = 1) for the neural network or the Bayesian analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.871 for the neural network and 0.894 for the Bayesian analysis (P < .05). There were 23 and 21 false-positive predictions and 18 and six false-negative predictions for the neural network and Bayesian analysis, respectively. CONCLUSION The Bayesian method was better than the neural network in prediction of probability of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules.
Phylogeny of Poa (Poaceae) Based on trnT–trnF Sequence Data: Major Clades and Basal Relationships

Poa, the largest genus of grasses (Poaceae) with over 500 species, occurs throughout temperate and boreal regions in both hemispheres. A phylogenetic study of Poa based on trnT-trnF chloroplast DNA sequence data is presented focusing on basal relationships, major clades, generic boundaries, and placement of putatively closely related genera. Results support the monophyly of the main lineage of Poa if subgen. Andinae is excluded and Anthochloa, Austrofestuca, Dissanthelium (at least in part), and Eremopoa are included. The main Poa clade and subgen. Andinae resolve within a strongly supported Poinae-Alopecurinae-Miliinae clade (PAM). The subdivision of Poa into five major clades, proposed based on chloroplast restriction site data, is supported by sequence data. The basal-most clade (ArcSyl) comprises Poa subgen. Arctopoa and subgen. Poa sect. Sylvestres, two groups having disparate morphology, but similar cpDNA. The next-diverging clade (BAPO), comprising sects. Bolbophorum, Alpinae, Parodiochloa, and Ochlopoa, is strongly supported and characterized by highly divergent cpDNA. The majority of Poa species and sections form a strongly supported clade comprising major clades SPOSTA. PoM, and HAMBADD. Newly reported in this study is Eremopoa as a distinct lineage positioned between this higher Poa clade and BAPO. A revised infrageneric classification of Poa comprising five subgenera is proposed. Two new subgeneric divisions of Poa are proposed: subgen. Stenopoa for the SPOSTA clade and supersect. Homalopoa for the HAMBADD clade. The monotypic genus Anthochloa is reduced to Poa sect. Anthochloa, and its one species recognized as Poa lepidula.
Anxiety, age, education and activities of daily living as predictive factors of the occurrence of frailty syndrome in patients with heart rhythm disorders

ABSTRACT Objectives: Frailty is one of the geriatric syndromes that are caused by subclinical impairment of many organs, leading to the loss of reserves and the ability to maintain homeostasis. Aim of the study was to assess which factors including anxiety and depression can be predictive factors for the occurrence of frailty syndrome in patients with heart rhythm disorders. Methods: The study included 171 consecutive patients >64 years (73.91 ± 6.72; 48.5% W) with diagnosed cardiac arrhythmias who had been qualified for pacemaker implantation. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator scale as well as the Hospital Anxiety and Depresion Scale (HADS) were used. Results: The average HADS results in the frailty group was significantly higher 7.42 ± 2.63 compared to the robust patients 6.33 ± 2.83; p =0.0019. Similar results were observed in patients with atrio-ventricular blocks (AVB): HADS-A: frail 8.23 ± 2.13 vs. robust 6.62 ± 2.27; p = 0.0036 and HADS-D: frail 8.84 ± 2.85 vs. robust 7.17 ± 2.48; p =0.0086. The multiple regression model showed that age (p =0.0023), education (p =0.0001), ADL (p =0.0001) and the severity of the anxiety (p = 0.0414) were important predictors of the dependent variable and predicted higher levels of frailty syndrome. Conclusion: Anxiety, age, education and the activities of daily living can be predictive factors of the occurrence of frailty syndrome in patients with heart rhythm disorders who have been qualified for pacemaker implantation.
Condom Use for Dual Protection in Senegal

This study reviews the experience of Senegal in condom use for dual protection from HIV transmission and pregnancy. Senegal has often been cited as one of the rare successful stories in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of keeping the HIV infection rate low since the appearance of the first AIDS case in 1986 in the country. On the other hand, it is also true that Senegal could be considered one of the failure stories in terms of condom use for pregnancy prevention as its prevalence has remained low. Using the 1999 nationally representative survey, this paper looks at the prevalence of condom use for men and women by sociodemographic characteristics and type of sexual partners. Relatively high proportions of men (57.2 percent) and women (16.9 percent) used condoms at their last encounter with casual partners. Young, unmarried, and well-educated urban residents are more likely to use condoms with casual partners. For both men and women, condom use with casual partners (disease prevention) was significantly higher than its use with regular partners (pregnancy prevention). Besides, those men and women who engage in occasional sexual relationships use condoms more even with their regular partners (dual protection). Policy implications of those findings will be discussed.
Efficient simulation of correlated diversity channels

A previous technique for generating two spatially correlated Rayleigh fading envelope sequences is generalized to give an efficient method for generating multiple cross-correlated Rayleigh fading sequences. Any desired cross-correlations can be realized for an arbitrary number of diversity branches. The computational complexity of the new method is compared to the computational complexity of a direct method. It is shown that properly utilizing the underlying block Toeplitz structure of the correlation matrix can give computational savings of several orders of magnitude.
Endothelial Differentiation Gene-2 Receptor Is Involved in Lysophosphatidic Acid-dependent Control of 3T3F442A Preadipocyte Proliferation and Spreading*

EDG-2, EDG-4,EDG-7, and PSP24 genes encode distinct lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptors. The aim of the present study was to determine which receptor subtype is involved in the biological responses generated by LPA in preadipocytes. Growing 3T3F442A preadipocytes express EDG-2 and EDG-4mRNAs, with no expression of EDG-7 or PSP24mRNAs. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed that EDG-2 transcripts were 10-fold more abundant than that of EDG-4. To determine the involvement of the EDG-2 receptor in the responses of growing preadipocytes to LPA, stable transfection of antisenseEDG-2 cDNA was performed in growing 3T3F442A preadipocytes. This procedure, led to a significant and specific reduction in EDG-2 mRNA and protein. This was associated with a significant alteration in the effect of LPA on both cell proliferation and cell spreading. Finally, the differentiation of growing preadipocytes into quiescent adipocytes led to a strong reduction in the level of EDG-2 transcripts. Results demonstrate the significant contribution of the EDG-2 receptor in the biological responses generated by LPA in 3T3F442A preadipocytes.