Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electroconvulsive Therapy and Ethnicity

Abstract Studies on ECT and race show that ECT clinics treat predominantly white patients. It has been suggested that certain ethnic groups are less likely to receive a diagnosis of an affective disorder and are therefore less likely to be referred to the ECT clinic. In the United States, inequalities in access to health care between the different ethnic groups may be a contributory factor. In the United Kingdom, there is a mistaken predominant perception that ECT is given mainly to members of ethnic minorities; instead, there is a need to ensure that nonwhites have equal access to this effective treatment.
The concurrent validity of the N-back task as a working memory measure

The N-back task is used extensively in literature as a working memory (WM) paradigm and it is increasingly used as a measure of individual differences. However, not much is known about the psychometric properties of this task and the current study aims to shed more light on this issue. We first review the current literature on the psychometric properties of the N-back task. With three experiments using task variants with different stimuli and load levels, we then investigate the nature of the N-back task by investigating its relationship to WM, and its role as an inter-individual difference measure. Consistent with previous literature, our data suggest that the N-back task is not a useful measure of individual differences in WM, partly because of its insufficient reliability. Nevertheless, the task seems to be useful for experimental research in WM and also well predicts inter-individual differences in other higher cognitive functions, such as fluid intelligence, especially when used at higher levels of load.
Polycystic ovary syndrome - a risk factor of pre-eclampsia after in vitro fertilisation.

AIM Taking into account an increasing number of pregnancies after the assisted reproduction, we tried to evaluate the risk of pre-eclampsia for mono-foetal pregnancy after IVF and to determine the degree of risk factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 16,400 patients, while 15,874 of them were after spontaneous conception and 526 after conception using assisted reproductive technologies. For the basic statistical analysis, we used frequency tables and basic statistical characteristics for numeric and ordinary variables. To verify the statistical dependence, we used contingency tables, Fisher exact test and the odds ratio. RESULTS In the group of women after in vitro fertilisation, a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia was recorded than in the group of women after spontaneous conception. Conception via in vitro fertilisation represents the 3.4-fold risk of pre-eclampsia development (OR 3.404 95% CI 2.407-4.8). CONCLUSION The major causes of a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in case of assisted reproduction include: polycystic ovary syndrome, insulin resistance, subfertility, age and obesity of patients. Assisted reproductive technologies are not the cause of a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in case of the assisted reproduction (Tab. 4, Fig. 2, Ref. 22).
Intramuscular Perforator Dissection with the Hydrodissection Technique

Abstract Background Perforator flap breast reconstruction requires increased time for safe perforator dissection, especially the intramuscular course. We describe an adjunctive technique using hydrodissection to assist with the intramuscular perforator dissection. Methods Hydrodissection techniques were used for perforator dissection in 45 consecutive patients (64 flaps) undergoing deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction. These patients were compared with 39 patients (55 flaps) immediately prior to the use of this technique. The study time frame was between March 2008 and March 2010. Patient demographics, complications, and operative times were collected through an extensive chart review. Results There were no major differences in complications between groups; there were no flap losses encountered during this series, and fat necrosis rates were similar (9.4% with hydrodissection and 14.5% without, p = 0.41). Total operative time for bilateral reconstructions decreased by 59 minutes (p = 0.13) and 21 minutes (p = 0.57) for unilateral reconstructions with the utilization of hydrodissection, though this was not statistically significant. Conclusions The use of hydrodissection to assist with intramuscular perforator vessel dissection is safe to perform, as there was no increase in complications. The procedures utilizing hydrodissection were faster, and surgeons using this technique found it easier to visualize the perforators and dissect through the intramuscular course.
Mortality From Bacterial Meningitis in Children in Kosovo

Bacterial meningitis is a severe infection responsible for high mortality. This prospective study of 277 pediatric bacterial meningitis cases was done to identify factors predicting death in children <16 years of age living and treated in a limited-resources country (Kosovo). Of the 277 children enrolled, 60 patients (22%) developed neurologic complications, and 15 children died (5%). The following variables were strongly correlated with mortality: altered mental status on admission (relative risk [RR] = 29.9), presentation of the initial cerebrospinal fluid as thick pus (RR = 29.9), prehospital seizures (RR = 23.5) and their recurrence >24 hours after admission (RR = 11.5), age <1 month (RR = 19.3), the use of inotropic agents (RR = 11.5), and admission after 5 days’ duration of illness (P < .001). The mortality rate in children in Kosovo is similar to those reported from developing countries, and this is most likely due to the unfavorable living conditions.
Pathogenic Huntington Alters BMP Signaling and Synaptic Growth through Local Disruptions of Endosomal Compartments

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch within the Huntingtin (Htt) protein. Pathogenic Htt disrupts multiple neuronal processes, including gene expression, axonal trafficking, proteasome and mitochondrial activity, and intracellular vesicle trafficking. However, the primary pathogenic mechanism and subcellular site of action for mutant Htt are still unclear. Using a Drosophila HD model, we found that pathogenic Htt expression leads to a profound overgrowth of synaptic connections that correlates directly with the levels of Htt at nerve terminals. Branches of the same nerve containing different levels of Htt show distinct phenotypes, indicating that Htt acts locally to disrupt synaptic growth. The effects of pathogenic Htt on synaptic growth arise from defective synaptic endosomal trafficking, leading to expansion of a recycling endosomal signaling compartment containing Sorting Nexin 16 and a reduction in late endosomes containing Rab11. The disruption of endosomal compartments leads to elevated BMP signaling within nerve terminals, driving excessive synaptic growth. Blocking aberrant signaling from endosomes or reducing BMP activity ameliorates the severity of HD pathology and improves viability. Pathogenic Htt is present largely in a nonaggregated form at synapses, indicating that cytosolic forms of the protein are likely to be the toxic species that disrupt endosomal signaling. Our data indicate that pathogenic Htt acts locally at nerve terminals to alter trafficking between endosomal compartments, leading to defects in synaptic structure that correlate with pathogenesis and lethality in the Drosophila HD model. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Huntington's disease (HD) is the most commonly inherited polyglutamine expansion disorder, but how mutant Huntingtin (Htt) disrupts neuronal function is unclear. In particular, it is unknown within what subcellular compartment pathogenic Htt acts and whether the pathogenesis is associated with aggregated or more soluble forms of the protein. Using a Drosophila HD model, we find that nonaggregated pathogenic Htt acts locally at synaptic terminals to disrupt endosomal compartments, leading to aberrant wiring defects. Genetic manipulations to increase endosomal trafficking of synaptic growth receptors from signaling endosomes or to reduce BMP signaling reduce pathology in this HD model. These data indicate that pathogenic Htt can act locally within nerve terminals to disrupt synaptic endosomal signaling and induce neuropathology.
Late Haemorrhagic Disease in Sweden 1987–89

Introduction of Vitamin K-prophylaxis to newborns in the Western world has dramatically reduced the incidence of classical haemorrhagic disease of the newborn, HDN (1, 2). In Sweden, this prophylaxis was introduced in 1960 (3). Since then, classical HDN has been practically eradicated. A study of the Newborn Diagnosis Register at the National Medical Board revealed five possible but not proven cases among a total of 283000 newborn during the years 1980, 1981 and 1983 (4). In another review from 1986 until the end of May 1988, one single case of classical HDN among around 250000 newborn was noted (5). Only gastrointestinal bleedings were noted and no mortality was registered. The mode of administration of Vitamin K has for many years been the intramuscular route. Oral administration was introduced in 1986 and is today used in about 80% of all Swedish newborn. The remaining 20% still receive Vitamin K i.m. As good as all Swedish babies are born in hospital. Very little has been known about the presence of so-called late haemorrhagic disease, LHD (1) in Sweden. Because of 1) the increasing number of reports on LHD from several parts of the world (6-lo), 2) the changed mode of Vitamin-Kprophylaxis during the last few years and 3) a high percentage of complete breastfeeding in Sweden, it was regarded worthwhile to perform a nation-wide inquiry to detect possible cases of LHD.
Children's speech recognition in noise using omni-directional and dual-microphone hearing aid technology.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine children's speech recognition abilities for words and sentences presented in background noise when the children used omni-directional and dual-microphone hearing aid technology. DESIGN Twenty children (ten 4- to 6-yr olds; ten 7- to 11-yr-olds) with bilateral cochlear hearing loss (average four-frequency hearing loss = 57.25 dB HL; range: mild to severe) were included in the study. An adaptive test procedure was used to estimate a signal to noise ratio (SNR) that reduced individual speech recognition ability to 50% in multi-talker background competition. Testing was completed with the child seated in a conventional audiologic test suite. A fixed level of the speech signal was delivered through a loudspeaker located at 0 degrees; noise varying in 2 dB steps was presented at 180 degrees. SNR was estimated for two types of speech materials (closed-set words and sentences). Children wore binaural programmable hearing aids (Phonak PiCS) and were tested in conventional omni-directional and dual-microphone ("Audio Zoom") conditions. RESULTS Significant effects of microphone condition, speech material type (words and sentences), and age group ("younger" and "older") were revealed by mixed design analysis of variance. Overall, children received a mean advantage of 4.7 dB from listening in the dual-microphone condition. Children's performance was correlated with their chronological age and language age (receptive vocabulary) but not with their degree of hearing loss (except in one condition). Younger children required a more advantageous SNR to achieve the same performance criteria as older children. CONCLUSIONS Under the specific test conditions used in this investigation, dual-microphone hearing aid technology provided a significant listening advantage in background competition over conventional omni-directional microphones for children with mild to severe cochlear hearing loss for both word and sentence test materials.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX Prevention in Children and Relief from It in Adults

Everyone starts life with some feelings of inferiority. Subsequent success or failure is determined by the ability to adjust the inferiority feeling to the demands of life. Normal development requires the recognition of one’s limitations and capacities in order to achieve a profitable balance in emotional maturity. The inferiority complex is different from the inferior feeling of which the former is the master but the latter can become a servant to the individual. As a master, the complex may cause a person to have ultimate failure and maladjustment; as a servant, the feeling may produce success in achieving valuable goals in life. No one succeeds without some inferior feeling and almost everyone who fails does so because of an inferiority complex. We will see the serious nature of an inferiority complex by considering the nature, the manifestations, and the cure.
Adult Pornography and Violence Against Women in the Heartland: Results From a Rural Southeast Ohio Study

Many rural parts of the United States are now “pornified. ” There is growing quantitative evidence revealing that rural women are at higher risk of being victimized by intimate violence than their urban and suburban counterparts. In-depth interviews with 55 rural southeast Ohio women who wanted to leave, were trying to leave, or were in the process of leaving, or who have left their male marital/cohabiting partners reveal that pornography is a major component of the problem of rural woman abuse. The main objective of this article is twofold: (a) to present the results of our qualitative study, and (b) to suggest future directions in theoretical and empirical work.
Identification by antibody to a synthetic peptide of a protein specified by a diploid gene located in the terminal repeats of the L component of herpes simplex virus genome

In the course of studies on the a sequences located at the termini of and at the junction between the L and S components of herpes simplex virus 1 DNA, J. Chou and B. Roizman (J. Virol. 57:629-637, 1986) noted that the a sequence acted as a gamma 1 promoter when fused to the structural sequence of the thymidine kinase gene, the b inverted repeat sequences located in the L component next to the a sequences contained an open reading frame predicted to encode the protein of 358 amino acids with a molecular weight of 37,054, and the transcription of an RNA homologous to the open reading frame initiated within the a sequence. The nucleotide sequence of the open reading frame predicted the presence of the triplet Ala-Thr-Pro repeated 10 times. To verify the existence of the predicted gene, designated gamma 134.5, a synthetic peptide consisting of the triplet Ala-Thr-Pro repeated 10 times was synthesized and used to raise antibodies in rabbits. The results were as follows. The antiserum to the peptide reacted with a 43,500-apparent-molecular-weight protein present in lysates of cells infected with herpes simplex virus 1 but not present in mock-infected or herpes simplex virus 2-infected cells. We genetically engineered a recombinant virus containing a single copy of a truncated gene. Concordant with predictions, the antibody reacted with a faster-migrating protein in cells infected with this recombinant. The gamma 134.5 gene product was soluble, and it accumulated primarily in the cytoplasm late in infection. The overlap of the domain of the gamma 134.5 gene with the a sequence raises the possibility that it acts in trans on the a sequence and is associated with one of the functions currently ascribed to the a sequences.
Familial myopathy: New insights into the T14709C mitochondrial tRNA mutation

We have defined the genetic defect in a large family first described in one of the earliest reports of suspected mitochondrial myopathy, as the mutation T14709C in the mitochondrial transfer RNAGlu (mt‐tRNAGlu) gene. Extraordinarily, this mutation has attained homoplasmy (100% mutated mt‐tRNAGlu) on at least three independent occasions in this family and has done so in one individual who remains asymptomatic with no clinical evidence of disease. Heteroplasmy (dual populations of mutated and wild‐type mtDNA) usually is regarded as one of the primary diagnostic criteria for pathogenicity and previous reports of the T14709C mutation detail heteroplasmy in a variety of tissues. In contrast, homoplasmy of mt‐tRNA mutations generally has been regarded as evidence of a benign nature, with rare exceptions that result in organ‐specific phenotypes. Discovering that T14709C, a common and severe mt‐tRNA mutation, can attain homoplasmy without symptoms or clinical signs of disease has profound implications for the identification and prevalence of other pathogenic mt‐tRNA mutations. Furthermore, variation in phenotype between homoplasmic individuals implies a crucial contribution from the nuclear genetic environment in determining the clinical outcome of mt‐tRNA mutations. Ann Neurol 2004;55:000–000
Flagellar serotypes of Salmonella typhi in Indonesia: relationships among motility, invasiveness, and clinical illness.

While the H1-d flagellar serotype of Salmonella typhi has been found worldwide, the H1-j serotype occurs only in Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey in Indonesia compared epidemiologic, clinical, and pathogenetic characteristics of these two serotypes. S. typhi isolates were collected from patients with acute typhoid fever in four Indonesian cities. Flagellar serotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification of the fliC locus of the flg gene. Of 321 isolates, 51 (15.9%) were H1-j. Patients with H1-j infection were older than those with H1-d (P < .001). Among 30 patients with known clinical outcomes, H1-j infection was associated with milder clinical illness than H1-d (P = .06). In vitro, H1-j isolates were both less motile on semi-solid agar plates (P = .004) and less invasive of HEp-2 cells (P = .002) than H1-d isolates. The association of decreased severity of illness with decreased motility and invasiveness suggests that flagellar properties are a component of S. typhi's virulence.
Chemical Composition of PM10 and PM2.5 Collected at Ground Level and 100 Meters during a Strong Winter-Time Pollution Episode in Xi'an, China

ABSTRACT An intensive sampling of aerosol particles from ground level and 100 m was conducted during a strong pollution episode during the winter in Xi'an, China. Concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions, carbonaceous compounds, and trace elements were determined to compare the composition of particulate matter (PM) at the two heights. PM mass concentrations were high at both stations: PM10 (PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm) exceeded the China National Air Quality Standard Class II value on three occasions, and PM2.5 (PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) exceeded the daily U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standard more than 10 times. The PM10 organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were slightly lower at the ground than at 100 m, both in terms of concentration and percentage of total mass, but OC and EC in PM2.5 exhibited the opposite pattern. Major ionic species, such as sulfate and nitrate, showed vertical variations similar to the carbonaceous aerosols. High sulfate concentrations indicated that coal combustion dominated the PM mass both at the ground and 100 m. Correlations between K+ and OC and EC at 100 m imply a strong influence from suburban biomass burning, whereas coal combustion and motor vehicle exhaust had a greater influence on the ground PM. Stable atmospheric conditions apparently led to the accumulation of PM, especially at 100 m, and these conditions contributed to the similarities in PM at the two elevations. Low coefficient of divergence (CD) values reflect the similarities in the composition of the aerosol between sites, but higher CDs for fine particles compared with coarse ones were consistent with the differences in emission sources between the ground and 100 m. IMPLICATIONS An intensive observation of aerosol particles from ground level and 100 m during a winter-time pollution episode in Xi'an, China, showed that PM levels often greatly exceeded national standards. High concentrations of sulfate indicated that emissions from coal combustion dominated the PM mass both at the ground and at 100 m. No dramatic differences in PM or chemical species loadings were found between the different elevations, and this was most likely due to relatively stable meteorological conditions. Nevertheless, the data suggested greater impacts from fresh emissions at the ground site and more particle aggregates and a stronger influence from biomass burning at the higher site. The results imply that monitoring programs need to take this variability into account. The air quality in Xi'an would be improved by reducing the emissions from coal and biomass burning.
Net-Based Customer Service Systems: Evolution and Revolution in Web Site Functionalities

Firms' Web sites are becoming an increasingly important component of their customer service systems. Yet there is a dearth of research-based insights and guidelines concerning the roles, functionalities, and effective design of Web sites. In this article we describe and discuss findings from a three-phase, multimethod research study aimed at filling this literature void. We first propose and validate a descriptive taxonomy of customer needs amenable to online fulfillment. Complementing this taxonomy, we next propose, and offer preliminary validation of, a five-stage conceptual model for understanding and predicting the development of a firm's Web site design and functionality. Findings from our study suggest that firms' Web sites are by and large in the early stages of development with respect to their ultimate potential, but that executives in leading service firms have begun to conceptualize and plan for subsequent stages. We conclude the article with managerial implications and important avenues for further research.
Algorithm to generate fixed polarity Reed-Muller GF(5) spectra from disjoint cubes

A theory has been developed to calculate fixed polarity Reed-Muller spectra over GF(5) from disjoint cubes representation of 5-valued functions. The algorithm makes use of the properties of disjoint cubes and allows the determination of the spectral coefficients in an independent way. It is simple and can be implemented with small amount of storage space. The algorithm is interactive so the users can manually determine the generation of a part of a spectrum. At the end of the article, experimental results of the algorithm for several 5-valued test files are shown.
Conditions for large non-Gaussianity in two-field slow-roll inflation

We study the level of primordial non-Gaussianity in slow-roll two-field inflation. Using an analytic formula for the non-linear parameter fNL in the case of a sum or product separable potential, we find that it is possible to generate significant non-Gaussianity even during slow-roll inflation with Gaussian perturbations at Hubble exit. In this paper we give the general conditions for obtaining large non-Gaussianity and calculate the level of fine-tuning required to obtain this. We present explicit models in which the non-Gaussianity at the end of inflation can exceed the current observational bound of .