Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symptoms at 2 Months after Mild TBI: are they Related to Brain Injury? The Results of a Cluster Analysis

Objective: This study sought to explore whether subgroups of patients with mild TBI could be identified by their symptom profile according to cluster analysis. We also investigated whether these clusters are uniquely associated with structural brain damage as well as their relationship to anxiety and depression, other health complaints, functioning and participation in work. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of patients with mild TBI who were registered at baseline and 6-8 weeks after injury. Results: A total of 270 patients were included. K-mean cluster analyses were conducted to describe groups of subjects with similar profiles of responses to the Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ). The four-cluster solution revealed one cluster with a low level of symptoms (low), one with a generally high symptom level (high), one cluster characterised by a high level of symptoms regarding cognitive functions (cognitive) and one cluster with somatic and frustration dominating symptoms (somatic). No significant differences in symptom level (mean score on RPQ) were revealed between subjects with and without radiological findings on brain scans (p=0.34). The “high” cluster group scored significantly higher than clusters 1, 2 and 3 in terms of both depression and anxiety but significantly lower on the GOSE. Cluster 2 scored significantly lower for health complaints in comparison to the other clusters. Conclusion: Subgroups of patients with mild TBI could be identified according to their symptom profile using cluster analysis. Patients with minor symptoms had a reduced risk for a positive finding on CT or MRI, whereas the high symptom level group struggled to return to work and demonstrated high levels of anxiety, depression and disability.
Usage-based approaches to aphasia

ABSTRACT Background: Effects of word frequency on language comprehension and production are pervasive in speakers with and without aphasia. Frequency effects at the sentence level are likewise pervasive in neurotypical speakers, but have received relatively little attention in the aphasia literature. When discussed, frequency-based explanations have typically been dismissed as explanations of sentence-level deficits. Usage-based approaches to understanding the accessibility of clause and phrase structures are not widely used in aphasiology, in spite of their psycholinguistic plausibility. Aims: One aim is to show that evidence in support of probabilistic models of aphasic sentence comprehension and production has been available for a long time, but has lacked visibility. Our second aim is to respond to one of the few papers [Bastiaanse, R. Bouma, G. , & Post, W. (2009). Linguistic complexity and frequency in agrammatic speech production. Brain and Language, 109, 18–28. ] that directly challenge frequency-based explanations. The third aim is to discuss some of the reasons why probabilistic models in aphasia have been far slower to gain traction in aphasiology than in psycholinguistic research on neurotypical speakers. Methods & Procedures: We review available studies of probabilistic sentence-level deficits in aphasia. We revisit and reanalyse some of the data presented in Bastiaanse et al. [Bastiaanse, R. Bouma, G. , & Post, W. (2009). Linguistic complexity and frequency in agrammatic speech production. Brain and Language, 109, 18–28. ] Outcomes & Results: We find the data compatible in Bastiaanse et al. to be consistent with the predictions of a usage-based account. We argue that the paucity of studies of probabilistic and other usage-based effects in aphasia has its roots in the dichotomy drawn between “algorithmic” versus “heuristic” factors in sentence processing. We argue that this dichotomy is artificial. “Heuristics” are part and parcel of sentence processing in all speakers. Conclusions: The effect of usage—that is, of the individual’s past linguistic experience—is evident in the language of people with aphasia, as it is in speakers generally. We argue that usage-based approaches are promising because of the gradient and “noisy, but not random” nature of language processing in aphasia, and that they are natural companions to life-participation approaches to aphasia rehabilitation.
Effects of Self-Affirmation Feedback on Exercise Intention of Women in Their Twenties Depending on Construal Level

This study examines how type of instructor feedback influences cognitive processes conducive to participants’ health behavior, using a new theoretical approach based on self-affirmation and construal level theory. In Study 1, feasibility self-affirmed feedback (FSF) and desirability self-affirmed feedback (DSF) were qualitatively explored with Vinyasa Yoga instructors, and four FSF and DSF feedback scenarios were developed. In Study 2, 55 (FSF group: 28 and DSF group: 27) women in their twenties participating in a Vinyasa Yoga program were randomly assigned to two experimental self-affirmation feedback groups (FSF and DSF) and exposed to FSF and DSF, respectively, for four weeks based on the scenarios developed in Study 1. The analysis of changes in exercise intention triggered by the participants’ exposure to self-affirmation feedback showed that participants exposed to DSF experienced a more positive influence than those exposed to FSF in their continuation intentions of success.
Role of detoxification in Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) tolerance of the miticide tau-fluvalinate

ABSTRACT The varroa mite (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) is a devastating pest of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Beekeepers have relied on the pyrethroid pesticide tau-fluvalinate as a principal agent of varroa mite control. While this miticide was quite effective at controlling varroa mites through the 1990s, its efficacy has waned as resistance to tau-fluvalinate has appeared in many populations of mites. Resistance in some populations of varroa mites has been associated with elevated detoxification of tau-fluvalinate. Honey bees tolerate miticidal tau-fluvalinate applications principally through rapid detoxification mediated by cytochrome-P450 mono-oxygenases, with the other detoxification enzyme families, the carboxylesterases and glutathione-S-transferases, playing much smaller roles in miticide tolerance. The goal of this study was to test the capability of the glutathione-S-transferase enzyme inhibitors diethyl maleate and curcumin, which should interfere minimally with honey bee detoxification, to elevate the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate to a population of varroa mites. Additionally, to test the role of cytochrome P450s and esterases in any detoxification-mediated resistance, varroa mites were also treated with the enzyme inhibitors piperonyl butoxide and S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate. None of the tested enzyme inhibitors increased the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate, suggesting that detoxification plays a minimal role in the tolerance of tau-fluvalinate in the population of varroa mites in this study.
Comparison of the Energy Transfer Rates in Structural and Spectral Variants of the B800-850 Complex From Purple Bacteria.

Photosynthetic light harvesting can occur with a remarkable near-unity quantum efficiency. The B800-850 complex, also known as light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2), is the primary light-harvesting complex in purple bacteria and has been extensively studied as a model system. The bacteriochlorophyll of the B800-850 complex are organized into two concentric rings, known as the B800 and B850 rings. However, depending on the species and growth conditions, the number of constituent subunits, the pigment geometry, and the absorption energies vary. While the dynamics of some B800-850 variants have been exhaustively characterized, others have not been measured. Furthermore, a direct and simultaneous comparison of how both structural and spectral differences between variants affect these dynamics has not been performed. In this work, we utilize ultrafast transient absorption measurements to compare the B800 to B850 energy transfer rates in the B800-850 complex as a function of number of subunits, geometry, and absorption energies. The nonameric B800-850 complex from Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides is 40% faster than the octameric B800-850 complex from Rhodospirillum (Rs.) molischianum, consistent with structure-based predictions. In contrast, the blue-shifted B800-820 complex from Rs. molischianum is only 20% faster than the B800-850 complex from Rs. molischianum despite an increase in spectral overlap between the rings that would be expected to produce a larger increase in the energy transfer rate. These measurements support current models that contain dark, higher-lying excitonic states to bridge the energy gap between rings, thereby maintaining similar energy transfer dynamics. Overall, these results demonstrate that energy transfer dynamics in the B800-850 complex are robust to the spectral and structural variations between species used to optimize energy capture and flow in purple bacteria.
Topical Therapy with Antisense Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Using Novel β-Glucan-Based Drug Delivery System Ameliorates Intestinal Inflammation

Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antibodies are effective in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the effect is not optimal because a sufficient concentration of antibodies cannot be maintained at the site of inflammation. Thus, a macromolecular complex was developed with schizophyllan (SPG) and antisense oligonucleotides. In the present study, an SPG-antisense TNF-α complex was prepared, and its therapeutic efficacy was examined using a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis model. The TNF-α production in CD11b+ macrophages significantly increased in the colon of DSS-treated mice. Dectin-1, a receptor of SPG, binds with SPG and is subsequently taken into the cells via phagocytosis. The expression of dectin-1 by CD11b+ macrophages significantly increased in DSS-treated mice. Flow cytometry revealed that the uptake of SPG-antisense TNF-α in the macrophages was efficient. TNF-α production was suppressed significantly by SPG-antisense TNF-α in vitro, which was administered via enema to evaluate its efficacy. The intrarectal administration of SPG-antisense TNF-α ameliorated the intestinal inflammation. In this study, we showed that the delivery system that conjugates SPG and antisense can have higher therapeutic efficacy. Thus, the new therapeutic approach presented in this study may be used in the management of IBD.
Use of music streaming platforms for emotion regulation by international students

Listening to music has always been an emotion-laden experience. Early research involving analog platforms showed that people use recorded music as a resource to manage their emotions, enhancing desired affective states and attenuating unwanted states. More recently, technological advances such as streaming services have made an almost-unlimited selection of music ubiquitously available. This paper examines whether this intensified access to recorded music has afforded new ways of shaping emotion. We studied the practices of international university students, a cohort who face significant stresses and make significant use of digital technology. We found that students actively and routinely use music streaming services to manage their emotional responses to the challenges of studying abroad.
Lapis Lazuli from the Coquimbo Region, Chile

GEMS & GEMOLOGY Spring 2000 apis lazuli is a rock composed of lazurite—the source of the blue color—with variable amounts of other minerals depending on its origin and, typically, small particles of pyrite. Prized for its attractive blue color, lapis lazuli was used in jewelry by some of the world’s most ancient civilizations. The stone is mined at relatively few locations, some of which have been worked since the fifth millennium BC (von Rosen, 1990). Considering the extensive history and romance attached to this ornamental gem material, the Chilean deposit is a relative newcomer. The first reference to Chilean lapis lazuli dates back to the 19th century (Field, 1850a and b). Another early mention was made by Ignacio Domeyko (1860), a Polish immigrant and mining engineer who became the first director of the School of Mines at La Serena (about 140 km from the workings). The first detailed geologic studies of the deposit and mine workings were carried out by German geologist J. Bruggen (1921, 1926), who identified the host rock as contact-metamorphosed limestone. Lapis lazuli was officially recognized as the national gemstone of Chile in 1984. The Coquimbo Region is the only known source of lapis lazuli in Chile. Although reference is sometimes made to another Chilean deposit at Vicuna Mackenna Mountain near Antofagasta (Webster, 1994; Sofianides and Harlow, 1990), this material has been identified as dumortierite by Canut de Bon (1991). Once considered a minor or unimportant locality, with the lapis lazuli described as “at best mediocre” (Wyart et al., 1981), the Chilean deposit has produced significant quantities of attractive material in recent years. Today, Chilean lapis lazuli is exported in the rough, or incorporated into jewelry (see, e.g., figure 1), carvings, and decorative building materials by local artisans. This article will review the historical significance of lapis lazuli, and examine the geologic setting and gemological characteristics of material from Chile. LAPIS LAZULI FROM THE COQUIMBO REGION, CHILE
Tomato Farmer Participation in Supermarket Market Channels in Guatemala: Determinants and Technology and Income Effects

The paper shows that in a comparison between supermarket channels (working via dedicated wholesalers) and traditional channels, farmers selling to supermarkets tend to be in the upper-end of the "small farmer" category (whereas the traditional-channel growers are in the smaller end), have more capital (in particular, irrigation, which allows them to supply all year and attain greater productivity and consistency), and be much more specialized in commercial horticulture in general and in tomatoes in particular, as compared to the traditional farmers. While they have higher yields, they also have higher input use, including use of chemicals, and these greater input expenditures (accompanied by more credit and technical assistance from the chemical companies) means that their profit rate is roughly similar to the farmers in the traditional channel. They tell us that they prefer still the more demanding wholesale-supermarket channel because it offers a lower risk and lower transaction cost outlet for the variety of their qualities and grades, all year. In turn, the supermarkets, who do not buy direct but rather source from a few dedicated wholesalers, rely on this year-round supply, lower transaction costs, and consistency. While the share of supermarkets in the produce market in Guatemala is still minor, these results mean merely that the more capitalized-tier of small farmers enjoy some advantages with the new channel, but also some entry costs that the traditional farmers as of yet do not face. As the supermarket channel grows, it is expected that more and more farmers will need to capitalized in ways that will either make them competitive in the new market, or in the traditional markets that will doubtless evolve to maintain competitiveness themselves. Development programs over the medium-long run will need to take into account the changing nature of farm-level investments thus implied.
Molecular Classification of Thyroid Tumor: A Proposal Based on the Fetal Cell Carcinogenesis Hypothesis

Recent experimental and clinical evidence in thyroid cancer has revealed its striking and puzzling features, attracting more attention to the novel concept of thyroid carcinogenesis, fetal cell carcinogenesis. In the fetal cell carcinogenesis hypothesis, thyroid tumors are derived from three types of thyroid fetal cells, and the characteristics of each tumor are totally dependent on its origin. Follicular tumors are classified into three groups based on gene expression profile. Follicular adenomas and carcinomas consist of one and two groups, respectively. Thus, benign tumors can be distinguished from malignant ones by measuring the expression of genes in follicular adenomas, such as TFF3 . Malignant tumors are classified into mature and immature groups based on the existence of thyroid cancer stem cells. Immature cancer, suggested to be derived from thyroid stem cells, is associated with a poor prognosis due to its unlimited proliferation ability.
Histologic Subtypes and Response to PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade in Advanced Urothelial Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE Urinary tract cancer can be pure urothelial carcinoma (PUC), pure non-UC, or variant UC (VUC, defined here as mixed UC). Little is known regarding outcomes for patients with VUC receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We hypothesized that VUC does not compromise ICI efficacy in patients with advanced (a)UC. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study across 18 institutions. Demographic, clinicopathologic, treatment and outcomes data were collected for patients with aUC who received ICI. Patients were divided into PUC vs. VUC; VUC further divided by type of variant (i.e. squamous, neuroendocrine, etc). We compared overall response rate (ORR) using univariate and multivariate logistic regression and progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS 519 patients were identified; 395, 406 and 403 included in ORR, OS and PFS analyses, respectively. ORR to ICI between patients with PUC and VUC was comparable (28% vs. 29%, p=0.90) without significant differences for individual subtypes vs. PUC. Median OS for patients with PUC was 11.0 months vs. 10.1 months for VUC (p=0.60), but only 4.6 months for patients with neuroendocrine (NE) features (n=9; HR=2.75 [95% CI 1.40-5.40] vs. PUC; p=0.003). Median PFS was 4.1 months for PUC vs. 5.2 months for VUC (p=0.43) and 3.7 months for NE (HR=1.87 [95% CI 0.92-3.79] vs. PUC, p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS ORR to ICI was comparable across histologic types. However, OS was worse for patients with tumors containing NE features. VUC should not exclude patients from receiving ICI.
Spatial and Temporal Baseline Information on Marine Megafauna-Data Facilitated by a Wildlife Tour Operator

The protection of marine megafauna within Europe is rather fragmented. Developing conservation measures for highly mobile species presents definite challenges, particularly due to the many knowledge gaps. Recent studies have shown that these gaps can be filled in by Platforms of Opportunity (PO) which create low-cost approaches. However, the number of wildlife tour operators actively collecting PO data related to distribution and relative abundance of marine fauna remains limited. In this study, we investigated whether effort-corrected data on marine megafauna facilitated by a wildlife tour operator afforded robust long temporal data (2011-2015). Sightings data, collected in the wider Mount’s Bay area (southwest Cornwall, UK), along with a GPS application, were collected to accurately record survey effort. In addition, radial sighting distances and detection curves were computed to explore the robustness of the data. Density maps of marine megafauna indicated that encounters occurred throughout the area in all three seasons but the temporal distribution was significantly different with numbers peaking in autumn. Odontocetes were mostly recorded during autumn, basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and ocean sunfish (Mola mola) were more abundant during summer and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) were recorded occasionally. Our data showed that this shallow coastal environment is particularly important as a nursing area for harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) showed a high semi-residency pattern for adults with calves within one core-habitat. As such, the study provides important spatial and temporal baseline data that are essential for the protection of marine megafauna through the development of an ecological network of marine protected areas within UK waters. Although, data facilitated by wildlife operators have certain shortcomings we highlight that the protocols developed here secured efficient and precise data. Such collection protocols can be implemented on a larger scale, ultimately enhancing research monitoring efforts and marine ecosystem management.
Post-Socialist Housing Systems in Europe: Housing Welfare Regimes by Default?

This article develops a conceptual framework derived from welfare regime and concomitant literatures to interpret housing reform in post-socialist European countries. In it, settled power structures and collective ideologies are necessary prerequisites for the creation of distinctive housing welfare regimes with clear roles for the state, market and households. Although the defining feature of post-socialist housing has been mass-privatisation to create super-homeownership societies, the emphatic retreat of the state that this represents has not been replaced by the creation of the institutions or cultures required to create fully financialised housing markets. There is, instead, a form of state legacy welfare in the form of debt-free home-ownership, which creates a gap in housing welfare that has been partially filled by households in the form of intergenerational assistance (familialism) and self-build housing. Both of these mark continuities with the previous regime. The latter is especially common in south-east Europe where its frequent illegality represents a form of anti-state housing. The lack of settled ideologies and power structures suggests that these housing welfare regimes by default will persist as part of a process that resembles a path-dependent ‘transformation’ rather than ‘transition’.
Effect of prednisolone on glyoxalase 1 in an inbred mouse model of aristolochic acid nephropathy using a proteomics method with fluorogenic derivatization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Prednisolone is involved in glucose homeostasis and has been used for treatment for aristolochic acid (AA) nephropathy (AAN), but its effect on glycolysis in kidney has not yet been clarified. This study aims to investigate the effect in terms of altered proteins after prednisolone treatment in a mice model of AAN using a proteomics technique. The six-week C3H/He female mice were administrated AA (0.5 mg/kg/day) for 56 days. AA+P group mice were then given prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) via oral gavage for the next 14 days, and AA group mice were fed water instead. The tubulointerstitial damage was improved after prednisolone treatment comparing to that of AA group. Kidney homogenates were harvested to perform the proteomics analysis with fluorogenic derivatization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method (FD-LC-MS/MS). On the other hand, urinary methylglyoxal and D-lactate levels were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. There were 47 altered peaks and 39 corresponding proteins on day 14 among the groups, and the glycolysis-related proteins, especially glyoxalase 1 (GLO1), fructose-bisphosphate aldolase B (aldolase B), and triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), decreased in the AA+P group. Meanwhile, prednisolone decreased the urinary amount of methylglyoxal (AA+P: 2.004 ± 0.301 μg vs. AA: 2.741 ± 0.630 μg, p < 0.05), which was accompanied with decrease in urinary amount of D-lactate (AA+P: 54.07 ± 5.45 μmol vs. AA: 86.09 ± 8.44 μmol, p < 0.05). Prednisolone thus alleviated inflammation and interstitial renal fibrosis. The renal protective mechanism might be associated with down-regulation of GLO1 via reducing the contents of methylglyoxal derived from glycolysis. With the aid of proteomics analysis and the determination of methylglyoxal and its metabolite-D-lactate, we have demonstrated for the first time the biochemical efficacy of prednisolone, and urinary methylglyoxal and its metabolite-D-lactate might be potential biomarkers for AAN.