Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preventive Antibacterial Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Pneumonia is a major risk factor of death after acute stroke. In a mouse model, preventive antibacterial therapy with moxifloxacin not only prevents the development of post-stroke infections, it also reduces mortality, and improves neurological outcome significantly. In this study we investigate whether this approach is effective in stroke patients. Methods Preventive ANtibacterial THERapy in acute Ischemic Stroke (PANTHERIS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 80 patients with severe, non-lacunar, ischemic stroke (NIHSS>11) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. Patients received either intravenous moxifloxacin (400 mg daily) or placebo for 5 days starting within 36 hours after stroke onset. Primary endpoint was infection within 11 days. Secondary endpoints included neurological outcome, survival, development of stroke-induced immunodepression, and induction of bacterial resistance. Findings On intention-to treat analysis (79 patients), the infection rate at day 11 in the moxifloxacin treated group was 15.4% compared to 32.5% in the placebo treated group (p = 0.114). On per protocol analysis (n = 66), moxifloxacin significantly reduced infection rate from 41.9% to 17.1% (p = 0.032). Stroke associated infections were associated with a lower survival rate. In this study, neurological outcome and survival were not significantly influenced by treatment with moxifloxacin. Frequency of fluoroquinolone resistance in both treatment groups did not differ. On logistic regression analysis, treatment arm as well as the interaction between treatment arm and monocytic HLA-DR expression (a marker for immunodepression) at day 1 after stroke onset was independently and highly predictive for post-stroke infections. Interpretation PANTHERIS suggests that preventive administration of moxifloxacin is superior in reducing infections after severe non-lacunar ischemic stroke compared to placebo. In addition, the results emphasize the pivotal role of immunodepression in developing post-stroke infections. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN74386719
Social Learning of Vocal Patterns and Modes of their Application in Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus)1,2,3

We have developed a method which allowed us to teach Grey Parrots special vocal patterns with a good success. The birds uttered these in antiphonal duets (Fig. 1, Table 1). The duets were performed only between the parrot and its cooperative partner. By experimental auditory stimulation we investigated the conditions of the vocal communication (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). Furthermore we found, that the performance of antiphonal duets obstructed the extension of the vocal repertoire with patterns which could not be learned from the birds' social partners (Fig. 4).
The Long-Term Effects of the Chernobyl Catastrophe on Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health

This paper assesses the long-term subjective well-being and mental health toll of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 in the general Ukrainian population and estimates the monetary differential necessary to compensate victims of the catastrophe. The analysis is based on two nationally representative Ukrainian data sets and reveals that even 20 years after the accident subjective well-being is negatively associated with self-reported assessments of having been affected by the catastrophe. The causal long-term effect of the disaster on life satisfaction is established by exploiting variation in official radiation data which are linked to survey respondents through information on their place of living in 1986. We find higher depression and trauma rates as well as poorer subjective life expectancy among those stronger affected by Chernobyl. Expressed in monetary terms, the estimated amount of income required to compensate for the experienced utility loss amounts to an annual cost of seven percent of Ukraine's GDP.
Mediterranean diet and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Objective: To determine whether higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet (MeDi) is related with larger MRI-measured brain volume or cortical thickness. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, high-resolution structural MRI was collected on 674 elderly (mean age 80.1 years) adults without dementia who participated in a community-based, multiethnic cohort. Dietary information was collected via a food frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter volume (TGMV), total white matter volume (TWMV), mean cortical thickness (mCT), and regional volume or CT were derived from MRI scans using FreeSurfer program. We examined the association of MeDi (scored as 0–9) and individual food groups with brain volume and thickness using regression models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, body mass index, diabetes, and cognition. Results: Compared to lower MeDi adherence (0–4), higher adherence (5–9) was associated with 13.11 (p = 0.007), 5.00 (p = 0.05), and 6.41 (p = 0.05) milliliter larger TBV, TGMV, and TWMV, respectively. Higher fish (b = 7.06, p = 0.006) and lower meat (b = 8.42, p = 0.002) intakes were associated with larger TGMV. Lower meat intake was also associated with larger TBV (b = 12.20, p = 0.02). Higher fish intake was associated with 0.019 mm (p = 0.03) larger mCT. Volumes of cingulate cortex, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus and CT of the superior-frontal region were associated with the dietary factors. Conclusions: Among older adults, MeDi adherence was associated with less brain atrophy, with an effect similar to 5 years of aging. Higher fish and lower meat intake might be the 2 key food elements that contribute to the benefits of MeDi on brain structure.
Mild hypothermia modulates the expression of nestin and caspase-3 in the sub-granular zone and improves neurological outcomes in rats with ischemic stroke

We assessed neurological outcomes, infarct volume, and the expression of nestin and caspase-3 in the hippocampal dentate gyrus following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion, with mild hypothermia (MH) treatment at the onset of ischemia in a MCAO rat model. Reperfusion began 2 hours after the MCAO model was set-up. MH treatment began at the onset of ischemia and was maintained for 4 hours. We evaluated neurological deficit score, brain infarct volumes, along with the immunohistochemical staining of nestin and caspase-3 in the sub-granular zone of the injured hemisphere on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after the onset of ischemia. Correlations between the number of nestin-positive (nestin+) cells, caspase-3-positive (caspase-3+) cells with infarct volume, as well as neurological deficit scores, were evaluated by linear regression. MH significantly promoted survival, reduced mortality, improved neurological deficit score, reduced brain infarct volume, increased the number of neural stem/progenitor cells and inhibited neuronal apoptosis in the sub-granular zone of the injured hemisphere. The number of nestin+ cells correlated with neurological deficit score in the normothermic group, and with infarct volume in the hypothermia group except for the first day after the onset of ischemia. The number of caspase-3+ cells correlated with the neurological deficit score but not infarct volume. The neuroprotective effects of MH may be mediated by modulating neural stem/progenitor cells and neuronal apoptotic cells in the sub-granular zone of the injured hemisphere during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Cellulosic nanowhiskers. Theory and application of light scattering from polydisperse spheroids in the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye regime.

Mathematical treatment of light scattering within the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye limit for spheroids with polydispersity in both length and diameter is developed and experimentally tested using cellulosic nanowhiskers (CNW). Polydispersity indices are obtained by fitting the theoretical formfactor to experimental data. Good agreement is achieved using a polydispersity of 2.3 for the length, independent of the type of acid used. Diameter polydispersities are 2.1 and 3.0 for sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, respectively. These polydispersities allow the determination of average dimensions from the z-average mean-square radius (z) and the weight-average molecular weight (M w) easily obtained from Berry plots. For cotton linter hydrolyzed by hydrochloric acid, the average length and diameter are 244 and 22 nm. This compares to average length and diameter of 272 and 13 nm for sulfuric acid. This study establishes a new light-scattering methodology as a quick and robust tool for size characterization of polydisperse spheroidal nanoparticles.
Mapping Meiotic Single-Strand DNA Reveals a New Landscape of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), which are formed by the Spo11 protein, initiate meiotic recombination. Previous DSB-mapping studies have used rad50S or sae2Δ mutants, which are defective in break processing, to accumulate Spo11-linked DSBs, and report large (≥ 50 kb) “DSB-hot” regions that are separated by “DSB-cold” domains of similar size. Substantial recombination occurs in some DSB-cold regions, suggesting that DSB patterns are not normal in rad50S or sae2Δ mutants. We therefore developed a novel method to map genome-wide, single-strand DNA (ssDNA)–associated DSBs that accumulate in processing-capable, repair-defective dmc1Δ and dmc1Δ rad51Δ mutants. DSBs were observed at known hot spots, but also in most previously identified “DSB-cold” regions, including near centromeres and telomeres. Although approximately 40% of the genome is DSB-cold in rad50S mutants, analysis of meiotic ssDNA from dmc1Δ shows that most of these regions have substantial DSB activity. Southern blot assays of DSBs in selected regions in dmc1Δ, rad50S, and wild-type cells confirm these findings. Thus, DSBs are distributed much more uniformly than was previously believed. Comparisons of DSB signals in dmc1, dmc1 rad51, and dmc1 spo11 mutant strains identify Dmc1 as a critical strand-exchange activity genome-wide, and confirm previous conclusions that Spo11-induced lesions initiate all meiotic recombination.
Serious Games

One business school addressed the “zeitgeist” of the financial crisis by introducing in its inaugural seminar the cultural and ethical values too often absent from the types of transactions students are trained to manage. Drawing from cross-cultural and communication studies, the author tested “serious games”—cultural situations and personal development exercises aimed at rewarding rule-based cooperation, interpersonal communication, and cultural empathy. Observations made during the games fostered curriculum reform by integrating humanistic concerns considered vital for international finance careers. Linking such training to business learning objectives enhances accountability, rule-based action, and cultural awareness reform.
Evaluating hypotheses in geolocation on a very large sample of Twitter

Recent work in geolocation has made several hypotheses about what linguistic markers are relevant to detect where people write from. In this paper, we examine six hypotheses against a corpus consisting of all geo-tagged tweets from the US, or whose geo-tags could be inferred, in a 19% sample of Twitter history. Our experiments lend support to all six hypotheses, including that spelling variants and hashtags are strong predictors of location. We also study what kinds of common nouns are predictive of location after controlling for named entities such as dolphins or sharks
The uses of cognitive training technologies in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders

In this review, we focus on research that has used technology to provide cognitive training – i.e. to improve performance on some measurable aspect of behaviour – in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We review technology-enhanced interventions that target three different cognitive domains: (a) emotion and face recognition, (b) language and literacy, and (c) social skills. The interventions reviewed allow for interaction through different modes, including point-and-click and eye-gaze contingent software, and are delivered through diverse implementations, including virtual reality and robotics. In each case, we examine the evidence of the degree of post-training improvement observed following the intervention, including evidence of transfer to altered behaviour in ecologically valid contexts. We conclude that a number of technological interventions have found that observed improvements within the computerised training paradigm fail to generalise to altered behaviour in more naturalistic settings, which may result from problems that people with autism spectrum disorders experience in generalising and extrapolating knowledge. However, we also point to several promising findings in this area. We discuss possible directions for future work.
CD8+ Tc‐lymphocytes immunodeviation in peripheral blood and airway from patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and changes after short‐term smoking cessation

Background Cigarette smoke induces an acute but persisting inflammation in peripheral blood and airway in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and CD8+ Tc‐lymphocytes are considered as a key role in this process. We aimed to investigate the Tc‐lymphocytes immunodeviation in system and local airway of COPD patients and changes of the immunodeviation after short‐term smoking cessation. Methods Peripheral blood (PB) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected from 42 patients (14 COPD patients, 16 smokers with normal lung function and 12 nonsmokers), while PB and induced sputum (IS) were obtained from other 19 patients (10 quitting smokers and 9 continuing smokers) at baseline and follow‐up respectively of 4‐week smoking cessation. Percentages of CD8+ Tc‐lymphocytes (%CD3+) and Tc1/Tc2 ratios were measured by flow cytometry. Results Percentages of CD8+ Tc‐lymphocytes were higher in COPD patients than those in smokers and nonsmokers in both PB and BALF. Tc1/Tc2 ratio in PB and in BALF from COPD patients was greater than that from smokers and nonsmokers and negatively correlated with FEV1 %pre. When comparing the ratios between PB and BALF, significantly positive correlation was found in COPD patients. Furthermore, after 4‐week smoking cessation, percentages of CD8+ Tc‐lymphocytes in PB and IS in quitting smokers were decreased compared to that in baseline and continuing smokers, whereas Tc1/Tc2 ratios were not influenced. Conclusions CD8+ Tc1‐trend immunodeviation profiles occurred in both system and local airway of COPD patients. This exceptional immunodeviation could not be relieved by short‐term smoking cessation.
Safeguarding British Identity or Betraying it? The Role of British ‘Tradition’ in the Parliamentary Great Debate on EC Membership, October 1971

type="short"> This article is part of the January 2015 Special Issue titled ‘Interpreting British European Policy’, which also includes Interpreting British European Policy by Mark Bevir, Oliver Daddow and Pauline Schnapper (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12201 ), The Return of ‘Englishness’ in British Political Culture – The End of the Unions? by Michael Kenny (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12203 ), Interpreting the Outsider Tradition in British European Policy Speeches from Thatcher to Cameron by Oliver Daddow (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12204 ), ‘One Woman's Prejudice’: Did Margaret Thatcher Cause Britain's Anti-Europeanism? by Cary Fontana and Craig Parsons (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12205 ), Between One-Nation Toryism and Neoliberalism: The Dilemmas of British Conservatism and Britain's Evolving Place in Europe by Mark I. Vail (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12206 ), Euroscepticism and the Anglosphere: Traditions and Dilemmas in Contemporary English Nationalism by Ben Wellings and Helen Baxendale (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12207 ), Reworking the Eurosceptic and Conservative Traditions into a Populist Narrative: UKIP's Winning Formula? by Karine Tournier-Sol (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12208 ), The Labour Party and Europe from Brown to Miliband: Back to the Future? by Pauline Schnapper (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12209 ), Educating Britain? Political Literacy and the Construction of National History by Helen Brocklehurst (DOI: 10.1 111/jcms.12211 )
Robust Adaptive Tracking Control for Nonlinear Systems Based on Bounds of Fuzzy Approximation Parameters

A robust adaptive fuzzy control approach is developed for a class of multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems with modeling uncertainties and external disturbances by using both the approximation property of the fuzzy logic systems and the backstepping technique. The MIMO systems are composed of interconnected subsystems in the strict-feedback form. The main characteristics of the developed approach are that the online computation burden is alleviated and the robustness to dynamic uncertainties and external disturbances is improved. It is proven that all the signals of the resulting closed-loop system are uniformly bounded and that the tracking errors converge to a small neighborhood around zero. Two simulation experiments are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach developed in this paper.
Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Elective Coronary Angiography: Incidence and Risk Factors

Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (CIN) is a considerable complication in cardiac procedures. Several conditions for CIN have been identified after Coronary Angiography (CA). The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence and clinical predictors of CIN 24 h after Coronary Angiography. A total of 1,137 consecutive patients with coronary artery syndrome undergoing CA were prospectively enrolled the study. Serum creatinine (Cr) at baseline and 24 h after CA, as well as demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were measured. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as a rise in Cr _0. 3 mg/dL after CA. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to identify independent predictors of CIN. The overall incidence rate was 56 (4.9%) in total study population. In multivariate analysis, baseline Cr > 1.5 (odds ratio [OR] 4.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04 to 8.3; P < 0.001), Contrast volume > 100 mmL (OR 3.4, 95% CI 0.7 to 8.1; P < 0.002), Baseline GFR < 30 (OR 14.2, 95% CI 8-2; P < 0.000); Baseline GFR 30-60 (OR 8.7, 95% CI 2.3 13.8; P < 0.000) were predictors for CIN. CIN was more frequent in older patients, with higher serum creatinine level and Grater usage of contrast media and diuretic. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and hydration cannot prevent the occurrence of CIN.
Decentralized adaptive synchronization in nonlinear dynamical networks with nonidentical nodes

For a network of interconnected nonlinear dynamical systems an adaptive leader-follower output feedback synchronization problem is considered. The structure of decentralized controller and adaptation algorithm is proposed based on speed-gradient and passivity. Sufficient conditions of synchronization for nonidentical nodes are established. An example of synchronization of the network of nonidentical Chua systems is analyzed. The main contribution of the paper is adaptive controller design and analysis under conditions of incomplete measurements, incomplete control and uncertainty.
Investigating the Effects of Three Needling Parameters (Manipulation, Retention Time, and Insertion Site) on Needling Sensation and Pain Profiles: A Study of Eight Deep Needling Interventions

Introduction. In traditional Chinese acupuncture, needle sensation (deqi) is purported to contribute to a therapeutic outcome. While researchers have attempted to define deqi qualitatively, few have examined the effects of needling parameters on its intensity. Methods. 24 healthy subjects completed eight interventions scheduled at least one week apart, which involved manual acupuncture to LI4 or a designated nonacupoint (NAP) on the hand, with real or simulated manipulation each three minutes and needle retentions of one or 21 minutes. Intensities of needling sensation and pain were reported every three minutes and sensation qualities were reported post-intervention. Results. Immediately after needle insertion, similar levels of mean needle sensation and of pain were reported independent of intervention. At subsequent measurement times, only two interventions (one at LI4 and one at NAP) maintained statistically significantly elevated needle sensation and pain scores and reported higher numbers of needle sensation descriptors. For both, the needle was retained for 21 minutes and manipulated every three minutes. Neither intervention differed significantly in terms of levels of pain, and needle sensation or numbers and qualities of needle sensation described. Conclusion. In this group of healthy subjects, the initial needling for all eight interventions elicited similar levels of needle sensation and pain. These levels were only maintained if there was ongoing of needle manipulation and retention of the needle. By contrast, the strength of needle sensation or pain experienced was independent of insertion site.
Methodology framework for the design of digital ecosystems

Digital ecosystems have recently been introduced into the computer and information societies. Digital ecosystem (DES) is the dynamic and synergetic complex of digital communities consisting of interconnected, interrelated and interdependent digital species (DS) situated in a digital environment (DE) that interact as a functional unit and are linked together through actions, information and transaction flows. DES transpose mechanisms from living organisms like autonomy, viability and self-organisation to arrive at novel knowledge and architectures. The proposed DES embraces a number of different technologies such as ontologies, agent-based and self-organizing systems etc. The synergetic effects of these methodologies results in a more efficient, effective, reliable and secure system. DES is still in its early implementation phase. No clear methodology for digital ecosystem design exists yet. In this paper, we propose a methodological framework that consists of five phases and addresses many different aspects of the DES design. In this methodology, we focus on the key factors associated with the DES design such as roles of different digital components within the DES, organisation and collaboration of the digital components, their individual design along with intelligence and security within the DES. More details are introduced at each step and every sequential step takes the DES to a higher level of elaboration. This methodological framework allows better control over the design process and serves as a navigating tool during DES design.
The Effects of a Targeted Intervention to Reduce Problem Behaviors

Behavior support in schools is increasingly viewed as a three-tier prevention effort in which universal interventions are used for primary prevention, targeted interventions are used for secondary prevention, and intensive interventions are used for tertiary prevention. A growing body of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted interventions in decreasing the frequency of problem behaviors. The Check In—Check Out Program (CICO) is becoming a recognized targeted intervention. The present study examines if there is a functional relation between the implementation of CICO and a reduction in problem behaviors. Results indicate that implementation of CICO with four elementary school—age boys was functionally related to a reduction in problem behavior. Clinical and conceptual implications of these results, methodological limitations, and future research directions are reviewed.