Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motherhood and Schizophrenic Illnesses: A Review of the Literature

Objective: To provide an overview of the current knowledge on the impact of motherhood on women with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Method: The published literature was selectively reviewed and assessed, based on a complete MEDLINE and PsychLIT (1971 to current) search, including English and non-English journals and books. Results: Research to date into motherhood and schizophrenic illnesses has been limited by a number of methodological constraints, limiting the ability to draw conclusions and the prevention of relapses and mother-infant difficulties. These constraints have included: a paucity of prospective studies with initial, antenatal recruitment; variable definitions of the length of the puerperium; significant changes in psychiatric classification; the heterogeneity of postpartum psychotic disorders, with the majority being mood or schizoaffective disorder rather than schizophrenia; selection biases inherent in studying mother-baby unit inpatients; difficulties in life events research in general, such as its retrospective nature and confounding, illness factors; and the specificity versus non-specificity of childbirth as a unique or discrete life event. Conclusions: Further study is required to explore: the impact of child care, parenting and having a partner on the course of women with schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders during the first postpartum year; whether women with postpartum relapses of these mental illnesses are likely to have slower recoveries than those women with the same diagnoses but without young children; and protective factors against postpartum relapse.
A study of two higher education institutions seeking university status: A cultural shift

The paper reports the way in which two teaching-led higher education institutions sought to increase their research capacity with a view to obtaining university status. This study took the form of a collective case study that had as its focus the changes associated with moving from a dominant teaching culture to one recognising the importance of the teaching-research nexus. Multiple sources of evidence were used to identify the way in which the culture of the organisations changed, the approaches adopted to support and produce change, barriers to change, and outcomes of the change process.
Using magnetic controlled electromigration for electrod fabrication

In this work we investigate the effect of a uniform magnetic field on electromigration. We propose a method for applying a magnetic field to control the electromigration process in order to use it for nano-needle and nano-electrode fabrication. Our method is easy to implement and may lead to cheaper electrode/needle fabrication process. Our simulation results show that we are able to increase the eletromigration on one side of a two dimensional wire of nanometer scale and reduce it on the other side.
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in children with leukemia using human leukocyte antigen‐mismatched unrelated donors

Abstract: Allogeneic HSCT is a curative treatment, when chemotherapy fails, for certain malignant diseases. In Europe, only 15% of the indicated children have an HLA‐matched sibling available; in 65–70% of others, HLA allele‐matched (9–10/10) UDs can be identified. For the rest, it is necessary to identify other alternative donors (HLA‐mismatched family or unrelated cord blood). We present our data of HSCT using HLA partially allele‐mismatched (7–8/10) UDs in 24 children with leukemia. Uniform GvHD prophylaxis was used (rATG, CsA and MTX). Acute GvHD grade II was diagnosed in 70.8% of the patients and grade III–IV in 12.5%. Overall incidence of chronic GvHD was 38.7% (extensive in 30%). The probability of EFS was 60.3% (95% CI 35.5–78.1) and OS was 74.9 (95% CI 49.1–88.9). No difference in survival between PBSC and BM recipients was observed. TRM at day + 100 was 4%, and overall was 12.5%. We conclude that used combination of drugs for GvHD prophylaxis is efficient even for patients transplanted with grafts from a HLA‐mismatched UDs. It enables stable engraftment, good control of GvHD, full reconstitution of immunity, and is not connected with unacceptable transplant‐related mortality.
Non-word repetition in adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI).

BACKGROUND Non-word repetition (NWR) difficulties are common, but not universal, among children with specific language impairment (SLI). However, older children and adolescents with SLI have rarely been studied. Studies disagree on the relationship between NWR difficulties and difficulties with other areas of language and literacy. There is also no consensus about the underlying reason for the difficulties (some) children with SLI have with NWR. Some scholars argue that difficulties with phonological short-term memory or storage cause NWR and other language difficulties, whereas others argue that difficulties with NWR may be due more to difficulties with phonological representations. AIMS To investigate NWR abilities and their relationship to other language and literacy abilities in a group of older children with SLI and typically developing controls. To investigate the relative effects of increasing phonological complexity and the number of syllables on the ability of the participants to repeat non-words. METHODS & PROCEDURES An NWR test (The Test of Phonological Structure; TOPhS), which systematically varies phonological complexity, was administered to 15 participants with SLI (aged 11-15 years), 30 language and 15 age controls. Standardized language and literacy tests and a specific test of verb agreement and tense marking (Verb Agreement and Tense Test; VATT) were also administered. OUTCOMES & RESULTS The participants with SLI showed a bimodal distribution: half achieved age-appropriate NWR, while half scored significantly below language and age controls (d > 7). The two groups of participants with SLI (high versus low scorers) only differed in NWR (d > 5) and agreement (d > 3) and tense marking (d > 2.5), not on the standardized language and literacy measures administered. NWR was also highly correlated with verb agreement (r= 0.97) and tense marking (r= 0.89) among participants with SLI, but not among controls (r= 0.16 and 0.30 respectively). Phonological complexity was related to NWR accuracy, particularly among participants with SLI. The number of syllables had no independent effect on NWR performance for any group. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Some children with SLI (who have good NWR) have language difficulties unrelated to any of the factors underlying NWR. Others have a (probably additional) deficit which affects NWR and also leads to greater difficulties with verb agreement and tense marking. The results indicate that difficulties with this particular NWR test are more likely to be due to a deficit with phonology per se, rather than with phonological short-term memory or storage.
Comparison of intermittent and continuous intra‐abdominal pressure monitoring using an in vitro model

Introduction: Intra‐abdominal pressure (IAP) is increasingly being considered as an important physiologic parameter to be measured in critically ill patients. Traditional methods of monitoring IAP rely on intermittent IAP (IIAP) measurements using indwelling bladder catheters. Recently, a method of continuous IAP (CIAP) monitoring has been developed using a three‐way bladder catheter. This study evaluates the reliability of IIAP and CIAP measurement techniques using an in vitro model.
Security improvement of the ID system using a cell phone

A personal identification method that is called as the electronic ID is proposed by using a cell phone. The cell phone displays a face image, character data and a two-dimensional including personal identification data. Although plastic cards, magnetic stripe cards and smart cards are used as ID (identification) cards, the risks to lose these cards are large. A cell phone of the electronic ID can securely display all of the identification data on its color display. The prototype of the electronic 10 system using a cell phone, a Web server and a manager's portable computer to identify each user is implemented and experimented.
Does drought stress modify the effects of plant‐growth promoting rhizobacteria on an aboveground chewing herbivore?

Soil microbes have important effects on the interactions of plants with their environment, by promoting plant growth, inducing resistance to pests or by conferring tolerance to abiotic stress. However, their effects are variable and the factors responsible for this variation are mainly unknown. Our aim was to assess how drought stress modifies the effect of the nonpathogenic rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r on plant growth and resistance against the generalist leaf‐chewing caterpillar Mamestra brassicae. We studied Arabidopsis thaliana Col‐0 plants, as well as mutants altered in the biosynthesis of the phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Caterpillars did not prefer rhizobacteria‐treated plants, independently of drought stress. Rhizobacteria colonization had a variable effect on caterpillar performance, which ranged from positive in one experiment to neutral in a second one. Drought had a consistent negative effect on herbivore performance; however, it did not modify the effect of rhizobacteria on herbivore performance. The effect of drought on herbivore performance was JA‐mediated (confirmed with the use of the dde2‐2 mutant), but it was still present in the ABA‐deficient mutant aba2‐1. Plant biomass was reduced by both drought and herbivory but it was enhanced by rhizobacterial colonization. Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r is able to promote plant growth even when plants are suffering herbivory. Nevertheless, the microbial effect on the herbivore is variable, independently of drought stress. To get the best possible outcome from the rhizobacteria‐plant mutualism it is important to understand which other factors may be responsible for its context‐dependency.
Molecular detection of tumor cells in regional lymph nodes is associated with disease recurrence and poor survival in node-negative colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE Up to 25% of patients with node-negative colorectal cancer (CRC) on conventional histopathologic analysis ultimately die of recurrent disease. We performed a systematic review with meta-analyses to clarify whether molecular detection of isolated tumor cells or micrometastases in regional lymph nodes indicates high risk of disease recurrence and poor survival in node-negative CRC. METHODS The following databases were searched in August 2011 to identify studies on the prognostic significance of molecular tumor-cell detection in regional lymph nodes of node-negative CRC: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, Science Citation Index, EMBASE, CCMed, and publisher databases. We extracted hazard ratios (HRs) and associated 95% CIs from the identified studies and performed random-effects model meta-analyses on overall survival, disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival. RESULTS A total of 39 studies with a cumulative sample size of 4,087 patients were included. Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and both techniques were applied in 30, seven, and two studies, respectively. Thirteen studies were graded with low risk of bias. Meta-analyses revealed that molecular tumor-cell detection in regional lymph nodes was associated with poor overall survival (HR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.43 to 3.40), disease-specific survival (HR, 3.37; 95% CI, 2.31 to 4.93), and disease-free survival (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.57-3.20). Subgroup analyses showed the prognostic significance of molecular tumor-cell detection of being independent of the applied detection method, molecular target, and number of retrieved lymph nodes. CONCLUSION Molecular detection of occult disease in regional lymph nodes is associated with an increased risk of disease recurrence and poor survival in patients with node-negative CRC.
Intrinsic capacity of the MIMO wireless channel

This paper presents a new framework for the information-theoretic analysis of multipath multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications channels. The approach defines an upper bound on transmission that depends on the physical propagation scenario and transmit/receive antenna apertures but is otherwise independent of antenna properties. Transmit sources and receive sensors are abstracted in terms of spatial basis functions. The "intrinsic capacity" of the channel is defined as the maximum mutual information of the transmit and receive vectors over all possible modulations as well as transmit and receive basis functions and constrained by fixed average radiated power, limited transmit and receive volumes, and sensor noise. Definition of a "coherence matrix" allows a closed-form solution for the capacity under a new radiated power constraint.
Leucoytapheresis with Adacolumn® enhances HCV‐specific proliferative responses in patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1

The most important aim in controlling virus infections is to destroy infected cells. Impaired cellular immunity in HIV and HCV infection leads to chronic infection. This study examined the effect of cytapheresis on the subsequent response to interferon/ribavirin treatment in patients infected with HCV. Adacolumn® cytapheresis was carried out once a day for 5 consecutive days in patients who relapsed or did not respond to previous peginterferon and ribavirin combination treatment (n = 14: relapsers = 3, non‐responders = 11). Peginterferon and ribavirin combination treatment was started after cytapheresis. During combination treatment, the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to HCV proteins (core, NS3, NS4, and NS5), tetanus toxoid, and phytohemagglutinin was measured, and compared to the early virological response. After treatment by leucocytapheresis, the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to HCV‐core and tetanus toxoid increased significantly over the baseline (P < 0.05). A marked increase in the phytohemagglutinin response was observed after peginterferon and ribavirin combination treatment was started (P < 0.01 at week 5 and P < 0.005 at week 13). There were, however, no clear changes in the proliferative response to other antigens. Among the 14 patients, 12 (85.7%) achieved an early virological response by week 13 (12 weeks after the start of combination treatment). After treatment, nine patients (64.3%) had a significant proliferative response to HCV core antigen. Among the nine patients, eight patients (88.9%) achieved early virological response. The results indicate that activation of cellular immunity by leucocytapheresis facilitates an early virological response rate in HCV patients. This new therapy may, therefore, become an additional therapeutic measure for HCV. J. Med. Virol. 77:209–215, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clonazepam/haloperidol combination therapy in schizophrenia: A double blind study

Clonazepam (CLN), a benzodiazepine originally used as an antiepileptic, was tested in schizophrenia in a double blind comparison in combination with haloperidol (HL). Twenty‐four schizophrenic inpatients, diagnosed according to DSM III were treated with HL and CLN (Group 1) or HL and placebo (Group 2) for 4 weeks. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Extrapyramidal Side Effect Scale (EPSE) were used for assessing psychopathological features and extrapyramidal side‐effects before treatment and then weekly. No differences in specific schizophrenic symptoms were detected between the two groups, but in Group 1 an early significant BPRS amelioration was noticed compared to Group 2. Moreover, the excitement item improved significantly in Group 1 only, from the second week. Less severe EPSE scores were observed in Group 1 in comparison to Group 2. In conclusion the combination of CLN and HL seems to be preferred to HL alone in cases of psychotic excitement and in order to reduce the severity of extrapyramidal side‐effects.
Health economic analysis of China's health insurance system

This thesis consists of 3 chapters plus an introductory chapter and a concluding chapter. They are on three different topics, but they are all related to China’s health insurance system from 2000 to 2011. Chapter 1 is the introduction to the thesis, providing background to the Chinese insurance system, the theoretical underpinning of the three chapters, a description of the datasets used in the thesis, and an overview of the thesis. Chapter 2 investigates whether there is adverse or advantageous selection in China’s private health insurance market before 2003. We found evidence in favour of adverse selection in a pure private insurance market. For the public insurance group where people already got covered by a public insurance but face the choice of buying a supplementary private insurance, we found advantageous selection. Chapter 3 examines whether implementing nearly universal coverage in 2009 led to a decrease in individual preventive behaviour prior to illness, termed ex-ante moral hazard. We exploit the longitudinal dimension of data from 2006 and 2009 and use Coarsened Exact Matching methods. The results do not provide strong evidence for ex-ante moral hazard. Chapter 4 aims at evaluating whether there is ex-post moral hazard after the introduction of universal coverage. We measured ex-post moral hazard as the impact of co-payment rate on treatment cost, to assess the variation of total medical expenditure to patients due to the decrease of price. We conclude that there is ex-post moral hazard in outpatient services after the reform of universal coverage in China. Chapter 5 is the concluding chapter, including a summary of the findings, policy implications, strength and limitations of the thesis, and challenges for future research.
On Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of Co-Movement and Optimal Portfolios of Stock Markets

This paper proposes to use the concept of time-varying copulas in probability theory as an appropriate mathematical modeling tool for investigating an important problem in economics, namely the co-movement of stock markets as well as optimal portfolio constructions on them. In the sense of expected shortfall, a coherent risk measure widely used in risk management of financial markets, we show that our time-varying copula models for GARCH perform better than the conventional DCC-GARCH model. We exhibit also various advantages of this approach in investment decisions. An application to G7 stock markets is given.
Pretreatment with Interferon‐γ Enhances the Therapeutic Activity of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Animal Models of Colitis

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are currently under investigation for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, including Crohn's disease. MSCs are pluripotent cells with immunosuppressive properties. Recent data suggest that resting MSCs do not have significant immunomodulatory activity, but that the immunosuppressive function of MSCs has to be elicited by interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ). In this article, we assessed the effects of IFN‐γ prestimulation of MSCs (IMSCs) on their immunosuppressive properties in vitro and in vivo. To this end, we pretreated MSCs with IFN‐γ and assessed their therapeutic effects in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐ and trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS)‐induced colitis in mice. We found that mice treated with IMSCs (but not MSCs) showed a significantly attenuated development of DSS‐induced colitis. Furthermore, IMSCs alleviated symptoms of TNBS‐induced colitis. IMSC‐treated mice displayed an increase in body weight, lower colitis scores, and better survival rates compared with untreated mice. In addition, serum amyloid A protein levels and local proinflammatory cytokine levels in colonic tissues were significantly suppressed after administration of IMSC. We also observed that IMSCs showed greater migration potential than unstimulated MSCs to sites within the inflamed intestine. In conclusion, we show that prestimulation of MSCs with IFN‐γ enhances their capacity to inhibit Th1 inflammatory responses, resulting in diminished mucosal damage in experimental colitis. These data demonstrate that IFN‐γ activation of MSCs increases their immunosuppresive capacities and importantly, their therapeutic efficacy in vivo. STEM CELLS 2011;29:1549–1558
Influence of Charging Conditions on Field Ion Emission From Dust Grains

This paper deals with field ion emission (FIE) of spherical gold grains of micrometer sizes. We have analyzed the discharging characteristics measured under different conditions on one gold grain and suggested that the process limiting the discharging current is probably a diffusion of primary ions toward the grain surface. In order to confirm this hypothesis, we concentrated on the influence of the charging conditions (ion beam energy, ion species) on the discharging current. The investigations show that the ion field emission is a very complex process in which the charging conditions can change the discharging rate by an order of magnitude for a given electric field. We found that the total dose of the ions impacting the dust grain is an important parameter of the FIE. Our possible explanation is based on the implantation of the charging ions and their diffusion toward the surface of the dust grain
Seasonal variation in placental abruption

Objective: To characterize seasonal patterns of placental abruption among Jewish and Bedouin parturients in the Southern part of Israel. Methods: A retrospective population-based study comparing all singleton pregnancies of patients with and without placental abruption was conducted. Deliveries occurred between the years 1988 and 2010. A ‘classical’ model of time series was used, allowing to assess trend and periodic patterns of placental abruption. Results: During the study period, 241,408 deliveries took place, of which 1685 (0.7%) were complicated with placental abruption. Placental abruption was significantly more common among Bedouin parturients: 0.77% (n = 948) vs. 0.623% (n = 737), p < 0.001. A non-linear negative correlation was noted in the incidence of placental abruption (coefficient = −0.002) during the entire study period. Time series analysis demonstrated annual cycle frequency, seasonal cycle and weekly cycle of placental abruption. The seasonal incidence of placental abruption was higher during spring (B = 7.15) and lower during summer (reference) for both populations (Jewish and Bedouins). Weekly cycle showed significantly higher incidence on Saturday (B = 3.4) and lowest on Tuesday (B = −4.66) for both groups. The daily differences were accentuated in the Bedouin population (B = 3.7 vs. B = 2.93 in the Jewish population). Conclusion: Placental abruption was significantly more common in the Bedouin population. Both populations demonstrated the same annual and seasonal patterns, with higher incidence in spring and autumn.
Cherished Possessions and Adaptation of Older People to Nursing Homes

One hundred older people (75 females, 25 males), in nursing homes rated as above or below a combined criterion (based on Lieberman and Tobin's scales of physical attractiveness, affiliation fostering, and tolerance for deviancy), responded to questionnaires on cherished possessions and on adaptation to the nursing home. The main findings indicated: 1) relative to those residents without possessions, those with possessions were better adapted to the nursing home; 2) possessions served the major functions of historical continuity, comforter, and sense of belongingness; 3) relative to men, significantly more women had cherished possessions and were more likely to associate them with self-other relationships; and 4) relative to residents in nursing homes below the mean of the combined criterion, those in homes above the mean felt more in control, less helpless, more supported by staff, and were judged as more realistic in response to conflict. Interpretations regarding the role of possessions in adaptation and suggestions for institutional policies concerning possessions are discussed.