Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uniform Degradation of Auditory Acuity in Subjects with Normal Hearing Leads to Unequal Precedence Effects

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a controlled unilateral reduction in auditory acuity at the higher audiometric frequencies would have an effect on the variability in responses obtained on a task designed to measure the precedence effect. Design: The experiment was conducted with participants located in a large sound proof, anechoic room, and psychophysical tests were conducted with long-duration noise burst stimuli. Reduction in auditory acuity was created by inserting a specially designed earplug in the ear of participants with normal hearing. The earplugs produced a highly reliable increase in the thresholds for detecting high-frequency sounds in the blocked ear with the largest effect at the highest frequencies (4 and 8 kHz). Across-participant variability in tone-detection threshold was less than ±5 dB. The measurement of lag-burst thresholds with and without the insertion of earplugs was used to characterize the precedence effect. The lag-burst threshold was defined as the shortest lag-burst delay that yielded a perception of two different noise bursts. Results: Although performance was stable across participants in the condition without the earplug, a substantial increase in variability in the lag-burst thresholds was found in the earplug condition. Conclusions: These results indicate that a uniform unilateral degradation in auditory acuity leads to increased variability in performance on tasks measuring fusion in the precedence effect. The outcome suggests that variable perception of the precedence effect by individuals with clinically diagnosed hearing loss might be due to factors other than a reduction in auditory acuity per se.
Gender bias in media coverage of election campaigns

We study gender bias in media coverage of candidates during election campaigns. Our analysis focuses on the 2015 Swiss national elections and relies on an almost comprehensive sample of print and online news items covering the full duration of the campaign, including over 200,000 documents from 70 sources and all 3,927 candidates. First, we analyze media attention with regression methods and find a significant gender gap, except for incumbents. Second, we use structural topic models to identify the main themes of newspaper coverage and how they covary with the candidates’ gender. Controversies and scandals are discussed disproportionately together with male candidates, while reporting on the electoral contest occurs disproportionately in connection with female candidates. Third, we use the same technique to search for gender stereotypes in the election coverage. Across 100 topics, we find only faint evidence of their presence.
Effects of chronic stimulation with different impulse patterns on the expression of myosin isoforms in rat myotube cultures.

In order to study maturation and differentiation of aneural myotubes in vitro, long-term myotube cultures were established from hindlimb musculature of newborn rats. The developmental state of the myotubes was judged by their myosin heavy chain (HC) patterns. Newly formed myotubes only expressed the embryonic isoform, HCemb, older myotubes expressed the neonatal isoform HCneo, as well as the fast adult isoforms HCIIb and HCIId. HCIId increased continuously, reaching a relative concentration of 47% in 37-day-old cultures. The third fast isoform, HCIIa, was not detected and also the slow isoform HCI was absent. Effects of chronic (20 days) electrostimulation were studied by exposing the cultures to various stimulus patterns. Bursts of 250 ms duration at various pulse frequencies were applied at low and high burst frequencies. Although HCemb remained the predominant isoform under all conditions, different stimulus patterns induced specific changes in the patterns of fast and slow HC isoforms. Bursts of 250 ms duration at 15 Hz, 40 Hz, or 100 Hz, repeated every second or every 4 s, induced the expression of slow myosin, i.e., HCl. Bursts of 250 ms duration at 100 Hz, repeated every 100 s, enhanced the expression of HCIId, but not of HCI. Because slow myosin was induced at high burst frequency with low and high pulse rates, we suggest that burst frequency rather than pulse frequency has a specifying effect on myosin expression. Our results show that the basal program of myosin expression during myogenesis in vitro can be modulated by electrostimulation, suggesting a possible influence of neuromuscular activity on the development of adult fiber types.
ALCAM is a Novel Cytoplasmic Membrane Protein in TNF-α Stimulated Invasive Cholangiocarcinoma Cells.

BACKGROUND Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), or bile duct cancer, is incurable with a high mortality rate due to a lack of effective early diagnosis and treatment. Identifying cytoplasmic membrane proteins of invasive CCA that facilitate cancer progression would contribute toward the development of novel tumor markers and effective chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS An invasive CCA cell line (KKU-100) was stimulated using TNF-α and then biotinylated and purified for mass spectrometry analysis. Novel proteins expressed were selected and their mRNAs expression levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR. In addition, the expression of ALCAM was selected for further observation by Western blot analysis, immunofluorescent imaging, and antibody neutralization assay. RESULTS After comparing the proteomics profile of TNF-α induced invasive with non-treated control cells, over-expression of seven novel proteins was observed in the cytoplasmic membrane of TNF-α stimulated CCA cells. Among these, ALCAM is a novel candidate which showed significant higher mRNA- and protein levels. Immunofluorescent assay also supported that ALCAM was expressed on the cell membrane of the cancer, with increasing intensity associated with TNF-α. CONCLUSIONS This study indicated that ALCAM may be a novel protein candidate expressed on cytoplasmic membranes of invasive CCA cells that could be used as a biomarker for development of diagnosis, prognosis, and drug or antibody-based targeted therapies in the future.
Strategic design in small creative industry firms

Abstract Organizations, especially within the creative industries, are increasingly faced with limitations while applying classical strategy theories due to changes in social and economic environmental factors. The purpose of this article is to offer a theoretical-conceptual framework for the strategic design of small firms in the creative industries. The framework is based on a meta-analysis and subsequent discussion of literature, which resulted in four major strategic dimensions: vision, strategy formulation, resources and stakeholder relations. From this study, strategic dimensions may be further observed and validated empirically. It may also contribute towards understanding more organic and emerging strategic models. The theoretical-conceptual framework is intended to foster the continuous debate and scientific development of Strategy as an academic field, since scientific production is still rare and fragmented in this field.
Factors That Control Extravascular Fibrinolysis

The physiological and pathophysiological state of tissues determines the exudation of plasma proteins, hemostasis, and fibrinolysis, i.e., inflammation, injury, and malignancy. The physiological controls of extravascular fibrinolysis ultimately rest on a balance between generation of the fibrinolytic enzyme(s), i.e., plasmin, elastase, cathepsins, etc., and inhibitors of the fibrinolytic enzyme(s), i.e., plasminogen activator inhibitors, alpha-2 plasmin inhibitor, alpha 1-protease inhibitors, etc. Moreover, it is the structural modification of fibrin that determines its stability toward proteolytic enzymes and physical duress. The structural modification of fibrin involves factor XIIIa-mediated cross-linking of interfibrin chains and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor to fibrin. In turn, there are a number of agents that influence factor XIIIa catalytic activity (e.g., sulfhydryl agents, albumin, erythrocytes). The two key proenzymes, factor XIII and plasminogen, are tightly bound with the circulating fibrinogen molecules. Such high selective affinity for fibrin(ogen) provides the reaction specificity in a complex tissue fluid milieu and governs the kinetics of fibrinolysis. Any agents that interfere with such binding reactions, e.g., autoantibodies, may also affect the fibrinolytic reactions. Understanding these unique biochemical controls of factors involved in fibrinolysis may provide an insight into the complex regulatory process of extravascular fibrinolysis.
Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptors in Regulating CD8 T-Cell Responses during Acute Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection

ABSTRACT The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in regulating various phases of the antiviral T-cell response is incompletely understood. Additionally, despite strong evidence ascribing a role for TNF in protecting against T-cell-dependent autoimmunity, the underlying mechanisms are still obscure. To address these issues, we have investigated the role of tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) I (p55R) and II (p75R) in regulating CD8 T-cell responses to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) with wild-type, p55R-deficient (p55−/−), p75R-deficient (p75−/−), and p55R- and p75R-deficient (DKO) mice. Loss of p55R increased the number of memory CD8 T cells to only one of the two immunodominant epitopes, and p75R deficiency had a minimal impact on the T-cell response to LCMV. Strikingly, deficiency of both p55R and p75R had a more dramatic effect on the LCMV-specific CD8 T-cell response; in the DKO mice, as a sequel to enhanced expansion and a reduction in contraction of CD8 T cells, there was a substantial increase in the number of memory CD8 T cells (specific to the two immunodominant epitopes). While the majority of LCMV-specific memory CD8 T cells in wild-type mice were CD62Lhi CCR7hi (central memory), a major proportion of memory CD8 T cells in DKO mice were CD62Llo CCR7hi. TNFR deficiency did not affect the proliferative renewal of memory CD8 T cells. Taken together, these data suggested that TNFRs p55R and p75R have overlapping roles in downregulating CD8 T-cell responses and establishment of immune homeostasis during an acute viral infection.
“On My Own, but Not Alone” - Adolescents’ Experiences of Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Introduction Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a prevalent and impairing condition that can be effectively treated with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). However, a majority of children and adolescents do not have access to CBT. Internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) has been suggested as a way to increase availability to effective psychological treatments. Yet, the research on ICBT in children and adolescents has been lagging behind significantly both when it comes to quantitative as well as qualitative studies. The aim of the current study was to describe the experience of ICBT in adolescents with OCD. Method Eight adolescents with OCD that had received ICBT were interviewed with qualitative methodology regarding their experiences of the intervention. Data was summarized into thematic categories. Results Two overarching themes were identified, autonomy and support, each consisting of three primary themes (self-efficacy, flexibility, secure self-disclosure and clinician support, parental support, identification/normalization, respectively). Conclusions The experiential hierarchical model that was identified in this study is, in part, transferrable to previous research. In addition, it highlights the need of further study of important process variables of ICBT in young patient populations.
Serological markers for Leishmania donovani infection in Nepal: agreement between direct agglutination test and rK39 ELISA

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important vector‐borne disease caused by Leishmania donovani in the Indian subcontinent. The actual incidence and role of asymptomatic infections in the region are not well known. We used the direct agglutination test (DAT) and the rK39 ELISA as L. donovani infection markers in 10 VL endemic villages in Nepal. DAT titre distribution showed two subgroups in the population (infected and non‐infected individuals), while rK39 did not. The agreement between both tests was moderate (κ = 0.53; 95% CI 0.49–0.57). More research is needed to develop validated markers for Leishmania infection.
Uptake and interconversion of fluorescent lipid analogs in the protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus, of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica.

Uptake, distribution, and interconversion of fluorescent lipid analogs (phosphatidylcholine, PC; cholesteryl ester, CHE; phosphatidylethanolamine, PE; palmitic acid, C16; sphingomyelin, SM) by the two life stages, meront and prezoosporangium, of the oyster protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus, were investigated. Class composition of these two life stages and lipid contents in meront cells were also examined. Both meronts and prezoosporangia incorporated and modified fluorescent lipids from the medium, but their metabolic modes differ to some extent. Results revealed that among the tested analogs, neutral lipid components (CHE and C16) were incorporated to a greater degree than the phospholipids (PC, PE, and SM). HPLC analysis of meront lipids showed that while the majority of the incorporated PC, CHE, and PE remained as parent compounds, most of the incorporated C16 was in triacylglycerol (TAG) and SM was in ceramide and free fatty acids. The cellular distribution of fluorescent labels varied with lipid analogs and the extent of their metabolism by the parasite. Fluorescence distribution was primarily in cytoplasmic lipid droplets of both life stages after 24 h incubation with PC. After 24 h incubation with SM, fluorescence appeared in the membrane and cytosol. Total lipid contents in meront cultures increased during proliferation and TAG accounted for most of the increased total lipids. Since total lipid content per meront cell did not increase until the day of culture termination, the lipid increase in the meront culture was mainly a result of increased cell numbers. Both life stages contain relatively high levels of phospholipids, 53.8% in 8-day-old meronts and 39.4% in prezoosporangia. PC was the predominant phospholipid.
Establishment of stable MRP1 knockdown by lentivirus-delivered shRNA in the mouse testis Sertoli TM4 cell line

Abstract Sertoli cells around germ cells are considered a barrier that protects spermatogenesis from harmful influences. The transporter multidrug-resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) is a xenobiotic efflux pump that can export glutathione S-conjugated metabolites and xenobiotics from cells. In this study, the Mrp1 gene was stably knocked down in a mouse Sertoli cell line (TM4) using lentivirus vector-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Four shRNA interference sequences were chosen and designed to screen for the most effective shRNA in candidate cells. The results indicate that lentivirus vectors with high titres were generated and successfully transfected into TM4 cells with high efficiency. Puromycin was added to the culture medium to maintain constant selection during the establishment of the stable cell lines. The expression levels of Mrp1 mRNA and MRP1 protein in stably transfected TM4 cells were significantly lower than those in the control group. Importantly, the transport activity of MRP1 to Calcein and 5-carboxyseminaptharhodafluor (SNARF-1) were significantly reduced because of MRP1 silencing. Moreover, the silencing of the Mrp1 gene in the transfected TM4 cell lines remained highly stable for more than 6 months. These results suggest that the lentivirus-based RNAi stably knocks down the expression of the Mrp1 gene in the established TM4 cell line. This transfected TM4 cell line will provide a new and powerful tool to study the underlying mechanism of MRP1-mediated drug resistance and detoxication in the reproductive system.
Female sex as a risk factor for thromboembolism and death in patients with incident atrial fibrillation

Summary Several studies have demonstrated sex differences in risk of thromboembolism and death among patients with atrial fibrillation, but it is unclear to what extent these associations relate to actual physiological differences. To date, no study has investigated sex differences with concomitant control for lifestyle related factors known to influence stroke risk. We used data from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study, including 57,053 participants (52% female) aged 50–64 years. The study population for this study included the 2,895 patients (36% female) with incident atrial fibrillation after inclusion. Data were linked to outcomes identified using nationwide registries. Risk of thromboembolism and death according to female sex were analysed using Cox proportional hazards models. After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, 137 men and 62 women suffered a thromboembolic event, and 349 men and 151 women died. In a crude analysis, female sex was associated with a non-significant lower risk of thromboembolism (hazard ratio [HR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61–1.11). Adjustment for differences in antithrombotic therapy, relevant comorbidities and lifestyle did not change this association (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.55–1.13). In the final model, female sex was associated with a lower risk of death (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51–0.84). The associations were similar in a sensitivity analysis of women not taking hormone replacement therapy, and the effect of hormone replacement therapy use within females was non-significant for both endpoints of thromboembolism and death. In conclusion, in a relatively young population of patients with atrial fibrillation, female sex was associated with a lower risk of thromboembolism and death.
Learning deep movement primitives using convolutional neural networks

Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMPs) are widely used for encoding motion data. Task parameterized DMP (TP-DMP) can adapt a learned skill to different situations. Mostly a customized vision system is used to extract task specific variables. This limits the use of such systems to real world scenarios. This paper proposes a method for combining the DMP with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Our approach preserves the generalization properties associated with a DMP, while the CNN learns the task specific features from the camera images. This eliminates the need to extract the task parameters, by directly utilizing the camera image during the motion reproduction. The performance of the developed approach is demonstrated through a trash cleaning task, executed with a real robot. We also show that by using the data augmentation, the learned sweeping skill can be generalized for arbitrary objects. The experiments show the robustness of our approach for several different settings.
Reduction in air pollution using the ‘basa njengo magogo’ method and the applicability to low-smoke fuels

The then Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) piloted the top-down Basa njengo Magogo alternative fire ignition method at Orange Farm during the winter of 2003. In total, 76% of households reported less smoke in their homes, while 67% reported less smoke in the streets after one month of using the method (Palmer Development Consulting, 2003). Work by Nova (Schoonraad & Swanepoel, 2003) in eMbalenhle (actual environmental tests) indicated up to a 60% reduction in smoke compared with the conventional method of bottom-up ignition. To support the findings of the environmental studies, the CSIR were appointed by the DME to conduct an experiment under controlled laboratory conditions to gather quantitative data on the reduction in particulate emissions associated with the Basa njengo Magogo method of lighting coal fires. The CSIR was further contracted to assess whether the Basa njengo Magogo technology was viable with low-smoke fuels. The experiment was conducted using traditional D-Grade coal in both the conventional bottom-up and the Basa njengo Magogo ignition techniques. Three low volatile fuels were also assessed using the Basa njengo Magogo method namely: • Anthracite (volatile content of 10.6%) • Anthracite (volatile content of 12%) • Low volatile coal (volatile content of 20.8%), from Slater Coal in Dundee. All four fuels using the Basa njengo Magogo method recorded similar times of between 11 and 13 minutes from ignition to the fires reaching cooking temperature. The bottom-up fire for conventional D-Grade coal reached cooking temperature after 55 minutes.Particulate emissions from all the Basa njengo Magogo fires were similar and up to 92% lower in particulate emissions than that of the D-Grade coal in the bottom-up fire. SO2 emissions from the two D-Grade coal fires were the lowest and were identical. The highest SO2 emission resulted from the low volatile coal. The method of lighting the fire does not have a significant effect on the SO2 emissions. The Basa njengo Magogo method of ignition uses approximately 1 kg less coal to reach cooking temperature than the traditional bottom–up method. At a cost of approximately R1.00 per kilogram of coal, this translates into a cost savings of approximately R30 per month.
A Method for Evaluating Validity of Piecewise-linear Models

A method for evaluating optimal complexity of regression models is discussed. It is supposed that complicated model must be used only when any simple model fails describe exhaustively regularity that exists in data. At that null hypothesis about exhaustive explanation of data by simple regularity is tested with the help of complicated model. Validity of null hypothesis is evaluated with the help p-value that is calculated with the help of special version of permutation test. An application is discussed where developed technique is used to evaluate if more complicated piecewise-linear regressions must be used instead of simple regressions to describe correctly dependence of parathyroid hormone on vitamin D status.
Report of the second dementia with Lewy body international workshop

Background/Objective: The second International Workshop of the Consortium on Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) met to review developments since publication of consensus guidelines for the clinical and pathologic diagnosis of DLB in 1996. The specificity of a clinical diagnosis of probable DLB, made using consensus criteria, is generally high (>85%), but sensitivity of case detection is lower and more variable. Inter-rater reliability for the core clinical features—recurrent visual hallucinations and spontaneous motor features of parkinsonism—is acceptable, but reliable identification of fluctuating cognition remains problematic. Depression and REM sleep behavior disorder may be additional features supportive of a diagnosis of DLB that were not included in the original guideline. Results: It is recommended that the clinical consensus criteria continue to be used in their current format with research efforts focused on increasing sensitivity of case detection. Antiubiquitin immunocytochemistry is the method of choice for routine detection of Lewy bodies for diagnostic purposes in research and clinical practice. The use of α-synuclein antibodies to label Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites represents a major methodologic advance since the first DLB workshop. α-Synuclein–based methods are likely to be most useful in research laboratories, particularly for clinicopathologic correlative studies. Conclusion: Clinical management of DLB patients usually centers on the treatment of noncognitive features. There is now a pressing need to establish appropriately designed randomized controlled trials in DLB. Collaboration between dementia and movement disorder specialists is essential for rapid progress in research and clinical management protocols.