Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetoencephalographic spike sources associated with auditory auras in paediatric localisation-related epilepsy

Objective: To characterise magnetoencephalographic spike sources in paediatric patients with auditory auras and recurrent localisation-related epilepsy. Methods: Six patients (four boys and two girls (ages 7–14 years) were retrospectively studied. All patients had auditory auras as part of their initial seizure manifestation, including four patients who underwent previous brain surgery. Scalp video electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (MEG) were carried out in six patients, intraoperative electrocorticography in three patients and extraoperative intracranial video electroencephalography in one patient. MEG auditory-evoked fields (AEFs) were studied in four patients. Results: Three patients had elementary auditory auras, one had complex auditory aura and two had both complex and elementary auras. All six patients had clustered MEG spike sources with coexisting scattered spike sources. MEG clusters were localised in the superior temporal gyrus with surrounding scatters in four patients (two left and two right); two patients had scattered spikes in the superior temporal gyrus in addition to clustered MEG spike sources in the left inferior and middle frontal gyri or parieto-occipital region. AEFs were located within an MEG cluster in one patient and within 3 cm of a cluster in two patients. Surgical resection, including the regions of MEG clusters, was carried out in four patients. Three of four patients who had previous surgeries were seizure free at 2 years after excision of the MEG cluster region. Conclusions: MEG spike sources clustered in the superior temporal gyrus in six patients with auditory auras. These spike sources were in close proximity or seemed to engulf the magnetic AEF. Areas with MEG spike sources contained the residual or recurrent epileptogenic zone after incomplete cortical excision for lesional epilepsy.
Countering Contextual Bias in TV Watching Behavior: Introducing Social Trend as External Contextual Factor in TV Recommenders

Context-awareness has become a critical factor in improving the predictions of user interest in modern online TV recommendation systems. In addition to individual user preferences, existing context-aware approaches such as tensor factorization incorporate system-level contextual bias to increase predicting accuracy. We analyzed a user interaction dataset from a WebTV platform, and identified that such contextual bias creates a skewed selection of recommended programs which ultimately locks users in a filter bubble. To address this issue, we introduce the Twitter social stream as a source of external context to extend the choice with items related to social media events. We apply two trend indicators, Trend Momentum and SigniScore, to the Twitter histories of relevant programs. The evaluation reveals that Trend Momentum outperforms SigniScore and signalizes 96% of all peaks ahead of time regarding the selected candidate program titles.
Action, Mass and Entropy of Schwarzschild-de Sitter black holes and the de Sitter/CFT Correspondence

We investigate a recent proposal for defining a conserved mass in asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes that is based on a conjectured holographic duality between such spacetimes and Euclidean conformal field theory. We show that an algorithm for deriving such terms in asymptotically anti de Sitter spacetimes has an asymptotically de Sitter counterpart, and derive the explicit form for such terms up to 9 dimensions. We show that divergences of the on-shell action for de Sitter spacetime are removed in any dimension in inflationary coordinates, but in covering coordinates a linear divergence remains in odd dimensions that cannot be cancelled by local terms that are polynomial in boundary curvature invariants. We show that the class of Schwarzschild-de Sitter black holes up to 9 dimensions has finite action and conserved mass, and construct a definition of entropy outside the cosmological horizon by generalizing the Gibbs-Duhem relation in asymptotically dS spacetimes. The entropy is agreement with that obtained from CFT methods in d = 2. In general our results provide further supporting evidence for a dS/CFT correspondence, although some important interpretive problems remain.
Bifunctional antisense oligonucleotides provide a trans-acting splicing enhancer that stimulates SMN2 gene expression in patient fibroblasts

The multiplicity of proteins compared with genes in mammals owes much to alternative splicing. Splicing signals are so subtle and complex that small perturbations may allow the production of new mRNA variants. However, the flexibility of splicing can also be a liability, and several genetic diseases result from single-base changes that cause exons to be skipped during splicing. Conventional oligonucleotide strategies can block reactions but cannot restore splicing. We describe here a method by which the use of a defective exon was restored. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) results from mutations of the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) gene. Mutations of SMN1 cause SMA, whereas SMN2 acts as a modifying gene. The two genes undergo alternative splicing with SMN1, producing an abundance of full-length mRNA transcripts, whereas SMN2 predominantly produces exon 7-deleted transcripts. This discrepancy is because of a single nucleotide difference in SMN2 exon 7, which disrupts an exonic splicing enhancer containing an SF2/ASF binding site. We have designed oligoribonucleotides that are complementary to exon 7 and contain exonic splicing enhancer motifs to provide trans-acting enhancers. These tailed oligoribonucleotides increased SMN2 exon 7 splicing in vitro and rescued the incorporation of SMN2 exon 7 in SMA patient fibroblasts. This treatment also resulted in the partial restoration of gems, intranuclear structures containing SMN protein that are severely reduced in patients with SMA. The use of tailed antisense oligonucleotides to recruit positively acting factors to stimulate a splicing reaction may have therapeutic applications for genetic disorders, such as SMA, in which splicing patterns are altered.
Rhythm and Attention: Does the Beat Position of a Visual or Auditory Regular Pulse Modulate T2 Detection in the Attentional Blink?

The attentional blink (AB) is one impressive demonstration of limited attentional capacities in time: a second target (T2) is often missed when it should be detected within 200–600 ms after a first target. According to the dynamic attending theory, attention cycles oscillatory. Regular rhythms (i.e., pulses) should evoke expectations regarding the point of the next occurrence of a tone/element in the rhythm. At this point, more attentional resources should be provided. Thus, if rhythmic information can be used to optimize attentional release, we assume a modulation of the AB when an additional rhythm is given. We tested this idea in two experiments with a visual (Experiment 1) or an auditory (Experiment 2) rhythm. We found large AB effects. However, the rhythm did not modulate the AB. If the rhythm had an influence at all, then Experiment 2 showed that an auditory rhythm (or stimulus) falling on T2 might generally boost visual processing, irrespective of attentional resources as indexed by the AB paradigm. Our experiments suggest that oscillatory cycling attention does not affect temporal selection as tapped in the AB paradigm.
Interações medicamentosas potenciais em pacientes de unidade de terapia intensiva de um hospital universitário

Este estudo investigou interacoes medicamentosas (IM) potenciais em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) de um hospital universitario do Ceara. Dos 102 pacientes do estudo, 72,5% apresentaram 311 potenciais IMs. Desses, 64% eram do sexo feminino, com idade maior ou igual a 60 anos e tempo de internacao maior ou igual a nove dias. Houve associacao estatisticamente significativa entre o numero de medicamentos e a ocorrencia de IM, e 1 140 medicamentos foram aprazados no mesmo horario. Desses, 74% apresentaram potencial para IM. Quanto a classificacao das IMs, 48,2% apresentaram perfil farmacocinetico, 55,4% inicio demorado, 54,7% moderada gravidade e 60,6% bem documentadas na literatura. O manejo clinico mais frequente foi "observar sinais e sintomas". Oitenta por cento das intervencoes para evitar os efeitos indesejaveis das IMs podem ser realizadas pelo enfermeiro. No entanto, para que essas ocorram, de fato, e importante que o enfermeiro conheca os mecanismos farmacologicos das IMs, bem como seus fatores precipitantes.
YouTube as a Source of Information on Ebola Virus Disease

Background: The current West Africa epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD), which began from Guinea in December 2013, has been the longest and deadliest Ebola outbreak to date. With the propagation of the internet, public health officials must now compete with other official and unofficial sources of information to get their message out. Aims: This study aimed at critically appraising videos available on one popular internet video site (YouTube) as a source of information for Ebola virus disease (EVD). Materials and Methods: Videos were searched in YouTube (http://www.youtube.com) using the keyword "Ebola outbreak" from inception to November 1, 2014 with the default "relevance" filter. Only videos in English language under 10 min duration within first 10 pages of search were included. Duplicates were removed and the rest were classified as useful or misleading by two independent reviewers. Video sources were categorized by source. Inter-observer agreement was evaluated with kappa coefficient. Continuous and categorical variables were analyzed using the Student t-test and Chi-squared test, respectively. Results: One hundred and eighteen out of 198 videos were evaluated. Thirty-one (26.27%) videos were classified as misleading and 87 (73.73%) videos were classified as useful. The kappa coefficient of agreement regarding the usefulness of the videos was 0.68 (P < 0.001). Independent users were more likely to post misleading videos (93.55% vs 29.89%, OR = 34.02, 95% CI = 7.55-153.12, P < 0.001) whereas news agencies were most likely to post useful videos (65.52% vs 3.23%, OR = 57.00, 95% CI = 7.40-438.74, P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that majority of the internet videos about Ebola on YouTube were characterized as useful. Although YouTube seems to generally be a useful source of information on the current outbreak, increased efforts to disseminate scientifically correct information is desired to prevent unnecessary panic among the among the general population.
Preparation and Properties of Normal Temperature Cured Starch-Based Wood Adhesive

A normal temperature cured starch-based wood adhesive was prepared using dry method esterification and polyisocyanate prepolymer crosslinking. The effects of esterification and crosslinking on the properties of corn starch adhesive were investigated. The esterified starch and adhesive were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dielectric analysis (DEA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that maleic anhydride (MAH) esterified starch was obtained using dry method esterification. After esterification, the crystal type of starch did not change, but the crystallinity of starch decreased. The distribution of adhesive at the bonding interface was improved after esterification. The prepolymer improved the thermal stability of the adhesive, and the optimal addition of prepolymer was 10%.
Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for the Reduced Expression of Cholesterol Transporters From Macrophages by Low-Dose Endotoxin

Objective—Atherosclerosis is characterized as a chronic inflammatory condition that involves cholesterol deposition in arteries. Together with scavenger receptor B1 (SR-B1), the ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 are the major components of macrophage cholesterol efflux. Recent studies have shown that low-grade inflammation plays a distinct regulatory role in the expression of SR-B1 and ABCA1/ABCG1. However, the mechanisms linking low-grade inflammation and cholesterol accumulation are poorly understood. Methods and Results—Using primary bone-marrow-derived macrophages, we demonstrate that subclinical low-dose lipopolysaccharide potently reduces the expression of SR-B1 and ABCA1/ABCG1, as well as cholesterol efflux from macrophages through interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 and Toll-interacting-protein. Low-dose lipopolysaccharide downregulates the nuclear levels of retinoic acid receptor-&agr;, leading to their reduced binding to the promoters of SR-B1 and ABCA1/ABCG1. We observe that glycogen synthase kinase 3&bgr; activation by low-dose lipopolysaccharide through interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 and Toll-interacting-protein is responsible for reduced levels of retinoic acid receptor-&agr;, and reduced expression of SR-B1 and ABCA1/ABCG1. Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase M, however, counteracts the function of interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase 1. Conclusion—Collectively, our data reveal a novel intracellular network regulated by low-dose endotoxemia that disrupts cholesterol efflux from macrophages and leads to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Population-based study on use of chemotherapy in men with castration resistant prostate cancer

Abstract Background. Chemotherapy prolongs life and relieves symptoms in men with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). There is limited information on a population level on the use of chemotherapy for CRPC. Material and methods. To assess the use of chemotherapy in men with CRPC we conducted a register-based nationwide population-based study in Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden (PCBaSe) and a nationwide in-patient drug register (SALT database) between May 2009 and December 2010. We assumed that men who died of prostate cancer (PCa) underwent a period of CRPC before they died. Results. Among the 2677 men who died from PCa during the study inclusion period, 556 (21%) had received chemotherapy (intravenous or per oral) detectable within the observation period in SALT database. Specifically, 239 (61%) of men < 70 years had received chemotherapy, 246 (30%) of men between 70 and 79 years and 71 (5%) men older than 80 years. The majority of men 465/556 (84%) had received a docetaxel-containing regimen. Among chemotherapy treated men, 283/556 (51%) received their last dose of chemotherapy during the last six months prior to death. Treatment with chemotherapy was more common among men with little comorbidity and high educational level, as well as in men who had received curatively intended primary treatment. Conclusion. A majority of men younger than 70 years with CRPC were treated with chemotherapy in contrast to men between 70 and 79 years of whom half as many received chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treatment was often administered shortly prior to death. The low uptake of chemotherapy in older men with CRPC may be caused by concerns about tolerability of treatment, as well as treatment decisions based on chronological age rather than global health status.
Prevalence of eating disorders in the general population: a systematic review

Background The estimated prevalence of eating disorders reported in community surveys from different parts of the world varies widely but there has been no systematic attempt to identify the reasons for these differences. Objective Use meta-analysis methods to pool data from community surveys about the prevalence of eating disorders in different locations and to identify the factors that are associated with the reported prevalence of eating disorders. Methods Based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, studies were identified from the following databases: PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, ISI web of knowledge, Ovid, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, WANFANG DATA, and Chinese Biological Literature Service System. Statistical analysis was conducted using R software. Results Among the 9315 unduplicated reports reviewed (one-fourth of which were published in Chinese) only 15 – with a pooled sample size of 72,961 individuals – met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. None of the included studies were from China and only one Asian country (South Korea) was included in the analysis. The estimated lifetime prevalence, 12-month prevalence, and 4-week prevalence of any eating disorder was 1.01% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-1.89), 0.37% (CI, 0.22-0.63), and 0.21% (CI, 0.15-0.28), respectively. Estimated lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder was 0.21% (CI, 0.11-0.38), 0.81% (CI, 0.59-1.09), and 2.22% (CI, 1.78-2.76), respectively. The estimated female-male ratio for lifetime prevalence of any eating disorder was 4.2. The lifetime prevalence of any eating disorder reported from studies conducted in Western countries was 6.1-fold greater than that reported in a single study from South Korea. Over time there has been a non-significant increase in reported prevalence of any eating disorder and a significant increase in reported prevalence of anorexia nervosa. Conclusions Eating disorders are common in the general population, more common in women than men, and more common in Western countries than in Asian countries.The reported prevalence is increasing over time, but this may be due to changes in diagnostic criteria. There are serious limitations in the available epidemiological data, primarily differences in the conditions included among eating disorders and the lack of acceptable epidemiological studies from low- and middle-income countries (including China).
Paternity in horseshoe crabs when spawning in multiple-male groups

Unpaired or satellite male horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, are attracted to and often form a group around a pair (a female with an attached male) that is nesting in the high intertidal zone. These males are engaged in sperm competition. We observed nesting pairs and their associated satellites in the wild, collected and reared their eggs and used genetic markers to examine paternity. We found that the unpaired, satellite males are highly successful at fertilizing eggs; two satellites can leave the attached male with few fertilizations. Two satellites together are each as successful as one spawning with a pair. A satellite's location around the female greatly affects his success, and males compete for access to a position over the dorsal canal between the prosoma and opisthosoma of the female and under the front margin of the paired male where they are most likely to fertilize eggs. Although eggs and sperm retain their viability for some time after spawning, nearly all eggs are fertilized by the satellites that are around the nesting pair at the time of egg laying and by the attached male. A number of factors including beach current, female size and male behaviour affect the outcome of sperm competition in this externally fertilizing species. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Voice Pitch Elicited Frequency Following Response in Chinese Elderlies

Background: Perceptual and electrophysiological studies have found reduced speech discrimination in quiet and noisy environment, delayed neural timing, decreased neural synchrony, and decreased temporal processing ability in elderlies, even those with normal hearing. However, recent studies have also demonstrated that language experience and auditory training enhance the temporal dynamics of sound encoding in the auditory brainstem response (ABR). The purpose of this study was to explore the pitch processing ability at the brainstem level in an aging population that has a tonal language background. Method: Mandarin speaking younger (n = 12) and older (n = 12) adults were recruited for this study. All participants had normal audiometric test results and normal suprathreshold click-evoked ABR. To record frequency following responses (FFRs) elicited by Mandarin lexical tones, two Mandarin Chinese syllables with different fundamental frequency pitch contours (Flat Tone and Falling Tone) were presented at 70 dB SPL. Fundamental frequencies (f0) of both the stimulus and the responses were extracted and compared to individual brainstem responses. Two indices were used to examine different aspects of pitch processing ability at the brainstem level: Pitch Strength and Pitch Correlation. Results: Lexical tone elicited FFR were overall weaker in the older adult group compared to their younger adult counterpart. Measured by Pitch Strength and Pitch Correlation, statistically significant group differences were only found when the tone with a falling f0 (Falling Tone) were used as the stimulus. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrated that in a tonal language speaking population, pitch processing ability at the brainstem level of older adults are not as strong and robust as their younger counterparts. Findings of this study are consistent with previous reports on brainstem responses of older adults whose native language is English. On the other hand, lexical tone elicited FFRs have been shown to correlate with the length of language exposure. Older adults’ degraded responses in our study may also be due to that, the Mandarin speaking older adults’ long term exposure somewhat counteracted the negative impact on aging and helped maintain, or at least reduced, the degradation rate in their temporal processing capacity at the brainstem level.
Dept. for Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report What Happens during Vocal Warm-up? What Happens during Vocal Warm-up?

Most singers prefer to warm up their voices before performing. Also pa tien ts suffering from nonorganic dysphonia often tend to momentarily improve their voice function after the first voice exercises in each training session. The physiological effects underlying such improvements are largely u n h o wn. However, it does not seem unlikely that they reflect an increased mobilify of the vocal folds, possibly caused by an increased blood flow. Gramming (1988) assumed that such an increased mobilify explained why the phonation threshold pressures were higher in voice patients with nonorganic dysphonia than in healthy controls. In the present investigation, the effects of warm-up exercises on the phonation thresholdpressures are examined in a group of singers.
Abstract Interpretation Frameworks

Interpretation Frameworks Patrick Cousot LIENS, Ecole Normale Superieure 45, rue d’Ulm 75230 Paris cedex 05 (France) cousot@dmi.ens. fr Radhia Cousot LIX, Ecole Polytechnique 91128 Palaiseau cedex (France) radhia@polytechnique.fr