Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Features of the structural development of the inferior colliculus in relation to the onset of hearing in a marsupial: The Northern Quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus

The time course of synaptogenesis and the arrival and myelination of afferent connections were studied in the developing inferior colliculus (IC) of a marsupial, the Northern Quoll, and related to the onset of hearing and patency of peripheral auditory structures in that species. The quoll is born after 3 weeks of intrauterine growth and completes its development in a pouch for a further 80 days before weaning.
Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic criteria for sepsis in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the ability of various individual criteria and grouped criteria to diagnose sepsis in dogs. STUDY DESIGN Prospective acquisition of clinical data. ANIMALS OR SAMPLE POPULATION Client-owned dogs; 30 septic and 320 nonseptic. METHODS Rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, white blood cell (WBC) count with percent bands, platelet count, and serum glucose concentration were obtained on day 0. True sepsis was determined on days 0 to 3 according to the following criteria: (1) histological, microbiological, and/or gross confirmation of infection, and (2) systemic illness caused by infection. Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test and multiple logistic regression. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS The mean temperature, heart rate, WBC count, and percent bands were greater, whereas the mean platelet count was less in septic compared with nonseptic dogs. There was no difference in respiratory rate or glucose concentration. WBC/bands were the best individual criterion for the diagnosis of sepsis (sensitivity 87%; specificity 69%). The sensitivity and specificity of the grouped criteria (> or = two of four; temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, WBC) varied according to ranges of normal used. Multiple logistic regression resulted in little improvement in the sensitivity/specificity of these diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of sepsis. CONCLUSIONS These criteria are useful for the diagnosis of sepsis when limits are used that result in a high sensitivity (e.g., 97%). The high sensitivity was associated with a low false-negative and a high false-positive rate; sepsis was overdiagnosed with these grouped criteria. CLINICAL RELEVANCE These criteria may be used for a sensitive, but nonspecific, diagnosis of sepsis in dogs.
Stimulants and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Cognitive Impairment After Traumatic Brain Injury

million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and 2.5 to 6.5 million individuals live with the longterm consequences. TBI has been considered the “signature” injury of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, with an estimated 15% having at least mild syndromes. Cognitive impairments are among the most common consequences of TBI at all levels of severity. These impairments result from the complex cascade of injurious processes produced by the application of external physical force to the brain, including:
Regulation of the MAD1 promoter by G-CSF

MAD family proteins are transcriptional repressors that antagonize the functions of MYC oncoproteins. In particular, MAD1 has been demonstrated to interfere with MYC-induced proliferation, transformation and apoptosis. The MAD1 gene is expressed in distinct patterns, mainly associated with differentiation and quiescence. We observed that MAD1 is directly activated by G-CSF in promyelocytic cell lines. To investigate the transcriptional regulation of the human MAD1 gene, we have cloned and characterized its promoter. A region of high homology between the MAD1 orthologs of human, mouse and rat contains the core promoter, marked by open chromatin, high GC content and the lack of a TATA box. Using deletion constructs we identified two CCAAT-boxes occupied by C/EBPα and β in the homology region that mediate responsiveness to G-CSF receptor signaling. The necessary signals include the activation of STAT3 and the RAS/RAF/ERK pathway. STAT3 does not bind directly to promoter DNA, but is recruited by C/EBPβ. In summary, our studies provide a first analysis of the MAD1 promoter and suggest STAT3 functions as a C/EBPβ cofactor in the regulation of the MAD1 gene. Our findings provide the base for the characterization of additional signal transduction pathways that control the expression of MAD1.
Interferon-Free Hepatitis C Treatment before and after Liver Transplantation: The Role of HCV Drug Resistance

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of end-stage liver disease and the main indication for liver transplantation (LT) in most countries. All patients who undergo LT with detectable serum HCV RNA experience graft reinfection progressing to cirrhosis within five years in 20% to 30% of them. Obtaining a sustained virological response (SVR) greatly improves overall and graft survival. Until 2011, standard antiviral therapy using PEGylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) was the only effective therapy, with an SVR rate around 30% in this setting. For patients infected with genotype 1, first generation NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PIs), boceprevir (BOC) or telaprevir (TVR), associated with PEG-IFN and RBV for 48 weeks have increased the SVR rates to 60% in non-transplant patients. However, tolerability and drug-drug interactions with calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are both limiting factors of their use in the liver transplant setting. Over recent years, the efficacy of antiviral C therapy has improved dramatically using new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents without PEG-IFN and/or RBV, leading to SVR rates over 90% in non-transplant patients. Results available for transplant patients showed a better efficacy and tolerability and less drug-drug interactions than with first wave PIs. However, some infrequent cases of viral resistance have been reported using PIs or NS5A inhibitors pre- or post-LT that can lead to difficulties in the management of these patients.
Medication errors resulting in harm: Using chargemaster data to determine association with cost of hospitalization and length of stay

Purpose. Results of an analysis of the economic impact of adverse drug events (ADEs) resulting in patient harm on hospitalization costs and length of stay (LOS) are reported. Methods. In a retrospective single‐site study, medication errors among patients admitted to an academic medical center during the period April 2014–May 2015 were identified using voluntary event reporting system data and diagnosis codes. Hospitalization cases involving documented ADEs resulting in harm, as defined on a widely used medication error classification index, were matched with control cases by admission period, diagnosis‐related group, and patient age and sex. Total hospitalization costs and LOS in the study groups were analyzed using an independent 2‐sample Mann–Whitney U test. Results. Among 416 hospitalization cases evaluated for inclusion in the study, 242 were matched with 3,279 control cases for analysis. The primary drug classes implicated in the evaluated medication errors included chemotherapy agents (38%), corticosteroids (14%), and opioids (11%). Total hospitalization costs differed significantly (p = 0.044) between patients who experienced ADEs resulting in harm (median, $19,444; interquartile range [IQR], $13,481–$40,580) and those who did not (median, $17,173; IQR, $12,500–$27,125); the former group also had a significantly (p = 0.005) longer median LOS. Conclusion. Chargemaster data for an academic medical center revealed that the median total hospitalization cost and LOS were significantly greater for hospitalizations during which a harm‐causing medication error was recorded versus hospitalizations during which harm‐causing medication errors were not recorded.
Role of the RAGE Axis during the Immune Response after Severe Trauma: A Prospective Pilot Study

Background. Severe traumatization induces a complex pathophysiology, driven by the patient's own immune system. The initial activation is a result of damage-associated molecular patterns, which are released from disrupted and dying cells and recognized by immune receptors, for example, RAGE. In this study we aimed to evaluate the contribution of the RAGE axis to early and late immune responses. Methods. We enrolled 16 patients with severe trauma together with 10 patients after major abdominal surgery and 10 healthy volunteers. Blood samples were taken on admission and every 48 h for a total of 8 days. Plasma concentrations of various RAGE ligands as well as RAGE isoforms and IL-6 were measured by ELISA. Monocyte surface expression of RAGE and HLA-DR was assessed by flow cytometry. Results. High and transient levels of IL-6 and methylglyoxal characterize the early immune response after trauma, whereas samples from later time points provide evidence for a secondary release of RAGE ligands. Conclusion. Our results provide evidence for a persisting activation of the RAGE axis while classical mediators like IL-6 disappear early. Considering the immunocompromised phenotype of the monocytes, the RAGE ligands might be substantial contributors to the well-known secondary stage of impaired immune responsiveness in trauma patients.
Losing traction and the art of slip-sliding away: Or, getting over education for sustainable development

ABSTRACT This response problematizes Stefan Bengtsson's (2016) defense of education for sustainable development. He argues that sustainable development and education for sustainable development are not globalizing and hegemonic discourses, as some have claimed, and uses case-study analysis of Vietnamese policy documents to support his claims. He observes contestation and dissensus within these documents, and that, for him, is at odds with his conceptions of hegemony and paradigmatic status. He also suggests that this dissensus provides openings for opposition and resistance. I argue, on the contrary, that disagreement, dissent, anomalies, and counter-hegemonic forces have always been part of hegemonic struggles and paradigmatic states—and shifts. Bengtsson and I do agree about the importance of dissensus and resistance; however, important choices remain to be made about what concepts and contexts of dissensus are most educationally valuable. For example, I show that Bengtsson's Vietnamese policy data suggests that although dissensus exists, sustainable development and education for sustainable development have had little impact in generating counter-hegemonic discourse, resistance, anomalous responses, or creative alternatives in the environmental and social policy. Based on the data, sustainable development does not seem to have much traction. I argue that a useful approach would be to focus on understandings currently absent or underrepresented in contemporary education. Particularly important are the understandings required to think differently and to become different beings. Throughout, attention has been given to developing educational experiences that arise that shift the way learners carry themselves in the world, enact their etiquette, and broaden their ontological positioning, and commensurate understandings.
Quantitative Proteomics Identify Novel miR-155 Target Proteins

Background MicroRNAs are 22 nucleotides long non-coding RNAs and exert their function either by transcriptional or translational inhibition. Although many microRNA profiles in different tissues and disease states have already been discovered, only little is known about their target proteins. The microRNA miR-155 is deregulated in many diseases, including cancer, where it might function as an oncoMir. Methodology/Principal Findings We employed a proteomics technique called “stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture” (SILAC) allowing relative quantification to reliably identify target proteins of miR-155. Using SILAC, we identified 46 putative miR-155 target proteins, some of which were previously reported. With luciferase reporter assays, CKAP5 was confirmed as a new target of miR-155. Functional annotation of miR-155 target proteins pointed to a role in cell cycle regulation. Conclusions/Significance To the best of our knowledge we have investigated for the first time miR-155 target proteins in the HEK293T cell line in large scale. In addition, by comparing our results to previously identified miR-155 target proteins in other cell lines, we provided further evidence for the cell line specificity of microRNAs.
Autophagy in endosomal mutants

The endosomal and autophagic pathways are essential for the degradation and renewal of cellular components. After a complex maturation process, both pathways converge to their final destination, the lysosome. A close link between these two pathways was described along the last decade, notably through the analysis of ESCRT mutants. Although in mammals ESCRT mutants are unable to complete autophagic maturation due to the lack of fusion with the endolysosomal system, the role of ESCRT in the autophagic process still remains an open issue. Using C. elegans, we recently showed that blockage of the endosomal maturation triggers the induction of autophagic activity in ESCRT mutant.1 This increase of autophagic flux is an attempt to correct cellular defects and promote the survival of mutant animals.
Sketching for Ideation: A Structured Approach for Increasing Divergent Thinking

Sketching is a valuable technique used across a variety of industries to aid creative thought. Although the benefits of sketching are widely known, there is limited instruction for the application of sketching in problem solving, particularly in the critical phase of generating ideas. This project seeks to encourage the usage of sketching in this phase by proposing a structured method to aid creative thought and divergent thinking. To inform the design of the method, exploratory research was conducted involving interviews with creative professionals from various creative disciplines in addition to concurrent think-aloud design sessions with User Experience designers. Sketches from the Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA) were also reviewed to collect observations from conceptual architectural sketches. The best practices and techniques uncovered in this research formed the foundation for the design of a lightweight sketching method. The main contribution of this paper is the method, Sketching for Ideation Version 1.0, which was evaluated by five User Experience Designers and two Business Consultants. The evaluation offered encouraging reviews of the method for improving idea generation and also constructive comments for future iterations.
Output Space Sampling for Graph Patterns

Recent interest in graph pattern mining has shifted from finding all frequent subgraphs to obtaining a small subset of frequent subgraphs that are representative, discriminative or significant. The main motivation behind that is to cope with the scalability problem that the graph mining algorithms suffer when mining databases of large graphs. Another motivation is to obtain a succinct output set that is informative and useful. In the same spirit, researchers also proposed sampling based algorithms that sample the output space of the frequent patterns to obtain representative subgraphs. In this work, we propose a generic sampling framework that is based on Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to sample the output space of frequent subgraphs. Our experiments on various sampling strategies show the versatility, utility and efficiency of the proposed sampling approach.
MAPPING SEA BIRD DENSITIES ON THE NORTH SEA : COMBINING GEOSTATISTICS AND GENERALISED LINEAR MODELS

Using airborne strip-transect monitoring data, maps of bird densities were estimated for several bird species. Because the densities are transformed count data with many genuine zeros, we combined a generalised linear modelling approach with geostatistics for the spatial interpolation. Water depth and distance to coast were used as covariates to model the trend. A generalised estimating equations-like approach was used to estimate the trend, the spatial correlation function and the over-dispersion parameter. The residual variance was taken proportional to the (varying) mean, and non-stationary residual variances and covariances were obtained from known means, a stationary correlogram and the over-dispersion parameter. The results for one species (Fulmarus glacialis) are shown as approximate 95% prediction intervals of 5 km × 5 km block mean densities.
Breaking News: Brain Plasticity an Obstacle for Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation

Visual stimulations can activate cortical regions normally devoted to auditory processing in deaf individuals (Prog Brain Res 2011;191:211), and it is generally believed that this crossmodal plasticity leads directly to behavioral advantages and improved communication strategies. Recent advances, however, in brain reorganization and multisensory processing have raised questions about the benefits of such compensatory mechanisms. An extensive reorganization might represent a change that may in some cases hinder rehabilitation for those seeking to restore their hearing perception.
Neuroanatomical and perceptual deficits in auditory agnosia : a study of an auditory agnosia patient with inferior colliculus damage

Auditory agnosia is a rare disorder in which individuals lose the ability to understand sounds. In this thesis, I examine an auditory agnosia patient with brainstem damage, but intact cortex. The patient was severely impaired when instructed to type the names of sounds. The patient, however, was only mildly impaired when instructed to choose the correct sound out of four written alternatives, which implies partial auditory perception. In two fMRI scans, conducted a year apart, passive listening to sounds resulted with a unique activation pattern in her auditory cortices. In particular, her anterior primary and associative auditory fields were much less responsive to sounds than more posterior primary and associative auditory fields. The functional dissociation between these regions suggests connections between the anterior primary and associative regions, and between the posterior primary and associative regions. Hitherto, these connections were only reported in monkeys. An EEG study that examined mismatch negativity for frequency, duration, and intensity of sounds, demonstrated that the patient’s ability of detecting changes to frequency and duration of sounds is bilaterally impaired, whereas the detection of changes to sound’s intensity is impaired in the left hemisphere but intact in the right hemisphere. Behavioral studies also show that the patient’s auditory perceptual deficit is partially due to impaired perception of the duration of sounds. For instance, when the patient heard two subsequent clicks, she was impaired at discriminating these sounds by the duration of their intervening interval. In a spoken word discrimination task, she was also impaired at discriminating words that could only be distinguished by their temporal properties (voice onset-time). Based on these findings, I argue that the patient experiences auditory agnosia be- cause the brain stem injury prevents the transmission of critical auditory information to the auditory cortex. As a result of this absence, the auditory fields responsible for sound recognition, the anterior auditory fields, are not recruited. In a dichotic listening task, the patient extinguished sounds presented to the right ear, and in a sound localization task she perceived sounds as emerging from the left auditory hemi-field. Given cumulative evidence that associates the posterior auditory cortex with sound localization and phonological-acoustic analysis of verbal material from the contra-lateral hemi-field, the patient’s performance in these tasks suggest that her spared auditory abilities is due to processing in her right posterior auditory cortex. This role of the patient’s right posterior auditory cortex is consistent with both the fMRI study, in which the right posterior auditory cortex was consistently responsive to sounds, and the EEG study, in which detection of changes to sound intensity was restricted to the right hemisphere.
Educational features of robot contests: the RoboCup-98 survey

Typical features of entry-, junior- and advanced-level robot contests are presented. The RoboCup educational survey method is considered. Characteristic data on the team members, their activities and motivation to participate in the program, as indicated by the questionnaire results, are discussed. New initiatives directly related to education are derived.
Erythropoietin receptor expression in adult rat cardiomyocytes is associated with an acute cardioprotective effect for recombinant erythropoietin during ischemia‐reperfusion injury

Erythropoietin (EPO), the principal hematopoietic cytokine that regulates mammalian erythropoiesis, exhibits diverse cellular effects in non‐hematopoietic tissues. The physiologic functions of EPO are mediated by its specific cell‐surface receptor EPOR. In this study, we demonstrate EPOR expression in adult rat cardiac myocytes and examine the direct effects of EPO on the heart to investigate whether recombinant EPO may exert an acute cardioprotective effect during ischemia‐reperfusion injury. To determine whether EPO is cardioprotective, isolated rat hearts were perfused for 10 min in the Langendorff‐mode with Krebs‐Henseleit buffer in the absence or presence of brief recombinant EPO treatment while left‐ventricular‐developed pressure (LVDP) was measured continuously to assess contractile function. The hearts were then subjected to 20 min of normothermic global ischemia followed by 25 min of reperfusion. The post‐ischemic recovery of LVDP in the untreated control hearts was 26 ± 5% of their baseline LVDP, whereas hearts pretreated with EPO exhibited significantly improved post‐ischemic recovery to 57 ± 7%. We used 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to determine whether modulation of intracellular pH and/or high‐energy phosphate levels during ischemia contributed to EPO‐mediated cardioprotection. These experiments revealed that the rapid cardioprotective effect of EPO during ischemia‐reperfusion injury was associated with preservation of ATP levels in the ischemic myocardium.
A New Fast Generalized Sphere Decoding Algorithm for Under-Determined MIMO Systems

Generalized sphere decoding (GSD) algorithms have been applied to decode the under-determined MIMO systems. It detects the transmitting vector by decoding a sequence of determined subproblems. In this paper a fast recursive GSD algorithm is proposed. This new algorithm can generate the sequence of determined subproblems in a more efficient way than the current algorithms. A column-reordering strategy for the channel matrix is incorporated into the reduction process of the new algorithm, which can significantly reduce the computational cost. Furthermore, a method to determine a good initial radius of the hyper-sphere is given. Numerical simulations show that the new recursive GSD algorithm can be significantly faster than the current algorithms
Coplanar Waveguide-Fed Uniplanar Trapezoidal Antenna With Linear and Circular Polarization

A coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed, multi-band, trapezoidal monopole antenna with linear and circular polarization realized in a single substrate layer is presented. It is demonstrated that, polarization of the antenna originate from resultant surface currents controlled by the physical aspects of the trapezoid. A prototype fabricated on Rogers RO4350B® substrate with dielectric constant 3.48 occupies an overall dimension of 55 × 50 × 0.762 mm3. The antenna provides a 2:1 VSWR bandwidth of 80% (from 1.55 GHz to 3.60 GHz) and 8% (from 5.13 GHz to 5.55 GHz) in the first and second band respectively. It also exhibits a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 8% (from 2.21 GHz to 2.40 GHz) in the IEEE 802.16e WiMAX band. In addition, the antenna facilitates quasi omnidirectional coverage along with moderate gain and efficiency. A parametric study of the key parameters is also performed and the mechanism of polarization is described through surface current analysis.