Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MPs and the Internet – An Empirically Based Typology

In recent years, both an increase in and a process of differentiation of ‘new’, digital media devices, including rising numbers of citizens turning to them, have stimulated recurring speculation about a readjustment of the communicative relationship between political representatives and the people. The debate about ‘electronic democracy’ has so far focused predominantly on technical potentials on the one hand and citizens' exposure to interactive political communication channels on the other. By contrast, the ‘supply side’, that is, the internet activities of political actors and especially their motives, has been investigated relatively rarely. Against this backdrop, two representative surveys were conducted among German and Austrian members of parliament that investigated their attitudes towards the internet. The results demonstrate similarities and differences in internet-related competences and assessments which are explained by micro- and meso-level factors. Foremost, an age-related ‘digital divide’ was found crossing the parliamentarian rows in both countries.
The Effect of Drug Abstinence Program on Memory Functioning of Heroin Addicts

Introduction: Most of our knowledge regarding the link between opioid dependence and poor cognitive functioning is derived from cross sectional studies. This longitudinal study measured the change in memory functioning following complete abstinence among individuals with heroin dependence. Methods: Using a before-after design, this study followed 30 adults with heroin dependence from entry to completion of an abstinence program (cold Turkey method). We collected data on demographic factors and drug use variables. Memory was measured using the Wechsler Memory Scale. Using the paired t test, we compared different domains of memory functioning (i.e. personal information, orientation, mental control, logical memory, number repetition, visual memory, associative learning and memory quotient) before and after abstinence. Results: There was a significant improvement in memory functioning on orientation, mental control, logical memory, number repetition, visual memory, association learning and memory quotient following completion of the abstinence program. The improvement, however, was not statistically significant for memory on personal information. Conclusion: This study documented improvement of memory functioning among heroin dependent adults following complete abstinence (cold turkey method). Further research is needed on the effect of heroin abstinence on memory functioning.
Hypothermia-Associated Loss of Dendritic Spines

Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in CNS circuits are commonly investigated using in vitro preparations such as brain slices or slice culture. During their preparation, slices are exposed to low temperatures, and electrophysiological measurements are sometimes made below physiological temperature. Because dendritic spines, which occur at the majority of excitatory synapses, are morphologically plastic, we investigated the influence of reduced temperature on their morphology and plasticity using live cell imaging of hippocampal slices from transgenic mice expressing a green fluorescent protein-based neuronal surface marker and electron microscopy of adult brain slices. Our data show that dendritic spines are highly sensitive to reduced temperature with rapid loss of actin-based motility followed at longer times by reversible loss of the entire spine structure. Thus, reduced temperature significantly affects synaptic morphology, which is in turn known to influence several key aspects of synaptic transmission. Evidence that hypothermia potentiates anesthesia and is associated with spine loss in hibernating animals further suggests that spine morphology may have a widespread influence on brain function.
Clinical characteristics of African Americans vs Caucasian Americans with multiple sclerosis

Background: African American (AA) individuals are thought to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) less frequently than Caucasian American (CA) individuals. Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics of AA and CA patients with MS. Methods: The clinical features of MS were compared in a large retrospective cohort of AA (n = 375) and CA (n = 427) subjects. Results: The proportion of women to men was similar in AA and CA subjects (81% [AA] vs 77% [CA]; p = 0.122). There were no differences in the proportions of subjects with relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive, and progressive relapsing MS. The median time to diagnosis was 1 year after symptom onset in AA subjects and 2 years after symptom onset in CA subjects (p = 0.0013). The age at onset was approximately 2.5 years later in AA than CA subjects (33.7 vs 31.1 years; p = 0.0001). AA subjects presented with multisite signs and symptoms at disease onset more often than CA subjects (p = 0.018). Clinical involvement restricted to the optic nerves and spinal cord (opticospinal MS) occurred in 16.8% of AA patients compared with 7.9% of CA patients (p < 0.001). Transverse myelitis also occurred more frequently in AA subjects (28 vs 18%; p = 0.001). Survival analysis revealed that AA subjects were at higher risk for development of ambulatory disability than CA subjects. After adjusting for baseline variations and differences in therapeutic interventions, AAs were at 1.67-fold greater risk for requiring a cane to ambulate than CA patients (p < 0.001). There was a trend suggesting that AAs were also at greater risk for development of wheelchair dependency (p = 0.099). Adjusted Cox proportional hazard models showed that this effect was in part attributable to the older age at onset in AAs (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Caucasian Americans, African American patients with MS have a greater likelihood of developing opticospinal MS and transverse myelitis and have a more aggressive disease course.
Overview of total intravenous anesthesia in children

Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) can be defined as a technique, in which general anesthesia is induced and maintained using purely i.v. agents. TIVA has become more popular and possible in recent times because of the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic properties of propofol and the availability of short‐acting synthetic opioids. Also, new concepts in PK modeling and advances in computer technology have allowed the development of sophisticated delivery systems, which make control of anesthesia given by the i.v. route as straightforward and user friendly as conventional, inhalational techniques. Monitoring of depth of anesthesia is being validated for these techniques, and in the future, measurements of expired propofol may be possible to guide administration. TIVA is being used increasingly in children.
The Impact of a Community Awareness Strategy on Caregiver Treatment Seeking Behaviour and Use of Artemether-Lumefantrine for Febrile Children in Rural Kenya

Background Access to prompt and effective treatment is the cornerstone for malaria control. Population Services International in collaboration with the Ministry of Health launched a malaria behaviour change communication intervention in Nyanza province, Kenya. The initiative aimed to improve: symptom recognition and prompt access to government health facilities for febrile children; effective treatment with the recommended first-line drug artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in public health facilities and adherence to the AL regimen. Methods Pre- and post-intervention cross-sectional household surveys were used to evaluate the impact of the intervention on prompt and correct use of AL for febrile children below five years of age. The primary outcome was the proportion of children below five years of age with fever in the last 14 days accessing AL within 48 hours of fever onset. Results There was an increase from 62.8% pre-intervention to 79.4% post-intervention (95% CI: 11.1, 22.1) in caregivers who reported seeking formal treatment promptly (on the same day, or next day) for their febrile children. However, there was a decrease in the use of government health facilities in the post-intervention period. There was a small increase in the proportion of children accessing AL within 48 hours of fever onset [18.4% vs 23.5% (0.1–10.0)]. Conclusion The findings of this evaluation demonstrate that interventions that target only one sector may have a limited impact on improvements in prompt and effective treatment where multiple sources of treatments are sought for febrile illness. Additionally, the context in which an intervention is implemented is likely to influence the process and outcomes.
Neuronal LR11/sorLA expression is reduced in mild cognitive impairment

LR11 (aka sorLA) is a multifunctional neuronal receptor that binds apolipoprotein E and interacts with amyloid precursor protein to regulate amyloidogenesis. Reduced expression of LR11, as occurs in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), increases amyloidogenesis, and variants in the gene that encodes LR11, SORL1, have recently been linked to risk for late‐onset AD. In this study, we sought to determine whether reduced expression of LR11 occurs early in the disease process and whether protein levels in cortical neurons are associated with clinical and pathological changes in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that may represent prodromal AD.
Volume Cardiac SPECT Image Registration

The registration of cardiac images is relevant for the diagnosis of cardiac pathologies. In the case of SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography) datasets, this is difficult because of the low resolution of the images. In this paper we present a new registration method for 3D images with poor resolution. Our method is based on the maximization of the mutual information (MI) using a new interpolation method which significantly improves the result of an MI-based strategy on low resolution images. We also use a different optimization strategy than other MI-based algorithms, typically achieving errors of the order of one pixel. We also discuss experimental results of our method.
Testing a Social Cognitive Theory-Based Model of Indoor Tanning: Implications for Skin Cancer Prevention Messages

The lack of a theory-based understanding of indoor tanning is a major impediment to the development of effective messages to prevent or reduce this behavior. This study applied the Comprehensive Indoor Tanning Expectations (CITE) scale in an analysis of indoor tanning behavior among sorority women (total N = 775). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that CITE positive and negative expectations were robust, multidimensional factors and that a hierarchical structure fit the data well. Social cognitive theory-based structural equation models demonstrated that appearance-oriented variables were significantly associated with outcome expectations. Outcome expectations were, in turn, significantly associated with temptations to tan, intention to tan indoors, and indoor tanning behavior. The implications of these findings for the development of messages to prevent and reduce indoor tanning behavior are discussed in two domains: (a) messages that attempt to change broader societal perceptions about tan skin, and (b) messages that focus more narrowly on indoor tanning—challenging positive expectations, enhancing negative expectations, and encouraging substitution of sunless tanning products.
Error Correction for Index Coding With Side Information

A problem of index coding with side information was first considered by Birk and Kol in 1998. In this study, a generalization of index coding scheme, where transmitted symbols are subject to errors, is studied. Error-correcting methods for such a scheme, and their parameters, are investigated. In particular, the following question is discussed: given the side information hypergraph of index coding scheme and the maximal number of erroneous symbols δ , what is the shortest length of a linear index code, such that every receiver is able to recover the required information? This question turns out to be a generalization of the problem of finding a shortest length error-correcting code with a prescribed error-correcting capability in the classical coding theory. The Singleton bound and two other bounds, referred to as the α-bound and the κ -bound, for the optimal length of a linear error-correcting index code (ECIC) are established. For large alphabets, a construction based on concatenation of an optimal index code with a maximum distance separable classical code is shown to attain the Singleton bound. For smaller alphabets, however, this construction may not be optimal. A random construction is also analyzed. It yields another inexplicit bound on the length of an optimal linear ECIC. Further, the problem of error-correcting decoding by a linear ECIC is studied. It is shown that in order to decode correctly the desired symbol, the decoder is required to find one of the vectors, belonging to an affine space containing the actual error vector. The syndrome decoding is shown to produce the correct output if the weight of the error pattern is less or equal to the error-correcting capability of the corresponding ECIC. Finally, the notion of static ECIC, which is suitable for use with a family of instances of an index coding problem, is introduced. Several bounds on the length of static ECICs are derived, and constructions for static ECICs are discussed. Connections of these codes to weakly resilient Boolean functions are established.
Assessment of Intima-Media Thickness in Healthy Children Aged 1 to 15 Years

Background Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been shown to be increased in children and adolescents with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, compared with those of healthy children. Objective To assess the influence of sex, age and body mass index (BMI) on the CIMT in healthy children and adolescents aged 1 to 15 years. Methods A total of 280 healthy children and adolescents (males, n=175; mean age, 7.49±3.57 years; mean BMI, 17.94±4.1 kg/m2) were screened for CIMT assessment. They were divided into 3 groups according to age: GI, 1 to 5 years [n=93 (33.2%); males, 57; mean BMI, 16±3 kg/m2]; GII, 6 to 10 years [n=127 (45.4%); males, 78; mean BMI, 17.9±3.7 kg/m2], and GIII, 11 to 15 years [n=60 (21.4%); males, 40; mean BMI, 20.9±4.5 kg/m2]. Results There was no significant difference in CIMT values between male and female children and adolescents (0.43±0.06 mm vs. 0.42±0.05 mm, respectively; p=0.243). CIMT correlated with BMI neither in the total population nor in the 3 age groups according to Pearson correlation coefficient. Subjects aged 11 to 15 years had the highest CIMT values (GI vs. GII, p=0.615; GI vs. GIII, p=0.02; GII vs. GIII, p=0.004). Conclusions CIMT is constant in healthy children younger than 10 years, regardless of sex or BMI. CIMT increases after the age of 10 years.
Letter, Word, and Text Reading Times of Precocious and Average Readers.

JACKSON, NANCY EWALD, and BIEMILLER, ANDREW J. Letter, Word, and Text Reading Times of Precocious and Average Readers. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 196-206. Measures of letter, scrambled word, and text reading time were administered to kindergarten-age precocious readers (N = 97) whose mean comprehension ability was at the third-grade level and to representative samples of children of second-grade age (90 or 96 months, N = 66) and third-grade age (102 or 108 months, N = 62). Within each group, letter naming and scrambled word reading times were correlated with text reading times. However, none of the reading time measures was strongly associated with precocious readers' scores on a multiple-choice test of sentence reading comprehension. The precocious group named letters less rapidly than second graders did, but read words at the same speed as second graders and text faster. Comparisons of the precocious and third-grade groups showed a similar pattern, that is, precocious readers were most like third graders in text reading time and least like them in letter naming time. There were no significant grade x task interactions in any comparison between the secondand third-grade groups. The results are interpreted as evidence that, for precocious readers, efficiency in executing lower-order tasks (letter naming and individual word identificationi is a facilitative but not a prerequisite condition for rapid text reading and good comprehension.
High frequency of tissue‐specific mosaicism in Turner syndrome patients

Interphase fluorescent studies of X chromosome aneuploidy in cultured and uncultured blood lymphocytes and oral mucosa epithelial cells using X centromere‐specific DNA probe in addition to standard karyotype analysis were performed in 50 females with a clinical suspicion of Turner syndrome. All the patients were previously screened for the presence of ‘hidden’ Y chromosome mosaicism, using the primers DYZ3 and DYZ. The use of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of interphase nuclei of tissues from different germ layers (lymphocytes from mesoderm and buccal epithelial cells from ectoderm) improves the accuracy of detection of low‐level mosaicism. FISH studies on interphase nuclei revealed that 29% of patients with a pure form of monosomy X detected by metaphase analysis are, in fact, mosaics. The level of cells with the normal chromosomal constitution in lymphocytes of these cases as a rule was low, ranging from 3 to 18%, with an average of 7%. Two false‐positive cases and one false‐negative case of X monosomy mosaicism determined by standard cytogenetic approach were detected using FISH analysis. The majority of patients (92%) with mosaic form of Turner syndrome have considerable tissue‐specific differences in levels of X aneuploidy. Our data indicate that in cases when mosaic aneuploidy with low‐level frequency is questionable (approximately 10% and lower), the results of standard metaphase analysis should be supplemented with additional FISH studies of interphase nuclei. Tissue‐specific differences in contents of different cell lines in the same patients point to the necessity of studying more than one tissue from each patient.
Percolation of finite clusters and infinite surfaces

Abstract Two related issues are explored for bond percolation on ${\mathbb{Z}^d$ (with d ≥ 3) and its dual plaquette process. Firstly, for what values of the parameter p does the complement of the infinite open cluster possess an infinite component? The corresponding critical point pfin satisfies pfin ≥ pc, and strict inequality is proved when either d is sufficiently large, or d ≥ 7 and the model is sufficiently spread out. It is not known whether d ≥ 3 suffices. Secondly, for what p does there exist an infinite dual surface of plaquettes? The associated critical point psurf satisfies psurf ≥ pfin.
Case studies of software-process-improvement measurement

Describes an ongoing research project conducted jointly by Siemens and the Software Engineering Institute. Siemens software-development organizations in Germany and the United States are case-study sites at which we measure the effect of methods to improve the software-development process. To observe and quantify the impact of software-process improvement, we must measure the performance of a software-development organization over time. Comparison of performance across organizations is very difficult, since organizations define measures and collect performance data in different ways. However, we can separately track performance improvement in each organization if it defines measures consistently and develops similar products. We have defined basic measures for performance of a software-development organization. We limited ourselves to a small number of simple measures to reduce the complexity of collecting, analyzing, and maintaining the performance data. Improving the software-development process improves the quality of software products and the overall performance of the software-development organization. However, process is only one of several controllable factors in improving software quality and organization performance. Others include the skills and experience of the people developing the software, the technology used (e.g. CASE tools), product complexity, and environmental characteristics such as schedule pressure and communications. <<ETX>>
Immunodominance and functional alterations of tumor‐associated antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐cell responses in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. To aid the development of novel immunological interventions, we studied the breadth, frequency, and tumor‐infiltration of naturally occurring CD8+ T‐cell responses targeting several tumor‐associated antigens (TAA). We used overlapping peptides spanning the entire alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), glypican‐3 (GPC‐3), melanoma‐associated gene‐A1 (MAGE‐A1) and New York‐esophageal squamous cell carcinoma‐1 (NY‐ESO‐1) proteins and major‐histocompatibility‐complex‐class‐I‐tetramers specific for epitopes of MAGE‐A1 and NY‐ESO‐1 to analyze TAA‐specific CD8+ T‐cell responses in a large cohort of HCC patients. After nonspecific expansion in vitro, we detected interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐producing CD8+ T cells specific for all four TAA in the periphery as well as in liver and tumor tissue. These CD8+ T‐cell responses displayed clear immunodominance patterns within each TAA, but no consistent hierarchy was observed between different TAA. Importantly, the response breadth was highest in early‐stage HCC and associated with patient survival. After antigen‐specific expansion, TAA‐specific CD8+ T cells were detectable by tetramer staining but impaired in their ability to produce IFN‐γ. Furthermore, regulatory T cells (Treg) were increased in HCC lesions. Depletion of Treg from cultures improved TAA‐specific CD8+ T‐cell proliferation but did not restore IFN‐γ‐production. Conclusion: Naturally occurring TAA‐specific CD8+ T‐cell responses are present in patients with HCC and therefore constitute part of the normal T‐cell repertoire. Moreover, the presence of these responses correlates with patient survival. However, the observation of impaired IFN‐γ production suggests that the efficacy of such responses is functionally limited. These findings support the development of strategies that aim to enhance the total TAA‐specific CD8+ T‐cell response by therapeutic boosting and/or specificity diversification. However, further research will be required to help unlock the full potential of TAA‐specific CD8+ T‐cell responses. (Hepatology 2014;59:1415‐1426)