Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Levodopa induced motor complications in Thai Parkinson's disease patients.

BACKGROUND Long-term levodopa usage in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients is known to cause several motor complications. It may be related to several factors such as levodopa dosage, duration of treatment and severity of disease. OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of levodopa motor complications and associated factors in Thai Parkinson's disease patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD The authors prospectively collected baseline characteristics of PD patients, details of treatment and complications from 3 hospitals in various parts of Thailand. These patients were diagnosed by UK PD Brain Bank criteria. RESULTS A total of 154 patients aged 68.1 +/- 9.5 years were recruited. Age of onset was 61.2 +/- 9.8 years. Most patients were in Hoehn-Yahr stage 1-3. The common clinical features were bradykinesia, rigidity and resting tremor Treatments were levodopa (98.1 per cent), anticholinergic (29.9 per cent), dopamine agonists (26 per cent) and COMT inhibitor (9.1 per cent). Eighty-five per cent of the patients had excellent response to levodopa. However, 25 per cent of patients developed motor complications, which were wearing off (79 per cent), on-off fluctuation (45 per cent), freezing (42 per cent), morning dyskinesia (10.5 per cent) and permanent dyskinesia (23.7 per cent). Twelve patients developed severe levodopa induced chorea. Factors associated with levodopa side effects were earlier age of onset, long duration of disease, advanced stage, higher levodopa dosage and long duration of levodopa treatment. In the present study, age of onset was inversely correlated with H-Y stage, while dosage of levodopa was positively correlated with H-Y stage but inversely correlated with lower ADL score, which may be due to advanced disease state. CONCLUSION Levodopa motor complications are common in Thai PD patients. Wearing off on-off fluctuation and freezing are common forms of motor complications.
MRI Based Preterm White Matter Injury Classification: The Importance of Sequential Imaging in Determining Severity of Injury

Background The evolution of non-hemorrhagic white matter injury (WMI) based on sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been well studied. Our aim was to describe sequential MRI findings in preterm infants with non-hemorrhagic WMI and to develop an MRI classification system for preterm WMI based on these findings. Methods Eighty-two preterm infants (gestation ≤35 weeks) were retrospectively included. WMI was diagnosed and classified based on sequential cranial ultrasound (cUS) and confirmed on MRI. Results 138 MRIs were obtained at three time-points: early (<2 weeks; n = 32), mid (2–6 weeks; n = 30) and term equivalent age (TEA; n = 76). 63 infants (77%) had 2 MRIs during the neonatal period. WMI was non-cystic in 35 and cystic in 47 infants. In infants with cystic-WMI early MRI showed extensive restricted diffusion abnormalities, cysts were already present in 3 infants; mid MRI showed focal or extensive cysts, without acute diffusion changes. A significant reduction in the size and/or extent of the cysts was observed in 32% of the infants between early/mid and TEA MRI. In 4/9 infants previously seen focal cysts were no longer identified at TEA. All infants with cystic WMI showed ≥2 additional findings at TEA: significant reduction in WM volume, mild-moderate irregular ventriculomegaly, several areas of increased signal intensity on T1-weighted-images, abnormal myelination of the PLIC, small thalami. Conclusion In infants with extensive WM cysts at 2–6 weeks, cysts may be reduced in number or may even no longer be seen at TEA. A single MRI at TEA, without taking sequential cUS data and pre-TEA MRI findings into account, may underestimate the extent of WMI; based on these results we propose a new MRI classification for preterm non-hemorrhagic WMI.
Core vocabulary intervention for an isiXhosa-English speaking child with speech sound difficulties

Abstract In this paper we describe speech difficulties observed in a bilingual child (aged 3 years, 0 months at the time of assessment) acquiring isiXhosa and English in South Africa. Speech difficulties were noted in both Ntando's languages, but as is currently common in urban South Africa, the child's family favoured intervention focusing on his English and the clinician-researcher was a first language English speaker with limited isiXhosa. We investigated whether core vocabulary is an approach that can be effectively used by clinicians when a mismatch between the languages of client and clinician occurs. We describe the way in which the approach was implemented and the speech outcomes for both languages. Parental and teacher responses to the Intelligibility in Context Scale showed perceived differences in pre- and post-intervention responses. Accuracy of Ntando's speech, as measured by percentage consonants correct (PCC), increased for both his English and isiXhosa, and his consistency improved for English. We reflect on the challenges and opportunities associated with using a core-vocabulary approach when working with bilingual children.
A Low-cost Fingerprint Positioning System in Cellular Networks

An ultimate aim of mobile positioning research is to find a method providing high estimation accuracy to the user within minimum delay and at minimum cost. Conventional location techniques based on trilateration and triangulation rely on line-of-sight path between the base station antenna and the mobile unit. In densely built urban areas, this assumption is rarely valid. This fact degrades the location performance of the conventional techniques and motivates the need for development of more accurate technique suited for these areas. Positioning system developed in this research is divided into three sub-systems. The first sub-system solves the problems related to fingerprint localization and involves neural network as key element of the positioning algorithm. The postprocessing tasks which include tracking and map-matching are performed in the second and third sub-systems respectively.
Can Team-Based Care Improve Patient Satisfaction? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Team-based approaches to patient care are a relatively recent innovation in health care delivery. The effectiveness of these approaches on patient outcomes has not been well documented. This paper reports a systematic review of the relationship between team-based care and patient satisfaction. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PSYCHOINFO for eligible studies dating from inception to October 8, 2012. Eligible studies reported (1) a randomized controlled trial, (2) interventions including both team-based care and non-team-based care (or usual care), and (3) outcomes including an assessment of patient satisfaction. Articles with different settings between intervention and control were excluded, as were trial protocols. The reference lists of retrieved papers were also evaluated for inclusion. Results The literature search yielded 319 citations, of which 77 were screened for further full-text evaluation. Of these, 27 articles were included in the systematic review. The 26 trials with a total of 15,526 participants were included in this systematic review. The pooling result of dichotomous data (number of studies: 10) showed that team-based care had a positive effect on patient satisfaction compared with usual care (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.54 to 2.84); however, combined continuous data (number of studies: 7) demonstrated that there was no significant difference in patient satisfaction between team-based care and usual care (standardized mean difference, −0.02; 95% confidence interval, −0.40 to 0.36). Conclusions Some evidence showed that team-based care is better than usual care in improving patient satisfaction. However, considering the pooling result of continuous data, along with the suboptimal quality of included trials, further large-scale and high-quality randomized controlled trials comparing team-based care and usual care are needed.
Mentoring college students with disabilities: experiences of the mentors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand the impact of peer mentoring on mentors working with university students with a disability. Research questions focused on how undergraduate student mentors evaluated their experience as a mentor, in what ways they benefited, the challenges they experienced and how these challenges could be addressed. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative and qualitative data examined the experiences, benefits and challenges experienced by the mentors across seven separate cohorts. Self-report measures were collected in a pre-post design, and qualitative analysis was conducted on focus groups at the end of the program. The paper also outlines the program model including training and support mechanisms, and the program curriculum implemented by mentors. Findings Responses on the measures showed that student mentors saw mentoring as a positive experience, and they felt more committed to their university after participating. Qualitative content analysis of focus groups supported this and also highlighted some of the unique challenges faced by mentors working with students with a disability. These included communication difficulties, trouble building rapport, not knowing how to help their mentee and feeling over-protective. Research limitations/implications While the findings are preliminary, results indicated that serving as a mentor to freshmen university students with a disability had an important impact on the personal growth and skills development of the mentors. In addition, similar program models should recognize that careful attention is needed to ensure mentors are fully supported in their role. Findings also highlight areas for improvement of the program such as examining longer term outcomes, including a comparison group, and seeking the perspectives of the mentees. Limitations included limited standardized assessment tools to assess impact more broadly. Originality/value The study is original in its focus on improving current understanding of outcomes for student mentors who are working with incoming university students with a disability status.
MHD simulations of flows around rotating and non-rotating axisymmetric magnetic flux concentrations

We present results on modeling magnetic flux tubes in an unstably stratified medium and the flows around them using 2D axisymmetric magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The study is motivated by the formation of magnetic field concentrations at the solar surface in sunspots and magnetic pores and the large-scale flow patterns associated with them. The simulations provide consistent, self-maintained models of concentrated magnetic field in a convective environment, although they are not fully realistic or directly applicable to the solar case. In this paper, we explore under which conditions the associated flows near the surface are converging (towards the spot center) or diverging (away from the axis) in nature. It is found that, depending on the parameters of the problem, the results can depend on the initial conditions, in particular for zero or low rotation rates and Prandtl numbers smaller than unity. The solutions with a converging flow usually produce more strongly confined magnetic flux tubes.
Downregulation of Oxidative and Nitrosative Apoptotic Signaling by L-Carnitine in Ifosfamide-Induced Fanconi Syndrome Rat Model

It is well documented that ifosfamide (IFO) therapy is associated with sever nephropathy in the form of Fanconi syndrome. Although oxidative stress has been reported as a major player in IFO-induced Fanconi syndrome, no mechanism for this effect has been ascertained. Therefore, this study has been initiated to investigate, on gene expression level, the mechanism of IFO-induce nephrotoxicity and those whereby carnitine supplementation attenuates this serious side effect of IFO. To achieve the ultimate goals of this study, adult male rats were assigned to one of four treatment groups, namely, control, L-carnitine, IFO, and IFO plus L-carnitine. Administration of IFO for 5 days significantly increased serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and total nitrate/nitrite (NOx) production in kidney tissues. In addition, IFO significantly increased mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), caspase-9, and caspase-3 and significantly decreased expression of glutathione peroxides (GPx), catalase (CAT), and Bcl2 in kidney tissues. Administration of L-carnitine to IFO-treated rats resulted in a complete reversal of the all biochemical and gene expression changes, induced by IFO, to the control values. Data from this study suggest that L-carnitine prevents the development of IFO-induced nephrotoxicity via downregulation of oxidative and nitrosative apoptotic signaling in kidney tissues.
Generating Images Part by Part with Composite Generative Adversarial Networks

Image generation remains a fundamental problem in artificial intelligence in general and deep learning in specific. The generative adversarial network (GAN) was successful in generating high quality samples of natural images. We propose a model called composite generative adversarial network, that reveals the complex structure of images with multiple generators in which each generator generates some part of the image. Those parts are combined by alpha blending process to create a new single image. It can generate, for example, background and face sequentially with two generators, after training on face dataset. Training was done in an unsupervised way without any labels about what each generator should generate. We found possibilities of learning the structure by using this generative model empirically.
Better bounds on the union complexity of locally fat objects

We prove that the union complexity of a set of n constant-complexity locally fat objects (which can be curved and/or non-convex) in the plane is O(λt+2(n) log n), where t is the maximum number of times the boundaries of any two objects intersect. This improves the previously best known bound by a logarithmic factor.
Cadmium, Environmental Exposure, and Health Outcomes

Objectives We provide an update of the issues surrounding health risk assessment of exposure to cadmium in food. Data sources We reviewed epidemiologic studies published between 2004 and 2009 concerning the bioavailability of cadmium in food, assessment of exposure, and body burden estimate, along with exposure-related effects in nonoccupationally exposed populations. Data extraction and synthesis Bioavailability of ingested cadmium has been confirmed in studies of persons with elevated dietary exposure, and the findings have been strengthened by the substantial amounts of cadmium accumulated in kidneys, eyes, and other tissues and organs of environmentally exposed individuals. We hypothesized that such accumulation results from the efficient absorption and systemic transport of cadmium, employing multiple transporters that are used for the body’s acquisition of calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Adverse effects of cadmium on kidney and bone have been observed in environmentally exposed populations at frequencies higher than those predicted from models of exposure. Increasing evidence implicates cadmium in the risk of diseases that involve other tissues and organ systems at cadmium concentrations that do not produce effects on bone or renal function. Conclusions Population data raise concerns about the validity of the current safe intake level that uses the kidney as the sole target in assessing the health risk from ingested cadmium. The data also question the validity of incorporating the default 5% absorption rate in the threshold-type risk assessment model, known as the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), to derive a safe intake level for cadmium.
Very Early Identification and Intervention for Infants at Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Transdiagnostic Approach

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) begin in the earliest months of life, but the clinical manifestations of many such disorders—including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder—are often not seen until much later. Theoretically, very early intervention provides the best chance for optimizing outcomes for children at risk. However, opportunities for early intervention may be thwarted by a dependence on assessing overt phenotypic or behavioral symptoms that often emerge later in childhood. In this article, we examine the utility of a transdiagnostic, dimensional approach to very early identification and intervention for infants at risk of NDDs. We consider how insights from epidemiology, systems biology, and developmental neuroscience may be integrated to aid identifying at‐risk infants and developing targeted, adaptive interventions. We also highlight directions for research.
Neuronal Activity Related to Reward Size and Rewarded Target Position in Primate Supplementary Eye Field

Several areas of the macaque brain are known to be related to the reward during the performance of saccadic eye-movement tasks. Neurons in the supplementary eye field (SEF) have been reported to be involved in the prediction and detection of a reward. We describe a group of neurons in the SEF that became active during the period of reward delivery after saccades toward a specific direction, but showed weaker activity in other directions, although the same amount of reward was given in each direction. Moreover, this directional reward activity was modulated by the reward size. Our results demonstrate that the SEF cells may reflect both reward amount and target positions toward which a movement was rewarded, and suggest that they may play an important role in providing information about the value of each saccade according to the spatial target location.
Long range chromatin organization

Splicing is a predominantly co-transcriptional process that has been shown to be tightly coupled to transcription. Chromatin structure is a key factor that mediates this functional coupling. In light of recent evidence that shows the importance of higher order chromatin organization in the coordination and regulation of gene expression, we discuss here the possible roles of long-range chromatin organization in splicing and alternative splicing regulation.
Dystrophic Cardiomyopathy—Potential Role of Calcium in Pathogenesis, Treatment and Novel Therapies

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by defects in the DMD gene and results in progressive wasting of skeletal and cardiac muscle due to an absence of functional dystrophin. Cardiomyopathy is prominent in DMD patients, and contributes significantly to mortality. This is particularly true following respiratory interventions that reduce death rate and increase ambulation and consequently cardiac load. Cardiomyopathy shows an increasing prevalence with age and disease progression, and over 95% of patients exhibit dilated cardiomyopathy by the time they reach adulthood. Development of the myopathy is complex, and elevations in intracellular calcium, functional muscle ischemia, and mitochondrial dysfunction characterise the pathophysiology. Current therapies are limited to treating symptoms of the disease and there is therefore an urgent need to treat the underlying genetic defect. Several novel therapies are outlined here, and the unprecedented success of phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) in preclinical and clinical studies is overviewed.
Heart Disease Prediction System using Associative Classification and Genetic Algorithm

Associative classification is a recent and rewarding technique which integrates association rule mining and classification to a model for prediction and achieves maximum accuracy. Associative classifiers are especially fit to applications where maximum accuracy is desired to a model for prediction. There are many domains such as medical where the maximum accuracy of the model is desired. Heart disease is a single largest cause of death in developed countries and one of the main contributors to disease burden in developing countries. Mortality data from the registrar general of India shows that heart disease are a major cause of death in India, and in Andhra Pradesh coronary heart disease cause about 30%of deaths in rural areas. Hence there is a need to develop a decision support system for predicting heart disease of a patient. In this paper we propose efficient associative classification algorithm using genetic approach for heart disease prediction. The main motivation for using genetic algorithm in the discovery of high level prediction rules is that the discovered rules are highly comprehensible, having high predictive accuracy and of high interestingness values. Experimental Results show that most of the classifier rules help in the best prediction of heart disease which even helps doctors in their diagnosis decisions.
From signal temporal logic to FPGA monitors

Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of systems-of-systems (SoS), their simulation is becoming very time consuming, expensive and hence impractical. As a result, design simulation is increasingly being complemented with more efficient design emulation. Runtime monitoring of emulated designs would provide a precious support in the verification activities of such complex systems. We propose novel algorithms for translating signal temporal logic (STL) assertions to hardware runtime monitors implemented in field programmable gate array (FPGA). In order to accommodate to this hardware specific setting, we restrict ourselves to past and bounded future temporal operators interpreted over discrete time. We evaluate our approach on two examples: the mixed signal bounded stabilization property and the serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication protocol. These case studies demonstrate the suitability of our approach for runtime monitoring of both digital and mixed signal systems.
Role of psychological empowerment in the relationship between structural empowerment and innovative behavior

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the relationship between the empowering structure and the employees’ innovative behavior and the role of psychological empowerment in mediating this link. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from 401 female primary school teachers in India. Prior to the main study, the scales were tested on a sample of 288 teachers. While psychological empowerment and structural empowerment were based on the self-reporting by the teachers, the innovative behavior of the teacher was assessed by two to three colleagues for each teacher. Findings The results confirmed that structural empowerment leads to innovative behavior and psychological empowerment and partially mediates the relationship between structural empowerment and innovative behavior. Practical implications Promising ideas die down because of lack of proper resource support and a free flow of information exchange despite employees’ willingness to carry out innovative tasks. Psychological empowerment affects creative intention in the workplace and can play a critical role for employees at their workplace. Social implications In the context of development at the teacher and school levels, it is imperative to address both the psyche of the individual and the existing structure in schools. Originality/value This study makes two critical contributions. One, it emphasizes the importance of structural empowerment in ensuring innovative behavior of employees. Two, it also brings forward the importance of psychological empowerment in the relationship between structural empowerment and innovative behavior.