Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fitts’ Law in the Control of Isometric Grip Force With Naturalistic Targets

Fitts’ law models the relationship between amplitude, precision, and speed of rapid movements. It is widely used to quantify performance in pointing tasks, study human-computer interaction, and generally to understand perceptual-motor information processes, including research to model performance in isometric force production tasks. Applying Fitts’ law to an isometric grip force task would allow for quantifying grasp performance in rehabilitative medicine and may aid research on prosthetic control and design. We examined whether Fitts’ law would hold when participants attempted to accurately produce their intended force output while grasping a manipulandum when presented with images of various everyday objects (we termed this the implicit task). Although our main interest was the implicit task, to benchmark it and establish validity, we examined performance against a more standard visual feedback condition via a digital force-feedback meter on a video monitor (explicit task). Next, we progressed from visual force feedback with force meter targets to the same targets without visual force feedback (operating largely on feedforward control with tactile feedback). This provided an opportunity to see if Fitts’ law would hold without vision, and allowed us to progress toward the more naturalistic implicit task (which does not include visual feedback). Finally, we changed the nature of the targets from requiring explicit force values presented as arrows on a force-feedback meter (explicit targets) to the more naturalistic and intuitive target forces implied by images of objects (implicit targets). With visual force feedback the relation between task difficulty and the time to produce the target grip force was predicted by Fitts’ law (average r2 = 0.82). Without vision, average grip force scaled accurately although force variability was insensitive to the target presented. In contrast, images of everyday objects generated more reliable grip forces without the visualized force meter. In sum, population means were well-described by Fitts’ law for explicit targets with vision (r2 = 0.96) and implicit targets (r2 = 0.89), but not as well-described for explicit targets without vision (r2 = 0.54). Implicit targets should provide a realistic see-object-squeeze-object test using Fitts’ law to quantify the relative speed-accuracy relationship of any given grasper.
Fairy Godmothers > Robots

The present study, grounded in gender schema theory, employed a posttest experimental design to examine how television might influence girls’ perceptions of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Girls (6-9 years old) were either exposed to stereotypical or counter-stereotypical STEM female television characters. In a posttest following exposure, girls reported math and science self-efficacy, preference for STEM and stereotypical careers, and perceptions of scientists’ gender using the draw-a-scientist procedure. Girls in the stereotype condition reported more interest in stereotypical careers and were more likely to perceive scientists as males than girls in the counter-stereotype STEM condition or a no exposure control. Girls in the counter-stereotype STEM condition did not differ from the no exposure control in any of the dependent variables. Results suggest that onetime exposure to televised stereotypes may activate existing gender schema, but that onetime exposure to televised counter-stereotypes may not have the capacity to alter girls’ STEM schema.
Apigenin-7-O-β-d-glycoside isolation from the highly copper-tolerant plant Elsholtzia splendens

Elsholtzia splendens (Lamiaceae) is a copper-tolerant plant species growing on copper deposits in the south of China. Chromatographic separation of n-BuOH extracts from the flowering aerial biomass afforded apigenin-7-O-β-d-glycoside, using macroporous resin, Sephadex™ LH-20 gel, polyamide resin as well as preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (P-HPLC) columns. Chemical structure was elucidated using HPLC/ESI-MS (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and 1D- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Apigenin-7-O-β-d-glycoside could be the post-harvesting product from E. splendens biomass.
Parental Mosaicism in "De Novo" Epileptic Encephalopathies.

Risk of Recurrence of Epileptic Encephalopathies In 10 of 120 family trios (consisting of a child with de novo epileptic encephalopathy and the child’s biologic parents), one parent was found to have mosaicism for the etiologic variant. This finding has implications for determining the risk of recurrence.
Is Clinical Assessment of Addiction Severity of Individuals with Substance Use Disorder, Using the Addiction Severity Index, A Predictor of Future Inpatient Mental Health Hospitalization? A Nine-Year Registry Study

ABSTRACT Objective: In Sweden, the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare's recommended substance use disorder assessment tool and used routinely for patient intakes. Our study of 213 individuals assessed for substance use disorder with the ASI used nine years of the National Patient Register and examined whether clinical social workers' assessments of addiction severity at baseline were associated with later hospitalizations for mental health disorder (MHD). Methods: ASI composite scores and interviewer severity rating were used to measure clients' problems in seven areas (mental health, family and social relationships, employment, alcohol, drug use, health, and legal) at baseline. A stepwise regression method was used to assess the relative importance of ASI composite scores, MHD hospitalization two years prior to baseline, age, and gender for MHD hospitalization seven years post-baseline. Results: Almost two-thirds of the individuals (63%) were hospitalized at least once for MHD in the seven years post-baseline. At the multivariable level, MHD hospitalization prior to baseline was the strongest predictor of future MHD hospitalization, followed by ASI composite scores for drug use, employment, mental health and, last, male gender. Conclusions: A key finding is that higher ASI composite scores for drug use and mental health are predictors of future need for MHD treatment. Future studies will replicate this effort with a national population of individuals with substance use disorder.
Morphological abnormalities of diatom silica walls in relation to heavy metal contamination and artificial growth conditions

Teratological forms of diatoms are non-adaptive phenotypic abnormalities caused by various environmental stresses. Heavy metal contamination and artificial growth conditions are the best known causes. In fact, the recording of abnormal cells in a diatom population or community can give both a temporal and quantitative indication of heavy metal contamination of water bodies. Moreover, long-term cultures generally present a high percentage of abnormal cells due to the scarcity of nutrients, presence of waste products and osmotic pressure. The aim of this paper is to classify and provide photographic documentation and descriptions of all known teratologies occurring in the most widespread freshwater diatom genera.
The pseudogene derived long noncoding RNA DUXAP8 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration via epigenetically silencing PLEKHO1 expression

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death due to its poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Evidence indicates that pseudogene-derived long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may be important players in human cancer progression, including GC. In this paper, we report that a newly discovered pseudogene-derived lncRNA named DUXAP8, a 2107-bp RNA, was remarkably upregulated in GC. Additionally, a higher level of DUXAP8 expression in GC was significantly associated with greater tumor size, advanced clinical stage, and lymphatic metastasis. Patients with a higher level of DUXAP8 expression had a relatively poor prognosis. Further experiments revealed that knockdown of DUXAP8 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration, as documented in the SGC7901 and BGC823 cell lines. Furthermore, RNA immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that DUXAP8 could epigenetically suppress the expression of PLEKHO1 by binding to EZH2 and SUZ12 (two key components of PRC2), thus promoting GC development. Taken together, our findings suggest that the pseudogene-derived lncRNA DUXAP8 promotes the progression of GC and is a potential therapeutic target for GC intervention.
Influence Maximization for Social Good: Use of Social Networks in Low Resource Communities

This thesis proposal makes the following technical contributions: (i) we provide a definition of the Dynamic Influence Maximization Under Uncertainty (or DIME) problem, which models the problem faced by homeless shelters accurately; (ii) we propose a novel Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) model for solving the DIME problem; (iii) we design two scalable POMDP algorithms (PSINET and HEALER) for solving the DIME problem, since conventional POMDP solvers fail to scale up to sizes of interest; and (iv) we test our algorithms effectiveness in the real world by conducting a pilot study with actual homeless youth in Los Angeles. The success of this pilot (as explained later) shows the promise of using influence maximization for social good on a larger scale.
Hierarchical Bayesian inference for HIV dynamic differential equation models incorporating multiple treatment factors

Studies on HIV dynamics in AIDS research are very important in understanding the pathogenesis of HIV‐1 infection and also in assessing the effectiveness of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. Viral dynamic models can be formulated through a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODE), but there has been only limited development of statistical methodologies for inference. This article, motivated by an AIDS clinical study, discusses a hierarchical Bayesian nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling approach to dynamic ODE models without a closed‐form solution. In this model, we fully integrate viral load, medication adherence, drug resistance, pharmacokinetics, baseline covariates and time‐dependent drug efficacy into the data analysis for characterizing long‐term virologic responses. Our method is implemented by a data set from an AIDS clinical study. The results suggest that modeling HIV dynamics and virologic responses with consideration of time‐varying clinical factors as well as baseline characteristics may be important for HIV/AIDS studies in providing quantitative guidance to better understand the virologic responses to ARV treatment and to help the evaluation of clinical trial design in response to existing therapies.
Statistical properties of mechanically generated surface gravity waves: a laboratory experiment in a three-dimensional wave basin

A wave basin experiment has been performed in the MARINTEK laboratories, in one of the largest existing three-dimensional wave tanks in the world. The aim of the experiment is to investigate the effects of directional energy distribution on the statistical properties of surface gravity waves. Different degrees of directionality have been considered, starting from long-crested waves up to directional distributions with a spread of ±30° at the spectral peak. Particular attention is given to the tails of the distribution function of the surface elevation, wave heights and wave crests. Comparison with a simplified model based on second-order theory is reported. The results show that for long-crested, steep and narrow-banded waves, the second-order theory underestimates the probability of occurrence of large waves. As directional effects are included, the departure from second-order theory becomes less accentuated and the surface elevation is characterized by weak deviations from Gaussian statistics.
Transition to sarcopenia and determinants of transitions in older adults: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND Diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia from appendicular lean mass (ALM), strength, and performance have been proposed, but little is known regarding the progression of sarcopenia. We examined the time course of sarcopenia and determinants of transitioning toward and away from sarcopenia. METHODS ALM, gait speed, and grip strength were assessed seven times over 9 years in 2,928 initially well-functioning adults aged 70-79. Low ALM was defined as less than 7.95 kg/m(2) (men) or less than 6.24 kg/m(2) (women), low performance as gait speed less than 1.0 m/s, low strength as grip strength less than 30 kg (men) or less than 20 kg (women). Presarcopenia was defined as low ALM and sarcopenia as low ALM with low performance or low strength. Hidden Markov modeling was used to characterize states of ALM, strength, and performance and model transitions leading to sarcopenia and death. Determinants of transitioning toward and away from sarcopenia were examined with logistic regression. RESULTS Initially, 54% of participants had normal ALM, strength, and performance; 21% had presarcopenia; 5% had sarcopenia; and 20% had intermediate characteristics. Of participants with normal ALM, strength, and performance, 1% transitioned to presarcopenia and none transitioned to sarcopenia. The greatest transition to sarcopenia (7%) was in presarcopenic individuals. Low-functioning and sarcopenia states were more likely to lead to death (12% and 13%). Higher body mass index (p < .001) and pain (p = .05) predicted transition toward sarcopenia, whereas moderate activity predicted transition from presarcopenia to more normal states (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS Pain, physical activity, and body mass index, potentially modifiable factors, are determinants of transitions. Promotion of health approaching old age is important as few individuals transition away from their initial state.
Levels of pentraxin 3 and relationship with disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the sacroiliac joint and vertebral column. Pentraxin (PTX) 3 is an acute phase protein known to be associated with chronic inflammation. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that serum PTX3 levels might be elevated as a marker of inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 73 patients older than 20 years (48 males, 25 females, mean age 32.30 ± 6.40 years) were included. The ankylosing spondilitis group consisted of 46 patients (18 females, 28 males, mean age 33.30 ± 6.12 years) diagnosed with ankylosing spondilitis by the Modified New York Criteria, and the control group consisted of 27 healthy individuals (7 females, 20 males, mean age 30.59 ± 6.62 years). Groups were compared by demographic, anthropometric, biochemical data, and by serum PTX3 levels. The ankylosing spondilitis group was also divided into 2 subgroups (active or remission) by disease activity according to the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and compared by serum PTX3 levels. PTX3 was measured with the enzyme linked immunosorbent method. RESULTS PTX3 levels were higher in the ankylosing spondylitis group compared to the control group (0.29 ± 0.83 ng/mL vs. 0.09 ± 0.06 ng/mL, p=0.009). Levels of serum PTX3 were similar in groups with active and remitted ankylosing spondilitis (0.34 ± 0.99 ng/mL vs 0.37 ± 1.15 ng/mL, p>0.05). No correlation was determined between PTX3 and disease activity (p>0.05). CONCLUSION These results are supportive of the hypothesis that levels of serum PTX 3 might be elevated in association with inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis; however, results also demonstrate that there is no significant correlation with disease activity.
Wear Comparison of a Two Modular Hip Bearings : Mobile vs . Fixed

INTRODUCTION: Dual mobility hips have been in use in total hip arthroplasty since the 1970’s after being developed by Bosquet [1]. The goals of the dual mobility hip are to increase stability by decreasing the incidence of dislocation all while providing excellent wear properties. Designs of most dual mobility hips have been of monoblock construction without screw fixation. Those that have screw fixation are through invasive flanges unlike the common screw fixation of acetabular shells in today’s modular implants. The introduction of modularity to the dual mobility concept allows its use in situations where implant fixation may be of concern. We evaluated the wear characteristics of a modular mobile bearing hip and compared it to the wear characteristics of a modular fixed bearing design.
Attention to threats and combat-related posttraumatic stress symptoms: prospective associations and moderation by the serotonin transporter gene.

IMPORTANCE Combat places soldiers at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The excessive rates of PTSD and other adjustment disorders in soldiers returning home make it imperative to identify risk and resilience factors that could be targeted by novel therapeutic treatments. OBJECTIVE To investigate the interplay among attention to threat, combat exposure, and other risk factors for PTSD symptoms in soldiers deployed to combat. DESIGN AND SETTING Longitudinal prospective study of Israeli Defense Force infantry soldiers carried out in 2008 through 2010. Repeated measurements during a 1-year period included baseline and predeployment data collected in training camps and deployment data collected in the combat theater. PARTICIPANTS Infantry soldiers (1085 men; mean age, 18.8 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Postcombat PTSD symptoms. RESULTS Soldiers developed threat vigilance during combat deployment, particularly when they were exposed to high-intensity combat, as indicated by faster response times to targets appearing at the location of threat relative to neutral stimuli (P < .001). Threat-related attention bias also interacted with combat exposure to predict risk for PTSD (P < .05). Bias toward threat at recruitment (P < .001) and bias away from threat just before deployment (P < .05) predicted postcombat PTSD symptoms. Moreover, these threat-related attention associations with PTSD were moderated by genetic and environmental factors, including serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) genotype. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Combat exposure interacts with threat-related attention to place soldiers at risk for PTSD, and interactions with other risk factors account for considerable variance in PTSD vulnerability. Understanding these associations informs research on novel attention bias modification techniques and prevention of PTSD.
Clinical utilization of chemokines to combat cancer: the double-edged sword

Chemokines are a small group of related chemo-attractant peptides that play an essential role in the homeostatic maintenance of the immune system. They control the recruitment of cells needed for the induction and activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. However, tumors also utilize chemokines to actively progress and evade immunosurveillance. In fact, chemokines are involved directly or indirectly in almost every aspect of tumorigenesis. They mediate survival and metastatic spread of tumors, promote new blood vessel formation (neovascularization) and induce an immunosuppressive microenvironment via recruitment of immunosuppressive cells. As a result, a number of therapeutic strategies have been proposed to target almost every step of the chemokine/chemokine receptor involvement in tumors. Yet, despite occasional success stories, most of them appear to be ineffective or impractical, presumably due to ‘nonspecific’ harm of cells needed for the elimination of tumor escapees and maintenance of immunological memory. The strategy would only be effective if it also promoted antitumor adaptive immune responses capable of combating a residual disease and tumor relapse.
Evaluation of Disease Status based on Patient Self-report in the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey : Using Linked Data from Surveys and Computerized Medical Data from the Veterans Health Administration

Information (ORDI) strives to make information available to all. Nevertheless, portions of our files including charts, tables, and graphics may be difficult to read using assistive technology. Persons with disabilities experiencing problems accessing portions of any file should contact ORDI through e-mail at ORDI_508_Compliance@cms.hhs. gov. 2 Executive Summary In this study, we evaluated the disease self-report questions from the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) using linked Veterans Health Administration (VA) data for patients who are dually eligible. Responses to questions from the survey were used to classify respondents for 12 diseases and these were compared with classifications based on either similar questions from a VA survey or diagnostic codes from VA medical records. Agreement between classifications based on the two surveys was good with over 75% of those patients affirming the disease in the HOS also affirming it in the VA survey for most of the diseases; lower confirmation for other diseases was likely attributable to differences in the wording of the questions. HOS disease status also agreed reasonably well with VA based disease status using diagnostic codes. For most diseases, those patients who did not have the disease in the medical record were unlikely to report it in the survey (good specificity – 70-94%) and the probability that patients would report the disease given its indication in the medical records was generally good (sensitivity – 65-85%). There was considerable variability by medical condition although there were reasonable explanations for the relatively poor measures of agreement for some of the conditions. These findings varied only slightly by education, age, and race. As a further evaluation, independent decrements in patient reported health status derived from the SF-36 associated with each disease based on the survey questions were compared in the two surveys and found to be similar. These results suggest that patients can provide reasonably good reports of their morbidity in survey questions. This is critical information to consider in evaluating and improving health care.
Caring for Them Like Family

Scholars examining kin and community care have often sought to identify the relative importance of structural and cultural factors on the use and availability of these networks, but research has yielded unclear results in the case of child care. Cultural theories focus on how values, beliefs, and practices lead to differences in kin and community care; structural theories focus on how educational attainment, income, inherited power or inequality, and family structure lead to such differences. Using interviews with 60 African American middle- and upper-middle-class mothers, the author examines their preferences for kin and community members’ assistance in caring for their children. Although participants often had the resources to hire child care providers from the market, they also had access to, and preferred, kin and community networks of care. By examining participants’ accounts of their child care choices, the author identified four factors that influenced their orientations to kin: (1) participants’ experiences growing up with kin and community networks, (2) the current availability of these networks, (3) concerns about racial bias among market-based child care providers, and (4) the cost and benefits that came from using these networks. Although using kin and community care is often associated with structural factors, these data reveal a more complicated relationship between structure and culture.