Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Music therapy teaming and learning: how transdisciplinary experience shapes practice in an autism specialist school

Music therapists are increasingly working in teams alongside professionals from other disciplines, in multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary frameworks. However, in recent decades, discipline-specific teams of music therapists are also appearing as part of larger health care and special education organisations. Whilst research literature on collaboration between music therapists and other professions is growing, there is a lack of understanding around how the experience of transdisciplinarity may shape music therapy practice over time. There is also a lack of literature around the experience of teams of music therapists working together, and how their practice is impacted by collaboration within, and across disciplines. This study is set at Giant Steps Sydney, a transdisciplinary, specialist school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this setting, five music therapists integrate their practice across all programs, teaching and learning across multiple layers of teaming. To explore the lived experience of this music therapy team and the factors informing their practice, a qualitative, phenomenological approach was taken, with data collected through semi-structured interviews. Throughout the study, a range of reflexive strategies were drawn upon, as the researcher navigated the roles of team leader, clinician and researcher. Results of the individual and group data analyses revealed that the layers of teaming in a transdisciplinary environment provide a rich source of learning, support and satisfaction for the music therapist. Group Themes voiced a number of considerations for leading music therapy teams, including the music therapists’ preferred styles of professional learning, the value of diversity and creativity in team collaboration, and the importance of peer support in building resilience. Three professional issues for the music therapist in transdisciplinary
Longitudinal study of maternal depressive symptoms and child well-being.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether prenatal, postnatal, and/or current maternal depressive symptoms are associated with low level of psychosocial functioning or high level of emotional/behavioral problems in school-age children. METHOD As part of a prospective longitudinal study, maternal depressive symptoms were screened with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale prenatally, postnatally, and when the children were 8 to 9 years old. The original sample of 349 mothers was collected in 1989-1990 in Tampere, Finland. Of the 270 mother-child pairs at the latest stage of the study in 1997-1998, 188 mother-child pairs participated and 147 were included. The associations between maternal depressive symptoms at different points in time and the level of children's psychosocial functioning and problems reported on the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher's Report Form were examined. RESULTS Children's low social competence and low adaptive functioning were associated with concurrent maternal depressive symptoms. Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms predicted low social competence. The presence of prenatal depressive symptoms in the mother was a strong predictor of child's high externalizing and total problem levels (odds ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-8.9 and odds ratio 8.5, 95% confidence interval 2.7-26.5). Prenatal as well as recurrent maternal depressive symptoms were associated with the least favorable child outcome. CONCLUSIONS Maternal depressive symptomatology at any time, especially prenatally, is a risk factor for the child's well-being. This should be noted already in prenatal care. The timing and the recurrence of maternal depressive symptoms affect the outcome for the child.
Evidence for a downward secular trend in age of menarche in a rural Gambian population

Abstract Menarcheal age is a key indicator of female maturity and development. Studies in many countries have reported a downward secular trend in age of menarche over the past century. This study presents data gained using the ‘status quo’ method and interval regression to estimate median menarcheal age of girls in a rural Gambian community. Cross-sectional studies carried out in 1989, 2000 and 2008 revealed a median menarcheal age of 16.06 (95% CI 15.67–16.45), 15.03 (95% CI 14.76–15.30) and 14.90 (95% CI 14.52–15.28), respectively. The average rate of decline of median age of menarche was amongst the most rapid yet reported, at 0.65 years of age per decade (p < 0.00001). There was no evidence for a change in the rate of decline over the two decades studied. These results probably reflect ongoing socio-economic development within the region.
Intestinal Autophagy Improves Healthspan and Longevity in C. elegans during Dietary Restriction

Dietary restriction (DR) is a dietary regimen that extends lifespan in many organisms. One mechanism contributing to the conserved effect of DR on longevity is the cellular recycling process autophagy, which is induced in response to nutrient scarcity and increases sequestration of cytosolic material into double-membrane autophagosomes for degradation in the lysosome. Although autophagy plays a direct role in DR-mediated lifespan extension in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the contribution of autophagy in individual tissues remains unclear. In this study, we show a critical role for autophagy in the intestine, a major metabolic tissue, to ensure lifespan extension of dietary-restricted eat-2 mutants. The intestine of eat-2 mutants has an enlarged lysosomal compartment and flux assays indicate increased turnover of autophagosomes, consistent with an induction of autophagy in this tissue. This increase in intestinal autophagy may underlie the improved intestinal integrity we observe in eat-2 mutants, since whole-body and intestinal-specific inhibition of autophagy in eat-2 mutants greatly impairs the intestinal barrier function. Interestingly, intestinal-specific inhibition of autophagy in eat-2 mutants leads to a decrease in motility with age, alluding to a potential cell non-autonomous role for autophagy in the intestine. Collectively, these results highlight important functions for autophagy in the intestine of dietary-restricted C. elegans.
mau-2 acts cell-autonomously to guide axonal migrations in Caenorhabditis elegans

The gene mau-2 has been found to be required for the guidance of cellular and axonal migrations along both the anteroposterior and the dorsoventral body axes during the development of the nematode C. elegans. We show that mau-2 encodes a novel, previously uncharacterized protein that is highly conserved among animals. Maternal mau-2 gene expression is sufficient for normal development until the fourth larval stage, and a MAU-2::GFP fusion protein localizes to the cytoplasm of neurones. mau-2 is ubiquitously expressed in embryos by late gastrulation and becomes predominantly expressed in the nervous system as morphogenesis progresses. Expression of mau-2 within individual neurones rescues the guidance defects of mau-2 mutants, indicating that mau-2 functions cell-autonomously. Altering the activity of both the dorsal repellent slt-1 and mau-2 leads to the abnormal dorsal projection of the AVM axon, a phenotype that is novel and specific to the interaction of these two genes, indicating that mau-2 participates in the guidance of AVM by a slt-1-independent mechanism. Taken together, mau-2 defines a novel guidance factor that might be involved in the intracellular processing of guidance cues encountered by migrating cells and axons during development.
Decreased estradiol release from astrocytes contributes to the neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Niemann‐Pick disease type C

Niemann‐Pick disease type C (NPC) is a deadly neurodegenerative disease often caused by mutation in a gene called NPC1, which results in the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and glycosphingolipids in the endosomal–lysosomal system. Most studies on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in NPC have focused on neurons. However, the possibility also exists that NPC1 affects neuronal functions indirectly by acting on other cells that are intimately interacting with neurons. In this study, using a heterotypic neuron‐glia coculture system, we found that wild‐type neurons cultured on a layer of NPC1−/− astrocytes showed decreased neurite growth compared with those cultured on wild‐type astrocytes. RT‐PCR and immunohistochemical assessments showed significantly lower expression of neurosteroid enzymes and StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein) in NPC1−/− astrocyte cultures than in wild‐type cultures. Furthermore, a reduced level of estradiol was measured from both astrocyte culture medium and whole brains from NPC1−/− mice. Administration of 17β‐estradiol to neonatal NPC1−/− mice significantly delayed the onset of neurological symptoms, increased Purkinje cell survival, and extended the animals' life span. Our findings suggest that astrocyte dysfunction contributes to the neurodegeneration of NPC and estradiol treatment may be useful in ameliorating progression of the disease. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Survey of Economic Theories and Field Evidence on Pro-Social Behavior

In recent years, a large number of economic theories have evolved to explain people’s pro-social behavior and the variation in their respective behavior. This paper surveys economic theories on pro-social behavior and presents evidence — mainly from the field — testing these theories. In addition, the survey emphasizes that institutional environment might significantly interact with pro-social preferences and explain some of the variation in observed pro-social behavior.
Roles of α and β Carbonic Anhydrases of Helicobacter pylori in the Urease-Dependent Response to Acidity and in Colonization of the Murine Gastric Mucosa

ABSTRACT Carbon dioxide occupies a central position in the physiology of Helicobacter pylori owing to its capnophilic nature, the large amounts of carbon dioxide produced by urease-mediated urea hydrolysis, and the constant bicarbonate supply in the stomach. Carbonic anhydrases (CA) catalyze the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate and are involved in functions such as CO2 transport or trapping and pH homeostasis. H. pylori encodes a periplasmic α-CA (α-CA-HP) and a cytoplasmic β-CA (β-CA-HP). Single CA inactivation and double CA inactivation were obtained for five genetic backgrounds, indicating that H. pylori CA are not essential for growth in vitro. Bicarbonate-carbon dioxide exchange rates were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy using lysates of parental strains and CA mutants. Only the mutants defective in the α-CA-HP enzyme showed strongly reduced exchange rates. In H. pylori, urease activity is essential for acid resistance in the gastric environment. Urease activity measured using crude cell extracts was not modified by the absence of CA. With intact CA mutant cells incubated in acidic conditions (pH 2.2) in the presence of urea there was a delay in the increase in the pH of the incubation medium, a phenotype most pronounced in the absence of H. pylori α-CA. This correlated with a delay in acid activation of the urease as measured by slower ammonia production in whole cells. The role of CA in vivo was examined using the mouse model of infection with two mouse-adapted H. pylori strains, SS1 and X47-2AL. Compared to colonization by the wild-type strain, colonization by X47-2AL single and double CA mutants was strongly reduced. Colonization by SS1 CA mutants was not significantly different from colonization by wild-type strain SS1. However, when mice were infected by SS1 Δ(β-CA-HP) or by a SS1 double CA mutant, the inflammation scores of the mouse gastric mucosa were strongly reduced. In conclusion, CA contribute to the urease-dependent response to acidity of H. pylori and are required for high-grade inflammation and efficient colonization by some strains.
Towards concurrent type theory

We review progress in a recent line of research that provides a concurrent computational interpretation of (intuitionistic) linear logic. Propositions are interpreted as session types, sequent proofs as processes in the pi-calculus, cut reductions as process reductions, and vice versa. The strong proof-theoretic foundation of this type system provides immediate opportunities for uniform generalization, specifically, to embed terms from a functional type theory. The resulting system satisfies the properties of type preservation, progress, and termination, as expected from a language derived via a Curry-Howard isomorphism. While very expressive, the language is strictly stratified so that dependent types for functional terms can be enforced during communication, but neither processes nor channels can appear in functional terms. We briefly speculate on how this limitation might be overcome to arrive at a fully dependent concurrent type theory.
Unique Expression Pattern and Functional Role of Periostin in Human Limbal Stem Cells

Periostin is a non-structural matricellular protein. Little is known about periostin in human limbal stem cells (LSCs). This study was to explore the unique expression pattern and functional role of periostin in maintaining the properties of human LSCs. Fresh donor corneal tissues were used to make cryosections for evaluation of periostin expression on ex vivo tissues. Primary human limbal epithelial cells (HLECs) were generated from limbal explant culture. In vitro culture models for proliferation and epithelial regeneration were performed to explore functional role of periostin in LSCs. The mRNA expression was determined by reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and the protein production and localization were detected by immunofluorescent staining and Western blot analysis. Periostin protein was found to be exclusively immunolocalized in the basal layer of human limbal epithelium. Periostin localization was well matched with nuclear factor p63, but not with corneal epithelial differentiation marker Keratin 3. Periostin transcripts was also highly expressed in limbal than corneal epithelium. In primary HLECs, periostin expression at mRNA and protein levels was significantly higher in 50% and 70% confluent cultures at exponential growth stage than in 100% confluent cultures at slow growth or quiescent condition. This expression pattern was similar to other stem/progenitor cell markers (p63, integrin β1 and TCF4). Periostin expression at transcripts, protein and immunoreactivity levels increased significantly during epithelial regeneration in wound healing process, especially in 16-24 hours at wound edge, which was accompanied by similar upregulation and activation of p63, integrin β1 and TCF4. Our findings demonstrated that periostin is exclusively produced by limbal basal epithelium and co-localized with p63, where limbal stem cells reside. Periostin promotes HLEC proliferation and regeneration with accompanied activation of stem/progenitor cell markers p63, integrin β1 and TCF4, suggesting its novel role in maintaining the phenotype and functional properties of LSC.
Simultaneous Removal of Multiple Heavy Metal Ions from River Water Using Ultrafine Mesoporous Magnetite Nanoparticles

The exploration of simultaneous removal of co-existing or multiple pollutants from water by the means of nanomaterials paves a new avenue that is free from secondary pollution and inexpensive. In the aquatic environment, river water contains a mixture of ions, which can influence the adsorption process. In this respect, removing heavy metal ions becomes a true challenge. Here, four heavy metal ions, namely, Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+, have been successfully removed simultaneously from river water using ultrafine mesoporous magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (UFMNPs) based on the affinity of these metal ions toward the UFMNP surfaces as well as their unique mesoporous structure, promoting the easy adsorption. The individual removal efficiencies of Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ ions from river water were 98, 87, 90, and 78%, respectively, whereas the removal efficiencies of the mixed Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ ions were 86, 80, 84, and 54%, respectively, in the same river water. Thus, the data clearly indicate the complex removal of heavy metal ions in multi-ion systems. This study has demonstrated the huge potential of UFMNPs to be effective for their use in wastewater treatment, especially to simultaneously remove multiple heavy metal ions from aqueous media.
Normal weight obesity: a risk factor for cardiometabolic dysregulation and cardiovascular mortality.

AIMS We hypothesized that subjects with a normal body mass index (BMI), but high body fat (BF) content [normal weight obesity (NWO)], have a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic dysregulation and are at higher risk for cardiovascular (CV) mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS We analysed 6171 subjects >20 years of age from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the NHANES III mortality study, whose BMI was within the normal range (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), and who underwent a complete evaluation that included body composition assessment, blood measurements, and assessment of CV risk factors. Survival information was available for >99% of the subjects after a median follow-up of 8.8 years. We divided our sample using sex-specific tertiles of BF%. The highest tertile of BF (>23.1% in men and >33.3% in women) was labelled as NWO. When compared with the low BF group, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in subjects with NWO was four-fold higher (16.6 vs. 4.8%, P < 0.0001). Subjects with NWO also had higher prevalence of dyslipidaemia, hypertension (men), and CV disease (women). After adjustment, women with NWO showed a significant 2.2-fold increased risk for CV mortality (HR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.03-4.67) in comparison to the low BF group. CONCLUSION Normal weight obesity, defined as the combination of normal BMI and high BF content, is associated with a high prevalence of cardiometabolic dysregulation, metabolic syndrome, and CV risk factors. In women, NWO is independently associated with increased risk for CV mortality.
On the Hausdorff h-measure of cantor sets

We estimate the Hausdorff measure and dimension of Cantor sets in terms of a sequence given by the lengths of the bounded complementary intervals. The results provide the relation between the decay rate of this sequence and the dimension of the associated Cantor set. It is well-known that not every Cantor set on the line is an s-set for some 0 < s < 1. However, if the sequence associated to the Cantor set C is nonincreasing, we show that C is an h-set for some continuous, concave dimension function h. We construct the function h from the sequence associated to the set C.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms and the Risk of Hypertension in an Indian Population

Genetic variants of eNOS gene play a significant role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Many environmental factors have, also, been implicated in the aetiology of hypertension. We carried out an age-matched case-control study among adults. Hypertension was defined according to JNC-VII criteria and eNOS gene polymorphisms were determined by PCR and PCR followed by PCR-RFLP. eNOS intron 4 aa genotype (adjusted OR 6.81; 95% CI 2.29–20.25) and eNOS 894TT genotype (adjusted OR 7.84; 95% CI 2.57–23.96) were associated with the risk of hypertension. Tobacco users (either smoking/chewing or both) with eNOS intron 4 aa genotype (OR 14.00: 95% CI 1.20–163.37), eNOS 894GG genotype (OR 5.56: 95% CI 3.72–8.31), and eNOS T-786C CC genotype (OR 9.00: 95% CI 1.14–71.04) were at an increased risk of hypertension. Similarly a significant gene-environment interaction was observed between individuals consuming alcohol with eNOS intron 4 aa genotype (OR 12.00: 95% CI 1.20–143.73) and eNOS 894GG genotype (OR 1.95: 95% CI 1.35–2.81). The present study identified few susceptible genotypes of the eNOS gene with the risk of hypertension. Moreover, the interactive effects between the environmental factors and the risk of hypertension were dependent on the eNOS genotypes.
Exploring the behaviour and wellbeing of UK schoolchildren using multi-informant reports

It has been suggested that polyphenols are linked to behaviour and wellbeing. A randomised chronic 10-week, parallel group, double blind, placebo controlled study investigated the effects of daily consumption of a flavanone-rich orange juice drink compared with a placebo on behaviour and wellbeing in 8 to 10 year old healthy schoolchildren (n=32). As the intervention study aimed to use data collected, from multiple informants using measures of behaviour and wellbeing, this thesis also aimed to establish the value of self-report measures in the accurate reflection of a child’s behavioural and emotional difficulties, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The tool development work explored the psychometric properties of SDQ data collected from different informants; parents, teachers and the children themselves, in a sample of healthy young schoolchildren aged 8 to 10 years old (n=126). The study found that the internal reliability, inter-rater agreement and concurrent validity of the SDQ, when completed by the adult informants (parents and teachers) were satisfactory and consistent with previous research. The structural validity of the teacher informant data supported the original five-factor structure of the SDQ as proposed by Goodman (1994). While, the parent informant data generated a four-factor solution and the children’s self-reported data produced a three-factor solution, which appeared to reflect young children’s categorisation of behaviours and traits. Overall, the factor structure generated provides valid information about behaviour and wellbeing in children as young as 8 years old. The randomised chronic 10-week, parallel group, double blind, placebo controlled study, then used the tool development to investigate the effects of daily consumption of a flavanone-rich orange juice drink compared with a placebo on behaviour and wellbeing (using the SDQ, RCADS and SNAP-IV) in 8 to 10 year old healthy schoolchildren (n=32). This exploratory study did not find any effect of the flavanone-rich dietary intervention on any measures of behaviour and wellbeing, as reported by any of the informants. Taken together, the research presented in this thesis highlights the importance of assessing the validity and reliability of measures used to assess the behaviour and wellbeing of young children in clinical practice and research. It also provides an indication of how these measures might be further developed for future work in the field.