Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How do roots and suffixes influence reading of pseudowords: A study of young Italian readers with and without dyslexia

The study explored the different influences of roots and suffixes in reading aloud morphemic pseudowords (e.g., vetr-ezza, “glass-ness”). Previous work on adults showed a facilitating effect of both roots and suffixes on naming times. In the present study, pseudoword stimuli including roots and suffixes in different combinations were administered to sixth-grade children with dyslexia (N=22) and skilled readers (N=44), matched for chronological age. Indeed, the sequential reading strategy of less proficient readers (particularly for pseudowords) should favour the emergence of differences between left and right constituents (root and suffix, respectively) in reading performance. Results showed that for both children with dyslexia and skilled young readers the onset of pronunciation depended exclusively on roots, while there was no significant effect of suffixes. However, both roots and suffixes led to higher levels of accuracy than matched orthographic strings of letters. Posthoc regression analyses confirmed the morphological nature of the root and suffix effects, over and above the effects of the frequency of their orthographic patterns. Results indicate that the position of the reading units within the letter string, as well as their differential effects on latencies and accuracy, should be taken into account by models of morphological processing in word recognition and reading and by applied intervention research.
Trends in Clinically Significant Pain Prevalence Among Hospitalized Cancer Patients at an Academic Hospital in Taiwan

AbstractClinically significant pain (CSP) is one of the most common complaints among cancer patients during repeated hospitalizations, and the prevalence ranges from 24% to 86%. This study aimed to characterize the trends in CSP among cancer patients and examine the differences in the prevalence of CSP across repeated hospitalizations.A hospital-based, retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic hospital. Patient-reported pain intensity was assessed and recorded in a nursing information system. We examined the differences in the prevalence of worst pain intensity (WPI) and last evaluated pain intensity (LPI) of ≥4 or ≥7 points among cancer inpatients from the 1st to the 18th hospitalization. Linear mixed models were used to determine the significant difference in the WPI and LPI (≥4 or ≥7 points) at each hospitalization.We examined 88,133 pain scores from the 1st to the 18th hospitalization among cancer patients. The prevalence of the 4 CSP types showed a trend toward a reduction from the 1st to the 18th hospitalization. There was a robust reduction in the CSP prevalence from the 1st to the 5th hospitalization, except in the case of LPI ≥ 7 points. The prevalence of a WPI ≥ 4 points was significantly higher (0.240-fold increase) during the 1st hospitalization than during the 5th hospitalization. For the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hospitalizations, there was a significantly higher prevalence of a WPI ≥ 4 points compared with the 5th hospitalization. We also observed significant reductions in the prevalence of a WPI ≥ 7 points during the 1st to the 4th hospitalizations, an LPI ≥ 4 points during the 1st to the 3rd hospitalizations, and an LPI ≥ 7 points during the 1st to the 2nd hospitalization.Although the prevalence of the 4 CSP types decreased gradually, it is impossible to state the causative factors on the basis of this observational and descriptive study. The next step will examine the factors that determine the CSP prevalence among cancer patients. However, based on these positive findings, we can provide feedback to nurses, physicians, and pharmacists to empower them to be more committed to pain management.
Non-Catalytic RISCs and Kinetics Determine Mammalian siRNA Sub-Cellular Localization

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are fundamental to the regulation of cell function. Much is known about its gene interfering mechanism, but a kinetic description of it is still lacking. Here, we derived a set of reaction-diffusion equations for multiple RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) pathways that give quantitative temporal and spatial descriptions of the siRNA process in mammalian cell, and are able to correctly describe all salient experimentally observed patterns of sub-cellular siRNA localization, including those that, at first glance, appear irreconcilable. These results suggest siRNA sub-cellular localization mainly concerns the non-catalytic RISC-target complex, and is caused by the selectiveness of RISC-target interaction and the permeability of the nuclear membrane to siRNA strands but not to RISC-target complexes. Our method is expected to be useful in devising RNAi based cell regulation strategies.
Snapshots of Protein Dynamics and Post-translational Modifications In One Experiment—β-Catenin and Its Functions*

β-catenin plays multiple roles in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and in cell-cell adhesion complexes. In addition, β-catenin is a proto-oncogene and activating β-catenin mutations are relevant in the genesis of colorectal, hepatocellular and other common cancers. Different functions of β-catenin as transcriptional co-activator or cell adhesion molecule are orchestrated by changes in concentration and phosphorylation as well as its ability to complex with proteins such as cadherins or transcription factors. Detailed quantitative and time-resolved analysis of β-catenin, based on the evaluation of the changes in the Wnt pathway, enable greater insights into health- and disease-related β-catenin function. The present paper describes a novel suspension bead array assay panel for β-catenin, which requires minimal amounts of sample and is able to relatively quantify total β-catenin, the extent of phosphorylation at multiple sites and the ratio of complexed and free β-catenin. This is the first study to combine three biochemical methods—sandwich immunoassay, co-immunoprecipitation, and protein-protein interaction assay—in one suspension bead assay panel. The assay was used to measure changes in the concentration of eight different β-catenin forms in HEK293 cells in a time-resolved manner. In contrast to the general consensus, our study demonstrates an increase in β-catenin phosphorylated at Ser-45 upon treatment of cells with rWnt3a or a GSK3 inhibition; we also link C-terminal phosphorylation of β-catenin on Ser-552 and Ser-675 with canonical Wnt signaling.
Death and injuries on the road: Critical issues for legislative action and law enforcement

The aims of this report included a review of international studies of traffic law enforcement measures, their cost effectiveness and relevance for Australian conditions; the legislative provisions, particularly in relation to drink driving which are effective and the most appropriate strategies for road safety benefits. The emphases were on the appropriateness of current laws, the effectiveness of current drink driving legislation and the cost effectiveness of such measures. The distinction, in both theoretical and practical terms, between fixed and transient offences needs to be recognised before implementation of countermeasures can be successful. Fixed offences (where the driver cannot change the condition, such as driving while drunk) and transient offences (where the behaviour or condition can be altered, such as speeding) have differing implications for methods used. Highly visible operations like random breath testing are appropriate as a deterrent for fixed offences, but transient behaviours may require less visible operations. Deterrent measures are only effective in a general, not in a specific sense. Specific deterrent measures (punishment for offenders) have only about a quarter of the potential of general deterrents (advertising the penalties and enforcement methods) for, only a minority of offenders are caught. There are significant differences between Australian conditions and those in overseas jurisdictions so that the results of research based on overseas experience are not necessarily applicable in this country. A combination of both radical interventions at the environmental level and traditional enforcement methods are needed if the pressures or opportunities to commit offences or have crashes are to be reduced. (TRRL)
A Ty1 cell-type-specific regulatory sequence is a recognition element for a constitutive binding factor

Ty transposable-element insertion mutations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can cause cell-type-dependent activation of adjacent-gene expression. Several cis-acting regulatory regions within Ty1 are responsible for the effect of Ty1 on adjacent-gene expression. One of these is the block II sequence that was defined by its homology to mammalian enhancers and to the yeast a1-alpha 2 control site. Tandem copies of a 57-base-pair region encompassing block II caused an additive increase in expression of the CYC7 reporter gene in the absence of other Ty1 sequences. The activation of gene expression by the multiple repeats was abolished in a/alpha diploid cells. A specific complex between a constitutive factor in whole-cell extracts and the DNA regulatory element was observed. The protein-binding site for the constitutive factor coincided with the block II element. Base-pair substitutions within the binding site abolished the ability of the block II element to function as a component of the Ty1 activator and to form the factor-DNA complex. The correlation between complex formation and reporter gene expression indicates that factor binding to the cis-acting element is essential for this element to function as a component of the Ty1 activator.
Therapeutic Effects of Maternal Melatonin Administration on Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Oxidative Cerebral Damage in Neonatal Rats

Background: We have previously demonstrated that prophylactic administration of melatonin to pregnant rats can protect against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced oxidative cerebral damage in fetal rats. However, the effects of maternal administration of melatonin after an ischemic episode on the brains of neonatal rats exposed to oxidative stress in utero have not been evaluated. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether maternal administration of melatonin after an ischemic episode can prevent oxidative cerebral damage in neonatal rats. Methods: The utero-ovarian arteries were occluded bilaterally for 30 min in female Wistar rats on day 16 of pregnancy to induce fetal ischemia. Reperfusion was achieved by releasing the occlusion and restoring circulation. Melatonin solution (10 mg/kg) or vehicle was injected intraperitoneally at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 h after reperfusion. After surgery, melatonin solution (20 µg/ml) or vehicle was administered freely via drinking water up to vaginal delivery. Control rats underwent a sham operation. We collected brain tissue from neonatal rats that were delivered naturally and measured the respiratory control index (RCI) as indicators of mitochondrial respiratory activity. Histological evaluation was performed on the cornu ammonis (CA1) and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. Results: I/R significantly reduced the RCI, but melatonin administration at postreperfusion hour 0 or 1 reversed I/R-induced reductions in the RCI. In contrast, melatonin administration at postreperfusion hours 3–12 had no protective effect. Histological analysis revealed a decrease in the ratio of normal to whole pyramidal cell number in the CA1 and CA3 regions in the I/R group. While melatonin administration within 3 h protected against degeneration, administration 6 h after reperfusion failed to protect. Conclusions: These results suggest that maternal administration of melatonin within 1 h after an ischemic/oxidative episode can prevent I/R-induced oxidative cerebral damage in neonatal rats.
Effectiveness of an educational intervention on the attitudes toward sport psychology of athletic training students

Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on the Attitudes Toward Sport Psychology of Athletic Training Students Damien Clement, M.S., M.A., ATC Although previous research of athletes’ attitudes toward sport psychology consulting (Anderson et al. 2004, Martin, 2005) has proven its usefulness, the literature seems to be lacking any similar assessment of athletic training students’ attitudes toward sport psychology. Neither has the effectiveness of an educational intervention been assessed with regard to athletic training students’ attitudes toward sport psychology. This is surprising given the important role that sport psychology plays in injury rehabilitation. As a result, the primary aim of the current study was to assess the attitudes of athletic training students toward sport psychology and, subsequently, determine the effectiveness of an education intervention on their attitudes toward sport psychology. A secondary aim was to determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention on athletic training students’ sport psychology behaviors. Athletic training students (N = 160) were assessed using a modified version of the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised Form (Martin et al. 2002). Athletic training students’ attitudes toward sport psychology were also evaluated with respect to their gender and experience with sport psychology. Results revealed that female athletic training students scored significantly lower on the cultural preference scale (M = 3.57, SD = 1.11) than their male counterparts (M = 3.91, SD = 0.90), t (157.9) = 2.14, p < 0.05, ES = 0.14. Furthermore, females also scored significantly lower on the personal openness scale (M = 4.47, SD = 0.91) when compared to males (M = 4.96, SD = 0.95), t (158) = 3.6, p < 0.05, d = 0.3. Additionally, athletic training students who had experience with sport psychology scored significantly higher on confidence in sport psychology consulting (M = 4.67, SD = 0.74) than those who had no previous experience (M = 4.38, SD = 0.90), t (158) = 2.26, p < 0.05, d = 0.2). When a series of 2 X 3 repeated measures ANOVAs were computed to determine the differential effect of the educational intervention on athletic training students’ attitudes, scores on the confidence in sport psychology consulting scale significantly increased for the members of the experimental group from pre-test to post-test. F (1.17, 316) = 6.86, p < . 01, ES = . 04. Additionally, a 2 X 2 repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention on sport psychology behaviors revealed that members of the experimental group reported a significant increase in their reported use of sport psychology behaviors when compared to those in the control group F (1, 158) = 496, p < . 01, ES = . 75. The practical implications of these results will be discussed within the context of injury rehabilitation.
Insights into the Function of YciM, a Heat Shock Membrane Protein Required To Maintain Envelope Integrity in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is an essential organelle that is important for cell shape and protection from toxic compounds. Proteins involved in envelope biogenesis are therefore attractive targets for the design of new antibacterial agents. In a search for new envelope assembly factors, we screened a collection of Escherichia coli deletion mutants for sensitivity to detergents and hydrophobic antibiotics, a phenotype indicative of defects in the cell envelope. Strains lacking yciM were among the most sensitive strains of the mutant collection. Further characterization of yciM mutants revealed that they display a thermosensitive growth defect on low-osmolarity medium and that they have a significantly altered cell morphology. At elevated temperatures, yciM mutants form bulges containing cytoplasmic material and subsequently lyse. We also discovered that yciM genetically interacts with envC, a gene encoding a regulator of the activity of peptidoglycan amidases. Altogether, these results indicate that YciM is required for envelope integrity. Biochemical characterization of the protein showed that YciM is anchored to the inner membrane via its N terminus, the rest of the protein being exposed to the cytoplasm. Two CXXC motifs are present at the C terminus of YciM and serve to coordinate a redox-sensitive iron center of the rubredoxin type. Both the N-terminal membrane anchor and the C-terminal iron center of YciM are important for function.
The two sides of goal intentions: Intention self-concordance and intention strength as predictors of physical activity

Objective: The present research introduces an extended conceptualisation of self-concordance, which is considered an attribute not only of goals, but also of goal intentions. Based on a corresponding operationalisation, we investigate the interplay of both intention strength and intention self-concordance in the prediction of physical activity. Design: Data were taken from a longitudinal study of 134 obese people who were asked to fill out a questionnaire three times every six months. Main measures: Physical activity and intention self-concordance were measured by validated scales. Intentions strength was assessed by an item typically employed in the extant literature. Results: Logistic regression analyses and path analyses showed both intention strength and self-concordance to be significant predictors of changes in physical activity over time. Additional analyses found self-efficacy to be a significant predictor of intention strength and self-concordance; for outcome expectations this was not the case. Conclusions: Findings support the idea that intention strength and self-concordance are two critical facets of a goal intention that need to be considered in the prediction of physical activity participation. Whereas intention strength refers to the degree of determination with which a goal intention is adopted, self-concordance rather captures the quality of this intention.
Outcomes of infants born at 22–27 weeks' gestation in Victoria according to outborn/inborn birth status

Objectives To compare mortality and serious morbidity rates between outborn and inborn livebirths at 22–27 weeks' gestation. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting Victoria, Australia. Patients Livebirths at 22–27 weeks' gestation free of major malformations in 2010–2011. Interventions Outcome data for outborn (born outside a tertiary perinatal centre) infants compared with inborn (born in a tertiary perinatal centre) infants were analysed by logistic regression, adjusted for gestational age, birth weight and sex. Main outcome measures Infant mortality and serious morbidity rates to hospital discharge. Results 541 livebirths free of major malformations were recorded. By 1 year, 49 (58%) outborns and 140 (31%) inborns died (adjusted OR (aOR) 2.78, 95% CI 1.52 to 5.09, p=0.001). In total, 445 infants were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); 93 died by 1 year (14/49 outborns and 79/396 inborns), (aOR 1.75, 95% CI 0.87 to 3.55, p=0.12). There were no significant differences in rates of necrotising enterocolitis, intraventricular haemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or the combined outcome of death or BPD in outborn infants compared with inborn infants. Outborns had an increased risk of cystic periventricular leukomalacia (cPVL) compared with inborns (12.2% vs 2.8%, respectively; aOR 5.34, 95% CI 1.84 to 15.54, p=0.002). Conclusions Mortality rates remained higher for outborn livebirths at 22–27 weeks' gestation compared with inborn peers in 2010–2011. Outborn infants admitted to NICU did not have substantially different rates of mortality or serious morbidity compared with inborns, with the exception of cPVL. Longer-term health consequences of outborn birth before 28 weeks' gestation need to be determined.
Heart rate chaos in obstructive sleep apnea in children

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children is associated with a bradytachyarrhythmia during an obstructive event. Polysomnographic recordings were obtained from 15 children; 9 had OSAS (apnea/hypopnea index = 13.6 /spl plusmn/ 8.2/hr, mean /spl plusmn/ SD) and 6 normal controls. Heart rate variability was analyzed for the presence of chaotic dynamics. Using a 5-minute sliding window, chaos was detected using numerical titration technique. In both groups, REM had a higher chaotic intensity than NREM sleep (p < 0.05). Furthermore, chaos was significantly increased during periods with apneic events compared to stable breathing. These data indicate that sleep state and disordered breathing are important determinants of the autonomic control of heart rate chaos in children.
European Regional Development Policies: History and Current Issues

Sandy Dall'erba is a graduate student at the Centre d'Analyse Technique et de Traitement des données économiques at the Université de Pau in Pays de l'Adour, France. His research interests include EU regional economic policy, European economic integration, and the impact of policy decisions on economic growth in European Union member states. He wrote this paper while studying at the the Regional Abstract: The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the European regional development funds do not allow simultaneous achievement of goals of efficiency and equity when they are dedicated to financing transportation infrastructures. The paper first gives some insights on the history and the nature of regional development funds. Then we focus on the degree to which Ireland, Spain and Portugal (but not Greece), the main beneficiaries of regional policies, have been able to move to the European average (in terms of per capita income) since their membership in the EU, which also corresponds to the time when regional assistance was initiated in these countries. Empirical evidence also reveals that income disparities are increasing among regions within each of these countries and this raises the question as to whether the impact of regional funds is or is not rather favorable to this particular convergence pattern, given that one of the primary objectives of regional funding has been to ensure greater cohesion over the whole European territory. The answer comes mainly from the type of infrastructure regional funds finance. Since a significant part of regional funds is devoted to transportation issues, their impact on regional development has to be seen in the light of characteristics of the transport sector and the specific requirements in transport of each individual sector. The paper concludes that transportation infrastructures promote the country's aggregate growth but cannot be seen as an efficient instrument to reduce interregional disparities in Europe.
Glucose metabolism in cardiovascular surgery

During the past few years, it has become evident that metabolic control is a major determinant of postoperative outcomes, not only for diabetic patients but for all patients undergoing surgery. In cardiac and vascular surgery, myocardial ischemia is a common challenge and the management of hyperglycemia should be part of the strategy aimed at optimizing cardiac protection during these types of surgery, since performed in high risk patients. Little informations are available on the relation between glucose substrate and the type of anesthesia and few studies have been performed on glucose metabolism in the perioperative risk assessment as well as on intraoperative and post surgical management of hyperglycemia in patients submitted to cardiac and vascular surgery. Evidence exists that even slight increased in glycemia are detrimental for patients (diabetic and non) elective for cardiac and vascular surgery, though the precise details of the timing of insulin therapy, the desired target serum glucose level, and the duration of therapy are so far to be completely elucidated. Anesthestiologists can therefore affect outcome by simply preserving a normal blood glucose concentration initiating in the operating room. The challenge to optimize glucose control should begin during preoperative evaluation.