Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrical stimulation alters FMD and arterial compliance in extremely inactive legs.

PURPOSE The main aim of the study was to assess the effect and time course of 4 wk of electrically induced leg training on arterial compliance and endothelial function. METHODS Six spinal cord-injured (SCI) individuals participated in 4 wk of daily one-leg functional electrical stimulation (FES) training for 30 min per session. Eight able-bodied individuals served as a control group (C) and were tested on one occasion. Echo Doppler measurements were performed before the FES training and after 1, 2, and 4 wk of training to measure vascular characteristics of femoral artery (FA), brachial artery (BA), and carotid artery (CA). RESULTS Baseline arterial compliance of FA (SCI: 0.0185 +/- 0.063 mm2 x mm Hg(-1); C: 0.066 +/- 0.017 mm2 x mm Hg(-1), P = 0.001) and CA (SCI: 0.073 +/- 0.02 mm2 x mm Hg(-1); C: 0.102 +/- 0.02 mm2 x mm Hg(-1), P = 0.02) was significantly decreased in SCI. Baseline endothelial function in the leg was significantly enhanced in SCI compared with C (SCI: 11 +/- 1.3%; C: 7.9 +/- 0.9%, P = 0.001). No differences between the groups were found for arterial compliance and endothelial function in the arm. Vascular changes after FES training showed an increase in arterial compliance (significant at week 4, P < 0.05) and a decrease in FMD response (significant at weeks 2 and 4, P < 0.05) in the FA of the trained leg only, with no changes evident in the other arteries examined. CONCLUSION Daily electrically induced training of an extremely deconditioned leg appears to enhance arterial compliance in the femoral artery and may normalize endothelial function.
Avaliação neuropsicológica em alcoolistas e dependentes de cocaína

The aim of this study was to assess cognitive functioning in a sample of 12 alcohol-dependent and 12 cocaine-dependent inpatients in a treatment facility center for substance dependence. The following instruments were used for the neuropsychological assessment: WAIS-III subtests (Digit Span, Arithmetic, Sequence of Letters and Numbers); COWAT; Trail Making Test; Stroop Task; and Frontal Assessment Battery. Overall, alcohol-dependent subjects exhibit a poorer performance than cocaine-dependent subjects on the neuropsychological measures. Significant differences betweengroups were found for the Stroop Task and Trail Making Test (Part B), suggesting deficits in attention, executive functions, and inhibitory control among alcohol-dependent subjects. When compared with normative data, participants (alcohol- and cocaine-dependent) had below-average scores on the neuropsychological measures
A Family with Heritable Electrocardiographic QT-prolongation

A report is presented concerning a family with heritable electrocardiographic QT-prolongation attacks of syncope and possible sudden death. In 23 family members investigated, nine living cases were found to have the anomaly. Of these nine patients at least two had had syncopes in early childhood. Hearing loss was found in three of the nine patients, but in one of them this could have been due to noise trauma and in another hearing loss was unilateral. The inheritance follows an autosomal dominant pattern. As far as we know this is the first report of this disease from The Netherlands.
The Best Interests of the Child: Decision-Making Factors

This study examines the factors considered by professionals working within the family court arena when they apply the standard of best interests of children to make a determination about where a child should reside. This study uses a qualitative design based on the critical incident technique. Recorded interviews were conducted with all respondents using a semi-structured format in which they were asked to delineate the factors they relied on to make a decision in a case in which they were involved. Results indicate that professionals rely on three domains to make decisions using the best interests standard: precipitating events, guiding principles, and case variables. Respondents also generally agreed that the best interests of children as a standard can be subjectively interpreted to the detriment of clear and unbiased decisions. Recommendations for use of these domains in decision-making concerning the best interests of children are proposed as a guard against the subjective interpretation of the standard.
An Object-Oriented Multiscale Verification Scheme

Abstract Object-oriented verification methodology is becoming more and more common in the evaluation of model performance on high-resolution grids. The research herein describes an advanced version of an object-oriented approach that involves a combination of object identification on multiple scales with Procrustes shape analysis techniques. The multiscale object identification technique relies heavily on a novel Fourier transform approach to associate the signals within convection to different spatial scales. Other features of this new verification scheme include using a weighted cost function that can be user defined for object matching using different criteria, delineating objects that are more linear in character from those that are more cellular, and tagging object matches as hits, misses, or false alarms. Although the scheme contains a multiscale approach for identifying convective objects, standard minimum intensity and minimum size thresholds can be set when desirable. The method was tested as par.
Three-dimensional culture of epidermal cells on ordered cellulose scaffolds

An ordered cellulose film scaffold, termed a nematic ordered cellulose (NOC) template, had unique surface properties and successfully induced the establishment of a three-dimensional (3D), hierarchical structure of epidermal cells by cell attachment and subsequent culture. Initially, the scaffold surface properties were characterized through contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy to evaluate appropriate hydrophobicity and orientation of molecular chains for 3D culture. The template surfaces exhibited higher hydrophobicity, in the range of 70–75°, than usual cellulose films and appeared suitable for surface cell adhesion. In fact, epidermal cells successfully attached and proliferated favorably on the NOC templates, similar to development in normal culture flasks. Furthermore, the NOC film, as a semipermeable template, was also employed to allow 3D proliferation of epidermal cell layers in the perpendicular direction. The template proved to be suitable as a 3D cell culture device, resulting in the proposal that the construction processes of these 3D cell layers followed the basic concept of skin formation.
Teacher-Parent Relations and Professional strategies: A Case Study on Documentation and Talk about Documentation in a Swedish Preschool

THE ARTICLE IS FRAMED by a project designed to study the teacher profession in a current Swedish preschool through work on systematic documentation of quality. Questions deal with how teachers handle the demands on visibility, how they perform and what aspects of the teaching profession will be exposed and what parts will be silenced. This article examines documentation directed towards parents in one public preschool setting over a school year. Apart from weekly parental letters, the data consisted of observations from a staff meeting focusing on teachers' talk while producing the yearly quality account (QA), the content of the final written QA and a follow-up interview. In this case, the requirement of involving the parents in the work on systematic documentation is a traditional but recently clearly expressed policy in the Swedish Education Act. Analysis is based on theories of education policy and how the policy needs to be handled in the local context by the teachers, and theories on the teacher profession and professionalism. The results show that professional strategies like keeping distance vs. keeping closeness are connected to teacher–parent relations such as trust and mate relations. Teacher–parent relations as emotional were found in talks about documentation, and professional strategies to obscure and neutralise were found in relation to the QA.
Avian orientation: the pulse effect is mediated by the magnetite receptors in the upper beak

Migratory silvereyes treated with a strong magnetic pulse shift their headings by approximately 90°, indicating an involvement of magnetite-based receptors in the orientation process. Structures containing superparamagnetic magnetite have been described in the inner skin at the edges of the upper beak of birds, while single-domain magnetite particles are indicated in the nasal cavity. To test which of these structures mediate the pulse effect, we subjected migratory silvereyes, Zosterops l. lateralis, to a strong pulse, and then tested their orientation, while the skin of their upper beak was anaesthetized with a local anaesthetic to temporarily deactivate the magnetite-containing structures there. After the pulse, birds without anaesthesia showed the typical shift, whereas when their beak was anaesthetized, they maintained their original headings. This indicates that the superparamagnetic magnetite-containing structures in the skin of the upper beak are most likely the magnetoreceptors that cause the change in headings observed after pulse treatment.
Exercise Training Normalizes Sympathetic Outflow by Central Antioxidant Mechanisms in Rabbits With Pacing-Induced Chronic Heart Failure

Background— In a recent study, we demonstrated that an increase in oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla plays a critical role in the sympathoexcitation observed in chronic heart failure (CHF). Growing evidence indicates that exercise training evokes an antioxidative effect in CHF. In the present study, we therefore hypothesized that long-term exercise exerts its beneficial effect on autonomic activity in CHF via central antioxidative mechanisms. Methods and Results— Experiments were performed on New Zealand White rabbits. All rabbits were instrumented to measure mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity and to test baroreflex sensitivity. Exercise training significantly decreased baseline renal sympathetic nerve activity (65.8±5.2% to 41.3±3.9% of Max [where “Max” is the maximum renal sympathetic nerve activity induced by a 50-mL puff of smoke directed to the external nares of the rabbit], P<0.05) and increased the maximal gain of the baroreflex curves for heart rate (2.2±0.2 to 4.6±0.7 bpm per mm Hg, P<0.01) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (1.9±0.2% to 4.5±0.4% of Max per mm Hg, P<0.01) in CHF rabbits. Exercise training increased expression of CuZn superoxide dismutase (0.3±0.1 to 1.5±0.3 [ratio of CuZn superoxide dismutase to tubulin], P<0.01) and decreased NAD(P)H oxidase subunit gp91phox protein expression (1.9±0.2 to 1.2±0.1 [ratio of gp91phox to tubulin], P<0.05) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of CHF rabbits. Central overexpression of CuZn superoxide dismutase dose-dependently decreased baseline renal sympathetic nerve activity (control, 68.5±7.1% of Max; 1010 particles of adenovirus, 53.2±4.4% of Max; and 1011 particles of adenovirus, 33.7±3.5% of Max; P<0.05) in CHF rabbits. Conclusions— These results suggest that an upregulation in central antioxidative mechanisms and suppressed central prooxidant mechanisms may contribute to the exercise training–induced beneficial effects on autonomic activity in CHF.
A truncated CFTR protein rescues endogenous ∆F508‐CFTR and corrects chloride transport in mice

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is most frequently associated with deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 (∆F508) in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. The ∆F508‐CFTR mutant protein exhibits a folding defect that affects its processing and impairs chloride‐channel function. This study aimed to determine whether CFTR fragments approximately half the size of wild‐type CFTR and complementary to the portion of CFTR bearing the mutation can specifically rescue the processing of endogenous ∆F508‐CFTR in vivo. cDNA encoding CFTR fragments were delivered to human airway epithelial cells and mice harboring endogenous ∆F508‐CFTR. Delivery of small CFTR fragments, which do not act as chloride channels by themselves, rescue ∆F508‐CFTR Therefore, we can speculate that the presence of the CFTR fragment, which does not harbor a mutation, might facilitate intermolecular interactions. The rescue of CFTR was evident by the restoration of chloride transport in human CFBE41o‐ bronchial epithelial cells expressing ∆F508‐CFTR in vitro. More important, nasal administration of an adenovirus expressing a complementary CFTR fragment restored some degree of CFTR activity in the nasal airways of ∆F508 homozy‐gous mice in vivo. These findings identify complementary protein fragments as a viable in vivo approach for correcting disease‐causing misfolding of plasma membrane proteins. —Cormet‐Boyaka, E. , Hong, J. S. , Ber‐diev, B. K. , Fortenberry, J. A. , Rennolds, J., Clancy, J. P., Benos, D. J., Boyaka, P. N. , Sorscher, E. J. A truncated CFTR protein rescues endogenous ∆F508‐CFTR and corrects chloride transport in mice. FASEB J. 23, 3743‐3751 (2009). www.fasebj. org
Combining Social Concepts: The Role of Causal Reasoning

Abstract Four studies examined how people combine social concepts that have conflicting implications (e.g., Harvard-educated and carpenter). Several kinds of evidence indicated that such combinations are guided by causal reasoning that draws upon both causal relations contained within the constituent concepts and on broader world knowledge. Open-ended descriptions of members of combinations contained explicit causal descriptors, as. well as emergent attributes not used to describe members of constituents. Ratings of the likelihood that combination members possessed various attributes were not fully predicted by comparable ratings of constituents. Causal reasoning appeared to be most pervasive for combinations viewed as more surprising, suggesting that surprise may have triggered the generation of causal accounts.
Inter‐cultural adolescent ritual practice

Scholars disagree as to whether or not a homogeneous global youth culture exists. This study explores the nuances and glocalisation of authentic adolescent ritual practice/s in Scotland and the USA. The high school prom is a ritual imported recently to the UK from the USA. This study reports on questionnaire responses and focus group data with adolescents in Scotland and US exchange students at UK universities. The study probes the assumptions and realities that constitute authentic appropriation of this event. Scottish adolescents' perceptions of US high school prom practice emphasises the presence of indexical cues whereas Scottish practice relies on the iconic. Indexical and iconic cues are interdependent for US respondents. Future research opportunities as well as marketing implications are provided. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE OF FLUVOXAMINE VERSUS MIANSERIN IN DEPRESSED PATIENTS IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SUMMARY This study examined the psychomotor and antidepressant effects of fluvoxamine in a depressed, GP patient population, compared to those of mianserin. It was a single centre, double‐blind, six‐week study, preceded by a one‐week pre‐treatment placebo washout, in 59 patients suffering from major depressive episode (DSM III) and scoring over 24 on MADRS. The starting dose was 100 mg fluvoxamine or 60 mg mianserin daily for one week, rising to 300 mg fluvoxamine or 180 mg mianserin.
THE USE OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION TO IMPROVE MOTOR CONTROL AND FUNCTION OF THE UPPER EXTREMITY AFTER STROKE : A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Electrical stimulation is one of the strategies used to treat the affected arm in stroke patients. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the available evidence on the effect of electrical stimulation in improving motor control and arm function thus far. A systematic literature search yielded seven randomized clinical trials. The methodological scores ranged from 7 to 16 (out of 19). Different methods of stimulation were applied to heterogeneous patient groups. All studies reported a statistically significant effect of electrical stimulation on motor control. Only two studies assessed the effect on arm function, one reports a positive effect. No relation between effect and patient characteristics, method of stimulation and/or methodological quality could be detected. In conclusion this review suggest a positive effect of electrical stimulation on motor function. No conclusion can be drawn with respect to arm function. Introduction/Background Functional impairment of the upper extremity is one of the disabling consequences of a stroke. A majority of stroke patients experience the impaired arm function as a major problem. In the quest for better therapeutic possibilities for the affected arm, many studies have been carried out to assess the effect of different interventions. Electrical stimulation is one of the strategies under study. A meta-analysis of four RCTs supports the use of electrical stimulation to promote recovery of muscle strength after stroke [1]. But only one of the four studies evaluated the effect of stimulation of the upper extremity [2]. Since then interesting critical reviews considering the application of electrical stimulation on upper as well as lower extremity in stroke have been published [3,4,5]. The overall conclusion in these reviews is that electrical stimulation has potential benefits on both upper and lower extremity. The evidence for application of electrical stimulation to the affected arm for improvement of motor control and function remains uncertain. The available evidence thus far has not yet been evaluated in a systematic and explicit way. The present systematic review was carried out to answer the following research question: what is the available evidence regarding the effect of electrical stimulation on motor control and functional abilities of the affected arm in stroke patients? In addition a second question was formulated: is there a relation between reported effects and patient characteristics, method of stimulation or methodological quality?
Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Women

Although various factors associated with eating disorders have been studied, no comprehensive source of research findings was identified in this review. The purpose of this study was to identify and synthesize research findings of factors associated with eating disorders in women published from 1992-2008. These findings may be useful to nurses, other professionals, families, and the public to facilitate the prevention, recognition, treatment, and rehabilitation of women with eating disorders. The factors most closely associated with eating disorders identified through this review were depression, sexual abuse, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, early pubertal onset, and the personality traits of perfectionism and impulsivity. No factor was identified as causal, but sexual abuse and anxiety disorders most commonly preceded the eating disorder. Findings varied among eating disorder subtypes, with sexual abuse and substance abuse more common with bulimic symptomology, while depression and anxiety disorders were commonly associated with both anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Perfectionism was most common in anorexics; in one study, it was identified independent of stress and persisted after recovery. Limitations noted in the research reviewed included using self-report questionnaires, some small samples, exclusion of some eating disorder subtypes, and a predominant use of cross-sectional and clinical samples. Recommendations for further research included using large epidemiological samples containing multiple subtypes and males, as well as longitudinal studies and methods to determine causal relationships among eating disorders and the associated factors identified. Implications for nursing education, practice, and policy development focused on improving screening during physical examinations and interviews, posing questions to facilitate disclosure, addressing emotions elicited, and suggestions for routine monitoring of patients in clinical settings. Republication not permitted without written consent of the author. 1 Knowles: Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Women Published by STARS, 2007 THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL 12 www.URJ. ucf.edu 3: 11-21
Sex and the Net: Clinical Implications

Sex “surfing” has become one of the more popular features of the Internet. Virtually every type of sexually conventional and unconventional sexual interest can be accessed via the Net, including pictures and movies, sounds and stories, and real-time interactions. Given the widespread appeal, volume, and easy accessibility of sexual material on the Internet, it is not surprising that issues involving “netsex” have entered the consulting room. Clinical issues stemming from involvement with netsex fall into three overlapping categories: (1) those involving the gay, straight, or transgendered individual; (2) those involving couples, and (3) those involving individuals with paraphilias.
Neuromyths: Why Do They Exist and Persist?

Neuroeducation—a recent approach to educational policy—claims that a bridge should be established between education and mind-brain sciences, with the double aim of devising educational methods that work and of understanding why they work. The success of this encounter depends, among other conditions, on getting the science right; otherwise, neuroeducation and science-informed policies risk doing more harm than good. On several occasions, the cognitive and brain sciences have been misunderstood, and misused: neuromyths—the misconceptions about the mind and brain functioning—have blossomed, thus raising both theoretical and pragmatic concerns. This article addresses the origin, persistence, and potential side-effects of neuromyths in education. The hypothesis is put forward that the persistence of neuromyths is sustained by specific cultural conditions, such as the circulation of pieces of information about the brain and the appetite for brain news, but has its roots in deeper cognitive intuitions.
Los Grandes Olvidados: Las Personas Mayores en el Entorno Rural

La heterogeneidad en las personas mayores es enormemente variada, pudiendose distinguir perfiles en funcion del sexo, la edad, la situacion economica, los niveles culturales, la forma de habitat, la composicion de la estructura familiar, el estado de salud, la forma de envejecer, etc. Los objetivos de este articulo son identificar formas de vida de envejecer en el entorno rural y concretar propuestas de intervencion que conduzcan a favorecer estilos de vida mas activos y participativos. En total se hicieron 7 entrevistas en profundidad a expertos, 21 entrevistas a personas mayores, 5 entrevistas a profesionales y dos grupos focales de profesionales y agentes sociales significativos. En los resultados se identifican 4 estilos diferenciados de envejecimiento como una oportunidad para el cambio, una etapa natural de la vida, un momento a compensar y un momento de abandono. Para concluir concretamos propuestas de intervencion que conduzcan a favorecer estilos de vida mas activos y participativos en los diferentes contextos y que sirvan de ayuda a los profesionales responsables de los servicios de atencion a las personas mayores.
Age Differences in Adults' Free Recall of Pictorial and Word Stimuli.

Prior research has shown that adults generally remember pictorial stimuli better than printed words. The present study was designed to determine whether memory for these two visual modes might be differentially affected by age. Two female groups averaging 22.1 and 69.4 years of age received 8 trials on lists of 20 items presented as pictures or printed words. Pictorial stimuli were recalled better than the word stimuli by both age groups (p < .01), and the young subjects made fewer errors than the older subjects on both types of material (p < .001). The interaction of the age and visual mode variables was not significant. These results provide further evidence that memory processes in the elderly differ only quantitatively and not qualitatively from those employed by the young.