Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malaria and Early African Development: Evidence from the Sickle Cell Trait

We examine the effect of malaria on economic development in Africa over the very long run. Using data on the prevalence of the mutation that causes sickle cell disease, we measure the impact of malaria on mortality in Africa prior to the period in which formal data were collected. Our estimate is that in the more afflicted regions, malaria lowered the probability of surviving to adulthood by about ten percentage points, which is twice the current burden of the disease. The reduction in malaria mortality has been roughly equal to the reduction in other causes of mortality. We then ask whether the estimated burden of malaria had an effect on economic development in the period before European contact. Using data at the ethnic group level, we find little evidence of a negative relationship between malaria burden and population density or other measures of development.
A Bayesian approach for task recognition and future human activity prediction

Task recognition and future human activity prediction are of importance for a safe and profitable human-robot cooperation. In real scenarios, the robot has to extract this information merging the knowledge of the task with contextual information from the sensors, minimizing possible misunderstandings. In this paper, we focus on tasks that can be represented as a sequence of manipulated objects and performed actions. The task is modelled with a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN), which takes as input manipulated objects and performed actions. Objects and actions are separately classified starting from RGB-D raw data. The DBN is responsible for estimating the current task, predicting the most probable future pairs of action-object and correcting possible misclassification. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated on a case of study, consisting of three typical tasks of a kitchen scenario.
Neural circuitry and light responses of the dopamine amacrine cell of the turtle retina.

PURPOSE To understand the circuitry and electrophysiology of the dopamine cells in the turtle retina. METHODS Preembedding immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (Toh) was done on vibratome sections of turtle retina. Resultant Toh-immunoreactive (Toh-IR) amacrine cells were then serially thin-sectioned for analysis by electron microscopy (EM). Some sections of Toh-IR cells also were post-embedding immunostained for glycine and GABA content. Intracellular recordings and dye markings were made from the turtle eyecup and slice preparation to determine the light responses of cells called A28, which have the same morphology as Toh-IR amacrine cells. RESULTS Physiologically A28 cells were L-type (luminosity) and gave sustained depolarizing (ON-center) responses to light pulses. High intensity light pulses produced immediate transients and long depolarizations, lasting beyond the stimulus duration. An after-hyperpolarization and an antagonistic surround could be elicited. EM reconstruction of a Toh-IR cell revealed new circuitry over that described before (Pollard, J. & Eldred, W.D. (1990). J. Neurocytol. 19, 53-66). Bipolar ribbon synapses occurred in all three dendritic tiers. However, amacrine cell inputs dominated numerically (95% amacrine input, 5% bipolar input) many of them in a serial synaptic configuration. GABA+ inputs were seen but not glycine+ inputs. Output from Toh-IR profiles was primarily to large ganglion cell dendrites but also to bipolar cell axons, GABA-IR amacrines, unspecified amacrine cells and other Toh-IR dendrites. CONCLUSIONS The synaptology of the dopamine cells of the turtle retina suggests that sustained inhibitory amacrine cell pathways, including GABAergic pathways, are chiefly responsible for their response characteristics at low light levels. Conversely, at higher light intensities, transient excitatory amacrine cells probably have influence.
THE EFFECT OF NEED FOR COGNITION, SELF-ENHANCEMENT MOTIVE, AND LEARNING ORIENTATION ON SALE EMPLOYEES' CREATIVITY

Employee's creativity is one of the most important factors affecting employees' performance. The aim of the present research was to investigate the effect of three personal characteristics of. need for cognition, self-enhancement motive, and learning orientation on sale employees' creativity. The research employed a descriptive design. The research population consisted of Sale employees of food companies located in industrial areas of Mazandaran provine. The sample included all the population members (269 sale employees). To gather the data, Need for Cognition (Cacioppo et al., 1996), Self-Enhancement Motive (Yun et al., 2007), Learning Orientation (Elliot and Church, 1997) and Creativity (Zhou and George, 2001) questionnaires were used. Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis were used for data analysis by using SPSS and LISREL softwares. Results of the study indicated the significant positive effect of need for cognition on creativity (P<0.01), learning orientation has on creativity (P<0.01), Based on the research and self- enhancement employees, creativity (P<0.01). Based on the results, it can be concluded that sale employees who have stronger need for cognition, learning orientation and self-enhancement motive are more creative than other sale employees.
Nonlinear factor recovery for long-term SLAM

For long-term operations, graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) approaches require nodes to be marginalized in order to control the computational cost. In this paper, we present a method to recover a set of nonlinear factors that best represents the marginal distribution in terms of Kullback–Leibler divergence. The proposed method, which we call nonlinear factor recovery (NFR), estimates both the mean and the information matrix of the set of nonlinear factors, where the recovery of the latter is equivalent to solving a convex optimization problem. NFR is able to provide either the dense distribution or a sparse approximation of it. In contrast to previous algorithms, our method does not necessarily require a global linearization point and can be used with any nonlinear measurement function. Moreover, we are not restricted to only using tree-based sparse approximations and binary factors, but we can include any topology and correlations between measurements. Experiments performed on several publicly available datasets demonstrate that our method outperforms the state of the art with respect to the Kullback–Leibler divergence and the sparsity of the solution.
Next-Generation Sequencing of Stage IV Squamous Cell Lung Cancers Reveals an Association of PI3K Aberrations and Evidence of Clonal Heterogeneity in Patients with Brain Metastases.

UNLABELLED Large-scale genomic characterization of squamous cell lung cancers (SQCLC) has revealed several putative oncogenic drivers. There are, however, little data to suggest that these alterations have clinical relevance. We performed comprehensive genomic profiling (including next-generation sequencing) of 79 stage IV SQCLCs and analyzed differences in the clinical characteristics of two major SQCLC subtypes: FGFR1 amplified and PI3K aberrant. Patients with PI3K-aberrant tumors had aggressive disease marked by worse survival (median overall survival, 8.6 vs. 19.1 months, P < 0.001), higher metastatic burden (>3 organs, 18% vs. 3%, P = 0.025), and greater incidence of brain metastases (27% vs. 0% in others, P < 0.001). We performed whole-exome and RNA sequencing on paired brain metastases and primary lung cancers to elucidate the metastatic process to brain. SQCLC primaries that gave rise to brain metastases exhibited truncal PTEN loss. SQCLC brain metastases exhibited a high degree of genetic heterogeneity and evidence of clonal differences between their primary sites. SIGNIFICANCE We performed next-generation sequencing of metastatic SQCLCs and primary lung-brain metastasis pairs, identifying PI3K-aberrant tumors as an aggressive subset associated with brain metastases. We identified genetic heterogeneity between lung primaries-brain metastases as well as clonal populations that may highlight alterations important in the metastatic process.
Some Immunochemical Properties of Dextransucrase and Invertase from Streptococcus mutans

Dextransucrase and invertase of some strains of Streptococcus mutans were examined by immunodiffusion with antisera against enzymes purified from strain HS-6 (Bratthall's serotype a). Both antisera cross-reacted with crude enzyme preparations from the other serotype a (strains HS-1 and AHT) and d organisms (strains KIR, OMZ176, and OMZ65) but not with those from serotype b (strains FA-1 and BHT) or c organisms (strains GS-5, Ingbritt, and NCTC 10449). Based upon the antiserum used, the orders of antigenic similarity of the cross-reacting enzymes to the HS-6 enzymes were HS-6 > HS-1 > AHT = KIR = OMZ176 = OMZ65 for dextransucrase and HS-6 = HS-1 > AHT = KIR = OMZ176 = OMZ65 for invertase. It was found that the enzymes from serotype a organisms were not always antigenically homogeneous, as seen between strains HS-6, HS-1, or AHT for dextransucrase, and between the HS group and strain AHT for invertase. Antiserum against the HS-6 dextransucrase markedly inhibited the heterologous dextransucrases of serotype a organisms with the exception of strain HS-1 and d organisms, with or without the addition of dextran.
Trajectories of Sensory Over-Responsivity from Early to Middle Childhood: Birth and Temperament Risk Factors

Sensory over-responsivity, a subtype of sensory modulation disorder, is characterized by extreme negative reactions to normative sensory experiences. These over-reactions can interfere with daily activities and cause stress to children and their families. The etiology and developmental course of sensory over-responsivity is still largely unknown. We measured tactile and auditory over-responsivity in a population-based, typically developing sample of twins (N=978) at age two years via a caregiver report temperament questionnaire and again at age seven years via a sensory over-responsivity symptom inventory. Participating twins were treated as singletons although all analyses controlled for clustering within families. Children were divided into four trajectory groups based on risk status at both ages: low symptom (N=768), remitted (N=75), late-onset (N=112), and chronic (N=24). A subset of children who screened positive for SOR in toddlerhood (N = 102) took part in a pilot study focused on sensory over-responsivity at four years of age. Children in the chronic group had more severe symptoms of sensory sensitivity at age four years, including more motion sensitivity, than the other trajectory groups. Children in the chronic group had a younger gestational age and were more likely to be low birth-weight than the low symptom group. Differences between remitted and late-onset groups and the low-symptoms group were inconsistent across measures. Sensory over-responsivity was modestly correlated across ages (r = .22 for tactile over-responsivity and r = .11 for auditory over-responsivity), but symptoms were more stable among children born prematurely or who had more fearful and less soothable temperaments. A clear implication is that assessment over development may be necessary for a valid sensory processing disorder diagnosis, and a speculative implication is that sensory over-responsivity symptoms may be etiologically heterogeneous, with different causes of transient and stable symptoms.
Capacity of Secondary Users Exploiting Multispectrum and Multiuser Diversity in Spectrum-Sharing Environments

In spectrum-sharing environments, secondary users are permitted to share the primary user's spectrum only if limited interference to the primary user can be guaranteed. Hence, the capacity of the secondary link is limited by interference constraints given by the primary user. This fact motivated us to investigate selection diversity as a way of enhancing secondary link capacity. Selection diversity in conventional licensed wireless communication systems can be achieved only by selecting the user with the strongest channel gain. On the other hand, spectrum-sharing environments allow the secondary user to select not only the best secondary receiver with the strongest channel gain multiuser diversity (MUD) but the best primary spectrum with the weakest interference link gain multispectrum diversity (MSD) as well, thus doubling the opportunities for the secondary user. In this paper, we analyze the capacity gain of a secondary user exploiting MSD and MUD in spectrum-sharing environments in the form of a closed-form expression in a Rayleigh-fading channel. We then separately extract the MSD and MUD capacity gains, which results in an asymptotic capacity expression. Our results show that MSD and MUD play different roles in capacity enhancement in the spectrum-sharing environment, with capacity enhancement for secondary receivers as a whole and transmit capacity enhancement for the secondary transmitter.
Avian macrophage and immune response: an overview

ABSTRACT Macrophages belong to the mononuclear phagocytic system lineage. This cell type is unique in that it is a crucial player in both the innate and adaptive immune responses. The material described in this overview is a brief description of what I presented as a World's Poultry Science Association-sponsored lecture at the annual meetings of the Poultry Science Association in 2002. Therefore, I have not attempted to present an up-to-date review of literature on this topic. Rather, I have summarized some salient research accomplishments made by our research group over the years in the area of avian macrophage biology and function.
Clinical Trial of Wellness Training: Health Promotion for Severely Mentally Ill Adults

This randomized controlled trial examined benefits of adding active health promotion to basic primary care (BPC) services for SMI adults. It compared BPC with BPC plus wellness training (WT), a 12 months intervention promoting individual skills in self-management. Three hundred nine participants enrolled during short-term residential treatment completed baseline assessments and were assigned to treatment groups, before discharge. Outcomes of perceived health status (SF-36), global assessment of function, and ratings of self-efficacy were assessed at follow-up interviews at 6, 12, and 18 months. The intent-to-treat analysis employed multilevel regression to examine differences by group on outcomes across time, controlling for health related covariates. The WT group showed significantly better outcomes on the SF-36 physical functioning and general health scales. Findings affirm ability of SMI adults to benefit from active health promotion.
DNA Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV Are Dual Targets of Clinafloxacin Action in Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT We examined the response of Streptococcus pneumoniae7785 to clinafloxacin, a novel C-8-substituted fluoroquinolone which is being developed as an antipneumococcal agent. Clinafloxacin was highly active against S. pneumoniae 7785 (MIC, 0.125 μg/ml), and neither gyrA nor parC quinolone resistance mutations alone had much effect on this activity. A combination of both mutations was needed to register resistance, suggesting that both gyrase and topoisomerase IV are clinafloxacin targets in vivo. The sparfloxacin and ciprofloxacin MICs for the parC-gyrAmutants were 16 to 32 and 32 to 64 μg/ml, respectively, but the clinafloxacin MIC was 1 μg/ml, i.e., within clinafloxacin levels achievable in human serum. S. pneumoniae 7785 mutants could be selected stepwise with clinafloxacin at a low frequency, yielding first-, second-, third-, and fourth-step mutants for which clinafloxacin MICs were 0.25, 1, 6, and 32 to 64 μg/ml, respectively. Thus, high-level resistance to clinafloxacin required four steps. Characterization of the quinolone resistance-determining regions of thegyrA, parC, gyrB, andparE genes by PCR, HinfI restriction fragment length polymorphism, and DNA sequence analysis revealed an invariant resistance pathway involving sequential mutations in gyrAor gyrB, in parC, in gyrA, and finally in parC or parE. No evidence was found for other resistance mechanisms. The gyrA mutations in first- and third-step mutants altered GyrA hot spots Ser-83 to Phe or Tyr (Escherichia coli coordinates) and Glu-87 to Gln or Lys; second- and fourth-step parC mutations changed equivalent hot spots Ser-79 to Phe or Tyr and Asp-83 to Ala.gyrB and parE changes produced novel alterations of GyrB Glu-474 to Lys and of Pro-454 to Ser in the ParE PLRGK motif. Difficulty in selecting first-step gyrase mutants (isolated with 0.125 [but not 0.25] μg of clinafloxacin per ml at a frequency of 5.0 × 10−10 to 8.5 × 10−10) accompanied by the small (twofold) MIC increase suggested only a modest drug preference for gyrase. Given the susceptibility of defined gyrA or parC mutants, the results suggested that clinafloxacin displays comparable if unequal targeting of gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Dual targeting and the intrinsic potency of clinafloxacin against S. pneumoniaeand its first- and second-step mutants are desirable features in limiting the emergence of bacterial resistance.
TYPE 2 DIABETES - PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASE APPROACHABLE THROUGH MUSIC THERAPY

A rigorous analysis of medical literature shows tha t there are numerous aspects in which stress is linked to diabetes. Type 2 diabetes implies that th e abnormalities in glucose levels as a result of stress, are associated, on one side, with hormones who are involved in the metabolism of glucose, and on the other side, with stress-induced changes in e ating habits. The psychosomatic perspective on diabetes creates a new approach to the needs and bu rden of a diabetic patient, offers the chance to find the most efficient treatment and improves the doctor-patient relationship based exactly on the understanding of the complex implications of this d isease. Music therapy is an important way of treating psychological disorders as well as psychos omatic diseases because it creates psychological wellness, increases the ability to concentrate and make plans, helps to express emotions and to clarif y thoughts. Music helps patients to relax and reduce s depression and anxiety. In diabetes, some aspects of this therapy help treating the disease and its p ossible complications. The results of our personal study prove the obvious hypoglycemic role of classi c music for type 2 diabetic patients. This beneficial effect preserves itself no matter what t ype of music the subject is listening to (joyful or relaxing). There is no doubt that besides psycholog ical parameters improved through music, the improvement of somatic markers (glycemia) stands by the idea of using music in therapeutic purposes, for type 2 diabetic patients.
Seasonal Variation in the Measurement of Urinary Pesticide Metabolites among Latino Farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina

Abstract This analysis describes the detection of urinary pesticide metabolites for Latino farmworkers across the agricultural season. Two hundred and eighty four farmworkers were recruited from 44 camps in eastern North Carolina in 2007. Data were collected at one month intervals for a total of 939 data points. The OP insecticide metabolites 3,5,6-trichloropyridinol (46.2%), malathion dicarboxylic acid (27.7%), and para-nitrophenol (97.4%); the pyrethroid metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (56.4%); and the herbicides 2,4-D (68.1%), acetochlor (29.2%), and metolachlor (16.9%) were found in sizable percentages of the samples. The percentage of farmworkers for whom metabolites were detected varied across the agricultural season. None of the farmworker characteristics were significantly associated with the detection of any pesticide metabolite. Seasonality overrides the effects of other farmworker characteristics in predicting detection of pesticide urinary metabolites. Future research needs to collect multiple exposure measures at frequent intervals over an extended period to characterize factors associated with exposure.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type I (HSV l)-lnduced Multifocal Central Nervous System (CNS) Demyelination in Mice

Multifocal central nervous system (CNS) demyelination develops in the brains of SJL/J, PL/J, and A/J mice following lip inoculation with a specific strain of herpes simplex virus I (HSV I). The lesions in all three inbred strains of mice share similar characteristics including demyelination, relative preservation of axons, and a mononuclear cell (MNC) infiltrate. The lesions, developing during the early phase of demyelination, also appear sequentially in the CNS (trigeminal root entry zone of the brainstcm > cerebellum > cerebral hemispheres) of all three strains of mice but differ in the time of their initial appearance following infection as well as their morphology. In SJL/J mice, new areas of demyelination are observed for only 24 days following lip inoculation with virus. Late stage multifocal CNS demyelination persists throughout 28 weeks postinoculation (pi) in PL/J mice while in A/J mice the development of new areas of demyelination are restricted to 8 weeks pi. Although mononuclear inflammatory cells are present in the new areas of demyelination in either PL/J or A/J mice, viral antigens are not detected in the CNS beyond 12 days pi. In contrast, in situ hybridization studies using 35S-cDNA HSV probes and performed beyond day 12 pi identify probe-positive cells central to a number of the multifocalCNS demyelinating lesions in A/J mice. Results from studies with inbred and congenic strains of mice indicate that the major histocompatibility complex (H-2) does not determine the development of multifocal CNS demyelination following lip inoculation with HSV I but does influence the morphological appearance of the lesions that do develop.
Clinical Effects of Using HEXORR (Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot) for Movement Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation

ObjectiveThe goals of this pilot study were to quantify the clinical benefits of using the Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot for hand rehabilitation after stroke and to determine the population best served by this intervention. DesignNine subjects with chronic stroke (one excluded from analysis) completed 18 sessions of training with the Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot and a preevaluation, a postevaluation, and a 90-day clinical evaluation. ResultsOverall, the subjects improved in both range of motion and clinical measures. Compared with the preevaluation, the subjects showed significant improvements in range of motion, grip strength, and the hand component of the Fugl-Meyer (mean changes, 6.60 degrees, 8.84 percentage points, and 1.86 points, respectively). A subgroup of six subjects exhibited lower tone and received a higher dosage of training. These subjects had significant gains in grip strength, the hand component of the Fugl-Meyer, and the Action Research Arm Test (mean changes, 8.42 percentage points, 2.17 points, and 2.33 points, respectively). ConclusionsFuture work is needed to better manage higher levels of hypertonia and provide more support to subjects with higher impairment levels; however, the current results support further study into the Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot treatment.