Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive correlates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population-based study in Italy

Background There is less data available regarding the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a population-based series. Methodology Patients with ALS incident in Piemonte, Italy, between 2009 and 2011 underwent an extensive neuropsychological battery. Cognitive status was classified as follows: normal cognition, frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD), executive cognitive impairment (ALS-ECI), non-executive cognitive impairment (ALS-NECI), behavioural impairment (ALS-Bi), non-classifiable cognitive impairment. We also assessed 127 age-matched and gender-matched controls identified through patients’ general practitioners. Results Out of the 281 incident patients, 207 (71.9%) underwent the neuropsychological testing; of these, 19 were excluded from the analysis due previous conditions affecting cognition. Ninety-one (49.7%) patients were cognitively normal, 23 (12.6%) had ALS-FTD, 36 (19.7%) ALS-ECI, 10 (5.5%) ALS-NECI, 11 (6.0%) ALS-Bi and 11 (6.0%) non-classifiable cognitive impairment, 1 had comorbid Alzheimer's disease. Patients with ALS-FTD were older, had a lower education level, and had a shorter survival than any other cognitive group. Of the nine cases with C9ORF72 mutation, six had ALS-FTD, two ALS-ECI and one was cognitively normal; one of the five patients with SOD1 mutations and one of the five patients with TARBDP mutations had ALS-Bi. Conclusions About 50% of Italian patients with ALS had some degree of cognitive impairment, in keeping with a previous Irish study, despite the largely different genetic background of the two populations. The lower educational attainment in patients with ALS-FTD indicated a possible role of cognitive reserve in ALS-related cognitive impairment. ALS-ECI and ALS-NECI may represent discrete cognitive syndromes in the continuum of ALS and FTD.
Auditory Azimuthal Localization Performance in Water as a Function of Prior Exposure

Objective: We report two psychoacoustical experiments that assessed the relationship between auditory azimuthal localization performance in water and duration of prior exposure to the milieu. Background: The adaptability of spatial hearing abilities has been demonstrated in air for both active and passive exposures to altered localization cues. Adaptability occurred faster and was more complete for elevation perception than for azimuth perception. In water, spatial hearing is believed to solely rely on smaller than normal cues-to-azimuth: interaural time differences. This should produce a medial bias in localization judgments toward the center of the horizontal plane, unless the listeners have adapted to the environment. Method: Azimuthal localization performance was measured in seawater for eight azimuthal directions of a low-frequency (<500 Hz) auditory target. Seventeen participants performed a forced-choice task in Experiment 1. Twenty-eight other participants performed a pointing task in Experiment 2. Results: In both experiments we observed poor front/back discrimination but accurate left/right discrimination, regardless of prior exposure. A medial bias was found in azimuth perception, whose size decreased as the exposure duration of the participant increased. Conclusion: The study resembles earlier results showing that passive exposure to altered azimuth cues elicits the adaptability of internal audio-spatial maps, that is, the behavioral plasticity of spatial hearing abilities. Application: Studies of the adaptability of the auditory system to altered spatial information may yield practical implications for scuba divers, hearing-impaired listeners with reduced sensitivity to spatial cues, and various normal-hearing users of virtual auditory displays.
Foreign-language experience in infancy: Effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning

Infants acquire language with remarkable speed, although little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the acquisition process. Studies of the phonetic units of language have shown that early in life, infants are capable of discerning differences among the phonetic units of all languages, including native- and foreign-language sounds. Between 6 and 12 mo of age, the ability to discriminate foreign-language phonetic units sharply declines. In two studies, we investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions for reversing this decline in foreign-language phonetic perception. In Experiment 1, 9-mo-old American infants were exposed to native Mandarin Chinese speakers in 12 laboratory sessions. A control group also participated in 12 language sessions but heard only English. Subsequent tests of Mandarin speech perception demonstrated that exposure to Mandarin reversed the decline seen in the English control group. In Experiment 2, infants were exposed to the same foreign-language speakers and materials via audiovisual or audio-only recordings. The results demonstrated that exposure to recorded Mandarin, without interpersonal interaction, had no effect. Between 9 and 10 mo of age, infants show phonetic learning from live, but not prerecorded, exposure to a foreign language, suggesting a learning process that does not require long-term listening and is enhanced by social interaction.
NTU/PU model simulations and observed flow over mountains

The National Taiwan University/Purdue (NTU/PU) nonhydrostatic model is used to study mountain waves, hydraulic jumps, and lee vortices. The NTU/PU model is based on a compressible and three-dimensional system of equations with a terrain-following vertical coordinate. A major advantage of the model is the use of a modified forward-backward integration scheme that retains internal gravity waves but suppresses unwanted sound waves. In flow around an isolated ideal elliptical mountain, the simulated flow from the NTU/PU model spreads broadly in the crosswind direction with a well-defined stagnation point at the windward side of the mountain. Two semi-idealized downslope wind cases were conducted using the real topography at White Sand Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, USA. Our simulated flows including hydraulic jumps and vortex shedding in the lee of the Organ Mountains agree very well with observations for the case on 25 January 2004, at 15 UTC, but the discrepancy is somewhat larger for the case on 19 January 2004, at 15 UTC. This paper shows that the model results are sensitive to the detailed numerical schemes, filters, and physics, etc. It also suggests that more observations and improvements are required for a model to realistically simulate the flow over complex terrain.
Cultural Continuity and the Rise of the Millennials: Generational Trends in Politics, Religion, and Economic Values

Drawing on data from over 100,000 Americans from face-to-face structured interviews, in this dissertation I document large, statistically significant intergenerational shifts in party affiliation, religious identification, and economic values and beliefs. These differences remain even after adjusting for baseline controls as well as multilevel models that model age and year effects as distinct from cohort effects. There are three main findings regarding intergenerational change and cultural identity. First, I find that about half of millennials in America do not identify with a major political party, which is explained by changing demographic conditions as well as plummeting support for mainstream political parties. Second, I show that about one-third of millennials do not identify with any religious group, which is accounted for in part by a greater percentage growing up in non-traditional religious households as well as changing attitudes related to science and technology. Finally, regarding economic views I document growing support for government-led wealth redistribution combined with plummeting levels of trust across all measures. The most robust factor for these shifting economic views are greater levels of job insecurity among younger cohorts. Taken together, these findings underscore that, although emerging gradually from a continual process of intergenerational replacement, millennials have emerged as a distinct cultural group with the potential to significantly alter the political, religious, and economic lineaments of American society.
The Templeton Crocker Expedition. VII. Caridean Decapod Crustacea from the Gulf of California and the west coast of Lower California

[Note : This is the seventh of a series of papers dealing with the specimens collected on the Twenty-fourth or Templeton Crocker Expedition of the Depar tment of Tropical Research of the New York Zoological Society; Will i am Beebe, Director. For data on dredges, localities, dates, etc., concerning t h e capture of t he specimens t rea ted in th is paper, refer to the present volume of Zoologica, No. 2, pp. 33 to 46. ]
Biopolymer nanoparticle production for controlled release of biopharmaceuticals

Abstract For drug applications, nanoparticles, used as drug carriers, offer the advantage of controlled release, therapeutic impact and targeted delivery. In drug delivery applications, biodegradable polymers can be extracted from natural sources or prepared synthetically by polymerization. Natural polymers typically have varying compositions and physiochemical properties. As a result, methods which utilize natural polymers to encapsulate drugs are more varied and polymer dependent. The following polymers are discussed in this review article: alginate, chitosan, gelatin, albumin, gliadin, pullulan, and dextran. Specialized encapsulation nanotechnologies will be discussed such as ionotropic gelation, complexation, the reverse microemulsion technique, cross-linking methods, emulsion-dependent methods, desolvation methods and self-assembly methods. For each biopolymer an overview of the structure is presented with the corresponding encapsulation techniques. Understanding the structure of the biopolymer is important as to not only understand the rational for current encapsulation techniques but to continue to develop new encapsulation techniques in pursuit of the ideal drug carrier for application in therapeutic treatments.
Fear and Loathing (And Bribery) in the Workplace: Worker Perceptions of Employer Responses to Union Organizing

This exploratory article examines the antecedents of worker perceptions of employer responses to union organizing drives. Although previous research has cited employer opposition as a critical factor in the union organizing process, almost no research has focused on worker perceptions of employer opposition. No previous research has attempted to model such worker percep­ tions. In developing and testing such a model, this article helps call attention to the distinction between nominal and effective rights, effective rights as seen by those on whom the law confers rights in principle. Using data from the Union Image Survey, this article presents evidence on worker perceptions and tests preliminary hypotheses on their causes. Consistent with expec­ tations, results indicate that private sector workers, those most dissatisfied with their jobs, those perceiving that a union could improve employment terms, and those having an unfavorable image of their employer are most likely to anticipate employer coercion in response to a union organizing drive. Contrary to expectations, prior experience in union representation elections was not found to predict worker perceptions of employer responses. Public policy implications and future research needs are discussed in a concluding section. *An earlier version of this article was presented at a poster session of the annual meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, Boston, January 1994.
Measuring Trust

We combine two experiments and a survey to measure trust and trustworthi- ness—two key components of social capital. Standard attitudinal survey questions about trust predict trustworthy behavior in our experiments much better than they predict trusting behavior. Trusting behavior in the experiments is predicted by past trusting behavior outside of the experiments. When individuals are closer socially, both trust and trustworthiness rise. Trustworthiness declines when partners are of different races or nationalities. High status individuals are able to elicit more trustworthiness in others.
Associations Among Attachment, Sexuality, and Marital Satisfaction in Adult Chilean Couples: A Linear Hierarchical Models Analysis

This study aimed to explore the associations among attachment system type, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction in adult couples in stable relationships. Participants were 294 couples between the ages of 20 and 70 years who answered self-administered questionnaires. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that the anxiety and avoidance, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction dimensions were closely related. Specifically, the avoidance dimension, but not the anxiety dimension, corresponded to lower levels of sexual and marital satisfaction. Moreover, for the sexual satisfaction variable, an interaction effect was observed between the gender of the actor and avoidance of the partner, which was observed only in men. In the marital satisfaction dimension, effects were apparent only at the individual level; a positive relation was found between the number of years spent living together and greater contentment with the relationship. These results confirm the hypothetical association between attachment and sexual and marital satisfaction and demonstrate the relevance of methodologies when the unit of analysis is the couple.
Next Generation Writing at the Secondary Level for Students with Learning Disabilities

James was an eighth grade middle school student who did not enjoy writing. Similar to many students across the country, James’s writing activities were increasing across subject areas in response to the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Although his special education teacher, Ms. Felix, found him to be very creative and interested in technology, she was unsure about the new standards. James was diagnosed with a language-based learning disability (LD) and had individualized education program goals for writing. Ms. Felix was concerned about how she would be able to support his writing for the new CCSS. She also recognized that writing expectations would increase for James as he transitioned to high school, where he would be expected to communicate his knowledge in written form more often and at a deeper level in response to the new standards. Ms. Felix was encouraged by James’s enthusiasm for technology, so she decided to seek evidence-based practices of writing instruction merged with technology to support James’s ability to meet the CCSS for writing in science and ease his transition to high school.
Chinese clients' belief systems about psychological problems in Singapore

This study explores Singaporean Chinese clients' beliefs about psychological problems by comparing their beliefs with those of non-clients and professional counsellors. These three samples were asked to indicate the extent to which they would agree with three belief models, the Chinese indigenous model, the Western psychological model, and the other model. It was found that clients and non-clients were more likely than therapists to endorse the indigenous belief model. Amongst the indigenous sub-models, Chinese medicine was the most endorsed across the three samples; and clients and non-clients endorsed Chinese medicine more than therapists did. The indigenous belief model, especially Chinese medicine was endorsed more by Buddhist and Taoist clients than Christian or non-religionist clients; and by clients holding lower educational qualifications.
Activation of EGFR on monocytes is required for human cytomegalovirus entry and mediates cellular motility

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) rapidly induces a mobile and functionally unique proinflammatory monocyte following infection that is proposed to mediate viral spread. The cellular pathways used by HCMV to initiate these biological changes remain unknown. Here, we document the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the surface of human peripheral blood monocytes but not on other blood leukocyte populations. Inhibition of EGFR signaling abrogated viral entry into monocytes, indicating that EGFR can serve as a cellular tropism receptor. Moreover, HCMV-activated EGFR was required for the induction of monocyte motility and transendothelial migration, two biological events required for monocyte extravasation into peripheral tissue, and thus viral spread. Transcriptome analysis revealed that HCMV-mediated EGFR signaling up-regulated neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP), an actin nucleator whose expression and function are normally limited in leukocytes. Knockdown of N-WASP expression blocked HCMV-induced but not phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced monocyte motility, suggesting that a switch to and/or the distinct use of a new actin nucleator controlling motility occurs during HCMV infection of monocytes. Together, these data provide evidence that EGFR plays an essential role in the immunopathobiology of HCMV by mediating viral entry into monocytes and stimulating the aberrant biological activity that promotes hematogenous dissemination.
Implementation of Multi-Curie Production of 99mTc by Conventional Medical Cyclotrons

99mTc is currently produced by an aging fleet of nuclear reactors, which require enriched uranium and generate nuclear waste. We report the development of a comprehensive solution to produce 99mTc in sufficient quantities to supply a large urban area using a single medical cyclotron. Methods: A new target system was designed for 99mTc production. Target plates made of tantalum were coated with a layer of 100Mo by electrophoretic deposition followed by high-temperature sintering. The targets were irradiated with 18-MeV protons for up to 6 h, using a medical cyclotron. The targets were automatically retrieved and dissolved in 30% H2O2. 99mTc was purified by solid-phase extraction or biphasic exchange chromatography. Results: Between 1.04 and 1.5 g of 100Mo were deposited on the tantalum plates. After high-temperature sintering, the 100Mo formed a hard, adherent layer that bonded well with the backing surface. The targets were irradiated for 1–6.9 h at 20–240 μA of proton beam current, producing up to 348 GBq (9.4 Ci) of 99mTc. The resulting pertechnetate passed all standard quality control procedures and could be used to reconstitute typical anionic, cationic, and neutral technetium radiopharmaceutical kits. Conclusion: The direct production of 99mTc via proton bombardment of 100Mo can be practically achieved in high yields using conventional medical cyclotrons. With some modifications of existing cyclotron infrastructure, this approach can be used to implement a decentralized medical isotope production model. This method eliminates the need for enriched uranium and the radioactive waste associated with the processing of uranium targets.
Cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults

Objective: To perform serial neuropsychological assessments to detect vascular risk factors for cognitive decline in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort, a large biracial, multisite, longitudinal investigation of initially middle-aged individuals. Methods: The authors administered cognitive assessments to 10,963 individuals (8,729 white individuals and 2,234 black individuals) on two occasions separated by 6 years. Subjects ranged in age at the first assessment from 47 to 70 years. The cognitive assessments included the delayed word recall (DWR) test, a 10-word delayed free recall task in which the learning phase included sentence generation with the study words, the digit symbol subtest (DSS) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised and the first-letter word fluency (WF) test using letters F, A, and S. Results: In multivariate analyses (controlling for demographic factors), the presence of diabetes at baseline was associated with greater decline in scores on both the DSS and WF (p < 0.05), and the presence of hypertension at baseline was associated with greater decline on the DSS alone (p < 0.05). The association of diabetes with cognitive decline persisted when analysis was restricted to the 47- to 57-year-old subgroup. Smoking status, carotid intima–media wall thickness, and hyperlipidemia at baseline were not associated with change in cognitive test scores. Conclusions: Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were positively associated with cognitive decline over 6 years in this late middle-aged population. Interventions aimed at hypertension or diabetes that begin before age 60 might lessen the burden of cognitive impairment in later life.
Use of Supplemental Vitamin D Among Infants Breastfed for Prolonged Periods

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate of vitamin D supplementation in predominantly breastfed children. To identify patient characteristics, parental beliefs, and practitioner policies associated with supplementation. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in a practice-based research network. Network pediatricians completed a survey regarding their policy on vitamin D supplementation for breastfed infants. Parents of children 6 to 24 months old completed a survey on the initial type of feeding given to the child, length of breastfeeding, formula supplementation, and use of multivitamins. Parents indicated their level of agreement with statements regarding vitamin D supplementation. RESULTS: Among 44 responding pediatricians, 36.4% indicated that they recommended vitamin D supplementation for all breastfed infants. A total of 2364 surveys were completed on age-eligible children; 1140 infants were breastfed for at least 6 months with little or no formula supplementation. The rate of vitamin D use for these infants was 15.9%. Use of vitamin D was significantly associated with parental agreement that their child's pediatrician recommended supplementation (odds ratio [OR]: 7.8), and that vitamins are unnecessary because breast milk has all needed nutrition (OR: 0.12). Among parents of predominantly breastfed infants who indicated that their child's doctor recommended vitamin D, 44.6% gave the supplementation to their child. Conversely, 67% of parents agreed that breast milk has all needed nutrition, and only 3% of these parents gave vitamin D to their children. CONCLUSIONS: A minority of breastfed infants received vitamin D supplementation. Educational efforts directed at both physicians and parents are needed to increase compliance with vitamin D supplementation guidelines.
Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Exploring Relational Resilience to Long-Term Psychosocial Consequences of Abuse by Previous Partners

There is a significant gap in the research literature surrounding couples that demonstrate relational resilience to a member’s prior experience with intimate partner violence. This article focuses on relational resilience of intimate partner violence survivors who are in new relationships with non-violent partners. Interviews were conducted with 11 participants and analyzed using Grounded Theory. The goal of the research was to explore the process of moving from violent to non-violent relationships, and how survivors of violent relationships experienced their own relational resilience. The resulting data and theory are reviewed in this article.
Examining the decoupling hypothesis for India

This paper examines the decoupling hypothesis for India. We analyse business cycle synchronisation between India and a set of industrial economies, particularly the United States, over the period 1992 to 2008. The evidence suggests that the Indian business cycle exhibits increasing co-movement with business cycles in industrial economies over this period. Indian business cycle synchronisation is stronger with industrial countries as a whole as opposed to the co-movement found with the US.