Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of task-specific brain-machine interface training for upper-extremity paralysis in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke.

OBJECTIVE Brain-machine interface training was developed for upper-extremity rehabilitation for patients with severe hemiparesis. Its clinical application, however, has been limited because of its lack of feasibility in real-world rehabilitation settings. We developed a new compact task-specific brain-machine interface system that enables task-specific training, including reach-and-grasp tasks, and studied its clinical feasibility and effectiveness for upper-extremity motor paralysis in patients with stroke. DESIGN Prospective beforeâ€"after study. SUBJECTS Twenty-six patients with severe chronic hemiparetic stroke. METHODS Participants were trained with the brain-machine interface system to pick up and release pegs during 40-min sessions and 40 min of standard occupational therapy per day for 10 days. Fugl-Meyer upper-extremity motor (FMA) and Motor Activity Log-14 amount of use (MAL-AOU) scores were assessed before and after the intervention. To test its feasibility, 4 occupational therapists who operated the system for the first time assessed it with the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST) 2.0. RESULTS FMA and MAL-AOU scores improved significantly after brain-machine interface training, with the effect sizes being medium and large, respectively (p<0.01, d=0.55; p<0.01, d=0.88). QUEST effectiveness and safety scores showed feasibility and satisfaction in the clinical setting. CONCLUSION Our newly developed compact brain-machine interface system is feasible for use in real-world clinical settings.
A Template and Probabilistic Atlas of the Human Sensorimotor Tracts using Diffusion MRI

The purpose of this study was to develop a high-resolution sensorimotor area tract template (SMATT) which segments corticofugal tracts based on 6 cortical regions in primary motor cortex, dorsal premotor cortex, ventral premotor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), and primary somatosensory cortex using diffusion tensor imaging. Individual probabilistic tractography analyses were conducted in 100 subjects using the highest resolution data currently available. Tractography results were refined using a novel algorithm to objectively determine slice level thresholds that best minimized overlap between tracts while preserving tract volume. Consistent with tracing studies in monkey and rodent, our observations show that cortical topography is generally preserved through the internal capsule, with the preSMA tract remaining most anterior and the primary somatosensory tract remaining most posterior. We combine our results into a freely available white matter template named the SMATT. We also provide a probabilistic SMATT that quantifies the extent of overlap between tracts. Finally, we assess how the SMATT operates at the individual subject level in another independent data set, and in an individual after stroke. The SMATT and probabilistic SMATT provide new tools that segment and label sensorimotor tracts at a spatial resolution not previously available.
The association of podocin R229Q polymorphism with increased albuminuria or reduced estimated GFR in a large population-based sample of US adults.

BACKGROUND Rare mutations in nephrosis 2 (NPHS2), encoding podocin, are found in patients with familial and sporadic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. The objective of this study is to assess the contribution of the commonly reported functional podocin polymorphism R229Q to kidney disease in the population at large and replicate a prior study of an association of R229Q and albuminuria in the general population. STUDY DESIGN Large sample of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a population-based prospective study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 4,424 white and 3,746 black middle-aged adults. PREDICTOR Genotype at the R229Q polymorphism in podocin. OUTCOMES Urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as measures of kidney damage/dysfunction. MEASUREMENTS Crude and multivariable adjusted linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS R229Q allele frequencies were 3.7% in 4,424 white and 0.6% in 3,746 black individuals. No significant association of R229Q with increased ACR or decreased eGFR was observed (adjusted odds ratio of ACR > or = 30 mg/g in RQ/QQ versus RR carriers, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.76 to 1.84; adjusted odds ratio of eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) in RQ/QQ versus RR carriers, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.76 to 1.83). As expected, the established kidney disease risk factors hypertension and diabetes mellitus were associated strongly with measures of kidney damage/dysfunction, but the R229Q polymorphism was not associated with an additional increase in kidney disease measures. LIMITATIONS Single measurement of ACR, subsample of all ARIC participants. CONCLUSION No significant association of the relatively rare R229Q variant and ACR or eGFR was found in either white or black individuals. The phenotypic effect of a variant as R229Q would have to be of great magnitude to meaningfully contribute to the risk of kidney disease on a population level. The importance of such variants in the general population, as well as replication studies, can be evaluated best in large community-based studies that allow for accounting of established disease risk factors.
Intraspecific variation in embolism resistance and stem anatomy across four sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) accessions.

Drought-induced xylem embolism is a key process closely related to plant mortality during extreme drought events. However, this process has been poorly investigated in crop species to date, despite the observed decline of crop productivity under extreme drought conditions. Interspecific variation in hydraulic traits has frequently been reported, but less is known about intraspecific variation in crops. We assessed the intraspecific variability of embolism resistance in four sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) accessions grown in well-watered conditions. Vulnerability to embolism was determined by the in situ flow-centrifuge method (cavitron), and possible trade-offs between xylem safety, xylem efficiency and growth were assessed. The relationship between stem anatomy and hydraulic traits was also investigated. Mean P50 was -3 MPa, but significant variation was observed between accessions, with values ranging between -2.67 and -3.22 MPa. Embolism resistance was negatively related to growth and positively related to xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity. There is, therefore, a trade-off between hydraulic safety and growth but not between hydraulic safety and efficiency. Finally, we found that a few anatomical traits, such as vessel density and the area of the vessel lumen relative to that of the secondary xylem, were related to embolism resistance, whereas stem tissue lignification was not. Further investigations are now required to investigate the link between the observed variability of embolism resistance and yield, to facilitate the identification of breeding strategies to improve yields in an increasingly arid world.
Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality

To the Editor: Pilz et al. ([1][1]) found that low levels of 25(OH)D were associated with an increased risk of fatal cancer in patients referred to coronary angiography in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study, with 3,316 study subjects and 95 cancer deaths. They contrast
Inverse Association of Eosinophil Count with Colorectal Cancer Incidence: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background: Allergic conditions are associated with reduced risk of several malignancies. We hypothesized that blood eosinophil count, a marker for allergic disorders, is inversely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities prospective cohort. To our knowledge, the association between blood eosinophil count and cancer risk has not been investigated before. Methods: Relative eosinophil and total leukocyte counts were measured in blood at baseline. Absolute eosinophil counts were calculated by multiplying relative count by the total leukocyte count. Proportional hazards regression provided HRs and 95% CIs of CRC in relation to eosinophil count. Results: From 1987–2006, 242 incident CRC cases (187 colon and 56 rectal) occurred in 10,675 initially cancer-free participants. In a multivariate-adjusted model, HRs were 1.0, 0.70 (95% CI: 0.50–0.98) and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.40–0.83) across tertiles of absolute eosinophil count (Ptrend = 0.003). A similar inverse association was observed for relative eosinophil count. Age, sex, race, or smoking status did not modify associations. Conclusions and Impact: We observed an inverse association between blood eosinophil count and CRC risk. This novel finding supports the hypothesis that allergies are protective for CRC, as an increased eosinophil count correlates with allergy in the developed world. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(9); 1861–4. ©2011 AACR.
How the Prospect of Fault Influences Managers' Compliance

The Securities and Exchange Commission relies heavily on ‘no-fault’ settlements in its enforcement, where targets avoid costly litigation by accepting sanctions without admitting or denying fault. Considerable public debate surrounds the issue but prior research has typically focused on financial dimensions of sanctions. In a contextualized economic experiment, I observe a complicated relationship between fault and compliance, where fault increases managers’ compliance when paired with weak financial penalties but decreases compliance when paired with strong financial penalties. In supplemental analysis I also observe that the participants who bear the costs of managers’ non-compliance incorrectly anticipate fault to have the opposite effect, believing compliance will be lower rather than greater when fault is paired with weak penalties and believing that compliance will be greater rather than lower when fault is paired with strong financial penalties.
Still not adult-like: lexical stress contrastivity in word productions of eight- to eleven-year-olds*

Abstract Lexical stress is the contrast between strong and weak syllables within words. Ballard et al. (2012) examined the amount of stress contrastivity across adjacent syllables in word productions of typically developing three- to seven-year-olds and adults. Here, eight- to eleven-year-olds are compared with the adults from Ballard et al. using acoustic measurements of relative contrast in duration, peak intensity, and peak fundamental frequency of the vowels within the initial two syllables of each word. While eight- to eleven-year-olds are closer to adult-like stress contrastivity than three- to seven-year-olds, they are not yet adult-like in terms of the intensity contrast for words beginning with a weak syllable.
Understanding the determinants of mobile payment continuance usage

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting continuance usage of mobile payment. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the valid responses collected from a survey questionnaire, structural equation modeling (SEM) technology was employed to examine the research model. Findings – The results indicated that performance expectancy, trust in mobile payment and flow affect continuance usage. Among them, flow has a relatively larger effect. In addition, system quality has strong effects on performance expectancy and flow. Research limitations/implications – This research is conducted in China, where mobile internet is still in its early stage. Thus, the results need to be generalized to other countries that have developed mobile internet. Originality/value – Extant research has mainly focussed on the effects of instrumental beliefs such as perceived usefulness on mobile payment user behavior, and has seldom considered the effect of flow experience. This research tries to fill the gap.
Successive Respiratory Syncytial Virus Epidemics in Local Populations Arise from Multiple Variant Introductions, Providing Insights into Virus Persistence

ABSTRACT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a global respiratory pathogen of humans, with infection occurring characteristically as recurrent seasonal epidemics. Unlike influenza viruses, little attention has been paid to the mechanism underlying worldwide spread and persistence of RSV and how this may be discerned through an improved understanding of the introduction and persistence of RSV in local communities. We analyzed 651 attachment (G) glycoprotein nucleotide sequences of RSV B collected over 11 epidemics (2002 to 2012) in Kilifi, Kenya, and contemporaneous data collected elsewhere in Kenya and 18 other countries worldwide (2002 to 2012). Based on phylogeny, genetic distance and clustering patterns, we set out pragmatic criteria to classify local viruses into distinct genotypes and variants, identifying those newly introduced and those locally persisting. Three genotypes were identified in the Kilifi data set: BA (n = 500), SAB1 (n = 148), and SAB4 (n = 3). Recurrent RSV epidemics in the local population were composed of numerous genetic variants, most of which have been newly introduced rather than persisting in the location from season to season. Global comparison revealed that (i) most Kilifi variants do not cluster closely with strains from outside Kenya, (ii) some Kilifi variants were closely related to those observed outside Kenya (mostly Western Europe), and (iii) many variants were circulating elsewhere but were never detected in Kilifi. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that year-to-year presence of RSV at the local level (i.e., Kilifi) is achieved primarily, but not exclusively, through introductions from a pool of variants that are geographically restricted (i.e., to Kenya or to the region) rather than global. IMPORTANCE The mechanism by which RSV persists and reinvades local populations is poorly understood. We investigated this by studying the temporal patterns of RSV variants in a rural setting in tropical Africa and comparing these variants with contemporaneous variants circulating in other countries. We found that periodic seasonal RSV transmission at the local level appears to require regular new introductions of variants. However, importantly, the evidence suggests that the source of new variants is mostly geographically restricted, and we hypothesize that year-to-year RSV persistence is at the country level rather than the global level. This has implications for control.
Personality Predictors of Longevity: Activity, Emotional Stability, and Conscientiousness

Objective: To examine the association between personality traits and longevity. Methods: Using the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, personality traits were assessed in 2359 participants (38% women; age = 17 to 98 years, mean = 50 years) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, starting in 1958. Over the duration of the study, 943 (40%) participants died, on average 18 years after their personality assessment. The association of each trait with longevity was examined by Cox regression controlling for demographic variables. Results: In preliminary analyses among the deceased, those who scored 1 standard deviation (SD) above the mean on General Activity (a facet of Extraversion), Emotional Stability (low Neuroticism), or Conscientiousness lived on average 2 to 3 years longer than those scoring 1 SD below the mean. Survival analyses on the full sample confirmed the association of General Activity, Emotional Stability, and Conscientiousness with lower risk of death, such that every 1-SD increase was related to about 13%, 15%, and 27% risk reduction, respectively. The association of personality traits with longevity was largely independent from the influence of smoking and obesity. Personality predictors of longevity did not differ by sex, except for Ascendance (a facet of Extraversion). Emotional Stability was a significant predictor when the analyses were limited to deaths due to cardiovascular disease, with comparable effect sizes for General Activity and Conscientiousness. Conclusions: In a large sample of generally healthy individuals followed for almost five decades, longevity was associated with being conscientious, emotionally stable, and active. BLSA = Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging; SD = standard deviation; FFM = Five-Factor Model; GZTS = Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey; BMI = body mass index; HR = hazard ratio; CI = confidence interval.
A common anti-CMV drug, ganciclovir, inhibits HIV-1 replication in human tissues ex vivo.

: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common HIV-1 copathogen. Since CMV infection is an important contributor to immune activation, the driving force of HIV disease, an anti-CMV strategy might be beneficial to HIV-infected patients. Shin et al. reported that anti-CMV therapy with valganciclovir in coinfected individuals results in a decrease of HIV viral load that is not accompanied by a decrease of immune activation. This suggests an alternative mechanism for HIV inhibition other than suppression of CMV-mediated inflammation. Here, we show that ganciclovir, the active form of valganciclovir, has a direct suppressive activity on HIV replication in human tissues ex vivo, including HIV-1 of laboratory strains, drug-resistant and primate isolates. We deciphered the mechanism of this inhibition and showed that GCV-TP is incorporated in the nascent DNA chain and acts as a delayed chain terminator.
Inhibition of autoprocessing of natural variants and multidrug resistant mutant precursors of HIV-1 protease by clinical inhibitors

Self-cleavage at the N terminus of HIV-1 protease from the Gag-Pol precursor (autoprocessing) is crucial for stabilizing the protease dimer required for onset of mature-like catalytic activity, viral maturation, and propagation. Among nine clinical protease inhibitors (PIs), darunavir and saquinavir were the most effective in inhibiting wild-type HIV-1 group M precursor autoprocessing, with an IC50 value of 1–2 μM, 3–5 orders of magnitude higher than their binding affinities to the corresponding mature protease. Accordingly, both group M and N precursor–PI complexes exhibit Tms 17–21 °C lower than those of the corresponding mature protease–PI complexes suggestive of markedly reduced stabilities of the precursor dimer–PI ensembles. Autoprocessing of group N (natural variant) and three group M precursors bearing 11–20 mutations associated with multidrug resistance was either weakly responsive or fully unresponsive to inhibitors at concentrations up to a practical limit of approximately 150 μM PI. This observation parallels decreases of up to 8 × 103-fold (e.g., 5 pM to 40 nM) in the binding affinity of darunavir and saquinavir to mature multidrug resistant proteases relative to wild type, suggesting that inhibition of some of these mutant precursors will occur only in the high μM to mM range in extreme PI-resistance, which is an effect arising from coordinated multiple mutations. An extremely darunavir-resistant mutant precursor is more responsive to inhibition by saquinavir. These findings raise the questions whether clinical failure of PI therapy is related to lack of inhibition of autoprocessing and whether specific inhibitors can be designed with low-nM affinity to target autoprocessing.
The Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Job Satisfaction: A Study of Hotel Businesses in Nevşehir *

The aim of the study is to investigate employees’ pscychological capital and job satisfaction. The sampling of the study consists of 181 employees working 5 star hotels in Nevsehir. According to the results of the correlation analysis, no significant relationship was statistically found between self efficacy and hope subdimension of psychological capital and job satisfaction. On the other hand, there was a positive and significant relationship between resiliency, optimism and job satisfaction. Likewise, resiliency and optimism affect job satisfaction in a positive way in the study findings.
Separation of Mutational and Transcriptional Enhancers in Ig Genes

Secondary Ig gene diversification relies on activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) to create U:G mismatches that are subsequently fixed by mutagenic repair pathways. AID activity is focused to Ig loci by cis-regulatory DNA sequences named targeting elements. In this study, we show that in contrast to prevailing thought in the field, the targeting elements in the chicken IGL locus are distinct from classical transcriptional enhancers. These mutational enhancer elements (MEEs) are required over and above transcription to recruit AID-mediated mutagenesis to Ig loci. We identified a small 222-bp fragment in the chicken IGL locus that enhances mutagenesis without boosting transcription, and this sequence represents a key component of an MEE. Lastly, MEEs are evolutionarily conserved among birds, both in sequence and function, and contain several highly conserved sequence modules that are likely involved in recruiting trans-acting targeting factors. We propose that MEEs represent a novel class of cis-regulatory elements for which the function is to control genomic integrity.
Gender- and Muscle-Specific Responses During Fatiguing Exercise

Abstract Hill, EC, Housh, TJ, Smith, CM, Schmidt, RJ, and Johnson, GO. Gender- and muscle-specific responses during fatiguing exercise. J Strength Cond Res 32(5): 1471–1478, 2018—The purpose of the present investigation was to examine potential gender-related differences in electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) responses during submaximal, concentric, isokinetic, forearm flexion muscle contractions. Twelve men and 12 women performed concentric peak torque trials before (pretest) and after (posttest) a fatiguing exercise bout that consisted of 50 submaximal (65% of concentric peak torque), concentric, isokinetic (60°·s−1), forearm flexion muscle contractions. Surface EMG and MMG signals were simultaneously recorded from the biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles. There was a gender-related difference in the decline in absolute concentric peak torque for the men (23.8%) vs. women (18.5%) that was eliminated when covaried for differences in pretest concentric peak torque values. During the fatiguing exercise bout, EMG amplitude(AMP) increased and EMG mean power frequency (MPF) decreased for both genders and muscles. There were, however, muscle- and gender-specific increases, decreases, and no changes for MMG AMP and MMG MPF. The gender-related difference for the posttest decline in concentric peak torque was associated with differences in muscle strength which may have resulted in greater blood flow occlusion in the men than the women. The muscles with the most pronounced fatigue-induced neuromuscular responses were the biceps brachii in men and the brachioradialis in women. These findings may be related to gender differences in the usage patterns of synergistic muscles during a fatiguing task.
Five-factor personality traits and age trajectories of self-rated health: the role of question framing.

We examined the influence of personality traits on mean levels and age trends in 4 single-item measures of self-rated health: general rating, comparison to age peers, comparison to past health, and expectations for future health. Community-dwelling participants (N = 1,683) completed 7,474 self-rated health assessments over a period of up to 19 years. In hierarchical linear modeling analyses, age-associated declines differed across the 4 health items. Across age groups, high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness, low Extraversion, and low Openness were associated with worse health ratings, with notable differences across the 4 health items. Furthermore, high Neuroticism predicted steeper declines in health ratings involving temporal comparisons. We consider theoretical implications regarding the mechanisms behind associations among personality traits and self-rated health.