Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preceding muscle activity influences motor unit discharge and rate of torque development during ballistic contractions in humans

To investigate the effect of initial conditions on the modulation of motor unit discharge during fast voluntary contractions, we compared ballistic isometric contractions of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles that were produced from either a resting state or superimposed on a sustained contraction. The torque of the dorsiflexors and the surface and intramuscular EMGs from the tibialis anterior were recorded. The results showed that the performance of a ballistic contraction from a sustained contraction (∼25% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)) had a negative effect on the maximal rate of torque development. Although the electromechanical delay was shortened, the EMG activity during the ballistic contraction was less synchronized. These observations were associated with a significant decline in the average discharge rate of single motor units (89.8 ± 3.8 versus 115 ± 5.8 Hz) and in the percentage of units (6.2 versus 15.5% of the whole sample) that exhibited double discharges at brief intervals (= 5 ms). High‐threshold units that were not recruited during the sustained contraction displayed the same activation pattern, which indicates that the mechanisms responsible for the decline in discharge rate were not restricted to previously activated units, but appear to influence the entire motor unit pool. When a premotor silent period (SP) was observed at the transition from the sustained muscular activity to the ballistic contraction (19% of the trials), these adjustments in motor unit activity were not present, and the ballistic contractions were similar to those performed from a resting state. Together, these results indicate that initial conditions can influence the capacity for motor unit discharge rate and hence the performance of a fast voluntary contraction.
Lipid but not glycaemic parameters predict total mortality from Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Canterbury, New Zealand

A cohort of 447 subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (208 male, 239 female; age range 30–82, median 62 years; and of predominantly European origin) was characterized in a clinic survey in 1989. Individual status (dead or alive) at 1 June 1995 was ascertained. Mortality rates were compared with the general New Zealand population by calculating standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and the hazard ratio (HR) of prognostic factors evaluated with Cox’s proportional hazards model. At 6 years, 289 subjects were confirmed as alive and 133 as dead; only 25 were untraceable. Six‐year survival for the cohort was 70 % (95 % CI 66–74). SMR was 2.53 (95 % CI 1.99–2.68) for the female cohort and 2.03 (95 % CI 1.60–2.59) for the male cohort. Factors assessed at baseline (1989) that were independently prognostic of total mortality included age, male sex, pre‐existing coronary artery disease (CAD) (HR 2.2, 95 % CI 1.5–3.3) and plasma cholesterol (HR for 1.4 mmol l−1 change: 1.49, 95 % CI 1.2–1.9). HDL‐cholesterol was protective in women (HR for 0.4 mmol l−1 change: 0.72, 95 % CI 0.51–1.00) but not men. Glycated haemoglobin was not a significant predictor of total mortality. Predictors of CAD mortality (in those subjects free of CAD in 1989) included plasma cholesterol (HR for 1.4 mmol l−1 change: 1.86 95 % CI 1.20–2.89), glycated haemoglobin (HR for 1.8 % change: 1.9 95 % CI 1.04–3.47), male sex, peripheral vascular disease, and smoking. There is therefore increased mortality in Type 2 diabetic subjects in Canterbury, New Zealand. HDL‐cholesterol is protective against total mortality in females. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Principals' Views of Combination Classes

Abstract In this interview study, principals' (N = 36) views about combination classes were examined. In combination classes—adopted as an organizational structure because of inadequate grade-level enrollments—teachers instruct students from 2 or more grades for most or all of the school day (e.g., Grades K-1, 1–2–3, 3–4). These classes are often touted as encouraging developmental practices typically found in non-graded classes and as an organizational structure formed because of such pedagogical interests as teaming, individualized instruction, and continuous progress curriculum. The results showed that the principals generally prefer single grades rather than combination classes; that they view “combinations” as leading to diminished curriculum and parent and teacher concerns; and that to ameliorate these constraints, they assign “effective” and experienced teachers as well as high-ability and independent students to these classes. The principals reported that (a) combination teachers use a mixed group.
Scaffolding during the formal assessment of young EAL learners: A New Zealand case study

Despite growing interest in the theorisation of teacher-based assessment (TBA), very little research has paid close attention to how teachers practice assessment embedded in real classroom contexts. This longitudinal study over one school term reports on the TBA of young learners with English as an additional language (EAL) in New Zealand primary schools. Taking a grounded, emic, inductive approach, using teacher logs, classroom observations and interviews, four language support teachers and one classroom teacher across three schools were observed assessing the language abilities of six EAL students. The results of this study identify five key strategies used by teachers to scaffold students at the implementation stage of the assessment process in relation to different summative and formative purposes of assessment. It suggests ways in which scaffolding may prove crucial to the effective implementation of assessing the complex needs of L2 learners and confirms how scaffolding may play an important role in identifying a learner's potential. This study particularly highlights the need for clear communication between home class and L2 teachers, especially at the planning and monitoring stages of the assessment process where results may be used by different stakeholders for different purposes.
The Quorum-Sensing Negative Regulator RsaL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Binds to the lasI Promoter

ABSTRACT A mutation in the rsaL gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces dramatically higher amounts of N-acyl homoserine lactone with respect to the wild type, highlighting the key role of this negative regulator in controlling quorum sensing (QS) in this opportunistic pathogen. The DNA binding site of the RsaL protein on the rsaL-lasI bidirectional promoter partially overlaps the binding site of the LasR protein, consistent with the hypothesis that RsaL and LasR could be in binding competition on this promoter. This is the first direct demonstration that RsaL acts as a QS negative regulator by binding to the lasI promoter.
A continuous morphological approach to study the evolution of pollen in a phylogenetic context: An example with the order Myrtales

The study of pollen morphology has historically allowed evolutionary biologists to assess phylogenetic relationships among Angiosperms, as well as to better understand the fossil record. During this process, pollen has mainly been studied by discretizing some of its main characteristics such as size, shape, and exine ornamentation. One large plant clade in which pollen has been used this way for phylogenetic inference and character mapping is the order Myrtales, composed by the small families Alzateaceae, Crypteroniaceae, and Penaeaceae (collectively the “CAP clade”), as well as the large families Combretaceae, Lythraceae, Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Onagraceae and Vochysiaceae. In this study, we present a novel way to study pollen evolution by using quantitative size and shape variables. We use morphometric and morphospace methods to evaluate pollen change in the order Myrtales using a time-calibrated, supermatrix phylogeny. We then test for conservatism, divergence, and morphological convergence of pollen and for correlation between the latitudinal gradient and pollen size and shape. To obtain an estimate of shape, Myrtales pollen images were extracted from the literature, and their outlines analyzed using elliptic Fourier methods. Shape and size variables were then analyzed in a phylogenetic framework under an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process to test for shifts in size and shape during the evolutionary history of Myrtales. Few shifts in Myrtales pollen morphology were found which indicates morphological conservatism. Heterocolpate, small pollen is ancestral with largest pollen in Onagraceae. Convergent shifts in shape but not size occurred in Myrtaceae and Onagraceae and are correlated to shifts in latitude and biogeography. A quantitative approach was applied for the first time to examine pollen evolution across a large time scale. Using phylogenetic based morphometrics and an OU process, hypotheses of pollen size and shape were tested across Myrtales. Convergent pollen shifts and position in the latitudinal gradient support the selective role of harmomegathy, the mechanism by which pollen grains accommodate their volume in response to water loss.
Design of the humanoid robot KOBIAN - preliminary analysis of facial and whole body emotion expression capabilities-

Personal robots and robot technology (RT)-based assistive devices are expected to play a major role in our elderly-dominated society, with an active participation to joint works and community life with humans, as partner and as friends for us. In particular, these robots are expected to be fundamental for helping and assisting elderly and disabled people during their activities of daily living (ADLs). To achieve this result, personal robots should be capable of human-like emotion expressions; in addition, human-like bipedal walking is the best solution for the robots which should be active in the human living environment. Although several bipedal robots and several emotional expression robots have been developed in the recent years, until now there was no robot which integrated all these functions. Therefore we developed a new bipedal walking robot, named KOBIAN, which is also capable to express human-like emotions. In this paper, we present the design and the preliminary evaluation of the new emotional expression head. The preliminary results showed that the emotion expressed by only the head cannot be really easily understood by the users. However, the presence of a full body clearly enhances the emotion expression capability of the robot, thus proving the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Amino Acids in Cerebrospinal and Brain Interstitial Fluid in Experimental Pneumococcal Meningitis

ABSTRACT: Excitatory amino acids are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of neuronal injury induced by a variety of CNS insults, such as ischemia, trauma, hypoglycemia, and epilepsy. Little is known about the role of amino acids in causing CNS injury in bacterial meningitis. Several amino acids were measured in cerebrospinal fluid and in microdialysis samples from the interstitial fluid of the frontal cortex in a rabbit model of pneumoccocal meningitis. Cerbrospinal fluid concentrations of glutamate, aspartate, glycine, taurine, and alanine increased significantly in infected animals. Among the amino acids with known excitatory or inhibitory function, interstitial fluid concentrations of glutamate were significantly elevated (by 470%). Alanine, a marker for anaerobic glycolysis, also increased in the cortex of infected rabbits. The elevated glutamate concentrations in the brain extracellular space suggest that excitotoxic neuronal injury may play a role in bacterial meningitis.
Service Fairness, Consumption Emotions, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions: The Experience of Chinese Heritage Tourists

ABSTRACT Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory and the justice theory from the marketing and tourism literature, this study attempts to illuminate the embedded impact of tourist experience on overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions in a cognitive-affective-behavioral framework. The findings suggest that service fairness is an antecedent of consumption emotions (positive and negative) that, in turn, influence satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the context of Chinese natural heritage tourism. Notably, the results highlight the mediating role of tourists’ consumption emotions. This article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications to heritage tourism researchers and managers.
Cognitive functioning in sydenham's chorea: Part 1. attentional processes

Ten patients with Sydenham's chorea, ages 7 to 15 years, were tested on a computerized battery of tasks assessing attentional processing. Relative to controls, the patients with Sydenham's chorea showed decrements in performance on tasks assessing response inhibition and divided attention. However, normal attentional functioning was observed on tasks assessing spatial attention, sustained attention, and shifts in attentional set These results are discussed in relation to deficits observed in patients of other basal ganglia disorders.
Photometric Variability at the L/T Dwarf Boundary

We have monitored the photometric variability of nine field L and T brown dwarfs for 10 nights during the course of 1 month. Observations were obtained in the Ks band with the Palomar 60 inch (1.5 m) telescope Near-Infrared Camera. Results of statistical analyses indicate that at least three of the nine targets show significant evidence for variability, and three more are possibly variable. Fractional deviations from the median flux vary from 5% to 25%. Two of the variable targets, 2MASS 0030-14 (L7) and SDSS 0151+12 (T1), have marginally significant peaks in their periodograms. The phased light curves show evidence for periodic behavior on timescales of 1.5 and 3.0 hr, respectively. No significant correlations between variability amplitude and spectral type or J-Ks color are found. While it is clear that variability exists in objects near the L/T dwarf boundary, we find no evidence that variability near the L/T boundary is more likely than it is for early L dwarfs.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: 30-Day Operative Morbidity Analysis in 1046 Patients

Background To determine the rate and risk factors of three operative complications (renal failure, pneumonia, and sternal wound infection) within 30 days after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery. Methods Medical records of 1,046 consecutive patients between the years 2005 and 2009 were reviewed. Demographic data and peri-operative information were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis between different variables were performed. Results Of all patients 3.6% developed pneumonia, 5.9% developed acute renal failure and 8.5% developed sternal wound infection. Independent predictors of acute renal failure were age > 65 years (P = 0.030), pre-operative renal impairment (P < 0.005), peripheral vascular disease (P = 0.005), emergency surgery (P = 0.043), blood transfusion (P = 0.002) mechanical ventilation > 12 hours (P < 0.005) and prolonged inotropic support (P = 0.035). Pneumonia independent predictors were female gender (P < 0.005), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.024), peripheral vascular disease (P = 0.012), emergency surgery (P = 0.007), blood transfusion (P = 0.001), mechanical ventilation > 12 hours (P = 0.005) and prolonged inotropic support (P < 0.005). Sternal wound infection independent predictors were diabetes mellitus (P = 0.017), intra- and post-operative blood transfusion (P < 0.005), and prolonged inotropic support (P = 0.006). Conclusion Age, female gender, history of diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease, renal impairment, emergency surgery, per-operative blood transfusion, mechanical ventilation > 12 hours and prolonged inotropic support are associated with the 30-day complication after on-pump isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.
Predicting the timing of maternal employment after birth among a low-income and ethnically diverse sample

Policy pressures in the USA to transition parents from public assistance to work and concerns about the effects of early maternal employment on children highlight the importance of studying predictors of the timing of postpartum maternal employment. Little attention has been given to postpartum employment patterns of low-income ethnic minorities and immigrants, whose working conditions and employment prospects are different from white, middle-class mothers. Using a sample of low-income Mexicans, Dominicans, and African-Americans (N = 310), we studied whether and when mothers start working the first year following childbirth, and what factors promote or delay postpartum employment. Using discrete-time survival analysis, we modeled the odds of working at each month and tested the influence of family context, mothers' work and family values and plans, maternity leave benefit, and instrumental support availability on the timing of employment. By 11 months, half of the mothers had started working. Having maternity leave, plans to work, childcare arrangements, and a strong work orientation increased the odds of working. Household earnings were related to postpartum employment, but this effect varied over time. For African-Americans, instrumental support availability predicted earlier returns to employment, whereas for Mexicans and Dominicans it related to later returns to employment.
Population Structure, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Mutation Frequencies of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients

ABSTRACT Forty-eight Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates recovered from sputum samples from 26 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients attending our CF unit (1995 to 2003) were studied. Mean yearly incidence of isolation was 5.5%, and all were strains recovered from young patients (≤12 years). The isolation was linked to clinical exacerbation in 35% of the cases, but only 27% of these were not accompanied by other CF pathogens. Fifty percent of the patients presented with two to four isolates over the studied period. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-SmaI digestion revealed a high heterogeneity (32 pulsotypes among 48 isolates) and the persistence over a 6-month period of a single clone (clone A) in two patients. This clone, presenting a varied multiresistance phenotype, was identified as the Spain23F-1 clone and was also recognized in six other patients, including two out of nine patients from the CF unit of Sant Joan de Dèu Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. In our isolates, 16 different serotypes were recognized, the most frequent being 23F (33.3%), 19F (18.8%), 6A (6.2%), and 6B (6.2%). High overall resistance rates were observed: to penicillin, 73%; to cefotaxime, 33%; to erythromycin, 42%; to tetracycline, 58%; to chloramphenicol, 48%; and to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 67%. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was not detected. Multiresistance was a common feature (60%). The percentage of S. pneumoniae strains with increased frequencies of mutation to rifampin resistance (≥7.5 × 10−8) was significantly higher (P = 0.02) in CF (60%) than among non-CF (37%) isolates in the same institution (M. I. Morosini et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47:1464-1467, 2003). Even though a clear association with acute exacerbations could not be observed, long-term clonal persistence and variability, high frequency of antibiotic resistance, and hypermutability indicate the plasticity for adaptation of S. pneumoniae to the CF lung environment.
The motor protein Myosin-X transports VE-cadherin along filopodia to allow the formation of early endothelial cell-cell contacts

Laboratoire de Physiopathologie Vasculaire, CEA, 38054 Grenoble, France, 1 INSERM U882, 38054 Grenoble, France, 2 Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France, 3 Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Macromolécules, 4 Laboratoire de Microscopie Electronique Structurale, Institut de Biologie Structurale Jean-Pierre Ebel UMR CNRS 5075, Grenoble, France, 5 CBMN UMR CNRS 5248-Institut Européen de Chimie et de Biologie, Université Bordeaux 1, Talence, France, 6 Département de Gynécologie Obstétrique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Michallon, Grenoble, France 7
Analysis of connectivity in the cat cerebral cortex

The mammalian cerebral cortex is innervated by a large number of corticocortical connections. The number of connections makes it difficult to understand the organization of the cortical network. Nonetheless, conclusions about the organization of cortical systems drawn from examining connectional data have often been made in a speculative and informal manner, unsupported by any analytic treatment. Recently, progress has been made toward more systematic ways of extracting organizing principles from data on the network of connections between cortical areas of the monkey. In this article, we extend these approaches to the cortical systems of the cat. We collated information from the neuroanatomical literature about the corticocortical connections of the cat. This collation incorporated 1139 reported corticocortical connections between 65 cortical areas. We have previously used an optimization technique (Scannell and Young, 1993) to analyze this database in order to represent the connectional organization of cortical systems in the cat. Here, we report the connectional database and analyze it in a number of further ways. First, we employed rules from Felleman and Van Essen (1991) to investigate hierarchical relations among the areas. Second, we compared quantitatively the results of the optimization method with the results of the hierarchical method. Third, we examined quantitatively whether simple connection rules, which may reflect the development and evolution of the cortex, can account for the experimentally identified corticocortical connections in the database. The results showed, first, that hierarchical rules, when applied to the cat visual system, define a largely consistent hierarchy. Second, in both auditory and visual systems, the ordering of areas by hierarchical analysis and by optimization analysis was statistically significantly related. Hence, independent analyzes concur broadly in their ordering of areas in the cortical hierarchies. Third, the majority of corticocortical connections, and much of the pattern of connectivity, were accounted for by a simple “nearest-neighbor-or-next-door-but-one” connection rule, which may suggest one of the mechanisms by which the development of cortical connectivity is controlled.
Saccadic eye movement applications for psychiatric disorders

Objective The study presented here analyzed the patterns of relationship between oculomotor performance and psychopathology, focusing on depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety disorder. Methods Scientific articles published from 1967 to 2013 in the PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cochrane, and SciELO databases were reviewed. Results Saccadic eye movement appears to be heavily involved in psychiatric diseases covered in this review via a direct mechanism. The changes seen in the execution of eye movement tasks in patients with psychopathologies of various studies confirm that eye movement is associated with the cognitive and motor system. Conclusion Saccadic eye movement changes appear to be heavily involved in the psychiatric disorders covered in this review and may be considered a possible marker of some disorders. The few existing studies that approach the topic demonstrate a need to improve the experimental paradigms, as well as the methods of analysis. Most of them report behavioral variables (latency/reaction time), though electrophysiological measures are absent.