Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum sclerostin levels associated with lumbar spine bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis

Background Sclerostin, expressed exclusively by osteocytes, is a negative regulator of bone formation. To gain insights into the action of sclerostin in postmenopausal osteoporosis, we evaluated serum sclerostin levels in postmenopausal women and investigated its possible associations with bone turnover markers in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods We detected serum sclerostin, and measured lumbar spine bone mineral density in 650 Chinese postmenopausal women. We also assessed serum levels of &bgr;‐isomerized C‐terminal crosslinking of type I collagen, intact N‐terminal propeptide of type I collagen, N‐mid fragment of osteocalcin, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, and estradiol. Results Serum sclerostin levels were lower in postmenopausal osteoporotic women compared with non‐osteoporotic postmenopausal women ((38.79±7.43) vs. (52.86±6.69) pmol/L, P <0.001). Serum sclerostin was positively correlated with lumbar spine bone mineral density (r=0.391, P <0.001) and weakly negatively correlated with &bgr;‐isomerized C‐terminal crosslinking of type I collagen, intact N‐terminal propeptide of type I collagen, N‐mid fragment of osteocalcin (r= −0.225, P <0.001; r= −0.091, P=0.046; r= −0.108, P=0.018; respectively) in postmenopausal osteoporosis. There was no significant association of serum sclerostin with age, body mass index, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, and estradiol (r= −0.004, P=0.926; r=0.067, P=0.143; r=0.063, P=0.165; r= −0.045, P=0.324; respectively). Conclusion Sclerostin may be involved in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis and may play a role in bone turnover.
Are Eco‐Labels Valuable? Evidence from the Apparel Industry

Using U.S. apparel catalogue data, we estimate hedonic price functions to identify market valuation of environmental attributes of apparel goods. We identify a significant and robust premium for the organic fibers embodied in the apparel goods. We find an additional organic premium for baby items. However, we do not find evidence of a premium for environment-friendly dyes. We further investigate the pricing behavior of apparel suppliers for potential departure from competitive pricing of this environmental attribute and find no evidence different premium across firms, suggesting price-taking behavior in the environmental attribute space.
左右の neglect dyslexia の比較

左右の neglect dyslexia の症状を比較することを目的に，左 neglect dyslexia 7例と右 neglect dyslexia 3例に高頻度語を音読させるという同じ検査を施行した。 左 neglect dyslexia を示す例では word length effect を示し，文字の省略が錯読より多く，左から右に書かれた単語も右から左にと書かれた単語でも空間的な左側を省略することが明らかとなった。 また visual neglect の検査で全例が左側の無視の症状を示した。 一方，右 neglect dyslexia を示す例では，単語の長さの影響はなく，文字の錯読が省略より多く，単語が左右どちらから書かれてあっても空間的な右側を読み誤り, visual neglect の検査では無視が認められなかった。 今回の検討からは，左右の neglect dyslexia は対称的であるとはいえず，その発現のメカニズムに違いがあることが示唆された。
Xylo-Oligosaccharides and Inulin Affect Genotoxicity and Bacterial Populations Differently in a Human Colonic Simulator Challenged with Soy Protein

High dietary intakes of some protein sources, including soy protein, can increase colonic DNA damage in animals, whereas some carbohydrates attenuate this. We investigated whether inulin and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) could be protective against DNA strand breaks by adding them to a human colonic simulator consisting of a proximal vessel (PV) (pH 5.5) and a distal vessel (DV) (pH 6.8) inoculated with human faeces and media containing soy protein. Genotoxicity of the liquid phase and microbial population changes in the vessels were measured. Soy protein (3%) was fermented with 1% low amylose cornstarch for 10 day followed by soy protein with 1% XOS or 1% inulin for 10 day. Inulin did not alter genotoxicity but XOS significantly reduced PV genotoxicity and increased DV genotoxicity. Inulin and XOS significantly increased butyrate concentration in the DV but not PV. Numbers of the key butyrate-producing bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were significantly increased in the PV and DV by inulin but significantly decreased by XOS in both vessels. Other bacteria examined were also significantly impacted by the carbohydrate treatments or by the vessel (i.e., pH). There was a significant overall inverse correlation between levels of damage induced by the ferments and levels of sulphate-reducing bacteria, Bacteroides fragilis, and acetate. In conclusion, dietary XOS can potentially modulate the genotoxicity of the colonic environment and specific bacterial groups and short chain fatty acids may mediate this.
Expertise in Typewriting.

Abstract : Expert typists have acquired a highly practiced motor skill. A typical professional typist has accumulated over 10,000 hours of practice. Expert typists are much faster than novices, but in addition, their performance is qualitatively different in many ways from novice performance. During acquisition of typing skill, there is a general shift from cognitive to motor limits on performance. Expert typing is characterized by parallel mental processes that overlap in time, overlapped hand and finger movements, a decreased load on conscious cognitive resources, and reduced variability fo the interstroke intervals. (Author)
Extending Cognitive Architecture with Episodic Memory

In this paper, we explore the hypothesis that episodic memory is a critical component for cognitive architectures that support general intelligence. Episodic memory overlaps with case-based reasoning (CBR) and can be seen as a task-independent, architectural approach to CBR. We define the design space for episodic memory systems and the criteria any implementation must meet to be useful in a cognitive architecture. We present an implementation and demonstrate how episodic memory, combined with other components of a cognitive architecture, supports a wealth of cognitive capabilities that are difficult to attain without it.
A Life Cycle Analysis of the Effects of Medicare on Individual Health Incentives and Health Outcomes

Medicare is the largest health insurance program in the U.S. This paper analyzes the effects of Medicare on individual health incentives and outcomes resulting from the dynamic trade-off induced by insurance between moral hazard in health related choices and mortality risk. A life cycle human capital model of endogenous decisions about health insurance, medical utilization, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise is estimated using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study. Model simulations imply that Medicare benefits elderly through insurance against medical expenditures, small improvements in health status and reduced mortality. However Medicare induces increased medical utilization, and small levels of moral hazard in alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise among elderly. Medicare also has a small effect in counteracting moral hazard in alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise for younger individuals by inducing self-protection. Overall, Medicare improves life time utility, with individuals willing to pay between $1,530.36 and $3,574.76 (in 1991 dollars) annually for its coverage. Additional simulations show that reforming Medicare by increasing the eligible age will lower insurance against medical expenditures, medical utilization, and health outcomes over the life cycle, and vice versa.
Genetic correlation between live body measurements and beef cutability traits in Hanwoo steers

Objective The growth, carcass and retail cut yield records on 1,428 Hanwoo steers obtained through progeny testing were analyzed in this study, and their heritability and genetic relationships among the traits were estimated using animal models. Methods Two different models were compared in this study. Each model was fitted for different fixed class effects, date of slaughter for carcass traits and batch of progeny test live measurement traits, and a choice of covariates (carcass weight in Model 1 or backfat thickness in Model 2) for carcass traits. Results The differences in body composition among individuals were deemed being unaffected by their age at slaughter, except for carcass weight and backfat thickness. Heritability estimates of body size measurements were 0.21 to 0.36. Heritability estimates of retail cut percentage were high (0.56 from Model 1 and 0.47 from Model 2). And the heritability estimates for loin muscle percentage were 0.36 from Model 1 and 0.42 from Model 2, which were high enough to consider direct selection on carcass cutability traits as effective. The genetic correlations between body size measurements and retail cut ratio (RCR) were close to zero. But, some negative genetic correlations were found with chest girths measured at yearling (Model 1) or at 24 months of age or with chest widths. Loin muscle ratio (LMR) was genetically negatively correlated with body weights or body size measurements, in general in Model 1. These relationships were low close to zero but positive in Model 2. Phenotypic correlation between cutability traits (RCR, LMR) and live body size measurements were moderate and negative in Model 1 while those in Model 2 were all close to zero. Conclusion Therefore, the body weights or linear body measurements at an earlier age may not be the most desirable selection traits for exploitation of correlated responses to improve loin muscle or lean meat yield.
Prenatal Ambient Air Pollution, Placental Mitochondrial DNA Content, and Birth Weight in the INMA (Spain) and ENVIRONAGE (Belgium) Birth Cohorts

Background: Mitochondria are sensitive to environmental toxicants due to their lack of repair capacity. Changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content may represent a biologically relevant intermediate outcome in mechanisms linking air pollution and fetal growth restriction. Objective: We investigated whether placental mtDNA content is a possible mediator of the association between prenatal nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure and birth weight. Methods: We used data from two independent European cohorts: INMA (n = 376; Spain) and ENVIRONAGE (n = 550; Belgium). Relative placental mtDNA content was determined as the ratio of two mitochondrial genes (MT-ND1 and MTF3212/R3319) to two control genes (RPLP0 and ACTB). Effect estimates for individual cohorts and the pooled data set were calculated using multiple linear regression and mixed models. We also performed a mediation analysis. Results: Pooled estimates indicated that a 10-μg/m3 increment in average NO2 exposure during pregnancy was associated with a 4.9% decrease in placental mtDNA content (95% CI: –9.3, –0.3%) and a 48-g decrease (95% CI: –87, –9 g) in birth weight. However, the association with birth weight was significant for INMA (–66 g; 95% CI: –111, –23 g) but not for ENVIRONAGE (–20 g; 95% CI: –101, 62 g). Placental mtDNA content was associated with significantly higher mean birth weight (pooled analysis, interquartile range increase: 140 g; 95% CI: 43, 237 g). Mediation analysis estimates, which were derived for the INMA cohort only, suggested that 10% (95% CI: 6.6, 13.0 g) of the association between prenatal NO2 and birth weight was mediated by changes in placental mtDNA content. Conclusion: Our results suggest that mtDNA content can be one of the potential mediators of the association between prenatal air pollution exposure and birth weight. Citation: Clemente DB, Casas M, Vilahur N, Begiristain H, Bustamante M, Carsin AE, Fernández MF, Fierens F, Gyselaers W, Iñiguez C, Janssen BG, Lefebvre W, Llop S, Olea N, Pedersen M, Pieters N, Santa Marina L, Souto A, Tardón A, Vanpoucke C, Vrijheid M, Sunyer J, Nawrot TS. 2016. Prenatal ambient air pollution, placental mitochondrial DNA content, and birth weight in the INMA (Spain) and ENVIRONAGE (Belgium) birth cohorts. Environ Health Perspect 124:659–665; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408981
Lithium in Tap Water and Suicide Mortality in Japan

Lithium has been used as a mood-stabilizing drug in people with mood disorders. Previous studies have shown that natural levels of lithium in drinking water may protect against suicide. This study evaluated the association between lithium levels in tap water and the suicide standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in 40 municipalities of Aomori prefecture, which has the highest levels of suicide mortality rate in Japan. Lithium levels in the tap water supplies of each municipality were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. After adjusting for confounders, a statistical trend toward significance was found for the relationship between lithium levels and the average SMR among females. These findings indicate that natural levels of lithium in drinking water might have a protective effect on the risk of suicide among females. Future research is warranted to confirm this association.
A Statistical Model for In Vivo Neuronal Dynamics

Single neuron models have a long tradition in computational neuroscience. Detailed biophysical models such as the Hodgkin-Huxley model as well as simplified neuron models such as the class of integrate-and-fire models relate the input current to the membrane potential of the neuron. Those types of models have been extensively fitted to in vitro data where the input current is controlled. Those models are however of little use when it comes to characterize intracellular in vivo recordings since the input to the neuron is not known. Here we propose a novel single neuron model that characterizes the statistical properties of in vivo recordings. More specifically, we propose a stochastic process where the subthreshold membrane potential follows a Gaussian process and the spike emission intensity depends nonlinearly on the membrane potential as well as the spiking history. We first show that the model has a rich dynamical repertoire since it can capture arbitrary subthreshold autocovariance functions, firing-rate adaptations as well as arbitrary shapes of the action potential. We then show that this model can be efficiently fitted to data without overfitting. We finally show that this model can be used to characterize and therefore precisely compare various intracellular in vivo recordings from different animals and experimental conditions.
Please Scroll down for Article the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology There Is No Clam with Coats in the Calm Coast: Delimiting the Transposed-letter Priming Effect

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Early childhood caries (ECC): a preventive-conservative treatment mode during a 12-month period.

PURPOSE To evaluate a preventive treatment mode for early childhood caries (ECC). POPULATION AND METHODS The population to be studied included 30 children who, over a 12-month period, presented with ECC to a private dental clinic. Parents preferred non-invasive, preventive treatment over restorations. Parents were given hygiene and proper feeding instructions. Mesial slicing was performed where proximal caries was observed. Children were examined once every two months. They received supervised professional topical fluoride treatment. Plaque level, brushing, stopping the bottle, eating sweets, appearance of new lesions or exacerbation of existing condition were observed and recorded. RESULTS In the vast majority of patients, the progression of ECC was arrested after the preventive regimen. Three children required restorations. They had failed to limit sugar consumption and to comply with brushing instruction. General improvement was observed in plaque control, brushing habits and sweets consumption. CONCLUSION Preventive measures may successfully arrest ECC and thereby avoid invasive procedures as well as the need of anesthesia.
Differentiated implication of Lactobacillus GG and L. gasseri TMC0356 to immune responses of murine Peyer's patch

Lactobacillus GG and L. gasseri TMC0356 were examined for their potential to alter the immune responses of murine PP cells in vitro and in vivo. Lactobacillus GG and L. gasseri TMC0356 characteristically stimulated the production of IL‐12, IL‐6, IFN‐γ and IgA from isolated PP cells in vitro. Anatomical analysis indicated uptake of these bacteria by the PP tissue after giving orally in mice. Isolated PP cells exposed to Lactobacillus GG in vivo secreted more IFN‐γ, IL‐6 and total IgA, whereas those exposed to L. gasseri TMC0356 in vivo did not exhibit altered immune responses in terms of cytokine and IgA production. Therefore, these two bacteria might exhibit different immunodulatory effects in host animals by strain‐dependent interaction with gut‐associated lymphoid tissues in vivo.
Structural evaluation of the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE Altered prefrontal cortical function has been repeatedly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Attempts to determine whether this altered function is associated with structural changes in the prefrontal cortex have been hampered by the failure to examine more anatomically and functionally homogeneous regions. The authors have developed a reliable set of anatomical landmarks for subdividing the prefrontal cortex into superior, middle, inferior, and orbital regions, in order to determine whether patients with schizophrenia exhibit selective morphological abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex. METHOD Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were obtained in 24 normal control subjects (14 men and 10 women) and 18 patients with schizophrenia (12 men and six women) by using a high-resolution thin spoiled-gradient recall acquisition in the steady-state protocol. The MRI images were used to determine prefrontal gray matter volumes for the four prefrontal regions and prefrontal total gray and white volumes. RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia exhibited selective gray matter volume reductions in the right and left inferior prefrontal cortex. There were no significant group differences in the other prefrontal regions. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited decreased prefrontal total white matter and total volumes; there was no significant difference in prefrontal total gray matter volume. CONCLUSIONS Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by relatively selective reductions in inferior prefrontal cortex gray matter volumes.
Variable Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids and Lactic Acid in Inducing Intestinal Mucosal Injury in Newborn Rats

Background Short chain fatty acids and lactic acid are colonic bacterial fermentation products. Methods To evaluate the effects of these organic acids on the intestinal mucosa, a total of 72 newborn Sprague-Dawley rats (10 days old) were studied. A 3.5F catheter was inserted per rectum 4.0 cm deep into the proximal colon for organic acid administration at a volume of 0.1 ml/10 g body weight. The pH of organic acid solutions and normal saline was adjusted to 4.0. Group 1 (n = 10) received normal saline as a control. Group 2 (n = 11) received 150 mM acetic acid. Group 3 (n = 11) received 300 mM acetic acid. Group 4 (n = 10) received 150 mM butyric acid. Group 5 (n = 11) received 300 mM butyric acid. Group 6 (n = 7) received 150 mM lactic acid, and group 7 (n = 12) received 300 mM lactic acid. Animals were killed 24 hours after colonic installation of test solutions. Results Both 300 mM acetic acid and 300 mM butyric acid were associated with impaired weight gain, increased colon wet weight, and increased histologic injury scores in the colon and distal ileum (P < 0.05, analysis of variance). Both 150 mM acetic acid and butyric acid at 150 mmol/L induced minimal injury in the colon and distal ileum. Neither 150 mM nor 300 mM lactic acid induced any identifiable gross or microscopic intestinal mucosal injury. Conclusion Luminal short chain fatty acids can induce dose-dependent intestinal mucosal injury in newborn rats, resembling the pathology seen in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Overproduction/accumulation of short chain fatty acids, but not lactic acid, in the proximal colon and/or distal ileum may play a role in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants.
Crystal Structure of the Dynein Motor Domain

The structure reveals the functional elements of the dynein motor and suggests how they change conformation during motility. Dyneins are microtubule-based motor proteins that power ciliary beating, transport intracellular cargos, and help to construct the mitotic spindle. Evolved from ring-shaped hexameric AAA-family adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases), dynein’s large size and complexity have posed challenges for understanding its structure and mechanism. Here, we present a 6 angstrom crystal structure of a functional dimer of two ~300-kilodalton motor domains of yeast cytoplasmic dynein. The structure reveals an unusual asymmetric arrangement of ATPase domains in the ring-shaped motor domain, the manner in which the mechanical element interacts with the ATPase ring, and an unexpected interaction between two coiled coils that create a base for the microtubule binding domain. The arrangement of these elements provides clues as to how adenosine triphosphate–driven conformational changes might be transmitted across the motor domain.
In vivo gene therapy with p53 or p21 adenovirus for prostate cancer.

We introduced the gene for wild-type human p53 or p21, a critical downstream mediator of p53-induced growth suppression, into a p53-deficient mouse prostate cancer cell line using a recombinant adenoviral vector (Ad5CMV-p53 or Ad5CMV-p21). Elevated levels of endogenous mouse p21 mRNA provided evidence for the functional activity of virally transduced p53. Functional activity of viral-transduced p21 was demonstrated through immunoprecipitation of cellular protein extracts, which showed that the viral-transduced p21 associates with cyclin-dependent kinase 2 and was sufficient to down-regulate the activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase by approximately 65%. In vitro growth assays revealed significantly higher growth suppression after Ad5CMV-p21 infection compared to Ad5CMV-p53. In vivo studies in syngeneic male mice with established s.c. prostate tumors demonstrated that the rate of growth and final tumor volume were reduced to a much greater extent in mice that received intratumor injection of Ad5CMV-p21 compared to Ad5CMV-p53. In addition, the survival of host animals bearing tumors that were infected with Ad5CMV-p21, but not Ad5CMV-p53, was significantly extended. These data suggest that Ad5CMV-p21 may be effective as a therapeutic agent for prostate cancer.