Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motor Skills Have Diverse Neural Bases: Spared and Impaired Skill Acquisition in Huntington's Disease

The striatum contributes to the learning of some, but not all, motor skills. The researchers suggest that the striatum plays a role when participants learn a repeating sequence of movements, but it does not contribute when they learn a new mapping between perceptual cues and the appropriate motor response. The researchers tested patients with striatal damage due to Huntington's disease (HD) on 2 versions of a tracking task. In 1 task, the target moved randomly, allowing participants to learn the relationship between the joystick and cursor. Patients showed normal learning. In the other task, the target moved in a repeating pattern, and participants could improve performance by learning the repeating sequence of movements necessary to track the pattern. Patients were impaired on this task. Learning sequences is impaired in HD, whereas learning new mappings between perceptual cues and responses is not. It has been suggested that the striatum is crucial to the acquisition of motor skill (Hikosaka, 1993; Mishkin, Malamut, & Bachevalier, 1984). This suggestion is supported by lesion studies and functional imaging studies. Patients with striatal abnormalities due to Huntington's disease (HD) or Parkinson's disease (PD) are impaired in acquiring new motor skills (e.g., Harrington, Haaland, Yeo, & Marder, 1990; Heindel,
Current evidence of methotrexate efficacy in childhood chronic uveitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis approach.

OBJECTIVE To summarize evidence regarding the effectiveness of MTX in the treatment of childhood autoimmune chronic uveitis (ACU). METHODS A systematic search of articles between January 1990 and June 2011 was conducted using EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews-ACP Journal Club, the Cochrane Library and EBM Reviews. Studies investigating the efficacy of MTX as a single immunosuppressant medication in the treatment of ACU refractory to therapy with topical treatment and/or systemic treatment in children (≤16 years) were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome measure was the improvement of intraocular inflammation, expressed as Tyndall, as defined by the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature working group criteria. The effect measure for each study was the proportion of people classified as responders. We determined a combined estimate of the proportion of children in the eligible studies responding to MTX. RESULTS The initial search identified 246 articles of which 52 were potentially eligible. Nine eligible articles, all retrospective chart reviews, remained in the analysis. The number of children in studies ranged from 3 to 25, and the dose of MTX varied from 7.5 to 30 mg/m2. Altogether, 95 of 135 children responded to MTX. The pooled analysis suggested that MTX has a favourable effect in the improvement of intraocular inflammation: the proportion of responding subjects was 0.73 (95% CI 0.66, 0.81). CONCLUSION Although randomized controlled trials are needed, the available evidence supports the use of MTX in the treatment of childhood ACU: approximately three-quarters of patients on MTX can expect improvement in intraocular inflammation.
Pancreatic Islets Induce CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T-Cell Regulated Tolerance to HY-Mismatched Skin Grafts

Background. The ability to induce and maintain antigen-specific immunologic tolerance is the ultimate goal in allo-transplantation. Here, we report that the transplantation of unmanipulated murine pancreatic islets across the HY disparity induced transplantation tolerance that prevented HY-mismatched skin grafts being rejected. Methods. Three hundred islet equivalent of freshly isolated islets from male C57BL/6 donor mice was transplanted underneath the kidney capsule of syngeneic female recipients rendered diabetic by streptozotocin. Nephrectomy was carried out to remove the islet graft and retransplantation was performed using the contralateral kidney. For skin transplantation, donor tail skin was transplanted onto the lateral thorax. Results. Islets from male C57BL/6 donors transplanted to syngeneic female recipients cured diabetes and the mice survived indefinitely. The acceptance of second grafts and rejection of third party islet grafts indicated antigen-specific transplantation tolerance. However, flow cytometry and ELISPOT analysis demonstrated that the HY-specific T cells were not deleted or anergized. A 2-fold increase of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) was observed in spleen and lymph nodes. Notably, CD25− Tregs increased threefold over levels in naïve mice. Adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells to neonatal mice could transfer tolerance. At the graft site in long-term tolerant mice, CD4+ T cells, 40% of which were CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs (43% CD25−, 57% CD25+) infiltrated the peri-islet spaces. Conclusions. Unmanipulated pancreatic islets can induce immunologic tolerance associated with peripherally induced CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs, a significant proportion of which notably are CD25−.
Factors contributing to individual differences in the development of consecutive interpreting competence for beginner student interpreters

The present study investigates the role of memory skills (working memory and short-term memory), second language (L2) proficiency, and lexical retrieval efficiency in the development of consecutive interpreting (CI) competence. Data from 61 beginner student interpreters (unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals) indicate that only working memory and L2 proficiency measured at the beginning of interpreting training significantly correlate with CI performances measured at both the beginning and end of the training period. As for the development of CI competence, only L2 proficiency makes a significant contribution to accounting for the variance in CI performance after removing effects of prior CI skills. The data suggest that L2 proficiency is probably the most important predictor of the development of CI competence in unbalanced beginner student interpreters and that short-term memory and working memory may play different roles in CI performance. Implications for practice in interpreting training are briefly discussed.
Afferent connections of the lateral agranular field of the rat motor cortex

Retrograde axonal transport techniques were used to identify the afferent connections of the lateral agranular field (AG) of the rat frontal cortex. This cytoarchitectonically distinct cortical field forms the bulk of the primary motor cortex (MI) as defined by intracqrtical microstimulation studies (Donoghue and Wise, 1982). Following injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to HRP into AG1, retrogradely labeled cells are found in the forebrain, thalamus, and brainstem. Within the cerebral cortex labeled neurons are mainly present in the first somatic sensory area (SI), the second somatic sensory area (SII), and the medial agranular field, which lies medial and rostral to AG1. In SI, labeled cells are found primarily in a cytoarchitecturally distinct region called the dysgranular field of SI. Labeled neurons are present in layers II and III, Va, and the deepest part of layer VI in this field and in SII. Labeled cells are also present in layers Va and VI of the densely granular field of SI, which is the part of SI that is strongly activated by cutaneous inputs. Commissural inputs to AG/ arise from layers II‐VI of the contralateral AG1 and thalamic inputs arise from the ventrolateral, ventromedial, posterior medial, and central lateral nuclei. Additional afferent fibers originate from neurons in the basal forebrain, the ventral thalamus, the midbrain raphe nuclei, and the locus coeruleus. This combination of inputs to AG1 from somatic sensory and frontal cortical fields, thalamic motor centers, and several other subcortical areas implies that AG1 forms a subdivision of sensorimotor cortex that is important in centrally directed movements as well as those that are guided by somatic sensory feedback.
Comparison of Disc Diffusion Methods for the Detection of Extended-Spectrum Beta Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae

Background: Resistance to broad-spectrum β lactams, mediated by extended-spectrum β lactamases (ESBLs), is an increasing problem world wide. This resistance poses problems for in vitro testing and reporting. Increased prevalence of ESBLs among Enterobacteriaceae creates a great need for laboratory testing methods that will accurately identify their presence. Materials and Methods: During the study, the Enterobacteriaceae isolated were tested for the presence of ESBL by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) screening test, Jarlier double disc synergy (approximation) test (DDST) and NCCLS phenotypic confirmatory test (PCT), and compared their efficiency in detection. Results: A total of 313 Enterobacteriaceae were isolated and tested for the presence of ESBL. NCCLS PCT identified 200 (63.89%) as ESBL producers and DDST identified 176 (56.23%), with a P-value of <0.001. Among the screening agents, ceftazidime had a better sensitivity (89.49%) and specificity (95.74%). Conclusions: Close monitoring of the susceptibility pattern of isolates and careful spacing with specific discs can identify many ESBL producers. Ceftazidime has a better sensitivity and specificity as a screening agent. A combination of different tests can be useful for accurate identification.
Positioning age: focus group discussions about older people in TV advertising

Abstract As part of a larger research project on images of older people (the over sixties) in UK advertising, this article reports findings from a focus group study in which participants discussed their views on seven TV advertisements depicting older people as central characters. These were selected from a sample of TV ads broadcast in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2004, and included a range of positive, humorous, negative, and vulnerable depictions. A total of nine focus groups each comprised of three subgroups: young, middle-aged, and older adults. In addition to the ads themselves, our analysis centers on the participants' reactions to the ads. Our focus is on the discursive positioning of the discussants vis-à-vis the ads in terms of age stereotypes and age identity constructions for self and other. Participants not only comment on any perceived depictions of older age, they also position themselves, and others, age-wise, in relation to the depictions, and at times use their age identifications as discursive means to account for their views. The focus on how viewers align with these types of ads can be seen as an important addition to previous research on images of aging in advertising, as well as on talk about age. In our analysis, we make use of the theoretical notions of discursive construction of age and positioning theory.
Subtypes of reading disability: Variability around a phonological core.

Eight measures of cognitive and language functions in 232 children were subjected to multiple methods of cluster analysis in an effort to identify subtypes of reading disability. Clustering yielded 9 reliable subtypes representing 90% of the sample, including 2 nondisabled subtypes, and 7 reading-disabled subtypes. Of the reading-disabled subtypes, 2 were globally deficient in language skills, whereas 4 of the 5 specific reading-disabled subtypes displayed a relative weakness in phonological awareness and variations in rapid serial naming and verbal short-term memory. The remaining disabled subtype was impaired on verbal and nonverbal measures associated with rate of processing, including rate and accuracy of oral reading. Studies showed evidence for discriminative validity among the 7 reading-disabled subtypes. Results support the view that children with reading disability usually display impairments on phonological awareness measures, with discriminative variability on other measures involving phonological processing, language, and cognitive skills.
Within-word inspection strategies in continuous reading: time course of perceptual, lexical, and contextual processes

An experiment is reported that examined the way in which long words, identifiable by information at their beginning or end, are inspected. Eye movements were recorded during a self-paced word-by-word reading task that involved the presentation of continuous text. The point first fixated within the word was varied by shifting its presentation position to the right or left. Contextual support was varied by manipulating the relationship between the sentence containing the experimental word and the prior sentence
Tonic Inhibition Enhances Fidelity of Sensory Information Transmission in the Cerebellar Cortex

Tonic inhibition is a key regulator of neuronal excitability and network function in the brain, but its role in sensory information processing remains poorly understood. The cerebellum is a favorable model system for addressing this question as granule cells, which form the input layer of the cerebellar cortex, permit high-resolution patch-clamp recordings in vivo, and are the only neurons in the cerebellar cortex that express the α6δ-containing GABAA receptors mediating tonic inhibition. We investigated how tonic inhibition regulates sensory information transmission in the rat cerebellum by using a combination of intracellular recordings from granule cells and molecular layer interneurons in vivo, selective pharmacology, and in vitro dynamic clamp experiments. We show that blocking tonic inhibition significantly increases the spontaneous firing rate of granule cells while only moderately increasing sensory-evoked spike output. In contrast, enhancing tonic inhibition reduces the spike probability in response to sensory stimulation with minimal effect on the spontaneous spike rate. Both manipulations result in a reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio of sensory transmission in granule cells and of parallel fiber synaptic input to downstream molecular layer interneurons. These results suggest that under basal conditions the level of tonic inhibition in vivo enhances the fidelity of sensory information transmission through the input layer of the cerebellar cortex.
Student Participation in Community-Based Participatory Research To Improve Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Environmental Health: Issues for Success

Involving students in community-based participatory research is a useful mechanism for engaging the community and helping it build future capacity. This article describes student involvement in a series of community-based environmental health research projects with migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina. High school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students have participated in various aspects of these projects, including planning, data collection, analysis, and reporting results. Students were required to invest time in learning about the farm-worker population, as well as in learning to conduct community-based environmental health research. Drawing on these experiences, we offer observations regarding successful student integration in this type of research. Community-based projects benefit from student participation while encouraging the development of future community-oriented environmental health researchers.
[Expression of RFC2 and PCNA in different gestational trophoblastic diseases].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE High expression of replication factor C (RFC) mRNA in hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma were detected previously with DNA microarray. Replication factor C subunit 2 (RFC2) was reported to be associated with DNA duplication, DNA repair, and the function of cellular checkpoint. The aim of current study was to investigate the expression levels of RFC2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD) and to explore the relationship of expressions of two proteins with GTD. METHODS The expression of RFC2 and PCNA were detected with immunohistochemical method in 15 cases of normal villi, 38 cases of hydatidiform moles (HM), 42 cases of invasive moles (IM), and 18 cases of choriocarcinomas (CC). RESULTS The expression of RFC2 and PCNA were significantly increased in HM, IM, and CC than in normal villi (P=0.000 for RFC2,P=0.004 for PCNA). There was no significant difference of the expression of RFC2 among HM, IM, and CC. The PCNA expression was significantly higher in CC than in HM (P=0.037). PCNA expression was significantly higher in the patients with malignantly transformed molar pregnancy than in the patients without malignantly transformed molar pregnancy (P=0.039). RFC2 expression in no preoperative chemotherapeutic group of gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTT) including IM and CC was significantly higher than that in the group with the chemotherapy of more than 3 cycles (P=0.028). Compared with patients at stageI, patients at stage III (WHO) had significantly increased expression of RFC2 (P=0.01). The level of RFC2 was higher in the patients with high risk in WHO prognostic scoring system than that in the patients with low risk (P=0.018). The levels of PCNA were significantly higher in the patients with high risk and middle risk than that in the patients with low risk (P=0.036 and P=0.048, respectively). The expression of PCNA protein was not associated with the preoperative chemotherapy and WHO stage of GTT. The RFC2 expression was positively correlated with the PCNA expression (P=0.000). CONCLUSION The over-expression of RFC2 and PCNA in GTD may be associated with the malignant transformation of HM and the behavior of trophoblastic tumor.
Is the Bethe–Salpeter Formalism Accurate for Excitation Energies? Comparisons with TD-DFT, CASPT2, and EOM-CCSD

Developing ab initio approaches able to provide accurate excited-state energies at a reasonable computational cost is one of the biggest challenges in theoretical chemistry. In that framework, the Bethe–Salpeter equation approach, combined with the GW exchange-correlation self-energy, which maintains the same scaling with system size as TD-DFT, has recently been the focus of a rapidly increasing number of applications in molecular chemistry. Using a recently proposed set encompassing excitation energies of many kinds [J. Phys. Chem. Lett.2016, 7, 586–591], we investigate here the performances of BSE/GW. We compare these results to CASPT2, EOM-CCSD, and TD-DFT data and show that BSE/GW provides an accuracy comparable to the two wave function methods. It is particularly remarkable that the BSE/GW is equally efficient for valence, Rydberg, and charge-transfer excitations. In contrast, it provides a poor description of triplet excited states, for which EOM-CCSD and CASPT2 clearly outperform BSE/GW. This contribution therefore supports the use of the Bethe–Salpeter approach for spin-conserving transitions.
Through the looking glass: challenges for human resource development (HRD) post the global financial crisis – business as usual?

An important question for human resource development (HRD) concerns how its practices may have contributed to the global financial crisis. Commentators have highlighted that HRD must take some of the blame. First, we consider whether HRD's traditional role of contributor through performance-based development interventions, may have facilitated questionable practices in organizations. Second, we reflect on whether HRD was an irrelevant spectator through being benign and impotent; rather than challenging the status quo in organizations. Third, we contemplate the protagonist role and argue that HRD practitioners pursued short-term performance-based wealth maximizing objectives with scant regard for the long-term organizational or societal impact. We conclude by considering how HRD scholars can engage tomorrow's business leaders in critical reflection and how HRD practitioners can pursue a strategic decoupling position which allows for challenging the status quo without alienating their professional status in the organization and ethical standing in practice.
Curvature of a class of indefinite globally framed f-manifolds

We present a compared analysis of some properties of indefinite almost S-manifolds and indefinite S-manifolds. We give some characterizations in terms of the Levi-Civita connection and of the characteristic vector fields. We study the sectional and '-sectional curvature of indefinite almost Smanifolds and state an expression of the curvature tensor field for the indefinite S-space forms. We analyse the sectional curvature of indefinite Smanifold in which the number of the spacelike characteristic vector fields is equal to that of the timelike characteristic vector fields. Some examples are also described.
Impact of changing agricultural practices on human health: Chronic kidney disease of multi-factorial origin in Sri Lanka

Non-harmonious and unsustainable agricultural practices have major impact on the environment, causing animal and human diseases. Agriculture is an essential part of our lives. However, excessive use of agrochemicals, and irresponsible and harmful agricultural habits cause soil and water pollution, and secondary contamination of human food chain. Contamination of soil and water with toxic agrochemicals (e.g., phosphate fertilizer contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides etc.) is a particular concern. These pollutants in water generally are in small quantities, and thus, cannot be seen or tasted. Therefore, their harmful effects do not manifest in humans for several years. During the past three decades, an escalating incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of an unusual nature has manifested in agricultural dry-zonal areas in several tropical countries, including Sri Lanka, but no specific cause has been determined to-date. However, current evidence suggests that more than one component is involved in this geo-water-related preventable health epidemic; hence using the terminology, CKD of multi-factorial origin (CKD-mfo). Detrimental agricultural habits, including excessive and indiscriminate use of toxic agrochemicals, not using protective gear when using agrochemicals, drinking contaminated water from paddy fields and from contaminated shallow dugwells, and allowing continued environmental contamination, have led to the escalation of this deadly disease in these regions. The epidemic has detrimental effects not only on affected families, but also on the socio economic aspects of villages, the region, and the entire country. While providing clean water to villages, enhancing awareness and education, and preventing environmental pollution, each country that is affected with CKD-mfo (CKDu) must seek to identify and eliminate the root causes of the disease to prevent its progress, with a specific action plan to eliminate it. Unless corrective steps are taken in a timely and effective manner, the situation is likely to worsen drastically damaging their economies and the humanity. However, it is not too late to reverse this negative vicious cycle of death and destruction, and bring back prosperity to the region.