Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous TH1 cytokine production by intraepithelial but not circulating T cells in infants with or without food allergies

Background: It has been established that the maintenance of immunological tolerance to dietary antigen and the intestinal flora (oral tolerance) is an actively‐maintained process dependent upon mucosal lymphocyte populations. Early life exposures appear critical in the development of such tolerance. However little is known about the activation status of mucosal lymphocytes in human infancy and childhood.
Juvenile glaucoma linked to GLCIA in a Panamanian family.

PURPOSE To carry out clinical and genetic characterization of juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) inherited as an autosomal dominant trait in a Panamanian family. METHODS Twenty-two members of a six-generation Panamanian family underwent an ophthalmologic evaluation. Blood samples were collected from 20 of these individuals for preparation of DNA for use in screening of microsatellite repeat genetic markers via polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Eleven living family members covering 4 generations were diagnosed as affected with open-angle glaucoma of primarily juvenile onset. Four of 6 other at-risk individuals examined and enrolled were characterized as unaffected and two as indeterminate. Two additional individuals were not included in this study because they were too young to characterize or to provide a blood sample. Three spouses of affected family members were also examined and found not to have glaucoma. Of clinical importance was the finding of markedly elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in 2 affected brothers, both of whom were advised to have urgent filtration surgery; the finding of elevated IOP in the only seeing eye of the mother of these brothers, causing us to advise her to pursue more aggressive treatment; and the finding of early signs of glaucoma in a previously undiagnosed 9-year-old family member. Linkage analysis using selected microsatellite repeat markers in the 1q21-q31 region revealed strong evidence for linkage to the GLC1A gene with a maximum lod score of 3.75 for marker D1S431 at a recombination fraction of 0.00. CONCLUSIONS The most likely interpretation of our data is that a mutation in the GLC1A gene is responsible for juvenile-onset POAG in this Panamanian family, thus expanding the countries of origin where this gene has been found to exist. The numbers of families with GLC1A glaucoma now reported from only a few centers worldwide raise questions about whether this disease may be more common than once thought. Evaluation of treatment histories and clinical outcomes in members of this and other previously reported families indicates that ophthalmologists need to understand the necessity for urgent filtration surgery in most cases of GLC1A glaucoma if vision is to be preserved.
The Emergence of Inter-Municipal Collaboration: Evidence from Metropolitan Planning in Portugal

Inter-organizational collaboration as a means for policy coordination has come to be seen as a solution to difficult and complex urban challenges. In Portugal, where metropolitan governance structures are highly fragmented, critics highlight the need for better coordination between municipalities—a situation typical in many countries. We seek to understand the forces behind the emergence of inter-municipal collaboration around land use and mobility issues, using a case study method. Based on nine cases from Portugal's two largest metropolitan areas, we test a model of inter-municipal collaboration, attempting to identify the factors and conditions which contribute to the emergence of collaborative relationships. The analysis suggests several points of validation as well as propositions for extending and refining the model. We find that collaboration is facilitated by a combination of positive incentives, ambiguity and flexibility in the institutional system, an external catalyst, existing inter-organizational networks, and specific organizational characteristics. The existence of any one of these factors is not enough. A combination of several factors, possible but apparently uncommon in Portugal, is necessary. This research suggests that the Portuguese planning system may be most likely to achieve metropolitan policy coordination through a metropolitan association that can incentivize collaborative projects.
Executive and behavioural functioning in girls with Turner's syndrome

Turner's syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder that arises from the complete or partial absence of the second sex chromosome. The T S behavioural phenotype has been characterised by a specific neuropsychological profile of normal verbal skills, impaired visuo-spatial and/or visuo-perceptual abilities and difficulty with motor function. Recently there have been reports of deficits in executive functions. The current study investigated the role of executive and behavioural functioning in TS females aged 6-16 years.
Preliminary Evidence of the Technical Adequacy of the Preschool Numeracy Indicators

Given the potential long-term outcomes of poorly developed mathematical skills, there is a need to understand the emergence and development of these skills in the context of improving educational experiences and ensuring better outcomes for preschoolers. The purpose of this article is to describe preliminary reliability and validity evidence supporting the Preschool Numeracy Indicators (PNIs), which are tasks for the assessment of number skills during the preschool years. Results from a sample of 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 163) attending preschool and Head Start programs revealed (a) evidence of test-retest reliability, (b) evidence that the four PNIs measure the same construct, (c) evidence of age-related differences in PNIs scores, and (d) evidence that the PNIs demonstrate external relations with scores from three test batteries measuring mathematics and number skills and other preacademic skills. Implications focus on the use of the PNIs for screening purposes, and future research is described.
The Effect of Context and Self-Esteem on Decision Making Competence and Preferences for Collaborative Decision Making in Older Adults

OF DISSERTATION THE EFFECT OF CONTEXT AND SELF ESTEEM ON DECISION MAKING COMPETENCE AND PREFERENCES FOR COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING IN OLDER ADULTS Older adults increasingly face difficult decisions in life threatening contexts as they move closer to death, become more likely to be diagnosed with life threatening diseases, and encounter more death within their social network (Greenberg, 2011). The purpose of this research was to understand the effect of a life-threatening decision context centered around cancer, self-esteem, other individual difference factors and cancer experience on older adults’ decision making competence, and preferences for collaborative decision making. Study participants were recruited through online circulation of the study recruitment flyer and in-person solicitations at meetings and other events at community locations (senior centers, civic group centers, and churches, etc.). Participants age 55-90 (N=202) were randomly assigned to either a mundane or life threatening condition and asked to complete the corresponding survey packet containing a measurement questionnaire. Analyses consisted of a series of analyses of variance (ANOVA) and regressions. The dependent variables were 3 major components of the DeBruin et al. (2007) Adult Decision Making Competence Scale: (a) Resistance to Framing, (b) Resistance to Sunk Cost Bias, and (c) Over/under confidence, in addition to a measure of Maximizing Tendency (Diab et al., 2008). Analyses revealed mixed results. Decision context did have an effect on decision making competence, while self-esteem showed little effect. No main effects or interactions were found between decision context, self-esteem, and preferences for collaborative decision making. Individual difference factors did effect decision making competence, with future time perspective, risk tolerance, and ego-integrity emerging as significant predictors. Furthermore, compelling results emerged pertaining to the effect of previous cancer experience on decision making competence. Results highlight the lasting effect of context and a previous cancer diagnosis on decision making competence and have implications in health care, psycho-oncology, and treatment decision making domains.
Hyperfractionated or accelerated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Background Several trials have studied the role of altered fractionation radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, but the effect of such treatment on survival is not clear. Objectives The aim of this individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis was to assess whether this type of radiotherapy could improve survival. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register; CENTRAL (2010, Issue 3); PubMed; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; BIOSIS Previews; Cambridge Scientific Abstracts; ISRCTN and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the most recent search was 8 August 2010. Selection criteria We identified randomised trials comparing conventional radiotherapy with hyperfractionated or accelerated radiotherapy, or both, in patients with non-metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and grouped trials into three pre-specified treatment categories: hyperfractionated, accelerated and accelerated with total dose reduction. Trials were eligible if they began recruitment after 1969 and ended before 1998. Data collection and analysis We obtained updated individual patient data. Overall survival was the main outcome measure. The secondary outcome measures were local or regional control rates (or both), distant control rates and cause-specific mortality. Main results We included 15 trials with 6515 patients. The median follow up was six years. Tumour sites were mostly oropharynx and larynx; 5221 (74%) patients had stage III-IV disease (UICC 2002). There was a significant survival benefit with altered fractionation radiotherapy, corresponding to an absolute benefit of 3.4% at five years (hazard ratio (HR) 0.92, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.97; P = 0.003). The benefit was significantly higher with hyperfractionated radiotherapy (8% at five years) than with accelerated radiotherapy (2% with accelerated fractionation without total dose reduction and 1.7% with total dose reduction at five years, P = 0.02). There was a benefit in locoregional control in favour of altered fractionation versus conventional radiotherapy (6.4% at five years; P < 0.0001), which was particularly efficient in reducing local failure, whereas the benefit on nodal control was less pronounced. The benefit was significantly higher in the youngest patients (under 50 year old) (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.94), 0.95 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.09) for 51 to 60 year olds, 0.92 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.06) for 61 to 70 year olds, and 1.08 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.30) for those over 70 years old; test for trends P = 0.007). Authors' conclusions Altered fractionation radiotherapy improves survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Comparison of the different types of altered radiotherapy suggests that hyperfractionation provides the greatest benefit. An update of this IPD meta-analysis (MARCH 2), which will increase the power of this analysis and allow for other comparisons, is currently in progress.
Evaluation of a Phonological Awareness Intervention for Kindergarten and First Grade Students

This study examined the effects of a phonological awareness intervention for at-risk kindergarten and first grade students. The intervention consisted of five phonological awareness activities and one vocabulary activity and occurred three times per week for 30 minutes. The researcher evaluated the kindergarten students' phonemic awareness screening data and first grade students' phonics screening data using an ANCOVA design, using fall phonemic awareness scores as the covariate. For kindergarten students, there was not a significant effect on phonemic awareness or alphabetic principle skills. For first grade students, there was not a significant effect on phonics skills, but there was a significant effect on oral reading fluency skills. The average rates of improvement between the kindergarten intervention and control groups were not significantly different for a measure of phonemic awareness. However, the average rates of improvement between the first grade intervention and control groups were significantly different for phonics. These results suggest that this intervention can be effective in increasing the reading fluency skills of first graders.
Transcriptional instability is not a universal attribute of aging

It has been proposed that cumulative somatic mutations contribute to the aging process by disrupting the transcriptional networks that regulate cell structure and function. Experimental support for this model emerged from a recent study of cardiomyocytes that showed a dramatic increase in the transcriptional heterogeneity of these long‐lived postmitotic cells with age. To determine if regulatory instability is a hallmark of aging in renewing tissues, we evaluated gene expression noise in four hematopoietic cell types: stem cells, granulocytes, naïve B cells and naïve T cells. We used flow cytometry to purify phenotypically equivalent cells from young and old mice, and applied multiplexed quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction to measure the copy number of six different mRNA transcripts in 324 individual cells. There was a trend toward higher transcript levels in cells isolated from old animals, but no significant increase in transcriptional heterogeneity with age was found in the surveyed populations. Flow cytometric analysis of membrane protein expression also indicated that cell‐to‐cell variability was unaffected by age. We conclude that large‐scale regulatory destabilization is not a universal concomitant of aging, and may be of significance as an aging mechanism primarily in nonrenewing tissues.
Gain-bandwidth characteristics of thin avalanche photodiodes

The frequency-response characteristics of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with thin multiplication layers are investigated by means of a recurrence technique that incorporates the history dependence of ionization coefficients. In addition, to characterize the autocorrelation function of the impulse response, new recurrence equations are derived and solved using a parallel computer. The mean frequency response and the gain-bandwidth product are computed and a simple model for the dependence of the gain-bandwidth product on the multiplication-layer width is set forth for GaAs, InP, Al/sub 0.2/Ga/sub 0.8/As, and In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As APDs. It is shown that the dead-space effect leads to a reduction (up to 30%) in the bandwidth from that predicted by the conventional multiplication theory. Notably, calculation of the power-spectral density of the photocurrent reveals that the presence of dead space also results in a reduction in the fluctuations in the frequency response. This result is the spectral generalization of the reduction in the excess noise factor in thin APDs and reveals an added advantage of using thin APDs in ultrafast receivers.
Percepción de utilidad e importancia de la educación física según la motivacion generada por el docente

El principal objetivo del estudio ha sido comprobar la capacidad de prediccion del clima motivacional trasmitido por el profesor en el aula, los mediadores psicologicos y la motivacion autodeterminada (representada por el indice de autodeterminacion) sobre la importancia y utilidad concedidas por el alumno a la Educacion Fisica, asi como las posibles relaciones que se dan entre dichas variables. Para ello se utilizo una muestra de 819 alumnos (417 chicos y 402 chicas) del municipio de Murcia, con edades comprendidas entre los 14 y los 17 anos, (M = 1,47; DT = .49). Los instrumentos utilizados han sido el cuestionario de la orientacion al aprendizaje y el rendimiento en las clases de Educacion Fisica (LAPOPEQ), la escala de motivacion deportiva (SMS), la escala de mediadores psicologicos y la escala de importancia de la Educacion Fisica (PEI).
Inferring mood in ubiquitous conversational video

Conversational social video is becoming a worldwide trend. Video communication allows a more natural interaction, when aiming to share personal news, ideas, and opinions, by transmitting both verbal content and nonverbal behavior. However, the automatic analysis of natural mood is challenging, since it is displayed in parallel via voice, face, and body. This paper presents an automatic approach to infer 11 natural mood categories in conversational social video using single and multimodal nonverbal cues extracted from video blogs (vlogs) from YouTube. The mood labels used in our work were collected via crowdsourcing. Our approach is promising for several of the studied mood categories. Our study demonstrates that although multimodal features perform better than single channel features, not always all the available channels are needed to accurately discriminate mood in videos.
Handovers and Debussy

When I started to study the piano at the age of eight, I would labour over my exercises and pieces, one note at a time. As I learned to read music, there was always a sense of accomplishment when the played notes seemed to reflect correctly the musical score in front of me. I don’t recall anyone ever calling me a musician, certainly not my first teacher. Getting the individual notes right and in correct sequence was a long way from making music. For me it was all about the notes. Claude Debussy is said to have clarified this issue that generally eludes most novice musicians, when he said, “Music is not just about the notes. Rather it is created by the spaces between the notes. ” Healthcare steadily becomes more complex—more chronically ill people who live longer, and sicker patients who require more powerful medicines and riskier procedures. Randomised controlled trials indicate the drugs and procedures that work best for many diseases. Junior doctors (resident trainees) learn these parts quickly and effectively. As important as this knowledge is, there is increasing recognition that the value …
Arrhythmogenic consequences of myofibroblast-myocyte coupling.

AIMS Fibrosis is known to promote cardiac arrhythmias by disrupting myocardial structure. Given recent evidence that myofibroblasts form gap junctions with myocytes at least in co-cultures, we investigated whether myofibroblast-myocyte coupling can promote arrhythmia triggers, such as early afterdepolarizations (EADs), by directly influencing myocyte electrophysiology. METHODS AND RESULTS Using the dynamic voltage clamp technique, patch-clamped adult rabbit ventricular myocytes were electrotonically coupled to one or multiple virtual fibroblasts or myofibroblasts programmed with eight combinations of capacitance, membrane resistance, resting membrane potential, and gap junction coupling resistance, spanning physiologically realistic ranges. Myocytes were exposed to oxidative (1 mmol/L H(2)O(2)) or ionic (2.7 mmol/L hypokalaemia) stress to induce bradycardia-dependent EADs. In the absence of myofibroblast-myocyte coupling, EADs developed during slow pacing (6 s), but were completely suppressed by faster pacing (1 s). However, in the presence of myofibroblast-myocyte coupling, EADs could no longer be suppressed by rapid pacing, especially when myofibroblast resting membrane potential was depolarized (-25 mV). Analysis of the myofibroblast-myocyte virtual gap junction currents revealed two components: an early transient-outward I(to)-like current and a late sustained current. Selective elimination of the I(to)-like component prevented EADs, whereas selective elimination of the late component did not. CONCLUSION Coupling of myocytes to myofibroblasts promotes EAD formation as a result of a mismatch in early vs. late repolarization reserve caused by the I(to)-like component of the gap junction current. These cellular and ionic mechanisms may contribute to the pro-arrhythmic risk in fibrotic hearts.
Validating Estimates of Latent Traits from Textual Data Using Human Judgment as a Benchmark

Automated and statistical methods for estimating latent political traits and classes from textual data hold great promise, because virtually every political act involves the production of text. Statistical models of natural language features, however, are heavily laden with unrealistic assumptions about the process that generates these data, including the stochastic process of text generation, the functional link between political variables and observed text, and the nature of the variables (and dimensions) on which observed text should be conditioned. While acknowledging statistical models of latent traits to be “wrong,” political scientists nonetheless treat their results as sufficiently valid to be useful. In this article, we address the issue of substantive validity in the face of potential model failure, in the context of unsupervised scaling methods of latent traits. We critically examine one popular parametric measurement model of latent traits for text and then compare its results to systematic human judgments of the texts as a benchmark for validity.
The Neural Basis of Economic Decision-Making in the Ultimatum Game

The nascent field of neuroeconomics seeks to ground economic decisionmaking in the biological substrate of the brain. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging of Ultimatum Game players to investigate neural substrates of cognitive and emotional processes involved in economic decision-making. In this game, two players split a sum of money;one player proposes a division and the other can accept or reject this. We scanned players as they responded to fair and unfair proposals. Unfair offers elicited activity in brain areas related to both emotion (anterior insula) and cognition (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Further, significantly heightened activity in anterior insula for rejected unfair offers suggests an important role for emotions in decision-making.
Teaching Science Writing to First Graders: Genre Learning and Recontextualization

Examines four first-graders’ messages to family members in their “family message journals,” as students were learning to “do science. ” Finds that they consistently composed texts in which they appropriated the linguistic conventions of science and that they seemed able to use these conventions flexibly, recontextualizing the genres to fit the task of a written dialogue with their families.