Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topography of Synchronization of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials Elicited by Stimulation of the Sciatic Nerve in Rat

Purpose: Traditionally, the topography of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) is generated based on amplitude and latency. However, this operation focuses on the physical morphology and field potential-power, so it suffers from difficulties in performing identification in an objective manner. In this study, measurement of the synchronization of SEPs is proposed as a method to explore brain functional networks as well as the plasticity after peripheral nerve injury. Method: SEPs elicited by unilateral sciatic nerve stimulation in twelve adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats in the normal group were compared with SEPs evoked after unilateral sciatic nerve hemisection in four peripheral nerve injured SD rats. The characterization of synchronized networks from SEPs was conducted using equal-time correlation, correlation matrix analysis, and comparison to randomized surrogate data. Eigenvalues of the correlation matrix were used to identify the clusters of functionally synchronized neuronal activity, and the participation index (PI) was calculated to indicate the involvement of each channel in the cluster. The PI value at the knee point of the PI histogram was used as a threshold to demarcate the cortical boundary. Results: Ten out of the twelve normal rats showed only one synchronized brain network. The remaining two normal rats showed one strong and one weak network. In the peripheral nerve injured group, only one synchronized brain network was found in each rat. In the normal group, all network shapes appear regular and the network is largely contained in the posterior cortex. In the injured group, the network shapes appear irregular, the network extends anteriorly and posteriorly, and the network area is significantly larger. There are considerable individual variations in the shape and location of the network after peripheral nerve injury. Conclusion: The proposed method can detect functional brain networks. Compared to the results of the traditional SEP-morphology-based analysis method, the synchronized functional network area is much larger. Furthermore, the proposed method can also characterize the rapid cortical plasticity after a peripheral nerve is acutely injured.
Teamwork in the operating theatre: cohesion or confusion?

RATIONALE The aim of the research that we report here was to empirically assess the cohesiveness of the multidisciplinary operating theatre (OT) team. METHOD We used concepts from the team performance and team mental models literature to assess OT professionals' perceptions of their teamwork, the structure of their teams and their respective roles within them and their teams' performance. RESULTS Team structure: OT professionals would welcome a change from the current structure of the team, although there was no agreement on what that structure is. Nurses perceived the team as unitary, surgeons and anaesthetists perceived it as comprising multiple subteams. Team roles: OT professionals tended to overrate their own understanding of their colleagues' role in the OT relative to the role understanding that the colleagues attributed to them. This tendency was especially marked for the surgeons. Team communication and team performance: OT professionals agreed on the relative importance of the various communicating pairs in the OT. Moreover, they were satisfied with the quality of communication among them, except for the communication between the surgeon and the anaesthetist, which received lower ratings. Finally, the quality of the teamwork in the OT was deemed acceptable, although there is room for improvement. CONCLUSIONS The OT environment need not be as cohesive as previously assumed--a finding that carries implications for the effectiveness of team training interventions. Further research is needed in order to fully comprehend the dynamics of the OT as a working environment and, most importantly, their relation to patient safety.
Residual motion perception in a "motion-blind" patient, assessed with limited-lifetime random dot stimuli

A neurological patient (L.M.) suffering a specific loss of visual motion perception (Zihl et al., 1983) due to extrastriate cortical damage was studied using random dot “limited-lifetime” stimuli with a direction discrimination task. With a stimulus like that of Newsome and Pare (1988), the patient exhibited a severe deficit for motion perception, only being able to perform well for very high values of coherence. Different versions of the stimulus were employed to separate out the effects of limited lifetime versus the effects of additive noise as coherence was lowered. When all “signal” dots had a fixed, specified value of lifetime, and varying percentages of “noise” dots were added, the patient showed a profound deficit. In contrast, a stimulus consisting of no noise dots at all, and signal dots having fixed values of lifetime, revealed relatively good performance for surprisingly brief dot lifetimes. Thus, it is the presence of noisy, incoherent dot motion, rather than brief lifetimes, that causes such poor performance on the stimulus of Newsome and Pare (1988). Most surprising was the finding that the presence of even very small percentages of stationary noise dots was sufficient to disrupt totally direction discrimination of moving signal dots. The findings reported here suggest that one major role of extrastriate cortical processing might be the interpretation of stimuli that suffer from an impaired signal-to-noise ratio; the most commonly encountered form of “noise” would presumably be contamination by irrelevant directional spatio- temporal frequency components.
A homologous recombination defect affects replication-fork progression in mammalian cells

Faithful genome transmission requires a network of pathways coordinating DNA replication to DNA repair and recombination. Here, we used molecular combing to measure the impact of homologous recombination (HR) on the velocity of DNA replication forks. We used three hamster cell lines defective in HR either by overexpression of a RAD51 dominant-negative form, or by a defect in the RAD51 paralogue XRCC2 or the breast tumor suppressor BRCA2. Irrespectively of the type or extent of HR alteration, all three cell lines exhibited a similar reduction in the rate of replication-fork progression, associated with an increase in the density of replication forks. Importantly, this phenotype was completely reversed in complemented derivatives of Xrcc2 and Brca2 mutants. These data reveal a novel role for HR, different from the reactivation of stalled replication forks, which may play an important role in genome stability and thus in tumor protection.
Making productive use of students' initial conceptions in developing the concept of force

In the first phase of this study, a cognitive conflict strategy was used to design teaching/learning activities aimed at developing aspects of the newtonian concept of force. The effectiveness of the activities was studied in classroom research that took place in preuniversity courses in Botswana and South Africa. Pre-/posttesting showed a considerable increase in correct answers, but the answer-patterns were not consistent with the assumption that most students based their reasoning either on correct or on alternative concepts. Aspects of the initial premises of the conceptual replacement approach were questioned: In what way are student ideas “alternative,” and what is the students' cognitive basis for their construction of scientifically better ideas? We will show that many of the students' beliefs about motion and its causes, often expressed as “motion implies a force,” do not contradict scientific beliefs, provided that we accept that students, when they use the word “force,” refer to a concept which differs from the scientist's concept of force. Students do not distinguish concepts as precisely as scientists, have beliefs that may be incorrectly generalized to unfamiliar contexts, and frequently express their beliefs in nonscientific terms. However, in our interpretation, students do not have beliefs about familiar situations that are incompatible with scientific beliefs. Conceptual replacement, therefore, is not an adequate strategy to foster conceptual growth for the topics under consideration. Rather, the students' prior correct beliefs need to be identified as a potential basis for development of the scientific concept of force. The revised interpretation of students' conceptions guided a revision of the teaching sequence in the second phase of this study, aimed at helping students to develop their own conceptual tools to perceive and potentially resolve dissonance before they experience it. The revised sequence, which is based on concept refinement and context expansion, resulted in increases in correct answers and answer-patterns more consistent with concept-based reasoning. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed82:31–51, 1998.
Acute renal obstruction: evaluation with intrarenal duplex Doppler and conventional US.

To evaluate duplex Doppler ultrasound (US) in acute renal obstruction, bilateral intrarenal Doppler US was performed in 23 patients with unilateral renal obstruction (proved by means of intravenous urography) of 36 hours duration or less. A mean renal resistive index (RI) was calculated for each obstructed and normal contralateral kidney and compared with findings on conventional US scans. The mean RI in the obstructed kidneys was elevated (.77 +/- .07 [standard deviation]) and was higher than the mean RI in the normal contralateral kidney (.60 +/- .04) (P < .001). RIs in the obstructed kidneys were as follows: . 75 or greater in 15 kidneys, . 70-. 74 (mild RI elevation) in five kidneys (but > or = .10 higher than the RI in the normal contralateral kidney), and less than . 70 in three kidneys (two of these three patients had pyelosinus extravasation and one patient had clinical obstruction for only 4-5 hours). RI elevation occurred before collecting-system dilatation in four patients (17%). RI elevation occurs by 6 hours of clinical acute renal obstruction and may precede pyelocaliectasis. Renal duplex Doppler US contributes useful clinical information, especially when US is the first modality used to evaluate acute renal colic.
A 10-item Rasch modeled memory self-efficacy scale

A 10-item scale to measure memory self-efficacy was developed from responses to the 33-item Frequency of Forgetting scale of the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ). Responses to the MFQ from 565 participants in the 1994–1995 wave of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study were analyzed. Rasch scaling procedures were used to select items that discriminated individuals’ scoring patterns and that provided non-redundant information about responses. A set of 10 items provided a scale that was reliable across items and persons. Female gender, conscientiousness score, depression score, and list recall predicted individual differences in participants’ scores on the scale. Age, education, neuroticism, and text recall were also reliably correlated with scores but were suppressed by the other covariates. The shortened test is predicted by the same covariates as the long version, indicating that it has similar construct validity.
A Neurological Theory of Aesthetic Experience

We present a theory of human artistic experience and the neural mechanisms that mediate it. Any theory of art (or, indeed, any aspect of human nature) has to ideally have three components. (a) The logic of art: whether there are universal rules or principles; (b) The evolutionary rationale: why did these rules evolve and why do they have the form that they do; (c) What is the brain circuitry involved? Our paper begins with a quest for artistic universals and proposes a list of ‘Eight laws of artistic experience’ — a set of heuristics that artists either consciously or unconsciously deploy to optimally titillate the visual areas of the brain. One of these principles is a psychological phenomenon called the peak shift effect: If a rat is rewarded for discriminating a rectangle from a square, it will respond even more vigorously to a rectangle that is longer and skinnier that the prototype. We suggest that this principle explains not only caricatures, but many other aspects of art. Example: An evocative sketch of a female nude may be one which selectively accentuates those feminine form-attributes that allow one to discriminate it from a male figure; a Boucher, a Van Gogh, or a Monet may be a caricature in ‘colour space’ rather than form space. Even
Analysis of germline CDKN1C (p57KIP2) mutations in familial and sporadic Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) provides a novel genotype-phenotype correlation

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a human imprinting disorder with a variable phenotype. The major features are anterior abdominal wall defects including exomphalos (omphalocele), pre- and postnatal overgrowth, and macroglossia. Additional less frequent complications include specific developmental defects and a predisposition to embryonal tumours. BWS is genetically heterogeneous and epigenetic changes in the IGF2/H19 genes resulting in overexpression of IGF2 have been implicated in many cases. Recently germline mutations in the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor gene CDKN1C (p57KIP2) have been reported in a variable minority of BWS patients. We have investigated a large series of familial and sporadic BWS patients for evidence of CDKN1C mutations by direct gene sequencing. A total of 70 patients with classical BWS were investigated; 54 were sporadic with no evidence of UPD and 16 were familial from seven kindreds. Novel germline CDKN1C mutations were identified in five probands, 3/7 (43%) familial cases and 2/54 (4%) sporadic cases. There was no association between germline CDKN1C mutations and IGF2 or H19 epigenotype abnormalities. The clinical phenotype of 13 BWS patients with germline CDKN1C mutations was compared to that of BWS patients with other defined types of molecular pathology. This showed a significantly higher frequency of exomphalos in the CDKN1C mutation cases (11/13) than in patients with an imprinting centre defect (associated with biallelic IGF2 expression and H19 silencing) (0/5, p<0.005) or patients with uniparental disomy (0/9, p<0.005). However, there was no association between germline CDKN1C mutations and risk of embryonal tumours. No CDKN1C mutations were identified in six non-BWS patients with overgrowth and Wilms tumour. These findings (1) show that germline CDKN1C mutations are a frequent cause of familial but not sporadic BWS, (2) suggest that CDKN1C mutations probably cause BWS independently of changes in IGF2/H19 imprinting, (3) provide evidence that aspects of the BWS phenotype may be correlated with the involvement of specific imprinted genes, and (4) link genotype-phenotype relationships in BWS and the results of murine experimental models of BWS.
Investigating expectations and experiences of audio and written assignment feedback in first-year undergraduate students

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that audio feedback may be an important mechanism for facilitating effective and timely assignment feedback. The present study examined expectations and experiences of audio and written feedback provided through turnitin for iPad® from students within the same cohort and assignment. The results showed that although initially sceptical of audio compared to written feedback, there were no significant differences in students' experiences of audio and written feedback. Students' performance on the assignment was not associated with their experiences of audio feedback but first-class performing students ( > 70%) had more positive experiences of written feedback than those who received an upper second-class grade (60–69%). In general, the results imply that audio feedback provided through turnitin for iPad® is a viable alternative to written feedback. The findings are discussed in relation to past research findings.
Type I insulin-like growth factor as a liver reserve assessment tool in hepatocellular carcinoma

Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) encompass a wide range of illnesses, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and viral hepatitis. Deterioration of liver capacity, with subsequent progression into cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ultimately leads to a further decrease in the hepatic reserve. The Child–Turcotte–Pugh scoring system is the standard tool for assessing underlying liver reserve capacity in routine practice and in clinical trials of CLD and HCC. In this review, we highlight the clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the growth hormone (GH) signaling pathway in HCC. IGF-I could be a marker for liver reserve capacity in CLDs and HCC in clinical practice. This approach could improve the risk assessment and stratifications of patients on the basis of their underlying liver reserve, either before active treatment in routine practice or before they are enrolled in clinical trials.
Second generation pleated pneumatic artificial muscle and its robotic applications

This paper reports on the second generation of the pleated pneumatic artificial muscle (PPAM) which has been developed to extend the lifespan of its first prototype. This type of artificial muscle was developed to overcome dry friction and material deformation which is present in the widely used McKibben muscle. The essence of the PPAM is its pleated membrane structure which enables the muscle to work at low pressures and at large contractions. There is growing interest in this kind of actuation for robotics applications due to its high power to weight ratio and adaptable compliance, especially for legged locomotion and robot applications in direct contact with a human. This paper describes the design of the second-generation PPAM, for which specifically the membrane layout has been changed. In terms of this new layout the mathematical model, developed for the first prototype, has been reformulated. This paper gives an elaborate discussion on this mathematical model that represents the force generation and enclosed muscle volume. Static load tests on some real muscles, which have been carried out in order to validate the mathematical model, are then discussed. Furthermore, two robotic applications are given which successfully use these pneumatic artificial muscles. One is the biped Lucy and the another one is a manipulator application which works in direct contact with an operator.
In vitro activity of a new cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic, LY146032, against gram-positive clinical bacteria

The in vitro activity of LY146032, a novel cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic, was tested against different gram-positive clinical isolates. The activity of LY146032 was clearly higher than that of vancomycin against all isolates tested. However, in some instances rifampin and imipenem showed higher activity than did LY146032.
Performance and Metabolic Responses of Highly-Trained Team-Sport Athletes during Repeated Sprinting in Hypoxia

To examine the performance (i.e., peak and mean speed) and metabolic responses (i.e., O2 uptake and blood lactate concentration) of highly-trained team-sport athletes during repeated sprinting in hypoxia. Seven professional Australian-rules football players (i.e., AFL players; age, 20 ± 1 yr; stature, 190 ± 6 cm; body mass, 86.4 ± 9.8 kg) participated in this study. AFL players were required to complete ten, 6-s sprints with 24 s recovery (i.e., repeated-sprint running test; RSR test) on a non-motorised treadmill in normobaric normoxia, FiO2: 20.9% (RSN) and in normobaric hypoxia, FiO2: 14.0% (RSH). Peak and mean speed were determined, and oxygen uptake, blood lactate concentration and arterial oxygen saturation were obtained to examine metabolism.
Observational learning in argumentative writing

On repeated occasions, observational learning has proved itself to be an effective instruction method. Experimental studies have shown to be effective for complex tasks such as reading and writing for both teachers and students as models. The problem when interpreting the results of such research is that, in observation tasks, several mental activities play a simultaneous role. In this study we therefore set out to identify the effective elements of observation tasks. We focused on two elements of the observation tasks, both aimed at stimulating monitoring activities: evaluation of the model’s performance and elaboration on this evaluation. We have also distinguished between elaboration on the observed products (the models’ written answers), and elaboration on the observed processes (the models’ verbalizations of their mental activities). The data were subjected to a LISREL analysis. First of all, it was observed that subjects who performed ‘evaluation’ and ‘product-elaboration’ better, and ‘process-elaboration’ more often in one lesson, also performed these activities better or more often in the subsequent lesson. Next, we observed an effect of aptitude on the learning activities: pre skill scores influence ‘evaluation’ and ‘product-elaboration’. The most important finding is that ‘evaluation’ and ‘product-elaboration’ contribute positively to argumentative writing skills. It is discussed that these findings confirm the importance of the monitoring, evaluative and reflective activities when learning complex tasks as writing.
Montreal Forced Aligner: Trainable Text-Speech Alignment Using Kaldi

We present the Montreal Forced Aligner (MFA), a new open-source system for speech-text alignment. MFA is an update to the Prosodylab-Aligner, and maintains its key functionality of trainability on new data, as well as incorporating improved architecture (triphone acoustic models and speaker adaptation), and other features. MFA uses Kaldi instead of HTK, allowing MFA to be distributed as a stand-alone package, and to exploit parallel processing for computationally-intensive training and scaling to larger datasets. We evaluate MFA’s performance on aligning word and phone boundaries in English conversational and laboratory speech, relative to human-annotated boundaries, focusing on the effects of aligner architecture and training on the data to be aligned. MFA performs well relative to two existing open-source aligners with simpler architecture (Prosodylab-Aligner and FAVE), and both its improved architecture and training on data to be aligned generally result in more accurate boundaries.