Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of eye height in judgment of an affordance of passage under a barrier

D’apres la theorie ecologique de la perception (Gibson, 1979), l’observateur-acteur, au cœur de ses multiples interactions avec l’environnement, percoit des affordances, c’est-a-dire des opportunites d’action. Cette perception serait directe et necessiterait la prise d’information qui specifierait la relation entre les caracteristiques de l’environnement et les proprietes de l’individu. L’objectif de cette recherche est d’etudier le role de la hauteur des yeux dans des jugements perceptifs de passage sous une barre. Huit participants ont effectue des jugements verbaux a propos de la hauteur minimale d’une barre sous laquelle ils pouvaient passer sans baisser la tete en marchant a vitesse normale. La hauteur des yeux percue etait egalement mesuree. Les jugements etaient effectues dans trois conditions de vision: (i) utilisation de lunettes a verres neutres (condition de base), (ii) utilisation de lunettes avec verre prismatique (deviation vers le bas de 20 dp) et (iii) apres adaptation a ces lunettes. Les resultats montrent que les deux types de jugements (hauteur minimale et hauteur des yeux percue) sont affectes par le port des prismes. Ils revelent notamment un effet de l’adaptation aux prismes (after-effect) significatif. Cet after-effect est mis en evidence pour les deux types de jugements. Ces resultats etayent l’hypothese selon laquelle la hauteur des yeux effective, souple et adaptable, est calibree par rapport a la scene visuelle. En retour, la hauteur des yeux effective peut servir a estimer des potentialites d’action pour l’organisme.
Towards a common disability assessment framework: theoretical and methodological issues for providing public services and benefits using ICF

Purpose. To report on the preliminary results of an Italian project on the implementation of an ICF-based protocol for providing public services and benefits for persons with disabilities. Methods. The UN Convention on the Rights of persons with disabilities (UNC) was mapped to the ICF, and core elements were implemented in an ICF-based evaluation protocol. A person–environment interaction classification (PEIC) tree was also developed for defining evaluation outputs. Results. The PEIC and the ICF-based protocol are the guideline and the data interpretation source, respectively, for providing public services and benefits. They enable to assign persons to different services, from surveillance and monitoring to facilitator provision or sustain over time, to barrier removal or to the reorganisation of environmental factors provision. A detailed description of the target intervention is made available through the implementation of a protocol, which points out the effect of personal support and other environmental factors. Conclusions. The detailed description of functioning and disability provided by our methodology can help policy makers and administrators in decision making, on the basis of a description of real needs, and in targeting person-tailored interventions.
Variability and validity of polymorphism association studies in Parkinson’s disease

Background: In recent years, interest in gene–environment interactions has spurred a great number of association studies on polymorphism of different genes. Objective: To review case-control studies of genetic polymorphisms in PD, and perform meta-analysis of individual gene polymorphism. Methods: The authors searched the Medline database (PubMed) for publications (English language) from January 1966 to November 1999 for association studies in PD. The key words used were “PD” and “polymorphism. ” The authors supplemented the search with relevant references quoted in these published articles. Those with four or more independent studies of a specific gene polymorphism were subjected to meta-analysis, with the exception of cytochrome-P450 enzyme polymorphisms, for which meta-analyses results were already available in the literature. Results: The authors identified 84 studies on 14 genes, including dopamine receptors (DRD2 and DRD4), dopamine transporter (DAT), monoamine oxidase (MAOA and MAOB), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), APOE, glutathione transferase (GSTT1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTZ1), and mitochondrial genes (tRNAGlu and ND2). Four polymorphisms showed significant association with PD: slow acetylator genotypes of NAT2 (PD:control OR = 1.36), allele >188bp of the MAOB (GT)n polymorphism (OR = 2.58), the deletion allele of GSTT1 (OR = 1.34), and A4336G of tRNAGlu (OR = 3.0). No significant differences were found for the other genes. Conclusion: Significant associations with PD were found in polymorphisms of NAT2, MAOB, GSTT1, and tRNAGlu. Although significant association does not imply a causal relationship between the presence of the polymorphisms and PD pathogenesis, their pathophysiologic significance should be studied further.
Quality of life of parents of children with newly diagnosed specific learning disability.

BACKGROUND Poor school performance in children causes significant stress to parents. AIMS To analyze the quality of life (QOL) of parents having a child with newly diagnosed specific learning disability (SpLD) and to evaluate the impact of clinical and socio-demographic characteristics on their QOL. DESIGN Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. SETTING Learning disability clinic in tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS From June 2006 to February 2007, 150 parents (either mother or father) of children consecutively diagnosed as having SpLD were enrolled. Parent's QOL was measured by the WHOQOL-100 instrument which is a generic instrument containing 25 facets of QOL organized in six domains. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were carried out for statistical significance. RESULTS Mean age of parents was 42.6 years (SD 5.5); mothers to fathers ratio 1.3:1; and 19 (12.7%) were currently ill. Only four WHOQOL-100 domains (psychological > social relationships > environment > spiritual) and five WHOQOL-100 facets (leisure > feel > energy > esteem > sex) contributed significantly to their "overall" QOL. Female gender, being currently ill, being in paid work, and having a male child were characteristics that independently predicted a poor domain/facet QOL score. CONCLUSIONS The present study has identified domains and facets that need to be addressed by counselors for improving overall QOL of these parents. Initiating these measures would also improve the home environment and help in the rehabilitation of children with SpLD.
Histological investigation of common insensate flaps obtained from the hand and forearm regions for use in fingertip reconstruction

Abstract Objective: Many skin flaps have been described for fingertip reconstruction; however, they have not been compared histologically. The aim of this study is to compare the histological features of common insensate flaps that are used for fingertip reconstruction. Method: Skin from fingertips and common flap donor sites on the hand and forearm of cadavers were harvested. This study investigated four histological characteristics, namely thickness of the epidermis and dermis; the ratio of collagen to elastic fibres (C/E ratio) in subdermal tissues, and distribution densities of Merkel cells and Meissner’s corpuscles. It then compared the values obtained to determine which flap donor site best matched the fingertip. Results: Epidermal thickness of the reverse digital artery island flap, thenar flap, and hypothenar flap was similar to that of fingertip tissue; dermal thickness of the hypothenar flap was similar to that of fingertip tissue. The C/E ratio of the reverse digital artery island flap was similar to that of fingertip tissue. Merkel cells were abundant in the reverse digital artery island flap, but Meissner’s corpuscles were few in each of the flaps compared with fingertip tissue. Conclusion: The flap donor site with histological properties most similar to fingertip tissue was the palmar lateral aspect at the finger base, representative of the reverse digital artery island flap with respect to epidermal thickness, C/E ratio, and presence of Merkel cells. The thenar and hypothenar flaps also showed similar properties.
Aberrant brain grey matter volume patterns differ among Chinese Han drug-naïve depression patients with acute and chronic stress

Chronic or acute stress can induce structural changes and brain alterations associated with the neural mechanisms of depression. Aimed to investigate the GMV alterations in the drug-naïve depression patients with chronic and acute stress experience,we enrolled fifty depression patients with acute stress experience, fifty five depression patients with chronic stress experience and forty seven healthy controls(HC) to participant in the present study. We used voxel-based morphometry to analyze the brain grey matter volume (GMV) alterations. Compared with the HC, the patients with acute stress and those with chronic stress exhibited a distinct GMV impairment pattern. Widespread, decreased GMV was detected in most of the cerebral cortex in all the depression patients. Importantly, the greatest finding in our study is that the decreased GMV in the depression patients with chronic stress was more widespread than that in the patients with acute stress. All brain regions with decreased GMV participated in the regulation of emotions, memory, and executive function processing, which is consistent with previous findings. There was no significant difference between the major depression disorder patients with acute stressful life events and those with chronic stressful life events, and this finding largely weakens the support of our current conclusion. Thus, we cannot confirm this postulation. However, our findings probably indicate that GMV may be more sensitive to major depression disorder patients when compared to healthy controls, it did not sensitive when in the comparison of patient's group. Overall, our findings provide important information for the use of appropriate treatment methods to address acute stress and alleviate chronic stress in patients with depression, and such treatments can delay the deterioration of the affected brain regions and improve remission rates. More importantly, all the inexplicable findings in the present study encourage us to conduct a follow-up study to describe the developmental trajectory of the pathological brain features of depression patients and explore therapeutic targets for future personalized treatment.
Ribosomal acidic phosphoproteins P1 and P2 are not required for cell viability but regulate the pattern of protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with either three inactivated genes (triple disruptants) or four inactivated genes (quadruple disruptants) encoding the four acidic ribosomal phosphoproteins, YP1 alpha, YP1 beta, YP2 alpha, and YP2 beta, present in this species have been obtained. Ribosomes from the triple disruptants and, obviously, those from the quadruple strain do not have bound P proteins. All disrupted strains are viable; however, they show a cold-sensitive phenotype, growing very poorly at 23 degrees C. Cell extracts from the quadruple-disruptant strain are about 30% as active as the control in protein synthesis assays and are stimulated by the addition of free acidic P proteins. Strains lacking acidic proteins do not have a higher suppressor activity than the parental strains, and cell extracts derived from the quadruple disruptant do not show a higher degree of misreading, indicating that the absence of acidic proteins does not affect the accuracy of the ribosomes. However, the patterns of protein expressed in the cells as well as in the cell-free protein system are affected by the absence of P proteins from the particles; a wild-type pattern is restored upon addition of exogenous P proteins to the cell extract. In addition, strains carrying P-protein-deficient ribosomes are unable to sporulate but recover this capacity upon transformation with one of the missing genes. These results indicate that acidic proteins are not an absolute requirement for protein synthesis but regulate the activity of the 60S subunit, affecting the translation of certain mRNAs differently.
Computational prediction of ionic liquid 1-octanol/water partition coefficients.

Wet 1-octanol/water partition coefficients (log K(ow)) predicted for imidazolium-based ionic liquids using adaptive bias force-molecular dynamics (ABF-MD) simulations lie in excellent agreement with experimental values. These encouraging results suggest prospects for this computational tool in the a priori prediction of log K(ow) values of ionic liquids broadly with possible screening implications as well (e.g., prediction of CO(2)-philic ionic liquids).
Predictive, concurrent, prospective and retrospective validity of self-reported delinquency.

BACKGROUND The self-report method is widely used to measure offending. Previous studies suggest that it is generally valid, but that its validity may be lower for blacks than for whites. AIM To assess the validity of self-reported offending in relation to court referrals, and to investigate how it varies with types of offences, sex and race. METHOD Annual court and self-report data were collected between ages 11 and 17 for eight offences in the Seattle Social Development Project, which is a prospective longitudinal survey of 808 youths. RESULTS Self-reports predicted future court referrals. Predictive validity was highest for drug offences, for males and for whites, and lowest for females and Asians. The probability of youths with a court referral reporting offences and arrests was highest for drug offences, for males, for whites and for blacks. Retrospective ages of onset agreed best with prospective ages for drug offences, Asians and whites. More Asians than blacks or whites failed retrospectively to report offences that had been reported prospectively. CONCLUSIONS The validity of self-reports of offending was high, especially for drug offences, for males and for whites. Contrary to prior research, validity was high for black males. It was lowest for Asian females. Sex and race differences in validity held up after controlling for socioeconomic status. Differential validity probability did not reflect police bias.
Regulation of capsular polysaccharide synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12: characterization of three regulatory genes

The synthesis of the Escherichia coli capsular polysaccharide varies with growth medium, temperature of growth, and genetic background. lac fusions to genes necessary for capsule synthesis (cps) demonstrated that these genes are regulated negatively in vivo by the lon gene product. We have now isolated, characterized, and mapped mutations in three new regulatory genes (rcs, for regulator of capsule synthesis) that control expression of these same fusions. rcsA and rcsB are positive regulators of capsule synthesis. rcsA is located at min 43 on the E. coli map, whereas rcsB lies at 47 min. rcsC, a negative regulator of capsule synthesis, is located at min 47, close to rcsB. All three regulatory mutations are unlinked to either the structural genes cpsA-F or lon. Mutations in all three rcs genes are recessive to the wild type. We postulate that lon may regulate capsule synthesis indirectly, by regulating the availability of one of the positive regulators.
Realisation of voicing by French-speaking CI children after long-term implant use: An acoustic study

ABSTRACT Studies of speech production in French-speaking cochlear-implanted (CI) children are very scarce. Yet, difficulties in speech production have been shown to impact the intelligibility of these children. The goal of this study is to understand the effect of long-term use of cochlear implant on speech production, and more precisely on the coordination of laryngeal-oral gestures in stop production. The participants were all monolingual French children: 13 6;6- to 10;7-year-old CI children and 20 age-matched normally hearing (NH) children. We compared /p/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /d/ and /g/ in word-initial consonant-vowel sequences, produced in isolation in two different tasks, and we studied the effects of CI use, vowel context, task and age factors (i.e. chronological age, age at implantation and duration of implant use). Statistical analyses show a difference in voicing production between groups for voiceless consonants (shorter Voice Onset Times for CI children), with significance reached only for /k/, but no difference for voiced consonants. Our study indicates that in the long run, use of CI seems to have limited effects on the acquisition of oro-laryngeal coordination needed to produce voicing, except for specific difficulties located on velars. In a follow-up study, further acoustic analyses on vowel and fricative production by the same children reveal more difficulties, which suggest that cochlear implantation impacts frequency-based features (second formant of vowels and spectral moments of fricatives) more than durational cues (voicing).
Do annexins participate in lipid messenger mediated intracellular signaling? A question revisited

Abstract Annexins are physiologically important proteins that play a role in calcium buffering but also influence membrane structure, participate in Ca2+-dependent membrane repair events and in remodelling of the cytoskeleton. Thirty years ago several peptides isolated from lung perfusates, peritoneal leukocytes, neutrophiles and renal cells were proven inhibitory to the activity of phospholipase A2. Those peptides were found to derive from structurally related proteins: annexins AnxA1 and AnxA2. These findings raised the question whether annexins may participate in regulation of the production of lipid second messengers and, therefore, modulate numerous lipid mediated signaling pathways in the cell. Recent advances in the field of annexins made also with the use of knock-out animal models revealed that these proteins are indeed important constituents of specific signaling pathways. In this review we provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that annexins, as membrane-binding proteins and organizers of the membrane lateral heterogeneity, may participate in lipid mediated signaling pathways by affecting the distribution and activity of lipid metabolizing enzymes (most of the reports point to phospholipase A2) and of protein kinases regulating activity of these enzymes. Moreover, some experimental data suggest that annexins may directly interact with lipid metabolizing enzymes and, in a calcium-dependent or independent manner, with some of their substrates and products. On the basis of these observations, many investigators suggest that annexins are capable of linking Ca2+, redox and lipid signaling to coordinate vital cellular responses to the environmental stimuli.
Radiofrequency Radiation and Gene/Protein Expression: A Review

Abstract Mobile telecommunications have developed considerably in recent years. With the proliferation of wireless technologies, there is much public anxiety about the potential health impact associated with exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation from these novel products. Contradictory scientific evidence, often reported in the popular media, has further fueled public concern. Some epidemiological studies have reported that ipsilateral use of a mobile phone is associated with an increased risk for brain tumors, while other studies have reported an association between brain tumor risk and mobile phone use for longer than 10 years. However, other large epidemiological studies have failed to find similar associations. Despite the existence of national and international RF-radiation exposure guidelines, there are increasing public demands for precaution with respect to human exposure to RF radiation. Since current epidemiological evidence is insufficient to make a definitive judgment on the health risks of low-level RF radiation exposure, laboratory evidence assessing biological plausibility and theoretical mechanisms of interaction are important. A number of studies have reported that RF radiation may induce alterations in gene/protein expression in a variety of cells/tissues that may be associated with potentially harmful health outcomes, while other studies have shown no clear effects related to RF radiation. This review focuses on the current scientific evidence related to changes in protein and gene expression induced by low-level RF radiation.
Cyclic AMP-independent ATF family members interact with NF-kappa B and function in the activation of the E-selectin promoter in response to cytokines

We previously reported that NF-kappa B and a complex we referred to as NF-ELAM1 play a central role in cytokine-induced expression of the E-selectin gene. In this study we identify cyclic AMP (cAMP)-independent members of the ATF family binding specifically to the NF-ELAM1 promoter element. The NF-ELAM1 element (TGACATCA) differs by a single nucleotide substitution from the cAMP-responsive element consensus sequence. We demonstrate that this sequence operates in a cAMP-independent manner to induce transcription and thus define it as a non-cAMP-responsive element (NCRE). We show that ATFa is a component of the NF-ELAM1 complex and its overexpression activates the E-selectin promoter. In addition, ATFa, ATF2, and ATF3 interact directly with NF-kappa B in vitro, linking two unrelated families of transcription factors in a novel protein-protein interaction. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ability of overexpressed NF-kappa B to transactivate the E-selectin promoter in vivo is dependent on the NF-ELAM1 complex. Our results suggest that a direct interaction between ATFs and NF-kappa B is, at least in part, the mechanism by which these factors specifically regulate E-selectin promoter activity.
Quality assessment of commercial Magnoliae officinalis Cortex by ¹H-NMR-based metabolomics and HPLC methods.

INTRODUCTION The quality control of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, is currently based on the assay of the two active compounds, honokiol and magnolol, by TLC or HPLC. OBJECTIVE To compare ¹H-NMR-based metabolomics with the HPLC method for controlling the quality of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex. To identify the metabolites contributing to the differences between the samples and to discriminate different medicinal parts and geographic origins of these samples by ¹H-NMR-based metabolomics. METHODOLOGY ¹H-NMR and several multivariate analysis techniques were applied to analyse the extracts of 18 batches of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex commercial samples, and the contents of honokiol and magnolol in these samples were determined by HPLC. The correlation analysis between the data from ¹H-NMR and HPLC was performed with the mixOmics software based on an unsupervised method. RESULTS Honokiol and magnolol were the main compounds responsible for the discrimination of samples from different batches, thus proving that the choice of these two compounds as markers for quality assessment by HPLC is relevant. The two sources of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Magnolia officinalis and Magnolia officinalis var. biloba, could be differentiated from ¹H-NMR data, but the pattern recognition analysis by PLS-DA was unsuccessful in discriminating samples from various geographical origins. CONCLUSION The combination of ¹H-NMR that gives a comprehensive profile of the metabolites and HPLC that targets two biomarkers is an efficient means for a better quality control of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex.