Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The specific impairment of fearful expression recognition and its atypical development in pervasive developmental disorder

Several studies have examined facial expression recognition in pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), including autism and Asperger's disorder, but the results have been inconsistent. We investigated the relationship between facial expression recognition and age, face recognition, and symptom severity. Subjects were 28 individuals with mild PDD subtypes and 28 age- and gender-matched controls. Among six emotions, fearful expression recognition was specifically impaired in PDD subjects. Age had positive effects on fearful expression recognition directly and indirectly via the development of face recognition in controls, but not in PDD subjects. Furthermore, fearful expression recognition was related to the severity of PDD symptoms. We conclude that individuals with PDD show an atypical development of facial expression recognition. Moreover, impaired fearful expression recognition is closely related to social dysfunction.
Moxonidine-induced central sympathoinhibition improves prognosis in rats with hypertensive heart failure

Objectives: Enhanced central sympathetic outflow is an indicator of the prognosis of heart failure. Although the central sympatholytic drug moxonidine is an established therapeutic strategy for hypertension, its benefits for hypertensive heart failure are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of central sympathoinhibition by intracerebral infusion of moxonidine on survival in a rat model of hypertensive heart failure and the possible mechanisms involved. Methods and results: As a model of hypertensive heart failure, we fed Dahl salt-sensitive rats an 8% NaCl diet from 7 weeks of age. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of moxonidine (moxonidine-ICV-treated group [Mox-ICV]) or vehicle (vehicle-ICV-treated group [Veh-ICV]) was performed at 14–20 weeks of age, during the increased heart failure phase. Survival rates were examined, and sympathetic activity, left ventricular function and remodelling, and brain oxidative stress were measured. Hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy were established by 13 weeks of age. At around 20 weeks of age, Veh-ICV rats exhibited overt heart failure concomitant with increased urinary norepinephrine (uNE) excretion as an index of sympathetic activity, dilated left ventricle, decreased percentage fractional shortening, and myocardial fibrosis. Survival rates at 21 weeks of age (n = 28) were only 23% in Veh-ICV rats, and 76% (n = 17) in Mox-ICV rats with concomitant decreases in uNE, myocardial fibrosis, collagen type I/III ratio, brain oxidative stress, and suppressed left ventricular dysfunction. Conclusion: Moxonidine-induced central sympathoinhibition attenuated brain oxidative stress, prevented cardiac dysfunction and remodelling, and improved the prognosis in rats with hypertensive heart failure. Central sympathoinhibition can be effective for the treatment of hypertensive heart failure.
Evolution of Ventricular Tachycardia and Its Electrophysiological Substrate Early After Myocardial Infarction: An Ovine Model

Background— Sudden arrhythmic death after myocardial infarction (MI) is most frequent in the first month. Early programmed ventricular stimulation (within 1 week) post-MI has been able to identify long-term ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurrence. We aimed to determine the timing of development and stabilization of VT circuits after MI and how the evolution of the underlying substrate differs with VT inducibility. Methods and Results— MIs were induced in 36 sheep. The 21 survivors underwent serial electroanatomic mapping and programmed ventricular stimulation. Animals were classified as VTpos (inducible VT) or VTneg (noninducible VT) at day 8. Forty-three percent of MI survivors were VTpos on day 8 (9/21), and all remained inducible on day 100 with 1.5 (1.0–2.0) and 1.0 (1.0–2.0) morphologies per animal on days 8 and 100, respectively. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram matched in 15 of 19 VTs between days 8 and 100. The earliest presystolic ventricular activations during VT circuits were in similar locations at the 2 time points. The 12 VTneg animals remained noninducible on day 100. There was no difference in voltage or velocity substrate with time or inducibility. The area with fractionated signals increased with time and VT inducibility. VTpos animals had more linear regions of slowed conduction forming conducting channels. Conclusions— The inducibility and earliest presystolic endocardial activation sites of VT as well as voltage and velocity substrate on day 8 predicted those on day 100 postinfarct, indicating early formation and stabilization of the arrhythmogenic substrate. VT inducibility was influenced by the distribution of conducting channels and increased complex fractionated signals.
Does Micro-Credit Empower Women through Self-Help Groups? Evidence from Punjab, Northern India

The goal of this paper is to examine the question—‘Does income earned by members of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) through micro-credit programs empower them? ’ The nature of the topic dictates the use of cross-sectional survey technique and comparative analysis to determine the levels of women empowerment before and after joining SHGs. A five-point Likert-type scale was developed, for which Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was observed to be 0.824. The survey instrument contained four sections, namely, income and expenditure; savings and borrowing amounts; financial freedom; and, capacity building and awareness levels. A sample group consisting of 114 participants of SHGs responded to the survey instrument. The t-test results for mean values before and after joining SHGs showed a significant change in levels of women empowerment in all the four areas. The prime reason for this empowerment was joining SHGs and using micro-credit programmes. It becomes apparent from this research that joining SHGs, and consequently, getting access to financial services increased the ability of poor women to control their savings and generate income from their occupation. They also experienced a greater decision-making role in their families and in local society, enhanced levels of self-confidence, self-efficacy and self-esteem, and heightened freedom of mobility to increase business and social activities outside home.
Nutritional and antioxidant properties of wild edible plants and their use as potential ingredients in the modern diet

Abstract Thirteen species of wild edible plants belonging to 11 botanical families consumed in the traditional Mediterranean diet were evaluated. Sanguisorba minor, Quercus ballota and Sedum sediforme showed the highest hydrophilic total antioxidant activity (H-TAA) and total phenols. Asparagus acutifolius, Allium ampeloprasum, Foeniculum vulgare and Malva sylvestris presented high levels of potassium, Malva and Asparagus are interesting due to their zinc content, and Urtica urens contains a high content of calcium. Sensory analysis indicated that fruits from Q. ballota could be considered very sweet and plants of Crithmum maritimum and Oxalis pes-caprae are very acidic. Moreover, testers highlighted the salty taste of C. maritimum. Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum and Mesembryanthemum cristalinum, the spicy taste of A. ampeloprasum, and the aroma of F. vulgare. Our results indicate that increased consumption of the investigated plant species could provide health benefits. Moreover, due to their sensorial properties, they could be used as new ingredients to improve the diversity in modern diet and highly creative cuisine.
THE MEDIATION EFFECTS OF BUYER-SUPPLIER INTEGRATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUPPLIER-SPECIFIC INVESTMENTS AND SUPPLIER-OPPORTUNISM

This research concerns opportunism in a buyer-supplier relationship. Based on transaction cost and relational contracting theories, it examines the mediation effects of the buyer-supplier integration on the relationship between supplier specific investment and opportunism. Mediation effects were estimated using structural equation modelling based on a survey of 111 key informants in the public health facilities in Tanzania. The unit of analysis is the exchange relationship between the Medical Supplies Department (MSD) and the public health facility. The analysis revealed that the buyer-supplier integration negatively mediates the effects of supplier-specific investments on opportunism. In this research, external validity is limited due to a highly regulated environment; as such, more studies should be conducted in different contexts, e.g. culture. The findings from this study have both managerial and theoretical implications. First, purchasing managers should exert more efforts in developing closer relationship with the supplier to mitigate opportunistic behaviours. Second, the government should consider enforcing MSD to make specific investments not only as a means for solving moral hazard problems but also as a means for encouraging and enforcing the development of close co-ordination between the actors. Theoretically, this paper has contributed to the transaction cost theory by indicating that specific investments may not always stand as direct control mechanisms towards opportunism; instead, they can also lead to the development of other relational mechanisms which are effective in mitigating opportunistic behaviours.
A new hybrid resin for stepwise screening of peptide libraries combined with single bead Edman sequencing

A library system was developed for the discovery of bioactive peptides. Library synthesis and peptide sequencing was performed on a solid support while the screening for bioactivity was done with peptides in solution. The peptides were synthesized by split and mix, one‐bead–one‐peptide library synthesis, using a Tentagel S‐NH2 solid support with a loading of approximately 100 pmol/bead. The major part of the peptide was connected to the support by a single acid‐labile linker and a minor part of the peptide was acid‐stabile attached to the polymer. The percentage of acid‐stabile attached peptides could easily be controlled during modification of the amino functionalities of the resin at the start of the process. The cleavage rate of the acid‐labile attached peptide from the resin depends on the composition of the cleavage mixture. When cleavage conditions were carefully controlled, a three‐step partial cleavage protocol allowed for convergent bioactivity screening on peptide libraries using only one type of acid‐labile linker. The partial cleavage and convergent screening procedure was repeated three times, after which the bead containing the bioactive peptide was sequenced. As such a bead still contained acid‐stabile attached peptide, the Edman sequencing was straightforward and repetitive yields were excellent because the immobilized peptide was not washed out. © 1998 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Supervised Learning Methods for Predicting Healthcare Costs: Systematic Literature Review and Empirical Evaluation

An important informatics tool for controlling healthcare costs is accurately predicting the likely future healthcare costs of individuals. To address this important need, we conducted a systematic literature review and identified five methods for predicting healthcare costs. To enable a direct comparison of these different approaches, we empirically evaluated the predictive performance of each reported approach, as well as other state-of-the-art supervised learning methods, using data from University of Utah Health Plans for October 2013 through October 2016. The data set consisted of approximately 90,000 individuals, 6.3 million medical claims and 1.2 million pharmacy claims. In this comparative analysis, gradient boosting had the best predictive performance overall and for low to medium cost individuals. For high cost individuals, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and the Ridge regression model, which have not been previously reported for use in healthcare cost prediction, had the highest performance.
Parallel Balanced-Bit-Serial Design Technique for Ultra-Low-Voltage Circuits With Energy Saving and Area Efficiency Enhancement

Ultra-low-voltage (ULV) satisfies the energy-constraint on-die acceleration of parallel processing in battery-powered Internet-of-Things applications. However, ULV brings serious leakage energy, throughput reduction, and delay variation issues. Parallel bit-serialization remarkably reduces leakage energy and enhances area efficiency; however, extremely reduced critical path aggravates delay variation makes bit-serial operation not feasible to ULV design. In this paper, we propose a balanced-bit-serial adder (BBSA) as a basic unit of parallel-balanced-bit-serialization (PBBS) operation, which leverages timing borrowing to mitigate delay variation. In addition, we propose two latches to improve the effectiveness of timing borrowing and ease the area and power overhead of BBSA. The proposed BBSA is verified in TSMC 40-nm CMOS technology. Compared with the flip-flop-based bit-serial adder, energy consumption of BBSA is saved by 40% and area efficiency is improved by 15% as well. As a practical demonstration, we present a reconfigurable PBBS single instruction multiple data (SIMD) vector processing tile. The post-layout simulation shows that the proposed design has advantage of overall area efficiency and has significant energy saving as compared with the state-of-art ULV SIMD tile.
Molecular pathogenesis of sialic acid storage diseases: insight gained from four missense mutations and a putative polymorphism of human sialin

Background information. Free sialic acid storage diseases are caused by mutations of a lysosomal sialic acid transporter called sialin. We showed recently that the milder clinical form, Salla disease, and a related non‐Finish case, are characterized by residual transport, whereas sialin mutants found in lethal infantile cases are inactive. In the present study, we have characterized the molecular effects of a putative polymorphism (M316I) and of four pathogenic mutations associated with either infantile (G127E and R57C) or Salla‐like (G409E) phenotypes, or both (G328E). The transport activity of human sialin was analysed using a novel assay that was based on a construct without the functional lysosomal sorting motif, which is expressed at the plasma membrane.
Comparative studies on the effect of Prozac drug and Barely grains on the skeletal muscles of mice : behavioral and histological studies

The purpose of this study was comparing between the biotoxic action of Prozac and Barley grains on skeletal muscle of depressed mice model . Forty adult male mice (Mus musculus)(25 ± 5 g.) assigned into four groups : –ve control with normal social environment, + ve control (socially isolated),Prozac-group (socially isolated) injected with (0.06 mg Prozac / mouse / day ) and Barely -group (socially isolation)supplemented with Barley grains instead the usual food(5g. Barley/mouse/day) for 30 days.Forced swimming and tail suspension tests are used to assay mice mood levels . Biopsies of gastronemius muscle were fixed in Aoyama`s fluid and 10% buffered formalin solution for light microscopy processing stained with Heamatoxylin and Eosin,Masson ́s Trichrome.Barleygroup did not show any abnormal behavior but Prozac-group became less active and their responsiveness to external stimuli was decreased . Barely-group reduced immobility in compare to Prozac group. Prozac – group showed increase in body weight but the Barely-group showed decrease. It was assessed tissue protected situation in the presence of Barely supplementation . In the other hand, Prozacgroup showed myofibers with variation in size, sarcolemma giving step-like offsets ,increased collagen deposition, some regions of affected muscle fibers devoid of Golgi bodies.Our results showed that Barely reduce risk factors.
VX-680 Inhibits Aurora A and Aurora B Kinase Activity in Human Cells

VX-680, also known as MK-0457, is a member of a diverse group of small molecules that inhibit the Aurora kinases, and has shown significant potential as an anti-cancer agent. In keeping with many protein kinase inhibitors, this compound is not a monospecific agent, and its cellular specificity remains largely unknown. In cells, VX-680 blocks mitotic Histone H3 phosphorylation and induces polyploidy and apoptosis, consistent with inhibition of the mitotic protein kinase Aurora B. In this study, we have investigated the effects of VX-680 in proliferating human cancer cells, and demonstrate that it blocks the phosphorylation and activation of both Aurora A and B. Additionally, VX-680 suppresses the phosphorylation of specific substrates of each enzyme, including the Aurora A target TACC3 on Ser558. Exposure to VX-680 induces a monopolar spindle phenotype, delays mitotic progression and rapidly overrides the spindle assembly checkpoint in the presence of spindle poisons. VX-680 also exhibits potent cytotoxicity when compared to the well documented Aurora B inhibitor ZM447439. Taken together, these data identify Aurora A and Aurora B as dual intracellular targets of VX-680.
Hepatitis C virus viremia increases the incidence of chronic kidney disease in HIV-infected patients

Background:Several studies have reported on an association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody status and the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the role of HCV viremia and genotype are not well defined. Methods:Patients with at least three serum creatinine measurements after 1 January 2004 and known HCV antibody status were included. Baseline was defined as the first eligible estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (Cockcroft–Gault equation), and CKD was either a confirmed (>3 months apart) eGFR of 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or less for patients with a baseline eGFR more than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or a confirmed 25% decline in eGFR for patients with a baseline eGFR of 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or less. Incidence rates of CKD were compared between HCV groups (anti-HCV-negative, anti-HCV-positive with or without viremia) using Poisson regression. Results:Of 8235 patients with known anti-HCV status, 2052 (24.9%) were anti-HCV-positive of whom 983 (47.9%) were HCV-RNA-positive, 193 (9.4%) HCV-RNA-negative and 876 (42.7%) had unknown HCV-RNA. At baseline, the median eGFR was 97.6 (interquartile range 83.8–113.0) ml/min per 1.73 m2. During 36123 person-years of follow-up (PYFU), 495 patients progressed to CKD (6.0%) with an incidence rate of 14.5 per 1000 PYFU (95% confidence interval 12.5–14.9). In a multivariate Poisson model, patients who were anti-HCV-positive with HCV viremia had a higher incidence rate of CKD, whereas patients with cleared HCV infection had a similar incidence rate of CKD compared with anti-HCV-negative patients. There was no association between CKD and HCV genotype. Conclusion:Compared with HIV-monoinfected patients, HIV-positive patients with chronic rather than cleared HCV infection were at increased risk of developing CKD, suggesting a contribution from active HCV infection toward the pathogenesis of CKD.
Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin: the structure and origin of normal Merkel cells

A series of 15 Merkel cell tumours of skin is reported. They occur dominantly on the head and neck and on the extremities of elderly women, frequently presenting as a reddish nodule. Three cases were associated with squamous carcinoma at the same site, an association deserving further study. There are two main patterns: the commoner one takes the form of a trabecular carcinoma in the dermis mimicking metastatic carcinoma, including oat‐cell carcinoma and neuroblastoma: a dissociated‐cell form mimicks malignant lymphymphoma. The triad of vesicular nuclei with very small nucleoli, abundant mitotic activity and apoptosis is so characteristic as to be virtually pathognomonic in conjunction with structural features. Argyrophilia is common, but Bourn fixation is necessary to demonstrate it regularly. Small round secretory granules (89 ± 18 nm) with narrow haloes, and an abundance of intermediate size filaments are among the ultrastructural hallmarks. There is a close similarity between better differentiated tumour cells and normal Merkel cells. The neural crest origin of MC is in doubt both on the basis of studies of the development and regeneration of MC and from the study of Merkel cell tumours.
The Effects of Known Cardioprotective Drugs on Proinflammatory Cytokine Secretion From Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells

Background: Endothelial cell dysfunction in diabetes is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of premature atherosclerosis. High-dextrose has been shown to induce both oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC). Study Question: To determine whether or not several classes of cardioprotective drugs inhibit proinflammatory cytokine expression by HCAEC. Measures and Outcomes: To determine the effects of high dextrose on expression of proinflammatory cytokines by HCAEC, cells were treated with either 5.5 mM or 27.5 mM dextrose for 24 hours and interleukin-1&bgr; (IL-1&bgr;), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor &agr; were measured by enzyme immunoassay in the presence or absence of known cardioprotective drugs, including select &bgr;-blockers, statins, and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors. Results: IL-1&bgr; levels increased significantly in cells treated with high dextrose; however, IL-6 and IL-8 levels did not change. Treatment of cells with carvedilol, atenolol, and propranolol decreased levels of all 3 cytokines in cells exposed to either 5.5 or 27.5 mM dextrose. Similar effects on IL-1&bgr;, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were observed when cells were treated with simvastatin, pravastatin, and the renin-angiotensin system inhibitors spironolactone, captopril, lisinopril, candesartan, and losartan. No Il-2 or tumor necrosis factor &agr; expression was observed in any of the experiments indicating that HCAEC do not express these cytokines. Conclusions: We conclude that each of the classes of drugs tested possess pleiotropic anti-inflammatory activities and are effective in both low- and high-dextrose–treated cells.
Characteristics Associated with Local Health Departments’ Completion of Community Health Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan, and Strategic Planning

Local health departments engage in community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning to systematically monitor health, identify risk factors, and to set strategic priorities to improve population health outcomes. Successful completion of these three processes within the last five years is also paramount as they are required for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. The main purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of local health departments that are associated with completion of community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning, and accreditation processes. This cross-sectional study drew data from the 2016 NACCHO profile of local health departments. Results revealed that health educator, female top executive, full-time work status, having higher number of full-time equivalents, higher per capita expenditure, and completion of all three processes were strongly associated with completion of these four processes. The findings suggest that public health officials should be more strategic thinkers in their planning processes and decision makings in areas of policy, environmental, and system changes. INDEX WORDS: Accreditation, Community health assessment, Community health improvement plan, Local health departments, Strategic planning. CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS’ COMPLETION OF COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT, COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING