Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Modified Card Sorting Test: test-retest stability and relationships with demographic variables in a healthy older adult sample.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the test-retest stability of a standardized version of Nelson's (1976) Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST) and its relationships with demographic variables in a sample of healthy older adults. DESIGN A standard card order and administration were devised for the MCST and administered to participants at an initial assessment, and again at a second session conducted a minimum of six months later in order to examine its test-retest stability. Participants were also administered the WAIS-R at initial assessment in order to provide a measure of psychometric intelligence. METHODS Thirty-six (24 female, 12 male) healthy older adults aged 52 to 77 years with mean education 12.42 years (SD = 3.53) completed the MCST on two occasions approximately 7.5 months (SD = 1.61) apart. Stability coefficients and test-retest differences were calculated for the range of scores. The effect of gender on MCST performance was examined. Correlations between MCST scores and age, education and WAIS-R IQs were also determined. RESULTS Stability coefficients ranged from . 26 for the percent perseverative errors measures to . 49 for the failure to maintain set measure. Several measures were significantly correlated with age, education and WAIS-R IQs, although no effect of gender on MCST performance was found. CONCLUSIONS None of the stability coefficients reached the level required for clinical decision making. The results indicate that participants' age, education, and intelligence need to be considered when interpreting MCST performance. Normative studies of MCST performance as well as further studies with patients with executive dysfunction are needed.
Cytoplasmic steroid receptors in ovarian tumours

Summary. Cytoplasmic oestrogen receptors were measured in 40 primary and four secondary ovarian tumours; of these, 43 tumours were also analysed for cytoplasmic progesterone receptors and 34 tumours for cytoplasmic androgen receptors. Serous tumours were significantly more likely to be oestrogen‐receptor positive than mucinous tumours, but the incidence of positive progesterone and androgen receptors was similar in serous, mucinous and endometrioid tumours. The mean oestrogen receptor content of serous tumours was significantly higher than that of endometrioid tumours. Well‐differentiated epithelial tumours were significantly more likely to be oestrogen‐receptor and progesterone‐receptor positive than less differentiated epithelial tumours. Two granulosa cell tumours were oestrogen‐receptor positive and one of these was also progesteronereceptor and androgen‐receptor positive. Four normal óvaries were also analysed for receptor content and two were found to be androgen‐receptor positive. The presence of cytoplasmic receptors in ovarian tumours may explain their reported response to endocrine therapy.
An experimental latex agglutination test for antibody detection in human African trypanosomiasis.

A latex card agglutination test for detection of antibodies in human African trypanosomiasis is presented. The latex was covalently coated with semipurified surface glycoprotein of Variable Antigen Type LiTat 1.6 of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Sera from 100 patients infected with T.b. gambiense, 26 patients infected with T.b. rhodesiense and 707 individuals without trypanosomiasis, including 132 malaria seropositives, have been tested. At serum dilution 1:16, sensitivity of the test was 91% for the T.b. gambiense and 42.3% for the T.b. rhodesiense group. Specificity was over 99%. The reagent remained stable at +/- 6 degrees C for at least 3 months. Reagent kept at 37 degrees C for 3 months retained its sensitivity and showed a slight decrease in specificity.
A prion disease of cervids : Chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of deer, elk, and moose, initially recognized in Colorado mule deer. The discovery of CWD beyond the borders of Colorado and Wyoming, in Canada and as far east as New York, has led to its emergence as a prion disease of international importance. Epidemiological studies indicate that CWD is horizontally transmitted among free-ranging animals, potentially indirectly by prion-containing secreta or excreta contaminating the environment. Experimental CWD transmission attempts to other wild and domestic mammals and to transgenic mice expressing the prion protein of cattle, sheep, and humans have shed light on CWD species barriers. Transgenic mice expressing the cervid prion protein have proven useful for assessing the genetic influences of Prnp polymorphisms on CWD susceptibility. Accumulating evidence of CWD pathogenesis indicates that the misfolded prion protein or prion infectivity seems to be widely disseminated in many nonneural organs and in blood. This review highlights contemporary research findings in this prion disease of free-ranging wildlife. CWD / prion / TSE / cervid / amyloid
Measurement of ionization and recombination rates for FeXVI-Fe XXII from time-resolved spectroscopy of tokamak plasmas.

The effective ionization and recombination rate coefficients for FeXVI--Fe XXII were obtained by studying the modulation of line emissions by sawtooth oscillations in the TEXT tokamak. Experimental data are matched with the simulation of iron ion emission by a one-dimensional code. The rate coefficients were determined for T/sub e/approx.350--900 eV and N/sub e/approx.(4--5.6) x 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/. The rate coefficients for Fe XVI, XVII, and XVIII have large uncertainty partly due to uncertainty of the temperature profile at large radii of the plasma and partly due to other possible atomic processes. The error of ionization rates for Fe XIX--Fe XXII is estimated to be less than 40%, while the estimated accuracy of the recombination rates is better than a factor of 2.
Cooperative Regulation of ADE3 Transcription by Gcn4p and Bas1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT The one-carbon response regulon is essential for the biosynthesis of nucleic acids as well as several amino acids. The ADE3 gene is known to encode a crucial one-carbon regulon enzyme, tetrahydrofolate synthase, which is involved in the biosynthesis of purine and the amino acids methionine and glycine. Therefore, the mechanism through which ADE3 transcription is regulated appears to be critical for the cross-talk among these metabolic pathways. Even so, the direct involvement of ADE3 transcription through gene-specific transcription factors has not been shown clearly. In this study, the promoter structure of the ADE3 gene was investigated in detail, and a genuine Gcn4p responsive element (GCRE) was confirmed among three putative GCRE elements in vivo and in vitro. Through gene deletion studies of Gcn4p and Bas1p, it was established that both factors are involved in the transcriptional regulation of the ADE3 gene. Direct binding to this GCRE and the occupancy of the ADE3 promoter by these factors were also confirmed. Taking these results together, we concluded that Gcn4p is responsible for the basal and inducible expression of the ADE3 gene, while Bas1p is required for its basal expression.
Defining Lean Production : Some conceptual and practical issues

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the definition of Lean Production and the methods and goals associated with the concept as well as how it differs from other popular management concepts. Methodology/Approach - The paper is based on a review of the contemporary literature on Lean Production, both journal articles and books. Findings - It is shown in the paper that there is no consensus on a definition of Lean Production between the examined authors. The authors also seem to have different opinions on which characteristics that should be associated with the concept. Overall it can be concluded that Lean Production is not clearly defined in the reviewed literature. This divergence can cause some confusion on a theoretical level, but is probably more problematic on a practical level when organizations aim to implement the concept. This paper argues that it is important for an organization to acknowledge the different variations, and to raise the awareness of the input in the implementation process. It is further argued that the organization should not accept any random variant of Lean, but make active choices and adapt the concept to suit the organization-s needs. Through this process of adaptation, the organization will be able to increase the odds of performing a predictable and successful implementation. Originality/Value - This paper provides a critical perspective on the discourse surrounding Lean Production, and gives an input to the discussion of the implementation of management models. Keywords - Lean Production, Definition, Construct Validity, Total Quality Management Paper type - Conceptual paper
Proximal nerve elongation vs. nerve grafting in repairing segmental nerve defects in rabbits

If segmental nerve defects could be repaired by elongating the proximal or distal segments, nerve grafting might be unnecessary. We elongated a 40‐mm proximal segment of an injured median nerve, in the rabbit right forelimb, at a rate of 1 mm/day for 10 days in 10 rabbits and for 15 days in another 10. On the left forelimb of the same rabbits, a 10‐ for 15‐mm segment of the median nerve was removed, and a 10‐ for 15‐mm segment, respectively, of the tibial nerve was grafted in its place. Four months after the initial surgery, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), contractile strength of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), axon count, and axon diameter did not differ significantly between the 10‐mm groups but were better in the 15‐mm grafted group. Elongating the proximal nerve segment may be an alternative to grafting in repairing segmental defects of less than 10 mm. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stabilization of short collagen-like triple helices by protein engineering.

Recombinant expression of collagens and fragments of collagens is often difficult, as their biosynthesis requires specific post-translational enzymes, in particular prolyl 4-hydroxylase. Although the use of hydroxyproline-deficient variants offers one possibility to overcome this difficulty, these proteins usually differ markedly in stability when compared with the hydroxyproline-containing analogs. Here, we report a method to stabilize collagen-like peptides by fusing them to the N terminus of the bacteriophage T4 fibritin foldon domain. The isolated foldon domain and the chimeric protein (GlyProPro)(10)foldon were expressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli. The recombinant proteins and the synthetic (ProProGly)(10) peptide were characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and analytical ultracentrifugation. We show that the foldon domain, which comprises only 27 amino acid residues, forms an obligatory trimer with a high degree of thermal stability. The CD thermal unfolding profiles recorded from foldon are monophasic and completely reversible upon cooling. Similar Van't Hoff and calorimertic enthalpy values of trimer formation indicated a cooperative all-or-none transition. As reported previously, (ProProGly)(10) peptides form collagen triple helices of only moderate stability. When fused to the foldon domain, however, triple helix formation of (GlyProPro)(10) is concentration independent, and the midpoint temperature of the triple helix unfolding is significantly increased. The stabilizing function of the trimeric foldon domain is explained by the close vicinity of its N termini, which induce a high local concentration in the range of 1 M for the C termini of the collagen-like-peptide. Collagen-foldon fusion proteins should be potentially useful to study receptor-collagen interactions.
Personality changes in brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently complicated by alterations in mood and behaviour and changes in personality. We report mild personality changes post-TBI as a possible indicator of traumatic brain injury, but not of injury severity or psychiatric complications. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently complicated by alterations in mood and behaviour as well as a 3-fold increased prevalence of personality disorders post-TBI 1 . We present preliminary data from an ongoing study on personality traits pre and post-TBI. Patients with first-time closed head injuries were recruited from the trauma unit of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Brain Injury unit of Kernan Hospital, University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD). Participants were evaluated twice: initially within the first 3 months of TBI and 12 months post-TBI. The personality profile was captured using the 60-item abbreviated version of the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) called the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) 2 . Raw scores of the NEO-PI-R were transformed to percentile scores using published norms for age and gender 3 . In order to evaluate pre-TBI (i.e., “premorbid”) personality characteristics, at the baseline visit the friend or family member was instructed to report retrospectively on the participant’s personality traits as observed pre-TBI (reported in the Table as “Baseline”). T-test for paired samples was conducted to examine the differences between baseline and 12-month personality scores. Multilinear regression analysis was conducted to assess correlates of personality traits, controlling for baseline NEO-PI-R factor score There were a total of 41 who completed the NEO-PI-R profiles at baseline and 12 months. Extraversion and Openness decreased from baseline (reflecting pre-TBI traits) to 12 months. The changes were small in magnitude with percentile decreases of 10.9 points for Extraversion and 5.1 points for Openness. After correcting for multiple comparisons, there were no statistically significant associations between post-TBI personality traits and baseline clinical variables including age, gender, living situation, employment, race, education, presence of frontotemporal lesion (as assessed by computerized tomography scans), Lawton Activities of Daily Living Scale, Glasgow Coma Scale score, as well as the presence of any psychiatric diagnosis post-TBI including substance abuse disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, or personality change. These findings are similar to Kurtz et al 4 who found stability of personality traits post-TBI. Our current results suggest that a relatively small change in personality traits post-TBI acts as a marker of traumatic brain injury and not injury severity or complications. We recommend that future research include better-powered studies of longer duration using personality assessments as close to the time of injury as
Gender perspective in the analysis of the relationship between long workhours, health and health-related behavior.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to analyze gender differences in the impact of long workhours (>40 hours per week) on a variety of health outcomes and health-related behavior. METHODS The sample included all salaried contract workers aged 16-64 years (1658 men and 1134 women) and interviewed in the 2002 Catalonian Health Survey. RESULTS Whereas the men with a high job status were more likely to work >40 hours a week, long workhours were associated with situations of vulnerability (low job status and being separated or divorced) among the women. For both genders, working >40 hours was related to a shortage of sleep [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.54, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.21-1.98, for the men and aOR 1.63, 95% CI 1.11-2.38, for the women]. Among the women, long workhours were also associated with poor mental health status (aOR 1.58, 95% CI 1.04-2.40), hypertension (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.17-4.32), job dissatisfaction (aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.08-2.90), and smoking (aOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.22-2.39). In addition, among the women working more hours at home, long workhours were related to sedentary leisure time activity (aOR 1.98, 95% CI 1.06-3.71). CONCLUSIONS The relationship between long workhours and health and health-related behavior was found to be directly related to long worktime and indirectly related to long exposure to poor work conditions among the women and, to a less extent, to domestic work. The pathways that explain the relationship between long workhours and health and health-related behavior seems to depend on the outcome being analyzed.
Quadriceps muscle performance in sitting and standing in young women with patellofemoral pain syndrome and young healthy women

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare muscular activation in sitting and standing in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and healthy controls. Eleven women with patellofemoral pain syndrome and nine healthy controls were evaluated regarding: (a) muscle performance in sitting compared to standing ‐ knee extensor torque was registered in sitting with a Kin Com dynamometer and in standing with a force plate, and quadriceps muscle activity was registered with EMG in both sitting and standing; and (b) ability to maximally voluntarily activate during sitting isometric knee extension.
Single motherhood and children's health.

This analysis employs the recently released Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (hispanic HANES) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II (NHANES) to determine the effect of a mother's marital status on her report of her child's health for Mexican-American, black, and non-Hispanic white children aged 6 months to 11 years. The results reveal that single mothers report poorer overall physical health for their children than do mothers in intact marriages. Several social and cultural factors, including marital status, acculturation, and income, affect the accuracy of mother's assessments. The analysis also documented the extensive dependence of single mothers, especially minority-group mothers, on public programs. In summary, a mother's report of her child's health is the result of a complex interaction of cultural, demographic, and social class factors. This analysis revealed that marital status operates differently for 3 racial and ethnic groups, and that poverty and the stresses associated with single motherhood decrease levels of reported health for children. Analysis of a matched sample of Mexican-American children and their mothers revealed that, net of physician's assessment of a child's health, a mother's depression score is among the most significant predictors of her assessment of her child's health.
Adjustments of pulmonary O 2 uptake and muscle deoxygenation during ramp incremental exercise and constant-load moderate-intensity exercise in young and older adults

Gravelle BM, Murias JM, Spencer MD, Paterson DH, Kowalchuk JM. Adjustments of pulmonary O2 uptake and muscle deoxygenation during ramp incremental exercise and constant-load moderate-intensity exercise in young and older adults. J Appl Physiol 113: 1466–1475, 2012. First published September 6, 2012; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00884. 2011. —The matching of muscle O2 delivery to O2 utilization can be inferred from the adjustments in muscle deoxygenation ( [HHb]) and pulmonary O2 uptake (V̇O2p). This study examined the adjustments of V̇O2p and [HHb] during ramp incremental (RI) and constant-load (CL) exercise in adult males. Ten young adults (YA; age: 25 5 yr) and nine older adults (OA; age: 70 3 yr) completed two RI tests and six CL step transitions to a work rate (WR) corresponding to 1) 80% of the estimated lactate threshold (same relative WR) and 2) 50 W (same absolute WR). V̇O2p was measured breath by breath, and [HHb] of the vastus lateralis was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. [HHb]-WR profiles were normalized from baseline (0%) to peak [HHb] (100%) and fit using a sigmoid function. The sigmoid slope (d) was greater (P 0.05) in OA (0.027 0.01%/W) compared with YA (0.017 0.01%/W), and the c/d value (a value corresponding to 50% of the amplitude) was smaller (P 0.05) for OA (133 40 W) than for YA (195 51 W). No age-related differences in the sigmoid parameters were reported when WR was expressed as a percentage of peak WR. V̇O2p kinetics compared with [HHb] kinetics for the 50-W transition were similar between YA and OA; however, [HHb] kinetics during the transition to 80% of the lactate threshold were faster than V̇O2p kinetics in both groups. The greater reliance on O2 extraction displayed in OA during RI exercise suggests a lower O2 delivery-to-O2 utilization relationship at a given absolute WR compared with YA.
Susceptibility of the Hymenopteran Parasitoid , Habrobracon Hebetor ( Say ) ( Braconidae ) to the Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria Bassiana Vuillemin and Metarhizium Anisopliae Sorokin

Habrobracon hebetor (Say) is an ectoparasitoid and has been studied as a biocontrol agent of various lepidopteran pests such as cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). With regards to the negative effects of common pesticides used in cotton fields on the parasitoids, in this study the effects of different isolates of entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae) were evaluated on H. hebetor. Bioassay experiments were performed by the immersion method. For each of the treatments 15 immature individuals of the parasitoid were used. After recording the results, data were analyzed using SAS software. Bioassay results of fungi isolates on larval stages showed that the value of LC50 for IRAN187C isolate of B. bassiana was 1.46 × 10 conidia/ml. Because of the low mortality caused by the other isolates, the value of LC50 was not set for them. Also, bioassay of fungal isolates showed that none of the isolates had any effect on the parasitoids pupal stage. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that various fungal isolates of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae had little adverse impact on the parasitoid wasp, thus after doing field tests, the microbial control agents may be used along with these parasitoids in integrated pest management programs (IPM) in cotton.
Gene‐specific translational control of the yeast GCN4 gene by phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2

Phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (elF‐2α) is one of the best‐characterized mechanisms for down‐regulating total protein synthesis in mammalian cells in response to various stress conditions. Recent work indicates that regulation of the GCN4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by amino acid availability represents a gene‐specific case of translational control by phosphorylation of elF‐2α, Four short open reading frames in the leader of GCN4 mRNA (uORFs) restrict the flow of scanning ribosomes from the cap site to the GCN4 initiation codon. When amino acids are abundant, ribosomes translate the first uORF and reinitiate at one of the remaining uORFs in the leader, after which they dissociate from the mRNA. Under conditions of amino acid starvation, many ribosomes which have translated uORFI fail to reinitiate at uORFs 2‐4 and utilize the GCN4 start codon instead. Failure to reinitiate at uORFs 2‐4 in starved cells results from a reduction in the GTP‐bound form of elF‐2 that delivers charged initiator tRNAiMet to the ribosome. When the levels of elF‐2·GTP·Met‐tRNAiMet ternary complexes are low, many ribosomes will not rebind this critical initiation factor following translation of uORF1 until after scanning past uORF4, but before reaching GCN4. Phosphorylation of elF‐2 by the protein kinase GCN2 decreases the concentration of elF‐2·GTP·Met‐tRNAiMet complexes by inhibiting the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for elF‐2, which is the same mechanism utilized in mammalian cells to inhibit total protein synthesis by phosphorylation of elF‐2.