Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
μ-Suppression during Action Observation and Execution Correlates with BOLD in Dorsal Premotor, Inferior Parietal, and SI Cortices

The discovery of mirror neurons in the monkey, that fire during both the execution and the observation of the same action, sparked great interest in studying the human equivalent. For over a decade, both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) have been used to quantify activity in the human mirror neuron system (MNS)—yet, little is still known about how fMRI and EEG measures of the MNS relate to each other. To test the frequent assumption that regions of the MNS as evidenced by fMRI are the origin of the suppression of the EEG μ-rhythm during both action execution and observation, we recorded EEG and BOLD-fMRI signals simultaneously while participants observed and executed actions. We found that the suppression of the μ-rhythm in EEG covaried with BOLD activity in typical MNS regions, inferior parietal lobe (IPL), dorsal premotor (dPM) and primary somatosensory cortex (BA2), during both action observation and execution. In contrast, in BA44, only nonoverlapping voxels correlated with μ-suppression during observation and execution. These findings provide direct support for the notion that μ-suppression is a valid indicator of MNS activity in BA2, IPL, and dPM, but argues against the idea that mirror neurons in BA44 are the prime source of μ-suppression. These results shed light on the neural basis of μ-suppression and provide a basis for integrating more closely the flourishing but often separate literatures on the MNS using fMRI and EEG.
Outcome Measurement in Medical Rehabilitation

Abstarct The Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSmr) provides a method for uniform assessment of the severity of patient disability and the outcomes of medical rehabilitative care. The effectiveness and efficiency of medical rehabilitation services may be analyzed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the functional assessment component of the UDS, and other data. Program evaluation models based on the UDSMR and the FIM are useful for measuring resource cost of disability.
Evaluation of community‐based treatment for drug‐resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh

Drug‐resistant tuberculosis (TB) threatens global TB control because it is difficult to diagnose and treat. Community‐based programmatic management of drug‐resistant TB (cPMDT) has made therapy easier for patients, but data on these models are scarce. Bangladesh initiated cPMDT in 2012, and in 2013, we sought to evaluate programme performance.
Are Race, Age, Gender, and Insurance Status Determinants in Interhospital Helicopter Transport Time and Frequency?

Abstract Objective: To examine the effects of age, race, gender, and insurance status on utilization and times-to-transport (TTT) for interhospital air medical transfers from rural hospitals to tertiary care centers. Design: A retrospective review of interhospital transport records. The TTT was examined as a function of age, gender, race, and insurance status using the Student's t-test for unpaired samples. The Exact Binomial Test (alpha error at 0.05) was used to compare the observed versus expected transport rates for non-whites. Setting/Participants: A total of 268 patient transfers from hospitals within a two-county region in central Pennsylvania to tertiary care centers was analyzed. All records with sufficient demographic, TTT, or insurance data were included. Absence of data was the only exclusion. Results: The TTT (mean ± SD) was longer (2666 ± 3940 minutes (min.) versus 619 ± 909 min., respectively) for adult than pediatric patients (p <O1), and (2588 ± 4041 min. versus 640 ± 1301 min., respectively) for insured versus uninsured patients (p <.O1). The observed proportion of non-whites transported was less than expected (.41% versus 2.1 %) based on the proportion of non-whites in the region (p <.O5). Conclusion: The TTT was longer for adults than for children and for the insured than the uninsured. Non-whites were transported less frequently than predicted.
Genetic parameters for large white pigs reared under intensive management systems in Kenya

ABSTRACT A lack of performance parameters is one of the factors limiting the implementation of sustainable breeding strategies for the pig industry in Kenya. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for growth performance of Large White pigs reared under intensive management systems in Kenya. Growth performance data of 1398 pigs with 10 428 records were obtained from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)-Naivasha. Random regression models were used to estimate variance components by fitting different orders of Legendre polynomials. Phenotypic variance increased with age from 3.43±0.28 to 2449.28±392.07, while direct heritability ranged between 0.20±0.04 and 0.52±0.08. Maternal heritability increased from 0.26±0.05 to 0.79±0.04 while permanent environmental heritability was between 0±0.01 and 0.15±0.10. Genetic correlations were greater than 0.48 between all weights and decreased with an increase in age intervals. The first three eigenvalues of the coefficient matrix of the additive genetic covariance accounted for 98.62% of the sum of the eigenvalues. Growth was highly heritable at pre-weaning and influenced by maternal and common environmental effects. The prospect for selection for high sale weights based on pre-weaning growth performance is evident based on the high genetic correlations among body weight measurements.
Treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms with percutaneous thrombin injection: experience in 54 patients.

PURPOSE To assess the clinical success of ultrasonography (US)-guided thrombin injection for the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms and to identify criteria that may predispose to treatment failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-four iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms were treated with US-guided thrombin injection. Forty-five were classified as simple (single lobe) and nine, as complex (at least two lobes and a single neck to the native vessel). Pseudoaneurysm volume, classification, thrombin dose, anticoagulation therapy status, and sheath size were compared between failed and successful cases. Seven- to 10-day follow-up US and a minimum 4-month clinical follow-up were also performed to evaluate success. RESULTS Fifty of 54 pseudoaneurysms were successfully treated with topical thrombin without complication and included all 45 simple and five of nine complex pseudoaneurysms. US follow-up in all 50 successful cases and clinical follow-up in 37 of these revealed no recurrence. Only a complex pseudoaneurysm classification was significantly associated with failure (P<.01). Among the complex pseudoaneurysms, successful cases involved two injections and a total thrombin dose of at least 1,500 units. In failed cases, pseudoaneurysms were treated with a single injection of 1,000 units, initially thrombosed, and recurred. CONCLUSION Simple iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms, regardless of size or concomitant anticoagulation therapy, can be treated with a single injection of up to 1,000 units of topical thrombin and require no follow-up. Complex pseudoaneurysms will likely require a second injection (total thrombin dose of at least 1,500 units) and short-term clinical and US follow-up to ensure successful treatment.
Prevalence of Flat Foot in Preschool-Aged Children

OBJECTIVES. Our aim with this study was to establish the prevalence of flat foot in a population of 3- to 6-year-old children to evaluate cofactors such as age, weight, and gender and to estimate the number of unnecessary treatments performed. METHODS. A total of 835 children (411 girls and 424 boys) were included in this study. The clinical diagnosis of flat foot was based on a valgus position of the heel and a poor formation of the arch. Feet of the children were scanned (while they were in a standing position) by using a laser surface scanner, and rearfoot angle was measured. Rearfoot angle was defined as the angle of the upper Achilles tendon and the distal extension of the rearfoot. RESULTS. Prevalence of flexible flat foot in the group of 3- to 6-year-old children was 44%. Prevalence of pathological flat foot was <1%. Ten percent of the children were wearing arch supports. The prevalence of flat foot decreases significantly with age: in the group of 3-year-old children 54% showed a flat foot, whereas in the group of 6-year-old children only 24% had a flat foot. Average rearfoot angle was 5.5° of valgus. Boys had a significant greater tendency for flat foot than girls: the prevalence of flat foot in boys was 52% and 36% in girls. Thirteen percent of the children were overweight or obese. Significant differences in prevalence of flat foot between overweight, obese, and normal-weight children were observed. CONCLUSIONS. This study is the first to use a three-dimensional laser surface scanner to measure the rearfoot valgus in preschool-aged children. The data demonstrate that the prevalence of flat foot is influenced by 3 factors: age, gender, and weight. In overweight children and in boys, a highly significant prevalence of flat foot was observed; in addition, a retarded development of the medial arch in the boys was discovered. At the time of the study, >90% of the treatments were unnecessary.
Is active portfolio management able to achieve persistent outperformance

Die Diplomarbeit untersucht die Nachhaltigkeit von aktivem Portfoliomanagement. Unter Nachhaltigkeit ist im Kontext dieser Diplomarbeit zu verstehen, dass die Wertentwicklung eines aktiv gemanagten Portfolios wiederholt Uberschussrenditen erzielt gegenuber einem Vergleichsportfolio. Zu Beginn werden einige Grundkonzepte der Kapitalmarkttheorie erlautert, vor allem die Effizienzmarkthypothese und das Capital Asset Pricing Model. Ein Uberblick uber die Methoden und Instruments, die zur Performancemessung verwendet werden, wird ebenfalls gegeben. Weiter wird das Thema anhand von drei Aspekten abgehandelt: Vergleich zwischen der Wertentwicklung von aktiv und passiv gemanagten Portfolien, Unterscheidung zwischen Konnen und Gluck, auf die die Wertentwicklung zuruckzufuhren ist und der Moglichkeit, wiederholt eine bessere Wertentwicklung zu erzielen als der Markt. Zu diesem Zweck wird eine historische Betrachtung der wichtigsten Studien uber die Wertentwicklung von aktivem Portfoliomanagement durchgefuhrt. Die Ergebnisse der Studien, die in der Diplomarbeit behandelt werden, weisen stark darauf hin, dass eine nachhaltige Wertentwicklung von aktiv gemanagten Portfolios langfristig nicht moglich ist. Schlieslich werden noch die Einschrankungen der bisherigen Forschung aufgezeigt und Empfehlungen fur zukunftige Forschungsfragen abgegeben.
Group A streptococcal bacteremia in a community teaching hospital--1980-1989.

This report reviews 45 episodes of group A streptococcal bacteremia during 1980-1989 in a large hospital; 24 episodes occurred in the first 5 years of study (1980-1984) and 21 in the last 5 years (1985-1989). Four episodes were nosocomial. The remaining 41 episodes were community acquired; of these episodes, 12 occurred in patients who were transferred from nursing homes. There was a definite seasonal predominance (84%) during November-June. All but three patients had chronic underlying conditions. The major portals of entry were the skin and lungs, and the main types of infection were primary septicemia, cellulitis and soft-tissue infection, pneumonia, and infective endocarditis. The overall mortality rate was 24%; 20% of the deaths were due to infection. Factors that adversely influenced mortality were septic shock (P less than .02), less than 10,000/mm3 leukocytes (P less than .05); less than 80% segmented polymorphonuclear leukocytes and band forms (P less than .02), and hyperbilirubinemia (P less than .01). Neither prevalence nor severity of group A streptococcal bacteremia increased during the last 5 years of study.
Mapping of IS6110 Insertion Sites in Two Epidemic Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT A widely distributed strain designated 210 was identified in a study of the diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA fingerprints from three geographically separate states in the United States. This strain is characterized by a 21-band fingerprint pattern when probed with IS6110, and the pattern is similar to that displayed by strains designated W. Intracellular growth of strain 210 isolates in human macrophages is significantly faster than that of isolates from other clusters or nonclustered isolates. The purpose of this study was to identify the sites of IS6110 insertions in strain 210 and compare these to IS6110 insertion sites in strain W. Our hypothesis is that an IS6110 insertion site(s) could possibly be responsible for a strain's increased capacity for transmission and/or replication. In this report, the insertion sites in strains 210 and W are described and referenced to their location in the M. tuberculosis H37Rv genome sequence. The W and 210 strains have 17 identical sites of IS6110 insertion and additional sequence not found in H37Rv but present in other clinical isolates. The IS6110insertion site in the 36-bp direct repeat (DR) region of strains 210 and W has 15 spacers in the left flanking region. The DR region on the right side of IS6110 has been deleted. Five sites of insertion in strain 210 not found in strain W are described, as well as two unique sites in strain W. One copy of IS6110 was found to reside 55 bp in the ctpD gene. This gene is expressed, indicating that IS6110 can provide a promoter sequence for the transcription of genes.
Role of the Single Regulator MrsR1 and the Two-Component System MrsR2/K2 in the Regulation of Mersacidin Production and Immunity

ABSTRACT The lantibiotic mersacidin is an antimicrobial peptide of 20 amino acids which inhibits bacterial cell wall biosynthesis by binding to the precursor molecule lipid II and which is produced by Bacillus sp. strain HIL Y-85,54728. The structural gene of mersacidin as well as accessory genes is organized in a biosynthetic gene cluster which is located on the chromosome and contains three open reading frames with similarities to regulatory proteins: mrsR2 and mrsK2 encode two proteins with homology to bacterial two-component systems, and mrsR1 shows similarity to a response regulator. Both mrsR2/K2 and mrsR1 were inactivated by insertion of an antibiotic resistance marker. Disruption of mrsR1 resulted in loss of mersacidin production; however, producer self-protection was not impaired. In contrast, inactivation of mrsR2/K2 led to an increased susceptibility to mersacidin whereas biosynthesis of the lantibiotic remained unaffected. Binding of mersacidin to intact cells was significantly enhanced in the mrsR2/K2 knockout mutant. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis from total RNA preparations showed that in contrast to the wild-type strain, the structural genes of the ABC transporter MrsFGE were not transcribed in the knockout mutant. It was therefore concluded that producer self-protection against mersacidin is conferred by the ABC transporter MrsFGE and that the transcription of mrsFGE is regulated by MrsR2/K2, whereas production of the antibacterial peptide is solely activated by MrsR1.
Neurological lesions in chickens experimentally infected with virulent Newcastle disease virus isolates

Distribution, character, and severity of lesions were evaluated in tissues from the central nervous system of chickens inoculated with 10 different Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolates: CA 1083, Korea 97-147, Australia (all velogenic viscerotropic), Texas GB and Turkey North Dakota (both velogenic neurotropic), Nevada cormorant, Anhinga and Roakin (all mesogenic), and B1 and QV4 (lentogenic). Tissues for the present study included archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain (all strains) plus spinal cord (two strains). Encephalitis was observed in all velogenic viscerotropic and velogenic neurotropic strains, and in some mesogenic strains. In general, the encephalitic lesions began at 5 days post infection, with more severe lesions occurring around 10 days post infection. At this time point, especially in the grey matter of the brain, cerebellum and spinal cord, there were neuronal necrosis, neuronal phagocytosis, and clusters of cells with microglial morphology. Axonal degeneration and demyelination was also observed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for viral nucleoprotein confirmed the presence of virus. In the areas of encephalomyelitis, IHC for CD3 revealed that many of the inflammatory cells were T lymphocytes. IHC using an antibody for glial fibrillar acid protein showed reactive astrogliosis, which was most pronounced at the later time points.
Campaigning on the Internet: 2008 Presidential General Election Candidate Webpages

The Internet is becoming an increasingly important component of political campaigns. This study employed content analysis to apply Functional Theory and Issue Ownership Theory to Obama’s and McCain’s presidential candidate webpages in the 2008 campaign. Acclaims (92%) were more common than attacks (98%); defenses did not occur in this sample. Policy (82%) was addressed more than character (18%). When discussing policy, these candidates addressed future plans most frequently, followed by general goals and then past deeds; on character, candidates discussed ideals, then personal qualities, and then leadership ability. This study shows that as candidates use the Internet to reach voters, their webpages conform to theoretical expectations.
Examination of the split fovea theory in a case of pure left hemialexia

To address the extent to which the visual foveal representation is split, we examine the case of a patient, M.B. , suffering from a left mesial occipital lesion and presenting a pure left hemialexia and a right hemianopia with a spared area of the macula. Reading performance on tachistoscopically presented four-letter words and pseudowords in the spared area of the right visual field was significantly better than reading performance in the intact left visual field. Reading performance in the spared area of the right visual field was also significantly better than reading performance of stimuli centred on the fovea. Moreover, a length effect was found only in the left half of pseudowords centred on the fovea, but not in the right half (up to five letters). These differences in reading efficiency between the left and right halves of the foveal region militates in favour of the split fovea theory and cannot be explained by the bilateral projection theory.
Energy-Driven Economic Growth: Energy Consumption—Economic Growth Nexus Revisited for China

Abstract: This paper revisits the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth in the case of China using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing procedure for the period from 1952 to 2008. The results suggest that energy is one of the engines of growth in China, along with labor, capital, and international trade. In particular, a 1 percent increase in energy consumption leads to a 0.17 percent increase in gross domestic product. In addition to energy consumption, results also suggest that labor, capital, and international trade are also important factors stimulating China’s economic growth.
Common-Pool Resources are Intrinsically Unstable

Efficient allocations in common-pool resources cannot be accomplished when appropriators are selfish. In addition, we find that a system of a common-pool resource is locally unstable if there are four or more appropriators. Such instability most likely makes efficiency worse than that in the Nash equilibrium. These results indicate that equilibrium analyses might not capture the essence of the common-pool resource problem. They may also provide an answer to the unexplained pulsing behavior among appropriators and inefficiency observed in experiments.
How does language change after an intensive treatment on imitation?

ABSTRACT The main aim of our study was to investigate the role of imitation in improving word-finding difficulties in a group of aphasic subjects. For this purpose, we designed software based on the computerised program described by Lee et al. (2010). Seven subjects with aphasia resulting from a brain injury were enrolled in the study. A battery of tests was administered to participants one month before the treatment (T0) and immediately before its beginning (T1) with the aim of detecting their language difficulties. In the period between T0 and T1 sessions, participants underwent traditional logopaedic and neuropsychological rehabilitation. The treatment lasted 45 days with 90-minute sessions per day and it was personalised in terms of difficulty for each of the subjects. During every session the task required participants to carefully observe and then imitate six actors while pronouncing aloud a series of words and sentences describing a set of items. The results showed a significant improvement in the whole sample and in all the analysed measures only between T1 and T2 (post-training evaluation), while, as expected, no improvement was registered between T0 and T1. Such outcomes are consistent with research showing the key role played by imitation in the word retrieval process following aphasia.
Motor performance of young dystrophic mdx mice treated with long‐circulating prednisolone liposomes

For Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a common myopathy that leads to severe disability, no causal therapy is available. Glucocorticosteroids improve patients' muscle strength, but their long‐term use is limited by negative side effects. Thus, pharmacological modifications of glucocorticosteroids are required to increase the efficacy by drug targeting. Liposomal encapsulation augments systemic half‐life and local tissue concentrations of glucocorticosteroids and, at the same time, reduces systemic side effects. In this study, the efficacy of novel, long‐circulating, polyethylene‐glycol‐coated liposomes encapsulating prednisolone was compared with free prednisolone in the treatment of mdx mice, a well‐established animal model for DMD. Using an objective and sensitive computerized 24‐hr detection system of voluntary wheel‐running in single cages, we demonstrate a significant impairment of the running performance in mdx compared with black/10 control mice aged 3–6 weeks. Treatment with liposomal or free prednisolone did not improve running performance compared with saline control or empty liposomes. Histopathological parameters, including the rate of internalized nuclei and fiber size variation, and mRNA and protein expression levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and monocytes chemotactic protein (MCP)‐1 also remained unchanged. Bioactivity in skeletal muscle of liposomal and free prednisolone was demonstrated by elevated mRNA expression of muscle ring finger protein 1 (MuRF1), a mediator of muscle atrophy, and its forkhead box transcription factors (Foxo1/3). Our data support the assessment of voluntary running to be a robust and reproducible outcome measure of skeletal muscle performance during the early disease course of mdx mice and suggest that liposomal encapsulation is not superior in treatment efficacy compared with conventional prednisolone. Our study helps to improve the future design of experimental treatment in animal models of neuromuscular diseases. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.