Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treating agrammatic aphasia within a linguistic framework: Treatment of Underlying Forms

Background : Formal linguistic properties of sentences—both lexical, i.e., argument structure, and syntactic, i.e., movement —as well as what is known about normal and disordered sentence processing and production, were considered in the development of Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUF), a linguistic approach to treatment of sentence deficits in patients with agrammatic aphasia. TUF is focused on complex, non-canonical sentence structures and operates on the premise that training underlying, abstract, properties of language will allow for effective generalisation to untrained structures that share similar linguistic properties, particularly those of lesser complexity. Aims : In this paper we summarise a series of studies focused on examining the effects of TUF. Methods & Procedures : In each study, sentences selected for treatment and for generalisation analysis were controlled for their lexical and syntactic properties, with some structures related and others unrelated along theoretical lines. We use single-subject experimental designs—i.e., multiple baseline designs across participants and behaviours—to chart improvement in comprehension and production of both trained and untrained structures. One structure was trained at a time, while untrained sentences were tested for generalisation. Participants included individuals with mild to moderately severe agrammatic, Broca's aphasia with characteristic deficits patterns. Outcomes & Results : Results of this work have shown that treatment improves the sentence types entered into treatment, that generalisation occurs to sentences which are linguistically related to those trained, and that treatment results in changes in spontaneous discourse in most patients. Further, we have found that generalisation is enhanced when the direction of treatment is from more to less complex structures, a finding that led to the Complexity Account of Treatment Efficacy (CATE, Thompson, Shapiro, Kiran, & Sobecks, 2003). Finally, results of recent work showing that treatment appears to affect processing of trained sentences in real time and that treatment gains can be mapped onto the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are discussed. Conclusions : These findings indicate that TUF is effective for treating sentence comprehension and production in patients who present with language deficit patterns like those seen in our patients. Patients receiving this treatment show strong generalisation effects to untrained language material. Given the current healthcare climate, which limits the amount of treatment that aphasic patients receive following stroke, it is important that clinicians deliver treatment that results in optimal generalisation in the least amount of time possible.
The Balancing of Country-Based Interaction Orientation and Marketing Strategy Implementation Adaptation/Standardization for Profit Growth in Multinational Corporations

For business success and continued growth, multinational corporations (MNCs) must work to efficiently leverage interactions with customers dispersed across geographic boundaries. Under the framework of the attention-based view, this study examines the MNC strategic approach of country-based interaction orientation and marketing strategy implementation adaptation/standardization as drivers of global profit growth, contingent on the environmental conditions of competitive intensity and market dynamism. The findings from a survey of U.S.-based MNCs indicate that managerial attention focused on country-based interaction orientation and marketing strategy implementation standardization, when considered jointly, have a positive effect on MNC profit growth. The findings also show that the effect of a country-based interaction orientation on MNC profit growth is not as susceptible to competitive intensity and market dynamism when MNCs standardize their marketing strategy implementation, but it varies when MNCs take a more adapted approach to their implementation strategies across country markets. These findings bring to light important implications for international marketing theory and practice.
The Enflurane‐Sparing Effect of Alfentanil in Dogs

Some investigators believe that the dog is less sensitive than are humans to the anesthetic/analgesic actions of opioids. The alfentanil plasma concentration [ALF] vs anesthetic effect relationship has been determined for humans undergoing surgery. This study was designed to determine the [ALF] vs anesthetic relationship for alfentanil in the enflurane-anesthetized dog and thereby to provide data by which the [ALF] vs anesthetic effect relationships in the dog and in humans could be compared. Mongrel dogs (n = 10) were anesthetized with enflurane, and enflurane MAC (EMAC) was determined in each dog. After this, each dog received at least three incremental infusions of alfentanil using infusion rates of 0.625, 1.6, 8, 32, or 80 μg·kg−1·min−1. EMAC and [ALF] were determined during each infusion rate. There was a linear increase in [ALF] produced by incremental infusions of alfentanil (r = 0.999). Administration of alfentanil produced a dose-dependent reduction of EMAC up to a maximum of 72.5 ± 3.7% (mean ± sem) at 32 μg·kg−1·min−1 ([ALF] = 960 ± 86 ng/ml); a ceiling effect was evident. The degree of EMAC reduction (69%) produced by an infusion rate of 8 μg·kg−1·min−1 ([ALF] = 223 ± 13 ng/ml) was not statistically different from the EMAC reductions produced by infusion rates of 32 (73% reduction at [ALF] = 960 ± 86 ng/ml) or 80μg·kg−1·min−1 (70% reduction at [ALF] = 2613 ± 247 ng/ml) (P > 0.05). The relative potency of alfentanil was one-seventh to one-tenth that of fentanyl studied under identical conditions. The [ALF] producing maximal EMAC reduction in the enflurane anesthetized dog in response to a tail-clamp stimulus (223 ng/ml) was similar to the [ALF] required to provide adequate anesthesia of patients for skin incision in the presence of nitrous oxide (mean plasma concentration required to prevent response to skin incision, 279 ± 20 ng/ml; 95% confidence interval, 238–320 ng/ml). It is concluded that alfentanil, in common with other μ-receptor agonists, is capable of reducing enflurane MAC by only 70% in dogs. The anesthetic efficacy of alfentanil in humans and in the dog appears to be similar.
Nationwide reference data for height, weight and body mass index of Indian schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND. The assessment of growth is crucial for child care and reference data are central to growth monitoring. We aimed to assess the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of Indian schoolchildren in order to develop genderappropriate growth charts for children 5-18 years of age. METHODS. Cross-sectional evaluation of anthropometric parameters (height, weight and BMI) was done in Indian schoolchildren (3-18 years) randomly selected from both fee-paying (upper socioeconomic strata) and non-fee paying (lower socioeconomic strata) schools from 4 regions (north, south, east and west) of India. A total of 106 843 children were evaluated, of which 42 214 children (19 303 boys, 22 911 girls) were from the lower socioeconomic strata and 64 629 children (34 411 boys, 30 218 girls) were from the upper socioeconomic strata. Normative charts, using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method to smoothen the curves, were drawn from children belonging to the upper socioeconomic strata, in view of the gross discrepancy between the two socioeconomic strata. RESULTS. Height, weight and BMI percentile (3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 97th) data were calculated and charts generated. The height of boys and girls was consistently higher at all ages when compared with earlier India data, but the final height was 2-4 cm lower than that reported in the WHO multicentre study of 2007. Weight centiles showed a rising trend both in boys and girls compared not only to earlier Indian data published in 1992, but also to that reported by the WHO multicentre study. The median weight at all ages in both boys and girls was approximately 4 kg more than that reported in affluent Indian children two decades earlier. CONCLUSION. This large nationwide study indicates secular trends in height, weight and BMI in Indian children from the upper socioeconomic strata. We suggest that the height and weight percentiles reported by us may be used as reference standards for India.
Effects of Endolymphatic Sac Drainage With Steroids for Intractable Ménière's Disease: A Long‐Term Follow‐Up and Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: Ménière's disease is a common inner ear disease with an incidence of 15 to 50 per 100,000 population. Since Ménière's disease is thought to be triggered by an immune insult to the inner ear, we examined intraendolymphatic sac application of steroids as a new therapeutic strategy for intractable Ménière's disease.
Reduced risks of neural tube defects and orofacial clefts with higher diet quality.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether better maternal diet quality was associated with reduced risk for selected birth defects. DESIGN A multicenter, population-based case-control study, the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. SETTING Ten participating centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS Eligible subjects' estimated due dates were from October 1997 through December 2005. Telephone interviews were conducted with 72% of case and 67% of control mothers. Analyses included 936 cases with neural tube defects (NTDs), 2475 with orofacial clefts, and 6147 nonmalformed controls. MAIN EXPOSURES Food-frequency data were used to calculate the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) and Diet Quality Index (DQI), modeled after existing indices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Adjusted odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS After covariate adjustment, increasing diet quality based on either index was associated with reduced risks for the birth defects studied. The strongest association was between anencephaly and DQI; the OR for highest vs lowest quartile was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.31-0.75). The ORs for cleft lip with or without cleft palate and cleft palate and DQI were also notable (0.66 [95% CI, 0.54-0.81] and 0.74 [95%CI, 0.56-0.96], respectively). CONCLUSIONS Healthier maternal dietary patterns, as measured by diet quality scores, were associated with reduced risks of NTDs and clefts. These results suggest that dietary approaches could lead to further reduction in risks of major birth defects and complement existing efforts to fortify foods and encourage periconceptional multivitamin use.
Simulated learning environment (SLE) in audiology education: A systematic review

Objective: To systematically review the relevant peer-review literature investigating the outcome of simulated learning environment (SLE) training in audiology education. Design: A systematic review research design. Study sample: Fifteen databases were searched with four studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Results: Three of the four studies revealed positive findings for the use of an SLE (that is, the SLE group showed a higher post-training score compared to the traditional training group or a significantly higher post-training score than the non-training groups). One study revealed negative findings where the traditional training group showed a significantly higher post-training score than the SLE group. In addition, both the studies comparing post- and pre-training scores reported significantly higher post-training scores than the pre-training scores of the participants that underwent SLE training. Conclusions: Overall, this review supports the notions that SLE training is an effective learning tool and can be used for basic clinical training. This conclusion should be treated with caution, considering the limited numbers of studies published in this area and future research should be conducted to cope with the gaps highlighted in this review.
Cross-protection study of the nine serovars of Haemophilus paragallinarum in the Kume haemagglutinin scheme

The cross-protection and haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies present in chickens vaccinated with one of the nine currently recognized Kume haemagglutinin serovars of Haemophilus paragallinarum were investigated. The results confirmed the widely accepted dogma that serogroups A, B, and C represent three distinct immunovars. Within Kume serogroup A, there was generally good cross-protection among all four serovars. However, within Kume serogroup C, there was evidence of a reduced level of cross-protection between some of the four serovars. The haemagglutination-inhibition antibody levels generally showed the same trend as with the cross-protection results. This study suggests that some apparent field failures of infectious coryza vaccines may be due to a lack of cross-protection between the vaccine strains and the field strains. Our results will help guide the selection of strains for inclusion in infectious coryza vaccines.
What do cognitively intact older people think about the use of electronic tracking devices for people with dementia? A preliminary analysis

ABSTRACT Background: The issue of using advanced tracking technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is part of a wider debate on the acceptability of assistive technology to older people with dementia. The use of GPS can enhance the personal safety of older people by alerting caregivers to potential dangers or adverse events that might threaten the individual's health and safety, but at the same time it raises ethical concerns. This study examines the attitudes of cognitively intact older people toward the use of tracking devices for people with dementia. Methods: The analysis is based on quantitative data from a convenience sample (n = 42) and qualitative data gathered from two focus groups of cognitively intact older people in Israel. Results: Whereas cognitively intact older people clearly differentiate between themselves and people with dementia, they support the use of tracking devices when dementia is either formally diagnosed or its signs are evident. They value the safety of people with dementia above preserving their autonomy. Although they perceive the decision to use tracking devices as an intra-family issue, they expect guidance from professional caregivers of people with dementia. The acceptability of tracking devices is dependent on their appropriate weight, size and ease of use. Conclusions: Cognitively intact older people favor the idea of tracking people with dementia. To facilitate family decision-making on the use of tracking devices, structured meetings guided by professionals and including persons with dementia and their family caregivers are suggested.
Application of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) data to estimate cost-effectiveness of hernia surgery in England

Objectives To demonstrate potential uses of nationally collected patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) data to estimate cost-effectiveness of hernia surgery. Design Cost-utility model populated with national PROMs, National Reference Cost and Hospital Episodes Statistics data. Setting Hospitals in England that provided elective inguinal hernia repair surgery for NHS patients between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010. Participants Patients >18 years undergoing NHS-funded elective hernia surgery in English hospitals who completed PROMs questionnaires. Main outcome measures Change in quality-adjusted life year (QALY) following surgery; cost per QALY of surgery by acute provider hospital; health gain and cost per QALY by surgery type received (laparoscopic or open hernia repair). Results The casemix-adjusted, discounted (at 3.5%) and degraded (over 25 years) mean change in QALYs following elective hernia repair surgery is 0.826 (95% CI, 0.793–0.859) compared to a counterfactual of no treatment. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery show a significantly greater gain in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D index change, 0.0915; 95% CI, 0.0850–0.0979) with an estimated gain of 0.923 QALYS (95% CI, 0.859–0.988) compared to those having open repair (EQ-5D index change, 0.0806; 95% CI, 0.0771–0.0841) at 0.817 QALYS (95% CI, 0.782–0.852). The average cost of hernia surgery in England is £1554, representing a mean cost per QALY of £1881. The mean cost of laparoscopic and open hernia surgery is equivocal (£1421 vs. £1426 respectively) but laparoscopies appear to offer higher cost-utility at £1540 per QALY, compared to £1746 per QALY for open surgery. Conclusions Routine PROMs data derived from NHS patients could be usefully analyzed to estimate health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of interventions to inform decision-making. This analysis suggests elective hernia surgery offers value-for-money, and laparoscopic repair is more clinically effective and generates higher cost-utility than open surgery.
Regional trends in Portuguese gastric cancer mortality (1984–1999)

The international decline in gastric cancer is mainly attributed to improved socio-economic conditions. However, some southern and eastern European countries showed slower and later decline, reflecting a less favourable general environment. The same probably applies to regional differences within countries, making national indicators potentially misleading. Fitting log-linear Poisson models we compared trends in gastric cancer mortality (1984–1999) across 18 Portuguese regions. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to assess the regional association between decline in cancer mortality and baseline cancer mortality and variation in indices of social development and medical care. National gastric cancer mortality changed −2.0%/year in men and −2.2%/year in women. The regional yearly variation in mortality ranged from −3.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) −4.5 to −2.5] to −0.6% (95% CI −1.4 to 0.2) in men, and from −3.7% (95% CI −4.8 to −2.7) to −0.8% (95% CI −1.6 to 0.0) in women. Regional variation was not significantly associated with baseline gastric cancer mortality (r=0.18, P=0.47), but with the variation in post-neonatal mortality (r=0.59, P=0.01). In Portugal, gastric cancer shows a wide regional variation in frequency trends. The correlation with known indicators of social and economic development indicates that future improvement in gastric cancer rates is expected in parallel with a more widespread development.
Drinking to cope with negative moods and the immediacy of drinking within the weekly cycle among college students.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine among college students (N = 458; 249 women) whether drinking to cope (DTC) motives moderate the effect of daily negative mood states in predicting the onset of weekly drinking. METHOD Using a secure, Internet-based survey across 2 consecutive years, participants first completed measures of drinking motives and then reported on their mood states and alcohol use daily for 30 days. RESULTS Multilevel discrete-time survival models indicated a significant interaction between DTC motives and anxiety in predicting the onset of drinking each week. As predicted, individuals with stronger DTC motives initiated drinking relatively earlier during high compared with low anxiety weeks. In contrast, individuals with weaker coping motives initiated drinking later during high compared with low anxiety weeks. We also found that coping motives moderated the association between anger and weekly drinking onset, with high DTC individuals showing later drinking onset on high anger weeks. CONCLUSIONS Findings are discussed in terms of how time-to-drink models might inform us about the multiple processes involved in negative mood-related drinking, the importance of examining discrete negative mood states, and what strong endorsement of DTC motives might reflect among college students.
Temporal lobe anatomy and psychiatric symptoms in velocardiofacial syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome).

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between mesial temporal lobe morphology, ratios of prefrontal cortex to amygdala and hippocampus volumes, and psychiatric symptomatology in children and adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). METHOD Scores on behavioral rating scales and volumetric measures of the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging were compared among 47 children with VCFS, 15 of their siblings, and 18 community controls. RESULTS After covarying for whole brain volume, children with VCFS exhibited 11% greater volume of the left amygdala (p =.002) and 8% greater volume of the right amygdala (p =.01). Children with VCFS exhibited smaller volumes of the hippocampus, but not disproportionately to reductions in whole brain volume. Children with VCFS exhibited smaller volumetric ratios of prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex to amygdala, but not prefrontal cortex to hippocampus. For children with VCFS, but not for the comparison sample, larger volumes of the amygdala and smaller ratios of prefrontal cortex to amygdala were associated with higher scores on the Internalizing, Externalizing, Anxiety, and Aggression scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and on the parent version of the Young Mania Rating Scale. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the prefrontal cortex-amygdala circuit that underlies emotional processing is disrupted in children with VCFS and may be an important neurobiological substrate of psychiatric disorder in these children.
The basal‐like breast carcinoma phenotype is regulated by SLUG gene expression

Basal‐like breast carcinoma is an aggressive form of breast cancer, characterized by the absence of oestrogen receptor and HER2 expression, the presence of cytokeratin 5 and epidermal growth factor receptor expression, and by the up‐regulation of stem cell regulatory genes. We show here that tumour tissues expressing high levels of SLUG mRNA show a basal‐like breast carcinoma phenotype and that such tumours also express high levels of stem cell‐regulatory genes, ie CD133, Bmi1. Further, we show that stem/progenitor cells, isolated from ductal breast carcinoma and from normal mammary gland as mammospheres, express SLUG, CD133, and Bmi1 mRNA and show a phenotype similar to that of basal‐like breast carcinoma. We also report that SLUG expression in tumour tissues correlates with that of the hypoxia survival gene carbonic anhydrase IX. In this regard, we report that the exposure of SLUG‐negative/luminal‐like MCF‐7 cells to a hypoxic environment promotes the onset of the basal‐like breast carcinoma phenotype, together with up‐regulation of the SLUG gene, which in turn blunts oestrogen receptor‐α and boosts carbonic anhydrase IX gene expression. Finally, we show that SLUG expression promotes the invasiveness of MCF‐7 cells exposed to hypoxia and sustains the in vivo aggressiveness of hypoxia‐selected, MCF‐7‐derived cells in xenografts. These data indicate that SLUG gene expression is part of a hypoxia‐induced genetic programme which sets up a basal/stem cell‐like, aggressive phenotype in breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stocks, Bonds, and Causality

In this article, the authors estimate a model establishing the casual relationships between equity and government bond returns. They show that the relationship between stocks and bonds—whether they are positively or negatively related—depends largely on whether a shock emanates from the stock market or the bond market. Equity market shocks are associated with flight-to-quality effets and a negative relationship, whereas bond market shocks typically induce a positive stock-bond relationship. The authors show that the relationship between those two asset classes depends critically on the level of market valuation. When markets are cheap or expensive, the effect of valuation can dominate the transitory impact of equity or bond market shocks. Therefore, investors who wish to form a forward-looking view on the stock-bond relation need to take current market valuation into account.