Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excitability changes in human corticospinal projections to muscles moving hand and fingers while viewing a reaching and grasping action

Excitability of the H‐reflex in the relaxed flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscle was tested in five subjects observing a reaching and grasping action. The amplitude of the FDS H‐reflex was modulated with a peak occurring during the hand‐opening phase of the observed movement. When the H‐reflex was facilitated by subliminal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the modulation was larger than for an unconditioned reflex of similar size. This suggests that the primary motor cortex excitability is modulated by action viewing and reasonably causes the motoneuronal excitability changes. Moreover, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were elicited by supraliminal TMS in FDS, flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and first dorsal interosseus (FDI) when observing the same movement. MEP amplitude was modulated in FDS with the same time‐course as the H‐reflex, the peak excitability occurring during hand opening. In FDI, however, the maximal excitability occurred during finger closing while in FCR no correlation was found with the movement phases. Finally the EMG activity of FCR, FDS and FDI was recorded while the subjects were actually performing a grasping movement similar to the one observed. In all subjects and for each muscle there was a clear‐cut correspondence between the time‐course of the excitability modulation of MEPs and the temporal pattern of EMG recruitment. In conclusion, the present study suggests that ‘motor resonance’ subliminally activates the same motor pathways that would be overtly recruited in each observer when actually performing the observed movement, reproducing the personal strategy adopted in the same task.
The heart in limb girdle muscular dystrophy

Objective To assess the frequency, nature, and severity of cardiac abnormalities in limb girdle muscular dystrophy, and its relation to age and weakness in various genotypes. Design In 26 autosomal dominant, 38 autosomal recessive, and 33 sporadic strictly defined patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophy, cardiac evaluation included history, physical examination, chest x ray, electrocardiography, 24 hour ECG Holter monitoring, and echocardiography. In 35 of the 71 autosomal recessive and sporadic cases muscle biopsies were available for sarcoglycan analysis. Main results Dilated cardiomyopathy was present in one autosomal dominant case and in three advanced autosomal recessive or sporadic patients, of whom two were found to have α sarcoglycan deficiency. Two of these three patients and three other cases showed ECG abnormalities known to be characteristic of the dystrophinopathies. A strong association between the absence of α sarcoglycan and the presence of dilated cardiomyopathy was found (p = 0.04). In six autosomal dominant cases there were atrioventricular (AV) conduction disturbances, increasing in severity with age and in concomitant presence of muscle weakness. Pacemaker implantation was necessary in four. Conclusions 10% of these patients had clinically relevant cardiac abnormalities. In autosomal dominant limb girdle muscular dystrophy one subtype characterised by muscle weakness and AV conduction disturbances is recognised. In the course of autosomal recessive/sporadic limb girdle muscular dystrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy may develop, probably related to deficiency of dystrophin associated proteins.
The Role of Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting in Close Relationships of Male and Female Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to explore intergenerational continuity of parenting through three generations and its influence on the social relationships of male and female adolescents. 898 adolescents (378 male and 520 female) from Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia, with an average age of 16.5, participated in this research. The following measuring instruments (self-report measures) were used: the relationship of mother/father with grandparents, the Perception of Family Interactions Scale, the Friendship Quality Scale, and the Social Loneliness Scale. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis of the intergenerational transmission of parenting. Moreover, they show that the mother's parental style has a stronger effect on friendship quality in female adolescents than the father's parental style. Generally, it should be noted that the results of this research show that the mother’s parental style has a greater impact on friendship quality and social loneliness for girls than for boys. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p1821
Flemish palliative care nurses' attitudes toward euthanasia: a quantitative study.

AIM To adequately measure the attitudes of Flemish palliative care nurses toward euthanasia, and assess the relationship between these attitudes and demographic factors and the (perceived) influence of experience in palliative care on death anxiety. METHOD An anonymous questionnaire was sent to all nurses (n=589) employed in palliative care in Flanders, Belgium: 70.5% of the nurses (n=415) responded. RESULTS A majority of the nurses supported the Belgian law regulating euthanasia but also believed that most euthanasia requests disappear as soon as a patient experiences the benefits of good palliative care. Three clusters were discovered: staunch advocates of euthanasia (150 nurses, 41.1%); moderate advocates of euthanasia (135 nurses, 37%); and (moderate) opponents of euthanasia (80 nurses, 21.9%). An absolute opposition between advocates and opponents of euthanasia was not observed. A statistically significant relationship was found between the euthanasia clusters and years of experience in palliative care, and (perceived) influence of experience in palliative care on anxiety when a patient dies. CONCLUSIONS Flemish palliative care nurses' attitudes toward euthanasia are nuanced and contextual. By indicating that most euthanasia requests disappear as soon as a patient experiences the benefits of good palliative care, the nurses applied a 'palliative filter' a standard procedure in the case of a euthanasia request.
Does XBRL Adoption Constrain Managerial Opportunism in Financial Reporting? Evidence from Mandated U.S. Filers

In this study, we examine whether XBRL disclosure (i.e., interactive data submissions) reduces the magnitude of accounting accruals for firms during SEC mandated years. Using mandated XBRL filers, we first compare the magnitude of absolute discretionary accruals in the XBRL-adoption quarters with that in the non-XBRL-adoption quarters. This comparison shows that absolute discretionary accruals decreases significantly from the pre-XBRL-adoption period to the post-XBRL-adoption adoption period. This finding is in line with the view that the XBRL adoption constrains managerial opportunism in financial reporting in general and opportunistic accrual management in particular. Our analyses further reveal that the use of standardized official XBRL elements significantly reduces levels of discretionary accruals in the post-adoption period, while the use of customized extension elements does not. This result is consistent with the view that the former discourages opportunistic accruals management more effectively than the latter by improving transparency and comparability in financial reporting.
Possible correlation between exogenous parameters and seismicity

Exogenous parameter is basically referred to the external activities that may have been the important factors in modulating the atmosphere, ionosphere and the earth's surface. Due to its significant impacts, there is possibility to link solar activities and seismicity. Associated investigations have been done by previous researchers in order to explore the solar - terrestrial connection; nevertheless, the physical mechanism is still controversial. To comprehend the investigation of this coupling mechanism, we propose another exogenous source to be analyzed which is cosmic ray. As solar activity, cosmic ray also has minimum and maximum phases or called as cosmic ray cycle, but it is anti-correlation between phases of sunspot and cosmic ray cycles. In this brief report, we examine the trend of shallow earthquake occurrence as the caused effect during recent 4 complete solar cycles (SC 20-23) in order to study its possible link to sun spot number (SSN). The earthquakes were categorized into very shallow earthquakes with epicenter depth less than 35 km and deeper earthquakes with epicenter depth between 35-70 km. For very shallow earthquakes, the analysis shows two interesting features. First, its occurrence rate shows a steady increase during the 40 years period of 1964-2005, with average increase rate about 150/year. Second, a distinct increase of the occurrence rate occurs during each solar minimum of SC 21-23. Neither of these features is found in the earthquakes with deeper epicenters, suggesting that the solar influence on seismicity, if exists, is likely to exist only in the case of very shallow earthquakes whose epicenter is in the crust region.
Small hepatocellular carcinoma treated with percutaneous RF ablation: MR imaging follow-up.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to determine the usefulness of MR imaging in the follow-up evaluation of small hepatocellular carcinoma lesions treated with RF ablation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study group included 37 patients with a single hepatocellular carcinoma lesion less than 3 cm in diameter. A strict protocol required follow-up MR imaging every 6 months after RF treatment. At each follow-up visit, the findings on unenhanced and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR images were correlated with those on contrast-enhanced CT images and with results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy. In five patients who underwent surgical resection after the 6-month follow-up examination, comparison with histologic findings of surgical specimens was also performed. RESULTS Correct diagnosis of complete or partial tumor necrosis was made in 32 (86%) of the 37 patients with the use of unenhanced and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR images. Hypointensity on T2-weighted images and loss of enhancement on dynamic MR images corresponded to completely necrotic lesions in all patients. Conversely, intratumoral regions of hyperintensity on T2-weighted images and enhancement on dynamic MR images did not always correlate to residual viable tumor. MR imaging and CT findings agreed in the evaluation of therapeutic response in all patients. CONCLUSION Our experience confirms that MR imaging is useful for evaluating the effectiveness of RF therapy in achieving tumor regression.
First-cycle blood counts and subsequent neutropenia, dose reduction, or delay in early-stage breast cancer therapy.

PURPOSE If patients could be ranked according to their projected need for supportive care therapy, then more efficient and less costly treatment algorithms might be developed. This work reports on the construction of a model of neutropenia, dose reduction, or delay that rank-orders patients according to their need for costly supportive care such as granulocyte growth factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS A case series and consecutive sample of patients treated for breast cancer were studied. Patients had received standard-dose adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage nonmetastatic breast cancer and were treated by four medical oncologists. Using 95 patients and validated with 80 additional patients, development models were constructed to predict one or more of the following events: neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] < or = 250/microL), dose reduction > or = 15% of that scheduled, or treatment delay > or = 7 days. Two approaches to modeling were attempted. The pretreatment approach used only pretreatment predictors such as chemotherapy regimen and radiation history; the conditional approach included, in addition, blood count information obtained in the first cycle of treatment. RESULTS The pretreatment model was unsuccessful at predicting neutropenia, dose reduction, or delay (c-statistic = 0.63). Conditional models were good predictors of subsequent events after cycle 1 (c-statistic = 0.87 and 0.78 for development and validation samples, respectively). The depth of the first-cycle ANC was an excellent predictor of events in subsequent cycles (P = .0001 to .004). Chemotherapy plus radiation also increased the risk of subsequent events (P = .0011 to .0901). Decline in hemoglobin (HGB) level during the first cycle of therapy was a significant predictor of events in the development study (P = .0074 and .0015), and although the trend was similar in the validation study, HGB decline failed to reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION It is possible to rank patients according to their need of supportive care based on blood counts observed in the first cycle of therapy. Such rankings may aid in the choice of appropriate supportive care for patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Quiet Bubbles

Classic speculative bubbles are loud: price is high and so are price volatility and share turnover. The credit bubble of 2003-2007 is quiet: price is high but price volatility and share turnover are low. We develop a model, based on investor disagreement and short-sales constraints, that explains why credit bubbles are quieter than equity ones. Since debt up-side payoff s are bounded, debt is less sensitive to disagreement about asset value than equity and hence has a smaller resale option and lower price volatility and turnover. While optimism makes both debt and equity bubbles larger, it makes debt mispricings quiet but leaves the loudness of equity mispricings unchanged. Our theory suggests a taxonomy of bubbles.
RAD50 targeting impairs DNA damage response and sensitizes human breast cancer cells to cisplatin therapy

In tumor cells the effectiveness of anti-neoplastic agents that cause cell death by induction of DNA damage is influenced by DNA repair activity. RAD50 protein plays key roles in DNA double strand breaks repair (DSBs), which is crucial to safeguard genome integrity and sustain tumor suppression. However, its role as a potential therapeutic target has not been addressed in breast cancer. Our aim in the present study was to analyze the expression of RAD50 protein in breast tumors, and evaluate the effects of RAD50-targeted inhibition on the cytotoxicity exerted by cisplatin and anthracycline and taxane-based therapies in breast cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry assays on tissue microarrays indicate that the strong staining intensity of RAD50 was reduced in 14% of breast carcinomas in comparison with normal tissues. Remarkably, RAD50 silencing by RNA interference significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. Combinations of cisplatin with doxorubicin and paclitaxel drugs induced synergistic effects in early cell death of RAD50-deficient MCF-7, SKBR3, and T47D breast cancer cells. Furthermore, we found an increase in the number of DSBs, and delayed phosphorylation of histone H2AX after cisplatin treatment in RAD50-silenced cells. These cellular events were associated to a dramatical increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and a decrease of cell number in metaphase. In conclusion, our data showed that RAD50 abrogation impairs DNA damage response and sensitizes breast cancer cells to cisplatin-combined therapies. We propose that the development and use of inhibitors to manipulate RAD50 levels might represent a promising strategy to sensitize breast cancer cells to DNA damaging agents.
Lauren Histologic Type Is the Most Important Factor Associated With Pattern of Recurrence Following Resection of Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Objective: To examine sites of initial recurrence in patients after resection of gastric and gastroesophageal junction Siewert II/III adenocarcinoma (GA). Background: There are few recent studies on recurrence for Western patients following potentially curative resection of GA. Methods: A review of a prospectively maintained, single institution database was performed. Clinicopathologic factors, site(s) of initial recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival were examined. Results: From January 2000 to June 2010, 957 patients underwent potentially curative resection for GA, 435 patients (46%) had recurrent disease, and complete data on recurrence site(s) could be obtained in 386 patients. Tumors were Lauren intestinal type in 206 (53%) and diffuse or mixed-type in 180 (47%). Median time to recurrence was 12 months and 75% of recurrences occurred within 2 years. There was a significant difference in pattern of initial recurrence between the intestinal and diffuse/mixed cohorts (P < 0.001). For intestinal tumors, distant metastasis was the most common site (54%), followed by locoregional (20%), peritoneal (15%), and multifocal (11%). For diffuse/mixed tumors, peritoneal recurrence was the most common (37%), followed by distant (32%), locoregional (22%), and multifocal (9%). On multivariate analysis, Lauren histologic type was the only significant factor that was associated with both peritoneal recurrence (diffuse, hazard ratio 2.22, confidence interval 1.38–3.94) and distant recurrence (intestinal, hazard ratio 1.888, confidence interval 1.202–2.966). After recurrence, median overall survival was only 8.4 months. Conclusions: In GA patients who recur after resection, patterns of recurrence vary significantly based on Lauren histologic type.
Effective Groundwater Model Calibration: With Analysis of Data, Sensitivities, Predictions, and Uncertainty

Exercise 3.2d: Calculate weights on hydraulic-head and flow observations For the head observations, first calculate the total variance of measurement error for the head observations, by adding the variance for the elevation measurement and the variance for the water-level measurement. This total variance is 1.0025 m, as shown in Table 3.2. Then, calculate the weight as the inverse of this variance, which equals 0.9975 m. In the table ‘DATA AT HEAD LOCATIONS’ in the MODFLOW-2000 LIST output file, note that the square root of the weight (0.9988 m) is printed.
Clinical comparison of the plaque removal efficacy of a manual toothbrush with criss-cross bristle design.

PURPOSE To compare the plaque removal efficacy of two manual toothbrushes: Oral-B Exceed and Asian Colgate 36 degrees manual toothbrush. METHODS The study used an examiner-blind, two-treatment, randomized, four-period (visits) crossover design. Subjects used each brush twice during the study. At the first visit, 41 subjects who met inclusion criteria and provided informed consent received a baseline plaque examination using the Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index. Subjects then used their assigned toothbrush for 1 minute with a marketed toothpaste without access to a mirror. Brushing was monitored. A post-brushing plaque exam was then performed. Subjects were rescheduled for their next visit in approximately 3 days. At visits 2, 3 and 4 the same disclosing, brushing and plaque grading procedures were followed. Subjects used their own products at home between visits. RESULTS 39 subjects presented data for all four study periods; two subjects missed one period each. Baseline plaque scores were balanced between the two groups. Adjusted mean plaque removal (baseline minus post-brushing) scores were 0.479 for the Exceed toothbrush and 0.425 for the Asian Colgate 360 degrees toothbrush (P < 0.002). This translates to 12.7% greater plaque removal for the Exceed toothbrush versus the Asian Colgate 360 degrees toothbrush. No adverse events were reported during the study.
No Beneficial Effects of Adding Parent Training to Methylphenidate Treatment for ADHD + ODD/CD Children

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) versus MPH + parent training in children with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) over a 12-month period. Method: After careful screening, 120 children diagnosed with ADHD + ODD/CD were included in the study. Treatment consisted of ongoing medication management for 12 months, with or without participation in a parent-training program beginning after the 1st month. Participants were not randomly assigned to treatment groups because of ethical, practical, and methodological reasons. Results: Data analyses revealed that mother–child relationship improvements and symptom severity did not benefit from parent training. Conclusion: The results of this study highlighted the positive role of MPH in ADHD. No significant effects were observed after the addition of parent training to MPH treatment. Clinicians should carefully follow patients’ improvements and titrate the MPH dosage during long-term treatment.
High-Risk Childbirth Practices in Remote Nepal and Their Determinants

ABSTRACT This study describes birth-related practices and their determinants among women in the Jumla district of Nepal. Data were derived from a household survey in 1996. Of 939 married women of reproductive age, 657 who had given birth to their last child during the previous five years were included in the analysis. Qualitative information was further obtained from traditional birth attendants (TBAs), mothers-in-law, community leaders and pregnant women. High-risk practices were common and related to local custom and lack of knowledge on the importance of cleanliness. Husband's level of education greater than fifth grade significantly reduced the high-risk practices in all stages of childbirth, independent of other socio-economic, biological and village variables.
EFFECTS OF DRY‐LAND VS.RESISTED‐AND ASSISTED‐SPRINT EXERCISES ON SWIMMING SPRINT PERFORMANCES

This study was undertaken to compare the effects of dry-land strength training with a combined in-water resisted- and assisted-sprint program in swimmer athletes. Twenty-one swimmers from regional to national level participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the strength (S) group that was involved in a dry-land strength training program where barbells were used, the resisted- and assisted-sprint (RAS) group that got involved in a specific water training program where elastic tubes were used to generate resistance and assistance while swimming, and the control (C) group which was involved in an aerobic cycling program. During 12 weeks, the athletes performed 6 training sessions per week on separate days. All of them combined the same aerobic dominant work for their basic training in swimming and running with their specific training. Athletes were evaluated 3 times: before the training program started, after 6 weeks of training, and at the end of the training program. The outcome values were the strength of the elbow flexors and extensors evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer, and the speed, stroke rate, stroke length, and stroke depth observed during a 50-meter sprint. No changes were observed after 6 weeks of training. At the end of the training period, we observed significant increases in swimming velocity, and strength of elbow flexors and extensors both in the S and RAS groups. However, stroke depth decreased both in the S and RAS groups. Stroke rate increased in the RAS but not in the S group. However, no significant differences in the swimming performances between the S and RAS groups were observed. No significant changes occurred in C. Altogether, programs combining swimming with dry-land strength or with in-water resisted-and assisted-sprint exercises led to a similar gain in sprint performance and are more efficient than traditional swimming training methods alone.
Use and Maturity of Electronic Patient Portals

This paper focuses on the adoption of electronic patient portals aimed at providing consumers with access to their own health records along with added functions aimed to improving convenience and access to care. A variety of Canadian patient portal implementations were analysed with evidence supplemented from international examples. Measures of adoption focused on active users and frequency of access. New portal implementations can achieve adoption at a rate of 5-10% of the overall population per year with larger, jurisdiction-wide deployments growing at a slower rate than smaller, more targeted deployments.