Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variations in familial neonatal mortality risks in four countries

Summary This paper investigates variations in the strength and structure of familial association in neonatal mortality risks in four populations; Bolivia, Kenya, Peru, and Tanzania. Exploratory analyses of the structure of the familial association are presented for each population. Random effects logistic models are then used to estimate the strength of familial association in neonatal mortality risks using a standard set of control variables. The results suggest that the strength of familial association in neonatal mortality risks is quite similar in these four populations which would be consistent with a biological explanation for the association. However, some differences were found, particularly in the form of the association in Peru, which may suggest at least a small role of other factors.
Production and perception of word stress in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

This article reviews the importance of word stress for typical language acquisition and presents evidence that in certain developmental language disorders, processing of word stress is disrupted. Two novel experiments were carried out testing the production and perception of word stress in a group of 16 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (ages 11-20) matched on receptive vocabulary level to 12 typically developing children (ages 4.06-7). The results indicated processing difficulties in both the production and perception of more difficult and later acquired stress patterns as well as weak initial syllables at the beginnings of words. The impact of these difficulties on language acquisition processes is discussed and future avenues for research are sketched.
Reversal of subclinical adrenal insufficiency through antituberculosis treatment in TB patients: a longitudinal follow up.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Subclinical adrenal insufficiency has been shown to occur in patients with tuberculosis. Whether this insufficiency can be reversed with therapy and on long-term follow up, is not known. We studied the effect of antituberculosis treatment (ATT) with respect to reversal of the adrenal insufficiency, as assessed by response to standard dose adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulation test in TB patients. METHODS One hundred and five HIV-negative tuberculosis patients were studied. Of these, 72 patients had pulmonary and 33 had extrapulmonary forms of the disease. Baseline (pre-treatment) standard-dose ACTH stimulation test was done on all the subjects, following which, they were put on standard antituberculosis therapy, depending on the type of disease and were followed up for a period of 30 months. ACTH stimulation tests were performed at follow up, every 6 months. RESULTS Baseline (pre-treatment) standard-dose ACTH stimulation test revealed an impaired response in 52 of 105 patients (49.5%). At 6 months, the percentage of responders had increased to 71 per cent with a gradual increasing trend noted thereafter. At 24 months, 31 of the 32 patients (97%) who were followed up demonstrated a normal response to ACTH stimulation. The percentage of responders was comparable in both pulmonary [21 of 22 patients (95%)] and extrapulmonary TB [10 of 10 patients (100%)] groups at follow up. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Our study shows that nearly half of patients with active tuberculosis had a subclinical adrenal insufficiency indicated by an impaired response to ACTH stimulation test. This insufficiency reverse with therapy in most patients on long-term follow up.
Psychopathy and conduct problems in children.

Factor analysis of a measure of psychopathy was conducted in a sample of 95 clinic-referred children between the ages of 6 and 13 years. These analyses revealed 2 dimensions of behavior, one associated with impulsivity and conduct problems (I/CP) and one associated with the interpersonal and motivational aspects of psychopathy (callous/unemotional: CU). In a subset of this sample (n = 64), analyses indicated that scores on the I/CP factor were highly associated with traditional measures of conduct problems. In contrast, scores derived from the CU factor were only moderately associated with measures of conduct problems and exhibited a different pattern of associations on several criteria that have been associated with psychopathy (e.g., sensation seeking) or childhood antisocial behavior (e.g., low intelligence, poor school achievement, and anxiety). These analyses suggest that psychopathic personality features and conduct problems are independent, yet interacting, constructs in children, analogous to findings in the adult literature.
Efficacy of transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) in the treatment of occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration

Purpose. To determine the efficacy of transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) in the treatment of occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in patients with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with ARMD treated with TTT from June, 1999 through July, 2000 at a retina referral practice. TTT was delivered through a slit-lamp using a modified diode laser at 810 nm wavelength and a spot size of 3 mm delivered at one location for a minimum of 60 seconds duration. Re-treatment was performed at 2-month intervals if indicated. Results. 81 eyes of 77 patients were included in the study. Vision improved greater than one line Snellen in 18 eyes (22%), vision was stable within one line Snellen in 38 (47%), and worsened greater than one line Snellen in 25 (31%). Patients had a mean follow-up of 9 months. The average number of treatments was 1.37 (range 1 to 4). Pretreatment vision was less than or equal to 20/200 in 54% of eyes. Conclusions. Transpupillary thermotherapy may stabilize visual acuity in a majority of patients with occult sub-foveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to ARMD. Proof of therapeutic benefit is best determined by a randomized clinical trial that is currently underway (TTT4CNV).
Characterization of the Role of the “MT-loop”

Progelatinase A (proGLA) activation is thought to be initiated almost exclusively by the type I transmembrane members of the membrane type matrix metalloproteinase family (MT-MMP): MT1, -2, -3, and -5-MMP (MMP14, -15, -16, and -24). One difference between these enzymes and the other MMP family members is the insertion of eight amino acids between strands βII and III in the catalytic domain. In MT1-MMP, the best characterized of these enzymes to date, these residues consist of163PYAYIREG170. To investigate the role of this region of MT1-MMP on its catalytic activities, we have made a variety of mutations and deletions in both soluble and membrane-bound forms of the enzyme. Characterization of the activity of the soluble forms toward peptides and fibrinogen revealed that neither mutation nor deletion of residues 163–170 significantly impaired catalytic function, suggesting these residues have little influence on conformation of the active site cleft. Equally none of the mutants showed significant differences in K I app for the N-terminal inhibitory domain of TIMP2, again indicating that mutation or deletion of resides 163–170 has no major effect on the overall topology of the active site of MT1-MMP. However, characterization of the kinetics of activation of proGLA with and without its gelatin binding region by the mutants generated have shown that efficient activation of proGLA is, at least in part, through an interaction with residues 163–170 of MT1-MMP. The expression, localization, and processing from the 63- to the 60/45-kDa forms of wild-type and key mutant forms of MT1-MMP were also examined by transient transfection in Chinese hamster ovary cells, but no differences were observed. Processing and activation of proGLA was also examined in transiently transfected cells. All the mutants examined were able process proGLA but, as found with the soluble forms, were kinetically impaired when compared with wild-type MT1-MMP.
The influence of walking speed and gender on trunk sway for the healthy young and older adults.

SIR—Falls are a major problem for the elderly and others prone to fall [1–7], occurring frequently during walking [8, 9]. Maki et al. [10] suggested that the ‘cautious’ gait pattern, characterised by reduced walking speed and shortened step length, is adopted by older people to minimise the risk of falling. Somewhat paradoxically, these changes may predispose to trips and slips [11, 12]. Step width and length are influenced by walking speed [13]. It is difficult, however, to define stability during walking with thesemeasures. Trunk swaymay provide alternativemeasures as increased trunk sway is associated with an increased risk of falling [13–15]. Increased trunk sway occurs in the young when they walk slower or faster than normal [13], indicating that preferred walking speed is the most stable. A different conclusion was reached for older persons who show reduced sway velocities and angles with slower walking speeds [14]. Greater variability in trunk roll and pitch angle was observed at all speeds for older adults compared to younger people [16]. However, the effect of speed, on the amplitudes of trunk roll (side-to-side) and pitch (fore–aft) angle and angular velocity for both groups, has not been reported. In addition, there is a gender difference between the walking styles and the gait parameters [17–24], possibly for trunk sway too, at different walking speeds. In order to provide more complete data, the current study investigated the influence of age, gender and walking speed on balance measures in the form of trunk sway angles and velocities. It was hypothesised that these measures increase across walking speeds for both young and older people with larger values for the elderly. This hypothesis was verified except that trunk sway angles were not less for slower walking speeds than the preferred.
Epithelial Inflammation Is Associated with CCL28 Production and the Recruitment of Regulatory T Cells Expressing CCR101

Mucosal tissues require constant immune surveillance to clear harmful pathogens while maintaining tolerance to self Ags. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a central role in this process and expression of αEβ7 has been reported to define a subset of Tregs with tropism for inflamed tissues. However, the signals responsible for recruiting Tregs to epithelial surfaces are poorly understood. We have isolated a subset of CCR10-expressing CD25+CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs with potent anti-inflammatory properties from chronically inflamed human liver. The CCR10+ Tregs were detected around bile ducts that expressed increased levels of the CCR10 ligand CCL28. CCL28 was secreted by primary human cholangiocytes in vitro in response to LPS, IL-1β, or bile acids. Exposure of CCR10+ Tregs to CCL28 in vitro stimulated migration and adhesion to mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 and VCAM-1. Liver-derived CCR10+ Tregs expressed low levels of CCR7 but high levels of CXCR3, a chemokine receptor associated with infiltration into inflamed tissue and contained a subset of αEβ7+ cells. We propose that CXCR3 promotes the recruitment of Tregs to inflamed tissues and CCR10 allows them to respond to CCL28 secreted by epithelial cells resulting in the accumulation of CCR10+ Tregs at mucosal surfaces.
Applied Statistics With Microsoft Excel®

deviance. Observed and model predicted probabilities are examined graphically and by grouping to compare estimated and observed relative frequencies. Finally, Chapter 12, “Survival Analysis,” introduces the basics of censored data, survival and hazard functions, and the resulting specialized R data structures and modeling procedures. The Kaplan–Meier product limit estimate is introduced, and survival plots are generated. The log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model are illustrated. I can recommend Introductory Statistics With R to its target audience. The author provides an excellent overview of R. I found the wealth of clear examples educational and a practical way to preview both R and S.
Effects of diet and exercise on the density and composition of the fat-free mass in obese women.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether the density (D(FFM)) and composition of the fat-free mass (FFM) and the accuracy of estimates of body composition from body density (%Fat(d)) are affected by diet and exercise. METHODS Twenty-nine obese women (body mass index (BMI) = 25.0-43.7 kg x m(-2) and %Fat(d) = 35.7-47.1%) were assigned to one of three groups: diet only (DO, N = 9); diet and aerobic exercise (DE, N = 9); or control (C, N = 11). Measures of body density by hydrostatic weighing, body water by deuterium dilution, and bone mineral by whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and estimates of body composition from body density and from a four-component model were obtained before and after a 16-wk diet and exercise intervention. RESULTS Mean (+/- SD) changes in body mass were -7.2 +/- 7.4, -3.9 +/- 3.3, and +1.2 +/- 2.8 kg for the DO, DE, and C, respectively. The density and composition of the FFM did not change significantly (P > 0.05) in any of the groups. Individual changes in D(FFM) (-0.011 to +0.011 g x mL(-1)), and differences between changes in %Fat estimated using a four-component model and %Fat(d) (-2.1 to +2.7% body mass) were not related to changes in body mass (r = -0.08). Individual changes in D(FFM) were most strongly related to changes in water fraction (r = -0.95) and protein fraction (r = +0.88), and were unrelated to changes in the mineral fraction (r = +0.04) of the FFM. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that in obese women, the density and composition of the FFM are unaltered and densitometry correctly assesses group mean changes in body composition with moderate weight loss induced by diet or diet and aerobic exercise. However, individual deviations in D(FFM) from the assumed value of 1.1 g x mL(-1) are substantial, and a multi-component model in which body water is measured is needed to accurately assess individual body composition changes resulting from diet and exercise.
Isolation of Vacuoles from Root Storage Tissue of Beta vulgaris L.

Morphologically intact and osmotically active vacuoles were isolated from root storage tissue of the red beet Beta vulgaris L. , and the factors influencing both yield and stability of the vacuoles were determined. Successful isolation depended upon slicing the tissue in an apparatus specifically designed to cut open plant cells without the use of high shear forces and to liberate cellular organelles into an undisturbed reservoir of osmoticum. The resulting brei was centrifuged at 2,000g for 10 min to yield a pellet which contained many vacuoles but which also contained tissue fragments, nuclei, mitochondria, and plastids. The vacuoles were further purified by accelerated flotation through a Metrizamide step gradient. Biochemical assays, light microscopy, and electron microscopy confirmed that there was only trace contamination of the final vacuole preparation by other organelles. Isolated vacuoles were intact and retained their in vivo coloration.
Two Common Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms are Highly Associated with Migraine Headache and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hypothesized component in the multifactorial pathogenesis of migraine without aura (MoA, ‘common migraine') and the related condition of cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). In this study, the entire mitochondrial genome was sequenced in 20 haplogroup-H CVS patients, a subject group studied because of greater genotypic and phenotypic homogeneity. Sequences were compared against haplogroup-H controls. Polymorphisms of interest were tested in 10 additional CVS subjects and in 112 haplogroup-H adults with MoA. The 16519C→T polymorphism was found to be highly disease associated: 21/30 CVS subjects [70%, odds ratio (OR) 6.2] and 58/112 migraineurs (52%, OR 3.6) vs. 63/231 controls (27%). A second polymorphism, 3010G→A, was found to be highly disease associated in those subjects with 16519T: 6/21 CVS subjects (29%, OR 17) and 15/58 migraineurs (26%, OR 15) vs. 1/63 controls (1.6%). Our data suggest that these polymorphisms constitute a substantial proportion of the genetic factor in migraine pathogenesis, and strengthen the hypothesis that there is a component of mitochondrial dysfunction in migraine.
Exploring cultural impacts on knowledge sharing behavior in project teams - results from a simulation study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the cultural influences on knowledge sharing behavior in project teams.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper a simulation setting is used to assess the cultural influences on knowledge sharing. All intercultural simulations were part of an educational program, in intercultural management (MBA level) and of executive development programs respectively.Findings – The findings in the paper show that different cultural backgrounds of team members due to different ethnicities, gender, national culture or functions create a context of cultural complexity, which might affect knowledge sharing in a negative way. The results of the simulations show that the different identities of team members have an important influence as they might trigger sentiments of negative stereotyping. The findings also reveal that knowledge sharing is only likely to occur if new project members are welcomed emotionally as valuable contributors to a common task.Research limitations/im.
Framing Bias: Media in the Distribution of Power

This article proposes integrating the insights generated by framing, priming, and agenda-setting research through a systematic effort to conceptualize and understand their larger implications for political power and democracy. The organizing concept is bias, that curiously undertheorized staple of public discourse about the media. After showing how agenda setting, framing and priming fit together as tools of power, the article connects them to explicit definitions of news slant and the related but distinct phenomenon of bias. The article suggests improved measures of slant and bias. Properly defined and measured, slant and bias provide insight into how the media influence the distribution of power: who gets what, when, and how. Content analysis should be informed by explicit theory linking patterns of framing in the media text to predictable priming and agenda-setting effects on audiences. When unmoored by such underlying theory, measures and conclusions of media bias are suspect. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006. 00336.x This article proposes integrating the insights generated by framing, priming, and agenda-setting research through a new, systematic effort to conceptualize and understand their implications for political power. The organizing concept is bias, that curiously undertheorized staple of public discourse about the media. With all the heat and attention it incites among activists and ordinary citizens, bias is yet to be defined clearly, let alone received much serious empirical attention (Niven, 2002). The term seems to take on three major meanings. Sometimes, it is applied to news that purportedly distorts or falsifies reality (distortion bias), sometimes to news that favors one side rather than providing equivalent treatment to both sides in a political conflict (content bias), and sometimes to the motivations and mindsets of journalists who allegedly produce the biased content (decision-making bias). This essay argues that we can make bias a robust, rigorous, theory-driven, and productive research concept by abandoning the first use while deploying new, more precisely delineated variants of the second and third. Depending on specific research objectives, the distinctions among these three concepts can be crucial (Scheufele, 2000). The present article suggests that parsimonious
Climatic and hydrologic changes in the Tien Shan, central Asia

Abstract The authors analyze climatic and hydrologic data from 110 sites collected from the middle of the twentieth century to the present in the Tien Shan, one of the largest mountain systems of central Asia. In spite of a few confounding interregional variations in the temporal changes of surface air temperature, precipitation, runoff, glacier mass, and snow thickness in the Tien Shan, it has been possible to establish statistically significant long-term trends in these key hydroclimatic variables. The average rise in air temperature was 0.01°C yr−1 over the range, with slightly lower values below 2000-m elevation. The precipitation in the Tien Shan increased 1.2 mm yr−1 over the past half-century. The precipitation increase is larger at low altitudes in the northern and western regions than at altitudes above 2000 m. A decrease in snow resources occurred almost everywhere in the Tien Shan; the maximum snow thickness and snow duration have decreased on average 10 cm and 9 days, respectively. The annual .
Multi-switching period oscillation phenomenon in constant-on-time controlled buck-boost converter

In this paper, it found the so-called multi-switching period oscillation phenomenon existing in the constant-on-time (COT) controlled buck-boost converter, while the time constant of output capacitor is below the critical value. In other words, the time constant is vital to the stability of the converter. The discontinuous and continuous conduction modes (DCM & CCM) are both considered, and the critical value is deduced, which is related to the main circuit parameters such as input voltage, inductance and load current. Simulation results are given to verify the theoretical analyses.
Dissociations within human hippocampal subregions during encoding and retrieval of spatial information

Although the hippocampus is critical for the formation and retrieval of spatial memories, it is unclear how subregions are differentially involved in these processes. Previous high‐resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus (CA23DG) regions support the encoding of novel associations, whereas the subicular cortices support the retrieval of these learned associations. Whether these subregions are used in humans during encoding and retrieval of spatial information has yet to be explored. Using high‐resolution fMRI (1.6 mm × 1.6‐mm in‐plane), we found that activity within the right CA23DG increased during encoding compared to retrieval. Conversely, right subicular activity increased during retrieval compared to encoding of spatial associations. These results are consistent with the previous studies illustrating dissociations within human hippocampal subregions and further suggest that these regions are similarly involved during the encoding and retrieval of spatial information. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two novel mutations of the arylsulfatase B gene in two Italian patients with severe form of mucopolysaccharidosis

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI) or Maroteaux‐Lamy syndrome, is a autosomal recessive disorder, due to the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme N‐acetylgalactosamine‐4‐sulfatase (arylsulfatase B, ASB: EC 3.1.6.12). Three classical forms of the disease have been differentiated: severe, intermediate, mild. Mutational analysis of the ASB gene resulted in the identification of 30 ASB mutant alleles, each of which was found to be unique among unrelated patients, demonstrating a broad molecular heterogeneity of the disease. In this communication we present two novel mutant alleles in two severely affected subjects. Both alterations, the missense mutation G302R and the nonsense Q456X, were found in homozygosity and were confirmed by amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) or restriction analysis. The missense G302R mutation concerns an amino acid which may be of special importance to the polypeptide, since 302 position is completely conserved in all the eukaryotic sulfatases aligned so far; the nonsense mutation Q456X leads to the translation of a putative mutant ASB protein lacking the last 78 amino acids with a loss of the 8 kD mature polypeptide, one of the two peptides generated by intralysosomal proteolytic processing of the 64 kD precursor. Hum Mutat 11:410, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.