Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of optical defocus on refractive development in monkeys: evidence for local, regionally selective mechanisms.

PURPOSE To characterize the influence of optical defocus on ocular shape and the pattern of peripheral refraction in infant rhesus monkeys. METHODS Starting at 3 weeks of age, eight infant monkeys were reared wearing -3 diopter (D) spectacle lenses over one eye that produced relative hyperopic defocus in the nasal field (NF) but allowed unrestricted vision in the temporal field (NF group). Six infants were reared with monocular -3 D lenses that produced relative hyperopic defocus across the entire field of view. Control data were obtained from 11 normal monkeys. Refractive development was assessed by streak retinoscopy performed along the pupillary axis and at eccentricities of 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees along the vertical and horizontal meridians. Central axial dimensions and eye shape were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS In response to full-field hyperopic defocus, the eye developed relative central axial myopia, became less oblate, and exhibited relative peripheral hyperopia in both the nasal and the temporal hemifields. Conversely, nasal-field hyperopic defocus produced relative myopia that was largely restricted to the nasal hemifield; these alterations in the patterns of peripheral refraction in the NF monkeys were associated with local, region-specific alterations in vitreous chamber depth in the treated hemiretina. CONCLUSIONS Optically imposed defocus can alter the shape and pattern of peripheral refraction in infant primates. Like those of form deprivation, the effects of optical defocus in primates are dominated by mechanisms that integrate visual signals in a spatially restricted manner and exert their influence in a regionally selective manner.
Choosing an Accounting Method to Explain Public Policy: Social Return on Investment and UK Non-profit Sector Policy

Abstract We examine why certain accounting methods are chosen by government policy-makers to explain and rationalize their policy actions. We focus on the case of social return on investment (SROI), an accounting methodology that aims to capture and quantify the value created by social purpose organizations, and employs techniques of monetization and the expression of value as a ratio of benefits for investments [see REDF. (2000). SROI methodology: Analyzing the value of social purpose enterprise within a social return on investment framework. San Francisco: REDF; New Economics Foundation (NEF). (2007). Measuring real value: A DIY guide to social return on investment]. In particular, we examine how and why SROI was chosen for explaining and rationalizing the UK Government's policy of greater involvement of non-profit sector organizations in public service delivery. Our central contribution is to propose two important factors, which we identify as the capturability and communicability of accounting methods, that help to explain why a particular accounting method would be chosen by policy actors to explain and rationalize their public policy choices. The research helps further our understanding of the intersection between accounting and public policy by focusing explicitly on accounting's important role in explaining and rationalizing public policy.
A comparative study of psychopathology, symptom severity, and short-term outcome of postpartum and nonpostpartum mania.

OBJECTIVES Most studies acknowledge that postpartum psychosis is a variant of bipolar disorder with certain unique clinical features. There have been several descriptions of similarities and differences between postpartum psychosis and postpartum mania to support this conclusion. However, not many studies have compared postpartum-onset and nonpostpartum-onset mania. This study compared short-term outcome, clinical features, and severity of symptoms between these two groups. METHODS Two groups of women (n = 30 each) matching the study criteria were recruited from psychiatric inpatient units in India during the period from April 2007 to August 2008. They had been systematically assessed for psychiatric symptoms and symptom severity using the Comprehensive Psychopathology Rating Scale (CPRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). To evaluate short-term outcome, all assessments were conducted within a week of admission and were repeated at six weeks. RESULTS Women with postpartum-onset mania had higher scores on the HDRS, indicating more depressive symptoms. The score on the anxiety factor of the HDRS was also higher in the postpartum group. Based on CPRS ratings, perplexity, muscle tension, worrying, inner tension, lability of mood, lassitude, and disorientation were more common in the postpartum group, while typical manic symptoms were more common in the nonpostpartum group. Duration of hospital stay and short-term outcome were, however, similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms of depression and anxiety are more common and more severe in mania of postpartum onset and typical manic symptoms are fewer. However, six-week outcomes appear similar to those of nonpostpartum mania.
Improving Healthcare Worker Resilience and Well-Being During COVID-19 Using a Self-Directed E-Learning Intervention

Introduction: High rates of burnout, depression, anxiety, and insomnia in healthcare workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported globally. Methods: Responding to the crisis, the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) developed an e-learning course to support healthcare worker well-being and resilience. A self-paced, asynchronous learning model was used as the training intervention. Each module included practical, skill-building activities. An outcome evaluation was conducted to determine if completing the course improved healthcare worker knowledge of and confidence in the learning outcomes of the course, their use of resilience-building behaviours, their resilience, and their well-being. A secondary objective was to explore if there were any associations between behaviours, resilience, and well-being. Participants completed pre- and post-course questionnaires to measure knowledge of and confidence in the learning outcomes, y, frequency of self-reported resilience-building behaviours, and levels of resilience (CD-RISC) and well-being (WHO-5). Results were analysed in STATA using paired T-tests, univariate and multivariate linear regression models. Results: Participants (n = 474; 77.6% female; 55.7% primary care) exhibited significant increases in knowledge, confidence, resilience-building behaviour, resilience, and well-being scores. Statistically significant improvements in the frequency of resilience-building behaviours led to significant improvements in resilience (0.25 points; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.43) and well-being (0.21 points; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.36). Increasing changes in well-being scores had a positive effect on change in resilience scores (β = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.29), and vice versa (β = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.41). Conclusion: A healthcare worker e-learning course can build knowledge and skills that may prompt changes in resilience-building behaviours and improvements in well-being and resilience scores. The findings suggest that e-learning courses may improve more than competency-based outcomes alone but further research is warranted to further explore these relationships.
A Genetic Variation in the Y Chromosome Among Modern Japanese Males Related to Several Physiological and Psychological Characteristics

Previous studies in population genetics have proposed that the Y-chromosomal (Y-DNA) haplogroup D ancestor likely originated from Africa. The haplogroup D branch next started Out-of-Africa migration, rapidly expanded across Eurasia, and later diversified in East Asia. Y-DNA haplogroup D-M55, one of the branches of haplogroup D, is only found in modern Japanese males, suggesting that individuals with Y-DNA haplogroup D migrated from the Eurasian continent. Based on previous observations, Y-DNA haplogroup D is expected to be associated with some male characteristics including personality. Therefore, this study investigated whether the Y-DNA haplogroup D-M55 is associated with several physiological and psychological characteristics, including exploratory motivation and human relationship-related perception. We recruited Japanese young adult males and females and investigated the association between Y-DNA haplogroup D-M55, physiological [body mass index (BMI)], and several psychological parameters [perceived number of close friends, behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system (BIS/BAS), perceived happiness, and perceived loneliness]. The results indicated that males with haplogroup D-M55 had a higher BMI and more close friends, compared with non-carrier males. Additional multiple regression analyses, which tested the hypothesis that haplogroup D-M55 predicts BMI and perceived number of close friends, confirmed our hypothesis, even after controlling for the potentially confounding variables of age and sex. We also analyzed the gene–gene interaction between haplogroup D-M55 and an autosomal gene polymorphism associated with BMI and human relationships, such as the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2: rs1800497). Results showed gene–gene interactions between haplogroups D-M55 and DRD2 in BMI. Based on these findings, it is demonstrated that Y-DNA haplogroup D is associated with human personality.
Selection of strain, growth conditions, and extraction procedures for optimum production of lactase from Kluyveromyces fragilis.

Forty-one strains of Kluyveromyces fragilis (Jörgensen) van der Walt 1909 varied 60-fold in ability to produce lactase (beta-galactosidase). The four best strains were UCD No. 55-31 (Northern Regional Research Center NRRL Y-1196), UCD No. C21(-), UCD No. 72-297(-), and UCD No. 55-61 (NRRL Y-1109). Biosynthesis of lactase during the growth of K. fragilis strain UCD No. 55-61 was followed on both lactose and sweet whey media. Maximum enzyme yield was obtained at the beginning of the stationary phase of growth. Bets lactase yields from K. fragilis UCD No. 55-61 were obtained with 15% lactose and an aeration rate of at least . 2 mmol oxygen/liter per min. Supplementary growth factors were unneccessary for good lactase yeilds when yeast was grown on whey media. Best extraction of lactase from fresh yeast cells was obtained by toluene autolysis (2% vol/vol) at 37 C in . 1 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, containing . 1 mM manganese chloride and . 5 mM magnesium sulfate. The enzyme was concentrated and purified partially by acetone precipitation. At least 95% of the enzyme activity of the concentrated solution was retained after storage for 7 days at 22 C, for 3 wk at 4 C, and for 6 wk at -20 C.
Unexplained Fluctuations in the Risk for Schizophrenia by Month and Year of Birth

Variation in their year and month of birth was studied in the 13 661 schizophrenics born between 1914 and 1960 known to the Scottish Psychiatric Case Register. Year-to-year fluctuations in the number of schizophrenics per 10 000 live births were outside chance limits. So were month-to-month fluctuations between January 1932 and December 1960, and this was largely due to fluctuations in the numbers of schizophrenics born in February, March, April and May. Time-lagged correlations with mean monthly temperatures suggest that in these same four months the incidence of schizophrenia is influenced by temperature six months previously – the lower the temperature in the autumn the higher the incidence of schizophrenic births the following spring. If these findings can be confirmed in other data sets, they would suggest that some influence which varies consistently with season and temperature is contributing to the aetiology of schizophrenia and may exert its effects as early as the third or fourth month of foetal development.
Efficacy and Safety of Central Memory T Cells Combined With Adjuvant Therapy to Prevent Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Microvascular Invasion: A Pilot Study

Background Postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) following curative hepatectomy has been reported to improve the clinical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with microvascular invasion (MVI), but more endeavors are required to achieve greater clinical benefit. Central memory T-cell (Tcm) self-transfusion has shown superior antitumor activity in several preclinical studies; however, clinical studies are rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical benefit and safety of combination treatment with Tcm self-transfusion and TACE as adjuvant treatment in HCC patients with MVI after curative hepatectomy. Methods From October 2016 to September 2018, primary HCC patients with histologically confirmed MVI who underwent curative hepatectomy at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were recruited for this study. The patients were divided into a Tcm group (combined Tcm self-transfusion with TACE treatment) or a control group (TACE treatment alone) according to their willingness. The recurrence-free survival (RFS), quality-of-life (QOL) score, and adverse events of each patient were recorded within 2 years. Results A total of 52 patients were enrolled, and 48 were eligible for the final data analysis. The median follow-up time was 20.5 months (95% CI: 17.05–22.55 months). The median RFS time was 9.5 months in the control group; the cutoff date was not reached in the Tcm group (when the follow-up duration was 12 months, p = 0.049, HR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.16–0.99). Compared with the control group, 1- and 2-year RFS rates were higher in the Tcm group (72.0% vs. 46.4% and 58.18% vs. 39.14%, respectively). Multivariate analysis did not indicate that Tcm treatment was an independent prognostic factor associated with HCC recurrence (p = 0.107, HR = 2.312; 95% CI: 0.835–6.400), which might be due to the small sample size of this study. Nevertheless, Tcm treatment effectively improved a reduced QOL due to HCC and liver function injury. Finally, the safety profile of Tcm treatment in this study was good, without any serious adverse events. Conclusions This pilot study showed that Tcm self-transfusion combined with TACE treatment might be a beneficial adjuvant therapy with good safety for primary HCC patients with MVI after curative hepatectomy. Trial registration number NCT03575806
Correlates of Perceived Physical Appearance in Children with Congenital/Acquired Limb Deficiencies

Social support, daily hassles, marital discord, competence/adequacy, and psychological adjustment were investigated as hypothesized correlates of perceived physical appearance in 51 children with congenital or acquired limb deficiencies. Higher classmate, parent, and teacher social support were statistically predictive of higher perceived physical appearance. Higher daily hassles and marital discord were statistically predictive of lower perceived physical appearance. Higher peer acceptance, scholastic competence, and athletic competence were statistically predictive of higher perceived physical appearance. As a group, classmate, parent, and teacher social support, daily hassles, maternal and paternal perceived marital discord, peer acceptance, scholastic and athletic competence accounted for 78% of the variance in perceived physical appearance. Higher perceived physical appearance was in turn statistically predictive of lower depressive and anxious symptoms and higher general self-esteem. The findings are discussed in terms of the potentially modifiable predictors of perceived physical appearance and in terms of the role cosmetic differences play in psychological and social adaptation in children with visible physical handicaps.
Gene genealogies support Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris as a monophyletic group

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc), the causal agent of fusarium wilt of chickpea, consists of two pathotypes ( yellowing and wilting) and eight races (races 0, 1B/C, 1A and 2-6) of diverse geographical distribution. Six Foc isolates, one each of races 0, 1B/C, 1A, 4, 5 and 6, representing the two pathotypes and the geographical range of the pathogen, showed identical sequences in introns of the genes for translation elongation factor la (EF1α), β-tubulin, histone 3, actin and calmodulin. Eleven additional Foc isolates representative of all races, pathotypes and geographical range, and three isolates of F. oxysporum (Fo) nonpathogenic to chickpea were further analysed for sequence variation in the EF1α gene. All isolates pathogenic to chickpeas shared an identical EF1 a gene sequence, which differed from that shared by the three Fo isolates nonpathogenic to chickpea. EF1α gene sequences from the 17 Foc isolates and the three Fo isolates were compared with 24 EF1α gene sequences in GenBank from isolates of 11 formae speciales of F. oxysporum by parsimony analysis. Foc isolates formed a grouping distinct from other formae speciales and nonpathogenic isolates. These results indicate that F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris is monophyletic.
Sedative and GABAergic effects of ethanol on male and female rats.

BACKGROUND Women consume less alcohol than men, and yet they are more susceptible than men to the negative medical consequences of alcohol use, such as cirrhosis of the liver, cardiac disease, and cognitive impairments. This sex difference is also reflected in animal studies, in which male and female rats differ on both behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Given that one significant difference between males and females is the cycling fluctuations of the sex hormones, this study aimed to compare the relative sensitivity of adolescent and adult rats of both sexes and varying estrous stages to the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of ethanol. METHODS Adult female rats were lavaged daily for estrous cycle assessment. Following administration of 5 g/kg ethanol, adolescent and adult male and female animals were observed for loss of the righting reflex. Then, using whole-cell recording, we tested the response of spontaneous, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) in hippocampal slices from drug-naïve adult male and female rats. RESULTS Consistent with previous findings, adolescent animals were less sensitive than adults to the effect of ethanol on the righting reflex. In addition, adult proestrous and diestrous female rats were less sensitive than male rats to the sedative effects of ethanol. Finally, ethanol increased the frequency of sIPSCs in hippocampal pyramidal neurons and did so more potently in cells from male rats than in those from female rats. CONCLUSIONS Female animals are less sensitive to the behavioral sedative effects of ethanol than adult male rats, and the effect is pronounced in the proestrous and diestrous states. This sex difference may be related to differential sensitivity of GABA receptor-mediated central nervous system function to ethanol in females.
Statistical features extraction for multivariate pattern analysis in meditation EEG using PCA

This work was undertaken to study the specific statistical features of EEG data collected during meditation (Kriya Yoga) and normal conditions. The meditation practice changes the attentional allocation in the human brain to visualize this; statistical features are carefully calculated from different wavelet coefficients to categorize two diverse groups (i.e. Meditators and Non-Meditators). The entire time series of EEG data divided into overlapping segments, and statistical parameters calculated for each of these segments. Instead of using all the data points, we used only a few higher order statistical measures such as variance, kurtosis, relative band energy, Shannon entropy, and Renyi entropy obtained from the data segments. A standard clustering technique, i.e. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) used to get the distinct pattern from the statistical features in EEG. In this paper, we presented a clustering paradigm that used for the pattern analysis between meditators and non-meditators. We measured the EEG signal using 64 channels, with some peripheral physiological measures. 23 participants with varying experience in meditation practice and ten non-meditators (control group) are considered to visualize underlying clusters within the statistical features.
Differences in static- and dynamic-balance task performance after 4 weeks of intrinsic-foot-muscle training: the short-foot exercise versus the towel-curl exercise.

CONTEXT Proper functioning of the intrinsic foot musculature (IFM) is essential in maintaining the integrity of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA). Improper functioning of the IFM leads to excessive pronation of the foot, which has been linked to various pathologies. Therefore, training the IFM to avoid excessive pronation may help prevent some of these pathologies; however, it is not clear how to train these muscles optimally. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of 2 different types of IFM training on the height of the MLA and static- and dynamic-balance task performance. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial, repeated-measures mixed-model design. SETTING University biomechanics laboratory for testing and a home-based training program. PARTICIPANTS 24 healthy, university-age volunteers (3 groups of 8) with no history of major lower limb pathology or balance impairment. INTERVENTIONS One experimental group performed 4 wk of the short-foot exercise (SFE) and the other performed 4 wk of the towel-curl exercise (TCE). Participants were asked to perform 100 repetitions of their exercise per day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Navicular height during weight bearing, the total range of movement of the center of pressure (COP) in the mediolateral (ML) direction for a static-balance test and a dynamic-balance test. RESULTS There were no differences in the navicular height or static-balance tests. For the dynamic-balance test, all groups decreased the ML COP movement on the dominant limb by a small amount (~5 mm); however, the SFE group was able to decrease COP movement much more than the TCE group in the nondominant limb. CONCLUSIONS The SFE appeared to train the IFM more effectively than the TCE; however, there were differing results between the dominant and nondominant legs. These imbalances need to be taken into consideration by clinicians.
Zinc Nutriture in Type I Diabetes Mellitus: Relationship to Growth Measures and Metabolic Control

Zinc concentrations in plasma, hair, and urine from children and young adults with insulin-requiring or Type I diabetes mellitus were significantly correlated with height, weight, and age, as well as with indices of metabolic control, i.e., fasting serum glucose, percent glyco-sylated hemoglobin (HbA,), and 24-h urine glucose and insulin excretion. Urinary zinc excretion was greater in subjects than in controls (p < 0.0001) and significantly correlated with urine glucose (p < 0.004, r = 0.35) and volume (p < 0.0007, r = 0.40). Urinary zinc and volume were not correlated in controls. Hyperzincuria in the subjects was not secondary to hyperinsulinuria, although zinc and insulin excretion were significantly correlated in controls (p <0.03, r = 0.63). Zinc in insulin preparations could not explain the excessive zinc excretion. Mean fasting plasma zinc was significantly higher than in controls, and positively correlated with height for age, while, being inversely correlated with age, duration of diabetes, HbA1, urine volume, and glucose excretion. Both the mean and range of hair zinc concentration in the subjects were not different from controls. Male subjects with diabetes had a significantly lower hair concentration when, compared with female subjects with diabetes (p < 0.0009). Zinc homeostasis appears to be altered as a consequence of glucose intolerance in diabetes. Continued urinary zinc losses over time may result in a zinc deficiency state not demonstrable by altered zinc concentrations in plasma and hair.