Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New first metatarsal (SKX 5017) from Swartkrans and the gait of Paranthropus robustus.

A new complete hallucal metatarsal (SKX 5017) was recovered from the "lower bank" of Member 1 at Swartkrans (ca. 1.8 m.y. BP). The new metatarsal is attributed to Paranthropus robustus, the predominant hominid found in Member 1 (greater than 95% of hominid individuals). SKX 5017 is similar to Olduvai Hominid 8-H from bed I, Olduvai (ca. 1.76 m.y. BP), and both resemble humans most closely among extant hominoids. The base, shaft, and head of SKX 5017 suggest human-like foot posture and a human-like range of extension (= dorsiflexion) at the hallucal metatarsophalangeal joint, while at the same time the distal articular surface indicates that a human-like toe-off mechanism was absent in Paranthropus. The fossil evidence suggests that Homo habilis and Paranthropus may have attained a similar grade of bipedality at roughly 1.8 m.y. BP.
Health-related quality of life of people with HIV: an assessment of patient related factors and comparison with other chronic diseases

Objectives: The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of people with HIV is lower than in the general population, but it is unknown how it compares with that of persons with other chronic medical conditions. We compared HRQOL in HIV with HRQOL in diabetes mellitus type 1, diabetes mellitus type 2 and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, we investigated factors associated with HRQOL in HIV. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: HRQOL was measured with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Health Survey in a nationwide sample of people with HIV in care in the Netherlands and on combination antiretroviral therapy for at least 6 months. We added data from studies in diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2, and RA. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine: the association between disease group and a poor HRQOL, and patient factors associated with poor HRQOL in HIV. Results: The odds of a poor physical HRQOL in the HIV group were comparable with the odds in diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2, but lower than in RA patients. The odds of a poor mental HRQOL in HIV were higher than in the other groups. In HIV, a history of AIDS, longer duration of combination antiretroviral therapy and severe comorbidity were associated with a poor physical HRQOL. Sub-Saharan African descent and CD4+ cell count of less than 350 cells/&mgr;l were associated with poor mental HRQOL. Conclusion: People with HIV were more likely to have a poor mental HRQOL than patients with other chronic conditions. Addressing mental health should be an integral part of outpatient HIV care.
Age differences in negative and positive expectancy bias in comorbid depression and anxiety

ABSTRACT Anxious individuals report disproportionately negative expectations concerning the future, termed the negative expectancy bias. In contrast, ageing is associated with an inflated expectancy for positive future events. A recent study [Steinman, S. A. , Smyth, F. L. , Bucks, R. S. , MacLeod, C. , & Teachman, B. A. (2013). Anxiety-linked expectancy bias across the adult lifespan. Cognition and Emotion, 27, 345–355. doi:10.1080/02699931.2012. 711743] found using an interpretation bias task, a negative expectancy bias in young adults and positive expectancy bias in older adults with high trait anxiety. Extending this, the current study examined expectancy bias for positive, negative and ambiguously emotionally toned information in younger and older adults with clinical levels of depression and anxiety to community control groups, thus allowing examination of both disorder status and age on biases. Clinical participants reported a pervasive tendency to expect negative events relative to positive regardless of whether the current scenarios were positive, negative or ambiguous. Older adults showed greater expectancy for future positive scenarios when the initial scenario was negative or ambiguous. Age moderated the negative expectancy bias shown by clinical participants for ambiguous scenarios. Clinical disorders in older adults attenuated the positive expectancy bias that was otherwise strong in community participants. These findings provide further evidence for age differences in processing of emotionally toned information, with older adults showing a greater expectancy for positive future events.
Depression before and after diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

Depression was examined in 45 patients evaluated within 2 months of diagnosis of MS. At the time of testing, 40% of the MS sample met the diagnostic criteria for major depression, 22% had adjustment disorder with depressed mood and 37% showed no evidence of mood disorder. Personal and family history of depression in patients with MS was also examined and compared with a sample of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who were matched for age, gender, marital and employment status and current level of depression. Fifty-two per cent of patients whit MS reported experiencing a depressive episode before the onset of MS compared with 17% of patients with CLBP (P<0.001). Sixteen patients with MS (35%) reported family history (parent or sibling) of treatment for depression compared with seven (15%) of patients with CLBP (P<0.05). MS patients with a history of depression reported more initial symptoms than MS patients without a history of depression. Clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
Bank Loan Supply in the Financial Crisis: Evidence from the Role of Political Connection

Abstract We investigate the changes in bank loan supply during the 2007–2008 financial crisis, with particular focus on the influence of political connections. We demonstrate that although political connections can help firms obtain lower loan rates during the precrisis period, such benefits disappear in the postcrisis period. Moreover, the loan acceptance ratio for politically connected firms is enhanced in the postcrisis period, especially for the politically connected firms with high risks. Evidence reveals that the focus of the benefits for politically connected firms is more likely to shift from the loan rate to the loan acceptance ratio during the postcrisis period.
A Quantitative Analysis of Cta Funds

Our research studies various properties of commodity trading advisors (CTAs) from a quantitative point of view. Our investigation is based on a commercial database of 549 funds and focuses on the period 1990 to present. Firstly, CTAs' return distributions are analyzed and strong evidence of non-normality is found, stressing the need for portfolio allocation techniques which take into account higher-order moments. Secondly, relative persistence in return distribution parameters is studied. We find strong persistence for volatility, but fail to find significant persistence for average return or higher order moments. Thirdly, we review the major benchmarks available to the industry and build new benchmarks from our dataset. This allows us to infer the magnitude of various biases. We study homogeneity of 2 CTA subsets, namely trend-followers and non-trend-followers, and study the diversification possibilities in a CTA portfolio. In the second part of the study, we focus on linking CTAs returns with that of traditional assets. After showing that a buy and hold multi-factor linear model fails to explain CTAs returns, we point out the presence of option-like payoffs in CTAs return patterns. Trend-following CTAs exhibit straddle-like payoffs, while non-trend-followers' return patterns that are reminiscient of a long call option. Lastly, using simple trading algorithms based on moving averages, we propose a linear market model in which factors capture the dynamic nature of CTA managers' strategies. Our model leads to significant improvements over the classical model. Notably, we show that our model is able to closely replicate a broad index of CTAs for long out-of-sample periods.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes for high-risk neonates in a low-resource setting

Worldwide, most neonates who survive prematurity and serious illness reside in low-resource settings where developmental outcome data and follow-up care are limited. This study aimed to assess in Fiji, a low-resource Pacific setting, prevalence and risk factors for moderate to severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in early childhood among high-risk neonates compared with controls. Retrospective cohort study comparing long-term outcomes for high-risk neonatal intensive care unit patients (n=149) compared with matched term, normal birth weight neonates (n=147) discharged from Colonial War Memorial Hospital between November 2008 and April 2010. NDI was defined as one or more of cerebral palsy, moderate to severe hearing or visual impairment, or global developmental delay using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition (ie, score <70 in ≥1 of cognitive, language or motor domains). At median (IQR) age 36.1 (28.3, 38.0) months, prevalence of moderate to severe NDI % (95% CI, n) in high-risk and control groups was 12 (5 to 17, n=13) and 5 (2 to 12, n=5), respectively, an increased risk ratio (95% CI) of 2.7 (0.8 to 8.9). Median gestational age (weeks (median, IQR)) in the high-risk group was 37.5 (34–40) weeks. Among high-risk neonates, gestational age, birth weight, asphyxia, meningitis and/or respiratory distress were significantly associated with risk of NDI. Prevalence of NDI was high among this predominantly term high-risk neonatal cohort compared with controls. Results, including identified risk factors, inform efforts to strengthen quality of care and models of follow-up for high-risk neonates in this low-resource setting.
A Comparison of Three Probabilistic Models of Binary Discrete Choice Under Risk

This paper compares the “out-of-context” predictive success of three probabilistic models of binary discrete choice under risk. One of the models is the conventional homoscedastic latent index or “strong utility” model that is widespread in applied econometrics: This model is “context-free” in the sense that its error part is homoscedastic with respect to decision sets. The other two models are also latent index models, but their error part is heteroscedastic with respect to decision sets, and in that sense are “context-dependent” models. Context-dependent models of choice under risk arise from several different theoretical perspectives. Here I consider my own “contextual utility” model (Wilcox 2009) and the “decision field theory” model (Busemeyer and Townsend 1993). A new experiment is performed on 80 subjects. Two-thirds of the data is used to estimate models at the individual level, and these estimates are used to predict the remaining third of choices. The data is divided up so that the decision sets in the estimating data and the prediction data have interestingly different contexts. The context-dependent error models consistently outperform the context-free error model in prediction. JEL Classification Codes: C25, C91, D81
Functional Dichotomy of Dendritic Cells following Interaction with Leishmania braziliensis: Infected Cells Produce High Levels of TNF-α, whereas Bystander Dendritic Cells Are Activated to Promote T Cell Responses1

Leishmania braziliensis infections are often associated with exaggerated immune responses that can sometimes lead to severe disease associated with high levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α. To explore the role played by dendritic cells (DCs) in these responses, we characterized DCs that were exposed to L. braziliensis. We found that DCs cultured with L. braziliensis parasites up-regulated DC activation markers and produced IL-12 and TNF-α. However, not all DCs in the culture became infected, and an analysis of infected and uninfected DCs demonstrated that the up-regulation of activation markers and IL-12 production was primarily confined to the uninfected (bystander) DCs. Further studies with Transwell chambers and parasite fractions indicated that the activation of bystander DCs was mediated by a soluble parasite product, in a type 1 IFN- and MyD88-independent, but TNF-α-dependent fashion, and that the activated DCs were more efficient at presenting Ag than control DCs. In contrast, L. braziliensis-infected DCs failed to up-regulate activation markers, but exhibited a dramatic enhancement in their ability to produce TNF-α in response to LPS as compared with uninfected DCs. These findings uncover a dual role for DCs in L. braziliensis infection: T cell activation by bystander DCs due to enhanced Ag-presenting capacity following exposure to soluble parasite products, and increased production of TNF-α by infected cells that may contribute to the local control of the parasites, but concomitantly induce immunopathology.
Heterogeneous Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns in Polyclonal Populations of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Catheters

ABSTRACT Most cases of nosocomial bacteremia are catheter related, and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the microorganisms most frequently associated with these infections. Subtle morphological differences are frequently found among CoNS colonies cultured from infected catheters. The aim of this study was to analyze the significance of the morphological heterogeneity observed in these CoNS populations. With this purpose in mind, the clonal composition of the CoNS populations obtained from a selection of nine catheters was analyzed by two different molecular techniques, arbitrarily primed-PCR and DNA macrorestriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Twenty CoNS morphotypes were included for analysis, and four single colonies representative of each morphotype were selected. Morphological differences between colonies were found to correlate in all cases with differences at the molecular level. Unique fingerprints were also obtained for some isolates which were indistinguishable from other representatives of the same morphotypes. Differences in the molecular patterns among the isolates were associated in most of the cases with differences in the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. The frequent isolation of polyclonal CoNS populations from catheters, with heterogeneous antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, has relevant epidemiologic and therapeutic implications in the context of catheter-related infections.
The locomotor anatomy of Australopithecus afarensis.

The postcranial skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis from the Hadar Formation, Ethiopia, and the footprints from the Laetoli Beds of northern Tanzania, are analyzed with the goal of determining (1) the extent to which this ancient hominid practiced forms of locomotion other than terrestrial bipedality, and (2) whether or not the terrestrial bipedalism of A. afarensis was notably different from that of modern humans. It is demonstrated that A. afarensis possessed anatomic characteristics that indicate a significant adaptation for movement in the trees. Other structural features point to a mode of terrestrial bipedality that involved less extension at the hip and knee than occurs in modern humans, and only limited transfer of weight onto the medial part of the ball of the foot, but such conclusions remain more tentative than that asserting substantive arboreality. A comparison of the specimens representing smaller individuals, presumably female, to those of larger individuals, presumably male, suggests sexual differences in locomotor behavior linked to marked size dimorphism. The males were probably less arboreal and engaged more frequently in terrestrial bipedalism. In our opinion, A. afarensis from Hadar is very close to what can be called a "missing link. " We speculate that earlier representatives of the A. afarensis lineage will present not a combination of arboreal and bipedal traits, but rather the anatomy of a generalized ape.
Acetic Acid Production by Clostridium thermoaceticum in pH-Controlled Batch Fermentations at Acidic pH

Four strains of the homofermentative, obligately anaerobic thermophile Clostridium thermoaceticum were compared in pH-controlled batch fermentation for their tolerance to acetic acid, efficiency of converting glucose to acetic acid and cell mass, and growth rate. At pH 6 (and pH 7) and initial acetic acid concentrations of less than 10 g/liter, the four strains had mass doubling times of 5 to 7 h and conversion efficiencies to acetic acid and cell mass of about 90% (70 to 110%) and 10%, respectively. At pH 6 and initial acetic acid concentrations of greater than 10 g/liter, only two of the strains grew, the mass doubling time increased to 18 h, and the conversion efficiencies to acetic acid and cell mass remained unchanged. Both of these strains had been selected for their ability to grow in the presence of acetate at neutral pH. The highest acetic acid concentrations reached were about 15 and 20 g/liter at pH 6 and 7, respectively. C. thermoaceticum is apparently more sensitive to free acetic acid than to either acetate ion or pH. It was also shown that, at pH 6 and 7, the redox potential must be at least as low as −300 and −360 mV, respectively, for growth to occur.
Assessement of social support projects for vulnerable groups towards poverty reduction : a case study of TASAF in Bukoba district

This study was conducted in Bukoba District being one of the pilot districts in Tanzania to implement social support projects supported by TASAF. The overall objective of this study was to assess the impact of social support projects on vulnerable groups in Bukoba District, Kagera Region. The specific objectives of this study were to identify TASAF development interventions on poverty reduction through social support projects; to compare social support project participants under TASAF and non-TASAF projects participants; and to determine factors that lead to sustainability of the TASAF subprojects. A cross-sectional research design was applied in this study. A representative sample of 156 respondents (120 TASAF participants, 36 non-TASAF participants) was drawn from the sampling frame. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed statistically using statistical packages for social science (SPSS) and statistical test were done using the chi-squire to test the significant difference between the strata. The study revealed that there was no much difference in the state of living between project participants and non participants. Problems that face the projects are: inadequate cash to buy inputs, diseases of crops and animals, inadequate and ineffective extension services, insufficient cooperation within participants and leaders, long distance to the field and lack of competent trainers in carpentry, tailoring and milling projects. The study recommends that district council should make close follow up of the progress of the projects; that the inputs are available at the right time and at affordable price and sensitize the vulnerable people to form SACCOS so as to access to credits. NGOs do their responsibilities diligently; village governments should backup the vulnerable people to ensure progress of their projects and households should be aware that the projects are for their benefits and ii
What works in managing young people who offend? A summary of the international evidence

This review was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and considers international literature concerning the management of young people who have offended. It was produced to inform youth justice policy and practice. The review focuses on the impact and delivery of youth justice supervision, programmes and interventions within the community, secure settings, and during transition into adult justice settings or into mainstream society.
Changes in Denitrifier Abundance, Denitrification Gene mRNA Levels, Nitrous Oxide Emissions, and Denitrification in Anoxic Soil Microcosms Amended with Glucose and Plant Residues

ABSTRACT In agricultural cropping systems, crop residues are sources of organic carbon (C), an important factor influencing denitrification. The effects of red clover, soybean, and barley plant residues and of glucose on denitrifier abundance, denitrification gene mRNA levels, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, and denitrification rates were quantified in anoxic soil microcosms for 72 h. nosZ gene abundances and mRNA levels significantly increased in response to all organic carbon treatments over time. In contrast, the abundance and mRNA levels of Pseudomonas mandelii and closely related species (nirSP) increased only in glucose-amended soil: the nirSP guild abundance increased 5-fold over the 72-h incubation period (P < 0.001), while the mRNA level significantly increased more than 15-fold at 12 h (P < 0.001) and then subsequently decreased. The nosZ gene abundance was greater in plant residue-amended soil than in glucose-amended soil. Although plant residue carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratios varied from 15:1 to 30:1, nosZ gene and mRNA levels were not significantly different among plant residue treatments, with an average of 3.5 × 107 gene copies and 6.9 × 107 transcripts g−1 dry soil. Cumulative N2O emissions and denitrification rates increased over 72 h in both glucose- and plant-tissue-C-treated soil. The nirSP and nosZ communities responded differently to glucose and plant residue amendments. However, the targeted denitrifier communities responded similarly to the different plant residues under the conditions tested despite changes in the quality of organic C and different C:N ratios.
Are Child Cognitive Characteristics Strong Predictors of Responses to Intervention? A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of 28 studies comprising 39 samples to ask the question, “What is the magnitude of the association between various baseline child cognitive characteristics and response to reading intervention? ” Studies were located via literature searches, contact with researchers in the field, and review of references from the National Reading Panel Report. Eligible participant populations included at-risk elementary school children enrolled in the third grade or below. Effects were analyzed using a shifting unit of analysis approach within three statistical models: cognitive characteristics predicting growth curve slope (Model 1, mean r = .31), gain (Model 2, mean r = .21), or postintervention reading controlling for preintervention reading (Model 3, mean r = .15). Effects were homogeneous within each model when effects were aggregated within study. The small size of the effects calls into question the practical significance and utility of using cognitive characteristics for prediction of response when baseline reading is available.
MULTIFOCAL ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY AND FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHY IN RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION

Purpose: To interpret the responses of multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) of the central macula in retinal vein occlusion and correlate them with findings of fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and visual acuity. Methods: In a prospective observational case series, 25 patients with branch or hemiretinal vein occlusion were examined by means of mfERG, fluorescein angiography, OCT, and visual acuity. Results: In eyes with macular ischemia shown by fluorescein angiography, the implicit time was significantly longer than that in eyes without macular ischemia (P = 0.006; Mann–Whitney test). The amplitudes in the first-order kernel responses in the ischemic eyes were more reduced (P = 0.04; Mann–Whitney test), and the amplitudes in the central macula correlated well with visual acuity (P = 0.006; Pearson correlation). There was no significant correlation between the degree of retinal thickening as measured by OCT and the mfERG responses, although there was a trend toward reduced amplitudes in the maculae with central retinal thickening (P = 0.08; Pearson correlation). Conclusion: Macular ischemia as measured by fluorescein angiography correlates well with the prolonged implicit time on the first-order kernel response in mfERG, but no significant correlation was detected between the responses of mfERG and the OCT findings. Further investigations will demonstrate if this can be used as a prognostic instrument in the selection of patients, who will most likely benefit from future treatments.