Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theta–gamma coordination between anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex indexes correct attention shifts

Significance During flexible goal-directed behavior, our frontal cortex coordinates goal-relevant information from widely distributed neuronal systems to prioritize the relevant over irrelevant information. This coordination may be realized by entraining multiple distributed systems with slow activity oscillation to phase-align their local fast oscillatory activity. We analyzed this spatially distributed oscillatory coupling in macaques during actual attentional stimulus selection. We identified that successful—but not failed—selection of relevant information followed the coupling of slow and fast frequencies at narrow oscillation phases, with interareal anatomical specificity, and based on a reset mechanism for the slow oscillation. These findings suggest a specific functional and mechanistic solution to the fundamental coordination problem in primate brains. Anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortex (ACC/PFC) are believed to coordinate activity to flexibly prioritize the processing of goal-relevant over irrelevant information. This between-area coordination may be realized by common low-frequency excitability changes synchronizing segregated high-frequency activations. We tested this coordination hypothesis by recording in macaque ACC/PFC during the covert utilization of attention cues. We found robust increases of 5–10 Hz (theta) to 35–55 Hz (gamma) phase–amplitude correlation between ACC and PFC during successful attention shifts but not before errors. Cortical sites providing theta phases (i) showed a prominent cue-induced phase reset, (ii) were more likely in ACC than PFC, and (iii) hosted neurons with burst firing events that synchronized to distant gamma activity. These findings suggest that interareal theta–gamma correlations could follow mechanistically from a cue-triggered reactivation of rule memory that synchronizes theta across ACC/PFC.
Central nervous system infections in Filipino patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background and purpose: Infections including those of the central nervous system (CNS) are a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This case series describes the etiology, contributing factors and outcomes of CNS infections in a group of Filipino patients with SLE.
Do personality and self-construal predict response style in self-rating scales?

Response bias has been identified as a threat to the generalizability of social science studies. Response bias can be divided into response set and response style. Although response bias has been discussed for years, limited research has focused on it. Response bias consists of response set, which is a content-dependent bias, and response style, which is a contentindependent bias. In this study, focus is restricted to response style, which is rarely detected and is thus a greater threat to the validity of a survey. The purpose of this study was to discuss four different response styles (extreme, acquiescent, disacquiescent, and mid-point), and to examine the impact of personality traits (indecisiveness, dichotomous thinking, introversion, and pessimism) and self-construal on response styles. In a 2x2 design, 159 undergraduate students in Hong Kong were divided into two groups based on their predominant self-construal and were randomly assigned to receive either collectivistic-prime or individualistic-prime. Our findings were that (1) indecisive individuals were significantly more likely to exhibit mid-point response style; (2) individuals with a higher level of decisiveness and lower level of dichotomous thinking were more likely to exhibit extreme response style; (3) introversive individuals were more likely to exhibit disacquiescence response style, and the relationship was mediated by pessimism; (4) self-construal predicted neither extreme nor acquiescence response style. The results suggested that personality is an effective predictor of response styles. The implications of the results and the limitations of the study are discussed.
The role of debt in the family business succession problem

This paper studies the typical succession problem in family businesses with respect to the hiring or not a professional manager once the founder decides to retire. Burkart et al. (2003) show how a legal framework is an important determinant in solving this problem. We extend their model in order to consider the possibility that the founder uses bank debt to alleviate monitoring cost. We Ond that bank debt plays also an important role in family businesses succession problem and gives an alternative explanation of why family Orms in emerging market countries are mostly Onanced through the banking system and do not aoat their own shares in the capital markets.
Novel gelatin–siloxane nanoparticles decorated by Tat peptide as vectors for gene therapy

In principle, the technique of gene delivery involves taking complete or parts of genes that can code specific messages and delivering them to selected cells in the body. Such a transfer of plasmid DNA into mammalian cells has posed major challenges for gene therapy. A series of gelatin–siloxane nanoparticles (GS NPs) with controlled size and surface charge were synthesized through a two-step sol–gel process. In order to increase the efficiency of cellular uptake, HIV-derived Tat peptide was further grafted to GS NPs. In vitro co-location and endocytosis inhibition experiments suggested that the as-synthesized TG NPs may enter HeLa cells via a combined pathway of lipid-raft- and receptor-dependent endocytosis, and only cause little cell damage. Moreover, this study shows the encapsulation of a plasmid DNA in TG NPs to be obtained as a non-viral gene vector. This kind of encapsulation provides complete protection to the plasmid DNA from the external DNase and serum environment, and generates the hope that the resulting formulation can be developed into a potential vector for effective gene delivery. In order to check this potential, the reporter gene pSVβ-gal was encapsulated, and in vitro transfection efficiency of this system was found to be nearly 130% compared to the commercially available transfection reagent Lipofectamine™.
The ADL ability and use of technical aids in persons with late effects of polio.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe functional performance in activities of daily living (ADL) and the use of technical aids among persons with late effects of polio. METHOD Abilities in ADL of 150 participants 20 to 82 years of age were assessed with the Sunnaas Index of ADL, and the participants' use of technical aids was recorded. RESULTS The activities in which most participants were independent were eating, daily hygiene, and communication. Many needed technical aids, adaptation of their homes, or both to perform mobility-related activities and to dress or undress, take a bath or shower, cook, or manage toilet visits. In total, 86 (57%) used mobility aids such as canes, crutches, and walkers. Thirty-one (21%) used wheelchairs within or outside the home. Bath and shower aids were the most commonly used technical aids other than mobility aids. The activity where most participants depended on others was housework. CONCLUSION In spite of their disabilities, most participants performed well in many ADL, functioning independently by using technical aids and by living in an adapted environment.
Genetic Heterogeneity and Clinical Variability in Musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Caused by Impaired Dermatan Sulfate Biosynthesis

Bi‐allelic variants in CHST14, encoding dermatan 4‐O‐sulfotransferase‐1 (D4ST1), cause musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (MC‐EDS), a recessive disorder characterized by connective tissue fragility, craniofacial abnormalities, congenital contractures, and developmental anomalies. Recently, the identification of bi‐allelic variants in DSE, encoding dermatan sulfate epimerase‐1 (DS‐epi1), in a child with MC‐EDS features, suggested locus heterogeneity for this condition. DS‐epi1 and D4ST1 are crucial for biosynthesis of dermatan sulfate (DS) moieties in the hybrid chondroitin sulfate (CS)/DS glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Here, we report four novel families with severe MC‐EDS caused by unique homozygous CHST14 variants and the second family with a homozygous DSE missense variant, presenting a somewhat milder MC‐EDS phenotype. The glycanation of the dermal DS proteoglycan decorin is impaired in fibroblasts from D4ST1‐ as well as DS‐epi1‐deficient patients. However, in D4ST1‐deficiency, the decorin GAG is completely replaced by CS, whereas in DS‐epi1‐deficiency, still some DS moieties are present. The multisystemic abnormalities observed in our patients support a tight spatiotemporal control of the balance between CS and DS, which is crucial for multiple processes including cell differentiation, organ development, cell migration, coagulation, and connective tissue integrity.
The Economics of Abundance: Coal and Cotton in Lancashire and the World

As a subterranean, highly elastic energy source, coal played a vital role in the cotton industry revolution. Coal was also vital to Lancashire's primacy in this revolution, because it was necessary both to the original accumulation of agglomeration economies before the steam age and to their reinforcement during the steam age. In no other part of the world was the cotton industry situated on a coalfield, and the response of other parts of the world cotton industry to Lancashire's agglomeration advantages was dispersal in search of cheap water and/or labour power. Lancashire coal helped to shape the global pattern of cotton production.
Redox modulatory activities of dimethoxycurcumin, a synthetic analogue of curcumin

Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract To understand the anti-tumor activity of dimethoxycurcumin (Dimc), an analogue of curcumin, the redox modulatory activities have been examined and compared with those of curcumin. Reactions with reactive oxygen species (ROS), indicated Dimc to be as efficient as curcumin in scavenging superoxide radicals, while its reaction with peroxyl radicals being much slower. These results were also supported by the observations on the scavenging of basal ROS levels in lymphocytes and in vitro antioxidant studies. Like curcumin, Dimc was a pro-oxidant and generated ROS in tumor cells. Accordingly, the compounds were non-toxic to lymphocytes, while exhibiting comparable cytotoxicity to tumor cells. Additionally, both curcumin and Dimc showed selective higher uptake in tumor cells than in normal lymphocytes.
Age and insertion site dependence of repeat number instability of a human DM1 transgene in individual mouse sperm.

Precise measurement of germline repeat number mutations is important for understanding the molecular etiology of expanded trinucleotide repeat diseases. We used single genome-equivalent PCR of sperm DNA to measure the mutation frequencies in two lines of Dmt transgenic mice containing an expanded CTG.CAG tract on an identical genetic background. Single genome-equivalent PCR indicated that apparent mutational spectra derived in other investigations from PCR of bulk sperm DNA were largely the consequence of PCR stutter and not mutations. Here we show that sperm from 8-week-old Dmt-D mice had a significantly higher mutation frequency (change of >1 repeat) (14.2%) than those of Dmt-E mice of the same age (5.5%), in agreement with pedigree analysis. Furthermore, the mutation frequency in sperm of Dmt-D mice increased significantly with age (28.0% at 17 weeks). The age dependence of the degree of expansion implies that mutations accumulate with time in spermatogenic stem cells. Similar rates of expansion per spermatogenic cycle in man would yield the large expansions observed in human diseases such as myotonic dystrophy type 1. Pedigree data showed a significant age-dependent bias toward repeat contraction in female transmissions and a trend towards expansion with age in male transmissions. Thus, direct single genome-equivalent PCR of the sperm DNA of an individual male appears to predict the distribution of mutant allele sizes that might be inherited by its offspring. In further contrast to a recent report, the sex of the offspring had no detectable effect on the direction of the mutational length change.
[Physical violence against women in Santa Fe de Bogotá: prevalence and associated factors].

OBJECTIVE Estimate the magnitude of the problem of violence in intimate relationships affecting women in Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia, and identify the factors related to the risk of being battered. METHODS The data analyzed were collected between September 1998 and September 1999 from interviews with 3,971 women who had a child less than 6 months old. The women interviewed were ones using public health services in the Suba area of Bogotá, either for pediatric attention (well-baby services, vaccination, an ill child) or for childbirth. Out of the 3,971 women, 10 of them declined to participate, and 804 of them were not in an intimate relationship and were excluded from the analyses. RESULTS Of the 3,157 participants, 26.5% of them reported that their current partner had slapped or pushed them, and 13.3% reported they had been hit with a fist, kicked, hit with some object, or beaten, or threatened with a knife or gun. In addition, 26.2% of the women said that their partner imposed some prohibition on them (on social activities, work, family planning, etc.). In the bivariate analyses, violence was significantly associated with: less schooling and lower income (P < 0.001), having more children (P < 0.001), a longer period of time living with the partner (P < 0.001), more frequent conflict with the partner (P < 0.001), not having other family members living in the home (P < 0.01), a history of abuse in the family of origin (P < 0.001), and prohibitions imposed by the partner (P < 0.001). According to multivariate analysis, the two factors most strongly related with violence were frequency of conflict with the partner and prohibitions imposed by the partner. CONCLUSIONS Public health services are a good place to identify victims of domestic violence, and early detection and intervention programs should be established there. Services to support and protect victims should be expanded and strengthened in order to provide those persons with guidance, legal assistance, education, and job training. Appropriate alternative services for aggressors also need to be developed.
Corporate Governance and Banking Performance: A Comparative Study between Private and State Banking Sector in Sri Lanka

The main objectives of this study are to find out the relationship between corporate governance and banking performance and also find out the impact of corporate governance on banking performance. This study focused on four aspects of corporate governance namely; Board Size (BS), Board Diversity (BD), Outside Directors Percentage (OSDP) & Board Meeting Frequency (BMF). Banking performance has been measured through Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA). The results revealed that all variables of corporate governance are positively correlated with ROE in state banks as well as, in private banks except BD and BMF other variables have strong negative relation with ROE, which is significant at 5percent level of significance. Similarly, except BMF other variables have negative relationship with ROA in state banks. Private Banks also show same relation except the variable BD. BD have strong negative relationship with ROA in state banks which is significant at 5 percent level of significance, but in private banks; positive relationship is denoted by BD which is not significant. Further corporate governance has a moderate impact on performance of both private and state banks.
Clinicobiological progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in relation to the tumor invasive front: impact on prognosis

Abstract Conclusion: There are several factors that influence the final outcome when treating oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Invasive front phenomena and more importantly their clinicopathological translation can have a direct impact on survival, and subsequently on the decision for an adjuvant treatment. Objectives: In recent years, the concept of tumor–host interaction has been the subject of substantial efforts in cancer research. Tumoral behavior may be better understood when studying the changes occurring at the tumor–host interface. This study evaluated the influence of several clinicopathological features on the outcome of OSCCs. Methods: The clinical records and pathology specimens of 54 patients with OSCC treated by primary resection were reviewed retrospectively. The pathologic features reviewed were: invasive front grading (IFG), stromal reaction, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), margin status, and depth of invasion. Results: High IFGs had a significant relationship with pT status and pN status. High IFGs were strongly correlated with nodal metastases (odds ratio (OR) = 4.77; confidence interaval (CI) = 1.37–16.64). Concerning survival, IFG had a strong impact on disease-free survival in patients treated unimodally, as did the depth of invasion in the same group. Lymphovascular involvement was found to have a negative impact on overall survival in patients treated multimodally.
Rural Finance, Development and Livelihoods in China

Establishing an inclusive financial system with comprehensive and accessible services in rural areas is increasingly promoted as a crucial element for socio-economic development both in China and globally. Yet, in existing research on China's agricultural and rural development, relatively less attention has been paid to the ways in which changes in the provision of rural finance have impacted the livelihoods of individuals, families and communities from the perspectives of local people. This paper intends to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between rural finance and development by delineating a recent history of financial service extension to rural areas since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. We analyse, in particular, the accelerated pace of the expansion and diversification of such services together with a deeper penetration of the so-called 'microfinance industry' in rural China since the mid-2000s. We analyse the major actors and dynamics involved, the strengths and weaknesses in current scholarship, and suggest ways forward in order to deepen our understanding of the relationship between rural finance, development and the livelihoods in China and beyond.
Role of Adenylate Cyclase-Hemolysin in Alveolar Macrophage Apoptosis during Bordetella pertussis Infection In Vivo

ABSTRACT Bordetella pertussis induces in vitro apoptosis of murine alveolar macrophages by a mechanism that is dependent on expression of bacterial adenylate cyclase-hemolysin. Using a murine respiratory model, we found in this study that intranasal infection with a parental B. pertussis strain, but not with an isogenic variant deficient in the expression of all toxins and adhesins, induced a marked neutrophil accumulation in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and an early decrease in macrophage numbers. These phenomena paralleled a time-dependent rise in the proportion of apoptotic nuclei, as detected by flow cytometry, and of macrophages which had engulfed apoptotic bodies. Apoptotic death of bronchopulmonary cells was observed exclusively following intranasal infection with bacteria reisolated from lungs of infected animals and not with B. pertussis collected after in vitro subculture. Using the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling technique coupled to fluorescence microscopy and morphological analysis, we established that the apoptotic cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were neutrophils and macrophages. Histological analysis of the lung tissues from B. pertussis-infected mice showed increased numbers of apoptotic cells in the alveolar compartments. Cellular accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and apoptosis of alveolar macrophages were significantly attenuated in mice infected with a mutant deficient in the expression of adenylate cyclase-hemolysin, indicating a role of this enzyme in these processes.
Report of Five Cases

large part of esophageal surgery is concerned with restoration of a relatively normal function of swallowing by substituting other organs for the esophagus. Historical review of this surgery offers a fascinating chapter on technical ingenuity and daring,1'3 but it is beyond the scope of this paper. In general, the evolution of surgical technics has led to the use of the mobilized stomach as the esophageal substitute of choice. In the surgical treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus the primary mission is to perform the best cancer operation possible, and, secondarily to re-establish gastrointestinal continuity quickly and safely. To accomplish the second goal, there is no substitute for the stomach. A complete cancer operation in the thoracic esophagus involves the mobilization and resection of the principal areas of lymphatic drainage, most important of which is the chain of nodes reaching down along the left gastric vessels to the superior border of the pancreas. When this has been accomplished, mobilization of the stomach is approximately one half achieved and it is easy to complete the procedure. Most patients adjust satisfactorily to the thoracic stomach created for the abovedescribed purpose, particularly if a pyloroplasty is performed. However, there are other conditions, usually occurring in young patients, frequently involving most of or upper portions of the esophagus, and all of a benign cause, in which other approaches to the problem offer at least theoretic advantages. Hopefully, these lesions are associated with a normal life span, and the reservoir and digestive functions of the stomach presumably operate best in a normal anatomic situation. Also, there are certain well-known peptic difficulties associated with a thoracic position of the stomach and esophagogastric anastomoses, although their magnitude (particularly if a pyloroplasty has been performed), is probably overemphasized. Efforts to use intestinal segments as esophageal substitutes in various planes, from under the skin on the anterior chest wall to the normal esophageal bed, have been employed for many years.2,3 It has evolved that the right colon nourished by the middle colic vessels is optimal for esophageal substitution. Firstly, its vascular pattern is relatively constant, and secondly, the distance from the origin of the middle colic vessels to the tip of the cecum is roughly comparable to Report of Five Cases