Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Benefit for Cochlear Implantees of Two Assistive Directional Microphone Systems in an Artificial Diffuse Noise Situation

Objective: People with cochlear implants have severe problems with speech understanding in noisy surroundings. This study evaluates and quantifies the effect of two assistive directional microphone systems compared to the standard headpiece microphone on speech perception in quiet surroundings and in background noise, in a laboratory setting developed to reflect a situation whereby the listener is disturbed by a noise with a mainly diffuse character due to many sources in a reverberant room. Design: Thirteen postlingually deafened patients, implanted in the Leiden University Medical Centre with the Clarion CII device, participated in the study. An experimental set-up with 8 uncorrelated steady-state noise sources was used to test speech perception on monosyllabic words. Each subject was tested with a standard headpiece microphone, and the two assistive directional microphones, TX3 Handymic by Phonak and the Linkit array microphone by Etymotic Research. Testing was done in quiet at a level of 65 dB SPL and with decreasing signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) down to –15 dB. Results: Using the assistive directional microphones, speech recognition in background noise improved substantially and was not affected in quiet. At an SNR of 0 dB, the average CVC scores improved from 45% for the headpiece microphone to 67% and 62% for the TX3 Handymic and the Linkit respectively. Compared to the headpiece, the Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) improved by 8.2 dB SNR and 5.9 dB SNR for the TX3 Handymic and the Linkit respectively. The gain in SRT for TX3 Handymic and Linkit was neither correlated to the SRT score with headpiece nor the duration of CI-use. Conclusion: The speech recognition test in background noise showed a clear benefit from the assistive directional microphones for cochlear implantees compared to the standard microphone. In a noisy environment, the significant benefit from these assistive device microphones may allow understanding of speech with greater ease.
Examination of Age-Related Differences on Clinical Tests of Postural Stability

Background: The modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS) and Y-Balance Test are common clinical measurements of postural control, but little is known about the effect of age on performance of these tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine how healthy child and adolescent athletes perform on 2 common clinical measurements of postural control. Hypothesis: Younger athletes would demonstrate poorer postural control compared with older athletes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Three hundred eighty-nine athletes between the ages of 10 and 18 years underwent an evaluation of postural control. Each participant completed the mBESS in the double-leg, single-leg, and tandem stances as well as the Y-Balance Test. Postural stability data were analyzed between age groups (10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 years) using univariate analyses of covariance. Results: The youngest athletes (10-12 years) had a greater mean number of errors in the single-leg stance of the mBESS than the 13- to 15-year-old and 16- to 18-year-old athletes (3.8, 3, and 2.5 errors, respectively; P < 0.01). They also had greater right to left asymmetry compared with the 16- to 18-year-old athletes on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral (6.8 and 3.8 cm, respectively; P = 0.006) and posteromedial (5.3 and 3.6 cm, respectively; P = 0.014) directions of movement. Conclusion: Athletes between the ages of 10 and 12 years performed worse on the single-leg stance of the mBESS and demonstrated more asymmetry on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral and posteromedial directions compared with older athletes. Clinical Relevance: In the absence of a baseline balance test for athletes younger than the age of 13 years, caution should be used in interpreting postural stability assessments, as age may be a modifying factor in performance.
The relative contributions of each subset of ocular infiltrated cells in experimental choroidal neovascularisation

Aim: Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) is a major cause of blindness in adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of infiltrating cells in the development of experimental CNV. Methods: CNV was induced in C57BL/6 (B6) mice by laser photocoagulation (PC). After PC, the numbers of each subset of infiltrated cells were analysed by flow cytometry at multiple time points. Each subset (except for macrophages) was depleted by the specific antibodies in vivo. Thereafter, the area of CNV was compared between the control B6 mice and the specific antibody treated mice 7 days after PC. The CNV formation in neutrophil depleted CC chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2) knockout mice was also examined to minimise the effects of macrophages. Results: In the early phase of CNV formation, a large number of neutrophils and macrophages infiltrated to the eyes. Natural killer (NK) cells and T lymphocytes were barely detected while no B lymphocytes were detected. The CNV areas did not significantly change compared between the control B6 mice and the specific antibody treated mice. However, the neutrophil depleted CCR2KO mice resulted in a reduction of CNV. Conclusion: Although lymphocytes and NK cells had little effect on CNV formation, neutrophils partially contributed to CNV in the absence of macrophages.
A single-cell snapshot of cell-fate decisions

Critical steps in the specification of embryonic cell lineages occur after implantation, but gaining insight into the molecular details of these cellular processes in vivo has been challenging. Jin and co-workers now report the transcriptomic signatures and molecular heterogeneity of more than 600 single cells from mouse embryos at days 5.5 and 6.5, advancing our understanding of how early embryonic cells make cell-fate decisions into mesoderm and endoderm lineages.
An atlas and analysis of bovine skeletal muscle long noncoding RNAs

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have various biological functions and have been extensively studied in recent years. However, the identification and characterization of bovine lncRNAs in skeletal muscle has been very limited compared with that of lncRNAs in other model organisms. In this study, 7188 bovine skeletal muscle lncRNAs were identified by RNA-Seq and a stringent screening procedure in four different muscle tissues. These lncRNAs shared many characteristics with other mammalian lncRNAs, such as a shorter open reading frame and lower expression level than for mRNAs. Furthermore, the chromosomal locations and global expression patterns for these lncRNAs are also described in detail. More importantly, we detected the important interaction relationships of lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs related to muscle development among 36 lncRNAs, 62 miRNAs and 12 mRNAs. Our results provide a global expression pattern of lncRNAs specific to bovine skeletal muscle and provide important targets for revealing the function of bovine muscle development by thoroughly studying the interaction relationships of lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs.
Investment in Mushroom Cultivation at Savar Upazila: A Prospective Sector for Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most suitable countries in the world for mushroom cultivation for its favorable climate with low production cost and high market price. By collecting data from a sample of 10 Mushroom firms of Savar Upazila, researchers identified a number of key findings regarding Mushroom Cultivation. The study shows that mostly the illiterate and people having poor academic background are involved in Mushroom cultivation at Savar. It also reveals that investors with minimum capital and labor investment get high rate of return in this business. Mushroom cultivation has opened a new opportunity for landless farmers and unemployed people in this area. The researchers suggest that it would be a more profitable sector if educated people get involved and trained up in Mushroom cultivation. Consequently, positive and necessary initiatives from the government and private sectors have been sought for the flourishing of mushroom cultivation in the whole country.
A novel intelligent system for analysis and recognition of power quality disturbance signal

The power quality disturbances and the resulting problems have emerged as an important research. The power system industries with sensitive electrical loads have become more dependent on the quality of power supply system. The power quality disturbances analysis is becoming an essential issue because of the widespread use of electronic nonlinear loads that have affected the operation of distributed power system network in residential and industrial areas. A novel approach to detect and locate short duration disturbance in distributed power system combing neural network is presented. The paper tries to explain to investigate feature extraction of transient signal and to analyze the disturbance signal. The feature information obtained from wavelet decomposition coefficients acts as input vector of wavelet network for power quality disturbance pattern recognition. The power quality disturbance recognition performance is completed and the improved back-propagation algorithm is used to fulfill the network parameter initialization. By means of simulation data training, the disturbance pattern can be obtained from the trained wavelet network output. The simulation results and analysis indicate that the wavelet transform combining with neural network is sensitive to transient signal singularity detection.
Inter-individual variation of dietary fat-induced mesoderm specific transcript in adipose tissue within inbred mice is not caused by altered promoter methylation

Mesoderm specific transcript (Mest), an imprinted gene associated with fat mass expansion under conditions of positive energy balance, shows highly variable expression (~80-fold) in white adipose tissue (WAT) of C57BL/6J (B6) mice fed an obesogenic diet. Since B6 mice are essentially genetically invariant and Mest is known to be regulated by CpG methylation within its immediate proximal promoter, the large variability in its expression in adipose tissue has the hallmarks of being controlled via an epigenetic mechanism. In this study, bisulfite sequencing and allelic discrimination analyses were performed to determine whether variations in CpG methylation within the Mest promoter were associated with its expression. Results showed no relationship between CpG methylation in the Mest promoter and high versus low expression in either WAT or isolated adipocytes; and, experiments using a single nucleotide polymorphism in the Mest promoter region between B6 and Castaneus mice showed the expected pattern for an imprinted gene with all maternal alleles being methylated. These data suggest that mechanisms independent of the CpG methylation status of the Mest promoter must underlie the control of its expression during adipose tissue expansion.
Masculinity and School Violence: Addressing the Role of Male Gender Socialization

The author argues for school-based violence prevention programming that addresses the unique predicament faced by male youth when they are asked to adopt attitudes and behaviours that may contradict traditional socialized notions of masculinity. Studies based on the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS) and the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MRGSS) are reviewed. The article also reviews recent research findings suggesting that boys respond differently to violence prevention programming in schools compared to girls. Tentative suggestions are made for violence prevention programming components that address the specific identity needs of male youth.
Cancer-specific mortality in chronic kidney disease: longitudinal follow-up of a large cohort.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to be associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but no large studies examined the cancer-specific mortality in non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients. Such outcome data are needed for proper allocation of resources and would help to develop better preventive services. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Between 1998 and 1999, 123,717 adults were recruited from four health screening centers in Taiwan. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equation for the Chinese. Mortality was ascertained by computer linkage to the national death registry after a median follow-up of 7.06 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the impact of CKD on cancer-specific mortality. RESULTS A higher risk for overall cancer mortality was found in CKD patients compared with non-CKD patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.2). CKD was associated with increased mortality from liver cancer, kidney cancer, and urinary tract cancer, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.74, 3.3, and 7.3, respectively. A graded relationship between the severity of renal impairment and cancer mortality was also found. CONCLUSIONS Patients with CKD had a higher mortality risk of liver cancer, kidney cancer, and urinary tract cancer. This is the first large study that showed an inverse association between renal function and liver cancer mortality. The increased mortality could be caused by higher cancer incidence or worse response to cancer treatment. Future research is warranted to clarify the mechanism.
II . YAP / TAZ REGULATION A . An Overview of the Drosophila

L Piccolo S, Dupont S, Cordenonsi M. The Biology of YAP/TAZ: Hippo Signaling and Beyond. Physiol Rev 94: 1287–1312, 2014; doi:10.1152/physrev.00005. 2014. — The transcriptional regulators YAP and TAZ are the focus of intense interest given their remarkable biological properties in development, tissue homeostasis and cancer. YAP and TAZ activity is key for the growth of whole organs, for amplification of tissue-specific progenitor cells during tissue renewal and regeneration, and for cell proliferation. In tumors, YAP/TAZ can reprogram cancer cells into cancer stem cells and incite tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. As such, YAP/TAZ are appealing therapeutic targets in cancer and regenerative medicine. Just like the function of YAP/TAZ offers a molecular entry point into the mysteries of tissue biology, their regulation by upstream cues is equally captivating. YAP/TAZ are well known for being the effectors of the Hippo signaling cascade, and mouse mutants in Hippo pathway components display remarkable phenotypes of organ overgrowth, enhanced stem cell content and reduced cellular differentiation. YAP/TAZ are primary sensors of the cell’s physical nature, as defined by cell structure, shape and polarity. YAP/TAZ activation also reflects the cell “social” behavior, including cell adhesion and the mechanical signals that the cell receives from tissue architecture and surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). At the same time, YAP/TAZ entertain relationships with morphogenetic signals, such as Wnt growth factors, and are also regulated by Rho, GPCRs and mevalonate metabolism. YAP/TAZ thus appear at the centerpiece of a signaling nexus by which cells take control of their behavior according to their own shape, spatial location and growth factor context.
Fermentability of grape must after inhibition with dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC).

Dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) was added to grape must and to synthetic media and results showed that, at 20 degrees C, 150 mg.L(-)(1) DMDC completely inhibited the fermentation of a grape must that was previously inoculated with 10(6) cells.mL(-)(1) Saccharomyces bayanus and Saccharomyces uvarum. Brettanomyces intermedius, Candida guilliermondii, Hansenula jadinii, Hansenula petersonii, Kloeckera apiculata, Pichia membranaefaciens, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were inhibited by 250 mg.L(-)(1). Candida valida was inhibited in the presence of 350 mg.L(-)(1), whereas Hanseniaspora osmophila, Saccharomycodes ludwigii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Zygosaccharomyces bailii required 400 mg.L(-)(1). Delay of fermentation (but not inhibition) was noted in the presence of 400 mg.L(-)(1) for the following cultures: Brettanomyces anomalus, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Zygosaccharomyces florentinus. Acetobacter aceti and Lactobacillus sp. were completely inhibited using 1000 and 500 mg.L(-)(1) DMDC, respectively. The fermentation of a grape must inoculated with 10(6) cells.mL(-)(1) of different wine yeasts was delayed for 4 days after the prior addition of 200 mg.L(-)(1) of DMDC; 200 mg.L(-)(1) DMDC did not show any residual inhibitory effect after 12 h, nor did 300 mg.L(-)(1) 24 h after the addition. In cellar experiments, indigenously contaminated grape musts (with and without skins) showed a delay in fermentation of 48 h after the addition of only 50 mg.L(-)(1) DMDC. The possibility of using DMDC (as pure grade as commercially available) in grape must as a disinfectant for the decontamination of musts indigenously contaminated with wild yeast should be considered seriously, despite its apparent low solubility in water.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE IN THE PALEOAMERICANS: EARLY HOLOCENE BIOCULTURAL ADAPTATION AT LAGOA SANTA, CENTRAL BRAZIL

ii Acknowledgements . v Vita . viii List of Tables . xvii List of Figures . xxix Chapter 1 : Introduction . 1 Problem . 1 Hypothesis . 7 Dissertation organization. 9 Chapter 2 : The first Americans in the New World . 12 Colonization of the New World . 13 Place of origin . 13 Route(s) of migration. 16 Number of migrations . 18 Date of arrival . 20 Paleoamerican lifestyle . 26 Demography and mobility . 27 Subsistence . 30 Early Archaic societies . 38 Food production . 39 Mobility . 42 xi Summary . 45 Chapter 3 : Lagoa Santa. 47 History of research in Lagoa Santa . 52 Craniometric tradition in Lagoa Santa . 61 Osteological indicators of health in Lagoa Santa . 63 Recent Lagoa Santa research. 68 Archaeology . 68 Paleoenvironment . 74 Santana do Riacho site . 77 Prehistory of central Brazil . 78 Models for lifestyle and health: summary . 81 Summary . 85 Chapter 4 : Bioarchaeology and health . 87 Definition . 87 Theoretical context . 89 Bioarchaeology in a global context . 95 Osteological markers of health . 99 Oral health and diet . 100 Activity (workload, mobility, and accidental injury) . 106 Infectious disease . 112 Systemic stress in growth and development . 115 Interpersonal violence and warfare . 121 Temporal variation in health . 123 Summary . 125 Chapter 5 : Materials and methods . 126 Museum collections. 127 Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ) . 127 Museu de Historia Natural da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (MHN-UFMG) . 134 xii Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP) . 141 Summary . 146 Methods . 148 Comparative sample . 148 Sex and age estimation . 155 Statistical analysis. 158 General methodology . 164 Inter-observer error . 167 Oral health and diet . 169 Degenerative joint diseases (DJD) . 173 Mobility . 176 Trauma . 178 Infections . 181 Infection versus trauma . 184 Stature . 185 Linear enamel hypoplasias . 190 Cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis . 191 Summary . 193 Chapter 6 : Results. 195 Oral health and diet . 196 Caries (tooth count) . 196 Caries (individual count) . 213 Caries (tooth type) . 218 Caries (position) . 219 Caries (dental tissue) . 221 Pulp exposure . 223 Abscess (alveolus count) . 224 Abscess (Individual count) . 243 Abscess (tooth type) . 248 xiii Antemortem tooth loss (AMTL). 250 Tooth wear . 256 Summary .
Precipitation Patterns and Fungal Community Succession in a Seasonally Dry Secondary Tropical Savanna

In the northwestern part of South America, seasonally dry forests have undergone extensive conversion to savannas to support ranching and agriculture. The combination of fire and vegetation removal employed for clearing, together with extensive agricultural practices, often lead to loss of soil fertility. This results in land that is no longer useful for agriculture and on which historical forests are unable to regenerate. This study examined the effects of common agricultural practices on soil fungal communities by simulating the effects of fire followed by plant removal. The goal was to determine whether common practices have rapid effects on soil communities, which in turn could signal a decline in soil quality. To provide a climatological context for this study, I first performed an analysis (presented in Chapter 1) that employed a 40-year database of daily precipitation totals,
Education of Parents When a Child Born with an Imperforate Anus; Does It Improve the Health of the Child?

Objectives: To describe and investigate the value of an education program for parents of children born with an imperforate anus in order to help them cope with the new situation of having a stoma. A comparison is made with a group of parents following routine hospital. A secondary aim was to illuminate the parents’ feelings and concerns in the first month after the birth of the child. Subjects and methods: The program was tested in 20 Vietnamese mothers of babies born with an imperforate anus; 10 followed an intervention comprising an education program and 10 the ordinary routine hospital. The study design is both qualitative and quantitative. The mothers were interviewed, using open-ended questions, within a week of their child’s birth and then repeatedly for up to one month. Finally, the conditions of children were accessed on their return to the hospital for the second operation after one month of care at home. The qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. Results: All mothers felt sad and worried in the beginning, but this quickly changed to confidence, particularly among mothers in the intervention group who received education. While at home, mothers in both groups had financial concerns, as they were unable to work as much as expected and also had to buy equipment for colostomy care. The mothers in the control group complained about a lack of knowledge and how it affected the care of their child. The mothers in the intervention group, however, felt confident in their caring even at home. When the families returned for the second operation, the children in the intervention group were significantly healthier, had increased more in weight, and had fewer complications and emergency return visits to hospital compared to the control group. In the control group skin problems around the stoma, diarrhea, bleeding or constipation while at home were reported (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The education improved the care at home resulting in healthier children and more confident parents.