Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Montreal rehabilitation performance profile: a task-analysis approach to quantify stair descent performance in children with intellectual disability.

OBJECTIVE To develop a clinical tool to quantify stair descent performance in children with moderate to severe intellectual disability. DESIGN Item identification, measurement construction, and basic testing of reliability. SETTING School for children with intellectual disability. PARTICIPANTS A sample of convenience; 18 children (age range, 5-9 yr) with moderate to severe intellectual disability, but who were ambulatory. INTERVENTION The Montreal Rehabilitation Performance Profile (MRPP) measurement tool, which has 4 perceptual-motor elements: movement form, time requirement, proprioceptive cues, and external cues. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Identification of perceptual-motor elements that underlie skilled stair descent and that are directly quantified from standard video recording. RESULTS Interrater reliability measured by percentage agreement (kappa statistic) was high for 3 elements (80%-100%; kappa =.63) and good for the fourth (67%; kappa =.52). The 4 MRPP elements are plotted on cartesian axes to yield (1) the magnitude of the contribution of each independent element to total performance outcome, and (2) a global measurement of level of functional skill, the Performance Composite Score (PCS). CONCLUSIONS The MRPP, and associated PCS, provide a valid measure of functional stair descent skill that does not rely on cognitive understanding of the process. This tool could be adapted to measure functional capacity in other clinical populations, including geriatric clients.
Group Threat at the Ground Level: Support for Ethnically Radical Parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly

Ethnic settlement patterns and other forms of everyday interethnic social contact have the potential to influence voter preferences for ethnic tribune parties who position themselves as the most strident protectors of, and flagbearers for, their respective ethnic groups. Previous studies on this topic have come to rival conclusions, with some finding that increased intergroup contact and residential mixing produce a corresponding increase in support for tribune parties and others finding the opposite. This study uses a combination of data from elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2017 and survey data from 2016 to evaluate these rival arguments and assess the extent to which the broader institutional and demographic context in which political competition takes place condition responses to intergroup contact. Our findings indicate that voters in both declining and ascending demographic groups respond similarly to intergroup contact, expressing less support for tribune parties in contexts where residential patterns and social networks provide more opportunities for intergroup contact. These results highlight the conditional nature of the effectiveness of consensus-based institutions in divided societies: they can create incentives for moderation, but those incentives are most likely to be realized in contexts where rival groups experience a high level of integration.
Microbial Infection-Induced Expansion of Effector T Cells Overcomes the Suppressive Effects of Regulatory T Cells via an IL-2 Deprivation Mechanism

Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells are a critical cell population that suppresses T cell activation in response to microbial and viral pathogens. We identify a cell-intrinsic mechanism by which effector CD4+ T cells overcome the suppressive effects of Treg cells in the context of three distinct infections: Toxoplasma gondii, Listeria monocytogenes, and vaccinia virus. The acute responses to the parasitic, bacterial, and viral pathogens resulted in a transient reduction in frequency and absolute number of Treg cells. The infection-induced partial loss of Treg cells was essential for the initiation of potent Th1 responses and host protection against the pathogens. The observed disappearance of Treg cells was a result of insufficiency in IL-2 caused by the expansion of pathogen-specific CD4+ T cells with a limited capacity of IL-2 production. Exogenous IL-2 treatment during the parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections completely prevented the loss of Treg cells, but restoration of Treg cells resulted in a greatly enhanced susceptibility to the pathogens. These results demonstrate that the transient reduction in Treg cells induced by pathogens via IL-2 deprivation is essential for optimal T cell responses and host resistance to microbial and viral pathogens.
Gender and Age Differences in Trauma and PTSD Among Dutch Treatment-Seeking Police Officers

Abstract Little is known about how age and gender are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and traumatic experiences in treatment-seeking police offers. In this study, we examined 967 diagnostic files of police officers seeking treatment for PTSD. Six hundred twelve (63%) of the referred police officers were diagnosed with PTSD (n = 560) or partial PTSD (n = 52). Police officers reported on average 19.5 different types of traumatic events (range 1–43). Those who experienced a greater variety of traumatic events suffered from more PTSD symptoms. Also, women reported more often direct life-threatening or private events as their index trauma than men and suffered from more PTSD symptoms than their male colleagues. Results indicate that police officers experience a considerable number of different traumatic events, which is significantly associated with PTSD symptoms. The results highlight the importance of early detection of PTSD symptoms in the police force.
Nexus between Agriculture and Unemployment in Nigeria

This study examined the impact of agriculture sector growth on unemployment level as well as the direction of causality between agricultural sector output and unemployment level in Nigeria. Secondary annual time series data between 1981 and 2016 were used for the study. Data on unemployment rate, agriculture sector output, public expenditure and industrial output were obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s statistical Bulletin while data on FDI and population growth were obtained from the World Bank World Development Indicators. The data were analyzed using ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller Test) unit root test, Autoregressive distributed lag Bounds test of cointegration, Autoregressive distributed lag error correction model estimation and Granger causality. The results of ADF unit root test revealed variables were at different orders of integration, the ARDL bounds test revealed cointegration between variables, and the Autoregressive distributed lag error correction model estimation revealed that change in agriculture output in the current period is negative and significant for current unemployment level in Nigeria, while the change in one period lagged agriculture output was positive and significant for current unemployment level in Nigeria. Also the error correction term indicated that about 74.10 percent of the disequilibrium in the system in the previous year would be corrected in the current year. Granger causality test results revealed bi-directional causality between agriculture output and unemployment level in Nigeria. The study recommends that the Nigeria government should using strategic policies targeted at boosting agriculture output such as increasing access to land for peasant rural farmers, investments in agricultural research, and so on, seek to boost agriculture output in order to reduce unemployment in Nigeria. Further, the Nigeria government should ensure that agriculture sector development policies are consistent with the objective of reducing unemployment in Nigeria.
Development of high resolution electrostatic tactile display

In this study, we demonstrate an electrovibration tactile display with an array of electrodes. Electovibration is a promising stimulus method for tactile feedback in mobile devices. The electrovibration tactile displays have been developed for the last several decades. However, these studies focused on application of the tactile display. The resolution of the tactile display, which is important for tactile sensation, is not investigated. In this study, we developed a electrovibration tactile display with high resolution. The tactile display consists of an array of electrodes with the width of 0.95 mm. The electrodes are arranged with the interval of 0.05 mm. The resulting resolution is 1 mm. We established the fabrication process of the tactile display and evaluated the fundamental characteristics. The results indicated that the perception was determined by the amplitude of the applied voltage. And also, the perception was not related to the contacting area and applied voltage. The proposed tactile display was able to present a spatial electrovibration stimulus and required optimization of the applied voltage.
Excitotoxic Amino Acids Cause Appearance of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy‐Observable Zinc in Supervised Cortical Slices

Abstract: (1) The effects of glutamate and NMDA on the free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+],) have been followed in superfused cortical slices using the 19F‐magnetic resonance indicator 1,2‐bis(2‐amino‐5‐fluorophenoxy)ethane‐N, N, N'. N'‐tetra‐acetic acid (5FBAPTA). (2) Glutamate (0.5 or 1 m/W) caused a 75–100% increase in [Ca2+], and a new resonance was attributed to zinc‐5FBAPTA, which was confirmed from its disappearance in the presence of a high‐affinity chelator of heavy metals, N, N,N',N'‐tetrakis(2‐pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine. The appearance of zinc occurred with or just after the rise in [Ca2+], and was independent of Mg2+. (3) NMDA, N‐methyl‐dl‐aspartate, or N‐methyl‐l‐aspartate (10–200 μM) caused a slower increase in [Ca2+], and zinc was observed in some but not all experiments. When present, zinc appeared later than the increase in [Ca2+] These changes were also independent of Mg2+. (4) Decreases in both phosphocreatine and ATP were observed in all of these studies. (5) The results are discussed in terms of the proposed role of zinc as a modulator of excitotoxicity. Observations of zinc after exposure to glutamate or more slowly to NMDA, but not after depolarisation or deprivation of glucose and O2 (where increases also occur in [Da2+],), suggest that the cellular damage caused by the latter insults (depolarisation and fuel deprivation as in ischaemia) involves mechanisms not solely attributable to release of excitotoxins.
Association of anthropometric measures of obesity and chronic kidney disease in elderly women.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Growing evidence suggests that obesity is an important contributor to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The relationship between obesity and CKD is complex and not completely understood, and the best anthropometric index of obesity in predicting CKD is controversial. This study aimed to determine the best anthropometric index of obesity in predicting CKD in a population of elderly women. MATERIALS AND METHODS Anthropometric indexes of obesity including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WheiR) and waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), were obtained in 730 selected females. Biochemical measurements including blood glucose, lipid profile, and 2-h postprandial blood glucose were performed. GFR was estimated by using CKD-EPI equation. RESULTS The prevalence of CKD stage ≥ 3 was 12.2%. Overweight and obesity was found in 50% and 36% of participants, respectively. Increased central fat distribution, as defined by WheiR, WC and WHR, was found in 89.6%, 91.7% and 89.4% individuals, respectively. Univariate linear regression analysis showed positive correlations between CKD and age (p<0.001), BMI (p<0.001), WC (p<0.001), WHR (p=0.007), WheiR (p<0.001), diabetes (p=0.002), as well as triglicerydes (p=0.031), and negative correlation between CKD and HDL level (p=0.017). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that hypertension, diabetes, WC and WheiR were independent predictors of CKD. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was best for WheiR (0.647), followed by WC (0.620), BMI (0.616), and WHR (0.532). CONCLUSIONS Abdominal obesity is an important predictor of CKD. Of commonly used anthropometric parameters of obesity WheiR ≥ 0.6 is particularly associated with CKD in elderly females.
Pre-hospital aspiration is associated with increased pulmonary complications.

BACKGROUND Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are highest among patients intubated on an emergency basis following trauma. We reported previously a retrospective analysis demonstrating an association between subjective aspiration and VAP after pre-hospital intubation. We hypothesize that by directing paramedics to note features of aspiration at intubation, we will confirm prospectively the association between pre-hospital aspiration and subsequent pneumonia in trauma patients. METHODS Paramedics collected data regarding aspiration at the time of intubation. All intubated patients admitted to a level 1 trauma center intensive care unit (ICU) were included. Data comprised a clinical impression of pre-hospital aspiration, as well as the presence and timing of blood and emesis in the airway. Injury severity, co-morbidities, and outcomes were collected from the trauma registry. Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HAP) was identified by medical record review of both bronchoalveolar lavage culture results and discharge diagnosis. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis of outcomes by aspiration status, as well as covariable adjustment using propensity scores, were performed. RESULTS Of the 228 patients, 89 (39%) were determined by paramedics to have aspirated. The majority of those who aspirated (84 [94%]) did so prior to intubation. Patients who aspirated had higher Injury Severity Scores than those who did not aspirate (25.0 ± 1.7 vs. 21.9 ± 1.5 points; p=0.04) and lower preintubation Glasgow Coma Scale scores (8.2 ± 0.50 vs. 9.6 ± 0.40; p=0.02). Of the 89 patients who aspirated around the time of intubation, 14 (16%) developed HAP vs. five (3.6%) of those who did not aspirate (p<0.01). We observed non-significant increases in mortality rate, ICU length of stay (LOS) and duration of mechanical ventilation after aspiration (deaths: 21 [23.6%] vs. 23 [16.6%]; p=0.19; ICU LOS: 5.3 ± 0.9 vs. 4.1 ± 0.5 days; p=0.13; duration of mechanical ventilation: 5.3 ± 1.2 vs. 3.2 ± 0.5 days; p=0.10). CONCLUSIONS Aspiration prior to intubation was reported commonly by paramedics and was associated with a higher risk of HAP.
Maintenance of clinal variation for shell colour phenotype in the flat periwinkle Littorina obtusata

Clines can signal spatially varying selection and therefore have long been used to investigate the role of environmental heterogeneity in maintaining genetic variation. However, clinal patterns alone are not sufficient to reject neutrality or to establish the mechanism of selection. Indirect, inferential methods can be used to address neutrality and mechanism, but fully understanding the adaptive significance of clinal variation ultimately requires a direct approach. Ecological model systems such as the rocky intertidal provide a useful context for direct experimentation and can serve as a complement to studies in more traditional genetic model systems. In this study, we use indirect and direct approaches to investigate the role of environmental heterogeneity in the maintenance of shell colour polymorphism in the flat periwinkle snail, Littorina obtusata. We document replicated clines in shell colour morph frequencies over thermal gradients at two spatial scales, contrasting with patterns at previously reported microsatellite loci. In addition, experimental results demonstrate that that shell colour has predictable effects on shell temperature and that these differences in temperature, in turn, coincide with patterns of survivorship under episodic thermal stress. Direct manipulation of shell colour revealed that shell colour, and not a correlated character, was the target of selection. Our study provides evidence that spatially varying selection via thermal regime contributes to the maintenance of shell colour phenotype variation in L. obtusata in the sampled areas of the Gulf of Maine.
L-Selenomethionine Does Not Protect Against Testosterone Plus 17β-Estradiol-Induced Oxidative Stress and Preneoplastic Lesions in the Prostate of NBL Rats

Previous animal studies examining dietary selenium effects on prostatic carcinogenesis did not show preventive benefit, including 1 study in a rat model involving testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2)-induced prostatic oxidative stress. Here, we examined modulation of T + E2-induced prostatic oxidative stress, dysplasia, and inflammation by L-selenomethionine at 1.5 or 3.0 mg selenium/kg in NIH-07 diet in Noble (Nbl)/Crl rats treated with T + E2 for 16 wk. Hormone treatment increased immunohistochemical staining for 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the prostatic sites of T + E2-induced preneoplasia (P < 0.05), but selenomethionine did not attenuate 8-OHdG staining and dysplasia in the lateral prostate. Glutathione-peroxidase activity (P < 0.05) and mRNA expression were induced by T + E2 (P < 0.0001) but not changed by selenomethionine. Selenomethionine did not cause significant responses in expression and activity of glutathione-peroxidase and MnSOD, except for a reduction of MnSOD protein expression in the lateral prostate (P < 0.01). The absence of reduction of oxidative stress and dysplasia and the minimal effects on antioxidant enzymes caused by selenomethionine are consistent with the null effects observed in selenium supplementation animal studies and clinical trials. Significant (P < 0.01) opposite apoptosis/cell proliferation balance responses to selenomethionine and to T + E2 occurred in the lateral and dorsal prostate, explaining why T + E2 induces lesions selectively in the lateral lobe of NBL rats.
Early activation of Broca’s area in grammar processing as revealed by the syntactic mismatch negativity and distributed source analysis

Though activation of Broca’s region in the combinatorial processing of symbols (language, music) has been revealed by neurometabolic studies, most previous neurophysiological research found the earliest grammar indices in the temporal cortex, with inferior-frontal generators becoming active at relatively late stages. We use the attention- and task-free syntactic mismatch negativity (sMMN) event-related potential (ERP) to measure rapid and automatic sensitivity of the human brain to grammatical information in participants’ native language (French). Further, sources underlying the MMN were estimated by applying the Parametrical Empirical Bayesian (PEB) approach, with the Multiple Sparse Priors (MSP) technique. Results showed reliable grammar-related activation focused on Broca’s region already in the 150–190 ms time window, providing robust documentation of its involvement in the first stages of syntactic processing.
Development of a Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for Molecular Typing of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major human respiratory pathogen causing both upper and lower respiratory disease in humans of all ages, and it can also result in other serious extrapulmonary sequelae. A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for M. pneumoniae was developed based on the sequences of eight housekeeping genes (ppa, pgm, gyrB, gmk, glyA, atpA, arcC, and adk) and applied to 55 M. pneumoniae clinical isolates and the two type strains M129 and FH. A total of 12 sequence types (STs) resulted for 57 M. pneumoniae isolates tested, with a discriminatory index of 0.21 STs per isolate. The MLST loci used in this scheme were shown to be stable in 10 strains following 10 sequential subculture passages. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences of the eight loci indicated two distinct genetic clusters that were directly linked to multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) type. Genetic MLST clustering was confirmed by genomic sequence analysis, indicating that the MLST scheme developed in this study is representative of the genome. Furthermore, this MLST scheme was shown to be more discriminatory than both MLVA and P1 typing for the M. pneumoniae isolates examined, providing a method for further and more detailed analysis of observed epidemic peaks of M. pneumoniae infection. This scheme is supported by a public Web-based database (http://pubmlst.org/mpneumoniae).
Acute pulmonary embolism: ancillary findings at spiral CT.

PURPOSE To determine the value of parenchymal findings at contrast material-enhanced spiral computed tomography (CT) in patients suspected to have pulmonary embolism (PE). MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-eight patients suspected to have PE underwent contrast-enhanced spiral CT and ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy. Concordance between CT and scintigraphic results was used to diagnose or exclude PE. Pulmonary angiography was attempted in all patients with discordant CT and scintigraphic results or indeterminate scans. Parenchymal CT scans were assessed by two radiologists who were not aware of the diagnosis and who had access only to lung window images. RESULTS Twenty-six patients had PE; 62 did not. Wedge-shaped pleural-based consolidation was seen in 16 patients with PE (62%) and 17 patients without PE (27%) (P < .05) (sensitivity, 62%; specificity, 73%). Linear bands were seen in 12 patients with PE (46%) and 13 patients without PE (21%) (P < .05) (sensitivity, 46%; specificity, 79%). There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of non-wedge-shaped consolidation, areas of decreased attenuation, or atelectasis. Central and lower-lobe segmental pulmonary arteries that contained emboli were enlarged (P < .05). CONCLUSION Parenchymal findings may suggest further investigations when results of spiral CT are inconclusive in diagnosis of PE.
New Financial Stability Governance Structures and Central Banks

We evaluate the institutional frameworks developed to implement time-varying macroprudential policies in 58 countries. We focus on new financial stability committees (FSCs) that have grown dramatically in number since the global financial crisis, and their interaction with central banks, and infer countries? revealed preferences for effectiveness versus political economy considerations. Using cluster analysis, we find that only one-quarter of FSCs have both good processes and good tools to implement macroprudential actions, and that instead most FSCs have been designed to improve communication and coordination among existing regulators. We also find that central banks are not especially able to take macroprudential actions when FSCs are not set up to do so. We conclude that about one-half of the countries do not have structures to take or direct actions and avoid risks of policy inertia. Rather countries? decisions appear to be consistent with strengthening the political legitimacy of macroprudential policies with prominent roles for the ministry of finance and avoiding placing additional powers in central banks that already are strong in microprudential supervision and have high political independence for monetary policy. The evidence suggests that countries are placing a relatively low weight on the ability of policy institutions to take action and a high weight on political economy considerations in developing their financial stability governance structures.