Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adequate proverb interpretation is associated with performance on the Independent Living Scales

The purpose of this study was to examine proverb interpretation performance and functional independence in older adults. From the limited literature on proverb interpretation in aging and its conceptualization as an executive function, it was hypothesized that proverb interpretation would be related to functional independence similar to other executive functions. Tests of proverb interpretation, additional executive functions, and functional ability were administered to nondemented older adults. Results showed that proverb interpretation accounted for a significant amount of unique variance of functional ability scores. This supports including a measure of proverb interpretation to the assessment of older adults.
RADIO GALAXY FEEDBACK IN X-RAY-SELECTED GROUPS FROM COSMOS: THE EFFECT ON THE INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM

We quantify the importance of the mechanical energy released by radio galaxies inside galaxy groups. We use scaling relations to estimate the mechanical energy released by 16 radio-active galactic nuclei located inside X-ray-detected galaxy groups in the COSMOS field. By comparing this energy output to the host groups’ gravitational binding energy, we find that radio galaxies produce sufficient energy to unbind a significant fraction of the intragroup medium. This unbinding effect is negligible in massive galaxy clusters with deeper potential wells. Our results correctly reproduce the breaking of self-similarity observed in the scaling relation between entropy and temperature for galaxy groups.
[The blood lead level and pregnant outcome in pregnant women with non-occupational lead exposure].

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to find out the relations between maternal blood lead and pregnancy complications, neonatal physical and neurobehavioral development respectively. METHODS 1,151 samples of maternal venous blood and 434 samples of umbilical cord blood were collected. Graphite stove atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to detect the lead concentration. Neonatal physical indexes were measured within 24 hours of age, including weight, length, head circumference, chest circumference and abdomen circumference. The neurobehavioral developments were scored at 42 days of age. Meanwhile, the pregnancy complications were obtained from the medical records. RESULTS (1) the mean lead concentration of maternal blood is 43.4 microg/L while 44.5 microg/L of first trimester, 37.4 microg/L of second trimester and 45.1 microg/L of third trimester. The mean lead concentration of cord blood is 26.4 microg/L. (2) In this study, the blood lead level is not correlated with pregnancy complications and neonatal physical and neurobehavioral development, but it is positively correlated with maternal haemoglobin concentration. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the situation of maternal blood lead level is acceptable. At such level, the lead concentration of pregnant women blood can't influence the incidence of pregnancy complications, neonatal physical and neurobehavioral development.
Stereological estimation of the total number of neurons in the murine hippocampus using the optical disector

Using a stereological method, the optical disector, we examined three inbred strains of mice (NZB/BINJ, DBA/2, and C57BL/6J) for morphological differences in volume, neuronal number, and density of the pyramidal cell and dentate gyrus granule cell layers of the hippocampus. We found significant differences in volume and neuronal number for both regions between the three strains at 9 weeks of age, but only modest differences in neuronal density. The left dentate volume was 90% larger in the NZB strain and 70% greater in the DBA strain (P < 0.0001), and the left pyramidal cell layer was 144% larger in the NZB strain and 150% larger in the DBA strain, than in the B6 strain (P < 0.0001). Neuron number in the left dentate was 81% greater in NZB and 37% greater in DBA (P < 0.001), and in the left pyramidal cell layer 118% greater in the NZB and 92% greater in the DBA (P < 0.01). Differences in neuronal density of the left dentate were not significant (P = 0.060, ns). For the left pyramidal cell layer, neuronal density was 14% greater in B6 and 34% greater in NZB than the DBA strain (P = 0.016). No significant differences were found in left‐right laterality, or according to sex. We found that strain accounted for 60% of the variance in hippocampal volume and 44% of neuron number. These differences thus mainly reflect genetic variation in hippocampal volume and may have important implications for brain evolution, behaviour, and human diseases where hippocampal degeneration is involved. J. Comp. Neurol. 408:560–566, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prognostic factors for the primary and secondary retroperitoneal sarcomas. Impact on the therapeutic approach.

BACKGROUND There is little knowledge on retroperitoneal sarcoma, but there are many controversies. The objective of the current study was to define the common and distinctive features of primary and secondary retroperitoneal sarcomas in terms of presentation, prognostic and therapeutic approach to improve the current management of these tumors. Vascular involvement impact was assesed in the two sets of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS We have performed a retrospective and prospective study on a group of 34 patients diagnosed with primary and secondary retroperitoneal sarcomas. RESULTS We have found that primary and secondary retroperitoneal sarcomas have many common features, but hold distinctive aspects in terms of manifestation, predictors of survival and treatment. CONCLUSIONS Vascular involvement is one of the most important predictors of poor survival in primary retroperitoneal sarcoma patients, because it often limits radicality. In this group, radicality is a major prognostic factor for a higher survival. Instead, secondary retroperitoneal sarcomas appear to be less dependent on the radicality of the treatment and their survival can be increased by complementary treatments.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia presenting with ventricular tachycardia in a father and son

A father and his son presented with ventricular tachycardia of left bundle‐branch block configuration, two years apart. The patients had no clinical signs of right or left ventricular dysfunction. The diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia was based on right ventricular angiographic and radionuclide findings. Microscopic sections obtained at surgery for the ventricular tachycardia in the father revealed abnormal infiltration of fat and focal fibrosis in the right ventricular myocardium, confirming the diagnosis. The importance of thorough evaluation of right and left ventricular function and structure in patients with ventricular tachycardia of right ventricular origin is emphasized. Currently available diagnostic techniques and management are presented.
A Look From the Inside

This article is based on an ethnographic study of a cottage for violent offenders in one state's maximum-security training school. Staff members working in the cottage were the institution's front line in its attempts to hold the youth accountable for their crimes while also trying to resocialize and rehabilitate young men who were growing up with few conforming role models. As such, cottage staff members were put in the difficult position of juggling their roles as corrections officers, counselors, and surrogate parents. To effectively do their job, they had to find ways to balance the rhetoric of rehabilitation with the punitive reality of daily life in the institution. This article details the juvenile justice career paths of the staff members in the cottage and provides a sociological analysis of the roles, responsibilities, and interactions of the staff members with each other and with the young men in their care.
Comparable reductions in hyperpnoea-induced bronchoconstriction and markers of airway inflammation after supplementation with 6·2 and 3·1 g/d of long-chain n-3 PUFA in adults with asthma

Abstract Although high dose n-3 PUFA supplementation reduces exercise- and hyperpnoea-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB/HIB), there are concurrent issues with cost, compliance and gastrointestinal discomfort. It is thus pertinent to establish the efficacy of lower n-3 PUFA doses. Eight male adults with asthma and HIB and eight controls without asthma were randomly supplemented with two n-3 PUFA doses (6·2 g/d (3·7 g EPA and 2·5 g DHA) and 3·1 g/d (1·8 g EPA and 1·3 g DHA)) and a placebo, each for 21 d followed by 14 d washout. A eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea (EVH) challenge was performed before and after treatments. Outcome measures remained unchanged in the control group. In the HIB group, the peak fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) after EVH at day 0 (−1005 (sd 520) ml, −30 (sd 18) %) was unchanged after placebo. The peak fall in FEV1 was similarly reduced from day 0 to day 21 of 6·2 g/d n-3 PUFA (−1000 (sd 460) ml, −29 (sd 17) % v. −690 (sd 460) ml, −20 (sd 15) %) and 3·1 g/d n-3 PUFA (−970 (sd 480) ml, −28 (sd 18) % v. −700 (sd 420) ml, −21 (sd 15) %) (P<0·001). Baseline fraction of exhaled nitric oxide was reduced by 24 % (P=0·020) and 31 % (P=0·018) after 6·2 and 3·1 g/d n-3 PUFA, respectively. Peak increases in 9α, 11β PGF2 after EVH were reduced by 65 % (P=0·009) and 56 % (P=0·041) after 6·2 and 3·1 g/d n-3 PUFA, respectively. In conclusion, 3·1 g/d n-3 PUFA supplementation attenuated HIB and markers of airway inflammation to a similar extent as a higher dose. Lower doses of n-3 PUFA thus represent a potentially beneficial adjunct treatment for adults with asthma and EIB.
Optimizing therapy for myeloid disorders of Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of leukaemia. Myeloid disorders include transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM), myelodysplasia (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Mutations in the GATA‐1 gene, which encodes for a transcription factor central to the normal development of the erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages, are found in cases of TAM, MDS and AML in DS children. DS children with MDS/AML mostly present between the ages of 1 and 4 years, and have a large predominance of megakaryoblastic disease (French–American–British type M7). The MDS and AML are part of a single disease entity (myeloid leukaemia of Down syndrome) that is extremely sensitive to chemotherapy. Resistant disease and relapse are rare, but treatment‐related toxicity is high, and deaths in remission have exceeded those due to disease in most series. Accordingly, controlled dosage reduction is the focus of contemporary treatment studies.
Species specific grass pollen sensitivity: diagnosis and treatment with single grass species Allpyral vaccines

Skin test titrations and nasal provocation tests in sixty patients with hay fever showed specific reactions to extracts of individual grass species. There was, however, no correlation between skin and nasal sensitivity. Repeat testing after treatment with Allpyral vaccines consisting of only the grass species to which the nasal reaction was most severe, or only one of several pollens to which reactions were equally severe, showed marked diminution of skin and nasal sensitivity not only to the single pollen used for immuno‐therapy but to all five common pollens used in the Allpyral grass mix. Clinical results seemed much improved as compared with results in the same year for Allpyral five grass mix vaccines, especially in the case of patients treated with Timothy, rye, or cocksfoot. It was concluded that these three grasses were to be preferred for treatment in England, and that these grasses contain common allergens.
Object Classification and Recognition From Mobile Laser Scanning Point Clouds in a Road Environment

Automatic methods are needed to efficiently process the large point clouds collected using a mobile laser scanning (MLS) system for surveying applications. Machine-learning-based object recognition from MLS point clouds in a road and street environment was studied in order to create maps from the road environment infrastructure. The developed automatic processing workflow included the following phases: the removal of the ground and buildings, segmentation, segment classification, and object location estimation. Several novel geometry-based features, which were previously applied in autonomous driving and general point cloud processing, were applied for the segment classification of MLS point clouds. The features were divided into three sets, i.e., local descriptor histograms (LDHs), spin images, and general shape and point distribution features, respectively. These were used in the classification of the following roadside objects: trees, lamp posts, traffic signs, cars, pedestrians, and hoardings. The accuracy of the object recognition workflow was evaluated using a data set that contained more than 400 objects. LDHs and spin images were applied for the first time for machine-learning-based object classification in MLS point clouds in the surveying applications of the road and street environment. The use of these features improved the classification accuracy by 9.6% (resulting in 87.9% accuracy) compared with the accuracy obtained using 17 general shape and point distribution features that represent the current state of the art in the field of MLS; therefore, significant improvement in the classification accuracy was achieved. Connected component segmentation and ground extraction were the cause of most of the errors and should be thus improved in the future.
Plasma lactate and plasma volume recovery in adults and children following high‐intensity exercises

Aim: To compare plasma lactate concentration recovery kinetics when measured and corrected for variations in plasma volume between children and adults. Methods: Nine boys (11.3 ± 1.1 y) and 8 men (21.9 ± 1.9 y) performed a maximal and a supramaximal exercise until exhaustion. Plasma lactate concentrations, haemoglobin and haematocrit were measured at rest, immediately on completion of exercise and after the 2nd, 5th, 12th and 30th minute of recovery. The plasma lactate concentrations and the rate of recovery were corrected for variations in plasma volume. Results: The maximal decreases in plasma volume were significantly higher in adults than in children for maximal exercise (–18.7 ± 2.6% vs – 14.5 ± 3.2%; p < 0.05), but similar for the supramaximal exercise (–16.9 ± 3.4% vs –15.2 ± 3.4%). During recovery, measured and corrected plasma lactate concentrations were significantly higher in adults. The rate of plasma lactate recovery was higher in adults for maximal exercise only. The same results were obtained when the rates of plasma lactate decrease were calculated from corrected plasma lactate concentrations.
Reaction Time Is Slower When Walking at a Slow Pace in Young Adults

ABSTRACT Limited research has examined attentional requirements of walking at various speeds. Twenty young adults were asked to walk 10 m at their preferred pace, 30% faster or 30% slower while verbally responding “top” as fast as possible to random auditory stimuli. Slow walking demonstrated significantly longer reaction time (RT; 457 ± 91 ms) than preferred (423 ± 80 ms) and fast (396 ± 73 ms) walking speeds, F(2, 38) = 13.4, p < . 001; η2p = . 414. Walking at a preferred pace also led to longer RT than walking at a fast pace (p < .05). Slower RT during slow walking may be attributed to increased task complexity, energy requirements and equilibrium demands. Faster RTs during fast walking could be due to familiarity of the task, higher arousal levels, and similar task instructions compared to slower speeds.
The Hamartomatous Polyposis Syndromes: A Clinical and Molecular Review

Inherited forms of gastrointestinal cancer have been a major focus of study and advancement over the past decade. Familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer are the two most common heritable colon cancer syndromes. Inherited polyposis syndromes are characterized by the dominant type of polyp (whether adenomatous or hamartomatous) present and by the polyp's location within the gastrointestinal tract. The hamartomatous polyposis syndromes are characterized by an overgrowth of cells native to the area in which they normally occur. They represent a small but appreciable number of the gastrointestinal inherited cancer predisposition syndromes; it is now known that many of these syndromes carry a substantial risk for developing colon cancer as well as other gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers. Patients afflicted with these syndromes are also at significant risk for extraintestinal malignancies. Seven inherited hamartomatous polyposis syndromes have been described: familial juvenile polyposis syndrome, Cowden's syndrome, Bannayan-Ruvalcaba-Riley syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, basal cell nevus syndrome, neurofibromatosis 1, and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome 2B. Hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome is a variant of juvenile polyposis characterized by both hamartomatous and adenomatous polyps. The hamartomatous syndromes occur at approximately 1/10th the frequency of the adenomatous syndromes and account for <1% of colorectal cancer in Northern America. While the diagnosis of these inherited syndromes is primarily clinical, genetic testing is now available for all six syndromes. However, there are a significant number of spontaneous mutations seen in each of the syndromes. The management of these patients necessitates a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. The purpose of this review is to characterize the clinical and pathological features of these syndromes and to review the targets of cancer surveillance. The molecular alterations responsible for the inherited hamartomatous polyposis syndromes will also be discussed.
Protection of corticospinal tract neurons after dorsal spinal cord transection and engraftment of olfactory ensheathing cells

Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) into the damaged rat spinal cord leads to directed elongative axonal regeneration and improved functional outcome. OECs are known to produce a number of neurotrophic molecules. To explore the possibility that OECs are neuroprotective for injured corticospinal tract (CST) neurons, we transplanted OECs into the dorsal transected spinal cord (T9) and examined primary motor cortex (M1) to assess apoptosis and neuronal loss at 1 and 4 weeks post‐transplantation. The number of apoptotic cortical neurons was reduced at 1 week, and the extent of neuronal loss was reduced at 4 weeks. Biochemical analysis indicated an increase in BDNF levels in the spinal cord injury zone after OEC transplantation at 1 week. The transplanted OECs associated longitudinally with axons at 4 weeks. Thus, OEC transplantation into the injured spinal cord has distant neuroprotective effects on descending cortical projection neurons. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Polarimetric Experiment With a Laue Lens and CZT Pixel Detector

A new generation of high sensitivity telescopes based on the use of Laue lenses coupled with high efficiency solid state focal plane detectors has been identified as a possibility for hard X and soft gamma ray astronomy. For this kind of space mission, polarimetry is recognized as a very important observational parameter and therefore this capability should be included as one of the primary scientific requirements. In this framework our group has realized an experiment to demonstrate that the combination of a Laue Lens, built using Cu mosaic crystals, with a CZT pixel detector is capable of measuring the polarization of hard X ray sources contemporaneously with spectroscopy and imaging. This experiment was performed at the beginning of March 2008 using the ID15B beam line at ESRF (Grenoble). The instrument was based on a pixel CZT detector (5 mm thick array with 11times11 pixels of 2.5times2.5 mm2) with a sensitive area of 3times3 cm2 in conjunction with a mosaic Cu crystal (15times15 mm2, 4 mm thick) used in the Laue diffraction configuration. During the tests the Cu crystal was rotated so as to simulate a Laue lens ring, and the detector was moved in order to have the diffracted beam always impinging on the same pixel. The ID15B beamline allowed us to test the response of this system to almost 100% linearly polarized photons at ~90, 270, and 350 keV. In this paper, we describe the experimental setup and we report on the first results, with particular emphasis on the evaluation of possible systematic effects introduced in the detected polarization of the impinging photons by the Laue diffraction process.
Changes in Expression of Apoptosis-Related Genes Are Linked to the Molecular Response to Imatinib Treatment in Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Most patients with a chronic phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib mesylate achieve a cytogenetic remission, but in the majority, residual disease is detectable by RT-PCR. The mechanisms by which residual leukemic cells survive imatinib treatment are unresolved. However, induction of apoptosis in leukemic stem cells and immunotherapy are currently under investigation. We studied the mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chronic-phase CML patients before imatinib treatment. It was found that their BCL2 and BAD expression was significantly different compared to the normal controls, and a lower BAD expression was associated with a better molecular response to imatinib treatment at 12 months.
Using passive acoustics for monitoring seagrass beds

This paper discusses the ambient noise acquired during the period of one week, from May 8 to 15, 2013 over a Posidonia oceanica bed in the Bay of la Revellata, Calvi, Corsica. The acoustic receivers were moored at 3 locations with water depth ranging from 2 to 20 m. Simultaneously with acoustic measurements, the dissolved O2 was measured by an array of optodes. Preliminary results have shown that the acoustic noise power measured at various locations in the meadow is highly correlated with dissolved O2 (measured by other methods). Nevertheless, a close inspection of noise waveforms shows impulsive signals with shape similar to those produced by snapping shrimp and other shell fish. This work discusses the challenges faced on using these noise waveforms as ecosystem indicators and particularly to monitor the photosynthetic activity.