Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age-related changes in spatial and temporal gait variables.

OBJECTIVE To extend recent findings describing the effect of age on spatial and temporal gait variables. DESIGN Experimental. SETTING A gait analysis laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Two experiments with healthy nonfallers were conducted. Experiment 1 included 33 subjects (n = 15, 72.13 +/- 3.96yr; n = 18, 25.06 +/- 4.02yr); and experiment 2 included 24 subjects (n = 14, 75.57 +/- 6.15yr; n = 10; 28.10 +/- 3.48yr). INTERVENTIONS The effect of age, walking velocity, shoe condition, and performance of an attention-splitting task on gait variables was investigated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Temporal and spatial gait variables were quantified using an instrumented surface across which subjects walked. The independent variables were walking velocity variability, stride length variability, stride width variability, and stride time variability. RESULTS Stride width variability of older adults was significantly larger than that of younger adults in both experiments. The remaining gait variables demonstrated nonsystematic or no age-related differences. CONCLUSIONS With the exception of stride width variability, the variability of the remaining gait variables of interest were insensitive to the speed at which subjects walked, whether the subjects were wearing shoes or not, and performing an attention-splitting task while walking. These findings contribute to an emerging interpretive framework established by similar work published by others regarding gait variability.
Population structure in the catfish Trichogenes longipinnis: drift offset by asymmetrical migration in a tiny geographic range

Based on population genetic theory and empirical studies of small populations, we expect that species with very small ranges (narrow endemics) will exhibit reduced genetic diversity, increasing their susceptibility to the negative effects of genetic homogeneity. Although this pattern of reduced diversity applies to most narrow endemics, conservation biologists have yet to identify a general pattern for the degree of spatial population genetic structure expected in species with very small ranges. In part, this is because the degree of population structure within narrow endemics will be highly variable depending on the equilibrium between the homogenizing effects of dispersal and the diversifying effects of drift and local selection in small populations, thus precluding general predictions about the relative importance of small range, small population sizes, and habitat patchiness for maintaining genetic diversity in narrowly-distributed species. We document a striking example of high population structure in the tiny geographic range of a stream-dwelling catfish, Trichogenes longipinnis, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The maintenance of this diversity results from a combination of asymmetrical and limited dispersal, and drift in small populations. Our results highlight the need to understand population structure, and not only overall genetic diversity, of narrowly-distributed species for their conservation planning. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 259‐274.
An altered phenotype in a conditional knockout of Pitx2 in extraocular muscle.

PURPOSE To determine the temporal and spatial expression of Pitx2, a bicoid-like homeobox transcription factor, during postnatal development of mouse extraocular muscle and to evaluate its role in the growth and phenotypic maintenance of postnatal extraocular muscle. METHODS Mouse extraocular muscles of different ages were examined for the expression of Pitx2 by RT-PCR, q-PCR, and immunostaining. A conditional mutant mouse strain, in which Pitx2 function is inactivated at postnatal day (P)0, was generated with a Cre-loxP strategy. Histology, immunostaining, real-time PCR, in vitro muscle contractility, and in vivo ocular motility were used to study the effect of Pitx2 depletion on extraocular muscle. RESULTS All three Pitx2 isoforms were expressed by extraocular muscle and at higher levels than in other striated muscles. Immunostaining demonstrated the presence of Pitx2 mainly in extraocular muscle myonuclei. However, no obvious expression patterns were observed in terms of anatomic region (orbital versus global layer), innervation zone, or muscle fiber types. The mutant extraocular muscle had no obvious pathology but had altered muscle fiber sizes. Expression levels of myosin isoforms Myh1, Myh6, Myh7, and Myh13 were reduced, whereas Myh2, Myh3, Myh4, and Myh8 were not affected by postnatal loss of Pitx2. In vitro, Pitx2 loss made the extraocular muscles stronger, faster, and more fatigable. Eye movement recordings found saccades to have a lower peak velocity. CONCLUSIONS Pitx2 is important in maintaining the mature extraocular muscle phenotype and regulating the expression of critical contractile proteins. Modulation of Pitx2 expression can influence extraocular muscle function with long-term therapeutic implications.
Balance self-efficacy in relation to balance and activities of daily living in community residents with stroke

Abstract Purpose: This study attempts to determine a causal relationship among balance self-efficacy, balance, and activities of daily living (ADL) in community residents with stroke. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive correlation study was conducted with a convenience sample comprising 105 stroke patients living in the community. Data were collected using self-reporting questionnaires, including the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI). The Berg Balance Scale was used to measure balance ability. A path model was tested to investigate the causal relations between variables, using the AMOS 17.0 statistical program to analyze the models, to obtain maximum-likelihood estimates of model parameters and to provide goodness-of-fit indices. Results: The proposed path model showed good fit indices. The direct path was significant between balance self-efficacy and balance (0.583), between balance and ADL (0.455). The indirect path was significant between balance self-efficacy and ADL (0.015). Conclusion: Our results support the link between balance efficacy, balance, and ADL in stroke patients. The proposed conceptual model was a good fit for the data and provided a plausible framework for understanding the relationship among these factors in stroke patients. Our model may also guide the intervention of functional rehabilitation for stroke patients. Implications for Rehabilitation Balance self-efficacy, a psychological factor, should not be overlooked in attempting to improve functional outcomes in stroke survivors because balance self-efficacy impact ADL through the mediation of balance ability It would be appropriate to assess the balance efficacy as well as balance ability for maximizing performing tasks such as ADLs for individual with stroke Interventions that use a combination of balance training and balance self-efficacy enhancement could be the most effective for improving ADL in the case of community-dwelling stroke patients
Mealtime Support in Anorexia Nervosa: A Within-Subject Comparison Study of a Novel Vodcast Intervention

Methods  Participants recruited from the volunteer database.  Inclusion criteria: o Females o 18 – 55 years old o fluent in English  Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV was used to: o screen HCs for a past/current mental health disorder (s) o confirm diagnosis of AN  Participants were randomised to either vodcast/music condition first. The paradigm was repeated a week later with exposure to the alterative condition.  Measures: o Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire o Depression Anxiety Stress Scale o Dot-probe task for attentional bias towards food images o Visual Analogue Scales (-5 to +5) assessing subjective feeling of:  anxiety  unpleasant body sensations  preparedness to eat  fullness  hunger  levels of intrusive thoughts  positive mood o Test meal:  chose from 3 different flavoured smoothies (250ml) for consumption whilst listening to the vodcast/music. The experimental paradigm is summarised in the diagram below.
A wireless wearable sEMG and NIRS acquisition system for an enhanced human-computer interface

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is extensively explored in human-computer interface (HCI); complementary to the electrophysiological activity of the muscles, the hemodynamic information that measured from near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is less investigated. Properly combining the sEMG and NIRS would provide a novel approach for HCI applications. This paper presents a multi-channel wireless wearable sEMG and NIRS acquisition system aiming for enhanced human-computer interaction, by providing more information about the muscle activity for subject's motor intention decoding. Extensive tests were carried out to evaluate the system performance. It showed that this novel system proved to be able to capture sEMG signals similar to those of the commercialized sEMG acquisition devices, and had a comparable NIRS sensor performance. Furthermore, simultaneously recording of sEMG and NIRS signals, the system had shown the ability to provide more information about the muscle activities for a better HCI performance. The classification accuracy of 13 hand gesture motions was significantly (P<;0.001) improved by using combined sEMG and NIRS features comparing to sEMG or NIRS features individually, suggesting that the proposed sEMG and NIRS system could be potentially available for an enhanced HCI.
Fundamental methodologies for control of nonlinear nonminimum-phase systems: An overview

In this article, an overview of principle research works regarding control of nonlinear nonminimum-phase systems is presented. Key concepts of some research of fundamental importance that has been done in this area are discussed. The research is categorized into the five fundamental methodologies, and further work based on particular methodology is also discussed. Limitations of each concept are also highlighted at the end.
The Case of Fertility

The purpose of this research is to observe the impact of the individual and aggregate-level education on the fertility rate in Pakistan. In this study, two specifications are used to quantify the impact of women’s schooling on the aggregate fertility rate. In the first specification, the proportion of literate (formal schooling) married women is used irrespective of the level of educational attainments, while in the other specification, two alternative variables are used; first, the proportion of married women in a district, who have education below the secondary level, and second, those who have obtained secondary or higher education. The majority of the estimates are statistically significant and show the expected relationship with the fertility rate. The estimated coefficients of the macro fertility model establish a case for higher education for women to achieve a noticeable reduction in the fertility rate. Moreover, the impact of the general level of education of a district, after controlling for the level of economic development, appears an important element in the fertility response model.
Alteration of Venous Drainage Route in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and Normal Aging

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a highly prevalent condition in the elderly population; however, the underlying pathophysiology in relation to the aging process remains unclear. To investigate the effect of removal of cerebrospinal fluid by lumbar “tap test” on the cerebral circulation in patients with iNPH, 14 patients with “probable” iNPH were studied using a novel blood tracking technique based on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance signal intensity. By tracking the propagation of the low-frequency component of the BOLD signal, extended venous drainage times were observed in the periventricular region of the patients, which was reversed by tap test. Interestingly, the venous drainage time in the periventricular region exhibited an age-related prolongation in the healthy control group. Additional regression analyses involving 81 control subjects revealed a dissociation of deep and superficial venous systems with increasing age, presumably reflecting focal inefficiency in the deep system. Our results not only provide insights into the etiology of iNPH, but also point to a potential non-invasive biomarker for screening iNPH.
An epidemiological and diagnostic study of Asperger syndrome according to four sets of diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the diagnostic process and prevalence rates of Asperger syndrome (AS) according to the DSM-IV, ICD-10, and criteria developed by Gillberg and Gillberg and by Szatmari and colleagues and clarified confusion about AS. METHOD An epidemiological study of 5,484 eight-year-old children in Finland, 4,422 (80.6%) of whom rated on the high-functioning Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire by parents and/or teacher, 125 of them screened and 110 examined by using structured interview, semistructured observation, IQ measurement, school day observation, and patient records. Diagnoses were performed by following the DSM-IV, ICD-10, and criteria developed by Gillberg and Gillberg and by Szatmari and colleagues in detail. RESULTS The prevalence rates per 1,000 were 2.5 according to the DSM-IV, 2.9 to ICD-10, 2.7 to Gillberg and Gillberg's criteria, and 1.6 to the criteria of Szatmari et al. CONCLUSIONS The results emphasize the need to reconsider the diagnostic criteria of AS. The importance of multi-informant sources came up, and the need of several informants was highlighted, especially when diagnosing the broader pervasive developmental disorders.
Infective Endocarditis in New Zealand Children 1994–2012

Background: New Zealand is a developed country with high incidence of bacterial infections and postinfectious sequelae including rheumatic heart disease. We sought to describe the clinical and microbiology features of children with infective endocarditis (IE) between 1994 and 2012. Methods: Retrospective review of patients <16 years identified from hospital records. Results: In total 85 episodes occurred in 82 children and 68 (80%) were classified as Definite IE and 17 as Possible IE according to modified Duke criteria. From Pacific Island countries, 13 cases were referred. There were 72 children who originated in New Zealand, of whom 52% were either indigenous New Zealand Maori or Pacific migrants. The median age at diagnosis was 7 (0–15) years. Of the 85 cases, 51 (60%) had congenital heart disease 10 children with rheumatic heart disease developed IE. Of the 85 cases, 35 (41%) met our criteria for healthcare-associated IE. 39/85 underwent surgery for IE. As direct result of IE, 4 (4.7%) children died and 9% of survivors had neurologic sequelae. Attributable in-hospital mortality was 4.7%. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism, accounting for 26 episodes (30.6%). Other notable pathogens included Corynebacterium diphtheriae (10 cases, 11.8%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (7 cases, 8.2%). In 6 episodes, the microbiologic diagnosis was made by 16S ribosomal RNA testing of excised cardiac tissue. Conclusions: Congenital heart disease was the major risk factor for IE; however, rheumatic heart disease is also an important risk factor in New Zealand, with implications for local endocarditis prophylaxis recommendations. In addition to a high burden of healthcare-associated and staphylococcal IE, pathogens such as C. diphtheriae and S. pyogenes occurred. 16S ribosomal RNA testing is a useful tool to determine the etiologic agent in culture-negative IE.
Ultrastructural and temporal changes of the microvascular basement membrane and astrocyte interface following focal cerebral ischemia

Microvascular integrity is lost during cerebral ischemia. Detachment of the microvascular basement membrane (BM) from the astrocyte, as well as degradation of the BM, is responsible for the loss of microvascular integrity. However, their ultrastructural and temporal changes during cerebral ischemia are not well known. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 48 hr. By using transmission electron microscopy, the proportion of intact BM–astrocyte contacts and electron densities of the BM were measured from five randomly selected microvessels in the ischemic basal ganglia. Their temporal changes and associations with activities of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were investigated. The intact portion of the BM–astrocyte contacts was decreased significantly within 4 hr and was rarely observed at 48 hr after MCAO. Decreases in the electron density and degradation of the BM were significant 12 hr after MCAO. The intact BM–astrocyte contacts and the mean BM density showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.784, P < 0.001). MMP‐9 activity was correlated negatively with the intact BM–astrocyte contacts (r = –0.711, P < 0.001) and with the BM density (r = –0.538, P = 0.0016). The increase in MMP‐9 coincided temporally with the loss of the BM–astrocyte contacts and a decrease in the BM density. Ultrastructural alterations occurring in the microvascular BM and its contacts with astrocyte endfeet were temporally associated in cerebral ischemia. Time courses of their alterations should be considered in the treatment targeted to the microvascular BM and its contact with astrocytes. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Retrieval-Augmented Convolutional Neural Networks for Improved Robustness against Adversarial Examples

We propose a retrieval-augmented convolutional network and propose to train it with local mixup, a novel variant of the recently proposed mixup algorithm. The proposed hybrid architecture combining a convolutional network and an off-the-shelf retrieval engine was designed to mitigate the adverse effect of off-manifold adversarial examples, while the proposed local mixup addresses on-manifold ones by explicitly encouraging the classifier to locally behave linearly on the data manifold. Our evaluation of the proposed approach against five readily-available adversarial attacks on three datasets--CIFAR-10, SVHN and ImageNet--demonstrate the improved robustness compared to the vanilla convolutional network.
Mortality in the United States, 2015.

KEY FINDINGS Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality •Life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2015 was 78.8 years, a decrease of 0.1 year from 2014. •The age-adjusted death rate increased 1.2% from 724.6 deaths per 100,000 standard population in 2014 to 733.1 in 2015. •The 10 leading causes of death in 2015 remained the same as in 2014. Age-adjusted death rates increased for eight leading causes and decreased for one. •The infant mortality rate of 589.5 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 was not significantly different from the 2014 rate. •The 10 leading causes of infant death in 2015 remained the same as in 2014, although two causes exchanged ranks. This report presents 2015 U.S. final mortality data on deaths and death rates by demographic and medical characteristics. These data provide information on mortality patterns among U.S. residents by variables such as sex, race and ethnicity, and cause of death. Life expectancy estimates, age-adjusted death rates by race and ethnicity and sex, 10 leading causes of death, and 10 leading causes of infant death were analyzed by comparing 2015 and 2014 final data (1).
An Expert System For Hepatitis B Diagnosis Using Artificial Neural Networks

Hepatitis B including chronic liver disease is quite common in the world, which may cause damage to hepatocytes. The severity may range from healthy carrier to decompensated cirrhosis. In medicine, diagnosis is "the recognition of a disease or stipulation by its apparent signs and symptoms" or "the analysis of the underlying physiological! Biochemical cause(s) of a disease or condition". An important issue in medical diagnosis is the risk stratification, which refers to the sorting of patients based on the severity of disease. In case the clinical problem lies beyond the physician's competence, the solution is to consult a specialist, however in common, expert opinion is either unavailable or not available in a timely fashion. The physician is left without adequate time to devote to each case and struggling to keep up with the newest developments in his field owing to our increasing expectations of the highest quality health care and the rapid_growth_of_ever_more_detailed_medical_knowledge. In this paper we have described an expert system for the diagnosis of the Hepatitis B virus disease, which consists of the generalized regression neural network. The main aim of the system is to classify the patient in two categories : Infected or Immune mentioning the causes and severity. diagnosis might be reconfigured, refined, or even rejected in every iteration. Recent practice for medical treatment make it mandatory that patients consult specialists for further diagnosis and treatment. Other medical practitioners may not have adequate expertise or experience in handling certain high-risk diseases. Nonetheless, typical waiting time for treatments may be few days, weeks or even months. Possibly, by the time the patients consult the specialists the diseases may have already spread out. Since the majority of the high-risk disease could only be cured at the early stage, the patients may have to endure for the rest of their life, due to which new approaches with the support of computer technology for the diagnosis of diseases is essential. The mortality rate and the waiting time to see the specialist could be reduced by employing the computer technology or computer program or software developed by emulating human intelligence which supports the doctors in making decisions without the direct consultation with the specialists. It is possible to shortlist the patients with high-risk factors or symptoms or predicted to be highly effected with certain diseases or illness to see the specialist for further
Should Child Obesity be an Issue for Child Protective Services? A Call for More Research on this Critical Public Health Issue

Given the lasting effects on adolescent and adult health, childhood obesity is a major public health issue. The relatively slow progress toward the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, however, has prompted leaders in both academic and practice sectors to advocate for what may be considered a radical intervention approach, to conceptualize extreme child obesity as an issue of child maltreatment. Advocates of this approach suggest that this conceptualization affords a new angle for intervention—the involvement of child protective services (CPS) in mandating family-focused lifestyle changes aimed at reducing child overweight and, in the most extreme cases, the removal of the obese child from the home. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted to inform policies or practices consistent with this recommendation, which is already being implemented in some states. This article aims to provide an overview of the challenges to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity that have motivated the call for CPS involvement in extreme cases and to review the existing research related to this approach. Given that relatively little data are currently available to support or refute the merits of CPS involvement, recommendations for future research that would better inform public policy and decision making regarding this and other intervention strategies are also highlighted.