Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spasticity and Its Association with Functioning and Health-Related Quality of Life 18 Months after Stroke

Background: There is no consensus concerning the presence of spasticity or the relationship between spasticity and functioning and spasticity and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the stable phase after stroke. Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe, 18 months after stroke, the frequency of spasticity and its association with functioning and HRQL. Methods: In a cohort of 66 consecutive patients with first-ever stroke, studied prospectively, the following parameters were assessed 18 months after stroke: spasticity, by the Modified Ashworth Scale (0–4 points with 1+ as the modification), muscle stiffness, by self-report, abnormal tendon reflexes, by physical examination, motor performance, by the Lindmark Motor Assessment Scale, mobility, by the Rivermead Mobility Index, activities of daily living, by the Barthel Index, and HRQL, by the Swedish Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Results: Of 66 patients studied, 38 were hemiparetic; of these, 13 displayed spasticity, 12 had increased tendon reflexes, and 7 reported muscle stiffness 18 months after stroke. Weak (r < 0.5) to moderate (r = 0.5–0.75) correlations were seen between spasticity and functioning scores. Correlations between spasticity and HRQL were generally weak (r < 0.5). Hemiparetic patients without spasticity had significantly better functioning scores and significantly better HRQL on 1 of the 8 SF-36 health scales (physical functioning) than patients with spasticity. Conclusions: Few patients displayed spasticity 18 months after stroke. Spasticity might contribute to impairment of movement function and to limitation of activity, but seems to have a less pronounced effect on HRQL.
Unleashing the power of p 53 : lessons from mice and men

References http://www.genesdev. org/cgi/content/full/20/2/125#References This article cites 55 articles, 20 of which can be accessed free at: service Email alerting click here top right corner of the article or Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the Topic collections (46 articles) Cancer and Disease Models  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections
Chronic cerebrovascular dysfunction after traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often involve vascular dysfunction that leads to long‐term alterations in physiological and cognitive functions of the brain. Indeed, all the cells that form blood vessels and that are involved in maintaining their proper function can be altered by TBI. This Review focuses on the different types of cerebrovascular dysfunction that occur after TBI, including cerebral blood flow alterations, autoregulation impairments, subarachnoid hemorrhage, vasospasms, blood–brain barrier disruption, and edema formation. We also discuss the mechanisms that mediate these dysfunctions, focusing on the cellular components of cerebral blood vessels (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, astrocytes, pericytes, perivascular nerves) and their known and potential roles in the secondary injury cascade. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Did the recent unemployment boom in the Netherlands affect crime rates? Evidence from a 2005-2012 panel data analysis

This paper uses municipality-level unemployment rates during 2005-2012 to identify the effect of unemployment on different crime rates. The fixed effects regression finds evidence for a relationship between unemployment and burglary. For every ten percent increase of the unemployment rate, burglary crime shows a three percent increase. Assuming a mean crime cost of $ 46,000 per burglary, the unemployment boom from four percent to seven percent between 2005 and 2013 led to $ 725 million (1999 dollars) additional crime costs. The results indicate that, with respect to burglary, motivational factors of unemployment dominate opportunity factors. The analysis provides no evidence for a significant relationship between unemployment during 2005-2012 and assaults, sexual offences and vandalism.
The Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates and Optimal Monetary Policy Under Discretion

I study how the zero bound on nominal interest rates affects optimal discretionary monetary policy within the standard New Keynesian framework. I find that the non-negativity constraint implies an optimal policy which is more expansionary and more aggressive near the zero bound compared to the optimal rule, which ignores this constraint. This "precautionary loosening" of monetary policy when the risk of deflation is high is required to offset the negative effect of private sector expectations on the current output gap and inflation. The effect is found to be quantitatively significant and to increase with the variance and persistence of the natural real interest rate.
Whole genome sequence study of cannabis dependence in two independent cohorts

Recent advances in genome wide sequencing techniques and analytical methods allow for more comprehensive examinations of the genome than microarray‐based genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). The present report provides the first application of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify low frequency variants involved in cannabis dependence across two independent cohorts. The present study used low‐coverage whole genome sequence data to conduct set‐based association and enrichment analyses of low frequency variation in protein‐coding regions as well as regulatory regions in relation to cannabis dependence. Two cohorts were studied: a population‐based Native American tribal community consisting of 697 participants nested within large multi‐generational pedigrees and a family‐based sample of 1832 predominantly European ancestry participants largely nested within nuclear families. Participants in both samples were assessed for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐IV (DSM‐IV) lifetime cannabis dependence, with 168 and 241 participants receiving a positive diagnosis in each sample, respectively. Sequence kernel association tests identified one protein‐coding region, C1orf110 and one regulatory region in the MEF2B gene that achieved significance in a meta‐analysis of both samples. A regulatory region within the PCCB gene, a gene previously associated with schizophrenia, exhibited a suggestive association. Finally, a significant enrichment of regions within or near genes with multiple splice variants or involved in cell adhesion or potassium channel activity were associated with cannabis dependence. This initial study demonstrates the potential utility of low pass whole genome sequencing for identifying genetic variants involved in the etiology of cannabis use disorders.
Key Technology Research on User Identity Resolution across Multi-social Media

People usually use various social media for different purposes. Personal information are not distributed in the Internet randomly, but archived in several social media under a certain rule, which is called the different characters of social media. When sources of complementary information are integrated, the fused social data of people will have broad prospect in the area of recommendation system and security. A key problem for social data fusion is to discover multiple accounts of a single person across different social media. In this paper, we propose a methodology for user identity resolution based on user's basic information and social network. The approach accomplishes this task by measuring the similarity of vertices. Finally, we use calculation results to evaluate these methods' accuracy rate.
High performance 30 nm gate bulk CMOS for 45 nm node with /spl Sigma/-shaped SiGe-SD

Aggressively scaled 30 nm gate CMOSFETs for 45 nm node is reported. We successfully improved the short channel effect with keeping a high drive current by Sigma shaped SiGe-source/drain (SiGe-SD) structure. Both hole mobility and source/drain extension (SDE) resistance in pMOSFET are improved by combination of optimized Sigma shaped SiGe-SD and slit-embedded B-doped SiGe-SDE. Electron and hole mobility enhancement can be balanced by aggressively scaled poly-Si pMOS gate height and SiN capped shallow trench isolation (STI) with SiN liner. A high performance 30 nm/33 nm gate nMOSFET and pMOSFET were demonstrated with a drive currents of 937/1000 muA/mum and 490/545 muA/mum at Vd=1.0 V / Ioff=100 nA/mum, respectively
[Effect of neonatal exposure to environmental pollutants on the DNA methylation of rat testis].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of neonatal exposure of DNA methylation inhibitor, Cadmium and PCB153 on DNA methylation, apoptosis and spermatogenesis in SD rats. METHODS Neonatal SD rats were randomly divided into 10 groups and received oral administrations of PCB153 (0.025, 0. 250, 2.500 mg/kg), or Cadmium (1, 2, 4 mg/kg), or positive control 5-Aza-CdR (0.025, 0.250 mg/kg), or vehicle control for five days from PND3. Half of the rats were killed 24 h after the last administration. The remains were fed until 12 weeks. Sperm numbers, apoptosis and DNA methylation levels in testis were investigated. RESULTS The daily sperm production was significantly decreased in each neonatal exposed group (P < 0.05). Neonatal rats exposed to 5-Aza-CdR and Cadmium reduced the global DNA methylation level, increased apoptosis, while PCB153 exposure did not significantly change DNA methylation and apoptosis. CONCLUSION Neonatal rats exposed to chemicals could reduce spermatogenesis via multiple pathways. Lower DNA methylation and increased neonatal apoptosis were suggested as one of the causes.
Public health laboratory systems development in East Africa through training in laboratory management and field epidemiology

Laboratories are integral to the delivery of quality health care and for public health functions; however laboratory systems and services are often neglected in resource-poor settings such as the East African region. In order to sustainably strengthen national laboratory systems in resource-poor countries, there is a need to train laboratory personnel to work in clinical as well as public health laboratories. In 2004,Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan began training public health laboratory workers jointly with field epidemiologists in the Kenya Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP), and later through the Tanzania FELTP, as a strategy to strengthen public health laboratories. These programs train laboratory epidemiologists through a two-year public health leadership development course, and also offer various types of short course training for frontline staff. The FELTP laboratory graduates in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan are working in their respective countries to strengthen public health laboratory systems while the short course participants provide a pool of frontline implementers with the capacity to support the lower tiers of health systems, as well as serve as surge capacity for the regions and the national level. Through training competent public health laboratory workers, the East African ministries of health, in collaboration with other regional partners and stakeholders are now engaged in developing and implementing a holistic approach that will guarantee an overall strengthening of the health system by using well-trained public health laboratory leaders to drive the process. Strengthening public health laboratory medicine in East Africa is critical to improve health-care systems. The experience with the FELTP model in East Africa is a step in the right direction towards ensuring a stronger role for the laboratory in public health.
A semi-empirical approach to prediction of long-period ground motions from great earthquakes

Predictability of long-period (1 sec or longer) ground motions generated by long strike-slip earthquakes such as the 1906 San Francisco and the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquakes, is investigated. Most large earthquakes are complex multiple events at this period range, and the resulting ground motion may be synthesized by convolving the ground motions of the individual event with the source function that describes the space-time history of the multiple shock sequence. Since it is not possible to predict deterministically the complexity of the rupture propagation, a semi-empirical approach was taken. For the ground motion from the individual events, the displacement records observed for the 1968 Borrego Mountain, California, earthquake were used after correcting for the distance and the radiation pattern. These records which were used as an empirical Green's function for the individual events were superposed, with some randomness, to produce ground motions resulting from a large earthquake. The models were constrained by gross seismological data at three periods. At 1 sec they are constrained by the observed upper bound of the local magnitude (ML = 714), and, at about 10 sec, by the upper bound of the seismic moment of the individual event of multiple shocks (5 × 1026 dyne-cm). At very long periods, the models have the correct total seismic moment. The results obtained for a model of the 1857 earthquake indicate that: (1) the velocity response spectra of ground motions in the near-field are nearly flat at about 50 cm/sec over the period range from 1 to 10 sec under normal conditions; (2) under certain circumstances they can be as large as 150 cm/sec; (3) the maximum duration of the ground motion is 6 min. These results are considered reasonable because they satisfy all the seismological constraints currently available over a wide period range.
The Determinants and Structural Change of FDI in China – A Study Based on City-Level Panel Data

As one of the important developing countries, China has experienced a tremendous amount of economic growth in the past 30 years. This in turn has attracted a huge amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country. However, according to past literature, FDI location is imbalance in China. Building upon this finding, this paper attempts to identify factors affecting the location determinants of FDI in China. By introducing spatial variable into the analysis, this paper measures the agglomeration effect of a city level data. The results show that the spatial variable (market potential factor), plays a significant role in FDI flows. Also I find that previous FDI flow, market potential factor, infrastructure construction, government preferential policies and coastal location can attract FDI flow. While higher wages and education level effects are not clear. By separating the data into two sub-sample periods (1996-2002 and 2003-2008), I find that in response to the transformation of the economic situation, foreign investors shift their investment direction into regions with high education and high income level. This observation is different to previous studies. This study provides deeper perspective on the factors that attract FDI flows to China, and how the transformation of the economic environment change the direction of FDI flows.
Ethnic differences in hepatic steatosis: An insulin resistance paradox?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a burgeoning problem. We have previously shown that Hispanics were at greater risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than were African‐Americans despite a similar prevalence of risk factors between these groups. We have performed the largest, population‐based study to date (n = 2170) utilizing proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry, and multislice abdominal MR imaging to determine the contribution of body fat distribution to the differing prevalence of hepatic steatosis in the three major U.S. ethnic groups (African‐American, Hispanic, Caucasian). Despite controlling for age and total adiposity, African‐Americans had less intraperitoneal (IP) fat and more lower extremity fat than their Hispanic and Caucasian counterparts. The differences in hepatic triglyceride content (HTGC) between these groups remained after controlling for total, abdominal subcutaneous, and lower extremity adiposity; however, controlling for IP fat nearly abolished the differences in HTGC, indicating a close association between IP and liver fat regardless of ethnicity. Despite the lower levels of IP and liver fat in African‐Americans, their prevalence of insulin resistance was similar to Hispanics, who had the highest levels of IP and liver fat. Furthermore, insulin levels and homeostasis model assessment values were highest and serum triglyceride levels were lowest among African‐Americans after controlling for IP fat. Conclusion: IP fat is linked to HTGC, irrespective of ethnicity. The differing prevalence of hepatic steatosis between these groups was associated with similar differences in visceral adiposity. The metabolic response to obesity and insulin resistance differs in African‐Americans when compared to either Hispanics or Caucasians: African‐Americans appear to be more resistant to both the accretion of triglyceride in the abdominal visceral compartment (adipose tissue and liver) and hypertriglyceridemia associated with insulin resistance. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Quantitative structure-activity relationships of antioxidant phenolic compounds.

In the present work, we carried out a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study, using 15 phenolic compounds with antioxidant activi ty. For each compound, two electronic properties, BDE-OH (OH bond homolytic dissociation e thalpy) and IP (ionization potential), and two lipophylic parameters, LogP (lipophilicity) and LogD (relative lipophilicity), were estimated. The best QSAR model obtained by multiple regr ssion analysis, using the systematic approach for variable selection, corresponds to the equation: pIC50 = 6.68 – 0.023(BDE-OH) – 0.0036(IP), which showed a high statistical signifi cance (N = 15, R = 0.941, R 2 = 0.885, Q = 0.807, s = 0.057, F = 46.09, p = 0.05).
BRIEF REPORT: The burden of diabetes therapy

AbstractBACKGROUND: Management of diabetes, and in particular blood glucose, can be complex and burdensome. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient views of the burdens of therapy and its impact on self-management. PATIENTS: Veteran patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Mailed survey. MEASUREMENTS: Patients described their views of the burden of diabetes treatments, adherence, and clinical and demographic status. Factors associated with ratings of burden and adherence to therapy were examined using multivariate regression methods. RESULTS: The response rate was 67% (n=1,653). Patients viewed pills as the least burdensome treatment and insulin as the most burdensome. Ratings of the burden of insulin were lower if a patient had prior experience with therapy. Adherence to prescribed therapy varied substantially; for example, patients followed medication recommendations more closely than other areas of self-management. Multivariate analyses showed that the main predictor of adherence was patients’ ratings of the burden of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Injected insulin regimens are viewed as highly burdensome by patients, although this burden is attenuated by experience. Adherence to self-management is strongly and independently correlated with views of treatment burden. The burden of diabetesrelated treatments may be a source of suboptimal glucose control seen in many care settings. Providers should consider the burden of treatment for a particular patient and its impact on adherence as part of a decision-making process to design effective treatment regimens.
Mitophagy and deubiquitination in yeast – the power of synthetic quantitative array technology

ABSTRACT Use of synthetic quantitative array technology led to the identification of positive and negative modulators of rapamycin-induced mitophagy in yeast. The Ubp3-Bre5 deubiquitination complex was shown to inhibit mitophagy but promote other types of autophagy, including ribophagy. We propose an ubiquitin-dependent regulatory switch between different types of autophagy.
Modeling, simulation, and measurement of a transparent armor embedded meshed microstrip antenna

This paper presents the design and performance of a transparent armor embedded meshed microstrip antenna. In order to reduce opacity of the metallization, a sparse mesh pattern was chosen for the radiating patch. The pattern was subsequently enlarged and translated onto the ground plane, thus reducing the visual footprint of the antenna. After initial simulations, all un-embedded antenna and mesh dimensions were optimized for a specific operating frequency. A prototype patch antenna was then screen printed onto a single layer of glass, and characterized in an anechoic chamber. The antenna was subsequently embedded into a multilayered transparent armor stack and its parameters re-measured. Experiments confirm that the single layer design maintains typical patch antenna performance while reducing visual footprint and in comparison, the multi-layer embedded antenna reduces overall performance and must be compensated for a priori.
Dosimetric verification of modulated electron radiotherapy delivered using a photon multileaf collimator for intact breasts

Modulated electron radiotherapy (MERT) may potentially be an effective modality for the treatment of shallow tumors, but dose calculation accuracy and delivery efficiency challenges remain. The purpose of this work is to investigate the dose accuracy of MERT delivery using a photon multileaf collimator (pMLC) on a Siemens Primus accelerator. A Monte Carlo (MC)-based inverse treatment planning system was developed for the 3D treatment planning process. Phase space data of 6, 9, 12 and 15 MeV electron beams were commissioned and used as the input source for MC dose calculations. A treatment plan was performed based on the 3D CT data of a heterogeneous ‘breast phantom’ that mimics a breast cancer patient, and delivered with 22 segments, each associated with a particular energy and Monitor Unit value. Film and ion chamber dosimetry was carefully performed for the conversion from measurement reading to dose, and the results were employed for plan verification using the heterogeneous breast phantom and a solid water phantom. Dose comparisons between measurements and calculations showed agreement within 2% or 1 mm. We conclude that our in-house MC treatment planning system is capable of performing treatment planning and accurate dose calculations for MERT using the pMLC to deliver radiation therapy to the intact breast.