Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Praziquantel Treatment Decreases Schistosoma mansoni Genetic Diversity in Experimental Infections

Background Schistosomiasis has a considerable impact on public health in many tropical and subtropical areas. In the new world, schistosomiasis is caused by the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni. Chemotherapy is the main measure for controlling schistosomiasis, and the current drug of choice for treatment is praziquantel (PZQ). Although PZQ is efficient and safe, its repetitive large-scale use in endemic areas may lead to the selection of resistant strains. Isolates less susceptible to PZQ have been found in the field and selected for in the laboratory. The impact of selecting strains with a decreased susceptibility phenotype on disease dynamics and parasite population genetics is not fully understood. This study addresses the impact of PZQ pressure on the genetics of a laboratory population by analyzing frequency variations of polymorphic genetic markers. Methodology Infected mice were treated with increasing PZQ doses until the highest dose of 3×300 mg/Kg was reached. The effect of PZQ treatment on the parasite population was assessed using five polymorphic microsatellite markers. Parasitological and genetic data were compared with those of the untreated control. After six parasite generations submitted to treatment, it was possible to obtain a S. mansoni population with decreased susceptibility to PZQ. In our experiments we also observed that female worms were more susceptible to PZQ than male worms. Conclusions The selective pressure exerted by PZQ led to decreased genetic variability in S. mansoni and increased endogamy. The understanding of how S. mansoni populations respond to successive drug pressure has important implications on the appearance and maintenance of a PZQ resistance phenotype in endemic regions.
Pre-morbid intelligence estimation in mild and moderate cognitive impairment and in disexecutive syndrome

Cognitive assessment of a patient requires the knowledge of his premorbid intelligence. Several methods are suggested to be used in this estimation; demographic variables and reading of irregular words (such as the NART test) have demonstrated their predictive value and robustness under various neuropsychological conditions. In languages with transparent orthography like Spanish, reading tests have relied on correct accentuation of infrequent words, for which correct stress depends on previous knowledge of the word. The present study examines the stability of the Word Accentuation Test – Buenos Aires version (TAP-BA) performance in patients with mild and moderate dementia, and disexecutive syndrome. Fifty-two participants, 11 dementia patients with mild cognitive impairment (DcL), 11 dementia patients with moderate cognitive impairment INTELIGENCIA PREMORBIDA EN DETERIORO COGNITIVO Revista Neuropsicologia Latinoamericana (2010), 2(1), 25-32 27 (DcM), 17 participants with disexecutive syndrome (DEj), and 13 without cognitive impairment (CTR) paired by age, education and sex, completed a neuropsychological battery and the TAPBA. TAP-BA score did not differ between groups. Significant differences were found between DcM – DcL and DEj CTR on memory, visuoconstructive and language tests. DEj had significantly lower scores on executive screening and significantly higher scores on depression scales. People with deficit in memory, attention, language, visuoconstructive and executive functioning have similar performance in TAP-BA than people without impairment. This results suggests that the test is not sensitive to moderate and mild impairment or to executive deficits, being useful for estimating premorbid cognitive functioning in Spanish-speaking patients.
Community Aerial Mosquito Control and Naled Exposure

ABSTRACT In October 2004, the Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessed human exposure to ultra-low volume (ULV) aerial application of naled. Teams administered activity questionnaires regarding pesticide exposure and obtained baseline urine samples to quantify prespray naled metabolite levels. Following the spray event, participants were asked to collect postspray urine specimens within 12 h of the spray event and at 8-h intervals for up to 40 h. Upon completion, a postspray activity questionnaire was administered to study participants. Two hundred five (87%) participants completed the study. The urine analysis showed that although 67% of prespray urine samples had detectable levels of a naled metabolite, the majority of postspray samples were below the limit of detection (40 h) following exposure, the number of samples with detectable levels exceeded 50%. There was a significant decrease in naled metabolites from prespray to postspray ( = .02), perhaps associated with a significant reduction (≤0.05) in some participants that may have resulted in pesticide exposure by means other than the mosquito control operations. These data suggest that aerial spraying of naled does not result in increased levels of naled in humans, provided the naled is used according to label instructions.
Family Roles and Sex Differences in Creativity of Children in Bombay and Minneapolis

A test is made of the theory that children's creativity varies according to the degree to which the child's role in the family requires conformity to conventional norms. A test of this "conformityinhibition" theory is made possible by the known differences in degree to which Indian and American society expect normative conformity of children, and also because both societies expect greater conformity on the part of girls. Creativity was measured by the ability to generate ideas which might solve a puzzle in the form of a game presented for solution to husband-wife-child groups. Data for 128 family groups show that the Bombay children had lower scores than the Minneapolis sample. Girls' scores were lower than those of boys in both societies. Sex differences in creativity were greatest in Bombay. The lesser sex difference in the Minneapolis sample is interpreted as reflecting the greater freedom and individuality permitted girls in American society. As societies change towards a less restrictive normative code, individual creativity is likely to increase. AMONG the many possible factors accounting for individual differences in the type of behavior which will later be defined as "creative" is the extent to which family experiences subject the individual to pressures for conformity or socially "correct" behavior. This paper reports an empirical test of the theory that such expectations of conformity or intolerance of deviance inhibits creativity. The empirical test is made possible by the fact that there are known differences in the extent to which different cultures expect conformity and also sex differences in the conformity expected of children within cultures. If this "conformity-inhibition" theory is correct, there should be corresponding differences in the creativity of individuals belonging to the different groups.
Torsins: not your typical AAA+ ATPases

Abstract Torsin ATPases (Torsins) belong to the widespread AAA+ (ATPases associated with a variety of cellular activities) family of ATPases, which share structural similarity but have diverse cellular functions. Torsins are outliers in this family because they lack many characteristics of typical AAA+ proteins, and they are the only members of the AAA+ family located in the endoplasmic reticulum and contiguous perinuclear space. While it is clear that Torsins have essential roles in many, if not all metazoans, their precise cellular functions remain elusive. Studying Torsins has significant medical relevance since mutations in Torsins or Torsin-associated proteins result in a variety of congenital human disorders, the most frequent of which is early-onset torsion (DYT1) dystonia, a severe movement disorder. A better understanding of the Torsin system is needed to define the molecular etiology of these diseases, potentially enabling corrective therapy. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the Torsin system in metazoans, discuss functional clues obtained from various model systems and organisms and provide a phylogenetic and structural analysis of Torsins and their regulatory cofactors in relation to disease-causative mutations. Moreover, we review recent data that have led to a dramatically improved understanding of these machines at a molecular level, providing a foundation for investigating the molecular defects underlying the associated movement disorders. Lastly, we discuss our ideas on how recent progress may be utilized to inform future studies aimed at determining the cellular role(s) of these atypical molecular machines and their implications for dystonia treatment options.
Cancer mortality in the United States by education level and race.

BACKGROUND Although both race and socioeconomic status are well known to influence mortality patterns in the United States, few studies have examined the simultaneous influence of these factors on cancer incidence and mortality. We examined relationships among race, education level, and mortality from cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, colon and rectum, and all sites combined in contemporary US vital statistics. METHODS Age-adjusted cancer death rates (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were calculated for 137,708 deaths among 119,376,196 individuals aged 25-64 years, using race and education information from death certificates and population denominator data from the US Bureau of the Census, for 47 states and Washington, DC, in 2001. Relative risk (RR) estimates were used to compare cancer death rates in persons with 12 or fewer years of education with those in persons with more than 12 years of education. RESULTS Educational attainment was strongly and inversely associated with mortality from all cancers combined in black and white men and in white women. The all-cancer death rates were nearly identical for black men and white men with 0-8 years of education (224.2 and 223.6 per 100,000, respectively). The estimated relative risk for all-cancer mortality comparing the three lowest (< or = 12 years) with the three highest (> 12 years) education categories was 2.38 (95% CI = 2.33 to 2.43) for black men, 2.24 (95% CI = 2.23 to 2.26) for white men, 1.43 (95% CI = 1.41 to 1.46) for black women, and 1.76 (95% CI = 1.75 to 1.78) for white women. For both men and women, the magnitude of the relative risks comparing the three lowest educational levels with the three highest within each race for all cancers combined and for lung and colorectal cancers was higher than the magnitude of the relative risks associated with race within each level of education, whereas for breast and prostate cancer the magnitude of the relative risks associated with race was higher than the magnitude of the relative risks associated with level of education within each racial group. Among the most important and novel findings were that black men who completed 12 or fewer years of education had a prostate cancer death rate that was more than double that of black men with more schooling (10.5 versus 4.8 per 100,000 men; RR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.82 to 2.58) and that, in contrast with studies of mortality rates in earlier time periods, breast cancer mortality rates were higher among women with less education than among women with more education (37.0 and 31.1 per 100,000, respectively, for black women and 25.2 versus 18.6 per 100,000, respectively, for white women). CONCLUSION Cancer death rates vary considerably by level of education. Identifying groups at high risk of death from cancer by level of education as well as by race may be useful in targeting interventions and tracking cancer disparities.
Polysomnography findings in patients with restless legs syndrome and in healthy controls: a comparative observational study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep disturbances and their sequelae are the most common complaints of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). We compared polysomnography (PSG) findings in a large cohort of patients with idiopathic RLS and of healthy subjects. DESIGN Comparative observational study. SETTING University hospital sleep laboratory. PATIENTS Age- and sex-matched patients with idiopathic but untreated RLS versus healthy controls. INTERVENTIONS N/A RESULTS: Each group consisted of 29 females and 16 males. RLS subjects and controls were 47.4 +/- 10.9 and 47.3 +/- 10.5 years old, respectively. RLS severity was 24.0 +/- 6.2 points on the IRLS scale, indicating moderately severe RLS symptoms. We found strong multivariate group effects on PSG parameters (Wilks' lambda, P <0.001): RLS patients exhibited prolonged sleep onset latencies (according to the 10-min criterion but not to the one-epoch criterion), shorter total sleep time, lower sleep efficiency, higher arousal index, higher number of stage shifts, and longer REM sleep latency. During the sleep period time, percentage of wake and sleep stage 1 were increased, and sleep stage 2 and REM sleep were decreased in RLS patients. The PLMS indices and the sleep fragmentation index were markedly increased in the RLS group. CONCLUSIONS We present the largest polysomnography study to date that compares patients with idiopathic RLS with age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The findings demonstrate markedly fragmented sleep with deterioration of both NREM and REM sleep in RLS patients.
Ethnicity as a variable in epidemiological research

Ethnicity is used increasingly as a key variable to describe health data, and ethnic monitoring in the NHS will further stimulate this trend. We identify four fundamental problems with ethnicity in this type of research: the difficulties of measurement, the heterogeneity of the populations being studied, lack of clarity about the research purpose of the research, and ethnocentricity affecting the interpretation and use of data. Ethnicity needs to be used carefully to be a useful tool for health research. We make nine recommendations for future practice, one of which is that ethnicity and race should be recognised and treated as distinct concepts.
The Interpersonal Hot Hand Fallacy: Endorsement of Promotional Games by Previous Winners

The article focuses on the impact of interpersonal similarity on the participation of consumers in promotional games based on chance. Results of a survey show that consumers are most likely to join promotional games based on chance if they find similarities with the previous winners. Such similarities will motivate consumers to believe that they have more chances to win the game.
Guitar audio signal classification by collapsed Pitch Class Profile

Guitar audio signal classification has its main application in chord transcription and guitar tutoring systems. This paper proposes a method to classify chords from an electric guitar. The method performs Wavelet Decomposition in order to split the signal in approximation coefficients and details, and then, those approximation coefficients below a threshold are removed. This filtered signal is reconstructed to apply Constant-Q transform, resulting in five octave length signal spectrum. The aforementioned octaves are further merged to a single one, and compared to prune the data. Next, the frequency bins with highest magnitude remain. Finally, the signal is passed through a classification step to perform chord recognition. Our proposed method outperforms some state of the art methods, with a simpler approach.
Schools Matter: The Positive Relationship Between New York City High Schools’ Student Academic Progress and School Climate

This article investigates the link between school climate and student academic progress in New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) high schools. Using a data set compiled from 2010-2011 NYCDOE school-level aggregated demographic, survey, and progress report achievement data, the authors ran ordinary least squares regressions where they found that a school’s climate significantly correlated with student academic progress; under some conditions, the school climate effects outweighed the effects of student background factors. Finally, the school climate domains of safety and respect, communication, engagement, and academic expectations all proved to be important factors that were associated with student achievement.
Cyclooxygenase inhibitors induce apoptosis in sinonasal cancer cells by increased expression of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug‐activated gene

Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug‐activated gene‐1 (NAG‐1) has recently been shown to be induced by nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and to have proapoptotic and antitumorigenic activities. Although sulindac sulfide induced apoptosis in sinonasal cancer cells, the relationship between NAG‐1 and NSAIDs has not been determined. In this study, we investigated the induction of apoptosis in sinonasal cancer cells treated by various NSAIDs and the role of NAG‐1 expression in this induction. The effect of NSAIDs on normal human nasal epithelial (NHNE) cells was also examined to evaluate their safety on normal cells. Finally, the in vivo anti‐tumorigenic activity of NSAIDs in mice was investigated. In AMC‐HN5 human sinonasal carcinoma cells, indomethacin was the most potent NAG‐1 inducer and caused NAG‐1 expression in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. The induction of NAG‐1 expression preceded the induction of apoptosis. Conditioned medium from NAG‐1‐overexpressing Drosophila cells inhibited proliferation of sinonasal cancer cells and induced apoptosis. In addition, in NAG‐1 small interfering RNA‐transfected cells, apoptosis induced by indomethacin was suppressed. In contrast, NAG‐1 expression and apoptosis were not induced by NSAIDs or conditioned medium in NHNE cells. Furthermore, indomethacin induced a dose‐dependent in vivo increase in the expression of NAG‐1 mRNA in the mice tumors and the volume of xenograft tumors of AMC‐HN5 cells in indomethacin‐treated nude mice was reduced compared to that in control mice. In conclusion, indomethacin exerts proapoptotic and antitumorigenic effects in sinonasal cancer cells through the induction of NAG‐1 and can be considered a safe and effective chemopreventive agent against sinonasal cancer. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
LEAD ION AND PHOSPHATASE HISTOCHEMISTRY I. NONENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF NUCLEOSIDE PHOSPHATES BY LEAD ION

A previously undescribed catalytic action of lead ion on the nonenzymatic hydrolysis of nucleoside phosphates has been demonstrated. Lead ion (3.6 mM) hydrolyzed adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at pH 7.2 and 37°C. The presence of magnesium and imidazole was stimulatory. The rate appeared to increase with temperature from 25-60°C. The reaction was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate. Other nucleoside phosphates were hydrolyzed, some less rapidly than ATP. Adenosine triphosphate in the presence of a rate-limiting amount of lead acted as an inhibitor at high concentrations. With a rate-limiting concentration of ATP (0.72 mM), increasing concentrations of lead ion above 0.36 mM catalyzed a linear increase in ATP hydrolysis. It is suggested that this reaction may be a source of artifact in the lead salt method for the histochemical localization of nucleoside phosphatases.
A dynamic feedback tracking design for systems with friction using the LMI formulation

This paper addresses an extended output feedback positioning tracking of a servo-system with friction. It is based on LuGre friction observer dynamics with fixed model parameters. Our design features a global asymptotic stability of the tracking error while sustaining desired transient specifications using dual conditions of strictly positive real (SPR) one and exponential stability margin. These latter have to be fixed with respect to specific pole placement limiting fast controller dynamics. Our full-order dynamic output feedback controller is composed of two components: the first deals with the tracking context and the second represents a correction term in the observer from the position and velocity errors. The subsequent linear state space controller matrices are found by using the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed compensator.
CRX/OTX3: A Useful Marker in the Differential Diagnosis of Tumors of the Pineal Region and Indicator of Photoreceptor Differentiation in Medulloblastomas and Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors

CRX (OTX3) is a transcription factor of the OTX homeobox family, whose expression and function is essential for the development and differentiation of retinal and pineal cells. Among human cancers, CRX seems to be selectively expressed only by retinoblastomas and pineal tumors. In our immunohistochemical analysis, performed on 89 primary and metastatic central nervous system tumors, we found that CRX is strongly expressed by normal pineal tissue as well as by pineal parenchymal tumors. Other than pineal tumors, we observed CRX positivity not only in a few medulloblastomas but also in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors and in small cell lung carcinoma metastasis, in which photoreceptor differentiation has not been reported so far. In conclusion, CRX could represent a potential routine immunohistochemical marker in surgical neuropathology for the differential diagnosis of tumors of the pineal region. However, owing to the significant percentage of negative cells in some pineal tumors of our series, CRX negativity does not definitively rule out the diagnosis of a pineal parenchymal tumor, particularly in case of small biopsy specimens.
A neural network architecture to learn arm motion planning in grasping tasks with obstacle avoidance

In this article, we present a learning model that can control the kinematics motion of a simulated anthropomorphic arm in reaching and grasping tasks of a static prototypic object placed behind an obstacle of varying position and size. The network, composed of two generic neural network modules, learns to combine multi-modal arm-related information (trajectory parameters) as well as obstacle-related information (obstacle size and location). We based our simulation on the Via Point notion, which postulates that the reach motion planning is divided into successive positions of the arm. In order to determine these particular positions, some specific parameters have been extracted from an experimental protocol and constitute the pertinent parameters to be integrated into the model. This net of neural net determines the total path able to reach and grasp the prototypic object while avoiding an obstacle.
Primary osteoarthrosis of the knee in men and women as a result of lifelong physical load from work.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effect of lifelong physical load from work on the development of knee osteoarthrosis (OA) leading to prosthetic surgery among men and women. METHODS In a population-based case-referent study, men and women (N=625) who had had prosthetic surgery due to primary tibiofemoral OA were compared with referents (N=548) as to job titles and exposure to physical load in occupational work, housework, and leisure-time activities from 15 to 50 years of age. RESULTS Male forestry and construction workers, and both male and female farmers ran the highest risk of knee OA. The men had considerably higher exposure to lifting at work, and also to jumps and vibration, than the women. Among the men there was an association between lifting at work [odds ratio (OR) 3.0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.6-5.5], squatting or knee bending (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7-4.9), kneeling (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-3.3), and jumping (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.7-4.1) with knee OA. Exposure to physically demanding tasks at home, such as taking care of an elderly or handicapped person, was associated with knee OA among the women (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.6). CONCLUSIONS Working as a farmer or as a construction worker could be associated with the development of knee OA and lead to prosthetic surgery. Men and women differ in the quality and quantity of reported physical load and also in the strength of the risk estimates. A reduction of high physical load at work and at home could probably lower the risk of knee OA later in life.