Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring environmental barriers faced by individuals living with stroke: development and validation of the Chinese version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors.

OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a Chinese version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors. DESIGN Descriptive case-series. SUBJECTS A total of 107 individuals with chronic stroke and 56 age-matched healthy subjects. METHODS The English version of the 25-item Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors was translated into Chinese using standardized procedures, and then administered to both the stroke and control groups. The same questionnaire was administered again to the stroke group 1-2 weeks after the first session. RESULTS The Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.916) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.845). It also had significant association with Personal Wellbeing Index (r(s) = -0.379, p = 0.001) but not with Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper limb (r(s) = -0.107, p = 0.320) and lower limb motor scores (r(s) = -0.032, p = 0.768) among stroke subjects, thus demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. The mean Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors score in the stroke group was also significantly higher than that in controls (p = 0.020), thus showing good known-groups validity. CONCLUSION The Chinese version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the perceived environmental barriers experienced by people with chronic stroke.
Using AOP to ensure component interactions in component-based software

Component-based software development (CBSD) has been got considerable adoption in software industry, but it is still lack of language support to ensure proper interactions among components, i.e. modularity assurance, which usually causes the software hard to maintain and evolve because of the improper dependencies among the components. In this paper, we propose an AOP approach to ensure that the interactions among components are strictly conformed to the sated API usage policies of the components. Also, by using AOP, we can separate the constraints violation checking code from the normal functional code via the so called aspects, thus improving the software quality by separation of concern. Experiment using AspectJ as the AOP implementation technique shows that the performance is comparable to the non embedded code.
A Randomized Trial of Family Caregiver Support in the Home Management of Dementia

A randomized trial of family caregiver support for the home management of older people suffering from moderate to severe progressive irreversible dementia was conducted in an urban center in southern Ontario. Thirty caregivers were allocated to receive the experimental intervention consisting of: caregiver‐focused health care, education about dementia and caregiving, assistance with problem solving, regularly scheduled in‐home respite, and a self‐help family caregiver support group. Thirty control subjects received conventional community nursing care. Before completion of the intervention, 18 (30%) were withdrawn, almost equally from each group. The most frequent reason was long‐term institutionalization of the demented relative (n = 10). At baseline, caregivers in both groups were suffering from above‐average levels of depression and anxiety. After the six‐month intervention period, we found neither experimental nor control group improved in these areas. However, the experimental group showed a clinically important improvement in quality of life, experienced a slightly longer mean time to long‐term institutionalization, found the caregiver role less problematic, and had greater satisfaction with nursing care than the control group.
[Effect of Chinese herbal medicine for nourishing yin and purging fire on mRNA expressions of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its receptor in precocious puberty model rats].

OBJECTIVE To probe the mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for nourishing Yin and purging Fire on the expressions of gonadotropin-release hormone (GnRH) and its mRNA expression in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary in danazol induced precocious puberty model rats. METHODS Rats were divided into the normal group, the model group, the blank control group and the CHM group. Rats, except that in the normal group, were subcutaneously administered danazol 300 micrograms at 5 days of age individually and CHM was fed to rats in the CHM group from 15 days of age, in the meantime, normal saline was fed to rats in the blank control group. Expression of GnRH in hypothalamus was observed by immunohistochemical method and expressions of GnRH mRNA in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary were determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS Compared with rats in the normal groups, the vaginal opening and the onset of first estrus were ahead of time, the number of GnRH immunoreactive positive cells decreased and the expressions of GnRH mRNA in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary up-regulated in the model rats and blank control rats. Compared with the model and the blank control groups, in CHM group, all the above-mentioned abnormally changed parameters improved significantly after treatment. CONCLUSION CHM for nourishing Yin and purging Fire may inhibit the abnormal hyperfunction of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis in precocious puberty rat induced by danazol via reducing the synthesis and release of GnRH, and lowering the responsibility of pituitary cells to GnRH. This may be the primary mechanism of CHM in effectively treating the true precocious puberty.
Combined use of wild‐type HBV precore and high serum iron marker as a potential tool for the prediction of cirrhosis in chronic Hepatitis B infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and high liver iron deposits have both been associated with the development of cirrhosis. Among HBV factors, genotype and mutations in the basal core promoter (BCP) and precore regions have been most frequently studied but the evidence for a positive association with cirrhosis has been inconsistent. In this study, sera from persons with chronic HBV infection with and without cirrhosis were used for whole HBV genome analysis and for the estimation of serum iron marker (serum iron or ferritin) levels. Single codon analysis showed that the precore wild‐type, TGG (nt 1,895–1,897), gave the highest accuracy (77.5%) for the identification of cirrhosis compared to other codons. When TGG was analyzed together with the precore start codon wild‐type, ATG (nt 1,814–1,816), the accuracy was improved to 80.0% (odds ratio = 35.29; 95% confidence interval = 3.87–321.93; Phi = 0.629; P < 0.001). When the serum iron marker was included for analysis, it was clear that a combination of a precore wild‐type and high serum iron marker gave a better accuracy (90.0%) (odds ratio = 107.67; 95% confidence interval = 10.21–1,135.59; Phi = 0.804; P < 0.001) for the identification of cirrhosis than either biomarker alone. It appeared that a combined use of both these biomarkers might help to predict the development of cirrhosis in a person with chronic HBV infection, but longitudinal studies are required to test this hypothesis. J. Med. Virol. 83:594–601, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Absence of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling in C3H/HeJ Mice Predisposes Them to Overwhelming Rickettsial Infection and Decreased Protective Th1 Responses

ABSTRACT The importance of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in immunity to rickettsiae remains elusive. To investigate the role of TLR4 in protection against rickettsioses, we utilized C3H/HeJ mice, which are naturally defective in TLR4 signaling, and compared the responses of C3H/HeN and C3H/HeJ mice following intravenous inoculation with Rickettsia conorii. Mice genetically defective in TLR4 signaling developed overwhelming, fatal rickettsial infections when given an inoculum that was nonfatal for TLR4-competent mice. In addition, mice lacking the ability to signal through TLR4 had significantly greater rickettsial burdens in vivo. Moreover, we observed greater concentrations of the cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, and IL-17 in the sera of mice with intact TLR4 function as well as significantly greater quantities of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Additionally, we also observed that Th17 cells were present only in TLR4-competent mice, suggesting an important role for TLR4 ligation in the activation of this subset. In agreement with these data, we also observed significantly greater percentages of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells in the spleen during infection in TLR4-defective mice. Together, these data demonstrate that, while rickettsiae do not contain endotoxic lipopolysaccharide, they nevertheless initiate TLR4-specific immune responses, and these responses are important in protection.
Read-through transcripts in normal human lung parenchyma are down-regulated in lung adenocarcinoma

Read-through transcripts result from the continuous transcription of adjacent, similarly oriented genes, with the splicing out of the intergenic region. They have been found in several neoplastic and normal tissues, but their pathophysiological significance is unclear. We used high-throughput sequencing of cDNA fragments (RNA-Seq) to identify read-through transcripts in the non-involved lung tissue of 64 surgically treated lung adenocarcinoma patients. A total of 52 distinct read-through species was identified, with 24 patients having at least one read-through event, up to a maximum of 17 such transcripts in one patient. Sanger sequencing validated 28 of these transcripts and identified an additional 15, for a total of 43 distinct read-through events involving 35 gene pairs. Expression levels of 10 validated read-through transcripts were measured by quantitative PCR in pairs of matched non-involved lung tissue and lung adenocarcinoma tissue from 45 patients. Higher expression levels were observed in normal lung tissue than in the tumor counterpart, with median relative quantification ratios between normal and tumor varying from 1.90 to 7.78; the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test for paired samples) for eight transcripts: ELAVL1–TIMM44, FAM162B–ZUFSP, IFNAR2–IL10RB, INMT–FAM188B, KIAA1841–C2orf74, NFATC3–PLA2G15, SIRPB1–SIRPD, and SHANK3–ACR. This report documents the presence of read-through transcripts in apparently normal lung tissue, with inter-individual differences in patterns and abundance. It also shows their down-regulation in tumors, suggesting that these chimeric transcripts may function as tumor suppressors in lung tissue.
The Role of Intestinal Microbiota in Development of Irinotecan Toxicity and in Toxicity Reduction through Dietary Fibres in Rats

CPT-11 is a drug used as chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. CPT-11 causes toxic side-effects in patients. CPT-11 toxicity has been attributed to the activity of intestinal microbiota, however, intestinal microbiota may also have protective effects in CP! -11 chemotherapy. This study aimed to elucidate mechanisms through which microbiota and dietary fibres could modify host health. Rats bearing a Ward colon carcinoma were treated with a two-cycle CPT-11/5-fluorouracil therapy recapitulating clinical therapy of colorectal cancer. Animals were fed with a semi-purified diet or a semi-purified diet was supplemented with non-digestible carbohydrates (isomalto-oligosaccharides, resistant starch, fructo-oligosaccharides, or inulin) in 3 independent experiments. Changes in intestinal microbiota, bacteria translocating to mesenteric lymphnodes, cecal GUD activity, and cecal SCFA production, and the intestinal concentration of CPT-11 and its metabolites were analysed. Non-digestible carbohydrates significantly influenced feed intake, body weight and other indicators of animal health. The identification of translocating bacteria and their quantification in cecal microbiota indicated that overgrowth of the intestine by opportunistic pathogens was not a major contributor to CPT-11 toxicity. Remarkably, fecal GUD activity positively correlated to body weight and feed intake but negatively correlated to cecal SN-38 concentrations and IL1-β. The reduction in CPT-11 toxicity by non-digestible carbohydrates did not correlate to stimulation of specific bacterial taxa. However, cecal butyrate concentrations and feed intake were highly correlated. The protective role of intestinal butyrate production was substantiated by a positive correlation of the host expression of MCT1 (monocarboxylate transporter 1) with body weight as well as a positive correlation of the abundance of bacterial butyryl-CoA gene with cecal butyrate concentrations. These correlations support the interpretation that the influence of dietary fibre on CPT-11 toxicity is partially mediated by an increased cecal production of butyrate.
Improving the performance of delay based protocol in delivering real time media via early retransmission

Early Retransmission (ER) has already been shown to improve TCP-SACK's performance in delivering time sensitive media. In this paper, we integrate the ER scheme into a delay-based TCP variant, namely TCP-PERT, and performs extensive ns2 simulation. Our results show that ER can also improve PERT's performance in delivering real time media by reducing the latency caused by retransmission timeouts. Furthermore, we also explored the improvement brought by employing a finegrained retransmission timer, and compared it with ER. We find out a) ER outperforms fine grained timer in a variety of conditions and b) the combination of the two can further improve performance.
An Msh2 Point Mutation Uncouples DNA Mismatch Repair and Apoptosis

Mutations in the human DNA mismatch repair gene MSH2 are associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer as well as a significant proportion of sporadic colorectal cancer. The inactivation of MSH2 results in the accumulation of somatic mutations in the genome of tumor cells and resistance to the genotoxic effects of a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. Here we show that the DNA repair and DNA damage-induced apoptosis functions of Msh2 can be uncoupled using mice that carry the G674A missense mutation in the conserved ATPase domain. As a consequence, although Msh2G674A homozygous mutant mice are highly tumor prone, the onset of tumorigenesis is delayed as compared with Msh2-null mice. In addition, tumors that carry the mutant allele remain responsive to treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent. Our results indicate that Msh2-mediated apoptosis is an important component of tumor suppression and that certain MSH2 missense mutations can cause mismatch repair deficiency while retaining the signaling functions that confer sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents.
The harmonic influence in social networks and its distributed computation by message passing

In this paper we elaborate upon a measure of node influence in social networks, which was recently proposed by Vassio et al., IEEE Trans. Control Netw. Syst. , 2014. This measure quantifies the ability of the node to sway the average opinion of the network. Following the approach by Vassio et al., we describe and study a distributed message passing algorithm that aims to compute the nodes' influence. The algorithm is inspired by an analogy between potentials in electrical networks and opinions in social networks. If the graph is a tree, then the algorithm computes the nodes' influence in a number of steps equal to the diameter of the graph. On general graphs, the algorithm converges asymptotically to a meaningful approximation of the nodes' influence. In this paper we detail the proof of convergence, which greatly extends previous results in the literature, and we provide simulations that illustrate the usefulness of the returned approximation.
Periodic and quasi-periodic behavior in resource-dependent age structured population models

To describe the dynamics of a resource-dependent age structured population, a general non-linear Leslie type model is derived. The dependence on the resources is introduced through the death rates of the reproductive age classes. The conditions assumed in the derivation of the model are regularity and plausible limiting behaviors of the functions in the model. It is shown that the model dynamics restricted to its ω-limit sets is a diffeomorphism of a compact set, and the period-1 fixed points of the model are structurally stable. The loss of stability of the non-zero steady state occurs by a discrete Hopf bifurcation. Under general conditions, and after the loss of stability of the structurally stable steady states, the time evolution of population numbers is periodic or quasi-periodic. Numerical analysis with prototype functions has been performed, and the conditions leading to chaotic behavior in time are discussed.
Subinhibitory Concentrations of Allicin Decrease Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) Biofilm Formation, Adhesion Ability, and Swimming Motility

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilm formation enables the organism to avoid the host immune system, resist antibiotics, and provide a reservoir for persistent infection. Once the biofilm is established, eradication of the infection becomes difficult. Therefore, strategies against UPEC biofilm are urgently required. In this study, we investigated the effect of allicin, isolated from garlic essential oil, on UPEC CFT073 and J96 biofilm formation and dispersal, along with its effect on UPEC adhesion ability and swimming motility. Sub-inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of allicin decreased UPEC biofilm formation and affected its architecture. Allicin was also capable of dispersing biofilm. Furthermore, allicin decreased the bacterial adhesion ability and swimming motility, which are important for biofilm formation. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed that allicin decreased the expression of UPEC type 1 fimbriae adhesin gene fimH. Docking studies suggested that allicin was located within the binding pocket of heptyl α-d-mannopyrannoside in FimH and formed hydrogen bonds with Phe1 and Asn135. In addition, allicin decreased the expression of the two-component regulatory systems (TCSs) cognate response regulator gene uvrY and increased the expression of the RNA binding global regulatory protein gene csrA of UPEC CFT073, which is associated with UPEC biofilm. The findings suggest that sub-MICs of allicin are capable of affecting UPEC biofilm formation and dispersal, and decreasing UPEC adhesion ability and swimming motility.
On the Field Evaporation Behavior of Dielectric Materials in Three-Dimensional Atom Probe: A Numeric Simulation

Abstract As a major improvement in three-dimensional (3D) atom probe, the range of applicable material classes has recently been broadened by the establishment of laser-assisted atom probes (LA-3DAP). Meanwhile, measurements of materials of low conductivity, such as dielectrics, ceramics, and semiconductors, have widely been demonstrated. However, besides different evaporation probabilities, heterogeneous dielectric properties are expected to give rise to additional artifacts in the 3D volume reconstruction on which the method is based. In this article, these conceivable artifacts are discussed based on a numeric simulation of the field evaporation. Sample tips of layer- or precipitate-type geometry are considered. It is demonstrated that dielectric materials tend to behave similarly to metals of reduced critical evaporation field.
Age-Specific Performance of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index for Predicting Cardiovascular Risk in Elective Noncardiac Surgery

Background— The revised cardiac risk index (RCRI) holds a central role in preoperative cardiac risk stratification in noncardiac surgery. Its performance in unselected populations, including different age groups, has, however, not been systematically investigated. We assessed the relationship of RCRI with major adverse cardiovascular events in an unselected cohort of patients undergoing elective, noncardiac surgery overall and in different age groups. Methods and Results— We followed up all individuals ≥25 years who underwent major elective noncardiac surgery in Denmark (January 1, 2005, to November 30, 2011) for the 30-day risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular death). There were 742 of 357 396 (0.2%), 755 of 74 889 (1.0%), 521 of 11 921 (4%), and 257 of 3146 (8%) major adverse cardiovascular events occurring in RCRI classes I, II, III, and IV. Multivariable odds ratio estimates were as follows: ischemic heart disease 3.30 (95% confidence interval, 2.96–3.69), high-risk surgery 2.70 (2.46–2.96), congestive heart failure 2.65 (2.29–3.06), cerebrovascular disease 10.02 (9.08–11.05), insulin therapy 1.62 (1.37–1.93), and kidney disease 1.45 (1.33–1.59). Modeling RCRI classes as a continuous variable, C statistic was highest among age group 56 to 65 years (0.772) and lowest for those aged >85 years (0.683). Sensitivity of RCRI class >I (ie, having ≥1 risk factor) for capturing major adverse cardiovascular events was 59%, 71%, 64%, 66%, and 67% in patients aged ⩽55, 56 to 65, 66 to 75, 76 to 85, and >85 years, respectively; the negative predictive values were >98% across all age groups. Conclusions— In a nationwide unselected cohort, the performance of the RCRI was similar to that of the original cohort. Having ≥1 risk factor was of moderate sensitivity, but high negative predictive value for all ages.
Comparative Placentation

The ancestry of horses from five-toed species via the small Eohippus of the American continent has been a prime topic of study for evolutionary biologists. It is best traced in two contributions: by Simpson (1951), and by Thenius & Hofer (1960). Coming from the American continent, the equid ancestors distributed to Eurasia while speciating into the extant members during their expansion to the West and into Africa. In the process, chromosomal fusions occurred in the equidae, causing karyotypes to evolve that range from 66 to 32 chromosomes, whilst preserving the same amount of DNA. The current domestic horse is thought to have derived from the Mongolian wild horse, Equus przewalskii. Other authors, however, have considered the extinct Tarpan to be the ancestral species of the domestic horses. A very large number of different horse breeds have been produced during their domestication, ranging from large tract animals to very small ponies.
Effect of rice straw application on water quality and microalgal flora in fish ponds

The present experiment was conducted to assess the effects of decomposing rice straw on algal flora as well as physical, chemical, and biological-parameters of 9 earthen fish ponds of 2100m3 for each with one-meter average depth. It was conducted for 6 months using three treatments. Each pond was stocked with 6000 fish fries of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Results showed that water quality decreased with increased loading rates of rice straw. Most of water quality parameters including EC, TDS, total alkalinity, total phosphorus, NO3, NO2, chlorophyll a, and pH were significantly lower in rice straw treatments than control. Total ammonia, Secchi disc visibility and orthophosphate were significantly higher with increase rice straw loading than control. Cyanophyceae constituted the dominant algal group at the initial phase at all examined ponds. This dominance remained stable in control ponds by the end of experiment. In contrast, in the final stage of the experiment Chlorophyceae and Bacillariophyceae dominate in T2 and T3 treatments compared with control. The results of this work illustrated that the decrease of algal count was related to action of allelochemicals discharged from rice straw aqueous extract leading to suppress growth of some algal species. Hence, this technique is a way to reduce the cost and reduce the use of herbicides, by providing natural compounds that can be obtained from agricultural waste.