Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guardianship Capacity Evaluations of Older Adults

Abstract This study examined the evaluations of capacity of alleged incapacitated persons (AIPs) between two states and compared the thoroughness of the evaluations to state law. These evaluations are frequently the only source of information on cognitive and psychiatric symptoms, functional abilities, and current treatments. One hundred nineteen evaluations of capacity were reviewed using the Guardianship Evaluation Review Instrument. Findings indicated that states differed on the AIP's age, presence at the court hearing, and description of current treatments. Overall, data suggested that evaluation thoroughness was substandard. In over 75% of cases, full guardianship was granted. Issues on terminology, concern regarding evaluators and courts, and ways for evaluators and the court to fulfill their responsibilities to older adults are discussed.
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 peptides in chimeric and multivalent constructs with promiscuous T-cell epitopes enhance immunogenicity and overcome genetic restriction

Conventional strategies of viral peptide immunizations often elicit low-affinity antibody responses and have limited ability to elicit immune responses in outbred animals of diverse major histocompatibility (MHC) haplotypes. This genetically restricted T-cell-stimulatory activity of peptides is a serious obstacle to vaccine design. However, the use of promiscuous T-cell epitopes may circumvent this problem. Promiscuous T-cell epitopes from tetanus toxin (amino acids [aa] 580 to 599) and the measles virus F protein (aa 288 to 302) that bind to several isotypic and allotypic forms of human MHC class II molecules have been identified and have been used in highly immunogenic constructs to overcome haplotype-restricted immune responses. Chimeric and beta-template peptide constructs incorporating known human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) B- and T-cell epitopes from the surface envelope protein gp46 (SP2 [aa 86 to 107] and SP4a [aa 190 to 209]) and promiscuous T-cell peptides were synthesized, and their immunogenicities were evaluated in both rabbits and mouse strains of divergent haplotypes (C3H/HeJ [H-2k], C57BL/6 [H-2b], and BALB/c [H-2d]). In addition, peptide preparations were structurally characterized by analytical high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism. In contrast to their linear forms, the chimeric constructs of both the SP2 and SP4a epitopes displayed alpha-helical secondary structures. Immunogenicity of the peptide constructs was evaluated by direct and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), as well as by radioimmunoprecipitation, syncytium inhibition, and antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation assays. Immunization with the SP4a peptide without conjugation to a carrier protein produced antibodies specific for SP4a in two mouse strains (C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6). However, BALB/c mice failed to respond to the peptide, indicating that the T-cell epitope of the SP4a sequence is MHC restricted. In contrast, the chimeric constructs MVF-SP2 and SP4a-measles virus F protein were highly immunogenic, producing elevated ELISA titers after only two immunizations. Elicited antibodies recognized native forms of gp46 in ELISAs and radioimmunoprecipitation assays, as well as inhibited HTLV-1-mediated syncytium formation. In addition, chimeric constructs were effective at induction of lymphocyte proliferation to the T-cell epitope, SP4a, in each strain of immunized mice. Our data demonstrate that the antibody response to retroviral peptides is enhanced by promiscuous peptide constructs, in part because of the ability of such constructs to promote appropriate secondary structural forms of viral epitopes. In addition, these constructs promote virus-specific helper T-cell responses, thereby overcoming genetically restricted immune responses to the synthetic peptides.
Influence of Fluoride Availability of Dentifrices on Eroded Enamel Remineralization in situ

Remineralization of eroded enamel by dentifrices containing similar sources/concentrations of fluoride was investigated in situ. Fifty-three subjects completed a double-blind crossover study with 3 randomly assigned dentifrice treatments: placebo (0 ppm F, PD); reference (1,450 ppm NaF, RD) and test (1,450 ppm NaF + 5% KNO3, TD). Fluoride availability for each dentifrice was analyzed in vitro by standard tests (1-min fluoride release rate and enamel fluoride uptake). The subjects wore palatal appliances holding bovine enamel specimens previously eroded in vitro. Surface microhardness was determined before and after the in vitro erosive challenge, after in situ remineralization and after a second in vitro erosive challenge. ANOVA and pairwise comparisons were performed (α = 0.05). TD was superior to RD in the fluoride release tests, but similar to RD in the enamel fluoride uptake test. The mean percent surface microhardness recovery was 21.9 (standard deviation 8.0) for PD, 28.6 (8.0) for RD and 36.0 (8.0) for TD. The mean percent relative erosion resistance change was –58.8 (12.7) for PD, –31.3 (12.7) for RD and –27.3 (12.6) for TD. Both fluoride-containing dentifrices provided superior remineralization (p < 0.001) and erosion resistance (p < 0.001) compared to PD. The percent surface microhardness recovery demonstrated by the TD was significantly greater than for the RD (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference (p = 0.073) between TD and RD in relative resistance to further erosive challenge. The results suggest that fluoride availability may be different in dentifrices with similar sources/concentrations of fluoride, providing different levels of remineralization of eroded enamel.
Acute Normoxia Increases Fetal Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cell Cytosolic Ca2+ Via Ca2+-Induced Ca2+ Release

To test the hypothesis that an acute increase in O2 tension increases cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]i) in fetal pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) via entry of extracellular calcium and subsequent calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) and nitric oxide release, low-passage PAECs (<10 passages) were isolated from the intralobar pulmonary artery (PA) of fetal sheep and maintained under hypoxic conditions (Po2, 25 Torr). Using the calcium-sensitive dye fura-2, we demonstrated that acute normoxia (Po2 = 120 Torr) increased PAECs [Ca2+]i by increasing the rate of entry of extracellular calcium. In the presence of either ryanodine or 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate (2APB), normoxia did not lead to a sustained increase in PAECs [Ca2+]i Whole-cell patch clamp studies demonstrated that acute normoxia causes PAEC membrane depolarization. When loaded with the nitric oxide (NO)–sensitive dye, DAF - FM, acute normoxia increased PAEC fluorescence. In PAECs derived from fetal lambs with pulmonary hypertension, an acute increase in O2 tension had no effect on either [Ca2+]i or NO production. Hypoxia increases loading of acetylcholine-sensitive calcium stores, as hypoxia potentiated the response to acetylcholine We conclude that acute normoxia increases [Ca2+]i and NO production in normotensive but not hypertensive fetal PAECs via extracellular calcium entry and calcium release from calcium-sensitive intracellular stores.
Resveratrol Inhibits Ionising Irradiation-Induced Inflammation in MSCs by Activating SIRT1 and Limiting NLRP-3 Inflammasome Activation

IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been shown to contribute to radiation injury. Sirt1, an NAD+-dependent class III protein deacetylase, plays an important role in the regulation of the proinflammatory cytokines involved in inflammation-associated diseases. The relationship between Sirt1 and IL-1β, however, has remained elusive. The present study was designed to explore the potential effect of Sirt1 on IL-1β expression induced by radiation and to provide a new target for the development of radiation protection drugs. Our results showed that radiation significantly increased IL-1β mRNA and protein expression and that pretreatment with resveratrol, a Sirt1 activator, inhibited the radiation-induced IL-1β expression in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the knockdown or inhibition of Sirt1 by nicotinamide significantly enhanced radiation-induced IL-1β expression. This effect can likely be attributed to Sirt1-mediated inhibition of NLRP-3 inflammasome activation because Sirt1 inhibits the transactivation potential of NF-κb by deacetylation, which then suppresses NLRP3 transcription. Taken together, the results demonstrate that Sirt1 exerts anti-inflammatory effects by regulating NLRP3 expression partially through the NF-κb pathway in mesenchymal stem cells. More importantly, our findings suggest that resveratrol is an effective agent in protecting against radiation injury, and we provide a theoretical basis for developing a drug to protect against radiation injury by targeting Sirt1.
Changes in Caffeic Acid Derivatives in Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) during Cooking and Processing

There was an obvious decrease in caffeic acid derivatives during the boiling of cube-shaped blocks of sweet potatoes. They also decreased in a mixture of freeze-dried sweet-potato powder and water maintained at room temperature. Ascorbic acid prevented the decrease, supporting the occurrence of an enzyme reaction with polyphenol oxidase (PPO). 5-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA, “3-O-caffeoylquinic acid” as a trivial name) and 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-CQA), major phenolic compounds of sweet potato, did not change when they were separately heated in boiling water. When the mixture of powdered sweet potato and water was heated at 100 °C, there was only a negligible decrease in the total amount of phenolic compounds, and portions of 5-CQA and 3,5-CQA were found to be isomerized to 3-CQA, 4-CQA, 3,4-CQA, and 4,5-CQA. The content and composition of the phenolic compounds in sweet potatoes differed between fresh and long-stored ones, as did their response to heating.
Vaccination-Induced Autoimmune Vitiligo Is a Consequence of Secondary Trauma to the Skin

A major concern for cancer vaccines targeting self-tumor antigens is the risk of autoimmune sequelae. Although antitumor immunity correlates with autoimmune disease in some preclinical models, the mechanism(s) linking antitumor immunity and subsequent autoimmune pathology remain(s) to be determined. In the current study, we demonstrated that intradermal (i.d.) immunization with a recombinant adenovirus (Ad) expressing the murine melanoma antigen tyrosinase-related protein 2 (AdmTrp-2) results in a moderate level of tumor protection against the B16F10 murine melanoma without any vitiligo. Similar immunization with an Ad encoding human Trp-2 (AdhTrp-2) resulted in 50-fold greater protective immunity and produced vitiligo in all of the mice, suggesting that the development of autoimmunity may reflect the potency of the vaccine. Interestingly, delivery of AdhTrp-2 by i.m. injection generated protective immunity comparable with that seen in mice that received the vaccine by the i.d. route, but none of the recipients in the i.m. group developed vitiligo. The cellular and humoral responses in the i.m. immunized mice were greater than in the i.d. group; therefore, the lack of vitiligo was not caused by reduced efficacy of the vaccine. These results led us to hypothesize that vaccine-induced vitiligo was associated with local inflammatory responses. Mice immunized i.m. with AdhTrp-2 did develop vitiligo when they subsequently were injected i.d. with either a control Ad vector or complete Freund’s adjuvant, suggesting that vitiligo is initiated by some form of trauma within the skin. Our data demonstrated that autoimmune pathology is not an unavoidable outcome of effective cancer vaccines directed against self-tumor antigens.
A subspace blind channel estimation method for OFDM systems without cyclic prefix

We propose a subspace based blind channel estimation method for OFDM systems over a time-dispersive channel. Our approach is motivated by the resemblance of the multichannel signal model resulting from oversampling (or use of multiple receive sensors) of the received OFDM signal to that in a conventional single carrier system (Moulines et al. 1995). The proposed algorithm distinguishes itself from many previously reported channel estimation methods by the elimination of the cyclic prefix (CP), thereby leading to higher channel utilization. Comparison of the proposed method with other two reported subspace channel estimation methods (Heath and Giannakis 1999; Xiaodong Cai and Akansu 2000) is presented by computer simulations to support its effectiveness.
Nodes bearing grudges: towards routing security, fairness, and robustness in mobile ad hoc networks

Devices in mobile ad hoc networks work as network nodes and relay packets originated by other nodes. Mobile ad hoc networks can work properly only if the participating nodes cooperate in routing and forwarding. For individual nodes it might be advantageous not to cooperate. The new routing protocol extensions presented in this paper make it possible to detect and isolate misbehaving nodes, thus making denying cooperation undesirable. In the presented scheme, trust relationships and routing decisions are made based on experienced, observed, or reported routing and forwarding behavior of other nodes. A hybrid scheme of selective altruism and utilitarianism is presented to strengthen mobile ad hoc network protocols in their resistance to security attacks, while aiming at keeping network throughput high. This paper focuses particularly on the network layer using the dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol as an example.
Joint Modeling for Chinese Event Extraction with Rich Linguistic Features

Compared to the amount of research that has been done on English event extraction, there exists relatively little work on Chinese event extraction. We seek to push the frontiers of supervised Chinese event extraction research by proposing two extension to Li et al.'s (2012) state-of-the-art event extraction system. First, we employ a joint modeling approach to event extraction, aiming to address the error propagation problem inherent in Li et al.'s pipeline system architecture. Second, we investigate a variety of rich knowledge sources for Chinese event extraction that encode knowledge ranging from the character level to the discourse level. Experimental results on the ACE 2005 dataset show that our joint-modeling, knowledge-rich approach significantly outperforms Li et al.'s approach. Title and Abstract in Chinese 运用丰富语言学特征的中文事件抽取联合模型 文的事件抽取 中文的事件抽取 Li et al.(2012)的 学 的事件抽取 中文事件抽取的 用 联合模型 Li et al. 中的 中文 抽取 文 的特征 ACE2005 的 运用丰富语言学特征的联合模型 Li et al.的
Multiple Sclerosis and Dentistry: A Contemporary Evaluation

Ad dress for Cor res pon den ce/Ya z›fl ma Ad re si: Hasan Hatipoglu MD, Dumlupinar University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Periodontology, Kutahya, Turkey Phone: +90 274 265 20 31 E-mail: periohasan@yahoo.de Re cei ved/Ge lifl Ta ri hi: 14.08. 2013 Ac cep ted/Ka bul Ta ri hi: 21.10. 2014 Multiple Sclerosis and Dentistry: A Contemporary Evaluation Multipl Skleroz ve Dis Hekimligi: Guncel Bir Degerlendirme
Mommio’s Recipe Box: Assessment of the Cooking Habits of Mothers of Preschoolers and Their Perceptions of Recipes for a Video Game

Background Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet because they help prevent several chronic diseases. Mothers of preschoolers reported difficulty getting their young children to eat vegetables, and many did not know how to cook child-pleasing recipes. Objective The cooking habits of mothers of preschoolers, their perceptions of recipes designed for their children, and the involvement of their children in food preparation were assessed to inform a food parenting video game called Mommio. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used. Eligibility criteria included mothers of 3- to 5-year-old children who reported difficulty getting their children to eat vegetables. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire with questions about their food preparation practices. They were asked to select up to 4 of the 10 provided recipes they wanted to try and to prepare and report back on their experiences. Results Most (46) of the 50 recipes included in Mommio’s in-game recipe box were evaluated at least once and some up to 5 times with a total of 85 evaluations. This well-educated, mostly employed, sample of 27 mothers of preschoolers preferred simple, quick recipes. They ate primarily at home, made dinners from scratch, and indicated that the 46 recipes were generally simple, quick, and easy to prepare. Involvement in preparation enhanced their child’s acceptance of the food. Prior food and preparation preferences influenced the children’s acceptance of the dish at the ensuing meal. Conclusions The high rate of home recipe preparation indicated that including a recipe selection and preparation component in a food parenting video game could be attractive and may enhance effectiveness. Mothers reported that the recipes provided were generally easy to prepare, tasted good, and the instructions were easy to understand, suggesting they could be helpful to the mothers when playing a vegetable parenting game. Some mothers reported that involving their children in recipe preparation influenced their children’s willingness to eat the vegetables. The highest rated recipes are being included in the game, and mothers will be encouraged to involve their children in recipe preparation.
Decreased expression of the human carbonyl reductase 2 gene HCR2 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Altered gene expression was associated with the induction and maintenance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To determine the significance of HCR2 in HCC, here we compare the expression levels of HCR2 in carcinoma and in paired non-carcinoma tissues using semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemical staining. The expression ratio (ER) of HCR2 between the tumor and paired tumor-free tissues was calculated for each case and the data was clinicopathologically analyzed. The expression of HCR2 mRNA was found to be significantly decreased in HCC tissues compared with paired normal tissues (P < 0.001). HCR2 was downregulated in 58% (n = 22) of 38 HCC patients. The ER of HCR2 was higher in Edmondson’s grade I/II carcinomas than that in Edmondson’s grade III/IV carcinomas (P < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed HCR2 to be notably depressed in carcinoma tissues in 3 out of 4 HCC patients. Immunohistochemical staining indicated most HCR2 protein accumulated in non-carcinoma cells. These results suggested that altered HCR2 expression might play roles in the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC, and it could be a clinical marker for prognosis, and a molecular target for screening potential anti-HCC drugs.
Planning under Risk and Knightian Uncertainty

Two noteworthy models of planning in AI are probabilistic planning (based on MDPs and its generalizations) and nondeterministic planning (mainly based on model checking). In this paper we: (1) show that probabilistic and nondeterministic planning are extremes of a rich continuum of problems that deal simultaneously with risk and (Knightian) uncertainty; (2) obtain a unifying model for these problems using imprecise MDPs; (3) derive a simplified Bellman's principle of optimality for our model; and (4) show how to adapt and analyze state-of-art algorithms such as (L)RTDP and LDFS in this unifying setup. We discuss examples and connections to various proposals for planning under (general) uncertainty.
Use of Mammalian Inner Ear Antigens for the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Sudden Loss of Vestibular Function

It has been postulated that bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) may be the result of an ongoing autoimmune process against the inner ear and a pattern of progressive bilateral SNHL linked to an autoimmune inner ear disorder has been reported. Various attempts have been made to develop an assay to confirm the diagnosis of autoimmune inner ear disease. In this study we used a Western blot assay to determine the presence of IgG antibodies directed against a PØ antigen (30 kDa) of the guinea pig in the sera of patients affected by sudden loss of vestibular function (SLVF). Ten patients affected by vestibular neuritis were enrolled: eight with unilateral vestibular loss and two with sequential bilateral impairment. We also tested nine patients with sudden unilateral hearing loss, five with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and six normal subjects. In the present study only one patient, a woman affected by bilateral vestibular impairment, had IgG antibodies against the PØ protein. Our results indicate either that the antigen PØ marker for autoimmune unilateral SLVF or that our patients did not have an immunological basis for their disease. However, we can suggest that bilateral impairment of vestibular function and bilateral progressive SNHL are more likely to be immune-mediated disorders and that PØ could be a valid marker for these diseases. As bilateral vestibular neuritis is an uncommon disease, a multicentre study is required to confirm our suggestions.
Regulation of MicroRNA-155 in Atherosclerotic Inflammatory Responses by Targeting MAP3K10

Aims Accumulating evidence suggest that numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation, as well as various diseases that accompany inflammatory responses. Inflammation is known to be a major contributor to atherogenesis. Previous studies provide promising evidence in support of the role of miRNAs in cardiovascular disease. However, mechanistic data on these small molecules in atherosclerosis (AS) are still missing. The present study aims to investigate the potential role of miRNAs in AS. Methods and Results The miRNA transcriptase was verified by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Thoracic aorta samples were obtained from Apolipoprotein E knockout mice, and plasma samples were from coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. The results showed that the miR-155 level was the most significantly elevated both in AS mice and CAD patients relative to the normal control. The functional role of miR-155 in the atherosclerotic path physiological process was also observed in vivo and in vitro. The observations suggested that miR-155 is a part of a negative feedback loop, which down-modulates inflammatory cytokine production and decreases AS progression. miR-155 was also found to mediate the inflammatory response and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway by targeting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 10. Conclusions miR-155 contributes to the prevention of AS development and progression. It may also be involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of the inflammatory response and MAPK pathway by targeting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 10.
Tissue engineering of a collagen-based vascular media

The property of vasoactivity is important for both resistance vessels and larger arteries. Evaluation of smooth muscle cell phenotype is often done in place of functional testing in engineered tissues, assuming a direct correlation between cell phenotype and tissue contractile force. In this study we look at a large panel of vasoactive agents to determine the functionality of our collagen-based tissue. The engineered vascular media elicited a measurable change in force in response to seven of the nine agents used. As part of this characterization, TGF-β1 and TNF-α were used to promote a more contractile and synthetic cell phenotype respectively. Both smooth muscle α-actin and vasoconstriction were evaluated in ring sections. Due to large differences in cell-compaction and cell distribution in the tissues, no correlation was found between α-actin expression and contractile strength. This highlights the need for functional testing of engineered tissue and the importance of cell-matrix interactions in vasoactivity.