Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The neuropsychology of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) accounts for one of the few known forms of reversible dementia. Varied aetiology and clinical presentation contribute to difficulties with early or differential diagnoses, and delayed surgical treatment may be less efficacious. Clinical neuropsychology provides a means of determining a cognitive profile for NPH, assisting in differential diagnosis, tracking the disorder's progression and assessing the efficacy of treatment. This article will review possible applications of clinical neuropsychology and propose a clinical assessment protocol for NPH.
Caregiving burden and its determinants in Polish caregivers of stroke survivors

Introduction Despite the growing body of literature on the consequences of providing non-professional care to stroke survivors, the determinants of caregiving burden are still not fully recognized. Identification of significant determinants can facilitate caregiver intervention programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of burden borne by caregivers of stroke patients and to identify the most important determinants of burden at 6 months after hospitalization. Material and methods Data were collected from 150 pairs of stroke patients/caregivers. Caregiver burden was assessed on the Caregiver Burden scale (CB). Several characteristics were measured as potential predictors of the burden. Special attention was paid to the caregiver's sense of coherence (SOC) and anxiety. Regression analysis was employed to test the hypothesized relationships between these variables and the burden. Results Forty-seven percentage of the caregivers reported a substantial burden (severe or moderate). Caregiver SOC (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001) and the patients’ functional status (p < 0.001) were the most important predictors of the overall burden and the most consistent predictors of the majority of aspects included in the CB scale. Caregiver health, patient's gender, time spent caregiving and social support were also factors related to the burden. The identified predictors explained 67% of the variance in the overall burden. Conclusions Clinicians and other professionals should focus on the coping abilities of caregivers, their emotional state and the level of patients’ dependency, as these are the vital and modifiable factors affecting caregiver burden following stroke.
Therapy of hepatitis C: Alpha interferon and ribavirin

Ribavirin is a nucleoside analogue that has been evaluated as a therapy of chronic hepatitis C alone and in combination with α interferon. Ribavirin is well absorbed orally and is typically given in doses of 1,000 to 1,200 mg/d. Three randomized, placebo‐controlled studies comprising more than 150 patients have shown that therapy with ribavirin alone for 24 to 48 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels during therapy. However, ribavirin therapy did not lead to a substantial reduction in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels; almost all patients remained viremic, and serum aminotransferase levels increased to pretreatment values when therapy was stopped. The most common adverse event was a moderate and reversible hemolysis during treatment that caused a decrease in hemoglobin by 10% to 20% of baseline levels. Combination therapy of ribavirin with α interferon has demonstrated promise both in pilot studies and a recently completed randomized controlled trial. Ribavirin in standard doses combined with α interferon in doses of 3 million units (MU) three times weekly for 6 months was found to significantly improve the sustained biochemical and virological response rates compared with interferon alone. Combination therapy offers a promise to become standard therapy for patients with nonsustained response to α interferon alone, because the majority of such patients achieve a durable response after treatment with combination therapy. However, nonresponders to α interferon alone rarely achieve a sustained beneficial response to combination treatment. For interferon‐naive patients, combination therapy is superior to therapy with α interferon alone in achieving sustained biochemical and virological responses, but the combination demonstrates clear‐cut superiority only in patients with unfavorable profiles for a response to interferon, in particular patients with high levels of HCV RNA. The optimal use and regimen of combination therapy awaits further investigation. New antiviral agents are still needed for the proportion of patients who do not respond to α interferon, even in combination with ribavirin.
A New Regionalization Scheme for Effective Ecological Restoration on the Loess Plateau in China

To prevent potentially unsuitable activities during vegetation restoration, it is important to examine the impact of historical restoration activities on the target ecological system to inform future restoration policies. Taking the Loess Plateau of China as an example, a regionalization method and corresponding scheme were proposed to select suitable vegetation types (forested lands, woody grasslands/bushlands, grasslands, or xerophytic shrublands and semi-shrublands) for a given location using remote sensing technology in order to analyze the vegetation growth status before and after the largest ecological conservation project in the country: The Grain for Green Program (GTGP). To design the scheme, remote sensing data covering the periods before and after the implementation of the GTGP (the 1980s and 2001–2013) were collected, along with soil, meteorological, and topographic data. The net primary production (NPP) values for 2001–2013 were calculated using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model. Locations representing the native vegetation and the restored vegetation were first recognized using maps of vegetation cover. Then, for the restored vegetation area, the places suitable for planting the covered vegetation type were selected by comparing the NPP value of the corresponding vegetation type in the native vegetation area to the NPP value in the site under consideration. Third, half of these sites were uniformly selected based on their NPP value, and these areas and the native vegetation area were used as training regions. Based on weather, soil, and topographic data, a new regionalization scheme was designed using standardized Euclidean distances. Finally, data from the remainder of the Loess Plateau were used to validate the new regionalization scheme, which was also compared to an existing Chinese eco-geographical regionalization scheme. The results showed that the new regionalization scheme performed well, with an average potential classification accuracy of 81.81%. Compared with the eco-geographical regionalization scheme, the new scheme exhibited improved the consistency of vegetation dynamics, reflecting the potential to better guide vegetation restoration activities on the Loess Plateau.
Using Expert Judgment to Assess Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change: Evidence from a Conjoint Choice Survey

We use conjoint choice questions to ask public health and climate change experts, contacted at professional meetings in 2003 and 2004, which of two hypothetical countries, A or B, they deem to have the higher adaptive capacity to certain effects of climate change on human health. These hypothetical countries are described by a vector of seven attributes, including per capita income, inequality in the distribution of income, measures of the health status of the population, the health care system, and access to information. Probit models indicate that our respondents regard per capita income, inequality in the distribution of income, universal health care coverage, and high access to information as important determinants of adaptive capacity. A universal-coverage health care system and a high level of access to information are judged to be equivalent to $12,000-$14,000 in per capita income. We use the estimated coefficients and country sociodemographics to construct an index of adaptive capacity for several countries. In panel-data regressions, this index is a good predictor of mortality in climatic disasters, even after controlling for other determinants of sensitivity and exposure, and for per capita income. We conclude that our conjoint choice questions provide a novel and promising approach to eliciting expert judgments in the climate change arena.
An RNA Interference Lethality Screen of the Human Druggable Genome to Identify Molecular Vulnerabilities in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Targeted therapies have been used to combat many tumor types; however, few have effectively improved the overall survival in women with epithelial ovarian cancer, begging for a better understanding of this deadly disease and identification of essential drivers of tumorigenesis that can be targeted effectively. Therefore, we used a loss-of-function screening approach to help identify molecular vulnerabilities that may represent key points of therapeutic intervention. We employed an unbiased high-throughput lethality screen using a 24,088 siRNA library targeting over 6,000 druggable genes and studied their effects on growth and/or survival of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cell lines. The top 300 “hits” affecting the viability of A1847 cells were rescreened across additional EOC cell lines and non-tumorigenic, human immortalized ovarian epithelial cell lines. Fifty-three gene candidates were found to exhibit effects in all tumorigenic cell lines tested. Extensive validation of these hits refined the list to four high quality candidates (HSPA5, NDC80, NUF2, and PTN). Mechanistic studies show that silencing of three genes leads to increased apoptosis, while HSPA5 silencing appears to alter cell growth through G1 cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, two independent gene expression studies show that NDC80, NUF2 and PTN were significantly aberrantly overexpressed in serous adenocarcinomas. Overall, our functional genomics results integrated with the genomics data provide an important unbiased avenue towards the identification of prospective therapeutic targets for drug discovery, which is an urgent and unmet clinical need for ovarian cancer.
Closed-Loop Asynchronous Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Prolongs Functional Movements in the Lower Body

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is commonly used in rehabilitative settings and is also used for assistive purposes to create functional movements, where it is termed functional electrical stimulation (FES). One limitation of NMES/FES is early onset of muscle fatigue. NMES-induced fatigue can be reduced by switching between multiple stimulation channels that target different motor units or synergistic muscles (i.e., asynchronous stimulation). However, switching stimulation channels introduces additional complexity due to the need to consider the switching dynamics and differing muscle response to stimulation. The objective of this study was to develop and test a closed-loop controller for asynchronous stimulation. The developed closed-loop controller yields asymptotic tracking of a desired trajectory for a person's knee-shank complex despite switching between stimulation channels. The developed controller was implemented on four able-bodied individuals with four-channel asynchronous stimulation as well as single-channel conventional stimulation. The results indicate that asynchronous stimulation extends the duration that functional movements can be performed during feedback control. This result is promising for the implementation of asynchronous stimulation in closed-loop rehabilitative procedures and in assistive devices as a method to reduce muscle fatigue while maintaining a person's ability to track a desired limb trajectory.
Cell-surface hydrophobicity and cell-surface charge of Azospirillum spp.

The cell-surface charge and cell-surface hydrophobicity of 10 strains of Azospirillum spp. were evaluated by the aqueous, two-polymer phase partitioning assay. Azospirillum spp. had moderate cell-surface hydrophobicity and charge, lower than known values for human pathogens. The hydrophobicity and charge values were higher in solid than in liquid media. A general pattern of modifying hydrophobicity and charge by external treatments of the cells of all strains was not found, but various chemicals, temperatures, and enzymatic treatments changed the cell-surface hydrophobicity and charge in different strains. A similar hydrophobic protein was isolated, and partially characterized, from two strains of A. brasilense and one strain of A. lipoferum. This study proposes: (i) cell-surface hydrophobicity and charge of Azospirillum spp. can be affected by external treatments of the bacterium cell, and (ii) hydrophobicity and charge may play a role, perhaps small, in the primary adsorption of Azospirillum spp. to surfaces.
Active bacterial core surveillance of the emerging infections program network.

Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several state health departments and universities participating in the Emerging Infections Program Network. ABCs conducts population-based active surveillance, collects isolates, and performs studies of invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, group A and group B Streptococcus, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae for a population of 17 to 30 million. These pathogens caused an estimated 97,000 invasive cases, resulting in 10,000 deaths in the United States in 1998. Incidence rates of these pathogens are described. During 1998, 25% of invasive pneumococcal infections in ABCs areas were not susceptible to penicillin, and 13.3% were not susceptible to three classes of antibiotics. In 1998, early-onset group B streptococcal disease had declined by 65% over the previous 6 years. More information on ABCs is available at www.cdc. gov/ncidod/dbmd/abcs. ABCs specimens will soon be available to researchers through an archive.
Theropod Fauna from Southern Australia Indicates High Polar Diversity and Climate-Driven Dinosaur Provinciality

The Early Cretaceous fauna of Victoria, Australia, provides unique data on the composition of high latitude southern hemisphere dinosaurs. We describe and review theropod dinosaur postcranial remains from the Aptian–Albian Otway and Strzelecki groups, based on at least 37 isolated bones, and more than 90 teeth from the Flat Rocks locality. Several specimens of medium- and large-bodied individuals (estimated up to ∼8.5 metres long) represent allosauroids. Tyrannosauroids are represented by elements indicating medium body sizes (∼3 metres long), likely including the holotype femur of Timimus hermani, and a single cervical vertebra represents a juvenile spinosaurid. Single specimens representing medium- and small-bodied theropods may be referrable to Ceratosauria, Ornithomimosauria, a basal coelurosaur, and at least three taxa within Maniraptora. Thus, nine theropod taxa may have been present. Alternatively, four distinct dorsal vertebrae indicate a minimum of four taxa. However, because most taxa are known from single bones, it is likely that small-bodied theropod diversity remains underestimated. The high abundance of allosauroids and basal coelurosaurs (including tyrannosauroids and possibly ornithomimosaurs), and the relative rarity of ceratosaurs, is strikingly dissimilar to penecontemporaneous dinosaur faunas of Africa and South America, which represent an arid, lower-latitude biome. Similarities between dinosaur faunas of Victoria and the northern continents concern the proportional representatation of higher clades, and may result from the prevailing temperate–polar climate of Australia, especially at high latitudes in Victoria, which is similar to the predominant warm–temperate climate of Laurasia, but distinct from the arid climate zone that covered extensive areas of Gondwana. Most dinosaur groups probably attained a near-cosmopolitan distribution in the Jurassic, prior to fragmentation of the Pangaean supercontinent, and some aspects of the hallmark ‘Gondwanan’ fauna of South America and Africa may therefore reflect climate-driven provinciality, not vicariant evolution driven by continental fragmentation. However, vicariance may still be detected at lower phylogenetic levels.
Data exchange and schema mappings in open and closed worlds

In the study of data exchange one usually assumes an open-world semantics, making it possible to extend instances of target schemas. An alternative closed-world semantics only moves 'as much data as needed' from the source to the target to satisfy constraints of a schema mapping. It avoids some of the problems exhibited by the open-world semantics, but limits the expressivity of schema mappings. Here we propose a mixed approach: one can designate different attributes of target schemas as open or closed, to combine the additional expressivity of the open-world semantics with the better behavior of query answering in closed worlds. We define such schema mappings, and show that they cover a large space of data exchange solutions with two extremes being the known open and closed-world semantics. We investigate the problems of query answering and schema mapping composition, and prove two trichotomy theorems, classifying their complexity based on the number of open attributes. We find conditions under which schema mappings compose, extending known results to a wide range of closed-world mappings. We also provide results for restricted classes of queries and mappings guaranteeing lower complexity.
Beneficial Role of Bitter Melon Supplementation in Obesity and Related Complications in Metabolic Syndrome

Diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome are becoming epidemic both in developed and developing countries in recent years. Complementary and alternative medicines have been used since ancient era for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Bitter melon is widely used as vegetables in daily food in Bangladesh and several other countries in Asia. The fruits extract of bitter melon showed strong antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities in experimental condition both in vivo and in vitro. Recent scientific evaluation of this plant extracts also showed potential therapeutic benefit in diabetes and obesity related metabolic dysfunction in experimental animals and clinical studies. These beneficial effects are mediated probably by inducing lipid and fat metabolizing gene expression and increasing the function of AMPK and PPARs, and so forth. This review will thus focus on the recent findings on beneficial effect of Momordica charantia extracts on metabolic syndrome and discuss its potential mechanism of actions.
The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues Perspectives on Traceability and Bse Testing in the U.s. Beef Industry the Emergence of a Two-step Traceability Process in the United States Technical Challenges Associated with Linear Traceability for Beef

The discoveries of a dairy cow in the state of Washington in December 2003 and a beef cow in Texas in June 2005, both infected with BSE, essentially removed any doubt that a better tracking method for animals and meat needs to be implemented in the United States. These tracking methods are often referred to as traceability. However, an important consideration evolving out of the pressure placed on the United States to develop some type of animal and meat traceability system is how to address consumer concerns about food safety related to BSE effectively without drastically disrupting the current domestic meat production and processing system. This article describes why farm-to-fork traceability is a difficult and costly task in modern, high-volume beef packing plants and also provides some insights based on survey data about consumer preferences for different tracking and testing methods to address food safety concerns relative to BSE. The dominant existing model for traceability is in the European Union (EU) and calls for farm-to-fork (linear) traceability systems for meat and other food items; a system many in the American food business currently consider either too costly to implement in the U.S. system or not justified by " sound science. " For example, USDA estimates that implementing just farm-to-slaughter traceabil-ity for all program species would cost approximately $500 million over six years. Sparks Companies Inc. estimated that the initial capital investment required to implement a farm-to-fork system just for cattle in the United States would be approximately $140 million with an additional annual variable cost of about $108 million. Farm Foundation (2004) reports that American food firms would prefer a market rather than a regulated (such as in the EU) solution for traceability. Consequently, concerns about costs and flexibility appear to indicate that a model different than the EU's needs to be developed in the United States to address consumer concerns about food safety related to BSE while being cost effective. The U.S. animal and meat tracking system is currently developing as a two-step process. The first step of this process is the eventual implementation of an animal identification system from farm to slaughter called the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NAIS may be phased in as a mandatory system and full implementation is scheduled for 2009. The second step of the process would then have meat being tracked after it leaves the packing plant. This two-step approach creates a …
Characterisation and Evaluations of the Mechanical Properties of Alternative Masonry Units

One of the greatest challenges facing the South African government is the provision of adequate and affordable housing to the 1.1 million families still living in informal settlements. Currently, the most widely used method of constructing low income housing (LIH) in South Africa is through the use of cement based masonry units. However, it is well known that concrete and cement have a significant negative impact on the environment due to carbon dioxide emissions from the production of cement clinker, as well as the consumption of natural resources. In order to reduce the environmental impacts, alternative masonry units (AMUs) are required that are structurally viable, environmentally friendly and socially acceptable. To properly begin implementing AMUs in practice the evaluation and characterisation of their mechanical properties are necessary. While standardised tests for conventional masonry units are widely available, it is unclear whether these tests are suitable for use on AMUs due to the large differences in the material properties between certain AMUs and conventional masonry units. Few standards exist that have been designed with AMUs in mind. This study investigates whether the standards and guidelines available for conventional masonry units can be applied to AMUs. Three different AMUs are compared with a conventional concrete masonry unit (CMU) in a variety of tests to determine if the applicable standards are successful at classifying the mechanical properties of the AMUs. The AMUs that were chosen for this investigation are: alkali-activated concrete blocks (AACBs), compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEBs) and adobe blocks. These materials were chosen so that the mechanical properties of each material varied notably from each other and from the CMU. The AMUs and the benchmark CMU were tested for a large variety of mechanical properties. Not only can the results from these tests be used to determine if the standards and guidelines are applicable to both conventional and alternative masonry units, but the data acquired from the investigation can be used in future numerical modelling. The standardised tests and mechanical properties investigated in this study include the following: • Compressive strength of the masonry units at 7, 14, 28, 56 and 91 days. Including both bedface and headface tests at 28 days. • Modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio tests conducted on masonry cylinders. • Wedge splitting tests to determine the fracture energy of the materials. • Constant mass density tests. ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za