Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of toothbrush design on the ability of nurses to brush the teeth of institutionalized cerebral palsy patients.

AIM To compare the effectiveness of two toothbrush designs in tooth brushing by nurses of individuals with cerebral palsy. METHODS Following instruction, nurses brushed the teeth of 21 individuals with a single-headed-toothbrush, and 22 with a triple-headed-toothbrush. After one month, the nurses brushed their patients with the other toothbrush, following instruction. Tooth brushing performance skill was evaluated and scored using the TB-PS-I/Ashkenazi index following the first brushing as well as on a recall visit one month later. RESULTS After 1 month, 7.6% of the nurses required further instruction following brushing with the triple-headed toothbrush compared to 15% after brushing with the single-headed. Reductions in plaque and gingival indices were greater after using the triple- headed than single-headed toothbrush. More nurses preferred the triple-headed toothbrush (75.5% compared to 22.6%). CONCLUSION Brushing by nurses of cerebral palsy patients was more effective and instruction better retained with a triple-headed compared to single-headed toothbrush.
Changes in the Immunogenic Properties of Soluble gp140 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Constructs upon Partial Deletion of the Second Hypervariable Region

ABSTRACT Immunization of macaques with the soluble oligomeric gp140 form of the SF162 envelope (SF162gp140) or with an SF162gp140-derived construct lacking the central region of the V2 loop (ΔV2gp140) results in the generation of high titers of antibodies capable of neutralizing the homologous human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), SF162 virus (Barnett et al. J. Virol. 75 :5526-5540, 2001). However, the ΔV2gp140 immunogen is more effective than the SF162gp140 immunogen in eliciting the generation of antibodies capable of neutralizing heterologous HIV-1 isolates. This indicates that deletion of the V2 loop alters the immunogenicity of the SF162gp140 protein. The present studies were aimed at identifying the envelope regions whose immunogenicity is altered following V2 loop deletion. We report that the antibodies elicited by the SF162gp140 immunogen recognize elements of the V1, V2, and V3 loops, the CD4-binding site, and the C1 and C2 regions on the homologous SF162 gp120. With the exception of the V1 and V2 loops, the same regions are recognized on heterologous gp120 proteins. Surprisingly, although a minority of the SF162gp140-elicited antibodies target the V3 loop on the homologous gp120, the majority of the antibodies elicited by this immunogen that are capable of binding to the heterologous gp120s tested recognize their V3 loops. Deletion of the V2 loop has two effects. First, it alters the immunogenicity of the V3 and V1 loops, and second, it renders the C5 region immunogenic. Although deletion of the V2 loop does not result in an increase in the immunogenicity of the CD4-binding site per se, the relative ratio of anti-CD4-binding site to anti-V3 loop antibodies that bind to the heterologous gp120s tested is higher in sera collected from the ΔV2gp140-immunized animals than in the SF162gp140-immunized animals. Overall, our studies indicate that it is possible to alter the immunogenic structure of the HIV envelope by introducing specific modifications.
Serological survey for canine angiostrongylosis in Slovakia

Abstract In recent years Angiostrongylus vasorum has become another important heart parasite of dogs besides Dirofilaria immitis, with intense spread into new areas of Europe. The first two cases of canine angiostrongylosis in Slovakia were observed in 2013, demonstrating that this life-threatening parasitic disease of dogs has expanded into this territory too. One year after the first A. vasorum findings, a serological survey was conducted to assess the current distribution of this parasitic infection in dogs from Slovakia. Serum samples from 225 dogs were collected from 29 veterinary practices situated in 22 districts of Slovakia and tested by ELISA for the presence of circulating A. vasorum antigens and additionally for the detection of specific antibodies against A. vasorum. Fourteen samples (6.22 %) were seropositive in at least one ELISA. Of these, 7 dogs (3.11 %) were only antibody-positive and 4 dogs (1.78 %) were positive only for circulating A. vasorum antigen. Three animals out of 225 examined (1.33 %) were positive in both ELISAs
Simple Fiber Model for Determination of XPM Effects

Previous investigations have revealed that the impairments of the cross-phase modulation (XPM) in dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) systems include two aspects: the XPM-induced phase noise and the XPM-induced polarization scattering. Such XPM phenomena are strongly dependent on the transmission system configurations and are nonintuitive. In this paper, a simple fiber model is proposed to facilitate the determination of XPM effects. By employing this model, the phase noise and polarization scattering are calculated based on the system configurations and the time-consuming computation by the split step Fourier method is avoided. The proposed model is verified by the dual polarization quadrature phase-shift keying coherent DWDM experiments and simulations in terms of the variance and autocorrelations of phase noise and polarization crosstalk as well as their dependence on relative polarization states and the overall Q-impairment. The proposed model helps deeper analysis of XPM phenomena, and eventually, leads to development of various XPM mitigation methods through transmission system design and coherent receiver DSP.
Differential Patterns of HPA Activity and Reactivity in Adult Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

&NA; Despite a number of overlapping symptoms, individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) often display hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) profiles that appear quite different from one another. This review describes the patterns of HPA‐axis activity and reactivity in healthy individuals compared to individuals with these two disorders. Measures of HPA‐axis activity and reactivity include cortisol levels at rest, in response to the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), and in response to psychological stress. The research reviewed presents the possibility of diagnostic specificity with regard to HPA function. In particular, the differential response pattern to the DST suggests that, while it cannot be considered a pure diagnostic tool, it should be one measure taken into consideration during diagnosis.
Methylergometrine maleate from synchrotron powder diffraction data

The title compound {systematic name: 9,10-didehydro-N-[1-(hydroxymethyl)propyl]-d-lysergamide maleate}, C20H26N3O2 +·C4H3O4 −, contains a large rigid ergolene group. This group consists of an indole plane connected to a six-membered carbon ring adopting an envelope conformation and N-methyltetrahydropyridine where the methyl group is in an equatorial position. In the crystal, intermolecular N—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form an extensive three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network, which holds the cations and anions together.
Lessons learned in developing community mental health care in East and South East Asia

This paper summarizes the findings for the East and South East Asia Region of the WPA Task Force on Steps, Obstacles and Mistakes to Avoid in the Im-plementation of Community Mental Health Care. The paper presents a description of the region, an overview of mental health policies, a critical ap-praisal of community mental health services developed, and a discussion of the key obstacles and challenges. The main recommendations address the needs to campaign to reduce stigma, integrate care within the general health care system, prioritize target groups, strengthen leadership in policy mak-ing, and devise effective funding and economic incentives.
Muslim consumer’s motivations towards meat consumption in Belgium : qualitative exploratory insights from means-end chain analysis

Dans cette etude, la theorie du Means-End chain (MEC) a ete utilisee afin d’examiner quelles caracteristiques de la viande fraiche sont importantes pour les consommateurs musulmans, quelles sont les motivations pour l’achat de viande (halal) et dans quelle mesure les tendances en consommation de viande sont applicables aux consommateurs musulmans. Au total 50 interviews, sur base de la technique laddering, concernant la consommation de la viande ont ete effectuees aupres de la premiere et deuxieme generation de musulmans en Belgique. Les resultats sont repris dans une carte de valeurs hierarchiques (HVM) representant une carte de structures cognitives agregees. De maniere generale, les consommateurs musulmans achetent de la viande pour atteindre les valeurs suivantes : la sante, la foi, le respect pour le bien-etre des animaux mais egalement pour jouir de la vie et prendre soin de la famille. Les differences observees dans la comparaison des HVM pourraient etre expliquees par des effets de generation, l’âge ou le sexe.
Efficient fourier based algorithm development for airborne Moving Target Indication

This paper shows how the signal model that is commonly used as a starting point in multi-channel Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) for airborne Moving Target Indication (MTI) formally corresponds to a model that can be derived from a bi-static Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) model extended for multiple channels. With the help of this generalisation one arrives at an operation that can be performed on the conventional airborne MTI STAP model. The result yields an orthogonal domain that allows for a design of one-dimensional clutter-rejecting algorithms. This should drastically decrease the computational demands in comparison with the high-performance two-dimensional algorithms described in the airborne MTI literature so far.
Cosavirus, Salivirus and Bufavirus in Diarrheal Tunisian Infants

Three newly discovered viruses have been recently described in diarrheal patients: Cosavirus (CosV) and Salivirus (SalV), two picornaviruses, and Bufavirus (BuV), a parvovirus. The detection rate and the role of these viruses remain to be established in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in diarrheal Tunisian infants. From October 2010 through March 2012, stool samples were collected from 203 children <5 years-old suffering from AGE and attending the Children’s Hospital in Monastir, Tunisia. All samples were screened for CosV, SalV and BuV as well as for norovirus (NoV) and group A rotavirus (RVA) by molecular biology. Positive samples for the three screened viruses were also tested for astrovirus, sapovirus, adenovirus, and Aichi virus, then genotyped when technically feasible. During the study period, 11 (5.4%) samples were positive for one of the three investigated viruses: 2 (1.0%) CosV-A10, 7 (3.5%) SalV-A1 and 2 (1.0%) BuV-1, whereas 71 (35.0%) children were infected with NoV and 50 (24.6%) with RVA. No mixed infections involving the three viruses were found, but multiple infections with up to 4 classic enteric viruses were found in all cases. Although these viruses are suspected to be responsible for AGE in children, our data showed that this association was uncertain since all infected children also presented infections with several enteric viruses, suggesting here potential water-borne transmission. Therefore, further studies with large cohorts of healthy and diarrheal children will be needed to evaluate their clinical role in AGE.
ON NARCOLEPSY II. STUDIES ON DIURNAL VARIATIONS IN THE SKIN TEMPERATURES IN NARCOLEPTICS

I n continuation of my previous studies on the connection between peripheral vasodilatation and vegetative sleep preparedness (1939)) i t seemed natural to carry out similar studies on narcoleptics whenever an opportunity presented itself. It was my good fortune that during my service in the Neurological Department of the Rigshospital, no less than three patients with this rather rare affection were admitted within half a year, so that I had thus a good opportunity to study its clinical features. One of the t hee patients (Hjalmar A.) has been mentioned in the preceding paper, to which the reader is referred for detailed data of the case history. Here it will suffice to give a brief summary of the details important for the present study as a supplement to the epicrisis of the two other cases, the course of which will be reported here.
Cell Selective Cardiovascular Biology of Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1

Background— Global deletion of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGES-1) in mice attenuates the response to vascular injury without a predisposition to thrombogenesis or hypertension. However, enzyme deletion results in cell-specific differential use by prostaglandin synthases of the accumulated prostaglandin H2 substrate. Here, we generated mice deficient in mPGES-1 in vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and myeloid cells further to elucidate the cardiovascular function of this enzyme. Methods and Results— Vascular smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell mPGES-1 deletion did not alter blood pressure at baseline or in response to a high-salt diet. The propensity to evoked macrovascular and microvascular thrombogenesis was also unaltered. However, both vascular smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell mPGES-1–deficient mice exhibited a markedly exaggerated neointimal hyperplastic response to wire injury of the femoral artery in comparison to their littermate controls. The hyperplasia was associated with increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen and tenascin-C expression. In contrast, the response to injury was markedly suppressed by myeloid cell depletion of mPGES-1 with decreased hyperplasia, leukocyte infiltration, and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and tenascin-C. Conditioned medium derived from mPGES-1–deficient macrophages less potently induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration than that from wild-type macrophages. Conclusions— Deletion of mPGES-1 in the vasculature and myeloid cells differentially modulates the response to vascular injury, implicating macrophage mPGES-1 as a cardiovascular drug target.
Barriers and Problems Affecting Web Infrastructure Development: The Experiences of a UK Small Manufacturing Business

This paper empirically identifies the factors that restrict the Web infrastructure development process within UK Small Businesses. The paper provides a brief overview of the advantages and benefits that become available through the development of a commercial Web infrastructure, and notes that whilst these advantages and benefits are well documented, small businesses are often ill equipped to exploit them in pursuit of commercial gain. The reasons for this are considered to centre upon the barriers and problems these businesses encounter when attempting to exploit the Web for commercial gain. Consequently a summary of these barriers and problems is presented. The accuracy of this summary and its applicability as a tool with which to analyse and document the impact of the identified barriers and problems is then explored. To do so a case study research strategy is employed that utilises multiple data collection methods to analyse the on-line experiences of a UK small manufacturing business within the context of the framework presented within this paper. Based upon this case study and the paper’s preliminary findings, further research work is then proposed that will build upon the analysis presented within this paper.
MATHEMATICAL ENGINEERING TECHNICAL REPORTS Calculus of Minimals: Deriving Dynamic-Programming Algorithms based on Preservation of Monotonicity

Constructing efficient algorithms is difficult and often considered to be a privilege of a few specialists. Program calculation is a methodology for easy construction of efficient algorithms, where efficient algorithms are systematically derived from naive but obviously correct algorithms by calculational laws. This paper shows an ongoing effort to give a clear and effective methodology to deal with combinatorial optimization problems based on program calculation. First, we formalize greedy algorithms and dynamic programming algorithms in terms of minimals and the strictly monotone property. Next, we propose a new calculational law to derive dynamic programming algorithms, which builds on some calculational laws to construct orders satisfying monotone properties. Our law is not only applicable for a wide class of combinatorial optimization problems, but also suitable for automatic implementation. Finally, as a nontrivial application of our calculational laws, we show systematic derivations of algorithms for regular-language constrained shortest path problems.
Nebulin-deficient mice exhibit shorter thin filament lengths and reduced contractile function in skeletal muscle

Nebulin is a giant modular sarcomeric protein that has been proposed to play critical roles in myofibrillogenesis, thin filament length regulation, and muscle contraction. To investigate the functional role of nebulin in vivo, we generated nebulin-deficient mice by using a Cre knock-in strategy. Lineage studies utilizing this mouse model demonstrated that nebulin is expressed uniformly in all skeletal muscles. Nebulin-deficient mice die within 8–11 d after birth, with symptoms including decreased milk intake and muscle weakness. Although myofibrillogenesis had occurred, skeletal muscle thin filament lengths were up to 25% shorter compared with wild type, and thin filaments were uniform in length both within and between muscle types. Ultrastructural studies also demonstrated a critical role for nebulin in the maintenance of sarcomeric structure in skeletal muscle. The functional importance of nebulin in skeletal muscle function was revealed by isometric contractility assays, which demonstrated a dramatic reduction in force production in nebulin-deficient skeletal muscle.
Lifting the Veil: An Analysis of Pre-Trade Transparency at the Nyse

We study pre-trade transparency by looking at the introduction of NYSE’s OpenBook service that provides limit-order book information to traders off the exchange floor. We find that traders attempt to manage limit-order exposure: They submit smaller orders and cancel orders faster. Specialists’ participation rate and the depth they add to the quote decline. Liquidity increases in that the price impact of orders declines, and we find some improvement in the informational efficiency of prices. These results suggest that an increase in pre-trade transparency affects investors’ trading strategies and can improve certain dimensions of market quality. THE PROLIFERATION OF NEW EXCHANGES and trading platforms in the United States and abroad brings to the forefront many issues in market design. Should a market have at its core an electronic limit-order book? What possible roles can market makers play? What information should market participants observe about order flow and prices? These issues have implications for investor trading strategies, specialist behavior, market liquidity, the informational efficiency of prices, and ultimately for investor welfare. We investigate a key feature of market design: transparency, or the ability of market participants to observe information in the trading process. Our focus is on a particular form of transparency: the ability of market participants to observe the pending trading interests of other participants, or in other words, the content of the limit-order book. Knowledge about buying and selling interest can be used both to refine one’s inference about the value of a
Schizophrenia susceptibility gene dysbindin regulates glutamatergic and dopaminergic functions via distinctive mechanisms in Drosophila

The dysfunction of multiple neurotransmitter systems is a striking pathophysiological feature of many mental disorders, schizophrenia in particular, but delineating the underlying mechanisms has been challenging. Here we show that manipulation of a single schizophrenia susceptibility gene, dysbindin, is capable of regulating both glutamatergic and dopaminergic functions through two independent mechanisms, consequently leading to two categories of clinically relevant behavioral phenotypes. Dysbindin has been reported to affect glutamatergic and dopaminergic functions as well as a range of clinically relevant behaviors in vertebrates and invertebrates but has been thought to have a mainly neuronal origin. We find that reduced expression of Drosophila dysbindin (Ddysb) in presynaptic neurons significantly suppresses glutamatergic synaptic transmission and that this glutamatergic defect is responsible for impaired memory. However, only the reduced expression of Ddysb in glial cells is the cause of hyperdopaminergic activities that lead to abnormal locomotion and altered mating orientation. This effect is attributable to the altered expression of a dopamine metabolic enzyme, Ebony, in glial cells. Thus, Ddysb regulates glutamatergic transmission through its neuronal function and regulates dopamine metabolism by regulating Ebony expression in glial cells.
Decisions and memories in human timing.

Some recent work has applied the clock-comparison model of scalar timing theory, originally used as an account of timed behaviour in animals, to human timing. As well as an internal clock, the scalar timing system also involves memory decision processes. The paper discusses examples of decision processes that might be involved in temporal generalization and bisection, and presents a newer task where subjects have to decide whether one stimulus duration is half the length of another
Synthesis of Sphingolipids Impacts Survival of Porphyromonas gingivalis and the Presentation of Surface Polysaccharides

Bacteria alter the biophysical properties of their membrane lipids in response to environmental cues, such as shifts in pH or temperature. In essence, lipid composition determines membrane structure, which in turn influences many basic functions, such as transport, secretion, and signaling. Like other members of the phylum Bacteroidetes, the oral anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis possesses the ability to synthesize a variety of novel membrane lipids, including species of dihydroceramides that are distinct, yet similar in structure to sphingolipids produced by the human host. The role of dihydroceramides in the physiology and pathogenic potential of the human microbiota is only beginning to be explored; yet there is increasing data indicating that these lipids play a role in human diseases, such as periodontitis and multiple sclerosis. Here, we report on the identification of a gene (PG1780) in the chromosome of P. gingivalis strain W83 encoding a putative serine palmitoyltransferase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step in sphingolipid biosynthesis. While we were able to detect dihydroceramides in whole lipid extracts of P. gingivalis cells as well as crude preparations of outer membrane vesicles, sphingolipids were absent in the PG1780 mutant strain. Moreover, we show that the synthesis of sphingolipids plays an essential role in the long-term survival of the organism as well as its resistance to oxidative stress. Further, a PG1780 mutant displayed much lower activity of cell-associated arginine and lysine gingipains, yet slightly higher activity in the corresponding culture supernates, which we hypothesize is due to altered membrane properties and anchoring of these proteases to the cell surface. In addition, we determined that sphingolipid production is critical to the presentation of surface polysaccharides, with the mutant strain displaying less K-antigen capsule and more anionic polysaccharide (APS). Overall, we have discovered that, in addition to their role in pathogenicity, the synthesis of sphingolipids is critical to the cellular homeostasis and persistence of this important dental pathogen.