Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proximal Postural Control Mechanisms May Be Exaggeratedly Adopted by Individuals With Peripheral Deficiencies: A Review

ABSTRACT In quiet stance, it is understood that healthy individuals control their posture primarily by a peripheral mechanism for anteroposterior sway and by a proximal mechanism for medialateral sway. The authors proposed the hypothesis that patients suffering from disease-related deficiencies, at their feet and legs, may exaggeratedly adopt proximal control mechanisms at their hip in the anteroposterior and medialateral axes. They critically reviewed the literature to test the proximal control hypothesis against published findings. The selected articles analyzed postural control mechanisms in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and in healthy controls. The data selected were kinematic and electromyographic. In the anteroposterior axis, 4 authors had previously tested the proposed hypothesis, but the findings are contrasted. In the medialateral axis, one study failed to validate the tested hypothesis. Overall, the published studies did not conform with the proximal control hypothesis. However, these studies did not specifically or deeply test such a hypothesis. The lack of results is critical because individuals suffering from peripheral disease-related deficiencies may be unstable, in part, because of a change in postural control mechanisms. For improvement of their stability and appropriate interventions, scientific explorations of the proximal control hypothesis should be investigated. Two proposals are made to move forward.
Effects of psychosocial group rehabilitation on social functioning, loneliness and well-being of lonely, older people: randomized controlled trial.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to explore the effects of psychosocial group nursing intervention on older people's feelings of loneliness, social activity and psychological well-being. BACKGROUND Older people's loneliness is associated with low quality of life, and impaired health, increased use of health and social services and increased mortality. Previous intervention studies have achieved quite modest results. METHOD A randomized controlled trial was conducted between 2003 and 2006 using a group intervention aimed at empowering older people, and promoting peer support and social integration. A total of 235 people (>74 years) suffering from loneliness met 12 times with professional leaders in groups. The UCLA Loneliness Scale and Lubben's Social Network Scale were used at entry, after 3 and 6 months. Psychological well-being was charted using a six-dimensional questionnaire at baseline and 12 months later. FINDINGS A statistically significantly larger proportion of intervention group participants had found new friends during the follow-up year (45% vs. 32%, P = 0.048), and 40% of intervention group participants continued their group meetings for 1 year. However, no differences were found in loneliness or social networks between the groups. Psychological well-being score improved statistically significantly in the intervention groups [+0.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): +0.04 to +0.13], compared with the controls (+0.01, 95% CI: -0.05 to +0.07, P = 0.045). Feeling needed was statistically significantly more common in the intervention groups (66%) than in controls (49%, P = 0.019). CONCLUSION New sensitive measurements of loneliness and social isolation are needed to measure fluctuations in feelings of loneliness and in social isolation.
Optimizing regulation functions in gene network identification

This paper is concerned with the problem of identifying a discrete-time dynamical system model for a gene regulatory network with unknown topology using time series gene expression data. The topology of such a network can be characterized by a set of regulation hypotheses, one for each gene. In our earlier work, we formulated a convex optimization method to select the regulation hypotheses (and hence the network topology). In this paper, we further optimize the dynamics of the inferred network. Specifically, for a given topology, we minimize the ℓ2 distance between the experimental data and the model prediction. We illustrate the performance of our algorithm by identifying models for gene networks with known topology.
Team‐led hospital‐based care reduced the number of obstetric interventions

Sir, It was with great interest that I read the letter by Svelato et al. (1) sharing their experiences of introducing team discussions between medical and midwifery staff in favor of a normal vaginal delivery. In a recently published study, Ragusa et al. (2) showed a markedly decreased rate of cesarean section in Robson group 1 and 2a after introduction of the strategy “comprehensive management”. The comprehensive management was focused on dystocia but could easily be applied to handling nulliparous women in labor. They discussed clinical cases at daily audits. According to our experience in Link€ oping, such arenas are absolutely essential to reach consensus on what kind of care should be offered at the unit and what are the common goals (3). I certainly found their “wheelbarrow” of dystocia management interesting. It included, for example, active maternal posture, manual rotation of the fetal head, control of maternal energy metabolism, psychological support and effective pain control. These are all tools in the “wheelbarrow” used by every employee in Link€ oping. One difference may be that we include amniotomy, oxytocin and epidural as tools for managing dystocia. We use partograms according to Swedish guidelines, where action line is shifted three hours from alert line. In Robson group 1, 62% received oxytocin during labor (Table 1). We have not estimated time in labor or rate of amniotomy before and after the introduction of the nine item list. The introduction of the comprehensive management did not alter the number of infants born with Apgar score <7 at 5 min, which is in accordance of our experience of the nine-item list. Monitoring infant outcome and patient satisfaction is of great importance during improvement projects intended to reduce obstetric interventions. For further comparisons, our recent obstetric and neonatal outcomes in Robson group 1 (4) are shown in Table 1. I do agree with Ragusa and coworkers that sharing experiences of clinical improvement projects and data on outcomes is enormously important, especially in the light of the ongoing debate on patient safety in different delivery care models (5). I really encourage other centers to contribute.
Longitudinal evidence for diminished frontal cortex function in aging

Cross-sectional estimates of age-related changes in brain structure and function were compared with 6-y longitudinal estimates. The results indicated increased sensitivity of the longitudinal approach as well as qualitative differences. Critically, the cross-sectional analyses were suggestive of age-related frontal overrecruitment, whereas the longitudinal analyses revealed frontal underrecruitment with advancing age. The cross-sectional observation of overrecruitment reflected a select elderly sample. However, when followed over time, this sample showed reduced frontal recruitment. These findings dispute inferences of true age changes on the basis of age differences, hence challenging some contemporary models of neurocognitive aging, and demonstrate age-related decline in frontal brain volume as well as functional response.
MICROARRAY EXPERIMENTS : APPLICATION TO SPORULATION TIME SERIES

The enormous amount of data produced by microarray experiments can be unwieldy. A given series of microarray experiments produces observations of differential expression for thousands of genes across multiple conditions. These large data sets can be summarized with principal components analysis (PCA), a statistical technique that allows the key variables (or combinations of variables) in a multidimensional data set to be identified. Principal components analysis determines those key variables in the data that best explain the differences in the observations. Here we show the utility of applying PCA to expression data, where the experimental conditions are the variables, and the gene expression measurements are the observations. Thus, each component defines a linear combination of the experimental conditions that can be used to distinguish genes parsimoniously. Examination of the components also provides insight into what underlying factors are actually being measured in the experiment. We applied PCA to the publicly released yeast sporulation data set (Chu et al. 1998). In that work, 7 different measurements of gene expression were made over time. PCA on the time-points suggests that much of the observed variability in the experiment can be summarized in just 2 components—i.e. 2 variables capture most of the information. These underlying factors appear to represent (1) overall induction level and (2) change in induction level over time. A visualization of our results is made available (http://www.smi.stanford.edu/projects/helix/PCArray).
Scalable Semantic Web Data Management Using Vertical Partitioning

Efficient management of RDF data is an important factor in realizing the Semantic Web vision. Performance and scalability issues are becoming increasingly pressing as Semantic Web technology is applied to real-world applications. In this paper, we examine the reasons why current data management solutions for RDF data scale poorly, and explore the fundamental scalability limitations of these approaches. We review the state of the art for improving performance for RDF databases and consider a recent suggestion, "property tables. " We then discuss practically and empirically why this solution has undesirable features. As an improvement, we propose an alternative solution: vertically partitioning the RDF data. We compare the performance of vertical partitioning with prior art on queries generated by a Web-based RDF browser over a large-scale (more than 50 million triples) catalog of library data. Our results show that a vertical partitioned schema achieves similar performance to the property table technique while being much simpler to design. Further, if a column-oriented DBMS (a database architected specially for the vertically partitioned case) is used instead of a row-oriented DBMS, another order of magnitude performance improvement is observed, with query times dropping from minutes to several seconds.
An Ontology-based Approach to Support Text Mining and Information Retrieval in the Biological Domain

This paper describes an ontology-based approach aiming at helping biologists to annotate their documents and at facilitating their information retrieval task. Our approach, based on semantic web technologies, relies on formalised ontologies, semantic annotations of scientific articles and knowledge extraction from texts. We propose a method/system for the generation of ontology-based semantic annotations (MeatAnnot) and a system allowing biologists to draw advanced inferences on these annotations (MeatSearch). This approach was proposed to support biologists working on DNA microarray experiments in the validation and the interpretation of their results, but it can probably be extended to other massive analyses of biological events (as provided by proteomics, metabolomics…).
The Study of Institutional Practices Related to Student Persistence

Using literature and illustrations drawn from a pilot study, this article explores the theoretical and methodological challenges entailed in the study of student retention. We center the discussion around two important efforts to expand the theoretical base and scope for research in this area: Berger's (2000) concept of colleges and universities as optimizers of cultural capital and Bensimon's (2007) recent critique of the narrowness of the frames that predominate student retention research. By way of exploring these issues through a concrete example, the article presents an overview of processes and findings from a funded pilot study of institutional policies and practices surrounding student retention. This exploration—part essay, part research report—leads us ultimately to pose two central questions on which, we suggest, future research should build: What are institutions doing to improve student retention? and How do institutions intervene in the workings of cultural capital in higher education?
Reassessing blood acetylcholinesterase in dementia

Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice | January March 2015 | Vol 6 | Issue 1 Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) have grown into prevalent public health issues not only in developed countries but also in rural areas within underdeveloped regions. It is a particular medical and social challenge to find efficient biomarkers to screen the potential patients at low cost, and ideally predict the clinical progress. Cholinergic system has attracted substantial interest in Alzheimer’s disease research over the past several decades. Cholinesterase inhibitor was the first category of medication that clinically proven to be effective in symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in late 90s. Despite numerous basic research and clinical trials over the past decade, no other drug categories had been translated into successful clinical application. Therefore, cholinesterase remains the key molecule in Alzheimer’s disease research.
Too busy to learn [individual learning interaction with evolutionary algorithm in Busy Beaver problem]

The goal of this research is to analyze how individual learning interacts with an evolutionary algorithm in its search for best candidates for the Busy Beaver problem. To study this interaction, two learning models, implemented as local search procedures, are proposed. Experimental results show that, in highly irregular search spaces that are prone to premature convergence, local search methods are not an effective help to evolution. In addition, one interesting effect related to learning is reported: when the mutation rate is too high, learning acts as a repair, reintroducing some useful information that was lost.
Thermal, mechanical and physical properties of nanoegg shell particle-filled epoxy nanocomposites

This work involves the study of the thermal, mechanical and physical properties of epoxy filled with nanoegg shell particles. Nanoegg shell particles of near uniform size and shape were prepared by high-speed ball milling technique. The influence of nanoegg shell particle concentration (1 to 5 wt.%) on epoxy curing rate, thermal stability, dynamic mechanical properties and the tensile, hardness, impact and water uptake properties was evaluated. The result showed improvement in most of these properties except for storage modulus in the rubbery phase. Microscopic examination revealed strong particle–matrix adhesion strength, with optimum improvement of all properties at 2 wt. % nanoegg shell filler concentration.
Trophic action of sympathetic nerves reduces arterial smooth muscle Ca2+ sensitivity during early post‐natal development in rats

A decrease in the Ca2+ sensitivity of smooth muscle contraction is a hallmark of functional remodelling of blood vessels during development. However, the responsible factors are largely unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the post‐natal decline of arterial Ca2+ sensitivity is the result of trophic effects of sympathetic nerves.
Are depressive symptoms in mild cognitive impairment predictive of conversion to dementia?

ABSTRACT Background: Depressive symptoms are common in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The association between depressive symptoms and conversion to dementia is not yet clear. This longitudinal study was conducted to ascertain whether depressive symptoms in aMCI patients are predictive of conversion to dementia. Methods: 35 aMCI patients participated in this study. All participants underwent cognitive testing and were administered the geriatric depression scale (GDS) to determine the presence of depressive symptoms. A score equaling or higher than 11 on the GDS was taken as the cut-off point for presence of significant depressive symptoms. Conversion to dementia was assessed at follow-up visits after 1.5, 4, and 10 years. Results: 31.4% of the patients reported depressive symptoms at baseline. None of the cognitive measures revealed a significant difference at baseline between patients with and without depressive symptoms. After 1.5, 4, and 10 years respectively 6, 14, and 23 patients had converted to dementia. Although the GDS scores at baseline did not predict conversion to dementia, the cognitive measures and more specifically a verbal cued recall task (the memory impairment scale-plus) was a good predictor for conversion. Conclusions: Based on this dataset, the presence of depressive symptoms in aMCI patients is not predictive of conversion to dementia.
Contribution of C/EBP Proteins to Epstein-Barr Virus Lytic Gene Expression and Replication in Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT The contribution of C/EBP proteins to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic gene expression and replication in epithelial cells was examined. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines constitutively expressed C/EBPβ and had limited C/EBPα expression, while the AGS gastric cancer cell line expressed significant levels of both C/EBPα and C/EBPβ. Induction of the lytic cycle in EBV-positive AGS/BX1 cells with phorbol ester and sodium butyrate treatment led to a transient stimulation of C/EBPβ expression and a prolonged increase in C/EBPα expression. In AGS/BX1 cells, endogenous C/EBPα and C/EBPβ proteins were detected associated with the ZTA and oriLyt promoters but not the RTA promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed binding of C/EBP proteins to multiple sites in the ZTA and oriLyt promoters. The response of these promoters in reporter assays to transfected C/EBPα and C/EBPβ proteins was consistent with the promoter binding assays and emphasized the relative importance of C/EBPs for activation of the ZTA promoter. Mutation of the oriLyt promoter proximal C/EBP site had little effect on ZTA activation of the promoter in a reporter assay. However, this mutation impaired oriLyt DNA replication, suggesting a separate replication-specific contribution for C/EBP proteins. Finally, the overall importance of C/EBP proteins for lytic gene expression was demonstrated using CHOP10 to antagonize C/EBP DNA binding activity. Introduction of CHOP10 significantly impaired induction of the ZTA, RTA, and BMRF1 proteins in chemically treated AGS/BX1 cells. Thus, C/EBPβ and C/EBPα expression are associated with lytic induction in AGS cells, and expression of C/EBP proteins in epithelial cells may contribute to the tendency of these cells to exhibit constitutive low-level ZTA promoter activity.
Parents with Intellectual Disabilities Experiencing Challenging Child Routines: A Pilot Study Using Embedded Self‐Determination Practices

BACKGROUND Practices to facilitate self-determination have not received appropriate attention in research concerning parents with intellectual disabilities (ID). Likewise, parenting interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities have seldom observed both parent and child behavioural outcomes. METHODS This study evaluated the effectiveness of a parenting intervention embedded with self-determination facilitation practices for two dyads of a parent with intellectual disabilities and their young child. The interventions focused on increasing parents' ability to correctly implement steps of a parenting routine while reducing occurrence of challenging child behaviour. RESULTS The results of the study demonstrated two basic effects of correctly completed steps of the parenting routine and a reduction of challenging child behaviour. Parents also reported decreased feelings of stress during the routine following completion of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS Implications for future research and replication of this pilot study are discussed.
Semi-hyperbolic fibered rational maps and rational semigroups

This paper is based on the author's previous work (Dynamics of sub-hyperbolic and semi-hyperbolic rational semigroups and skew products. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 21 (2001), 563–603). We consider fiber-preserving complex dynamics on fiber bundles whose fibers are Riemann spheres and whose base spaces are compact metric spaces. In this context, without any assumption on (semi-)hyperbolicity, we show that the fiberwise Julia sets are uniformly perfect. From this result, we show that, for any semigroup G generated by a compact family of rational maps on the Riemann sphere $\overline{\mathbb C}$ of degree two or greater, the Julia set of any subsemigroup of G is uniformly perfect. We define the semi-hyperbolicity of dynamics on fiber bundles and show that, if the dynamics on a fiber bundle is semi-hyperbolic, then the fiberwise Julia sets are porous, and the dynamics is weakly rigid. Moreover, we show that if the dynamics is semi-hyperbolic and the fiberwise maps are polynomials, then under some conditions, the fiberwise basins of infinity are John domains. We also show that the Julia set of a rational semigroup (a semigroup generated by rational maps on $\overline{\mathbb C}$) that is semi-hyperbolic, except at perhaps finitely many points in the Julia set, and which satisfies the open set condition, is either porous or equal to the closure of the open set. Furthermore, we derive an upper estimate of the Hausdorff dimension of the Julia set.
Reversal of intraoperative arterial thrombosis with a fibrinolytic agent when treating large and giant partially thrombosed aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery.

OBJECTIVE Thrombosis of the cerebral arteries is one of the complications of microsurgical operations for partially thrombosed intracranial aneurysms. The object of this study was to assess the frequency of intraoperative arterial thrombosis (IAT) during microsurgical treatment of large and giant partially thrombosed aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and also to assess the efficacy of the treatment of this complication. MATERIALS The authors analyzed a consecutive series of 53 patients who underwent surgery for partially thrombosed aneurysms of the MCA at the Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute between January 2005 and September 2014. Thirty-two patients had large aneurysms (15-25 mm) and 21 had giant aneurysms (> 25 mm). Clipping of aneurysms was performed in 47 patients, trapping was performed in 3, and wrapping was performed in 3. RESULTS IAT was diagnosed in 10 patients (18.9%). The authors describe a technique for IAT reversal involving the injection of modified human recombinant prourokinase (mr-proUK). Of the 7 patients who underwent injection of mr-proUK in the thrombosed artery, 5 (71.4%) were discharged without any change in neurological status, 1 (14.3%) experienced moderate deterioration (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 2), and 1 (14.3%) experienced severe deterioration (mRS score of 4). Among the 3 patients who had complications and did not receive an injection of mr-proUK, 2 experienced severe deterioration (mRS score of 3 and 4) and 1 had moderate deterioration (mRS score of 2). CONCLUSIONS The primary risk factor of thrombectomy with temporary trapping is thrombosis in the MCA branches. The injection of a fibrinolytic agent into thrombosed MCA branches is an effective method for the treatment of IAT.