Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Word List Versus Story Memory in Alzheimer Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia

Memory impairment, characterized by a pattern of rapid forgetting, is the hallmark deficit in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Memory deficits have also been reported in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and are thought to reflect diminished organizational and attentional abilities leading to a pattern of decreased acquisition of new information. The present study compared patients with AD, the behavioral variant of FTD, and cognitively intact elderly control subjects on two types of memory tests: story memory and word list recall. The percent of information recalled immediately (encoded), after a delay, and the percent retention between these conditions was calculated for both tests. The results showed that FTD patients encoded and recalled more information from the story than AD patients. No difference was found between FTD and AD patients for encoding of the word list. However, FTD patients recalled more words after a delay than AD patients. Percent retention on both tasks was also greater for the FTD group. The results suggest that patterns of performance on different tests of memory, and, in particular, measures of retention, can be useful in differentiating memory impairment in AD from that of FTD on cognitive testing.
Case-control study on renal cell cancer and occupational exposure to trichloroethylene. Part I: Exposure assessment.

A method for a semi-quantitative retrospective assessment of exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) was implemented for a case-control study conducted in the Arve valley (France), an area with a widely developed screw-cutting industry, where teams of occupational physicians have collected a large quantity of well-documented measurements. A task-exposure matrix was developed to link the main working circumstances in a screw-cutting workshop to corresponding TCE-exposure levels: a 'basic level' was assigned to each task, standing for usual working procedures; exposure circumstances, such as duration or distance from the TCE source, were introduced as corrective factors. In parallel, a detailed occupational questionnaire was designed, setting subjects' descriptions of their successive jobs and working circumstances against levels assessed in the matrix. Possible exposure to TCE, plus some other occupational compounds (other solvents, oils, some metals, asbestos, welding fumes and ionizing radiations), were assessed for any job in all job histories. An average level of exposure to TCE, related to an 8 h usual working day, was attributed to each job period in turn, which was then categorized into six classes: 0; 1-35; 35-50; 50-75; 75-100; and >100 p.p.m. A total of 402 study subjects described their occupational life (average 3.7 jobs/subject, from 1924 to 2003). About 19% of the 1486 job periods described were assessed as being exposed to TCE; of these, 72.2% involved levels<35 p.p.m. , 13.2% involved levels>50 p.p.m. and 5.4% above the French occupational exposure limit of 75 p.p.m. (TWA 8 h). A total of 41 job periods included exposure with peaks. Compared with levels encountered in other studies, the more severely exposed part of our study population seemed more exposed than most other populations previously studied, owing to vapor degreasing practices.
Increased waking salivary cortisol levels in young people at familial risk of depression.

OBJECTIVE Cortisol hypersecretion is one of the most reliable biological abnormalities in major depression, but it is uncertain if it represents an illness marker or a trait vulnerability to mood disorder. The present study sought to answer this question by measuring waking salivary cortisol levels in young people at familial risk of depression but with no personal history of mood disorder. METHOD The authors studied 49 young people who had not been depressed themselves but who had a parent with a history of major depression (FH+) and a comparison group of 55 participants who had no personal history of depression and no reported depression in a first-degree relative. The authors measured the amount of cortisol secreted in saliva during the first 30 minutes after awakening on a workday and on a nonworkday. RESULTS The amount of cortisol secreted by the FH+ subjects was greater than that of the comparison subjects on both workdays (mean=698 nmol x minutes/liter, SD=243, versus mean=550, SD=225) and nonworkdays (mean=633 nmol x minutes/liter, SD=216, versus mean=492, SD=166). The increase in cortisol secretion was not accounted for by differences in parental attachment, life events, personality, or current mental state. CONCLUSIONS Hypersecretion of cortisol can be detected in asymptomatic individuals at genetic risk of depression and may represent an illness endophenotype. Further studies will be needed to find out if increased waking salivary cortisol levels can predict individual risk of illness and whether the increased cortisol secretion has implications for general health and cognitive function.
Vesicoureteric reflux and urinary tract infection in children

An association between vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) and renal damage was found in 1960. In 1973, the term reflux nephropathy (RN) was first used to describe the renal damage caused by VUR. Follow up studies show that about 10%–20% of children with RN develop hypertension or end stage renal disease. It is now evident that there is a sex difference in the development of RN. In most males with RN, the kidneys are congenitally abnormal. In females it is an acquired condition, the most severe damage being sustained by recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The purpose of current UTI guidelines is to identify VUR or any other abnormality of the urinary tract. Since the advent of routine antenatal ultrasonography, there is no longer a need to identify an abnormality of the urinary tract after the first reported UTI. Routine investigations are not required. Recurrent UTIs and a family history of VUR need further evaluation. There is also an urgent need to establish the long term value of prophylactic antibiotics in children with VUR.
Supporting decision making in risk management through an evidence-based information systems project risk checklist

Purpose – This paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at identifying a risk ontology and checklist that will enable decision making and mitigation strategy planning in information system (IS) development in the public sector. This sector is an ideal research field in risk management practices, due to the visibility that failure of IS/IT projects has acquired as a consequence of the duty of accountability that characterises it.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a qualitative approach anchored on a critical literature review, leading to the development of an analytical framework, followed by a thorough case‐study survey.Findings – A project risk ontology was derived from the analysis of ten case‐studies in the UK, USA and New Zealand and was divided into five main categories: pre‐project, customer, project management, technological issues, and development methodology. The analysis found that a considerable number of risk factors are incurred befor.
Social Support, Religious Endorsement, and Career Commitment: A Study on Saudi Nurses

The present study investigates the effect of perceived social support (PSS) and perceived religious endorsement (PRE) on career commitment (CC) of Saudi nurses. The investigation also extends to the moderating role of different demographic and organizational factors in the extent of PSS, and career commitment these nurses report. Data required for meeting these study objectives were collected from male and female Saudi nurses through a structured questionnaire. Multiple regressions using Partial Least Squares based Structural Equation Model, Smart-PLS version 3.0, and independent sample t-test using SPSS version 22.0, were used to analyze data. The study findings reveal that both perceived social support and perceived religious endorsement are important antecedents of career commitment of Saudi nurses. However, private-sector nurses are found to exhibit a significantly higher level of career commitment compared to their public-sector counterparts. Nurses with greater educational attainment perceive higher level of social support and express greater career commitment than their less educated peers. These findings suggest that nursing as a profession should be more openly discussed in both secular and religious contexts, to ensure an adequate level of respect and compassion on behalf of the public. In particular, endorsement from the individual nurses’ social networks is vital in maintaining their wellbeing and career commitment. Given the religious influence in all aspects of life in the Saudi society, the current practice of gender-based segregation in Saudi hospitals and clinics seems to be meaningful for sustaining the career commitment of the nurses.
The connective connection: interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and ICC‐like cells establish synapses with immunoreactive cells.: Electron microscope study in sity.

We present transmission electron microscope (TEM) evidence that ICC and ICC‐like cells frequently establish close contacts (synapses) with several types of immunoreactive cells (IRC): lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, basophils, macrophages and mast cells. Such synapses were found in various organs: human mammary gland and myometrium, as well as rat stomach, gut, bladder and uterus. Specimens were observed by conventional TEM on ultrathin sections. Based on morphometric analyses and computer‐aided 3‐D reconstructions from serial sections, we propose an operational definition of ICC‐IRC synapses: cell‐to‐cell close contacts where the two cells are separated by only ∼15nm, equivalent to twice the plasmalemmal thickness. Two types of such synapses were found: (i) uniform (‘plain’) synapses (PS) ‐ close contact extending for >200 nm, and (ii) multicontact (‘kiss and run’) synapses (MS) ‐ with multiple, focal, close‐contact points alternating with regions of wider intermembrane distance. For instance, a typical PS between a rat bladder ICC‐like cell and an eosinophil was 2.48 μm long and 11±4nm wide. By contrast, a MS synapse in rat myometrium (between an ICC‐like cell and an eosinophil) was 8.64 μm long and had 13 contact points. The synaptic cleft measured 15±8nm at contact points and ∼100nm or more in wider areas. These synapses are different from gap junctions usually seen between ICC and between ICC and smooth muscle cells.
Labor Policies and Philippine Companies: Analysis of Survey Opinions

This paper analyzes the responses from a survey of Philippine companies concerning labor market policies, such as minimum wage setting process, hiring and firing practices, training, and holidays. These policies have gained wide acceptance as a means of protecting the welfare of workers. But one of the features of the Philippine economy is the large amount of unemployment that has persisted for a long time. Specific characteristics associated with the respondent firms help to isolate important findings in their opinions about the labor policies. Matching the responses for each policy issue against certain criteria that grouped the operating enterprises, some important conclusions are derived. The firms are segregated according to whether they are recipient or non-recipient of investment incentives; export or domestic market oriented; owned by nationals or by foreigners; young or old firms, and small or large firms by size of labor employment. The policy implications for the policy are not discussed in this paper but some conclusions appear evident. Firms that complain about certain policies could be expected to be adversely affected by them.
Image quality evaluation based on human visual perception

This paper introduces two concepts of the traditional quality evaluation: the subjective evolution and objective evaluation, and then several kinds of common used human visual perception image quality judgment criterion are introduced, such as: assessing the quality of enhanced images based on human visual perception, image quality assessing model by using neural network and support vector machine, gradient information based image quality assessment, natural image quality assessment metric based on wavelet-based contour-let transform, image quality assessment method based on contrast sensitivity. Some possible development directions are given for the image quality assessment research.
Total Serum Transforming Growth Factor‐β1 Is Elevated in the Entire Spectrum of Genetic Aortic Syndromes

Total serum transforming growth factor‐beta 1 (tsTGF‐β1) is increased in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS), but it has not been assessed in thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD), Loeys‐Dietz syndrome (LDS), and bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD).
Cooperative binding of Ets-1 and core binding factor to DNA

Two phorbol ester-inducible elements (beta E2 and beta E3) within the human T-cell receptor beta gene enhancer each contain consensus binding sites for the Ets and core binding factor (CBF) transcription factor families. Recombinant Ets-1 and purified CBF bound individually to beta E2 and beta E3, in which the Ets and core sites are directly adjacent. In this report, we show that CBF and Ets-1 bind together to beta E2 and beta E3 and that Ets-1-CBF-DNA complexes are favored over the binding of either protein alone to beta E2. Formation of Ets-1-CBF-DNA complexes increased the affinity of Ets-1-DNA interactions and decreased the rate of dissociation of CBF from DNA. Ets-1-CBF-DNA complexes were not observed when either the Ets or core site was mutated. The spatial requirements for the cooperative interaction of Ets-1 and CBF were analyzed by oligonucleotide mutagenesis and binding site selection experiments. Core and Ets sites were coselected, and there appeared to be little constraint on the relative orientation and spacing of the two sites. These results demonstrate that CBF and Ets-1 form a high-affinity DNA-binding complex when both of their cognate sites are present and that the relative spacing and orientation of the two sites are unimportant. Ets and core sites are found in several T-cell-specific enhancers, suggesting that this interaction is of general importance in T-cell-specific transcription.
Framework and Resources for Natural Language Parser Evaluation

Because of the wide variety of contemporary practices used in the automatic syntactic parsing of natural languages, it has become necessary to analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. This research is all the more necessary because there are currently no genre- and domain-independent parsers that are able to analyze unrestricted text with 100% preciseness (I use this term to refer to the correctness of analyses assigned by a parser). All these factors create a need for methods and resources that can be used to evaluate and compare parsing systems. This research describes: (1) A theoretical analysis of current achievements in parsing and parser evaluation. (2) A framework (called FEPa) that can be used to carry out practical parser evaluations and comparisons. (3) A set of new evaluation resources: FiEval is a Finnish treebank under construction, and MGTS and RobSet are parser evaluation resources in English. (4) The results of experiments in which the developed evaluation framework and the two resources for English were used for evaluating a set of selected parsers.
The effects of intracage ventilation on micro environmental conditions in filter-top cages

Filter-top cages, while effective in reducing cross contamination by particulate material including microbes, can also cause accumulation of the waste gases carbon dioxide and ammonia as well as increased intracage relative humidity. A prototype system which provided each cage with 23 air changes per hour through a nozzle inserted in the filter lid was evaluated. The ventilated cageing system was effective in reducing intracage carbon dioxide, ammonia and relative humidity levels. Mean weekly carbon dioxide levels were 2900 ppm lower, ammonia levels 240 ppm lower and intracage relative humidity levels 8% lower in the ventilated cages than in unventilated controls.
General anesthesia versus sedation for implantation of a biventricular pacing device for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

OBJECTIVE Heart failure carries significant risk for major noncardiac surgery. Whether this risk is transferable to minor surgery is less well-documented. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the outcome of a contemporary cohort of heart failure patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device insertion under general anesthesia or sedation. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. SETTING Tertiary cardiac specialist hospital. PARTICIPANTS Heart failure patients. INTERVENTIONS CRT insertion under general anesthesia or sedation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Anesthesia, heart failure, and outcome data were collected on a consecutive series of patients having CRT device insertion between 2002 and 2010. A total of 242 patients were managed by the anesthesia department during the study period. After exclusion criteria were applied, data for 183 patients were analyzed. Immediate perioperative (<24 hours) mortality was zero; 30-day mortality of 138 patients was 2.2%. One patient (0.5%) required unplanned intensive care admission. A comparison was made between the sedation (n = 76) group and the general anesthesia (GA) group (n = 107). When compared with the sedation group, the GA group had more intraoperative hypotension (26.2% versus 4.0%, p<0.00001). There was no difference between the GA and sedation groups with regard to 30-day mortality (1.4% versus 3.1%, p = 0.57), unplanned intensive care admission (0% versus 1.3%, p = 0.42), and length of stay in days (3 versus 3, p = 0.82). CONCLUSION The authors found that patients with heart failure undergoing CRT insertion with concurrent general anesthesia or sedation had minimal immediate perioperative risk and that there was no difference in postoperative outcome between general anesthesia and sedation.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Mediates Oligodendrocyte Death and Delayed Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a widespread ocular disease characterized by a progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Previous studies suggest that the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) may contribute to the disease process, although its role in vivo and its mechanism of action are unclear. To investigate pathophysiological mechanisms in glaucoma, we induced ocular hypertension (OH) in mice by angle closure via laser irradiation. This treatment resulted in a rapid upregulation of TNF-α, followed sequentially by microglial activation, loss of optic nerve oligodendrocytes, and delayed loss of RGCs. Intravitreal TNF-α injections in normal mice mimicked these effects. Conversely, an anti-TNF-α-neutralizing antibody or deleting the genes encoding TNF-α or its receptor, TNFR2, blocked the deleterious effects of OH. Deleting the CD11b/CD18 gene prevented microglial activation and also blocked the pathophysiological effects of OH. Thus TNF-α provides an essential, although indirect, link between OH and RGC loss in vivo. Blocking TNF-α signaling or inflammation, therefore, may be helpful in treating glaucoma.
How sustainable is the use of different savings devices?: A study of formal and informal finance in Benin

There are several types of savings device, both formal and informal, available for households in Cotonou, Benin. Different savings mechanisms have very different features; some are more flexible whilst others act as commitment devices to ensure sufficient saving. There is evidence in the literature for a demand for both such devices, though each have their shortcomings. For example, a high degree of device flexibility may result in low overall saving whilst membership of commitment savings products may be difficult to sustain in the face of shocks. In this paper we consider the membership sustainability of savings devices with different levels of flexibility. The devices chosen are those most widely used in Benin’s largest city, Cotonou. Our sample covers both formal and informal saving: the formal device considered is a bank account whilst tontiniers and roscas are the informal savings products studied. Using survey data for the years 2004 and 2006, we analyze the stability over time of the use of each device in the face of health and funeral shocks. We estimate the impact of these shocks on the probability of membership in the second wave of the survey given use of this particular device in the first wave, controlling for individual and device-specific characteristics. Our analysis helps us to isolate threats to the sustainability of membership rather than using panel regressions to simply measure the determinants of membership over time. We conclude that devices that offer flexibility to their clients are more resilient in the face of unexpected shocks. Rosca membership appears to be the most affected by negative income shocks for this reason. Furthermore, shocks that can be anticipated may increase the membership sustainability of more flexible devices since members may seek to put more money aside to prepare for such occurrences. Our results indicate that device flexibility can aid the sustained use of savings mechanisms in developing country contexts. A move from informal to more flexible formal devices could benefit individuals with a very varied income stream by allowing them to smooth their income in the face of shocks and to accumulate more savings in the long term through sustained membership.
Differential sensitivity in vivo of lethal and nonlethal malarial parasites to endotoxin-induced serum factor

Sera from mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii or Plasmodium berghei and given endotoxin contained nonspecific mediators which killed both species of parasite and tumor cells in vitro. The sera resembled tumor necrosis sera obtained from mice given macrophage-activating agents such as Propionibacterium acnes (formerly designated Corynebacterium acnes) or Mycobacterium bovis BCG and then endotoxin. Cytotoxicity developed parallel to parasite killing activity and indicated that macrophages were activated. Activation occurred sooner with P. berghei, which is lethal, and serum activity remained on a plateau until the mice died. In nonlethal P. yoelii infections, activation was related to the course of parasitemia. Endotoxin given to mice infected with P. yoelii caused an immediate decrease in parasitemia, presumably through the release of parasite killing factors. The extent of the decrease depended upon the time of administration. No immediate drop in the parasitemia caused by P. berghei was observed at any time. Early administration of endotoxin prolonged survival; late administration accelerated death. Passive transfer of rabbit tumor necrosis serum to infected mice decreased the parasitemia caused by P. yoelii but not that caused by P. berghei. Other components of the immune response appeared to act together with these soluble mediators to eliminate P. yoelii; they may be absent or suppressed in infections with P. berghei.