Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends of patient referral to a memory clinic and towards earlier diagnosis from 1985–2009

ABSTRACT Background: It may be assumed that increased public awareness of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) together with the availability of efficacious treatment will result in diagnostic evaluation at earlier stages of cognitive decline and diagnosis of dementia due to AD at earlier stages. Methods: All persons that were examined at a university based memory clinic, in Germany, between 1985 and 2009 were included. Results: In the 3,951 persons identified, linear regression analysis revealed a positive association between Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and year of initial examination (yearIE) (β = 0.266; p < 0.001). In the 1,821 patients diagnosed with dementia due to AD, a positive association between MMSE score and yearIE (β = 0.230; p < 0.001) was revealed. MMSE scores were higher (β = 0.195; p < 0.001) after the introduction of cholinesterase inhibitors in Germany in 1997. Conclusions: Diagnostic evaluation of individuals occurred at progressively earlier stages of cognitive decline. Dementia due to AD was diagnosed at progressively earlier stages, and this trend was associated with the availability of efficacious treatment. This is the first study on changes in patient referral and diagnosis based on a continuous 25 years period.
Sustained E2 antibody response correlates with reduced peak viremia after hepatitis C virus infection in the chimpanzee

Immune correlates of protection against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are not well understood. Here we investigated 2 naive and 6 immunized chimpanzees before and after intravenous challenge, 12 weeks after the last immunization, with 100 50% chimpanzee infectious doses (CID50) of heterologous genotype 1b HCV. Vaccination with recombinant DNA and adenovirus vaccines expressing HCV core, E1E2, and NS3‐5 genes induced long‐term HCV‐specific antibody and T‐cell responses and reduced peak viral load about 100 times compared with controls (5.91 ± 0.38 vs. 3.81 ± 0.71 logs, respectively). There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between peak viral loads and envelope glycoprotein 2 (E2)‐specific antibody responses at the time of challenge. Interestingly, one vaccinee that had sterilizing immunity against slightly heterologous virus generated the highest level of E2‐specific total and neutralizing antibody responses as well as strong NS3/NS5‐specific T‐cell proliferative responses. The other four vaccinees with low levels of E2‐specific antibody had about 44‐fold reduced peak viral loads but eventually developed persistent infections. In conclusion, vaccine‐induced E2‐specific antibody plays an important role in prevention from nonhomologous virus infection and may provide new insight into the development of an effective HCV vaccine. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;42:1429–1436.)
Industrial and Tramp Ship Routing and Scheduling Problems with Speed Optimization and Split Loads

Industrial and tramp shipping are two of the main shipping industries within seaborne transportation. For those industries, the goal is to minimize the total operational cost of the fleet plus the use of spot charters when not all cargoes can be transported by the fleet. Hence, efficient schedules must be made for the vessels such that at minimum cost all cargoes are transported. In the existing literature, this problem is referred to as the industrial and tramp ship routing and scheduling problem (ITSRSP). The purpose of our thesis is to analyze whether extending this problem to more real-life applications results in lower total operational cost. We focus on three extensions of the industrial and tramp ship routing and scheduling problem. Namely, to speed optimization, to split loads and to both speed optimization and split loads. The results showed that extending the ITSRSP to speed optimization, could reduce the total cost on average with 25% compared to the cost of ITSRSP without any extensions. For the extension to split loads, the results showed that the operational cost could reduce up to around 16% compared to the cost without extensions. However unfortunately, the average cost reduction for this extension is only 2%. Lastly, the extension to both speed optimization and split
Citrus Seedling Growth and Susceptibility to Root Rot as Affected by Phosphite and Phosphate

ABSTRACT The growth of ‘Ridge Pineapple’ sweet orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] seedlings and their susceptibility to Phytophthora root rot were studied under contrasting supplies of phosphate (Pi) or Phosphite (Phi). After 10 weeks of repeated applications of nutrient solutions, Phi concentrations were barely detectable in soil. Soil Pi was higher in Phi treatments than in pots that received Pi alone. Seedling growth was greatest when supplied with Pi or Phi separately, but when Pi and Phi were combined, growth was reduced to levels comparable to plants that received no P. Phi was found in both stems and leaves after it was applied to soil supporting the mobility of Phi within the plant. In addition, a small amount of Phi was found in roots after applications of Phi in foliar sprays. Different sources of soil-applied P did not affect the amount of Pi in roots, while the amounts of Pi in leaves were higher in plants that received Phi and Pi combined. Root resistance to Phytophthora root rot of citrus seedlings treated with Phi alone or in combination with Pi was greater than in plants treated with Pi alone, confirming the antifungal effect of Phi.
Neuroprotective effects of Buyang Huanwu decoction on cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal damage

Among the various treatment methods for stroke, increasing attention has been paid to traditional Chinese medicines. Buyang Huanwu decoction is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of stroke. This paper summarizes the active components of the Chinese herb, which is composed of Huangqi (Radix Astragali seu Hedysari), Danggui (Radix Angelica sinensis), Chishao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra), Chuanxiong (Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong), Honghua (Flos Carthami), Taoren (Semen Persicae) and Dilong (Pheretima), and identifies the therapeutic targets and underlying mechanisms that contribute to the neuroprotective properties of Buyang Huanwu decoction.
Dental caries experience, tooth loss, and factors associated with unmet needs of Haitian immigrants in New York City.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize the dental caries experience, tooth loss, and unmet need of a group of Haitian immigrant residents of New York City. METHODS A purposive sample of 523 adults was obtained through community outreach activities during 1997-98. Clinical examinations were performed by calibrated examiners, according to NIDCR criteria. A comprehensive survey also was administered to all the participants. RESULTS For the whole group, the mean number of missing teeth was 2.64 (SD = 4.12), the mean DMFT = 6.05 (SD = 5.26), the mean DMFS = 18.80 (SD = 21.04), and the mean DFS = 5.58 (SD = 6.17). Seventeen percent of the subjects had all their teeth sound, 59 percent had at least one tooth missing, 60 percent had at least one decayed tooth, and only 38 percent had restorations. Multivariate analyses showed that age, sex, education, dental insurance, frequency of dental visits, and dental floss use were predictors of unmet need. CONCLUSIONS Although results showed a relatively low caries experience among this group of Haitian immigrants, the unmet need was very high. Furthermore, the tooth loss experience was relatively high for all age groups, further denoting a lack of access to preventive and restorative services.
An Improvement of TLSF Algorithm

Memory management has become an important part in developing real-time and embedded applications. The conventional dynamic storage allocation (DSA) algorithms have been considered inappropriate for real-time applications due to the unbounded response time and fragmentation problem. There are some new allocators designed to meet the requirements nowadays. Two-Level Segregated Fit memory allocator (TLSF) was proposed and widely used in the Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) like RTLinux. It has a bounded response time and quite good performance. However, there are still some problems with this algorithm and it could be improved. Here we discuss some improvements of the TLSF algorithm. Experiments show it has low fragmentation and faster response time.
In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory and In Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Moroccan Medicinal Plants

Five ethanol extracts of wild plants from the Casablanca region (Morocco) used in local traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases were evaluated for their in vivo topical anti-inflammatory activity (inhibition of carrageenan-induced ear edema in mice) and in vitro antioxidant and antiradical properties (inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation, DPPH radical scavenging). All the extracts showed an anti-inflammatory effect: 300 μg/cm2 provoked edema reductions ranging from 22 to 28%. All the extracts also exerted radical scavenging and/or antioxidant properties, the most active plant being Mentha pulegium L. (Lamiaceae), which contained the highest amount of phenolics (339 mg/g), and flavonoids (16.7 mg/g).
Levitating Levetiracetam's Status for Status Epilepticus

Intravenous Levetiracetam in the Treatment of Benzodiazepine Refractory Status Epilepticus. Knake S, Gruener J, Hattemer K, Klein KM, Bauer S, Oertel WH, Hamer HM, Rosenow F. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2008;79(5):588–589. In 2006, levetiracetam was approved as the first of the newer anticonvulsive drugs as an intravenous formulation (ivLEV) for patients with epileptic seizures who are unable to take oral medication. We report our experience with the use of ivLEV for the treatment of 18 episodes of benzodiazepine refractory focal status epilepticus (SE) in 16 patients, including four patients with secondary generalised SE. SE was controlled in all patients by the given combination of drugs; application of further antiepileptic medications after ivLEV was necessary in two episodes. No severe side effects occurred. Our data suggest that ivLEV may be an alternative for the treatment of SE in the future, even in patients that did not respond to benzodiazepines. A large prospective, randomised, controlled study is warranted to investigate the efficacy and safety of ivLEV for the treatment of SE.
Myo-inositol may prevent gestational diabetes onset in overweight women: a randomized, controlled trial

Abstract Objective: To evaluate whether myo-inositol supplementation may reduce gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rate in overweight women. Methods: In an open-label, randomized trial, myo-inositol (2 g plus 200 μg folic acid twice a day) or placebo (200 μg folic acid twice a day) was administered from the first trimester to delivery in pregnant overweight non-obese women (pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥ 25 and < 30 kg/m2). The primary outcome was the incidence of GDM. Results: From January 2012 to December 2014, 220 pregnant women were randomized at two Italian University hospitals, 110 to myo-inositol and 110 to placebo. The incidence of GDM was significantly lower in the myo-inositol group compared to the placebo group (11.6% versus 27.4%, respectively, p = 0.004). Myo-inositol treatment was associated with a 67% risk reduction of developing GDM (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.15–0.70). Conclusions: Myo-inositol supplementation, administered since early pregnancy, reduces GDM incidence in overweight non-obese women.
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES, INVESTORS CONFIDENCE AND FINANCIAL DECISIONS IN FAMILY FIRMS: EVIDENCE FROM GCC MARKETS

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of financial decisions on the ownershipstructure. This study adopted two themes of ownership structure (e.g., 25% & 50%) thatcategorized the family-owned firms (FOF) and non-family firms (NFOF). The data wascollected from 286 firms listed at GCC stock exchanges annual reports, stock exchangedatabase, and DataStream that range from 2010-2016 periods. The findings of this study showed that the FOFs have lesser investment-internal fund sensitivity than NFOFs. Though, there is an insignificant effect of the block holder on investment funds sensitivity. However, the little implication of dividend payout in FOFs as compare to NFOFs was disclosed in the results. Moreover, it wrapped up that there are less agency problems and informationasymmetry in FOFs comparatively. Keywords: Ownership structure, Investment sensitivity, Family-firms, financial decision, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
Comparing Classification Methods for Longitudinal fMRI Studies

We compare 10 methods of classifying fMRI volumes by applying them to data from a longitudinal study of stroke recovery: adaptive Fisher's linear and quadratic discriminant; gaussian naive Bayes; support vector machines with linear, quadratic, and radial basis function (RBF) kernels; logistic regression; two novel methods based on pairs of restricted Boltzmann machines (RBM); and K-nearest neighbors. All methods were tested on three binary classification tasks, and their out-of-sample classification accuracies are compared. The relative performance of the methods varies considerably across subjects and classification tasks. The best overall performers were adaptive quadratic discriminant, support vector machines with RBF kernels, and generatively trained pairs of RBMs.
Identification of Putative New Splicing Targets for ETR-3 Using Sequences Identified by Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment

ABSTRACT ETR-3 (also know as BRUNOL3, NAPOR, and CUGBP2) is one of six members of the CELF (CUG-BP1- and ETR-3-like factor) family of splicing regulators. ETR-3 regulates splicing by direct binding to the pre-mRNA. We performed systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) to identify the preferred binding sequence of ETR-3. After five rounds of SELEX, ETR-3 selected UG-rich sequences, in particular UG repeats and UGUU motifs. Either of these selected motifs was able to restore ETR-3 binding and responsiveness to a nonresponsive splicing reporter in vivo. Moreover, this effect was not specific to ETR-3 since minigenes containing either of the two motifs were responsive to two other CELF proteins (CUG-BP1 and CELF4), indicating that different members of the CELF family can mediate their effects via a common binding site. Using the SELEX-identified motifs to search the human genome, we identified several possible new ETR-3 targets. We created minigenes for two of these genes, the CFTR and MTMR1 genes, and confirmed that ETR-3 regulates their splicing patterns. For the CFTR minigene this regulation was demonstrated to be dependent on the presence of the putative binding site identified in our screen. These results validate this approach to search for new targets for RNA processing proteins.
La numération décimale à l'école primaire. Une ingénierie didactique pour le développement d'une ressource.

La these etudie la prise en compte du principe decimal de la numeration lors de l'introduction des nombres superieurs a mille, en troisieme annee d'ecole primaire. En nous appuyant sur les cadres de la theorie anthropologique du didactique (TAD) et de la theorie des situations didactiques (TSD), nous avons d'abord construit une organisation mathematique de reference et une situation fondamentale de la numeration, pour etudier les differentes etapes de la transposition didactique. Un premier resultat est le constat d'un manque de prise en compte du principe decimal de la numeration de position dans les manuels et programmes actuels ainsi que dans les pratiques. Notre etude se poursuit par la determination de conditions que devrait verifier une ressource qui aiderait les enseignants a ameliorer la prise en compte de ce principe. Pour cela nous utilisons la methodologie d'ingenierie didactique pour le developpement d'une ressource : elaborer une premiere version, analyser son utilisation par des enseignants, l'adapter en une seconde version, etc. (cycles conception-usage). Les resultats de l'etude concernent la pertinence des situations (mises en scene de la situation fondamentale) et de leur description aux enseignants. Ils permettent d'envisager des modifications possibles pour une ressource plus efficace. L'etude permet aussi de preciser les difficultes des eleves et de recueillir des informations sur les pratiques ordinaires des enseignants.
Multiyear increases in dissolved organic matter inventories at Station ALOHA in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The inventories and dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the surface water at Station ALOHA were analyzed from the Hawaii Ocean Time‐series (HOT) data set for the period 1989—1999. Euphotic zone, depthintegrated (0—175 m) concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON), and phosphorus (DOP) were temporally variable. In particular, during the period 1993—1999, concentrations of DOC and DON increased while inventories of DOP remained unchanged. DOC inventories increased by 303 mmol C m−2 yr−1, a value equivalent to approximately 2% of measured primary production (14C method) at this site. DON increased at 11 mmol N m−2 yr−1, resulting in a mean molar DOC:DON ratio of 27.5 for the accumulated DOM. Accumulation of DOC and DON without corresponding accumulation of DOP resulted in changes to the bulk organic C:N: P stoichiometry; bulk DOC:DOP ratios increased 16% and DON:DOP ratios increased by 17%. These results indicate that a small fraction of the annually produced organic matter escaped biological utilization on time scales of months to years. More importantly, the accumulated DOM inventories grew progressively enriched in C and N relative to P. Fundamental changes in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) habitat appear to have altered microbial processes that regulate organic matter fluxes. Considered together, the long‐term increases in DOC and DON inventories are consistent with previous observations, indicating that a recent reorganization of plankton community dynamics may have altered organic matter cycling in this ecosystem.
Convertible Bonds with a High Initial Conversion Premium ?

This paper identifies the motives for selling convertible bonds with a higher‐than‐aver‐ age initial conversion premium, using a sample of 300 convertible debt issues carried out between 2004 and 2014 by manufacturing and service companies from the United States, Europe and Asia. Empirical analysis indicates that high premium convertibles are issued by strongly undervalued com‐ panies with poor financial performance, looking to increase their equity capital through the back‐ door, under more favorable conditions in comparison to the issuance of common stock. For this rea‐ son, convertibles designed in this way are likely to be perceived by firms as a delayed equity rather than a debt sweetener.
Title Relational approach in managing construction project safety : asocial capital perspective

Existing initiatives in the management of construction project safety are largely based on normative compliance and error prevention, a risk management approach. Although advantageous, these approaches are not wholly successful in further lowering accident rates. A major limitation lies with the approaches’ lack of emphasis on the social and team processes inherent in construction project settings. We advance the enquiry by invoking the concept of social capital and project organisational processes, and their impacts on project safety performance. Because social capital is a primordial concept and affects project participants’ interactions, its impact on project safety performance is hypothesised to be indirect, i.e. the impact of social capital on safety performance is mediated by organisational processes in adaptation and cooperation. A questionnaire survey was conducted within Hong Kong construction industry to test the hypotheses. 376 usable responses were received and used for analyses. The results reveal that, while the structural dimension is not significant, the mediational thesis is generally supported with the cognitive and relational dimensions affecting project participants’ adaptation and cooperation, and the latter two processes affect safety performance. However, the cognitive dimension also directly affects safety performance. The implications of these results for project safety management are discussed.
Comment on "Enhanced Open Ocean Storage of CO2 from Shelf Sea Pumping"

In a well-designed North Sea study, Thomas et al . ([ 1 ][1]) found that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) was absorbed by continental shelf water and was eventually exported into the North Atlantic Ocean. The work confirmed preliminary observations in the same area ([ 2 ][2], [ 3 ][3]) and provided
Founding team experience, industry context, and new venture creation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of founding team experience (industry and venturing) in new venture creation. This paper posits the following questions: How does founding team experience influence the likelihood of new venture creation, in the nascent stage? How does industry context moderate this relationship? The study aims to fill an important gap in the literature by unpacking the impact of different types of founding team experiences on venture outcome, and by focusing on the influence of founding team in the venture creation process, specifically at the nascent stage. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilizes data from the Second Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, a longitudinal data set of 1,214 nascent entrepreneurs in the USA. Logistics regression was employed to analyze the effect of founding team experience on new venture creation. Post hoc analysis was conducted to ensure the confidence of the findings. Findings The paper provides empirical insights about how founding team experience influences the likelihood of new venture creation in the nascent stage. At the nascent stage, founding team industry experience positively affects new venture creation while founding team venturing experience does not. However, in the high-technology industry environment, the influence of the founding team’s venturing experience on new venture creation is stronger than that in the low-technology industry environment. Research limitations/implications Due to the design of the data set, there is a risk of “right-censoring” problem. Also, because the study used archival data on founding teams, the methodology did not allow for uncovering the underlying team processes and dynamics during the venture creation process based on learning from experience. Future studies are encouraged to examine other types of founding team experience and the underlying process-level factors on venture creation. Practical implications The paper provides important practical implications for nascent entrepreneurs/entrepreneurial teams on team assembling and composition. In general, a team with higher-level industry experience is critical for venturing success. A team with higher-level venturing experience is more desired in the high-technology industry. Originality/value This paper fulfills an important gap in the entrepreneurial team literature by highlighting the complex and nuanced ways in which founding team experience influences the likelihood of venture creation in the nascent stage of the firm, especially after incorporating the additional impact of the industry context.