Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological Predictors of Intention to Deliver Vaginally through the Extended Parallel Process Model: A Mixed-Method Approach in Pregnant Iranian Women.

OBJECTIVES Despite the fact that cesarean delivery does not offer significant health benefits for either mother or newborn, there has been a noticeable upward trend in elective cesarean births in Iran, over the last two decades. This study aims to examine whether knowledge, perception of health threats, efficacy, and personal beliefs act as psychological predictors towards the intention of women to have a normal vaginal delivery. METHODS The mixed-method approach was used as quantitative and qualitative design. Simultaneously, 290 pregnant women who visited prenatal clinics participated in the study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model, and four focus groups, respectively. RESULTS Women perceived lower personal risk but higher levels of efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy, severity, and response efficacy emerged as significant predictors of intention to experience vaginal birth. The participants' insufficient knowledge and misconceptions about birth methods were prevalent. Major themes were identified and divided into negative and positive beliefs about vaginal birth. CONCLUSION This educational model is useful for understanding women's intention to undergo a vaginal birth, especially when it is combined with a qualitative approach. Maternal care providers should acknowledge their clients' beliefs and intended childbirth methods prior to offering medical intervention.
Public service delivery in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea: analysing quality in public services

Public service delivery and customer satisfaction in South Pacific region appears to have received relatively little attention. The main objectives of this paper are to get deeper understanding of the relationships between quality of services and the citizen's satisfaction, find out status of service quality of public services and customer satisfaction, and identify the most significant attributes that satisfy their needs. The results obtained from the Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea confirm some of those obtained in the academic literature in finding that the quality that the consumer/citizen perceives influences their satisfaction in a positive and significant way.
A Case of Impaired Auditory and Visual Speech Prosody Perception after Right Hemisphere Damage

It is well established that vision plays a role in segmental speech perception, but the role of vision in prosodic speech perception is less clear. We report on the difficulties in prosodic speech perception encountered by KB after a right hemisphere stroke. In addition to musical deficits, KB was suspected of having impaired auditory prosody perception. As expected, KB was impaired on two prosody perception tasks in an auditory-only condition. We also examined whether the addition of visual prosody cues would facilitate his performance on these tasks. Unexpectedly, KB was also impaired on both tasks under visual-only and audio-visual conditions. Thus, there was no evidence that KB could integrate auditory and visual prosody information or that he could use visual cues to compensate for his deficit in the auditory domain. In contrast, KB was able to identify segmental speech information using visual cues and to use these visual cues to improve his performance when auditory segmental cues were impoverished. KB was also able to integrate audio-visual segmental information in the McGurk effect. Thus, KB’s visual deficit was specific to prosodic speech perception and, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such a deficit.
Functional role of MITF phosphorylation. In vivo veritas?

Bedogni, B. , Warneke, J.A. , Nickoloff, B.J., Giaccia, A.J., and Powell, M.B. (2008). Notch1 is an effector of Akt and hypoxia in melanoma development. J. Clin. Invest. 118, 3660–3670. Koch, U. , and Radtke, F. (2007). Notch and cancer: a double-edged sword. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 64, 2746–2762. Li, Y. , Rao, P.K. , Wen, R. , Song, Y. , Muir, D. , Wallace, P., van Horne, S.J., Tennekoon, G.I. , and Kadesch, T. (2004). Notch and Schwann cell transformation. Oncogene 23, 1146–1152. Liu, Z.J., Xiao, M. , Balint, K. , Smalley, K.S. , Brafford, P., Qiu, R. , Pinnix, C.C. , Li, X. , and Herlyn, M. (2006). Notch1 signaling promotes primary melanoma progression by activating mitogenactivated protein kinase ⁄ phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt pathways and up-regulating Ncadherin expression. Cancer Res. 66, 4182–4190. Weijzen, S. , Rizzo, P., Braid, M. et al. (2002). Activation of Notch-1 signaling maintains the neoplastic phenotype in human Ras-transformed cells. Nat. Med. 8, 979–986.
Dynamique spatiale et temporelle de la production primaire de l'estuaire de la Seine

Les estuaires, de par leur position strategique a l'interface entre les eaux continentales et les eaux marines jouent un role ecologique de premiere importance et sont le siege de nombreuses activites humaines. L’estuaire de Seine est caracteristique des grands estuaires anthropises. Le management a long terme de ces ecosystemes soumis a des pressions croissantes reside notamment en une meilleure connaissance de la dynamique spatiale et temporelle des reseaux trophiques estuariens. Le phytoplancton et le microphytobenthos sont les principaux contributeurs de la production primaire (PP) dans ces ecosystemes et sont a la base des reseaux trophiques. Ces compartiments sont souvent reduits a la teneur en chlorophylle du milieu et leur productivite n’a jamais ete mesuree a l’echelle de l’estuaire de Seine. L’objectif de ces travaux a ete d’estimer la PP de ces compartiments le long du gradient halin. Afin d’acceder a des mesures a une haute resolution spatiale, des mesures de fluorescence modulee (PAM) a haute frequence ont ete couplees a des mesures d’incorporation de carbone (13C) a basse frequence. Les mesures de production primaire ont ete mises en perspective avec la dynamique des parametres physico-chimiques du milieu et la structure communautes phytoplanctoniques determines par differentes techniques (microscopie, cytometrie, biologie moleculaire). La dynamique du carbone excrete sous forme de TEP (Transparent Exopolymeric Particules) et EPS (Exopolymeric substances) a egalement ete etudiee pour chacun des compartiments. Au-dela des methodologies innovantes mises en place qui montre l’interet des mesures a haute frequence dans ces ecosystemes tres dynamiques, ce travail apporte une nouvelle vision de la dynamique du phytoplancton et de la richesse specifique du microbiome estuarien et apporte une estimation fiable de la production primaire.
The G20210A prothrombin gene mutation: is there room for screening families?

hypoand afibrinogenemia. Ann NY Acad Sci 2001; 936: 91–100. 17 Terasawa F, Okumura N, Kitano K, Hayashida N, Shimosaka M, Okazaki M, Lord ST. Hypofibrinogenemia associated with a heterozygous missense mutation gamma153Cys to Arg (Matsumoto IV): in vitro expression demonstrates defective secretion of the variant fibrinogen. Blood 1999; 94: 4122–31. 18 Terasawa F, Hogan KA, Kani S, Hirose M, Eguchi Y, Noda Y, Hongo M, Okumura N, Fibrinogen Otsu I. A cAsn319, Asp320 deletion dysfibrinogen identified in an asymptomatic pregnant woman. Thromb Haemost 2003; 90: 757–8. 19 Gulledge A, Rezaee F, Verheijen JH, Lord ST. A novel transgenic mouse model of hyperfirinogenemia. Thromb Haemost 2001; 86: 511–6.
Comparison of the APACHE II, GCS and MRC scores in predicting outcomes in patients with tuberculous meningitis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate different scoring systems, including Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) staging system, as well as other prognostic factors, in predicting the discharge outcomes of adult patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). DESIGN We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients admitted with a diagnosis of TBM to a tertiary hospital in northern Taiwan from March 1996 to February 2006. We used APACHE II, GCS, MRC and a variety of factors within 24 h of admission to predict discharge outcomes recorded by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). RESULTS Among 43 TBM patients, 33 had a favourable outcome (GOS 4-5), and 10 had an unfavourable outcome (GOS 1-3). The severity of APACHE II, GCS, MRC and presence of hydrocephalus correlated well with the neurological outcomes (P < 0.05). The APACHE II and GCS scoring systems were more sensitive and specific than those of the MRC in receiver operating characteristic analysis. Furthermore, in-hospital mortality could be predicted accurately with APACHE II and GCS. CONCLUSIONS The APACHE II scoring system is at least as effective as GCS and superior to MRC in predicting the discharge outcomes of adult patients with TBM.
Advances in the role of a plant coagulant (Cynara cardunculus) in vitro and during ripening of cheeses from several milk species

Extracts from dried flowers of Cynara cardunculushave been employed successfully for many centuries in Portugal and some regions of Spain for the manufacture of traditional cheeses. Sev- eral studies have been performed in vitro and in actual cheeses focusing on the activity and specificity of proteinases from C. cardunculus, in attempts to further characterise this plant coagulant as a proteolytic agent in cheese ripening. In vitro studies encompassed extraction conditions, storage of extracts, proteolysis and specificity on caseins using experimental conditions that parallel milk and cheese during ripening. In vivo studies encompassed the effect of the type of milk (bovine, ovine and caprine) in terms of proteolysis, specificity of those plant proteinases during ripening, comparison of microbiological, chemical, proteolytic and lipolytic characteristics in ovine milk cheeses relative to animal rennet counterparts, and effect of native microflora, thermal processing and addition of starter cultures in ovine cheeses. milk clotting enzyme / plant coagulant / cheese / ewe's milk / cow's milk / goat's milk / ripening Resume - Role de l'extrait coagulant de chardon (Cynara cardunculus) in vitro et au cours de l'affinage de fromages fabriques a partir de laits de plusieurs especes. L'extrait de fleurs sechees de Cynara cardunculusa ete employe avec succes depuis plusieurs siecles au Portugal et dans quel- ques regions d'Espagne pour la fabrication de fromages traditionnels. De nombreuses etudes ont ete realisees in vitro et en fabrication fromagere sur l'activite et la specificite des proteases de C. cardun- culus, dans le but de mieux caracteriser ce coagulant vegetal comme agent proteolytique dans l'affi- nage du fromage. Les etudes in vitro ont concerne les conditions d'extraction, la conservation des extraits, la proteolyse et la specificite sur les caseines en utilisant des conditions experimentales qui
Chronic metabolic acid load induced by changes in dietary electrolyte balance increased chloride retention but did not compromise bone in growing swine.

The effects of chronic dietary acid loads on shifts in bone mineral reserves and physiological concentrations of cations and anions in extracellular fluids were assessed in growing swine. Four trials were conducted with a total of 38 (8.16 +/- 0.30 kg, mean +/- SEM) Large White x Landrace x Duroc pigs randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments. Semipurified diets, fed for 13 to 17 d, provided an analyzed dietary electrolyte balance (dEB, meq/kg diet = Na+ + K+ - Cl-) of -35, 112, and 212 for the acidogenic, control, and alkalinogenic diets, respectively. Growth performance, arterial blood gas, serum chemistry, urine pH, mineral balance, bone mineral content gain, bone-breaking strength, bone ash, and percentage of bone ash were determined. Dietary treatments created a range of metabolic acid loads without affecting (P > 0.10) growth or feed intake. Urine pH was 5.71, 6.02, and 7.65 +/- 0.48 (mean +/- SEM) and arterial blood pH was 7.478, 7.485, and 7.526 +/- 0.006 for pigs fed acidogenic, control, and alkalinogenic treatments, respectively. A lower dEB resulted in an increased (P < 0.001) apparent Cl- retention (106.6, 55.4, and 41.2 +/- 6.3 meq/d), of which only 1.6% was accounted for by expansion of the extracellular fluid Cl- pool as calculated from serum Cl- (105.5, 103.4, 101.6 +/- 0.94 meq/L (mean +/- SEM) for pigs fed acidogenic, control, and alkalinogenic treatments, respectively. A lower dEB did not decrease (P > 0.10) bone mineral content gain, bone-breaking strength, bone ash, percentage of bone ash, or calcium and phosphate balance. In conclusion, bone mineral (phosphate) was not depleted to buffer the dietary acid load in growing pigs over a 3-wk period.
Vascular Care in Patients With Alzheimer Disease With Cerebrovascular Lesions Slows Progression of White Matter Lesions on MRI: The Evaluation of Vascular Care in Alzheimer's Disease (EVA) Study

Background and Purpose— White matter lesions (WMLs) and cerebral infarcts are common findings in Alzheimer disease and may contribute to dementia severity. WMLs and lacunar infarcts may provide a potential target for intervention strategies. This study assessed whether multicomponent vascular care in patients with Alzheimer disease with cerebrovascular lesions slows progression of WMLs and prevents occurrence of new infarcts. Methods— A randomized controlled clinical trial, including 123 subjects, compared vascular care with standard care in patients with Alzheimer disease with cerebrovascular lesions on MRI. Progression of WMLs, lacunes, medial temporal lobe atrophy, and global cortical atrophy were semiquantitatively scored after 2-year follow-up. Results— Sixty-five subjects (36 vascular care, 29 standard care) had a baseline and a follow-up MRI and in 58 subjects, a follow-up scan could not be obtained due to advanced dementia or death. Subjects in the vascular care group had less progression of WMLs as measured with the WML change score (1.4 versus 2.3, P=0.03). There was no difference in the number of new lacunes or change in global cortical atrophy or medial temporal lobe atrophy between the 2 groups. Conclusions— Vascular care in patients with Alzheimer disease with cerebrovascular lesions slows progression of WMLs. Treatment aimed at vascular risk factors in patients with early Alzheimer disease may be beneficial, possibly in an even earlier stage of the disease.
QSAR model for predicting the fungicidal action of 1,2,4-triazole derivatives against Candida albicans

QSAR analysis of a series of previously synthesised 1-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-substituted-2-propanols(TDFPP) as analogues of fluconazole were tested for growth inhibitory activity against Candida albicans using computer assisted multiple regression analysis. This was in order to explore the selectivity requirements for fungicidal activity against C. albicans among these congeners. A training set comprising 40 analogues and a test set comprising ten analogues of 1-(1H-1, 2, 4-triazole-1-yl)-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-substituted-2-propanols were selected for the present investigation by using the sphere exclusion method embedded in the Vlife MDS 3.5 software. With respect to the modelling of the growth inhibitory activity of the reported compounds, the regression analysis shows that even in the mono-parametric correlations the topological and physicochemical parameters give significant regression coefficients. The validation of the QSAR models was performed by cross-validation and external test set prediction. The model is not only able to predict the activity of new compounds but also explains the important region in the molecules in a quantitative manner.
AMPA receptor desensitization mutation results in severe developmental phenotypes and early postnatal lethality

AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate) recep-tors desensitize rapidly and completely in the continued presence of their endogenous ligand glutamate; however, it is not clear what role AMPA receptor desensitization plays in the brain. We generated a knock-in mouse in which a single amino acid residue, which controls desensitization, was mutated in the GluA2 (GluR2) receptor subunit (GluA2L483Y). This mutation was homozygous lethal. However, mice carrying a single mutated allele, GluA2L483Y/wt, survived past birth, but displayed severe and progressive neurological deficits including seizures and, ultimately, increased mortality. The expression of the AMPA receptor subunits GluA1 and GluA2 was decreased, whereas NMDA receptor protein expression was increased in GluA2L483Y/wt mice. Despite this, basal synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus were largely unaffected, suggesting that neurons preferentially target receptors to synapses to normalize synaptic weight. We found no gross neuroanatomical alterations in GluA2L483Y/wt mice. Moreover, there was no accumulation of AMPA receptor subunits in intracellular compartments, suggesting that folding and assembly of AMPA receptors are not affected by this mutation. Interestingly, EPSC paired pulse ratios in the CA1 were enhanced without a change in synaptic release probability, demonstrating that postsynaptic receptor properties can contribute to facilitation. The dramatic phenotype observed in this study by the introduction of a single amino acid change demonstrates an essential role in vivo for AMPA receptor desensitization.
Inhibition of cytokine signaling in human retinal endothelial cells through modification of caveolae/lipid rafts by docosahexaenoic acid.

PURPOSE Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA(22:6,n3)) is the principal n3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the retina. The authors previously demonstrated that DHA(22:6,n3) inhibited cytokine-induced adhesion molecule expression in primary human retinal vascular endothelial (hRVE) cells, the target tissue affected by diabetic retinopathy. Despite the importance of vascular inflammation in diabetic retinopathy, the mechanisms underlying anti-inflammatory effects of DHA(22:6,n3) in vascular endothelial cells are not understood. In this study the authors address the hypothesis that DHA(22:6,n3) acts through modifying lipid composition of caveolae/lipid rafts, thereby changing the outcome of important signaling events in these specialized plasma membrane microdomains. METHODS hRVE cells were cultured in the presence or absence of DHA(22:6,n3). Isolated caveolae/lipid raft-enriched detergent-resistant membrane domains were prepared using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. Fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of caveolae/lipid rafts before and after treatment were measured by HPLC. The expression of Src family kinases was assayed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Disruption of the caveolae/lipid raft structure with a cholesterol-depleting agent, methyl-cyclodextrin (MCD), diminished cytokine-induced signaling in hRVE cells. Growth of hRVE cells in media enriched in DHA(22:6,n3) resulted in significant incorporation of DHA(22:6,n3) into the major phospholipids of caveolae/lipid rafts, causing an increase in the unsaturation index in the membrane microdomain. DHA(22:6,n3) enrichment in the caveolae/raft was accompanied by a 70% depletion of cholesterol from caveolae/lipid rafts and displacement of the SFK, Fyn, and c-Yes from caveolae/lipid rafts. Adding water-soluble cholesterol to DHA(22:6,n3)-treated cells replenished cholesterol in caveolae/lipid rafts and reversed the effect of DHA(22:6,n3) on cytokine-induced signaling. CONCLUSIONS Incorporation of DHA(22:6,n3) into fatty acyl chains of phospholipids in caveolae/lipid rafts, followed by cholesterol depletion and displacement of important signaling molecules, provides a potential mechanism for anti-inflammatory effect of DHA(22:6,n3) in hRVE cells.
Genetic Features of MAPT, GRN, C9orf72 and CHCHD10 Gene Mutations in Chinese Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia.

BACKGROUND Mutations in microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT), progranulin (GRN), chromosome 9 open-reading frame 72 (C9orf72) and CHCHD10 genes have been reported causing frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in different populations. However, collective analysis of mutations in these four genes in Chinese FTD patients has not been reported yet. METHODS The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic features of Chinese patients with MAPT, GRN, C9orf72 or CHCHD10 gene mutations in an FTD cohort recruited from multi clinical centers in Shanghai metropolitan areas, China. MAPT, GRN and CHCHD10 genes were analysed by direct sequencing, and C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion was analysed by repeat-primed PCR in 82 patients with sporadic FTD. The identified gene variants were screened in 400 age matched controls. RESULTS We found one known pathogenic variant (rs63750959) and one novel mutation (NG_007398.1: g.120962C>T; H299Y) of MAPT gene, one novel variant (c.750C>A; D250E) of GRN gene and two novel mutations in CHCHD10 gene (c.63C>T, no AA change; c.71G>A, P24L). No abnormal C9orf72 gene hexanucleotide repeat expansion was identified in this cohort. Collectively, genetic testing could discover 4.9% sporadic FTD patients with genetic causes. In addition, MAPT and CHCHD10 might be more important genes affecting Chinese with FTD.
In Situ Time-Series Measurements of Subseafloor Sediment Properties

The capabilities and diversity of subsurface sediment sensors lags significantly from what is available for the water column, thereby limiting progress in understanding time-dependent seabed exchange and high-frequency acoustics. To help redress this imbalance, a new instrument, the autonomous sediment profiler (ASP), is described herein. ASP consists of a four-electrode, Wenner-type resistivity probe and a thermistor that log data at 0.1-cm vertical intervals over a 58-cm vertical profile. To avoid resampling the same spot on the seafloor, the probes are moved horizontally within a 20 times 100-cm-2 area in one of three preselected patterns. Memory and power capacities permit sampling at hourly intervals for up to 3-mo duration. The system was tested in a laboratory tank and shown to be able to resolve high-frequency sediment consolidation, as well as changes in sediment roughness. In a field test off the southern coast of France, the system collected resistivity and temperature data at hourly intervals for 16 d. Coupled with environmental data collected on waves, currents, and suspended sediment, the ASP is shown to be useful for understanding temporal evolution of subsurface sediment porosity, although no large depositional or erosional events occurred during the deployment. Following a rapid decrease in bottom-water temperature, the evolution of the subsurface temperature field was consistent with the 1-D thermal diffusion equation coupled with advection in the upper 3-4 cm. Collectively, the laboratory and field tests yielded promising results on time-dependent seabed change.
The Pennsylvania State University

People with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) present a unique set of symptoms and challenges to family caregivers compared to other types of dementia. Prominent difficulties include motor impairment, ADL disability, and recurrent behavioral and emotional problems (BEP), and unique medical care and diagnostic difficulties. These problems are likely to impact caregivers’ subjective burden. The present study used data from an internet survey conducted by the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA). Respondents were 611 people who indicated they were currently involved in the care of their relative with LBD. Subjective burden was assessed with a 12-item short version of the Zarit Burden Interview (BI). A factor analysis revealed three dimensions: role strain, personal strain, and worry about performance. Multiple regressions were used to examine predictors of the three burden factors. We found that BEPs (summed and specific), ADL disability, isolation, and evaluation of the doctor were all significant predictors of specific factors. Formal service use had no significant associations with burden, but levels of use were low. These findings highlight the impact of BEPs, ADL assistance, awareness about LBD, and comprehensive medical care on subjective burden.