Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A literature review of spaced-retrieval interventions: a direct memory intervention for people with dementia

ABSTRACT Background: With the increasing prevalence of dementia, there is a pressing need to identify effective interventions that prolong independent functioning. As pharmacological interventions aimed at slowing cognitive decline have been found to have a number of limitations, research has now moved toward studying complementary non-pharmacological cognitive training interventions. This review describes the use of spaced-retrieval as a method to teach new information and reduce behavioral problems in people with dementia. Methods: We searched the databases PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and Scopus as well as reference lists of relevant papers to identify articles describing the use of spaced-retrieval with people with dementia. Only primary, peer-reviewed research published in English was included in this review. Results: In total, 34 studies were identified, three of which were randomized controlled trials. We found that across studies, there was wide variability with regard to design, methodology, and outcome measures used. Nonetheless, the existing research demonstrates that spaced-retrieval training can be successfully used to teach people with dementia new and previously known face- and object–name associations, as well as cue–behavior associations aimed at alleviating problem behaviors and improving functional skills. The method can also assist with the recollection of past events. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that spaced-retrieval training is effective in enabling people with dementia to learn new information and behavioral strategies. Future research should attempt to address the limitations outlined in this review and focus on utilizing this technique to achieve more functional and clinically relevant outcomes. Recommendations are also made with regard to investigating potential secondary benefits of spaced-retrieval and strengthening study design.
Cytokine and chemokine modification by Toll‐like receptor polymorphisms is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Toll‐like receptors (TLR) play a pivotal role in sensing a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. A dysregulation of TLR signaling may increase the risk of developing chronic inflammatory diseases and cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of TLR2 R753Q, TLR4 D299G, and T399I polymorphisms with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to explore the effects of these polymorphisms on cytokine and chemokine expression in NPC biopsies. The genotypes of the three loci among 236 patients with NPC and 287 healthy controls were determined by PCR‐RFLP. Cytokines and chemokines mRNA and protein in NPC biopsies were measured by real‐time quantitative PCR and ELISA, respectively. Results showed that the combined CT/TT genotype of T399I was associated with increased NPC risk, with an odds ratio of 1.853 (95% confidence interval: 1.184–2.961). Also, individuals with the T allele of T399I showed a 1.842‐fold increase in NPC risk compared to those with the T399I C allele (95% confidence interval: 1.213–3.015). Messenger RNA levels of interleukin (IL)‐1α, tumor necrosis factor‐α and IL‐10 were significantly elevated in patients with T399I combined CT/TT genotype; IL‐1α and IL‐10 protein concentration significantly increased in NPC patients with T399I combined CT/TT genotype compared to those with the T399I CC genotype. Our data suggest that TLR4 T399I modify cytokines and chemokines patterns and play a role in the development of NPC. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 653–658)
On the Equivalence and Containment Problems for Unambiguous Regular Expressions, Regular Grammars and Finite Automata

The known proofs that the equivalence and containment problems for regular expressions, regular grammars and nondeterministic finite automata are PSPACE-complete [SM] depend upon consideration of highly unambiguous expressions, grammars and automata. Here, we prove that such dependence is inherent.Deterministic polynomial-time algorithms are presented for the equivalence and containment problems for unambiguous regular expressions, unambiguous regular grammars and unambiguous finite automata. The algorithms are then extended to ambiguity bounded by a fixed k. Our algorithms depend upon several elementary observations on the solutions of systems of homogeneous linear difference equations with constant coefficients and their relationship with the number of derivations of strings of a given length n by a regular grammar.
Use of evidence-based interventions in state health departments: a qualitative assessment of barriers and solutions.

OBJECTIVE Existing knowledge on chronic disease prevention is not systematically disseminated and applied. State-level public health practitioners are in positions to implement programs and services related to chronic disease control. To advance dissemination science, this study sought to evaluate how and why evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is occurring. Specifically, it identified barriers to using EBDM commonly faced by state-level chronic disease practitioners and solutions for increasing the use of EBDM. DESIGN Descriptive research using online survey methods. SETTING State health departments. PARTICIPANTS Members of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Barriers to using EBDM and solutions to increase the use of EBDM. RESULTS In total, 469 people completed the survey (64% response rate). More than 60% of respondents described their position as project managers or coordinators. Nearly 80% of respondents were women, and 39% reported at least a master's degree as their highest degree. The survey elicited responses from every US state and the District of Columbia. Commonly-cited barriers to using EBDM included lack of time, resources, funding, and data. Participants noted that promising solutions to increase the use of EBDM include improved leadership, training, and collaboration. CONCLUSIONS These results identify several modifiable barriers to EBDM among state-level public health practitioners. This information may improve state health departments' abilities to facilitate and encourage EBDM. In turn, this may assist chronic disease practitioners in implementing chronic disease interventions that have been proven effective. The use of such interventions will improve public health through the prevention of chronic diseases.
Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida counts in subjects with xerostomia.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the relationship between salivary flow and Candida colony counts in the saliva of patients with xerostomia. STUDY DESIGN Sialometry and Candida colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were taken from 112 subjects who reported xerostomia in a questionnaire. Chewing-stimulated whole saliva was collected and streaked in Candida plates and counted in 72 hours. Species identification was accomplished under standard methods. RESULTS There was a significant inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts (P =.007) when subjects with high colony counts were analyzed (cutoff point of 400 or greater CFU/mL). In addition, the median sialometry of men was significantly greater than that of women (P =.003), even after controlling for confounding variables like underlying disease and medications. Sjögren's syndrome was associated with low salivary flow rate (P =.007). There was no relationship between the median Candida CFU counts and gender or age. There was a high frequency (28%) of mixed colonization. Candida albicans was the most frequent species, followed by C parapsilosis, C tropicalis, and C krusei. CONCLUSIONS In subjects with high Candida CFU counts there was an inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts.
The role of patients.

Renata Drinkwater Out-of-hours provision is absolutely crucial and patients should be at the centre of this debate, not at the periphery. It is not only about giving patients a say. They too have an active role to play and, given the right tools — support and information — they will do well at it, contributing to an NHS that is more sustainable and fit for purpose. The two key areas where patients can actively help in alleviating pressure on out-of-hours services are self-management and information. Patients with long-term conditions represent 55% of GP appointments; 68% of outpatient, accident …
Hierarchical design and analysis of fault-tolerant multiprocessor systems using concurrent error detection

A composition technique for building large fault-tolerant systems hierarchically using the concept of checks at different levels in the hierarchy is described. A small system of known fault detectability and locatability is replicated several times, and new checks are added at the next higher level. Such checks at different levels can be introduced into most of the existing multiprocessor systems. An analysis technique based on a matrix model is developed. Relationships between the fault detectability and locatability of a basic system are derived, and the corresponding values of the complete system are computed hierarchically. Finally, the techniques are extended to complex systems in which individual processors produce multiple sets of data elements. <<ETX>>
Statistical Analysis of Direct Identity‐by‐descent Mapping

Genetic mismatch scanning has been suggested as a method for using affected pairs of ostensibly unrelated but putatively distantly related affecteds in isolated populations to map disease genes. We model the regions of identity‐by‐descent of these affected pairs as a continuous time two state process with unknown parameters that depend on the (unknown) relationships, and we estimate the unknown parameters from the observed data. Simulated data involving pairs of first to fourth cousins show that the procedure thus obtained has properties similar, albeit slightly inferior, to the case where the relationships of the affected pairs, hence the parameters governing the processes, are known.
Effects of a one-week treatment with acid gastric inhibitors on Helicobacter pylori-infected mice

Objective. Antiacid drugs, including omeprazole and ranitidine, were prescribed to Helicobacter pylori-infected subjects in combination with antibiotics during eradication treatment. Several reports suggest that these drugs have additional pharmacological properties, such as antineutrophil, antiapoptotic and antioxidant characteristics. The aim of this work was to study the effects of acid suppressive medication treatment in the H. pylori infection experimental model, focusing on possible additional pharmacological properties. Material and methods. The ability of gastric acid suppression was assessed in pylorus-ligated animals. Gastric H. pylori colonization levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) acitivity, macroscopic damage, Bax and Bcl-2 expression and DNA damage levels were assessed in C57BL/6-infected mice after treatment for one week with omeprazole (100 mg.kg–1) or ranitidine (100 mg.kg–1). Results. Omeprazole treatment increased bacteria colonization and MPO activity in mice stomachs. Both antiacid drugs efficiently improved macroscopic damage, although only omeprazole restored the expression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein in gastric mucosa of infected animals. Conclusions. Some additional omeprazole-related properties, such as antineutrophil properties, were not observed in H. pylori-infected mice after one week of treatment, suggesting that this property is restricted to in vitro approaches. However, the antiapoptotic activity of omeprazole could be attributed to an ability to modify the protein expression of Bcl-2, decreased by H. pylori infection.
How Well Does Early Diagnosis of Autism Stand the Test of Time?

Twenty children who presented with severe interactional and communication difficulties at age 2 underwent a comprehensive assessment for autism, and were reassessed at age 4-5. In common with other recent studies, diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders at age 2 was found to be reliable and stable. The communication and social skills of the children showed little change overall by the second assessment. However, children whose scores deteriorated in the social domain tended to have presented initially with more significant behaviour problems. Few repetitive behaviours were observed at age 2, whereas these were more apparent by age 4-5. The finding that early diagnosis of autism is reliable and stable has led to the development of an early diagnostic service in Southampton, which is described. The importance of early diagnosis is that it opens the door to early intervention programmes, which in turn prevent many problems from occurring in later life.
Analysis of Variance ( ANOVA ) Using Minitab

ANOVA was developed by the English statistician, R.A. Fisher (1890-1962). Though initially dealing with agricultural data[1], this methodology has been applied to a vast array of other fields for data analysis. Despite its widespread use, some practitioners fail to recognize the need to check the validity of several key assumptions before applying an ANOVA to their data. It is the hope that this article may provide certain useful guidelines for performing basic analysis using such a software package.
The critical role of the loops of triosephosphate isomerase for its oligomerization, dynamics, and functionality

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) catalyzes the reaction to convert dihydroxyacetone phosphate into glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate, and vice versa. In most organisms, its functional oligomeric state is a homodimer; however, tetramer formation in hyperthermophiles is required for functional activity. The tetrameric TIM structure also provides added stability to the structure, enabling it to function at more extreme temperatures. We apply Principal Component Analysis to find that the TIM structure space is clearly divided into two groups—the open and the closed TIM structures. The distribution of the structures in the open set is much sparser than that in the closed set, showing a greater conformational diversity of the open structures. We also apply the Elastic Network Model to four different TIM structures—an engineered monomeric structure, a dimeric structure from a mesophile—Trypanosoma brucei, and two tetrameric structures from hyperthermophiles Thermotoga maritima and Pyrococcus woesei. We find that dimerization not only stabilizes the structures, it also enhances their functional dynamics. Moreover, tetramerization of the hyperthermophilic structures increases their functional loop dynamics, enabling them to function in the destabilizing environment of extreme temperatures. Computations also show that the functional loop motions, especially loops 6 and 7, are highly coordinated. In summary, our computations reveal the underlying mechanism of the allosteric regulation of the functional loops of the TIM structures, and show that tetramerization of the structure as found in the hyperthermophilic organisms is required to maintain the coordination of the functional loops at a level similar to that in the dimeric mesophilic structure.
THE USE OF VOLUNTEERS.

This briefing paper provides information on the use of volunteers and the ability of Georgia’s local long term care ombudsman programs (LTCOPs) to fulfill their mandates. The paper presents findings from the IHA/UCSF project Enhancing the Performance of Local LTC Ombudsman Programs in Georgia which are designed to stimulate discussion about issues of the use and roles of volunteers as well as volunteer recruitment and retention. Also, the paper is intended to aid discussion in developing best practices and models to improve the effectiveness of local LTCOPs regarding the use of volunteers. Because the use of volunteers is closely linked to adequate resources, it is also important to examine program resources and whether the use of volunteers is the best expenditure of those resources.
Why sex matters: the biological mechanisms of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading determinant of mortality and morbidity in women. However, a full understanding of the basic and clinical aspects of CVD in women is far from being accomplished. Sexual dimorphism in CVD has been reported both in humans and experimental animals. Menopause is a risk factor for CVD due to the reduction of endogenous estrogen, although the mechanisms underlying are poorly understood. Estrogens act through binding to vascular estrogen receptors and by non-genomic mechanisms. Advances in this field are essential to improve CVD diagnostic and clinical strategies in women, and to develop sex-specific prevention plans as much as female-oriented treatment algorithms. This paper reviews pathophysiology of CVD in women and its potential clinical implications. Particular emphasis is given to biochemical markers and to indicators of cardiovascular dysfunction and damage. Estimation of these parameters, central to cardiovascular pathophysiology, could represent a particularly relevant tool in female patients. More research is needed to identify women who will profit most of early intervention.
Proanthocyanidin Biosynthesis in Plants

Leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) catalyzes the synthesis of catechin, an initiating monomer of condensed tannin or proanthocyanidin (PA) synthesis, from 3,4-cis-leucocyanidin and thus is the first committed step in PA biosynthesis. The enzyme was purified to near homogeneity from PA-rich leaves of the legume Desmodium uncinatum (Jacq.) DC, partially sequenced and the corresponding cDNA cloned. The identity of the enzyme was confirmed by expressing active recombinant LAR in Escherichia coli and in tobacco and white clover. The enzyme is a monomer of 43 kDa (382 amino acids) and is most active synthesizing catechin (specific activity of ∼10 μmol min+1 mg of protein+1) but also synthesizes afzelechin and gallocatechin. LAR is most closely related to the isoflavone reductase group of plant enzymes that are part of the Reductase-Epimerase-Dehydrogenase (RED) family of proteins. Unlike all other plant isoflavone reductase homologues that are about 320 amino acids long, LAR has an additional 65-amino acid C-terminal extension whose function is not known. Curiously, although Arabidopsis makes PA, there is no obvious LAR orthologue in the Arabidopsis genome. This may be because Arabidopsis seems to produce only an epicatechin, rather than a dual catechin/epicatechin-based PA similar to many other plants.
A Reversible Photoreaction Controlling Seed Germination.

* Part of this work was done as a National Research Council Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. 1 Bonner, J. T. , Am. J. Bot. , 31, 175 (1944). 2 Skupienski, F. X. , Recherches Sur Le Cycle Evolutif Des Certains Myxomycetes, Paris, 1920. 3 Kniep, H. , Die Sexualitdt der niederen Pflanzen, Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1928. 4 Raper, K. B. , The Quarterly Revie-w of Biology, 26, 169 (1951). 6 Emerson, R. , Lloydia, 4, 77 (1941). 6 Raper, K. B. , J. Agr. Res., 50, 135(1935). Raper, K. B. , Am. J. Bot. , 27, 436 (1940). 8Raper, K. B. , Growth, The Third Growth Symposium, 5, 41 (1941). 9 Bonner, J. T. , and Eldredge, D. , Growth, 9, 287 (1945). 10 Bonner, J. T. , and Slifkin, M. K. , Am. J. Bot. , 36, 727 (1949). Olive, E. W. , Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc., 30, 451 (1902).
Potential challenges: Integrating renewable energy with the smart grid

Renewable energy offers alternative sources of energy which is in general pollution free, climate friendly, sustainable and unlimited. Therefore in the starting of 21st century, Government, utilities and research communities are working together to develop an intelligent power system that has potential to better integrate renewable energy sources with the grid. However, there are a number of potential challenges in integrating renewable energy with the existing grid due to its intermittent nature. This paper investigates about the potential challenges of integrating renewable energy with the smart power grid including the possible deployment issues for a sustainable future both nationally and internationally. The paper also proposes a prediction model that informs the typical variation of energy production as well as effect on grid integration using modern machine learning techniques.
Impaired clearance of emboli (washout) is an important link between hypoperfusion, embolism, and ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE To explore the relationship between hypoperfusion, embolism, and brain infarction. DESIGN We studied 4 situations in which brain infarction is related to hypoperfusion: extracranial and intracranial occlusive vascular disease, reduced functional vascular reserve in patients with carotid artery occlusive disease, reduced collateral blood flow in patients given thrombolytic treatment, and cardiac surgery. We reviewed results of emboli monitoring using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. RESULTS Hypoperfusion is strongly linked to brain ischemia and infarction. The evidence includes close correlation of (1) the severity of arterial stenosis with brain infarction; (2) impaired functional blood flow reserve in patients with carotid artery disease and subsequent brain infarction; (3) reduced collateral blood flow with poor prognosis after thrombolysis; and (4) stroke-related neurologic deficits after cardiac surgery to hypoperfusion during surgery. Microembolization is common in patients with severe symptomatic carotid artery stenosis and during and after cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS Hypoperfusion and embolism often coexist and their pathophysiological features are interactive. Arterial lumenal narrowing and endothelial abnormalities stimulate clot formation and subsequent embolization. Reduced perfusion limits the ability of the bloodstream to clear or wash out emboli and microemboli and reduces available blood flow to regions rendered ischemic by emboli that block supply arteries. The brain border zones are a favored destination for microemboli that are not cleared. We posit that impaired washout is an important but neglected concept that intertwines hypoperfusion, embolization, and brain infarction.
The Spermicide Nonoxynol‐9 Does Not Inactivate Papillomavirus

Vaginal spermicides are effective contraceptive, and are also capable of inactivating many sexually transmitted pathogens by their detergent effect on bacterial cell membranes and viral envelopes. A 5% concentration of nonoxynol-9, the most frequently used active ingredient of spermicides, was tested for its ability to reduce the transforming activity of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1), and the infectivity of BK virus (BKV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Nonoxynol-9 markedly reduced the infectivity of CMV, an enveloped virus, but did not significantly affect the activity of the nonenveloped viruses BPV-1 and BKV. Papillomavirus infections are strongly implicated in the etiology of cervical cancer. The reported protective effect of vaginal spermicides against cervical cancer is very likely not mediated by direct inactivation of papillomaviruses by the spermicide.