Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diet may be a Modifiable Risk Factor for Cognitive Decline in African Americans and Caucasians at High Risk for Developing Alzheimer ’ s Disease : A Pilot Study of the Southern and Prudent Diets

Diet may be a Modifiable Risk Factor for Cognitive Decline in African Americans and Caucasians at High Risk for Developing Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Study of the Southern and Prudent Diets. By Alexandra Nutaitis Importance: African Americans are 64% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than Caucasians, though the reason for this difference is not clear. Investigating dietary patterns as a modifiable risk factor applicable to African Americans and Caucasians has the potential to reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: To determine the influence of the Southern dietary pattern and the prudent dietary pattern on cognitive performance in individuals at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease due to age, parental history of AD, and race. Design/Setting: Observational pilot study. Participants: 66 cognitively normal, healthy, African American and Caucasian individuals aged 46-77 years with a parental history of Alzheimer’s disease. Main Outcome and Measure: Food Frequency questionnaire, comprehensive vascular risk assessments, and cognitive assessments. Results: Caucasians performed significantly better on 3 of the 8 cognitive assessments, the remaining 5 cognitive assessments did not display any significant racial differences. We report a correlation between foods characteristic of the Southern diet and worse cognitive performance in African Americans. Individuals who reported diets that aligned with the prudent dietary pattern performed better on cognitive testing than those who did not align with the prudent dietary pattern. Conclusion and Relevance: Dietary patterns are easily modified and current research suggests that even late life dietary pattern modification can result in favorable health outcomes. It is possible that the increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in African Americans could be lessened through diet modification. Diet may be a Modifiable Risk Factor for Cognitive Decline in African Americans and Caucasians at High Risk for Developing Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Study of the Southern and Prudent Diets.
10 MHC Class I Quality Control

The immune system of higher organisms has the unique capability of mounting a specific and adaptive response against invading pathogens. Specific in the sense that immune cells recognize molecular features from foreign pathogens, and adaptive in the sense that upon reencounter of the foreign pathogen the immune system respond faster and more efficiently, which is the basic principle used in vaccination. In addition, the immune system has evolved the innate capability of recognizing common, slow mutating features on pathogens by using several different pattern recognition receptors. These defense mechanisms are important, but just like any other organisms pathogens also mutate to adapt to selection pressures thereby escaping immune surveillance. Likewise, the immune system of higher organisms is not a static system, but rather a dynamic ever-changing defense system continuously evolving over millions of years to constantly battle pathogens trying to overcome immune defense barriers and take over the host protein translation machinery. Furthermore, the immune system needs to be in balance with its host, but sometimes the line between functional immunity and auto-reactivity becomes hard to draw. Importantly, it is now a firmly established concept that the immune system eradicates host cells undergoing malignant transformation to prevent tumor formation. With these functions in mind, it is reasonable to claim the adaptive immune system as highly essential in the protection of pathogenic infections and malignant cells. The adaptive immune system contains a variety of T cells; two major groups are the CD4+ T cells that interact with MHC class II (MHC-II) cell surface receptors, and CD8+ T cells, also termed cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) that interact with MHC class I (MHC-I) cell surface receptors. The CTLs kill malignant host cells or host cells infected with foreign pathogens. This chapter focuses on the immunology concerning CTLs and MHC-I. Specifically, we focus on the multi-step, intracellular maturation of MHC-I.
Algorithmic Design of Perfectly Reconstructing

Abstract: In this paper we consider the transmission of a discrete data sequence via a communication channel that is subject to (additive) noise with a known upper bound on its magnitude but otherwise completely unrestricted behavior. Our previous work has characterized general necessary and sufficient conditions that allow perfect reconstruction of any discrete data sequence (perhaps with some delay) under all possible realizations of channel noise. In this work, we focus our attention to cases where these necessary and sufficient conditions do not necessarily hold and to the subsequent problem of determining all discrete data sequences that are compatible with a given received sequence. In particular, we provide a general recursive algorithm that can be used at the receiving end to perfectly reconstruct the transmitted sequence (when the perfect reconstruction conditions hold) or to obtain all valid sequences that are consistent with the received sequence (when the perfect reconstruction condition is violated).
Relationship between Students ' Satisfactions of Academic Advising and Students ' Success 1

Academic advising is one of the crucial components for enhancing students' satisfaction and success, many colleges and universities have extended academic support services and programmatic interventions which in turn contribute to affect students’ academic success. Aim: Study aimed to investigate the relationship between student satisfaction of academic advising, and students' success. Design: A Descriptive correlation research design was utilized in this study. Setting: The study was carried out at faculty of nursing affiliated to private university at Cairo. Sample:A convenience sample of 230 adult nursing students was included in the present study. Tool:Two tools were used. (1) Self-Administered Questionnaire Tool to assess data related to students personal characteristics, in addition to assess type of academic advising relationship, frequency of academic advising sessions, timing of sessions and students’ GPA. (2) Students’ Academic Advising Inventory to measure students' satisfaction with academic advising process. Results: there was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between students' satisfaction and their highly satisfying activities during academic advising session; while, highly statistical significant negative correlation was found between students’ satisfaction and their study year, GPA and frequency of academic advising session. Conclusion: students' satisfaction of academic advising was negatively related to and students' success. Recommendation: Fostering the role of academic advising in institutions to better student satisfaction and success.
QoL in people with and without dementia 1609

Objective: To study longitudinal changes in the quality of life (QoL) in persons with and without dementia, and explore the factors associated with baseline QoL and changes of QoL over the follow-up period. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Setting: Data were collected from 17 municipalities in Norway in the period from January 2009 to August 2012. A total of 412 persons were included, 254 (61.7 %) persons without dementia and 158 (38.3 %) with dementia at baseline. Subjects: Persons 70 years of age or older, receiving municipal care services. Main outcome measures include the following: self-rated and proxy-rated QoL over a period of 18 months, cognitive status, functional status, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and demographics. Results: Longitudinal changes in QoL were small, despite changes in clinical variables. Proxy ratings of patients QoL were lower than the patients’ own ratings. Belonging to a group with low QoL trajectory was associated with symptoms of depression, reduced physical and instrumental functioning, and more severe dementia. Conclusion: Patients and proxies evaluated the patients’ QoL differently and QoL did not necessarily correspond with deterioration in clinical parameters. To prevent impaired QoL, we need to address identified factors and keep an approach open to the individual perceptions of QoL.
TM Covers 400.cdr

A consolidated life history of greenspotted rockfish, Sebastes chlorostictus, is compiled from past studies and recent data from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s Groundfish Ecology Cruise program in central California. Our data indicate similar growth rates for males and females; the von Bertalanffy parameters for both sexes combined are L∞ = 457 mm fork length (FL), k = 0.062 yr-1 and t0 = -1.16 yr. The estimated length-weight relationship is W = 0.00001032L3. 108 (weight in grams), and the estimated annual natural mortality rate (M) is roughly between 0.04 and 0.07 yr-1. Length at 50% maturity is 262 mm FL, and fecundity ranges from 14,000 to 414,000 eggs. Linear models provide the best fit of absolute fecundity data with length and weight. In central California, females spawn from March to August, peaking from April to June. Commercial landings of greenspotted rockfish declined from a peak of 430 metric tons (mt) in 1991 to <1 mt in 2003. Reduced landings since the late 1990s are due in part to management restrictions. Mean lengths from California commercial market samples show a declining trend from 1978-2004. The observed life history characteristics of S. chlorostictus (slow growth, sedentary adults, extreme longevity, and late maturity), combined with declines in mean length, may indicate that this species is vulnerable to overexploitation.
Nutrition and Cancer Conjugated Linoleic Acid Inhibits Cell Proliferation through a p 53-Dependent Mechanism : Effects on the Expression of G 1-Restriction Points in Breast and Colon Cancer Cells 1

Previous reports have documented the antiproliferative properties of a mixture of conjugated isomers (CLA) of linoleic acid [LA (18:2)]. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of CLA action on cell cycle progression in breast and colon cancer cells. Treatment with CLA inhibited cell proliferation in breast cancer MCF-7 cells containing wild-type p53 (p53 / ). At cytostatic concentrations, CLA elicited cell cycle arrest in G1 and induced the accumulation of the tumor suppressors p53, p27 and p21 protein. Conversely, CLA reduced the expression of factors required for G1 to S-phase transition including cyclins D1 and E, and hyperphoshorylated retinoblastoma Rb protein. In contrast, the overexpression of mutant p53 (175Arg to His) in MFC-7 cells prevented the CLA-dependent accumulation of p21 and the reduction of cyclin E levels suggesting that the expression of wild-type p53 is required for CLA-mediated activation of the G1 restriction point. To futher elucidate the role of p53, the effects of CLA in colon cancer HCT116 cells (p53 / ) and p53-deficient (p53 / ) HCT116 cells (HCTKO) were examined. The treatment of HCT116 cells with CLA increased the levels of p53, p21, p27 and hypophosphorylated (pRb) protein and reduced the expression of cyclin E, whereas these effects were not seen in p53-deficient HCTKO cells. The t10,c12-CLA isomer was more effective than c9,t11-CLA in inhibiting cell proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and enhancing the accumulation of p53 and pRb. We conclude that the antiproliferative properties of CLA appear to be a function, at least in part, of the relative content of specific isomers and their ability to elicit a p53 response that leads to the accumulation of pRb and cell growth arrest. J. Nutr. 133: 3670–3677, 2003.
Long term outcomes of surgery as experienced by young people with cerebral palsy

Pathways of care are available for people with cerebral palsy (CP) including various conservative and surgical interventions. A common aim of these interventions is to improve functional ability and prevent or reduce the prevalence of pain. There is currently no research evidence that demonstrates whether a surgical approach is more effective in achieving these aims than conservative treatment. Moreover, there is also no available research that explores the experiences of young people and their satisfaction with life in relation to the clinical management of their CP. The aim of this research was, retrospectively, to establish whether young people with CP who had experienced surgery as children to their lower extremities had better long term functional outcomes, less pain and a greater satisfaction of life than young people who had not experienced surgery as children. It also aimed to gain an understanding about their lives with CP and about experiences of the pathways of care that they had received.
family conflict , self-efficacy , and emotional exhaustion : A testof longitudinal effects

Based upon the revised Job Demands and Resources Model (2008) we aim first, to test the relations between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion across time and second, to determine the role of professional self-efficacy in this relation. A longitudinal study was conducted in two times, with a year of interval in a Spanish Army sample (n = 242). To test the causal relations between work-family and emotional exhaustion three models are tested: normal causal, reversed causal, and causal reciprocal. To test the role of professional self-efficacy in the relation between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion four alternative models are tested: independence, antecedent, mediation, and independence plus antecedent models. Structural Equation Modeling results confirm the simultaneous reciprocal effects model as it fits the data better than the normal causal or the reverse causal models. This result suggests a spiral process, where work-family conflict predicts emotional exhaustion and at the same time emotional exhaustion increases work-family conflict. Likewise, this article contributes to clarifying the role of selfefficacy in the complex relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion. © 2015 Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Conflicto familia-trabajo, autoeficacia y cansancio emocional: un análisis de los efectos longitudinales
Mastergradsoppgave Mindfulness training in performance enhancement and burnout prevention in junior elite athletes An exploration of the influence of mindfulness training on stress , school and sports performance , and athlete burnout among Norwegian Junior Elite Athletes

Aim of this thesis is to explore the influence of mindfulness training on stress, perceived performance in school and sports as well as athlete burnout in junior elite athletes. The interaction between the variables, degree of mindfulness, perceived stress, perceived performance in school and sports, and degree of burnout was investigated through a survey examination in 382 junior elite athletes. These junior athletes attended 7 different high schools offering elite sports programs in Mid-Norway. Additionally, a 12-week mindfulnesstraining program on 29 junior elite athletes was performed and analyzed qualitatively in order to determine the usefulness of mindfulness training in burnout prevention and performance enhancement in junior elite sports. The results of the quantitative analysis of the interaction of the variables mindfulness, stress, school and sports performance and athletes burnout showed that higher levels of mindfulness are associated with lower levels of stress, higher levels of perceived schooland sports performance, and lower levels of athlete burnout. The mindfulness intervention was shown to have a positive impact on athletes perceived mind stress, resulting in better sleep and feelings of improved recovery. Besides the influence on mind stress and recovery, changes in awareness seem to be the most obvious outcome of the mindfulness intervention. All athletes mentioned they had improved their awareness. Improvements in attention awareness, focus awareness, awareness of inner experiences and awareness of beneficial and nonbeneficial personal choices were mentioned by all athletes. The reduction of perceived mind stress and the improved recovery through better sleep indicates the usefulness of mindfulness training in athlete burnout prevention. The improved awareness might result in better attention abilities that could be important in performance enhancement in both, school and sports.
Diagnostic accuracy of central nervous system tumors by squash cytology

Background: Squash cytology has shown to be of great value in intraoperative consultations of central nervous system lesions. Intraoperative smear cytology provide a rapid and reliable diagnosis and guidance to the neurosurgeon during surgical resection and lesion targeting. Squash smear technique saves time and amount of tissue needed. Aim: To study the validity of rapid intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system lesions by examining the squash cytologic smears of central nervous system lesions. Materials and methods: A total of 111 cases of intracranial space occupying lesions were studied. This squash smears were prepared from the intraoperative biopsy samples and remaining tissue fixed in formalin and sent for histopathological examination. Squash smears were stained with toluidine blue and rapid haematoxylin and eosin. Squash smear cytological diagnosis was correlated with histopathological findings. Results: Out of 111 cases, in 11 (9.9%) cases showing discordance was observed between squash smear diagnosis and histological diagnosis. In 100 (90.1%) cases, squash smear diagnosis was in accordance with the final histologic diagnosis. Thus the value of squash smear technique in rapid intraoperative diagnosis of neurosurgical biopsies was corroborated by above study and the accuracy of this study match with other studies done in the past on squash smear technique. Conclusion: Squash smear cytology should be used regularly for rapid intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system lesions, as squash smear technique is economical, reliable, feasible intraoperative rapid diagnostic method and has a place in determining the immediate management.
BODY MASS INDEX PREDICTS CECAL INSERTION TIME : THE HIGHER , THE BETTER P

Background: It is essential to determine the factors that predict prolonged procedural time during colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on cecal insertion time (CIT) during colonsocopy. Methods: Consecutive outpatients who received colonoscopies over a 10 month period (April–October 2007) were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included colonic resection, strictures or exophytic masses precluding colonic evaluation. Data were collected for age, sex, race, height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, prior history of abdominal or pelvic surgery, history of diverticulosis, participation of fellow, CIT, quality of colon cleansing and the amount of sedation used during the procedure. Results: A total of 1430 patients (586 men and 844 women; mean age 60.3 years) were included in the final analysis. The mean CIT was 648.5 seconds (SE = 11.47). Older age, female gender, fellow involvement, poor bowel preparation and lower BMI were associated with prolonged mean CIT on linear regression analysis ( = 0.116; P < 0.001). Mean CIT declined linearly with increasing BMI. Conclusion: A higher BMI is strongly associated with progressively shorter CIT.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title Comparative genomics of Coniophora olivacea reveals different patterns of genome expansion in Boletales Permalink

Background: Coniophora olivacea is a basidiomycete fungus belonging to the order Boletales that produces brown-rot decay on dead wood of conifers. The Boletales order comprises a diverse group of species including saprotrophs and ectomycorrhizal fungi that show important differences in genome size. Results: In this study we report the 39.07-megabase (Mb) draft genome assembly and annotation of C. olivacea. A total of 14,928 genes were annotated, including 470 putatively secreted proteins enriched in functions involved in lignocellulose degradation. Using similarity clustering and protein structure prediction we identified a new family of 10 putative lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase genes. This family is conserved in basidiomycota and lacks of previous functional annotation. Further analyses showed that C. olivacea has a low repetitive genome, with 2.91% of repeats and a restrained content of transposable elements (TEs). The annotation of TEs in four related Boletales yielded important differences in repeat content, ranging from 3.94 to 41.17% of the genome size. The distribution of insertion ages of LTRretrotransposons showed that differential expansions of these repetitive elements have shaped the genome architecture of Boletales over the last 60 million years. Conclusions: Coniophora olivacea has a small, compact genome that shows macrosynteny with Coniophora puteana. The functional annotation revealed the enzymatic signature of a canonical brown-rot. The annotation and comparative genomics of transposable elements uncovered their particular contraction in the Coniophora genera, highlighting their role in the differential genome expansions found in Boletales species.
esponses of stream macroinvertebrate communities to progressive forest arvesting : Influences of harvest intensity , stream size and riparian buffers avid

Harvesting of forests causes a range of disturbances, including changes to hydrology, nutrient inputs, water quality, food sources, habitat structure and channel morphology, which can impact streams over several years and are reflected in changes in community structure. We aimed to determine the relative magnitudes of impact and rates of recovery of benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and associated changes in biotic indices (Quantitative Macroinvertebrate Community Index and an Index of Biotic Integrity), in reaches of different sized streams within progressively logged catchments. We conducted annual summer surveys over seventeen years in fifteen New Zealand streams that differed in size (upstream catchment area between 40 and 2360 ha, mean channel widths between 2.5 and 16 m) and harvest intensity in the surrounding catchment. The largest post-harvest changes in biotic indices and community structures occurred in streams draining relatively small to medium catchments (<500 ha) where >40% of the upstream catchment had been harvested, and particularly after harvesting of overstorey riparian vegetation adjacent to study reaches. The impacts of harvest on invertebrate communities were less evident in wider streams draining catchments over 500 ha, but the largest changes from pre-harvest biotic indices and community structure still generally occurred after harvesting of riparian vegetation along these streams. The changes in community structure after harvesting of riparian vegetation typically included increases in the densities of Diptera, Mollusca and Oligochaetes, and decreases in the densities of Ephemeroptera. These results demonstrate that impacts on benthic macroinvertebrate communities increased as the proportion of upstream catchment harvested increased and/or after riparian vegetation was harvested. Some of the communities in headwater streams had largely recovered towards pre-harvest structures, whereas post-harvest recovery was less evident in relatively large n of t streams, over the duratio