Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein – Apolipoprotein E ( apoE ) Transgenic Mice : Astrocyte-Specific Expression and Differing Biological Effects of Astrocyte-Secreted apoE 3 and apoE 4 Lipoproteins

The e4 allele of apolipoprotein E (apoE) is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and poor outcome after brain injury. In the CNS, apoE is expressed by glia, predominantly astrocytes. To define the potential biological functions of different human apoE isoforms produced within the brain, transgenic mice were generated in which human apoE3 and apoE4 expression is under control of the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter. These animals were then bred back to apoE knock-out mice. Human apoE protein is found within astrocytes and the neuropil throughout development and into the adult period, as assessed by immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis in several GFAPapoE3 and E4 lines. Cultured astrocytes from these mice secrete apoE3 and apoE4 in lipoproteins that are high-density lipoprotein-like in size. When primary hippocampal neurons are grown in the presence of astrocyte monolayers derived from these transgenic mice, there is significantly greater neurite outgrowth from neurons grown in the presence of apoE3secreting astrocytes compared with apoE4-secreting or apoE knock-out astrocytes. These effects are not dependent on direct astrocyte–neuron contact and appear to require the lowdensity lipoprotein receptor-related protein. These data suggest that astrocyte-secreted, apoE3-containing lipoproteins have different biological effects than apoE4-containing lipoproteins. In addition to providing information regarding the role of astrocyte-secreted apoE lipoproteins in the normal brain, these animals will also be useful in models of both AD and CNS injury.
Otimização do itinerario de sondas de intervenção

Os custos envolvidos em intervencoes de sonda e a perda de receita nos pocos aguardando intervencoes sao elevados. Este trabalho propoe metodos para analisar profundamente a priorizacao dos pocos em que a sonda devera intervir. Para determinar a sequencia de intervencao nos pocos, e necessario comparar o gasto de sonda com as perdas dos pocos. Para calcular as perdas dos pocos, e necessario analisar a influencia monetaria do fechamento dos pocos nas curvas de producao dos reservatorios. Neste trabalho, esta analise e feita utilizando-se um simulador numerico de reservatorios. Sao apresentadas, tambem, simplificacoes possiveis para um calculo expedito. A priorizacao dos pocos e baseada na reducao do custo total do caminho, que se constitui da soma das perdas devidas a espera da intervencao, somadas aos custos das sondas. Para determinar o itinerario ideal das sondas, existem muitos algoritmos. Neste trabalho, sao implementados e comparados alguns algoritmos considerados intuitivos e de simples implementacao. Recomenda-se o algoritmo da Tempera Simulada para priorizar os pocos. Este algoritmo foi implementado para rotear sondas terrestres em uma regiao petrolifera brasileira. Otimizando as sequencias de intervencao realizadas no ano de 1996, nesta regiao, identificou-se uma economia potencial de 15% nas perdas de producao, equivalente a 4.000 metros cubicos/anode petroleo (25.000 bbl/ano) Abstract
Concept analysis: abuse of ageing caregivers by elderly care recipients.

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of abuse within the context of ageing women who are at risk for or experiencing physical or emotional injury inflicted by elderly family members for whom they provide care. BACKGROUND The study of abuse of ageing individuals in family caregiving situations has traditionally focused on abuse of the dependent care receiver. However, evidence supports the health risks related to abuse of ageing caregivers as well. Women, usually spouses, daughters, or daughters-in-law, most frequently assume the caregiver role. METHODS A modification of the strategies for concept analysis proposed by Walker and Avant (1995) is used to clarify the concept of caregiver abuse. Searches of the professional literature reveal that caregiver abuse is rarely addressed; therefore, the broader concept of elder abuse is reviewed and then placed within the general context of family caregiving. Audiotapes of the first session of a community based intervention research study entitled Intervention for the Abuse of Ageing Caregivers (Phillips et al., NIH Grant No. R01 DA-AG11155-01, 1996), in which ageing women caregivers described abusive caregiving situations, were analysed qualitatively using the principles of concept analysis. The audiotapes serve as a second source of data for the concept analysis process. FINDINGS Antecedents, defining characteristics, and consequences of abuse of ageing caregivers were identified through the process of concept analysis. Model, contrary, and borderline cases are presented to illustrate the findings. CONCLUSIONS Findings supported the need for awareness that ageing caregivers can be placed at risk by verbally and physically abusive behaviours of the elders for whom they provide care. Use of the term 'abuse' by health care professionals has potentially negative consequences for identification and intervention in cases of potential or actual caregiver abuse.
Generation of scFv phages specific to Staphylococcus enterotoxin C1 by panning on related antigens

A method for generation of highly specific miniantibodies within the phage particle has been developed, and used to produce antibodies against Staphylococcus enterotoxin type C1. Under successive panning of the non-immune phage miniantibody (scFv) library with enterotoxins SE (types A, B, C1, D, E, G, and I) adsorbed on the plate surface, we generated 11 individual phage clones to Staphylococcus enterotoxin type C1. Five of them interacted specifically only with SEC1 and had no cross-reactions with the other enterotoxins.
Nurse cadet schemes in the British NHS - challenges and opportunities.

RATIONALE Nurse cadet schemes are locally developed initiatives which prepare participants for entry to preregistration nurse education. The paper discusses the political context in which modern day nurse cadet schemes have developed in the British National Health Service and explores the diversity of schemes currently operating in the United Kingdom (UK). BACKGROUND Nursing recruitment is a high priority for the National Health Service in the UK which, in common with many countries, is facing a nursing shortage. In addition, the government is committed to increasing flexibility in the education and recruitment of staff. The entry gate to health professional education needs to be widened to improve access for hitherto under-represented groups. METHODS The paper provides a critical commentary on key issues in the development of nurse cadet schemes as discussed in a range publications, together with information gathered from 'grey' literature and personal contacts in nurse education. A wide range of health care and social science databases was used to collect material for the discussion. FINDINGS Approximately 800 cadets are currently engaged in around 60 cadet schemes in a number of localities in Britain, and it is proposed that these will be expanded to over 2000 nurse cadets by 2004. Nurse cadet schemes have developed to meet local needs and priorities and, in the absence of a strong national framework, a wide diversity of participants, curricula and funding arrangements have emerged. CONCLUSIONS Serious consideration needs to be given to further standardization in the structure and funding of schemes to reduce the degree of inequality which currently exists for cadets, together with development of national benchmarks to ensure that a set of minimum standards is met. Any future development must be built on a systematic evaluation of current schemes, which has yet to be undertaken.
Testing Rare Variants for Association with Diseases: A Bayesian Marker Selection Approach

It has been a research focus to uncover the genetic determination of complex diseases caused by rare variants. As the vast majority of genomic variants represent background variation, highlighting potentially causal mutations through a weighting scheme is critical to the success of association studies aimed at identifying rare variants. In this study, we propose a novel Bayesian marker selection approach to perform a weighting‐based association test. In this approach, an individual association signal and its direction are used to weight variants. In addition, the predicted biological function of variants is taken as prior information to direct the selection of likely causal variants. Simulation studies show that the proposed method has improved power over several existing methods in certain conditions. Analyses of two empirical datasets demonstrate its applicability.
Behavioral Diversity (Ethodiversity): A Neglected Level in the Study of Biodiversity

The concept of biodiversity embraces a multifaceted and hierarchical analysis of the complexity of life, with implications in many areas of science, philosophy, ethics, politics and even religion. Three levels are included in the commonly accepted definitions: genetical, species and ecosystem diversity, going from the intraspecific level to the landscape. Here I argue that a fourth level, never included in biodiversity studies, is of prominent relevance: ethological diversity or “ethodiversity”. There is a growing number of studies describing alternative behaviours, behavioural plasticity, learning and even personality, as characteristics of animal populations or individuals. Ethodiversity is also relevant in unravelling cryptic biodiversity, such as species that differ in their behaviour but are otherwise undistinguishable. Maintaining ethodiversity is therefore essential in conservation, and cannot be achieved simply by focusing on genetic diversity. Behaviour has profound ecological consequences, particularly in species interactions, and is a crucial element in the adaptability of animals to new environments. Ethodiversity is important at the intraspecific, inter-population, and species level and has practical relevance in several fields, like captive breeding, eco-novelty and popular science. Finally, I expect ethodiversity to show a latitudinal cline, with more diverse and elaborate behaviours per species in the tropical regions, given the increase in interactions near the equator.
Analyzing dynamic voting using Petri nets

Dynamic voting is considered a promising technique for achieving high availability in distributed systems with data replication. To date, stochastic analysis of dynamic voting algorithms is restricted to either site or link Markov models, but not both, possibly because of the difficulty in specifying the state-space which grows exponentially as the number of sites increases. Furthermore, to reduce the state-space, the assumption of "frequent updates" was normally made, which results in an overestimation of the availability. In this paper, we develop a Petri net model that considers both site and link failures and also relaxes the modeling assumption of frequent updates. We test our Petri net model on ring and star network topologies to analyze if availability under dynamic voting can be seriously degraded if updates are not frequent under various site and link failure/repair situations. Finally, We use the Petri net developed in the paper to determine the maximum achievable improvement in availability when null updates are introduced to augment regular updates to keep the status of availability up-to-date.
F3 - From Features to Framework

Frameworks allow applications to be developed more efficiently and with higher quality since application functionality can be designed and implemented by reusing framework classes. However, frameworks are hard to develop, learn and use, due to their adaptive nature. The effort to develop a framework tends to be greater than an application. In this paper we propose an approach to facilitate the development of white box frameworks. In this approach, denominated From Features to Framework (F3), the domain of the framework is modeled and a set of patterns guides the developer to design and implement the framework according to the elements and rules defined in this model. An example of use of the F3 approach is also presented in this paper.
Access flow control algorithms in broadband networks

The authors present and analyze an access flow control algorithm which is applied at the access nodes to the network, specifically, at the input voice and video multiplexers. The algorithm uses a control signal that is proportional to the multiplexer congestion level to throttle the peak bit rate of the input arrival process. The algorithm comprises a continuous type of control rather than the conventional ON/OFF control type. To achieve this, two congestion thresholds (K1, K2) are used to limit the number of cells in the multiplexer buffers. The threshold levels are determined by required quality of service. The authors analyze the resulting quasi-birth-death queueing process for the video-buffer multiplexer. Performance analysis parameters such as the blocking probability and the mean number of bits per sample are presented to evaluated the quality of the video traffic. <<ETX>>
Adult Daughters’ Descriptions of Their Mother–Daughter Relationship in the Context of Chronic Conflict

The purpose of this article is to describe, from the perspective of the adult daughter, the mother–daughter relationship in the context of chronic conflict. Grounded theory methodology was used. An online recruitment strategy was used to identify a sample of adult daughters (N = 13) who self-identified as having an abusive relationship with their aging mother. Data collection was completed through semi-structured telephone interviews. Daughters framed their relationship around their perceptions of past childhood injustices. These injustices invoked strong negative emotions. Daughters had equally strong motivations for sustaining the relationship, driven by desire to reconcile their negative experience through seeking validation and futile-hoping as well as a sense of obligation to do due diligence. Together these factors created an environment of inevitable confrontation and a relationship defined by chronic conflict. Findings from the study provide theoretical insights to the conceptualization of aggression, power relationships, and the development of elder abuse and neglect.
Approximate Fairness through SRABF in Satellite Networks

Currently, a fundamental issue is to evaluate the impact of having users act in a selfish manner in various networks. It is found that oblivious control schemes can't cope with uncooperative selfish users. We approach this problem in satellite networks from first principle: a satellite router packet-dropping scheme is a mechanism that sets up a game between the senders, who are in turn competing for link capacity. This paper proposes an algorithm called SRABF (Satellite Router Allocates Bandwidth Fairly), which bases its dropping decisions on the recent history of packet arrivals and new sampling method. The performance of SRABF is aided by the fact that the vast majority of flows in satellite networks are slow but the fast flows send the bulk of the bits. This allows a small sample of recent history to provide accurate rate estimation of the fast flows. Simulation results, which we describe here, suggest that the design provides a reasonable degree of fairness in satellite networks.
Statistical Analysis of Uniparental Disomy Data Using Hidden Markov Models

Summary. Genetic studies of uniparental disomy (UPD) employing many markers have helped geneticists to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying nondisjunction. However, most existing methods cannot simultaneously analyze all genetic markers and consistently incorporate crossover interference; they thus fail to make the most use of genetic information in the data. In the present article, we describe a hidden Markov model for multilocus uniparental disomy data. This method is based on the chi‐square model for the crossover process and can simultaneously incorporate all marker information including untyped and uninformative markers. We then apply this novel method to analyze a set of UPD15 data.
Determination of Risk Factors, Knowledge Level and Awareness towards Colorectal Cancers among Turkish Women -

Objective: This research was conducted as definitive and cross-sectional to scrutinize risk factors, knowledge levels and awareness of women at the age of 50 and above about colorectal cancers (CRC). Material-Method: In a descriptive and cross-sectional study, 196 women participating were selected by randomly at the age of 50 and above who applied to Ankara Kecioren Training and Research Hospital, Gynecology and Obstetrics Polyclinic in Turkey during June 16-July 30, 2014. A Questionnaire Form was used in data collection. Results: The age average of the women included in the research was 57.2±7.9. At least one of the CRC risk factors was present in the women. When examined according to CRC risk levels, 83.6% was at the low risk group and 16.4% was at the moderate level risk group. The average knowledge score of the women to be protected from CRC was 6.4±3.3 (min=0, max=10). 86.2% of the women indicated that they did not have CRC screening test until that moment, 85.7% indicated that they did not have adequate knowledge about CRC screening methods and 22% saw themselves risky about developing CRC. Based on the conducted analyses; CRC risk level was found higher in the women who had bowel disease history, did not have adequate knowledge about CRC, had CRC screening history, were suggested CRC screening test by their physician, and had high CRC risk perception (p
A Simplified Screening Protocol Predicts Pathological Electroneurographic Results in Patients with Suspected Polyneuropathy

ABSTRACT Electroneurographic testing is one of the standard instruments to detect polyneuropathy (PNP). The objective of this study was to develop a screening tool with optimized sensitivity and specificity, consisting of a short questionnaire and a short standardized neurological examination. One hundred one patients with a suspected PNP were prospectively selected from the neurological outpatient clinic. We used a short questionnaire and a short neurological examination derived from the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Based on electroneurographic results, patients were classified in three groups of different severity. The diagnostic power of the MNSI was optimized by constructing a score based on two combined discrimination functions. The optimized screening tool was able to detect patients suffering from PNP at a sensitivity of 88%%. In particular, a severe form of PNP was recognized at a sensitivity of 97%%. The specificity to detect healthy subjects was 74%%. This new tool is a fast and easy to use instrument which can give a decision support for general practitioners for patients with a suspected PNP as to whether a subsequent electroneurographical examination (ENG) testing will show pathological results.
Antifungal prophylaxis during the early postoperative period of lung transplantation. Valencia Lung Transplant Group.

INTRODUCTION Fungal infections occur frequently in lung transplant patients, with the highest risk being in the early postoperative period (the initial hospitalization after lung transplantation). Aspergillus is responsible for more than half of all fungal infections, and Aspergillus has even been considered a contraindication for lung transplantation because of its difficult therapy and frequently fatal outcome. The aim of this article is to evaluate the success of an antifungal prophylaxis protocol to prevent fungal infection in the immediate postoperative period in lung transplant recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS From March 1994 to March 1997, we performed 52 lung transplants in 31 men and 21 women who received antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole, 400 mg/d, and aerosolized amphotericin B, 0.6 mg/kg/d, during the postoperative period. RESULTS The mean (+/- SD) postoperative period duration was 49 +/- 27.5 days. No fungal infections were observed during this period, and all patients provided negative cultures. We also found no toxicity related to antifungal drugs. The dose of cyclosporine was easily adjusted in every recipient according to blood levels so that effective immunosuppression was not compromised. DISCUSSION In our study, the removal of the lungs and antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole and aerosolized amphotericin B prevented fungal infection in the postoperative period in all 52 lung transplant recipients.
An in vitro model to measure the effect of a silver fluoride and potassium iodide treatment on the permeability of demineralized dentine to Streptococcus mutans.

BACKGROUND Diamine silver fluoride (Ag(NH3)2F), referred to as AgF, has been used to reduce the incidence of caries in primary dentitions but has been limited by the associated staining of both teeth and restorative materials. The application of potassium iodide (KI), following AgF prevents staining but its effects on the ability of AgF to reduce caries are not known. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro model that would provide an indication of the permeability of demineralized dentine to Streptococcus mutans after treatment of the dentine with AgF followed by KI. METHODS Forty dentine discs were bonded to the base of forty 5mL polycarbonate screw top vials (that had had their bases removed), filled with nutrient medium, sterilized and placed into a continuous culture of S. mutans. Samples were divided into four groups as follows: 10 samples of demineralized dentine as a control, 10 samples of demineralized dentine treated with AgF/KI, 10 samples of demineralized dentine treated with KI and 10 samples of demineralized dentine treated with AgF. After two weeks the optical density of the growth medium chambers was measured to determine bacterial penetration and growth. Cultures were plated out to determine migration through the discs by S. mutans. RESULTS S. mutans migrated through all dentine discs. However, the samples treated with AgF and AgF/KI had significantly lower optical densities than the corresponding controls. The range of optical densities was least amongst demineralized samples treated with AgF/KI. CONCLUSIONS Under the conditions of this study, treatment of demineralized dentine discs with AgF followed by KI allowed the penetration of S. mutans. Based on optical density measurements, the treatment resulted in significantly fewer microorganisms being present subjacent to the discs treated with AgF and KI than the control discs at the end of the experimental period.