Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonpharmacological Therapies in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review of Efficacy

Introduction: Nonpharmacological therapies (NPTs) can improve the quality of life (QoL) of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their carers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best evidence on the effects of NPTs in AD and related disorders (ADRD) by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the entire field. Methods: Existing reviews and major electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The deadline for study inclusion was September 15, 2008. Intervention categories and outcome domains were predefined by consensus. Two researchers working together detected 1,313 candidate studies of which 179 RCTs belonging to 26 intervention categories were selected. Cognitive deterioration had to be documented in all participants, and degenerative etiology (indicating dementia) had to be present or presumed in at least 80% of the subjects. Evidence tables, meta-analysis and summaries of results were elaborated by the first author and reviewed by author subgroups. Methods for rating level of evidence and grading practice recommendations were adapted from the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Results: Grade A treatment recommendation was achieved for institutionalization delay (multicomponent interventions for the caregiver, CG). Grade B recommendation was reached for the person with dementia (PWD) for: improvement in cognition (cognitive training, cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the PWD); activities of daily living (ADL) (ADL training, multicomponent interventions for the PWD); behavior (cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the PWD, behavioral interventions, professional CG training); mood (multicomponent interventions for the PWD); QoL (multicomponent interventions for PWD and CG) and restraint prevention (professional CG training); for the CG, grade B was also reached for: CG mood (CG education, CG support, multicomponent interventions for the CG); CG psychological well-being (cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the CG); CG QoL (multicomponent interventions for PWD and CG). Conclusion: NPTs emerge as a useful, versatile and potentially cost-effective approach to improve outcomes and QoL in ADRD for both the PWD and CG.
Protein Kinase A Phosphorylates Cardiac-Specific N 2 B Domain of Titin and Reduces Passive Tension in Rat Cardiac Myocytes

b-Adrenergic stimulation of cardiac muscle activates protein kinase A (PKA), which is known to phosphorylate proteins on the thin and thick filaments of the sarcomere. Cardiac muscle sarcomeres contain a third filament system composed of titin, and in this study, we demonstrate that titin is also phosphorylated by the b-adr nergic pathway. Titin phosphorylation was observed after beceptor stimulation of intact cardiac myocytes and incubation of skinned cardiac myocytes with PKA. Mechanical experiments with isolated myocytes revealed that PKA significantly reduces passive tension. In vitro phosphorylation of recombinant titin fragments and immunoelectron microscopy suggest that PKA targets a subdomain of the elastic segment of titin, referred to as the N2B spring element. The N2B spring element is expressed only in cardiac titins, in which it plays an important role in determining the level of passive tension. Because titin-based passive tension is a determinant of diastolic function, these results suggest that titin phosphorylation may modulate cardiac function in vivo. (Circ Res. 2002;90:●●●-●●●.)
Compliance and Enforcement of Community-Based Coastal Resource Management Regulations in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Community-based coastal resources management has become a popular approach to marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management in the Asia-Pacific region. One premise of this approach is that enforcement of community management initiatives is the primary responsibility of the community and that, in most instances, they have the capability to effectively enforce locally developed regulations and rules. The socioeconomic theory of resource management compliance is reviewed and applied to community-based case examples from North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Compliance with nondestructive exploitation practices in several village sites, empirically measured by changes in live hard coral cover, was related to reef distance from a settlement area and not significantly related to visibility from a settlement. A typology of enforcement strategies relative to the type of violator and violation is presented. In certain instances, a comanagement approach is preferred in order to achieve effective enforcement and high compliance.
Roles and regulations of Hippo signaling during preimplantation mouse development

During preimplantation development, mouse embryos form two types of cells, the trophoectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM), by the early blastocyst stage. This process does not require maternal factors localized in the zygotes, and embryos self‐organize at the blastocyst stage through intercellular communications. In terms of the mechanisms of cell fate specification, three historical models have been proposed: the positional model, and the original and newer versions of the polarity model. Recent studies have revealed that the intercellular Hippo signaling pathway plays a central role in the specification of the first cell fates. Hippo signaling is active in the inner cells but inactive in the outer cells. The Hippo‐active inner and Hippo‐inactive outer cells take the fates of the ICM and the TE, respectively. At the 32‐cell stage, E‐cadherin‐mediated cell–cell adhesion and cell polarization by the Par–aPKC system activates and inactivates the Hippo pathway, respectively. Both mechanisms involve regulation of angiomotin, and cooperation of these mechanisms establishes cell position‐dependent activation of Hippo signaling. At the 16‐cell stage, however, asymmetric cell division produces the initial differences in Hippo signaling. At this stage, cell polarity is controlled by both Par‐aPKC‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms. All three historical models are explained by the different regulations and roles of Hippo signaling. Based on these findings, I would like to propose the model by which the differences in Hippo signaling among blastomeres is first produced by asymmetric cell division and then enhanced and stabilized by cell position‐dependent mechanisms until their fates are fixed.
Multiple asymmetries in index stock returns from boom/bust and stable/volatile markets states- an empirical study of US and UK stock markets

This article tries to answer the question: is the response of current returns to past returns asymmetric when the returns follow an autoregressive, spillover GARCH model? Our empirical findings are consistent with the following notions. First, both US and UK markets appear to overreact to the drastic events in the 1990s. Second, the impacts of the 1-week-ahead foreign market returns were marked during the 1980s, especially when the home market returns were both volatile and negative. In contrast, the impacts were insignificant during the 1990s. Third, in the 1990s, the UK (US) investors' behaviour during the bust appears to be consistent (inconsistent) with the leverage effects.
An upper bound on the minimum Euclidean distance for block-coded phase-shift keying

We present an upper bound on the minimum Euclidean distance d/sub Emin/(C) for block-coded PSK. The bound is an analytic expression depending on the alphabet size q, the block length n, and the number of codewords |C| of the code C. The bound is valid for all block codes with q/spl ges/4 and with medium or high rate-codes where |C|>(q/3)/sup n/. There are several well-known block codes whose d/sub Emin/(C) is equal to our upper bound. Hence these codes are the best possible in the sense that there does not exist a code with the same q, n, and |C| and with a larger d/sub Emin/(C). It also follows that for many choices of q, n, and |C|, in particular for high rates, our upper bound on d/sub Emin/(C) is optimal.
Research on metro intelligent optical network planning and optimization

With the rapid growth and construction of information, the traditional voice-based static network has been gradually changed to dynamic network. By analyzing the current equipment situation and transmission services of metropolitan area network, some short comings which exist in the current transmission network come to conclusion. On the basis of the state-of-art transmission equipment, an efficient and intelligent network planning method via OTN/ASON/PTN is proposed. Combined with the actual business situation, the advantages of intelligent optical network have been verified after the contrast between traditional and the intelligent optical network.
Destruction of the bladder by single dose Mitomycin C for low‐stage transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) – avoidance, recognition, management and consent

To identify a cohort of patients under our care who have had significant and in some cases irreparable damage to their bladders after Mitomycin C (MMC) instillation. To highlight the importance of avoidance and recognition of bladder perforations during transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) and explore the issue of consent regarding MMC given the serious complications that may occur after its instillation.
Greater healthful food variety as measured by the US Healthy Food Diversity index is associated with lower odds of metabolic syndrome and its components in US adults.

BACKGROUND Consuming a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods may promote adherence to healthful dietary patterns, leading to improved dietary quality and enhanced metabolic health. OBJECTIVE We used the US Healthy Food Diversity (HFD) index to simultaneously measure dietary variety, quality, and proportionality, hypothesizing a priori that race/ethnicity may moderate associations between diet and health. METHODS A representative sample of adults (n = 7470) aged 20+ y with two 24-h recalls and complete outcome data from the cross-sectional NHANES 2003-2006 were selected. US HFD values were generated using a previously validated equation with a theoretical range from 0 to nearly 1, with higher scores indicative of more varied diets with a higher proportion of healthful food groups. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined using the most recent harmonized definition. Survey-weighted multivariable linear and logistic regression, adjusted for demographic factors, smoking, energy, screen time, and leisure activity, were used to compute means and ORs (95% CIs). RESULTS Adults in the third vs. first US HFD tertile had 21% lower odds of MetS [OR (95% CI): 0.79 (0.64, 0.98)] as well as lower odds of hypertension [0.83 (0.70, 0.995] and elevated waist circumference [0.75 (0.66, 0.86] after multivariable adjustment (P-trend < 0.05). The age- and sex-adjusted odds of low serum HDL cholesterol and impaired fasting plasma glucose (P-trend < 0.05) were lower in the highest vs. lowest US HFD tertile but attenuated with multivariable adjustment (P = 0.06 and 0.22, respectively). Notably, the US HFD index was only protective against adiposity among non-Hispanic white (NHW) and non-Hispanic black (NHB) adults, and MetS associations were driven by NHW adults. No associations were observed among Hispanic adults for any MetS components. CONCLUSIONS Greater healthful food variety was associated with lower odds of MetS and some MetS components in the total population, NHW adults, and NHB adults. This study provides preliminary evidence that healthful food diversity may protect against MetS and highlights the need for longitudinal and experimental research.
Analysis of adventitious lung sounds originating from pulmonary tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a common and potentially deadly infectious disease, usually affecting the respiratory system and causing the sound properties of symptomatic infected lungs to differ from non-infected lungs. Auscultation is often ruled out as a reliable diagnostic technique for TB due to the random distribution of the infection and the varying severity of damage to the lungs. However, advancements in signal processing techniques for respiratory sounds can improve the potential of auscultation far beyond the capabilities of the conventional mechanical stethoscope. Though computer-based signal analysis of respiratory sounds has produced a significant body of research, there have not been any recent investigations into the computer-aided analysis of lung sounds associated with pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB), despite the severity of the disease in many countries. In this paper, respiratory sounds were recorded from 14 locations around the posterior and anterior chest walls of healthy volunteers and patients infected with pulmonary TB. The most significant signal features in both the time and frequency domains associated with the presence of TB, were identified by using the statistical overlap factor (SOF). These features were then employed to train a neural network to automatically classify the auscultation recordings into their respective healthy or TB-origin categories. The neural network yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 73%, but it is believed that automated filtering of the noise in the clinics, more training samples and perhaps other signal processing methods can improve the results of future studies. This work demonstrates the potential of computer-aided auscultation as an aid for the diagnosis and treatment of TB.
Calibration Schema for a Long-Range, Fishery-Research Side Scan Sonar

The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service owns two Long-Range, Fishery-Research Side Scan Sonars (Klein model 7180). Having recognized a number of serious shortcomings in the original design and implementation of the 7180, NOAA embarked on an upgrade of the 7180 to bring the 7180's performance closer to the requirements of fish-habitat researchers for radiometrically adjusted backscatter observations from a calibrated sonar. With three-meter long mechanically curved arrays, it is difficult / impractical to calibrate the 7180 side scan sonar using conventional methods. However, given the recognized importance of calibrated and radiometrically adjusted backscatter data for fishery research, a schema was developed for the 7180 that built on, and extended, the protocol for calibration of multibeam sonar [1]. This paper describes the cascade calibration schema and presents results from applying it to the upgraded 7180 during a recent survey in the eastern Bering Sea. With this method, it is now possible to trace the 7180 backscatter levels to a recognized standard and to detect the onset of discrepancies among the several spatially overlapping measures of backscatter. This advances the fishery-research goal of consistent seabed characterization across wide swaths of the seabed.
An analysis of the management practices of Brazilian private equity firms and their impact on company performance

This paper examines the proposition that private equity funds (PEFs) improve the performance of their investee companies. The study was divided into two parts: (i) an analysis of the characteristics of the private equity investment cycle that impact on corporate performance and (ii) validation that companies that received investments from PEFs outperformed firms that did not receive an investment from PEFs. The analysis of the characteristics and practices of PEFs was based on questionnaires sent to the senior executives. Examination of the performance of companies that had attracted investment from PEFs was based on an analysis of various operational and financial indicators of firms in the three years preceding and following their initial public offering (IPO). This confirmed the thesis that there are common practices among PEFs and that they create value for their investees' companies.
Accounting for austerity: the Troika in the Eurozone

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the Eurozone financial crisis by discussing the experiences of Greece, Ireland and Spain. It particularly examines the influence and actions of the Troika in the management of the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone. Design/methodology/approach - – The primary source of information for this study has been the documents of the Greek, Irish and Spanish Governments (often only available in their native language) and the reports of EU bodies and the IMF, supplemented by media coverage, as deemed appropriate. This has been analysed on a comparative basis to contrast the experiences of these three countries. Findings - – This study reveals how the Eurozone crisis has impacted on financially weak countries in this currency union. The fiscal conservatism of the Troika (the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank) has had profound consequences for these economies, which have experienced dramatic cuts in public services. Research limitations/implications - – This study has focused on the experiences of three countries in the Eurozone. There is a case for extending this analysis to other Eurozone countries. Practical implications - – There are two approaches to recession – governments can stimulate demand by infrastructure spending or take the financial conservatism route of reducing public expenditure and public sector borrowing. However, the severity of the crisis undermines the first approach and there are uncertain outcomes with the second approach. This paper shows the effects of adopting financial conservatism as a strategy in this crisis. Social implications - – The austerity programmes pursued by the governments in this study have led to unemployment, migration of skilled workers, collapse in property markets, failing banks and social unrest. Originality/value - – This study takes an accounting perspective on the Eurozone crisis. This offers a distinctive interpretation of events. This study examines the merits of widely used theories in studies of public sector change namely legitimation and resource dependency theory intertwined with power and offers insights into how meaningful they are in explaining the dramatic influence of austerity programmes in the Eurozone.
Globalization and why the ‘time is ripe’ for the transformation of German industrial relations

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on globalization and industrial relations supports the full gamut of possibilities: that globalization constrains, strengthens, or has nothing to do with industrialized-country bargaining institutions and outcomes. But most empirical work focuses on direct connections between outcomes and trade and/or direct investment flows, thus discounting the role of threatened exit and competition, or of indirect links involving employers and employer organization and strategy. This paper studies the 2003 campaign for the East–West equalization of conditions in the German metal industry, and finds that globalization has affected the bargaining outcome much more than standard accounts suggest. First, the Eastern EU-enlargement—an element of globalization—created a ‘now or never’ atmosphere that helped to spark the union's initiative. Employers' vehement opposition was frequently clothed in concerns about labor costs, emphasizing losses in international competitiveness and/or jobs to low-wage countries. And employers exercised frequent exit threats that were instrumental in splitting workforces by inducing fears and in instilling an anti-union mood. Finally, the bargaining round inspired large firms to question the central bargaining institution, thereby subordinating social peace to the goal of defeating IG Metall. This and subsequent developments in West Germany point to a transformation of German industrial relations as a partial consequence of economic globalization.
The Degree of Capital Mobility and the Stability of an Open Economy under Rational Expectations

RECENT STOCHASTIC MODELS of the open economy have tended to downplay the role of the trade account in short-run exchange rate demination, focusing instead on the stock equilibrating function of exchange rates and interest rates.l The reason for this is that such models are specified in terms of discrete time and virtually all assume: (i) perfect capital mobility, in the sense that domestic and foreign assets are perfect substitutes on an "uncovered" basis; (ii) no wealth effects in the relevant demand functions. Under these assumptions, the exchange rate is essentially determined within the money market. However, as soon as either assumption is dropped, the current account balance, together with the appropriate asset market(s), assumes an important role in determining the exchange rate and domestic interest rate, along with the accumulation of foreign securities by the domestic economy during the period.2
Benefit packages and individual behavior: choices over discrete goods with multiple attributes

Managers and employers use an array of rewards to attract and retain quality employees. An increasingly significant component of the overall compensation is the employee's benefits package. Flexible packages offer more choice but also incur higher decision costs. We conduct an experiment on choices over stylized benefits packages where discrete ‘goods’ have multiple attributes affecting the payoff function. We investigate the degree to which these complications affect choices. Eighty subjects play an individual-choice decision-cost game where they are implicitly asked to solve a complex programming problem. Our main results are that: (a) individual subjects respond to the relative tradeoff between the attributes, (b) some combinations of the attributes (apparently) entice subjects to search more and thus earn more, and (c) most subjects appear to adopt a heuristic that approximates the optimal solution. Further, subjects appear to value the right to make choices, as they rarely choose a fixed payoff option with a known payoff and low decision cost, even when the fixed payoff is 80% of the maximum possible under the decision-making task. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recreating the Human Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Niche with Bioengineered Limbal Crypts

ABSTRACT Purpose: Creation of an in vitro model incorporating specific features that characterize a particular stem niche would allow researchers to study stem cell behavior in a more physiological environment. Materials and methods: We have developed a tissue engineering process (RAFT) that rapidly and reliably creates bioengineered limbal crypts (BLCs) in the surface of collagen-based tissue equivalents (TEs). These BLCs mimic the three-dimensional topography of the limbal crypts (LCs), located in the limbal region of the human cornea, which are home to a population of limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs). Results: Human limbal epithelial (hLE) cells occupying our BLCs expressed putative LESC markers such as ΔNp63α and Bmi1 and produced basement membrane proteins such as laminin β1 and laminin γ3; expression patterns are very similar to those seen in native LCs. Human limbal stromal cells elongate and align along the edge of native LCs and in our RAFT TEs, human limbal fibroblasts (hLFs) also appeared to exhibit this alignment and elongation behavior in response to the BLC topography. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that we can maintain an immature population of hLE cells and aligned stromal cells in our BLCs to mimic some elements of the complexity of the human LESC niche.