Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening and Brief Intervention Enter Their 5th Decade

About 40 years since the first controlled study, screening and brief intervention (SBI) are being disseminated into practice. But many unanswered questions remain. Studies in this special issue address what we know and don't know about alcohol and drug SBI, cost-effectiveness, patient preferences, education for clinicians, quality performance measures, “no-contact” SBI, predictors of behavior change, and methodological concerns with the SBI literature. The best evidence for efficacy of SBI is that it can lead to decreased consumption in primary care patients with non-dependent unhealthy alcohol use. But further research is needed on brief drug screening tools, efficacy of SBI for drugs, effectiveness in real world settings, integration of SBI for alcohol and drugs with other health behaviors, effects of SBI on alcohol and drug consequences, effects on dependence among those not seeking help, and on how to best disseminate the efficacious elements of SBI into practice.
Multiple folding mechanisms of protein ubiquitin

Based on the Cα Go‐type model, the folding kinetics and mechanisms of protein ubiquitin with mixed α/β topology are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The relaxation kinetics shows that there are three phases, namely the major phase, the intermediate phase and the slowest minor phase. The existence of these three phases are relevant to the phenomenon found in experiments. According to our simulations, the folding at high temperatures around the folding transition temperature Tf is of a two‐state process, and the folding nucleus is consisted of contacts between the front end of α‐helix and the turn4. The folding at low temperature (∼ T = 0.8) is also studied, where an A‐state like structure is found lying on the major folding pathway. The appearance of this structure is related to the stability of the first part (residue 1–51) of protein ubiquitin. As the temperature decreases, the formation of secondary structures, tertiary structures and collapse of the protein are found to be decoupled gradually and the folding mechanism changes from the nucleation–condensation to the diffusion–collision. This feature indicates a unifying common folding mechanism for proteins. The intermediate phase is also studied and is found to represent a folding process via a long‐lived intermediate state which is stabilized by strong interactions between the β1 and the β5 strand. These strong interactions are important for the function of protein ubiquitin as a molecular chaperone. Thus the intermediate phase is assumed as a byproduct of the requirement of protein function. In addition, the validity of the current Go‐model is also investigated, and a lower limited temperature for protein ubiquitin Tlimit = 0.8 is proposed. At temperatures higher than this value, the kinetic traps due to glass dynamics cannot be significantly populated and the intermediate states can be reliably identified although there is slight chevron rollover in the folding rates. At temperature lower than Tlimit, however, the traps due to glass dynamics become dominant and may be mistaken for real intermediate states. This limitation of valid temperature range prevents us to reveal the burst phase intermediate in the major folding phase since it might only be stabilized at temperatures lower than Tlimit, according to experiments. Our works show that caution must be taken when studying low‐temperature intermediate states by using the Cα Go‐models. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
RSA and Rabin Functions: Certain Parts are as Hard as the Whole

The RSA and Rabin encryption functions $E_N ( \cdot )$ are respectively defined by raising $x \in Z_N $ to the power e (where e is relatively prime to $\varphi (N)$) and squaring modulo N (i.e., $E_N (x) = x^e (\bmod N)$, $E_N (x) = x^2 (\bmod N)$, respectively). We prove that for both functions, the following problems are computationally equivalent (each is probabilistic polynomial-time reducible to the other): (1) Given $E_N (x)$, find x. (2) Given $E_N (x)$, guess the least-significant bit of x with success probability $\tfrac{1}{2} + {1 {{\operatorname{poly}}(n)}}$ (where n is the length of the modulus N). This equivalence implies that an adversary, given the RSA/Rabin ciphertext, cannot have a non-negligible advantage (over a random coin flip) in guessing the least-significant bit of the plaintext, unless he can invert RSA/factor N. The proof techniques also yield the simultaneous security of the $\log n$ least-significant bits. Our results improve the efficiency of pseudorandom number generation and.
A Systematic Review of the Public’s Knowledge and Understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

This paper reports findings from a systematic review of the literature on the general public’s knowledge and understanding of dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. The key purpose of the review was to evaluate existing literature with specific attention paid to conceptual and methodological issues and to key findings. Over a 20-year period, 40 published articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. Only 4 of these were qualitative and 5 were cross-national. The review revealed a lack of consistency across studies regarding how knowledge was operationalized, approaches to sampling, response rates, and data collection instruments used including validated scales. A consistent finding across the vast majority of studies was the only fair to moderate knowledge and understanding the general public had. The most common misconception was that dementia was a normal part of aging and there was a lack of clarity about at which point normal age-related memory loss problems become severe enough to indicate dementia. Knowledge of dementia was found to be particularly poor among racial and ethnic minority groups where several myths about causes of dementia were found. Findings point to the need for more educational and advocacy programmes on dementia to be developed particularly in low-income to middle-income countries.
Routine use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in potential living kidney donors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Most transplant centers exclude prospective living kidney donors with hypertension from donation. Centers routinely identify hypertension using BP measured in the clinic, but it is not clear that clinic BP accurately detects the presence or absence of hypertension in potential donors. We therefore conducted a prospective study to determine the impact of routine ambulatory BP monitoring on diagnosis of hypertension in potential donors and the value of other baseline characteristics in predicting ambulatory BP results. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We compared classification of hypertension status by clinic BP and by ambulatory BP monitoring in 178 potential living kidney donors. RESULTS Of 63 individuals with hypertension by clinic BP, 62% had white-coat hypertension by ambulatory BP and were therefore eligible to donate. Of 115 individuals who were normotensive by clinic BP, 17% had masked hypertension by ambulatory BP and were excluded from donation. Individuals with masked hypertension were older, were more likely to be male, and had a somewhat higher clinic BP than individuals with sustained normotension. Individuals with white-coat hypertension had a somewhat lower clinic diastolic BP than individuals with sustained hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Routine ambulatory BP monitoring may identify a large number of individuals with white-coat hypertension and a smaller but significant number of individuals with masked hypertension, ensuring adequate protection of potential donors and accurate assessment of donor risk. Differences in baseline characteristics are small and are not clinically useful in distinguishing individuals with masked hypertension from individuals with sustained normotension or individuals with white-coat hypertension from individuals with sustained hypertension, demonstrating the importance of ambulatory BP monitoring in this population.
Robust H∞ control for a class of discrete switched systems with uncertainties and delays

A class of discrete switched systems with uncertainties and delays is studied, where the uncertainties satisfies norm bounded conditions. Sufficient conditions are obtained by using multi-Lyapunov functional, matrix inequalities and some slack matrices, which can keep the closed-loop system not only exponential stability but also H∞ performance for a class of switching signal with average dwell time.
Patients' experiences when accessing their on-line electronic patient records in primary care.

BACKGROUND Patient access to on-line primary care electronic patient records is being developed nationally. Knowledge of what happens when patients access their electronic records is poor. AIM To enable 100 patients to access their electronic records for the first time to elicit patients' views and to understand their requirements. DESIGN OF STUDY In-depth interviews using semi-structured questionnaires as patients accessed their electronic records, plus a series of focus groups. SETTING Secure facilities for patients to view their primary care records privately. METHOD One hundred patients from a randomised group viewed their on-line electronic records for the first time. The questionnaire and focus groups addressed patients' views on the following topics: ease of use; confidentiality and security; consent to access; accuracy; printing records; expectations regarding content; exploitation of electronic records; receiving new information and bad news. RESULTS Most patients found the computer technology used acceptable. The majority found viewing their record useful and understood most of the content, although medical terms and abbreviations required explanation. Patients were concerned about security and confidentiality, including potential exploitation of records. They wanted the facility to give informed consent regarding access and use of data. Many found errors, although most were not medically significant. Many expected more detail and more information. Patients wanted to add personal information. CONCLUSION Patients have strong views on what they find acceptable regarding access to electronic records. Working in partnership with patients to develop systems is essential to their success. Further work is required to address legal and ethical issues of electronic records and to evaluate their impact on patients, health professionals and service provision.
Assessing information systems success models: empirical comparison (research in progress)

Information System (IS) success may be the most arguable and important dependent variable in the IS field. The purpose of the present study is to address IS success by empirically assess and compare DeLone and McLean’s (1992) and Gable’s et al. (2008) models of IS success in Australian Universities context. The two models have some commonalities and several important distinctions. Both models integrate and interrelate multiple dimensions of IS success. Hence, it would be useful to compare the models to see which is superior; as it is not clear how IS researchers should respond to this controversy.
5E-3 Simulation of Thin Piezoelectric Structures Using Anisotropic Hierarchic Finite Elements

Thin piezoelectric structures are important parts of active-noise cancellation devices and smart structures. For these kind of applications it is crucial to get an accurate prediction of the frequency characteristics using the finite element method (FEM). Instead of using plate elements, we concentrate on a pure three dimensional approach using hierarchic ansatz spaces for hexahedral elements with the option of anisotropic choice of approximation order. The use of higher order Legendre polynomials reduces the susceptibility to locking, while the anisotropic choice of approximation order allows to minimize the number of degrees of freedom for the mechanical displacement and electric potential. The applicability of the method is proven by a pure mechanical example of a plate under uniform pressure, as well as for a piezoelectric bimorph beam
An atmospheric pressure plasma source

An atmospheric pressure plasma source operated by radio frequency power has been developed. This source produces a unique discharge that is volumetric and homogeneous at atmospheric pressure with a gas temperature below 300 °C. It also produces a large quantity of oxygen atoms, ∼5×1015 cm−3, which has important value for materials applications. A theoretical model shows electron densities of 0.2–2×1011 cm−3 and characteristic electron energies of 2–4 eV for helium discharges at a power level of 3–30 W cm−3.
Investigating Effectiveness of an Expression Education Support Robot That Nods and Gives Hints

In recent years, expression education, which improves the imagination and communication skills, has been attracting attention. It is necessary to provide the appropriate support and evaluation to each expression education student based on their imagination level and individual learning skills. However, it is difficult to match the individual students’ needs in the present educational institutions, where the instructions are typically offered in group settings. In this study, a robot is used as a substitute to the human instructor. Previous studies in the field proposed the use of robots that offer hints to boost the students’ imagination. This paper suggested that the robot had an education-support effect similar to that of a human instructor. However, it is critical to ensure that the learners are interested in the robot in order to achieve positive learning effects. Thus, we performed an experiment to verify the effectiveness of an expression education support robot that nods, as a form of non-verbal communication. The study results indicate the success of the proposed robot in improving the students learning effect and suggest the effectiveness of nodding as well as providing hints.
Prion protein conformation in a patient with sporadic fatal insomnia.

The human prion diseases include Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Gerstmann–Straussler–Scheinker disease, fatal familial insomnia, and the recently described new variant of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Much evidence argues that a post-translational, noncovalent modification of prion protein is the fundamental event in the mechanism underlying these diseases.1 The normal cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPC) is predominantly α-helical, is detergent soluble, and is readily digested by proteases. In contrast, the pathogenic isoform (PrPSc) has a substantially β-sheet structure, is insoluble in nondenaturing detergents, and shows relative resistance to proteolytic digestion.2–4 The protease-resistant core of PrPSc, designated PrP27–30, is usually detectable .
Temporal relation extraction using Apriori algorithm

Existing systems for temporal relation extraction is spread over many domains from statistical approaches to hand crafted inference rules. Systems using hand crafted rules show good results in spite of the fact that they require human expertise that can be costly sometimes. Therefore, there is a need for fully automated systems independent of human interactions. Most of the existing temporal relation extraction systems suffer from sparseness of the available dataset. We aim to minimize this problem using an Apriori based algorithm which is proved to efficiently deal market basket datasets. Market basket datasets are sparse by nature; it is therefore hoped that Apriori will perform better in temporal relation extraction. Our proposed method first extract features from the dataset, then vectorize the features so that Apriori algorithm can be applied on the data. Then frequent itemsets are generated by the Apriori algorithm from which the temporal relations are extracted.
Acquisition and Functional Use of Voice Output Communication by Persons with Profound Multiple Disabilities

The acquisition and subsequent functional use of communication skills by persons with profound mental and physical impairment using a voice output communication aid (VOCA) was evaluated. Initially, a graduated guidance and time delay procedure was used to teach three individuals to use a VOCA in response to a trainer's specific request. Results indicated that all participants increased their correct VOCA activations in response to specific requests following training. Probes also indicated that participants effectively used the VOCA after training to request preferred items in a variety of settings. The functional utility of VOCA skills was supported by a survey of individuals unfamiliar with the participants. This survey indicated that those surveyed could better understand the participants when they used a VOCA. Results are discussed as to potential advantages of VOCAs relative to other augmentative communication options for persons with multiple disabilities. Future research directions are discussed, focusing on strategies for promoting a broader set of communicative interactions using VOCAs.
Youth Violence Prevention Curriculum Evaluation: Outcomes of a Cook County, Illinois Community Based Partnership

The John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Departments of Trauma and Emergency created a youth violence prevention curriculum for healthcare providers and staff with a community partnership of practitioners and professionals. A participatory, train-the-trainer approach was used to develop and present the curriculum. Participants were offered voluntary participation in the anonymous evaluation survey to determine their interests, work experience, expectations, knowledge, and skill development, use of, and improvement for the curriculum. Responses from 49 complete surveys were qualitatively analyzed with a response rate of 42% (49/116). The activity, and efforts of professionals and community members to engage and educate themselves through this violence prevention partnership, are an example of how healthcare providers can deploy resources to benefit communities as well as to respond to the needs of individual patients, particularly in the compelling area of youth violence prevention.
Ultra-compact evanescent mode filter using inhomogeneous semi-lumped capacitive elements

This paper presents an original solution for the design of ultra-compact evanescent mode bandpass filters with extremely wide stopband. The idea consists of using inhomogeneous capacitive loadings among the various resonators so as to desynchronize the spurious frequencies while maintaining a synchronous passband for the fundamental mode. The technique is explained by presenting the design and the experimental results of a six-resonator surface mountable L-band filter having upper stopband extending up to 18 GHz.
Virulence plasmid-encoded YopK is essential for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis to cause systemic infection in mice

The virulence plasmid common to pathogenic Yersinia species encodes a number of secreted proteins denoted Yops (Yersinia outer proteins). Here, we identify and characterize a novel plasmid-encoded virulence determinant of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, YopK. The yopK gene was found to be conserved among the three pathogenic Yersinia species and to be homologous to the previously described yopQ and yopK genes of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pestis, respectively. Similar to the other Yops, YopK expression and secretion were shown to be regulated by temperature and by the extracellular Ca2+ concentration; thus, yopK is part of the yop regulon. In addition, YopK secretion was mediated by the specific Yop secretion system. In Y. pseudotuberculosis, YopK was shown neither to have a role in this bacterium's ability to resist phagocytosis by macrophages nor to cause cytotoxicity in HeLa cells. YopK was, however, shown to be required for the bacterium to cause a systemic infection in both intraperitoneally and orally infected mice. Characterization of the infection kinetics showed that, similarly to the wild-type strain, the yopK mutant strain colonized and persisted in the Peyer's patches of orally infected mice. A yopE mutant which is impaired in cytotoxicity and in antiphagocytosis was, however, found to be rapidly cleared from these lymphoid organs. Neither the yopK nor the yopE mutant strain could overcome the primary host defense and reach the spleen. This finding implies that YopK acts at a different level during the infections process than the antiphagocytic YopE cytotoxin does.
Ascorbate peroxidase and catalase cooperate for protection against hydrogen peroxide generated in potato tubers during low‐temperature storage

We investigated the behavior of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APx), in potato tubers during storage at low temperature. SOD activity increased temporarily within 3 weeks and was higher at 1°C than at 20°C. APx activity also increased more at low (1°C) than at higher temperatures (5 and 20°C). The contents of ascorbic acid (AsA), which is the substrate of APx, decreased immediately within 3 weeks and then gradually decreased until 15 weeks. The activity of CAT, the other enzyme which can scavenge hydrogen peroxide, decreased once in the first six weeks and thereafter increased to 15 weeks. Thus, the enhancement of the active oxygen‐scavenging system that was induced by low temperature in potato tubers could result not only in a decrease of AsA but also in combined increases in APx and CAT activity whose manners were different.
Differentiation capacities of skeletal muscle satellite cells in Lantang and Landrace piglets

We isolated and cultured satellite cells (SCs) from the longissimus dorsi muscles of 1-day-old male Landrace and Lantang piglets to compare the SC differentiation capacity in the two breeds. Lantang piglets yielded more (P < 0.05) SCs per gram of muscle than Landrace piglets (5.2 ± 0.9×104 vs. 2.4 ± 0.2×104). Transcription of the differentiation markers myogenin and myosin heavy chain I (MyHC I) in the longissimus dorsi muscle was higher in Lantang than Landrace piglets (P < 0.05). Protein levels of myogenin (P < 0.05), MyHC I (P < 0.05), and myogenic regulatory factor 4 (P = 0.07) were higher in Lantang than Landrace piglet SCs after 72 h of differentiation. Creatine kinase activity was higher in Lantang than Landrace piglet SCs after 24, 48, and 72 h of differentiation (P < 0.05), and there was a greater fusion index in Landrace piglet SCs after 72 h of differentiation. In addition, phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, S6K1, S6, and 4EBP1 was lower in Lantang than Landrace piglet SCs (P < 0.05). Thus differentiation was more extensive in Lantang than Landrace piglet SCs, but expression of the mTOR signaling pathway was lower in Lantang piglet SCs, suggesting mTOR signaling may inhibit myogenic differentiation. These findings reveal that mTOR signaling is a factor in myogenesis and imply that mTOR could potentially serve as an activator of myoblast differentiation and muscle regeneration.
[Risk factors for cerebral microbleeds].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the risk factors of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). METHODS A total of 113 patients with cerebrovascular diseases underwent examinations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain (including T1WI, T2WI, FLAIR, and SWI) and blood biochemical tests, and the brain regions, number and grades of the CMBs were analyzed. The association between CMBs and the cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS A The occurrence and grade of CMBs were associated with the patients' age, hypertension, diabetes, lacunar infarction, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (P<0.05). CMB occurrence was significantly associated with diabetes, hypertension, and lacunar infarction (P<0.05), and its incidence varied significantly between different brain regions (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Age, hypertension, diabetes, lacunar infarction, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, and HDL are all risk factors for CMBs, among which diabetes, hypertension, and lacunar infarction are significant risk factors. CMBs occurs most frequently in the cortex and subcortical region, followed by the basal ganglia, thalamus, and the cerebellum, and most unlikely in the brainstem.