Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New trends in non-pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer's disease

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to summarize the knowledge of non-pharmacological treatment in the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The contribution is theoretical and provides a suitable prerequisite for further examination of the subject matter, namely the need for quality education and the need to change the approach of care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The presented contribution approaches the preferred values of care such as coping, self-decision and identity from the clients perspective, as well as new trends in non-pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer’s. Based on the study of professional domestic and foreign literature of social, psychological and medical orientation, we approach selected non-pharmacological therapies. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: After defining the goal of the contribution and the basic concepts of Alzheimer-type dementia, it follows (i) the theory of physical environment adaptation, (ii) Tom Kitwood’s approach to care and (iii) health promoting and preventive approach in the social-healthcare sector. A substantial part of the argumentation is the need to create a new culture of care provision. RESEARCH RESULTS: The result of this argumentation is the need for quality preparation of future generations of healthcare professionals and the need for a change in the philosophy and culture of providing care for people with dementia in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This analysis confirms the need to change the attitudes and self-reflection of helping professionals in the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease. There is also an urgent need to change the preparation of future generations of assisting professionals and further education in line with the latest research and knowledge on the provision of social and health care.
Spontaneous Development of Forests of the Central Russian Upland is Desirable

Forests life depends in many respects from specific of mankind activity. Adverse aspect is destruction and degradation of the natural old-growth woods. The woods have been ruthlessly affected by humans. The man-made forests usually have the low level of heterogeneity and are object of mass attacks of harmful organisms. The purpose of this work is to prove formation of the forest ecosystems capable to spontaneous development, to biotic self-control. Spontaneous development is a basis of free choice of the Nature and a rather high level of heterogeneity of created plantings. It is desirable. Long-term researches were carried out in the conditions of the Central Russian Upland. Results of experimental forest works of 1936 are considered. The methodology of researches was based on the comparison of a condition of viability of forest stands and natural renewal in plantings, various on heterogeneity level. Level of heterogeneity of mosaic forest ecosystems at which spontaneous development conducting to biotic self-control of species communities and maintenance of biotic systems is reached, was as a result of researches established. Equability of man-made forests is thus to almost necessary level reached.
Manifest Rationality: A Pragmatic Theory of Argument

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Part I: The Historical Context. Context: Argumentation as a Cultural Practice. Context: The Study of Argumentation. Paradigm Abandoned: Critique of Deductivism. Lessons From the Past. Part II: A Pragmatic Theory of Argument. Informal Logic: An Alternative Theory of Argument. Argument as Manifest Rationality: A Pragmatic Conception. What Makes a Good Argument? Toward a Theory of Evaluation. Principles of Criticism. Part III: Matters Dialectical. Criticisms, Objections, and Replies. Alternative Theories of Argument. Outstanding Issues and the Research Agenda. Retrospect and Prospect.
Productivity Growth in Services Industries: Is There a Role for Measurement?

Productivity growth has tended to be slower in service industries than in goods industries. Anita Wolfl of the OECD finds that measurement error may be responsible for slower productivity growth in the service sector. She notes that some service industries in certain OECD countries have experienced negative productivity growth over long periods, despite intensive use of Information and COmmunication Technologies (ICTs), exposure to international competition, and the existence of economies of scale. Wolfl discusses the several possible sources of measurement error that may lead to this unexpected result and quantifies the impact of correcting for measurement errors on aggregate productivity growth.
Title Decentralized congestion management for multilateraltransactions based on optimal resource allocation

This paper proposes a decentralized model for dc load flow based congestion management for the forward markets via Optimal Resource Allocation (ORA). The available thermal capacities of possible congested transmission lines are considered as commonly shared resources for all bilateral and multilateral transactions in the market. In our model, each transaction maximizes its profit under the limits of transmission line capacities allocated by the ISO. The ISO searches the optimal allocation of line capacities to each transaction. Finally, the same market efficiency (social welfare) as centralized optimization can be reached. The ORAbased decentralized approach is more suitable for power market environment, since it always keeps the intermediate solution feasible during the iterations and does not require each transaction to submit their private and sensitive information. The mathematical model, computation procedure and relevant proof are presented. The computer test results from the IEEE 30 bus system illustrate the effectiveness of proposed approach.
Comparison of children with hearing loss using hearing aids and normal-hearing children through Persian version of the parents’ evaluation of aural/oral performance of children questionnaire

Background and Aim: Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent disabilities. Children with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) normally experience numerous problems. However, the extents of educational and communicational problems are not usually diagnosed in these children. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to compare children with hearing loss using hearing aids with normal children through the Persian version of parents’ evaluation of aural/oral performance of children (PEACH). Methods: This study was conducted on 56 children with mild to severe hearing loss using hea­ring aids and 56 children with normal-hearing ability by utilizing the PEACH questionnaire for a week. Results: The mean score in quiet showed a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.006), although there was no significant between-group difference in terms of mean score in noise places (p=0.100). The mean overall score also showed a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.012). Conclusion: The results indicated that the PEACH questionnaire is a useful tool in the study of performance and effectiveness of hearing aid in children and its adjustment.
NON LINEAR EFFECTS IN ION INDUCED ELECTRON EMISSION

High-resolution zero-degree electron spectra, total electron yields as well as Auger-electron spectra have been taken for 5 MeV/u ions (N 7+ , S 13+ , Ni 23+ , and Ag 37+ ) penetrating carbon and insulator foils at normal incidence. A shift of the convoy-electron velocity with respect to the experimentally determined projectile velocity is found. For the carbon target, there is an acceleration of convoy electrons, whereas for the insulating targets, there is a deceleration of convoy-electrons as well as a deceleration of target-Auger electrons. These experimental findings are compared to theoretical estimates for dynamic ion-induced potentials.
Amniotic Fluid Cells Proliferation in Normal and Down Syndrome Subjects

Abstract Down Syndrome/Trisomy 21 is the most common chromosomal anomaly, and it represents the most common congenital cause of infants’ intellectual disability. Subjects with this syndrome are affected by degenerative processes caused by accelerated aging or unknown ethyologies. In recent years, accumulating evidence revealed increased potential of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells to be used in regenerative therapy. Our aim was to assess differences in immunophenotype, cell morphology and proliferation of amniotic fluid cells from normal and Down Syndrome pregnancies using a quantitative cytometry approach. Results revealed the emergence of a population of small sized cells in Down Syndrome derived amniotic fluid cells that are readily visible upon microscopic inspection. Hence, the fluorescence–based quantitative image cytometry determinations showed a tendency of decrease in both cell and nuclei size in trisomy, with no significant modification in nuclei circularity, as measured following actin cytoskeleton and nuclei labeling. The propensity of Ki67 positive cells was found to be increased in Down Syndrome derived cells (48.92%) as compared to normal specimens (28.68%). However, cells in S and G2/M cell cycle phases decreased from 32.91% to 4.49% in diseased cells. Further studies are devoted to understanding the molecular basis of the observed differences in the proliferation ability of Down Syndrome amniotic cells, in order to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of amniotic fluid stem cells for tissue regeneration in subjects with trisomy and to find correlations between amniotic cells phenotype and patient prognosis.
The Impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure: Trading Costs and Information Asymmetry

Abstract In October 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) passed Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) in an effort to reduce selective disclosure of material information by firms to analysts and other investment professionals. We find that the information asymmetry reflected in trading costs at earnings announcements has declined after Regulation FD, with the decrease more pronounced for smaller and less liquid stocks. Return volatility around mandatory announcements is also lower but overall information flow is unchanged when mandatory and voluntary announcements are combined. Thus, the SEC appears to have diminished the advantage of informed investors, without increasing volatility.
FixedMonthly versus Less Frequent Ranibizumab Dosing and Predictors of Visual Response in Exudative Age-RelatedMacular Degeneration

Purpose. To examine temporal patterns of visual acuity (VA) response to pooled 0.3 mg/0.5 mg ranibizumab treatment in patients with age-related macular degeneration and identify potential baseline predictors of response. Design. Retrospective analysis. Methods. Results from 1824 ranibizumab-treated patients receiving fixed monthly, quarterly, or as-needed dosing after three monthly loading doses in four phase III/IIIb trials (ANCHOR, MARINA, PIER, and SAILOR) were analyzed. Results. At month 3, 14.9% to 29.4% of patients had gained ≥15 letters. Not all patients achieved peak gains at month 3; many continued to have VA increases throughout treatment. After three monthly loading doses, continued monthly dosing resulted in further gains, as there were more delayed 15-letter responders at month 12 (14.7–16.1%) than with less frequent dosing (5.0–6.0%). Monthly dosing also resulted in more patients maintaining VA gains at later time points. Early 15-letter responders had lower baseline mean VA than delayed 15-letter responders in ANCHOR and MARINA; no other differences in baseline characteristics were noted. Conclusions. Although some patients have rapid improvements in VA, others do not experience peak VA until later during treatment. Continued monthly dosing resulted in a greater percentage of patients gaining≥15 letters than with switching to less frequent dosing regimens.
Simulation of water cycle components in the Narmada River basin by forcing SWAT model with CFSR data

In the present study, an attempt has been made through a hydrological model (SWAT – Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to simulate water cycle components over the Narmada river basin, one of the largest rivers in the Indian peninsula. The model was forced with observed as well as CFSR rainfall data to calibrate surface runoff simulated by the model. The spatial and temporal variability of the water cycle components were examined by running the SWAT model for 30 years (1984-2013) at a daily time-scale using CFSR precipitation, temperature, humidity, winds and solar radiation. It was found that there are large variations in hydrological parameters simulated by the model from sub-basin to sub-basin and year to year. During the monsoon seasons, surface runoff is maximum but during other seasons, almost no surface runoff is seen as there is almost no rain. Groundwater increase is seen after about 1 month of rainfall peaks in the basin. Evapotranspiration has two peaks, one in March-April and the other in August. Much less evaporation takes place in the basin in the month of May. These components (other than surface runoff) are also sensitive to climatic forcing (winds, relative humidity and solar radiation in addition to temperature and rainfall) applied. Evapotranspiration increases when all the climatic parameters are used, which then reduces the water availability on the surface for percolation and groundwater recharge. However, rainfall is the key parameter which decides the hydrology in the Narmada basin. The SWAT model has been able to compute water balance at basin and sub-basin scales.
Diagnostic applications of next generation sequencing: working towards quality standards/Diagnostische Anwendung von Next Generation Sequencing: Auf dem Weg zu Qualitätsstandards

Abstract Over the past 6 years, next generation sequencing (NGS) has been established as a valuable high-throughput method for research in molecular genetics and has successfully been employed in the identification of rare and common genetic variations. All major NGS technology companies providing commercially available instruments (Roche 454, Illumina, Life Technologies) have recently marketed bench top sequencing instruments with lower throughput and shorter run times, thereby broadening the applications of NGS and opening the technology to the potential use for clinical diagnostics. Although the high expectations regarding the discovery of new diagnostic targets and an overall reduction of cost have been achieved, technological challenges in instrument handling, robustness of the chemistry and data analysis need to be overcome. To facilitate the implementation of NGS as a routine method in molecular diagnostics, consistent quality standards need to be developed. Here the authors give an overview of the current standards in protocols and workflows and discuss possible approaches to define quality criteria for NGS in molecular genetic diagnostics.
The Effect of the Perception of Deposit Bank Rate, Quality of Service, and the Using of Banking Technology towards Rural Fellow's Interest to Save Money in Bank Rakyat Indonesia Inc. Unit Wates - Blitar

Foster interest in saving in the community can be a mean to improve economic conditions. Excess funds owned by the public can be channeled to those who lack funds through banking institutions. There are several factors that affect a person's interest to save. In the study, there are three free variables namely interest rates of savings, service quality, and the use of banking technology. This research was done by taking sample from one population (people in Wates District, Blitar Regency), the taken sample is the customers of Bank Rakyat Indonesia Corp. The research design of this research is explanatory descriptive design and the descriptive approach correlation were used to describe, explain, or present the data from perception variable of deposit bank rate, service quality, and banking technology towards people interest to save their money in Bank Rakyat Indonesia Corp. Unit Wates. The used method in sample taking in this research uses simple random sampling which found 99 customers to be given questionnaire. From the result of analysis the perception of bank rate doesn’t affect rural fellows’ interest in saving money to Bank Rakyat Indonesia Corp. Unit Wates-Blitar. Service quality affects people’s interest in the village to save money in Bank Rakyat Indonesia Corp. The perception of bank rate, service quality, and banking technology implementation influence village people’s willingness to save their money to Bank Rakyat Indonesia Corp. Unit Wates-Blitar.
The balance of payments constrained growth model: empirical evidence for Bolivia, 1953-2002

* * * SUMMARY Much of the theoretical and empirical literature ha s focused on supply factors when studying economic growth determinants, leaving aside demand factors. The present study, instead, analyzes external demand factors as determinants of Bolivian economic growth between 19532002 utilizing models introduced by Thirlwall (1979 ). According to cointegration analysis, exports were an important determinant in Bolivian e conomic growth for the whole period. Later analysis of other variables showed that real exchan ge rates presented a negative relationship in respect to long term growth. Further results show t hat Bolivian imports are more elastic than exports before a growth of the GDP, producing a negative impact on the trade balance. Our hypothesis is that the economic model implemented since 1985 has increased the external constraint of the country causing a process of “dei ndustrialization”.
Estimação dos Sinais Elétricos das Descargas Parciais através da Deconvolução dos Sinais Acústicos gerados por estes.

This present work describes a use of deconvolution for estimation of electrical signals of partial discharge through the deconvolution of acoustic signals captured. The simulation results show that the electrical signal estimate is virtually identical to the original electrical signal measured. Therefore, the results show that with the proposed methodology was possible to estimate accurately the electrical signal of up to 99%
Effective Teaching-Learning Process for TrainingAssertive Communication Skills

The purpose of this study was to investigate teaching-learning processes for training life skills. A life skills training program with a focus on assertive communication skills was conducted at elementary schools in Chiba prefecture and Tokyo on 278 fifth-grade students. The basic training for life skills development includes the following five stages; 1) Instruction: Learning the meaning of assertive communication skills (cognitive domain), 2) Modeling: Observing the model, 3) Practice: Participating in role-play, 4) Feedback: Receiving positive feedback and comments on their role-play from other students, 5) Reinforcement: Writing a statement declaring the intention to use assertive communication in everyday life. Cognitive domain (how to develop assertive communication skills) was used in the instruction stages, and self-efficacy formation (affective domain) was used in the modeling, practice, and feedback stages. Students were placed into one of four training programs: a cognitive and self-efficacy formation training program (80 students), a cognitive domain training program (55 students), a self-efficacy formation training program (56 students), and a program for basic development of life skills (87 students). An assertiveness scale, self-efficacy scale and self-esteem scale for children were used for evaluation before the class, right after the class, a week after the class and a month later. Formative assessment was used in class. The main results were as follows: 1) The group which adopted cognitive domain development attained skills more effectively immediately after the class. The group that adopted affective formation (self-efficacy formation) was able to attain the skills more effectively after one week, and also one month after the class. 2) It was effective to incorporate cognitive development and self-efficacy formation into the teaching-learning process when trying to develop assertive communication skills. It can be concluded from this study that, in addition to the five basic processes of life skill development, it is effective to incorporate a ‘how to develop’ assertive communication skills program as well as self-efficacy formation into the teaching-learning process for assertive communication training.
Phytochemical and pharmacological notes of plants indicated to treat tumors in Brazil

The plants used in traditional medicine have been considered an important source of molecules with pharmacological activity, including antitumor. The aim of this study was to present a pharmacological description and the phytochemical components related to antitumor activity of thirty plants commonly cited in Brazil to treat tumors as well as offering an overview of approaches that are necessary for the development of herbal medicines from these resources. In the search for studies with these plants, five database were used (SciELO, Scirus, Scopus, Biological Abstracts and Web of Science), with the following keywords: tumor AND Species AND cancer. We consider all the scientific synonyms of species available in the Tropicos® database (http://www.tropicos.org/). We surveyed papers from the period between 1980 and 2008. Twnety one species (70%) have at least one evaluation of a class of molecule or metabolite isolated against a pharmacological model. Most species (60%) has in vivo studies. Of the thirty plant species, two stood out for having pharmacological studies in vitro, in vivo and clinical with positive results: Chelidonium majus L. , Papaveraceae, and Aloe arborescens Mill. , Xanthorrhoeaceae. Although there is generally a good activity of species presented here, there is a need for further studies in order to evaluate the possibility of developing some byproduct.
Twenty Seconds to Comply: Autonomous Weapon Systems and the Recognition of Surrender

Autonomous weapon systems are widely predicted to be the future of war fighting, at least in the armed forces of highly industrialised nations. In this paper I consider a profound but so far little-studied problem relating to the ethics of the use of AWS. A fundamental requirement of the jus in bello principle of distinction in Just War Theory is that combatants should not attack enemy units that have clearly indicated their desire to surrender. This poses a serious challenge to the ethical use of AWS because both the difficulties of forming an accurate model of the world from the sensors available to robots, and the contextual nature of the signals used to indicate surrender, suggest that robots will struggle to recognise surrender for at least some years to come. After discussing the appropriate place at which to set the standard for “reliability” in surrender recognition by robots, I examine a number of possible ways around the problem and argue that none of them are likely to entirely avoid the dilemmas associated with the limited capacities of AWS to recognise surrender. Consequently, I discuss the ethics of the use of AWS that cannot reliably recognise surrender and argue that thinking about two different sorts of cases may usefully clarify the issues involved. Finally, I suggest that thinking about robots and the requirement to respect surrender may productively illuminate the larger debate about the ethics of AWS by shedding light on the vexed questions of whether it is more appropriate to think of these systems as weapons or as platforms and the locus of responsibility for civilian (and other) casualties caused by these systems.