LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Teaching Cultural Diversity: Current Status in U.K., U.S., and Canadian Medical Schools

In this paper we present the current state of cultural diversity education for undergraduate medical students in three English-speaking countries: the United Kingdom (U.K.), United States (U.S.) and Canada. We review key documents that have shaped cultural diversity education in each country and compare and contrast current issues. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the varied terminology that is immediately evident. Suffice it to say that there are many terms (e.g. cultural awareness, competence, sensitivity, sensibility, diversity and critical cultural diversity) used in different contexts with different meanings. The major issues that all three countries face include a lack of conceptual clarity, and fragmented and variable programs to teach cultural diversity. Faculty and staff support and development, and ambivalence from both staff and students continue to be a challenge. We suggest that greater international collaboration may help provide some solutions.
Popular myths around soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa

The aim of this paper is to demystify some of the popular myths related to tropical soil fertility management that have gained hold in the development community and are often being promulgated by NGO’s and development agencies in the tropics. Negative nutrient balances at farm scale or at larger scales are very often presented as proof that soil fertility is at stake in SSA. However, nutrient balances at plot and farm section scale are not always negative. In areas with large nutrient stocks, short-term nutrient mining is fully acceptable. Fertilizer use continues to face considerable controversy in SSA. In this paper, we demonstrate that fertilizers rarely damage the soil; that fertilizers are being used in SSA, often with favourable value-to-cost ratios; and that fertilizers do not cause eutrophication in SSA. Rock phosphates are abundantly present in SSA but most are poorly soluble. Adding these phosphates to compost heaps does not enhance the short-term availability of their P. Although organic inputs are essential soil amendments besides fertilizer, organic inputs alone cannot sustain crop production due to limitations in their quality and availability. Organic resources can also potentially stimulate harmful pests and diseases. Legumes are often advocated as important sources of organic matter but not all legumes fix nitrogen, require inoculation, or are a source of free nitrogen, as even green manures require land and labour. Certain grain legumes with high N harvest indices do not improve soil fertility, but remove net amounts of N from the soil. These myths need correction if we are to harness the role of science in the overall goal of assisting farmers to address the acute problems of poor soil fertility for smallholder farmers in SSA. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hypogenesis of right hepatic lobe accompanied by portal hypertension: Case report and review of 31 Japanese cases

We report a rare case of hypogenesis of the right lobe of the liver with portal hypertension and a review of 31 cases of agenesis or hypogenesis of the right hepatic lobe reported in Japan. A 74-year-old man consulted our hospital for further examination after a mass screening for gastric cancer. On physical examination liver enlargement was palpable, but liver function tests were normal. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography, technetium-99m liver scintigraphy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed a small right hepatic lobe and moderate splenomegaly, in contrast to a hypertrophic lateral segment of the left hepatic lobe, as well as ectopic dislocation of the gallbladder. Endoscopic examination revealed esophageal varices, indicating portal hypertension. Abdominal angiography demonstrated mild shunt flow between the hepatic artery feeding from the gastroduodenal artery and the portal vein. A biopsy specimen taken from both lobes of the liver showed normal liver tissue histologically. Based on these findings, we made a definite diagnosis of hypogenesis of the right lobe of the liver with portal hypertension. The present case appears to be the first such case accompanied by portal hypertension reported in Japan.
Multispectral thermal imager: mission and applications overview

The Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) satellite is a research and development project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The primary mission is to demonstrate advanced multispectral and thermal imaging from a satellite, including new technologies, data processing, and analysis techniques and validation by reference to ground truth. The MTI builds on the efforts of a number of earlier efforts, including Landsat, National Aeronautics and Space Administration remote sensing missions, and others, but the MTI incorporates a unique combination of attributes designed to advance the state of the art. The MTI satellite was launched on March 12, 2000 into a 580 km/spl times/610 km, sun-synchronous orbit with nominal 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. equatorial crossing times. The Air Force Space Test Program provided the Orbital Sciences Taurus launch. The satellite-based sensors obtain radiance data that are subsequently processed into measurements of atmospheric and surface properties such as column water vapor, atmospheric aerosol loading, surface temperatures, material composition, and others. This paper provides an overview of the MTI research objectives, design, operations, data products, and data processing and analysis. Several other papers provide greater detail on selected topics.
Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery-VMI): lessons from exploration of cultural variations in visual-motor integration performance of preschoolers.

BACKGROUND
Visual-motor integration (VMI) is important in children's development because it is associated with the performance of many functional skills. Deficits in VMI have been linked to difficulties in academic performance and functional tasks. Clinical assessment experience of occupational therapists in Singapore suggested that there is a potential difference between the VMI performance of Singaporean and American children. Cross-cultural studies also implied that culture has an influence on a child's VMI performance, as it shapes the activities that a child participates in. The purpose of this study was to (1) explore if there was a difference between the VMI performance of Singaporean and American preschoolers, and (2) determine if there were ethnic differences in the VMI performance of Singaporean preschoolers.


METHODS
The Beery-VMI, which was standardized in America, is commonly used by occupational therapists in Singapore to assess the VMI ability of children. We administered the Beery-VMI (fifth edition) full form test (excluding the supplemental tests) to 385 preschoolers (mean age = 63.3 months) from randomly selected schools in Singapore. We compared the scores of Singaporean preschoolers with those of the American standardization norms using the one-sample t-test. Scores of different ethnic groups among the Singapore population were also compared using a one-way anova, followed by the Bonferroni post-hoc test.


RESULTS
Singaporean preschoolers and the standardization sample of American children performed significantly differently in all age groups (P < 0.05). Among the Singapore population, the scores were also significantly different (P < 0.05) between the (i) Chinese and Malay and (ii) Chinese and Indians ethnic groups.


CONCLUSION
Preschoolers from different cultural and ethnic groups had different VMI performance. Certain cultural beliefs and practices may affect VMI performance. Clinicians should exercise caution when using an assessment in communities and cultures outside the ones on which it was standardized.
A novel nonsense mutation in the melanocortin-4 receptor associated with obesity in a Spanish population

BACKGROUND: In recent years, several groups have reported dominant inheritance of obesity conferred by missense, nonsense and frameshift mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R). Hence, MC4R is involved in the most common monogenic form of human obesity described so far.OBJECTIVES: In this context, we screened a Spanish population, composed of obese subjects and normal weight controls, for mutations in the MC4-R by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP).SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Overall 313 individuals, 159 obese subjects (body mass index: BMI: 37.6 kg/m2, 95% CI: 36.7–38.5 kg/m2) and 154 normal weight control subjects (BMI: 22.3 kg/m2, 95% CI: 22.0–22.6 kg/m2) were screened for MC4-R mutations.RESULTS: We detected a novel nonsense mutation at codon 16 of the MC4-R in an obese female (BMI: 30.0 kg/m2) and a previously described missense mutation (Val-253-Ile) located within the sixth trans-membrane domain of the MC4-R in a normal weight individual (BMI: 19.0 kg/m2). The polymorphism Val-103-Ile was detected in one obese individual, while four subjects (two cases and two controls) with the polymorphism Ile-251-Leu were found.CONCLUSIONS: We have identified a novel nonsense mutation (Trp-16-Stop) that, based on previously described frameshift and nonsense mutations, most likely results in dominantly inherited obesity. Within this Spanish population, the frequency of the Ile-251-Leu polymorphism of the MC4R was similar in obese and control subjects (about 1.3%), while the polymorphism Val-103-Ile was only detected in an obese individual (0.6%).
A simple totally ordered broadcast protocol

This is a short overview of a totally ordered broadcast protocol used by ZooKeeper, called Zab. It is conceptually easy to understand, is easy to implement, and gives high performance. In this paper we present the requirements ZooKeeper makes on Zab, we show how the protocol is used, and we give an overview of how the protocol works.
Childhood optic neuritis clinical features and outcome.

AIM
To describe clinical features and outcome of a series of children with first-episode optic neuritis investigated in three paediatric neurology centres.


METHODS
Databases were searched to identify children (<16 years) with optic neuritis and life table analysis was used.


RESULTS
44 children (female/male ratio 1.8) median age 10.9 years were followed up for median 1 year. Optic neuritis was unilateral in 43%. Maximal visual deficit was severe (<6/60) in 77%, with full recovery in 70%. Cumulative probability of developing MS (11/44) or NMO (3/44) at 2 years was 0.45. Relapsing optic neuritis was a strong predictor for development of MS or NMO. A positive MRI (>1 brain T2 hyperintense lesion) was a strong predictor for development of MS.


DISCUSSION
Childhood optic neuritis is associated with severe visual deficit with good recovery. An initial abnormal MRI brain scan or relapsing optic neuritis should alert the clinician to MS or NMO diagnosis.
Algorithms for Quantum Computation: Discrete Log and Factoring Extended Abstract

This paper gives algorithms for the discrete log and the factoring problems that take random polynomial time on a quantum computer (thus giving the rst examples of quantum cryptanalysis).
An Introduction to the Aesop System

As the design of software architectures emerges as a discipline within software engineering, it becomes increasingly important to support architectural description and analysis with tools and environments. This paper provides a brief introduction to Aesop, a set of tools for developing architectural design environments that exploit architectural styles to guide software architects in producing speci c systems.
Beyond knowledge brokerage: An exploratory study of innovation intermediaries in an evolving smallholder agricultural system in Kenya

The recognition that innovation occurs in networks of heterogeneous actors and requires broad systemic support beyond knowledge brokering has resulted in a changing landscape of the intermediary domain in an increasingly market-driven agricultural sector in developing countries. This paper presents findings of an explorative case study that looked at 22 organisations identified as fulfilling an intermediary role in the Kenyan agricultural sector. The results show that these organisations fulfill functions that are not limited to distribution of knowledge and putting it into use. The functions also include fostering integration and interaction among the diverse actors engaged in innovation networks and working on technological, organisational and institutional innovation. Further, the study identified various organisational arrangements of innovation intermediaries with some organisations fulfilling a specialised innovation brokering role, even as other intermediaries take on brokering as a side activity, while still substantively contributing to the innovation process. Based on these findings we identify a typology of 4 innovation intermediation arrangements, including technology brokers, systemic brokers, enterprise development support and input access support. The results indicate that innovation brokering is a pervasive task in supporting innovation and will require policy support to embed it in innovation support arrangements. The paper is not normative about these arrangements.
Antiviral Therapy Decreases Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C and Advanced Fibrosis

BACKGROUNDS:Antiviral therapy (AVT) may improve liver histology in patients with advanced viral hepatitis but its effect on portal pressure remains unknown.AIM:This study was aimed to evaluate the influence of antiviral therapy (AVT) on hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) in hepatitis C virus infected patients with portal hypertension.METHODS:Twenty compensated patients with chronic hepatitis C, fibrosis stage 3 or 4 and HVPG > 5 mmHg received PEG-IFN α2b plus ribavirin. Every patient underwent liver biopsy and portal pressure measurements before and immediately after AT. Biopsies were evaluated according to METAVIR score.RESULTS:HVPG significantly dropped in all but one treated patient, with a mean (SD) reduction of 28.2 (12)% [13.8 (5.6) Vs. 10.2 (3.8) mmHg, p = 0.005]. The percentage of HVPG decrease was significantly greater in patients who achieved a virological end of treatment response [26.2 (12.5)% Vs. 12.7 (8.5)%, p = 0.05] and in those with a decrease of at least 2 points in the grade of inflammation [35.7 (4.5)% Vs. 22.1 (9.5)%, p = 0.015]. Nine out of 11 patients with baseline HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg showed a decrease greater than 20% (3/11) or under the 12 mmHg threshold (6/11).CONCLUSIONS:AVT reduces HVPG in compensated patients with advanced hepatitis C (fibrosis stage 3 or 4) and portal hypertension.
Cascading predation effects of Daphnia and copepods on microbial food web components

1. We performed a mesocosm experiment to investigate the structuring and cascading effects of two predominant crustacean mesozooplankton groups on microbial food web components. The natural summer plankton community of a mesotrophic lake was exposed to density gradients of Daphnia and copepods. Regression analysis was used to reveal top– down impacts of mesozooplankton on protists and bacteria after days 9 and 15. 2. Selective grazing by copepods caused a clear trophic cascade via ciliates to nanoplankton. Medium-sized (20–40 lm) ciliates (mainly Oligotrichida) were particularly negatively affected by copepods whereas nanociliates (mainly Prostomatida) became more abundant. Phototrophic and heterotrophic nanoflagellates increased significantly with increasing copepod biomass, which we interpret as an indirect response to reduced grazing pressure from the medium-sized ciliates. 3. In Daphnia-treatments, ciliates of all size classes as well as nanoflagellates were reduced directly but the overall predation effect became most strongly visible after 15 days at higher Daphnia biomass. 4. The response of bacterioplankton involved only modest changes in bacterial biomass and cell-size distribution along the zooplankton gradients. Increasing zooplankton biomass resulted either in a reduction (with Daphnia) or in an increase (with copepods) of bacterial biovolume, activity and production. Patterns of bacterial diversity, as measured by polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE), showed no distinct grouping after 9 days, whereas a clear treatment-coupled similarity clustering occurred after 15 days. 5. The experiment demonstrated that zooplankton-mediated predatory interactions cascade down to the bacterial level, but also revealed that changes occurred rather slowly in this summer plankton community and were most pronounced with respect to bacterial activity and composition.
Covariance, subspace, and intrinsic Cramér-Rao bounds

Cramér-Rao bounds on estimation accuracy are established for estimation problems on arbitrary manifolds in which no set of intrinsic coordinates exists. The frequently encountered examples of estimating either an unknown subspace or a covariance matrix are examined in detail. The set of subspaces, called the Grassmann manifold, and the set of covariance (positive-definite Hermitian) matrices have no fixed coordinate system associated with them and do not possess a vector space structure, both of which are required for deriving classical Cramér-Rao bounds. Intrinsic versions of the Craḿer-Rao bound on manifolds utilizing an arbitrary affine connection with arbitrary geodesics are derived for both biased and unbiased estimators. In the example of covariance matrix estimation, closed-form expressions for both the intrinsic and flat bounds are derived and compared with the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the sample covariance matrix (SCM) estimator for varying sample support K. The accuracy bound on unbiased covariance matrix estimators is shown to be about(10/ log 10)n/K decibels, wheren is the matrix order. Remarkably, it is shown that from an intrinsic perspective the SCM is a biased and inefficient estimator and that the bias term reveals the dependency of estimation accuracy on sample support observed in theory and practice. The RMSE of the standard method of estimating subspaces using the singular value decomposition (SVD) is compared with the intrinsic subspace Craḿer-Rao bound derived in closed-form by varying both the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the unknownpdimensional subspace and the sample support. In the simplest case, the Craḿer-Rao bound on subspace estimation accuracy is shown to be about ` p(n − p) ́1/2 K−1/2SNR−1/2 radians for p-dimensional subspaces. It is seen that the SVD-based method yields accuracies very close to the Craḿ er-Rao bound, establishing that the principal invariant subspace of a random sample provides an excellent estimator of an unknown subspace. The analysis approach developed is directly applicable to many other estimation problems on manifolds encountered in signal processing and elsewhere, such as estimating rotation matrices in computer vision and estimating subspace basis vectors in blind source separation.
A problem based learning approach for freshman engineering

1 South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701 Abstract: The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology began a revision of the freshman engineering curriculum in 1997. Beginning with a pilot program of 25 students, the program is now required for virtually all firstyear engineering students. The program, FC 2000, utilizes a project -based learning approach and features student teams to integrate material in general engineering, mathematics, science and English. Small projects (2-3 per semester) are designed to give students an exposure to engineering design in a variety of engineering disciplines. Project components include designing and conducting experiments, analyzing data, and presentation of technical data. In this paper we present a model for the first year curriculum, preliminary assessment results, and plans for future integration.
Nurses' intention to leave their profession: a cross sectional observational study in 10 European countries.

BACKGROUND
As the European population ages, the demand for nursing care increases. Yet, a shortage of nurses at the labour market exists or is predicted for most European countries. There are no adequate solutions for this shortage yet, and recruitment of future nurses is difficult. Therefore, retaining nurses for the profession is urgent.


OBJECTIVE
To determine factors associated with nurses' intention to leave the profession across European countries.


DESIGN
A multi-country, multi-centre, cross-sectional analysis of survey data.


SETTING
2025 surgical and medical units from 385 hospitals in ten European countries that participated in the RN4Cast study. Hospital selection was based on a stratified randomised selection procedure.


PARTICIPANTS
All nurses from the participating medical and surgical hospital wards received a survey. 23,159 nurses (64%) returned the survey.


METHODS
The nurse survey included questions about intention to leave the profession, nurse characteristics, factors related to work environment, patient-to-nurse staffing ratio, burnout and perceived quality and safety of care. Multilevel regression analyses with 'intention to leave the profession' as dependent variable were conducted for all 10 countries combined as well as per country.


RESULTS
Overall, 9% of the nurses intended to leave their profession. This varied from 5 to 17% between countries. Seven factors were associated with intention to leave the profession at European level: nurse-physician relationship (OR 0.86; 95%CI 0.79-0.93), leadership (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.70-0.86), participation in hospital affairs (0.68; 95%CI 0.61-0.76), older age (OR 1.13; 95%CI 1.07-1.20), female gender (OR 0.67; 95%CI 0.55-0.80), working fulltime (OR 0.76; 95%CI 0.66-0.86) and burnout (OR 2.02; 95%CI 1.91-2.14). The relevance of these factors differed for the individual countries. Nurse perceived staffing adequacy, patient-to-nurse staffing ratio, perceived quality and safety of care and hospital size were not associated with intention to leave at a European level.


CONCLUSION
Burnout is consistently associated with nurses' intention to leave their profession across the 10 European countries. Elements of work environment are associated with intention to leave the nursing profession but differ between countries, indicating the importance of national contexts in explaining and preventing nurses' intention to leave their profession.