Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between social support and health-related quality of life among Chinese seafarers: A cross-sectional study

Background Seafarers have reported impaired health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Social support might increase HRQOL, but little is known about this association among Chinese seafarers. The aim of this study was to describe social support and explore its association with HRQOL among Chinese seafarers. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the ports of Nantong and Rugao, China, from April to December 2013. A total of 917 Chinese seafarers were interviewed on social support, mental distress, perceived occupational stress, and HRQOL using the following self-administered questionnaires: The Social Support Rating Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Occupational Stress Questionnaire, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regression modelling was used to analyze the association between seafarers’ subjective level of social support and their HRQOL. Results Of the 917 male Chinese seafarers included in the study, 40.7% perceived high levels of social support, and 39.1% were highly satisfied with their overall quality of life (QOL). Hierarchical regression analysis showed significant associations between level of social support and all health dimensions in the WHOQOL-BREF, even after adjusting for depressive symptoms, occupational stress, occupational activities, sleep duration, and other relevant covariates. Compared with the medium or low level social support group, seafarers with a high level of social support had better QOL scores in the general facet health and QOL (β = 2.43, p<0.05), and the physical health (β = 3.23, p<0.001), psychological health (β = 5.56, p<0.001), social relation (β = 6.07, p<0.001), and environment domains (β = 4.27, p<0.001). In addition, depression, occupational stress, occupational activities, and sleep duration were found to be determinants of seafarers’ HRQOL. Conclusions Chinese seafarers have poorer HRQOL than the general population, but social support has a significant positive effect on their HRQOL. Efforts to improve social support should be undertaken.
Effects of Piper hispidinervum on spermatogenesis and histochemistry of ovarioles of Spodoptera frugiperda

Abstract The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), not only damages crops, but controlling its population also requires synthetic insecticides, which leads to selection of resistant populations and environmental contamination. Essential oils are an alternative for controlling this insect. There are few studies of the effects of these oils on the insect's reproductive system. We evaluated the effects of the long pepper, Piper hispidinervum, essential oil on the gonads of the armyworm and tested its possible influence on the fertility of this insect. Dosages of 30 and 50 mg/ml were tested in 3rd instar caterpillars using the leaf immersion method. Testes and ovarioles were collected, fixed with 10% formalin and embedded in Historesin. The sections were stained with toluidine blue and Mallory trichrome to detect connective tissue, periodic acid-Schiff to detect neutral carbohydrates, and bromophenol blue to detect proteins. We found that the long pepper essential oil affected negatively the spermatogenesis and altered the histochemistry of the ovarioles of S. frugiperda. The effects of long pepper oil suggest that it is a promising tool for controlling the armyworm pest.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE WELFARE CONSEQUENCES OF ATM SURCHARGES: EVIDENCE FROM A STRUCTURAL ENTRY MODEL

We estimate a structural model of the market for automatic teller machines (ATMs) in order to evaluate the implications of regulating ATM surcharges on ATM entry and consumer and producer surplus. We estimate the model using data on firm and consumer locations, and identify the parameters of the model by exploiting a source of local quasi-experimental variation, that the state of Iowa banned ATM surcharges during our sample period while the state of Minnesota did not. We develop new econometric methods that allow us to estimate the parameters of equilibrium models without computing equilibria. Monte Carlo evidence shows that the estimator performs well. We find that a ban on ATM surcharges reduces ATM entry by about 12 percent, increases consumer welfare by about 35 percent and lowers producer profits by about 20 percent. Total welfare remains about the same under regimes that permit or prohibit ATM surcharges and is about 17 percent lower than the surplus maximizing level. This paper can help shed light on the theoretically ambiguous implications of free entry on consumer and producer welfare for differentiated products industries in general and ATMs in particular. Gautam Gowrisankaran John M. Olin School of Business Washingto University in St. Louis Campus Box 1133, Simon Hall 277 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130 and NBER gowrisankaran@olin.wustl. edu John Krainer Research Department Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco P.O. Box 7702 San Francisco, CA 94120 john.krainer@sf.frb. org
Integrated electromyography of the vastus medialis muscle after meniscectomy

Integrated electromyography (IEMG) is a valuable method for evaluating a muscle and documenting muscle rehabilitation. In a study of six adult males who had meniscectomies following tears of the medial meniscus, IEMG was performed to record the condition of the vastus medialis muscle preoperatively and at intervals (1 week, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months) after the operation. The evidence shows that at 3 months postoper atively, all patients had a normal range of motion, and the extension force of the quadriceps muscle had reached values of the control leg; but the IEMG relative to the extension force revealed that the vastus medialis portion of the quadriceps was far from restored and needed a significantly higher activity to produce the same force as it had in the control leg.
Supporting Professionals-at-Risk: Evaluating Interventions to Reduce Burnout and Improve Retention of Special Educators

This article describes a controlled study of 92 special educators and related service providers that evaluated the effects of two interventions (a series of stress-management workshops and a peer-collaboration program) on factors known to be correlated with actual turnover (burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). Results indicated that improvements on dependent variables occurred as a function of intervention, thus suggesting that the programs show promise as means of providing on-the-job support for such professionals at risk of burnout or exiting the field. In addition, participants perceived the targeted skills and strategies to be practical, valuable ways to prevent or alleviate job burnout.
(n, e)-Graphs with maximum sum of squares of degrees

Among all simple graphs on n vertices and e edges, which ones have the largest sum of squares of the vertex degrees? It is easy to see that they must be threshold graphs, but not every threshold graph is optimal in this sense. Boesch et al. [Boesch et al., Tech Rep, Stevens Inst Tech, Hoboken NJ, 1990] showed that for given n and e there exists exactly one graph of the form G1(p, q, r) = Kp + (Sq ∪K1,r) and exactly one G2(p, q, r) = Sp ∪ (Kq + K1,r) and that one of them is optimal, where K and S indicate complete and edgeless graphs,K1,r indicates a star on r+ 1 vertices, ∪ indicates disjoint union, and + indicates complete disjoint join. We specify a general threshold graph in the form G∗1(a, b, c, d, . . .) = Ka + (Sb ∪ (Kc + (Sd ∪ · · ·))) or its complement * Part of this research was conducted while the first author was visiting the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, whose support is gratefully acknowledged. c © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CCC 0364-9024/99/030283-13 284 JOURNAL OF GRAPH THEORY G∗2(a, b, c, d, . . .), and we prove that every optimal graph has the formG∗1(a, b, c, d) orG∗2(a, b, c, d) with b 6 1 or c 6 1 or d 6 1. c © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 31: 283–295, 1999
Undergraduate coursework in anatomy as a predictor of performance: Comparison between students taking a medical gross anatomy course of average length and a course shortened by curriculum reform

The performance of students taking medical gross anatomy at the University of California at Davis during a 4‐year period (1999–2002) was correlated with prior undergraduate anatomy coursework. Significant correlations were observed between class rank in medical anatomy and taking any undergraduate anatomy as well as the total number of undergraduate anatomy units (P < 0.01). Taking human gross anatomy and an anatomy laboratory course were significantly correlated with medical anatomy class rank (P < 0.01) as were grades in human anatomy, comparative vertebrate anatomy and anatomy laboratory courses (P < 0.05). The medical anatomy course offered in 1999–2000 was 172 hr long, and the course offered in 2001–2002 was 135 hr long, with most of the difference made by decreasing lecture time while sparing the dissection laboratory. The reduction in course length was the consequence of a curriculum‐wide cap in weekly contact hours. In the 172‐hr medical anatomy course there were significant correlations between the students who took undergraduate anatomy and both class rank and the score on the final examination (P < 0.01). These correlations did not exist for the 135‐hr course. This may be explained by previous anatomy experiences helping students learn from lecture more than from dissection laboratory, as well as the extra study time available to students in the reformed medical curriculum. Pre‐medical students and health science advisors need to consider that the benefits of taking anatomy as an undergraduate may be dependent on the configuration of a medical school's curriculum. Clin. Anat. 18:540–547, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effect of Melatonin on Maturation, Glutathione Level and Expression of H MGB1 Gene in Brilliant Cresyl Blue (BCB) Stained Immature Oocyte

Objective: Nutrients and antioxidants in the medium of immature oocyte have a profound effect on maturation, fertilization and development of resulting embryos. In this study the effects of melatonin as an antioxidant agent on maturation, glutathione level and expression of High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) gene were evaluated in immature oocytes of mice stained with brilliant cresyl blue (BCB). Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, immature oocytes were harvested from ovaries of Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice. Oocytes were stained with 26 μM BCB for 90 minutes and transferred to in vitro maturation medium containing varying doses of melatonin (10-12, 10-9, 10-6, 10-3 M) and without melatonin, for 22-24 hours. Maturation was monitored using an inverted microscope. Glutathione was assessed by monochlorobimane (MCB) staining and HMGB1 expression in mature oocyte was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Melatonin in the concentration of 10-6 M had the most effect on maturation and HMGB1 expression of BCB+ oocytes (p<0.05). Meanwhile melatonin had no effects on glutathione levels. Additionally in immature BCB- oocytes, compared to the control group, melatonin did not affect cytoplasm maturation (p>0.05). Conclusion: In vitro treatment with melatonin increases the maturation and HMGB1 expression in BCB+ immature oocytes and has no significant effect on glutathione levels.
Sensorimotor polyneuropathy as an initial clinical manifestation of sarcoidosis

A 45 year-old Japanese woman developed numbness and tingling of both hands and feet. Electrophysiological examination revealed sensorimotor polyneuropathy. She was diagnosed as suffering from sarcoidosis on the basis of the pathological findings from dermal biopsy. Steroid therapy effectively improved the clinical symptoms. Although sarcoid neuropathy is rare, this case suggests sensorimotor polyneuropathy is an important symptom of sarcoidosis and can represent the initial clinical manifestation of the disease.
Theoretical discussion of the filtered-X LMS algorithm based on statistical mechanical analysis

We theoretically obtain the learning curves of the FXLMS algorithm on the basis of statistical mechanical analysis. Cosines of angles between the coefficient vectors of an adaptive filter, its shifted filters, and an unknown system are treated as macroscopic variables. Assuming that the tapped-delay line is sufficiently long and exactly calculating the correlations between the past tap input vectors and the coefficient vector of the adaptive filter, we obtain simultaneous differential equations that describe the dynamical behaviors of the macroscopic variables in a deterministic form. We analytically solve the equations and show that the obtained theory quantitatively agrees with computer simulations. In the analysis, neither the independence assumption, the small step-size condition, nor the few-taps assumption is used.
The biology of satellite cells and telomeres in human skeletal muscle: effects of aging and physical activity

The decline in the neuromuscular function affects the physical performance and is a threat for independent living in later life. The age‐related decrease in muscle satellite cells observed by the age of 70 can be specific to type II fibers in some muscles. Several studies have shown that different forms of exercise induce the expansion of satellite cell pool in human skeletal muscle of young and elderly. Exercise is a powerful non‐pharmacological tool inducing the renewal of the satellite cell pool in skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscle is not a stable tissue as satellite cells are constantly recruited during normal daily activities. Satellite cells and the length of telomeres are important in the context of muscle regeneration. It is likely that the regulation of telomeres in vitro cannot fully mimic the behavior of telomeres in human tissues. New insights suggest that telomeres in skeletal muscle are dynamic structures under the influence of their environment. When satellite cells are heavily recruited for regenerative events as in the skeletal muscle of athletes, telomere length has been found to be either dramatically shortened or maintained and even longer than in non‐trained individuals. This suggests the existence of mechanisms allowing the control of telomere length in vivo.
The amphioxus Hairy family: differential fate after duplication

Vertebrate Hairy genes are highly pleiotropic and have been implicated in numerous functions, such as somitogenesis, neurogenesis and endocrine tissue development. In order to gain insight into the timing of acquisition of these roles by the Hairy subfamily, we have cloned and studied the expression pattern of the Hairy gene(s) in amphioxus. The cephalochordate amphioxus is widely believed to be the living invertebrate more closely related to vertebrates, the genome of which has not undergone the massive gene duplications that took place early during vertebrate evolution. Surprisingly, we have isolated eight Hairy genes from the `pre-duplicative' amphioxus genome. In situ hybridisation on amphioxus embryos showed that Hairy genes had experienced a process of subfunctionalisation that is predicted in the DDC model (for duplication-degeneration-complementation). Only the summation of four out of the eight Amphi-Hairy genes expression resembles the expression pattern of vertebrate Hairy genes, i.e. in the central nervous system, presomitic mesoderm, somites, notochord and gut. In addition, Amphi-Hairy genes expression suggest that amphioxus early somites are molecularly prefigured in an anteroposterior sequence in the dorsolateral wall of the archenteron, and the presence of a midbrain/hindbrain boundary. The expansion of the amphioxus Hairy subfamily request for caution when deducing the evolutionary history of a gene family in chordates based in the singularity of the amphioxus genome. Amphioxus may resemble the ancestor of the vertebrates, but it is not the ancestor, only its closest living relative, a privileged position that should not assume the freezing of its genome.
Ca2+ Channels Involved in the Generation of the Slow Afterhyperpolarization in Cultured Rat Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

The advantages of using isolated cells have led us to develop short-term cultures of hippocampal pyramidal cells, which retain many of the properties of cells in acute preparations and in particular the ability to generate afterhyperpolarizations after a train of action potentials. Using perforated-patch recordings, both medium and slow afterhyperpolarization currents (mI(AHP) and sI(AHP), respectively) could be obtained from pyramidal cells that were cultured for 8-15 days. The sI(AHP) demonstrated the kinetics and pharmacologic characteristics reported for pyramidal cells in slices. In addition to confirming the insensitivity to 100 nM apamin and 1 mM TEA, we have shown that the sI(AHP) is also insensitive to 100 nM charybdotoxin but is inhibited by 100 microM D-tubocurarine. Concentrations of nifedipine (10 microM) and nimodipine (3 microM) that maximally inhibit L-type calcium channels reduced the sI(AHP) by 30 and 50%, respectively. However, higher concentrations of nimodipine (10 microM) abolished the sI(AHP), which can be partially explained by an effect on action potentials. Both nifedipine and nimodipine at maximal concentrations were found to reduce the HVA calcium current in freshly dissociated neurons to the same extent. The N-type calcium channel inhibitor, omega-conotoxin GVIA (100 nM), irreversibly inhibited the sI(AHP) by 37%. Together, omega-conotoxin (100 nM) and nifedipine (10 microM) inhibited the sI(AHP) by 70%. 10 microM ryanodine also reduced the sI(AHP) by 30%, suggesting a role for calcium-induced calcium release. It is concluded that activation of the sI(AHP) in cultured hippocampal pyramidal cells is mediated by a rise in intracellular calcium involving multiple pathways and not just entry via L-type calcium channels.
On-demand provisioning of long-tail services in distributed clouds

We see a trend to design services as a suite of small service components instead of the typical monolithic nature of classic web services, which led to an increasing amount of long-tail services on the Internet. Deploying instances everywhere to achieve a fast response time results in high costs, especially when these services are used infrequently and remain idle most of the time. One way to avoid needless over-provisioning is to deploy instances on-demand but this requires every component to be available upon request arrival. We propose a placement algorithm to maximize the amount of clients we can serve on-demand using the Docker layered filesystem. Docker facilitates automated deployment of services in lightweight software containers, allowing almost instantaneous deployment. Our algorithm finds the optimal storage location for layers so we can retrieve all service layers, deploy a service instance and provide a first response to a request within the desired time. We solve this problem using integer linear programming (ILP) and present techniques to improve the scalability of ILP while minimizing the performance loss. Results show that our approximation performs better with large scale problems than the classic ILP case.
Sentence Detection Using Multiple Annotations

In this paper, we develop a sentence boundary detection system which incorporates a prosodic model, word and preterminal-level language models, and a global sentence-length model. An important aspect of this research was the investigation of crowdsourced punctuation annotations as a source of multiple references for evaluation purposes. In order to evaluate the system we propose a BLEU-like metric which compares a hypothesis to multiple references. Experiments on both transcription and ASR output show that the global sentence length model can improve the performance by 7.2% on reference transcripts and 3.8% on ASR output.
Managing Pet Owners’ Guilt and Grief in Veterinary Euthanasia Encounters

Through examining the emotion-laden encounters between veterinarians and bereaved pet owners, this study focuses attention on a group of medical professionals who manage the emotions of their clients in light of opposing contextual goals. While negotiating possible outcomes for animal patients, veterinary emotion work is designed to assuage guilt and grief to facilitate timely and rational decisions. However, after clients make the difficult decision to euthanize their pet, veterinary emotion work is geared toward creating “safe” emotional space for grieving clients. This study illustrates that veterinarians have a growing commitment to comforting the owners of euthanized animals and to validating their feelings of grief, pain, and sorrow. On a broader, theoretical level, this study also applies and extends concepts developed in previous sociological analyses of emotion management and human–animal relationships.
Performance of Node-Eviction Schemes in Vehicular Networks

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are expected to provide basic security attributes using certificate-based authentication schemes. Credential management guarantees that the principals in VANETs are able to filter out messages from misbehaving vehicles. The various phases in the process of eviction of a misbehaving vehicle-misbehavior detection, misbehavior reporting, certificate revocation, and revocation information dissemination-delay the eviction process by amounts that depend on the technology and schemes used to implement the individual phases. These delays directly translate into the existence of a window of vulnerability for other legitimate vehicles, thus implying degradation in the eviction performance. We propose a framework for analyzing the performance of the node-eviction schemes proposed for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) systems by abstracting out the various mechanisms for the different phases of misbehaving-vehicle eviction. This unifying framework could be useful, for example, in deciding the required communication technology and the rate of communication with the security infrastructure to achieve a target eviction performance. We advocate a holistic design approach, where the various phases of node eviction are jointly designed and optimized to improve the eviction performance of the network. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the window of vulnerability is lower bounded by the misbehavior-detection delays and, hence, cannot completely be eliminated; this also provides a natural bound on the performance of the node-eviction schemes. We derive bounds on the performance of misbehavior-detection and eviction schemes required to limit the extent of success of an attack where malicious vehicles submit incorrect accusations of misbehavior against legitimate vehicles.
Teaching Evaluation at a Public Institution of Higher Education: Factors Related to the Overall Teaching Effectiveness

About 3,200 undergraduate and 300 graduate students in the College of Business of a regional state university with more than 17,000 students located in the southeastern United States evaluated 126 business faculty. The results of a multiple regression based on 6,395 student evaluations show that 12 factors are predictors of overall teaching effectiveness, e.g., instructor presents material clearly, instructor answers students' questions, instructor treats students in a courteous and/or professional manner, and instructor appears to be well prepared for each class. These data suggest that students are fairly reasonable in considering important aspects of the learning process when they evaluate professors' overall teaching effectiveness. The results are discussed in light of the reward system at U.S. universities, the balance between teaching and research, and the changes in management education.