Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anterior-Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Investigation of Corneal Deturgescence and Epithelial Remodeling After DSAEK

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate via Fourier-domain anterior-segment optical coherence tomography 3-dimensional corneal, epithelial, and graft thickness changes after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Methods: Sixteen eyes were investigated preoperatively and up to 6 months postoperatively for preoperative and postoperative central corneal thickness (CCT), minimum corneal thickness, central graft thickness (CGT), and for epithelial topographic thickness variability. An age-matched and gender-matched control group of 32 healthy eyes was used for comparison. Results: In the DSAEK group, the preoperative CCT was 582.32 ± 45.24 (550–615) &mgr;m. One-month postoperatively, the CCT was 736.26 ± 34.52 (713–771) &mgr;m, and the CGT was 210.42 ± 34.52 (145–243) &mgr;m. Three months postoperatively, the CCT was 641.39 ± 38.75 (569–684) &mgr;m, and the CGT was 171.23 ± 27.54 (119–185) &mgr;m. The preoperative center epithelial thickness was 55.74 ± 9.29 (45–74) &mgr;m, the minimum was 32.53 ± 14.30 (13–53) &mgr;m, the maximum was 76.00 ± 11.32 (64–105) &mgr;m, and the topographic thickness variability was 10.84 ± 4.09 (5.90–18.80) &mgr;m. Three months postoperatively, the center epithelial thickness was 47.21 ± 5.45 (43–56) &mgr;m, the minimum was 35.11 ± 4.70 (30–41) &mgr;m, the maximum was 58.11 ± 6.51 (49–65) &mgr;m, and the topographic variability was 4.77 ± 1.48 (2.90–6.50) &mgr;m. The average differences were −8.53, +4.53, and −17.89 &mgr;m for the center, minimum, and maximum (P < 0.001, <0.001, and <0.001). Similar results were obtained 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Conclusions: We present a near-term postoperative investigation of the corneal and epithelial thickness changes after DSAEK for bullous keratopathy, by in vivo, clinical anterior-segment optical coherence tomography. Epithelial thickness recovery and normalization and corneal deturgescence were noted as early as in the first postoperative month.
Parallel Processing of Sensory Input by Bursts and Isolated Spikes

Burst firing is commonly observed in many sensory systems and is proposed to transmit information reliably. Although a number of biophysical burst mechanisms have been identified, the relationship between burst dynamics and information transfer is uncertain. Electrosensory pyramidal cells have a well defined backpropagation-dependent burst mechanism. We used in vivo, in vitro, and modeling approaches to investigate pyramidal cell responses to mimics of behaviorally relevant sensory input. We found that within a given spike train, bursts are biased toward low-frequency events while isolated spikes simultaneously code for the entire frequency range. We also demonstrated that burst dynamics are essential for optimal feature detection but are not required for stimulus estimation. We conclude that burst and spike dynamics can segregate a single spike train into two parallel and complementary streams of information transfer.
Issues experienced while administering care to patients with dementia in acute care hospitals: A study based on focus group interviews

Objective Dementia is a major public health problem. More and more patients with dementia are being admitted to acute care hospitals for treatment of comorbidities. Issues associated with care of patients with dementia in acute care hospitals have not been adequately clarified. This study aimed to explore the challenges nurses face in providing care to patients with dementia in acute care hospitals in Japan. Methods This was a qualitative study using focus group interviews (FGIs). The setting was six acute hospitals with surgical and medical wards in the western region of Japan. Participants were nurses in surgical and internal medicine wards, excluding intensive care units. Nurses with less than 3 years working experience, those without experience in dementia patient care in their currently assigned ward, and head nurses were excluded from participation. FGIs were used to collect data from February to December 2008. Interviews were scheduled for 1–1.5 h. The qualitative synthesis method was used for data analysis. Results In total, 50 nurses with an average experience of 9.8 years participated. Eight focus groups were formed. Issues in administering care to patients with dementia at acute care hospitals were divided into seven groups. Three of these groups, that is, problematic patient behaviors, recurrent problem, and problems affecting many people equally, interact to result in a burdensome cycle. This cycle is exacerbated by lack of nursing experience and lack of organization in hospitals. In coping with this cycle, the nurses develop protection plans for themselves and for the hospital. Conclusions The two main issues experienced by nurses while administering care to patients with dementia in acute care hospitals were as follows: (a) the various problems and difficulties faced by nurses were interactive and caused a burdensome cycle, and (b) nurses do their best to adapt to these conditions despite feeling conflicted.
Efficacy of Triptolide for Children with Moderately Severe Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis Presenting with Nephrotic Range Proteinuria: A Prospective and Controlled Study in China

Objective. To observe the clinical efficacy of the Chinese herb, Triptolide, in children with moderately severe Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN). Methods. From January 2007 to December 2011, 56 HSPN children manifested by nephrotic range proteinuria with normal kidney function and <50% crescents or sclerosing lesions on biopsy were hospitalized in the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. They were divided into two groups: the treatment group (n = 42; Triptolide at a dosage of 1 mg/kg·d, combined with prednisone at a dosage of 2 mg/kg·d, within a course of medium-to-long-term therapy of 6 to 9 months) and the control group (n = 14; prednisone alone, with the same procedure). Results. Short-term remission was observed in 95% of patients from treatment group and in 72% of patients from control group, respectively. There was a significant difference between both groups (χ 2 = 6.222, P = 0.029) for short-term effects. Meanwhile, no significant difference, as proteinuria, hematuria, hypertension, and decreased eGFR, was observed between the two groups in long-term followup (χ 2 = 3.111, P = 0.097). The Kaplan-Meier plot analysis also revealed no significant difference (χ 2 = 2.633, P = 0.105). Conclusion. Triptolide is effective in relieving short-term symptoms for moderately severe HSPN children, though its long-term effects need to be observed further.
Effect of Size and Distribution of Ni Nanoparticles on γ-Al2O3 in Oleic Acid Hydrodeoxygenation to Produce n-Alkanes

To contribute to the search for an oxygen-free biodiesel from vegetable oil, a process based in the oleic acid hydrodeoxygenation over Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts was performed. In this work different wt % of Ni nanoparticles were prepared by wetness impregnation and tested as catalytic phases. Oleic acid was used as a model molecule for biodiesel production due to its high proportion in vegetable oils used in food and agro-industrial processes. A theoretical model to optimize yield of n-C17 was developed using size, distribution, and wt % of Ni nanoparticles (NPs) as additional factors besides operational conditions such as temperature and reaction time. These mathematical models related to response surfaces plots predict a higher yield of n-C17 when physical parameters of Ni NPs are suitable. It can be of particular interest that the model components have a high interaction with operation conditions for the n-C17 yields, with the size, distribution, and wt % of Ni NPs being the most significant. A combination of these factors statistically pointed out those conditions that create a maximum yield of alkanes; these proved to be affordable for producing biodiesel from this catalytic environmental process.
Neoliberal fashion : the political economy of sweatshops in Europe and Latin America

Changes in the spatial organisation of capitalist production internationally over the last four decades have had profound impacts in the clothing industry. The strategies adopted by entrepreneurs to face economic instability and stagnation have systematically affected workers, mostly by a deep labour flexibilisation. In several cities, a return to the widespread use of the sweatshop system can be witnessed; in some others, such systems have indeed emerged. Today, sweatshops are a structural feature of the industry. This research aims at analysing the changes that the fashion industry has undergone during the last four decades and its consequences over working conditions. In addition, I address the question of what does the return of the sweatshop tell us about neoliberalism. Two main types of sweatshops are identified: ‘international sweatshops’ (mostly large factories located in Export Economic Zones, also called ‘maquilas’) and ‘local sweatshops’ (small inner-city workshops located in proximity to the markets). Only the second type isemphasised in here, and two case studies were conducted: the City Buenos Aires and the Province of Prato (Tuscany). The results reveal that in both cities informal economy, human trafficking, and child and forced labour are counterparts of the glamorous fashion businesses. The role of the state in regulating political economic shifts that have led to the sweatshop crisis, is addressed as well. Against the belief of its ‘demise’ I argue that the state has had a major role in engineering the mechanisms allowing a fierce redistribution of wealth away from labour, which encompasses state terrorism as well. In sum, the shift in the balance of power between capital and labour, and the changes operated in the role of the state during the latest four decades, are found to be major causes for ‘the return of the sweatshop’. In the clothing industry, these changes have led to a situation which portrays with clarity the inequalities to which Neoliberalism has led – albeit to varied extents and through different mechanisms according to the spatio-temporal contexts – all around the world.
Directed Diffusion ∗

Traditional sensing models assume one or a few powerful sensors and centralized computation. Today, technological trends enable the creation of inexpensive, small, intelligent devices for sensing and actuation. If many small sensors can work together as a sensor network, they provide several advantages over traditional centralized sensing. By placing the sensor close to the object being sensed, signal processing and target discrimination problems in sensing can be greatly simplified. By communicating over several short hops rather than one long hop, energy consumed in communication can be reduced [29]. Moreover, by processing data in the network, often the amount of data transfered can be reduced, further saving energy [22]. Motivated by robustness, scaling, and energy efficiency requirements, this paper examines a new data dissemination paradigm for such sensor networks. This paradigm, which we call directed diffusion1, is data-centric. Data generated by sensor nodes is named by attribute-value pairs. A node requests data by sending interests for named data. Data matching the interest is then “drawn” down towards that node. Intermediate nodes can cache, or transform data, and may direct interests based on previously cached data (Section 3). Directed diffusion is significantly different from IP-style communication where nodes are identified by their end-points, and inter-node communication is layered on an end-to-end delivery service provided within the network. In directed diffusion, nodes in the network are application-aware as we allow application-specific code to run in the network and assist diffusion in processing messages. This allows directed diffusion to cache and process data in the network (aggregation), decreasing the amount of end-to-end traffic, and resulting in higher energy savings. We show that using directed diffusion one can realize robust multi-path delivery, empirically adapt to a small subset of network paths, and achieve significant energy savings when intermediate nodes aggregate responses to queries (Section 5). ∗USC/ISI Technical Report ISI-TR-2004-586. This work was supported by DARPA under grant DABT63-99-1-0011 as part of the SCAADS project. 1Van Jacobson suggested the concept of “diffusing” attribute named data for this class of applications that later led to the design of directed diffusion.
Essays on the Historical and Current Institutional Development of South East and Central European States

Title of Dissertation: ESSAYS ON THE HISTORICAL AND CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH EAST AND CENTRAL EUROPEAN STATES Valentina P. Dimitrova-Grajzl, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Peter Murrell Department of Economics This dissertation examines the institutional determinants of one set of countries – the former socialist states in South East and Central Europe. It is motivated by the observation that fifteen years after the beginning of transition we see a divergence in the institutional performance of the transition countries. The Balkan (South East European states) have been consistently lagging behind the Central European states. Why is there such a substantial difference in the performance and level of institutions in these two sets of former socialist countries? Unlike the sparse existing literature, which attempt to answer this question, this dissertation identifies the Ottoman and Habsburg historical legacies, rather than the socialist legacy, as a key source of divergence in institutional performance of the countries of South East and Central Europe. In Chapter 1, we identify the legacies of the Ottoman Empire and their historical origins. The chapter’s main contribution is twofold. First, it identifies and discusses the origins of characteristics of the Ottoman Empire that shaped the institutional structure of its successor states. Second, the chapter analyzes the impact of these characteristics on people’s behavior and incentives. Building upon the key historical dynamics identified in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 develops a stylized theoretical model of the Ottoman Empire. The model attempts to explain the rise and decline of the Empire and indirectly, the historical evolution of the Ottoman legacy. It, thereby, contributed to the literature by looking at how the Ottoman seemingly irrational and static structure could have been optimal subject to certain constraints. Chapter 3 attempts to explain the reasons for the ‘great divide’ in performance of the countries of South East and Central European post-socialist states. By comparing the historical developments and legacies of the Ottoman Empire with those of the Habsburg Empire, Chapter 3 draws a number of hypotheses about the effect of these legacies on current institutional performance. It presents three estimation procedures that allow us to test the hypotheses and discusses the estimation results in light of alternative theories. ESSAYS ON THE HISTORICAL AND CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH EAST AND CENTRAL EUROPEAN STATES by Valentina P. Dimitrova-Grajzl Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2006
Gravitational instability of discs with dissipative coronae around supermassive black holes

We study the dynamical structure of a self-gravitating disc with coronae around a supermassive black hole. Assuming that the magnetorotational instability responsible for generating the turbulent stresses inside the disc is also the source for a magnetically dominated corona, a fraction of the power released when the disc matter accretes is transported to and dissipated in the corona. This has a major effect on the structure of the disc and its gravitational (in)stability according to our analytical and self-consistent solutions. We determine the radius where the disc crosses the inner radius of gravitational instability and forms the first stars. Not only the location of this radius which may extend to very large distances from the central black hole, but also the mass of the first stars highly depends on the input parameters, notably the viscosity coefficient, the mass of the central object and the accretion rate. For accretion discs around quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) and the Galactic Centre, we determine the self-gravitating radius and the mass of the first clumps. Comparing the cases with a corona and without a corona for typical discs around QSOs or the Galactic Centre, when the viscosity coefficient is around 0.3, we show that the self-gravitating radius decreases by a factor of approximately 2, but the mass of the fragments increases with more or less the same factor. The existence of a corona implies a more gravitationally unstable disc according to our results. The effect of a corona on the instability of the disc is more effective when the viscosity coefficient increases.
Nga Puni Whakapiri : indigenous struggle and genetic engineering

This thesis argues that the notion of struggle is culturally based. Struggle for Indigenous peoples centres around the protection of all things they hold precious. Indigenous peoples are used to resisting colonial threats to the integrity of their knowledge and culture. Biotechnology is a contemporary site of struggle where Indigenous peoples have been resisting the onslaught of genetic engineering and manipulation and the theft and commodification of their knowledge. Maori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand), view this site of struggle as a continuation of colonialism in the form of biocolonialism. This thesis presents a case study examining the struggle of Maori against the biotechnology industry and genetic engineering. The foundational philosophy upon which this thesis has been based is Kaupapa Maori. Kaupapa Maori is a uniquely Indigenous theory and methodology with a central function of claiming and engaging in theory for Maori and by Maori. As well as examining the political economy within which this struggle takes place, members of the Nga Puni Whakapiri movement (the term used to describe Maori groups gathered together to resist biotechnology and genetic engineering) are interviewed to examine their actions, strategies and philosophies that underpin their struggle. Central to this struggle is the notion of “tikanga” correct and appropriate action that is based on a number of principles that those interviewed elaborate on. Maori have been very active in recent anti-GE activity; this thesis argues that this is a logical extension of the notion of kaitiakitanga or cultural guardianship and protection, sourced from the ancestors. This work acknowledges that there is an Indigenous worldview that is valid and that has legitimacy in both public and private forums. When assessing research that has the potential to impact Maori communities and in decision-making affecting whanau (family), hapu (sub-tribe), and iwi (tribe), the tikanga Maori worldview is central.
Community Learning in Information Technology Innovation

In striving to learn about an information technology innovation, organizations draw on knowledge resources available in the community of diverse interests that convenes around that innovation. But even as such organizations learn about the innovation, so too does the larger community. Community learning takes place as its members reflect upon their learning and contribute their experiences, observations, and insights to the community's on-going discourse on the innovation. Community learning and organizational learning thus build upon one another in a reciprocal cycle over time, as the stock of interpretations, adoption rationales, implementation strategies, and utilization patterns is expanded and refined. We advance an overall model of this learning cycle, drawing on two community-level theories (management fashion and organizing vision), both of which complement the dominant emphases of the literature on IT innovation and learning. Relative to this cycle, we then empirically examine, in particular, the dependence of community learning on organizational learning. Sampling the public discourse on enterprise resource planning (ERP) over a 14-year period, we explore how different kinds of organizational actors can play different roles, at different times, in contributing different types of knowledge to an innovation's public discourse. The evidence suggests that research analysts and technology vendors took leadership early on in articulating the "know-what" (interpretation) and "know-why" (rationales) for ERP, while later on adopters came to dominate the discourse as its focus shifted to the "know-how" (strategies and capabilities). We conclude by identifying opportunities for further inquiry on and strategic management of community learning and its interactions with organizational learning.
XMM-Newton EPIC observation of the galaxy cluster A 3667

The Abell cluster of galaxies A 3667 was observed with XMM-Newton in 6 partially overlapping pointings. We present here the resulting X-ray surface brightness, temperature, entropy and pressure maps and discuss the structure of this cluster on scales from 0.1 to 30 arcmin. Based on these observations we refine the origin of the A 3667 cold front to the displacement of the low entropy, high metal abundance gas from the current pressure peak of the cluster. We argue that the mushroom shape of the cold front observed here is similar to what is seen in some numerical simulations. We also present the first evidence for a dynamically significant angular momentum in the cold front.
The stellar dynamics of M87

We extract the shape of the stellar velocity ellipsoid as a function of radius in M87 from van der Marel's (1994) velocity dispersion data. We include the gravitational force of a central black hole with the mass quoted by Harms et al. (1994). The kinematical data are corrected for the effects of seeing and instrumental blurring using a nonparametric algorithm. We find that the stellar motions in M87 are slightly radially anisotropic throughout the main body of the galaxy. However the tangential velocity dispersion exceeds the radial velocity dispersion within the inner 1''-2'' by a statistically significant amount. A number of models for the formation of nuclear black holes predict a tangential anisotropy in the stellar motions, and our results provide evidence for such an effect in M87.
Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Community-Onset Bacteremia Caused by Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli over a 6-Year Period

Although extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) has emerged as a significant community-acquired pathogen, there is little epidemiological information regarding community-onset bacteremia due to ESBL-EC. A retrospective observational study from 2006 through 2011 was performed to evaluate the epidemiology of community-onset bacteremia caused by ESBL-EC. In a six-year period, the proportion of ESBL-EC responsible for causing community-onset bacteremia had increased significantly, from 3.6% in 2006 to 14.3%, in 2011. Of the 97 clinically evaluable cases with ESBL-EC bacteremia, 32 (33.0%) were further classified as healthcare-associated infections. The most common site of infection was urinary tract infection (n=35, 36.1%), followed by biliary tract infections (n=29, 29.9%). Of the 103 ESBL-EC isolates, 43 (41.7%) produced CTX-M-14 and 36 (35.0%) produced CTX-M-15. In the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis of 76 isolates with CTX-M-14 or -15 type ESBLs, the most prevalent sequence type (ST) was ST131 (n=15, 19.7%), followed by ST405 (n=12, 15.8%) and ST648 (n=8, 10.5%). No significant differences in clinical features were found in the ST131 group versus the other group. These findings suggest that epidemic ESBL-EC clones such as CTX-M-14 or -15 type ESBLs and ST131 have disseminated in community-onset infections, even in bloodstream infections, which are the most serious type of infection.