Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of individual mechanisms on work self-efficacy of nurses: The mediating role of organisational commitment

Abstract Individual mechanisms, such as trust, ethics, and justice, in hospitals enable nurses to have meaningful relationships at work which build their level of commitment to hospitals and translate into a level of work self-efficacy. This study focuses on nurses and aims at explaining the relationships between nurses and their organisations which affect nurses’ commitment and build their self-confidence and the competence to deliver. Data were collected from 201 nurses across six hospitals in Ghana. Findings revealed that justice, ethics, and trust have significant and positive effect on self-efficacy of nurses. It was also revealed that the commitment of nurses mediated the relationship between individual mechanisms of nurses and the level of work self-efficacy.
MULTIPLE ANTENNA WIRELESS SYSTEMS AND CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION

OF THE DISSERTATION Multiple Antenna Wireless Systems and Channel State Information by Dragan Samardzija Dissertation Director: Professor Narayan B. Mandayam The use of multiple antennas in wireless systems have been shown to provide tremendous capacity gains. A key factor in realizing such gains is the knowledge of the channel state information (CSI) at the receiver and transceiver. In this thesis we study the fundamental limits of multiple antenna multiuser systems in the following contexts: (1) pilot-assisted channel state estimation, (2) transmitter optimization with delayed CSI and (3) CSI feedback schemes. We first analyze the effects of pilot assisted MIMO channel estimation on achievable data rates (lower bound on information capacity) over a frequency flat time-varying channel. Under a block-fading channel model, the effects of the estimation error are evaluated in the case of the estimates being available at the receiver only (open loop), and in the case when the estimates are fed back to the transmitter allowing water pouring transmitter optimization (closed loop). Using a characterization of the effective noise due to estimation error, we analyze the achievable rates as a function of the power allocated to the pilot, the channel coherence time, the background noise level as well as the number of transmit and receive antennas. We observe that as the number of transmit antennas increases, the sensitivity to the channel response estimation error is more pronounced (while keeping the same number of receive antennas). It is also seen that in certain cases, it is better to use the open loop scheme as opposed to the closed loop scheme. The analysis presented here can be used to optimally allocate pilot power for various system and channel operating conditions, and also to determine the effectiveness of closed loop feedback. Next, we consider multiple antenna transmitter optimization schemes that are based on
Supplement use by UK-based British Army soldiers in training

The use of supplements is widespread at all levels of civilian sport and a prevalence of 60–90 % is reported among high-performance UK athletes, including juniors. The prevalence of supplement use among UK-based British Army personnel is not known. The aim of the present study was to establish the point prevalence of supplement use in UK-based British Army soldiers under training (SuTs) and associated staff. A cross-sectional anonymous survey was carried out in 3168 British Army SuTs and soldiers, equating to 3·1 % of regular Army strength, based at eleven Phase 1, 2 and 3 UK Army training sites. Overall, 38 % of the respondents reported current use of supplements, but prevalence varied according to the course attended by the respondents. The number of different supplements used was 4·7 (sd 2·9). Supplements most commonly used were protein bars, powders and drinks (66 %), isotonic carbohydrate–electrolyte sports drinks (49 %), creatine (38 %), recovery sports drinks (35 %), multivitamins (31 %) and vitamin C (25 %). A small proportion of respondents reported the use of amphetamines and similar compounds (1·6 %), cocaine (0·8 %), anabolic androgenic steroids (1·1 %), growth hormone (2·0 %), and other anabolic agents, e.g. testosterone (4·2 %). Logistic regression modelling indicated that, for current users, younger age, being female, smoking and undergoing Officer Cadet training were associated with greater supplement use. This is the first study to investigate the prevalence of dietary and training supplement use in UK-based British military personnel. Self-administration of a wide range of supplements is reported by British military personnel in training, which is at least as great as that reported by those on deployment, and has implications for Defence policy and educational needs.
Test Characteristics of Parent's Visual Analog Scale Score in Predicting Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Malfunction in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Objectives: Many parents of children with ventriculoperitoneal shunts present to the emergency department for evaluation of a possible shunt malfunction. No study to date has evaluated their ability to predict a shunt malfunction. Our study objective was to evaluate parents' accuracy for predicting a shunt malfunction in their child. We hypothesize that parents more experienced with prior shunt malfunctions are better able to predict subsequent malfunctions in their child. Methods: We conducted a prospective, descriptive study on children younger than 18 years presenting to our tertiary care pediatric emergency department with a possible ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction. Parents rated the likelihood of a shunt malfunction using an unmarked 100-mm visual analog scale marked definitely malfunctioning at the high end. An experienced parent was defined as one who had previously experienced at least 3 shunt malfunctions in their child. Results: We enrolled 85 parent-child dyads in our study. Twenty-four children were diagnosed with a malfunction. The predictive ability of parents to determine a shunt malfunction was found at a threshold visual analog scale score of 66 (sensitivity, 88.9%, and specificity, 62.2%). At a determined threshold value of 85 or more, experienced parents had a high specificity of 89.2% with a positive likelihood ratio of 5.1. Experienced parents showed an area under the curve of 0.7928 (95% confidence interval, 0.6037-0.9819); and inexperienced parents, 0.5611 (95% confidence interval, 0.3646-0.7576) (P = 0.096). Conclusions: Experienced parents are better able to predict a shunt malfunction in their child.
The Impact of Perforator Number on Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Breast Reconstruction

Background Perforator flaps minimize abdominal site morbidity during autologous breast reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the number of perforators harvested influences the overall deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap survival and flap-related complications. Methods A retrospective review was performed of all DIEP flaps performed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2011. The outcomes assessed included flap loss and major complications. We compared flaps by the number of total perforators (1-4) and then carried out a subgroup analysis comparing flaps with one perforator to flaps with multiple perforators. Lastly, we conducted a post-hoc analysis based on body mass index (BMI) categorization. Results Three hundred thirty-three patients underwent 395 DIEP flaps. No significant differences were noted in the flap loss rate or the overall complications across perforator groups. However, the subgroup analysis revealed significantly higher rates of fat necrosis in the case of one-perforator flaps than in the case of multiple-perforator flaps (10.2% vs. 3.1%, P=0.009). The post-hoc analysis revealed a significant increase in the flap loss rate with increasing BMI (<30=2.0%, 30-34.9=3.1%, 35-39.9=3.1%, >40=42.9%, P<0.001) in the DIEP flaps, but no increase in fat necrosis. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the number of perforators does not impact the rate of flap survival. However, the rate of fat necrosis may be significantly higher in DIEP flaps based on a single perforator. Multiple perforators should be utilized if possible to decrease the risk of fat necrosis.
EXPLORING IMMUNE PATHWAYS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

I AM aware of the great personal honour of being invited to give the Heberden Oration, and wish to acknowledge my gratitude to numerous colleagues over the years for their work, support and collaboration. This event, long established in the traditions of our rheumatological society, symbolizes the importance that is attached for the pursuit of scientific knowledge for the purpose of understanding the causes of rheumatic diseases. It provides an opportunity for the Orator to take stock of his field of study and view his contributions in some perspective. In my field of study, namely, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and connective tissue diseases, the driving force for the past five or six decades has been the hunch that disease is triggered in susceptible individuals by an environmental agent. This, together with the observation that autoimmune phenomena are commonly observed in patients, has focused research on the cells and products of the immune system. By describing some aspects of such work, and for the sake of brevity, concentrating on rheumatoid arthritis, I want to convince you that as a result of the inspiration provided by intellectual ideas on the mechanisms leading to disease and the increasing accessibility to powerful clinical, molecular and cellular tools for study, we are on the threshold of major advances in unravelling the hitherto mysterious causes of these disorders.
Dual-Mode Dual-Band Microstrip Bandpass Filter Based on Fourth Iteration T-Square Fractal and Shorting Pin

A new class of a dual mode microstrip fractal resonator is proposed and developed for miniaturization of the dual band bandpass filter. The perimeter of the pro- posed resonator is increased by employing fourth iteration T-square fractal shape. Consequently the lower resonant frequency of the filter is decreased without increasing the usable space. The self similarity of the usable structure enables it to produce the two degenerate modes which are coupled using the proper perturbation technique. The shorting pin is placed at the null in the surface current distribution at the center of the resonator. This shorting pin is coactively coupled to the resonant circuit of the resonator, effectively coupled to the lower degenerate mode and reduces the lower edge band resonant fre- quency. By adjusting the resonator dimensions and the size of the shorting pin, the resonant frequency and the out-of- band rejection around the transmission bands can be con- trolled to meet the design requirements. The simulated response of the designed filter has two transmission bands; the first band is from 2.34-3.65 GHz with resonant fre- quencies at 2.47 GHz and 3.55 GHz, the second band is from 4.37-5.324 GHz with resonant frequencies at 4.5 GHz and 5.13 GHz. In the pass bands, the group delay is less than 0.65 ns. The proposed filter can be applied to WLAN (2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz) and WiMAX (3.5 GHz) and Blue- tooth and ZigBee (4.9 GHz).
Synaptic a 5 Subunit--Containing GABA A Receptors Mediate IPSPs Elicited by Dendrite-Preferring Cells in Rat Neocortex

Previous studies indicated that one class of dendrite-preferring hippocampal interneurones inhibits pyramidal cells via a 5 g - aminobutyric acid (GABA A ) receptors whereas parvalbumin-and CCK-containing basket cells act via a 1 and a 2/3 GABA A receptors, respectively. This study asked whether there is selective insertion of different a subunit--containing GABA A receptors at neocortical inhibitory synapses innervated by speciﬁc classes of interneurones. The benzodiazepine site pharmacology of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) elicited in neocortical pyramidal cells by 3 classes of interneurones was explored with dual whole-cell recordings in neocortical slices from juvenile rats (P18--23). Fast IPSPs activated by multipolar interneurones with narrow spikes and nonadapting ﬁring patterns were powerfully enhanced by the a 1-preferring agonist zolpidem, suggesting mediation via larger proportion of a 1 GABA A receptors than those activated by multipolar, adapting interneurones, which were less strongly enhanced by zolpidem, but equally insensitive to the a 5-selective inverse agonist IAalpha5 (MSD, Essex, UK) suggesting mediation predominantly via a 2/3 GABA A receptors. In contrast, the IPSPs elicited by bitufted, dendrite-preferring interneurones were reduced by IAalpha5 and by zinc and insensitive to zolpidem despite enhancement by the broad-spectrum agonist, diazepam. Thus insertion of GABA A receptors at synapses on neocortical pyramids is input-speciﬁc, with proximal inhibition employing a 1 and a 2/3 GABA A receptors and dendrite-preferring bitufted interneurones activating a 5 GABA A receptors
Balancing academic gatekeeping and interpersonal positioning: A qualitative analysis of written feedback to undergraduate students

This article will discuss the findings from a qualitative analysis of 136 pieces of written feedback on summative student assessments. The assessment and feedback mechanisms vary in format, and the sample covered all three levels of an undergraduate programme (four courses) in one case department. This article will evidence linguistic variations in written feedback which signify an unequal discursive relationship between the marker and student. This variation is likely to contribute to issues in feedback clarity and consistency. Tensions amid the language used reflect academic gatekeeping, and the interpersonal aspect of feedback, will be discussed with reference to notions of 'linguistic capital'. Assisting students in the interpretation of written feedback, and encouraging alternative forms of feedback to enhance staff-student dialogue will be suggested as recommendations.
Costa Rica's Payment for Environmental Services Program: Intention, Implementation, and Impact

Abstract: We evaluated the intention, implementation, and impact of Costa Rica's program of payments for environmental services (PSA), which was established in the late 1990s. Payments are given to private landowners who own land in forest areas in recognition of the ecosystem services their land provides. To characterize the distribution of PSA in Costa Rica, we combined remote sensing with geographic information system databases and then used econometrics to explore the impacts of payments on deforestation. Payments were distributed broadly across ecological and socioeconomic gradients, but the 1997–2000 deforestation rate was not significantly lower in areas that received payments. Other successful Costa Rican conservation policies, including those prior to the PSA program, may explain the current reduction in deforestation rates. The PSA program is a major advance in the global institutionalization of ecosystem investments because few, if any, other countries have such a conservation history and because much can be learned from Costa Rica's experiences.
The essence of three-phase AC/AC converter systems

In this paper the well-known voltage and current DC-link converter systems, used to implement an AC/AC converter, are initially presented. Using this knowledge and their space vector modulation methods we show their connection to the family of indirect matrix converters and then finally the connection to direct matrix converters. A brief discussion of extended matrix converter circuits is given and a new unidirectional three-level matrix converter topology is proposed. This clearly shows the topological connections of the converter circuits that directly lead to an adaptability of the modulation methods. These allow the reader who is familiar with space vector modulation of voltage and current DC-link converters to simply incorporate and identify new modulation methods. A comparison of the converter concepts, with respect to their fundamental, topology-related characteristics, complexity, control and efficiency, then follows. Furthermore, by taking the example of a converter that covers a typical operation region in the torque-speed plane (incl. holding torque at standstill), the necessary silicon area of the power semiconductors is calculated for a maximum junction temperature. This paper concludes with proposals for subjects of further research in the area of matrix converters.
A New PTS for PAPR Reduction by Local Search in GA

An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system has the problem of the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) due to the inter symbol interference between the many sub-carriers. In general, in order to obtain optimal PAPR reduction using the partial transmitted sequence (PTS), the total search for the number of sub-blocks and the rotation factors must be accomplished. As the number of sub-blocks and rotation factors increases, PAPR reduction improves. The number of calculation increases as the number of sub-blocks increases, such that complexity increases exponentially and the process delay occurs simultaneously. In order to reduce the complexity in the system, in this paper a new method using GA is proposed to search for a rotation factor that reduces simultaneously both the PAPR and the amount of calculation, such that the complexity of calculation and the process time are reduced at the same time. Comparison is performed between the proposed method and the various techniques developed previously. The superiority of proposed method is presented by demonstrating the reduction of complexity and calculation time while a similar PAR reduction is obtained.
Claudin 11 Deficiency in Mice Results in Loss of the Sertoli Cell Epithelial Phenotype in the Testis1

Abstract Tissue integrity relies on barriers formed between epithelial cells. In the testis, the barrier is formed at the initiation of puberty by a tight junction complex between adjacent Sertoli cells, thereby defining an adluminal compartment where meiosis and spermiogenesis occur. Claudin 11 is an obligatory protein for tight junction formation and barrier integrity in the testis. It is expressed by Sertoli cells, and spermatogenesis does not proceed beyond meiosis in its absence, resulting in male sterility. Sertoli cell maturation—arrest of proliferation and expression of proteins to support germ cell development—parallels tight junction assembly; however, the pathophysiology underlying the loss of tight junctions in the mature testis remains largely undefined. Here, using immunohistochemistry and microarrays we demonstrate that adult Cldn11−/− mouse Sertoli cells can proliferate while maintaining expression of mature markers. Sertoli cells detach from the basement membrane, acquire a fibroblast cell shape, are eliminated through the lumen together with apoptotic germ cells, and are found in epididymis. These changes are associated with tight junction regulation as well as actin-related and cell cycle gene expression. Thus, Cldn11−/− Sertoli cells exhibit a unique phenotype whereby loss of tight junction integrity results in loss of the epithelial phenotype.
Preliminary and Incomplete Do Not Quote without Permission Making Exchange Rates Sparkle : Restricting Its Present-Value Model with Common Trends and Common Cycles

Abstract Exchange rates have raised the ire of economists for more than 20 years. A problem is that there appears to be no exchange rate model that systematically beats a naive random walk in out of sample forecasts. Economists also find it irksome that theoretical models are unable to explain short-, medium-, and long-run exchange rate movements. Engel and West (2005) show that these failures can be explained by the present value model (PVM) because it predicts the exchange rate is a random walk if currency traders are highly interest sensitive and fundamentals have a unit root. This paper generalizes Engel and West (2005). We find that the PVM imposes common trend and common cycle restrictions on the exchange rate and its I(1) fundamental. As the interest sensitivity of money demand grows large, the common cycle forces the exchange rate to approximate a martingale. A PVM of the exchange rates is also constructed from a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) open economy model. The DSGE-PVM predicts that the exchange rate is dominated by permanent monetary and productivity shocks, as the world real interest rate becomes small. Thus, our results complement and extend Engel and West (2005) to a larger class of models, while presenting a new challenge to future research.
Sibling Spillover Effects in School Achievement

We provide the first empirical evidence on direct sibling spillover effects in school achievement using English administrative data. Our identification strategy exploits the variation in school test scores across three subjects observed at age 11 and 16 and the variation in the composition of school mates between siblings. These two sources of variation have been separately used to identify school peer effects, but never in combination. By combining them we are able to identify a sibling spillover effect that is net of unobserved child, family and school characteristics shared by siblings. We find a modest spillover effect from the older sibling to the younger but not vice versa. This effect is considerably higher for siblings from deprived backgrounds, where sibling sharing of school knowledge might compensate for the lack of parental information.
Convolution-Enhanced Bilingual Recursive Neural Network for Bilingual Semantic Modeling

Estimating similarities at different levels of linguistic units, such as words, sub-phrases and phrases, is helpful for measuring semantic similarity of an entire bilingual phrase. In this paper, we propose a convolution-enhanced bilingual recursive neural network (ConvBRNN), which not only exploits word alignments to guide the generation of phrase structures but also integrates multiple-level information of the generated phrase structures into bilingual semantic modeling. In order to accurately learn the semantic hierarchy of a bilingual phrase, we develop a recursive neural network to constrain the learned bilingual phrase structures to be consistent with word alignments. Upon the generated source and target phrase structures, we stack a convolutional neural network to integrate vector representations of linguistic units on the structures into bilingual phrase embeddings. After that, we fully incorporate information of different linguistic units into a bilinear semantic similarity model. We introduce two max-margin losses to train the ConvBRNN model: one for the phrase structure inference and the other for the semantic similarity model. Experiments on NIST Chinese-English translation tasks demonstrate the high quality of the generated bilingual phrase structures with respect to word alignments and the effectiveness of learned semantic similarities on machine translation.