Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived Alienation of, and Social Support for, Siblings of Children With Cancer

This descriptive study was performed to identify the relationships among alienation, general social support, and nurses’ support for the siblings of children with cancer. The participants were 84 siblings of children with cancer. Alienation was measured by the revised version of Dean’s Alienation Scale, and general social support was quantified by the revised version of Dubow and Ullman’s Social Support Appraisal Scale. For nurses’ support, Murray’s Nurse–Sibling Social Support Questionnaire was used. Data were collected from July 2011 to December 2011. The participants’ alienation was not particularly high (mean = 42.24 ± 12.72), but psychosocial vulnerability was identified from their answers to open-ended questions. The participants’ perceived alienation showed a negative correlation with general social support, but no relationship with nurses’ support. Although direct relationships between nurses’ support and the siblings’ alienation were not found in this study, the siblings perceived that the support of nurses was moderately helpful. Nurses can help siblings by providing support.
Energy-Efficient Privacy Protection for Smart Home Environments Using Behavioral Semantics

Research on smart environments saturated with ubiquitous computing devices is rapidly advancing while raising serious privacy issues. According to recent studies, privacy concerns significantly hinder widespread adoption of smart home technologies. Previous work has shown that it is possible to infer the activities of daily living within environments equipped with wireless sensors by monitoring radio fingerprints and traffic patterns. Since data encryption cannot prevent privacy invasions exploiting transmission pattern analysis and statistical inference, various methods based on fake data generation for concealing traffic patterns have been studied. In this paper, we describe an energy-efficient, light-weight, low-latency algorithm for creating dummy activities that are semantically similar to the observed phenomena. By using these cloaking activities, the amount of fake data transmissions can be flexibly controlled to support a trade-off between energy efficiency and privacy protection. According to the experiments using real data collected from a smart home environment, our proposed method can extend the lifetime of the network by more than 2× compared to the previous methods in the literature. Furthermore, the activity cloaking method supports low latency transmission of real data while also significantly reducing the accuracy of the wireless snooping attacks.
Information-theoretic resolution of perceptual WSS watermarking of non i.i.d Gaussian signals

The theoretical foundations of data hiding have been revealed by formulating the problem as message communication over a noisy channel. We revisit the problem in light of a more general characterization of the watermark channel and of weighted distortion measures. Considering spread spectrum based information hiding, we release the usual assumption of an i.i. d. cover signal. The game-theoretic resolution of the problem reveals a generalized characterization of optimum attacks. The paper then derives closed-form expressions for the different parameters exhibiting a practical embedding and extraction technique.
Healthcare- and Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Fatal Pneumonia with Pediatric Deaths in Krasnoyarsk, Siberian Russia: Unique MRSA's Multiple Virulence Factors, Genome, and Stepwise Evolution

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen. We herein discussed MRSA and its infections in Krasnoyarsk, Siberian Russia between 2007 and 2011. The incidence of MRSA in 3,662 subjects was 22.0% and 2.9% for healthcare- and community-associated MRSA (HA- and CA-MRSA), respectively. The 15-day mortality rates for MRSA hospital- and community-acquired pneumonia (HAP and CAP) were 6.5% and 50%, respectively. MRSA CAP cases included pediatric deaths; of the MRSA pneumonia episodes available, ≥27.3% were associated with bacteremia. Most cases of HA-MRSA examined exhibited ST239/spa3(t037)/SCCmecIII.1.1.2 (designated as ST239Kras), while all CA-MRSA cases examined were ST8/spa1(t008)/SCCmecIV.3. 1.1(IVc) (designated as ST8Kras). ST239Kras and ST8Kras strongly expressed cytolytic peptide (phenol-soluble modulin α, PSMα; and δ-hemolysin, Hld) genes, similar to CA-MRSA. ST239Kras pneumonia may have been attributed to a unique set of multiple virulence factors (MVFs): toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), elevated PSMα/Hld expression, α-hemolysin, the staphylococcal enterotoxin SEK/SEQ, the immune evasion factor SCIN/SAK, and collagen adhesin. Regarding ST8Kras, SEA was included in MVFs, some of which were common to ST239Kras. The ST239Kras (strain OC3) genome contained: a completely unique phage, φSa7-like (W), with no att repetition; S. aureus pathogenicity island SaPI2R, the first TSST-1 gene-positive (tst +) SaPI in the ST239 lineage; and a super copy of IS256 (≥22 copies/genome). ST239Kras carried the Brazilian SCCmecIII.1.1.2 and United Kingdom-type tst. ST239Kras and ST8Kras were MDR, with the same levofloxacin resistance mutations; small, but transmissible chloramphenicol resistance plasmids spread widely enough to not be ignored. These results suggest that novel MDR and MVF+ HA- and CA-MRSA (ST239Kras and ST8Kras) emerged in Siberian Russia (Krasnoyarsk) associated with fatal pneumonia, and also with ST239Kras, a new (Siberian Russian) clade of the ST239 lineage, which was created through stepwise evolution during its potential transmission route of Brazil-Europe-Russia/Krasnoyarsk, thereby selective advantages from unique MVFs and the MDR.
Feasibility of LDACS1 cell planning in European airspace

The L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) is the air-to-ground data link technology within the Future Communications Infrastructure (FCI). LDACS1 is one of two candidate LDACS technologies that have been recommended for further study by ICAO. In this paper, we assess the feasibility of a Europe-wide deployment of the LDACS1 system. For this purpose, we consider the estimated data traffic load for the year 2020, as well as twice the 2020 traffic load, and perform cell planning to serve this traffic with LDACS1 base stations. The requirement is that the proposed cell planning is able to fully serve the expected traffic and to provide full coverage of the continental European airspace above Flight Level 100. We propose a frequency assignment which takes into account the interference from Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) ground stations, which are also operating in the L-band. We come to the conclusion that a European deployment of LDACS1 is easily achievable, coexists well with today's operating DME stations and still leaves significant room for future traffic growth.
Single-cell A3243G Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Load Assays for Segregation Analysis

Segregation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is an important underlying pathogenic factor in mtDNA mutation accumulation in mitochondrial diseases and aging, but the molecular mechanisms of mtDNA segregation are elusive. Lack of high-throughput single-cell mutation load assays lies at the root of the paucity of studies in which, at the single-cell level, mitotic mtDNA segregation patterns have been analyzed. Here we describe development of a novel fluorescence-based, non-gel PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism method for single-cell A3243G mtDNA mutation load measurement. Results correlated very well with a quantitative in situ Padlock/rolling circle amplification—based genotyping method. In view of the throughput and accuracy of both methods for single-cell A3243G mtDNA mutation load determination, we conclude that they are well suited for segregation analysis.
Distributed versus centralized zero-forcing precoding for multiceli OFDM systems

In this paper we propose distributed linear multiuser precoding techniques for the downlink of multicell MIMO-OFDM systems. The preceder is designed in two phases: first the intercell interference is removed by applying a set of precoding vectors based on zero-forcing criterion and computed in a distributed manner at each BS; then the system is further optimized through power allocation. Three power allocation algorithms with per-BS power constraint and different complexity tradeoffs are proposed: one optimal to minimize the average BER and two suboptimal. The performance of the proposed schemes is compared to the full centralized multicell based approaches recently proposed, and evaluated considering typical pedestrian scenarios. Numerical results show that the proposed suboptimal schemes achieve a performance very close to the optimal. Also, it is shown that for the same degrees of freedom the performance is close to the one of centralized precoding schemes but with much lower feedback load over the backhaul network.
Bait aggregation to reduce cost and toxin use in aerial 1080 baiting of small mammal pests in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND The metabolic toxin sodium fluoroacetate ('compound 1080') is widely used for controlling introduced mammalian pests in New Zealand. For large-scale operations, 1080 is distributed aerially in bait to kill brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula Kerr) and ship rats (Rattus rattus L.). While usually successful in reducing pest populations by > 80%, widespread distribution of toxic bait is relatively expensive and raises concerns from some members of the public. Here, trials with spatial aggregation of baits in forested habitats were conducted to determine whether this can reduce toxin usage while maintaining operational efficacy. RESULTS When 1080 baits were aggregated into clusters (by hand sowing) or into strips (by precision aerial deployment), indices of possum relative abundance were reduced by 92-100%, compared with 73-100% reductions using conventional aerial broadcasting, while all methods reduced relative abundance indices of rats by 88% or greater. Radio tracking indicated a kill rate of > 90% against possums, regardless of bait distribution method. CONCLUSIONS Simply by modifying bait distribution patterns, spatial aggregation can be used to maintain the high encounter rate of pests with 1080 bait that is necessary for operational efficacy, while reducing current toxin usage by up to 80%. Aggregated bait delivery could have relevance for other mammalian pest control scenarios internationally.
Gene Regulatory Networks Mediating Canonical Wnt Signal‐Directed Control of Pluripotency and Differentiation in Embryo Stem Cells

Canonical Wnt signaling supports the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) but also promotes differentiation of early mammalian cell lineages. To explain these paradoxical observations, we explored the gene regulatory networks at play. Canonical Wnt signaling is intertwined with the pluripotency network comprising Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 in mouse ESCs. In defined media supporting the derivation and propagation of ESCs, Tcf3 and β‐catenin interact with Oct4; Tcf3 binds to Sox motif within Oct‐Sox composite motifs that are also bound by Oct4‐Sox2 complexes. Furthermore, canonical Wnt signaling upregulates the activity of the Pou5f1 distal enhancer via the Sox motif in ESCs. When viewed in the context of published studies on Tcf3 and β‐catenin mutants, our findings suggest Tcf3 counters pluripotency by competition with Sox2 at these sites, and Tcf3 inhibition is blocked by β‐catenin entry into this complex. Wnt pathway stimulation also triggers β‐catenin association at regulatory elements with classic Lef/Tcf motifs associated with differentiation programs. The failure to activate these targets in the presence of a mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor essential for ESC culture suggests MEK/ERK signaling and canonical Wnt signaling combine to promote ESC differentiation. Stem Cells 2013;31:2667–2679
A precise packing sequence for self-assembled convex structures

Molecular simulations of the self-assembly of cone-shaped particles with specific, attractive interactions are performed. Upon cooling from random initial conditions, we find that the cones self-assemble into clusters and that clusters comprised of particular numbers of cones (e.g., 4–17, 20, 27, 32, and 42) have a unique and precisely packed structure that is robust over a range of cone angles. These precise clusters form a sequence of structures at specific cluster sizes (a “precise packing sequence”) that for small sizes is identical to that observed in evaporation-driven assembly of colloidal spheres. We further show that this sequence is reproduced and extended in simulations of two simple models of spheres self-assembling from random initial conditions subject to convexity constraints, including an initial spherical convexity constraint for moderate- and large-sized clusters. This sequence contains six of the most common virus capsid structures obtained in vivo, including large chiral clusters and a cluster that may correspond to several nonicosahedral, spherical virus capsids obtained in vivo. Our findings suggest that this precise packing sequence results from free energy minimization subject to convexity constraints and is applicable to a broad range of assembly processes.
Efficacy and Safety of OnabotulinumtoxinA in Patients with Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) affects the quality of life (QoL) of millions of individuals worldwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA in patients with NDO using a network meta-analytic approach, which can also quantify and compare the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA across different dosages. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and the Controlled Trials Register were searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing onabotulinumtoxinA to a control for NDO in adult patients. The primary outcome was the mean number of urinary incontinence (UI) episodes per week. Urodynamic parameters included the maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) and the maximum detrusor pressure (MDP). The safety of onabotulinumtoxinA was determined by the incidence of various frequent adverse events (AEs). Two authors extracted data independently, and the statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.1. 0 software. Results A total of 1,915 patients from six randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis. The onabotulinumtoxinA-treated groups had a significantly decreased mean number of urinary incontinence episodes per week (at week 6) (onabotulinumtoxinA200U: MD: -10.72, 95% CI: -13.4 to -8.04, P<0.00001; 300 U: MD: -11.42, 95% CI: -13.91 to -8.93, P<0.00001), MDP (200 U: MD: -33.46, 95% CI: -39.74 to -27.18, P<0.00001; 300 U: MD: -31.72, 95% CI: -37.69 to -25.75, P<0.00001), and greater increased MCC (200 U: MD: 141.30, 95% CI: 121.28 to 161.32, P<0.00001; 300 U: MD: 151.39, 95% CI: 130.43 to 172.34, P<0.00001) compared to the placebo-treated groups. However, there were no significant differences between the onabotulinumtoxinA-treated groups for the number of weekly UI episodes at 6 weeks (MD: 0.08, 95% CI: -2.57 to 2.73, P = 0.95). Similarly, we also observed that there were no significant differences in MCC (MD: -9.97, 95% CI: -33.15 to 13.20, P = 0.40) and MDP (MD: -1.86, 95% CI: -8.09 to 4.37, P = 0.56). Considering the AEs, the onabotulinumtoxinA-treated groups were often associated with more complications, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) (RR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.29 to 1.67, P<0.00001), urinary retention (RR: 5.58, 95% CI: 3.53 to 8.83, P<0.00001), hematuria (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.85, P = 0.05), and muscle weakness (RR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.36 to 4.91, P = 0.004). Conclusions OnabotulinumtoxinA can significantly reduce the frequency of urge urinary incontinence and improve urodynamic parameters (MCC and MDP) in patients with NDO at 6 weeks after treatment. This meta-analysis indicates that onabotulinumtoxinA is effective and safe for treating patients with NDO compared to placebo. Additionally, we did not observe any statistical or clinical differences in efficacy between 300 and 200 U dosages.
On Yetter's Invariant and an Extension of the Dijkgraaf-Witten Invariant to Categorical Groups

We give an interpretation of Yetter's Invariant of manifolds M in terms of the homotopy type of the function space TOP(M,B(G)), where G is a crossed module and B(G) is its classifying space. From this formulation, there follows that Yetter's invariant depends only on the homotopy type of M, and the weak homotopy type of the crossed module G. We use this interpretation to define a twisting of Yetter's Invariant by cohomology classes of crossed modules, defined as cohomology classes of their classifying spaces, in the form of a state sum invariant. In particular, we obtain an extension of the Dijkgraaf-Witten Invariant of manifolds to categorical groups. The straightforward extension to crossed complexes is also considered.
Innovation and Price Competition in a Two-Sided Market

We examine a platform's optimal two-sided pricing strategy while considering seller-side innovation decisions and price competition. We model the innovation race among sellers in both finite and infinite horizons. In the finite case, we analytically show that the platform's optimal seller-side access fee fully extracts the sellers' surplus, and that the optimal buyer-side access fee mitigates price competition among sellers. The platform's optimal strategy may be to charge or subsidize buyers depending on the degree of variation in the buyers' willingness to pay for quality; this optimal strategy induces full participation on both sides. Furthermore, a wider quality gap among sellers' products lowers the optimal buyer-side fee but leads to a higher optimal seller-side fee. In the infinite innovation race, we perform computations to find the stationary Markov equilibrium of sellers' innovation rate. Our results show that when all sellers innovate, there exists a parameterization under which a higher seller-side access fee stimulates innovation.
Effects of Sowing Date on Phenotypic Plasticity of Fitness-Related Traits in Two Annual Weeds on the Songnen Plain of China

Background Phenotypic plasticity of fitness-related traits is vital for plant species to adapt to variable environments. Chenopodium glaucum L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L. are two common weed species globally. Understanding the plasticity in life-history traits, especially in reproductive allocation, within and among these species is important for predicting their success and for managing them in different environments. Methodology/Principal Findings Seeds of the two plant species were sown every 10 days from 26 Jun to 15 Aug. Life-history and fitness-related traits of both phenology and morphology were measured, and dry biomass of roots, stems, leaves, and reproductive tissues was determined at physiological maturity. Length of reproductive and total life period of the two species differed among six sowing-date treatments. Later germinating plants led to relatively reduced total life period, size, and earlier reproduction than earlier germinating plants. The ratio of reproductive biomass to total plant biomass increased with later planting dates in C. glaucum but declined in A. retroflexus. Mature plant height, crown diameter, and reproductive tissue biomass, and seed production of C. glaucum and A. retroflexus increased with delayed reproductive period. Both species displayed true plasticity in reproductive allocation. However, the sowing date had a far greater effect on rate of vegetative growth than on allocation to reproduction. Conclusions/Significance The fitness of both C. glaucum and A. retroflexus populations have an apparent increase when the period between germination and seed production is much longer. However, C. glaucum appears better adapted to later sowing than A. retroflexus. Controlling seedlings prior to reproduction will alleviate the negative effect not only in the present year but also in future years.
Family Health Conversations have Positive Outcomes on Families - A Mixed Method Research Study

Background: Having a family member living in a residential home affects the entire family and can be hard to handle. Family members require encouraging and open communication support from nurses during and after relocation to a residential home. A Family Systems Nursing intervention, “Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) was conducted in order to strengthen the health of families having relatives at residential home for older people. Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the responses to the Family Health Conversations in families with a member living at a residential home for older people and to integrate the empirical results with a theoretical assumption upon which the intervention was based. Methods: A mixed methods research design was used. The Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Survey and the Family Hardiness Index were administered before and 6 months after the intervention. Qualitative data was collected by semi-structured interviews with each family 6 months post-intervention. The sample included 10 families comprising 22 family members. Result: Main finding was that FamHCs helped family members process their feelings about having a member living at a residential home and made it easier for them to deal with their own situations. FamHCs helped to ease their consciences, improve their emotional well-being, and change their beliefs about their own insufficiency and guilt. Seeing problems from a different perspective facilitated the families’ thinking in a new way. Conclusion: These findings showed that FamHC could be an important type of intervention to improve family functioning and enhance the emotional well-being.
Heat Transfer Enhancement Analysis of Al2O3-Water Nanofluid Through Parallel and Counter Flow in Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Heat exchanger plays an essential part in industrial sector in transferring the heat energy. Heat is exchanged between fluids in convection and conduction mode through the walls of the heat exchanger. If the heat transfer medium has low thermal conductivity, it will greatly limit the efficiency of the heat exchanger. Whenever the system acts subjected to an increase in the heat load, heat fluxes caused by more power and smaller size, cooling is one of the technical challenges faced by the industries. The objective of this research work is to evaluate the overall heat transfer coefficient through an experimental analysis on the convective heat transfer and flow characteristics of a nanofluid. In our experiment, the nanofluid consists of water and one percentage volume concentration of Al2O3-water nanofluid flowing through parallel and counter flow in shell and tube heat exchangers. About 50nm diameter of Al2O3 nanoparticles was used in this analysis and found that the overall heat transfer coefficient and convective heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid were slightly higher than those of the base liquid at same mass flow rate and inlet temperature. Here, there are three samples of dissimilar mass flow rates, which have been identified for conducting the experiments and their results are continuously monitored and reported. Finally, the observed results through an experimental investigation were presented and concluded that the enhancement of overall heat transfer coefficient is likely to be feasible by means of increasing the mass flow rate of base fluid and prepared nanofluid on the proportional basis.