Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intraincisional vs intraperitoneal infiltration of local anaesthetic for controlling early post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy pain

BACKGROUND: The study was designed to compare the effect of intraincisional vs intraperitoneal infiltration of levobupivacaine 0.25% on post-operative pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomised controlled study was carried out on 189 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Group 1 was the control group and did not receive either intraperitoneal or intraincisional levobupivacaine. Group 2 was assigned to receive local infiltration (intraincisional) of 20 ml solution of levobupivacaine 0.25%, while Group 3 received 20 ml solution of levobupivacaine 0.25% intraperitoneally. Post-operative pain was recorded for 24 hours post-operatively. RESULTS: Post-operative abdominal pain was significantly lower with intraincisional infiltration of levobupivacaine 0.25% in group 2. This difference was reported from 30 minutes till 24 hours post-operatively. Right shoulder pain showed significantly lower incidence in group 2 and group 3 compared to control group. Although statistically insignificant, shoulder pain was less in group 3 than group 2. CONCLUSION: Intraincisional infiltration of levobupivacaine is more effective than intraperitoneal route in controlling post-operative abdominal pain. It decreases the need for rescue analgesia.
The akuBKU80 Mutant Deficient for Nonhomologous End Joining Is a Powerful Tool for Analyzing Pathogenicity in Aspergillus fumigatus

ABSTRACT To increase the frequency of homologous recombination, we inactivated the KU80 homologue in Aspergillus fumigatus (named akuBKU80). Homologous integration reached about 80% for both calcineurin A (calA) and polyketide synthase pksP (alb1) genes in the akuBKU80 mutant to 3 and 5%, respectively, when using a wild-type A. fumigatus strain. Deletion of akuBKU80 had no influence on pathogenicity in a low-dose murine infection model.
The Sources of Four Commonly Reported Cutoff Criteria

Everyone can recite methodological “urban legends” that were taught in graduate school, learned over the years through experience publishing, or perhaps just heard through the grapevine. In this article, the authors trace four widely cited and reported cutoff criteria to their (alleged) original sources to determine whether they really said what they are cited as having said about the cutoff criteria, and if not, what the original sources really said. The authors uncover partial truths in tracing the history of each cutoff criterion and in the end endorse a set of 12 specific guidelines for effective academic referencing provided by Harzing that, if adopted, should help prevent the further perpetuation of methodological urban legends.
Individual Skill Predictors of the School- and Career-Related Adjustment of Adolescents With Disabilities

In this investigation, the authors examine the relationship between individual skills (i.e., career locus of control [LOC], social skills [SOC], and social problem–solving skills [SPSS]) and the school- and perceived career–related adjustment of 211 students with disabilities. Data pertaining to individual skills were gathered from student reports, and data pertaining to adjustment were gathered from student and teacher perceptions. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that together LOC, SOC, and SPSS accounted for a significant amount of variance in student- and teacher-rated school- and career-related adjustment after controlling for disability type. Evaluation of individual predictors indicated that the strength of these associations varied according to data source and the specific predictor under study.
Interactive Question Answering and Constraint Relaxation in Spoken Dialogue Systems

We explore the relationship between question answering and constraint relaxation in spoken dialog systems. We develop dialogue strategies for selecting and presenting information succinctly. In particular, we describe methods for dealing with the results of database queries in information-seeking dialogs. Our goal is to structure the dialogue in such a way that the user is neither overwhelmed with information nor left uncertain as to how to refine the query further. We present evaluation results obtained from a user study involving 20 subjects in a restaurant selection task.
The capacity of a measure of disability (the LSP) to predict hospital readmission in those with schizophrenia

Synopsis One hundred and eighteen subjects with an admission diagnosis of schizophrenia were reassessed after 12 months to establish whether hospital readmission had occurred. All subjects were rated at baseline and after 12 months on the Life Skills Profile (LSP), a 39-item measure of disability, with scores demonstrating moderate stability. The baseline LSP score was a significant predictor of readmission, both in univariate and multivariate analyses. By contrast, several univariate variables (e.g. unemployment and non-compliance with medication over the review period) did not maintain their predictive capacity in multivariate analyses, suggesting that they were manifestations or consequences of significant disability, rather than independent contributors to poor outcome.
The genetics of scleroderma: looking into the postgenomic era

Purpose of reviewThe last decade has seen enormous progress in understanding genetic associations of systemic sclerosis to explain the observed heritability. This review highlights the most recent findings and places them in the context of proposed functional roles. Recent findingsOver 30 genes and gene regions have now been identified as scleroderma susceptibility loci. These include both human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and non-HLA genes, most of which involve immune-related pathways and modifiers of immune function. Many of these associations have also been reported in other systemic autoimmune diseases and suggest that there are multiple autoimmunity genes resulting in disease occurrence. SummaryIn spite of these advances, only a small proportion of the heritability of systemic sclerosis has been explained. Ongoing studies include fine mapping and sequencing studies to identify causal variants, whereas other studies focus on functional consequences of these variants in order to identify the link between these genetic variants and disease susceptibility. Such knowledge should lead to more targeted and effective treatment in this disease.
Avaliação comparativa dos sintomas da síndrome de burnout em professores de escolas públicas e privadas

En la actualidad, se observa en parte de los docentes en ejercicio, una sensacion de desmotivacion en relacion a su profesion. Frecuente entre los educadores, el sindrome de burnout se caracteriza por la perdida de sentimiento de realizacion en el trabajo, con productividad disminuida. En este contexto, el objetivo fue evaluar la presencia de sintomas de sindrome de burnout entre los profesionales de las escuelas publicas y privadas de la ciudad de Vicos/MG, con el fin de idenetificar que grupo estaria mas propenso a desarrollarla. Los datos obtenidos no permiten cuantificar si los docentes presentan sintomas del sindrome de burnout, pero si permiten inferir que los profesores de las instituciones publicas poseen caracteristicas que los vuelven mas propensos a manifestar el sindrome, en comparacion con los profesionales de la educacion privada.
Hate Crimes Against British Muslims in the Aftermath of September 11th

The events that took place on September 11th 2001, when the World Trade Center was destroyed, led to widespread anxiety amongst the general public about the possibility of future chemical, biological or nuclear attacks. Media accounts suggest that in the immediate aftermath of September 11th, churches experienced an increased attendance and the number of people seeking counselling and psychotherapy also rose. For many Muslims living in Britain, anxiety relating to September 11th was not directly linked to the possibility of future terrorist attacks, but to the threat of being physically assaulted or verbally abused by members of the British public. The aftermath of September 11th has shown them that events which take place in the global political arena can have a significant impact on their safety and well-being. In the words of one Muslim woman that I spoke to: "As the 'war' progresses each day is uncertain. The outcome of the previous day dictates our lives in the outside world. How safe we feel, how comfortable we feel and the growing concern of what will happen if it all goes wrong. "
The Radiative Feedback of the First Cosmological Objects

In hierarchical models of structure formation, an early cosmic UV background (UVB) is produced by the small (Tvir ≲ 104 K) halos that collapse before reionization. The UVB at energies below 13.6 eV suppresses the formation of stars or black holes inside small halos by photodissociating their only cooling agent, molecular H2. We self-consistently compute the buildup of the early UVB in Press-Schechter models, coupled with H2 photodissociation both in the intergalactic medium (IGM) and inside virialized halos. We find that the intergalactic H2 has a negligible effect on the UVB, both because its initial optical depth is small (≲0.1) and because it is photodissociated at an early stage. If the UV sources in the first collapsed halos are stars, then their UV flux suppresses further star formation inside small halos. This results in a pause in the buildup of the UVB, and reionization is delayed until larger halos (Tvir ≳ 104 K) collapse. If the small halos host miniquasars with hard spectra extending to ~1 keV, then their X-rays balance the effects of the UVB, the negative feedback does not occur, and reionization could be caused by the small halos.
Citizen involvement in the design of technology for climate change adaptation projects in the Pacific

This paper describes work in progress aimed at exploring a role for mobile technology in helping citizens adapt to climate change in the Pacific. The research involved codesign workshops and stakeholder interviews in Fiji. In this paper we describe the design and conduct of the research program, the research context, and participants' reports of the environmental problems they experience. We discuss the technology features participants would like to see, and outline a design that might meet their requirements. We discuss difficulties we experienced using participatory methods in this context, and suggest ways in which further HCI research can contribute to addressing climate change in the Pacific region.
A predictive model for the adjustment of violin bows

A finite element model aimed at predicting the in-plane and out-of-plane static mechanical behavior of a tightened bow is developed. It takes into account the prestress due to hair tension and the nonlinear behavior due to large displacements. An non-destructive procedure to determine the input parameters of the model from measurements on a bow is described. Numerical and experimental results are then compared in the case of two bows, showing good agreement between the simulated and measured mechanical behavior. Finally, hair tension and camber are shown to influence the proportion between lateral and vertical compliances of the tightened bow. The model might be used by bow makers for the adjustments of bows during the making process.
Drugs for Pain Management in Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Objective. With this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the main aspects and currently used drugs for analgesia in shockwave lithotripsy. Evidence Acquisition. We reviewed current literature, concentrating on newer articles and high-quality reviews in international journals. Results. No standardized protocols for pain control in SWL exist, although it is crucial for treatment outcome. General and spinal anaesthesia show excellent pain control but are only recommended for selected cases. The newer opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are able to deliver good analgesia. Interest in inhalation anaesthesia with nitrous oxide, local anaesthesia with deep infiltration of the tissue, and dermal anaesthesia with EMLA or DMSO has recently rekindled, showing good results in terms of pain control and a favourable side effect profile. Tamsulosin and paracetamol are further well-known drugs being currently investigated. Conclusion. Apart from classically used drugs like opioids and NSARs, medicaments like nitrous oxide, paracetamol, DMSA, or refined administration techniques for infiltration anaesthesia show a good effectiveness in pain control for SWL.
Trabalho e sofrimento psíquico na estratégia saúde da família: uma perspectiva Dejouriana

This paper proposes a theoretical construct of "mental suffering" of the worker at the Family Health Strategy (FHS). To this end, we opted for using the theory of the psychodynamics of work from the author Christophe Dejours, seeking a link between theory and practice aspects of the reorientation of primary care model in Brazil. In this sense, the analysis of the workers' mental health employed at the health care forefront appears to be of paramount importance, since it can assist in building evaluation proposals that go beyond traditional and exclusionary perspectives, indicating ways to overcome barriers in public policies, so that it is offered satisfactory service to users in Primary Care. Still, it was possible through this theoretical articulation allow an expansion about the possibilities of talking about work, be heard, to exercise subjective mobilization and seek the transformation of pathogenic conditions, hoping to cause a direct reflection on the organization of work.
Computer-Assisted Instruction in Pitch and Rhythm Error Detection

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the Computer-Assisted Program in Error Detection (CA-PED) was an effective method for developing that skill in college music education majors through a comparison with an effective error detection program, the Program in Error Detection (PED). The computer program, written for the Apple II + microcomputer, is an interactive, programmed-instruction format that utilizes four-voice examples of published band literature. The results indicated significant gains in error-detection skill for both groups, but no significant difference (p < .05) between treatment groups on the Test in Error Detection (TIED) in each of three analyses of covariance, utilizing TIED pretest, Aliferis-Stecklein Music Achievement Test, College Midpoint Level (AS), and combined TIED pretest and AS as the covariates, respectively.
Depth‐sensitive Raman spectroscopy combined with optical coherence tomography for layered tissue analysis

Complete characterization of a layered tissue requires probing both the biochemical and the morphological information from its different layers at various depths. We report the development of a combined Raman spectroscopy (RS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) system that is capable of measuring depth‐sensitive Raman signal from the tissue layers imaged by the OCT. The sample arm of a real‐time time‐domain OCT system was modified to allow for co‐alignment of the OCT with the Raman probe beam. The depth sensitivity of Raman was obtained by incorporating confocal Raman configuration that minimized out‐of‐focus Raman scattered light. The system was first validated using a layered phantom prepared by depositing a thin layer of paraffin over acetaminophen. A good correlation was observed between the OCT images and the Raman signal. The system was also used to record OCT and Raman images of a resected mucosal tissue sample. While OCT image showed the presence of epithelial and stromal layers, Raman spectra measured from these layers confirmed the biochemical difference between the two. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
BCI Demographics II: How Many (and What Kinds of) People Can Use a High-Frequency SSVEP BCI?

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems use brain activity as an input signal and enable communication without movement. This study is a successor of our previous study (BCI demographics I) and examines correlations among BCI performance, personal preferences, and different subject factors such as age or gender for two sets of steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) stimuli: one in the medium frequency range (13, 14, 15 and 16 Hz) and another in the high-frequency range (34, 36,38, 40 Hz). High-frequency SSVEPs (above 30 Hz) diminish user fatigue and risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures. Results showed that most people, despite having no prior BCI experience, could use the SSVEP-based Bremen-BCI system in a very noisy field setting at a fair. Results showed that demographic parameters as well as handedness, tiredness, alcohol and caffeine consumption, etc., have no significant effect on the performance of SSVEP-based BCI. Most subjects did not consider the flickering stimuli annoying, only five out of total 86 participants indicated change in fatigue during the experiment. 84 subjects performed with a mean information transfer rate of 17.24 ± 6.99 bit/min and an accuracy of 92.26 ± 7.82% with the medium frequency set, whereas only 56 subjects performed with a mean information transfer rate of 12.10 ± 7.31 bit/min and accuracy of 89.16 ± 9.29% with the high-frequency set. These and other demographic analyses may help identify the best BCI for each user.
Some Characteristics of Positive and Negative (“Most Traumatic”) Event Memories in a College Sample

Abstract Discrepant findings from cognitive science and clinical research underpin the debate regarding the nature of traumatic memory and raise issues regarding the generalizability of conclusions from non-clinical samples to traumatized clinical populations. In the present study, we replicated and extended a cognitive study by Christianson and Loftus (1990) by comparing characteristics of positive and negative (“most traumatic”) childhood event memories in a college sample and rating the negative memory reports against a clinically-defined standard for traumatic events. Results indicated that negative and positive memories were similar in their ease of recall, vividness, amount of central and peripheral details, degree of past emotion, and amount of discussion of the event. However, negative memories were associated with significantly less present emotion than positive memories and more instances of a highly memorable detail. Expert judges determined that only 8% (4/48) of the negative memory events met the traumatic event exposure criterion for PTSD, and none of these events was associated with self-reported symptomatology sufficient to indicate a likely current PTSD diagnosis. Four other negative events were associated with elevated symptomatology. These results suggest that many of the claims regarding the characteristics of what have been called “traumatic” memories may instead describe emotional memories in general. Further, life events that nonclinical samples identify as “most traumatic” may not correspond to clinically-defined traumatic events. Consequently, caution should be exercised in generalizing negative memory findings from nonclinical samples -even if described as “traumatic” -to describe or explain memories in clinical populations with severe event exposure or posttraumatic symptomatology.
Workload Influence on Fatigue Related Psychological and Physiological Performance Changes of Aviators

Objective We evaluated a variety of non-invasive physiological technologies and a series of test approaches for examination of aviator performances under conditions of mental workload in order to provide a standard real-time test for physiological and psychological pilot fatigue assessments. Methods Twenty-one male aviators were selected for a simulated flight in a hypobaric cabin with artificial altitude conditions of 2400 meter above sea level. The simulated flight lasted for 1.5 h, and was repeated for two times with an intervening 0.5 h rest period outside the hypobaric cabin. Subjective criteria (a fatigue assessment instrument [FAI]) and objective criteria (a standing-position balance test as well as a critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) test) were used for fatigue evaluations. Results No significant change was observed in the FAI scores before and after the simulated flight, indicating that there was no subjective fatigue feeling among the participants. However, significant differences were observed in the standing-position balance and CFF tests among the subjects, suggesting that psychophysiological indexes can reflect mental changes caused by workload to a certain extent. The CFF test was the simplest and clearly indicated the occurrence of workload influences on pilot performances after a simulated flight. Conclusions Results showed that the CFF test was the easiest way to detect workload caused mental changes after a simulated flight in a hypobaric cabin and reflected the psychophysiological state of aviators. We suggest that this test might be used as an effective routine method for evaluating the workload influences on mental conditions of aviators.
Evolution, Systematics, and Phylogeography of Pleistocene Horses in the New World: A Molecular Perspective

The rich fossil record of horses has made them a classic example of evolutionary processes. However, while the overall picture of equid evolution is well known, the details are surprisingly poorly understood, especially for the later Pliocene and Pleistocene, c. 3 million to 0.01 million years (Ma) ago, and nowhere more so than in the Americas. There is no consensus on the number of equid species or even the number of lineages that existed in these continents. Likewise, the origin of the endemic South American genus Hippidion is unresolved, as is the phylogenetic position of the “stilt-legged” horses of North America. Using ancient DNA sequences, we show that, in contrast to current models based on morphology and a recent genetic study, Hippidion was phylogenetically close to the caballine (true) horses, with origins considerably more recent than the currently accepted date of c. 10 Ma. Furthermore, we show that stilt-legged horses, commonly regarded as Old World migrants related to the hemionid asses of Asia, were in fact an endemic North American lineage. Finally, our data suggest that there were fewer horse species in late Pleistocene North America than have been named on morphological grounds. Both caballine and stilt-legged lineages may each have comprised a single, wide-ranging species.
Battling the Extreme: A Study on the Power System Resilience

The electricity infrastructure is a critical lifeline system and of utmost importance to our daily lives. Power system resilience characterizes the ability to resist, adapt to, and timely recover from disruptions. The resilient power system is intended to cope with low probability, high risk extreme events including extreme natural disasters and man-made attacks. With an increasing awareness of such threats, the resilience of power systems has become a top priority for many countries. Facing the pressing urgency for resilience studies, the objective of this paper is to investigate the resilience of power systems. It summarizes practices taken by governments, utilities, and researchers to increase power system resilience. Based on a thorough review on the existing metrics system and evaluation methodologies, we present the concept, metrics, and a quantitative framework for power system resilience evaluation. Then, system hardening strategies and smart grid technologies as means to increase system resilience are discussed, with an emphasis on the new technologies such as topology reconfiguration, microgrids, and distribution automation; to illustrate how to increase system resilience against extreme events, we propose a load restoration framework based on smart distribution technology. The proposed method is applied on two test systems to validify its effectiveness. In the end, challenges to the power system resilience are discussed, including extreme event modeling, practical barriers, interdependence with other critical infrastructures, etc.