Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Role Models and Hospital Design on the Hand Hygiene of Health-Care Workers

We assessed the effect of medical staff role models and the number of health-care worker sinks on hand-hygiene compliance before and after construction of a new hospital designed for increased access to handwashing sinks. We observed health-care worker hand hygiene in four nursing units that provided similar patient care in both the old and new hospitals: medical and surgical intensive care, hematology/oncology, and solid organ transplant units. Of 721 hand-hygiene opportunities, 304 (42%) were observed in the old hospital and 417 (58%) in the new hospital. Hand-hygiene compliance was significantly better in the old hospital (161/304; 53%) compared to the new hospital (97/417; 23.3%) (p<0.001). Health-care workers in a room with a senior (e.g., higher ranking) medical staff person or peer who did not wash hands were significantly less likely to wash their own hands (odds ratio 0.2; confidence interval 0.1 to 0.5); p<0.001). Our results suggest that health-care worker hand-hygiene compliance is influenced significantly by the behavior of other health-care workers. An increased number of hand-washing sinks, as a sole measure, did not increase hand-hygiene compliance.
Gifted adrift? Career counseling of the gifted and talented

Research on career development and counseling for gifted and talented students primarily has focused on the recurring themes of multipotentiality, career needs of females, perfectionism, and early cognitive and vocational maturity. A review of current literature, however, indicates that new perspectives on traditional concepts are needed in order to provide appropriate and adequate career counseling to all gifted and talented students. This article gives an overview of the existing issues, identifies areas for further research, and recommends an agenda for change in the nature of career counseling for the gifted and talented.
Are high-intensity zones and Modic changes mutually exclusive in symptomatic lumbar degenerative discs?

OBJECT Modic changes (MCs) and high-intensity zones (HIZs) potentially serve as variably sensitive markers for discogenic chronic low-back pain (CLBP). No study has hitherto assessed the phenomenon of MC-HIZ coexistence at a single level, and the goal in this study was to assess the nature and frequency of this phenomenon. METHODS One hundred twenty consecutive patients with discogenic CLBP in whom lumbar MR imaging studies had demonstrated an HIZ, an MC, or both were included. RESULTS This cohort (120 consecutive patients with 193 degenerative discs) had discogenic CLBP in at least 1 lumbar level associated with either an HIZ (77 discs), an MC (67 discs), or both (16 patients); there were 55 coexistent non-HIZ/non-MC degenerative discs. Painful MC-HIZ coexistence at 1 level occurred in 6 patients (5 of whom were female). If HIZs and MCs were random, independent entities, then MC-HIZ coexistence at 1 level would have been expected in 67 x 77/193 (that is, 27) discs. The observed frequency was therefore significantly lower (chi(2) = 41, p < 0.001). There were no significant demographic differences between groups. The HIZ disc height (8 +/- 0.2 mm) was significantly greater than the MC (6.6 +/- 0.2 mm) or MC-HIZ (6.7 +/- 0.2 mm) disc heights (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In patients with discogenic CLBP associated with HIZ or MC lesions, MC-HIZ coexistence at 1 level was significantly rarer than expected even by chance; thus, despite both being manifestations of a seemingly common degenerative process, HIZ and MC more closely represent "either/or" phenomena. Because HIZ disc height was significantly greater, HIZs may develop earlier in the disc degenerative ontogeny. If any degenerative disc may only display an HIZ first, yet may ultimately display an MC instead, then HIZs must invariably regress as MCs supervene (or even vice versa). The MC-HIZ coexistence would therefore represent either a rare stable state (possibly more common in females) or a transitory state, as one lesion gradually replaces the other. Longitudinal studies would confirm or refute these hypotheses, although significantly larger sample sizes would be required.
Dopaminergic Presynaptic Modulation of Nigral Afferents: Its Role in the Generation of Recurrent Bursting in Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata Neurons

Previous work has shown the functions associated with activation of dopamine presynaptic receptors in some substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) afferents: (i) striatonigral terminals (direct pathway) posses presynaptic dopamine D1-class receptors whose action is to enhance inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) and GABA transmission. (ii) Subthalamonigral terminals posses D1- and D2-class receptors where D1-class receptor activation enhances and D2-class receptor activation decreases excitatory postsynaptic currents. Here we report that pallidonigral afferents posses D2-class receptors (D3 and D4 types) that decrease inhibitory synaptic transmission via presynaptic modulation. No action of D1-class agonists was found on pallidonigral synapses. In contrast, administration of D1-receptor antagonists greatly decreased striatonigral IPSCs in the same preparation, suggesting that tonic dopamine levels help in maintaining the function of the striatonigral (direct) pathway. When both D3 and D4 type receptors were blocked, pallidonigral IPSCs increased in amplitude while striatonigral connections had no significant change, suggesting that tonic dopamine levels are repressing a powerful inhibition conveyed by pallidonigral synapses (a branch of the indirect pathway). We then blocked both D1- and D2-class receptors to acutely decrease direct pathway (striatonigral) and enhance indirect pathways (subthalamonigral and pallidonigral) synaptic force. The result was that most SNr projection neurons entered a recurrent bursting firing mode similar to that observed during Parkinsonism in both patients and animal models. These results raise the question as to whether the lack of dopamine in basal ganglia output nuclei is enough to generate some pathological signs of Parkinsonism.
Learning Due to the Response-Shock Contingency in Signalled Punishment

Three experiments examined some of the parameters that affect the degree of response-specific learning in signalled punishment. Each of the experiments used a within-subject procedure in which the shocks received in the presence of a stimulus signalling response-independent shocks (CER) were yoked to the number and distribution of shocks received in a stimulus signalling punishment. Experiments 1 and 2 used different values of variable-interval (VI) or fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of shock priming, respectively, during the punishment stimulus, and Experiment 3 varied the delay of punishment. The results of all three experiments supported the conclusion that the degree of additional suppression produced by the response contingency during the punishment stimulus compared to the CER stimulus was a function of the strength of contingency between the response and the shock.
CFRP Composites for Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Walls with Openings

This paper presents the results of a research work aimed at investigating the potential used of externally bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite sheets as a strengthening solution for uniaxial rectangular concrete walls with central rectangular in-plane openings. Seventeen of 1/3 scale rectangular concrete walls with and without central rectangular in-plane openings of different sizes (5%, 10%, 20% and 30% of wall areas) are tested. In thickness direction, one central layer of steel fabrics was used to reinforce the concrete walls. The walls were subjected to uniaxial loading aligned with the longest edge of the concrete walls. The loading was applied eccentrically (t/6) with respect to the mid-plane of the walls. Two different patterns were used to fix the CFRP to both surfaces of the walls which are parallel to the midplane of the wall segments. The first pattern consisted of applying four strips of CFRP parallel to the four edges of the opening such that they framed the opening. In the second pattern, CFRP strips were used to reinforce the walls in the vicinity of the opening edges only, i.e. four CFRP strips were applied close to the corners of the openings, in an angle of 45 degrees with both adjacent edges of the opening. From the results of the research work, it was found that CFRP strips applied at an angle of 45 degrees to both adjacent edges of the opening yielded a better compressive strength compared to the CFRP strips that framed the openings. Keywords-Reinforced concrete wall, opening, ultimate load, Carbon Reinforced Polymer, CFRP, stress concentration, strengthening
Inclusive schooling: fostering citizenship among immigrant students in Europe

Growing ethnic and cultural diversity within Europe has brought increased attention to the impact and inclusion of immigrant populations and has also presented societies with valuable opportunities for intercultural learning between diverse groups. Using the International Civic and Citizenship Study data from 24 European education systems, in this paper we explore whether fostering an atmosphere of inclusion in schools relates to select attitudes and behaviours typically associated with an inclusive society, particularly among immigrant students. Our study is able to tease out some of the differences related to social class among immigrant students, opening up important avenues for discussion and future research. According to our findings, first generation immigrant students from higher socio-economic status backgrounds tended to have significantly more negative attitudes toward their resident country. Findings also collectively suggest that local-level practices, such as improving immigrant student participation in schools and positive relations between immigrant students and teachers, could be significant factors in fostering an inclusive society. Based on these results, we describe several education policies and practices that can promote greater inclusion, such as encouraging increased civic participation within the school and community, and providing a forum where students can contribute to school governance.
VALIDACIÓN ESTRUCTURAL DEL R-SPQ-2F: UN ANÁLISIS FACTORIAL CONFIRMATORIO

The aim of this study is to validate the internal structure of the Revised-Study ProcessQuestionnaire-2 Factors (Biggs, Kember & Leung, 2001), through a heterogeneous sampleof 269 university and non-university participants. The structural equation methodology isused to test several measurement models: one-dimensional, four factors and hierarchicalstructure, and two factors (orthogonal and oblique). Theodels based on four factors did notshow a satisfactory adjustment, and one had convergence problems caused by a very highinterfactorial correlation. The two-factor model (deep and shallow) with correlated errorshad a satisfactory adjustment. The internal consistency was satisfactory. The usefulness ofthe instrument and its theoretical reformulation is discussed.
Board of Diretor Education and Firm Performance: a Dynamic Approach

I examine the relationship between board of director’s (BoD) education and firm performance on a European dataset over the period from 1999 to 2013, employing a well-developed dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator to alleviate endogeneity issue in corporate governance study. I find no correlation between BoD education and firm’s return on asset, after accounting for endogeneity issues. All else equal, firms with better educated board of director may appear to have better performance in the shortrun, but that superiority will likely to reverse in the future.
Local Integration Experiments in the New Urban Areas of Hanoi

In the peri-urban zones of many South East Asian cities, capital has flowed into the development of new, middle class urban enclaves. A significant body of scholarship sees these places as embodying some of the worst elements of American-style suburban, gated communities: sterile, disconnected from their surroundings, isolating wealthy people from the surrounding urban life, etc. While it is no doubt true that such a negative view is frequently warranted, through a closer examination of two projects in peri-urban Hanoi, the authors show that Vietnam's new urban enclaves can hardly be assimilated into the hermetically sealed enclaves described in much of the critical literature. The study cases from Hanoi reveal much more porosity: a strong influence of traditional modes of housing production and allocation, a mixing of built forms and the integration of the new enclaves into the surrounding communities.
In situ polymerization synthesis and characterization of single wall nanotubes/ poly(vinyl)triazole nanocomposites

The synthesis of single wall nanotubes (SWNT)/poly(vinyl)triazole (PVTri) composites by in situ emulsion polymerization method and its chemical and physical properties were investigated throughout this work. The surface modification of the SWNT by nitric acid treatment and air oxidation has improved the dispersion of the SWNT in the PVTri matrix. The SWNT/PVTri composite is obtained by covalent bonding of the carboxyl terminated SWNTs to PVTri. The effect of covalent bond formation between PVTri and SWNT on the thermal and electrical properties of the composite is also studied. The spectroscopic, thermal, and microscopic analysis has confirmed the structure, homogeneity, and the morphology of surface functionalized SWNT and SWNT/PVTri composites. SWNT/PVTri composites showed enhanced chemical stability in many common solvents and high electrical conductivity.
A pattern matcher for miniKanren or How to get into trouble with CPS macros

CPS macros written using Scheme’s syntax-rules macro system allow for guaranteed composition of macros and control over the order of macro expansion. We identify a limitation of CPS macros when used to generate bindings from a non-unique list of user-speciﬁed identiﬁers. Implementing a pattern matcher for the miniKanren relational programming language revealed this limitation. Identiﬁers come from the pattern, and repetition indicates that the same variable binding should be used. Using a CPS macro, binding is delayed until after the comparisons are performed. This may cause free identiﬁers that are symbolically equal to be conﬂated, even when they are introduced by different parts of the source program. After expansion, this leaves some identiﬁers unbound that should be bound. In our ﬁrst solution, we use syntax-case with bound-identiﬁer = ? to correctly compare the delayed bindings. Our second solution uses eager binding with syntax-rules . This requires abandoning the CPS approach when discovering new identiﬁers.
Niche expansion of the shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) to Arctic waters is supported by a thermal independence of cardiac performance at low temperature

Cardiovascular adaptations that permit successful exploitation of polar marine waters by fish requires a capacity to negate or compensate for the depressive effects of low temperatures on physiological processes. Here, we examined the effects of acute and chronic temperature change on the maximum cardiac performance of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius (L., 1758)) captured above the Arctic Circle. Our aim was to establish if the sculpin’s success at low temperatures was achieved through thermal independence of cardiac function or via thermal compensation as a result of acclimation. Maximum cardiac performance was assessed at both 1 and 6 °C with a working perfused heart preparation that was obtained after fish had been acclimated to either 1 or 6 °C. Thus, tests were performed at the fish’s acclimation temperature and with an acute temperature change. Maximum cardiac output, which was relatively large (>50 mL·min−1·kg−1 body mass) for a benthic fish at a frigid temperature, was found to be indepen.
Recurrent Neural Networks Can Learn to Implement Symbol-Sensitive Counting

Recently researchers have derived formal complexity analysis of analog computation in the setting of discrete-time dynamical systems. As an empirical constrast, training recurrent neural networks (RNNs) produces self-organized systems that are realizations of analog mechanisms. Previous work showed that a RNN can learn to process a simple context-free language (CFL) by counting. Herein, we extend that work to show that a RNN can learn a harder CFL, a simple palindrome, by organizing its resources into a symbol-sensitive counting solution, and we provide a dynamical systems analysis which demonstrates how the network: can not only count, but also copy and store counting information.
Structural evidence in support of an urinary tract pacemaker.

SUMMARY Using light and electron microscopic techniques, the arrangement and distribution of smooth muscle and of noradrenergic nerves has been examined in the multicalyceal upper urinary tracts of the pig and human. Smooth muscle confined to the renal attachment of each minor calyx appeared structurally different from that which extended throughout the major calyces, renal pelvis and upper ureter. The two types of muscle, however, were in continuity with one another. A relatively rich supply of noradrenergic nerves was also identified in relation to these modified smooth muscle cells adjacent to the renal parenchyma; very few similar nerves were seen amongst the muscle bundles in the remainder of the upper urinary tract. In conjunction with other studies, it is proposed that these observations are best interpreted as structural evidence for a pacemaker system localised to the proximal part of the urinary tract in these species.
The role of reading strategies in scientific text comprehension and academic achievement of university students

The aim of the study was to explore the relations between comprehension strategies engaged in different aspects of comprehension processing, and to examine the relationship of these strategies and text comprehension to academic achievement. The participants in the study were 112 undergraduate psychology students (10 male and 102 female). Text comprehension was assessed on three short scientific paragraphs on topics from cognitive psychology. A self-explanatory task was applied for assessing the use of three reading strategies: paraphrasing, bridging inferences and elaborations. Additionally, question generation and summarizing tasks were administered. Grade point average (GPA) was used as an indicator of academic achievement. Relations between reading strategies indicated grouping of the strategies that foster different aspects of comprehension processing from the text-base level to the situation model of the text. Students typically use paraphrases, regardless of their reading comprehension level ; however, good comprehenders use more strategies that help readers to build global representation of the text compared to poor comprehenders. The use of elaboration strategies and the use of summarizing strategy were the best predictors of text comprehension. The effects of reading strategies on GPA were mediated by reading comprehension.
Are Invaders Moving Targets? The Generality and Persistence of Advantages in Size, Reproduction, and Enemy Release in Invasive Plant Species with Time since Introduction

Successful plant invasions are often attributed to increased plant size, reproduction, or release from natural enemies, but the generality and persistence of these patterns remains widely debated. Meta‐analysis was used to quantitatively assess invasive plant performance and release from enemy damage and how these change with residence time and geographic distribution. Invasive plants were compared either in their introduced and home ranges or with native congeners in the introduced range. Invasive plants in the introduced range were generally larger, allocated more to reproduction, and had lower levels of herbivore damage compared with conspecifics in the home range; pathogen attack, however, varied widely. In congener comparisons, invasive and native plants did not differ in size or herbivory, but invaders did allocate less to reproduction and had lower levels of pathogen damage. Time since introduction was a significant nonlinear predictor of enemy release for both herbivores and pathogens, with initial release in recently arrived species and little to no release after 50 to 200 years. Geographic distribution was also a significant nonlinear predictor of enemy release. The observed nonlinear relationships are consistent with dynamic invasions and may define targets for eradication efforts if these patterns hold up for individual species.
Explaining 'Explaining Away'

'Explaining away' is a common pattern of reasoning in which the confirmation of one cause of an observed or believed event reduces the need to invoke alternative causes. The opposite of explaining away also an occur, where the confirmation of one cause increases belief in another. A general qualitative probabilistic analysis of intercausal reasoning is provided and the property of the interaction among the causes (product synergy) that determines which form of reasoning is appropriate is identified. Product synergy extends the qualitative probabilistic network (QPN) formalism to support qualitative intercausal inference about the directions of change in probabilistic belief. The intercausal relation also justifies Occam's razor, facilitating pruning in the search for likely diagnoses. >
Probing the active site of mitogillin, a fungal ribotoxin

Fungal ribotoxins, such as mitogillin and the related Aspergillus toxins restrictocin and α‐sarcin, are highly specific ribonucleases, which inactivate the ribosome enzymatically by cleaving the eukaryotic 28S RNA of the large ribosomal subunit at a single phosphodiester bond. The site of cleavage occurs between G4325 and A4326, which are present in a 14‐base sequence (the α‐sarcin loop) conserved among the large subunit rRNAs of all living species. The amino acid residues involved in the cytotoxic activities of mitogillin were investigated by introducing point mutations using hydroxylamine into a recombinant Met‐mature mitogillin (mitogillin with a Met codon at the N‐terminus and no leader sequence) gene constructed from an Aspergillus fumigatus cDNA clone. These constructs were cloned into a yeast expression vector under the control of the GAL1 promoter and transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Upon induction of mitogillin expression, surviving transformants revealed that substitutions of certain amino acid residues on mitogillin abolished its cytotoxicity. Non‐toxic mutant genes were cloned into an Escherichia coli expression vector, the proteins overexpressed and purified to homogeneity and their activities examined by in vitro ribonucleolytic assays. These studies identified the His‐49Tyr, Glu‐95Lys, Arg‐120Lys and His‐136Tyr mutations to have a profound impact on the ribonucleolytic activities of mitogillin. We conclude that these residues are key components of the active site contributing to the catalytic activities of mitogillin.
Thrombophilic gene mutations in women with repeated spontaneous miscarriage.

AIM One of the main problems concerning repeated spontaneous miscarriage (RSM) is the etiological diagnosis. The relation of thrombophilia to RSM is a matter of debate. In this case-control study, we determined the percentages of three thrombophilic mutations (factor V leiden, prothrombin, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) amongst 20 cases with RSM and 20 control normal parous women. RESULTS There were high statistically significant increases in the number of cases with factor V, prothrombin, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutations compared with normal control and the percentage of multiple gene mutations was higher than single gene mutation. CONCLUSION The prevalence of thrombophilic mutations is higher in cases of RSM than control.