Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hope promoting strategies of Registered Nurses.

AIM This paper describes self-reported hope-promoting strategies used by Registered Nurses whilst providing care for older patients in acute and long-term care settings. BACKGROUND The literature is replete with claims that Registered Nurses engage in hope facilitation with their patients. However, these claims are largely conjecture, with few studies empirically identifying the extent to which Registered Nurses use hope interventions with their patients. Further, some authors have questioned whether nurses have the necessary skills to undertake this vital aspect of care. METHODS In this Gadamerian hermeneutic phenomenological study, undertaken in 2003 in Australia, we used in-depth audiotaped interviews to collect data with 14 Registered Nurses. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using the Turner method. FINDINGS Whilst participants clearly reported that they engaged in hope facilitation with older patients, there were differences between the reported strategies used by Registered Nurses in acute and long-term care settings. Further, the strategies reported were not unique to hope promotion and have been variously described in the literature on caring, presencing, holistic nursing and therapeutic nursing. CONCLUSION It is clear that participants considered hope promotion to be a vital aspect of their care. However, the strategies that they reported were limited and not inclusive of many and varied suggestions emerging from published studies on hope promotion. Therefore, we recommend that nursing curricula, professional development and in-service education programmes place hope facilitation on their agenda and foster a culture in which promoting hope is seen as a vital aspect of nursing care.
Scheduling A Major College Basketball Conference

The nine universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) have a basketball competition in which each school plays home and away games against each other over a nine-week period. The creation of a suitable schedule is a very difficult problem with a myriad of conflicting requirements and preferences. We develop an approach to scheduling problems that uses a combination of integer programming and enumerative techniques. Our approach yields reasonable schedules very quickly and gave a schedule that was accepted by the ACC for play in 1997–1998.
Clusterin facilitates in vivo clearance of extracellular misfolded proteins

The extracellular deposition of misfolded proteins is a characteristic of many debilitating age-related disorders. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms that act to suppress this process in vivo. Clusterin (CLU) is an extracellular chaperone that forms stable and soluble complexes with misfolded client proteins. Here we explore the fate of complexes formed between CLU and misfolded proteins both in vitro and in a living organism. We show that proteins injected into rats are cleared more rapidly from circulation when complexed with CLU as a result of their more efficient localisation to the liver and that this clearance is delayed by pre-injection with the scavenger receptor inhibitor fucoidan. The CLU-client complexes were found to bind preferentially, in a fucoidan-inhibitable manner, to human peripheral blood monocytes and isolated rat hepatocytes and in the latter cell type were internalized and targeted to lysosomes for degradation. The data suggest, therefore, that CLU plays a key role in an extracellular proteostasis system that recognises, keeps soluble, and then rapidly mediates the disposal of misfolded proteins.
Energy efficiency analysis of the Watchful Sleep mode in next-generation passive optical networks

Energy efficiency has become a salient element in the design and operation of modern telecommunications networks. To support energy efficiency in passive optical network (PON) systems, the ITU-T has recently standardized a new power management technique, namely the Watchful Sleep mode, which unifies the two previously standardized techniques (i.e., Doze and Cyclic Sleep modes). The new mode can emulate each of the Doze and Cyclic modes, and it outperforms them in terms of energy efficiency and reduced network signaling. In this paper, we present the first analytical model for numerically measure the performance of the Watchful Sleep mode. Specifically, the new model estimates the ONU's energy efficiency under different network scenarios given a set of quality-of-service constraints. To validate our model, we perform comparisons with simulation results. These comparisons demonstrate that the proposed model can accurately capture the energy efficiency of PON systems.
Language model-based sentence classification for opinion question answering systems

In this paper, we discuss an essential component for classifying opinionative and factual sentences in an opinion question answering system. We propose a language model-based approach with a Bayes classifier. This classification model is used to filter sentence retrieval outputs in order to answer opinionative questions. We used Subjectivity dataset for our experiments and applied different state-of-the-art smoothing methods. The results show that our proposed technique significantly outperforms current standard classification methods including support vector machines. The accuracy is improved from 90.49% to 93.35%.
Make it or Break it: Mining Anomalies from Linux Kbuild

The Linux kernel has long been an interesting subject of study in terms of its source code. Recently, it has also been studied in terms of its variability since the Linux kernel can be configured to include or omit certain features according to the user's selection. These features are defined in the Kconfig files included in the Linux kernel code. Several articles study both the source code and Kconfig files to ensure variability is correctly implemented and to detect anomalies. However, these studies ignore the Make files which are another important component that controls the variability of the Linux kernel. The Make files are responsible for specifying what actually gets compiled and built into the final kernel. With over 1,300 Make files, more than 35,000 source code files, and over 10,000 Kconfig features, inconsistencies and anomalies are inevitable. In this paper, we explore the Linux's Make files (Kbuild) to detect anomalies. We develop three rules to identify anomalies in the Make files. Using these rules, we detect 89 anomalies in the latest release of the Linux kernel (2.6.38.6). We also perform a longitudinal analysis to study the evolution of Kbuild anomalies over time, and the solutions implemented to correct them. Our results show that many of the anomalies we detect are eventually corrected in future releases. This work is a first attempt at exploring the consistency of the variability implemented in Kbuild with the rest of the kernel. Such work opens the door for automatic anomaly detection in build systems which can save developers time in the future.
Performance comparison of caching strategies for information-centric IoT

In-network caching is one of the most defining aspects of Information-Centric Networking (ICN). It ensures that relevant content is readily available across the network, even if the original producer is not reachable. However, in the Internet of Things (IoT), where memory is often severely limited, nodes cannot simply cache any and all content they receive, necessitating an increased reliance on caching strategies that offer heuristics on when to cache incoming content and which cached content to replace when the cache is full. In this paper, we discuss several existing ICN caching and cache replacement strategies as well as metrics suitable for evaluating them in an IoT context. We then evaluate multiple different strategies using IoT devices in a large testbed. Our experimental results show that simple stateless caching policies can perform equally well or sometimes even better than other, more complex schemes. This result is encouraging as it implies that it is indeed possible to employ effective ICN caching even in resource-constrained IoT nodes. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to perform such an evaluation using actual IoT hardware in a realistic deployment.
A gamified learning app for children with ADHD

Special Education is an Educational Service provided by private or public schools that cater students with disabilities. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder that begins at infancy stage. But it can also develop during teenage state and even in adulthood. This study focused on providing an interactive supplementary tool in assisting ADHD children in learning Mathematics, Language and Basic Hygiene. This gamified system was designed for an Android mobile application of Level 1 lectures in animated presentation. This tool was made available in order for the parents and teachers track students or ADHD children's progress through different activities taken in the e-tutor system. In conclusion, the user acceptance testing showed that the Android application was approved in content and suitable to use for special education services.
Personal Taxes, Endogenous Default, and Corporate Bond Yield Spreads

Term structure models have often been criticized for failing to explain satisfactorily the yield spread between corporate and Treasury bonds. A potential problem is that the personal tax effect is ignored in these models. In this paper, we employ a structural model to investigate the role of personal taxes on both debt and equity returns in capital structure decisions and assess their impact on corporate bond yield spreads. It is shown that personal taxes affect the firms optimal capital structure, and the tax premium explains a substantial portion of yield spreads, especially for high-grade bonds. The predictive ability of the model for yield spreads is much improved when personal tax effects are accounted for. In controlling for the liquidity effect, we obtain implied personal income tax rates closely in line with Grahams (1999) estimates.
Diversification bias: Explaining the discrepancy in variety seeking between combined and separated choices

Recent research has revealed a pattern of choice characterized as a diversification bias: If people make combined choices of quantities of goods for future consumption, they choose more variety than if they make separate choices immediately preceding consumption. This phenomenon is explored in a series of experiments in which the researchers first eliminated several hypotheses that held that the discrepancy between combined and separate choice can be explained by traditional accounts of utility maximization. On the basis of results of further experiments, it was concluded that the diversification bias is largely attributable to 2 mechanisms: time contraction, which is the tendency to compress time intervals and treat long intervals as if they were short, and choice bracketing, which is the tendency to treat choices that are framed together differently from those that are framed apart. The researchers describe how the findings can be applied in the domains of marketing and consumer education.
DNA quantification of basidiomycetous fungi during storage of logging residues

The demand for bioenergy caused an increased use of logging residues, branches and treetops that were previously left on the ground after harvesting. Residues are stored outdoors in piles and it is unclear to what extent fungi transform this material. Our objective was to quantify the amount of wood degrading fungi during storage using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to detect basidiomycetous DNA in logging residues, a novel approach in this field. We found that the qPCR method was accurate in quantifying the fungal DNA during storage. As the moisture content of the piled logging residues decreased during the storage period, the fungal DNA content also decreased. Scots pine residues contained more fungal DNA than residues from Norway spruce. Loose piles had generally more fungal DNA than bundled ones.
High-risk features and tumor differentiation in retinoblastoma: a retrospective histopathologic study.

CONTEXT Certain histopathologic risk factors in enucleated eyes are important indicators for adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with retinoblastoma. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of histopathologic risk factors in a large series of retinoblastomas treated by enucleation on file in the pathology laboratory of a large American eye hospital, assess the relationship between tumor differentiation and age at enucleation, and investigate the frequency of photoreceptor differentiation and the role of retinoma/retinocytoma as retinoblastoma precursor. DESIGN Retrospective histopathologic review of 387 eyes with retinoblastoma treated by enucleation including 297 with no prior treatment. RESULTS Fifty-five of 297 untreated eyes (18.5%) had high-risk features. Retrolaminar optic nerve invasion was present in 31 (10.4%), and 24 (8.1%) had massive uveal invasion (defined as >3 mm in diameter). Of the high-risk eyes, 70.9% had iris neovascularization and 60% had neovascular glaucoma. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between age at enucleation and the degree of tumor differentiation, evidenced by the presence of rosettes. Tumors in older children tended to be poorly differentiated, while rosettes were often numerous in the tumors of younger infants. In all, 20.4% of tumors contained foci of photoreceptor differentiation, which localized in the base of a predominantly endophytic tumor in about one-fourth. Lack of correlation between photoreceptor differentiation and age at enucleation is consistent with early or prenatal malignant transformation. Both preceding observations provide evidence for the hypothetical role of retinoma as a retinoblastoma precursor. CONCLUSIONS Slightly less than 1 in 5 infants with retinoblastoma treated by enucleation at a large American eye hospital would require adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of existing high-risk histopathologic features. Retinoblastomas become progressively less differentiated with time and may be spawned by precursor retinomas.
Next-Generation Ion Torrent Sequencing of Drug Resistance Mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains

ABSTRACT A novel protocol for full-length Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene analysis of first- and second-line drug resistance was developed using the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM). Five genes—rpoB (rifampin), katG (isoniazid), pncA (pyrazinamide), gyrA (ofloxacin/fluoroquinolone), and rrs (aminoglycosides)—were amplified and sequenced, and results were compared to those obtained by genotypic Hain line probe assay (LPA) and phenotypic Bactec MGIT 960 analysis using 26 geographically diverse South African clinical isolates collected between July and November 2011. Ion Torrent sequencing exhibited 100% (26/26) concordance to phenotypic resistance obtained by MGIT 960 culture and genotypic rpoB and katG results by LPA. In several rifampin-resistant isolates, Ion Torrent sequencing revealed uncommon substitutions (H526R and D516G) that did not have a defined mutation by LPA. Importantly, previously uncharacterized mutations in rpoB (V194I), rrs (G878A), and pncA (Q122Stop) genes were observed. Ion Torrent sequencing may facilitate tracking and monitoring geographically diverse multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains and could potentially be integrated into selected regional and reference settings throughout Africa, India, and China.
Diffusion Geometry in Shape Analysis

Over the last decade, the intersections between 3D shape analysis and image processing have become a topic of increasing interest in the computer graphics community. Nevertheless, when attempting to apply current image analysis methods to 3D shapes (feature-based description, registration, recognition, indexing, etc.) one has to face fundamental differences between images and geometric objects. Shape analysis poses new challenges that are non-existent in image analysis. The purpose of this tutorial is to overview the foundations of shape analysis and to formulate state-of-the-art theoretical and computational methods for shape description based on their intrinsic geometric properties. The emerging field of diffusion geometry provides a generic framework for many methods in the analysis of geometric shapes and objects. The tutorial will present in a new light the problems of shape analysis based on diffusion geometric constructions such as manifold embeddings using the Laplace-Beltrami and heat operator, heat kernel local descriptors, diffusion and commute-time metrics. c © The Eurographics Association 2012.
Therapy-resistant complex regional pain syndrome type I: to amputate or not?

BACKGROUND Amputation for the treatment of long-standing, therapy-resistant complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS-I) is controversial. An evidence-based decision regarding whether or not to amputate is not possible on the basis of current guidelines. The aim of the current study was to systematically review the literature and summarize the beneficial and adverse effects of an amputation for the treatment of long-standing, therapy-resistant CRPS-I. METHODS A literature search, using MeSH terms and free text words, was performed with use of PubMed and EMBASE. Original studies published prior to January 2010 describing CRPS-I as a reason for amputation were included. The reference lists of the identified studies were also searched for additional relevant studies. Studies were assessed with regard to the criteria used to diagnose CRPS-I, level of amputation, amputation technique, rationale for the level of amputation, reason for amputation, recurrence of CRPS-I after the amputation, phantom pain, prosthesis fitting and use, and patient functional ability, satisfaction, and quality of life. RESULTS One hundred and sixty articles were identified, and twenty-six studies with Level-IV evidence (involving 111 amputations in 107 patients) were included. Four studies applied CRPS-I diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Association for the Study of Pain, Bruehl et al., or Veldman et al. Thirteen studies described symptoms without noting whether the patient met diagnostic criteria for CRPS-I, and nine studies stated the diagnosis only. The primary reasons cited for amputation were pain (80%) and a dysfunctional limb (72%). Recurrence of CRPS-I in the stump occurred in thirty-one of sixty-five patients, and phantom pain occurred in fifteen patients. Thirty-six of forty-nine patients were fitted with a prosthesis, and fourteen of these patients used the prosthesis. Thirteen of forty-three patients had paid employment after the amputation. Patient satisfaction was reported in eight studies, but the nature of the satisfaction was often not clearly indicated. Changes in patient quality of life were reported in three studies (fifteen patients); quality of life improved in five patients and the joy of life improved in another six patients. CONCLUSIONS The previously published studies regarding CRPS-I as a reason for amputation all represent Level-IV evidence, and they do not clearly delineate the beneficial and adverse affects of an amputation performed for this diagnosis. Whether to amputate or not in order to treat long-standing, therapy-resistant CRPS-I remains an unanswered question.
Inter-item associations and memory for order

Remembering the order in which a sequence of events occurred can be an invaluable function of memory. Although important, the quality of memory for order information has been shown to be significantly affected by the way in which the information was encoded. That is, some encoding conditions lead to better memory for order than others. This dissertation presents a systematic examination of the features of encoding tasks that disrupt memory for order. Chapter I examines the effects of semantic versus non-semantic processing, item-specific versus item-generic processing, and item-specific versus relational processing on memory for order, revealing that any type of response-required task disrupts memory for order, unless that task is relational in nature. Chapter II examines the role of processing time in the disruption of memory for order and demonstrates that preserving response-free study time benefits memory for order, suggesting that response tasks disrupt memory for order because they take time away from the encoding of relational information. Chapter III introduces a novel procedure for examining memory for order—an order recognition task—which provides a new method for testing relational memory, allowing for conceptual replications and enhancing the generalizability of findings surrounding encoding tasks and memory for order. Taken together, the experiments in this dissertation demonstrate that poor memory for order is the direct result of reduced time for processing interitem relations.
Molecular epidemiology of HTLV-II among United States blood donors and intravenous drug users: an age-cohort effect for HTLV-II RFLP type aO.

Molecular subtyping was used to investigate the epidemiology of human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) in the United States. Nested polymerase chain reaction of the HTLV-II long terminal repeat region followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed on HTLV-II seropositive subjects including 97 U.S. blood donors without major risk factors for HTLV-II infection, 53 injection drug users (IDU), and 10 American Indian blood donors. Three new HTLV-II RFLP types were confirmed with DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. HTLV-II RFLP type aO (Switzer classification) was associated with older age [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.06 per year of age, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.09] and with Black (OR 5.24, 95% CI 1.90-14.47) and White (OR 4.43, 95% CI 1.67-11.75) race/ethnicity. These data are consistent with an age-cohort effect for HTLV-II RFLP type aO among older White and Black IDU and blood donors. This finding could be explained by an epidemic of non-aO HTLV-II RFLP types among younger persons of Hispanic and other race/ethnicity, superimposed upon endemic HTLV-II RFLP type aO among older Black and White persons.
Equine atypical myopathy caused by hypoglycin A intoxication associated with ingestion of sycamore maple tree seeds.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Evidence suggest there is a link between equine atypical myopathy (EAM) and ingestion of sycamore maple tree seeds. OBJECTIVES To further evaluate the hypothesis that the ingestion of hypoglycin A (HGA) containing sycamore maple tree seeds causes acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and might be associated with the clinical and pathological signs of EAM. STUDY DESIGN Case report. METHODS Necropsy and histopathology, using hematoxylin and eosin and Sudan III stains, were performed on a 2.5-year-old mare that died following the development of clinical signs of progressive muscle stiffness and recumbency. Prior to death, the animal ingested sycamore maple tree seeds (Acer pseudoplatanus). Detection of metabolites in blood and urine obtained post mortem was performed by rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Data from this case were compared with 3 geldings with no clinical history of myopathy. RESULTS Macroscopic examination revealed fragments of maple tree seeds in the stomach and severe myopathy of several muscle groups including Mm. intercostales, deltoidei and trapezii. Histologically, the affected muscles showed severe, acute rhabdomyolysis with extensive accumulation of finely dispersed fat droplets in the cytoplasm of degenerated skeletal muscle cells not present in controls. Urine and serum concentrations of several acyl carnitines and acyl glycines were increased, and both contained metabolites of HGA, a toxic amino acid present in sycamore maple tree seeds. CONCLUSIONS The study supports the hypothesis that ingestion of HGA-containing maple tree seeds may cause EAM due to acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.