Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of continuing care on patient's quality-of-life after disc surgery in neurosurgery and very important person wards

Background: Today, lumbar herniation discs, a prevalent problem with a sign of lumbar and feet pain in society. Removal of disk by surgery decrease pain but reduce quality-of-life (QOL). In some cases, lake of following and caring of patient after surgery, herniation disc recurrent. Previous studies show that patient education and followings is important, therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of continuing care on patient QOL after disc surgery in neurosurgery and very important person (VIP) ward in Al-Zahra Hospital. Materials and Methods: This study is a clinical trial conducted on 64 patients hospitalized in the neurosurgery and VIP wards of Al-Zahra Hospital, in Isfahan, Iran, in 2013. The patients were selected by simple sampling method and were randomly assigned to two groups (study and control). Patients’ response to short form-36 questionnaire before and 4 weeks and 3 months after continuing care in study group, and simultaneously, in the control group. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant difference in mean of physical and psychological dimensions before and 4 weeks and 3 months after intervention in study group (P < 0.05), but in control group, the difference was not significant (P = 0.8). Pairwise comparison of mean physical and psychological dimensions at different time points by Fisher's least significant difference showed that there was a significant difference in the intervention group (P < 0.022). But in the control group, there was no significant difference between pairs of time points (P > 0.18). Conclusion: Continuing care improves dimensions of patients’ QOL, and it is recommended as a nursing and nonmedical intervention in disc surgery patients.
Developing an understanding of young children's learning through play: the place of observation, interaction and reflection

Pupil observation and educator–pupil discourse have recognised relevance within early years practitioners' repertoires, with long traditions of practice in England and elsewhere. Observation is now enshrined within the Foundation Stage Curriculum for 3–5 year‐olds (England) (soon to become part of the Early Years Foundation Stage for Birth–5) and is advocated in fulfilling the Foundation Stage Profiling (assessment) requirements for individual children. This article begins by drawing on research by the author and on related research and theory to illustrate some complexities in learning processes in young children. The research has led to the development of an observation‐interpretation tool—the Social Play Continuum. The Continuum, a tool to support the formative dimensions of observation, details progression in learning whilst the broader research has illustrated factors impacting on progression. An example of researcher–pupil dialogue is then analysed to consider the related dilemmas and potential of d.
Transgenic Expression of Green Fluorescent Protein in Mouse Oxytocin Neurones

Routine targeting of neurones for expression of exogenous genes would facilitate our ability to manipulate their internal milieu or functions, providing insight into physiology of neurones. The magnocellular neurones of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus have been the objects of limited success by this approach. Here we report on the placement of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) coding sequence at various locations within an oxytocin transgene. Placement within the first exon yielded little to no expression, whereas placement in the third exon (as an in‐frame fusion with the carboxyl terminus of the oxytocin preprohormone) resulted in cell‐specific expression of eGFP in oxytocin neurones. Furthermore, placement of the eGFP sequence downstream of a picornavirus internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), also in the third exon, allowed expression of the eGFP as a separate protein. Other coding sequences should now be amenable to expression within oxytocin neurones to study their physiology.
Effect of Primers Hybridizing to Different Evolutionarily Conserved Regions of the Small-Subunit rRNA Gene in PCR-Based Microbial Community Analyses and Genetic Profiling

ABSTRACT Genetic profiling techniques of microbial communities based on PCR-amplified signature genes, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis or single-strand-conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, are normally done with PCR products of less than 500-bp. The most common target for diversity analysis, the small-subunit rRNA genes, however, are larger, and thus, only partial sequences can be analyzed. Here, we compared the results obtained by PCR targeting different variable (V) regions (V2 and V3, V4 and V5, and V6 to V8) of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene with primers hybridizing to evolutionarily conserved flanking regions. SSCP analysis of single-stranded PCR products generated from 13 different bacterial species showed fewer bands with products containing V4-V5 (average, 1.7 bands per organism) than with V2-V3 (2.2 bands) and V6-V8 (2.3 bands). We found that the additional bands (>1 per organism) were caused by intraspecies operon heterogeneities or by more than one conformation of the same sequence. Community profiles, generated by PCR-SSCP from bacterial-cell consortia extracted from rhizospheres of field-grown maize (Zea mays), were analyzed by cloning and sequencing of the dominant bands. A total of 48 sequences could be attributed to 34 different strains from 10 taxonomical groups. Independent of the primer pairs, we found proteobacteria (α, β, and γ subgroups) and members of the genus Paenibacillus (low G+C gram-positive) to be the dominant organisms. Other groups, however, were only detected with single primer pairs. This study gives an example of how much the selection of different variable regions combined with different specificities of the flanking “universal” primers can affect a PCR-based microbial community analysis.
Second Order Co-occurrence PMI for Determining the Semantic Similarity of Words

This paper presents a new corpus-based method for calculating the semantic similarity of two target words. Our method, called Second Order Co-occurrencePMI (SOC-PMI), uses Pointwise Mutual Information to sort lists of important neighbor words of the two target words. Then we consider the words which are common in both lists and aggregate their PMI values (from the opposite list) to calculate the relative semantic similarity. Our method was empirically evaluated using Miller and Charlers (1991) 30 noun pair subset, Ruben-stein and Goodenoughs (1965) 65 noun pairs, 80 synonym test questions from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and 50 synonym test questions from a collection of English as a Second Language (ESL) tests. Evaluation results show that our method outperforms several competing corpus-based methods.
Ecological and genetic determinants of multiple infection and aggregation in a microbial host-parasite system

SUMMARY The number of parasites colonizing a host (termed ‘multiple infection’) is an important determinant of host-parasite interactions. In theory, multiple infection is determined by random mass action in genetically and spatially homogeneous populations of host and parasite. In real populations, deviations from these assumptions may strongly influence levels of multiple infection. We carried out inoculation experiments in microcosms of the freshwater protozoan Paramecium caudatum and its bacterial parasite Holospora undulata. Increasing parasite dose produced higher levels of (multiple) infection; more susceptible host genotypes also were more multiply infected. An overall pattern of parasite aggregation (excess of uninfected individuals and of individuals carrying larger numbers of parasites) indicated deviations from random mass-action transmission. Homogenizing spatial distributions of parasite and host in our microcosms did not affect aggregation, whereas aggregation was more pronounced in old than in new host clones. Thus, variation in susceptibility may arise over time within clonal populations. When sequentially inoculated, already established infections increased the probability of additional infection in generally resistant host clones, but decreased it in more susceptible clones. Hence, the role of multiple infection as a driver of epidemiological or evolutionary processes may vary among populations, depending on their precise genetic composition or infection history.
Team Performance in Software Development: Research Results versus Agile Principles

This article reviews scientific studies of factors influencing colocated development teams' performance and proposes five factors that strongly affect performance. In the process, it compares these propositions with the Agile Manifesto's development principles. The Web extra at https://extras.computer. org/extra/mso2016040106s1.pdf details the sources and research methods the authors employed.
Development of speech-like vocalizations in a child with congenital absence of cochleas: The case of total deafness

ABSTRACT In order to assess the effect of total deafness on vocalization development, tape recorded utterances of a 3-year-old child who was born without cochleas were examined. In the beginning of the study, the subject's speech consisted almost exclusively of small numbers of sounds characteristic of early infancy. Across the study, the subject participated in extensive vocal stimulation activities. He also initially received intermittent exposure to tactile speech information via a 16-channel vocoder and, subsequently, a 2-channel tactile aid. Following introduction of the 2-channel aid, the subject made rapid improvement in the quality of his vocalizations, which consisted increasingly of speech-like utterances, including well-formed or canonical syllables. These results suggest that, although hearing impairment slows the onset of canonical babbling, even total deafness does not preclude its eventual appearance.
Reconviction after Discharge from a Regional Secure Unit

There are at present no published data on criminal conviction following discharge from medium-secure psychiatric facilities in the United Kingdom. The results of an audit at the Kent Forensic Psychiatry Service found a 7% rate for serious offences in an average follow-up period of three years and five months, a figure similar to high-security hospital studies. Only one serious offence was unknown to the clinical team. Reports on larger samples are awaited.
Exploring Consumers' Keyword Ads Search Behaviors: An Integration of Theory of Planned Behavior and Flow Theory

In the 21st century, e-Commerce and online shopping have come to a stage of steady growth. To encourage consumers to shop online, Internet advertising has become one of the most common strategies for online marketing. The combining traditional and online advertising become a popular marketing strategy and growingly prevalent in Taiwan. While consumers’ keyword search behavior is an information-gathering behavior before they make purchase, the advertisers ultimately wish consumers’ clicking on Internet advertisements would get them fascinated with certain products. Therefore, this paper adopted the theory of planned behavior as the theoretical background, and the flow theory and perceived creativity were the important antecedent beliefs to explore the consumers’ keyword ads search behaviors. An online survey was conducted and a total of 280 usable responses were collected, constituted a response rate of 76.1%. Our results suggested that TPB provided a reasonable depiction of consumers’ keyword ads search behaviors. And the flow experience and perceived creativity were the significant antecedent beliefs in our research model. Altogether, the research findings show that all the hypotheses were statically significant except the relationship between the perceived behavior control and keyword search behavior. Based on the research findings, implications and limitations are discussed.
An Acute Bout of Quadriceps Muscle Stretching has no Influence on Knee Joint Proprioception

Abstract The main objective of this study was to determine if an acute bout of static stretching of the quadriceps muscle affects the sense of joint position, the threshold to detect passive movement, and the sense of force. Thirty young, healthy men (age : 22.1 ± 2.7 years) were randomly divided into two groups. The Stretching Group (n=15) underwent stretching of the dominant quadriceps muscle, which comprised ten passive stretches lasting 30 seconds each, while the Control Group (n=15) remained seated for the same length of time. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to establish intragroup differences over time, and an independent sample t-test was used to compare the dependent variables between groups at each moment. None of the measurements revealed any significant change between both groups in each assessment moment or between moments within groups (p>0.05). This study demonstrated that static quadriceps muscle stretching has no effect on the sense of knee joint position, threshold to detect passive movement, and force sense, suggesting that stretching does not have appreciable effect on the spindle firing characteristics and tendon organs activation.
Balancing the Medicine Wheel through Physical Activity

This article highlights the findings of a research project based on the medicine wheel teachings of balance between the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects of oneself. Specifically, this traditional approach to understanding health was used to explore the impacts of physical activity on emotional, spiritual and mental well-being. Four female participants in a martial arts program at an urban Friendship Centre told their stories at two sharing circles. Afterwards, they were given six weeks to develop symbols that represented the meaning of the martial arts program to them and how it had impacted their lives. The participants named this second method “Anishnaabe Symbol-Based Reflection. ” This article provides a brief overview of these Indigenous methods and explains how they were applied to this research project. The article then focuses on two key themes that emerged from the Aboriginal women’s stories: issues related to identity and to a sense of not deserving good things in life. The women described how they were able to work through some of their identity issues and their low sense of self-worth through their participation in the martial arts program.
The Neurobehavioural Effects of Kava

Objective: This review considers the context in which kava is used, together with its underlying psychopharmacological mechanisms, to investigate the neurobehavioural effects associated with kava use. Method: We conducted a systematic search using the computerized databases MEDLINE, OVID and PsychLIT for all articles containing any of the following words: kava, kavain, kawa and Piper methysticum. In the opinion of the authors, all articles from this collection containing data that could inform the neurological and cognitive sequelae of kava use were included for the purpose of this review. Results: The use of kava occurs among indigenous populations in the South Pacific and in northern Australia, while also being used throughout the western world as a herbal medicine. Animal studies show that kava lactones alter neuronal excitation through direct interactions with voltage-dependent ion channels, giving rise to kava's muscle relaxant, anaesthetic, anxiolytic and anticonvulsive properties. Several isolated cases of psychotic and severe dystonic reactions following kava use suggest that kava also has psychoactive properties, yet there is no conclusive evidence that kava interferes with normal cognitive processes. Conclusions: Kava is effective in the treatment of tension and anxiety. There may be riskfactors for severe motor and psychiatric responses to kava use, although these are not wellunderstood. Given the increasingly widespread use of kava, further investigation is necessary to gain an understanding of its immediate neuropsychiatric effects and long-term cognitive effects.
Informational conflicts created by the waggle dance

The honeybee (Apis mellifera) waggle dance is one of the most intriguing animal communication signals. A dancing bee communicates the location of a profitable food source and its odour. Followers may often experience situations in which dancers indicate an unfamiliar location but carry the scent of a flower species the followers experienced previously at different locations. Food scents often reactivate bees to resume food collection at previously visited food patches. This double function of the dance creates a conflict between the social vector information and the private navigational information. We investigated which kind of information followers with field experience use in this situation and found that followers usually ignored the spatial information encoded by the waggle dance even if they followed a dance thoroughly (five waggle runs or more). They relied on private information about food source locations instead (in 93% of all cases). Furthermore, foragers preferred to follow dancers carrying food odours they knew from previous field trips, independently of the spatial information encoded in the dance. Surprisingly, neither odour identity nor the location indicated by the dancer was an important factor for the reactivation success of a dance. Our results contrast with the assumption that (i) followers usually try to decode the vector information and (ii) dances indicating an unfamiliar location are of little interest to experienced foragers.
Hormone replacement therapy and the sensitivity and specificity of breast cancer screening: a review

Background The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is prevalent in the age group invited to routine breast cancer screening in many countries. Previous publications have reported reduced sensitivity and specificity of mammographic breast cancer screening associated with current use of HRT. Objectives To review the epidemiological evidence for the relation between use of HRT and the risk of having breast cancer diagnosed between screens (interval breast cancer—sensitivity) and being recalled for assessment after initial mammography with no diagnosis of breast cancer at that screen (false positive recall—specificity). Methods Overview of published literature. Results Eight studies were identified, providing a total of 367 interval cancers and 8878 cases of false positive recall, in women of 50 and over. Overall, the studies showed an increased risk of interval cancer and false positive recall in current users of HRT compared with non-users. Only one study accounted for the essential confounding factors of age and menopause. Furthermore, information on duration and recency of HRT use was not available for most studies. Conclusions Studies to date indicate that women using HRT are more likely to experience reduced sensitivity and specificity of breast cancer screening, compared with women not using HRT. However, because results have not been adjusted for crucial confounding factors, the magnitude of these effects is uncertain.
Goal Setting and Negotiation Performance: A Meta-Analysis

We review, through meta-analysis, the effects of goals and goal attributes on the outcomes received by negotiators. Despite a long-standing interest in aspirations and goals in negotiation, researchers have not fully integrated aspiration theory and goal setting theory in group activities such as negotiation. Results of 22 research reports indicated that negotiators who held optimal (i.e. specific and challenging) goals consistently achieved higher profits than negotiators with suboptimal or no goals. Goal difficulty had a strong, positive influence on profit outcomes. More difficult goals led to higher outcomes than less difficult goals. The effect of goals was stronger in the cases where (a) the negotiator’s opponent did not have a strong goal, (b) there were rewards for performance, (c) negotiations were not face-to-face, and (d) the negotiator had task experience. Also, as predicted by goal setting theory, no effect was found for participation in goal setting. Additionally, it is proposed that the interactive and interdependent nature of the negotiation task provides grounds for further development of goal setting and aspiration theory.
Attaining legitimacy by employee information in annual reports

Purpose - – The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on the category, quantity and quality of voluntary employee-related information Australian listed companies disclose in their annual report. An explanation is also sought to determine whether companies adopt employee-related disclosures to legitimise their relationship with society. Voluntary adoption of corporate governance best practice recommendations is used as a measure of companies' attempts to attain Design/methodology/approach - – The annual reports of all companies with at least one employee listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with a 30th June balance date of 2004 are examined to identify employee-related disclosures. This employee-related information is categorised and identified as positive, negative or a combination of positive and negative information by three independent coders. Ordinary least squares regression is used to explain the quantity of disclosure with a corporate governance score and number of adverse newspaper articles included as experimental variables. Findings - – Adopting voluntary corporate governance mechanisms is associated with the quantity of voluntary annual report employee-related disclosures. Higher levels of adverse publicity are also significantly associated with higher quantities of employee-related disclosures. The quality of these disclosures is questioned because 124 companies had adverse publicity relating to employees and only two of these companies reported any negative employee-related disclosures. Few companies from the whole sample reported any negative information relating to their employees in their annual report, with 98 per cent of companies reporting positive news or no news. Originality/value - – Most previous social responsibility research has focused on environmental disclosures. This study is original because it focuses on employee-related disclosures. Honest, transparent employee disclosures are an international corporate governance recommendation by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and studies have not previously tested the relation between reporting recommended corporate governance mechanisms and employee-related disclosures in annual reports.
Lipoprotein(a) Is the Best Single Marker in Assessing Unstable Angina Pectoris

This study evaluated whether statin therapy changed a diagnostic validity of lipid and inflammatory markers in ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients. Levels of lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, inflammatory markers, and atherogenic indexes were determined in 49 apparently healthy men and women, 82 patients having stable angina pectoris (SAP), 80 patients with unstable angina (USAP), and 106 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated or not treated with statins. Diagnostic accuracy of markers was determined by ROC curve analysis. Significantly lower apoA-I in all statin-treated groups and significantly higher apoB in statin-treated STEMI group compared to non-statin-treated groups were observed. CRP showed the best ROC characteristics in the assessment of STEMI patients. Lp(a) is better in the evaluation of SAP and USAP patients, considering that Lp(a) showed the highest area under the curve (AUC). Regarding atherogenic indexes, the highest AUC in SAP group was obtained for TG/apoB and in USAP and STEMI patients for TG/HDL-c. Statins lowered total cholesterol, LDL-c, and TG but fail to normalize apoA-I in patients with IHD.