Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of a nursing transitions programme on retention and cost savings.

AIM To identify the benefits and essential elements of a new graduate residency programme. BACKGROUND Retention of nurses is a global nursing concern. New graduate nurses have the lowest retention rates and, therefore, the present study focused on the unique needs of this group. EVALUATION Valid and reliable tools were utilized to evaluate work satisfaction, clinical decision making, organizational commitment and skill development during and after each residency. We also compared resident retention and associated cost savings. KEY ISSUES The adoption and implementation of the residency programme represented a change in culture. Hiring and education practices for new nurses changed dramatically. CONCLUSIONS Before the development of a new graduate transition programme, our 1-year retention rate was as low as 50%. Five years after programme adoption, retention increased to 72.5%, resulting in major cost savings to the organization. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Nursing Management must be creative and transformational in their thinking in order to address nursing retention. Implications for nurse managers who are considering residency programmes include the potential for significant cost savings for the hospital, increased resident, nursing and unit satisfaction and a demand for nurses who desire to work at their hospitals.
Speech perception by congenitally deaf subjects using an electrocutaneous vocoder.

Two congenitally profoundly deaf adults were trained to perceive words through the Tacticon 1600 electrocutaneous vocoder, an artificial hearing prosthesis. The subjects learned to identify 50 words during 47 hours (Subject One) and 41 hours (Subject Two) of training, with a 41.6 percent rate of success across all sessions. Both subjects showed consistent error patterns during the training phase. Analysis of these error patterns suggested that they were employing word identification strategies based on some general aspects of tactual patterns. Specific characteristics of the tactual patterns that they appeared to be using included: syllable number, tactual locus of word ending, direction of pattern movement, and position of bursts (/t/, /k/, /d/, for example). Following training, the subjects were tested for their abilities to integrate tactual and aided-auditory cues in word identification. Three conditions of aided-audition alone (A), tactual vocoder alone (TV), and aided-audition with tactual vocoder (TV + A) were used. The stimulus-word list for this phase consisted of the 50 words acquired in tactual vocoder training, and 50 "tactually-new" words, i.e., words that had not been presented to them in tactual vocoder training sessions. They correctly identified 93 percent (Subject One) and 56 percent (Subject Two) more trials in the TV + A condition than in the A condition. Tactually-new vocabulary was correctly identified 78 percent (Subject One) and 50 percent (Subject Two) more often when sensory modalities were combined, than when only aided-audition was used. Subjects identified tactually-new vocabulary better than chance in the TV condition.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GAP IN SKILL ACQUISITION BETWEEN SIX AND SEVEN GRADERS IN LEBANESE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Several researchers have investigated the causes of learners’ low proficiency level in English language acquisition. In Lebanese public schools, learners struggle to acquire the basic English language skills. This study examines the reasons of the lack of language skill acquisition in grades six and seven in three Lebanese public schools. Three instruments were used to collect data: classroom observations in three public schools, in-depth interviews with three English language teachers in the three schools, and focus group interviews with the students in grade six and seven. Findings showed that learners lack the basic language skills. There are in fact several factors that hinder learners’ acquisition of the English language. Insufficiency of teachers’ professional development and teaching methods, and lack of use of all the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and their integration tremendously collaborated in the deterioration of the teaching-learning process and consequently in the students’ language skill acquisition in Lebanese public schools. The pedagogical implications of the findings are stated. Recommendations for improvements are suggested. Key Terms: Curriculum, Objectives, Teaching Methods, Language skills, Integration
Populists in government? Hungary's “system of national cooperation”

This article considers Hungary's political system from 2010 to 2014 with Fidesz in power and domestic and international actors’ responses to the challenge of populists-in-government. The article argues that domestic responses were weakened by Fidesz’ use of its supermajority for a partisan redrafting of the country's constitutional order, but also by its mainstream competitors’ failure to offer a contrasting yet positive vision for the electorate. External actors, and the European Union (EU) in particular, may therefore have emerged as the main bulwark against the effects of populists-in-government. However, the EU was relatively ill-equipped to deal with systemic violations of the common values of the Union with respect to its member states, and arguably even the available measures were not used to their full potential. The main explanation for this lies in Fidesz’ origins: rather than starting its life on the fringes of the electoral space, the party had been the major, mainstream centre-right alternative. This position in Hungary's party system had in turn endowed Fidesz with strong transnational links which outlasted the party's own transformation and continued to act to dampen EU action.
On the Error State Selection for Stationary SINS Alignment and Calibration Kalman Filters—Part II: Observability/Estimability Analysis

This paper presents the second part of a study aiming at the error state selection in Kalman filters applied to the stationary self-alignment and calibration (SSAC) problem of strapdown inertial navigation systems (SINS). The observability properties of the system are systematically investigated, and the number of unobservable modes is established. Through the analytical manipulation of the full SINS error model, the unobservable modes of the system are determined, and the SSAC error states (except the velocity errors) are proven to be individually unobservable. The estimability of the system is determined through the examination of the major diagonal terms of the covariance matrix and their eigenvalues/eigenvectors. Filter order reduction based on observability analysis is shown to be inadequate, and several misconceptions regarding SSAC observability and estimability deficiencies are removed. As the main contributions of this paper, we demonstrate that, except for the position errors, all error states can be minimally estimated in the SSAC problem and, hence, should not be removed from the filter. Corroborating the conclusions of the first part of this study, a 12-state Kalman filter is found to be the optimal error state selection for SSAC purposes. Results from simulated and experimental tests support the outlined conclusions.
An iterative method for image enhancement based on fuzzy logic

This paper presents a new filtering approach based on fuzzy-logic which has high performance in mixed noise environments. This filter is mainly based on the idea that each pixel is not allowed to be uniformly fired by each of the fuzzy rules. We perform several test experiments in order to highlight the merit of the proposed method. The results are very promising and indicating the high performance of the proposed filter in image restoration compared with those of the filters which have been previously cited in image processing literature.
A Comparative Performance Analysis of Clustering

Clustering is an adaptive procedure in which objects are clustered or grouped together, based on the principle of maximizing the intra-class similarity and minimizing the inter-class similarity. Various clustering algorithms have been developed which results to a good performance on datasets for cluster formation. This paper analyze the three major clustering algorithms: K-Means, Farthest First and Hierarchical clustering algorithm and compare the performance of these three major clustering algorithms on the aspect of correctly class wise cluster building ability of algorithm. The results are tested on three datasets namely Wine, Haberman and Iris dataset using WEKA interface and compute the correctly cluster building instances in proportion with incorrectly formed cluster. A performance percentage has been calculated to analyze the algorithms on dataset taking Principal Component Analysis as another parameter of comparison.
Association of Delivery Type with Postpartum Depression, Perceived Social Support and Maternal Attachment

Association of delivery type with postpartum depression, perceived social support and maternal attachment Objective: There are contradictory findings in the literature about the effects of delivery type on postpartum depression and mother–infant interaction. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between delivery mode and postpartum depression, perceived social support, and maternal attachment. Method: Forty females, who had vaginal delivery (VD) and 40 females, who had cesarean delivery (CD) were recruited to participate in the study. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to screen depressive symptoms and Maternal Attachment Scale (MAS) was used to detect maternal attachment. Social support was assessed by using Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: We found no significant differences in postpartum depression and perceived social support scores between the two groups. On the other hand, MAS scores were significantly lower in CD women. Discussion: Our findings support that delivery mode had no impact on the development of postpartum
Diversity and LIS Education: Inclusion and the Age of Information

While LIS continues to struggle with representation of populations traditionally considered as core to diversity, socio-economic and technological changes have significantly increased the range of populations that are disadvantaged, underrepresented, and excluded in terms of information. Drawing from studies of diversity in LIS education and professions, as well as national demographic data, this article: (1) examines understandings of diversity within the field; (2) analyzes the implications of diversity in education, recruiting, and scholarship; and (3) explores models for inclusive diversity education. This paper argues that the field needs to embrace a broader, more inclusive understanding of diversity to remain culturally relevant.
Digital photoplethysmography in the diagnosis of suspected lower limb DVT: is it useful?

OBJECTIVE to determine the role of digital photoplethysmography (D-PPG) in the diagnosis of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), in comparison to the "gold standard" of either contrast ascending venography (ACV) or colour-flow duplex imaging (CFDI). METHOD prospective study of 100 hospital inpatients (103 legs) referred to the X-ray department for ACV or CFDI with clinically suspected lower limb DVT in a district general hospital. Each patient was assessed by either ACV or CFDI, and D-PPG. RESULTS thirty-seven limbs were found to have DVT as demonstrated by ACV or CFDI. All patients with a venous refilling time (RT) of greater than 20 s and venous pump (VP) of greater than 35 had a normal ACV or CFDI. Using RT of less than 21 s as the optimal cut-off point, D-PPG achieved a sensitivity of 100%, negative-predictive value of 100%, specificity of 47% and positive-predictive value of 51%. By using VP of less than 36 as the optimal cut-off point, a sensitivity of 100%, a negative-predictive value of 100%, a specificity of 35% and positive-predictive value of 46% were achieved. CONCLUSIONS these results validate the use of portable D-PPG as a useful screening tool for the diagnosis of clinically suspected lower limb DVT. A positive test requires further confirmation by one of the "gold standard" methods, whereas a negative test effectively excludes DVT.
Simple and Effective Question Answering with Recurrent Neural Networks

First-order factoid question answering assumes that the question can be answered by a single fact in a knowledge base (KB). While this does not seem like a challenging task, many recent attempts that apply either complex linguistic reasoning or deep neural networks achieve 35%-65% on benchmark sets. Our approach formulates the task as two machine learning problems: detecting the entities in the question, and classifying the question as one of the relation types in the KB. Based on this assumption of the structure, our simple yet effective approach trains two recurrent neural networks to outperform state of the art by significant margins --- relative improvement reaches 16% for WebQuestions, and surpasses 38% for SimpleQuestions.
DICHOTOMOUS THINKING: A PROBLEM BEYOND NHST

The cliff effect—a sudden drop of confidence that a real effect exists just above p=0.05—captures the way many researchers and students interpret p-values. It is consistent with dichotomous judgements based exclusively on statistical significance (SS). Many have argued that CI can overcome over-reliance on SS. In our study, 172 researchers rated the strength of evidence against the null hypothesis as a function of 8 p-values crossed with 2 sample sizes. A further 86 received the same results presented as CIs. Although the cliff was sometimes found with p-values (23% of 172), it was more frequent with CIs (32% of 86). Thus, the argument that CIs can reduce over-reliance on SS may be overstated. Students, and also researchers, should be trained to think in terms of (or to ask) quantitative (how much A and B differ) rather than dichotomous research questions, whether analysis relies on SS or CIs.
NestedMICA: sensitive inference of over-represented motifs in nucleic acid sequence

NestedMICA is a new, scalable, pattern-discovery system for finding transcription factor binding sites and similar motifs in biological sequences. Like several previous methods, NestedMICA tackles this problem by optimizing a probabilistic mixture model to fit a set of sequences. However, the use of a newly developed inference strategy called Nested Sampling means NestedMICA is able to find optimal solutions without the need for a problematic initialization or seeding step. We investigate the performance of NestedMICA in a range scenario, on synthetic data and a well-characterized set of muscle regulatory regions, and compare it with the popular MEME program. We show that the new method is significantly more sensitive than MEME: in one case, it successfully extracted a target motif from background sequence four times longer than could be handled by the existing program. It also performs robustly on synthetic sequences containing multiple significant motifs. When tested on a real set of regulatory sequences, NestedMICA produced motifs which were good predictors for all five abundant classes of annotated binding sites.
Effect of a Motivational Group Intervention on Exercise Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectations for Exercise in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

BACKGROUND: Persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) contend with multiple barriers to exercise. Interventions are needed to enhance attitudes theoretically linked to exercise behavior. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of Walk, Address Sensations, Learn About Exercise, Cue Exercise for SSDs (WALC-S) intervention on exercise self-efficacy (SEE) and outcome expectations (OEES) in 97 outpatients with SSDs. DESIGN: Experimental, pre- and posttest. Randomization to experimental (WALC-S) or time-and-attention control (TAC) after baseline SEE and OEES measures. Measures repeated after WALC-S or TAC. RESULTS: N = 97, 46% female, 43% African American, average age 46.9 years (SD = 2.0). Mean SEE scores were significantly higher in WALC-S participants after intervention, F(1, 95) = 5.92, p = . 0168, however, mean OEES scores were significantly higher in control participants after intervention, F(1, 95) = 5.76, p = . 0183. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to examine SEE and OEES in SSDs. Interventions to enhance exercise attitudes are a critical first step toward the ultimate goal of increasing exercise participation.
A Publication of the Association of Management ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CLOUD ADOPTION , STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND IT EFFECTIVENESS

Against the backdrop of new economic realities, one of the larger forces that is affecting businesses worldwide is cloud computing, whose benefits include agility, time to market, time to capability, reduced cost, etc. The intent of this research was to contribute to the body of knowledge that could be applied by researchers, businesses, and IT organizations alike to achieve optimal results through the adoption of cloud based services and solutions. The study findings provided statistical evidence that cloud adoption (CA) has a very strong positive correlation on IT effectiveness (ITE) and its relationship is much higher than the relationship of strategic alignment (SA) on ITE or the combination of CA and SA as interaction term (CA x SA). The new knowledge gained from the benefits of cloud adoption on IT effectiveness would enhance the decision-making process for IT managers when considering the adoption of cloud technologies and its business models.
The Relationship Between Match-Play Characteristics of Elite Rugby League and Indirect Markers of Muscle Damage.

PURPOSE While exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) after rugby league match play has been well documented, the specific match actions that contribute to EIMD are unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the positional demands of elite rugby league matches and examine their relationship with subsequent EIMD. METHODS Twenty-eight performances (from 17 participants) were captured using 10-Hz global positioning systems over 4 competitive matches. Upper- and lower-body neuromuscular fatigue, creatine kinase (CK), and perceived muscle soreness were assessed 24 h before and at 12, 36, and 60 h after matches. RESULTS High-intensity running was moderately higher in backs (6.6 ± 2.6 m/min) than in forwards (5.1 ± 1.6 m/min), whereas total collisions were moderately lower (31.1 ± 13.1 vs 54.1 ± 37.0). Duration (r = .90, CI: .77-.96) and total (r = .86, CI: .70-.95) and high-intensity distance covered (r = .76, CI: .51-.91) were associated (P < .05) with increased CK concentration postmatch. Total collisions and repeated high-intensity efforts were associated (P < .05) with large decrements in upper-body neuromuscular performance (r = -.48, CI: -.74 to .02; r = -.49, CI: -.77 to .05, respectively), muscle soreness (r = -.68, CI: -.87 to -.10, r = -.66, CI: -.89 to .21, respectively), and CK concentration (r = .67, CI: .42-.85; r = .73, CI: .51-.87, respectively). All EIMD markers returned to baseline within 60 h. CONCLUSION Match duration, high-intensity running, and collisions were associated with variations in EIMD markers, suggesting that recovery is dependent on individual match demands.
Effects of Increased Vigilance for Locomotion Disorders on Lameness and Production in Dairy Cows

Simple Summary For animal welfare reasons, reducing the prevalence of lameness should be one of the most important goals in dairy farming. In this study, the influence of early detection and treatment of lame cows on lameness prevalence, incidence and duration of lameness in comparison with routine lameness management practiced on a dairy farm was determined. The results suggest that early detection and treatment of lame cows significantly reduced the duration of lameness, and, therefore, the prevalence of lameness. Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the influence of weekly locomotion scoring and, thus, early detection and treatment of lame cows by a veterinarian on lameness prevalence, incidence, duration of lameness, fertility and milk yield on one dairy farm in Northern Germany. Cows were distributed to two groups. Cows in Group A (n = 99) with a locomotion score (LS) > 1 were examined and treated. In Group B (n = 99), it was solely in the hands of the farmer to detect lame cows and to decide which cows received treatment. Four weeks after the beginning of the experimental period, the prevalence of cows with LS = 1 was higher in Group A compared with Group B. Prevalence of lame cows (LS > 1) increased in Group B (47.6% in Week 2 to 84.0% in Week 40) and decreased in Group A from Week 2 to Week 40 (50% to 14.4%; P < 0.05). Within groups, the monthly lameness incidence did not differ. The average duration of lameness for newly lame cows was 3.7 weeks in Group A and 10.4 weeks in Group B (P < 0.001). There was no effect on fertility and incidence of puerperal disorders. The 100-day milk yield was calculated from cows having their first four Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) test day results during the experimental period. The mean 100-day milk yield tended to be higher in Group A compared with Group B (3,386 kg vs. 3,359 kg; P = 0.084).
Pre- and in-service teachers’ beliefs about ELLs in content area classes: a case for inclusion, responsibility, and instructional support

This study documents differences between pre- and in-service content area teachers’ beliefs about: whether English language learners (ELLs) should be included in content area classes, the kind of instructional support (IS) they should receive, and responsibility for ELLs’ language and academic achievement. Questionnaire data were collected from 94 in-service and 101 pre-service content area teachers. Although several significant differences were found in pre- and in-service and female and male teachers’ beliefs about responsibility for ELLs’ language and academic development, both service and gender groups appeared to hold similar beliefs about ELLs’ inclusion in mainstream classes. Results also revealed that some beliefs held by female teachers about IS for ELLs significantly differed from those of males’; however, the effects of service and gender on certain beliefs may be contingent upon a number of background factors. The article concludes with pedagogical implications for teacher education for classrooms with linguistically and culturally diverse learners.
Human Rights Experimentalism

Human rights in general and the international human rights system in particular have come under increasing attack in recent years. Quite apart from the domestic and global political events since 2016, including an apparent retreat from international institutions, the human rights system has in recent times come in for severe criticism from academic scholars. Amongst the various criticisms levelled have been: (1) the ineffectiveness and lack of impact of international human rights regimes, (2) the ambiguity and lack of specificity of human rights standards, (3) the weakness of international human rights enforcement mechanisms, and (4) the claim to universalism of human rights standards coupled with the hegemonic imposition of these standards on diverse parts of the world. This article responds to several of those criticisms by introducing the idea of experimentalist governance, interpreting key aspects of the functioning of certain international human rights treaties from the perspective of experimentalist governance theory, and surveying a body of recent scholarship on the effectiveness of such treaties. Contrary to the depiction of international human rights regimes as both ineffective and top-down, the article argues that they function at their best as dynamic, participatory, and iterative systems. Experimentalist governance offers a theory of the causal effectiveness of human rights treaties, brings to light a set of features and interactions that are routinely overlooked in many accounts, and suggests possible avenues for reform of other human rights treaty regimes with a view to making them more effective in practice.