Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Linear-Rotary Permanent-Magnet Actuator Using Interlaced Poles

This paper proposes a novel linear-rotary permanent-magnet actuator (LRPMA) with interlaced poles, which has the merit of using only 50% of the neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets when compared with those used in traditional Halbach structure. By assuming the stator is slotless, the magnetic field distribution of the LRPMA is initially analyzed using the magnetic scalar potential in the Cartesian coordinate system. A method for calculating the relative permeance by Schwarz-Christoffel transformation (SCT) is subsequently deduced to analyze the magnetic field in detail and predict the cogging force/torque of LRPMA very accurately. The analytical linear cogging force and rotary cogging torque are derived and verified for the design optimization of the actuator. The 3-D finite-element method is used to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed SCT.
Strength in Parkinson's disease: Relationshp to rate of force generation and clinical status

Maximum elbow flexor and extensor muscle strength was measured in 9 patients with Parkinson's disease on and off antiparkinsonian medication. In addition, the rate of force generation, the rate of actively returning force to resting levels, and passive release of force “relaxation” were measured in submaximal contractions. The measures of strength and contraction time were correlated with changes in clinical status as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. When patients were off medication, their reduction in strength was significantly greater in extension than flexion. The reduction in flexion strength did not reach statistical significance. The extensor weakness was primarily due to decreased tonic activation of the extensor muscles and not to muscle coactivation. Muscle relaxation time was much more prolonged than was force generation time or active force return time. The increase in relaxation time and the decrease in extensor strength both correlated with changes in clinical status. Finally, changes in extensor torque correlated with the time to actively return force, suggesting that reduced strength is related to a reduced ability to generate rapid contractions in some patients with Parkinson's disease. These results suggest that there is an asymmetric distribution of muscle weakness in Parkinson's disease and that selected measures of muscle strength and muscle relaxation correlate with changes in clinical status.
Women survivors of sexual abuse: identification and disclosure : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University

The long-term effects experienced by women survivors of childhood sexual abuse are now acknowledged and well dopumented in the clinical literature. Women attending social service agencies rarely reveal a history of sexual abuse unless they are prompted in some way. This thesis is concerned with finding the most effective ways of identifying women who have been sexually abused as children. The study was undertaken to test the validity of a predictive theory devised by Ellanson {1985, 1986) who claimed that survivors of childhood sexual abuse displayed clearly identifiable symptoms known as the Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. {PTSS). The first phase of this study disproved Ellenson's theory. His set of predictive indicators could not be used to accurately identify whether or not a woman had been sexually abused. The second phase of the research was drawn from a series of indepth interviews with social workers and other health professionals involved in counselling women. The purpose of these interviews was to discover how practitioners identify women clients with a history of sexual abuse. As a consequence of these two inquiries, the author then constructed an "Index of Sexual Abuse Indicators" which could have validity for social workers in the practice setting.
Interpreting Adverse Signals in Diabetes Drug Development Programs

Detection and interpretation of adverse signals during preclinical and clinical stages of drug development inform the benefit-risk assessment that determines suitability for use in real-world situations. This review considers some recent signals associated with diabetes therapies, illustrating the difficulties in ascribing causality and evaluating absolute risk, predictability, prevention, and containment. Individual clinical trials are necessarily restricted for patient selection, number, and duration; they can introduce allocation and ascertainment bias and they often rely on biomarkers to estimate long-term clinical outcomes. In diabetes, the risk perspective is inevitably confounded by emergent comorbid conditions and potential interactions that limit therapeutic choice, hence the need for new therapies and better use of existing therapies to address the consequences of protracted glucotoxicity. However, for some therapies, the adverse effects may take several years to emerge, and it is evident that faint initial signals under trial conditions cannot be expected to foretell all eventualities. Thus, as information and experience accumulate with time, it should be accepted that benefit-risk deliberations will be refined, and adjustments to prescribing indications may become appropriate.
Epidemics and aetiology of hand, foot and mouth disease in Xiamen, China, from 2008 to 2015

SUMMARY Over the past 8 years, human enteroviruses (HEVs) have caused 27 227 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Xiamen, including 99 severe cases and six deaths. We aimed to explore the molecular epidemiology of HFMD in Xiamen to inform the development of diagnostic assays, vaccines and other interventions. From January 2009 to September 2015, 5866 samples from sentinel hospitals were tested using nested reverse transcription PCR that targeted the HEV 5′ untranslated region and viral protein 1 region. Of these samples, 4290 were tested positive for HEV and the amplicons were sequenced and genotyped. Twenty-two genotypes were identified. Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackieviruses A16, A6 and A10 (CA16, CA6 and CA10) were the most common genotypes, and there were no changes in the predominant lineages of these genotypes. EV71 became the most predominant genotype every 2 years. From 2013, CA6 replaced CA16 as one of the two most common genotypes. The results demonstrate the vast diversity of HFMD pathogens, and that minor genotypes are able to replace major genotypes. We recommend carrying-out long-term monitoring of the full spectrum of HFMD pathogens, which could facilitate epidemic prediction and the development of diagnostic assays and vaccines.
Preventing chronic postoperative pain

Chronic postoperative pain is common. Nerve injury and inflammation promote chronic pain, the risk of which is influenced by patient factors, including psychological characteristics. Interventional trials to prevent chronic postoperative pain have been underpowered with inadequate patient follow‐up. Ketamine may reduce chronic postoperative pain, although the optimum treatment duration and dose for different operations have yet to be identified. The evidence for gabapentin and pregabalin is encouraging but weak; further work is needed before these drugs can be recommended for the prevention of chronic pain. Regional techniques reduce the rates of chronic pain after thoracotomy and breast cancer surgery. Nerve‐sparing surgical techniques may be of benefit, although nerve injury is not necessary or sufficient for chronic pain to develop.
Jani Christou’s Strychnine Lady (1967): the development of an interpretative strategy in the context of the interdisciplinary ideas surrounding its genesis

The present thesis offers a holistic analysis of Strychnine Lady, a work created by the Greek composer Jani Christou (1926–70) in 1967. This work belongs to Christou’s last compositional period, during which he experimented with a personal art form that involves stage performance, mythical archetypes, dramatic elements and avant-garde materials and means. At this time, he also introduced new concepts, such as metapraxis and protoperformance, in order to engage with elements of the unconscious, influenced, in particular, by the field of analytical psychology as shaped by the Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung (1875–1961). The thesis works on two levels: one, an analysis of primary material referring to archival findings and the score of Strychnine Lady itself; and two, the identification of links with the theories of others via my own use of secondary sources towards a clarification of the relationship of these theories to the work. Hence, I aim at situating Christou in the 1960s through a comparison between him and two other well-known composers of that era who appear to have similar practices, John Cage (1912–92) and Mauricio Kagel (1931–2008), as well as offering a comparison between Strychnine Lady and the experimental music-theatre of the 1960s. Furthermore, I seek to clarify Christou’s compositional concepts with reference to Strychnine Lady through an in-depth analysis of his personal writings found in his archive, and I present connections with other, non-musical theories by which, I argue, he was influenced. These theories predominantly concern the concepts of Jung and Mircea Eliade. Furthermore, this study argues that these areas of thought, commonly regarded as ‘non-musical’, become, in an important sense, musical in Christou’s late works. In addition, I identify spiritual elements in Strychnine Lady and present links between several of its aspects and spiritual practices. Finally, the thesis also provides an extended critical analysis of the work’s score, which follows Christou’s new, personal and ground-breaking music notation system. It is important to mention that this is the first dedicated study to explore Strychnine Lady both holistically and critically, and one of the very few attempts thus far to research Christou’s output in depth. Hence, its importance lies in the concern to confirm the composer’s posthumous reputation in the 21st century via research that will, it is hoped, make a significant contribution to improving understanding of the composer’s late works.
PISA 2009. Bilanz nach einem Jahrzehnt

Die erste PISA-Studie im Jahr 2000 untersuchte vor allem den Bereich des Lesens und lieferte detaillierte Informationen uber den Kompetenzstand von Funfzehnjahrigen im internationalen Vergleich. Im Jahr 2003 war Mathematik der Schwerpunkt, im Jahr 2006 die naturwissenschaftlichen Kompetenzen, womit der erste Erhebungszyklus abgeschlossen war. In PISA 2009 ist wieder die Lesekompetenz Schwerpunkt der Untersuchungen. Dieses Buch stellt den Ist-Stand im Jahr 2009 dar und verknupft ihn mit den Entwicklungen zwischen den Jahren 2000 und 2009. Uber welche Kompetenzen verfugen deutsche Schulerinnen und Schuler, und wie haben sich diese verandert? Wie sehen hausliche und schulische Lernumgebungen aus? Wie haben sich Rahmenbedingungen und Ergebnisse von Bildungsprozessen, aber auch Schulen und auserschulische Faktoren verandert? Wie lasst sich diese Entwicklung beurteilen, wenn man sie in den internationalen Vergleich einordnet? Folgende inhaltlichen Aspekte werden thematisiert: Organisationsstruktur von PISA 2009; Das Programm for International Student Assessment (PISA); Lesekompetenz von PISA 2000 bis PISA 2009; Lesemotivation und Lernstrategien; Schulische Rahmenbedingungen und Lerngelegenheiten im Deutschunterricht; Mathematische Kompetenz von PISA 2003 bis PISA 2009; Naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenz von PISA 2006 bis PISA 2009; Soziokulturelle Bedingungsfaktoren, Lebensverhaltnisse und Lesekompetenz; Schulerinnen und Schuler mit Migrationshintergrund; Soziale Herkunft und Kompetenzerwerb; Leseforderung im Elternhaus; PISA 2000-2009: Bilanz der Veranderungen im Schulsystem. (DIPF/Orig./Mar/paul)
On the security of XCBC, TMAC and OMAC

The security provided by the XCBC, TMAC and OMAC schemes is analysed and compared with other MAC schemes. The results imply that there is relatively little to be gained practically through the introduction of these schemes by comparison with other well-established MAC functions. Moreover, TMAC and OMAC possess design weaknesses which enable part of the secret key to be recovered much more easily than would ideally be the case — design changes are suggested which alleviate this problem. Whether or not the proofs of security are retrievable for the modified designs remains an open question, although the need for change would appear to be clear.
Fast continuous collision detection using deforming non-penetration filters

We present a novel culling algorithm that uses deforming non-penetration filters to improve the performance of continuous collision detection (CCD) algorithms. The underlying idea is to use a simple and effective filter that reduces both the number of false positives and the elementary tests between the primitives. This filter is derived from the coplanarity condition and can be easily combined with other methods used to accelerate CCD. We have implemented the algorithm and tested its performance on many non-rigid simulations. In practice, we can reduce the number of false positives significantly and improve the overall performance of CCD algorithms by 1.5--8.2x.
RNA processing in human mitochondria

Mammalian mitochondrial DNA is transcribed as precursor polycistronic transcripts containing 13 mRNAs, 2 rRNAs, punctuated by 22 tRNAs. The mechanisms involved in the excision of mitochondrial tRNAs from these polycistronic transcripts have remained largely unknown. We have investigated the roles of ELAC2, mitochondrial RNase P proteins 1 and 3, and pentatricopeptide repeat domain protein 1 in the processing of mitochondrial polycistronic transcripts. We used a deep sequencing approach to characterize the 5' and 3' ends of processed mitochondrial transcripts and provide a detailed map of mitochondrial tRNA processing sites affected by these proteins. We show that MRPP1 and MRPP3 process the 5' ends of tRNAs and the 5' unconventional, non tRNA containing site of the CO1 transcript. By contrast, we find that ELAC2 and PTCD1 affect the 3' end processing of tRNAs. Finally, we found that MRPP1 is essential for transcript processing, RNA modification, translation and mitochondrial respiration.
Wideband channel characterization at UHF band for LTE applications

This paper presents the preliminary results obtained in two field tests, aimed to evaluate some important characteristics of a broadband radio channel operating in the UHF band. Such characteristics include: Selective and depolarization fading, impulsive noise intensity, path loss modeling and its variation due to the terminal antenna height and due the antenna polarization, and polarization discrimination at the terminal antenna. This analysis was intended to answer these critical issues, applicable to the LTE-450, a broadband radio access system based on the Long Term Evolution technology, to be deployed at the 450 MHz band.
Nucleolar trafficking is essential for nuclear export of intronless herpesvirus mRNA

The nucleolus is the largest subnuclear structure and is plurifunctional in nature. Here, we demonstrate that nucleolar localization of a key herpesvirus regulatory protein is essential for its role in virus mRNA nuclear export. The herpesvirus saimiri ORF57 protein is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle protein that is conserved in all herpesviruses and orchestrates the nuclear export of viral intronless mRNAs. We demonstrate that expression of the ORF57 protein induces nucleolar redistribution of human TREX (transcription/export) proteins that are involved in mRNA nuclear export. Moreover, we describe a previously unidentified nucleolar localization signal within ORF57 that is composed of two distinct nuclear localization signals. Intriguingly, point mutations that ablate ORF57 nucleolar localization lead to a failure of ORF57-mediated viral mRNA nuclear export. Furthermore, nucleolar retargeting of the ORF57 mutant was achieved by the incorporation of the HIV-1 Rev nucleolar localization signal, and analysis demonstrated that this modification was sufficient to restore viral mRNA nuclear export. This finding represents a unique and fundamental role for the nucleolus in nuclear export of viral mRNA.
Participación y rendimiento del estudiante universitario en un proyecto docente interdisciplinar, bilingüe y virtual

espanolLa ensenanza y el aprendizaje han empezado a aprovechar desde hace unos anos los beneficios de la globalizacion y de las nuevas tecnologias, favoreciendo asi la colaboracion entre universidades de diferentes contextos. Los idiomas no son una excepcion en este proceso. Prueba de ello resulta el presente estudio que plantea como objetivo analizar los resultados de un novedoso proyecto de ensenanza-aprendizaje interdisciplinario y bilingue entre dos universidades europeas: la London School of Economics (Reino Unido) y la Universidad de Valencia (Espana). Un proyecto formulado con la idea de impulsar el conocimiento de un idioma extranjero y fomentar la cooperacion y el intercambio de informacion entre los estudiantes de estas dos universidades a traves de un entorno virtual. La mision de los estudiantes consistia en afianzar una segunda lengua asi como sus conocimientos de economia y administracion de empresas tanto en espanol como en ingles. A partir de los diversos datos de participacion y las calificaciones finales de los estudiantes en sus respectivas materias, calculamos coeficientes de concordancia con el objetivo de analizar la participacion y el rendimiento de estos. Como resultado, se observa una relacion positiva y significativa entre la implicacion de los estudiantes en el proyecto y sus calificaciones finales para los estudiantes de ambas instituciones. Los resultados demuestran que el proyecto contribuye de forma positiva en el proceso de ensenanza- aprendizaje tanto de idiomas como de otras disciplinas EnglishEducation has recently begun to take advantage of the benefits of the globalization and the application of new technologies, thus facilitating the collaboration between universities of different contexts. Language teaching is not an exception in this process.As a result of this, the present study aims at analyzing the results of an innovative interdisciplinary and bilingual e-learning project between two European universities: the London School of Economics (United Kingdom) and the University of Valencia (Spain). A project was formulated, with the purpose of fostering the knowledge of a foreign language and the cooperation and exchange of information between the students of these two universities through the use of a virtual platform (webCT). The students� remit consisted of strengthening their applied knowledge of a foreign language, as well as of economy and business administration, both in Spanish and English. From the diverse data on students� participation and final qualifications,we calculated rank correlation coefficients in order to analyze students�participation and performance.Study results show a positive and significant relation between students� involvement in the project and their final qualifications within both institutions.Thus, the project contributes in a positive way in the teaching-learning process of languages as well as other disciplines
Social Supports Among Parents of Children Recently Diagnosed with Autism: Comparisons between Mothers and Fathers

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Single-cell printing to form three-dimensional lines of olfactory ensheathing cells

Biological laser printing (BioLP™) is a unique tool capable of printing high resolution two- and three-dimensional patterns of living mammalian cells, with greater than 95% viability. These results have been extended to primary cultured olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), harvested from adult Sprague-Dawley rats. OECs have been found to provide stimulating environments for neurite outgrowth in spinal cord injury models. BioLP is unique in that small load volumes (∼µLs) are required to achieve printing, enabling low numbers of OECs to be harvested, concentrated and printed. BioLP was used to form several 8 mm lines of OECs throughout a multilayer hydrogel scaffold. The line width was as low as 20 µm, with most lines comprising aligned single cells. Fluorescent confocal microscopy was used to determine the functionality of the printed OECs, to monitor interactions between printed OECs, and to determine the extent of cell migration throughout the 3D scaffold. High-resolution printing of low cell count, harvested OECs is an important advancement for in vitro study of cell interactions and functionality. In addition, these cell-printed scaffolds may provide an alternative for spinal cord repair studies, as the single-cell patterns formed here are on relevant size scales for neurite outgrowth.
Terminal Reassortment Drives the Quantum Evolution of Type III Effectors in Bacterial Pathogens

Many bacterial pathogens employ a type III secretion system to deliver type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) into host cells, where they interact directly with host substrates to modulate defense pathways and promote disease. This interaction creates intense selective pressures on these secreted effectors, necessitating rapid evolution to overcome host surveillance systems and defenses. Using computational and evolutionary approaches, we have identified numerous mosaic and truncated T3SEs among animal and plant pathogens. We propose that these secreted virulence genes have evolved through a shuffling process we have called “terminal reassortment. ” In terminal reassortment, existing T3SE termini are mobilized within the genome, creating random genetic fusions that result in chimeric genes. Up to 32% of T3SE families in species with relatively large and well-characterized T3SE repertoires show evidence of terminal reassortment, as compared to only 7% of non-T3SE families. Terminal reassortment may permit the near instantaneous evolution of new T3SEs and appears responsible for major modifications to effector activity and function. Because this process plays a more significant role in the evolution of T3SEs than non-effectors, it provides insight into the evolutionary origins of T3SEs and may also help explain the rapid emergence of new infectious agents.