Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Local Opinion Leaders Augment Hospital Quality Improvement Efforts?: A Randomized Trial to Promote Adherence to Unstable Angina Guidelines

Background. The influence of an opinion leader intervention on adherence to Unstable Angina (UA) guidelines compared with a traditional quality improvement model was investigated. Research Design. A group-randomized controlled trial with 2210 patients from 21 hospitals was designed. There were three intervention arms: (1) no intervention (NI); (2) a traditional Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP); and (3) a physician opinion leader in addition to the HCQIP model (OL). Quality indicators included: electrocardiogram within 20 minutes, antiplatelet therapy within 24 hours and at discharge, and heparin and &bgr;-blockers during hospitalization. Hospitals could determine the specific indicators they wished to target. Potential cases of UA were identified from Medicare claims data. UA confirmation was determined by a clinical algorithm based on data abstracted from medical records. Data analyses included both hospital level analysis (analysis of variance) and patient level analysis (generalized linear models). Results. The only statistically significant postintervention difference in percentage compliant was greater improvement for the OL group in the use of antiplatelet therapy at 24 hours in both hospital level (P = 0.01) and patient level analyses (P <0.05) compared with the HCQIP and NI groups. When analyses were confined to hospitals that targeted specific indicators, compared with the HCQIP hospitals, the OL hospitals showed significantly greater change in percentage compliant postintervention in both antiplatelet therapy during the first 24 hours (20.2% vs. −3.9%, P = 0.02) and heparin (31.0% vs.9.1%, P = 0.05). Conclusions. The influence of physician opinion leaders was unequivocally positive for only one of five quality indicators. To maximize adherence to best practices through physician opinion leaders, more research on how these physicians influence health care delivery in their organizations will be required.
On the relation between SPARQL1.1 and Answer Set Programming

Abstract In the context of the emerging Semantic Web and the quest for a common logical framework underpinning its architecture, the relation of rule-based languages such as Answer Set Programming (ASP) and ontology languages such as the Web Ontology Language (OWL) has attracted a lot of attention in the literature over the past years. With its roots in Deductive Databases and Datalog though, ASP shares much more commonality with another Semantic Web standard, namely the Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL). In this paper, we take the recent approval of the SPARQL1.1 standard by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C) as an opportunity to introduce this standard to the Logic Programming community by providing a translation of SPARQL1.1 into ASP. In this translation, we explain and highlight peculiarities of the new W3C standard. Along the way, we survey existing literature on foundations of SPARQL and SPARQL1.1, and also combinations of SPARQL with ontology and rules languages. Thereby, apart from providing the means to implement and support SPARQL natively within Logic Programming engines and particularly ASP engines, we hope to pave the way for further research on a common logical framework for Semantic Web languages, including query languages, from an ASP point of view.
The Roles of Scene Characteristics, Memory and Attentional Breadth on the Representation of Complex Real -World Scenes

Abstract : An accurate and detailed representation of the environment is presumed to help observers notice when an object moves or changes. Unfortunately, when change in the environment coincides with an interruption to the ongoing visual processing, observers are surprisingly slow to detect the change, if at all, The factors that play a role in the ability to detect scene changes in the face of interruptions caused by "flicker" are the focus of the research discussed here. Two experiments investigated the roles of intrinsic factors (e.g., attentional breadth, inhibition, perceptual speed, working memory) and extrinsic factors (e.g., change characteristics, scene context) in change detection performance with young and old adults participants. Results indicated that perceptual change detection was best characterized by attentional breadth and visuo-spatial working memory measures. To a lesser extent, perceptual speed was also associated with change detection performance, but the ability to inhibit irrelevant information (i.e., inhibition) had no detectable, independent relationship. Findings also revealed that change meaningfulness had a smaller impact on performance than did salience, especially for the older adults. Examination of eye movements indicated that early in their viewing of the scene, older adults landed on highly meaningful changes that were also of low salience; however, they were not able to explicitly detect the change. Further assessment of eye movements suggested that fixating the change did not ensure detection, rather the duration of processing in the change area increased the likelihood of successfully detecting the change and older adults required longer processing times than younger adults.
Inhibitory Effect of Aucubin Isolated from Eucommia ulmoides against UVB-Induced Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Production in Human Skin Fibroblasts

Of 30 herbal plants tested, the methanol extracts of Eucommia ulmoides (52%), Evodia officinalis (45%), and Pleuropterus multiflorus (41%) each showed a potent inhibitory effect on the matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) production in ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated human fibroblasts. Aucubin was isolated as the MMP-1 inhibitor from E. ulmoides, and significantly suppressed the production of MMP-1 by nearly 57% compared to the control. It also reduced MMP-1 mRNA expression. These results suggest that aucubin is a photoprotective phytochemical, and could be used as a potential agent in preventing photoaging.
Effect of steroids on edema and sodium uptake of the brain during focal ischemia in rats.

Steroids reduce permeability of the blood-brain barrier and inhibit active sodium transport by brain capillaries in vitro. Since the rate of edema formation during the early stages of ischemia is related to the rate of sodium transport from blood to brain, this study was designed to determine whether steroids reduce ischemic edema formation by inhibiting blood-brain barrier sodium transport. Dexamethasone was compared with progesterone since the latter is a more potent inhibitor of sodium transport in isolated capillaries. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with vehicle (n = 22) or 2 mg/kg of either dexamethasone (n = 22) or progesterone (n = 17) 1 hour before occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. After 4 hours of ischemia, brain water content and blood-brain barrier permeability to [3H] alpha-aminoisobutyric acid and sodium-22 were determined. In controls, mean +/- SEM water content of tissue in the center of the ischemic zone was 82.4 +/- 0.2%. Brain edema was significantly reduced following pretreatment with either dexamethasone (80.6 +/- 0.1%, p less than 0.001) or progesterone (81.5 +/- 0.3%, p less than 0.05). There was also a significant reduction in blood-brain barrier permeability to alpha-aminoisobutyric acid in normal brain following either treatment (e.g., 2.21 +/- 0.19 and 1.37 +/- 0.10 microliters/g/min, p less than 0.001, for control and dexamethasone treatments, respectively), but no effect on the permeability to sodium (e.g., 1.19 +/- 0.05 and 1.12 +/- 0.11 microliters/g/min for control and dexamethasone treatments, respectively). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Perioperative Variables Contributing to the Rupture of Intracranial Aneurysm: An Update

Background. Perioperative aneurysm rupture (PAR) is one of the most dreaded complications of intracranial aneurysms, and approximately 80% of nontraumatic SAHs are related to such PAR aneurysms. The literature is currently scant and even controversial regarding the issues of various contributory factors on different phases of perioperative period. Thus this paper highlights the current understanding of various risk factors, variables, and outcomes in relation to PAR and try to summarize the current knowledge. Method. We have performed a PubMed search (1 January 1991–31 December 2012) using search terms including “cerebral aneurysm,” “intracranial aneurysm,” and “intraoperative/perioperative rupture. ” Results. Various risk factors are summarized in relation to different phases of perioperative period and their relationship with outcome is also highlighted. There exist many well-known preoperative variables which are responsible for the highest percentage of PAR. The role of other variables in the intraoperative/postoperative period is not well known; however, these factors may have important contributory roles in aneurysm rupture. Preoperative variables mainly include natural course (age, gender, and familial history) as well as the pathophysiological factors (size, type, location, comorbidities, and procedure). Previously ruptured aneurysm is associated with rupture in all the phases of perioperative period. On the other hand intraoperative/postoperative variables usually depend upon anesthesia and surgery related factors. Intraoperative rupture during predissection phase is associated with poor outcome while intraoperative rupture at any step during embolization procedure imposes poor outcome. Conclusion. We have tried to create such an initial categorization but know that we cannot scale according to its clinical importance. Thorough understanding of various risk factors and other variables associated with PAR will assist in better clinical management as well as patient care in this group and will give insight into the development and prevention of such a catastrophic complication in these patients.
Investigating ingroup bias in an interactive minimal group environment.

Objectives: The general problematic of social science research is located in individualized explanations of social and collectively based phenomena. This is due to methodological issues inherent in the way social research is conducted. Research on ingroup bias via the renowned minimal group studies is an exemplar of this general problem and is examined in this study. This research argued that explaining ingroup bias in terms of individuals’ psychological needs is insufficient. This is because the original paper and pencil test failed to account for the effects of social interaction and how the interaction unfolds over time. Consequently, the old problem of ingroup bias was revisited using a new technology: the Virtual Interaction Application (VIAPPL). Design: A within-subjects and between-groups experimental design was used. Methods: VIAPPL was used to replicate the original study but in a way that demonstrated how ingroup bias was produced in interaction over time. This was facilitated by the ‘Give and Get’ game, where participants allocated tokens to one another in a simulated game-like environment. A repeated measures ANOVA and social network analyses were used to analyse the data. Results: As predicted, 1) ingroup bias was found most likely to be manifest in social interaction characterised by group categorization, and 2) more ingroup bias was expressed when the group interaction is visible to those participating in the interaction. Ingroup bias did not amplify as the group interaction unfolded over time. However, there was evidence proving that ingroup bias is not static, as was previously thought. Instead, it changed by increasing and decreasing as the rounds of the game advanced. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that 1) participants distributed their tokens fairly when they acted with and without a group membership, 2) observing the interaction informed the way tokens were allocated in both individual and group conditions, and 3) reciprocity was not operant in the interaction. Conclusions: This study introduced a new framework for studies in the minimal group paradigm (MGP) that allowed participants to interact in a virtual environment and enabled both traditional ANOVA methods and social network analyses. By rendering social interaction visible in the MGP, this study moved beyond an individualized explanation of social interaction by offering a social explanation of the behaviours manifested.
THE EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES ON LEARNER'S NAVIGATION IN A COURSEWARE

One of the major features of a computer based instruction (CBI) is its non-linear structure allowing learners the opportunity of flexible navigation to accommodate their own needs. However, this non-linear structure may cause problems such as inefficient navigation, being lost or cognitive overhead for some learners. The aim of this study is to determine how individual differences; cognitive styles, prior knowledge and gender influence the navigation pattern in a courseware. The research has the posttest-only, equivalent-groups true experimental design. The sampling is comprised of 84 first year undergraduate students at Gazi University, enrolled in an
Distribution of Kainate Receptor Subunits at Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses

Kainate receptors function as mediators of postsynaptic currents and as presynaptic modulators of synaptic transmission at mossy fiber synapses. Despite intense research into the physiological properties of mossy fiber kainate receptors, their subunit composition in the presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments is unclear. Here we describe the distribution of kainate receptor subunits in mossy fiber synapses using subunit-selective antibodies and knock-out mice. We provide morphological evidence for the presynaptic localization of KA1 and KA2 receptor subunits at mossy fiber synapses. Immunogold staining for KA1 and KA2 was commonly seen at synaptic contacts and in vesicular structures. Postsynaptic labeling in dendritic spines was also observed. Although KA1 predominantly showed presynaptic localization, KA2 was concentrated to a greater degree on postsynaptic membranes. Both subunits coimmunoprecipitated from hippocampal membrane extracts with GluR6 but not GluR7 subunits. These results demonstrate that KA1 and KA2 subunits are localized presynaptically and postsynaptically at mossy fiber synapses where they most likely coassemble with GluR6 subunits to form functional heteromeric kainate receptor complexes.
Selection of Thymocytes Interactions Inhibit TCR-Mediated Positive Programmed Death-1 (PD-1):PD-Ligand 1

Positive selection during thymocyte development is driven by the afﬁnity and avidity of the TCR for MHC-peptide complexes expressed in the thymus. In this study, we show that programmed death-1 (PD-1), a member of the B7/CD28 family of costimulatory receptors, inhibits TCR-mediated positive selection through PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1):PD-1 interactions. Transgenic mice that constitutively overexpress PD-1 on CD4 (cid:1) CD8 (cid:1) thymocytes display defects in positive selection in vivo. Using an in vitro model system, we ﬁnd that PD-1 is up-regulated following TCR engagement on CD4 (cid:1) CD8 (cid:1) murine thymocytes. Coligation of TCR and PD-1 on CD4 (cid:1) CD8 (cid:1) thymocytes with a novel PD-1 agonistic mAb inhibits the activation of ERK and up-regulation of bcl-2, both of which are downstream mediators essential for positive selection. Inhibitory signals through PD-1 can overcome the ability of positive costimulators, such as CD2 and CD28, to facilitate positive selection. Finally, defects in positive selection that result from PD-1 overexpression in thymocytes resolve upon elimination of PD-L1, but not PD-1 ligand 2, expression. PD-L1-deﬁcient mice have increased numbers of CD4 (cid:1) CD8 (cid:1) and CD4 (cid:1) thymocytes, indicating that PD-L1 is involved in normal thymic selection. These data demonstrate that PD-1:PD-L1 interactions are critical to positive selection and play a role in shaping the T cell repertoire. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 175: 7372–7379. events in selection, bcl-2 in after selection
Towards an embedded biologically-inspired machine vision processor

Biologically-inspired machine vision algorithms - those that attempt to capture aspects of the computational architecture of the brain - have proven to be a promising class of algorithms for performing a variety of object and face recognition tasks. However these algorithms typically require a large number of arithmetic operations per image frame evaluated. Meanwhile, the increasing ubiquity of inexpensive cameras in a wide array of embedded devices presents an enormous opportunity for the deployment of embedded machine vision systems. As a first step towards an embedded implementation, we consider the main requirements for the design of an embedded processor for biologically-inspired object recognition and demonstrate an FPGA prototype of the V1-like algorithm, a simple biologically-inspired system from the literature [1], [2], [3]. We present a multiple instruction, single data (MISD) pipeline implementation of V1-like, and show that such designs are feasible in an FPGA context, particularly for small frame sizes (e.g. 100×100). In addition, we show that such an implementation offers good performance per unit silicon area and power dissipation in comparison to traditional CPU and GPU implementations. Finally, we discuss the constraints under which such an embedded strategy would be feasible for a more general biologically inspired face recognition system, and consider paths forward towards a wider range of possible embedded targets.
Leveraging the Tail Time for Saving Energy in Cellular Networks

In cellular networks, inactivity timers are used to control the release of radio resources. However, during the timeout period of inactivity timers, known as the tail time, a large proportion of energy in user devices and a considerable amount of radio resources are wasted. In this paper, we propose TailTheft, a scheme that leverages the tail time for batching and prefetching to reduce energy consumption. For network requests from a number of applications that can be deferred or prefetched, TailTheft provides a customized application programming interface to distinguish requests and then schedules delay-tolerant and prefetchable requests in the tail time to save energy. TailTheft employs a virtual tail time mechanism to determine the amount of tail time that can be used and a dual queue scheduling algorithm to schedule transmissions. We implement TailTheft in the Network Simulator with a model for calculating energy consumption that is based on parameters measured from mobile phones. We evaluate TailTheft using real application traces, and the experimental results show that TailTheft can achieve significant savings on battery energy (up to 65%) and dedicated radio resources (up to 56%), compared to the default policy.
Structural Regression of the Rat Corpus Luteum of Pregnancy: Relationship with Functional Regression, Apoptotic Cell Death, and the Suckling Stimulus

The nature of the structural regression of the corpus luteum of pregnancy (PCL) was investigated in rats from day 19 of pregnancy (PRG19) through day 6 postpartum (PP6). A pre-partum decrease in tissue weight of the PCL during the last 4 days of pregnancy was apparent (nearly a 40% decrease) and seemed to parallel the fall in plasma progesterone. The PCL in normally lactating rats further experienced a gradual decrease in the postpartum period, but the reduction was significantly slowed by PP6 in non-lactating rats that were forced to wean from the parturient day (PP0). TUNEL analysis revealed that apoptotic cell death in the regressing PCL showed a 3–4 fold increase in signals after parturition (on PP3) but was fairly limited. Instead, luteal steroidogenic cells came to have cytoplasmic vacuoles by PRG21, and vacuoles increased through PP3. A decelerated decrease in PCL weight following forced weaning was potentially reversed by repeated administration of exogenous prolactin (10 IU) twice daily. This study adds evidence that structural regression of the rat PCL 1) starts to occur before the completion of functional regression, 2) involves a modest incidence of TUNEL-reactive apoptosis, and 3) is promoted by the suckling stimulus, presumably through the effects of prolactin.
β3-Adrenoreceptor Gene Polymorphism: A Newly Identified Risk Factor for Proliferative Retinopathy in NIDDM Patients

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of visual impairment. We investigated whether the polymorphism of the β3-adrenoreceptor (β3-AR) gene, which is associated with insulin resistance and an earlier onset of NIDDM, was associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in 215 Japanese NIDDM patients with a duration of diabetes of >10 years. The polymorphism of the β3-AR gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The Trp64Arg allele of the β3-AR gene was significantly more frequent in the NIDDM patients with PDR (P = 0.002), but not in those with non-PDR (P = 0.151), than in NIDDM patients without diabetic retinopathy. Those with the mutation had an earlier onset of diabetes, a longer duration of diabetes, and higher current and maximal BMI values, compared with those without the mutation. Moreover, this mutation was also associated with higher serum triglyceride and decreased HDL-cholesterol levels. When adjustment was made for age, age at diagnosis, duration of diabetes, current BMI, systolic blood pressure, HbA1c, and serum lipids in a multiple regression analysis, a significant association was found between the Trp64Arg allele and diabetic retinopathy (P = 0.039). The Arg/Arg or Arg/Trp genotype was significantly associated with PDR, compared with the Trp/Trp genotype, with an odds ratio of 2.55 (95% CI 1.25-5.16). We concluded that the β3-AR gene polymorphism is a newly identified risk factor for PDR.
Job Involvement of Part-Time Faculty: Exploring Associations with Distributive Justice, Underemployment, Work Status Congruence, and Empowerment.

For decades, higher education institutions have been increasingly reliant upon parttime faculty. As the role of part-time faculty in colleges and universities has evolved and gained prominence, it is increasingly important to gain a deeper understanding of their perceptions of job involvement considered as potential predictor of turnover and absenteeism. There are very few studies focusing on part-time faculty. Available research tends to be concerned with inequality in terms of income, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for career advancement compared to full-time faculty, while perceptions of how distributive justice among part-time faculty members might be associated with their perceived levels of job involvement remain comparatively neglected. This study focused on exploring relationships between job involvement and other job-related variables, including perceived levels of distributive justice; whether or not part-time work status was voluntary or involuntary, or the position was primary or non-primary. Perceived levels of overqualified underemployment and perception of empowerment were also considered. The study population was drawn from an existing database. The target population of the study was 165 part-time faculty members in the continuing education field at higher education institutions in the United States. OLS regression, ANOVA, and path analysis were utilized to explore the relationships between job involvement and the other job-related variables among part-time faculty in the study. The analyses revealed that whether or not part-time work was voluntary, and the position was primary or non-primary did not significantly influence levels of job involvement. Furthermore, perceived distributive justice did not affect part-time faculty job involvement significantly. Levels of perceived distributive justice among part-time faculty members only influenced job involvement through empowerment. Empowering