Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can Intravenous Dexmedetomidine Prolong Bupivacaine Intrathecal Spinal Anesthesia

Background and objectives: Different adjuvants have been used to prolong intrathecal spinal anesthesia, with the possible advantages of delayed onset of post-operative pain, delayed and reduced analgesic requirements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect ofintravenous dexmedetomidine on prolongation of intrathecal spinal anesthesia, level of sedation, post-operative analgesic requirement. Methods: Ninety adult patients classified as American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status (ASA) I or II scheduled for various elective surgical proceduresbelow umbilicus under intrathecal spinal anesthesia were doubleblind randomized to one of three groups. Each patient received 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 2.5 ml intrathecal spinal anesthesia. Group C (control): Patient receiving intravenous normal saline 10 ml over 10 mins (as placebo) 10 minutes before intrathecal spinal anesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 2.5 ml and normal saline 10 ml over 10 mins (as placebo) after 30 minutes of spinal anesthesia. Group D1: Patient receiving intravenous dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg over 10 mins, 10 minutes before intrathecal spinal anesthesia. Group D2: Patient receiving intravenous dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg over 10 mins after 30 minutes of intrathecal spinal anesthesia. Results: Sensory block was higher in group D2 (T-4.1 ± 0.7) than D1 (T-4.5 ± 0.5) and C (T-6.3 ± 0.8). Time for sensory regression of two blocks was 145 ± 32, 142 ± 28 and 94 ± 26 min in group D2, D1 and C respectively. Duration of motor block was similar in all groups. GroupD2 and D1 increased the time to first request for postoperative analgesia by 190.3 ±13.3 and 174 ± 19.5 min whereas in group C 133.40 ±10.4 min. The maximum Ramsay sedation score was greater in the group D1 and D2 than in C. Conclusion: Intravenous dexmedetomidine prolonged spinal bupivacaine sensory blockade in both the groups. It also provided sedation and additional analgesia.
Elective haemodialysis increases exhaled isoprene.

BACKGROUND Uraemic odour is a characteristic feature of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, few investigations have been carried out into the composition of exhaled air in ESRD patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD). Increases of exhaled isoprene levels by a factor of up to 2.7 following HD have been reported. METHODS We attempted to confirm these findings in 50 patients undergoing HD using haemophan (n=23) or polysulphone (n=27) dialysis membranes. Parallel evaluation of ambient air, calorie intake, medication and haemodynamic variables was performed. Samples were analysed using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). RESULTS Significant changes in breath isoprene concentration were observed when comparing patients before [39.14+/-14.96 parts per billion (ppbv)] and after (63.54+/-27.59 ppbv) dialysis (P<0.001). The quotient of values before and after dialysis was 1.84 (SD 1.41). No significant differences in isoprene kinetics were found between the use of haemophan and polysulphone membranes. No significant correlations were observed between isoprene quotients and variations in blood pressure during HD, calorie intake, ingestion of lipid-lowering drugs or serum lipid levels. CONCLUSIONS Isoprene concentration was higher in the exhaled air of patients after HD as compared with values before HD. Large interindividual variability existed in isoprene kinetics. Oxidative stress appears to be an unlikely cause for this rise. An alternative hypothesis is an influence of respiratory variables on isoprene exhalation based upon Henry's law constant. We therefore propose to perform online monitoring of isoprene exhalation by PTR-MS during the HD session to investigate the possible influence of respiratory variables.
The ‘games playing ethos’ in Australian Independent Girls' Schools: from origins to the National Curriculum

This paper traces the history of sport in Australian Independent Girls' Schools (IGS) from its origins until the proposed introduction of the National Curriculum in 2014. In particular, the paper focuses on the role played by the Girls' Secondary School Sports Union and its successor the Independent Girls' School Sport Association to coordinate inter-school sporting exchanges. While there have been a number of studies that have documented the history of sport in Australian Independent Boys' Schools, there has been little equivalent scholarly interest in the role of sport in Australian IGS. This paper demonstrates that sport loomed large in IGS and became central to the education of middle-class girls in Australia. Modelled after the English Public Schools that had adopted the educational ideology of the ‘games playing ethos’, Australian IGS used sport to create a female public space.
Genomes and Virulence Factors of Novel Bacterial Pathogens Causing Bleaching Disease in the Marine Red Alga Delisea pulchra

Nautella sp. R11, a member of the marine Roseobacter clade, causes a bleaching disease in the temperate-marine red macroalga, Delisea pulchra. To begin to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underpinning the ability of Nautella sp. R11 to colonize, invade and induce bleaching of D. pulchra, we sequenced and analyzed its genome. The genome encodes several factors such as adhesion mechanisms, systems for the transport of algal metabolites, enzymes that confer resistance to oxidative stress, cytolysins, and global regulatory mechanisms that may allow for the switch of Nautella sp. R11 to a pathogenic lifestyle. Many virulence effectors common in phytopathogenic bacteria are also found in the R11 genome, such as the plant hormone indole acetic acid, cellulose fibrils, succinoglycan and nodulation protein L. Comparative genomics with non-pathogenic Roseobacter strains and a newly identified pathogen, Phaeobacter sp. LSS9, revealed a patchy distribution of putative virulence factors in all genomes, but also led to the identification of a quorum sensing (QS) dependent transcriptional regulator that was unique to pathogenic Roseobacter strains. This observation supports the model that a combination of virulence factors and QS-dependent regulatory mechanisms enables indigenous members of the host alga's epiphytic microbial community to switch to a pathogenic lifestyle, especially under environmental conditions when innate host defence mechanisms are compromised.
What Is Method Variance and How Can We Cope With It? A Panel Discussion

A panel of experts describes the nature of, and remedies for, method variance. In an attempt to help the reader understand the nature of method variance, the authors describe their experiences with method variance both on the giving and the receiving ends of the editorial review process, as well as their interpretation of other reviewers’ comments. They then describe methods of data analysis and research design, which have been used for detecting and eliminating the effects of method variance. Most methods have some utility, but none prevent the researcher from making faulty inferences. The authors conclude with suggestions for resolving disputes about method variance.
Influences on the Satisfaction and Retention of 1st-Year Teachers: The Importance of Effective School Management

Data from two panel studies, the 1993 to 1995 nationwide Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey, as well as a 1998-1999 survey of teachers in one western state are used to examine the influenceof variables related to demographic characteristics, work assignment, effectiveness, social support, and school management on the satisfaction and retention decisions of 1st-year public school teachers. Minor differences appear between the results for the statewide and national samples, but both sets of results indicate that the most important influences on satisfaction involve variables related to social support and school management, and that the most important influence on retention decisions is job satisfaction. Implications for future research and for practitioners are discussed, including the central role of effective and supportive school management in promoting the satisfaction and retention of 1st-year teachers.
RhoA-Binding Kinase α Translocation Is Facilitated by the Collapse of the Vimentin Intermediate Filament Network

ABSTRACT The regulation of morphological changes in eukaryotic cells is a complex process involving major components of the cytoskeleton including actin microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IFs). The putative effector of RhoA, RhoA-binding kinase α (ROKα), is a serine/threonine kinase that has been implicated in the reorganization of actin filaments and in myosin contractility. Here, we show that ROKα also directly affects the structural integrity of IFs. Overexpression of active ROKα, like that of RhoA, caused the collapse of filamentous vimentin, a type III IF. A RhoA-binding-deficient, kinase-inactive ROKα inhibited the collapse of vimentin IFs induced by RhoA in HeLa cells. In vitro, ROKα bound and phosphorylated vimentin at its head-rod domain, thereby inhibiting the assembly of vimentin. ROKα colocalized predominantly with the filamentous vimentin network, which remained intact in serum-starved cells. Treatment of cells with vinblastine, a microtubule-disrupting agent, also resulted in filamentous vimentin collapse and concomitant ROKα translocation to the cell periphery. ROKα translocation did not occur when the vimentin network remained intact in vinblastine-treated cells at 4°C or in the presence of the dominant-negative RhoAN19 mutant. Transient translocation of ROKα was also observed in cells subjected to heat shock, which caused the disassembly of the vimentin network. Thus, the translocation of ROKα to the cell periphery upon overexpression of RhoAV14 or growth factor treatment is associated with disassembly of vimentin IFs. These results indicate that Rho effectors known to act on microfilaments may be involved in regulating the assembly of IFs. Vimentin when phosphorylated also exhibits reduced affinity for the inactive ROKα. The translocation of ROKα from IFs to the cell periphery upon action by activated RhoA and ROKα suggests that ROKα may initiate its own cascade of activation.
High Dimensional Bayesian Optimization using Dropout

Scaling Bayesian optimization to high dimensions is challenging task as the global optimization of high-dimensional acquisition function can be expensive and often infeasible. Existing methods depend either on limited active variables or the additive form of the objective function. We propose a new method for high-dimensional Bayesian optimization, that uses a dropout strategy to optimize only a subset of variables at each iteration. We derive theoretical bounds for the regret and show how it can inform the derivation of our algorithm. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithms for optimization on two benchmark functions and two real-world applications- training cascade classifiers and optimizing alloy composition.
Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Plasticity Following Memory Training and Yoga Interventions in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Behavioral interventions are becoming increasingly popular approaches to ameliorate age-related cognitive decline, but their underlying neurobiological mechanisms and clinical efficiency have not been fully elucidated. The present study explored brain plasticity associated with two behavioral interventions, memory enhancement training (MET) and a mind-body practice (yogic meditation), in healthy seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using structural magnetic resonance imaging (s-MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Senior participants (age ≥55 years) with MCI were randomized to the MET or yogic meditation interventions. For both interventions, participants completed either MET training or Kundalini Yoga (KY) for 60-min sessions over 12 weeks, with 12-min daily homework assignments. Gray matter volume and metabolite concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and bilateral hippocampus were measured by structural MRI and 1H-MRS at baseline and after 12 weeks of training. Metabolites measured included glutamate-glutamine (Glx), choline-containing compounds (Cho, including glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and N-acetyl aspartate and N-acetylaspartyl-glutamate (NAA-NAAG). In total, 11 participants completed MET and 14 completed yogic meditation for this study. Structural MRI analysis showed an interaction between time and group in dACC, indicating a trend towards increased gray matter volume after the MET intervention. 1H-MRS analysis showed an interaction between time and group in choline-containing compounds in bilateral hippocampus, induced by significant decreases after the MET intervention. Though preliminary, our results suggest that memory training induces structural and neurochemical plasticity in seniors with MCI. Further research is needed to determine whether mind-body interventions like yoga yield similar neuroplastic changes.
A scheme for dynamic detection of concurrent execution of object-oriented software

Program testing is the most widely adopted approach for assuring the quality and reliability of software systems. Despite the popularity of the objected-oriented programs, its testing is much more challenging than that of the conventional programs. We proposed previously a methodology known as TACCLE for testing object-oriented software. It has not, however, addressed the aspects of concurrency and non-determinism. In this paper, we propose a scheme for dynamically detecting and testing concurrency in object-oriented software by executing selected concurrent pairs of operations. The scheme is based on OBJSA nets and addresses concurrency and nondeterminism problems. An experimental case study is reported to show the effectiveness of the scheme in detecting deadlocks, race conditions and other coherence problems. The scheme supplements our previous static approach to detecting deadlock in Java multithreaded programs.
The post-cervical insemination does not impair the reproductive performance of primiparous sows.

The study evaluated the reproductive performance of primiparous sows submitted to post-cervical insemination (PCAI) compared with cervical artificial insemination (CAI). Difficulty with catheter introduction, the occurrence of bleeding or semen backflow during insemination, and volume and sperm cell backflow up to 60 min after insemination were also evaluated. Sows were homogenously distributed, according to body weight loss in lactation, lactation length, weaned piglets, weaning-to-oestrus interval and total born in previous farrowing, in two treatments: PCAI (n = 165) with 1.5 × 10(9) sperm cells in 45 ml (2.4 ± 0.04 doses per sow) and CAI (n = 165) with 3 × 10(9) sperm cells in 90 ml (2.5 ± 0.04 doses per sow). During PCAI, sows were inseminated in the absence of boars. Transabdominal real-time ultrasonography was performed at oestrus onset, immediately before the first insemination and at 24 h after last insemination. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between treatments in farrowing rate (91.5% × 89.1%) and litter size (12.5 × 11.9 piglets born, respectively for PCAI and CAI sows). Successful passage of the intrauterine catheter in all the inseminations was possible in 86.8% (165/190) of sows initially allocated to PCAI treatment. Difficulty of introducing the catheter in at least one insemination did not affect the reproductive performance of PCAI sows (P > 0.05). Bleeding during insemination did not affect (P > 0.05) the farrowing rate in both treatments, but litter size was reduced in CAI and PCAI sows (P ≤ 0.06). Percentage of spermatozoa present in backflow within 1 h after insemination was greater in CAI than PCAI sows (P < 0.01). More than 85% of primiparous sows can be successfully post-cervical inseminated with doses containing 1.5 × 10(9) sperm cells in the absence of the boar during insemination without impairing the reproductive performance.
Equal Opportunities Policies in English Schools: Towards Greater Gender Equality in the Teaching Workforce?

The under-representation of women in promoted posts is one particular pattern of occupational segregation by gender across post-industrial societies. This phenomenon also characterizes those professions which have been described as ‘women-friendly’, such as teaching. The development of national and European legislation and recommendations on equal opportunities reflects this concern to address the gender imbalance among the workforce. But do schools identify women's under-representation in promoted posts as an issue? To what extent do school's policies recognize and remedy the gender imbalance at managerial level? To answer these questions this article draws on a study of women teachers' careers in nursery, primary and secondary education in England. It shows that school equal opportunities policy statements widely ignore the under-representation of women in school managerial positions. It suggests that the constructions of gender issues in schools by those in charge of designing and implementing school policies, that is, head-teachers and governors, represent a key hindering factor for equal opportunities policies to contribute to greater gender equality. A major argument in the article is that because head-teachers' and governors' discourses do not always fundamentally challenge the position of women in society, school policies and practices can offer only a limited contribution to gender equality.
Development of the human interaction dimension of the Self‐Regulated Learning Questionnaire in asynchronous online learning environments

Two studies focusing on the development and validation of the Online Self‐Regulated Learning Inventory (OSRLI) were conducted. The OSRLI is a self‐report instrument assessing the human interaction dimension of online self‐regulated learning. It consists of an affect/motivation scale and an interaction strategies scale. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of an initial affect/motivation item pool yielded four factors: enjoyment of human interaction, self‐efficacy for interaction with instructors, concern for interaction with students, and self‐efficacy for contributing to the online community. Exploratory factor analysis of an initial learning strategies item pool revealed three factors: writing strategies, responding strategies, and reflection strategies. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in order to evaluate the stability of multidimensional factor structures. These exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed the OSRLI to be statistically moderate in terms of reliability and validity.
The dual nature of perfectionism in sports: relationships with emotion, motivation, and performance

Perfectionism is a prevalent characteristic in athletes. Yet some researchers have argued that perfectionism in sports is maladaptive because it undermines athletes’ performance and stifles athletic development. This argument, however, neglects that perfectionism is a multidimensional characteristic and that only some dimensions of perfectionism are clearly maladaptive, whereas others are not. This review argues that perfectionism is comprised of two main dimensions – perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns (Stoeber & Otto, 2006) – that show different and unique patterns of relationships with athletes’ emotions, motivation, and performance. In support of this argument the review will present findings indicating that only perfectionistic concerns show unique positive relationships with competitive anxiety, fear of failure, and avoidance goal orientations. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings show unique positive relationships with self-confidence, hope of success, approach goal orientations, and performance in training and competitions. The findings suggest that only perfectionistic concerns are clearly maladaptive, whereas perfectionistic strivings may form part of a healthy striving for excellence. Implications for applied sport psychology are discussed as are open questions for future research.
Acoustic analysis of voice and speech characteristics in early untreated Parkinson's disease

parkinson’s disease (pd) is a neurological illness characterized by progressive lost of dopaminergic neurons, primarily in the substantia nigra pars compacta. changes in speech associated with hypokinetic dysarthria are a common manifestation in patients with idiopathic pd. the aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of automated acoustic measures for the identification of voice and speech disorders in pd. the speech data were collected from 46 czech native speakers, 24 with early pd before receiving pharmacotherapy treatment. We have applied several traditional and non-standard measurements in combination with statistical decision-making strategy to assess the extent of vocal impairment of recruited speakers. subsequently, we have applied support vector machine to find the best combination of measurements to differentiate pd from healthy subjects. this method leads to overall classification performance of 85%. admittedly, we have found relationships between measures of phonation and articulation and bradykinesia and rigidity in pd. in conclusion, the acoustic analysis can ease the clinical assessment of voice and speech disorders, and serve as measures of clinical progression as well as in the monitoring of treatment effects.
Action research and transformative learning in teaching development

Abstract The article reports on an action research project, informed by transformative learning theory. Transformative learning involves individuals gaining an awareness of their current habits of mind, and resulting points of views accompanied by a critique of their assumptions and premises, an assessment of alternative views, a decision to negate an old perspective or view in favour of a new one, or to make a synthesis of old and new, resulting in more justified beliefs to guide action. The action research was designed to change the perspectives and practices of higher education teachers from a teacher-centred to a learning-centred dialogic approach. The research demonstrated that a transformation in teaching perspective could be achieved through action research that involved inquiring and interactive teaching. However, implementing the new perspective required additional sustained support. The research also confirmed that action research is a viable means of exploring transformative learning in educational settings.
Simultaneous feature selection and parameter optimization for training of dialog policy by reinforcement learning

This paper addresses the problem of feature selection in the reinforcement learning (RL) of the dialog policies of spoken dialog systems. A statistical dialog manager selects the system actions the system should take based on the features derived from the current dialog state and/or the system's belief state. When defining the features used by the system for training the dialog policy, however, finding a set of actually effective features from potentially useful ones is not obvious. In addition, the selection should be done simultaneously with the optimization of the dialog policy. In this paper, we propose an incremental feature selection method for the optimization of a dialog policy by RL, in which improvement of the dialog policy and the feature selection are conducted simultaneously. Experiments in dialog policy optimization by RL with a user simulator demonstrated the following: 1) that the proposed method can find a better dialog policy with fewer policy iterations and 2) the learning speed is comparable with the case where feature selection is conducted in advance.