Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental Psychology Effects on Mental Health Job Satisfaction and Personal Well Being of Nurses

Objective: Environmental psychology as a science could be useful in understanding the dissociation between the man and the environment. The aim of this study was to compare mental health, job satisfaction and well-being of nurses who work in hospital environments with different designs. Material: This was a quasi-experimental study, in which 250 nurses filled out the mental health, well-being and job satisfaction questionnaires. They were categorized into 3 groups randomly. Group1 included 63 nurses who worked in an environment without any natural elements; group 2 included 100 nurses who worked in an environment with natural elements and group 3 included 87 nurses who worked in an environment without any psychological and ergonomic design. The last group was only stimulated by demonstrating visual stimulus. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA and Tukey’s pursuit statistical method. Results: The nurses who were working in an environment without any natural elements reported significantly lower scores on mental health, well-being and job satisfaction compared to those who were working in other groups, with the exception of social functioning. Moreover, depression and anxiety were more common in nurses who were working in environments without any natural elements compared to those in the other groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: We can increase job satisfaction, and mental health and well-being of the nurses through the use of natural design and environmental psychology indexes in hospital buildings.
Enhancement of microstrip antenna directivity using double-superstrate configurations

In this paper, the directivity of microstrip patch antennas with double-layer superstrate is investigated. Two dielectric superstrate layers, each a quarter wavelength in thickness and separated by an air gap, are introduced above the microstrip patch, separated by another air gap. The parameters of these layers are used as key controllers of the directivity enhancement. Numerical results indicate that the directivity increases significantly even with moderate superstrate dielectric constants when the double-superstrate configuration (DSC) is used. To demonstrate how the layers affect the directivity, an infinite dielectric model is first used. Then the effect of the superstrate transverse dimensions is studied by means of a finite dielectric model. The directivity variations with respect to frequency are compared for different superstrate surface areas. This work leads to the conclusion that modification of the superstrate transverse dimensions can optimize both directivity and bandwidth. The experimental investigations of DSC are also provided to support the simulation results.
Experience-Dependent Plasticity of Mouse Visual Cortex in the Absence of the Neuronal Activity-Dependent Markeregr1/zif268

Neuronal activity elicits a rapid increase in the expression of several immediate early genes (IEGs). To clarify a role for IEG response in activity-dependent development, we examined the contribution of the egr1/zif268 gene during visual cortical processing and plasticity in mice. We first analyzed the expression of egr1 mRNA in wild-type (WT) mice using Northern blot hybridization. In the visual cortex, expression ofegr1 mRNA increased dramatically after eye opening, systemic injection of kainate, or 30 min of photostimulation after a brief (5 d) period of dark adaptation. Thus, the expression ofegr1 is regulated by synaptic activity in the mouse visual cortex, as it is in other species (e.g., monkeys, cats, and rats). To evaluate whether this transcription factor is directly involved in activity-dependent plasticity, mice lacking Egr1 were deprived of the use of one eye during the developmental critical period [postnatal day 24 (P24)–P34]. Extracellular in vivo single-unit recordings from the binocular zone of the visual cortex revealed that visual responses developed normally in egr1 knock-out (KO) mice. Moreover, a similarly significant shift of responsiveness in favor of the open eye was produced in both KO and WT mice by either brief (4 d) or long-term (>2 weeks) occlusion of one eye. There was no apparent compensation among egr2, egr3, or c-fos mRNA and protein expression in the visual cortex of egr1 KO mice. Taken together, these results indicate that egr1is a useful marker of sensory input in mice but is not intrinsically necessary for the experience-dependent plasticity of the visual cortex. Our findings underscore a mechanistic distinction between sensory plasticity and long-lasting forms of synaptic potentiation in the hippocampus, for which egr1/zif268 was recently found to be essential.
Bike sharing station placement leveraging heterogeneous urban open data

Bike sharing systems have been deployed in many cities to promote green transportation and a healthy lifestyle. One of the key factors for maximizing the utility of such systems is placing bike stations at locations that can best meet users' trip demand. Traditionally, urban planners rely on dedicated surveys to understand the local bike trip demand, which is costly in time and labor, especially when they need to compare many possible places. In this paper, we formulate the bike station placement issue as a bike trip demand prediction problem. We propose a semi-supervised feature selection method to extract customized features from the highly variant, heterogeneous urban open data to predict bike trip demand. Evaluation using real-world open data from Washington, D.C. and Hangzhou shows that our method can be applied to different cities to effectively recommend places with higher potential bike trip demand for placing future bike stations.
An HST optical-to-near-IR transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-19b: detection of atmospheric water and likely absence of TiO

We measure the transmission spectrum of WASP-19b from three transits using low-resolution optical spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The STIS spectra cover a wavelength range of 0.29-1.03 µm, with resolving power R = 500. The optical data are combined with archival near-infrared data from the HST Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) G141 grism, covering the wavelength range from 1.087 to 1.687 µm, with resolving power R = 130. We reach S/N levels between 3,000 and 11,000 in 0.1 µm bins when measuring the transmission spectra from 0.53-1.687 µm. WASP-19 is known to be a very active star, with the optical stellar flux varying by a few per cent over time. We correct the transit light curves for the effects of stellar activity using ground-based activity monitoring with the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). While we were not able to construct a transmission spectrum using the blue optical data because of the presence of large occulted star spots, we were able to use the spot crossings to help constrain the mean stellar spot temperature. To search for predicted features in the hot-Jupiter atmosphere, in addition to the transmission spectrum we also define spectral indices for differential radius (�RP/R⋆) measurements to specifically search for the presence of TiO and alkali line features. Our measurements rule out TiO features predicted for a planet of WASP-19b’s equilibrium temperature (2050 K) in the transmission spectrum at the 2.7-2.9 σ confidence level, depending on atmospheric model formalism. The WFC3 transmission spectrum shows strong absorption features due to the presence of H2O, which is detected at the 4 σ confidence level between 1.1 and 1.4 µm. The transmission spectra results indicate that WASP-19b is a planet with no or low levels of TiO and without a high C/O ratio. The lack of observable TiO features are possibly due to rainout, breakdown from stellar activity or the presence of other absorbers in the optical.
A Position Paper on Data Sovereignty: The Importance of Geolocating Data in the Cloud

In this paper we define the problem and scope of data sovereignty - the coupling of stored data authenticity and geographical location in the cloud. Establishing sovereignty is an especially important concern amid legal and policy constraints when data and resources are virtualized and widely distributed. We identify the key challenges that need to be solved to achieve an effective and un-cheatable solution as well as propose an initial technique for data sovereignty.
Comparison of the MChip to Viral Culture, Reverse Transcription-PCR, and the QuickVue Influenza A+B Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Influenza

ABSTRACT The performance of a diagnostic microarray (the MChip assay) for influenza was compared in a blind study to that of viral culture, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, and the QuickVue Influenza A+B test. The patient sample data set was composed of 102 respiratory secretion specimens collected between 29 December 2005 and 2 February 2006 at Scott & White Hospital and Clinic in Temple, Texas. Samples were collected from a wide range of age groups by using direct collection, nasal/nasopharyngeal swabs, or nasopharyngeal aspiration. Viral culture and the QuickVue assay were performed at the Texas site at the time of collection. Aliquots for each sample, identified only by study numbers, were provided to the University of Colorado and Vanderbilt University teams for blinded analysis. When referenced to viral culture, the MChip exhibited a clinical sensitivity of 98% and a clinical specificity of 98%. When referenced to RT-PCR, the MChip assay exhibited a clinical sensitivity of 92% and a clinical specificity of 98%. While the MChip assay currently requires 7 to 8 h to complete the analysis, a significant advantage of the test for influenza virus-positive samples is simultaneous detection and full subtype identification for the two subtypes currently circulating in humans (A/H3N2 and A/H1N1) and avian (A/H5N1) viruses.
Including Geometric Feature Variations in Tolerance Analysis of Mechanical Assemblies

Geometric feature variations are the result of variations in the shape, orientation or location of part features as defined in ANSI Y14.5M-1982 tolerance standard. When such feature variations occur on the mating surfaces between components of an assembly, they affect the variation of the completed assembly. The geometric feature variations accumulate statistically and propagate kinematically in a similar manner to the dimensional variations of the components in the assembly.The direct linearization method (DLM) for assembly tolerance analysis provides a means of estimating variations and assembly rejects, caused by the dimensional variations of the components in an assembly. So far no generalized approach has been developed to include all geometric feature variations in a computer-aided tolerance analysis system.This paper introduces a new, generalized approach for including all the geometric feature variations in the tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies. It focuses on how to characterize geometri.
Allelic imbalances in human bladder cancer: genome-wide detection with high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays.

BACKGROUND Bladder cancer is characterized by genomic instability. In this study, we investigated whether genome-wide screening using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays could detect allelic imbalance (loss or gain of at least one allele) in bladder cancers. METHODS For microarray analysis, DNA was isolated from microdissected bladder tumors and leukocytes from 11 patients. The stage T1 tumor (connective tissue invasive) and the subsequent stage T2-4 tumor (muscle invasive) were available from eight of these patients, and only the first muscle-invasive stage T2-4 tumor was available from three of the 11 patients. The microarray contained 1494 biallelic polymorphic sequences. For microsatellite analyses, DNA was isolated from tumors and leukocytes of nine patients with primary T2-4 tumors and 13 patients with Ta (noninvasive) tumors. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS We assigned a genotype to 1204 loci, 343 of which were heterozygous. Allelic imbalance was detected in known areas of imbalance on chromosomes 6, 8, 9, 11, and 17, and a new area of imbalance was detected on the p arm of chromosome 6. Microsatellite analysis of nine other T2-4 tumors and 13 Ta tumors showed that allelic imbalance was more frequent in T2-4 tumors than in Ta tumors (P<.001). We detected 8.5 allelic imbalances (median) in 348 informative loci in T1 tumors and 28 allelic imbalances (median) in 329 informative loci in T2-4 tumors. When pairs of T1 and T2-4 tumors were analyzed from eight patients, 68% of imbalances detected in T1 tumors (146 imbalances) occurred in the subsequent T2-4 tumors (99 imbalances). Homozygous TP53 mutations were more often associated (P =.005) with high allelic imbalance than with low allelic imbalance. CONCLUSION SNP arrays are feasible for high-throughput, genome-wide scanning for allelic imbalances in bladder cancer.
THE IMPACTS OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY POLICIES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION ON THE EFFICIENCY OF GRAIN PRODUCTION IN CHINA

This paper tests the hypotheses that grain self-sufficiency policies and fiscal decentralization result in inefficiency in grain production in China. Households supply grain in order to comply with self-sufficiency policies rather than to maximize profits. This raises the possibility that grain production is inefficient - especially where the opportunity costs are high (Turner, Brandt, and Rozelle). In addition, fiscal decentralization results in inefficiency in low-income provinces where the small A multiple output distance function is used to derive expressions for a stochastic production frontier and economic inefficiency. Provincial level data for grain and rural industrial output are used in the analysis and local fiscal expenditures and revenues are used as explanators of inefficiency. The expressions are estimated simultaneously using maximum likelihood techniques. The findings suggest that grain production in China could be made more efficient by: 1. ) policies that encourage production according to comparative advantage rather than grain self-sufficiency and, 2. ) fiscal reforms that increase the responsibility of the central government for agricultural investment.
Accelerating internet penetration to rural areas: A government-sponsored internet-kiosks deployment project in Garut Regency, West Java of Indonesia

Internet penetration in developing countries depend on a variety of factors, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the density of telephone connections, and the density of personal computer users. Internet kiosks have been deployed in 21 rural ditrict areas of Garut Regency to facilitate internet access for local/district government as well as for the community who have no access to internet Each district was equiped with 10 PCs, a printer, a scanner, and an internet connection either using DSL or cellular access technology. The program was government sponsored through the Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Indonesia. This program was also designed to provide education and training for the district internet kiosks operator as well as for the staffs of information technology at Garut Regency, on understanding, efficient use, management, maintenance, as well as the ethical/professional use of information to upgrade their skills. This study was then conducted to evaluate factors affecting internet penetration in rural areas of Garut Regency, West Java of Indonesia.
Product Compatibility Choice in a Market with Technological Progress

In markets where advantages, e.g., network ex ternalities, are significant, firms' product compatibility choices are an import ant determinant of industry performance. This paper compares the private and soc ial incentives to achieve compatibility in a two-period duopoly model with (poss ible stochastic) technological progress. Earlier analysis using static models fo und that the social incentives to achieve industrywide compatibility always exce ed the private incentives. Here the authors find that private firms may have soc ially excessive compatibility incentives because compatibility serves as a means of relaxing price competition during early stages of industry growth. Copyright 1986 by Royal Economic Society.
The Consistency of Self-Declared Hedge Fund Styles — A Return-Based Analysis with Self-Organizing Maps

While hedge funds have common features, they remain an extremely diverse asset class. Despite this diversity, a consistent classification system is important for numerous purposes such as portfolio construction, performance attribution as well as risk management. This topic is also connected to the financial stability debate, which has recently dealt intensively with the issue of hedge funds. Diversified (fund) portfolios with an appropriate risk monitoring system in place will e.g. enhance risk-sharing among financial market participants. As fund self-declaration is prone to strategic misclassification, return-based taxonomies grouping funds along similarities in realized returns can be used to avoid this pitfall. In this paper we use Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) to find homogeneous groups of hedge funds based on similar (return) characteristics. Based on this technique, we can identify nine hedge fund classes. Whereas managed futures, sector financial and short-sell hedge funds are largely consistent in their self-declared strategies, we detect a number of declared hedge fund styles displaying no or very limited return similarities. Especially the so-called _equity hedge_ style encompasses too many different substyles with different return characteristics. Another important aspect that our paper addresses is the tendency of fund managers to perform undisclosed changes of their trading style or to strategically misdeclare their funds. Our results show that so called _style creep_ is an issue in the hedge fund business, with funds which misclassified themselves once being very likely to change their trading style again.
Temperature-Dependent Expression of NodC and Community Structure of Soybean-Nodulating Bradyrhizobia

In order to assess the physiological responses of bradyrhizobia and competition for the nodulation of soybean at different temperatures, we investigated the expression of the nodC gene at 20, 25, and 30°C and the abilities of bacteria to nodulate soybean in microcosms at day/night cultivation temperatures of 23/18°C, 28/23°C, and 33/28°C for 16/8 h. We tested five Bradyrhizobium USDA strains: B. diazoefficiens USDA 110T and 122, B. japonicum USDA 123, and B. elkanii USDA 31 and 76T. The expression of nodC was up-regulated by increasing culture temperatures in USDA 110T, 122, 31, and 76T, but was down-regulated in USDA 123. The proportions of USDA 110T and 122 within the community were the greatest at 28/23°C. The population of USDA 31 increased, whereas that of USDA 123 decreased with increasing cultivation temperatures. On the other hand, infection by USDA 76T was not detected, and low numbers of USDA 76T nodules confirmed its poor nodulation ability. These results indicate that the competitiveness of and infection by USDA 110T, 122, 123, and 31 for soybean nodulation depend on cultivation temperatures, and suggest that the temperature dependence of nodC expression affects the bradyrhizobial community structure.
MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS ON PIMA INDIAN DIABETES USING GENERAL REGRESSION NEURAL NETWORKS

The performance of recently developed neural network structure, general regression neural network (GRNN), is examined on the medical data. Pima Indian Dabetes (PID) data set is chosen to study on that had been examined by more complex neural network structures in the past. The results of early studies and of the GRNN structure presented in this paper is compared. Close classification accuracy to the reference work using ARTMAP-IC structured model, which is the best result obtained since now, is achieved by using GRNN, which has a simpler structure. The performance of the standard multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) feed forward neural networks are also examined for the comparison as they are the most general and commonly used neural network structures. The performance of the MLP was tested for different types of backpropagation training algorithms.
Supporting the management of type 2 diabetes with pharmacist-led reviews: an observational analysis

Objective Describe and assess the impact of a pharmacist-led patient review programme on the management and control of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Design Uncontrolled prospective cohort study with before and after intervention data collection. Setting General practices within NHS Slough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Participants 5910 patients with T2D. Interventions Pharmacists reviewed 5910 patients and worked with general practice teams to schedule any of the 9 key care processes recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that the patients were lacking, to optimise medication and to make other interventions such as providing lifestyle advice. Main outcome measures The proportion of patients receiving the NICE-recommended 9 key care processes and proportion of patients whose glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) or total cholesterol (TC) readings were over target before and after the intervention period. Results The proportion of patients receiving all of the NICE-recommended 9 key care processes increased from 46% at project outset in April 2013 to 58% on completion in April 2014 and the percentage of patients achieving HbA1c, BP and TC targets all increased (65% to 70%, 70% to 76%, 78% to 82%, respectively). Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) data for Slough CCG showed the percentage of diabetic patients achieving target HbA1c, BP and TC readings increased from April 2013 to April 2014, but then diminished in the year after project completion. Conclusions The pharmacist-led review increased the number of key care processes administered and improved diabetic control during the year of programme delivery. The improvement abated during the year after, suggesting that such programmes should be ongoing rather than fixed term. The programme combined the strategic drive and project facilitation skills of Slough CCG, the general practice teams' knowledge of their patients and the clinical and information technology skills of an experienced pharmacist team.
Explicit Proofs and The Flip

This article describes a formal strategy of geometric complexity theory (GCT) to resolve the {\em self referential paradox} in the $P$ vs. $NP$ and related problems. The strategy, called the {\em flip}, is to go for {\em explicit proofs} of these problems. By an explicit proof we mean a proof that constructs proof certificates of hardness that are easy to verify, construct and decode. The main result in this paper says that (1) any proof of the arithmetic implication of the $P$ vs. $NP$ conjecture is close to an explicit proof in the sense that it can be transformed into an explicit proof by proving in addition that arithmetic circuit identity testing can be derandomized in a blackbox fashion, and (2) stronger forms of these arithmetic hardness and derandomization conjectures together imply a polynomial time algorithm for a formidable explicit construction problem in algebraic geometry. This may explain why these conjectures, which look so elementary at the surface, have turned out to be so hard.
Understanding Public Debate on Nanotechnologies

1 Dr Sarah Davies was a member of the DEEPEN project team. She is currently a Visiting Researcher at the Center for Nanotechnology and Society at Arizona State University. Dr. Rene von Schomberg is based at DG Research of the European Commission. This working paper is written for the publication series of the Governance and Ethics Unit of DG Research. The views expressed here are those of the authors and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.