Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonpharmacological management of procedural pain in infants and young children: an abridged Cochrane review.

BACKGROUND Acute pain and distress during medical procedures are commonplace for young children. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions for acute procedural pain in children up to three years of age. METHODS Study inclusion criteria were: participants <3 years of age, involved in a randomized controlled or crossover trial, and use of a 'no treatment' control group (51 studies; n=3396). Additional studies meeting all criteria except for study design (eg, use of active control group) were qualitatively described (n=20). RESULTS For every intervention, data were analyzed separately according to age group (preterm-born, term-born neonate and older infant ⁄ young child) and type of pain response (pain reactivity, immediate pain-related regulation). The largest standardized mean differences (SMD) for pain reactivity were as follows: sucking-related interventions (preterm: -0.42 [95% CI -0.68 to -0.15]; neonate -1.45 [CI -2.34 to -0.57]), kangaroo care (preterm -1.12 [95% CI -2.04 to -0.21]), and swaddling ⁄ facilitated tucking (preterm -0.97 [95% CI -1.63 to -0.31]). For immediate pain-related regulation, the largest SMDs were: sucking-related interventions (preterm -0.38 [95% CI -0.59 to -0.17]; neonate -0.90 [CI -1.54 to -0.25]), kangaroo care 0.77 (95% CI -1.50 to -0.03]), swaddling ⁄ facilitated tucking (preterm -0.75 [95% CI -1.14 to -0.36]), and rocking ⁄ holding (neonate -0.75 [95% CI -1.20 to -0.30]). The presence of significant heterogeneity limited confidence in nonsignificant findings for certain other analyses. CONCLUSIONS Although a number of nonpharmacological treatments have sufficient evidence supporting their efficacy with preterm infants and healthy neonates, no treatments had sufficient evidence to support efficacy with healthy older infants ⁄ young children.
Comparative Genomics of “Dehalococcoides ethenogenes” 195 and an Enrichment Culture Containing Unsequenced “Dehalococcoides” Strains

ABSTRACT Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are prevalent groundwater contaminants that can be completely reductively dehalogenated by some “Dehalococcoides” organisms. A Dehalococcoides-organism-containing microbial consortium (referred to as ANAS) with the ability to degrade TCE to ethene, an innocuous end product, was previously enriched from contaminated soil. A whole-genome photolithographic microarray was developed based on the genome of “Dehalococcoides ethenogenes” 195. This microarray contains probes designed to hybridize to >99% of the predicted protein-coding sequences in the strain 195 genome. DNA from ANAS was hybridized to the microarray to characterize the genomic content of the ANAS enrichment. The microarray results revealed that the genes associated with central metabolism, including an apparently incomplete carbon fixation pathway, cobalamin-salvaging system, nitrogen fixation pathway, and five hydrogenase complexes, are present in both strain 195 and ANAS. Although the gene encoding the TCE reductase, tceA, was detected, 13 of the 19 reductive dehalogenase genes present in strain 195 were not detected in ANAS. Additionally, 88% of the genes in predicted integrated genetic elements in strain 195 were not detected in ANAS, consistent with these elements being genetically mobile. Sections of the tryptophan operon and an operon encoding an ABC transporter in strain 195 were also not detected in ANAS. These insights into the diversity of Dehalococcoides genomes will improve our understanding of the physiology and evolution of these bacteria, which is essential in developing effective strategies for the bioremediation of PCE and TCE in the environment.
Spatial coherence and thermal lensing in broad-area semiconductor lasers

Injection profiled broad-area edge-emitting semiconductor lasers demonstrate single transverse mode operation and near-diffraction-limited beam output when driven by pulsed pump current. Thermal effects arising from CW operation induce filamentary dynamics, thus degrading the beam. Transition from the stable nonthermal to the unstable CW regime is analyzed experimentally and numerically, and techniques to improve beam quality in the thermal regime, based on feedback or thermal profiling, are proposed.
The Uncertainty Bellman Equation and Exploration

We consider the exploration/exploitation problem in reinforcement learning. For exploitation, it is well known that the Bellman equation connects the value at any time-step to the expected value at subsequent time-steps. In this paper we consider a similar \textit{uncertainty} Bellman equation (UBE), which connects the uncertainty at any time-step to the expected uncertainties at subsequent time-steps, thereby extending the potential exploratory benefit of a policy beyond individual time-steps. We prove that the unique fixed point of the UBE yields an upper bound on the variance of the posterior distribution of the Q-values induced by any policy. This bound can be much tighter than traditional count-based bonuses that compound standard deviation rather than variance. Importantly, and unlike several existing approaches to optimism, this method scales naturally to large systems with complex generalization. Substituting our UBE-exploration strategy for $\epsilon$-greedy improves DQN performance on 51 out of 57 games in the Atari suite.
The Kingdom-Capacity of a Graph: On the Difficulty of Learning a Graph Labelling

This short paper 1 establishes a measure of capacity of a ﬁxed graph which can be used to characterize the complexity of learning labels of a graph. 2 We denote it as the Kingdom-capacity (K-capacity) of a graph. It is shown how this notion is implied by the deﬁnition of an out-of-sample extension rule predicting the labels of unobserved nodes. An efﬁcient way to compute the K-capacity of a given graph is derived, based on the analogy with a simple strategy game. It is shown how this measure of capacity can be used to construct a nontrivial generalization bound for transductive inference of the labels of the nodes of a given graph.
Up‐regulation of NMDAR1 subunit gene expression in cortical neurons via a PKA‐dependent pathway

Transcription mediated by protein kinase A and the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) has been linked to the establishment of long‐term memory and cell survival. However, all of the major targets for activated CREB have yet to be identified. Given the fact that CREB‐mediated transcription is intimately involved in cellular processes of learning and memory and that CREB activity can be regulated by synaptic N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and metabotropic GABA receptors, we have studied the role of the cAMP‐dependent signaling pathway in the regulation of the NMDA receptor subunit 1 (NMDAR1), a subunit required for functional receptor formation. We now report that levels of NMDAR1 subunit protein in primary neocortical cultures are increased 66% in response to forskolin, an activator of adenylyl cyclase. Up‐regulation of NMDAR1 is paralleled by a twofold increase in mRNA levels and an 83% increase in NMDAR1 promoter/luciferase reporter activity that is dependent on protein kinase A. Three cAMP regulatory elements (CREs) in the rat NMDAR1 promoter (− 228, − 67, and − 39) bind CREB in vitro and forskolin increases binding to two of the sites (− 228 and – 67). Chromatin immunoprecipitation of neuronal rat genomic DNA reveals that CREB is bound in vivo to the endogenous NMDAR1 gene. Increased presence of the activated Ser133 phosphorylated form is dependent on the length of exposure to forskolin. Taken together with the results of mutational analysis, the findings strongly suggest that transcription of NMDAR1 is regulated by the c‐AMP signaling pathway, most likely through the binding of CREB and its activation by signal‐dependent phosphorylation.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in unusually young patients who consumed venison.

BACKGROUND Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk occur in the United States. Recent reports of 3 unusually young patients with CJD who regularly consumed deer or elk meat created concern about the possible zoonotic transmission of CWD. OBJECTIVE To examine the possible transmission of CWD to humans. PATIENTS Three unusually young patients (aged 28, 28, and 30 years) with CJD in the United States during 1997-2000. METHODS We reviewed medical records and interviewed family members and state wildlife and agriculture officials. Brain tissue samples were tested using histopathologic, immunohistochemical, immunoblot, or prion protein gene analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Presence or absence of established CJD risk factors, deer and elk hunting in CWD-endemic areas, and comparison of the evidence for the 3 patients with that of a zoonotic link between new variant CJD and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. RESULTS None of the patients had established CJD risk factors or a history of travel to Europe. Two patients hunted game animals and 1 was a daughter of a hunter. Unlike patients with new variant CJD, the 3 patients did not have a unique neuropathologic manifestation, clinicopathologic homogeneity, uniformity in the codon 129 of the prion protein gene, or prion characteristics different from those of classic variants. CONCLUSIONS Although the occurrence of 3 unusually young patients with CJD who consumed venison suggested a possible relationship with CWD, our follow-up investigation found no strong evidence for a causal link. Ongoing CJD surveillance remains important for continuing to assess the risk, if any, of CWD transmission to humans.
The Strong Black Woman, Depression and Emotional Eating

v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study . 1 Primary Aims . 5 Research Questions . 6 Definition of Terms.6 Significance to Nursing.7 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 8 Obesity Rates . 8 The Intersection of Race and Health Beliefs . 13 Black Women and Health Beliefs . 15 Black Women and Obesity . 16 Pregnancy Risks . 17 Diabetes and Heart Conditions . 19 Depression.21 Emotional Eating . 28 Coping Behaviors.30 The Strong Black Woman . 33 The Notion of the Strong Black Woman . 33 Physical Images . 35 Health Benefits.38 Mental Health and Depression . 42 Emotional Overeating . 45 Conclusion . 53 Chapter 3: Methods . 55 Research Design.55 Research Questions . 55 The Sample and Sampling Strategy . 56 Instrumentation and Data Collection Procedures . 56 The Strong Black Woman Cultural Construct Scale . 56 Center for Epidemiological Study – Depression Scale . 57 Emotional Eating Scale . 58 ii Procedures . 59 Data Analysis . 59 Ethical Considerations . 60 Chapter 4: Results . 61 Sample.61 Descriptive Data.63 Relationships Among Variables . 65 SBW and Depression . 66 SBW and Emotional Eating . 66 Depression and Emotional Eating . 66 Emotional Eating and the SBW Scale . 66 Depression and the SBW Subscales . 67 Other Findings . 67 Chapter 5: Discussion . 68 Sample.69 Descriptive Data.70 The Strong Black Woman Cultural Construct Scale . 70 The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale . 71 The Emotional Eating Scale.73 Relationships Among Variables . 74 Implications for Nursing Practice . 76 Clinical Practice . 76 Education . 77 Future Research . 77 Conclusions . 78 References . 80 Appendix A: Participant Consent Script – Oral . 90 Appendix B: Demographic Questionnaire . 93 Appendix C: SBW Cultural Construct Scale . 95 Appendix D: Emotional Eating Scale . 97 Appendix E: Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression Scale . 99 Appendix F: IRB Approval Letter . 101
How Drawing can Support Writing Acquisition: Text Construction in Early Writing from a Vygotskian Perspective

TO BE TRULY LITERATE, children need to learn to create, comprehend and use written, visual, aural and multimodal texts. When they start school, they are usually able to create spoken and visual texts (drawings) but have limited skills in written text creation (writing). Our study investigated what would happen if teachers encouraged children, in the first six months of formal schooling, to continue visual text creation while they taught them to create written texts. Ten teachers and 60 children from six schools in a regional centre in Australia informed the study. Genetic Research Methodology (GRM) provided a framework with which to interrogate and understand the data and consequently a ‘new’ way of exploring the relationship between drawing and early writing development. We argue that encouraging children to draw, while teaching them how to write, allows children to create meaningful texts of a complexity that they may not be able to create using conventional print forms alone. We also argue that the incorporation of drawing into the early writing curriculum is more important than ever given contemporary understandings of literacy.
Cartoon rendering of smoke animations

We describe a technique for generating cartoon style animations of smoke. Our method takes the output of a physically-based simulator and uses it to drive particles that are rendered using a variant of the depth differences technique (originally used for rendering trees). Specific issues we address include the placement and evolution of primitives in the flow and the maintenance of temporal coherence. The results are visually simple, flicker-free animations that convey the turbulent, dynamic nature of the gas with simple outlines.
MicroRNA-21 could be a molecular marker to predict the recurrence of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer

Introduction: High relapse rate of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a major challenge. Overexpression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) which targets phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a gene associated with malignancy, has been reported in the bladder tumor tissue compared to normal mucosa by us and others. We have tested whether miR-21 levels in bladder mucosa could predict tumor recurrence. Methods: In a prospective cohort setting, tumor tissues and normal bladder mucosa (NBM) were taken from BC patients during transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Age- and ethnicity-matched NBM from benign prostate hyperplasia patients was taken as controls. The expression of miR-21 was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Patients were followed for 4 years for tumor reoccurrence. Postoperative recurrence were recorded and calculated by Kaplan–Meier curve. Results: In 31 patients, miR-21 was up-regulated (>4-fold, P = 0.003), and PTEN levels were significantly lower (<7-folds, P = 0.001) in tumor tissue relative to NBM. Moreover, the fold change in miR-21 levels was significantly higher (>3-folds, P = 0.03) in patients showing recurrence compared to those in which tumor did not recur. Further, Kaplan–Meier analysis shows overexpression of miR-21 corresponds to less time to recurrence with higher cumulative hazard. Conclusion: We found overexpression of miR-21 in tumor tissue and its association with recurrence, time to recurrence and invasiveness in BC. Quantification of miR-21 along with other pathological parameters could be more objective molecular approach to predict recurrence in NMIBC.
Mapping of Different Sea Ice Regimes Using Images From Sentinel-1 and ALOS Synthetic Aperture Radar

Airborne C- and L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images were acquired for three test sites over different sea ice regimes around Svalbard in March 2007, complemented by optical imagery, environmental data, and ice observations. One objective was to use the high-resolution low-noise radar data for investigations on the technical performance of European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 mission for sea ice mapping, the other to assess the potential gain of additional use of L-band SAR data currently available from Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS). The airborne SAR images were employed to simulate data products resembling the interferometric wide-swath mode (IWSM) of Sentinel-1 and ALOS PALSAR fine resolution mode (FRM) in order to quantify the information loss due to the higher noise level and coarser spatial resolution. At the IWSM noise level, zones of deformation, level ice, and new ice can be well separated at like-polarization. At cross-polarization, the noise level is too high for a robust automated classification including thin ice, but deformed and level ice can be discriminated. PALSAR FRM is on average better suited to distinguish deformed and level ice over all ice regimes. It was worse for separating new from thicker level ice at two test sites. For the third test site with very few patches of new ice, the PALSAR FRM showed larger intensity contrasts between new and level ice than Sentinel-1 IWSM. The spatial resolution provided by the IWSM and FRM is sufficient to identify most ice features and types without ambiguities. Typical characteristics of the imaged ice regimes are described.
Effect of cohesion and fill amplification on seismic stability of municipal solid waste landfills using limit equilibrium method

Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in seismic zones are subjected to the seismic forces both in the horizontal and vertical directions. The stability of landfills against these seismic forces was evaluated by computing the factor of safety of landfills with different modes of failure among which failures of landfills due to translation are very common. Conventionally, the seismic stability of landfill is evaluated by using pseudo-static limit equilibrium method. In the present study, seismic stability of landfills is evaluated by both the conventional pseudo-static and modern pseudo-dynamic method. The pseudo-dynamic method is superior as it takes into account the effect of duration and frequency of earthquake motion and corresponding body waves in addition to the variation of earthquake accelerations along depth and time. In the present study, the effects of cohesion and fill amplification on seismic stability of landfill are also taken into account. It was noticed that, neglecting cohesion of fill material as well as liner material, results in a lower factor of safety and, hence, a very conservative/uneconomic design. Also, fill amplification is found to reduce the factor of safety values computed only by using the pseudo-dynamic method, showing its advantage. Generalized expressions are developed for factor of safety and yield acceleration against translational failure, which can be used for evaluating the seismic stability of MSW landfills. Comparisons of results under static condition with existing, similar methodology show a very good agreement. However, the present study seems to provide unique results for the seismic case.
Nature's role in sustaining economic development

In this paper, I formalize the idea of sustainable development in terms of intergenerational well-being. I then sketch an argument that has recently been put forward formally to demonstrate that intergenerational well-being increases over time if and only if a comprehensive measure of wealth per capita increases. The measure of wealth includes not only manufactured capital, knowledge and human capital (education and health), but also natural capital (e.g. ecosystems). I show that a country's comprehensive wealth per capita can decline even while gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increases and the UN Human Development Index records an improvement. I then use some rough and ready data from the world's poorest countries and regions to show that during the period 1970–2000 wealth per capita declined in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, even though the Human Development Index (HDI) showed an improvement everywhere and GDP per capita increased in all places (except in sub-Saharan Africa, where there was a slight decline). I conclude that, as none of the development indicators currently in use is able to reveal whether development has been, or is expected to be, sustainable, national statistical offices and international organizations should now routinely estimate the (comprehensive) wealth of nations.
Effect of continuous positive airway pressure vs placebo continuous positive airway pressure on sleep quality in obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy has become the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the efficacy of CPAP therapy has not been evaluated against a suitable control. We investigated the effectiveness of CPAP therapy in improving sleep quality in patients with OSA. We hypothesized that CPAP improves sleep quality. PATIENTS Forty-eight CPAP-naive OSA patients were evaluated. None were receiving antihypertensive medications, and none had major medical illnesses. DESIGN Patients were randomized to receive either CPAP or placebo CPAP (CPAP at an ineffective pressure) for 7 days in a double-blind fashion. Forty-one patients completed the protocol. Sleep quality variables, arousals, sleep arterial oxygen saturation (SaO(2)), and respiratory disturbance index (RDI) were assessed at baseline, after 1 day of treatment, and after 7 days of treatment. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effects of treatment, time, and the interaction of the two. RESULTS As expected, CPAP lowered RDI and number of arousals, and increased SaO(2) over time (p = 0.001). Contrary to expectations, both CPAP and placebo CPAP had comparable effects on sleep quality as assessed by sleep architecture, sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and wake after sleep onset time. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the effectiveness of CPAP in lowering the number of arousals and the RDI, and in raising SaO(2). However, our data suggest that short-term CPAP is no different than placebo in improving sleep architecture. Further evaluation of the effectiveness of CPAP using a suitable placebo CPAP in prospective randomized studies is needed
Why is Mobility in India so Low? Social Insurance, Inequality, and Growth

This paper examines the hypothesis that the persistence of low spatial and marital mobility in rural India, despite increased growth rates and rising inequality in recent years, is due to the existence of sub-caste networks that provide mutual insurance to their members. Unique panel data providing information on income, assets, gifts, loans, consumption, marriage, and migration are used to link caste networks to household and aggregate mobility. Our key finding, consistent with the hypothesis that local risk-sharing networks restrict mobility, is that among households with the same (permanent) income, those in higher-income caste networks are more likely to participate in caste-based insurance arrangements and are less likely to both out-marry and out-migrate. At the aggregate level, the networks appear to have coped successfully with the rising inequality within sub-castes that accompanied the Green Revolution. The results suggest that caste networks will continue to smooth consumption in rural India for the foreseeable future, as they have for centuries, unless alternative consumption-smoothing mechanisms of comparable quality become available.