Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Swedish Version of the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale: Aspects of Validity and Factors Influencing Nurses’ and Nursing Students’ Attitudes

Background: Nurses’ attitudes toward caring for dying persons need to be explored. The Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale has not previously been used in Swedish language. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare FATCOD scores among Swedish nurses and nursing students with those from other languages, to explore the existence of 2 subscales, and to evaluate influences of experiences on attitudes toward care of dying patients. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and predictive design was used. The FATCOD scores of Swedish nurses from hospice, oncology, surgery clinics, and palliative home care and nursing students were compared with published scores from the United States, Israel, and Japan. Descriptive statistics, t tests, and factor and regression analyses were used. Results: The sample consisted of 213 persons: 71 registered nurses, 42 enrolled nurses, and 100 nursing students. Swedish FATCOD mean scores did not differ from published means from the United States and Israel, but were significantly more positive than Japanese means. In line with Japanese studies, factor analyses yielded a 2-factor solution. Total FATCOD and subscales had low Cronbach &agr;’s. Hospice and palliative team nurses were more positive than oncology and surgery nurses to care for dying patients. Conclusions: Although our results suggest that the Swedish FATCOD may comprise 2 distinct scales, the total scale may be the most adequate and applicable for use in Sweden. Professional experience was associated with nurses’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Implication for Practice: Care culture might influence nurses’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients; the benefits of education need to be explored.
Radiation Action on DNA in Bacteria: Effect of Oxygen

In Escherichia coli cells ionizing radiation produces a degradation of DNA to approximately 50 percent of the total amount originally insoluble in trichloroacetic acid. There is also a reduction of synthesis. Oxygen inhibits the degradation process by a dose reduction factor of 4 and the synthesis process by a factor of approximately 1.5. Thus, at relatively low doses, radiation action on bacteria is very probably mediated through the DNA.
Situational Factors Competing for Attention

This study investigates how multitasking interacts with levels of sexually explicit content to influence an individual’s ability to recognize TV content. A 2 (multitasking vs. nonmultitasking) by 3 (low, medium, and high sexual content) between-subjects experiment was conducted. The analyses revealed that multitasking not only impaired task performance, but also decreased TV recognition. An inverted-U relationship between degree of sexually explicit content and recognition of TV content was found, but only when subjects were multitasking. In addition, multitasking interfered with subjects’ ability to recognize audio information more than their ability to recognize visual information.
Mast cells, histamine and the pathogenesis of intestinal damage in experimental Trypanosoma brucei brucei infections

Abstract Intestinal damage with increased permeability is a prominent feature of experimental African trypanosomiasis. The possible involvement of mast cells and histamine in the altered gut integrity was investigated, at the level of the jejunum, in BALB/c mice infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Mast cells were studied by selective staining of granule content with Alcian Blue/Safranin and quantitative histology, and histamine concentrations were determined by a fluorimetric method. Mast-cell activation, shown by a marked reduction in the numbers of positive-staining cells seen per villous section, was prominent on days 7 and 14 post-infection (there was, for example, a reduction to 36% of the control value by day 14; P=0.0001). By day 21, however, there were 131% more staining cells per villous section in the infected mice than in the uninfected controls (P=0.003). Histamine levels in homogenates of the jejunal mucosae of the infected mice were found to be significantly elevated at each time-point. The maximum increase was observed on day 14, when the numbers of granulated mast cells were at their lowest, with mean (S.E.) concentrations of 6.744 (0.890) ng/mg tissue for the infected mice and 2.813 (0.321) ng/mg for the uninfected controls (P=0.0008). The jejunal mucosa suffered progressive morphological damage during the infection, with oedema of the lamina propria and villi and disruption of the endothelium. These results indicate that mast cells are involved with the intestinal pathology that develops during experimental African trypanosomiasis.
Temporal limits of spatial working memory in humans

An essential feature attributed to working memory is the labile and transient nature of its representations. Using an oculomotor task, we examined the stability of spatial working memory in 16 normal human subjects. Eye movements towards remembered spatial cues (memory‐guided saccades) were electro‐oculographically recorded after memorization delays that varied unpredictably between 0.5 and 30 s. A peaked time‐course of saccadic targeting errors, with maximal errors around 20 s delay, was found, showing that delay‐dependent decay of spatial information in working memory occurs, but is time‐limited and reverts significantly beyond delays of about 20 s. These data (i) indicate temporal limits of spatial working memory and (ii) provide the first behavioural evidence for the existence of two parallely generated mental representations of space that successively control memory‐guided behaviour in humans.
Vermögen in Österreich

Der Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) der europaischen Zentralbank (EZB) stellt die erste umfassende Erhebung zu Vermogen privater Haushalte in 15 Landern der Eurozone, darunter auch Osterreich, dar. Somit ermoglicht der HFCS erstmalig eine genaue Analyse der osterreichischen Vermogensbestande sowie der Vermogensverteilung. Trotz akribischer Erhebung der Daten durch die Osterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) und das Institut fur empirische Sozialforschung (IFES) besteht bei dieser Erhebung das Problem der fehlenden oder unzureichenden Erfassung der obersten Vermogensbestande, die in den Handen einiger weniger Haushalte konzentriert sind. Damit geht eine systematische Unterschatzung des Gesamtvermogens privater Haushalte in Osterreich sowie eine Verzerrung der tatsachlichen Vermogensverteilung einher. Um diese Verzerrung zu kompensieren empfiehlt die einschlagige wissenschaftliche Literatur die Verwendung der Pareto-Verteilung. Bei dieser Methode wird unter Zuhilfenahme statistischer Tests postuliert, dass sich der oberste Rand der Vermogensverteilung durch eben jene Pareto-Verteilung naherungsweise darstellen lasst. In dem solcherart korrigierten Datensatz steigt das Gesamtvermogen der privaten Haushalte von etwa 1.000 Mrd. Euro auf 1.249 Mrd. Euro an. Besonders stark wirkt sich die Korrektur der Nicht- und Untererfassung auf den Vermogensbestand des reichsten Prozents aller Haushalte aus. Dieser steigt von durchschnittlich 6,4 Millionen Euro um 98,6% auf 12,7 Millionen Euro. Daraus ergibt sich unter anderem, dass die reichsten 10% der OsterreicherInnen nicht 61% (HFCS) sondern 69% des Gesamtvermogens besitzen. Dieses Ergebnis ist auch fur die Frage einer moglichen Vermogensbesteuerung von Bedeutung, da das geschatzte Steueraufkommen aus einer etwaigen Vermogensbesteuerung direkt mit dem geschatzten Gesamtvermogen und seiner Verteilung zusammenhangt.
Brain levels of thiamine and its phosphate esters in Friedreich's ataxia and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1

Decreased blood and cerebrospinal fluid levels of thiamine have been reported in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia disorders. To determine whether a thiamine deficiency is present in the brain, we measured levels of thiamine and its phosphate esters thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine diphosphate (TDP), in postmortem cerebellar and cerebral cortices of patients with Friedreich's ataxia (FA) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). Brain levels of free (nonphosphorylated) thiamine, TMP, TDP, and total thiamine in FA and SCAI were, on average, not significantly different from control values. However, a nonsignificant trend was observed for slightly reduced levels of TDP and total thiamine in cerebellar cortex of the SCA1 patients, a finding that might be related to the severe neuronal damage in this brain area. We conclude that in FA, brain thiamine concentrations are normal, whereas in SCA1 the levels are, at most, only slightly reduced.
INFLUENCE OF ESTROGEN DEFICIENCY ON THE LEVEL OF MAGNESIUM IN RAT MANDIBLE AND TEETH

On the basis of atomic absorption spectrophotometry rat teeth and mandible magnesium levels in experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis and after administration of 17 βestradiol were measured. The results showed that estrogen deficiency after ovariectomy decreased the magnesium content in rat teeth and mandible and administration of 17β-estradiol influences in good way the mineral components of the examined tissues.
Development and Application of 2D and 3D GRASS Modules for Simulation of Thermally Driven Slope Winds

The ability to manage and process fully three‐dimensional information has only recently been made available for a few Geographical Information Systems (GIS). An example of integrated and complementary use of 2D and 3D GRASS modules for the evaluation and representation of thermally induced slope winds over complex terrain is presented. The analytic solution provided by Prandtl (1942) to evaluate wind velocity and (potential) temperature anomaly induced by either diurnal heating or nocturnal cooling on a constant angle slope is adopted to evaluate wind and temperature profiles at any point over both idealised and real complex terrain. As these quantities depend on the slope angle of the ground and on the distance from the slope surface suitable procedures are introduced to determine the coordinate n of a point in the 3D volume measured along the direction locally normal to the terrain surface. A new GRASS module has been developed to evaluate this quantity and to generate a 3D raster file where each cell is assigned the value of the cell on the surface belonging to the normal vector. The application of the algorithm implemented in GRASS to an ideal valley and to a real valley close to the city of Trento in the Alps provides results in accordance with data reported in the literature. An extension of Prandtl's (1942) model to take into account humidity and evaporation processes on the soil is also proposed and implemented.
High‐Dose Intravenous IgG for the Treatment of Severe Rhesus Alloimmunization

Abstract. The value of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the treatment of 24 severely Rh‐sensitized pregnant women was studied. IVIG was infused at a daily dose of 0.4 g/kg maternal body weight for 4–5 consecutive days, and was administered again 15–21 days later until delivery, depending on the evolution of the hemolytic disease. Our population was divided into 3 groups according to the time of onset of therapy: group 1 (n = 8), before 20 weeks' gestation; group 2 (n = 7), 20–28 weeks, and group 3 (n = 9), after 28 weeks. Initial mean anti‐D level was significantly higher in group 1 (25.9 ± 12.9 IU/ml) than in the other 2 groups, whose mean values were, however, higher than 10 IU/ml. Amniotic‐fluid total bilirubin levels before the onset of therapy were pathologic, and in 55% of the cases they coincided with zone 3 of Liley's chart. Hydrops fetalis at the onset of treatment accounted for the only 3 fetal deaths in groups 1 and 2. None of the fetuses developed hydrops during treatment. Six of the 9 neonates in group 3 were depressed at birth (1‐min Apgar below 7). However, at 5 min only 1 newborn showed an Apgar below 7. Mean birth weight was over 2,500 g in all the cases. Neonatal hematological condition in group 2 (50% of the babies required only phototherapy) was better than in the other 2 groups (transfusional therapy). There was a significant fall in maternal anti‐D titers and intrauterine hemolysis after IVIG treatment. In order to further evaluate the response to IVIG therapy, the 13 cases in our population with a history of fetal/neonatal death in the previous pregnancy were analyzed separately. The results obtained in this particular group of patients demonstrated again the effectiveness of IVIG treatment.
Nucleotide sequence and biochemical activities of the Moloney murine sarcoma virus strain HT-1 mos gene

The nucleotide sequence of the Moloney murine sarcoma virus strain HT-1 (HT1MSV) mos gene differs from that of the cellular mos gene in three positions, but these are silent changes, and the amino acid sequence of the v-mos and c-mos open reading frames are identical. We have overproduced the mos HT1MSV (equivalent to c-mos) in Escherichia coli under the control of phage lambda promoter (pL). The E. coli p40mos protein thus obtained was partially purified and examined for several biochemical activities. We show that the p40mos binds ATP analog p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine and exhibits ATPase activity.
Comparison of light microscopy, in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction for detection of human papillomavirus in histological tissue of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

The aims of the study were to estimate the prevalence of HPV infection in patients treated for high grade lesions of the cervix uteri (HG CIN), and to evaluate the validity of the histological criteria used for detection of HPV infection. The study comprised 203 women treated for HG CIN by laser conization. Forty‐three preoperative biopsies and 160 cone specimens were examined for HPV infection using light microscopy (LM), in situ hybridization (ISH), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ISH was performed using commercial biotinylated probes for HPV types 6/11, 16/18, and 31/33/35 (Vira‐Type In Situ Kits, Digene Diagnostics, Silver Spring, MD). HPV‐PCR was performed with the L1 consensus primers Gp5+/6+. The prevalence of HPV detected by LM was 70%; by ISH 48% and by PCR 83%. Using PCR as the gold standard, LM had a sensitivity of 0.71 and specificity of 0.41. The corresponding results for ISH were 0.51 and 0.65, respectively. The positive predictive value for both tests reached over 80%, but the negative predictive value was less than 25%. This study demonstrates that morphology is an unspecific method of identifying HPV infections. LM identification of HPV infections has no clinical implications. Our analyses comparing test performances of LM, ISH and PCR show that PCR is the superior method.
Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance and Productivity: A Case Study of Telecommunication Sector in Bangladesh

Today’s organizational is predominantly dynamic that pose enormous opportunities and challenges to the corporate practitioners and policy makers. Understanding such dynamism is very crucial to pursue the organizational strategic objectives. The primary aim of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational culture on employee performance and productivity from the perspectives of multinational companies operating especially under the telecommunication sector of Bangladesh in South Asia. The paper has applied qualitative methodology focusing on a case study of Grameenphone (GP) (a subsidiary of Teleron in Norway), the leading telecommunication based subsidairy in Bangladesh. The paper argues that organizational culture significantly influences employee performance and productivity in the dynamic emerging context.
Incidence of partial edentulism and its relation with age and gender

Background and objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence of various partial edentoulism according to Kennedy’s classification of edentulous arches, modification areas, types of removable partial dentures (RPDs), selection of major connectors for RPDs and patterns of tooth loss in relation to the gender and age. Methods: The study was conducted in Hawler Medical University, College of Dentistry, Dep. of Prosthodontics, Erbil/Iraq. The data were collected from 963 patients aged 17-80 years of both genders. The survey was based on visual examination for determining the incidence of Kennedy’s classification, modification areas in relation to the age and gender, determining the cause of tooth loss and types of major connectors for RPDs. Results: Kennedy’s class III in both dental arches was the most dominant pattern at a frequency of 49.84%, with class IV being the least in number. Mandibular RPDs were more common than maxillary RPDs. With an increase in age, there was an increase in the Class I and Class II dental arch and a decrease in Class III and class IV in both arches. Gender had no significant relationship with distributions of RPD classification. The majority of the constructed RPDs were acrylic resin 881(91.49%) and only 82 (8.51%) were metal. Conclusion: Kennedy’s class III is the most common RPD in both dental arches. Gender had no effect on the prevalence of various Kennedy classes, while age has a significant effect.
Economic Development and the Return to Human Capital: A Smooth Coefficient Semiparametric Approach

This paper investigates the impact of human capital on the process of economic growth by allowing the contribution of traditional inputs (capital and labour) as well as that of human capital to vary both across countries and time. The former is accomplished by constructing an index of TFP growth for traditional inputs, while the latter through semiparametric methods. We derive estimates of the output elasticity and social return to human capital for 51 countries at various stages of economic development. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Assessment of Electronic Banking Initiatives in Nigeria

The importance of internet banking in developing countries cannot be overemphasized as the cost of information and communication technologies are becoming cheaper while the problem of digital divide in these nations continue to be resolved. The Central banks of several developing nations have encouraged their financial institutions to incorporate electronic banking services to broaden their delivery systems and to remain competitive. While some banks in Nigeria provide online banking products and services, there is lack of research on the specifics. However, it is only by providing strategic products and services can a bank remain competitive. In this paper, we survey some banks in Nigeria to identify the different products and services that they provide. We discuss the implications of our findings and suggest appropriate strategies that will enable banks provide competitive products and services.
Performance of a commercially available in-clinic ELISA for the detection of antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi and Dirofilaria immitis antigen in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a commercially available in-clinic ELISA for detection of heartworm infection and tick-borne diseases in dogs. SAMPLE POPULATION 846 serum, plasma, or blood samples obtained from dogs. PROCEDURES Samples were evaluated via the in-clinic ELISA to detect antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi and Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) antigen. True infection or immunologic status of samples was assessed by use of results of necropsy, an antigen assay for D immitis, and immunofluorescence assay or western blot analysis for antibodies against B burgdorferi, E canis, and A phagocytophilum. RESULTS Sensitivity and specificity of the in-clinic ELISA for detection of heartworm antigen (99.2% and 100%, respectively), antibodies against B burgdorferi (98.8% and 100%, respectively), and antibodies against E canis (96.2% and 100%, respectively) were similar to results for a similar commercial ELISA. In samples obtained from dogs in the northeast and upper Midwest of the United States, sensitivity and specificity of the in-clinic ELISA for antibodies against Anaplasma spp were 99.1% and 100%, respectively, compared with results for an immunofluorescence assay. Samples from 2 dogs experimentally infected with the NY18 strain of A phagocytophilum were tested by use of the in-clinic ELISA, and antibodies against A phagocytophilum were detected by 8 days after inoculation. Antibodies against Anaplasma platys in experimentally infected dogs cross-reacted with the A phagocytophilum analyte. Coinfections were identified in several of the canine serum samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The commercially available in-clinic ELISA could be used by veterinarians to screen dogs for heartworm infection and for exposure to tick-borne pathogens.
Unifying the Semantics of Models and Meta-Models in the Multi-Layered UML Meta-Modelling Hierarchy

UML is defined through metamodelling in a four-layer metamodel hierarchy, where metamodels and meta-metamodels are also presented in the form of UML class diagrams. However, the meanings of models and metamodels as well as the basic concepts involved in modelling and metamodelling are not precisely defined in the OMG documentations. In the past few years, a large amount of research efforts on the formalisation of UML semantics has been reported in the literature, but how to formalise the metamodel hierarchy still remains an open problem. This paper presents a framework of unified formal semantics of the metamodel hierarchy. It is based on our previous work on the formal semantics of UML, in which we proposed the notions of descriptive semantics and functional semantics as two separate aspects of UML semantics. The former describes the structure of a model’s instances, and the latter characterises the functional and behavioural properties of its instances. This paper further develops this approach by generalising it to metamodels and meta-metamodels. We prove that the semantics of models, metamodels and meta-metamodels can be defined in a unified way. The basic concepts involved in the metamodel hierarchy, such as subject domain and instance-of relation, can also be precisely defined based on the unified semantics framework.
Effect of sleep deprivation on motor performance in patients with Parkinson's disease

Animal research provides evidence that sleep deprivation influences the dopamine system. Knowledge about the effect of sleep deprivation on motor performance in patients with Parkinsons disease is scarce. This study examines the influence of total and partial sleep deprivation compared to normal sleep on motor state and performance in Parkinson's disease. Fifteen nondepressed patients with Parkinson's disease underwent one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD), one night of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) after 3 a.m., and one control night of normal sleep (S), performed in a random, nonconsecutive order. Over a period of 3 hours the following morning, motor evaluations (United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, [UPDRS] and tapping rate) were performed before and every 30 minutes after intake of the usual morning dopaminergic drug dose. All patients underwent polysomnography apart from the sleep deprivation protocol. Mean UPDRS motor scores and tapping velocities did not differ significantly after each of the schedules, but a subgroup of four patients improved their motor score after partial sleep deprivation. These data do not confirm previous findings of an overall positive influence of sleep deprivation on motor function in Parkinson's disease. However, the results indicate that different response types to sleep deprivation may exist and that a subgroup of patients could benefit from partial sleep deprivation. © 2001 Movement Disorder Society.