Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological interventions for people with motor neuron disease: a scoping review

Abstract Objective Motor neuron disease (MND) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative condition with no known cure. MND can affect every aspect of a person’s life and has been associated with a wide range of psychological difficulties, which can occur from pre-diagnosis through to the condition’s later stages. However, very little research has been conducted on psychological interventions for people with MND (pwMND). This paper aimed to provide the first review specifically targeting psychological interventions in MND and offer potential directions for future research. Methods: A scoping review was carried out across five major databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Academic Search Ultimate, and Cochrane Library) until 1st of March 2020. Results: From an initial return of 1278 citations, 10 papers were included in the review. These included three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two quasi-experiments, three uncontrolled pretest–post-test designs, one single case study, and one qualitative secondary analysis. The existing studies focused on a limited number of psychological outcomes and did not take into account site of MND onset or level of depression/anxiety before intervention. Implications for clinical practice are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. Conclusions: The literature on psychological interventions is still extremely sparse. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based on the stress-coping model show promise in RCTs, but require further evaluation. The need for further development and evaluation of psychological interventions to improve the well-being of pwMND cannot be overstated, particularly as the struggle toward the discovery of an effective treatment for MND continues.
Comparative usability evaluation (CUE-4)

This paper reports on the approach and main results of CUE-4, the fourth in a series of Comparative Usability Evaluation studies. A total of 17 experienced professional teams independently evaluated the usability of the website for the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York. Nine teams used usability testing while eight teams used expert reviews. The CUE-4 results document a wide difference in resources applied and issues reported. The teams reported 340 different usability issues. Only nine of these issues were reported by more than half of the teams, while 205 issues (60%) were uniquely reported, that is, no two teams reported the same issue. A total of 61 of the 205 uniquely reported issues were classified as serious or critical problems. The study also shows that there was no practical difference between the results obtained from usability testing and expert reviews for the issues identified. It was not possible to prove the existence of either missed problems or false alarms in expert reviews. The paper further discusses quality measures for usability evaluation productivity.
Influence of Characteristics of Management Accounting Information Systems to Managerial Performance with Variables of Business Strategy Modernations and Uncertainty Duties in Banking Companies in Aceh Province

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of management accounting information system characteristics to managerial performance with business strategy moderation variable and task uncertainty in banking companies in Aceh Province. Sampling in this study was taken as many as 50% of the total population of 241 by using the method of "Simple Random Sampling" to obtain a sample of 120 respondents. The results showed that the characteristics of management accounting information system have positive and significant influence to managerial performance. Business strategy has a significant and positive effect on managerial performance. Task uncertainty has a significant and negative effect on managerial performance. The interaction of management accounting information system characteristics with business strategy has a significant and positive effect on managerial performance. The interaction between information management accounting system characteristics with task uncertainty has a significant and positive effect on managerial performance.
Cochlear Development And Auditory Function In The Absence Of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 And Oatp1c1

Cochlear Development and Auditory Function in the Absence Of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 and Oatp1c1 Name: Richard John Sinn Degree: Master of Science in Biology Institution: Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, Minnesota, 2014. Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for the development and maturation of the nervous system. The thyroid gland secretes an active form of TH, triiodothyronine, and a prohormone, thyroxine, into the blood. TH is charged, which prevents it from passively diffusing across cell membranes and thus requires cell membrane transporters to facilitate its movement into and out of cells. However, whether TH transporters are required for TH-mediated developmental events, including the auditory system, is largely unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate two specific TH transporters, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (Mct8) and organic anion transporting polypeptide 1c1 (Oatp1c1), and their role in the development and function of the auditory system. Development was observed by comparing key structures within the cochlea necessary for normal hearing between mice lacking each transporter individually or in combination by taking measurements from histological sections. Histological analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the size of the tectorial membrane, tunnel of Corti, or greater epithelial ridge between any of the genotypes. To test the auditory function and the integrity of the auditory pathway, auditory-evoked brainstem response (ABR) was evaluated. ABR data demonstrated that mice lacking both Mct8 and Oatp1c1 (double KO mice), as compared to wildtype, had significantly elevated hearing thresholds at 32kHz, but not at 8kHz or 16kHz. Furthermore, analysis of ABR waveforms demonstrated significantly slower latencies at all frequencies tested. Taken together, these results suggest cochlear structure is largely normal in the absence of TH transporters MCT8 and Oatp1c1, but that these transporters play an essential role in the processing of auditory signals through the brain stem. Table of
Kinematics of Intracellular Chlamydiae Provide Evidence for Contact-Dependent Development

ABSTRACT A crucial process of chlamydial development involves differentiation of the replicative reticulate body (RB) into the infectious elementary body (EB). We present experimental evidence to provide support for a contact-dependent hypothesis for explaining the trigger involved in differentiation. We recorded live-imaging of Chlamydia trachomatis-infected McCoy cells at key times during development and tracked the temporospatial trajectories of individual chlamydial particles. We found that movement of the particles is related to development. Early to mid-developmental stages involved slight wobbling of RBs. The average speed of particles increased sharply at 24 h postinfection (after the estimated onset of RB to EB differentiation). We also investigated a penicillin-supplemented culture containing EBs, RBs, and aberrantly enlarged, stressed chlamydiae. Near-immobile enlarged particles are consistent with their continued tethering to the chlamydial inclusion membrane (CIM). We found a significantly negative, nonlinear association between speed and size/type of particles, providing further support for the hypothesis that particles become untethered near the onset of RB to EB differentiation. This study establishes the relationship between the motion properties of the chlamydiae and developmental stages, whereby wobbling RBs gradually lose contact with the CIM, and RB detachment from the CIM is coincidental with the onset of late differentiation.
Impact of treatment delay in patients with bladder cancer managed with partial cystectomy in Quebec: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE Treatment delays have been associated with adverse outcomes in patients with bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy (RC). We sought to evaluate the impact of treatment delay on disease recurrence and survival in patients with bladder cancer treated with partial cystectomy (PC) in Quebec. METHODS We reviewed and obtained billing records for all patients who underwent PC and/or RC for bladder cancer in Quebec between 1983 and 2005. Analysis included age, sex, year of surgery, surgeon's age, hospital type, preoperative and postoperative visits with accompanying diagnoses and dates of death. RESULTS A total of 714 patients underwent PC. The median patient age was 70 years. Two-hundred nineteen (30.7%) patients experienced recurrence; of these, 52 (23.7%) required salvage RC. Five-year overall and recurrence-free survival for patients who underwent PC were 49.8% and 40.3%, respectively. Patients delayed more than 12 weeks from transurethral resection of bladder tumours (TURBT) to PC were at significantly increased risk of requiring salvage RC compared with those delayed 12 weeks or less (hazard ratio [HR] 3.0, p < 0.001). Patients who underwent salvage RC had worse survival than patients who had upfront RC (HR 1.5, p = 0.006). Variables including age, sex, presence of hematuria, intravesical therapy, surgeon age, hospital PC volume, surgeon PC volume, type of hospital (academic v. nonacademic) or year of surgery were not significantly associated with PC treatment delay. CONCLUSION Treatment delay in patients with bladder cancer managed with PC was associated with increased risk of salvage RC. Patients with bladder cancer who underwent salvage RC had worse outcomes than those who had upfront cystectomy.
Job Security and Employees Performance in Nigeria Private Sector

This study set out to examine the effect of job security on employee performance in the private sector taking cognizance that employee performance play important role for organizational performance. It was anchored on victor vrooms expectancy theory which argues that humans are capable of making choices and are able to think rationally. Consequently, they strive to attain rewards that they value which in turn affects performance. The research design adopted for this study was the cross sectional survey. A sample size of 500 respondents was used for this study. Findings from the study show that job security virtually do not exist in Nigeria private sector however if employees are assured of their jobs their loyalty to the organization will positively improve their performance. The study recommends that Management should assure employees of job security, a condition precedent to employees’ loyalty and commitment to the organization. Job security is necessary if private sector employees are to perform maximally.
The Effects of Tyre Size on Soil Deformation and Soil Bulk Density Changes

The selection of appropriate tyre size and inflation pressure for a particular load and soil condition are crucial to minimising soil compaction and ensuring soil sustainability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in soil bulk density from soil deformation data, produced by a selected range of combine-harvester tyres, inflated to the recommended inflation pressures, and at high axle load (10.5 tonnes) to provide a valuable indicator for tyre selection. Results showed that the initial soil strength was the main factor influencing soil deformation and soil bulk density changes beneath the tyres. In addition, increased tyre size and low inflation pressure reduced both soil deformation and the resultant increase in soil bulk density. The increases in soil bulk density after one passage of the tyres over the soil were approximately 25% for the low bulk density soil (1.20 g cm-3) and between 2.3% and 5% for the high bulk density soil (1.60 g cm-3). The advantage of increasing tyre size and lowering inflation pressure was also reflected in the results obtained from penetrometer resistance: at the centre of the wheeling, the tyre with the highest inflation pressure (2.5 bar) gave a significantly higher increase in penetration resistance compared with the tyres with lower inflation pressures (2.2 bar and 1.9 bar). Linear relationships between drop-cone penetration and maximum rut depth were established; these data were subsequently related to those obtained from penetration resistance and initial soil bulk density; therefore, the increase in soil bulk density induced after driving a tyre over the soil can be determined for various tyre configurations and initial soil conditions.
An adaptive neural network switching control approach of robotic manipulators for trajectory tracking

In this paper, an adaptive neural network (NN) switching control strategy is proposed for the trajectory tracking problem of robotic manipulators. The proposed system comprises an adaptive switching neural controller and the associated robust compensation control law. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and average dwell-time approach, it is shown that the proposed control scheme can guarantee tracking performance of the robotic manipulators system, in the sense that all variables of the closed-loop system are bounded and the effect due to the external disturbance and approximate error of radical basis function (RBF) NNs on the tracking error can be converged to zero in an infinite time. Finally, simulation results on a two-link robotic manipulator show the feasibility and validity of the proposed control scheme.
Burrow irrigation behavior of Urechis caupo, a filter-feeding marine invertebrate, in its natural habitat

Urechis caupo is a burrow-dwelling filter feeder that captures suspended particles in a mucus net and irrigates its burrow with peristaltic body wall contractions. An electromagnetic flow meter was used to measure the burrow irrigation rates of 7 U. caupo in their natural burrows under normal tidal cycles. The average burrow irrigation rate of 266 ± 158 ml min -1 (mean ± SD) was much greater than that typically reported in laboratory studies (10 to 50 ml min -1 ). Periods of high irrigation activity, which probably corresponded to feeding behavior, represented 33% of the recorded behav- ior. These events each lasted for 13.8 ± 4.1 min (mean ± SD), during which time the average irriga- tion rate was 440 ± 160 ml min -1 (mean ± SD) with a maximum sustained rate of 870 ml min -1 . The mean pumping frequency (5.8 contractions min -1 ) was similar to that of laboratory studies, while the mean stroke volume (44 ml) was comparatively high, indicating that increased stroke volume pro- duced the high flow rates observed in our study. Based on previous density estimates (61 m -2 ), the data suggest that a population of U. caupo in 1 m 2 of mudflat can collectively pump 23 000 l water d -1 through their burrows, of which 13 000 l is filtered through the mucus net.
Adverse selection and moral hazards reduction in corporate financing: A mechanism design model for PLS contracts

In this paper , we apply game theory to corporate financing using profit and loss sharing (PLS) contracts. We employ mechanism design theory using two agents, a bank and a corporation which seeks financing through PLS mode. We seek to find the usefulness of mechanism design in helping the bank separating low type from high type corporations by designing two bundles of contract with each contract directed in a compatible way towards the appropriate type of corporation. We found theoretical as well as simulation evidence that our model helps in minimizing asymmetric information in the form of adverse selection by forcing the corporation to reveal its type. The model also helps in reducing asymmetric information in the form of moral hazards. This is achieved by having the selected high type corporation select a high type contract using a moral hazard premium as an incentive.
The Determinant Factors Affecting the Employee Performance Improvement of Educational Institution, State Institution and State-owned Enterprise

This study focuses on the factors that affect the employee performance in terms of institutions where they work. There are three objects or locations that become the research focus, namely educational institutions represented by the state university in East Kalimantan, government institutions represented by the State AdministrationInstitution (LAN) and state-owned institutions represented by PT. Pupuk Kaltim Tbk. The research results show that employee performance is influenced by three factors, namely competence, work motivation, and organizational culture.The performance of government employees is influenced by three factors, namely religiosity, organizational culture, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). And performance of state-owned employees is influenced only by work motivation.
Inducing Molting by Eyestalk Ablation in the Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii from the Egyptian Freshwaters

Eyestalk ablation was used for inducing molting in the freshwater crayfish, Procambarus clarkii at the laboratory conditions. The results exhibited that, both of unilateral and bilateral eyestalk removal accelerated molting rate than in non-ablated or intact individuals of this species. The use of unilateral eyestalk removal has low effect, induced molting at the 6th week and reached 100% at the end of the 16th week, compared with starting molting at the 8th week for control, which did not exceed than 40 % for molted individuals at the end of experiment, with 20% mortality for each. On contrast, the bilateral ablation has high effects and induced molting rapidly at the first and second weeks for the two experiments. It was associated with high mortality rates, averaged 28.33%for ablated individuals of the two experiments, increased gradually to 51.67%and 80.0% for individuals of the premolt stages, which showed signs of molting but were unable to complete molting cycle and died at the end of the last week of each experiment. Repeating molting was recorded for only one bilateral ablated animal after 11 days, but no molting was noticed for control group, with mortality of 20 %. The percentages of increments in body dimensions included body length, carapace length, chelae length and total body weight were calculated. Most ratios of increments, except only total body weight, were high in ablated males than ablated females, as well as clearly higher in normal molted males and females than ablated ones, but declined sharply to 3.30±2.91% in total body weight for bilateral ablated males.
STREAMING POTENTIAL MEASURED FOR AN INTACT ROCK SAMPLE AT TEMPERATURES TO 200 ° C

Streaming potential was measured in an intact core sample of Inada granite, saturated with aqueous KCl solutions at three different concentrations, at temperatures between 50° and 200°C. We repeated the measurement at each concentration and succeeded in getting fairly reproducible results. The magnitude of the streaming potential coefficient decreases with increasing KCl concentration and increases with increasing temperature. Using a capillary model, we found that the magnitude of the zeta potential and the surface conductance (which dominates the sample conductivity) both increase with increasing temperature. As for the zeta potential, its magnitude is about one fourth of that measured for a crushed sample of Inada granite compared at ~50°C. This small magnitude can be explained by the presence of pores having very small hydraulic radius compared to the thickness of electrical double layer.
Influences of material degradation due to laser cutting on the operating behaviour of PMSM using a continuous local material model

During manufacturing of electrical machines, shape giving production steps such as punching and cutting introduce plastic deformations and residual stress to the soft magnetic material. As a result the magnetic properties of the material decreases and locally both, static and dynamic hysteresis losses increase in the vicinity of the cut surfaces. For consideration of local permeability deteriorations, different models have been published. These are capable to describe the changing local magnetisation and loss behaviour. Current approaches subdivide the magnetic core into slices of different magnetic properties, thereby discretising the continuous deterioration. This paper analyses the effects of material degradation due to cutting on the performance and machine parameters of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM) using a continuous material model for efficient numerical modelling of the local magnetisation behaviour. By replacing inefficient sliced models, the continuous model is independent of the discretisation and converges in case of coarse meshes to the sliced model. Influences on the machine behaviour are studied in terms of local flux density distributions, iron losses, efficiency, torque and inductances on the operating map and an exemplary working point.
Predicting harmonic distortion in switched-current memory circuits

The major source of distortion in switched current (SI) is identified. It is demonstrated that the distortion in SI circuits is the result of variation in the settling behavior of the current memory cell from one sampling instant to the next. To aid designers of SI circuits, a bound on the total harmonic distortion (THD) is derived in terms of the maximum and minimum settling errors in a current memory cell for a given input signal level. Several examples demonstrate the simplicity of using the formula for the THD bound. The bound in each example is checked against the THD computed from a HSPICE simulation, and by comparing it directly against experimentally observed results. In each case, the actual THD measure is within the proposed bound. <<ETX>>
Medication Use Among Children <12 Years of Age in the United States: Results From the Slone Survey

OBJECTIVES: Using data from the Slone Survey, we sought to define the prevalence of over-the-counter and prescription medication use among US children <12 years of age and to determine the prevalence and patterns of use of the most commonly used medications. METHODS: The Slone Survey was a random-digit-dial telephone survey of medication use in the previous 7 days for a representative sample of the US population. Between February 1998 and April 2007, we enrolled 2857 children 0 to 11 years of age from the 48 contiguous US states. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 61%. Overall, 56% of children had used ≥1 medication product in the 7 days preceding the interview, with 15%, 7.1%, 3.1%, and 1.9% taking 2, 3, 4, and ≥5 medications, respectively, during that time period. Twenty percent of children took ≥1 prescription-only medications, but <6% used ≥2 prescription-only drugs within a given week. Fewer than 0.5% of children were reported to have used any particular herbal product. The most commonly used over-the-counter medication products were acetaminophen alone, multivitamins, and ibuprofen alone. The most commonly used prescription-only medications across all age groups were amoxicillin, albuterol, and multivitamins with fluoride. The most commonly consumed active ingredients (excluding vitamins) were acetaminophen, iron, ibuprofen, and various cough/cold ingredients (pseudoephedrine, dextromethorphan, and various first-generation antihistamines). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of US children <12 years of age use ≥1 medication product in a given week. The preponderance of pediatric medication exposure involves over-the-counter products.