Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overcoming Temperature Limitations in Phase Change Memories With Optimized ${\rm Ge}_{\rm x}{\rm Sb}_{\rm y}{\rm Te}_{\rm z}$

Phase change memory (PCM) is the most mature among the novel memory concepts. Embedded PCM technology can be a real breakthrough for process cost saving and performances. Nevertheless, for specific applications some improvement in high temperature data retention characteristics is needed. In this paper, we present an optimized GexSbyTez phase change material, able to guarantee code integrity after soldering thermal profile and data retention in extended temperature range. In particular, extrapolation of data retention at 10 years for temperatures higher than 150°C cell level has been demonstrated, thus enabling automotive applications. Despite the tradeoff between the SET speed and RESET data retention, competitive performances with respect to present floating gate memories have been confirmed. Finally, solid data collection based on a 4-Mb test chip integrated in a standard 90-nm CMOS technology platform has been performed. Functionality and performances are well in line with today industrial targets.
Use of a risk quiz to predict infection for sexually transmitted infections: a retrospective analysis of acceptability and positivity

Background Individuals who are sexually active may want to make a decision as to whether they are at risk for having a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis. Our goal was to develop and evaluate a simple self-taken sexual risk quiz for participants, ordering an online STI self-collection test kit to determine whether the score predicted infection status. Methods As part of the IWantTheKit programme for home sample self-collection for STIs, 2010–2013, the programme asked male and female users to voluntarily take a risk quiz. The six-question quiz was about risk behaviour and included an age question. Data analyses were stratified by gender as determined a priori. Scores 0–10 were stratified into risk groups for each gender based on similar risk score-specific STI prevalence. Retrospective analyses were performed to assess whether risk group predicted aggregate STI positivity. Urogenital/rectal mailed samples were tested by nucleic acid amplification tests. Results More females (N=836) than males (N=558) provided voluntary risk scores. The percentage of eligible participants who submitted scores was 43.9% for both females and males. There was a higher STI infection rate in females (14.0%) than in males (7.0%) for having any STI (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis for females, which controlled for age and race, demonstrated that a higher risk score group independently predicted risk for having an STI (OR of 2.2 for risk scores 5–7 and 4.2 OR for scores of 8–10). For males, the multivariate model, which controlled for race, indicated that no risk score group was associated having an STI. Conclusions Results of a participant's own sexual risk quiz score independently predicted STI positivity for women, but not for men. Further study of this simple risk quiz is required.
Chemical and physical properties of an arabinogalactan-peptide from wheat endosperm.

1. An arabinogalactan-peptide from wheat endosperm was studied by using physicochemical techniques and some aspects of its chemical structure were determined. 2. The arabinogalactan-peptide is a non-associating, polydisperse macromolecule ([unk]=22000) which exhibits only minor non-ideal effects in aqueous solution. 3. Examination of the products of partial acid hydrolysis of the polysaccharide component showed that arabinose is present in the alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl configuration, and i.r. -absorption spectroscopy and optical-rotation studies suggest that the d-galactopyranose residues are linked by glycosidic linkages in the beta-anomeric configuration. 4. The arabinogalactan is linked to a peptide which represents 8% (w/w) of the arabinogalactan-peptide and which may be present as a molecular core. Partial degradation of the polymer by successive treatment with oxalic acid and NaOH showed that the linkage between polysaccharide and peptide involves galactose and hydroxyproline residues and is glycosidic in nature. A tentative model is proposed for the structure of the wheat endosperm arabinogalactan-peptide. 5. The subcellular location and function of the arabinogalactan-peptide is discussed in relation to previous work with related molecules.
Vitrectomy alone in the management of giant retinal tears.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes of vitrectomy without adjuvant scleral buckling for giant retinal tear (GRT) detachment and assess the impact of preoperative lens status on these outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective review of consecutive cases of vitrectomy alone for primary GRT detachment at the University of Michigan from October 1992 through October 2012. The primary outcome measure was Kaplan-Meier–estimated single-surgery reattachment rate at 3 months. RESULTS Eligibility criteria were met by 41 eyes of 40 patients. Six eyes (15%) had grade C proliferative vitreoretinopathy at baseline. The single-surgery reattachment rate was 83% (95% CI: 67%, 91%) at 3 months, with no significant difference between phakic and nonphakic eyes. CONCLUSION Based on this retrospective series, and within the confines of our eligibility criteria, adjuvant scleral buckling does not appear to be necessary in the management of primary GRT detachment.
Age-Dependent Lethality in Novel Transgenic Mouse Models of Central Nervous System Arteriovenous Malformations

Background and Purpose— The lack of an appropriate animal model has been a limitation in studying hemorrhage from arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the central nervous system. Methods— Novel mouse central nervous system AVM models were generated by conditionally deleting the activin receptor-like kinase (Alk1; Acvrl1) gene with the SM22-Cre transgene. All mice developed AVMs in their brain and/or spinal cord, and >80% of them showed a paralysis or lethality phenotype due to internal hemorrhages during the first 10 to 15 weeks of life. The mice that survived this early lethal period, however, showed significantly reduced lethality rates even though they carried multiple AVMs. Results— The age-dependent change in hemorrhage rates allowed us to identify molecular factors uniquely upregulated in the rupture-prone AVM lesions. Conclusions— Upregulation of angiopoietin 2 and a few inflammatory genes were identified in the hemorrhage-prone lesions, which may be comparable with human pathology. These models will be an exceptional tool to study pathophysiology of AVM hemorrhage.
Purification of plasmid DNA with polymer‐salt aqueous two‐phase system: Optimization using response surface methodology

An experimental design was used to optimize plasmid purification from an alkaline lysate of Escherichia coli cells using PEG‐sodium citrate aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS), and to evaluate the influence of pH, PEG molecular weight, tie line length, phase volume ratio, and lysate load. To build the mathematical model and minimize the number of experiments for the design parameters, response surface methodology (RMS) with an orthogonal rotatable central composite design was defined based on the conditions found for the highest purification by preliminary tests. The adequacy of the calculated models for the plasmid recovery and remaining RNA were confirmed by means of variance analysis and additional experiments. Analysis of contours of constant response as a function of pH, PEG molecular weight, tie line length, and cell lysate load for three different phase volume ratios revealed different effects of these five factors on the studied parameters. Plasmid recovery of 99% was predicted for a system with PEG 400, pH 6.9, tie line length of 38.7%, phase volume ratio of 1.5, and lysate load of 10% (v/v). Under these conditions the predicted RNA removal was 68%. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Using Comparative Advertising to Promote Technology-Based Hospitality Services

This research draws on regulatory focus theory to explore how to effectively advertise technology-based hospitality services. In an experiment, we compare four types of service ads: narrative-comparative, narrative-noncomparative, list-comparative, and list-noncomparative. Results reveal that narrative-comparative ads, portraying a superior service experience with the advertised brand against its competitors, can elicit gain perceptions, and therefore, they are more effective among promotion-focused individuals than their more prevention-focused counterparts. Conversely, list-comparative ads, presenting attributes of the advertised brand and its competitors side-by-side, can induce either gain or loss perceptions, thus being effective among both promotion-focused and prevention-focused individuals. With no mention of a reference brand, noncomparative ads fail to generate regulatory fit thereby being less persuasive. Managerial implications for hospitality marketers are discussed.
Closing the Research-policy and Research-practice Gaps: Ideas for Child and Family Services

The move towards evidence based practice and policy in the human services has been accompanied by an increasing recognition of the common goals and key differences between the three distinct cultures of research, policy and practice. These key differences, or cultural gaps, create barriers to using research evidence to develop practice interventions and policy decisions that could more effectively benefit children and families. This paper synthesises findings from the research utilisation literature which may help to close the cultural gaps and facilitate the use of research in child and family services.
Placement of tryton side branch stent only; A new treatment strategy for Medina 0,0,1 coronary bifurcation lesions

We propose a new treatment strategy of Medina 0,0,1 bifurcation lesions using a dedicated side branch stent alone (Tryton Side Branch Stent™) without additional main branch stenting, with the advantage of an optimal ostial side branch coverage without the disadvantage of an excessive amount of metal in the main branch.
Misperceptions of medical understanding in low-literacy patients: implications for cancer prevention.

BACKGROUND Patients with limited literacy skills often have difficulty understanding medical information, are less likely to undergo cancer screening, and present with cancer at later stages than patients with better literacy skills. Since primary care physicians are responsible for performing or initiating the majority of cancer screening in the United States, they need to be able to not only identify patients who might not understand medical information but also communicate effectively with them about cancer prevention and screening. METHODS To determine whether family medicine residents could identify patients who might have difficulty understanding medical information because of limited literacy, we measured the literacy skills of patients in a university-based family medicine clinic using the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). After the patients completed their office visits with a physician, we asked family medicine residents to rate the patients' ability to understand medical information. RESULTS Among 140 patients who met with 18 family medicine resident physicians, 24% had limited literacy skills based on testing with the S-TOFHLA. Residents identified only about half of these patients as having poor or below average understanding of medical information. CONCLUSIONS IN many cases, family medicine residents are unable to identify patients who, based on assessment of their literacy skills, are likely to have difficulty understanding medical information. When working with residents, medical educators should promote the habit of taking poor literacy into account when communicating with patients.
The Current Diagnosis of Superficial Bladder Cancer Must Be Reconsidered

The high recurrence and progression rates in superficial bladder cancer are partially related to the deficiencies of the standard conventional diagnostic modalities. Therefore, innovative noninvasive and invasive detection devices have been studied during the last decade. New diagnostic urine markers are under intensive investigation in order to exclude the presence of urothelial cancer, but the value of all these tests is still insufficiently validated in diagnosis and follow-up. With the introduction of 5-amino-levulinic acid fluorescence endoscopy, the efficacy of the detection device has been significantly improved. Flat lesions such as carcinoma in situ can be completely detected besides exophytic tumors. This is of particular importance because the fate of the patient depends to an important extent on these tumor entities. Furthermore, first experimental results using imaging devices like optical coherence tomography and confocal laser scanning microscopy promise new powerful noninvasive tools for 'optical sectioning' of the bladder.
Analysis of albumin-associated peptides and proteins from ovarian cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Albumin binds low-molecular-weight molecules, including proteins and peptides, which then acquire its longer half-life, thereby protecting the bound species from kidney clearance. We developed an experimental method to isolate albumin in its native state and to then identify [mass spectrometry (MS) sequencing] the corresponding bound low-molecular-weight molecules. We used this method to analyze pooled sera from a human disease study set (high-risk persons without cancer, n = 40; stage I ovarian cancer, n = 30; stage III ovarian cancer, n = 40) to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach as a discovery method. METHODS Albumin was isolated by solid-phase affinity capture under native binding and washing conditions. Captured albumin-associated proteins and peptides were separated by gel electrophoresis and subjected to iterative MS sequencing by microcapillary reversed-phase tandem MS. Selected albumin-bound protein fragments were confirmed in human sera by Western blotting and immunocompetition. RESULTS In total, 1208 individual protein sequences were predicted from all 3 pools. The predicted sequences were largely fragments derived from proteins with diverse biological functions. More than one third of these fragments were identified by multiple peptide sequences, and more than one half of the identified species were in vivo cleavage products of parent proteins. An estimated 700 serum peptides or proteins were predicted that had not been reported in previous serum databases. Several proteolytic fragments of larger molecules that may be cancer-related were confirmed immunologically in blood by Western blotting and peptide immunocompetition. BRCA2, a 390-kDa low-abundance nuclear protein linked to cancer susceptibility, was represented in sera as a series of specific fragments bound to albumin. CONCLUSION Carrier-protein harvesting provides a rich source of candidate peptides and proteins with potential diverse tissue and cellular origins that may reflect important disease-related information.
A naturalistic study of risperidone treatment outcome using prognosis-adjusted discharge rates in New York State inpatients.

BACKGROUND Information concerning the effectiveness of newer atypical antipsychotics is derived largely from controlled clinical trials of relatively short duration. Limited information is available concerning naturalistic outcome of patients selected for clinical treatment with atypical antipsychotics. This study evaluates 1-year discharge rates among all patients treated with risperidone within the New York State inpatient psychiatric hospital system during the calendar years 1994 and 1995 ("period of interest") relative to patients treated with all other antipsychotic medications. METHOD Data from the Integrated Research Database at Nathan Kline Institute (Orangeburg, N.Y.) were used. This database maintains complete treatment records for all inpatients within the New York State psychiatric inpatient system along with demographic, diagnostic, admission, and discharge information. Patients were identified at admission or first change in antipsychotic during the period of interest, and 1-year outcome was determined. RESULTS 2198 risperidone-treated patients were identified versus 3259 treated with other antipsychotics. Length of hospitalization prior to treatment initiation was the primary predictor of discharge rate for both risperidone and control groups. When adjustment was made for between-group difference in prognosis (dischargeability), patients treated with risperidone within 30 days of admission were less likely to be discharged than those treated with all other agents (including clozapine), whereas risperidone was more effective in patients who had been hospitalized for 90 days or more prior to switch from another antipsychotic to risperidone. CONCLUSION When database information is utilized to evaluate treatment effectiveness, adjustment must be made for a priori differences in prognosis or dischargeability. With appropriate methodology, database studies may indicate which patient groups are most likely to benefit from newer atypical antipsychotic agents.
The Effect of the Alpha‐2‐Adrenergic Agonist, Clonidine, on Secretion Patterns and Rates of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and its Secretagogues in the Horse

Alpha‐2‐adrenoceptor activation may lower adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by reducing secretagogue input and/or increasing the release of an inhibitory factor (CIF). To investigate this, we gave clonidine, an α‐2‐agonist, to seven horses, and collected pituitary venous blood every minute for 20 min before treatment and 40 min after treatment. Six horses were given saline vehicle. Mean secretion rates of corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and ACTH were calculated before and during four 5‐min then two 10‐min periods after clonidine or saline. Reduction in ACTH secretion without corresponding changes in CRH and/or AVP would imply the presence of CIF. Secretion rates of ACTH (P = 0.008) and AVP (P = 0.0005) fell after clonidine and remained lower than baseline values for 20 min and 10 min, respectively. The CRH secretion rate decreased slightly but not significantly after clonidine. In controls, hormone secretion rates did not alter during the experiment. Multiple linear regression showed that CRH and AVP secretion accounted for 69% (treated) or 45% (controls) of the variation in ACTH secretion (P < 0.0001 for each). CRH alone contributed 80% (treated) or 76% (controls) of the fit to this model, which is consistent with the concept that CRH ‘sets the gain’ of the response of corticotrophs to fluctuations in AVP. Accordingly, minute‐to‐minute changes in pituitary concentrations of AVP and ACTH were synchronous when all data were considered (% concordant changes: controls, 68%, P < 0.0001; treated, 76%, P < 0.0001) and the percentage of concordant movement was unaffected by clonidine (before 72%; after 73%; P = 0.80). In treated horses but not controls, the ratio between the secretion rates of ACTH and AVP fell (P = 0.009), while the ACTH : CRH ratio tended to fall after clonidine, implying reduced responsiveness to stimulation. Moreover, one horse showed a drop in ACTH and a rise in CRH and AVP secretion after clonidine. We conclude that in horses α‐2‐adrenoceptor activation lowers ACTH secretion primarily by reducing the secretion of AVP and possibly CRH. While there was some evidence that a CIF may participate in the clonidine‐induced suppression of ACTH, the subtlety of the discordance between ACTH and its secretagogues in most horses and the rarity of complete dissociation indicate that it does not play a major role.
Policy Transfer and Discursive De-Europeanisation: Higher Education from Bologna to Turkey

Abstract This article analyses Turkey’s integration into the Bologna Process, concentrating on the questions of why and how Turkey is transferring norms in the area of higher education. As an example of policy transfer, the Bologna Process provides important insights into the question of why states choose to voluntarily adopt norms where there is no top-down pressure for change. Focusing on Turkey as a case study, the article identifies the narratives of the agents of change responsible for the reform process. The agents are the intermediaries in the Europeanisation process – they construct the discourses and they are the ones responsible for transmitting the process to the society at large. The article concludes that while institutional Europeanisation is taking place in the area of higher education, discursive Europeanisation is lacking.
COMPARISON OF STEREOGNOSIS AND TWO‐POINT DISCRIMINATION TESTING OF THE HANDS OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

The authors compared tests of stereognosis using shape recognition and two‐point discrimination with a paper‐clip in evaluating sensation in the fingers of 51 patients with cerebral palsy between the ages of six and 20 years, and of 170 controls in the same age‐range. The two‐point discrimination test had significantly higher sensitivity in detecting tactile sensation than shape recognition, with slightly less specificity. Testing hand sensation should be part of the assessment of patients when considering reconstructive surgery, therapy, or the teaching of specific hand‐skills. The two‐point discrimination test with a paper‐clip is a simple and reliable method of doing so.
[Analysis of psychological resilience of left-behind high school students in Nanchong rural].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the scores of psychological resilience of left-behind rural high school students and then provide the basis of mental health supporting for these students. METHODS survey include multi-stage sampling, extracting a total of 1,000 students of all grades from two rural high schools, and letting them fill the questionnaire "New Resilience & Youth Development Module" within limited time. RESULTS Contrast between students being left-behind for varying length of time and non-left-behind ones: school factors (36.57 +/- 8.62), internal factors (49.44 +/- 9.89), peer factors (16.78 +/- 3.82) and family factors (22.90 +/- 7.56). Students being left-behind for varying length of time all score lower than non-left-behind ones, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Contrast between gender: left-behind high school girls score lower than left-behind high school boys and non-left-behind students in school psychological resilience (34.84 +/- 6.62), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Contrast between different types of being left-behind and non-left-behind: parents left-behind vs non-left-behind, and father-left-behind vs non-left-behind-school factors (33.43 +/- 7.43 vs 39.70 +/- 8.12), social factors, internal factors, peer factors and family factors. Students of both types score lower than non-left-behind ones, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The psychological resilience scores of left-behind high school students are lower than that of non-left-behind students. Therefore, effective measures is necessary to improve the psychological resilience of left-behind rural high school students.