Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Centrifugally spun silica (SiO2) nanofibers for high-temperature air filtration

Abstract In this study, silica-based nanofibers were produced via centrifugal spinning (C-spin) and subsequent calcination. The produced heat resistant media was challenged with NaCl nanoparticles to investigate their filtration performance. To obtain inorganic SiO2 nanofibers, C-spun organic PVP–TEOS nanofibers were calcinated at 300–600 °C. Effects of solution concentration and calcination temperature on crystallinity, morphology and air filtration performance of nanofibers were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to analyze fiber diameter and morphology of nanofibrous webs. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was realized for the thermal behavior of samples. Moreover, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) analysis were realized for further characterization. In addition to the chemical and morphological analysis, the ductility of the samples was investigated via tensile tests. Finally, calcinated webs were challenged with 0.4 μm salt particles to analyze their filtration performance. The calcinated 5 wt% TEOS/PVP silica nanofiber webs were more brittle due to three times lower precursor content. Therefore, flexibility (percent elongation) of 15 wt%TEOS/PVP sample was nearly five times higher than 5 wt%TEOS/PVP sample. The calcinated 15 wt%TEOS/PVP sample showed the highest filtration performance among all the silica nanofibers. The average fiber diameter of the optimized web was found to be the lowest, which is around 521 ± 308 nm, which resulted in enhanced filtration efficiency around 75.89%. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research
Gender and Mentoring

The number of women earning doctoral degrees has increased by 22 percent in the past 33 years. The majority of these women earn degrees in humanities, social sciences, education, and health-related fields (Touchton, Caryn, & Campbell, 2008). Unfortunately, while the number of women entering these fields is growing, the number of tenuretrack positions in these academic disciplines is declining (West & Curtis, 2006). The decline in tenure-track positions in academia is due to the financial constraints of public and private institutions since 2007 and the decline in the number of college-age individuals (June, 2009). This results in more job seekers being hired for nontenure-track and adjunct positions, especially women who earn doctoral degrees (West & Curtis). Unfortunately, women hired to nontenure-track jobs or those who fail to achieve tenure and promotion are unlikely to advance to a powerful position such as university dean, vice president, or president. Being promoted to full professor is a challenge for tenured women faculty. Promotion to full professor is a barrier to women wanting to enter a leadership position within the academic hierarchy as well. As an associate professor and chair of a kinesiology and sport department, I am one of those women with her sights set on becoming a full professor. I do realize that the additional demands of the chair position increase the challenge of being promoted to full professor, but I also know that one effective strategy for many women wanting to acquire leadership positions is mentoring. A woman in a similar position needs a mentor, not only to guide her through the process of becoming a full professor, but to provide structure in her new role as chair. Given the low number of women full professors in leadership positions in higher education, a question arises: do women need to have female mentors or will male mentors be able to help women in their career paths? The majority of my research has been in the area of mentoring women in leadership positions within sport (Bower, 2009; Bower, 2010; Bower & Bennett, 2010, 2011) and kinesiology and sport academia (Bower & Bennett, 2009; Bower & Hums, 2008, 2009). This article focuses on how mentoring may help a woman to obtain full professorship regardless of the gender of her mentor.
A Biomechanical Comparison of Transosseous–Suture Anchor and Suture Bridge Rotator Cuff Repairs in Cadavers

Background Several biomechanical studies comparing open and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair methods have shown inferior performance of arthroscopic repairs. Suture anchor–augmented transosseous repairs and suture bridge repairs have shown superior biomechanical performance when compared with other methods, but these 2 repair methods have not been directly compared. Hypothesis There will be no difference in the biomechanical performance of the transosseous–suture anchor and suture bridge techniques. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Eight paired cadaveric shoulder specimens (16 specimens) had creation followed by repair of a complete tear of the supraspinatus, with the first member of each pair undergoing repair by a transosseous–suture anchor technique and the second member undergoing repair by the suture bridge technique. Specimens were then cycled from 10 to 180 N for 200 cycles, followed by testing to failure at 33 mm/s. Elongation was measured during cyclic testing, and failure load and stiffness were obtained during load-to-failure testing. Failure method was recorded. Results There was no significant difference between transosseous–suture anchor repairs and suture bridge repairs for elongation (4.0 ± 1.60 mm vs 3.5 ± 1.1 mm, P = .31), failure load (408 ± 93 N vs 419 ± 62 N, P = .70), or stiffness (58 ± 10 N/mm vs 58 ± 14 N/mm, P = .94). The most common mode of failure with each method was suture cutting through tendon. Conclusion The suture bridge repair exhibited similar biomechanical performance during cyclic and load-to-failure testing as a transosseous–suture anchor repair, which historically has been performed in open or mini-open fashion. Clinical Relevance Arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs can be performed that are as strong as open or mini-open repairs.
Modulation of the Frequency Response of Shaker Potassium Channels by the Quiver Peptide Suggesting a Novel Extracellular Interaction Mechanism

Abstract: Recent studies have indicated that the Shaker potassium channel regulates sleep in Drosophila. The Drosophila quiver (qvr) gene encodes a novel potassium channel subunit that modulates the Shaker potassium channel. The Qvr peptide contains a signal sequence for extracellular localization and may regulate a unique feature of the Shaker IA current that confers special neuronal excitability patterns. Thus, studies of the Shaker channel properties in the qvr mutant background should provide an opportunity to uncover a new form of physiologic modulation of potassium channels. We have begun to investigate the impact of qvr protein on the Shaker channel properties and its implications in synaptic function in vivo. We studied synaptic transmission at the larval neuromuscular junction and characterized the transient potassium current IA in larval muscles. We identified two different functional states of IA in qvr larval muscles, as reflected by two distinct components, IAF and IAS, differing in their kinetics of recovery from inactivation and sensitivity to a K+ channel blocker. Correspondingly, qvr mutant larvae exhibit multiple synaptic discharges following individual nerve stimuli during repetitive activity.
Stress, Hope, and Loneliness in Young Adolescents

A sample of 134 young adolescents attending a middle school responded to the Perceived Stress Scale, the Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents, and the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Correlational analyses indicated that higher scores on stress were significantly associated with lower scores on hope (r = -.55) and higher scores on loneliness (r= .52). Unlike an earlier study with predominately ethnic minority adolescents, the present findings with predominately Euro-American adolescents supported the relationship proposed between stress and hope; the relationship proposed between stress and loneliness was supported.
Human Capital, Age Structure and Economic Growth: Evidence from a New Dataset

This paper discusses a new dataset on educational attainment levels by age and sex for 120 countries in the period 1970-2000 which has been reconstructed using demographic multistate back-projection methods. Using this unique dataset, we show that the differences in the education level of the younger age groups explain the differences in income per capita across countries significantly better than aggregate measures such as the education level of the entire adult population. We also present evidence that in developed countries, the education of the younger adults contributes significantly to the adoption of technology.
Evaluation of brain natriuretic peptide as marker of left ventricular dysfunction and hypertrophy in the population

Objective To evaluate brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) as marker of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and hypertrophy in a population-based sample of 610 middle-aged subjects (50–67 years) who were further characterized with respect to hemodynamic and anthropometric parameters and by echocardiography. Results Left ventricular (LV) systolic function, LV mass-index, age, gender, heart rate, and medication with beta adrenergic receptor blockers were significant and independently correlated with BNP (multivariate analysis, P < 0.05 each). As compared to subjects with normal LV function and mass-index (control), subjects with LV dysfunction (LV fractional shortening < 28%) or hypertrophy (LV mass-index > 110 g/m2 in women and > 134 g/m2 in men) were characterized by increased BNP. The increase in BNP associated with LV hypertrophy (n = 69, +101% versus control, P < 0.0001) was similar in magnitude to that associated with LV dysfunction (n = 39, +98% versus control, P < 0.03). These increases were markedly exceeded in subjects with severe LV dysfunction (n = 11, LV fractional shortening < 22%, BNP +197% versus control, P < 0.01), particularly in the presence of concomitant hypertrophy (n = 7, +227%, P < 0.01). The predictive values of BNP varied considerably with the degree of LV dysfunction and the presence or absence of concomitant LV hypertrophy. With 0.81, the highest area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was obtained for the detection of severe LV dysfunction and concomitant hypertrophy and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for this condition were 71, 86, 7 and 99.5%, respectively, for a cut-off of 34 pg/ml. Conclusions The current study provides new insight into regulation and diagnostic value of BNP in middle-aged subjects and demonstrates important independent effects of LV function and mass upon BNP plasma concentrations. Although measurement of BNP cannot be recommended for the detection of marginally impaired LV function in the population, it may be helpful to suggest or exclude severe LV dysfunction with concomitant hypertrophy.
Dissemination of a single clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Turkish hospitals

A collection of 39 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) stains derived from six different hospitals in Ankara and one hospital in Barsa, Turkey, were analyzed by multiple genotyping. In agreement with the other genotyping assays, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of DNA macrorestriction fragments identified genetic homogeneity among all MRSA isolates studies. It is concluded that a major clone of MRSA has spread through a large part of Turkey, causing longitudinally persistent colonization in all of the institutions surveyed.
Separation and Analysis of Fetal-ECG Signals From Compressed Sensed Abdominal ECG Recordings

Objective: Analysis of fetal electrocardiogram (f-ECG) waveforms as well as fetal heart-rate (fHR) evaluation provide important information about the condition of the fetus during pregnancy. A continuous monitoring of f-ECG, for example using the technologies already applied for adults ECG tele-monitoring (e.g., Wireless Body Sensor Networks (WBSNs)), may increase early detection of fetal arrhythmias. In this study, we propose a novel framework, based on compressive sensing (CS) theory, for the compression and joint detection/classification of mother and fetal heart beats. Methods: Our scheme is based on the sparse representation of the components derived from independent component analysis (ICA), which we propose to apply directly in the compressed domain. Detection and classification is based on the activated atoms in a specifically designed reconstruction dictionary. Results : Validation of the proposed compression and detection framework has been done on two publicly available datasets, showing promising results (sensitivity S = 92.5%, P += 92%, F1 = 92.2% for the Silesia dataset and S = 78%, P += 77%, F1 = 77.5% for the Challenge dataset A, with average reconstruction quality PRD = 8.5% and PRD = 7.5%, respectively). Conclusion: The experiments confirm that the proposed framework may be used for compression of abdominal f-ECG and to obtain real-time information of the fHR, providing a suitable solution for real time, very low-power f-ECG monitoring. Significance: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that a framework for the low-power CS compression of fetal abdominal ECG is proposed combined with a beat detector for an fHR estimation.
Unsteady MHD Flow of an Incompressible Elastico-Viscous Fluid in a Tube of Spherical Cross Section on a Porous Boundary

Abstract—Exact solution of an unsteady MHD flow of elasticoviscous fluid through a porous media in a tube of spherical cross section under the influence of magnetic field and constant pressure gradient has been obtained in this paper. Initially, the flow is generated by a constant pressure gradient. After attaining the steady state, the pressure gradient is suddenly withdrawn and the resulting fluid motion in a tube of spherical cross section by taking into account of the porosity factor and magnetic parameter of the bounding surface is investigated. The problem is solved in two-stages the first stage is a steady motion in tube under the influence of a constant pressure gradient, the second stage concern with an unsteady motion. The problem is solved employing separation of variables technique. The results are expressed in terms of a non-dimensional porosity parameter (K), magnetic parameter (m) and elasticoviscosity parameter (β), which depends on the Non-Newtonian coefficient. The flow parameters are found to be identical with that of Newtonian case as elastic-viscosity parameter and magnetic parameter tends to zero and porosity tends to infinity. It is seen that the effect of elastico-viscosity parameter, porosity parameter and magnetic parameter of the bounding surface has significant effect on the velocity parameter.
Cardiac diseases in maintenance hemodialysis patients: results of the HEMO Study.

BACKGROUND Cardiac disease is a common cause of death in chronic hemodialysis patients. A subanalysis of the data on cardiac diseases in the Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study was performed. The specific objectives were: (1) to analyze the prevalence of cardiac disease at baseline; (2) to characterize the incidence of various types of cardiac events during follow-up; (3) to examine the association of cardiac events during follow-up with baseline cardiac diseases; and (4) to examine the effect of dose and flux interventions on various types of cardiac events. METHODS The HEMO Study is a randomized multi-center trial on 1846 chronic hemodialysis patients at 15 clinical centers comprising 72 dialysis units. The scheduled maximum follow-up duration was 0.9 to 6.6 years, with the mean actual follow-up of 2.84 years. The interventions were standard-dose versus high-dose and low-flux versus high-flux hemodialysis in a 2 x 2 factorial design. RESULTS At baseline, 80% of patients had cardiac diseases, including ischemic heart disease (IHD) (39%), congestive heart failure (40%), arrhythmia (31%), and other heart diseases (63%). There were a total of 1685 cardiac hospitalizations, with angina and acute myocardial infarction accounting for 42.7% of these hospitalizations. There were 343 cardiac deaths during follow-up, accounting for 39.4% of all deaths. IHD was implicated in 61.5% of the cardiac deaths. Any cardiac disease at baseline was highly predictive of cardiac death during follow-up [relative risk (RR) 2.57; 95% CI 1.73-3.83]. There were no significant effects of dose or flux assignments on the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or the main secondary cardiac composite outcome of first cardiac hospitalization or all-cause mortality. Assignment to high-flux dialysis was, however, associated with decreased cardiac mortality and the composite outcome of first cardiac hospitalization or death from cardiac causes. CONCLUSION The HEMO Study identified IHD to be a major cause of cardiac hospitalizations and cardiac deaths. Future strategies for the prevention of cardiac diseases in the maintenance hemodialysis population should focus on this entity. Although high-flux dialysis did not reduce all-cause mortality, it might improve cardiac outcomes. This hypothesis needs to be further examined.
Agronomic performance of 'Valência' orange combined with 13 rootstocks in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of 'Valência' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) tree, in combination with 13 rootstocks cultivated in soil and climate conditions of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The following agronomic variables were evaluated: scion height and volume, plant production, production efficiency, productivity, fruit diameter, fruit mass, peel mass, juice yield, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, soluble solids:acidity ratio, ascorbic acid, peel color, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds. A randomized complete block experimental design was used, with three replicates and nine plants per plot, in a two-factor arrangement (13 rootstocks and the 2015 and 2016 harvests). The following rootstocks stood out: TSKC × TRDP-023 for its juice yield (54.0 and 51.7%), soluble solids:acidity ratio (8.66 and 6.99), and ascorbic acid (49.3 and 51 mg 100 g-1); and the citrandarin 'San Diego', for its higher phenolic-compound content (106.4 and 74.9 100 g-1 gallic acid), coloration (76.2 and 75.9 hº), and ascorbic acid (42.2 and 44.7 mg 100 g-1). The TSKC × TRDP-026 and TSKC × CTQT1434-004 rootstocks induce canopy formation and productive precocity in 'Valência' orange trees grown in the southern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul state, in the first few years of growth.
Exploring the impact of customer relational benefit on relationship commitment in health service sectors

Background: An increasing number of health service sectors have begun to implement relationship marketing to try to establish long-term relationship with customers. Purpose: Customer relational benefit has been an important subject for relationship marketing researchers. This study was conducted to investigate how customer relational benefit might influence relationship commitment in health service sectors. Methodology: The research used a questionnaire survey that retrieved a total number of 403 valid questionnaires. The data were collected by way of personal visits and investigations of outpatients in three regional hospitals in Taiwan. After the reliability and the validity of the questionnaire sample were examined, the data were verified by using hierarchical regression analysis. Findings: Results showed that confidence benefit constituted the most pronounced factor for hospital customers. Confidence benefit, social benefit, and special treatment benefit were perceived by customers as the key factors that have a positive influence on relationship commitment. In particular, customers placing greater emphasis on confidence benefit tended to be less willing to establish relationship commitment. Practice Implications: When health service managers develop marketing strategies using customer relational benefit, they will still need to enhance customer confidence benefit as one of the main ways of achieving future improvements. In the event where health service managers seek to install resources for establishing and maintaining a good relationship commitment with customers, the crucial factors of social and special treatment benefits should not be ignored when seeking to enhance the customers' perception of confidence benefit.
Empirical and experimental approaches to nonoptimal allocations of goods and services

OF THE DISSERTATION Empirical and Experimental Approaches to Nonoptimal Allocations of Goods and Services By DAISUKE GOTO Dissertation Director: John Landon-Lane This dissertation studies the nonoptimal outcomes of human behavior related to health care. Health is a major component of human capital, which imposes a significant impact on individuals and the society. This dissertation aims to apply modern economic theories and models to reveal causes of nonoptimal outcomes in health care using various empirical and experimental methods. The first chapter studies why smokers tend to keep smoking even though they face a serious deterioration in health. This study employs an extension of the dynamic structural model of rational addiction. However, parametric restrictions on the Markov transition process of smoking capital are removed. This new model finds that smokers’ disutility from cessation continues to increase for three to four years, thereby making quitting costly. It further proves that the dilemma between the immediate disutility from quitting and the future disutility from deterioration of health clearly exists and influences smokers’ decisions. The second chapter studies the mechanisms behind disparities in the quality of medical care by racial groups and types of insurance. An endogeneity exists between the outcomes and demographic characteristics of patients in any given hospital. This issue is addressed using an instrumental variable that is constructed by simulating a patient’s hospital choice. ii Our results prove that minority patients are systematically sorted into low quality institutions while Medicaid and charity care patients my contribute to poor outcomes. These findings suggest that hospitals serving a large number of minority patients should be given incentives to improve their quality. On the other hand, hospitals with a large number of Medicaid and charity care patients should be provided with extra funding. The third chapter studies dynamic voluntary contribution games. Due to free-rider problems, it is difficult for agents to fund public projects. Theoretical models suggest that completion bonuses and gradual contributions are effective mechanisms in preventing subjects from pursuing a non-contributing equilibrium. This chapter uses an experimental approach to investigate what facilitates the completion of public projects. It is found that subjects are able to overcome the free-rider problem when communication is allowed. (338 words)