Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TREATMENT COMPLIANCE AMONG PRENATAL CARE PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS

There is an insufficient number of substance abuse treatmentprograms available to pregnant women; however, even when women do enroll intreatment, they often choose not to comply with particular components of theirtreatment. To better understand what factors are associated with a woman'slikelihood of compliance with treatment, this study assesses 244 pregnant,substance-using women enrolled in a specialized substance abuse treatmentprogram. Women who complied with treatment referrals are compared with thosewho did not comply with referrals on various factors including their sociodemographiccharacteristics, types of substance use before and during pregnancy, experiencesof violence before and during pregnancy, and prior substance use treatment.Bivariate analysis found that outpatient treatment compliance was more likelyamong women who smoked cigarettes before pregnancy, women who had receivedprevious substance abuse treatment, and women whose partner had received previoussubstance abuse treatment. Outpatient treatment compliance did not vary bysociodemographic characteristics, any other type of substance use, or thewomen's experiences of violence. Inpatient treatment compliance was morelikely among women who received prior substance abuse treatment; however,no other characteristic was found to be associated with inpatient treatmentcompliance. Logistic regression analyses, which controlled for various factors,suggested that past experiences with substance abuse treatment by the womanor her partner were significantly associated with treatment referral compliance.These findings suggest that the previous treatment experiences of women andtheir partners are important factors in shaping a successful substance abusetreatment program for pregnant women.
From Infrastructure to Social Appropriation of Public Access Computing: an Assessment of ICT Policy in Colombia

This paper presents an overview of the national policies related to public access to information and communication technologies (ICT) in Colombia. Public access to ICT, through venues such as libraries, telecenters and cybercafes, can be a powerful driver to bridge the digital divide and to contribute to social and political equality and change. While the country was one of the region’s pioneers in regard to ICT policy, and has exhibited an unusual degree of public consultation, citizens’ participation, and emphasis on social issues beyond basic infrastructure and connectivity, many challenges remain to ensure equitable access and effective social appropriation of ICT to contribute to human development in the country. The government’s interest in public access to ICT, as exhibited by the Compartel and other telecenter initiatives, is unique in the Americas, and it complements the telecenter initiatives sponsored by non-profit and other social organizations; furthermore, public libraries are playing an increasingly strong role in offering public access to ICT, bolstered by the recently passed Libraries Act of 2010. By bringing together the trajectory and contributions of government policies and social organizations in the country, this paper presents a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the public policy environment in Colombia, and how it is enabling (or hindering) the use of ICT for human development and social change.
Interactive coupling between a tree and raindrops

This paper presents a novel approach for simulating the dynamic coupling between a tree and raindrops based on physical deformation and fluid simulation. By the approach, tree animation in the rain can be simulated in a two‐resolution way: branch motion and leaf motion. The branch is represented by the Euler–Bernoulli beam model, and the leaf petiole is represented by the three‐prism elastic model. Interaction coupling liquid motion on the hydrophilic surface with a flexible petiole is well implemented by a special design. To simplify the computation process, instead of the computation‐intensive three‐dimensional Navier–Stokes equations, shallow water equations are used to simulate the water dynamics together with the whole leaf deformation. Simulation has been also made to various phenomena incurred from the interactive coupling. These include, among others, part of impacting raindrops splashing into the air with the remaining flowing along the slant of the leaf and merging into larger ones or hanging on the blade boundary, with the leaf rebounding and vibrating after the drops fall off the leaf. A level‐of‐detail approach is exploited to accelerate rendering in views of different distances. The experimental results illustrate that the approach can be applied to efficiently generate realistic details of the interactive coupling between a tree and raindrops. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A High Step-Down Multiple Output Converter With Wide Input Voltage Range Based on Quasi Two-Stage Architecture and Dual-Output LLC Resonant Converter

In this letter, a quasi two-stage architecture is proposed for wide input voltage range (voltage ranges ≈ 1:2) and high step-down multiple output conversion. A dc-DCX, which operates as a dc-dc converter with regulated output when the input voltage is low and as a dc-dc transformer with unregulated output when the input voltage is high, is adopted in the first stage to provide optimized intermediate dc-bus voltages for the second-stage point-of-load converters. The input and output of the dc-DCX are in series and connected to the total input voltage. Hence, part of the input power is directly transferred to the intermediate bus without conversion. The devices' voltage stresses and the transformer turns ratio of the dc-DCX are reduced by using the proposed quasi two-stage architecture. Thus, the conversion efficiency is improved significantly. Furthermore, a dual-output LLC resonant converter with hybrid center-tapped and full-bridge rectifier is proposed for the dc-DCX to achieve high efficiency and high power density. A 100-W prototype with three outputs is built and tested to verify the analysis.
igh prevalence of non-productive FeLV infection in necropsied cats nd significant association with pathological findings

Applying a combination of semi-nested PCR and immunohistology (IHC), the presence of exogenous feline leukemia virus infection was studied in 302 necropsied cats with various disorders. 9% showed the classical outcome of persistent productive FeLV infection which was represented by FeLV antigen expression in different organs. 152 cats (50%) harboured exogenous FeLV-specific proviral sequences in the bone marrow but did not express viral antigen. These cats were considered as horizontally but non-productively infected. Statistical evaluation showed a significant association of non-productive horizontal FeLV on-productive FeLV infection
Mitochondrial depolarization in yeast zygotes inhibits clonal expansion of selfish mtDNA

ABSTRACT Non-identical copies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) compete with each other within a cell and the ultimate variant of mtDNA present depends on their relative replication rates. Using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells as a model, we studied the effects of mitochondrial inhibitors on the competition between wild-type mtDNA and mutant selfish mtDNA in heteroplasmic zygotes. We found that decreasing mitochondrial transmembrane potential by adding uncouplers or valinomycin changes the competition outcomes in favor of the wild-type mtDNA. This effect was significantly lower in cells with disrupted mitochondria fission or repression of the autophagy-related genes ATG8, ATG32 or ATG33, implying that heteroplasmic zygotes activate mitochondrial degradation in response to the depolarization. Moreover, the rate of mitochondrially targeted GFP turnover was higher in zygotes treated with uncoupler than in haploid cells or untreated zygotes. Finally, we showed that vacuoles of zygotes with uncoupler-activated autophagy contained DNA. Taken together, our data demonstrate that mitochondrial depolarization inhibits clonal expansion of selfish mtDNA and this effect depends on mitochondrial fission and autophagy. These observations suggest an activation of mitochondria quality control mechanisms in heteroplasmic yeast zygotes. Summary: Uncouplers activate mitochondrial degradation in heteroplasmic yeast zygotes and prevent clonal expansion of selfish mitochondrial DNA. This effect requires mitochondrial fission and autophagy.
In vitro anti‐leukaemia activity of sphingosine kinase inhibitor

Compelling evidence indicates the role of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) deregulation in the processes of carcinogenesis and acquisition of drug resistance, providing the rationale for an effective anti‐cancer therapy. However, no highly selective inhibitors of SPHK1 are available for in vitro and in vivo studies, except for the newly discovered ‘SK inhibitor’ (SKI). The present study showed that, in a panel of myeloid leukaemia cell lines, basal level of SPHK1 correlated with the degree of kinase inhibition by SKI. Exposure to SKI caused variable anti‐proliferative, cytotoxic effects in all cell lines. In particular, SKI induced an early, significant inhibition of SPHK1 activity, impaired cell cycle progression and triggered apoptosis in K562 cells. Moreover, SKI acted synergistically with imatinib mesylate (IM) to inhibit cell growth and survival. Finally, the inhibitor affected the clonogenic potential and viability of primary cells from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients, including one harbouring the IM‐insensitive Abl kinase domain mutation T315I. Due to the fact that the phenomenon of resistance to IM remains a major issue in the treatment of patients with CML, the identification of alternative targets and new drugs may be of clinical relevance.
ON A VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF EKELAND

In a well known paper [3], Ekeland presented a variational principle that can be used for many useful applications. In a recent paper [2], the present authors showed that the widely recognized fixed point theorem of Caristi [1] and the minimization principle of Takahashi [5] are indeed equivalent, thereby proving the equivalence between these theorems by Ekeland, Caristi and Takahashi. In this paper, we further investigate the relationship among these theorems by characterizing the set of minimizers, the set of variational points and the set of fixed points. AMS subject classifications (1991). Primary 47H10.
Distributed Reactive Power Sharing Control for Microgrids With Event-Triggered Communication

Due to the inherently distributed and heterogeneous nature of the microgrids, distributed control can be a promising approach to improve the stability, reliability, and scalability of the microgrids compared with centralized control strategies. This paper studies the distributed reactive power sharing problem for a microgrid with connected ac inverters. Under the standard decoupling approximation for bus angle differences, the reactive power flow of each inverter is dependent on the voltage amplitudes of its neighboring inverters connected by electrical power lines. Using the Lyapunov approach, a novel distributed voltage controller with nonlinear state feedback is proposed for reactive power sharing of the microgrid. It is proved that the inverters can achieve accurate reactive power sharing under the proposed controller if the communication network of inverters is connected. Then, by introducing the sampling and holding scheme, we extend the proposed controller to the nonlinear state feedback control with event-triggered communication among inverters. The new event-triggered control approach can dramatically reduce the amount of communication of the microgrid, and significantly relax the requirement for precise real-time information transmission among the inverters. Both the proposed controllers are validated by simulations on a group of inverters with time-varying loads.
Host Association of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Corn and Rice Strains in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay

ABSTRACT Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is composed of two genetically distinct strains, the so-called corn strain and the rice strain. Whether the two strains differ in their host use is unclear, because laboratory experiments have not been able to show consistent host performance or preference differences between them, and field studies showed high rates of hybridization, as well as some degree asymmetric host use. To determine the distribution of the two strains and their association with host plants, we collected fall armyworm larvae from different crops (corn, rice, alfalfa, and sorghum) and grasses in 15 different localities over 4 yr in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The strain identity was analyzed using two polymorphisms in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. We identified the corn and rice haplotypes and three types of populations were characterized based on the frequencies of the individuals that belonged to any of these haplotypes: in 44% of populations the corn haplotype predominated, in 44% of populations the rice haplotype was the most frequent, and 11% of populations showed both haplotypes at similar proportions. In total, eight populations (47%) showed the expected pattern, two populations (12%) were polymorphic within the same field, and seven populations (41%) showed the inverse pattern. Taken together, there was no consistent pattern of host association between the two sympatric genotypes and their respective host plants. This investigation supports the need for additional studies to determine which other forces keep the genotypes separate, and what is the degree of genetic differentiation between these populations.
Exposure of vegetable oil impregnated transformer windings to air

A large quantity of research into the use of vegetable oils as transformer dielectrics has been performed over the years. Together with over ten years of practical experience, vegetable oil based dielectrics have been demonstrated to be effective for use within a transformer. One of the practical issues of maintaining transformers filled with these fluids is that a Utility is likely to extensively service the unit twenty or so years into its operating life. During this service the fluid impregnated cellulosic structure is exposed to the air. We have therefore been conducting investigations into the effect of air on the windings. Specifically, whether the rate of water adsorption and the formation of residues on the surface of the paper insulation is different when a vegetable oil is used instead of mineral oil. We are firstly investigating residue formation in the laboratory setting, by studying the interactions between paper, vegetable oil and air. Secondly we will apply the findings of the laboratory studies to small transformers, by exposing their windings to the atmosphere under controlled conditions then searching for gelling. In this paper we present some preliminary findings of the project.
Flavonols Protect Against UV Radiation-Induced Thymine Dimer Formation in an Artificial Skin Mimic.

PURPOSE Exposure of skin to ultraviolet light has been shown to have a number of deleterious effects including photoaging, photoimmunosuppression and photoinduced DNA damage which can lead to the development of skin cancer. In this paper we present a study on the ability of three flavonols to protect EpiDerm™, an artificial skin mimic, against UV-induced damage. METHODS EpiDerm™ samples were treated with flavonol in acetone and exposed to UVA (100 kJ/m(2) at 365 nm) and UVB (9000 J/m(2) at 310 nm) radiation. Secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-a) were determined by ELISA, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers were quantified using LC-APCI-MS. RESULTS EpiDerm™ treated topically with quercetin significantly decreased MMP-1 secretion induced by UVA (100 µM) or UVB (200 µM) and TNF-a secretion was significantly reduced at 100 µM quercetin for both UVA and UVB radiation. In addition, topically applied quercetin was found to be photostable over the duration of the experiment. EpiDerm™ samples were treated topically with quercetin, kaempferol or galangin (52 µM) immediately prior to UVA or UVB exposure, and the cyclobutane thymine dimers (T-T (CPD)) were quantified using an HPLC-APCI MS/MS method. All three flavonols significantly decreased T-T (CPD) formation in UVB irradiated EpiDerm™, however no effect could be observed for the UVA irradiation experiments as thymine dimer formation was below the limit of quantitation. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that flavonols can provide protection against UV radiation-induced skin damage through both antioxidant activity and direct photo-absorption. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.
Computer‐assisted analyses of barrel neuron axons and their putative synaptic contacts

The “barrels” in layer IVof rodent SmI neocortex receive inputs from individual whiskers on the contralateral face. Previous analyses of neuronal morphology in mouse and rat barrel cortex, as revealed by Golgi impregnations, have focused on the dendritic patterns of the stellate cells. The cells can be classified into two groups: Class I cells with spiny dendrites and Class i I cells with smooth, beaded dendrites. These classes can be subdivided further according to somal position and spatial distribution of dendrites with respect to barrel cytoarchitectonic boundaries. In the present study the axons of these cells were examined and the locations of close appositions to dendrites of other impregnated neurons were mapped. All data are taken from Golgi‐Cox preparations, cut parallel to layer IV at 140 μm, counter‐stained with Nissl to reveal the barrels, and measured with a computer‐microscope. Axons which had extensive branching within the section (present on 10% of all impregnated cells) were chosen for measurement.
Do inventory management practices affect economic performance? An empirical evaluation of the machine tool SMEs in Bangalore

Inventory management (IM) has a decisive role in the enhancement of manufacturing industry's competitiveness. Therefore, major manufacturing industries are following IM practices with the intention of improving their performance. However, the effort to introduce IM in SMEs is very limited due to lack of initiation, expertise, and financial constraints. This paper aims to provide a guideline for entrepreneurs in enhancing their IM performance, as it presents the results of a survey based study carried out for machine tool small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangalore. Having established the significance of inventory as an input, we probed the relationship between IM performance and economic performance of these SMEs. To the extent possible all the factors of production and performance indicators were deliberately considered in pure economic terms. All economic performance indicators adopted seem to have a positive and significant association with IM performance in SMEs. On the whole, we found that SMEs which are IM efficient are likely to perform better on the economic front also and experience higher returns to scale.
Non-Gaussian dephasing in flux qubits due to 1/f noise

A remarkable work 1 has appeared recently, reporting on measurements of the two-pulse echo signal in Josephsonjunction flux qubits revealing its dependence of the time interval between the pulses. The authors interpreted their results in terms of the recent theory 2 of the decoherence in qubits caused by 1/f noise and obtained the qubit dephasing rate, , based on the postulation of the Gaussian statistics of the noise. Although this looks like a natural starting point, the importance of the echo signal data for understanding the underlying mechanisms of the qubits, decoherence calls for careful examination of the assumptions built into the theoretical description. In this paper we develop a theory of the time dependence of the echo signal making use of an exactly solvable but experimentally realistic model. We demonstrate that in many practical realizations of 1/f noise the results based on the Gaussian assumption need to be significantly corrected. We show that deviation of noise statistics from the Gaussian changes significantly the time dependence of the echo signal. Using the exactly solvable non-Gaussian spin-fluctuator model for the 1/f noise we analyze the dependence of the echo signal on both time and the qubit working point, and compare the obtained results with those derived within the Gaussian approximation. Let us start with a brief review of the procedure used in Ref. 1 and a similar study reported in Ref. 3. In order to separate the relaxation due to direct transitions between the energy levels of the qubit, characterized by the time T1, the
Parental Influences on Adolescent Involvement in Community Activities.

Youth involvement in extracurricular activities reflects both family socialization influences and civic development. Parents can promote such activity through examples set by personal involvement in the community and through reinforcement of their children's interests. Using data (N = 362) from the 9th and 10th grade waves of the Iowa Youth and Families Project (Conger & Elder, 1994), we find that both the behavioral model set by parents and their personal reinforcement of children's actions make significant differences in the extracurricular activity involvement of boys and girls. However, parental reinforcement is most consequential when parents are not engaged in community activities. In this situation, warm parents are likely to reinforce their children, and this reinforcement strengthens children's involvement in community activities. The family dynamics of civic socialization deserve more attention than they have received to date.
The impact of gender on career success of information systems professionals: A human-capital perspective

Recent projections by social scientists indicate that by the year 2000 almost half the work force will be comprised of women. Information systems (IS) literature reports that women are underrepresented: only about one‐third of IS employees are female. This may suggest that IS women professionals may be engaging in practices that restrict their entry, promotion and retention. Attempts to examine the career success outcomes of men and women in IS using the human‐capital paradigm. Presents results, based on the survey responses of about 348 employees in the IS field, which suggest that significant gender differences exist. For instance, women were found, on average, to be somewhat younger and less experienced then were men in lower‐level positions and to receive lower salaries than do men even when age, work experience and job level were controlled. Moreover, women have fewer opportunities to interact with people outside their departmental boundaries. Discusses the relevance of these results and presents viable options for fostering the careers and improving the retention of women in the IS field.
They Just Fade Away: Mortality in the U.S. Venture Capital Industry

Organizational mortality events are better understood than the process by which organizations cease to be. Complementing research on organizing, we theorize about disorganizing. We propose that disorganizing organizations attempt to avoid mortality by reducing audience engagement. We also propose that, typically, such behaviors only delay the inevitable because reduced engagement diminishes audience appeal which, in turn, raises mortality hazards. Analyzing life histories of 1891 organizations that experience protracted mortality processes, we find support for our arguments. Reducing engagement increases the mortality hazard for venture capital firms by reducing the firm's appeal to co-investors, but gradual reductions attenuate the effects of reduced engagement on both mortality and appeal. We discuss implications of these findings for organizational theory, entrepreneurs, and institutional investors. Copyright 2012 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.