Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of adherence to oxygen therapy standards before, during and after oxygen hood administration

Background and Purpose: Oxygen therapy is one of the common treatments for neonates with cardiopulmonary disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to oxygen therapy standards by nurses before, during and after using oxygen hood. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 cases of nursing care were evaluated before, during and after administration of oxygen hood therapy in preterm infants. The observations were conducted according to the standards of the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) of hospitals affiliated to the Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tools included a self-designed checklist for nursing audit evaluating the performance of NICU nurses working by neonatal oxygen hood, and a demographic profile checklist. The data were analyzed by Chi-square and Spearman tests, using SPSS version 18. Results: The results demonstrated insufficient adherence to the standards of oxygen therapy by 90% of the nurses before neonatal oxygen hood. Moreover, regarding the mentioned standards, 84% and 99.2% of the nurses had moderate and poor performance during and after oxygen therapy, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the poor performance of the NICU nurses before, during and after oxygen therapy, appropriate supervision and training programs for nurses is recommended to promote their capabilities in this regard.
Do the spreads between the E/P ratio and interest rates contain information on future equity market movements?

We examine the usefulness of the spreads between the e/p ratio of the S&P 500 index and the yields on 3-month and 10-year Treasury securities as indicators of future market conditions. We find that while spreads are not particularly useful in a regression framework, the extreme values of the spreads do contain information on the market outlook. Specifically, for the period of 1967 to 1997, portfolios that only invested in the stock index when the spreads were above their historical tenth percentile levels produced higher average returns (not statistically significant) and lower variances (statistically significant) than the stock index.
Modality as a Strategy in Interaction: Epistemic Modality in the Language of Native and Non-Native Speakers of English.

The study focused on problems that Finnish leayners of English (NNS) encounter with epistemic modality iff conversational interaction with native speakers of English (NS). Epistemic modality refers to modal expressions that convey the speaker's commitment to the truth of the propositions he is expressing (e.g., "surely he understands."). Data were drawn from 48 simulated task-oriented conversations between an NNS and an NS. It was hypothesized that epistemic modality has a bearing on the rhetorical force of the utterance, therefore having a strategic function in discourse. It was found difficult to apply a modified speech-act approach to data analysis, so the unit of analysis was extended to a sequence of discourse in which a face-threatening issue arose and was discussed, and at least a preliminary agreement was reached. Occurrence and co-occurrence of epistemic items were examined in these sequences. Three types of strategic functions for epistemic modality were discerned: on-the-record and conventionalized, as a politeness strategy; offor on-the-record, as a face-saving strategy; and off-the-record, as a persuasion and manipulation strategy. It was found that NNSs use fewer epistemic expressions and favor different types than do NSs. Pedagogical implications are discussed. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
Religious service attendance, divorce, and remarriage among U.S. nurses in mid and late life

Prior research has suggested religious participation can promote marital satisfaction and stability. However, current literature has mainly focused on early life divorce, and used cross-sectional data, leaving open the question of the directionality of effects. We evaluated the prospective associations between service attendance and marital stability in mid and late life considering either 1) divorce or separation; or 2) remarriage, as separate outcomes. Data were drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study, a large prospective cohort study that consisted of US female nurses in their 50s at study enrollment, with repeated measures of service attendance and marital status over 14 years of follow-up from 1996–2010. During follow up, among 66,444 initially married nurses who were mainly Christians, frequent service attendance was associated with 50% lower risk of divorce (95% CI: 32%, 63%), and 52% lower risk of either divorce or separation (95%CI: 37%, 63%). Among initially divorced or separated women, frequent service attendance was not associated with subsequent likelihood of remarriage; however, among widowed women, women who attended services frequently had 49% increased likelihood of remarriage (95% CI: 13%, 97%) compared to those women who did not. The study provides evidence that in this cohort of US nurses, frequent service attendance is associated with lower risk of becoming divorced in mid- and late- life, and increased likelihood of remarriage among widowed nurses, but not among divorced or separated nurses.
The clustering of ultraviolet-selected galaxies at z ≈ 0.1

We present the first angular clustering measurement of ultraviolet-selected galaxies at low redshift (z ≈ 0.1) using data from the FOCA survey. We measure the galaxy autocorrelation function ω(θ) from three separate fields with mUV < 20.25 (AB). Assuming ω(θ) = Aωθ −δ , we obtain Aω = 2.9 +1.9 −1.2 × 10 −2 and δ = 0.53 +0.23 −0.26 , as a best fit to the data, which yields a correlation length r0 = 3.2 +0.8 −2.3 h −1 Mpc. This estimate is formally lower than those obtained from optically selected Lgalaxy
On Partial Differential and Difference Equations with Symmetries Depending on Arbitrary Functions

In this note we present some ideas on when Lie symmetries, both point and generalized, can depend on arbitrary functions. We show on a few examples, both in partial differential and partial difference equations when this happens. Moreover we show that the infinitesimal generators of generalized symmetries depending on arbitrary functions, both for continuous and discrete equations, effectively play the role of master symmetries.
Longitudinal multimodal MRI as prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in presymptomatic familial frontotemporal dementia

See Boeve and Rosen (doi:10.1093/brain/awy314) for a scientific commentary on this article. Jiskoot et al. present evidence of presymptomatic reduction in white matter integrity and grey matter volume in familial FTD, with the largest declines in the uncinate fasciculus, genu corpus callosum, and frontotemporal, cingulate and insular cortex. Multimodal MRI parameters may be valuable prognostic biomarkers in familial FTD.
In silico study of full length amyloid β 1-42 Tri-& penta-oligomers in solution

Amyloid oligomers are considered to play causal roles in the pathogenesis of amyloid-related degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Using MD simulations techniques, we explored the contributions of the different structural elements of trimeric and pentameric full-length Aβ42 aggregates in solution to their stability and conformational dynamics. We found that our models are stable at the temperature of 310 K, and converge toward an interdigitated side-chain packing for intermolecular contacts within the two β-sheet regions of the aggregates: β1 (residues 18-26) and β2 (residues 31-42). MD simulations reveal that the β-strand twist is a characteristic element of Aβ aggregates, permitting a compact, interdigitated packing of side chains from neighboring β-sheets. The β2 portion formed a tightly organised β-helix, whereas the β1 portion did not show such a firm structural organization although it maintained its β-sheet conformation. Our simulations indicate that the hydrophobic core comprising the β2 portion of the aggregate is a crucial stabilizing element in the Aβ aggregation process. Based on these structure-stability findings the β2 portion emerges as an optimal target for further anti-amyloid drug-design. Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2009) 113:11710-11719.
Biochemical Changes during Gonadal Maturation in Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The changes in moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate and carotenoids in the ovary, hepatopancreas, muscle and haemolymph during the process of gonadal maturation of the crab PorhmllS pelagiclls (Linnaeus, 1758) were nvestigated. There was significant difference (p<O.Ol) in moisture, protein and carotenoid levels at various maturity stages. The lipid content showed significant difference (p<O.Ol) in all the tissues except in muscle tissue and the carbohydrate values showed significant difference (p<O.01) only for ovary and hepatopancreas. The moisture content decreased with gonadal maturation in all the tissues. The protein titre increased with maturity in ovary, muscle and haemolymph whereas in hepatopancreas it registered a decrease. The lipid values of all the tissues and the haemolymph showed an v increasing trend with maturation. The carbohydrate level also increased with gonadal maturity in the tissues and haemolymph. The carotenoid content followed an increasing trend till mature stage in the ovary whereas in the hepatopancreas and haemolymph it increased till the late maturing stage.
Bedfellow Politics: The Effects of Institutional Checks on Preferences and Policy

Author(s): Heller, William B. | Abstract: Political institutions define the allocation of decision-making authority among officeholders. Institutional position is empowering, but the preferences of each actor thus empowered also constrain what others can achieve. I argue that the combination of institutional prerogative and preference-imposed constraints gives policy makers incentives to adapt their priorities (and thus their revealed preferences) to both institutional structures and the preferences and priorities of other policy makers. Officeholders who must cooperate to make policy will invest resources and suffer losses, both to help counterparts they agree with to hold on to office and to make it more difficult to do so for counterparts with whom they do not agree. My argument rests on the assumptions that a) political actors have policy goals, but they can achieve their goals only if others in the policy process support them; and b) political actors compete for and retain power by working for the benefit of those who put them in office. When decision-making authority is split among several actors, decision makers are motivated not only to take each other’s preferences into account, but also to tailor proposals to help (or hinder) each other’s ability to retain office.
Improving satellite-retrieved surface radiative fluxes in polar regions using a smart sampling approach

Abstract. The surface energy budget (SEB) of polar regions is key to understanding the polar amplification of global climate change and its worldwide consequences. However, despite a growing network of ground-based automatic weather stations that measure the radiative components of the SEB, extensive areas remain where no ground-based observations are available. Satellite remote sensing has emerged as a potential solution to retrieve components of the SEB over remote areas, with radar and lidar aboard the CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites among the first to enable estimates of surface radiative long-wave (LW) and short-wave (SW) fluxes based on active cloud observations. However, due to the small swath footprints, combined with a return cycle of 16 days, questions arise as to how CloudSat and CALIPSO observations should be optimally sampled in order to retrieve representative fluxes for a given location. Here we present a smart sampling approach to retrieve downwelling surface radiative fluxes from CloudSat and CALIPSO observations for any given land-based point-of-interest (POI) in polar regions. The method comprises a spatial correction that allows the distance between the satellite footprint and the POI to be increased in order to raise the satellite sampling frequency. Sampling frequency is enhanced on average from only two unique satellite overpasses each month for limited-distance sampling
The hydrothermal power of oceanic lithosphere

Abstract. We have estimated the power of ventilated hydrothermal heat transport, and its spatial distribution, using a set of recently developed plate models which highlight the effects of axial hydrothermal circulation and thermal insulation by oceanic crust. Testing lithospheric cooling models with these two effects, we estimate that global advective heat transport is about 6.6 TW, significantly lower than most previous estimates, and that the fraction of that extracted by vigorous circulation on the ridge axes (
Dryland, calcareous soils store (and lose) significant quantities of near‐surface organic carbon

Semiarid ecosystems are susceptible to changes in dominant vegetation which may have significant implications for terrestrial carbon dynamics. The present study examines the distribution of organic carbon (OC) between particle size fractions in near‐surface (0–0.05 m) soil and the water erosion‐induced redistribution of particle‐associated OC over a grass‐shrub ecotone, in a semiarid landscape, subject to land degradation. Coarse (>2 mm) particles have comparable average OC concentrations to the fine (<2 mm) particles, accounting for ~24–38% of the OC stock in the near‐surface soil. This may be due to aggregate stabilization by precipitated calcium carbonate in these calcareous arid soils. Critically, standard protocols assuming that coarse fraction particles contain no OC are likely to underestimate soil OC stocks substantially, especially in soils with strongly stabilized aggregates. Sediment eroded from four hillslope scale (10 × 30 m) sites during rainstorm events was monitored over four annual monsoon seasons. Eroded sediment was significantly enriched in OC; enrichment increased significantly across the grass‐shrub ecotone and appears to be an enduring phenomenon probably sustained through the dynamic replacement of preferentially removed organic matter. The average erosion‐induced OC event yield increased sixfold across the ecotone from grass‐dominated to shrub‐dominated ecosystems, due to both greater erosion and greater OC enrichment. This erosional pathway is rarely considered when comparing the carbon budgets of grasslands and shrublands, yet this accelerated efflux of OC may be important for long‐term carbon storage potentials of dryland ecosystems.
A Method to Improve MODIS AOD Values: Application to South America

We present a method to correct aerosol optical depth (AOD) values taken from Collection 6 MODIS observations, which resulted in values closer to those recorded by the ground-based network AERONET. The method is based on machine learning techniques (Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Regression), and uses MODIS AOD values and meteorological parameters as inputs. The method showed improved results, compared with the direct MODIS AOD, when applied to nine stations in South America. The percentage of improvement, measured in terms of R2, ranged from 2% (Alta Floresta) to 79% (Buenos Aires). This improvement was also quantified considering the percentage of data within the MODIS expected error, being 91% for this method and 57% for direct correlation. The method corrected not only the systematic bias in temporal data series but also the outliers. To highlight this ability, the results for each AERONET station were individually analyzed. Considering the results as a whole, this method showed to be a valuable tool to enhance MODIS AOD retrievals, especially for locations with systematic deviations.
Effect of sex hormone–binding globulin polymorphisms on the outcome of in vitro fertilization‐embryo transfer for polycystic ovary syndrome patients: A case‐control study

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), known as a common endocrine disorder among females, plagues many PCOS patients. The current study aimed to explore the correlations of sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) polymorphisms with the outcome of in vitro fertilization‐embryo transfer (IVF‐ET) in PCOS patients. PCOS patients who underwent IVF‐ET and patients with non–PCOS‐related infertility were selected in the study. Correlations of SHBG rs6259 and rs727428 with the risk factors in PCOS were analyzed, followed by the evaluation of the effect of SHBG polymorphisms on the outcome of IVF‐ET in PCOS patients. At last, unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed to study the risk factors for IVF‐ET treatment outcome. Compared with SHBG rs6259 GG carriers, the incidence of PCOS was found to be elevated in SHBG rs6259 GA+AA carriers which indicated that the A allele was a risk factor for PCOS. Compared with SHBG rs6259 TT carriers, the number of retrieved oocytes and embryo as well as the fertility rate in SHBG rs6259 GA+AA carriers was found to be decreased, while the abortion rate, incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, transplant rejection rate, estradiol, and testosterone in serum, as well as testosterone in follicular fluid were elevated. The luteal hormone, serum testosterone, and progesterone and GA+AA genotype of rs6259 were the risk factors for IVF‐ET treatment outcome. Taken together, the study showed that SHBG rs6259 polymorphisms might be correlated with the risk of PCOS and the outcome of IVF‐ET treatment.
Recent advances in New Caledonian biogeography

The biota of New Caledonia is one of the most unusual in the world. It displays high diversity and endemism, many peculiar absences, and far‐flung biogeographic affinities. For example, New Caledonia is the only place on Earth with both main clades of flowering plants – the endemic Amborella and ‘all the rest’, and it also has the highest concentration of diversity in conifers. The discovery of Amborella's phylogenetic position led to a surge of interest in New Caledonian biogeography, and new studies are appearing at a rapid rate. This paper reviews work on the topic (mainly molecular studies) published since 2013. One current debate is focused on whether any biota survived the marine transgressions of the Paleocene and Eocene. Total submersion would imply that the entire fauna was derived by long‐distance dispersal from continental areas since the Eocene, but only if no other islands (now submerged) were emergent. A review of the literature suggests there is little actual evidence in geology for complete submersion. An alternative explanation for New Caledonia's diversity is that the archipelago acted as a refugium, and that the biota avoided the extinctions that occurred in Australia. However, this is contradicted by the many groups that are anomalously absent or depauperate in New Caledonia, although represented there by a sister group. The anomalous absences, together with the unusual levels of endemism, can both be explained by vicariance at breaks in and around New Caledonia. New Caledonia has always been situated at or near a plate boundary, and its complex geological history includes the addition of new terranes (by accretion), orogeny, and rifting. New Caledonia comprises ‘basement’ terranes that were part of Gondwana, as well as island arc and forearc terranes that accreted to the basement after it separated from Gondwana. The regional tectonic history helps explain the regional biogeography, as well as distribution patterns within New Caledonia. These include endemics on the basement terranes (for example, the basal angiosperm, Amborella), disjunctions at the West Caledonian fault zone, and great biotic differences between Grande Terre and the Loyalty Islands.
Interactive comment on “Lower than expected volatility of secondary organic aerosols formed during α-pinene ozonolysis” by Kei Sato et al

Note: I am a referee for the paper but am posting my review with my name as much of my response is informed by a highly related (and complementary) paper that a former student and I published on a similar topic (Saha and Grieshop 2016). It appears that the authors of this paper may not be aware of our paper, and I wished to be transparent so thought it most appropriate to post this review under my name.
Creative Cities: Conceptual Issues and Policy Questions

ABSTRACT: This article represents a broad and occasionally polemical meditation on the nature and significance of creative cities. I seek to situate the concept of creative cities within the context of the so-called new economy and to trace out the connections of these phenomena to recent shifts in technologies, structures of production, labor markets, and the dynamics of locational agglomeration. I try to show, in particular, how the structures of the new economy unleash historically specific forms of economic and cultural innovation in modern cities. The argument is concerned passim with policy issues and, above all, with the general possibilities and limitations faced by policymakers in any attempt to build creative cities. The effects of globalization are discussed, with special reference to the prospective emergence of a worldwide network of creative cities bound together in relations of competition and cooperation. In the conclusion, I pinpoint some of the darker dimensions—both actual and potential—of creative cities.
Evaluation of the ERA-40 Surface Water Budget and Surface Temperature for the Mackenzie River Basin

Abstract The systematic biases in temperature and precipitation, and the surface water budget of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 40-yr reanalysis (ERA-40) for the Mackenzie River basin are assessed by comparing monthly averages from ERA-40 with basin averages of surface observations of temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and streamflow from the Mackenzie Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Study (MAGS). The bias and spinup of precipitation in ERA-40 changes significantly over the analysis period. On an annual basis, both precipitation bias and spinup are correlated with the analysis increment of atmospheric total column water vapor. ERA-40 has, in addition, a high bias of precipitation in spring and a low bias in fall. The monthly precipitation analysis is best for the most recent decade, when the bias of the 0–12-h forecast precipitation is only a few percent higher than the MAGS observations, and ERA-40 represents rather well the variability of monthly precip.