Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustic field modeling of focused ultrasound transducers using non-uniform radiation distributions

Focused ultrasound can be applied from low intensity ultrasound for non-thermal therapy as drug deliver, gene therapy, etc. to high intensity ultrasound for tumor ablation in oncology. However, to have an adequate therapy planning, it is required to fully understand the parameters affecting the acoustic field produced by concave radiators. Traditional ideal models usually do not produce adequate results when high intensity applications are used. In this paper, it is proposed the use of non-uniform radiation distribution in the surface of a curved radiator to get better approximations to the field produced by real focused transducers; these non-uniform distributions, namely, the simply supported and clamped radiator, have been proposed for planar transducers in recent works. These new approaches permitted to get better acoustic fields for focused transducers that can be more effective in posterior studies when the determination of the effects of ultrasound in tissues is required.
Febrile-Range Hyperthermia Augments Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Lung Injury by a Mechanism of Enhanced Alveolar Epithelial Apoptosis

Fever is common in critically ill patients and is associated with worse clinical outcomes, including increased intensive care unit mortality. In animal models, febrile-range hyperthermia (FRH) worsens acute lung injury, but the mechanisms by which this occurs remain uncertain. We hypothesized that FRH augments the response of the alveolar epithelium to TNF-α receptor family signaling. We found that FRH augmented LPS-induced lung injury and increased LPS-induced mortality in mice. At 24 h, animals exposed to hyperthermia and LPS had significant increases in alveolar permeability without changes in inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or lung tissue as compared with animals exposed to LPS alone. The increase in alveolar permeability was associated with an increase in alveolar epithelial apoptosis and was attenuated by caspase inhibition with zVAD.fmk. At 48 h, the animals exposed to hyperthermia and LPS had an enhanced lung inflammatory response. In murine lung epithelial cell lines (MLE-15, LA-4) and in primary type II alveolar epithelial cells, FRH enhanced apoptosis in response to TNF-α but not Fas ligand. The increase in apoptosis was caspase-8 dependent and associated with suppression of NF-κB activity. The FRH-associated NF-κB suppression was not associated with persistence of IκB-α, suggesting that FRH-mediated suppression of NF-κB occurs by means other than alteration of IκB-α kinetics. These data show for the first time that FRH promotes lung injury in part by increasing lung epithelial apoptosis. The enhanced apoptotic response might relate to FRH-mediated suppression of NF-κB activity in the alveolar epithelium with a resultant increase in susceptibility to TNF-α–mediated cell death.
THE IMPACT OF LITERACY INTERVENTION ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THIRD GRADE AT-RISK STUDENTS

Vernita Williams, THE IMPACT OF LITERACY INTERVENTION ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THIRD GRADE AT-RISK STUDENTS (Under the direction of Dr. William Rouse, Jr.). Department of Educational Leadership, November 2015. Third grade at-risk students in Wilson County Schools, Wilson, NC continuously perform below the state average on the North Carolina Third Grade Reading End-of-Grade test. Leaders in the Wilson County Schools school district implemented a literacy pull-out intervention program for third grade at-risk students as a strategy to improve reading proficiency for third grade at-risk students. This evaluation determined the impact of the literacy pull-out intervention program on academic performance of third grade at-risk students. Data results from both qualitative and quantitative sources were analyzed to determine the impact of the program. This study revealed that the literacy pull-out intervention program did not impact student proficiency on the North Carolina Third Grade Reading End-of-Grade test, but the program did impact student growth in reading for the at-risk students. THE IMPACT OF LITERACY INTERVENTION ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THIRD GRADE AT-RISK STUDENTS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
Social integration in young adulthood and the subsequent onset of substance use and disorders among a community population of urban African Americans.

AIMS This paper examines the association between social integration in young adulthood and the later onset of substance use and disorders through mid-adulthood. Design Data come from a community cohort of African Americans followed longitudinally from age 6-42 years with four assessment periods. SETTING The cohort all lived in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago in 1966, an urban disadvantaged setting. PARTICIPANTS All Woodlawn first graders in 1966 were asked to participate; 13 families declined (n = 1242). MEASUREMENT Substance use was measured via interview at age 42 and includes the onset of alcohol and drug use disorders and the onset of cocaine/heroin use between ages 32 and 42 years. Social integration measures were assessed via interview at age 32 and include social roles (employee, spouse, parent), participation in religious and social organizations and a measure of overall social integration. Control variables were measured in childhood and later in the life course. FINDINGS Multivariate regression analyses suggest that unemployment, being unmarried, infrequent religious service attendance and lower overall social integration in young adulthood predict later adult-onset drug use disorders, but not alcohol use disorders once confounders are taken into consideration. Unemployment and lower overall social integration predict onset of cocaine/heroin use later in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS Results show meaningful onset of drug use and substance use disorders during mid-adulthood and that social integration in young adulthood seems to play a role in later onset of drug use and drug disorders, but not alcohol disorders.
Exact voltage unbalance assessment without phase measurements

In this letter, it is shown that the positive- and negative-sequence components of a three-phase, sinusoidal and unbalanced voltage system can be calculated exactly without the application of the Fortescue transformations in the complex plane, while only the root mean square (RMS) line-to-line voltages are required, and without having to measure the phase relationships between these voltages. This results in a convenient procedure to assess voltage unbalance in the field. The phase relationships between the sequence and line components can also be calculated. Moreover, if the RMS values of the line-to-neutral voltages are known, the zero-sequence component can be calculated exactly as well, again, without the application of complex mathematics.
Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistors With Periodic-Groove Channels Fabricated Using Nanoimprint Lithography

This letter addresses the characteristic of ion-selective field-effect transistors (ISFETs) with periodic-groove channels. The channels with the groove width/space about 1:1, 200/200 nm, were fabricated by ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography. The proposed ISFETs exhibited higher sensitivity, lower hysteresis, and lower drift characteristics than single channel. The nanoscale corners of periodic grooves can improve the surface potential response to the ion concentration. With this approach, high-performance ISFETs can be fabricated for future biosensor applications.
Perceptions of Incentives in Business and Government: Implications for Civil Service Reform

7 he deleterious impact of civil service systems on incentives in government organizations is frequently asserted, yet very little systematic research on this problem is available in the public administration literature. ' This is surprising, since correction of this alleged harmful impact of merit systems on motivation and the administration of incentives is usually one of the major objectives of civil service reform efforts at various levels of government. Indeed, emphasis on this problem in the Carter administration's reform proposals has created such an upsurge in public discussion that the complaints should by now be quite familiar. Critics deplore the excessive constraints on the firing or disciplining of even the most grossly inadequate employee. Pay and promotion, they allege, are related to performance only weakly, if at all. For these and other reasons, it is charged that civil service systems in the United States tend to impose an excessive procedural rigidity and complexity on the administration of certain major incengives, such that the systems are detrimental to effective management, employee motivation, and productivity. In spite of the frequency of such criticisms, however, and their importance as an impetus to civil service reform, research on this issue is surprisingly sparse.2 The dearth of research may be due to some formidable difficulties in undertaking it. There are major conceptual and methodological challenges, including those encountered in any research on motivation and incentives.3 Difficulties in generalizing across the variety of personnel systems in the various governments in the United States might make any but the most massive study seem inadequate. Perhaps some persons regard the problem as quite obvious by now, and not in need of further analysis.
The indirect costs of psoriatic arthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review is to collect all current data on the indirect costs (IC) related to psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The search was conducted using MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases. We considered original studies, systematic reviews, economic evaluations, conference abstracts and posters. All collected data were recalculated to average annual cost per patient, expressed using the consumer price index for 2013 and converted to US dollars using purchasing power parity. Eight of the identified publications presented IC of PsA. Average annual IC per patient calculated using the friction cost approach range from US$1693.83 to $12,318.45, while using the human capital approach they range from US$1750.68 to $50,270.52. Result of the meta-analysis was a basis for calculating cost of work disability equaled US$10,754.04 per patient per year in 2013 prices. This systematic review revealed a great economic burden of the disease to the society. A small number of studies on IC in PsA justify further investigations.
Birth control vaccine targeting leukemia inhibitory factor

The population explosion and unintended pregnancies resulting in elective abortions continue to impose major public health issues. This calls for a better method of contraception. Immunocontraception has been proposed as a valuable alternative that can fulfill most, if not all, of the properties of an ideal contraceptive. There are several targets that are being explored for contraceptive vaccine development. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a member of interleukin‐6 family, is required for embryo development and successful blastocyst implantation in several mammalian species. The present study was conducted to examine if LIF can be a target for the development of a birth control vaccine. Three sequences from LIF and two sequences from LIF‐receptor (LIF‐R) that span the regions involved in ligand‐receptor binding were delineated, and peptides were synthesized based upon these sequences. Antibodies raised against these five peptides reduced LIF bioactivity in an in vitro culture assay using BA/F3 mLIF‐R‐mpg130 cells. Vaccines were prepared by conjugating these peptides to various carrier proteins. Immunization of female mice with these peptide vaccines induced a long‐lasting, circulating as well as local antibody response in various parts of the genital tract, and resulted in a significant (P ≤ 0.05) inhibition in fertility in all the three trials; the LIF‐R peptide vaccines proved to be a better vaccine target. The data indicate that LIF/LIF‐R is an excellent target for the development of a birth control vaccine. This is the first study, to our knowledge, that examined LIF/LIF‐R as a target for immunocontraception. The findings of this study can be easily translated to humans since LIF/LIF‐R is also important for implantation and pregnancy in women. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79:97–106, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Improved hybrid algorithm for real time sound propagation using intelligent prioritization

We present a hybrid algorithm which combines image source method, ray tracing and intelligent prioritization for faster calculation of impulse responses to be used in real time sound rendering. We use the image source method to calculate sound reflections from specular surfaces and we use a prioritized ray tracing algorithm for fast detection and evaluation of valid image sources from the tree of candidate image sources. Our algorithm delivers improved acoustical results in most cases when compared to a non prioritized version of it, a ray tracing algorithm and a best first image source algorithms, indicating that prioritization can deliver performance gains in real time sound rendering methods.
Labour Productivity in Chinese Manufacturing, 1980—1999

The subject of this paper is the measurement of labour productivity trends in Chinese manufacturing for the period 1980-1999.A special focus of the present paper is an in depth analysis of concepts,coverage and consistency of different time series of employment and output in industry and manufacturing.On the basis of this analysis we constructed adjusted time series of labour productivity in manufacturing for the period 1980-1999,for fifteen branches of manufacturing.These time series are consistent in concepts and coverage,both in terms of inputs and outputs and over time. The nineties show a dramatic acceleration of productivity growth in manufacturing.A beginning has been made with productivity catch up.
Auditory system plasticity in children after long periods of complete deafness

DEAF children fitted with a cochlear implant provide a unique opportunity to examine the effects of auditory deprivation on the maturation of the human auditory system. We compared cortical evoked potentials recorded in implanted and normal-hearing children and found that age-dependent latency changes for the P1component, fitted to a decaying exponential curve, showed the same rate of maturation. For implanted children, however, maturational delays for P1 latency approximated the period of auditory deprivation prior to implantation. This indicates the auditory system does not mature without stimulation. Nonetheless, the auditory system retains its plasticity during the period of deafness since the re-introduction of stimulation by the cochlear implant resumes the normal maturational sequence.
Ebolavirus Entry Requires a Compact Hydrophobic Fist at the Tip of the Fusion Loop

ABSTRACT Ebolavirus is an enveloped virus causing severe hemorrhagic fever. Its surface glycoproteins undergo proteolytic cleavage and rearrangements to permit membrane fusion and cell entry. Here we focus on the glycoprotein's internal fusion loop (FL), critical for low-pH-triggered fusion in the endosome. Alanine mutations at L529 and I544 and particularly the L529 I544 double mutation compromised viral entry and fusion. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structures of the I544A and L529A I544A mutants in lipid environments showed significant disruption of a three-residue scaffold that is required for the formation of a consolidated fusogenic hydrophobic surface at the tip of the FL. Biophysical experiments and molecular simulation revealed the position of the wild-type (WT) FL in membranes and showed the inability of the inactive double mutant to reach this position. Consolidation of hydrophobic residues at the tip of FLs may be a common requirement for internal FLs of class I, II, and III fusion proteins. IMPORTANCE Many class I, II, and III viral fusion proteins bear fusion loops for target membrane insertion and fusion. We determined structures of the Ebolavirus fusion loop and found residues critical for forming a consolidated hydrophobic surface, membrane insertion, and viral entry.
Metachronous colorectal cancer risk for mismatch repair gene mutation carriers: the advantage of more extensive colon surgery

Background Surgical management of colon cancer for patients with Lynch syndrome who carry a mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation is controversial. The decision to remove more or less of the colon involves the consideration of a relatively high risk of metachronous colorectal cancer (CRC) with the impact of more extensive surgery. Objective To estimate and compare the risks of metachronous CRC for patients with Lynch syndrome undergoing either segmental or extensive (subtotal or total) resection for first colon cancer. Design Risk of metachronous CRC was estimated for 382 MMR gene mutation carriers (172 MLH1, 167 MSH2, 23 MSH6 and 20 PMS2) from the Colon Cancer Family Registry, who had surgery for their first colon cancer, using retrospective cohort analysis. Age-dependent cumulative risks of metachronous CRC were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Risk factors for metachronous CRC were assessed by a Cox proportional hazards regression. Results None of 50 subjects who had extensive colectomy was diagnosed with metachronous CRC (incidence rate 0.0; 95% CI 0.0 to 7.2 per 1000 person-years). Of 332 subjects who had segmental resections, 74 (22%) were diagnosed with metachronous CRC (incidence rate 23.6; 95% CI 18.8 to 29.7 per 1000 person-years). For those who had segmental resections, incidence was statistically higher than for those who had extensive surgery (P <0.001). Cumulative risk of metachronous CRC was 16% (95% CI 10% to 25%) at 10 years, 41% (95% CI 30% to 52%) at 20 years and 62% (95% CI 50% to 77%) at 30 years after segmental colectomy. Risk of metachronous CRC reduced by 31% (95% CI 12% to 46%; p=0.002) for every 10 cm of bowel removed. Conclusions Patients with Lynch syndrome with first colon cancer treated with more extensive colonic resection have a lower risk of metachronous CRC than those receiving less extensive surgery. This finding will better inform decision-making about the extent of primary surgical resection.
Verification of Destination Attachment and Moderating Effects in the Relationship Between the Perception of and Satisfaction with Tourism Destinations: A Focus on Japanese Tourists

ABSTRACT In this study, a model is presented and verified using the concepts of risk factor, destination image, destination attachment, and destination satisfaction as they are perceived by international tourists. The relationships between these concepts were analyzed among 435 Japanese tourists who visited Seoul Korea. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis results reveal: (1) physical risk, health risk, and psychological risk perceived by Japanese tourists have negative effects on the destination image; (2) destination image improves destination satisfaction; (3) destination attachment has a moderating effect on the relationship between two risks (physical and health) and destination image. The results of this study are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical suggestions for destination marketing and management.
Pre‐mRNA splicing mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

A collection of temperature sensitive (ts‐) mutants was prepared by chemical mutagenesis of a wild type Schizosaccharomyces pombe strain. To screen the ts‐ mutants for pre‐mRNA splicing defects, an oligodeoxynucleotide that recognizes one of the introns of the beta‐tubulin pre‐mRNA was used as a probe in a Northern blot assay to detect accumulation of intron sequences. This screening procedure identified three pre‐mRNA splicing mutants from 100 ts‐ strains. The three mutants are defective in an early step of the pre‐mRNA splicing reaction; none accumulate intermediates. The precursors that accumulate at 37 degrees C are polyadenylated. Analysis of the splicing of another pre‐mRNA showed that the mutations are not specific for beta‐tubulin. The total RNA pattern in the three splicing mutants appears to be normal. In addition, the amounts of the spliceosomal snRNAs are not drastically changed compared to the wild type and splicing of pre‐tRNAs is not blocked. Genetic analyses demonstrate that all three splicing mutations are tightly linked to the ts‐ growth defects and are recessive. Crosses among the mutants place them in three complementation groups. The mutants have been named prp1, prp2 and prp3.
Using pharmacists and drugstore workers as sexual healthcare givers: a qualitative study of men who have sex with men in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

ABSTRACT Background: Previous research has shown that men who have sex with men (MSM) avoid formal healthcare services because of the fear of discrimination as homosexuality is illegal and stigmatized in Tanzania. Instead, self-treatment by medications obtained directly from pharmacies or drugstores may be common when MSM experience symptoms of suspected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) related to sexual activity with men. Objective: To explore MSM’s perceptions and experiences of seeking treatment and advice from pharmacists and drugstore workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with regards to their sexual health and STI-related problems. Materials and Methods: 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with MSM with experience of seeking assistance relating to their sexual health at pharmacies and drugstores in Dar es Salaam in 2016. A qualitative manifest and latent content analysis was applied to the collected data. Results: Four themes related to different aspects of MSM’s perceptions and experiences of pharmacy care emerged from the analysis: (1) Balancing threats against need for treatment reflected informants’ struggles concerning risks and benefits of seeking assistance at pharmacies and drugstores; (2) Identifying strategies to access required services described ways of approaching a pharmacist when experiencing a sexual health problem; (3) Seeing pharmacists as a first choice of care focused on informants’ reasons for preferring contact with pharmacies/drugstores rather than formal healthcare services; and (4) Lacking reliable services at pharmacies indicated what challenges existed related to pharmacy care. Conclusions: MSM perceived the barriers for accessing assistance for STI and sexual health problems at pharmacies and drugstores as low, thereby facilitating their access to potential treatment. However, the results further revealed that MSM at times received inadequate drugs and consequently inadequate treatment. Multi-facetted approaches are needed, both among MSM and drugstore, pharmacy, and healthcare workers, to improve knowledge of MSM sexual health, STI treatment, and risks of antibiotic resistance.