Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of Batangas I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BATELEC I) in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM)

The study aimed to present the over-all performance of BATELEC I based from the Key Performance Standard set by the National Electrification Administration for the year 2012 in terms of financial, technical, reportorial and institutional performance data; to determine the institutional performance of BATELEC I in terms of human resource and stakeholders as perceived by the employees and member-consumers. The study used a descriptive method of research to measure the general performance of Batangas I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BATELEC I) in participation in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). BATELEC I obtained a high score based on the Key Performance Standard set by the National Electrification Administration for the year 2012. The employees and member-consumers assessed the institutional performance of BATELEC 1 as satisfactory.
Healthcare operations management : models for improving productivity, scheduling and quality

i TABLE OF CONTENTS . ii LIST OF TABLES . v LIST OF FIGURES . vi Chapter 1 . 7 Introduction . 7 1.1 Motivation . 7 1.2 Research Overview . 8 Chapter 2 . 14 The Effect of Surgeon’s Accumulated Experience and Pre-admission Testing on Operating Room Productivity: A Field Research . 14 2.
Genetic variant of canine distemper virus from clinical cases in vaccinated dogs in South Africa

SUMMARY Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly contagious viral pathogen of worldwide distribution that can cause lethal disease in domestic dogs and other members of the family Canidae. Genetic diversity is found among reference strains and isolates of CDV, mainly in the haemagglutinin (H) protein, and this may be associated with the increasing incidence of distemper in dogs. CDV was isolated in Vero cells expressing canine signalling lymphocyte activation molecule (Vero.DogSLAM) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and spleen of clinically diseased, previously vaccinated South African dogs. Direct fluorescence antibody test and electronmicroscopy were used to confirm the isolation procedure. Subsequently, RT-PCR was performed on the cell culture isolates, the amplified products were purified and the complete H gene was sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. The H gene of vaccines in use in South Africa was also sequenced and comparative analyses performed. However, the sequences obtained from the sick dogs showed 100% nucleotide identity and was different to that found in virus strains used in vaccines and in isolates reported from other parts of the world in GenBank. The results suggest that a novel CDV lineage may be present in South Africa and we conclude that a recent reversion of vaccine virus to virulence was not the cause of the clinical signs seen in dogs with a previous history of vaccination.
Self-rated confidence and on-road driving performance among older adults

Background. Driver confidence can be measured through concepts such as driving frequency, situational avoidance, and self-perceptions. However, it is not clear how well confidence aligns with actual driving performance. Purpose. We examined the relationship between subjective measures of confidence in driving ability and on-road performance. Method. We report findings from two studies. The first compared scores from the Older and Wiser Driver Questionnaire to an on-road driving evaluation. The second looked at the Day and Night Driving Comfort Scales and Driving Habits and Intentions Questionnaire in relation to an on-road driving evaluation. Findings. No measures of confidence in driving ability were related to on-road driving performance. Implications. Confidence in driving ability bears little relationship to on-road performance. Future research should examine approaches to foster a better match between self-assessments and actual abilities among drivers.
Dietary conjugated linoleic acid and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose of reviewInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a debilitating and widespread immune-mediated illness of unknown etiology. Current treatments are modestly successful and with significant side-effects. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current understanding of mechanisms of action underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in IBD. Recent findingsNutrition-based interventions that target peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) such as dietary CLA and n-3 PUFA have demonstrated anti-inflammatory efficacy in animal models of IBD. Clinical data on n-3 PUFA in IBD remains generally unimpressive, although results of a recent human study demonstrate that IBD remission can be maintained by maintaining the n-3: n-6 ratio more than 0.65 via n-3 PUFA intervention. In mice, CLA prevented inflammation-driven colorectal cancer by activating PPAR γ and modulating regulatory T cells and macrophages. CLA is the subject of an ongoing clinical study in Crohn's disease patients. SummaryCompelling evidence demonstrates that n-3 PUFA and CLA prevent or ameliorate IBD in animal models. However, this basic knowledge has not been translated into novel nutrition-based clinical interventions. For both compounds there is an urgent need for placebo-controlled, large-scale, multicenter clinical trials.
Bank Profitability: Good for Growth?

The aim of this paper is to provide the first investigation of the impact of bank profitability on economic growth. While bank profitability can be pro-growth by fostering financial stability, it can also result from lower competition which reduce access to credit and diminish economic growth. We analyze the impact of bank profitability on economic growth using a sample of 133 countries for the period 1999-2013. Our findings support the view that bank profitability fosters economic growth. Additional tests confirm the robustness of this conclusion. Thus, measures that favor bank profitability are growth-enhancing.
Development and preliminary standardization of the "extended complex figure test" (ECFT).

Recognition and matching trials were designed for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT). Following pilot testing and expert review, they were standardized using 90 community-dwelling adults (58% female, ages 30 to 88). Recognition has 30 multiple-choice items for different figural elements; scores distributed normally with strong item-total correlations and with normally distributed item difficulties. Cronbach alphas were . 84,. 61, and . 81 for the Total, Global, and Detail Scales. Recognition correlated . 81 with ROCFT recall and . 65 with Visual Reproductions. Matching has 10 multiple-choice items; scores were negatively skewed with a substantial ceiling effect. Alpha for Matching was . 58, limited in part by few items. Matching correlated . 68 with Judgment of Line Orientation and . 74 to . 90 with copy trials. Both Recognition and Matching discriminated 34 patients with intractable epilepsy from 34 matched controls. Overall, Recognition appeared to be reliable and showed evidence of validity. By comparison, Matching reliability and validity were less impressive and warrant further examination.
An Efficient Sampling Scheme for Approximate Processing of Decision Support Queries

Decision support queries usually involve accessing enormous amount of data requiring significant retrieval time. Faster retrieval of query results can often save precious time for the decision maker. Pre-computation of materialised views and sampling are two ways of achieving significant speed up. However, drawing random samples for queries on range restricted attributes has two problems: small random samples may miss relevant records and drawing larger samples from disk can be inefficient due to the large number of disk accesses required. In this paper, we propose an efficient indexing scheme for quickly drawing relevant samples for data warehouse queries as well as propose the concepts of database and sample relevancy ratios. We describe a method for estimating query results for range restricted queries using this index and experimentally evaluate the scheme using a relatively large real dataset. Further, we compute the confidence intervals for the estimates to investigate whether the results can be guaranteed to be within the desired level of confidence. Our experiments on data from a retail data warehouse show promising results. We also report the levels of accuracy achieved for various types of aggregate queries and relate them to the database relevancy ratios of the queries.
Printed λ/8-PIFA for internal penta-band mobile phone antenna

A small-size printed PIFA operated at its λ/8 mode as the fundamental mode for achieving WWAN (wireless wide area network) operation in the mobile phone is presented. The proposed PIFA has a simple structure of comprising two radiating strips of length about λ/8 at 900 MHz and is fed using a coupling feed. Two λ/8 modes are generated by the two radiating strips and occur at close frequencies at about 900 MHz to form a wide lower band to cover GSM850/900 operation. The two radiating strips also generate two λ/4 modes at about 1900 MHz to form a wide upper band for GSM1800/1900/UMTS operation. Penta-band WWAN operation is hence achieved, yet the proposed PIFA only occupies a small printed area of 15 × 31 mm2 or 465 mm2 on the system circuit board of the mobile phone. Details of the proposed PIFA are presented. The SAR (specific absorption rate) and HAC (hearing aid compatibility) results for the proposed PIFA are also analyzed.
Sleep pattern is associated with adipokine levels and nutritional markers in resident physicians

Shift work and long hours of work are common in medical training and have been associated with a higher propensity for developing nutritional problems and obesity. Changes in leptin and ghrelin concentrations – two hormones that contribute importantly to the central regulation of food intake – are poorly described in this population. The aim of this study was to identify possible negative associations between sleep patterns, nutritional status and serum levels of adipokines. The study included 72 resident physicians (52 women and 20 men) who underwent the following assessments: nutritional assessment (3-day dietary recall evaluated by the Adapted Healthy Eating Index), anthropometric variables, fasting metabolism, physical activity level, sleep quality and sleepiness. Resident physicians with poor sleep quality reported greater weight gain after the beginning of residency (5.1 and 3.0 kg, respectively; p = 0.01) and higher frequency of abnormal waist circumference (44.2 and 17.6%, respectively; p = 0.04) than those with better sleep quality. Mean ghrelin concentration was greater in volunteers with poor sleep quality (64.6 ± 67.8 and 26.2 ± 25.0 pg/mL, respectively; p = 0.04). Women identified as having excessive daytime sleepiness had lower levels of leptin (9.57 ± 10.4 ng/mL versus 16.49 ± 11.4 ng/mL, respectively; p = 0.03) than those without excessive sleepiness. Furthermore, correlations were found between hours of additional work per week and: intake of cereals, bread and pasta (r = 0.22, p = 0.01); intake of servings of fruits (r = −0.20; p = 0.02) and beans (r = −0.21; p = 0.01); and global score for Adapted Healthy Eating Index (r = −0.23; p = 0.008; Table 3). The sleep quality total score correlated with servings of beans (r = −0.22; p = 0.01) and servings of oils (r = 0.23; p = 0.008). Significant correlations were found between mean of time of sleep and servings of cereals, bread and pasta (r = 0.20; p = 0.02), servings of meat (r = −0.29; p = 0.02) and cholesterol levels (r = 0.27; p = 0.03). These observations indicate that sleep patterns and long working hours of resident physicians are negatively associated with biological markers related to central food control, the lipid profile, cholesterol levels and eating healthy foods. These factors may predispose these shift workers to become overweight and develop metabolic disorders.
The nature of LINER galaxies: Ubiquitous hot old stars and rare accreting black holes

Abstract Galaxies, which often contain ionised gas, sometimes also exhibit a so-called low-ionisation nuclear emission line region (LINER). For 30 years, this was attributed to a central mass-accreting supermassive black hole (more commonly known as active galactic nucleus or AGN) of low luminosity, making LINER galaxies the largest AGN sub-population, which dominate in numbers over higher AGN-luminosity Seyfert galaxies and quasars. This, however, poses a serious problem. While the inferred energy balance is plausible, many LINERs clearly do not contain any other independent signatures of an AGN. Using integral field spectroscopic data from the CALIFA survey, we compare the observed radial surface brightness profiles with what is expected from illumination by an AGN. For 48 galaxies with LINER-like emission we show, that the radial emission-line surface brightness profiles are inconsistent with ionisation by a central point-source and hence cannot be due to an AGN alone. The most probable explanation for the excess LINER-like emission is ionisation by evolved stars during the short but very hot and energetic phase known as post-AGB. This leads us to an entirely new interpretation. Post-AGB stars are ubiquitous and their ionising effect should be potentially observable in every galaxy with gas present and with stars older than ~1 Gyr, unless a stronger radiation field from young hot stars or an AGN outshines them. This means, that galaxies with LINER-like emission are not a class defined by a property but rather by the absence of a property. It also explains why LINER emission is observed mostly in massive galaxies with old stars and little star formation.
Factors Affecting Rural Men’s Participation in Children’s Preschool in One Rural Education District in the Eastern Cape Province

Abstract A descriptive survey design enabled the use of a structured questionnaire instrument on 164 randomly selected men to obtain the factors affecting their participation in their children’s early education. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used for data analysis. Results show that demographic variables do not prevent men from participating in the early education of the children. Mothers constitute barriers to how men want to get involved in the child’s education. It also shows that the less educated men are more likely not to know how to help their children at home. No statistically significant relationship exists between the men’s occupations and their views on the factors that affect their participation. Occupation is not a determinant factor that can prevent men from taking part in children’s education. It is recommended that fathers be encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards the education of their children. More recommendations have been made.
Unobtrusive relevance feedback for personalized TV program guides

Paradoxically, a growing number of available channels in digital cable TV systems brings discomfort to the viewers who now experience difficulties in finding a content that would hold their attention. In such an environment, personalized program guides are needed to assist the viewers in retrieving the preferred programs in reasonable time. The design of these systems is bounded by the demand of unobtrusiveness and the limitations of broadcast infrastructure, with the lack of return (uplink) connection to the network center being the most significant one. In this paper, we investigate learning of user's viewing preferences through mechanism known as relevance feedback. Our goal is to develop a system that would efficiently track the patterns of user's interests without disturbing her viewing habits. Our proposal applies the elements of machine learning and information retrieval theory. We consider three different schemes and validate their performances by series of computer simulations.
Advanced reproductive age and fertility: no. 269, November 2011.

OBJECTIVE To improve awareness of the natural age-related decline in female and male fertility with respect to natural fertility and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and provide recommendations for their management,and to review investigations in the assessment of ovarian aging. OPTIONS This guideline reviews options for the assessment of ovarian reserve and fertility treatments using ART with women of advanced reproductive age presenting with infertility. OUTCOMES The outcomes measured are the predictive value of ovarian reserve testing and pregnancy rates with natural and assisted fertility. EVIDENCE Published literature was retrieved through searches of PubMed or Medline, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Library in June 2010, using appropriate key words (ovarian aging, ovarian reserve, advanced maternal age, advanced paternal age, ART). Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. There were no date or language restrictions. Searches were updated on a regular basis and incorporated into the guideline to December 2010. VALUES The quality of evidence was rated using the criteria described in the Report of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Recommendations for practice were ranked according to the method described in that report (Table). BENEFITS, HARMS, AND COSTS Primary and specialist health care providers and women will be better informed about ovarian aging and the age-related decline in natural fertility and about options for assisted reproductive technology.
[Urinary tract infections in the neonatal intensive care unit: clinical analysis of 229 cases].

OBJECTIVE To study the clinical features, distribution of pathogens, drug susceptibility, and treatment effectiveness in neonates with urinary tract infection (UTI) and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS The clinical data of 229 neonates who developed UTI during their stay in the NICU were retrospectively studied. RESULTS The main clinical manifestations of these children included fever/irregular body temperature, refusing to milk feeding, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhea, poor weight gain, and lethargy. The top three pathogens were Escherichia coli, Enterococcus feces, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were highly resistant to ampicillin and most cephalosporins (≥ 85%), and were highly sensitive to imipenem (100%), meropenem (100%), cefoperazone/sulbactam and piperacillin/tazobactam (>90%). Enterococcus feces were highly resistant to penicillin (100%), rifampicin (84%) and gentamicin (79%), but were sensitive to vancomycin. CONCLUSIONS The clinical manifestations of neonatal UTI are often atypical and manifested as systemic symptoms. The main pathogenic bacterium is Escherichia coli, and the isolation rate of enterococci can also be high. Most pathogenic bacteria are resistant to penicillin and cephalosporins, and therefore decision-making on drug administration must be based on the results of drug sensitivity tests.
Clinical and Neurophysiological Observations after Superior Petrosal Vein Obstruction during Surgery of the Cerebellopontine Angle: Case Report

IMPORTANCE Preservation of venous drainage during surgery of the cerebellopontine angle has received little attention. CLINICAL PRESENTATION We describe changes in brainstem auditory evoked potentials after temporary obstruction of the superior petrosal vein during surgical resection of a small meningioma at the petrous apex via a standard suboccipital-lateral approach. Temporary clipping of the petrosal vein resulted in deterioration of the brainstem auditory evoked potentials. The tumor was removed with preservation of the superior petrosal vein. CONCLUSION A transient postoperative cochlear nerve deficit emphasizes the importance of venous drainage and its preservation during surgery for small lesions of the cerebellopontine angle that do not distort normal anatomic structures.
Manifolds of Equilibria and Bifurcations without Parameters in Memristive Circuits

The memory-resistor or memristor is a new electrical device governed by a nonlinear flux-charge relation. Its existence was predicted by Leon Chua in 1971, and the report in 2008 of a physical device with such a constitutive relation has driven a lot of attention to this circuit element. The memristor and related devices are expected to play a very relevant role in electronics in the near future, specially at the nanometer scale. The special form of the voltage-current characteristic, which reads as either $v=M(q)i$ or $i=W(\varphi)v$, implies that any equilibrium point is embedded into a center manifold of equilibria whose dimension is defined by the total number of memristors in the circuit. We characterize the normal hyperbolicity of these manifolds of equilibria in graph-theoretic terms. Moreover, when the assumptions supporting the normal hyperbolicity of such manifolds fail, the differential-algebraic nature of circuit models is shown to lead to certain bifurcations without parameters not exhibited .
GDNF overexpression fails to provoke muscle recovery from botulinum toxin poisoning: A preliminary study

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has potent axonal growth and survival effects on motoneurons. This study used transgenic Myo‐GDNF mice to assess the effects of targeted GDNF overexpression on functional recovery after botulinum toxin type A (BTxA) chemodenervation. BTxA (0.1 U) was injected into the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of wild‐type CF1 and transgenic Myo‐GDNF mice. On days 1, 7, 14, and 21 after injection, evoked muscle force production and muscle mass were measured (n = 6, for each group at each time point). Greater maximal tetanic force and calculated specific force were evoked in Myo‐GDNF animals when compared with control CF1 animals at days 1, 7, and 21. However, the differences were not statistically significant. Similarly, modest reductions in muscle atrophy in the Myo‐GDNF group at all time points were not statistically significant. Targeted overexpression of GDNF in the muscles of Myo‐GDNF mice did not improve motor recovery in the first 21 days after BTxA chemodenervation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery, 2012.
Studies of Cardio Toxin Protein Adsorption on Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

To understand protein adsorption on a surface is very important in bio-related domains of technology and application such as biomaterials, implant biocompatibility, and biosensor technology. (Gray 2004) Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are excellent model surfaces for biology and biochemistry because they are stable, highly ordered, easy to prepare, and provide a wide range of organic functionality. (Love et al. 2005) Previous experimental studies (Ostuni et al. 2003; Prime & G.M. Whitesides 1991) have indicated that hydrophobic interactions are the major mechanism for protein adsorption on surfaces, and the dehydration of both the protein and hydrophobic SAMs provides an entropic driving force for protein adsorption. (Ostuni et al. 2003) Nonetheless, there are still many questions needed to be clarified and difficult to be investigated in experiments. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a powerful tool that is able to investigate the atomic details of a molecular system. This paper summarizes the investigations of proteins adsorption on alkanethiol SAMs by means of MD simulations in order to expand the limited information that the experiments can provide. (Hung et al.2006; Hung et al.2010; Hung et al. 2011)
Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas sp. Strain PAMC 25886, Isolated from Alpine Glacial Cryoconite

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas spp. have shown characteristics of efficiently metabolizing environmental pollutants and also producing exopolysaccharides known as biofilms. Here we present the draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas sp. strain PAMC 25886, which was isolated from glacier cryoconite in the Alps mountain permafrost region and which may provide further insight into biodegradative and/or biofilm-producing mechanisms in a cold environment.