Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and costs of two forms of stress management training for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

PURPOSE Professionally administered psychosocial interventions have been shown to improve the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The present study sought to improve access to psychosocial interventions during chemotherapy treatment by evaluating the efficacy and costs of a patient self-administered form of stress management training that requires limited professional time or experience to deliver. PATIENTS AND METHODS Four hundred eleven patients about to start chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive usual psychosocial care only, a professionally administered form of stress management training, or a patient self-administered form of stress management training. Quality-of-life assessments were conducted before randomization and before the second, third, and fourth treatment cycles. Intervention costs were estimated from both payer and societal perspectives. RESULTS Compared with patients who received usual care only, patients receiving the self-administered intervention reported significantly (P < or = .05) better physical functioning, greater vitality, fewer role limitations because of emotional problems, and better mental health. In contrast, patients who received the professionally administered intervention fared no better in terms of quality of life than patients receiving usual care only. Costs of the self-administered intervention were estimated to be 66% (from a payer perspective) to 68% (from a societal perspective) less than the average costs of professionally administered psychosocial interventions for patients starting chemotherapy. CONCLUSION Evidence regarding the efficacy and favorable costs of self-administered stress management training suggests that this intervention has the potential to greatly improve patient access to psychosocial intervention during chemotherapy treatment.
Non-parametric benchmarking of Life Cycle Impact Assessment results

In this paper, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is proposed for benchmarking Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) results of a sample of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) is presented. DEA inputs are the normalized values of seven impact categories. A constant unit output is the functional unit of the LCIA analysis. Several DEA models have been applied. The results of the different DEA models were very consistent, with three of the WWTP labelled as efficient and one of them especially super- efficient. The proposed approach allows the identification and ranking of the inefficient units.
Contributing Factors to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Cardiac Surgery: Role of Mechanical Ventilation-An Observational Prospective Study

Objective: Patients undergoing cardiopulmonary by-pass (CPB) often require prolonged mechanical ventilation during the post-operative period. Several observational studies have shown that, in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), high tidal volume was associated with the development of ARDS, while the role of mechanical ventilation in the development of ARDS in CPB patients remains unknown. This study hypothesized that injurious mechanical ventilation during the post-operative period of CPB was a risk factor to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the cardiac intensive care unit of a University Hospital, in Turin, between December 2010 and December 2012. Any patient admitted to cardiac intensive care unit, following cardiac surgery on CPB was enrolled. No intervention was required. Baseline, operative and post-operative variables were collected from each patient and the development of ARDS over 7 days was recorded. A multivariate logistic regressions analysis was performed to determine independent risk factor for the development of ARDS. Results: One hundred sixty three patients met inclusion criteria and were enrolled into the study. Twenty patients developed ARDS, on day 3.4±1.0. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified high tidal volume, respiratory rate (RR), euroSCORE and fresh frozen plasma transfusions (FFP) as risk factors for ARDS. Conclusions: Injurious mechanical ventilation, characterized by high tidal volume and RR, together with high severity of the peri-operative conditions and transfusions, represent independent risk factors for ARDS in patients following CPB.
Completion and return of fall diaries varies with participants' level of education, first language, and baseline fall risk.

BACKGROUND Consensus guidelines recommend the use of prospective fall diaries in studies of fall rates. We sought to determine the characteristics associated with return and successful completion of a falls diary and whether characteristics such as gender, education level, native language, income, and falls risk influenced self-reported fall rates. METHODS Two hundred and seventy people aged 65 years and older participating in a randomized controlled trial evaluating two exercise programmes. Fall diaries were collected for 6 months, then evaluated for correct completion and falls reported. RESULTS An increasing risk of falls was associated with a reducing odds of returning diaries (odds ratio for a one unit increase in Falls Risk Assessment Tool score 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.96). Native English speakers were more likely to complete more than half the diaries correctly (odds ratio 2.63, 95% confidence interval 1.20-5.75). CONCLUSIONS Problems arise in the correct completion of falls diaries among those for whom English is not their first language. Diaries may underreport the rate of falls as those at higher risk were less likely to return diaries but more likely to report falls. Careful consideration should be given to the analysis of falls diaries as missing data are unlikely to be missing completely at random. We recommend additional training in the use of falls diaries for these groups or the utilization of simpler instruments.
In Vivo and in Vitro Characterization of Novel Neuronal Plasticity Factors Identified following Spinal Cord Injury*

Following spinal cord injury, there are numerous changes in gene expression that appear to contribute to either neurodegeneration or reparative processes. We utilized high density oligonucleotide microarrays to examine temporal gene profile changes after spinal cord injury in rats with the goal of identifying novel factors involved in neural plasticity. By comparing mRNA changes that were coordinately regulated over time with genes previously implicated in nerve regeneration or plasticity, we found a gene cluster whose members are involved in cell adhesion processes, synaptic plasticity, and/or cytoskeleton remodeling. This group, which included the small GTPase Rab13 and actin-binding protein Coronin 1b, showed significantly increased mRNA expression from 7–28 days after trauma. Overexpression in vitro using PC-12, neuroblastoma, and DRG neurons demonstrated that these genes enhance neurite outgrowth. Moreover, RNAi gene silencing for Coronin 1b or Rab13 in NGF-treated PC-12 cells markedly reduced neurite outgrowth. Coronin 1b and Rab13 proteins were expressed in cultured DRG neurons at the cortical cytoskeleton, and at growth cones along with the pro-plasticity/regeneration protein GAP-43. Finally, Coronin 1b and Rab13 were induced in the injured spinal cord, where they were also co-expressed with GAP-43 in neurons and axons. Modulation of these proteins may provide novel targets for facilitating restorative processes after spinal cord injury.
Activities of two new teicoplanin amide derivatives (MDL 62211 and MDL 62873) compared with activities of teicoplanin and vancomycin against 800 recent staphylococcal isolates from France and the United States

MDL 62211 is the amide derivative of the teicoplanin complex and MDL 62873 is a more focused amide derivative of the teicoplanin A2-2 peak. Each investigational compound had nearly identical activity and was 2- to 16-fold more active than teicoplanin or vancomycin. The MDL 62873 MICs for 90% of the strains tested were as follows: Staphylococcus aureus, oxacillin susceptible, 0.12 micrograms/ml; S. aureus, oxacillin resistant, 0.25 micrograms/ml; coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), oxacillin susceptible, 0.25 micrograms/ml; and CNS, oxacillin resistant, 2 micrograms/ml. CNS isolates from France were generally more susceptible than those tested in the United States. Teicoplanin-resistant U.S. isolates were usually Staphylococcus haemolyticus (1.8% of all tested strains), for which MICs ranged from 32 to greater than 128 micrograms/ml. MDL 62873 was not active against the Bacteroides fragilis group but was generally effective against gram-positive anaerobic strains.
Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 August 2012 – 30 September 2012

This article documents the addition of 83 microsatellite marker loci and 96 pairs of single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Bembidion lampros, Inimicus japonicus, Lymnaea stagnalis, Panopea abbreviata, Pentadesma butyracea, Sycoscapter hirticola and Thanatephorus cucumeris (anamorph: Rhizoctonia solani). These loci were cross‐tested on the following species: Pentadesma grandifolia and Pentadesma reyndersii. This article also documents the addition of 96 sequencing primer pairs and 88 allele‐specific primers or probes for Plutella xylostella.
Outage Probability Minimizing Power/Rate Control for Cognitive Radio Multicast Networks

In this paper, we consider a cognitive radio (CR) multicast network sharing spectrum with a primary network. To protect the primary transmission, interference power constraint is applied to restrict the transmit power of the cognitive base station (CBS). The objective is to minimize the weighted aggregate outage probability for given target rates for the CR multicast network. Specifically, two types of outage probability are concerned, that is, group outage probability and individual outage probability. For each type of outage probability, the optimal power/rate control scheme is derived. The simulation results are illustrated to validate the proposed power/rate control schemes.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND CORPORATE DISCLOSURE

Disclosure of the social consequences of firms' behavior has been proposed in the professional literature (e.g., see Bauer and Fenn [1972], Bauer, Cauthorn and Warner [1975], and Estes [1972]) under the assumption that reliable social responsibility disclosures would prove useful to external users. Recent studies, however, cast doubt concerning the demand for social disclosures (e.g., Buzby and Falk [1979], Opinion Research Corporation [1974], and Duff and Phelps [1976]). These results could reflect either a lack of disclosure quality or the nonrelevance of social disclosures to external users' decision models. This study centers on the first possibility by examining the relationship between measures of firm's environmental performances and the environmental disclosures contained in the firms' annual reports. In the present institutional environment, most social responsibility disclosures are voluntary and unaudited. Few efforts have been made to monitor firms' social activities or to validate their disclosures so that motivation may exist for management to distort voluntary disclosures, to the extent that these disclosures reflect aspects of managements' relative performances. For the disclosures to be useful, there should be a correspondence between the disclosures and actual events. If external users do not perceive this correspondence, they might discount the social responsibility disclosures, which would be consistent with the negative findings cited above. Disclosure quality may be gauged by assessing the relationship between (1) what firms identify as their accomplishments and objectives and (2)
The disablement process in patients with pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purposes of this study were (1) to describe the disabilities of patients with pulmonary disease and (2) to examine the relationships among impairments, functional limitations, and disability, as described by the disablement process model. SUBJECTS Subjects were 154 patients with chronic pulmonary disease (64% female, 36% male; mean age = 59 years, SD = 14, range = 24-86). METHODS Information was abstracted from physical therapy records, including measurements of pulmonary impairment, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ) scores. Multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships among measurements of impairment, 6MWD, and FSQ scores. RESULTS Mean FSQ scores ranged from 52.6 for instrumental activities of daily living to 83.3 for basic activities of daily living, where 100 represents the highest level of ability. Fifty percent of patients were not working because of health problems. Percentage of predicted 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), oxyhemoglobin saturation, and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity were related to 6MWD but not to FSQ scores. The 6MWD was associated with scales of the FSQ, including basic activities of daily living (R2 = .24), instrumental activities of daily living (R2 = .35), and social activity (R2 = .26). CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION Patients entering a pulmonary rehabilitation program have clinically important disabilities. The results support the use of the disablement process model and suggest that different and important information is obtained from measurements of impairment, functional limitation, and disability in patients with pulmonary disease.
SKIPSOM: Skewness & kurtosis of iris pixels in Self Organizing Maps for iris recognition on mobile devices

In the last fifteen years, smartphones have become very popular amongst the population, with the subsequent development of dozens of applications aimed at providing security to these portable devices. Nowadays, the cutting edge devices are also provided with biometric sensors (e.g., fingerprint sensors) allowing the users to access them without using the out-of-date alphanumerical password. In this work, we present a method that realizes iris recognition by means of Self Organizing Maps (SOM). In order to obtain a better refined and discriminative feature map, the RGB data of the iris, previously segmented, have been combined with two statistical descriptors. The algorithm has been designed specifically to require a low processing power, making it an ideal choice in the context of mobile devices.
Suicidal Behaviours in Affective Disorders: A Defcit of Cognitive Inhibition?

Objective: Suicide has been related to affective disorders. We hypothesized that suicide could be associated with cognitive inhibition deficit. Our study aimed to systematically review all published articles that examined the relation between cognitive inhibition defcit and suicidal behaviours (that is, suicide attempt or suicidal ideation) in patients with affective disorders. Method: We performed an English and French MEDLINE and EMBASE search, ranging from 1970 to 2010, indexed under the MeSH terms of suicide, neuropsychology, neuropsychological tests, and executive function, combined with the following title and abstract terms: neuropsychological functions, executive functioning, and executive performance. Results: Among the 164 selected studies, 9 observational studies met the selection criteria and were included in the final analysis. The number of participants ranged from 57 to 244 (28% to 66%, respectively, were men). Executive dysfunction was more frequently found among patients with suicidal behaviours. In particular, higher cognitive inhibition deficit was observed in depressed subjects with suicide behaviours, compared with depressed subjects without any suicidal behaviour. The results of the meta-analysis showed a higher impairment in inhibition score, according to the number of perseverations in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (Cohen d = 0.68) than in inhibition according to the time needed to perform the Trail-Making Test part B (d = 0.01) among patients with suicidal behaviour, compared with patients with no suicidal behaviour. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed a positive association between cognitive inhibition defcit and suicide attempts in patients with affective disorders. Future research should examine whether cognitive inhibition deficit precedes the suicidal behaviour.
TRANSCENDING AND INCLUDING OUR CURRENT WAY OF BEING An Introduction to Integral Coaching ®

Throughout human history we have sought out people to assist us in our quests to grow, develop, and bring about change: shamans, elders, teachers, spiritual leaders, experts, consultants, therapists, and mentors. In the past 20 years, professional coaches have stepped into this powerful and poignant niche of need and yearning to provide new ways of supporting human growth. As the demands of modern life become increasingly complex, many are turning to coaches to address suffering inherent in the dissonance between how we are and how we want to be in our personal and/or professional lives. Right now, all across the world, people are being coached on topics as wide ranging as enhancing strategic planning skills, working more skillfully with others, living an authentic life, eating healthfully, becoming a better parent, attending more mindfully to body and spirit, saying no to requests from others, and so on. This proliferation brings both an exciting momentum to the fi eld and the need for a steady frame of reference to understand and evaluate coaching methodologies. In this article, I will leverage the rich depth and breadth of integral theory for this purpose, as well as outline its rigorous and artful application in our Integral Coaching® work. First I will examine the arising of the discipline of professional coaching, including the development of formal coach training programs. I will then provide an introduction to Integral Coaching Canada’s method and process for working with human beings through an integral frame.
Soil Resistivity Cut off Value and Concrete Pole Deployments in HV Transmission Mains

— The prologue of new High Voltage (HV) transmission mains into the community necessitates earthing design to ensure safety compliance of the system. Concrete poles are widely used within HV transmission mains; many retired transmission mains with timber poles are being replaced with concrete ones, green transmission mains are deploying concrete poles. The earthing arrangement of the concrete poles could have an impact on the earth grid impedance also on the input impedance of the system from the fault point of view. This paper endeavors to provide information on the soil resistivity of the area and the deployments of concrete poles. It introduce the cut off soil resistivity value ρ SC , this value aid in determine the impact of deploying the concrete poles on the earthing system. Multiple cases were discussed in this paper.
Changes in methadone treatment practices: results from a national panel study, 1988-2000.

CONTEXT Results from several studies conducted in the early 1990s showed that the majority of US methadone maintenance programs did not use treatment practices that met established standards for the care of heroin users. Effective treatment for heroin users is critical given the upsurge in heroin use and the continued role of injection drug use in the human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C epidemics. OBJECTIVES To examine the extent to which US methadone maintenance treatment programs have made changes in the past 12 years to provide adequate methadone doses and to identify factors associated with variation in program performance. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Program directors and clinical supervisors of nationally representative methadone treatment programs that varied by ownership (for-profit, public, or private not-for-profit) and setting (eg, free-standing, hospital-based) were surveyed in 1988 (n = 172), 1990 (n = 140), 1995 (n = 116), and 2000 (n = 150). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Percentage of patients in each treatment program receiving methadone dosages of less than 40, 60, and 80 mg/d. RESULTS The percentage of patients receiving methadone dosage levels less than the recommended 60 mg/d has decreased from 79.5% in 1988 to 35.5% in 2000. Results also show that programs with a greater percentage of African American patients are especially likely to dispense low dosages, while programs with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations accreditation are more likely to provide adequate methadone doses. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to improve methadone treatment practices appear to be making progress, but many patients are still receiving substandard care.
Down-Modulation of L-Selectin by Lipopolysaccharide Is Not Required for Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Expression of CD14 in Mouse Bone Marrow Granulocytes

ABSTRACT We established in previous studies that a constitutive lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor of low affinity is present on mouse bone marrow granulocytes (BMG). This yet-unidentified receptor is involved in the LPS-induced expression of a second LPS receptor, CD14. Because it has been claimed that L-selectin (CD62L) is a low-affinity LPS receptor in mature granulocytes (polymorphonuclear leukocytes), it may be asked whether this molecule could be the constitutive LPS receptor in BMG. We show in this study that l-selectin is constitutively present on BMG and is down-regulated after exposure of the cells to LPS. A phorbol ester induced a down-regulation of CD62L and blocked the LPS-induced expression of CD14. However, a metalloproteinase inhibitor (BB-3103) blocked the former but not the latter effect of PMA. We also observed an absence of cross-reactivity between LPS and a CD62L ligand (fucoidan) in binding studies with radiolabeled derivatives of the two agents. Furthermore, BMG froml-selectin-deficient mice expressed normal levels of CD14 in response to LPS. Taken together, these results demonstrate that in BMG, l-selectin is not the constitutive LPS receptor required for the LPS-induced expression of CD14.
Offshore Wind Farm Modeling Accuracy and Efficiency in MMC-Based Multiterminal HVDC Connection

The large number of switching elements in the modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a challenging problem when modeling the MMC-HVDC systems for the computation of electromagnetic transients. The modeling complexity increases even further when a multiterminal (MT) MMC-HVDC system is used to integrate offshore wind farms (OWFs) with power-electronics-based wind energy converters, such as doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). This paper compares modeling accuracy and computational performances for various combinations of MMC and OWF models. Onshore and offshore ac fault simulations are performed for an OWF system composed of DFIG-type wind turbines and connected to a practical ac grid through an MT MMC-HVDC system. The OWF system model includes the detailed representation of the offshore collector grid and the associated overcurrent protection. The offshore MMC controls include an offshore fault current limiter and fast OWF power generation reduction-based fault-ride-through function.
Stability of Gaussian process state space models

Gaussian Process State Space Models (GP-SSMs) are a non-parametric model class suitable to represent nonlinear dynamics. They become increasingly popular in data-driven modeling approaches, i.e. when no first-order physics-based models are available. Although a GP-SSM produces well-behaved approximations and gains increasing popularity, the fundamental system dynamics are just sparsely researched. In this paper, we present stability results for the GP-SSM depending on selected covariance function employing a deterministic point of view as widely done in the literature. The focus is set on the squared exponential function which is one of the most used covariance functions for nonlinear regression. We start with calculations according to the equilibrium points of GP-SSM and continue with conditions for stability.