Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
(re) Structuring the agency: Agency working arrangements and social care in the era of austerity and beyond

In Ireland, the austerity era of recent years brought (un)employment to the fore in a manner not seen since the 1980s. Within the arena of health and social care, this was epitomised by the ‘embargo’. Confined within an embargo process, recruitment agencies became a first choice response to maintaining service delivery in a deepening recessionary period. Located against this backdrop, this study explored agency-working arrangements in social care through the use of semi-structured interviews with service provider managers (n=3) and agency social care workers (n=6). Analysed using a variation of conventional content analysis; these interviews reveal a central tension between the flexibility afforded by agency working arrangements and the instability that such arrangements can foster. Although flexibility and variety in agency based employment arrangements can be beneficial for service providers, and in certain stages of career development for social care practitioners, underlying tensions arise within such working arrangements, which have a particular resonance for the social care profession. Most notably, the relationship based nature of social care practice can be disturbed by a restructuring of traditional employment pathways, especially in relation to continuity of care and practitioner support and development. Nonetheless, the findings also reveal that the extent of disruption is being dampened by adaptions to the agency process by service provider managers and social care workers through a ‘pooling’ approach to agency staffing. As such, the findings of this study both reflect common themes form literature surrounding agency working, while also observing subtle nuances. The implications of agency working for social care practice are considered, as are potential longer-term impacts given the context of impending registration of social care workers.
H2 controller design of linear systems with time-varying uncertainties and input quantization

The paper considers the robust H2 state feedback control design for a class of linear uncertain systems with input quantization. The uncertainties are assumed to be time-varying, unknown, but bounded. The state feedback controller includes two parts. The first part, u1(t), whose gains updating automatically between the lower bounds and upper bounds of uncertain parameters, is obtained according to linear matrix inequalities conditions. Such design purpose is to guarantee the robust stability and H2 performance. The second part, u2(t) is designed to eliminate the effect of the quantization error. The main feature of this paper is that a switching mechanism is introduced effectively to determine which bound of uncertain parameters is active in the process of control at each time instant. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Interferon Regulatory Factor-Two Restricts Expression of Interferon-Stimulated Genes to the Endometrial Stroma and Glandular Epithelium of the Ovine Uterus1

Abstract Interferon tau (IFNτ) is the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy in ruminants. The positive effects of IFNτ on IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression are mediated by ISG factor 3 (ISGF3), which is composed of signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 1, Stat 2, and IFN regulatory factor-9 (IRF-9), and by gamma-activated factor (GAF), which is a Stat 1 homodimer. Induction of ISGs, such as ISG17 and 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase, by IFNτ during pregnancy is limited to the endometrial stroma (S) and glandular epithelium (GE) of the ovine uterus. The IRF-2, a potent transcriptional repressor of ISG expression, is expressed in the luminal epithelium (LE). This study determined effects of the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and IFNτ on expression of Stat 1, Stat 2, IRF-9, IRF-1, and IRF-2 genes in the ovine endometrium. In cyclic ewes, Stat 1, Stat 2, IRF-1, and IRF-9 mRNA and protein were detected at low levels in the S and GE. During pregnancy, expression of these genes increased only in the S and GE. Expression of IRF-2 was detected only in the LE and superficial GE (sGE) of both cyclic and pregnant ewes. In cyclic ewes, intrauterine administration of IFNτ stimulated Stat 1, Stat 2, IRF-9, and IRF-1 expression in the endometrium. Ovine IRF-2 repressed transcriptional activity driven by IFN-stimulated response elements that bind ISGF3, but not by gamma-activation sequences that bind GAF. These results suggest that IRF-2 in the LE and sGE restricts IFNτ induction of ISGs to the S and GE. In the S and GE, IFNτ hyperactivation of ISG expression likely involves formation and actions of the transcription factors ISGF3 and, perhaps, IRF-1.
Potency of Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to Different Combined HIV-1 Immunogens in a Humanized Murine Model

In this study, cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated in HLA-A2.1 mice that received polycistronic vector expressing HIV-1 gp120, gag and pol or single vectors expressing gp120 +gag/pol as well as recombinant structural proteins and adjuvants. Mice primed with the polycistronic DNA/CpG and boosted with the same regimen plus proteins induced a higher T-cell proliferative response to gp120. However, a very high frequency of IFN-gamma was detected in mice received the mixture of gp120 + gag/pol DNA constructs, recombinant proteins and CpG. We also measured specific CD8+T cells by intracellular cytokine staining and dimer assay in response to HIV-1 peptides specific for HLA-A2.1 in PBMCs without in vitro expansion. The group that received single gp120+gag/pol DNA constructs, recombinant proteins and CpG had a higher CD8+T cell response to the mixture of peptides in comparison with the other groups that received the polycistronic construct. The present study reveals an optimal combination of immunogens to increase immune responses against HIV-1.
Statistical methods for conducting agreement (comparison of clinical tests) and precision (repeatability or reproducibility) studies in optometry and ophthalmology

Citation information: McAlinden C, Khadka J & Pesudovs K. Statistical methods for conducting agreement (comparison of clinical tests) and precision (repeatability or reproducibility) studies in optometry and ophthalmology. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 330–338. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011. 00851.x
Interactive effects of ATOH7 and RFTN1 in association with adult-onset primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE Genome-wide association studies have shown association of the atonal homolog 7 (ATOH7) and raftlin lipid raft linker 1 (RFTN1) genes with glaucoma-related optic disc parameters. ATOH7 and RFTN1 sequence variations were investigated in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and their relationships with vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR) and central corneal thickness (CCT) were determined. METHODS In 289 unrelated controls and 142 patients with adult-onset POAG, including 117 with high-tension glaucoma (HTG) and 25 with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), the single exon of ATOH7 was sequenced by direct sequencing. Additional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at upstream ATOH7 (rs1900004 and rs3858145) and an RFTN1 SNP (rs690037) were genotyped. Quantitative trait and disease associations were analyzed by linear and logistic regression respectively, controlling for sex and age. RESULTS ATOH7 rs61854782 was associated with VCDR (P = 0.004) in controls and RFTN1 rs690037 was associated with CCT in combined POAG (HTG+NTG; P = 0.026). No coding mutation was detected in POAG, and no SNP was associated with POAG (P between 0.441 and 0.996). However, ATOH7 rs3858145 showed significant interaction with RFTN1 rs690037 in NTG and combined POAG (P = 0.026 and 0.013 respectively). ATOH7 rs3858145 GG combined with RFTN1 rs690037 TT conferred risk for glaucoma in HTG, NTG, and combined POAG (odds ratio = 2.11, 8.44, and 2.69, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Coding mutations of ATOH7 were unlikely to be involved in POAG. But combination of ATOH7 and RFTN1 SNPs increased risk to POAG, indicating their diversified effects in the complex genetics of glaucoma.
Robust Quantized Approach to Fuzzy Networked Control Systems

This paper investigates the problem of robust H∞ control for uncertain discrete-time Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy networked control systems (NCSs) with state quantization. A new model of network-based control with simultaneous consideration of network induced delays and packet dropouts is proposed. Using fuzzy Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, we derive a less conservative delay-dependent stability condition for the closed NCSs. Robust H∞ fuzzy controller is developed for the asymptotic stabilization of the NCSs and expressed in linear matrix inequality-based conditions. Numerical simulation examples show the feasibility applications of the developed technique.
Design and Implementation of Disturbance Compensation-Based Enhanced Robust Finite Control Set Predictive Torque Control for Induction Motor Systems

Finite-control-set-based predictive torque control (PTC) method has received more and more attention in recent years due to its fast torque response. However, it also has two drawbacks that could be improved. First, the torque reference in the cost function of the existing PTC method is generated by the proportional–integral speed controller, so torque reference's generation rate is not fast and its accuracy is low especially when the load torque is given suddenly and inertia value is varying. In addition, the variable prediction of the traditional PTC method depends on the system model, which also has the problem of parameter uncertainties. This paper investigates a disturbance observer (DOB)-based PTC approach for induction motor systems subject to load torque disturbances, parameter uncertainties, and time delays. Not only does the speed loop adopt a DOB-based feed-forward compensation method for improving the system disturbance rejection ability and robustness, but the flux, current, and torque predictions are also improved by using this technique. The simulation and experimental results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Adaptive Cooperative Sub-Swarms Optimization for tuning Neuro-Fuzzy model

This paper proposes a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK)-type Neuro-Fuzzy model tuned by an adaptive learning algorithm, called Adaptive Cooperative Particle Sub-Swarms Optimization (ACPSSO). The proposed algorithm represents a modified version of the standard Cooperative Particles Sub-Swarms Optimization algorithm (CPSSO). It has adaptive performance to treat real systems dynamics. In this study, a time-varying evaluation function is used to express environmental changes. The proposed algorithm was demonstrated through online control problems of dynamic systems, and was compared with others algorithms to verify its performance.
Electromigration-Induced Failure Characteristics of Spin-Valve Multilayers for Metallic-Based Spintronic Devices

Electromigration (EM) failure characteristics of patterned NiFe/Cu/NiFe spin-valve (SV) multilayers (MLs) with or without thin Co diffusion barrier inserted at the interface between NiFe and Cu layers have been investigated by applying a constant dc current with different current densities to predict the electrical and magnetic stabilities of metallic SV-based spintronic devices. It was experimentally verified that the Ni-Cu intermixing caused by the EM-induced Cu interdiffusion to the top or bottom NiFe layer plays a dominant role in determining the EM-induced failure characteristics of the NiFe/(Co)/Cu/(Co)/NiFe SV multilayered devices. In addition, it was clearly demonstrated that the interlayer (indirect) exchange coupling field and the magnetic moment of the NiFe/(Co)/Cu/(Co)/NiFe SV-MLs are strongly dependent on the EM-failure induced Ni-Cu intermixing directly relevant to the Cu spacer interdiffusion. The failure mechanism of NiFe/(Co)/Cu/(Co)/NiFe SV multilayered devices showed ldquobimodal failure characteristics.rdquo The critical current density (Jc) for such a bimodal failure mechanism was found to be determined at Jc = 7 times107A/cm2 When J les Jc, the failure was mainly caused by the electrostatic force (or electron wind force) accelerating an interdiffusion through grain boundaries that leads to forming typical EM failures such as voids and hillocks. Whereas, when J > Jc, a melting or a vaporization dominantly accelerated by the Joule heating played more significant role and caused the catastrophic failures. The NiFe/Co/Cu/Co/NiFe SV-MLs showed a much longer mean time-to-failure (t50) than that of NiFe/Cu/NiFe SV-MLs. This experimental result implies that an ultrathin Co insertion layer is effective to improve the EM-induced failure lifetime due to its restraining effects as a diffusion barrier to prevent Cu interdiffusion to both the top and bottom NiFe layers. Furthermore, this result directly verified that Ni-Cu intermixing is the dominant factor in determining the EM characteristics of the NiFe/Cu/NiFe SV multilayered spintronic devices.
GM-Net: Learning Features with more Efficiency

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are capable of learning unprecedentedly effective features from images. Some researchers have struggled to enhance the parameters' efficiency using grouped convolution. However, the relation between the optimal number of convolutional groups and the recognition performance remains an open problem. In this paper, we propose a series of Basic Units (BUs) and a two-level merging strategy to construct deep CNNs, referred to as a joint Grouped Merging Net (GM-Net), which can produce joint grouped and reused deep features while maintaining the feature discriminability for classification tasks. Our GM-Net architectures with the proposed BU A (dense connection) and BU B (straight mapping) lead to significant reduction in the number of network parameters and obtain performance improvement in image classification tasks. Extensive experiments are conducted to validate the superior performance of the GM-Net than the state-of-the-arts on the benchmark datasets, e.g., MNIST, CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and SVHN.
Mechanism of Elongation Factor-G-mediated Fusidic Acid Resistance and Fitness Compensation in Staphylococcus aureus *

Background: Fusidic acid-resistant EF-G mutants of Staphylococcus aureus show fitness loss and compensation. Results: Slower translocation and ribosome recycling from restricted conformational change, plus increased tRNA drop-off, cause fitness loss in F88L, which are recovered in F88L/M16I, leading to fitness compensation. Conclusion: Conformational dynamics of EF-G is crucial for function. Significance: This work clarifies how antibiotic-resistant mutations affect in vivo fitness. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is often associated with fitness loss, which is compensated by secondary mutations. Fusidic acid (FA), an antibiotic used against pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, locks elongation factor-G (EF-G) to the ribosome after GTP hydrolysis. To clarify the mechanism of fitness loss and compensation in relation to FA resistance, we have characterized three S. aureus EF-G mutants with fast kinetics and crystal structures. Our results show that a significantly slower tRNA translocation and ribosome recycling, plus increased peptidyl-tRNA drop-off, are the causes for fitness defects of the primary FA-resistant mutant F88L. The double mutant F88L/M16I is three to four times faster than F88L in both reactions and showed no tRNA drop-off, explaining its fitness compensatory phenotype. The M16I mutation alone showed hypersensitivity to FA, higher activity, and somewhat increased affinity to GTP. The crystal structures demonstrate that Phe-88 in switch II is a key residue for FA locking and also for triggering interdomain movements in EF-G essential for its function, explaining functional deficiencies in F88L. The mutation M16I loosens the hydrophobic core in the G domain and affects domain I to domain II contact, resulting in improved activity both in the wild-type and F88L background. Thus, FA-resistant EF-G mutations causing fitness loss and compensation operate by affecting the conformational dynamics of EF-G on the ribosome.
Multi-class feature selection using Pairwise-class and All-class techniques

Feature selection has been a key technique in massive data processing, e.g. microarray data analysis with few samples but high dimensions. One common problem in multi-class data analysis is the unbalanced recognition accuracies among classes, which leads to poor system performance. One main reason is that most feature selection methods focus on the performance of whole dataset while pay little attention to single class (especially the minority class). In this paper, a novel hybrid feature selection method with Pairwise-class and All-class techniques (namely FSPA) is proposed to remedy the problem. Strategy of round-robin is embedded into FSPA to reduce the bias among classes. Experimental results on four public microarray datasets show that FSPA helps to achieve higher classification accuracy and balance the performance among classes.
Hepatic gene expression in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to different hydrocarbon mixtures

Traditional biomarkers for hydrocarbon exposure are not induced by all petroleum substances. The objective of this study was to determine if exposure to a crude oil and different refined oils would generate a common hydrocarbon‐specific response in gene expression profiles that could be used as generic biomarkers of hydrocarbon exposure. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of either kerosene, gas oil, heavy fuel oil, or crude oil for 96 h. Tissue was collected for RNA extraction and microarray analysis. Exposure to each WAF resulted in a different list of differentially regulated genes, with few genes in common across treatments. Exposure to crude oil WAF changed the expression of genes including cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) with known roles in detoxification pathways. These gene expression profiles were compared to others from previous experiments that used a diverse suite of toxicants. Clustering algorithms successfully identified gene expression profiles resulting from hydrocarbon exposure. These preliminary analyses highlight the difficulties of using single genes as diagnostic of petroleum hydrocarbon exposures. Further work is needed to determine if multivariate transcriptomic‐based biomarkers may be a more effective tool than single gene studies for exposure monitoring of different oils. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:2034–2043. © 2010 SETAC
Proposal of a method to clarify and enhance decision-making at the front-end of innovation

Decision-making at the front-end of innovation is critical for the success of companies. This paper presents a simple visual method, called DMCA (Decision-Making Criteria Assessment), which was created to clarify and improve decision-making at the front-end of innovation. The method maps the uncertainty of project information and importance of decision criteria, compiling a measure that indicates whether the decision is highly uncertain, what information interferes with it, and what criteria are actually being considered. The DMCA method was tested in two projects that faced decision-making issues, and the results confirm the benefits of using this method in decision-making at the front-end.
Acute effect of pretreatment with single conventional dose of salmeterol on dose-response curve to oxitropium bromide in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND An earlier study documented that, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), addition of ipratropium bromide at the clinically recommended dose (40 μg) does not produce any further bronchodilation than that achieved with salmeterol 50 μg alone. However, the dose of ipratropium bromide needed to produce near maximal bronchodilation is several times higher than the customary dosage. The full therapeutic potential of combined salmeterol plus an anticholinergic drug can therefore only be established using doses higher than those currently recommended in the marketing of these agents. A study was undertaken to examine the possible acute effects of higher than conventional doses of an anticholinergic agent on the single dose salmeterol induced bronchodilation in patients with stable and partially reversible COPD. METHODS Thirty two outpatients received 50 μg salmeterol or placebo. Two hours after inhalation a dose-response curve to inhaled oxitropium bromide (100 μg/puff) or placebo was constructed using one puff, one puff, two puffs, and two puffs—that is, a total cumulative dose of 600 μg oxitropium bromide. Dose increments were given at 20 minute intervals with measurements being made 15 minutes after each dose. On four separate days all patients received one of the following: (1) 50 μg salmeterol + 600 μg oxitropium bromide; (2) 50 μg salmeterol + placebo; (3) placebo + 600 μg oxitropium bromide; (4) placebo + placebo. RESULTS Salmeterol induced a good bronchodilation (mean increase 0.272 l; 95% CI 0.207 to 0.337) two hours after its inhalation. Oxitropium bromide elicited an evident dose-dependent increase in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and this occurred also after pretreatment with salmeterol with a further mean maximum increase of 0.152 l (95% CI of differences 0.124 to 0.180). CONCLUSIONS This study shows that acute pretreatment with 50 μg salmeterol does not block the possibility of inducing more bronchodilation with an anticholinergic agent when a higher than normal dosage of the muscarinic antagonist is used.
A Prospective Trial of Bupropion SR Augmentation of Partial and Non-Responders to Serotonergic Antidepressants

Many patients fail to achieve an adequate response to a given antidepressant trial. The best-studied augmentation agents, lithium and thyroid supplementation are less commonly used. Augmenting antidepressants with bupropion has become an increasingly common strategy in the treatment of resistant depression. Several case reports and 2 open label studies suggest efficacy of this strategy. The purpose of this study is to further examine the utility of bupropion sustained release (SR) augmentation in patients with inadequate response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Patients who met DSM-IV criteria for major depression and had failed to achieve adequate response to an SSRI were considered for this study. Eligible patients were required to have a score of 16 on the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Patients were treated openly for 6 weeks with bupropion SR added to their existing antidepressant. The dose range of bupropion was 150 to 300 mg per day. At each visit, patients were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Depression Ratings Scale (HDRS), and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Twenty-eight patients (12 men, 16 women) entered the study. Twenty-five patients completed the six-week trial. With respect to the clinical benefit of bupropion SR augmentation, 15 out of 28, or 54% of patients, were classified as responders, showing a decrease in their HDRS or BDI scores of 50% or more between baseline and Week 6. This prospective, open-label trial supports the use of bupropion SR in the augmentation of SSRIs and venlafaxine. Placebo controlled trials should be completed to further evaluate the efficacy of this strategy.