Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of the Serious Illness Care Program: a randomised controlled trial of a palliative care communication intervention

Introduction Ensuring that patients receive care that is consistent with their goals and values is a critical component of high-quality care. This article describes the protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a multicomponent, structured communication intervention. Methods and analysis Patients with advanced, incurable cancer and life expectancy of <12 months will participate together with their surrogate. Clinicians are enrolled and randomised either to usual care or the intervention. The Serious Illness Care Program is a multicomponent, structured communication intervention designed to identify patients, train clinicians to use a structured guide for advanced care planning discussion with patients, ‘trigger’ clinicians to have conversations, prepare patients and families for the conversation, and document outcomes of the discussion in a structured format in the electronic medical record. Clinician satisfaction with the intervention, confidence and attitudes will be assessed before and after the intervention. Self-report data will be collected from patients and surrogates approximately every 2 months up to 2 years or until the patient's death; patient medical records will be examined at the close of the study. Analyses will examine the impact of the intervention on the patient receipt of goal-concordant care, and peacefulness at the end of life. Secondary outcomes include patient anxiety, depression, quality of life, therapeutic alliance, quality of communication, and quality of dying and death. Key process measures include frequency, timing and quality of documented conversations. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Institutional Review Board. Results will be reported in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number Protocol identifier NCT01786811; Pre-results.
Requisite variety and intercultural teams: to what extent is Ashby's law useful ?

Requisite variety and intercultural teams: To what extent is Ashby's law useful? The “Law of Requisite Variety” (LRV) is frequently evoked to explain the design, functioning and performance of intercultural teams. But to what extent does the law really enhance understanding in this particular field? The authors consider that LRV has rarely been questioned in-depth in management studies. The paper briefly details LRV in the cybernetics context before “translating” it to social systems, organizations and intercultural teams. Using a qualitative case-study method, the case of an intercultural team is analysed and questioned from the perspective of LRV. The results show that LRV superficially fits the composition of this team, but is unable to explain the human and social dynamics that evolve during the work process.
cranial capacity in mammals Anthropogenic environments exert variable selection on

Supplementary data tml http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/suppl/2013/08/19/rspb.2013. 1384.DC1. h "Data Supplement" References http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/280/1769/20131384.full. html#ref-list-1 This article cites 58 articles, 12 of which can be accessed free Subject collections (1539 articles) evolution  (218 articles) cognition  (1012 articles) behaviour  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections
Improving Collaborative Filtering via Hidden Structured Constraint

Matrix factorization models, as one of the most powerful Collaborative Filtering approaches, have greatly advanced the recommendation tasks. However, few of them are able to explicitly consider structured constraint for modeling user interests. To solve this problem, we propose a novel matrix factorization model with adaptive graph regularization framework, which can automatically discover latent user communities jointly with learning latent user representations, to enhance the discriminative power for recommendation. Experiments on real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Evolving Tale of TCPs: New Paradigms and Old Lacunae

Teosinte Branched1/Cycloidea/Proliferating cell factors (TCP) genes are key mediators of genetic innovations underlying morphological novelties, stress adaptation, and evolution of immune response in plants. They have a remarkable ability to integrate and translate diverse endogenous, and environmental signals with high fidelity. Compilation of studies, aimed at elucidating the mechanism of TCP functions, shows that it takes an amalgamation and interplay of several different factors, regulatory processes and pathways, instead of individual components, to achieve the incredible functional diversity and specificity, demonstrated by TCP proteins. Through this minireview, we provide a brief description of key structural features and molecular components, known so far, that operate this conglomerate, and highlight the important conceptual challenges and lacunae in TCP research.
Enhanced Stem Cell Differentiation and Immunopurification of Genome Engineered Human Retinal Ganglion Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells have the potential to promote biological studies and accelerate drug discovery efforts by making possible direct experimentation on a variety of human cell types of interest. However, stem cell cultures are generally heterogeneous and efficient differentiation and purification protocols are often lacking. Here, we describe the generation of clustered regularly‐interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)‐Cas9 engineered reporter knock‐in embryonic stem cell lines in which tdTomato and a unique cell‐surface protein, THY1.2, are expressed under the control of the retinal ganglion cell (RGC)‐enriched gene BRN3B. Using these reporter cell lines, we greatly improved adherent stem cell differentiation to the RGC lineage by optimizing a novel combination of small molecules and established an anti‐THY1.2‐based protocol that allows for large‐scale RGC immunopurification. RNA‐sequencing confirmed the similarity of the stem cell‐derived RGCs to their endogenous human counterparts. Additionally, we developed an in vitro axonal injury model suitable for studying signaling pathways and mechanisms of human RGC cell death and for high‐throughput screening for neuroprotective compounds. Using this system in combination with RNAi‐based knockdown, we show that knockdown of dual leucine kinase (DLK) promotes survival of human RGCs, expanding to the human system prior reports that DLK inhibition is neuroprotective for murine RGCs. These improvements will facilitate the development and use of large‐scale experimental paradigms that require numbers of pure RGCs that were not previously obtainable. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1972–1986
IgE and Drug Allergy: Antibody Recognition of 'Small' Molecules of Widely Varying Structures and Activities

The variety of chemically diverse pharmacologically-active compounds administered to patients is large and seemingly forever growing, and, with every new drug released and administered, there is always the potential of an allergic reaction. The most commonly occurring allergic responses to drugs are the type I, or immediate hypersensitivity reactions mediated by IgE antibodies. These reactions may affect a single organ, such as the nasopharynx (allergic rhinitis), eyes (conjunctivitis), mucosa of mouth/throat/tongue (angioedema), bronchopulmonary tissue (asthma), gastrointestinal tract (gastroenteritis) and skin (urticaria, eczema), or multiple organs (anaphylaxis), causing symptoms ranging from minor itching and inflammation to death. It seems that almost every drug is capable of causing an immediate reaction and it is unusual to find a drug that has not provoked an anaphylactic response in at least one patient. These facts alone indicate the extraordinary breadth of recognition of IgE antibodies for drugs ranging from relatively simple structures, for example, aspirin, to complex molecules, such as the macrolide antibiotics composed of a large macrocyclic ring with attached deoxy sugars. This wide recognition profile is borne out at the molecular level by results of quantitative immunochemical studies where hapten inhibition investigations have identified structural determinants complementary to IgE antibodies in the sera of allergic subjects. Allergenic determinants have been identified on a variety of drugs including neuromuscular blockers, penicillins, cephalosporins, opioids, thiopentone, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, quinolones, chlorhexidine and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin. It is already clear that IgE can distinguish fine structural differences on a wide variety of molecules, determinants may be at least as small as an amino group or encompass the whole molecule, and individual drugs may demonstrate allergenic heterogeneity.
An integrated water quality modelling framework for reporting on Great Barrier Reef catchments

The Paddock to Reef Modelling (P2R) and Monitoring Program reports on progress towards meeting the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan) targets. The targets set out in the Reef Plan are designed to improve water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) through improving land management practices. Catchment modelling is being used as one line of evidence to report on progress towards Reef Plan targets resulting from investment in improved management practices. The eWater Source Integrated Modelling System (Source IMS) was chosen as the preferred modelling platform for undertaking GBR water quality modelling. The main reason for choosing eWater source was its flexible architecture that enables users to write customised plug-ins to meet specific modelling requirements. After a review of currently available modelling platforms, it was determined that there was no “off the shelf” software that could meet all of the modelling requirements. SedNet alone could not provide the finer resolution time stepping required, and Source IMS cannot inherently represent many variations of a spatially varying practice like cropping, to the level of detail required to allow subtle changes in management system to have a recognisable effect on model outputs. To address these issues, and answer the questions being posed by policy makers, customised plug-ins for Source IMS were developed. These plug-ins allowed us to integrate the best available data sources and landscape process understanding into the catchment model. Purpose built routines enabling representations of processes such as the effects of temporally and spatially variable ground cover on soil erosion, aggregation of deterministic crop model outputs directly into the catchment model and the incorporation of SedNet gully and stream bank erosion algorithms were developed. Additional reporting tools were also written to enable rapid interrogation of model outputs. For example, reporting of pollutant loads by subcatchment, landuse, process (gully, streambank, hillslope) for any time period from daily to average annual. The development of the GBR Source Catchments models demonstrates the highly flexible nature of the Source IMS framework. With flexibility also comes a tendency towards ever increasing complexity. As more involved questions are posed, it is tempting to keep adding to the functionality of the model. Although the modelling framework is capable of supporting complex algorithms it is essential that these are also supported by observed data and understanding derived from experimentation.
Evidence for the involvement of the posterior parietal cortex in coordination of fingertip forces for grasp stability in manipulation.

Grasp stability during object manipulation is achieved by the grip forces applied normal to the grasped surfaces increasing and decreasing in phase with increases and decreases of destabilizing load forces applied tangential to the grasped surfaces. This force coordination requires that the CNS anticipates the grip forces that match the requirements imposed by the self-generated load forces. Here, we use functional MRI (fMRI) to study neural correlates of the grip-load force coordination in a grip-load force task in which six healthy humans attempted to lift an immovable test object held between the tips of the right index finger and thumb. The recorded brain activity was compared with the brain activity obtained in two control tasks in which the same pair of digits generated forces with similar time courses and magnitudes; i.e., a grip force task where the subjects only pinched the object and did not apply load forces, and a load force task, in which the subjects applied vertical forces to the object without generating grip forces. Thus neither the load force task nor the grip force task involved coordinated grip-load forces, but together they involved the same grip force and load force output. We found that the grip-load force task was specifically associated with activation of a section of the right intraparietal cortex, which is the first evidence for involvement of the posterior parietal cortex in the sensorimotor control of coordinated grip and load forces in manipulation. We suggest that this area might represents a node in the network of cortical and subcortical regions that implement anticipatory control of fingertip forces for grasp stability.
A genetic algorithm for the point to multipoint routing problem with varying number of requests

Message scheduling or call request scheduling is the process of finding optimal routing for a set of circuit connection requests through a communications network. Each request has a single source with one or more destinations. Furthermore, different requests may have different source and different destination nodes. Finding optimal routing for a set of requests is called the point to multipoint routing problem (PMRP). The current practice in solving the PMRP is to consider each point to multipoint request as a collection of point to point requests, and then solve each paint to point request. This is very costly and generally produces poor results. The paper presents an algorithm for the point to multipoint routing problem that uses a genetic algorithm and a heuristic Steiner tree algorithm. The genetic algorithm allows the scheduler to find an optimal or near-optimal path through the network for each request. In the algorithm each request is treated as a whole and not as a collection of point to point requests. Furthermore, given a set of point to multipoint routing requests, the algorithm considers various subsets sizes of the original set of requests and produces an optimal or near-optimal ordering of the requests for the specified subset size. They run the PMRP algorithm on several test cases with excellent results.
Real time implementation on FPGA of an OFDM based wireless LAN modem extended with adaptive loading

Future wireless applications target multimedia and high-speed internet access, all requiring techniques to improve the link capacity and robustness. For wireless Local Area Network (LAN) the standards have chosen orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) as modulation scheme. An extension beyond the standards to improve the link capacity is adaptive loading. This paper presents the implementation aspects of an OFDM based wireless LAN modem together with adaptive loading on field programmable gate array (FPGA). The FPGA implementation of the wireless LAN modem enhances rapid prototyping and allows flexible integration of extensions to improve the quality of service. Implementation results are given and a comparison is made with an ASIC implementation of the modem. The wireless LAN system will be demonstrated on a generic platform that is developed for prototyping and demonstration of high speed communication systems.
Supertubes in matrix model and DBI action

We show the equivalence between the supertube solutions with an arbitrary cross section in two different actions, the DBI action for the D2-brane and the matrix model action for the D0-branes. More precisely, the equivalence between the supertubes in the D2-brane picture and the D0-brane picture is shown in the boundary state formalism which is valid for all order in α'. This is an application of the method using the infinitely many D0-branes and anti-D0-branes which has been used to show other equivalence relations between two seemingly different D-brane systems, including the D-brane realization of the ADHM construction of instanton. We also apply this method to the superfunnel type solutions successfully.
A concrete solution for web services adaptability using policies and aspects

Traditional middleware is usually developed on monolithic and non-evolving entities, resulting in a lack of flexibility and interoperability. Among current architectures, Service Oriented Architectures aim to easily develop more adaptable Information Systems. Most often, Web Service is the fitted technical solution which provides the required loose coupling to achieve such architectures. However there is still much to be done in order to obtain a genuinely flawless Web Service, and current market implementations still do not provide adaptable Web Service behavior depending on the service contract. Therefore, our approach considers Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP) as a new design solution for Web Services. Based on both WSDL and Policies contracts, this solution aims to allow better flexibility on both the client and server side. In this paper we expose our technical and concrete solution using Axis as the SOAP Engine, WSS4J as the WS-Security handler, and Javassist to weave some non-functional security aspects depending on the policies requirements.
The AGPase Family Proteins in Banana: Genome-Wide Identification, Phylogeny, and Expression Analyses Reveal Their Involvement in the Development, Ripening, and Abiotic/Biotic Stress Responses

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is the first rate-limiting enzyme in starch biosynthesis and plays crucial roles in multiple biological processes. Despite its importance, AGPase is poorly studied in starchy fruit crop banana (Musa acuminata L.). In this study, eight MaAGPase genes have been identified genome-wide in M. acuminata, which could be clustered into the large (APL) and small (APS) subunits. Comprehensive transcriptomic analysis revealed temporal and spatial expression variations of MaAPLs and MaAPSs and their differential responses to abiotic/biotic stresses in two banana genotypes, Fen Jiao (FJ) and BaXi Jiao (BX). MaAPS1 showed generally high expression at various developmental and ripening stages and in response to abiotic/biotic stresses in both genotypes. MaAPL-3 and -2a were specifically induced by abiotic stresses including cold, salt, and drought, as well as by fungal infection in FJ, but not in BX. The presence of hormone-related and stress-relevant cis-acting elements in the promoters of MaAGPase genes suggests that MaAGPases may play an important role in multiple biological processes. Taken together, this study provides new insights into the complex transcriptional regulation of AGPases, underlying their key roles in promoting starch biosynthesis and enhancing stress tolerance in banana.
A suitable segmentation methodology based on pixel similarities for landmine detection in IR images

Identification of masked objects especially in detection of landmines is always a difficult problem due to environmental inference. Here, segmentation phase is highly concentrated by performing an initial spatial segmentation to achieve a minimal number of segmented regions while preserving the homogeneity criteria of each region. This paper aims in evaluating similarities based segmentation methods to compose the partition of objects in Infra-Red images. The output is a set of non-overlapping homogenous regions that compose the pixels of the image. These extracted regions are used as the initial data structure in feature extraction process. Experimental results conclude that h-maxima transformation provides better results for landmine detection by taking the advantage of the threshold. The relative performance of different conventional methods and proposed method are evaluated and compared using the Global Consistency Error and Structural Content. It proves that h-maxima gives significant results that definitely facilitate the landmine classification system more effectively. KeywordsSegmentation, Global Consistency error, h-maxima, threshold, Landmine detection
Relationship between within-Host Fitness and Virulence in the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus: Correlation with Partial Decoupling

ABSTRACT Given the parasitic nature of viruses, it is sometimes assumed that rates of viral replication and dissemination within hosts (within-host fitness) correlate with virulence. However, there is currently little empirical evidence supporting this principle. To test this, we quantified the fitness and virulence of 21 single- or double-nucleotide mutants of the vesicular stomatitis virus in baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21). We found that, overall, these two traits correlated positively, but significant outliers were identified. Particularly, a single mutation in the conserved C terminus of the N nucleocapsid (U1323A) had a strongly deleterious fitness effect but did not alter or even slightly increased virulence. We also found a double mutant of the M matrix protein and G glycoprotein (U2617G/A3802G mutant) with high fitness yet low virulence. We further characterized these mutants in primary cultures from mouse brain cells and in vivo and found that their relative fitness values were similar to those observed in BHK-21 cells. The mutations had weak effects on the virus-induced death rate of total brain cells, although they specifically reduced neuron death rates. Furthermore, increased apoptosis levels were detected in neurons infected with the U2617G/A3802G mutant, consistent with its known inability to block interferon secretion. In vivo, this mutant had reduced virulence and, despite its low brain titer, it retained a relatively high fitness value owing to its ability to suppress competitor viruses. Overall, our results are in broad agreement with the notion that viral fitness and virulence should be positively correlated but show that certain mutations can break this association and that the fitness-virulence relationship can depend on complex virus-host and virus-virus interactions.
The privatization of neighborhood governance and the production of urban space

A pivotal innovation in the production of urban space has been the rise of privately governed neighborhoods overseen by homeowners associations (HOAs). One in every five American households resides in an HOA neighborhood regulated by conditions, covenants, and restrictions amounting to what has been referred to as a “quiet revolution” of urban politics. Their proliferation across cities warrants greater attention as they signify the transformation of state–civil society relations whereby nonstate entities are increasingly important actors in shaping the terrain of citizenship. HOAs are granted broad powers by the state and have profound effects on homeowners’ experiences of everyday life through regulations that generate neighborhood space. This article examines the different modalities of governance deployed by HOAs to shape homeowner participation in producing a certain yard aesthetic, namely the lawn. While the lawn is a dominant cultural landscape in the United States, we find that homeowners in privately governed neighborhoods report a greater commitment to producing a lush, green, well-manicured lawn and apply higher rates of fertilizer to their yards than households in nonprivately governed neighborhoods. Although HOAs exercise power by directly regulating homeowners’ spatial practices, they also govern indirectly by holding out the possibility of a sense of place and belonging that is connected to the production of aestheticized and commoditized landscapes. The deployment of both disciplinary and governmental forms of power supplement each other in the ongoing process of building neighborhood citizens that actively shape circuits of global capitalist investment in cities through the imaginary of neighborhood community.