Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internationally educated nurses in Canada: perceived benefits of bridging programme participation

AIM To examine internationally educated nurses' perceptions of the extent to which participating in bridging programmes is beneficial for preparing to practise nursing in Canada. BACKGROUND Internationally educated nurses continue to migrate from low-income to high-income countries. Many experience challenges when attempting to practise their profession in the destination country. Canada and other top destination countries offer educational support, such as bridging programmes, to assist internationally educated nurses' with preparing to practise nursing in the destination country. The research evidence falls short in demonstrating the usefulness of bridging programmes. METHODS A subsample of 360 internationally educated nurse participants from a Canadian cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014. All were permanent residents, employed as regulated nurses and participants of bridging programmes. Multiple linear regression was employed to examine the influence of internationally educated nurses' human capital (academic preparation, language proficiency, professional experience) and the economic status of their source country on perceived benefits of bridging programme participation. RESULTS Regression model explained 11.5% of variance in perceived benefits of bridging programme participation. Two predictors were statistically significant: source country and professional experience. CONCLUSION Bridging programmes help internationally educated nurses address gaps in their cultural, practical and theoretical knowledge. Source country and amount of professionally experience influences the extent to which internationally educated nurses benefit from participating in bridging programmes in Canada. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY Provides emerging evidence for decision-makers globally when developing policies and supports to help internationally educated nurses integrate into the destination country's nursing workforce.
New developments in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Purpose of reviewIn this paper, we review current concepts of Alzheimer's disease, recent progress in diagnosis and treatment and important developments in our understanding of its pathogenesis with a focus on β-amyloid both as culprit and therapeutic target. Recent findingsThe amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis continues to predominate with evidence suggesting that small oligomeric forms of Aβ-42 rather than fibrils or senile plaques are the key pathological substrates. The concept of mild cognitive impairment continues to be refined to define better those patients who will progress to Alzheimer's disease. Structural and functional imaging techniques and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers are gaining acceptance as diagnostic markers of Alzheimer's disease, with a potentially exciting advance being the ability to image amyloid in vivo using novel positron emission tomography ligands. Whilst available treatments afford only symptomatic benefits, disease-modifying treatments may be within reach. Despite the halting of the first amyloid β-vaccination trial due to adverse effects, amyloid immunotherapy continues to show promise, with new approaches already entering clinical trials. Other therapeutic strategies under investigation include inhibition of β -and γ-secretase, key enzymes implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. SummaryCurrent research demonstrates the potential for diagnostic strategies and disease modifying treatments to follow from an ever more detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Adaptive Japanese Teaching Optimization Based on Classification and Regression Tree

In response to the problems that exist in adaptive Japanese teaching, this paper, after describing the characteristics of adaptive Japanese teaching by the attenuation function introduced, an optimization model based on the classification regression tree is proposed and further to abstract the method of classification of feature identification set. Based on that, a model of adaptive optimization of Japanese teaching is put forward by using the teaching optimization type information. Finally, the corresponding form of the attenuation function is discussed under the premise of the classification method of Japanese teaching feature recognition set. The experimental results show that the adaptive Japanese language teaching optimization model based on the classification regression tree can be used in daily English teaching.
The Moral Virtue of Authenticity

The five experiments reported here demonstrate that authenticity is directly linked to morality. We found that experiencing inauthenticity, compared with authenticity, consistently led participants to feel more immoral and impure. This link from inauthenticity to feeling immoral produced an increased desire among participants to cleanse themselves and to engage in moral compensation by behaving prosocially. We established the role that impurity played in these effects through mediation and moderation. We found that inauthenticity-induced cleansing and compensatory helping were driven by heightened feelings of impurity rather than by the psychological discomfort of dissonance. Similarly, physically cleansing oneself eliminated the relationship between inauthenticity and prosocial compensation. Finally, we obtained additional evidence for discriminant validity: The observed effects on desire for cleansing were not driven by general negative experiences (i.e., failing a test) but were unique to experiences of inauthenticity. Our results establish that authenticity is a moral state—that being true to thine own self is experienced as a form of virtue.
Stimulators of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) inhibit experimental skin fibrosis of different aetiologies

Objectives Stimulators of the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) have recently been shown to inhibit transforming growth factor-β signalling. Here, we aimed to demonstrate that riociguat, the drug candidate for clinical trials in systemic sclerosis (SSc), is effective in experimental fibrosis and to compare its efficacy to that of phosphodiesterase V inhibitors that also increase the intracellular levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Methods The antifibrotic effects of riociguat and sildenafil were compared in the tight-skin 1 model, in bleomycin-induced fibrosis and in a model of sclerodermatous chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGvHD). Doses of 0.1–3 mg/kg twice a day for riociguat and of 3–10 mg/kg twice a day for sildenafil were used. Result Riociguat dose-dependently reduced skin thickening, myofibroblast differentiation and accumulation of collagen with potent antifibrotic effects at 1 and 3 mg/kg. Riociguat also ameliorated fibrosis of the gastrointestinal tract in the cGvHD model. The antifibrotic effects were associated with reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases. Sildenafil at doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg exerted mild antifibrotic effects that were significantly less pronounced compared with 1 and 3 mg/kg riociguat. Conclusions These data demonstrated potent antifibrotic effects of riociguat on experimental skin and organ fibrosis. These findings suggest a role for riociguat for the treatment of fibrotic diseases, especially for the treatment of SSc. A phase II study with riociguat in patients with SSc is currently starting.
Analysis of ionospheric models during ionospheric disturbances

This paper describes an analysis of ionospheric models compared with real data during the occurrence of travelling ionospheric disturbances. GPS data was taken from Parit Raja Station (1deg 52' N, 103deg 06' E) in Southern Malaysia. Comparison was made from collected data during the geomagnetic quiet and storm days. Ionospheric models i.e. IRI2001, NeQuick and real data as in IONEX format were used in this study. Results were compared with real TEC data from Parit Raja as reference value, which was obtained from a general dual frequency method. Data collected from IONEX showed that the occurrence of TID was less frequent when compared to the real data from Parit Raja. This was due to the few ground stations located at site of study. For both the empirical models, IRI2001 and NeQuick, the predicted TEC was affected by the value of sunspot number and was suitable for geomagnetic quiet conditions. It is recommended that IRI and NeQuick models that undergo improvement should include ionospheric disturbances for more reliable TEC calculations.
DESIGN OF CUSTOM-MADE CRANIAL IMPLANT USING 3 D TECHNOLOGIES AND INCREMENTAL SHEET FORMING PROCESS

This work aims at obtain custom-made implants in titanium sheet and physical biomodels of fractured skulls, with low costs and manufactured before surgery. The implants are obtained by Incremental Sheet Forming and the biomodels are obtained by 3D printing. From CT images of a defective skull, the CAD models of the defective part (biomodel) and restorative part (implant) are reconstructed.
Complexity of polynomial systems representations: triangulation, modular methods, dynamic evaluation. (Complexité des représentations des systèmes de polynômes : triangulation, méthodes modulaires, évaluation dynamique)

The polynomial systems in their triangular shape, notably the regular chains and especially the Lazard triangular sets, are simple data structures, permitting to consider modular computations (by specialization of the coefficients, then lifting through the Newton-Hensel operator), to "solve'' the polynomial systems ("decomposition-triangulations'' methods) and to represent tours of fields extensions to compute with algebraic numbers. For those three topics, the methods and results provided here, notably on the complexity front, extend the fields of applications of triangular sets, and their impact compared to other methods of manipulation of algebraic equations, especially the Grobner bases. First of all the space complexity of the coefficients is only on quadratic growth in function of natural geometric data. Straightforward corollary is a (triangular) Newton operator requiring less lifting steps, hence more promising modular methods. So it is for the equiprojectable decomposition}, first polynomial systems triangulation algorithm based on a modular method, and for the problem of the change of monomials orderings in positive dimension, yet in some quite specific cases for a first approach. In addition, computing modulo a triangular set by following the dynamic evaluation model, is now endowed, 20 years after its apparition, of a first satisfaying complexity study.
Friction and Wear Behaviors of Surface-Modified Carbon Fabric/Epoxy Resin Composites

Abstract Carbon fabric (CF) was pretreated by air-plasma bombardment and then further modified by deposition of polydopamine on the surface of the pretreated CF. Epoxy resin composites reinforced by unmodified or surface-modified carbon fabric were fabricated. The friction and wear behaviors of the resulting composites were evaluated in a ring-on-block contact mode. The flexural strength and Rockwell hardness of the composites were also evaluated. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the unmodified and modified composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The surface treatment increased the surface roughness and changed the surface topography of the CF, which contributed to enhancing the interfacial adhesion of the composites and thus improved the mechanical properties and tribo-performance. The friction and wear properties of both the unfilled and filled composites were highly dependent on the load and sliding velocity. Moreover, the results were supplemented with scanning electron micrographs to help understand the possible wear mechanisms.
Spatial receptive field properties of rat retinal ganglion cells

Abstract The rat is a popular animal model for vision research, yet there is little quantitative information about the physiological properties of the cells that provide its brain with visual input, the retinal ganglion cells. It is not clear whether rats even possess the full complement of ganglion cell types found in other mammals. Since such information is important for evaluating rodent models of visual disease and elucidating the function of homologous and heterologous cells in different animals, we recorded from rat ganglion cells in vivo and systematically measured their spatial receptive field (RF) properties using spot, annulus, and grating patterns. Most of the recorded cells bore likeness to cat X and Y cells, exhibiting brisk responses, center-surround RFs, and linear or nonlinear spatial summation. The others resembled various types of mammalian W cell, including local-edge-detector cells, suppressed-by-contrast cells, and an unusual type with an ON–OFF surround. They generally exhibited sluggish responses, larger RFs, and lower responsiveness. The peak responsivity of brisk-nonlinear (Y-type) cells was around twice that of brisk-linear (X-type) cells and several fold that of sluggish cells. The RF size of brisk-linear and brisk-nonlinear cells was indistinguishable, with average center and surround diameters of 5.6 ± 1.3 and 26.4 ± 11.3 deg, respectively. In contrast, the center diameter of recorded sluggish cells averaged 12.8 ± 7.9 deg. The homogeneous RF size of rat brisk cells is unlike that of cat X and Y cells, and its implication regarding the putative roles of these two ganglion cell types in visual signaling is discussed.
Physiologic and psychological responses of an athlete cycling 100+ miles daily for 50 consecutive days.

INTRODUCTIONWe present the report of a young male athlete who cycled 100+ miles·d−1 for 50 consecutive days in the 50 United States. The purpose of this ultra-event, titled Ride for Your Life (RFYL), was to raise awareness and funding for cancer research and treatment. RFYL began August 18, 200
Compartmentalized Microfluidic Platforms: The Unrivaled Breakthrough of In Vitro Tools for Neurobiological Research

Microfluidic technology has become a valuable tool to the scientific community, allowing researchers to study fine cellular mechanisms with higher variable control compared with conventional systems. It has evolved tremendously, and its applicability and flexibility made its usage grow exponentially and transversely to several research fields. This has been particularly noticeable in neuroscience research, where microfluidic platforms made it possible to address specific questions extending from axonal guidance, synapse formation, or axonal transport to the development of 3D models of the CNS to allow pharmacological testing and drug screening. Furthermore, the continuous upgrade of microfluidic platforms has allowed a deeper study of the communication occurring between different neuronal and glial cells or between neurons and other peripheral tissues, both in physiological and pathological conditions. Importantly, the evolution of microfluidic technology has always been accompanied by the development of new computational tools addressing data acquisition, analysis, and modeling.
Outside and Inside, Male and Female

Both in therapeutic and in character-analyses we notice that two themes come into especial prominence and give the analyst an unusual amount of trouble. It soon becomes evident that a general principle is at work here. The two themes are tied to the distinction between the sexes; one is as characteristic of males as the other is of females. In spite of the dissimilarity of their content, there is an obvious correspondence between them. Something which both sexes have in common has been forced, by the difference between the sexes, into different forms of expression [32, p. 2501. IVe often have the impression that with the wish for a penis and the masculine protest we have penetrated through all the psychological strata and have reached bedrock, and thus our activities are at an end. This is probably true, since, for the psychical field, the biological field does in fact play the part of the underlying bedrock. The repudiation of femininity can be nothing else than a biological fact, a part of the great riddle of sex. I t would be hard to say whether and when we have succeeded in mastering this factor in an analytic treatment. TVe can only console ourselves with the certainty that we have given the person analysed every possible encouragement to re-examine and alter his attitude to it [32, pp. 252-2531.
Delayed‐relaxed response explained by hyperactivation of RelE

Escherichia coli encodes two rel loci, both of which contribute to the control of synthesis of macromolecules during amino acid starvation. The product of relA (ppGpp synthetase I) is responsible for the synthesis of guanosine tetraphosphate, ppGpp, the signal molecule that exerts stringent control of stable RNA synthesis. The second rel locus, relBE, was identified by mutations in relB that confer a so‐called ‘delayed‐relaxed response’ characterized by continued RNA synthesis after a lag period of ≈ 10 min after the onset of amino acid starvation. We show here that the delayed‐relaxed response is a consequence of hyperactivation of RelE. As in wild‐type cells, [ppGpp] increased sharply in relB101 relE cells after the onset of starvation, but returned rapidly to the prestarvation level. RelE is a global inhibitor of translation that is neutralized by RelB by direct protein–protein interaction. Lon protease activates RelE during amino acid starvation by degradation of RelB. We found that mutations in relB that conferred the delayed‐relaxed phenotype destabilized RelB. Such mutations confer severe RelE‐dependent inhibition of translation during amino acid starvation, indicating hyperactivation of RelE. Hyperactivation of RelE during amino acid starvation was shown directly by measurement of RelE‐mediated cleavage of tmRNA. The RelE‐mediated shutdown of translation terminated amino acid consumption and explains the rapid restoration of the ppGpp level observed in relB mutant cells. Restoration of the prestarvation level of ppGpp, in turn, allows for the resumption of stable RNA synthesis seen during the delayed‐relaxed response.
Three-dimensional structure of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 matrix protein.

The HIV-1 matrix protein forms an icosahedral shell associated with the inner membrane of the mature virus. Genetic analyses have indicated that the protein performs important functions throughout the viral life-cycle, including anchoring the transmembrane envelope protein on the surface of the virus, assisting in viral penetration, transporting the proviral integration complex across the nuclear envelope, and localizing the assembling virion to the cell membrane. We now report the three-dimensional structure of recombinant HIV-1 matrix protein, determined at high resolution by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. The HIV-1 matrix protein is the first retroviral matrix protein to be characterized structurally and only the fourth HIV-1 protein of known structure. NMR signal assignments required recently developed triple-resonance (1H, 13C, 15N) NMR methodologies because signals for 91% of 132 assigned H alpha protons and 74% of the 129 assignable backbone amide protons resonate within chemical shift ranges of 0.8 p.p.m. and 1 p.p.m. , respectively. A total of 636 nuclear Overhauser effect-derived distance restraints were employed for distance geometry-based structure calculations, affording an average of 13.0 NMR-derived distance restraints per residue for the experimentally constrained amino acids. An ensemble of 25 refined distance geometry structures with penalties (sum of the squares of the distance violations) of 0.32 A2 or less and individual distance violations under 0.06 A was generated; best-fit superposition of ordered backbone heavy atoms relative to mean atom positions afforded root-mean-square deviations of 0.50 (+/- 0.08) A. The folded HIV-1 matrix protein structure is composed of five alpha-helices, a short 3(10) helical stretch, and a three-strand mixed beta-sheet. Helices I to III and the 3(10) helix pack about a central helix (IV) to form a compact globular domain that is capped by the beta-sheet. The C-terminal helix (helix V) projects away from the beta-sheet to expose carboxyl-terminal residues essential for early steps in the HIV-1 infectious cycle. Basic residues implicated in membrane binding and nuclear localization functions cluster about an extruded cationic loop that connects beta-strands 1 and 2. The structure suggests that both membrane binding and nuclear localization may be mediated by complex tertiary structures rather than simple linear determinants.
Economy of Description for Single-Valued Transducers

Questions of economy of description are investigated in connection with single-valued finite transducers. The following results are shown. (1) Any single-valued real-time transducer M with n states can be effectively transformed into an equivalent unambiguous real-time transducer having at most 2n states. (2) Let M be a single-valued real-time transducer with n states and output alphabet δ which is equivalent to some deterministic real-time or subsequential transducer M′. Then, M can be effectively transformed into such an M′ having at most \(1 + 2^n \cdot \max \left\{ {2,\# \Delta } \right\}^{2n^3 l}\) states where l is a local structural parameter of M. (3) For any single-valued real-time transducer M it is decidable in deterministic polynomial time whether or not it is equivalent to some deterministic real-time transducer (to some subsequential transducer, respectively). The results (1)–(3) can be extended to the case that M is not real time. The upper bound in (1) is at most one state off the optimal upper bound. Any improvement of the upper bound in (2) is greater or equal than 2n.
Rapid Detection of Pyrazinamide-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis by a PCR-Based In Vitro System

ABSTRACT Pyrazinamide (PZA), an analog of nicotinamide, is a prodrug for tuberculosis which requires conversion to the bactericidal compound pyrazinoic acid by bacterial pyrazinamidase activity. Mutations leading to a loss of pyrazinamidase activity cause PZA resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thus, the detection of pyrazinamidase activity makes the discrimination of PZA-resistant tuberculosis possible. However, the detection of the pyrazinamidase activity of M. tuberculosis isolates needs a large amount of bacilli and is therefore time consuming. In this paper, we describe a new method for the detection of pyrazinamidase activity with a PCR-based system. The genes encoding pyrazinamidase (pncA genes) in 30 resistant clinical isolates were amplified by PCR by using forward primers containing bacteriophage T7 promoter sequences at their 5" ends. Then the PCR products were directly subjected to an in vitro transcription-translation coupled system. All of the PZA-resistant isolates tested showed reduced pyrazinamidase activity compared to susceptible M. tuberculosis type strain H37Rv. In contrast, all of the 15 susceptible clinical isolates exhibited pyrazinamidase activities similar to that of H37Rv. This fact suggested the possibility of the usefulness of this system for the rapid detection of PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis.