Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiple dimensions of recovery in early psychosis

Recovery is a complex individual process that unfolds over time and involves multiple dimensions. We propose operational criteria for defining recovery in five symptom dimensions and two functional dimensions including an overall functional dimension that we characterize as 'return to the life line'. The multi-dimensional model was used to organize the results gathered from 103 clients, not previously treated with antipsychotic medications, who enrolled in the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program and completed one year of treatment for schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder.The subjects were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Function scale (GAF) and the Social and Occupational Functional Assessment scale (SOFA) prior to starting antipsychotic medication and again at six and 12 months of treatment. After one year of treatment, 67% of subjects met our criterion for symptomatic recovery (no relevant PANSS item greater than 'mild') for both positive and negative symptoms. Forty-two percent met the recovery criteria for all five symptom dimensions. Most of the symptom improvement occurred during the first six months of treatment. At one year, 50% of subjects met our criterion (SOFA greater than 60) for overall functional recovery ('return to the life line'). Operational criteria can be applied to ratings from commonly used standardized scales to determine the percentages of clients achieving recovery in multiple symptom and functional dimensions. For clients completing the first year of treatment in an early psychosis program, approximately half achieve recovery in all dimensions.
A Tentative Description of Post-Formal Thinking: The Critical Confrontation with Cognitive Theory

In this article, Joe Kincheloe and Shirley Steinberg critique and challenge the reductionist conceptions of intelligence that underlie cognitive developmental theory. The authors formulate a post-Piagetian cognitive theory that is informed by and extends critical, feminist, and postmodern thought. By delineating the features of what they refer to as a "post-formal" way of thinking, the authors provide practitioners with a framework for reconsidering both curricular and pedagogical practices.
Polyphase Antialiasing in Enlargements

Changing resolution of images is a common operation. It is also common to use simple, i.e., small interpolation kernels satisfying some ”smoothness” qualities that are determined in the spatial domain. Typical applications use linear interpolation or piecewise cubic interpolation. These are popular since the interpolation kernels are small and the results are acceptable. However, since the interpolation kernel, i.e., the impulse response, has a finite, and small length, the frequency domain characteristics are not good. Therefore, when we enlarge the image by a rational factor of , aliasing effects usually appear and cause a noticeable degradation in quality of the image. One such effect is jagged edges. Another effect is low frequency modulation of high frequency components such as sampling noise. Enlarging an image by a factor of , is represented by first interpolating the image on a grid times finer than the original sampling grid, and then resampling it every grid points. While the usual treatment of the aliasing created by the resampling operation is aimed towards improving the interpolation filter in the frequency domain, this paper suggests reducing the aliasing effects using a polyphase representation of the interpolation process, and treating the polyphase filters separately. We discuss separable interpolation and so the analysis is conducted for the one-dimensional case. Finally, we compare a 6 coefficient polyphase filters found using the suggested procedure with a 6 coefficient polyphase filters capable of reconstructing a 3rd order polynomial.
Pennsaid therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review published randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating a new topical diclofenac solution (Pennsaid) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. METHODS RCT were identified by searching electronic data sources as well as by contact with the manufacturer of Pennsaid. Details of study demographics, methodology, quality, and outcomes were analyzed. A metaanalysis evaluating the efficacy and safety of Pennsaid in OA of the knee was performed. RESULTS Four RCT were analyzed in this systematic review (3 published reports and one published abstract). Mean trial duration was 8.5 weeks. Generally, these RCT were of excellent quality. The mean Jadad quality score was 4.5 out of 5. Many indicators of high quality in a RCT were found in these RCT, including adequate descriptions of the methods used for randomization, blinding, and allocation concealment. In comparison to a vehicle control placebo (VCP), the standardized mean differences (SMD) for the WOMAC pain, stiffness, and physical function subscales, as well as for patient global assessment, were all statistically significant in favor of Pennsaid, with SMD ranging from 0.30 to 0.39. Pennsaid was as safe as VCP, with the only exception that it was more likely to result in minor skin dryness at the site of application (relative risk 1.7). In a 12 week equivalence trial that used the WOMAC subscales to compare treatment response, Pennsaid was as effective as oral diclofenac, but was much better tolerated. CONCLUSION Pennsaid is an effective topical NSAID in patients with OA of the knee. Apart from minor localized skin reactions, Pennsaid was as safe as VCP. It is not known whether the favorable results of Pennsaid can be extrapolated to other topical NSAID preparations. Pennsaid deserves further consideration when the existing treatment guidelines for OA of the knee are updated.
Peer rejection in preschool: Foregrounding children’s voices

Existing studies on peer rejection are predominantly quantitative in nature and do not adequately engage children’s voices and provide a comprehensive view of the peer rejection phenomenon. There are also limited studies at the preschool level, especially in the Singapore context. This study addresses these limitations by presenting insights into what constitutes a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. The objective is to investigate the subjective perceptions of the rejection phenomenon as experienced by different preschool children, and to draw out the essential characteristics of these experiences. A qualitative collective case study methodology informed by phenomenology was employed. It utilized in-depth individual interviews and children’s dialogic engagement with their drawings to elicit the meaning of experiences from eight preschool children from four to seven years old. Seven major themes and 31 sub-themes emerged from the data, illustrating the complexities of the children’s perceptions. They demonstrate that the children were capable of identifying and appraising their peer rejection experiences in terms of attributions, coping mechanisms and effects. The study reveals that peer rejection appeared to be an inevitable component of peer interactions, predisposing them to a host of adverse consequences. Although there are common elements, the personal construction of experiences led to diversities existing within the phenomenon, illustrating the uniqueness of some of the experiences. The implications for appropriate pedagogical practices to help preschool children cope more effectively with peer rejection are presented.
Olfactory glomeruli in the zebrafish form an invariant pattern and are identifiable across animals

Glomeruli are anatomical and possibly functional modules in the vertebrate olfactory bulb. We investigated the spatial arrangement of glomeruli in the olfactory bulbs of adult zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio). A solution of the lipophilic tracer Dil was injected into the nasal cavities. Axons of sensory neurons projecting from the olfactory epithelium into the bulb were traced anterogradely, thus labeling the whole population of glomeruli. The glomerular distribution was analyzed in detail by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. We find that a typical olfactory bulb contains a small number of about 80 glomeruli that have a stereotyped configuration in all animals investigated. All glomeruli exhibit bilateral symmetry. Twenty-two single glomeruli could be identified from animal to animal by their characteristic position and morphology. The remaining glomeruli either are embedded in glomerular plexus and therefore cannot be delineated reliably, or belong to a densely clustered subpopulation of on average 49 glomeruli in the dorsal olfactory bulb. No sexually dimorphic glomeruli were identified. To test whether glomerular constancy is specific for the zebrafish, we performed similar tracing experiments in the goldfish and found several indications for a similar invariance of glomeruli in this species. The remarkable stereotypy of this pattern is reminiscent of the insect olfactory system and has been demonstrated here for the first time in a vertebrate. It will now be possible to examine whether these identifiable glomeruli are functionally specialized in terms of odor processing. If so, zebrafish may emerge as a tractable model system for studies on olfactory coding.
The social, economic and political contexts of adults' participation in undergraduate programmes: a state-level analysis

This study examined the extent to which socially structured factors impact adults' participation in undergraduate programmes in the USA. In a collective sense, this study started with an assumption that adults' decision to participate in educational programmes does not only rely on individual psychological and their adjacent environmental attributes, but it is also, in part, influenced by socially structured contexts surrounding them. Using the state as a unit of analysis, this study analysed the relationships between socio-demographic, economic, educational and political factors and the variation of adults' participation in the undergraduate programmes. Variables from both educational and socio-demographic factors had stronger relationships with adults' participation. Some variables that states can control through policy-related actions were meaningfully associated with adults' participation. Through this sociological understanding of adult participation in higher education, this study will supplement the lack of attention to macro-level perspectives in participation research in adult education.
Graphene nanoribbon array fabrication by oxygen gas plasma etching through sub-micrometer porous filters

We investigate a novel method of fabricating a network of graphene nanoribbon structures. The process is a sharp departure from conventional nanolithographic techniques in both method and amount of time required. Epitaxial graphene prepared on single crystal 4H-SiC(0001) was etched with O2 plasma through 0.2 μm porous filters adhered to the surface of the sample. Thickness measurements using ellipsometry and topological mappings using atomic force microscopy were conducted to ascertain the extent of graphene nanoribbon formation. Sheet resistance of the samples was measured using the four-point van der Pauw method to ensure the existence of electrical conductivity in the etched samples. Furthermore, the etch-rate of multilayer epitaxial graphene was determined.
Student nurses' perceptions of learning in a perioperative placement.

AIM The aim of this study was to explore undergraduate nurses' perioperative specialist clinical experience and the impact this experience has on their perceptions of aspects of perioperative nursing. BACKGROUND Perioperative nursing is a highly specialized nursing practice, which is often underutilized for undergraduate clinical placement experience. The environment is perceived as technological. Experts recognize the extensive learning opportunities available to undergraduate nurses' in this environment. This study explores how this specialist environment facilitates undergraduate student nurses' learning in an Australian context. METHOD The methodological approach used Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology. The study was underpinned by Benner's novice-to-expert skill acquisition theory. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with six third-year undergraduate nursing students following a perioperative clinical placement experience. Data were collected in December 2005. FINDINGS The findings of this study identify aspects of perioperative nursing and the perioperative environment interpreted through the lens of each participant. Three themes were identified from the data: aspects of nursing care, skill acquisition and the clinical learning environment in a perioperative setting. Each participant gained insight not only into perioperative nursing but also into its relationship to the general nature of nursing in a specialist setting. CONCLUSION The preparation of novice nurses in a perioperative environment should include preparing them to identify the differences in patient care in an alternative setting. A consensus is required in Australia regarding the aspects of generalist nursing care, which need to be visible and clearly articulated for the novice by competent perioperative nurses.
Angiogenesis assays: a critical overview.

BACKGROUND Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is an integral part of both normal developmental processes and numerous pathologies, ranging from tumor growth and metastasis to inflammation and ocular disease. Angiogenesis assays are used to test efficacy of both pro- and antiangiogenic agents. METHODS Most studies of angiogenesis inducers and inhibitors rely on various models, both in vitro and in vivo, as indicators of efficacy. In this report we describe the principal methods now in use: the in vivo Matrigel plug and corneal neovascularization assays, the in vivo/in vitro chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, and the in vitro cellular (proliferation, migration, tube formation) and organotypic (aortic ring) assays. We include description of two new methods, the chick aortic arch and the Matrigel sponge assays. CONCLUSIONS In vitro tests are valuable, can be carried out expeditiously, and lend themselves to quantification, but must be interpreted with extreme caution. In vitro tests are best viewed as providing initial information, subject to confirmation by in vivo assays. Multiple tests should be used to obtain maximum benefit from in vitro tests. In vivo tests are more difficult and time-consuming to perform, thereby limiting the number of tests that can run at any one time. Quantification is generally more difficult as well. However, in vivo assays are essential because of the complex nature of vascular responses to test reagents, responses that no in vitro model can fully achieve.
A Continuous-Time Sturdy-MASH $\Delta\Sigma$ Modulator in 28 nm CMOS

This paper presents a practical way to achieve both wide signal bandwidth and high dynamic range in a continuous- time (CT) delta-sigma modulator. Quantization noise is suppressed aggressively by increasing the effective order of the noise transfer function based on a sturdy multi-stage noise-shaping (SMASH) architecture. The proposed CT SMASH architecture has a much wider signal bandwidth which was limited in the discrete-time (DT) SMASH architecture due to the inherent sampling frequency limitation of DT implementation. Furthermore, the proposed CT SMASH architecture provides better quantization noise suppression by more completely canceling the quantization noise from the 1st-loop. The CT SMASH architecture is implemented with several efficient circuit techniques suitable for high operation speed. As a result, the prototype fabricated in 28 nm CMOS achieves DR of 85 dB, peak SNDR of 74.9 dB, SFDR of 89.3 dBc, and Schreier FOM of 172.9 dB over a 50 MHz bandwidth at a 1.8 GHz sampling frequency.
Design of wideband microstrip antenna with spiral slot on ground plane

Analysis and design of a wideband microstrip antenna is presented in this paper, the antenna size is 25×25 mm2 and works between frequencies 6.2 GHz to 12.7 GHz which contains the X-band frequency. The HFSS electromagnetic simulation software is used to simulate and analyze the proposed antenna. To show the performance of designed antenna, the radiation pattern and the return loss graphs are presented.
The Hazard of War: Reassessing the Evidence for the Democratic Peace

In this article, we re-examine the statistical evidence for the democratic peace at the dyadic level. We also investigate the seeming paradox that democracies are engaged in war as often as autocracies at the nation level. From the extensive literature on democracy and peace we have selected as our point of departure two influential contributions (one by Stuart Bremer, the other by Zeev Maoz & Bruce Russett), both of which analyse the relationship between democracy and peace at the dyadic level. Several problematic aspects of these analyses are addressed; in particular, problems concerning dependence between observational units caused by continuing war and peace, and by diffusion effects. We show that the increasing number of countries in the international system causes their assumption of a stationary probability of war at the dyadic level to be violated. It is argued that these problems cannot be solved adequately within the traditional dyad-year framework. Instead, it is proposed to model observations on the interstate dyad as a process in continuous time using Cox regression. An extensive model is developed that controls for contiguity, power status, alliances, stability, diffusion of war, and recurrence effects. A concept of relevance is introduced to account for the dependence of the dyadic probability of war on the size of the international system. The democratic peace is supported in our basic model. In a refined model, we find that the tendency of democracies to join each other in wars is much more marked than their avoidance of mutual fighting. This explains why democracies are as war-prone as autocracies.
A conceptual model for a programme monitoring and evaluation information system

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Monitoring and Evaluation software landscape 4 1.2. 1 Software for data identification 4 1.2. 2 Data Collection Software 4 1.2. 3 Data Analysis Software 7 1.2. 4 Reporting Software 8 1.2. 5 Adaptable Software 8 1.3 Description of selected software 8 1.3. 1 PEPPMIS 9 1.3. 2 PEMS 10 1.3. 3 LOGICS 11 1.3. 4 eM&ETM 13 1.3. 5 CRIS 15 1.4 Research problem and objective 16 1.4. 1 Statement of the problem 16 1.4. 2 Research objective 17 1.5 Design and Methodology 18 1.6 Layout and structure of the thesis 18 2 Chapter 2: LITERATURE 20 2.
Energy-Aware Grid Multipath Routing Protocol in MANET

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is one consisting of a set of mobile hosts capable of communicating with each other without the assistance of base stations. Earlier research has proposed several unipath routing protocols specifically on MANET, but most studies have not focused on the limitations of battery resource. To alleviate these problems, a new routing protocol called energy-aware grid multipath routing (EAGMR) protocol is proposed. The proposed protocol can conserve energy and provide the best path to route according to probability. Simulation results indicate that this new energy-aware protocol can save energy of mobile hosts and improve data packet delivery ratio
Association of the Human CYP11B2 Gene and Essential Hypertension in Southwest Han Chinese Population: A Haplotype-Based Case-Control Study

Aldosterone synthase produces aldosterone, which regulates electrolytes and thereby blood pressure (BP). The aldosterone-synthase gene (CYP11B2) has been regarded as a candidate gene for essential hypertension. To address this issue, we carried out a haplotype-based, case-control study to explore the association between a human CYP11B2 gene and essential hypertension (EH) in the southwest Han population of China (n = 1020 individuals). Four tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4536, rs4545, rs3097, and rs3802230) and the C-344T polymorphism, as well as the K173R polymorphism in the CYP11B2 gene, were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method. Single-locus analysis showed that the C allele of rs3802230 was significantly more prevalent in the EH subjects as compared to control subjects, adjusted for covariates. Haplotype analysis showed that the haplotype AAGC constructed by the tag SNPs (rs4536, rs4545, rs3097, and rs3802230), which carried the susceptible rs3802230 C allele, significantly increased the risk of essential hypertension with an odds ratios equal to 3.56 (P = 0.0001). The present results indicated that the rs3802230 C allele might be a risk marker for essential hypertension and haplotype AAGC might confer high genetic susceptibility to essential hypertension in a southwest Han Chinese population.
On Breaking SAML: Be Whoever You Want to Be

The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is a widely adopted language for making security statements about subjects. It is a critical component for the development of federated identity deployments and Single Sign-On scenarios. In order to protect integrity and authenticity of the exchanged SAML assertions, the XML Signature standard is applied. However, the signature verification algorithm is much more complex than in traditional signature formats like PKCS#7. The integrity protection can thus be successfully circumvented by application of different XML Signature specific attacks, under a weak adversarial model. In this paper we describe an in-depth analysis of 14 major SAML frameworks and show that 11 of them, including Salesforce, Shibboleth, and IBM XS40, have critical XML Signature wrapping (XSW) vulnerabilities. Based on our analysis, we developed an automated penetration testing tool for XSW in SAML frameworks. Its feasibility was proven by additional discovery of a new XSW variant. We propose the first framework to analyze such attacks, which is based on the information flow between two components of the Relying Party. Surprisingly, this analysis also yields efficient and practical countermeasures.
Research on High-Speed Railway model for train-ground MIMO channel

This paper focuses on the modeling of High-Speed Railway (HSR) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. By using the geometry-based statistical method and ray tracing technique, a train-ground channel model based on the measurement of actual channel is proposed. Then the time-domain attenuation, channel capacity, Doppler power spectrum are simulated and analyzed to verify the validity of our model. In addition, as the velocity of the HSR leads to critical time-selective fading, so the speed on the influence of these parameters are also analyzed in this paper. All these results significantly promote the evaluation, simulation and design of the wireless communication system based on long term evolution (LTE) application to the future high speed railway.