Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Mentoring Practice on employee ’ s Performance : A Case Study of Abia State University Uturu , Nigeria

This work examined the effect of mentoring practice on employees’ performance. The rate at which new universities are springing up and the attendant mobility of academic staff, the increasing demographic changes among lecturers, the falling standards of educations, increasing cases of staff disillusionment and disorientation made this study necessary. The objectives of the study were; to identify the nature of the relationship between knowledge transfer mentoring and career growth of junior lecturers and to establish the nature of the relationship between the psychosocial functions of mentoring and career adjustment of junior lecturers. To achieve the objectives, a survey research design was adopted. The techniques employed in analyzing the data were descriptive statistics and the spearman rank correlation coefficient. The results indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between knowledge transfer mentoring and career growth of junior lecturers. It was also found that there is a positive and significant relationship between psychosocial functions of a mentor and career adjustment of junior lecturers. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that mentoring practice has an effect on employee performance. It was recommended among others that management of Abia State University should make mentoring an academic responsibility for certain categories of lecturers. That is making it mandatory through a policy instrument with associated incentives for Readers and Professors to engage in mentoring junior colleagues.
Administration of the State Information System of the Estonian eGovernment

The developing of Estonian eGovernment components started approximately at the beginning of the century. In this article, we discuss our experience of how the main components of Estonian eGovernment are managed in this period. The administration system RIHA is developed for realizing this management. The objective of the RIHA is to guarantee the transparency of the administration of the state information system, planning for information administration and supporting the interoperability of databases of the state, local governments and persons in private law performing public duties.
Rotavirus NSP 5 phosphorylation is up-regulated by interaction with NSP 2

IP: 54.70. 40.11 On: Wed, 03 Jul 2019 02:33:39 Journal of General Virology (1998), 79, 2679–2686. Printed in Great Britain .
Randomized clinical study comparing aggressive chemotherapy with or without G‐CSF support for high‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes or secondary acute myeloid leukaemia evolving from MDS

One hundred and five consecutive primary high‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or secondary acute myeloid leukaemia (sAML) evolving from MDS (performance status 0–3, ECOG) entered this study. Induction chemotherapy (CT) consisted of idarubicine 12 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 and 2, etoposide 60 mg/m2/12 h i.v. for 5 d, Ara‐C 120 mg/m2/12 h i.v. for 5 d (one or two courses). Patients were randomized to receive or not G‐CSF (5 μg/kg/d subcutaneously 48 h after the end of CT). 52 cases underwent CT alone and 53 CT+G‐CSF. The CT + G‐CSF patients had a significantly shorter duration of neutropenia (8 v 16 d) with a lower incidence of infections and significantly better responses (CR+PR: 74% v 52%, P < 0.05). 40 patients entered CR: 17 with CT and 23 with CT+G‐CSF. Responders underwent two consolidation courses with the same CT, followed by high‐dose Ara‐C (2 g/m2 every 12 h for 3 d). Most CRs were clonal. At present 21 responders have relapsed (median relapse‐free survival 4.5 months). Eight responders received an allo‐BMT, six are alive in CR 7–57 months post‐transplant. Therefore allo‐BMT only increases the chance of a long survival and possible cure. In conclusion, CT+G‐CSF did not prolong either CR duration or survival; the growth factor support, however, increased the number of allo‐transplantable cases by inducing higher remission rates and improving clinical conditions.
A comprehensive model for x-ray projection imaging system efficiency and image quality characterization in the presence of scattered radiation

This work proposes a method for assessing the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of radiographic imaging systems that include both the x-ray detector and the antiscatter device. Cascaded linear analysis of the antiscatter device efficiency (DQEASD) with the x-ray detector DQE is used to develop a metric of system efficiency (DQEsys); the new metric is then related to the existing system efficiency parameters of effective DQE (eDQE) and generalized DQE (gDQE). The effect of scatter on signal transfer was modelled through its point spread function (PSF), leading to an x-ray beam transfer function (BTF) that multiplies with the classical presampling modulation transfer function (MTF) to give the system MTF. Expressions are then derived for the influence of scattered radiation on signal-difference to noise ratio (SDNR) and contrast-detail (c-d) detectability. The DQEsys metric was tested using two digital mammography systems, for eight x-ray beams (four with and four without scatter), matched in terms of effective energy. The model was validated through measurements of contrast, SDNR and MTF for poly(methyl)methacrylate thicknesses covering the range of scatter fractions expected in mammography. The metric also successfully predicted changes in c-d detectability for different scatter conditions. Scatter fractions for the four beams with scatter were established with the beam stop method using an extrapolation function derived from the scatter PSF, and validated through Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Low-frequency drop of the MTF from scatter was compared to both theory and MC calculations. DQEsys successfully quantified the influence of the grid on SDNR and accurately gave the break-even object thickness at which system efficiency was improved by the grid. The DQEsys metric is proposed as an extension of current detector characterization methods to include a performance evaluation in the presence of scattered radiation, with an antiscatter device in place.
Treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of urinary bladder using meloxicam in a dog : a case report

A 12-year-old spayed female poodle dog had clinical sign of stranguria. The dog was definitive diagnosed by radiography, ultrasonography and histopathology that it was invasive transitional cell carcinoma at the neck of urinary bladder. The dog was treated with meloxicam and black sesamin. The side effects of treatment, blood profiles and urinalysis were investigated once a month and urinary bladder ultrasonographic examination was performed every two months for disease progression monitoring. The dog had the stable size of mass. The side effects of meloxicam were not observed during treatment.
Building Palm Vein Capturing System for Extraction

The palm vein pattern is unique to individuality which pattern does not change over time apart from size. This feature makes it suitable for one-to-many matching, for which fingerprint and face recognition may not be robust. In this paper, we set up a creatively vein-image capturing system and present a novel framework, composed of image enhancement, feature extraction, noise removal, thinning, skeletonization, and pruning for vein pattern extraction. In our experiments, 25 persons of different ages above 20 including five girls and twenty boys, each has 20 images per person was acquired at different intervals, 10 images for left hand and 10 images for right hand. The performance of the accurate extraction rate is 93.4% on average, 94.8% on right hand and 91.9% on left hand, respectively.
Physical activity monitoring in children and youths.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Public health data have confirmed epidemic levels of pediatric obesity and inactivity in the United States today. Activity monitoring can provide real-world outcomes for new interventions for youths with mobility limitations. Valid and reliable measures of ambulatory activity are needed to understand the relationship between inactivity and obesity. The purpose of this paper is to highlight issues relevant to ambulatory activity monitoring in pediatric populations. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS A review of the currently available pedometers and accelerometers for ambulatory physical activity monitoring is presented. Elements of device selection are discussed and critical criteria proposed for physical activity monitoring of children and adolescents. Finally, examples of pediatric physical activity monitoring are presented in the context of clinical practice and research.
Hardware implementation and testing of effective DPCM image compression technique using multiple-LUT

Of the various onboard data compression techniques used in image processing, DPCM is one of the most commonly used. This paper presents a variant of DPCM based image compression technique called DPCM-ML. DPCM-ML is an effective technique for compressing images with high degree of contrast. This paper explains the DPCM-ML technique and the implementation methodology used. For the hardware implementation, an algorithm for DPCM-ML technique is designed. Various test data were generated during simulation to verify the developed code prior to implementation on hardware. The hardware functionality was verified with same test data used during simulation and also an image file was fed to the hardware from PC and the compressed data was acquired. Reverse algorithm was developed in PC to reconstruct the image from compressed data, so that the comparison could be done between real image and reconstructed image.
PREDICTION OF AIRCRAFT BOARDING TIME USING LSTM NETWORK

Reliable and predictable ground operations are essential for 4D aircraft trajectories. Uncertainties in the airborne phase have significantly less impact on flight punctuality than deviations in aircraft ground operations. The ground trajectory of an aircraft primarily consists of the handling processes at the stand, defined as the aircraft turnaround, which are mainly controlled by operational experts. Only the aircraft boarding, which is on the critical path of the turnaround, is driven by the passengers’ experience and willingness or ability to follow the proposed procedures. We propose a machine learning approach predict the boarding time. A validated boarding simulation provides data input for a recurrent neural network approach (discrete time series of boarding progress). In particular we use a Long Short-Term Memory model to learn the characteristic passenger behaviors over time.
Political Storms: Tracking Hurricane Evacuation Behavior Using Smartphone Data

Authors are encouraged to submit new papers to INFORMS journals by means of a style file template, which includes the journal title. However, use of a template does not certify that the paper has been accepted for publication in the named journal. INFORMS journal templates are for the exclusive purpose of submitting to an INFORMS journal and should not be used to distribute the papers in print or online or to submit the papers to another publication.
Glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter determines transgene expression in satellite glial cells following intraganglionic adeno‐associated virus delivery in adult rats

Recombinant adeno‐associated viral (AAV)‐mediated therapeutic gene transfer to dorsal root ganglia (DRG) is an effective and safe tool for treating chronic pain. However, AAV with various constitutively active promoters leads to transgene expression predominantly to neurons, while glial cells are refractory to AAV transduction in the peripheral nervous system. The present study evaluated whether in vivo satellite glial cell (SGC) transduction in the DRG can be enhanced by the SGC‐specific GFAP promoter and by using shH10 and shH19, which are engineered capsid variants with Müller glia‐prone transduction. Titer‐matched AAV6 (as control), AAVshH10, and AAVshH19, all encoding the EGFP driven by the constitutively active CMV promoter, as well as AAV6‐EGFP and AAVshH10‐EGFP driven by a GFAP promoter (AAV6‐GFAP‐EGFP and AAVshH10‐GFAP‐EGFP), were injected into DRG of adult male rats. Neurotropism of gene expression was determined and compared by immunohistochemistry. Results showed that injection of AAV6‐ and AAVshH10‐GFAP‐EGFP induces robust EGFP expression selectively in SGCs, whereas injection of either AAVshH10‐CMV‐EGFP or AAVshH19‐CMV‐EGFP into DRG resulted in a similar in vivo transduction profile to AAV6‐CMV‐EGFP, all showing efficient transduction of sensory neurons without significant transduction of glial cell populations. Coinjection of AAV6‐CMV‐mCherry and AAV6‐GFAP‐EGFP induces transgene expression in neurons and SGCs separately. This report, together with our prior studies, demonstrates that the GFAP promoter rather than capsid tropism determines selective gene expression in SGCs following intraganglionic AAV delivery in adult rats. A dual AAV system, one with GFAP promoter and the other with CMV promoter, can efficiently express transgenes selectively in neurons versus SGCs.
Effect of an oral contraceptive on emotional distress , anxiety anddepressionofwomenwithpolycystic ovary syndrome : a prospective study

study question: We aimed to determine the impact of an oral contraceptive (OC) treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depressive and anxiety symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). summary answer: OC therapy in PCOS improves hirsutism and menstrual disturbances, along with HRQOL. This improvement is not associated with any change in the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms. what is known and what this article adds: Limited data are available regarding the effects of an OC on HRQOL, and depressive and anxiety symptoms in PCOS. This study reports the effects of the ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone (EE/DRSP) OC on an HRQOL questionnaire for women with PCOS (PCOSQ), depressive and anxiety symptoms after 6 months of treatment. design: Prospective observational study. All participants completed PCOSQ, Beck Depression Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and General Health Questionnaire. Serum androgens, fasting insulin, fasting and postload glucose values during an oral glucose tolerance test were measured. Changes in these variables and the scores of questionnaires were evaluated after 6 months of treatment with EE/DRSP (3 mg/30 mg). participants and setting: Thirty-six patients with PCOS without a previous psychiatric diagnosis were included in the study. main results and the role of chance: The main complaints of the patients were hirsutism and irregular menses. Accordingly, menstrual and hirsutism problems were the most serious concerns followed by emotional problems on the PCOSQ. Eight patients (22.2%) had clinical depression scores. After treatment, regular menstrual cycles were attained and hirsutism was significantly improved in all patients. Hirsutism and emotion domains of the PCOSQ improved at 6 months (P , 0.05 for both). Depression was improved in five of eight depressive patients and four new patients showed increased depression scores. Overall, depression, anxiety mean scores and depression rates did not show a significant change. bias, confounding and other reasons for caution: The study is subject to the strengths and limitations of observational study design. A limitation of our study is the small sample size and lack of data related to possible confounding factors. generalizability to other populations: Generalizable to Caucasian PCOS. study funding/competing interest(s): This work was supported, in part, by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (Grant TUBA-GEBIP 2006).
Validity and reliability evidence of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-12 in a sample of Mexican workers

Título: Evidencias psicométricas sobre la validez y fiabilidad del cuestionario de capital psicológico (PCQ-12) en una muestra de trabajadores mexicanos. Resumen: El capital psicológico es un constructo que se incluye en la teoría del comportamiento positivo de la organización, que se basa en los principios positivos de la psicología. Este concepto está compuesto por cuatro dimensiones, autoeficacia, esperanza, resiliciencia y optimismo, que tienen una acción sinérgica. El objetivo de este estudio fue informar sobre las propiedades psicométricas de una de las medidas de capital psicológico, el Cuestionario de Capital Psicológico-12 (CCP-12), en una muestra de 396 trabajadores mexicanos. La estructura factorial de este instrumento se analizó a través de un análisis factorial confirmatorio. La fiabilidad se evaluó con los coeficientes de fiabilidad Alfa y Compuesto de Cronbach. Además, también se evaluaron la validez convergente y discriminante. Con base en estos tres modelos concurrentes, se observó que el modelo que tenía un mejor ajuste estaba compuesto por cuatro factores correlacionados. Se discuten las implicaciones de estos resultados y se proporcionan recomendaciones para futuras investigaciones. Este artículo, que presenta una estructura factorial diferente a la habitual del capital psicológico, sugiere que las diferencias culturales pueden jugar un papel crucial en la forma en que se comporta el constructo evaluado. Palabras clave: capital psicológico; Cuestionario de Capital Psicológico-12; fiabilidad; validez. Abstract: Psychological capital is a construct that is included in the positive organizational behavior framework, which is based on positive psychology principles. This concept is composed by four dimensions, self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, which have a synergistic action. The aim of this study was to report the psychometric properties of one of the measures of psychological capital, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-12 (PCQ-12), in a sample of 396 Mexican workers. This instruments’ factor structure was analyzed through a confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed with the Cronbach’s Alpha and Composite Reliability coefficients. Furthermore, convergent and discriminant validity were also evaluated. Based on three concurrent models, it was observed that the model which possessed a better fit was composed by four-correlated factors. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations are provided for future researches. This paper, which presents a different factor structure than the usual of psychological capital, suggests that cultural differences may play a crucial role on the way the assessed construct behaves.
Physical and psychologic effects of aromatherapy inhalation on pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES Stress reduction care is important for pregnant women to decrease obstetric complications and children's health problems after birth. The aim of this study is to clarify the physical and psychologic effects of inhalation aromatherapy on pregnant women. Essential oils with high linalool and linalyl acetate content that may be used during pregnancy were selected and among these, and the one preferred by the participant was used. DESIGN This was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTINGS/LOCATION This trial was performed at a gynecology outpatient department in a hospital in Kyoto, Japan. PARTICIPANTS The study included pregnant women in week 28 of a single pregnancy with a normal course. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomly assigned into an aromatherapy group and a control group. They were seated in the resting, seated position for 10 minutes. During the latter 5 minutes of each 10-minute session, aromatherapy inhalation was performed for the aromatherapy group. OUTCOME MEASURES Before and after the intervention, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) was measured. During the trial, the heart-rate fluctuations were measured for the autonomic nervous system regulation. RESULTS A total of 13 pregnant women participated in the trial. Seven (7) participants were assigned to the aromatherapy group and 6 participants to the control group. The results of the POMS were such that based on an intragroup comparison, significant differences were observed in the Tension-Anxiety score (p<0.05) and the Anger-Hostility score (p<0.05), and the respective improvements observed were due to aromatherapy. The results of the autonomic nervous system regulation were such that based on an intragroup comparison within the aromatherapy group, the parasympathetic nerve activity increased significantly (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Aromatherapy inhalation using essential oils containing linalyl acetate and linalool was found to be effective for the POMS and parasympathetic nerve activity, based on an intragroup comparison. However, based on a comparison between the groups, no substantial difference was observed; hence, further study is necessary in the future.
Promoting Independent Task Performance by Persons with Severe Developmental Disabilities through a New Computer-Aided System

This study involved two experiments. In Experiment 1, a computer-aided system for promoting task performance by 6 persons with severe developmental disabilities was compared with a card system. The computer-aided system was portable and presented pictorial task instructions (one instruction per step) and prompts. In Experiment 2, the same systemwas used, but the number of instruction occasions was reduced. In one condition, the system presented all the instructions used in Experiment 1 but mostly in clusters rather than individually. In another, the system presented part of the Experiment 1 instructions. Three Experiment 1 participants also served in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 results indicated all 6 participants had higher percentages of correct steps with the computer system and preferred it to the card system. Experiment 2 results indicated that the condition in which the instructions were clusteredwas more effective for maintaining correct task performance. Implications of the findings were discussed.
PHASE TRANSFORMATION IN NEW LOW NICKEL COBALT FREE MARAGING STEELS

A new low nickel, cobalt free maraging steels instead of the costly conventional high cobalt maraging steels were developed. These steels were designed to use different Ti, Mo and Cr contents in order to achieve the comparable properties of high nickel cobalt maraging steels. Dilatometric study of the designed steels to determine the austentization and transformation temperatures of produced steels as well as reversion of martensite to austenite was carried out. In this work, the phase transformation behavior was studied. The effect of heating rates and alloying elements on the transformation temperatures As, Af, Ms and Mf were studied.
GNSS augmented with precise laser tracking

In this paper, we present the design of a laser tracking system using intelligent sensor nodes. We describe the individual components of the system as well as the related performance we achieve. The system is robust against electromagnetic field interferences and environmental influences. We present the differences between our precise laser tracker and other tracking systems like indoor radar or GPS, and finally the advantage of a hybrid system.