Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collective–conflictual value co-creation

Drawing on the theory of strategic action fields, this article explores a collective–conflictual perspective on value co-creation. Following recent developments and calls for research with a holistic outlook, we review streams of research that discuss both collective and discordant elements in social relations and subsequently relate this to value co-creation. We outline a conceptual framework for value co-creation, focusing on collective action that includes various actors, interactions, practices, and outcomes. This article pioneers the underdeveloped collective–conflictual perspective on value co-creation. Our framework enables empirical research in value co-creation that accounts for multiple actors nested in fields of collective action.
A qualitative exploration of how young people experience and make sense of medically unexplained symptoms

Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS), symptoms which do not have a full medical explanation, defy expectations of the illness experience and provide significant challenges to medical services. Clinical guidelines recommend the coconstruction of a shared understanding of difficulties. However, this is difficult when symptoms do not have an explanation, and experiences and perspectives of doctors and patients are mismatched. A qualitative approach was utilised to explore how young people experience and make sense of MUS. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine young people who were experiencing symptoms they had been told did not have a full medical explanation. Inductive thematic analysis identified young people with MUS have difficulty making sense of MUS, found it hard living with MUS and were trying to find a way to manage their symptoms and move forward with their lives. Participants struggled to fit within the medical system. Without a language and way to make sense of their experiences, they struggled to integrate this into their developing identity. Participants assumed a personal responsibility for their recovery but struggled with this in the context of feeling excluded and disempowered. Implications for clinical practice are considered, recommending discussion of shared uncertainty and ways of managing uncertainty may be helpful for families and professionals. Suggestions are made for future research to extend the current findings and a critical appraisal of the research is provided.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vpr Induces Apoptosis in Human Neuronal Cells

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) causes AIDS dementia complex (ADC) in certain infected individuals. Recent studies have suggested that patients with ADC have an increased incidence of neuronal apoptosis leading to neuronal dropout. Of note, a higher level of the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpr has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of AIDS patients with neurological disorders. Moreover, extracellular Vpr has been shown to form ion channels, leading to cell death of cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Based on these previous findings, we first investigated the apoptotic effects of the HIV-1 Vpr protein on the human neuronal precursor NT2 cell line at a range of concentrations. These studies demonstrated that apoptosis induced by both Vpr and the envelope glycoprotein, gp120, occurred in a dose-dependent manner compared to protein treatment with HIV-1 integrase, maltose binding protein (MBP), and MBP-Vpr in the undifferentiated NT2 cells. For mature, differentiated neurons, apoptosis was also induced in a dose-dependent manner by both Vpr and gp120 at concentrations ranging from 1 to 100 ng/ml, as demonstrated by both the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (Tdt)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling and Annexin V assays for apoptotic cell death. In order to clarify the intracellular pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in Vpr- and gp120-induced apoptosis in the NT2 cell line and differentiated mature human neurons, we then examined the cellular lysates for caspase-8 activity in these studies. Vpr and gp120 treatments exhibited a potent increase in activation of caspase-8 in both mature neurons and undifferentiated NT2 cells. This suggests that Vpr may be exerting selective cytotoxicity in a neuronal precursor cell line and in mature human neurons through the activation of caspase-8. These data represent a characterization of Vpr-induced apoptosis in human neuronal cells, and suggest that extracellular Vpr, along with other lentiviral proteins, may increase neuronal apoptosis in the CNS. Also, identification of the intracellular activation of caspase-8 in Vpr-induced apoptosis of human neuronal cells may lead to therapeutic approaches which can be used to combat HIV-1-induced neuronal apoptosis in AIDS patients with ADC.
Anatomy of North Pacific Decadal Variability

Abstract A systematic analysis of North Pacific decadal variability in a full-physics coupled ocean–atmosphere model is executed. The model is an updated and improved version of the coupled model studied by Latif and Barnett. Evidence is sought for determining the details of the mechanism responsible for the enhanced variance of some variables at 20–30-yr timescales. The possible mechanisms include a midlatitude gyre ocean–atmosphere feedback loop, stochastic forcing, remote forcing, or sampling error. Decadal variability in the model is expressed most prominently in anomalies of upper-ocean streamfunction, sea surface temperature (SST), and latent surface heat flux in the Kuroshio–Oyashio extension (KOE) region off Japan. The decadal signal off Japan is initiated by changes in strength and position of the Aleutian low. The atmospheric perturbations excite SST anomalies in the central and eastern North Pacific (with opposing signs and canonical structure). The atmospheric perturbations also change the Ekm.
Teacher knowledge and understanding of students’ mathematical learning and thinking

It is widely accepted today that teachers should be aware of, and knowledgeable about, students’ mathematical learning. It is believed that such awareness and knowledge signifi cantly contribute to various aspects of the practice of teaching. In this chapter, we critically examine this commonly held belief. We begin this chapter by interpreting what one might mean by teacher knowledge and understanding of students’ mathematical learning. Then we move to examining possible implications of such teacher knowledge on instruction. The third part of this chapter examines the assumption that teacher knowledge and understanding of students’ mathematical learning is essential for good teaching in light of different theoretical perspectives. The fourth part discusses pre- and in-service teacher education that focus on different aspects of students’ mathematical learning. Finally, we conclude this chapter by suggesting issues for further research.
Clinical management of radicular pain

This review provides an overview of the diagnosis and treatment strategies for the management of radicular pain. While it is not as common as axial spinal pain, radicular pain combines the advantage of leveraging appropriate diagnostic strategies and definitive treatments with well-informed outcome measures. Multiple diagnostic measures include not only history and physical examination, but also imaging. The treatment modalities include pharmacologic management, physical and rehabilitation measures, interventional techniques and surgical treatments. Here, the authors describe the prevalence and pathophysiology of radicular pain, risk factors, diagnostic strategies, treatment modalities and the evidence for these management strategies. Finally, the authors show the efficacy of conservative management, despite surgical management being the gold standard.
Autophagy provides metabolic substrates to maintain energy charge and nucleotide pools in Ras-driven lung cancer cells

Here, Guo et al. investigate how autophagy maintains mitochondrial function in Ras-driven cancer cells and why autophagy is critical for their survival in starvation. By analyzing mitochondrial genomes from Atg7 wild-type and Atg7-deficient Kras-driven lung tumors, the authors demonstrated that autophagy supports nucleotide pools, which enables survival of Ras-driven cancer cells in starvation.
Association of Vitamin E Levels with Metabolic Syndrome, and MRI-Derived Body Fat Volumes and Liver Fat Content

We aimed to relate circulating α- and γ-tocopherol levels to a broad spectrum of adiposity-related traits in a cross-sectional Northern German study. Anthropometric measures were obtained, and adipose tissue volumes and liver fat were quantified by magnetic resonance imaging in 641 individuals (mean age 61 years; 40.6% women). Concentrations of α- and γ-tocopherol were measured using high performance liquid chromatography. Multivariable-adjusted linear and logistic regression were used to assess associations of circulating α- and γ-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio levels with visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), liver signal intensity (LSI), fatty liver disease (FLD), metabolic syndrome (MetS), and its individual components. The α-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio was positively associated with VAT (β scaled by interquartile range (IQR): 0.036; 95%Confidence Interval (CI): 0.0003; 0.071) and MetS (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.83; 95% CI: 1.21–2.76 for 3rd vs. 1st tertile), and the γ-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio was positively associated with VAT (β scaled by IQR: 0.066; 95% CI: 0.027; 0.104), SAT (β scaled by IQR: 0.048; 95% CI: 0.010; 0.087) and MetS (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.23–2.84 for 3rd vs. 1st tertile). α- and γ-tocopherol levels were positively associated with high triglycerides and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all Ptrend < 0.05). No association of α- and γ-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio with LSI/FLD was observed. Circulating vitamin E levels displayed strong associations with VAT and MetS. These observations lay the ground for further investigation in longitudinal studies.
A real-time electronic alert to improve detection of acute kidney injury in a large teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious problem in hospitalized patients. Early detection is critical for optimal management but in practice is currently inadequate. To improve outcomes in AKI, development of early detection tools is essential. METHODS We developed an automated real-time electronic alert system employing algorithms which combined internationally recognized criteria for AKI [Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage kidney disease (RIFLE) and Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN)]. All adult patients admitted to Nottingham University Hospitals were included. Where a patient's serum creatinine increased sufficiently to define AKI, an electronic alert was issued, with referral to an intranet-based AKI guideline. Incidence of AKI Stages 1-3, in-hospital mortality, length of stay and distribution between specialties is reported. RESULTS Between May 2011 and April 2013, 59,921 alerts resulted from 22,754 admission episodes, associated with 15,550 different patients. Overall incidence of AKI for inpatients was 10.7%. Highest AKI stage reached was: Stage 1 in 7.2%, Stage 2 in 2.2% and Stage 3 in 1.3%. In-hospital mortality for all AKI stages was 18.5% and increased with AKI stage (12.5, 28.4, 35.7% for Stages 1, 2 and 3 AKI, respectively). Median length of stay was 9 days for all AKI. CONCLUSIONS This is the first fully automated real time AKI e-alert system, using AKIN and RIFLE criteria, to be introduced to a large National Health Service hospital. It has provided one of the biggest single-centre AKI datasets in the UK revealing mortality rates which increase with AKI stage. It is likely to have improved detection and management of AKI. The methodology is transferable to other acute hospitals.
Synergistic Inhibitory Effects of Hypoxia and Iron Deficiency on Hepatic Glucose Response in Mouse Liver

Hypoxia and iron both regulate metabolism through multiple mechanisms, including hypoxia-inducible transcription factors. The hypoxic effects on glucose disposal and glycolysis are well established, but less is known about the effects of hypoxia and iron deficiency on hepatic gluconeogenesis. We therefore assessed their effects on hepatic glucose production in mice. Weanling C57BL/6 male mice were fed an iron-deficient (4 ppm) or iron-adequate (35 ppm) diet for 14 weeks and were continued in normoxia or exposed to hypoxia (8% O2) for the last 4 weeks of that period. Hypoxic mice became hypoglycemic and displayed impaired hepatic glucose production after a pyruvate challenge, an effect accentuated by an iron-deficient diet. Stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factors under hypoxia resulted in most glucose being converted into lactate and not oxidized. Hepatic pyruvate concentrations were lower in hypoxic mice. The decreased hepatic pyruvate levels were not caused by increased utilization but rather were contributed to by decreased metabolism from gluconeogenic amino acids. Pyruvate carboxylase, which catalyzes the first step of gluconeogenesis, was also downregulated by hypoxia with iron deficiency. Hypoxia, and more so hypoxia with iron deficiency, results in hypoglycemia due to decreased levels of hepatic pyruvate and decreased pyruvate utilization for gluconeogenesis. These data highlight the role of iron levels as an important determinant of glucose metabolism in hypoxia.
An evaluation of group supervision in a specialist provision supporting young people with mental health needs: A social constructionist perspective

Aim:This research aimed to explore the use of group supervision with staff supporting young people with social, emotional and mental health needs in a specialist education setting. Educational Psychologists led fortnightly group supervision sessions in order to promote collaborative problem solving and to acknowledge the emotional impact of the role on staff.Method:The project was undertaken over a 12-month period and a focus group was completed in order to evaluate the experience of group supervision from key workers’ perspectives. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.Findings:Findings indicated that group supervision had a positive impact on team communication and coherence. Individuals also reported becoming more self-aware in role and experiencing enhanced problem-solving skills in relation to young people’s emotional presentation. The practical implementation of group supervision was also found to be important to participants and suggestions for development are discussed.Limitations:It is recognised that this was a small-scale piece of research, describing the views of particular individuals in a particular setting and that evaluation was conducted by the researchers. Further research with key stakeholders is required to identify whether data which evidences changes to key workers’ practice is triangulated by information from a range of sources.Conclusion:It is proposed that using a social constructionist perspective within a group supervision context can promote shared understanding and facilitate change in a context where mental health needs are present.
First report of putative Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6D among nasopharyngeal isolates from Fijian children.

BACKGROUND A putative Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype, 6D, resulting from the introduction of wciN(beta) into serotype 6B has been proposed. METHODS We studied 98 unique serogroup 6 isolates from Fijian children, two-thirds of whom had received at least 1 dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and 51 invasive isolates from Australian children. We used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system that targets both wciN(beta) and the single-nucleotide polymorphism that differentiates serotypes 6A and 6B-wciP584g (6A) and wciP584a (6B). RESULTS Two (9%) of 22 Australian isolates and 24 (38%) of 64 Fijian isolates previously identified as 6A by the Quellung reaction and wciP584g PCR contained wciN(beta) and were designated as 6C; 14 (41%) of 34 Fijian isolates previously identified as 6B by the Quellung reaction and wciP584a PCR contained wciN(beta) and were designated as the new putative serotype 6D. A significantly smaller proportion of children from whom serotype 6D was isolated (2/14 [14%]) had not received PCV-7, compared with the proportion of those from whom serotype 6B was isolated (11/20 [55%]) (P < .05). CONCLUSION This is the first report of naturally occurring S. pneumoniae serotype 6D.
Common Feature Discriminant Analysis for Matching Infrared Face Images to Optical Face Images

In biometrics research and industry, it is critical yet a challenge to match infrared face images to optical face images. The major difficulty lies in the fact that a great discrepancy exists between the infrared face image and corresponding optical face image because they are captured by different devices (optical imaging device and infrared imaging device). This paper presents a new approach called common feature discriminant analysis to reduce this great discrepancy and improve optical-infrared face recognition performance. In this approach, a new learning-based face descriptor is first proposed to extract the common features from heterogeneous face images (infrared face images and optical face images), and an effective matching method is then applied to the resulting features to obtain the final decision. Extensive experiments are conducted on two large and challenging optical-infrared face data sets to show the superiority of our approach over the state-of-the-art.
Ebf2 Marks Early Cortical Neurogenesis and Regulates the Generation of Cajal-Retzius Neurons in the Developing Cerebral Cortex

Mammalian cortical neurogenesis occurs on a precise time schedule during development. The earliest born neurons form the preplate and later separate into layer 1, which includes Cajal-Retzius (C-R) neurons, and the subplate. The preplate and its derivatives play a critical role in regulating subsequent neuron migration and cortical lamination. Using an early B cell factor 2 (Ebf2)-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mouse line, we show that Ebf2-EGFP is expressed in the preplate and persists in C-R neurons, allowing us to follow the development of these early born neurons. Therefore, Ebf2 is a genetic marker for preplate neurons from the earliest stage of their differentiation and C-R cells after the preplate is split. Additionally, we examined the function of Ebf2 in the development of C-R neurons using both lentiviral-mediated knock-down overexpression approaches to perturb Ebf2 expression. Our data show that Ebf2 overexpression increases the generation of early born neurons including C-R cells, while Ebf2 knock-down decreases it, without affecting the generation of other layer-specific neurons in vitro. These results indicate that Ebf2 is important for early cortical neurogenesis and regulates the generation of C-R neurons in the developing cerebral cortex.
Detecting shared congestion paths based on PCA

Most existing techniques detecting shared congestion paths are based on pair-wise comparison of paths with a common source or destination point. It is difficult to extend them to cluster paths with different sources and destinations. In this paper, we propose a scalable approach to cluster shared congestion paths based on PCA. This algorithm maps the delay measurement data of each path into a point in a new, low-dimensional space based on the factor loading matrix in PCA, which reflect correlation between paths. In this new space, points are close to each other if the corresponding paths share congestion. Then, the clustering analysis is applied to these points so as to identify shared congestion paths accurately. This algorithm is evaluated by NS2 simulations. The results show us that this algorithm has high accuracy.
Microwave effects in organic synthesis: myth or reality?

on the use ofmicrowaveirradiationto“accelerate”organicchemicaltrans-formations, there has been considerable speculation anddiscussion of this effect. Much of the debate has centeredaround the question whether the observed effects can in allinstances be rationalized by purely thermal/kinetic phenom-ena (thermal microwave effects) arising from the rapidheating and high bulk reaction temperatures attained withmicrowave dielectric heating, or whether some effects areconnected to so-called specific or nonthermal microwaveeffects.
An incremental algorithm for Betti numbers of simplicial complexes

A general and direct method for computing the betti numbers of thehomology groups of a finite simplicial complex is given. Forsubcomplexes of a triangulation of <inline-equation><f><blkbd>S</blkbd><sup>3</sup></f></inline-equation> this method has implementations that run in time<? Pub Fmt italic>O<? Pub Fmt /italic>(<? Pub Fmt italic>n<? Pub Fmt /italic>δ(<? Pub Fmt italic><? Pub Caret>n<? Pub Fmt /italic>))and <? Pub Fmt italic>O(n)<? Pub Fmt /italic>, where<? Pub Fmt italic>n<? Pub Fmt /italic> is the number of simplices in thetriangulation. If applied to the family of δ-shapes of a finitepoint set in <inline-equation><f><blkbd>R</blkbd><sup>3</sup></f></inline-equation> it takes time<? Pub Fmt italic>O<? Pub Fmt /italic>(<? Pub Fmt italic>n<? Pub Fmt /italic>δ(<? Pub Fmt italic>n<? Pub Fmt /italic>))to compute the betti numbers of all δ-shapes.
Analytic model for SDN controller traffic and switch table occupancy

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a major paradigm in the field of current communication networks. SDN is used as the basis of many new networks although few performance models are available in the literature, and the majority of performance evaluations are based primarily on practical measurements. To fill this gap, we develop an analytical model to assess SDN control plane traffic as well as the occupancy of the flow table of an SDN switch. The contribution of this work is the formulation of the model for the performance-decisive parameters control-plane traffic and flow table occupancy and the application of the model for different data plane traffic characteristics. In the end, there is a discussion about the setting of time-out values for storing flow entries in the switch flow table depending on the traffic characteristics in the data plane. The trade-off between the signaling traffic in the control plane and the occupancy of the flow table is discussed to minimize both.
A conceptual model and key variables for guiding supportive interventions for family caregivers of people receiving palliative care

According to the World Health Organization, the patient and family should be viewed as the “unit of care” when palliative care is required. Therefore family caregivers should receive optimal supportive care from health professionals. However, the impact of supporting a dying relative is frequently described as having negative physical and psychosocial sequalae. Furthermore, family caregivers consistently report unmet needs and there has been a dearth of rigorous supportive interventions published. In addition, comprehensive conceptual frameworks to navigate the family caregiver experience and guide intervention development are lacking. This article draws on Lazarus and Folkman's seminal work on the transactional stress and coping framework to present a conceptual model specific to family caregivers of patients receiving palliative care. A comprehensive account of key variables to aid understanding of the family caregiver experience and intervention design is provided.