Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health-related quality of life in Australian survivors of critical illness*

Objective:To document health-related quality of life of an Australian sample of intensive care unit survivors 6 months after intensive care unit discharge and compare this with preadmission health-related quality of life, health-related quality of life of national population norms, and international samples of intensive care unit survivors. Design:Prospective observational single-center study. Setting:Eighteen-bed medical–surgical tertiary intensive care unit of an Australian metropolitan hospital. Patients:Of the 122 eligible patients, 100 were recruited (intensive care unit length of stay >48 hrs, age >18 yrs, not imminently at risk of death) and the final sample comprised 67 patients, age (median [interquartile range], 61 yrs [49–73 yrs]), 60% male admitted to the intensive care unit for a median [interquartile range] 101 hrs (68–149 hrs). Normative age- and sex-matched Australian Short-Form 36 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, selected international cohorts of intensive care unit survivors, and their respective national age-matched normative data were included for comparison. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Sixty-seven participants provided responses to questions rating health-related quality of life (Australian Short-Form 36) at preadmission (on admission to the intensive care unit or through retrospective recall as soon as able) and 6 months after intensive care unit discharge. Ten additional participants were unable to provide study data without proxy input and were excluded from analysis. Participants reported clinically meaningful improvements in bodily pain (p = .001), social functioning (p = .03), role–emotional domains of the Short-Form 36 (p = .04), and mental component summary score (p = .01) at 6 months after intensive care unit discharge, mostly attributable to the patients undergoing cardiac surgery, whereas remaining Short-Form 36 domains showed no difference between preadmission and 6 months (p > .05). Participants reported clinically meaningful decrements in preadmission Short-Form 36 data compared with the Australian normative population with role–physical (p < .001) and physical functioning (p < .001) most affected at follow-up. Health-related quality of life in this sample was comparable with international samples of intensive care unit survivors. Conclusions:Although the majority of health-related quality of life domains did not differ between preadmission and 6-month follow-up, participants reported significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain and mental health at follow-up. Critical illness survivors' health-related quality of life remained within 1 sd of Australian norms at follow-up and physical function health-related quality of life was most affected. Health-related quality of life in these Australian survivors of the intensive care unit was comparable with international survivors 6 months after intensive care unit admission.
Evaluation of a 384–Well Format for High-Throughput Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction for Avian Influenza Testing

As concerns over the global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have heightened, more countries are faced with increased surveillance efforts and incident response planning for handling a potential outbreak. The incorporation of molecular techniques in most diagnostic laboratories has enabled fast and efficient testing of many agents of concern, including avian influenza. However, the need for high-throughput testing remains. In this study, the use of a 384–well format for high-throughput real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) testing for avian influenza is described. The analytical sensitivity of a real-time RT-PCR assay for avian influenza virus matrix gene with the use of both 96– and 384–well assay formats and serial dilutions of transcribed control RNA were comparable, resulting in similar limits of detection. Of 28 hunter-collected cloacal swabs that were positive by virus isolation, 26 (92.9%) and 27 (96.4%) were positive in the 96– and 384–well assays, respectively; of the 340 hunter-collected swabs that were negative by virus isolation, 45 (13.2%) and 23 (6.8%) were positive in the 96– and 384–well assays, respectively. The data presented herein supports the utility of the 384–well format in the event of an avian influenza outbreak for high-throughput real-time RT-PCR testing.
Nitric oxide induced alleviation of toxic effects of short term and long term Cd stress on growth, oxidative metabolism and Cd accumulation in Chickpea

The present study investigates the effect of long and short term Cd stress in chickpea plants and evaluates the protective effect of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) supplementation using sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Cadmium treatments were given before sowing (long term stress) and thirty days after germination (short term stress). Sodium nitroprusside was given as foliar spray 30 days after germination to both long and short term Cd treated plants. Cadmium adversely affected the membranes as was evident from increased electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation levels. Sodium nitroprusside treatments decreased ion leakage and lipid peroxidation levels significantly. Short term Cd stress resulted in a higher induction of the catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase as compared to long term Cd stress. Nitric oxide showed its positive effect by further increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Cadmium stress also altered the level of antioxidant metabolites by reducing the ascorbate redox ratio (ASC/DHA) and glutathione redox ratio (GSH/GSSG). Sodium nitroprusside treatments increased the redox ratios. Cadmium also adversely affected the seed yield and a greater decline was observed with long term Cd stress as compared to short term Cd stress. Nitric oxide had a positive effect on seed yield and Cd accumulation. The study concludes that an exogenous supply of NO protects chickpea plants from Cd toxicity.
Geometric conditions of space imagery for mapping

From the test field Zonguldak different high and very high resolution optical satellite images are available like TK350, ASTER, KOMPSAT-1, IRS-IC, SPOT 5, KVR1000, IKONOS and QuickBird. The images partially have been achieved as close to original images (level 1A) and partially projected to a plane with constant object height (level 1B). For some images, based on direct sensor information, a good image orientation is given which for some only has to be improved by a shift in X and Y, while for others only rough orientations are distributed. In addition sometimes the orientation has to be improved by additional parameters to compensate systematic geometric effects. Some orientation information of IKONOS- and QuickBird-images is available also as rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs), describing the relation between the image and the object coordinates by a ration of polynomials.
A JNK inhibitor SP600125 induces defective cytokinesis and enlargement in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells

While analyzing the role of c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase (JNK) in neurogenesis in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells, we noticed that treatment with SP600125, a JNK inhibitor, increased the cell size markedly. SP600125‐induced enlargement of P19 cells was time‐ and dose‐dependent. The increased cell size in response to SP600125 was also detected in B6mt‐1 embryonic stem cells. SP600125 treatment inhibited cell growth and increased DNA contents, indicating the inhibition of cell proliferation resulting from endoreduplication. Concurrently, the gene expression of p21, a regulator of G2/M arrest as well as G1 arrest, was increased in cells treated with SP600125. The increased cell size in response to SP600125 was detected even in P19 cells treated with colcemide, an inhibitor of cell cycle progression at the metaphase. The present study suggests that treatment with SP600125 progresses the cell cycle, skipping cytokinesis in P19 cells. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Projective Techniques and the Detection of Child Sexual Abuse

Projective techniques (e.g., the Rorschach, Human Figure Drawings) are sometimes used to detect child sexual abuse. West recently conducted a meta-analysis on this topic, but she systematically excluded nonsignificant results. In this article, a reanalysis of her data is presented. The authors conclude that projective techniques should not be used to detect child sexual abuse. Many of the studies purportedly demonstrating validity are flawed, and none of the projective test scores have been well replicated.
Multiple antenna systems for increasing on-body channel capacity and reducing BAN-to-BAN interference

The application of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) in body-area networks (BAN) is considered in the paper. The correlations between MIMO sub-channels and the MIMO channel capacity are investigated for three on-body channels when random movements are performed in an indoor environment. Some of the MIMO sub-channels were found to be correlated. Nevertheless, a significant capacity increase due to use of MIMO was still observed thus demonstrating the feasibility of using MIMO in BAN communications. A simple BAN-to-BAN interference rejection method which makes use of interrupted transmission is also proposed in the paper, and is shown to produce interference rejection gains significantly higher than those produced by two conventional interference rejection methods.
Optimal Parto control of stochastic system with multiplicative noises and Markovian jumping

In this paper, a Parto optimization problem of N players in stochastic system is copied with. An optimal Parto solution of the stochastic system with multiplicative white noises and Markovian jumping is presented in infinite time horizon. A complete analytical optimal controller is obtained by using the generalized Lyapunov equation approach and solving a generalized algebraic Riccati equation. It is proved that the controller is a stabilizable feedback control and the solution of the generalized algebraic Riccati equation corresponding to the feedback gain of the optimal control is minimal.
An Empirical Analysis of the Determinants of Interest Rate Spreads: A Case of Commercial Banks in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is one nation that has for many years remained on the top list of economies with high interest rates spread. High interest rates are a signal of financial sector inefficiency. The stability of the financial sector is greatly linked to economic growth and economic stability. The study sought to determine the major determinants of interest rate spreads in Zimbabwean commercial banking sector. A panel data regression analysis using Stata 11.1 software is employed for the multicurrency period (2009-2015), for 5 commercial banks in Zimbabwe listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. Through panel tests on collected data, the study adopted the Random Effects Model. Interest rate spreads have been found to be determined by bank-specific factors, industry –specific factors and the macroeconomic factors. Specifically, bank size, credit risk, return on assets, bank capacity utilisation, market concentration and inflation are the main drivers wide interest rate spreads in the banking sector. The study concluded that, it remains the duty of bank managers, central bank regulating authorities and government policy makers to design and implement ways to narrow down interest rate spreads to match regional and world average magnitudes. Banks a tipped to implement effective credit risk management strategies, business growth strategies and earnings growth strategies, while government policy makers should control and stabilize inflation. Competitive policies in the entire banking industries are expected to yield competitive pricing of financial products.
Optimizing Correlation Measure Based Exploratory Analysis

Exploratory data analysis refers to the existing data to explore under the assumption of less as far as possible, through drawing, tabulation, calculation methods to explore characteristics of data structure and regularity of a kind of analysis method. However, exploratory data by calculation method is a very general method to find the key of data. In this paper, we introduce a correlation measure for exploratory analysis based on maximal information coefficient. First, we briefly introduce the traditional data analysis methods and features, expound the necessity of exploring analysis and content. Then, correlation measurement which used commonly are expounded, summarized their characteristics and models. Therefore, we propose a weighted measure based on Maximal Information Coefficient to improve effectiveness of exploratory analysis. Then we get eigenvalues of the Maximal Information Coefficient and Pearson correlation coefficient in linear and nonlinear function of plus noise. Finally, explore analysis display visualization of the results by test dataset, emphasis direction of further research.
Surface-based model conditioning using an hybrid optimization : methodology and application

Surface-based models imitate a sequence of depositional events in time. By considering sedimentation processes, these algorithms produce highly realistic subsurface structures from a variety of environments. However, since depositional events are forward-modeled, they cannot be directly conditioned to data. Therefore, conditioning requires inferring the right combinations of parameters that match data. Solving such inverse problem is time-consuming and expensive because those models are complex and highly parameterized. In this context, Bertoncello et al. (2010) proposed a new approach to condition surface-based models to data. The key idea behind the method is to decrease the dimensionality of the problem. Three complementary approaches are developed for this purpose. The first approach aims at identifying the leading uncertainty. The second one is a sensitivity analysis on the input parameters. The third one is a re-formulation of the full inverse problem. This re-formulation enables to solve the inverse problem sequentially and not all at once. Each sequence of optimization is solved using the Nelder-Mead simplex approach (Nelder & Mead, 1965). However, this optimization algorithm is only able to handle few parameters at a time, which is a problem for complex real case-studies. In this
DSTCP: An improved TCP to increase scalable TCP's friendliness and stability

Scalable TCP (STCP) has greatly improved TCP's effectiveness in fast long distance networks. However, it has been widely documented that STCP has serious problems such as instability and TCP-unfriendliness. This paper proposes a solution to increase STCP's stability and TCP-friendliness without reducing its effectiveness. The improved STCP can dynamically adjust its congestion control window updating rate according to the link's congestion level, so we named it dynamic scalable TCP (DSTCP). Experimental results verify that DSTCP has improved a lot of the stability and TCP-friendliness of STCP, at the same time maintained the effectiveness in fast long distance networks.
Retraction Notice

Green human resource management (green HRM) refers to a set of HRM practices that organizations adopt to improve employee workplace green performance. While the effect of perceived green HRM on employee workplace green performance has received some empirical support, its relationship with employee non-green workplace outcomes remains unexplored and, therefore, unknown. This research tests an integrative moderated-mediation model related to the relationship between perceived green HRM and non-green workplace outcomes including employee task performance, organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCBO) and intention to quit, and the underlying mechanisms. Analyses of the multisourced data reveal that perceived green HRM influences these three non-green employee workplace outcomes through a motivational social and psychological process (i.e., organizational identification). Perceived organizational support (POS) moderates the effect of perceived green HRM on organizational identification and the indirect effect of perceived green HRM on the three employee workplace outcomes, via the mediation of 1Shenzhen University, China 2University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia Corresponding Author: Jie Shen, Shenzhen International Business School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Email: Shen1000@hotmail.com 664610 GOMXXX10.1177/1059601116664610Group & Organization ManagementShen et al. research-article2016 RETRACTED: Employees’ Stakeholder Perspectives Perceptions of Green HRM and Non-Green Employee Work Outcomes: The Social Identity and
Improving the quality of a noisy speech signal

In this paper we discuss the problem of reducing the noise level of a noisy speech signal. Several variants of the well-known class of “spectral subtraction” techniques are described. The basic implementation consists of a channel vocoder in which both the noise spectral level and the overall (signal + noise) spectral level are estimated in each channel, and the gain of each channel is adjusted on the basis of the relative noise level in that channel. Two improvements over previously known techniques have been studied. One is a noise level estimator based on a slowly varying, adaptive noise-level histogram. The other is a nonlinear smoother based on inter-channel continuity constraints for eliminating the so-called “musical tones” (i.e., narrow band noise bursts of varying pitch). Informal listening indicates that for modest signal to noise ratios (greater than about 8 dB) substantial noise reduction is achieved with little degradation of the speech qualify.
Optimal Scheduling of LTC and Shunt Capacitors in Large Distorted Distribution Systems Using Evolutionary-Based Algorithms

The optimal scheduling of load tap changers (LTCs) and switched shunt capacitors for simultaneously minimizing energy loss and improving voltage profile while taking harmonics into account is performed using evolutionary-based algorithms (EAs). The proposed algorithm is capable of optimizing large distribution systems with different types of nonlinear loads. The decouple approach is employed for harmonic power-flow calculations, while two EAs are developed to determine the load interval division and near-optimal schedule. The inclusion of harmonics provides the optimization benefits while maintaining the acceptable distortion levels. The scheduling is carried out for the IEEE 123-bus with 14 shunt capacitors and 12 nonlinear loads. The main contributions are inclusion of harmonics in the optimal scheduling problem and its application to large distribution systems with multiple nonlinear loads.
A Qualitative Study of National Park Service Visitor Services Staff Perceptions of Strategies to Encourage Visitor Diversity at Urban National Parks: A Tale of Two.

SANTUCCI, DAVID CHRISTIAN. A Qualitative Study of National Park Service Visitor Services Staff Perceptions of Strategies to Encourage Visitor Diversity at Urban National Parks: A Tale of Two Rivers. (Under the direction of Dr. Myron F. Floyd). As the U.S. becomes more racially and ethnically diverse the National Park Service (NPS) is faced with the challenge to overcome the disparity in visitation between racial and ethnic minorities and White visitors (Solop, Hagen, & Ostergren, 2003; Taylor, Grandjean, & Gramann, 2011). The NPS has employed several strategies to help overcome the disparity in visitation such as establishing National Recreation Areas as a means to bring the “parks to the people. ” Despite their establishment few studies have examined these strategies that encouraged greater visitor diversity. The purpose of this study was to explore NPS visitor services staff perceptions toward efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity at two urban national park units. During the summer of 2010 in-depth interviews were conducted with a range of staff from superintendent down to frontline staff with visitor services responsibilities at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Each of the interviews (N=18) were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The interview data were coded in three stages (open coding, axial coding, and selective coding) using the grounded theory method. Three themes emerged from the data. The first theme, catch and release, describes whether targeted programs primarily meant for local youth were an effective means to make lifelong park visitors. The second theme, the green and gray, describes whether the organizational culture of the NPS had an effect on visitor diversity strategies. The last theme, talking the talk, describes some of the perceived struggles related to adequate funding and training to implement diversity programs. The results from this study suggest that the employees at these parks have a desire to increase visitor diversity. The results also suggest that for visitor diversity strategies to be successful more resources and support from upper management within the NPS are needed to overcome organizational constraints. Further research is needed to help the NPS negotiate organizational constraints that affect strategies to encourage greater visitor diversity. A Qualitative Study of National Park Service Visitor Services Staff Perceptions of Strategies to Encourage Visitor Diversity at Urban National Parks: A Tale of Two Rivers by David Christian Santucci A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management Raleigh, North Carolina 2013
In budding yeast, reactive oxygen species induce both RAS‐dependent and RAS‐independent cell cycle‐specific arrest

The role of mild oxidative stresses elicited by diethylmaleate (DEM)‐induced glutathione depletion in the progression of the yeast cell cycle has been investigated. We found that different wild‐type strains are sensitive to oxidative stresses induced by similar DEM doses: ≈ 1 mM on YPD plates, 5–10 mM in shaken flasks. At lower doses, DEM caused a transient decrease in growth rate, largely because of a decreased G1‐to‐S transition. Treatment with higher DEM doses leads to complete growth arrest, with most cells found in the unbudded G1 phase of the cell cycle. DEM treatment resulted in transcriptional induction of stress‐responsive element (STRE)‐controlled genes and was relieved by treatment with the antioxidant N‐acetyl cysteine. Reciprocal shift experiments with cdc25 and cdc28 mutants showed that the major cell cycle arrest point was located in the Start area, at or near the CDC25‐mediated step, before the step mediated by the CDC28 cyclin‐dependent kinase. The DEM‐induced G1 arrest requires a properly regulated RAS pathway and can be bypassed by overexpressing the G1‐specific cyclin CLN2. However, cells with either a deregulated RAS pathway or overexpressing CLN2 failed to grow and arrested as budded cells, indicating that a second DEM‐sensitive cell cycle step exists.
Objective Characteristics, Subjective Evaluations, and Possible Distorting Biases in the Business-School Rankings: The Case of U.S. News & World Report

The use of ratings-based data in the branding of business schools raises familiar questions about the relationships between objective characteristics, subjective evaluations, and possible distortions where subjective impressions do not adequately reflect objective features. Such issues escalate when the relevant product category is education and when students or corporate recruiters are treated as customers to be wooed by favorable rankings that appear in wide-circulation high-visibility magazines. In this connection, the present paper examines the business-school rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, finds possible distorting biases, and offers tentative suggestions on ways of counteracting this problem.