Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The meaning of resilience to persons living with chronic pain: an interpretive qualitative inquiry.

AIM The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of resilience, or adaptation in the face of adversity, to people living with chronic pain. BACKGROUND Little research on the usefulness of resilience, strength-based approach to health care has been undertaken to date in the area of pain yet this approach has recently been proposed as a new model for chronic pain management. However, the meaning of resilience to people with chronic pain remains unknown. DESIGN An interpretive qualitative design using in-depth interviews and phenomenological type analysis was undertaken. METHODS Purposive sampling and in-depth interviewing were undertaken to develop a rich description of the experience. RESULTS The findings from this study revealed that while living with chronic pain is generally a negative experience, the participants also told positive stories around the following themes: (i) Recognising individual strength; (ii) Looking for the positives in life; (iii) Accepting the pain; and (iv) Learning to accept help. CONCLUSION Chronic pain influences all aspects of life. Resilient individuals with chronic pain recognise the value of remaining positive, accepting help and learning to live with the pain. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE It is important for health professionals to recognise the role of supporting positive attributes in people living with chronic pain as a way of enhancing resilience.
Commodity market integration and price transmission: Empirical evidence from India

In the era of globalization markets are connected to each other not only to compete domestic products with international products to increase economic stand but also export the required products. Therefore, in the recent years markets are more vibrant and transparent in integration with each other. Over the last couple of years, it has been seen that commodity prices have increased and remained highly volatile not only in international market but in India. Therefore, this paper examines the market integration and price transmission in India using the time series techniques of cointegration and vector error correction models. The study finds that there is both short-run and long-run relationship between domestic commodity index (all commodity index, energy index and metal index) prices and international commodity index (all commodity index, energy index and metal index) prices. But, there is no relationship between domestic agriculture index price and international agriculture index price. The study also finds that except the agriculture index price, the change in domestic commodity index (all commodity index, energy index and metal index) prices are due to the change in international commodity index (all commodity index, energy index and metal index) prices.
Estimating and testing for center effects in competing risks

The problems of fitting Gaussian frailties proportional hazards models for the subdistribution of a competing risk and of testing for center effects are considered. In the analysis of competing risks data, Fine and Gray proposed a proportional hazards model for the subdistribution to directly assess the effects of covariates on the marginal failure probabilities of a given failure cause. Katsahianbiet al. extended their model to clustered time to event data, by including random center effects or frailties in the subdistribution hazard. We first introduce an alternate estimation procedure to the one proposed by Katsahian et al. This alternate estimation method is based on the penalized partial likelihood approach often used in fitting Gaussian frailty proportional hazards models in the standard survival analysis context, and has the advantage of using standard survival analysis software. Second, four hypothesis tests for the presence of center effects are given and compared via Monte‐Carlo simulations. Statistical and numerical considerations lead us to formulate pragmatic guidelines as to which of the four tests is preferable. We also illustrate the proposed methodology with registry data from bone marrow transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High gain 60 GHz band printed quasi-Yagi antenna using a novel microstrip-slotline transition feed

In this paper, a high gain printed quasi-Yagi antenna is introduced for 60 GHz wireless applications. The antenna is fed by a novel microstrip-slotline transition consisting of a curved microstripline and circular slot in order to allow wideband characteristics. A corrugated ground plane is employed as a reflector for improving gain and small gain variation. The proposed antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 49.8-68.5 GHz for a -10 dB reflection coefficient and a gain of 10.50-12.8 dBi within this bandwidth. In addition, the antenna exhibits a stable radiation pattern with half power beamwidths of 36°-50° and 41°-52° in the E- and H-planes, respectively.
Treatment with N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine protects rats against oxidative stress and improves survival in sepsis*

ObjectiveOxidative stress plays an important role in the development of multiple organ failure and septic shock. Here we have evaluated the effects of a combination of antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine) in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). DesignProspective, randomized, controlled experiment. SettingAnimal basic science laboratory. SubjectsMale Wistar rats, weighing 300–350 g. InterventionsRats subjected to CLP were treated with either N-acetylcysteine (20 mg/kg, 3 hrs, 6 hrs, 12 hrs, 18 hrs, and 24 hrs after CLP, subcutaneously) plus deferoxamine (20 mg/kg, 3 hrs and 24 hrs after CLP, subcutaneously) or vehicle with or without “basic support” (saline at 50 mL/kg immediately and 12 hrs after CLP plus ceftriaxone at 30 mg/kg and clindamycin 25 mg/kg every 6 hrs). Measurements and Main ResultsAfter 12 hrs, tissue myeloperoxidase (indicator of neutrophil infiltration), thiobarbituric acid reactive species (as a marker of oxidative stress), catalase and superoxide dismutase activities (antioxidant enzymes), and mitochondrial superoxide production (index of uncoupling of electron transfer chain) were measured in major organs involved in septic response. Rats treated with antioxidants had significantly lower myeloperoxidase activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive species formation in all organs studied. Mitochondrial superoxide production was significantly reduced by antioxidant treatment. Furthermore, antioxidants significantly improved the balance between catalase and superoxide dismutase activities. Survival in untreated septic rats was 10%. Survival increased to 40% with fluids and antibiotics. In rats treated only with N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine, survival was also significantly improved (47%) in a manner similar to basic support. Survival increased to 66% with basic support with N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine. ConclusionsOur data provide the first experimental demonstration that N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine reduces the consequences of septic shock induced by CLP in the rat, by decreasing oxidative stress and limiting neutrophil infiltration and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby improving survival.
Learning Effects in Psychophysical Tests of Spectral and Temporal Resolution

Objectives: Psychophysical tests of spectral and temporal resolution, such as the spectral-ripple discrimination task and the temporal modulation detection test, are valuable tools for the evaluation of cochlear implant performance. Both tests correlate with speech intelligibility and are reported to show no instantaneous learning effect. However, some of our previous trials have suggested that there is a learning effect over time. The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of the two tests when measured over time. Design: Ten adult cochlear implant recipients, experienced with the HiResolution speech coding strategy, participated in this study. Spectral ripple discrimination and temporal modulation detection ability with the HiResolution strategy were assessed both before and after participation in a previous trial that evaluated two research speech coding strategies after 2 weeks of home-usage. Each test was repeated six times on each test day. Results: No improvement was observed for same-day testing. However, comparison of the mean spectral ripple discrimination scores before and after participation in the take-home trial showed improvement from 3.4 to 4.8 ripples per octave (p < 0.001). The mean temporal modulation detection thresholds improved from −15.2 to −17.4 dB (p = 0.035). Conclusions: There was a clear learning effect over time in the spectral and temporal resolution tasks, but not during same-day testing. Learning effects may stem from perceptual learning, task learning, or a combination of those two factors. These results highlight the importance of a proper research design for evaluation of novel speech coding strategies, where the baseline measurement is repeated at the end of the trial to avoid false-positive results as a consequence of learning effects.
Semantic Transparency in Free Stems: The Effect of Orthography-Semantics Consistency on Word Recognition

A largely overlooked side effect in most studies of morphological priming is a consistent main effect of semantic transparency across priming conditions. That is, participants are faster at recognizing stems from transparent sets (e.g., farm) in comparison to stems from opaque sets (e.g., fruit), regardless of the preceding primes. This suggests that semantic transparency may also be consistently associated with some property of the stem word. We propose that this property might be traced back to the consistency, throughout the lexicon, between the orthographic form of a word and its meaning, here named Orthography-Semantics Consistency (OSC), and that an imbalance in OSC scores might explain the “stem transparency” effect. We exploited distributional semantic models to quantitatively characterize OSC, and tested its effect on visual word identification relying on large-scale data taken from the British Lexicon Project (BLP). Results indicated that (a) the “stem transparency” effect is solid and reliable, insofar as it holds in BLP lexical decision times (Experiment 1); (b) an imbalance in terms of OSC can account for it (Experiment 2); and (c) more generally, OSC explains variance in a large item sample from the BLP, proving to be an effective predictor in visual word access (Experiment 3).
Mineral and iron oxidation at low temperatures by pure and mixed cultures of acidophilic microorganisms

An enrichment culture from a boreal sulfide mine environment containing a low‐grade polymetallic ore was tested in column bioreactors for simulation of low temperature heap leaching. PCR‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed the enrichment culture contained an Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain with high 16S rRNA gene similarity to the psychrotolerant strain SS3 and a mesophilic Leptospirillum ferrooxidans strain. As the mixed culture contained a strain that was within a clade with SS3, we used the SS3 pure culture to compare leaching rates with the At. ferrooxidans type strain in stirred tank reactors for mineral sulfide dissolution at various temperatures. The psychrotolerant strain SS3 catalyzed pyrite, pyrite/arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite concentrate leaching. The rates were lower at 5°C than at 30°C, despite that all the available iron was in the oxidized form in the presence of At. ferrooxidans SS3. This suggests that although efficient At. ferrooxidans SS3 mediated biological oxidation of ferrous iron occurred, chemical oxidation of the sulfide minerals by ferric iron was rate limiting. In the column reactors, the leaching rates were much less affected by low temperatures than in the stirred tank reactors. A factor for the relatively high rates of mineral oxidation at 7°C is that ferric iron remained in the soluble phase whereas, at 21°C the ferric iron precipitated. Temperature gradient analysis of ferrous iron oxidation by this enrichment culture demonstrated two temperature optima for ferrous iron oxidation and that the mixed culture was capable of ferrous iron oxidation at 5°C. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 97: 1205–1215. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Phonon Escape Time Deduced From the Time of Nucleation of Hot Spots in Superconducting Niobium Filaments

We have observed the voltage response of superconducting niobium strips to overcritical (I > Ic) step pulses of electrical current. The resistive response appears after a certain delay time td function of the temperature and of the ratio I/Ic(T), which can be analyzed through a time-dependent Ginzburg- Landau equation, along the method introduced by Tinkham. The experimental data can be fitted by using an effective gap relaxation time of a few nanoseconds, independently of the sample widths and of the temperature. Assuming proportionality to sample thickness, this indicates a phonon escape time of about 8 ps per nanometer of thickness for a Nb film dc sputtered on polished crystalline Al2O3.
Midbrain hypometabolism as early diagnostic sign for progressive supranuclear palsy

Objective – Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is often misdiagnosed in early phase. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feature of [18F]fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography images for the early diagnosis of PSP.
A Comprehensive Method for the Translation and Cross-Cultural Validation of Health Status Questionnaires

The FACIT (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy) translation methodology has been in use for nearly 10 years and, during the course of that time, has emphasized a universal translation approach that includes multicountry review, the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in testing, and the exploration of new methods such as differential item functioning (DIF) analysis using item response theory to evaluate item equivalence. The FACIT translation methodology aims to establish equivalence of meaning and measurement between different country versions through the use of the decentered model of translation and advanced statistical methods.
Housing mobility and the intergenerational durability of neighborhood poverty

ABSTRACT This article uses mixed methods to identify factors that account for the intergenerational durability of neighborhood poverty, drawing on longitudinal data from the Moving to Opportunity study in Baltimore from 1994 to 2010. We use quantitative survey data from 504 young adults and qualitative interview data from 51 young adults to examine family characteristics during childhood that account for residence in high-poverty neighborhoods in young adulthood, considering whether housing assistance interacts with these characteristics to break the intergenerational durability of neighborhood poverty. In combination with housing assistance, family economic resources, social ties to high-poverty neighborhoods, entrenchment in high-poverty neighborhoods, and parents’ neighborhood experiences and expectations influence where young adults live in the next generation. Housing assistance has both replacement effects—substituting for what families lack—and enhancement effects—enabling families with more resources—on the intergenerational durability of neighborhood poverty. This study contributes to our understanding of neighborhood selection, intergenerational neighborhood outcomes, and the role of housing assistance.
Volatility and asymmetry of the USD/GHS exchange rate : monetary policy implications in Ghana

The paper examined the uncertainty and asymmetric effect of the dollar/cedi exchange rate using GARCH family models and the monetary policy implications of such uncertainties. The empirical results revealed that asymmetric and leverage effects were existent and persistent in the USD/GHS exchange rate such that negative news tends to exert a larger destabilizing effect on the volatility of exchange rate than positive news of the same magnitude. There is also a greater tendency for the volatility in domestic exchange rate to rise, largely driven by the continuous exchange rate depreciation. This study established that exchange rate volatility was remarkably restrained during the adoption of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries' Initiatives (HIPC) but has subsequently increased, following the adoption of inflation targeting (IT) in Ghana. The empirical results confirmed the effectiveness of interest rate (especially the interbank rate) in dampening the pass through of exchange rate volatility to inflation, albeit sluggishly, with a three-month policy transmission lag. The study therefore supports policy measures that rein in the rapid depreciation of domestic currency to help mitigate the upward bias in the volatility of USD/GHS exchange rate.
Characterization of the Streptococcus mutans GS-5 fruA gene encoding exo-beta-D-fructosidase

The complete nucleotide sequence (5,010 bp) of the fructanase gene (fruA) and flanking regions of the chromosome of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 was determined. The fruA gene appears to be the sole transcript arising from a proximal promoter. The presumed precursor of the secreted FruA protein consists of 1,423 amino acids, and it has an M(r) of 158,656 and a pI of 4.82. The N terminus of FruA has characteristics in common with signal peptides of gram-positive organisms. The C terminus consists of a serine- and threonine-rich region, followed by the peptide LPDTGD, 4 charged amino acids, 21 amino acids with a strongly hydrophobic character, and a charged pentapeptide tail, which are proposed to correspond to the wall-spanning region, the LPXTGX consensus sequence, and the membrane-spanning domains of surface-associated proteins of gram-positive cocci. The FruA protein has significant homology with the Bacillus subtilis levanase (SacC), the Bacteroides fragilis levanase (ScrL), yeast invertases, and a number of other beta-fructosidases but not with fructosyltransferase, glucosyltransferases, or glucan-binding proteins of oral streptococci. Genes with homology to fruA were detected in S. mutans serotype c, e, and f strains, Streptococcus rattus, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus sanguis. A deletion derivative of FruA lacking the C-terminal 437 amino acids was still functional and could hydrolyze beta-(2,6)- and beta-(2,1)-linked sugars, but with altered preference for substrates. The data begin to define functional domains of the FruA protein and potential regulatory sites for induction, repression, growth rate control, and posttranslational localization of this multifunctional enzyme.
Assessing the effects of information and communication technologies on organizational development: business values perspectives

ABSTRACT Information and communication technology (ICT) projects for organizational development deal with market challenges, information handling, and the integration of multiple information systems (IS) in an organization. This research investigates how ICT projects (IS systems, etc.) affect the strategic, social, and human development in an organization. Previous studies have highlighted the advantages of ICT portfolio management techniques and return on investment approaches; the current research focused primarily on measuring business value on investment perspective. Therefore, based on the findings from the literature review, an integrated framework was proposed and validated using the case study in Saudi Arabia to evaluate the effects of ICT/IS projects from a managerial perspective. The framework consisted of a list of processes, criteria, and sub-criteria for different kinds of extracted features to measure the impact of ICT/IS projects. Our findings demonstrated that the effects of ICT projects are not limited to social and economic development, but are also categorized as strategic, managerial, informational, operational, transactional, organizational, infrastructure, and transformational development. It is hoped that the findings of the current study can inform ICT decision makers, experts, and researchers who have investigated and are doing research in this area.
Corporate Governance and Malaysian Politics: Theoretical Framework for Accounting Quality

This paper reviews various theories of corporate governance in the attempt to explain the variation in the level of accounting quality in a setting with the adoption of Anglo-American corporate governance system, yet many aspects of business dealings of the setting are heavily influenced by politics. Although many prior studies examining accounting quality and corporate governance from the point of view of agency theory, the review from this paper suggests that accounting quality may also be attributed due to the presence of political influence in corporate governance structural mechanisms in firms which can be explained from resource dependency theory. The integration of the agency and resource dependency theories is appropriate in understanding what contributes to the provision of resources and effective monitoring. The theoretical contribution from this paper can be extended to future research examining quality of reporting in markets where resources allocation is highly political, particularly, in the developing countries.
A data compression scheme for reliable data storage in non-volatile memories

This contribution presents a data compression scheme for applications in non-volatile flash memories. The objective of the data compression algorithm is to reduce the amount of user data such that the redundancy of the error correction coding can be increased in order to improve the reliability of the data storage system. The data compression is performed on block level considering data blocks of 1 kilobyte. We present an encoder architecture that has low memory requirements and provides a fast data encoding.