Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Governance and Emergency Management: A Case Study of Latvia

Emergencies – crises, disasters and catastrophes – cannot be managed by individuals or one organization,collaborative actions are needed In the context of this paper, a two-part research on collaborative governance and emergency management in Latvia has been carried out. This research is important because due to extreme weather conditions even “safe” countries should be able to deal with frequently recorded emergencies. It also contributes to the literature on emergency management in the context of Europe. The method of a case study was employed for this qualitative research seeking to clarify the situation and provide answers to the research question. The research showed that much attention is being given to coordinating emergency management systems in Latvia. The new Civil Defence and Disaster Management Law is the legal basis for collaborative actions but it should be amended to ensure not only formal but also practical collaboration.
Ultrasound Guided Fascia Iliaca Block: A Comparison With the Loss of Resistance Technique

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of fascia iliaca block, performed by loss of resistance and ultrasound guidance techniques. Methods: Eighty patients undergoing either unilateral hip or knee joint replacement surgery were randomly assigned to undergo fascia iliaca compartment block by either loss of resistance or ultrasound guidance. Sensation in the anterior (femoral nerve), lateral (lateral cutaneous nerve) and medial (femoral and variable contribution from obturator nerve) aspects of the thigh were assessed prior to block placement. Femoral motor block (knee extension) was also evaluated. Obturator motor block (hip adduction) was measured using a sphygmomanometer. Sensation and motor function were reassessed after block placement. Results: Using ultrasound guidance, there was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of sensory loss in the medial aspect of the thigh from 60% to 95% (P = .001). Complete loss of sensation in the anterior, medial, and lateral aspects of the thigh increased from 47% to 82% of patients using ultrasound (P = .001). Ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca block resulted in a statistically significant increase in the incidence of femoral (P = .006) and obturator (P = .033) nerve motor block. Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca block increased the frequency of sensory loss in the medial aspect of the thigh. Ultrasound guidance also increased the frequency of femoral and obturator motor block.
Time Lost by Driving Fast in the United States

Background. Motor vehicle drivers make decisions about speed while traveling and thereby trade off a potential saving from shorter travel time (if the trip is uneventful) against a potential loss of time (if the trip results in a crash). Methods. The authors used computerized modeling based on national data to examine the benefits from small changes in average driver speed on public health in the United States. Lost time due to both travel and crashing was calculated, along with optimal speed to minimize net time lost. Results. The baseline analysis suggested that 1 hour spent driving was associated with approximately 20 minutes of additional lost time in life expectancy due to the potential of a crash. A~1-km/h (0.6-mph) increase in speed for the average driver yielded a~26-second~increase (not decrease) in total expected lost time because the savings from reduced travel time were more than offset by the increased prospect of a crash. A 3.0-km/h (1.8-mph) decrease in average driving speed yielded the least amount of total time lost (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5—4.1 km/ h [1.5—2.5 mph]). This speed yielded about 11,000 fewer crashes each day, saved about 3.6 hours per year for the average driver (95% CI: 2.0—6.2 hours), and conserved about 199 cumulative life years for society annually. Conclusions. As a nation, drivers in the United States travel slightly too fast and could improve overall life expectancy by decreasing their average speed slightly.
An Overview of Energy-Efficient Cloud Data Centres

The designers of computing systems have interested on the improvements of computing performance that are driven by the demand of consumer, business, and scientific applications. However, further growth of computing performance has started to be limited due to the increasing energy consumption of cloud data centres as a result of carbon dioxide footprints and overwhelming electricity bills. Therefore, the designers of computing systems have started to improve the energy efficiency. In this study, we present an overview of energy efficient design of cloud virtualized data centres to guide future design and development efforts.
Topographically specific regeneration of sensory axons in the spinal cord

Artemin, a member of the glial-derived neurotrophic factor family, promotes robust regeneration of sensory axons after dorsal root crush. We report here that several classes of sensory axons regenerate to topographically appropriate regions of the dorsal horn with artemin treatment. Projections of regenerated muscle and cutaneous myelinated sensory afferents are restricted to the correct spinal segments and to appropriate regions within spinal gray matter. Regenerated unmyelinated axons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide project only to superficial laminae of the dorsal horn, where uninjured nociceptive afferents project normally. In contrast, intraventricular infusion of a soluble form of the Nogo receptor that blocks the action of several myelin-associated inhibitory proteins promotes relatively unrestricted regeneration of sensory axons throughout the dorsal white and gray matter of the spinal cord. These results demonstrate that cues capable of guiding regenerating axons to appropriate spinal targets persist in the adult mammalian cord, but only some methods of stimulating regeneration allow the use of these cues by growing axons.
The dynamic causality between commodity prices, inflation and output in China: a bootstrap rolling window approach

ABSTRACT In this article, we empirically study the time-varying bilateral causality between commodity prices, inflation and output in China. We first perform a series of parameter stability tests and find strong evidence of instability in the parameters estimated for Granger causality tests. We then use the bootstrap rolling window approach to test the causality and find that the causality from commodity prices to both inflation and output is time-varying in the entire sample period and asymmetric in different phases of the business cycle. We also find evidence of the causality from both inflation and output to commodity prices in certain sub-periods. Further discussion on the cost-price mechanism through which the economy fluctuates cyclically suggests that the dynamic causality between commodity prices and inflation contributes to understanding the nature of economic fluctuations and to forecasting economic crises. Overall, our results provide a new perspective to disentangle economic fluctuations.
Vaccines that facilitate antigen entry into dendritic cells

Although vaccines have been highly successful in preventing and treating many infectious diseases (including smallpox, polio and diphtheria) diseases prevalent in the developing world such as malaria and HIV, that suppress the host immune system, require new, multiple strategies that will be defined by our growing understanding of specific immune activation. The definition of adjuvants, previously thought of as any substance that enhanced the immunogenicity of antigen, could now include soluble mediators and antigenic carriers that interact with surface molecules present on DC (e.g. LPS, Flt3L, heat shock protein) particulate antigens which are taken up by mechanisms available to APC but not other cell types (e.g. immunostimulatory complexes, latex, polystyrene particles) and viral/bacterial vectors that infect antigen presenting cells (e.g. vaccinia, lentivirus, adenovirus). These approaches, summarized herein, have shown potential in vaccinating against disease in animal models, and in some cases in humans. Of these, particle‐antigen conjugates provide rapid formulation of the vaccine, easy storage and wide application, with both carrier and adjuvant functions that activate DC. Combined vaccines of the future could use adjuvants such as virus‐like particles and particles targeted towards a predominant cellular type or immune response, with target cell activation enhanced by growth factors or maturation signals prior to, or during immunization. Collectively, these new additions to adjuvant technology provide opportunities for more specific immune regulation than previously available.
Oil prices and GCC exchange rates

ABSTRACT This paper empirically investigates the impact of oil price shocks on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) exchange rates, using quarterly data from 1980:Q1 to 2014:Q2. The results, based on the linear VAR model, show that a one-standard deviation shock to the price of oil is economically significant and leads to the depreciation of the GCC exchange rate ranging from 0.01 to 0.41 percentage points. Based on the nonlinear VAR model, it was found that a one-standard deviation shock to Hamilton’s (1996, 2003) net oil price increase (NOPI) is economically significant and leads to the appreciation of the GCC exchange rates, ranging from 5.00 to 7.62 percentage points.
Cogmed Working Memory Training for Youth with ADHD: A Closer Examination of Efficacy Utilizing Evidence-Based Criteria

The current review applied the evidence-based treatment criteria espoused by the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Silverman & Hinshaw, 2008) to specifically evaluate the short-term and longer term efficacy of Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) as a treatment for youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Utilizing a systematic literature search, 7 studies that employed the school-age version of CWMT were identified for this review. The data reviewed herein suggest mixed findings regarding the benefit of CWMT for youth with ADHD. Two randomized controlled studies have demonstrated that CWMT led to improvements in neuropsychological outcomes and parent-rated ADHD symptoms relative to wait-list control and placebo treatment conditions. Another study demonstrated effects of CWMT relative to a placebo condition on an analog observation of behavior during an academic task, although this study did not find an effect of CWMT on parent-rated ADHD. Finally, an additional study utilizing an active comparison control condition did not find incremental benefits of CWMT on parent- or teacher-rated ADHD. Critical issues in interpreting existing studies include lack of alignment between demonstrated outcomes and the hypothesized model of therapeutic benefit of CWMT, issues with equivalence of control conditions, and individual differences that may moderate treatment response. Collectively, the strengths and limitations of the studies reviewed suggest that CWMT is best defined as a Possibly Efficacious Treatment for youth with ADHD. We suggest future directions for research and conclude with clinical implications of our findings for the treatment of youth with ADHD.
Oxygen-mediated Inactivation of Peptide Deformylase*

Peptide deformylase catalyzes the removal of the N-formyl group from newly synthesized polypeptides in prokaryotes. Its essential character and unique presence in prokaryotes make it an attractive target for antibacterial chemotherapy. However, purification and characterization of the peptide deformylase have remained a major challenge because this enzyme is extraordinarily labile under a variety of conditions (t 1/2 ∼1 min at room temperature). In this work, we show that this unusual instability is because of oxidation of the catalytic Fe2+ ion of the deformylase into catalytically inactive Fe3+ ion by atmospheric oxygen. Oxidation of Fe2+ is accompanied by the conversion of O2 into a yet unidentified reactive species, which covalently modifies the deformylase protein, most likely by oxidizing cysteine-90, a ligand residue of the Fe2+ ion, into a cysteine sulfonic acid. Enzymatic exclusion of O2from the deformylase assays renders the deformylase highly stable under otherwise identical conditions. An improved, readily reproducible purification procedure has been developed that produces approximately 10 mg of pure, fully active Fe2+ deformylase from a liter of cells. In addition, active peptide deformylase can be reconstitutedin vitro from the denatured deformylase.
Safety and Efficacy of Solitaire Stent Thrombectomy

Background and Purpose— Recent positive randomized trials of endovascular therapy for ischemic stroke used predominantly stent retrievers. We pooled data to investigate the efficacy and safety of stent thrombectomy using the Solitaire device in anterior circulation ischemic stroke. Methods— Patient-level data were pooled from trials in which the Solitaire was the only or the predominant device used in a prespecified meta-analysis (SEER Collaboration): Solitaire FR With the Intention for Thrombectomy as Primary Endovascular Treatment (SWIFT PRIME), Endovascular Treatment for Small Core and Anterior Circulation Proximal Occlusion With Emphasis on Minimizing CT to Recanalization Times (ESCAPE), Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits—Intra-Arterial (EXTEND-IA), and Randomized Trial of Revascularization With Solitaire FR Device Versus Best Medical Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Stroke Due to Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Presenting Within Eight Hours of Symptom Onset (REVASCAT). The primary outcome was ordinal analysis of modified Rankin Score at 90 days. The primary analysis included all patients in the 4 trials with 2 sensitivity analyses: (1) excluding patients in whom Solitaire was not the first device used and (2) including the 3 Solitaire-only trials (excluding ESCAPE). Secondary outcomes included functional independence (modified Rankin Score 0–2), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and mortality. Results— The primary analysis included 787 patients: 401 randomized to endovascular thrombectomy and 386 to standard care, and 82.6% received intravenous thrombolysis. The common odds ratio for modified Rankin Score improvement was 2.7 (2.0–3.5) with no heterogeneity in effect by age, sex, baseline stroke severity, extent of computed tomography changes, site of occlusion, or pretreatment with alteplase. The number needed to treat to reduce disability was 2.5 and for an extra patient to achieve independent outcome was 4.25 (3.29–5.99). Successful revascularization occurred in 77% treated with Solitaire device. The rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and overall mortality did not differ between treatment groups. Conclusions— Solitaire thrombectomy for large vessel ischemic stroke was safe and highly effective with substantially reduced disability. Benefits were consistent in all prespecified subgroups.
Towards understanding of multimedia documents: a trial of picture book analysis and generation

Computers are expected to be a tool for assisting people to enrich their everyday life. Computation performance was first augmented, followed by the improvement of communication capacity. It's time to provide computer capabilities to help people cultivate their intellectual faculties. Media research has been carried out for years. Researchers focused on utilizing media. What we should do now is to carefully analyze media itself, resulting in development of well-formed media for further success in media research. We are going to investigate how media convey the information and affect people $the way of their thinking. As a first step towards this goal, we propose in this paper the analysis and generation of picture books. A scheme of generating a picture from a text script is presented extensively.
Unconditionally Stable LOD–FDTD Method for 3-D Maxwell's Equations

This letter presents an unconditionally stable locally 1-D finite-difference time-domain (LOD-FDTD) method for 3-D Maxwell's equations. The method does not exhibit the second-order noncommutativity error and its second-order temporal accuracy is ascertained via numerical justification. The method also involves simpler updating procedures and facilitates exploitation of parallel and/or reduced output processing. This leads to its higher computation efficiency than the alternating direction implicit and split-step FDTD methods
Factors associated with nurse assessment of the quality of dying and death in the intensive care unit*

Objective:To determine the feasibility of using nurse ratings of quality of dying and death to assess quality of end-of-life care in the intensive care unit and to determine factors associated with nurse assessment of the quality of dying and death for patients dying in the intensive care unit. Design:Prospective cohort study. Setting:Hospital intensive care unit. Patients:178 patients who died in an intensive care unit during a 10-month period at one hospital. Interventions:Nurses completed a 14-item questionnaire measuring the quality of dying and death in the intensive care unit (QODD); standardized chart reviews were also completed. Measurements and Main Results:Five variables were found to be associated with QODD scores. Higher (better) scores were significantly associated with having someone present at the time of death (p < .001), having life support withdrawn (p = .006), having an acute diagnosis such as intracranial hemorrhage or trauma (p = .007), not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the last 8 hrs of life (p < .001), and being cared for by the neurosurgery or neurology services (p = .002). Patient age, chronic disease, and Glasgow Coma Scale scores were not associated with the 14-item QODD. Using multivariate analyses, we identified three variables as independent predictors of the QODD score: a) not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed in the last 8 hrs of life; b) having someone present at the moment of death; and c) being cared for by neurosurgery or neurology services. Conclusions:Intensive care unit nurse assessment of quality of dying and death is a feasible method for obtaining quality ratings. Based on nurse assessments, this study provides evidence of some potential targets for interventions to improve the quality of dying for some patients: having someone present at the moment of death and not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the last 8 hrs of life. If nurse-assessed quality of dying is to be a useful tool for measuring and improving quality of end-of-life care, it is important to understand the factors associated with nurse ratings.
The trade-ification of the food sustainability agenda

This contribution argues that the food sustainability agenda in global food governance arrangements is becoming ‘trade-ified’. It shows that international trade has become normalized in these settings not only as being compatible with, but also as a key delivery mechanism for, food system sustainability. The paper first explains the rationale for this dominant narrative, which revolves around the efficiency gains from trade. Second, it outlines two important critiques of this approach – one that stresses the need to look beyond food as an economic commodity, and one that reveals the internal flaws of trade theory – which together provide important counterpoints to this dominant narrative. Third, the paper offers three interrelated explanations for why trade continues to be presented as a key ingredient to food sustainability despite the weaknesses of the dominant approach: institutional fragmentation in global food governance; the carryover of previous normative compromises regarding trade and the environment in other governance settings; and the influence of powerful interests.
The merchant elite and parliamentary politics in Kuwait : the dynamics of business political participation in a rentier state

When applied to the Gulf region in general and Kuwait more specifically, the rentier state theory stipulates that the political relations between state and business are determined by the rent. Thus, business essentially ceases to represent a strong political force and withdraws from the formal political field in exchange for wealth provided by the state. However, the evidence from Kuwait’s recent history suggests that there is great variation between the patterns of political engagement in Kuwait’s merchant families. Some families have been continuously active in the country’s parliamentary politics and political field more broadly; their political action has not always been pro-government and, in general, the merchant community in Kuwait still possesses powerful means to negotiate government distribution patterns and to influence political decisionmaking. Thus, the main research question posed in the Thesis is the following: why do we observe merchants’ active political engagement in Kuwait counter to the prediction of the rentier state theory, and what can explain the variation of merchants’ political activity? The Thesis will analyse and compare Kuwait business politics along the dichotomies of passive versus active engagement and voice versus loyalty towards the government. Through this analysis I will define the factors which explain why some merchant families engage in parliamentary politics, while others do not, and why at times the merchant community allies with the opposition, and at others with the government. I will further examine what impact this political engagement by business has on the country’s economic reform policies. The analysis will establish that, although rent matters, the political action of business in Kuwait and its variation is defined by the country’s semi-parliamentary political system, while factors such as rent-seeking, ascriptive features, relations with the ruling powers and the changing nature of the country’s political field are essential intervening variables.
Predictive direct torque control with reduced ripples and fuzzy logic speed controller for induction motor drive

The direct torque control (DTC) suffers from high torque and flux ripples due to the use of hysteresis comparators. In this paper, an alternative method is presented for induction motor drive known by the model Predictive Torque Control (PTC). This technique includes the inverter model in control design and does not use any modulation block. The optimal selection of inverter switching states minimizes the error between references and the predicted values of control variables by the optimization of a cost function. Consequently, it reduces ripples and solve DTC drawbacks. Furthermore, this paper proposes an improvement in the external speed loop for PTC scheme. A fuzzy logic controller replaces the traditional PI controller to ensure more accurate speed tracking and increase the robustness against disturbance and uncertainties. The effectiveness of the presented algorithms is investigated by an experimental implementation with the aid of real-time interface (RTI) based on dSpace 1104.