Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Adult Day Programs on Family Caregivers of Elderly Relatives

Adult day programs for elderly people have been implemented throughout North America but not widely evaluated for their impact on family caregivers. This study examined caregiver outcomes at 14 programs in Alberta, Canada. Caregivers were measured on burden, quality of life, perceived health, opinion on institutionalization at 4 time points (just prior to client admission, 2 weeks, 2 months, and 6 months after admission), and satisfaction with the program at 3 points after client admission. Caregiver status on burden, quality of life, and perceived health status remained stable over time. In addition, caregivers' opinion on institutionalization remained negative and satisfaction with the programs high. Caregivers reported that client socializing and improved health were what they liked best about the programs, followed by respite for themselves. Time conflicts-limits and transportation were identified as problems. The results suggest that adult day programs may help caregivers to continue in their caregiving role and to keep clients in the community longer.
PERSUASION BASED RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM

Persuasive role in Recommendation Systems operates like motivators influencing users to buy the recommended items. In this study, we rely upon the well established explanations of six Cialdini’s Principles to enrich recommendation system with explanations and examine their effect on the persuasive power of recommendation item. The results of the experiment revealed that all six Cialdini’s Principles positively affect user’s influnce about the recommended book while reciprocity and authority seem to be the more effective ones. These indicate that a user’s intention to purchase a recommended item is increased if the item is accompanied with a persuasive explanation.
Marginal Screening on Survival Data

Marginal Screening on Survival Data Tzu-Jung Huang This work develops a marginal screening test to detect the presence of significant predictors for a right-censored time-to-event outcome under a high-dimensional accelerated failure time (AFT) model. Establishing a rigorous screening test in this setting is challenging, not only because of the right censoring, but also due to the postselection inference. The oracle property in such situations fails to ensure adequate control of the family-wise error rate, and this raises questions about the applicability of standard inferential methods. McKeague and Qian (2015) constructed an adaptive resampling test to circumvent this problem under ordinary linear regression. To accommodate right censoring, we develop a test statistic based on a maximally selected Koul–Susarla–Van Ryzin estimator from a marginal AFT model. A regularized bootstrap method is used to calibrate the test. Our test is more powerful and less conservative than the Bonferroni correction and other competing methods. This proposed method is evaluated in simulation studies and applied to two real data sets.
Easy improvement of signal‐to‐noise in RARE‐sequences with low refocusing flip angles

It is demonstrated that the signal intensity in a RARE (TSE, FSE…)‐sequence with low refocusing flip angle α can be significantly increased by setting the flip angle of the first refocusing pulse to 90°+α/2. In addition to the gain in signal intensity, the initial signal modulations over the first few echoes are reduced compared to a CPMG‐echo train with constant α. Magn Reson Med 44:983–985, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gastric leptin and Helicobacter pyloriinfection

BACKGROUND Leptin regulates feeding behaviour and therefore may be a mediator of anorexia associated with acute and chronic inflammation. Recently, leptin mRNA and leptin protein were found in the gastric epithelium. AIM The aim of the present study was to examine the effect ofHelicobacter pylori infection on gastric leptin expression to investigate the pathophysiological role of gastric leptin. METHODS Surgically resected human stomach tissues were subjected to immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to check for the presence of leptin in the human gastric epithelium. A total of 201 H pyloripositive patients with chronic gastritis underwent eradication therapy for H pylori and were examined for the effect of infection cure in terms of body mass index (BMI) and serum leptin levels. Biopsy specimens from the gastric fundic mucosa were obtained from 40 of the 201 patients before and three months after eradication therapy. These samples were subjected to quantitative RT-PCR to examine the effect of eradication therapy on leptin expression in the gastric fundic mucosa. RESULTS Leptin immunoreactive cells were detected in the lower half of the gastric fundic glands and a leptin PCR product was also found in the gastric fundic mucosa. H pylori infection significantly increased gastric leptin expression. In addition, cure ofH pylori infection significantly reduced gastric leptin expression, with a concomitant increase in BMI. In contrast, serum leptin levels did not change significantly after cure of H pylori infection. CONCLUSION Leptin is present in the human gastric mucosa. Gastric leptin may play a role in weight gain after eradication of H pyloriinfection. Gastric leptin may have a local rather than systemic action.
The Threat of Terrorism and Tourist Choice Behavior

The threat of terrorism is increasingly relevant to tourism on a global scale, and no destination can claim exemption. Tourism managers need to be aware of the impact that past, current, and future terrorism events have on tourist behavior. The aim of this research is to further our understanding as to how terrorism advisory information impacts tourists’ preferences for, and trade-offs between, specific aspects of their travel. The research uses a discrete choice experiment (DCE) embedded within a classic between-subjects experimental design. US-based respondents (n = 424) completed the experiment. A random parameter logit (RPL) model is calculated to understand how tourists’ preference structures change as the threat of terrorism intensifies taking into account travel knowledge, sensation seeking, and demographic factors. Results suggest that tourist’s travel choices in relation to accommodation, independent versus group travel, cancellation policy, and price vary significantly as the threat of terrorism increases.
An efficient conjugate residual detector for massive MIMO systems

In nowadays wireless communication systems, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique brings better energy efficiency and coverage but higher computational complexity than small-scale MIMO. For linear detection such as minimum mean square error (MMSE), prohibitive complexity lies in solving large-scale linear equations. For a better tradeoff between BER performance and computational complexity, iterative linear methods like conjugate gradient (CG) have been applied for massive MIMO detection. By leaving out a matrix-vector product of CG, conjugate residual (CR) further achieves lower computational complexity with similar BER performance compared to CG. Since the BER performance can be improved by utilizing pre-condition with incomplete Cholesky (IC) factorization, pre-conditioned conjugate residual (PCR) is proposed. Simulation results indicate that PCR method achieves better performance than both CR and CG methods. It has 1 dB performance improvement than CG at BER = 5 χ Analysis shows that CR achieves 20% computational complexity reduction compared with CG when antenna configuration is 128 χ 60. With the same configuration, PCR reduces complexity by 66% while achieves similar BER performance compared with the detector with Cholesky decomposition. Finally, the corresponding VLSI architecture is proposed in detail.
Simultaneous Multi-scale Registration Using Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping

In the framework of large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM), we present a practical methodology to integrate prior knowledge about the registered shapes in the regularizing metric. Our goal is to perform rich anatomical shape comparisons from volumetric images with the mathematical properties offered by the LDDMM framework. We first present the notion of characteristic scale at which image features are deformed. We then propose a methodology to compare anatomical shape variations in a multi-scale fashion, i.e., at several characteristic scales simultaneously. In this context, we propose a strategy to quantitatively measure the feature differences observed at each characteristic scale separately. After describing our methodology, we illustrate the performance of the method on phantom data. We then compare the ability of our method to segregate a group of subjects having Alzheimer's disease and a group of controls with a classical coarse to fine approach, on standard 3D MR longitudinal brain images. We finally apply the approach to quantify the anatomical development of the human brain from 3D MR longitudinal images of pre-term babies. Results show that our method registers accurately volumetric images containing feature differences at several scales simultaneously with smooth deformations.
In vitro gene fusions that join an enzymatically active beta-galactosidase segment to amino-terminal fragments of exogenous proteins: Escherichia coli plasmid vectors for the detection and cloning of translational initiation signals

We report the construction and use of a series of plasmid vectors suitable for the detection and cloning of translational control signals and 5' coding sequences of exogenously derived genes. In these plasmids, the first eight codons of the amino-terminal end of the lactose operon beta-galactosidase gene, lacZ, were removed, and unique BamHI, EcoRI, and SmaI (XmaI) endonuclease cleavage sites were incorporated adjacent to the eighth codon of lacZ. Introduction of deoxyribonucleic acid fragments containing appropriate regulatory signals and 5' coding sequences into such lac fusion plasmids led to the production of hybrid proteins consisting of the carboxyl-terminal segment of a beta-galactosidase remnant plus a peptide fragment that contained the amino-terminal amino acids encoded by the exogenous deoxyribonucleic acid sequence. These hybrid peptides retained beta-galactosidase enzymatic activity and yielded a Lac+ phenotype. Such hybrid proteins are useful for purifying peptide sequences encoded by exogenous deoxyribonucleic acid fragments and for studies relating the structure and function of specific peptide segments.
Heterogeneous Merger Impacts on Competitive Outcomes

Mergers realize heterogeneous competitive effects on profits, production, and prices. To date, it is unclear whether differential merger outcomes are caused mostly by firms’ technology or product market attributes. Furthermore, empirical merger studies conventionally assume that, conditional on regressors, the impact of mergers on outcomes is the same for every firm. We allow the merger responses to vary across firms, even after controlling for regressors, and apply a random-coefficient or heterogeneous treatment effect model (in the context of Angrist and Krueger (1999), Heckman, Urzua, and Vytlacil (2006), and Cerulli (2012)). Based on a comprehensive dataset on the static random access memory industry, we find that firms’ postmerger output further increases (and postmerger price further declines) if merging firms are more efficient, operate in more elastic product markets, are more innovative, and acquire knowledge in technological areas that are relatively unexplored to themselves. A further interesting insight is that product market characteristics cause stronger postmerger outcome heterogeneities than do technology market characteristics. We also find that the postmerger effects accounting for heterogeneities differ greatly from those that consider homogeneous postmerger outcome effects. Our estimation results provide evidence that ignoring heterogeneous outcome effects can result in heterogeneity bias, just as ignoring premerger heterogeneities can lead to selectivity bias.
Effects of kepone on growth and respiration of several estuarine bacteria

The toxicity of Kepone to mixed populations of estuarine microorganisms was determined by standard plate assays on Zobell marine medium containing 0.02, 0.20, and 2.0 mg of Kepone per liter. Under aerobic conditions, Kepone reduced the number of colony-forming units at all concentrations tested, but had no effect on the number of anaerobic microorganisms. Gram-positive organisms were more sensitive to Kepone than were gram-negative organisms. Growth of gram-negative isolates was not inhibited in nutrient broth, but was significantly inhibited in a minimal salts broth. Oxygen uptake by most isolates was reduced 25 to 100% by 20 ppm (20 mg/ml) of Kepone. Oxygen evolution was observed when several gram-positive isolates were exposed to Kepone concentrations of 20 ppm. Pentachlorophenol at concentrations above 28 ppm produced effects similar to those produced by Kepone. Inhibition of electron transport by Kepone was demonstrated by a significant reduction in the specific activities of NADH oxidases and succinooxidase.
Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model of Mechanism-Based Inhibition of CYP3A by Clarithromycin

The prediction of clinical drug-drug interactions (DDIs) due to mechanism-based inhibitors of CYP3A is complicated when the inhibitor itself is metabolized by CYP3Aas in the case of clarithromycin. Previous attempts to predict the effects of clarithromycin on CYP3A substrates, e.g., midazolam, failed to account for nonlinear metabolism of clarithromycin. A semiphysiologically based pharmacokinetic model was developed for clarithromycin and midazolam metabolism, incorporating hepatic and intestinal metabolism by CYP3A and non-CYP3A mechanisms. CYP3A inactivation by clarithromycin occurred at both sites. KI and kinact values for clarithromycin obtained from in vitro sources were unable to accurately predict the clinical effect of clarithromycin on CYP3A activity. An iterative approach determined the optimum values to predict in vivo effects of clarithromycin on midazolam to be 5.3 μM for Ki and 0.4 and 4 h−1 for kinact in the liver and intestines, respectively. The incorporation of CYP3A-dependent metabolism of clarithromycin enabled prediction of its nonlinear pharmacokinetics. The predicted 2.6-fold change in intravenous midazolam area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) after 500 mg of clarithromycin orally twice daily was consistent with clinical observations. Although the mean predicted 5.3-fold change in the AUC of oral midazolam was lower than mean observed values, it was within the range of observations. Intestinal CYP3A activity was less sensitive to changes in KI, kinact, and CYP3A half-life than hepatic CYP3A. This semiphysiologically based pharmacokinetic model incorporating CYP3A inactivation in the intestine and liver accurately predicts the nonlinear pharmacokinetics of clarithromycin and the DDI observed between clarithromycin and midazolam. Furthermore, this model framework can be applied to other mechanism-based inhibitors.
Mass spectrometrical verification of stomatin‐like protein 2 (SLP‐2) primary structure

Stomatin‐like protein 2 (SLP‐2) (syn.: EPB72‐like 2 [NP_038470], HSPC108 [AAF29073]), a protein of unknown function, has been described in several tissues and cells but its primary structure is still not completely elucidated. Moreover, sequence conflicts appear in several databases. It was the aim of the study to further describe SLP‐2 primary sequence and to solve existing sequence conflicts. For this purpose a protein extract was run on two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and SLP‐2 was identified by MALDI‐TOF/TOF. SLP‐2 was digested with trypsin, chymotrypsin, Lys‐C, and de novo sequencing studies as well as Nano‐HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis were carried out. By the use of several proteases sequence coverage of 90% was obtained but the N‐terminal 34 amino acids harbouring database conflict 1 were not covered. The presence of Leucine 129 (sequence conflict 2) and Alanine 202 (sequence conflict 3) was verified by three independent approaches. High sequence coverage resulting from multiple proteolytic cleavage, MALDI‐TOF/TOF, Nano‐HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS and de novo sequencing completed unambiguous analysis of SLP‐2 primary structure of ≈90% of sequence coverage. In addition, methodology used was able to solve so far pending sequence conflicts in databases and literature. SLP‐2 is a high abundance protein in several tissues and cells and may play an important biological role and therefore characterization of its primary structure is of importance. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Exploring Black Males’ Community Cultural Wealth and College Aspirations

ABSTRACT: This qualitative study investigated the college aspirations of 59 Black males who attended three different colleges. We explore the internal and external factors that contributed to how these students aspired to and were exposed to college. Specifically, Community Cultural Wealth is used to investigate how Black male students’ college aspirations and expectations were informed by aspirational, social, and familial capital. The experiences shared by students in this study are intended to advance knowledge regarding the precollege experiences of Black male students as well as to enhance research and practices that increase Black males’ retention and success in higher education.
Access Delay of Cognitive Radio Networks Based on Asynchronous Channel-Hopping Rendezvous and CSMA/CA MAC

As a promising approach to the rendezvous problem in cognitive radio networks (CRNs), a blind rendezvous paradigm has recently spawned various asynchronous channel-hopping (CH) rendezvous schemes that enable any two neighboring secondary users to meet among multiple channels within a finite time, even with no synchronization. However, the rendezvous delay that was derived in existing work is unable to reflect the actual channel access delay performance in multiuser CRNs, as it only relies on hopping patterns of the elaborately designed CH sequences (CHSs) and ignores the impact of network factors (e.g., channel availability and multiuser contention). In this paper, channel access delay is investigated by jointly considering asynchronous CH rendezvous schemes, channel availability, and a medium-access control (MAC) protocol in a single-hop multiuser CRN. To coordinate multiuser contention, a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) MAC is adopted by tailoring the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) properly to the operation features of existing asynchronous CH rendezvous schemes. The channel access delay is analyzed based on a modified Bianchi model and an absorbing Markov chain model, which captures the aggregate effect of hopping patterns of CHSs, the dynamic nature of channel availability, and the behavior of the MAC protocol. The analytical results are verified through extensive simulations. Both simulation and analytical results reveal that the rendezvous delay in existing asynchronous CH rendezvous schemes is insufficient to ensure satisfactory channel access delay in multiuser CRNs.
Determining the Effectiveness of Pencil Grips: An Electromyographical Analysis

Objective data regarding the effectiveness of various shaped pencil grips is not available to support the recommendations of such tools by occupational therapy practitioners. Eighteen right-hand dominant participants, ages 18 to 35 years, completed a writing sample using the three writing tools being tested: a standard #2 pencil with no grip, a standard #2 pencil with a triangular grip, and a standard #2 pencil with a pear-shaped grip. Surface electromyography was used to record the muscle activity in the four primary muscles used during handwriting to determine which writing tool elicited the least amount of motor unit recruitment. Although no significant difference was found, trends were noted that warrant further investigation to ensure practitioners recommend the appropriate pencil grip.
Olympic and World Championship track and field athletes’ experiences during the specialising and investment stages of development: a qualitative study with Australian male and female representatives

Abstract Athlete talent development literature has revealed high attrition rates of elite junior athletes during their mid-to-late adolescence (age 15–19 years) across a range of sports, including track and field (T&F). However, much of the research has focused on early athletic participation during the sampling stage rather than the transition from junior elite to senior elite representation. Based on the Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP), this study investigated factors during the specialising and investment stages that underpinned the development of 14 elite Australian junior T&F athletes who transitioned into elite senior careers. Semi-structured interviews were employed to elicit a deep understanding of the 14 athletes’ developmental experiences. Inductive thematic analysis revealed four major dimensions of talent development during the specialising and investment stages – training, competition, social support and personal factors. Early training and competition experiences for elite Australian T&F athletes were commensurate with the specialising stage of the DMSP, where athletes balanced involvement in various sports with T&F. The findings from the present study confirm that most athletes were late specialisers, and did not focus on their main senior event and were not ready to fully investment in specialised intense training until towards the end of the investment stage. Athletes revealed experiences at junior international competitions, support from parents and peers and knowledge and guidance of coaches to their appropriate developmental stage were instrumental in their development. Overall our findings provide further support to the DMSP model recommendation that young athletes are not physically or psychosocially ready to enter the investment stage at least age 16 years.
The wash-in/washout protocol in stable xenon CT cerebral blood flow studies.

PURPOSE We conducted a comparative study to optimize the scanning and inhalation protocols for xenon CT cerebral blood flow (CBF) examination (Xe CT), with the aim of improving the practical performance of Xe CT as a routine clinical examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four different inhalation protocols, including 3-min, 6-min, and 8-min wash-in protocols, and a 3-min wash-in/5-min washout protocol, were compared in five healthy volunteers. Each subject underwent two serial Xe CT examinations with an interval of 30 min between the first one (wash-in) and the second one (wash-in/washout). A computer simulation was also performed to support the results of the clinical study. The rate of success was calculated from our experience of 110 clinical cases examined with the wash-in/washout protocol over the last 9 months. RESULTS The mean CBF values with 6-min and 8-min wash-in protocols were 59.0 and 59.5 mL/100-g brain per min in the thalamus, and 19.5 and 19.0 mL/100-g brain per min in the frontal white matter, respectively. The mean CBF values with 3-min wash-in/5-min washout protocol were 60.0 mL/100-g brain per min in the thalamus and 18.5 mL/100-g brain per min in the frontal white matter, respectively. Computer simulation showed improved signal-to-noise ratio by employing the 3-min wash-in/5-min washout protocol instead of 8-min wash-in protocol for the same number of data points. The rate of success improved to 99.1% due to the significant decrease in head motion with the shorter period of inhalation. CONCLUSION A wash-in/washout protocol is a useful alternative in Xe CT CBF measurement and more useful than the wash-in method for clinical purposes.