Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engaging Older Adults in Volunteering

Concern exists that organizations are not ready to take advantage of the growing number of older volunteers. This study offers a conceptualization and preliminary measurement strategy to enhance knowledge on the institutional capacity of volunteer programs to engage older adults. Data were collected from 51 program directors to assess 10 dimensions of institutional capacity: specification of role, dissemination of information, role availability, compensation of expenses, in-kind incentive, skill development, role flexibility, role recognition, accommodation, and integration. Eight factors were identified. The subscales were moderately reliable, and dimensions were independent. Programs rated highest on the capacity to recognize volunteers and disseminate information and lowest on their ability to provide cash compensation. Subsequent research on institutional capacity depends on its strong measurement. Future works will assess the extent to which these institutional capacity factors affect the recruitment, retention, and effective utilization of older volunteers.
Thrice-Weekly In-Center Nocturnal Hemodialysis: An Effective Strategy to Optimize Chronic Dialysis Therapy

Objectives Daily nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) has been proposed as a valuable strategy to improve outcomes for patients on conventional hemodialysis (CHD), but it is burdened by high costs and logistic issues. Thrice NHD might represent a more affordable approach to improve hemodialysis patient outcome. Methods Here we retrospectively analyzed the data on blood pressure, body weight, and hematochemical parameters in a cohort of 7 patients (mean age 50.4 ± 11.0 years, duration of CHD 14.3 ± 11.5 years) who registered in the NHD program at the dialysis unit of Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy. Data for the 2 first years of NHD were compared with those of the last year on CHD. Results At 2 years after start of NHD, we found a significant decrease in systolic (149.4 ± 16.6 vs. 128.4 ± 26.0 mm Hg, p<0.001) and diastolic (87.7 ± 11.1 vs. 79.6 ± 16.7 mm Hg, p<0.05) blood pressure, along with a significant reduction in the use of per-patient antihypertensive agents (1.17 ± 1.19 vs. 0.47 ± 0.89, p<0.05) and an increase in dry body weight (61.4 ± 21.8 vs. 67.1 ± 16.4 kg, p<0.001). Moreover, patients had a significant reduction in phosphate levels (6.2 ± 2.4 vs. 5.4 ± 3.0 mg/dL, p<0.01). The procedure was safe and well tolerated and did not require extra cost for ad hoc facilities. Conclusion NHD is an effective approach to optimize chronic dialysis therapy.
Calcium and vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis – a clinical update

Combined calcium and vitamin D supplementation is an essential component of the management of osteoporosis, supported by a strong scientific rationale. The types of individuals who should receive calcium and vitamin D supplements are those: (i) patients with documented osteoporosis receiving antiresorptive or anabolic treatment; (ii) patients receiving glucocorticoids; and (iii) individuals with or at high risk of calcium and/or vitamin D insufficiencies, in particular older women and men. This article describes the evidence base that supports targeting these groups. Benefits are most apparent when 800 IU day−1 vitamin D is complemented with a dose of 1000–1200 mg day−1 elemental calcium. Compliance is also key to optimizing clinical efficacy.
Materials, skills and gender identities: men, women and home improvement practices in New Zealand

The article explores the interactions of materials, skills and gender identity through examining DIY practices in New Zealand. It traces the relationship between materials used for home repairs, the competences needed to use them and the (re)production of specific gendered identities. It argues that housing and building materials were an important part of the European settler history of the country and this history forms the context within which New Zealanders work on their houses today. Drawing on interviews with 30 Pākehā homeowners, it explores how both men and women respond to the materials of their homes, how skills are acquired in relation to the demands of the materials used and how these skills become part of the (re)production of specific white, heterosexual gender identities. The figure of the ‘Kiwi bloke’ is discussed as an important imaginary in the negotiation of gender identities for both men and women. Interviewees saw their DIY activities in the light of the creation and re-creation of this specific national and gendered identity. The article reveals the intertwining of history and materiality in the continual negotiation and contestation of gendered identities.
No-Wait Flowshop Scheduling Is as Hard as Asymmetric Traveling Salesman Problem

In this paper we study the classical no-wait flowshop scheduling problem with makespan objective (F|no−wait|Cmax in the standard three-field notation). This problem is well-known to be a special case of the asymmetric traveling salesman problem (ATSP) and as such has an approximation algorithm with logarithmic performance guarantee. In this work we show a reverse connection, we show that any polynomial time α-approximation algorithm for the no-wait flowshop scheduling problem with makespan objective implies the existence of a polynomial-time α(1+e)-approximation algorithm for the ATSP, for any e>0. This in turn implies that all non-approximability results for the ATSP (current or future) will carry over to its special case. In particular, it follows that no-wait flowshop problem is APX-hard, which is the first non-approximability result for this problem.
The effect of router buffer size on subjective gaming quality estimators based on delay and jitter

This work presents a study of the effect of router buffer size on the subjective quality experienced by players of online games, which is a service with very tight real-time requirements. Quality estimators for other real-time services like e.g. VoIP were developed years ago, and they are commonly used when planning a new telephony system. They mainly use delay and loss as KPI (Key Performance Indicators). Subjective quality estimators, analogous to VoIP ones, have also been developed for online games, and some of them are based on delay and jitter, but they do not consider packet loss because many games have highly effective loss handling algorithms. This fact has some implications related to the size of router buffers. If it is too big it may add delay and jitter which are not acceptable for gamers. So a study has been conducted, showing that tiny buffers (some tens of kB) are more adequate in order to maintain game quality in acceptable levels.
Recent advances in optical fiber devices for microfluidics integration

This paper examines the recent emergence of miniaturized optical fiber based sensing and actuating devices that have been successfully integrated into fluidic microchannels that are part of microfluidic and lab‐on‐chip systems. Fluidic microsystems possess the advantages of reduced sample volumes, faster and more sensitive biological assays, multi‐sample and parallel analysis, and are seen as the de facto bioanalytical platform of the future. This paper considers the cases where the optical fiber is not merely used as a simple light guide delivering light across a microchannel, but where the fiber itself is engineered to create a new sensor or tool for use within the environment of the fluidic microchannel. Detection and trapping of molecules can be achieved with optical fibers directly located within the fluidic microchannel.
Inclusive Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: A critique

edited by L. Terzi, 2010, London, Continuum, 184 pp. + index, AUS$42.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-44-118015-5 Special Educational Needs: A New Look by Mary Warnock was initially published as a “pamph.
Mobile Adaptive Distributed Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), energy optimization is an important factor to increase the lifetime of the network. Existing approaches mainly discuss on routing data towards the sink and also do concentrate on static wireless sensor network. As these approaches consume more energy, this paper introduces Mobile Adaptive Distributed Clustering Algorithm (MADCA) that can minimize the energy consumption and also support mobile nodes. This algorithm achieves energy optimization by clustering the nodes, based on similarity of data. Also the nodes which have low data sending rate are allotted a sleep duty cycle for some period. In order to support mobile nodes, the clusters are rebuilt according to the clustering period. Thus it reduces the burden of sink and improves the lifetime of the network. This scenario is simulated using Network Simulator NS2 and performance is analyzed. Simulation results show that MADCA is efficient in terms of control overhead, average end-to-end delay, average packet delivery ratio and energy consumption when compared to a recently proposed approach based on clustering.
An Approach for Testing Data Intensive Systems: Application to a Banking CRM System

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become a buzzword among business consultants since the late 1990s. Companies have invested huge amounts to implement CRM strategies, tools and infrastructure in order to attract and retain profitable customers in today's increasingly competitive markets. However, except economic factors, the accuracy and reliability of CRM system also could impact the strategies that companies will deploy. In the existing academic literature and practical applications, they rarely mention a testing approach to assess the conformance and performance of CRM systems. What is also missing is a comprehensive formalism that allows to define these requirements of CRM systems. The purpose of this paper is to define a formal passive testing approach for measuring the conformance and performance of CRM system. Based on our approach, we also provide a real case study on Personal Customer Relationship Management (PCRM) system of Agriculture Bank of China. Finally, we illustrate the preliminary testing results on PCRM run-time data.
Structural Insight into Archaic and Alternative Chaperone-Usher Pathways Reveals a Novel Mechanism of Pilus Biogenesis

Gram-negative pathogens express fibrous adhesive organelles that mediate targeting to sites of infection. The major class of these organelles is assembled via the classical, alternative and archaic chaperone-usher pathways. Although non-classical systems share a wider phylogenetic distribution and are associated with a range of diseases, little is known about their assembly mechanisms. Here we report atomic-resolution insight into the structure and biogenesis of Acinetobacter baumannii Csu and Escherichia coli ECP biofilm-mediating pili. We show that the two non-classical systems are structurally related, but their assembly mechanism is strikingly different from the classical assembly pathway. Non-classical chaperones, unlike their classical counterparts, maintain subunits in a substantially disordered conformational state, akin to a molten globule. This is achieved by a unique binding mechanism involving the register-shifted donor strand complementation and a different subunit carboxylate anchor. The subunit lacks the classical pre-folded initiation site for donor strand exchange, suggesting that recognition of its exposed hydrophobic core starts the assembly process and provides fresh inspiration for the design of inhibitors targeting chaperone-usher systems.
Comparison of Epothilone and Taxol Binding in Yeast Tubulin using Molecular Modeling

Microtubules are unique cytoskeletal structures that have structural subunits of αβ tubulin. Taxol is a typical microtubule stabilizing drug. The epothilones are other natural products with similar mechanism of action totaxol. Despite the highly conserved nature of β-tubulin, some organism like Saccharomyces cerevesia (S.cerevesia) is resistance to taxol, but sensitive to epothilones. In order to find differences in sensitivity of yeast tubulin to these molecules, we investigated binding mode of the taxol and epothilone A to yeast tubulin using molecular modeling. The multiple sequence alignment of β-tubulin of different species was performed using ClustalW2. Protein structure of yeast β-tubulin was constructed with Swiss Model 8.05 by using 1TVK. Modeled tubulin was superimposed with PyMol on1JFF for comparison of three-dimensional structure of two proteins. Our results showed that one of the most interesting differences in binding mode of these molecules is residue 227. The His227 in bovine makes a hydrogen bond by means of its δ-nitrogen with epothilone A and by means of its ɛ-nitrogen with taxol. The Asn227 of yeast can play role of the δ-nitrogen of imidazole ring of H227, but not of ɛ-nitrogen of it. So yeast tubulin in contrast to taxol can interact with epothilone A. Due to conservation of essential residues for binding (T274, R282 and Q292), epothilone A in comparison with taxol can tolerate the interchange in the binding pocket (R276I). Our findings may be of a great aid in the rational design of antitumor agents that bind to the taxol binding region of tubulin.
Spring constant calibration techniques for next-generation fast-scanning atomic force microscope cantilevers

As a recent technological development, high-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) has provided unprecedented insights into dynamic processes on the nanoscale, and is capable of measuring material property variation over short timescales. Miniaturized cantilevers developed specifically for high-speed AFM differ greatly from standard cantilevers both in size and dynamic properties, and calibration of the cantilever spring constant is critical for accurate, quantitative measurement. This work investigates specifically, the calibration of these new-generation cantilevers for the first time. Existing techniques are tested and the challenges encountered are reported and the most effective approaches for calibrating fast-scanning cantilevers with high accuracy are identified, providing a resource for microscopists in this rapidly developing field. Not only do these cantilevers offer faster acquisition of images and force data but due to their high resonant frequencies (up to 2 MHz) they are also excellent mass sensors. Accurate measurement of deposited mass requires accurate calibration of the cantilever spring constant, therefore the results of this work will also be useful for mass-sensing applications.
Personality traits after recovery from eating disorders: do subtypes differ?

OBJECTIVE We compared individuals recovered from anorexia (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) to determine characteristics that are shared by or distinguish eating disorder (ED) subtypes. METHOD Sixty women recovered for > or = 1 year from AN or BN were compared with 47 control women (CW). Assessments included the Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorder Scale, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, the Temperament and Character Inventory, and Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV. RESULTS Individuals recovered from an ED had similar scores for mood and personality variables that were significantly higher than the scores for CW. Few recovered subjects had Cluster B personality disorder. Most individuals recovered within 6 years of their ED onset. A latent profile analysis identified an "inhibited" and "disinhibited" cluster based on personality traits. CONCLUSION A wide range of symptoms persist after recovery and do not differ between subtypes of ED. These findings may aid in identifying traits that create vulnerabilities for developing an ED.
Habituation and choice in the process of consumption: a case study of popular music in Singapore

This article looks at the musical landscape in Singapore where, as it will show, there is a segmented market for popular music. In other words, there is a correspondence between social groupings and specific genres of music. In fact, there is little evidence of the blurring or crossing of boundaries. Two social groupings will be chosen to illustrate the situation—Malays and hard rock/heavy metal, and middle-class Chinese youth and what is often referred to as "indie rock". I will contend that both of these social groupings consume the genres of popular music that have been associated with them through a cycle of alternating habituation and choice, and that the implicit contempt they hold for each other also manifests itself through abstinence from the musical genre associated with the Other; in other words, consumption is used as a method of maintaining difference or as a weapon of exclusion (Hebdige 1988, 110). Consumption and abstinence will therefore be demonstrated to be equally conspicuous and socially consequential (Appadurai 1994). This strategy of differentiation had its beginnings in the late 1980s and has persisted to the present day. This illustrates how cultural taste reinforces symbolic boundaries (see, for example, Bryson 1996), and although there is also a class dimension, as will be shown, the case in question does not follow the familiar trickle-down/trickle-up mimetic paradigms described in other works (see, for example, Veblen 1899; Warner and Hunt 1941; Davis 1992; Lamont and Fournier 1992; Peterson 1994).
Impact of Advanced Access on access, workload, and continuity: controlled before-and-after and simulated-patient study.

BACKGROUND Case studies from the US suggest that Advanced Access appointment systems lead to shorter delays for appointments, reduced workload, and increased continuity of care. AIM To determine whether implementation of Advanced Access in general practice is associated with the above benefits in the UK. DESIGN OF STUDY Controlled before-and-after and simulated-patient study. SETTING Twenty-four practices that had implemented Advanced Access and 24 that had not. METHOD Anonymous telephone calls were made monthly to request an appointment. Numbers of appointments and patients consulting were calculated from practice records. Continuity was determined from anonymised patient records. RESULTS The wait for an appointment with any doctor was slightly shorter at Advanced Access practices than control practices (mean 1.00 day and 1.87 days respectively, adjusted difference -0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.51 to 0.004 days). Advanced Access practices met the NHS Plan 48-hour access target on 71% of occasions and control practices on 60% of occasions (adjusted odds ratio 1.61; 95% CI = 0.78 to 3.31; P = 0.200). The number of appointments offered, and patients seen, increased at both Advanced Access and control practices over the period studied, with no evidence of differences between them. There was no difference between Advanced Access and control practices in continuity of care (adjusted difference 0.003; 95% CI = -0.07 to 0.07). CONCLUSION Advanced Access practices provided slightly shorter waits for an appointment compared with control practices, but performance against NHS access targets was considerably poorer than officially reported for both types of practice. Advanced Access practices did not have reduced workload or increased continuity of care.
SENSORLock: a lightweight key management scheme for wireless sensor networks

Security in wireless sensor networks demands an efficient key management scheme. As sensors typically operate unattended, it becomes quite important to ensure security to cryptographic keys stored in their memories. In this scenario, the development of lightweight encryption mechanisms is a challenge because of sensor-constrained resources. In this work, we present a mechanism tailored to sensor networks called SENSORLock applying it to a specific case. Our main contribution is to propose, analyze, and demonstrate the feasibility of SENSORLock for secure symmetric key distribution solving the stored key exposure problem. Analytical results demonstrate that this approach increases the system's security against the tampering of sensor nodes. Additionally, the mechanism is evaluated using simulation and practical experiments, using the TinyOS platform. Simulation results reveal that this scheme introduces very low processing overhead, in the order of nanoseconds, and an estimated power consumption quite similar to existing approaches. Besides, practical experiments indicate that the scheme can be deployed by off-the-shelf sensors, such as MicaZ and TelosB. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hermes (Rbpms) is a Critical Component of RNP Complexes that Sequester Germline RNAs during Oogenesis

The germ cell lineage in Xenopus is specified by the inheritance of germ plasm that assembles within the mitochondrial cloud or Balbiani body in stage I oocytes. Specific RNAs, such as nanos1, localize to the germ plasm. nanos1 has the essential germline function of blocking somatic gene expression and thus preventing Primordial Germ Cell (PGC) loss and sterility. Hermes/Rbpms protein and nanos RNA co-localize within germinal granules, diagnostic electron dense particles found within the germ plasm. Previous work indicates that nanos accumulates within the germ plasm through a diffusion/entrapment mechanism. Here we show that Hermes/Rbpms interacts with nanos through sequence specific RNA localization signals found in the nanos-3′UTR. Importantly, Hermes/Rbpms specifically binds nanos, but not Vg1 RNA in the nucleus of stage I oocytes. In vitro binding data show that Hermes/Rbpms requires additional factors that are present in stage I oocytes in order to bind nanos1. One such factor may be hnRNP I, identified in a yeast-2-hybrid screen as directly interacting with Hermes/Rbpms. We suggest that Hermes/Rbpms functions as part of a RNP complex in the nucleus that facilitates selection of germline RNAs for germ plasm localization. We propose that Hermes/Rbpms is required for nanos RNA to form within the germinal granules and in this way, participates in the germline specific translational repression and sequestration of nanos RNA.
On Interference Coordination for Directional Decode-And-Forward Relay in TD-LTE Systems

Interference coordination is the key to reduce intercell interference in a TD-LTE system. Because of implementation complexity, partial and soft frequency reuse schemes are hardly suitable to TD-LTE systems. The decode-and-forward relay scheme, which may generate some additional interference, is presented to extend coverage and improve performance of TD-LTE systems. To mitigate the relay related interference, a directional relay topology is proposed in this paper. The radio resource is reused between the isolated RSs to improve the spectrum efficiency. The joint interference coordination and directional relay can suppress most inter-cell and inter-relay interferences and improve the capacity. The signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) distributions and throughput for the traditional non-relay scenario and the proposed directional relay scenario are derived. The analysis and simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposal scheme.