Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to Adherence to Medical Care Programs in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Qualitative Study.

Background Non-adherence to medical care programs in transplant recipients is considered one of the life-threatening factors in transplant recipients, which can prevent achieving the desired levels of health care. Objective To determine perceptions of liver transplant recipients about the barriers to their adherence to medical care programs. Methods This study was conducted based on a qualitative content analysis method using semi-structured interviews with 23 liver transplant recipients, their families, and the transplant teams. A purposive sampling method was used in liver transplant clinics affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from May to November 2017. Results Three main categories including factors related to therapeutic problems (educational problems and medication challenges), personal factors (self-management disability), as well as social problems (cultural conditions and passive family) were identified as the barriers to adherence to medical care programs. Conclusion Paying attention to barriers to adherence to medical care and planning for moderating them in a collaborative effort between transplant recipients and health care providers could increase the likelihood of survival and quality of life in these patients.
Improving Crisis Response by Interconnecting Data Worlds

Gathering information to improve decision making during crises is the core business of crisis information officers. In this paper a case study is presented, along with an analysis of the influence of information on crisis management in order to improve crisis response. This analysis shows that interaction between the activities of i. leading crisis response and ii. obtaining a good information position is required in order to improve the effectiveness of the crisis organisation. Interaction between the two is necessary to optimise and tailor the information position in a specific situation, resulting in situational awareness. By combining the efforts of crisis information officers, developers of the Dutch crisis management system (LCMS) and two European FP7 research projects, a balancing platform was provided to study the complexity of cross border and cross sector information sharing. Over a hundred officers and experts from more than 10 countries had gathered to see the results of that action. The officers and the water experts also saw added value in using the instrument for preparative discussions and meetings to explore each other’s domain and organisational concerns. The combination of cascade modelling, applied semantics, National base-registry data, and European satellite imaging, was well received by the Dutch and German crisis teams, and by the Dutch command and National Security Council. The application of standards, a controlled vocabulary of icons and symbols has been documented in a guideline that will be made a mandatory Directive by the Dutch National Security Council. The combination of semantic reasoning and Geographic search has been translated into a W3C/OGC best practice.
The potential of distributed generation to provide ancillary services

The growing concerns regarding electric power quality and availability have led to the installation of more and more distributed generation. In parallel and in the context of an accelerating trend towards deregulation of the electric industry, the unbundling of services, many grouped under ancillary services, should create a market for some of these services. This paper discusses the potential of distributed generation (DG) to provide some of these services. In particular, DG can serve locally as the equivalent of a spinning reserve and voltage support of the AC bus. The main types of distributed generation with emphasis on the power electronic interface and the configurations appropriate to provide ancillary services are reviewed. The flexibility and features provided by the power electronic interface are illustrated. In addition to control of the real power, other functions can be incorporated into the design of the interface to provide services, such as reactive power, and resources associated with power quality. These include voltage sag compensation and harmonic filtering. The implications on the design of the power converter interface are discussed.
STATE OF ART OF THE FIRST AND THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE BIODIESEL SYNTHESIS

The imminent decline of fossil fuel resources, on one hand and its high market prices and increased environmental awareness, on the other hand, made the production of alternatives fuels from renewable resources to race more and more importance. Biodiesel is a promising alternative substitute for diesel being environmental friendly due to its renewability, biodegradability and high quality exhaust emission. This paper describes the state of art of the first and second generation biodiesel produced nowadays in the world. It is also discussed different raw materials sources, technological paths of the synthesis, as well as the properties, the quality and the performance of the first and second generation biodiesel.
Dynamic Dividend and Investment Decisions in Value Added Firms: An Application to Farmer Owned Ethanol Plants

The paper analyzes the dynamic interaction between dividend and investment by adopting numerical methods in a growth framework. Two benchmark models are introduced and their modified version for ethanol production is particularly studied. The transition path supports the trend of smoothing procedure and approximately follows plant’s life cycle. After ethanol plants achieve the mature size, impulse response functions and moment properties for dividend and investment associated with margin shocks and interest rate shocks are computed numerically. The result suggests that investment amount is adjusted in wide range and dividend decision is highly associated with cash flows available in ethanol plants.
Array Pattern Synthesis Using Particle Swarm Optimization with Dynamic Inertia Weight

A Feedback Particle Swarm Optimization (FPSO) with a family of fitness functions is proposed to minimize sidelobe level (SLL) and control null. In order to search in a large initial space and converge fast in local space to a refined solution, a FPSO with nonlinear inertia weight algorithm is developed, which is determined by a subtriplicate function with feedback taken from the fitness of the best previous position. The optimized objectives in the fitness function can obtain an accurate null level independently. The directly constrained SLL range reveals the capability to reduce SLL. Considering both element positions and complex weight coefficients, a low-level SLL, accurate null at specific directions, and constrained main beam are achieved. Numerical examples using a uniform linear array of isotropic elements are simulated, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed array pattern synthesis approach.
Improving Students ’ Performace through Gamification : A User Study

Lack of motivation is an issue for some learners. If they do not find the course materials engaging, they do not spend enough time to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The term gamification is used to denote the application of game mechanisms in non-gaming environments with the objective of enhancing the process. Gamification has been shown to be an effective and motivating technique for enhancing students’ learning outcome. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based gamified tool (PeerWise) in enhancing tertiary students’ performance doing a Computer Science degree at (Anonymised for Review). PeerWise allows students to actively participate in a subject by authoring their own questions and answering, commenting on and rating other students’ questions. Results of an evaluation study conducted over 11 weeks (n = 180) showed that using the tool (both voluntary and compulsory) improved students’ performance and they found it valuable for their learning.
Gender and managerial decisions: evidence on Portuguese firms

The presence of women in various aspects of life of societies has changed throughout the years. This work aims to analyse the effect of gender diversity in the profitability of firms, considering, for such study, a sample of Portuguese firms that have increased importance for the economy, since we consider the companies highlighted by “EXAME” Magazine in its annual 2013 edition as the "500 Biggest and Best" companies. The results show evidence that the presence of women on boards of directors of the companies generates negative effects on firm’s performance. This result may be related to the degree of risk associated with the decisions and policies implemented by administrative boards where women participate. Overall, the results suggest that the presence of women on boards of directors will influence the functioning of the board of directors and the company itself.
A STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STU- DENTS' PERCEPTIONS ABOUT NATURE OF SCIENCE

Present study examines undergraduate students' understanding of nature of science (NOS). The researcher analyzes survey data collected from 52 undergraduates (mostly freshman) at a Private Research University in Northeastern U.S., who were enrolled in a Biology course. Present study reveals that there is no significant difference of the understanding of NOS among science majors, non- science majors and undecided group of undergraduate students and that they hold contemporary views about some aspects of NOS and traditionalist views about other aspects. This study calls for improving the teaching of NOS in high school and college classrooms.
Growing up in a megalopolis: environmental effects on galaxy evolution in a supercluster at z ∼ 0.65 in UKIDSS UDS

We present a large-scale galaxy structure C1 J021734-0513 at z similar to 0.65 discovered in the UKIDSS UDS field, made of similar to 20 galaxy groups and clusters, spreading over 10 Mpc. We report on a VLT/VIMOS spectroscopic follow-up program that, combined with past spectroscopy, allowed us to confirm four galaxy clusters (M-200 similar to 10(14) M-circle dot) and a dozen associated groups and star-forming galaxy overdensities. Two additional filamentary structures at z similar to 0.62 and 0.69 and foreground and background clusters at 0.6 < z < 0.7 were also confirmed along the line of sight. The structure subcomponents are at different formation stages. The clusters have a core dominated by passive galaxies and an established red sequence. The remaining structures are a mix of star-forming galaxy overdensities and forming groups. The presence of quiescent galaxies in the core of the latter shows that 'pre-processing' has already happened before the groups fall into their more massive neighbours. Our spectroscopy allows us to derive spectral index measurements e.g. emission/absorption line equivalent widths, strength of the 4000 angstrom break, valuable to investigate the star formation history of structure members. Based on these line measurements, we select a population of 'post-starburst' galaxies. These galaxies are preferentially found within the virial radius of clusters, supporting a scenario in which their recent quenching could be prompted by gas stripping by the dense intracluster medium. We derive stellar age estimates using Markov Chain Monte Carlo-based spectral fitting for quiescent galaxies and find a correlation between ages and colours/stellar masses which favours a top-down formation scenario of the red sequence. A catalogue of similar to 650 redshifts in UDS is released alongside the paper (via MNRAS online data).
Can we trust proxy‐based NAO index reconstructions?

Three existing cold season North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices which were reconstructed from proxy data were assessed for their consistency and robustness at the inter annual and decadal timescales. All three indices were found to be inconsistent with an observed NAO index, whereas two other, mainly instrument ally based indices, showed good agreement with observations. The combination of the proxy‐based indices into one new index by means of multivariate regression yielded some improvement, such that the skill of the new index was comparable or higher than the individual indices. However, the new index still did not correlate significantly with the instrumentally based reference time series prior to 1850. Our results suggest non‐stationarities in the statistical relationships between the proxy‐based indices and the NAO. This has important implications with regard to the choice of verification periods and predictor data‐base for upcoming reconstruction attempts.
Physiotherapy Management in Adults with Pompe Disease

textabstractThis thesis aimed to investigate whether physiotherapeutic care of patients with Pompe disease can be a valuable addition to the existing ERT and how this care can be organised. The studies included in this thesis explore the referral patterns to contemporary physiotherapeutic care and their content (both regular physiotherapy and pelvic floor physiotherapy), the use of exercise training to improve patients’ functioning (beyond any improvements obtained from ERT), as well as risk factors influencing patients’ walking performance.
Stand Conditions Associated with Tree Regeneration in Sierran Mixed- Conifer Forests

Fire suppression has significantly increased canopy cover, litter depth, and stem density in many western forests, altering microsite conditions that affect tree seedling establishment. We conducted studies in a mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada, California, to determine relationships between established understory trees and microsite quality, and to examine the effect of fire intensity and shrub cover on seedling establishment. Most of the conifer species were found on microsites with relatively high soil moisture and relatively low direct solar radiation. All species had greater frequency under shadier conditions except for Jeffrey pine, which was found on drier, more open microsites. Although seedlings were more abundant on mineral soil than expected, intact litter and forest floor was not a barrier to establishment. Mortality of planted seedlings was high, particularly in exposed areas. Although shrub cover may initially aid survival, few conifer saplings were present in shrub-dominated patches, possibly because shrubs can be aggressive competitors for soil moisture. The lack of regeneration, logs, or snags in many openings suggest that large gaps are hostile environments for tree seedlings. Results suggest that reductions in shrub cover may benefit tree establishment, but increasing understory light and decreasing surface soil moisture through canopy cover reductions may not. FOR . S CI. 51(3):198-210.
International Joint Venture characteristics in Spanish Companies: Uppsala model implications

This article analyses Spanish multinational firm internationalization process under the sequential theory, based on Uppsala and Root models. The objective is to contrast if international experience and cultural distance play an important role to internationalize business activities through international joint ventures. In addition, this paper analyses what kind of factors are important in international joint venture creation, management and control. Finally the paper explores an alternative sequential way in Root model, extending this model.
Allocation of IT Resources in Complex Firms: The Alignment with Business and Corporate Strategy

This paper contributes to our understanding of IT organizational arrangements in complex firms by focusing on the question of whether to conduct IT activities at the corporate or division level. It argues that co-location of IT resources at the SBU level is contingent on (i) the extent to which IT activities are a critical success factor in the focal industry, (ii) the competitive strategy followed by the focal SBU, and (iii) the SBU’s role within the internal network of cross-unit business synergies. Hypotheses are tested with data from a sample of 85 business units within 25 large diversified industrial firms. Findings suggest that the dominant logic for the allocation of IT resources in related diversified firms is the role of the SBU as eit her a provider or receiver of cross-unit services in the pursuit of corporate-wide synergies. This complements results from the prior literature on IT governance.
S I ] 5 J un 2 01 5 Predicting Neighbor Distribution in Heterogeneous Information Networks

Recently, considerable attention has been devoted to the prediction problems arising from heterogeneous information networks. In this paper, we present a new prediction task, Neighbor Distribution Prediction (NDP), which aims at predicting the distribution of the labels on neighbors of a given node and is valuable for many different applications in heterogeneous information networks. The challenges of NDP mainly come from three aspects: the infinity of the state space of a neighbor distribution, the sparsity of available data, and how to fairly evaluate the predictions. To address these challenges, we first propose an Evolution Factor Model (EFM) for NDP, which utilizes two new structures proposed in this paper, i.e. Neighbor Distribution Vector (NDV) to represent the state of a given node’s neighbors, and Neighbor Label Evolution Matrix (NLEM) to capture the dynamics of a neighbor distribution, respectively. We further propose a learning algorithm for Evolution Factor Model. To overcome the problem of data sparsity, the learning algorithm first clusters all the nodes and learns an NLEM for each cluster instead of for each node. For fairly evaluating the predicting results, we propose a new metric: Virtual Accuracy (VA), which takes into consideration both the absolute accuracy and the predictability of a node. Extensive experiments conducted on three real datasets from different domains validate the effectiveness of our proposed model EFM and metric VA.
Cytotoxic activity of Vitex negundo against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) in mice.

Present study was performed to explore the cytotoxic activity of acetone and ethanol extracts from the leaves of Vitex negundo against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) in mice. The activity was assessed using survival time, peritoneal cell count, hematological studies, solid tumor mass, histapathalogical studies and in vitro cytotoxicity. Results found that oral administration of both extracts increased the survival time and normal peritoneal cell count. Hematological parameters including protein and PCV, which were altered by tumor inoculation, were restored. Tumor volume was also significantly reduced and both of extracts exhibited significant cytotoxity activity at 200 μg/ml. The higher cytotoxic activity was found in ethanol extract of Vitex negundo.
No Difference in Failure Rates Between Hybrid Grafts Compared with Hamstring Autografts Following ACL Reconstruction

Background: Hamstring tendon autografts, for ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction, have demonstrated a higher re-rupture rates when graft diameter of <8 mm is chosen. In the event that an autograft yield a graft diameter <8 mm, augmentation with allograft creates a hybrid graft with increased diameter. Clinical outcomes of this hybrid graft have yet to be established. Purpose: To assess clinical outcomes and failure rates of an adult population who undergo augmentation with allograft compared to patients with hamstring autograft alone. Methods: A retrospective chart review of primary ACL reconstructions performed by 4 sports fellowship trained surgeons at a single institution between 2010-2016 identified 23 patients with hamstring autografts and allograft augmentation. A comparison group of 23 patients consisted of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring autograft of >8 mm diameter was then selected. The comparison group was matched based on age within 3 years. Graft failure was defined as revision ACL reconstruction or evidence of graft failure on clinical exam (no end point on lachman or pivot shift) or MRI evidence of retear. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Marx Activity, and Knee injury Osteoarthritis and Outcome (KOOS) scores were obtained. Patients were contacted to obtain information regarding outcome scores, revision procedures, return to sport, and complications. A minimum follow up time was set at 12 months. Results: Forty-six patients met criteria for inclusion in this study and had follow up data. The hybrid group had a total of 23 patients consisting of 7 men and 16 women with an average age of 31 years (Range 17-51 years). The autograft group had a total of 23 patients consisting of 17 men and 6 women with an average age of 33.3 years (Range 15-48). The average follow-up between both groups was 31.5 months (range 12-63 months). The graft failure rate in the hybrid group was 8.7% (2 of 23 patients), while the autograft group demonstrated a graft failure rate of 4.3% (1 of 23 patients) (p=0.49). In the hybrid ACL group, the mean IKDC was 67.8 (CI 59.8-75.9) compared to 73.8 (CI 66.6-80.9) in the autograft group (p=0.26). The average KOOS scores for the hybrid group was 75.8 (CI 67.5-84.1) compared to 86.5 (CI 81.4-91.7) in the autograft group (p=0.03). Conclusions: In an adult population, allografts augmented hybrid ACL grafts showed no statistically significant difference compared to hamstring autograft in graft failure rates. The autograft ACL group demonstrated a higher KOOS score, though the IKDC was equivalent.
Discovery of New Faint Northern Galactic Planetary Nebulae

Presentamos el descubrimiento de 6 objetos nebulares realizado por astronomos aficionados. Cuatro de estos objetos son claramente nebulosas planetarias, uno es posiblemente tambien una nebulosa planetaria, y el ultimo es probablemente una region H II. La nebulosa bipolar Ou4 tiene la extension angular mas grande hasta ahora encontrada: mas de un grado en el cielo! Consideramos varios escenarios para explicar este objeto. Ou4 podria ser una de las nebulosas planetarias mas cercanas, aunque su naturaleza como tal debe aun ser confirmada
Tuning towards tomorrow? Common nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos change and increase their song repertoires from the first to the second breeding season

In many oscines, song repertoire size correlates with male quality and female mate choice, and can vary with age. In a cross-sectional field study in common nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos, one y old birds had substantially smaller repertoires than did older ones. In laboratory experiments males can acquire new song types during this period. This longitudinal field study therefore investigates whether individual nightingales increase their repertoires from the first to the second breeding season. We report a striking repertoire turnover, with an average overall increase of 24% of the first season’s repertoire, resulting from added and dropped song types (54% and 30%, respectively). The number of added song types correlated positively with the size of the first season’s repertoire. These results are consistent with the notion that repertoire size in nightingales correlates with male quality, although the overlap between repertoire sizes of first and second season birds makes it impossible to discriminate age based solely on repertoire size. Comparing the number of song types an individual sang in both seasons (‘permanent song types’) revealed a lower overlap than reported for subsequent seasons. The frequencies with which these were sung in the first season were less predictive of how often they were sung in the second season than was the case between later years. This drastic repertoire turnover from the first to the second season may be a selective process in response to the local song types, constrained by genetic makeup and shaped by early experience.