Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using action research in nursing practice with older people: democratizing knowledge.

AIM This paper reports on an action research study which raised some questions about the processes of developing a sense of shared ownership in action research in a research environment which does not always have the appropriate mechanisms to support and sustain action research. BACKGROUND Action research has gained popularity in nursing and healthcare research, offering a way of developing practice-based knowledge, which can assist in changing practice and democratizing inquiry. METHODS There are other organizational constraints on action research which arise at different levels, and which also require discussion. These can be issues about communication and ownership at a practice level and issues of funding and project management procedures. This paper reports on a study in which these issues came to the fore, and offers some thoughts on how they can affect the processes of action research. CONCLUSION While the principles of action research appear to offer much towards the development of a practice-rooted body of knowledge for nursing, unless some of the issues of ownership are resolved, it is unlikely to move beyond academic rhetoric. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE If nursing is to engage in action research, this must be done critically and reflectively and careful attention paid to developing an inclusive and collaborative approach to knowledge and practice development. Furthermore, to develop in nursing and health care research, it must find ways to meet the requirements of funding bodies.
4J-2 Ultrasound-Based Thermal and Elasticity Imaging to Assist Photothermal Cancer Therapy - Preliminary Study

Photothermal therapy is a targeted, non-invasive thermal treatment of cancer. Up to 40 degC temperature increase is obtained in a small volume of malignant cells by using appropriate photoabsorbers and irradiating the tissue with a continuous wave laser. However, in order to ensure successful outcome of photothermal therapy, the tumor needs to be imaged before therapy, the temperature needs to be monitored during therapy and, finally, the tumor needs to be evaluated for necrosis during and after therapy. We investigated the feasibility of ultrasound imaging to track temperature changes during photothermal therapy and elasticity imaging to monitor tumor necrosis after treatment. The image-guided therapy was demonstrated on tissue mimicking phantoms and ex-vivo animal tissue with gold nanoparticles as photoabsorbers. Ultrasound-based thermal imaging effectively generates temperature maps during therapy while elasticity imaging monitors changes in the mechanical properties of tissue before and after therapy, allowing evaluation of treatment efficacy. Results of our study suggest that ultrasound can be used to guide photothermal therapy
An Affine Multicurrency Model with Stochastic Volatility and Stochastic Interest Rates

We introduce a tractable multicurrency model with stochastic volatility and correlated stochastic interest rates that takes into account the smile in the foreign exchange (FX) market and the evolution of yield curves. The pricing of vanilla options on FX rates can be efficiently performed through the FFT methodology thanks to the affine property of the model. Our framework is also able to describe many nontrivial links between FX rates and interest rates: a calibration exercise highlights the ability of the model to simultaneously fit FX implied volatilities while being coherent with interest rate products.
Visual-Spatial Memory and Recall Test (V-SMART): validity and reliability*

Abstract Objective: Nonverbal memory decline is a concern associated with aging. Visuospatial memory tests often do not distinguish between learning, recall, or retrieval, yet such distinctions may help clarify the nature of memory difficulties. Further, many visuospatial tests rely on abilities not directly related to memory (e.g. graphomotor skill). The present study examined the feasibility and initial psychometric evidence of the Visual-Spatial Memory and Recall Test (V-SMART). Method: Ninety-nine adults (71% women) were recruited from two sources: undergraduate students (n = 37) and healthy older adults (n = 62). Volunteers completed a brief battery of cognitive tests. Results: Internal consistency and interrater reliability were strong. Principal Components Analysis supported the hypothesized learning and recall structure, and correlations with other memory tests supported external validity of the V-SMART as a visuospatial learning measure. Correlations with recall scores were less compelling yet likely reflected the intact recall among this generally healthy sample. Conclusions: These preliminary findings support the V-SMART as a visuospatial memory test. Evidence for validity was acceptable for learning indices; further examination of recall measures is needed.
Sampling methods for phlebotomine sandflies

A review is presented of methods for sampling phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae). Among ∼500 species of Phlebotominae so far described, mostly in the New World genus Lutzomyia and the Old World genus Phlebotomus, about 10% are known vectors of Leishmania parasites or other pathogens. Despite being small and fragile, sandflies have a wide geographical range with species occupying a considerable diversity of ecotopes and habitats, from deserts to humid forests, so that suitable methods for collecting them are influenced by environmental conditions where they are sought. Because immature phlebotomines occupy obscure terrestrial habitats, it is difficult to find their breeding sites. Therefore, most trapping methods and sampling procedures focus on sandfly adults, whether resting or active. The diurnal resting sites of adult sandflies include tree holes, buttress roots, rock crevices, houses, animal shelters and burrows, from which they may be aspirated directly or trapped after being disturbed. Sandflies can be collected during their periods of activity by interception traps, or by using attractants such as bait animals, CO2 or light. The method of trapping used should: (a) be suited to the habitat and area to be surveyed, (b) take into account the segment of the sandfly population to be sampled (species, sex and reproduction condition) and (c) yield specimens of appropriate condition for the study objectives (e.g. identification of species present, population genetics or vector implication). Methods for preservation and transportation of sandflies to the laboratory also depend on the objectives of a particular study and are described accordingly.
Taipan snake venom time coupled with ecarin time enhances lupus anticoagulant detection in nonanticoagulated patients

A study is presented which assesses the diagnostic impact of incorporating Taipan snake venom time (TSVT) with ecarin time confirmatory test into an existing dilute Russell's viper venom time (dRVVT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) repertoire when testing nonanticoagulated patients for lupus anticoagulants. A total of 387 plasma samples from nonanticoagulated patients being investigated for antiphospholipid antibodies were tested for lupus anticoagulant by dRVVT and dilute APTT with confirmatory and mixing tests, and TSVT with ecarin time, with commercially available reagents. All were analyzed on a Sysmex CS2000i automated analyzer. Lupus anticoagulant was not detected by dRVVT, dilute APTT or TSVT screening in 265 of 387 (68.5%) samples. A lupus anticoagulant was detected in 60 (15.5%) samples in dRVVT and/or dilute APTT analysis, but gave normal TSVT ratios. Thirty-nine (10.1%) were positive by TSVT and ecarin time and one or both of dRVVT and dilute APTT testing, whereas a further 23 (5.9%) were only positive in TSVT/ecarin time testing. Most of the lupus anticoagulants manifested in dRVVT and/or APTT analysis, as might be anticipated for this reagent pairing. The samples positive by TSVT/ecarin time only, as has been previously demonstrated, emphasize that the many variables that impact lupus anticoagulant testing mean that even a well established dRVVT and APTT pairing cannot deliver diagnostic certainty. Interference by direct factor Xa inhibitors in dRVVT testing could pave the way for wider adoption of TSVT screening as we gain more evidence of its diagnostic performance.
Towards End-to-End Modeling of Spoken Language Understanding in a Cloud-based Spoken Dialog System

We present an ASR-free end-to-end modeling approach to spoken language understanding for a cloud-based modular spoken dialog system. We evaluate the effectiveness of our approach on crowdsourced data collected from non-native English speakers interacting with a conversational language learning application. Experimental results show that our approach performs almost as well as the traditional baseline of ASR-based semantic classiﬁcation and is particularly promising in situations with low ASR accuracy.
Factors that positively influence adherence to antiretroviral therapy by HIV and/or AIDS patients and their caregivers

Abstract Background The importance of dedicated adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is well documented. Multiple factors may affect adherence and this study explores patients’ and their caregivers’ perceptions of factors which may positively influence adherence to ART. Method This study was a descriptive, qualitative study that used both free attitude interviews and focus-group discussions. Nineteen patients attending a busy ART-clinic at a district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and eight caregivers were purposefully selected. Selection criteria included good adherence to ARTs as evidenced by excellent clinic attendance for more than one year with evidence of clinical, immunological and viral improvement. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Results Ten female participants, nine male participants and eight caregivers took part in the study. Participants highlighted three main categories that positively affect their adherence to ART namely: patient, disease and health care provider-related factors. Sub-themes included issues related to acceptance, disclosure to significant others, symptomatic improvement on ARTs and the importance of supportive relationships. Participants greatly valued the health care provider relationship and felt that the main role of the health care provider was to educate and support. Conclusion This study has shown that the factors which most influenced adherence were patient-related (acceptance, disclosure, determination, and family support), disease-related and treatment-related (symptomatic illness and improvement on ARTs), and healthcare worker-related (relationships, and adherence classes).
Model Adaptation for Automatic Speech Recognition Based on Multiple Time Scale Evolution

The change in speech characteristics is originated from various factors, at various (temporal) rates in a real world conversation. These temporal changes have their own dynamics and therefore, we propose to extend the single (time-) incremental adaptations to a multiscale adaptation, which has the potential of greatly increasing the model’s robustness as it will include adaptation mechanism to approximate the nature of the characteristic change. The formulation of the incremental adaptation assumes a time evolution system of the model, where the posterior distributions, used in the decision process, are successively updated based on a macroscopic time scale in accordance with the Kalman filter theory. In this paper, we extend the original incremental adaptation scheme, based on a single time scale, to multiple time scales, and apply the method to the adaptation of both the acoustic model and the language model. We further investigate methods to integrate the multi-scale adaptation scheme to realize the robust speech recognition performance. Large vocabulary continuous speech recognition experiments for English and Japanese lectures revealed the importance of modeling multiscale properties in speech recognition. Index Terms: speech recognition, incremental adaptation, multiscale, time evolution system
Liposomal amphotericin-B (AmBisome) for treatment of disseminated fungal infections in two infants of very low birth weight.

Systemic fungal infections represent an increasing problem among low birth weight neonates.1-4 The necessity of many invasive procedures such as endotracheal intubation, central venous catheterization, prolonged antibiotic therapy, and hyperalimentation including intravenous fat emulsions increases the risk of nosocomial infections.4,5 Amphotericin-B (Amph-B) combined with 5-fluorocytosine is reported to be the treatment of choice for disseminated fungal infections. However conventional Amph-B medication is often limited due to severe side effects. Fever, chills, bronchospastic reactions, nephrotoxicity, and hepatic necrosis have been reported frequently.2,6 Previous experiences with immunocompromised patients indicate that the liposomal encapsulation of amphotericin-B decreases its toxicity while maintaining its effectiveness as an antifungal agent.7-12
Production, survival and e⁄cacy of Coniothyrium minitans conidia produced in shaken liquid culture

Coniothyrium minitans is a fungal biocontrol agent of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum . Growth and sporulation of 21 strains of C. minitans were examined on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and compared with that in potato dextrose broth (PDB) in shaken culture after 12 days at 20‡C, to identify strains with potential for inoculum production in liquid culture. Four strains that produced high numbers of pycnidia in PDA also formed pycnidia on mycelial strands in PDB and 10 7 conidia ml 3 1 broth were produced. The other strains formed pellets during shaking, resulting in production of less than 10 5 conidia ml 3 1 . Conidia from shaken PDB culture had the same ability to infect and rot sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum as conidia produced routinely on PDA, and survived well in dry kaolin dust for 6 months at temperatures less than 8‡C with less than 1 log 10 colony forming units mg 3 1 loss. These results suggest that it might be possible to identify useful strains of C. minitans for future commercial conidial production in liquid fermentation systems based on morphological characteristics on agar.
Bringing virtual events into real life in Second Life home automation system

In this paper we propose the design and development of a prototype system to monitor and control a physical home and to bridge the interaction gap between the virtual and real world device control mechanism. We created a virtual 3D home in Second Life that mimics the look of a physical home. In the physical home environment different devices and sensors are connected in order to ensure a safe and automated home. Any event that occurs in the physical space of the smart home is then synchronized with the virtual environment. More importantly, the virtual home interface provides the option to control the physical smart devices. By using the Second Life virtual interface the home owner have a better look to monitor or control the home appliances. As per the initial experimentation, we found out that the proposed approach of Second Life based home automation system is appealing and useful to the user.
Intra-oral mandibular sagittal osteotomy technique to correct mandibular distocclusion and mesio-occlusion

Summary Skeletal malocclusions may be due to disturbances in the growth of the mandible or maxilla. In most cases, discomfort is the result of tooth-to-tooth malocclusion or tooth-to-softtissue contact. Currently, in veterinary medicine, these problems are treated palliatively. In humans, orthognathic surgery is indicated to correct severe skeletal malocclusions, offering aesthetic and functional benefits to the patients. This research evaluated the effects of an intra-oral mandibular sagittal split osteotomy in 20 dog cadavers with skeletal malocclusion. After sagittal osteotomy and mandibular repositioning, the osteotomies were fixed with titanium mini-plates and 1.5 mm diameter screws or 1.5 mm bicortical screws. The statistical analysis revealed a significant occlusion difference in the treated cadavers (Wilcoxon test, p <0.05). In 19/20 cadavers there was correction of the angular osteotomy while the mandibular alveolar vessels and nerve were preserved during osteotomy and fixation in all cadavers. In conclusion, intra-oral mandible sagittal osteotomy allowed correction of malocclusion in cadavers. However, it would be important to prepare a preoperative orthodontic-surgical treatment plan to obtain a satisfactory occlusion during the surgery in clinical patients.
Fast RLS with parallel computations

The paper presents parallel forms of the sliding window fast RLS algorithms with the regularization of adaptive filter correlation matrix. The new algorithms are mathematically identical to the appropriate algorithms with sequential computations, but can be implemented by means of parallel processors. The algorithms are based on the using of the generalized matrix inversion lemma. They can be used for the processing of non-stationary signals.
Effect of reinforcement grade and ratio on seismic performance of reinforced concrete columns

Reinforcement grades higher than 75 ksi (520 MPa) are not allowed in members that form plastic hinges due to a lack of information on material characteristics and on the seismic performance of columns constructed with high-strength steel (HSS) reinforcement. This research investigated the performance of reinforced concrete columns containing Grade 80 (minimum yield strength of 80 ksi [550 MPa]) HSS reinforcement. Four columns were subjected to lateral cyclic loading to determine the effects of the steel reinforcement grade and longitudinal reinforcement ratio. Results indicate that columns constructed with Grade 80 (550) HSS reinforcement achieved similar resistances, similar maximum drifts, and similar curvature ductility values when compared with the control columns. Results also indicate that the effect of the longitudinal reinforcement ratio on column performance is similar for columns constructed with either Grade 60 or 80 (420 or 550) reinforcement. Columns constructed with Grade 80 (550) reinforcement exhibited lower energy dissipation than the control columns.
Application of adaptive droop method to boost converters operating at the output of fuel cells

Droop method is widely used to operate dc-dc converters in parallel. Although it is very simple and easy to use, poor regulation and uneven load sharing are the major limitations of the method. This paper presents a modified droop method to overcome these limitations. Proposed method is an adaptive technique that re-defines the droop coefficients after an initial period of operation. The method has been tested with three boost converters designed to operate at the output of a fuel cell. Results clearly show that better regulation and load sharing are achieved using the suggested technique.
Genotype and environment interaction on soybean yield in Mato Grosso State, Brazil

The objective of this work was to investigate the genotype-environment interaction in Mato Grosso State, MT. The relative importance of locations, years, sowing dates and cultivars and their interactions was analyzed from data collected in regional yield trials performed in a randomized complete block design with four replications, from 1994-1995 through 1999-2000, in nine locations and two sowing dates. Individual and pooled analyses of variance over years and locations were performed. Complementary analyses of variances partitioned MT State in two main and five smaller regions, respectively: North and South of Cuiaba; and MT-South-A (Pedra Preta area), MT-South-B (Rondonopolis and Itiquira), MT-East (Primavera do Leste and Campo Verde), MT-Central (Nova Mutum, Lucas do Rio Verde and Sorriso) and MT-Parecis (Campo Novo dos Parecis and Sapezal). Locations are relatively more important than years for yield testing soybeans in the MT State, therefore, investment should be made in increasing locations rather than years to improve experimental precision. Partitioning the MT State into regions has little impact on soybean yield testing results and, consequently, on the efficiency of the soybean breeding program in the State. Breeding genotypes with broad adaptation for the MT State is an efficient strategy for cultivar development.
Causal estimation using semiparametric transformation models under prevalent sampling

This article presents methods and inference for causal estimation in semiparametric transformation models for the prevalent survival data. Through the estimation of the transformation models and covariate distribution, we propose a few analytical procedures to estimate the causal survival function. As the data are observational, the unobserved potential outcome (survival time) may be associated with the treatment assignment, and therefore there may exist a systematic imbalance between the data observed from each treatment arm. Further, due to prevalent sampling, subjects are observed only if they have not experienced the failure event when data collection began, causing the prevalent sampling bias. We propose a unified approach, which simultaneously corrects the bias from the prevalent sampling and balances the systematic differences from the observational data. We illustrate in the simulation study that standard analysis without proper adjustment would result in biased causal inference. Large sample properties of the proposed estimation procedures are established by techniques of empirical processes and examined by simulation studies. The proposed methods are applied to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and Medicare‐linked data for women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii Possesses a Bifunctional Enzyme for Formaldehyde Fixation via the Ribulose Monophosphate Pathway

ABSTRACT Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3, a hyperthermophilic and anaerobic archaeon, was found to have an open reading frame (PH1938) whose deduced amino acid sequence of the N-terminal and C-terminal halves showed significant similarity to two key enzymes of the ribulose monophosphate pathway for formaldehyde fixation in methylotrophic bacteria, 3-hexulose-6-phosphate synthase (HPS) and 6-phospho-3-hexuloisomerase (PHI), respectively. The organism constitutively produced the encoded protein and exhibited activity of the sequential HPS- and PHI-mediated reactions in a particulate fraction. The full-length gene encoding the hybrid enzyme, the sequence corresponding to the HPS region, and the sequence corresponding to the PHI region were expressed in Escherichia coli and were found to produce active enzymes, rHps-Phi, rHps, or rPhi, respectively. Purified rHps-Phi and rHps were found to be active at the growth temperatures of the parent strain, but purified rPhi exhibited significant susceptibility to heat, suggesting that thermostability of the PHI moiety of the bifunctional enzyme (rHps-Phi) resulted from fusion with HPS. The bifunctional enzyme catalyzed the sequential reaction much more efficiently than a mixture of rHps and rPhi. These and other biochemical characterizations of the PH1938 gene product suggest that the ribulose monophosphate pathway plays a significant role in the archaeon under extreme environmental conditions.