Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors that influence peripheral nerve regeneration: An electrophysiological study of the monkey median nerve

Regeneration in the peripheral nervous system is often incomplete though it is uncertain which factors, such as the type and extent of the injury or the method or timing of repair, determine the degree of functional recovery. Serial electrophysiological techniques were used to follow recovery from median nerve lesions (n = 46) in nonhuman primates over 3 to 4 years, a time span comparable with such lesions in humans. Nerve gap distances of 5, 20, or 50mm were repaired with nerve grafts or collagen‐based nerve guide tubes, and three electrophysiological outcome measures were followed: (1) compound muscle action potentials in the abductor pollicis brevis muscle, (2) the number and size of motor units in reinnervated muscle, and (3) compound sensory action potentials from digital nerve. A statistical model was used to assess the influence of three variables (repair type, nerve gap distance, and time to earliest muscle reinnervation) on the final recovery of the outcome measures. Nerve gap distance and the repair type, individually and concertedly, strongly influenced the time to earliest muscle reinnervation, and only time to reinnervation was significant when all three variables were included as outcome predictors. Thus, nerve gap distance and repair type exert their influence through time to muscle reinnervation. These findings emphasize that factors that control early axonal outgrowth influence the final level of recovery attained years later. They also highlight that a time window exists within which axons must grow through the distal nerve stump in order for recovery after nerve lesions to be optimal. Future work should focus on interventions that may accelerate the growth of axons from the lesion site into the distal nerve stump.
Physical performance and physical activity in grown-up congenital heart disease

Aim To review exercise performance and exercise habits in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Background and methods Physical exercise and physical activity has shown beneficial effects on the physical, psychological and social level in adult patients with cardiovascular disease. Favourable effects have also been documented in children with CHD. Exercise testing is preferentially performed on a treadmill in children, with the measurement of gas exchange. Results An overview of the literature showed that formal exercise testing has frequently documented reduced or suboptimal values for aerobic exercise performance in children with left-to-right shunts (atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect), valvular heart disease and obstructive anomalies (aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, coarctation of the aorta). Subnormal values for exercise tolerance have also been observed in patients with successfully repaired cyanotic heart disease (tetraology of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, Fontan operation). An important contributing factor to the impaired exercise performance is the hypoactive lifestyle, as often observed in patients with CHD. This frequently results from parental or environmental overprotection. Conclusion These patients should be stimulated to be physically active, unless medical restriction is imposed. Fortunately, this represents only a small fraction of the total number of congenital heart defects for which sports participation is allowed.
Approximating the Joint replenishment Problem with Deadlines

The objective of the classical Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) is to minimize ordering costs by combining orders in two stages, first at some retailers, and then at a warehouse. These orders are needed to satisfy demands that appear over time at the retailers. We investigate the natural special case that each demand has a deadline until when it needs to be satisfied. For this case, we present a randomized 5/3-approximation algorithm. We moreover prove that JRP with deadlines is APX-hard. Finally, we extend the known hardness results by showing that JRP with linear delay cost functions is NP-hard, even if each retailer has to satisfy only three demands.
Representation Discovery in Sequential Decision Making

Automatically constructing novel representations of tasks from analysis of state spaces is a longstanding fundamental challenge in AI. I review recent progress on this problem for sequential decision making tasks modeled as Markov decision processes. Specifically, I discuss three classes of representation discovery problems: finding functional, state, and temporal abstractions. I describe solution techniques varying along several dimensions: diagonalization or dilation methods using approximate or exact transition models; reward-specific vs reward-invariant methods; global vs. local representation construction methods; multiscale vs. flat discovery methods; and finally, orthogonal vs. redundant representa- tion discovery methods. I conclude by describing a number of open problems for future work.
ELASTIC ANISOTROPY OF HCP METAL CRYSTALS AND POLYCRYSTALS

The monocrystal elastic behaviours of twenty four hexagonal close packed (HCP) metals at room temperature are reviewed based on published values of their monocrystal elastic constants. In particular, the angular variation of the Young’s Modulus (E) and the Rigidity (Shear) Modulus (G) are determined using general equations developed by Voigt [1928] and comparisons between the different metals presented graphically. The consequences of anisotropic monocrystal behaviour on the elastic behaviour of polycrystals composed of randomly oriented grains (crystal aggregates) are explored using a three dimensional spherical analysis together with the analytical methods of Voigt [1889] and Reuss [1929], and comments made on the consequences of non-randomly oriented grains.
House fly (Musca domestica): A review of control strategies for a challenging pest

Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), commonly called the house fly, is a major domestic, medical and veterinary pest that causes irritation, spoils food and acts as a vector for many pathogenic organisms. In this paper, the social and health problems related to housefly are introduced with the associated need to control its population. Physical and chemical methods of house fly control are briefly discussed. The main focus of this review is on the biological control methods for house fly control, that comprise botanical, fungal, bacterial and parasitoid agents. Although several biocontrol agents are still in the nascent stage, some of them (especially fungal and parasitoid agents) have shown reliable field performance and seem to be suitable candidates for commercialization. However, the majority of these laboratory and field studies have been conducted in the temperate region. It remains to be seen whether the application of biocontrol agents would be feasible in tropical environments. The integrated pest management practices, which can provide more reliable field performance, have also been discussed. A multi-dimensional approach that exerts control on all the life stages of house fly, but simultaneously preserves the fly's natural enemies could be an ecologically sustainable way of maintaining the fly populations below maximally acceptable limits.
An Improved Genetic Algorithm to Solve the Traveling Salesman Problem

The Genetic Algorithm (GA) is one of the most important methods used to solve many combinatorial optimization problems. Therefore, many researchers have tried to improve the GA by using different methods and operations in order to find the optimal solution within reasonable time. This paper proposes an improved GA (IGA), where the new crossover operation, population reformulates operation, multi mutation operation, partial local optimal mutation operation, and rearrangement operation are used to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem. The proposed IGA was then compared with three GAs, which use different crossover operations and mutations. The results of this comparison show that the IGA can achieve better results for the solutions in a faster time. Keywords— AI, Genetic algorithms, TSP.
Bank Regulations and Income Inequality: Empirical Evidence

This paper provides cross-country evidence that variations in bank regulatory policies result in differences in income distribution. In particular, the overall liberalization of banking systems decreases the Gini coefficient and the Theil index significantly. However, this effect fades away for countries with low levels of economic and institutional development and for market-based economies. Among the different liberalization policies, the most significant negative effect on inequality is that of credit controls, which also seem to have a lasting effect on the Gini coefficient. Banking supervision and the abolition of interest rate controls also have a negative yet short-run impact on income inequality. A notable finding is that liberalization of securities markets increases income inequality substantially and over a long time span, suggesting that securitization widens the distribution of income. We contend that these findings have new implications for the effects of bank regulations, besides those related to their impact on financial stability.
Characterization of a sugar‐binding protein from Azospirillum brasilense mediating chemotaxis to and uptake of sugars

Our approach to the isolation of plant‐inducible bacterial genes of Azospirillum brasilense, based on the analysis of protein patterns of bacteria grown in the presence and in the absence of plant root exudates, led to the identification of an acidic 40 kDa protein. Cloning and sequencing analysis of the corresponding coding DNA region revealed the presence of two open reading frames transcribed in the same orientation. The deduced ORF1 protein, which corresponds to the 40 kDa protein, is very similar to the periplasmic ChvE protein, identified in Agrobacterium tumefaciens and involved in enhanced virulence. The deduced ORF2 protein shows homology to members of the LysR family of transcriptional regulators. The function of the ChvE‐like protein in A. brasilense was investigated further. The protein, designated as SbpA (sugar binding protein A), is involved in the uptake of D‐galactose and functions in the chemotaxis of A. brasilense towards several sugars, including D‐galactose, L‐arabinose and D‐fucose. Expression of the sbpA gene requires the presence of the same sugars in the growth medium and is enhanced further in combination with carbon starvation of A. brasilense cells.
El efecto de la experiencia de servicio emocional en las intenciones futuras del usuario de centros deportivos

El presente trabajo analiza la influencia que tienen los aspectos emocionales en las intenciones futuras de los usuarios de centros deportivos. A traves de una muestra compuesta por 512 usuarios de tres instalaciones deportivas privadas y diversas escalas adaptadas de valor percibido, satisfaccion general, intenciones futuras y emociones, se realiza un analisis de consistencia interna de dichas escalas, un descriptivo de media y desviacion estandar, analisis de correlacion de Pearson y una regresion lineal multiple. Los resultados mostraron que las escalas utilizadas eran fiables y la valoracion de los usuarios fue alta en cuanto a la satisfaccion y la experiencia emocional con el servicio. Se concluyo que el valor emocional fue la variable mas influyente en la prediccion de la intencion futura.
The interface between psychology and spirituality in palliative care

In palliative care, a biopsychosocial-spiritual model is essential to address the patient in totality. Spirituality is often a relevant issue in such settings, yet there is a need to differentiate spirituality from religion. Spirituality in palliative care focuses on the psychological and spiritual aspects of care, helping to relieve the physical, emotional, social and spiritual distresses of the patient, family members and healthcare professionals, produced in such conditions. Psychologists, according to their ethical responsibilities, may include the assessment of their patients’ spiritual needs in therapy, as it will help to identify the patients’ values, belief systems, spiritual history, distress and needs. All patients have different needs, some may need religious/spiritual guidance, in collaboration with spiritual care workers, and others may not demonstrate needs regarding these issues. The essential is that each patient is treated as a ‘whole’, addressing his physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs.
Numerical Modeling for Comparison of Emitter-Base Designs of InGaP / GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) extend the advantages of silicon bipolar transistors to significantly higher frequencies. They are used in applications requiring high current capacities, high transconductance, high voltage handling capability, low noise and uniform threshold voltage [1]-[2]. The InGaP/GaAs HBT is an important investigation topic in power amplifiers [3]-[4], but the technology is also applicable to low noise amplifiers in the range of frequencies from 2 to 6 GHz. Reference [5] shows results of an LNA for WLAN applications at 5.3 GHz with 13 dB gain, noise figure of 2.1 dB and excellent linearity in terms of IIP3. Numerical modeling of semiconductor devices allows to deep in the implications that the geometry and the characteristics of the materials have in the real operation of the device [6]-[7]. Several geometric implications of the InGaP/GaAs HBT design have been studied, theoretical and experimentally, in order to obtain better device performance [8]-[9]. In this work, the consequences of the design of the emitter pedestal in the electric DC and AC performance of InGaP/GaAs HBTs are studied using physics based two-dimensional numerical modeling TCAD tool, ATLAS [10].
Formalgenetische Befunde zur Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung

Twin, family and adoption studies have led to a solid understanding of the contribution of both genetic and environmental factors to the development of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We review recent studies under consideration of both methodological aspects and relevant findings. Heritability estimates in the range of 0.6 - 0.8 surpass those for most other child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. First degree relatives have elevated rates for ADHD, affective disorders, conduct disorders and substance abuse and dependency. The ADHD subtype of the index patient does not predict the subtype of other family members affected with ADHD; hence non-genetic factors seemingly account for this intrafamilial variability. Because the familial rates for ADHD are not higher in families of female in comparison to male index patients, there is no indication that the genetic loading is higher in affected females. Recently, rater effects have been discussed broadly: Whereas the heritability estimates are uniformly high independent of the informant (mother, father, teacher), the correlations between quantitatively rated symptoms are low between different informants. Knowledge of the formal genetic aspects of ADHD is a prerequisite for understanding the results of recent molecular genetic studies.
An Empirical Model of Gender Based Human Trait Identification from Blogs

The growth of blogosphere has prompted researchers for knowledge discovery from the blogs. This paper presents a brief review on research works in this area and proposes an empirical model of gender and trait identification. The feature vector comprises of three elements viz., formal measure, gender preferential measure and stylistic measure. The various significant parts-of-speech found in the blogs are used in computing the features. The model is implemented in two stages viz. author gender identification and their personality trait identification. The model identifies gender based traits viz., Extrovert, Introvert and Thinker. The model is trained satisfactorily with textual data collected from blogs using adaptive network fuzzy inference system algorithm.
An Exploratory Study on the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Fucoidan in Relation to Quality of Life in Advanced Cancer Patients

Background. Conventional anticancer therapies still cause difficulties with selective eradication and accompanying side effects that reduce patients’ quality of life (QOL). Fucoidan is extracted from seaweeds and has already exhibited broad bioactivities, including anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties, in basic studies. It is expected to enhance therapeutic efficacy and minimize side effects in cancer patients; however, despite its potential benefits, there are very few clinical trials using fucoidans. Therefore, we performed an exploratory clinical study for advanced cancer patients to examine the efficacy of fucoidans, especially focusing on inflammation in relation to QOL scores. Methods. We conducted a prospective, open-label clinical study for advanced cancer patients using fucoidans via oral administration; 20 advanced cancer patients with metastases were recruited and were given 400 mL/d fucoidan (10 mg/mL) for at least 4 weeks. Inflammatory biomarkers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and various cytokines, and QOL scores were monitored before treatment, after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks of fucoidan ingestion. Results. The main proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly reduced after 2 weeks of fucoidan ingestion. QOL scores, including fatigue, stayed almost stable without significant changes during the study period. The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the responsiveness of IL-1β was a significant independent prognostic factor. Conclusion. This is the first study providing evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of fucoidans for advanced cancer patients. In future studies, larger blinded, controlled trials are required to establish the efficacy of fucoidan as supportive care for cancer patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy.
BSN Students' Perceptions of Communication with Patients with Hallucinations After Experiencing a Voice Simulation and Role Play

Nursing students experience anxiety, uncertainty, and fear when faced with communicating with mentally ill patients, specifically those with auditory hallucinations. Nurse educators are aware that anxiety is a major obstacle in the clinical setting, and may decrease learning (Melincavage, 2011). First year nursing students in a baccalaureate-nursing program at a Midwestern University expressed anxiety and knowledge deficit related to communicating with mentally ill patients. The research question for this study was: In BSN students in their first mental health class how does completing a voice simulation and role-play affect students’ perceptions of communication with patients with auditory hallucinations? The qualitative phenomenological study implemented a simulation entitled “Hearing Voices That Are Distressing” followed by a role-play. Forty BSN students completed a written survey about their perceptions of the experience of the simulation and role-play. The data was coded for themes and analyzed with constant comparative analysis. Themes of the research included: Fear of The Unknown, Impressions of Mental Illness, Avoidance, Voices Are Real, Empathy for Patients, New Attitudes, New Skills, Environmental Considerations, Struggle, and Insight. This study revealed that before the simulation and role-play students experienced anxiety, fear, and uncertainty when communicating with the mentally ill hearing voices. After the simulation the students experienced a change in perception; they acknowledged auditory hallucinations as real, with increased empathy for these patients, and identified new attitudes and skills when interacting and communicating with patients who are mentally ill. Key Terms: mental health simulation, auditory hallucination; student nurse, anxiety, therapeutic communication, self-efficacy, empathy, “Hearing Voices That Are Distressing,” simulation
Isolation by distance among California sea lion populations in Mexico: redefining management stocks

Understanding the spatial structure of a population is critical for effective assessment and management. However, direct observation of spatial dynamics is generally difficult, particularly for marine mammals. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are polygynous pinnipeds distributed along the Pacific coast of North America. The species’ range has been subdivided into three management stocks based on differences in mitochondrial DNA, but to date no studies have considered nuclear genetic variation, and thus we lack a comprehensive understanding of gene flow patterns among sea lion colonies. In light of recent population declines in the Gulf of California, Mexico, it is important to understand spatial structure to determine if declining sea lion colonies are genetically isolated from others. To define population subdivision and identify sex biases in gene flow, we analysed a 355‐bp sequence of the mitochondrial DNA control region and 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci from 355 tissue samples collected from six colonies distributed along Mexican waters. Using a novel approach to estimate sex biases in gene flow, we found that male sea lions disperse on average 6.75 times more frequently than females. Analyses of population subdivision strongly suggest a pattern of isolation by distance among colonies and challenge current stock definitions. Based on these results, we propose an alternative classification that identifies three Mexican management units: Upper Gulf of California, Southern Baja Peninsula, and Upper Pacific Coast of Baja. This revised classification should be considered in future assessment and management of California sea lion populations in Mexican waters.
Beyond Information: Developing the Relationship between the Individual and the Group in Online Communities

Online communities are increasingly important for both the businesses and the general public that uses them. However, current IS research on online communities has a limited view of these groups, treating them primarily as information repositories, where people participate by seeking or contributing knowledge. This paper argues that online communities are also social systems with which people form relationships and repeatedly interact over time. This paper proposes a relational model of online communities that emphasizes the social, bi-directional, and dynamic nature of the interactions in online communities and the way that these interactions build and maintain the relationship between individuals and the community. Hypotheses derived from the relational model are tested by examining the 22-month history of 28,869 newcomers who initially posted to 98 Usenet groups between May 15, 2003, and February 23, 2005. First, taking the newcomers’ point of view, we examine how the community’s response to their posts influences their subsequent participation in the community. Then, taking the community’s point of view, we examine how the nature of individual members’ participation in the community influences the community’s willingness to interact with them. Consistent with the relational model, the results show that the social nature of interactions, including the social status of the repliers and the use of welcoming, inclusive language in community responses, facilitates the development of the relationship between new-comers and the community. Similarly, newcomers’ prior experience in replying to messages and their use of self-introductions in initial messages, signaling connection to the group, increase the community’s willingness to maintain a relationship with them. The findings hold implications for online community researchers and practitioners interested in fostering member engagement. We suggest applying a relational model to studying not only online communities, but also information systems that are increasingly social in nature.