Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of a Support Group on Dementia Caregivers’ Burden and Depression

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of a support group on depression levels and burden among dementia caregivers in Taiwan. Method: An experimental, pre-intervention postintervention control group design was used in this study. The experimental group received intervention consisting of a 12-week support group for dementia caregivers. A total of 85 subjects were evaluated before intervention, after intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Results: (a) The depression level of participants in the experimental group was significantly decreased after the intervention and at 1-month follow-up. (b) There was no significant difference in caregiver’s burden after the support group intervention and 1-month follow-up. Discussion: The improvement in dementia caregivers’ depression levels shows that the support group was effective for reducing caregivers’ depression although not effective for relieving their burden of care.
Communities of practice: linking knowledge management and strategy in creative firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of knowledge and its management in the creative professional service firm (PSF). The other purpose is to explore the role of communities of practice (CoPs) in knowledge management (KM) strategies. Design/methodology/approach – A single-case study approach was adopted with five open-ended semi-structured interviews conducted with middle and senior management having mainly an architectural background. The data were complemented with participant observation and reflection on experience together with conversations with work colleagues. Findings – The findings suggest that having an appropriately balanced strategy of personalisation/codification of knowledge through CoPs contributes to the competitiveness of the firm. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides a useful exploration of KM in creative PSFs, but the results may lack generalizability because of the small scale and qualitative nature of the research. The research is limited .
The p-Center machine

We present a new approach to find an optimal large margin classifier based on the p-center which was proposed by Moretti in 2003. Starting with the p-Center of a general polytope, we extend this definition to a polyhedral cone, and introduce an algorithm approximating the p-Center of the version space, which we call p-Center machine (PCM). In addition, we present a large-scale and a soft boundary version of the PCM, and compare their performance to the support vector machine and the Bayes point machine. It turns out that the p-Center is close to the Bayes point and is similar in performance to the support vector machine as well as the Bayes point machine. Additionally, the proposed algorithm is highly parallelizable and thus very efficient in terms of computational effort.
NAMING AND LANGUAGE PRODUCTION

Naming and sentence production are complex tasks, each requiring a number of cognitive processes and representations, which can be selectively impaired by focal brain damage, such as stroke, or by neurodegenerative disease. The types of errors made by the patient and the pattern of performance across tasks can provide clues regarding the location of the lesion and sometimes the most likely pathology. Understanding the nature of the deficit can help the physician provide guidance on how to facilitate communication.
An energy-efficient MAC layer scheme for 802.11-based WLANs

This paper focuses on energy saving in 802.11-based WLANs. Typically, 802.11 wireless interfaces consume a significant amount of energy. Previous work has shown that the power saving function specified in the IEEE 802.11 standard is not enough to ensure energy efficiency; thus, other solutions to energy saving are highly needed. Here we consider the 802.11 distributed access scheme and explore the possibility to increase the time period that a wireless station spends in the low-power operational state, the so-called doze state. The key feature of the proposed mechanism is that it enables a station to enter the doze state during channel contention, by exploiting the virtual carrier sense mechanism and the backoff function. By using the network simulator ns-2, we compare the performance obtained through our scheme with the results attained when the standard DCF mechanism is employed.
Returns to education: updates for Malaysia

This article provides updated returns to education estimates for Malaysia. Current returns as presented in international updates are 32.6 and 34.5 for the secondary and higher education levels. New estimates were obtained using data from the Malaysian Household Income Survey 1997, a nationally represented survey. The findings show that returns to education remain high and positive, in particular, the returns to the higher educational level, encompassing the pre-university qualification and higher education qualifications. Results also display marginal gross returns of 14.1 for those completing the upper secondary education level and 16.4 for those completing the higher education level for the overall sample. By gender, the marginal gross returns for males are 12.0 at the upper secondary level and 18.1 at the higher education level and for females, 15.7 and 16.4 respectively.
Impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle in Mexico

Mexico is implementing policies and actions aimed at mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change without compromising the country's development process. The plan is to reduce vulnerability through the implementation of the Special Programme on Climate Change 2009–2012, which includes 105 objectives and 294 goals shared among a number of national institutions. The National Water Commission (CONAGUA) is responsible for measuring the most important variables of the hydrological cycle and addressing the impact of climate change. As such, CONAGUA is in charge of attaining 41 of the 294 goals stated in the Special Programme on Climate Change, which include 37 of the goals set in the National Water Programme 2007–2012 (PNH). It is expected that since a great number of goals are shared by both schemes this can help assure their fulfilment and prove useful in working towards the sustainable use of water, mindful of climate change considerations.
Gastric Contraction Imaging System Using a 3-D Endoscope

This paper presents a gastric contraction imaging system for assessment of gastric motility using a 3-D endoscope. Gastrointestinal diseases are mainly based on morphological abnormalities. However, gastrointestinal symptoms are sometimes apparent without visible abnormalities. One of the major factors for these diseases is abnormal gastrointestinal motility. For assessment of gastric motility, a gastric motility imaging system is needed. To assess the dynamic motility of the stomach, the proposed system measures 3-D gastric contractions derived from a 3-D profile of the stomach wall obtained with a developed 3-D endoscope. After obtaining contraction waves, their frequency, amplitude, and speed of propagation can be calculated using a Gaussian function. The proposed system was evaluated for 3-D measurements of several objects with known geometries. The results showed that the surface profiles could be obtained with an error of <;10% of the distance between two different points on images. Subsequently, we evaluated the validity of a prototype system using a wave simulated model. In the experiment, the amplitude and position of waves could be measured with 1-mm accuracy. The present results suggest that the proposed system can measure the speed and amplitude of contractions. This system has low invasiveness and can assess the motility of the stomach wall directly in a 3-D manner. Our method can be used for examination of gastric morphological and functional abnormalities.
Suppression of Barkhausen noise in magnetoresistive sensors employing AC bias

A magnetic field rotating in the plane of a thin-film magnetoresistive sensor provides continuous saturation of the ferromagnetic material if the magnitude of the field is sufficiently large. This mode of excitation allows operation free of errors related to remanence and at the same time helps in suppressing Barkhausen noise. The experiment demonstrates that the contribution of the magnetic noise in the sensor output is negligible when the period of the field rotation is less than 1 ms. This enables resolution of dc and low-frequency magnetic fields of the order of 10/sup -10/ T//spl radic/Hz. This result can be improved by decreasing the sensor induced anisotropy and a resolution of 10/sup -11/-10/sup -12/ T//spl radic/Hz might be attainable.
A prediction model for distinguishing lung squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma

Accurate classification of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from adenocarcinoma (AC) of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can lead to personalized treatments of lung cancer. We aimed to develop a miRNA-based prediction model for differentiating SCC from AC in surgical resected tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples. Expression levels of seven histological subtype-associated miRNAs were determined in 128 snap-frozen surgical lung tumor specimens by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to develop an optimal panel of miRNAs for acutely distinguishing SCC from AC. The biomarkers were validated in an independent cohort of 112 FFPE lung tumor tissues, and a cohort of 127 BAL specimens by using droplet digital PCR for differentiating SCC from AC. A prediction model with two miRNAs (miRs-205-5p and 944) was developed that had 0.988 area under the curve (AUC) with 96.55% sensitivity and 96.43% specificity for differentiating SCC from AC in frozen tissues, and 0.997 AUC with 96.43% sensitivity and 96.43% specificity in FFPE specimens. The diagnostic performance of the prediction model was reproducibly validated in BAL specimens for distinguishing SCC from AC with a higher accuracy compared with cytology (95.69 vs. 68.10%; P < 0.05). The prediction model might have a clinical value for accurately discriminating SCC from AC in both surgical lung tumor tissues and liquid cytological specimens.
Clustering consumers according to their attitudes on corporate social responsibility

This paper examines the consumer attitudes towards corporate social responsibility. Analysing a sample of 341 consumers, it was found that consumers have overall great expectations and a positive attitude concerning corporate social responsibility. They believe that corporate social responsibility is an important issue in business and are willing to reward socially responsible companies and punish socially irresponsible firms via their buying behaviour. Consumers who had a positive or very positive attitude towards socially responsible companies were segmented in terms of behavioural factors. The study proposes three distinct socially responsible consumer types in terms of attitudes towards corporate social responsibility: These are the Ambitious, Fanatic and Passive socially responsible consumers. A complete profile of each cluster is presented.
Food Miles or Carbon Emissions? Exploring Labelling Preference for Food Transport Footprint with a Stated Choice Study

The ecological footprint of food transport can be communicated using carbon dioxide emissions (CO label) or by providing information about both the length of time and the mileage travelled (food miles label). We use stated choice data to estimate conventional unobserved taste heterogeneity models and extend them to a specification that also addresses attribute nonattendance. The implied posterior distributions of the marginal willingness to pay values are compared graphically and are used in validation regressions. We find strong bimodality of taste distribution as the emerging feature, with different groups of subjects having low and high valuations for these labels. The best fitting model shows that CO and food miles valuations are much correlated. CO valuations can be high even for those respondents expressing low valuations for food miles. However, the reverse is not true. Taken together, the results suggest that consumers tend to value the CO label at least as much and sometimes more than the food miles label.
Optimisation of the hydrogen peroxide pre-treatment of titanium: surface characterisation and protein adsorption.

BACKGROUND Researchers have attempted to enhance titanium osseointegration by modifying its surface properties, including via H(2)O(2) pre-treatment, with reported treatment regimes varying from minutes/hours, to weeks. OBJECTIVE This study examined the effects of various H(2)O(2) treatments on titanium surface topography/roughness, chemical composition/oxide thickness, hydrophilicity and plasma protein adsorption. MATERIALS AND METHODS Titanium discs were treated with 30% H(2)O(2) for 0-24 h or 1-4 weeks and subjected to atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry, X-ray photon spectroscopy and contact angle analysis. For protein adsorption, whole plasma and FITC-conjugated serum albumin were added to 0-24 h and 1-4 week H(2)O(2)-treated discs and examined by SEM and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. RESULTS AFM, SEM and profilometry demonstrated that 1-6 h H(2)O(2)-treated discs exhibited subtle alterations in surface topography/roughness at the nanometre scale, although 24 h and 1-4 week H(2)O(2)-treated discs exhibited much greater increases in surface roughness, in the micrometre range. Maximal increases in surface oxide thickness and chemical modification were identified between 1 h-4 weeks and 3 h-4 weeks, respectively, although no increases in oxygen/titanium (O1s : Ti2p) molar ratio or in hydrophilicity were evident. Plasma and serum albumin adsorption increased on 1-24 h H(2)O(2)-treated discs, with further increases on 1-4 week H(2)O(2)-treated discs. CONCLUSIONS Based upon the present data and previous findings, this study supports the concept that surface topography/roughness and oxide composition/thickness, are more significantly modified by H(2)O(2) treatment and more influential to protein adsorption than hydrophilicity. Additionally, it can be hypothesized that the 24 h H(2)O(2) treatment of titanium surfaces, which induced micrometre scale changes in roughness and protein adsorption, to those associated with enhanced osteoblast attachment/behaviour, mineralisation and subsequent implant osseointegration, would be most beneficial.
Investigating Teacher Voice Through Blogs: Policy, Practice, and Local Knowledge

Teachers, especially those working in high-poverty, urban school districts, are given little if any voice in contemporary policy formation. Prevailing policies often ignore teachers’ professional experience, and instead place heavy constraints on teachers’ classroom practice, squelch professional decision-making, and limit the possibility of effectively implementing pedagogies aimed at ensuring the success of all students. Educational historians posit that the absence of teachers’ voice in the policymaking process is largely due to the traditional isolation in teaching. This paper asserts that blogs written by teachers offer a way to share expertise and local knowledge with policymakers. The main objectives of this paper are to 1) offer an alternative to the enduring, counterintuitive practice of educational policymaking, and 2) explore blogs written by teachers as a way to “see” into the classroom.
An examination of service quality in the fast food industry: The case of Macau

The burgeoning development and the rapid growth of the chain restaurants in the Macau fast food industry have attracted much interest in understanding the success of this market. The purpose of this study is to examine service quality in the fast food industry by developing a conceptual framework and measurement scale. Through using a multi-dimensional and hierarchical model as a framework in this study, service quality in the fast food industry is indicated by four primary dimensions each of which is defined by 14 sub-dimensions. The primary dimensions are (a) interaction quality (including attitude, behavior, expertise and problem-solving), (b) physical environment quality (including ambience, cleanliness, equipment, decor and menu design), (c) outcome quality (including dining experience, food & beverage, and valence), and (d) access quality (including convenience and information). The proposed multi-dimensional and hierarchical model of restaurant service quality would facilitate research into the dynamics of fast food industry and offer guidelines for practitioners as they constantly strive to provide the very best experience for their customers.
The significance of fetal ventriculomegaly: etiology, short‐ and long‐term outcomes

Fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly (VM) is diagnosed when the width of one or both ventricles, measured at the level of the glomus of the choroid plexus (atrium), is ≥ 10 mm. VM can result from different processes: abnormal turnover of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), neuronal migration disorders, and destructive processes. In a high percentage of cases, it is associated with structural malformations of the central nervous system (CNS), but also of other organs and systems. The rate of associated malformations is higher (≥60%) in severe VM (>15 mm) and lower (10–50%) in cases of borderline VM (10–15 mm). When malformations are not present, aneuploidies are found in 3–15% of borderline VM; the percentage is lower in severe VM. The neurodevelopmental outcome of isolated VM is normal in > 90% of cases if the measurement of ventricular width is between 10 and 12 mm; it is less favorable when the measurement is > 12 mm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Receptor-selective Mutants of Apoptosis-inducing Ligand 2/Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand Reveal a Greater Contribution of Death Receptor (DR) 5 than DR4 to Apoptosis Signaling*

Apoptosis-inducing ligand 2 (Apo2L), also called tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), triggers programmed cell death in various types of cancer cells but not in most normal cells. Apo2L/TRAIL is a homotrimeric protein that interacts with five receptors: death receptor 4 (DR4) and DR5 mediate apoptosis activation, whereas decoy receptor 1 (DcR1), DcR2, and osteoprotegerin counteract this function. Many cancer cell lines express both DR4 and DR5, and each of these receptors can initiate apoptosis independently of the other. However, the relative contribution of DR4 and DR5 to ligand-induced apoptosis is unknown. To investigate this question, we generated death receptor-selective Apo2L/TRAIL variants using a novel approach that enables phage display of mutated trimeric proteins. Selective binding to DR4 or DR5 was achieved with three to six-ligand amino acid substitutions. The DR4-selective Apo2L/TRAIL variants examined in this study showed a markedly reduced ability to trigger apoptosis, whereas the DR5-selective variants had minimally decreased or slightly increased apoptosis-inducing activity. These results suggest that DR5 may contribute more than DR4 to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells that express both death receptors.
TWO HANDED SIGN LANGUAGE RECOGNITION SYSTEM USING IMAGE PROCESSING

Speech impaired people are silent suffers of the society when it comes to communication between normal people due to less transparency in their communication. They use sign languages for communication. However, if they are able to express themselves effectively, it could benefit the nation as well as the world. The goal of this research is to develop a tool that will help a speech impaired person to communicate with a person who is not aware of sign languages with the help of modern technology. This paper presents a low cost approach for two handed sign language recognition system. The research addresses three fundamental issues of still gesture–based human–computer interaction. After applying pre-processing techniques like cropping, rotation, colour filtering, the mapping was done using “correlation coefficient method” and “nail detection method”. The accuracy of the system was tested with real time simulation setup using MATLAB. The research outcome will help to fill the gap created by the non-existence of simple, efficient application to convert dynamic gestures made by the signer to a predefined word, phrase or command.
Ricardo on machinery: a dynamic analysis

I construct a dynamic two-sector model which formalizes Ricardo's argument on the effects of the introduction of machinery. My model does not require the inappropriate assumptions common to other Ricardian models. Using this model, I show that if machinery is introduced, both the demand for labour and the output of the consumption good must decline temporarily and can then recover. As well, the temporal decline of value of the gross produce is not a necessary condition for the above temporal decline of the demand for labour.
The Uneasy Case for the Priority of Secured Claims in Bankruptcy

This paper reexamines a longstanding principle of bankruptcy law: that secured claims are entitled to be paid in full before unsecured claims receive any payment. There is a widespread consensus among legal scholars and economists that according full priority to secured claims is desirable because it promotes economic efficiency. Our analysis, however, demonstrates that full priority actually distorts the arrangements negotiated between commercial borrowers and their creditors, producing various efficiency costs. We show that according only partial priority to secured claims could eliminate or reduce these efficiency costs - and that such an approach might well be superior to the rule of full priority. The analysis also suggests that a mandatory rule of partial priority could be effectively implemented within the framework of existing bankruptcy law, and that such an approach would be consistent with fairness and freedom of contract considerations. We therefore present two different rules of partial priority that should be considered as alternatives to full priority.
Chasing a Snail: Innovation and Housebuilding Firms' Strategies

British housebuilding has an exceptionally poor record at introducing innovations in design and production methods. Recent government concern about the poor innovation and productivity performance of the construction industry has focused almost entirely on changing the strategies of firms. In the context of housebuilding, this focus seems insufficient. Instead, it is argued here that housebuilders face particular market constraints on innovation in both their output and input markets. These constraints are investigated and proposals to limit them are suggested, which, if introduced, should make new firm strategies toward innovation more likely to be successful.
Tracking Strategy in an Entrepreneurial Firm

This study tracks the strategies of a retail chain over sixty years of its history to show how that vague concept called strategy can be operationalized and to draw conclusions about strategy formation in the entrepreneurial firm that grows large and formalizes its structure. The conclusions focus on patterns of strategic change and on contrasting characteristics of entrepreneurship and planning.