Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A reference model for successful Distributed Development of Software Systems

Distributed development (DD) of software systems is an issue of increasing significance for organisations today, all the more so given the current trend towards globalisation. In this paper we present a reference model which can be used as a reference point for any company wishing to review their own DD scenario. This is particularised in two forms, one as an exemplar model for a global (GSD) development scenario and one as a particularisation of this for intra-national DD scenarios. By drawing from eight case-studies on DD, we present ten general strategies for successful DD together with our reference model which characterises an ideal DD situation.
Health economic evaluation of a serum-based blood test for brain tumour diagnosis: exploration of two clinical scenarios

Objectives To determine the potential costs and health benefits of a serum-based spectroscopic triage tool for brain tumours, which could be developed to reduce diagnostic delays in the current clinical pathway. Design A model-based health pre-trial economic assessment. Decision tree models were constructed based on simplified diagnostic pathways. Models were populated with parameters identified from rapid reviews of the literature and clinical expert opinion. Setting Explored as a test in both primary and secondary care (neuroimaging) in the UK health service, as well as application to the USA. Participants Calculations based on an initial cohort of 10 000 patients. In primary care, it is estimated that the volume of tests would approach 75 000 per annum. The volume of tests in secondary care is estimated at 53 000 per annum. Main outcome measures The primary outcome measure was quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), which were employed to derive incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) in a cost-effectiveness analysis. Results Results indicate that using a blood-based spectroscopic test in both scenarios has the potential to be highly cost-effective in a health technology assessment agency decision-making process, as ICERs were well below standard threshold values of £20 000–£30 000 per QALY. This test may be cost-effective in both scenarios with test sensitivities and specificities as low as 80%; however, the price of the test would need to be lower (less than approximately £40). Conclusion Use of this test as triage tool in primary care has the potential to be both more effective and cost saving for the health service. In secondary care, this test would also be deemed more effective than the current diagnostic pathway.
Quercetin induces apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells via inhibiting fatty acid synthase and β-catenin

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive malignant neoplasia. The increased research interests in TNBC nowadays are due to the lack of clinically validated and molecular-targeted therapy. Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) is the major biosynthetic enzyme for the synthesis of fatty acids from small carbon substrates. Elevated expression of FASN is frequent phenotypic alterations in many human cancers. The flavonoid Quercetin is one of the most abundant bioflavonoids in the human diet and a known inducer of apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. We aimed to evaluate the effects of Quercetin on TNBC in vitro and in vivo. Quercetin induced a significant growth-inhibitory effect against TNBC cells and the IC50 were 230 ± 3 and 415 ± 4 μM for the TNBC cells, MDAMB-231 and MDA-MB-157 respectively. Quercetin treatment induced anticancer/apoptotic effects against TNBC cells as shown by morphological alterations, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activation. When compared to controls, decreased protein expression of FASN, β-catenin, Bcl-2, and reduced-nuclear accumulation of β-catenin were detected after Quercetin treatment. Quercetin in vivo-treatment induced significant tumor growth inhibition by 41.7% after 25 days of treatment. Immunohistochemical data showed a clear inhibition of FASN expression in tumor xenografts after Quercetin treatment. Quercetin possibly targets the lipogenic enzyme FASN and β-catenin in TNBCs. Quercetin-induced apoptosis via targeting the de novo fatty acid synthesis is likely through a caspase-3 dependent mechanism coupled with modulation of FASN and β-catenin expressions.
Study of the Combination Effects of Aflatoxin and T-2 Toxin on Performance Parameters and Internal Organs of Commercial Broilers

The additive effects of aflatoxin (AF) and T-2 toxin (T-2) on the performance of broiler chickens were evaluated, individually and in combination. One hundred and sixty eight day-old Cobb broiler chicks were obtained from a commercial hatchery and divided into four groups in 2X2 Complete Randomized Design of three replicates and fourteen chicks per replicate, with dietary treatments of 0.0 (control), 0.5μg/g AF, 2.0μg/g T-2 and their combination (0.5 μg/g AF+2.0 μg/g T-2). The chicks were housed in deep litter independent conventional system with feed and water ad libitum throughout the experimental study. The toxin fed chicks have exhibited a significant (P 0.05) decrease in body weight and feed consumption. The relative weights of pancreas, thymus and bursa of Fabricius were also decreased significantly (P 0.05). These findings were more pronounced in the combined group of AF and T-2. The data from the current study revealed that the presence of AF and T-2 in the diet can produce a synergistic affect on the performance parameters of the chicks.
Energy gap opening by crossing drop cast single-layer graphene nanoribbons

Band gap opening of a single-layer graphene nanoribbon (sGNR) sitting on another sGNR, fabricated by drop casting GNR solution on Au(111) substrate in air, was studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy in an ultra-high vacuum at 78 K and 300 K. GNRs with a width of ∼45 nm were prepared by unzipping double-walled carbon nanotubes (diameter ∼15 nm) using the ultrasonic method. In contrast to atomically-flat GNRs fabricated via the bottom-up process, the drop cast sGNRs were buckled on Au(111), i.e., some local points of the sGNR are in contact with the substrate (d ∼ 0.5 nm), but other parts float (d ∼ 1–3 nm), where d denotes the measured distance between the sGNR and the substrate. In spite of the fact that the nanoribbons were buckled, dI/dV maps confirmed that each buckled sGNR had a metallic character (∼3.5 Go) with considerable uniform local density of states, comparable to a flat sGNR. However, when two sGNRs crossed each other, the crossed areas showed a band gap between −50 and +200 meV around the Fermi energy, i.e., the only upper sGNR electronic property changed from metallic to p-type semiconducting, which was not due to the bending, but the electronic interactions between the up and down sGNRs.
Reliving History with "Reliving the Revolution": Designing Augmented Reality Games to Teach the Critical Thinking of History

Students need to learn the critical thinking of history, yet they rarely have opportunities to authentically simulate historic inquiry. Research has suggested the pedagogical potential for using augmented reality (AR) games—location-based games that use wireless handheld devices such as PDAs to provide virtual game information in a physical environment. The novel AR game, Reliving the Revolution (RtR), was created as a model for studying how AR games can engage students in interpretive, collaborative, and problem-solving activities. In this chapter, the game is introduced, and main results of the initial iterative tests are discussed, including what went wrong and how the game was redesigned to better support deeper engagement and historical thinking and learning.
Examining a Sequential Mediation Model of Chinese University Students’ Well-Being: A Career Construction Perspective

Despite career construction theory attends to individual subjective career and provides a useful lens to study well-being, extant research has yielded limited insights into the mechanisms through which career construction variables influence individual well-being. To address this important gap, the present study examined a mediation model that links indicators of career adaptivity (big-five personality and approach/avoidance traits) to psychological well-being (psychological flourishing and life satisfaction) through career adaptability and in sequent meaning of life (presence of life meaning and search for life meaning) among a sample of Chinese university students (N = 165). The results of a two-wave survey study showed that career adaptability and presence of life meaning mediated the effects of openness to experience, consciousness, approach trait, and avoidance trait on individual well-being in sequence. The results also showed that approach trait’s effect on presence of meaning was partially mediated by career adaptability; career adaptability’s effect on psychological flourishing was partially mediated by presence of meaning. These findings advance understanding of antecedents to individual well-being from a career construction perspective, and carry implications for career education and counseling practices.
Impairment of Brain Plasticity by Brain Inflammation

Abstract. The ability to learn and the ability to reshape brain circuits are regarded as some of the most remarkable and important features of the brain. This ability declines with age due to largely unknown reasons, and it also is altered following stroke. Brain aging is associated with a progressive increase of the levels of inflammatory cytokine in the brain. Likewise, stroke causes pronounced increases of inflammatory cytokines in the brain. Following stroke, plasticity of the cortical representation following sensory deprivation and visualized with [14C]-2-deoxyglucose autoradiography is impaired for several weeks. Likewise, plasticity of visual acuity induced by occlusion of the ipsilateral eye is impaired. Both forms of plasticity may be rescued by treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. In contrast to this, ocular dominance plasticity which is also induced by visual occlusion is not rescued by this intervention, neither following stroke nor in aged brains. Antiinflammatory interventions may theref.
Neuropharmacological Potential and Delivery Prospects of Thymoquinone for Neurological Disorders

Thymoquinone (TQ) is an active ingredient isolated from Nigella sativa and has various pharmacological activities, such as protection against oxidative stress, inflammation, and infections. In addition, it might be a potential neuropharmacological agent because it exhibits versatile potential for attenuating neurological impairments. It features greater beneficial effects in toxin-induced neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity. In various models of neurological disorders, it demonstrates emergent functions, including safeguarding various neurodegenerative diseases and other neurological diseases, such as stroke, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. TQ also has potential effects in trauma mediating and chemical-, radiation-, and drug-induced central nervous system injuries. Considering the pharmacokinetic limitations, research has concentrated on different TQ novel formulations and delivery systems. Here, we visualize the neuropharmacological potential, challenges, and delivery prospects of TQ, specifically focusing on neurological disorders along with its chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity.
Inflammatory signatures distinguish metabolic health in African American women with obesity

Obesity-driven Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a systemic inflammatory condition associated with cardiovascular disease. However, plasma cytokines and tissue inflammation that discriminate T2D risk in African American women with obese phenotypes are not well understood. We analyzed 64 circulating cytokines and chemokines in plasma of 120 African American women enrolled in the Black Women’s Health Study. We used regression analysis to identify cytokines and chemokines associated with obesity, co-morbid T2D and hypertension, and compared results to obese women without these co-morbidities, as well as to lean women without the co-morbidities. We then used hierarchical clustering to generate inflammation signatures by combining the effects of identified cytokines and chemokines and summarized the signatures using an inflammation score. The analyses revealed six distinct signatures of sixteen cytokines/chemokines (P = 0.05) that differed significantly by prevalence of T2D (P = 0.004), obesity (P = 0.0231) and overall inflammation score (P < E-12). Signatures were validated in two independent cohorts of African American women with obesity: thirty nine subjects with no metabolic complications or with T2D and hypertension; and thirteen breast reduction surgical patients. The signatures in the validation cohorts closely resembled the distributions in the discovery cohort. We find that blood-based cytokine profiles usefully associate inflammation with T2D risks in vulnerable subjects, and should be combined with metabolism and obesity counselling for personalized risk assessment.
The state of user experience evaluation practice

Despite the growing importance for practice, user experience is often a blurry and doubtful concept both for newcomers and for the industry. Such ambiguity stems from a emergent community of practitioners with diverse backgrounds, to whom user experience encompasses countless interpretations. This paper reports on an online survey deployed to grasp the state of user experience evaluation practice. We learned that evaluations are mainly conducted by HCIs, software engineers or designers and are perceived to strongly impact the user interface, as well as the business logic level. Additionally, informal, low cost methods are widely used and, although most methods rely on paper prototypes, a single artifact is used per evaluation and working prototypes are favored. Moreover, evaluations happen at multiple project phases and various methods are used. Finally, results shows that evaluations are constrained by evaluators' background or occupation. This compels the community to pursue an end-to-end methodology to prevent it.
Device modelling of silicon based high-performance flexible electronics

The area of flexible electronics is rapidly expanding and evolving. With applications requiring high speed and performance, ultra-thin silicon-based electronics has shown its prominence. However, the change in device response upon bending is a major concern. In absence of suitable analytical and design tool friendly model, the behavior under bent condition is hard to predict. This poses challenges to circuit designer working in the bendable electronics field, in laying out a design that can give a precise response in a stressed condition. This paper presents advances in this direction and investigates the effect of compressive and tensile stress on the performance of NMOS and PMOS transistor and a touch sensor comprising a transistor and piezoelectric capacitor.
Evaluating the Impact of a Web-Based Risk Assessment System (CareSage) and Tailored Interventions on Health Care Utilization: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Soaring health care costs and a rapidly aging population, with multiple comorbidities, necessitates the development of innovative strategies to deliver high-quality, value-based care. Objective The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of a risk assessment system (CareSage) and targeted interventions on health care utilization. Methods This is a two-arm randomized controlled trial recruiting 370 participants from a pool of high-risk patients receiving care at a home health agency. CareSage is a risk assessment system that utilizes both real-time data collected via a Personal Emergency Response Service and historical patient data collected from the electronic medical records. All patients will first be observed for 3 months (observation period) to allow the CareSage algorithm to calibrate based on patient data. During the next 6 months (intervention period), CareSage will use a predictive algorithm to classify patients in the intervention group as “high” or “low” risk for emergency transport every 30 days. All patients flagged as “high risk” by CareSage will receive nurse triage calls to assess their needs and personalized interventions including patient education, home visits, and tele-monitoring. The primary outcome is the number of 180-day emergency department visits. Secondary outcomes include the number of 90-day emergency department visits, total medical expenses, 180-day mortality rates, time to first readmission, total number of readmissions and avoidable readmissions, 30-, 90-, and 180-day readmission rates, as well as cost of intervention per patient. The two study groups will be compared using the Student t test (two-tailed) for normally distributed and Mann Whitney U test for skewed continuous variables, respectively. The chi-square test will be used for categorical variables. Time to event (readmission) and 180-day mortality between the two study groups will be compared by using the Kaplan-Meier survival plots and the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard regression will be used to compute hazard ratio and compare outcomes between the two groups. Results We are actively enrolling participants and the study is expected to be completed by end of 2018; results are expected to be published in early 2019. Conclusions Innovative solutions for identifying high-risk patients and personalizing interventions based on individual risk and needs may help facilitate the delivery of value-based care, improve long-term patient health outcomes and decrease health care costs. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03126565; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03126565 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ymDuAwQA).
Beyond the Prescription: Medication Monitoring and Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults

Whether a person will suffer harm from a medication or how severe that harm will be is difficult to predict precisely. As a result, many adverse drug events (ADEs) occur in patients in whom it was reasonable to believe that the drug's benefits exceeded its risks. Improving safety and reducing the burden of ADEs in older adults requires addressing this uncertainty by not only focusing on the appropriateness of the initial prescribing decision, but also by detecting and mitigating adverse events once they have started to occur. Such enhanced monitoring of signs, symptoms, and laboratory parameters can determine whether an adverse event has only mild and short‐term consequences or major long‐term effects on morbidity and mortality. Although current medication monitoring practices are often suboptimal, several strategies can be leveraged to improve the quality and outcomes of monitoring. These strategies include using health information technology to link pharmacy and laboratory data, prospective delineation of risk, and patient outreach and activation, all within a framework of team‐based approaches to patient management. Although many of these strategies are theoretically possible now, they are poorly used and will be difficult to implement without a significant restructuring of medical practice. An enhanced focus on medication monitoring will also require a new conceptual framework to re‐engineer the prescribing process. With this approach, prescribing quality does not hinge on static attributes of the initial prescribing decision but entails a dynamic process in which the benefits and harms of drugs are actively monitored, managed, and reassessed over time.
Spatially explicit estimation of heat stress-related impacts of climate change on the milk production of dairy cows in the United Kingdom

Dairy farming is one the most important sectors of United Kingdom (UK) agriculture. It faces major challenges due to climate change, which will have direct impacts on dairy cows as a result of heat stress. In the absence of adaptations, this could potentially lead to considerable milk loss. Using an 11-member climate projection ensemble, as well as an ensemble of 18 milk loss estimation methods, temporal changes in milk production of UK dairy cows were estimated for the 21st century at a 25 km resolution in a spatially-explicit way. While increases in UK temperatures are projected to lead to relatively low average annual milk losses, even for southern UK regions (<180 kg/cow), the ‘hottest’ 25×25 km grid cell in the hottest year in the 2090s, showed an annual milk loss exceeding 1300 kg/cow. This figure represents approximately 17% of the potential milk production of today’s average cow. Despite the potential considerable inter-annual variability of annual milk loss, as well as the large differences between the climate projections, the variety of calculation methods is likely to introduce even greater uncertainty into milk loss estimations. To address this issue, a novel, more biologically-appropriate mechanism of estimating milk loss is proposed that provides more realistic future projections. We conclude that South West England is the region most vulnerable to climate change economically, because it is characterised by a high dairy herd density and therefore potentially high heat stress-related milk loss. In the absence of mitigation measures, estimated heat stress-related annual income loss for this region by the end of this century may reach £13.4M in average years and £33.8M in extreme years.
Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestry in Papuans: A functional study

Sequencing of complete nuclear genomes of Neanderthal and Denisovan stimulated studies about their relationship with modern humans demonstrating, in particular, that DNA alleles from both Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes are present in genomes of modern humans. The Papuan genome is a unique object because it contains both Neanderthal and Denisovan alleles. Here, we have shown that the Papuan genomes contain different gene functional groups inherited from each of the ancient people. The Papuan genomes demonstrate a relative prevalence of Neanderthal alleles in genes responsible for the regulation of transcription and neurogenesis. The enrichment of specific functional groups with Denisovan alleles is less pronounced; these groups are responsible for bone and tissue remodeling. This analysis shows that introgression of alleles from Neanderthals and Denisovans to Papuans occurred independently and retention of these alleles may carry specific adaptive advantages.
Treatment plan improvement by multidisciplinary case conferences for patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases.

Aggressive treatments of metastasized colorectal cancer have been shown to be promising strategies, offering survival probabilities between 40% and 50% in selected patients (1,2). These achievements, however, were only possible on the basis of improvements in surgical techniques and the introduction of potent chemotherapeutic and biological drugs, combined in meticulously defined regimens (2). Naturally, this requires multidisciplinary teamwork and individually tailored therapeutic approaches.