Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvements in Executive Attention, Rumination, Cognitive Reactivity, and Mindfulness Among High-Suicide Risk Patients Participating in Adjunct Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Preliminary Findings.

OBJECTIVE To test changes to cognitive functioning among high-suicide risk outpatients participating in an adjunct mindfulness-based intervention combining mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and safety planning (MBCT-S). DESIGN Ten outpatients with a 6-month history of suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation plus suicidal ideation at study entry received 9 weeks of adjunct group-based MBCT-S. Executive attention, sustained attention, visual memory, and semantic memory encoding were measured by neuropsychological assessment. Rumination, mindfulness, cognitive reactivity (defined as the tendency towards depressogenic information processing and thought content in response to mild mood deterioration), and self-compassion were assessed using self-report measures. Changes in pre- to post-treatment functioning on these constructs were analyzed by using dependent t-tests. Where significant improvements were found, correlations between changes to cognitive functioning and depression and suicidal ideation during treatment were calculated. RESULTS Executive attention improved with MBCT-S in high-suicide risk outpatients (Stroop interference effect = 0.39 [standard deviation (SD), 27] at baseline and 0.27 (SD, 0.15) at post-treatment, t[9] = 2.35, p = 0.04, d = 0.75). One mindfulness skill, acting with awareness, increased with MBCT-S (average change in Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-acting with awareness subscale score with treatment, 3.3 [SD, 3.0], t[9] = 3.46, p < 0.01, d = 1.1). Self-reported rumination and cognitive reactivity to suicidality and hopelessness decreased among participants (Ruminative Responses Brooding subscale score change, -3.4 [SD, 1.1], t[9] = 10, p < 0.001, d = 3.2; Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised-Hopelessness/Suicidality subscale score change, -3 [SD, 2.7], t[9] = 3.56, p < 0.01, d = 1.1). None of these changes were related to improvements in depression or reductions in suicidal ideation during treatment. CONCLUSIONS Findings from the present pilot study suggest that treatment with MBCT-S may improve cognitive deficits specific to suicide ideators and attempters among depressed patients. Future controlled trials using follow-up assessments are needed to determine the specificity of these improvements in cognitive functioning to MBCT-S and their durability and to formally test whether the observed improvements in cognitive functioning explain MBCT-S treatment gains.
Intra-BRICS Human Capital Development and the Rule of Law

The typical aim of this research is to examine the important participant or promoters of human capital development within the intra-BRICS countries using family and technology level data and the implication for competitiveness and structural transformation. The ideological facts demonstrated how families are playing significant roles to develop human capital and how government are assisting or can do more to improve human capital development. Then I analyzed data of the BRICS countries with the trend in enrolment rates and graduate educational attainment within the BRICS countries with a positive correlation between educational quality perception and teaching styles. Part of my principal aim was to make clear the validity of human capital accumulation, as by an example, my experiment shows that in the modern world, it is skills, abilities, experience and training acquired that gains the labor market and better earnings whether female or male which is contrary to Mincer J. research. I found out that with the lack of the rule of law, human capital development was seriously lacking behind with students and teachers having difficulties in expressing findings because of strict rules imposed on the education systems. Through empirical observation and historical facts, I argued that the BRICS countries need to improve their rule of law in their countries so as to extend human capital development. Human capital has been observed to have significant competitiveness and growth and simultaneously facilitating the transformation from dependence on industrial and technical education sector with employment. The positive externalities that are associated with human capital development address inclusive, sustainable education and training policy from governments within the Intra- BRICS countries. I found negative impact on the lack of rule of law to human capital development.
A Resonator-Adaptable Oscillator Using Varactor-Loaded Tuned Amplifiers

This letter presents a new monolithic oscillatory circuit that is applicable to different microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)/crystal resonators. The proposed technique cascades tuned amplifiers (TAs) with varactors in their LC-tanks. By adjusting the bias voltage of the varactors, the center frequencies of the TAs can be controlled to change the loop response of the oscillator. Using this approach, the oscillation conditions can precisely be attained for different resonant frequencies. Tunable negative resistance is realized through biasing the MOS transistors in the TAs, so as to compensate losses from the different resonators. The TAs present bandpass characteristics that superbly suppress the overtones, thus improving the oscillator stability. Fabricated in 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology, a prototype oscillator chip is able to suit a variety of resonators, offering 274- to 565-MHz frequency range, 30-dB dynamic loop gain, and −27 dB/octave roll-off to suppress all undesired frequencies. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed monolithic oscillator is the first of its kind to be applicable to various MEMS resonators at above 100 MHz, which is beneficial for MEMS sensor applications, clock generations, etc.
Tourism leads to wealth but increased vulnerability: a double-edged sword in Lijiang, South-West China

ABSTRACT Tourism development in Lijiang, China, has helped lift many people out of poverty but has also led to increased pollution and water scarcity, which climate change is predicted to exacerbate. A shift towards tourism and cash crops has reduced the diversity of crops and livestock used by agrarian households. These effects are explored in two villages between 2008 and 2013 using a multi-method approach. It is found that local water governance does not follow any of the best practice principles outlined in the international literature. Improved water governance is urgently needed to reduce household vulnerability in the Lijiang area.
Individual differences in breathlessness during exercise, as related to ventilatory chemosensitivities in humans.

1. The present study attempted to test the hypothesis that breathlessness associated with exercise hyperpnoea is greater in subjects with greater activities of the central and peripheral chemoreceptors during exercise. The chemoreceptor activities were assessed by resting estimates of hypercapnic ventilatory response (delta VE/delta PCO2, HCVR) and hypoxic ventilatory response (delta VE/‐delta SO2, HVR), respectively, where VE is minute ventilation and SO2 is oxygen saturation. 2. Nine female and nine male subjects performed a 1 min incremental exercise test until exhaustion, during which breathlessness intensity (BS), assessed by a Borg category scale, and VE were measured every minute. The maximum O2 uptake (VO2,max) was also determined. 3. Using a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the relative contributions of not only VE, HCVR and HVR, but also VO2,max and a predicted maximum voluntary ventilation (MVVp) of the individuals to BS, were examined. 4. The analysis showed that BS = 0.1VE + 4.9HVR ‐ 0.03MVVp + 0.55 (r2 = 0.71), indicating that VE accounted for 44% of the variance of BS, HVR for 12% and MVVp for 15%. No significant relation of HCVR and VO2,max to BS was found. 5. These results suggest a contribution of peripheral chemoreceptors to the generation of exertional breathlessness.
Software Defined Radio Prototyping Platforms Enable a Flexible Approach to Design [Application Notes]

Modern communication systems comprise a variety of formats, protocols, and frequency ranges. Software defined radio (SDR) technology addresses these formats with the idea that a single platform can be reprogrammed to process a variety of waveforms. The SDR Forum and the IEEE have defined SDR as a radio in which some or all of the physical layer functions are defined in software [1].
Improving Clinical Diagnosis through Change Detection in Mammography Sequences

Abstract : In computer-aided diagnosis, temporal change overtime can be a key piece of information in treatment monitoring and disease tracking applications. In these applications, change detection depends on the ability to align the images of the sequence to a common axis, and the ability to build up memory about the image scene overtime. The process of aligning images to a common axis is termed image registration. The image scene representation is called site model. In this research we developed a novel registration technique to align temporal sequences of the same patient that will facilitate the construction of scene memory or site model with the ultimate goal of performing change detection. We have developed a statistical model supported approach for enhanced segmentation and extraction of suspicious mass areas from mammographic images. With an appropriate statistical description of various discriminate characteristics of both true and false candidates from the localized areas, an improved mass detection may be achieved in computer-aided diagnosis. In this study, one type of morphological operation is derived to enhance disease patterns of suspected masses by cleaning up unrelated background clutters, and a model-based image segmentation is performed to localize the suspected mass areas using stochastic relaxation labeling scheme.
Sensitivity to DNA Damage Is a Common Component of Hormone-Based Strategies for Protection of the Mammary Gland

An early full-term pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of getting breast cancer in women. In animals, this protection can be mimicked by a short-term exposure to physiologic doses of estrogen plus progesterone. Sensitization of p53 and up-regulation of transforming growth factor β are believed to be important aspects of the mechanism by which protection is imparted. Little is known, however, about the use of this pathway in response to other chemopreventive agents. In this article, we investigated the ability of retinoids, such as 9-cis retinoic acid, all-trans retinoic acid, and N-4-hydroxyphenylretinamide (4-HPR), to sensitize the ductal epithelial cells of virgin mammary glands to DNA damage responses. Using a whole-organ culture system, we observed enhanced cell death in response to γ-irradiation in the virgin tissues treated with retinoids for 72 hours. These retinoids were partially dependent on p53 and transforming growth factor β to exert their radiosensitizing effects. However, 4-HPR seemed to sensitize other cells or activate these pathways in a different manner as costimulation with ovarian hormones and 4-HPR was additive, whereas coculture of ovarian hormones and the natural retinoids did not increase amount of death. Taken together, these data suggest that sensitization of the mammary epithelium to p53-dependent apoptosis is a common pathway, which is engaged by retinoids as well as ovarian hormones.
Optimization design and analysis of permanent magnet synchronous motor based on VC

In This paper, an improved adaptive genetic algorithm is presented for the design optimization on Permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM), which can availably reduce the iterative time and simplify the magnetic circuit calculation during optimization designing. To obtain higher computation speed, C++ language is applied to develop both the basic electromagnetic calculation program and optimization algorithm based on the Microsoft Visual studio 2010 development tools. According to the developed program, the optimal solution of motor designing can be quickly and accurately gotten, thus shortening the development cycle and improving the optimization design efficiency. In addition, the finite element analysis (FEA)is used in the motor design scheme before and after the optimization with static and transient ways, and the optimization design validity is confirmed through the simulated results.
Controlling for the Compromise Effect Debiases Estimates of Risk Preference Parameters

The compromise effect arises when options near the "middle" of a choice set are more appealing. The compromise effect poses conceptual and practical problems for economic research: by influencing choices, it distorts revealed preferences, biasing researchers' inferences about deep (i.e., domain general) preferences. We propose and estimate an econometric model that disentangles and identifies both deep preferences and the context-dependent compromise effect. We demonstrate our method using data from an experiment with 550 participants who made choices over lotteries from multiple price lists. Following prior work, we manipulate the compromise effect by varying the middle options of each multiple price list and then estimate risk preferences without modelling the compromise effect. These naive parameter estimates are not robust: they change as the compromise effect is manipulated. To eliminate this bias, we incorporate the compromise effect directly into our econometric model. We show that this method generates robust estimates of risk preference parameters that are no longer sensitive to compromise-effect manipulations. This method can be applied to other settings that exhibit the compromise effect.
Color match of luting composites and try-in pastes: the impact on the final color of CAD/CAM lithium disilicate restorations.

AIM Color matching of the restoration to the adjacent teeth can be difficult due to the translucency of the ceramic and the visual exposure of the polymerized resin cement through the ceramic material. The aim of this study was to identify color differences between try-in pastes and the corresponding luting resin composites. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials tested were Variolink Veneer, Variolink Try-In, Variolink Esthetic LC, and Variolink Esthetic Try-In. Blocks of IPS e.max CAD were bisected along the vertical axis, producing specimens of different thicknesses. The surfaces to be evaluated were finely polished with a metallographic machine using 6000 grit SiC paper. The IPS e.max CAD specimens cemented with resin cement or with the try-in pastes were superimposed on a resin composite specimen reproducing the tooth structure. Evaluation of the color differences between the try-in pastes and polymerized cements of the same shade was performed with a spectrophotometer and a visual evaluation by three observers. RESULTS The measurements showed that for shades of Variolink Veneer and Variolink Esthetic LC resin cements and the corresponding try-in pastes there were significant color differences (ΔE > 2.23). Among the groups of different thicknesses, specimens of 0.5-mm thickness exhibited the highest ΔE values, while the specimens of 2-mm thickness exhibited the lowest. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that dentists should not rely on try-in pastes for the final color evaluation because they do not perfectly match the color shade of the cement used for the final luting of ceramic restorations. The originality of this study was the interpretation of color differences utilizing both a scientific spectrophotometer and visual observation.
Patient Turnover: A Concept Analysis

Patient turnover influences the quality and safety of patient care. However, variations in the conceptual underpinnings of patient turnover limit the understanding of the phenomenon. A concept analysis was completed to clarify the role of patient turnover in relation to outcomes in the acute care hospital setting. The defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of patient turnover were proposed. Nursing leaders should account for patient turnover in workload and staffing calculations. Further research is needed to clarify the influence of patient turnover on the quality and safety of nursing care using a unified understanding of the phenomenon.
Interpreting mosaicism in chorionic villi: results of a monocentric series of 1001 mosaics in chorionic villi with follow‐up amniocentesis

Chromosomal mosaicism in chorionic villi (CV) is detected in ~1–2% of cases. When a mosaic in CV is detected during prenatal diagnosis, a confirmatory karyotype should be performed on amniocytes to discriminate between a mosaic confined to the placenta [confined placental mosaicism (CPM)] and one generalized to the fetus [true fetal mosaicism (TFM)]. We determined the likelihood that any mosaic abnormalities identified through CV samples are confirmed in the fetus.
Modulation of NMDA Receptor- Dependent Calcium Influx and Gene Expression Through EphB Receptors

Protein-protein interactions and calcium entry through theN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)–type glutamate receptor regulate synaptic development and plasticity in the central nervous system. The EphB receptor tyrosine kinases are localized at excitatory synapses where they cluster and associate with NMDA receptors. We identified a mechanism whereby EphBs modulate NMDA receptor function. EphrinB2 activation of EphB in primary cortical neurons potentiates NMDA receptor–dependent influx of calcium. Treatment of cells with ephrinB2 led to NMDA receptor tyrosine phosphorylation through activation of the Src family of tyrosine kinases. These ephrinB2-dependent events result in enhanced NMDA receptor–dependent gene expression. Our findings indicate that ephrinB2 stimulation of EphB modulates the functional consequences of NMDA receptor activation and suggest a mechanism whereby activity-independent and activity-dependent signals converge to regulate the development and remodeling of synaptic connections.
Coadministration of Gamma Interferon with DNA Vaccine Expressing Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Core Antigen Enhances the Specific Immune Response and Protects against WHV Infection

ABSTRACT DNA vaccinations are able to induce strong cellular immune responses in mice and confer protection against infectious agents. However, DNA vaccination of large animals appears to be less effective and requires repeated injections of large amounts of plasmid DNA. Enhancement of the efficiency of DNA vaccines may be achieved by coapplication of cytokine-expressing plasmids. Here we investigated, with woodchucks, whether coadministration of an expression plasmid for woodchuck gamma interferon (IFN-γ), pWIFN-γ, can improve DNA vaccination with woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen (WHcAg). Animals were immunized with pWHcIm (a plasmid expressing WHcAg) alone or with a combination of pWHcIm and pWIFN-γ using a gene gun. Six weeks postimmunization, all animals were challenged with 105 genome equivalents of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). The antibody and lymphoproliferative immune responses to WHV proteins were determined after immunization and after challenge. Vaccination with pWHcIm and pWIFN-γ led to a pronounced lymphoproliferative response to WHcAg and protected woodchucks against subsequent virus challenge. Two of three animals vaccinated with pWHcIm alone did not show a detectable lymphoproliferative response to WHcAg. A low-level WHV infection occurred in these woodchucks after challenge, as WHV DNA was detectable in the serum by PCR. None of the pWHcIm-vaccinated animals showed an anti-WHcAg antibody response after DNA vaccination or an anamnestic response after virus challenge. Our results indicate that coadministration of the WIFN-γ gene with pWHcIm enhanced the specific cellular immune response and improved the protective efficacy of WHV-specific DNA vaccines.
Perceptions of Instructors and Students to Online Education at a Rural University

The popularity of technology has allowed universities to make changes through their educational system in recent years. Some transitioned from face-to-face instruction to online instruction. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of both the instructors and the students as regards second language acquisition through online education at a rural university. The study was implemented in the context of teaching and learning English as a second language in an online education environment. The course material is based on The Net Languages Learning Platform, which is available at http://ide.yok. gov.tr/, and the course level is general English pre-elementary. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study. For quantitative data collection, a questionnaire was employed to understand the reasons for low student attendance on online courses. For qualitative research method, observation was carried out, and interviews are designed as data collection techniques. Purposive selection was used for selection of the participants. The findings revealed that online education needs to be modified. The students are eager to improve their second language competencies; however, they do not want to waste their time on an easy course level.
Human Mre11/Human Rad50/Nbs1 and DNA Ligase IIIα/XRCC1 Protein Complexes Act Together in an Alternative Nonhomologous End Joining Pathway*

Recent studies have implicated a poorly defined alternative pathway of nonhomologous end joining (alt-NHEJ) in the generation of large deletions and chromosomal translocations that are frequently observed in cancer cells. Here, we describe an interaction between two factors, hMre11/hRad50/Nbs1 (MRN) and DNA ligase IIIα/XRCC1, that have been linked with alt-NHEJ. Expression of DNA ligase IIIα and the association between MRN and DNA ligase IIIα/XRCC1 are altered in cell lines defective in the major NHEJ pathway. Most notably, DNA damage induced the association of these factors in DNA ligase IV-deficient cells. MRN interacts with DNA ligase IIIα/XRCC1, stimulating intermolecular ligation, and together these proteins join incompatible DNA ends in a reaction that mimics alt-NHEJ. Thus, our results provide novel mechanistic insights into the alt-NHEJ pathway that not only contributes to genome instability in cancer cells but may also be a therapeutic target.
A review of methodological quality of systematic reviews on multiple pregnancies

Summary We set out to determine the quality of existing systematic reviews on multiple pregnancies. We conducted an electronic search in MEDLINE (1951 – 2005), EMBASE (1974 – 2005) and the Cochrane Database for Systematic reviews (2005:2) and a hand-search of reference lists without any language restrictions to identify relevant reviews. Two reviewers independently selected review articles in which a publicly available database was searched for studies concerning multiple pregnancies, and assessed them for quality of methods of review. Information was extracted on framing of question, literature search and data synthesis. Of 342 citations 14 (4%) eligible reviews were identified. Only 8/14 reviews specified the review question. Adequate literature search without language restriction and the use of a reference list was found in 7/14 reviews, but the risk of missing studies was assessed in only 1/14 reviews. Quality assessment of included studies was reported in 7/14 and tabulation of their findings was reported in 8/14 reviews, but heterogeneity of results was evaluated in only 4/14 reviews. Meta-analysis was employed in 3/14 reviews. Systematic reviews of existing studies on multiple pregnancies are infrequent and it is difficult to generate robust inferences from them as they lack good methodology.