Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Article in press-uncorrected proof Determination of oxidative and occupational stress in palliative care workers

Background: In previous work, we demonstrated that some occupational workers in stressful conditions can have increases in several markers of oxidative stress when compared to other workers. We investigated two antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, according to demographics, lifestyle and occupational parameters in palliative care unit workers, and analyzed the relationship with occupational burnout. Methods: Fifty-two palliative care unit workers and 50 genderand aged matched healthy individuals as controls were surveyed. Spectrophotometric and high-pressure liquid chromatography methods were used for biochemical determinations. Results: No significant variation with respect to gender were detected with respect to SOD and CAT activities, MDA concentrations or occupational burnout. MDA concentrations increased with age in controls and palliative care unit workers, and we observed significant differences in MDA between controls and palliative care unit workers for all age groups. Significant variation in MDA concentrations were detected between unmarried (287.22"8.31 nmol/mg hemoglobin) and married individuals (317.18"6.24 nmol/mg hemoglobin), but not with respect to divorced individuals (288.41"5.64 nmol/mg hemoglobin). Significant differences were detected between smokers and non-smokers for SOD, CAT and MDA, but not for alcohol, coffee, tea or cola consumption. Significant differences were seen in MDA con*Corresponding author: Ángela Casado, Departamento de Medicina Celular y Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Avda. Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain Phone: q34 91 8373112, Fax: q34 91 5360432, E-mail: acasado@cib.csic. es Received May 5, 2010; accepted August 4, 2010; previously published online December 14, 2010 centrations between those who frequently practice some kind of sport (280.59"7.62 nmol/mg hemoglobin) and those who never practice any kind of sport (299.12"8.09 nmol/mg hemoglobin), and between those who frequently ate fruit and greens (291.05"8.11 nmol/mg hemoglobin) and those who never eat fruit and greens (316.31"7.42 nmol/mg hemoglobin). SOD activity and MDA concentrations are higher in palliative care workers who work the evening and night shifts (p-0.01), and these workers also show significantly higher levels of stress. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that oxidative stress, occupational stress and occupational burnout levels are similar in men and women. Occupational stress increases oxidative stress levels probably as a response to increased generation of reactive oxygen species. Working during the evening and night shifts increases oxidative levels and burnout levels.
ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES FOR CARBON NANOTUBE TRANSISTORS AND NETWORKS BY DAVID ESTRADA

In this study, pulsed measurement techniques to suppress hysteresis in carbon nanotube (CNT) field-effect transistor (CNTFET) transfer characteristics are demonstrated. As hysteresis is reduced, both forward and backward gate voltage sweeps move toward a common, unique central transfer characteristic that reveals the “true” device mobility. Time constants associated with environmental charge trapping, at various ambient temperatures from 80 to 453 K are extracted. Hysteresis dependence of pulsed measurements is compared under air, high-temperature, and vacuum conditions. Using such measurements we investigate the error on carrier mobility associated with mobility extractions from forward and backward DC gate voltage sweeps. A pulsed electrical breakdown technique to increase the ION/IOFF ratio of carbon nanotube random network transistors is also demonstrated. The ratio is increased by three orders of magnitude, with minimal reduction in ION (< 50%). It is shown that adsorbed water rather than oxygen promotes nanotube breakdown. Finally, the design of an electrical thermometry platform for measuring the thermal properties of nanoscale films is presented, with possible application to single-walled CNT random networks and perfectly aligned arrays. The platform is freely suspended to confine heat flow to one dimension, leading to challenging stress patterns in the constituent SiO2 membrane. Using sputtered SiO2 reduces stress by a factor of 20 and results in a “flatter,” more robust membrane for thermal measurements. Methods of incorporating CNT networks in the device fabrication process are discussed. As a calibration step, the thermal conductivity for a 320 nm freestanding thin film of RF sputtered SiO2 is found to be 0.45 WmK at 300 K, in agreement with previous measurements of thin SiO2 films on bulk Si.
HPV in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma-Review Article

Aim: The Aim of this study is to demonstrate a possible relation between the oral squamous cell carcinoma and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Objective: The main objective of this article is to get more information and knowledge about Human Papilloma Virus and its types causing the oral cell carcinoma. Background: Growing evidence shows that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is preferentially associated and has a role with some oral cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV), the causal agent of cervical cancer, appears to be involved in the etiology of cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx. Reason: HPV is the leading cause for oropharyngeal cancer (back of the mouth) and front of the mouth, oral cavity cancer. The main reason to study about this is we can prevent oral cell carcinoma if we know about the type of HPV causing it.
Seismically Induced Lateral Earth Pressures on a Cantilever Retaining Wall

Abstract A series of non-linear dynamic response analyses of a cantilever retaining wall were performed to assess the appropriateness of the Mononobe-Okabe method for determining the seismically induced lateral earth pressures on the stem of the wall. For the wall analyzed, it was found that at very low levels of acceleration the induced pressures were in general agreement with those predicted by the Mononobe-Okabe method. However, as the accelerations increased to those expected in regions of moderate seismicity, the induced pressures are larger than those predicted by the Mononobe-Okabe method. This deviation is attributed to the flexibility of the retaining wall system and to the observation that the driving soil wedge does not respond monolithically, but rather as several wedges.
20 th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS)

Bilinguals are prone to competition from similar sounding words across their two languages (e.g., strict activates Spanish estricto ). In three experiments, we relied on phonotactic constraints (i.e., rules for combining speech sounds) to examine how experience with multiple languages transforms the way in which speech sounds are processed. In Experiment 1, we found that Spanish-English bilinguals accessed the L1 Spanish vowel+s+consonant constraint (Spanish estricto ) during L2 English processing (English strict ) when performing a cross modal phonological priming lexical decision task. In Experiments 2 and 3, we found that bilinguals processed L2 auditory and/or visual inputs in line with the L1 constraint ( strict as estrict ) in a vowel detection task and a sound recognition task (visual world paradigm). We conclude that bilinguals access L1 phonotactic constraints during L2 processing and that L1 representations for sounds and words influence how L2 input is perceived.
Reverse knowledge transfer from subsidiaries to MNC headquarters : the transfer of local market knowledge

Although research on reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) from subsidiaries to headquarters is increasingly prominent, the debate concerning the primary determinants influencing RKT has not reached an academic consensus. Therefore, we have attempted to draw an overall picture for RKT by using both knowledge transfer capacity and relational capital as overarching theoretical lenses. We find, in the context of South Korea, that knowledge development capability, subsidiary willingness and autonomy are critical factors affecting the reverse transfer of local market information within MNC networks. Furthermore, both the knowledge integration mechanism and trust are facilitators for improving relational capital between subsidiaries and MNCs. This factor facilitates RKT from the former to the latter.
Vertex Raw Camera Poses Depth Frames Shape Kinect Fusion Frame Aligning Raw Color Frames Aligned Camera Poses Textured Geometry Segmented Geometry Segmentation Exposure Correction SH Solver Inverse Renderer Raytracer Enironment SH Albedo Tetxure Specular CoefficientsShading Specular Solver Relightin

We present a method for recovering both incident lighting and surface materials from casually scanned geometry. By casual, we mean a rapid and potentially noisy scanning procedure of unmodified and uninstrumented scenes with a commodity RGB-D sensor. In other words, unlike reconstruction procedures which require careful preparations in a laboratory environment, our method works with input that can be obtained by consumer users. To ensure a robust procedure, we segment the reconstructed geometry into surfaces with homogeneous material properties and compute the radiance transfer on these segments. With this input, we solve the inverse rendering problem of factorization into lighting and material properties using an iterative optimization in spherical harmonics form. This allows us to account for self-shadowing and recover specular properties. The resulting data can be used to generate a wide range of mixed reality applications, including the rendering of synthetic objects with matching lighting into a given scene, but also re-rendering the scene (or a part of it) with new lighting. We show the robustness of our approach with real and synthetic examples under a variety of lighting conditions and compare them with ground truth data.
Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care Ii (Mimic-Ii): A Public-Access Intensive Care Unit Database

Objective : We sought to develop an ICU research database applying automated techniques to aggregate high resolution diagnostic and therapeutic data from a large, diverse population of adult ICU patients. This freely available database is intended to support epidemiological research in critical care medicine, and serve as a resource to evaluate new clinical decision support and monitoring algorithms.
Mid- to late-Holocene coastal environmental changes in southwest Florida, USA

During the Holocene, Florida experienced major changes in precipitation and runoff. To better understand these processes, shallow marine sediment cores from Charlotte Harbor (southwest Florida) were studied, covering approximately the past 9000 years. Whole core XRF scanning was applied to correlate different sediment cores on a river to sea transect. Biomarkers were used to identify periods with increased runoff and primary productivity. The mid-Holocene sediments are characterized by a relatively large input of terrestrially derived organic matter, with a maximum in precipitation and runoff around 5 kyr BP. This maximum can be linked to large-scale changes in the hydrological cycle involving shifts of the ITCZ, Bermuda-Azores High and Polar Front. Around 3.5 kyr BP, Charlotte Harbor changed from a runoff-dominated environment to a more oligotrophic and marine setting. Although other studies suggest that, around this time, precipitation in Florida increased, this is not reflected by the Charlotte Harbor records. Possibly, wetter conditions in Florida due to gradual, ongoing, sea level rise in combination with increased precipitation, resulted in accumulation of organic matter on land. Increased sedimentation rates, terrestrial input and primary productivity observed in the upper part of the record are likely a consequence of human impact during the past century. Throughout the record, indications for storm activity can be recognized as coarser grained layers consisting of quartz sands or shell debris. These layers are rare during the mid Holocene, but between 3.2 and 2 kyr BP, their numbers increase, suggesting an increase in tropical cyclone activity in the Gulf of Mexico.
Processes that influence biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability in grasslands

Biodiversity is rapidly declining worldwide, and this may lead to subsequent declines in ecosystem functioning and stability. Here I consider whether: (i) stabilizing species interactions, such as niche partitioning and facilitation, promote biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability, and (ii) global ecosystem changes influence biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability by destabilizing species interactions. In Chapters 2 and 3, I report results from studies that used long-term data from a grassland biodiversity experiment to identify the mechanisms that promoted biodiversity, productivity, and the temporal stability of productivity. Stabilizing species interactions that favored rare species promoted productivity and temporal stability. Stabilizing species interactions that favored unproductive species promoted biodiversity and temporal stability. In Chapters 4 and 5, I report results from a new experiment that tested whether intense grazing influenced biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability by favoring common and productive species, especially in exotic species mixtures. Stabilizing species interactions maintained biodiversity and promoted ecosystem functioning in ungrazed native species mixtures. However, species interactions were destabilized, and ecosystem functioning was decreased, in both exotic and intensely grazed mixtures. In conclusion, these results suggest that: (i) stabilizing species interactions that favor rare and unproductive species can simultaneously promote biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and temporal stability in grasslands; and (ii) changing from native grasslands to exotic grasslands or pastures can decrease ecosystem services by destabilizing species interactions.
The Effectiveness of Hand Massage on Pain in Critically Ill Patients After Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Background Postoperative pain is common in the intensive care unit despite the administration of analgesia. Some trials suggest that massage can be effective at reducing postoperative pain in acute care units; however, its effects on pain relief in the intensive care unit and when pain severity is highest remain unknown. Objective The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of hand massage on the pain intensity (primary outcome), unpleasantness and interference, muscle tension, anxiety, and vital signs of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery. Methods A 3-arm randomized controlled trial will be conducted. A total of 79 patients who are 18 years or older, able to speak French or English and self-report symptoms, have undergone elective cardiac surgery, and do not have a high risk of postoperative complications and contraindications to hand massage will be recruited. They will be randomly allocated (1:1:1) to standard care plus either 3 20-minute hand massages (experimental), 3 20-minute hand holdings (active control), or 3 20-minute rest periods (passive control). Pain intensity, unpleasantness, anxiety, muscle tension, and vital signs will be evaluated before, immediately after, and 30 minutes later for each intervention administered within 24 hours postoperatively. Peer-reviewed competitive funding was received from the Quebec Nursing Intervention Research Network and McGill University in December 2015, and research ethics approval was obtained February 2016. Results Recruitment started in April 2016, and data collection is expected to be complete by January 2017. To date, 24 patients were randomized and had data collection done. Conclusions This study will be one of the first randomized controlled trials to examine the effect of hand massage on the pain levels of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery and to provide empirical evidence for the use of massage among this population. ClinicalTrial ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02679534; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02679534 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6l8Ly5eHS)
Discovery of potential immune epitopes and peptide vaccine design - a prophylactic strategy against Rift Valley fever virus [version 1; peer review: 2 approved with reservations]

Background: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging arbovirus infecting both animals and humans. Any form of direct contact with body fluids, blood or tissue of infected animals is the mode of transmission of this pathogen. Despite being an emerging virus, no proper vaccinations are yet available for the public. Our objective is to compose a multiepitope vaccine utilizing immuno-bioinformatics as a strategy against RVFV. Methods: To identify immunodominant epitopes and design a potent vaccine candidate, we applied a series of immunoinformatic approaches with molecular dynamics and immune response simulation frameworks. Results: A glycoprotein with the highest
Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet Observations of the Cores of M3 and M13

We present preliminary results from Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFPC2 observations of the central regions of the of the Galactic globular clusters M13 and M3. The clusters are almost identical in most respects, including chemical composition, but there are dramatic differences in both the horizontal-branch (HB) and blue straggler populations. The M13 HB has a long blue tail extending 4.5 mag in V, reaching well below the level of the main-sequence turnoff. M3 has no such feature. M3 and M13 are thus an extreme case of the “second-parameter problem” in HB morphology. Also present in the M13 HB are two gaps similar to those seen in the clusters NGC 6752 and NGC 2808. M3 has a specific frequency of blue stragglers 3 times larger than that of M13. Our results imply that neither age nor cluster density, two popular second-parameter candidates, are likely to be responsible for the observed differences.
Nonmonotonic Reasoning: from Complexity to Algorithms Nonmonotonic Reasoning: from Complexity to Algorithms

The purpose of this paper is to outline various results regarding the computational complexity and the algorithms of nonmonotonic entailment in diierent coherence-based approaches. Starting from a (non necessarily consistent) belief base E and a pre-ordering on E, we rst remind diierent mechanisms for selecting preferred consistent subsets. Then, we present diierent entailment principles in order to manage these multiple subsets. The crossing point of each generation mechanism m and each entailment principle p deenes an entailment relation (E;) j p;m which we study from the computational complexity point of view. The obtained results are not very encouraging since the complexity of all these nonmonotonic entailment relations is, in most restricted languages, larger than the complexity of monotonic en-tailment. However, they permit us to choose an adapted tool for solving some entailment problems: binary decision diagrams. Therefore, in the last part of this paper, we present an extension of this tool and some experimental results.
A Local Search for the Robust OSPF Weight Setting Problem

The OSPF weight setting problem consists in assigning weights to all links in a computer network. These weights induce a route for all pairs of routers, and hence tell how the traffic is routed thought the network. In this work a robust version of the OSPF weight setting problem is presented, taking into consideration the variation on the demands of computer networks. We show ways to model the problem, and solve it with heuristics. Finally, we execute computational experiments to evaluate the performance of different modelings for the problem.
Developing technology and design course self-efficacy scale : A validity and reliability study

The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable assessment and evaluation instrument to specify the efficacy of the students in technology and design courses. The assessment instrument was composed of an item pool, experts’ views about the validity scope, pre-application, analysis of structure validity and reliability analysis steps. This study was carried out with the seventh-grade students in State secondary schools in Northern Cyprus. A scale with 38 items and seven factors was determined through an exploratory factor analysis. The scale consisted of synthesis, basic application, evaluation, formal analysis, further analysis, advanced application and comprehension dimensions. The confirmatory factor analysis and the factor structures were tested. At the end of the confirmatory analysis, it was noted that the variables had acceptable goodness of fit values. A valid and reliable technology and design course self-efficacy scale was developed at the end of the study.
Knowledge Extraction from Trained Neural Network River Flow Models

Artificial neural networks (ANNs), due to their excellent capabilities for modeling complex processes, have been successfully applied to a variety of problems in hydrology. However, one of the major criticisms of ANNs is that they are just black-box models, since a satisfactory explanation of their behavior has not been offered. They, in particular, do not explain easily how the inputs are related to the output, and also whether the selected inputs have any significant relationship with an output. In this paper, a perturbation analysis for determining the order of influence of the elements in the input vector on the output vector is discussed. The approach is illustrated though a case study of a river flow model developed for the Narmada Basin, India. The analyses of the results suggest that each variable in the input vector (flow values at different antecedent time steps) influences the shape of the hydrograph in different ways. However, the magnitude of the influence cannot be clearly quantified by this.
Glacier fluctuations of Muztagh Ata and temperature changes during the late Holocene in westernmost Tibetan Plateau, based on glaciolacustrine sediment records

Late Holocene glacier variations in westernmost Tibetan Plateau were studied based on the analysis of grain size, magnetic susceptibility, and elements from an 8.3 m long distal glaciolacustrine sediment core of Kalakuli Lake. Our results show that there are four glacier expansion episodes occurring in 4200–3700 calibrated years (cal years) B.P., 2950–2300 cal years B.P., 1700–1070 cal years B.P., and 570–100 cal years B.P. and four glacier retreat periods of 3700–2950 cal years B.P., 2300–1700 cal years B.P., 1070–570 cal years B.P., and 50 cal years B.P.–present. The four glacier expansion episodes are generally in agreement with the glacier activities indicted by the moraines at Muztagh Ata and Kongur Shan, as well as with the late Holocene ice‐rafting events in the North Atlantic. Over the last 2000 years, our reconstructed glacier variations are in temporal agreement with reconstructed temperature from China and the Northern Hemisphere, indicating that glacier variations at centennial time scales are very sensitive to temperature in western Tibetan Plateau.
SPEAKER VERIFICATION USING GMM MODELLING

Authentication based on voiceprint is a simple and user-friendly biometric technology to address the overcoming security issues. We present a GMM-UBM approach to speaker verification based on one and two-factor schemes and compare their verification performance. In this framework we evaluated several score normalization and adaptation approaches. In the feature extraction stage of the speaker verification experiments we used the three classical cepstral processing methodologies, based on linear prediction, Mel and Bark scale analysis, with a second purpose of assessing their performances. The experiments are based on a speech corpus of 26 speakers, who pronounced several compulsory sentences in Romanian, and arbitrary text. Several combinations of vocabulary were tested.