Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive, Behavioral and Emotional Empathy in Pharmacy Students: Targeting Programs for Curriculum Modification

Introduction: Empathy is an essential trait for pharmacists and is recognized as a core competency that can be developed in the classroom. There is a growing body of data regarding levels of empathy in pharmacy students; however, these studies have not measured differences in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional empathy. The goal of this study was to parse the underlying components of empathy and correlate them to psychosocial attributes, with the overall goal of identifying curriculum modifications to enhance levels of empathy in pharmacy students. Methods: IRB approval was obtained to measure empathy levels in pharmacy students attending Midwestern University. An online, anonymous survey administered through a secure website (REDCap) was used. This survey utilized the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (Medical Student version) and included questions regarding demographics and personality traits. Empathy questions were sub-divided into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional categories. Data are presented as mean ± SEM with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: Three hundred and four pharmacy students at Midwestern University participated in a fall survey with an overall response rate of 37%. The average empathy score was 110.4 ± 0.8 on a scale of 20–140; which is comparable to empathy scores found by Fjortoft et al. (2011) and Van Winkle et al. (2012b). Validating prior research, females scored significantly higher than males in empathy as well as behavioral, cognitive, and emotional subcomponents. For the entire population, emotional empathy was significantly higher than cognitive and behavioral empathy (P < 0.05). Furthermore, negative correlations to empathy were observed for self-serving behavior (R D 0.490, P < 0.001), medical authoritarianism (R D 0.428, P < 0.001), and experience of coercion (R D 0.344, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, empathy levels in pharmacy students are similar to prior studies with females scoring higher than males. Emotional empathy may play a greater role than cognitive and behavioral empathy in this group of students. Targeted programs that promote volunteerism and activities that foster responsiveness to patient needs may attenuate self-serving behavior and medical authoritarianism and, therefore, improve empathy levels in pharmacy students.
The effectiveness of HYMLS in the Jacobi-Davidson method for stability analysis of fluid flow problems

We construct, analyze and implement SSOR-like preconditioners for non-Hermitian positive definite system of linear equations when its coefficient matrix possesses either a dominant Hermitian part or a dominant skew-Hermitian part. We derive tight bounds for eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrices and obtain convergence rates of the corresponding SSOR-like iteration methods as well as the corresponding preconditioned GMRES iteration methods. Numerical implementations show that Krylov subspace iteration methods such as GMRES, when accelerated by the SSOR-like preconditioners, are efficient solvers for these classes of non-Hermitian positive definite linear systems.
Genetic variability, character association and path analysis in Jatropha curcas.

Sixteen Jatropha curcas genotypes collected from four states were grown in randomized block design and evaluated for 12 characters. The genotypes showed significant differences in most component traits and seed yield, excepting primary branches/plant, fruits/bunch and seeds/fruit. The genotypes Utkal nursery, Phule1, IST 1, Jodhpur1 and Chhatrapati had above average (>84.7 g) seed yield/plant. Phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) & genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) estimates were high for seed yield/plant followed by flowering bunches/plant, fruits/plant and secondary branches/plant. Heritability was high (>80%) for plant height, fruits/plant and 100 seed weight. Genetic advance (GA) was high (>50%) for seed yield/plant, fruits/plant and flowering bunches/plant. Moderate to high heritability accompanied with high genetic advance for seed yield/plant, fruits/plant and flowering bunches/plant indicated additive gene action and selection for these characters would be effective. Fruits/plant, flowering branches and bunches/plant, collar diameter and secondary branches/plant had high positive correlation with seed yield/plant. Flowering bunches/plant and fruits/plant had high positive direct effect on yield and indirect positive effect via these two traits greatly influenced positive association of other traits with yield. Seeds/fruit and 100 seed weight had moderate positive direct effect on yield. The remaining seven component traits had very low direct effect on yield. The character association and path analysis study revealed that selection for flowering bunches/plant and fruits/plant would be highly effective in bringing out improvement in yield. Selection for seeds/fruit and 100 seed weight would result in some improvement in yield. Thus, the ideotype to achieve high yield in Jatropha should have more number of flowering bunches/plant and fruits per plant and moderate to high value for seeds/fruit and 100- seed weight.
Fast cache access with full-map block directory

There are two concurrent paths in a typical cache access -one through the data array and the other through the tag array. In most cases, the path through the tag array is significantly longer than that through the data array. In this paper, we propose a new scheme that exploits this imbalance in the tag and data paths to improve overall cache performance. Under this scheme, an additional tag directory, the full-map block directory, is used to provide an alternate tag path to speed up cache access for almost all the memory requests. This scheme is based on the observation that spatial locality exists on a cache line basis i.e. cache lines near one another tend to be referenced together. Performance evaluation using the TPC-C benchmark and the SPEC92 benchmark suite demonstrates that this scheme has the potential to improve overall system performance by more than 20%.
Approximation Technique of Finite Capacity Queuing Networks Exploiting Petri Net Analysis

In this paper we present a technique for deriving approximate measures for finite capacity queuing networks. The fact that buffers have finite capacity makes the analysis of such networks very difficult. Indeed, FC-QNs do not have a product form solution, except for a limited number of special cases. In general exact solution for such models can only be obtained using numerical methods. However these techniques can only handle networks of very small size. For this reason analyses based on approximate techniques represent an interesting possibility to compute measures for queuing network models with finite capacity. In this paper we present an approximation technique that is inspired to the method called Response Time Preservation. The developing of the proposed technique is based on a representation of FC-QNs by means of Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets.
Scalable Computing: Practice and Experience

The concept of massively parallel processors has been taken to the extreme with the introduction of the BlueGene architectures from IBM. With hundreds of thousands of processors in one machine the parallelism is extreme, but so are the techniques that must be applied to obtain performance with that many processors. In this work we present optimizations of a Grid-based projector-augmented wave method software, GPAW, for the Blue Gene/P architecture. The improvements are achieved by exploring the advantage of shared and distributed memory programming also known as hybrid programming and blocked communication to improve latency hiding. The work focuses on optimizing a very time consuming operation in GPAW, the stencil operation, and different hybrid programming approaches are evaluated. The work succeeds in demonstrating a hybrid programming model, which is clearly beneficial compared to the original flat programming model. In total an improvement of 1.94 compared to the original implementation is obtained. The results we demonstrate here are reasonably general and may be applied to other stencil codes.
A pencil approach to high gain feedback and generalized state space systems

In this paper we study limits of generalized state space systems under high gain feedback modulo system equivalence. Diierent group actions on the space of system pencils are considered and related to the action of pencil equivalence. A recent result on the orbit closure problem for pencils is applied to obtain necessary conditions for a system to be a limit of a given system under high gain feedback. These conditions are shown to be suucient for arbitrary state space systems. The result is used to investigate a high gain version of Rosenbrock's problem: invariant factor assignment in the limit via high gain state feedback.
How strong is carbon cycle‐climate feedback under global warming?

The behavior of the coupled carbon cycle and physical climate system in a global warming scenario is studied using an Earth system model including the atmosphere, land, ocean, and the carbon cycle embedded in these components. A fully coupled carbon‐climate simulation and several sensitivity runs were conducted for the period of 1860–2100 with prescribed IPCC‐SRES‐A1B emission scenario. Results indicate a positive feedback to global warming from the interactive carbon cycle, with an additional increase of 90 ppmv in the atmospheric CO2, and 0.6 degree additional warming, thus confirming recent results from the Hadley Centre and IPSL. However, the changes in various carbon pools are more modest, largely due to the multiple limiting factors constraining terrestrial productivity and carbon loss. The large differences among the three models are manifestations of some of the poorly constrained processes such as the global strength of the CO2 fertilization effect and the turnover time and rates of soil decomposition.
Combine Kalman filter and particle filter to improve color tracking algorithm

In machine vision, color tracking is a well known problem. The Kalman filter or particle filter are often used to build color tracking algorithms. The Kalman filter is good in tracking a linear system, but it often misses the object when the object changes its direction suddenly. In this case, the particle filter is used but it fails easily when the object moves too fast. This paper presents another method to track a rigid object. Based on combining the Kalman filter and particle filter, this method increases the accuracy and speed of the color tracking algorithm.
Saddle-nodes and period-doublings of Smale horseshoes: A case study near resonant homoclinic bellows

In unfoldings of resonant homoclinic bellows interesting bifurcation phenomena occur: two suspensed Smale horseshoes can collide and disappear in saddle-node bifurcations (all periodic orbits disappear through saddle-node bifurcations, there are no other bifurcations of periodic orbits), or a suspended horseshoe can go through saddle-node and period-doubling bifurcations of the periodic orbits in it to create an additional "doubled horseshoe".
Teachers’ English Proficiency and Classroom Language Use: A Conversation Analysis Study

How does teachers’ target language proficiency correlate with their ability to use the target language effectively in order to provide optimal learning opportunities in the language classroom? Adopting a conversation analysis approach, this study examines the extent to which teachers’ use of the target language in the classroom creates learning opportunities for L2 learners. The article also explores the relationship between teachers’ target language proficiency and the ways in which they use the target language in the classroom to engage learners in the learning process. Analyses of the lesson extracts show a complex relationship between teachers’ general language proficiency and their ability to make use of their proficiency to support student learning in the L2 classroom. The article concludes that while teachers’ general proficiency significantly affects the way they use language in the classroom to promote learning, their classroom proficiency is at least as important as their general proficiency. This has implications both for teachers and teacher educators.
Reducing surface energy to improve energy efficiency of ships

Attachment of marine organisms leads to a significant increase of the friction of the hull surface which will reduce the reliability and energy efficiency of ships. The adhesion of destructive organisms can be decreased effectively via reducing the surface energy of the hull. A new type of material was produced using a peptide to bond with 304 stainless steel samples for improving the energy efficiency of ships. It is known that some N-containing substances generated on the surface of the samples by SEM equipped with EDS, which suggested that a new substances obtained by bonding between the peptide and 304 stainless steel. Contact angles of the surface of samples were measured utilizing a contact angle meter, and the value revealed that contact angles of the samples surface have been significantly increased after treating with peptide, and the Young's equation shows that the surface energy of samples surface have been significantly reduced. The new material provided a way for drag reduction of ships.
Review on Distributed Canny Edge Detectorusing FPGA

Edges are boundaries between different textures. Edge also can be defined as discontinuities in image intensity from one pixel to another. Modem image processing applications demonstrate an increasing demand for computational power and memories space. Typically, edge detection algorithms are implemented using software. With advances in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) technology, their hardware implementation has become an attractive alternative, especially for real-time applications. The Canny algorithm computes the higher and lower thresholds for edge detection based on the entire image statistics, which prevents the processing of blocks independent of each other. The Canny edge detector has remained a standard for many years and has best performance. Direct implementation of the canny algorithm has high latency and cannot be employed in real-time applications. To overcome these, an adaptive threshold selection algorithm is proposed, which computes the high and low threshold for each block based on the type of block and the local distribution of pixel gradients in the block. Distributed Canny Edge Detection using FPGA reduces the latency significantly; also this allows the block-based canny edge detector to be pipelined very easily with existing block-based codec.
Transfer Function Fusing

Based on the observation that it is relatively easier for users to generate several good transfer functions (TFs) for different features of volumetric data, we propose TF fusing, which merges several TFs into a comprehensive one, as a new technique for TF design. We treat the TF fusing as a parameter optimization problem, which can then be solved by using a genetic algorithm (GA). We introduce an energy function based on user voting and image similarity to guide the genetic evolution. Experimental results on some real volumetric data demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. CR Categories: I.3. 3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture and Image Generation
Debugging Spreadsheets: A CSP-based Approach

Despite being staggeringly error prone, spreadsheets can be viewed as a highly flexible end-users programming environment. As a consequence, spreadsheets are widely adopted for decision making, and may have a serious economical impact for the business. Hence, approaches for aiding the process of pinpointing the faulty cells in a spreadsheet are of great value. We present a constrain-based approach, CONBUG, for debugging spreadsheets. The approach takes as input a (faulty) spreadsheet and a test case that reveals the fault and computes a set of diagnosis candidates for the debugging problem we are trying to solve. To compute the set of diagnosis candidates we convert the spreadsheet and test case to a constraint satisfaction problem. From our experimental results, we conclude that CONBUG can be of added value for the end user to pinpoint faulty cells.
Moving up the slippery slope: Mandated genetic screening on Cyprus

Many social scientists and bioethicists have argued that genetic screening is a new form of eugenics. Examination of the development of the quasi‐mandated screening program for β‐thalassemia in the Republic of Cyprus (1970–1984) demonstrates that there is nothing eugenic about modern genetic screening practices. The Cypriot screening program involves mandated premarital carrier screening, voluntary prenatal diagnosis (originally through fetoscopy, now through CVS), and voluntary termination of afflicted pregnancies—all at public expense. In the Republic of Cyprus, the mandating agency for genetic screening is the established church, so this examination also demonstrates that religious authorities with profound objections to abortion can balance that moral precept against others, such as the imperative to reduce suffering that sometimes conflict with it. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using Group-Based Trajectory and Growth Mixture Modeling to Identify Classes of Change Trajectories

Many issues of interest to counseling psychologists involve questions regarding how individuals change over time. Although counseling psychologists often examine average levels of change, statistical methods can also identify patterns of change over time by empirically grouping together individuals with similar patterns of change (e.g., group-based trajectory modeling and latent growth mixture modeling). The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of these methods for counseling psychologists. We discuss the conceptual frameworks and assumptions of average-level and person-centered techniques such as group-based trajectory modeling and latent growth mixture modeling. We provide a nontechnical guide for conducting these analyses using data from a study of psychotherapy outcomes in a sample of mental health center clients (N = 1,050). We discuss caveats associated with these methods, including the potential for overinterpreting nongeneralizable results. Last, we suggest best practices for reporting and interpreting results.
Public debt, secular stagnation, and functional finance

Fiscal policy and public debt may be required to maintain full employment and avoid secular stagnation. This conclusion emerges from a range of different models, including OLG specifications and stock-flow consistent (post-) Keynesian models. One of the determinants of the required long-run debt ratio is the rate of economic growth. Low growth leads to high debt, and empirical correlations between growth and debt may reflect this causal effect of growth on debt, rather than negative effects of debt on growth. A second result relates directly to austerity policies. The level of government consumption and the structure of taxation influence the required debt ratio and, paradoxically, austerity policies are counterproductive on their own terms: cuts in government consumption lead to an increase in the required level of debt.
Long-term absolute risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse following human papillomavirus infection: role of persistence.

BACKGROUND Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer. It has been suggested that information about high-risk HPV type-specific infection might make cervical cancer screening more effective. Persistent HPV infection could also be a useful screening marker. We estimated the long-term risk of high-grade CIN after one-time detection of high-risk HPV DNA and after persistent infection with individual high-risk HPV types. METHODS A cohort of 8656 women from the general population of Denmark was examined twice, 2 years apart (first study examination: May 15, 1991, to January 31, 1993; second study examination: October 1, 1993, to January 31, 1995). The women underwent a gynecological examination and cervical cytology and had swabs taken for HPV DNA analysis by the Hybrid Capture 2 and line probe assays. The women were followed up through the nationwide Danish Pathology Data Bank for cervical neoplasia for up to 13.4 years. The absolute risk of developing cervical lesions before a given time was estimated as a function of time. RESULTS For women with normal cytological findings who were concurrently HPV16 DNA positive at the second examination, the estimated probability of developing CIN grade 3 (CIN3) or worse within 12 years of follow-up was 26.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 21.1% to 31.8%). The corresponding risks among those infected with HPV18 was 19.1% (95% CI = 10.4% to 27.3%), with HPV31 was 14.3% (95% CI = 9.1% to 19.4%), and with HPV33 was 14.9% (95% CI = 7.9% to 21.1%). The absolute risk of CIN3 or worse after infection with high-risk HPV types other than HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, or HPV33 was 6.0% (95% CI = 3.8% to 8.3%). The estimated absolute risk for CIN3 or cancer within 12 years of the second examination among women who were HPV16 DNA positive at both examinations was 47.4% (95% CI = 34.9% to 57.5%); by contrast, the risk of CIN3 or worse following a negative Hybrid Capture 2 test was 3.0% (95% CI = 2.5% to 3.5%). CONCLUSION HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, and HPV33 infection and especially HPV16 persistence were associated with high absolute risks for progression to high-grade cervical lesions. The results indicate the potential value of genotyping in cervical cancer screening. Given that HPV DNA-negative women retained their low risk of CIN3 or worse for many years, frequent screening of these women may be unnecessary.
Effects of Surgical and Dietary Weight Loss Therapy for Obesity on Gut Microbiota Composition and Nutrient Absorption

Evidence suggests a correlation between the gut microbiota composition and weight loss caused by caloric restriction. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), a surgical intervention for obesity, is classified as predominantly restrictive procedure. In this study we investigated functional weight loss mechanisms with regard to gut microbial changes and energy harvest induced by LSG and a very low calorie diet in ten obese subjects (n = 5 per group) demonstrating identical weight loss during a follow-up period of six months. For gut microbiome analysis next generation sequencing was performed and faeces were analyzed for targeted metabolomics. The energy-reabsorbing potential of the gut microbiota decreased following LSG, indicated by the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, but increased during diet. Changes in butyrate-producing bacterial species were responsible for the Firmicutes changes in both groups. No alteration of faecal butyrate was observed, but the microbial capacity for butyrate fermentation decreased following LSG and increased following dietetic intervention. LSG resulted in enhanced faecal excretion of nonesterified fatty acids and bile acids. LSG, but not dietetic restriction, improved the obesity-associated gut microbiota composition towards a lean microbiome phenotype. Moreover, LSG increased malabsorption due to loss in energy-rich faecal substrates and impairment of bile acid circulation. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01344525.