Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interventions for improving palliative care for older people living in nursing care homes.

BACKGROUND Residents of nursing care homes for older people are highly likely to die there, making these places where palliative care is needed. OBJECTIVES The primary objective was to determine effectiveness of multi-component palliative care service delivery interventions for residents of care homes for older people. The secondary objective was to describe the range and quality of outcome measures. SEARCH STRATEGY The grey literature and the following electronic databases were searched: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (all issue 1, 2010); MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, British Nursing Index, (1806 to February 2010), Science Citation Index Expanded & AMED (all to February 2010). Key journals were hand searched and a PubMed related articles link search was conducted on the final list of articles. SELECTION CRITERIA We planned to include Randomised Clinical Trials (RCTs), Controlled Clinical Trials (CCTs), controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series studies of multi-component palliative care service delivery interventions for residents of care homes for older people. These usually include the assessment and management of physical, psychological and spiritual symptoms and advance care planning. We did not include individual components of palliative care, such as advance care planning. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed quality and risk of bias. Meta analysis was not conducted due to heterogeneity of studies. The analysis comprised a structured narrative synthesis. Outcomes for residents and process of care measures were reported separately. MAIN RESULTS Two RCTs and one controlled before-and-after study were included (735 participants). All were conducted in the USA and had several potential sources of bias. Few outcomes for residents were assessed. One study reported higher satisfaction with care and the other found lower observed discomfort in residents with end-stage dementia. Two studies reported group differences on some process measures. Both reported higher referral to hospice services in their intervention group, one found fewer hospital admissions and days in hospital in the intervention group, the other found an increase in do-not-resuscitate orders and documented advance care plan discussions. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS We found few studies, and all were in the USA. Although the results are potentially promising, high quality trials of palliative care service delivery interventions which assess outcomes for residents are needed, particularly outside the USA. These should focus on measuring standard outcomes, assessing cost-effectiveness, and reducing bias.
Alpha-factor structural gene mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: effects on alpha-factor production and mating

The role of alpha-factor structural genes MF alpha 1 and MF alpha 2 in alpha-factor production and mating has been investigated by the construction of mf alpha 1 and mf alpha 2 mutations that totally eliminate gene function. An mf alpha 1 mutant in which the entire coding region is deleted shows a considerable decrease in alpha-factor production and a 75% decrease in mating. Mutations in mf alpha 2 have little or no effect on alpha-factor production or mating. The mf alpha 1 mf alpha 2 double mutants are completely defective in mating and alpha-factor production. These results indicate that at least one alpha-factor structural gene product is required for mating in MAT alpha cells, that MF alpha 1 is responsible for the majority of alpha-factor production, and that MF alpha 1 and MF alpha 2 are the only active alpha-factor genes.
Group Communication for the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)

The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a specialized web transfer protocol for constrained devices and constrained networks. It is anticipated that constrained devices will often naturally operate in groups (e.g., in a building automation scenario, all lights in a given room may need to be switched on/off as a group). This specification defines how CoAP should be used in a group communication context. An approach for using CoAP on top of IP multicast is detailed based on existing CoAP functionality as well as new features introduced in this specification. Also, various use cases and corresponding protocol flows are provided to illustrate important concepts. Finally, guidance is provided for deployment in various network topologies.
Research on Distributed Data Mining Technology Based on Grid

Distributed data mining (DDM) techniques have become necessary for large and multi-scenario datasets requiring resources, which are heterogeneous and distributed. In this paper, we focused on distributed data mining based in grid. We have discussed and analyzed a new framework based on grid environments to execute new distributed data mining techniques on very large and distributed heterogeneous datasets. The architecture and motivation for the design have been presented. We pointed out that distributed data mining technology can offer a better solution since they are designed to work in a distributed environment by paying careful attention to the computing and communication resources.
Inductive evolution : cognition, culture, and regularity in language

Cultural artifacts, such as language, survive and replicate by passing from mind to mind. Cultural evolution always proceeds by an inductive process, where behaviors are never directly copied, but reverse engineered by the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning and production. I will refer to this type of evolutionary change as inductive evolution and explain how this represents a broader class of evolutionary processes that can include both neutral and selective evolution. This thesis takes a mechanistic approach to understanding the forces of evolution underlying change in culture over time, where the mechanisms of change are sought within human cognition. I define culture as anything that replicates by passing through a cognitive system and take language as a premier example of culture, because of the wealth of knowledge about linguistic behaviors (external language) and its cognitive processing mechanisms (internal language). Mainstream cultural evolution theories related to social learning and social transmission of information define culture ideationally, as the subset of socially-acquired information in cognition that affects behaviors. Their goal is to explain behaviors with culture and avoid circularity by defining behaviors as markedly not part of culture. I take a reductionistic approach and argue that all there is to culture is brain states and behaviors, and further, that a complete explanation of the forces of cultural change can not be explained by a subset of cognition related to social learning, but necessarily involves domain-general mechanisms, because cognition is an integrated system. Such an approach should decompose culture into its constituent parts and explore 1) how brains states effect behavior, 2) how behavior effects brain states, and 3) how brain states and behaviors change over time when they are linked up in a process of cultural transmission, where one person’s behavior is the input to another. I conduct several psychological experiments on frequency learning with adult learners and describe the behavioral biases that alter the frequencies of linguistic variants over time. I also fit probabilistic models of cognition to participant data to understand the inductive biases at play during linguistic frequency learning.
Guideline for Health Informatics: Controlled Health Vocabularies - Vocabulary Structure and High-level Indicators

Developers and purchasers of controlled health terminologies require valid mechanisms for comparing terminological systems. By Controlled Health Vocabularies we refer to terminologies and terminological systems designed to represent clinical data at a granularity consistent with the practice of today's healthcare delivery. Comprehensive criterion for the evaluation of such systems are lacking and the known criteria are inconsistently applied. Although there are many papers, which describe specific desirable features of a controlled health vocabulary, to date there is not a consistent guide for evaluators of terminologies to reference, which will help them compare implementations of terminological systems on an equal footing 1,2 This guideline serves to fill the gap between academic enumeration of desirable terminological characteristics and the practical implementation or rigorous evaluations which will yield comparable data regarding the quality of one or more controlled health vocabularies.
Indonesian fire activity and smoke pollution in 2015 show persistent nonlinear sensitivity to El Niño-induced drought

Significance The 2015 Indonesian fire season, in terms of fire activity and pollution, was the most severe since the NASA Earth Observing satellite system began observations in the early 2000s. Our estimates show that the 2015 CO2-equivalent biomass burning emissions for all of Indonesia were between the 2013 annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions of Japan and India. Longer-term records of airport visibility in Sumatra and Kalimantan show that 2015 ranked among the worst episodes on record. Analysis of dry season rainfall shows that, due to the continued use of fire to clear and prepare land on degraded peat, the Indonesian fire environment continues to have nonlinear sensitivity to dry conditions, and this sensitivity appears to have increased over Kalimantan. The 2015 fire season and related smoke pollution in Indonesia was more severe than the major 2006 episode, making it the most severe season observed by the NASA Earth Observing System satellites that go back to the early 2000s, namely active fire detections from the Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS), MODIS aerosol optical depth, Terra Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) carbon monoxide (CO), Aqua Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CO, Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index, and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) CO. The MLS CO in the upper troposphere showed a plume of pollution stretching from East Africa to the western Pacific Ocean that persisted for 2 mo. Longer-term records of airport visibility in Sumatra and Kalimantan show that 2015 ranked after 1997 and alongside 1991 and 1994 as among the worst episodes on record. Analysis of yearly dry season rainfall from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and rain gauges shows that, due to the continued use of fire to clear and prepare land on degraded peat, the Indonesian fire environment continues to have nonlinear sensitivity to dry conditions during prolonged periods with less than 4 mm/d of precipitation, and this sensitivity appears to have increased over Kalimantan. Without significant reforms in land use and the adoption of early warning triggers tied to precipitation forecasts, these intense fire episodes will reoccur during future droughts, usually associated with El Niño events.
Evidence of interlobular repulsion during branching morphogenesis in mouse salivary glands

We developed a culture method for detecting repulsion among epithelial lobules during branching morphogenesis in mouse submandibular glands. Three epithelia were placed at each vertex of an imaginary triangle apart but near enough to meet with one another if each of them expands radially during the culture period. No repulsion was observed following cultivation with neuregulin 1 and lysophosphatidic acid; the epithelia actively branched and nearly contacted one another in the triangle's center. In contrast, strong repulsion was observed among the epithelia cultured with fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1), which exhibited less branching and moved away from the center. The localization of DiI‐ (1,1′, di‐octadecyl‐3,3,3′,3′,‐tetramethylindo‐carbocyanine perchlorate) and BrdU‐ (5‐bromodeoxyuridine) labeled cells in the cultures exposed to FGF1 indicated that the cells were unable to move and proliferate in the center. SB431542, an inhibitor of transforming growth factor‐β (TGFβ) signaling, was unable to abolish this repulsion, suggesting that TGFβs will not probably act as repellants in this case. Developmental Dynamics 239:2208–2218, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Don't Let One Rotten Apple Spoil the Whole Barrel: Towards Automated Detection of Shadowed Domains

Domain names have been exploited for illicit online activities for decades. In the past, miscreants mostly registered new domains for their attacks. However, the domains registered for malicious purposes can be deterred by existing reputation and blacklisting systems. In response to the arms race, miscreants have recently adopted a new strategy, called domain shadowing, to build their attack infrastructures. Specifically, instead of registering new domains, miscreants are beginning to compromise legitimate ones and spawn malicious subdomains under them. This has rendered almost all existing countermeasures ineffective and fragile because subdomains inherit the trust of their apex domains, and attackers can virtually spawn an infinite number of shadowed domains. In this paper, we conduct the first study to understand and detect this emerging threat. Bootstrapped with a set of manually confirmed shadowed domains, we identify a set of novel features that uniquely characterize domain shadowing by analyzing the deviation from their apex domains and the correlation among different apex domains. Building upon these features, we train a classifier and apply it to detect shadowed domains on the daily feeds of VirusTotal, a large open security scanning service. Our study highlights domain shadowing as an increasingly rampant threat. Moreover, while previously confirmed domain shadowing campaigns are exclusively involved in exploit kits, we reveal that they are also widely exploited for phishing attacks. Finally, we observe that instead of algorithmically generating subdomain names, several domain shadowing cases exploit the wildcard DNS records.
A large range multi-axis capacitive force/torque sensor realized in a single SOI wafer

A silicon capacitive force/torque sensor is designed and realized to be used for biomechanical applications and robotics. The sensor is able to measure the forces in three directions and two torques using four parallel capacitor plates and four comb-structures. Novel spring and lever structures are designed to separate the different force components and minimize mechanical crosstalk. The fabrication process is based on deep reactive ion etching on both sides of a single silicon-on-insulator wafer and uses only two masks making it a straight-forward and robust process. The sensor has a force range of 2 N in shear and normal direction and a torque range of more than 6 N mm. It has a high sensitivity of 38 fF N-1 and 550 fF N-1 in shear and normal direction respectively.
A Neurobiological Pathway That Mediates Stress-Induced Drug Use

A NEUROBIOLOGICAL PATHWAY THAT MEDIATES STRESS-INDUCED DRUG USE Oliver Vranjkovic B.S. Marquette University, 2015 Cocaine addiction represents a tremendous health and financial burden on our society and the high rate of relapse to cocaine use in abstinent addicts represents a major barrier to effective therapy. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to relapse and the underlying neurobiological processes is important for guiding the development of treatment for addiction. Stressful life events often trigger drug use in recovering addicts. The contribution of stress to drug use is problematic due to the unpredictable and often uncontrollable nature of stress. A growing literature indicates that norepinephrine and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the brain play key roles in stress interactions with motivational neurocircuitry that mediate stress-induced drug seeking. Previous work from our lab has demonstrated that activation of the CRFR1 receptor within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is both necessary and sufficient for drug-seeking behavior during periods of stress. However, the afferent CRF projection into the VTA, and how CRF affects the neurocircuitry of VTA to evoke stress-induced relapse are poorly understood. We report that stress-induced cocaine use involves a beta-2 adrenergic receptorregulated CRF pathway from the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the VTA and a CRFR1 receptor-regulated dopaminergic pathway to the prelimbic cortex. It is hypothesized that dopamine released into the prelimbic cortex activates dopamine D1 receptors on pyramidal neurons that comprise a glutamatergic projection to the nucleus accumbens core that is critical for relapse to drug use in abstinent cocaine addicts. It is also reported that the ability of stressors to trigger drug use is determined by the amount and pattern of prior drug use. Findings suggesting that excessive cocaine use establishes susceptibility to stress-induced relapse by recruiting CRF regulation of this key stressorresponsive mesocortical dopaminergic pathway through increased CRFR1 expression are described. This dissertation defines a key pathway through which stress can promotes relapse and describes its recruitment as result of repeated excessive drug use. Understanding the processes through which stress contributes to cocaine seeking in these rodent models should facilitate translational work aimed targeting these mechanisms clinically and therefore the development of new medications or approaches managing for addiction.
Biological control of red rot in sugarcane by native pyoluteorin-producing Pseudomonas putida strain NH-50 under field conditions and its potential modes of action.

BACKGROUND Rhizobacteria have a good potential to suppress soilborne diseases, but their efficacy against sugarcane pests is rarely reported. Bacterial strains isolated from the rhizosphere of sugarcane were evaluated for their potential to suppress red rot disease on two susceptible varieties, Co-1148 and SPF-234, under field conditions. The strains were also characterised for the production of secondary metabolites associated with their antagonistic activity. RESULTS One out of four strains, the Pseudomonas putida strain NH-50 (EU627168), reduced disease severity by 44-60% in different field trials. This potent antagonistic strain produced pyoluteorin antibiotic, as confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The PltB gene involved in pyoluteorin synthesis was amplified from the P. putida strain NH-50 and sequenced. The extracellular metabolites and volatile and diffusible antibiotics secreted by the tested strains inhibited mycelial growth of Glomerella tucumensis (Speg.) Arx & E Mull in vitro by 7-55%. CONCLUSION The pyoluteorin-producing bacteria P. putida strain NH-50 significantly reduced disease severity on both sugarcane varieties, irrespective of fungal inoculation, i.e. either inoculated through stem or through soil. This strain also possesses other plant growth characteristics and can be used as a biopesticide for sugarcane crop.
Time and frequency domain convergence properties in iterative learning control

The convergence properties of iterative learning control (ILC) algorithms are considered. The analysis is carried out in a framework using linear iterative systems, which enables several results from the theory of linear systems to be applied. This makes it possible to analyse both first-order and high-order ILC algorithms in both the time and frequency domains. The time and frequency domain results can also be tied together in a clear way. Results are also given for the iterationvariant case, i.e. when the dynamics of the system to be controlled or the ILC algorithm itself changes from iteration to iteration.
Backward-Noise Generation in Forward DC-to-DC Converters

The generation mechanism of backward noise is analyzed for a forward dc-to-dc converter. Here the backward noise is defined as the noise which flows back to the input terminals due to the switching mechanism itself as opposed to powerline conducted emissions related to harmonics of the ideal switching waveforms. Its generation process consists of several states, and there are two modes depending on the characteristics of the switching elements used in the converter. The analysis is performed by deriving the high-frequency equivalent circuit corresponding to each state. The equivalent circuits include the parameters associated with the switching speed of a transistor and the recovery characteristics of a diode, as well as inductive and capacitive parasitic parameters. As the result, the effects of these parameters on the backward noise are made clear quantitatively.
Moving Latino/a Students Into STEM Majors in College

We argue that Latino/a students are more likely to major in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in college if they were educated in high schools where they studied with satisfied teachers who worked in collaborative professional communities. Quantitative results demonstrate that collaborative professional communities in high school are important for Latino/a students’ choice of major in college. Results from qualitative interviews clarify how Latino/a students’ perceptions of precollege educational environments shape their decisions to major in STEM.
MicroRNA in Human Glioma

Glioma represents a serious health problem worldwide. Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeting therapy, the disease remains one of the most lethal malignancies in humans, and new approaches to improvement of the efficacy of anti-glioma treatments are urgently needed. Thus, new therapeutic targets and tools should be developed based on a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of glioma. In this context, microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small, non-coding RNAs, play a pivotal role in the development of the malignant phenotype of glioma cells, including cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, tumor angiogenesis, and stem cell generation. This review will discuss the biological functions of miRNAs in human glioma and their implications in improving clinical diagnosis, prediction of prognosis, and anti-glioma therapy.
Escherichia coli rpiA gene encoding ribose phosphate isomerase A

The rpiA gene encoding ribose phosphate isomerase A was cloned from phage 1A2(471) of the Kohara gene library. Subcloning, restriction, and complementation analyses revealed an 1,800-bp SspI-generated DNA fragment that contained the entire control and coding sequences. This DNA fragment was sequenced and shown to harbor an open reading frame of 219 codons, sufficient to encode a polypeptide with an M(r) of 22,845. The synthesis of the rpiA-encoded polypeptide was detected by analysis of minicells, which established the subunit M(r) as 27,000. The assignment of the correct reading frame was confirmed by amino-terminal analysis of partially purified ribose phosphate isomerase A. Our data indicate that the enzyme is composed of two identical subunits. The 5' end of the rpiA-specified transcript was analyzed by primer extension, which revealed a well-conserved -10 region 34 bp upstream of the presumed translation start codon. Analysis of the 3' end of the transcript by S1 nuclease mapping showed that transcription termination occurred within an adenylate-rich sequence following a guanylate-cytidylate-rich stem-loop structure resembling a rho factor-independent transcription terminator. Host strains harboring the rpiA gene in a multicopy plasmid contained up to 42-fold as much ribose phosphate isomerase A activity as the haploid strain.