Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transitioning Care of an Adolescent With Cystic Fibrosis

This qualitative study explored the experience of parents and adolescents living with cystic fibrosis prior to the transfer of the adolescent’s care from a pediatric to an adult health care facility. Semistructured interviews were conducted with seven families receiving care from a specialized cystic fibrosis clinic; parents and adolescents were interviewed separately, followed by a group interview with members of a health care team comprising eight professionals from the clinic. Interviews were analyzed through a systemic lens which accounts for interaction and reciprocity in relationships. The parents’ experience was marked by suffering and uncertainty that remained unexpressed to the health care team, even though team members had known the family since the child was first diagnosed. Findings led to identifying a systemic hypothesis that accounted for the interactions and relational processes between parents and the health care team. This hypothesis may guide the development of systemic family nursing interventions that target this complex, relational, transition process.
Phosphorus removal from UASB reactor effluent by reactive media filtration

ABSTRACT The phosphorus (P) and BOD7 removal performance of an upflow packed bed reactor (PBR) filled with two reactive filter media was studied over 50 weeks. The lower one-fifth of the reactor was filled with calcium–silicate–hydrate (Sorbulite®) and the upper four-fifth with calcium–silicate (Polonite®). A laboratory-scale upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor (UASB) delivered wastewater to the PBR. A model was developed to describe the gradient in P concentration change in the reactor, based on reaction kinetics. The reaction terms were assumed to follow the Langmuir isotherm, based on the results obtained in a batch test. First, a comparison was made between experimental and simulated results. The capability of the model to forecast P removal capacity was then tested for three hypothetical cases: (i) reactor filled with Sorbulite and Polonite, (ii) reactor filled with only Sorbulite, and (iii) reactor filled with only Polonite. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed for the main parameters in the model. The average removal of P and BOD7 from the UASB effluent was 98% and 90%, respectively. The starting pH of the dual-medium effluent was 12.2 and decreased gradually over time to 11.1. The simulation both overestimated and underestimated mean measured P removal but was within the range of maximum and minimum measured values. The hypothetical cases revealed that most P was removed by Polonite due to calcium phosphate precipitation. The removal capacity of the two filter materials and their layer height in the reactor were the most sensitive parameters in the simulation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Electroencephalography-Based Real-Time Cortical Monitoring System That Uses Hierarchical Bayesian Estimations for the Brain–Machine Interface

Summary: In this study, a real-time cortical activity monitoring system was constructed, which could estimate cortical activities every 125 milliseconds over 2,240 vertexes from 64 channel electroencephalography signals through the Hierarchical Bayesian estimation that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging data as its prior information. Recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging has mostly been used in the neurofeedback field because it allows for high spatial resolution. However, in functional magnetic resonance imaging, the time for the neurofeedback information to reach the patient is delayed several seconds because of its poor temporal resolution. Therefore, a number of problems need to be solved to effectively implement feedback training paradigms in patients. To address this issue, this study used a new cortical activity monitoring system that improved both spatial and temporal resolution by using both functional magnetic resonance imaging data and electroencephalography signals in conjunction with one another. This system is advantageous as it can improve applications in the fields of real-time diagnosis, neurofeedback, and the brain–machine interface.
Involvement of leptin signaling in the survival and maturation of bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells

Previous studies demonstrated that lymphocyte development is impaired in leptin receptor (Ob‐R)‐deficient db/db mice. However, it remains unclear whether or not leptin signaling plays a physiological role in dendritic cell (DC) development and function. In this study, we first detected Ob‐R expression in murine DC. Using db/db mice at a pre‐diabetic stage, we demonstrate that the total number of DC generated from bone marrow (BM) cultures is significantly lower than in WT controls. Similarly, selective blockade of leptin with a soluble mouse Ob‐R chimera (Ob‐R:Fc) inhibited DC generation in wild‐type BM cultures. The reduced DC yield in db/db BM culture was attributed to significantly increased apoptosis, which was associated with dysregulated expression of Bcl‐2 family genes. Moreover, db/db DC displayed markedly reduced expression of co‐stimulatory molecules and a Th2‐type cytokine profile, with a poor capacity to stimulate allogeneic T cell proliferation. Consistent with their impaired DC phenotype and function, db/db DC showed significantly down‐regulated activities of the PI3K/Akt pathway as well as STAT‐3 and IκB‐α. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the involvement of leptin signaling in DC survival and maturation.
Food Spending by Female-Headed Households

The results of this study suggest that, on a per person basis, female-headed households spend less for food than do similar two-parent households. The presence of a male head influences food expenditures less than household income and education level of the female head. Low income and low education levels are two characteristics associated· with female-headed households. Female-headed households constitute a growing proportion of the total population, particularly of the population receiving food assistance. Identifying the causes for lower food expenditures among female-headed households should help programs aimed at increasing food expenditures among female-headed households. Analysis of expenditure patterns among 15 food categories reveals that the factors that influence a household's decision to purchase a particular food category differ from the factors that influence the decision of how much to spend for that food category. For this reason, the tobit model is rejected, and a two-step decision model is recommended.
Arterial input functions determined from MR signal magnitude and phase for quantitative dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI in the human pelvis

Dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI is often used to measure the transfer constant (Ktrans) and distribution volume (ve) in pelvic tumors. For optimal accuracy and reproducibility, one must quantify the arterial input function (AIF). Unfortunately, this is challenging due to inflow and signal saturation. A potential solution is to use MR signal phase (ϕ), which is relatively unaffected by these factors. We hypothesized that phase‐derived AIFs (AIFϕ) would provide more reproducible Ktrans and ve values than magnitude‐derived AIFs (AIF|S|). We tested this in 27 prostate dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI studies (echo time = 2.56 ms, temporal resolution = 13.5 s), using muscle as a standard. AIFϕ peak amplitude varied much less as a function of measurement location (inferior–superior) than AIF|S| (5.6 ± 0.6 mM vs. 2.6 ± 1.5 mM), likely as a result of ϕ inflow insensitivity. However, our main hypothesis was not confirmed. The best AIF|S| provided similar reproducibility versus AIFϕ (interpatient muscle Ktrans = 0.039 ± 0.021 min−1 vs. 0.037 ± 0.025 min−1, ve = 0.090 ± 0.041 vs. 0.062 ± 0.022, respectively). Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A conditional export system provides new insights into protein export in Plasmodium falciparum‐infected erythrocytes

The human malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum exports determinants of virulence and pathology to destinations within its host erythrocyte, including the cytoplasm, the plasma membrane and membrane profiles of parasite origin termed Maurer's clefts. While there is some information regarding the signals that allot proteins for export, the trafficking route itself has remained largely obscure, partly due to technical limitations in following protein trafficking with time. To overcome these shortcomings, we have established a conditional protein export system in P. falciparum, based on the previously described conditional aggregation domain (CAD domain) that self‐aggregates in the endoplasmic reticulum in a manner that is reversible by the addition of a small molecule. By fusing the CAD domain to the first 80 amino acids of STEVOR and full‐length PfSBP1, we were able to control export of a soluble and a transmembrane protein to the erythrocyte cytosol and the Maurer's clefts respectively. The conditional export system allowed us to study the temporal sequence of events of protein export and identify intermediate steps. We further explored the potential of the conditional export system in identifying factors that interact with exported proteins en route. Our data provide evidence for a physical interaction of exported proteins with the molecular chaperone PfBiP during early export steps.
Cyclin A1/Cdk2 is Sufficient but not Required for the Induction of Apoptosis in Early Xenopus laevis Embryos

The role of cyclin-dependent kinases in cell proliferation is well characterized, whereas their somewhat paradoxical role in catalyzing apoptosis is less understood. One Cdk complex implicated in both cell proliferation and cell death is cyclin A/Cdk2. During early embryonic development of Xenopus laevis, distinct isoforms of cyclin A are expressed at different times. From fertilization through gastrulation, cyclin A1 is the predominant isoform. Cyclin A1 dimerizes with Cdk2 but not Cdk1. In contrast, cyclin A2 is expressed at a low level until gastrulation, when it becomes the major A-type cyclin and associates with both Cdk1 and Cdk2. When Xenopus embryos are treated with ionizing radiation (IR) prior to the midblastula transition (MBT), cyclin A1 protein persists beyond the MBT and forms an active complex with Cdk2. During this window of cyclin A1/Cdk2 activity, the embryo undergoes apoptosis. To test the hypothesis that cyclin A1-associated activity is a mediator of apoptosis, cyclin A1 protein level and associated kinase activity were measured in embryos treated with aphidicolin to induce apoptosis. Both cyclin A1 content and associated kinase activity were sustained after the MBT as embryos underwent apoptosis. To determine whether cyclin A1/Cdk2 was sufficient to induce apoptosis, recombinant cyclin A1/Cdk2 complex was injected into single-celled embryos, which induced apoptosis after the MBT. However, morpholinos targeting translation of cyclins A1 and A2 did not block apoptosis in embryos treated with X-rays or aphidicolin. These data indicate that cyclin A1/Cdk2 is sufficient, but not required for apoptosis during early development.
Are There Neural Gender Differences in Online Trust? An fMRI Study on the Perceived Trustworthiness of eBay Offers

Research provides increasing evidence that women and men differ in their decisions to trust. However, information systems research does not satisfactorily explain why these gender differences exist. One possible reason is that, surprisingly, theoretical concepts often do not address the most obvious factor that influences human behavior: biology. Given the essential role of biological factors-and specifically those of the brain-in decisions to trust, the biological influences should naturally include those related to gender. As trust considerations in economic decision making have become increasingly complex with the expansion of Internet use, understanding the related biological/brain functions and the involvement of gender provides a range of valuable insights. To show empirically that online trust is associated with activity changes in certain brain areas, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a laboratory experiment, we captured the brain activity of 10 female and 10 male participants simultaneous to decisions on trustworthiness of eBay offers. We found that most of the brain areas that encode trustworthiness differ between women and men. Moreover, we found that women activated more brain areas than did men. These results confirm the empathizing- systemizing theory, which predicts gender differences in neural information processing modes. In demonstrating that perceived trustworthiness of Internet offers is affected by neurobiology, our study has major implications for both IS research and management. We confirm the value of a category of research heretofore neglected in IS research and practice, and argue that future IS research investigating human behavior should consider the role of biological factors. In practice, biological factors are a significant consideration for management, marketing, and engineering attempts to influence behavior.
Differences in oviposition behaviour of two sympatric sibling species of the genus Ostrinia

Abstract Changes in host preferences are thought to be a major source of genetic divergence between phytophagous insect taxa. In western Europe, two sympatric taxa, O. nubilalis (the European corn borer) and O. scapulalis, feed mainly on maize and hop or mugwort, respectively. These two species may have diverged without geographic isolation after a host shift of ancestral populations onto maize or another cultivated species (e.g. sorghum). A previous study using inbred laboratory strains revealed that the two species differ in their oviposition choices in maize-mugwort tests. We sampled four natural populations in France (two of each taxon) and tested their oviposition behaviour toward four of their main host plant species: maize, sorghum, mugwort and hop. O. nubilalis females showed a very high preference for laying their eggmasses on maize, whereas O. scapulalis females displayed a more balanced range of preferences. O. nubilalis females were attracted slightly to sorghum, suggesting that this plant is an accidental, rather than a regular and ancestral host plant of O. nubilalis. One important result arising from this study is the significant proportion of eggs laid by both Ostrinia species on hop. This may explain why some stands of hop are sometimes not only infested by O. scapulalis but also by O. nubilalis larvae, a situation preventing assortative mating based on microallopatry. Hence, further studies must be conducted to see whether the host preference in the genus Ostrinia might be linked to assortative mating by a mechanism that is not mediated by the host plant.
A new similarity digest search strategy applied to Minutia Cylinder-Codes for fingerprint identification

One challenging problem on the ﬁngerprint realm is the identiﬁcation of individuals over large databases, where the most similar template must be found. Approximate matching is used in digital forensic investigations to deal efﬁciently with large amount of data. We think it can also be used to identify similar ﬁngerprints with compact representations and become a promising technique to speed up searches. In this paper, we explore this hypothesis and present MCC-HBFT, a new ﬁngerprint identiﬁcation strategy based on the approximate matching technique HBFT and the state-of-the-art ﬁngerprint representation model MCC. We show how MCC-HBFT identify ﬁngerprints and outperforms a commonly used indexing strategy in some public databases of the ﬁeld.
Are Robots Appropriate for Troublesome and Communicative Tasks in a City Environment?

We studied people's acceptance of robots that per- form tasks in a city. Three different beings (a human, a human wearing a mascot costume, and a robot) performed tasks in three different scenarios: endless guidance, responding to irrational complaints, and removing an accidentally discarded key from the trash. All of these tasks involved beings interacting with visitors in troublesome situations: dull, stressful, and dirty. For this paper, 30 participants watched nine videos (three tasks performed by three beings) and evaluated each being's appropriateness for the task and its human-likeness. The results indicate that people prefer that a robot rather than a human perform these troublesome tasks, even though they require much interaction with people. In addition, comparisons with the costumed-human suggest that people's beliefs that a being deserves human rights rather than having a human-like appearance and behavior or cognitive capability is one explanation for their judgments about appropriateness.
The potency of inducers of NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase parallels their efficiency as substrates for glutathione transferases. Structural and electronic correlations.

Induction of glutathione transferases (EC. 2.5.1.18), NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.99.2; quinone reductase) and other detoxification enzymes is a major mechanism for protecting cells against the toxicities of electrophiles, including many carcinogens. Although inducers of these two enzymes belong to many different chemical classes, they nevertheless contain (or acquire by metabolism) electrophilic centres that appear to be essential for inclusive activity, and many inducers are Michael reaction acceptors [Talalay, De Long & Prochaska (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. , 85, 8261-8265]. The inducers therefore share structural and electronic features with glutathione transferase substrates. To define these features more precisely, we examined the inductive potencies (by measuring quinone reductase in murine hepatoma cells) of two types of glutathione transferase substrates: a series of 1-chloro-2-nitrobenzenes bearing para-oriented electron-donating or -withdrawing substituents and a wide variety of other commonly used and structurally unrelated glutathione transferase substrates. We conclude that virtually all glutathione transferase substrates are inducers, and their potencies in the nitrobenzene series correlate linearly with the Hammett sigma or sigma- values of the aromatic substituents, precisely as previously reported for their efficiencies as glutathione transferase substrates. More detailed information on the electronic requirements for inductive activity was obtained with a series of methyl trans-cinnamates bearing electron-withdrawing or -donating substituents on the aromatic ring, and in which the electronic densities at the olefinic and adjacent carbon atoms were measured by 13C n.m. r. Electron-withdrawing meta-substituents markedly enhance inductive potency in parallel with their increased non-enzymic reactivity with GSH. Thus, methyl 3-bromo-, 3-nitro- and 3-chloro-cinnamates are 21, 14 and 8 times more potent inducers than the parent methyl cinnamate. This finding permits the design of more potent inducers, which are important for elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of induction.
Understanding the "regional policy mix": A classification and analysis of European regions' support policies

In recent years, no small number of studies have emphasised the importance of "getting the policy mix right". What that term, "policy mix" relates to, however, remained less than clear, not least as a result of the absence of an appropriate database on regional policies. With the Regional Innovation Monitor repository, such a database has now become available. Using this novel source of data, this paper identifies specific types of "policy mixes" common among European regions as well as external and internal factors that determine regional policy makers' choices of policy mixes. Finally, it demonstrates that regions' choice of a particular policy mixes may have influenced their economic resilience during the recent years of crisis.
Women's Employment in Mexico

Women’s Employment in Mexico Elia De la Cruz Toledo Employment rates of Mexican women increased 26 percentage points in the last 23 years. The underlying factors driving this trend are the main motivation for this study. My two explanatory hypotheses are the following: there is a lower ‘motherhood penalty,’ and a higher preschool enrollment encouraged women’s employment. In addition, I estimate the gender gap in weekly wages and wages plus employer-provided benefits. To test these two hypotheses, I decompose changes, over the last two decades, in payoffs and endowments of ‘motherhood. ’ Second, I measure the effect of changes in preschool enrollment on mothers’ employment. In addition, I also estimate the gender gaps in wages and wages plus employer-provided benefits, incorporating a more precise measure of job experience than previously used, and measures of cognitive ability and non-cognitive traits (formerly unaccounted for in Mexican studies). My goal is to provide an explanation of the mechanisms that encouraged women’s employment in Mexico, and to estimate the possible gender differences in earnings that might prevent a potentially larger progress of women in the Mexican labor market.
Bipolar High-Voltage, Long-Duration Pulsed Radiofrequency Improves Pain Relief in Postherpetic Neuralgia.

BACKGROUND Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is often refractory to existing treatments. Treatment of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) using monopolar pulsed radiofrequency (PRF), which is a non- or minimally neurodestructive technique, is not efficacious in all patients. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of bipolar high-voltage, long-duration PRF on the DRG in PHN patients. STUDY DESIGN Self before-after controlled clinical trial. SETTING Department of Pain Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University. METHODS Ninety patients diagnosed with PHN for > 3months were included. Bipolar high-voltage, long-duration PRF at 42°C for 900 seconds was applied after the induction of paresthesias covered the regions of hyperalgesic skin. The therapeutic effects were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the 36-item Short Form health survey (SF-36) before treatment and one, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after PRF. RESULTS The VAS scores at one, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after PRF treatment were significantly lower than before treatment (P < 0.001). The SF-36 scores, which included physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social function, emotional role, and the mental health index, were significantly improved up to 12 weeks after PRF treatment (P < 0.001). No serious adverse effects were identified following treatment. The main adverse reactions included pain, tachycardia, and high blood pressure (especially when the field strength was enhanced). LIMITATIONS Single center study, relatively small number of patients, lack of a control group. CONCLUSION Bipolar high-voltage, long-duration PRF on the DRG is an effective and safe therapeutic alternative for PHN patients. This treatment could improve the quality of life of PHN patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO ChiCTR-OCS-14005461.
Robust Recovery of Corrupted Low-rank Matrix by Implicit Regularizers.

Low-rank matrix recovery algorithms aim to recover a corrupted low-rank matrix with sparse errors. However, corrupted errors may not be sparse in real-world problems and the relationship between L1 regularizer on noise and robust M-estimators is still unknown. This paper proposes a general robust framework for low-rank matrix recovery via implicit regularizers of robust M-estimators, which are derived from convex conjugacy and can be used to model arbitrarily corrupted errors. Based on the additive form of half-quadratic optimization, proximity operators of implicit regularizers are developed such that both low-rank structure and corrupted errors can be alternately recovered. In particular, the dual relationship between the absolute function in L1 regularizer and Huber M-estimator is studied, which establishes a relationship between robust low-rank matrix recovery methods and M-estimators based robust principal component analysis methods. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets corroborate our claims and verify the robustness of the proposed framework.