Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stabilizing family life after gastric bypass surgery

ABSTRACT Weight-loss surgery requires lifelong lifestyle modifications for the maintenance of weight loss and health effects, and can affect both the individual and family. Earlier research indicates that the quality of social relationships has positive and negative influences on wellbeing and health. There is little research on family-life after a member has undergone gastric bypass (GBP) against obesity. Thus, this study aimed to develop a classic grounded theory about families with a member treated with GBP against obesity. The study design used classic grounded theory and included data from 16 interviews. Families’ shared a main concern of unexpected changes after GBP, resulting in the theory Stabilizing family life, explained as a social process to decrease uncertainty and find stability and well-being in family interactions. The social process develops differently which entail families: attaining unity, returning to old patterns, or disconnecting to find stability, depending on the discrepancy in expectations and knowledge. This is affected by the overall life situation, life-stage and relationship quality. The theory highlights unexpected change as a potential challenge for the family, as well as how they resolve this. Hence, the theory can be applied in care strategies for families. Identification of families needing support to stabilize family life after GBP requires further research.
DNA polymerases engineered by directed evolution to incorporate non-standard nucleotides

DNA polymerases have evolved for billions of years to accept natural nucleoside triphosphate substrates with high fidelity and to exclude closely related structures, such as the analogous ribonucleoside triphosphates. However, polymerases that can accept unnatural nucleoside triphosphates are desired for many applications in biotechnology. The focus of this review is on non-standard nucleotides that expand the genetic “alphabet. ” This review focuses on experiments that, by directed evolution, have created variants of DNA polymerases that are better able to accept unnatural nucleotides. In many cases, an analysis of past evolution of these polymerases (as inferred by examining multiple sequence alignments) can help explain some of the mutations delivered by directed evolution.
Associations among depressive symptoms, well-being, patient involvement, provider cultural competency, and treatment nonadherence: An exploratory study among university student-patients

Many students on US university campuses are underserved and undertreated for common mental health and medical conditions. The limited extent to which university students seek psychological and medical care when they need it has long been a problem. Among those who do seek care, treatment adherence appears to be an issue as well. However, few studies have examined factors that may be related to treatment nonadherence in university student-patients. The present survey study examined often-understudied constructs (i.e. patient involvement, treatment nonadherence, and provider cultural competency) in 243 university student-patients. Specifically, using a correlational research design, we examined the relations among depressive symptoms, well-being, patient involvement, cultural competency, and treatment nonadherence. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we also explored the extent to which the exploratory variables predicted treatment nonadherence separately and jointly. The current study revealed two important findings. First, all four factors – depressive symptoms, well-being, patient involvement, and cultural competency – were related to nonadherence to treatment. Second, depressive symptoms and patient involvement explained unique variance in nonadherence to treatment. The findings suggest that increased awareness of and attention to depressive symptoms and patient involvement may have important relevance for engendering healthy campuses and for reducing nonadherence in student-patients. Implications and directions for future research are proffered.
Algorithm 807: The SBR Toolbox—software for successive band reduction

We present a software toolbox for symmetric band reduction via orthogonal transformations, together with a testing and timing program. The toolbox contains drivers and computational routines for the reduction of full symmetric matrices to banded form and the reduction of banded matrices to narrower banded or tridiagonal form, with optional accumulation of the orthogonal transformations, as well as repacking routines for storage rearrangement. The functionality and the calling sequences of the routines are described, with a detailed discussion of the “control” parameters that allow adaptation of the codes to particular machine and matrix characteristics. We also briefly describe the testing and timing program included in the toolbox.
BAM: branch aggregation multicast for wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we propose a multicast protocol, called BAM: branch aggregation multicast, for wireless sensor networks. The main contribution of BAM is a reduction in the radio communication load, which is a dominant factor of sensor energy consumption. BAM does not use any control packet such as join/leave messages and does not manage multicast groups. BAM is highly compatible with existing wireless sensor protocols, such as routing protocols, MAC protocols, and other kinds of energy efficient protocols. BAM implementation is quite simple and BAM works on various networks even if some sensors are not BAM-capable. BAM is composed of two aggregation techniques. One is single hop aggregation (S-BAM) and the other is multiple paths aggregation (M-BAM). S-BAM aggregates radio transmission within single hop and enables just single transmission to multiple intended receivers. M-BAM aggregates multiple paths into fewer ones and limits the range of radio transmission. S-BAM is designed to reduce redundant communication at every branch and M-BAM is designed to reduce the number of branches. SM-BAM, the combination of S-BAM and M-BAM, can reduce the radio communication load thus enabling energy efficient multicast communication. We evaluated BAM in three ways, qualitative evaluation by theoretical analysis, quantitative evaluation through computer simulations, and experiments using CrossBow's MICA2. Our results show that BAM is a very energy efficient multicast protocol that well supports wireless sensor networks
Epstein-Barr virus and molecular mimicry in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a complex disease with a multifactoral etiology, with genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. Molecular mimicry as a result of viral infection may contribute to the development of lupus. The pattern of autoantibody development in lupus is consistent with initiation through molecular mimicry, as the initial autoantigenic epitopes that have been observed are limited and cross-reactive with viral proteins. Autoantibody specificity may then later diversify to other autoantigens through B-cell epitope spreading. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an excellent candidate to be involved in molecular mimicry in lupus. EBV infection has been associated with lupus through serological and DNA studies. Infection with EBV results in the production of the viral protein Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1), antibodies against which cross-react with lupus-associated autoantigens, including Ro, Sm B/B′, and Sm D1, in lupus patients. The immune response against EBV, and EBNA-1 in particular, differs among lupus patients and healthy controls, with controls maintaining a limited humoral response and failing to produce long-standing cross-reactive antibodies. We hypothesize that the humoral immune response to EBNA-1 in susceptible individuals leads to the generation of cross-reactive antibodies. Through the process of epitope spreading, these cross-reactive antibodies target additional, non-cross reactive autoepitopes, spread to additional autoantigens, and become pathogenic, leading eventually to clinical lupus. This paper reviews some of the current literature supporting roles for EBV exposure and epitope spreading in SLE.
The Diagnosis and Stigma of Schizophrenia: A Review

For many people, the diagnosis of schizophrenia has long been an unwelcome label, exposing those who live with the disease to the stigma and defamation that may accompany it. In The Diagnosis and Stigma of Schizophrenia, Charles Harman discusses the history of the treatment of people with schizophrenia and explores alternative systems to classify the symptoms of mental illnesses. The history of services for people with mental illnesses is riddled with examples of unfair and immoral treatment. Illustrations of poor treatment are provided from all around the world, but few are more poignant than the series of decisions made by United States legislators in the twentieth century to promote eugenics. During this time, many individuals who were ruled insane lost their right to marry; by 1933, there was not a single state that would permit a person to legally wed an individual with this label. Institutional segregation continued to rob people with mental illnesses of their freedoms; at the turn of the century, there were 131 state asylums with an average patient census of 962; by the start of the second world war, the number of state psychiatric hospitals had grown to 181, with an average census of 2,316 patients. The most shocking example of unfair treatment provided by Harman is the forced sterilization of those labeled insane. He reports that by 1945, more than 20,000 Americans residing in state mental institutions had been forcefully sterilized.
Towards an Approach for Estimating Impact of Changes on Business Processes

A business process needs to be constantly reviewedto accommodate new business requirements and regulations.To this end, it is important to manage the impact of this reviewon a process by determining which parts are affected and morecritically estimating the overall cost of this review. In thispaper we present an approach to manage the changes in aprocess. We model a process as a set of business rules that arestructured using the ECAPE formalism standing for Event,Condition, Action, Post–condition, and post-Event Thisformalism allows translating a process into a graph of rulesthat is used for two types of analysis: business processes agilityand cost of changes. This cost is based on our Rule ChangeCost Model (R2CM).
Expression of the translocator protein (TSPO) from Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 requires the stress regulatory sigma factors AlgU and RpoH

The translocator protein (TSPO), previously designated as peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor, is an evolutionary conserved protein that is found in many Eukarya, Archae, and Bacteria, in which it plays several important functions including for example membrane biogenesis, signaling, and stress response. A tspo homolog gene has been identified in several members of the Pseudomonas genus, among which the soil bacterium P. fluorescens Pf0-1. In this bacterium, the tspo gene is located in the vicinity of a putative hybrid histidine kinase-encoding gene. Since tspo has been involved in water stress related response in plants, we explored the effects of hyperosmolarity and temperature on P. fluorescens Pf0-1 tspo expression using a strategy based on lux-reporter fusions. We show that the two genes Pfl01_2810 and tspo are co-transcribed forming a transcription unit. The expression of this operon is growth phase-dependent and is increased in response to high concentrations of NaCl, sucrose and to a D-cycloserine treatment, which are conditions leading to activity of the major cell wall stress responsive extracytoplasmic sigma factor AlgU. Interestingly, the promoter region activity is strongly lowered in a P. aeruginosa algU mutant, suggesting that AlgU may be involved at least partly in the molecular mechanism leading to Pfl01_2810-tspo expression. In silico analysis of this promoter region failed to detect an AlgU consensus binding site; however, a putative binding site for the heat shock response RpoH sigma factor was detected. Accordingly, the promoter activity of the region containing this sequence is increased in response to high growth temperature and slightly lowered in a P. aeruginosa rpoH mutant strain. Taken together, our data suggest that P. fluorescens tspo gene may belong at least partly to the cell wall stress response.
The Use of Mouse Models for Understanding the Biology of Down Syndrome and Aging

Down syndrome is a complex condition caused by trisomy of human chromosome 21. The biology of aging may be different in individuals with Down syndrome; this is not well understood in any organism. Because of its complexity, many aspects of Down syndrome must be studied either in humans or in animal models. Studies in humans are essential but are limited for ethical and practical reasons. Fortunately, genetically altered mice can serve as extremely useful models of Down syndrome, and progress in their production and analysis has been remarkable. Here, we describe various mouse models that have been used to study Down syndrome. We focus on segmental trisomies of mouse chromosome regions syntenic to human chromosome 21, mice in which individual genes have been introduced, or mice in which genes have been silenced by targeted mutagenesis. We selected a limited number of genes for which considerable evidence links them to aspects of Down syndrome, and about which much is known regarding their function. We focused on genes important for brain and cognitive function, and for the altered cancer spectrum seen in individuals with Down syndrome. We conclude with observations on the usefulness of mouse models and speculation on future directions.
A Modification of Q-Technique

Q-TECHNIQUE, designed for the study of the traits or characteristics of individual cases, has been used increasingly since its development by Stephenson. (7) For many years sociologists and clinical psychologists have been concerned with the description of single cases. More recently, social psychologists, students of education, and others have increased their use of exploratory studies involving one or a few subj ects, seeking in this way to find a basis for the framing of hypotheses to be verified in investigations where generalizations are drawn from a sample to a population. Q-technique has been one tool seized upon for use in these exploratory investigations. Since these investigators are frequently concerned with the study of groups and social institutions, as well as with individuals, the heuristic value of Q-technique would seem to depend in part on the extent to which it may be used in the study of single groups or institutions as well as in the study of an individual person. It is the purpose of this paper to suggest certain modifications of Q-technique designed to increase its applicability to the study of group phenomena.
Influence of a weak DC electric field on root meristem architecture.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Electric fields are an important environmental factor that can influence the development of plants organs. Such a field can either inhibit or stimulate root growth, and may also affect the direction of growth. Many developmental processes directly or indirectly depend upon the activity of the root apical meristem (RAM). The aim of this work was to examine the effects of a weak electric field on the organization of the RAM. METHODS Roots of Zea mays seedlings, grown in liquid medium, were exposed to DC electric fields of different strengths from 0.5 to 1.5 V cm(-1), with a frequency of 50 Hz, for 3 h. The roots were sampled for anatomical observation immediately after the treatment, and after 24 and 48 h of further undisturbed growth. KEY RESULTS DC fields of 1 and 1.5 V cm(-1) resulted in noticeable changes in the cellular pattern of the RAM. The electric field activated the quiescent centre (QC): the cells of the QC penetrated the root cap junction, disturbing the organization of the closed meristem and changing it temporarily into the open type. CONCLUSIONS Even a weak electric field disturbs the pattern of cell divisions in plant root meristem. This in turn changes the global organization of the RAM. A field of slightly higher strength also damages root cap initials, terminating their division.
The Cyber Threat to National Critical Infrastructures: Beyond Theory

ABSTRACT Adversary threats to critical infrastructures have always existed during times of conflict, but threat scenarios now include peacetime attacks from anonymous computer hackers. Current events, including examples from Israel and Estonia, prove that a certain level of real-world disorder can be achieved from hostile data packets alone. The astonishing achievements of cyber crime and cyber espionage – to which law enforcement and counterintelligence have found little answer – hint that more serious cyber attacks on critical infrastructures are only a matter of time. Still, national security planners should address all threats with method and objectivity. As dependence on IT and the Internet grow, governments should make proportional investments in network security, incident response, technical training, and international collaboration.
An analysis of the constructive content of Henkin's proof of G\"odel's completeness theorem

G{\"o}del's completeness theorem for classical first-order logic is one of the most basic theorems of logic. Central to any foundational course in logic, it connects the notion of valid formula to the notion of provable formula.We survey a few standard formulations and proofs of the completeness theorem before focusing on the formal description of a slight modification of Henkin's proof within intuitionistic second-order arithmetic.It is standard in the context of the completeness of intuitionistic logic with respect to various semantics such as Kripke or Beth semantics to follow the Curry-Howard correspondence and to interpret the proofs of completeness as programs which turn proofs of validity for these semantics into proofs of derivability.We apply this approach to Henkin's proof to phrase it as a program which transforms any proof of validity with respect to Tarski semantics into a proof of derivability.By doing so, we hope to shed an effective light on the relation between Tarski semantics and syntax: proofs of validity are syntactic objects with which we can compute.
Trillions of nodes for 5G!?

With the rapid development of internet of things (IoT) with various low-cost machine type communications (MTC) devices, intelligent wearable devices, vehicular sensors and environmental sensors etc, it's anticipated that trillions of wireless nodes in IoT with diversified applications and services may come to life in the fifth generation wireless communication system (5G). These devices, however, may not be handled efficiently by the current wireless communication networks, which were not designed for frequent small data packets and simultaneous massive accesses. In this paper, a novel aggregator based MTC communication architecture is proposed, where the aggregators function as MTC gateways towards the cellular network, combining connections of masive devices into single connection. Correspondingly, based on the aggregated packet characteristics and data relay modes, the aggregators will request for aggregator specific radio resource control (RRC) mechanism. Simply put, always available connectivity is desired for contiguous packets with low latency, while coordinated transmission among multiple aggregators are preferred for packets with larger delay tolerance. Through various analysis and numerical results, MTC communication with aggregators are expected to bring much improved signaling efficiency, thus handling the gigantic pressure on 5G network design from the potential trillions of MTC devices.
Robust indoor/outdoor navigation through magneto-visual-inertial optimization-based estimation

This paper aims to leverage magnetic information from a Magneto-Inertial Measurement Unit — an IMU sensor augmented with an array of magnetometers, called MIMU hereafter — in a vision/inertial navigation system (VINS). This ego-motion estimation problem is formulated as an optimization over a sliding window fusing data from the MIMU with features tracked in a monocular camera image stream. The novelty of our approach lies in the formulation of preintegrated magnetic measurements that are computed from successive measurements of the local variations of the magnetic field, in the line of the preintegration of IMU data introduced in [1]. The resulting magnetic error terms participate to the minimized cost function along with the classical reprojection and IMU error terms. Our experiments show the benefits of this fusion. On the one hand, the added magnetic information from the MIMU allows to complement the VINS in cases where vision does not provide useful information during an extended period of time; on the other hand, vision does extend the operational domain of the navigation system compared to a pure MIMU solution, in particular for the outdoor portions of the trajectory.
Enhancing the Performance of Electromagnetic Applications on Clustered Architectures

Scalability and low power consumption are major issues in designing custom hardware platforms for accelerating computation intensive electromagnetic applications. Clustered architectures decreases wire delays, power consumption and enhance scalability. We introduce a new steering algorithm that increases the performance of electromagnetic applications on such architectures, making clustering an even more attractive design alternative. The effectiveness of the new method is illustrated for two representative electromagnetic benchmarks.
Impact of a chronic care coordinator intervention on diabetes quality of care in a community health center.

PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of a clinic-based chronic care coordinator (CCC) intervention on quality of diabetes care, health outcomes and health service utilization within six community health centers serving predominantly low-income Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients. METHODS We used a retrospective cohort study design with a 12-month pre- and 12-month postintervention analysis to evaluate the effect of the CCC intervention and examined: (1) the frequency of testing for glycated hemoglobin (HbAIC), cholesterol LDL level, and microalbumin screen and frequency of retinal and foot exam; (2) outcomes for HbAIC levels, lipid, and blood pressure control; and (3) health care service utilization. Patients with diabetes who received the CCC intervention (n = 329) were compared to a propensity score adjusted control group who are not exposed to the CCC intervention (n = 329). All of the data came from Electronic Medical Record. Four separate sets of analyses were conducted to demonstrate the effect of propensity score matching on results. RESULTS The CCC intervention led to improvements in process measures, including more laboratory checks for HbAIC levels, microalbuminuria screens, retinal and foot exams and also increased primary care visits. However, the intervention did not improve metabolic control. CONCLUSIONS CCC interventions offer promise in improving process measures within community health centers but need to be modified to improve metabolic control.