Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promises and Pitfalls: Involving Service Users and Carers in Social Work Manager Education

Partnership working occupies an increasing amount of social work managers' time and budget, requiring skills and abilities not always developed previously within social work programmes. Much discussion around partnership working centres on building collaborative inter-agency and inter-professional relationships with less emphasis on the need to ensure good working relationships with service users and carers, despite their being the ultimate recipients of the process. This article explores efforts to develop a focus on service users and carers within a module for social work managers as part of post-qualifying (PQ) social work education. It documents a process where, initially, service users and carers provided personal testimonies of being recipients of services and then subsequently occupied more authoritative roles within teaching, to the current position when they are again less actively involved. In describing these developments it explores possible reasons why involving service users and carers within this module has proved challenging. The article acknowledges that there is relatively limited literature about the involvement of service users and carers in PQ education. It suggests that lessons learned from involving service users and carers in qualifying social work training cannot directly be transposed to the post-qualifying context.
Temporal Integration in Visual Word Recognition

When two displays are presented in close temporal succession at the same location, how does the brain assign them to one versus two conscious percepts? We investigate this issue using a novel reading paradigm in which the odd and even letters of a string are presented alternatively at a variable rate. The results reveal a window of temporal integration during reading, with a nonlinear boundary around ∼80 msec of presentation duration. Below this limit, the oscillating stimulus is easily fused into a single percept, with all characteristics of normal reading. Above this limit, reading times are severely slowed and suffer from a word-length effect. ERPs indicate that, even at the fastest frequency, the oscillating stimulus elicits synchronous oscillations in posterior visual cortices, while late ERP components sensitive to lexical status vanish beyond the fusion threshold. Thus, the fusion/segregation dilemma is not resolved by retinal or subcortical filtering, but at cortical level by at most 300 msec. The results argue against theories of visual word recognition and letter binding that rely on temporal synchrony or other fine temporal codes.
Software-based adaptive and concurrent self-testing in programmable network interfaces

Emerging network technologies have complex network interfaces that have renewed concerns about network reliability. In this paper, we present an effective low-overhead failure detection technique, which is based on a software watchdog timer that detects network processor hangs and a self-testing scheme that detects interface failures other than processor hangs. The proposed adaptive and concurrent self-testing scheme achieves failure detection by periodically directing the control flow to go through only active software modules in order to detect errors that affect instructions in the local memory of the network interface. The paper shows how this technique can be made to minimize the performance impact on the host system and be completely transparent to the user
Improved adaptive sparse channel estimation using re-weighted L1-norm normalized least mean fourth algorithm

In the frequency-selective fading broadband wireless communications systems, two adaptive sparse channel estimation (ASCE) methods using zero-attracting normalized least mean fourth (ZA-NLMF) algorithm and reweighted ZA-NLMF (RZA-NLMF) algorithm have been proposed to mitigate noise and to exploit channel sparsity. Motivated by compressive sensing, in this paper, an improved ASCE method is proposed by using reweighted L1-norm NLMF (RL1-NLMF) algorithm where RL1 can exploit more sparsity information than ZA and RZA. Specifically, we construct the cost function of RL1-NLMF algorithm and hereafter derive its update equation. Intuitive illustration is also given to demonstrate that RL1 is more efficient than conventional two sparsity constraints. Finally, simulation results are provided to show that the proposed method achieves better estimation performance than the two conventional ones.
CHRONIC MORPHINE EXPOSURE AFFECTS VISUAL RESPONSE LATENCY OF THE LATERAL GENICULATE NUCLEUS IN CATS

1 Chronic morphine exposure results in degradation of the functional properties of cortical cells. However, little evidence has been reported about the effect of morphine on the temporal properties of the visual system. 2 We compared the visual response latency of different cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in morphine (10 mg/mL)‐ and saline‐treated cats. Morphine‐treated cats were given morphine sulphate by cervical subcutaneous injection twice daily for 10 days, whereas saline‐treated cats received injections of 0.9% saline instead. We found that LGN neurons in morphine‐treated cats exhibited significantly longer response latency than those in saline‐treated cats (P < 0.001). 3 To investigate whether different types of neurons exhibited similar changes in response to morphine, we classified LGN neurons as on‐ and off‐centre, X and Y, and layer A, A1 and C neurons. There was a tendency for prolonged latency in layer C neurons and a significantly longer latency for the other neurons in morphine‐treated cats (P < 0.05). 4 These findings suggest that chronic morphine administration (10 mg/kg by cervical subcutaneous injection twice daily for 10 days) delays information transfer earlier in the visual pathway.
Adoption of Anesthesia Information Management Systems by Academic Departments in the United States

BACKGROUND: Information technology has been promoted as a way to improve patient care and outcomes. Whereas information technology systems for ancillary hospital services (e.g., radiology, pharmacy) are deployed commonly, it has been estimated that anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) are only installed in a small fraction of United States (US) operating rooms. In this study, we assessed the adoption of AIMS at academic anesthesia departments and explored the motivations for and resistance to AIMS adoption. METHODS: Members of the Society of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs and the Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors were solicited by e-mail to participate in an online survey of AIMS adoption. Two months after closing the survey, another e-mail was sent with a single question asking for an update to their AIMS implementation status. RESULTS: Surveys were fully completed by 48 (34%) of the 140 Society of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs and Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors departments surveyed, with 72 (51%) providing AIMS status information. Twenty of these 72 departments have an AIMS installed, 12 are currently implementing, 11 have selected but not yet installed, and 18 are planning to purchase an AIMS in 2008 or 2009. Therefore, at least 61 (44%) of all 140 US academic anesthesia departments have committed to AIMS. This estimated adoption rate is conservative because the numerator equals the affirmative responses, whereas the denominator equals the total population of academic departments. Among adopters, the top ranked anticipated benefits from installing an AIMS included improved clinical documentation, improved data collection for clinical research, enhancement of quality improvement programs, and compliance with requirements of regulatory authorities. The hospital provided funding in almost all facilities (90%), with co-funding by the anesthesia group in 35%. CONCLUSIONS: At least 61 or 44% of the 140 US academic departments surveyed in this study have already implemented, are planning to acquire, or are currently searching for an AIMS. Adoption of AIMS technology appears to have reached sufficient momentum within academic anesthesiology departments to result in a fundamental change.
Adaptation of Cardiac Myocyte Contractile Properties to Exercise Training

DIFFEE, G. M. Adaptation of cardiac myocyte contractile properties to exercise training. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 112–119, 2004. Recent work suggests that chronic exercise induces alterations in the contractile properties of cardiac myocytes. These alterations include increased sensitivity to activation by Ca2+, changes in the force-length relationship, and increased power output. A recently observed shift in expression of myosin light chain 1 subunit isoforms induced by training may provide a molecular mechanism for these contractile alterations.
Memory content of scientific concepts in beginning university science students

This study examines the characteristics of the content of scientific concepts stored in memory by beginning university science students. The features of this representation are examined and compared to the memory content of abstract non-scientific concepts shown by previous studies. Property generation task, a tool extensively used in identifying conceptual content, was used for this purpose. The findings show that the content of scientific concepts stored in memory by beginning university students is characterised by a predominance of entity properties along with, to a lesser extent, situation and introspective properties. This stands in contrast to previous findings about non-scientific abstract concepts, where situation properties are predominant. The implications of this finding on the acquisition and use of scientific concepts are discussed.
Simultaneously Estimation of Super-Resolution Images and Depth Maps from Low Resolution Sensors

The emergence of low cost sensors capable of providing texture and depth information of a scene is enabling the deployment of several applications such as gesture and object recognition and three-dimensional reconstruction of environments. However, commercially available sensors output low resolution data, which may not be suitable when more detailed information is necessary. With the purpose of increasing data resolution, at the same time reducing noise and filling the holes in the depth maps, in this work we propose a method that combines depth fusion and image reconstruction in a super-resolution framework. By joining low-resolution intensity images and depth maps in an optimization process, our methodology creates new images and depth maps of higher resolution and, at the same time, minimizes issues related with the absence of information (holes) in the depth map. Our experiments show that the proposed approach has increased the resolution of the images and depth maps without significant spawning of artifacts. Considering three different evaluation metrics, our methodology outperformed other three techniques commonly used to increase the resolution of combined images and depth maps acquired with low resolution, commercially available sensors.
Special Feature the Inner Experience of the Borderline Self-Mutilator

Self-mutilation is a disturbing and puzzling behavior encountered in patients with borderline personality disorder. Detailed descriptions from five patients with recent self-mutilation experiences are offered to illustrate the sequential development of symptoms leading to and immediately following self-mutilation. The authors speculate about the implications of the phenomenology of these states concerning psychodynamic and biological underpinnings, possible therapeutic approaches, and future research questions.
Show me your eyes: Evidence from Williams syndrome

We assessed identity matching ability using whole-face images and faces with the upper face eye region covered by sunglasses (Experiment 1) or the lower face region covered by a scarf (Experiment 2) in typically developing individuals and those with Williams syndrome (WS). The study questioned whether access to eye or mouth information was critical to processing identity. In Experiment 1, WS participants (n=19) performed less accurately than typically developing participants and on trials with the eye region occluded they produced significantly prolonged reaction times. In Experiment 2, participants with WS (n=13) performed less accurately than individuals developing typically and on trials with the mouth region covered there was no group different in reaction times. Access to the eye region is particularly important in WS and reaction time analyses suggest atypical processing strategies when faces have the eye region, but not the mouth region, covered.
PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN Nezlek, Gable / DAILY EVENTS AND DAILY ADJUSTMENT Depression as a Moderator of Relationships Between Positive Daily Events and Day-to-Day Psychological Adjustment

For 21 days, 123 participants provided measures of their daily depressogenic adjustment, including Beck’s cognitive triad, causal uncertainty, control over the environment, self-esteem, and anxiety, and they described the positive and negative events that occurred. Daily adjustment negatively covaried with the number of negative events occurring each day and, except as measured by anxiety, positively covaried with positive events. The covariance between negative events and adjustment was stronger than the covariance between positive events and adjustment. Participants also provided measures of depressive symptoms. For the self-esteem and cognitive triad measures, adjustment covaried more strongly with negative and positive events for the depressed than they did for the nondepressed.
Generation of synthetic sequential benchmark circuits

Programmable logic architectures increase in capacity before commercial circuits are designed for them, yielding a distinct problem for FPGA vendors: how to test and evaluate the effectiveness of new architectures and software. Benchmark circuits arc a precious commodity, and often cannot be found at the correct granularity, or in the desired quantity. In previous work, we have defined important physical characteristics of combinational circuits. We presented a tool (CIRC) to extract them, and gaue an algorithm and tool (GEN) which generates random circuits, parameterized by those characteristics or by a realistic set of defaults. Though a promising step, only a small portion of real circuits are fully combinational. In this paper we extend the effort to model sequential circuits. We propose new characteristics and generate circuits which are sequential. This allows for the generation of truly useful benchmark circuits, both at and beyond the sizes of next-generation FPGAs. By comparing the post-lay out properties of the generated circuits with already existing circuits, we demonstrate that the synthetic circuits are much more realistic than random graphs with the same number of nodes, edges and I/Os.
A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JOB INFORMATION SOURCES, APPLICANT PERCEPTIONS OF FIT, AND WORK OUTCOMES

This longitudinal field study was designed to examine the relationships between job information sources, self-esteem, and perceptions of person-job (P-J) and person-organization (P-O) fit, as well as the relationships between perceptions of fit and work outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational identification, intentions to quit, stress symptoms, and turnover). The results indicate that the number of formal job information sources and self-esteem were positively related to perceptions of P-J fit, and formal job information sources were positively related to perceptions of P-O fit. Perceptions of P-J fit were positively related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational identification, and negatively related to stress symptoms and intentions to quit. Perceptions of P-O fit were negatively related to intentions to quit and turnover. In addition, perceptions of fit mediated the relationships between job information sources and self-esteem with job satisfaction, intentions to quit, and turnover. These results highlight the job applicant's perspective of fit, and demonstrate the importance of both P-J and P-O fit perceptions.
Randomized Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

The ability of surgery and radiotherapy to control advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has reached its maximal potential. We initiated a randomized, prospective, stratified study of adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with stage II disease of the pyrlform sinus and stage III and IV disease of the oral cavity, larynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx, nasopharynx, and paranasal sinuses were eligible. Patients were randomized to receive either standard therapy alone or two courses of 5-fluorouracil (B-CMF) chemotherapy prior to and two courses after the completion of standard therapy. Standard therapy consisted of preoperative irradiation followed by radical surgery. Of 133 patients with advanced disease, 83 were included In the study—43 In the chemotherapy group and 40 In the control group. Rates of residual and recurrent disease, as well as distant metastases, were similar for the two groups. The survival rates of patients without persistent disease at the end of treatment showed no significant difference for the two groups. The study has been discontinued because statistical analysis Indicated that the addition of more patients would not materially Increase the statistical significance of the study.
Greening “the Heart of England”—Redemptive Science, Citizenship, and “Symbol of Hope for the Nation”

Within the context of contemporary global environmental concerns the National Forest builds upon culturally specific interpretations of nature to construct a new national landscape of unprecedented scale for the next millennium. As a creative rather than solely a conservationist strategy, its ambitious multipurpose ideals link closely with broader political, scientific, and popular debates on economic investment, social improvement, and environmental enhancement. In this apaper we explore the nature — society relations which underpin the Forest vision. These are examined by reference to the planning design with its supposedly radical approach to environmental transformation; the distinctive environmental aesthetic including the ecological principles and cultural designs on which it is based; and the forms of participation on which this aesthetic depends, notably the emphasis placed upon partnership from international to local scales and, building on Agenda 21, the promotion of environmental citizenship. We examine the meanings of participation in practice and their links with flexibility, accountability, and control. The changing relations between participation, professional knowledge, and power are also explored, together with the implications for citizenship.
Winning the KDD99 classification cup: bagged boosting

We briefly describe our approach for the KDD99 Classification Cup. The solution is essentially a mixture of bagging and boosting. Additionally, asymmetric error costs are taken into account by minimizing the so-called conditional risk. Furthermore, the standard sampling with replacement methodology of bagging was modified to put a specific focus on the smaller but expensive-if-predicted-wrongly classes.
Guidelines for selecting microphones for human voice production research.

PURPOSE This tutorial addresses fundamental characteristics of microphones (frequency response, frequency range, dynamic range, and directionality), which are important for accurate measurements of voice and speech. METHOD Technical and voice literature was reviewed and analyzed. The following recommendations on desirable microphone characteristics were formulated: The frequency response of microphones should be flat (i.e., variation of less than 2 dB) within the frequency range between the lowest expected fundamental frequency of voice and the highest spectral component of interest. The equivalent noise level of the microphones is recommended to be at least 15 dB lower than the sound level of the softest phonations. The upper limit of the dynamic range of the microphone should be above the sound level of the loudest phonations. Directional microphones should be placed at the distance that corresponds to their maximally flat frequency response, to avoid the proximity effect; otherwise, they will be unsuitable for spectral and level measurements. Numerical values for these recommendations were derived for the microphone distances of 30 cm and 5 cm. CONCLUSIONS The recommendations, while preliminary and in need of further numerical justification, should provide the basis for better accuracy and repeatability of studies on voice and speech production in the future.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Increases Functional β-Cell Mass by Improvement of Angiogenesis of Isolated Human and Murine Pancreatic Islets

Background. Blood flow is impaired in islet transplants, but there is conflicting evidence on improving the outcome by promoting vascularization. We previously reported that islet endothelial cells (EC) possess significant angiogenic capacity. Methods. To further address this issue, we studied human islets in culture under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, we used a transgene mouse model with human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production in β-cells under the control of the rat insulin promoter (RIP) to stimulate islet EC proliferation. Results. Subsequent to a hypoxic stimulus, islets responded with specific expression patterns of VEGF and fibroblast growth factor; however, this was not sufficient to prevent the decay of islet EC. VEGF release of RIP-VEGF transgenic islets was controlled by glucose and resulted in the formation of sprouts. When transplanted to the kidney capsule of diabetic mice, RIP-VEGF islets significantly enhanced microvascular density and functional blood flow to the graft compared with controls. Conclusions. Optimized angiogenesis of islet transplants resulted in greater availability of insulin caused by β-cell proliferation and a significantly higher percentage (90% versus 20%) of mice cured from diabetes.
Obnoxious centers in graphs

We consider the problem of finding obnoxious centers in graphs. For arbitrary graphs with <i>n</i> vertices and <i>m</i> edges, we give a randomized algorithm with <i>O</i>(<i>n</i> log<sup>2</sup> <i>n</i> + <i>m</i> log <i>n</i>) expected time. For planar graphs, we give algorithms with <i>O</i>(<i>n</i> log <i>n</i>) expected time and <i>O</i>(<i>n</i> log<sup>3</sup> <i>n</i>) worst-case time. For graphs with bounded treewidth, we give an algorithm taking <i>O</i>(<i>n</i> log <i>n</i>) worst-case time. The algorithms make use of parametric search and several results for computing distances on graphs of bounded treewidth and planar graphs.