Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of novel, exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers from EST databases and evaluation of their phylogenetic utility in Commiphora (Burseraceae)1

Premise of the study: Novel nuclear exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers were developed to increase phylogenetic resolution among recently diverged lineages in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae, using Citrus, Arabidopsis, and Oryza genome resources. Methods and Results: Primer pairs for 48 nuclear introns were developed using the genome resource IntrEST and were screened using species of Commiphora and other Burseraceae taxa. Four putative intron regions (RPT6A, BXL2, mtATP Synthase D, and Rab6) sequenced successfully for multiple taxa and recovered phylogenies consistent with those of existing studies. In some cases, these regions yielded informative sequence variation on par with that of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer. Conclusions: The combination of freely available genome resources and our design criteria have uncovered four single-copy nuclear intron regions that are useful for phylogenetic reconstruction of Burseraceae taxa. Because our EPIC primers also amplify Arabidopsis, we recommend their trial in other rosid and eudicot lineages.
Understanding silence: an investigation of the processes of silencing in parent–teacher conferences with Somali diaspora parents in Danish public schools

This article questions the dominant understanding that immigrant and refugee parents in parent–teacher conferences are silent because they come from a culture where one does not question the authority of the teacher. Instead, it is argued that they become silent through certain interactional processes. Building on material from an explorative case study of the home–school relations of Somali diaspora families in Danish public schools, the article argues that while these parents have many opinions about their children’s education that they wish to convey, there are institutional and interactional processes in the parent–teacher conference that systematically silence their voices. The understanding of culture as a stable structure that persons are situated within in a top-down manner is thus challenged, arguing that dynamic here-and-now interactions unfolding in a specific practice result in persons becoming, rather than being, silent.
Effort Estimation for Embedded Software Development Projects by Combining Machine Learning with Classification

This paper discusses the effect of classification in estimating the amount of effort (in man-days) associated with code development. Estimating the effort requirements for new software projects is especially important. As outliers are harmful to the estimation, they are excluded from many estimation models. However, such outliers can be identified in practice once the projects are completed, and so they should not be excluded during the creation of models and when estimating the required effort. This paper presents classifications for embedded software development projects using an artificial neural network (ANN) and a support vector machine. After defining the classifications, effort estimation models are created for each class using linear regression, an ANN, and a form of support vector regression. Evaluation experiments are carried out to compare the estimation accuracy of the model both with and without the classifications using 10-fold cross-validation. In addition, the Games–Howell test with one-way analysis of variance is performed to consider statistically significant evidence.
Solving Optimal Control Problem Using Max-Min Ant System

An improved ant colony algorithm for optimal control problems with box constrain on control functions is presented. The hypercube of the feasible controls as well as the time interval are initially discretized to approximate control problem into a discrete parameter selection problem. Then, the ant colony algorithm is applied to search for optimum parameters of approximated problem while a proper local search is also introduced to iteratively enhance the quality of solution. The results of numerical simulation on MATLAB environment illustrate the effectiveness of this method.
Performance Optimization of VoIP using an Overlay Network

Voice traffic on the Internet (VoIP) is poised to grow rapidly but the Internet is not engineered for such delay-sensitive applications. We show how the end-user quality of VoIP calls can be improved by rerouting them in an intermediate overlay network and thought the use of various path-diversity and error-coding techniques. We introduce our overlay network (OverPhone) that is tuned to optimize VoIP quality and provide experimental results of its implementation on the PlanetLab testbed. We show that re-routing VoIP calls through OverPhone improves the quality of more than a third of the paths by significant amounts when using the G.711 codec. We believe that this benefit extends to other well known and proprietary codecs as well. We also investigated the benefits and trade-offs of using techniques such as path-diversity and paritycoding. We found that path-diversity is useful in sustaining throughput at high loads, and that parity-codes can be used to trade-off bandwidth for path-quality. 1
Prevention and treatment of viral respiratory infections by traditional Chinese herbs

Objective This review focuses on current knowledge of traditional Chinese herbs on prevention and treatment of viral respiratory infections, especially caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SARS) virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza viruses. Data sources The data used in this review were obtained from PubMed and CNKI up to May 2013. Terms of Chinese herbs and infections of respiratory tract were used in the search. Study selection Articles related that Chinese herbs preventing and treating infections in respiratory tract were retrieved and reviewed. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed by the method in the “Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reveiws of Interventionsand studies” with high risk of bias were excluded. Four criteria for selections were set as following: randomized controlled trial, particular effective compound or derivative, reproducible result and animal test. Results Infectious respiratory tract diseases cause most mortality among infectious illnesses around the world. As traditional medicines, Chinese herbs have been widely used to deal with diseases for centuries and have been proved effective in practice. The administration of some Chinese herbs stimulates, suppresses or regulates the activity of immune system, thus protecting the respiratory tract or relieving infections of pathogens. Many herbs have remarkable antiviral effects, therefore they are used as substitutes of antimicrobial drugs. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, mix‐using herbs provide a synergistic benefit on preventing and healing respiratory tract infections. Many commercial herbal medicines containing one or more compounds have been successfully applied to prevent and treat viral infections of respiratory tract clinically. Conclusions Traditional Chinese herbs could directly inhibit pathogens infecting respiratory tract, or coordinate the activity of immune system to avoid or relieve infections. With the emergence of antidrug pathogens or new variants, Chinese herbs give strong evidence to protect human health.
The ICF Body Functions and Structures related to speech-language pathology

Body Functions and Body Structures form one component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Coding of items within these ICF chapters can be useful in speech-language pathology to provide a holistic overview of an individual's condition, but only if this component is considered alongside the other components that make up the ICF. This paper outlines the Body Functions and Body Structures codes that are most relevant to speech-language pathology and discusses the overlap that occurs with the Activities and Participation component. A review of the strengths and limitations of the ICF Body Structures and Body Functions components is also presented.
Changes in intensive care unit nurse task activity after installation of a third-generation intensive care unit information system

ObjectiveTo determine the percentage of time that intensive care unit (ICU) nurses spend on documentation and other nursing activities before and after installation of a third-generation ICU information system. DesignProspective data collection using real-time time-motion analysis, before and after installation of the ICU information system. SettingA ten-bed surgical ICU at a Veterans Affairs medical center. SubjectsICU nurses. InterventionsInstallation of a third-generation ICU information system. Measurements and Main ResultsTen ICU nurses were studied before and after installation of the ICU information system. Each ICU nurse’s activities and tasks, during 4-hr observation periods, were categorized in real-time by a nurse observer and recorded in a laptop computer. Each recorded task was automatically time-stamped and logged into a data file. The percentage of time spent on documentation decreased from 35.1 ± 8.3% to 24.2 ± 7.6% (p = .025) after the ICU information system was installed. The percentage of time providing direct patient care increased from 31.3 ± 9.2% to 40.1 ± 11.7% (p = .085). The percentage of time doing patient assessment, a direct patient care task, increased from 4.0 ± 4.7% to 9.4 ± 4.4% (p = .001). ConclusionsInstallation of a third-generation ICU information system decreased the percentage of time ICU nurses spent on documentation by >30%. Almost half of the time saved on documentation was spent on patient assessment, a direct patient care task.
Do Obsessions and Compulsions Exist Among Outpatients with Social Anxiety Disorder

Recurrent intrusive images exist across mental disorders. However, the specific content of intrusive images varies depending on disorders. Theoretical models of how intrusive images develop into clinical obsessions are primarily cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT) models on how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) develops. In this study, it was hypothesized that individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) were likely to react to intrusive images with compulsive behaviors (including neutralizations). Participants were 32 outpatients (M age = 29; SD = 11.8; 53.1% female) at an anxiety treatment center in Iceland diagnosed with SAD (according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; MINI). Participants were interviewed with a semi-structured interview to assess imagery in SAD, which was adapted to focus specifically on reactions to intrusive images. Sixty-two percent of the participants reported experiencing intrusive images with 90% of those patients reporting at least one compulsive and/or neutralizing strategy in response to the intrusive image. This initial study is a first step toward establishing that obsessions and compulsions may exist in SAD as a maintaining process. There appear to be greater similarities between SAD and obsessivecompulsive spectrum disorders such as OCD and BDD than previously believed. Future directions and treatment implications are discussed.
Results of the first phase 1 clinical trial of the HER‐2/neu peptide (GP2) vaccine in disease‐free breast cancer patients

HER‐2/neu, overexpressed in breast cancer, is a source of immunogenic peptides that include GP2 and E75. Phase 2 testing of E75 as an adjuvant vaccine has suggested a clinical benefit. GP2, derived from the transmembrane portion of HER‐2/neu, has differing binding characteristics and may be more immunogenic than E75. Results of the first phase 1 trial of GP2 peptide vaccine are presented.
Sexual Arousal and Sexual Fantasy: The Influence of Gender, and the Measurement of Antecedents and Emotional Consequences in Macau and the United States

ABSTRACT Objectives: Cross-cultural research was conducted to elucidate the relative influences of culture and gender on human sexuality. Methods: 353 male and female undergraduate students from universities in the United States and Macau completed self-report measures assessing sexual fantasy and arousal. Results: Males reported significantly more frequent sexual fantasy/arousal than females. Additionally, significant differences in the age of initial sexual arousal were found. Males from the United States reported the earliest age of initial arousal, followed by males from Macau, females from the United States, and females from Macau. Males from each region reported a significantly younger age of initial sexual fantasy than females within the same region. The Macau group reported significantly less frequent sexual arousal than the U.S. group. Conclusions: Sexual fantasy and arousal are susceptible to cultural and gender-based influences, whose strength varies by outcome measures.
A Medium Scale Forecasting Model for Monetary Policy

This paper presents a 16-variable Bayesian VAR forecasting model of the U.S. economy for use in a monetary policy setting. The variables that comprise the model are selected not only for their effectiveness in forecasting the primary variables of interest, but also for their relevance to the monetary policy process. In particular, the variables largely coincide with those of an augmented New-Keynesian DSGE model. We provide out-of sample forecast evaluations and illustrate the computation and use of predictive densities and fan charts. Although the reduced form model is the focus of the paper, we also provide an example of structural analysis to illustrate the macroeconomic response of a monetary policy shock.
OBJETIVOS SOCIAIS DA EDUCAÇÃO: UMA ABORDAGEM CRÍTICA

A dimensao social das instituicoes escolares, embutida nas nocoes de curriculo oculto e presente nas regras que organizam as atividades e experiencias das criancas, e discutida destacando-se tres questoes fundamentais: a falsa oposicao entre socializacao e desenvolvimento cognitivo; a enfase na expressao de valores individualistas; e a ambiguidade de conceitos excessivamente abrangentes e mal definidos como conflito e cooperacao. Argumenta-se ainda acerca da necessidade do estudo intensivo das interacoes sociais e da formulacao de objetivos especificamente sociais para a educacao.
Transcytosis of albumin in capillary endothelium

We have used a variety of immunocytochemical procedures to localize albumin in transit through the capillary endothelium of the murine myocardium and thereby identify endothelial cell structures involved in albumin efflux. The most informative results were obtained with a protocol that included (a) removal of endogenous albumin by perfusion of the heart with PBS supplemented with 14 mM glucose, (b) perfusion of the heart vasculature with exogenous (bovine) albumin for various short time periods, (c) fixation of the vessels by formaldehyde- glutaraldehyde mixtures, (d) processing of fixed myocardium specimens through L. R. White embedding followed by sectioning, or direct thin frozen sectioning, and (e) reacting the surface of such specimens with antialbumin antibodies followed by gold-labeled secondary antibodies. The results indicate that (a) monomeric albumin binds (with low affinity) to the luminal surface of the capillary endothelium, (b) it is restricted in transit through the endothelium to plasmalemmal vesicles, and (c) it appears in the pericapillary spaces less than 15 s after the beginning of its perfusion. No albumin concentration gradients, centered with their maxima on the exits from intercellular spaces, were detected at any time points, including the shortest ones (15 and 30 s) investigated. Additional information comparing monomeric vs. polymeric albumin transcytosis was obtained using albumin-gold complexes. The results are discussed in terms of vesicular transport of albumin across the endothelium and the relations of this type of transport to the postulated pore systems of the physiological literature.
Effectiveness of Learner-Regulated Study Sequence: An in-vivo study in Introductory Psychology course

Study sequence can have a profound impact on learning. Previous research has often shown advantages for interleaved over blocked study, though the reverse has also been found. Learners typically prefer blocking even in situations for which interleaving is superior. The present study investigated learner regulation of study sequence, and its effects on learning in an ecologically valid context – university students using an online tutorial relevant to an exam that counted toward their course grades. The majority of participants blocked study by problem category, and this tendency was positively associated with subsequent exam performance. The results suggest that preference for blocked study may be adaptive under some circumstances, and highlight the importance of identifying task environments under which different study sequences are most effective.
Transarterial embolization versus symptomatic treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Results of a randomized, controlled trial in a single institution

This randomized, controlled trial assessed the effect of transarterial embolization (TAE) (without associated chemotherapy) on the survival of patients with nonsurgical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Eighty consecutive patients were randomized to treatment with embolization (Group A, n = 40), or to symptomatic treatment (Group B, n = 40), there being no differences between both groups regarding the degree of liver function impairment and tumor stage. Eighty‐two percent of the patients presented a self‐limited postembolization syndrome, without treatment‐related mortality. Fifty‐five percent of the treated cases exhibited a partial response, which resulted in a lower probability of tumor progression during follow‐up (57% vs. 77% at 1 year; P < .005). However, after a median follow‐up of 24 months (30 deaths in each group), there are no differences in survival (Group A: 49% and 13%; Group B: 50% and 27%, at 2 and 4 years, respectively; P = .72). The absence of differences was maintained even when dividing patients according to Child‐Pugh's grade, Okuda stage, or performance status test (PST). Furthermore, there were no differences in the probability of complications or in the need of hospital admissions. In conclusion, TAE has a marked antitumoral effect associated to a slower growth of the tumor, but it does not improve the survival of patients with nonsurgical HCC.
Flow-mediated changes in pulse wave velocity: a new clinical measure of endothelial function.

AIMS To test whether measuring hyperaemic changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV) could be used as a new method of assessing endothelial function for use in clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS Flow-mediated changes in vascular tone may be used to assess endothelial function and may be induced by distal hyperaemia, while endothelium-mediated changes in vascular tone can influence PWV. These three known principles were combined to provide and test a novel method of measuring endothelial function by the acute effects of distal hyperaemia on upper and lower limb PWV (measured by a recently developed method). Flow-mediated changes in upper and lower limb PWV were compared in 17 healthy subjects and seven patients with stable chronic heart failure (CHF), as a condition where endothelial function is impaired but endothelium-independent dilator responses are retained. Corroborative measurements of PWV and brachial artery diameter responses to endothelium-dependent and -independent pharmacological stimuli were performed in a further eight healthy subjects. Flow-mediated reduction of PWV (by 14% with no change in blood pressure) was found in normal subjects but was almost abolished in patients with CHF. PWV responses appear to be inversely related to and relatively greater than brachial artery diameter responses. CONCLUSION The method may offer potential advantages of practical use and sensitivity over conduit artery diameter responses to measure endothelial dysfunction.
A use-dependent increase in release sites drives facilitation at calretinin-deficient cerebellar parallel-fiber synapses

Endogenous Ca2+-binding proteins affect synaptic transmitter release and short-term plasticity (STP) by buffering presynaptic Ca2+ signals. At parallel-fiber (PF)-to-Purkinje neuron (PN) synapses in the cerebellar cortex loss of calretinin (CR), the major buffer at PF terminals, results in increased presynaptic Ca2+ transients and an almost doubling of the initial vesicular releases probability (pr). Surprisingly, however, it has been reported that loss of CR from PF synapses does not alter paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), while it affects presynaptic Ca2+ signals as well as pr. Here, we addressed this puzzling observation by analyzing the frequency- and Ca2+-dependence of PPF at unitary PF-to-PN synapses of wild-type (WT) and CR-deficient (CR−/−) mice using paired recordings and computer simulations. Our analysis revealed that PPF in CR−/− is indeed smaller than in the WT, to a degree, however, that indicates that rapid vesicle replenishment and recruitment of additional release sites dominate the synaptic efficacy of the second response. These Ca2+-driven processes operate more effectively in the absence of CR, thereby, explaining the preservation of robust PPF in the mutants.
Sex Classification is Better with Three-Dimensional Head Structure Than with Image Intensity Information

The sex of a face is perhaps its most salient feature. A principal components analysis (PCA) was applied separately to the three-dimensional (3-D) structure and graylevel image (GLI) data from laser-scanned human heads. Individual components from both analyses captured information related to the sex of the face. Notably, single projection coefficients characterized complex differences between the 3-D structure of male and female heads and between male and female GLI maps. In a series of simulations, the quality of the information available in the 3-D head versus GLI data for predicting the sex of the face has been compared. The results indicated that the 3-D head data supported more accurate sex classification than the GLI data, across a range of PCA-compressed (dimensionality-reduced) representations of the heads. This kind of dual face representation can give insight into the nature of the information available to humans for categorizing and remembering faces.
Intermittent chemoprophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

An intermittent regimen of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was tested in the corticosteroid-treated rat model to learn whether or not administration for 3 consecutive days a week would provide prophylaxis equal to continuous daily doses. Although all of the untreated control animals acquired Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, none of the animals given either continuous or intermittent trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole became infected.
Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices (review)

used whether reorganization occurs or not. Although the book is designed for campus­ wide reorganization, departmental leaders may also find this book useful given the difficult economic times and the resulting increase in demands for collaboration and consolidation of campus units. As noted by the authors, reorganization and collaboration will vary based on institutional type; however, with appropriate adaptation and implementation, collaboration efforts will be enhanced.