Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2002 Survey of the American Glaucoma Society: Practice Preferences for Glaucoma Surgery and Antifibrotic Use

Purpose:To determine the preference of members of the American Glaucoma Society for the use of antifibrotic agents (mitomycin C or 5-fluorouracil or both) and glaucoma drainage devices in ten clinical settings. Materials and Methods:Voluntary written survey of the American Glaucoma Society. Results:American Glaucoma Society (AGS) members continue to report preference for mitomycin C use in ten clinical settings. The percent usage for glaucoma drainage devices has increased in poor prognosis scenarios including the following: neovascular glaucoma, previous failed trabeculectomy, previous ECCE/ICCE, previous PKP, previous scleral buckling surgery, and uveitic glaucoma. However, trabeculectomy and MMC continue to be more likely employed for surgical management. Conclusion:Despite the long-term complications of bleb-related infections, no statistically significant shift in preference away from MMC use or reduction in the concentration of drug delivery was observed since the 1996 survey.
Patterns of communication channel use in the maintenance of long‐distance relationships

The present study focuses on associations between communication channel use and relational maintenance by individuals in long‐distance romantic relationships. Survey data were collected from 114 individuals in long‐distance relationships (LDRs). Results indicate that use of communication channels covaries such that there are positive relationships between the use of oral channels (face‐to‐face and telephone), positive relationships between the use of written channels (internet and letters), but negative relationships between the use of oral and written communication channels. Second, the use of each communication channel was positively associated with relational maintenance, with telephone use in particular associated with the use of relational maintenance strategies. Telephone use was also positively associated with relational commitment and satisfaction, and Internet use was positively associated with trust. Finally, amount of face‐to‐face interaction could successfully distinguish between LDR types, with individuals who have periodic face‐to‐face interaction using more maintenance and experiencing greater satisfaction and commitment than individuals in LDRs with no face‐to‐face interaction.
valeo: alienation gesture-enhanced tactile pain logging

In current healthcare research, pain logs are an important means to measure the impact of medication and to detect pain patterns. However, the entry of textual pain data may be negatively reinforcing, due to its character of direct confrontation with one's pain, potentially leading to a higher pain awareness. This paper introduces valeo, a new form of a tactile pain log, which is based on a vibrotactile, pressure- and tilt-sensitive device. Future iterations will also include body part recognition. By squeezing it close to one's own body, the subjective intensity of a local pain is manifested in the device. Via a shove gesture, it is then transmitted to a docking station. Advantageously, the pain data is covert and conceptually alienated from the patient's body, which may support a possible relief. A proof-of-concept prototype and a user study indicate that our concept is perceived as convenient and reduces negative conditioning.
Structural Basis of PP2A Inhibition by Small t Antigen

The SV40 small t antigen (ST) is a potent oncoprotein that perturbs the function of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). ST directly interacts with the PP2A scaffolding A subunit and alters PP2A activity by displacing regulatory B subunits from the A subunit. We have determined the crystal structure of full-length ST in complex with PP2A A subunit at 3.1 Å resolution. ST consists of an N-terminal J domain and a C-terminal unique domain that contains two zinc-binding motifs. Both the J domain and second zinc-binding motif interact with the intra-HEAT-repeat loops of HEAT repeats 3–7 of the A subunit, which overlaps with the binding site of the PP2A B56 subunit. Intriguingly, the first zinc-binding motif is in a position that may allow it to directly interact with and inhibit the phosphatase activity of the PP2A catalytic C subunit. These observations provide a structural basis for understanding the oncogenic functions of ST.
HUI: A CASE STUDY OF A SEQUENTIAL DOUBLE AUCTION OF CAPITAL BY TIMOTHY P. HUBBARD

For many immigrants, raising capital through conventional financial institutions (such as banks) is difficult, even impossible. In such circumstances, alternative institutions are often employed to facilitate borrowing and lending within the immigrant community. Using the theory of non-cooperative games under incomplete information, we analyze one such institution—the hu. i—which is essentially a sequential, double auction among the participants in a cooperative. Within the symmetric independent private-values paradigm, we construct the Bayes–Nash equilibrium of a sequential, first-price, sealed-bid auction game, and then use this structure to interpret field data gathered from a sample of hu. i held in Melbourne, Australia during the early 2000s.
On the design of adaptive treatments for individualized instructional systems

A model is described for the design and evaluation of adaptive treatments within an operational, computer‐managed and/or individualized instructional environment. The model's methodology was derived from an aptitude‐treatment‐interaction theoretical framework and has the goals of being feasible and efficient for application in large‐scale operational settings. Following a description of the rationale and procedures of the methodology, the results of its application for the design and evaluation of adaptive treatments within the Air Force Advanced Instructional System arc briefly described. These results indicated that, in accordance with design goals, the methodology led to the design and implementation of adaptive treatments which (a) compensated for student differences in memory abilities and motivation, and (b) contributed to gains in student performance. Areas of further research and improvements to the model's methodology arc discussed.
Pulmonary delivery of peptide YY for food intake suppression and reduced body weight gain in rats

Aims: Peptide YY (PYY) is an endogenous anorectic gut‐secreted peptide that has been shown to suppress appetite in animals and humans, when given by injection. This study tested if needle‐free pulmonary delivery of PYY enables food intake suppression and reduced body weight gain in rats. The PYY pharmacokinetics and effects on brain neuropeptide levels were also examined.
Epidemiology of thoracolumbar spine injury in blunt trauma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence, distribution, and demographics of thoracolumbar (TL) spine injuries following blunt trauma. METHODS Prospective, cross-sectional study of a consecutive sample of all blunt trauma patients presenting initially to the emergency department (ED) of a Level 1 trauma center and undergoing thoracic and/or lumbar spine radiography from August 1997 to November 1998. The age, sex, and mechanism of injury of each patient as well as location and type of spine injury were recorded for those patients with vertebral fractures, dislocations, or subluxations. RESULTS Two thousand four hundred four blunt trauma patients were enrolled. Vertebral injuries were identified in 152 individuals (6.3%, 95% CI = 5.4% to 7.4%). Two hundred sixty distinct anatomic levels of injury were identified in these 152 individuals. Of these 260 injuries, 42 (16.2%) occurred at L1, 38 (14.6%) at L2, 29 (11.1%) at L3, and 27 (10.4%) at T12, making these the most commonly injured vertebrae. Injuries were most common (34 patients) in those aged 30-39 years and were least common (12 patients) in those under 18 years. Compression fractures (52%) were the most common injury in the thoracic spine, while transverse process fractures (48%) were the most common injuries in the lumbar spine. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of TL injuries in ED blunt trauma patients undergoing TL radiographs is 6.3%. The most commonly injured area of the TL spine is the thoracolumbar junction.
Attenuation of live respiratory syncytial virus vaccines is associated with reductions in levels of nasal cytokines.

BACKGROUND Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) in children. Several promising live-attenuated RSV vaccines are in development. Defining additional markers of attenuation could enhance clinical trials. METHODS We used clinical data, virologic data, and nasal wash (NW) specimens from 20 RSV-naive children enrolled in studies of 4 live-attenuated RSV vaccines. Seven received minimally attenuated cpts248/955 or cpts530/1009 (group 1), 6 received moderately attenuated cpts248/404 (group 2), and 7 received highly attenuated rA2cp248/404/1030/ΔSH (group 3). NW specimens were tested for cytokines and chemokines via an electrochemiluminescence biosensor assay. RESULTS Group 1 exhibited 1 instance of LRTI and significantly higher rates of fever than groups 2 or 3; there were no significant differences in peak titers of vaccine virus in NW specimens. In contrast, levels of interferon γ, interleukin 1β, interleukin 2, interleukin 6, and interleukin 13 were significantly greater in NW specimens from group 1, compared with those from group 3. Maximum increases in levels of most cytokines occurred after peak viral replication but coincided with clinical illness. CONCLUSIONS Substantial increases in proinflammatory, antiinflammatory, T-helper 1, T-helper 2, and regulatory cytokines were detected in children who received minimally attenuated live RSV vaccines but not in children who received highly attenuated vaccines. Levels of cytokines in NW specimens may be useful biomarkers of attenuation for live RSV vaccines.
Observer Design for Switched Recurrent Neural Networks: An Average Dwell Time Approach

This paper is concerned with the problem of observer design for switched recurrent neural networks with time-varying delay. The attention is focused on designing the full-order observers that guarantee the global exponential stability of the error dynamic system. Based on the average dwell time approach and the free-weighting matrix technique, delay-dependent sufficient conditions are developed for the solvability of such problem and formulated as linear matrix inequalities. The error-state decay estimate is also given. Then, the stability analysis problem for the switched recurrent neural networks can be covered as a special case of our results. Finally, four illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and the superiority of the proposed methods.
[Non-typhi Salmonella bacteremia in children: an 11-year review].

OBJECTIVES To review the clinical and bacteriological features of pediatric patients with non-typhi Salmonella (NTS) bacteremia. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of children aged less than 14 years with culture-proven NTS bacteremia in the previous 11 years in a referral hospital in Madrid, Spain. RESULTS A total of 29 cases of NTS bacteremia were diagnosed. Of these, 27 were used for study purposes. The mean age was 11.1 months (range: 3 days to 11 years); 48% were infants aged < 1 year. Eleven children (41%) had an underlying disease. These included immunodeficiency in seven (malignant disease in three, IgA-IgG2 deficit in one, chronic granulomatous disease in one, HIV infection in one, and systemic lupus erythematosus in one patient on steroid treatment), liver disease in three, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in one. Clinical manifestations at the initial visit included: fever > 39 C (85%), diarrhea (67%), and vomiting (37%). Seven patients had occult bacteremia. Three children (11 %) required intensive care management for severe sepsis. Five patients presented extraintestinal focal infections: arthritis in two, osteomyelitis in one, urinary tract infection in one, and pneumonia in one. None of the children had meningitis or died as a result of NTS infection. The most common serogroups isolated were Salmonella D9, and B4-5 (38% each). Eleven strains (38%) were resistant to amoxicillin and five (17%) were resistant to cotrimoxazole. Only one patient developed persistent bacteremia. All the children made a complete recovery without further complications. CONCLUSIONS NTS bacteremia is an uncommon entity but it should be considered in infants and immunocompromised children. Although focal complications may occur, the usual outcome with appropriate antimicrobial treatment is a full recovery.
Promoting elementary school teachers' professional development by e-teacher community competition

The Educational Bureau of Hualien County (abbreviated as EBHC) in the eastern part of Taiwan plays important roles in promoting school teachers' professional development by holding an “e-teacher community competition” (abbreviated as ETCC) since February 2008. The participants not only designed and implemented a theme-based course, but also presented the processes and their final products over a unique web-site assigned to each e-teacher team. All final products of the participating e-teacher teams can be accessed from the EBHC platform (http://teacher.hlc.edu.tw/index.asp? m=Welcome! ) that served as scaffolding for other school teachers in the local county as references of course design and collaborative teaching. The educational administration of EBHC played important roles in setting up rules and regulations of ETCC, inviting university professors to serve as curriculum and information technology (abbreviated as IT) expert consultants to revise the rules and to evaluate the performance of the participating teams after they finished the final products. EBHC also provided attractive and useful rewards for the winning teams. The outcomes showed that the participating teachers had better communication among the team members, and they cooperatively accomplished an on-line theme-based course and implemented in the classroom and outdoors teaching. Teachers' professional development included the growth in the content knowledge, capabilities of course-design, IT application and collaborative teaching. The ETCC may serve as a new teacher training model for the educational administration agencies.
Recombinant human stem cell factor (kit ligand) promotes human mast cell and melanocyte hyperplasia and functional activation in vivo

Stem cell factor (SCF), also known as mast cell growth factor, kit ligand, and steel factor, is the ligand for the tyrosine kinase receptor (SCFR) that is encoded by the c-kit proto-oncogene. We analyzed the effects of recombinant human SCF (r-hSCF, 5-50 micrograms/kg/day, injected subcutaneously) on mast cells and melanocytes in a phase I study of 10 patients with advanced breast carcinoma. A wheal and flare reaction developed at each r-hSCF injection site; by electron microscopy, most dermal mast cells at these sites exhibited extensive, anaphylactic-type degranulation. A 14-d course of r-hSCF significantly increased dermal mast cell density at sites distant to those injected with the cytokine and also increased both urinary levels of the major histamine metabolite, methyl- histamine, and serum levels of mast cell alpha-tryptase. Five subjects developed areas of persistent hyperpigmentation at r-hSCF injection sites; by light microscopy, these sites exhibited markedly increased epidermal melanization and increased numbers of melanocytes. The demonstration that r-hSCF can promote both the hyperplasia and the functional activation of human mast cells and melanocytes in vivo has implications for our understanding of the role of endogenous SCF in health and disease. These findings also indicate that the interaction between SCF and its receptor represents a potential therapeutic target for regulating the numbers and functional activity of both mast cells and cutaneous melanocytes.
Development and Use of Small Addressable Arrays for Process Window Monitoring in 65nm Manufacturing

In this paper we report on the development and use of two scribe-line compatible addressable array test structures in 65 nm technology for routine process window monitoring. One array was dedicated for front-end of line test structures, while a second consists exclusively of back-end test structures. Fast testing allows large-scale sampling of wafer lots in a manufacturing environment. Customized software is used to automate data analysis and calculate figures of merit that enable process and equipment performance to be tracked by process module. Examples of successful application of these arrays in identifying and addressing systematic yield detractors are provided.
[Constructing World Culture: International Nongovernmental Organizations since 1875]

Contents BOLI JOHN THOMAS GEORGE M. Part One: 1. BOLI JOHN THOMAS GEORGE M. 2. BOLI JOHN LOYA THOMAS A. LOFTIN TERESA Part Two: 3. FRANK DAVID JOHN HIRONAKA ANN MEYER JOHN W. SCHOFER EVAN TUMA NANCY BRANDON 4. BERKOVITCH NITZA 5. KIM YOUNG S. 6. FINNEMORE MARTHA Part Three: 7. LOYA THOMAS A. BOLI JOHN 8. BARRETT DEBORAH FRANK DAVID JOHN 9. CHABBOTT COLETTE 10. SCHOFER EVAN BOLI JOHN
Forward signaling strategies for MU-MIMO downlink transmission

In this work we consider a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output downlink system with linear precoding at the base station (BS). Both, BS and user equipments (UEs) employ multiple antennas, where the number of parallel data streams exceeds the number of UE antennas. Hence, inter-stream interference cannot be handled at the UE side only. For that purpose linear precoding is employed at the BS side. In order to maximize the achievable user rate, it can be beneficial to shift a part of the interference suppression to the UE side, where knowledge of the precoded channel is required for receive filtering, successive interference cancellation and coherent detection. For making the precoded channel available at the UEs, we investigate the strategies of precoded reference signals (PRS) and precoded channel forwarding (PCF). The performances is compared w.r. t the effective rate, which combines the achievable rate for payload data as well as the loss for signaling the precoded channel. We found that PRS outperforms PCF as soon as the channel is only imperfectly available at the BS side.
Gateway to Nowhere: How Alcohol Came to be Scapegoated for Drug Abuse

The “gateway” theory of drug use holds that exposure to “entry” drugs–notable alcohol, cigarettes, and mari-juana-reliably predicts deeper and more severe drug involvements. U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey has incorporated the gateway theory as an integral part of the country's drug policy. However, although most heavier drug users undoubtedly were once lighter drug users, this association does not establish a causal connection. Few young people progress from lighter to heavier drug use; in fact, the dominant trend is for young people to reduce illicit drug use and to stabilize drinking with maturity. The gateway theory may actually be counterproductive if we consider that in non-temperance cultures that manage alcohol succesl'ully, alcohol is generally introduced to young people at an early age. Other evidence suggests that moderate-drinking and drug-using young people. even when such behavior is illegal, are better off psychologically and are more likely to make a succesful transition to adulthood than a.
A Family of Single-Phase Voltage-Doubler High-Power-Factor SEPIC Rectifiers Operating in DCM

This paper extends the voltage-doubler concept to the single-phase SEPIC rectifier in discontinuous conduction mode and, as a consequence, novel rectifiers are proposed. A comparison with the classic SEPIC rectifier shows that the proposed converters can either provide reduced voltage stress on the semiconductors for the same output voltage level or supply double the gain of the output voltage with the same voltage stress. The proposed voltage-doubler SEPIC rectifiers provide a high power factor with no current control and they can be applied in order to improve the static gain of the structure, which can make the SEPIC rectifier suitable for applications that require a high voltage level. In this paper, the generic structure based on a three-state switch, four different implementations of the proposed concept (including bridgeless structures), steady-state analysis, a dynamic model, system control, and experimental results are presented. The proposed rectifiers were verified by experimental results obtained with a prototype built with the following specifications: 1000 W output power, 220 V input voltage, 400 V output voltage, and 50 kHz switching frequency. Peak efficiency of 95.84%, THD of 2%, and power factor of 0.9997 were obtained and, most importantly, double the gain of the output voltage was verified.
Addressing the Sexuality and Sex Education of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This paper addresses the need for sexuality education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. It provides a brief overview of autism and Asperger’s Syndrome as well as a summary of the existing literature regarding the sexuality of this population. The existing research suggests that there is a high frequency of sexual behaviors among individuals with these disorders. A number of these behaviors may become problematic for caregivers and service providers because they violate societal norms regarding appropriate interpersonal behavior and may jeopardize the inclusion of this group in educational and community settings. The existing sex education programs for individuals with ASD are reviewed, highlighting the major components of programs tailored to this population.
Draft Genome Sequence of Campylobacter jejuni Bf, an Atypical Strain Able To Grow under Aerobiosis

ABSTRACT In this study, we describe the draft genome sequence of a Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolate issued from a French patient suffering from severe campylobacteriosis. This atypical strain is characterized by an unusual resistance to oxygen and the ability to grow under an aerobic atmosphere, a characteristic as-of-yet unique to this species.
Medical Simulation in the Community College Health Science Curriculum: A Matrix for Future Implementation

As the nation's healthcare education system struggles to keep pace with the demand for its services, educators are seeking creative and innovative solutions to meet the needs of a growing number of students. The integration of medical simulation technology into the community college health science curriculum is a creative solution that can meet the needs of healthcare educators and the students they serve, as well as of the healthcare community. This article provides a comprehensive overview of medical simulation, beginning with a review of literature regarding its history and efficacy, continuing with the current state of medical simulation usage, and concluding with implications for practice by offering a matrix for simulation integration and implementation. While Iowa's community colleges are the focus of the current state of usage, the implications for practice are useful to all comprehensive community colleges offering health science education programs.
Availability of sulphur amino acids in protein foods

For a series of seven fish, meat and whale meals, there was no correlation between their sulphur content (expressed per 16 g. of N) and their net protein utilisation for rats although the quality of the protein was limited by the sulphur-containing amino-acids. The relationship found for a series of human diets cannot therefore be extended to processed material of the type used here. Cystine and methionine accounted for less than two-thirds of the sulphur found in five of the samples. Digestibility of the sulphur ranged from 53 to 90% and, except for two meals which had the highest ratio of cystine to methionine, was similar to the corresponding figure for nitrogen. The product of sulphur amino-acid content and sulphur digestibility of the meals correlated with their net protein utilisation for rats. Procedures for estimation of cystine and methionine are discussed.