Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety culture as an ongoing process: Culture surveys as opportunities for enquiry and change

Abstract In their efforts to enhance performance and use resources efficiently the nuclear power industry, along with many other industries, has turned to the improvement of ‘culture’. This paper presents an example of one department at a nuclear power plant that faced an apparent problem with its safety culture. This department responded in a creative way that opened up possibilities for self-assessment and learning. In particular, although members of the department used a safety culture survey as a key part of self-assessment, the survey was understood to be an entry point into group interviews and collective discussions with change implications. The safety culture project revealed some surprises about the safety culture and work culture of the plant. In an atmosphere of mostly positive improvements following an earlier crisis, there were some issues that needed management attention. The safety culture survey and group interviews found that safety was not understood consistently and comprehensively, com.
CD14 is not involved in Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha and nitric oxide induction by taxol in murine macrophages

Taxol, a microtubule stabilizer with anticancer activity, mimics the actions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on murine macrophages in vitro. Recently, it was shown that taxol-induced macrophage activation was inhibited by the LPS antagonist Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A (RsDPLA). To investigate the mechanisms of taxol-induced macrophage activation, the present study focused on the interaction of LPS, RsDPLA, and taxol in the activation of and binding to macrophages. Taxol alone induced murine C3H/He macrophages to secrete tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and to produce nitric oxide (NO) with kinetics similar to that of LPS. Macrophages from LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mice, in contrast, did not yield any detectable TNF and NO production in response to LPS or taxol. RsDPLA inhibited taxol-induced TNF and NO production from C3H/He macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition by RsDPLA was specific for LPS and taxol in that RsDPLA did not inhibit heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes- or zymosan-induced TNF production. Polymyxin B blocked the inhibitory effect of RsDPLA on taxol-induced TNF production. The inhibitory activity of RsDPLA appeared to be reversible since macrophages still responded to taxol in inducing TNF production after the RsDPLA was washed out with phosphate-buffered saline prior to the addition of taxol. Taxol-induced TNF production was not inhibited by colchicine, vinblastine, or 10-deacetylbaccatine III. A mutant cell line, J7.DEF3, defective in expression of a CD14 antigen, responded equally well to taxol by producing TNF as did the parent J774.1 cells. This suggested that the activation of macrophages by taxol does not require CD14. Taxol-induced TNF production by the mutant cells was also inhibited by RsDPLA. 125I-labeled LPS and 3H-labeled taxol was reported to bind to J774.1 cells predominantly via CD14 and microtubules, respectively. The binding of 125I-labeled LPS to J7.DEF3 cells was about 30 to 40% of that to J774.1 cells. The binding of 125I-LPS to J774.1 cells was inhibited by unlabeled LPS and RsDPLA but not by taxol. On the other hand, 3H-labeled taxol bound to both J774.1 cells and J7.DEF3 cells in similar time- and dose-dependent manners. The binding of [3H]taxol to these cells was inhibited by taxol but not by LPS or RsDPLA. Although the binding studies failed to examine cross competition for binding to macrophages, a possible explanation of these results is that LPS, RsDPLA, and taxol share the same molecule(s) on murine macrophages for their functional receptor(s), which is neither CD14 nor tubulin.
Recovery of badly degraded Document images using Binarization Technique

Recovering of text from badly degraded document images is a very difficult task due to the very high inter/intravariation between the document background and the foreground text of different document images. In this paper, we propose a robust document image binarization technique that addresses these issues by using inversion gray scale image contrast. The Inversion image contrast is a done by first converting the input image to invert image and then finding the contrast of the inverted image to differentiate text and background variation caused by different types of document degradations. In the proposed technique, an adaptive contrast map is first constructed for an input degraded document image. The contrast map is then converted to grayscale image so as to clearly identify the text stroke from background and foreground pixels. The document text is further segmented by a local threshold that is estimated based on the intensities of detected text stroke edge pixels within a local window. The proposed method is simple, robust, and involves minimum parameter tuning. Several challenging bad quality document images also showthe superior performance of our proposed method, compared with other techniques.
Remote Sensing in the Arctic with Unmanned Aircraft:

With the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic, scientists are looking for new tools to fill data gaps and assist with their understanding of Arctic climate processes. While satellites and manned aircraft have been the primary platforms for remote sensing, data gaps still exist. Unmanned aircraft have potential to help fill those gaps because of a variety of unique capabilities including long endurance. The primary challenge to flying unmanned aircraft in the Arctic is gaining access to the airspace. Based on the recommendations put forth by the Arctic scientists, the Arctic Council created a UAS Expert Group under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program to help address these challenges. This paper will discuss how unmanned aircraft can assist scientists with obtaining data in Arctic, what the challenges are, and how the UAS Expert Group is helping.
Quantitative peptidomics reveal brain peptide signatures of behavior

The honey bee genome predicts ≈100 peptides from 36 prohormones, but the functions of many of these peptides are unknown. We used differential isotope labeling combined with mass spectrometric analysis to quantify ≈50% of known bee brain peptides in the context of foraging, with 8 showing robust and dynamic regulation. Some showed differences in brain abundance as a function of experience; specifically, nectar and pollen collection led to quick changes in abundance. These changes were related to the act of food collection, not ingestion, because foragers bring food back to the hive for storage rather than eating it themselves. Other peptide differences in brain abundance were seen in bees that either flew to a nectar feeder or a pollen feeder, but did not yet collect any food. These differences likely reflect well-known predispositions of some bees to collect either nectar or pollen, but not both. Tachykinin, PBAN, and sNPF were among the peptides with the strongest changes in association with nectar and pollen foraging. These peptides are known to be involved in regulating food intake in solitary insects, suggesting an evolutionary connection between that behavior and social foraging. These results demonstrate that it is now possible to use quantitative peptidomics to help determine which brain peptides are bioactive and to elucidate their function in the regulation of behavior.
Thinking & Reasoning - 10 years on

With this issue, Thinking & Reasoning celebrates its 10th birthday. In my editorial in the very first issue, published in 1995, I alluded to the risk involving in launching a new journal, but also expressed my faith in this enterprise given the growing research interest in the topics which we publish. A decade later, I am pleased to say that in spite of the highly competitive market for academic journals, with its ever spiralling price inflation, Thinking & Reasoning has indeed established itself. Recent issues are now indexed in the Web of Science and related services, and the much loved and hated citation indices will soon be available. In noting this achievement, I would also like to thank the publishers, Psychology Press, for showing their faith in this enterprise through the early years when commercial losses are an inevitable part of establishing a new journal. A specialist journal, such as this, can only be as good as the research field that it represents. In fact, in the past decade, research and publication on this topic has continued to accelerate, with a noticeable increase in publication in the academic journals generally, including those of the very highest standing. Another indicator of the interest in this area is the quite astonishing number of books that have appeared in the past couple of years that are mostly or entirely concerned with thinking and reasoning (for example: Evans & Over, 2004; Hardman & Maachi, 2003; Koehler & Harvey, 2004; Leighton & Sternberg, 2004; Manktelow & Chung, 2004; Over, 2003; Pohl, 2004; Stanovich, 2004). In addition to these, I am aware of several more that are currently in preparation or in press. Another indicator is the success of the BPS series of International Conferences on Thinking, the most recent of which (fifth in the series) was held in the University of Leuven, Belgium in July 2004. This has now grown into a three day event with three parallel sessions. My enjoyment of this event was marred only by my inability at times to be attending three different papers that were in simultaneous presentation. In the opening editorial, I also indicated that we would publish papers that advance understanding of thinking and reasoning but would be open to a range of methodologies. Looking back over the published articles, most
Conditioned Fos expression following morphine-paired contextual cue exposure is environment specific.

Environmental cues associated with drug administration elicit neural activation in circuits involved in cognitive processes and emotional regulation. An important question is whether the neural activation observed is specific to the drug-paired environment or is due to a generalized activation induced by previous drug treatment or changes in arousal state. Rats were treated with morphine (5 mg/kg i.p.) in one environment and saline in an alternative environment, and their brains were later examined for conditioned Fos expression after placement in one of these environments without drug administration. Increases in neural activation after drug-paired environmental exposure were dependent on exposure to the specifically paired environment; exposure to an alternative environment in morphine-treated rats did not elicit similar increases in Fos expression.
Impacto da adoção do phonegap na interface de aplicações móveis

Nowadays, there are distinct platforms for mobile applications (apps): Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and others. In fact, the most popular mobile apps, such as Facebook and Gmail, are available for multiple platforms. Developing and maintaining native apps for these mobile platforms requires a development team with the very specific skills for each platform, which may not be easy to find. As an alternative, a cross-platform framework such as PhoneGap can be adopted, so that at least part of the code could be shared by all platforms. However, building apps with PhoneGap may impact on the overall usability of the apps. This paper presents some of the findings related to the adoption of PhoneGap to develop a cross-platform app and summarize the pros and cons, focusing specially on usability drawbacks.
The future of microbial insecticides as vector control agents.

Insect vectors of human diseases are subject to diseases of their own caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and nematodes. Over the past 30 years, many members of these groups have been evaluated as vector control agents, particularly for mosquito control. Most pathogens and nematodes occur primarily in larvae, and are only effective against this stage. The principal candidate control agents studied include iridescent and nuclear polyhedrosis viruses, the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus sphaericus, the fungi Lagenidium giganteum, Culicinomyces clavosporus, and species of the genus Coelomomyces, the protozoan Nosema algerae, and the mermithid nematode Romanomermis culicivorax. Of these, the only one considered an operational success is the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (B.t.i.), which has proven useful for control of both mosquito and blackfly larvae in programs where larviciding has been traditionally employed as a vector control tactic. The reasons for the success of B.t. i. are its cost-effectiveness and relative ease of use, which are due, respectively, to the ability of B.t. i. to be grown on artificial media and the development of formulations that can be applied using conventional insecticide application technology. Because few microbial insecticides are cost-effective, and those that are are only effective against larvae, these agents will likely play only a minor, but in some cases important, role in most future vector control programs.
Killing of adherent oral microbes by a non-thermal atmospheric plasma jet

Received 19 June 2009 Accepted 5 November 2009 Atmospheric plasma jets are being intensively studied with respect to potential applications in medicine. The aim of this in vitro study was to test a microwave-powered non-thermal atmospheric plasma jet for its antimicrobial efficacy against adherent oral micro-organisms. Agar plates and dentin slices were inoculated with 6 log10 c.f. u. cm ”2 of Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, with Escherichia coli as a control. Areas of 1 cm on the agar plates or the complete dentin slices were irradiated with a helium plasma jet for 0.3, 0.6 or 0.9 s mm, respectively. The agar plates were incubated at 37 6C, and dentin slices were vortexed in liquid media and suspensions were placed on agar plates. The killing efficacy of the plasma jet was assessed by counting the number of c.f. u. on the irradiated areas of the agar plates, as well as by determination of the number of c.f. u. recovered from dentin slices. A microbekilling effect was found on the irradiated parts of the agar plates for L. casei, S. mutans, C. albicans and E. coli. The plasma-jet treatment reduced the c.f. u. by 3–4 log10 intervals on the dentin slices in comparison to recovery rates from untreated controls. The microbe-killing effect was correlated with increasing irradiation times. Thus, non-thermal atmospheric plasma jets could be used for the disinfection of dental surfaces.
Membrane-Targeted SLP-76 Mature TCR Signaling in Mice Expressing Cutting Edge: Rescue of Pre-TCR but Not

SLP-76 (Src homology 2 domain-containing leukocyte phosphoprotein of 76 kDa) organizes signaling from immunoreceptors, including the platelet collagen receptor, the pre-TCR, and the TCR, and is required for T cell development. In this study we examine a mouse in which wild-type SLP-76 is replaced with a mutant constitutively targeted to the cell membrane. Membrane-targeted SLP-76 (MTS) supports ITAM signaling in platelets and from the pre-TCR. Signaling from the mature TCR, however, is defective in MTS thymocytes, resulting in failed T cell differentiation. Defective thymic selection by MTS is not rescued by a SLP-76 mutant whose localization is restricted to the cytosol. Thus, fixed localization of SLP-76 reveals differential requirements for the subcellular localization of signaling complexes downstream of the pre-TCR vs mature TCR. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 182: 5183–5187. hymocyte development is defined by a sequence of differentiation stages characterized by the expression of cell surface molecules. CD4/CD8 double negative (DN) 4 thymocytes progress through DN1 (c- kit (cid:1) CD25 (cid:2) ), DN2 (c- kit (cid:1) CD25 (cid:1) ) and DN3 (c- kit (cid:2) CD25 (cid:1) ) stages independently of the TCR (1). At the DN3 stage, signaling from the pre-TCR results in transition through the DN4 stage (c-kit (cid:2) CD25 (cid:2) ) to CD4/CD8 double positive
Victims as "Narrative Critics": Factors Influencing Rejoinders and Evaluative Responses to Offenders' Accounts

This study examined the effects of offender blameworthiness and offender accounts on victims' rejoinders. Participants imagined themselves victims of another's offense, provided written rejoinders to offenders' accounts, and rated the interpersonal consequences of the predicament. Offenders' blameworthiness and the accounts they proffered independently influenced both what victims chose to say and how they chose to say it; in response to escalating blameworthiness and increasingly contentious accounts, victims' rejoinders grew more negative in substance and communicative style. Victims' subjective assessments of the inter-personal consequences of predicaments were jointly influenced by offenders' blameworthiness and their accounts; account mitigated negative assessments following accidental and negligent offenses but not following intentional offenses. Results provide a tentative framework for understanding interpersonal conflict resulting from the face threat inherent both in offenders' trans-gressions and in their explanations for them.
A reversible data hiding approach to mesh authentication

This paper proposes a reversible data hiding method to authenticate 3D meshes by modulating the distances from the mesh faces to the mesh centroid to embed a fragile watermark. It keeps the modulation information in the watermarked mesh so that the reversibility of the embedding process is achieved. Since the embedded watermark is sensitive to geometrical and topological processing, unauthorized modifications on the watermarked mesh can be therefore detected by retrieving and comparing the embedded watermark with the original one. Furthermore, as long as the watermarked mesh is intact, the original mesh can be recovered using some priori knowledge.
Either cyclin B1 or B2 is necessary and sufficient for inducing germinal vesicle breakdown during frog (Rana japonica) oocyte maturation

Oocyte maturation is finally triggered by the maturation‐promoting factor (MPF), which consists of Cdc2 and cyclin B. We have cloned cDNAs encoding frog (Rana japonica) cyclins B1 and B2 and produced antibodies against their products. Using the antibodies, we investigated changes in protein states and levels of Cdc2 and cyclins B1 and B2 during oocyte maturation. In immature oocytes, all Cdc2 was a monomeric unphosphorylated inactive 35 kDa form and neither cyclin B1 nor cyclin B2 was present. Mature oocytes contained the MPF complex consisting of an active 34 kDa Cdc2 phosphorylated on threonine161 and a 49 kDa cyclin B1 or a 51 kDa cyclin B2. After progesterone stimulation, both cyclins B1 and B2 were synthesized from their stored mRNAs and bound to the preexisting 35 kDa Cdc2. The binding of Cdc2 with cyclin B and its activation probably through the phosphorylation on threonine161 occurred at almost the same time, in accordance with an electrophoretic mobility shift of Cdc2 from 35 to 34 kDa. Microinjection into immature oocytes of cyclin B1 or B2 mRNA alone, or a mixture of them, induced germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) with similar dose‐dependence. When the translation of endogenous mRNAs of both cyclins B1 and B2 was inhibited with antisense RNAs, progesterone failed to induce GVBD in the oocytes, but the inhibition of only one of the two was unable to inhibit the progesterone‐induced GVBD. These results indicate that either cyclin B1 or B2 is necessary and sufficient for inducing GVBD during Rana oocyte maturation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 50:499–509, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Dark Side of Moral Conviction

Moral conviction forms the foundation for strong, morally vested attitudes and beliefs (i.e., “moral mandates”) that have high action potential because they are “oughts” and “shoulds. ” Although moral mandates may sometimes lead people to engage in prosocial behaviors, they can also lead people to disregard procedural safeguards. This article briefly reviews research that indicates that people become very unconcerned with how moral mandates are achieved, so long as they are achieved. In short, we find that commitments to procedural safeguards that generally protect civil society become psychologically eroded when people are pursuing a morally mandated end. Understanding the “dark side” of moral conviction may provide some insight into the motivational underpinnings of engaging in extreme acts like terrorism, as well as people's willingness to forego civil liberties in their pursuit of those who do.
Predicting changes in hypertension control using electronic health records from a chronic disease management program

OBJECTIVE Common chronic diseases such as hypertension are costly and difficult to manage. Our ultimate goal is to use data from electronic health records to predict the risk and timing of deterioration in hypertension control. Towards this goal, this work predicts the transition points at which hypertension is brought into, as well as pushed out of, control. METHOD In a cohort of 1294 patients with hypertension enrolled in a chronic disease management program at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, patients are modeled as an array of features derived from the clinical domain over time, which are distilled into a core set using an information gain criteria regarding their predictive performance. A model for transition point prediction was then computed using a random forest classifier. RESULTS The most predictive features for transitions in hypertension control status included hypertension assessment patterns, comorbid diagnoses, procedures and medication history. The final random forest model achieved a c-statistic of 0.836 (95% CI 0.830 to 0.842) and an accuracy of 0.773 (95% CI 0.766 to 0.780). CONCLUSIONS This study achieved accurate prediction of transition points of hypertension control status, an important first step in the long-term goal of developing personalized hypertension management plans.
The relation between information provision and health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression among cancer survivors: a systematic review

Background: Providing information that is congruent with patients’ needs is an important determinant for patient satisfaction and might also affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and anxiety and depression levels of cancer survivors. Design: The authors systematically reviewed the available literature on the relationship between information provision and HRQoL, anxiety and depression. A PubMed literature search for original articles published until February 2010 was carried out. Twenty-five articles, all conducted between 1996 and 2009, which met the predefined inclusion criteria, were subjected to a quality checklist. Results: Satisfied patients, patients with fulfilled information needs, and patients who experience less information barriers, in general have a better HRQoL and less anxiety and depression. Out of eight intervention studies that aimed to improve information provision, only one showed a positive association with better HRQoL. Conclusion: Health care providers must pay more attention to patient-centred information provision. Additional research is needed to make definitive conclusions about information interventions as most results did not reach statistical significance due to methodological constraints. The quick development of the relatively young research field of patient-reported outcomes in cancer survivorship will make it possible to conduct better quality studies in the future.