Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retention of provisionally licensed international medical graduates: a historical cohort study of general and family physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador

Background To alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians in rural communities, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) introduced provisional licensure for international medical graduates (IMGs), allowing them to practise in under-served communities while completing licensing requirements. Although provisional licensing has been seen as a needed recruitment strategy, little is known about its impact on physician retention. To assess the relationship between provincial retention time and type of initial practice licence, we compared the retention of: (1) IMGs who began practice with a provisional licence; (2) fully licensed Memorial University medical graduates (MMGs); and (3) fully licensed medical graduates from other Canadian medical schools (CMGs). Methods Using administrative data from the NL College of Physicians and Surgeons, the 2004 Scott’s Medical Database, and the Memorial University postgraduate database, we identified family physicians/general practitioners (FPs/GPs) who began their practice in NL in the period 1997–2000 and determined where they were in 2004. We used Cox regression to examine differences in retention among these 3 groups of physicians. Results There were 42 MMGs, 38 CMGs and 77 IMGs in our sample. The median time for IMGs to qualify for full licensure was 15 months. Twenty-one physicians (13.4%) stayed in NL after beginning their practice (35.7% MMGs, 5.3% CMGs, 5.2% IMGs; p < 0.000). The median retention time was 25 months (MMGs, 39 months; CMGs, 22 months; IMGs, 22 months; p < 0.000). After controlling for Certificant of the College of Family Physicians status, CMGs (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–3.60) and IMGs (HR = 2.03; 95% CI 1.26–3.27) were more likely to leave NL than MMGs. Conclusions Provisional licensing accounts for the largest proportion of new primary care physicians in NL but does not lead to long-term retention of IMGs. However, IMG retention is no worse than the retention of CMGs.
Evidence for B-lymphocyte mitogen activity in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected mice

Borrelia burgdorferi produces a mitogen for murine B lymphocytes which can be measured in vitro by polyclonal stimulation of proliferation and immunoglobulin production (R. Schoenfeld, B. Araneo, Y. Ma, L. Yang, and J. J. Weis, Infect. Immun. 60:455-464, 1992). Sonicated B. burgdorferi cells also stimulated IL-6 production by splenocyte cultures. We have used the murine model for Lyme disease described by Barthold et al. (S. W. Barthold, D. S. Beck, G. M. Hansen, G. A. Terwilliger, and K. D. Moody, J. Infect. Dis. 162:133-138, 1990) to determine whether the B. burgdorferi B-cell mitogen is expressed during active infection. To correlate arthritic changes with immune events, we have studied two strains of mice injected with B. burgdorferi; one of them, C3H/HeJ, developed severe disease, and the other, BALB/c, developed only mild disease. C3H/HeJ mice displayed a persistent 10-fold increase in circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, a 2-fold increase in IgM levels, and a 15-fold increase in peripheral lymph node B-cell numbers, providing evidence of mitogenic activity. Infected BALB/c mice also had evidence for mitogen activity, since the IgG level in serum increased three- to fourfold. The bulk of the increase in circulating IgG levels was not directed against B. burgdorferi antigens, supporting the occurrence of polyclonal B-cell activation. Analysis of IgG isotypes pointed out a contrast between C3H/HeJ and BALB/c mice in that levels of all isotypes were elevated somewhat in both strains of infected mice but IgG2a levels were much more dramatically increased in the C3H/HeJ mice (28-fold) than in the BALB/c mice (4-fold). In this study, interleukin-6 levels were found to be persistently elevated in the serum of infected C3H/HeJ mice. Interestingly, interleukin-6 levels in serum were much lower in the infected BALB/c mice. These findings indicate that the B. burgdorferi mitogen is active in infected animals and may contribute to the inflammatory and immune response to infection.
Critical Path Profiling of Message Passing and Shared-Memory Programs

We introduce a runtime, nontrace-based algorithm to compute the critical path profile of the execution of message passing and shared-memory parallel programs. Our algorithm permits starting or stopping the critical path computation during program execution and reporting intermediate values. We also present an online algorithm to compute a variant of critical path, called critical path zeroing, that measures the reduction in application execution time that improving a selected procedure will have. Finally, we present a brief case study to quantify the runtime overhead of our algorithm and to show that online critical path profiling can be used to find program bottlenecks.
The 1982 Interpersonal Circle: A taxonomy for complementarity in human transactions.

The purpose of this article is to integrate previous theory and research addressing interpersonal complementarity, a construct that is central to refined and extended research and clinical applications of interpersonal theory. The article first describes the 1982 Interpersonal Circle, which the author constructed as a comprehensive taxonomy of the domain of two-dimensional interpersonal behavior. The 1982 Circle integrates and expands the content of four major adult interpersonal measures (LaForge & Suczek's Interpersonal Check List, Wiggins's Interpersonal Adjective Scales, Lorr & McNair's Interpersonal Behavior Inventory, and Kiesler et al.'s Impact Message Inventory) to provide a circle taxonomy consisting of 16 segments, 128 subclasses, 2 levels, and 350 bipolar items. Second, the article reviews previous conceptions of interpersonal complementarity and, using the 1982 Circle as a theoretical and operational guide, derives 11 propositions of complementarity as they apply in personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy.
SuperStabilizing protocols for dynamic distributed systems

Two aspects of distributed-protocol reliability are the ability to recover from transient faults and the ability to function in a dynamic environment. Approaches for both of these aspects have been separately developed, but have revealed drawbacks when applied to environments with both transient faults and dynamic changes. This paper introduces definitions and methods for addressing both concerns in system design. A protocol is superstabilizing if it is (1) self-stabilizing, meaning that it is guaranteed to respond to an arbitrary transient fault by eventually satisfying and maintaining a legitimacy predicate, and it is (2) guaranteed to satisfy a passage predicate at all times when the system undergoes topology changes starting from a legitimate state. The passage predicate is typically a safety property that should hold while the protocol makes progress toward reestablishing legitimacy following a topology change. Specific contributions of the paper include: the definition of the class of superstabilizing protocols; metrics for evaluating superstabilizing protocols; superstabilizing protocols for coloring and spanning tree construction; a general method for converting self-stabilizing protocols into superstabilizing ones; and a generalized form of a self-stabilizing topology update protocol which may have useful applications for other research.
Attachment theory: Implications for school psychology

The effective practice of school psychology requires a strong research and theoretical base, a framework that encompasses developmental processes and outcomes, both adaptive and maladaptive, which facilitates assessment and intervention and offers insight into classroom and family dynamics. Attachment theory provides the school psychologist with just such a framework. In the present article we provide a brief overview of attachment theory and describe risk factors for development of insecure attachment. Behavioral trajectories of children and adolescents according to attachment classification are discussed. Finally, student–teacher interactions within an attachment perspective and implications for interventions are presented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 247–259, 2004.
Finding Diverse Solutions of High Quality to Constraint Optimization Problems

A number of effective techniques for constraint-based optimization can be used to generate either diverse or high-quality solutions independently, but no framework is devoted to accomplish both simultaneously. In this paper, we tackle this issue with a generic paradigm that can be implemented in most existing solvers. We show that our technique can be specialized to produce diverse solutions of high quality in the context of over-constrained problems. Furthermore, our paradigm allows us to consider diversity from a different point of view, based on generic concepts expressed by global constraints.
Inductor- and Transformer-based Integrated RF Oscillators: A Comparative Study

Prior publications claim that transformer-based resonators achieve improvements in quality factor (Q), which translates to better phase noise in oscillators. This paper combines rigorous analysis with on-chip practical considerations for various types of on-chip transformers to demonstrate the importance of the resonator topology for Q-enhancement. We show that for a fixed silicon chip area, transformer-based resonators do not exhibit superior performance compared to inductor-based designs. Prototype oscillators are implemented at 5GHz in a 0.18mum CMOS process to validate these claims
Teachers' Preferred Time Allocation: Can It Be Predicted?

Within a conceptual framework of factors influenc ing time use, this study examined how career teachers would allocate extra work time, if available. The survey sample of 893 teachers had received teaching certificates from the University of Michigan from 1946 through 1976. Multiple group discriminant analysis was used to determine if groups of teachers preferring different time allocations could be distinguished by personal, environ mental, and role factors. Four distinct groups of teach ers preferring instructional tasks, student counseling, parent counseling, or committee activities, respectively, were identifiable in a modestly successful prediction model. Teachers selected professional time uses congru ent with their perceived skills and attitudes toward pro fessional success. Implication for practice, particularly regarding work assignments and incentive systems, are presented.
A new multiobjective simulated annealing based clustering technique using stability and symmetry

Most clustering algorithms operate by optimizing (either implicitly or explicitly) a single measure of cluster solution quality. Such methods may perform well on some data sets but lack robustness with respect to variations in cluster shape, proximity, evenness and so forth. In this paper, we have proposed a multiobjective clustering technique which optimizes simultaneously two objectives, one reflecting the total symmetry present in the data set and the other reflecting the stability of the obtained partitions over different bootstrap samples of the data set. The proposed algorithm utilizes a recently developed simulated annealing based multiobjective optimization technique, AMOSA, as the underlying optimization method. Here assignment of points to different clusters are done based on the point symmetry based distance rather than the Euclidean distance. Results on several artificial and real-life data sets show that the proposed technique is well-suited to detect the number of clusters from data sets having point symmetric clusters.
Redox Regulation of Transglutaminase 2 Activity*

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) in the extracellular matrix is largely inactive but is transiently activated upon certain types of inflammation and cell injury. The enzymatic activity of extracellular TG2 thus appears to be tightly regulated. As TG2 is known to be sensitive to changes in the redox environment, inactivation through oxidation presents a plausible mechanism. Using mass spectrometry, we have identified a redox-sensitive cysteine triad consisting of Cys230, Cys370, and Cys371 that is involved in oxidative inactivation of TG2. Within this triad, Cys370 was found to participate in disulfide bonds with both Cys230 and its neighbor, Cys371. Notably, Ca2+ was found to protect against formation of these disulfide bonds. To investigate the role of each cysteine residue, we created alanine mutants and found that Cys230 appears to promote oxidation and inactivation of TG2 by facilitating formation of Cys370–Cys371 through formation of the Cys230–Cys370 disulfide bond. Although vicinal disulfide pairs are found in several transglutaminase isoforms, Cys230 is unique for TG2, suggesting that this residue acts as an isoform-specific redox sensor. Our findings suggest that oxidation is likely to influence the amount of active TG2 present in the extracellular environment.
Minding the Mind: The Effects and Potential of a School-Based Meditation Programme for Mental Health Promotion

A meditation programme was introduced into 31 Catholic schools in one diocese in Queensland, Australia in 2006 which engaged more than 10,000 students between the ages of 5 and 18 years. The objective of the study was to conduct an initial evaluation of this meditation programme which might serve as preparation for a larger prospective study. Semi-structured individual and group interviews with 54 students, 19 teachers and seven parents were carried out in three of these schools, each at the elementary level. Feedback from students, teachers and parents on the perceived effects of this programme indicated favourable impressions of programme benefits. Effects consistently cited included increased relaxation and feelings of calm, reduced stress, reduced anger and improved concentration. Many participants also reported that the experience of meditation at school had prompted them to meditate outside school, particularly at times of stress. A whole-school approach appeared to facilitate more regular practice. This preliminary evaluation suggests that school-based meditation may represent an effective mental health promotion intervention worthy of further study.
HATS - A Formal Software Product Line Engineering Methodology

Trust in software is typically achieved via stabilization efforts over long periods of use. Adaptation to changing circumstances, however, often requires substantial changes to the software. Changing a software system using standard manufacturing processes often results in quality regressions, invalidating trust. Formal methods provide a means for guaranteeing various properties of a software system that increase its trustworthiness. The HATS methodology aims to integrate formal methods for modeling changes of software systems in terms of variability and evolution, while preserving trustworthiness properties. This paper outlines how different formal methods are extended and integrated to build an industrially viable Software Product Line Engineering method for manufacturing highly adaptable and trustworthy software. Keywords-software product lines; methodology; formal methods
Sources and Fate of Nitrosodimethylamine and its Precursors in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

To assess the occurrence and fate of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and its precursors in wastewater treatment plants, samples from wastewater treatment plants and industrial sources were analyzed for NDMA, total NDMA precursors, and dimethylamine (DMA). The median concentration of NDMA in untreated wastewater was approximately 80 ng/L, with maximum concentrations up to 790 ng/L presumably occuring because of sources unrelated to domestic wastewater. Concentrations of DMA in untreated wastewater ranged from approximately 50 to 120 μg/L and accounted for a majority of the NDMA precursors. The removal of NDMA during secondary biological treatment exhibited considerable variability, with overall removal ranging from 0 to 75%. In contrast, removal of NDMA precursors and DMA generally exceeded 70%. The median concentration of NDMA in secondary effluent before disinfection was 46 ng/L. Although DMA was removed during secondary treatment, other NDMA precursors in wastewater effluent will result in formation of additional NDMA upon disinfection with chloramines.
Game-Theoretical Persistent Tracking of a Moving Target Using a Unicycle-Type Mobile Vehicle

This paper studies a persistent tracking problem, which is to design a control strategy for a unicycle-type mobile vehicle to track a moving target and to maintain the tracking distance within a detection range all the time, regardless of the target's motion. In a proposed framework based on the game theory, a bounded and closed region encircling the tracking vehicle is identified to enable persistent tracking and a tracking algorithm is constructed accordingly. The proposed approach is successfully verified through experiments using two ground vehicles, one serving as the autonomous tracking vehicle and the other as the target vehicle.
Self-Derogation, Peer Factors, and Drug Dependence Among a Multiethnic Sample of Young Adults

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that self-derogation/rejection and peer factors are strongly related to adolescent substance use. However, much less in known about the role and significance of these risk factors in the escalation of drug use over time. In the current study, we examined whether early reports of self-derogation and peer approval prospectively predicted drug dependence. Data from three waves of a nine-year prospective study were employed to examine these relationships among a multiethnic sample of young adult males (N = 872). Analysis confirmed that self-derogation and peer approval of substance use independently predicted drug dependence even when early substance use was controlled. These findings underscore the utility of these factors in identifying high-risk individuals for prevention and early intervention efforts.
A new instrument for infrared radiation measurements: the thermopile of Macedonio Melloni

Summary Towards the second decade of the nineteenth century Seebeck discovered that when two different conductors are joined together at both ends with the two junctions kept at different temperatures, an electromotive force arises. Seebeck's discovery, thanks to Melloni, converted the thermopile into the best measuring apparatus for the study of radiation. In this paper I discuss some technical properties of the thermopile used by Melloni in his early studies on radiant heat polarization; quantify in modern terms the behaviour of the thermopile; and solve an enigma concerning its sensitivity.
Sex and Violence in Slasher Films: Re-examining the Assumptions

A content analysis of popular 1990s slasher films found more acts of violence than similar films from the 1980s. Recent slasher films rarely mix scenes of sex and violence. This finding calls into question claims that slasher films portray eroticized violence that may blunt males' emotional reactions to film violence. Slasher films feature males more often as victims of violence. However, the ratio of female victims is higher in slasher films than in commercially successful action-adventure films of the 1990s. Finally, females are shown in fear for longer periods of time.
An inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, inactivates proteasome by oxidative modification and induces aggregation of oxidized proteins in SH‐SY5Y cells

In Parkinson's disease, characteristic pathological features are the cell death of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and the formation of Lewy bodies composed of oxidized proteins. Mitochondrial dysfunction and aggregation of abnormal proteins have been proposed to cause the pathological changes. However, the relation between these two factors remains to be clarified. In this study, the effects of mitochondrial dysfunction on the oxidative modification and accumulation of proteins were analyzed using an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, and antibodies against acrolein‐ and dityrosine‐modified proteins. Under conditions inducing mainly apoptosis in neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells, rotenone markedly increased oxidized proteins, especially those modified with acrolein, even though the increase in intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species was only transient and was not so marked. In addition, the activity of the proteasome system degrading oxidized proteins was reduced profoundly after treatment with rotenone. The 20S β subunit of proteasome was modified with acrolein, to which other acrolein‐modified proteins were found to bind, as shown by coprecipitation with the antibody against 20S β subunit. These results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction, especially decreased activity of complex I, may reduce proteasome activity through oxidative modification of proteasome itself and aggregation with other oxidized proteins. This mechanism might account for the accumulation of modified protein and, at least partially, for cell death of the dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The low-spin heme of cytochrome c oxidase as the driving element of the proton-pumping process

Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase plays an essential role in aerobic cellular respiration, reducing dioxygen to water in a process coupled with the pumping of protons across the mitochondrial inner membrane. An aspartate residue, Asp-51, located near the enzyme surface, undergoes a redox-coupled x-ray structural change, which is suggestive of a role for this residue in redox-driven proton pumping. However, functional or mechanistic evidence for the involvement of this residue in proton pumping has not yet been obtained. We report that the Asp-51 → Asn mutation of the bovine enzyme abolishes its proton-pumping function without impairment of the dioxygen reduction activity. Improved x-ray structures (at 1.8/1.9-Å resolution in the fully oxidized/reduced states) show that the net positive charge created upon oxidation of the low-spin heme of the enzyme drives the active proton transport from the interior of the mitochondria to Asp-51 across the enzyme via a water channel and a hydrogen-bond network, located in tandem, and that the enzyme reduction induces proton ejection from the aspartate to the mitochondrial exterior. A peptide bond in the hydrogen-bond network critically inhibits reverse proton transfer through the network. A redox-coupled change in the capacity of the water channel, induced by the hydroxyfarnesylethyl group of the low-spin heme, suggests that the channel functions as an effective proton-collecting region. Infrared results indicate that the conformation of Asp-51 is controlled only by the oxidation state of the low-spin heme. These results indicate that the low-spin heme drives the proton-pumping process.
MERS-CoV virus-like particles produced in insect cells induce specific humoural and cellular imminity in rhesus macaques

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe respiratory disease in humans with a case fatality rate of over 39%, and poses a considerable threat to public health. A lack of approved vaccine or drugs currently constitutes a roadblock in controlling disease outbreak and spread. In this study, we generated MERS-CoV VLPs using the baculovirus expression system. Electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy results demonstrate that MERS-CoV VLPs are structurally similar to the native virus. Rhesus macaques inoculated with MERS-CoV VLPs and Alum adjuvant induced virus-neutralizing antibodies titers up to 1:40 and induced specific IgG antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD), with endpoint titers reaching 1:1,280. MERS-CoV VLPs also elicited T-helper 1 cell (Th1)-mediated immunity, as measured by ELISpot. These data demonstrate that MERS-CoV VLPs have excellent immunogenicity in rhesus macaques, and represent a promising vaccine candidate.