Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bikinis and Bandages: An Itinerary for Cosmetic Surgery Tourism

This paper explores the ways in which cosmetic surgery tourism can be thought of specifically as a tourist experience. We argue that whilst essentially involving travel for the purpose of undertaking painful surgery, cosmetic surgery tourism has a particular resonance with the holiday, most usually constructed as relaxing and restorative. This resonance is connected to the importance in contemporary society of not simply possessing the cultural capital associated with travel knowledge and conspicuous leisure, but of being able to mark that upon and express it through the body. The paper also explores the elements of tourism that seem important to a successful cosmetic surgery tourism experience. These include a sense of place, constituted through cultural and physical proximity or distance, and discursive and physical construction of a destination’s particular characteristics – most usually in terms of the idea of ‘retreat’, care and the ‘friendliness’ of its people. This is connected to the willingness of a range of staff, from surgeons and nurses to interpreters and tour guides, to engage in successful emotional and aesthetic labour; some of these forms of labour are outlined here. The material we draw upon has tended to centre on white, middle-class Western tourists travelling to destinations outside the wealthiest nations for their surgeries. We end with a call for more wide-ranging studies and wonder whether the ‘tourism-ness’ of cosmetic surgery tourism remains central to tourists whose only motivation for travel is finding surgeries at minimal cost.
The Neuromuscular Transmission Module Versus the Relaxometer Mechanomyograph for Neuromuscular Block Monitoring

The neuromuscular transmission module (M-NMT) is an integrated piezoelectric motion sensor module incorporated in the AS/3™ anesthesia monitor. We compared the neuromuscular block of 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium (twice the 95% effective dose) monitored by the M-NMT with that monitored by the Relaxometer® mechanomyograph (MMG). The two monitors were alternately allocated to the left or right hands of 20 patients. T1%, the first twitch of the train-of-four (TOF), and the TOF ratio (T4/T1) were used for evaluating the neuromuscular block. There was no significant difference in the mean (min) ± sd onset time or time to 0.8 TOF ratio recovery measured by the M-NMT (1.5 ± 0.3, 49.4 ± 8.1) compared with MMG (1.8 ± 0.6, 50.9 ± 9.9), respectively. However, the time (min) to 25% T1 recovery was significantly longer when monitored by the M-NMT (25.6 ± 8) than by the MMG (20.2 ± 6.3). During recovery from neuromuscular block, the difference between the TOF ratios measured by the two monitors showed a bias of −0.031, and the limits of agreement (bias ±1.96 sd) were −0.281 and +0.22. The M-NMT monitor could determine the time to tracheal intubation as well as full recovery from neuromuscular block, but it lagged behind the MMG in determining the time to rocuronium repeat dose administration.
Effects of a Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet and Exercise Program on Breast Cancer Risk Factors In Vivo and Tumor Cell Growth and Apoptosis In Vitro

Abstract: The present study investigated the effects of a diet and exercise intervention on known breast cancer (BCa) risk factors, including estrogen, obesity, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), in overweight/obese, postmenopausal women. In addition, using the subjects' pre- and postintervention serum in vitro, serum-stimulated growth and apoptosis of three estrogen receptor–positive BCa cell lines were studied. The women where placed on a low-fat (10–15% kcal), high-fiber (30–40 g per 1,000 kcal/day) diet and attended daily exercise classes for 2 wk. Serum estradiol was reduced in the women on hormone treatment (HT; n = 28) as well as those not on HT (n = 10). Serum insulin and IGF-I were significantly reduced in all women, whereas IGF binding protein-1 was increased significantly. In vitro growth of the BCa cell lines was reduced by 6.6% for the MCF-7 cells, 9.9% for the ZR-75-1 cells, and 18.5% for the T-47D cells. Apoptosis was increased by 20% in the ZR-75-1 cells, 23% in theMCF-7 cells, and 30% in the T-47D cells (n = 12). These results show that a very-low-fat, high-fiber diet combined with daily exercise results in major reductions in risk factors for BCa while subjects remained overweight/obese. These in vivo serum changes slowed the growth and induced apoptosis in serum-stimulated BCa cell lines in vitro.
Programmed Escherichia coli Cell Lysis by Expression of Cloned T4 Phage Lysis Genes

Self‐disruptive Escherichia coli that produces foreign target protein was developed. E. coli was co‐transformed with two vector plasmids, a target gene expression vector and a lysis gene expression vector. The lytic protein was produced after the expression of the target gene, resulting in simplification of the cell disruption process. In this study, the expression of cloned T4 phage gene e or t was used for the disruption of E. coli that produced β‐glucuronidase (GUS) as a model target protein. The expression of gene e did not lead to prompt cell disruption but weakened the cell wall. Resuspension with deionized water facilitated cell lysis, and GUS activity was observed in the resuspended liquid. Expression of gene e at mid logarithmic growth phase was the optimal induction period for GUS production and release. On the other hand, the expression of gene t induced immediate cell lysis, and intracellular GUS was released to the culture medium. Maximum GUS production was obtained when gene t was induced at late logarithmic growth phase.
L1-L2 Interference: The Case of Final Devoicing of French Voiced Fricatives in Final Position by German Learners

This work is dealing with a case of L1-L2 interference in language learning. The Germans learning French as a second language frequently produce unvoiced fricatives in word-final position instead of the expected voiced fricatives. We investigated the production of French fricatives for 16 non-native (8 beginner-and 8 advanced-learners) and 8 native speakers, and designed auditory feedback to help them realize the right voicing feature. The productions of all speakers were categorized either as voiced or unvoiced by experts. The same fricatives were also evaluated by non-experts in a perception experiment targeting VCs. We compare the ratings by experts and non-experts with the feature-based analysis. The ratio of locally unvoiced frames in the consonantal segment and also the ratio between consonantal duration and V1 duration were measured. The acoustic cues of neighboring sounds and pitch-based features play a significant role in the voicing judgment. As expected, we found that beginners face more difficulties to produce voiced fricatives than advanced learners. Also, the production becomes easier for the learners, especially for the beginners, if they practice repetition after a native speaker. We use these findings to design and develop feedback via speech analysis/synthesis technique TD-PSOLA using the learner's own voice.
Pilot in vivo toxicological investigation of boron nitride nanotubes

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have attracted huge attention in many different research fields thanks to their outstanding chemical and physical properties. During recent years, our group has pioneered the use of BNNTs for biomedical applications, first of all assessing their in vitro cytocompatibility on many different cell lines. At this point, in vivo investigations are necessary before proceeding toward realistic developments of the proposed applications. In this communication, we report a pilot toxicological study of BNNTs in rabbits. Animals were injected with a 1 mg/kg BNNT solution and blood tests were performed up to 72 hours after injection. The analyses aimed at evaluating any acute alteration of hematic parameters that could represent evidence of functional impairment in blood, liver, and kidneys. Even if preliminary, the data are highly promising, as they showed no adverse effects on all the evaluated parameters, and therefore suggest the possibility of the realistic application of BNNTs in the biomedical field.
The Contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis to the Education of People with Autism

Among the numerous treatments available for helping to educate people with autism, applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the best empirically evaluated, as many articles in this dual-volume special issue document. Unfortunately, the best supported treatments are not always the best disseminated or accepted. Recently, however, ABA has emerged with widespread recognition beyond the limited community of academic and behavioral psychologists and special educators. In fact, ABA has been recognized by the surgeon general of the United States as the treatment of choice for autism in his mental health report for children: “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Corroborating the surgeon general’s recommendation are state governments in New York (Department of Health, 1999) and California (Collaborative Work Group on Autistic Spectrum Disorders, 1997), as well as a collaborative group in Maine (MADSEC Autism Taskforce, 1999). New York and Maine reference the unparalleled quantity of outcome research supporting behavior analytic instruction and its best-practice features (see Jacobson, 2000). Beyond governmental organizations, the popular media has begun to recognize and educate the public about ABA treatment for autism. For example, ABC broadcast a Nightline episode endorsing ABA early intervention for children with autism
Dreaming the impossible dream: Ordering risks in Australian maternity care policies

Abstract Explaining the trajectory of Australian health policies over the last century requires an analysis of different political regimes and their dreams of order for managing risk. Crook reverses the Beckian axiom that risk is the unintended outcome of the failure of industrial societies, arguing for an understanding of risk within a Foucauldian and Actor Network Theory of governmentality. Risk becomes a mechanism for the realisation of different dreams of order. The welfare state was the risk management mechanism of organised capitalism. Individual aspirations of reflexive individuals form the risk management mechanism of neo-liberal regimes. As competing risk discourses destabilise the field of maternity care, key actors (including doctors, midwives, women and policymakers) form themselves into neo-traditional communities in ongoing struggles to have their risk claims institutionalised within policies and protocols that further legitimise their interests. These struggles around risk and power are evident in recent debates over maternity policy in the context of the 2009 Maternity Services Review and the policy aftermath.
Dynamic VTH Scaling Scheme for Active Leakage Power Reduction

We present a Dynamic VTH Scaling (DVTS) scheme tosave the leakage power during active mode of the circuit.The power saving strategy of DVTS is similar to that of theDynamic VDD Scaling (DVS) scheme, which adaptivelychanges the supply voltage depending on the currentworkload of the system. Instead of adjusting the supplyvoltage, DVTS controls the threshold voltage by means ofbody bias control, in order to reduce the leakage power.The power saving potential of DVTS and its impact ondynamic and leakage power when applied to futuretechnologies are discussed. Pros and cons of the DVTSsystem are dealt with in detail. Finally, a feedback loophardware for the DVTS which tracks the optimal VTH for agiven clock frequency, is proposed. Simulation results showthat 92% energy savings can be achieved with DVTS for70nm circuits.
Bacteremia Caused by Arcobacter butzleri in an Immunocompromised Host

ABSTRACT Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging pathogen that has been implicated as the causative agent of persistent watery diarrhea. We describe a case involving a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who developed invasive A. butzleri bacteremia. This case illustrates the unique challenges involved in diagnosing infections caused by emerging gastrointestinal pathogens.
TNF-Overexpression in Borna Disease Virus-Infected Mouse Brains Triggers Inflammatory Reaction and Epileptic Seizures

Proinflammatory state of the brain increases the risk for seizure development. Neonatal Borna disease virus (BDV)-infection of mice with neuronal overexpression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) was used to investigate the complex relationship between enhanced cytokine levels, neurotropic virus infection and reaction pattern of brain cells focusing on its role for seizure induction. Viral antigen and glial markers were visualized by immunohistochemistry. Different levels of TNF in the CNS were provided by the use of heterozygous and homozygous TNF overexpressing mice. Transgenic TNF, total TNF (native and transgenic), TNF-receptor (TNFR1, TNFR2), IL-1 and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor subunit 2B (NR2B) mRNA values were measured by real time RT-PCR. BDV-infection of TNF-transgenic mice resulted in non-purulent meningoencephalitis accompanied by epileptic seizures with a higher frequency in homozygous animals. This correlated with lower weight gain, stronger degree and progression of encephalitis and early, strong microglia activation in the TNF-transgenic mice, most obviously in homozygous animals. Activation of astroglia could be more intense and associated with an unusual hypertrophy in the transgenic mice. BDV-antigen distribution and infectivity in the CNS was comparable in TNF-transgenic and wild-type animals. Transgenic TNF mRNA-expression was restricted to forebrain regions as the transgene construct comprised the promoter of NMDA-receptor subunit2B and induced up-regulation of native TNF mRNA. Total TNF mRNA levels did not increase significantly after BDV-infection in the brain of transgenic mice but TNFR1, TNFR2 and IL-1 mRNA values, mainly in the TNF overexpressing brain areas. NR2B mRNA levels were not influenced by transgene expression or BDV-infection. Neuronal TNF-overexpression combined with BDV-infection leads to cytokine up-regulation, CNS inflammation and glial cell activation and confirmed the presensitizing effect of elevated cytokine levels for the development of spontaneous epileptic seizures when exposed to additional infectious noxi.
States’ Expressed Versus Assessed Education Goals in the Era of Accountability: Implications for Positive Education

Abstract This article addresses the shifting educational priorities in the accountability era by examining states’ expressed and assessed educational goals in relation to those goals enjoying historical and popular support. The authors argue that curricular restriction in response to federally influenced educational priorities limits individual and social growth, concluding that the 2014 No Child Left Behind ultimatum provides a ready catalyst for reorienting educational priorities to address more holistic aims grounded in research from positive psychology.
Parallel partitioning with Zoltan: Is hypergraph partitioning worth it?

Graph partitioning is an important and well studied problem in combinatorial scientific computing, and is commonly used to reduce communication in parallel computing. Different models (graph, hypergraph) and objectives (edge cut, boundary vertices) have been proposed. Hypergraph partitioning has become increasingly popular over the last decade. Its main strength is that it accurately captures communication volume, but it is slower to compute than graph partitioning. We present an empirical study of the Zoltan parallel hypergraph and graph (PHG) partitioner on graphs from the 10th DIMACS implementation challenge and some directed (nonsymmetric) graphs. We show that hypergraph partitioning is superior to graph partitioning on directed graphs (nonsymmetric matrices), where the communication volume is reduced in several cases by over an order of magnitude, but has no significant benefit on undirected graphs (symmetric matrices) using current parallel software tools.
Close Reading in Elementary Schools.

Close reading is a recommended instructional approach to meet the challenges of teaching complex texts. But close readings are more common in high school and college than in elementary schools. In this article, we identify the components of close reading that were developed after a group of elementary school teachers observed their colleges in high school. In addition, we focus on the modifications necessary to implement close reading in elementary schools.
Time-varying coding for space-time ambiguities

The paper first formulates the error propagation effect that is caused by certain ambiguities in joint data detection/channel tracking algorithms for space-time (ST) schemes. The occurrence of any combination of two types of ambiguities, phase ambiguity (PhA) and permutation ambiguity (PeA), initiated in deep fades, produces error propagation in joint channel estimation/data detection for the dual transmit diversity method. A new time-varying space-time coding (TVST) scheme is suggested as a bandwidth efficient method to combat the PeA impairment. This coding scheme, in conjunction with a differential detector, can resolve the ambiguity problem. Finally, some remedies used to prevent error propagation are listed. These remedies are called space-time ambiguity remedies (STARs).
Conflict-monitoring and (meta)cognitive control

Book synopsis: The neural computational approach to cognitive and psychological processes is relatively new. However, Neural Computation and Psychology Workshops (NCPW), first held 16 years ago, lie at the heart of this fast-moving discipline, thanks to its interdisciplinary nature — bringing together researchers from different disciplines such as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, neurobiology, philosophy and psychology to discuss their work on models of cognitive processes. Once again, the Eleventh Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW11), held in 2008 at the University of Oxford (England), reflects the interdisciplinary nature and wide range of backgrounds of this field. This volume is a collection of peer-reviewed contributions of most of the papers presented at NCPW11 by researchers from four continents and 15 countries.
Energy efficient content-centric beamforming in multicast fog radio access network

Fog Radio Access Network(F-RAN) is a promising technique for the fifth generation mobile communication system to provide high spectral and energy efficiency. In comparison with Cloud Radio Access Network, the Radio Units in F-RAN are equipped with local caches, which store popular content. In this paper, we investigate joint cooperative beamforming and radio units (RUs) operation in F-RAN system to balance the roles of transmit power, RUs activation and back-haul traffic rate to achieve energy efficiency. We aim at providing quality-of-service(QoS) guaranteed content-centric communication and minimizing the total network consumption of different multicast groups, which is formulated as a optimization problem with l0-norm-based objective function and the nonconvex quadratic QoS constraints. To develop an upper bound algorithm, we first utilize the semidefinite relaxation (SDR) method and then transform the problem into a series of convex optimization problems by the successive convex approximation (SCA) method. Simulation results validate the advantage of wireless caching and highlight the impact of joint design.
Integrative classification and analysis of multiple arrayCGH datasets with probe alignment

MOTIVATION Array comparative genomic hybridization (arrayCGH) is widely used to measure DNA copy numbers in cancer research. ArrayCGH data report log-ratio intensities of thousands of probes sampled along the chromosomes. Typically, the choices of the locations and the lengths of the probes vary in different experiments. This discrepancy in choosing probes poses a challenge in integrated classification or analysis across multiple arrayCGH datasets. We propose an alignment-based framework to integrate arrayCGH samples generated from different probe sets. The alignment framework seeks an optimal alignment between the probe series of one arrayCGH sample and the probe series of another sample, intended to find the maximum possible overlap of DNA copy number variations between the two measured chromosomes. An alignment kernel is introduced for integrative patient sample classification and a multiple alignment algorithm is also introduced for identifying common regions with copy number aberrations. RESULTS The probe alignment kernel and the MPA algorithm were experimented to integrate three bladder cancer datasets as well as artificial datasets. In the experiments, by integrating arrayCGH samples from multiple datasets, the probe alignment kernel used with support vector machines significantly improved patient sample classification accuracy over other baseline kernels. The experiments also demonstrated that the multiple probe alignment (MPA) algorithm can find common DNA aberrations that cannot be identified with the standard interpolation method. Furthermore, the MPA algorithm also identified many known bladder cancer DNA aberrations containing four known bladder cancer genes, three of which cannot be detected by interpolation. AVAILABILITY http://www.cs. umn.edu/compbio/ProbeAlign.
Work motivation, organisational identification, and well-being in call centre work

Abstract Previous work has not considered the interplay of motivational forces linked to the task with those linked to the social identity of employees. The aim of the present study is to combine these approaches. Two studies with call centre agents (N=211, N=161) were conducted in which the relationships of objective working conditions (e.g., inbound vs. outbound work), subjective measures of motivating potential of work, and organisational identification were analysed. Job satisfaction, turnover intentions, organisational citizenship behavior (OCB), health complaints, and burnout were assessed as indicators of the agents’ work motivation and well-being. In both studies it was found that objective working conditions substantially correlated with subjective measures of work motivation. Moreover, employees experiencing a high motivating potential at work reported more OCB, higher job satisfaction, and less turnover intentions. As hypothesized, organisational identification was a further independent predictor of job satisfaction, turnover intentions, OCB, and well-being. Highly organisationally identified employees report higher work motivation and more well-being. Additionally, interactions between the motivating potential and organisational identification were found. However, all the results indicate that interventions seeking to enhance work motivation and well-being in call centres should improve both the motivating potential of the job and organisational identification. These two factors combined in an additive way across both studies.
Openness among Chinese in conflict : effects of direct discussion and warmth on integrative decision making

Although not socially valued, open discussion may still be useful for integrating positions and people in conflict in China, especially when complemented with the nonverbal expression of interpersonal warmth. In an experiment with 80 participants in South China, open discussion compared to avoiding was found to develop a cooperative relationship and open-minded understanding of the opposing view. The communication of warmth, compared to coldness, developed a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship; exploration of the opposing view; integration of opposing ideas into one's reasoning and decision making; and confidence in future joint work. These results challenge traditional theorizing that open discussion of conflict disrupts relationships and conflict management in China.