Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eustress - findings concerning the indication and interpretation of positive stress among entrepreneurs - a case study

This paper examines the experience of eustress, using Selye’s (1964, 1987) concept of “good stress”. Usually stress is considered and researched as a negative experience, but we suggest that learning to respond to negative stress and demands with positive emotions and behaviours is likely to increase positive drive, creativity and courage (Le Fevre, Matheny &Kolt, 2003; Selye 1964; 1987). However, it is sometimes challenging to draw the line between distress, negative stress and positive stress. Especially entrepreneurs are an important target group of studying positive stress as they have a high responsibility for self-management and deciding over their ways of working. We conducteda case study with 21 entrepreneurs in Finland to find out how the entrepreneurs experience the balance between positive and negative stress. In addition, 9 of the entrepreneurs took part in a physiological stress measurement for a period of one week by wearing sensors and writing a diary of their daily events during the measurement. The entrepreneurs were interviewed before and after the measurement. We conclude that the physiological measurement of stress should be combined with qualitative self-report of participants to understand the valence of the stress, as it can’t be concluded from the physiological measures only. In addition, novel digital services could be developed to support learning new ways to respond to stress and provide useful tools for facilitating positive stress and wellbeing at work.
GfaPy: a flexible and extensible software library for handling sequence graphs in Python

Summary GFA 1 and GFA 2 are recently defined formats for representing sequence graphs, such as assembly, variation or splicing graphs. The formats are adopted by several software tools. Here, we present GfaPy, a software package for creating, parsing and editing GFA graphs using the programming language Python. GfaPy supports GFA 1 and GFA 2, using the same interface and allows for interconversion between both formats. The software package provides a simple interface for custom record types, which is an important new feature of GFA 2 (compared to GFA 1). This enables new applications of the format. Availability and implementation GfaPy is available open source at https://github.com/ggonnella/gfapy and installable via pip. Contact gonnella@zbh.uni-hamburg.de. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A General Model of Codon Bias Due to GC Mutational Bias

Background In spite of extensive research on the effect of mutation and selection on codon usage, a general model of codon usage bias due to mutational bias has been lacking. Because most amino acids allow synonymous GC content changing substitutions in the third codon position, the overall GC bias of a genome or genomic region is highly correlated with GC3, a measure of third position GC content. For individual amino acids as well, G/C ending codons usage generally increases with increasing GC bias and decreases with increasing AT bias. Arginine and leucine, amino acids that allow GC-changing synonymous substitutions in the first and third codon positions, have codons which may be expected to show different usage patterns. Principal Findings In analyzing codon usage bias in hundreds of prokaryotic and plant genomes and in human genes, we find that two G-ending codons, AGG (arginine) and TTG (leucine), unlike all other G/C-ending codons, show overall usage that decreases with increasing GC bias, contrary to the usual expectation that G/C-ending codon usage should increase with increasing genomic GC bias. Moreover, the usage of some codons appears nonlinear, even nonmonotone, as a function of GC bias. To explain these observations, we propose a continuous-time Markov chain model of GC-biased synonymous substitution. This model correctly predicts the qualitative usage patterns of all codons, including nonlinear codon usage in isoleucine, arginine and leucine. The model accounts for 72%, 64% and 52% of the observed variability of codon usage in prokaryotes, plants and human respectively. When codons are grouped based on common GC content, 87%, 80% and 68% of the variation in usage is explained for prokaryotes, plants and human respectively. Conclusions The model clarifies the sometimes-counterintuitive effects that GC mutational bias can have on codon usage, quantifies the influence of GC mutational bias and provides a natural null model relative to which other influences on codon bias may be measured.
A minor role of asparaginase in predisposing to cerebral venous thromboses in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) covers up to a third of all venous thromboses (VTs) detected in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It usually hampers patients' lives and may also endanger efficient leukemia treatment. Although many factors have been suggested to account for an elevated risk of VTs in patients with ALL, there still is a lack of studies focusing on CVTs and especially in the setting of adult ALL patients. We studied in our retrospective population‐based cohort the occurrence, characteristics, as well as risk factors for VTs in 186 consecutively diagnosed Finnish adult ALL patients treated with a national pediatric‐inspired treatment protocol ALL2000. In the risk factor analyses for VTs we found a distinction of the characteristics of the patients acquiring CVT from those with other kinds of VTs or without thrombosis. In contrast to previous studies we were also able to compare the effects of asparaginase in relation to CVT occurrence. Notably, more than half of the CVTs were diagnosed prior the administration of asparaginase which accentuates the role of other risk factors on the pathophysiology of CVT compared to truncal or central venous line (CVL) VTs in adult ALL patients.
Estimation of frequency unsynchronized millimeter-wave channels

We propose an algorithm for mmWave channel estimation in the presence of a non-negligible carrier frequency offset (CFO) impairment. The algorithm exploits inherent sparsity of the mmWave channel in the angle of departure (AoD) and arrival (AoA) domain, employs sparse channel sensing protocol, and performs blind CFO compensation and estimation of channel paths in the angular domain. The simulation tests show that the proposed algorithm considerably outperforms the conventional orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP)-based mmWave channel estimation algorithm under different CFO and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regimes. Aside from the mmWave channel estimation problem, the algorithm is more generally applicable for greedy sparse recovery problems associated with estimating a sparse vector from measurements impaired by frequency offset.
Noninvasive Alcohol Monitoring Using a Wearable Tattoo-Based Iontophoretic-Biosensing System

In this paper we demonstrate a wearable tattoo-based alcohol biosensing system for noninvasive alcohol monitoring in induced sweat. The skin-worn alcohol monitoring platform integrates an iontophoretic-biosensing temporary tattoo system along with flexible wireless electronics. The wearable prototype enables the transdermal delivery of the pilocarpine drug to induce sweat via iontophoresis and amperometric detection of ethanol in the generated sweat using the alcohol-oxidase enzyme and the Prussian Blue electrode transducer. The new skin-compliant biosensor displays a highly selective and sensitive response to ethanol. On-body results with human subjects show distinct differences in the current response before and after alcohol consumption, reflecting the increase of ethanol levels. The skin-worn alcohol sensor is coupled with a flexible electronics board, which controls the iontophoresis/amperometry operation and transmits data wirelessly in real time via Bluetooth communication. The new wireless epiderm.
Discussion of Extinction-Based Behavioral Sleep Interventions for Young Children and Reasons Why Parents May Find Them Difficult.

ABSTRACT The majority of behavioral sleep interventions for young children involve extinction procedures where parents must ignore their child's cries for a period. Many parents have difficulties with this, contributing to attrition, non-compliance, and treatment avoidance. Yet why these methods are difficult to implement has rarely been addressed in the literature. This paper discusses seven potential reasons why parents may find extinction sleep interventions difficult: enduring crying, practical considerations, fear of repercussions, misinformation, incongruence with personal beliefs, different cultural practices, and parent wellness. These reasons are discussed in relation to the current literature. Practicing health professionals and sleep researchers could benefit from an awareness of these issues when suggesting extinction interventions and offering alternatives which may be more appropriate for family circumstances and facilitate parental informed choice.
Trends in maternal deaths in HIV‐infected women, on a background of changing HIV management guidelines in South Africa: 1997 to 2015

As work begins towards the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, much needs to be done in ending preventable maternal deaths. After 1990, South Africa experienced a reversal of gains in decreasing maternal mortality, with an increase in HIV‐related maternal deaths. In this study, we assessed trends in maternal mortality in HIV‐infected women, on a background of an evolving HIV care programme.
Caring for perinatally HIV-infected children: call for mental care for the children and the caregivers

ABSTRACT Antiretroviral therapy has dramatically improved the survival rate of perinatally HIV-infected children. For them to thrive, it is necessary to understand better their mental health issues. Caregivers play an important role in children’s daily care and caregiver mental health may relate to children’s mental health. However, this association has rarely been studied. Accordingly, the present study examined the associations between depression of caregivers and that of perinatally HIV-infected children in Kigali, Rwanda. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 475 perinatally HIV-infected children aged 7–14 years and their caregivers. We collected children’s depression score data via face-to-face interviews with children using the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth. We also collected sociodemographic data using a semi-structured questionnaire with caregivers. In addition, we measured children’s weight, height, and collected their clinical records. Data were analyzed via linear and logistic regression analyses. Of all children, 22% had symptoms of depression. Among those who had depressive symptoms (n= 105), 49% had never received psychological support. In both the linear and logistic regression analysis, caregiver’s high depression scores were positively associated with children’s higher depression scores (AOR: 3.064, 95% CI: 1.723, 4.855, and AOR: 1.759, 95% CI: 1.129, 2.740, respectively). Taking Efavirenz and low height-for-age were also positively associated with higher depression scores among HIV-infected children. Mental health needs to be addressed to improve quality of life of perinatally HIV-infected children. Caregiver’s depression was positively associated with children’s depressive symptoms. Caring for both children and the caregivers’ mental health may prevent the mutual fostering of depression.
Phylogenetic Inference via Sequential Monte Carlo

Abstract Bayesian inference provides an appealing general framework for phylogenetic analysis, able to incorporate a wide variety of modeling assumptions and to provide a coherent treatment of uncertainty. Existing computational approaches to Bayesian inference based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) have not, however, kept pace with the scale of the data analysis problems in phylogenetics, and this has hindered the adoption of Bayesian methods. In this paper, we present an alternative to MCMC based on Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC). We develop an extension of classical SMC based on partially ordered sets and show how to apply this framework—which we refer to as PosetSMC—to phylogenetic analysis. We provide a theoretical treatment of PosetSMC and also present experimental evaluation of PosetSMC on both synthetic and real data. The empirical results demonstrate that PosetSMC is a very promising alternative to MCMC, providing up to two orders of magnitude faster convergence. We discuss other factors favorable to the adoption of PosetSMC in phylogenetics, including its ability to estimate marginal likelihoods, its ready implementability on parallel and distributed computing platforms, and the possibility of combining with MCMC in hybrid MCMC–SMC schemes. Software for PosetSMC is available at http://www.stat.ubc.ca/ bouchard/PosetSMC.
Social Health Inequalities and eHealth: A Literature Review With Qualitative Synthesis of Theoretical and Empirical Studies

Background eHealth is developing rapidly and brings with it a promise to reduce social health inequalities (SHIs). Yet, it appears that it also has the potential to increase them. Objectives The general objective of this review was to set out how to ensure that eHealth contributes to reducing SHIs rather than exacerbating them. This review has three objectives: (1) identifying characteristics of people at risk of experiencing social inequality in health; (2) determining the possibilities of developing eHealth tools that avoid increasing SHI; and (3) modeling the process of using an eHealth tool by people vulnerable to SHI. Methods Following the EPPI approach (Evidence for Policy and Practice of Information of the Institute of Education at the University of London), two databases were searched for the terms SHIs and eHealth and their derivatives in titles and abstracts. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed articles were included and evaluated. The software NVivo (QSR International) was employed to extract the data and allow for a metasynthesis of the data. Results Of the 73 articles retained, 10 were theoretical, 7 were from reviews, and 56 were based on empirical studies. Of the latter, 40 used a quantitative approach, 8 used a qualitative approach, 4 used mixed methods approach, and only 4 were based on participatory research-action approach. The digital divide in eHealth is a serious barrier and contributes greatly to SHI. Ethnicity and low income are the most commonly used characteristics to identify people at risk of SHI. The most promising actions for reducing SHI via eHealth are to aim for universal access to the tool of eHealth, become aware of users’ literacy level, create eHealth tools that respect the cultural attributes of future users, and encourage the participation of people at risk of SHI. Conclusions eHealth has the potential to widen the gulf between those at risk of SHI and the rest of the population. The widespread expansion of eHealth technologies calls for rigorous consideration of interventions, which are not likely to exacerbate SHI.
Increasing rates of Acinetobacter baumannii infection and resistance in an oncology department

Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen found in immunocompromised patients, especially cancer patients. This study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of cancer patients and the antimicrobial resistance of A.baumannii isolates. Materials and Methods: Clinical isolates were collected from the oncology department of a general teaching hospital, and the clinical and demographic information of patients was obtained from the hospital's information system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was examined using the agar dilution method. Carbapenemase-encoding genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and sequence types were determined by multilocus sequence typing. Results: The isolation rate of A.baumannii increased annually in the oncology department. Multivariate analysis showed that only prior antibiotic use was an independent risk factor for A.baumannii infection. The use of antibiotics in A.baumannii-infected patients was significantly more frequent than in non-A.baumannii-infected patients. A.baumannii isolates were highly resistant to most tested antibiotics. The IMP-4 and VIM-2 genes were present in 6 and 2 isolates, respectively. Sixty isolates had 12 genotypes, and ST208 was the most common genotype. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of antibiotics and hospital environmental pollution may be the main causes of A. baumannii infection.
Does a robotic surgery approach offer optimal ergonomics to gynecologic surgeons?: a comprehensive ergonomics survey study in gynecologic robotic surgery

Objective To better understand the ergonomics associated with robotic surgery including physical discomfort and symptoms, factors influencing symptom reporting, and robotic surgery systems components recommended to be improved. Methods The anonymous survey included 20 questions regarding demographics, systems, ergonomics, and physical symptoms and was completed by experienced robotic surgeons online through American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) and Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS). Results There were 289 (260 gynecology, 22 gynecology-oncology, and 7 urogynecology) gynecologic surgeon respondents regularly practicing robotic surgery. Statistical data analysis was performed using the t-test, χ2 test, and logistic regression. One hundred fifty-six surgeons (54.0%) reported experiencing physical symptoms or discomfort. Participants with higher robotic case volume reported significantly lower physical symptom report rates (p<0.05). Gynecologists who felt highly confident about managing ergonomic settings not only acknowledged that the adjustments were helpful for better ergonomics but also reported a lower physical symptom rate (p<0.05). In minimizing their symptoms, surgeons changed ergonomic settings (32.7%), took a break (33.3%) or simply ignored the problem (34%). Fingers and neck were the most common body parts with symptoms. Eye symptom complaints were significantly decreased with the Si robot (p<0.05). The most common robotic system components to be improved for better ergonomics were microphone/speaker, pedal design, and finger clutch. Conclusion More than half of participants reported physical symptoms which were found to be primarily associated with confidence in managing ergonomic settings and familiarity with the system depending on the volume of robotic cases. Optimal guidelines and education on managing ergonomic settings should be implemented to maximize the ergonomic benefits of robotic surgery.
Nonlinear Optics in III-V Quaternary Semiconductor Waveguides

The fundamental limits of electronic systems in communication networks motivated scholars to think of an alternative approach to overcome problems such as demand for wider bandwidths and heat dissipation. All-optical signal processing is demonstrated as a potential solution. A major improvement in cost and speed of networking systems is expected through replacing microelectronics by photonic chips. However, the variety of operations essential to perform all-optical signal processing cannot be handled by a single material platform yet. Several III-V semiconductors, such as AlGaAs, have demonstrated potentials for photonic integration; nevertheless, there is still lack of data in literature on nonlinear optical properties of these materials. In this thesis, we extend the quest to evaluate more candidates from this class of semiconductors. Moreover, we are aiming for demonstrating the potentials of various III-V compounds for nonlinear photonics on-a-chip. In this thesis, we propose several optical waveguide designs based on quaternary III-V semiconductors AlGaAsSb and InGaAsP. We present modal analysis for waveguide designs and show that effective mode area much less than 1 μm can be obtained. We also report specific waveguide designs that display zero-dispersion points at the specific wavelength ranges of interest. The designed waveguides are thus expected to demonstrate efficient nonlinear optical interactions. Next step is the fabrication of these devices with the goal to experimentally assess their nonlinear optical performance. The fabrication process of InGaAsP/InP strip-loaded waveguide is briefly reviewed. Following that, we report on the first, to the best of our knowledge, demonstration of third-order nonlinear optical interactions in InGaAsP/InP strip-loaded
Gyroscopic stabilisation of rolling motion in simplified marine hull model

Excessive rolling motions of marine vessel will bring discomfort and safety issue to the passengers and crew. Rolling motion reduction can prevent cargo damage, improve crew efficiency and provide comfort for the passengers. The objective of this research is to investigate the use of gyroscope in the stabilisation of rolling motion of a marine ship hull through simulation. Mathematical models of a simple marine ship hull and two gyrostabiliser models, i.e. natural- and controller-driven gyrostabilizer were established. The respective MATLAB Simulink block diagrams were constructed. Simulation results show that both natural- and controller-driven gyrostabiliser are able to reduce the rolling motion through the gyroscopic effect of spinning flywheel, provided that the generated angular momentum is sufficiently large. The percentage of roll reduction is affected by wave frequency but not the wave magnitude. Besides, controller-driven gyrostabiliser is able to reduce rolling motion more efficiently compared to the natural-driven gyrostabiliser. The excess energy consumed by the driven gyrostabiliser controller can be compensated by the lower energy consumption rate of the spinning flywheel with lower rotational speed.
Delay-Aware Power Control for D2D Communication With Successive Interference Cancellation and Hybrid Energy Source

We investigate joint flow control, successive interference cancellation (SIC) scheduling, and power control design for delay-aware device-to-device communication in a multi-cell network with hybrid energy source. Aiming to maximize the time-average total throughput of network, we propose a flow control scheme and a two-stage SIC-based power control strategy based on perturbed Lyapunov optimization and sequential convex programming, subject to the SIC feasibility, queueing stability, finite energy storage, and energy balance. Simulation results exhibit the superiority of our proposed strategy against alternative strategies.
High Step-Up DC–DC Converter Based on Switched Capacitor and Coupled Inductor

Due to the relatively low output voltage of photovoltaic (PV) source, a high step-up converter with high efficiency is needed when the PV source is connected to the power grid. A novel high step-up converter based on two switched capacitors and a coupled inductor is proposed in this paper. The operating principle is analyzed and the voltage gain is derived. A 100-W prototype is fabricated in the laboratory to verify the theoretical analysis, and the highest efficiency is 96.4%.
Wood particle size affects the decay resistance of woodfiber/thermoplastic composites

The fungal durability of woodfiber/thermoplastic composites is an area of recent scientific interest. Model composites containing 50 percent wood, on an ovendry composite weight basis, were produced using a range of wood particle sizes from two different wood species. The decay resistance of the composites was evaluated against Gloeophyllum trabeum and Trametes versicolor. It was found that weight loss increased as the wood particle size increased. Decay in the pine-based composites was more sensitive to particle size than the maple-based composites. More wood volume is accessible to the fungi on the faces and along the edges of composites produced with large particles, resulting in higher weight losses. In addition to the exposure of greater wood volume when large particles are used, forces induced by moisture absorption and swelling may act to increase the accessibility of the wood in these composites.