Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Burnout and its correlates among nursing staff: questionnaire survey.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to determine the burnout level and its correlates in nurses. BACKGROUND Healthcare providers and especially nurses are generally considered a high risk group regarding work stress and burnout and this syndrome has been a major concern in the field of occupational health. METHOD The study was carried out at a university hospital in Turkey during May-June 2005. A total of 418 nurses from the 474 working at the hospital at the time (88.2%) answered a self-administered questionnaire including the Maslach Burnout Inventory. FINDINGS All the nurses were female, with a mean age of 30.6 (5.4) and a median age of 29 years. The mean score was 17.99(6.35) for the Emotional Exhaustion subscale, 5.72 (3.87) for the Depersonalization subscale and 19.83 (4.66) for the Personal Accomplishment subscale. Emotional Exhaustion decreased with increasing age (P < 0.05). Total time in the job, weekly working hours, shift-working and the unit where employed influenced burnout scores (P < 0.05). Not being happy with relations with superiors, not finding the job suitable, feeling anxious about the future, perceived poor health, problems with personal life and financial difficulties were also factors influencing burnout scale scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION It is necessary to consider nurses having the characteristics shown as the correlates of burnout in this study as a target group, to screen periodically the burnout status and improve their working conditions, especially relationships with colleagues.
Down-Regulation of LATS1 and LATS2 mRNA Expression by Promoter Hypermethylation and Its Association with Biologically Aggressive Phenotype in Human Breast Cancers

Purpose: LATS1 and LATS2 are tumor suppressor genes implicated in the regulation of cell cycle. Methylation status of the promoter regions of these genes as well as its correlation with their mRNA levels were studied in human breast cancers. Correlation of LATS1 and LATS2 mRNA levels with clinicopathologic characteristics of breast tumors were also studied. Experimental Design: Methylation status of promoter regions of LATS1 and LATS2 was studied by a methylation-specific PCR and mRNA expression levels of LATS1 and LATS2 were determined by a real-time PCR assay in 30 breast cancers. In addition, correlation of LATS1 and LATS2 mRNA levels with clinicopathologic characteristics was studied in 117 breast cancers. Results: Methylation-specific PCR showed that of 30 tumors, LATS1 promoter region was hypermethylated in 17 tumors (56.7%) and LATS2 promoter region was hypermethylated in 15 (50.0%) tumors. LATS1 mRNA levels in breast tumors with hypermethylation (2.15 ± 0.37, mean ± SE) were significantly (P < 0.01) lower than those without hypermethylation (6.09 ± 1.38), and LATS2 mRNA levels in breast tumors with hypermethylation (1.42 ± 0.66) were also significantly (P < 0.01) lower than those without hypermethylation (3.10 ± 1.00). The decreased expression of LATS1 or LATS2 mRNA was significantly associated with a large tumor size, high lymph node metastasis, and estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor negativity. Furthermore, the decreased expression of LATS1 mRNA, but not LATS2 mRNA, was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with a poor prognosis. Conclusions: Hypermethylation of the promoter regions of LATS1 and LATS2 likely plays an important role in the down-regulation of their mRNA levels in breast cancers, and breast cancers with a decreased expression of LATS1 or LATS2 mRNA levels have a biologically aggressive phenotype.
Unit Pricing Guide, "A Best Practice Approach to Unit Pricing"

Certain commercial equipment, instruments, or products are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the products or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose. For more information regarding this guide or unit pricing in general, contact the NIST Office of Weights and Measures, owm@nist.gov or (301) 975-4004. v Executive Summary This guide was developed to provide retailers with information about the best practice requirements for the unit pricing of prepackaged commodities. The guide consists of best practice recommendations that will improve the accuracy and usability of unit pricing information offered in retail stores. In addition, the guide will help provide uniformity across all states and types of stores. Many retailers in the various retail channels voluntarily provide unit pricing in their stores. What has been lacking since the inception of unit pricing is a guide to assist retailers in understanding consumer preferences as to its presentation, units of measure used, consistency, and accuracy. The best practices in this guide can be used in any retail environment, including supermarkets, drug and convenience stores, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, auto parts stores, department stores, or virtually anywhere products are sold where units of measure (e.g., weight, volume, length, area, count) can be used to compare prices and value of products. It applies to both food and non-food products. When a decision is made to unit price in a retail location, every effort should be made to provide unit pricing across the entire store. Unit pricing is helpful in that it displays the price of all brands and sizes of a product category per unit of measure basis (e.g., price per kilogram, liter, pound, fluid ounce). In addition, the guide enables the use of unit pricing in either the U.S. customary or metric system (International System of Units [SI]). Some categories where use of metric units may be more appropriate or beneficial than the U.S. customary system include wine, distilled spirits, bottled beverages, and spices. This guide was developed to assist industry in the practice of providing unit price information as a voluntary provision where no legislative requirements or standards exist. Where legislative requirements and standards do exist, this guide can be used to provide unit pricing that supplements and complements …
The Impact of a Thermal Spreader on the Temperature Distribution in a Plasma Display Panel

Plasma display panels (PDPs) are a leading technology for large size television displays. Screen inefficiencies result in considerable localized heat generation within the PDP and necessitate aggressive thermal management to reduce spatial temperature variations across the screen. In the current study, experimental and numerical techniques were used to investigate the effect of a natural graphite heat spreader on hot spots and the temperature distribution across the screen. A commercial, 42 inch high-definition PDP, retrofitted with natural graphite heat spreaders with in-plane thermal conductivity varying from 140 to 440 W/mK and thicknesses varying from 0.5 mm to 1.4 mm, served as the test vehicle for this study. Infrared thermography was used to obtain a thermal map of the entire screen for different illumination patterns for each spreader configuration. Using a luminance meter, the luminosity of a selected point on the screen has been measured. A three-dimensional numerical model of this typical PDP, including the glass and spreader layers, as well as the chassis electronics, has been developed and the numerically obtained temperature distributions were compared to the experimental data
Estimation of hyperspectral covariance matrices

Estimation of covariance matrices is a fundamental step in hyperspectral remote sensing where most detection algorithms make use of the covariance matrix in whitening procedures. We present a simple method to improve the estimation of the eigenvalues of a sample covariance matrix. The method achieves two objectives simultaneously: improved estimation of eigenvalues and improved condition number (regularization). Our method is based on the Marcenko-Pastur law, theory of eigenvalue bounds, and energy conservation.
Politics and Civil Society: Failures and Successes of Post-war Peacebuilding in Bosnia-Herzegovina

More than seven years of internationalpresence in post-war Bosnia have still not brought lasting stability to the country. Surveys suggest that a substantial share of the population continue to oppose Bosnia in its current form, further evidenced by the continuing electoral success of nationalist parties. These difficulties solicit an evaluation of some of the inherent difficulties of international intervention in a post-conflict setting such as Bosnia. This article will thus examine the symptoms of dependency resulting from international intervention on the political scene and civil society. The key argument forwarded herein is that the overly interventionist approach might have lead to a host of decisions and laws which might be commendable for the country, but that this intervention simultaneously disempowered Bosnian actors.
Developing Stable Partnerships among Parents , Students and Schools : A Parents' Philosophy on Learning = تطوير التعاون الثابت بين الأهل و الطلاب و المدرسة : فلسفة الأهل في التعليم

This study describes the development of stable partnerships among parents, students and schools to promote literacy skills. It sets out to explore the involvement of a limited number of parents from different walks of life in their children’s academic life, school provisions in this respect and specific community activities which might contribute to the development of this partnership. The research questions are related to the way parents understand their partnership with schools and to the degree of their “involvement in their children school life”. The participants in this study were parents from different social categories with children at different school levels. Purposive sampling was used in collecting the data. Semi-structured interviews were employed in the collection of data. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and given to open coding. The results show that parents, no matter what their social status is, are keen in getting involved in their children’s school life in ways which can promote partnerships conducting to the acquisition of literacy skills, learning and life-long learning.
Effect of Nucleus Replacement Device Properties on Lumbar Spine Mechanics

Study Design. A validated nonlinear three-dimensional finite element model of a single lumbar motion segment (L3–L4) was used to evaluate a range of moduli for ideally conforming nucleus replacement devices. Objective. The objective of the current study was to determine the biomechanical effects of nucleus replacement technology for a variety of implant moduli. We hypothesized that there would be an optimal modulus for a nucleus replacement that would provide loading in the surrounding bone and anulus similar to the intact state. Summary of Background Data. Nucleus pulposus replacements are interventional therapies that restore stiffness and height to mildly degenerated intervertebral discs. Currently a wide variety of nucleus replacement technologies with a large range of mechanical properties are undergoing preclinical testing. Methods. A finite element model of L3–L4 was created and validated using range of motion, disc pressure, and bony strains from previously published data. The intact model was altered by changing the mechanical properties of the nucleus pulposus to represent a wide range of nucleus replacement technologies (E = 0.1, 1, 4, and 100 MPa). All of the models were exercised in compression, flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Vertebral body strain, peak anulus fibrosus shear strain, initial bone remodeling stimulus, range of motion, and center of rotation were analyzed. Results. A nucleus replacement modulus of 1 and 4 MPa resulted in vertebral body strains similar to the intact model. The softest device indicated increased loading in the AF and bone resorption adjacent to the implant. Areas of strain maxima and bone formation were observed adjacent to the implant for the stiffest device. Conclusion. The current study predicted an optimal nucleus replacement of 1 to 4 MPa. An overly stiff implant could result in subsidence, which would preclude the benefit of disc height increase or restoration. Conversely, an overly soft implant could accelerate a degenerative cascade in the anulus.
Sch9p kinase and the Gcn4p transcription factor regulate glycerol production during winemaking

Abstract Grape juice fermentation is a harsh environment with many stressful conditions, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae adapts its metabolism in response to those environmental challenges. Many nutrient‐sensing pathways control this feature. The Tor/Sch9p pathway promotes growth and protein synthesis when nutrients are plenty, while the transcription factor Gcn4p is required for the activation of amino acid biosynthetic pathways. We previously showed that Sch9p impact on longevity depends on the nitrogen/carbon ratio. When nitrogen is limiting, SCH9 deletion shortens chronological life span, which is the case under winemaking conditions. Its deletion also increases glycerol during fermentation, so the impact of this pathway on metabolism under winemaking conditions was studied by transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. SCH9 deletion causes the upregulation of many amino acid biosynthesis pathways. When Gcn4p was overexpressed during winemaking, increased glycerol production was also observed. Therefore, both pathways are related in terms of glycerol production. SCH9 deletion increased the amount of the limiting enzyme in glycerol biosynthesis, glycerol‐3‐P dehydrogenase Gpd1p at the protein level. The impact on the metabolome of SCH9 deletion and GCN4 overexpression differed, although both showed a downregulation of glycolysis. SCH9 deletion downregulated the amount of most proteinogenic amino acids and increased the amount of lipids, such as ergosterol.
How Did the Automotive Component Suppliers Cope with the Economic Crisis in Hungary?

Abstract This article studies the reaction of automotive component suppliers in Hungary to the 2008–2009 economic crisis. We find that the global suppliers viewed the crisis as an opportunity to reinforce the competitiveness of their Hungarian affiliates by engaging in product and process upgrading, and upgrading through research and development. The regional suppliers combined defensive strategies aimed at reducing costs with offensive measures in the form of product upgrading, production upgrading and expansion into new markets. The local suppliers reduced costs and reduced their workforce, but also reacted offensively by expanding into new markets, upgrading their activity and collaborating with other local suppliers.
Complete Genome Sequence of Persistent Cystic Fibrosis Isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain RP73

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa can establish lifelong chronic airway infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, the genetic features associated with long-term persistence in the lung are not understood. We sequenced the genome of P. aeruginosa strain RP73, which was isolated after 16.9 years of chronic lung infection in a CF patient.
Healthcare utilization and expenditures for low income children with sickle cell disease

While multiple studies have examined the healthcare burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) in adults, few have specifically focused on healthcare utilization and expenditures in children. The objective of this study was to characterize the healthcare utilization and costs associated with the care of low‐income children with SCD in comparison to other children of similar socioeconomic status.
Silver Nanowire-Based Infrared-Transparent Contacts for Future High-Density Format Focal Plane Arrays

We report the first demonstration of: 1) wide-wavelength range, infrared transparent conductors (ITCs) made of silver nanowires (Ag NWs), and 2) ITC contact-integrated prototype, InAsSb midwavelength IR (MWIR) detectors. The Ag NW-based ITCs show optical transmittance (T<sub>λ</sub>) of ,,94% in the 0.9-2.5 μm wavelength range with a sheet resistance (R<sub>s</sub>) of 19.1 Ω/□. T<sub>λ</sub> of the Ag NW-ITC decreases slowly with increasing wavelength, resulting in T<sub>λ</sub> ,,92%-87% at 2.5- 8 μm (MWIR) and T<sub>λ</sub> ,,87%-82% at 8-15 μm (LWIR). The Ag NWbased ITC makes good ohmic contacts on InAsSb-based MWIR detectors with contact resistance of <;0.5 Ω · mm. The ITC contact-integrated prototype InAsSb IR detectors are front-side illuminated and show external quantum efficiency (QE) of >85% at 4.25 μm and 150K. The measured external QE remains at the same high level regardless of detector fill factor. These results indicate that Ag NW-ITCs may enable future pixel scaling for front-side illuminated, high-density-format focal plane arrays without compromising QE, responsivity, and detector performance.
Delay-derivative-dependent synchronization for coupled Lur'e system with time-delay and nonlinear couplings

This paper deals with global synchronization in arrays of coupled delayed Lur'e systems with nonlinear couplings, in which the interval variable delay is treated. Together with Krasovskii-Lyapunov functional method and Kronecker product technique, two novel synchronization criteria are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) based on generalized convex combination, in which the conditions are heavily dependent on upper and lower bounds of time-delay and delay derivative. Through employing LMI in Matlab Toolbox and adjusting some matrix parameters in the derived results, we can realize the designing and applications of the coupled systems. The effectiveness of the proposed methods can be demonstrated by one numerical example with simulations.
Increased Arterial Stiffness in Elderly Female Diabetic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background: Arterial stiffness is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. It has been reported that female and elderly diabetes mellitus (DM) patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) had a higher risk of death. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The present study tried to investigate whether older female DM patients have increased arterial stiffness. Methods: One hundred and eighty-one continuous ambulatory PD patients in a single center were enrolled. On enrollment, demographic data were collected. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocities (PWV) were checked at the same time. Results: As expected, age had a significant impact on PWV both in DM and non-DM patients. There was no significant difference in PWV between male and female patients under the age of 50. No significant difference in PWV was found between male and female non-DM patients over the age of 50. However, the comparison of PWV reached statistical significance between male and female DM patients over the age of 50 (12.44 ± 1.83 m/s vs. 13.56 ± 1.86 m/s, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed that female DM patients over the age of 50 had the highest PWV as compared to other patient groups. Increased arterial stiffness might have contributed to the worst outcome of this population on PD treatment.
Effect of Intravenous Recombinant Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Patients With Mild Stroke in the Third International Stroke Trial-3: Post Hoc Analysis

Background and Purpose— Randomized trial evidence on the risk/benefit ratio of thrombolysis for mild stroke is limited. We sought to determine the efficacy of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV r-tPA) in a subset of patients with mild deficit in the third International Stroke Trial (IST-3). Methods— IST-3 compared IV r-tPA with control within 6 hours of onset in patients for whom IV r-tPA was considered promising but unproven. Analysis was restricted to subjects randomized within 3 hours of onset with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ⩽5, pretreatment blood pressure <185/110, and no other r-tPA exclusion criteria. We compared r-tPA and control arms for primary (Oxfordshire Handicap Score [OHS] 0–2) and secondary (ordinal OHS and OHS 0–1) outcomes at 6 months. Results— Among 3035 IST-3 subjects, 612 (20.2%) had an National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ⩽5; of these 106 (17.6%) met the restricted criteria. Allocation to r-tPA was associated with an increase in OHS 0 to 2 (84% r-tPA versus 65% control; adjusted odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–8.79) and a favorable shift in OHS distribution (adjusted odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–4.85). There was no significant effect of r-tPA on OHS 0 to 1 (60% versus 51%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.83–4.43). Conclusions— This post hoc analysis in a highly selected sample of IST-3 supports the rationale of A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Activase (Alteplase) in Patients With Mild Stroke (PRISMS) trial—a randomized, phase IIIb study to evaluate IV r-tPA in mild ischemic stroke.
Role of Hypoxia in the Pathogenesis of Renal Disease

Despite a high overall oxygen supply, the tissue oxygen tensions in the kidney are comparatively low and render the kidneys prone to hypoxic injury. However, the role of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of different types of renal disease remains incompletely understood. The importance of hypoxic cell injury is most obvious in renal vascular disease, in which occlusion of the renal artery or one of its branches can induce tissue necrosis. In acute renal failure, circumstantial evidence suggests that hypoxic injury to the renal medulla plays a significant role. In addition, chronically impaired oxygenation may also be an important factor in the progression of chronic renal disease. Destruction of the glomerular capillaries leads to hypoperfusion of the peritubular interstitium. Moreover, in focal disease, a compensatory increase in perfusion of other glomeruli may increase flow and pressure in peritubular capillaries derived from their vasa efferentia which could be a cause of microvascular injury. The interstitial capillary density is reduced in chronic renal disease, and results of animal experiments suggest that this is due to an imbalance in the expression of pro- and antiangiogenic factors. Besides its essential role in energy generation, oxygen is increasingly recognized as an important regulator of cellular functions. Hypoxia induces specific genes through increased expression of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF). Different HIF isoforms have recently been shown to be inducible in glomerular, tubular, and interstitial cells of the kidney. While the majority of HIF-dependent genes confer protection against hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible gene expression has been suggested to contribute also to increased interstitial matrix deposition.