Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Living as a family in the midst of chronic illness.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to illuminate the meaning of lived experience of living as a family in the midst of chronic illness. BACKGROUND Chronic illness implies a change for both the individual and the family. In this changed situation, all family members seem to benefit from sharing experiences and receiving support. Current research highlights the individual patient's or family member's perspectives on chronic illness, but family systems nursing (FSN) studies are warranted. DESIGN A qualitative design with a FSN approach was chosen. METHOD Repeated qualitative narrative interviews with seven families living with chronic illness were performed. A phenomenological hermeneutic analysis, inspired by Ricoeur, was used to interpret the data. RESULTS The phenomenon can be described as an ongoing movement towards well-being. The results included two themes and five sub-themes. The first theme was 'Co-creating a context for living with illness' with the subthemes; 'learning to live with the expressions of illness' and 'communicating the illness within and outside the family'. The second theme was 'Co-creating alternative ways for everyday life' with the subthemes; 'adapting to a new life rhythm', 'altering relationships' and 'changing roles and tasks in the family'. CONCLUSIONS Living as a family in the midst of chronic illness can be described as an ongoing process where the family members co-create a context for living with illness. They also co-create a context for alternative ways of everyday life. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Knowledge about lived experience of living as a family in the midst of chronic illness can help nurses to adopt a FSN care perspective. This can increase the chances of taking advantage of the ways family members manage situations together, as well as highlight resources within the family.
Design and implementation of verification code identification based on anisotropic heat kernel

Many websites use verification codes to prevent users from using the machine automatically to register, login, malicious vote or irrigate but it brought great burden to the enterprises involved in internet marketing as entering the verification code manually. Improving the verification code security system needs the identification method as the corresponding testing system. We propose an anisotropic heat kernel equation group which can generate a heat source scale space during the kernel evolution based on infinite heat source axiom, design a multi-step anisotropic verification code identification algorithm which includes core procedure of building anisotropic heat kernel, settingwave energy information parameters, combing outverification codecharacters and corresponding peripheral procedure of gray scaling, binarizing, denoising, normalizing, segmenting and identifying, give out the detail criterion and parameter set. Actual test show the anisotropic heat kernel identification algorithm can be used on many kinds of verification code including text characters, mathematical, chinese, voice, 3D, programming, video, advertising, it has a higher rate of 25% and 50% than neural network and context matching algorithm separately for Yahoo site, 49% and 60% for Captcha site, 20% and 52% for Baidu site, 60% and 65% for 3DTakers site, 40% and 51% for MDP site.
Mediators of Inflammation and Their Interaction with Sleep

Abstract: In humans, activation of the primary host defense system leads to increased or decreased NREM sleep quality, depending on the degree of early immune activation. Modest elevations of certain inflammatory cytokines are found during experimental sleep loss in humans and, in addition, relatively small elevations of cytokines are seen following commencement of pharmacological treatments with clozapine, a CNS active antipsychotic agent, known to have immunomodulatory properties. Cytokines such as TNF‐α, its soluble receptors, and IL‐6, present in the periphery and the CNS, comprise a link between peripheral immune stimulation and CNS‐mediated behaviors and experiences such as sleep, sleepiness, and fatigue. The debilitating fatigue experienced in chronic fatigue syndrome and related diseases may also be related to altered cytokine profiles.
Comprehension of Referring Expressions in Chinese.

Studies of English have shown that reduced referential expressions (e.g. pronouns) contribute more to discourse coherence than do unreduced expressions (e.g. proper names). To test the generality of these findings, a series of reading-time studies was conducted to examine the processing of coreference in Chinese discourse. The results obtained for Chinese were similar to those obtained previously for English. Furthermore, comparisons of the comprehension of overt pronouns and zero pronouns (a phologically-null form not present in English) showed that the two types of reduced referring expressions contribute equally to discourse coherence for the kinds of passages studied in the experiments. A formal model of the structure and processing of reference in discourse, developed to handle co-reference phenomena in English, is shown to provide an account of these experimental results on the reading of Chinese.
Shape Analysis of an Adaptive Elastic Rod Model

We analyze the shape semiderivative of the solution to an asymptotic nonlinear adaptive elastic rod model, derived in Figueiredo and Trabucho [Math. Mech. Solids, 9 (2004), pp. 331--354], with respect to small perturbations of the cross section. The rod model is defined by generalized Bernoulli--Navier elastic equilibrium equations and an ordinary differential equation with respect to time. Taking advantage of the model's special structure and the regularity of its solution, we compute and completely identify, in an appropriate functional space involving time, the weak shape semiderivative.
The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in heart failure

Activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is increased in patients with heart failure, and its maladaptive mechanisms may lead to adverse effects such as cardiac remodelling and sympathetic activation. Elevated renin activity has been demonstrated in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. (Third-generation synthetic non-peptide renin inhibitors, with more favourable properties than earlier renin inhibitors, lower ambulatory blood pressure and may have a role to play in other cardiovascular disease.) Chymase, a protease inhibitor stored in mast cells that generates angiotensin II (Ang II) (in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE]), has been linked to extracellular matrix remodelling in heart failure. Again, chymase inhibitors have been developed to investigate its functions in vitro and in vivo. Bradykinin is thought to contribute to the cardioprotective effect of ACE inhibition through modification of nitric oxide release, calcium handling and collagen accumulation. Ang II is believed to influence a number of molecular and structural changes in the heart, mostly mediated through the AT1-receptor. The importance of the RAAS in heart failure is shown by the survival benefit conferred by treatment with ACE inhibitors.
Is sperm hyaluronic acid binding ability predictive for clinical success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection: PICSI vs. ICSI?

Abstract Although intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is now a widely-used technique, it is still of interest to improve our knowledge as to which is the best spermatozoon to be selected for ICSI. Infertile men have increased risks of producing aneuploid spermatozoa. Using hyaluronic acid (HA)-binding sperm selection may reduce the genetic risks such as chromosomal aberrations of offspring. In the present study we examined the clinical success of ICSI with HA-selected sperm (‘physiologic’ ICSI, PICSI) compared to conventional ICSI, as well as the necessity to differentiate patients according to the initial HA-binding assay result (HBA score) and whether the sperm concentration or HBA score can provide additional information. We observed a significantly higher fertilization rate (FR) of the PICSI group with >60% HBA, implantation rate (IR) of the PICSI group with ≤60% HBA, and clinical pregnanacy rate (CPR) in every PICSI group compared to the ICSI groups (p < 0.01). We also observed a significantly higher life birth rate (LBR) in the PICSI group with ≤60% HBA compared to ICSI patients with ≤60% HBA (p < 0.001). The pregnancy loss rate (PLR) was significanly lower in PICSI patients compared to the ICSI group (p < 0.0001). The FR, IR, CPR, and LBR of the PICSI group with <50% HBA were significantly higher and the PLR was lower than in the ICSI group with <50% HBA (p < 0.01). A statistically significant correlation was found between the sperm concentration and the HA-binding capacity (r = 0.62, p < 0.001). We found a closer relationship between HBA score and FR (r = 0.53, NS) than between sperm concentration and FR (r = 0.14, NS). HBA could be considered for sperm selection prior to ICSI because of its success and apparant ability to reduce genetic complications. However, this must be extended to a larger study.
On estimating local shape using contact sensing

Ž . In this paper we investigate an exploratory procedure EP for determining the local shape or curvature of objects with curved surfaces, using contact sensing by a Ž . dexterous robotic agent. The EP is based on rolling a probe a finger on the surface of Ž . an unknown object. Using the known geometry of the probe tip fingertip and the sensed displacement of contact point, we use kinematic equations for two rigid bodies in contact to estimate the curvature of the unknown object at a point. We demonstrate this approach with simulations and analyze its sensitivity to noise caused by sensing and measurement errors. This local information can then be used in the global object shape reconstruction algorithms. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
WiSal: Ubiquitous WiFi-Based Device-Free Passive Subarea Localization without Intensive Site-Survey

WiFi-based device-free passive localization is an emerging technique and holds great potentials to ubiquitous location-based service and security-critical applications. Recently, channel state information (CSI) can be expediently extracted from commercial WiFi NICs, which offers a chance for fine-grained and high-accuracy device-free passive localization. Current device-free passive localization systems either rely on deploying specialized systems with dense transmitter-receiver links with high economic cost or elaborating intensive training process with high labor cost. In this study, we explore the possibility of a ubiquitous WiFi-based device-free passive subarea localization(WiSal) via physical-layer channel response features without intensive site-survey based on a single link at the expense of some localization accuracy. The location of human can be estimated by leveraging K-Nearest Neighbor(KNN) algorithm based on signal change features of different subareas that are achieved by a hierarchical clustering algorithm. WiSal can greatly reduce the cost of site survey on manpower and time, and meet requirements of numerous applications. Extensive experiments illustrate that our scheme can achieve great performance in terms of localization accuracy under a single link.
Understanding Evacuee Behavior: A Case Study of Hurricane Irma

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma prompted one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history of over six million people. This mass movement of people, particularly in Florida, required considerable amounts of public resources and infrastructure to ensure the safety of all evacuees in both transportation and sheltering. Given the extent of the disaster and the evacuation, Hurricane Irma is an opportunity to add to the growing knowledge of evacuee behavior and the factors that influence a number of complex choices that individuals make before, during, and after a disaster. At the same time, emergency management agencies in Florida stand to gain considerable insight into their response strategies through a consolidation of effective practices and lessons learned. To explore these opportunities, we distributed an online survey (n = 645) across Florida with the help of local agencies through social media platforms, websites, and alert services. Areas impacted by Hurricane Irma were targeted for survey distribution. The survey also makes notable contributions by including questions related to reentry, a highly under-studied aspect of evacuations. To determine both evacuee and non-evacuee behavior, we analyze the survey data using descriptive statistics and discrete choice models. We conduct this analysis across a variety of critical evacuation choices including decisions related to evacuating or staying, departure timing, destination, evacuation shelter, transportation mode, route, and reentry timing.
A hybrid approach for selection in service community

Although there have been existing competitions among web service (WS) providers, they still have opportunities to cooperate together for common profits. WS community as a mean to provide an ontological organization of WSs that share the same domain of interest has realized this kind of fancy in the sense that providers can work together to compete against others outside the community. Service selection in WS community is different from the traditional service selection, since WS community should take into account its own benefits. Therefore, we propose a hybrid approach to make service selection in WS community. The approach considers the profits of both WS community and the services within it. The experimental evaluation shows that the approach has a great advantage over other approach without consideration of community's benefits.
Maintenance of multi-level association rules discovery in dynamic database under a change of support threshold

An association rule mining is often performed with a dynamic database and hierarchical items. The big problem of data mining process is a maintenance association rules while the database always changing. The purpose of this study is to extend the MLUp algorithm which can maintain a multilevel association rules discovery at the same minimum support threshold. In general, several mining tasks are required to deal with different support thresholds. MLUpCS can deal with a maintaining of mining multilevel association rules in dynamic databases under the different support threshold without re-mine a whole database. The result of MLUpCS algorithm experiment has shown how better performance than ML-T2 algorithm. The experimental results show the superior performance of MLUpCS when compared with ML-T2.
Circuit partitioning with size and connection constraints

The problem of partitioning a circuit into subcomponents with constraints on the size of each subcomponent and the number of external connections is examined. While this problem is shown to be NP-complete even for very restricted cases, a pseudo-polynomial dynamic programming algorithm is given for the case where the circuit has a tree structure.
Effective Planning

This paper discusses tools for the visualization of assignments. We will look into current methods of planning as well as features people are looking for in assignment planning software. Specifically, we will explore methods to calculate and encode assignment priorities. We will report the results of our surveys and user studies and discuss methods to resolve current issues with planning software and devices.
Immune reconstitution after anti-thymocyte globulin-conditioned hematopoietic cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND AIMS Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is being used increasingly to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD); however, its impact on immune reconstitution is relatively unknown. We (i) studied immune reconstitution after ATG-conditioned hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), (ii) determined the factors influencing the reconstitution, and (iii) compared it with non-ATG-conditioned HCT. METHODS Immune cell subset counts were determined at 1-24 months post-transplant in 125 HCT recipients who received ATG during conditioning. Subset counts were also determined in 46 non-ATG-conditioned patients (similarly treated). RESULTS (i) Reconstitution after ATG-conditioned HCT was fast for innate immune cells, intermediate for B cells and CD8 T cells, and very slow for CD4 T cells and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) (iNKT) cells. (ii) Faster reconstitution after ATG-conditioned HCT was associated with a higher number of cells of the same subset transferred with the graft in the case of memory B cells, naive CD4 T cells, naive CD8 T cells, iNKT cells and myeloid dendritic cells; lower recipient age in the case of naive CD4 T cells and naive CD8 T cells; cytomegalovirus recipient seropositivity in the case of memory/effector T cells; an absence of GvHD in the case of naive B cells; lower ATG serum levels in the case of most T-cell subsets, including iNKT cells; and higher ATG levels in the case of NK cells and B cells. (iii) Compared with non-ATG-conditioned HCT, reconstitution after ATG-conditioned HCT was slower for CD4 T cells, and faster for NK cells and B cells. CONCLUSIONS ATG worsens the reconstitution of CD4 T cells but improves the reconstitution of NK and B cells.
Characterization of Ke 6, a New 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase, and Its Expression in Gonadal Tissues*

The abnormal regulation of the Ke 6 gene has been linked to the development of recessive polycystic kidney disease in the mouse. In this report, we have shown that Ke 6 is a 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and can regulate the concentration of biologically active estrogens and androgens. The Ke 6 enzyme is preferentially an oxidative enzyme and inactivates estradiol, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone. However, the enzyme has some reductive activity and can synthesize estradiol from estrone. We find that the Ke 6 gene is expressed within the ovaries and testes. The presence of Ke 6 protein within the cumulus cells surrounding the oocyte places it in a strategic location to control the level of steroids to which the egg is exposed. Previously, it had been shown that glucocorticoids can induce renal cysts in the neonatal rodent, only when given at a narrow time window of postnatal kidney development. We propose that the reduction in the level of Ke 6 enzyme, which occurs in the cpk, jck, andpcy mice, may lead to abnormal elevations in local level of sex steroids, which either directly or indirectly via abnormal glucocorticoid metabolism result in recessive renal cystic disease, a developmental disorder of the kidney.
Prenatal diagnosis of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome by two- and three-dimensional ultrasonography

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is a genetic syndrome characterized by macroglossia, omphalocele, fetal gigantism and neonatal hypoglycemia. The authors report a case of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome diagnosed in a 32-year-old primigravida in whom two-dimensional ultrasonography revealed the presence of abdominal wall cyst, macroglossia and polycystic kidneys. Three-dimensional ultrasonography in rendering mode was of great importance to confirm the previous two-dimensional ultrasonography findings.
Escalation, Retreat, and Female Indifference as Alternative Outcomes of Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution

Verbal and quantitative genetic models of sexually antagonistic coevolution suggest that coevolutionary arms races should be common. Sexual selection favors exaggeration of male persistence traits that are costly to females, and females, in turn, are selected to resist these traits. The heightened resistance by females is thought to then favor further exaggeration in the male trait, leading to an escalating coevolutionary arms race between persistence and resistance traits. Much of this theory, however, is based on an (implicit) assumption that there are tight constraints on how female resistance can evolve. We develop a theory that identifies and relaxes these constraints, allowing female resistance to evolve in a fashion that better reflects known empirical patterns in the evolution of female preference functions (the resistance trait). Our results suggest that evolutionary arms races that lead to the exaggeration of persistence and resistance will be much less common than formerly predicted. Females sometimes evolve indifference to male traits rather than resistance and can even evolve to discriminate against these traits. These alternative outcomes depend on the existence of genetic variance in the components of the female sensory system underlying female resistance and on the strength of natural selection acting on these components. Female indifference tends to evolve when natural selection on the sensory system is weak, and under these conditions, sexually antagonistic coevolution tends not to reduce female fitness significantly at equilibrium. When natural selection on the female sensory system is strong, however, then arms races are more likely, and female fitness is then sometimes significantly depressed at equilibrium. Sexually antagonistic coevolution is thus likely to have strong deleterious effects on population fitness only when female sensory traits are under strong natural selection to perform functions in addition to those involved with mating. Together, these results suggest that identifying the nature of genetic variation in and the strength of natural selection on female resistance should be a central goal of future studies of sexual conflict.
Design and development of Delay Tolerant Network: A case study

Routing is an issue of great interest for opportunistic network called Delay Tolerant Network. The majority of routing schemes that have been proposed till now are broadly classified as flooding and forwarding strategies. All these are categorized on the basis of the important characteristic of any routing protocol i.e. message transmission capability. In this paper, author summarize work as case study in Bapurao Deshmukh College of Engineering, Sevagram for designing and developing Delay Tolerant Network: A Self Capable Network for routing message through the intermediate node devices to the destination. These devices are capable of routing original message of source node by using flooding technique to deliver ultimately to the targeted receiver of the original message. The hardware device which is designed is successfully mounted and demonstrated to study the working of delay tolerant network. The devices are capable of transmitting, receiving and storing messages.
Le réseau régional AnimalRisk : de la surveillance à la recherche dans l'Océan Indien

Pour repondre aux defis lances par les maladies emergentes dans l’Ocean Indien, les acteurs de la sante animale ont mis en place depuis debut 2009 le reseau AnimalRisk-OI. Ce reseau a pour objectif d’apporter un soutien technique et scientifique aux systemes de surveillance et de proposer des reponses pour une meilleure gestion des risques sanitaires dans la zone. Les partenaires sont les referents de l’OIE dans l’Ocean Indien, a savoir les services veterinaires ainsi que les structures de recherche impliquees en sante animale. Le reseau AnimalRisk-OI n’a pas pour vocation de se substituer aux systemes de surveillance existants, mais il est charge d’animer une reflexion autour des problematiques observees par des teleweb conferences bimensuelles, des reunions annuelles et des bulletins d’information trimestriels et de nourrir des actions de recherche qui visent a mieux comprendre l’epidemiologie de certaines maladies et donc de proposer des mesures de gestion adequates pour mieux les maitriser. Les premiers resultats de la surveillance et des investigations sur certaines maladies considerees prioritaires par les partenaires sont presentes ici. Les orientations envisagees, outre la poursuite de la synergie entre les actions de surveillance et de recherche, sont un rapprochement avec la sante humaine pour permettre une approche commune et harmonisee de l’appreciation et de la gestion des risques sanitaires dans l’Ocean Indien.