Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Acquisition in a System

Thomas, Christopher. PhD, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Wright State University, 2012. Knowledge Acquisition in a System. I present a method for growing the amount of knowledge available on the Web using a hermeneutic method that involves background knowledge, Information Extraction techniques and validation through discourse and use of the extracted information. I present the metaphor of the “Circle of Knowledge on the Web”. In this context, knowledge acquisition on the web is seen as analogous to the way scientific disciplines gradually increase the knowledge available in their field. Here, formal models of interest domains are created automatically or manually and then validated by implicit and explicit validation methods before the statements in the created models can be added to larger knowledge repositories, such as the Linked open Data cloud. This knowledge is then available for the next iteration of the knowledge acquisition cycle. I will both give a theoretical underpinning as well as practical methods for the acquisition of knowledge in collaborative systems. I will cover both the Knowledge Engineering angle as well as the Information Extraction angle of this problem. Unlike traditional approaches, however, this dissertation will show how Information Extraction can be incorporated into a mostly Knowledge Engineering based approach as well as how an Information Extraction-based approach can make use of engineered concept repositories. Validation is seen as an integral part of this systemic approach to knowledge acquisition. The centerpiece of the dissertation is a domain model extraction framework that implements the idea of the “Circle of Knowledge” to automatically create semantic models for domains of interest. It splits the involved Information Extraction tasks into that of Domain Definition, in which pertinent concepts are identified and categorized, and that of Domain Description, in which facts are extracted from free text that describe the extracted concepts. I then outline a social computing strategy for information validation in order to
Effects of stable and changing demand-control histories on worker health.

OBJECTIVES The present study examined effects of stability and change in exposure to job demands and job control (demand-control histories) in relation to the strain hypothesis of Karasek's demand-control model. METHODS The hypotheses [(i) high (low) levels of ill health were expected for workers exposed to stable 1 levels of high (low) job demands and low (high) job control; (ii) decreases (increases) in strain-related health outcomes were expected for workers with positive (negative) changes in job demands and job control; (iii) workers reporting major changes in job demands or control were expected to report more "objective" job changes] were tested with a group-by-time analysis of variance using data from a four-phase Dutch cohort study on musculoskeletal disorders, absenteeism, stress, and health. Associations between demand-control histories and job changes were tested in a log-linear analysis. RESULTS The hypotheses for the stable exposure groups were supported for depression and job satisfaction. Those for positive and negative changes were partially supported. There was no relation, however, between the level of stability or changes in exposure to demands and control for the registered duration and frequency of sickness absence. Finally, the results showed that workers reporting major changes in demand-control histories over time had more job changes, and those reporting job changes towards high strain jobs evaluated the changes as more distressful. CONCLUSIONS This longitudinal study supports the strain hypothesis of the demand-control model and shows a significant association between major changes in demand-control histories and job changes.
Novel STATCOM Controller for Mitigating SSR and Damping Power System Oscillations in a Series Compensated Wind Park

This paper addresses implementation issues associated with a novel damping control algorithm for a STATCOM in a series compensated wind park for mitigating SSR and damping power system oscillations. The IEEE first benchmark model on SSR is adopted with integrating aggregated self-excited induction generator-based wind turbine to perform the studies. The potential occurrence and mitigation of the SSR caused by induction generator effects as well as torsional interactions, in a series compensated wind park, are investigated. The auxiliary subsynchronous damping control loop for the STATCOM based on a novel design procedure of nonlinear optimization is developed to meet the damping torque in the range of critical torsional frequencies. The intelligent shaft monitor (ISM) scheme with synthesized special indicator signals is developed and examined in the STATCOM control structure. The performances of the controllers are tested in steady-state operation and in response to system contingencies, taking into account the impact of SCRs. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the capability of the controllers for mitigating the SSR, damping the power system oscillation, and enhancing the transient stability margin in response to different SCRs.
Controlled-Quantity Concept in Small-Signal Analysis of Switching Power Cells

The notion of a controlled quantity of a switching power cell leads to a set of six (characteristic) coefficients containing all the information on the small-signal, low-frequency behavior of any linearizable cell and defining a universal linear equivalent model of the cell. The result is a dramatic simplification of the small-signal analysis and systematization of the cells. As an illustration, three sets of characteristic coefficients of a boost cell are given: operating in heavy mode and with duty ratio, operating with maximum inductor current, and operating with the period of the switching frequency as the controlled quantity.
Cluster Approach of School Improvement : A Case of donor ( AusAID ) Funded Project in Gilgit-Baltistan-Pakistan By 1

The study aimed to explore the school improvement and teachers development activities in the public education sector in Cluster Two of Gilgit District in Gilgit-Baltistan funded by Australian Government (AusAid). The project is designed, proposed and led by Aga Khan Foundation, Pakistan and implemented through AKDN agencies with specific mandates of education, construction, inclusive education, community participation, research, risk and hazard assessment of schools. Cluster approach of school improvement was executed with a secondary school called Learning Resource School (LRS) and three primary schools as feeding schools. Qualitative research design was employed with case study approach. Document analysis, classroom observations and focused group interviews were used as methods of data collection in the study. The study exposed significant findings; however, the dominant finding of the study is teachers’ motivation play fundamental role in implementing school improvement and education reform successfully at school level. Teacher shifted their practices from teachers-centered to child-centered through curriculum enrichment and using resources in classroom teaching. The study also disclosed that in house professional development sessions, mentoring of teachers, lesson planning, reflection writing, scheme of work and resource development are crucial for quality education and enhanced students learning outcome in school. The research exhibited that continuous classroom observation, feedback session, and co-planning with teachers increased effectiveness of school improvement and teachers’ development initiatives. PDT’s positive attitude, support and pressured by the system increased the effective implementation of EDIP activities for school improvement and teachers’ development. The study demonstrated that school development planning is an important dimension of EDIP and it enabled teacher and head teachers to set target for the academic years and monitor the activities and progress with the passage of time. The study displayed that community participation is crucial for school improvement and increased students learning outcomes. Parents can play critical role in social, moral development children and providing hygienic food for children.
Addressing the burden of stroke caregivers: a literature review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To examine the empirical literature regarding the risk of burden experienced by the older adult caregiver of the stroke survivor. The scope of this review was limited to older adult family members caring for older adult stroke survivors as evidenced in the literature written between the years of 2009-2014. BACKGROUND This article will explore published research within the past five years (2009-2014) that addresses the issue of burden among older adult caregivers of stroke survivors in addition to the implication for the changes needed within the nursing profession to mitigating the burden experienced by the caregiver. Many stroke survivors are in their 6th decade of life or older, with caregivers approximately the same age. This literature review specifically focuses on the role of nursing and the issue of caregiver burden. DESIGN Literature Review. METHODS A review of the literature published between 2009-2014 related to the lived experience of caregivers of stroke survivors and the role of nursing related to mitigating caregiver burden. RESULTS Numerous factors impact the lived experience of caregivers providing care for the stroke survivor. Assuming the role of caregiver has an inherent risk which can result in health compromises for the caregiver. It is the responsibility of the nurse to assess, design interventions and provide education to prepare the caregiver for the demands of the role. CONCLUSIONS The literature review has shown that research regarding the risk of caregiver burden and the resulting health compromise is scarce. In addition, there is a lack of evidence-based nursing interventions aimed at assuaging the risk of caregiver burden. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Caregiver stress culminating in burden is commonly a reason for the eventual institutionalisation of the stroke survivor. Critically assessing and providing for the physical, psychosocial and educational support needs of stroke caregivers will assist in mitigating the daily burden experienced by the caregiver. Caregiver burden often results in psychological and physical health compromise for the caregiver. This literature review will address the role of the caregiver and the responsibilities of nursing to meet the needs of the caregiver.
Lectin‐Array Blotting

Aberrant protein glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune or neurodegenerative disorders. Unlocking the potential of glycans as disease markers will require rapid and unbiased glycoproteomics methods for glycan biomarker discovery. The present method is a facile and rapid protocol for qualitative analysis of protein glycosylation in complex biological mixtures. While traditional lectin arrays only provide an average signal for the glycans in the mixture, which is usually dominated by the most abundant proteins, our method provides individual lectin binding profiles for all proteins separated in the gel electrophoresis step. Proteins do not have to be excised from the gel for subsequent analysis via the lectin array but are transferred by contact diffusion from the gel to a glass slide presenting multiple copies of printed lectin arrays. Fluorescently marked glycoproteins are trapped by the printed lectins via specific carbohydrate‐lectin interactions and after a washing step their binding profile with up to 20 lectin probes is analyzed with a fluorescent scanner. The method produces the equivalent of 20 lectin blots in a single experiment, giving detailed insight into the binding epitopes present in the fractionated proteins. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stakeholder perspectives on new ways of delivering unscheduled health care: the role of ownership and organizational identity.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore stakeholder perspectives of the implementation of a new, national integrated nurse-led telephone advice and consultation service [National Health Service 24 (NHS 24)], comparing the views of stakeholders from different health care organizations. METHODS Semi-structured interviews with 26 stakeholders including partner organizations located in primary and secondary unscheduled care settings [general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours cooperative; accident and emergency department; national ambulance service, members of NHS 24 and national policy makers. Attendance at key meetings, documentary review and email implementation diaries provided a contextual history of events with which interview data could be compared. RESULTS The contextual history of events highlighted a fast-paced implementation process, with little time for reflection. Key areas of partner concern were increasing workload, the clinical safety of nurse triage and the lack of communication across the organizations. Concerns were most apparent within the GP out-of-hours cooperative, leading to calls for the dissolution of the partnership. Accident and emergency and ambulance service responses were more conciliatory, suggesting that such problems were to be expected within the developmental phase of a new organization. Further exploration of these responses highlighted the sense of ownership within the GP cooperative, with GPs having both financial and philosophical ownership of the cooperative. This was not apparent within the other two partner organizations, in particular the ambulance service, which operated on a regional model very similar to that of NHS 24. CONCLUSIONS As the delivery of unscheduled primary health care crosses professional boundaries and locations, different organizations and professional groups must develop new ways of partnership working, developing trust and confidence in each other. The results of this study highlight, for the first time, the key importance of understanding the professional ownership and identity of individual organizations, in order to facilitate the most effective mechanisms to enable that partnership working.
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Walking Program on Physical Function of Residents Living in an Assisted Living Facility

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a resident-led walking program at an assisted living facility (ALF). Seventeen women (mean age 80, range 62-99) agreed to participate in a "walking club. " Pre and post measurements included the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility Problems in Elderly Patients, the Functional Reach Test, and the Barthel Index to measure independence in activities of daily living (ADLs). Participants set their own goals for walking distance and frequency, with the assistance of the lead researcher if requested. Distances ranged from 75 ft to over 1 mile. At the end of the 9-week intervention, there was a significant increase in all of the pre-test measurements. In addition, post-test assessment included individual interviews with participants about their experiences with the physical activity program. Four positive themes about the walking program emerged: (a) as a pleasurable activity, (b) as a way to manage current health problems, (c) as a way to continue life-long activity, and (d) because of perceived physical and psychological benefits from the activity. The participants planned to continue the walking program. The results of this pilot study suggest that a walking program can be instituted in an assisted living facility with minimal staff effort and significant benefit to residents.
Gain-of-Function Enhancement of IP3 Receptor Modal Gating by Familial Alzheimer’s Disease–Linked Presenilin Mutants in Human Cells and Mouse Neurons

By altering IP3 receptor gating, presenilin mutations associated with familial Alzheimer’s disease increase Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Opening the Calcium Floodgates? Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the most common cause of dementia, is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects some 5 million Americans. Although most cases of AD are sporadic, an early-onset form of familial AD (FAD) has been linked to mutations in the presenilins (PSs), transmembrane proteins localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Cheung et al. investigated the effects of wild-type and mutant forms of PS on inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)–mediated Ca2+ release from the ER in various different cellular systems, including human lymphoblasts derived from individuals with FAD and cortical neurons from a mouse model of FAD. They found that FAD-linked PS mutants enhanced Ca2+ release by modulating IP3R channel gating through a gain-of-function mechanism, consistent with the autosomal-dominant inheritance of FAD. FAD-linked PS mutants, but not PS mutants associated with another form of dementia, shifted IP3R channel gating to a mode in which the probability that individual channels were open after stimulation was increased, leading to exaggerated Ca2+ signals. Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) is caused by mutations in amyloid precursor protein or presenilins (PS1 and PS2). Many FAD-linked PS mutations affect intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis by mechanisms proximal to and independent of amyloid production, although the molecular details are controversial. We found that several FAD-causing PS mutants enhance gating of the inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) Ca2+ release channel by a gain-of-function effect that mirrored the genetics of FAD and was independent of secretase activity. In contrast, wild-type PS or PS mutants that cause frontotemporal dementia had no such effect. FAD-causing PS mutants altered the modes in which the IP3R channel gated. Recordings of endogenous IP3R in lymphoblasts derived from individuals with FAD or cortical neurons of asymptomatic PS1-AD mice revealed that they were more likely than IP3R in cells with wild-type PS to dwell in a high open-probability burst mode, resulting in enhanced Ca2+ signaling. These results indicate that exaggerated Ca2+ signaling through IP3R-PS interaction is a disease-specific and robust proximal mechanism in FAD.
Enhanced Protection against Malaria by a Chimeric Merozoite Surface Protein Vaccine

ABSTRACT The 42-kDa processed fragment of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-142) is a prime candidate for a blood-stage malaria vaccine. Merozoite surface protein 8 contains two C-terminal epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains that may function similarly to those of MSP-142. Immunization with either MSP-1 or MSP-8 induces protection that is mediated primarily by antibodies against conformation-dependent epitopes. In a series of comparative immunogenicity and efficacy studies using the Plasmodium yoelii rodent model, we tested the ability of recombinant P. yoelii MSP-8 (rPyMSP-8) to complement rPyMSP-1-based vaccines. Unlike MSP-1, PyMSP-8-dependent protection required immunization with the full-length protein and was not induced with recombinant antigens that contained only the C-terminal EGF-like domains. Unlike PyMSP-8, the immunogenicity of the PyMSP-1 EGF-like domains was low when present as part of the rPyMSP-142 antigen. Immunization with a mixture of rPyMSP-142 and rPyMSP-8 further inhibited the antibody response to protective epitopes of rPyMSP-142 and did not improve vaccine efficacy. To improve PyMSP-1 immunogenicity, we produced a chimeric antigen containing the EGF-like domains of PyMSP-1 fused to the N terminus of PyMSP-8. Immunization with the chimeric rPyMSP-1/8 antigen induced high and comparable antibody responses against the EGF-like domains of both PyMSP-1 and PyMSP-8. This enhanced MSP-1-specific antibody response and the concurrent targeting of MSP-1 and MSP-8 resulted in improved, nearly complete protection against lethal P. yoelii 17XL malaria. Unexpectedly, immunization with rPyMSP-1/8 failed to protect against challenge infection with reticulocyte-restricted P. yoelii 17X parasites. Overall, these data establish an effective strategy to improve the efficacy of P. falciparum MSP-based vaccines.
New frontiers in competition for pollination.

BACKGROUND Co-flowering plant species frequently share pollinators. Pollinator sharing is often detrimental to one or more of these species, leading to competition for pollination. Perhaps because it offers an intriguing juxtaposition of ecological opposites - mutualism and competition - within one relatively tractable system, competition for pollination has captured the interest of ecologists for over a century. SCOPE Our intent is to contemplate exciting areas for further work on competition for pollination, rather than to exhaustively review past studies. After a brief historical summary, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates many aspects of competition for pollination, involving both the quantity and quality of pollination services, and both female and male sex functions of flowers. Using this framework, we contemplate a relatively subtle mechanism of competition involving pollen loss, and consider how competition might affect plant mating systems, overall reproductive success and multi-species interactions. We next consider how competition for pollination might be altered by several emerging consequences of a changing planet, including the spread of alien species, climate change and pollinator declines. Most of these topics represent new frontiers whose exploration has just begun. CONCLUSIONS Competition for pollination has served as a model for the integration of ecological and evolutionary perspectives in the study of species interactions. Its study has elucidated both obvious and more subtle mechanisms, and has documented a range of outcomes. However, the potential for this interaction to inform our understanding of both pure and applied aspects of pollination biology has only begun to be realized.
A Novel Adjuvant for Mucosal Immunity to HIV-1 gp120 in Nonhuman Primates1

The development of a safe and effective mucosal adjuvant is a crucial step toward a mucosal HIV/AIDS vaccine. This study seeks to determine the promise of a nontoxic mutant of cholera toxin (mCT; E112K) as a mucosal adjuvant in nonhuman primates. HIV-1 gp120 was nasally administered together with mCT E112K or native CT (nCT) as adjuvant on five to six occasions over a 6- to 8-wk period to groups of four rhesus macaques and alone to two monkeys that acted as controls. Macaques given nasal gp120 with either mCT E112K or nCT showed elevated gp120-specific IgG and IgA Ab responses with virus-neutralizing activity in both their plasma and mucosal external secretions, as well as higher numbers of gp120-specific IgA Ab-forming cells in their mucosal and peripheral lymphoid tissues and of IL-4-producing Th2-type CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells than did controls. Even though significant mucosal adjuvanticity was seen with both mCT E112K and nCT, neuronal damage was observed only in the nCT-treated, but not in the control or mCT E112K-treated groups. These results clearly show that mCT E112K is an effective and safe mucosal adjuvant for the development of a nasal HIV/AIDS vaccine.