Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Building an Understanding of International Service Learning in Librarianship

From the very beginning, library education has been a mixture of theory and practice. Dewey required apprenticeships to be part of the first library school at the University of Chicago as a method to indoctrinate new professional. Today, acculturation is incorporated into the professional education through a large variety of experiential learning techniques, including internships, practicum, field work, and service learning projects, all of which are designed to develop some level of professional skills within an information organization. But, what is done for understanding library culture? It is said that one cannot truly recognize the extent of one's own cultural assumptions, until they have experienced another. This study followed a group of LIS graduate students that took that next step – going to Russia. By employing a critical hermeneutic methodology, this study sought to understand what value students gain by from working on an assessment project in an international school library. Using a horizon analysis, the researcher established the worldview of participants prior to their departure, analyzed their experience through post-experience interviews, and constructed an understanding of value. Among other concepts, the researcher looked specifically to see whether "library cultural competency", understanding library culture in global context, was developed through working on a service learning project within an international school library. This dissertation provides feedback for the program leaders and ideas for future research.
Efficacy of venlafaxine in the treatment of severe depression

Although the efficacy of available antidepressants has been well established in the treatment of mild to moderate depression, clinical research literature on severe depression is more limited, due to lack of a standardized definition for the condition and the resulting inconsistent data. Given the heterogeneous nature of severe depression, reports suggesting noradrenergic as well as serotonergic system involvement in depressive disorders, and the substantive capability of both clomipramine and TCA‐SSRI combination to treat severe depression, investigation of dual‐action antidepressant agent efficacy in the treatment of severe depression is warranted. The merit of one such combined‐action agent, venlafaxine, is reviewed. Efficacy findings from the limited number of comparative clinical trials conducted in the severely depressed patient population suggest that, while venlafaxine has been evaluated in a broad range of depressed patients, this compound may be particularly effective for the severely ill. Pharmacological features of venlafaxine, which may benefit the patient with severe depression, include the possibility of a rapid onset of action and a dose‐response curve. Based upon studies comparing venlafaxine with both placebo and other first‐line antidepressants, it is concluded that venlafaxine is safe, tolerable, and effective for the treatment of severe depression. Depression and Anxiety, Volume 12, Supplement 1:50–54, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SpsA, a novel pneumococcal surface protein with specific binding to secretory Immunoglobulin A and secretory component

The interaction of pathogenic bacteria with host serum and matrix proteins is a common strategy to enhance their virulence. Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the human upper respiratory tract in healthy individuals and is also able to cause invasive diseases. Here, we describe a novel pneumococcal surface protein, SpsA, capable of binding specifically to human secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA). The dissociation constant of SIgA binding to SpsA was 9.3 × 10−9 M. Free secretory component (SC) also binds to S. pneumoniae, whereas serum IgA does not, suggesting that pneumococcal binding to SIgA is mediated by the SC. To our knowledge, this is the first defined interaction of SC with a prokaryotic protein. The spsA gene encodes a polypeptide of 523 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 59 151 Da. The SIgA‐ or SC‐binding domain is located in the N‐terminal part of SpsA and exhibits no significant homology to any other proteins. The purified SIgA‐binding domain of SpsA could completely inhibit the binding of SIgA to pneumococci. SpsA was expressed by 73% of the tested S. pneumoniae isolates and was substantially conserved between different serotypes. The interaction between S. pneumoniae and SC via SpsA represents a novel biological interaction that might increase virulence by the impairment of bacterial clearance.
Occupational activity and osteoarthritis of the knee.

OBJECTIVES--To test the hypothesis that specific occupational physical activities are risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS--A population-based case-control study of knee osteoarthritis was carried out in which 109 men and women with painful, radiographically confirmed knee OA were compared with 218 age and sex matched controls who had not suffered knee pain and had normal radiographs. Information collected included a lifetime occupational history and details of specific workplace physical activities. RESULTS--After adjustment for obesity and Heberden's nodes, the risk of knee OA was significantly elevated in subjects whose main job entailed more than 30 minutes per day squatting (OR 6.9, 95% CI 1.8-26.4) or kneeling (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.3-9.1), or climbing more than ten flights of stairs per day (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-6.1). The increase in risk associated with kneeling or squatting appeared to be more marked in subjects whose jobs entailed heavy lifting, but the size of the study did not permit precise delineation of any such interaction. CONCLUSIONS--These data suggest that prolonged or repeated knee bending is a risk factor for knee OA, and that risk may be higher in jobs which entail both knee bending and mechanical loading.
Stock trading rules using genetic network programming with actor-critic

Genetic network programming (GNP) is an evolutionary computation which represents its solutions using graph structures. Since GNP can create quite compact programs and has an implicit memory function, it has been clarified that GNP works well especially in dynamic environments. In this paper, GNP is applied to creating a stock trading model. The first important point is to combine GNP with Actor-Critic which is one of the reinforcement learning algorithms. Evolution-based methods evolve their programs after task execution because they must calculate fitness values, while reinforcement learning can change programs during task execution, therefore the programs can be created efficiently. The second important point is that GNP with Actor-Critic (GNP-AC) can select appropriate technical indexes to judge the buying and selling timing of stocks using Importance Index especially designed for stock trading decision making. In the simulations, the trading model is trained using the stock prices of 20 brands in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Then the generalization ability is tested using the stock prices in 2004. From the simulation results, it is clarified that the trading rules of GNP-AC obtain higher profits than Buy&Hold method.
The evolution of income inequality and relative poverty in Italy: 1987-2010

In this report we study the evolution of poverty and inequality in Italy in the period 1987‐2010. Our data are from the Bank of Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth and we use price indexes that allow both the dynamics and the levels of real incomes to differ (the reference year is 2009). We construct relative poverty and inequality indexes using equivalent real incomes obtained by applying an equivalence scale widely used in the literature (square root of the number of household members). While we do not intend to be innovative in the measurement of poverty or inequality, our aim is to depict a complete picture of the evolution of poverty and inequality with a particular attention to their determinants. By using decomposable inequality and poverty indexes we look at five decompositions: by gender, geographical areas (North West, North East, Centre and South), class age (less than 30, between 30 and 40, 40 and 50, 50 and 60 and over 60), education (compulsory school or less, upper secondary and tertiary education) and employment condition (employee, self‐employed and unemployed). Given the definition of non‐overlapping groups, when looking at inequality we examine, the relative weights of the “within” and of the “between” components, while ‐when looking at poverty‐ we analyse the so called “poverty risk”. These exercises allow us to understand (i) if inequality originates mostly from within each group or if it mainly depends on the difference between groups and (ii) how each group influences overall poverty (measured by the headcount ratio and by the average squared normalised poverty gap). Finally we consider some counterfactual exercises in order to find out the effects of changes in groups’ demographic composition, in subgroups’ mean incomes (only for inequality) and in the subgroups’ specific inequality or poverty indexes. The results show that the most interesting decompositions are by geographical areas, by educational attainment and by age.
Oxide dual-layer memory element for scalable non-volatile cross-point memory technology

We report a dual oxide layer as the active memory element of a scalable nonvolatile cross-point memory technology. The resistance change memory element is formed by a conductive metal oxide adjacent to an oxide tunnel barrier. Varying the as-deposited tunnel barrier thickness allows for control of the nominal current density and is targeted to meet the cell requirements for an ultra high density cross-point architecture. Excellent scaling of program and erase currents with electrode area and a continuous transition between program and erase state indicate that a uniform rather than a filamentary switching mechanism controls the device current both in the high and the low resistive state. A prior forming step is not required. The observed resistance change is caused by the exchange of oxygen ions between the conductive metal oxide and the tunnel oxide. Ion motion at room temperature is enabled by an exponential increase of the ion mobility under high electric fields during program and erase operations. The resistive switching effect of the device is explained by a change in the tunneling current due to an increase or decrease in effective tunnel barrier height. The barrier height varies due to changes in charge within the barrier as a result of oxygen ions moving in to or out of the tunnel barrier.
Universal prophylaxis, targeted prophylaxis, and/or preemptive therapy for opportunistic infections at the time of initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy for patients with advanced HIV Infection.

To the Editor—Despite expanded recommendations for the screening of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection , many HIV-infected patients are still not diagnosed until their CD4 cell counts are critically low [1–3]. This unfortunate scenario occurs even more commonly in developing regions of the world than in industrialized countries [4]. Patients with advanced HIV infection often harbor opportunistic pathogens, although these infections may be subclinical or latent at presentation. After the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), such patients are paradoxically at substantial risk of immune reconstitu-tion inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), which exposes smoldering infections with sometimes serious (even life-threatening) consequences [5–15]. Similar concerns apply to treated or noncompliant patients experiencing viral rebound and immu-nologic failure when an effective regimen is reestablished [16]. Should comprehensive prophylaxis for opportunistic infections appropriate to the patient's CD4 cell count be initiated routinely and concurrently along with HAART? Published guidelines provide little formulaic instruction about which strategies to use [17–19]. A blanket one-size-fits-all approach would require that patients with a CD4 cell count of ! 50 cells/ mL start an onerous number of medications nearly simultaneously, which might lead to drug interactions, toxicities, and inconvenience. The steep price to be paid may be suboptimal adherence to the an-tiretroviral regimen. Alternatively, is there a role for targeted prophylaxis or pre-emptive therapy based on risk stratifica-tion derived from the clinical history, physical examination, and selective use of laboratory testing? IRIS is predominantly a delayed reaction to endogenous pathogens acquired sometime in the past, and only complicates new infections encountered by ser-endipity during the short-lived window of vulnerability once efficacious antiretrovi-ral therapy has been initiated. The burden, distribution, and replicative state of an organism during the early period of HAART define a continuum of risk for IRIS. In this light, the semantic distinction between prophylaxis and therapy may often be more apparent than real in practice. Treatment for latent tuberculosis is now accepted as preferable terminology to che-moprophylaxis. Despite common usage, secondary prophylaxis for herpes simplex virus or Pneumocystis infection largely represents suppressive therapy. Especially with mycobacterial infections, the pathogen load also contributes to the probability of developing resistance when prophylac-tic doses of a single agent, rather than full therapeutic regimens, are administered. IRIS theoretically could be circumvented or diminished by the judicious use of antimicrobial and immunomodulary drugs, and occasionally even by cancer chemotherapy or by the use of anticoag-ulant medication. For example, aggressive management of opportunistic infections …
Clinical Approach to Chronic Gastrointestinal Ischaemia: From 'Intestinal Angina' to the Spectrum of Chronic Splanchnic Disease

Stenotic disorders of the splanchnic arteries are not rare, and it is generally assumed that symptoms are rare in patients with a single splanchnic stenosis, and even in patients with multiple-vessel stenoses. Currently, only gastric exercise tonometry aids the diagnostic evaluation, as it indicates actual ischaemia. Patients with stenotic disorders without complaints are referred to as having chronic splanchnic disease (CSD) and those with ischaemic complaints as having chronic splanchnic syndrome (CSS). The classical presentation of CSS, including the triad postprandial pain, weight loss and upper abdominal bruit, is also known as 'intestinal angina'. From the experience of our multidisciplinary working team on gastrointestinal ischaemia in 110 patients with stenoses of at least one splanchnic artery, two different clinical patterns were observed. In our series approximately 60% of patients with single-vessel stenoses, including the coeliac artery compression syndrome, have CSS. They have fewer complications, very low mortality, but most can be successfully treated by stenting or surgical treatment. Patients with multivessel splanchnic stenoses have more classical ischaemic complaints. Progression to a bowel infarction was seen in 34%, and mortality was 21%, mostly from bowel or myocardial infarction. Treatment should be tailored based upon perioperative risk assessment and local vascular anatomy. This may consist of autologous arterial bypass of one or two vessels, preferably antegrade, stenting or a combination of both. This differentiation between single- and multivessel splanchnic disease has considerable consequences for optimal work-up and treatment.
Involvement of valosin‐containing protein (VCP)/p97 in the formation and clearance of abnormal protein aggregates

Abnormal protein aggregates are commonly observed in affected neurons in many neurodegenerative disorders. We have reported that valosin‐containing protein (VCP) co‐localizes with protein aggregates in patients’ neurons and in cultured cells expressing diseased proteins. However, the significance of such co‐localization remains elucidated. Here we report the involvement of VCP in the re‐solubilization process of abnormal protein aggregates. VCP recognized and accumulated onto pre‐formed protein aggregates created by proteasome inhibition. VCP knockdown or the expression of dominant‐negative VCP both significantly delayed the elimination of ubiquitin‐positive aggregates. VCP was involved in the clearance of pre‐formed polyglutamine aggregates as well. Paradoxically, VCP knockdown also diminished polyglutamine aggregate formation. Furthermore, its ATPase activity was required for the re‐solubilization and re‐activation of heat‐denatured proteins, such as luciferase, from insoluble aggregates. We thus propose that VCP functions as a mediator for both aggregate formation and clearance depending upon the concentration of soluble aggregate‐prone proteins, indicating dual VCP functions as an aggregate formase and an unfoldase.
Extensive co‐localization and heteromultimer formation of the vanilloid receptor‐like protein TRPV2 and the capsaicin receptor TRPV1 in the adult rat cerebral cortex

The capsaicin receptor TRPV1, a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of calcium‐selective ion channels, responds to noxious stimuli and is predominantly expressed in nociceptive neurons. The homologous receptor TRPV2 shows wide tissue distribution including some sensory neurons, where it is proposed to function as a heat sensor or a growth‐factor‐activated channel. Members of the TRP family of channels have been shown to interact, resulting in hybrid channels with new properties. We examined the possibility of multimer formation between TRPV1 and TRPV2, using biochemical techniques. We present evidence that TRPV1 and TRPV2 can heteromultimerize efficiently in vitro. By using immunohistochemistry we detected co‐localization of the two receptors in rat dorsal root ganglia. TRPC4 transcripts are also detected in capsaicin‐sensitive dorsal root ganglia neurons. We extended the search for TRPV1–TRPV2 co‐localization in the brain, where we detected extensive co‐expression of the two receptors in the IV, V and VI layer neurons of the adult rat cerebral cortex. Co‐immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed the interaction of the two receptors in vivo, indicating heteromultimer formation in native tissue. Formation of heteromultimers between vanilloid receptors may increase the functional diversity of this receptor family.
Seasonal Changes of Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase and Endogenous Ion Current during Cambial Growth in Poplar Plants1

The plasma membrane H+-ATPase (PM H+-ATPase), potassium ions, and endogenous ion currents might play a fundamental role in the physiology of cambial growth. Seasonal changes of these parameters were studied in twigs ofPopulus nigra and Populus trichocarpa. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against the PM H+-ATPase, x-ray analysis for K+ localization and a vibrating electrode for measurement of endogenous ion currents were used as probes. In dormant plants during autumn and winter, only a slight immunoreactivity against the PM H+-ATPase was found in cross sections and tissue homogenates, K+ was distributed evenly, and the density of endogenous current was low. In spring during cambial growth, strong immunoreactivity against a PM H+-ATPase was observed in cambial cells and expanding xylem cells using the monoclonal antibody 46 E5 B11 F6 for fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. At the same time, K+ accumulated in cells of the cambial region, and strong endogenous current was measured in the cambial and immature xylem zone. Addition of auxin to dormant twigs induced the formation of this PM H+-ATPase in the dormant cambial region within a few days and an increase in density of endogenous current in shoot cuttings within a few hours. The increase in PM H+-ATPase abundance and in current density by auxin indicates that auxin mediates a rise in number and activity of an H+-ATPase in the plasma membrane of cambial cells and their derivatives. This PM H+-ATPase generates the necessary H+-gradient (proton-motive force) for the uptake of K+ and nutrients into cambial and expanding xylem cells.
Distributed software development projects: work breakdown approaches to overcome key coordination challenges

Software Development projects face challenges even when the team is co-located. With distributed teams, these challenges are greater and the teams face numerous other challenges. The overall impact is an increase in the project risks. Consequently, the practice of project management faces multiple challenges too. Many research studies on distributed teams have discussed a number of these challenges and we have certainly observed many of them in practice. Researchers have identified that coordination related issues are among the key set of challenges faced by the distributed teams. In this paper, we present an analysis of the coordination challenges mainly from the perspective of the Flow Dependency. This is a type of coordination where an activity produces an output that serves as an input to another activity. The core aspect of our research centers on using effective work breakdown techniques. In addition, we also explore the use of suitable project management and collaboration tools as coordination aids. Based on the findings from our research, we propose a composite set of solutions to help software projects with team members distributed across locations. The expectation is that these solutions will assist the team in managing some of the challenges associated with distributed development. We also present case studies of some of our observations and experiences from the actual deployment of some of these solutions. The key benefits were streamlining of coordination among the distributed team members, reduction in the overall collaboration effort and reduction in project risks.
Prospective collection of tissue samples at autopsy in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Brain tissue obtained at autopsy has been used in research for non‐oncologic disorders. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this tool has never been systematically used in large investigational studies for cancer. A prospective, multicenter study was conducted to assess the feasibility of tissue collection at autopsy and its suitability for molecular analyses in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
The Effects of Morphemes on Korean Word Recognition: Revealed on the Frequency and Length Effects

The effects of two important lexical variables, word frequency and word length, are investigated for Korean word recognition. The processing of Korean words did not show similar effects as one of many other orthographies. First, a subtype of Korean orthography showed no word frequency effects. Second, one syllable words are processed more slowly than two syllable words. The possible confounding variable, the effect of morphemes, was suggested.