Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Questioning the measurement precision of psychotherapy research

Abstract Recent developments in psychometric theory have important implications for the development and validation of the instruments used in psychotherapy research. This article illustrates how the advances in latent trait and item response theory (IRT) have distinct advantages over classical test theory. The basic assumptions of IRT (unidimensionality, local independence, and monotonicity) and the concepts common to all four of the basic IRT models (item characteristic curve, item information function, and test information function) are reviewed. IRT methods are illustrated using responses to a psychotherapy outcome instrument from a large data set of a commercial health plan.
Employee Motivation and Its Impact on Productivity in the Case of National Alcohol and Liquor Factory (NALF)

The topic of the study is entitled as “motivation of employees and its impact on productivity in case of National Alcohol and Liquor Factory (NALF) head office which is found in Lideta cub city around Mexico square. There are two variables in the research. These are dependent variable / i.e. productivity/ and the independent variable (i.e. motivation). The main aim of the study is to know the impacts of motivation on productivity in NALF head office and to recommend possible suggestions to the concerned body of the company. For that purpose the relevant information were collected from both primary and secondary source. In NALF there are 268 permanent employees and from this population 6o employees were participated as a sample size using simple random sampling. In order to collect relevant data from the sample population questionnaire was used. To analyze the data descriptive method such as percentage (%) was employed.
Inhibitory effects of polyethers on human immunodeficiency virus replication

We examined the inhibitory activities of 10 polyether antibiotics on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. These compounds caused concentration-dependent inhibition of HIV replication in primary infected cultures of human T-lymphoblastoid H9 cells. The ratio of 50% effective concentrations for cellular cytotoxicity (MTT assay) to antiviral activity (reverse transcriptase assay) was over 5. Anti-HIV activity was also observed in cultures of monocytic lineage U937 cells chronically infected with HIV.
Exploring critical thinking in critical care nursing education: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Critical care nurses process vast amounts of information and require well developed critical-thinking skills to make clinical decisions. METHOD Using a pretest posttest design, the critical-thinking skills of 31 postgraduate nurses were evaluated using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). RESULTS For the total group, mean critical-thinking scores improved slightly over time. The CCTST revealed a mean pretest score of 18.5 and a mean posttest score of 19.7, both of which were higher than the established norms for the test. Overall, no significant difference was observed between pretest and posttest. However, statistical significance was observed posttest for nurses whose critical-thinking scores improved (p < .000). CONCLUSION Despite the small sample, the majority of the postgraduate nurses improved their critical-thinking skills during the course of their study.
Effect of Tissue Shipping on Plasma Cell Isolation, Viability, and RNA Integrity in the Context of a Centralized Good Laboratory Practice–Certified Tissue Banking Facility

The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium has established a tissue bank for the deposition of bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma to be mailed and processed under good laboratory practices. To date, over 1,000 samples have been collected. At this time, limited information is available on shipped bone marrow aspirates in regards to cell viability, yield, purity, and subsequent RNA yield and quality. To test these determinants, we did a pilot study on behalf of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium where samples were drawn at Mayo Clinic Rochester (MCR) pooled and split into two equal aliquots. One-half of each sample was processed following good laboratory practices compliant standard operating procedures, immediately after sample procurement, at MCR. The CD138+ cells were stored at -80°C as a Trizol lysate. The other half of the aspirate was sent overnight to Mayo Clinic Scottsdale where they were processed using identical standard operating procedures. The RNA was extracted and analyzed in a single batch at MCR. At both locations, samples were assayed for the following quality determinants: Viability was assessed using a three-color flow cytometric method (CD45, CD38, and 7-AAD). Cell counts were done to determine plasma cell recovery and post-sort purity determined by means of a slide-based immunofluorescent assay. RNA recovery and integrity was assessed using the Agilent Bioanalyzer. Lastly, gene expression profiles were compared to determine the signature emanating from the shipment of samples. Despite minor differences, our results suggest that shipment of samples did not significantly affect these quality determinants in aggregate. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(3):666–73)
Dietary fat intake and subsequent weight change in adults : results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohorts 1 – 3

Background: It is unclear from the inconsistent epidemiologic evidence whether dietary fat intake is associated with future weight change. Objective: The objective was to assess the association between the amount and type of dietary fat and subsequent weight change (follow-up weight minus baseline weight divided by duration of followup). Design: We analyzed data from 89,432 men and women from 6 cohorts of the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) study. Using country-specific food-frequency questionnaires, we examined the association between baseline fat intake (amount and type of total, saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats) and annual weight change by using the residual, nutrient density, and energy-partition methods. We used randomeffects meta-analyses to obtain pooled estimates across centers. Results: Mean total fat intake as a percentage of energy intake ranged between 31.5% and 36.5% across the 6 cohorts (58% women; mean 6 SD age: 53.2 6 8.6 y). The mean (6SD) annual weight change was 109 6 817 g/y in men and 119 6 823 g/y in women. In pooled analyses adjusted for anthropometric, dietary, and lifestyle factors and follow-up period, no significant association was observed between fat intake (amount or type) and weight change. The difference in mean annual weight change was 0.90 g/y (95% CI: 20.54, 2.34 g/y) for men and 21.30 g/y (95% CI: 23.70, 1.11 g/y) for women per 1 g/d energy-adjusted fat intake (residual method). Conclusions: We found no significant association between the amount or type of dietary fat and subsequent weight change in this large prospective study. These findings do not support the use of low-fat diets to prevent weight gain. Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10. 3945/ajcn.2009. 27828.
A conserved role for calpains during myoblast fusion

Myoblast fusion is a key step during skeletal muscle differentiation as it enables the formation of contractile fibers. Calpains have been implicated in some aspects of myogenesis in mammals, but whether they exert a conserved function during myoblast fusion has not been investigated. Here, we studied Calpain function in two models of myogenesis: in vitro analysis of chick myogenic cultures and in vivo analysis of Drosophila melanogaster muscle development. First we showed that Calpain A is important for fly muscle function. In addition, Calpain A knockdown reduced lateral body wall muscle length and width, as well as the number of nuclei in dorsal oblique muscles, consistent with fewer cells fusing to form fibers. Treatment of chick cultures with a selective Calpain inhibitor led to the formation of thinner myotubes containing a reduced number of nuclei, consistent with decreased myoblast fusion. Dynamic changes in IκBα labeling and transfection with a dominant‐negative IκBα suggest a role for the NFκB pathway during chick myogenesis and a possible role of Calpains in attenuating NFκB signals that restrict myoblast fusion. Our data suggest that different model organisms may be used to study the role of Calpains in regular myogenesis and Calpain‐related muscular degenerative disorders. genesis 53:417–430, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Frequency analysis of wireless accelerometer and EMG sensors data: Towards discrimination of normal and asymmetric walking pattern

This preliminary study reports on the combined use of wireless accelerometers and wireless EMG sensors for monitoring walking patterns. The sensor data was analyzed in frequency domain through FFT, PSD and time-frequency spectrogram analysis. Accelerometer spectra was found to shift towards lower frequencies (<;3 Hz) while EMG spectra of selected muscles shifted towards higher frequencies (>;50 Hz) during asymmetric walking. Median frequency was used to quantify the spectral shifts. The combined wireless accelerometer/EMG system showed potential for discrimination between the normal and asymmetric walking.
Design Aspects of a Compact Dual Band Feed Using Dielectric Rod Antennas With Multiple Element Monopulse Tracking

Monopulse tracking using multiple horns is an attractive and low-cost option for a ground station feed. In this paper, a compact design of this type of feed operating in dual band is discussed. This design uses dielectric rod elements as radiators. Four elements in 2 × 2 array configuration operate for downlink reception and tracking application. One single element with high gain at the center of the array operates for uplink using high power. This allows some design flexibility with respect to independence in configuring the two chains and also provides some inbuilt isolation between them. However, there are issues in this configuration with respect to the mutual coupling between the elements. These are addressed in detail and an optimum design with measured results of a tracking feed operating in 3.4 to 4.2 GHz for downlink and 6.3 to 6.8 GHz for uplink for an 11-m diameter dual shaped Cassegrain antenna is presented here.
Cross-Border Loss Offset and Formulary Apportionment: How Do They Affect Multijurisdictional Firm Investment Spending and Interjurisdictional Tax Competition?

Motivated by the EU Commission's suggested company tax reforms, this paper investigates how cross-border loss offset and formulary apportionment of a consolidated tax base affect the investment and transfer pricing behaviour of a multijurisdictional firm, and how they affect the behaviour of governments potentially engaged in tax competition. The paper shows that cross-border loss offset mitigates both the reactions of a multijurisdictional firm to tax changes and the amount of tax competition engaged in by governments. However, formulary apportionment (with a consolidated tax base) boosts the sensitivity of firms to tax changes and increases the scope for interjurisdictional tax competition as well. For governments, formulary apportionment operates like a risk-sharing or partial equalisation mechanism.
The determinants of the quality of accounting information disclosed by French listed companies

The aim of this paper is to relate the quality of disclosure in the annual reports of French listed companies to possible determinants representing agency theory. The choice of France is based on the fact that until now only transnational studies have investigated the overall extent of French corporate annual reports disclosure (Barrett, 1977), (Williams, 1992), while research on determinants of the extent of disclosure by British, Swedish, Japanese, Swiss or Spanish have already been conducted. The sample includes 100 industrial and commercial companies whose corporate reporting have been studied from 1991 to 1995. The quality of disclosure is measured by an index based on the expectations and opinions of French financial analysts concerning the information disclosed today. Independent variables are measures of ownership diffusion, use of external financing, domestic share listing, multiple share listing and profitability. These independent variables have been selected in order to investigate the real influence nowadays of French major accounting practice characteristics: weak influence of financial markets on disclosure, strong secrecy traditions and strong influence of information disclosure requirements. Relations are assessed using univariate analyses and multiple regressions. Only domestic and mulitple listing status play a significant role in the disclosure quality over the 1991-1995 period. As disclosure requirements justify this influence, it suggests that compliance with those requirements is considered to be enough to solve agency problems. Ownership diffusion has no influence on disclosure quality and leverage has a significant influence only in 1995. Nevertheless, since 1993, as the influence of these variables is getting stronger, it indicates a trend toward a better transparency in French companies' reporting practices. Profitability has no influence on disclosure quality. So our results provide new insight into French reporting practices and suggest topics for additional research.
DEATH BY GRAFT‐VERSUS‐HOST DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH HLA MISMATCH, HIGH RECIPIENT AGE, LOW MARROW CELL DOSE, AND SPLENECTOMY

In 65 recipients of marrow from HLA-identical siblings, the death rate from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) at 1 year was 13%, which was significantly less when compared with 50% among 10 recipients of marrow from HLA-non-identical donors (P<0.001 log-rank test). Among recipients of HLA-matched marrow the following was found: patients below 17 years of age had a death rate from GVHD of 4% compared with 32% in elder patients (P<0.01). In patients who received ≥ 3 × 108 marrow cells/kg 3% died of GVHD compared with 31% in those receiving fewer marrow cells (P<0.02). Furthermore, death by GVHD was 11% among nonsple-nectomized patients compared with 60% in splenectomized patients (P<0.001). Among all children, and among nonsplenectomized patients, those receiving less than 3x10s marrow cells/kg had a significantly increased death rate by GVHD. The number of T cells or T cell subsets in the marrow graft was not correlated with GVHD or death by GVHD.
Towards a reactive grasping system for an industrial robot arm

As robots are being increasingly called to operate out of well-structured environments, our contribution focuses in the grasp determination in unknown objects, vision being the exclusive mode of perception. Two strategies based on visual parameters extracted from 2D scenes are presented. The first one seeks the object's contour for a grasp that is optimal within a gravitational field, while the second one aims at locating all the grasps that meet certain contact stability criteria, ignoring the gravitational field assumption. Both strategies are complementary in the sense that they endow a robot with different manipulation skills in complex, non-structured scenarios, and can be easily integrated in the implementation of a reactive behavior for the robot.
Governance and Upgrading: Linking Industrial Cluster and Global Value Chain Research

For example, operating in quasi—hierarchical global chains helps local producers to embark on rapid product and process upgrading, but makes it difficult to progress into the design and marketing functions of the chain. This is less likely to arise in non-hierarchical chains where relationships are market or network based. Further, in such cases, upgrading cannot proceed without substantial investment by local producers and support from local institutions.
Coding of amplitude and frequency modulated sounds in the cochlear nucleus of the rat.

The responses of single units in the cochlear nucleus of the rat to sinusoidally amplitude- and frequency-modulated tones and amplitude-modulated broadband noise were studied. The distribution of discharges within a cycle of modulation was determined from cycle histograms locked to the modulation wave. In response to amplitude-modulated tones and broadband noise, all units investigated showed a peak in the degree of modulation of the spike frequency within the modulation frequency range from 50 to 200 Hz. In many units the relationship between the degree of modulation of the stimulus sound and of the modulation of the resulting spike train was almost unchanged over a wide range of sound intensities. In other units, enhancement of modulation within a certain range of modulation frequency became more pronounced when the sound intensity was increased. This was mainly due to a suppression of modulation at lower modulation frequencies. The shape of the histograms was nearly sinusoidal even at modulation depths which resulted in nearly 100% modulation of the neural discharge frequency. The amount of modulation of the discharge frequency in response to frequency-modulated tones was dependent on the frequency of the tone in relation to the CF of the unit.
First detection of VHE γ-rays from SN 1006 by HESS

Recent theoretical predictions of the lowest very high energy (VHE) luminosity of SN 1006 are only a factor 5 below the previously published H.E. S.S. upper limit, thus motivating further in-depth observations of this source. Deep observations at VHE energies (above 100 GeV) were carried out with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) of Cherenkov Telescopes from 2003 to 2008. More than 100 hours of data have been collected and subjected to an improved analysis procedure. Observations resulted in the detection of VHE gamma-rays from SN 1006. The measured gamma-ray spectrum is compatible with a power-law, the flux is of the order of 1% of that detected from the Crab Nebula, and is thus consistent with the previously established H.E. S.S. upper limit. The source exhibits a bipolar morphology, which is strongly correlated with non-thermal X-rays. Because the thickness of the VHE-shell is compatible with emission from a thin rim, particle acceleration in shock waves is likely to be the origin of the gamma-ray signal. The measured flux level can be accounted for by inverse Compton emission, but a mixed scenario that includes leptonic and hadronic components and takes into account the ambient matter density inferred from observations also leads to a satisfactory description of the multi-wavelength spectrum.
[Phlegmasia caerulea dolens . Acute venous stasis and ischemic phlebothrombosis].

On the basis of the data of the literature and of 25 personal cases, the problem of phlegmasia caerulea is contemplated in its whole. Grégoire made an outstanding description of the condition in 1938; it was related to an arterial spasm, but later works showed the importance of the venous block and the secondary character of the arterial involvement. A severe form of venous thrombosis, phlegmasia caerulea dolens often occurs in elderly patients (11/25 in our series) or in persons in a poor general condition. The primary phenomenon is the occurrence, in various etiological circumstances, of an acute venous stasis giving rise to a number of phenomena, including extensive thrombosis and arterial involvement, which lead to irreversible lesions and to gangrene. Thus there is a first reversible phase of acute venous stasis with a still moderate arterial involvement, and a second phase of evolution with marketed ischemia, in which the tissular lesions can become irreversible. The necrosis results from the massive obliteration of the cutaneous venulae, not from the arterial failure. The old term of venous gangrene (Cruveilhier) points out to the mechanism and makes the practicioner aware of the extreme severity of any ischemic phlebitis, which can reach an irreversible stage within a few hours. The condition is therefore an emergency, and venous drainage must be re-established as quickly as possible in the limb, thus breaking the pathological cycle leading to irreversible lesions. In the simple venous stasis phase, a medical treatment may be attempted, but it must not be continued if it is not effective. Venous thrombectomy, a quick and safe procedure, therefore is the solution to choose either at once or after a short trial of medical treatment. Phlegmasia caerula certainly is the best indication for this procedure. If operated on time, the results are excellents: however, in very advanced cases with massive and total thrombosis of the venous system, amputation remains the only solution.
China’s Industrial Total-Factor Energy Productivity Growth at Sub-Industry Level: A Two-Step Stochastic Metafrontier Malmquist Index Approach

Under the concept of metafrontier, technology gap ratio is alternatively interpreted as potential energy efficiency. Combined with Malmquist index framework and Shephard energy distance function, we then develop a metafrontier Malmquist energy productivity index to analyze the total-factor energy productivity growth with four specific components: groupfrontier efficiency change index, groupfrontier technological change index, efficiency catch-up index and technological catch-up index. Methodologically, a newly developed two-step stochastic metafrontier analysis is applied to address the potentially biased estimation problems in the previous mixed approach. This analytical framework is used to evaluate the energy productivity growth of China’s 35 sub-industries in industrial sector from 2001 to 2015. The main empirical results show that: (1) In terms of cumulative metafrontier Malmquist energy productivity growth, China’s overall industry has witnessed a 25% growth and a U-shaped growing trend bottoming out in 2006; meanwhile, 19 sub-industries have suffered an energy productivity loss and the remaining 16 sub-industries have experienced an energy productivity gain. (2) From the technology heterogeneity perspective, light industry outperforms heavy industry in metafrontier Malmquist energy productivity growth, while the intra-group and inter-group energy productivity develops roughly in balance for overall industry. (3) The change of metafrontier Malmquist energy productivity is mainly driven by technological change components rather than efficiency change components. On average, groupfrontier technological change makes the biggest contribution to energy productivity growth, followed by technological catch-up, then efficiency catch-up, and groupfrontier efficiency change is last. (4) The metafrontier Malmquist energy productivity growth has shown a significant convergence in heavy industry and light industry, as well as overall industry.
A front-side non-soi fabricated tri-axis capacitive accelerometer with electromechanical sigma-delta modulators interface

This paper presents a novel front-side non-SOI fabricated tri-axis capacitive accelerometer with a dual quantization electromechanical sigma-delta modulator (EM-ΣΔΜ) interface. It can be used for realizing monolithic inertial microsystem units. The 2.6mm×2.6mm sized tri-axis accelerometer is designed and fabricated with a high-yield bulk-micromachining fabrication process using only front-side etching of a 4-inch (111) silicon wafer. The process is fully IC-compatible. The interface circuit is based on a low-noise front-end ASIC and a back-end dual quantization EM-ΣΔΜ digital circuit implemented in an FPGA. Acceleration sensitivities of 170mV/g and 26mV/g were measured for the in-plane (X/Y-axis) and out-of-plane (Z-axis), respectively. The cross-axis sensitivity was in the order of 1% to 3%. The output noise was in the order of 2mg to 6mg/ √ Hz, with a one hour bias drift of 3mg to 6mg.