Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic Integration to Send Money Back Home?

This article investigates the links between economic integration and remittances sending behavior through the cases of Afghan, Burundian, Ethiopian, and Moroccan first generation migrants in the Netherlands. The analysis demonstrates that economically-better-integrated migrants, especially those with secure employment, are significantly more likely to remit, remit more, and remit more for investment purposes rather than consumption. Consequently, I challenge the assimilationist perspective on the links between economic integration and homeland engagement, emphasize the significance of dual-engagement, and discuss the implications of this research for integration and development policy.
The impact of requiring patient authorization for use of data in medical records research.

BACKGROUND In 1996, the Minnesota legislature passed a medical data privacy act requiring patient authorization for the use of medical records in research. Other state legislatures and Congress are considering similar legislation. The impact of this statute on a researcher's ability to obtain complete and representative data is unknown. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of all patients visiting the outpatient clinic, emergency department, or hospital of the Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), for an appointment or admission during January 1997 or February 1997. Patients were asked to give consent for the use of their medical records for research. Our objective was to gather information on the number and characteristics of patients who refused authorization. RESULTS Of the 15,997 patients: 90.6% granted authorization; 3.6 refused authorization; 4.5% were undecided; and 1.3% were not asked for authorization. Refusal rates were highest among patients visiting the center for mental health concerns, trauma, or eye care, and among women aged 39 years or older. Undecided rates were highest in women presenting for pregnancy care. CONCLUSIONS Refusal rates were low for this community practice. However, higher refusal rates in some subgroups, such as older women or patients with mental health concerns, may increase the chance of selection bias in studies involving these patients.
Factors in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas Predictive of Lymph Node Metastasis

Background: Little is known about the frequency of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), and we have not been able to determine how much lymph node dissection is necessary in individual cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors for the LNM in IPMNs. Methods: Medical records of 120 patients pathologically diagnosed as having IPMN were reviewed, and 16 possible predictive factors regarding the LNM were analyzed. Results: LNM was observed in 7 patients (6%), all of whom were diagnosed as having mural nodules preoperatively. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of preoperative imaging for detecting mural nodules of IPMNs in this study were 84, 97, and 90%, respectively. Univariate analysis using 61 patients having mural nodules preoperatively revealed that the size of mural nodules ≧10 mm and positive imaging findings for invasive tumor and possible LNM were significant predictive factors for the LNM. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only an imaging finding for invasive tumor was an independent significant predictive factor. Positive and negative predictive values of the imaging finding of invasive IPMNs for LNM were 50 and 98%, respectively. Conclusions: Standard lymph node dissection would be recommended in patients with IPMNs with mural nodules demonstrating preoperative imaging findings for invasive carcinomas.
Support for Kurdish language rights in Turkey: the roles of ethnic group, group identifications, contact, and intergroup perceptions

ABSTRACT The question of Kurdish language rights has been a central issue in the Turkish–Kurdish conflict. The current study examined endorsement of Kurdish language rights in relation to intergroup factors (i.e. group identifications, cross-group friendships, perceived discrimination, and perceived out-group beliefs about state unity) among self-identified Turkish and Kurdish participants. The results indicate that Turks were much less in favour of these rights than the Kurds. In addition, for the Turks, higher national and ethnic identification were associated with lower support for Kurdish language rights, while cross-group friendship, perceived discrimination of Kurds and the belief that Kurds endorse national unity were associated with more support for rights. For the Kurdish participants, stronger national identification seems to undermine the mobilizing meaning that Kurdish group identification has for language rights support. Furthermore, friendship with Turks can undermine the support for rights because it strengthens national identification and reduces ethnic identification.
Efficient RGB–D data processing for feature–based self–localization of mobile robots

Abstract The problem of position and orientation estimation for an active vision sensor that moves with respect to the full six degrees of freedom is considered. The proposed approach is based on point features extracted from RGB-D data. This work focuses on efficient point feature extraction algorithms and on methods for the management of a set of features in a single RGB-D data frame. While the fast, RGB-D-based visual odometry system described in this paper builds upon our previous results as to the general architecture, the important novel elements introduced here are aimed at improving the precision and robustness of the motion estimate computed from the matching point features of two RGB-D frames. Moreover, we demonstrate that the visual odometry system can serve as the front-end for a pose-based simultaneous localization and mapping solution. The proposed solutions are tested on publicly available data sets to ensure that the results are scientifically verifiable. The experimental results demonstrate gains due to the improved feature extraction and management mechanisms, whereas the performance of the whole navigation system compares favorably to results known from the literature.
Motivation to take part in integrated care—an assessment of follow-up home visits to elderly persons

Objectives The aim of follow-up visits by the general practitioner and district nurse (within a week after discharge from hospital) is to reduce hospital readmissions and improve the overall wellbeing of the patient. There is strong evidence that these programmes are effective, but are difficult to implement because of a number of organizational obstacles, including co-ordination between the organizations involved in the process. In this paper we look at the factors that affect motivation to participate in a cross-sectoral programme in Copenhagen, Denmark, implementing follow-up home visits to elderly persons. Theory and methods The analysis is based on inter-organizational network theory in an attempt to explain the role of motivation in network formation between organizational systems. The empirical findings are based on focus groups and in-depth interviews with hospital staff, general practitioners, and district nurses. Results Care providers are motivated to collaborate by a number of factors. The focus of collaboration needs to be clearly defined and agreed upon, there needs to be a high degree of equality between the professionals involved, and there has to be a will to co-operate based on a shared understanding of values and learning potentials. Conclusions The study concludes that we need to focus on specific care fields and actors to reduce complexity in the area and more fully understand what motivates care providers to participate in cross-sectoral activities, such as a follow-up home visit programme. One lesson for current policy is that motivational factors need to be addressed in future collaborative programmes in order to fully exploit the potential health benefits.
Cold Drink Attenuates Heat Strain during Work-rest Cycles

Abstract There is limited information on the ingestion of cold drinks after exercise. We investigated the thermoregulatory effects of ingesting drinks at 4°C (COLD) or 28°C (WARM) during work-rest cycles in the heat. On 2 separate occasions, 8 healthy males walked on the treadmill for 2 cycles (45 min work; 15 min rest) at 5.5 km/h with 7.5% gradient. Two aliquots of 400 mL of plain water at either 4°C or 28°C were consumed during each rest period. Rectal temperature (T re ), skin temperature (T sk ), heart rate and subjective ratings were measured. Mean decrease in T re at the end of the final work-rest cycle was greater after the ingestion of COLD drinks (0.5±0.2°C) than WARM drinks (0.3±0.2°C; P<0.05). Rate of decrease in T sk was greater after ingestion of COLD drinks during the first rest period (P<0.01). Mean heart rate was lower after ingesting COLD drinks (P<0.05). Ratings of thermal sensation were lower during the second rest phase after ingestion of COLD drinks (P<0.05). The ingestion of COLD drinks after exercise resulted in a lesser than expected reduction of T re . Nevertheless, the reduction in T re implies a potential for improved work tolerance during military and occupational settings in the heat.
A new strategy for querying priced information

This paper focuses on competitive function evaluation in the context of computing with priced information. A function f is given together with a cost cx for each variable x of f. The cost cx has to be paid to read the value of x. The problem is to design algorithms that query the values of the variables sequentially in order to compute the function while trying to minimize the total cost incurred. Competitive analysis is employed to evaluate the performance of the algorithms. We describe a novel approach for devising efficient algorithms in this setting. We apply our approach to several classes of functions which have been studied in the literature of computing with priced information. In all cases considered, our approach provides algorithms that achieve better bounds than the best known algorithm for the same class of functions.More precisely, for the class of monotone boolean functions, we give a polynomial time algorithm with extremal competitiveness (k+l - √ min(k,l)) where k (l) denotes the minimum number of variables that one must read, in the worst case, in order to prove that the function under consideration evaluates to 1 (0). This dramatically improves upon the best known result which is an exponential time 2 max(k, l)-competitive algorithm. For the subclass of monotone boolean functions known as Threshold Trees we further improve our bounds and give a polynomial time algorithm with extremal competitive ratio 1.618 max(k, l). We then apply our methodology to classes of non-boolean functions. We consider the case of the so called Game Trees. We improve upon previously published results for this class of functions providing a polynomial time algorithm with extremal competitive ratio 1.5 γ(f), where γ(f) is a lower bound on the extremal competitive ratio of any deterministic algorithm.Finally, we consider the case when f is the function min (minimum). In this case, we are able to determine the optimal competitiveness for the problem. In fact we provide an algorithm with an (n-2)-competitive ratio, which matches the known lower bound.
turation via Nature-Based Outdoor Recreation : A Comparison of Mexican and Chinese Ethnic Croups in the United States

DOI: 10.1 01 7iS14660.16605050398 B etween 1990 and 2000, the United States foreign-born population increased by 43%; not since 1930 has the immigrant population comprised such a large share1o.4Y0-of the LJS population iSchmidley, zoos, p. 9). This post-1965 immigration differs kom the mass migrations at the turn of the twentieth century in that the majority of migrants to the US nowadays come from either Latin America or Asia, rather than from Europe (Schmidley, zoosf. Latin-American immigrants comprise 53.3% of the foreignborn population and Asian immigrants 25% (US Ge~isus Bureau, 2004). Latinos (including persons of Mexican origin) are the fastest growing minority and have outpaced African Americans to become the largest ethnic minority in the country. Immigration, along with the relatively higher fertility rates among Latinos, contributes most to this growth.
Effect of hemodialysis on intraocular lens power calculation

Abstract Background To evaluate changes in ocular biometric parameters after hemodialysis (HD) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods Forty eyes of 40 patients undergoing HD were included in this cross-sectional study. Keratometry (K) readings, white-to-white (WTW) distance, central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), pupil diameter, lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL), and intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation were measured with Lenstar LS 900 (Haag Streit AG, Koeniz, Switzerland) before and after hemodialysis. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured with a non-contact tonometer (Tonopachy NT-530P, Nidek Co., LTD, Tokyo, Japan). Main outcomes were changes in biometric parameters after HD. Reliability of the measurements (intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)) and the effect size (Cohen’s d) were also calculated. Results Mean difference in AL before and after HD was −0.041 ± 0.022 mm with ICCs > 0.90 (p < 0.001 and Cohen’s d = 0.06). Pupil diameter was also significantly different before (4.28 ± 0.81 mm) and after (4.44 ± 0.79 mm) HD with ICCs > 0.90 (p = 0.041 and Cohen’s d = 0.20). Hemodialysis had no significant effect on K readings, WTW distance, CCT, ACD, LT, or IOP. Conclusion Axial length and pupil diameter increase after HD with small effect size, while HD does not significantly affect IOL power calculations.
Language comprehension and non-word repetition in children with language impairment

Non-word repetition has, not without controversy, been considered a reliable index of phonological memory in children with language impairment (LI). Recent studies do, however, emphasize the strong link between non-word repetition skills and phonological output in pre-school children with LI. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between non-word repetition and different aspects of language comprehension (comprehension of words, sentences and fables) in 27 children with LI. The results showed that non-word repetition significantly correlated with all measures of language comprehension in the children with LI. Partial correlations revealed a weaker relationship between vocabulary comprehension, comprehension of fables and non-word repetition than between non-word repetition and comprehension of grammar. A possible explanation for the findings may be that the tests assessing comprehension of grammar strained language processing and storage more than the other tests. It is concluded that non-word repetition cannot be considered to be a single, reliable index of phonological memory in pre-school children with LI. Non-word repetition incorporates a range of processes necessary for language comprehension and production, and thus mirrors the general language status of the child. (Less)
Gibbs Sampling Methods for Stick-Breaking Priors

A rich and flexible class of random probability measures, which we call stick-breaking priors, can be constructed using a sequence of independent beta random variables. Examples of random measures that have this characterization include the Dirichlet process, its two-parameter extension, the two-parameter Poisson–Dirichlet process, finite dimensional Dirichlet priors, and beta two-parameter processes. The rich nature of stick-breaking priors offers Bayesians a useful class of priors for nonparametric problems, while the similar construction used in each prior can be exploited to develop a general computational procedure for fitting them. In this article we present two general types of Gibbs samplers that can be used to fit posteriors of Bayesian hierarchical models based on stick-breaking priors. The first type of Gibbs sampler, referred to as a Pólya urn Gibbs sampler, is a generalized version of a widely used Gibbs sampling method currently employed for Dirichlet process computing. This method applies to stick-breaking priors with a known Pólya urn characterization, that is, priors with an explicit and simple prediction rule. Our second method, the blocked Gibbs sampler, is based on an entirely different approach that works by directly sampling values from the posterior of the random measure. The blocked Gibbs sampler can be viewed as a more general approach because it works without requiring an explicit prediction rule. We find that the blocked Gibbs avoids some of the limitations seen with the Pólya urn approach and should be simpler for nonexperts to use.
LEDGF/p75 Overexpression Attenuates Oxidative Stress-Induced Necrosis and Upregulates the Oxidoreductase ERP57/PDIA3/GRP58 in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) mortality is driven by highly aggressive tumors characterized by metastasis and resistance to therapy, and this aggressiveness is mediated by numerous factors, including activation of stress survival pathways in the pro-inflammatory tumor microenvironment. LEDGF/p75, also known as the DFS70 autoantigen, is a stress transcription co-activator implicated in cancer, HIV-AIDS, and autoimmunity. This protein is targeted by autoantibodies in certain subsets of patients with PCa and inflammatory conditions, as well as in some apparently healthy individuals. LEDGF/p75 is overexpressed in PCa and other cancers, and promotes resistance to chemotherapy-induced cell death via the transactivation of survival proteins. We report in this study that overexpression of LEDGF/p75 in PCa cells attenuates oxidative stress-induced necrosis but not staurosporine-induced apoptosis. This finding was consistent with the observation that while LEDGF/p75 was robustly cleaved in apoptotic cells into a p65 fragment that lacks stress survival activity, it remained relatively intact in necrotic cells. Overexpression of LEDGF/p75 in PCa cells led to the upregulation of transcript and protein levels of the thiol-oxidoreductase ERp57 (also known as GRP58 and PDIA3), whereas its depletion led to ERp57 transcript downregulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcription reporter assays showed LEDGF/p75 binding to and transactivating the ERp57 promoter, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed significantly elevated co-expression of these two proteins in clinical prostate tumor tissues. Our results suggest that LEDGF/p75 is not an inhibitor of apoptosis but rather an antagonist of oxidative stress-induced necrosis, and that its overexpression in PCa leads to ERp57 upregulation. These findings are of significance in clarifying the role of the LEDGF/p75 stress survival pathway in PCa.
Combined Star-Delta Windings to Improve Synchronous Reluctance Motor Performance

This paper analyzes and compares the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) performance for a conventional star winding and for a combined star-delta connected winding under healthy and faulty conditions. The finite element method is used to simulate the SynRM characteristics in case of normal star and in case of combined star-delta connected windings. For the healthy case, it was found that for the same current, the SynRM output power increased by about 5% for the star-delta connected windings compared with the conventional star connection. Moreover, the efficiency increased slightly by 0.20%. Probably the strongest advantage of the combined star-delta winding is observed when a phase fault occurs. When one phase is missing, for the same current, the star-delta connected motor keeps 80% of the rated torque in the healthy case, while the star connected motor only keeps 40%. Furthermore, the torque ripple of the star wound machine is extremely high in case of a missing phase, compared to the star-delta wound machine. Simulation results were validated by experimental results to show the effectiveness of the star-delta connected windings on the SynRM.
‘If my sister was here’ – The narrative in-between space in young children’s photography process

This article explores a photography project that was implemented with two groups of children in Finnish day care centres. The aim of the project was to learn about children’s experiences of their daily lives in day care. Based on the premises of recent visual and narrative research with children, we approached the children’s photography process in terms of multimodal narration. Our research material consisted of photographs, observations from the photography process and narratives around the pictures. The material was analysed holistically in order to seek answers to the research question: What kind of narrative space is formed for young children during the photography process? As a result, we identified five intertwined dimensions that were relevant to our research question. Photography emerged as a process that provided children (1) a space for narrating differently, (2) a space for multisensory and emotional discoveries, (3) a space for breaking cultural limits, (4) a space for encounters and (5) a space for spontaneous cache-stories. The theoretical, methodological and ethical aspects, as well as the pedagogical implications of the study, are discussed.
Mouse models of acute, chemical itch and pain in humans

Abstract: In psychophysical experiments, humans use different verbal responses to pruritic and algesic chemical stimuli to indicate the different qualities of sensation they feel. A major challenge for behavioural models in the mouse of chemical itch and pain in humans is to devise experimental protocols that provide the opportunity for the animal to exhibit a multiplicity of responses as well. One basic criterion is that chemicals that evoke primarily itch or pain in humans should elicit different types of responses when applied in the same way to the mouse. Meeting this criterion is complicated by the fact that the type of behavioural responses exhibited by the mouse depends in part on the site of chemical application such as the nape of the neck that evokes only scratching with the hind paw versus the hind limb that elicits licking and biting. Here, we review to what extent mice behaviourally differentiate chemicals that elicit itch versus pain in humans.
CC chemokine receptor 5 polymorphism in Italian patients with Behcet's disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the potential role of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)Δ32 polymorphism in the susceptibility to and clinical expression of Behçet's disease (BD) in a cohort of Italian patients. METHODS One hundred and ninety-six consecutive Italian patients satisfying the ISG criteria for BD were followed up for 8 years, and 180 healthy age- and sex-matched blood donors were molecularly genotyped for the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism. A standard microlymphocytotoxicity technique was used to serotype HLA-B51. The patients were subgrouped on the basis of the presence or absence of clinical manifestations. RESULTS The distribution of the CCR5Δ32 genotype differed between BD patients and controls (P = 0.02). The CCR5Δ32 allele was more common in BD patients than in controls [P = 0.02, odds ratio (OR) 2.28 (95% CI 1.1, 4.8)]. Carriers of the CCR5Δ32 allele (Δ32/Δ32 + CCR5/Δ32) were significantly more common in BD patients than in controls [P = 0.02, OR 2.37 (95% CI 1.1, 5.1)]. Population-attributable risk was 7.1%. In categorizing patients according to gender, the association between CCR5Δ32 polymorphism and BD was similar in females and males (ORs 2.76 and 2.0, respectively). No significant differences were found when the frequencies of clinical manifestations were compared between CC5RΔ32 allele carriers and non-carriers. CONCLUSION CCR5Δ32 polymorphism is associated with an increased susceptibility to develop BD. Chemokines may have a role in the pathophysiology of BD.