Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
All about Acceptability?: Identifying Factors for the Adoption of Data Glasses

Innovations often trigger objections before becoming widely accepted. This paper assesses whether a familiarisation over time can be expected for data glasses, too. While user attitudes towards those devices have been reported to be prevalently negative [14], it is still unclear, to what extent this initial, negative user attitude might impede adoption. However, indepth understanding is crucial for reducing barriers early in order to gain access to potential benefits from the technology. With this paper we contribute to a better understanding of factors affecting data glasses adoption, as well as current trends and opinions. Our multiple-year case study (N=118) shows, against expectations, no significant change towards a more positive attitude between 2014 and 2016. We complement these findings with an expert survey (N=51) investigating prognoses, challenges and discussing the relevance of social acceptability. We elicit and contrast a controversial spectrum of expert opinions, and assess whether initial objections can be overwritten. Our analysis shows that while social acceptability is considered relevant for the time being, utility and usability are more valued for long-term adoption.
New endoscopic procedures for diabetes mellitus type 2 and obesity treatment.

BACKGROUND Obesity continues to be a growing epidemic worldwide. Obese patients have severe comorbidities that make risky and technically demanding the execution of bariatric surgery from both surgical and anesthetic point of view; therefore, the focus of bariatric surgeons is increasingly moving towards minimally invasive, endoscopic techniques. METHODS The present review presents and discusses recent endoscopic techniques employed in obesity treatment, their features and results. RESULTS Endoscopic treatment can be primary or revisional; we can mainly divide the endoscopic devices into five categories: space-occupying devices, restrictive procedures, bypass liner, aspiration therapy and endoscopic revision of gastric bypass for dilated gastric pouch. CONCLUSIONS Endoscopic treatments for obesity are promising techniques for selected patients but each procedure should be tailored on the patient in a multimodal approach.
Quality of Life in Patients with Noninfectious Uveitis Treated with or without Systemic Anti-inflammatory Therapy

Abstract Purpose: To compare vision-related (VR-QOL) and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with noninfectious uveitis treated with systemic anti-inflammatory therapy versus nonsystemic therapy. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study design was employed. VR-QOL and HR-QOL were assessed by the 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25) and the Short Form 12-Item Health Survey (SF-12), respectively. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess the VR-QOL and HR-QOL based on treatment. Results: Among the 80 patients, the median age was 51 years with 28 males (35%). The adjusted effect of treatment modality on VR-QOL or HR-QOL showed no statistically significant difference in all subscores of VFQ-25 or physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of SF-12. Systemic therapy did not compromise VR-QOL or HR-QOL compared to nonsystemic therapy. Conclusions: Systemic therapy can be effectively used to control serious cases of noninfectious uveitis without significant relative adverse impact on quality of life.
Young Adults in the Swedish Temporary Agency Sector: Implications of Family Experience

A person’s first experience of working life is not the individual’s actual first job, but rather the perception conveyed by their family and other reference groups. Using Swedish register data on young adults (aged 18-34), and controlling for personal characteristics, we find that individuals with family members or partners with work experience from the temporary agency sector are highly over-represented in the sector. The peer groups’ previous experience is also found to be among the most influential variables determining the relative probability that an individual will work in the temporary agency sector.
Preschool children conflate pragmatic agreement and semantic truth

Children’s ability to ascribe beliefs to themselves and others has been shown to develop in the late preschool and early school years. This ability to represent, that is to think about, beliefs known to be false is described as metarepresentational development. This article extends these findings to the domain of linguistic representations by exploring how children come to judge statements as true or false of a given reality. It presents two models of judgment, one based on the pragmatics of the expression, the other on the basis of the semantics of the expression. Two studies show that when preschoolers object to what someone has said, they are disagreeing with the speaker, a pragmatic judgment, rather than judging the truth or falsity of what the speaker has said, a semantic judgment. True/false judgments are metalinguistic judgments, later acquired, suggesting a new consciousness of linguistic form.
Job demands–resources theory, health and well–being in South Africa

Orientation: The robustness of the JD-R model has been established, but mostly within a European context. However, no generically specified model has been tested in South Africa with data from a variety of economic sectors. Other studies allowed errors between burnout and engagement to correlate to improve model fit – a practice which elicits criticism. Research purpose: To investigate a generic JD-R model in South African context, with alternative statistical methods and without correlating errors between burnout and engagement, in line with theoretical assumptions. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional design was used. The dataset comprised of 15 633 participants aggregated from various sectors in South Africa. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses were implemented with a categorical estimator (WLSMV), and errors were also not allowed to correlate to increase model fit. Mediation analyses included bootstrapped indirect effects, and kappa-squared values were calculated to apply descriptive labels to mediation effect sizes. Main motivation for the study: To establish a generic JD-R model for South African organisations that can be used in research and consulting. Researchers should also be made aware and use alternative methods and advancements in SEM and mediation analyses. Main findings: The proposed model was a good fit to the sample. Burnout was found to mediate the relationship between job demands and ill health with a medium effect. Engagement was found to mediate the relationship between job resources and organisational commitment with a large effect. Practical/managerial implications: A generic model is made available for researchers and organisations to consider as a basis for application in organisational work stress climate diagnoses. Contribution/value added by this study: This study establishes a generic JD-R model with alternative methodology and provides descriptive mediation effect sizes for the dual process within South African context.
Research Article Introductions in Thai: Genre Analysis of Academic Writing

Research Article Introductions in Thai: Genre Analysis of Academic Writing Chalermsri Jogthong This study presents an analysis of research article introductions (RAIs) written in Thai by Thai academic writers. The analysis is based on 40 Thai RAIs taken from Thai journals in educational and medical fields. The rhetorical characteristics and linguistic features of the RAIs are examined using the CARS model proposed by Swales (1990). The results show that the pattern of studied RAIs supports the general framework presented by Swales but the specific steps in the introductions are less consistent with the model. The Thai writers avoided criticizing and evaluating the works of others. They adopted different strategies in establishing a niche, including the identifying-potentialproblem strategy.  Different from English writers, the Thai writers did not reveal the findings of their research and the research structure in the introduction section. In addition to announcing their present research and outlining purposes of their study, the Thai writers ended their research article introduction by indicating implications of their research. Linguistic features in the Thai RAIs were found different from those found in English RAIs studied by Swales. While the English writers employed various types of verbs in presenting previous research, the Thai writers used only a few reporting verbs. The topic-prominent aspect of Thai language and the limited use of passive voice in Thai also marked the differences in sentence constructions between Thai and English. The differences between Thai and English RAIs are due to socio-cultural aspects, cultural linguistics and research environments. Comparisons of RAIs in the fields of medical and educational research revealed the use of similar strategies, except that the Thai writers in medical fields used a greater number of English code-mixing with Thai. The results gained from this study can be used to design tasks and materials for teaching writing that focus not only on grammar but also on rhetorical structures and various genres of writing.
Preparation of drinking water used in water supply systems of the towns Zrenjanin and Temerin by electrochemical methods

The aim of this work was the development and application of the pilot plant with the capacity of 1000 L/day for the purification of groundwater used for human consumption characterized with high concentration of arsenic and increased values of organic pollutants, ammonia, nitrites, color and turbidity. For that purpose, groundwater from the production wells supplying the towns Zrenjanin and Temerin (Vojvodina, Serbia) was used. Due to its complex composition, the purification system required the combination of the electroreduction/electrocoagulation, using iron and aluminum electrode plates with/without ozonation, followed by the electromagnetic treatment and the finally by the simultaneous ozonation/UV treatment. The electroreduction was used for the removal of nitrates, nitrites, and Cr(VI), while the removal of arsenic, heavy metals, suspended solids, color and turbidity required the application of the electrocoagulation with simultaneous ozonation. Organic contaminants and ammonia were removed completely in the last treatment step by applying the simultaneous ozonation/UV treatment. All measured parameters in the purified water were significantly lower compared to the regulated values. Under the optimum treatment conditions, the removal efficiencies for color, turbidity, suspended solids, total arsenic, total chromium, Ni(II), total copper, sulfates, fluorides, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites were 100%. The removal efficiencies of the total manganese and iron were 85.19% and 97.44%, respectively, whilst the final concentrations were 4 and 7 μg/L, respectively.
Quasi-chemical theory and implicit solvent models for simulations

A statistical thermodynamic development is given of a new implicit solvent model that avoids the traditional system size limitations of computer simulation of macromolecular solutions with periodic boundary conditions. This implicit solvent model is based upon the quasi-chemical approach, distinct from the common integral equation trunk of the theory of liquid solutions. The idea is geometrically to define molecular-scale regions attached to the solute macromolecule of interest. It is then shown that the quasi-chemical approach corresponds to calculation of a partition function for an ensemble analogous to, but not the same as, the grand canonical ensemble for the solvent in that proximal volume. The distinctions include: (a) the defined proximal volume—the volume of the system that is treated explicitly—resides on the solute; (b) the solute conformational fluctuations are prescribed by statistical thermodynamics and the proximal volume can fluctuate if the solute conformation fluctuates; and (c) the inte.
Expression of oestrogen receptor-alpha and oestrogen receptor-beta in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that estrogens are involved in normal and abnormal prostate growth, though their exact role is still controversial. Oestrogens exert inhibitory and stimulatory effects on prostate gland, but the expression of oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and oestrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta) in malignant prostate tissue remains unresolved. We determined ERalpha and ERbeta in prostate cancer and investigated the relationship between expression of ER and pathological features of prostate carcinoma. METHODS Thirty-two cases of prostate cancer, 12 cases of normal prostate tissue and 32 cases of benign prostate hyperplasia were analyzed for the expression of ERalpha and ERbeta using semiquantitative, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the products sequenced. RESULTS Comparisons of the normal, hyperplastic and tumour prostate tissues indicated an overexpression of ERalpha in tumour specimens (P < 0.01). However, the expression of ERbeta significantly reduced in tumour tissues compared with normal and hyperplastic specimens (P < 0.01), suggesting that severe pathological features of prostate cancer were associated with lower ERbeta expression. Spearman analysis showed negative correlation between ERbeta expression and tumour stage, grade (-0.67, -0.43, respectively, both P < 0.05), and a positive correlation between ERalpha expression and tumour stage, grade (0.51, 0.57, respectively, both P < 0.01). Our analysis also showed that hormone refractory, prostate cancer, compared with hormone dependent, prostate cancer, displayed a decreased expression of ERbeta (P < 0.01) and an increased expression of ERalpha. CONCLUSIONS ERalpha and ERbeta may play important roles in the development of prostate cancer. The decrease in ERbeta expression is associated with higher Gleason grade tumours and prostate cancer with higher metastatic potential. The loss of ERbeta could be one of the key processes leading to uncontrolled growth of prostate epithelial cells.
Effects of Managed Care on the Length of Time That Elderly Patients Spend With Physicians During Ambulatory Visits: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Objectives. To examine the factors related to the length of time that elderly patients spend with physicians during ambulatory visits and explore specifically the association between managed care and visit duration. Design. Cross-sectional analysis of the 1998 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Subjects. Four thousand nine hundred sixty-four office visits to nonfederally employed physicians by elderly patients who had face-to-face contact with physicians and had complete information on variables related to managed care. Measures. Information was collected on the characteristics of patient, physician and clinic, visit duration, reasons for visit, diagnoses, clinical services performed, and medications ordered. Measures of managed care included patient’s health maintenance organization (HMO) status, requirement of authorization, capitation, and HMO ownership of the clinic. Results. The mean visit duration was 19.2 minutes for elderly patients (27.0 minutes for new patients and 18.3 minutes for established patients;P <0.001). In bivariate analyses, the patient’s HMO status was not associated with visit duration, but office visits for patients seen at clinics owned by HMOs were 4.2 minutes shorter than those seen in other settings (P <0.001). In multivariate analyses with mixed-effect models, HMO-owned clinic was an independent predictor for shorter visit duration, after adjusting for other patient, physician, and clinic characteristics and type of service provided. Conclusions. The effects of managed care on the duration of ambulatory visits by elderly patients appear to be related to the structure of the managed care plan rather than managed care reimbursement per se.
Proteome analysis of human macrophages reveals the upregulation of manganese‐containing superoxide dismutase after toll‐like receptor activation

Macrophages are essential for the development of innate immune responses against a variety of infectious factors. They detect invading pathogens via their pattern recognition receptors such as toll‐like receptors (TLRs). TLR7/8 recognizes ssRNA from various viruses. In the present study, we have used 2‐DE gel‐based proteomics to find novel TLR7/8 target proteins in human monocyte‐derived macrophages in order to improve our understanding of the virus recognition by this TLR. A total of 27 protein spots were found to be reproducibly differentially expressed between control and TLR7/8 activated 2‐DE gel pairs, 18 spots being more than two‐fold upregulated and nine spots being at least two‐fold downregulated. Several proteins involved in defense against toxic superoxide (O2−) and other reactive oxygen species, such as manganese‐containing superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase, and peroxiredoxins 1 and 6 were highly upregulated after TLR7/8 activation. Western blot analysis showed that activation of macrophages with TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7/8 ligands also strongly upregulated SOD2 protein expression. In conclusion, our results show that the activation of pattern recognition receptors of the innate immune system results in strong upregulation of SOD2 gene expression suggesting that SOD2 protects macrophages from oxidative stress during microbial infection.
Pulse pressure variation to predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients: tidal vs forced inspiratory breathing

We evaluated whether pulse pressure variation can predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients. Fifty‐nine elective thoracic surgical patients were studied before induction of general anaesthesia. After volume expansion with hydroxyethyl starch 6 ml.kg−1, patients were defined as responders by a ≥ 15% increase in the cardiac index. Haemodynamic variables were measured before and after volume expansion and pulse pressure variations were calculated during tidal breathing and during forced inspiratory breathing. Median (IQR [range]) pulse pressure variation during forced inspiratory breathing was significantly higher in responders (n = 29) than in non‐responders (n = 30) before volume expansion (18.2 (IQR 14.7–18.2 [9.3–31.3])% vs 10.1 (IQR 8.3–12.6 [4.8–21.1])%, respectively, p < 0.001). The receiver‐operating characteristic curve revealed that pulse pressure variation during forced inspiratory breathing could predict fluid responsiveness (area under the curve 0.910, p < 0.0001). Pulse pressure variation measured during forced inspiratory breathing can be used to guide fluid management in spontaneously breathing patients.
Wheat alleles introgress into selfing wild relatives: empirical estimates from approximate Bayesian computation in Aegilops triuncialis

Extensive gene flow between wheat (Triticum sp.) and several wild relatives of the genus Aegilops has recently been detected despite notoriously high levels of selfing in these species. Here, we assess and model the spread of wheat alleles into natural populations of the barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis), a wild wheat relative prevailing in the Mediterranean flora. Our sampling, based on an extensive survey of 31 Ae. triuncialis populations collected along a 60 km × 20 km area in southern Spain (Grazalema Mountain chain, Andalousia, totalling 458 specimens), is completed with 33 wheat cultivars representative of the European domesticated pool. All specimens were genotyped with amplified fragment length polymorphism with the aim of estimating wheat admixture levels in Ae. triuncialis populations. This survey first confirmed extensive hybridization and backcrossing of wheat into the wild species. We then used explicit modelling of populations and approximate Bayesian computation to estimate the selfing rate of Ae. triuncialis along with the magnitude, the tempo and the geographical distance over which wheat alleles introgress into Ae. triuncialis populations. These simulations confirmed that extensive introgression of wheat alleles (2.7 × 10−4 wheat immigrants for each Ae. triuncialis resident, at each generation) into Ae. triuncialis occurs despite a high selfing rate (Fis ≈ 1 and selfing rate = 97%). These results are discussed in the light of risks associated with the release of genetically modified wheat cultivars in Mediterranean agrosystems.
A Fully Synthesizable All-Digital PLL With Interpolative Phase Coupled Oscillator, Current-Output DAC, and Fine-Resolution Digital Varactor Using Gated Edge Injection Technique

This paper presents a fully synthesizable phase-locked loop (PLL) based on injection locking, with an interpolative phase-coupled oscillator, a current output digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a fine resolution digital varactor. All circuits that make up the PLL are designed and implemented using digital standard cells without any modification, and automatically Place-and-routed (P&R) by a digital design flow without any manual placement. Implemented in a 65 nm digital CMOS process, this work occupies only 110 μm × 60 μm layout area, which is the smallest PLL reported so far to the best knowledge of the authors. The measurement results show that this work achieves a 1.7 ps RMS jitter at 900 MHz output frequency while consuming 780 μW DC power.
Unpacking Student Conceptions of Surface Area to Volume Ratio in the Nanoscience Context: An Empirical Application of the Construct-Centered Design Framework

Surface area to volume ratio" has been widely acknowledged as one of the "big ideas" of nanoscience, as it lays the foundation for understanding size-dependent properties that characterize nanoscale science and technology. Though seemingly an easy concept, students are reported to have difficulty grasping this concept, particularly its connection to property change. We report in this paper our effort in unpacking students' conceptions of this concept in the context of an undergraduate engineering course. Guided by the "Construct- Centered Design" (CCD) framework, we conducted detailed unpacking of student conceptions, and developed corresponding assessment items in an iterative process, which not only revealed an interesting range of conceptions, but also yielded several effective assessment items. The identified conceptions are summarized in a preliminary typology, which includes three major types of conceptions distinguished by seven aspects of variation. Practical implications of the typology and the use of the CCD process are discussed.