Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Exercise Approaches on Menopausal Symptoms, Psychological Health, and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women

Objective. This study was designed to determine the effects of different short-term exercise programs on menopausal symptoms, psychological health, and quality of life in postmenopausal women. Material and Methods. Forty-two women were chosen from volunteering postmenopausal women presenting to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Bayındır Hospital between March and December 2009. The women aged 45–60 years and experiencing menopause naturally were included in the study. They were randomly divided into aerobic (n = 18) and resistance (n = 18) exercise groups. The women exercised 3 days per week for 8 weeks under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Aerobic exercise training was performed through a bicycle ergometer. Before and after the training, lipid profiles were measured and menopausal symptoms, psychological health, depression, and the quality of life were assessed through questionnaires. Results. In both exercise groups, no significant changes in lipid profiles were observed. In the resistance exercise group, excluding the urogenital complaints, there were significant improvements in all subscales of Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS). In the resistance exercise group, excluding the phobic anxiety, there were significant improvements in all subscales of The Symptom Checklist. Depression levels significantly decreased in both groups. Improvements were observed in all subscales of menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire in both groups except for sexual symptoms. Conclusion. Resistance exercise and aerobic exercise were found to have a positive impact on menopausal symptoms, psychological health, depression, and quality of life.
The Power of Evil Choices in Bloom Filters

A Bloom filter is a probabilistic hash-based data structure extensively used in software including online security applications. This paper raises the following important question: Are Bloom filters correctly designed in a security context? The answer is no and the reasons are multiple: bad choices of parameters, lack of adversary models and misused hash functions. Indeed, developers truncate cryptographic digests without a second thought on the security implications. This work constructs adversary models for Bloom filters and illustrates attacks on three applications, namely SCRAPY web spider, BITLY DABLOOMS spam filter and SQUID cache proxy. As a general impact, filters are forced to systematically exhibit worst-case behavior. One of the reasons being that Bloom filter parameters are always computed in the average case. We compute the worst-case parameters in adversarial settings, show how to securely and efficiently use cryptographic hash functions and propose several other countermeasures to mitigate our attacks.
LTE Adaptation for Mobile Broadband Satellite Networks

One of the key factors for the successful deployment of mobile satellite systems in 4G networks is the maximization of the technology commonalities with the terrestrial systems. An effective way of achieving this objective consists in considering the terrestrial radio interface as the baseline for the satellite radio interface. Since the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard will be one of the main players in the 4G scenario, along with other emerging technologies, such as mobile WiMAX; this paper analyzes the possible applicability of the 3GPP LTE interface to satellite transmission, presenting several enabling techniques for this adaptation. In particular, we propose the introduction of an inter-TTI interleaving technique that exploits the existing H-ARQ facilities provided by the LTE physical layer, the use of PAPR reduction techniques to increase the resilience of the OFDM waveform to non linear distortion, and the design of the sequences for Random Access, taking into account the requirements deriving from the large round trip times. The outcomes of this analysis show that, with the required proposed enablers, it is possible to reuse the existing terrestrial air interface to transmit over the satellite link.
Aggressive behaviour among mentally handicapped females in a closed villa

Abstract Minor aggression is common in a closed female villa in a hospital for the mentally handicapped. In this study it occurred most frequently between 8a.m. and 10p.m. with a lunch-time peak. More incidents occurred on Saturday than on any other day. Few of the patients were psychotic and incidents were related to meal-times and reduced supervision. The most common targets for aggressive behaviour were property and the patient herself. The most common locus for aggression was outside the Sister's office. Attention to improving communication skills and providing more supervision should help to reduce the level of aggression.
A Retrospective Review of the Prognostic Value of ALDH-1, Bmi-1 and Nanog Stem Cell Markers in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Stem cell markers are upregulated in various cancers and have potential as prognostic indicators. The objective of this study was to determine the expression of three stem cell markers, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH-1), B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1), and Nanog, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of ALDH-1, Bmi-1, and Nanog in ESCC tissues from 41 patients who received pre-operative chemoradiation. We evaluated the relationship between expression of these markers, and clinicopathological features, tumor regression grade (TRG), and 5-year overall survival (OS). There were no significant associations of ALDH-1 or Bmi-1 expression with age, gender, clinical stage, and treatments (p>0.05). However, patients with Nanog-positive tumors were significantly older than those whose tumors were Nanog-negative (p = 0.033). TRG after treatment was significantly associated with expression of ALDH-1 (p = 0.001), Bmi-1 (p = 0.004), and Nanog (p<0.001). Although OS was significantly better in patients with low TRGs (p = 0.001), there were no significant correlations between ALDH-1, Bmi-1, or Nanog with OS. Expression of ALDH-1, Bmi-1, and Nanog correlated with TRG, but not OS. Further large studies are necessary to fully elucidate the prognostic value of these stem cell markers for ESCC patients.
Long-term Clinical Outcomes of the Tension-free Vaginal Tape Procedure for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Women over 65

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the long-term clinical outcomes of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in elderly women and to identify the factors influencing failure in these cases. Materials and Methods Women with SUI who underwent a TVT procedure were studied. "Cure" was defined as no urine leakage at all in any circumstances and "improvement" was defined as some urine leakage but a score of over 4 points out of 5 in a satisfaction inquiry. Patients were divided into two groups (middle-aged, <65 years and elderly, ≥65 years) for comparison of clinical outcomes. In the elderly group, patients were subdivided into two groups (cure and no cure groups) and were compared to identify the factors influencing failure. Results A total of 136 women (middle-aged group, 106; elderly group, 30) were enrolled in the study. The mean ages of the patients in the 2 groups were 53.5±5.9 and 72.0±5.0 years and the mean follow-up times were 50.5±9.4 and 48.8±9.1 months, respectively. The cure and improvement rates in the middle-aged and elderly groups were 80.2% vs. 66.7% and 4.7% vs. 3.3%, respectively (p>0.05). The satisfaction scores in the middle-aged and elderly groups were 3.8±1.1 vs. 3.3±1.5 points (p>0.05). In the elderly group, the body mass index of the cure and no cure groups were 24.6±3.3 kg/m2 and 26.6±1.0 kg/m2, and body mass index was the only factor that differed significantly between the two subgroups (p=0.028). Conclusions Our long-term results suggest that TVT is an effective treatment even in elderly women. However, elderly women who are obese should be counseled carefully about the success rate.
Utilizing Service Learning in a College-Level Human Sexuality Course

ABSTRACT Implementing service learning into college courses has been shown to have positive benefits for both students and community members; however, service learning has not been largely evaluated in the literature on human sexuality courses. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to design, implement, and evaluate a service learning project in a human sexuality class. Students who were enrolled in a human sexuality class designed and delivered two outreach presentations at their university as part of their service learning projects. The presentations were geared toward other college students with specific majors (i.e., future teachers and athletic coaches) and focused on areas related to child and youth sexuality. Overall, the service learning projects garnered positive support from both the students and the attendees at the presentations. Thus, results suggest that service learning is a useful pedagogical tool that college level instructors might consider implementing into their human sexuality courses.
Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Students’ Reasoning and Wellbeing

This paper summarizes findings of a study on efforts to improve teachers Pedagogical Content Knowledge and how it affects students’ reasoning and wellbeing. It was found that improvement of teachers’ PCK was not very strong but we managed to develop strategies to facilitate their developments. In the second year, the research was focused on identifying students’ reasoning skills both informal reasoning and formal reasoning. Data showed that students reasoning is relatively low (level 2 of five levels) and they could not construct highly coherence arguments. In addition alternative strategies to promote students’ reasoning were explored. Attempts to support teachers to conduct lessons that facilitate students’ reasoning found that teachers need intensive and continuous support. The study also identifies students’ wellbeing as the impact of improvement of lessons and other activities designed to improve students’ wellbeing. Research on students’ wellbeing is not yet given attention in Indonesian schools although it plays very important roles in students’ academic and nonacademic achievements.
A Hybrid Five-Level Inverter With Common-Mode Voltage Elimination Having Single Voltage Source for IM Drive Applications

A new hybrid five-level inverter topology with common-mode voltage (CMV) elimination for induction motor drive is proposed in this paper. This topology has only one dc source, and different voltage levels are generated by using this voltage source along with floating capacitors charged to asymmetrical voltage levels. The pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme employed in this topology balances the capacitor voltages at the required levels at any power factor and modulation index while eliminating the CMV. This inverter has good fault-tolerant capability as it can be operated in three- or two-level mode with CMV elimination, in case of any failure in the H-bridges. More voltage levels with CMV elimination can be realized from this topology but only in a limited range of modulation index and power factor. Extensive simulation is done to validate the PWM technique for CMV elimination and balancing of the capacitor voltages. The experimental verification of the proposed inverter-fed induction motor is carried out in the linear modulation and overmodulation regions. The steady-state and transient operations of the drive are verified. The dynamics of the capacitor voltage balancing is also tested. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed topology can be considered for industrial drive applications.
Overview of Integrative Assessment of Marine Systems: The Ecosystem Approach in Practice

Traditional and emerging human activities are increasingly putting pressures on marine ecosystems and impacting their ability to sustain ecological and human communities. To evaluate the health status of marine ecosystems we need a science-based, integrated Ecosystem Approach, that incorporates knowledge of ecosystem function and services provided that can be used to track how management decisions change the health of marine ecosystems. Although many methods have been developed to assess the status of single components of the ecosystem, few exist for assessing multiple ecosystem components in a holistic way. To undertake such an integrative assessment, it is necessary to understand the response of marine systems to human pressures. Hence, innovative monitoring is needed to obtain data to determine the health of large marine areas, and in an holistic way. Here we review five existing methods that address both of these needs (monitoring and assessment): the Ecosystem Health Assessment Tool; a method for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the Bay of Biscay; the Ocean Health Index; the Marine Biodiversity Assessment Tool; and the Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool. We have highlighted their main characteristics and analyzing their commonalities and differences, in terms of: use of the Ecosystem Approach; inclusion of multiple components in the assessment; use of reference conditions; use of integrative assessments; use of a range of values to capture the status; weighting ecosystem components when integrating; determine the uncertainty; ensure spatial and temporal comparability; use of robust monitoring approaches; and address pressures and impacts. Ultimately, for any ecosystem assessment to be effective it needs to be: transparent and repeatable and, in order to inform marine management, the results should be easy to communicate to wide audiences, including scientists, managers and policymakers.
LR estimation using long term F0 as a parameter: Good, bad or useless? Initial investigation using Japanese data

This paper investigates the validity of LR estimation for long-term F0 using Aitkin (1995)’s formula. Although this formula has been developed to estimate the LR of reflective index of glass fragments, previous studies such as Kinoshita (2001) and Rose, Osanai, and Kinoshita (2003) have shown that Aitkin’s formula can be applied to speech data. The experiments in this study revealed, however, that it is not suitable for LR estimation when the long-term F0 is used as the speaker identification parameter. Other avenues for using F0 are suggested.
Microbial Keratitis Profile at a University Hospital in Hong Kong

Purpose. To evaluate the recent trends in demographics, risk factors, and microbiological profiles of microbial keratitis at a university hospital in Hong Kong. Design. Retrospective review. Methods. The medical records of 51 patients admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital for microbial keratitis from January 2010 to June 2012 were reviewed. Demographics, risk factors, clinical features, microbiological results, and treatment were recorded. Data was analyzed and compared to our historical sampled data collected 11 years ago. Results. The mean age of patients was 41.6 ± 20.3 years. Contact lens use was the major risk factor (45%), followed by injury (12%). The culture positive rate was 59%, of which 37% were Gram-positive organisms and 53% were Gram-negative organisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (50%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (13%) were the most commonly isolated pathogens. No resistance to fluoroquinolones was identified. Conclusions. Our study showed that contact lens wear remained the major risk factor for microbial keratitis in Hong Kong and Pseudomonas aeruginosa remained the commonest bacterium isolated. This is comparable to our historical data and other studies conducted in East Asia.
A constructionist learning environment for teachers to model learning designs

The use of digital technologies is now widespread and increasing, but is not always optimized for effective learning. Teachers in higher education have little time or support to work on innovation and improvement of their teaching, which often means they simply replicate their current practice in a digital medium. This paper makes the case for a learning design support environment to support and scaffold teachers' engagement with and development of technology-enhanced learning, based on user requirements and on pedagogic theory. To be able to adopt, adapt, and experiment with learning designs, teachers need a theory-informed way of representing the critical characteristics of good pedagogy as they discover how to optimize learning technologies. This paper explains the design approach of the Learning Design Support Environment project, and how it aims to support teachers in achieving this goal.
Fairness, Incentives, and Contractual Choices

This paper examines how the presence of a non-negligible fraction of reciprocally fair actors changes the provision of incentives through contracts. We provide experimental evidence that principals have a strong preference for less complete contracts although the standard self-interest model predicts that they should prefer the more complete contract. Our theoretical analysis shows that fairness concerns can explain this preference for less completeness. Fair principals keep their promises which provides strong pecuniary incentives through an incomplete contract. Selfish principals free-ride and exploit the agents. Counter-intuitively, selfish agents are induced to work by an incomplete contract while fair agents shirk.
Depressive Experience Dimensions and Structural Performance: What’s at the Basis of Depression Heterogeneity?

Depression has a high prevalence worldwide and has a difficult approach because it is a heterogeneous syndrome. This study explored the associations between self-criticism and dependency dimensions of depressive experience and structural functions in 43 Chilean patients with depressive symptomatology. Patients showed either self-criticism or dependency style. Results showed that the highest the symptomatology, the worst structural functioning. Self-criticism showed to relate more with low structural functioning and self-regulation vulnerability predicted the presence of depressive symptomatology, showing a greater effect on high levels of self-criticism. The results support the perspective of considering heterogeneity at the base of depression and the importance of designing different therapeutic strategies.
Improved Image Enhancement Method for License Plate Detection

A novel approach based on vertical edge extraction is proposed for car plate detection. In order to manage the detection in low quality images (low contrast, blurred images etc), we first enhance image contrast at candidate regions for car plate. The vertical edges of the enhanced image are then extracted. Using morphological filtering, several candidates are constituted as license plate. Some distinctive features for car plate such as shape, aspect ratio is used to filter out false candidates. Using the correlation between the candidate regions and the model of car plate, the most probable region in the image is declared as the car plate. The experimental results on out-door images confirms the robustness of the proposed method against the severe imaging condition.
An End-to-End QoS Framework for 4 G Mobile Heterogeneous Environments

Next Generation Networks (NGN) will be based upon the “all IP” paradigm. The IP protocol will glue multiple technologies, for both access and core network, in a common and scalable framework that will provide seamless communication mobility not only across those technologies, but also across different network operators. In this article we describe a framework for QoS support in such NGNs, where multi-interface terminals are given end-to-end QoS guarantees regardless of their point of attachment. The framework supports media independent handovers, triggered either by the user or by the network, to optimize network resources’ distribution. The framework integrates layer two and layer three handovers by exploiting minimal additions to existing IETF and IEEE standards.
A three-protein biomarker panel assessed in diagnostic tissue predicts death from prostate cancer for men with localized disease

Only a minority of prostate cancers lead to death. Because no tissue biomarkers of aggressiveness other than Gleason score are available at diagnosis, many nonlethal cancers are treated aggressively. We evaluated whether a panel of biomarkers, associated with a range of disease outcomes in previous studies, could predict death from prostate cancer for men with localized disease. Using a case‐only design, subjects were identified from three Australian epidemiological studies. Men who had died of their disease, “cases” (N = 83), were matched to “referents” (N = 232), those who had not died of prostate cancer, using incidence density sampling. Diagnostic tissue was retrieved to assess expression of AZGP1, MUC1, NKX3.1, p53, and PTEN by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC). Poisson regression was used to estimate mortality rate ratios (MRRs) adjusted for age, Gleason score, and stage and to estimate survival probabilities. Expression of MUC1 and p53 was associated with increased mortality (MRR 2.51, 95% CI 1.14–5.54, P = 0.02 and 3.08, 95% CI 1.41–6.95, P = 0.005, respectively), whereas AZGP1 expression was associated with decreased mortality (MRR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20–0.96, P = 0.04). Analyzing all markers under a combined model indicated that the three markers were independent predictors of prostate cancer death and survival. For men with localized disease at diagnosis, assessment of AZGP1, MUC1, and p53 expression in diagnostic tissue by IHC could potentially improve estimates of risk of dying from prostate cancer based only on Gleason score and clinical stage.
Parabolic maps with spin: generic spectral statistics with non-mixing classical limit

We investigate quantized maps of the torus whose classical analogues are ergodic but not mixing. Their quantum spectral statistics shows non-generic behaviour, i.e. it does not follow random matrix theory (RMT). By coupling the map to a spin 1/2, which corresponds to changing the quantization without altering the classical limit of the dynamics on the torus, we numerically observe a transition to RMT statistics. The results are interpreted in terms of semiclassical trace formulae for the maps with and without spin, respectively. We thus have constructed quantum systems with non-mixing classical limit which show generic (i.e. RMT) spectral statistics. We also discuss the analogous situation for an almost-integrable map, where we compare to semi-Poissonian statistics.