Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PROFILE OF ABDOMINAL TRAUMA IN FEDERAL TEACHING HOSPITAL , GOMBE , NORTH-EAST , NIGERIA : A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Abdominal injuries are increasing globally. The incidence in our environment is increasing because of crime, insurgencies and man-made disasters. Assessing the magnitude will help in proffering measures to reduce the incidence, and also improve management. Therefore, the aim was to determine the pattern of abdominal trauma, aetiology, identify commonly injured organs, as well as evaluate the management. Methodology: A prospective cross sectional study carried out from January 2012-June 2014. Patients recruited were those that presented with abdominal injuries. Patients had initial resuscitation and basic investigations. Patients with penetrating injuries were laparotomised after optimization,while those with blunt injuries were managed conservatively. Results: There were 67 (75.3%) males and 22 (24.7%) females; aged between 18 and 69 years with mean age of 33.89. Penetrating abdominal trauma was seen in 56 (62.9%)patients while blunt injuries were present in 33 (37.1%) patients. Injuries due to knives (28.1%) were the commonest cause of penetrating injuries while road traffic accident (30.3%) was responsible largely for blunt abdominal injuries. The spleen(25, 29.8%) was the most common isolated injured organ while the small bowel and the colon (11, 40.7%) were the most injured in combined trauma. Complications recorded include incisional surgical site infection (6, 42.9%), low output enterocutaneous fistula (3, 21.4%), and burst abdomen (3, 21.4%). Conclusion: The pattern of occurrence of abdominal trauma in this study is not too different as those reported from other climes. Missile injuries and vehicular accidents have been identified as a major cause of penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma respectively. Therefore, a holistic approach is necessary, not only to fight crime in our society, but also for campaign networks on road safety measures.
A DANTE tagging sequence for the evaluation of translational sample motion

A magnetic resonance imaging sequence that is sensitive to translational motion such as that seen with cardiac contraction is presented. The sequence employs DANTE radiofrequency excitation with a continuous magnetic field gradient to generate a grid pattern of lines. There is improved line resolution and reduced eddy‐current formation over Current techniques. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.
Self-citation of Medical and Non-medical Universities in Northern Iran

Background: Self-citation is one of the main challenges in the evaluation of researchers’ scientific output. This study aimed at comparing the institutional self-citation among the universities located in Northern Iran. Methods: This study was conducted as a scientometric study. Research population included all scientific productions of 16 Northern Iran Universities with at least 100 indexed documents indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) by 2 June 2015. The citation analysis section of WoS was used for data collection. SPSS was applied for data analysis. Study hypotheses were tested with two independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test. Results: Producing 16,399 papers, northern Iran universities had 5.33% of contribution in Iran’s scientific production. They received 84,058 citations with 17% and 12% of self-citations belonged to the non-medical and medical universities, respectively. Testing hypotheses revealed that increase in received citations significantly increases the rate of self-citation and increase in scientific production does not necessarily increase the rate of self-citation. Conclusion: The rate of self-citation in the studied universities was not relatively high. However, investigating into the factors affecting the rate of and motives for self-citation needs further research.
A similarity measure for stereo feature matching

An approach to stereo feature matching is presented with the introduction of a similarity measure for evaluating and confirming a stereo match. The contributions of this study are reflected in (1) the development of a similarity measure which evaluates a stereo match based on feature locality and gray-level gradient associated with the feature; and (2) the use of a matching procedure that integrates local and global matching strategies based on matching first those features with the highest similarity measure among the set of all highest similarities found locally under confined search spaces, ensuring that each feature is matched with a high degree of certainty. A left-to-right and right-to-left consistency check is used for each feature to comply with the uniqueness constraint and to confirm if a potential match can be declared a correct match.
Perspectives on Disability & Rehabilitation: Contesting Assumptions; Challenging Practice

Preface. Exploring the assumptions underpinning rehabilitation. Normality and the classification of difference. Disability and deviance from the norm. Theoretical models of disability. The cultural perpetuation of disability. The body and physical impairment. Disability, rehabilitation and liminality. Rehabilitation fundamentals. Client-centred philosophy: exploring privalege and power. Researching disability and rehabilitation. Contesting assumptions challenging practice. Glossary. References
Numb Promotes Cell Proliferation and Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background Numb is an evolutionary conserved protein that plays critical roles in cell fate determination, cell adhesion, cell migration and a number of signaling pathways, but evidence for a substantial involvement of Numb in HCC has remained unclear. The present study was aimed to investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of Numb and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methodology The expression of Numb was detected in 107 cases of clinical paraffin-embedded hepatocellular carcinoma tissues,5 matched paris of fresh tissues and six hepatocellular cell lines by immunohistochemistry with clinicopathological analyses,RT-PCR or Western blot. Moreover, loss of function and gain of function assays were performed to evaluate the effect of Numb on cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusions We found that Numb was obviously up-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines (p<0.05). The Numb up-regulation correlated significantly with poor prognosis, and Numb status was identified as an independent prognostic factor. Over-expression of Numb increased proliferation in SMMC-7721 and BEL-7402 cells, while knock-down of Numb showed the opposite effect. Our study indicates that Numb up-regulation significantly correlates with cell proliferation and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. It may be a useful biomarker for therapeutic strategy in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.
Application of Nonlinear Mixed-Effects Modeling Approach in Tree Height Prediction

A nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approach was used to model the individual tree height-diameter relationship based on Chapman-Richards function for dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii. Rupr.) plantations in northeastern China. The study involved the estimation of fixed and random parameters, as well as procedures for determining random effects variance-covariance matrices to reduce the number of the parameters in the model. The mixed-effects model provided better model fitting and more precise estimations than the fixed-effects model. Techniques for calibrating the height-diameter model for a particular plot of interest were also explored. The greatest reductions in bias and root mean square error (RMSE) were obtained when comparing the calibration from one randomly selected tree with the calibration from two randomly selected trees. Substantial reductions were obtained with the inclusion of two randomly selected trees, which could reduce the bias and RMSE of the predictions by almost 73% and 63%, respectively. An important characteristic of mixed-effects models is that they permit both mean response prediction and calibrated prediction. The fixed- effects parameters alone can be used to obtain the mean response prediction. More accurate estimates can be obtained by calibration for individual prediction.
Stem-cell therapy in retinal disease

Purpose of review Stem-cell research is being investigated for the treatment of retina diseases. Cell replacement strategies have the potential to improve vision in patients who were previously considered to be untreatable. This review summarizes progress within the field and obstacles which must be overcome to make stem-cell therapy a viable treatment for select retinal disease. Recent findings Researchers have demonstrated that stem-cell transplants can survive, migrate, differentiate, and integrate within the retina. Stem cells from various developmental stages have been used in these experiments, including embryonic stem cells, neural stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, retinal stem cells, and adult stem cells from the ciliary margin. Not only can these transplants adopt retina-like morphologies and phenotypes, but they have also shown evidence of synaptic reconnection and visual recovery in both animal and human studies. Still, work must be done to achieve higher yields of functioning retinal neurons and to promote better integration within the host retina. Summary Although many obstacles remain, stem-cell-based therapy is a promising treatment to restore vision in patients with retina disease.
Extending the theory of reasoned action: The role of health beliefs

(From the chapter) a study [with 138 sexually experienced undergraduate psychology students, aged 17-21 yrs] that focused on the extent to which health beliefs improve the prediction of safer sex behaviour is described / compare the relative utilities of the health belief model and the theory of reasoned action in the context of condom use / examine whether health beliefs could explain additional variance in behavioural intentions and actual condom use, after control of the effects of the relevant components of the theory of reasoned action.
Inflammatory profiles in the non-pregnant state predict offspring birth weight at Cebu: Evidence for inter-generational effects of low grade inflammation

Background: Although maternal infection and inflammation during pregnancy can adversely affect offspring birth weight (BW), whether low grade inflammation in the non-pregnant state predicts BW is unknown. Aim: To evaluate relationships between offspring BW and pro- and anti-inflammatory factors measured in parous but non-pregnant women. Subjects and methods: Data come from 234 parous Filipino females (21.5 ± 0.3 years) in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, a population-based birth cohort in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Pro-inflammatory [Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), C-reactive protein (CRP)] and anti-inflammatory [Interleukin-10 (IL-10)] factors were measured in fasting plasma when the women were not pregnant, and related to recalled offspring BW. Results: BW in female offspring was lower only among women with high IL-1β. Although pro-inflammatory cytokines did not predict BW in male offspring, women with higher anti-inflammatory IL-10 gave birth to larger males. Women with a combination of low inflammatory (IL-6) and high anti-inflammatory (IL-10) factors (interaction p < 0.104) gave birth to the largest males. Conclusion: Immune factors measured outside of pregnancy predict offspring BW in these young women. Stable variation in inflammatory phenotype could impact the gestational environment of offspring, thus pointing to potential inter-generational effects of chronic low-grade inflammation.
Circuit-Model-Based Analysis of a Wireless Energy-Transfer System via Coupled Magnetic Resonances

A simple equivalent-circuit model is developed for a wireless energy-transfer system via coupled magnetic resonances, and a practical design method is also provided. Node equations for the resonance system are built with the method, expanding on the equations for a transformer, and the optimum distances of the coils in the system are derived analytically for optimum coupling coefficients for high transfer efficiency. In order to calculate the frequency characteristics for a lossy system, the equivalent model is established at an electric-design automation tool. The model parameters of the actual system are extracted, and the modeling results are compared with measurements. Through the developed model, it is seen that the system can transfer power over a midrange of a few meters and that impedance matching is important to achieve high efficiency.
Increasing Convictions in Domestic Violence Cases: A Field Test in Milwaukee

After years of attempted improvements to criminal justice system responses to domestic violence, it has become clear that victim noncooperation with authorities keeps convic tion rates far below those for other crimes. Some experts have suggested that mandato ry arrest statutes have pulled into the courts many cases in which victims never wanted the batterer charged and prosecuted. Others have suggested that victims are convinced to change their minds during the court process because of intimidation by the defendant or difficult demands by authorities. This article describes the effects on case processing and victim perceptions of a specialized domestic violence court, which was based upon a novel principle. The court's primary intent was to speed case disposition to limit the amount of time victims had to change their minds about prosecution, reduce case back logs, increase convictions, and minimize opportunities for pretrial violence. Sample data collected before and after the start of the special court showed that case-process ing time was halved, convictions increased by 25 percent (although the proportion of convicted defendants who served jail time declined), and pretrial crime declined.
Framing Autism Causes and Prevelance: A Content Analysis of Television Evening News Coverage--1994 Through April 2010

Autism has been declared an urgent public health concern by the U.S. government and an epidemic by some advocacy groups. Determining autism's diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and causes have been challenging. It is important to examine how the U.S. media have contributed to the public's understanding of autism. Previous research found that British media coverage of the theory that vaccines cause autism was shown to contribute to the decline of vaccination rates in Britain (Lewis & Speers, 2003). This study examined U.S. television news media coverage using an agenda-setting theory and media framing perspective. A content analysis was conducted of national television evening news broadcasts airing on ABC, CBS, and NBC from 1994, when autism was first recognized as a spectrum disorder through April 2010, the time of this study. Specifically, this study examined the saliency of autism stories and how autism was framed in terms of prevalence and causes. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to offer a special note of thanks to my thesis advisor, Dr. Holley Wilkin. Words cannot express how grateful I am for her patience, persistence, and encouraging words throughout this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Cynthia Hoffner for her interest in my topic as well as her thorough review and thoughtful comments. Thanks to Dr. Svetlana Kulikova for helping me understand the best method for answering my research questions in her course.
Review of adverse health effects of odours in field studies.

UNLABELLED Exposure to environmental odours from industrial and agricultural premises, in addition to inducing annoyance responses in a dose-dependent manner, have been shown to be either directly associated with gastric symptoms as well as general health-related complaints under extreme exposure conditions, or indirectly mediated through odour annoyance under moderate odour exposure conditions. OBJECTIVE In order to examine the influence of hedonic tone (pleasantness-unpleasantness) and perceived odour strength (intensity) on symptom reporting the results of two pertinent field studies were analysed. METHODS In the vicinity of six industrial plants (sweets, rusk, textile, seed-oil, fat, cast iron) and eleven livestock operations (poultry, pig, cattle) assessment of odour exposure was done by means of systematic field inspections. Effect assessment was done by means of direct interviews (industrial: N=1456, agricultural: N=1053) using questionnaires covering odour annoyance, symptom reporting and relevant covariates. DATA ANALYSIS Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to establish dose-response associations between odour frequency, intensity and hedonic tone as independent variables and symptom reporting as dependent variable. RESULTS Exposure-symptom associations are strongly influenced by hedonic tone, whereas intensity has no additional predictive value. Adding odour annoyance to the regression model shows that symptom reporting is exclusively mediated by annoyance.
A unified approach to variable voltage scheduling for nonideal DVS processors

Voltage scheduling is an essential technique used to exploit the benefit of dynamic voltage-scaling processors. Though extensive research exists in this area, current processor limitations such as time and energy transition overhead and voltage-level discretization are often dismissed as insignificant. We show that for hard real-time applications, disregarding these details can lead to suboptimal or even invalid results. We propose two algorithms to account for these limitations. The first is a greedy approach, while the second is more complex, but can significantly reduce the system's energy consumption. Through experimental results on both real and randomly generated systems, we show the effectiveness of both algorithms and explore what conditions make it beneficial to use the complex algorithm over the basic one.
Popular Conceptions of the Meaning of Democracy: Democratic Understanding in Unlikely Places

This paper addresses the question of whether ordinary people express a reasonable understanding of the meaning of democracy, and what are the contents of their definitions? Do people focus on the procedural aspects of democracy—elections, democratic institutions, and processes—which are the main focus of democratization efforts. Alternatively, do they see democracy in terms of rights and liberties, or economic or social welfare terms? We draw on a wide range of recent public opinion surveys from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Our research yields three generalizations about popular conceptions of democracy. First, even in new democracies, most people can define democracy in their own words. Second, and most important, most people think of democracy in terms of the freedoms, liberties and rights that it conveys, rather than procedural conceptions of liberal democracy. Third, equating democracy with social benefits emerges as a minor theme, even in the poorest of nations. Our findings thus suggest that democratic aspirations are shaped by perceptions of the liberties and freedom that democracy can produce, and that are seen as lacking in other political systems.
Classification of hyperspectral remote sensing images with support vector machines

This paper addresses the problem of the classification of hyperspectral remote sensing images by support vector machines (SVMs). First, we propose a theoretical discussion and experimental analysis aimed at understanding and assessing the potentialities of SVM classifiers in hyperdimensional feature spaces. Then, we assess the effectiveness of SVMs with respect to conventional feature-reduction-based approaches and their performances in hypersubspaces of various dimensionalities. To sustain such an analysis, the performances of SVMs are compared with those of two other nonparametric classifiers (i.e., radial basis function neural networks and the K-nearest neighbor classifier). Finally, we study the potentially critical issue of applying binary SVMs to multiclass problems in hyperspectral data. In particular, four different multiclass strategies are analyzed and compared: the one-against-all, the one-against-one, and two hierarchical tree-based strategies. Different performance indicators have been used to support our experimental studies in a detailed and accurate way, i.e., the classification accuracy, the computational time, the stability to parameter setting, and the complexity of the multiclass architecture. The results obtained on a real Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer hyperspectral dataset allow to conclude that, whatever the multiclass strategy adopted, SVMs are a valid and effective alternative to conventional pattern recognition approaches (feature-reduction procedures combined with a classification method) for the classification of hyperspectral remote sensing data.
Effect of valsartan on atrial fibrillation recurrence following pulmonary vein isolation in patients

Pulmonary venous isolation has emerged as an effective therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF); however, AF recurrence is common. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on the recurrence rate of AF following ablation therapy. In total, 120 patients, who were scheduled for ablation, were randomly selected. The patients were randomly divided into three groups, which received treatment with a placebo (n=40), 80 mg valsartan daily (n=40) or with 160 mg valsartan daily (n=40). The demographic characteristics, comorbidities, AF type and information regarding treatment with ARBs were recorded and analyzed. Following a mean follow-up period of 13.8±8.6 months, 66.7% of patients were found to be free of AF. Kaplan-Meier analysis of the time until the first recurrence during the follow-up period revealed that patients treated with 160 mg/day valsartan presented a higher probability of remaining free of AF (88%, vs. 47% for the control and 65% for the 80 mg/day valsartan groups). In addition, multivariate analysis demonstrated that treatment with ARB was associated with lower AF recurrence rates (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.93] P=0.01). In conclusion, treatment with 160 mg/day valsartan markedly reduced the risk of recurrence of AF in a dose-dependent manner in AF patients following ablation.
RABIES AND CANINE DISTEMPER IN AN ARCTIC FOX POPULATION IN ALASKA

Two oil field workers were attacked by a rabid arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) in the Prudhoe Bay oil field (Alaska, USA) prompting officials to reduce the local fox population. Ninety-nine foxes were killed during winter 1994. We tested foxes for prevalence of rabies and canine distemper. Exposure to rabies was detected in five of 99 foxes. Of the five, only one fox had rabies virus in neural tissue as determined by the direct fluorescent antibody test. The other four foxes had been exposed to rabies, but had apparently produced antibodies and did not have an active infection. No evidence of canine distemper was detected as determined by the absence of distemper antibodies in serum and distemper virus in neural tissue.
Systemic Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract: Surgical resection offers the only curative strategy for pancreatic cancer. Yet, because early detection of pancreatic cancer is so difficult and diagnosis is delayed, pancreatic cancer in most patients is surgically unresectable. Even in patients with resectable disease, the long-term outcome remains unsatisfactory due to early recurrence after resection. Early appearance of distant metastasis suggests that systemic treatment, such as chemotherapy, should play a major role in improving patient survival. Although the recently developed gemcitabine has renewed interest in clinical research for pancreatic cancer, other currently available chemotherapeutic agents have little impact on survival. Studies to identify more effective agents or treatment regimens must have the highest priority. The expanding understanding of molecular and genetic biology should facilitate research to develop novel molecule-targeted agents and to establish individualized therapy regimens for this disease.