Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Positive changes after breast cancer: A qualitative study

Introduction: Traumatic events such as breast cancer along with negative effects on patients also have positive effects. These cases have been studied less in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of explanation of positive changes after breast cancer by using a qualitative approach. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2012 in one of the specialized centers for cancer affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. In this study, it was interviewed with 19 women with breast cancer about positive changes after cancer by using individual, open and deep methods. The interviews were analyzed with conventional content analysis method. Results: The titles of the three major categories were included as behavioral changes to maintain and promote health (acquisition of health information and adopting promoting health behaviors), spiritual development (attention to the God and sense of meaning in life, revising the values and priorities, strengthening moral and behavioral traits) and personal growth and flourish (feeling empowerment, confidence and efforts to achieve the goals and desires). These three categories have led to emerge themes in this study as the “Awakening after cancer. ” Conclusions: The results of this study indicated positive changes after breast cancer. Considering such changes while providing care and consulting to patients with breast cancer in addition to facilitate and accelerate positive changes will be prompted to provide care and proper and influential consulting to promote patient health.
Light-induced changes of sensitivity in Limulus ventral photoreceptors

The responses of Limulus ventral photoreceptors to brief test flashes and to longer adapting lights were measured under voltage clamp conditions. When the cell was dark adapted, there was a range of energy of the test flashes over which the peak amplitude of the responses (light-induced currents) was directly proportional to the flash energy. This was also true when test flashes were superposed on adapting stimuli but the proportionality constant (termed peak currently/photon) was reduced. The peak current/photon was attenuated more by brighter adapting stimuli than by less bright adapting stimuli. The peak current/photon is a measure of the sensitivity of the conductance- increase mechanism underlying the light response of the photo-receptor. The response elicited by an adapting stimulus had a large initial transient which declined to a smaller plateau. The peak current/photon decreased sharply during the declining phase of the transient and was relatively stable during the plateau. This indicates that the onset of light adaptation is delayed with respect to the onset of the response to the adapting stimulus. If the adaptational state just before the onset of each of a series of adapting stimuli was constant, the amplitude of the transient was a nearly linear function of intensity. When the total intensity was rapidly doubled (or halved) during a plateau response, the total current approximately doubled (or halved). We argue that the transition from transient to plateau, light-elicited changes of threshold, and the nonlinear function relating the plateau response to stimulus intensity all reflect changes of the responsiveness of the conductance-increase mechanism.
Chronicles of Cell Death Foretold: Specificities in the Mechanism of Disposal

Massive turnover of cells occurs through apoptosis during the constant remodeling of our tissues at homeostasis, from the shedding of cells at exposed barrier surfaces to the elimination of autoreactive lymphocytes. However, a surge of apoptotic cells also accompanies tissue damage, infection, and inflammation. A salient feature of apoptosis in either scenario is the exposure of phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. In response to this cue, a range of phagocytes are charged with the sizeable task of engulfing apoptotic bodies and disposing of the billions of cells that perish each day. The presence of apoptotic cells in the remarkably distinct immunological settings described above, therefore, raises the question of how phagocytes are able to coordinate appropriate responses to apoptotic cells—from their silent removal to the production of growth factors or tissue repair molecules—following such a ubiquitous signal as PtdSer exposure. Here, we consider several emergent properties of phagocytes and apoptotic cell clearance that may facilitate specification among this suite of potential responses.
Benchmarking Web-testing - Selenium versus Watir and the Choice of Programming Language and Browser

Context: Selenium is claimed to be the most popular software test automation tool. Past academic works have mainly neglected testing tools in favor of more methodological topics. Objective: We investigated the performance of web-testing tools, to provide empirical evidence supporting choices in software test tool selection and configuration. Method: We used 4*5 factorial design to study 20 different configurations for testing a web-store. We studied 5 programming language bindings (C#, Java, Python, and Ruby for Selenium, while Watir supports Ruby only) and 4 browsers (Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera). Performance was measured with execution time, memory usage, length of the test scripts and stability of the tests. Results: Considering all measures the best configuration was Selenium with Python language binding for Chrome. Selenium with Python bindings was the best option for all browsers. The effect size of the difference between the slowest and fastest configuration was very high (Cohens d=41.5, 91% increase in execution time). Overall Internet Explorer was the fastest browser while having the worst results in the stability. Conclusions: We recommend benchmarking tools before adopting them. Weighting of factors, e.g. how much test stability is one willing to sacrifice for faster performance, affects the decision.
On the effective evaluation of TCP

Understanding the performance of the Internet's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is important because it is the dominant protocol used in the Internet today. Various testing methods exist to evaluate TCP performance, however all have pitfalls that need to be understood prior to obtaining useful results. Simulating TCP is difficult because of the wide range of variables, environments, and implementations available. Testing TCP modifications in the global Internet may not be the answer either: testing new protocols on real networks endangers other people's traffic and, if not done correctly, may also yield inaccurate or misleading results. In order for TCP research to be independently evaluated in the Internet research community there is a set of questions that researchers should try to answer. This paper attempts to list some of those questions and make recommendations as to how TCP testing can be structured to provide useful answers.
Comparison of Eleven Heavy Metals in Moringa Oleifera Lam. Products

Eleven heavy metals in various products of Moringa oleifera were analyzed to determine eleven heavy metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, and Zn) using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. The products of M. oleifera were purchased in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. All products were digested with nitric acid solution before determining the concentrations of heavy metals. The recoveries of all heavy metals were found to be in the range of 99.89-103.05%. Several criteria such as linearity, limits of detection, limits of quantification, specificity, precision under repeatability conditions and intermediate precision reproducibility were evaluated. Results indicate that this method could be used in the laboratory for determination of eleven heavy metals in M. oleifera products with acceptable analytical performance. The results of analysis showed that the highest concentrations of As, Cr, Hg, and Mn were found in tea leaves while the highest concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn were found in leaf capsules. Continuous monitoring of heavy metals in M. oleifera products is crucial for consumer health.
Susceptibility weighted imaging: A pictorial review

Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) is a valuable technique in the evaluation of a wide variety of intracranial pathologies. SWI is a gradient echo sequence utilising both phase and magnitude data to achieve exquisite sensitivity to tissue magnetic susceptibility effects. Normal SWI appearances and common artefacts are illustrated. Examples of SWI in common intracranial pathologies such as subarachnoid, intraventricular and intraparenchymal haemorrhage, intra‐axial and extra‐axial tumours, pyogenic and non‐pyogenic infections, trauma, neurodegenerative diseases and vascular disease including aneurysms, vascular malformations are illustrated and discussed. This pictorial essay will enable radiologists to recognise the normal, artefactual and common intracranial pathological appearances of SWI.
Differences in various measurements on panoramic radiograph among erupted and impacted lower third molar groups.

OBJECTIVE To determine the differences in various linear and angular measurements between erupted and impacted lower third molar group on conventional panoramic radiographs. METHODS The quasi-experimental study based on non-probability convenience sampling and done at the National Institute of Oral Diseases, Karachi, comprised 140 patients having full dentition with bilaterally present mandibular third molars varying between ages of 18-30 years. After clinical examination, 280 lower third molars were divided into two groups; Group A had erupted, while Group B comprised impacted mandibular third molars. All radiographs were traced and measured for five variables to compare the two groups. For statistical purpose, SPSS version 10, and t test were used. RESULTS Retromolar space measured from Xi (centre of ramus) was 31.60 +/- 3.33 mm in Group A and 27.02 +/- 4.17mm in Group B. Retromolar space measured from anterior edge of ramus (AER) was 16.30 +/- 2.51 mm in Group A and 11.21 +/- 3.69 in Group B. Mesiodistal width was 13.39 +/- 1.44mm in Group A and 13.80 +/- 1.58 in Group B. Retromolar space/width ratio was 1.22 +/- 0.20 for Group A and 0.82 +/- 0.34 for Group B. Mean angulations in Group A was 5.98 +/- 5.9 degrees whereas 34.56 +/- 27.89 degrees in Group B. CONCLUSION The probability of eruption of the lower third molar increases if retromolar space measured from anterior edge of ramus (AER-7) and centre of rumus point (Xi-7) is 13mm and 25mm respectively, provided the space/width ratio is greater than 1 and angulation is also vertical. Mesiodistal width of the tooth has no significant role in impactions.
Effect of yarn characteristics on surface properties of knitted fabrics

Fabric surface properties are significant in terms of fabric handle, sensorial comfort, aesthetic and performance properties. Yarn properties are among the most important parameters that affect fabric surface properties. Besides, fiber type, fiber properties and spinning technology etc. directly affect the physical, mechanical and performance properties of yarns as well as fabric surface properties. In the scope of this study, effects of fiber type (raw material), fiber fineness and fiber length on the surface properties of fabrics were investigated. Also, properties of yarns were measured and their effects on fabric surface properties were analyzed. For this purpose, unevenness, optical unevenness, imperfections, structural properties (diameter, density, roughness and shape), hairiness and frictional properties of yarns were measured, and relationships between abrasion resistance, pilling and frictional properties of knitted fabrics were examined. Regression models were developed in order to predict fabric surface properties from yarn characteristics. Based on comprehensive data analysis, it was concluded that variation in yarn friction and yarn hairiness explains approximately 80–85% of fabric-to-fabric and fabric-to-skin (gazelle skin) friction coefficients. Furthermore, positive correlations between yarn hairiness and weight loss, and yarn hairiness and thickness change after abrasion test, were observed. Additionally, a new parameter, the optical contact index (OCI), based on an image analysis method, was suggested to determine the surface properties and roughness of fabrics. Relationships between the OCI and other tested fabric surface properties were statistically analyzed. Statistical analyses showed that high correlations exist between the new parameter and fabric friction and abrasion resistance at the 0.05 significance level.
Evaluation of Vegetables in Tsukuba for Contamination With Radioactive Materials From the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

AbstractA large amount of radioactive material was released into the atmosphere after the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant following the Tohoku earthquake on 11 March 2011, and traces of these materials were detected in Tsukuba. Because radioactive materials can adhere to vegetables, the authors made a qualitative evaluation of vegetables in Tsukuba, estimated internal exposure dose based on quantitative measurement results, and investigated several decontamination methods. Qualitative analysis of vegetable contamination was done by autoradiography. Quantitative analysis was done using a high-purity germanium detector. To assess decontamination, two methods were tested: one with running water and the other with boiling water. In addition, boiled soup stock was measured. In the qualitative evaluation by autoradiography, radioactive materials were not uniformly distributed but adhered to vegetables in clumps and hot spots. In the quantitative evaluation to measure contamination of outer and inner leaves of sanchu lettuce, it was observed that the concentration of 131I was 8,031.35 ± 764.79 Bq kg−1 in the outer leaves and 115.28 ± 20.63 Bq kg−1 in the inner leaves. In addition, the concentration of 137Cs was 1,371.93 ± 366.45 Bq kg−1 in the outer leaves and 9.68 ± 15.03 Bq kg−1 in the inner leaves. This suggests that one can greatly reduce internal exposure dose by removing the outer leaves if one has to eat vegetables just after a nuclear accident. In the decontamination assessment, a decontamination efficiency of up to 70% was achieved by boiling vegetables for 20 min.
Team Performance in Networked Supervisory Control of Unmanned Air Vehicles

Objective: Assess team performance within a networked supervisory control setting while manipulating automated decision aids and monitoring team communication and working memory ability. Background: Networked systems such as multi–unmanned air vehicle (UAV) supervision have complex properties that make prediction of human-system performance difficult. Automated decision aid can provide valuable information to operators, individual abilities can limit or facilitate team performance, and team communication patterns can alter how effectively individuals work together. We hypothesized that reliable automation, higher working memory capacity, and increased communication rates of task-relevant information would offset performance decrements attributed to high task load. Method: Two-person teams performed a simulated air defense task with two levels of task load and three levels of automated aid reliability. Teams communicated and received decision aid messages via chat window text messages. Results: Task Load × Automation effects were significant across all performance measures. Reliable automation limited the decline in team performance with increasing task load. Average team spatial working memory was a stronger predictor than other measures of team working memory. Frequency of team rapport and enemy location communications positively related to team performance, and word count was negatively related to team performance. Conclusion: Reliable decision aiding mitigated team performance decline during increased task load during multi-UAV supervisory control. Team spatial working memory, communication of spatial information, and team rapport predicted team success. Application: An automated decision aid can improve team performance under high task load. Assessment of spatial working memory and the communication of task-relevant information can help in operator and team selection in supervisory control systems.
An assessment of carbaryl residues on brinjal crop in an agricultural field in Bikaner, Rajasthan (India).

Solanum melongena Linn. (brinjal) is the most common, popular and principal vegetable crop grown in many geographical parts in India. This staple vegetable crop is extensively damaged by the insects and farmers use large quantities of chemical insecticides, Carbaryl being one of them. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the persistence of Carbaryl on brinjal (fruit) and soil in an agricultural field in Bikaner (28°N latitude and 73°18'E longitudes), Rajasthan, India. The residues in soil progressively declined up to 60 days but became non-detectable during the next sampling at 75(superscript th) day. The dissipation of insecticide was faster during the first 8 days as compared to latter period, while, on fruits the initial deposit of 11.47 ppm from 0.2% carbaryl spray was dissipated to 9.93ppm within one day after treatment recording thereby a decrease in residue to about 13.40 percent. After 25(superscript th) day residues were non-detectable representing 100% dissipation. It may be concluded from the observations of the present study that the residues of the pesticide Carbaryl in soil became non-detectable after 60 days of spraying; while, on crops it persisted up to 15 days.
Effect of sequential comparison on active processing of sound duration

Previous studies on active duration processing on sounds showed opposing results regarding the predominant involvement of the left or right hemisphere. Duration of an acoustic event is normally judged relative to other sounds. This requires sequential comparison as auditory events unfold over time. We hypothesized that increasing the demand on sequential comparison in a task increases the involvement of the left auditory cortex. With the current fMRI study, we investigated the effect of sequential comparison in active duration discrimination by comparing a categorical with a comparative task. During the categorical task, the participant had to categorize the tones according to their duration (short vs long). During the comparative task, they had to decide for each tone whether its length matched the tone presented before. We used the contralateral noise procedure to reveal the degree of participation of the left and right auditory cortex during these tasks. We found that both tasks more strongly involve the left than the right auditory cortex. Furthermore, the left auditory cortex was more strongly involved during comparison than during categorization. Together with previous studies, this suggests that additional demand for sequential comparison during processing of different basic acoustic parameters leads to an increased recruitment of the left auditory cortex. In addition, the comparison task more strongly involved several brain areas outside the auditory cortex, which may also be related to the demand for additional cognitive resources as compared to the more efficient categorization of sounds. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4459–4469, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of competitive and noncompetitive showjumping on total and free iodothyronines, β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol levels of horses.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Limited knowledge exists about the differentiated effects of competitive and noncompetitive showjumping on thyroid function and relationships with hypothalamic-hypophysis-corticoadrenal hormones. OBJECTIVES To obtain preliminary data about differentiated effects of competitive and noncompetitive showjumping on total and free iodothyronines, β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol of horses. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five trained healthy jumper horses were studied during competitive and noncompetitive showjumping, performed in the same circuit design over 10 fences of 1.10 m. Hormone levels before, 5 and 30 min post exercise were recorded. Serum iodothyronines and cortisol concentrations were measured in duplicate utilising EIA kits. Serum ACTH and plasma β-endorphin concentrations were analysed in duplicate utilising RIA kits. Two-way RM ANOVA was applied to test for effects of interaction between different type of session and time. Significant differences between post exercise and basal values were established using Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. A linear correlation analysis (Pearson's method) was performed to analyse the relationships between total and free iodothyronines and between iodothyronines and β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol. RESULTS In sampling times adopted no statistical different effects of type of session were recorded on hormone variables. Sampling time affected ACTH (F = 4.25; P < 0.02) and T(4) (F = 4.43; P < 0.02) post exercise changes. During the noncompetitive session, significant correlations existed between T(4) and β-endorphin (r = -0.56), ACTH (r = -0.65), between β-endorphin and ACTH (r = 0.52) and between T(3) and fT(3) (r = 0.72); during competition between β-endorphin and T(3) (r = -0.67), fT(3) (r = -0.59). CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results could demonstrate correlations between thyroid hormones and β-endorphin response to showjumping, although no definitive conclusion can be produced concerning the relationships between HPA and thyroid function during exercise.
Efficacy and Safety of Metreleptin Therapy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE To study the efficacy and safety of metreleptin therapy in patients with suboptimally controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS After a baseline period of 4 weeks, five female and three male patients with T1DM (mean age 33 years, BMI 23.8 kg/m2) received metreleptin (0.08 mg/kg/day in females and 0.04 mg/kg/day in males) subcutaneously twice daily for 20 weeks followed by an off-therapy period of 4 weeks. RESULTS Metreleptin therapy did not lower HbA1c significantly compared with the baseline value (mean difference −0.19% [−2.0 mmol/mol] and −0.04% [−0.5 mmol/mol] at 12 and 20 weeks, respectively). Mean body weight reduced significantly by 2.6 and 4.7 kg (P = 0.003) and daily insulin dose by 12.6% and 15.0% at week 12 and 20 (P = 0.006), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Metreleptin is safe but may not be efficacious in improving glycemic control in patients with T1DM, although it reduces body weight and daily insulin dose modestly.
A Comparison of Bayes Factors for Separated Models: Some Simulation Results

Some alternative Bayes Factors: Intrinsic, Posterior, and Fractional have been proposed to overcome the difficulties presented when prior information is weak and improper prior are used. Additional difficulties also appear when the models are separated or non nested. This article presents both simulation results and some illustrative examples analysis comparing these alternative Bayes factors to discriminate among the Lognormal, the Weibull, the Gamma, and the Exponential distributions. Simulation results are obtained for different sample sizes generated from the distributions. Results from simulations indicates that these alternative Bayes factors are useful for comparing non nested models. The simulations also show some similar behavior and that when both models are true they choose the simplest model. Some illustrative example are also presented.