Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Immunomarkers in the Clinicopathological Analysis of Unicystic Ameloblastoma

Purpose. The clinical behavior of unicystic ameloblastoma varies according to its subtype. The assessment of its proliferative capacity, neovascularization, and invasiveness using relevant immunomarkers may aid in appropriate surgical therapeutic protocol. Methods. 18 cases of clinically and histologically confirmed unicystic ameloblastoma, categorized as luminal, intraluminal, or mural subtypes, were analyzed retrospectively. Immunomarkers such as Ki-67, CD34, MMP-2, and MMP-9 were studied to evaluate their behavior. Results. Labeling index of Ki-67 was 4.25% in the intraluminal subtype, compared with 2.14% in the luminal and 4.04% in the mural variant (P = 0.3). CD34 immunostaining was significantly higher in the mural variant (43 per high power field) than the other two subtypes (P = 0.04). MMP-2 and MMP-9 were strongly expressed in mural, moderately in intraluminal, and weakly to absent in luminal variant. Conclusions. High proliferative index, angiogenesis, and protease activity in the mural ameloblastoma, ascertained by the expression of these markers, confirm its aggressive phenotype. The intraluminal and luminal subtype exhibiting decreased expression are compatible with their indolent clinical behavior.
Health-Related Quality of Life Is Better for Cardiac Arrest Survivors Who Received Citizen Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Background—This study evaluated the prehospital factors associated with better health-related quality of life for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods and Results—This prospective, 20-community, cohort study involved consecutive, adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who survived to 1 year. Patients were contacted by telephone and evaluated for the Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI3), which describes health as a utility score on a scale from 0 (dead) to 1.0 (perfect health). The 8091 cardiac arrest patients had overall survival rates of 5.2% to hospital discharge and 4.0% to 1 year. We successfully contacted and evaluated 268 of 316 (84.8%) of known 1-year survivors. The median HUI3 score was 0.80 (interquartile range, 0.50 to 0.97), which compares well with age-adjusted values for the general population (0.83). Logistic regression identified 2 factors independently associated with very good quality of life (HUI3 >0.90) and their odds ratios (95% CIs), as follows: age 80 years or older, 0.3 (0.1 to 0.84), and citizen-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), 2.0 (1.2 to 3.4) (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic, 0.74). Conclusions—This study is the largest ever conducted for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, clearly shows that these patients have good quality of life, and is the first to demonstrate that citizen-initiated CPR is strongly and independently associated with better quality of life. These results emphasize the importance of optimizing community citizen CPR readiness. Given the low rate of citizen-initiated CPR in many communities, we believe that local and national initiatives should vigorously promote the practice of bystander CPR.
THE EFFECT OF NOISE ON THE SPECTRUM OF SPEECH APPROVED BY SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE:

v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deep sense of respect and gratitude towards my advisor Dr. Philip Loizou, who has been the guiding force behind this work. I want to thank him for introducing me to the field of Signal Processing and giving me the opportunity to work on this research projects. I am greatly indebted to him for his constant encouragement and invaluable advice in every aspect of my academic life. I consider it my good fortune to have got an opportunity to work with such a wonderful person. Next, I want to express my respects to Dr. Fumagalli for obliging me to be on my defense committee and providing valuable suggestions and feedback. I thank Dr. Cantrell for being kind to agree to serve on the committee and giving useful feedback on this manuscript. I also thank my parents who sacrificed a lot for me and whose love, care and support helped me reach this stage in life. Thanks are also due to all of my lab mates, from whom I learned a lot and whose companionship I enjoyed very much. My roommates also deserve appreciation, who provided me great inspiration at times.
What are the 'active ingredients' of change in the Theory of Planned Behavior? Evaluating the relative effectiveness of attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control/self-efficacy

What are the 'active ingredients' of change in the Theory of Planned Behavior? Evaluating the relative effectiveness of attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control/self-efficacy 2014 ! This thesis entitled What are the 'active ingredients' of change in the Theory of Planned Behavior? Evaluating the relative effectiveness of attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control/self-efficacy
MR Angiography Compared to Conventional Selective Angiography in Acute Stroke

ABSTRACT: Background and purpose: Accuracy of intracranial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and reliability of interpretation are not well established compared to conventional selective catheter angiography. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of MRA in evaluation of intracranial vessels in acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients. Methods: Twenty-nine patients (seven females, 22 males; median age 53) with acute stroke or TIA were enrolled into the study. All patients underwent both MRA using a 3 T clinical magnet and conventional angiography within 48 hours. Median time between MRA and angiography was 263 minutes. Conventional angiography preceded MRA in 15 cases. Fourteen patients received thrombolysis during MRA or angiography. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were obtained prior to the MR exam. One neuroradiologist rated all conventional angiograms, which were used as gold standard. Five observers, blinded to conventional angiography results and all clinical information except symptom side, rated the MR angiograms. Kappa statistics were used to assess reliability; contingency tables were used to assess accuracy of non-enhanced and enhanced MRA. Results: Two hundred and fifty two intracranial vessels were assessed. Agreement between raters was good for both non-enhanced (k=0.50) and gadolinium-enhanced (k=0.46) images. There were a total of 26 vessels occluded by DSA. Overall, the non-enhanced MRA showed sensitivity of 84.2% (95% CI 60.4-96.6) and specificity of 84.6% (95% CI 78.6-89.4). The enhanced MRA showed sensitivity of 69.2 (95% CI 38.6-90.9) and specificity of 73.6 (95% CI 65.5-80.7). Conclusions: Magnetic resonance angiography is a good non-invasive screening tool for assessing intracranial vessel status in acute ischemic stroke. Angiography remains the gold standard for definitive assessment of the intracranial circulation.
SEARCHING AND SWEEPING GRAPHS: A BRIEF SURVEY

This papers surveys some of the work done on trying to capture an intruder in a graph. If the intruder may be located only at vertices, the term searching is employed. If the intruder may be located at vertices or along edges, the term sweeping is employed. There are a wide variety of applications for searching and sweeping. Old results, new results and active research directions are discussed.
Pazopanib for the Treatment of Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Dramatic advances in the care of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma have occurred over the last ten years, including insights into the molecular pathogenesis of this disease, that have now been translated into paradigm-changing therapeutic strategies. Elucidating the importance of signaling cascades related to angiogenesis is notable among these achievements. Pazopanib is a novel small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets VEGFR-1, -2, and -3; PDGFR-α, PDGFR-β; and c-kit tyrosine kinases. This agent exhibits a distinct pharmacokinetic profile as well as toxicity profile compared to other agents in the class of VEGF signaling pathway inhibitors. This review will discuss the scientific rationale for the development of pazopanib, as well as preclinical and clinical trials that led to approval of pazopanib for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. The most recent information, including data from 2010 national meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the design of ongoing Phase III trials, will be discussed. Finally, an algorithm utilizing Level I evidence for the treatment of patients with this disease will be proposed.
An Empirical Study of Multi-dimensional Trust and Eloyalty in E-commerce in China

As online shopping is becoming more and more popular in recent years, many studies have been conducted to explore the key issues involved in online shopping such as trust problems and strategies to retain customers. This study examined the importance of multi-dimensional trust to e-loyalty, the interrelationships among different dimensions of trust, and the antecedents of different dimensions of trust. A research model was developed with several hypotheses which were proposed for empirical examination. A total of 403 responses from the biggest E-marketplace in China were analysed to test the proposed model and its hypotheses using Partial Least Square (PLS). The empirical results showed that all trust dimensions had great impacts on e-loyalty and relationships existed in different dimensions of trust. This finding implied that practitioners should focus on developing an appropriate online strategy in terms of how to build up trust-based relationships with online customers.
Nrf2 expression is increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from mild–moderate ex-smoker COPD patients with persistent oxidative stress

Inadequacy of antioxidant nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated unfolded protein response has been implicated in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cigarette smoking-induced emphysema. As evidence suggests that the ability to upregulate Nrf2 expression may influence the progression of COPD and no data exist up to now in ex-smokers with mild–moderate COPD, this study was first aimed to evaluate Nrf2 and unfolded protein response expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of mild–moderate ex-smokers with COPD compared to smoking habit-matched non-COPD subjects. Then, we tested whether oxidative stress persists after cigarette smoking cessation and whether the concentrations of oxidized phospholipids (oxidation products of the phospholipid 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine [oxPAPC]) in the PBMC of the same subjects may have a causative role in determining the upregulation of Nrf2. The expression (mRNA and protein) of Nrf2 and of its related gene heme oxygenase-1 was significantly increased in COPD group without differences in the unfolded protein response. Plasma malondialdehyde, the circulating marker of oxidative stress, and oxPAPC in PBMC were significantly higher in COPD than in non-COPD subjects. The fact that the expression of p47phox, a subunit of NADPH oxidase, was increased in PBMC of COPD patients and that it was directly correlated with oxPAPC may indicate that oxPAPC may be one of the determinants of oxidative stress-induced Nrf2 upregulation. Finally, we also demonstrated that lung function inversely correlated with plasma malondialdehyde and with Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 mRNA expression in all subjects. Our results indicate that mild–moderate ex-smokers with COPD may be able to counteract oxidative stress by increasing the expression of Nrf2/antioxidant-response elements. Because Nrf2 failure significantly contributes to the development of COPD, our findings suggest that the possibility to prevent Nrf2 reduction may open a new scenario in helping to prevent the oxidative stress-associated lung function decline.
Hemato-biochemical and hormonal profiles in post-partum water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Aim: The objective of the present study was to compare serum as well as follicular fluid (FF) biochemical and hormonal profiles along with hematological parameters in postpartum estrus, anestrus, and cystic buffaloes. Materials and Methods: Postpartum buffaloes were selected in three different groups (within 40-60 days of parturition at estrus-Group-I, postpartum >90 days at anestrum-Group-II, and postpartum cystic buffaloes in Group III). The animals selected were examined for follicular wave dynamics by routine trans-rectal ultrasonography and FF was collected by transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovum pick up technique. All hematological and biochemical parameters were analyzed by automatic analyzers while hormonal profiles analyzed by commercially available ELISA kits. Results: In the present investigation, estrum and anestrum animal differ significantly in hemoglobin levels. Serum estradiol differs significantly in estrus and anestrus while no significant difference in progesterone concentration was noted among all three stages. The results of our study suggest that significant higher increase in total protein (TP), calcium and glucose values in estrum while urea, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase significantly higher in anestrum animals. Conclusion: The conclusion of the present study is that TP and albumin, calcium, urea, glucose affects oocyte development and quality.
Constructing Binary Descriptors with a Stochastic Hill Climbing Search

Binary descriptors of image patches provide processing speed advantages and require less storage than methods that encode the patch appearance with a vector of real numbers. We provide evidence that, despite its simplicity, a stochastic hill climbing bit selection procedure for descriptor construction defeats recently proposed alternatives on a standard discriminative power benchmark. The method is easy to implement and understand, has no free parameters that need fine tuning, and runs fast.
Empty the basket - a shape based learning approach for grasping piles of unknown objects

This paper presents a novel approach to emptying a basket filled with a pile of objects. Form, size, position, orientation and constellation of the objects are unknown. Additional challenges are to localize the basket and treat it as an obstacle, and to cope with incomplete point cloud data. There are three key contributions. First, we introduce Height Accumulated Features (HAF) which provide an efficient way of calculating grasp related feature values. The second contribution is an extensible machine learning system for binary classification of grasp hypotheses based on raw point cloud data. Finally, a practical heuristic for selection of the most robust grasp hypothesis is introduced. We evaluate our system in experiments where a robot was required to autonomously empty a basket with unknown objects on a pile. Despite the challenging scenarios, our system succeeded each time.
HEAVY METAL RETENTION WITHIN A POROUS PAVEMENT STRUCTURE

Porous pavements with reservoir structure for infiltration of runoff from parking spaces and residential streets offer the opportunity to dispose water without using additional space in urban areas. However, pollutants in urban runoff endanger soils and groundwater, when pollutant retention in the structure is not sufficient. Porous pavement structures with four different subbase materials were tested in rigs. Additional tests were carried out in a pilot-scaled test bed. The pavements consisted of porous concrete blocks. All structures were loaded by sprinklers with synthetic runoff at pH 5, spiked with dissolved heavy metals. In most of the structures metal concentrations in effluent do not reach German limits for seepage water after simulation of 50 years. If porous pavements are planned and constructed carefully, groundwater seems not to be endangered by trace metals in the road-runoff.
Race and the Likelihood of Intimate Partner Violence Arrest and Dual Arrest

Research on the impact of race on the likelihood an incident of intimate partner violence will result in arrest is mixed. Some scholars find racial minorities to be at lower risk of arrest, some find racial minorities to be at higher risk of arrest, and some find no difference in arrest likelihood based on race of the involved parties. Using a data set comprising 10 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System data (2000–2009) from 5,481 jurisdictions in 36 states and the District of Columbia, the authors examine the impact of victim and offender race on the likelihood of arrest and dual arrest. Accounting for such factors as seriousness of offense, location, and sex, the authors found that there are significant differences in the likelihood of arrest and dual arrest based on the victim and offender racial dyad. Generally, regardless of offender race, incidents with a White victim evince the highest likelihood of arrest, while interracial incidents involving a Black offender and White victim evince the lowest likelihood of dual arrest. Research and policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Emotion encoding in Human-Drone Interaction

Drones are becoming more popular and may soon be ubiquitous. As they enter our everyday environments, it becomes critical to ensure their usability through natural Human-Drone Interaction (HDI). Previous work in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) shows that adding an emotional component is part of the key to success in robots' acceptability. We believe the adoption of personal drones would also benefit from adding an emotional component. This work defines a range of personality traits and emotional attributes that can be encoded in drones through their flight paths. We present a user study (N=20) and show how well three defined emotional states can be recognized. We draw conclusions on interaction techniques with drones and feedback strategies that use the drone's flight path and speed.
The Busemann Air Intake for Hypersonic Speeds

A review and summary is presented of hypersonic air intake technology highlighting design objectives, basic flows, airframe integration, flowpath modification and intake flow startability. Taylor-Maccoll equations and Busemann flow are presented as the basis for constructing modular Busemann intakes. Wavecatching (streamline tracing), morphing and foreshortening are presented to show that (a) wavecatching is a useful technique to create modular startable intakes; (b) morphing is useful in integrating the intake shape with other geometric requirements of the airframe and combustor; and (c) foreshortening leads to minor gains in intake performance but large weight savings. A novel, strong shockmethod is presented, which uses strong-shock boundary conditions for designing spontaneously startable, modular Busemann intakes of high performance. This allows pre-determination of Busemann intake startability; offering great simplicity in the search for flowpath surface shapes that yield startable intakes with high compression, high efficiency and supersonic exit flows. Busemann flow contains unique fluid mechanical features: (a) a flow passage from a uniform, high Mach number flow, to another uniform, lower Mach number flow; (b) internal, convergent flow with an inflected surface; (c) conical flow where high gradients are near the center line and milder gradients are at the walls; (d) an axisymmetric and conically symmetric centered compression fan; (e) a free-standing conical shock, bounding irrotational flow. These are unique and fortuitous virtues, being significant in making the Busemann streamtube and its flow characteristics a suitable basis for designing high performance air intakes for hypersonic airbreathing engines.
Representing linear algebra algorithms in code: the FLAME application program interfaces

In this article, we present a number of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for coding linear algebra algorithms. On the surface, these APIs for the MATLAB M-script and C programming languages appear to be simple, almost trivial, extensions of those languages. Yet with them, the task of programming and maintaining families of algorithms for a broad spectrum of linear algebra operations is greatly simplified. In combination with our Formal Linear Algebra Methods Environment (FLAME) approach to deriving such families of algorithms, dozens of algorithms for a single linear algebra operation can be derived, verified to be correct, implemented, and tested, often in a matter of minutes per algorithm. Since the algorithms are expressed in code much like they are explained in a classroom setting, these APIs become not just a tool for implementing libraries, but also a valuable tool for teaching the algorithms that are incorporated in the libraries. In combination with an extension of the Parallel Linear Algebra Package (PLAPACK) API, the approach presents a migratory path from algorithm to MATLAB implementation to high-performance sequential implementation to parallel implementation. Finally, the APIs are being used to create a repository of algorithms and implementations for linear algebra operations, the FLAME Interface REpository (FIRE), which already features hundreds of algorithms for dozens of commonly encountered linear algebra operations.
The Complex Interplay Between Weight, Chronic Pain, and Mood: How Team-Based Care and Personalized Approaches Can Improve Function and Quality of Life

Patients presenting with a desire to lose weight often have underlying factors that complicate recommendations regarding diet and exercise. In this woman’s story, a significant physical injury resulted in chronic pain and a loss in her ability to participate in activities she had previously enjoyed and which played a role in her self-identity. While her previous history of a mood disorder may have increased her risk of developing chronic pain, the impact her injury had on her sense of self was also a likely factor. A multidisciplinary approach that addressed her sense of loss; incorporated innovative adaptations that enabled her to exercise outdoors and led to a renewed sense of hope; helped her find creative outlets and increase her sense of self efficacy; and improve the quality of sleep was instrumental in supporting her ability to incorporate dietary change, lose weight, and improve her mood and well-being. The biopsychosocial model of pain provides a framework of understanding for the complex interplay between mood, pain, and social support, which in turn can impact weight and ability to incorporate lifestyle change. Addressing these underlying factors is a critical part of whole person health.
Histopathological effects of diethyl phthalate on Clarias gariepinus juveniles

The acute toxicity of diethyl phthalate to Clarias gariepinus fingerlings was investigated using static bioassays with continuous aeration over a period of 96 h. The LD50 of DEP for Clarias gariepinus was determined at 95% confidence limit for log toxicant concentration after 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h. The LD50 after 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h were 2.22, 2.73, 3.44 and 3.93 ig/L, respectively. The LD50 for total death was estimated as 1.87 ig/L. During the exposure period, the test fish was restless, swam erratically and hemorrhaging of the gill filaments was evident. These observations are indicative of stress due to effect of the diethyl phthalate on the fish. Sub acute Diethyl phthalate concentrations (30 ig/L, 40 ig/L, 60 ig/L and 80 ig/L) was obtained from the LC 50 of the acute study and the fish were exposed to the graded concentrations for period of 30 days. The fish were killed at 15 days interval and the liver and kidney were excised and the histopathological changes of DEP on the liver and kidney were determined by light microscopy. Pyknotic nuclei, destruction or fusion of tubules, condensation of the glomeruli and severe destruction of the tubule were observed in kidney tissue of fish. Cellular proliferation, congestion, necrosis, sinusoid enlargement, paranchymatous degeneration and fatty or glycogen degeneration were observed in the liver tissue of fish. The morphological changes of the tissues were dosage dependent.