Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validação de um modelo de lealdade do estudante com base na qualidade do relacionamento

A lealdade e tema de grande interesse na area do marketing. No âmbito academico, diversos estudos foram realizados em diferentes contextos mas percebe-se que em relacao ao servico educacional ha carencia de maior aprofundamento do entendimento de como a lealdade do aluno com sua instituicao de ensino e formada. No âmbito gerencial, a identificacao dos fatores que contribuem para a formacao da lealdade do estudante e um desafio para os gestores de instituicoes de ensino que desejam controlar a evasao escolar, prolongar o ciclo do relacionamento e fortalecer os vinculos. Este trabalho faz uma analise das relacoes entre qualidade percebida, comprometimento emocional e confianca, construtos formadores da qualidade do relacionamento e preditores da lealdade. Baseada no modelo teorico proposto por Hennig-Thurau, Langer e Hansen (2001), as relacoes propostas foram observadas entre os alunos de uma instituicao de ensino superior privada. Os resultados obtidos atraves da utilizacao de Modelagem de Equacoes Estruturais confirmaram 05 das 08 hipoteses estabelecidas a partir do modelo original, mais especificamente, os resultados indicam que ha relacao entre qualidade percebida, comprometimento emocional e confianca e que a qualidade percebida e comprometimento emocional influenciam na lealdade, sendo que a relacao mais forte deu-se entre o comprometimento emocional e a lealdade. Implicacoes academicas, implicacoes gerenciais, limitacoes do estudo e sugestoes para pesquisas futuras sao abordadas no presente trabalho.
Wound Morbidity after Kidney Transplant

Context Wound morbidity is an important surgical complication after kidney transplant. Objective To assess risk factors for postoperative wound complications and the impact of such complications on outcomes of kidney transplant. Design and Patients Retrospectively, 108 consecutive kidney transplant patients between January 2010 and December 2010 were included in the analysis. Wound morbidity was defined as a surgical site infection or symptomatic lymphocele requiring intervention. Patient, donor, and surgical characteristics were reviewed. Results Eight lymphoceles and 5 surgical site infections occurred in 12 patients. Risk factors for wound complications were recipient's age (P < .01), body mass index (P = .01), urinary tract infection (P = .01), and prolonged postoperative wound drainage (P = .047). Wound morbidity did not increase the incidence of delayed graft function, acute rejection, graft failure, or mortality. Obesity, recipient's age, urinary tract infection, and prolonged wound drainage are risk factors for wound-related complications. Graft and patient survival rates are comparable between patients with and without wound-related complications.
Family Background, Family Income, Cognitive Tests Scores, Behavioural Scales and their Relationship with Post-secondary Education Participation: Evidence from the NLSCY

This paper exploits the panel feature of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) and the large diversity of measures collected on the children ad their families over 6 cycles (1994-1995 to 2004-2005) to explain high school graduation and postsecondary education (PSE) choices of Canadian youth aged 18 to 21 observed in the most recent wave of the survey. In estimating how family background, family income, cognitive abilities, non-cognitive abilities and behavioural scores influence schooling choices they can be used as markers for identifying children at risk of not pursuing PSE. We focus on the impact of measures that are specific to the NLSCY which contains a host of scores on several dimensions such as the cognitive achievement of children (reading and math test scores); behavioural scores that measure the levels of hyperactivity, aggression, and pro-sociality; scores that measure self-esteem and self-control (non-cognitive abilities); and, family scores that measure the quality of parenting, family dysfunction, of neighbourhoods and schools quality. The math and reading scores are particularly interesting because they are computed from objective tests and are not based on any type of recall, as compared, for example, with the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) data set. Despite the fact that income, as measured as the mean income ($2002) of the family during cycles 1 to 4, does not seem to be a key player for PSE attendance or high school graduation, the sign of its effect is generally positive and non-linear, increases for children in very low income will have a large effect that those with higher levels. More importantly, several variables that are characteristics of low-income families play a key role for schooling attainment. For example, being from a single-parent/guardian home with a poorly educated PMK and with less than (perceived) excellent/very good health or with high levels of hyperactivity for males or high levels of aggression for young teenage females will almost negate any chance of attaining the level of PSE.
Osteoporosis Therapy: Bone Modeling during Growth and Aging

Remodeling-based bone resorption and formation are coupled on the same surface and contribute to calcium homeostasis, while modeling-based bone formation and resorption occur on different surfaces, such as during growth, to change skeletal shape; of importance, the aging skeleton can also include bone modeling (1, 2). The primary determinant of bone modeling is elastic deformation (strain) of the skeleton engendered by habitual physical activity, and accumulating evidence suggests that bones respond to mechanical loading to maintain their resultant strain (3–5). Not only osteocytes inside bone tissue but also bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorpting osteoclasts on the surface are responsive to mechanical signals (6, 7), and the modeling-based actions of osteoblasts and osteoclasts are not coupled. Skeletal fragility depends on bone quality and quantity (8). The latter would be normally under the mechanical strain-related feedback control (3–5); Wolff ’s law, established more than a century ago, confirms that mechanical environment plays a key role in controlling skeletal architecture (9), and the pattern of trabecular bone in the hip (Singh index) can be used for the evaluation of osteoporosis (10). In addition, this natural homeostatic system could work against mineral-related, but not collagen-related, impairment of bone material quality (11, 12). Fragility fracture associated with osteoporosis is a common health problem during growth (13, 14) and aging (15, 16). Here, we provide a novel evidence-based insight into osteoporosis therapy from the viewpoint of bone modeling/remodeling, apart from approaches targeting bone formation/ resorption and quality/quantity.
Wideband Sparse Bayesian Learning for DOA estimation from multiple snapshots

The directions of arrival (DOA) of plane waves are estimated from multi-frequency multi-snapshot sensor array data using Sparse Bayesian Learning (SBL). The prior for the source amplitudes is assumed to be independently zero-mean complex Gaussian distributed with hyperparameters being the unknown variances (i.e. the source powers). For a complex Gaussian likelihood with unknown noise variance hyperparameter, the corresponding Gaussian posterior distribution is derived. For a given number of DOAs, the hyperparameters are automatically selected by maximizing the evidence and promote sparse DOA estimates. The SBL scheme for DOA estimation is discussed and evaluated competitively against MUSIC.
The Effectiveness of Repeat Celiac Plexus Neurolysis for Pancreatic Cancer: A Pilot Study

Background: Celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) is an effective but temporary management tool for pancreatic cancer pain (PCP). Clinical studies have shown the duration of benefit with initial CPN to be apaproximately 3 months. When pain recurs, CPN may be repeated, but the outcomes for repeat CPN are not well established. The objective of this study is to determine the success rate and duration of relief following repeat celiac plexus neurolysis (rCPN) for PCP.
Venous Hypertension may be a Factor in Aneurysmal Rupture

This report describes cerebral aneurysmal rupture with asymmetry of ipsilateral dural sinus hypoplasia using quantitative color-coded I-Flow cerebral venography to identify the venous pressure gradient. We suggest the pressure gradient may be a potential factor in cerebral aneurysmal rupture. We used I-Flow quantitative cerebral venography to measure the venous pressure gradient during acute cerebral aneurysmal rupture and post embolization in a 67-year-old woman who presented with clinical symptoms of left third nerve palsy for several days with mild headache initially without subarachnoid hemorrhage. We encountered a high venous pressure gradient of severe ipsilateral dural sinus hypoplasia during acute rupture of a posterior communicating aneurysm. Venous dural sinus asymmetry has been considered a congenital benign and non-pathological condition. However, this case may present severe hypoplasia of the dural sinus with potential pressure gradient in some unusual condition. A high venous pressure gradient may be another factor in cerebral aneurysmal rupture.
Response Aware Model-Based Collaborative Filtering

Previous work on recommender systems mainly focus on fitting the ratings provided by users. However, the response patterns, i.e., some items are rated while others not, are generally ignored. We argue that failing to observe such response patterns can lead to biased parameter estimation and sub-optimal model performance. Although several pieces of work have tried to model users' response patterns, they miss the effectiveness and interpretability of the successful matrix factorization collaborative filtering approaches. To bridge the gap, in this paper, we unify explicit response models and PMF to establish the Response Aware Probabilistic Matrix Factorization (RAPMF) framework. We show that RAPMF subsumes PMF as a special case. Empirically we demonstrate the merits of RAPMF from various aspects.
Proactive Motor Control Reduces Monetary Risk Taking in Gambling

Less supervision by the executive system after disruption of the right prefrontal cortex leads to increased risk taking in gambling because superficially attractive—but risky—choices are not suppressed. Similarly, people might gamble more in multitask situations than in single-task situations because concurrent executive processes usually interfere with each other. In the study reported here, we used a novel monetary decision-making paradigm to investigate whether multitasking could reduce rather than increase risk taking in gambling. We found that performing a task that induced cautious motor responding reduced gambling in a multitask situation (Experiment 1). We then found that a short period of inhibitory training lessened risk taking in gambling at least 2 hr later (Experiments 2 and 3). Our findings indicate that proactive motor control strongly affects monetary risk taking in gambling. The link between control systems at different cognitive levels might be exploited to develop new methods for rehabilitation of addiction and impulse-control disorders.
A Will to Learn: Being a Student in an Age of Uncertainty

There is an extraordinary but largely unnoticed phenomenon in higher education: by and large, students persevere and complete their studies. How should we interpret this tendency? Students are living in uncertain times and often experience anxiety, and yet they continue to press forward with their studies. The argument here is that we should understand this propensity on the part of students to persist through a will to learn. This book examines the structure of what it is to have a will to learn. Here, a language of being, becoming, authenticity, dispositions, voice, air, spirit, inspiration and care is drawn on.As such, this book offers an idea of student development that challenges the dominant views of our age, of curricula understood largely in terms of skill or even of knowledge, and pedagogy understood as bringing off pre-specified 'outcomes'. The will to learn, though, can be fragile. This is of crucial importance, for if the will to learn dissolves, the student's commitment may falter. Accordingly, more than encouraging an interest in the student's subject or in the acquiring of skills, the primary responsibility of teachers in higher education is to sustain and develop the student's will to learn. This is a radical thesis, for it implies a transformation in how we understand the nature of teaching in higher education.
Cascading failures in power grids: analysis and algorithms

This paper focuses on cascading line failures in the transmission system of the power grid. Recent large-scale power outages demonstrated the limitations of percolation- and epidemic-based tools in modeling cascades. Hence, we study cascades by using computational tools and a linearized power flow model. We first obtain results regarding the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse of the power grid admittance matrix. Based on these results, we study the impact of a single line failure on the flows on other lines. We also illustrate via simulation the impact of the distance and resistance distance on the flow increase following a failure, and discuss the difference from the epidemic models. We use the pseudo-inverse of admittance matrix to develop an efficient algorithm to identify the cascading failure evolution, which can be a building block for cascade mitigation. Finally, we show that finding the set of lines whose removal results in the minimum yield (the fraction of demand satisfied after the cascade) is NP-Hard and introduce a simple heuristic for finding such a set. Overall, the results demonstrate that using the resistance distance and the pseudo-inverse of admittance matrix provides important insights and can support the development of efficient algorithms.
The Berkeley Wavelet Transform: A Biologically Inspired Orthogonal Wavelet Transform

We describe the Berkeley wavelet transform (BWT), a two-dimensional triadic wavelet transform. The BWT comprises four pairs of mother wavelets at four orientations. Within each pair, one wavelet has odd symmetry, and the other has even symmetry. By translation and scaling of the whole set (plus a single constant term), the wavelets form a complete, orthonormal basis in two dimensions. The BWT shares many characteristics with the receptive fields of neurons in mammalian primary visual cortex (V1). Like these receptive fields, BWT wavelets are localized in space, tuned in spatial frequency and orientation, and form a set that is approximately scale invariant. The wavelets also have spatial frequency and orientation bandwidths that are comparable with biological values. Although the classical Gabor wavelet model is a more accurate description of the receptive fields of individual V1 neurons, the BWT has some interesting advantages. It is a complete, orthonormal basis and is therefore inexpensive to compute, manipulate, and invert. These properties make the BWT useful in situations where computational power or experimental data are limited, such as estimation of the spatiotemporal receptive fields of neurons.
Ferulic acid regulates the AKT/GSK-3β/CRMP-2 signaling pathway in a middle cerebral artery occlusion animal model

Ferulic acid, a component of the plants Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort, exerts a neuroprotective effect by regulating various signaling pathways. This study showed that ferulic acid treatment prevents the injury-induced increase of collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP-2) in focal cerebral ischemia. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) regulates CRMP-2 function through phosphorylation of CRMP-2. Moreover, the pro-apoptotic activity of GSK-3β is inactivated by phosphorylation by Akt. This study investigated whether ferulic acid modulates the expression of CRMP-2 and its upstream targets, Akt and GSK-3β, in focal cerebral ischemia. Male rats were treated immediately with ferulic acid (100 mg/kg, i.v.) or vehicle after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and then cerebral cortices were collected 24 hr after MCAO. MCAO resulted in decreased levels of phospho-Akt and phospho-GSK-3β, while ferulic acid treatment prevented the decrease in the levels of these proteins. Moreover, phospho-CRMP-2 and CRMP-2 levels increased during MCAO, whereas ferulic acid attenuated these injury-induced increases. These results demonstrate that ferulic acid regulates the Akt/GSK-3β/CRMP-2 signaling pathway in focal cerebral ischemic injury, thereby protecting against brain injury.
Is the Presence of Trichomonas on a Pap Smear Associated with an Increased Incidence of Bacterial Vaginosis?

Objective. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with significant morbidity. Bacterial vaginosis is due to an overgrowth of anaerobic organisms in the vagina. It has been postulated that the presence of Trichomonas creates an anaerobic environment that favors BV. Thus, BV should be more frequent in the presence of Trichomonas if Trichomonas is creating a favorable anaerobic environment. Materials and Methods. A retrospective review of Pap test reports was performed for a diagnosis of coccobacilli consistent with shift in vaginal flora, that is, the presence of clue cells. Cases were Pap smears with Trichomonas identified. Controls were cases without Trichomonas. Results were analyzed using Fisher exact test. Results. Four hundred cases were reviewed; 200 with and 200 without Trichomonas. The incidence of BV was significantly higher in the Trichomonas group (46.5%) than in group without Trichomonas (24.5%) (p < .0001.). Conclusion. The presence of Trichomonas on a Pap smear is associated with an increased incidence of BV. The report of Trichomonas on a Pap smear should prompt clinical consideration that BV may be present.
Profile and Outcome of Childhood Mycosis Fungoides in Singapore

Abstract: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common form of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma. It usually occurs in middle‐aged and elderly persons, although several reports have described its occurrence in young children. The aim of this study was to review the profile and outcome of childhood MF in Singapore from 1989 to 1998. A total of nine patients (six males and three females) were diagnosed with MF before the age of 21 years. There were four Chinese, four Malay, and one Indian. The age at the time of histologic diagnosis ranged from 6 to 20 years (mean 14.3 years). Eight of the nine patients presented with hypopigmented patches and plaques. According to TNM staging, three were in stage 1A and six in stage 1B. The treatment modalities included psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) (n = 5), UVB (n = 2), and potent topical steroids (n = 2). We found that PUVA induced a faster clinical remission, but maintenance PUVA was required to prolong the relapse‐free interval. This study also highlighted the need to consider MF in the differential diagnosis of hypopigmented dermatoses in dark‐skinned individuals, especially if they occur on the buttocks.
Use of fetal biometry in the assessment of gestational age in South East Nigeria: Femur length and biparietal diameter.

BACKGROUND Fetal growth is influenced by many factors such as race, socioeconomic status, genetics, geographical location, maternal diseases, and number of babies. Consequent upon these, fetal growth charts may vary from one location to another even within the same geographical entity. OBJECTIVE This study was designed to establish the fetal growth chart in antenatal women who had ultrasound scanning at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, South East Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a descriptive analysis of fetal biometric measurement of antenatal women. Four hundred and seventy pregnant women were studied. RESULTS The nomogram for the femur length (FL) and biparietal diameter (BPD) for the different weeks of gestation (from 13th to the 40th week) were established. Correlation coefficients between gestational age and the various fetal parameters were also reported. Growth charts using both FL and BPD were plotted. A regression model for prediction of fetal age using the fetal biometry was also deduced for the studied population. CONCLUSION The fetal parameters used in this study were consistently smaller than reported values from European studies up to the 34th week of gestation after which a catch-up growth till the 40 weeks was observed. Fetal parameters observed in this study were larger than most of the reported Asian values.
Ecological and Physiological Studies on Soil Fungi at Western Region, Libya

Sixty three species and 5 varieties belonging to 30 fungal genera were collected from 75 soil samples. Cultivated (29 genera and 58 species + 5 var.), desert (22 and 35 + 2 var.) and saline soil (21 and 41 + 1 var.) fungi were recovered on glueose, cellulose- and 50% suerose-Czapek’s agar at 28°C. The most common genera were Alternaria, Aspergillus, Emerieella, Fusarium, Mycosphaerella, Nectria and Penicillium. The most prevalent species from the three types of soils on the three types of media were Alternaria alternala, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus, Emericella nidulans, Fusarium oxysporum, Mycosphaerella tassiana, Nectria haematococca and Penicillium chrysogenum. Chaetomium globosum was in the top of fungi in producing endo-β-l,4-glucanascs among the 42 tested isolates obtained from soils on cellulose-Czapek’s agar. Maximum production of this enzyme by C. globosum obtained after 6 days of incubation at 30°C with culture medium containing maltose as a carbon source and ammonium nitrate as a nitrogen source and pH initially adjusted to 6.
Effect of Use of Slow Release of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta-2 in a Chitosan Gel Matrix on Cranial Bone Graft Survival in Experimental Cranial Critical Size Defect Model

Bone grafts, used for providing structural integrity of cranial vault remodeling, could not always integrate with the remaining bone structures. All efforts are focused on increasing incorporation of the applied bone grafts. Allografts were covered by chitosan so that slow release of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and Transforming growth factor-beta-2 (TGF-beta-2) was achieved. Two hundred forty Wistar-Albino rats were distributed equally in 8 study groups. Study groups were designed as; defect group, autograft group, allograft group, chitosan group, allograft + chitosan, TGF-beta-2 group, BMP-2 group, and TGF-Beta-2 +BMP-2 group. Bone biopsies were obtained at second, eight, and 14th weeks. Bone regeneration was evaluated by morphologic studies detecting histologic bone healing and radiologic studies detecting bone density. Histologic findings were evaluated in 2 categories; tissue response to the implant and defect healing. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy for detailed morphologic evaluation was done. Bone density of the applied scaffold and the parietal bone at the same computed tomography section were measured in Hounsfield scale and this ratio was used for densitometry evaluations. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze difference among groups according to the histologic and radiologic data. Pairwise comparisons were done using Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction. P < 0.05 was considered significant. In the morphologic studies, bone regeneration in BMP-2 group was found to be compatible with bone regeneration in gold standard autograft group and even better than it within 15 days. Chitosan is a biocompatible material. TGF-Beta-2 alone is not effective enough in bone regeneration; BMP-2 alone has a positive effect in every step of bone regeneration. Combining TGF-Beta-2 with BMP-2 does not lead to a better bone regeneration than using BMP-2 alone. A synergistic effect is not obtained by using these 2 factors together.