Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated with Severity of Alopecia Areata

Background Alopecia areata is the most common cause of localized, nonscarring alopecia. Unfortunately, there are few data regarding clinical features and epidemiology of alopecia areata in Korean patients, and its clinical course and treatment response rates are unpredictable. Objective This study strived to investigate the differences in clinical profiles according to disease severity and to determine risk factors for severe alopecia areata. Methods A total of 1,137 patients from 2006 to 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were subdivided into two groups: mild-to-moderate and severe alopecia areata. The groups were compared on the basis of age of onset, duration, sex, family history, comorbid disorders including autoimmune diseases, nail changes, and laboratory test results. Results Eight hundred eighty-three patients were in the mild-to-moderate alopecia areata group and 254 patients were in the severe group. Average onset age was 30.77±17.66 years and 30.60±16.75 years in the mild-to-moderate and severe groups, respectively. Disease duration was statistically longer in the severe group. Male sex, nail changes, and thyroid diseases were more common in the severe group. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, atopic dermatitis, and family history did not differ between groups. Of the serologic values, only alkaline phosphatase was considerably differing between groups. Male sex, presence of nail changes, and disease duration greater than one year were identified as significant risk factors for severe alopecia areata. Conclusion This is the largest case analysis in Korean patients with alopecia areata. Clinical profiles stratified by disease severity warrant further study.
Motives for and Against Injecting Drug Use Among Young Adults in Amsterdam: Qualitative Findings and Considerations for Disease Prevention

To elucidate injection initiation and risky injection practices among young drug users (YDUs) in Amsterdam, this study identifies self-reported motives for injecting and not injecting to inform interventions to be targeted at issues personally relevant for this population. A qualitative study was performed using in-depth interviews to obtain retrospective drug use histories. Recruitment took place both directly (by street outreach, outreach at methadone outposts) and indirectly (by respondent-driven sampling). The study started in the year 2001 and included 50 YDUs, aged 18–30, of which 18 had a history of injecting. Reasons for not starting injection were fears of needles, overstepping a limit, damage to appearance, fears of missing veins and causing abscesses, and illnesses. Reasons for starting injection were stronger effect or rush, curiosity, economy, knowing injectors, and perceived lack of danger to health. Motives for injecting and not injecting can differ widely individually. Some strong motives are hardly addressed by prevention programs and should inform new prevention initiatives. Users’ own motives for not injecting should be promoted, whereas their motives for initiation should be counter-balanced with factual information.
Trajectories of major depression disorders: A systematic review of longitudinal neuroimaging findings

Objective: Structural and functional brain alterations in major depression disorder (MDD) are well studied in cross-sectional designs, but little is known about the causality between onset and course of depression on the one hand, and neurobiological changes over time on the other. To explore the direction of causality, longitudinal studies with a long time window (preferably years) are needed, but only few have been undertaken so far. This article reviews all prospective neuroimaging studies in MDD patients currently available and provides a critical discussion of methodological challenges involved in the investigation of the causal relationship between brain alterations and the course of MDD. Method: We conducted a systematic review of studies published before September 2015, to identify structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that assess the relation between neuronal alterations and MDD in longitudinal (⩾1 year) designs. Results: Only 15 studies meeting minimal standards were identified. An analysis of these longitudinal data showed a large heterogeneity between studies regarding design, samples, imaging methods, spatial restrictions and, consequently, results. There was a strong relationship between brain-volume outcomes and the current mood state, whereas longitudinal studies failed to clarify the influence of pre-existing brain changes on depressive outcome. Conclusion: So far, available longitudinal studies cannot resolve the causality between the course of depression and neurobiological changes over time. Future studies should combine high methodological standards with large sample sizes. Cooperation in multi-center studies is indispensable to attain sufficient sample sizes, and should allow careful assessment of possible confounders.
Computational complexity reduction of MLD based on SINR in MIMO spatial multiplexing systems

Recently, MIMO spatial multiplexing systems have attracted a lot of attention because of their high spectral efficiencies. In MIMO spatial multiplexing systems, maximum likelihood detection (MLD) is known as an optimal method for signal detection in terms of bit error rate (BER). However, the main drawback of MLD is its high complexity. In this paper, we propose two reduced complexity signal detection schemes. One combines the minimum mean square error (MMSE) detection and MLD based on the estimated signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). The other combines the ordered successive MMSE detection (OSD) and MLD based on the estimated SINR. We refer to these detection schemes as MMSE-MLD and OSD-MLD, respectively. We show by simulation results that the proposed MMSE-MLD and OSD-MLD can attain almost identical performance to that of MLD, with less complexity.
I Perceive, Therefore I Produce? : A Study on the Perception and Production of Three English Consonantal Sounds by Swedish L2 learners

This study set out to investigate the relationship between perception and production of English / tʃ, dʒ/ and / ʒ / by native speakers of Swedish learning English in secondaryschool. The aim was to find out if Flege’s Speech Learning Model (SLM) (1995) and Major’s Ontogeny Phylogeny Model (OPM) (2001) are suitable to describe young learners’ L2 phonological attainment. To test perception, an identification task containing Nonwords with target sounds in initial, medial, and final position was constructed and tested on 17 school students. Three speaking tasks were carried out to test the participants’ production of the phonemes in initial, medial and final position. All participants also completed a questionnaire with questions regarding exposure and motivation. Six students were chosen for deeper analysis.The results show that both the SLM and the OPM can be used to describe young learners L2 phonology acquisition. Similar sounds were found to be harder to produce and more affected by L1 transfer, which corroborates both the SLM and the OPM. Marked sounds were affected more by universals, which was suggested by the OPM. Desire to have a native accent and reported use of the L2 seems to have effect on L2 phonology acquisition, as well. However, the relationship between all these factors is complex and the results from this study are merely suggestive.
LES MECANISMES DE DIFFUSION, D'ADOPTION ET DE REJET DE LA METHODE ABC DANS L'ENVIRONNEMENT TUNISIEN

Nous avons essaye dans le cadre de cette communication d'etudier les mecanismes de diffusion, d'adoption et de rejet de la methode ABC dans l'environnement tunisien a travers une enquete menee aupres de 80 entreprises et d'interviews aupres de 16 responsables appartenant a 14 entreprises. Nous nous sommes basee sur la theorie generale de la diffusion de Rogers et sur les perspectives d'Abrahamson pour expliquer ces phenomenes. Les resultats ont montre que seuls les canaux interpersonnels ont permis la communication des principes de la methode. Le choix de la methode de calcul des couts est generalement explique par l'intervention du consultant (l'effet de mode) ou de la societe mere (la selection forcee).
A Phenomenological Study of Foster Caregivers' Experiences of Formal and Informal Support

In recent years the number of children in foster care has increased significantly, and the inability to recruit and retain caregivers has resulted in considerable pressure. International research has shown that formal and informal support can improve caregiver retention, but it is unclear how this applies in the Australian context. The present study used a phenomenological approach, undertaking semistructured interviews with seven caregivers in western Australia. Thematic analysis indicated that caregivers derived satisfaction from fostering, although this was diminished by undesirable child behavior and unpleasant interactions with biological parents. Caregivers also felt unsupported and unappreciated by formal networks, identifying issues such as inadequate information regarding children, irregular contact, exclusion from decisionmaking, and unacknowledged attachments during placement termination. Within their informal support networks, caregivers described feeling socially restricted and criticized, although some caregivers reported a positive response from informal networks. These findings highlight the importance of formal and informal support in reducing caregiver strain and improving caregiver retention.
The Distribution of Microscopic Melanoma Metastases in Sentinel Lymph Nodes: Implications for Pathology Protocols

The utility of sectioning at multiple levels in the histopathologic analysis of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) for melanoma and the correlation of metastasis size with risk of subsequent metastasis were investigated. Metastatic melanoma was identified in SLNs from 91 of 475 (19%) melanoma patients with SLN sampling at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 2004 and 2008. All SLNs were evaluated by a 9-slide protocol: sets of MART-1, hematoxylin and eosin, and S100 stains at 3 distinct levels separated by 80 &mgr;m. The location and size of the tumor deposits were evaluated in the context of subsequent metastasis and overall survival. Of the 91 patients with positive sentinel nodes, all 9 protocol slides were available for review in 61 (67%). Eleven of 61 patients had no tumor present in the first set of levels; 2 of these patients died of metastatic melanoma. Patients in whom 11 or more tumor cells were detected in the sentinel node had a greater chance of developing subsequent metastases when compared with patients in whom 10 or fewer tumor cells were detected (P=0.05). Of those with either metastases >2 mm in diameter or extracapsular extension, 50% developed metastases beyond the SLN basin. Eliminating 1 of the 3 levels in the SLN detection protocol would have led to a false-negative diagnosis in 18% of patients.
DodecaPen: Accurate 6DoF Tracking of a Passive Stylus

We propose a system for real-time six degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking of a passive stylus that achieves sub-millimeter accuracy, which is suitable for writing or drawing in mixed reality applications. Our system is particularly easy to implement, requiring only a monocular camera, a 3D printed dodecahedron, and hand-glued binary square markers. The accuracy and performance we achieve are due to model-based tracking using a calibrated model and a combination of sparse pose estimation and dense alignment. We demonstrate the system performance in terms of speed and accuracy on a number of synthetic and real datasets, showing that it can be competitive with state-of-the-art multi-camera motion capture systems. We also demonstrate several applications of the technology ranging from 2D and 3D drawing in VR to general object manipulation and board games.
Bypassing Intermediaries via Vertical Integration : A Transaction-Cost-Based Theory

We provide a theory of vertical integration motivated to bypass intermediaries and contract directly with workers or customers in order to reduce double marginalization of rents. Non-integration results in inefficiencies that cannot be overcome via sophisticated contract design if supplier costs are nonverifiable, owing either to weak accounting systems or collusion between intermediaries and lower layer agents. Vertical integration generate benefits by lowering these inefficiencies, but incur bureaucratic costs in order to control intrafirm collusion. We discuss predictions of our theory concerning determinants of benefits and costs of integration, compare these with Transaction Cost and Property Rights based theories, and with available empirical evidence.
Competitive binding of protein kinase Calpha to membranes and Rho GTPases.

Previously, we have shown that protein kinase C (PKC) forms a direct high-affinity, isozyme-specific and membrane lipid-independent interaction with Rho GTPases [Slater, S. J., Seiz, J. L. , Stagliano, B. A. , and Stubbs, C. D. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 4437-4445]. Since the cellular activation of PKCalpha involves an initial translocation from cytosolic to membrane compartments, the present study investigates the interdependence between the direct protein-protein interaction of PKCalpha with the Rho GTPase, Cdc42, and the protein-lipid interactions of PKCalpha with membranes. It was hypothesized that the interaction of PKCalpha with membrane-bound Cdc42 would contribute to the overall membrane-binding affinity of the kinase by providing an additional anchor. However, it was found that the incorporation of isoprenylated Cdc42 into membranes resulted in an apparent decrease in the membrane-binding affinity of PKCalpha, whereas the association of PKCbetaI, PKCdelta, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta was each unaffected. The presence of membrane-bound Cdc42 resulted in a rightward shift in both the PS- and Ca2+-concentration response curves for PKCalpha membrane association and for the ensuing activation, whereas the maximal levels of binding and activation attained at saturating PS and Ca2+ concentrations were in each case unaffected. Overall, these findings suggest that PKCalpha undergoes a isozyme-specific interaction with membrane-bound Cdc42 to form a PKCalpha-Cdc42 complex, which possesses a membrane-binding affinity that is reduced relative to that of the individual components due to competition between Cdc42 and PS/Ca2+ for binding to PKCalpha. Consistent with this, it was found that the interaction of PKCalpha with membrane-bound Cdc42 was accompanied by the physical dissociation of the PKCalpha-Cdc42 complex from membranes. Thus, the study provides a novel mechanism by which the membrane association and activation of PKCalpha and Cdc42 may be regulated by competing protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions.
Perturbation analysis of market equilibrium in the presence of renewable energy resources and demand response

One of the main challenges in the emerging smart grid is the integration of renewable energy resources (RER). The latter introduces both intermittency and uncertainty into the grid, both of which can affect the underlying energy market. An interesting concept that is being explored for mitigating the integration cost of RERs is Demand Response. Implemented as a time-varying retail electricity price in real-time, Demand Response has a direct impact on the underlying energy market as well. In this paper, beginning with an overall model of the major market participants together with the constraints of transmission and generation, the energy market is analyzed in the presence of both RERs and Demand Response. The effect of uncertainties in the RER on the market equilibrium is quantified, with and without real-time pricing. Standard KKT criteria are used to derive optimality conditions. Perturbation analysis methods are used to compare the equilibria in the nominal and perturbed cases. Sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of a unique equilibrium for the perturbed market. Numerical studies are reported using a 4-node IEEE bus to validate the theoretical results.
Measuring Crack Movement in Reinforced Concrete Using Digital Image Correlation: Overview and Application to Shear Slip Measurements

Reinforced concrete infrastructure assets built during the last century are required to stay in-service beyond their intended design lives, which requires techniques that allow the effects of deterioration and overloading to be monitored to ensure these assets are still fit for purpose. One such indicator of distress in a reinforced concrete structure is crack movement; models have been proposed that allow the internal stresses within a structure to be estimated if crack width and slip can be measured. This paper introduces a technique that uses digital image correlation (DIC) to measure not only crack width but also crack slip. The effect of curvature on this measurement technique is discussed and a method for minimizing the errors due to curvature is presented. The technique is used to measure crack width and slip in reinforced concrete beams with both small crack slip and significant crack slip. The results suggest that the technique can be used to measure crack movement in beams once the effects of curvature are accounted for. Future research in this area will focus on development of this technique for use in the field.
Run for the Wall: Remembering Vietnam on a Motorcycle Pilgrimage

The Prexiden(y and the Law ought to come with a disclaimer. Despite the trappings of supposedly dispassionate scholarship-ndnotes, a bibliography, and a panel of academic Contributorq-The Presidency and the Law is in fact a bitter jeremiad against the uncontrolled growth and now constant abuse of presidential power. If the focus is on the Clinton presidency, moreover, the essays that constitute The Presidency and the Law make clear that the problem of the “imperial presidency,’’ to use Arthur Schlesinger’s term, transcends a Xingle administration. David Gray Adler is a professor of political science at Idaho State University, and Michael A. Genovese teaches political science at Loyola Marymount University. Adler contributes an introduction, an essay on Clinton and the war-making power, and a summary essay on the Clinton presidency in historical context. He also coauthors, with Nancy Kassop, a chapter on the Clinton impeachment trial. (ienovese and Kristine Almquist coauthor an essay on Clinton’s controversial use of presidential pardons. Other contributors tackle executive privilege, the role of the independent counsel, executive immunity, and campaign finance. The veteran political scientist Thomas E. Cronin offers a brief foreword, and Louis Fisher of the Congressional Research Service concludes the volume with a damning epilogue on the post-World War I1 presidency. The authors generally subscribe to the “Madisonian” ideal of the presidency as a modest office, essentially subordinate to the will of Congress. Although willing to concede that thc articles of impeachment brought against Clinton did not justify his removal from oftice, they take him to task, among other things. for an unseemly preoccupation with fundraising and for circumventing the Departmenc of Justice’s normal review process in granting pardons. Adler, in particular, castigates Clinton for his promiscuous and unilateral use of military force, especially the 1999 air war against Yugoslavia. Adler maintains a fundamentalist faith in original intent, insisting on congressional approval for virtually any form of military action, ii view which leads to some almost hysterical rhetoric. to wit: “The absolutist pretensions of Bill Clinton, which harken to the swollen claims of the Stuart kings, virtually eviscerated the war clause” (46). One can also criticize the book for the essay it does not include: the one explaining why Congress has virtually abdicated its constitutional role in making foreign policy and how the presidency has remained dominant even though the office, as Robert J. Spitzer points out in discussing the independent counsel law, has been plagued by scandal since Watergate. Despite its flaws, however, The Presidency and the Law is a serious and deeply disturbing book that would make excellent reading in a course on the American presidency.
Immunotherapy of Cancer Employing γ δ-T Cells: New Challenges, NewOpportunities

Particularly within the last half decade, the field of ￻￻ -T cell cancer immunotherapy has enjoyed a major expansion reflected in the growing number of publications in this area. The increased efforts of numerous investigators -- with their accordingly varied strategies and approaches -- is occurring largely on account of key biological, technological and pharmaceutical advances, all of which have converged in such a manner as to now give clinicians and scientists a variety of highly rational, yet practical options as they design and execute human clinical trials intended to exploit the innate antitumor properties of endogenous (i.e., patient-derived) ￻￻ -T cells for the immunotherapy of a wide variety of human malignancies. This review is not intended to serve as a comprehensive survey of the growing field as this has been expertly reviewed in the recent past. Rather, this review will attempt to highlight some of the newly recognized biological issues -- and by extension, practical concerns -- which have become central to the field. One such critical issue relates to the findings that in only some patients is it possible to efficiently activate and/or expand endogenous ￻￻ -T cells either in vivo or ex vivo, irrespective of the method used to stimulate these cells. This is in contrast to what is observed in normal healthy donors where robust ex vivo expansion or activation of ￻￻ -T cells is readily achievable. In light of such observations, the emerging general consensus is that there may exist a poorly-defined "cancer-associated ￻￻ -T cell impairment" occurring in patients -- an impairment which might preclude the widespread use of strategies which rely upon activating or expanding potentially tumor-reactive endogenous ￻￻ -T cells. With this in mind, we discuss new strategies being developed to address this emerging challenge. This includes the development of models allowing for the adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive allogeneic (donor-derived) ￻￻ -T cells obtained from otherwise healthy individuals. This, as well as other challenges -- both biological and practical -- will be discussed in the context of developing the next generation of human clinical trials intended to exploit the innate antitumor properties of ￻￻ -T cells.
Network domains in social networking sites: expectations, meanings, and social capital

This paper examines why the use of social networking sites (SNSs) leads to different results in cultivating bridging and bonding social capital for different groups of people. Based on in-depth interviews of 45 university students in Hong Kong, I find that Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong actively use SNSs for seeking practical information about offline matters, and they obtain substantial enacted support from other Mainland students of the same university through SNS use. As a result, they accumulate both bridging and bonding social capital. Local Hong Kong students, however, use SNSs mainly for social information seeking and are only able to accrue limited bridging social capital through SNS use. Drawing on the theory of network domains, I argue that the different offline network structures in which students are located – namely, homogeneous and closed networks versus heterogeneous and open networks – explain this difference. Students with closed offline networks have defined expectations of online ties; they think of their online activities as practical and leading to real changes in their status among peers. Those with open networks have indefinite expectations of their online audience; thus, they interpret online activities differently, thinking of them as recreational, and they are playful in their online behaviour. These different outcomes of online activities consequently lead to diverse results in social capital accrual.