Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bits or Paper? Comparing Remote Electronic Voting to Postal Voting

In the recent years it has often been discussed how elections can be conducted via the Internet. Many countries, including Germany, Estonia, Great Britain, Switzerland, USA or Austria have run tests of implementing e-Voting on different levels. Whilst offering e-Voting for public elections implies various legal problems, associations can allow for e-Voting in a relatively easy way. In this paper we investigate an election run by the leading German non governmental organization (NGO) in information technology – the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI) – that provided ¨ for remote voting using postal voting and electronic voting via the Internet. It is a common requirement by election officials for remote e-Voting to be as secure as regular postal voting. To come up with an assessment the use of a criteria catalogue is best to compare these forms of voting.
Posterior Versus Anterior Circulation Infarction: How Different Are the Neurological Deficits?

Background and Purpose— Distinguishing between symptoms of posterior circulation infarction (PCI) and anterior circulation infarction (ACI) can be challenging. This study evaluated the frequency of symptoms/signs in the 2 vascular territories to determine the diagnostic value of particular symptoms/signs for PCI. Methods— Neurological deficits were reviewed and compared from 1174 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of PCI or ACI confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging in the Chengdu Stroke Registry. The diagnostic value of specific symptoms/signs for PCI was determined by measuring their sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and the OR. Results— Homolateral hemiplegia (PCI, 53.6% versus ACI, 74.9%; P<0.001), central facial/lingual palsy (PCI, 40.7% versus ACI, 62.2%; P<0.001), and hemisensory deficits (PCI, 36.4% versus ACI, 34.2%; P=0.479) were the 3 most common symptoms/signs in PCI and ACI. The signs with the highest predictive values favoring a diagnosis of PCI were Horner's syndrome (4.0% versus 0%; P<0.001; PPV=100.0%; OR=4.00), crossed sensory deficits (3.0% versus 0%; P<0.001; PPV=100.0%; OR=3.98), quadrantanopia (1.3% versus 0%; P<0.001; PPV=100.0%; OR=3.93), oculomotor nerve palsy (4.0% versus 0%; P<0.001; PPV=100.0%; OR=4.00), and crossed motor deficits (4.0% versus 0.1%; P<0.001; PPV=92.3%; OR=36.04); however, all had a very low sensitivity, ranging from 1.3% to 4.0%. Conclusions— This study indicates that the symptoms/signs considered typical of PCI occur far less often than was expected. Inaccurate localization would occur commonly if clinicians relied on the clinical neurological deficits alone to differentiate PCI from ACI. Neuroimaging is vital to ensure accurate localization of cerebral infarction.
Antimicrobial activities of silver dressings: an in vitro comparison.

A range of silver-coated or -impregnated dressings are now commercially available for use but comparative data on their antimicrobial efficacies are limited. The antibacterial activities of five commercially available silver-coated/impregnated dressings were compared against nine common burn-wound pathogens, namely methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, Acinetobacter baumannii and a multi-drug-efflux-positive Acinetobacter baumannii (BM4454), using a broth culture method. The rapidity and extent of killing of these pathogens under in vitro conditions were evaluated. All five silver-impregnated dressings investigated exerted bactericidal activity, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacter species, Proteus species and E. coli. The spectrum and rapidity of action, however, ranged widely for different dressings. Acticoat and Contreet had a broad spectrum of bactericidal activities against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Contreet was characterized by a very rapid bactericidal action and achieved a reduction of > or =10,000 c.f. u. ml(-1) in the first 30 min for Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii. Other dressings demonstrated a narrower range of bactericidal activities. Understanding the characteristics of these dressings may enable them to be targeted more appropriately according to the specific requirements for use of a particular dressing, as in for prophylaxis in skin grafting or for an infected wound with MRSA.
A case series of Bacillus cereus septicemia in patients with hematological disease.

OBJECTIVE Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) septicemia is a cause of life-threatening infection in patients with hematologic diseases. However, preventing a fatal prognosis in patients with B. cereus infection has not yet been achieved due to insufficient clinical investigations. To discover more optimal treatment strategies, we analyzed B. cereus septicemia in patients with hematologic diseases. METHODS At our institution, we observed 13 cases of B. cereus septicemia in 12 patients with hematologic diseases between January 2001 and September 2010. The susceptibility of B. cereus strains to antibiotics was also analyzed. RESULTS Of 12 patients, four died of B. cereus septicemia. In this study, the delayed administration of appropriate antibiotics (starting >24 hours after presentation), the presence of liver dysfunction and evidence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement tended to result in a fatal prognosis. All of the bacterial strains were found to be susceptible to vancomycin and quinolones (such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin), whereas many strains were resistant to clindamycin (76.9%) and imipenem (30.8%). In seven of 10 patients, central venous (CV) catheter tips were removed and routinely cultured. Catheter tip cultures were positive for B. cereus in three of seven patients. CONCLUSION Although not specific to B. cereus bacteremia, patients who died of B. cereus tended to present with CNS symptoms and/or liver dysfunction. Our clinical data suggested that carbapenem and clindamycin are no longer appropriate choices for treating B. cereus. In addition, B. cereus septicemia was found to frequently originate from CV catheters. Constant attention must be paid to update assessments of antibiotic susceptibility and careful management must be applied to CV catheters in patients with hematologic diseases.
Solar winds driven by nonlinear low‐frequency Alfvén waves from the photosphere: Parametric study for fast/slow winds and disappearance of solar winds

[1] We investigate how properties of the corona and solar wind in open coronal holes depend on properties of magnetic fields and their footpoint motions at the surface. We perform one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations for the heating and the acceleration in coronal holes by low-frequency Alfven waves from the photosphere to 0.3 or 0.1 AU. We impose low-frequency (≲0.05 Hz) transverse fluctuations of the field lines at the photosphere with various amplitude, spectrum, and polarization in the open flux tubes with different photospheric field strength, Br,0, and superradial expansion of the cross section, fmax. We find that transonic solar winds are universal consequences. The atmosphere is also stably heated up to ≳106 K by the dissipation of the Alfven waves through compressive-wave generation and wave reflection in the cases of the sufficient wave input with photospheric amplitude, 〈dv⊥,0〉 ≳ 0.7 km s−1. The density, and accordingly the mass flux, of solar winds show a quite sensitive dependence on 〈dv⊥,0〉 because of an unstable aspect of the heating by the nonlinear Alfven waves. A case with 〈dv⊥,0〉 = 0.4 km s−1 gives ≃50 times smaller mass flux than the fiducial case for the fast wind with 〈dv⊥,0〉 = 0.7 km s−1; solar wind virtually disappears only if 〈dv⊥,0〉 becomes ≃1/2. We also find that the solar wind speed has a positive correlation with Br,0/fmax, which is consistent with recent observations by Kojima et al. On the basis of these findings, we show that both fast and slow solar winds can be explained by the single process, the dissipation of the low-frequency Alfven waves, with different sets of 〈dv⊥,0〉 and Br,0/fmax. Our simulations naturally explain the observed (1) anticorrelation of the solar wind speed and the coronal temperature and (2) larger amplitude of Alfvenic fluctuations in the fast wind. In Appendix A, we also explain our implementation of the outgoing boundary condition of the MHD waves with some numerical tests.
CONSUMER MOTIVATION AND CONCERN FACTORS FOR ONLINE SHOPPING IN TURKEY

Understanding consumer behaviour in online environments is the basic factor to build an effective consumer-retailer relationship structure. The purpose of this study is to explore the influences of different values and concerns affecting search and purchase intentions of consumers and to build an integrated model, which could explain the purchase intentions of consumers in Turkey, where the majority of the population is under the age of 30. An integrated model of motivation and concern factors on the online shopping is developed to test the causal effect variables. Current study points out that hedonic value is a determinant of the consumer intention to search and purchase. Search intention has a direct impact on purchase intention. Utilitarian value does not have a significant impact on the search intention but it does have an important impact on the purchase intention. From the concern factors perspective, security has a significant impact on both search and purchase intentions, whereas there is no impact for privacy.
Production of cobalt binding ligands in a Synechococcus feature at the Costa Rica upwelling dome

The Costa Rica upwelling dome (CRD; ~8.67°N and 90.6°W) was characterized chemically for cobalt and nickel abundances and speciation and biologically using cyanobacterial abundances and phylogeny. Total dissolved cobalt was 93 pmol L−11 at 90 m depth and decreased in surface waters to 45 pmol L−1 at 10 m. Cobalt was 40% labile at 90 m but was completely complexed by strong ligands at 10 m. A surface transect out of the dome showed decreasing total dissolved cobalt from 57 pmol L−1 to 12 pmol L−1. Detection window studies showed that natural cobalt‐ligand complexes have conditional stability constants greater than 1016.8 and that competition with nickel did not release cobalt bound to organic complexes, consistent with natural cobalt ligands being Co(III) complexes. Synechococcus cell densities at the CRD are among the highest reported in nature, varying between 1.2 x 106 and 3.7 x 106 cells ml−1. Phylogenetic analysis using the 16S‐23S rDNA internally transcribed spacer showed the majority of clones were related to Synechococcus strain MIT S9220, while the remaining subset form a novel group within the marine Synechococcus lineage. In a bottle incubation experiment chlorophyll increased with cobalt and iron additions relative to each element alone and the unamended control treatment. Cobalt speciation analysis of incubation experiments revealed large quantities of strong cobalt‐ligand complexes in the cobalt addition treatments (401 pmol L−1), whereas cobalt added to a 0.2‐µm filtered control remained predominantly labile (387 pmol L−1), demonstrating that the Synechococcus‐dominated community is a source of strong cobalt ligands.
Chorea‐acanthocytosis: Abnormal composition of covalently bound fatty acids of erythrocyte membrane proteins

Phospholipid class, peak profile of each phospholipid class, loosely bound fatty acids, covalently (tightly) bound fatty acids of the erythrocyte membrances, and plasma fatty acids were investigated using high‐performance liquid chromatography in six patients with chorea‐acanthocytosis and 14 age‐ and sex‐matched normal control subjects. Additionally, six patients with Huntington's disease were included as disease control subjects in the study of covalently bound fatty acids. Study of covalently (tightly) bound fatty acids in erythrocyte membrane proteins after alkaline hydrolysis, hitherto undescribed in chorea‐acanthocytosis, revealed that palmitic acid (C16:0) was significantly increased and stearic acid (C18:0) was decreased in the patients with chorea‐acanthocytosis. Analyses for total covalently bound fatty acids disclosed that palmitic and docosahexaenoic (C22:6) acids were increased and stearic acid was decreased in chorea‐acanthocytosis. Phospholipid class(phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine) and peak profile of each phospholipid class from the erythrocyte membranes did not differ between the patients with chorea‐acanthocytosis and the control subjects. Of the loosely bound fatty acids, linoleic acid (C18:2) was significantly decreased in those with chorea‐acanthocytosis, which seemed to be nonspecific.
The treatment of obsessions

1. Introduction 2. Background and Rationale 3. Assessment Procedures 4. Treatment - Stage 1 5. Treatment - Stage 2 6. Dealing with Self-Defeating Safety Behaviour 7. Tactics 8. How to Assess Progress and Deal with Problems 9. Therapist's Tool Kit 10. Case Illustrations References
Complex segregation analysis of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate.

This study was undertaken to examine the inheritance pattern of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P). Complex segregation analysis using the unified model as in POINTER and the regressive model as in REGD programs were applied to analyze a midwestern U.S. Caucasian population of 79 families ascertained through a proband with CL/F. In REGD, the dominant or codominant Mendelian major locus models of inheritance were the most parsimonious fit. In POINTER, besides the Mendelian major locus model, the multifactorial threshold (MF/T) model and the mixed model were also consistent with the observed data. However, the high heritability parameter of . 93 (SD .063) in the MF/T model suggests that any random exogenous factors are unlikely to be the underlying mechanisms, and the mixed model indicates that this high heritability is accounted for by a major dominant locus component. These findings indicate that the best explanation for the etiology of CL/P in this study population is a putative major locus associated with markedly decreased penetrance. Molecular studies may provide further insight into the genetic mechanism underlying CL/P.
Management of Technical Security Measures: An Empirical Examination of Personality Traits and Behavioral Intentions

Organizations are investing substantial resources in technical security measures that aim at preventively protecting their information assets. The way management -- or information security executives -- deals with potential security measures varies individually and depends on personality traits and cognitive factors. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, we examine the relationship between the personality traits of conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness with attitudes and intentions towards managing technical security measures. The highly relevant moderating role of compliance factors is also investigated. The hypothesized relationships are analyzed and validated using empirical data from a survey of 174 information security executives. Findings suggest that conscientiousness is important in determining the attitude towards the management of technical security measures. In addition, the findings indicate that when executives are confronted with information security standards or guidelines, the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness will have a stronger effect on attitude towards managing security measures than without moderators.
Medications as a Potential Source of Exposure to Phthalates in the U.S. Population

Background Widespread human exposure to phthalates, some of which are developmental and reproductive toxicants in experimental animals, raises concerns about potential human health risks. Underappreciated sources of exposure include phthalates in the polymers coating some oral medications. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate whether users of phthalate-containing medications have higher urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites than do nonusers. Methods We used publically available files from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 1999–2004. For certain survey periods, participants were asked to recall use of prescription medication during the past 30 days, and for a subsample of individuals, the urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites were measured. We a priori identified medications potentially containing phthalates as inactive ingredients and then compared the mean urinary concentration of phthalate metabolites between users and nonusers of those medications. Results: Of the 7,999 persons with information on urinary phthalate concentrations, 6 reported using mesalamine formulations, some of which may include dibutyl phthalate (DBP); the mean urinary concentration of monobutyl phthalate, the main DBP metabolite, among these mesalamine users was 50 times higher than the mean for nonusers (2,257 μg/L vs. 46 μg/L; p < 0.0001). Users of didanosine, omeprazole, and theophylline products, some of which may contain diethyl phthalate (DEP), had mean urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, the main DEP metabolite, significantly higher than the mean for nonusers. Conclusion Select medications might be a source of high exposure to some phthalates, one of which, DBP, shows adverse developmental and reproductive effects in laboratory animals. These results raise concern about potential human health risks, specifically among vulnerable segments of the general population and particularly pregnant women and children.
Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Daytime Sleepiness Is Associated with Liver Damage in Non-Morbidly Obese Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background A high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has been reported in severely obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but few studies have evaluated OSAS in non-morbidly obese NAFLD patients. Aims To determine the prevalence of risk for OSAS with or without daytime sleepiness in non-morbidly obese patients with NAFLD and evaluate the association with the severity of liver damage. Methods We considered 159 consecutive patients with histological NAFLD and body mass index (BMI) <35 Kg/m2, and 80 controls without ultrasonographic steatosis matched for age, sex, and BMI. OSAS risk was determined by positivity for Berlin questionnaire (BQ), and daytime sleepiness by the Sleepness Epworth Scale (ESS). Liver damage was evaluated according to the NAFLD activity score. Results In NAFLD patients, BQ alone was positive in 39 (25%), ESS in 8 (5%), and both in 13 (8%, OSAS with sleepines); p = ns vs. controls without steatosis. In NAFLD patients at risk for OSAS with (but not in those without) sleepiness, we observed a higher prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH; 11/13, 85% vs. 72/146, 49%; p = 0.018), and of clinically significant fibrosis (stage>1; 9/13, 69% vs. 39/146, 27%; p = 0.003). At multivariate logistic regression analysis, OSAS with sleepiness was strongly associated with NASH and fibrosis>1 independently of known clinical risk factors such as age, gender, BMI, diabetes, and ALT levels (OR 7.1, 95% c.i. 1.7–51, p = 0.005 and OR 14.0, 95% c.i. 3.5–70, p = 0.0002, respectively). Conclusions A proportion of NAFLD patients without severe obesity is at risk for OSAS with daytime sleepiness, which is associated with the severity of liver damage independently of body mass and other cofactors.
Dynamic balance between master transcription factors determines the fates and functions of CD4 T cell and innate lymphoid cell subsets

CD4 T cells, including T regulatory cells (Treg cells) and effector T helper cells (Th cells), and recently identified innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) play important roles in host defense and inflammation. Both CD4 T cells and ILCs can be classified into distinct lineages based on their functions and the expression of lineage-specific genes, including those encoding effector cytokines, cell surface markers, and key transcription factors. It was first recognized that each lineage expresses a specific master transcription factor and the expression of these factors is mutually exclusive because of cross-regulation among these factors. However, recent studies indicate that the master regulators are often coexpressed. Furthermore, the expression of master regulators can be dynamic and quantitative. In this review, we will first discuss similarities and differences between the development and functions of CD4 T cell and ILC subsets and then summarize recent literature on quantitative, dynamic, and cell type–specific balance between the master transcription factors in determining heterogeneity and plasticity of these subsets.
SIRRACT

Background. Walking-related disability is the most frequent reason for inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Task-related practice is a critical component for improving patient outcomes. Objective. To test the feasibility of providing quantitative feedback about daily walking performance and motivating greater skills practice via remote sensing. Methods. In this phase III randomized, single blind clinical trial, patients participated in conventional therapies while wearing wireless sensors (triaxial accelerometers) at both ankles. Activity-recognition algorithms calculated the speed, distance, and duration of walking bouts. Three times a week, therapists provided either feedback about performance on a 10-meter walk (speed only) or walking speed feedback plus a review of walking activity recorded by the sensors (augmented). Primary outcomes at discharge included total daily walking time, derived from the sensors, and a timed 15-meter walk. Results. Sixteen rehabilitation centers in 11 countries enrolled 135 participants over 15 months. Sensors recorded more than 1800 days of therapy, 37 000 individual walking bouts, and 2.5 million steps. No significant differences were found between the 2 feedback groups in daily walking time (15.1 ± 13.1 vs 16.6 ± 14.3 minutes, P = .54) or 15-meter walking speed (0.93 ± 0.47 vs 0.91 ± 0.53 m/s, P = .96). Remarkably, 30% of participants decreased their total daily walking time over their rehabilitation stay. Conclusions. In this first trial of remote monitoring of inpatient stroke rehabilitation, augmented feedback beyond speed alone did not increase the time spent practicing or improve walking outcomes. Remarkably modest time was spent walking. Wireless sensing, however, allowed clinicians to audit skills practice and provided ground truth regarding changes in clinically important, mobility-related activities.
Can Semantic Role Labeling Improve SMT?

We present a series of empirical studies aimed at illuminating more precisely the likely contribution of semantic roles in improving statistical machine translation accuracy. The experiments reported study several aspects key to success: (1) the frequencies of types of SMT errors where semantic parsing and role labeling could help, and (2) if and where semantic roles offer more accurate guidance to SMT than merely syntactic annotation, and (3) the potential quantitative impact of realistic semantic role guidance to SMT systems, in terms of BLEU and METEOR scores.