Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liquid-based versus conventional cytology in solid pediatric neoplasm: Comparison of their diagnostic and morphological spectra

Background: Conventional cytology (CC) is a well-established and effective methodology for the evaluation of pediatric tumors. Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is a better technique of smear preparation and is at present the standard protocol in cervical cytology samples. Aims: In the present study, we analyzed both smear preparatory techniques in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples from solid pediatric neoplasms in terms of adequacy and efficacy with objectives to study the changes in background and morphology of tumor cells in LBC smears. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, which included 52 pediatric patients with clinical diagnosis of malignancy and an assessable lump. Both conventional aspiration cytology and LBC smears were prepared as per standard protocols (SurePath BD™) from FNA samples of cases and examined. Results and Conclusion: On comparing the diagnostic efficacy of cytology smears prepared by both techniques, LBC alone was diagnostic in 80.8% of the cases and conventional smear (CS) alone was diagnostic in 71.2% of the cases (agreement was 83.7%, P = 0.3). Cellular morphology was better preserved in LBC and interpretation was easier. There was a lower inadequacy rate in LBC and none of the samples was inadequate due to poor morphology in LBC smears (P = 0.0003). LBC showed an overall 40% improvement in inadequate cases by CS. LBC has been recommended as a complement to CC in nongynecological samples. Improved morphology and lower inadequacy rate make LBC a finer technique compared to CS in pediatric tumors as well.
Venture capital and industry specialization : an empirical study of venture capital investments in Norwegian portfolio companies

Applying a carefully constructed data sample of 120 Norwegian portfolio companies being backed by Norwegian Venture Capital firms, this thesis aims at answering how the degree of industry specialization in Venture Capital firms affects the performance of portfolio companies. This thesis applies three different measures of industry specialization, in which two are derived from the literature on corporate diversification. Further, the thesis also explores the effects of specialization at different industry levels. Lastly, having access to detailed accounting information on Norwegian portfolio companies allows us to analyse detailed performance measures in different time windows, by considering A) Increase in profits, B) Increase in revenues, C) Revenue growth, D) Payroll growth and E) Productivity growth. We provide evidence of a positive relationship between the industry specialization of a Venture Capital firm, and performance in portfolio companies. Considering specialization at different industry levels, we find that industry specialization has a positive effect on the performance of portfolio companies when Venture Capital firms specialize at industry section level, and have portfolios with more than 40% of the investments in the same industry section. We find that there is a positive effect from industry specialization if Venture Capital firms invest in their preferred industry section, and a negative effect of industry specialization when Venture Capital firms invest outside their preferred industry section.
The NF-kappa B binding sites in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat are not required for virus infectivity

Mutations were introduced into the regulatory sequences in the long terminal repeat of an infectious molecular clone of the human immunodeficiency virus. Viruses in which the NF-kappa B binding sites were deleted or ones in which one or two Sp1 binding sites were mutated still replicated efficiently in human T lymphocytes. A deletion of the two NF-kappa B sites plus the three Sp1 sites or a mutation of the tat-responsive region rendered the virus replication incompetent. Thus, the NF-kappa B sequences are not required for human immunodeficiency virus infectivity; however, a tat-responsive region is essential.
Training Effects of Plyometric Training on Jump Parameters in D- And D/C-Squad Badminton Players

Plyometric training is popular among individuals involved in dynamic sports, and plyometric exercises such as jumping, hopping, skipping and bounding are executed with the goal of increasing dynamic muscular performance, especially jumping. Much less information is available on the effectiveness of plyometric training (PT) in badminton, where jumping high (e.g. forehand overhead jump-smash) is important for success. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week periodized PT program on jumping high and power among male and female junior badminton players, using high-impact bilateral plyometric exercises. Starting and finishing with the biomechanical diagnostics of the squat jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ), and drop jump (DJ) on force plates, kinematic analysis of forehand overhead smashes, anthropometric data as well as force data for pre- and posttest were analyzed. Before and after the biomechanical diagnostics, the players (n=11) undergo an 8-week PT (2 units per week) with a total of 2286 jumps. 8 male and 3 female junior badminton players (age: 16.0±1.6 years, height: 175.5±9.9 cm, mass: 69.3±11.4 kg) were tested in jumping high and forehand overhead jump-smashes performance. Looking at the plyometric strength parameters of the squat jump (P<0.05; dz=0.8) and the floor reaction-time of the drop jump (P<0.05; dz=1.1), the positive effect of the 8-week PT in junior badminton players is significant. Consequently, this form of training is essential for the development of junior and top-level badminton players. Moreover, the study has shown that the contact of the overhead smash cannot be increased by improving plyometric strength training (P>0.05). Therefore, the focus must be on technical training. Consequently, it is considered to be important to include short-term PT in in-season preparation in order to improve complex badminton-specific dynamic performance (smash-jumping).
Effect of prophylactic topical hypotensive medications in reducing the incidence of postoperative ocular hypertension after phacoemulsification in dogs

OBJECTIVE To determine whether topical hypotensive medications prevent postoperative ocular hypertension (POH) after phacoemulsification. ANIMALS STUDIED 52 client-owned dogs (88 eyes). PROCEDURES Diabetic and nondiabetic dogs having undergone phacoemulsification were included in this retrospective study. The control group received no ocular hypotensive medications. The treatment groups received latanoprost, dorzolamide, or dorzolamide/timolol, beginning immediately after surgery, for 2-week duration. IOPs were obtained at initial examination followed by 4 h, 24 h, 7 days, and 14 days postoperatively. POH was defined as an IOP above 20 mmHg (POH20) or 25 mmHg (POH25). RESULTS POH20 occurred in 33 of 87 eyes (37.93%), including 11 of 21 eyes (52.38%) in the control group, three of 23 eyes (13.04%) in the latanoprost group, eight of 15 eyes (53.33%) in the dorzolamide group, and 11 of 28 eyes (39.29%) in the dorzolamide/timolol group. Active treatment groups were compared to the control group, and the overall group effect was not significant (P = 0.11). POH25 occurred in 22 of 86 eyes (25.58%), including seven of 21 eyes (33.33%) in the control group, two of 23 eyes (8.70%) in the latanoprost group, five of 15 eyes (33.33%) in the dorzolamide group, and eight of 27 eyes (29.63%) in the dorzolamide/timolol group. Active treatment groups were compared to the control group, and the overall group effect was not significant (P = 0.31). Intraoperative use of intracameral tissue plasminogen activator significantly decreased the chances of POH25 (P = 0.0063). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The latanoprost group had a substantially lower percentage of POH 20 and POH25 compared to the control and other active treatment groups, although statistical significance was not achieved. Intraoperative intracameral tissue plasminogen activator decreased the incidence of POH25.
Protocol‐based approach to suspected appendicitis, incorporating the Alvarado score and outpatient antibiotics

Background: There is evidence that antibiotics can be used as primary treatment for appendicitis, however, delayed surgical treatment might still be associated with perforation. Most patients at risk of perforation have high Alvarado scores. We designed a protocol‐based approach to suspected appendicitis, in which the Alvarado score was used to select patients for early treatment with surgery or outpatient antibiotics.
Paediatric vulval lichen sclerosus

Lichen sclerosus (LS) in children is uncommon; however, it is an important differential diagnosis in any pre‐pubertal child presenting with chronic vulval symptoms. The long‐term prognosis is unknown; however, recent data suggests that the assumption that the condition will resolve at puberty may be incorrect. Children with LS require long‐term management with topical corticosteroids, which remains the treatment of choice, as well as long‐term follow up. We review the current literature on paediatric vulval LS.
Attitude toward innovativeness based on personality traits in the SME sector. Czech Republic case study

Abstract The research of personality characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs in relation to EO constructs is an important part of the research of the whole entrepreneurial environment of small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim of this paper is to search for a relationship between personality traits and the attitude toward innovativeness as a construct of EO of SME entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic based on their sociodemographic factors (gender, education, and age). Results from a questionnaire-based survey of the entrepreneurial environment of SME in the Czech Republic showed that the attitude toward innovativeness differed for entrepreneurs considering perseverance and responsibility to be important for entrepreneurship based on their education level. Entrepreneurs with secondary education or secondary educated with graduation were more confident about the reputation of their business as an innovator than university educated entrepreneurs.
Multi-session PLDA scoring of i-vector for partially open-set speaker detection

This paper advocates the use of probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (PLDA) for partially open-set detection task with multiple i-vectors enrollment condition. Also referred to as speaker verification, the speaker detection task has always been considered under an open-set scenario. In this paper, a more general partially open-set speaker detection problem in considered, where the imposters might be one of the known speakers previously enrolled to the system. We show how this could be coped with by modifying the definition of the alternative hypothesis in the PLDA scoring function. We also look into the impact of the conditional-independent assumption as it was used to derive the PLDA scoring function with multiple training i-vectors. Experiments were conducted using the NIST 2012 Speaker Recognition Evaluation (SRE’12) datasets to validate various points discussed in the paper.
Worms and malaria: blind men feeling the elephant?

SUMMARY For thousands of years the deadliest human parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has been evolving in populations also infected by the most prevalent parasites, worms. This is likely to have shaped the genome of all 3 protagonists – man, worms and malaria. Observational studies in Thailand have shown that although P. falciparum malaria incidence increased two-fold in helminth-infected patients, there was a 64% reduction of cerebral malaria and an 84% reduction of acute renal failure in helminth-infected patients relative to those without helminths. In addition, it was suggested that mixed infections, anaemia and gametocyte carriage were more frequent in helminth-infected patients. On the contrary, fever was lower in helminth-infected patients. The present hypotheses, their implications and the limitations of the results described and of those from studies in Africa are discussed.
Enhancement of Cell Type Specificity by Quantitative Modulation of a Chimeric Ligand*

Evolution modulates the quantitative characteristics of protein interactions and often uses combinations of weak interactions to achieve a particular specificity. We addressed how quantitative optimization might be used in the design of multidomain proteins, using a chimera containing epidermal growth factor (EGF) as a cell targeting element and interferon-α-2a (IFNα-2a) to initiate signal transduction. We first connected EGF and IFNα-2a via a linker that allows both ligands to bind to their receptors on a cell surface and then incorporated a series of mutations into the IFNα-2a portion that progressively decrease both the on rate and the dissociation constant of the IFNα-2a-IFNα receptor 2 (IFNAR2) interaction. Using this strategy, we designed chimeric proteins in which the activation of the IFNα receptor in HeLa, A431, and engineered Daudi cells depends on the presence of EGF receptor on the same cell. The mutant chimeric proteins also inhibited proliferation of IFNα-sensitive cells in an EGF receptor-dependent manner. These results provide insights into the quantitative requirements for specific binding to multisubunit receptors and illustrate the value of a quantitative approach in the design of synthetic-biological constructs.
An analysis of eye-tracking and electroencephalography data for cognitive load measurement during arithmetic tasks

The paper presents multiple features analysis of cognitive load case study. The set of features applied in the research covers response times, committed errors, EEG spectral data as well as pupillometry and eye-tracking (ET) data including fixations, saccades and blinks. The experiment took the form of eleven intervals: six containing arithmetic tasks and five breaks. Two correlation analyses were performed. The first one aimed in finding correlation between cognitive measure, EEG and ET features in each interval. The second analysis was performed to find correlation of cognitive workload and EEG and ET features. The results proved that the best cognitive workload measures are selected eye movement and pupil dilation measures.
Graft-Versus-Host Disease After Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplantation

Background. Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a rare complication but carries a high mortality after transplantation. We retrospectively evaluated the incidence, risk factors and impact of this complication on the survival outcome of intestinal transplantation at a single center. Methods. 241 patients who underwent intestinal transplantation between March 1994 and July 2007 were analyzed for evidence of GVHD. A diagnosis of GVHD was based on clinical presentations and confirmed by histological findings. Results. Of the 241 patients, 22 (9.1%) were diagnosed as GVHD. The median time of GVHD onset was 75 days (range, 14–1,408). The incidence of GVHD was significantly higher in young children than in adults (13.2 versus 4.4%, P=0.05). The multivisceral graft recipients were more likely to develop GVHD compared with those of isolated small bowel (12.4% versus 4.6%, P=0.05). The presence of recipient splenectomy was significantly associated with the incidence of GVHD (P=0.03). The inclusion of the spleen in the multivisceral grafts tended to be at an increased risk of GVHD compared with the group without the spleen transplant (12.3% versus 7.9%, P=0.43). A total of 16 patients with GVHD died during the entire follow-up. Infection was the leading cause of death in 55% patients. Conclusions. GVHD is a fatal and progressive complication of small bowel transplantation. Younger children, multivisceral graft recipients, and particularly those with splenectomy are at high risk of developing GVHD after transplantation.
Differentiation between Phyllodes Tumors and Fibroadenomas Based on Mammographic Sonographic and MRI Features

Background: This study was performed to compare the mammographic, sonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of phyllodes tumors and fibroadenomas, which may resemble each other. Methods: Preoperative mammograms, B-mode and Doppler sonograms, and dynamic breast MRIs of 72 patients with pathologically proven fibroadenomas and 70 patients with pathologically proven phyllodes tumor were evaluated in this retrospective study. Statistical significance was evaluated using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Correlations in lesion size among radiological methods were examined by Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: The features that differed on mammogram were size, shape, and margin of the mass. Sonograms showed significant differences in size, shape, margin, echo pattern, and vascularization of the mass. Pearson's correlation analysis showed strong agreement among radiological methods in terms of assessment of size. Tumor size ≥ 3 cm, irregular shape, microlobulated margins, complex internal echo pattern, and hypervascularity were significant findings of phyllodes tumors. Internal cystic areas on MRI were frequently associated with phyllodes tumors. Conclusion: Mammographic, sonographic, and MRI findings of fibroadenomas and phyllodes tumors could help radiologists to ascertain imaging-histological concordance and guide clinicians in their decision making regarding adequate follow-up or the necessity of biopsy.
Using XML files to document the user interfaces of applications

User interfaces represent a major part in software products. Generally, it is difficult to document the content and the structure of the user interface. However, there is a need to save and preserve the overall state and structure of the user interface for later communication and modifications in requirements, design and implementation. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) storage format should be universal and can be transferred from one application to another (such as XML). GUI states are usually defined as the overall combination of properties of all the components or widgets of the GUI This paper suggests an alternative back end representation of user interfaces and their state from their original format within the applications. The user interface model is transformed to a schema saved in an XML file. The schema structure represents the user interface state. This state considers only the structure of the user interface and ignores controls' specific properties. XML format is widely used and accepted by many applications. It is the infrastructure language for web pages and database management systems. User interface documentation is useful for future evaluation and comparison, useful for stakeholders' communication. It is also for some GUI testing activities such as regression testing where we trigger testing if there is a change in the user interface.
Bacterial resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides

Naturally occurring cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) have been considered as promising candidates to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria to animals and humans. This assumption is based on their mechanism of action, which is mainly performed through electrostatic membrane interactions. Unfortunately, the rise in the reports that describe bacterial resistance to CAMPs has redefined their role as therapeutic agents. In this review, we describe the state of the art of the most common resistance mechanisms developed by bacteria to CAMPs, making special emphasis on resistance selection. Considering most of the resistance mechanisms here reviewed, the emergence of resistance is unlikely in the short term, however we also described evidences that show the evolution of resistance to CAMPs, reevaluating their use as good antibacterial agents. Finally, the knowledge related to the description of CAMP resistance mechanisms may provide useful information for improving strategies to control infections.
Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal: A focus on tractors and combine harvesters

This study was conducted to understand the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal, specifically its determinants on both the demand and supply sides, as well as impacts on agricultural production and associations with broader economic transformation processes, in order to draw lessons that can be conveyed to other less mechanized countries. Mechanization levels in Nepal, a largely agricultural country, were relatively low until a few decades ago. However, significant mechanization growth, including the adoption of tractors, has occurred since the 1990s, against a backdrop of rising rural wages, particularly for plowing, combined with growing emigration and growth in key staple crop yields and overall broad agricultural production growth, as well as improved market access and participation. This growth in mechanization has taken place despite the general absence of direct government support or promotion. The growth of tractor use in the plains of the Terai zone has transformed agricultural production rather than inducing labor movement out of agriculture, raising overall returns to scale in intensification and enabling the cultivation of greater areas by medium smallholders than by resourcepoor smallholders. Tractors have also facilitated the intensification of crop production per unit of land among very small farmers, enabling mechanization growth despite the continued decline in farm size, although these farmers may not have benefited as much as medium smallholders. Potential future research areas with policy relevance include mitigating accessibility constraints to tractor custom hiring services, identifying appropriate regulatory policies for mechanization, and providing complementary support to some smallholders who may not fully benefit from tractor adoption alone. [IFPRI Discussion Paper 01662]
Aural Tuberculosis in Children

Credit is generally given to Jean Louis Petit, who lived in the 18th century, for being the first person to describe tuberculous mastoiditis. In 1835 Romberg and Geissler connected tuberculous mastoiditis with pulmonary tuberculosis. Wilde in 1853 discussed the now classical picture of the painless onset of the discharge, and he described the appearance of the tympanic membrane in the disease, while in 1878 Schwartze noted the cheesy infiltration and the tubercles of the mucosa. Politzer discussed the condition in 1865, and in 1882 he demonstrated the destructive nature of the disease. Meniere is credited with the description of the destruction of the membrane in tuberculosis, and ascribed the severe deafness to this destruction. In 1882 Koch demonstrated the tubercle bacillus, and in the following year Esche found the bacillus in the aural discharge. Haber-