Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Violence by clients towards female prostitutes in different work settings: questionnaire survey

Violence by clients towards prostitutes has seldom been the focus of public and academic interest, yet it is a major health issue. 1 2 Concern has mostly focused on the potential of prostitutes to transmit sexual infections, notably HIV, to their clients and subsequently partners.3 Features of female prostitution that have a direct impact on the health of prostitutes but not the health of others have therefore tended to be overlooked. The scant research that is available on violence by clients shows that prostitutes who work outdoors in particular routinely confront clients who are verbally, sexually, and physically violent towards them. 4 5 We report on the prevalence of violence by clients against female prostitutes working either outdoors or indoors in three major British cities. During 1999 three female researchers (SC, MB, and Catherine Benso) contacted 240 female prostitutes; 115 worked outdoors (40 in Leeds, …
Combining different models of sleep regulation

SUMMARY Different models have been proposed to account for processes underlying the regulation of sleep and alertness. Specific models have addressed sleep homeostasis, the nonREM‐REM sleep cycle, the circadian sleep/wake rhythm, and changes of daytime alertness. We show that the different models are not mutually exclusive but that they can be integrated as ‘modules’ in a combined model.
Extreme Value Theory for Piecewise Contracting Maps with Randomly Applied Stochastic Perturbations

We consider globally invertible and piecewise contracting maps in higher dimensions and we perturb them with a particular kind of noise introduced by Lasota and Mackey. We got random transformations which are given by a stationary process: in this framework we develop an extreme value theory for a few classes of observables and we show how to get the (usual) limiting distributions together with an extremal index depending on the strength of the noise.
The Geometry of Fredholm Pairs and Linear Conjugation Problems 27 Introduction

We discuss Fredholm pairs and restricted Grassmannians in Banach spaces with a view towards developing geometric models of linear conjugation problems with discontinuous coefficients. It is shown that a considerable part of the classical theory of Fredholm pairs in Hilbert space can be extended to a wide class of Banach spaces with contractible general linear group. Some global geometric and topological properties of arising restricted Grassmannians are established and relations to the theory of Fredholm structures are described. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 46L80, 58B15.
Abdominal tuberculosis: diagnosis by laparoscopy and colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND Histopathological confirmation in abdominal tuberculosis is difficult due to suboptimal noninvasive access to the involved area. Peritoneoscopy and colonoscopy provide semi-invasive access to the peritoneum, large intestine and ileocecal area. Information on the diagnostic yield of these two investigation in abdominal tuberculosis is scarce. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of laparoscopy and colonoscopy in the diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between January 1998 and July 2001, 34 patients were diagnosed to have abdominal tuberculosis on the basis of laparoscopy or colonoscopy. The case records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed to assess the usefulness of laparoscopy and colonoscopy in the diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis. RESULTS Laparoscopy was performed in 23 patients. Peritoneal tuberculosis was diagnosed in 19 of them, characterized by presence of ascites, multiple whitish tubercles, fibrous bands and adhesions, hyperaemic edematous bowel loops or dense adhesions without ascites. Multiple jejunoileal hyperemic short segments with serosal neovascularization was noticed in three patients. One patient had cecal mass with pericecal inflammatory adhesions. In three patients, laparoscopy was converted to open laparotomy due to bowel injury, extensive adhesions, and difficulty in assessing lymph nodal mass in one patient each. Peritoneal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis in 10 of the 15 (67%) patients. In one patient pericecal tissue biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. The remaining patients received therapeutic trial with anti tuberculosis treatment. All patients showed good response. Thus laparoscopy provided positive diagnosis of tuberculosis in 20/23 (87%) and positive histology in 10 of the 15 (67%) patients with peritoneal lesions. Thirteen patients underwent colonoscopy. Mucosal lesions involving terminal ileum, cecum and colon was noted in 11 patients. Colonoscopic biopsy confirmed the diagnosis in six of the 11 patients (54%). Non of these patients had any complication related to colonoscopy. CONCLUSION Laparoscopy was safe and helped in the diagnosis of peritoneal as well as intestinal tuberculosis in 87% of patients. Colonoscopy is useful for colonic and terminal ileal lesion with a positive diagnostic yield of 54%.
Group-based multi-trajectory modeling

Identifying and monitoring multiple disease biomarkers and other clinically important factors affecting the course of a disease, behavior or health status is of great clinical relevance. Yet conventional statistical practice generally falls far short of taking full advantage of the information available in multivariate longitudinal data for tracking the course of the outcome of interest. We demonstrate a method called multi-trajectory modeling that is designed to overcome this limitation. The method is a generalization of group-based trajectory modeling. Group-based trajectory modeling is designed to identify clusters of individuals who are following similar trajectories of a single indicator of interest such as post-operative fever or body mass index. Multi-trajectory modeling identifies latent clusters of individuals following similar trajectories across multiple indicators of an outcome of interest (e.g., the health status of chronic kidney disease patients as measured by their eGFR, hemoglobin, blood CO2 levels). Multi-trajectory modeling is an application of finite mixture modeling. We lay out the underlying likelihood function of the multi-trajectory model and demonstrate its use with two examples.
A note on deficit analysis in dependency models involving Coxian claim amounts

In this paper, we consider a fairly large class of dependent Sparre Andersen risk models where the claim sizes belong to the class of Coxian distributions. We analyze the Gerber–Shiu discounted penalty function when the penalty function depends on the deficit at ruin. We show that the system of equations needed to solve for this quantity is surprisingly simple. Various applications of this result are also considered.
[Curve of normal fetal weight values estimated by ultrasound according to gestation age].

OBJECTIVE to evaluate the evolution of estimated fetal weight in normal pregnancies in Campinas, Brazil, between 20 to 42 weeks. DESIGN AND METHODS A descriptive study was performed, including 2,874 normal pregnant women studied through routine obstetric ultrasound with fetal biometry, using the Hadlock (1991) formula for fetal weight estimation. Data were evaluated by fitting a curve with the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of fetal weight for gestational age, subsequently submitted to a smoothing procedure by quadratic polynomial adjustment. RESULTS the 50th percentile was 368g at 20th week, 1,512g at 30th, and 3,417g at 42nd week. There was a mean weight increase of 200g per week from the 27th to 38th week, when the gain decreased. CONCLUSIONS The availability of a Brazilian curve of normal estimated fetal weight will allow for prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of deviations.
Temporomandibular joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: correlation of clinical, laboratory and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disorder that involves many body joints including the temporomandibular joint. The frequency of temporomandibular joint involvement based on clinical and radiological findings is rather diverse and involvement may manifest as pain, restricted range of movement and locking of the joint. The aim of this study is to investigate and correlate the clinical, laboratory and magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODOLOGY The temporomandibular joint involvement in 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, whose diagnoses were based on the revised 1987 criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, were evaluated using clinical examination, laboratory findings and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Temporomandibular joint involvement was clinically observed in 28 patients (65.1%), and radiologically in 33 patients (76.7%). The most frequent physical examination finding, a "click" in the joint upon opening of the mouth, was found in 21 (48.8%) patients. The most frequently observed radiological finding was synovial proliferation seen in 22 (51.1%) patients. A statistically significant correlation was observed between erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the findings on magnetic resonance imaging; between the rheumatoid factor results and physical examination findings; and between the findings of the physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the rheumatoid factor results, and the findings on magnetic resonance imaging were found to be important in indicating temporomandibular joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis. Further studies are necessary to specify the risk factors in more detail.
Financial Shocks and Natural Selection †

In this paper, we investigate whether financial shocks change the working of the natural selection mechanism in the corporate sector. By using the data on firms after a devastating earthquake, the Great Tohoku Earthquake, we examine the impact of damages to lender banks on firms exit. Toward this end, we focus on firms located outside the earthquake-affected areas but transacting with banks located inside the areas to extract the impact of purely exogenous financial shocks on firm exit. From our analysis, we find that the bank damage in fact reduces firm exit and thereby mitigate the natural selection mechanism in such a direction, which is supported by several possible interpretations.
[Parameters of Anaerobic Physiological Profile of Elite Athletes].

INTRODUCTION Anaerobic capacity is much less evaluated in literature compared to aerobic component. Anaerobic performance of athletes can be measured using different motoric tests, lasting 20 to 30 seconds, one of them being the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT). OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the work performed and power generated by athletes and non-athletes during a 30-second high intensity exercise, as well as to compare explosive characteristics of subjects using a new parameter of WAnT, named explosive power, or slope of power. METHODS All parameters of anaerobic power were investigated in 152 subjects classed into different groups depending on their physical fitness and sport specialties as follows: non-athletes (n=31), rowers (n=26), volleyball players (n=37), handball players (n=34) and judo players (n=24). The WAnT, as well as basic anthropometric measurements, was administrated to all participants. RESULTS Values of anaerobic parameters were higher in the group of athletes compared to physically inactive subjects.The highest values of the WAnT parameters were registered in the group of volleyball players (AP=1 006 W; relative AP=11.4 W/ kg, AC=19.8 kJ), compared to athletes of other sport disciplines (volleyball, rowing and judo). The new parameter of the WAnT, explosive power, also showed highest values in volleyball players (EP=1 54 W/s; relative EP=1.74 W/s/kg). These differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The results of laboratory tests can provide useful information on improvements in training processes. The new parameter of the WAnT could be implemented in further analyses of explosive characteristics of muscle contraction.
Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values Measured by Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Predict Chemoradiotherapeutic Effect for Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) predict responses to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and/or patient prognosis. Methods: Magnetic resonance images were acquired to construct the diffusion-weighted images, and the ADC values were calculated before CRT in 80 patients with ESCC. A high-ADC group responded better to CRT than did a low-ADC group (p < 0.01). We divided the 80 patients into two groups based on the operating characteristic analysis: one group comprised patients with ADC values higher than the average ADC of the esophageal cancer tissue (1.10 × 10–3 mm2/s), and the other group comprised those whose ADC values were less than the average value. A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the survival rate in the high-ADC group was significantly better than that in the low-ADC group (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our results indicate that the ADC value may be a useful marker to predict treatment response as well as survival for patients with ESCC.
Lipid Raft Localization of ErbB2 in Vestibular Schwannoma and Schwann Cells

Hypothesis: ErbB2 resides in lipid rafts (regions of receptor regulation) in vestibular schwannoma (VS) cells. Background: ErbB2 is a growth factor receptor critical for Schwann cell (SC) proliferation and development. ErbB2 localization and activity may be regulated by merlin, an adaptor protein deficient in VS. Lipid rafts are microdomains in the plasma membrane that amplify and regulate receptor signaling. Persistence of erbB2 in lipid rafts in VS due to merlin deficiency may explain increased VS cell growth. Methods: Protein extracts from VS or rat sciatic nerve (proximal or distal to a crush injury) were isolated into lipid raft and nonraft fractions and immunoblotted for erbB2, phosphorylated erbB2, and merlin (for sciatic nerve). Cultured VS cells were probed with anti-erbB2 antibody and a lipid raft marker, cholera toxin B (CTB). Results: ErbB2 moves to lipid rafts in proliferating SCs and is persistently localized to lipid rafts in VS cells. ErbB2 is phosphorylated (activated) in lipid rafts. ErbB2 colocalized with CTB in cultured VS cells, confirming raft targeting. Merlin also persistently localized to lipid rafts in SCs, and its relative phosphorylation increased in proliferating cells. Conclusion: Lipid raft localization of erbB2 in proliferating SCs and in VS cells supports a critical role for lipid rafts in amplifying/regulating erbB2 signaling. Merlin resides in lipid rafts in SCs, and its phosphorylation increases in proliferating SCs, suggesting it regulates cell proliferation within lipid rafts. The absence of merlin in VS may therefore lead to persistent erbB2 localization to lipid rafts and increased cell proliferation.
Biological control of Rhizoctonia solani in tomatoes with Trichoderma harzianum mutants

Biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani in tomatoes cultivated under greenhouse and field conditions was analyzed using the Trichoderma harzianum mutants Th650-NG7, Th11A80.1, Th12A40.1, Th12C40.1 and Th12A10.1 and ThF2-1, respectively. Their innocuousness on tomato cultivars 92.95 and Gondola (greenhouse assays), and on cultivar Fortaleza (field assays) was established. Alginate pellets (1.7 g pellets/L soil) containing c.a1 x 10 5 colony forming units (cfu)/g pellet were applied to a soil previously inoculated with R. solani at transplant (greenhouse) or to a naturally infected soil (field). Controls considered parental wild strains, a chemical fungicide and no additions. Th11A 80.1, Th12A10.1 and Th650-NG7 prevented the 100% mortality of tomato plants cv. 92.95 caused by R. solani , and the 40% mortality in tomato plants cv. Gondola (greenhouse assays). Mortality reduction was reflected in canker level lessening and in plant parameters increases (development, fresh and dry weights). A different degree of susceptibility of tomato plants was observed, being Gondola cv. more resistant than 92.95 cv. to infection in a soil previously inoculated with R. solani . Tomato plants of cv. Fortaleza did not show mortality in naturally infected soils (field assays), where the mutant ThF2-1 reduced significantly the canker level caused by R. solani .
Gene expression of adrenomedullin, leptin, their receptors and neuropeptide Y in hormone‐secreting and non‐functioning pituitary adenomas, meningiomas and malignant intracranial tumours in humans

The aim of this study was to assess human intracranial tumours for their gene expression pattern of the vasoactive peptide adrenomedullin (AM), its receptor (AM‐R) and leptin, which exerts multiple biological effects including proliferation and angiogenesis via the leptin receptor (OB‐Rb). Gene activity of neuropeptide Y (NPY) was monitored additionally. We investigated whether there was a characteristic gene expression pattern of AM and leptin in different intracranial tumours, depending on their proliferation activity and biological behaviour. We investigated 35 non‐functioning pituitary adenomas (including eight null cell, four silent plurihormonal, 23 silent gonadotroph adenomas), seven somatotropinomas, seven prolactinomas, eight meningiomas, five astrocytomas, two glioblastoma multiformes and unaffected temporal lobe (n = 8). Quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan® RT‐PCR) was performed. AM mRNA was detectable in all tumour specimens. AM/GAPDH (glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase) ratio was significantly higher in somatotropinomas, as was AM/CD31 ratio in prolactinomas, compared with inactive adenomas (P < 0.05). AM‐R mRNA was found in all tumour subgroups in small quantities but, in general, higher in tumours than in temporal lobe tissue, respectively. AM‐R/CD31 ratio was significantly higher in prolactinomas than in inactive adenomas (P < 0.05). Leptin was detectable in very low quantities in each subgroup. OB‐Rb gene expression was found in all tumour subgroups, OB‐Rb/GAPDH ratio was highest for meningiomas (P < 0.0001, compared with temporal lobe). NPY mRNA was detectable in temporal lobe in higher quantities than in tumours (P < 0.0001), and almost undetectable in prolactinomas and astrocytomas. Our data demonstrate that AM and AM‐R, NPY, as well as leptin and OB‐Rb, are expressed in various intracranial tumours in humans but their particular function has to be elucidated further. At present, there is no evidence for a cross‐talk on transcriptional level between the peptidergic vasodilative system AM and the putative angiogenic and proliferation affecting factor leptin.
First and Second Trimester Markers of Fetal Aneuploidy in Pregnant Women with HIV Infection

Objective: To evaluate if levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), free β-hCG and nuchal translucency (NT) used in first trimester aneuploidy screening and α-fetoprotein (AFP), unconjugated oestriol (UE3) and free β-hCG in the second trimester are altered in pregnancies with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods: Median MoM values of biochemical markers and δ-NT in 92 women with HIV infection in the first trimester were compared with those from 912 HIV-seronegative controls. In the second trimester, biochemical marker levels were compared in 52 women with HIV infection and 378 HIV-seronegative controls. Results: First trimester free β-hCG median MoM levels in HIV-infected pregnancies were not different to controls (0.978 vs. 0.981, p = 1.000), as were PAPP-A levels (1.190 vs. 1.102, p = 0.099) and δ-NT (0.1374 vs. 0.0445, p = 0.0631). Second trimester levels of free β-hCG were not significantly different (1.0575 vs. 0.9619, p = 0.1827), as was AFP (0.9734 vs. 0.9350, p = 0.6576), although UE3 was significantly lower (0.970 vs. 1.110, p = 0.0005). Conclusions: In the first trimester, marker levels are not affected by the presence of HIV infection, and risks for aneuploidy are likely to be accurate in this group. Further studies are required to evaluate if UE3 levels continue to be low in HIV-infected women since this may have an impact on screening in the second trimester.
Antecedents and Consequences of Group Potency: A Study of Self-Managing Service Teams

This paper proposes and tests a model of antecedents and consequences of group potency in self-managing teams in retail banking. Based on data collected from boundary-spanning service employees organized in 60 teams and their customers, our findings reveal a significant positive impact of group potency on customer-perceived service quality and a negative effect on service profitability. In addition, we find that team consensus regarding group potency positively moderates the effects of group potency, so that for teams with higher levels of potency consensus, the positive impact of group potency on customer-perceived service quality is stronger, whereas the negative impact of group potency on service productivity is weaker. Furthermore, we find significant positive effects of management and interteam support and functional diversity as well as a significant negative effect of team tenure on individual team member beliefs of group potency. Finally, social support consensus moderates the effects of management support, interteam support, and team tenure on group potency, so that the effects of these antecedents are weaker for teams with higher levels of social support consensus. Thus, we conclude that team confidence consensus increases the positive impact of group potency on customer perceptions of service quality and decreases the negative impact on profitability. Thus, team-member perceptual agreement on their team's potency should be stimulated.
Approaches to Treating NF1 Tibial Pseudarthrosis: Consensus From the Children’s Tumor Foundation NF1 Bone Abnormalities Consortium

Background: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder with various skeletal abnormalities occurring as part of a complex phenotype. Tibial dysplasia, which typically presents as anterolateral bowing of the leg with subsequent fracture and nonunion (pseudarthrosis), is a serious but infrequent osseous manifestation of NF1. Over the past several years, results from clinical and experimental studies have advanced our knowledge of the role of NF1 in bone. On the basis of current knowledge, we propose a number of concepts to consider as a theoretical approach to the optimal management of tibial pseudarthrosis. Methods: A literature review for both clinical treatment and preclinical models for tibial dysplasia in NF1 was performed. Concepts were discussed and developed by experts who participated in the Children’s Tumor Foundation sponsored International Bone Abnormalities Consortium meeting in 2011. Results: Concepts for a theoretical approach to treating tibial pseudarthrosis include: bone fixation appropriate to achieve stability in any given case; debridement of the “fibrous pseudarthrosis tissue” between the bone segments associated with the pseudarthrosis; creating a healthy vascular bed for bone repair; promoting osteogenesis; controlling overactive bone resorption (catabolism); prevention of recurrence of the “fibrous pseudarthrosis tissue”; and achievement of long-term bone health to prevent recurrence. Conclusions: Clinical trials are needed to assess effectiveness of the wide variation of surgical and pharmacologic approaches currently in practice for the treatment of tibial pseudarthrosis in NF1. Level of Evidence: Level V, expert opinion.