Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding links: Web Science and hyperlink studies at macro, meso and micro-levels

Web Science has favoured macroscopic approaches which have revealed much about the Web's structural patterns. We argue that contextualised knowledge about hyperlinks on the Web has not advanced at the same rate and that complementary intermediate and micro-scale investigations are essential for a better understanding of the motivations, functions and meanings of these links. We present an investigation that attempted to overcome the shortcomings of current theoretical frameworks and methodological techniques. The focus of this article lies in the demonstration of the viability of studying the web at different scales of analysis without loss of coherence guided by the assumption of the Web as media. Results of our quali-quantitative, multi-scale and study of the international connectivity of websites registered in Brazil are presented. At the macro-scale, previous indications of high international connectivity are confirmed. Intermediate (meso) and micro-scale analyses focused on the connectivity between Brazilian and German websites and contradicted the conclusions about the meanings and functions of hyperlinks commonly associated with structural analysis. Links between Brazilian and German websites were shown to derive from a large number of formal and generic links, challenging the prevalent association that large quantities of incoming links are an indication of high relevance.
Psychometric Properties of the Florence CyberBullying-CyberVictimization Scales

The present study tried to answer the research need for empirically validated and theoretically based instruments to assess cyberbullying and cybervictimization. The psychometric properties of the Florence CyberBullying-CyberVictimization Scales (FCBVSs) were analyzed in a sample of 1,142 adolescents (Mage=15.18 years; SD=1.12 years; 54.5% male). For both cybervictimization and cyberbullying, results support a gender invariant model involving 14 items and four factors covering four types of behaviors (written-verbal, visual, impersonation, and exclusion). The second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that a "global," second-order measure of cyberbullying and cybervictimization fits the data well. Overall, the scales showed good validity (construct, concurrent, and convergent) and reliability (internal consistency and test-retest). In addition, using the global key question measure as a criterion, ROC analyses, determining the ability of a test to discriminate between groups, allowed us to identify cutoff points to classify respondents as involved/not involved starting from the continuum measure derived from the scales.
Knowledge management and business performance: global experts' views on future research needs

Purpose This paper aims to examine the views of the global knowledge management (KM) community on the research area of KM and business performance and identify key future research themes. Design/methodology/approach An interview study spanning 222 informants in 38 countries was launched to collect data on KM expert views concerning the future research needs of the KM field. Findings The value contribution of KM requires more research despite experts agreeing on the complexities involved in solving this challenge. Further research areas identified were related to the influence of KM to support business strategy, intellectual capital, decision-making, knowledge sharing, organizational learning, innovation performance, productivity and competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications The sample is dominated by European-based KM experts and the self-selecting sampling approach that was used by relying on the networks of each partner could have biased the structure of this sample. Practical implications The recognition of the complexity to demonstrate the value contribution of KM could prevent practitioners from using over-simplified approaches and encourage them to use more advanced measurement approaches. Originality/value The paper is unique, in that it reports on the views of 222 KM experts from 38 countries representing both academia and practice, on the issue of future research needs in terms of KM and business outcomes. As such it provides valuable guidance for future studies in the KM field and related subjects.
Bayesian locally weighted online learning

Locally weighted regression is a non-parametric technique of regression that is capable of coping with non-stationarity of the input distribution. Online algorithms like Receptive Field Weighted Regression and Locally Weighted Projection Regression use a sparse representation of the locally weighted model to approximate a target function, resulting in an efficient learning algorithm. However, these algorithms are fairly sensitive to parameter initializations and have multiple open learning parameters that are usually set using some insights of the problem and local heuristics. In this thesis, we attempt to alleviate these problems by using a probabilistic formulation of locally weighted regression followed by a principled Bayesian inference of the parameters. In the Randomly Varying Coefficient (RVC) model developed in this thesis, locally weighted regression is set up as an ensemble of regression experts that provide a local linear approximation to the target function. We train the individual experts independently and then combine their predictions using a Product of Experts formalism. Independent training of experts allows us to adapt the complexity of the regression model dynamically while learning in an online fashion. The local experts themselves are modeled using a hierarchical Bayesian probability distribution with Variational Bayesian Expectation Maximization steps to learn the posterior distributions over the parameters. The Bayesian modeling of the local experts leads to an inference procedure that is fairly insensitive to parameter initializations and avoids problems like overfitting. We further exploit the Bayesian inference procedure to derive efficient online update rules for the parameters. Learning in the regression setting is also extended to handle a classification task by making use of a logistic regression to model discrete class labels. The main contribution of the thesis is a spatially localised online learning algorithm set up in a probabilistic framework with principled Bayesian inference rule for the parameters of the model that learns local models completely independent of each other, uses only local information and adapts the local model complexity in a data driven fashion. This thesis, for the first time, brings together the computational efficiency and the adaptability of ‘non-competitive’ locally weighted learning schemes and the modelling guarantees of the Bayesian formulation.
Resonance in PSR B1257+12 Planetary System

In this paper we present a new method that can be used for analysis of times of arrival (TOAs) of pulsar pulses. It is especially designed to detect quasi-periodic variations of TOAs. We apply our method to timing observations of PSR B1257+12 and demonstrate that by using it, it is possible to detect not only first harmonics of a periodic variations, but also the presence of a resonance effect. The resonance effect detected independently of its physical origin can appear only when there is a nonlinear interaction between two periodic modes. The explanation of TOAs variations as an effect of the existence of planets was, until now, the only known and well-justified explanation. In this context, the existence of the resonance frequency in TOAs is the most significant signature of the gravitational interaction of planets.
Double-Staining Method for Differentiation of Morphological Changes and Membrane Integrity of Campylobacter coli Cells

ABSTRACT We developed a double-staining procedure involving NanoOrange dye (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.) and membrane integrity stains (LIVE/DEAD BacLight kit; Molecular Probes) to show the morphological and membrane integrity changes of Campylobacter coli cells during growth. The conversion from a spiral to a coccoid morphology via intermediary forms and the membrane integrity changes of the C. coli cells can be detected with the double-staining procedure. Our data indicate that young or actively growing cells are mainly spiral shaped (green-stained cells), but older cells undergo a degenerative change to coccoid forms (red-stained cells). Club-shaped transition cell forms were observed with NanoOrange stain. Chlorinated drinking water affected the viability but not the morphology of C. coli cells.
Dose‐response curve of human extensor digitorum brevis muscle function to intramuscularly injected botulinum toxin type A

To develop a human model for measuring the effect of intramuscularly injected botulinum toxin, we injected both extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscles in 13 healthy volunteers with seven varying doses of botulinum toxin type A. We measured, pre- and postinjection, EDB M-wave amplitude, area, and mean rectified voltage (MRV) (obtained during maximal voluntary muscle activation). There was a logarithmic-appearing dose-response relationship between increasing doses of botulinum toxin and decline in EDB M-wave amplitude, area, and MRV. The decline was incrementally less at higher doses of toxin and appeared to level off at a maximal effect of 85 to 90% decrement from baseline (85 to 90% “paralysis”) at 15 to 20 units. The peak toxin effect was present on day 6 postinjection. Measurement of EDB M-wave amplitude, area, and MRV is a simple objective method for quantifying the onset and degree of human muscle “paralysis” following botulinum-toxin injection.
Renewal processes on partially ordered sets

Let G = (V, ≤) be a partially ordered set such that V is countable, there exists a minimum element a ∈ V, and {u ∈ V : u ≤ v} is finite for each v ∈ V. Suppose that {Xv : v ≠ a} is a collection of independent, identically distributed, nonnegative random variables. We think of Xv as the time required to perform a job associated with v, but the job at v cannot begin until all jobs at u < v are finished. The natural random variables associated with this model are the time when all jobs in a given subset of V are completed, and the set of completed jobs at a given time. These variables are studied in terms of the structure of G, and several stochastic comparison results are obtained. The common model for sequential broadcasting in trees is a special case, and in this context, we study the broadcast center of a tree. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 22: 15–32, 2003
Immunohistochemistry of the B‐Cell Component in Lower Lip Salivary Glands of Sjögren's Syndrome and Healthy Subjects

Serial sections of lower lip salivary gland (LSG) biopsies were examined by immunohistochemistry, using a battery of B‐ and partly T‐related antibodies (CD5, CD20, CD21, CD27, CD38, CD45RO, CD79a, Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐6) in different groups of subjects: healthy controls and clinically verified smoking or nonsmoking cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). The purpose was to characterize the B‐cell pattern of the lymphocytic foci and of the tiny perivascular infiltrates preceding the development of foci. Hyperplastic tonsil was used as stain control. In normal LSG, widely dispersed CD38+ and CD79a+ as well as some CD5+ cells are a normal constituent, with lack of staining with the other antibodies. In SS/LSG, the lymphocytic foci showed staining with all the antibodies, with variable degrees of overlapping or nonoverlapping. In SS/LSG of nonsmokers, CD20+ B cells make up a prominent part of the fully developed periductal lymphocytic foci, not overlapping with CD45RO. Also, CD20+ B cells did not overlap in the infiltrates with colocalized CD27+/CD38+ cells. CD20+ B cells and CD45RO+ T cells also occur as minute infiltrates perivascularly in areas of no foci in SS/LSG as well as in SS smokers lacking the typical foci. Smokers lack foci, but tiny infiltrates express CD20 as well CD45R0. Our findings suggest that CD20+ B cells and CD45RO+ T cells are early immigrants in the LSG of SS of smokers as well as nonsmokers and that another subgroup of CD27+/CD38+ B cells gradually mix with the first two to form the characteristic foci in SS/LSG. The simultaneous demonstration of CD20+ and CD27+ B cells in SS/LSG may constitute a significant diagnostic tool. Further, the findings suggest that the early immigrating lymphocytes may have been primed at a site remote from the glands before arriving via the blood to the gland tissue.
Employee Commitment and Patient Satisfaction: An Initial Reflection From Indian Healthcare

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee commitment and patient satisfaction with respect to health care Industry. This research was conducted in two centers of a leading Medical service provider in Bengaluru city. The population for this study consists of all the employees directly interacting with the customers (excluding doctors), in the two centers . The total population was (N=50), as reflected on the personnel list obtained from the HR department of the organization. The Independent variable in this study is employee (Organizational) commitment, and the dependent variable is patient satisfaction . A slight positive correlation between the employee commitment (affective component) and patient satisfaction is observed in our study, thereby highlighting the importance of employee commitment (especially the affective component) in organizations, particularly in the healthcare sector which is essentially a people-centric industry .
Isolation and identification of a new yeast isolate with high beta-galactosidase activity from Syrian dairy products.

Beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23), has tremendous potential in research and application in various fields like food, bioremediation, biosensor, diagnosis and treatment of disorders. The main objective of this study was to isolate and select some yeast strains able to produce βgalactosidase from locally dairy products, the high producer strain coded DIYS 11 was belong to Kluyveromyces marxianus according to molecular method based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA gene, and produced 338 U/min/cell estimated by the use of ONPG as substrate. The effect of six different extraction methods, isoamyl alcohol, acetone, SDS-chloroform, liquid nitrogen, glass beads and stainless beads on enzyme activity from this organism was studied. Our results showed the highest enzyme activity was obtained using isoamyl alcohol and reached 554 U/min/cell after nine minutes incubation with the substrate.
Systolic blood pressure is superior to other haemodynamic predictors of outcome in community acquired pneumonia

Introduction: Admission blood pressure (BP) assessment is a central component of severity assessment for community acquired pneumonia. The aim of this study was to establish which readily available haemodynamic measure on admission is most useful for predicting severity in patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia. Methods: A prospective observational study of patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia was conducted in Edinburgh, UK. The measurements compared were systolic and diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure. The outcomes of interest were 30 day mortality and the requirement for mechanical ventilation and/or inotropic support. Results: Admission systolic BP <90 mm Hg, diastolic BP ⩽60 mm Hg, mean arterial pressure <70 mm Hg and pulse pressure ⩽40 mm Hg were all associated with increased 30 day mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation and/or inotropic support on multivariate logistic regression. The AUC values for each predictor of 30 day mortality were as follows: systolic BP <90 mm Hg 0.70; diastolic BP ⩽60 mm Hg 0.59; mean arterial pressure <70 mm Hg 0.64; and pulse pressure ⩽40 mm Hg 0.60. The AUC values for each predictor of need for mechanical ventilation and/or inotropic support were as follows: systolic BP <90 mm Hg 0.70; diastolic BP ⩽60 mm Hg 0.68; mean arterial pressure <70 mm Hg 0.69; and pulse pressure ⩽40 mm Hg 0.59. A simplified CRB65 score containing systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg alone performed equally well to standard CRB65 score (AUC 0.76 vs 0.74) and to the standard CURB65 score (0.76 vs 0.76) for the prediction of 30 day mortality. The simplified CRB65 score was equivalent for prediction of mechanical ventilation and/or inotropic support to standard CRB65 (0.77 vs 0.77) and to CURB65 (0.77 vs 0.78). Conclusion: Systolic BP is superior to other haemodynamic predictors of 30 day mortality and need for mechanical ventilation and/or inotropic support in community acquired pneumonia. The CURB65 score can be simplified to a modified CRB65 score by omission of the diastolic BP criterion without compromising its accuracy.
Breaking Bad News: Preferences of Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia

Background: It is believed in some Middle Eastern (ME) cultures that disclosure of bad news to cancer patients may cause loss of hope. This is often used to justify withholding such news. In this study, we examine cancer patients ‘preference regarding breaking bad news and disease information disclosure to them. Patients and Methods: Nine close ended questions addressing patient’s disclosure preference and one question addressing timing of disclosure to the family were designed in a questionnaire format and were answered by cancer patients in an outpatient setting. Affirmative “Yes” answer indicates preference to be informed of bad news. Results: One hundred patients were recruited and answered the questions. 87% of patients preferred to be informed of their cancer diagnosis. There was no statistically significant effect of age, gender, education level, professional status, diagnosis and stage of disease on this preference. 98% wanted to know of serious news about their health. 60% of patients answered “Yes” to 8 or 9 questions. Age ≥ 50 compared to <50 years was the only factor significantly associated with likelihood of affirmative response to 8 or 9 questions (Chi2 P=0.027). Conclusions: Our study indicates that most cancer patients in Saudi Arabia prefer to know the diagnosis of cancer and any related poor outcomes, and to be involved in decision making throughout the course of their illness. This is in congruence with results of other studies from other parts of the world. Given this accumulating body of evidence, healthcare provider should, whenever possible, keep the patients involved in the decision making process throughout the cancer journey.
Suppression of testosterone does not blunt mRNA expression of myoD, myogenin, IGF, myostatin or androgen receptor post strength training in humans

We hypothesized that suppression of endogenous testosterone blunts mRNA expression post strength training (ST). Twenty‐two young men were randomized for treatment with the GnRH analogue goserelin (3.6 mg every 4 weeks) or placebo for a period of 12 weeks. The ST period of 8 weeks started at week 4. Strength test, blood sampling, muscle biopsies, and whole‐body dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan were performed at weeks 4 and 12. Muscle biopsies were taken during the final ST session (pre, post 4 h, and post 24 h). Resting serum testosterone decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in the goserelin group from 22.6 ± 1.6 (mean ±s.e.m.) to 2.0 ± 0.1 nmol l−1 (week 4), whereas it remained unchanged in the placebo group. An acute increase of serum testosterone was observed during the final ST session in the placebo group (P < 0.05), whereas a decreased response was observed in the goserelin group (P < 0.05). mRNA expression of IGF‐IE(bc) and myogenin increased, while expression of myostatin decreased (P < 0.01); however, no differences were observed between the groups. Muscle strength and muscle mass showed a tendency to increase more in the placebo group than in the goserelin group (P= 0.05). In conclusion, despite blocked acute responses of testosterone and 10‐ to 20‐fold lower resting levels in the goserelin group, ST resulted in a similar mRNA expression of myoD, myogenin, IGF‐IE(abc), myostatin and androgen receptor as observed in the placebo group. Therefore, in the present study, the molecular events were the same, despite divergent muscle hypertrophy and strength gains.
Grounded in the reality of their lives: listening to teens who make the abortion decision without involving their parents.

Interdisciplinary in nature, this article presents the findings of a research study focusing on the decision making process of young women who choose to have an abortion without involving their parents. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, the article allows teens to be heard within the context of their own life circumstances. The stories they tell reflect the complexity of their lives, and the depth of their feelings about becoming pregnant, the decision to abort, and their families. The article examines the complex and multi-dimensional reasoning abilities of these young women, and the weight and meaning of their decision not to disclose their pregnancy and abortion plans to a parent. The interviews are situated within a broader legal context, and provide a rich counter-narrative to the Court's limited representation of adolescent reality in the minors' abortion rights cases. The article questions the Court's construction of this reality, and challenges its assumption that young women facing an unplanned pregnancy are incapable of making their own reproductive decisions. Raising further questions about the Court's insistence upon the need for adult involvement in the decision-making process, the article also examines the medical decision-making rights of teens, most notably with respect to pregnancy, and research on the cognitive decision making abilities of adolescents.
Lack of ABCG2 Expression and Side Population Properties in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

The multidrug transporter ABCG2 in cell membranes enables various stem cells and cancer cells to efflux chemicals, including the fluorescent dye Hoechst 33342. The Hoechst− cells can be sorted out as a side population with stem cell properties. Abcg2 expression in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) reduces accumulation of DNA‐damaging metabolites in the cells, which helps prevent cell differentiation. Surprisingly, we found that human ESCs do not express ABCG2 and cannot efflux Hoechst. In contrast, trophoblasts and neural epithelial cells derived from human ESCs are ABCG2+ and Hoechst−. Human ESCs ectopically expressing ABCG2 become Hoechst−, more tolerant of toxicity of mitoxantrone, a substrate of ABCG2, and more capable of self‐renewal in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)‐free condition than control cells. However, Hoechstlow cells sorted as a small subpopulation from human ESCs express lower levels of pluripotency markers than the Hoechsthigh cells. Similar results were observed with human induced pluripotent stem cells. Conversely, mouse ESCs are Abcg2+ and mouse trophoblasts, Abcg2−. Thus, absence of ABCG2 is a novel feature of human pluripotent stem cells, which distinguishes them from many other stem cells including mouse ESCs, and may be a reason why they are sensitive to suboptimal culture conditions. STEM CELLS 2009;27:2435–2445