Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A ROle-Oriented Filtering (ROOF) approach for collaborative recommendation

In collaborative filtering (CF) recommender systems, existing techniques frequently focus on determining similarities among users’ historical interests. This generally refers to situations in which each user normally plays a single role and his/her taste remains consistent over the long term. However, we note that existing techniques have not been significantly employed in a role-oriented context. This is especially so in situations where users may change their roles over time or play multiple roles simultaneously, while still expecting to access relevant information resources accordingly. Such systems include enterprise architecture management systems, e-commerce sites or journal management systems. In scenarios involving existing techniques, each user needs to build up very different profiles (preferences and interests) based on multiple roles which change over time. Should this not occur to a satisfactory degree, their previous information will either be lost or not utilised at all. To limit the occurrence of such issues, we propose a ROle-Oriented Filtering (ROOF) approach focusing on the manner in which multiple user profiles are obtained and maintained over time. We conducted a number of experiments using an enterprise architecture management scenario. In so doing, we observed that the ROOF approach performs better in comparison with other existing collaborative filtering-based techniques.
Influence of Family Caregiver Caring Behavior on COPD Patients' Self-Care Behavior in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: COPD becomes a long-term burden on family members who serve as day-to-day caregivers, and causes healthcare systems to incur substantial costs. COPD is both preventable and treatable, and one important aspect of COPD treatment is patients' self-management. This study aimed to investigate relationships between self-management and the caregiver burden, and the influence of family caregivers' caring behavior on COPD patients' self-care behavior. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study conducted between March 2007 and January 2008, 192 pairs of COPD patients (age > 40 years, normal cognitive function) and their primary family caregivers were recruited to answer questionnaires measuring COPD characteristics and COPD knowledge (patients and caregivers); functional status, health beliefs, self-efficacy, and self-care (patients); and caring behavior and caregiver response (family members). All questionnaires were shown to have acceptable validity and reliability, and the data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques. RESULTS: Patients' ages, scores in health belief, self-efficacy and disease-related knowledge were shown to correlate with patients' self-care behavior. Patients' self-care behavior was negatively correlated with family caregivers' caring behavior (ρ = −0.21, P = .003), but positively with caring duration of family caregiver caring behavior (ρ = 0.15, P = .037). Patients with a spouse as caregiver exhibited higher self-care ability than patients not married to their caregivers (P = .038). However, patients' self-care behavior decreased with higher family caregivers' COPD knowledge (P = .041) and caring behavior (P = .01), and patients regularly taking medication exhibited low self-care scores. CONCLUSIONS: Family caregivers' caring behavior had a partial negative effect on COPD patients' self-care behavior.
Method of Detection and Breast Cancer Survival Disparities in Hispanic Women

Background: Hispanic women in New Mexico (NM) are more likely than non-Hispanic women to die of breast cancer–related causes. We determined whether survival differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic women might be attributable to the method of detection, an independent breast cancer prognostic factor in previous studies. Methods: White women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1995 through 2004 were identified from NM Surveillance Epidemiology End Results (SEER) files (n = 5,067) and matched to NM Mammography Project records. Method of cancer detection was categorized as “symptomatic” or “screen-detected. ” The proportion of Hispanic survival disparity accounted for by included variables was assessed using Cox models. Results: In the median follow-up of 87 months, 490 breast cancer deaths occurred. Symptomatic versus screen-detection was classifiable for 3,891 women (76.8%), and was independently related to breast cancer-specific survival [hazard ratio (HR), 1.6; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.3-2.0]. Hispanic women had a 1.5-fold increased risk of breast cancer–related death, relative to non-Hispanic women (95% CI, 1.2-1.8). After adjustment for detection method, the Hispanic HR declined from 1.50 to 1.45 (10%), but after inclusion of other prognostic indicators the Hispanic HR equaled 1.23 (95% CI, 1.01-1.48). Conclusions: Although the Hispanic HR declined 50% after adjustment, the decrease was largely due to adverse tumor prognostic characteristics. Impact: Reduction of disparate survival in Hispanic women may rely not only on increased detection of tumors when asymptomatic but on the development of greater understanding of biological factors that predispose to poor prognosis tumors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(10); 2453–60. ©2010 AACR.
Angiographic Restenosis in Ephesos Coronary Stents: Experience From a Large Medical Center in Ankara, Turkey

Coronary stent restenosis, which emerges in late periods after implantation, has not been completely abolished. Our aim was to investigate the restenosis rates of Ephesos coronary stents. In all, 96 patients (66 men) with 135 Ephesos coronary stents were included. Control angiograms were performed after 160 ± 60 days. Quantitative coronary analysis was performed during the procedure and control angiogram. The stents were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of restenosis. Groups were compared with clinical and angiographic variables. Restenosis was observed in 31 (23%) of 135 stents. Preprocedure percent diameter stenosis was higher (P = .02), whereas minimum lumen diameter ( P = .02), mean age (P < .001), and hypertension incidence ( P = .043) was less, and there was a trend toward smaller stent size ( P = .054) in the restenosis group. By multivariate analysis, age <50 years (P < .001) and stent size <3.0 mm (P = .016) were independent predictors of restenosis. Ephesos coronary stents seems to have acceptable restenosis rates.
Influence of educational programs on attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry: Effects of psychiatric experience, gender, and personality dimensions

Background: Attitudes of medical students form the basis for medical actions. Because of the specific characteristics of psychiatric patients, positive attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry should be a higher goal in medical education. Aim: We hypothesize that medical students in different educational programs develop different attitudes towards psychiatry. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, students enrolled in different educational programs completed the ‘attitudes towards psychiatry’ questionnaire (ATP-30). Data concerning experiences in psychiatry, personality traits and socio-demographic variables including gender were also analyzed. Results: The response rate of students in the PBL-curriculum (n = 61) was >90%, in the traditional curriculum (n = 280) >75%. Attitudes towards psychiatry of male students in the Problem-Based Learning program were equal to the female students’ attitudes in both programs. Female students’ attitudes in the traditional curriculum reached comparably good results while male students’ displayed the worst attitudes. The personality factors ‘openness to experience’ and ‘agreeableness’ correlated significantly with positive attitudes towards psychiatry. PBL-students showed significantly more ‘openness to experience’. Conclusion: Educational programs might play a role for the development of attitudes towards psychiatry, especially in male students. Factors influencing enrollment into special educational programs should also have been taken into account. An independent study with a larger number of participants will be required to support these findings.
Nitric oxide specifically reduces the permeability of Cx37‐containing gap junctions to small molecules

Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) plays a significant role in the vascular system. Regulation of GJIC is a dynamic process, with alterations in connexin (Cx) protein expression and post‐translational modification as contributing mechanisms. We hypothesized that the endothelial autacoid nitric oxide (NO) would reduce dye coupling in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In our subsequent experiments, we sought to isolate the specific Cx isoform(s) targeted by NO or NO‐activated signaling pathways. Since HUVEC cells variably express three Cx (Cx37, Cx40, and Cx43), this latter aim required the use of transfected HeLa cells (HeLaCx37, HeLaCx43), which do not express Cx proteins in their wild type form. Dye coupling was measured by injecting fluorescent dye (e.g., Alexa Fluor 488) into a single cell and determining the number of stained adjacent cells. Application of the NO donor SNAP (2 μM, 20 min) reduced dye coupling in HUVEC by 30%. In HeLa cells, SNAP did not reduce dye transfer of cells expressing Cx43, but decreased the dye transfer from Cx37‐expressing cells to Cx43‐expressing cells by 76%. The effect of SNAP on dye coupling was not mediated via cGMP. In contrast to its effect on dye coupling, SNAP had no effect on electrical coupling, measured by a double patch clamp in whole cell mode. Our results demonstrate that NO inhibits the intercellular transfer of small molecules by a specific influence on Cx37, suggesting a potential role of NO in controlling certain aspects of vascular GJIC. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wide-range and fast-convergence frequency offset estimator by BER-aiding for optical coherent receivers

Optical coherent detection with digital signal processing (DSP) attracts more and more interests owing to its high performance. Due to a free-running local oscillator (LO) on the receiver, a frequency offset (FO) to the optical carrier brings phase distortion with which data can not be correctly decided and decoded. All-digital feed-forward FO estimation algorithms for optical (D)QPSK coherent receivers, such as PADE, have advantages of low complexity and stable-running wide range of estimation. However, it only converges under the condition that the initialed FO is near enough to the real FO while possible FO with typical tunable lasers can be very large. In order to solve this problem, we present a novel FO estimation scheme by BER aiding. This scheme has been demonstrated to be accurate and effective to break the restriction of PADE by simulation.
Family witnessed resuscitation in UK emergency departments: a survey of practice

Background and objectives: The American Heart Association guidelines from 2000 recommend that family members be allowed to witness cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This is controversial and opponents fear litigation and family interference during family witnessed resuscitation (FWR). The extent of FWR in UK Emergency Departments is unknown. Methods: A telephone survey of a selection of UK Emergency Departments was performed asking about experience with FWR. Results: One-hundred-and-sixty-two UK Emergency Departments with an average attendance of 47 000 patients per year participated. FWR was allowed by 128 (79%) for an adult patient and 93% for a child. Of these, 50% invited relatives to witness and only 21% did not permit FWR. The perceived benefits were: accepting that all possible has been done (48%), accepting the death (48%) and help with grieving (38%). Two percent did not think FWR was of help. Few had encountered any problems or interference from the family. Never being asked was the commonest reason not allowing FWR followed by staff reluctance. Most respondents would wish to be present if their child (85%), spouse/partner (64%) or elderly relative (52%) was being resuscitated. Conclusions: FWR is common in UK Emergency Departments. It is more common when children are being resuscitated than adults. Further research is needed to demonstrate whether it is of benefit to the patient or relatives and its applicability to other areas such as intensive care.
CxCR4 Membrane Expression in Node‐Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract: CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been reported to be involved in organ‐specific homing of breast cancer‐derived metastasis. We investigated CXCR4 expression by immunohistochemistry as a possible new prognostic factor for primary breast cancer. Two groups of women treated for breast cancer in 1991 at the Centre for the fight against cancer of Upper Normandy—France (Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer de Haute Normandie) were assessed retrospectively. CXCR4 expression was evaluated using standard immunohistochemistry. Usual prognostic factors were recorded in the computer database. Final date of follow‐up was December 31, 2001. Tissues were available for 110 node‐positive and 84 node‐negative breast cancer patients treated in 1991. CXCR4 membrane staining was considered a strong prognostic factor for both 10‐year metastasis‐free‐ (p < 0.0001) and overall survival (p < 0.0001) in node‐negative but not in node‐positive breast cancer patients. CXCR4 cytoplasmic staining was not considered a significant prognostic factor. Our results suggest that CXCR4 membrane staining could be considered a new prognostic factor. Moreover, targeting CXCR4 in primary breast cancer patients may be a new therapeutic concept. However, these results warrant further investigation.
HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION: EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, AND THERAPY

Helicobacter pylori, one of the most commonly encountered human pathogens, has been recognized in more than half of adults and children with chronic nonspecific gastritis, and nearly all children with peptic ulcer disease demonstrate antral infection with H. pylori. A high prevalence and early colonization of H. pylori infection in childhood was described in developing countries in contrast to developed countries. The current diagnostic methods include histology, microbiological culture, urease activity detection, polymerase chain reaction, and stool antigen detection. The infection often presents with nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain but may remain asymptomatic. The treatment modality options are multiple; however, the association of a proton-pump inhibitor and two antibiotics for 1 or 2 weeks gives the best eradication rates. Drug resistance is a growing problem in this microorganism and new therapeutic options are currently limited.
The Cost and Affordability of Flood Insurance in New York City: Economic Impacts of Rising Premiums and Policy Options for One- to Four-family Homes

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Comparative Assessment of ICA Architectures for Gait Recognition

ICA expands on traditional data transformation and dimensionality reduction techniques and can be used for better efficiency and enhanced discrimination when comparing with other techniques, e.g., PC A and LDA. We compare the performance on normalized gait sequences using both local ICA (architecture I) and global ICA (architecture II). This is also evaluated against competing techniques such as PCA and LDA. FastICA on ICA architecture II produces results that are competitive with state-of-the art methods on gait recognition from different viewpoints (experiment A from the gait recognition challenge.)
Characterization of cis-acting elements regulating transcription from the promoter of a constitutively active rice actin gene

The promoter of the constitutively expressed rice (Oryza sativa) actin 1 gene (Act1) is highly active in transformed rice plants (W. Zhang, D. McElroy, and R. Wu, Plant Cell 3:1150-1160, 1991). A region 834 bp upstream of the Act1 transcription initiation site contains all the regulatory elements necessary for maximal gene expression in transformed rice protoplasts (D. McElroy, W. Zhang, J. Cao, and R. Wu, Plant Cell 2:163-171, 1990). We have constructed a series of Act1 promoter deletions fused to a bacterial beta-glucuronidase reporter sequence (Gus). Transient expression assays in transformed rice protoplasts, as well as transformed maize cells and tissues, identified two distinct cis-acting regulatory elements in the Act1 promoter. A 38-bp poly(dA-dT) region was found to be a positive regulator of Act1 promoter activity. Deletion of the poly(dA-dT) element lowered Gus expression by at least threefold compared with expression produced by the full-length Act1 promoter. By gel retardation and footprinting, we identified a ubiquitous rice protein which specifically recognizes this poly(dA-dT) element in the constitutively active Act1 promoter. A CCCAA pentamer repeat-containing region was found to be a negative regulator of the Act1 promoter in transformed rice protoplasts. Transient expression assays in different maize cells and tissues with use of the Act1 deletion constructs suggested that the CCCAA pentamer repeat region functions in a complex tissue-specific manner. A CCCAA-binding protein was detected only in root extracts.
Biorthogonal frequency-varying modulated lapped transform

In this paper we introduce a biorthogonal frequency-varying modulated lapped transform (BFV-MLT) with flexible tiling behavior of time-frequency plane and attenuation of ringing artifacts. Biorthogonality allows accessorial freedom in designing the analysis and synthesis filter-banks and FVMLT provides nonuniform decomposition of signals with ideal time or frequency resolutions. By constructing a new approach to FV-MLT, we incorporate biorthogonality into FV-MLT easily and achieve flexible representations of signals plus freedom in filter-bank design. We also prove that perfect reconstruction holds in BFV-MLT which confirms its application in compression schemes.
How to use education as an intervention in osteoarthritis.

Definitions of health education and patient education form the starting point for an overview of patient education interventions for people with osteoarthritis (OA). Recipients, tutors and the key messages that education can deliver are considered, followed by a review of the methods used and the typical content of current educational provision for OA. The theoretical and empirical basis for interventions is illustrated using examples from the somewhat limited field. The outcomes used to evaluate education and the evidence for effectiveness is presented. The issues of which patients benefit most, adherence, length of interventions, optimal timing and frequency are raised. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the best health care system is needed to underpin educational provision and suggestions for a research agenda that will go some way towards addressing the many questions that remain unanswered.
Effect of Concentrated Apple Extract on Experimental Colitis Induced by Acetic Acid

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) play a crucial role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exacerbating the chronic inflammatory process. Endogenous and diet antioxidants can neutralize these compounds. The apple is widely consumed, with several antioxidant activity compounds. The present study evaluated the effects of concentrated apple extract (CAE) in acetic acid induced colitis. 29 Wistar male rats were randomized into 5 groups. G1–Sham/saline solution, G2–CAE/control, G3–acetic acid/control, G4–curative- CAE treatment and G5–preventive-CAE treatment. Eight days later, the animals were euthanized and the colonic segment resected for macroscopic and histological analysis. Gene expression was evaluated for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), catalase and copper and zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) by quantitative real time PCR, while protein expression was assessed for iNOS, COX-2 and 8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) via immunohistochemistry. The groups G3, G4 and G5 had weight loss, while G5 had weight increase at the end of the experiment. The treatment with CAE reduced the macroscopic and microscopic injury, decreased iNOS mRNA expression and increased CuZnSOD mRNA expression in animals with induced acetic acid-colitis. The findings of the present study suggest that CAE treatment exerts an antioxidant role by downregulating iNOS and upregulating CuZnSOD.
The Japanese Diagnostic Criteria for Autoimmune Chronic Pancreatitis: Is It Completely Satisfactory?

Objectives: Autoimmune chronic pancreatitis (AIP) is a very attractive disease to clinicians in terms of its dramatic response to the oral steroid therapy in contrast to ordinary chronic pancreatitis. In the year 2002, the Japan Pancreas Society published the diagnostic criteria of AIP, and many clinicians around the world use these criteria for its diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Japanese criteria for the diagnosis of AIP are adequate or not. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, radiologic, laboratory, and histologic features of 31 patients with AIP who have been successfully treated with oral corticosteroid. All the enrolled patients showed normalization or marked improvement in symptoms, laboratory, and imaging findings after steroid treatment. Results: The mean patients' age was 56 years (range, 32-78 years) and comprised 25 males and 6 females. Seven patients who responded to the steroid did not satisfy the Japanese imaging criterion because the extent of irregular narrowing was less than one third of the entire length of main pancreatic duct. Among these 7 patients, 1 patient did not meet the laboratory and histopathologic criteria as well. Another 2 patients fulfilled the Japanese imaging criterion only and showed normal IgG level, negative results of autoantibody measurements, and nondiagnostic pancreatic histopathology. Taken together, 9 (29%) of the 31 patients did not meet the Japanese diagnostic criteria for AIP, yet responded to the steroid. Conclusions: Clinicians may miss a substantial portion of AIP patients who may benefit from steroid therapy when the diagnosis is confined to those who satisfy the criteria proposed by the Japan Pancreas Society. It is necessary to convene a worldwide consensus to develop an improved diagnostic criteria for AIP.