Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined EsophaCap cytology and MUC2 immunohistochemistry for screening of intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma

Purpose: The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased by 700% in Western countries over the last 30 years. Although clinical guidelines call for endoscopic surveillance for EAC among high-risk populations, fewer than 5% of new EAC patients are under surveillance at the time of diagnosis. We studied the accuracy of combined cytopathology and MUC2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) for screening of Intestinal Metaplasia (IM), dysplasia and EAC, using specimens collected from the EsophaCap swallowable encapsulated cytology sponge from Canada and United States. Patients and methods: By comparing the EsophaCap cytological diagnosis with concurrent endoscopic biopsies performed on the same patients in 28 cases, we first built up the cytology diagnostic categories and criteria. Based on these criteria, 136 cases were evaluated by both cytology and MUC2 IHC with blinded to patient biopsy diagnosis. Results: We first set up categories and criteria for cytological diagnosis of EscophaCap samples. Based on these, we divided our evaluated cytological samples into two groups: non-IM group and IM or dysplasia or adenocarcinoma group. Using the biopsy as our gold standard to screen IM, dysplasia and EAC by combined cytology and MUC2 IHC, the sensitivity and specificity were 68% and 91%, respectively, which is in the range of clinically useful cytological screening tests such as the cervical Pap smear. Conclusions: Combined EsophaCap cytology and MUC2 IHC could be a good screening test for IM and Beyond.
Fake it: women pretending orgasms

Introduction: During intercourse, a man and a woman send each other signals about their true state of pleasure. Some of these signals may be deceptive. For example, if one of the partners is not in ecstasy, then he or she may decide to fake it.Aim: The current study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of pretending orgasm and the possible causes of this behavior in a sample of married Egyptian women.Patients and methods: A total of 403 sexually active married women participated in this work. The tool used in this cross-sectional study was a self-report questionnaire designed by the authors and guided by the Female Sexual Function Index.Results: Among our participants, 84.9% admitted that they faked orgasm with different frequencies ranging from ‘usually’ to ‘rarely. ’ The most common reasons for faking were to save husband’s self-esteem, distraction by outer causes, to comply with husband’s high libido, and to hasten the end of intercourse owing to fatigue or inability to have orgasm rapidly.Conclusion: Faking orgasm is a common behavior in this sample of Egyptian women. Women do it as a method to retain the interest of their husbands or to try to hasten the end of intercourse out of being tired or in pain or unable to have timely orgasm.
Prospects of Distributed Wireless Sensor Networks for Urban Environmental Monitoring

Traditionally, the overlap between electronics and aerospace technology was limited to avionics, radars, satellites, and telecommunications. Sensors networks are emerging as an additional area of relevant interaction. In fact, in addition to the classical paradigm in which on-board sensors improve the navigation and control of aerial vehicles, e.g., in the fly-by-wire context, novel paradigms of cooperation between fixed networks of ground sensors and airborne ones are emerging today, especially for monitoring the environment. In this paper, we review current development trends and open challenges with reference to practical examples. We focus on the role of sensor miniaturization, energy harvesting, energy-aware communication architectures, and data fusion. Multidisciplinary development teams, with expertise spanning from microelectronics and data analysis, to operation of UAV swarms are expected to be necessary to address these challenges.
Characteristics of a low-cost cold atmospheric plasma and its application

ABSTRACT Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can be generated and operated easily without using a vacuum device. However, its characteristics and applications are not yet completely clear. In this paper, a low-cost system, equipped with two aluminum housings with single- and dual-inlet cold atmospheric plasma sources (CAPS), was designed for investigating CAP characteristics. A commercial alternating current (AC) plasma power source was used in this study. Compressed air, oxygen, and nitrogen were used as the gas sources for measuring the temperature distribution empirically. The results showed that different gas-supplying methods affect the temperature distribution significantly. The temperature of the air plasma source is ~ 60 °C at the outlet and decreases slowly with the gap distance. Additionally, the emission optical spectrogram of CAPS is similar to that of high-temperature plasma. These CAPS show the potential applications of air plasma for metal surface modification and medical treatment for urticaria in the future.
Removal of heavy metals in lake water using bioflocculant produced by Bacillus subtilis

Bioflocculant is the extracellular polymeric substances that are produced as by-products of microbial growth with flocculating capabilities. Accordingly, a potential bioflocculant-producing bacterium was isolated from lake water and had been identified as Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis). The removal of heavy metals from synthetic wastewater and lake water samples that had been treated with bioflocculant produced by the strain was investigated. Synthetic wastewater samples were prepared by spiking the solution with known concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu whereas the lake water samples had been collected from Cempaka Lake, Bangi, Malaysia. Concentration of the metals in the samples before and after treatment by the bioflocculant was measured using ICP-MS. The removal of heavy metals in synthetic wastewater was found to be ineffective without further pH and dosage manipulations. On the other hand, heavy metals found in the lake water samples (Al, Zn, Fe, Cu) were effectively removed at 92.9%, 94.3%, 86.2% and 68.1% respectively; the treatment was optimised at pH 2 (p 0.05). Bioflocculant produced by B. subtilis had been proven to be a good alternative to chemically-based solution in remediating heavy metal polluted waters.
Analysis and Application of Log-Linear and Quantile Regression Models to Predict Bus Dwell Times

Understanding the key factors that contribute to transit travel times and travel-time variability is an essential part of transit planning and research. Delay that occurs when buses service bus stops, dwell time, is one of the main sources of travel-time variability and has therefore been the subject of ongoing research to identify and quantify its determinants. Previous research has focused on testing new variables using linear regressions that may be added to models to improve predictions. An important assumption of linear regression models used in past research efforts is homoscedasticity or the equal distribution of the residuals across all values of the predicted dwell times. The homoscedasticity assumption is usually violated in linear regression models of dwell time and this can lead to inconsistent and inefficient estimations of the independent variable coefficients. Log-linear models can sometimes correct for the lack of homoscedasticity, that is, for heteroscedasticity in the residual distribution. Quantile regressions, which predict the conditional quantiles, rather than the conditional mean, are non-parametric and therefore more robust estimators in the presence of heteroscedasticity. This research furthers the understanding of established dwell determinants using these novel approaches to estimate dwell and provides a relatively simple approach to improve existing models at bus stops with low average dwell times.
Using Concept Maps In Teaching Writing In The L2 Classroom

This study investigates the effect of employing Concept Mapping (CM) as a pre-writing planning strategy on English Language Learners’ (ELL) writing performance on different modes of writing. The present study also intends to investigate the effect of the explicit teaching of CM on ELL’s knowledge and skills pertaining to vocabulary, organization, grammar and punctuation. An experimental design study is conducted at a female high-school in a foreign language setting. Fifty six eleventh grade students are divided in two equal groups: non-mapping group (Control) and mapping group (Experimental Group). To analyze the results, the study uses Independent Sample T-Test and ANOVA Test on composition scores. The results of the pre-tests and posttests of the two groups scored by two raters based on predetermined criteria (an analytical rubric) are compared. The findings indicate that the Experimental Group who uses CMs scored significantly higher than the Control Group in all areas of writing. It is concluded that CMs used effectively have the potential to enhance students’ writing skills. As a result of the study some pedagogical implications and recommendations for using CMs in teaching writing to ELL learners are discussed.
International Journal of Systemic Functional Linguistics Interpersonal Function in Martin Luther King Jr’s Speech

This research aims was to discover the interpersonal function types and to explores their realization within the speech. This research was conducted by using qualitative research design. The data was taken from the website which are readily accessible to the public. After that, the data is divided into clauses form. Next, the data was analyzed based on Halliday ’ s theory through many steps of data analysis by Cresswell. The results of data analysis showed that Martin Luther King Jr applied: (1) Speech Function (statement, command, and question); Mood (declarative, imperative and interrogative); Modality (high, median, and low); Tense Shift (present, future, and past) and Personal Pronoun (First Personal Pronoun, Second Personal Pronoun and Third Personal Pronoun). (2) speech function (statement was a most dominant, command was the second dominant and question was less); Mood (declarative was most dominant, imperative was the second dominant and interrogative was less); modality (median was most dominant, high was the second, and low was rare); personal pronoun (we was used frequently) and tense shift (present tense was majority, future was a second place, and past tense was less). So based result above, it was concluded that Martin Luther King Jr gave much infomation. Therefore, this speech was called as an informative speech. Considering the result above, the researcher suggested orator use many pronoun “ we ” when delivering a speech and the university students learn interpersonal function.
Community-Acquired Pneumonia-an Underestimated Challenge.

BACKGROUND Pneumonia is a common and potentially serious disease, with an incidence of ca. 300 per 100 000 persons per year. Until now, there have been only a few population-based studies of risk factors for pneumonia. METHODS From 2000 to 2002, nearly 10 000 persons aged 50 to 75 were recruited into the prospective ESTHER cohort study while visiting their family physician for a check-up. The mean duration of follow-up was 10.6 years. Data on newly diagnosed pneumonia were acquired from the participants and their physicians by means of standardized questionnaires. Potential associations with various predictors were studied in survival-time regression models. RESULTS 435 participants had pneumonia at least once during follow-up. The cumulative 10-year-incidence was 4.5% (95% confidence interval [4.0; 4.9]). Multiple regression revealed that age (relative risk [RR]: 1.43 [1.22; 1.67] per 10 years), current cigarette smoking (RR: 1.56 [1.19; 2.05], compared with never having smoked), and known congestive heart failure (RR: 1.65 [1.24; 2.20]) were independently associated with an elevated risk of pneumonia. The risk was insignificantly elevated in persons with diabetes mellitus (RR: 1.29 [0.98; 1.68]). Alcohol consumption, obesity, stroke, and cancer were not associated with an elevated risk of pneumonia in age- and sex-adjusted analyses. CONCLUSION Pneumonia plays an important role in the medical care of non-institutionalized older people. With the aid of the predictors identified in this study, primary care physicians can identify patients at risk, smokers can gain additional motivation to quit, treatment compliance can be increased, and patients may become more willing to be vaccinated as recommended in the current guidelines.
Police spending and economic stabilization in a monetary economy with crime and differential human capital

This paper presents a dynamic model with crime, differential human capital, credit market imperfection, and police spending to examine the role of the latter in stabilizing shock arisen from formal educational quality uncertainty. Based on a stylized parameterization, we find formal and illegal human capital accumulation to share a common cyclical property. There is a case for the use of a rule-based approach to police spending as it smoothens out the fluctuations arisen from formal educational uncertainty, while contributing to a decoupling of the two types of human capital. This nonetheless comes with a cost of greater propagation of the financial accelerator effect due to credit market imperfection, and therefore necessitates the use of a supplementary monetary smoothing regime to negate these negative effects.
Impact evaluation of a community-based intervention for prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the slums of Nairobi: the SCALE-UP study

Background A combination of increasing urbanization, behaviour change, and lack of health services in slums put the urban poor specifically at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a community-based CVD prevention intervention on blood pressure (BP) and other CVD risk factors in a slum setting in Nairobi, Kenya. Design Prospective intervention study includes awareness campaigns, household visits for screening, and referral and treatment of people with hypertension. The primary outcome was overall change in mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), while secondary outcomes were changes in awareness of hypertension and other CVD risk factors. We evaluated the intervention's impact through consecutive cross-sectional surveys at baseline and after 18 months, comparing outcomes of intervention and control group, through a difference-in-difference method. Results We screened 1,531 and 1,233 participants in the intervention and control sites. We observed a significant reduction in mean SBP when comparing before and after measurements in both intervention and control groups, −2.75 mmHg (95% CI −4.33 to −1.18, p=0.001) and −1.67 mmHg (95% CI −3.17 to −0.17, p=0.029), respectively. Among people with hypertension at baseline, SBP was reduced by −14.82 mmHg (95% CI −18.04 to −11.61, p<0.001) in the intervention and −14.05 (95% CI −17.71 to −10.38, p<0.001) at the control site. However, comparing these two groups, we found no difference in changes in mean SBP or hypertension prevalence. Conclusions We found significant declines in SBP over time in both intervention and control groups. However, we found no additional effect of a community-based intervention involving awareness campaigns, screening, referral, and treatment. Possible explanations include the beneficial effect of baseline measurements in the control group on behaviour and related BP levels, and the limited success of treatment and suboptimal adherence in the intervention group.
Reducing power consumption of turbo-code decoder using adaptive iteration with variable supply voltage

Turbo-code becomes popular for the next generation wireless communication systems because of its remarkable coding performance. One of the problems for decoding turbo-code in the receiver is the complexity and the high power consumption since multiple iterations of Soft Output Viterbi Algorithm (SOVA) or Maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoding have to be carried out to decode a data frame. To reduce the complexity of the turbo-code decoder, adaptive iteration based on cyclic redundancy checking (CRC) and output convergence approaches has been proposed to reduce the average number of iterations required for decoding a data frame. This results in a system that has variable workload since the amount of computation required for decoding each data frame is different. In this work, we propose a dynamic voltage scaling approach to further reduce the power consumption. Different from other variable workload systems, the workload here is not known at the time when the data is being decoded. Thus, optimum voltage assignment is not feasible. We propose several heuristic algorithms to assign supply voltage for different decoding iterations. Simulation results show that significant reduction of power consumption is achieved comparing with the system using fixed supply voltage.
Estimating the Voltage Stability of a Power System

With the increased loading and exploitation of the power transmission system the problem of voltage collapse is receiving more and more attention. A voltage collapse can take place in large systems or subsystems and may have far reaching consequences. These facts require an improved continuous monitoring of the system state. The problem of voltage collapse may be simply explained by an inability of the power system to supply the reactive power or by an excessive absorption of reactive power by the system itself. The objectives of the presented methodology are the detection and the evaluation of vulnerable system states as well as the prediction of a (potential) voltage collapse within the framework of a security analysis. In an online application the method permits assessing the stationary voltage stability. It also indicates possible remedial measures. In a first step, an indicator L for the voltage stability is derived for a multi-node system in analogy to the single line. It can theoretically vary between 0 (noload) and 1 (voltage collapse). Numerically it is easily calculated from a known system state (load flow) by using
Cooperative coevolution of expressions for (r,Q) inventory management policies using genetic programming

There are extensive studies in the literature about the reorder point/order quantity policies for inventory management, also known as policies. Over time different algorithms have been proposed to calculate the optimal parameters given the demand characteristics and a fixed cost structure, as well as several heuristics and meta-heuristics that calculate approximations with varying accuracy. This work proposes a new meta-heuristic that evolves closed-form expressions for both policy parameters simultaneously - Cooperative Coevolutionary Genetic Programming. The implementation used for the experimental work is verified with published results from the optimal algorithm, and a well-known hybrid heuristic. The evolved expressions are compared to those algorithms, and to the expressions of previous Genetic Programming approaches available in the literature. The results outperform the previous closed-form expressions and demonstrate competitiveness against numerical methods, reaching an optimality gap of less than , while being two orders of magnitude faster. Moreover, the evolved expressions are compact, have good generalisation capabilities, and present an interesting structure resembling previous heuristics.
From fandom to fad: are millennials really engaged with and loyal to their loved brands on social media?

Purpose Exerting a peculiar fascination on both managers and academics, Millennials can be distinguished from other cohorts by their intense exposure to the internet and heavy use of social media, which, in turn, affect their identity formation, brand engagement, loyalty and purchase behaviour. Yet, uncertainties regarding online engagement and the real benefits brands can reap from Millennials’ avid use of social media remain. Therefore, by developing a holistic model of drivers and outcomes, this study aims to understand how Millennials engage with their most loved, self-expressive brands across social media platforms and its impact on loyalty-related intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered using a self-administered survey, answered by 343 millennial generation social media users and based on self-selected self-expressive, loved brands. Considering brand loyalty as a key outcome, a holistic model was developed and tested using partial least squares-structural equation modelling, emphasizing not only the role of social media engagement but also including brand love, experience and identification as direct and indirect antecedents. Findings Findings suggest a disconnection between online and offline brand relationships: though Millennials love and are very loyal to their favourite brands, they are not actively engaged in social media, which helps to explain the non-significant effect of engagement on brand loyalty. Moreover, together with brand identification, brand experience was found to play a major role in developing brand love, which, in turn, is positively related to engagement and loyalty. Originality/value Theoretically, this study contributes to bridging a gap in the literature, as research on engagement, its drivers and outcomes is scant and there is no robust evidence about its impact on brand loyalty, particularly among Millennials. Moreover, research on disengaged consumers who exhibit limited willingness to engage is still scant. Managerially, this study provides insights for brand managers wishing to successfully engage and build relationships with Millennials and to identify key routes to Millennials’ loyalty.
Mechanical Debridement with Antibiotics in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis: Effect on Systemic Biomarkers―A Systematic Review

In this systematic review, we assessed the effectiveness of systemic antibiotics as an adjunctive therapy to mechanical debridement in improving inflammatory systemic biomarkers, as compared to mechanical debridement alone, among adults with chronic periodontitis. We searched relevant electronic databases for eligible randomized controlled trials. Two review authors independently screened, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We conducted meta-analysis, assessed heterogeneity, and assessed certainty of evidence using GRADEPro software. We included 19 studies (n = 1350 participants), representing 18 randomized controlled trials and found very little or no impact of antibiotics on inflammatory biomarkers. A meta-analysis of eight studies demonstrated a mean reduction of 0.26 mm in the periodontal pockets at three months (mean difference [MD] −0.26, 95%CI: −0.36 to −0.17, n = 372 participants, moderate certainty of evidence) in favor of the antibiotics. However, results from five studies reporting clinical attachment level (mm) yielded little or no difference at three months (MD −0.16, 95% CI: −0.35 to 0.03, n = 217 participants) between antibiotic and placebo groups. There is little or no evidence that adjunctive systemic antibiotics therapy improves inflammatory systemic biomarkers, compared to mechanical debridement alone, among adults with chronic periodontitis.
Evidence for nodal superconductivity in a layered compound Ta4Pd3Te16

We report an investigation of the London penetration depth Δλ(T) on single crystals of the layered superconductor Ta4Pd3Te16, where the crystal structure has quasi-one-dimensional characteristics. A linear temperature dependence of Δλ(T) is observed for T≪Tc, in contrast to the exponential behavior of fully gapped superconductors. This indicates the existence of line nodes in the superconducting energy gap. A detailed analysis shows that the normalized superfluid density ρs(T), which is converted from Δλ(T), can be well described by a multigap scenario, with nodes in one of the superconducting gaps, providing clear evidence for nodal superconductivity in Ta4Pd3Te16.