Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trichomonas vaginalis: An Updated Overview Towards Diagnostic Improvement

The protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is responsible for trichomonosis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD) with a significant incidence worldwide. This infection is one of the most common non-viral STDs, representing almost 50% of all curable STDs. Trichomonosis has an incidence of 180 million new cases worldwide. Nowadays, the ‘gold standard’ for TV diagnosis remains the use of in vitro cultures combined with daily visual microscopic evaluations, which is a time-consuming and low sensitive method. Recent diagnostic methodologies include imunocromatographic assays and molecular biology techniques. The use of the latter has improved enormously the sensitivity and specificity of TV diagnosis, despite, however, none being unable to identify the presence of live parasites. By understanding the biology, the pathogenesis, the proteomic profile and its relation with the parasite’s virulence mechanisms, new possibilities towards diagnostic techniques can arise. This review covers various important aspects of vaginal trichomonosis from the parasite’s biology and virulence to recent improvements in diagnostic techniques and also metabolic and protein discoveries.
Energy balance: An overview with emphasis on children

Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem, affecting one in five children in the United States. At the crux of this issue is a dysregulation of energy intake and energy expenditure. This review will provide an overview on energy and nutrient balance. We discuss energy balance studies in children using indirect and direct measures, and focus particularly on obesity as a deleterious consequence in childhood survivors of cancer. Obesity affects 11–57% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, probably due to increased energy intake and reduced energy expenditure secondary to reduced habitual activity caused by fatigue. However, most of the studies in children with leukemia are retrospective, use BMI as a measure of obesity, and are inconclusive about the impact of the type of treatment on the development of obesity later in life. To better understand the etiology of obesity in both healthy and sick children, we need to undertake nutrient balance studies with appropriate measures of fat mass and fat distribution while keeping in mind the influence of normal tissue growth and puberty on energy balance. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 58: 154–158. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human Capital and Knowledge

Introduction Human capital and knowledge are frequently used interchangeably and broadly refer to people’s acquired or innate abilities that are conducive to productivity and economic growth. Human capital is not only heterogeneous but, unlike physical capital, is also inseparable from an individual who possesses it. The concept of human capital is generally associated with the intangible attributes of people such as education and training, experience, skills, health, language (Lazear 1995, Pendakur & Pendakur 2002), or even attitudes toward work. Investment in human capital is seen as an improvement in people’s productivity, which in turn can contribute to a higher level of economic growth for a country. The present interpretation of the knowledge economy (or knowledge-based economy) focuses on the role of knowledge or human capital in long-run economic growth. Research on economic growth has been reawakened since the mid-1980s. According to the new growth theory developed by Romer (1986) and Lucas (1988), advancing knowledge is a crucial determinant of long-term growth. In recent years, discussions and investigations on the knowledge economy have intensified (see, e.g., Grossman & Helpman, 1991, Freeman & Polasky 1992, Jones 1995, OECD 1996, Atkinson & Court 1998, Aghion & Howitt 1998, Thurow 1999). The significance of “human capital” and “knowledge”, indeed, has been explored and elaborated by economists of different generations and groups, ranging from Adam Smith to contemporary Nobel laureates (such as Friedrich August von Hayek of the Austrian school and Theodore W. Schultz, Gary S. Becker, and Robert E. Lucas of the Chicago school). In view of the long span and voluminous research on the subject, economists have classified types (or classes) of human capital and/or knowledge from different dimensions. Blaug (1976:829), for example, considered the following phenomena―health, education, job search, information retrieval, migration, and inservice training―as investments in human capital. According to Machlup (1962, 1980), knowledge can be classified into the following five types: (1) practical knowledge, (2) intellectual knowledge, (3) small-talk and pastime knowledge, (4) spiritual knowledge, and (5) unwanted knowledge. In addition, he classified knowledge production into six major knowledge industries and branches: (1) education, (2) research and development (R&D), (3) artistic creation and communication, (4) media of communication, (5) information services, and (6) information machines. According to some preliminary estimates provided by Machlup (1962), total knowledge-production for the U.S. in 1958 was $136,436 million, with $60,194 million in education, $10,900 million in R&D, $38,369 million in media of communication, $8,922 million in information machines, and $17,961 million in information services. The ratio of knowledge-production to adjusted GNP was almost 29 percent. It is anticipated that the share of knowledge-production in GDP has been increasing over the past several decades. According to the OECD (1996), more than half of GDP in the major OECD countries is now knowledge-based.
Revision of black fungus gnat species (Diptera, Sciaridae) described from the Hawaiian Islands by D.E. Hardy and W.A. Steffan, and a contribution to the knowledge of the sciarid fauna of the Galápagos Islands.

On the Hawaiian Islands 22 sciarid species were detected, belonging to the following ten genera: Austrosciara Schmitz Mjöberg, Bradysia Winnertz, Corynoptera Winnertz, Cratyna Winnertz, Epidapus Haliday, Hyperlasion Schmitz, Lycoriella Frey, Phytosciara Frey, Pseudolycoriella Menzel Mohrig and Scatopsciara Edwards. The revision resulted in new combinations for the following five species: Austrosciara hawaiiensis (Hardy) comb. n. , Corynoptera prominens (Hardy) comb. n. , Cratyna adrostylata (Hardy) comb. n. , Cr. longicosta (Hardy) comb. n. , and Scatopsciara hoyti (Hardy) comb. n. Eight species were declared as new synonyms: Bradysia bishopi Steffan, 1973 = B. centidens Vilkamaa, Hippa Mohrig, 2012 syn. n. ; B. crassicornis (Skuse, 1890) = B. molokaiensis (Grimshaw, 1901) syn. n. and = B. aspercera Mohrig, 2016 syn. n. ; B. radicum (Brunetti, 1912) = B. spatitergum (Hardy, 1956) syn. n. ; Corynoptera prominens (Hardy, 1956) = C. gladiota Mohrig, 2004 syn. n. ; Cosmosciara hartii (Johannsen, 1912) = Plastosciara (Plastosciara) latipons Hardy, 1956 syn. n. ; Hyperlasion wasmanni (Schmitz, 1918) = Scythropochroa magnisensoria Hardy, 1956 syn. n. ; and Scatopsciara hoyti (Hardy, 1956) = Sc. spiculata Vilkamaa, Hippa Mohrig, 2012 syn. n. These four species are new reports for Hawai'i, three of them are new to science: Epidapus pallidus (Séguy), Pseudolycoriella nigrofemoralis Mohrig, Kauschke Broadley sp. n. , Scatopsciara hardyi Mohrig, Kauschke Broadley sp. n. and Sc. steffani Mohrig, Kauschke Broadley sp. n. A lectotype was designated for Bradysia radicum (Brunetti) in order to fix the name. All new and revised species are figured. The species Bradysia bishopi Steffan, 1973, B. ocellaris (Comstock, 1882), B. radicum (Brunetti, 1912), Cosmosciara hartii (Johannsen, 1912), Pseudolycoriella planiforceps (Steffan, 1971) and Scatopsciara steffani Mohrig, Kauschke Broadley sp. n. are reported from the Galápagos Islands.
The Real-World Experience: Students Perspectives on Service-Learning Projects

The purpose of this paper is to identify how students gain “real-world” experience via service-learning projects. This article describes the results of a pilot study conducted with over 75 business graduate students to investigate the effects of service-learning curriculum at the collegiate level. The following qualitative data was collected: observations, field notes, interviews, video-taped group meetings, and student reflection journals. This data was collected to gain insight on the research question, “What are business students’ views of service-learning projects and how they contribute to ‘real-world’ experience? ” In addition, this article briefly discusses literature on the ethnographic qualitative approach and its significance, as well as the service-learning literature that continues to evolve as the instigation of such projects continues to draw the attention of researchers and educators.
The impact of yeast fermentation on dough matrix properties.

BACKGROUND Most studies on dough properties are performed on yeastless dough to exclude the complicating, time-dependent effect of yeast. Baker's yeast, however, impacts dough matrix properties during fermentation, probably through the production of primary (CO2 and ethanol) and secondary (glycerol, acetic acid and succinic acid) metabolites. The aim of this study is to obtain a better understanding of the changes in yeasted dough behavior introduced by fermentation, by investigating the impact of yeast fermentation on Farinograph dough consistency, dough spread, Kieffer rig dough extensibility and gluten agglomeration behavior in a fermented dough-batter gluten starch separation system. RESULTS Results show that fermentation leads to a dough with less flow and lower extensibility that breaks more easily under stress and strain. The dough showed less elastic and more plastic deformation behavior. Gluten agglomerates were smaller for yeasted dough than for the unyeasted control. CONCLUSION These changes probably have to be attributed to metabolites generated during fermentation. Indeed, organic acids and also ethanol in concentrations produced by yeast were previously shown to have similar effects in yeastless dough. These findings imply the high importance of yeast fermentation metabolites on dough matrix properties in industrial bread production. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Congruence of Higher Education: Determinants and Effects of the Allocation Process in the Labor Market, Applied Case to Colombia

This paper provides new evidences to the literature of assignment in the labor market for the Colombian case. Specifically it focuses on the existing relationship between acquired human capital in higher education and its congruence in the labor market. Differing from previews studies, the misallocation analysis is not only based on the horizontal component and the educational mismatch, but it also includes the vertical mechanism (vertical mechanism is related to skills mismatch and horizontal mechanism is related to professional career mismatch). Another contribution is how we measure the abilities through an exploratory factor analysis. The data are taken from the Survey of Graduates of Higher Education Institutions 2014, provided by OLE. We employ a two-step treatment effect method proposed by Heckman (1974, 1979) and Lee (1978)), we found that generic abilities raise the probability of horizontal mismatch and diminish the probability of vertical mismatch. On the other hand, specific abilities lower the probability of both horizontal and vertical mismatch. In terms of wages, we found evidence that confirmed the results of the assignment models because it exists a wage penalty for the mismatched individuals (Sattinger, 1993).
The presentation and progress of macroscopic breast cysts

A total of 322 cases of macroscopic breast cysts presenting at a district general hospital has been studied with a minimum follow‐up period of 5 years. In almost half the patients (44·18 per cent) a further cyst occurred following aspiration, and in two‐thirds of these, more than one subsequent cyst developed. There was a 50‐year age span from the youngest to the oldest patient at presentation; however, the majority of cysts (61·80 per cent) occurred in the perimenopausal age group (40–50 years). The subsequent incidence of carcinoma was more than twice that which would be expected in the population at large, but no case of carcinoma that was not suspected clinically was revealed by cytology.
Improved Volumetric MR-HIFU Ablation by Robust Binary Feedback Control

Volumetric high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) guided by multiplane magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry has been shown to be a safe and efficient method to thermally ablate large tissue volumes. However, the induced temperature rise and thermal lesions show significant variability, depending on exposure parameters, such as power and timing, as well as unknown tissue parameters. In this study, a simple and robust feedback-control method that relies on rapid MR thermometry to control the HIFU exposure during heating is introduced. The binary feedback algorithm adjusts the durations of the concentric ablation circles within the target volume to reach an optimal temperature. The efficacy of the binary feedback control was evaluated by performing 90 ablations in vivo and comparing the results with simulations. Feedback control of the sonications improved the reproducibility of the induced lesion size. The standard deviation of the diameter was reduced by factors of 1.9, 7.2, 5.0, and 3.4 for 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-mm lesions, respectively. Energy efficiency was also improved, as the binary feedback method required less energy to create the desired lesion. These results show that binary feedback improves the quality of volumetric ablation by consistently producing thermal lesions of expected size while reducing the required energy as well.
Are new social risk expenditures crowding out the old

This paper contributes to a discussion on the extent to which the focus of social spending has been shifted from Â‘oldÂ’ to Â‘newÂ’ social risks. In order to clarify CantillonÂ’s claim that the transition to a social investment state has influenced poverty trends (Cantillon, 2011), Vandenbroucke and Vleminckx (2011) analyzed public social cash expenditures. We build on this work by providing more detailed data, i.e. the inclusion of private expenditures for a larger group of countries. This paper provides country files containing both public and private expenditure variables that present the evolution of social spending in 21 EU member states covering the period 1985-2007. For each country a distinction has been made between three categories of Â‘oldÂ’ expenditures and six categories of Â‘newÂ’ expenditures, with Â‘oldÂ’ expenditures representing the core tasks of the welfare state and Â‘newÂ’ expenditures representing new programs aimed at social risks inherent to a postÂ–industrial society. These data allow us to formulate an answer to the following question: Â‘Have we witnessed a significant shift in budgetary resources from Â‘oldÂ’ to Â‘newÂ’ programs that might explain the disappointing poverty trends witnessed in various EU member states? Â’. Using data from the OECDÂ’s Social Expenditure Statistics Detailed Database (SOCX) and the OECDÂ’s Education Database, we conclude that although growth of Â‘newÂ’ expenditures has been larger than the growth of Â‘oldÂ’ ones, we are not able to identify a substantial shift in absolute figures. Since health and retirement spending remain the main bulk in social expenditures (due to their inflexible nature), we narrowed the analysis and focused only on Â‘working ageÂ’ benefits. Doing so, we still are not able to identify a clear pattern that reveals a shift in resources from Â‘oldÂ’ to Â‘newÂ’ expenditures. Our conclusions are in line with previous studies.
Splenic Marginal Lymphoma and Glomerulonephritis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Malignant lymphomas can affect kidneys in several ways. They may precipitate acute renal failure by causing ureteral or renal vascular obstruction, or by direct renal parenchymal infiltration. Furthermore, they may insult renal function via paraneoplastic mechanisms such as hypercalcemia. Lymphomas only rarely can cause glomerulonephritis (GN). We report a case of a 72-year-old male who presented with mild renal function impairment, proteinuria, and microscopic hematuria, suggesting active glomerulonephritis, and pancytopenia of immune origin. A bone marrow biopsy led to a diagnosis of splenic marginal zone lymphoma. Although a kidney biopsy was not performed, glomerulonephritis was attributed to the lymphoma and splenic marginal zone lymphoma-related glomerulonephritis was the final diagnosis. The course of splenic marginal zone lymphoma is extremely indolent. The first manifestation in some patients can be immune cytopenia or other autoimmune phenomena. These patients may respond well to corticosteroids. Therefore, our patient was started on prednisolone resulting in a good hematologic response. Renal function also improved and proteinuria and hematuria disappeared, suggesting a lymphoma-related origin of the GN. Two years after full steroids withdrawal, the patient remained stable with a good renal function and daily protein excretion less than 300 mg. Lymphomas rarely are the cause of secondary glomerulonephritis; however, with a lack of an apparent cause, the clinician should be aware of them, particularly in the elderly with autoimmune manifestations.
Prognostic factors for hypopharyngeal cancer: a univariate and multivariate study of 142 cases

Conclusions. Reduction of distant metastases is essential for better survival. Effective adjuvant chemotherapy should be developed for patients with advanced primary disease (T>2) as well as for patients with advanced nodal status (N>0 or PLN>2). Objectives. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors for hypopharyngeal cancer. Patients and methods. In all, 142 previously untreated patients were analyzed retrospectively; 75% of the cases were stage III or IV. Surgical resection was administered as primary treatment to 116 of the patients (82%), while 26 patients (18%) underwent primary radiotherapy. Results. The cause-specific 5-year actuarial survival was 46.3%. Distant metastases were the most frequent (23%) cause of failure, followed by local recurrence (15%), and regional recurrence (13%). Cox's regression analysis showed that the significant factors affecting cause-specific survival were N classification, T classification, number of pathological lymph node metastases (PLN), lymphatic invasion, and positive surgical margin. Similarly, T classification and PLN affected distant metastases.
[Neurofeedback training in children with ADHD: behavioral and neurophysiological effects].

In a multicentre randomised controlled trial, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of neurofeedback (NF) training in children with ADHD and investigated the mechanisms underlying a successful training. We used an attention skills training, coupled with the training setting and demands made upon participants, as the control condition. At the behavioural level, NF was superior to the control group concerning core ADHD symptomatology as well as associated domains. For the primary outcome measure (improvement in the FBB-HKS total score), the effect size was . 60. The same pattern of results was obtained at the 6-month follow-up. Thus, NF may be seen as a clinically effective module in the treatment of children with ADHD. At the neurophysiological level (EEG, ERPs), specific effects for the two NF protocols, theta/beta training, and training of slow cortical potentials were demonstrated. For example, for theta/beta training, a decrease of theta activity in the EEG was associated with a reduction of ADHD symptomatology. SCP training was accompanied inter alia by an increase in the contingent negative variation in the attention network test; thus, children were able to allocate more resources for preparation. EEG- and ERP-based predictors were also found. The present article reviewed the findings of the original papers related to the trial and outlines future research topics.
Risk factors for nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular cataracts in the Chinese population of Singapore: the Tanjong Pagar Survey

Aim: To describe risk factors for nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts in Chinese Singaporeans. Methods: A population based cross sectional study was carried out on ethnic Chinese men and women aged 40–81 years. A stratified, clustered, disproportionate (more weights to older people), random sampling procedure was used to initially select 2000 Chinese names of those aged 40–79 years from the 1996 electoral register in the Tanjong Pagar district in Singapore. Eligible subjects (n = 1717) were invited for a standardised ocular examination and interview at a centralised clinic, following which an abbreviated examination was conducted for non-respondents in their homes. Cataract was graded clinically using to the Lens Opacity Classification System (LOCS) III system. The main outcome measures were adjusted odds ratio for risk factors for specific cataract types (nuclear, cortical and PSC), any cataract and cataract surgery, examined in multiple logistic regression models. Results: Out of the 1232 (71.8%) examined, 1206 (70.2%) provided lens data for this analysis. Increasing age was associated with all cataract types, any cataract, and cataract surgery. There was no significant sex difference in presence of any cataract, specific cataract types or cataract surgery. After controlling for age, sex, and other factors, diabetes was associated with cortical cataract (3.1; 95% CI: 1.6 to 6.1), PSC cataract (2.2; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.1), any cataract (2.0; 95% CI: 0.9 to 4.5), and cataract surgery (2.3; 95% CI: 1.3 to 4.1). Lower body mass index was associated with cortical cataract (1.8; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.9; lowest versus highest quintile) and any cataract (2.3; 95% CI: 1.3 to 4.0). Current cigarette smoking was associated with nuclear cataract (1.7, 95% CI: 1.0 to 2.9; more than 10 cigarettes per day versus none). A non-professional occupation was associated with nuclear cataract (2.9; 95% CI: 1.5 to 5.8; for production or machine operators and 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2 to 5.5; for labourers or agricultural workers, both versus professionals). Lower education was associated with nuclear cataract (2.3; 95% CI: 1.0 to 5.2, none versus tertiary), while lower household income was associated with PSC cataract (4.7, 95% CI: 1.1 to 20.0; income S$4000). Conclusions: Age related cataracts are associated with a variety of risk factors among Chinese people in Singapore, similar to those reported in European, Indian, and African derived populations. These data support common aetiological mechanisms for age related cataracts, irrespective of ethnic origin.
The General Educational Development ( GED ) Credential : History , Current Research , and Directions for Policy and Practice

In 2001, the number of individuals who took the tests of General Educational Development (GED) topped one million for the first time in history. Each year since 1980, between 400,000 and 500,000 individuals have passed the exams and received their GED credential. GED certificates constituted 25% of the total of regular high school diplomas plus GED certificates issued in 2001. When this figure is limited to diplomas plus certificates issued to those under the age of 19, 10% of all “school leaving” credentials issued in 2001 were GED certificates.1 In terms of numbers,
Compensation of Frequency Offset for 16-QAM Optical Coherent Systems Using QPSK Partitioning

The performance of a feed-forward carrier frequency recovery algorithm for 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) optical coherent systems is investigated using the quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) partition scheme. The frequency estimation technique, which employs only a subset of the 16-QAM symbols with the QPSK partition, is demonstrated to be effective when applied prior to the carrier phase recovery. Frequency offset of 10-1 times the symbol rate is shown to be tolerable at a bit-error rate (BER) of 10-3 with combined linewidths symbol duration products of 10-4 .