Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) patients in Bhutan

This paper aims to identify a survival curve involving risk factors for cardiovascular diseases patients in Bhutan. There are 5,206 cardiovascular diseases patients recorded in Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) medical record department as of January 2006 to December 2016. In addition, it examines a relationship between survival time and some risk factors by using univariate and multivariate Cox’s proportional hazard models. Application of Log-rank test and Cox’s proportional hazard model compares the survival curves and find the covariates that affects the survival time. The results showed that, during the follow up a total of 844 (16.2%) CVD patients died which 216 (13.3%) was young-aged, 201 (13.7%) a middle-aged and 427 (20.2%) an old-aged. The survivorship curves are plotted using Kaplan Meier method and identified some risk factors using univariate and multivariate Cox’s model. The risk factors were identified as, namely, age, sex, frequency of hospital visits, CVD subtype, number of diagnosis, ward, hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and cerebral infarction. Further, risk factors for each age group are illustrated at the significant p-value <0.05.
Reduced pain thresholds and signs of sensitization in women with persistent pelvic pain and suspected endometriosis

Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that may cause considerable pelvic pain in women of fertile age. Determining pain mechanisms is necessary in order to optimize the treatment of the disease. The objective of the study was to evaluate pain thresholds in women with persistent pelvic pain with and without confirmed endometriosis, and healthy, unaffected controls, and analyze how pain thresholds in these cohorts related to duration of pelvic pain, quality of life, and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Anti-müllerian Hormone During Natural Cycle Presents Significant Intra and Intercycle Variations When Measured With Fully Automated Assay

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is an important ovarian reserve marker for baseline assessment and therapeutic strategy in fertility treatments, which is considered reliable when measured on any day of the cycle. Recent data have pointed toward significant fluctuations of AMH and questioned whether a single measurement is reliable for clinical decision-making. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the AMH does have significant variations during a natural cycle when a fully automated assay is used for the sample analysis. We performed a prospective study including healthy volunteers with regular cycles, from April to December 2017. Blood samples for AMH, FSH, LH, estradiol, and progesterone were obtained on day 2/3, day 10, day of LH surge, luteal phase and day 2/3 of subsequent menses. AMH analysis was performed with Elecsys® AMH automated assay. Trial was registered with clinical.trials. gov: NCT03106272. One hundred samples from 22 women with a mean age of 30.74 ± 0.11 years and a BMI of 23.23 ± 0.63 kg/m2 were analyzed. There was a substantial longitudinal fluctuation in AMH levels, indicated by the coefficient of variation (CV) intra-cycle of 0.2070 ± 0.143. A positive correlation between LH and AMH concentrations was found at the moment of LH rise (p < 0.0001). Absolute intra-individual inter-cyclic variability was 0.75 ng/mL (range: 0.03–2.81 ng/mL) and inter-cycle CV was 0.28 (Confidence interval: 0.16–0.39; p < 0.0001). According to our results, with the use of a fully automated assay in natural cycle, AMH shows significant intra- and inter-cycle variations, which are not caused by analytical variability. Future investigations, evaluating AMH dynamics and the best time for AMH assessment should be conducted.
The Factor Structure, Predictors, and Percentile Norms of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale in the Dutch-speaking Adult Population of Belgium

The Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a commonly used self-report scale to measure depressive symptoms in the general population. In the present study, the Dutch version of the CES-D was administered to a sample of 837 Dutch-speaking adults of Belgium to examine the factor structure of the scale. Using confirmatory factory analysis (CFA), four first-order models and two second-order models were tested, and the second-order factor model with three pairs of correlated error terms provided the best fit to the data. Second, five socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education level, relation status, and family history of depression) were included as covariates to the second-order factor model to explore the associations between background characteristics and the latent factor depression using a multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) approach. Age had a significantly negative effect on depression, but the effect was not substantial. Female gender, lower education level, being single or widowed, and having a family history of depression were found to be significant predictors of higher levels of depression symptomatology. Finally, percentile norms on the CES-D raw scores were provided for subgroups of gender by education level for the general Dutch-speaking adult population of Belgium.
Medical History and Multiple Sclerosis: A Population-Based Incident Case-Control Study

Background: Consistent evidence regarding the potential role of medical history in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology is lacking. Objective: The association of medical history variables, that is, head injury and 9 autoimmune diseases with MS onset was investigated. Methods: This was a population-based incident case-control study in Iran with 547 incident cases and 1,057 general population controls (August 7, 2013 – February 17, 2015). Multiple logistic regression models were used for estimating the adjusted ORs. Results: Lifetime history of head trauma was not significantly associated with risk of MS after adjustment for well-known confounders (OR 1.24 [0.93–1.66, p = 0.14]). Similarly, there was no statistically significant association between cumulative numbers of head injury and MS (OR 1.02 [0.90–1.15, p = 0.79]). A history of autoimmune disease did not increase the risk of MS (p > 0.1). Similarly, the cumulative number of autoimmune diseases is not significantly associated with the risk of MS (p > 0.70). Conclusion: Lifetime histories of head trauma as well as 9 investigated autoimmune diseases are not associated with increased risk of MS.
A Question of Trust: Does Mistrust or Perceived Discrimination Account for Race Disparities in Advance Directive Completion?

Abstract Background and Objectives Advance directive completion is associated with end-of-life quality indicators such as dying at home and receiving hospice care. Black older adults are less likely to complete advance directives than their white counterparts. The underlying reasons for these race disparities are not well understood. Research Design and Methods In two related studies, data from the Health and Retirement Study were used to examine whether mistrust in health care providers and/or perceived discrimination accounted for lower rates of advance directive completion by black older adults in the United States. Odds of advance directive completion were modeled using logistic regression and multiple measures of trust in health care providers and both medical and nonmedical perceived discriminatory treatment. Results In Study 1 (n = 699), controlling for medical mistrust did not reduce the gap between black and white participants’ odds of possessing advance directives. In Study 2 (n = 2,736), higher percentages of black participants reported experiencing medical and nonmedical discriminatory treatment. However, none of the measures of discrimination accounted for black participants’ lower odds of possessing advance directives. Discussion and Implications These results call into question the common assertion that mistrust in medical providers or the health care system contributes to lower rates of advance care planning by black older adults. Future research should examine the potential relationships between advance directive completion and other dimensions of discrimination.
See far with TPNET: a Tile Processor and a CNN Symbiosis

Throughout the evolution of the neural networks more specialized cells were added to the set of basic building blocks. These cells aim to improve training convergence, increase the overall performance, and reduce the number of required labels, all while preserving the expressive power of the universal network. Inspired by the partitioning of the human visual perception system between the eyes and the cerebral cortex, we present TPNET, which offloads universal and application-specific CNN from the bulk processing of the high resolution pixel data and performs the translation-variant image correction while delegating all non-linear decision making to the network. In this work, we explore application of TPNET to 3D perception with a narrow-baseline (0.0001-0.0025) quad stereo camera and prove that a trained network provides a disparity prediction from the 2D phase correlation output by the Tile Processor (TP) that is twice as accurate as the prediction from a carefully hand-crafted algorithm. The TP in turn reduces the dimensions of the input features of the network and provides instrument-invariant and translation-invariant data, making real-time high resolution stereo 3D perception feasible and easing the requirement to have a complete end-to-end network.
Modelling attributes of rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) stands using spectral radiance recorded by Landsat Thematic Mapper in Malaysia

Investigates the relationship between Landsat TM data and rubberwood stand parameters, and establishes and evaluates models for estimating stand volume and predicting area of rubber plantations in Malaysia. The total sample set of stands was divided into two independent groups: model-building and validation data sets. Regression analyses were used to explore relationships between volume and Landsat TM bands and ratio-based indices. Selected TM bands were found to be inversely related to stand volume (P<0.0001). Relations between TM data and measured stand volume were found to be significant (P<0.01), with an I/sup 2/ (correlation index square) of 0.79 and root mean squared error of 49.5 m/sup 3//ha. A logistic regression model produced classifications with an accuracy of 95% for predicting the area of rubber plantations. Thus, Landsat TM provides an acceptable data source for estimating wood volume and predicting area of rubber plantations.
A Critical Review of Practices and Challenges in Intrusion Detection Systems for IoT: Toward Universal and Resilient Systems

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) is rapidly becoming ubiquitous. However the heterogeneous nature of devices and protocols in use, the sensitivity of the data contained within, as well as the legal and privacy issues, make security for the IoT a growing research priority and industry concern. With many security practices being unsuitable due to their resource intensive nature, it is deemed important to include second line defences into IoT networks. These systems will also need to be assessed for their efficacy in a variety of different network types and protocols. To shed light on these issues, this paper is concerned with advancements in intrusion detection practices in IoT. It provides a comprehensive review of current intrusion detection systems (IDSs) for IoT technologies, focusing on architecture types. A proposal for future directions in IoT based IDS are then presented and evaluated. We show how traditional practices are unsuitable due to their inherent features providing poor coverage of the IoT domain. In order to develop a secure, robust and optimized solution for these networks, the current research for intrusion detection in IoT will need to move in a different direction. An example of which is proposed in order to illustrate how malicious nodes might be passively detected.
Ginsenoside F1 Promotes Cytotoxic Activity of NK Cells via Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1-Dependent Mechanism

Ginsenosides are the principal active components of ginseng and are considered attractive candidates for combination cancer therapy because they can kill tumors and have favorable safety profiles. However, the overall benefit of ginsenosides remains unclear, particularly in cancer immunosurveillance, considering the controversial results showing repression or promotion of immune responses. Here we identify a potentiating role of ginsenoside F1 (G-F1) in cancer surveillance by natural killer (NK) cells. Among 15 different ginsenosides, G-F1 most potently enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity in response to diverse activating receptors and cancer cells. G-F1 also improved cancer surveillance in mouse models of lymphoma clearance and metastatic melanoma that rely on NK cell activity. G-F1-treated NK cells exhibited elevated cytotoxic potential such as upregulation of cytotoxic mediators and of activation signals upon stimulation. NK cell potentiation by G-F1 was antagonized by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 blockade and recapitulated by IGF-1 treatment, suggesting the involvement of IGF-1. Thus, our results suggest that G-F1 enhances NK cell function and may have chemotherapeutic potential in NK cell-based immunotherapy. We anticipate our results to be a starting point for further comprehensive studies of ginsenosides in the immune cells mediating cancer surveillance and the development of putative therapeutics.
Research Methods Course Work for Students Specializing in Business and Technical Communication

Research activity is an integral component in the formation of professions. Evidence shows that business and technical communication specialists conduct research in both academic and practitioner career fields. In other disciplines, course work has been recognized as the primary means for preparing students to conduct and consume research. Yet, no publications document the status of research methods course work for U.S. students specializing in business and technical communication. This study provides a descriptive basis for assessing three areas in those courses: research methods topics, required readings, and teaching or assessment methods. An analysis of the results leads to a proposed agenda for preparing students specializing in business and technical communication for their future work roles in both academe and industry.
Analysis of Discrete Software Reliability Models.

Abstract : Discrete (binomial and Poisson) software reliability models, previously developed by IBM, are presented. They were examined for their validity using historical data provided by RADC from seven development projects. Simulated error data that closely agreed with the model assumptions were also used for validation. The results indicated that the models provide reasonable fits to the historical error data.
On the Specific on-State Resistance of Superjunction MOSFETs With a Compensated Pillar

In this letter, we report an analytical model for the on-state characteristics of a superjunction (SJ) metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistor, featuring a compensated pillar between the n-pillar and the p-pillar. Since a large amount of lateral electric field is sustained in the compensated region, the doping concentration in the n-pillar can be enhanced significantly, leading to a substantial reduction in the on-state resistance of the SJ. Simulation results proved that the use of an extra compensated pillar within the SJ structure reduces the on-state resistance by 25% compared to that of a conventional SJ for the same breakdown voltage.
Epidemiologia dos acidentes ofídicos notificados pelo Centro de Assistência e Informação Toxicológica de Campina Grande

Abstract Accidents caused by venomous animals are still a public health problem in Brazil. Although the production and distribution of antivenom is controlled, several regions have difficulties in reporting this type of accident. Considering such fact, a cross-sectional study was carried out using indi-rect files on venom accidents that occurred in Campina Grande, along with 80 small towns comprising the region, from January to December 2005. The main objective was to outline a better epidemiological and clinical profile of these cases. All patients admitted to the Poisoning Information Center of Campina Grande (CEATOX-CG) had their injuries medically diagnosed as injuries caused by venomous snakes. Data collection was based on the use of a repor-ting form by the National Reporting System - SINAN ( Sistema Nacional de Notificacao de Agravo do Ministerio da Saude ). Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel 2003. A number of 737 out of 1,443 patients who received care at the medical center had their cases rela-ted to venomous animals, and 277 of the accidents had been caused by venomous and non- venomous snakes. Most accidents involved men, from 10 to 29 years of age, including peasants in rural areas, from May to November 2005. Most of the cases (71.5%) involved the
Pattern Recognition Receptor-reactivity Screening of Liver Transplant Patients: Potential for Personalized and Precise Organ Matching to Reduce Risks of Ischemia-reperfusion Injury.

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on immune and parenchymal cells can detect danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from cells damaged during ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), in heart attack or stroke settings, but also as an unavoidable consequence of solid organ transplantation. Despite IRI being a significant clinical problem across all solid organ transplants, there are limited therapeutics and patient-specific diagnostics currently available. METHODS We screened portal blood samples obtained from 67 human liver transplant recipients both pre- [portal vein (PV) sample] and post-(liver flush; LF) reperfusion for their ability to activate a panel of PRRs, and analyzed this reactivity in relation to biopsy-proven IRI. RESULTS PV samples from IRI+ orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients (n = 35) decreased activation of hTLR4- and hTLR9-transfected cells, whereas PV from IRI- patients (n = 32) primarily increased hTLR7 and hNOD2 activation. LF samples from OLT-IRI patients significantly increased activation of hTLR4 and hTLR9 over IRI- LF. In addition, the change from baseline reactivity to hTLR4/9/NOD2 was significantly higher in IRI+ than IRI- OLT patients. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that TLR4/7/9 and NOD2 are involved in either promoting or attenuating hepatic IRI, and suggest a diagnostic screening of portal blood for reactivity to these PRRs might prove useful for prediction and/or therapeutic intervention in OLT patients before transplantation.
Steady-Sensitivity Distributed Acoustic Sensors

Distributed acoustic sensors (DAS) based on phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (ϕOTDR) have demonstrated interesting performance for many applications ranging from seismology to pipeline protection. However, the sensitivity of traditional DAS relying on coherent detection is strongly dependent on the system noise and trace fading points, offering poor reliability of the results in the spatial dimension. In this manuscript, we evaluate the statistical performance of a recently proposed DAS technique, namely, chirped-pulse ϕOTDR, in terms of sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Our results show behavioral trends that significantly differ from those of traditional DAS. In particular, the acoustic SNR distribution in chirped-pulse DAS is notably narrower than that in the traditional case, allowing to ensure a large system dynamic range across all the points of the optical trace. Hence, chirped-pulse ϕOTDR offers localized perturbation detection with very high reliability, almost independent of trace fading points, along the complete reachable range of the sensor.
A Preliminary Introduction to the OTAM: Exploring Users’ Perceptions of their on-going Interaction with Adopted Technologies

ABSTRACT A common criticism directed at Davis’ (1986; 1989) Technology Acceptance Model relates to its failure to adequately frame the “experienced” user’s ongoing adoption and exploitation of information technologies. Given the pervasive nature of technology into individual users’ ongoing, everyday communication and information interactions, along with the “new adopter” becoming an increasingly rare entity, the TAM is in danger of becoming a somewhat obsolete framework for investigating user-technology interaction. Presented is a critical analysis of the development and current state of the TAM, followed by a proposed addition to the existing Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU) TAM constructs. The paper contends that the inclusion of a Perception of Interaction (PoI) construct allows researchers to develop an investigative framework which facilitates an exploration of users’ ongoing perceptions of the predictability of their technology interaction processes.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLAR MERIDIONAL FLOWS DURING SOLAR CYCLE 23

We have analyzed available full-disk data from the Michelson Doppler Imager on board SOHO using the “ring diagram” technique to determine the behavior of solar meridional flows over solar cycle 23 in the outer 2% of the solar radius. We find that the dominant component of meridional flows during solar maximum was much lower than that during the minima at the beginning of cycles 23 and 24. There were differences in the flow velocities even between the two minima. The meridional flows show a migrating pattern with higher-velocity flows migrating toward the equator as activity increases. Additionally, we find that the migrating pattern of the meridional flow matches those of sunspot butterfly diagram and the zonal flows in the shallow layers. A high-latitude band in meridional flow appears around 2004, well before the current activity minimum. A Legendre polynomial decomposition of the meridional flows shows that the latitudinal pattern of the flow was also different during the maximum as compared to that during the two minima. The different components of the flow have different time dependences, and the dependence is different at different depths.