Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The ultrastructure of lymphocytes in schizophrenia

Objective: Replicated abnormalities in schizophrenia include decreased cellular immunity. The aim of the study was to verify whether there are some abnormalities in the ultrastructure of lymphocytes in drug-free schizophrenic patients. Method: Fifty-nine in-patients with paranoid schizophrenia (DSM-IV 295.30) and 31 normal controls were used. Psychosis severity was assessed by the PANSS psychotic cluster. Electron microscopy and morphometric methods were applied to estimate the frequency and ultrastructural parameters of small, large, large activated lymphocytes (LAL) (containing 10 and more mitochondria) and of atypical lymphocytes (lymphoblasts, LB). Results: The frequency of small lymphocytes in schizophrenic patients was lower and that of large lymphocytes, LAL and LB was higher than in controls (all p= < 0.01). The volume density (Vv) of mitochondria in LAL in individuals with schizophrenia was lower than in controls (p<0.05), correlated negatively with the frequency of LB, Vv and number of lysosomes in LB (all p<0.01) and with the psychosis severity (p<0.05). In schizophrenic patients a trend towards positive correlations between the frequency of LB and psychosis severity were found (p<0.07). Conclusion: The data suggest that the excess of LB in schizophrenic patients is associated with the dysfunction of energy metabolism in LAL, and these abnormalities are related to schizophrenia.
Regulation of Endothelial Cell Barrier Function by Antibody-driven Affinity Modulation of Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (PECAM-1)*

Background: PECAM-1 participates in adhesion and signaling in blood and vascular cells. Results: The adhesive properties of PECAM-1 in both cellular and artificial membranes can be regulated. Conclusion: The binding affinity of PECAM-1 can be regulated by engagement of membrane-proximal Ig domain 6. Significance: Modulating the adhesive properties of PECAM-1 offers possibility to control endothelial cell migration and barrier function in vascular permeability disorders. PECAM-1 is a 130-kDa member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily that is expressed on the surface of platelets and leukocytes, and at the intracellular junctions of confluent endothelial cell monolayers. Previous studies have shown that PECAM-1/PECAM-1 homophilic interactions play a key role in leukocyte transendothelial migration, in allowing PECAM-1 to serve as a mechanosensory complex in endothelial cells, in its ability to confer cytoprotection to proapoptotic stimuli, and in maintaining endothelial cell junctional integrity. To examine the adhesive properties of full-length PECAM-1 in a native lipid environment, we purified it from platelets and assembled it into phospholipid nanodiscs. PECAM-1-containing nanodiscs retained not only their ability to bind homophilically to PECAM-1-expressing cells, but exhibited regulatable adhesive interactions that could be modulated by ligands that bind membrane-proximal Ig Domain 6. This property was exploited to enhance the rate of barrier restoration in endothelial cell monolayers subjected to inflammatory challenge. The finding that the adhesive properties of PECAM-1 are regulatable suggests novel approaches for controlling endothelial cell migration and barrier function in a variety of vascular permeability disorders.
DIAGNOSTIC YIELD OF FIBER-OPTIC BRONCHOSCOPY IN SPUTUM SMEAR NEGATIVE AND RADIOLOGICALLY SUSPECTED OLD CASES PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Objectives: - To study the diagnostic yield of fiber-optic bronchoscopy in sputum smear negative under RNTCP and radiologically suspected old cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. Material and Methods: - The present study was carried out on 57 patients who had come with previous history and three tuberculosis sputum smears for Acid Fast Bacilli was negative under RNTCP and chest X-ray suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis at Department of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases, RNT Medical College, Udaipur from 1 st July, 2005 to 7 th July, 2006 (one year). After assessment Fiber optic bronchoscopy was performed in every case per nasal or oral to observe the changes in tracheobronchial tree and to obtain specimens. Obtained specimens were subjected to AFB smear examinations, AFB culture, Cytology examinations. Reports were obtained and analyzed accordingly. Results: Diagnostic yield of fiber optic bronchoscopy for tuberculosis in patients who had history of ATT (n=57). Early positive yield for tuberculosis was 8.8% whereas overall positive diagnostic yield after culture results was 12.3%. Bronchial biopsy histopathology showed fibroid granuloma in one out of 6 patients (16.7%). Conclusion: - In conclusion, bronchoscopic procedures was found to be relatively safe and provided a better choice for the diagnostic of pulmonary tuberculosis in the sputum smear negative under RNTCP and radiologically suspected old cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.
An examination of the relationship between service quality perception and customer satisfaction: A SEM approach towards Malaysian Islamic banking

Purpose – This study attempts to examine the relationship between service quality perception and customers' satisfaction in Malaysian Islamic banking using the SEM approach.Design/methodology/approach – This model starts with SERVQUAL measurement scales consisting of six dimensional structures: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, and plus the compliance dimensions to measure Malaysian Islamic banking service quality. Respondents are the customers (Muslim and non‐Muslim) who visit the bank counters. They must have an account with one of the full‐fledged Islamic banking and dual‐banking systems.Findings – The results showed that the proportion of Malaysian Muslims' awareness of the Islamic banking products and services were high compared to non‐Muslim customers. The majority of the Islamic banking customers were satisfied with the overall service quality provided by their banks. The findings suggest that the standard model of Islamic banking service quality dimensions should cons.
Entorhinal cortex contributes to object‐in‐place scene memory

Four rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained preoperatively in a test of object‐in‐place scene memory. They were presented daily with lists of unique computer‐generated scenes each containing a spatial array of multiple individual objects. Within each scene, objects to be discriminated appeared in the foreground, each occupying a unique location, and monkeys were required to correctly discriminate the rewarded object to receive a food reward. Once this preoperative criterion was attained, the monkeys received bilateral entorhinal cortex ablation performed as either one or two surgical operations with a period of testing following each. Postoperatively, they were significantly impaired in learning new object‐in‐place scene problems. These results show that the entorhinal cortex, like anatomically related structures including the perirhinal cortex and the fornix, contributes to object‐in‐place scene learning.
Night-to-night repeatability of supine-related obstructive sleep apnea.

RATIONALE Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience respiratory events with greater frequency and severity while in the supine sleeping position. Postural modification devices (PMDs) prevent supine sleep, although there is a paucity of guidance to help clinicians decide when to use PMDs for their patients. In order for PMDs to treat OSA effectively, patients must experience respiratory events in the supine sleeping position consistently from night to night and must have a low nonsupine apnea and hypopnea index (AHINS). OBJECTIVES To document the repeatability of traditionally defined supine predominant OSA on consecutive polysomnography, to determine whether the consistency of the supine-predominant phenotype can be improved by altering the definition of it, and to determine whether a low AHINS is repeatable from night to night. METHODS We recruited 75 patients for polysomnography on two separate nights. Patients were classified as having supine OSA on each night on the basis of traditional and novel definitions, and the classification systems used were compared on the basis of agreement from night to night. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The definition of supine OSA with the highest level of agreement from night to night incorporates a supine AHI (AHIS) to AHINS ratio ≥4:1. In addition, agreement exists for males, but there is poor agreement for female patients, regardless of the definition applied. An AHINS <10 events/hour is highly repeatable from night to night. CONCLUSIONS Males with an AHIS:AHINS ratio ≥4:1 and an AHINS <10 events/hour represent a consistent supine-predominant OSA phenotype from night to night. This patient group is likely to benefit from treatment with PMD.
Dental implants placed in previously failed sites: survival rate and factors affecting the outcome.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the survival rate of dental implants in previously failed implant sites. In addition, factors that might affect the outcome of these redo procedures were also explored. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients that had failed dental implants, which were replaced with the same implant type at the same site, were included. Data on the failed implants were collected. The same parameters, along with the interval between retrieval and re-implantation, were collected for the second set of implants. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the patients and implants. Life table analysis of these implants was tabulated for both implant sets. The effect of systemic, environmental and local factors on the survival of the redo dental implants was evaluated. RESULTS Fifty-six patients with a total of 79 redo implants were included in this study. Implants were followed for 7-78 months (mean 29.9+/-2). Thirteen implants failed that resulted in an overall survival rate of 83.5%. Successful implants had greater diameter (4.05+/-0.52 mm) than failed implants (3.72+/-0.56 mm); however, these differences were only marginal (P=0.06). Conversely, smoking habits, implants length and location, mode of placement and spontaneous exposure did not have a significant effect on the outcome of this procedure. CONCLUSION Redo of dental implants has a lesser survival rate compared with previous reports for implants in pristine sites. These results were not associated with most implant- and/or patient-related factors. Thus, a possible negative effect that is associated with the specific implant's site might account for this phenomenon.
Tenderbake - A Solution to Dynamic Repeated Consensus for Blockchains

First-generation blockchains provide probabilistic finality: a block can be revoked, albeit the probability decreases as the block sinks deeper into the chain. Recent proposals revisited committee-based BFT consensus to provide deterministic finality: as soon as a block is validated, it is never revoked. A distinguishing characteristic of these second-generation blockchains over classical BFT protocols is that committees change over time as the participation and the blockchain state evolve. In this paper, we push forward in this direction by proposing a formalization of the Dynamic Repeated Consensus problem and by providing generic procedures to solve it in the context of blockchains. Our approach is modular in that one can plug in different synchronizers and single-shot consensus instances. To offer a complete solution, we provide a concrete instantiation, called Tenderbake, and present a blockchain synchronizer and a single-shot consensus algorithm, working in a Byzantine and partially synchronous system model with eventually synchronous clocks. In contrast to recent proposals, our methodology is driven by the need to bound the message buffers. This is essential in preventing spamming and run-time memory errors. Moreover, Tenderbake processes can synchronize with each other without exchanging messages, leveraging instead the information stored in the blockchain.
Planning and Team Shared Mental Models as Predictors of Team Collaborative Processes

PLANNING AND TEAM SHARED MENTAL MODELS AS PREDICTORS OF TEAM COLLABORATIVE PROCESSES Zikai Zhou Old Dominion University, 2017 Director: Dr. Pilar Pazos This study evaluates the role of team planning and the similarity of team shared mental models (TSMMs) as predictors of two types of collaborative behaviors that are known to contribute to team performance. A computer-based Networked Fire Chief (NFC) simulation task was used as a testing environment for emergent and dynamic situations. The relationships among team planning, similarity of task-focused team shared mental models (TASKTSMMs), similarity of team-focused team shared mental models (TEAMTSMMs), team backup behaviors, and implicit coordination were tested. This study provides evidence for the mediation effect of similarity of TASKTSMMs between team planning and team backup behaviors, and the mediation effect of team backup behaviors between similarity of TASKTSMMs and team performance. The results suggest that better team planning is more likely to encourage more backup behaviors and improved performance through teams having more similar task-focused mental models. Both the theoretical and practical implications were discussed and the limitations and future research were also addressed in the study.
Elastic-Plastic Contact Analysis of Single Layer Solid Rough Surface Model using FEM

Evaluation of contact pressure, surface and subsurface contact stresses are essential to know t he functional response of surface coatings and the contact behavi or mainly depends on surface roughness, material property, thickness of layer and the manner of loading. Contact parameter evaluation of real rough surface contacts mostly relies on statistical singl e asperity contact approaches. In this work, a three dimensional layer ed solid rough surface in contact with a rigid flat is modeled and analyzed using finite element method. The rough surface of layered solid is generated by FFT approach. The generated rough surf ace is exported to a finite element method based ANSYS package thro ugh which the bottom up solid modeling is employed to create a de formable solid model with a layered solid rough surface on top. Th e discretization and contact analysis are carried by using the same ANSYS package. The elastic, elastoplastic and plastic deformations are continuous in the present finite element method unlike many other contact models. The Young’s modulus to yield strength ratio of laye r is varied in the present work to observe the contact parameters effe ct while keeping the surface roughness and substrate material proper ties as constant. The contacting asperities attain elastic, elastopla stic nd plastic states with their continuity and asperity interaction phen omena is inherently included. The resultant contact parameters show tha t neighboring asperity interaction and the Young’s modulus to yie ld strength ratio of layer influence the bulk deformation consequentl y affect the interface strength. Keywords—Asperity interaction, finite element method, rough surface contact, single layered solid
The Flight Home Effect in Multinational Internal Capital Markets During the Great Recession

We investigate whether the Great Recession induced a “flight home” effect in internal capital markets of European multinational firms. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we find a significant reduction in group borrowings by subsidiaries of European multinationals in Italy since 2008, compared to a propensity score matched sample of subsidiaries of local business groups. While the reduction in group borrowings by multinational subsidiaries is partially counterbalanced by an increase in bank borrowings, multinational subsidiaries reduced their investments more than local group subsidiaries. These effects are significantly stronger for subsidiaries of multinationals headquartered in a European country that has been hit harder by the Great Recession. The reduction in group borrowings is larger when the foreign parent is located at a greater distance from subsidiary.
Computer-assisted assessment of free-text answers

Abstract The automatic assessment of students’ free-text answers has recently received much attention, due to the necessity of exploring and taking advantage of new and more complex computer-based assessment methods. In this paper, a review of the state-of-art of the field is presented, focusing on the techniques that underpin these systems and their evaluation metrics. Although there is still a long way to go so as to reach the ideal system, the fact that the existing systems are already being used commercially and as a second opinion in exams such as GMAT proves the uptake of this field.
Factors Influencing Price Undercutting in The Insurance Sector in Nakuru County in Kenya

A number of insurance firms in Kenya have been facing several challenges. The competition has been stiff in the sector which has occasioned price undercutting. This has resulted in reduced revenue, mergers of insurance firms, down-sizing, and even collapse of these firms. In this light, tackling uncompetitive practices such as premium undercutting is a critical issue to the sector which needs to be focused on. The study aims to determine the factors influencing price undercutting in the insurance sector in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was delimited to establishing the effect of competition, cost of operations, profit margin goals, and product value on price undercutting in the insurance sector. The theory of competition, theories of cost, arbitrage pricing theory, and Bertrand price undercutting theory guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study targeted all employees working with insurance firms in Kenya where the accessible population will constitute 187 accounts and finance employees working with the 11 insurance firms in Nakuru County. Stratified random sampling was employed to draw 64 sampled respondents from the accessible population. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from the sampled respondents. The questionnaires were first pilot tested in order to ensure it was both valid and reliable for use in collecting data for the main study. The researcher first obtained the necessary permits and consents from relevant authorities. The collected data was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 analytical tool. The analysis was in form of both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics comprised means, modes, variance and standard deviations. On the other hand, inferential statistics was in form of Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results of the analysis was presented in form of statistical tables, charts and graphs. The study will be significant particularly to policy makers, practioners and scholars in the insurance sector in Kenya and beyond. From the findings the researcher concluded that huge costs go to marketing insurance products. Insurance firms also incur massive costs in terms of commissions to insurance agents. High labour costs in insurance sector leads to price undercutting. The study also concluded that insurance firms have different product lines, product value is factored in when pricing and finally different products are priced differently. The study recommended that there is need for insurance firms to use competitive strategy like timely introduction of a product and service, depending on the season and the target customers. Since majority of insurance offer similar products, Insurance should diversify their products. This will help them to have an advantage of their competitors.
Coke Formation and Coupled effect on Permeability

10 The development of hypersonic vehicles (up to Mach 10) leads to an important 11 heating of the whole structure. The fuel is thus used as a coolant. It presents an endothermic 12 decomposition with possible coke formation. Its additional permeation through the porous 13 structure involves internal convection. This implies very complex phenomena (heat and mass 14 transfers with chemistry). In this paper, the n-dodecane pyrolysis is studied through stainless 15 steel porous medium up to 820 K and 35 bar (supercritical state). The longitudinal profiles of 16 chemical compositions inside the porous medium are given thanks to a specific sampling 17 technique with off-line Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometer analysis. By comparison 18 with previous experiments under plug flow reactor, the conversion of dodecane is higher for 19 the present experimental configuration. The pyrolysis produces preferentially light gaseous 20 species, which results in a higher gasification rate for a similar pyrolysis rate. The effects of 21 the residence time and of the contact surface area are demonstrated. The transient changes of 22 Darcy’s permeability are related to the coke formation thanks to previous experimental 23 relationship with methane production. A time shift is observed between coke chemistry and 24 ha l-0 07 05 54 9, v er si on 1 7 Ju n 20 12
Australia’s cognitive, affective and conative destination image: an Emirati tourist perspective

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the destination image perceptions about Australia – a Western culture country – as held by the rapidly increasing, high spending, culturally dissimilar new segment of travellers, the Emiratis[1] from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology was used to understand the cognitive, affective and conative images of Australia. A structured categorisation matrix was used to analyse the data so that only aspects fitting the matrix were selected. Findings Within the cognitive variable, Australia was found to be pleasant, family oriented, a fun place, laid back and the local people friendly. From an affective factor perspective, Australia was seen as being exciting, because of the variety of activities available for these tourists. Exciting was expressed by words like fantastic, amazing and extreme experience. In terms of the conative variable most of the Emirati tourists expressed strong feelings to go back to Australia and to even re-visit with friends. They also mentioned that they would recommend Australia to family and friends. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study was that our sample comprised informants mainly from the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two largest Emirates of the nation. The study offers destination marketing organisations’ (DMOs) insights into Emirati travellers’ perceptions about Australia, which would benefit destination marketing. Originality/value This study examines the under researched area of how Australia – with its liberal Western culture – could be better marketed to the growing numbers of culturally conservative, high spending Emirati outbound tourists from the officially Islamic UAE, and also more generally to the socio-culturally homogeneous Gulf Cooperation Council region that the UAE is part of. Whilst destination image is an intensively analysed topic within the realm of tourism research, and reportedly a powerful influence on destination choice, the extant literature on how Australia is perceived as a travel destination by Emiratis is scant. For DMO’s attempting to attract wealthy Emirati tourists into Australia, this research is valuable and timely, as several Emiratis are seeking newer travel destinations away from the Western hemisphere, where the general anti-Arab/Islamic sentiments are currently quite strong.