Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optic nerve compression by normal carotid artery in patients with normal tension glaucoma

Aim: To determine whether compression of the optic nerve by the intracranial carotid artery (ICA) can be a causative factor of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The medical records of 103 eyes of 54 Japanese patients with NTG and 104 eyes of 52 age matched control patients were reviewed. The neuroradiological findings of magnetic resonance images (MRI) were evaluated to determine the relation between the optic nerve and ICA. The clinical characteristics and general medical conditions, such as diabetes and systemic hypertension, were also compared between the two groups. Results: The prevalence of optic nerve compression by the ICA in patients with NTG was 49.5%, which was significantly higher than that in control group with 34.6% (p = 0.035). Bilateral compression of the optic nerve was detected in 22 patients with NTG (40.7%), and this was also significantly higher (p = 0.029) than that in the control group (11 patients, 21.2%). In the NTG group, eyes with cup/disc ratio (C/D ratio) ⩾0.7 showed a higher percentage of compression (52.6%) compared with eyes with C/D ratio of <0.7 (12.5%; p = 0. 042). The presence of diabetes and hypertension did not affect the incidence of optic nerve compression by ICA significantly. Conclusions: The significantly higher percentage of NTG patients who had optic nerve compression by the ICA suggests that compression of the optic nerve by ICA may be a possible causative factor or a risk factor for optic nerve damage in some patients with NTG.
Prevalence of latex sensitization and allergy in Portuguese children

The prevalence of latex allergy has been increasing not only in risk groups but also in the general population, where it is accepted to average 1%. In children, latex sensitization prevalence studies are scarce and involve different population sampling and allergy testing methods, which makes it difficult to compare across studies. Nevertheless, existing studies point towards a low prevalence of latex allergy in children, which still needs to be confirmed in the Portuguese population. Aiming at studying the prevalence of latex sensitization and allergy in a sample of Portuguese children, we studied 182 children from two different hospital outpatient clinics. A standardized questionnaire focusing on atopic background, previous history and allergic signs or symptoms on exposure to latex or fruits was given to all children and parents. Skin prick testing was performed with a battery of common aeroallergens as well as latex. Serum total IgE, Phadiatop, F × 5E and latex‐specific IgE were determined in all children. Specific IgE to latex‐crossreacting fruits was determined in latex‐sensitized children. Based upon the questionnaire, the prevalence of latex allergy would be 0.5%. The prevalence of latex sensitization would be 3.8%, when based solely upon skin prick testing, and 12.1% (≥0.35 IU/ml) or 6.6% (≥0.70 IU/ml) when based singly upon determination of latex‐specific IgE. When positive results for either test were considered, the prevalence of latex sensitization was 14.3%. All latex‐sensitized children were atopic. Sensitivity to latex‐crossreacting foodstuffs was demonstrated in 61.5% of latex‐sensitized children (16/26). This study shows that the prevalence of latex allergy and sensitization in Portuguese atopic and non‐atopic children, as analysed using various diagnostic methods, is similar to that observed in other countries. In addition, the assessment of latex allergy and sensitization should always include skin prick testing and determination of serum IgE.
A National Analysis of School-Based Agricultural Education Involvement, Graduation, STEM Achievement, and Income

The progression of research on school-based agricultural education (SBAE) has been limited, in part, due to a lack of nationwide, student data detailing the effectiveness of SBAE. Using an ecological systems perspective, the relationships between SBAE enrollment; graduation rates; postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievement; and income were explored using data from a nation-wide, longitudinal study conducted from 2002 to 2012. Results indicate SBAE students were more likely to be male, white, and have a lower socioeconomic status than students not enrolled in SBAE. With regard to graduation rates, SBAE enrollment was a statistically significant, positive predictor of high school graduation. In fact, students enrolled in SBAE were 1.16 times more likely to graduate high school than students not enrolled in SBAE. In the analysis of STEM achievement, SBAE enrollment was a statistically significant, negative predictor of postsecondary science, math, and overall STEM GPA. With regard to income, each additional Carnegie unit of SBAE was related to $1,850.67 more annual income for high school graduates and $457.40 more annual income for postsecondary graduates. Findings are discussed in relation to the ecological systems theory, with an emphasis on recommendations for research and practice.
Test of Fama & French five factor-model on Indonesian stock market

This study aims to test the Fama & French Five-Factor Model (5FF) and the Three-Factor Model (3FF) on stocks listed in the LQ-45 Index over the 2013-2015 periods. The 5FF model includes factors of market risk premium, size, book-to-market equity, profitability, and investment. This study used a multiple linier regression analysis model in the form of panel data for the entire portfolio and each formed portfolio. The number of observations in this study was 648 consisting of 18 portfolios over the period of January 2013 - December 2015. The research findings were similar to Fama and French research (2014) that is market risk premiere has significant effect on return. Profitability has a positive effect but not significant on return. Size and investment have a significant negative effect on return. The difference in yield lies in the profitability factor, whose effect is not significant on return.
Design and implementation Of 4-bit ALU using FINFETS for nano scale technology

In VLSI technology, continuous scale down of the transistor proves the Moore's law which describes the transistors placed in a chip doubles in every 2 years. As MOS transistors sizes scales down, challenges and limitations also doubles in each shrinking of the transistors such as short channel effects and sub-threshold voltage variations etc. To reduce such challenges and keep shrinking the size of transistor will attain the certain level of achievements in nanoelectronics with the help of FINFET based transistors. In this paper, we've described about FINFET based Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is developed which acts as core part of a CPU, with the arithmetic functions such as addition, subtraction, and logical functions such as AND, OR etc.
Retrieval-Based Face Annotation by Weak Label Regularized Local Coordinate Coding

Auto face annotation, which aims to detect human faces from a facial image and assign them proper human names, is a fundamental research problem and beneficial to many real-world applications. In this work, we address this problem by investigating a retrieval-based annotation scheme of mining massive web facial images that are freely available over the Internet. In particular, given a facial image, we first retrieve the top n similar instances from a large-scale web facial image database using content-based image retrieval techniques, and then use their labels for auto annotation. Such a scheme has two major challenges: 1) how to retrieve the similar facial images that truly match the query, and 2) how to exploit the noisy labels of the top similar facial images, which may be incorrect or incomplete due to the nature of web images. In this paper, we propose an effective Weak Label Regularized Local Coordinate Coding (WLRLCC) technique, which exploits the principle of local coordinate coding by learning sparse features, and employs the idea of graph-based weak label regularization to enhance the weak labels of the similar facial images. An efficient optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the WLRLCC problem. Moreover, an effective sparse reconstruction scheme is developed to perform the face annotation task. We conduct extensive empirical studies on several web facial image databases to evaluate the proposed WLRLCC algorithm from different aspects. The experimental results validate its efficacy. We share the two constructed databases "WDB" (714,454 images of 6,025 people) and "ADB" (126,070 images of 1,200 people) with the public. To further improve the efficiency and scalability, we also propose an offline approximation scheme (AWLRLCC) which generally maintains comparable results but significantly reduces the annotation time.
Established Human Papillomavirus Type 16-Expressing Tumors Are Effectively Eradicated Following Vaccination with Long Peptides1

Peptide-based vaccines aimed at the induction of effective T cell responses against established cancers have so far only met with limited clinical success and clearly need to be improved. In a preclinical model of human papillomavirus (HPV)16-induced cervical cancer we show that prime-boost vaccinations with the HPV16-derived 35 amino-acid long peptide E743–77, containing both a CTL epitope and a Th epitope, resulted in the induction of far more robust E7-specific CD8+ T cell responses than vaccinations with the minimal CTL epitope only. We demonstrate that two distinct mechanisms are responsible for this effect. First, vaccinations with the long peptide lead to the generation of E7-specific CD4+ Th cells. The level of the induced E7-specific CD8+ T cell response proved to be dependent on the interactions of these Th cells with professional APC. Second, we demonstrate that vaccination with the long peptide and dendritic cell-activating agents resulted in a superior induction of E7-specific CD8+ T cells, even when T cell help was excluded. This suggests that, due to its size, the long peptide was preferably endocytosed, processed, and presented by professional APCs. Moreover, the efficacy of this superior HPV-specific T cell induction was demonstrated in therapeutic prime-boost vaccinations in which the long peptide admixed with the dendritic cell-activating adjuvant oligodeoxynucleotide-CpG resulted in the eradication of large, established HPV16-expressing tumors. Because the vaccine types used in this study are easy to prepare under good manufacturing practice conditions and are safe to administer to humans, these data provide important information for future clinical trials.
Motivation for learning English among the students of South Eastern University of Sri Lanka.

ABSTRACT: Motivation is one of the main influential factors of success in developing a second or foreign language. It is a complex phenomenon which includes instrumental, integrative, long term, short term, intrinsic and extrinsic varieties. The current study aimed to examine which type of motivation influences ESL students of South Eastern University of Sri Lanka the most and it examined whether there is a relationship between the students' ability (high and low ability learners) and the type of motivation. To reach the objectives of the research, the study was conducted among 60 third year Faculty of Arts and Culture students of academic year 2013/14. To examine the relationship between the students' ability and the type of motivation, 30 students from low ability learners and 30 students from quick learners were selected as samples. This study adopted both quantitative approach (through employing a questionnaire among the samples) and qualitative approach (through interview among selected students). The findings of the research show that both high ability and low ability students of the SEUSL are motivated by instrumental and integrative purposes. 40% of high ability students do not agree for some of the extrinsic factors. The research shows that there is a strong relationship between instrumental and extrinsic motivations and integrative and intrinsic motivation. The current research helps identifying the components that influence student's motivation in language learning and proposes ways in which teachers, material designers can improve levels of motivation in the classroom and the extent to which these measures are effective.
Multiplexed Molecular Profiling of Lung Cancer Using Pleural Effusion

Introduction: Pleural effusion is frequently observed in patients with advanced lung cancer. Although effusion can be obtained less invasively and repeatedly, its use in multiplexed molecular profiling has not been fully investigated. Methods: Between July 2011 and April 2013, pleural effusion samples were obtained from patients with lung cancer at Shizuoka Cancer Center. They were analyzed for EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, NRAS, MEK1, AKT1, PTEN, and HER2 mutations, EGFR, MET, FGFR1, FGFR2, and PIK3CA amplifications, and ALK, ROS1, and RET fusion genes using pyrosequensing and/or capillary electrophoresis, quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results: One hundred and two samples from 84 patients were analyzed. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological subtype (82%). Genetic abnormalities were detected in 42% of patients. The most common abnormality was EGFR mutation (29%), followed by EML4-ALK rearrangement (5%), KRAS mutation, and EGFR amplification (4%, each). Concordance rates between pleural effusion and matched formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples were 88%. Among 11 patients who provided samples at multiple time points, changes in molecular profile over the course of treatment were observed in five patients. Conclusions: The use of pleural effusion for multiplexed molecular testing and real-time monitoring in lung cancer was demonstrated.
Gastroenteric neuroendocrine neoplasms classification: Comparison of prognostic models

Gastroenteric neuroendocrine neoplasms (GE‐NENs) display highly variable clinical behavior. In an attempt to assess a better prognostic description, in 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its previous classification, and the European Neuroendocrine Tumors Society (ENETS) proposed a new grading and TNM‐based staging system. In the current study, the authors evaluated the prognostic significance of these models and compared their efficacy in describing patients' long‐term survival to assess the best prognostic model currently available for clinicians.
Regional Effects of Donepezil and Rivastigmine on Cortical Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease

Donepezil and rivastigmine are acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors used to improve cholinergic neurotransmission and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study examined direct effects of these drugs on AChE activity in the frontal, temporal, and parietal cortices in AD. Six AD patients were scanned with positron emission tomography before and after 3 months of treatment with donepezil (10 mg/day), and five AD patients were scanned before and after 3 to 5 months of treatment with rivastigmine (9 mg/day). Healthy unmedicated controls were imaged twice to evaluate the reproducibility of the method. A specific AChE tracer, [methyl-11C]N-methyl-piperidyl-4-acetate, and a 3D positron emission tomography system with MRI coregistration were used for imaging. Treatment with donepezil reduced the AChE activity (k3 values) in the AD brain by 39% in the frontal (p < 0.001, Bonferroni corrected), 29% in the temporal (p = 0.02, corrected) and 28% in the parietal cortex (p = 0.05, corrected). The corresponding levels of inhibition for rivastigmine were 37% (p = 0.003, corrected), 28% (p = 0.03, uncorrected) and 28% (p = 0.05, corrected). When the treatment groups were combined, the level of AChE inhibition was significantly greater in the frontal cortex compared to the temporal cortex (p = 0.03, corrected). The test-retest analysis with healthy subjects indicated good reproducibility for the method, with a nonsignificant 0% to 7% intrasubject variability between scans. The present study provides first evidence for the effect of rivastigmine on cortical AChE activity. Our results indicate that the pooled effects of donepezil and rivastigmine on brain AChE are greater in the frontal cortex compared to the temporal cortex in AD. This regional difference is probably related to the prominent temporoparietal reduction of AChE in AD. We hypothesize that the clinical improvement in behavioral and attentional symptoms of AD due to AChE inhibitors is associated with the frontal AChE inhibition.
Anti-Partyism in German Independent Local Lists: Empirical Insights from a Membership Study

In the past few decades, independent local lists in German municipalities have become serious competitors to political parties. However, despite their widespread presence and success, party researchers have largely ignored this phenomenon. Empirical evidence concerning the attitudes of their members towards political parties is rare. Thus far, it remains unclear whether their self-described image as non-parties or anti-parties is restricted to the sphere of local politics or accompanies a general rejection of parties in federal politics. First, the article conceptualises anti-partyism and proposes an analytical distinction between their intensity and related political level. It then analyses the consequences of different patterns of local politics and group characteristics as well as individual determinants to explain the degree of anti-party sentiment. This study improves our understanding of independents and whether they promote party democracy or are a product of political dissatisfaction. Based on a cross-sectional postal survey, multi-level regression models are used to test the hypotheses. The results show that anti-partyism is particularly strong towards party politics at the local level, whereas the general legitimacy of party democracy is not questioned in federal politics.
Operative and Clinical Markers of Deep Wound Infection After Spine Fusion in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Background Infection after spine fusion for neuromuscular scoliosis has been shown to range from 4.2% to 20.0% prevalence. Although there are studies, which have examined deep wound infection and spine fusion surgery as well as risk factors for deep wound infection, there are limited studies evaluating clinical and radiographic factors associated with this complication. We aimed to determine the clinical and operative factors associated with deep wound infection after spine fusion in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods Medical records of 236 pediatric patients, aged between 5.6 and 21 years (mean=13.8±3.4), with CP who underwent spine fusion from 1995 to 2006 were reviewed. Of these, 22 patients had deep wound infection. To assess the differences in clinical, radiographic, and other predisposing factors, we used &khgr;2 statistic and Fisher exact, and to determine the predisposing factors of deep wound infection, we used binomial regression model. Results The period prevalence of deep wound infection was 9.3%. In the unadjusted model, body weight, residual postoperative Cobb angle, length of hospitalization, packed red blood cells, and skin breakdown were the factors significantly associated with deep wound infection (P<0.05). After controlling for confounding, skin breakdown due to the instrumentation and residual postoperative Cobb angle were the 2 most potent markers of deep wound infection. There was a significant 4% increased risk of deep wound infection for 1-degree increase in the residual Cobb angle from the noncase mean residual Cobb angle of 23.69 degrees (adjusted risk ratio=1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.08). Likewise, compared with those without skin breakdown, those with skin breakdown were 12 times as likely to develop deep wound infection (risk ratio=12.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-172.00). Conclusions Residual postoperative Cobb angle and skin breakdown due to unit rod instrumentation were the 2 most significant predisposing factors to deep wound infection. Other factors included body weight, packed red blood cells, and length of hospitalization. As the overall prevalence of deep wound infection is relatively high in CP patients after spine fusion, and considering the cost of hospitalization and other related comorbidities, surgeons should recognize these predisposing parameters to prevent deep wound infection in CP patients while correcting curve deformities. Level of Evidence Level III retrospective study.
Regulation of human immunodeficiency virus env expression by the rev gene product

A single simian virus 40 late replacement vector which expresses both the rev and envelope (env) genes of human immunodeficiency virus was used to examine the mechanism underlying the dependence of env gene expression on the rev protein. When rev was deleted from the vector, no envelope protein expression could be detected in transfected cells, and the levels of cytoplasmic env mRNA were dramatically reduced. In contrast to this, the levels of env RNA in total cellular RNA preparations were similar with or without rev coexpression, and analysis of nuclear RNA showed that the levels of nuclear env RNA were increased in the absence of rev. These results suggest that rev functions to regulate nuclear export of env mRNA. It was possible to restore env expression from the vector lacking rev by supplying rev in trans, provided that a cis-acting sequence was also present. This sequence was mapped to a 854-base-pair region within the env open reading frame, and it was shown that the sequence could be moved but that it worked only in its original orientation.
Epidemiology of isolation precautions.

OBJECTIVE To investigate compliance with isolation precautions. DESIGN A prospective observational study carried out during ten weeks of 1989. Participants were unaware of the study. SETTING The isolation bay of a 24-bed surgical intensive care unit in a 900-bed university tertiary care facility. PARTICIPANTS Study participants included any healthcare worker or visitor entering the patient room during designated 15-minute intervals. RESULTS We observed 467 subjects entering patient rooms. Compliance with strict isolation (65%) was better than with wound/skin (40%) or excretion/secretion (36%) isolation (p less than .01). Visitors were more compliant than healthcare workers (88% versus 41%; p less than .01). Spending more time in the room was associated with improved compliance (p less than .01). Compliance was higher for subjects entering with a group compared with those entering alone (51% versus 41%; p less than .05). The compliance rate for nurses improved as the nurse/patient ratio improved (p = .14). Compliance was independent of severity of illness. Multivariate analysis revealed that the amount of time spent in the room, being a visitor, and use of strict isolation were independent predictors of compliance. CONCLUSIONS Noncompliance was widespread. When increased demands are placed on the time of physicians and nurses in the name of cost containment, unperceived consequences, such as those resulting from decreased compliance, must be considered.