Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two major diseases that cause dementia, and early diagnosis is important. Single photon emission CT (SPECT) of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is used for the early detection of dementia and as an auxiliary method for follow-up. AD shows reduced posterior blood flow and VaD manifests reduced anterior blood flow on CBF SPECT images. We examined the usefulness of 3D fractal analysis of CBF SPECT images to objectively quantify the heterogeneity of CBF in patients with AD and VaD. METHODS Thirty-two patients with AD and 22 with VaD based on neuropsychologic tests and imaging findings, as well as 20 age-matched control subjects underwent technetium-99m hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime CBF SPECT. We then conducted statistical image processing by 3D fractal analysis on reconstructed data. Fractal dimension, an index of heterogeneity, was then calculated for the whole brain, as well as for the anterior and posterior regions of the brain. A higher fractal dimension indicates that the CBF SPECT image is uneven. The ratio of fractal dimension of the anterior region to fractal dimension of the posterior region (A/P ratio) was calculated. Heterogeneity of CBF was compared among the AD, VaD, and control groups. RESULTS Fractal dimensions of the AD, VaD, and control groups were 1.072+/-0.179 (mean +/- SD), 1.005+/-0.156, and 0.806+/-0.06, respectively. A significant difference of fractal dimension was noted between the control group and the two types of dementia (P<.0001); however, no significant difference was noted between the AD and VaD groups. The A/P ratios of the AD and VaD groups were significantly different (0.952 and 1.163, respectively; P<.01). CONCLUSION Analysis of CBF SPECT images quantitatively showed that the fractal dimension was significantly higher (indicating heterogeneity) in patients with AD and VaD when compared with age-matched control subjects. Comparison of the A/P ratio on CBF SPECT images between AD and VaD groups showed that the heterogeneity of CBF was posterior-dominant for AD and anterior-dominant for VaD. Thus, 3D fractal analysis enabled a simple and objective evaluation of the heterogeneity of CBF in patients with AD and VaD.
Suicide risk linked with clinical consultation frequency, psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescribing in a national study of primary-care patients

Background Little is known about the precursors of suicide risk among primary-care patients. This study aimed to examine suicide risk in relation to patterns of clinical consultation, psychotropic drug prescribing, and psychiatric diagnoses. Method Nested case-control study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), England. Patients aged ⩾16 years who died by suicide during 2002–2011 (N = 2384) were matched on gender, age and practice with up to 20 living control patients (N = 46 899). Results Risk was raised among non-consulting patients, and increased sharply with rising number of consultations in the preceding year [⩾12 consultations v. 1: unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.9–7.3]. Markedly elevated risk was also associated with the prescribing of multiple psychotropic medication types (⩾5 types v. 0: OR 62.6, CI 44.3–88.4) and with having several psychiatric diagnoses (⩾4 diagnoses v. 0: OR 31.1, CI 19.3–50.1). Risk was also raised among patients living in more socially deprived localities. The confounding effect of multiple psychotropic drug types largely accounted for the rising risk gradient observed with increasing consultation frequency. Conclusions A greater proportion of patients with several psychiatric diagnoses, those prescribed multiple psychotropic medication types, and those who consult at very high frequency might be considered for referral to mental health services by their general practitioners. Non-consulters are also at increased risk, which suggests that conventional models of primary care may not be effective in meeting the needs of all people in the community experiencing major psychosocial difficulties.
Do mountain pine beetle outbreaks change the probability of active crown fire in lodgepole pine forests? Comment.

An expansive mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic is currently impacting North American forests (Raffa et al. 2008). As beetle-attacked trees die, lose their needles, and eventually fall to the ground, there are substantial changes in stand structure. These fuel changes likely affect both surface and crown fire behavior, but there is not yet a consensus among experts regarding the nature and magnitude of these effects (Jenkins et al. 2008). Simard et al. (2011; hereafter referred to as SRGT) used linked crown fire models implemented in the NEXUS crown fire modeling system (Scott and Reinhardt 2001) to predict the occurrence of active crown fire across a chronosequence of increasing time since attack. They concluded that, under moderate fire weather conditions, recently attacked or red-stage stands had a lower occurrence of active crown fire than undisturbed stands. Here, we suggest that these conclusions are compromised because (1) the fire behavior modeling framework used has no mechanisms for considering highly heterogeneous fuels and (2) their use of this framework omitted critical aspects of how canopy and surface fuels change after an attack, particularly during the first two to three years.
Opportunities and Benefits as Determinants of the Direction of Scientific Research

Scientific research and private-sector technological innovation differ in objectives, constraints, and organizational forms. Scientific research may thus not be driven by the direct practical benefit to others in the way that private-sector innovation is. Alternatively, some - yet largely unexplored - mechanisms drive the direction of scientific research to respond to the expected public benefit. We test these two competing hypotheses of scientific research. This is important because any coherent specification of what constitutes the socially optimal allocation of research requires that scientists take the public practical benefit of their work into account in setting their agenda. We examine whether the composition of medical research responds to changes in disease prevalence, while accounting for the quality of available research opportunities. We match biomedical publications data with disease prevalence data and develop new methods for estimating the quality of research opportunities from textual information and structural productivity parameters.
Bacteriological and molecular studies of group A streptococcal pharyngitis in a south Indian hospital.

the total diagnosed TB co-infection patients, 29 had active disease and were put on ATT. Nine patients had already been treated with ATT after being diagnosed with HIV infection. Patients with HBV were treated with 2NRTIs (Zidovudine + Lamivudine) + 1NNRTI (Efavirenz) and patients with syphilis were treated with Benzathine penicillin G, 2.4 MU IM in a single dose. The patients are on regular follow-up.
Comparison of glucose levels using glucometer and GOD-POD Method in diabetic patients

Introduction: Glucometer is widely used at hospitals and homes as a first line tool to get an idea about the current blood glucose levels. Since glucometers are used for making important decisions, it is essential that their accuracy should be comparable to those of standard laboratory analyzers. So the present study was aimed to compare and correlate the glucose levels using glucometer and GOD-POD method in diabetic patients. Methods: 60 diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were selected for the study after institutional ethical committee’s clearance was obtained. These were divided into three groups based on their plasma glucose levels by GOD-POD method. Group 1: 20 Patients having plasma glucose levels ≤ 110 mg/dl. Group 2: 20 Patients having plasma glucose levels between 111 mg/dl to 250 mg/dl. Group 3: 20 Patients having plasma glucose levels ≥ 251 mg/dl. In this study, we measured plasma glucose levels of each patient simultaneously with glucometer and GOD-POD method (semiautomatic analyzer) in the clinical laboratory. Results: In our study, we found that that at very high glucose readings (i.e. in group 3 patients having plasma glucose levels ≥ 251 mg/dl), glucometer overestimates glucose results. So, these values do not accurately reflect actual plasma glucose levels. Conclusions: Very high glucose values obtained using glucometers should be cautiously interpreted and verified with centralized laboratory. The current practice of performing only single readings with glucometers can lead to misdiagnosis. Medical professionals should depict diabetic patients the importance of periodic centralized laboratory glucose testing.
Misconceptions of Traits Continue to Persist

In his defense of self-efficacy, Bandura (Journal of Management, vol. 38, no. 1) does the field a disservice by misconstruing what constitutes a trait. The authors of this response discuss current definitions of a trait and contrast these conceptions with the definition put forth by Bandura. Integral to this disagreement is the level of specificity across different psychological constructs. The authors suggest that if levels of specificity are acknowledged, traits may be meaningfully integrated into social cognitive models of personality. They contend that integrating traits and social cognitive units can benefit both fields and meaningfully impact applied research.
The shifting sands of transparency: Sustainability reporting in New Zealand

By 2013, nearly 95% of the 250 largest companies in the world, and 71% of the top 100 companies across the Asia Pacific region used sustainability reporting as a tool to inform and manage the impacts of their activities on society, the environment, and the economy. There are now over 400 sustainability reporting instruments being used in 64 countries, 80% of which are introduced by governments. However, by the end of 2013, only 17% of the top 100 companies in New Zealand were providing a corporate responsibility report and, by the end of 2017, this number had not grown much. This is particularly significant when sustainability reports are widely viewed as a proxy for corporate transparency. This thesis examines the ways in which some of the largest companies in New Zealand perceive and react to stakeholders’ expectations for non-financial disclosure, and the factors that may have caused the current lack of sustainability reporting in this country. It also looks critically into the relative power of shareholders and other stakeholders to influence the publication of sustainability reports. The thesis draws on a theoretical framework that combines Mitchel, Agle, and Wood’s (1997) Salience Model with Zygmunt Bauman’s (2000) concept of liquid modernity, to explain how different stakeholders have different impacts on target companies, and why that differentiation tends to run counter to theoretical, market based expectations. Twenty-eight interviews, including those with key representatives of 21 public companies (reporting and non-reporting), and seven sustainability professionals, were the primary sources of data. Secondary data was gathered from the participating corporate reports, reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), government regulations in New Zealand, and formal organisational documents, policies, and regulations. This study applies thematic analysis to identify the most important themes to emerge from the interview transcripts and other documents. The results of the study demonstrate how leading corporations in New Zealand perceive different stakeholder groups and their expectations, and how that perception affects the way they publish corporate reports. While some companies view the lack of stakeholders’ expectation as a barrier for non-financial reporting, the findings of this study suggest that there may have been little to no communication between these organisations and their stakeholders in practice, and that, therefore, company perceptions may have little substance.
Mediating role of dividend policy among its determinants and organizational financial performance

Abstract The mediating mechanism of dividend policy remained untapped between financial performance, uncertainty, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and stakeholders’ interest. However, this study contributes to the body of knowledge and discovers the mediating role of dividend policy between financial performance, uncertainty, CSR and stakeholders’ interest. Data is collected through a questionnaire from CFO’s/financial managers of Pakistani corporate sector. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to analyze the results through AMOS. Uncertainty, CSR, and stakeholders’ interests have a significant impact on financial performance. It is found partial mediation between uncertainty and financial performance whereas dividend policy fully mediates the CSR, stakeholders’ interest and financial performance.
Understanding customer satisfaction in the UK quick service restaurant industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the five dimensions of service quality on customer satisfaction in the UK fast food market and to indicate which factors among the five dimensions have a main role in driving overall customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Primary data in the form of 147 questionnaire responses were been collected from a variety of quick service fast food restaurants in the UK. Likert seven-point rating scales were used to structure the questionnaire. Data were collected from the customers at two KFC restaurants, two McDonald’s restaurants, and one Burger King Restaurant. Findings The results of the analysis indicate that tangibles, responsiveness and assurance play the most important role in driving customer satisfaction in the UK fast food industry, followed by reliability and empathy. Results of correlation and regression analysis show that physical attributes (tangible) of service quality are key to customer satisfaction. In a nutshell, the tangibles variable is the most important factor driving customer satisfaction in the context of the UK fast food market. Originality/value This research incorporates unique and original insights in relation to the British fast food restaurants market and the results constitute novel findings pertaining to the importance of physical facilities and attributes. This account of the relative importance of service quality dimensions in fast food restaurants in the UK adds value to the field. The findings of this research have contributed to a better understanding of the main factors that influence service quality and customer satisfaction and have implications from a managerial point of view in the highly competitive UK fast food and wider foodservice industry.
Novel weighted amino acid composition for prediction of protein structural classes within the context of multi-sensor data fusion approach

Prediction of structural classes of proteins is one of the most important but challenging research problems in computational biology and mainly based on amino acid sequence of the proteins. However, most of the predictive features based on the sequences donpsilat consider natural amino acid scales, which have been shown to play an important role in characterising the proteins in other studies. Therefore, this paper aims to present development of a novel weighted amino acid composition features based on the amino acid scales and multi-sensor data fusion strategies for reliable and accurate prediction of the structural classes of the proteins. The approach is further developed applying principal component analysis in each weighted amino acid composition features, which then leades to a locally optimized multi-sensor data fusion model. This pilot study presents promising results that show that the methods improve predictive accuracy by 1 to 10% compared to previously studied methods for the same data set. The approach taken is also shown to be not only effective, but also, in particular, more informative as it fuses information obtained from natural amino acid index scales that help better understand nature of such proteins.
Self-selection models for public and private sector job satisfaction

We discuss a class of copula-based ordered probit models with endogenous switching. Such models can be useful for the analysis of self-selection in subjective well-being equations in general, and job satisfaction in particular, where assignment of regressors may be endogenous rather than random, resulting from individual maximization of well-being. In an application to public and private sector job satisfaction, and using data on male workers from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 2004, and using two alternative copula functions for dependence, we find consistent evidence for endogenous sector selection.
Effects of intracameral brilliant blue on the corneal endothelium of swine : in vitro study 1

Terzariol M. , Hünning P.S. , Brambatti G. , Albuquerque L. , Neumann C. & Pigatto J.A. T. 2016. Effects of intracameral brilliant blue on the corneal endothelium of swine: in vitro study. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 36(8):775-780. Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9090, Agronomia, Porto Alegres, RS 91540-000, Brazil. E-mail: pigatto@ufrgs.br The aim was to investigate the ultrastructural changes in the corneal endothelium of pigs induced by intracameral 0.05% brilliant blue. Twenty swine corneas were separated into two groups, the right eye bulbs (control group) and the left eye bulbs (experimental group) of the same animal. All the eye bulbs were evaluated with specular microscopy. The cornea of the right eye bulbs was excised and in the left eye bulbs 0.2ml of 0.05% brilliant blue vital dye (OPTH-blue®) was injected into the anterior chamber, where it remained for one minute. Then the anterior chamber was cleaned with a balanced salt solution injection and the cornea was excised too. All the corneas were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the changes on the endothelium caused by the brilliant blue dye. There were no significant differences between the right corneal endothelium cells and the left corneal endothelium cells with scanning electron microscopy after intracameral use of 0.05% brilliant blue dye. The 0.05% brilliant blue dye concentration did not cause deleterious effects for the swine corneal endothelium after intracameral use and can be a choice for safe staining of the anterior capsule of the lens in cataract surgery.
THE EFFECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND CREDIT RISK TOWARD LIQUIDITY AND PROFITABILITY ON BANKING LISTED IN INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE IN 2012-2016

The purpose of this research is to study and explain the effect of corporate governance and credit risk on liquidity and profitability on banking in Indonesia. This study used Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA) to measure the effect of corporate governance and credit risk towards liquidity and profitability. The result of this research showed that the corporate governance has an effect towards liquidity and profitability, the credit risk has an effect towards liquidity and profitability, and the last, the liquidity has an effect on profitability
Development of a minimal medium for Clostridium perfringens by using an anaerobic chemostat

A minimal medium was developed for the cultivation of Clostridium perfringens in an anaerobic chemostat. Cultures of C. perfringens ATCC 3624 and NCTC 10240 were grown at 46 and 43 degrees C, respectively, in a glucose-limited, chemically defined medium at pH 7.2. The concentrations of amino acids, minerals, nucleotides, and vitamins, initially present in excess, were varied independently. The minimum concentration of each nutrient which would support 3 X 10(8) CFU/ml with a generation time of less than 40 min was determined and used to develop a reformulated defined medium. Atomic absorption spectroscopy and amino acid analyses of the reformulated medium indicated additional adjustments in nutrient content which led to the development of a minimal medium for each strain. The nutritional profile for each strain was similar. A decrease in the concentration of arginine, histidine, and tyrosine for strain 3624 and of arginine, histidine, and isoleucine for strain 10240 resulted in an increase in the optical density of each culture.
DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMER`S SWITCHING INTENTION BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND SHARIA VALUE CONGRUITY

This study aims to examine the factors that influence the customer`s switching intention, which are influenced by customer satisfaction and customer loyalty based on customer experience and congruity of sharia values. The sample size of 195 Sharia banks customers in Surakarta was taken using convenient sampling method. The research analysis used hierarchical regression with customer satisfaction as the independent variable, customer`s switching intention as the dependent variable and customer loyalty as a mediator variable. Besides that, it also uses customer experience and congrueity to sharia values as a moderator variable.Validity test, reliability test and classic assumption test have been carried out and the results meet the criteria according to the specified standards. The results of the research analysis show that customer satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty and has a negative effect on the customer`s switching intention and customer loyalty has a negative effect on customer`s switching intention. Customer loyalty partially mediates the effect of customer satisfaction on customer`s switching intention. However, the customer experience and congrueity sharia value does not strengthen or weaken the influence of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty and on customer`s switching intention and does not strengthen or weaken the influence of customer loyalty on customer`s switching intention. The theoretical and practical implications of the results of research that are considered relevant and need to be discussed can be used as orientation and direction for future research
Feeding habits and severe early childhood caries in Brazilian preschool children.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to analyze the association between the feeding practice and presence or absence of SECC (Severe Early Childhood Caries) in Brazilian preschool children. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted with male and female preschool children, aged 36 to 71 months, randomly selected from a low-income population. A 24-hour recall diary was used to assess data about infant feeding practices and dietary habits. The data were statistically analyzed using the chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS SECC was observed in 36% of the children examined. Infant feeding practices showed the association between SECC and night-time breast-feeding (P = .02) or breast-feeding (P = .0004) in children older than 12 months of age. The use of a bottle at night as a substitute for the pacifier and its use on demand during the day were also correlated with SECC (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that night-time breast-feeding in children older than 12 months of age, the use of a bottle at night as a substitute for the pacifier, and use of the bottle on demand during the day are feeding practices correlated with the etiology of SECC.