Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction Model for the Risk of HIV Infection among MSM in China: Validation and Stability

The impact of psychosocial factors on increasing the risk of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) has attracted increasing attention. We aimed to develop and validate an integrated prediction model, especially incorporating emerging psychosocial variables, for predicting the risk of HIV infection among MSM. We surveyed and collected sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral information from 547 MSM in China. The participants were split into a training set and a testing set in a 3:1 theoretical ratio. The prediction model was constructed by introducing the important variables selected with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, applying multivariate logistic regression, and visually assessing the risk of HIV infection through the nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, calibration plots, Hosmer–Lemeshow test and population stability index (PSI) were performed to test validity and stability of the model. Four of the 15 selected variables—unprotected anal intercourse, multiple sexual partners, involuntary subordination and drug use before sex—were included in the prediction model. The results indicated that the comprehensive prediction model we developed had relatively good predictive performance and stability in identifying MSM at high-risk for HIV infection, thus providing targeted interventions for high-risk MSM.
Using Simulation Optimization to Solve Patient Appointment Scheduling and Examination Room Assignment Problems for Patients Undergoing Ultrasound Examination

This study investigates patient appointment scheduling and examination room assignment problems involving patients who undergo ultrasound examination with considerations of multiple examination rooms, multiple types of patients, multiple body parts to be examined, and special restrictions. Following are the recommended time intervals based on the findings of three scenarios in this study: In Scenario 1, the time interval recommended for patients’ arrival at the radiology department on the day of the examination is 18 min. In Scenario 2, it is best to assign patients to examination rooms based on weighted cumulative examination points. In Scenario 3, we recommend that three outpatients come to the radiology department every 18 min to undergo ultrasound examinations; the number of inpatients and emergency patients arriving for ultrasound examination is consistent with the original time interval distribution. Simulation optimization may provide solutions to the problems of appointment scheduling and examination room assignment problems to balance the workload of radiological technologists, maintain high equipment utilization rates, and reduce waiting times for patients undergoing ultrasound examination.
The Effect of Solution-Focused Group Counseling on the Resilience of University Students

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of solution-focused group psychological counseling in increasing the resilience of university students. The research is an experimental study with experimental-control group with pre-test, post-test and follow-up measurement design. The study group for the research comprised 22 university students (12 female and 10 male). Students in the study group are at university first, second, third and fourth year level. In addition, university students in the study group are between the ages of 18-25. 11 (6 female and 5 male) of these students are in the experimental group and 11 (6 female and 5 male) are in the control group. A solution-focused group counseling program, consisting of six sessions, developed by the researcher, was applied to the university students in the experimental group to increase resilience. These sessions were held once a week for 90-120 minutes. No study was conducted on university students in the control group. In this study, “Adult Resilience Measure (ARM)” and “Personal Information Form” were used as data collection tools. The data obtained from this study were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U Test and the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test. The findings of the study revealed that the solution-focused group was more effective than the control group. In addition, it was observed that this effectiveness was preserved with the follow-up studies at the end of three months. As a result of this study, it has been found that solution-focused group counseling is effective in increasing the resilience levels of university students.
Adsorption Characteristics of Chitosan-Modified Bamboo Biochar in Cd(II) Contaminated Water

The purpose of this study was to fabricate a low-cost and eco-friendly adsorbent using bamboo biochar (BB), a kind of charcoal composed of high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and variety of functional groups, and chitosan as substrates for remediation of Cd(II) in Cd(II) contaminated water and characterized the functional group characteristics, surface morphology, and Cd(II) adsorption effect using the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Results showed that chitosan-modified bamboo biochar (CBB) provided more active adsorption sites (such as –NH2, –COOH, –OH, and C=O) on the surface to enhance the Cd(II) removal efficiency in Cd(II) contaminated wastewater. Meanwhile, the optimal pH, contact time, and dose of CBB on the Cd(II) removal efficiency are 7, 120 min, and 600 mg, respectively. In addition, the adsorption isotherm results revealed that the possible adsorption mechanisms might include surface adsorption, electrostatic adsorption, and ion exchanges. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) values predicted from the Langmuir model were 37.74 and 93.46 mg/g for BB and CBB, respectively, also indicating a potential application of CBB in practical wastewater. Desorption and regeneration of CBB were attained simultaneously and the results showed that even after five cycles of adsorption-elution, the adsorption and desorption of CBB exhibited a slight decline and still reached at 71.70% and 65.92%. Results from this study would provide a reference to functionalized CBB for Cd(II) adsorption in contaminated water.
When does credibility matter? The assessment of information sources in teenagers navigation regimes

The aim of this paper is to investigate when and how Brazilian teenagers assess the credibility of information sources. We analyze data collected through focus groups, guided internet searches, and interviews with sixty-one 14- to 19-year olds from the state of Rio de Janeiro. Participants used different criteria to attribute credibility to information sources, with expertise and reputation being two of the most relevant, placing specialists, teachers, and the mainstream media at the top of their list of credible sources. Interestingly, these sources are not necessarily the ones that are most present in their daily lives, and credibility is only a relevant factor in some circumstances. Based on our results and data from other studies on the topic, we propose three navigation regimes (dilletante, motivated, and constrained) as a framework for analyzing teenagers’ information evaluation behavior, in which the role of sources’ credibility varies considerably. We believe this framework can help in the development of more effective strategies for improving young people’s sourcing skills and media literacy.
Activity of Estrogen Receptor β Agonists in Therapy-Resistant Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

Background Among women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Estrogen receptor α positive (ERα+) breast cancer accounts for 70% of all breast cancer subtypes. Although ERα+ breast cancer initially responds to estrogen deprivation or blockade, resistance emergence compelling the use of more aggressive therapies. While ERα is a driver in ERα+ breast cancer, ERβ plays an inhibitory role in several different cancer types. To date, the lack of highly selective ERβ agonists without ERα activity has limited the exploration of ERβ activation as a strategy for ERα+ breast cancer. Methods We measured expression levels of ESR1 and ESR2 genes in immortalized mammary epithelial cells and different breast cancer cell lines. The viability of ERα+ breast cancer cell lines upon treatments with specific ERβ agonists, including OSU-ERb-12 and LY500307 was assessed. The specificity of the ERβ agonists, OSU-ERb-12 and LY500307, was confirmed by reporter assays. The effects of the agonists on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, colony formation, cell migration, and expression of tumor suppressor proteins were analyzed. The expression of ESR2 and genes containing ERE-AP1 composite response elements was examined in ERα+ human breast cancer samples to determine the correlation between ESR2 expression and overall survival and that of putative ESR2 regulated genes. Results In this study, we demonstrate the efficacy of highly selective ERβ agonists in ERα+ breast cancer cell lines and drug-resistant derivatives. ERβ agonists blocked cell proliferation, migration and colony formation; and induced apoptosis and S and/or G2/M cell cycle arrest of ERα+ breast cancer cell lines. Also, increases in the expression of the key tumor suppressors FOXO1 and FOXO3a were noted. Importantly, the strong synergy between ERβ agonists and ERα antagonists suggested that the efficacy of ERβ agonists is maximized by combination with ERα blockade. Lastly, ESR2 (ERβ gene) expression was negatively correlated with ESR1 (ERα gene) and CCND1 RNA expression in human metastatic ER+/HER2-breast cancer samples. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that highly selective ERβ agonists attenuate the viability of ERα+ breast cancer cell lines in vitro and suggest that this therapeutic strategy merits further evaluation for ERα+ breast cancer.
Modeling the Variety of Trip Opportunities in Recreational Route Networks

In this paper, we deal with the question of how the variety of trip opportunities can be modeled in – possibly complex – recreational trail networks (such as hiking paths or cycling ways). In order to quantify the variety of possible loop trips starting from specific trailheads (starting nodes accessible from outside the network) and the variety of connecting trips between specific origin-destination pairs, two novel measures of Loop Trip Variety Index (LTVI) and Connecting Trip Variety Index (CTVI) are proposed preliminarily and informally in [12], respectively, in the frame of assessing the impacts of some recent trail network developments. This paper establishes the formal definitions of improved variants of these measures, shows their well-definedness, presents the algorithms of their computation, investigates on their properties and benefits, and gives reasons of how and to what extent they can be treated as models of trip variety. Possible uses, application areas and future improvements are sketched especially for visitor management planning and profile-based trip recommendation systems.
Geodesign Approaches to City Resilience Planning: A Systematic Review

The increased frequency of extreme events facing society is placing mounting pressure on cities and regions that need more robust resilience planning against growing uncertainty. Data augmented participatory methods, such as geodesign, offer much promise in supporting strategic planning to make our cities and regions more resilient. In that context, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of geodesign practices in resilience planning, through a systematic review of the selected 487 studies available from various bibliographic databases. The results indicate that a total of 75 studies were connected to resilience thinking, with a focus on climate change, floods, and sea level rise risks. A significant cluster of those resilience-related studies worked, especially, on improving sustainability. A detailed analysis of 59 relevant geodesign case studies revealed a strong underlying emphasis on disaster risk reduction and management activities. This study also noticed two prominent approaches among the analysed case studies to future city scenario planning: computational (41 studies), and collaborative (18 studies). It is recommended that an explicit integration of these two approaches into the geodesign approach can assist future city resilience planning endeavours. Thus, future research should further investigate the utility of integrating data-driven modelling and simulation within a collaborative scenario planning process, the usability of digital tools such as planning support systems within a collaborative geodesign framework, and the value of the plan’s performance evaluation during resilience decision-making. Another area for future work is increased community engagement in city resilience practices. The geodesign approach can provide a comprehensive framework for bringing communities, decision-makers, experts, and technologists together to help plan for more resilient city futures. Finally, while geodesign’s explicit role in empirical resilience implementations has been found to be low in this systematic review study, there are significant opportunities to support evidence-based and collaborative city resilience planning and decision-making activities.
A New Way of Estimating the Spatial and Temporal Components of the Vertical Total Electron Content Gradient Based on UPC‐IonSAT Global Ionosphere Maps

The determination of the ionospheric perturbation degree is essential to describe the ionosphere state for space weather monitoring. A new method for estimating the spatial and temporal components of the Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) gradient is introduced. The new method is based on VTEC estimated at each grid point of Global Ionosphere Map (GIM) by the UPC‐IonSAT research group of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Depending on the requirement, the VTEC spatial gradients can be derived at selected regions or grid points of the GIM on a global scale. According to the comparison with previous studies over the Europe region during quiet ionosphere state and two severe geomagnetic storms, the new method has proven to be reliable and has a great potential for the monitoring of ionospheric perturbation degree on a global scale. In addition, the associated warning of disturbed ionosphere might be available in the context of the on‐going development of real‐time GIMs.
Cash Conversion Cycle and Value of Listed Oil and Gas Companies in Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of cash conversion cycle on the value of listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria, with the specific objectives of determining its impact on share price and Tobin’s Q. To achieve this, panel data is applied with the use of descriptive, correlational and explanatory research design. The study hypothesised two research hypotheses and generalised least square regression is used in analysing the collected data that were extracted from the annual reports and accounts of eight listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria for the period 2006-2019. Share price and Tobin’s Q were used as proxies for value of firm. The study found that cash conversion cycle has a negative and significant impact on the value of listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria. In view of this finding, the study recommended, among others, that the cash conversion cycle should be reduced as reasonably possible below 365 days when the economic condition is good and vice versa when the economic situation is hard as this will enhance the value positively. It is further recommended that the individual components of cash conversion cycle, such as inventory, receivables and payables, be studied individually as net off effect exist using cash conversion cycle. JEL Classification: G31, G32
Female Sex Is a Risk Factor Associated with Long-Term Post-COVID Related-Symptoms but Not with COVID-19 Symptoms: The LONG-COVID-EXP-CM Multicenter Study

This multicenter cohort study investigated the differences between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related symptoms and post-COVID symptoms between male and female COVID-19 survivors. Clinical and hospitalization data were collected from hospital medical records in a sample of individuals recovered from COVID-19 at five public hospitals in Spain. A predefined list of post-COVID symptoms was systematically assessed, but patients were free to report any symptom. Anxiety/depressive levels and sleep quality were also assessed. Adjusted multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the association of sex with post-COVID related-symptoms. A total of 1969 individuals (age: 61, SD: 16 years, 46.4% women) were assessed 8.4 months after discharge. No overall significant sex differences in COVID-19 onset symptoms at hospital admission were found. Post-COVID symptoms were present in up to 60% of hospitalized COVID-19 survivors eight months after the infection. The number of post-COVID symptoms was 2.25 for females and 1.5 for males. After adjusting by all variables, female sex was associated with ≥3 post-COVID symptoms (adj OR 2.54, 95%CI 1.671–3.865, p < 0.001), the presence of post-COVID fatigue (adj OR 1.514, 95%CI 1.040–2.205), dyspnea (rest: adj OR 1.428, 95%CI 1.081–1.886, exertion: adj OR 1.409, 95%CI 1.109–1.791), pain (adj OR 1.349, 95%CI 1.059–1.720), hair loss (adj OR 4.529, 95%CI 2.784–7.368), ocular problems (adj OR 1.981, 95%CI 1.185–3.312), depressive levels (adj OR 1.606, 95%CI 1.002–2.572) and worse sleep quality (adj OR 1.634, 95%CI 1.097–2.434). Female sex was a risk factor for the development of some long-term post-COVID symptoms including mood disorders. Healthcare systems should consider sex differences in the management of long haulers.
Internal controls for risk management: perception of auditors and managers

Purpose: This article aims to analyze the perception of auditors and managers in relation to internal controls in risk management in companies. Methodology: The research is descriptive and qualitative. Two identification scripts were carried out, divided into two parts: the first containing 05 closed questions about the characterization of the professionals and the second the questions directed to the research area. The first script was addressed to independent auditors and contains 08 open questions. The second was directed to the managers and contained 10 open questions, 07 of which were elaborated based on the theoretical framework of the research and the others were taken from the study by Peleias et al. (2017). Data processing took place through content analysis using the Atlas / TI software. Results: Based on the research findings, the managers claim to have an internal control that collaborates with risk management, in this sense they always invest in programs, as they claim that they help in the prevention of errors. In the view of independent auditors, Mossoró organizations have internal control and programs that collaborate for risk management, however, employees are not qualified to operationalize the actions in the systems. What compromises the performance of the results. In view of the analyzes carried out, it is possible to understand the different conceptions in relation to the internal control of companies. Contributions of tihis Study: The contribution of research in the theoretical aspect is to confront the different perceptions of auditors and managers, regarding the use of internal control in risk management in a practical reality. With regard to the practical aspect, this study aims to observe what is seen by auditors and what is not perceived within organizations, in this sense the operationalization of internal control is evaluated as effective, but in different angles that have a specific reality of the city of Mossoró, so the research shows that it is possible to solve problems of execution of internal control, providing a better performance and effectiveness of risk management.
MDS/MPN-Unclassifiable with t(X;17)(q28;q21) and KANSL1-MTCP1/CMC4 Fusion Gene

Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MDS/MPN-U) is a poorly characterized entity among overlap myeloid syndromes. Recent studies have shown heterogeneous mutational profiles in this group being able to subclassify them into entities closely related to the more well-established disorders under the umbrella term of the MDS/MPN group. Recurrent cytogenetic alterations are, nonetheless, rare in MDS/MPN-U. Here, for the first time, we report a case of MDS/MPN-U with a t(X;17)(q28;q21) chromosomal rearrangement leading to the KANSL1-MTCP1 fusion gene.
Increased incidence of melanoma in children and adolescents in Finland in 1990–2014: nationwide re-evaluation of histopathological characteristics

Abstract Background Changes in the incidence of melanoma in children and adolescents have been reported in Europe and in the USA in the recent decades. Aims The aim of this study was to examine the incidence of paediatric and adolescent melanomas in Finland in 1990-2014, and the associated clinical and histopathological characteristics to reveal temporal trends, such as changes in diagnostic sensitivity of Spitzoid melanomas. Methods Information on 122 patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma at 0-19 years of age in Finland in 1990-2014 were retrieved from the Finnish Cancer Registry. 73 primary melanoma archival samples were re-evaluated by two dermatopathologists to allow comparability over time. Results A 5.6% annual increase was observed in the incidence of melanoma among children and adolescents during the study period. Fifty-six tumours were confirmed as malignant melanomas in the re-evaluation. After correction for tumour misclassification in the Cancer Registry, the age-adjusted annual incidence was estimated to have increased from 1.4/1 000 000 in 1990-1994 to 5.8/1 000 000 in 2010-2014. The change in incidence was most prominent among adolescents and in Spitzoid melanoma subtype. Melanomas diagnosed 1990-2002 and 2003-2014 did not differ in terms of their clinicopathological characteristics or prognosis (hazard ratio for melanoma-related death 1.53, 95% CI 0.30 to 7.88). Spitzoid melanomas were diagnosed at a younger age, were of higher stage and had higher Clark level than other melanomas, yet the hazard ratio for death was 0.52 (95% CI 0.10 to 2.58) for Spitzoid versus other melanomas. Conclusions The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has clearly increased among the young in Finland, especially among adolescents. No evidence for overdiagnosis of Spitzoid melanomas as the underlying cause of the increased incidence was observed. Key message A nationwide retrospective re-evaluation of the cutaneous melanomas recorded in the Finnish Cancer Registry among patients aged 0–19 years in Finland in 1990–2014 revealed an approximately 4-fold increase in the incidence. The increase in the incidence was most prominent among adolescents and in the Spitzoid melanoma subtype. Our results contrast those reported in other countries, where the incidence of melanoma among adolescents has declined.