Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CONSUMER PROTECTION IN DIGITAL AGES CAUSAL EVIDENCE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

We investigate the effect of an EU-wide consumer protection regulation on consumer trust as well as cross-border purchases. The Unfair Commercial Practice Directive (UCPD) was implemented by the EU countries no later than 2010. To investigate the effect of the implementation, we utilize data from the Special and Flash Eurobarometer for the years between 2006 and 2014 and pre-UCPD consumer protection evaluations by experts. This rich data set allows us to apply a Difference-in-Difference estimator with multiple time periods. We find a causal relationship between the introduction of the UCPD and consumer trust as well as cross-border purchases. Especially, individuals of countries with a low pre-UCPD consumer protection standard benefit from the introduction of the UCPD.
Neural network and logistic regression diagnostic prediction models for giant cell arteritis: development and validation

Purpose To develop and validate neural network (NN) vs logistic regression (LR) diagnostic prediction models in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis (GCA). Design: Multicenter retrospective chart review. Methods An audit of consecutive patients undergoing temporal artery biopsy (TABx) for suspected GCA was conducted at 14 international medical centers. The outcome variable was biopsy-proven GCA. The predictor variables were age, gender, headache, clinical temporal artery abnormality, jaw claudication, vision loss, diplopia, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and platelet level. The data were divided into three groups to train, validate, and test the models. The NN model with the lowest false-negative rate was chosen. Internal and external validations were performed. Results Of 1,833 patients who underwent TABx, there was complete information on 1,201 patients, 300 (25%) of whom had a positive TABx. On multivariable LR age, platelets, jaw claudication, vision loss, log C-reactive protein, log erythrocyte sedimentation rate, headache, and clinical temporal artery abnormality were statistically significant predictors of a positive TABx (P≤0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve/Hosmer–Lemeshow P for LR was 0.867 (95% CI, 0.794, 0.917)/0.119 vs NN 0.860 (95% CI, 0.786, 0.911)/0.805, with no statistically significant difference of the area under the curves (P=0.316). The misclassification rate/false-negative rate of LR was 20.6%/47.5% vs 18.1%/30.5% for NN. Missing data analysis did not change the results. Conclusion Statistical models can aid in the triage of patients with suspected GCA. Misclassification remains a concern, but cutoff values for 95% and 99% sensitivities are provided (https://goo.gl/THCnuU).
Desertification Risk and Rural Development in Southern Europe: Permanent Assessment and Implications for Sustainable Land Management and Mitigation Policies

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification defines ‘land degradation’ as a reduction or loss of the biological and economic productivity resulting from land-use mismanagement, or a combination of processes, such as soil erosion, deterioration of soil properties, and loss of natural vegetation and biodiversity. Land degradation is hence an interactive process involving multiple factors, among which climate, land-use, economic dynamics and socio-demographic forces play a key role. Especially in the Mediterranean basin, joint biophysical and socioeconomic factors shape the intrinsic level of vulnerability of both natural and agricultural land to degradation. The interplay between biophysical and socioeconomic factors may become extremely complex over time and space, resulting in specific patterns of landscape deterioration. This paper summarizes theoretical expectations and empirical knowledge in the field of soil and landscape degradation in Mediterranean Europe, evidencing the intimate relationship between agriculture and socio-demographic factors of growth (or decline) of rural areas. Understanding spatio-temporal trends of each factor underlying land degradation and the related background context is a key tool in the assessment of the spatial distribution of vulnerable and critical land to degradation. Empirical results of a permanent monitoring of land degradation contributes to delineate more effective conservation policies through identification of target areas requiring specific actions for biodiversity and landscape protection. With increasing human pressure on rural environments, a diachronic evaluation of patterns and processes of land degradation reveals particularly appropriate in a both positive and normative perspective, prefiguring new actions for soil conservation and landscape valorization under global change.
Learning Condensed and Aligned Features for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Using Label Propagation

Unsupervised domain adaptation aiming to learn a specific task for one domain using another domain data has emerged to address the labeling issue in supervised learning, especially because it is difficult to obtain massive amounts of labeled data in practice. The existing methods have succeeded by reducing the difference between the embedded features of both domains, but the performance is still unsatisfactory compared to the supervised learning scheme. This is attributable to the embedded features that lay around each other but do not align perfectly and establish clearly separable clusters. We propose a novel domain adaptation method based on label propagation and cycle consistency to let the clusters of the features from the two domains overlap exactly and become clear for high accuracy. Specifically, we introduce cycle consistency to enforce the relationship between each cluster and exploit label propagation to achieve the association between the data from the perspective of the manifold structure instead of a one-to-one relation. Hence, we successfully formed aligned and discriminative clusters. We present the empirical results of our method for various domain adaptation scenarios and visualize the embedded features to prove that our method is critical for better domain adaptation.
PROSPECTS IN SUSTAINABLE CONTROL OF OIL PALM PESTS AND DISEASES THROUGH THE ENHANCEMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES-THE WAY FORWARD

The oil palm environment in Malaysia is rich in many ecosystem services which can be beneficial to control pests and diseases. Some examples are the soil microbes which consist of entomopathogenic fungi and bacteria which can be exploited for insect control, especially bagworms, rhinoceros beetle and termites. The bagworms (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) are currently severely infesting oil palm plantations in Malaysia. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of bagworms includes aerial spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), cultivation of beneficial plants and fixing of natural pheromone traps. The rhinoceros beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), can be managed with the soil fungus Metarhizium and the Oryctes nudivirus (OrNV). The subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) can be controlled with two entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae which perform similarly as an insecticide. The soil microflora, rich in soil antagonists, can be useful for the control of Ganoderma disease. The Integrated Ganoderma Management (IGM) approach is advocated, which aimed at minimising disease incidence in replanting and prolonging the productive life of the infected palm. Birds are also examples of ecosystem services which can be further exploited for the control of rodents and also insect pests. There are several endemic nocturnal and diurnal bird species inhabiting the oil palm plantation which have the potential to control pests, especially rats and bagworms. This article deliberates on some of the endemic ecosystem services in Malaysia which have been exploited towards the management of major pests and diseases in oil palm. The enhancement of existing and introduced ecosystem services would ensure better management of pests and diseases for the sustainable cultivation of oil palm.
Minimally-invasive estimation of patient-speciﬁc end-systolic elastance using a biomechanical heart model

The end-systolic elastance ( E es ) – the slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR) at the end of ejection phase – has become a reliable indicator of myocardial functional state. The estimation of E es by the original multiple-beat method is invasive, which limits its routine usage. By contrast, non-invasive single-beat estimation methods, based on the assumption of the linearity of ESPVR and the uniqueness of the normalised time-varying elastance curve E N ( t ) across subjects and physiology states, have been applied in a number of clinical studies. It is however known that these two assumptions have a limited validity, as ESPVR can be approximated by a linear function only lo-cally, and E N ( t ) obtained from a multi-subject experiment includes a conﬁdence interval around the mean function. Using datasets of 3 patients undergoing general anaesthesia (each containing aortic ﬂow and pressure measurements at baseline and after introducing a vasopressor noradrenaline), we ﬁrst study the sensitivity of two single-beat methods - by Sensaki et al. and by Chen et al. - to the uncertainty of E N ( t ). Then, we propose a minimally-invasive method based on a patient-speciﬁc biophysical modelling to estimate the whole time-varying elastance curve E model ( t ). We compare E modeles with the two single-beat estimation methods, and the normalised varying elastance curve E N, model ( t ) with E N ( t ) from published physiological experiments.
Profile of semaglutide in the management of type 2 diabetes: design, development, and place in therapy

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Low efficacy, weight gain, and hypoglycemia are the main pitfalls of previous treatments for T2DM. New therapies have been designed with the aim of improving the results in efficacy and quality of life. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) increase glucose-dependent insulin secretion, decrease gastric emptying, and reduce postprandial glucagon secretion. The last GLP-1 RA approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency was semaglutide. This review describes its pharmacology, core clinical data coming from the randomized controlled trials included in the development program, proven cardiovascular benefits, safety issues, and precautions for the use of semaglutide in special populations. Additionally, an overview of the positioning of semaglutide in T2DM therapy and practical issues regarding semaglutide initiation are offered.
Educating New Generations: Standpoints in Women’s and Gender Studies and Implications for the Inclusion of LGBTQ Studies in Italian University Courses

ABSTRACT It should not be surprising that in Italy, one of the latest European countries to recognize same-sex couples, LGBTIQ+ concerns are not included in students’ academic curricula. Therefore, following the historical path of gender studies (GS) and women’s studies (WS), this article explores the current feminist and gender discourse in order to catch a glimpse of what will be needed to fill this gap. To clarify which women’s and gender studies standpoints are taught to new generations in Italy, lexicometric and correspondence analysis were performed on the descriptions of universities courses teaching WS and GS perspectives. Although the international spread of these two perspectives in academia is still wide, the results indicate a consistent lack of these courses in Italian institutions of higher education and, moreover, separate viewpoints associated with the two perspectives.
A study on the association of psychiatric diagnoses and childhood adversities with suicide risk

Abstract Background: In addition to psychiatric disorders, childhood adversities may increase the risk of suicidal behavior. In previous studies, the effects of clinical co-morbidity and overlap of childhood adversities has rarely been taken into account. Aim: The study aims to search associations of psychiatric diagnoses and childhood adversities and trauma (CAT) with suicide risk. Methods: Altogether 415 adult patients attending primary and psychiatric outpatient care filled in the Trauma and Distress Scale, including assessment of five core CAT domains (emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect). The study patients’ current psychiatric disorders and suicide risk were assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results: Age, poor perceived health, poor social support, current psychiatric treatment, all psychiatric disorders, except hypomania, emotional and physical abuse, and emotional neglect did associate significantly with suicide risk. Number of psychiatric disorders and CAT domains had dose-dependent effects on suicide risk. In multivariate analysis, current psychiatric treatment, current and life-time major depression, social phobia, alcohol, and drug dependency, as well as emotional abuse had direct associations with suicide risk. In females, manic disorders and drug dependence, and in males, dysthymia, social phobia, and emotional abuse associated with suicide risk. Conclusions: Psychiatric disorders and most CAT domains associate with suicide risk. However, when the effect of co-morbidity and overlap of CAT domains is controlled, major depression, social phobia, alcohol, and drug dependency and emotional abuse seem to increase the risk of suicide. The risk profile varies between the genders.
Precision medicine: retrospective chart review and data analysis of 200 patients on dapsone combination therapy for chronic Lyme disease/post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome: part 1

Purpose We collected data from an online survey of 200 of our patients, which evaluated the efficacy of dapsone (diaminodiphenyl sulfone, ie, DDS) combined with other antibiotics and agents that disrupt biofilms for the treatment of chronic Lyme disease/post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). We also collected aggregate data from direct retrospective chart review, including laboratory testing for Lyme, other infections, and associated tick-borne coinfections. This helped us to determine the frequency of exposure to other infections/coinfections among a cohort of chronically ill Lyme patients, evaluate the efficacy of newer “persister” drug regimens like DDS, and determine how other infections and tick-borne coinfections may be contributing to the burden of chronic illness leading to resistant symptomatology. Patients and methods A total of 200 adult patients recruited from a specialized Lyme disease medical practice had been ill for at least 1 year. We regularly monitored laboratory values and participants’ symptom severity, and the patients completed the online symptom questionnaire both before beginning treatment and after 6 months on DDS combination therapy (DDS CT). Paired-samples t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank nonparametric test were performed on each of eight major Lyme symptoms, both before DDS CT and after 6 months of therapy. Results DDS CT statistically improved the eight major Lyme symptoms. We found multiple species of intracellular bacteria including rickettsia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Tularemia, and Brucella contributing to the burden of illness and a high prevalence of Babesia complicating management with probable geographic spread of Babesia WA1/duncani to the Northeast. Borrelia, Bartonella, and Mycoplasma species, as well as Babesia microti had variable manifestations and diverse seroreactivity, with evidence of persistence despite commonly prescribed courses of anti-infective therapies. Occasional reactivation of viral infections including human herpes virus 6 was also seen in immunocompromised individuals. Conclusion DDS CT decreased eight major Lyme symptoms severity and improved treatment outcomes among patients with chronic Lyme disease/PTLDS and associated coinfections.
Cycloserine Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Patients with Tuberculosis

Limited pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data exist on cycloserine in tuberculosis (TB) patients. We pooled several studies into a large PK data set to estimate the population PK parameters for cycloserine in TB patients. ABSTRACT Limited pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data exist on cycloserine in tuberculosis (TB) patients. We pooled several studies into a large PK data set to estimate the population PK parameters for cycloserine in TB patients. We also performed simulations to provide insight into optimizing the dosing of cycloserine. TB patients were included from Georgia, Bangladesh, and four U.S. sites. Monolix and mlxR package were used for population PK modeling and simulation. We used PK/PD targets for time above MIC of ≥30% and ≥64%, representing bactericidal activity and 80% of the maximum kill, to calculate the probability of target attainment (PTA). Optimal PK/PD breakpoints were defined as the highest MIC to achieve ≥90% of PTA. Data from 247 subjects, including 205 patients with drug-resistant TB, were included. The data were best described by a one-compartment model. In most cases, the PK/PD breakpoints for the simulated regimens were similar for both PK/PD targets. Higher PTA were achieved as the total daily dose was increased. The highest PK/PD breakpoint that resulted from the use of 250 mg dosages was 16 mg/liter. For MICs of >16 mg/liter, doses of at least 500 mg three times daily or 750 mg twice daily were needed. In conclusion, the current dosing for cycloserine, 250 to 500 mg once or twice daily, is not sufficient for MICs of >16mg/liter. Further studies are needed regarding the efficacy and tolerability of daily doses of >1,000 mg. Dividing the dose minimally affected the PK/PD breakpoints while optimizing exposure, which can potentially reduce adverse drug effects.
The role of literacy and numeracy skills across gender and countries

New data availability on skills has opened the possibility to answer different research questions that were difficult to tackle before. The recent work of Hanushek et al. (2015) using the PIAAC survey of adult skills has shown that returns to skills are heterogeneous for different countries. Most of the research has used only one skill type (often literacy or numeracy) to generalize the impact of skills. This article aims to disentangle the differences of numeracy and literacy skills and its interaction effect on labor market outcomes in a context of technological change. By including education in the analysis, I am also able to compare the impact of numeracy and literacy skills to education. The article focuses on the different impact of numeracy and literacy skills for labour market outcomes targeting particularly gender differences. Overall, results show that nowadays, numeracy and literacy skills matter significantly for men and women. However, numeracy pays off more than literacy skills. Numeracy and literacy seem not to be complementary, except among female non-graduates. And skill differences do not explain gender wage gap. Women receive always a wage penalty, even among homogeneous skill groups such as STEM graduates.
From Students’ Personal and Social Responsibility to Autonomy in Physical Education Classes

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect that the application of the personal and social responsibility model has on students’ perception of a teacher’s interpersonal style and on the perception of autonomy. A quasi-experimental design was used with a control group (n = 60) and an experimental group (n = 60) to which the intervention was applied. Participants were aged between 10 and 13 years. As the main results, the experimental group saw improvements in support for the autonomous interpersonal style, in the need for autonomy satisfaction and also in the perception of personal and social responsibility. Perception of the controlling style decreased. In conclusion, the use of this type of program in educational centers is recommended for its benefits with regard to students’ autonomy and personal and social responsibility.
Fungicides Films of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)/Inclusion Complexes (Carvacrol and Cinnamaldehyde) Against Botrytis Cinerea

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) films were prepared with the incorporation of natural agents (carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde) by the melting process. The co-precipitation method was used successfully to complex the carvacrol or trans-cinnamaldehyde with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The active compounds encapsulated in β-CD achieved ca. 90% encapsulation efficiency (E.E.). The inclusion complex studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) found particles of different sizes, ca. 4 μm. The active compounds were added directly (1 and 5 wt %) into the polymer matrix, yielding LDPE + carvacrol and LDPE + cinnamaldehyde films. The active compounds encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were added to LDPE, yielding LDPE + β-CD-carvacrol and LDPE + β-CD-cinnamaldehyde films. The incorporation of carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde, and their corresponding inclusion complexes with β-cyclodextrin, did not affect the thermal properties of LDPE. The microcapsules distributed in all polymer matrices had sizes of 5–20 μm as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In terms of mechanical properties, the polymers showed a slight decrease of Young’s modulus (12%) and yield stress compared (14%) to neat LDPE. This could be due to the essential oil acting as a plasticizer in the polymer matrix. The LDPE + carvacrol and LDPE + cinnamaldehyde films had the capacity to inhibit fungi by 99% compared to neat LDPE. The effectiveness against fungi of LDPE+β-CD + active agent was slower than by the direct incorporation of the essential oil in the LDPE in the same amount of active agent. The biocidal properties were related to the gradual release of active compound from the polymer. The results confirm the applicability of carvacrol, trans-cinnamaldehyde, and their corresponding inclusion complexes in active packaging, as well as their use in the food delivery industry.
Diffusion in Binary Aqueous Solutions of Alcohols by Molecular Simulation

Based on the molecular dynamics method, the calculations for diffusion coefficients were carried out in binary aqueous solutions of three alcohols: ethanol, isopropanol, and tert-butanol. The intermolecular potential TIP4P/2005 was used for water; and five force fields were analyzed for the alcohols. The force fields providing the best accuracy of calculation were identified based on a comparison of the calculated self-diffusion coefficients of pure alcohols with the experimental data for internal (Einstein) diffusion coefficients of alcohols in solutions. The temperature and concentration dependences of the interdiffusion coefficients were determined using Darken’s Equation. Transport (Fickian) diffusion coefficients were calculated using a thermodynamic factor determined by the non-random two-liquid (NRTL) and Willson models. It was demonstrated that for adequate reproduction of the experimental data when calculating the transport diffusion coefficients, the thermodynamic factor has to be 0.64. Simple approximations were obtained, providing satisfactory accuracy in calculating the concentration and temperature dependences of the transport diffusion coefficients in the studied mixtures.