Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management of young children's acute pain and anxiety during invasive medical procedures.

Acute painful medical procedures frequently engender anxiety reactions in children and sensitize them to future medical interventions. Techniques that reduce pain and anxiety, including behavioral distraction (e.g. bubbles and pop-up books), kinesthetic methods (e.g. rocking), and imaginal methods (e.g. hypnosis), are discussed and described using case examples. Guidelines are provided for the physician's management of children during acute painful procedures. These include methods of engaging the child and the use of ego-supporting suggestions. These pain reduction techniques are synergistic with analgesics and have long-term benefits for pediatric patients.
The management accounting and the business strategy development at SMEs

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between management accounting practices and strategy development in SMEs. SMEs are among the main actors of economic development and growth. To determine the right strategies in a variable and competitive market, the qualitative and quantitative knowledge produced by the accounting system is needed. The management accounting system can influence managerial decisions, change strategies, and affect the performance of the firm through its extensive practices. Using the multivariate statistical analyses, the results of the applied studies for SMEs show that the management accounting system’s planning and control, cost management, and performance measurement and evaluation functions significantly affect which strategy the firms will implement. According to the research, the management accounting practices used by SMEs are related to the company strategies they have taken, and these actions have been reached as an effect on the strategies of the companies.
Overview of Blockchain as the Engine of the 4th Industrial Revolution

In this paper, we look at how blockchain ecosystem coupled with blockchain technology is developing to foster a new blockchain-powered society. When applications are diversifying, you will be able to perform voting on the blockchain, register assets, write smart contracts without the force of a third party. The work’s attribution and provenance nature of blockchain could play a greater role in the music and art industry. The concept of the distributed ledger using blockchain, though still in its infancy, is a potentially much more radical innovation, creating new ways for firms to exchange value without relying on central infrastructure, and hence, revolutionize the way we do business in the now commencing Industry 4.0.
EBM user and practitioner models for graduate medical education: what do residents prefer?

The objective of the study reported in this article was to assess and explain medical residents’ preferences for the evidence based medicine (EBM) practitioner versus the EBM user models. A self-administered survey and focus group of residents attending a core curriculum EBM master session were undertaken. Most residents, particularly those earlier in their training, preferred the practitioner model. Residents perceived that model as an opportunity to gain advanced EBM skills during residency, as providing the ability to choose practicing under both models, and as offering the gain of independent thinking and greater self-confidence in their critical appraisal skills. The user model had the advantage of reduced time requirements. In sum, the majority of residents preferred a curriculum that focuses on the practitioner over the user model.
To click or to buy over the counter drugs: exploring the behaviour of Slovenian customers

The supply and demand of the information and availability of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs online has increased substantially. Customers express three typical online behaviours regarding OTC drugs: browsing information about OTC drugs without any particular purpose, searching for particular information or product, and buying OTC drugs. This study investigates the determinants of online behaviour regarding OTC drugs. The data was acquired using a random sample of Slovenian citizens. Logistic regression method was used to determine which factors influence browsing, searching, and/or buying of OTC drugs online for two age groups: younger and older than 40. The findings suggest that intensity of using the internet use, trust in buying OTC drugs online, as well as education, income and location influence on the online behaviour of customers regarding OTC drugs. It has also been determined that age has a moderating effect, indicating motivation of younger and older customers by different determinants.
A 1200-atmosphere bulk-type all-silicon pressure sensor

Distinct from conventional diaphragm-type pressure sensors, a bulk-type silicon-based pressure sensor is proposed and demonstrated. External hydrostatic pressure acting on the sensor is converted to biaxial compression inside an all-silicon encapsulated vacuum cavity, and measured using four piezoresistors oriented to optimally utilize the anisotropy of silicon piezoresistance. Limited only by the test setup but intrinsically capable of a much higher pressure rating, the sensor has been tested to 120 MPa (around 1200 atmospheres). Containing no fragile movable micro-structures and constructed almost entirely of silicon using conventional micro-fabrication techniques, the self-contained sensor is robust and potentially low-cost.
Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the metabolic syndrome in minority youth.

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the associations among physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Latino and African American youth using both subjective and objective measures of activity levels. METHODS Cross-sectional data from 105 participants from three pediatric obesity studies that share a core set of methods and measures (Latino 74%, female 75%, mean age = 13 ± 3 yr) were used. Measures included moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior by accelerometry and 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR), fat and lean tissue mass by BodPod™, fasting glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference. Associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and MetS were examined using ANCOVA, Pearson correlations, partial correlations, and logistic regressions with adjustments for age, sex, ethnicity, fat and lean mass, and pubertal Tanner stage. RESULTS Accelerometry data showed that greater time engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was related to lower odds of the MetS (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.25-0.98), independent of sedentary behavior and covariates, and inversely correlated with fasting glucose (r = -0.21, P = 0.03) and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.25, P = 0.01), adjusting for covariates. Data from the 3DPAR showed that higher levels of sedentary behavior were related to higher odds of the MetS (odds ratio = 4.44, 95% confidence interval = 1.33-14.79), independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and covariates, negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.21, P = 0.04) and positively correlated systolic blood pressure (r = 0.26, P = 0.009), adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS Future interventions aiming to improve metabolic health in youth should target both the promotion of physical activity and the reduction of sedentary behavior. Subjective and objective measures should be used in conjunction to better capture activity behaviors.
New computation of normal vector and curvature

The local geometric properties such as curvatures and normal vectors play important roles in analyzing the local shape of objects. The result of the geometric operations such as mesh simplification and mesh smoothing is dependent on how to compute the normal vectors and the curvatures of vertices, because there are no exact definitions of the normal vector and the discrete curvature in meshes. Therefore, the discrete curvature and normal vector estimation play the fundamental roles in the fields of computer graphics and computer vision. In this paper, we propose new methods for computing normal vector and curvature well, which are more intuitive than the previous methods. Our normal vector computation algorithm is able to compute the normal vectors more accurately and is available to meshes of arbitrary topology. It is due to the properties of local conformal mapping and the mean value coordinates. Secondly, we point out the fatal error of the previous discrete curvature estimations, and then propose a new discrete sectional-curvature estimation to be able to overcome the error. The method is based on the parabola interpolation and the geometric properties of Bezier curve. It is confirmed by experiment that the normal vector and the curvature generated by our algorithm are more accurate than that of the previous methods.
Wavelet neural networks for function learning

A wavelet-based neural network is described. The structure of this network is similar to that of the radial basis function (RBF) network, except that in the present paper the radial basis functions are replaced by orthonormal scaling functions that are not necessarily radial-symmetric. The efficacy of this type of network in function learning and estimation is demonstrated through theoretical analysis and experimental results. In particular, it has been shown that the wavelet network has universal and L/sup 2/ approximation properties and is a consistent function estimator. Convergence rates associated with these properties are obtained for certain function classes where the rates avoid the "curse of dimensionality". In the experiments, the wavelet network performed well and compared favorably to the MLP and RBF networks. >
A User Relinquishment-based Resource Assignment Scheme to Maximize the Net Profit of Cloud Service Providers

In a cloud federation, by using the pay-as-you-go billing model users can relinquish their services at any point in time and pay accordingly. Therefore, this thesis aims to study the resource assignment problem in the situation where the user relinquishment impacts the net profit of a cloud service provider. As a solution, our study 1) proposes a tool to calculate the net profit which includes income, electricity expenses, and relinquishment loss; 2) compares different ways to predict the user behavior and deduce a better prediction technique based on linear regression; and 3) proposes a relinquishment-aware resource optimization model to estimate the amount of resources based upon the predicted user behavior. Simulations were performed with the CloudSim framework. The results show that instead of blindly assigning resources to users, a cloud service provider with a finite resource pool can gain more by estimating the resources using better prediction techniques.
ON THE NUMBER OF STATIONARY PATTERNS IN REACTION-DIFFUSION SYSTEMS

We study systems of two nonlinear reaction-diffusion partial differential equations undergoing diffusion driven instability. Such systems may have spatially inhomogeneous stationary solutions called Turing patterns. These solutions are typically non-unique and it is not clear how many of them exists. Since there are no analytical results available, we look for the number of distinct stationary solutions numerically. As a typical example, we investigate the reaction-diffusion system designed to model coat patterns in leopard and jaguar.
Genetic variants of STAT 4 are associated with ankylosing spondylitis susceptibility and severity in a Chinese Han population

Objective: Genetic factors play an important role in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) etiology and signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene polymorphisms may be involved. The aim of this study was to test whether STAT4 variants were associated with susceptibility to AS in a Chinese population. Methods: A total of 175 subjects who were diagnosed as AS and 249 healthy age-matched controls were enrolled in the present study. The rs7574865 G/T SNP in STAT4 gene was genotyped in all the subjects. The SPSS software was used to investigate the association between the rs7574865 genotypes and AS susceptibility or severity. Results: Rs7574865 G/T was found to be significantly associated with increased risk and severity of AS. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated the STAT4 rs7574865 G/T SNP was significantly associated with increased AS susceptibility and severity in Chinese Han Population.
Ask me why: Using vignettes to understand patterns of intrahousehold decision making in rural Senegal

We study decision-making in dairy farming households in Senegal and investigate respondentsâ€™ perceptions of why a particular person made the decision. Using vignettes, we ask respondents how similar they are to five types of households. We analyze how the identity of the decision-maker and the rationale for decision-making are related to milk production, hemoglobin levels among children, and satisfaction with decisions. We find that while male dictators achieve better outcomes than most decision-making structures, households in which husbands (wives) decide because they are most informed produce more milk than households in which husbands (wives) decide because they are dictators.
Non-equilibrium folding of individual DNA molecules recaptured up to 1000 times in a solid state nanopore

We investigate translocation of linear and circular double-stranded DNA molecules through solid state nanopores where each molecule is recaptured and re-translocated many times. Single molecules can be recaptured by switching voltage polarity for hundreds or even thousands of times. The large number of recapture events allows statistics on the translocation of individual molecules. Surprisingly, we observe that recaptured DNA molecules do not translocate in a linear head-to-tail fashion, but instead translocate as a folded blob where multiple parts of the DNA molecule simultaneously translocate through the pore in parallel. This folding is observed through the presence of up to 13 DNA double strands from the same molecule simultaneously inside the pore, as well as many smaller fold numbers occurring during the course of a translocation event. The strong folding is particularly prominent when the molecule is recaptured at short timescales, i.e. shorter than its characteristic time to relax to its equilibrium configuration. At longer recapture times, both the amount of folding and the mean duration of translocation approach the values observed in non-recapture experiments. The data shows that the translocation time of a molecule depends on the molecule’s conformation at the start of the translocation process, with extended molecules having a longer translocation time. The observations can be attributed to a high-density non-equilibrium DNA configuration that arises in the close vicinity of the nanopore immediately after translocation, which dissipates on a timescale given by the Zimm relaxation time.
Intravenous use of the calcium-channel blocker nicardipine as second-line treatment in severe, early-onset pre-eclamptic patients

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous administration of nicardipine as a second-line temporizing treatment in severe, early-onset, pre-eclamptic patients. Design An open, prospective, evaluation study. Setting A high-care obstetric ward in a tertiary care centre. Patients Twenty-seven early-onset, pre-eclamptic patients with a median gestational age of 27 weeks 1 day (range, 21 weeks 2 days–32 weeks 4 days) with treatment failure on standard intravenous antihypertensive drugs (ketanserin, dihydralazin or labetalol). Intervention Nicardipine infusion was started for temporizing management of pre-eclampsia at a dosage of 3 mg/h and was subsequently titrated according to blood pressure. Nicardipine treatment was continued for as long as the maternal and foetal conditions allowed. Main outcome measures The endpoints of the study were defined as the percentage of patients reaching the target diastolic intra-arterial blood pressure (< 100 mmHg or < 90 mmHg in Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelet Count syndrome patients) within 1 h after the start of treatment, and the number of days of prolongation of pregnancy under nicardipine treatment. Maternal and foetal side effects, foetal death and neonatal outcome were assessed. Results In all patients the target diastolic intra-arterial blood pressure was obtained within a median of 23 min (range, 5–60 min). Delivery was postponed for a median of 4.7 days (range, 1–26 days) using nicardipine treatment, in a maximum dosage ranging from 3 to 9 mg/h. Detailed haemodynamic parameters with corresponding nicardipine dosages were obtained in nine patients. In one-fifth of the patients, unwanted hypotensive periods were registered during treatment, manageable with dosage adaptation. Foetal well-being did not seem adversely affected. Conclusion This evaluation shows that nicardipine is a potent antihypertensive drug and can be used for temporizing management in severe, early-onset pre-eclampsia when other antihypertensive drugs have failed.
Predictors of the persistence of conduct difficulties in children with cognitive delay.

BACKGROUND High rates of conduct difficulties have been reported among children with borderline intellectual disabilities or intellectual disabilities. Little is known about predictors of the persistence of conduct difficulties in the pre-adolescent period in this high-risk group. METHODS Secondary analysis of data from the first three waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. RESULTS The prevalence of conduct difficulties at age 4/5 years among children with cognitive delay was independently associated with: living in an income poor household; living in a more deprived neighbourhood; having co-morbid emotional difficulties; having poorer pro-social behaviours; poorer maternal health; greater exposure to angry/harsh parenting; and greater exposure to more inconsistent parenting. The persistence of conduct difficulties at ages 6/7 years and 8/9 years was independently associated with: male child gender; living in material hardship; child expressive communication difficulties; living in a single parent headed household; and greater exposure to angry/harsh and inconsistent parenting. When compared to their more intellectually able peers, children with borderline or intellectual disability were significantly more likely to exhibit persistent conduct difficulties, but only when exposed to multiple environmental risks. These results were consistent across different thresholds for measuring conduct difficulties and different thresholds for measuring cognitive delay. CONCLUSIONS The persistence and high levels of conduct difficulties among this high risk group appears to be associated with a combination of increased risk of exposure to environmental adversity and decreased resilience when so exposed.
Multi-view joint learning network for pedestrian gender classification

Since the object occlusion, view variation, arbitrary shape of pedestrian, etc., are inherited in the pedestrian images, the pedestrian gender classification is an extremely challenging task in the object recognition field. To address this problem, an effective multi-view joint learning network (MJLN) is proposed for pedestrian gender classification. Based on the observation that the view variation of pedestrian will affect the judgment of pedestrian gender, the proposed MJLN simultaneously performs pedestrian gender learning and pedestrian view learning. Consequently, the determination of pedestrian view (i.e., frontal, rear, and left/right profile) obtained by the pedestrian view learning module will effectively assist the pedestrian gender learning module to yield a more robust and distinguishable feature so as to improve the gender classification performance. Extensive experiments on multiple challenging pedestrian datasets, which includes CUHK, VIPeR, GRID, PRID, and MIT, have demonstrated that the proposed MJLN can effectively promote the gender classification performance, and outperforms multiple state-of-the-art methods.
Papel de la carnitina palmitoiltransferasa 1A hipotalámica en el control de la ingesta

La elevada incidencia de la obesidad y las enfermedades relacionadas han convertido en una prioridad el estudio de los mecanismos destinados a controlar la ingesta y el gasto calorico. Ambos procesos estan regulados por las interacciones bidireccionales entre el sistema nervioso central y los organos perifericos, las cuales permiten crear un mapa del estado energetico del organismo y responder en consecuencia ajustando tanto el consumo de alimentos como el gasto de energia. El hipotalamo es una parte del sistema nervioso central con un papel protagonista en el control de la homeostasis energetica. Es una estructura integradora de senales centrales y perifericas implicada en la regulacion de varios procesos, entre otros, el apetito. Durante los ultimos anos, multiples estudios han tratado de profundizar en los mecanismos moleculares que, en el hipotalamo, controlan la expresion de los neuropeptidos y neuromoduladores encargados de regular la ingesta. Como resultado se ha demostrado el papel clave que juega el metabolismo de los acidos grasos en estos procesos. Concretamente, se ha propuesto que moleculas como el malonil-CoA derivado de la glucosa, o los aciles-CoA de cadena larga (LCFA-CoA, long chain fatty acyl-CoA) actuan como senales intracelulares de saciedad regulando el apetito. El enzima carnitina palmitoiltransferasa (CPT) 1, cataliza la entrada de LCFA-CoA al interior de la mitocondria, y es el principal regulador de la oxidacion de acidos grasos. A su vez, su actividad se encuentra inhibida por el primer intermediario de la lipogenesis, el malonil-CoA, lo que permite mantener un equilibrio entre la sintesis y la oxidacion de las grasas. En esta Tesis se ha estudiado el efecto que la modulacion de CPT1 en el hipotalamo tiene sobre la ingesta de alimentos. Para ello se han utilizado dos aproximaciones experimentales diferentes. En primer lugar se ha sobre expresado una isoforma permanentemente activa del enzima (CPT1AM) en el nucleo ventromedial del hipotalamo. En segundo lugar se ha estudiado el efecto de la administracion central del compuesto anorexigenico C75 que, una vez activado a C75-CoA, actua como potente inhibidor de CPT1. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la sobre-expresion de CPT1AM en el hipotalamo causa inicialmente hiperfagia y, en un estado posterior, resistencia a la insulina, intolerancia a la glucosa e hiperglucemia. Por otro lado, la inhibicion de CPT1 en el hipotalamo tras el tratamiento con C75 produce una disminucion de la ingesta y una perdida de peso aportando nuevas pistas sobre el mecanismo de accion central de C75. Tomados en conjunto, estos resultados confirman el importante papel que el enzima CPT1 juega en la regulacion del apetito. Asimismo, aportan nuevos datos sobre los mecanismos centrales que modulan el metabolismo glucidico. Por otro lado demuestran que la inhibicion de CPT1 a nivel central se deriva en una disminucion de la ingesta resaltando la importancia de este enzima como diana terapeutica para el tratamiento de la obesidad.
Data confidentiality and computations hiding in cloud services for public administration

Cloud services are gaining interest and are very interesting option for public administration. Although, there is a lot of concern about security and privacy of storing personal data in cloud. In this work mathematical tools for securing data and hiding computations are presented. Data privacy is obtained by using homomorphic encryption schemes. Computation hiding is done by algorithm cryptographic obfuscation. Both primitives are presented and their application for public administration is discussed.