Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solitary Rectal Ulcer Syndrome: A Biopsychosocial Assessment

Background: Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal tract and its etiology is not well understood. There is no specific treatment for this syndrome and patients with SRUS may, for years, experience many complications. The aim of the present research was the biopsychosocial study of patients with SRUS. Methods: The study participants consisted of 16 patients with SRUS (7 men and 9 women). Their medical records were reviewed retrospectively to evaluate the clinical spectrum of the patients along with the endoscopic and histological findings. Moreover, psychiatric and personality disorders [based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 th ed, Text Revision (DSM IV-TR)], psychosocial stressors, early life traumas, and coping mechanisms were assessed through structured interviews. Results: At presentation, mean age of the patients was 39 years (16 to 70). Common symptoms reported included rectal bleeding (93.8%), rectal self-digitations (81.2%), passage of mucous (75%), anal pain (75%), and straining (75%). Endoscopically, solitary and multiple lesions were present in 9 (60%) and 4 (26.7%) patients, respectively, and 87% of lesions were ulcerative and 13.3% polypoidal. The most common histological findings were superficial ulceration (92.85%) and intercryptic fibromuscular obliteration (87.71%). Common psychosocial findings included anxiety disorders (50%), depression (37.5%), obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) or traits (62.5%), interpersonal problems (43.75%), marital conflicts (43.75%), occupational stress (37.5%), early life traumas, physical abuse (31.25%), sexual abuse (31.25%), dysfunctional coping mechanisms, emotional inhibition (50%), and non-assertiveness (37.5%). Conclusion: Given the evidence in this study, we cannot ignore the psychosocial problems of patients with SRUS and biopsychosocial assessment of SRUS is more appropriate than biomedical evaluation alone.
Antecedents of Employee Satisfaction and its impact on Job Turnover

Although various research, studies have been conducted to understand the concept of employee satisfaction but still organizations are unable to capture those variables that affect the employee satisfaction the most. The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that affect employee satisfaction and how much is the intensity. Specifically, we took employee empowerment, workplace environment and pay & promotion as the antecedents to see their impact on employee satisfaction and further the impact of employee satisfaction on employee turnover. A questionnaire was developed in order to collect the data for understanding the employee satisfaction level in various organizations. Convenient sampling was used to collect the data and 150 questionnaires were filled from the employees of different private and public organizations. Statistically, association of employee empowerment and workplace environment with employee satisfaction showed significant results, but the relationship between pay and promotion and employee satisfaction was somewhat insignificant. Furthermore, the effect of employee satisfaction on turnover intention of employees was also significant. This study will help the managers and organizations to better understand about the satisfaction level of employees and how they can motivate their employees to perform their job efficiently and effectively.
Exploring How Advocacy Influences Policy Decisions Regarding Child Abuse and Neglect: Perspectives of Political Leaders in Colorado

This exploratory case study examined the perspectives of state-level elected officials regarding what influences policy decisions related to child abuse and neglect issues. By interviewing six former state-level elected officials, the study explored what policy makers believe about their ability to impact child abuse policies, how they define, and ways they have experienced. evidence-based policy, and what they know about risk factors and protective factors with regard to child abuse-related policy. The study design was inspired by the Harvard Family Research Project’s (2005) Bellwether Methodology, which bases advocacy strategy on the knowledge base and input from influential policy makers. The findings from this study are intended to provide insights about how advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders can most effectively influence child abuserelated policy decisions.
Randomness Extraction in Finite Fields

Many technics for randomness extraction over finite fields was proposed by various authors such as Fouque et al. and Carneti et al. At eurocrypt’09, these previous works was improved by Chevalier et al., over a finite field Fp, where p is a prime. But their papers don’t study the case where the field is not prime such as binary fields. In this paper, we present a deterministic extractor for a multiplicative subgroup of F∗pn , where p is a prime. In particular, we show that the k-first F2-coefficients of a random element in a subgroup of F∗2n are indistinguishable from a random bit-string of the same length. Hence, under the Decisional Diffie-Hellman assumption over binary fields, one can deterministically derive a uniformly random bit-string from a Diffie-Hellman key exchange in the standard model. Over Fp, Chevalier et al. use the ”Polya-Vinogradov inequality” to bound incomplete character sums but over F∗pn we use ”Winterhof inequality” to bound incomplete character sums. Our proposition is a good deterministic extractor even if the length of its output is less than those one can have with the leftover hash lemma and universal hash functions. Our extractor can be used in any cryptographic protocol or encryption schemes.
Feather microstructure predicts size and colour intensity of a melanin‐based plumage signal

Feather microstructure affects the light absorbed by plumage pigments. However, the effect of particular elements of feather microstructure on the expression of pigmentary colours or on the size of colour patches has never been investigated. Here I use a model of avian visual perception and scanning electron microscope imaging of feathers to show that part of variation in the size and colour properties of a melanin-based plumage signal of quality, the black breast stripe of great tits Parus major, is explained by three elements of feather microstructure (barbule density, barb cortex size and barb pith size). The strongest associations were between large stripes and low barbule density, between dark stripes and high barbule density, and between stripes with high relative long reflectance and high barbule density and thin barb cortex. By contrast, carotenoid-based colour was not related to microstructural elements. Thus, it is possible that not all variation in melanin-based colour is determined by melanin content, but also by feather microstructure. These findings should be considered by studies on the evolution of signals of quality.
Unravelling the one-carbon metabolism of the acetogen Sporomusa strain An4 by genome and proteome analysis.

The Sporomusa genus comprises anaerobic spore-forming acetogenic bacteria that stain Gram-negative. Sporomusa species typically grow with one-carbon substrates and N-methylated compounds. In the degradation of these compounds methyltransferases are involved. In addition, Sporomusa species can grow autotrophically with H2 and CO2 , and use a variety of sugars for acetogenic growth. Here we describe a genome analysis of Sporomusa strain An4 and a proteome analysis of cells grown under five different conditions. Comparison of the genomes of Sporomusa strain An4 and Sporomusa ovata strain H1 indicated that An4 is a S. ovata strain. Proteome analysis showed a high abundance of several methyltransferases, predominantly trimethylamine methyltransferases, during growth with betaine, whereas trimethylamine is one of the main end-products of betaine degradation. In methanol degradation methyltransferases are also involved. In methanol-utilizing methanogens, two methyltransferases catalyse methanol conversion, methyltransferase 1 composed of subunits MtaB and MtaC and methyltransferase 2, also called MtaA. The two methyltransferase 1 subunits MtaB and MtaC were highly abundant when strain An4 was grown with methanol. However, instead of MtaA a methyltetrahydrofolate methyltransferase was synthesized. We propose a novel methanol degradation pathway in Sporomusa strain An4 that uses a methyltetrahydrofolate methyltransferase instead of MtaA.
Constituency Opinion and Congressional Behavior: A Reexamination of the Miller-Stokes Representation Data

Reexamining Miller and Stokes's 1958 representation data, this article demonstrates that Miller and Stokes may have underestimated the extent of congressional representation in their classic study. It is argued that the correlations between sampled constituency opinion and congressional behavior are more seriously attenuated by sampling error than has been recognized. Unlike sampled constituency opinion, measures of constituency opinion based on simulation are shown to correlate relatively highly with congressional behavior. Evidence is presented which indicates that elections are a major source of this representation.
A Network Perspective on Stratification of Multi-Label Data

In the recent years, we have witnessed the development of multi-label classification methods which utilize the structure of the label space in a divide and conquer approach to improve classification performance and allow large data sets to be classified efficiently. Yet most of the available data sets have been provided in train/test splits that did not account for maintaining a distribution of higher-order relationships between labels among splits or folds. We present a new approach to stratifying multi-label data for classification purposes based on the iterative stratification approach proposed by Sechidis et. al. in an ECML PKDD 2011 paper. Our method extends the iterative approach to take into account second-order relationships between labels. Obtained results are evaluated using statistical properties of obtained strata as presented by Sechidis. We also propose new statistical measures relevant to second-order quality: label pairs distribution, the percentage of label pairs without positive evidence in folds and label pair - fold pairs that have no positive evidence for the label pair. We verify the impact of new methods on classification performance of Binary Relevance, Label Powerset and a fast greedy community detection based label space partitioning classifier. Random Forests serve as base classifiers. We check the variation of the number of communities obtained per fold, and the stability of their modularity score. Second-Order Iterative Stratification is compared to standard k-fold, label set, and iterative stratification. The proposed approach lowers the variance of classification quality, improves label pair oriented measures and example distribution while maintaining a competitive quality in label-oriented measures. We also witness an increase in stability of network characteristics.
The HMGA1 Pseudogene 7 Induces miR-483 and miR-675 Upregulation by Activating Egr1 through a ceRNA Mechanism

Several studies have established that pseudogene mRNAs can work as competing endogenous RNAs and, when deregulated, play a key role in the onset of human neoplasias. Recently, we have isolated two HMGA1 pseudogenes, HMGA1P6 and HMGA1P7. These pseudogenes have a critical role in cancer progression, acting as micro RNA (miRNA) sponges for HMGA1 and other cancer-related genes. HMGA1 pseudogenes were found overexpressed in several human carcinomas, and their expression levels positively correlate with an advanced cancer stage and a poor prognosis. In order to investigate the molecular alterations following HMGA1 pseudogene 7 overexpression, we carried out miRNA sequencing analysis on HMGA1P7 overexpressing mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Intriguingly, the most upregulated miRNAs were miR-483 and miR-675 that have been described as key regulators in cancer progression. Here, we report that HMGA1P7 upregulates miR-483 and miR-675 through a competing endogenous RNA mechanism with Egr1, a transcriptional factor that positively regulates miR-483 and miR-675 expression.
A novel approach to antibiofilm susceptibility testing using a thermo-reversible matrix.

OBJECTIVE Biofilm microorganisms are known to have a much higher tolerance to antimicrobials compared to their planktonic equivalents. Therefore, traditional antimicrobial susceptibility testing may not extrapolate to clinical treatment of infections of biofilm origin, and as a result, there is a need to not only develop antimicrobials with antibiofilm activity, but also suitable in vitro testing methods for their evaluation. In this study, we report on a novel method of antibiofilm testing using a thermo-reversible matrix (poloxamer 407), coupled with live/dead staining of bacteria cultured from the matrix. METHOD Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCIMB 8626) was cultured in medium containing poloxamer 407 at 37°C for 24 hours to generate biofilms. The preparation was cooled to liquefy the poloxamer and allow recovery of the biofilm cells, which were then stained with SYTO9 to determine viability following exposure to four antimicrobials: polyhexanide, octenadine dihydrochloride, povidone-iodine and silver carbonate. Over an 8-minute time period, fluorescence levels were spectrophotometrically measured and compared with bacterial controls, cultured in the absence of poloxamer and without antimicrobial. RESULTS Untreated cells showed no reduction in viability over this period. Importantly, planktonic cells were more susceptible to test agents compared with those of a 'biofilm' phenotype cultured in poloxamer. Antibiofilm activity was evident for all of the test agents, with highest relative activity seen with octenadine dihydrochloride. CONCLUSION In summary, a novel and relatively rapid approach to screen compounds for antibiofilm activity has been described. The method uses standard laboratory equipment and can be readily adapted to test a wide range of microorganisms and other antibiofilm compounds. DECLARATION OF INTEREST This research was, in part, supported by Advanced Medical Solutions in the form of a Knowledge Transfer Project. Mr J. Nosworthy was employed by Advanced Medical Solutions. There are no other conflicts of interests to declare.
Potential Use of Spectral Reflectance Indices as a Selection Tool for Grain Yield in Winter Wheat under Great Plains Conditions

Selection criteria that would facilitate increased genetic gain for grain yield would be considered advantageous in plant breeding programs. We evaluated the potential of spectral reflectance indices (SRI) for assessing grain yield variability in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under Great Plains conditions. One experiment was conducted at two locations on the Oklahoma State University research farms for 1 yr, and two experiments were conducted for 2 yr at a single location. The first experiment included 25 winter wheat cultivars from the Great Plains, and the other two experiments contained two groups of 25 F 4:6 and F 4:7 recombinant inbred lines. Six reported SRI (red and green normalized difference vegetation index, RNDVI, GNDVI; simple ratio, SR; water index, WI; normalized water indices 1 and 2, NWI-1 and NWI-2), and two new normalized water indices (NWI-3 and NWI-4) were calculated at booting, heading, and early grain-filling stages using a FiefdSpec UV/VNIR spectroradiometer. Significant genotypic variation was observed for SRI and growth stages, though the booting stage was least associated with grain yield. The relationships of grain yield with WI and NWI were stronger than with the RNDVI and SR. The WI and the NWI performed better in identifying superior genotypes, either at any individual growth stage or in a combination of growth stages. Our study clearly demonstrated the potential of using SRI as a selection tool for grain yield in a winter wheat breeding program.
The long-term optical evolution of the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152

We present 5 years of optical and infrared data of the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 covering its 2010 outburst, decay and quiescence. Combining optical data taken during the outburst decay, we obtain an orbital period of 2.414 $\pm$ 0.005 h, in perfect agreement with the value previously measured from X-ray dips. In addition, we detect a clear H$\alpha$ excess in MAXI J1659-152 with data taken during the outburst decay. We also detect a single hump modulation most likely produced by irradiation. Assuming that the maximum occurs at orbital phase 0.5, we constrain the phase of the X-ray dips to be ~ 0.65. We also detect the quiescent optical counterpart at r' = 24.20 $\pm$ 0.08, I = 23.32 $\pm$ 0.02 and H = 20.7 $\pm$ 0.1. These magnitudes provide colour indices implying an M2-M5 donor star assuming 60% contribution from a disc component in the r'-band.
Far field emission profile of pure wurtzite InP nanowires

We report on the far field emission profile of pure wurtzite InP nanowires in comparison to InP nanowires with predominantly zincblende crystal structure. The emission profile is measured on individual nanowires using Fourier microscopy. The most intense photoluminescence of wurtzite nanowires is collected at small angles with respect to the nanowire growth axis. In contrast, zincblende nanowires present a minimum of the collected light intensity in the direction of the nanowire growth. Results are explained by the orientation of electric dipoles responsible for the photoluminescence, which is different from wurtzite to zincblende. Wurtzite nanowires have dipoles oriented perpendicular to the nanowire growth direction, whereas zincblende nanowires have dipoles oriented along the nanowire axis. This interpretation is confirmed by both numerical simulations and polarization dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy. Knowledge of the dipole orientation in nanostructures is crucial for developing a wide range of photonic devices such as light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells.
DYNAMICALLY OPTIMIZED MUSCLE ACTIVITY PATTERNS FROM A NOVEL HANDLE BASED PROPULSION MOVEMENT FOR A WHEELCHAIR

The purpose of this study was to determine the muscle activity patterns resulting from dynamic optimization of a novel continuous wheelchair propulsion movement having a circularity ratio of 0.89. For the study four major muscle groups were selected and a bang-bang control strategy was adopted to reduce the complexity and time for the optimization with a cost function to increase the net propulsion power. The successful completion of the optimization resulted in muscle excitation and activation curves for each actuator and a net power > 30 watts. The proposed propulsion mechanism can act as a substitute for the normal propulsion mechanisms used in daily life and sports activities.
The Limited Effects of Internal Career Concerns on Self-Initiative Work Style

Traditionally employees in Japanese companies had self-initiative work style, on the basis of the peace of mind offered by job security. However, today, Japanese companies cannot guarantee the lifetime employment any more. As a result, in order to support individual career development, universities put a lot of effort to begin career education, which mainly focuses on the internal career concerns. It comes from the concept of "career anchors". A career anchor consists of one’s own talents and abilities, motivations and desires, and attitude and values. As one's career anchor stabilizes over one's lifetime, it is thought that realizing and applying one's career anchor should be at an early stage.Nevertheless, new employees at Japanese companies who are offered career education do not work in self-initiative style.Against this backdrop, this study focused on limitation of internal career concerns. The results of survey revealed that internal career concerns exerted direct influence over their self-initiative work style in everyday circumstances. But under difficult situations, understanding organizational role, instead of internal career concerns, had direct influence. This study made it clear that internal career concerns had limitation and that internalization of extrinsic values through unexpected jobs offered by organization had direct impact on self-initiative work style in difficult situations. Based on the findings, new basis of peace of mind was discussed for career education and career development workshops in Japan. Suitable one for present Japanese school-to-work transitions is not "career anchor" or "job security (or life-time employment)", but "capability for change".
Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW)-Based Wireless Temperature Sensor for Harsh Environments

This paper presents a new wireless sensor structure based on a substrate integrated circular waveguide (SICW) for the temperature test in harsh environments. The sensor substrate material is 99% alumina ceramic, and the SICW structure is composed of upper and lower metal plates and a series of metal cylindrical sidewall vias. A rectangular aperture antenna integrated on the surface of the SICW resonator is used for electromagnetic wave transmission between the sensor and the external antenna. The resonant frequency of the temperature sensor decreases when the temperature increases, because the relative permittivity of the alumina ceramic increases with temperature. The temperature sensor presented in this paper was tested four times at a range of 30–1200 °C, and a broad band coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed antenna was used as an interrogation antenna during the test process. The resonant frequency changed from 2.371 to 2.141 GHz as the temperature varied from 30 to 1200 °C, leading to a sensitivity of 0.197 MHz/°C. The quality factor of the sensor changed from 3444.6 to 35.028 when the temperature varied from 30 to 1000 °C.
The evidence of a mixed expectation generating process in the foreign exchange market

Using expectations of six main exchange rates provided by Consensus Forecast surveys, the authors show that none of the traditional extrapolative, regressive and adaptive processes is by itself sufficient to account for expectations. However, a weighted average of these three basic processes appears to be successful in explaining the exchange rate expectations for each of the six currencies considered. Moreover, the authors show by using a pooled data sample that the same set of paerameters holds for all currencies, and this suggests that agents generate their expectations using the same mixed process irrespective of the currency. The coefficients of the mixed model, however, are characterized by time instability, and alternative hypotheses are suggested to explain this last result.