Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Skin Stretching for Burn Scar Excision: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Burn survivors are frequently faced with disfiguring scars. Various techniques exist to improve scar appearance, such as laser treatment and dermabrasion. Next to that, surgical reconstruction, such as scar excision is an option. This randomized controlled trial investigates whether a larger burn scar can be excised using a skin-stretching device for wound closure, thereby optimizing use of adjacent healthy skin. This technique may allow scar excision in a one-step procedure instead of two or more steps, which is necessary for serial excision and tissue expansion. Methods: Two arms were compared: scar excision and closure by skin stretch and scar excision without additional techniques. The primary outcome measure was scar surface area reduction. In addition, complications were registered. Results: Fifteen patients were randomized for skin stretch and 15 patients were randomized for scar excision only. In the skin stretch group, 10 of 15 scars were completely excised compared with three of 15 in the scar excision–only group (p = 0.025). In the skin stretch group, a significantly larger reduction in scar area was achieved: 95 ± 11 percent of the scar was excised versus 78 ± 17 percent in the scar excision–only group (p = 0.003). One patient in the skin stretch group and three patients in the scar excision–only group experienced partial wound dehiscence (p = 0.598). Conclusions: In burn scar reconstructions, a significantly larger reduction in scar area can be achieved using a skin-stretching device compared with scar excision with no additional techniques, without an increased risk of complications. It was shown that skin stretching is of added value for scars that cannot be excised in a one-step procedure.
Conceptualizing Generalization

The purpose of this paper is to encourage mathematics educators to refine their notions of generalizing and generalization. The paper describes generalization and how definitions of generalization have evolved from conceptions of transfer. In particular, the paper demonstrates how definitions of transfer have shaped definitions of generalizing, and specifically how constructivist learning perspectives have influenced definitions of mathematical generalization. Furthermore, the activity of generalizing is explained in the context of algebra as a way to support early algebra learning. Lastly, the final section offers tasks as a resource for mathematics educators who aim to promote generalizing in their classrooms.
Characterizations of Ordered Semigroups by (∈,∈ ∨q)-Fuzzy Ideals

Let S be an ordered semigroup. In this paper we first introduce the concepts of (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy ideals, (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy bi-ideals and (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy generalized bi-ideals of an ordered semigroup S, and investigate their related properties. Furthermore, we also define the upper and lower parts of fuzzy subsets of an ordered semigroup S, and investigate the properties of (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy ideals of S. Finally, characterizations of regular ordered semigroups and intra-regular ordered semigroups by means of the lower part of (∈ ,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy left ideals, (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy right ideals and (∈,∈ ∨q)fuzzy (generalized) bi-ideals are given. Keywords—Ordered semigroup; regular ordered semigroup; intraregular ordered semigroup; (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy left (right) ideal of an ordered semigroup; (∈,∈ ∨q)-fuzzy (generalized) bi-ideal of an ordered semigroup.
Carving of protein crystal by high-speed micro-bubble jet using micro-fluidic platform

This paper reports a novel micro-fluidic platform for carving protein crystal with electrically driven high-speed mono-dispersed micro-bubble jet. This minimally invasive micro-processing method overcomes the difficulties of processing, holding and positioning fragile material such as protein crystal underwater. The combination of using electrically-induced micro-bubble knife and microfluidic channel provide effective carving of protein crystal by ablation crystal and draining of chips by free vortex flow in microchannel. Three-dimensional positioning of crystal was sufficiently achieved by the configuration of effective micro-fluidic channels. The protein crystal can be carved to the desired shape to fit to X-ray analysis effectively. It seemed that it has potential to contribute to more precise protein analysis.
Vascular endothelial growth factor +936C/T polymorphism and gastric cancer risk: A meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) +936C/T polymorphism confers susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC) by conducting a meta-analysis. Publications addressing the association between the VEGF +936C/T polymorphism and GC risk were selected from the Pubmed, Embase and CBM databases. Data were extracted from the studies by two independent reviewers. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.0. 25 and STATA 9.2 software. From these data, the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. Finally, 8 case-control studies were retrieved reporting a total of 2,131 gastrointestinal cancer patients and 2,670 controls. Meta-analysis results showed that there was no significant association between the VEGF +936C/T polymorphism and GC risk in all comparisons of the T allele vs. C allele (OR=1.08, 95% CI 0.90-1.30, P=0.42), CT+TT vs. CC (OR=1.08, 95% CI 0.87-1.34, P=0.49), TT vs. CC+CT (OR=1.14, 95% CI 0.85-1.53, P=0.37), TT vs. CC (OR=1.18, 95% CI 0.87-1.59, P=0.28) and TT vs. CT (OR=1.11, 95% CI 0.79-1.56, P=0.56). This meta-analysis confirms that there is a lack of association between the VEGF +936C/T polymorphism and GC risk.
Des arbres et des arbustes spontanés de l'Adrar des Iforas (Mali) : étude ethnolinguistique et ethnobotanique

Enclave dans le Sahara, le massif montagneux de l'Adrar beneficie d'un climat mixte, saharien et sahelien, et abrite une flore particuliere. Cet ouvrage enumere cinquante especes ligneuses dont certaines ne sont plus representees que par un ou deux individus. Il precise le vocabulaire qui s'y rapporte et presente leurs usages et leur interet pastoral. L'etude constitue un precieux temoignage sur la nature de l'Adrar des Iforas et la culture touaregue, alors que l'environnement de cette region est fragilise par l'isolement, les secheresses constantes et l'avancement progressif de la desertification
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATION FOR SEVEN STRUCTURES OF VISCOTOXIN

It had been proved by scientific research that in the case of a pathogen attack the antimicrobial peptides are key players of the innate immune system. The antimicrobial peptides have been found in all organisms from plants to humans, and even in the microorganisms. The viscotoxins belong to thionine class of antimicrobial peptides and are produced by leaves and stems of Viscum album. In this paper was analyzed the dynamics stability in molecular simulation experiments for seven viscotoxin structures. The conformational structure of the peptide sequence is linked to biological activity and dynamic parameters analysis led to the identification of amino acid residues which show the most important flexibility.
Dimerization of G protein-coupled purinergic receptors: increasing the diversity of purinergic receptor signal responses and receptor functions

It is well accepted that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) arrange into dimers or higher-order oligomers that may modify various functions of GPCRs. GPCR-type purinergic receptors (i.e. adenosine and P2Y receptors) tend to form heterodimers with GPCRs not only of the different families but also of the same purinergic receptor families, leading to alterations in functional properties. In the present review, we focus on current knowledge of the formation of heterodimers between metabotropic purinergic receptors that activate novel functions in response to extracellular nucleosides/nucleotides, revealing that the dimerization seems to be employed for ‘fine-tuning’ of purinergic signaling. Thus, the relationship between adenosine and adenosine triphosphate is likely to be more and more intimate than simply being a metabolite of the other.
Satan's Silence: Ritual Abuse And The Making Of A Modern American Witch Hunt

Introduction * Rumors of Evil The Best of Intentions Demonology * Satan Speaks Beginnings: Mary Ann Barbour Judy Johnson and the McMartin Preschool Chaos in Kern County * The Business of Ritual Abuse A Plague and Its Healers Accusations Confessions The Medical Evidence Extraordinary Laws * Taming the Demon Silences Broken, Silences Made Toward Real Child Protection
YNU-HPCC at IJCNLP-2017 Task 4: Attention-based Bi-directional GRU Model for Customer Feedback Analysis Task of English

This paper describes our submission to IJCNLP 2017 shared task 4, for predicting the tags of unseen customer feedback sentences, such as comments, complaints, bugs, requests, and meaningless and undetermined statements. With the use of a neural network, a large number of deep learning methods have been developed, which perform very well on text classification. Our ensemble classification model is based on a bi-directional gated recurrent unit and an attention mechanism which shows a 3.8% improvement in classification accuracy. To enhance the model performance, we also compared it with several word-embedding models. The comparative results show that a combination of both word2vec and GloVe achieves the best performance.
A Survey on MapReduce Implementations

A distinguished successful platform for parallel data processing MapReduce is attracting a significant momentum from both academia and industry as the volume of data to capture, transform, and analyse grows rapidly. Although MapReduce is used in many applications to analyse large scale data sets, there is still a lot of debate among scientists and researchers on its efficiency, performance, and usability to support more classes of applications. This survey presents a comprehensive review of various implementations of MapReduce framework. Initially the authors give an overview of MapReduce programming model. They then present a broad description of various technical aspects of the most successful implementations of MapReduce framework reported in the literature and discuss their main strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the authors conclude by introducing a comparison between MapReduce implementations and discuss open issues and challenges on enhancing MapReduce.
Improvement of flow cytometry analysis and sorting of bull spermatozoa by optical monitoring of cell orientation as evaluated by DNA specific probing

Flow cytometry is a potential method for the separation of X and Y bearing spermatozoa, on the basis of their relative DNA content evaluated by the fluorescence emission intensity due to specific fluorochrome DNA staining. However, spermatozoa DNA is highly condensed and nuclei exhibit flat non spherical shape, which can produce artefacts impeding accurate analysis. In order to avoid these limitations, decondensation of DNA performed by enzymatic treatment and a modification of the flow cytometer that orients the spermatozoa relative to the laser beam are generally used. In this work, we describe alternative methods and materials for selection of (1) decondensed and thus dead spermatozoa without orientation, sorted on the basis of only the 10% spermatozoa containing the least DNA (expected Y) and the 10% spermatozoa containing the more DNA (expected X), or (2) native spermatozoa homogeneously oriented using a simultaneous measurement of Axial light loss (extinction) and Forward angle light scatter. For testing enrichment of each selected fraction we have worked out a molecular hybridization procedure using X and Y specific DNA probes. We analyse and sort bull spermatozoa on these basis: the purity obtained for these fractions is 80% without orientation after enzymatic treatment, and 70% on live spermatozoa “optically” oriented.
Perceptual evaluation of simulated auditory source width expansion

In this work, we examine the effect of timbre of the signal on auditory source width (ASW). The timbre of the signal is varied as low pass, high pass and band pass filtered white Gaussian noise of different bandwidths. We also study the ASW perception of a time-varying multi-component music signal (violin). Three normal hearing listeners rate the perceptual ASW of these stimuli on a scale of (0–120)% using a MUSHRA-type presentation. The stimuli are presented on a linear loudspeaker array. Amongst noise stimuli, it is found that low pass stimuli of cut-off frequency of 250 Hz gives the widest ASW perception on an average. This stimuli creates monotonic ASW perception with respect to change in number of loud speakers (physical source width). For a multi-component music signal, we observe that widest ASW is produced with a random inter-channel delay, compared to synchronous stimuli and segmental jittered stimuli. Thus, through this work, we develop an experimental methodology to study the large auditory source width using a linear loudspeaker array in an anechoic setup.
Evidence for Calcium Carbonate at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site

Phoenix Ascending The Phoenix mission landed on Mars in March 2008 with the goal of studying the ice-rich soil of the planet's northern arctic region. Phoenix included a robotic arm, with a camera attached to it, with the capacity to excavate through the soil to the ice layer beneath it, scoop up soil and water ice samples, and deliver them to a combination of other instruments—including a wet chemistry lab and a high-temperature oven combined with a mass spectrometer—for chemical and geological analysis. Using this setup, Smith et al. (p. 58) found a layer of ice at depths of 5 to 15 centimeters, Boynton et al. (p. 61) found evidence for the presence of calcium carbonate in the soil, and Hecht et al. (p. 64) found that most of the soluble chlorine at the surface is in the form of perchlorate. Together these results suggest that the soil at the Phoenix landing site must have suffered alteration through the action of liquid water in geologically the recent past. The analysis revealed an alkaline environment, in contrast to that found by the Mars Exploration Rovers, indicating that many different environments have existed on Mars. Phoenix also carried a lidar, an instrument that sends laser light upward into the atmosphere and detects the light scattered back by clouds and dust. An analysis of the data by Whiteway et al. (p. 68) showed that clouds of ice crystals that precipitated back to the surface formed on a daily basis, providing a mechanism to place ice at the surface. The action of liquid water may have helped to form the calcium carbonate found in the soils around the Phoenix landing site. Carbonates are generally products of aqueous processes and may hold important clues about the history of liquid water on the surface of Mars. Calcium carbonate (approximately 3 to 5 weight percent) has been identified in the soils around the Phoenix landing site by scanning calorimetry showing an endothermic transition beginning around 725°C accompanied by evolution of carbon dioxide and by the ability of the soil to buffer pH against acid addition. Based on empirical kinetics, the amount of calcium carbonate is most consistent with formation in the past by the interaction of atmospheric carbon dioxide with liquid water films on particle surfaces.
Selective Precipitation of Proteins

Selective precipitation of proteins can be used as a bulk method to recover the majority of proteins from a crude lysate, as a selective method to fractionate a subset of proteins from a protein solution, or as a very specific method to recover a single protein of interest from a purification step. This unit describes a number of methods suitable for selective precipitation. In each of the protocols that are outlined, the physical or chemical basis of the precipitation process, the parameters that can be varied for optimization, and the basic steps for developing an optimized precipitation are described. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tonic and phasic spinal cord mechanisms in man

Skilled movements of any sort require the assump- tion of an appropriate posture. Most skilled movements comprise rapid, repetitive, alternating and coordinated activity, chiefly of distal muscles. Most postures demand constant sustained activity chiefly of proximal muscles and flexor groups in the upper limb and extensor groups in the lower limb. These functions of voluntary movement, designated respectively as phasic and tonic, have their counter-parts in reflex action. The tendon jerk (or its reflex equivalent elicited by electrical stimulation of afferent fibres) results from a neural discharge so brief as to be classified as a phasic response, while the maintained reflex contraction elicited by more prolonged muscle stretch in a suitably tense subject or a spastic patient has the duration of a tonic response. depending
Disparities in Periodontitis Prevalence among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

T o the Editor: The recent article by Ioannidou et al. (2011) reported that for those with chronic kidney disease (CKD), MexicanAmericans had the highest rate of periodontitis, while nonHispanic Blacks had an intermediate rate. Vitamin D status was not mentioned/presented in this article. There is mounting evidence based on observational studies that all three diseases may be linked to low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels: CKD (Pilz et al., 2011), diabetes mellitus (Mitri et al., 2011), and periodontal disease (Garcia et al., 2011; Dietrich et al., 2004; Dixon et al., 2009; Miley et al., 2009; Grant and Boucher, 2010; Bashutski et al., 2011). Vitamin D shifts the cytokine balance toward a less inflammatory status (Grant and Boucher, 2010). As to the disparities, a cross-sectional study found that in the period 2001-2004, elderly non-Hispanic Blacks had a mean serum 25(OH)D level of 16.5 ng/mL, Mexican-Americans 20 ng/mL, and non-Hispanic Whites 25 ng/mL (Ginde et al., 2009). These values would suggest that non-Hispanic Blacks with CKD would have a greater prevalence of periodontitis than Mexican-Americans. The fact that they do not suggests that diet may also play an important role. Thus, it would be worthwhile to investigate whether the link found by Ioannidou et al. (2011) might be explained in part by differences in serum 25(OH)D levels. One way to evaluate the vitamin D hypothesis would be to use existing data on serum 25(OH)D from NHANES III and related databases. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Speech Versus Speaking: The Experiences of People With Parkinson's Disease and Implications for Intervention.

Purpose In this project, we explore the experiences of people who report speech changes associated with Parkinson's disease as they describe taking part in everyday communication situations and report impressions related to speech treatment. Method Twenty-four community-dwelling adults with Parkinson's disease took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Qualitative research methods were used to code and develop themes related to the interviews. Results Two major themes emerged. The first, called "speaking," included several subthemes: thinking about speaking, weighing value versus effort, feelings associated with speaking, the environmental context of speaking, and the impact of Parkinson's disease on speaking. The second theme involved "treatment experiences" and included subthemes: choosing not to have treatment, the clinician, drills and exercise, and suggestions for change. Conclusions From the perspective of participants with Parkinson's disease, speaking is an activity requiring both physical and cognitive effort that takes place in a social context. Although many report positive experiences with speech treatment, some reported dissatisfaction with speech drills and exercises and a lack of focus on the social aspects of communication. Suggestions for improvement include increased focus on the cognitive demands of speaking and on the psychosocial aspects of communication.
Burnout Among Iowa Hospice Workers: A Test of the Job Demands-Resources Model

ABSTRACT Burnout is a critical problem for hospice care system, particularly given the potential increase in hospice utilization because of the increasing older adult population. Hospice care requires social workers and other professionals to work in interdisciplinary settings under conditions of prolonged stress. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model, this study sought to: (1) understand Iowa hospice workers’ level of burnout, indicated by emotional exhaustion (EE); (2) identify organizational and personal determinants of EE. This web-based study used a cross-sectional survey administered to hospice staff across Iowa. Seventeen hospice organizations participated as study sites, and 244 out of 825 employees, consisting of interdisciplinary clinical workers and administrative personnel, completed the survey. Descriptive, correlational, and regression statistics were used to test study hypotheses. Regarding EE levels, 59% of participants were experiencing low EE, while the other 41% had moderate or high EE. Those lacking empathy, working full-time, and working for larger hospice organizations had greater EE. While findings largely support the JDR model, interactions between demands and resources offer only partial support. Results indicate the importance of hospices fostering supportive work environments and providing employee education about emotional benefits of respect, strategies for displaying workplace respect, and evaluation of respect-related initiatives.
A comparison of shortwave reflectance over the East Antarctic Plateau observed by CERES to that estimated from surface reflectance observations

[1] Spectral albedo and bidirectional reflectance of snow were measured at Dome C on the East Antarctic Plateau for wavelengths of 350–2400 nm and solar zenith angles of 52°–87°. A parameterization of bidirectional reflectance, based on those measurements, is used as the lower boundary condition in the atmospheric radiation model SBDART to calculate radiance and flux at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). The model's atmospheric profile is based on radiosoundings at Dome C and ozonesoundings at the South Pole. Computed TOA radiances are integrated over wavelength for comparison with the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) shortwave channel. CERES radiance observations and flux estimates from four clear days in January 2004 and January 2005 from within 200 km of Dome C are compared with the TOA radiances and fluxes computed for the same solar zenith angle and viewing geometry, providing 11,000 comparisons. The measured radiance and flux are lower than the computed values. The median difference is about 7% for CERES on Terra, and 9% on Aqua. Sources of uncertainty in the model and observations are examined in detail and suggest that the measured values should be less than the computed values, but only by 1.7% ± 4%. The source of the discrepancy of about 6% cannot be identified here; however, the modeled values do agree with observations from another satellite instrument (Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer), suggesting that the CERES calibration must be considered a possible source of the discrepancy.
Learning Privacy Habits of PDS Owners

The concept of Personal Data Storage (PDS) has recently emerged as an alternative and innovative way of managing personal data w.r. t. the service-centric one commonly used today. The PDS offers a unique logical repository, allowing individuals to collect, store, and give access to their data to third parties. The research on PDS has so far mainly focused on the enforcement mechanisms, that is, on how user privacy preferences can be enforced. In contrast, the fundamental issue of preference specification has been so far not deeply investigated. In this paper, we do a step in this direction by proposing different learning algorithms that allow a fine-grained learning of the privacy aptitudes of PDS owners. The learned models are then used to answer third party access requests. The extensive experiments we have performed show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.