Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dermatitis herpetiformis: relevance of the physical examination to diagnosis suspicion.

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a vesicobullous eruption that appears on the elbows, knees, buttocks, neck, and scalp, and less commonly on the upper back, abdomen, groin, and face. [1][1] The main symptoms are severe itch, followed by small blisters resembling those caused by herpes simplex virus.
Toxoplasma gondii Type I, predominant genotype isolated from sheep in South of Iran

Aim: This study was performed to determine the genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep using nested-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in Southern Iran. Materials and Methods: The tissue samples of diaphragm and heart from 125 sheep were collected from the main slaughterhouses of Jahrom district in South of Fars province, Iran, between Aprils and June 2013. The DNA were extracted and analyzed by nested-PCR using specific primers for SAG2 and GRA6 loci. RFLP was used to classify strains into one of the three major lineages of T. gondii. Results: T. gondii Type I was predominant in this area. The data obtained from both loci demonstrated that the frequency of each genotype was 72% Type I, 2.4% Type III, 7.2% mixed Type I and II, 16.8% mixed Type I and III, 0.8% mixed Type II and III, and 0.8% mixed Type I, II and III. Conclusions: Although the previously published data indicated that Type II is the predominant T. gondii genotype in sheep in the other parts of the world, this study showed that genotype I is the dominant genotype of T. gondii in the southern Iran; however, other genotypes were detected. High diversity of T. gondii genotypes including mix genotypes in lambs is of importance for the public health. These studies depict a new mapping of T. gondii genotypes pattern which could be very helpful in toxoplasmosis control and prevention.
The Challenges of Research and Development (R&D) Efforts: A Study of Small-to-Medium Industries (SMIs) in Abia State, Nigeria

This article is on the Challenges of Research and Development (R & D) Efforts on Small-to-Medium scale Industries (SMIs) in Abia State, Nigeria. The survey findings include: that SMIs in Abia State have no R & D activities going on in their firms; their production techniques are both manual and machine operated; they only produce light and consumer – oriented goods; operating below installed capacity, have no relationship with any research institute in the country; have no technical partners; and are technically and technologically dependent the result of all these is that SMIs in Abia State cannot compete effectively both nationally and globally. Based on these findings, the paper made far reaching recommendations in aid of a vibrant research and developments activities by SMIs, the organized private sector (OPS) and government owned research institutes, all to the benefit of the Nigerian economy. Key words: Small-to-Medium Industries (SMIs); Research and Development (R & D); Commercialization; Mode of operation; Capacity utilization; Technological dependence; Challenges
In vitro analysis of the terminator T(II) of the inhibitor antisense rna II gene from plasmid pMV158.

One element involved in the copy number control of plasmid pMV158 is the antisense RNA II. We have determined the precise size of this RNA synthesized in vitro. Transcript termination occurs at two consecutive template positions within a typical rho-independent terminator, T(II). Using a series of plasmid derivatives in which the T(II) terminator has been partially or totally removed, we have analyzed the relationship between the predicted stability of the RNA hairpin encoded by T(II) and the efficiency of in vitro intrinsic termination. All the plasmids of the pMV158 family, constituted so far of 19 replicons, harbor putative antisense RNA-encoding genes which share in common the relative location with respect to the essential rep gene, the small size, and the presence of rho-independent transcription terminators.
A Novel Rehabilitation Approach Based on Inertial Sensor Units

This paper presents a novel rehabilitation approach for guiding patients with stroke to execute correct rehabilitation exercise. First of all, a therapist will hold a patient's hand to practice a correct rehabilitation exercise to build a template for the assigned excercise. The recorded template will be a sequence of sensed data acquired from the inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached on the arm of the patient. Then the patient will practice the assigned exercise alone to generate the testing sequence with a screen. Finally, a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm will adopted to measure the similarity between the template and the testing sequence. The rehabilitation system will issue an alarm signal whenever the similarity value is below a pre-specified threshold.
A home automation based environmental sound alert for people experiencing hearing loss

Different assistive technologies are available for deaf people (i.e. deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing). Besides the well-known hearing aid, devices for detection of sound events that occur at home or at work (e.g. doorbell, telephone) are available. Despite the technological progress in the last years and resulting new possibilities, the basic functions and concepts of such devices have not changed. The user still needs special assistive technology that is bound to the home or work environment. In this contribution a new concept for awareness of events in buildings is presented. In contrast to state-of-the-art assistive devices, it makes use of modern Information and Communication and home automation technology, and thus offers the prospect of cheap implementation and higher comfort for the user. In this concept events are indicated by notifications that are send over a Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network from a source to the user. The notifications are received by the user's smartwatch and the event is indicated by vibration and an icon representing its source.
Mechanisms of TLR9 activation

Non-methylated CpG-motifs in bacterial or viral DNA are recognized by TLR9 as foreign. The activation of TLR9 by microbial DNA or synthetic oligonucleotides based on these motifs leads to the induction of innate immune responses. We have compared the subcellular localization of fluorescent versions of TLR9 and TLR4 and found that TLR9 is expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum while TLR4 is expressed on the plasma membrane. Fluorescently tagged bacterial DNA or CpG-DNA was observed to traffic to a tubular lysosomal compartment in human pDCs. In stimulated cells, TLR9 translocated to CpG-DNA or microbial DNA containing structures in the endosome, where TLR9 binds to DNA and initiates signaling.
Electoral Institutions, Cabinet Negotiations, and Budget Deficits in the European Union

A rough consensus has emerged that states with proportional representation systems are" likely to run larger deficits than plurality states. We argue that electoral institutions matter because" they restrict the type of budgetary institution at the governmental phase which a state has at its" disposal. Cabinet members may willingly delegate authority to a finance minister who can monitor" spending ministers and punish those who defect' in a process we label delegation procedure is feasible in states where one-party governments are the norm. Such states usually have" plurality electoral systems. In multi-party governments, which are common in states with" proportional representation, the coalition members are not willing to delegate to one actor the ability" to monitor and punish the others. Negotiated targets in the form of fiscal contracts provide an" alternative in multi-party governments. Pooled time series regression results for the current" European Union states in the period 1981-94 support our contention that it is the presence or absence" of one of these budgetary institutions, rather than the plurality/proportional representation" dichotomy, which has the greatest impact on debt levels.
Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit

Critical illness has many devastating sequelae, including profound neuromuscular weakness and psychological and cognitive disturbances that frequently result in long-term functional impairments. Early rehabilitation begun in the intensive care unit (ICU) is emerging as an important strategy both to prevent and to treat ICU-acquired weakness, in an effort to facilitate and improve long-term recovery. Rehabilitation may begin with range of motion and bed mobility exercise, then may progress when the patient is fully alert and able to participate actively to include sitting and posture-based exercise, bed to chair transfers, strength and endurance exercises, and ambulation. Electrical muscle stimulation and inspiratory muscle training are additional techniques that may be employed. Studies conducted to date suggest that such ICU-based rehabilitation is feasible, safe, and effective for carefully selected patients. Further research is needed to identify the optimal patient candidates and procedures and for providing rehabilitation in the ICU.
Fuzzy Clustering with Genetically Adaptive Scaling

In this paper we present a genetically enhanced version of the classical fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. Our algorithm uses an evolutionary method to find optimal values for some scaling constants which are used to scale the various dimensions of the given data set so that clusters can be more easily detected by compensating for differences in distributions among features. We demonstrate how using un-scaled data with the conventional fuzzy c-means algorithm can lead to incorrect classification and how our algorithm overcomes the problem. We present the results of applying our method to both a synthetic data set, which we created to demonstrate the problem, and the standard Iris data set. In both cases, reduction of misclassifications was obtained by the new method, demonstrating improvement over the standard fuzzy c-means algorithm.
The Influence of Age Stereotypes On The Managerial Decision Processes of Hospitality Management Students

The foodservice industry is currently facing serious labor shortages in many segments and areas of the country. To ease the labor shortage, an increasing number of older workers are being recruited into the hospitality industry. Hospitality program graduates will be hiring and managing a greater number of older employees in the future. The overall objective of this study was to determine attitudes of senior level hospitality management students towards older workers.
The Loyal Traveler: Examining a Typology of Service Patronage

The first goal of this study was to determine whether Day's (1969) measure of loyalty could be extended to better understand travel service patronage. Findings provide clear support that this composite measure, of repeat purchase and loyal attitude, is an effective approach to distinguishing the loyal traveler. A cluster analysis that combined scores on the composite measure from 428 travelers supported a two-dimensional matrix that identified four types of loyalty: true, spurious, latent, and low. This accomplished the study's second purpose by confirming that the four distinct levels of loyalty exist in a variety of service settings. Discriminant analysis was used to achieve the third objective — To identify those characteristics that differentiate the truly loyal patron. The resulting profile found this traveler to be a highly satisfied, symbolically involved consumer drawn to those services that exhibit an empathetic, caring concern for their patrons. These findings generate a much clearer understanding of how service providers can measure and manage their returning patrons.
Materialists, Postmaterialists, and the Criteria for Political Choice in U.S. Presidential Elections

The theory of value change suggests not only that materialists and postmaterialists make different political choices but that, more fundamentally, they use different criteria for making those choices. Specifically, it is argued that materialists rely mainly on economic criteria to make political decisions whereas postmaterialists are motivated primarily by noneconomic concerns. Using data from the 1976-1992 National Election Studies (NES) presidential year surveys, this article estimates a series of logit models in which presidential choice is the dependent variable, and the effects of economic and noneconomic issues are assessed separately for materialists and postmaterialists. The results indicate that noneconomic issues do exert an impact on postmaterialists, but they also tend to be significant for materialists as well. Similarly, economic issues, when they exert an impact, are significant for both materialists and postmaterialists. Thus, although the evidence in this article does not support the proposition that materialists and postmaterialists employ a different political calculus, it does indicate that noneconomic concerns have come to play a significant role in U.S. presidential elections.
Social Neuroscience: How a Multidisciplinary Field Is Uncovering the Biology of Human Interactions

Editor’s note: Studying only the biological or social aspects of a species can cause researchers to overlook many of the complex elements at work within and among organisms. The interdisciplinary field of social neuroscience serves to close the gaps left by such singularly focused research. Social neuroscientists boost our knowledge of the biology of animal and human interactions in areas as diverse as drug abuse, pair-bonding, and social isolation. As the field continues to grow, we will better understand the social, biological, and cognitive factors that determine how we relate to others.
Optimal polarimetric interferometry coherence analysis in detection and location of moving target with SAR

This paper mainly deals with the problem of the optimal polarimetric interferometry coherence in detection and location of moving target with SAR. The coherence is closely related with the estimated accuracy of the interferometric phase between the residual images which are obtained from clutter cancellation. A novel method for improving the estimated accuracy of the interferometric phase is presented. Using the echo model of moving target, the procedure of clutter cancellation in frequency domain is derived. The optimal polarimetric interferometry processing for residual images is proposed with detailed analysis. Finally, the interferometric coherences of the residual images with different polarization are analyzed by simulation to validate the theory.
Ambient Backscatter Networking: A Novel Paradigm to Assist Wireless Powered Communications

Ambient backscatter communication technology has been introduced recently, and is then quickly becoming a promising choice for self-sustainable communication systems as an external power supply or a dedicated carrier emitter is not required. By leveraging existing RF signal resources, ambient backscatter technology can support sustainable and independent communications and consequently open up a whole new set of applications that facilitate Internet-of-Things (IoT). In this article, we study an integration of ambient backscatter with wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs). We first present an overview of backscatter communication systems with an emphasis on the emerging ambient backscatter technology. Then we propose a novel hybrid transmitter design by combining the advantages of both ambient backscatter and wireless powered communications. Furthermore, in the cognitive radio environment, we introduce a multiple access scheme to coordinate the hybrid data transmissions. The performance evaluation shows that the hybrid transmitter outperforms traditional designs. In addition, we discuss some open issues related to the ambient backscatter networking.
Reasons for modification and discontinuation of antiretrovirals: results from a single treatment centre

ObjectiveTo describe the reasons for, and factors associated with, modification and discontinuation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens at a single clinic. SubjectsA total of 556 patients who started HAART at the Royal Free Hospital were included in analyses. Modification was defined as stopping or switching any antiretrovirals in the regimen, whereas discontinuation was defined as the simultaneous stopping of all antiretrovirals included in the initial regimen. Reasons were classified as immunological/virological failure (IVF) and toxicities and patient choice/poor compliance (TPC). ResultsThe median CD4 count at starting HAART was 171 × 106 cells/l and viral load 5.07 log copies/ml. During a median follow-up of 14.2 months, 247 patients (44.4%) modified their HAART regimen, 72 due to IVF (29.1%) and 159 due to TPC (64.4%) and a total of 148 patients (26.6%) discontinued HAART. Older patients were less likely to modify HAART [relative hazard (RH), 0.73 per 10 years;P = 0.0008], as were previously treatment-naive patients (RH, 0.65;P = 0.0050), those in a clinical trial (RH, 0.64;P = 0.027) and those who started nelfinavir (RH, 0.57;P = 0.035). Patients who started with four or more drugs (RH, 2.21, P < 0.0001), who included ritonavir in the initial regimen (RH, 1.41;P = 0.035) or who had higher viral loads during follow-up (RH per log increase, 1.51;P < 0.0001) were more likely to modify HAART. ConclusionsThere was a high rate of modification and discontinuation of HAART regimens in the first 12 months, particularly due to toxicities, patient choice or poor compliance.
A census of stellar mass in ten massive haloes at z ~ 1 from the GCLASS Survey

Aims. We study the stellar mass content of massive haloes in the redshift range 0.86< z< 1.34, by measuring: (1) The stellar mass in the central galaxy versus total dynamical halo mass. (2) The total stellar mass (including satellites) versus total h alo mass. (3) The radial stellar mass and number density profiles for the ensem ble halo. Methods. We use a Ks-band selected catalogue for the 10 clusters in the Gemini Cluster Astrophysics Spectroscopic Survey (GCLASS), with photometric redshifts and stellar masses measured from 11-band SED fitting. Combining the photometric c atalogues with the deep spectroscopic component of GCLASS, we correct the cluster galaxy sample for interlopers. From a dynamical analysis of the cluster galaxies we use estimates for the vel ocity dispersionsσv and the total gravitational mass M200 of the clusters. Results. (1) We find that the central galaxy stellar mass fraction decr eases with total halo mass, and that this is in good quantitative agreement with measurements from abundance matching studies at z∼ 1. (2) The total stellar mass fractions of these systems decrease with halo mass, indicating that lower mass systems are more effi cient at transforming baryons into stars. We find the total stellar mass to be a good proxy for total halo mass, with an intrinsic scatter around the relation that is consistent with 0 . When we compare these results from GCLASS with literature measurements, we find that the stellar mass fraction at fixed halo mass s hows no significant evolution in the range 0 < z< 1. (3) We measure a relatively high NFW concentration parameter cg ∼ 7 for the stellar mass distribution in these clusters, and debate a possible s cenario to explain the evolution of the stellar mass distrib ution from the GCLASS sample to their likely descendants at lower redshift. Conclusions. The stellar mass measurements in the z∼ 1 haloes provided by GCLASS puts constraints on the stellar mass assembly history of clusters observed in the local Universe. A simple model shows that the stellar mass content of GCLASS can evolve in typical distributions observed at lower redshifts if the cl usters primarily accrete stellar mass onto the outskirts.
MONETARY POLICY COOPERATION TO SUPPORT ASIAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

This paper considers the form of monetary policy coordination and regional exchange rate arrangement that would best support economic and financial integration in East Asia. In view of the region's economic diversity, we propose a graduated program of informal policy cooperation from weak forms of cooperation to more intensive modes of cooperation such as the adoption of common monetary policy objectives. An array of informal monetary arrangements rooted to the degree of institutional development can improve the effectiveness of both sovereign and regional institutions, and promote integration in East Asia. Drawing upon the European experience with the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), we conclude that East Asia should first embark on other forms of integration to aid in the development of a high degree of real and nominal convergence amongst the regional countries. Only then would an ERM-type system that employs a regional monetary unit become more sustainable and less susceptible to speculative currency attacks in the region.
Psychological Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour

Unit Kokkola-Pietarsaari Date June 2015 Author Bianca Vainikka Degree programme Business Management Name of thesis PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Instructor Janne Peltoniemi Pages 46 Supervisor Birgitta Niemi This paper’s aim is to provide an in-depth elucidation of the many aspects that influence consumer behaviour. The study of consumer behaviour emphasizes the “why” and “how” questions involved in decision making and buying behaviour. This exciting field visits a dynamic blend of themes of consumer marketing strategies, psychology and behavioural discipline. Consumer behaviour in this day and age is highly applicable to modern society as it is an integral part of our everyday lives. This paper examines the many challenges involved with discovering individual consumers, as they differ greatly from one another. It focuses on the rationale behind common consumer decision making processes and analyses the ways in which marketers can better understand how consumers think and behave. This paper outlines the significant factors that impact consumer behaviour throughout the theoretical framework with the topics of: Internal Influences, Motivation, Emotions and Personality and Influencing attitudes and behaviour. These subject matters brings a comprehensive outlook into the complex mind of a consumer by examining individual information processing, learning, and attitude and behaviour change.
The role of maternal age in assisted reproduction.

There is a significant decline in human fecundity with advancing age. A significant decrement in success rates is also seen in older women undergoing assisted reproduction, including in-vitro fertilization. We have observed a drop in the ongoing pregnancy rate per embryo transfer, from 48.8% in women aged < 30 years to 13.6% in women aged > or = 42 years. Embryo implantation rates also decline in a linear fashion, from 29% in women < 34 years to approximately 5% at age 42. We observed that the impaired implantation efficiency seen in older women is apparently independent of the magnitude of their stimulation response. Oocyte factors are felt to be primarily responsible; however, some available data suggest that uterine factors, e.g. diminished endometrial receptivity, may also play a role. There are presently no treatment strategies apart from oocyte donation, which have been shown to significantly improve implantation efficiency in older women. However, recent efforts have focused on the continued development of improved stimulation protocols, facilitation of embryo implantation by zona pellucida micromanipulation, and the possibility of screening preimplantation embryos for aneuploidy.