Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outdoor (1→3)-β-D-glucan Levels and Related Climatic Factors

Objectives To evaluate the monthly variation in the airborne (1→3)-β-D-glucan level throughout one year and its relationship with climatic factors (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, hours of daylight, cloud cover, and pollen counts). Methods A total of 106 samples were collected using a two-stage cyclone sampler at five outdoor sampling locations (on top of 5 university buildings). The kinetic limulus amebocyte lysate assay was used to obtain (1→3)-β-D-glucan levels. Results Airborne (1→3)-β-D-glucan levels were significantly higher in the spring, particularly in April, and temperature was significantly related to (1→3)-β-D-glucan levels (r =0.339, p<0.05). Conclusions (1→3)-β-D-glucan levels may be highest in the spring, and outdoor temperature may influence (1→3)-β-D-glucan levels.
Social inequality in adolescent daily smoking: Has it changed over time?

Background and aim: In most northern European countries adolescent smoking is most prevalent in lower social classes but there is little information about time trends in social inequality. This paper describes trends in social inequality in daily smoking among adolescents from 1991 to 2006 by both absolute social inequality (prevalence difference between low and high social class) and relative social inequality (prevalence ratio). Methods: We analysed 15-year-olds from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Denmark in 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006, total n = 6703. The surveys were comparable because of similar procedures for sampling, data collection, and measurements of smoking and parents' occupational social class. Findings: From 1991 to 2006 the prevalence of daily smoking decreased from 15.9% to 10.9% among boys and from 20.1% to 10.6% among girls. The social inequality fluctuated over time and was different for boys and for girls. The prevalence difference between boys from low and high social class was 5.2% in 1991 and 9.3% in 2006, corresponding figures for girls were 4.8% and 7.0%. The prevalence ratio among boys was 1.38 (in 1991) and 2.19 (in 2006), among girls 1.28 and 1.95. Conclusions: Daily smoking was most prevalent among students from lower social classes and the level of inequality fluctuated over time. Conclusions on social inequality in adolescent smoking may appear differently when described by absolute and relative measures. The absolute and relative social inequality in adolescent smoking was higher in 2006 than in 1991.
Databases and transaction processing: an application-oriented approach

This book Databases and Transaction Processing constitutes a standard database textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses— albeit with a somewhat different focus compared to the established books. As the subtitle An Application-Oriented Approach indicates, the authors put an emphasis on teaching the systematic usage of database systems—rather than concentrating on an in-depth coverage of implementation techniques for building database systems. The rationale for this focus is that many more students will be implementing applications than will actually be implementing database systems. Therefore, the authors set out to present the conceptual and engineering principles underlying the design and implementation of database and transaction processing applications. In order to provide a solid foundation for these principles, the book thoroughly presents the concepts and the theory underlying relational databases, conceptual/relational data modelling, and relational query languages. This book covers the material traditionally taught in an introductory course in database systems: the relational model, conceptual design, query languages (including SQL, QBE, relational algebra, and relational calculus), normalization theory, and query processing. In addition to these core database topics, the book also contains advanced database material often not covered in introductory texts and courses. Object databases, XML, and document processing on the web are given extensive coverage. Together with additional material on distributed databases, CORBA, OLAP, and data mining, the latter part of the book provides the basis for an advanced course on databases. The text also covers transaction processing in depth such that an entire course can be devised based on this book—maybe with some supplementary material from dedicated textbooks on this subject (e.g., Weikum and Vossen’s book which was reviewed by Marc Scholl in the preceding SIGMOD record). In addition to discussing issues related to building transactions and ACID properties, the book describes TP monitors, the architecture of centralized and distributed transaction processing systems, and the transactional issues related to building correct and efficient database applications.
A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Intermittent Portal Triad Clamping Versus Ischemic Preconditioning With Continuous Clamping for Major Liver Resection

Objective:To evaluate whether ischemic preconditioning (IP) with continuous clamping or intermittent clamping (IC) of the portal triad confers better protection during liver surgery. Summary Background Data:IP and IC are distinct protective approaches against ischemic injury. Since both strategies proved to be superior in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to continuous inflow occlusion alone, we designed a RCT to compare IP and IC in patients undergoing major liver resection. Methods:Noncirrhotic patients undergoing major liver resection were randomized to receive IP with inflow occlusion (n = 36) or IC (n = 37). Primary endpoints were postoperative liver injury and intraoperative blood loss. Postoperative liver injury was assessed by peak values of AST (alanine aminotransferase) and ALT (aspartate aminotransferase), as well as the area under the curve (AUC) of the postoperative transaminase course. Secondary endpoints included resection time, the need of blood transfusion, ICU, and hospital stay as well as postoperative complications and mortality. Results:Both groups were comparable regarding demographics, ASA score, type of hepatectomy, duration of inflow occlusion (range, 30–75 minutes), and resection surface. The transection-related blood loss was 146 versus 250 mL (P = 0.008), and when standardized to the resection surface 1.2 versus 1.8 mL/cm2 (P = 0.01) for IP and IC, respectively. Although peak AST, AUCAST, and AUCALT were lower for IC, the differences did not reach statistical significance. Overall (42% vs. 38%) and major (33 vs. 27%) postoperative complications as well as median ICU (1 vs. 1 day) and hospital stay (10 vs. 11 days) were similar between both groups. Conclusions:Both IP and IC appear to be equally effective in protecting against postoperative liver injury in noncirrhotic patients undergoing major liver resection. However, IP is associated with lower blood loss and shorter transection time. Therefore, both strategies can be recommended for noncirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection.
Bivariant algebraic K-theory

Abstract We show how methods from K-theory of operator algebras can be applied in a completely algebraic setting to define a bivariant, M ∞-stable, homotopy-invariant, excisive K-theory of algebras over a fixed unital ground ring H, (A, B) ↦ kk *(A, B), which is universal in the sense that it maps uniquely to any other such theory. It turns out kk is related to C. Weibel's homotopy algebraic K-theory, KH. We prove that, if H is commutative and A is central as an H-bimodule, then We show further that some calculations from operator algebra KK-theory, such as the exact sequence of Pimsner-Voiculescu, carry over to algebraic kk.
Prediction of Petroleum Price in India

Forecasting of oil prices has always been a matter of great importance due to its influence in driving a country’s economy. As a matter of fact, the petroleum industry is considered to be the biggest contributor in the industrial sector in terms of providing raw materials to the other industries and generating revenues. Due to the non-linear and unpredictable nature of the oil prices, a lot of forecasting techniques have been developed and used to check whether they are capable of forecasting the oil prices satisfactorily. In this paper, two widely used techniques, ARIMA analysis and GMDH Neural network has been used to forecast the prices of four petroleum products such as Petrol, Diesel, LPG & Kerosene in India for a three month period (February 2015 to April 2015). The results obtained are compared with the actual prices for the above time period. It is observed that the overall accuracy considering all the four petroleum products shows promising results thus justifying them capable of forecasting the prices of the different petroleum products in India. When both the techniques are compared, ARIMA modelling shows better results (97.99% accuracy) as compared to that of the GMDH neural network method which is 96.97%.
Integral Approximations for Coverage Probability

This letter gives approximations to an integral appearing in the formula for downlink coverage probability of a typical user in Poisson point process (PPP)-based stochastic geometry frameworks of the form f0∞ exp{-(Ax + Bxα/2)} dx. Four different approximations are studied. For systems that are interference-limited or noise-limited, conditions are identified when the approximations are valid. For intermediate cases, we recommend the use of Laplace approximation. Numerical results validate the accuracy of the approximations.
Neuronale Repräsentation menschlicher Verhaltensdispositionen: eine Einführung in die Neuropsychologie

Referring to some data from the history of brain research this paper gives an overview to the fundamentals in neuropsychology. A spotlight is centered on the phylogenetical evolution of the human brain so that the interested recipient will be able to get deep into the discussion of how it would be able that the humans become the "kings of the world". This question is deeply bound the very special performance of the human brain which makes the human able to communicate his intentions and expectations like no animal will be able to.
Morality Provides Meaning

Previous separate models of meaning in life have suggested that meaning is composed of several components operating across levels of construal. For example, sometimes people might look to a component of meaning in a state of concrete construal to gain a sense of consistency or predictability, and at other times they may look to a component of meaning to create feelings of higher purpose in life. These models of meaning have the potential to shed light not only on the various facets of life that make people feel life is meaningful, but to discover the ways in which these components create feelings of meaning in terms of both predictability as well as purpose. These models also have great potential for understanding the ways in which people compensate for threats to meaning at different levels of construal. The goal of the present investigation was to test the idea that people experience meaning at both concrete and abstract levels of construal, and to assess which types of standards create meaning in live most effectively. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that morality may be especially effective at creating feelings of both predictability and purpose more effectively than convention. In addition, the present research examined whether or not morality is especially effective at compensating for threats to feelings of predictability and higher purpose compared to convention for these same reasons. These ideas were tested in three studies. In Study 1, participants rated the extent to which two types of standards, conventional standards and moral standards, provide a sense of predictability (i.e. “coherence”) and a sense of
Teaching of Swimming Technique to Children with Autism: A Pilot Study

The purpose of our research was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a 24-week swimming and aquatic exercise programme to a girl with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participant was 8 years old a girl with high- functioning autism spectrum disorder. The programme was held twice per week for 40 minutes per session. The training programme was composed swimming skills, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance and, mobility skills. Swimming and aquatic exercise training programme were performed by using a constant time delay procedure (4 sec.). Findigs of our study revealed that participant acquired the basic swimming skills and swimming styles of free, backstroke and breaststroke successfully through using an individualized swimming and aquatic exercise training programme.
The nutritional value of plant-based diets in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements

The adequacy of plant-based diets in developed and developing countries as sources of protein and amino acids for human subjects of all ages is examined. Protein quantity is shown not to be an issue. Digestibility is identified as a problem for some cereals (millet (Panicum miliaceum) and sorghum (Sorghum sp.)) and generally is poorly understood. Direct measurements of biological value in children are reviewed and scoring is consid-ered. Various existing requirement values for amino acids and especially lysine are reviewed, and it is concluded that stable-isotope studies do not yet provide adequate alternative values to N balance data, which for lysine are robust after recalculation and adjustment. A new maintenance requirement pattern is developed, with higher values than those of Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (1985) but lower values than the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-ogy pattern (Young et al. 1989). Calculations of age-related amino acid requirements are based on most recent estimates of human growth and maintenance protein requirements, a tissue amino acid pattern and the new maintenance amino acid pattern. These values appear valid when used to score plant proteins, since they indicate values similar to or less than the biological value measured directly in young children. When used to score plant-based diets in India, no marked deficiencies are identified. All regions score > 1 for adults, whilst for children scores range from > 1, (Tamil Nadhu) from 6 months of age to 0.78 (West Bengal), rising to 0.9 in the 2–5 year old, consistent with reports that high-lysine maize supports similar weight and height growth to that of casein. Inadequate amino acid supply is not an issue with most cereal-based diets.
U.S. Employment Rights Legislation and the Legal Theory of Co-Employment as Constraints on the Use of Contract Labor

This article examines the implications of U.S. individual employment rights for secondary employment under the contract labor mechanism. Based on an analysis of common law and regulatory agency tests and the evolving legal theory of co-employment, it is argued that employment rights management is fundamentally problematic for firms using contract labor. Factors which make it difficult to externalize employment management through contract labor agencies include 1) moral hazard problems associated with such agen­ cies, 2) costs of monitoring rights compliance, 3) rights violations involving third-party liability and 4) related problems associated with the extension of contract labor to professional occupations. Anticipated managerial responses (in terms of refinements to contract labor practice) are discussed, together with their limitations. Also considered are the implications of such refine­ ments for dual labor market configurations involving primary workers under the human resources or "salaried" model. Historically, secondary employment, with its key characteristics of market-based pricing and tenuous attachment to the firm, has been the norm in America. Its counterpart—rule-based primary employment via internal labor markets—is a phenomenon of this century [1]. As Jacoby [2] has documented, the development of internal labor markets (and personnel/administrative control over employment) is best understood as a response to legal-institutional support for collective organization and individual employment rights rather than limitations of marketbased employment, per se. While market forces and direct efficiency incentives identified by Doeringer and Piore [3] and others certainly play a role in the
The Effects of Occupational Therapy and Music Therapy on Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Study

Background: Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at an increased risk for developing dementia, especially Alzheimer disease; and pharmacological therapy for MCI is limited. As a result, nonpharmacological mediums have been considered to complement standard drug therapy. In this study, we evaluated the effects of nonpharmacological therapies, occupational therapy and music therapy, on cognitive functions and depressive mood in MCI patients. Methods: We enrolled patients with MCI from the Mapo Dementia Center and divided them into two groups, group A (n=14) who participated in a cognitive program for 12 months and group B (n=15) who did not participate in a cog- nitive program. We compared the baseline and followed-up scores of the Korean-version of Mini-Mental State Exami- nation (K-MMSE), the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB), and the short version of geriatric depres- sion scale (sGDS) between the two groups. Results: Group A showed improvements in total and language scores in the K-MMSE and digit span backward scores in the SNSB and sGDS. In contrast, group B showed a decline in the Seoul Verbal Learning Test recognition score in the SNSB. Additionally, there were significant intergroup differences in the total and language scores in K-MMSE, the digit span backward score, and the Rey Complex Figure Test-delayed recall scores and depression scores. Conclusion: Occupational therapy and music therapy may help to improve cognitive functions and depressive mood in patients with MCI.
The Monitoring of Preoperative External Detorsion with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in a Patient with Acute Testicular Torsion

Testicular torsion is one of the main causes of acute scrotum and may result in permanent damage of the testicular tissue. Color Doppler imaging has been frequently used in the diagnosis of testicular torsion and posttreatment follow-up period of the disease. There are some studies reporting the value and usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging in the diagnosis of testicular torsion. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no report regarding the monitoring of preoperative external detorsion in testicular torsion with diffusion-weighted imaging examination. In this article, diffusion-weighted imaging findings in the management of preoperative external detorsion in a case with testicular torsion were presented.
Bortezomib-based therapy for newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib was initially approved for the treatment of relapsed mantle-cell lymphoma. We investigated whether substituting bortezomib for vincristine in frontline therapy with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) could improve outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma. METHODS In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned 487 adults with newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma who were ineligible or not considered for stem-cell transplantation to receive six to eight 21-day cycles of R-CHOP intravenously on day 1 (with prednisone administered orally on days 1 to 5) or VR-CAP (R-CHOP regimen, but replacing vincristine with bortezomib at a dose of 1.3 mg per square meter of body-surface area on days 1, 4, 8, and 11). The primary end point was progression-free survival. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 40 months, median progression-free survival (according to independent radiologic review) was 14.4 months in the R-CHOP group versus 24.7 months in the VR-CAP group (hazard ratio favoring the VR-CAP group, 0.63; P<0.001), a relative improvement of 59%. On the basis of investigator assessment, the median durations of progression-free survival were 16.1 months and 30.7 months, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.51; P<0.001), a relative improvement of 96%. Secondary end points were consistently improved in the VR-CAP group, including the complete response rate (42% vs. 53%), the median duration of complete response (18.0 months vs. 42.1 months), the median treatment-free interval (20.5 months vs. 40.6 months), and the 4-year overall survival rate (54% vs. 64%). Rates of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were higher in the VR-CAP group. CONCLUSIONS VR-CAP was more effective than R-CHOP in patients with newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma but at the cost of increased hematologic toxicity. (Funded by Janssen Research and Development and Millennium Pharmaceuticals; LYM-3002 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00722137.).
Psychotherapy and memories of childhood sexual abuse: A cognitive perspective

Cognitive psychological research on the fallibility of human memory is reviewed, focusing on evidence of memory distortions and illusions, with the aim of sharing research on memory with clinical psychologists and practitioners who use memory recovery techniques to help clients recover suspected memories of childhood sexual abuse. The memory literature suggests that incautious use of memory recovery techniques may lead some adult clients who were not abused to come to believe that they were. Considerations relevant to assessing whether or not clients have repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse are discussed, as are suggestions for minimizing the risk of leading clients to create illusory memories or beliefs of childhood sexual abuse.
Correlation of percentage changes in platelet counts with recurrence rate following radical nephrectomy

Objectives: To categorize and correlate percentage changes in platelets counts - an objective approach with recurrence rate following radical nephrectomy. Materials and Methods: All consecutive patients who had radical nephrectomy for localized renal tumor in the period from January 1997 to December 2005 have been included in this study. The data was collected retrospectively. The primary outcome of this study was over all and cancer- specific survival and its correlation with percentage change in platelet count from pre-surgical level. Change in platelets counts was categorized as less than or more than 0-10%, 10-20% and more than 20% from base line (pre-surgery). This was correlated with the follow-up recurrence and disease free survival. Survival distribution were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards models to address the impact of different prognostic factors on survival. Results: Of the 237 patients treated with radical nephrectomy, pT1, pT2, pT3, and pT4 accounted for 116 (49%), 44 (18.5%), 68(28.7%), and nine (3.8%) cases respectively. The mean tumor size was 6.3 cm (Range: 4-17 cm; SD: 3). The pre-operative platelet count ranged from 82 to 1573 (Mean: 327.5; SD: 171.7). The overall follow-up time ranged from 1-102 months (Mean: 39 months; SD: 27months). There was significant correlation between the recurrence rate and increase in platelets count of more than 20% following radical nephrectomy (P value- 0.0001). Conclusions: Categorization of platelets changes following radical nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma, in particular, a change in more than 20% can accurately predict recurrence and cancer specific survival following radical nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma.