Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asthma and Risk of Prostate Cancer

AbstractSeveral epidemiologic studies in Western countries have examined the association between asthma and prostate cancer risk, but the results have been inconclusive. We investigated this association in a large, nationwide, population-based case-cohort study. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2008, we collected data from 12,372 men, including 4124 with asthma and 8248 age-, residence-, and insurance premium-matched control subjects, who were never diagnosed with asthma. Competing risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for determining the association between prostate cancer and asthma. During a mean follow-up of 5.05 years (standard deviation, 2.10), there were 74 cases of prostate cancer. The incidence of prostate cancer was 163.0/100,000 person-years (95% CI: 113.0–228.0) in the asthma patients. Asthma was significantly associated with prostate cancer (HR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.22–4.57; P = 0.011) after adjusting for age, residential area, insurance premium, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, duration of hospitalization, and mortality. In the subgroup analysis, independent risk factors for prostate cancer among men with asthma were age (HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.05–1.21; P < 0.001) and hypertension (HR: 2.75; 95% CI: 1.24–7.80; P = 0.047). The results of our study suggest that men with asthma have an increased risk of prostate cancer.
An Examination of Deceptive Self-Presentation in Online Dating Profiles

Online dating profiles are a popular new tool for initiating romantic relationships, although recent research suggests that they may also be a fertile ground for deception. The present study examines the occurrence of lies in online dating profiles and examines deception through a variety of theoretical lenses (affordances and limitations of computer-mediated communication, relational goals, and individual differences between users). Results suggest that the deviations between participants’ online self-presentations and the truth tended to be small but relatively frequent. This is consistent with the Hyperpersonal model’s assertion that online communicators engage in strategic and selective self-presentation. Results also suggest that, when deciding what to lie about, users take into consideration both the technical affordances of online dating portals, such as the editability of profiles, as well as the more social aspects of online dating, such as warranting and relational goals. Methodologically, this study is innovative in that it objectively verifies the accuracy of participants’ descriptions, in addition to asking them directly whether they have lied. This increases the reliability of the data, and allows for the first objectively obtained measure of deception in online dating profiles.
Two challenges for the classification of sexual dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION The current classification of sexual function (in particular, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV) has lately attracted significant criticism at both research and clinical levels. Despite this, there has been a reluctance to return to the drawing board. Instead, attempts to improve the system have been marginal, constrained by the need to secure professional consensus, the desire for continuity with traditional categories, and the emphasis on diagnostic agreement (reliability). AIM In this article, we examine two key challenges currently faced by the DSM: how to effectively acknowledge the relational context of sexual problems and how to avoid pathologizing normal variation. RESULTS We raise some possible new directions, such as ways in which relational processes could be integrated into the current system, and possibilities for introducing a dimensional rather than a categorical model of sexual function. CONCLUSIONS We argue that if the next version of DSM (version V) is to avoid the weaknesses inherent in the present system, then a return to the drawing board is precisely what is required.
Dietary supplementation and immunocompetence in housebound elderly subjects.

Immune function, particularly cell-mediated immunity (CMI), declines with age and it has been suggested that this may be secondary to the impaired nutritional status often found in the elderly. In the present study a balanced nutritional supplement consisting of several macro- and micro-nutrients was administered daily to 27 housebound elderly (aged 70-85 years) for 12 weeks. Thirty-one matched subjects served as a control group. Delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DCH) to seven recall antigens was measured using the Mérieux Multitest CMI device and total numbers of lymphocytes, B-cells, T-cells and T-cell sub-populations were determined using monoclonal antibodies. These tests and several indices of nutritional status were measured before and at the end of the 12-week study. Before supplementation 19% of the entire group of subjects were anergic and another 19% hypoergic, values greater than expected for healthy elderly subjects. A weak association (P = 0.056) was shown between plasma zinc concentration and the number of positive skin test responses. Supplementation had minimal effect on DCH, resulting in a significant (P < 0.05) increase only in the sum of positive indurations. Pre-study numbers of total lymphocytes and lymphocyte sub-populations were as expected for healthy elderly subjects, but a correlation was found between plasma selenium concentrations (mean 1.07, range 0.64-1.66 mumol/l) and the numbers of CD4 lymphocytes (P < 0.01). Supplementation did not result in a significant change in any of the lymphocyte populations. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Correlation of CT perfusion images with VEGF expression in solitary brain metastases.

OBJECTIVES To obtain permeability surface (PS) values using multi-slice helical CT perfusion imaging and to evaluate the spatial distribution correlation between PS values and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in solitary brain metastases. METHODS Imaging was performed on 21 patients, PS values being calculated from the central, border and peripheral parts of tumours. VEGF expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS Rim enhancement was found in 16 cases, the border of the tumour featuring PS elevation with high VEGF expression in 13 cases. In the 5 cases with nodular enhancement, the border and the central part had high permeability and VEGF expression was high in all cases, the correlation being significant (P<0.01) . CONCLUSION VEGF expression in brain metastases positively correlates with PS values from CT perfusion imaging, so that the latter can be used in the surveillance of angiogenic activity in brain metastases.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Depression, Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Meta-Regression of Factors that May Predict Outcome

Objective: To determine which factors impact on the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety. Factors considered include those related to clinical practice: disorder, treatment type, duration and intensity of treatment, mode of therapy, type and training of therapist and severity of patients. Factors related to the conduct of the trial were also considered, including: year of study, country of study, type of control group, language, number of patients and percentage of dropouts from the trial. Method: We used the technique of meta-analysis to determine an overall effect size (standardized mean difference calculated using Hedges' g) and meta-regression to determine the factors that impact on this effect size. We included randomized controlled trials with a wait list, pill placebo or attention/psychological placebo control group. Study participants had to be 18 years or older and all have diagnosed depression, panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Outcomes of interest included symptom, functioning and health-related quality of life measures, reported as continuous variables at post-treatment. Results: Cognitive behavioural therapy for depression, panic disorder and GAD had an effect size of 0.68 (95% CI=0.51–0.84, n=33 studies, 52 comparisons). The heterogeneity in the effect sizes was fully explained by treatment, duration of therapy, inclusion of severe patients in the trial, year of study, country of study, control group, language and number of dropouts from the control group. Disorder was not a significant predictor of the effect size. Conclusions: Cognitive behavioural therapy is significantly less effective for severe patients and trials that compared CBT to a wait-list control group found significantly larger effect sizes than those comparing CBT to an attention placebo, but not to a pill placebo. Further research is needed to determine whether CBT is effective when provided by others than psychologists and whether it is effective for non-English-speaking patient groups.
The Ordering Requirements of Relativistic and Reader-Writer Locking Approaches to Shared Data Access

The semantics of reader-writer locks allow read-side concurrency. Unfortunately, the locking primitives serialize access to the lock variable to an extent that little or no concurrency is realized in practice for small critical sections. Relativistic programming is a methodology that also allows readside concurrency. Relativistic programming uses different ordering constraints than reader-writer locking. The different ordering constraints allow relativistic readers to proceed without synchronization so relativistic readers scale even for very short critical sections. In this paper we explore the differences between the ordering constraints for reader-writer locking and relativistic programs. We show how and why the different ordering constraints allow relativistic programs to have both better performance and better scalability than their reader-writer locking counterparts.
‘Stand by Me’: The Effect of Emotional Support on Children's Testimonies

Many children who come into contact with the legal system following suspected maltreatment have difficulty disclosing the alleged abuse and providing rich and coherent testimonies. This study focuses on three interviews with alleged victims: two girls who were interviewed following reports of possible sexual abuse by their fathers and one boy who was interviewed following a report of possible sexual abuse by his mother. All the interviews were conducted by social workers trained in investigative interviewing techniques. The main aim of these case studies is to explore the effect of emotional, non-suggestive support on children's disclosure patterns and narratives during the forensic interview. These illustrative interviews emphasise the importance of employing emotional non-suggestive support in the forensic context, as this practice balances between the interests of the legal system and the best interests of the children involved. This balancing is a highly complicated task and represents social workers' contributions to the experiences of maltreated children in the legal system. The practical implications for social workers in the forensic context and other contexts are also discussed. Language: en
Use of multidetector computed tomography to guide management of pneumothorax

Purpose of review Pneumothorax, a potentially life-threatening condition, is present in about one-third of chest trauma patients. Traditionally, pneumothorax has been diagnosed and managed by use of chest radiography, which has been found inaccurate and inconsistent. With the ubiquitous application of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in emergency care, MDCT quantification of pneumothoraces becomes an emerging technique for accurate determination of the size of pneumothoraces. The use of MDCT quantification provides a promising means to improve pneumothorax management. Recent findings Recent studies have demonstrated that MDCT is the gold standard for detecting pneumothorax and MDCT provides an effective imaging modality for the accurate measurement of the volume of pneumothoraces. The use of MDCT volumetric quantification of pneumothoraces has been evidenced in the improvement of performance in pneumothorax management for clinically stable chest trauma patients. Summary The MDCT volumetric quantification of pneumothoraces is a new concept in the care of chest trauma patients and has the potential to improve pneumothorax management. Further clinical studies are needed to establish a MDCT-based clinical guideline for pneumothorax management.
Small Business Clustering: Accessing Knowledge through Local Networks

Over the last decade there has been considerable interest and activity in clustering and the concomitant link to regional development. In the world economy small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are now recognised as playing a pivotal role in regional economic sustainability and growth, yet there is relatively little research that examines SME clustering processes, and in particular the nature of knowledge creation in local/regional SME networks. This paper discusses the topic of small business clustering and local network knowledge transfer. It outlines some of the key literature on clustering within a regional development context and discusses the implications on industry and place vis-a-vis regional cluster learning, knowledge creation and innovation. To illustrate SME clustering and knowledge transfer issues, the paper briefly highlights three regional Australian small business clustering studies. The paper concludes with some future directions for SME clustering in terms of policy, industry and place.
Benchtop and Animal Validation of a Projective Imaging System for Potential Use in Intraoperative Surgical Guidance

We propose a projective navigation system for fluorescence imaging and image display in a natural mode of visual perception. The system consists of an excitation light source, a monochromatic charge coupled device (CCD) camera, a host computer, a projector, a proximity sensor and a Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) camera. With perspective transformation and calibration, our surgical navigation system is able to achieve an overall imaging speed higher than 60 frames per second, with a latency of 330 ms, a spatial sensitivity better than 0.5 mm in both vertical and horizontal directions, and a projection bias less than 1 mm. The technical feasibility of image-guided surgery is demonstrated in both agar-agar gel phantoms and an ex vivo chicken breast model embedding Indocyanine Green (ICG). The biological utility of the system is demonstrated in vivo in a classic model of ICG hepatic metabolism. Our benchtop, ex vivo and in vivo experiments demonstrate the clinical potential for intraoperative delineation of disease margin and image-guided resection surgery.
Three-Dimensional Through-Wall Sensing of Moving Targets Using Passive Multistatic Radars

This paper deals with the localization of moving targets in a three-dimensional (3-D) space by a passive multistatic through-wall radar system. Receiving sensors are deployed around the surveillance area to gather the electromagnetic signals scattered from targets, which are illuminated by opportunistic sources present in the environment. A single frequency operation of the system is assumed in view of the narrowband nature of sources commonly encountered in practical situations. The localization task is undertaken by using an inverse source-based approach, where the unknown targets are estimated as the supports of current distributions induced over their volume/surface. A multiarray image fusion strategy is applied to mitigate the lack of resolution associated with the single frequency receiver operation. The change detection is used to detect and localize animate targets in the scene. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach is assessed by numerical tests based on full-wave synthetic data.
The Varieties of Recovery Experience: A Primer for Addiction Treatment Professionals and Recovery Advocates

The study of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) is historically marked by three stages: 1) the investigation of AOD-related social and personal pathologies, 2) the development of personal and social interventions aimed at resolving AOD problems, and 3) a focus on the prevalence and patterns of long-term recovery from AOD problems. This essay honors this transition from addiction and treatment paradigms to a recovery paradigm by exploring the growing varieties of pathways and styles through which people are resolving serious and persistent AOD-related problems. A review of scientific and mutual aid literature is used to catalogue variations in:  scope of recovery (primary and secondary chemical health and global health)  depth of recovery (partial, full and enriched)  types of recovery (abstinence-based, moderation-based, medication-assisted)  context of recovery initiation (solo, peer-assisted, treatment
Metallic Glasses

Amorphous metallic alloys, relative newcomers to the world of glasses, have properties that are unusual for solid metals. The metallic glasses, which exist in a very wide variety of compositions, combine fundamental interest with practical applications. They also serve as precursors for exciting new nanocrystalline materials. Their magnetic (soft and hard) and mechanical properties are of particular interest.
Business Modeling of a City Logistics ICT Platform

Interest in City Logistics has been increasing among scholars, the industry, local administrations and various stakeholders. In particular, a number of projects have been developing with the aim of overcoming the negative impact of urban parcel delivery and making it more efficient and sustainable, from both the operations and environmental standpoints. However, most of these initiatives are more focused on technical solutions, regardless of the potential long-term economic feasibility and fitting with the stakeholders' needs. In order to take into account the actual feasibility of CL initiative, this paper presents the case study of the Urban Electronic Logistics (URBeLOG) project, carried out with the aim to develop an ICT platform to support and improve urban last-mile logistics in two pilot cities, namely Turin and Milan (Italy). The definition of the business model of the solution has been obtained through two sessions of the Business Model Canvas wherein all the partners of the project together with a representative of the public authority have taken part. The project combines the emphasis on the ICT solution with a stakeholder-driven approach to business model design.
Learning With Social Semantic Technologies - Exploiting Latest Tools

Even though it was only about three years ago that Social Software became a trend, it has become a common practice to utilize Social Software in learning institutions. It brought about a lot of advantages, but also challenges. Amounts of distributed and often unstructured user generated content make it difficult to meaningfully process and find relevant information. According to the estimate of the authors, the solution lies in underpinning Social Software with structure resulting in Social Semantic Software. In this contribution we introduce the central concepts Social Software, Semantic Web and Social Semantic Web and show how Social Semantic Technologies might be utilized in the higher education context.
WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT AMONGST MALAYSIAN DUAL-CAREER EMPLOYEES

As the number of dual-career employees entering the workplace increases, it is important to understand how the integration of work and family responsibilities influences work outcomes. The current study examined occupational role salience, work-family conflict, basic understandings, spousal support, and organizational support as predictors of work satisfaction. One hundred and sixteen dual-career faculty and staff from three Malaysian universities completed a survey questionnaire. Results from stepwise regression analyses showed that across all employees, work-family conflict was the most significant predictor of work satisfaction. More specifically, for male employees, spousal support was the most important predictor of work satisfaction followed by work-family conflict. Interestingly, for female employees, work-family conflict was the most significant predictor followed by organizational support. These results suggest that dual-career employees who find family responsibilities intruding into their work activities are likely to experience lesser work satisfaction. Dual-career employees receiving support and encouragement from a spouse or from the employing organization are more likely to experience increased work satisfaction.
The Relationship between Organizational Culture and Organizational Commitment in Staff Department of General Prosecutors of Tehran

The main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of organizational culture with commitment. In this respect, the components of organizational culture as the independent variable were derived from Denison's model and the components of organizational commitment as the dependent variable were derived from Allen and Mayer's model and then, the relationship between two kinds of variables were tested through Pierson correlation testing. The results from the study showed that there was a significant relationship between all the components of organizational culture including adaptability, involvement, adjustment, mission and organizational commitment.
On Distributed Traffic Signal Control

Distributed control mechanisms have been studied in past decades in different application areas. Currently, multiagent systems are a popular topic also in ITS systems, where numerous approaches to distribution of system intelligence are being tested. One of the main problems in distributed control, however, remains the guarantee of reaching the global optimum - while most of the applications perform sufficiently well, there is no way to tell that they cannot perform even better, or that they may fail under certain operating conditions. Luckily, for certain control paradigms such guarantees may be given. In this paper we study two approaches to distributed control, namely distributed LQ control and distributed non-linear control using COBYLA algorithm, and apply them to urban traffic control scenario. We show that the convergence conditions are met and results achieved with distributed control converge to those of centralised control mechanisms.
Computerized Continuous Infusion of Intravenous Anesthetic Drugs During Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

We evaluated the efficacy of a computer‐assisted continuous infusion device (CACI) using a two‐drug infusion of midazolam and sufentanil as an anesthetic technique during pediatric cardiac surgery. Seventeen pediatric patients were anesthetized with CACI using age‐appropriate pharmacokinetic models for administering sufentanil and midazolam. Predicted CACI plasma concentrations were correlated with assayed plasma drug concentrations at eight predefined intervals. The accuracy was assessed using median absolute prediction error. We found that plasma levels predicted by CACI provided a reasonable approximation of measured plasma concentrations for both drugs. The median absolute prediction error for sufentanil during cardiopulmonary bypass was compared with measurements made off of cardiopulmonary bypass (both pre and post cardiopulmonary bypass) and were 49% and 32%, respectively, and for midazolam 44% and 32%, respectively. We conclude that (a) current kinetic models provide a reasonable estimate of plasma drug concentrations, and (b) the ease of administration and targeted plasma level provided by the CACI system is an alternative to inhalation anesthesia using calibrated vaporizers.