Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Portrait of the Rugged Individualist: The Nonverbal Pride Display Communicates Support for Meritocracy

Emotions profoundly influence beliefs about morality and justice (Haidt, 2001) and emerging research suggests that expressions of emotion communicate an individual's moral attributes to others (e.g., Brown, Palameta, & Moore, 2002). The present research examines the moral beliefs signaled by the nonverbal pride display. Pride is triggered by appraisals that the self merits high status and greater access to resources (Tracy & Robins, 2004) and pride's nonverbal expression has been shown to convey these appraisals to observers (Shariff & Tracy, 2009). Guided by appraisal-tendency frameworks of the association between distinct emotions and moral beliefs (Horberg, Oveis, & Keltner, 2010), I predicted that the nonverbal expression of pride would communicate greater support for meritocracy--the belief that social and material resources ought to be distributed according to merit--relative to egalitarianism, or beliefs that resources ought to be distributed in ways that promote equality of outcomes. Study 1 demonstrated these effects using unfamiliar male and female targets posing pride or joy in photographs. Study 2 found that individuals previously shown a photo of Barack Obama expressing pride, relative to a neutral expression, subsequently rated Obama as more likely to endorse meritocracy. Finally, Study 3 tests the validity of pride-based inferences of support for meritocracy. This study demonstrated that individuals who spontaneously expressed pride to a greater degree were more likely to advocate dividing a resource between the self and another on the basis of merit rather than equally. Moreover, consistent with Studies 1 and 2, observers rated the high-pride expressers as more likely to support meritocracy and less likely to support egalitarianism.
Laparoscopic management of adnexal masses: a gold standard?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review recent literature on the laparoscopic management of adnexal masses, when this approach may be considered as a gold standard. RECENT FINDINGS Cyst rupture was recently demonstrated to be a significant prognostic factor in stage I invasive epithelial carcinoma, and it was recommended to restrict the laparoscopic approach to patients with preoperative evidence that the cyst was benign. The laparoscopic approach is still highly controversial in masses suspicious at ultrasound. The limits of the laparoscopic approach are discussed reviewing recent literature and our experience. The laparoscopic management of adnexal masses appears to be safe in most hospitals even in developing countries. This approach is being used with increasing frequency in unusual indications such as newborns, children, adolescents and pregnant women. The learning curve for endoscopic surgery appears to be longer than expected. Many patients with benign adnexal masses, such as ovarian endometrioma, are still treated by laparotomy or with an inadequate endoscopic technique. Several studies have suggested that the stripping technique is a tissue-sparing procedure. SUMMARY The laparoscopic puncture of malignant ovarian tumours confined to the ovaries is uncommon, and should be avoided whenever possible. The teaching of endoscopy is essential to promote adequate procedures performed according to the principles of microsurgery and to preserve postoperative ovarian physiology.
Risk factors for ovarian cancer in central Italy.

OBJECTIVE We conducted a case-control study to analyze risk factors for ovarian cancer. METHODS Cases included 440 women (age range 13-80 years, median 54) with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer who were admitted to the Gynecological Oncological Department of Gynecologic Oncology at the Catholic University Hospital in Rome, Italy. Controls were women admitted to the same hospital where cases were identified for acute nongynecological, nonhormonal, and nonneoplastic conditions. A total of 868 control women (age range 19-80 years, median 55) were interviewed. RESULTS In comparison with ever married women, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) of ovarian cancers was 2.0 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.3-3.2) for never married women. Cases and controls were similar as regards educational status and body mass index. No clear relation emerged between ovarian cancer and age at menarche, menopausal status, and age at menopause. In comparison with nulliparae, the estimated ORs were 0.8, 0.9, and 0.7, respectively, in women reporting one, two, or three births. Women reporting two or more induced abortions were at decreased risk of ovarian cancer (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-1.0). In comparison with women reporting their first birth before 20 years of age, the multivariate ORs were 1.8, 2.0, and 2.8, respectively, for women reporting their first birth at age 20-24, 25-30, and >/=31 (chi(2) trend = 10.1). Breast-feeding for more than 1 year was associated with an OR of 0.5 (95% CI, 0.4-0.8). Forty-two (9.5%) cases and 164 (18.9%) controls reported ever oral contraceptive use: in comparison with never users, the multivariate OR was 0.4 (95% CI 0.3-0.6) for ever users, and the risk decreased with duration of use. The OR for ovarian cancer was 2.9 (95% CI, 1.5-5.8) for women with a family history of the disease. CONCLUSION This study, conducted on a relatively low-risk population, confirms the role of oral contraceptive on ovarian cancer risk and the direct association with family history of ovarian cancer. It also indicates that a later age at first birth is directly, and induced abortion and breast-feeding are inversely, related to the risk of the disease.
Robust Framework to Combine Diverse Classifiers Assigning Distributed Confidence to Individual Classifiers at Class Level

We have presented a classification framework that combines multiple heterogeneous classifiers in the presence of class label noise. An extension of m-Mediods based modeling is presented that generates model of various classes whilst identifying and filtering noisy training data. This noise free data is further used to learn model for other classifiers such as GMM and SVM. A weight learning method is then introduced to learn weights on each class for different classifiers to construct an ensemble. For this purpose, we applied genetic algorithm to search for an optimal weight vector on which classifier ensemble is expected to give the best accuracy. The proposed approach is evaluated on variety of real life datasets. It is also compared with existing standard ensemble techniques such as Adaboost, Bagging, and Random Subspace Methods. Experimental results show the superiority of proposed ensemble method as compared to its competitors, especially in the presence of class label noise and imbalance classes.
Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke: Does It Still Matter in Patients With a CHA2DS2-VASc Score of 0 or 1?

Background and Purpose— Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an independent risk factor for stroke. Recent studies have demonstrated that the CHA2DS2-VASc scheme is useful for selecting patients who are truly at low risk. The goal of the present study was to compare the risk of ischemic stroke among AF patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0 (male) or 1 (female) with those without AF. Methods— The study enrolled 509 males (CHA2DS2-VASc score=0) and 320 females (CHA2DS2-VASc score=1) with AF who did not receive any antithrombotic therapy. Patients were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. For each study patient, 10 age-matched and sex-matched subjects without AF and without any comorbidity from the CHA2DS2-VASc scheme were selected as controls. The clinical end point was the occurrence of ischemic stroke. Results— During a follow-up of 57.4±35.7 months, 128 patients (1.4%) experienced ischemic stroke. The event rate did not differ between groups with and without AF for male patients (1.6% vs 1.6%; P=0.920). In contrast, AF was a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke among females (hazard ratio, 7.77), with event rates of 4.4% and 0.7% for female patients with and without AF (P<0.001). Conclusions— AF males with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0 were at true low risk for stroke, which was similar to that of non-AF patients. However, AF females with a score of 1 were still at higher risk for ischemic events than non-AF patients.
An object recognition algorithm using Maximum Margin Correlation Filter and Support Vector Machine

We consider the problem of detecting objects in two dimensional images and propose a new technique which uses Support Vector Machine (SVM) along with Maximum Margin Correlation Filter (MMCF). We have shown that our algorithm detects objects well and is robust with respect to scale changes. Introduction of Support Vector Machine (SVM) helps Maximum Margin Correlation Filter (MMCF) to deal with non-linearly separable data also to some extent. The algorithm also detects same object, if it is found several times at several scales, thus it helps avoiding redundant detection of same object and finally selects the best version of it.
Ribosomal Proteins RPL37, RPS15 and RPS20 Regulate the Mdm2-p53-MdmX Network

Changes to the nucleolus, the site of ribosome production, have long been linked to cancer, and mutations in several ribosomal proteins (RPs) have been associated with an increased risk for cancer in human diseases. Relevantly, a number of RPs have been shown to bind to MDM2 and inhibit MDM2 E3 ligase activity, leading to p53 stabilization and cell cycle arrest, thus revealing a RP-Mdm2-p53 signaling pathway that is critical for ribosome biogenesis surveillance. Here, we have identified RPL37, RPS15, and RPS20 as RPs that can also bind Mdm2 and activate p53. We found that each of the aforementioned RPs, when ectopically expressed, can stabilize both co-expressed Flag-tagged Mdm2 and HA-tagged p53 in p53-null cells as well as endogenous p53 in a p53-containing cell line. For each RP, the mechanism of Mdm2 and p53 stabilization appears to be through inhibiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of Mdm2. Interestingly, although they are each capable of inducing cell death and cell cycle arrest, these RPs differ in the p53 target genes that are regulated upon their respective introduction into cells. Furthermore, each RP can downregulate MdmX levels but in distinct ways. Thus, RPL37, RPS15 and RPS20 regulate the Mdm2-p53-MdmX network but employ different mechanisms to do so.
Health-Related Quality of Life among School Children with Parasitic Infections: Findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey in Côte d'Ivoire

Background Parasitic infections are still of considerable public health relevance, notably among children in low- and middle-income countries. Measures to assess the magnitude of ill-health in infected individuals, however, are debated and patient-based proxies through generic health-related quality of life (HrQoL) instruments are among the proposed strategies. Disability estimates based on HrQoL are still scarce and conflicting, and hence, there is a need to strengthen the current evidence-base. Methodology Between November 2011 and February 2012, a national school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Côte d'Ivoire. Children underwent parasitological and clinical examination to assess infection status with Plasmodium and helminth species and clinical parameters, and responded to a questionnaire interview incorporating sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported morbidity, and HrQoL. Validity analysis of the HrQoL instrument was performed, assessing floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, and correlation with morbidity scores. Multivariate regression models were applied to identify significant associations between HrQoL and children's parasitic infection and clinical status. Principal Findings Parasitological examination of 4,848 children aged 5–16 years revealed Plasmodium spp. , hookworm, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Trichuris trichiura prevalences of 75.0%, 17.2%, 5.7%, 3.7%, 1.8%, and 1.3%, respectively. Anemic children showed a significant 1-point reduction in self-rated HrQoL on a scale from 0 to 100, whereas no significant negative association between HrQoL and parasite infection was observed. The 12-item HrQoL questionnaire proofed useful, as floor and ceiling effects were negligible, internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.71), and valid, as revealed by significant negative correlations and associations with children's self-reported and clinically assessed morbidity. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that HrQoL tools are not sufficiently sensitive to assess subtle morbidities due to parasitic infection in Ivorian school-aged children. However, more advanced morbid sequelae (e.g., anemia), were measurable by the instrument's health construct. Further investigations on health impacts of parasitic infection among school-aged children and refinement of generic HrQoL questionnaires are warranted.
Fast Access to Distributed Atomic Memory

We study efficient and robust implementations of an atomic read-write data structure over an asynchronous distributed message-passing system made of reader and writer processes, as well as a number of servers implementing the data structure. We determine the exact conditions under which every read and write involves one round of communication with the servers. These conditions relate the number of readers to the tolerated number of faulty servers and the nature of these failures.
The Effect of Parental Consanguinity and Inbreeding on The Anthropometric Measurements of the Newborn Babies Revisited

Abstract The present paper deals with the effects of parental consanguinity and inbreeding on the anthropometric measurements of 4,941 newborn babies studied in 1978-79 and 1445 newborn babies studied in 1998-99, i.e. after a gap of 20 years, at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Inbreeding caused significant diminution of all anthropometric measurements recorded (weight, height, chest girth, calf girth, head girth, head length) except head breadth in the earlier study, but in the present study, there is no inbreeding depression on any of the anthropometric measurements. Plausible reasons for the presence and absence of inbreeding depression in the earlier and present studies are discussed.
COSPECIATION BETWEEN BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONTS (BUCHNERA) AND A RECENT RADIATION OF APHIDS (UROLEUCON) AND PITFALLS OF TESTING FOR PHYLOGENETIC CONGRUENCE

Abstract Previous studies of phylogenetic congruence between aphids and their symbiotic bacteria (Buchnera) supported long-term vertical transmission of symbionts. However, those studies were based on distantly related aphids and would not have revealed horizontal transfer of symbionts among closely related hosts. Aphid species of the genus Uroleucon are closely related phylogenetically and overlap in geographic ranges, habitats, and parasitoids. To examine support for congruence of phylogenies of Buchnera and Uroleucon, sequences from four mitochondrial, one nuclear, and one endosymbiont gene (trpB) were obtained. Congruence of phylogenies based on pooled aphid genes with phylogenies based on trpB was highly significant: Most nodes resolved by trpB corresponded to nodes resolved by the pooled aphid genes. Furthermore, no nodes were both inconsistent between the trees and strongly supported in both trees. Two kinds of analyses testing the null hypothesis of perfect congruence between pairwise combinations of datasets and tree topologies were performed: the Kishino-Hasegawa test and the likelihood-ratio test. Both tests indicated significant disagreement among most pairwise combinations of mitochondrial, nuclear, and symbiont datasets. Because rampant recombination among mitochondrial genomes of different aphid species is unlikely, inaccurate assumptions in the evolutionary models underlying these tests appear to be causing the hypothesis of a shared history to be incorrectly rejected. Moreover, trpB was more consistent with the aphid genes as a set than any single aphid gene was with the others, suggesting that the symbionts show the same phylogeny as the aphids. Overall, analyses support the interpretation that symbionts and aphids have undergone strict cospeciation, with no horizontal transmission of symbionts even among closely related, ecologically similar aphid hosts. Corresponding Editor: E. Martins
MMSE and adaptive prediction of time-varying channels for OFDM systems

We propose decision-directed channel predictors for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communications over time-varying channels. Channel prediction is capable of yielding up-to-date channel state information even without regular transmission of pilot symbols. It is thus potentially useful for delay-free equalization, antenna combining, space-time decoding, adaptive modulation, adaptive power control, and adaptive transmit antenna diversity. We derive a minimum mean-square error channel predictor and its efficient discrete Fourier transform implementation. Furthermore, we develop adaptive predictors that do not require any statistical prior knowledge and are able to track nonstationary channel and noise statistics. Simulation results involving an OFDM receiver in which channel prediction is used for delay-free equalization demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed techniques even for fast time-varying channels.
Validation of Qualitative Research in the “Real World”

In this article, the author takes up the debate about the usefulness of the concept of validity in qualitative research and acknowledges the critical role of the researcher as an “instrument” in the research process. Qualitative research, and the process of analysis in particular, involves continuous reflexivity and self-scrutiny. Balancing the need for creativity and rigor, the qualitative researcher can experience uncertainty, particularly in relation to small numbers. The author describes steps that she and a colleague took to ensure the validity and accuracy of the findings in a qualitative study of female sex workers. She discusses specific challenges in relation to the validity of their interpretation and describes two unexpected and serendipitous validity checks that served as affirmation.
Raising parents : attachment, parenting and child safety

Part 1: 1. Yesterday's Children: Today's Mothers and Fathers 2. Early childhood: learning to be safe at home 3. Going to school: coping with a complex world 4. Becoming an adult: leaving and loving 5. Remembering the future: the process of mental representation 6. How do parents affect children's representations? Part 2: 7. Representation and child-rearing that endangers children 8. Distortions of normal child protective behaviour: marginal maltreatment of children 9. Distortions of normal child protective behaviour: physical abuse of children 10. Parents whose own needs skew their perceptions: distortions that emphasize parental self-comfort 11. Parents whose own needs skew their perceptions: the absence of parental protection 12. Distortions that substitute erroneous information and accurate information that misconstrue children as being threatened 13.Distortions that substitute deadly delusional information for accurateinformation misconstruing the child as being the threat Part 3: 14. Why do we need a new theory of treatment? 15. The ideas that underlay the dynamic-maturational model as a meta-theory of treatment 16. The dynamic-maturational model as a comprehensive theory of treatment 17. Assessment relevant to differential treatment 18. Functional formulation and the plan for treatment 19. Psychological treatment and information processing 20. Psychological treatment: three exemplar cases 21. Improving the safety of children and families
Hierarchical approach to exact symbolic analysis of large analog circuits

This paper provides a novel approach to exact symbolic analysis of very large analog circuits. The new method is based on determinant decision diagrams (DDDs) to represent symbolic product terms. But instead of constructing DDD graphs directly from a flat circuit matrix, the new method constructs DDD graphs in a hierarchical way based on hierarchically defined circuit structures. The resulting algorithm can analyze much larger analog circuits exactly than before. Theoretically, we show that exact symbolic expressions of a circuit are cancellation-free expressions when the circuit is analyzed hierarchically. Practically we propose a novel hierarchical DDD graph construction algorithm. Our experimental results show that very large analog circuits, which can't be analyzed exactly before like μA725 and other unstructured circuits up to 100 nodes, can be analyzed by the new approach for the first time. The new approach significantly improves the exact symbolic capacity and promises huge potentials for the new applications of symbolic analysis in analog circuit design automation.
Inflammatory Disease Processes and Interactions with Nutrition

Inflammation is a stereotypical physiological response to infections and tissue injury; it initiates pathogen killing as well as tissue repair processes and helps to restore homeostasis at infected or damaged sites. Acute inflammatory reactions are usually self-limiting and resolve rapidly, due to the involvement of negative feedback mechanisms. Thus, regulated inflammatory responses are essential to remain healthy and maintain homeostasis. However, inflammatory responses that fail to regulate themselves can become chronic and contribute to the perpetuation and progression of disease. Characteristics typical of chronic inflammatory responses underlying the pathophysiology of several disorders include loss of barrier function, responsiveness to a normally benign stimulus, infiltration of inflammatory cells into compartments where they are not normally found in such high numbers, and overproduction of oxidants, cytokines, chemokines, eicosanoids and matrix metalloproteinases. The levels of these mediators amplify the inflammatory response, are destructive and contribute to the clinical symptoms. Various dietary components including long chain ω-3 fatty acids, antioxidant vitamins, plant flavonoids, prebiotics and probiotics have the potential to modulate predisposition to chronic inflammatory conditions and may have a role in their therapy. These components act through a variety of mechanisms including decreasing inflammatory mediator production through effects on cell signaling and gene expression (ω-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, plant flavonoids), reducing the production of damaging oxidants (vitamin E and other antioxidants), and promoting gut barrier function and anti-inflammatory responses (prebiotics and probiotics). However, in general really strong evidence of benefit to human health through anti-inflammatory actions is lacking for most of these dietary components. Thus, further studies addressing efficacy in humans linked to studies providing greater understanding of the mechanisms of action involved are required.