Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body image dimensions and cancer: a heuristic cognitive behavioural model

The term body image has been associated with a multitude of definitions within psychosocial oncology. It is well known that cancer and cancer treatments often have a negative impact on appearance‐related variables. A growing literature has emerged in recent years on the psychological aspects of changed appearance. This work has mainly addressed weight‐related appearance and the psychology of eating disorders. A number of themes have emerged from this work. These themes have been strongly influenced by a cognitive behavioural perspective. There seems, however, to have been few attempts to integrate findings from such work with attempts to understand cancer‐related appearance changes. This paper outlines some of the key developments within body image psychology and suggests a heuristic cognitive behavioural model that could be applied to the assessment, conceptualisation and treatment of body image disturbance among cancer patients. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detection of varicella‐zoster virus DNA in throat swabs of patients with herpes zoster and on air purifier filters

Zoster patients are considered to be less contagious than those with varicella because their infectious lesions are localized. However, it is not known when the spread of varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) from zoster patients begins, how long it continues, and how far the virus spreads from the zoster patients. Twelve cases of hospitalized zoster patients were studied. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect VZV DNA in samples taken from the surface of their eruptions, throats, and the air purifier filters in their rooms. In all patients, VZV DNA was detected in the samples from eruptions. VZV DNA was detected in 8 of 12 patients from the throats. VZV DNA was detected for 9 of 12 patients from the filter samples. This study shows the possibility of a wide distribution of VZV DNA to the environment from infected patients. VZV may be excreted from cutaneous eruptions or from the throats of patients. J. Med. Virol. 66:567–570, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
MHD Boundary Layer Flow of Carreau Fluid over a Convectively Heated Bidirectional Sheet with Non-Fourier Heat Flux and Variable Thermal Conductivity

In the present exploration, instead of the more customary parabolic Fourier law, we have adopted the hyperbolic Cattaneo–Christov (C–C) heat flux model to jump over the major hurdle of “parabolic energy equation”. The more realistic three-dimensional Carreau fluid flow analysis is conducted in attendance of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity. The other salient impacts affecting the considered model are the homogeneous-heterogeneous (h-h) reactions and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD). The boundary conditions supporting the problem are convective heat and of h-h reactions. The considered boundary layer problem is addressed via similarity transformations to obtain the system of coupled differential equations. The numerical solutions are attained by undertaking the MATLAB built-in function bvp4c. To comprehend the consequences of assorted parameters on involved distributions, different graphs are plotted and are accompanied by requisite discussions in the light of their physical significance. To substantiate the presented results, a comparison to the already conducted problem is also given. It is envisaged that there is a close correlation between the two results. This shows that dependable results are being submitted. It is noticed that h-h reactions depict an opposite behavior versus concentration profile. Moreover, the temperature of the fluid augments for higher values of thermal conductivity parameters.
Ab initio molecular dynamics of solvation effects on reactivity at electrified interfaces

Significance Low-temperature fuel cells are efficient energy conversion devices that face a number of hurdles toward commercialization, including difficulties in storing hydrogen. Methanol represents a liquid-phase fuel alternative to hydrogen, yet the high cost of Pt-based catalysts limits fuel cells’ economic viability. Toward improved, lower-cost catalyst design, a fundamental understanding of the methanol electrooxidation reaction mechanism is necessary. Density functional theory calculations have become invaluable in elucidating these reaction mechanisms, although the complex reaction environment including solvation of a charged electrode has been a challenge to model. Using ab initio molecular dynamics, via the Blue Moon Ensemble, we have investigated methanol electrooxidation on a solvated and charged Pt(111) surface to understand the effect of solvation and charge on the reaction energetics. Using ab initio molecular dynamics as implemented in periodic, self-consistent (generalized gradient approximation Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof) density functional theory, we investigated the mechanism of methanol electrooxidation on Pt(111). We investigated the role of water solvation and electrode potential on the energetics of the first proton transfer step, methanol electrooxidation to methoxy (CH3O) or hydroxymethyl (CH2OH). The results show that solvation weakens the adsorption of methoxy to uncharged Pt(111), whereas the binding energies of methanol and hydroxymethyl are not significantly affected. The free energies of activation for breaking the C−H and O−H bonds in methanol were calculated through a Blue Moon Ensemble using constrained ab initio molecular dynamics. Calculated barriers for these elementary steps on unsolvated, uncharged Pt(111) are similar to results for climbing-image nudged elastic band calculations from the literature. Water solvation reduces the barriers for both C−H and O−H bond activation steps with respect to their vapor-phase values, although the effect is more pronounced for C−H bond activation, due to less disruption of the hydrogen bond network. The calculated activation energy barriers show that breaking the C−H bond of methanol is more facile than the O−H bond on solvated negatively biased or uncharged Pt(111). However, with positive bias, O−H bond activation is enhanced, becoming slightly more facile than C−H bond activation.
WASP and SCAR have distinct roles in activating the Arp2/3 complex during myoblast fusion

Myoblast fusion takes place in two steps in mammals and in Drosophila. First, founder cells (FCs) and fusion-competent myoblasts (FCMs) fuse to form a trinucleated precursor, which then recruits further FCMs. This process depends on the formation of the fusion-restricted myogenic-adhesive structure (FuRMAS), which contains filamentous actin (F-actin) plugs at the sites of cell contact. Fusion relies on the HEM2 (NAP1) homolog Kette, as well as Blow and WASP, a member of the Wiskott-Aldrich-syndrome protein family. Here, we show the identification and characterization of schwächling – a new Arp3-null allele. Ultrastructural analyses demonstrate that Arp3schwächling mutants can form a fusion pore, but fail to integrate the fusing FCM. Double-mutant experiments revealed that fusion is blocked completely in Arp3 and wasp double mutants, suggesting the involvement of a further F-actin regulator. Indeed, double-mutant analyses with scar/WAVE and with the WASP-interacting partner vrp1 (sltr, wip)/WIP show that the F-actin regulator scar also controls F-actin formation during myoblast fusion. Furthermore, the synergistic phenotype observed in Arp3 wasp and in scar vrp1 double mutants suggests that WASP and SCAR have distinct roles in controlling F-actin formation. From these findings we derived a new model for actin regulation during myoblast fusion.
Time Lost in Negotiations: Productive or Wasteful?

This paper examines the influence of time devoted to deal negotiations on the outcomes of mergers and acquisitions. Under “productive negotiation” hypothesis, longer negotiations would increase the probability of deal completion as a result of a greater potential to achieve understanding between the parties. Under “wasteful negotiation” hypothesis, longer negotiations would decrease the probability of deal completion as a result of a greater potential for discord between the parties. Using the Probit analysis, I find that length of the private part of the takeover process (before public announcement) positively influences the overall probability of deal completion. Refining my results in the framework of Survival analysis, I identify factors that drive total durations and show that the shape of the estimated hazard rate is not constant over time. Indeed, the conditional likelihood of deal completion first grows with negotiation times (increasing hazard) and then becomes negatively affected by them (decreasing hazard).
South Africa's foreign policy: national interest versus national identity

Edelgard Mahant Professor Edelgard Mahant holds a PHD in International Relations with specialization in international relations and comparative politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her interest in international relations stems from the fact that she was born into the European maelstrom during World War II. Her books include Birthmarks of Europe, a study of the origins of the European Union (2004) and Invisible and Inaudible in Washington (co-authored with Graeme Mount in 1999) which is a study of American policies towards Canada. Her current research interests include a general book on foreign policy, a project she has dreamt of for years.
Clostridium Septicum Infection in Neutropenic Enterocolitis

&NA; A 36‐year‐old woman developed neutropenia following chemotherapy for inoperable carcinoma of the cervix. She suffered acute abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and peritonitis of rapid onset. The right hemicolon and 15 cm of terminal ileum was resected at laparotomy and this showed marked edema of the cecum and ileo‐cecal valve associated with superficial ulceration of the valve. There was necrosis of submucosal tissues and the muscle wall which contained a large number of Gram‐positive bacilli. These showed positive membrane immunofluorescence with specific anti‐Clostridium septicum antisera. We identify a case of enterocolitis due to Clostridium septicum infection. This is associated with neutropenia and is often fatal due to the rapid course of and failure to recognize the infection.
Bariatric intervention effective at reversing Type 2 diabetes

Commentary on: Schauer PR, Kashyap SR, Wolski K, et al. Bariatric surgery versus intensive medical therapy in obese patients with diabetes. N Engl J Med 2012;366:1567–76. [OpenUrl][1] Obesity is at worldwide epidemic proportions with estimates that over 60% of the population is overweight or obese in the USA.1 Individuals born in this decade have a 30–50% risk of developing diabetes over their lifetime,2 with potentially disastrous consequences from disease complications. Medical interventions to promote clinically meaningful weight loss are effort intensive, with most patients unable to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss. Bariatric surgery achieves more effective and sustainable weight loss and cardiovascular benefits than medical therapy.3 It is more effective at improving diabetes control and inducing disease remission than conventional medical therapy.4 It is recommended as a treatment option … [1]: {openurl}? query=rft.jtitle%253DN%2BEngl%2BJ%2BMed%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.volume%253D366%26rft.spage%253D1567%26rft.atitle%253DBARIATRIC%2BSURGERY%2BVERSUS%2BINTENSIVE%2BMEDICAL%2BTHERAPY%2BIN%2BOBESE%2BPATIENTS%2BWITH%2BDIABETES%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx
When a lie becomes the truth: The effects of self‐generated misinformation on eyewitness memory

This research investigated whether generating misinformation impairs memory for actual information. After watching a videotaped robbery, some witnesses were interviewed about it, but others did not rehearse the event details. One week later, the witnesses tried to remember the robber's appearance. In Experiment 1, those who fabricated a description of the robber during the interview and those who did not rehearse remembered fewer correct details than did truthful witnesses or those who fabricated about another person. Witnesses who fabricated about the robber also reported more incorrect details than did truthful or non‐interviewed witnesses. In Experiment 2, witnesses who fabricated about the robber performed as poorly on the memory test as did witnesses who answered interview questions using false information prepared for them. In both experiments deceptive witnesses sometimes reported invented details on the memory test, suggesting that they may have come to believe some fabrications.
Partial laryngectomy with imbrication laryngoplasty for glottic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Treatment options for unilateral glottic carcinoma include radiation therapy, partial laryngectomy, and endoscopic cordectomy. We used partial laryngectomy with imbrication laryngoplasty (PLIL) for definitive treatment with curative intent in a select group of patients. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective multicenter review of 24 patients treated with PLIL. Data collection included demographics, tumor characteristics, time to decannulation, time to oral food intake, local control, survival, voice result as judged by the physician, voice result as judged by the patient, and patient satisfaction. SETTING Five academic medical centers. METHODS PLIL includes a composite resection of the entire vocal fold, with its ligament, muscle, adjacent paraglottic tissues, and the adjacent block of thyroid cartilage. A neocord is reconstructed by imbricating the remaining thyroid cartilage strips and covering them with a false vocal fold flap. RESULTS A total of 24 patients (T1, n = 13; T2, n = 10; and T3, n = 1) underwent PLIL. Median time to decannulation was 4 days, and median time to oral food intake was 5 days. Clear margins were achieved in 23 patients (96%). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 11 years (median duration of follow-up, 5.5 years). In the patients who had clear margins at the initial surgery, the rate of overall disease control was 100%. Voice quality was judged by the physician as good or excellent in 100% of the patients who underwent PLIL, and as better than typical hemilaryngectomy in 23 patients (96%). Twenty-three patients (96%) were satisfied with their voice quality. CONCLUSIONS PLIL provides us with a single modality curative approach to unilateral glottic carcinoma. It also provides rapid recovery of oral and/or nasal airway and swallowing, excellent voice quality, and a disease-control rate similar to or better than other treatment modalities.
Stripline Bandpass Filter with Variable Physical Dimensions

A theory for the design of coupled-line bandpass filters has been derived. The filter comprises cascaded sections of two-port stepped coupled-line sections of length ¿/4 and with individual wave impedance parameters within each ¿/8 section. The design includes the possibility of altering the band-pass center frequency for a given length of the resonators. Narrow-band maximally flat or equal-ripple filter can be designed. The flexibility in filter length can be exploited for reducing space at low frequencies or for increasing the transmission line length-width ratio at high frequencies where the effect of end capacitance can be troublesome.
Using Titles vs. Full-text as Source for Automated Semantic Document Annotation

We conduct the first systematic comparison of automated semantic annotation based on either the full-text or only on the title metadata of documents. Apart from the prominent text classification baselines kNN and SVM, we also compare recent techniques of Learning to Rank and neural networks and revisit the traditional methods logistic regression, Rocchio, and Naive Bayes. Across three of our four datasets, the performance of the classifications using only titles reaches over 90% of the quality compared to the performance when using the full-text.
Self-Assembly and Electrostatic Carrier Technology for Via-Last TSV Formation Using Transfer Stacking-Based Chip-to-Wafer 3-D Integration

A self-assembly and electrostatic (SAE) carrier technology is developed for high-precision and high-throughput chip-to-wafer 3-D integration. In this paper, water surface tension-driven chip assembly is combined with electrostatic adhesion to keep high alignment accuracies obtained by the capillary self-assembly process. The self-assembled chips can be firmly fixed on an SAE carrier wafer by electrostatic adhesion, and then, the chips can be readily detached from the carrier by discharging and transferred to another carrier with a temporary adhesive. This paper describes the impact of chip clamping forces and electrical reliability of the SAE carrier on chips to be 3-D stacked in chip-to-wafer configuration. Through-Si via formation is demonstrated by using a via-last 3-D integration process based on the SAE carrier. The demonstration shows that the SAE carrier maintains higher chip alignment accuracies than does conventional carrier without electrostatic adhesion.
Association of a SNP in KISS 1 gene with reproductive traits in goats

ABSTRACT The native goat genetic resources of India proved to have immense genetic potential for sustainable development. Improving the reproductive traits of the goat will be economically beneficial to the livestock owners. In the current research work genetic variability in KiSS1 gene was explored and its association with the reproductive traits were studied. A novel polymorphism (G231C) was identified in the promoter region of KiSS1 gene with statistical significant (P < 0.05) association with the litter size in goats. However, any such association of SNP with age at sexual maturity, age at first breeding and kidding interval could not be observed. Statistical significant effect of breed on reproductive traits was also observed. Due to this SNP, a change in transcription factor binding site was predicted which may have significant effect on reproductive traits. Nucleotide sequence analysis of KiSS1 gene revealed a close sequence homology within the goat species.
Evolutionary modelling of municipal water demand with multiple feature selection techniques

This paper presents the development of an artificial intelligent water demand forecasting model. The model comprises a single hidden-layer feed-forward neural network trained in using a differential evolution algorithm. Multiple feature selection techniques were employed to identify the minimal subset of features for optimal learning, namely Pearson correlation, information gain, symmetrical uncertainty, Relief-F attribute and principal component analysis. The performance of the feature selection techniques was compared to a baseline scenario comprising a full set of data covering potential casual variables including weather, socioeconomic and historical water consumption data. The performance of the models was evaluated based on accuracy. Results show that the five feature selection techniques outperformed the baseline scenario. More importantly, the subset of features obtained from the Pearson correlation technique produced the most superior model in terms of model accuracy. Findings from the study suggest that the inclusion of weather and socioeconomic variables in water demand modelling could enhance the accuracy of forecasts and cater for the impacts of climate and socioeconomic variations in water demand planning and management. doi: 10.2166/aqua.2019. 145 om https://iwaponline.com/aqua/article-pdf/68/4/264/569918/jws0680264.pdf 2020 Oluwaseun Oyebode Centre for Research in Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering (CRECHE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4014, South Africa E-mail: oluwaseun.oyebode@gmail.com
Three Essays in International Macroeconomics

OF DISSERTATION THREE ESSAYS IN INTERNATIONAL MACROECONOMICS This dissertation spans topics related to global trade, oil prices, optimum currency areas, the eurozone, monetary independence, capital controls and the international monetary policy trilemma. It consists of four chapters and three essays. Chapter one provides a brief summary of all three essays. Chapter two investigates the impact of oil prices on global trade. It is concluded that when oil prices increase, countries start trading relatively more with their neighbors. As an application this chapter provides a new estimate of the eurozone effect on trade. Chapter three continues to study the eurozone and asks whether it is an optimum currency area using the member countries’ desired monetary policies. It is concluded that Greece, Spain, and Ireland have desired policies that are the least compatible with the common euro policy and are therefore the least likely to have formed an optimum currency area with the euro. Chapter four provides a new methodology in testing the international trilemma hypothesis. It is concluded that the trilemma holds in the context of the Asian countries.
Nitrogen fixation and ammonia switch-off in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis

Rhodopseudomonas viridis ATCC 19567 grows by means of nitrogen fixation in yeast extract-N2 or nitrogen-free medium when sparged with 5% CO2 and 95% N2 in the light at 30 degrees C. Acetylene reduction assays for nitrogenase activity revealed an initially high level of activity during early-logarithmic growth phase, a lower plateau during mid- to late-logarithmic phase, and a dramatic reduction of activity at the beginning of the stationary phase. When viewed by electron microscopy, nitrogen-fixing R. viridis cells appeared to be morphologically and ultrastructurally similar to cells grown on nitrogen-rich media. Whole cells prepared under reducing conditions in the dark for electron spin resonance spectroscopy yielded g4.26 and g3.66 signals characteristic of the molybdenum-iron protein of nitrogenase. During growth on N2 in the absence of fixed-nitrogen sources, the nitrogenase activity of R. viridis measured by acetylene reduction stopped rapidly in response to the addition of NH4Cl as has been observed in other Rhodospirillaceae. However, unlike the nitrogenase of Rhodopseudomonas palustris or Rhodospirillum rubrum, which recover from this treatment within 40 min, the nitrogenase activity of R. viridis was not detectable for nearly 4 h.
A new CMA-based blind equalization for MIMO systems

We investigate adaptive blind source separation and equalization for linear multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems. To recover input signals, remove intersymbol interference (ISI) and suppress inter-user interference (IUI) effectively, a new difference-based criterion is proposed, based on which a constant modulus algorithm (CMA) is derived. Computer simulation results illustrate the promising performance of the proposed method. Without channel identification, the proposed method can recover all the system inputs simultaneously and can be adaptive to channel changes without prior knowledge about signals. Furthermore, this algorithm is very robust for any value of signal modulus, which makes it suitable for many practical scenarios.