Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Anticoagulation Strategies After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Appropriate early anticoagulation after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation has not been established with practices ranging from no anticoagulation to early heparinization. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and morbidity of three strategies before initiating oral anticoagulation therapy. This was a noninterventional, retrospective, matched historical control cohort study. The primary and secondary endpoints were thrombotic complications (TCs) and bleeding up to 30 days post-LVAD implantation. There was a significant difference in the overall rate of TCs between strategies (p = 0.017). The incidence of TCs was significantly lower in the heparin group versus no bridging (4.9 vs. 27.0%, p = 0.008) on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, heparin was independently associated with a lower odds of TCs (odds ratio [OR], 0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01–0.85). No differences were observed in bleeding between groups (p = 0.127) on univariate analysis; however, heparin was independently associated with increased odds of bleeding compared with no bridging on multivariate analysis (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.15–7.43). Compared with no bridging, bivalirudin did not significantly differ in TC or bleeding events. Heparin seems to be the most effective regimen to use post-LVAD implantation but may increase the patient’s risk for bleeding.
Defining a similarity threshold for a functional protein sequence pattern: The signal peptide cleavage site

When preparing data sets of amino acid or nucleotide sequences it is necessary to exclude redundant or homologous sequences in order to avoid overestimating the predictive performance of an algorithm. For some time methods for doing this have been available in the area of protein structure prediction. We have developed a similar procedure based on pair‐wise alignments for sequences with functional sites. We show how a correlation coefficient between sequence similarity and functional homology can be used to compare the efficiency of different similarity measures and choose a nonarbitrary threshold value for excluding redundant sequences. The impact of the choice of scoring matrix used in the alignments is examined. We demonstrate that the parameter determining the quality of the correlation is the relative entropy of the matrix, rather than the assumed (PAM or identity) substitution model. Results are presented for the case of prediction of cleavage sites in signal peptides. By inspection of the false positives, several errors in the database were found. The procedure presented may be used as a general outline for finding a problem‐specific similarity measure and threshold value for analysis of other functional amino acid or nucleotide sequence patterns.
Manipulative difficulty of a mobile robot pushing and towing multiple trailers

The change of difficulty in manipulating a tractor pushing or towing multiple trailers is investigated in this paper. This difficulty varies if physical parameters such as the position of the joint or the number of the trailers is changed. The present authors focus on this change. A quantitative measure of the manipulative difficulty [manipulative difficulty index(MDI)] of tractor-trailers system is introduced. In addition, quantitative comparisons of typical examples of the changes of the physical parameters of tractor-trailers are presented.
Channel-Forming Bacterial Toxins in Biosensing and Macromolecule Delivery

To intoxicate cells, pore-forming bacterial toxins are evolved to allow for the transmembrane traffic of different substrates, ranging from small inorganic ions to cell-specific polypeptides. Recent developments in single-channel electrical recordings, X-ray crystallography, protein engineering, and computational methods have generated a large body of knowledge about the basic principles of channel-mediated molecular transport. These discoveries provide a robust framework for expansion of the described principles and methods toward use of biological nanopores in the growing field of nanobiotechnology. This article, written for a special volume on “Intracellular Traffic and Transport of Bacterial Protein Toxins”, reviews the current state of applications of pore-forming bacterial toxins in small- and macromolecule-sensing, targeted cancer therapy, and drug delivery. We discuss the electrophysiological studies that explore molecular details of channel-facilitated protein and polymer transport across cellular membranes using both natural and foreign substrates. The review focuses on the structurally and functionally different bacterial toxins: gramicidin A of Bacillus brevis, α-hemolysin of Staphylococcus aureus, and binary toxin of Bacillus anthracis, which have found their “second life” in a variety of developing medical and technological applications.
Detecting crime patterns from Swahili newspapers using text mining

The Tanzania Police Force, as many other law enforcement agencies in developing countries, relies mostly on manual, personal judgments, and other inadequate tools for analysis of data in its crime databases. This approach is inadequate and prone to errors. Moreover, research shows that more than half of all crimes committed in Tanzania are not reported to police and thus it is likely that they are not analysed by the police. In this study, we use text mining to extract crime patterns from sources of crime data outside police databases. In fact, we use four daily published Swahili newspapers. With the help of our developed patterns mining model we extracted several crimes reported in the newspapers, we mapped the distribution of the mined crimes country-wide, and with the use of FP-growth, we generated association rules between the mined crimes. Results from this study will contribute to crime detection and prevention strategies.
Pain quality descriptors in community-dwelling older adults with nonmalignant pain

Abstract This study aimed to characterize the prevalence of various pain qualities in older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain and determine the association of pain quality to other pain characteristics namely: severity, interference, distribution, and pain-associated conditions. In the population-based MOBILIZE Boston Study, 560 participants aged ≥70 years reported chronic pain in the baseline assessment, which included a home interview and clinic exam. Pain quality was assessed using a modified version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) consisting of 20 descriptors from which 3 categories were derived: cognitive/affective, sensory, and neuropathic. Presence of ≥2 pain-associated conditions was significantly associated with 18 of the 20 pain quality descriptors. Sensory descriptors were endorsed by nearly all older adults with chronic pain (93%), followed by cognitive/affective (83.4%) and neuropathic descriptors (68.6%). Neuropathic descriptors were associated with the greatest number of pain-associated conditions including osteoarthritis of the hand and knee. More than half of participants (59%) endorsed descriptors in all 3 categories and had more severe pain and interference, and multisite or widespread pain than those endorsing 1 or 2 categories. Strong associations were observed between pain quality and measures of pain severity, interference, and distribution (P < 0.0001). Findings from this study indicate that older adults have multiple pain-associated conditions that likely reflect multiple physiological mechanisms for pain. Linking pain qualities with other associated pain characteristics serve to develop a multidimensional approach to geriatric pain assessment. Future research is needed to investigate the physiological mechanisms responsible for the variability in pain qualities endorsed by older adults.
Validity of an Attributional Model for a Specific Life Event

Weiner's (4, 5) model of causal atuibutions was originally validated regarding achievement on laboratory tasks. Some unsuccessful attempcs to apply it to attributions regarding other events have prompted suggestions that the model's posrdated dimensions of causal attributions are not applicable to natural processes of causal inference (1, 2, 3). To check on the model's validirg for an actual life event, questions concerning causal amibutions were included in a questionnaire routinely given to undergraduate students prematurely withdrawing from Dalhousie University. One question concerned whether the cause(s) of their withdrawal were primarily internal or external in nature and another concerned whether the causes were relatively unstable or stable. Of 242 respondents over the two years, 79% described the causes as internal and G4% described the causes as unstable. Elsewhere on the questionnaire, students checked off which of 21 listed factors contributed to their withdrawal and circled the most imwrtant factor. The three factors most frequently indicated to be the most important factor were "uncertainty about career goals," "need a break from academic work," and "financial difficulty. " "Uncertainty about career goals" was associated with describing the causes as internal (XIZ = 18.7, p < .001), while "financial difficulty" was associated with describing the causes as external (x12 = 6.1, p < .02), and "need a break from academic work" was associated with describing the causes as both internal and unstable (xis = 13.8, fi < ,001 and 10.7, p < .01. respectively). Students indicating that the causes were unstable were much more likely to intend to return to university (~2' = 54.5, p < .002), even though the presence or absence of spebific problems (uncertainty about goals, etc.) were not predictive of intentions. These results indicate that, at Least for this specific life went, studencs can make apparently valid attributions using the dimensions of the proposed model and that their thinking along these dimensions has a suong relationship to their intended behavior.
Vom Washington Consensus zum Flexiblen Keynesianismus der Internationale Währungsfonds nach der Finanzkrise

: In the wake of the latest financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund returned to its core business – providing liquidity to cope with external imbalances. The crisis also seemed to mark an ideological break with the past. At the London G20 summit in 2009, leading politicians declared the ‘Washington Consensus’ dead and anti-cyclical economic policy the order of the day. This article analyzes elements and driving forces of a paradigm change in the crisis policy of the IMF. I argue that a transformation towards a new economic philosophy of a “flexible Keynesianism” is proceeding, driven both by large member states and the IMF staff.
Deri Yolma Bozukluğu Skin Picking Disorder

Ozet Deri yolma bozuklugu, dermatolojik bir problem olmaksizin, deri dokusunda hasara neden olan, cildin asiri ve yineleyici sekilde yolunmasi ile karakterize bir tablodur. Normal yolma davranisindan farkli olarak psikojenik deri yolma yineleyicidir ve deride ciddi bicimde hasara hatta hayati tehlike olusturacak sonuclara neden olabilir. Bazi hastalar sik ancak kisa suren yolma ataklari tanimlarken, bazilari da daha seyrek olan ama birkac saat suren ataklar tanimlamaktadir. DSM-5' e kadar sinif- landirma sistemlerinde ayri bir tani kategorisi olarak yer almayan deri yolma bozuklugu DSM-5'de Obsesif Kompulsif Bozukluk ve Iliskili Bozukluklar kategorisinde bagimsiz bir tani olarak yer almistir. Olgu bildirimleri, acik-etiketli calismalar ve cift-kor calismalarda deri yolma bozuklugunun tedavi- sinde secici serotonin geri alim inhibitorlerinin etkili oldugu gosterilmistir. Psikoterapi olarak en cok bilissel-davranisci teknikler kullanilmakta ve yararli olmaktadir. Aliskanligin tersine dondurulmesi siklikla uygulanan, iyi sonuclar alinan ve iyilik halinin surdurulebildigi davranisci tekniklerden birisidir. Anahtar sozcukler: Psikojenik deri yolma, deri yolma bozuklugu, nevrotik ekskoriasyon. Abstract Skin picking disorder is not a dermatological disorder and it is a table characterized with picking skin excessively and repetitively, leading to damage in skin tissue. Unlike normal picking behaviour, psychogenic skin picking is repetitive and it can lead to severe damage in the skin and even compli- cations which constitute vital danger. While some patients define frequent but short lasting picking attacks, others define rarer attacks which last a few hours. Skin picking disorder, which is not included in the classification systems up to DSM-5 as a separate diagnosis category, is included as an independent diagnosis in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Associated Disorders category in DSM- 5. In case reports, open label studies and double blind studies selective serotonin reuptake inhibi- tors are shown to be effective in the treatment of skin picking disorder. Mostly, cognitive- behaviourial techniques are used and have been proven to be useful in psychotherapy. Habit reversal is one of the behaviourial techniques which are frequently applied; give positive results in which well-being state can be maintained.
Game warden perceptions of change in conservation law enforcement

Game wardens are responsible for protecting natural resources by enforcing fish and wildlife laws. Mounting evidence suggests they may be assuming traditional police duties that leave them with less time for wildlife law enforcement activities. In an effort to understand the situation better, this exploratory study took a qualitative approach to data collection and examined the perceptions of game wardens toward the work they perform. While the results were mixed, the majority of wardens in the study indicated that their duties were expanding. Findings provide support for the idea that conservation law enforcement is becoming more like traditional policing.
UNIVERSIDADE DO VALE DO RIO DOS SINOS CENTRO DE CIÊNCIAS DA SAÚDE PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM PSICOLOGIA MESTRADO EM PSICOLOGIA CLÍNICA DESEMPENHO COGNITIVO EM PACIENTES COM TRANSTORNO DE PERSONALIDADE BORDERLINE COM E SEM HISTÓRICO DE TENTATIVAS DE SUICÍDIO

The objective of the present Master's thesis was to investigate the cognitive performance of participants with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with and without a history of suicide attempts. The review of the literature and the empirical results of this study were described in a theoretical article and an empirical article about BPD, suicide, and cognitive functions. The theoretical article consisted of an asystematic and critical review of the literature on the disorder, addressing the characteristics of the development of this pathology and discussing its cognitive aspects. This review of the literature focused on executive functions, especially: attention, concentration, decision making, organization of thought, and working memory, suggesting that deficits in these functions may be risk factors for suicide in patients with this diagnosis. The conclusions of the theoretical article indicate the presence of specific cognition deficits, mainly in the executive functions of the participants diagnosed with BPD. We discussed recent articles on the topic and approached the need and relevance of further studies and similar findings. The empirical article presents the results of a quantitative, cross-sectional and comparative study conducted with a sample of 82 patients (M =31.80, SD =0.96) diagnosed with BPD and admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Beck Suicide Scale, the FAST scale, and a questionnaire containing sociodemographic data were administered to the participants. There was no significant difference in terms of total IQ among the participants with BPD with and without a history of suicide attempts, suggesting that the heterogeneity of patients with this diagnosis, as well as the large number of comorbidities in this population, may have been important factors to explain this result. However, we found that patients with a history of suicide attempts have higher index of impulsivity, especially patients younger than 30 years, leading to the conclusion that individuals of this age group with BPD may be more vulnerable to both suicide and suicide attempts. Although there was no significant difference between the groups, the means on the Wechsler Scale (cognitive functions) in terms of total IQ were within the mean level of cognitive functioning with an IQ of 92 for the group of patients with a history of suicide attempt and 96 for the group without suicide attempts. Levels of impulsivity were higher in patients with a history of suicide attempts; in addition, the degree of adaptation measured by the FAST Scale was lower in the same group. These results explain aspects of BPD and provide the opportunity of developing
Defining goal-driven fault management metrics in a real world environment: a case-study from Nokia

For measurements to be worthwhile, they must be linked to the goals of an organization. Automated data collection systems are effective, but they can encourage collecting only data that is easily available. The Fixed Switching unit from Nokia has automated data collection systems supporting its processes. It started measurement based improvement of the fault management process by defining goal-driven metrics on top of the existing systems. Fault management includes the analysis and correction of faults, and the delivery of corrections. The work consisted of translating high-level goals into measurement goals, applying the Goal-Question-Metric paradigm to identify questions and indicators, and identifying needed data. Starting with a workshop setting helped to get practitioners involved. Having specified measurement goals helped defining concrete metrics that are targeted at specific audiences. The defined metrics serve the purposes of monitoring fault traffic, and process improvement. Metrics need to evolve, and the metrics implemented first use only data from the fault tracking system, providing the best reporting facilities at the moment. However, metrics that require qualitative checking of data cannot be automated.
Sonic Pi — Reliable randomisation for performances

Live coding is a performance discipline that considers code as an interface. The act of writing, deleting and modifying code allows a performer to directly interact with their context through the creation of computational side effects such as sounds and visuals. A commonly used tool for many kinds of expression is randomness which enables the introduction of automated variation into performances. This article covers Sonic Pi's approach to randomisation which eschews the typical goal of chasing true randomness with high entropy. Instead, Sonic Pi favours a much simpler low-entropy approach which aims to provide useful randomisation in the context of algorithmic music making.
Aspirin for acute stroke of unknown etiology in resource-limited settings

Objective: To analyze the potential impact of aspirin on outcome at hospital discharge after acute stroke in resource-limited settings without access to neuroimaging to distinguish ischemic stroke from intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: A decision analysis was conducted to evaluate aspirin use in all patients with acute stroke of unknown type for the duration of initial hospitalization. Data were obtained from the International Stroke Trial and Chinese Acute Stroke Trial. Predicted in-hospital mortality and stroke recurrence risk were determined across the worldwide reported range of the proportion of strokes caused by ICH. Sensitivity analyses were performed on aspirin-associated relative risks in patients with ICH. Results: At the highest reported proportion of strokes due to ICH from a large epidemiologic study (34% in sub-Saharan Africa), aspirin initiation after acute stroke of undetermined etiology is predicted to reduce in-hospital mortality (from 85/1,000 without treatment to 81/1,000 with treatment), in-hospital stroke recurrence (58/1,000 to 50/1,000), and combined risk of in-hospital mortality or stroke recurrence (127/1,000 to 114/1,000). Benefits of aspirin therapy remained in sensitivity analyses across a range of plausible parameter estimates for relative risks associated with aspirin initiation after ICH. Conclusion: Aspirin treatment for the period of initial hospitalization after acute stroke of undetermined etiology is predicted to decrease acute stroke-related mortality and in-hospital stroke recurrence even at the highest reported proportion of acute strokes due to ICH. In the absence of clinical trials to test this approach empirically, clinical decisions require patient-specific evaluation of risks and benefits of aspirin in this context.
Primary and secondary siRNA synthesis triggered by RNAs from food bacteria in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia

In various organisms, an efficient RNAi response can be triggered by feeding cells with bacteria producing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) against an endogenous gene. However, the detailed mechanisms and natural functions of this pathway are not well understood in most cases. Here, we studied siRNA biogenesis from exogenous RNA and its genetic overlap with endogenous RNAi in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia by high-throughput sequencing. Using wild-type and mutant strains deficient for dsRNA feeding we found that high levels of primary siRNAs of both strands are processed from the ingested dsRNA trigger by the Dicer Dcr1, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases Rdr1 and Rdr2 and other factors. We further show that this induces the synthesis of secondary siRNAs spreading along the entire endogenous mRNA, demonstrating the occurrence of both 3′-to-5′ and 5′-to-3′ transitivity for the first time in the SAR clade of eukaryotes (Stramenopiles, Alveolates, Rhizaria). Secondary siRNAs depend on Rdr2 and show a strong antisense bias; they are produced at much lower levels than primary siRNAs and hardly contribute to RNAi efficiency. We further provide evidence that the Paramecium RNAi machinery also processes single-stranded RNAs from its bacterial food, broadening the possible natural functions of exogenously induced RNAi in this organism.
New PAH mode at 16 . 4 μ m ?

The detection of a new 16.4 μm emission feature in the ISO-SWS spectra of NGC 7023, M17, and the Orion Bar is reported. Previous laboratory experiments measured a mode near this wavelength in spectra of PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), and so we suggest the new interstellar 16.4 μm feature could be assigned to low-frequency vibrations of PAHs. The best carrier candidates seem to be PAH molecules containing pentagonal rings.