Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TOX as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for mycosis fungoides

Background Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that is characterized by clonal expansion of atypical CD4+ skin-homing T lymphocytes. Thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group-box protein (TOX) is a nuclear transcription factor, highly expressed in the thymus, and plays a critical role in CD4+ T-cell development. Therefore, it is likely that TOX activation may participate in the pathogenesis of MF. Objective To study the immunohistochemical expression of TOX in MF specimens in comparison with normal control skin specimens to shed light on its possible role in the pathogenesis of MF and to evaluate its efficacy as a possible diagnostic and prognostic marker for MF. Patients and methods The current study was carried out on 50 patients with different clinical types of MF and 25 normal control skin specimens. They were selected from the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology Department, Tanta University Hospitals. Skin specimens were obtained from each participant and examined routinely by hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemically by CD3, CD4, and TOX antibodies. Results There was a statistically significant increase in TOX immunohistochemical expression in MF specimens in comparison with normal control skin specimens. Statistically significant positive correlations were detected between the intensity of TOX expression in the dermis of MF specimens and the age of the patients, clinical progression of skin lesions, and TNM staging of the disease. In addition, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the intensity of TOX expression, and the expression of both CD3 and CD4 both in the epidermis and in the dermis of MF specimens. Conclusion TOX may participate in the pathogenesis of MF. It could be considered a diagnostic and prognostic marker for MF. TOX expression correlates with increased risks of disease progression and a poor prognosis.
A Circum-Pacific Perspective on the Origin of Stemmed Points in North America

ABSTRACT The Western Stemmed and Paleocoastal technocomplexes are prevalent in western North America. A working hypothesis states they are associated with the late-Pleistocene human migration into the Americas and derive from an antecedent located along the North Pacific Rim. Here, we review their records to create a techno-typological baseline, which we then compare to early archaeological records from the North Pacific Rim, Beringia, Siberia, and Russian Far East. Our results indicate stemmed points and related socket hafting were an important component of Upper Paleolithic technology across northeast Asia since at least the last glacial maximum. An associated diagnostic bifacial reduction strategy is present by the early part of the late glacial, and continues in younger technocomplexes. Future research should continue to focus on analyses of the chronological and technological relationships between different technocomplexes to uncover their evolutionary origins.
Does Intraoperative Dexmedetomidine Attenuate Postoperative Inflammatory Response in the Adult Surgical Patients with General Anaesthesia? A Meta-analysis of Randomized Control Trials Studies

Objective: The study was done to investigate the postoperative anti-inflammatory effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in various surgical procedures. Methods: A search of randomized placebo-controlled trials for intra-operative DEX use in adults was conducted. The primary outcome was postoperative concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α); secondary outcomes were: intraand post-operative hypotension and bradycardia. Results: A total of seven randomized controlled trials involving 424 patients with different types of surgeries were analysed. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMDs) were -0.33 (95% CI:-0.41, -0.25, p < 0.001) and -0.22 (95% CI:-0.35, -0.09, p = 0.001) for TNFα, -51.02 (95% CI:-52.83, -49.21, p < 0.001) and -19.67 (95% CI:-21.15, -18.19, p < 0.001) for IL-6 at the end of surgery and the first day after surgery, respectively. Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that intra-operative DEX reduces postoperative concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α at the end of surgery and the first day after surgery. Future studies should further explore the anti-inflammatory effects of DEX in detail.
Field trials of an energy‐aware mission planner implemented on an autonomous surface vehicle

Mission planning for autonomous marine vehicles is nontrivial due to the dynamic and uncertain nature of the marine environment. Communication can be low‐bandwidth and is not always guaranteed, so the operator must rely on the vehicles to adjust their plans according to the realized state of the environment. This paper presents the improvements made to an energy‐aware mission planner that allows it to generate and adjust plans for an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) operating in an uncertain environment. The energy‐aware mission planning problem was redefined as a stochastic programming problem, and a two‐stage solver was developed to provide an initial plan for the ASV and then adjust it during run‐time according to predefined recourse actions. The mission planner and ASV were trialed in Lake Waverley, Tasmania. Adjusting the recourse action criteria demonstrated that the ASV could exhibit conservative or opportunistic behaviors according to the operator's preference of safety margin. In the pursuit of extending the planner's second‐stage so that it can predict a suitable recourse action ahead of time, a hybrid long short‐term memory energy forecaster was trained from the Waverley mission data. Comparison of the error between the forecaster and the test data shows that the forecaster has a reliable forecast horizon of about 10 s.
Forodesine - Preclinical studies

Chemically forodesine is [(1S)-1-(9-deazahypoxanthin-9-yl)-1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-ribitol]. The agent is also known as immucillin hypoxanthine (immucillin H) or BCX-1777. This is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP).
Indicators for reproductive health program evaluation. Final report of the Subcommittee on Womens Nutrition.

This report presents indicators developed by the Reproductive Health Indicators Working Group for use in monitoring interventions aimed at improving womens nutritional status. The indicators correspond to interventions that target iron supplementation vitamin A supplementation iodine supplementation and adequacy of energy intake. Primary indicators include the following: existence of womens nutrition as a policy priority; percentage of service delivery points with adequate supplies of mineral/vitamin supplements; percentage of women who consume vitamin A-rich foods; percentage of pregnant clients receiving treatment for hookworm; percentage of program participants who practice key nutrition behaviors promoted by the program; percentage of malnourished women based on body mass index; percentage of households using iodized salt; percentage of women with anemia; percentage of women with low breast milk vitamin A level; and percentage of women of low weight. Separately printed chapters present indicators for evaluating reproductive health interventions in the areas of safe pregnancy sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus breast feeding and adolescent reproductive health services.
Expression of Alpha-Methylacyl-Coenzyme A Racemase (AMACR) in ColoRectal Neoplasms

Introduction: Colorectal cancers are gaining importance globally as major cause of morbidity and mortality. AMACR is a dietary enzyme which aids in beta- oxidation of branched chain fatty acids. Hence, its expression in colorectal premalignant lesions and carcinoma suggest possible role in its carcinogenesis. Aim: To study the expression of AMACR in colorectal neoplasms and its correlation with the histological grade . Materials and Methods: It is a hospital based retrospective study. 30 blocks were retrieved from tissue samples previously diagnosed as colorectal neoplasms at Mysore Medical College, Mysore during a period of 2 years. AMACR expression was studied by Immunohistochemistry and correlated with histological grade. Mean, frequency and Chi-square tests were used for analysis. Results: Out of 30 samples with colorectal tumours, 25 were malignant (83.3%) and 5 were benign (16.7%). Age of the study population ranged between 35-75 years. Most of the patients were above 45 years of age (86.6%). Females were affected equally as males representing 50% each. Histological grading revealed 21 cases of well differentiated tumours (84%), 1 case of moderately differentiated tumour (4%) and 3 cases of poorly differentiated tumour (12%). Overall, study showed positive AMACR expression in colorectal neoplasms (63%) and significant correlation between histological grade of carcinoma and AMACR expression. Conclusion: This study showed increased expression of AMACR in colorectal carcinomas and weakly in adenomas as compared to normal colonic mucosa which suggests its possible role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Loss of AMACR immunostaining in poorly differentiated carcinomas suggests its role in tumour differentiation. AMACR can be used as possible therapeutic agent.
The Role of Adolescent Health Cadres on Cervical Cancer Prevention for Women of Reproductive Age

Poverty and low education of women is a determinant that causes women to be powerless to avoid risk factors and to prevent cervical cancer. Basically many health promotion and education efforts on cervical cancer have been carried out by implementing various health promotion strategies and methods. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the role of adolescent health cadres on cervical cancer prevention behavior in women of reproductive age. Type of this research was quasy experiment with pre and post test control group design. The population was female adolescents, 11th and 12th grade students of MAN Bangkalan (high school) and their mothers, 40 samples in the observation group and 40 in the control group. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling. The independent variables was the role of adolescent health cadres, and the dependent variables were cognition, self-efficacy, commitment, prevention. Data were collected using questionnaire, then analyzed using Mann-Whitney Test and Wilcoxon test. The test results showed that the role of adolescent health cadres influenced the behaviour of prevention and early detection of cervical cancer in women of reproductive age, meaning that the development of the role of adolescent health cadres as health information providers can create a condusive atmosphere for changes in health behaviour in their families. Keywords: cervical cancer; the role of adolescents; prevention
Service segment competition: size or value, which matters?

We study a service market with two firms: one that provides regular and another that provides premium services. Customers are delay sensitive and heterogeneous in evaluating the service level. We study two competition games that differ in segmentation-marketing strategies. One is the size-based competition in which firms compete on the segment size dimension, and the other is the value-based competition in which firms compete on the segment target (regarding customer valuation) dimension. For both games, the Nash equilibrium always exists, and the (Pareto dominant) equilibrium is unique. Interestingly, the premium service provider's effective arrival rate can be increasing in its competitor's service rate in the value-based game. Moreover, we capture the conditions for the equilibrium market as either a monopoly or a duopoly and show that size-based competition helps sustain service variety. We also show that the prices are reduced in the value-based game; the premium (regular) service provider serves more (fewer) customers in the value-based game than in the size-based game. Our results show that value-based competition is more intensive in the sense that the number of customers who are served, customer surplus and social welfare are higher, while the total revenue of two firms is lower in the value-based competition than in the size-based competition.
National Identity, Pride, and Chauvinism—their Origins and Consequences for Globalization Attitudes

Theorists of liberal nationalism argue that national identities serve as essential glue holding a nation together. This picture is incomplete, however. National identities also have chauvinistic aspects that undercut or dissolve national glue by creating tensions among subgroups of conationals and breeding suspicion of outsiders. We analyze the psychology of national attachments through the lens of social identity theory to better understand the effects of national identity. We identify three types of national attachments: national chauvinism, national pride, and national identity, discuss their theoretical origins and links to social identity theory, and evaluate their political consequences. Using European data from the three ISSP national Identity modules conducted in 1995, 2003, and 2013, we then investigate the differing origins and consequences of national identity, pride, and chauvinism. We focus specifically on their contrasting effects on support for protectionism and attitudes toward immigration, key facets of globalization. We find that national chauvinism undercuts and national pride enhances support for globalization, underscoring the diverse political effects of national attachments. We consider the important role of social context in conditioning the political effects of national attachments and conclude with a call for a unified approach to the study of national attachments.
Procrastinación: Revisión Teórica

El objetivo del artículo es analizar las perspectivas actuales sobre el concepto de procrastinación, los tipos y modelos teóricos que respaldan a la variable en mencionada. Se revisó metódicamente las fuentes bibliográficas sobre la variable; asimismo se eligieron artículos, reportes de investigación y estudios psicométricos de diferentes revistas científicas de psicología y ciencias sociales indexadas en bases de datos electrónicas a nivel nacional e internacional. Los resultados muestran múltiples acepciones para definir con exactitud el significado de la procrastinación, los tipos de procrastinación, sus modelos teóricos y estrategias de prevención en el ámbito educativo. Finalmente, se concluye que a través de una sustanciosa revisión teórica se obtuvo un concepto actual para la comprensión de la variable en estudio.
Seismic Assessment of a Benchmark Highway Bridge Equipped with Optimized Shape Memory Alloy Wire-Based Isolators

In this paper, an evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithm named NSGA-II was used to determine the optimum radius for shape memory alloy (SMA) wires employed in conjunction with the lead rubber bearing (LRB), referred to as an SMA-LRB isolator. This algorithm simultaneously minimizes the mid-span displacement and the base shear force. Then, the optimized SMA-LRBs were implemented in a benchmark bridge to reduce excessive displacements. The results obtained from the nonlinear dynamic analysis show that the implemented approach could effectively optimize the SMA-LRBs. These improved smart isolators can noticeably reduce the maximum displacements and residual deformations of the structure; meanwhile, the base shear and deck acceleration remain less than those of the non-isolated benchmark bridge. This isolator can reduce the maximum mid-span displacement of the bridge by up to 61%, and the mid-span residual deformations by up to 100%, compared to an uncontrolled isolated bridge under different ground motions. This optimized passive system was compared with nonlinear dampers, passive SMA dampers, and a negative stiffness device. The results indicate that the optimized SMA-LRB isolators are generally more successful in reducing and recovering displacements than the other controllers.
Development and Implementation of a New OSCE for Assessing Resident Competency in Weight Loss Counseling

Background: Despite the need to provide weight management counseling to patients who are overweight or obese, resident physicians receive little relevant education and practice in performing this skill. As a result, residents report low levels of self-efficacy and often demonstrate limited performance competency. Structured educational interventions providing opportunities for residents to practice weight loss counseling along with objective assessment are lacking. Methods: This article describes the development and implementation of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for the assessment of resident physician weight loss counseling. A total of 30 PGY-2 and 3 internal medicine residents participated. The OSCE included a brief (10-15 minute) educational session on the 5As counseling framework, followed by an 18-minute encounter with a standardized patient (SP) who was overweight or obese. Resident performance in the OSCE was measured by use of a skills checklist composed of 23 pre-specified counseling skills. Each skill represents a specific element of communication used in effective weight loss counseling, and is based on the 5As counseling framework. The checklist was completed by the SP immediately following the encounter, and the percentage of skills performed was calculated. Results: Residents performed a mean of 68.6% of the pre-specified counseling skills (SD = 17.2%). No significant differences in OSCE performance based on gender, PGY year, SP rater, or career plan (specialty vs. primary care) emerged. Conclusion: The authors developed and implemented an OSCE for the assessment of resident weight loss counseling. The skills checklist allowed for the identification of individual and overall counseling skills in need of Herzog J, Cameron K, Badaracco M, Kushner R MedEdPublish https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2018. 0000015.1 Page | 2 improvement, and allowed for targeted feedback.
An Analysis of Rhythmic Patterns with Unsupervised Learning

This paper presents a model capable of learning the rhythmic characteristics of a music signal through unsupervised learning. The model learns a multi-layer hierarchy of rhythmic patterns ranging from simple structures on lower layers to more complex patterns on higher layers. The learned hierarchy is fully transparent, which enables observation and explanation of the structure of the learned patterns. The model employs tempo-invariant encoding of patterns and can thus learn and perform inference on tempo-varying and noisy input data. We demonstrate the model’s capabilities of learning distinctive rhythmic structures of different music genres using unsupervised learning. To test its robustness, we show how the model can efficiently extract rhythmic structures in songs with changing time signatures and live recordings. Additionally, the model’s time-complexity is empirically tested to show its usability for analysis-related applications.
The Waffle Substrate: A Novel Approach to Reducing Substrate Resistance in SiC Power Devices

Silicon carbide (SiC) is enabling the next generation of semiconductor power devices, with performance orders-of-magnitude beyond silicon. The most important power switching device is the SiC power MOSFET, whose performance is limited by three main resistance elements: the channel, drift layer, and substrate. For blocking voltages in the range of 400-900V, substrate resistance is a major limitation. Wafer thinning is currently used to reduce the substrate resistance, but this also reduces the strength of the wafers. We report on a waffle substrate technique that relies on wafer thinning and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching to reduce the substrate resistance below levels achievable by thinning alone, while retaining the mechanical stability of a moderately-thinned substrate. This technique can be applied to any SiC device for which substrate resistance is a limitation.
An Examination of Students’ Perceptions of Service Quality Dimensions in Higher Education

Abstract There have been so many recent changes in the universities. These changes force these institutions to provide better service quality. This study purposed to evaluate detailed exploration of service quality in the higher education by the instrument of service quality, Higher Education Performance (HEd-PERF). The scale was administered to 576 students studying at the Yildiz Technical University to find out if there are any differences between gender and year of study in terms of students’ perceptions of service quality dimensions. T-test results show that gender is a significant variable regarding students’ perceptions of accessing service and physical facilities. The Scheffe’s post-hoc test for multiple comparisons done reveal that the students’ perceptions of service quality dimensions change over depending on the year of study.
Interstitial Lung Diseases in Rheumatology Practice: A Single Center Experience

Objective: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a heterogeneous group of pulmonary diseases affecting the pulmonary interstitium. ILDs may occur secondary to connective tissue diseases (CTDs) and increase morbidity and mortality due to ventilation impairment. The aim of this study was to reveal the clinical, laboratory and imaging features of CTD-related ILDs (CTD-ILDs) and to analyze the treatment approaches. Material and Methods: A total of 132 consecutive ILD patients were included in this cohort. Demographic characteristics, laboratory and high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT) results and treatments were analyzed. results: There were 99 patients with CTD-ILD, the mean age was 54.7±11.6 years, females made up 82.8%, median follow-up time was 48.5 months. There were 96 patients who were followed up for more than six months. The median number of HRCT scans was 3 (1-10) with a median interval of 12.5 months. Most common HRCT findings were ground-glass opacities and interlobular septal thickening. One-third of all scans had a honeycomb pattern. 89.6% of CTD-ILD patients recieved corticosteroids, and 44.8% recieved antimalarials. Azathioprine and cyclophosphamide were the most commonly used immunosuppressive drugs. After treatment, the mean pulmonary function tests did not significantly differ from the baseline (p >0.05). 35% of the patients had improved forced vital capacity (FVC >10% increase) with treatment whereas 31% had decreased values and 34% were stable. conclusion: The desired point of the treatment of CTD-ILD patients has not been reached yet even though a significant effort is being made for the diagnosis, treatment and follow up. Novel curative agents are needed for patients with CTD-ILD.