Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colorectal Cancer: Does Diet Matter?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract and one of the most common malignancies among men and women in Western countries. The role of dietary factors in CRC development seems to be significant, however, showing the relation of dietary factors in CRC remains challenging. Data supporting the interaction between diet and malignancy development come from: studies with an animal model of the disease, observations regarding geographical variation in CRC incidence, and different studies in people, especially long-term prospective investigations. The most important factor seems to be fiber. Additionally, recently published studies have shown that the diet-related disease obesity is also a risk factor of CRC. Adipokines, substances produced and secreted by adipose tissue, are proposed as a link between obesity and carcinogenesis. Genetic studies will possibly elucidate the complex interactions lying in the background of the development of the malignancy. Moreover, the gut microbiome seems to also play a role. Our paper discusses the current knowledge regarding CRC and diet (Piel. Zdr. Publ. 2015, 5, 4, 393–399).
Photosynthesis inhibition of pyrogallol against the bloom-forming cyanobacterium microcystis aeruginosa TY001

Severe eutrophication and harmful cyanobacterial blooms of freshwater ecosystems has been a persistent environmental topic in recent decades. Allelochemical inhibition has received great attention in aquatic ecology and quality management. This study investigates the growth and full photosynthesis performance of pyrogallol on Microcystis aeruginosa TY001. The growth and pigment contents of M. aeruginosa were seriously inhibited by pyrogallol. The relative expression levels of the nblA gene were up-regulated under pyrogallol treatments. Unexpectedly, the relative transcript abundance of the psaB and psbA genes significantly increased compared with the control, but the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of M. aeruginosa TY001 decreased significantly, except at 1 mg L-1 pyrogallol. In conclusion, the target sites of pyrogallol’s toxic effect on the PSII of M. aeruginosa TY001 were mainly on the active reaction centers and the electron transport at the acceptor side.
anagement fads , pedagogies , and other soft technologies

We present a model for the diffusion of management fads and other technologies which lack clear objective evidence about their merits. The choices made by non-Bayesian adopters reflect both their own evaluations and the social influence of their peers. We show, both analytically and computationally, that the dynamics lead to outcomes that appear to be deterministic in spite of being governed by a stochastic process. In other words, when the objective evidence about a technology is weak, the evolution of this process quickly settles down to a fraction of adopters that is not predetermined. When the objective evidence is strong, the proportion of adopters is determined by the quality of the evidence and the adopters’ competence. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Preliminary Observations of Infant Ontogeny in the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) and the First Description of Play Behaviour and Its Ontogeny in Tarsiers

In this paper, I present the first observations on the ontogeny of tarsier infants during their first and second months and of the mother-offspring bond from birth until separation. Tarsier mother-infant pairs were observed to be solitary. Maternal care involved a cache and carry strategy with the infant spending around 66% parked alone whilst the mother was foraging. I observed the following behaviour: rest, grooming, suckling, play, being carried, jumping and climbing. Percentage of time spent in each activity was calcu-lated. Furthermore, play was observed to include locomotor-, social- and object-directed behaviours. Acoustic communication between mother and infant was very frequent con-taining four different signals. During the first days after birth, the mother transported the infants about, but within a week, the infants started climbing branches on their own. For the first three weeks, the mothers carried infants orally after which they started to follow the mother over shorter distances, although for longer distances, up to 50 days of age, the mothers continued to carry them. The inter-birth interval was around 1 year, but the infants from the previous birth continued to sleep with the mother for up to 10 months.
Sampling strategies for high quality time-series of climatic variables in forest resource assessment

Abstract: Many ecological studies require long-term time series of high quality. Missing data may represent a serious problem since they can affect the reliability of measured variables in specific locations. To which extent and according to which methodology a gap in time series should be filled is a major research challenge. In this study, the time-series of meteorological data relative to 13 monitoring sites from the ICP-Forest network in Italy were analysed with the aim to define the minimum number of site-specific observations, which can be considered adequate for further analysis on forest resource management. Three main climatic variables were taken into account in the analysis: air temperature, relative humidity and total precipitation. By using an increasing proportion of available data, descriptive and inferential statistic methods were applied to evaluate the amount of variability along the period of analysis (1998-2013) and associated error of estimation at seasonal level. The relative importance of each factor accounted in our analysis (season, year, variable, plot, sampling proportion) was investigated fitting a Random Forest model on the results of the bootstrapping procedure. Air temperature was the variable with a marked seasonal profile and the easiest to be represented at monthly level on a specific time period. Humidity and precipitation were more stable across the analysed time period. Trends in precipitation showed that a high amount of variability could be detected only when > 80% of valid observations were available. Humidity showed an intermediate pattern, with an exponential increase in the amount of explained variability when using an increased proportion of sampled observations. Random Forest Regression models indicated sampling proportion (i.e., number of available observations) as an important factor for trend analysis of relative air humidity and precipitation. We conclude that monthly or seasonal statistics can be proficiently estimated for both air temperature and relative humidity with a proportion of missing values higher than 50%. Conversely, a reliable analysis of intra-seasonal or intra-monthly precipitation variability requires a much higher amount of observations. In the latter case gap filling represents the only feasible solution.
GIS based analysis of forest site preparation

The aim of this study is to improve the practice of mechanical forest site preparation (FSP) by identifying typical characteristics of FSP, including the direction of FSP machinery, manoeuvre count depending on configuration of parcel and forest type and width of manoeuvre track; to evaluate the productivity depending on different forest growing conditions; to create schemes of technological corridors for commercial thinning; to improve scheme of FSP according to the scheme of technical corridors for commercial thinning and to evaluate changes in the count of manoeuvres and total distance travelled. In this study, we have developed methods to evaluate the quality of FSP. Methods used in this study include GIS analysis of vector data from FSP machinery tracking devices and LiDAR (Light detecting and ranging) data analysis for terrain information. Study shows that there is a significant difference in productivity when the machinery of FSP is driving in different angles to the longitudinal axis of parcel. Reduced productivity is justified by prioritizing topography of the forest floor. Slope is a decisive factor in the ground water movement and should be considered in FSP planning. Study shows that the developed method could be implemented in practice of forest management in 41% of sampled forest stands.
Syndromic analysis in child neuropsychology: A case study

Background. Neuropsychology is a science with its own specific concepts, terms, and methods of analysis of disturbances in psychological development. One of the essential concepts of neuropsychological methodology, according to A.R. Luria, is that of a neuropsychological syndrome, which takes into account both the functional organization of the brain and the behavioral system. However, this concept isn’t mentioned in the majority of his publications, and thus is not well known by neuropsychologists. There is no clear understanding of this concept within the works of modern neuropsychologists. This omission has a strong influence on the way analysis and interpretation of developmental difficulties is carried out today. Objective. The objective of this study is to present an example of the successful application of qualitative syndromic analysis to the case of a Mexican preschool child with developmental problems and learning disabilities. Design. The clinical analysis was applied to the case of a 6 year old girl with learning disabilities, whose difficulties had been attributed primarily to a low level of general brain activation. Results. The authors assert that the advantages of A.R. Luria’s syndromic approach to clinical cases of difficulties in development and learning disabilities, are that it opens up the potential for finding the general causes on different levels: neuronal maturation, brain mechanisms, activity and personality. Conclusion. The authors conclude that the topic of syndromic analysis in child neuropsychology requires further scientific discussion. The necessity for revising levels of analysis of clinical cases should be taken in account.
An Introduction to Quantum Filtering

The following notes are based on lectures delivered at the research school Modeling and Control of Open Quantum Systems (Mod\'{e}lisation et contr\^{o}le des syst\`{e}mes quantiques ouverts) at CIRM, Marseille, 16-20 April, 2018, as part of the Trimester \textit{Measurement and Control of Quantum Systems: Theory and Experiments} organized at Institut Henri Poincar\'{e}, Paris, France. The aim is to introduce quantum filtering to an audience with a background in either quantum theory or classical filtering.
Sex-based hatching asynchrony in an oviparous lizard (Bassiana duperreyi, Scincidae)

Sex disparities in mean dates of hatching are widespread, but are generated by a variety of mechanisms. For example, a correlation between offspring sex and hatching date is produced by temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in turtles and lizards, and by laying asynchrony and differential incubation behaviours in birds. Our laboratory experiments on montane lizards (Bassiana duperreyi, Scincidae) provide the first direct evidence of an intrinsic sex effect on the date of hatching in a reptile. All eggs within a clutch are laid on the same day but,even when incubated under identical thermal and hydric conditions,male lizards hatch about 2 days earlier than do their sisters.The effects are not due to laying asynchrony, differential incubation by parents,TSD or sex differences in mean egg size. Hormonally induced sex reversal did not eliminate the sex disparity in incubation periods, suggesting that this sex disparity is due to events occurring prior to oviposition rather than to sexual differences following gonadal differentiation. In the field, the intrinsically briefer incubation of male embryos is counterbalanced by two other trends: smaller eggs more often produce males and tend to hatch later than larger eggs within the same clutch; and cooler (and thus, later-hatching) nests overproduce male offspring via thermally induced sex reversal.Thus, somewhat ironically, the sex-specific hatching asynchrony of laboratory-incubated eggs may reflect adaptation to minimize sex differences in dates of hatching.
Title Mass-modulation schemes for a class of wave energy converters : Experiments , models , and efficacy Permalink

In a recent series of works, mass-modulation schemes have been proposed for a class of ocean wave energy converter (WEC). The goal of the schemes is to improve the energy harvesting capabilities of these devices by taking advantage of the ambient water. However this improvement comes at the cost of increased system complexity and possible impulse loadings at the instances where the mass changes. In the present work, experimental results for a pair of these schemes are presented and one of them is shown to be effective in increasing the energy harvesting potential of a WEC. Building and testing prototype WECs is costly and challenging and so, in order to examine as wide a range of parameters and designs as possible, a detailed two degree-of-freedom model is developed for a WEC equipped with a mass-modulation scheme. Numerical analysis of the model also shows the potential benefits of the mass-modulation scheme.
Ecology of the Pitviper, Bothrops moojeni, in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract Bothrops moojeni is a member of the atrox group that occurs in central and southeastern Brazil and adjacent Paraguay and Argentina. We describe habitat use, diel and seasonal activity, biometry, feeding habits, and reproduction of B. moojeni, based on field studies and analysis of 207 preserved specimens. Bothrops moojeni predominantly uses riparian vegetation in the Cerrado (central Brazilian savannas), such as gallery forests and adjacent wet grasslands, although they occasionally use drier interfluvial areas. Sexes are dimorphic in snout–vent length, relative tail length, relative mass, and relative head length. Main prey types were mammals, frogs, and lizards. There is an ontogenetic dietary shift from ectotherms to endotherms. Prey-predator mass ratio ranged from 0.008–1.079, and prey mass was positively correlated with predator mass. Although prey absolute mass was positively correlated with snake mass, large snakes did not eliminate small prey from their diets. There was an ontogenetic decrease in prey relative mass. Females consumed more endothermic prey than males, and this difference probably reflects size differences. The reproductive cycle is lengthy and seasonal, with recruitment restricted to the rainy season. Fecundity is positively correlated with female body size. Life-history characters of B. moojeni are similar to those of other members of the atrox group, even though B. moojeni occurs in the Cerrado, a drier and more seasonal biome.
Optimal Allocation of Surgical Services

Over the past several years Greater Boston has witnessed the consolidation of multiple community hospitals into larger care organizations and a renewed focus on the delivery of affordable care. In order for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMc) to respond and adapt to this changing landscape it will be critical to not only understand demand and capacity across the organization's entire network, but also to recognize how the deployment of limited resources can best be improved. From a BIDMc Department of Surgery Perspective, essential business questions include: 1 How to allocate limited existing resources efficiently? 2 Which future growth opportunities should be pursued now? 3 How should a multiple-hospital network be used to meet system demand? Existing approaches employed for solving these questions often involve heuristic rules-of-thumb that fail to treat sunk costs and opportunity costs appropriately. 'Ihese approaches often lead to demonstrably sub-optimal operational decisions. We have developed a framework for answering these questions in a more quantitatively rigorous fashion using mathematical programming. Our model captures each surgical case's impact on hospital resources (e.g. OR time, surgeon time, etc.) from when a patient enters the preoperative holding area to when they are released from the post anesthesia care unit. Using knowledge of resource requirements for each procedure, we compute an optimal allocation of cases subject to capacity and demand constraints. We pilot our framework by studying three surgical service lines within BIDMC: General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, and Surgical Oncology. We explore three different approaches to more effectively using resources and determine that the most practical approach yields a potential profit increase of more than 5% over 2012 levels. THESIS SUPERVISOR Vivek Farias TITLE Robert N. Noyce Career Development Associate Professor of Operations Management THESIS SUPERVISOR David Simchi-Levi TITLE Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Engineering Systems The author would like to thank everyone who helped make this project a reality and provided assistance throughout the entire process. I would also like to acknowledge the Leaders for Global Operations program for its support of this work.
12-04 Income Effect and Altruism by

We investigate the consequences of a pure income effect on the altruistic behavior of donors. Inequity aversion theories predict either no effect or a decrease in giving, whereas warm-glow theory predicts an increase in giving with an increase in the common income of donor and receiver. Theoretical predictions being contradictory, we run a dictator game in which we vary the common show-up fee of both the dictator and the recipient, but keep an extra amount to be shared the same. The prediction of the warm-glow theory is supported. JEL classification codes C91, D03, D64
Early Detection of T1DM Using Anti- GAD and Anti- Insulin Antibodies

Markers have been described in type1 diabetes, a number of specific and non- specific antigens have been identified. The major auto-antigens involved in the destructive process of beta-cells leading to the development of type 1 diabetes are insulin hormone and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). This study was conducted to find the relationship between antibodies for this antigens and T1DM which can be used for the early detection of T1DM in normal Iraqi patients. The study was carried out on 80 samples (50 men and 30 women) with age ranged from (20– 60 years old), they are divided into three groups: Group 1 which have fasting plasma glucose (FPG) above 180 mg / dL. Group 2 which have FPG ranged from 120 – 180 mg/dL. Group 3 which have FPG below 120 mg /dL. The statistical analysis results showed no significant difference in the presence of antibodies between men and women. Significant (p<0.05) elevation in the level of (anti - insulin) in T1DM patients compared with control group. No significant elevation in the level of (anti- GAD). The results also showed that no positive results for (anti - insulin) present in the control group. One positive result for anti– GAD present in the control group.
Non-Vascularized Fibular Strut Grafting in Management of Bone Defects

Background: Frequently in orthopedic practice, we come across massive bone defects, which can result from open fractures, gap non- unions and following resection of bone tumours. The problems involved in bridging or regenerating areas of skeletal loss with viable bone while maintaining limb length and alignment, along with satisfactory function remains a substantial challenge. The present study was carried out for evaluation & analysis of the role of non-vascularised fibular grafting in managing such bone defects. Methods: 25 cases with bone gap were treated with non-vascularized fibular strut graft from June 2010 to Sept 2012. There were 13 cases of gap non- union, 9 cases of tumour resection and 3 cases of post traumatic bone loss. Functional outcome was assessed by MSTS Score. Results: A total of 71 graft host junctions were studied, out of which 68 united, in a mean period of 13 weeks. Functional outcome was good with a mean MSTS Score of 76.63%. Average size of bone gap treated was 5.19 cm. Primary cancellous grafting was done in 15 cases. Size of bone gap or use of primary cancellous bone graft had no statistically significant relationship with time taken for union. Conclusion: Non- Vascularized fibular strut grafting is a simple, inexpensive and an effective technique in bridging bone gaps. It takes longer duration to achieve union, but if used in selected patients with good vascular bed and soft tissue coverage, can yield comparable results to vascularized fibular grafts in terms of overall union.
Parametrical Study of Free Vibration and Plastic Collapse of a Clamped Beam

In this paper a parametrical study of free vibration and plastic collapse of a clamped beam is presented. In the numerical study the finite element method was used utilising the updated Lagrangian formulation for large deformations/large strains, the Von Mises material model with multilinear isotropic hardening for hypoelastic-plastic materials, the Kelvin-Voight’s model for internal damping and the Jaumann‘s objective rate in the form of the Green-Naghdi’s objective rate for co-rotational Cauchy’s stress update calculation, in which appropriate rotation tensors were expressed with the Rodrigues’ formula. The aim of this study was to numerically determine the range of the material parameters of the Kelvin-Voight’s damping model using a real material, such as low carbon steel, which Pavel Élesztős (SK) pavel.elesztos@stuba.sk Ladislav Écsi (SK) ladislav.ecsi@stuba.sk DOI: 10.2478/v10147-011-00 35 -7 Acta Mechanica Slovaca 14 (4): 58-63, 2010 Acta Mechanica Slovaca Journal published by Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technical University of Košice 59 is a commonly used construction material in contemporary engineering practice. In the numerical experiments elastic and plastic loading cases were studied applying pressure on the upper surface of the bar free end as stepped load using the Heaviside step function. A few relevant results of the study are presented and briefly discussed too. INTRODUCTION An engineering construction during its operation has to withstand various loadings; the majority of which can be characterized as dynamic or cyclic. To model properly the behaviour of such a construction internal/material damping of the construction material has to be taken into account. Although technical literature differentiates between material or structural viscous damping, nonmaterial viscous damping, Coulomb or dry damping and other nonmaterial damping models [1], the material damping is merely an issue of rate dependent models of viscoelasticity or viscoplasticity which have been developed to simulate materials with memory, creep or relaxation using convolution integrals [2-4]. The Rayleigh damping, or in other words the proportional damping, is the most widely used damping model in contemporary dynamic analyses [5-8], however it has to be carefully used in continuum based models, as the damping model does not differentiate between rigid body motion and deformation, which might lead to spurious numerical behaviour and inaccurate results. This applies mainly in such cases where high speed rigid body motion takes place during the deformation of the body. THEORY BACGROUND In the problem formulation the updated Lagrange method [9] for large strains/large deformations is used. The material of a solid deformable body of volume X and surface uX is idealised as non-polar continuum [10]. The equation of motion, defined with the conservation of linear momentum of the body, is given in the following variational form [11]: : , dv dv dv ds d b v t v v v : : : v t d d d d + = +