Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The anxiety between individuals with and without joint hypermobility

Background and Objectives: This study was performed to compare the anxiety disorders between individuals with and without joint hypermobility. Methods: A total of 94 Turkish volunteers, 40 subjects (38 females, 2 males) with joint hypermobility and 54 controls (47 females, 7 males) without joint hypermobility, were in- cluded in this study. We evaluated the joint hypermobility by using the Beighton scoring system in the participants and a Beighton score of at least 4 was considered as joint hy- permobility. In addition, all cases were evaluated with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale by a psychiatrist in order to define their psychyatric disorders and anxiety levels, respectively. Results: Age, gender and educational levels of the participants were similar between these two groups. Mean of anxiety score was higher statistically in the study group (13.5 ± 5.3) than that of the control group (11.1 ± 4.9) (p < 0.05). No statistically a significant difference in the ratio of psychyatric disorders according to SCID-I were observed be- tween cases with and without hypermobility. Conclusions: Anxiety scores have been found significantly higher in the group with hy- permobility than that of the group without hypermobility. We strongly recommend the as- sessment of medical conditions, including joint hypermobility syndrome, in anxiety patients.
Demographic risk factors and lymphocyte populations in patients with tuberculosis and their healthy contacts.

SETTING Campania, a southern region of Italy, and the Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Monaldi Hospital, University 'Federico II', Naples. OBJECTIVE To evaluate clinical and socio-demographic risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) infection and/or disease. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from a sub-cohort of 19 patients and 53 contacts were studied by flow cytometry. DESIGN A prospective study among patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis and their close contacts. RESULTS A total of 90 patients and 277 contacts were enrolled. The prevalence of infection was 45% (95%CI 39-51%) among contacts. Age, sex, delay in diagnosis and treatment, cavitation on chest radiograph, cough, unwillingness to cover the mouth, and volume of air shared by close contacts and patients were investigated as potential risk factors for infection. Only delay in diagnosis of cases remained independently associated with an increased risk of infection (P < 0.0002), and hemoptysis was the only factor capable of reducing the delay significantly. The CD8+ CD28+ cytotoxic subset was significantly diminished in the patients (P < 0.001), whereas the CD8+ CD28- and CD8+ CD57+ (suppressor and NK-like subsets) were elevated (P < 0.001 and P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS These data show that delay in diagnosis of cases is a crucial factor for tuberculosis and that cytotoxic CD8+ cells play a primary role in immune response to tuberculosis.
Toward a social sensor based framework for intelligent transportation

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs) are supposed to constantly provide drivers with useful navigation information (e.g., the shortest driving paths, real-time traffic conditions, and other road condition data) by collecting raw data from physical sensors and various media. Previous work mainly considers how to develop ITS frameworks and how to extract useful information from physical sensors. Meanwhile, the relatively rich user-contributed postings which contain valuable information about traffic and road conditions was not leveraged to enhance the effectiveness of ITSs. To address such a research gap, this paper presents a relatively new approach of extracting and analyzing useful driving navigation information from the big data archived on online social media, the so-called social sensors. In particular, we advocate a topic model-based computational method to extract relevant semantics (e.g., traffic conditions, road conditions, drivers' conditions, etc.) from the relatively noisy user-contributed postings on online social media. Then, a classification ensemble method is proposed to automatically identify specific traffic related events, and transmit these useful navigation hints back to an ITS for dissemination to other drivers. Evaluation based on real-world user postings from Twitter and Sina Weibo demonstrates that the proposed social sensor analytics method is effective in identifying main traffic events when compared to other baseline methods. Our work opens the door for the development of the next generation of ITSs which can leverage the big data archived on online social media to enhance the richness and the quality of traffic navigation aids provided by ITSs.
Natural Language Processing and Semantical Representation of Medical Texts

Abstract: For medical records, the challenge for the present decade is Natural Language Processing (NLP) of texts, and the construction of an adequate Knowledge Representation. This article describes the components of an NLP system, which is currently being developed in the Geneva Hospital, and within the European Community’s AIM programme. They are: a Natural Language Analyser, a Conceptual Graphs Builder, a Data Base Storage component, a Query Processor, a Natural Language Generator and, in addition, a Translator, a Diagnosis Encoding System and a Literature Indexing System. Taking advantage of a closed domain of knowledge, defined around a medical specialty, a method called proximity processing has been developed. In this situation no parser of the initial text is needed, and the system is based on semantical information of near words in sentences. The benefits are: easy implementation, portability between languages, robustness towards badly-formed sentences, and a sound representation using conceptual graphs.
Le rapport à l’écriture, un outil pour penser la place de l’écriture électronique dans l’enseignement-apprentissage du français

La reflexion que Lienard et Penloup proposent sur la prise en compte de l'ecriture electronique a l'ecole et de ses modalites s'inscrit dans une reflexion plus large, celle de la prise en compte necessaire, en situation d'enseignement-apprentissage du francais, du rapport a l'ecrit des apprenants (Chartrand. S.-G. & Blaser C., 2008). Elle est aussi determinee par la perspective sociolinguistique dans laquelle ils se reconnaissent et qui les amene a apprehender le francais electronique non comme une forme deviante du francais mais comme une variante de celui-ci, linguistiquement recevable et pertinente dans un contexte donne. Apres avoir developpe quelque peu le cadre theorique, les auteurs donneront une description des caracteristiques de l'ecriture electronique. Ils envisageront ensuite la place possible du francais electronique en situation d'apprentissage, tant en reception qu'en production
Engaging Students with Mobile Technologies to Support Their Formal and Informal Learning

This article explores â€œY generationâ€ studentsâ€™ attitudes to mobile technologies in the context of education, and use of podcasts on their handhelds in particular. Our intention is to investigate how students use mobile devices to support their formal and informal learning practices. One of the â€œbig issuesâ€ in mobile learning that we address here is the co-existence of personal informal learning and traditional classroom education. After conducting an experiment and a survey, we conclude that the diversity of student attitudes toward using podcasts in education means that we are in the time of â€œin between years. â€ Learning â€œany time/anywhereâ€ and â€œdigital nativesâ€ prove to be a myth for many. The current challenge for podcasting in education is to move from information transmission to knowledge construction and sharing within a formal setting.
Romantic Partners in a Market Perspective: Expectations about What Ensures a Highly Desirable Partner

This study used the biological market perspective and influential statistical models from the marketing field to investigate males' and females' expectations regarding which combination of characteristics are most relevant in ensuring desirable partnerships for same-sex individuals. Thus, 358 Brazilian undergraduates assessed eight descriptions of same-gender stimulus targets (formulated with different levels of physical attractiveness, social skills, and current or prospective social status) and evaluated the overall desirability of the targets' expected or probable partners. From the possible combinations, three groups emerged: for one group, mainly composed of men, status characteristics were the most important attributes; for the others, mostly composed of women, social skills or physical characteristics were identified as most important in appealing to a desirable partner. This work expands the understanding of variability in male and female romantic expectations, and its implications are discussed from an evolutionary perspective.
Influence Of Institutional Pressures On The Adoption Of Green Initiatives

Environmental issues which have negative impacts on environment, social, and economy, imply a need for sustainability practices. As the concept of sustainability is broad, this study focuses only on the environmental aspect, particularly green practices. It aims to examine the influence of institutional pressures, namely coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures on the adoption of green initiatives, and the extent of green adoption in Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs). A questionnaire survey was conducted on all 921 PLCs in Bursa Malaysia. The data from 120 usable questionnaires were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that the adoption of green initiatives in PLCs is significantly influenced by coercive and normative pressures, while mimetic pressure does not influence the adoption of green initiatives in PLCs. Theoretically, this study contributes to management accounting and environmental management literatures in the context of green practices towards environmental sustainability. It also provides empirical evidence to practitioners on the need to understand the key drivers of green initiatives for them to meet the challenges on green issues and to derive the best results from implementation of the initiatives. Regulatory authorities or policy makers may facilitate more extensive adoption of green initiatives by providing more financial incentives for technical resources and training.
Laboratory and clinical conditions for gentamicin inactivation by carbenicillin.

Gentamicin sulfate plus carbenicillin disodium is used in the treatment of Pseudomonas infections because the two drugs are often synergistic in vitro. Incubation of this combination of drugs, however, results in the inactivation of gentamicin. The rate of inactivation is influenced by the relative concentration of the two drugs, the fluid into which they are placed, and the temperature. Usual doses of the drugs, when placed in solutions for intravenous administration, result in rapid inactivation, but in serum the half-life of gentamicin with carbenicillin is 24 hours. In treated patients, the rate of inactivation of gentamicin was the same as in serum. Only in patients with severe renal failure was inactivation of gentamicin by carbenicillin observed. Gentamicin with carbenicillin can be recommended for treatment if physical mixing of the drugs in vitro is avoided.
Exploring best practices for card interactions through a three-method triangulation

We describe a series of studies using three methods to understand usage of a cards-based mobile queryless search experience. An existing product was chosen as stimuli to allow for quick execution to learn from participants who have had experience over an extended period of time, as opposed to only studying first time use. Findings from these studies provide implications that can be used to inform products aimed at satisfying user needs for personal information while on the go. Focus is placed on the ability for queryless search results to display actionable information as well as provide direct actions without additional clicks.
An analysis of perioperative surgical mortality and morbidity in the asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis study.

Background and Purpose Our aim was to determine the perioperative morbidity and mortality rates of patients in the surgical arm of the multi-institutional, prospective, randomized Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS). Methods Of 828 patients with carotid stenosis of 60% or more randomized to the surgical arm of ACAS, 721 underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA). To qualify for participation, surgeons were required to have performed at least 12 CEAs per year with a combined neurological morbidity and mortality rate no greater than 3% for asymptomatic patients and 5% for symptomatic patients. Clinical centers had to demonstrate arteriographic morbidity less than 1% and mortality less than 0.1% per year. Primary events were stroke and death in the period between randomization and 30 days after surgery; secondary events were transient ischemic attack and myocardial infarction occurring in the same period. Results Of the 721 patients who underwent CEA, 1 died and 10 others had strokes within 30 days.
Influence of restaurant attributes towards perceived value and customer overall satisfaction at casual dining restaurants in Klang Valley

Casual dining restaurant becomes popular, especially among urban people in Malaysia which provides variety of menu in a comfortable environment with good services while the price offered is less expensive compare to fine dining restaurant. In order to identify the worthiness feeling dining at a casual dining restaurant, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between restaurant attributes towards perceived value. The relationship between perceived value and customers’ overall satisfaction were also measured. A total of 682 usable responses from casual dining restaurant customers in the Klang Valley were analysed. An exploratory factor analysis and inferential statistics procedure were performed by using SPSS Version 21. Moderate impacts with positive correlation were found between service attributes, food attributes and physical environment with perceived value. Interestingly, innovative and convenience attributes were also found to have correlation with perceived value. In addition, the relationship between perceived value and overall satisfaction was also found to have a moderate impact. The paper indicates that restaurant attributes have an impact to customers’ perceived value which ultimately leads to customers’ overall satisfaction.
Antitachycardia pacing programming in implantable cardioverter defibrillator: A systematic review

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) programming involves several parameters. In recent years antitachycardia pacing (ATP) has gained an increasing importance in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias, whether slow or fast. It reduces the number of unnecessary and inappropriate shocks and improves both patient’s quality of life and device longevity. There is no clear indication regarding the type of ATP to be used, except for the treatment of fast ventricular tachycardias (188 bpm-250 bpm) where it has been shown a greater efficacy and safety of burst compared to ramp; 8 impulses in each sequence of ATP appears to be the best programming option in this setting. Beyond ATP use, excellent clinical results were obtained with programming standardization following these principles: extended detection time in ventricular fibrillation (VF) zone; supraventricular discrimination criteria up to 200 bpm; first shock in VF zone at the maximum energy in order to reduce the risk of multiple shocks. The MADIT-RIT trial and some observational registries have also recently demonstrated that programming with a widespread use of ATP, higher cut-off rates or delayed intervention reduces the number of inappropriate and unnecessary therapies and improves the survival of patients during mid-term follow-up.
Antibiotic resistance dissemination and sewage treatment plants

Antibiotics are a class of naturally-occurring and synthetic chemical compounds with antimicrobial activity and are widely used in human and veterinary medicine. The increasing incidence of resistance to a wide range of antibiotic agents by a variety of organisms is a major concern facing modern medicine. There is widespread speculation that sewage treatment plants (STPs) and aquatic environments in general maybe a breeding ground for antibiotic resistant bacteria. In this minireview, we examine and consider whether the presence of antibiotics in STPs facilitates the acquisition and proliferation of resistance characteristics amongst bacteria in that environment, or whether it just simply imparts a selective pressure for the propagation of clonal resistance. Literature reports relating to bacterial and resistance counts, upstream and downstream of hospital, pharmaceutical and town STPs in different geographical regions are appraised and inferences presented. The mini-review also appraises available literature on the acquisition of antibiotic resistance by previously nonresistant bacteria and the role of antibiotics in the transfer of resistant genes in STPs. Specific observations that would be required to confirm these phenomena are identified and experimental approaches, including culture-independent methods, are suggested.
Cognitive visualization for the design of complex systems

In this paper, we introduce a set of new visual representations for complex systems. These visual representations allow for the efficient description of systems that encapsulate a variety of components that can be merged together to form ensembles. These ensemble methods can outperform individual approaches. The whole operation of such systems can be better interpreted using visual tools. Thus, we introduce 3D graphical solutions to visualize the components (e.g. databases, energy functions, algorithms, and voting models) of the system together with their attributes, and also their possible relationships. For a case study, we consider a clinical screening system. As a sufficiently flexible and rich 3D visualization framework, we select the VirCA virtual collaboration arena. The created virtual space supports the manual design of applications from the components with testing them on different databases for the selected energy functions. Moreover, the user can get familiar with the applications generated automatically by machine learning and stochastic search algorithms.
Developments in neuroacanthocytosis: Expanding the spectrum of choreatic syndromes

As with other neurodegenerative disorders, research into the group of diseases known under the umbrella term of “neuroacanthocytosis” has greatly benefited from the identification of causative genes. The distinct and unifying aspect of these disorders is the presence of thorny deformations of circulating erythrocytes. This may be due to abnormal properties of red cell membranes, which could lead to insights into mech‐ anisms of neurodegeneration. Research approaches in this field, in addition to examining functions and protein interactions of the affected proteins with particular respect to neurons, have also drawn upon the expertise of hematologists and red cell membrane biologists. In this article, recent developments in the field are presented. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
Microenvironmental Interactions and Survival of CLL B-cells

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) B cells display characteristics consistent with a defect in programmed cell death (apoptosis) and exhibit prolonged survival in vivo. When recovered from peripheral blood or lymphoid tissues from the patient and cultured in vitro, these malignant cells rapidly undergo spontaneous apoptosis. This observation suggests that the selective survival advantage enjoyed by CLL B-cells is not entirely autonomous, raising the possibility of manipulating CLL B-cell survival by iatrogenic means. The extended survival of the neoplastic B-cells creates a permissive soil on which oncogene activation, genetic instability and accumulation of gene mutations favoring disease progression can occur. In addition, such survival-promoting microenvironments can rescue leukemia cells from cytotoxic therapy, giving way to disease relapse. Survival of CLL B-cells is influenced by interactions with non-leukemia cells in the microenvironment of lymph nodes, marrow and other tissues. CLL B-cells have developed many different ways to escape undergoing apoptosis. These include: (a) expression of survival receptor as well as their ligands, giving rise to autocrine survival pathways which are leukemia cell specific; (b) defects in plasma membrane receptor cell signaling, triggered by death receptors such as Fas- and TRAIL; and (c) constitutively active survival signaling pathways such as NFκB and PI3K/Akt. Here we discuss some of the molecular mechanisms by which interaction with other cells and factors in the microenvironment provides survival advantages to CLL B-cells in specific in vivo niches, and we suggest some strategies for overcoming these anti-apoptotic mechanisms for improving treatment of CLL.
Integrating Spintronics with Conventional Semiconductor Devices through Exchange Interaction

The field of spintronics often requires one to be able to read and write spin information in an efficient way. Conventionally, writing is performed by putting strong magnetic fields whereas spin detection relies on various resonance techniques. Both these methods suffer from spatial resolution, technological incompatibility and lack of integrability. Here, we show that by utilizing the exchange interaction between the conduction electrons and a spin array, it is possible to devise an all-electrical scheme such that one can both read and write information from and to a spin array. This method could enable one to merge semiconductor based electronics with metal based magneto-electronics leading to a whole new class of devices.
EXPORT SPECIALIZATION OF BANGLADESH'S READYMADE GARMENTS INDUSTRY IN THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET

This paper attempts to investigate the export specialization of Bangladesh readymade garments industry among leading readymade garments exporting nations in the North American market. An export specialization (ES) index is employed to evaluate the export competitiveness of the top 5 competitors in the North American market during the 2012-2016 period. Export specialization was calculated for 34 product categories of four digits level Harmonized System (HS) product group 61 and 62. The mean and standard deviation were also calculated to examine the degree of change in the readymade garments export specialization of Bangladesh in the North American market for the study period. The analyzed results demonstrate the status of export specialization of selected competitors where Bangladesh exposed the highest export specialization over their competitors in the North American market for 27 product groups out of 34. However, ES of Bangladesh is not steady, in fact, unsteady ES was observed for 10 product groups, and in addition to that ES of the 8 product groups’ shows downtrend. Established trade theories regarding export specialization remain a useful but limited guide to understand the dynamic of export specialization for the given market. Policy recommendation in the context of the changing global business environment and geopolitical transformation were discussed and future implications of the research direction were recommended. JEL: L60, L69, L11 Article visualizations: