Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Osteomyelitis of the pelvic bones in patients with spinal cord injury: Is magnetic resonance useful for preoperative diagnosis?

Aim of the study: We report a prospective, observational, single-centre study on adult patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and pressure sores undergoing surgical debridement and reconstruction at Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute from July 2013 to January 2016. The aim is to assess usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) in pre-operative diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Materials and methods: All the patients underwent preoperative MRI each MRI was evaluated independently by two radiologists and the exam was considered positive for osteomyelitis only when the two radiologists agreed on the diagnosis. All the surgical procedures consisted of a wide debridement of soft and bony tissues and reconstruction: bone specimens were collected and sent for culture and histopathological evaluation. Results of MRI and histopathology were compared. Results: 85 patients were included in the study. The two radiologists working independently agreed on the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in 96% of the cases. Pre-operative MRI was considered positive for osteomyelitis in 45 cases. According to histology, osteomyelitis was diagnosed in 40 patients. MRI findings and histology were concordant in 61% of cases; 19 false positive and 14 false negative cases were found. Sensitivity and specificity of MR in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis were 65% and 58% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 58% and a negative predictive value of 65%. Conclusion: In our cohort sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MR for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in patients with SCI and pressure ulcers are lower than previously described. Our findings suggest that MRI cannot be considered a reliable diagnostic technique for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. We can conclude that MRI is not indispensable pre-operatively in SCI patients with pressure sores, and that all the patient should undergo a wide soft and bony tissues debridement as if they were all affected by osteomyelitis. Histological diagnosis is useful to decide the timing of antimicrobial therapy, that should be planned based on the results of the surgical specimen culture. Further studies are needed to investigate this topic.
Singlet ground state in the alternating spin-
12
 chain compound 
NaVOAsO4

We present the synthesis and a detailed investigation of structural and magnetic properties of polycrystalline NaVOAsO$_4$ by means of x-ray diffraction, magnetization, electron spin resonance (ESR), and $^{75}$As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements as well as density-functional band structure calculations. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, ESR intensity, and NMR line shift could be described well using an alternating spin-$1/2$ chain model with the exchange coupling $J/k_{\rm B}\simeq 52$ K and an alternation parameter $\alpha \simeq 0.65$. From the high-field magnetic isotherm measured at $T=1.5 $ K, the critical field of the gap closing is found to be $ H_{\rm c}\simeq 16$ T, which corresponds to the zero-field spin gap of $\Delta_0/k_{\rm B}\simeq 21.4$ K. Both NMR shift and spin-lattice relaxation rate show an activated behavior at low temperatures, further confirming the singlet ground state. The spin chains do not coincide with the structural chains, whereas the couplings between the spin chains are frustrated. Because of a relatively small spin gap, NaVOAsO$_4$ is a promising compound for further experimental studies under high magnetic fields.
Explorer Accelerated , Parallel and Proximal Coordinate Descent

We propose a new stochastic coordinate descent method for minimizing the sum of convex functions each of which depends on a small number of coordinates only. Our method (APPROX) is simultaneously Accelerated, Parallel and PROXimal; this is the first time such a method is proposed. In the special case when the number of processors is equal to the number of coordinates, the method converges at the rate 2ω̄L̄R/(k+1), where k is the iteration counter, ω̄ is an average degree of separability of the loss function, L̄ is the average of Lipschitz constants associated with the coordinates and individual functions in the sum, and R is the distance of the initial point from the minimizer. We show that the method can be implemented without the need to perform full-dimensional vector operations, which is the major bottleneck of accelerated coordinate descent. The fact that the method depends on the average degree of separability, and not on the maximum degree of separability, can be attributed to the use of new safe large stepsizes, leading to improved expected separable overapproximation (ESO). These are of independent interest and can be utilized in all existing parallel stochastic coordinate descent algorithms based on the concept of ESO.
Spectroscopic Techniques for Nondestructive Detection of Fungi and Mycotoxins in Agricultural Materials: A Review

Purpose: Fungal secondary metabolite (mycotoxin) contamination in foods can pose a serious threat to humans and animals. Spectroscopic techniques have proven to be potential alternative tools for early detection of mycotoxins. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current developments in nondestructive food safety testing techniques, particularly regarding fungal contamination testing in grains, focusing on the application of spectroscopic techniques to this problem. Methods: This review focuses on the use of spectroscopic techniques for the detection of fungi and mycotoxins in agricultural products as reported in the literature. It provides an overview of the characteristics of the main spectroscopic methods and reviews their applications in grain analysis. Results: It was found that spectroscopy has advantages over conventional methods used for fungal contamination detection, particularly when combined with chemometrics. These advantages include the rapidness and nondestructive nature of this approach. Conclusions: While spectroscopy offers many benefits for the detection of mycotoxins in agricultural products, a number of limitations exist, which must be overcome prior to widespread adoption of these techniques.
Intergenerational mobility of socio-economic status in comparative perspective

This paper reviews three strands of literature on socio-economic intergenerational mobility. The first is a mostly recent and rapidly growing economics literature that measures mobility in labour earnings and income. This approach is compared with two classical sociological approaches that measure the mobility in class and status. The United States seems to rank quite high in terms of class and status mobility, but low in terms of earnings and income mobility. This seemingly contradictory result can be accounted for by lower earnings mobility within occupations in the United States.
Parameterization of the Vertical Velocity Equation for Shallow Cumulus Clouds

AbstractThe application of a steady-state vertical velocity equation for parameterized moist convective updrafts in climate and weather prediction models is currently common practice. This equation usually contains an advection, a buoyancy, and a lateral entrainment term, whereas the effects of pressure gradient and subplume contributions are typically incorporated as proportionality constants a and b for the buoyancy and the entrainment terms, respectively. A summary of proposed values of these proportionality constants a and b in the literature demonstrates that there is a large uncertainty in their most appropriate values. To shed new light on this situation an analysis is presented of the full vertical budget equation for shallow cumulus clouds obtained from large eddy simulations of three different Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud System Study (GCSS) intercomparison cases. It is found that the pressure gradient term is the dominant sink term in the vertical velocity budget, wher.
I Prefer Not to Know! Analyzing the decision of getting information about your ability

The recognition that information is, most of the time, incomplete and imperfect is essential in understanding the nature of the formation of beliefs. To understand human behavior in the area of (academic) performance, the beliefs individuals sustain about their ability become crucial. Before performing a certain task, the agent never knows his/her true ability. He/she only has an ex-ante notion of his/her believed ability and the truth is only revealed ex-post. Once the true ability is known and the payoffs realized, we observe different reactions that range from disappointment to happiness. The logical question is then, who would have preferred not to know the truth? This paper deals with the information acquisition decisions of individuals who face uncertainty about their own ability. At a theoretical level (Benabou and Tirole, 2002), it has been shown that overconfident individuals (people with beliefs about themselves higher than reality) with time inconsistent preferences have more at stake when they face the decision of learning the truth about themselves than more pessimistic agents. To test this prediction, a field experiment is designed and implemented, where students face the decision of learning, or not, their true ability before performing a test. It will be shown that overconfident students indeed more often decide not to learn their true ability.
The use of clickers to evaluate radiographer’s knowledge of shoulder images

Background Conducting research can be daunting, although applicable methods can facilitate the process. A study was performed at an imaging department pertaining to the routine shoulder projections, namely the anteroposterior (AP) external rotation and lateral-Y (LAT-Y) projections. Aim The aim of the study was to determine if radiographers (qualified, supplementary, community service) and student radiographers (second-year diploma, third-year diploma, second-year bachelor) use the radiographic evaluation criteria to evaluate the routine shoulder projections. Setting The study was conducted at an imaging department in the Free State province, South Africa. Methods Participants had to complete a survey by means of a questionnaire that was compiled in Microsoft Excel and converted to an audience response system known as clickers. The questions addressed aspects of shoulder imaging with regard to positioning, exposure factors and the evaluation of routine shoulder projections. The data were analysed separately using statistics software SAS Version 9.2. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine statistically significant differences between students and radiographers. Results More than 80% of students selected the AP (external rotation) X-ray image demonstrating optimal milliamperage per second whereas 43% of radiographers selected the correct image. More than 50% of radiographers and students indicated that a breathing technique and a short exposure time reduce motion during shoulder imaging. Conclusion Using clickers eased the process of testing the participants’ knowledge, and the results were available immediately after completion of the test. Clickers can contribute to and expedite the process of data analysis.
Effect of Shift Work on the Frequency of Depression in Nursing Staff of Yazd University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Depression as a disorder is relatively common in all societies; several factors are involved in depression development, that shift work is one of these factors. This study compared the frequency of depression in different shifts of nurses in hospitals of Yazd University of medical sciences. Materials & Methods: This study is a descriptive analytical study. Based on statistical methods, 150 nurses participated in this study. The research tool was a questionnaire that included 15 personal questions and 21 questions related to Beck test. The results were analysed by SPSS software. Results: 13.3% of all subjects were males and 86.7% were females. Results showed that, there is no significant relationship between gender, education, type of job, employment status and satisfaction levels of income with depression. Marital status (P-Value = 0.009 and F = 6.93), shift work (day working and shift work) (P-Value = 0.032 and F = 1.11), job satisfaction (P-Value = 0.000 and F = 7.641) and the satisfaction of the employer (P-Value = 0.001 and F = 5.414) were significantly associated with depression. 3.49% of the nurses were in normal status, 7.26% had mild depression, 3.9% required consultation with the psychiatrist,% 7.8% suffered from moderate depression, 75.4% from severe depression and 3.1% from very severe depression. Conclusion: It seems that shift work can not cause depression alone, but depression is the result of the interaction of several factors.
Predicting Crises in Turkey Using an Exchange Market Pressure Model and Four-Way Decomposition Analysis of Gross Capital Flows

This study examines quarterly macroeconomic data in an attempt to reveal crises experienced in Turkey from 1998 to 2013 using an exchange market pressure model and analyze gross capital flows using a four-way decomposition analysis during. The results indicate that the exchange market pressure model successfully predicts the economic crisis following the 1998 Marmara earthquake, the February 2001 crisis and the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis in Turkey. The four-way decomposition is found to be more effective than the standard two-part differential analysis in explaining the relationship between crises and the inflow and outflow of domestic and foreign capital.
Embedded Fast-Time Simulation to Support Airport Surface Operation Optimization

A key operational capability specified in the Joint Program Development Office (JPDO) Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Concept of Operations (ConOps) is Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO). TBO refers to operations based on 4-dimensional (4D) trajectories, each of which contains a specified route and a set of required times of arrival (RTAs) specified along the route. When this concept is applied to the airport surface domain, automation for the control tower can plan Trajectory-Based Surface Operations (TBSO) to optimize performance of the airport surface traffic. A recent TBSO research involves the development of a Surface Traffic Planner to optimize the 4D surface trajectories. The planner considers all the flights within a given time window, and systematically generates and evaluates different sets of possible 4D trajectories for the flights to arrive at an optimal solution. For the planner to operate in real time assuming a reasonable level of computational power, the planner needs a fast way to evaluate these sets of 4D trajectories, where each set comprising one 4D trajectory for each flight within the time window represents a “candidate solution. ” To this end, an event-based fast-time simulation has been developed for evaluating these candidate solutions to produce the necessary performance metrics such as taxi time or taxi delay. Design of this simulation is based on a link/node graph-theoretic queuing model. The simulation also provides the capability to detect unacceptable events such as conflicts and incursions which render the candidate solution infeasible.
An analysis of indirect tax reform in Ireland in the 1980s

Since the seminal work by Diamond and Mirrlees (1971), various attempts have been made to calculate optimal tax rates for different countries (e.g. Deaton (1977) for the UK and Harris and McKinnon (1979) for Canada). Other exercises along these lines are studies by Ebrahimi and Heady (1988), who examine the sensitivity of optimal tax rates to assumptions regarding separability and the availability of optimal demogrants, and those of Fukushima (1991) and Fukushima and Hatta (1989), who examine the welfare implications of a move to uniform taxation.
Membrane compartmentalization during T cell receptor signalling and immunological synapse formation

The interaction between transmembrane proteins, lipids, and cytoskeletal components provides a framework for the compartmentalization of the cell surface. Intense research has focused on lipid rafts, the cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains containing many signalling molecules. However, recent advances in cellular and molecular imaging have challenged prevailing models on the role of these membrane microdomains in signal transduction and their biological significance in cell physiology. Using the T lymphocyte as an example, we review here some of the current developments in our understanding of compartmentalization of signalling. T cells are useful to study this issue given the confluence of knowledge about the morphology associated with early signalling, about the kinetics of antigen receptor engagement, and about the resulting events leading to activation of these cells. Specifically, activation of the T cell upon T cell receptor (TCR) engagement with specific peptide: major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule complexes on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APC) results in a coordinated redistribution of some cell surface proteins into a morphological structure known as the immunological synapse (IS) within a timeline encompassing antigen receptor signalling. In the context of these events, we examine the potential interactions between cell surface receptors, protein-protein microclusters, and cytoskeletal networks that support the formation of TCR-dependent signalling units or signalosomes in signalling permissive environments.
ARBITRAGE-FREE INTERPOLATION OF THE SWAP CURVE

We suggest an arbitrage free interpolation method for pricing zero-coupon bonds of arbitrary maturities from a model of the market data that typically underlies the swap curve; that is short term, future and swap rates. This is done first within the context of the Libor or the swap market model. We do so by introducing an independent stochastic process which plays the role of a short term yield, in which case we obtain an approximate closed-form solution to the term structure while preserving a stochastic implied short rate. This will be discontinuous but it can be turned into a continuous process (however at the expense of closed-form solutions to bond prices). We then relax the assumption of a complete set of initial swap rates and look at the more realistic case where the initial data consists of fewer swap rates than tenor dates and show that a particular interpolation of the missing swaps in the tenor structure will determine the volatility of the resulting interpolated swaps. We give conditions under which the problem can be solved in closed-form therefore providing a consistent arbitrage-free method for yield curve generation.
Differences between metabolic profiles of egg-type and meat-type hybrid hens

The main objective of this study was to compare the metabolic profile (i.e. selected haematological and biochemical parameters in blood plasma) of production egg-type hybrid hens (E, MORAVIA BSL) with that of meat-type hybrid hens (M, COBB 500), and to evaluate dynamic changes occurring during the laying period from the 25th to 50th week of age. The study was prompted by both poultry farmers and veterinary practitioners since parameters defining the health of layers are absent. Selected parameters of the metabolic profile of layers were monitored regularly in 5-week intervals during egg laying. Samples of blood for haematological and biochemical examination were obtained by puncture of the vena basilica and stabilized by heparin. The study has revealed that monitored parameters of the metabolic profile significantly vary with factors such as production type, nutrition, and egg-laying intensity. Enhanced metabolism in egg-type hens was reflected in erythropoiesis which increased (in comparison with meat-type hens) highly significantly (P ≤ 0.01), particularly for erythrocyte count 2.36 T/l (2.14 T/l), haematocrit level 0.32 l/l (0.30 l/l), content of haemoglobin 94.48 g/l (84.18 g/l) and leukocyte count 17.06 G/l (13.22 G/l). Similarly, enhanced metabolism in egg-type hens also led to a highly significant increase (P ≤ 0.01) in the levels of biochemical parameters in blood plasma, particularly the total level of protein was 57.62 g/l (50.98) g/l), glucose 14.03 mmol/l (13.36 mmol/l), cholesterol 5.34 mmol/l (3.73 mmol/l) and calcium 6.52 mmol/l (5.52 mmol/l). ) In the case of the plasma level of phosphorus, no significant difference was found between egg-type hens (1.58 mmol/l) and meat-type hens (1.59 mmol/l). The reported results are based on the total of 180 haematological and biochemical analyses performed during the laying period. The results are crucial not only for future development of avian haematology and biochemistry, but also in respect to veterinary practice.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy: a review of literature on clinical status and meta-analysis of tissue doppler diagnostic method and the clinical value of intensive glycemic control

Received: September 06, 2018; Accepted: September 15, 2018; Published: September 17 2018 Abbreviations: ACC: American College of Cardiology; ACE: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme; AGE: Advance Glycation Endproducts; AHA: American Heart Association; ANP: Atrial Natriuretic Peptide; ARB: Angiotensin Receptor Blocker; ATLAS: Assessment of Treatment with Lisinopril and Survival; BNP: Brain Natriuretic Peptide; CAD: Coronary Artery Disease; CHF: Congestive Heart Failure; CHS: Cardiovascular Health Study; CMRI: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging; CPC: Cardiac Progenitor Cells; CRP: C – Reactive Protein; DM: Diabetes Mellitus; ESC: European Society of Cardiologists; FFA: Free Fatty Acid; Hba: Glycated Hemoglobin; HF: Heart Failure; HT: Hypertension; IL-6: Interleukin-6; LVEF: Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction; MESA: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; MFR: Myocardial Flow Reserve; MI: Myocardial Infarction; MPI: Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; MRA: Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist; RAAS: Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System; RESOLVD: Randomized Evaluation of Strategies for Left Ventricular Dysfunction; SHS: Strong Heart Study; SOLVD: Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction; T1DM: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus; T2DM: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; UKPDS: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study.
An Economical, Thorough, and Efficient School System: The West Virginia School Building Authority "Economy of Scale" Numbers

In the past decade, West Virginia has funded a massive school building program. A one-page "economy of scale" guideline has driven the entire process. The guideline, developed ex nihilo by the state funding age,! cy, specifies school sizes required for bond-financed funding. I argue that the one-size-fits-all school size requirements are inappropriately large for much of West Virginia. These ostensibly objective guidelines have forced expensive and unnecessary school consolidation throughout sparsely populated areas. This forced consolidation is especially detrimental to the education of the poorest and most rural students.
Does Foreign Investment Facilitate Exports? Evidence from Venezuelan Manufacturing

Export-led industrial expansion has proven greatly bene…cial in driving productivity growth in less developed countries. This study seeks to contribute to understanding the determinants of exporting behavior of Venezuelan manufacturers. There are …xed costs faced by producers intending to penetrate foreign markets. A substantial share of such costs is of an informational nature. Thus, there is a potential role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in promoting exports. The activities of MNC subsidiaries can convey valuable information