Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A CASE OF DIOGENES SYNDROME

inTRODUCTiOn Diogenes Syndrome (DS), also known as Senile Squalor Syndrome, is a complex spectrum of behaviours found in persons who are living reclusively. It is characterized by an extreme self-neglect of environment, health and hygiene, combined with compulsive hoarding of refuse and the patient’s complete denial of his or her surroundings or symptoms (Iqbal et al., 2010). DS was named after Diogenes the Cynic (412 323 BC), the Greek philosopher who was best known for wandering the streets of Athens in the daylight with a lamp in search of an honest man. Diogenes slept in a barrel, was often found begging and engaged in forbidden public habits. DS was first described as a geriatric syndrome in 1966 because of its multifactorial aetiology and association with functional decline. Most patients are single or widowed and live alone, and their decline tends to be lengthy in duration. There is an association with falls, incontinence and increased mortality. These reclusive patients present with some form of physical illness such as cutaneous ulcers or neuropathy or malnutrition. The incidence is 5 per 10,000 in patients 60 years and over. Some patients with DS have a prior psychiatric history; most of them have above average intelligence, work histories, stable family backgrounds and adequate social resources (Reyes-Ortiz, 2001). Diogenes Syndrome is often identified by chance (e.g. a person collapses, trapped in rubbish, etc.), by having recurrent visits to hospital for self neglect, or through a trigger by public health after complaints from neighbours. One should suspect Diogenes Syndrome in a filthy patient who is unkempt and malodorous with neglected feet and poor dentition. The patient’s family may raise issues Dr Peter FERRY CasE sTUDY
“We Need Help in the Delta”

The purpose of this study was to better understand the barriers to health promotion among African American older men living in the rural Mississippi Delta. A qualitative, intrinsic case study approach was used to explore the phenomenon of health and the barriers to promoting men’s health within the unique context of the Delta. Data included one key informant interview and two focus group interviews with 14 men, with the majority between the ages of 41 and 55 years. Focus group participants were lay community members as well as members of a volunteer community health advisors men’s group. Findings underscore the extensiveness of the term “health” and the importance of attending to structural barriers in addressing men’s health. Three overarching themes emerged: “men don’t talk about health,” “health care is not just the issue, everything is,” and “we need a strong male to lead. ” Implications for future research and health promotion efforts are provided.
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures

Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures provides requirements for general structural design and includes means for determining dead, live, soil, flood, wind, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, and earthquake loads, as well as their combinations, which are suitable for inclusion in building codes and other documents. This Standard, a revision of ASCE/SEI 7-05, offers a complete update and reorganization of the wind load provisions, expanding them from one chapter into six. The Standard contains new ultimate event wind maps with corresponding reductions in load factors, so that the loads are not affected, and updates the seismic loads with new risk-targeted seismic maps. The snow, live, and atmospheric icing provisions are updated as well. In addition, the Standard includes a detailed Commentary with explanatory and supplementary information designed to assist building code committees and regulatory authorities. Standard ASCE/SEI 7 is an integral part of building codes in the United States. Many of the load provisions are substantially adopted by reference in the International Building Code and the NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code. Structural engineers, architects, and those engaged in preparing and administering local building codes will find this Standard an essential reference in their practice. Note: New orders are fulfilled from the second printing, which incorporates the errata to the first printing.
Texture Recognition and Image Retrieval Using Gradient Indexing

Abstract Our starting point is gradient indexing, the characterization of texture by a feature vector that comprises a histogram derived from the image gradient field. We investigate the use of gradient indexing for texture recognition and image retrieval. We find that gradient indexing is a robust measure with respect to the number of bins and to the choice of the gradient operator. We also find that the gradient direction and magnitude are equally effective in recognizing different textures. Furthermore, a variant of gradient indexing called local activity spectrum is proposed and shown to have improved performance. Local activity spectrum is employed in an image retrieval system as the texture statistic. The retrieval system is based on a segmentation technique employing a distance measure called Sum of Minimum Distance. This system enables content-based retrieval of database images from templates of arbitrary size.
Perceived credibility of blogs on the internet - the influence of age on the extent of criticism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a study that examined the perceived credibility of blogs on the internet and the medical information published in them as perceived by the readers of these blogs.Design/methodology/approach – A total of six blogs each with two posts were constructed, one on conventional treatment and the other on an alternative treatment of diabetes. In total, 361 participants viewed one blog each and filled in a questionnaire of the perceived credibility of the blog, the author of the blog and its message.Findings – The results of the study indicate an attitude of scepticism and/or criticism of many aspects of the information in the blogs, together with the growing use of blogs to find information on medical topics. It seems that users apply scepticism as a way to deal with the lack of certainty as to the credibility of the information in spite of their desire and readiness to use this information.Research limitations/implications – The users who took part in the experim.
A Systematic Review of Adaptivity in Human-Robot Interaction

As the field of social robotics is growing, a consensus has been made on the design and implementation of robotic systems that are capable of adapting based on the user actions. These actions may be based on their emotions, personality or memory of past interactions. Therefore, we believe it is significant to report a review of the past research on the use of adaptive robots that have been utilised in various social environments. In this paper, we present a systematic review on the reported adaptive interactions across a number of domain areas during Human-Robot Interaction and also give future directions that can guide the design of future adaptive social robots. We conjecture that this will help towards achieving long-term applicability of robots in various social domains.
Pigmented Cells in the Pineal Gland of Female Viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus): A Histochemical and Ultrastructural Study

The presence of pigment has been demonstrated in different nervous structures such as those of retina, substantia nigra, and locus coeruleus. These pigments have also been described in the pineal gland of different mammal species. Histochemical and ultrastructural studies of the pineal gland of female viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus) were performed to analyze the presence of pigmented cells under natural conditions and to evaluate a probable relation between pigment content and glandular activity during pregnancy. The following techniques were applied: hematoxylin-eosin, phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin, Masson-Fontana silver, DOPA histochemistry, Schmorl's reaction and toluidine blue. Estradiol and progesterone serum levels were determined by RIA. The ultrastructural features of the pineal pigment granules were also analyzed. Pigment granules were observed in a random distribution, but the pigmented cells were frequently found near blood vessels. The pineal pigment was histochemically identified as melanin. Differences in the amount of pigmented cells were found between pregnant and nonpregnant viscachas. The ultrastructural analysis revealed the presence of premelanosomes and melanosomes. Estradiol and progesterone levels vary during pregnancy. In conclusion, the changes in the amount of pigment content and hormone levels may indicate that the pineal gland of female viscacha is susceptible to endocrine variations during pregnancy.
Effects of Lisinopril, Irbesartan, and Amlodipine on the Thrombogenic Variables in the Early and Late Stages of the Treatment in Hypertensive Patients

Regulation of the fibrinolytic balance between plasminogen activators and inhibitors is modulated by the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). Impaired fibrinolytic function, characterized by increased plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) levels and decreased tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity, has been found in patients with hypertension and may account in part for the increased risk of atherosclerosis and its clinical complications in these patients. In this regard, data from the literature indicate that different antihypertensive drugs may vary in their influence on fibrinolysis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (ACE-I) have generally been shown to improve the fibrinolytic balance by reducing plasma PAI-1 levels. Calcium-channel blockers (CCB) have been reported to increase t-PA activity, and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) seem to be neutral in their effect. In the light of these data, this study aimed to compare the effects of ACE-I, ARB, and CCB on the fibrinolytic system in the early and late stages of the treatment in hypertensive patients. These data that the beneficial effect of RAS inhibition on fibrinolysis related to decrease in Ang II during early period of treatment. Amlodipine may also improve thrombogenic risk related to lowering the effect on increased platelet activation reflected by p-selectin. The greater improvement in the early and late stages of the fibrinolytic balance because of the combined action of RAS inhibition and Ca antagonism represents a further indication to the use of combinations of RAS inhibition (ACE-I or ARB) and CCB in the treatment of hypertension.
A survey on Efficient Geographic Multicasting Protocol

- There is an increasing demand and a big challenge to design more scalable and reliable multicast protocol over a dynamic ad hoc network (MANET). An efficient and scalable geographic multicast protocol, EGMP for MANET which uses a virtual-zone-based structure to implement scalable and efficient group membership management. A network-wide zone-based bi-directional tree is constructed to achieve more efficient membership management and multicast delivery. The scalability of EGMP is achieved through a two-tier virtual-zone-based structure, which takes advantage of the geometric information to greatly simplify the zone management and packet forwarding. A zone-based bi-directional multicast tree is built at the upper tier for more efficient multicast membership management and data delivery, while the intra-zone management is performed at the lower tier to realize the local membership management. The position information is used in the protocol to guide the zone structure building, multicast tree construction, maintenance, and multi-cast packet forwarding. Compared to conventional topology-based multicast protocols, the use of location information in EGMP significantly reduces the tree construction and maintenance overhead, and enables quicker tree structure adaptation to the network topology change. We also develop a scheme to handle the empty zone problem, which is challenging for the zone-based protocols. Additionally, EGMP makes use of geographic forwarding for reliable packet transmissions, and efficiently tracks the positions of multicast group members without resorting to an external location server.
Molecular epidemiology of Enterococcus sp. isolated in a university hospital in Algeria

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of enterococci isolated from infections at an Algerian university hospital, and to evaluate the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and the clonal cluster present in this country. Methods: Patients who presented at Annaba University Hospital with Enterococcus infections were prospectively included over a 1-y period (2010). All Enterococcus sp. isolated were characterized by antibiotic resistance, van and erm genes, repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR), multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and virulence genes. Results: A total of 125 Enterococcus isolates recovered from 125 patients (59% female; median age 54 y, range 2–86y) were studied. No differences in epidemiological data were observed between infections by Enterococcus faecalis vs Enterococcus faecium. However a high proportion of E. faecium were resistant to ampicillin (95%). The prevalence of VRE, corresponding to 4 vanC1-Enterococcus gallinarum, was 3.2%. A high level of genomic diversity among strains was noted, with the importance of sequence type (ST) 78 (which belongs to clonal complex (CC) 17) in E. faecium and ST317 and CC2 in E. faecalis. Conclusions: This first study on enterococci isolated in Algeria shows the low prevalence of VRE, but the presence of clonal complexes linked to VRE and vancomycin-sensitive enterococci associated with hospital infections. Moreover the high level of macrolide resistance and/or ampicillin resistance in E. faecium suggests close monitoring of the epidemiology of these strains.
Accurate ZVS boundary analysis for bidirectional dual-bridge series resonant dc-dc converters

Analysis of zero-voltage switching (ZVS) range is critical to the design and control of bidirectional dc-dc converters. This paper discusses the derivation of the accurate ZVS boundary for bidirectional dual-bridge series resonant converter (DBSRC) based on state-plane analysis. First, the closed-form solution of ZVS boundary for pure phase shift modulation is derived. Next, the analysis is extended to the case of phase shift plus pulse width modulation, and an implicit function expressing the ZVS boundary of all switches is deduced in closed form. Through this function, the hard switching and ZVS regions under any voltage conversion ratio and resonant-to-switching frequency ratio can be easily derived numerically using mathematical software. Compared with the fundamental harmonic approximation (FHA) method, the ZVS boundary obtained in this paper shows higher accuracy. Furthermore, the generality of the state-plane approach maintains its validity also with small resonant-to-switching frequency ratios, in which the converter behavior becomes that of a dual active bridge topology with a large dc-blocking capacitor. The analysis is validated via computer simulations and verified on an 800 W experimental DBSRC prototype.
Shiʻi Piety and Dynastic Legitimacy: Mashhad under the Early Safavid Shahs

Mashhad, the site in northeastern Iran of the shrine of the eighth Shiʻi imam, is arguably one of the largest and wealthiest sacred shrines in the world. The gilded dome over the imam's mausoleum stands amidst an expansive complex of courts, monumental gateways, libraries, museums, guesthouses, and administrative offices that cater to thousands of pilgrims each year. This paper examines the period, under the aegis of the early Safavid shahs, when Mashhad was established as the preeminent Shiʻi pilgrimage center in Iran. Appropriating the Timurid ecumenical vision for the shrine, the Safavid shahs refashioned the holy city into a site that celebrated the triumph of Twelver Shiʻism in the Safavid realm and reinforced Safavid claims of legitimacy. While highlighting Shah Tahmasb's personal devotion to Mashhad, and his privileging of the shrine within Safavid sacred topography, the paper focuses on Shah ʻAbbas's urban reshaping of Mashhad and the architectural and institutional expansion of the shrine during his reign, thereby enhancing its status as the leading spiritual center in the Safavid empire.
Two kinds of cognitive deficit associated with chronic schizophrenia

Synopsis The performance of 21 chronic schizophrenic patients was investigated on two tests of feature selection. It was found that patients with negative symptoms (muteness, withdrawal, etc.) were characterized by an extreme lack of persistence, but selected usual features; whereas patients with positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, etc.) had a normal degree of persistence, but selected unusual features.
A Novel Phase-Interleaving Algorithm for Multiterminal Systems

This paper introduces a novel phase-interleaving algorithm for asymmetric multiterminal power converters. Using a variable phase interleaving (VI), the first harmonic of the dc-link current and voltage can be thoroughly eliminated even under the situation where the input voltage and current of each converter differ. This means that the cost and size of the dc-link capacitor can be significantly reduced compared to when the standard (symmetric) interleaving algorithm is used. The VI-algorithm does not require any additional hardware and has only slight influence on the control loop of the converters when compared to the standard solution, which simplifies the integration of this algorithm. As a concrete application, the VI-algorithm is integrated into a photovoltaic inverter with three independent input converters. This paper also provides a method for determining the required dc-link capacitance through a worst-case analysis. Furthermore, a performance comparison between edge-aligned fixed interleaving, center-aligned fixed interleaving and VI and is given.
Defining, identifying, and evaluating clinical trials of stuttering treatments: a tutorial for clinicians.

PURPOSE To develop a method for clinicians to evaluate stuttering treatment efficacy research with very little burden of work. METHOD The clinical trial is the most fundamental, clinically interpretable, and useful output unit of stuttering treatment research. We define a clinical trial of a stuttering treatment and specify 3 levels of clinical trials evidence. We use this taxonomy to identify and evaluate clinical trials of stuttering treatment. Our taxonomy draws on 2 fundamental principles of clinical trials used to evaluate health care: randomization and effect size. RESULTS Published clinical trials of stuttering treatments were identified and allocated to 1 of 3 levels of evidence. CONCLUSIONS We outline a 3-step, semi-automated, Internet-based method to identify the publication of a report of stuttering treatment efficacy. For a report identified as such, a 10-item checklist is applied to verify its status as a clinical trial and to allocate it to 1 of 3 levels of clinical trials evidence. The present taxonomy reduces the burden of work of a 136-item checklist in an existing taxonomy.
An Examination of Hispanic and General Population Perceptions of Organizational Environments

Abstract : Hui's (1984) measure of collectivism was correlated with several scales that measure allocentric vs. idiocentric tendencies. It was found that those scoring high on Hui's measure do have values that are most allocentric (value COOPERATION, EQUALITY, HONESTY) and those who score low have values that are more idiocentric (value COMFORTABLE LIFE, COMPETITION, PLEASURE, and SOCIAL RECOGNITION). Allocentrism was found, in a sample of college students, to be linked to more social support and to a better quality of social support; individualism was found linked to achievement motivation, alienation, anomie and greater reported loneliness. Implications for the recruitment and retention of Hispanics in the U.S. Navy are discussed. (Author)
Accretion-Ejection Instability and QPO in Black-hole Binaries

The Accretion-Ejection Instability has been proposed to explain the low frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillation (QPO) observed in low-mass X-Ray Binaries, in particular Black-Hole candidates. Its frequency, typically a fraction of the Keplerian frequency at the disk inner radius, is exactly in the range indicated by observations. The variations of the frequency with the disk inner radius (extracted from spectral ﬁts of the X-ray emission) might thus be a useful test. In this paper we discuss how changes in the rotation curve, due to relativistic eﬀects when the disk approaches the central object, aﬀect the physics of the instability, and thus this frequency-inner radius relation. We ﬁnd that the relationship between the frequency of the mode and the Keplerian frequency at the inner disk radius ( r int ) departs from the one obtained in a Keplerian disk, when r int approaches the last stable orbit. This might agree with the recently published results, showing a discrepancy between the behavior of the QPO in the micro quasar GRO J1655-40, compared to other sources such as XTE J1550-564 and GRS 1915+105. In a companion paper (Rodriguez et al. , 2002, hereafter Paper I) we have presented detailed observational results for GRO J1655-40 and GRS 1915+105. We show how the opposite correlations found in these sources between the disk color radius (assumed to be close to its inner radius) and the QPO frequency could indeed be explained by our theoretical result.
Prediction of sudden death in heart failure patients: a novel perspective from the assessment of the peak ectopy rate.

AIMS In patients with heart failure (HF), the association between sudden death and arrhythmic pattern at 24-h Holter monitoring [number of ventricular premature contractions per hour (VPCs/h) and presence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT)] has previously been investigated with conflicting results. Since both VPCs/h and NSVT disregard the time course of arrhythmic events, we developed a new index based on the short-term peak rate of ectopies and investigated its prognostic power in HF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 200 HF patients in sinus rhythm [age: [median (interquartile range)] 54 years [47-58], left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): 23% [19-28], New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-III: 88%]. For each patient, the Holter recording was automatically scanned shifting a 30 beat window one beat at a time, and the maximum number of ectopic beats found in a window was named peak ectopy rate (PEAK_ER). The association between PEAK_ER and sudden death was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Survival analysis was also carried out adjusting for NYHA class, aetiology, LVEF, left ventricular end diastolic diameter, blood urea nitrogen, amiodarone, Digoxin, beta-blockers, NSVT, VPCs/h, and the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal beats. During a 5-year follow-up [31 (12-60) months], 23 patients died of sudden death. Out of the arrhythmic markers, PEAK_ER but not VPCs/h and NSVT was significantly associated with sudden death in univariable analysis (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.14, P = 0.005) and after adjustment for covariates (RR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03-1.15, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS The investigation of the time course of arrhythmic events provides independent information in the identification of patients at increased risk of sudden death and may therefore be considered in the development of treatment strategies in HF patients.