Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-industry Preferences for Development of Mobile Payments in Switzerland

In this paper we present a study that unveils the technological and organizational preferences of various industries for mobile payment developments in Switzerland. Despite the expected success, mobile payments remain at an early stage of development in most countries. At this point, there is a real need for better understanding of the factors hindering the deployment of mobile payments. We conducted several series of interviews involving key Swiss experts to elicit the preferences of the different industries involved in the mobile payment market. The findings indicate that card-based solutions are still preferred to mobile phone-based solutions from an industry point of view. However, in terms of industrial settings, the situation is not as clear for determining the dominant actors who would lead mobile payments solutions in the future. At this stage, this study already reveals some weak market signals concerning the future developments of mobile payments in Switzerland.
Structure and function of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonucleases

The DNA of all species is constantly under threat from both endogenous and exogenous factors, which damage its chemical structure. Probably the most common lesion that arises in cellular DNA is the loss of a base to generate an abasic site, which is usually referred to as an apurinic or apyrimidinic (AP) site. Since these lesions are potentially both cytotoxic and mutagenic, cells of all organisms express dedicated repair enzymes, termed AP endonucleases, to counteract their damaging effects. Indeed, many organisms consider it necessary to express two or more of these lesion‐specific endonucleases, underscoring the requirement that exists to remove AP sites for the maintenance of genome integrity and cell viability. Most AP endonucleases are very versatile enzymes, capable of performing numerous additional repair roles. In this article, we review the AP endonuclease class of repair enzymes, with emphasis on the evolutionary conservation of structural features, not only between prokaryotic and eukaryotic homologues, but also between these enzymes and the RNase H domain of one class of reverse transcriptase.
Maximal Chemiluminescent Intensity in Response to Lipopolysaccharide Assessed by Endotoxin Activity Assay on Admission Day Predicts Mortality in Patients With Sepsis*

Objective:Sepsis is the leading cause of death among critically ill patients. There are, however, few appropriate biomarkers to predict mortality in patients with sepsis. We focused on maximal chemiluminescent intensity in response to lipopolysaccharide assessed by endotoxin activity assay and evaluated the diagnostic value of maximal chemiluminescent intensity on admission day as a predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis. Design:Prospective, observational study. Setting:ICU. Patients:One hundred and thirty-two patients with sepsis. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Within 12 hours after admission, a whole-blood sample was collected, and variables assessed by endotoxin activity assay were measured in each patient. Severity of illness was assessed simultaneously by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. One hundred and fifteen patients survived and 17 died. maximal chemiluminescent intensity values were significantly lower in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors (p <0.05). We investigated maximal chemiluminescent intensity, APACHE II score, and SOFA score as predictors of 28-day mortality. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that area under the curve for maximal chemiluminescent intensity was 0.902, which was superior to the area under the curves for APACHE II score (0.836) and SOFA score (0.807). At the optimal cutoff value for maximal chemiluminescent intensity, 21,000 RLU/s, the sensitivity for correct prediction of 28-day mortality was 82.4% and the specificity was 92.2%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that low maximal chemiluminescent intensity (<21,000 RLU/s) closely correlated with poor overall patient survival compared with high maximal chemiluminescent intensity (>21,000 RLU/s) (p <0.001 by log-rank test). After adjusting for APACHE II score by Cox regression analysis, maximal chemiluminescent intensity was identified as an independent predictor for the probability of 28-day mortality. Conclusion:Maximal chemiluminescent intensity level measured on admission day appears to have high predictive value for mortality in patients with sepsis.
Overview of preventive practices provided by primary care physicians: A cross-sectional study in Switzerland and France

Background A range of preventive practices are recommended to reduce the burden of chronic diseases. The aim of our study was to describe the preventive practices of French-speaking primary care physicians. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 in a randomly selected sample of 1100 primary care physicians (700 in Switzerland, 400 in France). The physicians were asked how often they performed the following recommended preventive practices: blood pressure, weight and height measurements, screening for dyslipidemia, screening for alcohol use and brief intervention, screening for smoking (and brief advice for smokers), colon and prostate cancer screening, and influenza immunization. Response options on the five points Likert scale were never, rarely, sometimes, often, always. The physicians were considered to be performing the preventive practice regularly if they declared performing it often or always. Results 518 participants (47%) returned the questionnaire. The most commonly reported preventive practices were: blood pressure measurement (99%), screening for smoking (95%) and brief advice for smokers (95%). The least frequently reported practices were annual influenza immunization for at-risk patients <65 years (37%), height measurement (53%), screening for excessive alcohol use (60%) and brief advice for at-risk drinkers (67%). All other practices were reported by 70 to 90% of participants. Conclusion Whereas some preventive practices now appear to be part of primary care routine, others were not applied by a large proportion of primary care physicians in our study. Further studies should explore whether these findings are related to miss-knowledge of common guidelines, or other implementation barriers in this primary care context.
Epidermolysis Bullosa : what the dental practitioner needs to know-a case report

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a term used to describe a group of rare, mainly hereditary, chronic, non-inflammatory diseases of mucous membranes and skin, is characterized by the development of bullae as a result of mild to moderate trauma. The bullae easily burst, causing ulcerative lesions which usually heal with scarring. Though the inheritance is either autosomal dominant or recessive, there is also an acquired form. The hereditary types of EB present at or within a few weeks of birth, can affect all populations and racial groups and there is no apparent predilection for males or females. With 3 main types of inherited forms, and more than 23 subtypes along with an acquired form, most classifications are either based upon mode of inheritance, anatomic location or distribution of lesions and associated morbidity. The most generally acknowledged and simplest classification is the one based on the anatomical level of tissue cleavage . Type I. Intraepidermal forms (Epidermolysis bullosa simplex). Type II. Junctional forms (Junctional epidermolysis bullosa). Type III. Dermal forms (Epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica dominant and recessive). Type IV. Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.
Actitudes implícitas y explícitas de defensores de familia en la toma de decisiones administrativas

Las actitudes se conciben como evaluaciones relativamente duraderas que realizan las personas acerca de lo positivo o negativo que le resultan los objetos, eventos o situaciones de su ambiente, derivadas de creencias, emociones y experiencias pasadas con aquellos, y que ejercen una influencia directa sobre la toma de decisiones y el comportamiento de las personas. La presente investigacion evaluo las actitudes implicitas y explicitas de una muestra de defensores de familia adscritos a los Centros Zonales del ICBF-Huila, frente a atributos relacionados con las dimensiones de vulnerabilidad o generatividad y conceptos relacionados con factores socio-demograficos de los cuidadores, a traves de un cuestionario de actitudes explicitas y cinco Test de Asociacion Implicita (oficios, sexo, estatus socio-economico, orientacion sexual y edad). Los resultados muestran sesgos implicitos y explicitos con efectos moderados al asociar los atributos de generatividad y vulnerabilidad con los factores relacionados con oficios, estatus socioeconomico y orientacion sexual, evidenciando preferencias por oficios de tipo profesional, orientacion sexual heterosexual y estatus socio-economico alto. Estos hallazgos se discuten en torno a los efectos de la cognicion implicita sobre la toma de decisiones judiciales y administrativas y la necesidad de formacion en los operadores legales acerca de estos efectos.
Increasing Power in Randomized Trials with Right Censored Outcomes Through Covariate Adjustment

Targeted maximum likelihood methodology is applied to provide a test that makes use of the covariate data that are commonly collected in randomized trials, and does not require assumptions beyond those of the logrank test when censoring is uninformative. Under informative censoring, the logrank test is biased, whereas the test provided in this article is consistent under consistent estimation of the censoring mechanism or the conditional hazard for survival. Two approaches based on this methodology are provided: (1) a substitution-based approach that targets treatment and time-specific survival from which the logrank parameter is estimated, and (2) directly targeting the logrank parameter.
Comparison of commercially available kits with standard methods for detection of Salmonella strains in foods

Six commercial kits were compared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) method and the Japanese standard method for Salmonella isolation in foods. When only Salmonella serovars were tested, many of the methods performed well; however, when foods were artificially inoculated, only the USFDA method and immunomagnetic separation coupled with the xylose-lysine-brilliant green agar method (MS-XLBG) could positively detect Salmonella serovars. All seven wild-type Salmonella serovars were detected by the USFDA method, and the MS-XLBG method detected salmonellae from six samples.
Avaliação da eficiência de inventários rápidos de morcegos no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Morcegos sao amostrados no Brasil por periodos relativamente longos, 12 ou mais meses, resultando em consideravel esforco de coleta e custo considerado elevado (Bergallo et al. 2003; Esberard e Bergallo 2008; Esberard 2009). No entanto, mesmo estes inventarios nao conseguem amostrar um numero razoavel de especies raras, que so sao obtidas em projetos com esforco de coleta superior ao normalmente adotado (Esberard 2009).
PROPIEDADES PSICOMÉTRICAS DE LA ESCALA DE RELIGIOSIDAD PERSONAL EN UNA MUESTRA DE ADULTOS EN PUERTO RICO

Los objetivos del presente estudio son desarrollar y analizar las propiedades psicometricas de la Escala de Religiosidad Personal (ERP) en una muestra de adultos puertorriquenos. Un total de 506 puertorriquenos participaron en este estudio de caracter exploratorio y psicometrico. Se analizaron las propiedades psicometricas del ERP mediante analisis confirmatorio de factores con ecuaciones estructurales y analisis de fiabilidad. Los resultados indican que la escala posee una estructura multidimensional de dos factores. Estos factores fueron identificados como Creencias/Actitudes Religiosas y Practicas Religiosas . El indice de confiabilidad de la escala fue . 96. Estos resultados sugieren que la ERP tiene el potencial para medir este constructo en adultos puertorriquenos. Ademas, la ERP permitira el avance de nuevas investigaciones sobre el fenomeno de la religiosidad en Puerto Rico.
Distinct Functional Properties of Isoamylase-Type Starch Debranching Enzymes in Monocot and Dicot Leaves1[C][W][OPEN]

Maize and Arabidopsis starch debranching enzymes have evolved separately so that the monocot protein possesses enzymatic activity by itself whereas the dicot protein requires a partner for activity. Isoamylase-type starch debranching enzymes (ISA) play important roles in starch biosynthesis in chloroplast-containing organisms, as shown by the strict conservation of both catalytically active ISA1 and the noncatalytic homolog ISA2. Functional distinctions exist between species, although they are not understood yet. Numerous plant tissues require both ISA1 and ISA2 for normal starch biosynthesis, whereas monocot endosperm and leaf exhibit nearly normal starch metabolism without ISA2. This study took in vivo and in vitro approaches to determine whether organism-specific physiology or evolutionary divergence between monocots and dicots is responsible for distinctions in ISA function. Maize (Zea mays) ISA1 was expressed in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lacking endogenous ISA1 or lacking both native ISA1 and ISA2. The maize protein functioned in Arabidopsis leaves to support nearly normal starch metabolism in the absence of any native ISA1 or ISA2. Analysis of recombinant enzymes showed that Arabidopsis ISA1 requires ISA2 as a partner for enzymatic function, whereas maize ISA1 was active by itself. The electrophoretic mobility of recombinant and native maize ISA differed, suggestive of posttranslational modifications in vivo. Sedimentation equilibrium measurements showed recombinant maize ISA1 to be a dimer, in contrast to previous gel permeation data that estimated the molecular mass as a tetramer. These data demonstrate that evolutionary divergence between monocots and dicots is responsible for the distinctions in ISA1 function.
A Parallel Community Detection Algorithm for Big Social Networks

Mining social networks has become an important task in data mining field, which describes users and their roles and relationships in social networks. Processing social networks with graph algorithms is the source for discovering many features. The most important algorithms applied to social networks are community detection algorithms. Communities of social networks are groups of people sharing common interests or activities. DenGraph is one of the density-based algorithms that used to find clusters of arbitrary shapes based on users’ interactions in social networks. However, because of the rapidly growing size of social networks, it is impossible to process a huge graph on a single machine in an acceptable level of execution. In this article, DenGraph algorithm has been redesigned to work in distributed computing environment. We proposed ParaDengraph Algorithm based on Pregel parallel model for large graph processing.
Mutations in a new gene, secB, cause defective protein localization in Escherichia coli

We isolated a new class of Escherichia coli mutants with pleiotropic defects in protein secretion. Using a previously described selection procedure (Oliver et al., Ann. Microbiol. [Paris] 133A:105-110, 1982), we obtained a large collection of strains containing mutations that affect protein localization. In many cases, the lesions causing the secretion defects were mapped in or near the previously identified gene, secA (Oliver and Beckwith, Cell 25:765-772, 1981). However, the selection also yielded mutants with mutations in a new locus, which was designated secB. These secB mutants were defective in the localization of maltose-binding protein and, in at least one case, OmpF protein. Double mutants with lesions in both secA and secB had strong defects in the secretion of maltose-binding protein and OmpF protein. The secB locus mapped near cysE at min 80.5 on the E. coli genetic map. The properties of secB mutants suggest that the secB product could be a component of the E. coli secretory apparatus.
Genetic Complexity of Cellulose Synthase A Gene Function in Arabidopsis Embryogenesis1

The products of the cellulose synthase A (CESA) gene family are thought to function as isoforms of the cellulose synthase catalytic subunit, but for most CESA genes, the exact role in plant growth is still unknown. Assessing the function of individual CESA genes will require the identification of the null-mutant phenotypes and of the gene expression profiles for each gene. Here, we report that only four of 10 CESA genes,CESA1, CESA2, CESA3, andCESA9 are significantly expressed in the Arabidopsis embryo. We further identified two new mutations in the RADIALLY SWOLLEN1 (RSW1/CESA1) gene of Arabidopsis that obstruct organized growth in both shoot and root and interfere with cell division and cell expansion already in embryogenesis. One mutation is expected to completely abolish the enzymatic activity of RSW1(CESA1) because it eliminated one of three conserved Asp residues, which are considered essential for β-glycosyltransferase activity. In this presumed null mutant, primary cell walls are still being formed, but are thin, highly undulated, and frequently interrupted. From the heart-stage onward, cell elongation in the embryo axis is severely impaired, and cell width is disproportionally increased. In the embryo, CESA1,CESA2, CESA3, and CESA9are expressed in largely overlapping domains and may act cooperatively in higher order complexes. The embryonic phenotype of the presumedrsw1 null mutant indicates that the RSW1(CESA1) product has a critical, nonredundant function, but is nevertheless not strictly required for primary cell wall formation.
A comparative need analysis of immediately-recalled dreams and TAT responses.

Abstract Thirteen Ss were each administered six TAT pictures in the usual manner. Approximately one week later, each S spent one night in an EEG lab especially equipped for dream collection. Shortly after various physiological measures indicated that the S was dreaming, he was awakened and asked to report the dream. Both dreams and TAT responses were scored by a form of Murray's need-press system. The evidence suggests that the dreams and TAT tended to show some of the same needs for each S, but that other needs were expressed in only one of the two forms. Affiliation and play were positively correlated in their appearance in both dreams and TAT; dominance showed a negative correlation (all signigicant at or beyond .05).
Long-term functional outcome of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy versus extracapsular repair in a heterogeneous population of dogs.

OBJECTIVE To compare the long-term outcome of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and extracapsular repair (ECR) for treatment of a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament (RCCL). STUDY DESIGN Prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS Normal adult dogs (control, n = 79); dogs with unilateral CCL disease (n = 38). METHODS Dogs had TPLO (n = 15) or ECR (n = 23) for treatment of RCCL. Force plate gait analysis was performed for the control group at one time point and for treatment groups at serial points: preoperatively, 2 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Symmetry indices (SIs) were calculated between operated and unoperated pelvic limb for ground reaction forces (GRFs), including peak vertical force (PVF), contact time (CT), and vertical impulse (VI). GRFs of the treatment groups and control group were compared using a general linear model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS At 8 weeks, for PVF and VI, the TPLO group had more symmetric limb loading than the ECR group at the walk and trot. SIs of the TPLO group were not different from the control group by 6 months to 1 year postoperatively. SIs for the ECR group were less symmetrical than the control group at all time periods. Using survival analysis, median time to normal function was no different at the walk between groups, but was shorter for the TPLO group for VI and PVF. CONCLUSIONS Dogs achieved normal limb loading faster after TPLO than ECR. TPLO resulted in operated limb function that was indistinguishable from the control population by 1 year postoperatively.
A TOOL OF ANNOTATION AND SEMANTIC RESEARCH OF VIDEOCONFERENCES FOUNDED ON CONCEPTUAL GRAPHS

OSVIRA (Ontology-based System for Semantic Visioconference Information Retrieval and Annotation) is a system devoted to the development of help to the annotation and to the semantic research of multimedia videoconferencing resources. It is founded on the use of dense ontology associated with a thesaurus. OSVIRA allows to describe semantically the content of a pedagogic multimedia resources on the basis of an intuitive model of annotation based on the triplet {Object, Relation, Object}. It formally represents this content with the aid of
New Prefetch Technique Design for L2 Cache

The memory system remains a major performance bottleneck in the modern and future architectures. Cache unit design and optimization have become an increasingly important factor in determining the overall system performance. This dissertation focuses on the research of the prefetching technique of L2 Cache. A new prefetch technique (timing stride prefetching, TSP), which is suitable for prefetching at the L2 cache, is proposed. Compared with traditional stride prefetch technique, the TSP's timeliness is improved and its IPC (instructions per cycle) is increased by 8.3%
Blood flow measurements at different depths using photoplethysmography and laser Doppler techniques

Background/purpose: This study has evaluated a multi‐parametric system combining laser Doppler flowmetry and photoplethysmography in a single probe for the simultaneous measurement of blood flow at different depths in the tissue. This system will be used to facilitate the understanding of pressure ulcer formation and in the evaluation of pressure ulcer mattresses.
A survey of motion control for marine vehicles

The motion control of marine vehicles has attracted much attention from control community. This paper reviews the recent results on the motion control of marine vehicles. The approaches dealing with rudder roll stabilization, heading control, dynamic positioning, unmanned marine vehicles, underactuated marine vehicles, marine thruster control, and controller design for marine vehicles are reviewed.
Interleukin-6 and verbal memory in recurrent major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the possible association between peripheral levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) with immediate and delayed verbal recall in a group of recurrent depressed women. METHODS Logical Memory Subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale - Revised was administered to 30 patients with recurrent major depressive disorder with no clinical and psychiatric comorbidities. Blood samples were collected from 8:00 am to 9:00 am, before memory assessments.Plasma was stored and ELISA assay was used to detect IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels. RESULTS There was a statistically significant association between IL-6 levels and immediate verbal recall (IVR) (B=-0.787, p=0.000) and delayed verbal recall (DVR) (B=-0.695, p=0.001) even after controlling for age, depression severity and body mass index. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicated that low performances in IVR and DVR are associated with higher IL-6 levels in women with recurrent MDD. The results of this study suggest the existence of an association between inflammatory imbalance and cognitive impairment in MDD.