Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the road to transnational cooperation? Results from a survey of European trade unions

Economic globalization and political developments within the EU have put pressure upon trade unions to engage in cross-border cooperation. The most realistic step in the foreseeable future is transnational coordination of collective bargaining, but the process is still very much in its infancy. We use a web and postal survey of a large number of European trade unions to illuminate their current practices and their preferences for the future. The most common activity is exchange of information on collective agreements, followed by collaboration in training programmes for union representatives, and such cross-border cooperation primarily involves unions in manufacturing. Support for European collective bargaining is far from overwhelming, and unions are clearly divided on the idea of statutory minimum wages: this has rather strong support in Spain and Germany, but very little in Scandinavia.
The forefoot-to-rearfoot plantar pressure ratio is increased in severe diabetic neuropathy and can predict foot ulceration.

OBJECTIVE We have previously demonstrated that high plantar pressures can predict foot ulceration in diabetic patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate both the relationship between forefoot and rearfoot plantar pressure in diabetic patients with different degrees of peripheral neuropathy and their role in ulcer development. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Diabetic patients of a 30-month prospective study were classified according to the neuropathy disability score: scores of 0, 1-5, 6-16, and 17-28 are defined as absent (n = 20), mild (n = 66), moderate (n = 95), and severe (n = 57) neuropathy, respectively. The F-Scan mat system was used to measure dynamic plantar pressures. The peak pressures under the forefoot and the rearfoot were selectively measured for each foot, and the forefoot-to-rearfoot ratio (F/R ratio) was calculated. RESULTS Foot ulcers developed in 73 (19%) feet. The peak pressures were increased in the forefoot of the severe and moderate neuropathic groups compared with the mild neuropathic and non-neuropathic groups (6.2 +/- 4.5 and 3.8 +/- 2.7 vs. 3.0 +/- 2.1 and 3.3 +/- 2.1 kg/cm(2) [mean +/- SD], respectively; P < 0.0001). The rearfoot pressures were also higher in the severe and moderate neuropathic groups compared with the mild neuropathic and non-neuropathic groups (3.2 +/- 2.0 and 3.2 +/- 1.9 vs. 2.5 +/- 1.3 and 2.3 +/- 1.0, respectively; P < 0.0001). The F/R ratio was increased only in the severe group compared with the moderate and mild neuropathic and non-neuropathic groups (2.3 +/- 2.4 vs. 1.5 +/- 1.2, 1.3 +/- 0.9, and 1.6 +/- 1.0, respectively; P < 0.0001). In a logistic regression analysis, both forefoot pressure (odds ratio 1.19 [95% CI 1.11-1.28], P < 0.0001) and the F/R ratio (1.37 [1.16-1.61], P < 0.0001) were related to risk of foot ulceration, whereas rearfoot pressure was not. CONCLUSIONS Both the rearfoot and forefoot pressures are increased in the diabetic neuropathic foot, whereas the F/R ratio is increased only in severe diabetic neuropathy, indicating an imbalance in pressure distribution with increasing degrees of neuropathy. This may lend further evidence toward the concept that equinus develops in the latest stages of peripheral neuropathy and may play an important role in the etiology of diabetic foot ulceration.
Design and Implementation of a Reconfigurable OFDM Modulator for Software-Defined Radios

The purpose of the present work is to describe the design and implementation of an innovating and flexible architecture of an electronic device that allows us to perform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation on a FPGA. In addition to that, it is the main purpose of this paper to highlight the versatility of the hardware implemented, which is ideal for the software- defined radio technology. The architecture presented is based on the direct digital synthesis (DDS) theory and is implemented using a hardware description language (VDHL) code. The outcome of the implementation is a portable, scalable, quickly adaptable and configurable system which supplies a high quality signal.
Robust control synthesis for a class of distributed parameter systems

In the paper, the robust control of temperature fields of the casting mould in the benchmark casting plant is presented. Temperature fields of the mould are represented by dynamic models in the form of a finite-dimensional approximation of distributed parameter systems. Models are created by means of an experimental identification. The control synthesis is decomposed to the time and space domain. For the control synthesis with internal model control structure in the time domain, an uncertainty of the controlled system is considered and robust controllers are designed.
Survival of Trichomonas vaginalis in wet preparation and on wet mount

Objectives Microscopy is an insensitive method for detection of Trichomonas vaginalis, but is widely used because it is both rapid and inexpensive. Diagnosis of trichomoniasis by microscopy requires that motile forms be identified in vaginal fluid samples. However, microscopy cannot always be performed immediately after sample collection. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of sample storage at room temperature on trichomonad motility. Methods Vaginal swab samples from 77 women positive for T vaginalis infection were collected to determine the impact of storage on wet preparations (swabs in plastic tubes with saline) and wet mounts (samples placed onto a glass slide with a coverslip). Samples were read at 400× every 30 min for the first hour and then once per hour thereafter until there were no motile trichomonads observed. Results For wet preparations, motility was 100% at 30 min, 99% at 60 min and decreased by 3%–15% each subsequent hour, with samples having a lower density of trichomonads losing motility more quickly. Trichomonad motility diminished more rapidly in wet mounts compared with wet preparations, with a 20% decrement in motility in 60 min. Conclusions These data suggest that vaginal fluid samples for diagnosis of trichomoniasis should be stored in saline rather than on microscope slides until they are examined under the microscope and samples should be evaluated by microscopy within an hour of collection. These findings also suggest that clinical sites which cannot perform microscopy within 1 h of sample collection should consider the use of other diagnostic tests.
Bayesian Analysis of Stochastic Volatility Model with Leverage Effect and Its Application

Stochastic volatility (SV) models are widely used as the tools of financial volatility analyzing in the field of econometrics. A Bayesian analysis of the stochastic volatility model with leverage effect is discussed in this paper. The parameters of the model are estimated via software package BUGS (Bayesian inference using Gibbs Sampling). The results based on stock returns of Shanghai and Shenzhen show that the remarkable leverage effects exist in these two stock markets.
Incremental benefit and cost of telephone care management and telephone psychotherapy for depression in primary care.

CONTEXT Effectiveness of organized depression care programs is well established, but dissemination will depend on the balance of benefits and costs. OBJECTIVES To estimate the incremental benefit, incremental cost, and net benefit of 2 depression care programs. DESIGN Randomized trial comparing 2 interventions with continued usual care, conducted between November 2000 and June 2004. SETTING Seven primary care clinics of a prepaid health care plan in Washington. PARTICIPANTS Consecutive primary care patients starting antidepressant treatment were invited to a telephone assessment 2 weeks later. Of 634 patients with significant depressive symptoms, 600 consented and were randomized. INTERVENTIONS The telephone care management intervention included up to 5 outreach calls for monitoring and support, feedback to treating physicians, and care coordination. The care management plus telephone psychotherapy intervention added an 8-session structured cognitive behavioral therapy program with up to 4 additional calls for reinforcement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Independent, blinded telephone assessments at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months included the Symptom Checklist 90 depression scale. Health services costs were measured using health care plan accounting records. RESULTS Over 24 months, telephone care management led to a gain of 29 depression-free days (95% confidence interval, -6 to +63) and a $676 increase in outpatient health care costs (95% confidence interval, $596 lower to $1974 higher). The incremental net benefit was negative even if a day free of depression was valued up to $20. Care management plus psychotherapy led to a gain of 46 depression-free days (95% confidence interval, +12 to +80) and a $397 increase in outpatient costs (95% confidence interval, $882 lower to $1725 higher). The incremental net benefit was positive if a day free of depression was valued at $9 or greater. CONCLUSION Compared with current primary care practice, a structured telephone program including care management and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy has significant clinical benefit with only a modest increase in health services cost.
Detection of auditory signals in reproducible noise.

Twelve reproducible noises were used as stimuli in a 2‐interval forced‐choice signal‐detection experiment. The noises were stored numerically in a PB250 computer that converted thein to sound during the experiment by means of a digital‐to‐analog converter. The 240 numbers specifying a noise were sampled at a rate of 2500 numbers/sec, generating a 96‐msec stimulus. A sinusoidal signal with a period of 8 samples/cycle was added to one noise on half the trials. Spectral analyses were computed for all stimuli. On nonsignal trials, biases to particular noises were found that could be explained in part, but not entirely, by differences between the noise pairs in energy around the signal frequency. Performance on signal trials was related to the energy difference between the stimuli in the region near the signal frequency, but was not entirely accounted for by this variable. Special characteristics of certain noises appear to affect the subject's response when these noises appear in either signal or nonsignal tr.
SU(3) trits of orbifolded E8 ⊗ E8′ heterotic string and supersymmetric standard model

We present Z3 orbifold compactifications of E8 ⊗ E8' heterotic string with three Wilson lines, resulting to the maximum number of SU(3) factors. Here, all the matter spectrums are in the SU(3) trits(≡ three representations 3, 1) of the SU(3)8 GUT. Using this information, we show how three family supersymmetric standard models(SSM) can be obtained. Also, the low lying interesting representations(fundamental and adjoint) of E6 and E8 are given in terms of trits, establishing simple criteria for treating these low lying representations of exceptional groups.
Age-related decline in AMH is assay dependent limiting clinical interpretation of repeat AMH measures across the reproductive lifespan

Abstract Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine whether the assays exhibit an interaction with age and exhibit heterogeneous age related declines in AMH. Apart of chronological age, AMH variation was investigated with relation to menstrual cycle day (MCD). The goal implicates two questions: Are distributions of AMH concentrations homogenous after adjustment for the specific AMH assay? Does age-assay product has an effect on AMH depletion? Methods: The study was conducted by examining results of AMH tests performed for 12,917 women with four types of AMH assays: Immunotech I generation kit (IMI, 4016 samples), Beckman Coulter II generation kit RUO (BCII RUO, 3430 samples), Beckman Coulter II generation kit with IVD certificate (BCII IVD, 830 samples), and Ansh Labs I generation kit (AnshLabs, 4641 samples). Statistical analysis included ACNOVA and least square regression technique. Results: Menstrual cycle day has no effect on AMH measurements. On the other hand, AMH values differed substantially between the four assays, with a marked discordance in the rate of age-related AMH decline for the four assays (ranging from –8.16% (95% CI: –8.79, –7.54) to –11.53% (95% CI –12.20, –10.87), with a significant interaction between age and assay. Conclusions: (1) The distribution of AMH concentration is heterogeneous after controlling the age across assays; (2) the rate of AMH decline as a function of age is different for the four manual AMH ELISA assays.
Septum Formation in Escherichia coli: Characterization of Septal Structure and the Effects of Antibiotics on Cell Division

Septa can be demonstrated in sections of Escherichia coli strains B and B/r after fixation with acrolein and glutaraldehyde. The septum consists of an ingrowth of the cytoplasmic membrane and the mucopeptide layer; the outer membrane is excluded from the septum until the cells begin to separate. Mesosomes have also been observed. The septum is highly labile and, except in the chain-forming strains, E. coli D22 env A and CRT 97, not easily preserved by standard procedures. The labile nature of the septum may be due to the presence of autolysin(s) located at the presumptive division site. Blocking division by addition of ampicillin (2 to 5 μg/ml) to cells of E. coli B/r produces a bulge at the middle of the cells; bulge formation is stopped by addition of chloramphenicol. Cephalosporins also induce bulge formation but may stop cell elongation as well as division. Bulge formation, due to the presumed action of an autolysin(s), may be an initial step in the septation sequence when the mucopeptide is modified to allow construction of the septum. In a nonseptate filament-forming strain, PAT 84, which ceases to divide at 42 C, bulge formation only occurs in the presence of ampicillin at the time of a shift-down at 30 C or at 42 C in the presence of NaCl (0.25 to 0.34 M). Experiments with chloramphenicol suggest that the filaments are fully compartmentalized but fail to divide owing to the inactivation, rather than loss of synthesis, of an autolysin at 42 C.
Roles of radiotherapy and smoking in lung cancer following Hodgkin's disease.

BACKGROUND Several studies have shown that survivors of Hodgkin's disease have increased risk of lung cancer, but the factors responsible for this excess risk are not well known. PURPOSE This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of radiation dose, chemotherapy, and smoking on the risk of lung cancer following treatment of Hodgkin's disease. METHODS We conducted a case-control study in a cohort of 1939 patients treated for Hodgkin's disease from 1966 through 1986 in The Netherlands. Detailed treatment information was collected from the medical records for 30 case patients with lung cancer following Hodgkin's disease and 82 matched control subjects who had not developed lung cancer. Multiple sources were used to obtain as complete smoking histories of the study participants as possible. For each case-control set, the radiation dose received by the area of the lung where the case patient developed the tumor was estimated on the basis of radiotherapy charts and experimental simulations of treatments. The estimates of relative risk (RR) for lung cancer associated with specific exposures were obtained from logistic regression methods, and all tests of statistical significance were two-sided. RESULTS A statistically significant increase in risk of lung cancer was observed with increasing radiation dose (P for trend = .01) with an RR of 9.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.93-98) for patients who received 9 Gy or more compared with those who received less than 1 Gy. Patients who smoked more than 10 pack-years after the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease had a sixfold increase in the risk of lung cancer compared with patients who smoked less than 1 pack-year (P = .03). Positive interaction on a multiplicative scale was observed between the carcinogenic effects of smoking and radiation. The increase in risk of lung cancer with increasing radiation dose was much greater among the patients who smoked after diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease than among those who refrained from smoking (P = .04). There was no increase in lung cancer risk in relation to the number of cycles of chemotherapy or the cumulative doses of the drugs mechlorethamine and procarbazine. CONCLUSIONS The excess risk of lung cancer in Hodgkin's disease patients treated with radiotherapy is related to the radiation dose received by the affected area of the lung. Smokers experience a significantly greater risk attributable to radiotherapy than nonsmokers. IMPLICATIONS Physicians in charge of patient treatment should make a special effort to dissuade Hodgkin's disease patients from smoking after receiving radiotherapy.
An assessment of maxillofacial fractures: a 5-year study of 237 patients.

PURPOSE This descriptive analytical study assesses the cause, type, incidence, demographic, and treatment data of maxillofacial fractures managed at our medical center during a 5-year period and compares them with the existing body of literature on the subject. PATIENTS AND METHODS A 5-year retrospective clinical and epidemiologic study evaluated 237 patients treated for maxillofacial fractures from 1996 to 2001 at one medical center. There were 211 male patients (89%) and 26 (11%) female patients. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 73 years, with 59.0% (140 patients) in the 20- to 29-year age group. A number of parameters, including age, gender, cause of injury, site of injury, type of injury, treatment modalities, and complications, were evaluated. All maxillofacial injuries were assessed and treated by a single oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Other concomitant bodily injuries were treated by appropriate consultant specialists. RESULTS There were 173 (72.9%) mandibular, 33 (13.9%) maxillary, 32 (13.5%) zygomatic, 57 (24.0%) zygomatico-orbital, 5 (2.1%) cranial, 5 (2.1%) nasal, and 4 (1.6%) frontal injuries. Car accidents caused 73 (30.8%), motorcycle accidents caused 55 (23.2%), altercations 23 (9.7%), sports 15 (6.3%), and warfare caused 23 (9.7%) of the maxillofacial injuries. Regarding distribution of mandibular fractures, 32% were seen in the condylar region, 29.3% in the symphyseal-parasymphyseal region, 20% in the angle region, 12.5% in the body, 3.1% in the ramus, 1.9% in the dentoalveolar, and 1.2% in the coronoid region. The distribution of maxillary fractures was Le Fort II in 18 (54.6%), Le Fort I in 8 (24.2%), Le Fort III in 4 (12.1%), and alveolar in 3 (9.1%). Of the 173 mandibular fractures, 56.9% were treated by closed reduction, 39.8% by open reduction, and 3.5% by observation only. Of 33 maxillary fractures, 54.6% were treated using closed reduction, 40.9% using open reduction, and 4.5% with observation only. Approximately 52.1% of the patients were treated under general anesthesia, and 47.9% were treated under local anesthesia and sedation. Postsurgical complications were recorded in 5% of patients. These complications included infection, asymmetry, and malocclusion. Overall mortality in this series was 0.84% (2 patients); mortality was caused by pulmonary infection. CONCLUSION The findings of this study, compared with similar studies reported in the literature, support the view that the causes and incidence of maxillofacial injuries vary from 1 country to another.
Isolation and Characterization of Soluble Boron Complexes in Higher Plants (The Mechanism of Phloem Mobility of Boron)

Boron (B) polyol complexes have been isolated and characterized from the phloem sap of celery (Apium graveolens L.) and the extra-floral nectar of peach (Prunus persica L.). In celery the direct analysis of untreated phloem sap by matrix-assisted laser desorption-Fourier transform mass spectrometry, with verification by high-performance liquid chromagraphy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealed that B is present in the phloem as the mannitol-B-mannitol complex. Molecular modeling further predicted that this complex is present in the 3,4 3[prime],4[prime] bis-mannitol configuration. In the extrafloral nectar of peach, B was present as a mixture of sorbitol-B-sorbitol, fructose-B-fructose, or sorbitol-B-fructose. To our knowledge, these findings represent the first successful isolation and characterization of soluble B complexes from higher plants and provide a mechanistic explanation for the observed phloem B mobility in these species.
Human herpesvirus-6 infection in children. A prospective study of complications and reactivation.

BACKGROUND Infection with human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is nearly universal in infancy or early childhood. However, the course of this infection, its complications, and its potential for persistence or reactivation remain unclear. METHODS We studied infants and children under the age of three years who presented to our emergency department with acute illnesses. Infants and young children without acute illness were studied as controls. HHV-6 infection was identified by blood-mononuclear-cell culture, serologic testing, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS No primary HHV-6 infection was found among 582 infants and young children with acute nonfebrile illnesses or among 352 controls without acute illness. Of 1653 infants and young children with acute febrile illnesses, 160 (9.7 percent) had primary HHV-6 infection, as documented by viremia and seroconversion. They ranged in age from 2 weeks to 25 months; 23 percent were under the age of 6 months. HHV-6 infections accounted for 20 percent of 365 visits to the emergency department for febrile illnesses among children 6 to 12 months old. Of the 160 infants and young children with acute HHV-6 infections, 21 (13 percent) were hospitalized, and 21 had seizures. Often the seizures appeared late and were prolonged or recurrent. HHV-6 infections accounted for one third of all febrile seizures in children up to the age of two years. In follow-up studies over a period of one to two years, the HHV-6 genome persisted in blood mononuclear cells after primary infection in 37 of 56 children (66 percent). Reactivation, sometimes with febrile illnesses, was suggested by subsequent increases in antibody titers in 16 percent (30 of 187) and by PCR in 6 percent (17 of 278). No recurrent viremia was detected. Of 41 healthy newborns studied, 12 (29 percent) had the HHV-6 genome in their blood mononuclear cells; nevertheless, 6 of these newborns subsequently had primary HHV-6 infections. CONCLUSIONS In infants and young children HHV-6 infection is a major cause of visits to the emergency department, febrile seizures, and hospitalizations. Perinatal transmission may occur, with possible asymptomatic, transient, or persistent neonatal infection.