Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two Different Radiotherapy Schedules for Spinal Cord Compression in Prostate Cancer

Aims and background To assess the clinical outcome and toxicity of two different radiotherapy (RT) schedules for the management of metastatic spinal cord compression from prostate cancer, we performed a prospective analysis of 44 patients with the complication. Methods Two different RT schedules were adopted, a split-course regimen of 5 Gy x 3, 4 days rest, and then 3 Gy x 5, and a short-course regimen of 8 Gy, 7 days rest, and then 8 Gy. The split-course RT was adopted for all prostate cancer patients referred to our center between 1986 and 1992. Starting in 1993, the short-course RT was added for patients with a poor prognosis (i.e., paresis or paraplegia, low performance status, and/or short life expectation), whereas others still underwent the split-course regimen. So, 27 (61%) patients were treated with the split-course and the other 17 (39%) with the short-course regimen. Medium follow-up was 48 months (range, 6 to 123). Results Back pain total response rate was 82%. Effectiveness of RT on motor and bladder capacity was conditioned by pretreatment status of patients. All 20 (100%) walking cases maintained the function, whereas 11 of 24 (46%) with motor impairment regained the ability. The difference in response rate was statistically significant (P<0.001). All 36 (100%) patients, able to void at presentation preserved the capacity, whereas 3 of 8 (38%) with sphincter dysfunction no longer needed an indwelling catheter. Posttreatment neurologic status was the only factor found to affect survival. Median survival, 9 months for the whole group, was 10 and 2 months for posttreatment walking and nonwalking patients, respectively (10 vs 2 months, P<0.001). Neither presence of other metastases nor RT regimen used (split vs short-course) conditioned response rate, duration of response or survival. Acute or late, severe toxicity was never recorded. No patient complained of spinal cord morbidity. Conclusions Both split-course and short-course RT schedules were effective and without complications. Early diagnosis was the most important prognostic factor, but there was also recovery of function in about half of the patients unable to walk, and about one-third of patients with bladder dysfunction before treatment. Since length of the course of therapy is a factor with an important impact on the patient's quality of life, the short-course RT regimen adopted in the trial merits further investigation.
Recombinant Strain of Bacillus thuringiensis Producing Cyt1A, Cry11B, and the Bacillus sphaericus Binary Toxin

ABSTRACT A novel recombinant Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis strain that produces the B. sphaericus binary toxin, Cyt1Aa, and Cry11Ba is described. The toxicity of this strain (50% lethal concentration [LC50] = 1.7 ng/ml) against fourth-instar Culex quinquefasciatus was higher than that of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis IPS-82 (LC50 = 7.9 ng/ml) or B. sphaericus 2362 (LC50 = 12.6 ng/ml).
[Validation of the SCOFF questionnaire for screening of eating disorders in university women].

BACKGROUND The prevalence of eating disorders has been steadily increasing in recent years. This has led to a growing sense that instruments are necessary for early detection in high risk populations. OBJECTIVE Herein the SCOFF (sick, control, one, fat, food) questionnaire was examined for its internal consistency, reliability, and criterion validity in screening eating disorders among university women. MATERIALS AND METHODS A sample of 385 students was selected at random from six schools in the Universidad Autonóma de Bucaramanga, Colombia, and were evaluated independently with the SCOFF questionnaire and a CIDI (Composite International Diagnostic Interview). RESULTS A total of 149 (38.7%) students were positive for eating disorder syndromes according to the SCOFF questionnaire, whereas 82 (21.2%) students met eating disorder using the CIDI. SCOFF questionnaire sensitivity was 78.4% (95%CI 64-88%), specificity 75.8% (95%CI 69-82%), ROC curve area 0.823 (95%CI 0.76-0.89), Cronbach's alpha 0.480, Cohen's kappa 0.433 (95%CI 0.32-0.55), and test-retest concordance 91.6% (95%CI 86-96). CONCLUSION These data indicate the SCOFF questionnaire to be a good scale in screening for eating disorders among university women. Its added advantages are that the test is simple and brief.
Measurement of diversity gain and capacity on a MIMO-OFDM channel comparing different types of antennas

In the last decade, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems have created a great interest in research. Many works shows an increase in terms of data bit rate by using several antennas at each side of the radio link. In this paper, a novel measurement campaign of a MIMO channels in indoor environment is presented, in order to study the propagation characteristics of these systems so using both polarization and spatial diversity in multi-antenna systems can be evaluated, thanks to the use of three different types of antennas. A new MIMO-OFDM testbed (UMATRIX), designed and implemented in the UPM, has been used to accomplish the measurements. Capacity and diversity gain are studied, focusing on the importance of the channel normalization and comparing single and dual-polarized antennas. Moreover, an indoor-indoor laboratory and office environment has been considered to take into account the antenna effects at 2.45 GHz.
Supplier selection: single sourcing vs. dual sourcing with sustainability considerations

This paper presents an integrated approach to supplier selection, which takes into account sustainability considerations and allows for the analysis of single sourcing vs. dual sourcing. A set of criteria and subcriteria are identified from the literature and used for the evaluation of the suppliers. In line with the purpose of taking into account sustainability considerations, social sustainability and environmental sustainability criteria are included in the analysis, together with service criteria which reflect the traditional criteria used to evaluate and rank suppliers. The model starts with the analysis of the singlesourcing strategy, where a single vendor (supplier #1) is available for a given supply. On the basis of the selection criteria, as well as of a fuzzy logic controller model, a score is computed for supplier #1. Such a score can be compared with the performance of supplier #2, who is taken into account when the dual sourcing strategy is pondered. The proposed model is applied to the case of an Italian company, to show its usefulness in practical cases.
A tale of two provers: verifying monoidal string matching in liquid Haskell and Coq

We demonstrate for the first time that Liquid Haskell, a refinement type checker for Haskell programs, can be used for arbitrary theorem proving by verifying a parallel, monoidal string matching algorithm implemented in Haskell. We use refinement types to specify correctness properties, Haskell terms to express proofs of these properties, and Liquid Haskell to check the proofs. We evaluate Liquid Haskell as a theorem prover by replicating our 1428 LoC proof in a dependently-typed language (Coq - 1136 LoC). Finally, we compare both proofs, uncovering the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two provers.
Gliosarcoma with chondroid and osseous differentiation

We present the case of a 65‐year‐old woman with a short‐term history of cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Neuroradiological examinations revealed a large left temporo‐occipital cystic and calcified tumor mass measuring 6 cm in diameter, which was suspicious for an oligodendroglioma or a choroid plexus carcinoma. Neuropathological investigations finally revealed a gliosarcoma with extensive mesenchymal differentiation. The tumor demonstrated a biphasic pattern consisting of focal anaplastic glial components with vascular proliferation and necrosis. Adjacent sarcomatous tissue displayed pleomorphic fibroblastic cells surrounding metaplastic cartilage and osseous formation. Accounting for only approximately 2% of glioblastomas, gliosarcomas represent a rare entity of intrinsic CNS neoplasms. Exceedingly rare, the mesenchymal part of the gliosarcoma undergoes metaplastic transformation. Interestingly, in our case, the tumor exhibited features of both cartilaginous and osseous differentiation and multifocally showed a sharp transformation zone between highly malignant gliosarcomatous tumor areas and well‐differentiated non‐proliferative metaplastic regions.
INSTITUTIONAL COMPLEXITY AND VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE PRACTICES OF LISTED FIRMS IN NIGERIA

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between isomorphic influences and voluntary disclosure. A cross-sectional design was employed. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire for the independent variables of coercive, mimetic normative isomorphism. The data for the dependent and control variable were obtained from content analysis of financial reports of 92 companies and was analysed using Partial least squares PLS-SEM. The results indicate that coercive and normative isomorphic mechanisms are positively associated with voluntary disclosure while mimetic mechanism is not. The cross-sectional nature of the study means that it does not capture changes in the Nigerian business environment overtime. Future research may consider a longitudinal study. The result has implication for a number of interested parties such as regulatory bodies, accounting professional bodies, external auditors, academics, and managers. The study, has contributed to our understanding of environmental influences on voluntary disclosure from the perspective of a developing country like Nigeria.
FPGA implementation of low latency scalable Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem processor in GF(2m)

This paper presents the architecture of a scalable elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) processor (ECP). Two versions of scalable ECPs are presented, one for binary field pseudo-random curves and one for binary field Koblitz curves. The implementations of these designs are able to support all 5 key sizes of pseudo-random or Koblitz curves recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) without reconfiguring the hardware. The paper proposes an architecture of a finite field multiplier that uses the Karatsuba-Ofman algorithm in order to reduce the latency of the finite field multiplication for larger key sizes. As a result, the latency of the overall elliptic curve point multiplication (ECPM) is reduced compared to previous designs of the scalable ECPs. To the authors' best knowledge, the proposed scalable ECPs are the fastest ECPs that can support all 5 pseudo-random or Koblitz curves recommended by NIST.
Biochemical composition of some selected seaweeds from Tuticorin coast

Seaweeds have been used as an important source of food because of their biochemical composition. In the present study, biochemical composition of edible seaweeds was investigated. Totally six seaweed samples (Enteromorpha compressa, E. intestinalis, Dictyota dichotoma, Turbinaria ornata, Gracilaria corticata and Hypnea musciformis) were analyzed. Quantitative analysis of protein content ranged from 9.47% and 14.68%. High protein content was found in the brown seaweed T. ornata and low protein content in the red seaweed G. verrucosa. Carbohydrate content of seaweeds ranged from 10.63% and 28.58%. The maximum carbohydrate content was recorded in the green seaweed Enteromorpha intestinalis and the brown seaweed Dictyota dichotoma recorded the minimum value. The Lipid content of seaweeds varied from 3.15% to 5.30%. The maximum lipid content was recorded in green seaweed E. intestinalis and the red seaweed G. verrucosa recorded the minimum content
Analysis of open-end slot-line for examining radiation mechanisms of constant width and tapered slot antennas

Constant width and tapered slot antennas have been generally categorised as travelling-wave antennas without referring to their exact radiation mechanisms. This paper examines current distribution of an open-end slot-line of a few wavelengths long and establishes that the radiation from these antennas can be caused by discontinuities as well as by leaky modes. The results reported widen understanding of the radiation mechanisms and are significant in the development of better approximate models for the design of efficient well-behaved constant width and tapered slot antennas.
Low-noise low-power true logarithmic amplifier for neural recording applications

A low-power low-noise logarithmic preamplifier for biopotential and neural recording application is presented. The logarithmic amplifier based on a True Logarithmic Amplifier technique which has been simulated in a UMC standard 90-nm 1P9M CMOS process consumes 11µW from a 1.2V power supply. The simulated input referred noise is 6. 7µV over 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz.
A Quantifier-free First-order Knowledge Logic of Authentication

In this paper we introduce a new, complete and decidable knowledge logic of authentication with a well defined semantics, intended for model checking verification of properties of authentication protocols. It is a version of the old BAN logic but with no belief modality, no modality at all, and with clearly expressible knowledge predicate. The new logic enjoys carefully defined and developed knowledge sets of the participants, with a potential intruder's knowledge and a well defined algorithm of gaining, extracting and generating knowledge. The semantics is provided with a computation structure modelling a considered authentication protocol as a transition system. We provide a sound and complete axiomatization of the new logic and prove its decidability. From a pure mathematical logic standpoint, the new logic is a simple quantifier-free first order extension of the classical propositional calculus, while it is not a typical logic of knowledge, nor is it an extension of the BAN-logic. As the correctness property of an authentication protocol we require that the agents identify themselves by showing that they know the right keys.
Apprendre les contraintes topologiques dans les cartes auto-organisatrices

Resume. La Carte Auto-Organisatrice (SOM : Self-Organizing Map) est une methode populaire pour l’analyse de la structure d’un ensemble de donnees. Cependant, certaines contraintes topologiques de la SOM sont fixees avant l’apprentissage et peuvent ne pas etre pertinentes pour la representation de la structure des donnees. Dans cet article nous nous proposons d’ameliorer les performances des SOM avec un nouvel algorithme qui apprend les contraintes topologiques de la carte a partir des donnees. Des experiences sur des bases de donnees artificielles et reelles montrent que l’algorithme propose produit de meilleurs resultats que SOM classique. Ce n’est pas le cas avec une relaxation triviale des contraintes topologiques, qui resulte en une forte augmentation de l’erreur topologique de la carte.
The Use of Performance Information by Local Government Managers: Indonesian Case Studies

Collecting and reporting performance has become common practice in public sector organisations worldwide. The effort to use performance information for reporting has potential benefits to improve performance and enhance accountability. Since 1999, the Indonesian government has adopted a new reporting framework, which requires public sector organisations to collect and report performance information. Despite the use of performance information for reporting performance being mandated, few studies have been conducted to investigate its actual use in public sector organisations in Indonesia. The aim of this study is to narrow the gap in the understanding of how and why managers in local governments, specifically in Indonesia as a developing country, use performance information to improve performance and enhance accountability. This study employed a case study approach with a purposive sample of three local government agencies in two local governments in Indonesia as cases. The data collection method utilized in this study was in-depth interviews with eight managers in the three agencies, three managers of the planning agencies in the two local government jurisdictions, and two consultants. Also, information contained in documents used in local government was also gathered to examine the performance information that was used. A variation of the well-known management cycle (planning, implementation, review, improvement, and accountability) was employed in analysing the results. The findings suggest that the use of performance information has been progressing since the issuance of the regulation concerning the guidelines for preparing and evaluating development planning. The improvement in planning documents, which demonstrate the use of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), laid a foundation for using performance for enhancing performance and accountability. The presence of the KPIs, along with performance targets, drove managers in the three cases examined in this study to improve their performance. Despite the progress of the use of performance information in planning, this study found that managers had limited use of performance information in monitoring and evaluating performance. The focus of monitoring and evaluation mostly targeted the completion of activities (outputs) rather than the results or outcomes of those activities. This study proposes a model for the effective use of performance information. To achieve the benefits of using performance information, nine influencing factors, which can act as barriers or enablers, should be considered: having a clear and comprehensive legal mandate, adequate leadership support, suitable technical capacity, supportive organisational culture, existence of performance measurement systems, availability of resources, adequate information and communication technology, involvement of citizens, and managerial authority to act. The presence of these factors, as enablers, provides groundwork for managers to use performance information in each stage of the management cycle to improve performance and accountability.
Rapid evolution leads to differential population dynamics and top‐down control in resurrected Daphnia populations

There is growing evidence of rapid genetic adaptation of natural populations to environmental change, opening the perspective that evolutionary trait change may subsequently impact ecological processes such as population dynamics, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. To study such eco‐evolutionary feedbacks in natural populations, however, requires samples across time. Here, we capitalize on a resurrection ecology study that documented rapid and adaptive evolution in a natural population of the water flea Daphnia magna in response to strong changes in predation pressure by fish, and carry out a follow‐up mesocosm experiment to test whether the observed genetic changes influence population dynamics and top‐down control of phytoplankton. We inoculated populations of the water flea D. magna derived from three time periods of the same natural population known to have genetically adapted to changes in predation pressure in replicate mesocosms and monitored both Daphnia population densities and phytoplankton biomass in the presence and absence of fish. Our results revealed differences in population dynamics and top‐down control of algae between mesocosms harboring populations from the time period before, during, and after a peak in fish predation pressure caused by human fish stocking. The differences, however, deviated from our a priori expectations. An S‐map approach on time series revealed that the interactions between adults and juveniles strongly impacted the dynamics of populations and their top‐down control on algae in the mesocosms, and that the strength of these interactions was modulated by rapid evolution as it occurred in nature. Our study provides an example of an evolutionary response that fundamentally alters the processes structuring population dynamics and impacts ecosystem features.
Study of chaos in the buck converter

A DC-DC buck converter controlled by naturally-sampled, constant-frequency pulsewidth modulation in continuous conduction mode gives rise to a great variety of behavior, depending on the values of the parameters of the circuit. We analyze the one-periodic and two-periodic orbits which cross the voltage ramp once per cycle, and we study their stability by computing the characteristic multipliers associated with each one. Subharmonics, bifurcations, and the presence of a strange attractor are also studied. A plot of the number of crossings in the ramp is drawn. This becomes a helpful tool for investigating the evolution of the trajectories when they are close to the attractor. When analytic computations are impossible, we resort to numerical algorithms to simulate the orbits.
An investigation of the antioxidant properties and colour of glasshouse grown tomatoes

The colour and the antioxidant content of five different cultivars of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum L.), grown in glasshouses using commercial hydroponic techniques, were measured in freshly harvested tomatoes and after 2 and 5 days of storage in the dark at 15°C. The two cocktail cultivars of tomatoes, Aranca and Flavourine, were the smallest tomatoes but they contained higher dry matter contents compared with the three standard salad cultivars, Excell, Celero and Dutch Chaser. There were significant differences (P<0.001) in lycopene (the major carotenoid), ascorbic acid and total antioxidant activity in the whole fruit of the five different cultivars evaluated at harvest, while the total phenolic contents were very similar. The lycopene levels of all the cultivars increased significantly (P<0.001) after storage for 2 and 5 days at 15°C. Overall, the total phenolic content of all the cultivars did not change appreciably after storage at 15°C while the levels of ascorbic acid fell by 12.6% when stored for 5 days in the dark. There was a significant difference (P<0.001) in the total antioxidant activity between the five different cultivars when freshly harvested; the highest levels of total antioxidant activity were observed in the two cocktail cultivars, Aranca and Flavourine. Antioxidant activity showed different patterns of change depending on cultivar. An increase in the total antioxidant values could be seen in cultivars Dutch chaser and Excell, after storage for 5 days at 15°C. The total antioxidant activity values of Flavourine and Celero fell on storage while the values for stored Aranca were very similar to the values when freshly harvested. The skin colour, as shown by Commission Internationale l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* values of each cultivar were markedly different at harvest even though each cultivar was harvested at the same maturity. The a* value of each cultivar increased significantly (P<0.001) when they were stored in the dark, for either 2 or 5 days, at 15°C. Regression analysis showed that overall there was no significant relationship (R2=0.14) between the lycopene content and the a* value of all the tomatoes; however, when examined individually, the two cocktail tomatoes Aranca and Flavourine showed strong correlation—R2=0.96 and R2=0.97, respectively. Overall, the (a*/b*)2 was the most reliable indicator of lycopene concentration (R2=0.96) in the tomatoes examined in this study.
Pediatric Orthopedic Pain of Unknown Origin

Summary: Thirty-eight cases of musculoskeletal pain in a pediatric population that defied diagnosis are reviewed. The time between the onset of symptoms and the final diagnosis averaged 11.4 months, but in many cases was >1 year. The most common diagnoses included reflex sympathetic dystrophy, osteoid osteoma, osteomyelitis. intraarticular hemangiomata, slipped epiphyses, and rheumatoid variants. There were several uncommon causes of pain, such as soft tissue hemangiomata, dystonia, and Addison disease. The pitfalls and causes of error are reviewed