Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limited Understanding of Pap Smear Testing among Women, a Barrier to Cervical Cancer Screening in the United Arab Emirates

Global data indicate that cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Important factors that affect interventions for early diagnosis of cervical cancer include social beliefs and values and poor knowledge. These may contribute to women’s participation in screening for cervical cancer and have a significant impact on decisions to take preventive action. The present study was conducted with 599 women in the UAE between September 2016 and March 2017. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine knowledge about cervical cancer and screening, demographic characteristics and perceived barriers. Knowledge about the Pap smear test was limited, and awareness that they should undergo the Pap smear test every three years even with an initial negative/normal Pap smear result was abysmal. In spite of the positive attitude of the women towards the Pap smear test, almost 80% of the women surveyed had no knowledge of precancerous lesions. Having higher income (21/29, 72%, p=0.027) and more miscarriages were associated with better practice of Pap smears (19/26, 73%, p=0.010). Knowledge levels were significantly higher (66.3±22.2,) that values for attitude (60.5±20.9, p= 0.03, 95% CI {0.22-11.3}, Chi-square 4.38) and practice (53.7 24.1, p= 0.001, 95% CI {6.9-18.1}, Chi-square 19.7). A well-designed health education programme on cervical cancer and benefits of screening should increase the awareness among women in UAE. One point to stress is that better communication with health professionals and improvement of access to health care services should increase the rate of cervical cancer screening.
Discovering Equilibrium Strategies for a Combinatorial First Price Auction

In this paper, the unresolved and fundamental strategy problem of the first price single round sealed bid combinatorial auction is addressed. As a step toward discovering equilibrium strategies, a new heuristic based on simple and intuitive methods is presented. The heuristic is evaluated using two different independently and uniformly distributed valuation models, one very general model where bidders bid on all combinations and one restricted model where bidders bid on one specific combination and single bids on the remaining items. Results yield natural explainable strategies with good characteristics based on comparisons of payoff, revenue and allocative efficiency.
Beneficial properties of natural phenols: Highlight on protection against pathological conditions associated with amyloid aggregation

Mediterranean and Asian diets are currently considered as the most healthy traditional feeding habits effective against risk of age‐associated, particularly cardiovascular and neurodegenerative, diseases. A common feature of these two regimens is the abundance of foods and beverages of plant origin (green tea, extra virgin olive oil, red wine, spices, berries, and aromatic herbs) that are considered responsible for the observed beneficial effects. Epidemiological data suggest that the phenolic component remarkably enriched in these foods plays an important role in reducing the incidence of amyloid diseases, pathological conditions associated to tissue deposition of toxic protein aggregates responsible for progressive functional deterioration. Great effort is being spent to provide knowledge on the effects of several natural phenols in this context, moving from the test tube to animal models and, more slowly, to the patient's bed. An emerging feature that makes these molecules increasingly attractive for amyloid disease prevention and therapy is their wide spectrum of activity: recent pieces of evidence suggest that they can inhibit the production of amyloidogenic peptides from precursors, increase antioxidant enzyme activity, activate autophagy and reduce inflammation. Our concept should than shift from considering natural phenols simply as antioxidants or, at the best, as amyloid aggregation inhibitors, to describing them as potentially multitargeting drugs. A main concern is the low bioavailability of such compounds and efforts aimed at improving it are underway, with encapsulation strategies being the most promising ones. © 2014 BioFactors, 40(5):482–493, 2014
Novel Double-Sided Disk-Shaped Passive-Rotor Transverse-Flux Permanent Magnet Generators for Wind Turbine Applications

Permanent magnet transverse-flux machines show high torque density at low speed which is suitable for applications for example wind energy and automotive industries. This article investigates two novel double-sided passive-rotor permanent magnet transverse-flux generators for wind turbines. The topologies are introduced, and operation principles are described in details. The simulation results are used to compare the performance parameters of two structures. In addition, an optimization is done based on the rotor width parameter for the objective of electro-motive force and cogging torque, using sensitivity analysis. Analyses and simulation results could be used for design of different machines.
Predictive value of N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide in severe sepsis and septic shock*

Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) on mortality in a large, unselected patient population with severe sepsis and septic shock. Design and Setting:Prospective observational cohort study about incidence and prognosis of sepsis in 24 intensive care units in Finland (the FINNSEPSIS study). Patients:A total of 254 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Measurements:After informed consent, the blood tests for NT-proBNP analyses were drawn on the day of admission and 72 hrs thereafter. Patients’ demographic data were collected, and intensive care unit and hospital mortality and basic hemodynamic and laboratory data were recorded daily. Main Results:NT-proBNP levels at admission were significantly higher in hospital nonsurvivors (median, 7908 pg/mL) compared with survivors (median, 3479 pg/mL; p = .002), and the difference remained after 72 hrs (p = .002). The receiver operating characteristic curves of admission and 72-hr NT-proBNP levels for hospital mortality resulted in area under the curve values of 0.631 (95% confidence interval, 0.549–0.712; p = .002) and 0.648 (95% confidence interval, 0.554–0.741; p = .002), respectively. In logistic regression analyses, NT-proBNP values at 72 hrs after inclusion and Simplified Acute Physiology Score for the first 24 hrs were independent predictors of hospital mortality. Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (p < .001), plasma creatinine clearance (p = .001), platelet count (p = .03), and positive blood culture (p = .04) had an independent effect on first-day NT-proBNP values, whereas after 72 hrs, only plasma creatinine clearance (p < .001) was significant in linear regression analysis. Conclusion:NT-proBNP values are frequently increased in severe sepsis and septic shock. Values are significantly higher in nonsurvivors than survivors. NT-proBNP on day 3 in the intensive care unit is an independent prognostic marker of mortality in severe sepsis.
Biochemical Assessment of Niacin Deficiency Among Carcinoid Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVE:Carcinoid cancer patients often have elevated levels of serotonin or its precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan. Normally, serotonin synthesis accounts for a small fraction of tryptophan catabolism, which should be directed along a pathway that allows partial conversion to niacin; hence, increased diversion of tryptophan toward serotonin could cause variable degrees of niacin deficiency in carcinoid patients. Therefore, the prevalence of niacin deficiency among carcinoid patients was investigated by clinical assessment of pellagra and biochemical assessment of whole blood niacin number, a ratio derived from two biologically active forms of niacin (NAD/NADP × 100). METHODS:Clinical and biochemical niacin status were assessed in a cohort of newly diagnosed carcinoid patients with carcinoid syndrome (CCS, n = 36), carcinoid patients without carcinoid syndrome (CWCS, n = 32) and noncarcinoid controls (n = 24) recruited at two primary care clinics. Other aspects of serotonin metabolism were measured by analyses of plasma serotonin and tryptophan and urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid.RESULTS:Biochemical niacin deficiency (niacin number < 130) was significantly more common in CCS patients (10 out of 36) compared to controls (p < 0.05, Fisher's exact test), while CWCS patients displayed an incidence that was not significantly elevated (4 out of 32). Only one CCS patient, who was also identified biochemically as niacin deficient, was clinically diagnosed with pellagra.CONCLUSION:Biochemical niacin deficiency is more prevalent among newly diagnosed CCS patients than in controls. Manifestation of pellagra is a less sensitive indicator, and dependence on this endpoint could lead to a lack of appropriate nutritional support for this group of patients.
Transactivation of Naturally Occurring HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeats by the JNK Signaling Pathway

To study the role of MAPK cascades in the regulation of naturally occurring human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeats (HIV-1 LTRs), we analyzed several HIV-1 LTRs from patients at different stages of disease progression. One of these naturally occurring HIV-1 LTRs contains an insertion termed the most frequent naturally occurring length polymorphism (MFNLP) and exhibited high inducibility upon T cell activation. We found that the protein kinase mixed lineage kinase 3/src-homology 3 domain-containing proline-rich kinase, a specific activator of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/JNK signaling pathway in T lymphocytes, induces high transcriptional activation of this promoter. Promoter inducibility is inhibited by the SAPK/JNK inhibitor, the JNK binding domain of the JNK interacting protein 1, and Tam-67 (N-terminal deletion mutant of c-Jun). In electrophoretic mobility shift assay, several protein complexes were found to bind to the MFNLP sequence in T cells. We identified AP-1 factors c-Fos and JunB as MFNLP-binding proteins, whose binding is abolished by introducing point mutations in the 3′-half of the MFNLP sequence. Introduction of these point mutations into the MFNLP containing HIV-1 LTR reducedsrc-homology 3 domain-containing proline-rich kinase -mediated transactivation. These data indicate that the AP-1-like binding site in the MFNLP sequence gives rise to a higher inducibility of natural HIV-LTRs by the SAPK/JNK signaling pathway.
Auditory Steady-State Responses to Exponential Modulation Envelopes

Objective This study examined the steady-state responses evoked by tones modulated with exponential envelopes. The hypothesis was that stimuli with envelopes containing more rapid changes would evoke larger responses. Design Multiple auditory steady-state responses were recorded simultaneously to eight tonal stimuli, four in each ear. The carrier frequencies of the stimuli ranged from 500 to 6000 Hz and the modulation rates were between 75 and 95 Hz. The modulation envelopes were based on functions using sinN where N was 1, 2, 3, or 4. Setting N to 1 produced the traditional sinusoidal modulation. Results Exponential envelopes with N greater than 1 produced larger steady-state responses than a sinusoidal envelope. For amplitude-modulation (AM), exponential envelopes increased response amplitudes by 21% at 55 dB pSPL, and by 29% at 35 dB pSPL. The increases were smaller for carrier frequencies of 1500 to 2000 Hz than for lower and higher carrier frequencies. Latencies calculated from phase data increased significantly with increasing N. This was likely caused by the point of maximal envelope-slope shifting later in time as N increased. For frequency modulation (FM), the steady-state responses did not significantly change with changes in the power of the exponential envelopes. Conclusions When tones are amplitude-modulated with exponential envelopes based on sinN, the amplitude and latency of the steady-state response increased significantly with increasing N. Using exponential envelopes with N greater than 1 should considerably shorten the time needed for responses to become significant when using steady-state responses in objective audiometry.
HTS generator topologies

A variety of topologies have been studied for superconducting generators. The superconducting generators constructed over the past 40 years using low temperature superconductors were built with iron located only in the stator core. The performance characteristics of HTS has led to the consideration of topologies with iron in the center of the rotor inside the field winding, iron in the rotor pole faces and iron in the armature teeth. As the reluctance of the flux path is decreased, the amount of superconductor is minimized and the forces on the rotor and stator coils are reduced. The impact of this addition of iron on other machine parameters including transient stability following a system fault is addressed in this paper
Telephone Speech Perception by Mandarin-Speaking Cochlear Implantees

Objective: To evaluate Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant patients’ understanding of telephone speech. Design: Telephone speech was simulated by band-limiting broadband speech stimuli (300–3200 Hz) and adding Gaussian noise (35 dB signal-to-noise ratio). Recognition of multitalker vowels, consonants, voice gender, and Chinese tones was measured for both simulated telephone speech and broadband speech in fifteen Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant patients. Results: Results showed no significant difference in Chinese tone recognition scores between broadband and telephone speech. However, mean recognition scores for vowels, consonants and voice gender were significantly lower with telephone speech. The effect of the limited telephone bandwidth on speech recognition was highly variable among subjects. Some subjects were more sensitive to high-frequency speech cues, resulting in a significant drop in performance with band-limited telephone speech, while other subjects were less sensitive to high-frequency speech cues, resulting in similar performance between broadband and band-limited telephone speech. Conclusions: These results suggest that the limited bandwidth negatively affects cochlear implant patients’ understanding of telephone speech. Because the effect of band-limited speech was highly variable among subjects, the results also suggest that the contribution of high frequency information to speech recognition may vary significantly among cochlear implant patients. For patients who receive little benefit from high-frequency speech cues, speech processor adjustments may be necessary to access the additional cues provided in broadband speech.
Isotopic investigation of niche partitioning among native carnivores and the non-native coyote (Canis latrans)†

We employed stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes within a hypothetico-deductive framework to explore potential resource partitioning among terrestrial mammalian carnivores. Isotope values were acquired using guard hair samples from bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the Adirondack Park, NY, USA. Enrichment along the δ13C axis was expected to reflect the use of human sources of food (reflecting a corn subsidy), and by extension tolerance for human-modified environments, whereas enrichment along the δ15N axis was expected to reflect a higher level of carnivory (i.e. amount of animal-based protein in the diet) – two mechanisms by which these now sympatric species may achieve a dynamic coexistence. Although bobcats were the only obligate carnivore, all four species shared a similar δ15N space. In contrast, bobcat had a lower and distinct δ13C signature compared to foxes, consistent with the a priori expectation of bobcats being the species least tolerant of human activities. Isotope signatures for coyotes, which colonized the region in the 1920s, overlapped all three native carnivores, bobcats the least, gray fox the most, indicating their potential competitive influence on this suite of native carnivores.
Multicriteria Topology Management Ground-to-air Networks

An algorithm proposed for searching the topology of the ground-to-air radio network (GARN) to ensure the connectivity of ground nodes and improve the quality of their service. The search for a solution for the implementation of the target functions of network management is carried out by directed enumeration of options for the position of telecommunication aerial platforms (TA).
A method of lane detection and tracking for expressway based on RANSAC

Lane mark detection and tracking is essential for advanced driver assistance systems. We propose a computationally efficient lane mark detection and tracking method for expressway that can robustly and accurately detect lane marks in an image. A small size detection window scanner moving in the region of interest to determine whether there is a lane mark at the current position. This method can improve the detection accuracy and noise immunity. According to the correlations between video frames, we locate lane mark positions fast in current frame. We use an improved RANSAC method to fit the detected lane marks to straight lines. The proposed method is proved to be efficient through experiments for various complex environments.
TEL/AML-1 dimerizes and is associated with a favorable outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Polymerase chain reaction-based screening of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) samples showed that a TEL/AML1 fusion transcript was detected in 27% of all cases, representing the most common known gene rearrangement in childhood cancer. The TEL/AML1 fusion results from a t(12;21)(p13;q22) chromosomal translocation, but was undetectable at the routine cytogenetic level. TEL/AML1-positive patients had exclusively B-lineage ALL, and most patients were between the ages of 2 and 9 years at diagnosis. Only 3/89 (3.4%) adult ALL patients were TEL/AML1-positive. Most importantly, TEL/AML1-positive children had a significantly lower rate of relapse compared with TEL/AML1-negative patients (0/22 v 16/54, P = .004). Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that TEL/AML-1 formed homodimers in vitro, and heterodimerized with the normal TEL protein when the two proteins were expressed together. The elucidation of the precise mechanism of transformation by TEL/AML1 and the role of TEL/AML1 testing in the treatment of childhood ALL will require additional studies.
Can phase III trial results of antidepressant medications be generalized to clinical practice? A STAR*D report.

OBJECTIVE Phase III clinical trials for depression enroll participants with major depressive disorder according to stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. These patients may not be representative of typical depressed patients seeking treatment. This analysis used data from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) project--which used broad inclusion and minimal exclusion criteria--to evaluate whether phase III clinical trials recruit representative depressed outpatients. METHOD Of 2,855 participants, 22.2% met typical entry criteria for phase III clinical trials (efficacy sample) and 77.8% did not (nonefficacy sample). These groups were compared regarding baseline sociodemographic and clinical features and the characteristics and outcomes of acute-phase treatment. RESULTS The efficacy sample had a shorter average duration of illness and lower rates of family history of substance abuse, prior suicide attempts, and anxious and atypical symptom features. Despite similar medication dosing and time at exit dose, the efficacy participants tolerated citalopram better. They also had higher rates of response (51.6% versus 39.1%) and remission (34.4% versus 24.7%). These differences persisted even after adjustments for baseline differences. CONCLUSIONS Phase III trials do not recruit representative treatment-seeking depressed patients. Broader phase III inclusion criteria would increase the generalizability of results to practice, potentially reducing placebo response and remission rates (reducing the risk of failed trials) but at the risk of some increase in adverse events.
Risks and results of surgery

SIR,-Mandawat et al in their paper (Br Heart J 1995;73:139-44) showed that heart rate variability was significantly reduced in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy secondary to hypertension or aortic valve disease. In addition they showed that heart rate variability was not affected by f blocker treatment. However, they made no comment on the effect of other antihypertensive agents such as thiazide diuretics and certain calcium antagonists such as nifedipine which can cause reflex sympathetic activation and hence reduce heart rate variability. Nearly 60% of their patients were taking diuretics. We have recently found in a study of Chinese patients with hypertension that thiazide treatment was associated with reduced heart rate variability assessed by nonspectral and spectral methods, compared with a 4 week control during which potassium replacement treatment alone was given (unpublished). Like Mandawat et al we found a significant reduction in the SD of all NN intervals over 24 (SDNN) and in addition root mean square of difference of successive RRs (rMSSD), proportion of adjacent RRs more than 50 ms different (pNN50), with reduced low frequency and high frequency spectral power. Though left ventricular hypertrophy may well be independently associated with reduced heart rate variability, we were surprised that no comment is made about the possible effect of treatments, other than fi blockers, on heart rate variability in hypertensive subjects. In view of the possibility of an increase in sudden death in hypertensive patients taking thiazide diuretics' we would be interested to know whether Mandawat et al have any comparable data on the relation of thiazide treatment to heart rate variability in hypertensive subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy. JOHN E SANDERSON BRIAN TOMLINSON Department ofMedicine and Clinical PharmacologAy, Chinese University ofHong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT Hong Kong
Word and Document Embeddings based on Neural Network Approaches

Data representation is a fundamental task in machine learning. The representation of data affects the performance of the whole machine learning system. In a long history, the representation of data is done by feature engineering, and researchers aim at designing better features for specific tasks. Recently, the rapid development of deep learning and representation learning has brought new inspiration to various domains. In natural language processing, the most widely used feature representation is the Bag-of-Words model. This model has the data sparsity problem and cannot keep the word order information. Other features such as part-of-speech tagging or more complex syntax features can only fit for specific tasks in most cases. This thesis focuses on word representation and document representation. We compare the existing systems and present our new model. First, for generating word embeddings, we make comprehensive comparisons among existing word embedding models. In terms of theory, we figure out the relationship between the two most important models, i.e., Skip-gram and GloVe. In our experiments, we analyze three key points in generating word embeddings, including the model construction, the training corpus and parameter design. We evaluate word embeddings with three types of tasks, and we argue that they cover the existing use of word embeddings. Through theory and practical experiments, we present some guidelines for how to generate a good word embedding. Second, in Chinese character or word representation. We introduce the joint training of Chinese character and word. Third, for document representation, we analyze the existing document representation models, including recursive NNs, recurrent NNs and convolutional NNs. We point out the drawbacks of these models and present our new model, the recurrent convolutional neural networks.