Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive and sexual health in women with bipolar disorder: a comparative study

Correspondence: Nur Elcin Boyacioglu, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Midwifery Demirkapi Caddesi, Karabal Sokak, Bakirköy Ruh ve Sinir Hastalıkları Hastanesi Bahcesi ici 34740 Bakirkoy, Istanbul, Turkey Phone: +90 212660-1125/40136 E-mail: bdrgl_nr@hotmail.com Received: September 03, 2018; Revised: October 10, 2018; Accepted: November 15, 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the reproductive and sexual health problems of female patients with bipolar disorder. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive and comparative study was conducted with 358 female patients with bipolar disorder and a healthy control group (n=346). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire, which was prepared by the researchers based on the literature and designed to determine the reproductive and sexual health issues among the participants. Results: It was determined that the bipolar disorder group had no previous knowledge about menarche and did not menstruate regularly. Compared to the healthy controls, they also experienced more premenstrual problems, masturbated more, had more sexual partners and had more sexually transmitted diseases. Unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates reported more in bipolar group. Moreover, bipolar disorder group reported not to have mammograms and gynecological examinations as required. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that female patients with bipolar disorder had more reproductive and sexual health related problems than those healthy controls.
Developments of an Emerging Infectious Agent: Norovirus

Norovirus, a member of calciviruses family is the leading cause of community-acquired and nosocomial acute gastroenteritis or inflammation of the stomach and intestine. This pathogenic virus is highly communicable and found in the stools and vomit of infected persons. The symptoms of infection include sudden vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramp, headache, low grade fever, nausea, chills, etc. This RNA virus spreads through contaminated foods or liquids, sharing norovirus loaded objects and contact with infection individual. There is neither a specific medicine nor vaccination available for norovirus infection. Some vaccines are under pre-clinical trials. However, the virus can be controlled by following good personal hygiene practices such as hand washing, eating properly washed fruits and vegetables, properly cooked foods, and cleaning of the area occupied by patient. Norovirus infection can be regulated through public awareness and dissemination of proper knowledge about this viral infection. The present review summarizes the biology of infections caused by norovirus and their control measures.
Dual-Taper Double-Clad Fiber Compact Curvature Sensor With External Refractive Index and Strain Insensitivity

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an optical fiber curvature sensor capable of strain- and refractive index (RI)-insensitive curvature measurements using a compact double-clad fiber (DCF)-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The DCF-based interferometer was implemented by forming double tapers <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula>12 mm apart on DCF with a standard fiber fusion splicer and is referred to as the DT-DCF. From the interference spectrum of the fabricated DT-DCF, which is generated by the phase retardation difference between the inner cladding mode coupled from the core mode at the first taper and the uncoupled core mode, two resonance dips were selected as sensor indicators and designated DA and DB. These indicators, DA and DB, were highly sensitive to bending, showing average curvature sensitivities of −24.62 and −25.33 nm/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}^{-1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in a curvature range of 2.806–4.695 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}^{-{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively. They were also nearly insensitive to longitudinal strain, exhibiting a low strain sensitivity of less than 0.1 pm/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \varepsilon $ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The strain insensitivity of our sensor head can minimize strain-induced curvature measurement uncertainty. In particular, the indicators showed little dependence on the external RI, which facilitates embedding the DT-DCF in another base material without further packaging. Furthermore, the effect of external RI variation on curvature measurement results was investigated using another DT-DCF.
Long-term survival in a patient with primary refractory AML after salvage allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation and post-transplant localized irradiation and venetoclax maintenance: a case report

For patients with primary refractory AML, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is considered the only curative approach. However, the therapeutic efficacy of salvage transplantation in the non-remission (NR) state remains controversial. We present a patient with primary refractory AML and concomitant central nervous system (CNS) leukemia, who received salvage allo-HCT, localized radiotherapy and venetoclax maintenance. Although he experienced systemic chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), he remained disease-free for 2 years. We propose that salvage transplantation is a feasible for primary refractory AML and discuss strategies to prevent relapse after allo-HCT, including maintenance therapy and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). Finally, we highlight the importance of radiotherapy, which can exert immunomodulatory effects to enhance immune responses against leukemia.
Node Localization in Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks Using Elastic Force

In wireless ad-hoc and sensor networks, localization is often viewed as one of the most significant problems. This study has designed a localization system that abstracts the distance of every neighbor nodes pair as the length of a spring between them and then attains the final position information through spring updating. Compared with other spring-based localization methods, this system converges faster because it uses a displacement vector that has proven to be more efficient in updating coordinates. The system performs better than range-free localization methods even under high ranging error.
The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Multi-Wavelength Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation Attenuates Dry Eye Symptoms in a Scopolamine-Induced Mouse Model of Dry Eye

Dry eye disease is a common condition in patients of all ages, causing discomfort and potential visual problems. Current treatments, including artificial tears and anti-inflammatory drugs, have certain limitations, encouraging research into alternative therapies. We investigated the therapeutic potential of multi-wavelength light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation of mice with dry eye. First, we showed that multi-wavelength LED irradiation was non-toxic to human corneal epithelial cells and improved cell viability. We then used a scopolamine-induced mouse model of dry eye to assess the effects of multi-wavelength LED irradiation on various clinical parameters. This treatment increased the tear volume and reduced corneal irregularity, thus improving dry eye. Histological analysis revealed that multi-wavelength LED irradiation protected against corneal epithelial damage and the associated reduction in epithelial thickness and would thus improve the corneal health of dry eye patients. Multi-wavelength LED irradiation significantly reduced the corneal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α; the treatment was thus anti-inflammatory. Our results suggest that multi-wavelength LED irradiation may serve as a safe and effective treatment for dry eye, alleviating symptoms, reducing inflammation, and promoting corneal health.
Modeling and Throughput Optimization of Multi-Gateway LoRaWAN

Low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies have become an integral part of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications due to their ability to meet key requirements such as long range, low cost, massive device numbers, and low energy consumption. Among all available LPWAN technologies, LoRaWAN has garnered significant interest from both industry and academia. Due to wide communication range of LoRaWAN, the coverage of gateway (GW) may overlap and the packet transmissions from nodes in the overlapping area would collide, which deteriorates the network performance. How to tune the backoff parameter settings to reduce collision and maximize the network throughput in multi-GW LoRaWAN is still an open issue. To solve this issue, in this paper, we first propose a low-complexity model for multi-GW LoRaWAN, which divides nodes into different groups based on GWs they can communicate with. Key performance metrics, i.e., the network throughput, access delay and the probability of successful transmission, are derived as functions of backoff parameter and input rate. As the throughput performance crucially depends on whether each group is saturated or not, we propose an iterative algorithm to analyze the stability of the multi-GW LoRaWAN, based on which we further develop an iterative algorithm to tune the backoff parameter of each group iteratively for the network throughput optimization. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and reveal the trade-off between fairness and efficiency.
Gerencia virtual y gestión del conocimiento hacia la transformación universitaria

El presente artículo tiene como propósito revisar los aspectos epistemológicos relacionados con Gerencia y Gestión del Conocimiento. Una de las principales características del nuevo panorama mundial, son los acelerados cambios en el contexto globalizado. Los hallazgos encontrados en la presente investigación están representados en los factores emergentes de la gerencia donde la creatividad, la innovación y el conocimiento, hacen del gerente con su estilo una manera particular de ejercer la gerencia, convirtiendo al individuo en capaz de orientar, tomar decisiones y lograr objetivos vitales, apartándose de la rutina de administrar en base a normas, estatutos y ordenamientos tradicionales. La metodología empleada fue una recopilación documental de las teorías administrativas desde las contribuciones de Taylor y Fayol hasta las de Leland Bradford, et. al, con la Teoría del Desarrollo Organizacional, Teorías del Conocimiento, y Tecnologías de Información, en el siglo XXI, en busca de amalgamas, sinergias y proyecciones epistémicas, dando como resultado que, a través del desarrollo de la inteligencia, creatividad y conocimiento, las organizaciones en la praxis confirman que la capacidad de una empresa para producir depende de dichos factores. Se concluye en la importancia Onto-epistemológica de la gestión gerencial en la actualidad, como aporte al conocimiento científico en general, donde se considera que el conocimiento debe combinarse con la creatividad y la tecnología para transformar realidades a partir de los cambios sustentables en las turbulentas variaciones en el transcurrir del tiempo.
BIRC5 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with a Higher Stage of Local and Regional Disease in Oral and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) are the most common types of cancers in the head and neck region (HNSCC). Despite very aggressive treatment modalities, the five-year survival rate has not changed for decades and is still around 60%. The search for potential specific biomarkers of aggressiveness or outcome indicators could be of great benefit in improving the treatment of these patients. One of the potential biomarkers is survivin, the protein product of the BIRC5 gene. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of BIRC5 gene polymorphisms in 48 patients with OSCC and OPSCC compared with healthy controls. A total of 18 polymorphisms were found, 11 of which occurred in HNSCC with a minor allele frequency (MAF) of more than 5%. Five polymorphisms (rs3764383, rs9904341, rs2071214, rs2239680, rs2661694) were significantly associated with tumor size, tumor stage, and advanced regional disease, but had no impact on survival.
OncoTherad® (MRB-CFI-1) Nanoimmunotherapy: A Promising Strategy to Treat Bacillus Calmette–Guérin-Unresponsive Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Crosstalk among T-Cell CX3CR1, Immune Checkpoints, and the Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling Pathway

This study assessed the safety and efficacy of OncoTherad® (MRB-CFI-1) nanoimmunotherapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients unresponsive to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and explored its mechanisms of action in a bladder cancer microenvironment. A single-arm phase I/II study was conducted with 44 patients with NMIBC who were unresponsive to BCG treatment. Primary outcomes were pathological complete response (pCR) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Secondary outcomes comprised response duration and therapy safety. Patients’ mean age was 65 years; 59.1% of them were refractory, 31.8% relapsed, and 9.1% were intolerant to BCG. Moreover, the pCR rate after 24 months reached 72.7% (95% CI), whereas the mean RFS reached 21.4 months. Mean response duration in the pCR group was 14.3 months. No patient developed muscle-invasive or metastatic disease during treatment. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 77.3% of patients, mostly grade 1–2 events. OncoTherad® activated the innate immune system through toll-like receptor 4, leading to increased interferon signaling. This activation played a crucial role in activating CX3CR1+ CD8 T cells, decreasing immune checkpoint molecules, and reversing immunosuppression in the bladder microenvironment. OncoTherad® has proved to be a safe and effective therapeutic option for patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC, besides showing likely advantages in tumor relapse prevention processes.
Observed change and the extent of coherence in the Gulf Stream system

By transporting warm and salty water poleward, the Gulf Stream system maintains a mild climate in northwestern Europe while also facilitating the dense water formation that feeds the deep ocean. The sensitivity of North Atlantic circulation to future greenhouse gas emissions seen in climate models has prompted an increasing effort to monitor the various ocean circulation components in recent decades. Here, we synthesise available ocean transport measurements from several observational programs in the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas, as well as an ocean state estimate (ECCOv4-r4), for an enhanced understand-5 ing of the Gulf Stream and its poleward extensions as an interconnected circulation system. We see limited coherence between the records on interannual time scales, highlighting the local oceanic response to atmospheric circulation patterns and variable recirculation time scales within the gyres. On decadal time scales, we find a weakening subtropical circulation between the mid-2000s and mid-2010s, while the inflow and circulation in the Nordic Seas remained stable. Differing decadal trends in the subtropics, subpolar North Atlantic, and Nordic Seas warrant caution in using observational records at a single latitude to infer 10 large-scale circulation change.
When the Young Men Leave: Social Implications of Migration and Remittances among the Tharu of Chitwan, Nepal

In Pipariya, an ethnically mixed village in the Chitwan district of Nepal, young Tharu men are migrating for labor to the Arab Gulf countries and Malaysia. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, this project examines motivations to migrate as well as the impact of remittances on the stay-home population. I argue that migration is a strategy utilized by Tharu households to pursue upward social mobility in a multi-ethnic context. Remittances, as a social agreement and the material outcome of migration, increase the family’s income, enabling a reduction in social class differences and the redefinition of traditional women’s roles. Cover image: Houses along the main road of Pipariya, Nepal
DRAWBACKS IN THE 3-FACTOR APPROACH OF FAMA AND FRENCH (2018)

This paper features a statistical analysis of the monthly three factor Fama/French return series. Rolling OLS regressions explore the relationship between the 3 factors, using data from July 1926 to June 2018, available on French’s website. The results suggest there are significant and time-varying relationships between the factors. A sub-sample from July 1990 to July 2018 is used to analyze the three series using two-stage least squares and the Hausman test to check for issues related to endogeneity. The empirical results suggest that the factors, when combined in OLS regression analysis, as suggested by Fama and French (2018), are likely to suffer from endogeneity. Ramsey’s RESET tests suggest a nonlinear relationship exists between the three series. We use two instruments to estimate the market betas, and compare them to betas estimated not using instruments. Non-parametric tests of the two sets of betas suggest significant differences. The results suggest that using these factors in linear regression analysis, as recommended by Fama and French [(2018). Choosing factors. Journal of Financial Economics, 128(2), 234–252] is problematic in that the estimated coefficients are highly sensitive to the correct model specification.
Coil-to-Bridge Transitions of Self-Assembled Water Chains Coil-to-Bridge Transitions of Self-Assembled Water Chains Observed in a Nanoscopic Meniscus Observed in a Nanoscopic Meniscus

: Ten downward portions in the large oscillatory force − distance curve reported earlier are analyzed to understand a nanoscale water meniscus con ﬁ ned between a sharp probe and a ﬂ at substrate in air. The sigmoidal shape of each portion leads to the assumption that the meniscus is made up of n independent transitions of two states: one for a coil state and the other for a bridge state. The analysis reveals that each downward portion occurs due to a coil-to-bridge transition of n self-assembled water chains whose length ranges between 197 and 383 chain units. The transition provides novel insights into water ’ s unique properties like high surface tension and the long-range condensation distances.
RESEARCH ARTICLE Treatment Outcome and Prognostic Factors for Malignant Skin Melanoma Treated with Radical Surgery

Aim: To assess the treatment outcome in patients with malignant skin melanoma and prognostic factors for distant metastases (DM), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 113 patients with malignant skin melanoma (60 females, 53 males, average age-55 years) who were treated surgically. Primary treatment consisted of local excision. In 12 cases, it was accompanied by lymph node excision. In 93 (82%) cases, radicalization was necessary, which was either local only (19 cases) or accompanied by lymph node surgery/biopsy (74 cases). Possible prognostic factors such as Clark’s stage and Breslow’s depth of invasion, ulceration, average tumor dimensions, lymph nodes metastases (pN+), gender, tumor location and primary excision margins were considered. Results: In 51 (45%) cases, treatment failure occurred. The 5-year DM rate was 47%, the 5-year DFS was 38%, and the 5-year OS was 56%. In the univariate analysis, the important factors with respect to at least one endpoint included Clark’s stage, Breslow’s depth of invasion, ulceration, average tumor dimensions, lymph nodes metastases, gender and primary tumor localization. The presence of metastasic nodes was the most important prognostic factor, with a 5-year DM rates of 30% for pN(-) and 76% for pN(+) and a 5-year DFS and OS of 56% and 76% for pN(-) and 13% and 24% for pN(+), respectively. The average tumor dimension was independently significant for DFS and OS, with 5-year rates of 69% and 80% for ≤1 cm, 28% and 53% for 1-2 cm, and 18% and 30% for >2 cm, respectively. Tumor location was also significant for DM and OS, with 5-year rates of 69% vs 33% and 41% vs 66% for trunk vs other locations, respectively. Conclusions: The natural course of a malignant skin melanoma treated radically is disadvantageous, with unsuccessful outcome in nearly half of the cases. Common clinical factors, such as Clark’s tumor stage, Breslow’s depth of invasion and the presence of metastatic nodes, have high prognostic significance. The size and location of the primary lesion may be considered independent prognostic factors. The most important negative prognostic factor is the presence of metastatic regional lymph nodes. Only one quarter of patients with metastases in lymph nodes survive 5 years from primary surgery.
The Effects Of Fires On Plants And Wildlife Species Diversity And Soil Physical And Chemical Properties At Aberdare Ranges, Kenya

Njeri WF, Githaiga JM, Mwala AK. 2018. The effects of fires on plant and wildlife species diversity and soil physical and chemical properties at Aberdare Ranges, Kenya. Asian J For 2: 25-38. This study was aimed to determine the effects of fires on species diversity (plants, animals, birds), and soil physical and chemical properties at the Aberdare Ranges forest, Kenya. Data were collected on five sites that experienced fires in 2002, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014 from both burnt and unburnt areas. Point Centered Quarter and quadrant methods were used for woody vegetation sampling and herbaceous vegetation sampling, respectively. Foot count was done for animal census and point count for birds. The data showed that the herbaceous vegetation in burnt sites had significantly higher species diversity than the unburnt sites in the areas that experienced fire before 2014. The fire had triggered the regeneration of the herbaceous plants. The burnt sites had a significantly higher percentage cover. The fire has an immediate adverse effect on the population of animals as demonstrated on the site consumed in 2014. No animal species was found on the site seven days after the fire when data was collected. The animal diversity was proportional to the vegetation density caused by the vegetation regeneration due to fires. All the burnt sites had fewer birds than the unburnt sites. Effects of fires were prominent in the upper layer of the soil for all the soil properties under study. Burning caused an increase in pH, potassium, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity. The study demonstrated that fires lead to an immediate adverse effect on vegetation, wildlife and soil chemical properties. Postfire management is necessary on sites that have recently experienced fires to rehabilitate them. Authorities responsible for the management of forests must ensure that people are kept out of those sites to allow vegetation to recover without interference. Reforestation can also be done on the burnt sites to increase plant and habitat for the wildlife.
Value at Risk (VaR) en empresas del sector real en Colombia: caso, Bogotá ELEKTRIKA

The estimation and risk management has become very important with the evolution of the market, especially in the finance and capital sector. However the macroeconomic variables that affect the risk are more volatile with the time and generate more uncertainty. It may presents with the same or even more impact in companies of the real sector mainly in those where valuations conditions cause more impact on investors. Such is the case of Private Public Partnerships which are contractual mechanisms that link the public and private 1 Trabajo de grado para optar al título de Maestría en Administración Financiera de la Universidad EAFIT. Bogotá, mayo de 2016. 2 Administradora de Empresas de la Universidad EAN, Especialista en Finanzas de la Universidad EAFIT, candidata a Magíster en Administración Financiera de la Universidad EAFIT. 3 Contadora Pública de la Universidad Central, Especialista en Finanzas de la Universidad EAFIT, candidata a Magíster en Administración Financiera de la Universidad EAFIT.