Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renal Collecting System Anatomy in Living Kidney Donors by Computed Tomographic Urography: Protocol Accuracy Compared to Intravenous Pyelographic and Surgical Findings

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of triple-bolus computed tomography urography (CTU) as a surrogate of intravenous pyelography (IVP) for determining the anatomy of the urinary collecting system in living kidney donors. Materials and Methods: In an analytic descriptive cross-sectional study, 36 healthy kidney donors were recruited during 12 months. Preoperative IVP and CTU were utilized to evaluate kidneys′ anatomy; major and minor calyces and variation were used as anatomical indices to compare the accuracy of CTU and IVP; the images were then compared to surgical findings. Results: Thirty-six kidney donors (92% male; mean age: 28 ± 6 years) were enrolled in this study. The kappa coefficient value was significant and almost perfect for the CTU and IVP findings in detecting the pattern of calyces (kappa coefficient 0.92, asymptotic 95% confidence interval 0.86-0.97). Anatomic variations or anomalies of the urinary collecting system included the bifid pelvis (5.6%), duplication (8.3%), and extra-renal pelvis (2.8%). Both the sensitivity and specificity of CTU in the detection of the anatomy and variations were 100%; the sensitivity and specificity of IVP were 83.3% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: The triple-bolus preoperative CTU can be considered an alternative to IVP for assessing the anatomy of the urinary collecting system.
Internet Diffusion and Government Corruption in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper we examine relationships among Internet diffusion, voice and accountability, and government corruption based on data from Latin American and Sub-Saharan African countries. Our study suggests that greater levels of Internet diffusion are associated with greater levels of voice and accountability, and that greater levels of voice and accountability are associated with lower levels of government corruption. Also, there seems to be an overall relationship between Internet diffusion and government corruption, which is primarily indirect and mediated by voice and accountability. Our results also suggest that, for each additional 15 Internet users per 100 inhabitants in a country in these regions, there is approximately a 35 percent decrease in government corruption, mediated by an increase in voice and accountability.
The impact of traditional and religious practices on the spread of Ebola in West Africa: time for a strategic shift

The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest ever recorded since the discovery of the virus. While several factors may have contributed to perpetuation of the viral spread among affected communities, the role of traditional and religious practices in the spread of the disease is unquestionable. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a majority of Ebola cases in some communities can be linked to traditional burial practices. Additionally, one of the major challenges in controlling the spread of the disease has been notable resistance against prescribed scientific ways of combating the transmission of Ebola in some affected communities for cultural and religious reasons. Herein, we identified notable religious and traditional practices in West Africa that potentially contributed to the spread of Ebola and exacerbated the current outbreak. We further discussed ways that the identified practices could be modified to levels that leave them within culturally acceptable standards and, at the same time, effective at preventing the spread of Ebola. One of our proposed strategies is deliberate targeting of leaders of traditional and religious institutions in community-directed preventive programs. It emerged from the current outbreak in West Africa that traditional and spiritual healers can significantly contribute to spreading of Ebola. We, thus, propose specifically targeting traditional and spiritual healers for awareness and increasing their collaboration with public health official in fighting against Ebola. It is our contention that traditional and spiritual healers and leaders can play a significant role in fostering mutual trust between health officials and affected communities. As custodians of cultural practices, traditional leaders can also play a significant role in promotion, monitoring, and implementation of prescribed preventive measures against the spread of Ebola.
A 0.92mW 10-bit 50-MS/s SAR ADC in 0.13μm CMOS process

This paper reports a 10-bit 50MS/s SAR ADC with a set-and-down capacitor switching method. Compared to the conventional method, the average switching energy is reduced about 81%. At 50MS/s and 1.2V supply, the ADC consumes 0.92mW and achieves an SNDR of 52.78dB, resulting in an FOM of 52fJ/Conversion-step. Fabricated in a 0. 13μm 1P8M CMOS technology, the ADC only occupies 0.075mm2 active area.
The Relationship between Age at First Birth and Mother's Lifetime Earnings: Evidence from Danish Data

Background Having children creates career interruptions and reductions in labor income for women. This study documents the relation between the age at first birth (AFB) and women’s labor income. We study these dynamics in the short run (i.e. ratio between labor income at AFB and two years prior to AFB) and long run (i.e., positive/negative differences in total lifetime labor income). Methods Using unique Danish administrative register data for the entire Danish population, we estimate the age-income profiles separately for college and non-college women conditional on marital status, and mothers’ age at first birth (AFB). We compute the lifetime labor income differentials by taking the differences between the labor income of women with and without children at each AFB. Results The short-run loss in labor income, defined as the difference in percentages between the income earned two years prior to AFB and income earned at AFB, ranges from 37% to 65% for college women and from 40% to 53% for non-college women. These losses decrease monotonically with respect to AFB for both education groups. Our results on the lifetime labor income differentials between mothers and women without children also show a net effect that is monotonic (from negative to positive) in AFB. With AFB<25, the lifetime labor income loss for college women is -204% of their average annual labor income and this figure is -252% for non-college women. There are lifetime labor income gains with AFB>31. The largest gains for college women are 13% of their average annual income and this figure is 50% for non-college women. Conclusion Women have a large and unambiguous short-run reduction in labor income at their AFB. In terms of lifetime labor income, both college and non-college women, compared to childless women, are associated with lower income of more than twice their respective average annual income when bearing a child at AFB<25. In other words, women with AFB<25 are associated with a lower lifetime income of more than two years of annual labor income. The lifetime labor incomes for college and non-college women associated with AFB>31 are relatively higher.
Effects of transitory lingual nerve impairment on speech: an acoustic study of diphthong sounds.

PURPOSE The effects of lingual nerve impairment on the phonetic quality of diphthongs were studied by analyzing changes in their main acoustic features when anesthetic was injected into the lingual nerve to partly block the normal neural feedback mechanisms in speech. PATIENTS AND METHODS The speech material consisted of 8 diphthongs in word context produced by 7 male speakers. Every utterance was repeated 10 times using normal speech rate and intonation with and without the anesthesia (Ultracain D-Suprarenin, 0.8 mL; Aventis Pharma Deutscland GmpH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany). In addition, 1 male speaker with permanent nerve impairment was studied. The acoustic features (F1, F2, F0, and duration) were analyzed using Computerized Speech Laboratory (CSL 4300B; Kay Elemetrics, Lincoln Park, NJ). RESULTS At the group level, no general significant acoustic changes were found between the 2 conditions. The changes were highly individual and variable across the subjects. Significant changes were observed for all the subjects, most prominently for the subject with permanent nerve impairment. CONCLUSIONS According to the results, lingual nerve impairment has effects on the production of diphthongs. A comparison between monophthongs and diphthongs showed that the alterations are more significant for the diphthongs than for other vowels indicating the more demanding, complicated, and complex manner of articulation of diphthongs.
Please Scroll down for Article International Journal of Human-computer Interaction Comparing Inspections and User Testing for the Evaluation of Virtual Environments Comparing Inspections and User Testing for the Evaluation of Virtual Environments

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. This article describes an experiment comparing three Usability Evaluation Methods: User Testing (UT), Document-based Inspection (DI), and Expert Inspection (EI) for evaluating Virtual Environments (VEs). Twenty-nine individuals (10 end-users and 19 junior usability experts) participated during 1 hr each in the evaluation of two VEs (a training VE and a 3D map). Quantitative results of the comparison show that the effectiveness of UT and DI is significantly better than the effectiveness of EI. For each method, results show their problem coverage: DI-and UT-based diagnoses lead to more problem diversity than EI. The overlap of identified problems amounts to 22% between UT and DI, 20% between DI and EI, and 12% between EI and UT for both virtual environments. The identification impact of the whole set of usability problems is 60% for DI, 57% for UT, and only 36% for EI for both virtual environments. Also reliability of UT and DI is significantly better than reliability of EI. In addition, a qualitative analysis identified 35 classes describing the profile of usability problems found with each method. It shows that UT seems particularly efficient for the diagnosis of problems that require a particular state of interaction to be detectable. On the other hand, DI supports the identification of problems directly observable, often related to learn-ability and basic usability. This study shows that DI could be viewed as a " 4-wheel drive SUV evaluation type " (less powerful under certain conditions but able to go everywhere, with any driver), whereas UT could be viewed as a " Formula 1 car evaluation type " (more powerful but requiring adequate road and a very skilled driver). EI is found (considering all metrics) to be not efficient enough to evaluate usability …
On Coping and Defending: Applying Bruner's Personal Growth Principles to Working with Gifted/Talented Students

Dealing succesfully with the changes and challenges associated with public recognition of giftedness is crucial for bright and talented students. In this article the authors critically examine popular approaches for working with gifted students in affective areas. They present two systems for helping gifted students handle the social-emotional tasks involved in actualizing their abilities and Explore implications of these systems for persons closely involved with gifted/talented students.
Improved generator objectives for GANs

We present a framework to understand GAN training as alternating density ratio estimation and approximate divergence minimization. This provides an interpretation for the mismatched GAN generator and discriminator objectives often used in practice, and explains the problem of poor sample diversity. We also derive a family of generator objectives that target arbitrary $f$-divergences without minimizing a lower bound, and use them to train generative image models that target either improved sample quality or greater sample diversity.
The Role of Gender, Attachment Dimensions, and Family Environment on Loneliness Among Turkish University Students

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of gender, attachment dimensions and family environment in explaining loneliness among students. The study included 473 students (281 females, 192 males) from Ankara University. The UCLA Loneliness Scale, Family Environment Assessment Scale and Experiences in Close Relationships — Revised Questionnaire were administered to all participants. The results of the regression analyses demonstrated that the avoidance dimension of attachment accounted for 11%, avoidance and anxiety 14%, all attachment dimensions and family environment 18%, and all variables together (attachment dimensions, family environment, gender) accounted for 19% of variance in loneliness. The present study demonstrated that insecurely attached males with low-coherent families reported the highest degree of loneliness. On the contrary, securely attached females with high-coherent families reported the lowest degree of loneliness.
Nogo-66 Promotes the Differentiation of Neural Progenitors into Astroglial Lineage Cells through mTOR-STAT3 Pathway

Background Neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) can differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. NPCs are considered valuable for the cell therapy of injuries in the central nervous system (CNS). However, when NPCs are transplanted into the adult mammalian spinal cord, they mostly differentiate into glial lineage. The same results have been observed for endogenous NPCs during spinal cord injury. However, little is known about the mechanism of such fate decision of NPCs. Methodology/Principal Findings In the present study, we have found that myelin protein and Nogo-66 promoted the differentiation of NPCs into glial lineage. NgR and mTOR-Stat3 pathway were involved in this process. Releasing NgR from cell membranes or blocking mTOR-STAT3 could rescue the enhanced glial differentiation by Nogo-66. Conclusions/Significance These results revealed a novel function of Nogo-66 in the fate decision of NPCs. This discovery could have profound impact on the understanding of CNS development and could improve the therapy of CNS injuries.
Understanding the Relationship between Attribute-Based and Metaphor-Based Dehumanization

Previous research has adopted two distinct approaches to the study of dehumanization. One has focused on the denial of human attributes to groups (attribute-based dehumanization) and the other on the likening of group members to nonhumans (metaphor-based dehumanization). The relationship between these two approaches has yet to be examined. The current studies seek to clarify this relationship by integrating the two approaches. Using Haslam and colleagues’ (Haslam, 2006; Haslam, Loughnan, Kashima & Bain, 2008) model of dehumanization, we examined whether attribute-based dehumanization leads to metaphor-based dehumanization, and vice versa. In Study 1 participants read about a novel group that was described either as lacking one type of humanness or as being like a nonhuman. In Study 2 a concrete learning task taught participants that a novel group lacked a specific type of humanness. In both studies, participants explicitly learned to dehumanize the group and inferred the corresponding type of attribute- or metaphor-based perception (e.g. perceived a group as animal-like after learning that it lacked uniquely human attributes, and vice versa). Implicitly, however, participants were able to directly learn but not robustly infer the corresponding type of dehumanization. We suggest that the relationship between the two types of dehumanization can be understood using cognitive models of metaphor-making.
Compressed-Domain Correlates of Fixations in Video

In this paper we present two compressed-domain features that are highly indicative of saliency in natural video. Their potential to predict saliency is demonstrated by comparing their statistics around human fixation points in a number of videos against the control points selected randomly away from fixations. Using these features, we construct a simple and effective saliency estimation method for compressed video, which utilizes only motion vectors, block coding modes and coded residuals from the bitstream, with partial decoding. The proposed algorithm has been extensively tested on two ground truth datasets using several accuracy metrics. The results indicate its superior performance over several state-of-the-art compressed-domain and pixel-domain algorithms for saliency estimation.
Chronic Social Stress, Affiliation, and Cellular Immune Response in Nonhuman Primates

We report the first experimental study of the effect of long-term (over 2 years) exposure to a stressor on cellular immune response Forty-three male cynomolgus monkeys were randomly assigned to stable or unstable social conditions for 26 months The proportion of time spent in affiliative behaviors was assessed by observations made twice weekly T-cell immune response (mitogen-stimulated cell proliferation) was assessed weekly for 3 weeks immediately following the 26-month manipulation The possibility that affiliative behavior represents an attempt to cope with social stress was supported by greater affiliation among animals in the unstable condition than in the stable condition Animals in the unstable condition also demonstrated relatively suppressed immune response More affiliative animals showed enhanced immune response, with the beneficial effects of affiliation occurring primarily among unstable animals The data are interpreted as consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis, that is, affiliation protects animals from the potentially pathogenic influences of chronic social stress
Teacher-Child Interactions and Children’s Locus of Control Tendencies

Children and teachers were observed during free-play periods in a two-phase study examining the relationships among children’s locus of control tendencies, children’s behaviors, and teacher-child interactions. The Stephens-Delys Reinforcement Contingency Interview was administered to 51 children between 3 and 5 years of age. Eight children (four boys and four girls) with the highest and eight children with the lowest locus of control scores were observed interacting with peers, materials, and teachers. There were no significant relationships between children’s behaviors and locus of control measures. Teacher behaviors in response to the behaviors of the same 16 children also were observed. Teachers reinforced task and peer involvement in internal children and nontask involvement in external children.
Human Papillomavirus Community in Healthy Persons, Defined by Metagenomics Analysis of Human Microbiome Project Shotgun Sequencing Data Sets

ABSTRACT Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes a number of neoplastic diseases in humans. Here, we show a complex normal HPV community in a cohort of 103 healthy human subjects, by metagenomics analysis of the shotgun sequencing data generated from the NIH Human Microbiome Project. The overall HPV prevalence was 68.9% and was highest in the skin (61.3%), followed by the vagina (41.5%), mouth (30%), and gut (17.3%). Of the 109 HPV types as well as additional unclassified types detected, most were undetectable by the widely used commercial kits targeting the vaginal/cervical HPV types. These HPVs likely represent true HPV infections rather than transitory exposure because of strong organ tropism and persistence of the same HPV types in repeat samples. Coexistence of multiple HPV types was found in 48.1% of the HPV-positive samples. Networking between HPV types, cooccurrence or exclusion, was detected in vaginal and skin samples. Large contigs assembled from short HPV reads were obtained from several samples, confirming their genuine HPV origin. This first large-scale survey of HPV using a shotgun sequencing approach yielded a comprehensive map of HPV infections among different body sites of healthy human subjects. IMPORTANCE This nonbiased survey indicates that the HPV community in healthy humans is much more complex than previously defined by widely used kits that are target selective for only a few high- and low-risk HPV types for cervical cancer. The importance of nononcogenic viruses in a mixed HPV infection could be for stimulating or inhibiting a coexisting oncogenic virus via viral interference or immune cross-reaction. Knowledge gained from this study will be helpful to guide the designing of epidemiological and clinical studies in the future to determine the impact of nononcogenic HPV types on the outcome of HPV infections.
Strong Anisotropic MHD Turbulence with Cross Helicity

This paper proposes a new phenomenology for strong incompressible MHD turbulence with nonzero cross helicity. This phenomenology is then developed into a quantitative Fokker-Planck model that describes the time evolution of the anisotropic power spectra of the fluctuations propagating parallel and antiparallel to the background magnetic field B0. It is found that in steady state the power spectra of the magnetic field and total energy are steeper than k⊥−5/3 and become increasingly steep as C/ℰ increases, where is the cross helicity, ℰ is the fluctuation energy, and k⊥ is the wavevector component perpendicular to B0. Increasing C with fixed ℰ increases the time required for energy to cascade to smaller scales, reduces the cascade power, and increases the anisotropy of the small-scale fluctuations. The implications of these results for the solar wind and solar corona are discussed in some detail.
L2 Working Memory Capacity and L2 Reading Skill

Working memory capacity refers to the ability to store and process information simultaneously in real time and has been shown to correlate highly with first language (L1) reading skill. This study examines the sensitivity of second language (L2) working memory capacity to differences in reading skill among advanced L2 learners. The index of working memory capacity used was the reading span test (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980). Subjects with larger working memory capacities scored higher on measures of reading skill, in contrast with the lack of strong correlations between measures of passive short-term storage (memory for strings of random words or digits) and the same reading measures. This result is consistent with an interpretation of the reading span test as an index of working memory capacity, in which capacity is defined functionally in terms of a trade-off between active processing and storage. Issues involved in investigating working memory capacity are discussed and the role of capacity limitations in models of L2 comprehension is considered.