Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influenza Forecasting in Human Populations: A Scoping Review

Forecasts of influenza activity in human populations could help guide key preparedness tasks. We conducted a scoping review to characterize these methodological approaches and identify research gaps. Adapting the PRISMA methodology for systematic reviews, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, Project Euclid, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for publications in English since January 1, 2000 using the terms “influenza AND (forecast* OR predict*)”, excluding studies that did not validate forecasts against independent data or incorporate influenza-related surveillance data from the season or pandemic for which the forecasts were applied. We included 35 publications describing population-based (N = 27), medical facility-based (N = 4), and regional or global pandemic spread (N = 4) forecasts. They included areas of North America (N = 15), Europe (N = 14), and/or Asia-Pacific region (N = 4), or had global scope (N = 3). Forecasting models were statistical (N = 18) or epidemiological (N = 17). Five studies used data assimilation methods to update forecasts with new surveillance data. Models used virological (N = 14), syndromic (N = 13), meteorological (N = 6), internet search query (N = 4), and/or other surveillance data as inputs. Forecasting outcomes and validation metrics varied widely. Two studies compared distinct modeling approaches using common data, 2 assessed model calibration, and 1 systematically incorporated expert input. Of the 17 studies using epidemiological models, 8 included sensitivity analysis. This review suggests need for use of good practices in influenza forecasting (e.g., sensitivity analysis); direct comparisons of diverse approaches; assessment of model calibration; integration of subjective expert input; operational research in pilot, real-world applications; and improved mutual understanding among modelers and public health officials.
From Principles to Practice: An Embedded Assessment System

In this article, we describe the principles that guided the creation and implementation of a system of embedded assessments-the so-called BEAR (Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research) Assessment System. The assessment system was developed in the context of a specific curriculum in issues-oriented science for the middle grades but is designed generically to address the implementation of those principles. The assessment system builds on methodological advances in alternative assessment techniques and attempts to address salient issues in the integration of alternative assessment into the classroom teaching and learning context. The 4 principles are described, and we discuss how the application of these principles generates the component parts of the system and determines how the component parts work together. The use of teacher moderation to integrate the parts of the system in school and classroom is also discussed.
Governança Corporativa e Evidenciação de Capital Intelectual em Empresas Brasileiras

O aumento da competitividade levou grandes corporacoes a buscarem estrategias eficientes de governanca corporativa. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar as relacoes entre atributos internos de governanca corporativa e a evidenciacao voluntaria do capital intelectual. Metodologicamente se trata de uma pesquisa descritiva do tipo documental. Os dados foram coletados de forma secundaria por meio dos Relatorios da Administracao e Demonstrativos Financeiros referentes ao exercicio social de 2012, de 114 empresas pertencentes ao segmento Novo Mercado da BM&FBOVESPA. A pesquisa analisou os aspectos de governanca corporativa abordados por Hidalgo, Garcia-Meca e Martinez (2011) e utilizou como variavel dependente o indice de evidenciacao de capital intelectual desenvolvido a partir do trabalho de Macambanni et al (2012). Os testes de Kruskal-Wallis e de Mann-Whitney foram utilizados para verificar as tendencias das variaveis dependentes, metricas ou dummies em relacao aos quartis da variavel independente. Para testar o efeito das variaveis de governanca sobre a evidenciacao do capital intelectual, utilizou-se a regressao linear multipla modelada automaticamente pelo SPSS. Os resultados apontam que, entre as oito variaveis testadas, apenas cinco foram inseridas no modelo: concentracao de propriedade, tamanho do comite de auditoria, tamanho do conselho de administracao, participacao institucional e proporcao de membros independentes no conselho. A concentracao de propriedade e o tamanho do comite de auditoria apresentaram resultados significativos em todas as tecnicas de analise utilizadas, sendo a concentracao de propriedade a variavel com maior poder de explicacao sobre a evidenciacao voluntaria do capital intelectual. Ja em relacao ao tamanho do comite de auditoria, a relacao e direta e o nivel de evidenciacao aumenta com o aumento do tamanho do comite. Estes resultados apresentam coerencia, pois sinalizam para o mercado a ausencia da influencia de determinados grupos de acionistas sobre as acoes da gestao.
Do hassles and uplifts change with age? Longitudinal findings from the VA normative aging study.

To examine emotion regulation in later life, we contrasted the modified hedonic treadmill theory with developmental theories, using hassles and uplifts to assess emotion regulation in context. The sample was 1,315 men from the VA Normative Aging Study aged 53 to 85 years, who completed 3,894 observations between 1989 and 2004. We computed 3 scores for both hassles and uplifts: intensity (ratings reflecting appraisal processes), exposure (count), and summary (total) scores. Growth curves over age showed marked differences in trajectory patterns for intensity and exposure scores. Although exposure to hassles and uplifts decreased in later life, intensity scores increased. Group-based modeling showed individual differences in patterns of hassles and uplifts intensity and exposure, with relative stability in uplifts intensity, normative nonlinear changes in hassles intensity, and complex patterns of individual differences in exposure for both hassles and uplifts. Analyses with the summary scores showed that emotion regulation in later life is a function of both developmental change and contextual exposure, with different patterns emerging for hassles and uplifts. Thus, support was found for both hedonic treadmill and developmental change theories, reflecting different aspects of emotion regulation in late life.
NFVnice: Dynamic Backpressure and Scheduling for NFV Service Chains

Managing Network Function (NF) service chains requires careful system resource management. We propose NFVnice, a user space NF scheduling and service chain management framework to provide fair, efficient and dynamic resource scheduling capabilities on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) platforms. The NFVnice framework monitors load on a service chain at high frequency (1000Hz) and employs backpressure to shed load early in the service chain, thereby preventing wasted work. Borrowing concepts such as rate proportional scheduling from hardware packet schedulers, CPU shares are computed by accounting for heterogeneous packet processing costs of NFs, I/O, and traffic arrival characteristics. By leveraging cgroups, a user space process scheduling abstraction exposed by the operating system, NFVnice is capable of controlling when network functions should be scheduled. NFVnice improves NF performance by complementing the capabilities of the OS scheduler but without requiring changes to the OS’s scheduling mechanisms. Our controlled experiments show that NFVnice provides the appropriate rate-cost proportional fair share of CPU to NFs and significantly improves NF performance (throughput and latency) by reducing wasted work across an NF chain, compared to using the default OS scheduler. NFVnice achieves this even for heterogeneous NFs with vastly different computational costs and for heterogeneous workloads.
A method for estimating cost savings for population health management programs.

OBJECTIVE To develop a quasi-experimental method for estimating Population Health Management (PHM) program savings that mitigates common sources of confounding, supports regular updates for continued program monitoring, and estimates model precision. DATA SOURCES Administrative, program, and claims records from January 2005 through June 2009. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Data are aggregated by member and month. STUDY DESIGN Study participants include chronically ill adult commercial health plan members. The intervention group consists of members currently enrolled in PHM, stratified by intensity level. Comparison groups include (1) members never enrolled, and (2) PHM participants not currently enrolled. Mixed model smoothing is employed to regress monthly medical costs on time (in months), a history of PHM enrollment, and monthly program enrollment by intensity level. Comparison group trends are used to estimate expected costs for intervention members. Savings are realized when PHM participants' costs are lower than expected. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This method mitigates many of the limitations faced using traditional pre-post models for estimating PHM savings in an observational setting, supports replication for ongoing monitoring, and performs basic statistical inference. CONCLUSION This method provides payers with a confident basis for making investment decisions.
Findings of graft biopsy specimens within 90 days after ABO blood group incompatible living donor kidney transplantation compared with ABO‐identical and non‐identical transplantation

Ushigome H, Okamoto M, Koshino K, Nobori S, Okajima H, Masuzawa N, Urasaki K, Yoshimura N. Findings of graft biopsy specimens within 90 days after ABO blood group incompatible living donor kidney transplantation compared with ABO‐identical and non‐identical transplantation. Clin Transplant 2010: 24 (Suppl. 22): 16–21. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Influence of Typhoon Matsa on Phytoplankton Chlorophyll-a off East China

Typhoons can cause strong disturbance, mixing, and upwelling in the upper layer of the oceans. Rich nutrients from the subsurface layer can be brought to the euphotic layer, which will induce the phytoplankton to breed and grow rapidly. In this paper, we investigate the impact of an intense and fast moving tropical storm, Typhoon Matsa, on phytoplankton chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration off East China. By using satellite remote sensing data, we analyze the changes of Chl-a concentration, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and wind speed in the pre- and post-typhoon periods. We also give a preliminary discussion on the different responses of the Chl-a concentration between nearshore and offshore waters. In nearshore/coastal regions where nutrients are generally rich, the Chl-a maximum occurs usually at the surface or at the layer close to the surface. And, in offshore tropical oligotrophic oceans, the subsurface maxima of Chl-a exist usually in the stratified water column. In an offshore area east of Taiwan, the Chl-a concentration rose gradually in about two weeks after the typhoon. However, in a coastal area north of Taiwan high Chl-a concentration decreased sharply before landfall, rebounded quickly to some degree after landfall, and restored gradually to the pre-typhoon level in about two weeks. The Chl-a concentration presented a negative correlation with the wind speed in the nearshore area during the typhoon, which is opposite to the response in the offshore waters. The phenomena may be attributable to onshore advection of low Chl-a water, coastal downwelling and intensified mixing, which together bring pre-typhoon surface Chl-a downward in the coastal area. In the offshore area, the typhoon may trigger increase of Chl-a concentration through uptake of nutrients by typhoon-induced upwelling and entrainment mixing.
A semi-Markov model for stroke with piecewise-constant hazards in the presence of left, right and interval censoring

This paper presents a parametric method of fitting semi‐Markov models with piecewise‐constant hazards in the presence of left, right and interval censoring. We investigate transition intensities in a three‐state illness–death model with no recovery. We relax the Markov assumption by adjusting the intensity for the transition from state 2 (illness) to state 3 (death) for the time spent in state 2 through a time‐varying covariate. This involves the exact time of the transition from state 1 (healthy) to state 2. When the data are subject to left or interval censoring, this time is unknown. In the estimation of the likelihood, we take into account interval censoring by integrating out all possible times for the transition from state 1 to state 2. For left censoring, we use an Expectation–Maximisation inspired algorithm. A simulation study reflects the performance of the method. The proposed combination of statistical procedures provides great flexibility. We illustrate the method in an application by using data on stroke onset for the older population from the UK Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TGF-β1, bone metabolism, osteoprotegerin, and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand in girls with anorexia nervosa.

INTRODUCTION Numerous investigations, and especially in vitro studies, indicate that TGF-β1 may act as an important regulator of bone remodelling. Thus, it could be expected that disturbances of this cytokine production observed by several researchers might play a role in the mechanism leading to the development of osteoporosis in girls with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of the study was to determine whether 1) girls with AN exhibited a relationship between TGF-β1 and bone metabolism (as assessed based on serum OC and CTx concentrations) and 2) whether OPG and sRANKL might modify the possible relationship between TGF-β1 and bone metabolism. MATERIAL AND METHODS Serum concentrations of TGF-β, OC, CTx, OPG, and its soluble ligand sRANKL were determined by ELISA in 60 girls with AN and in 20 healthy controls (C). All study participants were aged 13 to 17 years. RESULTS Body weight, BMI, BMI-SDS and the Cole index, serum TGF-β1, OC, CTx, and the OPG/sRANKL ratio were significantly reduced, while OPG and sRANKL levels were significantly increased, in girls with AN compared to healthy participants. BMI and the Cole index correlated negatively and significantly with serum CTx and OPG (AN group) or CTx only (groups C and C + AN). Girls with AN showed a positive and significant correlation between the Cole index and serum TGF-β1. The combination group (C + AN) showed a positive and significant correlation between BMI, the Cole index, and the OPG/sRANKL ratio and TGF-β1 concentration, while TGF-β1 correlated positively and significantly with OC concentrations and the OPG/sRANKL ratio. The Cole index and BMI were identified to be significant and independent predictors of CTx (C, AN, and C+AN groups) and OPG (AN group); the Cole index, BMI, and TGF-β1 independently predicted the OPG/sRANKL ratio (C, AN, and C + AN groups); TGF-β1 was found to be an independent predictor of OC (C + AN group). CONCLUSIONS Changes in bone markers, OPG, and/or OPG/sRANKL ratio observed in girls with AN are associated with changes in serum TGF-β1 concentrations. TGF-β1 suppression in girls with AN might lead to disturbances in the relationship between bone metabolism and the OPG/sRANKL system, which, in turn, might compromise the mechanism compensating for bone remodelling disturbances. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (5): 493-500).
Homologs of the yeast Tvp38 vesicle-associated protein are conserved in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria

Vesicle transfer processes in eukaryotes depend on specific proteins, which mediate the selective packing of cargo molecules for subsequent release out of the cells after vesicle fusion to the plasma membrane. The protein Tvp38 is conserved in yeasts and higher eukaryotes and potentially involved in vesicle transfer processes at the Golgi membrane. Members of the so-called “SNARE-associated proteins of the Tvp38-family” have also been identified in prokaryotes and those belong to the DedA protein family. Tvp38/DedA proteins are also conserved in cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. While only a single member of this family appears to be present in chloroplasts, cyanobacterial genomes typically encode multiple homologous proteins. Mainly based on our understanding of the DedA-homologous proteins of Escherichia coli, it appears likely that the function of these proteins in chloroplast and cyanobacteria involves stabilizing and organizing the structure of internal membrane systems.
Cellular Response to Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Induces Secretion of Defensin α-1, Which Damages the Flagellum, Neutralizes Trypanosome Motility, and Inhibits Infection

ABSTRACT Human defensins play a fundamental role in the initiation of innate immune responses to some microbial pathogens. Here we show that colonic epithelial model HCT116 cells respond to Trypanosoma cruzi infection by secreting defensin α-1, which reduces infection. We also report the early effects of defensin α-1 on invasive trypomastigotes that involve damage of the flagellar structure to inhibit parasite motility and reduce cellular infection. Short exposure of defensin α-1 to trypomastigotes shows that defensin α-1 binds to the flagellum, resulting in flagellar membrane and axoneme alterations, followed by breaking of the flagellar membrane connected to the trypanosome body, leading to detachment and release of the parasite flagellum. In addition, defensin α-1 induces a significant reduction in parasite motility in a peptide concentration-dependent manner, which is abrogated by anti-defensin α-1 IgG. Preincubation of trypomastigotes with a concentration of defensin α-1 that inhibits 50% trypanosome motility significantly reduced cellular infection by 80%. Thus, human defensin α-1 is an innate immune molecule that is secreted by HCT116 cells in response to T. cruzi infection, inhibits T. cruzi motility, and plays an important role in reducing cellular infection. This is the first report showing a novel cellular innate immune response to a human parasite by secretion of defensin α-1, which neutralizes the motility of a human parasite to reduce cellular infection. The mode of activity of human defensin α-1 against T. cruzi and its function may provide insights for the development of new antiparasitic strategies.
Aerodynamic and Acoustic Parameters in CO2 Laser Posterior Transverse Cordotomy for Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

The aim of this prospective study was to analyse airway improvement and acoustic and aerodynamic parameters after CO2 laser posterior transverse cordotomy (LPTC) in bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP). Four patients (2 males, 2 females) were recorded pre- and post-operatively at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Forced inspiratory volume during the first second (FIV), vital capacity, peakflow, and forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV) were measured with the Gould II spirometer. Acoustic frequency features (average fundamental frequency, standard deviation, jitter, shimmer and harmonic-to-noise ratio) and speech duration parameters (maximum phonation time, number of words read per minute, and number of words per breath) were measured. Aerodynamic parameters were measured with the Aerophone II. Three tasks were completed. Pneumo-phonatory parameters in ? maximum sustained phonation? and in ? comfortable phonation? , and laryngeal aerodynamic parameters (intraoral air pressure, oral airflow and sound pressure level) were measured non-invasively. Glottal resistance and vocal efficiency were calculated. FIV increased significantly after LPTC (p=0.01). Postoperatively, frequency features were undetectable by standard commercialized algorithms. Acoustic and aerodynamic parameters improved in the measures obtained at the 6th postoperative month. These results were stable 2 years postoperatively in all cases. We conclude that laryngeal aerodynamic parameters can be used objectively to follow patients longitudinally after LPTC.
Characteristics of Students Placed in Special Programs for the Seriously Emotionally Disturbed

Subjects studied were 249 seriously emotionally disturbed students (204 boys, 45 girls) ranging in age from 7 to 19 years. Data included 10. teacher's estimate of academic performance in core academic areas, amount of time spent in regular classes or other educational placements, and scores on the Quay-Peterson Behavior Problem Checklist. The sample was below average in IQ and estimated academic achievement. Approximately one-half of the sample were placed for part of the day in regular classes. Those with higher IQs tended to be placed more often in mainstream settings, but academic achievement estimates and type of behavior problem were not clearly related to placement. IQ and academic achievement estimates were significantly related, but IQ was predictive of neither the amount nor the kind of problem behavior. However, BPC factor score was related to estimated reading achievement, poor reading performance was related to high scores on Conduct Disorder and Socialized Delinquency, and high estimated academic performance was related to Personality Problem and Inadequacy-Immaturity. Implications of the findings for prevalence estimates and composition of special education programs for seriously emotionally disturbed students are discussed.
A System for Video Surveillance and Monitoring

Under the three-year Video Surveillance and Monitoring (VSAM) project (1997‐1999), the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Sarnoff Corporation developed a system for autonomous Video Surveillance and Monitoring. The technical approach uses multiple, cooperative video sensors to provide continuous coverage of people and vehicles in a cluttered environment. This final report presents an overview of the system, and of the technical accomplishments that have been achieved.
Angiotensinogen M235T Associated With Mitral Valve Prolapse in Young Han Chinese Male

Background:A potential role for the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been reported. The RAS genes are good candidates for evaluating the association with MVP. The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene has an important role in RAS and was shown to be related to MVP. However, no study on the association of AGT M235T in men with MVP has been reported. In this article, we investigated the potential role of AGT M235T polymorphism in men with MVP. Methods:Seventy-one unrelated study subjects with MVP, 236 control subjects (matched with respect to age and sex), and 178 community subjects from southern Taiwan were included in this study. All participants were male Han Chinese population. All cases fulfilled the criteria of MVP and the new echocardiographic criteria for MVP. The AGT M235T polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism. Results:There was a statistically significant difference in the M235 allelic frequency between MVP study subjects and control subjects (&khgr;2 = 4.390; P = 0.036). The &khgr;2 test for trend also showed that the MM genotype frequency had a statistically significant increase with MVP study subjects (&khgr;2 = 4.339; P = 0.037). Conclusions:The results suggest a significant association between MM genotype of AGT M235T polymorphism and MVP in men. Therefore, this study indirectly supports the idea that the polymorphism of AGT M235T should be considered when interpreting and designing genetic studies which underlie differences in blood pressure.