Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Care of Common Medical Conditions in a Managed Care Program for Uninsured Adults

Context: The effects of organized care on management of chronic health conditions in uninsured adults are unknown. Objective: To evaluate the impact of a primary-care-based, managed care pilot program on uninsured adults with asthma, diabetes mellitus, or hypertension at a university hospital. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Main outcome measures: Measures of medical utilization (eg, number of outpatient visits), outcome of care (eg, glycosylated hemoglobin levels) and clinical processes (eg, peak flow monitoring) were examined for a cohort of previously uninsured adults who had asthma, diabetes mellitus, or hypertension and who received care in the pilot program compared with matched cohorts of adult Medicaid patients and continually uninsured adults. Results: Only 17.1% of patients who had a study condition maintained the same payer and were seen in the university hospital system during both study periods; because these were all criteria for inclusion in this study, sample sizes were small. Primary care visits for enrollees in the managed care program increased significantly across all conditions, by 1.5 to 3.1 visits per capita (p < 0.0001). Few statistically significant differences were present in process or outcome measures. Conclusions: More intensive enrollment efforts or a longer enrollment period may be necessary to statistically support improved quality of care for uninsured adults in a primary-care-based, managed care program. High mobility and frequent changes in insurance status are critical barriers to improving care for this population.
Conservative solutions to the black hole information problem

We propose a novel scheme to classify the different options for resolution of the black hole loss of information problem that is independent of the details of the underlying theory of quantum gravity. We distinguish first between radical options, which require a quantum theory of gravity which has large deviations from semiclassical physics on macroscopic scales, such as nonlocality or endowing horizons with special properties not seen in the semiclassical approximation, and conservative options, which do not need such help. Among the conservative options, we conclude that restoring unitary evolution relies on elimination of singularities. We argue that this should hold also in the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theories correspondence.
Visual Receptive Field Structure of Cortical Inhibitory Neurons Revealed by Two-Photon Imaging Guided Recording

Synaptic inhibition plays an important role in shaping receptive field (RF) properties in the visual cortex. However, the underlying mechanisms remain not well understood, partly because of difficulties in systematically studying functional properties of cortical inhibitory neurons in vivo. Here, we established two-photon imaging guided cell-attached recordings from genetically labeled inhibitory neurons and nearby “shadowed” excitatory neurons in the primary visual cortex of adult mice. Our results revealed that in layer 2/3, the majority of excitatory neurons exhibited both On and Off spike subfields, with their spatial arrangement varying from being completely segregated to overlapped. In contrast, most layer 4 excitatory neurons exhibited only one discernable subfield. Interestingly, no RF structure with significantly segregated On and Off subfields was observed for layer 2/3 inhibitory neurons of either the fast-spike or regular-spike type. They predominantly possessed overlapped On and Off subfields with a significantly larger size than the excitatory neurons and exhibited much weaker orientation tuning. These results from the mouse visual cortex suggest that different from the push-pull model proposed for simple cells, layer 2/3 simple-type neurons with segregated spike On and Off subfields likely receive spatially overlapped inhibitory On and Off inputs. We propose that the phase-insensitive inhibition can enhance the spatial distinctiveness of On and Off subfields through a gain control mechanism.
Review complementary and integrative interventions for cancer-related cognitive changes

Cognitive sequelae from a diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent treatment impact survivors′ quality of life and can interfere with both social relationships and employment. The search for evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies continues for both central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS cancer-related cognitive changes. Complementary therapies in conjunction with conventional medicine are being included in integrative programs designed to maximize symptom management in cancer treatment centers providing survivorship care. The purpose of this article is to review the existing evidence for the use of complementary and integrative interventions to prevent or treat cancer-related cognitive changes and to discuss the rationale for current and future research. Search terminology included: Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine, cognition, cognitive function, and cancer, and yielded 20 studies that met criteria for inclusion. Preliminary results published to date indicate that some complementary therapies may be beneficial to cancer survivors experiencing cognitive concerns. A number of gaps in the literature remain primarily due to preliminary study designs, small sample sizes, lack of objective cognitive testing, and cognitive function not being a primary endpoint for much of the published work.
Adult Approaches to Learning and Associated Talents.

The aim of this research is to systematically categorize terms describing the means used by talented individuals to develop and maintain their skills in relation to nine talents. One hundred and fourteen participants provided terms describing the acquisition and maintenance of talent in reference to nine talents, during a structured interview. The terms were ordered into seven categories of approaches to learning. The seven categories comprise: effort, understanding, interest, natural ability, performance, pre-occupation and ease. The results show that effort, natural ability, and performance contributed to the acquisition and maintenance of different talents. Males indicated that the acquisition and maintenance of the nine talents were associated more with understanding and performance while women identified more with natural ability in the development and maintenance of talents.
The Greek Model of the European System of Central Banks Multi-Country Model

The present paper presents a quarterly econometric model for the Greek economy, the GR-MCM model. The model has been developed as part of a larger project within the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), the Multi-Country Model (MCM). The model combines short-run Keynesian dynamics determined by demand with a neoclassical steady state driven by supply factors. A well-specified long-run supply side is fully and simultaneously estimated. As far as the econometric methodology is concerned, the equilibrium relationships are estimated using cointegration analysis, whereas the dynamic equations are specified as error correction models. Standard simulations result in plausible short to long-run responses to exogenous shocks, thus indicating that the model can be useful for policy analysis experiments.
The Positive Commandments: Ten Ways the Community Colleges Help Students Succeed.

This paper relies on data collected through the TRUCCS (Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students) Project, a 3-year, longitudinal and comprehensive study of the goals, success, and academic patterns of 5,000 Community College students in urban Los Angeles. Researchers collected qualitative data on issues relating to student success through focus groups and developed a list of 10 distinct behaviors or procedures that may facilitate student success at the community college level: (1) encourage faculty-student interaction; (2) offer affordable education together with multiple forms of financial aid; (3) offer flexibility in course times and offerings to suit student demand; (4) maintain accessible and up-to-date transfer information centers; (5) hire and retain faculty who are experts in their discipline; (6) promote student study skills and academic preparation through on-campus assistance with writing, computer skills, and learning resources; (7) provide sufficient technology and/or computer access for all students; (8) provide campuses in key locations so students can attend classes locally; (9) incorporate work-study programs so students can work and study in one place; and (10) expose students to diverse career paths and employment opportunities through career days, fairs, and career counseling. (RC) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Positive Commandments Hagedom U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. THE POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS: TEN WAYS THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Risk Factors for Overweight and Obesity among Thai Adults: Results of the National Thai Food Consumption Survey

We evaluated the associations between overweight and obesity and socio-economic status (SES), behavioral factors, and dietary intake in Thai adults. A nationally representative sample of 6,445 Thais adults (18-70 years) was surveyed during 2004-2005. Information including demographics, SES characteristics, dietary intake, and anthropometrics were obtained. Overall, 35.0% of men, and 44.9% of women were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2) using the Asian cut-points. Regression models demonstrated that age was positively associated with being overweight in both genders. In gender-stratified analyses, male respondents who were older, lived in urban areas, had higher annual household income, and did not smoke were more likely to be classified as overweight and obese. Women who were older, had higher education, were not in a marriage-like relationship and were in semi-professional occupation were at greater risk for being overweight and obese. High carbohydrate and protein intake were found to be positively associated with BMI whereas the frequent use of dairy foods was found to be negatively associated with BMI among men. The present study found that SES factors are associated with being classified as overweight and obese in Thai adults, but associations were different between genders. Health promotion strategies regarding obesity and its related co-morbidity are necessary.
Shrub canopies influence soil temperatures but not nutrient dynamics: An experimental test of tundra snow–shrub interactions

Shrubs are the largest plant life form in tundra ecosystems; therefore, any changes in the abundance of shrubs will feedback to influence biodiversity, ecosystem function, and climate. The snow–shrub hypothesis asserts that shrub canopies trap snow and insulate soils in winter, increasing the rates of nutrient cycling to create a positive feedback to shrub expansion. However, previous work has not been able to separate the abiotic from the biotic influences of shrub canopies. We conducted a 3-year factorial experiment to determine the influences of canopies on soil temperatures and nutrient cycling parameters by removing ∼0.5 m high willow (Salix spp.) and birch (Betula glandulosa) shrubs, creating artificial shrub canopies and comparing these manipulations to nearby open tundra and shrub patches. Soil temperatures were 4–5°C warmer in January, and 2°C cooler in July under shrub cover. Natural shrub plots had 14–33 cm more snow in January than adjacent open tundra plots. Snow cover and soil temperatures were similar in the manipulated plots when compared with the respective unmanipulated treatments, indicating that shrub canopy cover was a dominant factor influencing the soil thermal regime. Conversely, we found no strong evidence of increased soil decomposition, CO2 fluxes, or nitrate or ammonia adsorbtion under artificial shrub canopy treatments when compared with unmanipulated open tundra. Our results suggest that the abiotic influences of shrub canopy cover alone on nutrient dynamics are weaker than previously asserted.
Effects of sampling context on spontaneous expressive language in males with fragile X syndrome or Down syndrome.

PURPOSE In this study, the authors examined the impact of sampling context on multiple aspects of expressive language in male participants with fragile X syndrome in comparison to male participants with Down syndrome or typical development. METHOD Participants with fragile X syndrome ( n = 27), ages 10-17 years, were matched groupwise on nonverbal mental age to adolescents with Down syndrome ( n = 15) and typically developing 3- to 6-year-olds ( n = 15). Language sampling contexts were an interview-style conversation and narration of a wordless book, with scripted examiner behavior. Language was assessed in terms of amount of talk, mean length of communication unit (MLCU), lexical diversity, fluency, and intelligibility. RESULTS Participants with fragile X syndrome had lower MLCU and lexical diversity than did participants with typical development. Participants with Down syndrome produced yet lower MLCU. A differential effect of context among those with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and typical development emerged for the number of attempts per minute, MLCU, and fluency. For participants with fragile X syndrome, autism symptom severity related to the number of utterances produced in conversation. Aspects of examiner behavior related to participant performance. CONCLUSION Sampling context characteristics should be considered when assessing expressive language in individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Online Registration of Dynamic Scenes using Video Extrapolation

An online process is proposed for video registration of dynamic scenes, such as scenes with dynamic textures or with moving objects. This process has three steps: (i) A few frames are assumed to be already registered. (ii) Using the registered frames, the next new frame is extrapolated. (iii) The actual new frame is registered to the extrapolated frame. Video extrapolation overcomes the bias introduced by dynamics in the scene, even when the dynamic regions cover almost the entire image. It can also overcome not only motion, but also many fluctuations in intensity. The traditional “brightness constancy” is now replaced with “dynamics constancy”.
Manipulations in Two-Agent Sequential Allocation with Random Sequences

Sequential allocation is one of the most fundamental models for allocating indivisible items to agents in a decentralized manner, in which agents sequentially pick their favorite items among the remainder based on a pre-defined priority ordering of agents (a sequence). In recent years, algorithmic issues about agents' manipulations have also been investigated, such as the computational complexity of verifying whether a given bundle of items is achievable and maximizing one's utility under a given additive utility function. In this paper we consider a slightly modified model, where the selection process is divided into rounds, each agent obtains exactly one item in each round, and the sequence per round is determined uniformly at random. It is natural to expect that finding a profitable manipulation is difficult even for the case of two agents, since a manipulator must consider exponentially many possible sequences with respect to the number of rounds due to randomization. To our surprise, however, an optimal manipulation can be computed without any exploration for exponentially decaying utilities. Furthermore, for general additive utilities, although some exploration is required, it can still be done in polynomial time with respect to the number of rounds.
Evaluation and context for in-car speech systems for older adults

Listeners to speech based information systems attribute qualities to voices which will make them receptive, or otherwise, to the information. This paper looks at the value of laboratory-based usability testing on voices for an in-car speech messaging system. It compares results concerning the users' perception of voice, in particular source credibility, performed first on voices presented out of context in a laboratory setting and then the same voices embedded in an in-car system in a driving simulator. In the case of older adults the results are significantly different raising issues of context and value in usability testing for this group.
Desperately seeking the audience

Millions of people all over the world are avid members of the television audience. Yet, despite the central place television occupies in contemporary culture, our understanding of its complex and dynamic role in everyday life remains surprisingly limited. Focusing on the television audience, Ien Ang asks why we understand so little about its nature, and argues that our ignorance arises directly out of the biases inherent in prevailing official knowledge about it. She sets out to deconstruct the assumptions of this official knowledge by exploring the territory where it is mainly produced - the television institutions. Ang draws on Foucault's theory of power/knowledge to scrutinize television's desperate search for the audience, and to identify differences and similarities in the approaches of American commercial television and European public service television to their audiences. She looks carefully at recent developments in the field of ratings research, in particular the controversial introduction of the 'people meter' as an instrument for measuring the television audience. By defining the limits and limitations of these institutional procedures of knowledge production, Ien Ang opens up new avenues for understanding television audiences. Her ethnographic perspective on the television audience gives new insights into our television culture, with the audience seen not as an object to be controlled, but as an active social subject, engaging with television in a variety of cultural and creative ways.
SV2 Mediates Entry of Tetanus Neurotoxin into Central Neurons

Tetanus neurotoxin causes the disease tetanus, which is characterized by rigid paralysis. The toxin acts by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters from inhibitory neurons in the spinal cord that innervate motor neurons and is unique among the clostridial neurotoxins due to its ability to shuttle from the periphery to the central nervous system. Tetanus neurotoxin is thought to interact with a high affinity receptor complex that is composed of lipid and protein components; however, the identity of the protein receptor remains elusive. In the current study, we demonstrate that toxin binding, to dissociated hippocampal and spinal cord neurons, is greatly enhanced by driving synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Moreover, tetanus neurotoxin entry and subsequent cleavage of synaptobrevin II, the substrate for this toxin, was also dependent on synaptic vesicle recycling. Next, we identified the potential synaptic vesicle binding protein for the toxin and found that it corresponded to SV2; tetanus neurotoxin was unable to cleave synaptobrevin II in SV2 knockout neurons. Toxin entry into knockout neurons was rescued by infecting with viruses that express SV2A or SV2B. Tetanus toxin elicited the hyper excitability in dissociated spinal cord neurons - due to preferential loss of inhibitory transmission - that is characteristic of the disease. Surprisingly, in dissociated cortical cultures, low concentrations of the toxin preferentially acted on excitatory neurons. Further examination of the distribution of SV2A and SV2B in both spinal cord and cortical neurons revealed that SV2B is to a large extent localized to excitatory terminals, while SV2A is localized to inhibitory terminals. Therefore, the distinct effects of tetanus toxin on cortical and spinal cord neurons are not due to differential expression of SV2 isoforms. In summary, the findings reported here indicate that SV2A and SV2B mediate binding and entry of tetanus neurotoxin into central neurons.
System Failure Prediction through Rare-Events Elastic-Net Logistic Regression

Predicting failures in a distributed system based on previous events through logistic regression is a standard approach in literature. This technique is not reliable, though, in two situations: in the prediction of rare events, which do not appear in enough proportion for the algorithm to capture, and in environments where there are too many variables, as logistic regression tends to over fit on this situations, while manually selecting a subset of variables to create the model is error-prone. On this paper, we solve an industrial research case that presented this situation with a combination of elastic net logistic regression, a method that allows us to automatically select useful variables, a process of cross-validation on top of it and the application of a rare events prediction technique to reduce computation time. This process provides two layers of cross-validation that automatically obtain the optimal model complexity and the optimal model parameters values, while ensuring even rare events will be correctly predicted with a low amount of training instances. We tested this method against real industrial data, obtaining a total of 60 out of 80 possible models with a 90% average model accuracy.
Generalization Mediates Sensitivity to Complex Odor Features in the Honeybee

Animals use odors as signals for mate, kin, and food recognition, a strategy which appears ubiquitous and successful despite the high intrinsic variability of naturally-occurring odor quantities. Stimulus generalization, or the ability to decide that two objects, though readily distinguishable, are similar enough to afford the same consequence [1], could help animals adjust to variation in odor signals without losing sensitivity to key inter-stimulus differences. The present study was designed to investigate whether an animal's ability to generalize learned associations to novel odors can be influenced by the nature of the associated outcome. We use a classical conditioning paradigm for studying olfactory learning in honeybees [2] to show that honeybees conditioned on either a fixed- or variable-proportion binary odor mixture generalize learned responses to novel proportions of the same mixture even when inter-odor differences are substantial. We also show that the resulting olfactory generalization gradients depend critically on both the nature of the stimulus-reward paradigm and the intrinsic variability of the conditioned stimulus. The reward dependency we observe must be cognitive rather than perceptual in nature, and we argue that outcome-dependent generalization is necessary for maintaining sensitivity to inter-odor differences in complex olfactory scenes.
Frequency-dissymmetric parametric sideband generation in a microstructured fiber

We experimentally demonstrate the nonlinear generation of frequency-dissymmetric sidebands by injecting picosecond pump pulses inside the fundamental mode of a silica-core photonic crystal fiber in its normal dispersion regime. A systematic analysis highlights the fact that this phenomenon is based on the combination of the two major nonlinear effects occurring inside the fiber: self-phase modulation and degenerate four-wave mixing.