Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone mineral density and fractures in antiretroviral-naive persons randomized to receive abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-emtricitabine along with efavirenz or atazanavir-ritonavir: Aids Clinical Trials Group A5224s, a substudy of ACTG A5202.

BACKGROUND Long-term effects of abacavir (ABC)-lamivudine (3TC), compared with tenofovir (TDF)-emtricitabine (FTC) with efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir plus ritonavir (ATV/r), on bone mineral density (BMD) have not been analyzed. METHODS A5224s was a substudy of A5202, in which HIV-infected treatment-naive participants were randomized and blinded to receive ABC-3TC or TDF-FTC with open-label EFV or ATV/r. Primary bone end points included Dual-emission X-ray absorbtiometry (DXA)-measured percent changes in spine and hip BMD at week 96. Primary analyses were intent-to-treat. Statistical tests used the factorial design and included linear regression, 2-sample t, log-rank, and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS Two hundred sixty-nine persons randomized to 4 arms of ABC-3TC or TDF-FTC with EFV or ATV/r. At baseline, 85% were male, and 47% were white non-Hispanic; the median HIV-1 RNA load was 4.6 log(10) copies/mL, the median age was 38 years, the median weight was 76 kg, and the median CD4 cell count was 233 cells/μL. At week 96, the mean percentage changes from baseline in spine and hip BMD for ABC-3TC versus TDF-FTC were -1.3% and -3.3% (P = .004) and -2.6% and -4.0% (P = .024), respectively; and for EFV versus ATV/r were -1.7% and -3.1% (P = .035) and -3.1% and -3.4% (P = .61), respectively. Bone fracture was observed in 5.6% of participants. The probability of bone fractures and time to first fracture were not different across components. CONCLUSIONS Compared with ABC-3TC, TDF-FTC-treated participants had significantly greater decreases in spine and hip BMD, whereas ATV/r led to more significant losses in spine, but not hip, BMD than EFV. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00118898.
Neural Document Embeddings for Intensive Care Patient Mortality Prediction

We present an automatic mortality prediction scheme based on the unstructured textual content of clinical notes. Proposing a convolutional document embedding approach, our empirical investigation using the MIMIC-III intensive care database shows significant performance gains compared to previously employed methods such as latent topic distributions or generic doc2vec embeddings. These improvements are especially pronounced for the difficult problem of post-discharge mortality prediction.
A GENETICALLY-INFORMED STUDY OF THE PREDICTORS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DELINQUENCY

OF DISSERTATION A GENETICALLY-INFORMED STUDY OF THE PREDICTORS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DELINQUENCY Although the rates of delinquent behavior have been decreasing since the 1990s, adolescent delinquent behavior continues to take a great toll on society as well as on perpetrators themselves. In this way, it is essential to understand the process of delinquency development. The current dissertation is comprised of three studies that analyzed the predictors and the development of delinquency using genetically-informed designs. The sample used for all studies comes from the Add Health dataset, a nationallyrepresentative data on adolescents followed across 14 years. The first study modeled the longitudinal development of delinquency in three adolescent cohorts: early, middle, and late adolescence. The results showed significant heritability effects on delinquency, with varying estimates across cohorts. The longitudinal stability of delinquency was mostly driven by heritability, while changes were affected by nonshared environmental influences. The second study tested the GxE interaction between two dopaminergic polymorphisms (DRD4 7-repeat allele and DRD2 A1 allele) and parenting, operationalized by child abuse on the one negative extreme and maternal closeness on the other, in longitudinally predicting delinquent behaviors. Main effects of maternal closeness and childhood abuse on later delinquency were found. On the other hand, no significant interaction of DRD2 or DRD4 polymorphisms with either maternal closeness or childhood abuse were observed. The third study used a twin design to test whether neighborhood disadvantage has a genetic component and whether this might be explained by an individual’s IQ and selfcontrol. The results showed substantial heritability of the neighborhoods the individuals moved into as adults. This was partly explained by IQ, as adolescents’ IQ predicted neighborhood disadvantage 14 years later.
Sensory perception metaphors in sign languages

In this chapter, we explore perceptual metaphors across a convenience sample of data from 24 sign languages. To do this, the chapter uses the framework of Sign Language Typology, the systematic comparative study of grammatical/semantic domains across sign languages (Zeshan & Palfreyman, 2017). Sign languages differ from spoken languages due to iconic mapping, that is, the tendency for signs of perception to be articulated at/near the sense organs. This is the basis for two types of signs: those with double-stage metaphors have literal and metaphorical lexical meanings, while those with single-stage metaphors lack literal lexical meanings of perception and instead rely on sublexical iconicity. We cover cross-linguistic patterns of metaphorical extensions of meaning in these signs, and the grammaticalisation of a class of prefixes that are associated with sensory perception.
Characterizing and improving the use of demand-fetched caches in GPUs

Initially introduced as special-purpose accelerators for games and graphics code, graphics processing units (GPUs) have emerged as widely-used high-performance parallel computing platforms. GPUs traditionally provided only software-managed local memories (or scratchpads) instead of demand-fetched caches. Increasingly, however, GPUs are being used in broader application domains where memory access patterns are both harder to analyze and harder to manage in software-controlled caches. In response, GPU vendors have included sizable demand-fetched caches in recent chip designs. Nonetheless, several problems remain. First, since these hardware caches are quite new and highly-configurable, it can be difficult to know when and how to use them; they sometimes degrade performance instead of improving it. Second, since GPU programming is quite distinct from general-purpose programming, application programmers do not yet have solid intuition about which memory reference patterns are amenable to demand-fetched caches. In response, this paper characterizes application performance on GPUs with caches and provides a taxonomy for reasoning about different types of access patterns and locality. Based on this taxonomy, we present an algorithm which can be automated and applied at compile-time to identify an application's memory access patterns and to use that information to intelligently configure cache usage to improve application performance. Experiments on real GPU systems show that our algorithm reliably predicts when GPU caches will help or hurt performance. Compared to always passively turning caches on, our method can increase the average benefit of caches from 5.8% to 18.0% for applications that have significant performance sensitivity to caching.
The Bright and Dark Side of Staging: Investment Performance and the Varying Motivations of Private Equity Firms

The stepwise allocation of capital from a private equity fund to a portfolio company is known as staging. Theoretical studies assert the importance of staging as a mechanism to manage an investment and to influence its success, but empirical papers are divided as to whether staging has a positive or negative effect on investment performance. We create a unique dataset by merging the Venture Economics and CEPRES* databases. This unique database allows us to measure the influence of staging in financing rounds and exact tranches on investment returns. We are also able to specify an accurate measure of cash-flow based IRR, in contrast to previous studies that were hampered by insufficient data. We analyze 712 matched Private Equity and Venture Capital investments, spanning 1,549 financing rounds and 2,329 precisely dated cash injections during the period from 1979 to 2003. Our results show that during the initial investment phase, the investor uses staging foremost as monitoring instrument to mitigate agency problems and to provide resources that positively influence investment performance. Staging has little impact on return during the maturity phase. However, during the pre-exit phase we find evidence that investment managers face a termination dilemma and do not rigorously use staging as an option to terminate unsuccessful investments at the appropriate time. Rather, they use staging as a turnaround attempt, and partially for window dressing purposes. This kind of motivation behind staging is equivalent to "throwing good money after bad. " The influence of staging on investment returns depends critically on the motivations behind its use.
Effects of Microfinance on Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Growth in Nigeria

This paper investigates the effects of microfinance on micro and small business growth in Nigeria. The objectives are: one, to examine the effects of different loan administration practices (in terms of loan size and tenor) on small business growth criteria. Second, to examine the ability of Microfinance-Banks (MFBs) (given its loan-size and rates of interest charged) towards transforming micro-businesses to formal small scale enterprises. The paper employed panel data and multiple regression analysis to analyze a survey of 502 randomly selected enterprises finance by microfinance banks in Nigeria. We find strong evidence that access to microfinance does not enhance growth of micro and small enterprises in Nigeria. However, other firm level characteristics such as business size and business location, are found to have positive effect on enterprise growth. The paper recommends a recapitalization of the Microfinance banks to enhance their capacity to support small business growth and expansion.
Cerebral activation during multiplication: a functional MR imaging study of number processing.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current models of brain function propose that number processing involves the interaction of different neuronal networks. Our purpose was to use functional MR (fMR) imaging to elucidate the brain regions engaged by multiplication. METHODS Eighteen adults underwent fMR imaging while performing matching, multiplication, and control tasks. For each task, three or four single-digit or low-value double-digit numbers were presented serially followed by a 12-second delay. A target stimulus then appeared and subjects made a judgement by pressing a button box that recorded responses. During the matching task, subjects judged whether the target stimulus matched one of the previous numbers. During the multiplication task, subjects judged whether the target stimulus was the product of the previous numbers. For the control task, the numbers were always zeros, and the subjects responded to a target stimulus that was always four zeros. Composite statistical parametric maps of the time course of activation comparing the control task with the matching and multiplication tasks, respectively, were generated and the significance of signal changes was estimated by randomization of statistical parametric maps. RESULTS The matching and multiplication tasks resulted in activation (P < .005) in the medial superior frontal gyrus; the anterior cingulate gyrus; the intraparietal sulci, bilaterally; the right superior frontal sulcus bilaterally; the middle, inferior and precentral frontal gyri (left greater than right); the left basal ganglia; and the right lateral and inferior occipital gyri. There was a larger area of early activation in the right middle frontal gyrus during the matching task compared with the multiplication task, and there was a longer interval of activation in the left middle frontal gyrus during the multiplication task (10 seconds) than in the matching task (6 seconds). CONCLUSION Multiplication and memory of numbers share an integrated network of brain regions. The left frontal lobe, an area also involved in memory and language processes, appears to play an important role in multiplication.
Frequency domain characterization of a solar cell

The generation of a small signal dynamic model of a solar cell was investigated. As a starting structure the usual one diode large signal dynamic model was used with known parameter values. A simple parallel linear RC circuit was used to represent the model while the element values were put to be functions of the illumination here represented by the photo-current. The element value versus photocurrent dependences were captured by artificial neural networks one per element. Verification of the model was performed by comparisons of the responses of the original nonlinear dynamic model and the linear RC model to a chirp signal of small amplitude.
1 Collective Contests for Commons and Club Goods

This paper focuses on collective contests for commons and club goods. Our main objective is to examine in this context the effect of group size on its performance. The main results specify conditions for the existence (non-existence) of the group-size paradox, namely, the situation where a larger group is less (more) effective in pursuing its interest because of (despite) the combined effect of the incentives that result in the free-riding problem and the tragedy of the commons. The paper also explains under what circumstances there exists a bias towards excessive or inadequate winning group size. Finally, it examines the effect of restricted excludability of the commons good within the winning group on the relationship between group-size and its winning probability.
Use of information systems in clinical training nursing students perspectives pilot study

Using information systems (IS) in nursing decreases errors, saves time, and supports clinical decision making. There is no information about nursing students' experience using IS in their clinical training that facilitate their transition as nurses into the clinical practice. This study aims to explore relationships among inputs factors; organizational factors (nursing management supports), students' use of IS; and IS outcomes (perceived benefits and satisfaction). Donabedian's and Holzemer & Reilly's conceptual framework guided this study with a descriptive correlational cross-sectional design and an online survey sent to a convenience sample of nursing students. Results indicated that there were positive significant relationships among the study variables; nursing students IS use was significantly correlated with both input factors and outcome factors. This study helped to examine the effect of IS use among nursing students on their expectation of the system and their satisfaction. The results will help to facilitate their use of the IS as future generation of nurses.
Topological methods in hydrodynamics

A group theoretical approach to hydrodynamics considers hydrodynamics to be the differential geometry of diffeomorphism groups. The principle of least action implies that the motion of a fluid is described by the geodesics on the group in the right-invariant Riemannian metric given by the kinetic energy. Investigation of the geometry and structure of such groups turns out to be useful for describing the global behavior of fluids for large time intervals.
Efficacy of Web-Based Collection of Strength-Based Testimonials for Text Message Extension of Youth Suicide Prevention Program: Randomized Controlled Experiment

Background Equipping members of a target population to deliver effective public health messaging to peers is an established approach in health promotion. The Sources of Strength program has demonstrated the promise of this approach for “upstream” youth suicide prevention. Text messaging is a well-established medium for promoting behavior change and is the dominant communication medium for youth. In order for peer ‘opinion leader’ programs like Sources of Strength to use scalable, wide-reaching media such as text messaging to spread peer-to-peer messages, they need techniques for assisting peer opinion leaders in creating effective testimonials to engage peers and match program goals. We developed a Web interface, called Stories of Personal Resilience in Managing Emotions (StoryPRIME), which helps peer opinion leaders write effective, short-form messages that can be delivered to the target population in youth suicide prevention program like Sources of Strength. Objective To determine the efficacy of StoryPRIME, a Web-based interface for remotely eliciting high school peer leaders, and helping them produce high-quality, personal testimonials for use in a text messaging extension of an evidence-based, peer-led suicide prevention program. Methods In a double-blind randomized controlled experiment, 36 high school students wrote testimonials with or without eliciting from the StoryPRIME interface. The interface was created in the context of Sources of Strength–an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program–and 24 ninth graders rated these testimonials on relatability, usefulness/relevance, intrigue, and likability. Results Testimonials written with the StoryPRIME interface were rated as more relatable, useful/relevant, intriguing, and likable than testimonials written without StoryPRIME, P=. 054. Conclusions StoryPRIME is a promising way to elicit high-quality, personal testimonials from youth for prevention programs that draw on members of a target population to spread public health messages.
Corpus Development for Affective Video Indexing

Affective video indexing is the area of research that develops techniques to automatically generate descriptions of video content that encode the emotional reactions which the video content evokes in viewers. This paper provides a set of corpus development guidelines based on state-of-the-art practice intended to support researchers in this field. Affective descriptions can be used for video search and browsing systems offering users affective perspectives. The paper is motivated by the observation that affective video indexing has yet to fully profit from the standard corpora (data sets) that have benefited conventional forms of video indexing. Affective video indexing faces unique challenges, since viewer-reported affective reactions are difficult to assess. Moreover affect assessment efforts must be carefully designed in order to both cover the types of affective responses that video content evokes in viewers and also capture the stable and consistent aspects of these responses. We first present background information on affect and multimedia and related work on affective multimedia indexing, including existing corpora. Three dimensions emerge as critical for affective video corpora, and form the basis for our proposed guidelines: the context of viewer response, personal variation among viewers, and the effectiveness and efficiency of corpus creation. Finally, we present examples of three recent corpora and discuss how these corpora make progressive steps towards fulfilling the guidelines.
Use of a generic protocol in documentation of prescription errors in Estonia, Norway and Sweden

Pharmacists have an important role in detecting, preventing, and solving prescription problems, which if left unresolved, may pose a risk of harming the patient. Objective The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of a generic study instrument for documentation of prescription problems requiring contact with prescriber before dispensing. The study was organized: 1) by countries: Estonia, Norway and Sweden; 2) by type of prescriptions: handwritten prescriptions, printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record and electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies; and 3) by recording method - self-completion by pharmacists and independent observers. Methods Observational study with independent observers at community pharmacies in Estonia (n=4) and Sweden (n=7) and self-completed protocols in Norway (n=9). Results Pharmacists’'in Estonia contacted the prescriber for 1.47% of the prescriptions, about 3 times as often as in Norway (0.45%) and Sweden (0.38%). Handwritten prescriptions dominated among the problem prescriptions in Estonia (73.2%), printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record (89.1%) in Norway and electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies (55.9%) in Sweden. More administrative errors were identified on handwritten prescriptions and printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record in Estonia and in Norway compared with electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies in Sweden (p<0.05 for prescription types and p<0.01 for countries). However, clinically important errors and delivery problems appeared equally often on the different types of prescriptions. In all three countries, only few cases of drug interactions and adverse drug reactions were identified. Conclusions Despite the different patterns of prescription problems in three countries, the instrument was feasible and can be regarded appropriate to document and classify prescription problems necessitating contact with prescriber before dispensing, irrespective of the type of prescription or recording method.
Comparing Direct (Explicit) and Indirect (Implicit) Measures to Study Unconscious Memory

Comparisons of the relative sensitivity of direct and indirect tasks can provide definitive evidence for unconscious memory when the direct and indirect tasks are matched on all characteristics except instructions. To demonstrate unconscious memory in normal adults, subjects first viewed pairs of words and named one cued word in each pair. During the subsequent assessment of memory, new words and either previously cued words (Experiment 1) or previously uncued words (Experiments 2A and 2B) were presented against a background mask. The subjects judged whether a word was old or new (direct task) or whether the contrast between a word and the mask was high or low (indirect task). For cued words, the direct task was more sensitive than the indirect task. However, for uncued words, the indirect task was initially more sensitive than the direct task, even though the direct task exhibited hypermnesia so that it became more sensitive than the indirect task across trial blocks. The greater initial sensitivity of the indirect task implicates unconscious processes underlying memory for the uncued words. These results indicate that unconscious processes in normal adults can be revealed through comparisons of comparable direct and indirect measures.
Direct visualization of alpha-synuclein oligomers reveals previously undetected pathology in Parkinson’s disease brain

Detection of Parkinson’s disease pathology is currently limited to lesions that occur late in the disease process. Roberts et al. present a new method for the direct detection of alpha-synuclein oligomers – the alpha-synuclein proximity ligation assay – and reveal previously unrecognised early-stage pathology in Parkinson’s disease post-mortem tissue.