Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Xpert MTB/RIF for diagnosis of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis in HIV‐infected patients

The World Health Organization endorsed the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), but there is limited information about the utility of this assay for the diagnosis of TB lymphadenitis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF assay in HIV‐infected patients with palpable cervical lymph nodes.
Maternal reports of child injuries in Canada: trends and patterns by age and gender

Objectives—This study examines gender and age differences in maternal reports of injuries in a cross sectional group of children aged 0–11 years. The cause, nature, body part injured, and location of injury are explored, as are the associations with family socioeconomic indicators and associations with limitations in activities. Methods—Data for 22 831 children and their families come from cycle 1 of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth collected in 1995. Descriptive analyses and χ2 tests for trends are used to examine injury variations by child gender and age. Logistic regressions are used to examine the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and injury and the associations between injury and limitations in activities. Results—Consistent with findings from hospital data, boys experience more injuries than girls, and injuries increase with child age. Falls are the most common sources of maternally reported injuries, followed by scalds/poisonings for young children and sports injuries for school aged children. The majority of injuries occur in or around the home for young children, but at school for older children. For maternal reports of childhood injuries, single marital status is a risk factor for boys. Conclusions—Maternally reported injuries occur in 10% of Canadian children and many of these are associated with limitations in activities. Preventative strategies should take both child age and gender into consideration.
CXCR5- and CCR7-dependent lymphoid neogenesis in a murine model of chronic antigen-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with unknown etiology and only partially defined pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to establish a murine model of chronic arthritis in which the development of tertiary lymphoid tissue, a hallmark of human RA, is locally induced, and to characterize the roles of the homeostatic chemokine receptors CXCR5 and CCR7 in this process. METHODS We developed a modified model of chronic antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) in mice with a strong bias toward inflammation. Disease pathology was assessed up to 9 months in wild-type, CXCR5-deficient, and CCR7-deficient mice by determination of knee joint swelling and cellular and humoral immune responses, as well as by histologic analysis of arthritic knee joints. RESULTS In this novel model of AIA, mice developed organized ectopic lymphoid follicles with topologically segregated B cell and T cell areas, high endothelial venules, and germinal center formation within the chronically inflamed synovial tissue. Analysis of the initiation and progression of AIA in wild-type, CXCR5-/-, and CCR7-/- mice revealed a reduction of acute inflammatory parameters in both knockout strains as well as significantly reduced joint destruction in CXCR5-/- mice. Most importantly, the development and organization of tertiary lymphoid tissue were significantly impaired in CXCR5-deficient and CCR7-deficient mice. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that an inflammatory microenvironment efficiently triggers lymphoid neogenesis in autoimmune diseases such as RA. Moreover, the generation of autoreactive tertiary lymphoid tissues, which is entirely dependent on homeostatic chemokines, may in turn maintain local aberrant chronic immune responses.
The Influence of Target Culture on Language Learners

This study was aimed at investigating the types of cultural activities students at Cankaya University wanted to have during their study of the target language and the level at which students preferred to see those cultural components in language classrooms. A questionnaire was used by the researcher for the purpose of collecting data. The questionnaire that was adapted for the study included 13 multiple choice questions. Each question had the option of “other” to enable further comments on the part of the students. The first part of the questionnaire elicited demographic information of the students. The data-gathering instrument was implemented on 95 preparatory school intermediate students and the results were analyzed statistically in terms of frequency, percentage and average. The findings of the research clearly showed the types of cultural activities students would enjoy in language classrooms, at which level they would like to do them, their attitudes towards the target culture, the level of importance students attach to the target culture and their understanding of “culture”. From the results it can be seen that most of the students who took part in the study had positive attitudes towards the inclusion of cultural components during their study of the English language. The study revealed very important data for the language teachers as well. The outcomes of the study are important not only for teachers
The Use of Granularity in Rhetorical Relation Prediction

We present the results of several machine learning tasks designed to predict rhetorical relations that hold between clauses in discourse. We demonstrate that organizing rhetorical relations into different granularity categories (based on relative degree of detail) increases average prediction accuracy from 58% to 70%. Accuracy further increases to 80% with the inclusion of clause types. These results, which are competitive with existing systems, hold across several modes of written discourse and suggest that features of information structure are an important consideration in the machine learnability of discourse.
Title SC-FDE PHY Layer System Proposal for Sub 11 GHz BWA ( An OFDM Compatible Solution ) Date Submitted 2001-0305 Source ( s )

Source(s) Anader Benyamin-Seeyar Harris Corporation Inc. 3 Hotel de Ville Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada, H9B 3G4 Co-Contributors: David Falconer David Shani, Moshe Ran, Vacit Arat, Eran Gerson Demos Kostas, Micheal Yang, Todd Carothe Remi Chayer, Juan-Carlos Zuniga Malik Audeh, Frederick Enns, Bob Furniss Joe Hakim, Subir Varma, Dean Chang Brian Eidson, Yoav Hebron, J-P Devieux Sirikat Lek Ariyavisitakul John Langley David Fisher, Jerry Krinock, Arvind Lonkar, Chin-Chen Lee, Manoneet Singh, Anthony Tsangaropoulos
Representation of Angles Embedded within Contour Stimuli in Area V2 of Macaque Monkeys

Angles and junctions embedded within contours are important features to represent the shape of objects. To study the neuronal basis to extract these features, we conducted extracellular recordings while two macaque monkeys performed a fixation task. Angle stimuli were the combination of two straight half-lines larger than the size of the classical receptive fields (CRFs). Each line was drawn from the center to outside the CRFs in 1 of 12 directions, so that the stimuli passed through the CRFs and formed angles at the center of the CRFs. Of 114 neurons recorded from the superficial layer of area V2, 91 neurons showed selective responses to these angle stimuli. Of these, 41 neurons (36.0%) showed selective responses to wide angles between 60° and 150° that were distinct from responses to straight lines or sharp angles (30°). Responses were highly selective to a particular angle in approximately one-fourth of neurons. When we tested the selectivity of the same neurons to individual half-lines, the preferred direction was more or less consistent with one or two components of the optimal angle stimuli. These results suggest that the selectivity of the neurons depends on both the combination of two components and the responses to individual components. Angle-selective V2 neurons are unlikely to be specific angle detectors, because the magnitude of their responses to the optimal angle was indistinguishable from that to the optimal half-lines. We suggest that the extraction of information of angles embedded within contour stimuli may start in area V2.
Optimal Tax-Timing and Asset Allocation when Tax Rebates on Capital Losses are Limited

This article studies the portfolio problem with realization-based capital gain taxation when limited amounts of losses qualify for tax rebate payments as under current U.S.\ tax law. As the tax rate applicable to realized losses exceeds that on realized capital gains, it can be optimal to realize capital gains immediately and pay capital gain taxes to regain the option of using potential future losses against a higher tax rate. This incentive adds an entirely new and so far unstudied dimension to the portfolio problem. We show that it affects the distribution of public capital gain tax revenues and can explain the low empirically observed equity holding period.
Using monolingual source-language data to improve MT performance

Statistical machine translation systems are usually trained on large amounts of bilingual text and of monolingual text in the target language. In this paper, we will present a self-training approach which additionally explores the use of monolingual source text, namely the documents to be translated, to improve the system performance. An initial version of the translation system is used to translate the source text. Among the generated translations, target sentences of low quality are automatically identified and discarded. The reliable translations together with their sources are then used as a new bilingual corpus for training an additional phrase translation model. Thus, the translation system can be adapted to the new source data even if no bilingual data in this domain is available. Experimental evaluation was performed on a standard Chinese–English translation task. We focus on settings where the domain and/or the style of the test data is different from that of the training material. We will show a significant improvement in translation quality through the use of the adaptive phrase translation model. BLEU score rises up to 1.1 points, and mWER is reduced by up to 3.1% absolute.
Exploratory analysis for the evaluation of lopinavir/ritonavir-versus efavirenz-based HAART regimens in antiretroviral-naive HIV-positive patients: results from the Italian MASTER Cohort.

OBJECTIVE This retrospective longitudinal cohort study compared the virological and immunological responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy containing either efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir in previously antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 472 patients were selected (348 efavirenz and 124 lopinavir/ritonavir). The primary endpoint of this study was virological success (HIV RNA <50 copies/mL). The immunological response was assessed on the basis of either CD4+ T cell count variations (absolute and percentage) with respect to baseline values or categorical endpoints (defined as either a CD4+ T cell increase of > or =1;50 cells/mm(3) at week 24 or of > or =1;75 cells/mm(3) at week 48). RESULTS At intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, the adjusted odds ratio of virological success for patients who started lopinavir/ritonavir, compared with those who started efavirenz, was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.33-0.89, P = 0.016) at week 24 and 0.40 (95% CI: 0.33-0.89, P = 0.002) at week 48. However, patients receiving lopinavir/ritonavir had a more pronounced CD4+ T cell recovery, demonstrating both a mean absolute and percentage increase up to week 48 (MANOVA P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Although comparisons of drug efficacy in non-randomized studies should be viewed with caution, from a virological point of view efavirenz-containing regimens performed as well (on-treatment analysis) or better (ITT analysis) than those containing lopinavir/ritonavir. In contrast, immunological outcome appeared to favour lopinavir/ritonavir.
Unilateral ischemic sensorimotor cortical damage induces contralesional synaptogenesis and enhances skilled reaching with the ipsilateral forelimb in adult male rats

Unilateral damage to the forelimb representation area of the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) results in a compensatory reliance on the unimpaired (ipsilateral to the lesion) forelimb as well as reorganization of neuronal structure and connectivity in the contralateral motor cortex. Recently, male rats with unilateral electrolytic SMC lesions were found to have enhanced skilled reaching performance with the ipsilesional forelimb compared with sham‐operated controls. The present study was performed to determine whether these behavioral findings are replicable using an ischemic lesion and whether there is a link between the enhanced learning and synaptogenesis in motor cortical layer V opposite the trained limb and lesion, as assessed using stereological methods for light and electron microscopy. Rats were given a sham operation or an endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) induced ischemic SMC lesion. They were then trained for 20 days on a skilled reaching task with the unimpaired limb or received control procedures. As with previous findings using electrolytic lesions, rats with unilateral ischemic SMC lesions performed significantly better using the unimpaired forelimb than did sham‐operates. Lesions, but not training, significantly increased the total number of motor cortical layer V synapses per neuron as well as the number of perforated and multisynaptic bouton (MSB) synapses per neuron compared with shams. Thus, in addition to a net increase in synapses, the improved reaching ability was coupled with an increase in synapse subtypes that have previously been linked to enhanced synaptic efficacy. The failure to induce synaptogenesis in layer V with reach training alone is in contrast to previous findings and may be related to training intensity. Synapse 54:187–199, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prevalence and risk factors of HCV infection in Poland

Background According to small studies carried out in preselected populations, the estimated prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in Poland ranges from 0.6 to 2.1%. Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-HCV and HCV RNA among patients and healthcare workers. Methods Anti-HCV antibodies were measured (Elecsys, Roche) in serum samples from 26 057 adults, consecutive patients or healthcare workers, from hospitals and out patient clinics not involved in the management of liver diseases. The majority of them (18 233) consented to fill out an anonymous questionnaire related to possible risk factors for HCV infection. Anti-HCV-positive samples were assessed for HCV RNA (Cobas Amplicor, Roche). A multivariate logistic regression model and the &khgr;2 test or the Fisher's exact test were applied. Results Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 1.9% of individuals, and 31% of them demonstrated HCV RNA, which varied from 26% in hospitals to 66% in specialistic out-patient clinics. Prevalence of anti-HCV was significantly lower in healthcare workers (1.42%) than in patients (1.92%). Significant independent risk factors for anti-HCV positivity were as follows: male sex, more than three hospitalizations in a lifetime, blood transfusions before 1992, and intravenous drug use. The only significant risk factor for HCV RNA was intravenous drug use. An analysis carried out for multispecialistic hospitals demonstrated significantly lower prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in healthcare workers. Conclusion Prevalence of anti-HCV in the Polish population studied was up to 1.9%, but active infection could be diagnosed in only 31% of them. Intravenous drug use, blood transfusions before 1992, multiple hospitalizations, and male sex increase the risk of HCV infection.
Honor as a value in Finland, Estonia, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland

Using the Schwartz Value Model as a basis, the meaning of the value item, honor (sense of honor) was explored in eight samples in Finland (N = 1877) and in five comparable samples of 15- to 17-year-old adolescents in Estonia, Finland, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland (N = 1788). In Finland, honor was a self-enhancement value in all age and occupational groups, although its importance varied widely. An identical pattern was found for Estonian adolescents, but for Swiss adolescents honor was both a self-enhancement and a conservation value and for Italian and Russian adolescents, a pure conservation value. Male adolescents had higher regard for honor than female adolescents in Finland, Russia, and Switzerland, but no sex differences were found in Estonia, Italy or in the Finnish adult samples. In all adolescent samples, honor was associated with work-related values (e.g., hard work, conscientiousness).
Time Constrained Influence Maximization in Social Networks

Influence maximization is a fundamental research problem in social networks. Viral marketing, one of its applications, is to get a small number of users to adopt a product, which subsequently triggers a large cascade of further adoptions by utilizing "Word-of-Mouth" effect in social networks. Influence maximization problem has been extensively studied recently. However, none of the previous work considers the time constraint in the influence maximization problem. In this paper, we propose the time constrained influence maximization problem. We show that the problem is NP-hard, and prove the monotonicity and submodularity of the time constrained influence spread function. Based on this, we develop a greedy algorithm with performance guarantees. To improve the algorithm scalability, we propose two Influence Spreading Path based methods. Extensive experiments conducted over four public available datasets demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Influence Spreading Path based methods.
Starting and sustaining physical activity.

OBJECTIVES This article examines factors associated with starting or sustaining physical activity during leisure time. DATA SOURCE The data are from the longitudinal household components of the National Population Health Survey. The sample consisted of 11,026 respondents who were aged 20 and older in 1994/95. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES Multiple logistic regression was used to identify variables that independently predicted the adoption or maintenance of leisure-time physical activity. MAIN RESULTS Among people who had been inactive in 1994/95, the two-year incidence of starting at least moderate physical activity by 1996/97 or 1998/99 was 24 cases per 100 person-years. For people who had been at least moderately active in 1994/95, the two-year incidence of ceasing to maintain that level of activity was 32 cases per 100 person-years. Many predictors of starting or sustaining activity were the same: sex, age, educational attainment, smoking, and sense of mastery. However, some factors were significant for one sex only. For instance, overweight and the presence of children were deterrents for women, but not for men. Social involvement and smoking status were significant for men, but not for women.
Analyzing Reflections in Service Learning to Promote Personal Growth and Community Self-Efficacy

The use of structured reflections for promoting personal understanding and community self-efficacy was examined in 65 occupational therapy college students in a service learning course. Students in the experimental group wrote structured reflections throughout the semester while students in the control groups used non-structured reflections. Outcome measures included quantitative tests of personal understanding and community self-efficacy (Personal Growth Initiative Scale, New General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Community Self-Efficacy Scale) and a qualitative narrative. Results indicated that students who wrote structured reflections significantly increased in personal growth and personal self-efficacy, whereas those using non-structured reflections showed no change. Both groups improved in community self-efficacy scores with no significant difference between groups.
Regular Exercise and Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Elders in Northern Taiwan

Background: According to World Health Organization, depressive disorder will be a Top 2 disease in the world by 2020. In light of Taiwan’s rapidly increasing elderly population, elderly psychological health is expected to become an increasingly important issue in healthcare. Purpose: This study examines the association between regular exercise and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults by gender in northern Taiwan. Methods: The participants were selected using a probability-proportional-to-size procedure from community-dwelling adults who were aged 65 years or older and living in northern Taiwan. A cross-sectional study and interviews were used to collect information about their exercise behaviors, depressive symptoms, and the factors influencing the depressive symptoms. Percentage, chi-square, t test, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Result: One thousand twenty elderly individuals completed the questionnaires. Among the participants with the average age of 73.5 years, 44.5% were men, and 55.5% were women. Two hundred seventeen of the participants (21.3%) had depressive symptoms. Five hundred eighty-five of the participants (57.4%) exercised regularly. The result of logistic regression showed that regular exercise was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in elderly individuals (odds ratio = 3.54, 95% confidence interval [1.76, 7.12]). Other factors such as gender, chronicle diseases, and health status were not related to depressive symptoms. Moreover, both for male and female individuals, regular exercise was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 4.76, 95% confidence interval [1.65, 13.72] and odds ratio = 3.03, 95% confidence interval [1.18, 7.69], respectively). Other factors were not related to depressive symptoms. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: This study shows regular exercise to be a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in both men and women. Therefore, senior citizens should be encouragedto exercise regularly as a way to promote good mental health.
Sentence interpretation in bilingual speakers of English and Dutch

ABSTRACT Speakers of English and Dutch vary in how strongly they use various syntactic (e.g., word order, prepositions, case inflection) and semantic (e.g., noun animacy) cues to interpret native language sentences. For example, in simple NVN sentences, English speakers rely heavily on word order, while Dutch speakers rely on case inflection. This paper compares the cue usage of English/Dutch and Dutch/English bilinguals with varying amounts of second language exposure to that of native speaker control groups. For all constructions tested, dative constructions, simple NVN sentences, and relative clauses, it was found that with increasing exposure, cue usage in the second language gradually shifts from that appropriate to the first language to that appropriate to the second. A model of cue learning originally proposed to account for monolingual data is found to be compatible with the learning pattern exhibited by bilinguals.
Policing Multi-Ethnic Neighborhoods: The Miami Study and Findings for Law Enforcement in the United States

The Socio-Cultural Context of Police-Citizen Relations in Dade County, Florida Methods of Data Collection Police Task Evaluations Attitudes toward the Police and Policing Attitudes toward the Police and Other Social Institutions Conclusions: Police Task Evaluations Conclusions: Attitudes toward the Police and Policing Policing in the Community Bibliography Index