Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Summary of findings from the evaluation of a pilot medically supervised safer injecting facility

In many cities, infectious disease and overdose epidemics are occurring among illicit injection drug users (IDUs). To reduce these concerns, Vancouver opened a supervised safer injecting facility in September 2003. Within the facility, people inject pre-obtained illicit drugs under the supervision of medical staff. The program was granted a legal exemption by the Canadian government on the condition that a 3-year scientific evaluation of its impacts be conducted. In this review, we summarize the findings from evaluations in those 3 years, including characteristics of IDUs at the facility, public injection drug use and publicly discarded syringes, HIV risk behaviour, use of addiction treatment services and other community resources, and drug-related crime rates. Vancouver's safer injecting facility has been associated with an array of community and public health benefits without evidence of adverse impacts. These findings should be useful to other cities considering supervised injecting facilities and to governments considering regulating their use.
Self-inflicted injury in community adolescents: A pilot study of interpersonal needs and disclosure

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are pervasive among adolescents though there remains limited information regarding these behaviors in community samples. We know relatively little about contextual risk factors in community adolescents, specifically how well-supported adult theories, such as the interpersonal theory of suicide, translate to adolescent SITBs. Likewise, no studies have examined the disclosure of SITBs in detail, beyond a basic assessment of who was told. There has been no exploration of how nondisclosers may differ from disclosers. This study sought to examine the application to adolescents of two primary elements of the interpersonal theory of suicide (perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) in predicting both overall risk for suicide as well as the frequency of self-injury when interacting with emotion dysregulation and disclosure status. Detailed disclosure data, including reasons for each disclosure, amount of information disclosed, and expectations for as well as immediate and long-term helpfulness, was examined based descriptively. One hundred fourteen adolescents aged 13-18 filled out a variety of questionnaires online. Results indicated that 33.3% ( n = 38) of the sample engaged in some form of self-inflicted injury and of those participants, 60.5% ( n = 23) had disclosed their self-injury to another person while 26.3% ( n = 10) had not. Linear regression analyses indicated that higher emotion dysregulation, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness all independently predicted higher frequency of self-inflicted injury. No significant interaction between
Are Currently Available Wearable Devices for Activity Tracking and Heart Rate Monitoring Accurate, Precise, and Medically Beneficial?

Objectives The new wave of wireless technologies, fitness trackers, and body sensor devices can have great impact on healthcare systems and the quality of life. However, there have not been enough studies to prove the accuracy and precision of these trackers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and overall performance of seventeen wearable devices currently available compared with direct observation of step counts and heart rate monitoring. Methods Each participant in this study used three accelerometers at a time, running the three corresponding applications of each tracker on an Android or iOS device simultaneously. Each participant was instructed to walk 200, 500, and 1,000 steps. Each set was repeated 40 times. Data was recorded after each trial, and the mean step count, standard deviation, accuracy, and precision were estimated for each tracker. Heart rate was measured by all trackers (if applicable), which support heart rate monitoring, and compared to a positive control, the Onyx Vantage 9590 professional clinical pulse oximeter. Results The accuracy of the tested products ranged between 79.8% and 99.1%, while the coefficient of variation (precision) ranged between 4% and 17.5%. MisFit Shine showed the highest accuracy and precision (along with Qualcomm Toq), while Samsung Gear 2 showed the lowest accuracy, and Jawbone UP showed the lowest precision. However, Xiaomi Mi band showed the best package compared to its price. Conclusions The accuracy and precision of the selected fitness trackers are reasonable and can indicate the average level of activity and thus average energy expenditure.
Laboratory-based surveillance of Salmonella serotype Typhi infections in the United States: antimicrobial resistance on the rise.

CONTEXT Multidrug-resistant Salmonella serotype Typhi infections have been reported worldwide, but data on the incidence of resistant strains in the United States are lacking. OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella Typhi infections and to identify risk factors for infection. DESIGN Cross-sectional laboratory-based surveillance study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 293 persons with symptomatic typhoid fever who had Salmonella Typhi isolates and epidemiological information submitted to US public health departments and laboratories from June 1, 1996, to May 31, 1997. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of Salmonella Typhi isolates demonstrating resistance to 12 antimicrobial agents; patient epidemiological factors associated with drug-resistant infections. RESULTS Median age was 21 years (range, 3 months to 84 years); 56% were male. Two hundred twenty-eight (80%) were hospitalized; 2 died. In the 6 weeks before illness onset, 81% of patients had traveled abroad. Seventy-four Salmonella Typhi isolates (25%) were resistant to 1 or more antimicrobial agent, and 51 (17%) were resistant to 5 or more agents, including ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhi [MDRST]). Although no resistance to ciprofloxacin or ceftriaxone was observed, 20 isolates (7%) were nalidixic acid-resistant (NARST). Patients with MDRST and NARST infections were more likely to report travel outside the United States, particularly to the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) (odds ratio [OR], 29.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.8-126.7; P<.001 and OR, 35.9; 95% CI, 3.4-377.3; P<.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone are appropriate empirical therapy for suspected typhoid fever; however, resistance may be anticipated. Continued monitoring of antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella Typhi strains will help determine vaccination and treatment policies. JAMA. 2000;283:2668-2673.
Another look at the moment method for large dimensional random matrices

The methods to establish the limiting spectral distribution (LSD) of large dimensional random matrices includes the well known moment method which invokes the trace formula. Its success has been demonstrated in several types of matrices such as the Wigner matrix and the sample variance covariance matrix. In a recent article Bryc, Dembo and Jiang (2006) establish the LSD for the random Toeplitz and Hankel matrices using the moment method. They perform the necessary counting of terms in the trace by splitting the relevant sets into equivalent classes and relating the limits of the counts to certain volume calculations. We build on their work and present a unified approach. This helps provide relatively short and easy proofs for the LSD of common matrices while at the same time providing insight into the nature of different LSD and their interrelations. By extending these methods we are also able to deal with matrices with appropriate dependent entries.
Further Evidence for Universal Color Categories

We have found further evidence to support the notion of basic color category universals and to refute criticism leveled in a review in this journal, by Collier 1973, at Berlin & Kay 1969. That review argued that a bias in the organization of their color materials had not been ruled out by BK see Figure 1 (p. 885). The hue dimension corresponds to variation which we associate with the color wheel, and is commonly represented as circular. Brightness is the relative amount of black (or white) in a color, or its reflectance. Saturation is its purity. Visible colors organized along these dimensions form a solid whose skin corresponds to the upper limits of purity (saturation) that the eye is capable of perceiving for a given hue and brightness. This limit varies according to hue and brightness, such that the color solid has an irregular surface-with peaks corresponding to hue and brightness combinations for which the eye can perceive greater purity, and valleys corresponding to combinations for which relatively less purity is visible. R&K used Munsell Color Company pigmented papers to represent the surface of the color solid.2 This well-known set of standardized colors samples the color solid in perceptually equal steps within each color dimension. The B&K materials were organized in a chart of 40 columns of hue and 8 rows of brightness.3 Each hue-and-brightness position in mhe chart displayed the Munsell color of maximum saturation. Thus the saturation value varied in the chart, as shown in Figure 2.
Ruling Out Behavior Rules: When Theoretical Virtues and Empirical Evidence Collide

In this article, I assess several methodological concerns surrounding mentalistic interpretations of infant social cognition. Those skeptical of such interpretations have offered behavior-reading interpretations of the same phenomena, thereby leading to an extended debate that has been, often implicitly, a debate over methodology in psychological explanations. In what follows, I set out the methodological concerns that arise in assessing the two interpretations and show the critical role these concerns play in this particular debate. Although it will become clear that I contend the overall debate favors the mentalistic interpretation over the behavior-rule interpretation, I will be focusing primarily on how to conceptualize the problems under discussion, rather than trying to solve them directly. Because additional empirical and conceptual work will be required to support either interpretation, I hope to situate both past and future work within a more thoroughly methodological terrain than has been attempted to date.
Motivation as a determinant of physical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

A sufficient level of physical activity is important in reducing the impact of disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. According to self‐determination theory, the achievement and maintenance of physical activity is related to goal setting and ownership, which can be supported by health professionals. Our objective was to examine the association between physical activity and the extent to which RA patients 1) believe that physical activity is a goal set by themselves (autonomous regulation) or by others (coerced regulation) and 2) feel supported by rheumatologists (autonomy supportiveness).
Developmental Course(s) of Lifetime Cigarette Use and Panic Attack Comorbidity

The present investigation examined the developmental course(s) of lifetime cigarette use and panic attack comorbidity. Participants included 4,409 adults, ages 15 to 54 years of age (M Age = 33.1, SD = 10.7, N (females) = 2,221) from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). The primary objective of the present investigation was to better understand the developmental course(s) of lifetime cigarette use and panic attacks. A second objective of the investigation was to evaluate the developmental features of smokingpanic comorbidity in relation to other comorbid psychiatric and substance outcomes. Results demonstrated two distinct and novel operative developmental patterns of smoking-panic attack co-occurrence. The theoretical and clinical implications of delineating course-related factors underlying smokingpanic attack comorbidity are discussed.
A new model for device degradation in low-temperature N-channel polycrystalline silicon TFTs under AC stress

Enhanced device degradation of low-temperature n-channel polycrystalline thin-film transistors (poly-silicon TFTs) under exposure to ac stress has been quantitatively analyzed. This analysis showed that degradation of the device characteristics of a single-drain (SD) TFT is greater under ac stress than under dc stress over an equivalent period. It was found that hot holes are strongly related to this greater severity of degradation. Moreover, a lightly doped drain (LDD) TFT is less strongly affected, and the effect is dominated by accumulated drain-avalanche hot-carrier (DAHC) stress. It was also found that differences between the electric field in the respective channel regions are responsible for the different degradation properties of SD and LDD TFTs. It was shown that the severe degradation under ac stress in an SD TFT is caused by increased DAHC stress, to which electrons emitted from the trap states when the TFT is turned off make significant contributions.
Melatonin and Seasonal Rhythms

The pineal hormone melatonin plays a ubiquitous role in biology as a chemical mediator of the effects of season on animal physiology and behavior. Seasonal changes in night length (scotoperiod) induce parallel changes in the duration of melatonin secretion (which occurs exclusively at night), so that it is longer in winter and shorter in summer. These changes in duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion, in turn, trigger seasonal changes in behavior. The retinohypothalamic-pineal (RHP) axis's responses to light are highly conserved in humans. Like other animals, humans secrete melatonin exclusively at night, and they interrupt its secretion when they are exposed to light during the nocturnal period of its secretion. In many individuals, the RHP axis also is capable of detecting changes in the length of the night and making proportional adjustments in the duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion, producing the type of melatonin message that animals use to trigger seasonal changes in their behavior. This has been shown both in naturalistic studies in which melatonin profiles were compared in summer and winter and in experimental studies in which melatonin profiles were compared after chronic exposure to long and short artificial "nights. " Individuals who live in modern urban environments differ in the degree to which, or even whether, the intrinsic duration of melatonin secretion (the duration measured in constant dim light) responds to seasonal changes in the length of the solar night. Changes in the intrinsic duration of melatonin secretion that are induced by changes in the scotoperiod are highly correlated with changes in the intrinsic timing of the morning offset of secretion and are only weakly correlated with changes in the intrinsic timing of evening onset of secretion. This finding suggests that differences in the way in which individuals are exposed to, or process, morning light may explain differences in their responsiveness to changes in duration of natural and experimental scotoperiods. Although the human RHP axis clearly is capable of detecting changes in the length of the night and in producing the melatonin message that other animals use to trigger seasonal changes in their behavior, it is not yet known whether or how the human reproductive system or other systems respond to this message.
Possible Age-Related Progression of Attentional Impairment in ADHD and Its Attenuation by Past Diagnosis and Treatment

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate attentional impairment in different age groups with ADHD. Method: In all, 58 children, 73 adolescents, and 104 adults with ADHD were evaluated using the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Subjects with comorbidities or psychotropic treatment were not included. Results: Considering Response Time Variability (RTV), adults were 10.6 and 4.0 times more likely to be severely impaired (standard score < 40) than children and adolescents, respectively. Adults were twice as likely as adolescents to be very impaired (standard score< 70) in Omissions. Considering d′ (decrement of attentional performance over time), all severely impaired participants were adults. Age predicted impairment in Attention Performance Index (API), RTV, and d′, but not Omissions or Commissions. Past treatment with stimulants predicted less impairment in d′, past diagnosis predicted less impairment in RTV, and each predicted less impairment in Omissions and API. Conclusion: Adults had more attentional impairment than children and adolescents. Past diagnosis and treatment were associated with less ADHD-related attentional impairment.
Characterization of Wireless Channel Impact on Wireless Sensor Network Performance in Public Transportation Buses

Wireless communications systems have been rapidly growing during the last two decades, and they are gaining a significant role for multiple communication tasks within public transportation buses. In this paper, the impact of topology and morphology of different types of urban buses is analyzed with the aid of an in-house developed 3D ray launching code and compared with onboard measurements of a deployed wireless sensor network (WSN). The presence of human beings has been taken into account, showing a significant influence in the signal attenuation in the case of considering persons. In addition, the statistical analysis of simulation results considering both large- and small-scale fading has been performed, providing good agreement with statistics for typical indoor environments. In addition, a WSN has been programmed and deployed within the buses in order to analyze topological impact with overall system performance, with the aim of minimizing the energy consumption as well as nondesired interference levels. The use of deterministic techniques destined to consider the inherent complexity of the buses can aid in wireless system planning in order to minimize power consumption and increase overall system capacity.
Magnolia Bioactive Constituent 4-O-Methylhonokiol Prevents the Impairment of Cardiac Insulin Signaling and the Cardiac Pathogenesis in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

In obesity, cardiac insulin resistance is a putative cause of cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. In our previous study, we observed that Magnolia extract BL153 attenuated high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced cardiac pathogenic changes. In this study, we further investigated the protective effects of the BL153 bioactive constituent, 4-O-methylhonokiol (MH), against HFD-induced cardiac pathogenesis and its possible mechanisms. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet or a HFD with gavage administration of vehicle, BL153, or MH (low or high dose) daily for 24 weeks. Treatment with MH attenuated HFD-induced obesity, as evidenced by body weight gain, and cardiac pathogenesis, as assessed by the heart weight and echocardiography. Mechanistically, MH treatment significantly reduced HFD-induced impairment of cardiac insulin signaling by preferentially augmenting Akt2 signaling. MH also inhibited cardiac expression of the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and increased the phosphorylation of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2) as well as the expression of a Nrf2 downstream target gene heme oxygenase-1. The increased Nrf2 signaling was associated with decreased oxidative stress and damage, as reflected by lowered malondialdehyde and 3-nitrotyrosine levels. Furthermore, MH reduced HFD-induced cardiac lipid accumulation along with lowering expression of cardiac fatty acid translocase/CD36 protein. These results suggest that MH, a bioactive constituent of Magnolia, prevents HFD-induced cardiac pathogenesis by attenuating the impairment of cardiac insulin signaling, perhaps via activation of Nrf2 and Akt2 signaling to attenuate CD36-mediated lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity.
Antiarrhythmic efficacy of selective blockade of the cardiac slowly activating delayed rectifier current, I(Ks), in canine models of malignant ischemic ventricular arrhythmia.

BACKGROUND To date, the lack of potent and selective inhibitors has hampered the physiological assessment of modulation of the cardiac slowly activating delayed rectifier current, I(Ks). The present study, using the I(Ks) blocker L-768,673, represents the first in vivo assessment of the cardiac electrophysiological and antiarrhythmic effects of selective I(Ks) blockade. METHODS AND RESULTS In an anesthetized canine model of recent (8.5+/-0.4 days) anterior myocardial infarction, 0.003 to 0.03 mg/kg L-768,673 IV significantly suppressed electrically induced ventricular tachyarrhythmias and reduced the incidence of lethal arrhythmias precipitated by acute, thrombotically induced posterolateral myocardial ischemia. Antiarrhythmic protection afforded by L-768,673 was accompanied by modest 7% to 10% increases in noninfarct zone ventricular effective refractory period, 3% to 5% increases in infarct zone ventricular effective refractory period, and 4% to 6% increases in QTc interval. In a conscious canine model of healed (3 to 4 weeks) anterior myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation was provoked by transient occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery during submaximal exercise. Pretreatment with 0.03 mg/kg L-768,673 IV elicited a modest 7% increase in QTc, prevented ventricular fibrillation in 5 of 6 animals, and suppressed arrhythmias in 2 additional animals. CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that selective blockade of I(Ks) may be a potentially useful intervention for the prevention of malignant ischemic ventricular arrhythmias.
Risk of basal cell carcinoma in relation to alcohol intake and smoking.

We prospectively investigated whether alcohol intake and smoking affect the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in subjects from the United States Radiological Technologists (USRT) cohort study. We evaluated 68,371 radiological technologists certified during 1926-1982 who were free of cancer at the time they answered a first questionnaire (1983-1989) and who completed a second questionnaire (1994-1998). The first questionnaire provided baseline information on numerous risk factors, including smoking and alcohol intake, and the second provided self-reported cancer diagnoses. During 698,190 person-years of follow-up, we identified 1,360 cases of BCC: 1,036 in women and 324 in men. Cox proportional hazards regression indicated that the trend in BCC was significantly associated with increased alcohol intake (P for trend = 0.001). Compared with those who reported no alcohol consumption, those who drank <1-2, 3-6, 7-14, and >14 drinks/week had multivariate risks of 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-1.3], 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.5), 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.7), and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.7-1.6), respectively. We found no clear association between smoking and BCC. This is the second large prospective study to report a significant but nonmonotonic trend in increased risk associated with alcohol consumption.