Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized clinical trial of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist versus conventional weaning mode in patients with COPD and prolonged mechanical ventilation

Background Patient-ventilator asynchrony is a common problem in mechanically ventilated patients; the problem is especially obvious in COPD. Neutrally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) can improve patient-ventilator asynchrony; however, the effect in COPD patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation is still unknown. The goals of this study are to evaluate the effect of NAVA and conventional weaning mode in patients with COPD during prolonged mechanical ventilation. Methods The study enrolled a total of 33 COPD patients with ventilator dependency for more than 21 days in the weaning center. A diaphragm electrical activity (Edi) catheter was inserted in patients within 24 hours after admission to the respiratory care center, and patients were randomly allocated to NAVA or conventional group. A spontaneous breathing trial was performed every 24 hours. The results correlated with the clinical parameters. Results There were significantly higher asynchrony incidence rates in the whole group after using Edi catheter (before vs post-Edi catheter insertion =60.6% vs 87.9%, P<0.001). Asynchrony index: before vs post-Edi catheter insertion =7.4%±8.5% vs 13.2%±13.5%, P<0.01. Asynchrony incidence: NAVA vs conventional =0% vs 84.2%, P<0.001. Asynchrony index: NAVA vs conventional =0 vs 11.9±11.2 (breath %), P<0.001. The most common asynchrony events were ineffective trigger and delayed trigger. Conclusion Compared to conventional mode, NAVA mode can significantly enhance respiratory monitoring and improve patient-ventilator interaction in COPD patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation in respiratory care center.
A morphogenetic framework for self-organized multirobot pattern formation and boundary coverage

Embryonic development of multicellular organisms, also known as morphogenesis, is regarded as a robust self-organization process for pattern generation. Inspired by the recent findings in biology indicating that morphogen gradients, together with a Gene Regulatory Network (GRN), play a key role in biological patterning, we propose a framework for self-organized multirobot pattern formation and boundary coverage based on an artificial GRN model. The proposed framework does not need a global coordinate system, which makes it more practical to be implemented in a physical robotic system. Moreover, an adaptation mechanism is included in the framework so that the self-organization algorithm is robust to changes in the number of robots. Various case studies of multirobot pattern formation and boundary coverage show the effectiveness of the framework.
Technical Analysis Seems To Be A Valuable Investment Tool In The Athens And Frankfurt Stock Exchanges

This study investigates the forecast power of technical analysis in the equity markets by applying simple technical trading rules to the Athens General Index and DAX. The results produce evidence that technical analysis is a valuable investment tool, especially in the case of the Athens Stock Exchange. Moreover, the ability of simple moving average rules appears to be dominant in the last few years, when excess returns are earned over a naive buy-and-hold strategy even after the deduction of transaction costs.
What do the terms wellness and wellbeing mean in dietary practice: an exploratory qualitative study examining women's perceptions.

BACKGROUND Wellness and wellbeing are terms associated with health within dietetic discourse. More broadly, these terms are found in social discourse as represented in food and nutrition consumer communications. With the increasing requirement for evidence-based healthcare, there is an imperative to understand whether these terms are meaningful to individuals typically targeted for nutrition interventions and whether there are any implications for dietetic education. METHODS To explore the understanding of these terms, eight semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 32 female participants (age range 23-79 years) who were actively engaged in managing their health. Overall understanding of the terms, factors that impacted perceptions and any relationships with food behaviour were investigated with the groups. Group discussions were transcribed verbatim and each transcript was examined by two researchers. Inductive analysis linking codes into main thematic categories was conducted using the constant comparison approach across the full data set. RESULTS Wellness and wellbeing were identified as meaningful terms associated with health. A theoretical framework of wellness and wellbeing reflecting these meanings was developed linking four dominant thematic areas. These were Desired outcomes (most sought after result); Taking control (self management strategies); Internal influences (various personal inner factors influencing behaviours); and External influences (plethora of peripheral factors influencing behaviours). CONCLUSIONS Wellness and wellbeing are terms that are relevant and aspirational for individuals typically targeted for nutrition intervention. A theoretical framework of dominant areas of influence on notions of wellness and wellbeing was identified. This theoretical framework is worthy of further research to determine usefulness and effectiveness in dietetic practice settings.
MADPastry : A DHT Substrate for Practicably Sized MANETs

Because of the increasing interest in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and their inherent similarities to peer-to-peer networks a large number of routing protocols based on peer-to-peer networks have recently been presented to provide distributed network applications with e cient and indirect routing for MANETs. Thomas Zahn and Jochen Schiller suggested MADPastry, an integration of a DHT substrate based on the peer-topeer network Pastry that explicitly considers locality, and the ad hoc routing protocol AODV at the network layer. In this paper a technical description of MADPastry is given followed by an overview and discussion of related work.
The impact of adherence and disease control on resource use and charges in patients with mild asthma managed on inhaled corticosteroid agents

Objective: Inadequate asthma control may affect asthma resource use and treatment charges, consequently contributing to the growing economic burden of asthma. The study objective was to determine the impact of medication adherence and asthma control on resource use and charges in mild asthmatic patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). Research design and methods: A claims database was analyzed retrospectively from October 2001–December 2007 to identify mild asthmatic patients aged 12–65 years who began ICS treatment. Demographics, drug utilization, and resource use for each patient were identified for the 365-day period before and after the index date (pre-index and post-index periods, respectively). Patients were designated as having high control high adherence (HCHA) or low control low adherence (LCLA) based on post-index exacerbations and the percentage of days covered; not all patients who qualified for study inclusion met adherence designation requirements. Differences between the HCHA and LCLA cohorts in resource use (eg, asthma treatment days) and asthma-related treatment charges were assessed. Results: Compared with the HCHA cohort (n = 483), the LCLA cohort (n = 258) had more asthma treatment days (2.9 vs 3.9, respectively; P < 0.0001) and higher overall asthma treatment charges ($2655 vs $3345, respectively; P < 0.0001) in the post-index period. An adjusted odds ratio suggested that patients receiving mometasone furoate (MF) were approximately 5 times more likely to belong to the HCHA cohort than patients receiving any other ICS (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Better asthma control and adherence to prescribed ICSs are associated with lower asthma-related resource use and charges. Mild asthmatic patients receiving MF were more likely to be in the HCHA cohort than patients receiving other ICSs, perhaps due to the once-daily dosing of MF. Current NAEPP guidelines recommend low-dose ICS monotherapy for mild persistent asthma; thus, it is critical to optimize mild persistent asthma control and limit unnecessary resource use and charges.
An Investigation into Students’ Views on Blended Learning at the English Language Institute in King Abdelaziz University

Advances in the Internet and online learning technologies are having a tremendous impact on educational systems. Thus, educational systems are combining Internet and digital technologies with traditional classrooms in what is known as blended learning. An established definition of blended learning is combining traditional, face-to-face (f2f) teaching with web-based online technologies; the purpose of blended learning is to provide more benefits over using one single learning delivery medium. In line with an international trend towards blended learning, the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Saudi Arabia has started blending traditional, f2f classrooms with the online learning platform (Blackboard). This study aims at finding out the students' views on the advantages and challenges that face the implementation of blended learning at the ELI. This study is based on a mixed-methods exploratory sequential design as it starts with a qualitative interview study and is followed-up with a questionnaire survey (QUAL  quan). The study concludes that blended learning can enhance the EFL learning experience at the ELI as it combines the advantages of both in-class instruction and online learning. However, certain challenges need to be addressed to improve the effectiveness of the blended learning experience. The study ends with recommendations that can enhance the blended learning experience at the ELI.
Direct Binding of a Hepatitis C Virus Inhibitor to the Viral Capsid Protein

Over 130 million people are infected chronically with hepatitis C virus (HCV), which, together with HBV, is the leading cause of liver disease. Novel small molecule inhibitors of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are needed to complement or replace current treatments based on pegylated interferon and ribavirin, which are only partially successful and plagued with side-effects. Assembly of the virion is initiated by the oligomerization of core, the capsid protein, followed by the interaction with NS5A and other HCV proteins. By screening for inhibitors of core dimerization, we previously discovered peptides and drug-like compounds that disrupt interactions between core and other HCV proteins, NS3 and NS5A, and block HCV production. Here we report that a biotinylated derivative of SL209, a prototype small molecule inhibitor of core dimerization (IC50 of 2.80 µM) that inhibits HCV production with an EC50 of 3.20 µM, is capable of penetrating HCV-infected cells and tracking with core. Interaction between the inhibitors, core and other viral proteins was demonstrated by SL209–mediated affinity-isolation of HCV proteins from lysates of infected cells, or of the corresponding recombinant HCV proteins. SL209-like inhibitors of HCV core may form the basis of novel treatments of Hepatitis C in combination with other target-specific HCV drugs such as inhibitors of the NS3 protease, the NS5B polymerase, or the NS5A regulatory protein. More generally, our work supports the hypothesis that inhibitors of viral capsid formation might constitute a new class of potent antiviral agents, as was recently also shown for HIV capsid inhibitors.
ECG-Based Detection of Early Myocardial Ischemia in a Computational Model: Impact of Additional Electrodes, Optimal Placement, and a New Feature for ST Deviation

In case of chest pain, immediate diagnosis of myocardial ischemia is required to respond with an appropriate treatment. The diagnostic capability of the electrocardiogram (ECG), however, is strongly limited for ischemic events that do not lead to ST elevation. This computational study investigates the potential of different electrode setups in detecting early ischemia at 10 minutes after onset: standard 3-channel and 12-lead ECG as well as body surface potential maps (BSPMs). Further, it was assessed if an additional ECG electrode with optimized position or the right-sided Wilson leads can improve sensitivity of the standard 12-lead ECG. To this end, a simulation study was performed for 765 different locations and sizes of ischemia in the left ventricle. Improvements by adding a single, subject specifically optimized electrode were similar to those of the BSPM: 2–11% increased detection rate depending on the desired specificity. Adding right-sided Wilson leads had negligible effect. Absence of ST deviation could not be related to specific locations of the ischemic region or its transmurality. As alternative to the ST time integral as a feature of ST deviation, the K point deviation was introduced: the baseline deviation at the minimum of the ST-segment envelope signal, which increased 12-lead detection rate by 7% for a reasonable threshold.
Essays in Consumption, Behavioral and Applied Microeconomics

This dissertation consists of three self-contained chapters which broadly address issues related to individual and household decision making. The first essay investigates household budgeting and cash flow management decisions. Specifically, I focus on household consumption decisions when there is a mismatch between the frequency at which their income (pay) arrives and the frequency for which they make their consumption decisions. Exploiting monthly variation in income arising from bi-weekly pay schedules, I find that household expenditures respond significantly to such variation with the response coming almost entirely from durables. These responses cannot be explained by the presence of binding liquidity constraints. I consider several behavioral explanations including time inconsistency with sophistication, mental accounting, and a new model of budgeting heuristics in which individuals naively extrapolate their current income into the future. The second essay, joint with Judd Kessler and Katherine Milkman, explores public recognition in a charitable giving context and provides new empirical evidence on how public recognition can increase pro-social behavior. Using observational data on alumni giving to a large university, we find that the enactment of recognition programs for consecutive giving increased both the probability of giving and the dollar amount donated directly to the University. Furthermore, such recognition crowded in donations to other University priorities. Exploiting differences in the timing of various recognition programs, we find that while individual value public recognition generally, they value recognition more so when such recognition can be used to convey information regarding personal traits of the donor. Finally, the third essay, joint with Jeremy Tobacman, examines the determinants of intrinsic motivation. While intrinsic motivation has important applications in many areas, it is often difficult to separate intrinsic motivation from extrinsic motivation due to potential correlation between pecuniary and non-pecuniary incentives. Using an online word-hunting game, we isolate the role of performance as a source of intrinsic motivation and study how past performance affects an individual's persistence of play. Using individual variation in the ability to exploit the presence of prefixes and suffixes, we estimate the causal effect of past performance on the length of a game spell (continued play) and the probability of ending a spell. We find that higher past performance significantly increases spell length and significantly decreases the probability of a spell ending. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Applied Economics First Advisor Jeremy B. Tobacman This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/1518
Increasing Student Attendance: Strategies From Research and Practice.

This booklet is one in a series of " hot topics " reports produced by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. These reports briefly address current educational concerns and issues as indicated by requests for information that come to the Laboratory from the Northwest region and beyond. Each booklet contains a discussion of research and literature pertinent to the issue, how Northwest schools and programs are addressing the issue, selected resources, and contact information. One objective of the series is to foster a sense of community and connection among educators. Another is to increase awareness of current education-related themes and concerns. Each booklet gives practitioners a glimpse of how fellow educators from around the Northwest are addressing issues, overcoming obstacles, and attaining success. The goal of the series is to give educators current, reliable, and useful information on topics that are important to them. During a period of two months, the author surveyed the last decade of research that discusses strategies or experiments to increase attendance. Although the intention was to find research that is considered " scientifically based " by the No Child Left Behind Act 1 , it was quickly determined that little research of that kind exists. Thus, the search was broadened
Market Timing with Option-Implied Distributions: A Forward-Looking Approach

We address the empirical implementation of the static asset allocation problem by developing a forward-looking approach that uses information from market option prices. To this end, we extract constant maturity S&P 500 implied distributions and transform them to the corresponding risk-adjusted ones. Then we form optimal portfolios consisting of a risky and a risk-free asset and evaluate their out-of-sample performance. We find that the use of risk-adjusted implied distributions times the market and makes the investor better off than if she uses historical returns' distributions to calculate her optimal strategy. The results hold under a number of evaluation metrics and utility functions and carry through even when transaction costs are taken into account. Not surprisingly, the reported market timing ability deteriorated during the recent subprime crisis. An extension of the approach to a dynamic asset allocation setting is also presented. This paper was accepted by Wei Xiong, finance.
CC-223, a Potent and Selective Inhibitor of mTOR Kinase: In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization

mTOR is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates cell growth, metabolism, proliferation, and survival. mTOR complex-1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex-2 (mTORC2) are critical mediators of the PI3K–AKT pathway, which is frequently mutated in many cancers, leading to hyperactivation of mTOR signaling. Although rapamycin analogues, allosteric inhibitors that target only the mTORC1 complex, have shown some clinical activity, it is hypothesized that mTOR kinase inhibitors, blocking both mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling, will have expanded therapeutic potential. Here, we describe the preclinical characterization of CC-223. CC-223 is a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable inhibitor of mTOR kinase, demonstrating inhibition of mTORC1 (pS6RP and p4EBP1) and mTORC2 [pAKT(S473)] in cellular systems. Growth inhibitory activity was demonstrated in hematologic and solid tumor cell lines. mTOR kinase inhibition in cells, by CC-223, resulted in more complete inhibition of the mTOR pathway biomarkers and improved antiproliferative activity as compared with rapamycin. Growth inhibitory activity and apoptosis was demonstrated in a panel of hematologic cancer cell lines. Correlative analysis revealed that IRF4 expression level associates with resistance, whereas mTOR pathway activation seems to associate with sensitivity. Treatment with CC-223 afforded in vivo tumor biomarker inhibition in tumor-bearing mice, after a single oral dose. CC-223 exhibited dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition in multiple solid tumor xenografts. Significant inhibition of mTOR pathway markers pS6RP and pAKT in CC-223–treated tumors suggests that the observed antitumor activity of CC-223 was mediated through inhibition of both mTORC1 and mTORC2. CC-223 is currently in phase I clinical trials. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(6); 1295–305. ©2015 AACR.
Economic Analysis of Honey Production in Southwest Nigeria

This study carried out the economic analysis of honey production in Ondo and Osun States, Southwest Nigeria. Seven Local Government Areas, and one town in each of these Local Government Areas were randomly selected for the study based on the preliminary investigations which indicated that honey production is widely practised in these areas. Sampling population was obtained from membership list of Beekeepers’ Association in each town. Ten honey producers were randomly selected from the list containing 50 honey producers in each of the towns chosen in Ondo State while 25 were randomly selected from the list consisting of 125 honey producers in each of the towns in Osun State. Primary data were obtained from honey producers through the administration of questionnaires using face-to-face interview. A total of 100 honey producers were interviewed. The study indicates that honey production in Ondo State is above poverty line; whereas it falls below poverty line in Osun State. In addition, honey production is economically viable in the two states with costbenefit ratio of 1.74. So, the unemployed graduates and the people in the rural areas can be encouraged to adopt beekeeping as a source of their livelihood.
A Stability Based Method for Discovering Structure in Clustered Data

We present a method for visually and quantitatively assessing the presence of structure in clustered data. The method exploits measurements of the stability of clustering solutions obtained by perturbing the data set. Stability is characterized by the distribution of pairwise similarities between clusterings obtained from sub samples of the data. High pairwise similarities indicate a stable clustering pattern. The method can be used with any clustering algorithm; it provides a means of rationally defining an optimum number of clusters, and can also detect the lack of structure in data. We show results on artificial and microarray data using a hierarchical clustering algorithm.
Customer Satisfaction and Links to Customer Profitability: An Empirical Examination of the Association Between Attitudes and Behavior

This paper explores links between customer satisfaction, repurchase intentions, purchase behavior, and customer profitability with empirical data on attitudes, behavior, and profitability at the customer level of analysis. Purchase behavior and profitability data, derived from the accounting system of a firm, are matched with the responses of the firm’s customers to survey questions distributed prior to the behavior and profitability outcomes. The analysis reveals a strong link between customer behavior and customer profitability, while modest links exist between repurchase intentions and subsequent behavior. Only a weak and non-significant direct link can be observed between customer satisfaction and customer profitability. This paper, then, questions customer satisfaction’s commonly assumed role as a proxy for profitability.