Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life of People Living with HIV/AIDS under the New Epidemic Characteristics in China and the Associated Factors

Background Improvement of quality of life has been one of goals in health care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In China, the epidemic characteristics have changed and transmission is now most commonly sexual contact. However, the assessment of quality of life of PLWHA under new characteristics has limited reporting. This study was designed to assess the quality of life among PLWHA who contracted disease mainly via sexual contact and to clarify the associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in Liaoning Province. Sample size (800) was calculated based on the fatality rate and enlarged with consideration on the loss of response. Participants were sampled by tables of random numbers among all registered PLWHA. Questionnaires pertaining to quality of life (SF-36) and related factors (demographic characteristics, social support and network, HIV/AIDS awareness, and behavior factors) were distributed during December 2010-April 2011. 783 effective responses were obtained. Results The average scores of physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), and total score (TS) were 66.8±21.9 (Mean±SD), 62.2±20.9, and 64.5±20.2. General linear model analysis revealed that, in standardized estimate (β) sequence, PCS was significantly associated with monthly income, perceived social support, antiretroviral therapy, transmission, and ethnicity; MCS was associated with perceived social support, antiretroviral therapy, condom use, monthly income, transmission, ethnicity, and alcohol consumption; whereas TS was associated with perceived social support, antiretroviral therapy, monthly income, transmission, condom use, and ethnicity. Conclusions Quality of life for PLWHA who contracted HIV mainly via sexual contact was worse and both physical conditions and social integration were impacted. Under current epidemic characteristics, efforts to increase social support and enhance the implementation of supporting policy are necessary to improve the quality of life of PLWHA.
A new area tourist ranking method

This paper proposes a new method to classify tourist areas following specific characteristics. Indeed, we introduce some original computed indicators using social networks and administrative data. These 10 indicators are used to construct tourist area's profiles. We demonstrate in this paper that different tourist spots can then be grouped according to their profiles. Thus we present an original area tourist ranking method based on big data analysis.
The role of the non-invasive serum marker FibroTest–ActiTest in the prediction of histological stage of fibrosis and activity in children with naïve chronic hepatitis B infection

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate whether the non-invasive serum marker FibroTest–ActiTest (FT–AT) reliably predicts the histological stage of fibrosis and/or activity, and decreases the need for a liver biopsy. Twenty-five children with naïve chronic hepatitis B were analyzed for haptoglobin, α2-macroglobulin, apolipoprotein A1, bilirubin, γ-glutamyl transferase, and alanine aminotransferase activity, and the FT–AT scores were computed. FT–AT scores were compared with histological data. FT predicted insignificant fibrosis in 14/23 (61%) patients at a cut-off level of 0.31. Nine patients (36%) had significant histological fibrosis, but none were predicted by FT. There was no correlation between FT scores and histological stage of fibrosis (r: −0.221, p = 0.228). All 4 patients with significant histological activity had corresponding significant activity in AT (100%). Fifteen out of the 19 patients (78.9%) with significant activity in AT had insignificant histological activity. At the cut-off level of 0.36, AT predicted insignificant activity in all 6 patients (100%). There was no correlation between AT scores and histological activity (r: 0.245, p = 0.237). According to histological data, 12 patients were candidates for treatment, but FT–AT did not predict 3 of them (25%). FT–AT does not appear ready for use in detecting either the stage of fibrosis or activity in children with chronic hepatitis B.
Entropy vs. Energy Waveform Processing: A Comparison Based on the Heat Equation

Virtually all modern imaging devices collect electromagnetic or acoustic waves and use the energy carried by these waves to determine pixel values to create what is basically an “energy” picture. However, waves also carry “information”, as quantified by some form of entropy, and this may also be used to produce an “information” image. Numerous published studies have demonstrated the advantages of entropy, or “information imaging”, over conventional methods. The most sensitive information measure appears to be the joint entropy of the collected wave and a reference signal. The sensitivity of repeated experimental observations of a slowly-changing quantity may be defined as the mean variation (i.e., observed change) divided by mean variance (i.e., noise). Wiener integration permits computation of the required mean values and variances as solutions to the heat equation, permitting estimation of their relative magnitudes. There always exists a reference, such that joint entropy has larger variation and smaller variance than the corresponding quantities for signal energy, matching observations of several studies. Moreover, a general prescription for finding an “optimal” reference for the joint entropy emerges, which also has been validated in several studies.
Performance of a one-camera and a three-camera system

Driving and operating a vehicle is to a great extent a visual task. In driver behaviour studies it is therefore important to be able to measure where the driver is looking. Today this can be done unobtrusively and remotely in real-time with camera based eye tracking. The most common remote eye tracking systems use multiple cameras in order to give satisfactory results. However, promising results using only one camera has recently emerged on the market. The main objective of this study is to compare eye tracking systems with one and three cameras, respectively, during various measurement conditions. A total of 53 participants were enrolled in the study. Data from the two eye trackers were acquired and analysed in terms of availability, accuracy and precision. The results indicate that both availability and accuracy are affected by many different factors. The most important factors are the number of cameras that is used and the angular distance from straight ahead. In the central region (straight ahead) both one-camera and three-camera systems have a high degree of accuracy and availability, but with increasing distance from the central region, the results deteriorate. This effect falls harder upon the one-camera system. Interestingly, there were no significant effects when wearing glasses in either availability or accuracy. There was however an interaction effect between distance and glasses. Advantages with a one-camera system are that it is cheaper, easier to operate and easier to install in a vehicle. A multi-camera system will, on the other hand, provide higher availability and accuracy for areas that are far from the road centre. A one-camera system is thus mostly suitable for in-vehicle applications such as systems that warn drivers for sleepiness or distraction while multi-camera solutions are preferable for research purposes.
Defining and Measuring Academic Success.

Despite, and perhaps because of its amorphous nature, the term ‘academic success’ is one of the most widely used constructs in educational research and assessment within higher education. This paper conducts an analytic literature review to examine the use and operationalization of the term in multiple academic fields. Dominant definitions of the term are conceptually evaluated using Astin’s I-E-O model resulting in the proposition of a revised definition and new conceptual model of academic success. Measurements of academic success found throughout the literature are presented in accordance with the presented model of academic success. These measurements are provided with details in a user-friendly table (Appendix B). Results also indicate that grades and GPA are the most commonly used measure of academic success. Finally, recommendations are given for future research and practice to increase effective assessment of academic success. Our discussion leaves open, for the moment, the definition of success other than to imply that without learning there is no success and, at a minimum, success implies successful learning in the classroom.
Development and Application of Human Renal Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cells for Assessment of Compound Toxicity

Kidney toxicity is a major problem both in drug development and clinical settings. It is difficult to predict nephrotoxicity in part because of the lack of appropriate in vitro cell models, limited endpoints, and the observation that the activity of membrane transporters which plays important roles in nephrotoxicity by affecting the pharmacokinetic profile of drugs is often not taken into account. We developed a new cell model using pseudo-immortalized human primary renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. This cell line (SA7K) was characterized by the presence of proximal tubule cell markers as well as several functional properties, including transporter activity and response to a few well-characterized nephrotoxicants. We subsequently evaluated a group of potential nephrotoxic compounds in SA7K cells and compared them to a commonly used human immortalized kidney cell line (HK-2). Cells were treated with test compounds and three endpoints were analyzed, including cell viability, apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential. The results showed that most of the known nephrotoxic compounds could be detected in one or more of these endpoints. There were sensitivity differences in response to several of the chemicals between HK-2 and SA7K cells, which may relate to differences in expressions of key transporters or other components of nephrotoxicity pathways. Our data suggest that SA7K cells appear as promising for the early detection of renal toxicants.
Trial-by-Trial Adjustments of Cognitive Control Following Errors and Response Conflict are Altered in Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Background: Impairments of cognitive control have been theorized to drive the repetitive thoughts and behaviors of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) from early in the course of illness. However, it remains unclear whether altered trial-by-trial adjustments of cognitive control characterize young patients. To test this hypothesis, we determined whether trial-by-trial adjustments of cognitive control are altered in children with OCD, relative to healthy controls. Methods: Forty-eight patients with pediatric OCD and 48 healthy youth performed the Multi-Source Interference Task. Two types of trial-by-trial adjustments of cognitive control were examined: post-error slowing (i.e., slower responses after errors than after correct trials) and post-conflict adaptation (i.e., faster responses in high-conflict incongruent trials that are preceded by other high-conflict incongruent trials, relative to low-conflict congruent trials). Results: While healthy youth exhibited both post-error slowing and post-conflict adaptation, patients with pediatric OCD failed to exhibit either of these effects. Further analyses revealed that patients with low symptom severity showed a reversal of the post-conflict adaptation effect, whereas patients with high symptom severity did not show any post-conflict adaptation. Conclusion: Two types of trial-by-trial adjustments of cognitive control are altered in pediatric OCD. These abnormalities may serve as early markers of the illness.
Localization Curves for a Regularly-Spaced Octagon Loudspeaker Array

Multichannel microphone array designs often use the localisation curves that have been derived for 2-0 stereophony. Previous studies showed that side and rear perception of phantom image locations require somewhat different curves. This paper describes an experiment conducted to evaluate localisation curves using an octagonal loudspeaker setup. Interchannel level differences were produced between the loudspeaker pairs forming each of the segments of the loudspeaker array, one at a time, and subjects were asked to evaluate the perceived sound event’s direction and its locatedness. The results showed that the localisation curves derived for 2-0 stereophony are not directly applicable, and that different localisation curves are required for each loudspeaker pair.
Research Note - Lock-In Strategy in Software Competition: Open-Source Software vs. Proprietary Software

Open-source software poses a serious challenge to proprietary software vendors. “Lock in customers” seems a tempting strategy for proprietary software vendors, who attempt to lock in customers by creating switching costs. This paper examines whether such a lock-in strategy will indeed benefit proprietary software vendors facing competition from open-source software, who can credibly commit future prices. Developing a two-period duopoly model in which software products are differentiated and customers are heterogeneous, we find that the lock-in strategy is actually counterproductive in competing against open-source software. In fact, giving customers the freedom of choice may end up benefiting the proprietary software vendor. In terms of the broader effect, we find that lock-in reduces overall social welfare, but certain customers may actually be better off with it. Finally, we show that the lock-in strategy works differently for different types of customers in the software market (i.e., foresighted versus myopic customers). This suggests that customer behavior could significantly alter the equilibrium strategy of software vendors.
A DECADE OF TIMING AN ACCRETION-POWERED MILLISECOND PULSAR: THE CONTINUING SPIN DOWN AND ORBITAL EVOLUTION OF SAX J1808.4−3658

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer has observed five outbursts from the transient 2.5 ms accretion-powered pulsar SAX J1808.4−3658 during 1998–2008. We present a pulse timing study of the most recent outburst and compare it with the previous timing solutions. The spin frequency of the source continues to decrease at a rate of (−5.5 ± 1.2) × 10−18 Hz s−1, which is consistent with the previously determined spin derivative. The spin down occurs mostly during quiescence, and is most likely due to the magnetic dipole torque from a B = 1.5 × 108 G dipolar field at the neutron star surface. We also find that the 2 hr binary orbital period is increasing at a rate of (3.80 ± 0.06) × 10−12 s s−1, also consistent with previous measurements. It remains uncertain whether this orbital change reflects secular evolution or short-term variability.
Innate Immune Surveillance of Spontaneous B Cell Lymphomas by Natural Killer Cells and γδ T Cells

Few studies have demonstrated that innate lymphocytes play a major role in preventing spontaneous tumor formation. We evaluated the development of spontaneous tumors in mice lacking β-2 microglobulin (β2m; and thus MHC class I, CD1d, and CD16) and/or perforin, since these tumor cells would be expected to activate innate effector cells. Approximately half the cohort of perforin gene-targeted mice succumbed to spontaneous disseminated B cell lymphomas and in mice that also lacked β2m, the lymphomas developed earlier (by more than 100 d) and with greater incidence (84%). B cell lymphomas from perforin/β2m gene-targeted mice effectively primed cell-mediated cytotoxicity and perforin, but not IFN-γ, IL-12, or IL-18, was absolutely essential for tumor rejection. Activated NK1.1+ and γδTCR+ T cells were abundant at the tumor site, and transplanted tumors were strongly rejected by either, or both, of these cell types. Blockade of a number of different known costimulatory pathways failed to prevent tumor rejection. These results reflect a critical role for NK cells and γδTCR+ T cells in innate immune surveillance of B cell lymphomas, mediated by as yet undetermined pathway(s) of tumor recognition.
On the behavior of three-phase inverters in the new smart grid context

The effects of interharmonic distortion on three-phase inverters whose control is based on the use of PLL systems are analyzed. After some brief recalls on the general scheme of a three-phase PLL, a linear analysis in the presence of interharmonics is developed in terms of amplitude and phase modulation effects on the PLL errors. Finally, a sensitivity analysis aimed to show the effects of different design choices of the PLL on the frequency and phase angle estimation errors and on the dynamic response is reported.
Attentional Demands of Movement Observation as Tested by a Dual Task Approach

Movement observation (MO) has been shown to activate the motor cortex of the observer as indicated by an increase of corticomotor excitability for muscles involved in the observed actions. Moreover, behavioral work has strongly suggested that this process occurs in a near-automatic manner. Here we further tested this proposal by applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) when subjects observed how an actor lifted objects of different weights as a single or a dual task. The secondary task was either an auditory discrimination task (experiment 1) or a visual discrimination task (experiment 2). In experiment 1, we found that corticomotor excitability reflected the force requirements indicated in the observed movies (i.e. higher responses when the actor had to apply higher forces). Interestingly, this effect was found irrespective of whether MO was performed as a single or a dual task. By contrast, no such systematic modulations of corticomotor excitability were observed in experiment 2 when visual distracters were present. We conclude that interference effects might arise when MO is performed while competing visual stimuli are present. However, when a secondary task is situated in a different modality, neural responses are in line with the notion that the observers motor system responds in a near-automatic manner. This suggests that MO is a task with very low cognitive demands which might be a valuable supplement for rehabilitation training, particularly, in the acute phase after the incident or in patients suffering from attention deficits. However, it is important to keep in mind that visual distracters might interfere with the neural response in M1.
ERPs Reveal the Time-Course of Aberrant Visual-Phonological Binding in Developmental Dyslexia

New evidence is accumulating for a deficit in binding visual-orthographic information with the corresponding phonological code in developmental dyslexia. Here, we identify the mechanisms underpinning this deficit using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in dyslexic and control adult readers performing a letter-matching task. In each trial, a printed letter was presented synchronously with an auditory letter name. Incongruent (mismatched), frequent trials were interleaved with congruent (matched) infrequent target pairs, which participants were asked to report by pressing a button. In critical trials, incongruent letter pairs were mismatched but confusable in terms of their visual or phonological features. Typical readers showed early detection of deviant trials, indicated by larger modulation in the range of the phonological mismatch negativity (PMN) compared with standard trials. This was followed by stronger modulation of the P3b wave for visually confusable deviants and an increased lateralized readiness potential (LRP) for phonological deviants, compared with standards. In contrast, dyslexic readers showed reduced sensitivity to deviancy in the PMN range. Responses to deviants in the P3b range indicated normal letter recognition processes, but the LRP calculation revealed a specific impairment for visual-orthographic information during response selection in dyslexia. In a follow-up experiment using an analogous non-lexical task in the same participants, we found no reading-group differences, indicating a degree of specificity to over-learnt visual-phonological binding. Our findings indicate early insensitivity to visual-phonological binding in developmental dyslexia, coupled with difficulty selecting the correct orthographic code.
Post-prandial blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract is not compromised during hypoxia in the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax.

The hypothesis that the increase in post-prandial splanchnic blood flow will be reduced during hypoxia to prioritise blood flow to other organs was tested by measuring cardiac output and gut blood flow during a stepwise hypoxic challenge (five steps, from 20.6 to 3.9 kPa, 5 min of exposure to each level) before and after feeding (equivalent to 2.9% of body mass). Splanchnic blood flow, both absolute and relative to cardiac output, increased after feeding. Mean post-prandial gut blood flow increased by 71% (from 9.6+/-1.6 to 14.9+/-1.6 ml min(-1) kg(-1), means +/- S.E. M. ). Before feeding, gut blood flow was 24.0% of cardiac output, and this increased significantly 24 h after feeding to 34.0%. The absolute post-prandial increase in gut blood flow (5.3+/-0.9 ml min(-1) kg(-1)) was paralleled by an increase in cardiac output (5.4+/-2.1 ml min(-1) kg(-1)). Hypoxia decreased gut blood flow significantly from 9.6+/-1.6 to 3.7+/-1.1 ml min(-1) kg(-1), corresponding to a decrease in relative gut blood flow from 24 % to 13%. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, and although post-prandial absolute blood flow decreases during hypoxia, the relative proportion of cardiac output reaching the gut did not decrease (34.6% pre-hypoxia versus 26.7% during hypoxia), unlike the situation in non-feeding fish. We propose that, following feeding, relative gut blood flow is maintained because splanchnic hyperaemia occurs as a result of the release of local factors; consequently the reflex vasoconstriction of the gastrointestinal vasculature during hypoxia is not as effective in decreasing gut blood flow as it was before feeding because local hyperaemia out-competes the reflex regulation.
Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Decrease during Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose. To assess an effect of glycemic control on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods. Thirty-eight eyes of 38 patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing blood glucose regulation were enrolled. All patients were examined at (1) initial visit, (2) 1 month, (3) 2 months, and (4) 4-month after the initial examination. On each occasion, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning for RNFL thickness were evaluated. 360 degree circular OCT scans with a diameter of 3.4 mm centered on the optic disc were performed. Results. Significant RNFL decrease was seen in the superior area between initial and 4 months examination (P = .043). The relationship between the changes in HbA1c and the changes in RNFL thickness was observed in superior, temporal, and inferior area (P < .05) at 4 months. Conclusions. This study suggests that the glycemic control affects RNFL within 4 months.
rowth and maturation of Korean chum salmon under changing environmental

Salmon populations in the North Pacific have been subject to major changes in environmental and fishing pressure since the early 1980s, including a climate regime shift in 1988–1989, the closure of the high-seas fisheries in 1993, and a subsequent climatic event in 1998. In the present work, we evaluate whether any of these three events has triggered changes in the life-history traits of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) from the Namdae River, on the eastern coast of South Korea, using data collected on females and males from 1984 to 2008. We find that the 1988–1989 regime shift had the most pervasive effects on female and