Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review of Social and Organizational Issues in Health Information Technology

Objectives This paper reviews organizational and social issues (OSIs) in health information technology (HIT). Methods A review and synthesis of the literature on OSIs in HIT was conducted. Results Five overarching themes with respect to OSIs in HIT were identified and discussed: scope and frameworks for defining OSIs in HIT, context matters, process immaturity and complexity, trade-offs will happen and need to be discussed openly, and means of studying OSIs in HIT. Conclusions There is a wide body of literature that provides insight into OSIs in HIT, even if many of the studies are not explicitly labelled as such. The two biggest research needs are more explicit and theoretical studies of OSI in HITs and more research on integrating micro and macro perspectives of HIT use in organizations.
Multiband photometric decomposition of nuclear stellar disks

Context. Small, bright stellar disks with scale lengths of a few tens of parsec are known to reside in the center of galaxies. They are believed to have formed in a dissipational process as the end result of star formation in gas either accreted during a merging (or acquisition) event or piled up by the secular evolution of a nuclear bar. Only a few of them have been studied in detail to date. Aims. Using archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, we investigate the photometric parameters of the nuclear stellar disks hosted by three early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster, NGC 4458, NGC 4478, and NGC 4570, to constrain the process that forms their stars. Methods. The central surface brightness, scale length, inclination, and position angle of the nuclear disks were derived by adopting the photometric decomposition method introduced by Scorza & Bender and assuming the disks to be infinitesimally thin and exponential. Results. The location, orientation, and size of the nuclear disks is the same in all the images obtained with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and Advanced Camera for Surveys and available in the HST Science Archive. The scale length, inclination, and position angle of each disk are constant within the errors in the observed U, B, V ,a ndI passbands, independently of their values and the properties of the host spheroid. Conclusions. We interpret the absence of color gradients in the stellar population of the nuclear disks as the signature that star formation homogeneously occurred along their length. An inside-out formation scenario is, instead, expected to produce color gradients and is therefore ruled out.
Social Class and Social Capital in China and Britain: A Comparative Study

We use the China General Social Survey (2005) and the Home Office Citizenship Survey (2005) to study civic engagement and neighbourhood trust in China and Britain in this paper. We focus on class differences in participation in sports/recreation, religion, children's/adult education and public-welfare activities, and trust in the neighbours. We find higher levels of civic involvement in Britain but greater neighbourhood trust in China. This is mainly due to structural differences. China has a large proportion of peasants who have very low levels of civic involvement but very high levels of neighbourhood trust. Among the non-peasant population, the two countries have similar levels of class differences in civic (except religious) involvement. There are small class differences in China on neighbourhood trust, but marked effects in Britain. Overall, there is a greater similarity than difference in class effects in both civic engagement and social trust in the two countries. While differences in demographic attributes (and China's specific institutional arrangement, the household registration system, or hukou) account for some of the observed patterns, we also find more pronounced class than demographic effects in the two countries. Class plays a major role in the development of social capital.
Estrogen Receptor (ER) β Modulates ERα-Mediated Transcriptional Activation by Altering the Recruitment of c-Fos and c-Jun to Estrogen-Responsive Promoters

In this study, an estrogen receptor (ER) α-expressing T47D cell line containing an inducible tet-off FLAG-ERβ was used to examine the influence of ERβ on ERα activity. Real-time PCR analysis of mRNA levels of two well-studied estrogen-responsive genes, pS2 and progesterone receptor (PR), showed that the expression levels of both genes were reduced in the presence of ERβ. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that the 17β-estradiol (E2)-induced recruitment patterns to the pS2 and PR promoters were similar for both ERα and ERβ. ERβ expression did not significantly influence the kinetic recruitment profile of ERα to the pS2 promoter, but it was evident that ERα occupancy at the PR promoter was reduced. The E2-induced recruitment of c-Fos to a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate response element site in the PR promoter was significantly reduced in the presence of ERβ, whereas only a slight reduction in the recruitment of c-Fos to the pS2 promoter was observed. ERβ expression resulted in a significant r.
Visuomotor Functional Network Topology Predicts Upcoming Tasks

It is a vital ability of humans to flexibly adapt their behavior to different environmental situations. Constantly, the rules for our sensory-to-motor mappings need to be adapted to the current task demands. For example, the same sensory input might require two different motor responses depending on the actual situation. How does the brain prepare for such different responses? It has been suggested that the functional connections within cortex are biased according to the present rule to guide the flow of information in accordance with the required sensory-to-motor mapping. Here, we investigated with fMRI whether task settings might indeed change the functional connectivity structure in a large-scale brain network. Subjects performed a visuomotor response task that required an interaction between visual and motor cortex: either within each hemisphere or across the two hemispheres of the brain depending on the task condition. A multivariate analysis on the functional connectivity graph of a cortical visuomotor network revealed that the functional integration, i.e., the connectivity structure, is altered according to the task condition already during a preparatory period before the visual cue and the actual movement. Our results show that the topology of connection weights within a single network changes according to and thus predicts the upcoming task. This suggests that the human brain prepares to respond in different conditions by altering its large scale functional connectivity structure even before an action is required.
BigBIRD: A large-scale 3D database of object instances

The state of the art in computer vision has rapidly advanced over the past decade largely aided by shared image datasets. However, most of these datasets tend to consist of assorted collections of images from the web that do not include 3D information or pose information. Furthermore, they target the problem of object category recognition - whereas solving the problem of object instance recognition might be sufficient for many robotic tasks. To address these issues, we present a high-quality, large-scale dataset of 3D object instances, with accurate calibration information for every image. We anticipate that “solving” this dataset will effectively remove many perception-related problems for mobile, sensing-based robots. The contributions of this work consist of: (1) BigBIRD, a dataset of 100 objects (and growing), composed of, for each object, 600 3D point clouds and 600 high-resolution (12 MP) images spanning all views, (2) a method for jointly calibrating a multi-camera system, (3) details of our data collection system, which collects all required data for a single object in under 6 minutes with minimal human effort, and (4) multiple software components (made available in open source), used to automate multi-sensor calibration and the data collection process. All code and data are available at http://rll.eecs. berkeley.edu/bigbird.
Vulnerable Options, Risky Corporate Bond, and Credit Spread

In the current literature, the focus of credit‐risk analysis has been either on the valuation of risky corporate bond and credit spread or on the valuation of vulnerable options, but never both in the same context. There are two main concerns with existing studies. First, corporate bonds and credit spreads are generally analyzed in a context where corporate debt is the only liability of the firm and a firm’s value follows a continuous stochastic process. This setup implies a zero short‐term spread, which is strongly rejected by empirical observations. The failure of generating non‐zero short‐term credit spreads may be attributed to the simplified assumption on corporate liabilities. Because a corporation generally has more than one type of liability, modeling multiple liabilities may help to incorporate discontinuity in a firm’s value and thereby lead to realistic credit term structures. Second, vulnerable options are generally valued under the assumption that a firm can fully pay off the option if the firm’s value is above the default barrier at the option’s maturity. Such an assumption is not realistic because a corporation can find itself in a solvent position at option’s maturity but with assets insufficient to pay off the option. The main contribution of this study is to address these concerns. The proposed framework extends the existing equity‐bond capital structure to an equity‐bond‐derivative setting and encompasses many existing models as special cases. The firm under study has two types of liabilities: a corporate bond and a short position in a call option. The risky corporate bond, credit spreads, and vulnerable options are analyzed and compared with their counterparts from previous models. Numerical results show that adding a derivative type of liability can lead to positive short‐term credit spreads and various shapes of credit‐spread term structures that were not possible in previous models. In addition, we found that vulnerable options need not always be worth less than their default‐free counterparts. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 21:301–327, 2001
First Steps in Educational Research: The Experience of Student Teachers.

A study is reported of student teachers' views on the value of undertaking small-scale research as part of an initial teacher education programme. Data were gathered by in-depth interview with seven student teachers and written data from 26. The evidence indicates that students valued the opportunity to do research and benefited from their engagement with it, both in terms of the findings of their studies and, more generally, in the acquisition of research skills. Most saw research as offering the potential to provide valuable insights into teaching and learning, and indicated a willingness to engage in it. Research that involved a partnership between academic researchers and teachers was seen as particularly desirable.
Recent Developments Us Labour Productivity in a Historical Context

During the past five years, US GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 4.3%, significantly faster than over the preceding 20 years (see Chart 1). At the same time, inflation has remained subdued, suggesting that the supply capacity of the US economy has increased during this period. That has partly reflected strong growth in employment; unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 1970. But rising levels of labour utilisation so far into a period of expansion are often associated with declining rates of labour productivity growth. In contrast, the past five years have seen a marked pickup of US labour productivity growth (see Chart 2) so that labour productivity (1) rose in 2000 as a whole by 4.3%, its highest year-on-year growth rate since 1983. Productivity growth has eased somewhat, as GDP growth has slowed in recent quarters and was flat in 2001 Q1. A key issue for the US outlook is the extent to which there has been a structural improvement in US productivity performance. It is useful to start by examining US productivity growth over a longer period. One way of illustrating the recent improvement in productivity growth is to look at historical rolling moving averages of the growth rate over 5, 10 and 20-year windows since 1950. Until recently, these longer-term average growth rates were not unusually strong by historical standards. But the past two years show a different picture. For the 5-year and 10-year measures, the rolling trend of US labour Has there been a structural improvement in US productivity? Annual labour productivity growth in the United States has averaged 2.8% a year since 1996, compared with an average rate of 1.6% during the preceding 25 years. This marked increase in productivity growth has been a key component of what many commentators have suggested is a 'new economy'. Given the US slowdown since the second half of 2000, a key question is the extent to which these gains reflect structural improvements, rather than cyclical factors. The evidence so far points towards a large role for structural improvements in productivity. If these gains prove to be more cyclical, however, this would have important implications for corporate performance, financial markets and, ultimately, output and inflation. (1) Measured in terms of hourly non-farm business sector output.
Response to Comment on “TLR9-Dependent Activation of Dendritic Cells by DNA from Leishmania major Favors Th1 Cell Development and the Resolution of Lesions”

In its vertebrate host, Leishmania encounters cells that express TLRs. Using genetically resistant C57BL/6 mice deficient in either TLR2, 4, or 9, we show in this study that only TLR9-deficient mice are more susceptible to infection with Leishmania major. TLR9-deficient mice resolved their lesions and controlled parasites growth with much lower efficiency than wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The absence of TLR9 also transiently inhibited the development of curative Th1 response. In an attempt to analyze the possible basis for such aberrant response in TLR9(-/-) mice, we have studied the importance of TLR9 for the activation of dendritic cells (DCs) by L. major. Results show that DCs in the draining lymph nodes are activated following infection with L. major. Furthermore, bone marrow-derived DCs as well as DCs freshly isolated from the spleen of C57BL/6 mice can be activated by either heat-killed or live L. major in vitro. In sharp contrast, L. major failed to activate DCs from TLR9(-/-) mice. Noteworthily, activation of DCs was abolished either following treatment of the parasites with DNase or after acidification of the endosomal compartment of DCs by chloroquine, pinpointing the DNA of L. major as the possible ligand of TLR9 leading to the activation of DCs. Results showed that DNA purified from L. major was indeed capable of activating DCs in a strictly TLR9-dependent manner. Moreover we showed that the L. major DNA-induced TLR9 signaling in DCs condition these cells to promote IFN-gamma production by CD4(+) T cells.
Profiles and Determinants of Poverty among Urban Households in South-West Nigeria

Poverty is gradually becoming more visible in urban areas in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper assessed the poverty situation and its determinants among urban households in the south-west region of the country. Data collected from a total of 320 households were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Foster Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) index and the ordinary least square multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that majority of the households relied on water from boreholes for drinking, disposed refuse in undesignated places and patronized nearby drug stores when they are ill in place of proper diagnosis and treatment in hospitals. The FGT decomposition showed that 34 percent of the households were poor with a poverty gap and severity indices of 0.11 and 0.06 respectively. The study further revealed that educational level of heads (α=0.01), household size (α=0.05), gender of heads (α=0.01), dependency ratio (α=0.05) and access to credit (α=0.05) exerted significant effect on household welfare. It is recommended among others that credit facilities (with minimal stringent conditions attached) should be provided and tailored more towards females and less educated people in the area. Policies which could lead to increased employment opportunities are also advocated in order to reduce dependency ratio among households thereby alleviating poverty.
T Regulatory Lymphocytes and Endothelial Function in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a low-grade inflammatory disease affecting the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. Increasing OSA severity reduces T-regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs) in OSA children. Since Tregs modulate endothelial activation, and attenuate insulin resistance, we hypothesized that Tregs are associated with endothelial and metabolic dysfunction in pediatric OSA. Methods 50 consecutively recruited children (ages 4.8–12 years) underwent overnight polysomnography and fasting homeostatic model (HOMA) of insulin resistance was assessed. Percentage of Tregs using flow cytometry, and endothelial function, expressed as the time to peak occlusive hyperemia (Tmax), were examined. In a subgroup of children (n = 21), in vitro Treg suppression tests were performed. Results Circulating Tregs were not significantly associated with either BMI z score or HOMA. However, a significant inverse correlation between percentage of Tregs and Tmax emerged (p<0.0001, r = −0.56). A significant negative correlation between Tregs suppression and the sleep pressure score (SPS), a surrogate measure of sleep fragmentation emerged (p = 0.02, r = −0.51) emerged, but was not present with AHI. Conclusions Endothelial function, but not insulin resistance, in OSA children is strongly associated with circulating Tregs and their suppressive function, and appears to correlate with sleep fragmentation. Thus, alterations in T cell lymphocytes may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity in pediatric OSA.
The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS)

The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) provides long-wavelength capability for the mission in imaging bands at 24, 70, and 160 μm and measurements of spectral energy distributions between 52 and 100 μm at a spectral resolution of about 7%. By using true detector arrays in each band, it provides both critical sampling of the Spitzer point-spread function and relatively large imaging fields of view, allowing for substantial advances in sensitivity, angular resolution, and efficiency of areal coverage compared with previous space far-infrared capabilities. The 24 μm array has excellent photometric properties, and measurements with rms relative errors of about 1% can be obtained. The two longer-wavelength arrays use detectors with poor photometric stability, but a system of onboard stimulators used for relative calibration, combined with a unique data pipeline, produce good photometry with rms relative errors of less than 10%.
Introducing the Euro-Sting: Short-Term Indicator of Euro Area Growth

We propose a model to compute short-term forecasts of the Euro area GDP growth in real-time. To allow for forecast evaluation, we construct a real-time data set that changes for each vintage date and includes the exact information that was available at the time of each forecast. In this context, we provide examples that show how data revisions and data availability affect point forecasts and forecast uncertainty.
Background info for Map and Reduce

2 Notation. Function composition is written as f · g , and application of f to a is written f a or f . a. Application written as a space has the highest priority and application written as a “low dot” has the lowest priority (as suggested by the wide space surrounding the dot). So, f ·g . x +y = f (g (x +y)). This convention saves parentheses, thus improving readability. In order to facilitate reasoning in the form of algebraic manipulation (that is, repeatedly replacing a part of an expression by a different but semantically equal part) we generally prefer to work on the function level (expressing a function as combination of other functions) instead of the point level (where the outcome of a function application is expressed as a combination of the outcomes of other function applications). Thus we prefer to say, for example, f = f1 · (f2+̂f3) · f4 over f (x ) = f1(f2(f4(x )) + f3(f4(x ))), so that the replacement of f2+̂f3 by f3+̂f2 or by f ′ is easier to perform. The list of items a, b, c, . , in that order, is denoted [a, b, c, . ]. Operation + is list concatenation (also called join), so that [a, b, c] + [d , e] = [a, b, c, d , e]. Function tip is the singleton list former: tip x = [x ].
ImproteK: Introducing Scenarios into Human-Computer Music Improvisation

This article focuses on the introduction of control, authoring, and composition in human-computer music improvisation through the description of a guided music generation model and a reactive architecture, both implemented in the software ImproteK. This interactive music system is used with expert improvisers in work sessions and performances of idiomatic and pulsed music and more broadly in situations of structured or composed improvisation. The article deals with the integration of temporal specifications in the music generation process by means of a fixed or dynamic “scenario” and addresses the issue of the dialectic between reactivity and planning in interactive music improvisation. It covers the different levels involved in machine improvisation: the integration of anticipation relative to a predefined structure in a guided generation process at a symbolic level, an architecture combining this anticipation with reactivity using mixed static/dynamic scheduling techniques, and an audio rendering module performing live re-injection of captured material in synchrony with a non-metronomic beat. Finally, it sketches a framework to compose improvisation sessions at the scenario level, extending the initial musical scope of the system. All of these points are illustrated by videos of performances or work sessions with musicians.
Rewriting null e-commerce queries to recommend products

In e-commerce applications product descriptions are often concise. E-Commerce search engines often have to deal with queries that cannot be easily matched to product inventory resulting in zero recall or null query situations. Null queries arise from differences in buyer and seller vocabulary or from the transient nature of products. In this paper, we describe a system that rewrites null e-commerce queries to find matching products as close to the original query as possible. The system uses query relaxation to rewrite null queries in order to match products. Using eBay as an example of a dynamic marketplace, we show how using temporal feedback that respects product category structure using the repository of expired products, we improve the quality of recommended results. The system is scalable and can be run in a high volume setting. We show through our experiments that high quality product recommendations for more than 25% of null queries are achievable.