Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designer Drugs: A Synthetic Catastrophe

Synthetic stimulants can cause hallucinations, aggressive behaviors, death and are sometimes legal. These substances are sold as plant food and bath salts that are “Not for Human Consumption”, therefore skirting the 1986 Federal Analogue Act and giving a false pretense of safety. Studies have proved that these substances are toxic, have a high abuse potential, and are becoming extremely prevalent in the United States. This creates a dilemma for law enforcement agents, hospitals, and substance use disorder treatment centers. Urine Drug Testing is utilized as a clinical diagnostic tool in substance use disorder treatment centers, and the furious pace at which new synthetic stimulants are introduced to the black market are making the detection via urine increasingly difficult. This article will discuss the prevalence, pharmacology and difficulty developing laboratory assays to detect synthetic stimulants.
Social Networking Continuance: When Habit Leads to Information Overload

In this paper, we propose an explanatory model of the continuance intention to use social networking sites (SNS). Our aim is to extend the post adoptive model by incorporating Habit and Information Overload as antecedents to SNS continuance intention. A quantitative approach based on an online survey administered to 320 executive managers in France confirms the positive role of habit in generating information overload and in positively affecting SNS continuance intention. The results also show that satisfaction and perceived usefulness do not seem to play any significant role.
Mass transfer in structured packing

A short wetted-wall column was used to investigate the gas phase mass transfer of pure organic liquids evaporating into an air stream. No liquid side resistance was observed for the binary systems investigated. Both smooth and textured surfaces were used in the study and the experimental results were correlated with a power law series. The correlations for the different surfaces were tested in two predictive models using distillation experimental data for the three binary test systems under conditions of total reflux. The correlations for the textured surface gave better predictions of the HETP than correlations proposed in literature. The modelling of effective surface area was identified as an area in which more research is needed. A preliminary study showed that the mass transfer coefficients predicted with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is significantly higher than that predicted by correlations derived from wetted-wall evaporation data.
Choices of Optimal Monetary Policy Instruments Under the Floating and the Basket-Peg Regimes

This paper determines whether adopting the basket-peg rather than the floating regime is optimal for emerging market countries. Under the basket-peg regime, there is a trade-off between practical usefulness and welfare losses associated with capital movements across countries. We develop a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for small open economies to derive a simple basket weight rule. Although this is suboptimal, we find it practical and easy to implement. With calibration using Singaporean and Thai data for 1997Q3–2006Q2 and comparison among cumulative losses associated with the policy instrument rules, we show that a commitment to the basket weight rule is superior to other instrument rules under the floating regime for small, open emerging market countries like Singapore and Thailand.
On the deep minimum state in the Seyfert galaxy MCG-6-30-15

We present a detailed spectral analysis of the first observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG 6-30-15 by the European Photon Imaging Camera on board the XMM-Newton observatory, together with contemporaneous data from the Proportional Counter Array on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Confirming our previously published result, we find that the presence of extremely broadened reflection features from an ionized relativistic accretion disk is required even when one employs the latest X-ray reflection models and includes the effect of complex absorption. The extremely broadened reflection features are also present if the primary continuum is modeled with a thermal Comptonisation spectrum rather than a simple power-law continuum. With this fact established, we examine these data using a relativistic smearing function corresponding to a “generalized thin accretion disk” model. We find strong evidence for torquing of the central parts of the accretion disk (presumably through magnetic interactions with the plunging region of the disk and/or the rotating black hole itself). Indeed, within the context of these torqued disk models, this system appears to be in a torque-dominated (or “infinite-efficiency”) state at the time of this observation. In addition, we find marginal evidence that the X-ray emitting corona radiates a greater fraction of the total dissipated energy in the inner portions of the disk. We also perform a study of spectral variability within our observation. We find that the disk reflection features maintain roughly a constant equivalent width with respect to the observed continuum, as predicted by simple reflection models. Taken together with other studies of MCG 6-30-15 that find disk features to possess constant intensity at higher flux states, we suggest that the flux of disk features undergoes a saturation once the source emerges from a Deep Minimum state. We discuss the implications of these results for the physics of the Deep Minimum “state transitions”.
SlimShot: In-Database Probabilistic Inference for Knowledge Bases

Increasingly large Knowledge Bases are being created, by crawling the Web or other corpora of documents, and by extracting facts and relations using machine learning techniques. To manage the uncertainty in the data, these KBs rely on probabilistic engines based on Markov Logic Networks (MLN), for which probabilistic inference remains a major challenge. Today's state of the art systems use variants of MCMC, which have no theoretical error guarantees, and, as we show, suffer from poor performance in practice. In this paper we describe SlimShot (Scalable Lifted Inference and Monte Carlo Sampling Hybrid Optimization Technique), a probabilistic inference engine for knowledge bases. SlimShot converts the MLN to a tuple-independent probabilistic database, then uses a simple Monte Carlo-based inference, with three key enhancements: (1) it combines sampling with safe query evaluation, (2) it estimates a conditional probability by jointly computing the numerator and denominator, and (3) it adjusts the proposal distribution based on the sample cardinality. In combination, these three techniques allow us to give formal error guarantees, and we demonstrate empirically that SlimShot outperforms to-day's state of the art probabilistic inference engines used in knowledge bases.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities and dyslipidaemic syndrome in children with sickle cell anaemia

Summary Background Lipid and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities have been reported in adults with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and may reflect underlying structural and/ or functional damage. However, the relationship between ECG and lipid abnormalities among children with sickle cell disease is not fully understood. Objectives To compare the steady-state lipid and ECG abnormalities in children with SCA to the controls and examine the hypothesis that lipid abnormalities are closely related to electrocardiographic abnormalities, and therefore are a reflection of cardiac damage among these children. Methods: Clinical, laboratory and ECG profiles of 62 children with SCA and 40 age- and gender-matched haemoglobin AA controls were compared. The influence of clinical characteristics, lipids profiles, markers of haemolysis, and renal and hepatic dysfunction on ECG pattern in children with SCA was then determined. Results The patients had lower average diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than the controls, (p = 0.001, 0.002, 0.000 and 0.000, respectively). The mean triglyceride level was significantly higher (p < 0.001), while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were comparable (p = 0.858). The cases were about six times more likely to have left ventricular hypertrophy than the controls (OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 2.7–15.6, p = 0.000). Haematocrit level had a negative correlation with QTC (r = –0.3, p = 0.016) and QT intervals (r = – 0.3, p = 0.044). Triglyceride levels had a positive correlation with the PR interval (r = 0.3, p = 0.012), while serum alanine transferase (ALT) concentrations had an inverse correlation with PR interval (r = –0.3, p = 0.015). There was no statistical difference in the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the SCA children with or without ECG abnormalities. However, the mean triglyceride and serum ALT levels in those with ECG abnormalities were significantly higher than those without (p = 0.007 and 0.045, respectively). Conclusion Lipid and ECG abnormalities are common in children with SCA. Elevated triglyceride and serum ALT levels are possible biochemical markers of ECG abnormalities in these patients.
onitoring global land surface drought based on a hybrid vapotranspiration model

The latent heat of evapotranspiration (ET) plays an important role in the assessment of drought severity as one sensitive indicator of land drought status. A simple and accurate method of estimating global ET for the monitoring of global land surface droughts from remote sensing data is essential. The objective of this research is to develop a hybrid ET model by introducing empirical coefficients based on a simple linear two-source land ET model, and to then use this model to calculate the Evaporative Drought Index (EDI) based on the actual estimated ET and the potential ET in order to characterize global surface drought conditions. This is done using the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) products, AVHRR-NDVI products from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) group, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis-2 (NCEP-2) datasets. We randomly divided 22 flux towers into two groups and performed a series of cross-validations using ground measurements collected from the corresponding flux towers. The validation results from the second group of flux towers using the data from the first group for calibration show that the daily bias varies from −6.72 W/m2 to 12.95 W/m2 and the average monthly bias is −1.73 W/m2. Similarly, the validation results of the first group of flux towers using data from second group for calibration show that the daily bias varies from −12.91 W/m2 to 10.26 W/m2 and the average monthly bias is −3.59 W/m2. To evaluate the reliability of the hybrid ET model on a global scale, we compared the estimated ET from the GEWEX, AVHRR-GIMMS-NDVI, and NECP-2 datasets with the latent heat flux from the Global Soil Wetness Project2 (GSWP-2) datasets. We found both of them to be in good agreement, which further supports the validity of our model’s global ET estimation. Significantly, the patterns of monthly EDI anomalies have a good spatial and temporal correlation with the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) anomalies from January 1984 to December 2002, which indicates that the method can be used to accurately monitor long-term ht. global land surface droug
Surface EMG and MFCV during attacks of HOPP 85 SURFACE EMG AND MUSCLE FIBER CONDUCTION DURING ATTACKS OF HYPOKALAEMIC PERIODIC PARALYSIS

Surface EMG, muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV), muscle force and biochemical variables were investigated in a 13-year-old boy with familial hypokalaemic periodic paralysis (HOPP) during and after three attacks of paralysis. After normalisation of the serum potassium values, strength rapidly returned to interictal values, but the integrated EMG and to a lesser extent the MFCV recovered more slowly. These findings suggest that a complete electrophysiological recovery is not necessary for a restoration of muscle force and that the pathogenetic defect is localised in the muscle membrane.
Using hierarchical Bayesian methods to examine the tools of decision-making

Hierarchical Bayesian methods offer a principled and comprehensive way to relate psychological models to data. Here we use them to model the patterns of information search, stopping and deciding in a simulated binary comparison judgment task. The simulation involves 20 subjects making 100 forced choice comparisons about the relative magnitudes of two objects (which of two German cities has more inhabitants). Two worked-examples show how hierarchical models can be developed to account for and explain the diversity of both search and stopping rules seen across the simulated individuals. We discuss how the results provide insight into current debates in the literature on heuristic decision making and argue that they demonstrate the power and flexibility of hierarchical Bayesian methods in modeling human decision-making.
Glutaredoxin-2 Is Required to Control Proton Leak through Uncoupling Protein-3*

Background: Glutaredoxin-2 (Grx2) modulates reversible glutathionylation of mitochondrial proteins. Results: Grx2 glutathionylates and inhibits UCP3-mediated proton leak. Conclusion: Grx2 modulates UCP3 activity. Significance: Grx2 is required to control proton leak through UCP3 and mitochondrial metabolism. Glutathionylation has emerged as a key modification required for controlling protein function in response to changes in cell redox status. Recently, we showed that the glutathionylation state of uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) modulates the leak of protons back into the mitochondrial matrix, thus controlling reactive oxygen species production. However, whether or not UCP3 glutathionylation is mediated enzymatically has remained unknown because previous work relied on the use of pharmacological agents, such as diamide, to alter the UCP3 glutathionylation state. Here, we demonstrate that glutaredoxin-2 (Grx2), a matrix oxidoreductase, is required to glutathionylate and inhibit UCP3. Analysis of bioenergetics in skeletal muscle mitochondria revealed that knock-out of Grx2 (Grx2−/−) increased proton leak in a UCP3-dependent manner. These effects were reversed using diamide, a glutathionylation catalyst. Importantly, the increased leak did not compromise coupled respiration. Knockdown of Grx2 augmented proton leak-dependent respiration in primary myotubes from wild type mice, an effect that was absent in UCP3−/− cells. These results confirm that Grx2 deactivates UCP3 by glutathionylation. To our knowledge, this is the first enzyme identified to regulate UCP3 by glutathionylation and is the first study on the role of Grx2 in the regulation of energy metabolism.
Opinion Dynamics of Modified Hegselmann-Krause Model with Group-based Bounded Confidence

Abstract The continuous opinion dynamics with group-based heterogeneous bounded confidences is considered in this paper. Firstly, a slightly modified Hegselmann-Krause model is proposed, and the agents are divided into open-minded-, moderate-minded-, and close-minded-subgroups according to the corresponding confidence intervals. Then numerical simulations are carried out to analyze the influence of the close-minded and open-minded agents, as well as the population size, on the opinion dynamics. It is observed that (1) for the fixed population size, the larger proportion of close-minded agents, the more opinion clusters; (2) open-minded agents cannot contribute to forging different opinions, instead, the existence of them maybe diversify final opinions; also interestingly the relative size of the largest cluster varies along concave-parabola-like curve as the proportion of open-minded agents increases; (3) for the same proportion of the three subgroups, as population size increases, the number of final opinion clusters will increase at the beginning and then reach a stable level, which is quite different from the previous studies.
Coordination Economies, Advertising, and Search Behavior in Retail Markets

We introduce a model of the retail firm in which consumers and active firms benefit collectively from coordination of sales at fewer firms. Using this model, we show that ostensibly uninformative advertising plays a key role in bringing about coordination economies, by directing consumer search toward firms that offer the best deals. Optimal consumer search takes the form of a simple rule of thumb that uses observed advertising information to guide search. Both industry concentration and social surplus are higher in the presence of advertising, relative to a no-advertising benchmark. (JEL D83, L15) Many observed advertisements seem to be at odds with rational behavior. In a variety of ads, mostly on TV and radio, multiproduct sellers provide little hard information, choosing instead to impart only vague slogans that are suggestive of good deals. Examples are plentiful: a hardware store
Burden of HIV-related cytomegalovirus retinitis in resource-limited settings: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a late-stage opportunistic infection in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS. Lack of ophthalmological diagnostic skills, lack of convenient CMV treatment, and increasing access to antiretroviral therapy have all contributed to an assumption that CMV retinitis is no longer a concern in low- and middle-income settings. METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies reporting prevalence of CMV retinitis in low- and middle-income countries. Eligible studies assessed the occurrence of CMV retinitis by funduscopic examination within a cohort of at least 10 HIV-positive adult patients. RESULTS We identified 65 studies from 24 countries, mainly in Asia (39 studies, 12 931 patients) and Africa (18 studies, 4325 patients). By region, the highest prevalence was observed in Asia with a pooled prevalence of 14.0% (11.8%-16.2%). Almost a third (31.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 27.6%-35.8%) had vision loss in 1 or both eyes. Few studies reported immune status, but where reported CD4 count at diagnosis of CMV retinitis was <50 cells/µL in 73.4% of cases. There was no clear pattern of prevalence over time, which was similar for the period 1993-2002 (11.8%; 95% CI, 8%-15.7%) and 2009-2013 (17.6%; 95% CI, 12.6%-22.7%). CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of CMV retinitis in resource low- and middle-income countries, notably Asian countries, remains high, and routine retinal screening of late presenting HIV-positive patients should be considered. HIV programs must ensure capacity to manage the needs of patients who present late for care.
RELATIVISTIC BROADENING OF IRON EMISSION LINES IN A SAMPLE OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

We present a uniform X-ray spectral analysis of eight type-1 active galactic nuclei that have been previously observed with relativistically broadened iron emission lines. Utilizing data from the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC-pn) we carefully model the spectral continuum, taking complex intrinsic absorption and emission into account. We then proceed to model the broad Fe Kα feature in each source with two different accretion disk emission line codes, as well as a self-consistent, ionized accretion disk spectrum convolved with relativistic smearing from the inner disk. Comparing the results, we show that relativistic blurring of the disk emission is required to explain the spectrum in most sources, even when one models the full reflection spectrum from the photoionized disk.
The contributions of systems science to the development of the decision support system subspecialties: an empirical investigation

This is a comprehensive study that, by means of an empirical assessment of the decision support systems (DSS) literature over the past 23 years (1971–1993), systematically identifies the DSS reference disciplines and traces how concepts and findings by systems researchers have been picked up by DSS researchers to be applied, extended and refined in the development of DSS research subspecialties. Cluster analysis was applied to an author cocitation frequency matrix derived from a comprehensive database of the DSS literature to uncover 12 clusters consisting of six major areas of DSS research (foundations, group DSS, model management, user interfaces, implementation and multicriteria DSS) and six contributing disciplines (multiple-criteria, decision-making, cognitive science organization science, artificial intelligence, group decision-making and systems science). This study concludes that systems scientists have made important contributions to the development of foundational concepts, implementation, user interface, model management and group decision support systems. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Can priced options solve the exposure problem in sequential auctions?

The exposure problem appears whenever an agent with complementary valuations bids to acquire a bundle of items sold sequentially, in independent auctions. In this letter, we review a possible solution that can help solve this problem, which involves selling options for the items, instead of the items themselves. We provide a brief overview of the state of the art in this field and discuss, based on recent results presented in [Mous et. al. 2008], under which conditions using option mechanisms would be desirable for both buyers and sellers, by comparison to direct auctioning of the items. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of further research directions in this field.
Dysregulated Mitochondrial Genes and Networks with Drug Targets in Postmortem Brain of Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Revealed by Human Mitochondria-Focused cDNA Microarrays

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with decreased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the brain region that regulates working memory and preparation and selection of fear responses. We investigated gene expression profiles in DLPFC Brodmann area (BA) 46 of postmortem patients with (n=6) and without PTSD (n=6) using human mitochondria-focused cDNA microarrays. Our study revealed PTSD-specific expression fingerprints of 800 informative mitochondria-focused genes across all of these 12 BA46 samples, and 119 (±>1.25, p<0.05) and 42 (±>1.60, p<0.05) dysregulated genes between the PTSD and control samples. Quantitative RT-PCR validated the microarray results. These fingerprints can essentially distinguish the PTSD DLPFC BA46 brains from controls. Of the 119 dysregulated genes (±≥125%, p<0.05), the highest percentages were associated with mitochondrial dysfunction (4.8%, p=6.61x10-6), oxidative phosphorylation (3.8%, p=9.04x10-4), cell survival-apoptosis (25.2%, p<0.05) and neurological diseases (23.5%, p<0.05). Fifty (50) dysregulated genes were present in the molecular networks that are known to be involved in neuronal function-survival and contain 7 targets for neuropsychiatric drugs. Thirty (30) of the dysregulated genes are associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Our results indicate mitochondrial dysfunction in the PTSD DLPFC BA46 and provide the expression fingerprints that may ultimately serve as biomarkers for PTSD diagnosis and the drugs and molecular targets that may prove useful for development of remedies for prevention and treatment of PTSD.