Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for laboratory testing and result reporting of antibody to hepatitis C virus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Testing for the presence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is recommended for initially identifying persons with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (CDC. Recommendations for prevention and control of hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection and HCV-related chronic disease. MMWR 1998;47[No. RR-19] :1-33). Testing for anti-HCV should include use of an antibody screening assay, and for screening test-positive results, a more specific supplemental assay. Verifying the presence of anti-HCV minimizes unnecessary medical visits and psychological harm for persons who test falsely positive by screening assays and ensures that counseling, medical referral, and evaluation are targeted for patients serologically confirmed as having been infected with HCV. However, substantial variation in reflex supplemental testing practices exists among laboratories, and an anti-HCV-positive laboratory report does not uniformly represent a confirmed positive result. These guidelines expand recommendations for anti-HCV testing to include an option for reflex supplemental testing based on screening-test-positive signal-to-cut-off (s/co) ratios. Use of s/co ratios minimizes the amount of supplemental testing that needs to be performed while improving the reliability of reported test results. These guidelines were developed on the basis of available knowledge of CDC staff in consultation with representatives from the Food and Drug Administration and public health, hospital, and independent laboratories. Adoption of these guidelines by all public and private laboratories that perform in vitro diagnostic anti-HCV testing will improve the accuracy and utility of reported anti-HCV test results for counseling and medical evaluation of patients by health-care professionals and for surveillance by public health departments.
The Engineering Design Discipline: Is its Confounding Lexicon Hindering its Evolution?

In this paper, we invite the engineering design research community to examine the current state of the engineering design lexicon. We expose the nature and the persuasiveness of practices that may hinder intelligible discourse within the engineering design literature. In particular, we show how such commonly used terms as criterion and metric are used sometimes as synonyms and sometimes not, often leading to material miscommunications. In our view, the engineering design discipline has reached a point in its evolution where clarity and conciseness of its lexicon should be a priority. Today’s design activity takes place in a truly multidisciplinary environment, which often involves engineers of divers backgrounds. Written and oral design discourse among design researchers does not rely on a generally accepted and documented lexicon. These situations are symptomatic of a communication infrastructure that is not effectively facilitating the vigorous evolution of the engineering design discipline of recent years. In addition to detailing the outlines of the design lexicon deficiency, we also propose some avenues to a constructive and productive community-wide discussion on this subject, including conducting open discussions at the web site: http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Research/DBD. We hope that this effort will be a catalyst for the development of an engineering design dictionary that will enjoy broad acceptance within the design community. A developed design lexicon will form a critical foundational component of Decision-Based-Design, the central topic of this special issue.
Obscured Star Formation in the Central Region of the Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5253

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) NICMOS observations (1.1-2.2 μm) and 1.9-4.1 μm spectroscopy of the central region of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. The HST NICMOS observations reveal the presence of a nuclear double star cluster separated by ≃0. ″3-0. ″4, or 6-8 pc (for a distance d = 4.1 Mpc). The double star cluster, also a bright double source of Paα emission, appears to be coincident with the double radio nebula detected at 1.3 cm. The eastern near-infrared star cluster (C1) is identified with the youngest optical cluster, whereas the western star cluster (C2), although it is almost completely obscured in the optical, becomes the brightest star cluster in the central region of NGC 5253 at wavelengths longer than 2 μm. Both clusters are extremely young, with ages of approximately 3.5 Myr. C2 is more massive than C1 by a factor of 6-20 (MC2 = 7.7 × 105-2.6 × 106 M☉, for a Salpeter initial mass function [IMF] in the mass range 0.1-100 M☉). Analysis of the circumnuclear spectrum excluding C1 and C2, as well as of a number of other near-infrared-selected clusters with a range of (young) ages, suggests that the star formation was triggered across the central regions of the galaxy. We have also modeled the nuclear UV to mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) of NGC 5253 and found that the infrared part is well modeled by a highly obscured (AV = 17 mag) young starburst with a stellar mass consistent with our photometric estimates for C1 and C2. The SED model predicts a moderately bright polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature at 3.3 μm that is not detected in our nuclear L-band spectrum. NGC 5253's low metallicity and a top-heavy IMF likely combine to suppress the 3.3 μm PAH emission that is commonly seen in more massive starburst systems.
Exuberant and inhibited toddlers: Stability of temperament and risk for problem behavior

Abstract Temperament, effortful control, and problem behaviors at 4.5 years were assessed in 72 children classified as exuberant, inhibited, and low reactive as 2-year-olds. Exuberant toddlers were more positive, socially responsive to novel persons, less shy, and rated as having more problem behaviors, including externalizing and internalizing behaviors, than other children as preschoolers. Two forms of effortful control, the ability to delay a response and the ability to produce a subdominant response, were associated with fewer externalizing behaviors, whereas expressing more negative affect (relative to positive/neutral affect) when disappointed was related to more internalizing behaviors. Interaction effects implicated high levels of unregulated emotion during disappointment as a risk factor for problem behaviors in exuberant children.
Notice of RetractionStudy of “The Product Approach” and “The Process Approach” in Writing Class for University Students

Since the coexistence of the two popular yet very different teaching approaches, ¿the product approach¿ and ¿the process approach¿, the teaching field of China has constantly studied and kept perpetual arguments on which one would achieve better teaching effect. The present paper discusses the principles on which they are based, contrast and examine how each can be used in the classroom, and analyzes each one's advantages and disadvantages separately. The author points out the view that both ¿the product approach¿ and ¿the process approach¿ have their own advantages and advocates that it is better to teach writing by the combination of the two approaches according to concrete situations and the background of the target students, in which way the optimum teaching effect can be obtained and the writing skills of university students can be improved rapidly.
A History of Chagas Disease Transmission, Control, and Re-Emergence in Peri-Rural La Joya, Peru

Background The history of Chagas disease control in Peru and many other nations is marked by scattered and poorly documented vector control campaigns. The complexities of human migration and sporadic control campaigns complicate evaluation of the burden of Chagas disease and dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a cross-sectional serological and entomological study to evaluate temporal and spatial patterns of T. cruzi transmission in a peri-rural region of La Joya, Peru. We use a multivariate catalytic model and Bayesian methods to estimate incidence of infection over time and thereby elucidate the complex history of transmission in the area. Of 1,333 study participants, 101 (7.6%; 95% CI: 6.2–9.0%) were confirmed T. cruzi seropositive. Spatial clustering of parasitic infection was found in vector insects, but not in human cases. Expanded catalytic models suggest that transmission was interrupted in the study area in 1996 (95% credible interval: 1991–2000), with a resultant decline in the average annual incidence of infection from 0.9% (95% credible interval: 0.6–1.3%) to 0.1% (95% credible interval: 0.005–0.3%). Through a search of archival newspaper reports, we uncovered documentation of a 1995 vector control campaign, and thereby independently validated the model estimates. Conclusions/Significance High levels of T. cruzi transmission had been ongoing in peri-rural La Joya prior to interruption of parasite transmission through a little-documented vector control campaign in 1995. Despite the efficacy of the 1995 control campaign, T. cruzi was rapidly reemerging in vector populations in La Joya, emphasizing the need for continuing surveillance and control at the rural-urban interface.
Bank Foreign Affiliate Performance in the Face of Pervasive and Arbitrary Corruption

This study investigates the financial performance of foreign bank affiliates in light of their experience with pervasive and arbitrary corruption. To achieve this, we draw on the resource dependence theory and the institutional theory to explain how pervasiveness and arbitrariness affect financial performance through operating costs, risks of defaults and business growth. Using data on 122 foreign bank affiliates in 37 countries, we find that pervasiveness has a negative influence on the affiliate's performance, and, the joint interaction of pervasiveness and arbitrariness strengthens this relationship. The latter is significant for affiliates operating in developing countries, which may indicate that arbitrariness is damaging when corruption is pervasive. This study advances the literature on corruption at firm-level, and the literature on bank internationalization. Moreover, findings have implications for managers, who need to recognize how the interaction of these two dimensions of corruption compromise their foreign operations.
Equilibrium Sovereign Default with Exchange Rate Depreciation

This study proposes and quantitatively assesses a terms-of-trade penalty for defaulting: defaulters must exchange more of their own goods for imports, which causes an adjustment to the equilibrium exchange rate. This penalty can take the place of an ad hoc fall in output: Facing only this penalty and temporary exclusion from debt markets, countries are willing to maintain borrowing obligations up to a realistic level of debt. The terms-of-trade penalty is consistent with the observed relationship between sovereign default and a country's trade flows and prices. The defaulter's currency depreciates while trade volume falls drastically. We demonstrate that a default episode can imply up to a 30% real depreciation, which matches observed crisis events in developing countries.
Determination of the Relative Magnetic Permeability by Using an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System and 2D-FEM

Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy systems constitute an intelligent systems hybrid technique that combines fuzzy logic with neural networks in order to have better results. A study is presented to forecast the relative magnetic permeability using ANFIS. The global electromagnetic parameter, namely, the magnetic induction has been used as input to estimate the relative magnetic permeability. In this exceptional research, flnite element simulations are carried out to build up a database which will be used to train ANFIS network. The ANFIS approach learns the rules and membership functions from training data. The hybrid system is tested by the use of the validation data. Performance of the trained ANFIS network was compared with the multilayer feed forward network model and experimental results. The results show the efiectiveness of the proposed approach in solving inverse electromagnetic problem.
Twist1 Promotes Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation through Up-Regulation of FoxM1

Twist-related protein 1 (Twist1), also known as class A basic helix-loop-helix protein 38 (bHLHa38), has been implicated in cell lineage determination and differentiation. Previous studies demonstrate that Twist1 expression is up-regulated in gastric cancer with poor clinical outcomes. Besides, Twist1 is suggested to be involved in progression of human gastric cancer. However, its biological functions remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we show that Twist 1 overexpression leads to a significant up-regulation of FoxM1, which plays a key role in cell cycle progression in gastric cancer cells. In contrast, knockdown of Twist 1 reduces FoxM1 expression, suggesting that FoxM1 might be a direct transcriptional target of Twist 1. At the molecular level, we further reveal that Twist 1 could bind to the promoter region of FoxM1, and subsequently recruit p300 to induce FoxM1 mRNA transcription. Therefore, our results uncover a previous unknown Twist 1/FoxM1 regulatory pathway, which may help to understand the mechanisms of gastric cancer proliferation.
Quantitative Assessment of the Benefits of Trade Facilitation

Trade transaction costs (TTCs) related to border procedures vary depending on the efficiency and integrity of interacting businesses and administrations, the characteristics or kind of goods, and the size and type of businesses. Total costs may be seen as being composed of directly incurred costs, such as expenses relating to supplying information and documents to the related authority, and indirectly incurred costs, such as those arising from procedural delays. Empirical studies suggest that directly and indirectly incurred TTCs each amount to 1-15 per cent of traded goods’ value. Moreover, empirical evidence suggests that TTCs for agro-food products are higher than those for manufactured goods, as agro-food shipments are subject to special border procedures, such as sanitary and phyto-sanitary controls. Also, small and medium-sized enterprises face cost-disadvantages. In light of this diversity in TTCs, the potential for the realisation of benefits from trade facilitation varies across countries, sectors, and types of traders. In cases where best practices are already applied, further efficiency gains will be difficult to achieve. But if border clearance costs are substantially above those encountered under best practices, room for improvement through suitable measures of trade facilitation will tend to exist. The model-based analysis of the economic impacts of trade facilitation carried out in this study differs from earlier research by taking several salient features of import and export procedures into account. In particular, the differing characteristics of direct and indirect TTCs are represented, and country-specific differences in trade facilitation potential are reflected according to empirical information on border waiting times and survey-based evidence on the quality of border processes. In addition, the higher TTCs for agro-food products and small and medium-sized enterprises are incorporated into the analysis. The analysis does not evaluate the economic and trade impact of specific trade facilitation measures or instruments, such as those that might result from a possible future WTO agreement on trade facilitation. Instead, the aim of the assessment is to better represent empirical characteristics of the border process in model-based analysis and to identify those features that crucially affect the results and that, therefore, deserve to be further explored in future analysis. Several scenarios of hypothetical, multilateral trade facilitation efforts are evaluated, focusing on the comparison of scenarios rather than the overall welfare gains that might result from trade facilitation.
Channel Measurement Equipment for mobile propagation channel: Measurements in a hybrid DVB-SH pilot network

Advanced communication and broadcasting systems use heavily diversity techniques to improve service availability. To analyze the performance of systems using techniques such as time diversity or time interleaving, antenna diversity and angle diversity, a detailed knowledge of the channel characteristics is essential. Especially the statistical analysis and the evaluation of the slow fading effect become more important. The Channel Measurement Equipment presented in this paper is a tool for the analysis of waveform topologies and diversity techniques used in general hybrid satellite and terrestrial systems. The equipment was developed in the frame of the ARTES Programme of the European Space Agency. It helps to verify the performance of mobile satellite systems during the system deployment phase and to perform an early validation of the user terminals using multi-antenna configurations. As such, the Channel Measurement Equipment will leverage the position of European industry to design new mobile satellite systems. This paper describes the main characteristics of the Channel Measurement Equipment and the associated methodology for carrying out field experiments. As a firsthand application, a measurement campaign carried out in the DVB-SH pilot network in Erlangen (Germany) is described. Initial results on the characteristics of antenna diversity and the influence of UMTS signals on DVB-SH systems are presented.
Inflation, Economic Growth and the Balance of Payments in Bangladesh: A Macroeconomic Study

The search is on for an econometric model to aid economists and policy makers in the analysis of inflation and balance of payments problems, in the examination of the effects of different policy changes on major macrovariables in the economy, and in the design of stabilization policies which will not decelerate economic growth. This book attempts to present such a model within a macroeconomic framework. M.A. Hossain takes a closer, critical look at Bangladesh's inflation and balance of payments. Using a combination of structural and monetory theories of inflation and balance of payments he has developed an integrated, quarterly, macroeconomic model of inflatio economic growth and balance of payments for Bangladesh for the period 1974-1985. He has based his model on two hypotheses: firstly that inflation in Bangladesh is a monetary phenomenon, and secondly that persistent trade deficits are inherent in its foreign-aid-based development strategy and its over-valued exchange rate policy.
All-In-One: Advanced preparation of Human Parenchymal and Non-Parenchymal Liver Cells

Background & Aims Liver cells are key players in innate immunity. Thus, studying primary isolated liver cells is necessary for determining their role in liver physiology and pathophysiology. In particular, the quantity and quality of isolated cells are crucial to their function. Our aim was to isolate a large quantity of high-quality human parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells from a single liver specimen. Methods Hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and stellate cells were isolated from liver tissues by collagenase perfusion in combination with low-speed centrifugation, density gradient centrifugation, and magnetic-activated cell sorting. The purity and functionality of cultured cell populations were controlled by determining their morphology, discriminative cell marker expression, and functional activity. Results Cell preparation yielded the following cell counts per gram of liver tissue: 2.0±0.4×107 hepatocytes, 1.8±0.5×106 Kupffer cells, 4.3±1.9×105 liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and 3.2±0.5×105 stellate cells. Hepatocytes were identified by albumin (95.5±1.7%) and exhibited time-dependent activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Kupffer cells expressed CD68 (94.5±1.2%) and exhibited phagocytic activity, as determined with 1μm latex beads. Endothelial cells were CD146+ (97.8±1.1%) and exhibited efficient uptake of acetylated low-density lipoprotein. Hepatic stellate cells were identified by the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (97.1±1.5%). These cells further exhibited retinol (vitamin A)-mediated autofluorescence. Conclusions Our isolation procedure for primary parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cells resulted in cell populations of high purity and quality, with retained physiological functionality in vitro. Thus, this system may provide a valuable tool for determining liver function and disease.
Concomitant gradient field effects in spiral scans

Maxwell's equations imply that imaging gradients are accompanied by higher order spatially varying fields (concomitant fields) that can cause artifacts in MR imaging. The lowest order concomitant fields depend quadratically on the imaging gradient amplitude and inversely on the static field strength. Time‐varying concomitant fields that accompany the readout gradients of spiral scans cause unwanted phase accumulation during the readout, resulting in spatially dependent blurring. Concomitant field phase errors are independent of echo time and, therefore, cannot be detected using Dixon‐type field map measurements that are normally used to deblur spiral scan images. Data acquisition methods that reduce concomitant field blurring increase off‐resonant spin blurring, and vice versa. Blurring caused by concomitant fields can be removed by variations of image reconstruction methods developed to correct for spatially dependent resonance offsets with nonrectangular k‐space trajectories. Magn Reson Med 41:103‐112, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CNN Based Hashing for Image Retrieval

Along with data on the web increasing dramatically, hashing is becoming more and more popular as a method of approximate nearest neighbor search. Previous supervised hashing methods utilized similarity/dissimilarity matrix to get semantic information. But the matrix is not easy to construct for a new dataset. Rather than to reconstruct the matrix, we proposed a straightforward CNN-based hashing method, i.e. binarilizing the activations of a fully connected layer with threshold 0 and taking the binary result as hash codes. This method achieved the best performance on CIFAR-10 and was comparable with the state-of-the-art on MNIST. And our experiments on CIFAR-10 suggested that the signs of activations may carry more information than the relative values of activations between samples, and that the co-adaption between feature extractor and hash functions is important for hashing.
Twitter Sentiment Classiﬁcation using Distant Supervision

We introduce a novel approach for automatically classifying the sentiment of Twitter messages. These messages are classiﬁed as either positive or negative with respect to a query term. This is useful for consumers who want to research the sentiment of products before purchase, or companies that want to monitor the public sentiment of their brands. There is no previous research on classifying sentiment of messages on microblogging services like Twitter. We present the results of machine learning algorithms for classifying the sentiment of Twitter messages using distant supervision. Our training data consists of Twitter messages with emoticons, which are used as noisy labels. This type of training data is abundantly available and can be obtained through automated means. We show that machine learning algorithms (Naive Bayes, Maximum Entropy, and SVM) have accuracy above 80% when trained with emoticon data. This paper also describes the preprocessing steps needed in order to achieve high accuracy. The main contribution of this paper is the idea of using tweets with emoticons for distant supervised learning.