Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A critical appraisal of the quality of quality-of-life measurements.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate how well quality of life is being measured in the medical literature and to offer a new approach to the measurement. DATA SOURCES Original English-language articles having the term "quality of life" in their titles were identified from a recent Quality-of-Life Bibliography and from two MEDLINE searches. Articles were eligible for review only if they described or used one or more "quality-of-life" instruments. STUDY SELECTION Twenty-five articles were randomly selected from each of the three data sources. DATA EXTRACTION Each article was reviewed for its compliance with two sets of criteria having several components, which are cited under "Data Synthesis. " DATA SYNTHESIS (1) Investigators conceptually defined quality of life in only 11 (15%) of the 75 articles; identified the targeted domains in only 35 (47%); gave reasons for selecting the chosen quality-of-life instruments in only 27 (36%); and aggregated their results into a composite quality-of-life score in only 27 (38%) of 71 eligible articles. (2) No article distinguished "overall" quality of life from health-related quality of life; patients were invited to give their own separate rating for quality of life in only 13 articles (17%); and among 71 eligible articles, patients were asked to supplement the stipulated items with personal responses in only nine (13%) and to rate the importance of individual items in only six (8.5%). CONCLUSIONS Because quality of life is a uniquely personal perception, denoting the way that individual patients feel about their health status and/or nonmedical aspects of their lives, most measurements of quality of life in the medical literature seem to aim at the wrong target. Quality of life can be suitably measured only by determining the opinions of patients and by supplementing (or replacing) the instruments developed by "experts. "
Mutations in the Juxtamembrane Domain of c-KIT Are Associated with Higher Grade Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs

Mast cell tumors are among the most commonly seen tumors of the skin in dogs and are more highly aggressive than mast cell tumors of other species. Some breeds display a markedly higher incidence of mast cell tumor development than others and appear to have some genetic predisposition. Recently, mutations have been found in canine mast cell tumor tissues and cell lines within the juxtamembrane domain of the protooncogene c-KIT. In previous studies utilizing a small number of cases, no association between the presence of a mutation and the breed of dog or grade of the tumor could be identified. An expanded study with a larger sample set was performed to explore this possibility. The juxtamembrane domain of c-KIT was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction from genomic DNA preparations of 88 paraffin-embedded mast cell tumors from selected breeds. Mutations, consisting of duplications and deletions, were found in 12 of the tumors. A significant association was found between the presence of a mutation and a higher grade of tumor but not between breed and grade or between breed and the presence of a mutation.
Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies

"This is science writing as wonder and as inspiration. "The Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal From one of the most influential scientists of our time, a dazzling exploration of the hidden laws that govern the life cycle of everything from plants and animals to the cities we live in. Visionary physicist Geoffrey West is a pioneer in the field of complexity science, the science of emergent systems and networks. The term complexity can be misleading, however, because what makes Wests discoveries so beautiful is that he has found an underlying simplicity that unites the seemingly complex and diverse phenomena of living systems, including our bodies, our cities and our businesses. Fascinated by aging and mortality, West applied the rigor of a physicist to the biological question of why we live as long as we do and no longer. The result was astonishing, and changed science: West found that despite the riotous diversity in mammals, they are all, to a large degree, scaled versions of each other. If you know the size of a mammal, you can use scaling laws to learn everything from how much food it eats per day, what its heart-rate is, how long it will take to mature, its lifespan, and so on. Furthermore, the efficiency of the mammals circulatory systems scales up precisely based on weight: if you compare a mouse, a human and an elephant on a logarithmic graph, you find with every doubling of average weight, a species gets 25% more efficientand lives 25% longer. Fundamentally, he has proven, the issue has to do with the fractal geometry of the networks that supply energy and remove waste from the organisms body. Wests work has been game-changing for biologists, but then he made the even bolder move of exploring his works applicability. Cities, too, are constellations of networks and laws of scalability relate with eerie precision to them. Recently, West has applied his revolutionary work to the business world. This investigation has led to powerful insights into why some companies thrive while others fail. The implications of these discoveries are far-reaching, and are just beginning to be explored. Scale is a thrilling scientific adventure story about the elemental natural laws that bind us together in simple but profound ways. Through the brilliant mind of Geoffrey West, we can envision how cities, companies and biological life alike are dancing to the same simple, powerful tune.
Modeling Small Businss Growth, Migration behavior, and Household Income in Appalachia: A Spatial Simultaneous Equations Approach

In this paper, a spatial simultaneous equations model of business growth, migration behavior and median household income is empirically estimated. The empirical simultaneous model is developed from the equilibrium relationships among these variables where each variable is assumed to adjust to its equilibrium level with a substantial lag through a partial equilibrium adjustment process. We use Generalized Spatial Three-Stage Least Squares estimator to estimate the empirical model using data from 418 Appalachian counties for 1990-2000. The results suggest the existence of very strong interdependences among business growth, migration behavior and median household income in the form of feed-back simultaneities, spatial autoregressive lag simultaneities and spatial cross-regressive lag simultaneities.
Role of GABRA2 in trajectories of externalizing behavior across development and evidence of moderation by parental monitoring.

CONTEXT As we identify genes involved in psychiatric disorders, the next step will be to study how the risk associated with susceptibility genes manifests across development and in conjunction with the environment. We describe analyses aimed at characterizing the pathway of risk associated with GABRA2, a gene previously associated with adult alcohol dependence, in a community sample of children followed longitudinally from childhood through young adulthood. OBJECTIVE To test for an association between GABRA2 and trajectories of externalizing behavior from adolescence to young adulthood and for moderation of genetic effects by parental monitoring. DESIGN Data were analyzed from the Child Development Project, with yearly assessments conducted since that time. A saliva sample was collected for DNA at the 2006 follow-up, with a 93% response rate in the target sample. Growth mixture modeling was conducted using Mplus to identify trajectories of externalizing behavior and to test for effects of GABRA2 sequence variants and parental monitoring. SETTING Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, and Bloomington, Indiana. PARTICIPANTS A community-based sample of families enrolled at 3 sites as children entered kindergarten in 1987 and 1988. Analyses for the white subset of the sample (n = 378) are reported here. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Parental monitoring measured at 11 years of age; Child Behavior Checklist youth reports of externalizing behavior at ages 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22 years. RESULTS Two classes of externalizing behavior emerged: a stable high externalizing class and a moderate decreasing externalizing behavior class. The GABRA2 gene was associated with class membership, with subjects who showed persistent elevated trajectories of externalizing behavior more likely to carry the genotype previously associated with increased risk of adult alcohol dependence. A significant interaction with parental monitoring emerged; the association of GABRA2 with externalizing trajectories diminished with high levels of parental monitoring. CONCLUSIONS These analyses underscore the importance of studying genetic effects across development and of identifying environmental factors that moderate risk.
Transitive Credit and JSON-LD

Science and engineering research increasingly relies on activities that facilitate research but are not currently rewarded or recognized, such as: data sharing; developing common data resources, software and methodologies; and annotating data and publications. To promote and advance these activities, we must develop mechanisms for assigning credit, facilitate the appropriate attribution of research outcomes, devise incentives for activities that facilitate research, and allocate funds to maximize return on investment. In this article, we focus on addressing the issue of assigning credit for both direct and indirect contributions, specifically by using JSON-LD to implement a prototype transitive credit system.
InGaP/InGaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor with a liquid-phase-oxidized InGaP as gate dielectric

An InGaP/InGaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (MOS-PHEMT) with a thin InGaP oxide layer as the gate dielectric is demonstrated. The MOS-PHEMT not only has the advantages of the MOS structure but also has the high-density, high-mobility 2DEG channel. The MOS-PHEMTs have larger gate swing voltages, lower gate leakage currents, and higher breakdown voltages than their counterpart PHEMTs have. Thus, the proposed MOS-PHEMT may be promising in power device applications.
AIRLINE REGULATION AND MARKET PERFORMANCE. IN: AIR TRANSPORT

This paper attempts to estimate what fares would be if U.S. air travel markets were unregulated, in order to determine the effects of regulation on the fares and market efficiency of the domestic airline industry. A long-run airline cost model is developed and estimated to predict hypothetical unregulated (or cost-based) fares for 30 high-density trunk airline routes. As a test, the model is used to predict fares on the relatively unregulated California intrastate routes, which it does quite accurately. The results indicate that as of 1968, regulated routes had markups over the estimated unregulated fares ranging from 20 to 95 percent, with a distinct tendency for markups to rise with distance. A rough update to 1972 shows markups of 48 to 84 percent, with less correlation between markup and distance. These findings indicate that airline regulation extracts high social costs on high-density routes, which helps bolster the case for deregulation.
[Blastocystis hominis: epidemiological and clinical remarks from more than 3,500 stool examinations].

Blastocystis hominis est un protozoaire discret et original, cosmopolite, parasite ou commensal de la region caecale de l'homme. Il a ete aussi isole a partir d'echantillons fecaux de nombreux mammiferes ainsi que dans les dejections de volailles et dans le tube digestif de certains serpents [1]. L'eventualite d'une anthropozoonose n'est cependant pas certaine [1]. Considere longtemps comme un champignon levuriforme, son appartenance aux protozoaires n'a ete etablie qu'en 1967 [2]. Ses caracteristiques morphologiques biologiques et moleculaires lui conferent cependant des proprietes particulieres justifiant la creation d'un ordre pour cette seule espece. Il est toujours l'objet de controverses concernant essentiellement sa position taxonomique au sein des protistes, sa pathogenicite et son caractere eventuellement opportuniste. L'attitude a adopter aussi bien pour le biologiste que pour le clinicien lors de son depistage dans les prelevements de selles merite d'etre definie. Nous exposons dans cet article les resultats obtenus pendant 4 ans dans le service de parasitologie-mycologie concernant la frequence, les manifestations cliniques et le caractere opportuniste de B. hominis, tres souvent neglige dans les examens parasitologiques des laboratoires de ville. Nous definirons en fonction de ces resultats la conduite la plus appropriee lors des examens positifs.
Do Companies' Online Privacy Policy Disclosures Match Customer Needs?

Along with companies' increased interest in the use of personal information and the growing concerns of customers, privacy emerges as a critical issue in an e-commerce environment. Although several researchers have examined companies' privacy practices using posted privacy policy disclosures, few studies have investigated companies' privacy policies against Fair Information Practices (FIP). This study investigates companies' privacy policy statements and important privacy policies that individuals want to know against FIP. We examine the privacy policy statements of 136 companies from U.S. and Canada and relate them to the results of a Web-based user survey of 210 respondents. Our findings reveal a difference in companies' privacy policies between U.S. and Canada. The Security Safeguards and Use Limitation principles were the two most important companies' privacy policies that individuals want to know. The Security Safeguards and Purpose Specification principles were the two most frequently addressed OECD principles in more information-sensitive industries while the Purpose Specification and Openness principles were the two most frequently addressed principles in less information-sensitive industries. Thus, there is a gap between what privacy policies individuals value and what companies in less information-sensitive industries disclose in their privacy policy statements. However, companies in more information-sensitive industries frequently disclose an important privacy policy (i.e., Security Safeguards) that individuals want to know.
STUDIES OF THE EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL WIND ON GROWTH AND TRANSPIRATION IN HELIANTHUS ANNUUS.

Altlhough considerable attention has been given to the influence of wind oni transpiration, the results that have been obtained are very conflicting. Practically all control experimenits with this factor have been in the region of very low velocities. KNIGHT (12) found that a wind velocity of 7 meters per miiiniute (0.26 miles per hour) caused an increase in the rate of transpiration of about 50 per cent. STALFELT (21), using single detached leaves suspencded in an analytical balance case, obtained a very rapid rise with winid up to a velocity of 10 meters per minute, a slower increase from there to 30 m. /min., but no further increase as the wind rose to 60 m. /min. (2.24 miles per hour). This maximum increase was 140 per cent. of the value with no wind. FIRBAS (8), who employed cut shoots under a wind velocity of 3.715 rni. /sec. , obtained similar results with low rates of transpiration, but witli high rates (shoots in direct sunlight) wind actually caused a decrease. SEYBOLD (18, 19, 20) concluded that wind has no influence on stomatal transpiration but only on the cuticular component, the result being that only those plants with a high cuticular transpiration, namely hydrophytes, showed an appreciable increase in the transpiration rate due to the action of wind. Observations on water losses of plants under natural conditions have also yielded conflicting results. COPELAND (6) found an increase in the tranispiration rate of cocoanut palm in full sunlight of about 100 per cent. with a wind velocity estimated at 5 miles per hour. Others (4, 9) have noted an increase with velocities up to 8 miles per hour, but a retardation with higher velocities. WILSON (22) observed that the rate of transpiration of some Australian plants was checked when the wind velocity rose to 20 miles per hour. BRIGGS and SHANTZ (2, 3), however, concluded from their studies of the correlation between environmental factors and transpiration rates for the growing season that only from 2 to 6 per cent. of the water loss could be attributed directly to the action of wind. Nearly all the control work in this field has been with cut shoots or leaves, which rarely give dependable results, while that with rooted plants has for the most part been under natural conditions with no attempt to control the wind velocity. A combination of these methods has been utilized 613
Drug metabolism alterations in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Drug-metabolizing enzymes play a vital role in the elimination of the majority of therapeutic drugs. The major organ involved in drug metabolism is the liver. Chronic liver diseases have been identified as a potential source of significant interindividual variation in metabolism. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States, affecting between 60 and 90 million Americans, yet the vast majority of NAFLD patients are undiagnosed. NAFLD encompasses a spectrum of pathologies, ranging from steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and fibrosis. Numerous animal studies have investigated the effects of NAFLD on hepatic gene expression, observing significant alterations in mRNA, protein, and activity levels. Information on the effects of NAFLD in human patients is limited, though several significant investigations have recently been published. Significant alterations in the activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes may affect the clearance of therapeutic drugs, with the potential to result in adverse drug reactions. With the enormous prevalence of NAFLD, it is conceivable that every drug currently on the market is being given to patients with NAFLD. The current review is intended to present the results from both animal models and human patients, summarizing the observed alterations in the expression and activity of the phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes.
Liquidity, Information Asymmetry, Divergence of Opinion and Asset Returns: Evidence from Chinese Stock Market

We examine the independent and dominating effects of the liquidity level, the information asymmetry and the divergence of opinion on asset returns in an important emerging market, Chinese stock market. We use the variable ILLIQ from Amihud (2002) to proxy for the liquidity level, the variable PIN from Easley, Hvidkjaer, and O'Hara (2002) to proxy for the information asymmetry and the variable OBS based on Naes and Skjeltorp (2006) to proxy for the divergence of opinion. We find striking evidence that stocks with a higher liquidity level, or a lower information asymmetry, or a lower divergence of opinion, experience significantly lower excess returns. More importantly, the explanatory power of the liquidity level on asset returns may only reflect those from either the information asymmetry or the divergence of opinion. Moreover, we find no evidence on the dominating effect between the information asymmetry and the divergence of opinion when examining their impact on asset returns. These further findings verify the fact that the information asymmetry and the divergence of opinion both affect the liquidity level and meanwhile, the asymmetric information seems only partly to explain the dispersed beliefs among investors in Chinese stock market.
Variation tolerant CLSAs for nanoscale Bulk-CMOS and FinFET SRAM

In this paper, we propose three Current-Latch-based Sense Amplifiers (CLSA) configurations for nanoscale Bulk-CMOS SRAM and several CLSAs using FinFET devices with independently-controlled-gate. Extensive simulations suggest the proposed structures are robust against random offset errors. The proposed CLSA structures feature significant offset suppression capabilities with σoffset reduction up to 74% (76%) in 40nm Bulk-CMOS (25nm FinFET-SOI) technology compared with the conventional CLSA. Meanwhile, up to 27% (52%) shorter sensing delay, 71% (77%) shorter Time-To-Sense and 73% (76%) lower bit-line power consumption are achieved in 40nm Bulk-CMOS (25nm FinFET-SOI). Finally, the proposed CLSA structures significantly enhance the sensing yield and affordable number of cells per bit-line, thus improving the array efficiency hence overall area and performance/power as well.
Bond-Slip Response of FRP Reinforcing Bars in Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Direct Pullout

A research program was initiated at the University of Missouri aimed at the development of a nonferrous hybrid reinforcement system for concrete bridge decks using continuous FRP rebars and discrete randomly distributed polypropylene fibers with a view to eliminate corrosion while providing requisite strength, stiffness and desired ductility and serviceability. This paper presents the results of a subtask dealing with the bond behavior study of this hybrid reinforcing system under monotonic direct pullout tests.
The GENIUS Grid Portal: Its Architecture, Improvements of Features, and New Implementations about Authentication and Authorization

Since year 2006, the VOMS exensions are required from many virtual organizations in order to allow the access to various grid services by their users. The purpose of this work is to use grid services by GENIUS Grid Portal as front-end to the grid. The above described components, to generate a valid VOMS (virtual organization membership service) proxy on the user interface where the GENIUS portal is running, are integrate to offer to the end-user a unique service to be executed once after login or in following time after, in order to use the grid functionalities. In order to be sure that who input data is certainly a human people and preventing automated software from performing actions, a random CAPTCHA code (completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart) is adopted. After loading the applet for proxy creation and its transfer on reserved path on the UI, then the service performs as action the creation of 2 chain valid proxy with VOMS extensions.