Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Method for Early Detecting Zero Quantized DCT Coefficients in H.264/AVC Video Encoding

In H.264/AVC video encoding, zero quantized discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients are quite common in low bit-rate video application. The computations of DCT and quantization can be remarkably reduced if zero quantized DCT coefficients are detected prior to DCT and quantization. Many methods have been applied to early detect most zero quantized DCT coefficients. But the detection ratios of zero quantized DCT coefficients need to be improved when quantization parameter (QP) is small. We present an adaptive method to detect zero quantized DCT coefficients. When QP exceeds a certain value, a new threshold is derived to efficiently detect the all-zero blocks (AZBs) without any video degradation. Otherwise, a concept of fourteen-zeros block (FZB), which means only two coefficients are non-zero in 16 DCT coefficients of a 4 times 4 block, is proposed. An innovative method to process FZBs is proposed to reduce the redundant computations. Experimental results show that the proposed adaptive method achieves approximately 8%-20% computational savings, compared with that of the existing methods.
Pathogenesis of emerging avian influenza viruses in mammals and the host innate immune response

Summary: Influenza A viruses of avian origin represent an emerging threat to human health as the progenitors of the next influenza pandemic. In recent years, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses have caused unprecedented epizootics on three continents and rare but highly fatal disease among humans exposed to diseased birds. Avian viruses of the H7 and H9 subtypes have also infected humans but generally resulted in far milder disease, yet they too should be considered as possible pandemic threats. Influenza virus infection elicits a complex network of host immune responses that, in uncomplicated influenza, results in effective control of the virus and the development of long‐term memory responses. However, fatal avian H5N1 virus infection in both humans and experimental mammalian models is characterized by a high viral load in the respiratory tract, peripheral leukopenia and lymphopenia, a massive infiltration of macrophages into the lung, and dysregulation of cytokine and chemokine responses. This review focuses on avian influenza viruses as a pandemic threat, their induction of host innate immune responses in mammalian species, and the contribution of these responses to the disease process.
Pulmonary hypertension in chronic dialysis patients with arteriovenous fistula: pathogenesis and therapeutic prospective

Purpose of reviewEnd-stage renal disease patients receiving chronic haemodialysis via arteriovenous access often develop various cardiovascular complications, including vascular calcification, cardiac-vascular calcification and atherosclerotic coronary disease. This review describes recently published studies that demonstrate a high incidence of pulmonary hypertension among patients with end-stage renal disease receiving long-term haemodialysis via a surgical arteriovenous fistula. Both end-stage renal disease and long-term haemodialysis via arteriovenous fistula may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension by affecting pulmonary vascular resistance and cardiac output. Recent findingsMorbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease are greatly increased in patients on maintenance haemodialysis therapy. Using Doppler echocardiography, we found a significant increase in cardiac output in 40% of chronic haemodialysis patients, probably related to the large arteriovenous access or altered vascular resistance as a result of the local vascular tone and function expressed by the imbalance between vasodilators such as nitric oxide, and vasoconstrictors such as endothelin-1. SummaryWe propose different potential mechanisms as explanations for the development of pulmonary hypertension. Hormonal and metabolic derangement associated with end-stage renal disease might lead to pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction and an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. Pulmonary arterial pressure may be further increased by high cardiac output resulting from the arteriole–venous access itself, worsened by commonly occurring anaemia and fluid overload.
Fibrillar cellular fibronectin supports efficient platelet aggregation and procoagulant activity

Summary The ability of cellular fibronectin, found in the vessel wall in a fibrillar conformation, to regulate platelet functions and trigger thrombus formation remains largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated how parietal cellular fibronectin can modulate platelet responses under flow conditions. A fibrillar network was formed by mechanically stretching immobilised dimeric cellular fibronectin. Perfusion of anticoagulated whole blood over this surface resulted in efficient platelet adhesion and thrombus growth. The initial steps of platelet adhesion and activation, as evidenced by filopodia extension and an increase in intracellular calcium levels (419 ± 29 nmol/l), were dependent on integrins α5β1 and αIIbβ3. Subsequent thrombus growth was mediated by these integrins together with the GPIb-V-IX complex, GPVI and Toll-like receptor 4. The involvement of Toll-like receptor 4 could be conveyed via its binding to the EDA region of cellular fibronectin. Upon thrombus formation, the platelets became procoagulant and generated fibrin as revealed by video-microscopy. This work provides evidence that fibrillar cellular fibronectin is a strong thrombogenic surface which supports efficient platelet adhesion, activation, aggregation and procoagulant activity through the interplay of a series of receptors including integrins α5β1 and αIIbβ3, the GPIb-V-IX complex, GPVI and Toll-like receptor 4.
Audit Partner Assignments and Audit Quality in the United States

This paper examines the demand- and supply-side factors associated with audit partner selection and assignment in the United States. First, we examine whether audit partner gender and experience are associated with board and management gender and experience. Second, we investigate whether engagement audit quality varies with audit partner gender and experience, controlling for selection effects. The results indicate that companies with more gender-diverse boards of directors and top management teams are more likely to have a female lead audit partner. In addition, the experience of the client's board is positively associated with the experience of the lead audit partner. In terms of audit quality, we find that higher audit fees are positively associated with female and more experienced audit partners. Our results shed light on the important role that partner characteristics play in the demand and supply sides of audit quality.
Employee development and voluntary turnover: Testing the employability paradox

The employability paradox is a concern among employers. It states that development activities enhancing employees' employability also increase the risk for employee turnover. This study examined this paradox and probed the relationship between six development activities and voluntary turnover mediated by perceived employability. We tested both a turnover-stimulating path via perceived external employability (i.e. perceived job alternatives with other employers) and a retention path via perceived internal employability (i.e. perceived job alternatives with the current employer) by using two-wave longitudinal data from 588 employees. The results put the turnover risk into perspective: only upward job transition positively influenced turnover via perceived external employability. Also, the retention path via perceived internal employability was not supported: several development activities were positively related with perceived internal employability, but perceived internal employability did not influence turnover. We did, however, find a direct retention effect of skill utilisation. Overall, the results downplay the employability paradox.
Validation in Colombia of the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire in Patients With Low Back Pain

Study Design. Observational study to validate a scale. Objective. To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), version 2.1a. Summary of Background Data. The ODI is one of the most frequently used tools to evaluate disability in patients with low back pain. Its psychometric properties have shown to be highly reliable. Currently, no validated Colombian version is available. Methods. The ODI (2.1a) was translated into Spanish and this translated version was analyzed in terms of semantic and linguistic equivalence. Then, the Spanish version was translated back into English. The first time, the ODI was administered to a total of 111 patients with back pain. Internal consistency, construct validity, content validity and criterion validity were evaluated for the scale. The inter-rater reliability was evaluated by 2 different observers a day apart from each other and the intra-rater reliability was determined by the same observer, 7 days apart. A sensitivity-to-change analysis was performed on 81 patients. Results. Of the sample, 67.6% were women, with a mean (SD) age of 44.88 (16.38) years. Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.86. Inter-rater reliability yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.94 whereas intrarater reliability yielded an ICC of 0.95. Pearson correlation between ODI and each of the 8 domains of SF-36, was statistically significant. Construct validity, when comparing extremely acute and chronic groups, did not show any differences (P = 0.409). Concurrent criterion validity between ODI and Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMQ) was r = 0.75; between ODI and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was r = 0.540. For patients who received an intervention, the value of this change was 1.2. Conclusion. ODI-C is a helpful, reliable and valid tool in Colombia for back pain patient follow-up and assessment, regardless the stage of the evolution. It is an observational study to validate the Oswestry disability index (ODI) in the Spanish language. ODI is the most used tool in evaluating disability related to low back pain. The psychometric properties were evaluated in Colombia and the results were very good, similar to other studies.
Psychosis in parkinsonism: an unorthodox approach

Psychosis in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently considered as the occurrence of hallucinations and delusions. The historical meaning of the term psychosis was, however, broader, encompassing a disorganization of both consciousness and personality, including behavior abnormalities, such as impulsive overactivity and catatonia, in complete definitions by the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Our review is aimed at reminding that complex psychotic symptoms, including impulsive overactivity and somatoform disorders (the last being a recent controversial entity in PD), were carefully described in postencephalitic parkinsonism (PEP), many decades before dopaminergic treatment era, and are now described in other parkinsonisms than PD. Eminent neuropsychiatrists of the past century speculated that studying psychosis in PEP might highlight its mechanisms in other conditions. Yet, functional assessments were unavailable at the time. Therefore, the second part of our article reviews the studies of neural correlates of psychosis in parkinsonisms, by taking into account both theories on the narrative functions of the default mode network (DMN) and hypotheses on DMN modulation.
TCR ligand avidity determines the modeof B‐Raf/Raf‐1/ERK activation leading to the activationof human CD4+ T cell clone

The interactions between peptide/MHC complexes and their cognate TCR are essential for various T cell responses. However, the relationship between the avidity of TCR ligand and the subsequent intracellular signaling through the TCR is still unclear. To investigate the effects of TCR ligand avidity on TCR‐mediated signaling, we established L cells expressing HLA‐DR4 molecules covalently linked with agonistic peptide (high‐affinity ligand) or altered peptide ligand (APL; low‐affinity ligand) at various densities as APC for a cognate human CD4+ T cell clone. Using this system, we demonstrated that the T cell clone stimulated with APL/HLA‐DR4 complexes presented at an excessive density provoked the up‐regulation of CD69, IL‐2 production and proliferation, but no detectable phosphorylation of ZAP‐70/LAT/SLP‐76. Furthermore, in contrast to the high‐affinity stimulation, the low‐affinity stimulation evoked delayed and sustained activation of the B‐Raf/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway without Raf‐1 activation. The strength and duration of B‐Raf/ERK activations closely correlated with the density of the TCR ligand. A knockdown approach confirmed that B‐Raf activation was indispensable for the APL‐induced T cell responses. These observations suggest that the differences in TCR‐peptide/MHC interactions reflect the strength and duration of B‐Raf/Raf‐1/ERK activation in the human CD4+ T cells.
Risk of exposure to Chagas' disease among seroreactive Brazilian blood donors

BACKGROUND: Screening of blood donors for Chagas' disease by using currently available serologic tests is complicated by the lack of adequate sensitivity, discordant results between tests, and the absence of a gold standard. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was designed to evaluate the serologic tests by using epidemiologic data relating to the risk of exposure to Trypanosoma cruzi in the urban centers of Brazil. The serologic results obtained from screening 411,617 voluntary blood donations in Sao Paulo during 1993 and 1994 were reviewed, as well as follow‐up results on 1,267 donors who initially were repeatably reactive in at least one of three screening tests. Epidemiologic data were obtained from 321 individuals who on follow‐up remained reactive in at least one test and who returned for medical counseling. Controls included 119 screen‐negative blood donors and 45 blood donors who were repeatably reactive in at least one screening test but were negative on follow‐up. RESULTS: Of the individuals who reacted in three screening tests, 94.6 percent remained reactive on follow‐up. Of the individuals who were repeatably reactive in only one screening test, 70.8 percent were negative in all three tests on follow‐up. Most individuals who reacted in two or three tests on follow‐up had epidemiologic evidence of a risk of exposure to Chagas' disease. A significant proportion (29.1%) of those who were reactive in only one test on follow‐up had epidemiologic evidence of exposure to the Chagas' disease vector as compared to 14.6 percent of controls (p = 0.007). This suggests that some of these individuals truly were infected. CONCLUSION: No single test for Chagas' disease is sufficiently sensitive to prevent transfusion transmission of the disease in the urban centers of Brazil.
High-Throughput Genetic and Gene Expression Analysis of the RNAPII-CTD Reveals Unexpected Connections to SRB10/CDK8

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is composed of heptapeptide repeats, which play a key regulatory role in gene expression. Using genetic interaction, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarrays (ChIP-on-chip) and mRNA expression analysis, we found that truncating the CTD resulted in distinct changes to cellular function. Truncating the CTD altered RNAPII occupancy, leading to not only decreases, but also increases in mRNA levels. The latter were largely mediated by promoter elements and in part were linked to the transcription factor Rpn4. The mediator subunit Cdk8 was enriched at promoters of these genes, and its removal not only restored normal mRNA and RNAPII occupancy levels, but also reduced the abnormally high cellular amounts of Rpn4. This suggested a positive role of Cdk8 in relationship to RNAPII, which contrasted with the observed negative role at the activated INO1 gene. Here, loss of CDK8 suppressed the reduced mRNA expression and RNAPII occupancy levels of CTD truncation mutants.
Self-actualization and value orientation among primary school teachers in Bhutan

The purpose of this study was to find out the difference between self-actualization and value orientation among primary school teachers. The study was conducted on a sample of 100 primary school teachers of Dagana and Wangduephodrang districts in Bhutan. Equal distributions of 50 male and 50 female teachers were selected by using simple random sampling technique. Descriptive survey method was used by the investigator in the study. The tools applied by the investigators were Self-actualization scale and Value orientation scale and for analysis and interpretation of results, t-test and correlation were used.
Satisfaction, motivation, and intent to stay among Ugandan physicians: a survey from 18 national hospitals.

OBJECTIVE Uganda faces a colossal shortages of human resources for health. Previous literature has largely focused on those who leave. This paper reports on a study of physicians working in 18 public and private facilities in Uganda as part of a larger study of more than 641 hospital-based health workers in Uganda. We report what could entice physicians to stay longer, satisfaction with current positions, and future career intentions. METHODS This study took place in 18 Ugandan hospitals. We describe the 49 physicians who participated in 11 focus groups and the 63 physicians who completed questionnaires, out of a larger sample of 641 health workers overall. FINDINGS Only 37% of physicians said they were satisfied with their jobs, and 46% reported they were at risk of leaving the health sector or the country. After compensation, the largest contributors to dissatisfaction among physicians were quality of management, availability of equipment and supplies (including drugs), quality of facility infrastructure, staffing and workload, political influence, community location, and professional development. CONCLUSION Physicians in our study were highly dissatisfied, with almost half the sample reporting a risk to leave the sector or the country. The established link in literature between physician dissatisfaction and departure from the health system suggests national and regional policy makers should consider interventions that address the contributors to dissatisfaction identified in our study.
Counterparty Risk Minimization by the Optimal Netting of OTC Derivative Trades

The OTC derivatives market has always suffered from the fact that there are generally many contracts among market intermediaries where neither counterparty is an end-user. Active OTC market makers may have thousands of very similar contracts with one another. To the extent that each one needs to be monitored and margined, substantial improvements in efficiency may be possible through “compression” trades in which sets of existing contracts are replaced by a smaller number of essentially equivalent new ones among the same counterparties. But how best to minimize counterparty risk exposures without mismatching terms? In this article, O’Kane explains how compression is currently done for interest rate swaps and reviews both linear and quadratic programming approaches. Using simulation, he explores how the possible degree of compression is affected by the number of trades and the number of counterparties involved. The linear compression algorithm appears to allow more full unwinds of existing contracts than the quadratic algorithm, which is a feature highly desired by the firms in the industry.
Tax Factor in Nigeria's Fiscal Policy for Reducing Budget Deficit and Enhancing Growth

This article focused on isolating potent tax policy factor for infusion into Nigeria’s fiscal policy for reducing fiscal deficit and enhancing growth. it was designed as a correlational study. data were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Data were analyzed with the statistical technique of factor analysis. result indicate that(1) Potent tax policy factor in Nigeria’s fiscal policy was tax (2) tax policy was reinforced by monetary policy for effective fiscal deficit reduction (3) Fiscal policy was characterized by inconsistencies in preferred choice between two fiscal policy approaches- countercyclical and compensatory (4) Application of deficit financing through external borrowing was inflationary. Base on these findings, it was recommended, inter alia, that (1) Federal ministry of finance should strengthen the country’s fiscal policy through the infusion of corporate tax as the major component of its tax policy (2) Federal Government should adopt surplus budget, rather than deficit budget, to reduce inflation and enhance growth
Site-specific integration of adeno-associated virus involves partial duplication of the target locus

A variety of viruses establish latency by integrating their genome into the host genome. The integration event generally occurs in a nonspecific manner, precluding the prediction of functional consequences from resulting disruptions of affected host genes. The nonpathogenic adeno-associated virus (AAV) is unique in its ability to stably integrate in a site-specific manner into the human MBS85 gene. To gain a better understanding of the integration mechanism and the consequences of MBS85 disruption, we analyzed the molecular structure of AAV integrants in various latently infected human cell lines. Our study led to the observation that AAV integration causes an extensive but partial duplication of the target gene. Intriguingly, the molecular organization of the integrant leaves the possibility that a functional copy of the disrupted target gene could potentially be preserved despite the resulting rearrangements. A latently infected, Mbs85-targeted mouse ES cell line was generated to study the functional consequences of the observed duplication-based integration mechanism. AAV-modified ES cell lines continued to self-renew, maintained their multilineage differentiation potential and contributed successfully to mouse development when injected into blastocysts. Thus, our study reveals a viral strategy for targeted genome addition with the apparent absence of functional consequences.
Spiritual Well-Being, Social Desirability and Reasons for Living: Is there a Connection?

In order to explore the relationship between spirituality, social desirability, and reasons for living, 100 individuals completed the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), the Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWBS) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). Positive correlations were found between religious well-being and the total RFL score and Moral Objections subscale and between existential well- being and several RFL scales. Results indicate that the RFL Moral Objections subscale taps the same type of beliefs as does the SWBS religious well-being subscale. There also appears to be a strong relationship between the adaptive cognitive beliefs which people report as reasons for not considering suicide and their existential beliefs. This emphasises the need for careful assessment of individual needs and beliefs when dealing with suicidal individuals. Areas of concern to the therapist who is working with a suicidal client were not affected by high SD scores.