Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Housing allowances: still struggling to make ends meet

Abstract Housing allowances aim at providing adequate and affordable housing. A theoretical discussion and literature review show why it is challenging for housing allowances to actually shield households from financial hardship. Using National French Housing Survey data, an original application with a probit model with a double sample selection (being a tenant, and being eligible for means-tested allowances) follows. Estimation results show that housing allowances help to cope with some life events but that otherwise their recipients remain more exposed to housing financial hardship than their counterparts do. The gap between recipients and non-recipients is larger for the households with children than for those without despite the goal of horizontal equity. A nonlinear decomposition shows that the difference in probability between recipients and non-recipients is mostly explained by the endowment of characteristics in 2001 and by the return to risk in 2013.
Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Culture

A large display sign, or analogous visual or radiant energy display or collecting surface area, is made up of numerous frontal individual "radiation sensitive" display elements arranged contiguously but in module groups, covering the full display area without gaps. The module unit occupying each such square is supported on a "tile" or equivalent base. Each base supports through bifurcate hinged connector (BHC) means an insulated multiple conductor power buss, a module area portion of a first or rear most circuit board or panel, and a group of insulating penetrating contacts with attached wires supported by this BHC between the base and the rear panel. At eight, symmetrically arranged around its center, each module comprises a BHC for each point and multiple contacts around each BHC, some connected to the penetrating contact wires. A second panel bears rearwardly and forwardly extending contact pins for electric contact with the rear and with a front panel. Supplemental electronic means which participate in the controlling function are mounted on the intermediate panel.
Psiactive Networking for Military Applications - A Predictive Cross-Layer Approach

This paper introduces the concepts for a unique adaptive reasoning-based prediction approach to address the complex problem of network-wide cross-layer control and management of real-time dynamic networks such as mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Psiactive¿ Networking (¿Net) is network-centric not node-centric. ¿Net embodies a framework, a family of architectures and sets of default algorithms whose purpose is to solve the hard real-world problems of such networks. It is based on the philosophy that adaptive prediction must be the normal mode of a network's operation in order to substantially increase the likelihood of the network correctly responding to events and user demands within operationally-useful time constraints. ¿Net fuses (integrates) key information from multiple network layers (or planes) around a common `Town Center". This paper introduces the default mechanisms for each of ¿Net's four cornerstones and how Psiactive Networking handles the complexities of a network characterized by a large number of nodes and major dynamic parameters (e.g., node motion, multicast group reconfiguration, battery power). Fuzzy logic reasoning techniques are applied to the fused information to support the reliable prediction of future needed network services, resources and the accompanying maintenance of existing and future services/resources. ("Services" includes major components of network services.) Qualitative comparisons are made to the cognitive networking approach presented in [11]. The nature and scope of this paper is similar to that of [11] with extensive experimental results anticipated as future activities.
Evidence Suggesting a Transcortical Pathway from Cutaneous Foot Afferents to Tibialis Anterior Motoneurones in Man

1 Stimulation of the superficial peroneal or the sural nerve (3 shocks, 3 ms interval, 1 ms duration, 2.5 × perception threshold) evoked a reflex activation of the tibialis anterior muscle at a latency of approximately 70–95 ms in all of nine healthy human subjects. Stimulation of the medial plantar nerve only rarely produced similar effects. The possibility that a transcortical pathway contributes to these late reflex responses was investigated by combining the cutaneous stimulations and a transcranial magnetic stimulation of the contralateral motor cortex. 2 A significant facilitation of short‐latency peaks in the post‐stimulus time histogram of single tibialis anterior motor units evoked by the transcortical magnetic stimulation was observed in eight out of nine subjects following stimulation of the superficial peroneal or sural nerves at the latency of the long‐latency reflex. In contrast such a facilitation was only rarely seen when the medial plantar nerve was stimulated. 3 With the same timing for the stimuli, the superficial peroneal and sural nerve stimulations also produced a significant increase in the short‐latency, presumed monosynaptic, facilitation of the tibialis anterior H reflex produced by the brain stimulation. 4 Similar facilitatory effects of the cutaneous stimuli could not be demonstrated when the magnetic stimulation of the cortex was replaced with electrical stimulation, implying that cortical excitability is affected by a conditioning cutaneous stimulation. 5 It is suggested that the long‐latency reflexes in the tibialis anterior muscle evoked by activation of cutaneous afferents from the human foot are, at least partly, mediated by a transcortical pathway.
EEG Correlates of Perceptual Reversals in Boring's Ambiguous Old/Young Woman Stimulus

Ambiguous figures attract observers because perception alternates between different interpretations while the sensory information stays unchanged. Understanding the underlying processes is difficult because the precise time instant of this endogenous reversal event needs to be known but is difficult to measure. Presenting ambiguous figures discontinuously and using stimulus onset as estimation of the reversal event increased temporal resolution and provided a series of well-confirmed EEG signatures. In the current EEG study we used this ‘onset paradigm’ for the first time with Boring's old/young woman stimulus. We found an early occipital event-related potential (ERP) correlate of reversals between the perception of the old woman and the perception of the young woman that fits well with previous ERP findings. This component was not followed by the often-reported occipito-parietal Reversal Negativity at 260 ms, but instead by an occipito-temporal N170, that is typically reported with face stimuli. We interpret our results as follows: Ambiguity conflicts take place during processing of stimulus elements in early visual areas roughly 130 ms after stimulus onset. The disambiguation of these elements and their assembly to object ‘gestalts’ result from an interplay between early visual and object-specific brain areas in a temporal window between 130 and 260 ms after stimulus onset. In the particular case of Boring's old/young woman the processes of element disambiguation and gestalt construction are already finished at 170 ms and, thus, 90 ms earlier than in the case of ambiguous geometric figures (eg Necker cube or Schroeder staircase) or of binocular rivalrous gratings.
A NOTE ON TREND GROWTH, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND OPTIMAL MONETARY POLICY

We analyze the implications of trend growth for optimal monetary policy in the presence of search and matching unemployment. We show that trend growth interacts importantly with the inefficiencies stemming from the labor market. Higher trend growth exacerbates the inefficiencies of the labor market and therefore calls for larger deviations from price stability. Our analysis implies that lower trend growth reduces not only the level but also the optimal volatility of the nominal interest rate.
Altered action potential dynamics in electrically remodeled canine atria: evidence for altered intracellular Ca2+ handling.

BACKGROUND Electrical instability following sustained rapid excitation has been attributed to altered ion channels. Alterations of Ca(2+) handling could also contribute to abnormal dynamics of action potential, favoring the initiation and perpetuation of arrhythmia. METHODS AND RESULTS Transmembrane action potentials and twitch force (TF) were recorded from normal (n=6) and remodeled (6-week atrial pacing at 400 beats/min, n=6) canine atria. When the cycle length (CL) was suddenly prolonged in normal atria, both TF and action potential duration (APD) increased on the first beat, and decreased subsequently. Opposite changes were observed with sudden CL shortening. These dynamics in both APD and TF were abolished by ryanodine, but augmented by cyclopiazonic acid, an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) pump. In remodeled atria (RA), dynamic changes in APD were also concordant with dynamic changes in TF. The transient increases in APD and TF were enhanced, and the transient decreases were reduced compared to normal atria. The maximal slopes of APD and TF restitution curves were flatter and the magnitude of alternans was reduced in RA. The protein expression of SR Ca(2+) ATPase and SR Ca(2+)-release channel in RA was significantly reduced. CONCLUSION Altered Ca(2+) handling may underlie abnormal APD dynamics in RA.
Antiviral effect of entecavir in nucleos(t)ide analogue‐naïve and nucleos(t)ide analogue‐experienced chronic hepatitis B patients without virological response at week 24 or 48 of therapy

We investigated the antiviral effect of entecavir in nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)‐naïve and NA‐experienced chronic hepatitis B patients without virological response (VR, HBV DNA < 300 copies/mL) at week 24 or 48. A total of 369 NA‐naïve and 181 NA‐experienced patients treated with entecavir monotherapy were analysed. Of the 369 NA‐naïve patients, 34 did not achieve VR at week 48. Of them, patients with HBV DNA ≤2000 copies/mL at week 48 achieved a higher VR rate than those with HBV DNA >2000 copies/mL (18/23 vs 3/11, P = 0.004). Two naïve patients with HBV DNA >2000 copies/mL developed entecavir‐ or lamivudine‐resistant mutants. In 98 lamivudine‐experienced patients without ever having lamivudine resistance, most patients with VR (72/72) and partial VR (300–104 copies/mL; 20/23) at week 24 or VR at week 48 (89/91) could maintain or achieve VR after prolonged therapy. In 75 patients with prior resistance to lamivudine, prolonged entecavir therapy led to low VR rate in those without VR at week 24 (13/45) or 48 (4/34) and high entecavir‐resistance rate in those with or without VR at week 24 (6/30 with and 23/45 without) and 48 (8/41 with and 21/34 without). VR at week 48 was an independent predictor (HR 0.14, 95% CI 0.06–0.33) for entecavir‐resistant mutant development among the 75 patients with prior lamivudine‐resistant mutants. In conclusion, prolonged entecavir treatment resulted in a poor response in naïve patients with HBV DNA >2000 copies/mL at week 48 and patients with prior lamivudine‐resistant mutants without VR at week 24 or 48.
Condition monitoring of induction motor using Artificial Neural Network

This paper deals with stator fault detection of induction motor. Mathematical modeling of induction motor for healthy and stator fault condition are explained. In this paper Artificial Neural Network technique is applied for stator fault detection in induction motor. By collecting the simulation data from the mathematical model developed in MATLAB simulink, ANN is trained. 16 different parameters of induction motor have been taken to train the neural network. ANN gives best performance with 10 neurons in hidden layer. The results clearly show that trained neural network can precisely detect the faults before any major problem occurs.
Renal metastases as the initial presentation of papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case report and literature review

Distant metastasis of thyroid carcinoma is rare, and it occurs particularly rarely in renal regions, which represent ~3% of all thyroid distant metastases, with fewer than 30 single case study reports existing in the literature. The present study (and subsequent literature review) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) reports the case of a 53-year-old male patient who presented with a left renal mass and who had no previous history of thyroid disease. Following renal and thyroid surgery, postoperative pathology confirmed the case to be a follicular variant of PTC, accompanied by renal metastasis. The patient exhibited brain metastasis during a later follow-up. In conclusion, thyroid metastases to the renal site are extremely rare events, particularly for men who present initially with renal neoplasms, which may easily be misdiagnosed as renal cell carcinoma. PTC tends to have a good prognosis; however, when it is accompanied by distant metastasis, the prognosis becomes less favorable.
The Clinical Value of Procalcitonin and Neopterin in Predicting Sepsis and Organ Failure After Major Trauma

We examined whether procalcitonin (PCT) or neopterin (NT) are useful in predicting sepsis, multiple organ failure (MOF), or death after multiple trauma (MT). In a prospective clinical study, a total of 137 consecutive trauma patients (mean age 39 years, median injury severity score [ISS] 27 points) and 34 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Blood samples were collected on arrival in the emergency room until day 28 after trauma. Plasma NT was detected by enzyme-linked immunoassay and PCT plasma levels were determined using an immunoluminometric assay. The incidence of sepsis was 65%, MOF 48%, and death in hospital within 28 days 11%. After adjustment for age, gender, and ISS, PCT and NT levels during the first 2 days after injury were unable to differentiate between patients who developed sepsis or not. On the contrary, patients who developed MOF had higher PCT plasma levels on day 0 (0.60 vs. 0.15 ng/mL), and on days 1 and 2 combined (1.95 vs. 0.32 ng/mL). This difference remained significant in multivariate logistic regression (P = 0.01) and additional subgroup analyses for early and late MOF (P = 0.048 and 0.002). For NT, smaller differences were observed (4.39 vs. 3.68 nmol/L, and 7.20 vs. 5.79 nmol/L), which lost significance in multivariate analysis. On the basis of PCT, ISS, and age, a MOF prediction rule was developed and had a good predictive power (area under the curve: 0.77; P < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that high plasma concentrations of PCT in the early posttraumatic phase are an independent predictor of MOF but not of sepsis.
Assessing Impacts of Climate Variability and Reforestation Activities on Water Resources in the Headwaters of the Segura River Basin (SE Spain)

Climate change and the land-use and land-cover changes (LULC) resulting from anthropic activity are important factors in the degradation of an ecosystem and in the availability of a basin’s water resources. To know how these activities affect the quantity of the water resources of basins, such as the Segura River Basin, is of vital importance. In this work, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used for the study of the abovementioned impacts. The model was validated by obtaining a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.88 and a percent bias (PBIAS) of 17.23%, indicating that SWAT accurately replicated monthly streamflow. Next, land-use maps for the years of 1956 and 2007 were used to establish a series of scenarios that allowed us to evaluate the effects of these activities on both joint and individual water resources. A reforestation plan applied in the basin during the 1970s caused that the forest area had almost doubled, whereas the agricultural areas and shrubland had been reduced by one-third. These modifications, together with the effect of climate change, have led to a decrease of 26.3% in the quantity of generated water resources, not only due to climate change but also due to the increase in forest area.
A Linguistic Analysis of Suicide-Related Twitter Posts

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Identifying those at risk and delivering timely interventions is challenging. Social media site Twitter is used to express suicidality. Automated linguistic analysis of suicide-related posts may help to differentiate those who require support or intervention from those who do not. Aims: This study aims to characterize the linguistic profiles of suicide-related Twitter posts. Method: Using a dataset of suicide-related Twitter posts previously coded for suicide risk by experts, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) and regression analyses were conducted to determine differences in linguistic profiles. Results: When compared with matched non-suicide-related Twitter posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by a higher word count, increased use of first-person pronouns, and more references to death. When compared with safe-to-ignore suicide-related posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by increased use of first-person pronouns, greater anger, and increased focus on the present. Other differences were found. Limitations: The predictive validity of the identified features needs further testing before these results can be used for interventional purposes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that strongly concerning suicide-related Twitter posts have unique linguistic profiles. The examination of Twitter data for the presence of such features may help to validate online risk assessments and determine those in need of further support or intervention.
The Role of Complications of Community Acquired Pneumonia on the Outcome of the Illness: A Prospective Observational Study in a Tertiary Institution in Eastern Nigeria

Background: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in our environment. Recent data on the role of complications on outcome of CAP are not readily available in Nigeria. Aim: This study aims to analyze the influence of complications on the outcome of CAP in a tertiary health center in Eastern Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out on 80 patients with CAP, who met the inclusion criteria. Data relating to their age, gender, and clinical details; severity assessment using CURB 65 (C- confusion, Serum urea > 7mmol/L, R-respiratory rate > 30, B-systolic BP > 90 and diastolic BP ≤ 60, age > 65 years.) scoring system, laboratory results, complications, and outcome (mortality) were collected. The statistical package used for data analysis is SPSS version 17.0 (Chicago IL USA). Data were presented in tables and charts. Sample means, standard deviation, and Chi-square test were used for statistical significance. Severity was assessed using CURB65 scoring system. Outcome of interest was 30 day mortality. In all P value of 0.05 was regarded as significant. Results: Eighty patients were recruited for the study, 39 males and 41 females; giving male:female ratio of 1:1.05. The mean age range was 56 (18.0) years. A total of 37 patients were managed as out-patients while 43 were managed as in-patients. Complications were observed in 25 patients. Severe hemodynamic changes and pleural effusion 8/25 (32%) were the most common complications observed. Total mortality was 12/80 (15%). Mortality was higher in in-patients than out-patients however, this was not statistically significant. Mortality in those with complications was 6/25 (24%) compared to 6/55 (11%) in those without complications (P = 0.10). Conclusion: Mortality rate in patients with CAP though higher in patients with complications numerically were not found to be significantly higher than in those without complications. We posit that other factors like presence of higher severity assessment scores (CURB-65 scores) and co-morbidities may be more important predictors of mortality in CAP patients and should be further studied.
Prevalence of primary Sjögren's syndrome in China.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence rate of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in a community population of 2066 adults in a Beijing suburban village, and 100 inpatients, who were not necessarily admitted for rheumatic diseases. METHODS Questionnaire and serological studies of antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, and anti-SSA, anti-SSB antibodies were done. Possible positive subjects were given eye and oral examinations for objective evidence of xerostomia and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. RESULTS According to the Copenhagen criteria, the prevalence rate of primary Sjögren's syndrome in China was 0.77%, and it was 0.33% by modified San Diego criteria. In 100 inpatients, we found 4 cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome by Copenhagen criteria, and one case by modified San Diego criteria. CONCLUSION Primary Sjögren's syndrome is not a rare disease in China, but most cases are overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Soluble Polymers with Intrinsic Porosity for Flue Gas Purification and Natural Gas Upgrading

A soluble polymer with intrinsic microporosity, 2,4-diamino-1,3,5-triazine-functionalized organic polymer, is used for the first time as a solid adsorbent, providing an easy solution to overcome the fouling issue. Promising adsorption performances including good CO2 adsorption capacity, excellent CO2 /N2 and CO2 /CH4 selectivities, high chemical and thermal stabilities, and easiness of preparation and regeneration are shown.
Cocaine use as a predictor of outcome in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECT The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between cocaine use and outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS A retrospective review was performed of the medical records of patients with intracranial aneurysms treated at a single institution between January 1996 and December 2001. Only patients who presented with SAH were included in the study. The covariates chosen for the statistical analysis included the following: patient age, sex, and race; systolic and mean arterial blood pressure measurements on hospital admission; Hunt and Hess and Fisher grades; pre-existent major systemic disease; and history of alcohol, tobacco, or cocaine use. The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was used to standardize outcome and was dichotomized such that a score between 1 and 3 was considered a poor outcome and a score of 4 or 5 was considered a favorable outcome. The records of 151 patients were reviewed and 108 of these presented with aneurysmal SAH. Of these 108 patients, 36 (33.3%) had used cocaine within 24 hours before presentation. A Hunt and Hess grade of IV or V was assigned to 20 (55.6%) of 36 patients who used cocaine, compared with eight (11.1%) of 72 patients who did not; this difference was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Twenty-eight patients (77.8%) in the cocaine user group and 20 patients (27.8%) in the non-cocaine user group experienced clinically significant, angiographically confirmed vasospasm during their hospital course (p < 0.0001). Cocaine use was associated with a 2.8-fold greater risk of developing vasospasm (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.86-4.22). A GOS score of 1, 2, or 3 was assigned to 33 patients (91.7%) in the cocaine user group and to 20 patients (27.8%) in the non-cocaine user group (p < 0.0001). Cocaine use was associated with a 3.3-fold greater risk of poor outcome (95% CI 2.24-4.85). This association was found to be independent of Hunt and Hess grade as well as of vasospasm. CONCLUSIONS Cocaine adversely affects both the presentation of and outcome in patients with aneurysmal SAH who are undergoing treatment for this disease. The vasoactive properties of the drug appear to aggravate the already tenuous situation of SAH and increase both the occurrence and influence of cerebral vasospasm. Statistical analysis demonstrates that cocaine directly affects both presentation and outcome in a significant manner. It is the authors' interpretation of the results of this retrospective review that cocaine use negatively affects outcome to such an extent that it should be considered equal to the presence of a major systemic illness when determining Hunt and Hess grade.