Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lateral control system for vehicle platoon considering vehicle dynamic characteristics

Longitudinal vehicle platoon control has attracted much attention due to its potential for significantly mitigating traffic congestion, reducing the incidence of traffic accidents and improving fuel economy. To include platoon motion control in the two-dimensional situations, this study proposes a lateral control system for vehicle platoon considering vehicle dynamic characteristics for enhancing the traditional longitudinal platoon control (one-dimensional). The lateral control strategies are applied into two specific driving conditions: moving in parallel and moving in order which are representative in platoon lateral control applications and can be extended into a broader driving scenario. An integrated controller with motion control layer and actuator control layer is introduced to achieve the proposed lateral spacing control strategies. Three corresponding simulations are used to validate the proposed control system, and the results demonstrate that: during the two specific driving scenario, moving in order and moving in parallel, show different motion characteristics; platoon with proposed control system of platoon can realise a general curved driving task with a changing speed; the lateral following errors are influenced by the difference of dynamics characteristics between the four-wheel independent driving vehicle and the front steering vehicle which should be taken into consideration in determination of expected lateral space.
The dental caries experience of 5-year-old children in Great Britain (2005/6). Surveys co-ordinated by the British Association for the study of community dentistry.

OBJECTIVE This paper reports the results of standardized clinical caries examinations of 5-year-old children from across England, Wales and Scotland in 2005/6. These co-ordinated surveys are the latest in a series which seek to monitor the dental health of children and to assess the delivery of dental services. METHOD The criteria and conventions of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry were used. Representative samples were drawn from participating strategic health authorities (SHAs), primary care trusts (PCTs) and health boards (HBs). Caries was diagnosed at the caries into dentine threshold using a visual method without radiography or fibre-optic transillumination. RESULTS 239,389 five and six year-old children from across England, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man were examined in 2005/2006. The results again demonstrated a wide variation in disease prevalence and care strategies across Great Britain. Mean d3mft across England was 1.47 (d3t = 1.10, mt = 0.20, ft = 0.16), across Wales the corresponding values were 2.38 (d3t = 1.70, mt = 0.43, ft = 0.25) and in Scotland 2.16 (d3t = 1.45, mt = 0.51, ft = 0.20). Overall, 39.4% of children in Great Britain had evidence of caries experience in dentine (d3mft > 0, including visual dentine caries). The distribution of caries was highly skewed. Thus the mean caries experience for those with dentinal decay was 3.99, as opposed to the overall mean of 1.57. Trends over time demonstrate a small change in mean d3mft since 2003/4 when the mean was 1.62, although the mean value for those with dentine decay experience remained constant (4.00 vs 3.99). The care index has also fallen marginally from 12% to 11%. The BASCD co-ordinated NHS Epidemiology Programme will evolve in coming years as differing priorities in the frequency of inspecting particular age groups is being seen as well as a desire to measure other aspects of oral health in addition. CONCLUSION Overall, there has been only a small overall improvement in the dental health of 5-year-old children over the last 2 years and no diminution of the level of disease in those affected for some time, although in Scotland a pattern of continuing steady progress from previously high levels is seen. While many children enjoy good oral health, sizable groups remain within the population of 5-year-old children who have a clinically significant burden of preventable dental disease.
Revisiting ‘The Determinants of Hospital Profitability’ in Florida

Objectives : To re-evaluate previously identified determinants of hospital profitability in the post-Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act years. Data : Data were obtained from the Florida Uniform Hospital Reporting System, for years 2010-2014. Study sample : Sample consisted of general acute care or teaching, privately owned, urban hospitals in Florida. Study design : Longitudinal panel data design was used to assess the association of two pre-tax measures of profitability – operating margin and return on assets – and 20 predictor variables each year. Predictor variables were categorized as (1) organizational, (2) area-level, (3) managerial, (4) patient-mix, or (5) quality. A difference-in-difference model with hospital fixed effects was used to estimate the effects of the proposed predictor variables on the two measures of hospital profitability. Principal findings : Results exhibited unexpected associations of hospital markup of charges, and the average age of a hospital’s equipment and facilities – negative and positive effects, respectively - with profitability. The results confirmed the negative association of debt utilization and bad debt expenses with profitability, and the positive association of labor yield and county-level hospital concentration. Bed size and system affiliation were also negatively associated with profits. The remaining characteristics, including the two quality measures (a Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient experience score and the hospital’s Magnet Recognition designation), were not significantly associated with profitability. Conclusion : While many determinants of hospital profitability have remained unchanged since before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, some have not, either reversing the direction or losing the significance of their association with profitability. The effects of healthcare reform on hospital viability warrant continued monitoring.
Intrahepatic mRNA levels of SOCS1 and SOCS3 are associated with cirrhosis but do not predict virological response to therapy in chronic hepatitis C

Antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C is not invariably successful, costly and associated with serious side‐effects, and therefore should be indicated only when the chances of benefitting patients exceed the potential risks. The suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) family members have been suggested to affect the rate of virological response to therapy, but the published evidence is conflicting.
The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among male patients on methadone and buprenorphine treatments: a meta-analysis study.

INTRODUCTION For many years, methadone has been recognized as an effective maintenance treatment for opioid dependence. However, of the many adverse events reported, sexual dysfunction is one of the most common side effects. AIM We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among male patients on methadone and buprenorphine treatments. METHODS Relevant studies published from inception until December 2012 were identified by searching PubMed, OVID, and Embase. Studies were selected using prior defined criteria. Heterogeneity, publication bias, and odds ratio were assessed thoroughly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES To examine the prevalence and odds ratio of sexual dysfunctions among the methadone and buprenorphine groups. RESULTS A total of 1,570 participants from 16 eligible studies were identified in this meta-analysis. The studies provided prevalence estimates for sexual dysfunction among methadone users with a meta-analytical pooled prevalence of 52% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.65). Only four studies compared sexual dysfunction between the two groups, with a significantly higher combined odds ratio in the methadone group (OR = 4.01, 95% CI, 1.52-10.55, P = 0.0049). CONCLUSIONS Evidence showed that the prevalence of sexual dysfunction was higher among the users of methadone compared with buprenorphine. Patients with sexual difficulty while on methadone treatment were advised to switch to buprenorphine.
Making it happen: prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in rural Malawi

HIV and AIDS, in resource-limited settings, contribute to increased maternal and infant mortality where such vital indicators are already high. In these settings, babies born to HIV-positive women continue to have added risks of acquiring HIV infection and dying from it before their fifth birthdays if no interventions are employed. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) is an international initiative whose implications within the local context need to be known. An operational research approach was adopted to study the demand and adherence of key components within the PMTCT Programme among women in rural Malawi. This study was carried out at Malamulo SDA Hospital in rural Malawi and employed the mixture of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. While the introduction of innovative policies in antenatal care (ANC) that has positive impact particularly on marginalised women's access to the services, negative effects are also inevitable. Marginalised women in resource-poor settings fail to deliver at the health facility due to lack of transportation, economic difficulties, gender inequalities, tradition and negative attitude of health workers. Integration of HIV testing and opt-out testing in ANC coupled with the introduction of free maternal care resulted in more women accessing maternal services and PMTCT services. It is as a result of this that institutional delivery facilitates increased adherence to antiretroviral prophylaxis and is supported by both women and the communities. The paper summarises the research conducted and elaborates on how it contributed to actions to improve staff attitude, increase male involvement in reproductive health care and discussions on how available resources can be maximised. This article has been commented on by Thorkild Tylleskär. Please follow this link – http://www.globalhealthaction. net/index.php/gha/article/view/5370 – to read his Commentary.
Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Thalassemia Intermedia in 2009: a single center’s experience

Background: There are various clinical symptoms of thalassemia intermedia, and they lie roughly between those of major and minor forms of the disease. Patients with thalassemia intermedia occasionally require blood transfusions. This renders them susceptible to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) syndrome, which is one of the most significant complications in patients with thalassemia intermedia. PAH is more common in in thalassemia intermedia than in thalassemia major, and it may cause cardiac complications in patients who are older than 30. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PAH in thalassemia intermedia patients so that they can be referred expeditiously for treatment, thereby preventing the complications that occur later. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted under the supervision of hematology department of Mashhad Medical University. Forty-one patients with thalassemia intermedia were examined at the Sarvar Thalassemia and Hemophilia Clinic of Mashhad. Electrocardiography, chest radiography, and echocardiography tests were performed for all of the patients by the same pediatric cardiologist. The data were processed by SPSS software, version 11.5, and the results were analyzed using chi-squared, Student’s t, and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: The mean age of the patients was 21.93±8.34. They had been under pediatric heart specialists’ constant examination and treatment since their childhood when they were diagnosed with TI, and continue to receive regular follow-up care. The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension was 24% in our study population. In patients with thalassemia intermedia, the left ventricular (LV) mass indices were about 3–5 times higher than would be expected in a normal population. Patients with higher LV mass indices have a greater risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, and those with serum ferritin levels below 1000 ng/ml are less susceptible to diastolic dysfunction. Conclusion: Pulmonary hypertension is common in patients with thalassemia intermedia. Irregular chelation therapy or absence of this treatment might lead to diastolic dysfunction, and serum ferritin levels below 1000 ng/ml could be an important factor in preventing the development of diastolic dysfunction or slowing down its progression.
Noise Benefits in Expectation-Maximization Algorithms

This dissertation shows that careful injection of noise into sample data can substantially speed up Expectation-Maximization algorithms. Expectation-Maximization algorithms are a class of iterative algorithms for extracting maximum likelihood estimates from corrupted or incomplete data. The convergence speed-up is an example of a noise benefit or "stochastic resonance" in statistical signal processing. The dissertation presents derivations of sufficient conditions for such noise-benefits and demonstrates the speed-up in some ubiquitous signal-processing algorithms. These algorithms include parameter estimation for mixture models, the $k$-means clustering algorithm, the Baum-Welch algorithm for training hidden Markov models, and backpropagation for training feedforward artificial neural networks. This dissertation also analyses the effects of data and model corruption on the more general Bayesian inference estimation framework. The main finding is a theorem guaranteeing that uniform approximators for Bayesian model functions produce uniform approximators for the posterior pdf via Bayes theorem. This result also applies to hierarchical and multidimensional Bayesian models.
Isolation and Characterisation of Prolactin‐Releasing Peptide in Chicks and its Effect on Prolactin Release and Feeding Behaviour

Prolactin (PRL)‐releasing peptides (PrRP) have been identified in mammals, amphibians and fishes, and these animals have several PrRPs that consist of different numbers of amino acids such as 20, 31 and 37. In the present study, we identified the cDNA encoding chicken prepro‐PrRP, which can generate putative PrRPs, and cloned and sequenced it. Sequences for the coding region suggested the occurrence of putative PrRPs of 20, 31 and 32 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of chicken PrRP20 showed 100%, 95% and 70% identity with those of PrRP20s from teleosts, Xenopus laevis and mammals, respectively. On the other hand, chicken PrRP31 showed approximately 90% and 52–55% homology to PrRP31s of X. laevis and mammals, respectively. Native chicken PrRPs were purified from an acid extract of chick brain by a Sep‐Pak C18 cartridge (Waters Corp., Milford, MA, USA), affinity chromatography using anti‐salmon PrRP serum, and reverse phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an ODS‐120T column (TOSOH, Tokyo, Japan). The existence of chicken PrRP20 and PrRP31 in the brain was demonstrated by comparing them with the synthetic peptides using HPLC and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionisation time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Chicken PrRP31 increased plasma PRL concentration when administered peripherally, whereas central administration decreased the concentration, suggesting that chicken PrRP31 has a distinct effect on PRL secretion between tissues in chicks. On the other hand, plasma growth hormone concentration decreased with both peripheral and central administrations of chicken PrRP31. Furthermore, central administration of chicken PrRP31 increased food intake in chicks compared to those observed in mammals and fishes. Taken together with the results indicating that chicken PrRP20 did not show endocrine and behavioural effects, we showed that chicken PrRP has a similar amino acid sequence to teleosts, Xenopus laevis and mammals, although the actions were variable among vertebrates.
Factors influencing medical student participation in an obstetrics and gynaecology clinic.

OBJECTIVE To identify factors influencing medical student participation in an obstetrics and gynaecology (OBGYN) setting. METHODS This was a cross sectional study carried out on patients admitted in OBGYN wards of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 250 patients consented to participate in this study. RESULTS Eighty three percent of the people responded 'yes' to the question of being initially seen by a medical student. People who consented were 3.5 times more likely to know that their primary consultant was a teacher at a medical school i.e. they were initially aware that they were in a teaching hospital (p-value < 0.01). Additionally, people who did consent were 3.5 times more likely to have been admitted because of labour/delivery (p-value < 0.001) and 2.7 times more likely to have a monthly income of more than Rs. 20,000 (p-value < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A number of factors have been identified in our study along with proposed solutions. Identification of these potentially modifiable factors in the medical student-patient interaction is important to improve the involvement of medical students in the care of the patients.
Effects of clarithromycin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of clarithromycin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Research design and methods: This was a 6-month, monocenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. A total of 81 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis were treated with either once-daily oral clarithromycin (500 mg) or daily oral placebo for 6 months. Main outcome measures: The primary efficacy variable was the percentage of patients who had a 20% improvement according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria (an ACR 20 response) at 6 months. Secondary outcome measures were 50% improvement and 70% improvement according to ACR criteria (an ACR 50 response and an ACR 70 response, respectively). Results: A significantly greater percentage of patients treated with 500 mg clarithromycin met the ACR 20 response at 6 months compared with patients who received placebo (59 vs. 33%; p < 0.001). Greater percentages of patients treated with 500 mg clarithromycin also achieved ACR 50 responses (34 vs. 10%; p < 0.001) and ACR 70 responses (20 vs. 3%; p = 0.003) compared with patients who received placebo, respectively. Clarithromycin was well tolerated. There were no dose-limiting toxic effects. Conclusions: In patients with early active rheumatoid arthritis, treatment with clarithromycin significantly improved the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Clarithromycin has been shown to be effective against rheumatoid arthritis.
Allocating and mapping carbon footprint at the township scale by correlating industry sectors to land uses

Abstract A key part of reducing 2 emissions is exploring scientific methods for calculating carbon footprints and allocating their sources. Several limitations in current approaches exist at smaller scales due to shortcomings and uncertainty in data collection. This article implements an improved approach to allocate carbon footprints at the local, neighborhood scale, taking land uses as a criteria, after verifying the correlation between industry sectors and land uses through cointegration test. A case study of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area (Wh) is provided to examine the method's applicability and effectiveness. Some related spatiotemporal variations in carbon‐footprint values at the township scale are depicted as a spatial tendency from zonal agglomeration to radial diffusion in a core‐periphery structure, which relates to such human‐driven factors as population, transportation, and urban (built‐up) area. The findings provide insight for policymakers to generate appropriate allocative strategies for low‐carbon development.
Resonance frequency analysis after the placement of 133 dental implants.

INTRODUCTION The primary stability of dental implants is related to the bone in contact with the latter, and can be evaluated by resonance frequency analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Measurements were made in 133 implants (62 in the upper jaw and 71 in the mandible) of resonance frequency and insertion force to determine implant stability on the day of surgery, with an evaluation of its relationship to different variables. RESULTS The stability quotient of the implants on the day of surgery was 62.1, with an insertion force of 35.7 N. The insertion force was proportional to the resonance frequency, with an increasing stability quotient with growing insertion force. The stability quotient was greater in the larger diameter implants, shorter implants, in mandibular placement and in areas of more compact bone. CONCLUSIONS The stability quotient on the day of implant placement is greater in higher bone density areas.
Pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain: prevalence, risk factors, and profile in Kuwait.

OBJECTIVE To determine prevalence and risk factors of pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain (PRLPP) in women in Kuwait. DESIGN The study was designed as a multisite, cross-sectional design in which self-administered surveys were distributed. Setting and Participants. Public locations and health care facilities in Kuwait. Pregnant women (400) were invited to participate. OUTCOME MEASURES Demographics, history of PRLPP, risk factors for PRLPP, location of pain, absenteeism due to LPP, management of previous LPP, and functional disability due to PRLPP. RESULTS Two hundred eighty questionnaires were returned. Mean age was 29.5 years; mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.69 kg/m(2) . Of the participants, 91% reported LPP, 78.8% reported history of menstrual pain, and 58.7% reported previous LPP, and 59% reported PRLPP during previous pregnancies, 42.8% reported activities of daily living were limited. Risk factors included a history of back pain (P = 0.00), PRLPP in a previous pregnancy (P = 0.01), and being in the third trimester of pregnancy (P = 0.02). BMI was not associated with PRLPP. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians in Kuwait need to screen for risk factors and detect PRLPP early and intervene as needed. Although overweight and obesity may not contribute largely to PRLPP in women in Kuwait, weight control is a major concern for healthy pregnancy. Physical therapy has a role in preventing and addressing this condition.
Rural–urban Linkages for Development of Rural Economy in Assam: A Social Accounting Matrix Approach

There is always a close and very complex linkage between rural and urban areas. However, failure to properly harness the linkages between rural and urban sectors does not help either rural or urban. To counter this and to ensure development of rural economy, strengthening the linkage between rural and urban areas is important. Studies have identified that promotion and enhancement of food-processing industries is a major key to strengthen rural–urban linkages for development of rural economy. In this article, an attempt has been made to examine the means to increase the strength of rural–urban linkages by promoting agriculture–industry interface for development of rural economy in Assam, a state of the North East India. A social accounting matrix analysis has been carried out to examine the impact of a food processing industry on a neighbouring village of the food processing industry for proper/fruitful rural–urban linkages in the state. The positive economic impact of the industry on the village confirms the enormity of impact a food processing industry can have on the neigbouring villages. The article concludes by advocating for setting up of more food processing industries in Assam for reducing rural–urban divide and ensuring development of rural economy.