Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of HIV-specific cellular immunity by structured treatment interruption fails to enhance viral control in chronic HIV infection

Potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppresses HIV-1 viral replication and results in decreased morbidity and mortality. However, prolonged treatment is associated with drug-induced toxicity, emergence of drug-resistant viral strains, and financial constraints. Structured therapeutic interruptions (STIs) have been proposed as a strategy that could boost HIV-specific immunity, through controlled exposure to autologous virus over limited time periods, and subsequently control viral replication in the absence of ART. Here, we analyzed the impact of repeated STIs on virological and immunological parameters in a large prospective STI study. We show that: (i) the plateau virus load (VL) reached after STIs correlated with pretreatment VL, the amount of viral recrudescence during the treatment interruptions, and the off-treatment viral rebound rate; (ii) the magnitude and the breadth of the HIV-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte response, despite marked interpatient variability, increased overall with STI. However, the quantity and quality of the post-STI response was comparable to the response observed before any therapy; (iii) individuals with strong and broad HIV-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses at baseline retained these characteristics during and after STI; (iv) the increase in HIV-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte frequencies induced by STI was not correlated with decreased viral set point after STI; and (v) HIV-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte responses increased with STI, but were subsequently maintained only in patients with low pretreatment and plateau VLs. Overall, these data indicate that STI-induced quantitative boosting of HIV-specific cellular immunity was not associated with substantial change in viral replication and that STI was largely restoring pretherapy CD8+ T cell responses in patients with established infection.
China's Pro-Poor Growth: Measurement and Implications

ABSTRACT. Pro-poor growth has been the preeminent strategic framework of the international development community because it describes relationships between growth, inequality, and poverty. Assessing whether economic growth and income distributional changes are “pro-poor” has important policy implications and has become increasingly widespread in academic and policy societies. The article aims to measure the pro-poor growth in rural China from 1989 to 2009 through analyzing the household survey data collected by the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Among the main findings, from 1989 to 2006, China's economic growth in rural areas was relatively weakly pro-poor and poverty reduction mainly relied on the “trickle-down effect” of economic growth. However, since 2006, both the “trickle-down effect” of growth and changes in income distribution have reduced poverty. During this period, Chinese economic growth was pro-poor. Research on pro-poor growth based on more comprehensive data is urgently needed to advise policymakers to make relevant policies.
Predicting Household Water Consumption With Individual-Level Variables

Few studies investigating the psychological determinants of water consumption and conservation use metered household water data. Studies that have used metered consumption have found that individual-level motivations are often weak predictors. This may be due to the psychological determinants being measured at the individual level and metered consumption at the household level. This article contributes to the water consumption literature by (a) identifying the determinants of change in water consumption over time and (b) testing effects in single-person households where levels of analysis are equivalent. We applied models to data from South Australia (N = 410) and Victoria (N = 205) and found that variables at the individual, household, dwelling, and regional levels predict the initial level of consumption and/or its rate of change. Some individual-level variables were not significant predictors of household consumption but did predict individual consumption. We discuss these results in light of previous research and offer avenues for future research.
Planning stable trajectory on uneven terrain based on Feasible Acceleration Count

In this paper we propose a novel physics based motion planning and trajectory generation framework for vehicle operating on uneven terrains. The proposed framework provides for a fully 3D analysis of the dynamic constraints of the vehicle on uneven terrain and hence comes as a better approach than the existing motion planning framework which makes simplifying assumptions for the terrain conditions or the vehicle geometry or both. The entire framework consists of three major parts which are: 1. A framework for determination of the posture of a vehicle in 3D for a given terrain. 2. A framework for determination of maximum feasible velocities and acceleration based on contact and no-slip constraints. 3. Combining the above two framework to generate feasible trajectories for the vehicle. Trajectories are generated through a Dynamic Window paradigm extended to fully 3D terrains, wherein the next best node is selected through a new metric that maximizes the space of feasible velocities and accelerations and reduces the distance to be traversed to the goal
Effect of Ezetimibe on LDL-C Lowering and Atherogenic Lipoprotein Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Poorly Controlled by Statins

Background There exists a subpopulation of T2DM in whom first-line doses of statin are insufficient for optimally reducing LDL-C, representing a major risk of CVD. The RESEARCH study focuses on LDL-C reduction in this population along with modifications of the lipid profiles leading to residual risks. Methods Lipid changes were assessed in a randomized, multicenter, 12-week, open-label study comparing a high-potency statin (10mg of atorvastatin or 1mg of pitavastatin) plus ezetimibe (EAT: n = 53) with a double dose of statin (20mg of atorvastatin or 2mg of pitavastatin) (DST: n = 56) in DM subjects who had failed to achieve the optimal LDL-C targets. Lipid variables were compared with a primary focus on LDL-C and with secondary focuses on the percentage of patients who reached the LDL-C targets and changes in the levels of RLP-C (remnant like particle cholesterol) and sd-LDL-C, two characteristic atherogenic risks of DM. Results The reduction of LDL-C (%), the primary endpoint, differed significantly between the two groups (-24.6 in EAT vs. -10.9 in DST). In the analyses of the secondary endpoints, EAT treatment brought about significantly larger reductions in sd-LDL-C (-20.5 vs. -3.7) and RLP-C (-19.7 vs. +5.5). In total, 89.4% of the patients receiving EAT reached the optimized treatment goal compared to 51.0% of the patients receiving DST. The changes in TC (-16.3 vs. -6.3) and non-HDL-C (-20.7 vs. -8.3) differed significantly between the two groups. Conclusion Ezetimibe added to high-potency statin (10 mg of atorvastatin or 1 mg of pitavastatin) was more effective than the intensified-dose statin (20 mg of atorvastatin or 2 mg of pitavastatin) treatment not only in helping T2DM patients attain more LDL-C reduction, but also in improving their atherogenic lipid profiles, including their levels of sd-LDL-C and RLP-C. We thus recommend the addition of ezetimibe to high-potency statin as a first line strategy for T2DM patients with insufficient statin response. Trial Registration The UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000002593
Credit Risk and Financial Performance Assessment of Illinois Farmers: A Comparison of Approaches with Farm Accounting Data

Pro forma financial performance evaluation of agricultural producers is an important issue for lenders, internal management and policy makers. Lenders strive to improve their credit risk management. Internal management is interested in understanding the financial impacts of alternative strategic decisions. And policy makers often assess the magnitude and distributional effects of alternative policies on the future financial performance of farm business. Data limitations are a major impediment in assessing farm financial performance. Most traditional farm operations are private firms and thus, public traded equity information which can be converted into market valuation change is not available. Moreover, historical loan performance data on agricultural loans such as past due and defaults are not readily available. These aspects present substantial methodological issues when establishing an independent variable to use in assessing future performance. Credit risk modeling and financial performance assessment have been remotivated and gained unprecedented academic attention in recent years(Barry 2001, Kachova and Barry 2005, Saunders and Allen 2002). However, some of the new approaches and models have limitations when applied to agricultural producers. Adapting the models and approaches to utilize the available information of farm business needs careful attention and validation. In this paper, Altman's Z' score model and Z" score model are applied to farm accounting data for the detection of farm operating and financial difficulties. i.e., farms with high credit risk. The well-developed and widely used Altman models have not been applied to agricultural data. The results are compared to an experienced based credit risk migration model (Splett, et al) and a logistic, lender-based model (Featherstone, Roessler, and Barry 2006). The experience based model is a primary model used in the current farm credit analysis. The logistic model is claimed for better statistical prediction accuracy and no binding assumption on multivariate normality (Altman 1968). Results from each of these models are compared across a common database of Midwestern grain farms. Farms are grouped into different categories with different levels of financial. Instead of focusing on farm loan defaults, earned net worth growth rate (ENWGR) and term debt coverage ratio (TDCR) are used as two major indicators for financial stress situation of farm credit quality.
Decision-Making under Uncertainty for Water Sustainability and Urban Climate Change Adaptation

Complexities and uncertainties surrounding urbanization and climate change complicate water resource sustainability. Although research has examined various aspects of complex water systems, including uncertainties, relatively few attempts have been made to synthesize research findings in particular contexts. We fill this gap by examining the complexities, uncertainties, and decision processes for water sustainability and urban adaptation to climate change in the case study region of Phoenix, Arizona. In doing so, we integrate over a decade of research conducted by Arizona State University’s Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC). DCDC is a boundary organization that conducts research in collaboration with policy makers, with the goal of informing decision-making under uncertainty. Our results highlight: the counterintuitive, non-linear, and competing relationships in human–environment dynamics; the myriad uncertainties in climatic, scientific, political, and other domains of knowledge and practice; and, the social learning that has occurred across science and policy spheres. Finally, we reflect on how our interdisciplinary research and boundary organization has evolved over time to enhance adaptive and sustainable governance in the face of complex system dynamics.
Parents appointing the principal: The experiences of four New Zealand primary school boards of trustees

Universally motivated by altruism and the desire to serve their children's schools well, locally elected parent representatives of New Zealand boards of trustees (BOTs) are charged with the responsibility of appointing the principal. This paper draws on semi-structured interviews with the chairpersons of four primary schools in two cities - two in affluent high decile areas and two in relatively disadvantaged low decile ones - in order to examine the perspectives and understandings that informed the board recruitment and selection process. Findings suggest that the appointment of a principal with the capacity to exercise highly effective, contextually specific educational leadership is more likely to occur in higher decile schools and is most needed in lower decile ones. The paper concludes that targeted support and a review of governance arrangements will be necessary for inequity in principal appointment processes to be addressed.
Cost-benefit analysis of a simulated institution-based preoperative smoking cessation intervention in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasties in France.

BACKGROUND The literature on preoperative smoking cessation indicates that smoking patients are more likely to have postoperative complications. However, the economic implications of such complications are unclear. In particular, the balance between the cost of a preoperative intervention for smoking cessation (PISC) and the benefit resulting from the potential decrease in hospitalization costs is not known. METHODS Only one previous study, a randomized trial involving smokers scheduled for hip or knee replacement surgery, provides sufficient data to simulate the hospital course of patients subjected or not subjected to a PISC. We used a multistate Markov-type model and official French hospital costs for 2008 to simulate this situation. The cost-benefit analysis adopted the payer's perspective. RESULTS The mean benefit, corresponding to the decrease in the cost of the hospital stay for a reference case patient having followed a PISC, was estimated at 313 euros, with a corresponding mean cost of the PISC estimated at 196 euros. Therefore, the PISC was associated with a cost saving of 117 euros per patient. The results were most sensitive to the cost of ICU care as a proxy for cost of smoking-related complications, and to the relative risk of complication between patients with and without a PISC. CONCLUSION Under the conditions simulated by this cost-benefit model, potential modest cost savings may accrue with implementation of an institution-based smoking cessation program through reduced total hospitalization costs that exceed the cost of the intervention.
Determinants of spatial diversity in modern wheat: examples from Australia and China

The spatial distribution of modern varieties, and the genes they embody, has economic value because it affects crop productivity from year to year. Since farmers choose varieties based on observable traits rather than the genes they cannot see, a first step in understanding the spatial distribution of genes is to better understand the determinants of the spatial distribution of varieties. In this paper, we have constructed spatial diversity indices from area distributions of modern wheat varieties in Australia and China. We hypothesise that factors explaining variation in these indices are related to farmers' demand for traits and the supply of varieties, given physical features of the production environment. We test these hypotheses using reduced form equations for three concepts of spatial diversity, richness, abundance and evenness, using Zellner's seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). Spatial diversity indicators and analyses of this type, if more fully developed and targeted to address specific policy issues, may assist in monitoring crop genetic diversity or 'refuge' targets associated with the diffusion of some genetically modified crops. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Patterns of Facial Laceration from Blunt Trauma

&NA; The clinical characteristics of craniofacial injuries resulting from various modes of blunt trauma, including motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assault, have been described extensively in the literature. In this study, specifically targeted blunt trauma to selected areas of the face was used to recreate soft‐tissue laceration injuries on 19 cadaver heads. The patterns of laceration produced were then examined by location, size, penetrated skin depth, and associated muscle and bony involvement. Results showed reproducible patterns of lacerations on the forehead, bilateral superior orbital rim, nose, perimaxillary region, and chin. Six of 19 cadaver faces were undermined prior to blunt trauma to determine the effects of subcutaneous attachments on laceration patterns. Results showed no consistent difference in laceration patterns between undermined skin and intact skin. Our findings suggest that in response to blunt trauma, the skin breaks along selected lines of least resistance that closely parallel cleavage lines of the face and that the patterns of laceration generated are associated with inherent structural and biomechanical properties of the skin, independent of subcutaneous attachments. Blunt trauma lacerations to the face therefore may occur in a consistent and reproducible manner and may be subject to classification.
Apparent absence of stroke and ischaemic heart disease in a traditional Melanesian island: a clinical study in Kitava

Abstract. On the island of Kitava, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, a subsistence lifestyle, uninfluenced by western dietary habits, is still maintained. Tubers, fruit, fish and coconut are dietary staples. Of the total population, 1816 subjects were estimated to be older than 3 years and 125 to be 60–96 years old. The frequencies of spontaneous sudden death, exertion‐related chest pain, hemiparesis, aphasia and sudden imbalance were assessed by semi‐structured interviews in 213 adults aged 20–96. Resting electrocardiograms (ECG's) were recorded in 119 males and 52 females. No case corresponding to stroke, sudden death or angina pectoris was described by the interviewed subjects. Minnesota Code (MC) items 1–5 occurred in 14 ECG's with no significant relation to age, gender or smoking. ST items (MC 4.2 and 4.3) were found in two females and Q items (MC 1.1.2, 1.3.2 and 1.3.3) in three males. Stroke and ischaemic heart disease appear to be absent in this population.
Intellectual capital and performance indicators: Taiwanese healthcare sector

Purpose – While the intellectual capital perspective has been widely applied to research in knowledge‐intensive industries, less attention has been paid to the healthcare sector. This exploratory study aims to investigate how hospitals view the importance of intellectual capital and performance in the healthcare sector. It identifies the elements and relative importance of intellectual capital and performance measurement in the Taiwanese healthcare industry.Design/methodology/approach – This study was executed by a developmental process comprising four phases: the generation of critical elements; expert review and perceptual assessments of the elements; data collection; and data analysis. This study developed a preliminary checklist with detailed IC elements and performance indicators derived from both literature reviews and practices. The questionnaire was refined by expert review. The pilot study collected data from 30 healthcare managers.Findings – The critical intellectual capital elements and perform.
Macro Determinants of Formal Entrepreneurship versus Total Entrepreneurship

Based on the eclectic theory of entrepreneurship, this article analyzes macro-level determinants of national rates of formal versus informal entrepreneurship. Our evaluation of the factors identified in this theory reveals a set of empirically-testable, higher-order determinants: economic opportunities, quality of governance, macro-level resources and abilities, performance-based culture and socially-supportive culture. The results of our analysis obtained through the PLS (partial least squares) approach to structural equation modeling contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by providing an empirically-supported model that shows how formal and informal entrepreneurship are driven differently. This model clarifies the conflicting findings in previous research about the effects of socioeconomic, institutional, and cultural factors on entrepreneurship rates across countries. Finally, by showing the effect of each determinant on formal and informal entrepreneurship, this study has important implications for policymakers as well as businesses.
The impact of fund characteristics on the use of analyst forecasts

This article builds on recent empirical studies that document the general impact of analyst recommendations on mutual fund trading. We argue that the use of analyst research might be a strategic decision depending on the type of mutual fund. Therefore, we identify the funds that trade in accordance with and the funds that trade in contrast to analyst information and analyze the impact of fund characteristics on this investment behavior. Thereby, we detect that fund managers using analyst recommendations for most of their purchase decisions seem to disregard analysts’ opinions for their sales and vice versa. Furthermore, well-performing funds that owe some of their prior performance to following sell-side research seem to continue to do so with regard to their buying and selling decisions. Finally, we find some funds to be more persistent in their investment behavior with regard to the intensity they follow analyst forecasts. Particularly for large funds it seems to be difficult to frequently change investment strategies and previous levels to which fund managers employed analyst research are kept constant across consecutive periods.
The Interrelationship between Managerial Ownership and Board Structure

The paper tests the hypothesis that high managerial ownership entrenches managers by allowing the CEO to create a board that is unlikely to monitor. The results show a strong negative relationship between the level of managerial ownership and corporate governance factors, such as, the split of the roles of the CEO and the Chairman, the proportion of non-executive directors, and the appointment of a non-executive director as a Chairman. I also find that companies with low managerial ownership are more likely to change their board structure to comply with the Cadbury (1992) recommendations. The results suggest that managers, through their high ownership, choose a board that is unlikely to monitor. Overall, the findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of the board as an internal corporate governance mechanism when managerial ownership is high. Copyright 2006 The Author Journal compilation (c) 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Operating regimes of the government: Accounting and accountability changes in the Sultan Süleyman Waqf of the Ottoman Empire (The 1826 Experience)

Following Foucauldian accounting research, this article analyzes the relationship between accounting changes and “governmentality” practices by examining the accounting and accountability changes in the Sultan Süleyman Waqf of the Ottoman Empire in accordance with the restructuring regulations of Evkaf-ı Humayun Nezareti, established in 1826 for the purpose of the centralization of waqfs. It is argued that accounting was a technique in the hands of the Ottoman government that facilitated the translation of imperial objectives of the 1826 regulation into practice, the formation of the waqf in tune with government’s desired outcomes, and the construction of governable bodies, as well as providing a controlling device from a distance (Latour, 1987; Miller & Rose, 1990). This article also aims to show how accounting and accountability techniques were used to make people calculable in the organizational spaces of an Islamic state standing in history (Foucault, 1991a). Thus, this article adds to the Foucauldian understanding of the role and functioning of accounting by examining a non-western oriented setting.