Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Joint analysis of longitudinal data comprising repeated measures and times to events

In biomedical and public health research, both repeated measures of biomarkers Y as well as times T to key clinical events are often collected for a subject. The scientific question is how the distribution of the responses [T, Y|X] changes with covariates X. [T|X] may be the focus of the estimation where Y can be used as a surrogate for T. Alternatively, T may be the time to drop‐out in a study in which [Y|X] is the target for estimation. Also, the focus of a study might be on the effects of covariates X on both T and Y or on some underlying latent variable which is thought to be manifested in the observable outcomes. In this paper, we present a general model for the joint analysis of [T, Y|X] and apply the model to estimate [T|X] and other related functionals by using the relevant information in both T and Y. We adopt a latent variable formulation like that of Fawcett and Thomas and use it to estimate several quantities of clinical relevance to determine the efficacy of a treatment in a clinical trial setting. We use a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to estimate the model's parameters. We illustrate the methodology with an analysis of data from a clinical trial comparing risperidone with a placebo for the treatment of schizophrenia.
Virulence markers and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus suis isolated from diseased pigs

The study was conducted to determine the virulence associated genes and antimicrobial resistance of S. suis associated with various disease conditions of pigs. The VAGs mrp and arcA were present in 79.41% (each) of the isolates whereas sly gene was carried by 64.70% isolates. mrp+ + sly+ + arcA+ mrp+ + sly+ mrp+ + arcA+ and sly+ +arcA+ genes were carried by 23.52%, 20.58%, 35.29% and 20.58% isolates respectively. All isolates were negative for epf gene. Interestingly all the invasive strains carried sly genes whereas only 25% strains from cases of pneumonia carried this gene. The most effective antimicrobial againstsuis was ampicillin (85.29%) and the isolates showed high frequency of resistance to tetracycline (82.35%). The occurrence of relatively high levels of resistance of S. suis to some antimicrobials (e.g. macrolides, tetracyclines, and sulphonamides) as observed in the present study may represent a human health concern.
A volume‐based discrete test filter for conducting large eddy simulations with application to physiological flow in a constricted tube

A discrete test‐filtering operation that takes advantage of a volume‐averaging procedure, as opposed to the more popular line‐interpolation technique, has been developed to enable mixed‐scale and dynamic LES simulations on general unstructured grids. Simulations of fully developed turbulent flow in a square duct show that the proposed test filter gives the results of similar accuracy to the best modern filters developed for non‐uniform orthogonal grids, but a second‐order correction is required to produce solutions of sufficient accuracy. The discrete filter technique is also used to simulate stationary and pulsatile turbulent flow in a 75% constricted tube, in which the flow undergoes transition to turbulence. Comparisons to previous published results confirm that the results obtained using the proposed discrete test filter are in a good agreement with the existing experimental and numerical results. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wave interference at the contralateral ear helps explain non-monotonic envelope interaural time differences as a function of azimuth

Interaural time differences (ITDs), an important acoustic cue for perceptual sound-source localization, are conventionally modeled as monotonic functions of azimuth. However, recent literature and publicly available databases from binaural manikins demonstrated ITDs conveyed by the envelopes (ENV-ITDs) of high-frequency (≥2 kHz) signals that were non-monotonic functions of azimuth. This study demonstrates using a simple, time-dependent geometric model of an elliptic head that the back-traveling (longer) sound path around the head, delayed and added to the conventionally treated front-traveling path, can account for non-monotonic ENV-ITDs. These findings have implications for spatial-hearing models in acoustic and electric (cochlear-implant) hearing.
On an alternative solution to the vector spline problem

Yee and Wild have presented additive extensions to multivariate regression models including generalized estimating equations. The back‐bone of their methods was a vector spline, which was solved by direct solution. A back‐fitting solution to the vector spline problem is presented here, with the implication that existing generalized additive model software can, with moderate effort, be modified to implement multivariate models.
Underuse of Gastric Cancer Screening Services among Koreans with Type 2 Diabetes

We aimed to compare the gastric cancer screening rates between participants with diabetes and those without diabetes in the Korean population. The data of 4284 participants from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019 were used. Cancer-free people aged ≥40 years were included, and cancer screening rates in diabetes and non-diabetes participants were analyzed. Baseline characteristics and screening rates were calculated using weighted frequencies and multivariable regression at a 95% confidence interval in both groups. Screening for gastric cancer was significantly lower (odd ratio [OR]: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64–0.95) in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. The odds of performing the recommended gastric cancer screening were also lower (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58–0.90) in participants with diabetes than in those without diabetes. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, the multivariable logistics regression analysis also showed lower odds for gastric cancer screening participation in diabetic patients than in non-diabetes participants. Conclusively, people with diabetes were less likely to have ever had or been recommended screening compared with those without diabetes. Greater efforts need to be made by health specialists to increase the awareness and the need of long-term preventive care including gastric cancer screening in high-risk groups.
Protons and ion acceleration from thick targets at 1010 W/cm2 laser pulse intensity

Proton ion acceleration via laser-generated plasma is investigated at relatively low laser pulse intensity, on the order of 10 10 W/cm 2 . Time-of-flight technique is employed to measure the ion energy and the relative yield. An ion collector and an ion energy analyzer are used with this aim and to distinguish the number of charge states of the produced ions. The kinetic energy and the emission yield are measured through a consolidated theory, which assumes that the ion emission follows the Coulomb-Boltzmann-Shifted function. The proton stream is generated by thin and thick hydrogenated targets and it is dependent on the free electron states, which increase the laser absorption coefficient and the ion acceleration. The maximum proton energy, of about 200 eV, and the maximum proton amount can be obtained with thick metallic hydrogenated materials, such as the titanium hydrate TiH 2 .
Impact of GLP-1 receptor agonist versus omega-3 fatty acids supplement on obesity-induced alterations of mitochondrial respiration

Objective To compare administration of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, exenatide, versus dietary supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acid-rich Calanus oil on obesity-induced alterations in mitochondrial respiration. Methods Six-week-old female C57BL/6JOlaHSD mice were given high fat diet (HFD, 45% energy from fat) for 12 weeks to induce obesity. Thereafter, they were divided in three groups where one received exenatide (10 μg/kg/day) via subcutaneously implanted mini-osmotic pumps, a second group received 2% Calanus oil as dietary supplement, while the third group received HFD without any treatment. Animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks of treatment and tissues (skeletal muscle, liver, and white adipose tissue) were collected for measurement of mitochondrial respiratory activity by high-resolution respirometry, using an Oroboros Oxygraph-2k (Oroboros instruments, Innsbruck, Austria). Results It was found that high-fat feeding led to a marked reduction of mitochondrial respiration in adipose tissue during all three states investigated – LEAK, OXPHOS and ETS. This response was to some extent attenuated by exenatide treatment, but not with Calanus oil treatment. High-fat feeding had no major effect on hepatic mitochondrial respiration, but exenatide treatment resulted in a significant increase in the various respiratory states in liver. Mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle was not significantly influenced by high-fat diet or any of the treatments. The precise evaluation of mitochondrial respiration considering absolute oxygen flux and ratios to assess flux control efficiency avoided misinterpretation of the results. Conclusions Exenatide increased hepatic mitochondrial respiration in high-fat fed mice, but no clear beneficial effect was observed in skeletal muscle or fat tissue. Calanus oil did not negatively affect respiratory activity in these tissues, which maintains its potential as a dietary supplement, due to its previously reported benefits on cardiac function
Observations of core toroidal rotation reversals in Alcator C-Mod ohmic L-mode plasmas

Direction reversals of intrinsic toroidal rotation have been observed in Alcator C-Mod ohmic L-mode plasmas following modest electron density or toroidal magnetic field ramps. The reversal process occurs in the plasma interior, inside of the q = 3/2 surface. For low density plasmas, the rotation is in the co-current direction, and can reverse to the counter-current direction following an increase in the electron density above a certain threshold. Reversals from the co- to counter-current direction are correlated with a sharp decrease in density fluctuations with kR ⩾ 2 cm−1 and with frequencies above 70 kHz. The density at which the rotation reverses increases linearly with plasma current, and decreases with increasing magnetic field. There is a strong correlation between the reversal density and the density at which the global ohmic L-mode energy confinement changes from the linear to the saturated regime.
Optimal LC-MS metabolomic profiling reveals emergent changes to monocyte metabolism in response to lipopolysaccharide

Introduction Immunometabolism examines the links between immune cell function and metabolism. Dysregulation of immune cell metabolism is now an established feature of innate immune cell activation. Advances in liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technologies have allowed discovery of unique insights into cellular metabolomics. Here we have studied and compared different sample preparation techniques and data normalisation methods described in the literature when applied to metabolomic profiling of human monocytes. Methods Primary monocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for four hours was used as a study model. Monocytes (n=24) were freshly isolated from whole blood and stimulated for four hours with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A methanol-based extraction protocol was developed and metabolomic profiling carried out using a Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC) LC-MS method. Data analysis pipelines used both targeted and untargeted approaches, and over 40 different data normalisation techniques to account for technical and biological variation were examined. Cytokine levels in supernatants were measured by ELISA. Results This method provided broad coverage of the monocyte metabolome. The most efficient and consistent normalisation method was measurement of residual protein in the metabolite fraction, which was further validated and optimised using a commercial kit. Alterations to the monocyte metabolome in response to LPS can be detected as early as four hours post stimulation. Broad and profound changes in monocyte metabolism were seen, in line with increased cytokine production. Elevated levels of amino acids and Krebs cycle metabolites were noted and decreases in aspartate and β-alanine are also reported for the first time. In the untargeted analysis, 154 metabolite entities were significantly altered compared to unstimulated cells. Pathway analysis revealed the most prominent changes occurred to (phospho-) inositol metabolism, glycolysis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Discussion These data report the emergent changes to monocyte metabolism in response to LPS, in line with reports from later time points. A number of these metabolites are reported to alter inflammatory gene expression, which may facilitate the increases in cytokine production. Further validation is needed to confirm the link between metabolic activation and upregulation of inflammatory responses.
On estimating ARMA model orders

In system identification where a given sequence represents the output of an autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) process, the estimation of the proper ARMA model order and parameters is an important problem. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating the orders of an ARMA process from the observations of the noise-corrupted output using third order cumulants. The observed sequence is modeled as the output of an ARMA system that is excited by an unobservable input, and is corrupted by white, zero-mean additive Gaussian noise. This method is based on the minimum eigenvalue of a covariance matrix derived from the observed data sequence. This is a generalization of the approach of Liang et al. [1,2], which eliminates the estimation of the a/sub i/ and b/sub i/ coefficients.
Meningitis caused by the varicella vaccine virus in 17 immunized children and adolescents from the United States, Europe, and Japan

The varicella vaccination program has an excellent safety record. The vaccine virus, like its wild‐type counterpart, can enter latency and later reactivate as herpes zoster. A lesser known but serious adverse event following reactivation is varicella vaccine meningitis. We investigate that adverse event. We performed a literature search using the PubMed and Google Scholar search engines to locate all published cases of varicella vaccine meningitis. We continued the search through January 2023. We found 17 cases of varicella vaccine meningitis. The first case was published in 2003, and the last case was published in 2023. The children lived in the United States, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan. Among the 17 cases, 14 were immunocompetent; nine of the 17 were adolescents. One potential risk factor was the administration of corticosteroids three to four weeks before the onset of meningitis. Varicella vaccine meningitis is a rare but one of the more serious adverse events that occurs several years following varicella vaccination. In immunocompetent children, this complication is treatable with a single course of intravenous acyclovir after hospitalization.
Impacts of household norms and trust on organic food purchase behavior under adapted theory of planned behavior

PurposeThis paper proposed an adaptation of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to study the factors influencing organic food purchase behavior in an emerging market. This research introduced household norms as an important factor that reflected the influence of household activities and family pressure on individuals to perform organic food purchase behaviors. The role of trust in organic food as a direct and a moderating factor was examined in the proposed framework as well.Design/methodology/approachThe study proposed a model with 10 hypotheses from the literature review. The hypotheses were tested using data collected from 407 organic food customers in Hanoi, Vietnam. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used for analysis.FindingsThe results indicated that household norms played an important role influencing purchase intention and behavior. This research also showed that trust in organic food directly affected purchase intention and played a moderating role on the attitude towards organic food and purchase intention relationship. However, trust in organic food did not show moderating effects on other relationships in the model.Research limitations/implicationsMore context-specific reasons may be incorporated into the research model to better explain consumer purchase behaviors.Originality/valueThe role of household norms and its impact under TPB has not been investigated for organic food purchase behaviors, particularly in emerging markets.
Carrots over Sticks? Mothers’ Pensions and Child Labor in the Early 20th Century U.S.

Abstract While existing research suggests that nineteenth-century child labor laws largely failed to significantly reduce children’s workforce participation, we examine whether policies that tackled the problem by providing aid – rather than by penalizing work – were more effective. Between 1910 and 1920, forty U.S. states enacted mothers’ pension programs, giving needy “deserving” mothers, typically widows, cash aid to support their dependent children. One purpose of the programs was to reduce child labor. However, we find no negative relationship between child labor and the generosity of states’ mothers’ pension laws. Furthermore, we find no negative relationship between child labor and county-level mothers’ pension generosity, in terms of expenditures, in the seven states for which we have data. We attribute this to the small size of the pensions as well as the programs’ limited coverage and general lack of conditionality on children’s behaviors, such as attending school or not engaging in paid work. We also note states’ and counties’ limited administrative capacity to enforce eligibility requirements, such as school attendance, where these existed.
Development of Novel Pt(IV)-Carbohydrate Derivatives as Targeted Anticancer Agents against Osteosarcoma

Despite the enormous importance of cisplatin as a chemotherapeutic agent, its application is impacted by dose-limiting side effects and lack of selectivity for cancer cells. Researchers can overcome these issues by taking advantage of the pro-drug nature of the platinum(IV) oxidation state, and by modifying the coordination sphere of the metal centre with specific vectors whose receptors are overexpressed in tumour cell membranes (e.g., carbohydrates). In this paper we report the synthesis of four novel carbohydrate-modified Pt(IV) pro-drugs, based on the cisplatin scaffold, and their biological activity against osteosarcoma (OS), a malignant tumour which is most common in adolescents and young adults. The carbohydrate-targeting vectors and Pt scaffold are linked using copper-catalysed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) chemistry, which is synonymous with mild and robust reaction conditions. The novel complexes are characterised using multinuclear 1D-2D NMR (1H, 13C and 195Pt), IR, HR-MS, Elem. Analyses, and CV. Cytotoxicity on 2D and 3D and cell morphology studies on OS cell lines, as well as non-cancerous human foetal osteoblasts (hFOBs), are discussed.
Experimental Characterization of Damping Force in Shock Absorbers with Constant Velocity Excitation

SUMMARY For the characterization of shock absorbers, which are intrinsically non-linear, it was considered advisable to use the 3D representation of force vs velocity-displacement domain rather than traditional force vs velocity or force vs displacement. Experimental apparatus was therefore designed and constructed to measure the damping force produced by shock absorbers. Data were processed with software suitable for fitting the experimental data functions of several variables. Experiments showed that 3D representation of restoring force allows the non-linearity of shock-absorber damping to be examined more thoroughly.
The reusability prior: comparing deep learning models without training

Various choices can affect the performance of deep learning models. We conjecture that differences in the number of contexts for model components during training are critical. We generalize this notion by defining the reusability prior as follows: model components are forced to function in diverse contexts not only due to the training data, augmentation, and regularization choices, but also due to the model design itself. We focus on the design aspect and introduce a graph-based methodology to estimate the number of contexts for each learnable parameter. This allows a comparison of models without requiring any training. We provide supporting evidence with experiments using cross-layer parameter sharing on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and Imagenet-1K benchmarks. We give examples of models that share parameters outperforming baselines that have at least 60% more parameters. The graph-analysis-based quantities we introduced for the reusability prior align well with the results, including at least two important edge cases. We conclude that the reusability prior provides a viable research direction for model analysis based on a very simple idea: counting the number of contexts for model parameters.
We learned we can do something to reduce bullying: Children designing anti-bullying mobile apps to empower their peers

Mobile applications have thoroughly pervaded the lives of today's children, who live and learn through and with them. However, limited research has been conducted on children designing such apps and not only using those designed by adults. Inviting children to design such apps is the focus of our study. Moreover, in contemporary society, it is emphasized that children should be empowered to take civic action and engage in making the world a better place. In the literature, however, less emphasis has been placed on how children can be invited to do so through the means of digital technology, particularly mobile application design. In this study, 13–15-year-old children are invited to take civic action to address the serious societal problem of bullying through the design of mobile apps. We discussed the design process and analyzed the applications the children designed from the viewpoint of how they aim to tackle bullying. We examined how their app designs aim at empowering other children in the context of bullying, and thus considered what kinds of opportunities emerge for children to learn skills related to the prevention or management of bullying in the apps they have designed. We showed that the children's app designs informed us of the seriousness of bullying in children's lives and that they advocate for the empowerment of other children in different ways. Hence, we have increased our understanding of how smart, interactive technologies designed by children address the learning and empowerment of other children, i.e., application users. We also studied the children's learning from both their and their teachers' perspectives. This study showcases an alternative way educators can integrate digital technologies and apps in school settings to educate children on important societal matters and digital technology.