Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Nonresponse Bias Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

We conducted a nonresponse bias analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 4, Cycles 1 and 3, collected in 2011 and 2013, respectively, using three analysis methods: comparison of response rates for subgroups, comparison of estimates with weighting adjustments and external benchmarks, and level-of-effort analysis. Areas with higher concentrations of low socioeconomic status, higher concentrations of young households, and higher concentrations of minority and Hispanic populations had lower response rates. Estimates of health information seeking behavior were higher in HINTS compared to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The HINTS estimate of doctors always explaining things in a way that the patient understands was not significantly different from the same estimate from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS); however, the HINTS estimate of health professionals always spending enough time with the patient was significantly lower than the same estimate from MEPS. A level-of-effort analysis found that those who respond later in the survey field period were less likely to have looked for information about health in the past 12 months, but found only small differences between early and late respondents for the majority of estimates examined. There is some evidence that estimates from HINTS could be biased toward finding higher levels of health information seeking.
Body mass index, waist circumference, waist–hip ratio and depressive symptoms in Chinese elderly: a population‐based study

Studies that investigated the relationship between obesity and depressive symptoms in the elderly have generated conflicting findings, partly because of the use of body mass index (BMI) alone to measure obesity in the elderly. The use of BMI fails to account for varying proportions of muscle, fat and bone, and few studies have used other measures of central obesity, such as waist–hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC).
Saccharomyces cerevisiaeprotein-encoding clones for Approaching a complete repository of sequence-verified data

Access the most recent version at doi: published online Feb 23, 2007; Genome Res. Joshua LaBaer Williamson, Andrew Simpson, Martha L. Bulyk, Edward Harlow, Gerald Marsischky, Richard D. Kolodner and Raphael, Donna Moreira, Elena Taycher, Dongmei Zuo, Stephanie Mohr, Michael F. Kane, Janice Anamaria A. Camargo, Fontina Kelley, Seamus McCarron, Daniel Jepson, Aaron Richardson, Jacob Yanhui Hu, Andreas Rolfs, Bhupinder Bhullar, Tellamraju V. S. Murthy, Cong Zhu, Michael F. Berger, Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein-encoding clones for Approaching a complete repository of sequence-verified
Modeling Visitor Behavior in a Game-Based Engineering Museum Exhibit with Hidden Markov Models

Research has shown that supporting tinkering and exploration promotes a wide range of STEM related literacies. However, the open-endedness of tinkering environments makes it difficult to know whether learners’ exploration is productive or not. This is especially true in museum spaces, where dwell times are short and facilitators lack a history of engagement with individual visitors. In response, this study uses telemetry data from Oztoc – an open-ended exploratory tabletop exhibit in which visitors embody the roles of engineers who are tasked with attracting and cataloging newly discovered aquatic creatures by building working electronic circuits. This data is used to build Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to devise an automated scheme of identifying when a visitor is behaving productively or unproductively. Evaluation of our HMM was shown to effectively discern when visitors were productively and unproductively engaging with the exhibit. Using a Markov model, we identify common patterns of visitor movement from unproductive to productive states to shed light on how visitors struggle and the moves they made to overcome these struggles. These findings offer considerable promise for understanding how learners productively and unproductively persevere in open-ended exploratory environments and the potential for developing real time supports to help facilitators know how and when to best engage with visitors.
A simulation study of different correlated frailty models and estimation strategies

Frailty models are becoming more and more popular in the area of multivariate survival analysis. In particular, shared frailty models are often used despite their limitations. To overcome the disadvantages of shared frailty models numerous correlated frailty models were established during the last decade. In the present study we examine correlated frailty models, especially the behavior of the parameter estimates when using different estimation strategies. Three different frailty models are considered: the gamma model and two versions of the log-normal model. The traditional maximum likelihood procedure of parameter estimation in the gamma case with an explicit available likelihood function is compared with maximum likelihood methods based on numerical integration and a Bayesian approach using MCMC methods with the help of a comprehensive simulation study. A strong dependence between the two parameter estimates (variance and correlation of frailties) in the multivariate correlated frailty model is detected and analyzed in detail.
EXPRESSION INVARIANT FACE RECOGNITION

Face being the most natural method of identification for humans is one of the most significant biometric modalities and various methods to achieve efficient face recognition have been proposed. However the changes in face owing to different expressions, pose, makeup, illumination, age bring about marked variations in the facial image. These changes will inevitably occur and they can be controlled only till a certain degree beyond which they are bound to happen and will affect the face thereby adversely impacting the performance of any face recognition system. This paper proposes a strategy to improve the classification methodology in face recognition by using Possibility Fuzzy C-Means Clustering (PFCM). This clustering technique was used for face recognition due to its properties like outlier insensitivity which make it a suitable candidate for use in designing such robust applications.PFCM is a hybridization of Possibilistic C-Means (PCM) and Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithms. PFCM is a robust clustering technique and is especially significant for its noise insensitivity. It has also resolved the coincident clusters problem which is faced by other clustering techniques. Therefore the technique can also be used to increase the overall robustness of a face recognition system and thereby increase its invariance and make it a reliably usable biometric modality.
The induction by estrogen of rat á2u-globulin gene expression in mouse L-cells

Expression of the rat á2u-globulin gene family is regulated in the adult male liver by a number of hormones, including growth hormone, thyroid hormone and several steroids. Upon injection into ovariectomized females, estrogens first induce á2u-globulin expression and then suppress this gene after several days of hormone administration. To study this phenomenon, we developed a mouse L-cell line that expressed the human estrogen receptor. High levels of rat á2u-globulin transcript were induced in stable transfectants of this line carrying a cloned á2u-globulin gene, following exposure to 17â-estradiol. Since this induction was inhibited by cycloheximide, the response to estrogen, as to other steroids, appears to be secondary. Using genes with variously deleted 5*-upstream regions, sequences responsible for this induction were located between"730 bp and"223 bp relative to the start of transcription. Examination of the DNA in this region revealed that an estrogen receptor element was located at"590 bp in an area that is highly conserved in most known á2u-globulin genes. Administration of both dexamethasone and estrogen produced a synergistic effect in this system. The induction of á2u-globulin RNA by estrogen in L-cells may re-capitulate the initial response to estrogen in vivo, and therefore represents a good model system to seek the identity of the other factors required to effect full induction. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology (1998) 20, 141–150
Archives New Zealand Migration from Fedora Commons to the Rosetta Digital Preservation System

This paper discusses the New Zealand Government Digital Archive Programme (GDAP) and its requirement for Archives New Zealand to move to a fully functional digital preservation system. It looks at the migration of digital content from Fedora Commons to Ex Libris‟ Rosetta Digital Preservation System focusing on what needed to be migrated, preparation of the migration, how it was performed and what tools were needed to support the work. We look at the verification of this process and conclude with an audit of the results and a description of the lessons learned during this process.
Genetic Loci Associated With Atrial Fibrillation: Relation to Left Atrial Structure in the Framingham Heart Study

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) results in significant morbidity and mortality. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic variants associated with AF. Whether genetic variants associated with AF are also associated with atrial structure, an intermediate phenotype for AF, has had limited investigation. We sought to investigate associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and atrial structure obtained by cardiovascular imaging in the Framingham Heart Study. Methods and Results We selected 11 SNPs that have been associated with AF in GWAS. We examined the SNPs' relations to cross‐sectional left atrial (LA) dimensions (determined by transthoracic echocardiography) and LA volume (determined by cardiovascular magnetic resonance [CMR]) employing linear regression. The total sample included 1555 participants with CMR LA volume (age 60±9 years, 53% women) and 6861 participants with echocardiographic LA diameter (age 48±13 years, 52% women) measured. We employed a significance threshold of P<0.0023 to account for multiple testing of the 11 SNPs and 2 LA measures. In a primary analysis, no SNPs were significantly related to the LA measures. Likewise, in secondary analyses excluding individuals with prevalent AF (n=77, CMR sample; n=105, echocardiography sample) no SNPs were related to LA volume or diameter. Conclusion In a community‐based cohort, we did not identify a statistically significant association between selected SNPs associated with AF and measures of LA anatomy. Further investigations with larger longitudinally assessed samples and a broader array of SNPs may be necessary to determine the relation between genetic loci associated with AF and atrial structure.
SAR images classification using case-based reasoning method

In this paper, we investigate a case-based reasoning (CBR) method for the classification of multi-temporal SAR images with the aid of ancillary information. Our scheme for the problem of multi-temporal SAR images classification comprises four main steps, including SAR image processing, construction of case library, case-based classification and post- classification processing. During the construction of case library, we employ a spatial-temporal analysis technique to remove fake cases, which can guarantee cases with high confidence. In the implementation of case-based classification, we propose a similarity assessment and use it for the case-based matching. After that, we investigate an object-oriented post-classification method which takes the shape of land use region into account, as a result, it leads to a more meaningful classification, and the regenerate land use image or map can be easier compared and combined with usual GIS data. Multi-temporal ENVISAT ASAR images from 2004 to 2005 are used in our experiments, where their resolution are 12.5 times 12.5 m. The study site is located in Beijing, China. During our experiments, we use the land use map of 2004 to assist the construction of the case library. The results of our experiments indicate that the CBR method is very promising for the classification of multi-temporal SAR images, where the overall classification accuracy can reach up to 80%.
Velocity field control with energy compensation toward therapeutic exercise

Human-machine systems, such as those for rehabilitation, are required to be safe for human use when performing a given operating task. Passivity-based controllers such as passive velocity field control have an advantage to realizing the safe operation of human-machine systems. However, active behavior toward the external environment, including human bodies, is required to realize a given task. Such active behavior is difficult for passivity-based controllers. This study focused on ensuring that a manipulator behaves passively toward an external force when the kinetic energy is greater than or equal to a given threshold and actively otherwise. A velocity field control method with an energy compensation mechanism was developed. Numerical simulations demonstrated that the closed-loop system generally behaved passively toward external forces, and the proposed method inhibited the decrease in the kinetic energy of the closed-loop system from a dissipative external force.
Cyclic ADP‐ribose regulation of ryanodine receptors involved in agonist evoked cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations in pancreatic acinar cells.

We have investigated the role of the ryanodine‐sensitive intracellular Ca2+ release channel (ryanodine receptor) in the cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations evoked in pancreatic acinar cells by acetylcholine (ACh) or cholecystokinin (CCK). Ryanodine abolished or markedly inhibited the agonist evoked Ca2+ spiking, but enhanced the frequency of spikes evoked by direct internal inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) application. We have also investigated the possibility that cyclic ADP‐ribose (cADP‐ribose), the putative second messenger controlling the ryanodine receptor, plays a role in Ca2+ oscillations. We found that cADP‐ribose could itself induce repetitive Ca2+ spikes localized in the secretory pole and that these spikes were blocked by ryanodine, but also by the InsP3 receptor antagonist heparin. Our results indicate that both the ryanodine and the InsP3 receptors are involved in Ca2+ spike generation.
Concurrent Embedded Design for Multimedia: JPEG encoding on Xilinx FPGA Case Study

Parallel platforms are becoming predominant in the embedded systems space due to a variety of factors. These platforms can deliver high peak performance if they can be programmed effectively. However, current sequential software design techniques as well as the Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) programming models often used in the High Performance Computing (HPC) domain are insufficient. In this report, we experiment with a dataflow programming model for multimedia embedded systems. By applying this programming model to a common application and embedded platform, we get a better idea of the implementation challenges for this class of systems.
Self-Assessment for Business Excellence in Large Organisations

This study suggests how large organisations can implement and use self-assessment to improve performance and strive towards business excellence. The concept of self-assessment can be illustrated by an organisation looking at itself in a mirror. This enables the organisation to identify and understand where improvements can be made. Business excellence is a concept that involves aiming for long-term success by attaining balanced stakeholder satisfaction. The focus is on self-assessment as a technique and how organisations can introduce it and use it continuously. When studying self-assessment we start out from The EFQM Excellence Model, which is a tool for self-assessment. The model evaluates the organisation from a holistic perspective by examining how the organisation works (the enablers) and what is achieved (the results). The study comprises experiences from nine large European organisations using various approaches to self-assessment. We also face the challenge of developing a basic action plan for implementing self-assessment in a large organisation since the findings are applie d on Skanska Sweden. Throughout the study the importance of looking at the whole cycle of self-assessment is emphasised. The five-component cycle of self-assessment is defined based on the findings of both theoretical and empirical evidence. Approaching self-assessment by the five-component cycle makes it possible for organisations to grasp the context of self-assessment. Still, this does not mean that the whole cycle should be implemented all at once. In contrast, we recommend a step-by-step approach starting from the specific organisational prerequisites. To a great extent it is about making people think in a new way, which requires continuous efforts and patience. Focusing the self-assessment activities on improving the business calls for three aspects to be considered. First, there must be a simple but thorough way of prioritising the actions identified in the assessment. Secondly, the organisation must create possibilities for people to plan, handle and implement improvements. Thirdly, follow-up of the actions must be included in the normal review routines. An organisation using self-assessment also has to create possibilities for sharing of knowledge and experiences, since the empirical research shows that this will not happen automatically. The study suggests that several approaches for self-assessment can be successful, but whatever approach is chosen it must fit the organisation, be used continuously and foster participation. Self-assessment is often said to give a holistic perspective of an organisation. We claim that self-assessment in itself must be considered from a holistic perspective. The study emphasises …
Laser-based detection and tracking moving objects using data-driven Markov chain Monte Carlo

We present a method of simultaneous detection and tracking moving objects from a moving vehicle equipped with a single layer laser scanner. A model-based approach is introduced to interpret the laser measurement sequence by hypotheses of moving object trajectories over a sliding window of time. Knowledge of various aspects including object model, measurement model, motion model are integrated in one theoretically sound Bayesian framework. The data-driven Markov chain Monte Carlo (DDMCMC) technique is used to sample the solution space effectively to find the optimal solution. Experiments and results on real-life data of urban traffic show promising results.
Risk assessment of zinc oxide, a cosmetic ingredient used as a UV filter of sunscreens

ABSTRACT Zinc oxide (ZnO), an inorganic compound that appears as a white powder, is used frequently as an ingredient in sunscreens. The aim of this review was to examine the toxicology and risk assessment of ZnO based upon available published data. Recent studies on acute, sub-acute, and chronic toxicities of ZnO indicated that this compound is virtually non-toxic in animal models. However, it was reported that ZnO nanoparticles (NP) (particle size, 40 nm) induced significant changes in anemia-related hematologic parameters and mild to moderate pancreatitis in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats at 536.8 mg/kg/day in a 13-week oral toxicity study. ZnO displayed no carcinogenic potential, and skin penetration is low. No-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) ZnO was determined to be 268.4 mg/kg/day in a 13-week oral toxicity study, and a maximum systemic exposure dose (SED) of ZnO was estimated to be 0.6 mg/kg/day based on topical application of sunscreen containing ZnO. Subsequently, the lowest margin of safety (MOS) was estimated to be 448.2, which indicates that the use of ZnO in sunscreen is safe. A risk assessment was undertaken considering other routes of exposure (inhalation or oral) and major product types (cream, lotion, spray, and propellant). Human data revealed that MOS values (7.37 for skin exposure from cream and lotion type; 8.64 for skin exposure of spray type; 12.87 for inhalation exposure of propellant type; 3.32 for oral exposure of sunscreen) are all within the safe range (MOS > 1). Risk assessment of ZnO indicates that this compound may be used safely in cosmetic products within the current regulatory limits of 25% in Korea.
Multinational ownership, intellectual property rights, and knowledge diffusion from FDI

In this paper we extend the vertical linkages model by Markusen and Venables (1999) to include (a) di¤ering degrees of multinational (MNE) ownership in their foreign a¢ liates and (b) knowledge di¤usion, in addition to demand and supply linkages. We investigate the intraand interindustry e¤ects of changes in MNE ownership on local rmsproductivity via demand linkages, price e¤ects and knowledge di¤usion. Moreover, we also consider the mediating inuence of national intellectual property rights protection (IPP). Given the ambiguous predictions of our model, we also investigate these issues empirically in a panel of 1222 large rms spread out over 20 countries and 18 manufacuring industries during the period 2000-2005: We nd that in countries with low IPP, the occurence of intra-industry productivity e¤ects is conditional on the cost structure of local rms. Moreover, inter-industry productivity e¤ects are largely absent. Conversely, in countries with high IPP, both intra-industry and inter-industry productivity e¤ects are high. Also, the relationship beween productivity e¤ects and MNE ownership varies both within and between industries, as well as between conditional and unconditional productivity e¤ects. We interpret this empirical evidence as a con rmation of our theoretical conjecture that intra-industry knowledge di¤usion is dominated by unintended spillovers, whereas inter-industry knowledge di¤usion is dominated by intended knowledge transfers.
Elastase-mediated Activation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein at Discrete Sites within the S2 Domain

Proteolytic priming is a common method of controlling the activation of membrane fusion mediated by viral glycoproteins. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein (SARS-CoV S) can be primed by a variety of host cell proteases, with proteolytic cleavage occurring both as the S1/S2 boundary and adjacent to a fusion peptide in the S2 domain. Here, we studied the priming of SARS-CoV S by elastase and show an important role for residue Thr795 in the S2 domain. A series of alanine mutants were generated in the vicinity of the S2 cleavage site, with the goal of examining elastase-mediated cleavage within S2. Both proteolytic cleavage and fusion activation were modulated by altering the cleavage site position. We propose a novel mechanism whereby SARS-CoV fusion protein function can be controlled by spatial regulation of the proteolytic priming site, with important implications for viral pathogenesis.
Waveform-based source location method using a source parameter isolation strategy

ABSTRACTWe have developed a novel acoustic-wave-equation-based full-waveform source location method to locate microseismic events. With the acoustic-wave equation and source signature independent inversion strategy, source location parameters (hypocenter locations) can be isolated from others and can then be retrieved independently and accurately, even when the origin time and source signature are not correct. Based on the acoustic-wave equation, new Frechet derivatives of seismic waveforms with respect to the location parameters are derived to better accelerate the inversion process. To ease the cycle-skipping problem, a correlation is applied to select the best starting source positions. Some 2D and 3D numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of our method. Compared with the waveform-based grid-search method, our method is effective in isolating the hypocenter locations from the source signature and origin time. The computational cost is nearly negligible compared with the waveform-b.