Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The economic burden of schizophrenia in the United States in 2002.

OBJECTIVE This study quantifies excess annual costs associated with schizophrenia patients in the United States in 2002 from a societal perspective. METHOD Annual direct medical costs associated with schizophrenia were estimated separately for privately (N = 1090) and publicly (Medicaid; N = 14,074) insured patients based on administrative claims data, including a large private claims database and the California Medicaid program (MediCal) database, and compared separately to demographically/geographically matched control samples (1 case:3 controls). Medicare costs of patients over age 65 years were imputed using the Medicare/MediCal dual-eligible patients (N = 1491) and published statistics. Excess annual direct non-health care costs were estimated for law enforcement, homeless shelters, and research/training related to schizophrenia. Excess annual indirect costs were estimated for 4 components of productivity loss: unemployment, reduced workplace productivity, premature mortality from suicide, and family caregiving using a human capital approach based on market wages. All costs were adjusted to 2002 dollars using the Medical Care Consumer Price Index and were based on the reported prevalence in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. RESULTS The overall U.S. 2002 cost of schizophrenia was estimated to be $62.7 billion, with $22.7 billion excess direct health care cost ($7.0 billion outpatient, $5.0 billion drugs, $2.8 billion inpatient, $8.0 billion long-term care). The total direct non-health care excess costs, including living cost offsets, were estimated to be $7.6 billion. The total indirect excess costs were estimated to be $32.4 billion. CONCLUSION Schizophrenia is a debilitating illness resulting in significant costs. The indirect excess cost due to unemployment is the largest component of overall schizophrenia excess annual costs.
Ipsilateral Lung Volumes Assessed by Three-Dimensional Ultrasonography in Fetuses with Isolated Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Objective: To evaluate the precision of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) in estimating the ipsilateral lung volume and the potential of this measurement to predict neonatal death in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Methods: Between January 2002 and December 2004, the ipsilateral lung volumes were assessed by 3DUS using the technique of rotation of the multiplan imaging in 39 fetuses with CDH. The observed/expected ipsilateral lung volume ratios (o/e-IpsiFLVR) were compared to the lung/head ratios (LHR) and to the observed/expected total fetal lung volume ratios (o/e-TotFLVR) as well as to postnatal death. Results: Ipsilateral lung volumes (median 0.12, range 0.01–0.66) were more reduced than the total lung volumes (median 0.52, range 0.11–0.95, p < 0.001) in CDH. The bias and precision of 3DUS in estimating ipsilateral lung volumes were –0.61 and 0.99 cm3, respectively, with absolute limits of agreement from –2.56 to +1.33 cm3. The o/e-IpsiFLVR was lower in neonatal death cases (median 0.09, range 0.01–0.46) than in survivals (median 0.18, range 0.01–0.66), but this difference was not statistically significance (p > 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, (positive and negative) predictive values and accuracy of o/e-IpsiFLVR in predicting neonatal death was 52.6% (10/19), 83.3% (10/12), 83.3% (10/12), 52.6% (10/19) and 64.5% (20/31), respectively. Conclusion: Although the ipsilateral lung volume can be measured by 3DUS, it cannot be used to predict neonatal death when considering it alone. However, it is important to measure it to calculate the total fetal lung volumes as the o/e-TotFLVR has the best efficacy in predicting neonatal death in isolated CDH.
Reconstruction of x-ray penumbral images based on a heuristic method

We propose a heuristic method for the reconstruction of x-ray penumbral images from a noisy coded source. The ill-posed noisy penumbral image reconstruction problem is modeled as an optimization problem where the reconstructed image can be obtained by minimizing the mean square error between the obtained penumbral image and the estimated penumbral image, and Laplacian values of the estimated image. The Laplacian operator is used here a smoothness constraint. Since with heuristic methods, complicated a priori constraints can be easily incorporated by the appropriate modification of the cost function, the proposed method is well suited to the solution of this ill-posed problem. The proposed method has also been applied to real laser-plasma experiments.
The Multitasking System of Swarm Robot based on Null-Space-Behavioral Control Combined with Fuzzy Logic

A swarm robot is a collection of large numbers of simple robots used to perform complex tasks that a single robot cannot perform or only perform ineffectively. The swarm robot works successfully only when the cooperation mechanism among individual robots is satisfied. The cooperation mechanism studied in this article ensures the formation and the distance between each pair of individual robots while moving to their destination while avoiding obstacles. The solved problems in this article include; controlling the suction/thrust force between each pair of individual robots in the swarm based on the fuzzy logic structure of the Singer-Input-Singer-Output under Mamdani law; demonstrating the stability of the system based on the Lyapunov theory; and applying control to the multitasking system of the swarm robot based on Null-Space-Behavioral control. Finally, the simulation results make certain that all the individual robots assemble after moving and avoid obstacles.
A finite-state approach to event semantics

Events employed in natural language semantics are characterized in terms of regular languages, each string in which can be regarded as a motion picture. The relevant finite automata then amount to movie cameras/projectors, or more formally, to finite Kripke structures with partial valuations. The usual regular constructs (concatenation, choice, etc) are supplemented with superposition of strings/automata/languages, realized model-theoretically as conjunction.
Effects of Insulin and Embryonic Stem Cells loaded PLGA Nanoparticles on Pancreatic Beta TC Cells

The present study, aims to investigate and compare the effect of insulin and embryonic stem cells (ESC) loaded nanoparticle formulations (NPs) on pancreatic-beta-TC-cell regeneration. Characterization studies of NPs were performed. Permeability of insulin and the effect of ESC on pancreatic beta cells were investigated. Insulin or glucose levels were determined and histologic investigations were also performed. ESC encapsulation efficiency was calculated by western blot analysis. The particle sizes of insulin and ESC-loadedNPs were determined as 0.665 ± 0.202 μm and 0.650 ± 0.310 μm. The mean zeta potentials of insulin and ESCloaded-NPs nanoparticles were found as 6.88 ± 0.729 mV, 5.13 ± 0.631 mV. The polydispersity index of insulin and ESC nanoparticles were 0.660 ± 0.175, 0.620 ± 0.205 respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of insulin and ESC-loaded-NPs were found to be 50 ± 1.53% and 51%. Insulin release from nanoparticles was found to be 72.8% over 48h. Glucose concentrations were decreased to 201 and 202.7 mg/dL from 250 mg/dL in streptozocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice group after insulin and ESC-loaded-NPs administration. Insulin and ESCloaded-NPs improved the blood insulin levels in all experimental groups. These NPs may be used for repairing of pancreatic cells. Healing or some degree of regeneration was observed when insulin and ESC-loaded-NPs were administered to mice. ESC-loaded-NPs can be a potential source for cell replacement therapy in the treat-
Portfolios from Sorts

Modern portfolio theory produces an optimal portfolio from estimates of expected returns and a covariance matrix. We present a method for portfolio optimization based on replacing expected returns with ordering information, that is, with information about the order of the expected returns. We give a simple and economically rational definition of optimal portfolios that extends Markowitz' meanvariance optimality condition in a natural way; in particular, our construction allows full use of covariance information. We also provide efficient numerical algorithms. The formulation we develop is very general and is easily extended to a variety of cases, for example, where assets are divided into multiple sectors or there are multiple sorting criteria available.
Sample design, sample augmentation, and estimation for Wave 2 of the NSHAP.

OBJECTIVES The sample for the second wave (2010) of National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) was designed to increase the scientific value of the Wave 1 (2005) data set by revisiting sample members 5 years after their initial interviews and augmenting this sample where possible. METHOD There were 2 important innovations. First, the scope of the study was expanded by collecting data from coresident spouses or romantic partners. Second, to maximize the representativeness of the Wave 2 data, nonrespondents from Wave 1 were again approached for interview in the Wave 2 sample. RESULTS The overall unconditional response rate for the Wave 2 panel was 74%; the conditional response rate of Wave 1 respondents was 89%; the conditional response rate of partners was 84%; and the conversion rate for Wave 1 nonrespondents was 26%. DISCUSSION The inclusion of coresident partners enhanced the study by allowing the examination of how intimate, household relationships are related to health trajectories and by augmenting the size of the NSHAP sample size for this and future waves. The uncommon strategy of returning to Wave 1 nonrespondents reduced potential bias by ensuring that to the extent possible the whole of the original sample forms the basis for the field effort. NSHAP Wave 2 achieved its field objectives of consolidating the panel, recruiting their resident spouses or romantic partners, and converting a significant proportion of Wave 1 nonrespondents.
Local Optimization of Bonnet Thickness in Global Heat Balance of Neonate

Global heat transport for an neonate body is determined by means of heat balance with the term describing evaporation. The heat storage rate is the unbalanced difference between the metabolic heat production and various heat loss mechanisms within all body parts. The most sensitive portion is the head, which forces local optimization of the bonnet thickness. The local problem is described by differential heat and mass transport equations and the set of conditions. The changeable covering area of the bonnet can equalise the global heat balance and prevent hyperthermia or hypothermia.
Efficacy of autologous platelet rich plasma over conventional mechanical fixation methods in split thickness skin grafting

Background: Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is an autologous product derived from whole blood through the process of gradient density centrifugation. After skin graft reconstruction, the healing process is longer and may be difficult, depending on the wound site, skin defect size, and patient comorbidities. The potential value of PRP lies in its ability to incorporate high concentrations of platelet-derived growth factors into the skin graft. Since not all patients afford commercially available recombinant platelet rich plasma for skin graft, platelet extract from patient’s own blood is being used in this study to test and demonstrate the therapeutic role of PRP in skin graft. The aim of this randomized, prospective study is to compare the effectiveness of PRP in skin graft with conventional method like sutures, staplers or glue.Methods: The source of data were the patients admitted as inpatients for the management of wounds to the department of general surgery, JSS Hospital, Mysore from September 2016 to September 2018. Total of 60 patients were studied; 30 cases were randomly chosen for study with autologous platelet rich plasma and 30 cases received conventional methods like staples/sutures used to anchor the skin grafts in a control group.Results: Autologous PRP showed faster and better healing rates. With PRP study group instant graft adherence was seen in all cases. Hematoma, graft edema, discharge from graft site, frequency of dressings and duration of stay in hospital were significantly less in the PRP. There were no adverse effects or reactions seen with the use of autologous PRP among the study group.Conclusions: The combination of PRP with Split Thickness Skin Graft (STSG) significantly improved clinical outcomes and shortened the wound healing time. Therefore, this treatment combination could provide a way to heal skin after skin graft reconstruction with minimal recovery time. It is found to be highly beneficial in many aspects both to the patient and surgeon based on our results.
The SLiMDisc server: short, linear motif discovery in proteins

Short, linear motifs (SLiMs) play a critical role in many biological processes, particularly in protein–protein interactions. Overrepresentation of convergent occurrences of motifs in proteins with a common attribute (such as similar subcellular location or a shared interaction partner) provides a feasible means to discover novel occurrences computationally. The SLiMDisc (Short, Linear Motif Discovery) web server corrects for common ancestry in describing shared motifs, concentrating on the convergently evolved motifs. The server returns a listing of the most interesting motifs found within unmasked regions, ranked according to an information content-based scoring scheme. It allows interactive input masking, according to various criteria. Scoring allows for evolutionary relationships in the data sets through treatment of BLAST local alignments. Alongside this ranked list, visualizations of the results improve understanding of the context of suggested motifs, helping to identify true motifs of interest. These visualizations include alignments of motif occurrences, alignments of motifs and their homologues and a visual schematic of the top-ranked motifs. Additional options for filtering and/or re-ranking motifs further permit the user to focus on motifs with desired attributes. Returned motifs can also be compared with known SLiMs from the literature. SLiMDisc is available at: http://bioware.ucd. ie/~slimdisc/.
Dynamic Gesture Recognition Using Hidden Markov Model in Static Background

Human Computer Interaction is a challenging endeavour. Being able to communicate with your computer (or robot) just as we humans interact with one another has been the prime objective of HCI research since the last two decades. A number of devices have been invented, each bringing with it a new aspect of interaction. Much work has gone into Speech and Gesture Recognition to develop an approach that would allow users to interact with their system by simple using their voice or simple intuitive gestures as against sitting in front of the computer and using a mouse or keyboard. Natural Interaction must be fast, convenient and reliable. In our project, we intend to develop one such natural interaction interface, one that can recognize hand gesture movements in real time using HMM but by using Computer Vision instead of sensory gloves.
Climate Change Adaption of Waterworks for Browning Surface Waters : Nano- and Ultrafiltration Membrane Applications for Drinking Water Treatment

Natural organic matter (NOM) is found in all surface, ground, and soil waters. During recent decades, reports worldwide show a continuing increase in the color and NOM of the surface water, which has an adverse effect on drinking water purification. For several practical and hygienic reasons, the presence of NOM is undesirable in drinking water. Various technologies have been proposed for NOM removal with varying degrees of success. Membranes are an exceptional barrier to particles, turbidity, microorganisms, and disinfectant by-product (DBP) precursors from drinking water. Significant improvements in membrane technology, design, and materials during the past three decades, has made the drinking water production processes nowadays more effective and environmentally friendly. Based on the research trend, it can be seen that membrane applications for NOM removal will play a more prominent role in the future.This dissertation presents results for selective NOM removal by ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane configurations at two Swedish surface water treatment plants (WTPs). Extensive field testing with several customized and fully-automated pilot plants were carried out for evaluation of different membrane concepts for NOM removal. Modelling of membrane performance and retention behavior of hollow-fiber (HF) NF membranes using a solution-diffusion approach and two-dimensional axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD), provided accurate prediction of NOM removal. For this reason, it was used for full-scale process design and feasibility studies. Direct NF filtration of surface water indicated stable membrane performance and high average NOM removal rates (UV254: 91.6–94.7 %; TOC: 82–92.2 %). The NF membrane retention was highest for biopolymers (>95% removal), followed by Humic Substances (HS) (>80% removal). Combined coagulation/UF processes removed approximately 30% of the DOC, and 50% of the HS and biopolymers. However, building blocks (BB) and low molecular weight acids (LMWacids) remained unchanged compared with the NOM composition of the feed and permeate. For optimization of hybrid membrane processes, an automatic coagulant dosing system based on online measurements was successfully applied.Autopsy results of HF-NF membranes after twelve months of continuous pilot operation with pretreated feed water (coagulation and rapid sand filtration), showed no substantial changes of the aged membranes from different module sections compared to virgin membranes. Rigorous analysis of the nanomechanical properties of HF-UF membranes harvested after 12–14 months pilot operation showed that the detected change in nanomechanical characteristics did not result in considerable impact on the macroscopic properties of the membranes. Comprehensive UF pilot trials resulted in improvements of the two-stage full-scale UF facility during the design phase and commissioning at Kvarnagarden WTP. (Less)
Patient-reported treatment satisfaction with oral rivaroxaban versus standard therapy in the treatment of acute symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis

Summary Rivaroxaban, an oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and the prevention of recurrent DVT and PE as a fixed-dose, single-drug regimen that does not require initial heparinisation, routine coagulation monitoring or dose adjustment. This study evaluated patient-reported treatment satisfaction in EINSTEIN DVT - a large, open-label, randomised study that compared rivaroxaban with enoxaparin/ vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy in patients with acute symptomatic DVT without PE. As part of EINSTEIN DVT, a total of 1,472 patients in seven countries were asked to complete a new, validated measure of treatment satisfaction - the Anti-Clot Treatment Scale (ACTS) - at scheduled visits throughout 12 months of treatment. ACTS scores were compared between study groups in the intentionto- treat population. Patients reported greater satisfaction in the rivaroxaban group compared with the enoxaparin/VKA group, with higher mean ACTS scores across visits. Mean ACTS Burdens scores were 55.2 vs 52.6 (p<0.0001) in favour of rivaroxaban, equivalent to a moderate effect size of 0.42. The treatment effect was consistent over time, with the mean score difference ranging from 2.18 (month 2) to 3.18 (month 12). Overall mean ACTS Benefits scores were 11.7 vs 11.5 in favour of rivaroxaban (p=0.006). This was associated with a small overall effect size of 0.12. The improvement in ACTS Benefits for rivaroxaban became apparent at month 2 and subsequent visits. Rivaroxaban results in improved treatment satisfaction compared with enoxaparin/VKA among patients with DVT, particularly in reducing patient-reported anticoagulation burden.
On the closed-form solution of the rotation matrix arising in computer vision problems

We show the closed-form solution to the maximization of trace(A'R), where A is given and R is unknown rotation matrix. This problem occurs in many computer vision tasks involving optimal rotation matrix estimation. The solution has been continuously reinvented in different fields as part of specific problems. We summarize the historical evolution of the problem and present the general proof of the solution. We contribute to the proof by considering the degenerate cases of A and discuss the uniqueness of R.
The transrepressive activity of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha is necessary and sufficient to prevent liver fibrosis in mice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly prevalent and strongly associated with central obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. According to the multiple‐hit model of NAFLD pathogenesis, lipid accumulation drives nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) initiation by triggering oxidative stress, lipotoxicity, and subsequent activation of hepatic inflammatory responses that may progress, in predisposed individuals, to fibrosis and cirrhosis. While there is an unmet therapeutical need for NASH and fibrosis, recent preclinical studies showed that peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)‐α agonism can efficiently oppose these symptoms. To dissect the relative contribution of antisteatotic versus anti‐inflammatory PPAR‐α activities in counteracting dietary‐induced liver fibrosis, we used a PPAR‐α mutant lacking its DNA‐binding‐dependent activity on fatty acid metabolism. Liver‐specific expression of wild‐type or a DNA‐binding‐deficient PPAR‐α in acute and chronic models of inflammation were used to study PPAR‐α's anti‐inflammatory versus metabolic activities in NASH and fibrosis. Pharmacologically activated PPAR‐α inhibited hepatic inflammatory responses and the transition from steatosis toward NASH and fibrosis through a direct, anti‐inflammatory mechanism independent of its lipid handling properties. Conclusion: The transrepression activity of PPAR‐α on chronic liver inflammation is sufficient to prevent progression of NASH to liver fibrosis. Dissociated PPAR‐α agonists, selectively modulating PPAR‐α transrepression activity, could thus be an option to prevent NASH and fibrosis progression. (Hepatology 2014;60:1593–1606)