Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of the national venous thromboembolism risk assessment tool in secondary care in England: retrospective population-based database study

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and important cause of death in hospital patients. We therefore investigated possible associations between the introduction of the compulsory national VTE risk assessment tool in England in 2010 and patient outcomes. A retrospective database study, using data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre and Office of National Statistics, was undertaken. The main outcome measures were VTE-related secondary diagnosis rates, 30-day and 90-day readmission rates and mortality rates. The observed mean VTE-related secondary diagnosis rate for 2011–2012 was 91% of the rate estimated from a linear regression model of the data for 2006–2007 to 2010–2011 (P = 0.001). Similarly, the observed mean 30-day VTE-related readmission rate for 2011 was 96% of the estimated rate (P = 0.067) and the observed mean 90-day VTE-related readmission rate for 2011 was 96% of the estimated rate (P = 0.022). The observed annual VTE-related national mortality rate was 91% of the estimated rate for 2011 and 92% of the estimated rate for 2012. This study shows a reduction in VTE-related secondary diagnoses and readmissions among adults admitted to hospital, and a reduction in VTE-related population mortality, since the introduction of a national VTE risk assessment screening tool in England. Despite some study limitations, this suggests that the concerted effort made by NHS England to improve prevention of hospital-acquired VTE has been successful.
The differential effects of hypnosis, rationale, and self-talk in coping with pain on the cold pressor test

This study investigated the effects of Self-statement Training, Hypnosis, and a Rationale in coping with the pain of Cold Pressor Tests on a pretest-posttest, 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. High hypnotic susceptibility subjects were assigned to seven experimental conditions. Analysis of the results showed that there were differential treatment effects on the report of initial pain intensity, but not on the duration of the hand in icewater. Subjects exposed to Self-statement Training followed by Hypnosis and subjects exposed to Self-statement Training followed by Rationale were found to be equally effective in alleviating initial pain, compared to the subjects who received a combination of these components (i.e., Self-statement Training, Hypnosis and Rationale) and those subjects who received Hypnosis and Self-statement Training singly. Task motivational instructions were found to be effective in increasing the duration of the hand in icewater but not in reducing the subjective report of pain. The role of Self-statements as distractors and methodological issues were discussed. TABLE OF CONTENTS page LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix Chapter
Metabolic Changes Following a 1-Year Diet and Exercise Intervention in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To characterize the relationships among long-term improvements in peripheral insulin sensitivity (glucose disposal rate [GDR]), fasting glucose, and free fatty acids (FFAs) and concomitant changes in weight and adipose tissue mass and distribution induced by lifestyle intervention in obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We measured GDR, fasting glucose, and FFAs during a euglycemic clamp and adipose tissue mass and distribution, organ fat, and adipocyte size by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, CT scan, and adipose tissue biopsy in 26 men and 32 women in the Look-AHEAD trial before and after 1 year of diet and exercise aimed at weight loss. RESULTS Weight and fasting glucose decreased significantly (P < 0.0001) and significantly more in men than in women (−12 vs. −8% and −16 vs. −7%, respectively; P < 0.05), while FFAs during hyperinsulinemia decreased and GDR increased significantly (P < 0.00001) and similarly in both sexes (−53 vs. −41% and 63 vs. 43%; P = NS). Men achieved a more favorable fat distribution by losing more from upper compared with lower and from deeper compared with superficial adipose tissue depots (P < 0.01). Decreases in weight and adipose tissue mass predicted improvements in GDR but not in fasting glucose or fasting FFAs; however, decreases in FFAs during hyperinsulinemia significantly determined GDR improvements. Hepatic fat was the only regional fat measure whose change contributed independently to changes in metabolic variables. CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing a 1-year lifestyle intervention had significant improvements in GDR, fasting glucose, FFAs and adipose tissue distribution. However, changes in overall weight (adipose tissue mass) and hepatic fat were the most important determinants of metabolic improvements.
Long-Run Analysis of the Stochastic Replicator Dynamics in the Presence of Random Jumps

A further generalization of the stochastic replicator dynamic derived by Fudenberg and Harris \cite{FH92} is considered. In particular, a Poissonian integral is introduced to the fitness to simulate the affects of anomalous events. For the two strategy population, an estimation of the long run behavior of the dynamic is derived. For the population with many strategies, conditions for stability to pure strict Nash equilibria, extinction of dominated pure strategies, and recurrence in a neighborhood of an internal evolutionary stable strategy are derived. This extends the results given by Imhof \cite{I05}.
Mean Square Error bounds for parameter estimation under model misspecification

In parameter estimation, assumptions about the model are typically considered which allow us to build optimal estimation methods under many statistical senses. However, it is usually the case where such models are inaccurately known or not capturing the complexity of the observed phenomenon. A natural question arises to whether we can find fundamental estimation bounds under model mismatches. This paper derives a general bound on the mean square error (MSE) following the Ziv-Zakai methodology for the widely used additive Gaussian model. The general result accounts for erroneous functionals, hyperparameters, and distributions differing from the Gaussian. The result is then particularized to gain some insight into specific problems and some illustrative examples demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the bound.
Food, Water, Shelter, Justice, Love

In the move toward a critical form of qualitative inquiry that realizes its transformative potential, this article encourages scholars to consider axes of need within research. A flexible framework suggests how researchers might respond to situated need through theoretically and contextually grounded inquiries. In first drawing from critical geography, the concepts of heterotopic space and spatial justice are used to theoretically explore potential sites of critical transformation. These fluid spaces next are situated along five possible axes of need: food, water, shelter, justice, and love. By way of illustration, axes then are read through the lens of an urban city; potential responses take shape as a research agenda that could include visual and experimental forms of mapping. Importantly, the framework offers methodological openings for a critical form of qualitative inquiry that directly responds to, and participates in, issues of local need.
Model predictive control of an AC-to-AC converter with input and output LC filter

The use of finite state model predictive control (FS-MPC) is investigated for an AC-to-AC converter with LC output filter for voltage regulation applications. The equivalent input inductance of the source is included in the model of the converter which results in a second equivalent LC filter at the input. This introduces oscillations in the system. FS-MPC is used to add control to the input without the need for complex control loops. Furthermore, evaluating and switching the system at equidistant instants in time, causes the average switching frequency to decrease for certain voltage references. A new prediction method is proposed to maintain the average switching frequency, which improves the THD of the output voltage. Simulation results are provided to verify the performance of the proposed prediction method.
Spotting Information biases in Chinese and Western Media

Newswire and Social Media are the major sources of information in our time. While the topical demographic of Western Media was subjects of studies in the past, less is known about Chinese Media. In this paper, we apply event detection and tracking technology to examine the information overlap and differences between Chinese and Western - Traditional Media and Social Media. Our experiments reveal a biased interest of China towards the West, which becomes particularly apparent when comparing the interest in celebrities.
Digital Grey Scale Image Enhancement based on Anisotropic Non-Linear Diffusion Technique

era of image processing has influenced every part of the universe right from medical field to space research. Digital image enhancement is the process to improve quality metrics of a noisy image. In this presented paper based on anisotropic non-linear diffusion technique to enhance the input noisy gray scale images, here mainly focused on speckle noise, which aremainly cause by today's modern image processing sensing devices. The value of quality matrices of an enhanced image are PSNR 10 dB and SNR 11 dB. After comparison the values of image parameters with different technique, the presented work not only attained the better result but also itreduce the complexity of digital circuit as its fall under spatial domain category. Finally the paper concluded that anisotropic non- linear diffusion technique is efficient forgrey scale image enhancement, especially for reduction of speckle noise. KeywordsEnhancement, Anisotropic, Diffusion, PSNR etc.
The Factors Affect Company Performance in Renewable Energy Industry

Concerns about global warming and climate change are generating interest in renewable energy measures with the purpose to minimize environmental impact. Promoting renewable energy production becomes indispensable since its represent a tiny fraction of energy consumed. The purpose of this study is to identify the performance determinants are divided in country-specific advantages and firm-specific advantages. Companies were selected from Bloomberg and filtered due to its information availability from COMPUSTAT to construct a Panel Data structure.The results proved that both country level (shares of renewable and energy consumption) and firm level (market capitalization, employee growth rate and capital intensity) determinants were significant in the renewable energy industry. Through the analysis, itâ€™s possible to realize that return on assets itâ€™s a performance measure with long term results, but unlike it, gross profit margin is variable that demonstrate short term results. We conclude that renewable energy industry has a great potential due to its results performed.
Antenna for Wireless Bluetooth Applications

In this paper, a novel design for coplanar waveguide antenna is developed which, consists of two U-shaped slots. The antenna is named Clip. The antenna is designed at central frequency of 2.4 GHZ with input impedance of 50Ω. The antenna dimensions represent 72% size reduction than conventional microstrip rectangular patch antenna. The measured antenna bandwidth is about 11% while its gain is about 17dB which; are fairly acceptable in all wireless communication systems. The antenna configuration has bi-directional radiation pattern, while Unidirectional radiation pattern is achieved by using λo/4 reflector with metal plate. A 2 x 2 multi-element sub array is implemented to widen the applications area. The mutual coupling between adjacent elements is low. For more reduction in the mutual coupling orthogonal plane coupling between adjacent elements is introduced. So, the mutual coupling level is reduced to less than –23dB in all coupling planes. Fabrication is done for clip antenna element and array cases. Experimental measurements show very good performance that is highly agreed with simulation results.
Fuzzy Case-Based System for Classification Tasks on Missing and Noisy Data

Hybrid models combine different technologies to obtain a product that shares their advantages and minimizes their deficiencies. The solutions given by a case-based system (CBS) rely on similar past experiences, which are commonly described in terms of both symbolic and continuous attributes. The nearest neighbor (NN) principle commonly followed to develop CBS for classification task proceeds from the assumption that similar cases have similar solutions, having the definition of the distance (similarity) function a central attention for obtaining a good accuracy on a given data set. This paper presents a hybrid model to solve classification tasks using NN principle but including generalized knowledge from the set of given instances to improve the performance in contrast to pure lazy learning algorithms. The fuzzy case-based system, referred as FuCiuS, interprets predictive numeric attributes in terms of fuzzy sets defining in a conceptually uniform way a one-dimensional (local) criterion to compare mixed and missing data. Experimental analysis show good performance for FuCiuS in comparison with well-known classifiers on missing and noisy data, while a more natural framework to include expert knowledge by using linguistic is provided guaranteeing both robustness and interpretable solutions.
Determination of Different Polytopic Models of the Prototypical Aeroelastic Wing Section by TP Model Transformation

The Tensor Product (TP) model transformation is a recently proposed technique for transforming given Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) models into polytopic model form, namely, to parameter varying convex combination of Linear Time Invariant (LTI) models. The main advantage of the TP model transformation is that the Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) based control design frameworks can immediately be applied to the resulting polytopic models to yield controllers with tractable and guaranteed performance. The effectiveness of the LMI design depends on the type of the convex combination in the polytopic model. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to study how the TP model transformation is capable of determining different types of convex hulls of the LTI models. The study is conducted trough the example of the prototypical aeroelastic wing section.
Human capital measures, strategy, and performance: HR managers' perceptions

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a survey and interviews with human resource (HR) professionals to identify and better understand their perceptions and expectations of human capital measures' (HCM) content, links to strategy, and impact on performance. This paper relies on a quantitative analysis of survey questionnaires collected from 104 HR executives, as well as on a qualitative investigation using six interviews. Two types of HCM are derived using principal component analysis. One factor measures employees' work efficiency and cost consciousness (efficiency indicators), whereas the second factor measures employees' entrepreneurial and innovative capabilities (innovation indicators). The results confirm the following hypotheses: first, according to HR managers, the more advanced a company is in the development of HCM, the higher the company's performance; and second, in companies following a differentiation strategy, HR managers are interested in innovation indicators, while in those following a cost reduction strategy, HR managers are interested in efficiency indicators. Results are based on a cross-sectional study of HR professionals' perceptions. However, it underscores the critical role that HCM plays in delivering performance in the HR managers' opinion. It also shows that HR managers are conscious that HCM should be aligned with strategy. Based on HR managers' perceptions, the paper suggests that HR professionals might invest more effort in creating and implementing their HCM to deliver higher levels of performance. It also implies that HR managers and management accounting and control systems experts have a common interest to collaborate when implementing HCM. The paper demonstrates the importance of implementing human capital (HC) metrics into a strategic performance management system to deliver performance from a company's HC. It contributes to a cross-disciplinary (HRs, management control, and strategy) perspective on HC strategy.
Knockout Mice: Is It Just Genetics? Effect of Enriched Housing on Fibulin-4+/− Mice

Background Fibulin-4 is an extracellular matrix protein expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells that is essential for maintaining arterial integrity. Fibulin-4−/− mice die just before birth due to arterial hemorrhage, but fibulin-4+/− mice appear to be outwardly normal. Experiments were therefore performed to determine whether fibulin-4+/− mice display arterial pathologies on a microscopic scale. After preliminary experiments were performed, a second purpose developed, which was to test the hypothesis that any observed pathologies would be ameliorated by housing the animals in enriched cages. Methodology Fibulin-4+/− and wild-type mice were housed either four/cage in standard cages or two per cage in larger cages, each cage containing a tunnel and a wheel. After three weeks the mice were sacrificed, and the aortas perfusion-fixed and excised for light and electron microscopy. Principle Findings When the mice were in standard cages, localized regions of disorganized extracellular matrix and collagen fibers consistently appeared between some of the medial smooth muscle cells in the fibulin-4+/− mice. In the wild-type mice, the smooth muscle cells were closely connected to each other and the media was more compact. The number of disorganized regions per square mm was significantly greater for fibulin-4+/− mice (172±43 (SEM)) than for wild-type mice (15±8) (p<0.01, n = 8). When the mice were in enriched cages, the fibulin-4+/− mice showed significantly fewer disorganized regions than those in standard cages (35±12) (p<0.05, n = 8). The wild type mice also showed fewer disorganized regions (3±2), but this difference was not significant. Conclusions These results indicate that arterial pathologies manifested in fibulin-4+/− mice can be reduced by enriching the housing conditions, and imply that appropriate environments may counteract the effects of some genetic deficiencies.
Tumor necrosis factor {alpha} reversibly disrupts the blood-testis barrier and impairs Sertoli-germ cell adhesion in the seminiferous epithelium of adult rat testes.

The timely restructuring of the blood-testis barrier (BTB) that facilitates the migration of preleptotene and leptotene spermatocytes from the basal to the adluminal compartment in the seminiferous epithelium of adult rat testes, which occurs at late stage VII through early stage VIII of the epithelial cycle, is a crucial cellular event of spermatogenesis. However, the regulation of BTB dynamics at the biochemical level remains elusive. In this study, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), a secretory product of Sertoli and germ cells in rat testes, was shown to affect junction dynamics in vivo. Following an acute administration of recombinant TNFalpha directly to adult rat testes in vivo at 0.5 and 2 mug/testis (with a body weight ~300 g), this treatment significantly and transiently disrupted the BTB. It also transiently inhibited the steady-state protein levels of occludin, zonula occludens-1, and N-cadherin, but not junction adhesion molecule-A, alpha-, and beta-catenin in testes at the BTB site as illustrated by immunoblottings, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and fluorescent microscopy. This transient disruption of the BTB integrity induced by TNFalpha treatment was further demonstrated by a functional test to assess the passage of a fluorescent dye (e.g. fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate) from the systemic circulation to the adluminal compartment. Additionally, both the phosphorylated-Ser/Thr protein kinase activated by MAP kinase kinase (p-p38) and phosphorylated-externally regulated kinase (p-ERK) mitogen -activated protein kinase-signaling pathways were transiently activated. Collectively, these data coupled with the recently published in vitro studies have illustrated that the BTB is likely utilizing a novel mechanism in which localized production of TNFalpha by Sertoli and germ cells into the microenvironment at the basal compartment facilitates the timely restructuring ('opening'? ) of the BTB during spermatogenesis to facilitate germ cell migration.
Simulation-Based Optimization Algorithms for Finite-Horizon Markov Decision Processes

We develop four simulation-based algorithms for finite-horizon Markov decision processes. Two of these algorithms are developed for finite state and compact action spaces while the other two are for finite state and finite action spaces. Of the former two, one algorithm uses a linear parameterization for the policy, resulting in reduced memory complexity. Convergence analysis is briefly sketched and illustrative numerical experiments with the four algorithms are shown for a problem of flow control in communication networks.
Reconstructing Organophosphorus Pesticide Doses Using the Reversed Dosimetry Approach in a Simple Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Model

We illustrated the development of a simple pharmacokinetic (SPK) model aiming to estimate the absorbed chlorpyrifos doses using urinary biomarker data, 3,5,6-trichlorpyridinol as the model input. The effectiveness of the SPK model in the pesticide risk assessment was evaluated by comparing dose estimates using different urinary composite data. The dose estimates resulting from the first morning voids appeared to be lower than but not significantly different to those using before bedtime, lunch or dinner voids. We found similar trend for dose estimates using three different urinary composite data. However, the dose estimates using the SPK model for individual children were significantly higher than those from the conventional physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling using aggregate environmental measurements of chlorpyrifos as the model inputs. The use of urinary data in the SPK model intuitively provided a plausible alternative to the conventional PBPK model in reconstructing the absorbed chlorpyrifos dose.