Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Type 2 diabetes: cost-effectiveness of medication adherence and lifestyle interventions

Introduction Type 2 diabetes is a major burden for the payer, however, with proper medication adherence, diet and exercise regime, complication occurrence rates, and consequently costs can be altered. Aims The aim of this study was to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis on real patient data and evaluate which medication adherence or lifestyle intervention is less cost demanding for the payer. Methods Medline was searched systematically for published type 2 diabetes interventions regarding medication adherence and lifestyle in order to determine their efficacies, that were then used in the cost-effectiveness analysis. For cost-effectiveness analysis-required disease progression simulation, United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes model 2.0 and Slovenian type 2 diabetes patient cohort were used. The intervention duration was set to 1, 2, 5, and 10 years. Complications and drug costs in euro (EUR) were based on previously published type 2 diabetes costs from the Health Care payer perspective in Slovenia. Results Literature search proved the following interventions to be effective in type 2 diabetes patients: medication adherence, the Mediterranean diet, aerobic, resistance, and combined exercise. The long-term simulation resulted in no payer net savings. The model predicted following quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained and incremental costs for QALY gained (EUR/QALYg) after 10 years of intervention: high-efficacy medication adherence (0.245 QALY; 9,984 EUR/QALYg), combined exercise (0.119 QALY; 46,411 EUR/QALYg), low-efficacy medication adherence (0.075 QALY; 30,967 EUR/QALYg), aerobic exercise (0.069 QALY; 80,798 EUR/QALYg), the Mediterranean diet (0.057 QALY; 27,246 EUR/QALYg), and resistance exercise (0.050 QALY; 111,847 EUR/QALYg). Conclusion The results suggest that medication adherence intervention is, regarding cost-effectiveness, superior to diet and exercise interventions from the payer perspective. However, the latter could also be utilized by patients without additional costs, but medication adherence intervention requires trained personnel because of its complex structure. Interventions should be performed for >2 years to produce noticeable health/cost results.
Residents’ Attitudes toward Impacts of Tourism: A Case Study of Langkawi, Malaysia

This paper presents findings from a study that was undertaken to investigate residents’ attitudes toward the impacts of tourism in Langkawi Island, Malaysia. In order to gain reliable results for the use of Langkawi policy makers and tourism planners, a standardized instrument for measuring residents’ attitude was developed and used in the study. The findings revealed that residents tend to perceive impacts that benefit them as positive impacts of tourism. The findings also indicated that residents tend to perceive impacts of tourism, either positively or negatively depending on how much they would affect their personal lives. The more dependent they were on the positive impacts of tourism, the more supportive they were toward tourism development. Thus, the findings do not support Doxey’s Irridex Model. Finally, the study suggested that for a long-term purpose of achieving sustainable tourism development, Langkawi tourism planners and policy makers should conduct several campaigns and tourism workshops for the residents. Accordingly, this would gain residents support for tourism development on the island.
Synthesis and Characterization of Methyl Methacrylate Modified Vinylester Resin-Clay Nanocomposites

The hybridization of vinylester resin (VER) and organoclay has been studied aiming at enhancing the thermal and mechanical properties of VER. VER prepolymer was synthesized from the reaction of diglycidylether of bisphenol-A and acrylic acid. VER resin-clay nanocomposites were prepared by mixing different ratio of methylmethacrylate (MMA) as a reactive diluent and vinyl functional-montmorillonite with VER. The polymerization of VER in the presence of organoclay has been studied by DSC and IR. The morphology of the hybrids has been studied by XRD. The transparency of the hybrids in the form of films studied by UV-VIS spectra indicated that the transparency depends on the organoclay content. The inclusion of clay into VER led to enhance the hardness, however, with increasing the amount of reactive diluent, the surface hardness decreased. Softening point and TGA studies of the hybrids have also been evaluated.
Neuronal mechanisms of decision making in the prefrontal cortex

This thesis examines several aspects of decision computations which are critical for understanding the processes by which decisions are made. It will show that subjects engaged covert attention to bias both saccadic and choice processes during simple decision making tasks even when these stimuli were novel. This saccadic behaviour was overridden when one presented stimulus is relatively more novel than the other implying the existence of separate value comparison circuits in the brain which deal with making value based decisions about attention and choice respectively. Even when the task was made more complex by introducing multiple decision variables this phenomenon of covert attention was maintained. This thesis will demonstrate that subjects controlled both the amount and manner of information gathering during decisions. This behaviour showed features of a confirmation bias. Single cell neuronal recordings were performed while subjects executed a multiattribute decision making task. ACC neurons represented action values and different populations of OFC neurons encoded attribute and attentional values. These neurons did not just reflect value (i.e. an input into a decision process) but instead evolved their coding to represent final choice thereby implying the existence of a parallel decision making circuit which compares value in different frames of reference. Information gathering strategy was also computed in the same frames of reference implying the existence of a common value comparison system which simultaneously drives both choice and information gathering. At the outcome of the decision ACC neurons encoded both categorical reward outcome and positive prediction errors. vmPFC neurons encoded prediction errors while OFC and ACC neurons encode fictive value when rewards were withheld. Finally frame of reference specific computations were observed in LPFC and OFC. The results in this thesis therefore provide novel insight into the role of valuation circuitry during value based decision making and outcome monitoring.
A novel method for predicting protein phosphorylation via site-modification network profiles

Protein phosphorylation, one of the most important types of post-translational modifications (PTMs), participates in multiple cellular processes. Accurate prediction on phosphorylaiton sites has become necessary, as many modifications are related to diseases and used as biomarkers. Currently a number of computational approaches only establish prediction models on sequence information. In this study, site-modification network (SMNet) profiles are proposed to enhance the prediction performance, which reflect information among in situ PTMs. In addition, a two-step algorithm that incorporates SVM with feature selection is adopted. To further demonstrate the method, we compare it with PPSP and GPS 3. 0, finally the results indicate that SMNet profiles effectively improve the performance on predicting phosphorylation sites.
Introducing strategic measure actions in multi-armed bandits

Multi-armed bandits may be used for modelling the process of selecting one among different wireless networks, given a set of system constraints typically formed by user-perceived network quality indicators. This work proposes a novel multi-armed bandit, that is made appropriate to the above context by introducing a distinction between two actions, to measure and to use, in order to better reflect real communication application scenarios. The impact of this introduction is analysed through simulations by comparing a traditional multi-armed bandit algorithm against methods that integrate the new concept of measuring vs. using. Results show that performance in terms of regret can be significantly improved using the proposed algorithms if the period needed for measuring is at least 3 times shorter than the one for the using action. The classical method would require a significantly shorter measuring period to reach the same regret, i.e. much stricter constraints on the allowed measure action duration.
Binarising camera images for OCR

We describe a binarisation method designed specifically for OCR of low quality camera images: background surface thresholding or BST. This method is robust to lighting variations and produces images with very little noise and consistent stroke width. BST computes a "surface" of background intensities at every point in the image and performs adaptive thresholding based on this result. The surface is estimated by identifying regions of low-resolution text and interpolating neighbouring background intensities into these regions. The final threshold is a combination of this surface and a global offset. According to our evaluation BST produces considerably fewer OCR errors than Niblack's local average method while also being more runtime efficient.
Type-1 and Type-2 fuzzy logic speed controller based high performance direct torque and flux controlled induction motor drive

In this research study, a new speed control scheme is proposed for direct torque and flux control (DTFC) of induction motor drive (IMD) to replace the conventional constant gain PI-speed controller (PISC). The conventional PISC offers poor dynamic response of stator current, torque and motor speed under sudden change in speed or load torque disturbances. In order to improve the dynamic as well as the steady state performance and minimize the ripple contents and also motor speed drops under load torque conditions, a new Mamdani type, triangular membership function (M.F) based Type-2 fuzzy logic speed controller (T2FLSC) is proposed, which is replaced in place of PISC. The proposed Type-2 FLSC is extension of Type-1 FLSC, which is very effectively control under sudden load torque disturbances and sudden change in speed conditions. A detailed simulation results are carried out when an IMD is operating in forward and reversal motoring under no-load, load, sudden change in speed and zero speed conditions.
Optimizing Ontology Alignments through NSGA-II Using an Aggregation Strategy and a Mapping Extraction Approach

Ontology which defines a common vocabulary for researchers who need to share information in a domain is brought for convenience. However, because of human subjectivity, merely using ontology may raise the heterogeneity problem to a higher level. Therefore, it is necessary for us to find out the relationships that hold between two entities from two ontologies. The process of finding these correspondences is called ontology matching and the matching results are called ontology alignment. Various ontology matching approaches have been proposed so far, but they all have their own advantages and shortcomings. Thus, several approaches used for optimizing the ontology alignments through evolutionary are born at the right moment, nevertheless, the quality of the results obtained and the efficiency of these algorithms are both barely satisfactory. To address those issues, in this paper, we propose a novel approach to apply NSGA-II to optimize ontology alignments. In our approach, a general aggregation strategy and a special mapping extraction approach are proposed. Experimental results show that our approach is efficient and can find the best solution so far.
The Potentials of Corpus Linguistics in Strengthening Critical Discourse Analysis

The article aims to demarcate and tap the potentials of methods of Corpus Linguistics in strengthening Critical Discourse Analysis from the perspectives of dialogical foundations,barriers and measures.It is argued that Corpus Linguistics can not interpret the processes of discourses in socio-cultural context,can not handle meaning potentials and still has difficulties in making lexicogrammatical analysis at higher ranks.Accordingly,the potentials are mainly as follows: analyzing texts as products in co-text and inter-text,batch processing a large number of meaning actuals,and making lexicogrammatical analysis at lower ranks.Accordingly,some pertinent dialogical measures are proposed to strengthen and enrich Critical Discourse Analysis by borrowing methods from Corpus Linguistics.
Sampling Receive Equalizer with Bit-Rate Flexible Operation up to 10 Gbit/s

A receive equalizer IC implemented in 0.13 mum standard CMOS technology is presented. The equalizer filter works with sampled analog signals within a half-rate architecture. Due to its discrete-time nature, the circuit operates continuously on bit rates ranging from 0.5 Gbit/s to 10 Gbit/s. The equalizer core consists of a 3-tap finite-impulse-response filter and a subsequent decision-feedback filter with first and second post cursor feedback taps. Up to 24 dB channel loss at the Nyquist frequency can be compensated. The reception of a 2 31-1 PRBS binary data stream transmitted over a 90 cm long trace on FR4 with 10 Gbit/s and over a 173 cm long trace with 7 Gbit/s with a BER < 10-12 and receive-only equalization is presented. The power consumption of the equalizer core is 21 mW and the core area is 60 mum times 56 mum
Cell surface receptors and their ligands: In vitro analysis of CD6‐CD166 interactions

CD6 is a cell surface receptor belonging to the scavenger receptor cysteine‐rich (SRCR) protein superfamily (SRCRSF). It specifically binds activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM, CD166), a member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily (IgSF). CD166 was among the first molecules identified as a ligand for an SRCRSF receptor, and the CD6‐CD166 interaction was the first interaction characterized involving SRCRSF and IgSF proteins. We focus here on what has been learned about the specifics of the CD6‐CD166 interaction from in vitro analysis. The studies are thought to provide an instructive example for the analysis of interactions between single‐path transmembrane cell surface proteins. Using soluble recombinant forms, the extracellular binding domains of receptor and ligand have been identified and characterized in a variety of assay systems. Both CD6 and CD166 have been subjected to intense mutagenesis and monoclonal antibody (mAb) binding studies and residues critical for their interaction have been identified. The availability of structural prototypes of both superfamilies has made it possible to map the binding site in CD166 and, more recently, in CD6 and compare these regions to epitopes of mAbs that block, or do not block, the interaction. In addition, the molecular basis of observed cross‐species receptor‐ligand interactions could be rationalized. These studies illustrate the value of structural templates for the interpretation of sequence and mutagenesis analyses. Proteins 2000;40:420–428. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Replacing Clinic-Based Tests With Home-Use Tests May Increase HIV Prevalence Among Seattle Men Who Have Sex With Men: Evidence From a Mathematical Model

Background Home-use tests have potential to increase HIV testing but may increase the rate of false-negative tests and decrease linkage to HIV care. We sought to estimate the impact of replacing clinic-based testing with home-use tests on HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Seattle, Washington. Methods We adapted a deterministic, continuous-time model of HIV transmission dynamics parameterized using a 2003 random digit dial study of Seattle MSM. Test performance was based on the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test (OraSure Technologies, Inc, Bethlehem, PA) for home-use tests and, on an average, of antigen-antibody combination assays and nucleic acid amplification tests for clinic-based testing. Results Based on observed levels of clinic-based testing, our baseline model predicted an equilibrium HIV prevalence of 18.6%. If all men replaced clinic-based testing with home-use tests, prevalence increased to 27.5% if home-use testing did not impact testing frequency and to 22.4% if home-use testing increased testing frequency 3-fold. Regardless of how much home-use testing increased testing frequency, any replacement of clinic-based testing with home-use testing increased prevalence. These increases in HIV prevalence were mostly caused by the relatively long window period of the currently approved test. If the window period of a home-use test were 2 months instead of 3 months, prevalence would decrease if all MSM replaced clinic-based testing with home-use tests and tested more than 2.6 times more frequently. Conclusions Our model suggests that if home-use HIV tests replace supplement clinic-based testing, HIV prevalence may increase among Seattle MSM, even if home-use tests result in increased testing.
Robot Navigation by Panoramic Vision and Attention Guided Fetaures

In visual-based robot navigation, panoramic vision emerges as a very attractive candidate for solving the localization task. Unfortunately, current systems rely on specific feature selection processes that do not cover the requirements of general purpose robots. In order to fulfil new requirements of robot versatility and robustness to environmental changes, we propose in this paper to perform the feature selection of a panoramic vision system by means of the saliency-based model of visual attention, a model known for its universality. The first part of the paper describes a localization system combining panoramic vision and visual attention. The second part presents a series of indoor localization experiments using panoramic vision and attention guided feature detection. The results show the feasibility of the approach and illustrate some of its capabilities
Characteristics of Sticker Line, Electronic Word Of Mouth, and Intention to Buy

The aim of this research is to study the characteristics of Line stickers and the correlation between these characteristics and electronic word of mouth and intention to buy. Questionnaires were used as a tool to collect data from a sample group of 400 people. Analysis of the data was done through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study revealed 6 components of Line sticker characteristics, including sex, human attributes, animal attributes, behavior, accompanying text, and color. Through electronic word of mouth, the characteristics of the stickers had an indirect effect on consumers’ intentions to buy.
On the use of electron-multiplying CCDs for astronomical spectroscopy

Conventional CCD detectors have two major disadvantages: they are slow to read out and they suffer from read noise. These problems combine to make high-speed spectroscopy of faint targets the most demanding of astronomical observations. It is possible to overcome these weaknesses by using electron-multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs). EMCCDs are conventional frame-transfer CCDs, but with an extended serial register containing high-voltage electrodes. An avalanche of secondary electrons is produced as the photon-generated electrons are clocked through this register, resulting in signal amplification that renders the read noise negligible. Using a combination of laboratory measurements with the QUCAM2 EMCCD camera and Monte Carlo modelling, we show that it is possible to significantly increase the signal-to-noise ratio of an observation by using an EMCCD, but only if it is optimized and utilized correctly. We also show that even greater gains are possible through the use of photon counting. We present a recipe for astronomers to follow when setting up a typical EMCCD observation which ensures that maximum signal-to-noise ratio is obtained. We also discuss the benefits that EMCCDs would bring if used with the next generation of extremely large telescopes. Although we mainly consider the spectroscopic use of EMCCDs, our conclusions are equally applicable to imaging.
DPC VS TDMA in SISO Broadcast Channels: A Practical Comparison

In this paper we want to make a fair comparison between TDMA and DPC in terms of the BER region and maximum number of satisfied users. For this purpose we choose the coding/decoding schemes as follows: DPC is based on a trellis coded quantization implementation and successive coding while TDMA uses trellis coded modulation. Simulation results are provided both for the perfect and imperfect channel state information cases. In the perfect CSI case all the tested scenarios show that TDMA generally outperforms DPC. In the imperfect CSI case DPC is shown to be less sensitive than TDMA to channel estimation errors
Comparing the strength of behavioural plasticity and consistency across situations: animal personalities in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus

Many phenotypic traits show plasticity but behaviour is often considered the ‘most plastic’ aspect of phenotype as it is likely to show the quickest response to temporal changes in conditions or ‘situation’. However, it has also been noted that constraints on sensory acuity, cognitive structure and physiological capacities place limits on behavioural plasticity. Such limits to plasticity may generate consistent differences in behaviour between individuals from the same population. It has recently been suggested that these consistent differences in individual behaviour may be adaptive and the term ‘animal personalities’ has been used to describe them. In many cases, however, a degree of both behavioural plasticity and relative consistency is probable. To understand the possible functions of animal personalities, it is necessary to determine the relative strength of each tendency and this may be achieved by comparison of statistical effect sizes for tests of difference and concordance. Here, we describe a new statistical framework for making such comparisons and investigate cross-situational plasticity and consistency in the duration of startle responses in the European hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus, in the field and the laboratory. The effect sizes of tests for behavioural consistency were greater than for tests of behavioural plasticity, indicating for the first time the presence of animal personalities in a crustacean model.
Transcriptional Regulation of Cytosolic Sulfotransferase 1C2 by Vitamin D Receptor in LS180 Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cells

The factors that regulate expression of genes in the 1C family of human cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULT1C) are not well understood. In a recent study evaluating the effects of a panel of transcription factor activators on SULT1C family member expression in LS180 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, we found that SULT1C2 expression was significantly increased by 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VitD3) treatment. The objective of our current study was to identify the mechanism responsible for VitD3-mediated activation of SULT1C2 transcription. VitD3 treatment of LS180 cells activated transcription of a transfected luciferase reporter plasmid that contained ∼5 kilobase pairs (kbp) of the SULT1C2 gene, which included 402 nucleotides (nt) of the noncoding exon 1, all of intron 1, and 21 nt of exon 2. Although computational analysis of the VitD3-responsive region of the SULT1C2 gene identified a pregnane X receptor (PXR)-binding site within exon 1, the transfected 5 kbp SULT1C2 reporter was not activated by treatment with rifampicin, a prototypical PXR agonist. However, deletion or mutation of the predicted PXR-binding site abolished VitD3-mediated SULT1C2 transcriptional activation, identifying the site as a functional vitamin D response element (VDRE). We further demonstrated that vitamin D receptor (VDR) can interact directly with the SULT1C2 VDRE sequence using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay–based transcription factor binding assay. In conclusion, VitD3-inducible SULT1C2 transcription is mediated through a VDRE in exon 1. These results suggest a role for SULT1C2 in VitD3-regulated physiologic processes in human intestine.