Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patient Reporting of Safety experiences in Organisational Care Transfers (PRoSOCT): a feasibility study of a patient reporting tool as a proactive approach to identifying latent conditions within healthcare systems

Background It is increasingly recognised that patients can play a role in reporting safety incidents. Studies have tended to focus on patients within hospital settings, and on the reporting of patient safety incidents as defined within a medical model of safety. This study aims to determine the feasibility of collecting and using patient experiences of safety as a proactive approach to identifying latent conditions of safety as patients undergo organisational care transfers. Methods and analysis The study comprises three components: (1) patients’ experiences of safety relating to a care transfer, (2) patients’ receptiveness to reporting experiences of safety, (3) quality improvement using patient experiences of safety. (1) A safety survey and evaluation form will be distributed to patients discharged from 15 wards across four clinical areas (cardiac, care of older people, orthopaedics and stroke) over 1 year. Healthcare professionals involved in the care transfer will be provided with a regular summary of patient feedback. (2) Patients (n=36) who return an evaluation form will be sampled representatively based on the four clinical areas and interviewed about their experiences of healthcare and safety and completing the survey. (3) Healthcare professionals (n=75) will be invited to participate in semistructured interviews and focus groups to discuss their experiences with and perceptions of receiving and using patient feedback. Data analysis will explore the relationship between patient experiences of safety and other indicators and measures of quality and safety. Interview and focus group data will be thematically analysed and triangulated with all other data sources using a convergence coding matrix. Ethics and dissemination The study has been granted National Health Service (NHS) Research Ethics Committee approval. Patient experiences of safety will be disseminated to healthcare teams for the purpose of organisational development and quality improvement. Results will be disseminated to study participants as well as through peer-reviewed outputs.
Delay-independent stability in bidirectional associative memory networks

It is shown that if the neuronal gains are small compared with the synaptic connection weights, then a bidirectional associative memory network with axonal signal transmission delays converges to the equilibria associated with exogenous inputs to the network. Both discrete and continuously distributed delays are considered; the asymptotic stability is global in the state space of neuronal activations and also is independent of the delays.
Antireflective Boundary Conditions for Deblurring Problems

This survey paper deals with the use of antireflective boundary conditions for deblurring problems where the issues that we consider are the precision of the reconstruction when the noise is not present, the linear algebra related to these boundary conditions, the iterative and noniterative regularization solvers when the noise is considered, both from the viewpoint of the computational cost and from the viewpoint of the quality of the reconstruction. In the latter case, we consider a reblurring approach that replaces the transposition operation with correlation. For many of the considered items, the anti-reflective algebra coming from the given boundary conditions is the optimal choice. Numerical experiments corroborating the previous statement and a conclusion section end the paper.
Calculating effective resistances on underlying networks of association schemes

Recently, in the work of Jafarizadeh et al. [J. Phys, A: Math. Theor. 40, 4949 (2007); e-print arXiv:0705.2480], calculation of effective resistances on distance-regular networks was investigated, where in the first paper, the calculation was based on stratification and Stieltjes functions associated with the network, whereas in the latter one a recursive formula for effective resistances was given based on the Christoffel–Darboux identity. In this paper, evaluation of effective resistances on more general networks that are underlying networks of association schemes is considered, where by using the algebraic combinatoric structures of association schemes such as stratification and Bose–Mesner algebras, an explicit formula for effective resistances on these networks is given in terms of the parameters of the corresponding association schemes. Moreover, we show that for particular underlying networks of association schemes with diameter d such that the adjacency matrix A possesses d+1 distinct eigenvalues,.
Where is my team: supporting situation awareness with tactile displays

A group of friends visiting a crowded and noisy music festival is an example of a situation where knowing the location of other people is important, but where external factors, such as darkness or noise, can limit the ability to keep track of the others. By combining theories about situation awareness and cognitive processing we inferred that communicating information via the sense of touch is a promising approach in such situations. We therefore investigated how to present the location of several people using a tactile torso display. In particular we focused on encoding spatial distances in the tactile signals. We experimentally compared encoding spatial distances in the rhythm, duration, and intensity of a tactile signal. Our findings show that all parameters are suited to encode distances. None of it was clearly outperformed. We then embedded our tactile location encoding into a fast-paced 3D multiplayer game. In this game, team play and the awareness of the team members' locations are crucial for the success in the game. The results provides evidence that the locations of the team members could be processed effectively despite the game's high cognitive demands. In addition, the team equipped with the tactile display showed a better team play and a higher situation awareness.
Diagnosis of stochastic discrete event systems based on N-gram models with wildcard characters

In this paper, a new approach to the diagnosis of stochastic discrete event system is presented. We are developing a method, called sequence profiling, based on N-gram models. The information necessary for sequence profiling is only event logs from the target system. From event logs in the normal situation, N-gram models are constructed through a simple statistical analysis. Based on the N-gram model, the diagnoser estimates what kind of faults has occurred in the system, or may conclude that no faults occurs. When the target system is a distributed system consisting of several subsystems, event sequences from subsystems may be interleaved and the method cannot separate the event sequence from local event sequences by subsystems. To improve this situation, we introduce the wildcard characters in the short sequences used in the N-grams. This contributes to removing the effect by subsystems which may not be related to faults. Effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by application to fault diagnosis of a multi-processor system.
Multi-User Computation Offloading in Mobile Edge Computing: A Behavioral Perspective

By providing cloud computing capabilities at the network edge in proximity of mobile device users, mobile edge computing offers an effective solution to help mobile devices with computation- intensive and delay-sensitive tasks. In this article, we investigate the multi-user computation offloading problem in an uncertain wireless environment. Most of the existing works assume that mobile device users are rational and make offloading decisions to maximize their expected objective utilities. However, in practice, users tend to have subjective perceptions under uncertainty, such that their behavior deviates considerably from the conventional rationality assumption. Drawing on the framework of prospect theory (PT), we formulate users' decision making of whether to offload or not as a PT-based non-cooperative game. We propose a distributed computation offloading algorithm to achieve the Nash equilibrium of the game. Numerical results assess the impact of mobile device users' behavioral biases on offloading decision making.
How Listeria exploits host cell actin to form its own cytoskeleton. II. Nucleation, actin filament polarity, filament assembly, and evidence for a pointed end capper

After Listeria, a bacterium, is phagocytosed by a macrophage, it dissolves the phagosomal membrane and enters the cytoplasm. The Listeria than nucleates actin filaments from its surface. These newly assembled actin filaments show unidirectional polarity with their barbed ends associated with the surface of the Listeria. Using actin concentrations below the pointed end critical concentration we find that filament elongation must be occurring by monomers adding to the barbed ends, the ends associated with the Listerial surface. If Listeria with tails are incubated in G actin under polymerizing conditions, the Listeria is translocated away from its preformed tail by the elongation of filaments attached to the Listeria. This experiment and others tell us that in vivo filament assembly must be tightly coupled to filament capping and cross-bridging so that if one process outstrips another, chaos ensues. We also show that the actin filaments in the tail are capped on their pointed ends which inhibits further elongation and/or disassembly in vitro. From these results we suggest a simple picture of how Listeria competes effectively for host cell actin. When Listeria secretes a nucleator, the host's actin subunits polymerize into a filament. Host cell machinery terminate the assembly leaving a short filament. Listeria overcomes the host control by nucleating new filaments and thus many short filaments assemble. The newest filaments push existing ones into a growing tail. Thus the competition is between nucleation of filaments caused by Listeria and the filament terminators produced by the host.
Phospholipase D activity of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (Corynebacterium ovis) and Corynebacterium ulcerans, a distinctive marker within the genus Corynebacterium

A search has been made for corynebacterial phospholipase D, "ovis toxin," a sphingomyelinase (phosphatidylcholine phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.4), among a wide variety of corynebacteria. Phospholipase D activity has been found in strains exhibiting the biochemical properties characteristic of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis or of Corynebacterium ulcerans and in no other species of Corynebacterium. Methods for the assay of phospholipase D as a sphingomyelinase and methods for screening for phospholipase D in the presence of Corynebacterium equi on washed sheep blood agar are discussed.
Clinical efficacy of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors in imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a meta-analysis of recent clinical trials

Background Primary and secondary resistance to imatinib, a selective receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is a serious clinical problem in the control of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Here we report on a meta-analysis we performed to evaluate the efficacy of second-generation TKIs in the treatment of patients with imatinib-resistant GIST. Methods Randomized controlled trials evaluating the clinical efficacy of second-generation TKIs were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE from 2000 to February 2014. Outcomes subjected to analysis were progression-free survival and overall survival. Statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager version 5.1. 0 (Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). Weighted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the outcomes. Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used, depending on the degree of heterogeneity across the selected studies. Results Three randomized controlled trials were selected for meta-analysis. Among imatinib-resistant or imatinib-intolerant patients, 541 received second-generation TKIs (sunitinib, nilotinib, or regorafenib) and 267 controls received placebo or best supportive care. Progression-free survival was significantly improved in the TKI-treated group (HR 0.38; 95% CI 0.24–0.59; P<0.0001). No statistically significant difference was detected in overall survival between the treatment group and the control group (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.71–1.03; P=0.09). In the subgroup of patients who were resistant or intolerant to both imatinib and sunitinib, TKI therapy (nilotinib or regorafenib) improved progression-free survival (HR 0.40; 95% CI 0.19–0.84; P=0.02) but not overall survival (HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.63–1.08; P=0.17). Regorafenib was shown to be effective in terms of progression-free survival across different subpopulations of patients who were resistant to both imatinib and sunitinib. Conclusion Second-generation TKIs (sunitinib, nilotinib, and regorafenib) are effective in improving progression-free survival but not overall survival in patients with GIST who are resistant or intolerant to imatinib or to imatinib and sunitinib. Regorafenib is promising as a third-line treatment option for patients with advanced GIST.
Bayesian sample size calculation for estimation of the difference between two binomial proportions

In this study, we discuss a decision theoretic or fully Bayesian approach to the sample size question in clinical trials with binary responses. Data are assumed to come from two binomial distributions. A Dirichlet distribution is assumed to describe prior knowledge of the two success probabilities p1 and p2. The parameter of interest is p = p1 − p2. The optimal size of the trial is obtained by maximising the expected net benefit function. The methodology presented in this article extends previous work by the assumption of dependent prior distributions for p1 and p2.
Polymorphisms in oxidative stress‐related genes and postmenopausal breast cancer risk

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer type among women in western countries. In addition to established risk factors like hormone replacement therapy, oxidative stress may play a role in carcinogenesis through an unbalanced generation of reactive oxygen species that leads to genetic instability. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes related to oxidative stress on postmenopausal breast cancer risk. We genotyped 109 polymorphisms (mainly tagging SNPs) in 22 candidate genes in 1,639 postmenopausal breast cancer cases and 1,967 controls (set 1) from the German population‐based case‐control study “MARIE”. SNPs showing association in set 1 were tested in further 863 cases and 2,863 controls from MARIE (set 2) using a joint analysis strategy. Six polymorphisms evaluated in the combined set showed significantly modified breast cancer risk per allele in the joint analysis, including SNPs in CYBA (encoding a subunit of the NADPH oxidase: rs3794624), MT2A (metallothionein 2A: rs1580833), TXN (thioredoxin: rs2301241), and in TXN2 (thioredoxin 2: rs2267337, rs2281082, rs4821494). Associations with the CYBA rs3794624 (OR per allele: 0.93, 95% CI 0.87–0.99) and TXN rs2301241 variants (OR per allele: 1.05, 95% CI 1.00–1.10) were confirmed in the summary risk estimate analysis using up to three additional studies. We found some evidence for association of polymorphisms in genes of the thioredoxin system, CYBA, and MT2A with postmenopausal breast cancer risk. Summary evidence including independent datasets indicated moderate effects in CYBA and TXN that warrant confirmation in large independent studies.
A Robust Energy/Area-Efficient Forwarded-Clock Receiver With All-Digital Clock and Data Recovery in 28-nm CMOS for High-Density Interconnects

This paper presents a robust energy/area-efficient receiver fabricated in a 28-nm CMOS process. The receiver consists of eight data lanes plus one forwarded-clock lane supporting the hypertransport standard for high-density chip-to-chip links. The proposed all-digital clock and data recovery (ADCDR) circuit, which is well suited for today's CMOS process scaling, enables the receiver to achieve low power and area consumption. The ADCDR can enter into open loop after lock-in to save power and avoid clock dithering phenomenon. Moreover, to compensate the open loop, a phase tracking procedure is proposed to enable the ADCDR to track the phase drift due to the voltage and temperature variations. Furthermore, the all-digital delay-locked loop circuit integrated in the ADCDR can generate accurate multiphase clocks with the proposed calibrated locking algorithm in the presence of process variations. The precise multiphase clocks are essential for the half-rate sampling and Alexander-type phase detecting. Measurement results show that the receiver can operate at a data rate of 6.4 Gbits/s with a bit error rate <;10-12, consuming 7.5-mW per lane (1.2 pJ/bit) under a 0.85 V power supply. With ADCDR's phase tracking, the receiver performs better in jitter tolerance and achieves a 500-kHz bandwidth, which is high enough to track the phase drift. The receiver core occupies an area of 0.02 mm2 per lane.
Utilizing Evolutionary Information and Gene Expression Data for Estimating Gene Networks with Bayesian Network Models

Since microarray gene expression data do not contain sufficient information for estimating accurate gene networks, other biological information has been considered to improve the estimated networks. Recent studies have revealed that highly conserved proteins that exhibit similar expression patterns in different organisms, have almost the same function in each organism. Such conserved proteins are also known to play similar roles in terms of the regulation of genes. Therefore, this evolutionary information can be used to refine regulatory relationships among genes, which are estimated from gene expression data. We propose a statistical method for estimating gene networks from gene expression data by utilizing evolutionarily conserved relationships between genes. Our method simultaneously estimates two gene networks of two distinct organisms, with a Bayesian network model utilizing the evolutionary information so that gene expression data of one organism helps to estimate the gene network of the other. We show the effectiveness of the method through the analysis on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens cell cycle gene expression data. Our method was successful in estimating gene networks that capture many known relationships as well as several unknown relationships which are likely to be novel. Supplementary information is available at http://bonsai.ims. u-tokyo.ac. jp/~tamada/bayesnet/.
Operating or not Operating at the Margin: Farmers Willingness to Adopt a Riparian Buffer Zone

In the European Union, mitigation measures to abate diffuse pollution from agricultural land are implemented under the direction of the EU Nitrates and Water Framework Directives. As these measures are implemented in national policies, a review process will look at the efficacy of the measures with a view to recommending further measures as necessary. This study examines the willingness of farmers to adopt riparian buffer zones on agricultural land. A total of 247 farmers in 12 catchments in the Republic of Ireland were asked their opinion in relation to a proposal to install a 10 metre deep riparian buffer zone under a five year scheme and the analysis was based on principal components analysis, contingent valuation methodology and a Generalized Tobit Interval model. Results from this analysis indicated that famers’ willingness to supply a riparian buffer zone depended on a mix of economic, attitudinal and farm structural factors. A total of 53% of the sample indicated a negative preference for provision. Principle constraints to adoption include interference with production, nuisance effects and loss of production in small field systems. Of those willing to engage with supply, the mean willingness to accept based cost of provision for a 10 metre riparian buffer zone was estimated to be €1513 ha-1 per annum equivalent to €1.51 per linear metre of riparian area.
PCFG Parsing for Restricted Classical Chinese Texts

The Probabilistic Context-Free Grammar (PCFG) model is widely used for parsing natural languages, including Modern Chinese. But for Classical Chinese, the computer processing is just commencing. Our previous study on the part-of-speech (POS) tagging of Classical Chinese is a pioneering work in this area. Now in this paper, we move on to the PCFG parsing of Classical Chinese texts. We continue to use the same tagset and corpus as our previous study, and apply the bigram-based forward-backward algorithm to obtain the context-dependent probabilities. Then for the PCFG model, we restrict the rewriting rules to be binary/unary rules, which will simplify our programming. A small-sized rule-set was developed that could account for the grammatical phenomena occurred in the corpus. The restriction of texts lies in the limitation on the amount of proper nouns and difficult characters. In our preliminary experiments, the parser gives a promising accuracy of 82.3%.
The Economics of Tobacco in Lebanon: An Estimation of the Social Costs of Tobacco Consumption

Objectives: Assess the socioeconomic costs of smoking in Lebanon and understand the tobacco market and identify the winners and losers from the Lebanese tobacco trade. Methods: We take a close look at the market for tobacco and related markets to identify the main stakeholders and estimate the direct costs and benefits of tobacco. We also estimate lower bounds for the costs of tobacco, in terms of lost productivity, the cost of medical treatment, lost production due to premature death, and environmental damage. The paucity of data means our cost estimates are conservative lower bounds and we explicitly list the effects that we are unable to include. Results: We identify the main actors in the tobacco trade: the Régie (the state-owned monopoly which regulates the tobacco trade), tobacco farmers, international tobacco companies, local distributors, retailers, consumers, and advertising firms. We identify as proximate actors the Ministries of Finance and Health, employers, and patients of smoking-related illnesses. In 2008, tobacco trade in Lebanon led to a total social cost of $326.7 million (1.1% of GDP). Conclusion: Low price tags on imported cigarettes not only increase smoking prevalence, but they also result in a net economic loss. Lebanese policymakers should consider the overall deficit from tobacco trade and implement the guidelines presented in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to at once increase government revenue and reduce government outlays, and save the labor market and the environment substantial costs.
Analysis of Medium Wrap Freehand Virtual Object Grasping in Exocentric Mixed Reality

This article presents an analysis into the accuracy and problems of freehand grasping in exocentric Mixed Reality (MR). We report on two experiments (1710 grasps) which quantify the influence different virtual object shape, size and position has on the most common physical grasp, a medium wrap. We propose two methods for grasp measurement, namely, the Grasp Aperture (GAp) and Grasp Displacement (GDisp). Controlled laboratory conditions are used where 30 right-handed participants attempt to recreate a medium wrap grasp. We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of the results giving pairwise comparisons of all conditions under test. The results illustrate that user Grasp Aperture varies less than expected in comparison to the variation of virtual object size, with common aperture sizes found. Regarding the position of the virtual object, depth estimation is often mismatched due to under judgement of the z position and x, y displacement has common patterns. Results from this work can be applied to aid in the development of freehand grasping and considered as the first study into accuracy of freehand grasping in MR, provide a starting point for future interaction design.