Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in relative mortality between Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites initiating dialysis: a retrospective study of the US Renal Data System.

BACKGROUND Hispanic patients undergoing long-term dialysis experience better survival compared with non-Hispanic whites. It is unknown whether this association differs by age, has changed over time, or is due to differential access to kidney transplantation. STUDY DESIGN National retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS Using the US Renal Data System, we identified 615,618 white patients 18 years or older who initiated dialysis therapy between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2007. PREDICTORS Hispanic ethnicity (vs non-Hispanic whites), year of end-stage renal disease incidence, age (as potential effect modifier). OUTCOMES All-cause and cause-specific mortality. RESULTS We found that Hispanics initiating dialysis therapy experienced lower mortality, but age modified this association (P < 0.001). Compared with non-Hispanic whites, mortality in Hispanics was 33% lower at ages 18-39 years (adjusted cause-specific HR [HRcs], 0.67; 95% CI, 0.64-0.71) and 40-59 years (HRcs, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.66-0.68), 19% lower at ages 60-79 years (HRcs, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.80-0.82), and 6% lower at 80 years or older (HRcs, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.97). Accounting for the differential rates of kidney transplantation, the associations were attenuated markedly in the younger age strata; the survival benefit for Hispanics was reduced from 33% to 10% at ages 18-39 years (adjusted subdistribution-specific HR [HRsd], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85-0.94) and from 33% to 19% among those aged 40-59 years (HRsd, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.80-0.83). LIMITATIONS Inability to analyze Hispanic subgroups that may experience heterogeneous mortality outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Overall, Hispanics experienced lower mortality, but differential access to kidney transplantation was responsible for much of the apparent survival benefit noted in younger Hispanics.
Comparison of Si and GaN-FETs in a VAR compensation application

VAR compensators (VARComps) are devices that produce reactive power in AC electrical systems. Electronic inverter circuits can supply currents that are at 90° to the grid voltage to supply reactive power Q. Since no active power P is delivered to the grid, these devices appear as a two terminal device similar to a capacitor or inductor. A VARComp was developed for this purpose. In this research, Si and GaN_HFETs were characterized in a full bridge VARComp. The Si devices have approximately twice the drain to source resistance and capacitance as compared with the GaN devices. The test results show ten times greater driver losses with Si devices as compared with GaN devices. Due to soft switching, no switching losses were observed for GaN devices. Since a GaN device does not have a body diode, diode reverse recovery losses were observed only for the Si VARComp. The transition switching time was approximately four times greater for Si FETs as compared with GAN-HFETs. The VARComp with GaN-HFETs required lower current and less time to resonate as compared with the VARComp with Si FETs and therefore had low losses. Due to the more linear transfer function of the GaN devices, as compared to Si devices, THD when operating open loop was 8% smaller. Higher total power losses were observed for the Si VARComp than the GaN VARComp.
Bit Error Probability of Spatial Modulation over Measured Indoor Channels

The Spatial Modulation (SM) transmission scheme boosts the spectral efficiency and achieves the multiplexing gain by activating a single transmit antenna in each time slot. Radio wave propagation characteristics determined by the environment is a decisive factor for the SM system. In this paper, we investigate the performance of the SM scheme over real-world 4×4 Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) channels measured in typical indoor scenarios. Firstly, a MIMO channel sounder is established. Based on the sounder, 15150 complex 4×4 MIMO channel matrices are measured inside a typical teaching building under both Line of Sight (LOS) and None Line of Sight (NLOS) scenarios. Secondly, by comparing the SM system over the measured channel and commonly-used channel models, we prove that both the Independently and Identically Distribute (i.i.d.) Rayleigh and the Spatial Correlation (SC) channel model are oversimplified, and that only practical experiences can yield definitive answers to the achievable real-world system performance. Thirdly, the Average Bit Error Probability (ABEP) performance of the SM system is studied based on the measured data under a variety of system configurations. The study of different receive antenna array settings (4×4, 4×2 and 4×1 MIMO setups) approves the significance of combining scheme at the receiver. SM systems employing different signal constellations (Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) and 16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16QAM)) are also investigated and some interesting results are revealed. Lastly, performance assessment of SM against State-Of-The-Art (SOTA) MIMO schemes (Space-Time Block Code (STBC) and Vertical Bell Labs Layered Space-Time (V-BLAST) code) is conducted. Results show that for a 4×4 MIMO, the low-complexity SM scheme outperforms both STBC and V-BLAST.
Essays on the role of the sovereign in international finance

Title of dissertation: ESSAYS ON THE ROLE OF THE SOVEREIGN IN INTERNATIONAL FINANCE David N. Moreno Soto Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Dissertation directed by: Professor Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan Department of Economics This dissertation investigates the role that the sovereign plays in the international economy, from two different aspects: the first chapter deals with the important role that institutional quality plays in the official accumulation of net foreign assets in emerging-market and developing economies, using a small-open economy model to account for the variation shown across economies in this regard; the second chapter shows the effects that the European Sovereign Debt Crisis that followed the Great Recession has had in the depressed investment rates in small and large firms in the euro area. The first chapter shows that institutional quality has an important role in explaining differences in net sovereign foreign asset position and sovereign risk, while highlighting the importance of mercantilist strategies, understood as the strategies governments follow to exploit growth externalities in their tradable sectors. This frameworks allows the understanding of the vast accumulation of foreign assets that emerging-market and developing economies’ governments have amassed during the current period of globalization, which has played a key role in generating the global imbalances. The second chapter focuses on the advanced economies of the euro area, showing how increased sovereign risk depresses investment in the corporate sector through the bank balance-sheets. Using an enormous dataset linking firm, banks, and sovereigns, it can identify the effects that corporate overhang and rollover risk have in deterring firms from investing, and how sovereign risk worsen this problems but making difficult for firms to keep borrowing necessary for investment. This dataset includes many small firms, which are dependent on internal and banking sources of financing, as opposed to large firms, which can diversify and raise additional resources through issuance of bonds and stocks. ESSAYS ON THE ROLE OF THE SOVEREIGN IN INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
Multilingual author profiling using word embedding averages and SVMs

This paper describes an experiment done to investigate author profiling of tweets in English and Spanish, particularly for cross genre evaluation. Profiling consists of age and gender classification. The training sets were taken from tweets while genres for evaluation come from blogs, hotel reviews, other tweets collected in a different time, as well as other social media. Comparisons were done between tfidf as a baseline and average of word vectors, using a Support Vector Machine algorithm. Results show that using average of word vectors outperforms tfidf in most cross genre problems for age and gender.
Rhinovirus-Induced Oxidative Stress and Interleukin-8 Elaboration Involves p47-phox but Is Independent of Attachment to Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 and Viral Replication

Abstract Virus-induced elaboration of proinflammatory cytokines is mediated by virus-induced oxidative stress. The purpose of these studies was to determine the source of the virus-induced oxidative stress. Inhibition of viral replication with antibody to intercellular adhesion molecule-1 had no effect on virus-induced oxidative stress or interleukin-8 (IL-8) response (597 ± 88 vs. 668 ± 78 pg/mL in control cells). Treatment of cells with diphenylene iodonium inhibited virus-induced oxidative stress and IL-8 elaboration, but allopurinol, ibuprofen, and rotenone had no effect. Studies in cell lines produced from a patient with gp91-phox deficiency revealed normal responses. In contrast, the oxidative response was decreased and the IL-8 concentration was 227 ± 36 pg/mL in cells from a patient with p47-phox deficiency, compared with 664 ± 48 pg/mL in control cells. These studies suggest that the stimulation of reactive oxygen species by viral challenge occurs at the cell surface even in the absence of viral replication and involves a flavoprotein that may act in concert with p47-phox.
Laxity, instability, and functional outcome after ACL injury: copers versus noncopers.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among laxity, quadriceps strength, instability, and function in subjects with complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) who compensate well for the injury (copers) and those who require surgical stabilization (noncopers). METHODS Forty-five patients with unilateral ACL rupture (confirmed via arthroscopy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthrometer measurements) participated in this study. Subjects were divided into two groups: copers (N = 12), and subacute noncopers (N = 18) and chronic noncopers (N = 15). All copers had returned to all preinjury activity (including index sport) without limitation. Maximum manual anterior tibiofemoral laxity measurements, quadriceps femoris muscle strength measurements, and a series of hop tests were performed. Lysholm Scale, Knee Outcome Survey (KOS), global rating of knee function, and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form were completed. RESULTS There was no significant difference in laxity between copers (X = 5.5+/-2.7 mm) and noncopers (chronic, X = 5.1+/-2.8 mm and subacute, X = 4.2+/-2.2 mm) or in IKDC scores among the groups. The copers, however, scored significantly better than the chronic and subacute ACL-deficient subsets on all other measures. Measurements of laxity were not correlated to any functional outcome measure or to episodes of instability. CONCLUSIONS Copers were not different in any meaningful way from the noncopers before injury, had equal or greater side-to-side laxity differences, and functioned normally. A battery of tests was identified that accurately discriminated noncopers from copers even early after injury. Thus, measurements of laxity alone are insufficient for determining functional status after ACL injury.
Combination Therapy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Single Centre Long-term Experience.

Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease of the pulmonary vascular bed and causes right heart failure and death. Combination therapy which targets three different pathways is necessary due to the progressive nature of the disease. In patients with PAH, there are two approaches in combination therapy: "first-line up-front" and "sequential add-on" treatment. In "firstline up-front" treatment, patients receive double or triple drug therapy from the start. In the "sequential add-on" approach, a single drug is initially started and then according to the patient's requirements, a second or third drug is added. There is insufficient evidence about the efficiency and safety of treatment approaches. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the treatment approach in patients with PAH at a tertiary centre. Methods Pulmonary arterial hypertension was diagnosed according to clinical, echocardiographic and right heart catheterization findings. The patients received bosentan, sildenafil and iloprost treatment in accordance with guidelines recommendations. Clinical worsening in patients was defined as death, requirement of hospitalization for PAH, a 15% decline in the six-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, deterioration in functional capacity, and symptoms and findings of right heart failure. Results At the end of the follow-up period, clinical and echocardiographic findings, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and oxygen saturation were similar between patients who completed the study with monotherapy and with combination therapy. The follow-up period was significantly longer in patients who required combination treatment. Two patients (6.9%) died and four patients (13.8%) were hospitalized due to recurrent symptoms and findings of right heart failure. At the end of follow-up, 10 patients (34.5%) completed the study with a single drug, 15 patients (51.7%) with two drugs and four patients (13.8%) with three drugs. Conclusion In this study, combination therapy was given to patients as "sequential add-on therapy". At the end of the follow-up period, monotherapy was sufficient in 34.5% of patients of the study group and in eight patients, sildenafil or prostaglandin analogues were added; a total of 15 patients (48.4%) completed the study under dual therapy. Four patients (12.9%) received combination therapy with three drugs.
Towards an Index of Comparative Criticality: An Empirical Study of TQM Implementation in Palestinian Industry

This paper is mainly directed at identifying the critical quality factors that are absolutely important and essential to a successful TQM implementation process. An objective process of ordering the critical quality factors into a hierarchical structure and (based on the level of majority consensus in returning the quality factor as critical) stratifying the hierarchical structure is presented. This paper has contributed slight improvements to the measurement of the criticality of the quality factors using the comparative criticality index for an organizational performance assessment tool and benchmarking purposes.
Induction of activating transcription factor 3 after different sciatic nerve injuries in adult rats

Staining by activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a neuronal marker of nerve injury, was examined by immunocytochemistry in neurons and Schwann cells after crush or transection (regeneration inhibited) of rat sciatic nerve. ATF3 immunoreactivity peaked in neurons after three days and then gradually subsided to normal within 12 weeks after the crush. The response lasted somewhat longer and declined over time in spinal cord neurons but not in those of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after transection, indicating a differential regulation of sensory and motor neurons. ATF3 expression was more pronounced in Schwann cells, and remained longer after transection, implying that to some extent regenerating axons produce signals that reduce ATF3 expression in Schwann cells. However, even after transection without repair (no contact with regenerating axons), ATF3 expression in Schwann cells in the distal segment decreased over time suggesting that regenerating axons are not entirely responsible for the down-regulation. These findings have clinical implications on when it is worthwhile to reconstruct nerve injuries.
FUCOSYL TRANSFERASE (H) TRANSGENIC HEART TRANSPLANTS TO GAL-/- MICE

Background. Wehave previously described the rejection of Gal+ mouse hearts by mice lacking Gal&agr;(1,3)Gal (Gal-/-) and demonstrated this to be a model of xenogeneic hyperacute rejection (HAR) which would occur in pig-to-human/primate xenotransplantation, where Gal+ antibody (Ab) and complement (C′) mediate HAR. To reduce the amount of Gal present we used fucosyl transferase (H) as a transgene, H transferase competes for the same substrate as Gal transferase and reduces Gal expression by >90%. Methods. Gal-/- mice received a heart graft from C57BL/6 Gal+ or H transgenic mice and additional Gal Ab and C′ provided; HAR was monitored by direct observation for up to 90 min, or by palpation thereafter. When grafts were rejected they were examined macro- and microscopically. Results. H transgenic mice were used as donors to Gal-/- mice; it was found that: 1) C57BL/6 or H transgenic hearts were not rejected by Gal-/- recipients within 90 min in the absence of additional Gal Ab. 2) If additional Gal Ab and C′ were provided as fresh normal human serum (NHS), Gal+ (C57BL/6) grafts were rejected by Gal-/- mice in ∼34 min, whereas H transgenic hearts mostly lasted up to 17 hr, but were then rejected. The histological appearances showed features of both Arthus and Shwartzmann phenomena. 3) Mice hyperimmunized with Gal with anti-Gal titers of >1:20,000, rejected Gal+ grafts in 31 min; the survival was prolonged to 75 min with the H transgenic hearts. Conclusion. The presence of the H transgene in donor hearts transplanted to naïve Gal-/- mice delays the onset of HAR, but rejection ultimately occurs; if the mice are hyperimmune earlier rejection occurs. The expression of the H transgene alone is insufficient to avoid HAR in the Gal-/- mouse model; the presence of other transgenes and techniques will be required to give an appropriate increase in survival of pig-to-human/primate grafts.
Feature selection based on co-clustering for effective facial expression recognition

Facial expressions are considered to be an effective and non-verbal means of expressing the emotional states of humans in more natural and non-intrusive way. Automatically recognizing the emotions consequently contributes towards the advances in the areas such as human computer interaction, clinical psychology and data-driven animations. Deriving a relevant and reduced set of features is a vital step for effective facial expression recognition. In this paper, we propose a co-clustering based approach to the selection of distinguished and interpretable features to deal with the curse of dimensionality issue. First, the features are extracted from images using a bank of Gabor filters. Then, a co-clustering based algorithm is designed to seek distinguishable features based on their non-inclusive information in co-clusters. Experiments illustrate that the selected features are accurate and effective for the facial expression recognition on JAFFE database and the best recognition rate is obtained by using selected features with SVM for classification. Moreover, we illustrate that the selected features not only reduces the dimensionality but also identify the distinguishable face regions on images amongst all expressions.
Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity

One metabolic equivalent (MET) is defined as the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest and is equal to 3.5 ml O2 per kg body weight x min. The MET concept represents a simple, practical, and easily understood procedure for expressing the energy cost of physical activities as a multiple of the resting metabolic rate. The energy cost of an activity can be determined by dividing the relative oxygen cost of the activity (ml O2/kg/min)x by 3.5. This article summarizes and presents energy expenditure values for numerous household and recreational activities in both METS and watts units. Also, the intensity levels (in METS) for selected exercise protocols are compared stage by stage. In spite of its limitations, the MET concept provides a convenient method to describe the functional capacity or exercise tolerance of an individual as determined from progressive exercise testing and to define a repertoire of physical activities in which a person may participate safely, without exceeding a prescribed intensity level.
Radial forearm flap plus Flexor Carpi Radialis tendon in Achilles tendon reconstruction: Surgical technique, functional results, and gait analysis

Wound dehiscence, infection, and necrosis of tendon and overlying skin are severe complications after open repairs of Achilles tendon. A simultaneous reconstruction should be provided in a single stage operation. We evaluated the outcomes of one of the possible options: the radial forearm free flap with Flexor Carpi Radialis (FCR) tendon.
A pilot study – the potential value of an activity-based feedback system for treatment of individuals with chronic lower back pain

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the potential value of a new personalized activity-based feedback treatment. Method: A prognostic cohort study was carried out in the daily environment of the patients. Seventeen individuals with chronic lower back pain (CLBP) symptoms for >3 months were included. Patients were from the Netherlands, aged 18–65 years. Patients wore an accelerometer and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for 15 d. Patients received continuous and time-related personalized feedback and were instructed to follow the activity pattern as displayed on the PDA. Technical performance and compliance with the system were rated. Objective and subjective activity scores were compared for exploring awareness. The absolute difference between the activity pattern of the patient and the norm value used was calculated and expressed as mean difference. Pain intensity was measured using the VAS. Results: The technical performance and compliance with the system were rated moderate. More than half of the patients were aware of their activity level during the feedback days (67%). A positive effect of the feedback was seen in a trend which showed a decrease in the absolute difference between the activity pattern of the patient and the norm value (p = 0.149) and a significant decrease in pain intensity levels (p = 0.005). Conclusions: This pilot study suggested that an individual-tailored feedback system that focuses on the activity behavior of the patient has potential as the treatment of individuals with CLBP. Implications for Rehabilitation Activity-based feedback for individuals with chronic low back pain: Many patients are not aware of their activity patterns. The activity patterns of patients differ from those of healthy controls. It is important to make patients aware of their activity patterns in order to change activity behavior. An individual-tailored feedback system seems promising in decreasing pain intensity levels for a subgroup of patients.
Direct determination of cadmium and lead in whole blood by potentiometric stripping analysis.

The commercially available equipment for potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) was tested for routine lead and cadmium determination in whole-blood samples. In contrast to anodic stripping voltammetry, PSA is not subject to background interferences from organic electroactive constituents in the sample or to the presence of dissolved oxygen (i.e., oxygen removal is not necessary). To determine lead and cadmium by PSA, it is sufficient to dilute the blood sample with an appropriate supporting electrolyte (0.5 mol/L HCl). The detection limit changes with deposition time and volume of blood sample used. For 1 mL of blood and a 1-min deposition time, the detection limit is 1 microgram/L for both elements. If the deposition time increases to 10 min, cadmium can be determined at its normal concentration in blood (the detection limit is improved to < 0.1 microgram/L). Procedures for routine determination of lead and cadmium in whole blood are presented.