Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of the Relationship between U.S. State Level Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Health Care Expenditure

This paper is the first to provide an empirical analysis of the short run and long run effects of carbon dioxide emissions on health care spending across U.S. states. Accounting for the possibility of non-linearity in the data of the individual variables as well as in the relationship amongst the variables, the analysis estimated various statistical models to show that CO2 emissions increased health care expenditures. Using quantile regressions, the analysis displayed that the effect of CO2 emissions was stronger at the upper-end of the conditional distribution of health care expenditures. The results indicate the effect of CO2 emissions on health care was relatively stronger for states that spend higher amounts in health care expenditures. A key policy message that stems out of the empirical findings is that the health benefits associated with policies implemented to reduce CO2 emissions can more than pay for the costs of implementing these policies.
A Baseband Transceiver for IEEE 802.16 OFDMA Downlink Communications

A baseband transceiver for IEEE 802.16-2004 OFDMA downlink is proposed. The proposed receiver consists of carrier frequency offset (CFO)/sampling frequency offset (SFO) estimation/compensation, channel estimation/equalization, and sample add/drop function for symbol timing synchronization. A 5.8 GHz center frequency with 10 MHz channel bandwidth is chosen. Both first/second order statistics of preamble and pilot energy detection result in low complexity but accurate enough integer CFO estimations. Residual CFO (RCFO) and SFO estimation is based on least-square (LS) algorithm with moving average on successive symbol phase tracking in frequency domain to reduce noise. The performance of the proposed receiver approaches the ideal one under the simulation scenario of Stanford University Interim (SUI) channel model 4.
Comparison of the COBAS TaqMan™ HBV test with the COBAS Amplicor monitor™ test for measurement of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum

Quantitation of low hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B is important for monitoring natural history of disease and treatment efficacy. This study aimed to compare the quantitation range and analytical sensitivity of the newly developed COBAS TaqMan™ HBV test (TaqMan test) with the COBAS Amplicor™ HBV Monitor Test (Amplicor test), using the Eurohep HBV reference plasma and serum samples from patients. Serial dilutions (2.7 × 101–2.7 × 108 copies/ml) of the Eurohep HBV reference plasma and 50 serum samples from chronic hepatitis B patients were tested by both assays. The TaqMan test could detect seven (2.7 × 102–2.7 × 108 copies/ml) of eight dilutions of the reference plasma, while the Amplicor test could only detect three of them (2.7 × 103–2.7 × 105 copies/ml). The HBV DNA values measured by the TaqMan test correlated very well with the theoretical Eurohep standard values (r = 0.998, P < 0.001). There were good correlations between the HBV DNA levels measured by the two assays on both the Eurohep reference plasma (r = 0.993, P < 0.001) and serum samples from patients (r = 0.904, P < 0.001). Compared to the Amplicor test, the TaqMan test had a higher sensitivity (50 vs. 300 copies/ml), shorter assay time (6 vs. 10 hr), and wider dynamic range (8 vs. 3 logs), and was more cost‐effective in a clinical setting. These data indicate that the TaqMan test is an excellent tool for HBV DNA quantitation. J. Med. Virol. 77:486–490, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, inc.
Cost-effectiveness and long-term effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety

Background Severe health anxiety is a common condition associated with functional disability, making it a costly disorder from a societal perspective. Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is a promising treatment but no previous study has assessed the cost-effectiveness or long-term outcome of ICBT for severe health anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the cost-effectiveness and 1-year treatment effects of ICBT for severe health anxiety. Method Cost-effectiveness and 1-year follow-up data were obtained from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing ICBT (n = 40) to an attention control condition (CC, n = 41). The primary outcome measure was the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI). A societal perspective was taken and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated using bootstrap sampling. Results The main ICER was −£1244, indicating the societal economic gain for each additional case of remission when administering ICBT. Baseline to 1-year follow-up effect sizes on the primary outcome measure were large (d = 1.71–1.95). Conclusions ICBT is a cost-effective treatment for severe health anxiety that can produce substantial and enduring effects.
Teacher Perceptions of Violence Prevention Approaches and Self-Efficacy: Where Do We Go From Here?

iii Acknowledgments iv List of Tables viii List of Figures x Chapter I: Introduction 1 Goals 3 Research Questions 5 Chapter II: Context and literature review 7 Peace Education 8 History 12 Conceptualization of Peace Education 15 Human Rights Education 22 Disarmament Education 25 Development Education 27 Tools of Peace Education 28 Violence Prevention Education 31 Behavioral Violence Prevention in Schools 34 Conflict 36 Comprehensive Approach 36 Strategies in the Literature 39 Bullying Prevention 41 Conflict Resolution 47 Peer Mediation 50 Anger Management 54 Crisis Intervention 57 Theory and Variable Development 63 Rational Choice Theory 64 Theory of Self-Efficacy 65
Evidence of innervation following extracellular matrix scaffold‐mediated remodelling of muscular tissues

Naturally occurring porcine‐derived extracellular matrix (ECM) has successfully been used as a biological scaffold material for site‐specific reconstruction of a wide variety of tissues. The site‐specific remodelling process includes rapid degradation of the scaffold, with concomitant recruitment of mononuclear, endothelial and bone marrow‐derived cells, and can lead to the formation of functional skeletal and smooth muscle tissue. However, the temporal and spatial patterns of innervation of the remodelling scaffold material in muscular tissues are not well understood. A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the presence of nervous tissue in a rat model of abdominal wall reconstruction and a canine model of oesophageal reconstruction in which ECM scaffolds were used as inductive scaffolds. Evidence of mature nerve, immature nerve and Schwann cells was found within the remodelled ECM at 28 days in the rat body wall model, and at 91 days post surgery in a canine model of oesophageal repair. Additionally, a microscopic and morphological study that investigated the response of primary cultured neurons seeded upon an ECM scaffold showed that neuronal survival and outgrowth were supported by the ECM substrate. Finally, matricryptic peptides resulting from rapid degradation of the ECM scaffold induced migration of terminal Schwann cells in a concentration‐dependent fashion in vitro. The findings of this study suggest that the reconstruction of tissues in which innervation is an important functional component is possible with the use of biological scaffolds composed of extracellular matrix. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Descriptions and Designing of C2 Organizational in Battlefields

In order to characterize and construct the operation architectures of Information war, C2 organization is defined. The basic elements of C2 organization are presented, which includes decision-making individual, platform entity and model of tasks. The view of C2 organization is founded, on which design of C2 organizations is illuminated as organizational processes planning and organizational structures constructing, and the relations between the two design tasks is analyzed and built.
Intermediate and Long Latency SEPs in Relation to Clinical Disability in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

Intermediate (0-60 ms) and long latency (0-500 ms) somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) patterns were compared in terms of their relationship to degree of clinical disability in severe traumatic brain injury patients. Long latency (LL) SEP patterns correlated significantly with clinical disability as measured by the Disability Rating scale while intermediate latency (IL) SEP patterns did not. Evoked potential abnormality (EPA) scores based upon LL SEP patterns appear better able to reflect extent and severity of brain dysfunction and overall clinical condition than do IL SEP patterns for severe traumatic brain injury patients.
Analytical modeling of Negative Bias Temperature Instability in triple gate MOSFETs

In this paper, an analytical model for Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) induced degradation in a triple gate MOSFET is presented. The model is obtained by solving the Reaction-Diffusion equations multi-dimensionally. The formulation considers the molecular diffusion of hydrogen in the oxide. The geometry dependence of the time exponent of NBTI degradation in triple gate MOSFETs are modeled in the framework. The accuracy of the model is verified using experimental results.
Reduced‐intensity conditioning for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: impact of alemtuzumab and donor lymphocyte infusions on long‐term outcomes

The introduction of reduced‐intensity conditioning (RIC) has enabled the role of allogeneic transplantation to be re‐evaluated in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). While T‐cell depletion reduces graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD), it potentially abrogates graft‐versus‐tumour activity and increases infective complications. We compared the results in 67 sibling donor transplantations following RIC in multiply relapsed patients from two national phase II studies conditioned with fludarabine/melphalan. One used cyclosporine/alemtuzumab (MF‐A, n = 31), the other used cyclosporine/methotrexate (MF, n = 36) as GvHD prophylaxis. There was a small excess of chemorefractory cases in the MF cohort (P = NS). MF‐A resulted in significantly lower incidences of non‐relapse mortality, acute and chronic GvHD, but no significant excess of relapse/progression. Post donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) disease responses occurred in 8/14 (57%) and 6/11 (55%) patients in the MF‐A and MF groups, respectively. Current progression‐free survival (CPFS) was superior with MF‐A (univariate analysis), with durable responses to DLI contributing to the favourable outcome (43% vs. 25%, P = 0·0356). Disease status at transplantation significantly influenced overall survival (P = 0·0038) and CPFS (P = 0·0014), retaining significance in multivariate analyses, which demonstrated a trend towards improved CPFS with T‐cell depletion (P = 0·0939). These data suggest that alemtuzumab significantly reduced GvHD without resulting in a deleterious impact on survival outcomes following RIC in HL, and that durable responses to DLI may be more common following the inclusion of alemtuzumab in the conditioning protocol.
Spiritual distress of military veterans at the end of life

Abstract Objective: Although combat experiences can have a profound impact on individuals' spirituality, there is a dearth of research in this area. Our recent study indicates that one unique spiritual need of veterans who are at the end of life is to resolve distress caused by combat-related events that conflict with their personal beliefs. This study sought to gain an understanding of chaplains' perspectives on this type of spiritual need, as well as the spiritual care that chaplains provide to help veterans ease this distress. Method: We individually interviewed five chaplains who have provided spiritual care to veterans at the end of life in a Veterans Administration hospital. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed based on “grounded theory. ” Results: Chaplains reported that they frequently encounter veterans at the end of life who are still suffering from thoughts or images of events that occurred during their military career. Although some veterans are hesitant to discuss their experiences, chaplains reported that they have had some success with helping the veterans to open up. Additionally, chaplains reported using both religious (e.g., confessing sins) and nonreligious approaches (e.g., recording military experience) to help veterans to heal. Significance of results: Our pilot study provides some insight into the spiritual distress that many military veterans may be experiencing, as well as methods that a chaplain can employ to help these veterans. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and to examine the value of integrating the chaplain service into mental health care for veterans.
Investigating the origin of cyclic changes in limb volume using mercury‐in‐silastic strain gauge plethysmography in man.

1. Vasomotion, a phenomen frequently observed in skeletal muscle microcirculation, has been observed under physiological conditions and found enhanced during critical reduction of tissue perfusion due to hypoxic hypoxia, haemorrhage and local hypotension. We used a computer assisted non‐invasive plethysmographic method to investigate periodic changes of limb volume (volumotion), which we previously found in critically ill patients. The current study was designed to investigate the origin of volumotion. 2. Simultaneous recordings of limb circumference of both calves were obtained. In patients with peripheral vascular disease and patients with minor surgery the cross‐correlation with spontaneous breathing was investigated. In patients who had undergone major abdominal or vascular surgery we analysed for cross‐correlations between MSG plethysmography signals of both legs and changes in central venous, arterial and ventilation pressures. In this group the effects of positive‐pressure ventilation and positive end‐expiratory pressure (PEEP) were also studied. 3. No ventilation‐related volumotion was observed during spontaneous breathing. During positive‐pressure ventilation a ventilation‐related peak was found in the Fourier transform in agreement with the ventilation frequency applied. The amplitude of ventilation‐related volumotion decreased significantly after a pressure cuff applied to the thigh was inflated above central venous pressure. We observed a significant increase in the amplitude of ventilation‐related volumotion when PEEP was applied. 4. Ventilation‐related volumotion showed significant cross‐correlation between both legs. Slow wave volumotion (0.5‐7 cycles min‐1) was frequently observed, but always appeared unilaterally. Whilst we looked for correlations between slow wave volumotion and changes in central venous pressure and arterial blood pressure, respectively, significant cross‐correlation with the MSG plethysmography recordings was only observed at the frequency of the positive‐pressure ventilation. 5. The fact that periodic changes of limb circumference matching the frequency of the positive‐pressure ventilation were detectable with the MSG plethysmography system demonstrates that small volume changes (less than 0.02 ml (100 ml tissue)‐1) can be assessed using this system. As slow wave volumotion was observed unilaterally and revealed no correlation either with breathing, ventilation or arterial and central venous pressure, we suggest that slow wave volumotion is a local event most likely reflecting arteriolar vasomotion.
Self-regulation of exopolysaccharide production in Bacillus subtilis by a tyrosine kinase

Exopolysaccharide (EPS) is an extracellular matrix constituent of the B. subtilis biofilm. Here, Losick and colleagues report a previously unrecognized mechanism for the self-regulation of EPS production. EPS synthesis depends on a tyrosine kinase that consists of a membrane component (EpsA) and a kinase component (EpsB). EPS interacts with the extracellular domain of EpsA to control kinase activity. Further data show that EPS is a signaling molecule that controls its own synthesis. Importantly, tyrosine kinase-mediated self-regulation could be a widespread system of intercellular communication controlling exopolysaccharide production in bacteria.
The association between leukoaraiosis and carotid atherosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The association between large-artery atherosclerosis and leukoaraiosis (LA) has been increasingly reported with inconsistent conclusion. This systematic review examines the relationship between LA and carotid atherosclerosis, manifested as atherosclerotic stenosis, plaques and increased intima-media thickness (IMT). PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for articles published up to February 2014. Thirty-two studies that examined the relationship between LA and carotid atherosclerosis were included. All statistical analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.2. 4. Finally, 32 studies including 17,721 patients were identified. There were 7 (30%) out of 23 studies reporting significant association between LA and carotid stenosis; 11 (79%) out of 14 studies reporting significant association between LA and carotid plaque; all 9 studies reporting significant association between LA and carotid IMT; one study showing an association between LA and CAWT (similar to the role of the IMT). The quantitative meta-analysis of 10 studies showed that carotid atherosclerosis was not associated with LA (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.61–1.98). A significant association was found between LA and carotid plaque (OR = 3.53; 95% CI = 1.83–6.79), and the result of IMT group showed that IMT increased risk of LA (MD = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.01–0.22). This systematic review suggested that LA has a tendency of association with carotid plaques but no association with simple carotid stenosis.
Treponema denticola induces actin rearrangement and detachment of human gingival fibroblasts

Spirochetes are associated with destructive periodontal diseases, and one cultivatable oral species, Treponema denticola, binds to mammalian cells and perturbs metabolism. To evaluate the cytoskeletal responses and attachment functions of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) exposed to T. denticola, monolayers of HGF were incubated with T. denticola strains ATCC 35405, e, and e' in serum-free medium. HGF retracted pseudopods, rounded up, and ultimately detached from the substratum. Scanning electron microscopy showed spirochetes in close contact with HGF surfaces; occasionally, bacteria were partially submerged between folds in the HGF membrane. Blebbing and numerous microvilli formed on the cell surface as the HGF retracted. By confocal microscopy, spirochetes were detected in contact with the HGF surface but were never found on the ventral surface of fibroblasts between the substratum and cell. Morphological alterations were associated with and preceded by actin assembly, as measured by microscopic fluorimetry: there was a 263% increase in actin fluorescence over controls within 30 min. Detachment of fibroblasts from the substratum was related to incubation time and was dependent on the concentration of T. denticola. Detachment was observed for all strains tested and was also dependent on the viability of T. denticola: UV light, heat, and metronidazole treatment markedly reduced the HGF detachment response. Detachment was also significantly reduced by the protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. HGF viability was not significantly affected by coincubation with spirochetes, as measured by lactate dehydrogenase release. Thus, T. denticola induces rapid cytoskeletal remodelling followed by cell detachment, which might be stimulated by a bacterially associated protease but is not likely directly mediated by proteolytic degradation at the cell-substratum adhesive contact points.
Extraction of associated quantitative traits by association mining

Most of the agronomically important traits are quantitative and found to be correlated to each other. These correlated quantitative traits are important to develop high yielding and resistant varieties of various economically important crops to combat the needs of increasing population. This paper work utilized data mining approach to extract patterns/rulesfrom quantitative trait locus database to find associated traits of 10 important crops. In comparison with traditional approaches, this study provides a simple and fast approach for finding associated quantitative traits.
Replication study of candidate genes for cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

As the proportion of older people in societies has increased, research into the determinants of cognitive ageing has risen in importance. Genetic influences account for over 50% of the variance in adult cognitive abilities. Previous studies on cognition and illnesses with cognitive impairments have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within candidate genes that might influence cognition or age‐related cognitive change. This study investigated 10 candidate genes in over 1000 Scots: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936). These participants were tested on general cognitive ability (Scottish Mental Survey 1947) at age 11. At mean age 70, they completed the same general cognitive ability test and a battery of diverse cognitive tests. Nineteen SNPs in 10 genes previously associated with cognition, Alzheimer’s disease or autism were genotyped in 1063 individuals. The genes include BDNF, COMT, DISC1, KL, NCSTN, PPP1R1B, PRNP, SHANK3, SORL1 and WRN. Linear regression analysis investigated the additive effect of each SNP on the cognitive variables, covarying for gender and age. Childhood cognitive ability was also included as a covariate to identify associations specifically with cognitive ageing. Certain SNPs reached the conventional significance threshold for association with cognitive traits or cognitive ageing in LBC1936 (P < 0.05). No SNPs reached the Bonferroni‐level of significance (all P > 0.0015). Of the 10 genes, we discuss that COMT, KL, PRNP, PPP1R1B, SORL1 and WRN especially merit further attention for association with cognitive ability and/or age‐related cognitive change. All results are also presented so that they are valuable for future meta‐analyses of candidate genes for cognition.
Backpropagation and SOM for face feature recognition

A face feature extraction system is proposed, based on previous works that utilize gabor filters and SelfOrganizing Maps, but having the difference that we use a final stage consisting of a backpropagation network to improve the recognition. Besides this addition, we look forward a more convenient place to locate the center frequencies of the filters, and also we apply a Fourier transformation to the Self-organizing Map output to get translation invariance in the feature map, before the backpropagation network.