Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatigued Elderly Adults with End‐Stage Renal Disease are More Likely to have Low Bone Mass than those Who are not Fatigued

and enhance the elimination of dabigatran and apixaban within 2 hours of ingestion. Hemodialysis is also useful to reduce the blood concentration of dabigatran. Blood concentration of dabigatran decreased by 52% to 77% during hemodialysis. One subject with severe renal impairment underwent continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration during the first 4 days after admission and showed a favorable trend in blood coagulation tests (aPTT, 30 seconds; INR, 1.1 seconds; TT, 69 seconds on the fourth day), resulting in a favorable outcome. Hemostatic factors that can be used for the urgent treatment of NOAC-related major bleeding include prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), activated PCC, and recombinant human coagulation Factor VIIa. Two subjects received 50 IU/kg of four-factor PCC. Cessation of bleeding was observed in both subjects, but there was no obvious improvement in their coagulation parameters. This outcome is similar to that of another case report. Specific antidotes (idarucizumab, andexanet alfa, ciraparantag) to NOACs are in different stages of clinical development, but before they become commercially available, the management of individuals with NOAC-related major bleeding should include immediate discontinuation of the NOAC, supportive measures, and consideration of hemostatic factors if the bleeding is uncontrolled. Hemodialysis can also be performed while the individual is receiving dabigatran. Considering the lack of established efficacy in the reversal of anticoagulant effects, hemostatic factors should be used with caution because of their thrombogenic potential.
Power of the Mantel–Haenszel and other tests for discrete or grouped time‐to‐event data under a chained binomial model

Power for time‐to‐event analyses is usually assessed under continuous‐time models. Often, however, times are discrete or grouped, as when the event is only observed when a procedure is performed. Wallenstein and Wittes (Biometrics, 1993) describe the power of the Mantel–Haenszel test for discrete lifetables under their chained binomial model for specified vectors of event probabilities over intervals of time. Herein, the expressions for these probabilities are derived under a piecewise exponential model allowing for staggered entry and losses to follow‐up.
Language dominance assessment in a bilingual population: Validity of fMRI in the second language

Assessment of language dominance using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a standard tool to estimate the risk of language function decline after epilepsy surgery. Although there has been considerable research in the characterization of language networks in bilingual individuals; little is known about the clinical usefulness of language mapping in a secondary language in patients with epilepsy, and how language lateralization assessed by fMRI may differ by the use of native or a secondary language paradigms. In this study we investigate language representation in a population of nonnative English speakers to assess differences in fMRI language lateralization between the first (native) and second language (English).
Yam genomics supports West Africa as a major cradle of crop domestication

Yam, a tuber crop, was domesticated alongside some African cereals and defines a cradle of domestication in West Africa. While there has been progress in our understanding of the origin and history of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, a unified perspective is still lacking on where and how major crops were domesticated in the region. Here, we investigated the domestication of African yam (Dioscorea rotundata), a key crop in early African agriculture. Using whole-genome resequencing and statistical models, we show that cultivated yam was domesticated from a forest species. We infer that the expansion of African yam agriculture started in the Niger River basin. This result, alongside with the origins of African rice and pearl millet, supports the hypothesis that the vicinity of the Niger River was a major cradle of African agriculture.
It Pays to Be Happy (If You are a Man): Subjective Wellbeing and the Gender Wage Gap in Urban China

In this study we examine whether subjective wellbeing contributes toward a better understanding of the reasons for the gender wage gap. We explore whether the Personal Wellbeing Index, which is a psychometrically valid measure of subjective wellbeing, can explain differences in income between males and females. A feature of the study is that we employ a novel identification strategy proposed by Lewbel (2012), which utilizes a heteroscedastic covariance restriction to construct an internal instrumental variable (IV), to address the endogeneity of subjective wellbeing and years of schooling. Using a sample from urban China, we find that the relationship between subjective wellbeing and wages is stronger for males than females. In the ordinary least squares (OLS) results, the returns to subjective wellbeing are higher for males than females and in the IV estimates the coefficient on subjective wellbeing is significant (and large) for males, but is insignificant for females. We find that 0.2 per cent of the observed gender wage gap can be attributed to differences in mean subjective wellbeing in favor of females, while 53.5 per cent can be ascribed to gender differences in returns to subjective wellbeing in favor of males. We also find evidence that the relationship between subjective wellbeing and income is non-linear and that income peaks at higher levels of subjective wellbeing for men than women.
Impact of Political and Catastrophic Events on Stock Returns

This study intends to find the impact of political and catastrophic events on stock returns of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100 Index). A total of forty three political and four catastrophic events have been considered from May 1998 to September 2013. Political events are further divided into two groups i.e., favorable political events and unfavorable political events. The impact is checked for political, catastrophic, favorable political and unfavorable political events for 1 day, 5 days, 10 days and 15 days event windows. The results suggest that mean returns before and after political events were different on 5 days window. Thus, political events do have an impact on stock returns, however, it does not last longer and returns are normalized afterwards. Similarly, favorable political events also have impact on stock returns only on 5 days window. Unfavorable political events show abrupt (one day) impact and 5 days impact. Catastrophic events show no impact on stock returns using 1 day, 5 days and 10 days event windows. However, the impact was observed on 15 days event window. These results indicate that Karachi Stock Exchange is inefficient in semi strong form.
Can a Country be Exempted from Impossible Trinity: Evidence from Malaysia

 Abstract—This paper examines monetary independence during the period when Malaysia had a fixed exchange rate and an open capital account regime. The objective is to assess the relevance of the Impossible Trinity for policy. The evidence of cointegration between the Malaysian and US interest rates during this period, suggests that there is no monetary independence in the long run. However, our results show there is: Malaysia retains some monetary autonomy in the short run. The loss of long-run monetary autonomy under peg/open capital was in line with the trinity, and may be one reason the peg was eventually abandoned for managed floating in July 2005.
Effects of 50 Hz extremely low frequency sinusoidal magnetic fields on the apoptosis of the hearts of preincubated chicken embryos at different levels of developments

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this research was to demonstrate the effects of 50 Hz sinusoidal extremely low frequency of magnetic fields (ELF-MF) on preincubated chicken embryo hearts at histopathological, biochemical, and ultrastructural levels. Materials and methods: Ninety healthy fertilized eggs were divided into six groups of control, sham and four (1–4) experimental groups exposed to 1.33, 2.66, 5.52, and 7.32 mT flux intensities. Sham groups were placed inside the coil with no exposure for 24 h, while the eggs of experimental groups were exposed to four different intensities inside the coil for 24 h before incubation. Then, all were incubated in an incubator (37 ± 0.5°C and 60% humidity) for 14 days. Results: Evidence proved that ELF-MF create damaged myocytes in experimental group 1; condensed dark nuclei, an increase in the number of apoptotic cells in addition to increased intracellular spaces in experimental group 2; light inflammation and myocyte necrosis in experimental groups 3 and 4; an increase in the number of nuclear membranes’ pores, small round unclear cristae mitochondria, and a decrease in the number of mitochondria in the myocytes of experimental group 4; and also an increase in alkaline phosphatase activities in the experimental groups. Conclusion: The effects of ELF-MF on the preincubated chicken embryos’ hearts show the necessity for conservation plans for prevention from possible harm.
A statistical approach to understanding reproductive isolation in two sympatric species of tree crickets

ABSTRACT In acoustically communicating animals, reproductive isolation between sympatric species is usually maintained through species-specific calls. This requires that the receiver be tuned to the conspecific signal. Mapping the response space of the receiver onto the signal space of the conspecific investigates this tuning. A combinatorial approach to investigating the response space is more informative as the influence on the receiver of the interactions between the features is also elucidated. However, most studies have examined individual preference functions rather than the multivariate response space. We studied the maintenance of reproductive isolation between two sympatric tree cricket species (Oecanthus henryi and Oecanthus indicus) through the temporal features of the calls. Individual response functions were determined experimentally for O. henryi, the results from which were combined in a statistical framework to generate a multivariate quantitative receiver response space. The predicted response was higher for the signals of the conspecific than for signals of the sympatric heterospecific, indicating maintenance of reproductive isolation through songs. The model allows prediction of response to untested combinations of temporal features as well as delineation of the evolutionary constraints on the signal space. The model can also be used to predict the response of O. henryi to other heterospecific signals, making it a useful tool for the study of the evolution and maintenance of reproductive isolation via long-range acoustic signals. Summary: Multivariate female response space in a tree cricket elucidated through statistical modelling explains reproductive isolation with respect to a sympatric heterospecific.
A new fault-detection system for nonlinear systems based on an interval fuzzy model

The paper proposes a new fault-detection scheme for nonlinear input-output systems with uncertain interval-type parameters. Using a high-pass filter for detecting the system's steady-state conditions, one is able to build a confidence band of data for the system in normal operating mode. The band can be seen as an approximation of the system's nonlinear input-output mapping including the effects of uncertainties. By approximating the boundary functions of the band using an interval fuzzy model (INFUMO), we are able to build a simple and effective fault-detection system based on the boundary-crossing test and logical relations. An example of a fault-detection system for a pH neutralization process is presented to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed method.
Power smoothing control and low-voltage ride-through enhancement of a 5-phase PMSG-based marine tidal turbine using a supercapacitor energy storage system

This paper deals with a control strategy of a grid-connected marine current energy conversion system driven by a 5-phase permanent magnet synchronous generator. A supercapacitor is used as an energy storage device in order to smooth the output power and improve the low-voltage ride-through capability of the energy conversion system. The proposed approach is based on a model predictive approach with finite control set, where the future system states are predicted and evaluated to choose the optimal control action. Simulation results are carried out to validate the efficiency of the proposed control strategy. The system is supposed to be located in the Raz-de-Seine site in Bretagne, France. The output power fluctuation caused by the swell effect is efficiently smoothed by the supercapacitor energy storage system. The low-voltage ride-through performances are tested in two different fault scenarios when the grid voltage reduces to 50 and 100% of the rated value.
Some Notes on Code-Based Cryptography

This thesis presents new cryptanalytic results in several areas of coding-based cryptography. In addition, we also investigate the possibility of using convolutional codes in code-based public-key cryptography. The first algorithm that we present is an information-set decoding algorithm, aiming towards the problem of decoding random linear codes. We apply the generalized birthday technique to information-set decoding, improving the computational complexity over previous approaches. Next, we present a new version of the McEliece public-key cryptosystem based on convolutional codes. The original construction uses Goppa codes, which is an algebraic code family admitting a well-defined code structure. In the two constructions proposed, large parts of randomly generated parity checks are used. By increasing the entropy of the generator matrix, this presumably makes structured attacks more difficult. Following this, we analyze a McEliece variant based on quasi-cylic MDPC codes. We show that when the underlying code construction has an even dimension, the system is susceptible to, what we call, a squaring attack. Our results show that the new squaring attack allows for great complexity improvements over previous attacks on this particular McEliece construction. Then, we introduce two new techniques for finding low-weight polynomial multiples. Firstly, we propose a general technique based on a reduction to the minimum-distance problem in coding, which increases the multiplicity of the low-weight codeword by extending the code. We use this algorithm to break some of the instances used by the TCHo cryptosystem. Secondly, we propose an algorithm for finding weight-4 polynomials. By using the generalized birthday technique in conjunction with increasing the multiplicity of the low-weight polynomial multiple, we obtain a much better complexity than previously known algorithms. Lastly, two new algorithms for the learning parities with noise (LPN) problem are proposed. The first one is a general algorithm, applicable to any instance of LPN. The algorithm performs favorably compared to previously known algorithms, breaking the 80-bit security of the widely used (512,1/8) instance. The second one focuses on LPN instances over a polynomial ring, when the generator polynomial is reducible. Using the algorithm, we break an 80-bit security instance of the Lapin cryptosystem. (Less)
Breakthrough Technologies Discovery of Rare Mutations in Populations : TILLING by Sequencing 1 [ C ] [ W ] [ OA ]

Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center (H.T., T.H., B.W., K.J.N., M.L., R.K.T., A.A.K., L.C.), Department of Plant Sciences (R.N., C.U., T.H.T., J.D.), Department of Computer Sciences (V.M., V.F.), Bioinformatics Core, Genome Center (J.F.), and United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit (T.H.T.), University of California, Davis, California 95616
Rapid molecular screening for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in a high-volume public health laboratory in South Africa.

RATIONALE The dual challenges to tuberculosis (TB) control of HIV infection and multidrug resistance are particularly pressing in South Africa. Conventional methods for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance take weeks to months to produce results. Rapid molecular testing for drug resistance is available but has not been implemented in high-TB-burden settings. OBJECTIVES To assess the performance and feasibility of implementation of a commercially available molecular line-probe assay for rapid detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance. METHODS We performed the assay directly on 536 consecutive smear-positive sputum specimens from patients at increased risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB in a busy routine diagnostic laboratory in Cape Town, South Africa. Results were compared with conventional liquid culture and drug susceptibility testing on solid medium. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Overall, 97% of smear-positive specimens gave interpretable results within 1-2 days using the molecular assay. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 98.9, 99.4, 97.9, and 99.7%, respectively, for detection of rifampicin resistance; 94.2, 99.7, 99.1, and 97.9%, respectively, for detection of isoniazid resistance; and 98.8, 100, 100, and 99.7%, respectively, for detection of multidrug resistance compared with conventional results. The assay also performed well on specimens that were contaminated on conventional culture and on smear-negative, culture-positive specimens. CONCLUSIONS This molecular assay is a highly accurate screening tool for MDR TB, which achieves a substantial reduction in diagnostic delay. With overall performance characteristics that are superior to conventional culture and drug susceptibility testing and the possibility for high throughput with substantial cost savings, molecular testing has the potential to revolutionize MDR TB diagnosis.
A convertible-bond-pricing method based on bond prices on markets

This thesis is devoted to evaluating two-factor convertible bonds. Dierent zerocoupon bond curves are inputted when evaluating convertible bonds issued by companies with dierent credit ratings. Thus the eect of the company’s credit on the price of the convertible bond is easily and accurately included during the computation. In the model for the interest rate, the parameters in the variance are determined from the market data by statistics and the market price of risk is determined by a zero-coupon bond curve through solving an inverse problem. When we price the convertible bond, a free-boundary problem is solved. A Singularity-Separating Method (SSM) is proposed in order to solve this problem eciently. Taking the market data as input, we can easily,
A Fast Monolithic 8-2 Adder Compressor Circuit

Adder compressor architectures have been widely used in multipliers and have recently achieved improvements over conventional approaches in the computation of multiple modules, such as transform blocks, in the context of video coding. This paper reviews four different state-of-the-art 8-2 adder compressor architectures and proposes a novel one. A 65 nm commercial standard cell library was used to synthesize the compressors. The results show that, as a consequence of a shorter critical path, our circuit presented significant improvements regarding maximum operational frequency, while still maintaining similar results for power dissipation. Our circuit also managed to achieve a smaller circuit area, as a result of a more straightforward net interconnection.
Teams and Teamworking in Hotels

This paper investigates teams and teamworking in multi-unit hotels in the UK. A review of the literature suggests that much of what is written about teamworking is discursive and some of the authors' conclusions are based on anecdotal research. The study methodology employs both qualitative and qualitative techniques and concludes that teamworking in hotels is a complex activity and that solutions vary according to unit and employee perception. Comparisons were made between two multi-unit hotel companies showing contrasting approaches to teamworking. The data show that all the hotels studied scored worse than a norm set of teams in diverse organisational settings, suggesting that teamworking in hotels needs more development.
Generation and Analysis of Canonical Switching Cell DC-to-DC Converters

This paper unifies the underlying concepts of all basic single-switch, two-state, dc-to-dc voltage-sourced converters, by duality, as generic related current and voltage-sourced converters. By using ac and dc circuit theory, the three basic converters can be transformed to yield all known transfer functions and realizes a proliferation of 33 topologies, three being previously unidentified topologies with unique characteristics. The circuit based systematic unifying approach offers new insight and an alternative interpretation to the origin of the 33 topologies including the Zeta, Cuk, ±Luo, CSC, Landsman, and Sepic converters. Converter time-domain simulations and corresponding practical results of the three new topologies extol and culminate the concepts and analysis presented.
Polymer-Based Flexible Visuo-Haptic Display

We report a flexible visuo-haptic display that allows for interactive haptic feedback on the visual display. The visuo-haptic display is fabricated by integrating a dielectric elastomer (DE) based thin film actuator array into a flexible display and pressure sensors. The DE actuator array consists of nine active cells, which generate thickness-mode deformation in response to voltage signal. The flexible display presents images of the aligned three alphabet characters at each section in 3 × 3 matrix during light propagation via optical multiwaveguide. The pressure sensors are placed on the bottom of the DE actuator array for haptic feedback. The performance of the DE actuators is proved to be capable of realizing sufficient vibro-tactile sensation in the perceivable range of human touch sense. The integrated system enables the visual display to provide interactive haptic feedback such as key pressing, contact vibration sensations, etc., in accordance with user input.
The Incidence of Schizotypy among Cannabis and Alcohol Users

Schizotypy research has revealed associations between positive schizotypal symptomatology and substance use but has not related substance use to important schizotypal traits such as anhedonia. Users and nonusers of cannabis and alcohol completed the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, the Peters Delusion Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Cannabis users scored significantly higher on Unusual Experiences, a scale measuring positive schizotypal symptomatology. Both cannabis and alcohol usage were associated with significantly lower scores on Introvertive Anhedonia, which represents negative symptomatology. Delusional ideation and delusional conviction were significantly higher in cannabis users, but for delusional conviction this was only true for users who also drank alcohol. Neither anxiety or depression scores were higher in cannabis users, but delusional ideation correlated with both anxiety and depression, thus providing mixed support for the idea of the “happy schizotype. ” Overall, these results suggest that cannabis and alcohol usage is related to different dimensions of psychosis-proneness that broadly parallel the relationship between substance use and positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms, thus supporting the continuity view of psychosis and the multidimensionality of psychosis-proneness.