Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social and structural factors associated with greater time with a plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load above log10(1500) copies/ml among illicit drug users

Objectives: Although previous cross-sectional studies have identified correlates of detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) among HIV-positive people who use drugs (PWUD), longitudinal factors associated with heightened HIV transmission potential have not been well described. Therefore, we longitudinally examined factors associated with amount of person-time spent above log10(1500) copies/ml plasma among HIV-positive PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. Design: Data were derived from a long-running prospective cohort of HIV-positive PWUD linked to comprehensive clinical records including systematic VL monitoring. Methods: We used generalized estimating equations modeling to longitudinally examine factors associated with person-time (in days) with a VL more than log10(1500) copies/ml plasma in the previous 180 days. Results: Between December 2005 and May 2014, 845 PWUD were eligible and included in the study. Participants spent an average of 26.8% of observation time with a VL more than log10(1500) copies/ml. In multivariable analyses, homelessness (Adjusted Rate Ratio [ARR] = 1.45) and lack of social support (ARR = 1.27) were positively associated with person-time with a VL more than log10(1500) copies/ml. Older age (ARR = 0.97) and enrolment in addiction treatment (ARR = 0.75) were negatively associated with the outcome in multivariable analyses (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Social and structural factors, including periods of homelessness or lacking in social support, were independently associated with greater amount of time with heightened HIV transmission potential. These findings suggest the need for targeted efforts to address modifiable contextual factors that contribute to increased risk of onward HIV transmission among PWUD.
Finger vein recognition based on deep learning

As a new biometric technology, finger vein recognition has received much attention in recent years. Since deep learning is an end-to-end system, and has achieved very good results in such fields as face recognition and target detection, we try to apply it to finger vein recognition. In this paper, we adopt seven layers of CNN which include 5 convolution layers and 2 fully-connected layers. This network obtains a recognition rate of 99.53%, which proves to be better performing than traditional algorithm.
Accuracy of follicle count and ovulation confirmation using magnetic resonance imaging in microminipigs with normal estrus cycles

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is suggested to be useful for counting follicles and confirming ovulation in microminipigs. However, its accuracy is unknown. We have compared the number of follicles counted by MRI to that of corpus hemorrhagicum confirmed directly by visual inspection. The follicles of 17 microminipigs were counted by using ovarian MRI on a 0.4 Tesla MRI System every 24 hr after estrus until follicle images disappeared. Then, we performed laparotomy to count their corpus hemorrhagicum. Significant correlation was observed between follicle counts obtained using MRI (5.18 ± 1.78 per head) and the numbers of corpus hemorrhagicum (5.47 ± 1.74 per head). In conclusion, follicle counts using 0.4-T MRI were reliable, and confirmed microminipig ovulation.
Certificateless Searchable Public Key Encryption Scheme for Industrial Internet of Things

With the widespread adoption of Internet of Things and cloud computing in different industry sectors, an increasing number of individuals or organizations are outsourcing their Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data in the cloud server to achieve cost saving and collaboration (e.g., data sharing). However, in this environment, preserving the privacy of data remains a key challenge and inhibiting factor to an even wider adoption of IIoT in the cloud environment. To mitigate these issues, in this paper, we design a new secure channel-free certificateless searchable public key encryption with multiple keywords scheme for IIoT deployment. We then demonstrate the security of the scheme in the random oracle model against two types of adversaries, where one adversary is given the power to choose a random public key instead of any user's public key and another adversary is allowed to learn the system master key. In the presence of these types of adversaries, we evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme and demonstrate that it achieves (computational) efficiency with low communication cost.
Travel time estimation in vehicle routing problem

Vehicle routing is a well-known problem in operations research. The problem aims to find an optimal route for vehicles touring all customer locations. Travel time is one of objectives in vehicle routing problem(VRP). The travel time of a route is the sum of travel times between two customers in the route. In reality, there are multiple road segments between two customer sites. Thus, probability distribution of travel time between two customers can be derived by the convolution of distributions of road segments within the arc of two locations. This paper suggests a method of estimation of travel time of the arc in the network of VRP. An example addresses how the method applies to estimate the distribution of the travel time.
Acetyl Salmon Endorphin-Like and Interrenal Stress Response in Male Gilthead Sea Bream, Sparus aurata

The present study investigates the role of melanotrope proopiomelanocortin-derived peptide in the interrenal stress response to different stressors in male gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata. Plasma cortisol and acetyl salmon endorphin (acetyl s-EP), as well as pituitary acetyl s-EP contents, were measured during two stress paradigms: (a) long-term (1-month) confinement and crowding, and (b) short-term (60-min) confinement, crowding, and manipulation. In addition, naltrexone, a highly specific opioid receptor antagonist, was employed in some experimental groups to evaluate the adaptability of the opioid response to interrenal stress. In the long-term (1-month) confinement and crowding, higher plasma cortisol levels and acetyl s-EP concentrations than in the control group were found. However, although plasma cortisol levels significantly increased in both types of stress paradigm, a significant rise in plasma acetyl s-EP was observed only in the case of confinement plus crowding. These data seem to suggest a direct correlation of acetyl s-EP plasma levels exclusively in cases of specific stress, and support previous observations about the different nature of the pituitary-interrenal stress response in salmonids and in mammals. The results obtained in the short-term (60-min) experiments demonstrate the double activation of both the opioid and corticotrope systems when manipulation plus crowding was applied.
The Complexity of the Diagonal Problem for Recursion Schemes

We consider nondeterministic higher-order recursion schemes as recognizers of languages of finite words or finite trees. We establish the complexity of the diagonal problem for schemes: given a set of letters A and a scheme G, is it the case that for every number n the scheme accepts a word (a tree) in which every letter from A appears at least n times. We prove that this problem is (m−1)EXPTIME-complete for word-recognizing schemes of order m, and m-EXPTIME-complete for tree-recognizing schemes of order m. 1998 ACM Subject Classification F.4. 3 Formal Languages
Single-mode tuning of the plasmon resonance in high-density pillar arrays

The Maxwell–Garnett (MG) effective medium model has a pure resonance controlled by volume fraction f, but is usually invalid at high density. I present special 2D structures that match quasistatic MG over the entire range 0 < f < 1, in several regular and semi-regular arrays, expanding the applicability of MG. Optimal contours depend on both lattice and fill-factor, transforming from circular at low f to nearly polygonal at high f. A key insight is the direct relationship between optimal surface polarization and surface position. Electrodynamic calculations underline the effect of constituent permittivity on spatial dispersion and required sizes for quasistatic response in various materials.
Spin-Lattice Coupling in K0.8Fe1.6Se2 and KFe2Se2: Inelastic Neutron Scattering and ab-initio Phonon Calculations

We report measurements of the temperature dependence of phonon densities of states in K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 using inelastic neutron scattering technique. While cooling down to 150 K, a phonon peak splitting around 25 meV is observed and a new peak appears at 31 meV. The measurements support the recent Raman and infra-red measurements indicating a lowering of symmetry of K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 upon cooling below 250 K. Ab-initio phonon calculations have been carried out for K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 and KFe2Se2. The comparison of the phonon spectra as obtained from the magnetic as well as non magnetic calculations show pronounced differences. We show that in the two calculations the energy range of the vibrational contribution from both Fe and Se are quite different. We conclude that Fe magnetism is correlated to the phonon dynamics and it plays an important role in stabilizing the structure of K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 as well as that of KFe2Se2. The calculations highlight the presence of low energy librational modes in K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 as compared to KFe2Se2.
On evaluating the performance of different forecasters

ABSTRACT In this article, we have evaluated the performance of different forecasters and tested association between their performances for different pairs of variables. We have used three data sets of track records of professional U.S. economic forecasters participating in the Blue Chip consensus forecasting service (the data sets contain the root mean square errors (RMSE) of different forecasters for different years). To evaluate the performance of forecasters we have covered three well-known tests, namely the usual F test (cf. Fisher (1923)), Kruskal Wallis test (cf. Kruskal and Wallis (1952)), and Extension of Median test (cf. Daniel (1990)). To test the association between the forecaster's performances for different pairs of variables, we have considered Gini mean correlation coefficient rg1 (cf. Yitzhaki, S., and Olkin, I. (1991) and Yitzhaki (2003)), Modified rank correlation coefficient (cf. Zimmerman (1994)) and three modifications of Spearman rank correlation coefficient. We have observed that different forecasters do not necessarily offer same average performance. Moreover, an evidence of association between two criteria does not always lead us reaching at the same decision. The outcomes of the study may help the practitioners in selecting the best forecaster(s) for policymaking purposes.
Growth hormone treatment in adults with childhood onset growth hormone deficiency: effects on psychological capabilities.

The psychological aspects (personal traits, way of relating to the surrounding environment, perception of body image, degree of self-esteem) of eight adults with childhood onset growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) were studied before and after 6 months of recombinant GH therapy. Each subject was evaluated using the following tests: the Bem Sex Role test, the non-verbal scales of the WAIS test for adults, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Experiential-World Inventory, the Image-Marking Method and the Draw-a-Person test; a psychoneurophysiological profile was also evaluated in order to monitor, by means of four neurophysiological variables (muscular tension, galvanic resistance, skin temperature and heart rate), the reactions to specific and aspecific stress. Before treatment, adults with GHD tended to underestimate their body size by an average of 30%, with peaks of 47% for the head area; furthermore, they showed a low level of self-esteem, a closed attitude towards social relationships, a pessimistic attitude with a tendency towards depression and a strong sense of detachment from the outside world. After 6 months of GH treatment, patients presented an overall improvement in relation to intellectual tasks, accompanied by a lower level of stress during their performance. A clear improvement was also observed in terms of emotional control during specific and aspecific stress, which might contribute a positive effect on their interrelationships. As expected, the treatment was not able to reduce the subjects' highly distorted perception of body image, due to the fact that GH treatment, despite a clear amelioration of lean/fat body mass ratio, did not change their body proportions. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
GO-CP-ABE: group-oriented ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption

We introduce a variant of ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption called group-oriented ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (GO-CP-ABE). In the new notion, message is encrypted under an access structure over attributes and users are described by their attributes. In addition, users are divided into different groups and each user belongs to only one group. Users within the same group can merge their attributes to decrypt successfully, if the union of their attributes satisfies the access structure embedded in the ciphertext. But users from different groups cannot realise this cooperative decryption. We define the security model of GO-CP-ABE and present an efficient design by revising an existing CP-ABE scheme.
Morphological characteristics associated with the rupture risk of mirror posterior communicating artery aneurysms

Objective Patient related clinical factors and intracranial aneurysms (IAs) at different locations may lead to statistical bias when investigating the rupture risk of IAs. Thus the purpose of this study was to identify the morphological parameters that are related to the rupture of mirror posterior communicating artery aneurysms (PComAAs). Methods Between August 2011 and July 2017, 68 patients with mirror PComAAs and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage were diagnosed by CT angiography at three medical centers. Morphological characteristics for PComAAs included bifurcation, shape, neck width, width, depth, maximum size, flow angle, parent vessel diameter, aspect ratio (AR), depth/width ratio, bottleneck factor, and size ratio (SR). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for rupture. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to obtain the optimal thresholds. Results AR (OR 5.623) and SR (OR 5.570) were more commonly observed in the ruptured cohort. The threshold values of AR and SR were 0.98 and 1.21, respectively. Conclusions Mirror PComAAs are a useful model to investigate the rupture risk of PComAAs. AR (≥0.98) and SR (≥1.21) are better predictors of ruptured PComAAs.
New Multi-Signature Schemes and a General Forking Lemma

A multi-signature scheme enables a group of signers to produce a compact, joint signature on a common document, and has many potential uses. However, existing schemes impose key setup or PKI requirements that make them impractical, such as requiring a dedicated, distributed key generation protocol amongst potential signers, or assuming strong, concurrent zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge of secret keys done to the CA at key registration. These requirements limit the use of the schemes. We provide a new scheme that is proven secure in the plain publickey model, meaning requires nothing more than that each signer has a (certified) public key. Furthermore, the important simplification in key management achieved is not at the cost of efficiency or assurance: our scheme matches or surpasses known ones in terms of signing time, verification time and signature size, and is proven secure in the random-oracle model under a standard (not bilinear map related) assumption. The proof is based on a simplified and general Forking Lemma that may be of independent interest. We also present a second, slightly less efficient scheme whose security is tightly related to the decisional Diffie-Hellman problem. Since verification of a multi-signature still requires knowledge of all public keys, and since identity strings are likely to be much shorter than randomly generated public keys, the identitybased paradigm is particularly appealing for the case of multi-signatures. We present and prove secure an identity-based multi-signature scheme based on RSA, which in particular does not rely on (the rather new and untested) assumptions related to bilinear maps.
Aggregating Edge Weights in Social Networks on the Web Extracted from Multiple Sources with Different Importance Degrees

Information on a given set of entities can be derived from multiple sources on the Web. Social networks built from these sources, using these entities as nodes, will have different edge weight values, although the entities will be the same. If these sources are different, one will not normally trust each of them equally. One source will be considered more or less importance than the other. Completely ignoring sources with little importance may yield unexpected results. In this paper, we propose a method for aggregating weight values for social networks built from the Web using different sources. First, multiple social networks are built from different data sources. Then the received edge weights are aggregated, with the importance of a data source taken into account.
Analyzing the effectiveness of lean manufacturing practices in Indian small and medium sized businesses

This research article aims to examine the relationship between lean manufacturing practices and operational performance of small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises, operating in India. Using a survey questionnaire, responses were collected from 121 manufacturing firms in India. Bivariate correlation and linear regression analyses were employed to investigate the effects of lean manufacturing methods on operational performance. Overall, the results from Indian manufacturing perspective indicate that lean strategy implementation is important predictor of operational performance. By testing the effect of lean manufacturing practices on operational performance of small-medium sized manufacturing businesses, this study shows strong foundation on lean manufacturing practices as an effective way of improving operational performance.
Analytic strategies to evaluate the association of time-varying exposures to HIV-related outcomes: Alcohol consumption as an example.

BACKGROUND As persons with HIV are living longer, there is a growing need to investigate factors associated with chronic disease, rate of disease progression and survivorship. Many risk factors for this high-risk population change over time, such as participation in treatment, alcohol consumption and drug abuse. Longitudinal datasets are increasingly available, particularly clinical data that contain multiple observations of health exposures and outcomes over time. Several analytic options are available for assessment of longitudinal data; however, it can be challenging to choose the appropriate analytic method for specific combinations of research questions and types of data. The purpose of this review is to help researchers choose the appropriate methods to analyze longitudinal data, using alcohol consumption as an example of a time-varying exposure variable. When selecting the optimal analytic method, one must consider aspects of exposure (e.g. timing, pattern, and amount) and outcome (fixed or time-varying), while also addressing minimizing bias. In this article, we will describe several analytic approaches for longitudinal data, including developmental trajectory analysis, generalized estimating equations, and mixed effect models. For each analytic strategy, we describe appropriate situations to use the method and provide an example that demonstrates the use of the method. Clinical data related to alcohol consumption and HIV are used to illustrate these methods.
Changes in Treatment Patterns in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Initiating Biologic and Nonbiologic Therapy in a Clinical Registry

Objective. Treatment options for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have increased and improved in the past decade; treatment patterns in PsA remain poorly understood. Understanding current practices would aid in treatment management of patients with PsA. Methods. This observational study was based on data from the Corrona registry of adult patients with PsA in North America collected between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2012. Patients were divided among 3 therapy cohorts: tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) monotherapy, methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy, and TNFi and MTX combination therapy. Patients were further divided among 3 study periods to understand changes over time: 2004–2006, 2007–2009, and 2010–2012. Data were collected on persistence, discontinuation, restarting, switching, adding/dropping therapy, and dose stretching. Results. This study included 520 patients: 190 TNFi monotherapy, 217 MTX monotherapy, and 113 combination therapy; 110 from 2004 to 2006, 192 from 2007 to 2009, and 218 from 2010 to 2012. Over time, the proportion of patients initiating TNFi monotherapy decreased, while the proportion initiating combination therapy remained constant. The percentage of patients who were persistent decreased over time across all therapy cohorts, but remained higher in TNFi monotherapy than in other cohorts. Duration of persistence decreased over time. Patients initiating MTX monotherapy were more likely than their TNFi counterparts to add therapy. Conclusion. Treatment patterns in patients with PsA have changed from 2004 to 2012. Physicians are not more likely to initiate TNFi monotherapy, although clinical evidence supporting its effectiveness has increased over this study period, and patients remain more persistent with it.
Research articles suggestion using topic modelling

Searching research articles effectively is significantly important to researchers. Currently, researchers use search engines like Google Scholar and search by keywords. The typical search result includes a lot of articles which match the keywords exactly; however, they are on many different topics. It is very time and effort consuming to go through the articles manually and select desirable ones. We propose a method to search articles by topics. Our method trains on a large set of articles and analyzes every article in it to generate its distribution over topics. The method recommends articles to the researcher by analyzing the input given by her/him and comparing with the topic distribution of all articles in the training set. The articles with most similar distributions are recommended to the researcher. In this way, articles are recommended by matching by topics rather than keywords. Our experimental results are analyzed using Mean average precision (MAP) and Normalized Discounted Cumulative Gain (NDCG). The obtained results demonstrate that our method successfully extracts the topics beneath the words of an article and recommend closely related ones.