Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis

Background: In the last years were published many epidemiological articles aiming to link driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) with the risk of various unfavorable traffic events (UTEs), with sometimes contradictory results. Aim: The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether there is a significant association between DUIC and UTEs. Materials and Methods: We used two meta-analytical methods to assess the statistical significance of the effect size: random-effects model and inverse variance heterogeneity model. Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis. We obtained significant increases in the effect size for DUIC tested through blood analysis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.97 and a confidence interval (CI) between 1.35 and 2.87; death as an outcome, with an OR of 1.56 and a CI between 1.16 and 2.09; and case–control as the type of study, with an OR of 1.99 and a CI between 1.05 and 3.80. Publication bias was very high. Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that the overall effect size for DUIC on UTEs is not statistically significant, but there are significant differences obtained through subgroup analysis. This result might be caused by either methodological flaws (which are often encountered in articles on this topic), the indiscriminate employment of the term “cannabis use,” or an actual absence of an adverse effect. When a driver is found, in traffic, with a positive reaction suggesting cannabis use, the result should be corroborated by either objective data regarding marijuana usage (like blood analyses, with clear cut-off values), or a clinical assessment of the impairment, before establishing his/her fitness to drive.
Who is a Middle Manager: A literature Review

To achieve organisational objectives in an organisation, different levels of management are involved with different degrees of power, authority, and responsibility. The breath of authority and responsibility in an organisation depends on a clear definition of management level [51]. Since one management level which engages in many unique tasks within the organisation is middle management, it is essential to identify the concept of middle management and to define their functions. Abstract
Understanding the mechanical and interfacial properties of core–shell structured bamboo–plastic composites

Core–shell structured bamboo–plastic composites (BPCs) were directly prepared with a single-screw/single-screw coextruder system. The effects of different shell layers, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), bamboo pulp fiber (BPF)/HDPE, and white mud (WM)/HDPE, were studied in the context of the mechanical properties and the characteristics of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of BPC. The mechanical properties of the core–shell structured BPC were characterized by flexure, short-beam shear, and impact tests. The surface morphologies of BPC were analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscopy. The ITZ properties were studied with dynamic mechanical analysis and nano-indentation testing. The results show that the flexural properties, short-beam strength, and impact strength decreased profoundly in the presence of BPF or WM. The dynamic mechanical analysis results suggest that the ITZ properties decreased, as indicated by the reductions in the storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss factor; the nano-indentation results show that on the addition of BPF or WM, a gradient in the hardness and modulus of elasticity appeared across ITZ. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43053.
Publication Rates of Abstracts Presented at Annual Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Meetings

Beware of the unpublished abstract! What is the publication rate of abstracts presented at Musculoskeletal Tumor Society meetings, and how does this compare with other orthopaedic and medical meetings? Three hundred thirty-six podium presentations from six annual meetings were identified and their publication was searched at a minimum of 3 years after the event. An effort was made to determine what percent of these abstracts eventually were published in a peer-reviewed journal. It was determined that 137 abstracts were published for a publication rate of 41%. The average time between presentation at the meeting and publication was 21.8 plus or minus 13.5 months. The published articles appeared in 48 peer-reviewed journals. The rate of publication and time until publication was similar to other orthopaedic meetings and to other medical disciplines. Changes to the cohort, title, or authors occurred in approximately 1/3 of the published articles compared with the abstracts. These results suggest that for various reasons the majority of presented material at Musculoskeletal Tumor Society meetings may not survive peer review and may not be scientifically valid.
Analysis of impedance matched circuit for wireless power transfer

Typical wireless power transfer systems utilize series compensation circuit which is based on magnetic coupling and resonance principles that was first developed by Tesla. However, changes in coupling caused by gap distance, alignment and orientation variations can lead to reduce power transfer efficiencies and the transferred power levels. This paper proposes impedance matched circuit to reduce frequency bifurcation effect and improve on the transferred power level, efficiency and total harmonic distortion (THD) performance of the series compensation circuit. A comprehensive mathematical analysis is performed for both series and impedance matched circuits to show the frequency bifurcation effects in terms of input impedance, variations in transferred power levels and efficiencies. Matlab/Simulink results validate the theoretical analysis and shows the circuits' THD performance when circuits are fed with power electronic converters.
DFMG reverses proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells induced by co-culture with injured vascular endothelial cells via suppression of the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway

7-Difluoromethoxy-5,4′-dimethoxy-genistein (DFMG) is a novel chemical compound synthesized using genistein. Previous studies have indicated that DFMG can reverse the apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) by regulating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The present study aimed to investigate the activity and molecular mechanism underlying DFMG-mediated protection of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) using a non-contact co-culture model established by using Transwell insert. Secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Proliferation and migration of VSMCs were assessed using a Cell Counting kit-8 and wound healing assays, respectively. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA and protein levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses, respectively. In the present study, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) significantly increased the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in VECs. VECs treated with LPC markedly increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs, which were inhibited by DFMG. Transfection of either TLR4 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or TLR4 cDNA in VECs inhibited and increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs, respectively. Furthermore, transfection of VECs with TLR4 shRNA suppressed the proliferation and migration of VSMCs induced by co-culture with injured VECs, which was further enhanced by treatment with DFMG. By contrast, transfection of VECs with TLR4 cDNA enhanced proliferation and migration of VSMCs and this effect was inhibited by treatment with DFMG. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that DFMG can reverse proliferation and migration of VSMCs induced by co-culture with injured VECs via suppression of the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway.
Representing Knowledge Consistently Across Health Systems

Summary Objectives: Electronic health records (EHRs) have increasingly emerged as a powerful source of clinical data that can be leveraged for reuse in research and in modular health apps that integrate into diverse health information technologies. A key challenge to these use cases is representing the knowledge contained within data from different EHR systems in a uniform fashion. Method: We reviewed several recent studies covering the knowledge representation in the common data models for the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) and its Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics program, and the United States Patient Centered Outcomes Research Network (PCORNet). We also reviewed the Health Level 7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource standard supporting app-like programs that can be used across multiple EHR and research systems. Results: There has been a recent growth in high-impact efforts to support quality-assured and standardized clinical data sharing across different institutions and EHR systems. We focused on three major efforts as part of a larger landscape moving towards shareable, transportable, and computable clinical data. Conclusion: The growth in approaches to developing common data models to support interoperable knowledge representation portends an increasing availability of high-quality clinical data in support of research. Building on these efforts will allow a future whereby significant portions of the populations in the world may be able to share their data for research.
A Bayesian Approach to Query Language Identification

In this paper we present a Bayesian approach to language identification of queries sent to an information retrieval system. The aim of the work is to identify both the language of a query as a whole and the language of particular words in the query. The method is evaluated on a test set of manually labelled queries. The evaluation shows that our method performs better than the Google Language Detect API and an implementation of the n-gram method on our testing set of queries.
Definition, discrimination, diagnosis and treatment of central breathing disturbances during sleep

The complexity of central breathing disturbances during sleep has become increasingly obvious. They present as central sleep apnoeas (CSAs) and hypopnoeas, periodic breathing with apnoeas, or irregular breathing in patients with cardiovascular, other internal or neurological disorders, and can emerge under positive airway pressure treatment or opioid use, or at high altitude. As yet, there is insufficient knowledge on the clinical features, pathophysiological background and consecutive algorithms for stepped-care treatment. Most recently, it has been discussed intensively if CSA in heart failure is a “marker” of disease severity or a “mediator” of disease progression, and if and which type of positive airway pressure therapy is indicated. In addition, disturbances of respiratory drive or the translation of central impulses may result in hypoventilation, associated with cerebral or neuromuscular diseases, or severe diseases of lung or thorax. These statements report the results of an European Respiratory Society Task Force addressing actual diagnostic and therapeutic standards. The statements are based on a systematic review of the literature and a systematic two-step decision process. Although the Task Force does not make recommendations, it describes its current practice of treatment of CSA in heart failure and hypoventilation. Description of the actual approach to differential diagnosis and treatment options in central breathing disturbances http://ow.ly/QsE9304Jt8f
Virtual geographic environments in socio-environmental modeling: a fancy distraction or a key to communication?

ABSTRACT Modeling and simulation are recognized as effective tools for management and decision support across various disciplines; however, poor communication of results to the end users is a major obstacle for properly using and understanding model output. Visualizations can play an essential role in making modeling results accessible for management and decision-making. Virtual reality (VR) and virtual geographic environments (VGEs) are popular and potentially very rewarding ways to visualize socio-environmental models. However, there is a fundamental conflict between abstraction and realism: models are goal-driven, and created to simplify reality and to focus on certain crucial aspects of the system; VR, in the meanwhile, by definition, attempts to replicate reality as closely as possible. This elevated realism may add to the complexity curse in modeling, and the message might be diluted by too many (background) details. This is also connected to information overload and cognitive load. Moreover, modeling is always associated with the treatment of uncertainty – something difficult to present in VR. In this paper, we examine the use of VR and, specifically, VGEs in socio-environmental modeling, and discuss how VGEs and simulation modeling can be married in a mutually beneficial way that makes VGEs more effective for users, while enhancing simulation models.
Maximum power transfer of PV-fed inverter-based distributed generation with improved voltage regulation using flywheel energy storage systems

One of the main issues accompanied with the high penetration of PV distributed generation (DG) systems in low voltage (LV) networks is the overvoltage challenge. The amount of injected power to the grid is directly related to the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC), which necessitates limiting the amount of injected power to the grid to conservative values compared to the available capacity from the PV panels particularly at light loading. In order to mitigate the tradeoff between injecting the maximum amount of electrical power and voltage rise phenomena, many control schemes were suggested in order to optimize the operation of PV DG energy sources as well as maintaining safe voltage levels. Unlike these conventional methods, this paper proposes a combined PV inverter-based distributed generation and flywheel energy storage system to ensure improved voltage regulation as well as making use of the maximum available power from the PV source at any instant, decoupling its relation with the terminal voltage. The concluded assumptions were simulated through Matlab/Simulink and verified experimentally.
Circulatory power and ventilatory power over time under goal-oriented sequential combination therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Many therapeutic options are available for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, little is known about the effects of sequential combination therapy on exercise capacity. Here we monitored exercise capacity by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and observed the benefit of using a peak VO2 cutoff of 15 mL/kg/min to guide combination therapy. Thirty patients newly diagnosed with PAH were treated with goal-oriented sequential combination therapy. Endothelin receptor antagonists (ERA) were the first-line treatment, with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) as the preferred combination partner. The patients underwent cardiac catheterization at baseline and after 12 months and CPX at baseline and after three, six, and 12 months. Circulatory power (CP) was defined as the product of peak O2 uptake and peak systolic blood pressure (SBP); ventilatory power (VP) was defined as peak SBP divided by the minute ventilation–CO2 production slope. After 12 months, ERA had been administered to 100% of the study patients and PDE-5i to 82%. Mean CP at baseline and after three, six, and 12 months was 1807, 2063, 2248, and 2245 mmHg·min/mL/kg, respectively, and mean VP was 2.93, 3.53, 4.16, and 3.68 mmHg, respectively. CP was greater after 6 months than at baseline (P = 0.047); VP was greater after three months than at baseline (P = 0.019) and further improved at six months compared with three months (P = 0.040). Therefore, repeated CPX assessment, including measurement of CP and VP, can provide useful information regarding the efficacy of goal-oriented treatment for PAH.
Protective effects of carbonyl iron against multiple low‐dose streptozotocin‐induced diabetes in rodents

Particulate adjuvants have shown increasing promise as effective, safe, and durable agents for the stimulation of immunity, or alternatively, the suppression of autoimmunity. Here we examined the potential of the adjuvant carbonyl iron (CI) for the modulation of organ‐specific autoimmune disease—type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D was induced by multiple low doses of streptozotocin (MLDS) that initiates beta cell death and triggers immune cell infiltration into the pancreatic islets. The results of this study indicate that the single in vivo application of CI to MLDS‐treated DA rats, CBA/H mice, or C57BL/6 mice successfully counteracted the development of insulitis and hyperglycemia. The protective action was obtained either when CI was applied 7 days before, simultaneously with the first dose of streptozotocin, or 1 day after MLDS treatment. Ex vivo cell analysis of C57BL/6 mice showed that CI treatment reduced the proportion of proinflammatory F4/80+CD40+ M1 macrophages and activated T lymphocytes in the spleen. Moreover, the treatment down‐regulated the number of inflammatory CD4+IFN‐γ+ cells in pancreatic lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and pancreas‐infiltrating mononuclear cells, while simultaneously potentiating proportion of CD4+IL17+ cells. The regulatory arm of the immune system represented by CD3+NK1.1+ (NKT) and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells was potentiated after CI treatment. In vitro analysis showed that CI down‐regulated CD40 and CD80 expression on dendritic cells thus probably interfering with their antigen‐presenting ability. In conclusion, particulate adjuvant CI seems to suppress the activation of the innate immune response, which further affects the adaptive immune response directed toward pancreatic beta cells.
An estimation method of antagonistic ratios of functional effective muscles of upper limb based on maximum force distribution at end-effector

Functional effective muscle (FEM) theory can derive characteristics of limbs theoretically from detailed muscular strength. However, it is difficult to measure each muscular strength directly from outside the body. This paper proposes a new method for the estimation of muscular strength from maximum output force distribution at the end-effector of a limb. The proposed estimation method based on FEM theory is verified from the experimental results which are conducted on three subjects.
Dynamic Fusion Networks for Machine Reading Comprehension

This paper presents a novel neural model - Dynamic Fusion Network (DFN), for machine reading comprehension (MRC). DFNs differ from most state-of-the-art models in their use of a dynamic multi-strategy attention process, in which passages, questions and answer candidates are jointly fused into attention vectors, along with a dynamic multi-step reasoning module for generating answers. With the use of reinforcement learning, for each input sample that consists of a question, a passage and a list of candidate answers, an instance of DFN with a sample-specific network architecture can be dynamically constructed by determining what attention strategy to apply and how many reasoning steps to take. Experiments show that DFNs achieve the best result reported on RACE, a challenging MRC dataset that contains real human reading questions in a wide variety of types. A detailed empirical analysis also demonstrates that DFNs can produce attention vectors that summarize information from questions, passages and answer candidates more effectively than other popular MRC models.
Present and Future Trends in Consumer Health Informatics and Patient-Generated Health Data

Summary Objectives: Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) and the use of Patient-Generated Health Data (PGHD) are rapidly growing focus areas in healthcare. The objective of this paper is to briefly review the literature that has been published over the past few years and to provide a sense of where the field is going. Methods: We searched PubMed and the ACM Digital Library for articles published between 2014 and 2016 on the topics of CHI and PGHD. The results of the search were screened for relevance and categorized into a set of common themes. We discuss the major topics covered in these articles. Results: We retrieved 65 articles from our PubMed query and 32 articles from our ACM Digital Library query. After a review of titles, we were left with 47 articles to conduct our full article survey of the activities in CHI and PGHD. We have summarized these articles and placed them into major categories of activity. Within the domain of consumer health informatics, articles focused on mobile health and patient-generated health data comprise the majority of the articles published in recent years. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that technological advancements and the widespread availability of affordable consumer-grade devices are fueling research into using PGHD for better care. As we observe a growing number of (pilot) developments using various mobile health technologies to collect PGHD, major gaps still exist in how to use the data by both patients and providers. Further research is needed to understand the impact of PGHD on clinical outcomes.
Generating Semantic Orientation Lexicon using Large Data and Thesaurus

We propose a novel method to construct semantic orientation lexicons using large data and a thesaurus. To deal with large data, we use Count-Min sketch to store the approximate counts of all word pairs in a bounded space of 8GB. We use a thesaurus (like Roget) to constrain near-synonymous words to have the same polarity. This framework can easily scale to any language with a thesaurus and a unzipped corpus size 50 GB (12 billion tokens). We evaluate these lexicons intrinsically and extrinsically, and they perform comparable when compared to other existing lexicons.
Chemical Crosslinking Method of Microcapsule to Cotton Fabrics with Functional Finishing

This paper mainly studied on gelatin-arabic gum microcapsules containing artemsia argyi oil application to functional finishing for fabrics. 2D resin was used as a crosslinking agent, and the microcapsules were grafted onto the cotton fabrics by chemical crosslinking methods. The fabrics were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The washing durability, wrinkle-free performance and the formaldehyde content of the microcapsule fabrics were tested. The results show that chemical crosslinking reaction happens with the microcapsules, cotton fabrics and 2D resin in the microcapsule finishing process for cotton fabrics, by bridge role of 2D resin, microcapsules are fixed onto cotton fabrics. Therefore,the effect of washing antimicrobial resistance for microcapsules fabric is improved, while 2D resin confers on the fabric a better wrinkle-free performance, and the role of crosslinking reduces the quantity of formaldehyde release at a certain extent.