Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health plan pay-for-performance strategies.

OBJECTIVE To examine health plan strategies, planning, development, and implementation of pay-for-performance programs (financial incentives for hospitals and physicians tied to quality and efficiency) at the community level, focusing on differences across markets. STUDY DESIGN A fifth round of site visits to 12 nationally representative metropolitan areas between January 2005 and June 2005, based on more than 1000 protocol-driven interviews with representatives from health plans, provider organizations, employers, and policy makers. METHODS In each of 12 communities, we interviewed several executives from 35 health plans, including chief executive officers, marketing executives, and network contracting directors. Additional perspectives were obtained from representatives of employers, large medical groups, and hospital systems. RESULTS Growing numbers of health plans are developing and implementing pay-for-performance programs for physicians and hospitals. Although in their early stages, plans' customized programs show substantial design variation within and across markets. This design variation reflects local conditions that include information technology capabilities, data availability, relative leverage of health plans and providers, willingness of providers to participate, and employer influence. The concerns of providers include the administrative burden of health plans' customized programs and the potential for conflicting financial incentives. CONCLUSIONS Most health plans are committed to pay-for-performance programs. Although providers would prefer health plans in their communities to use a single standardized set of measures and methods, this is unlikely given local market environments. A national effort directed at standardization might significantly reduce the extent of customization but also may limit the opportunities for local collaboration with providers.
Deterministic Chaos Approach to Multistable Perception

Multistable perception is perception in which two (or more) interpretations of the same ambiguous image alternate while an obserber looks at them. Perception undergoes involuntary and random-like change. The question arises whether the apparent randomness of alternation is real (that is, due to a stochastic process) or whether any underlying deterministic structure to it exists. In this paper, we examine the spatially coherent temporal behaviors of multistable perception model based on the chaotic neural network from the viewpoint of bottom-up high dimensional approach, aiming at the functioning of chaos in dynamic perceptual processes.
Motion-Compensated Frame Interpolation on Contrast Enhanced Video

Contrast enhancement plays an important role in the improvement of visual quality for computer vision, pattern recognition, and the processing of digital images and videos. Efficient contrast enhancement using adaptive Gamma correction with weighting distribution is an efficient method to modify histograms and enhance contrast in videos. A major problem faced by this approach is the discontinuity in the resulting enhanced video due to some missing frames. To cope up with this problem we merge the concept of interpolation with contrast enhancement. Here we use a motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) algorithm to increase video temporal resolutions based on multihypothesis motion estimation and texture optimization. Thus the proposed method improves the brightness of dim videos via the gamma correction and probability distribution of luminance and MCFI algorithm preserves the continuity of the enhanced video.
Goodness of Pattern and Pattern Uncertainty 1

A visual configuration, or pattern, has qualities over and above those which can be specified by designating the physical properties of each element of the pattern. The Gestalt psychologists have particularly emphasized the fact that a pattern also has organization, that it exists as an entity. This Gestalt property does not exist in the same amount for all patterns, so we speak of the "goodness" of a pattern; and some patterns have more goodness than others. While many of the Gestalt principles of perception, such as proximity, similarity, continuation, symmetry, etc., have helped in understanding the nature of pattern goodness, there has not been a good unifying concept for the phenomenon. More recently, the concept of redundancy, as developed in information theory, has appealed to many psychologists as a possible unifying idea. Attneave (1954) developed a technique for estimating the redundancy of a single pattern, and Attneave and Arnoult (1956) described ways of generating visual forms with different amounts of randomness. Later Attneave ( 1957) showed that judged complexity of form was related to such things as number of turns in the figure, variability of angular change, and symmetry. Hochberg and McAlister (1953) and also Hochberg and Brooks (1960) have used a similar approach in studying the factors
Snapshot isolation and integrity constraints in replicated databases

Database replication is widely used for fault tolerance and performance. However, it requires replica control to keep data copies consistent despite updates. The traditional correctness criterion for the concurrent execution of transactions in a replicated database is 1-copy-serializability. It is based on serializability, the strongest isolation level in a nonreplicated system. In recent years, however, Snapshot Isolation (SI), a slightly weaker isolation level, has become popular in commercial database systems. There exist already several replica control protocols that provide SI in a replicated system. However, most of the correctness reasoning for these protocols has been rather informal. Additionally, most of the work so far ignores the issue of integrity constraints. In this article, we provide a formal definition of 1-copy-SI using and extending a well-established definition of SI in a nonreplicated system. Our definition considers integrity constraints in a way that conforms to the way integrity constraints are handled in commercial systems. We discuss a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for a replicated history to be producible under 1-copy-SI. This makes our formalism a convenient tool to prove the correctness of replica control algorithms.
INFLUENCE OF VIRAL REPLICATION MECHANISMS ON WITHIN‐HOST EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS

Viruses replicate their genomes using a variety of mechanisms, leading to different distributions of mutations among their progeny. Yet, models of viral evolution often only consider the mean mutation rate. To investigate when and how replication mechanisms impact viral evolution, we analyze the early dynamics of within‐host infection for two idealized cases: when all offspring virions from an infected cell carry the same genotype, mutated or not; and when mutations occur independently across offspring virions. Other replication life histories fall between these extremes. Using branching process models, we study the probability that viral infection becomes established when mutations are lethal, and in the more general case of two strains of different fitness. For a given mean mutation rate, we show that a lineage of viruses with correlated mutations is less likely to survive than with independent mutations, but when it survives, the viral population grows faster. While this holds true for all parameter regimes, replication life history has a quantitatively significant influence on viral dynamics when stochastic effects are important and when mutations are crucial for survival—conditions typical of evolutionary escape situations.
Rien n'est jamais acquis. Ou de la permanence de l'objet... de polemiques

La psychologie du nourrisson a ete marquee dans les annees 1960 a 1990 par la production d’un grand nombre de faits nouveaux, lesquels ont suscite pendant longtemps plus de reactions admiratives ou sceptiques que de discussions theoriques. La situation est semble-t-il en train de changer puisque deux revues anglophones viennent de publier une serie de points de vue sur les connaissances actuelles en psychologie du nourrisson, dans lesquelles une polemique tres vive s’instaure. Il s’agit d’une contestation, parfois radicale, du nativisme et d’une opposition entre nativisme et empirisme, mais il s’agit aussi d’une discussion sur l’interpretation des donnees dans les experiences faites avec les bebes : aux interpretations en termes cognitifs (en particulier la permanence precoce de l’objet) sont opposees des interpretations jugees par leurs auteurs comme plus conformes au principe de parcimonie. Ces debats, dans lesquels sont impliques des acteurs choisis parmi les principaux dans la recherche sur le bebe aux Etats-Unis d’Amerique, sont synthetises dans le present article et confrontes aux positions theoriques de son auteur.
Classifying Relations for Biomedical Named Entity Disambiguation

Named entity disambiguation concerns linking a potentially ambiguous mention of named entity in text to an unambiguous identifier in a standard database. One approach to this task is supervised classification. However, the availability of training data is often limited, and the available data sets tend to be imbalanced and, in some cases, heterogeneous. We propose a new method that distinguishes a named entity by finding the informative keywords in its surrounding context, and then trains a model to predict whether each keyword indicates the semantic class of the entity. While maintaining a comparable performance to supervised classification, this method avoids using expensive manually annotated data for each new domain, and thus achieves better portability.
Long‐Term morbidity in patients where the initial suspicion of myocardial infarction was not confirmed

The morbidity and mortality during a 5‐year follow‐up in thcoronary care unit with chest pain presenting an initial suspicion of acute infarction, but in whom the diagnosis could not be confirmed, is reported. They were divided into four groups: Possible myocardial infarction (29%), angina pectoris (24%), chest pain of uncertain origin (32%), and nonischemic cause of chest pain (15%). The overall 5‐year mortality rate was 13.3 % and did not differ substantially between the four groups. During the 5‐year follow‐up a confirmed myocardial infarction developed in 28% and 22% among patients with the diagnosis possible infarction and angina pectoris, respectively, and in about 10% of the remaining patients. Stroke developed in 4% of patients with possible infarction and in 2‐3% in the remaining subgroups. In all, 59% of the patients were rehospitalized for a mean duration of 30 days in hospital. Among survivors at 5 years, 54% reported chest pain equivalent to angina pectoris and 25% had chest pain daily. A high prevalence of angina pectoris, a high frequency of rehospitalization due to chest pain, and a high consumption of cardiovascular drugs could be found in all four groups.
¿Existe un patrón general expresivo en la detección de la mentira? Reconsideraciones acerca de Becerra, Sánchez y Carrera (1989)

Resumen Frente a la visión tradicional que sostiene la existencia de claves conductuales discretas a que atender en la detección de la mentira, válidas para juzgar la conducta de cualquier emisor, algunos autores optan por postular la existencia de señales de naturaleza idiosincrásica. Ello se basa en los estudios que muestran una mayor precisión de los observadores al detectar la mentira de un emisor del que previamente se ha visto una muestra de conducta honesta. A dicha idiosincrasia Becerra, Sánchez y Carrera (1989) añaden la posibilidad de que, más que indicadores discretos, lo que permite detectar la mentira es la existencia de un patrón general expresivo en la conducta del emisor, que se percibiría alterado cuando éste miente. Replicamos parcialmente su estudio con nuestros propios datos, concluyendo que: (a) la precisión al juzgar una segunda declaración no es mayor en sujetos que previamente han visto al mismo emisor comportándose verazmente (considerando o no dicha conducta como veraz) que en aquellos que lo han visto actuando de forma engañosa; y (b) de haber un patrón general expresivo en la conducta de sujetos honestos y mentirosos, éste no se detecta por los observadores, sean éstos policías (alumnos de 2° en la Academia de Policía) o estudiantes de psicología.
Lexicographically optimal balanced networks

We consider the problem of allocating bandwidth between two endpoints of a backbone network so that no parts of the network are unnecessarily loaded. We formulate the problem as lexicographic optimization, and develop algorithms for its solution. The solution consists of (a) identifying a cut in the network where the optimal load can be determined on all the links of the cut, and (b) considering the same problem in each of the subnetworks to which the cut is dividing the original network.
Application of the Speed-Duration Relationship to Normalize the Intensity of High-Intensity Interval Training

The tolerable duration of continuous high-intensity exercise is determined by the hyperbolic Speed-tolerable duration (S-tLIM) relationship. However, application of the S-tLIM relationship to normalize the intensity of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has yet to be considered, with this the aim of present study. Subjects completed a ramp-incremental test, and series of 4 constant-speed tests to determine the S-tLIM relationship. A sub-group of subjects (n = 8) then repeated 4 min bouts of exercise at the speeds predicted to induce intolerance at 4 min (WR4), 6 min (WR6) and 8 min (WR8), interspersed with bouts of 4 min recovery, to the point of exercise intolerance (fixed WR HIIT) on different days, with the aim of establishing the work rate that could be sustained for 960 s (i.e. 4×4 min). A sub-group of subjects (n = 6) also completed 4 bouts of exercise interspersed with 4 min recovery, with each bout continued to the point of exercise intolerance (maximal HIIT) to determine the appropriate protocol for maximizing the amount of high-intensity work that can be completed during 4×4 min HIIT. For fixed WR HIIT tLIM of HIIT sessions was 399±81 s for WR4, 892±181 s for WR6 and 1517±346 s for WR8, with total exercise durations all significantly different from each other (P<0.050). For maximal HIIT, there was no difference in tLIM of each of the 4 bouts (Bout 1: 229±27 s; Bout 2: 262±37 s; Bout 3: 235±49 s; Bout 4: 235±53 s; P>0.050). However, there was significantly less high-intensity work completed during bouts 2 (153.5±40. 9 m), 3 (136.9±38.9 m), and 4 (136.7±39.3 m), compared with bout 1 (264.9±58.7 m; P>0.050). These data establish that WR6 provides the appropriate work rate to normalize the intensity of HIIT between subjects. Maximal HIIT provides a protocol which allows the relative contribution of the work rate profile to physiological adaptations to be considered during alternative intensity-matched HIIT protocols.
Gender Disparities in the Presentation, Management and Outcomes of Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: Data from the 2nd Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE-2)

Background Gender-related differences in mortality of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been reported. The extent and causes of these differences in the Middle-East are poorly understood. We studied to what extent difference in outcome, specifically 1-year mortality are attributable to demographic, baseline clinical differences at presentation, and management differences between female and male patients. Methodology/Principal Findings Baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year mortality of 7390 ACS patients in 65 hospitals in 6 Arabian Gulf countries were evaluated during 2008–2009, as part of the 2nd Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE-2). Women were older (61.3±11.8 vs. 55.6±12.4; P<0.001), more overweight (BMI: 28.1±6.6 vs. 26.7±5.1; P<0.001), and more likely to have a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia or diabetes. Fewer women than men received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE), aspirin, clopidogrel, beta blockers or statins at discharge. They also underwent fewer invasive procedures including angiography (27.0% vs. 34.0%; P<0.001), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (10.5% vs. 15.6%; P<0.001) and reperfusion therapy (6.9% vs. 20.2%; P<0.001) than men. Women were at higher unadjusted risk for in-hospital death (6.8% vs. 4.0%, P<0.001) and heart failure (HF) (18% vs. 11.8%, P<0.001). Both 1-month and 1-year mortality rates were higher in women than men (11% vs. 7.4% and 17.3% vs. 11.4%, respectively, P<0.001). Both baseline and management differences contributed to a worse outcome in women. Together these variables explained almost all mortality disparities. Conclusions/Significance Differences between genders in mortality appeared to be largely explained by differences in prognostic variables and management patterns. However, the origin of the latter differences need further study.
Real time and embedded implementation of hybrid algorithm for speech enhancement

The speech enhancement techniques are required to improve the speech signal quality without causing any offshoot in many applications. Recently the growing use of cellular and mobile phones, hands free systems, VoIP phones, voice messaging service, call service centers etc. require efficient real time speech enhancement and detection strategies to make them superior over conventional speech communication systems. The speech enhancement algorithms are required to deal with additive noise and convolutive distortion that occur in any wireless communication system. Also the single channel (one microphone) signal is available in real environments. The short time spectral amplitude or attenuation (STSA) based algorithm particularly minimum mean square error-log spectral amplitude (MMSE-LSA) is used in practice for background noise suppression. However, it is generating artifact called musical noise and has poor performance in low SNR (0–10dB), reverberant and nonstationary noise backgrounds. Hence an algorithm which has a dual capacity to enhance speech corrupted by additive noise and degraded by reverberation is desired. The relative spectral amplitude (RASTA) algorithm is used as a preprocessor to improve performance of speech recognition systems in reverberating and noisy environment. It can be interactively combined with STSA approach. This paper evaluates such hybrid algorithm in terms of objective and subjective measures. The real time implementation is done on PC using SIMULINK from Mathworks and embedded implementation is done on TMS320C6713 DSP from Texas Instruments using DSP Starter kit- DSK 6713 from Spectrum Digital Incorporation. The profile report of both the implementations are generated and compared.
Supplementary Information Supplementary Figures

Supplementary Figure 1: Determination of the distribution of RT on the T/P substrate from anisotropy (r) data. A) Predicted response of r and to hydrodynamic radius. The hypothetical r value for the RT-T/P complex based on molecular weight (MW) is indicated by arrow. The range for the experimentally observed r values from Figure 1a is highlighted in pink. B) Schematic illustrating the slow ( slow) and fast ( fast) tumbling of the fluorescence dye attached to the T/P substrate. The Perrin equation which includes contributions from  slow and fast is also shown. C) A simplified model of RT sliding (black oval) on the T/P substrate (blue lines). If RT moves toward the +10 position, it interacts with the fluorescein dye (green). A plot of  slow as a function of the position of RT on the T/P substrate is also shown. D) Relationship between r values, predicted from the model in (C), and the standard deviations (σ) for the distributions of RT on the T/P. The response to changes in is dependent on the constant where 1 < 10. Values of  derived were derived for the experimentally determined r values for the RT-T/P, RT-T/P-dNTP and RT-T/P-EFV complexes (dotted lines) are were used to plot Figure 1b).
Transcriptional upregulation of HSP70‐2 by HIF‐1 in cancer cells in response to hypoxia

Heat shock protein 70‐2 (HSP70‐2) can be expressed by cancer cells and act as an important regulator of cancer cell growth and survival. Here, we show the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia regulate HSP70‐2 expression in cancer cells. When cells were subjected to hypoxia (1% O2), the expression of HSP70‐2 had a significant increase in cancer cells. Such increase was due to the direct binding of hypoxia‐inducible factor to hypoxia‐responsive elements (HREs) in the HSP70‐2 promoter. By luciferase assays, we demonstrated that the HRE1 at position −446 was essential for transcriptional activation of HSP70‐2 promoter under hypoxic conditions. We also demonstrated that HIF‐1α binds to the HSP70‐2 promoter and the binding is specific, as revealed by HIF binding/competition and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Consequently, the upregulation of HSP70‐2 enhanced the resistance of tumor cells to hypoxia‐induced apoptosis. These findings provide a new insight into how tumor cells overcome hypoxic stress and survive, and also disclose a new regulatory mechanism of HSP70‐2 expression in tumor cells. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Chattering-free sliding mode control based on support vector regression

In order to deal with time delay in the system and saturation in the input, a new chattering free support vector regression sliding mode control (SVR-SMC) law based on 1(LMIs) is proposed. The sign function of reaching law in conventional sliding mode control (SMC) is replaced by output of SVR. An equivalent matrix is constructed for input saturation condition in the scheme. The feasibility and effectiveness of the SVR-SMC scheme are demonstrated via numerical examples. Simulation results illustrate that the closed-loop system has desired performance and control input is chattering free.
Real-time integrated CCTV using face and pedestrian detection image processing algorithm for automatic traffic light transitions

With the technology today, detection of pedestrian was introduced to decrease the accidents in the roads. It was implemented on the traffic lights and cars. In this paper, integration of face detection and pedestrian takes place on the device called Raspberry Pi. OpenCV was used for the detections and programmed in Python. The webcam was used to capture images in real-time. The images was processed at the microprocessor. When pedestrians were detected, the microprocessor played the recorded voice and outputs it to the connecting speaker to notify those pedestrians or the pedestrian to wait before crossing until such time. The microprocessor sends a signal to the Gizduino to process the time of the red light's on state. The microcontroller was programmed with the traffic signals. When it receives a signal from the microprocessor, it added an extra seconds to the red light's on state. Afterwards, when it returned, it changed back to its original on state. The methods used for analyzing the data obtained were the Classification method and the Chi-square statistical test analysis. After testing, gathering data and computing each classification with the use of chi-square formula, the result of the success rate was 87.33% that showed that face and pedestrian detection that was integrated in the system successfully worked.