Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for latent tuberculosis infection among children in New York City.

OBJECTIVE Although identification and appropriate treatment of children with latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) is considered critical to the control and elimination of TB in the United States, there are limited data on risk factors for LTBI in pediatric populations. METHODS To further improve targeted screening for LTBI, we performed a matched case-control study from September 1996 to December 1998. We actively surveyed 24 primary care clinics serving Northern Manhattan and Harlem twice monthly for case participants 1 to 5 years old with LTBI, defined as a child with a Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) >/=10 mm and a normal chest radiograph. Two age- and clinic-matched control participants with TSTs equal to 0 mm were enrolled per case. To determine risk factors for LTBI, a bilingual research worker reviewed the medical records of study participants and administered a questionnaire to the parents of participants. RESULTS We enrolled 96 cases and 192 controls whom did not differ by age, gender, ethnicity, and race; overall, the mean age of participants was 2.9 years, 51% were male, 80% were Hispanic, and 9% black. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that contact with an adult with active TB, foreign birth, foreign travel, and a relative with a positive TST were predictive of case status. In contrast, a history of a previous negative TST proved protective and BCG immunization was not an independent risk factor for a positive TST, suggesting that boosting was not important in this population. CONCLUSIONS We identified several risk factors for LTBI in children that can be used to refine targeted surveillance for TB among Hispanic immigrant populations in the United States.
An embedded 12-bit 80MS/s A/D/A interface for power-line communications in 0.13 /spl mu/m pure digital CMOS technology

This paper presents an embedded interface, comprising both A/D and D/A converters, which has been implemented in a 0.13 /spl mu/m pure digital CMOS technology. The interface is integrated in a system for high-performance broad-band powerline communications. The A/D converter uses a pipelined structure, whereas the D/A stage is based on segmented current steering techniques. In both cases, specifications are 12-bit resolution at 80 MS/s and MTPR above 56 dB.
Evil forces and vulnerable brains

A common theme in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies is the struggle with internal and external forces of evil. Determining the source of evil, internal or external, can be a difficult task for the reader. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is seen as the conflicted evil friend who kills Caesar to save Rome, but only because he saw Caesar as a potential threat to freedom. King Lear’s children are often seen as evil, but it is Lear’s pride that leads him to give away his kingdom too early. Coriolanus’ greatness as a warrior is not only the source of his heroic grandeur, but also of a self-destructive evil. He dies embracing his narcissism to the very end, with the help of a very self-righteous and evil mother. In this issue of Neurology, the provocative article by Whalley et al.1 forces us to consider whether AD is a developmental process beginning at conception or whether it is a disease acquired en route to old age. To draw a parallel with Shakespeare, is the evil internal (developmental) or external (acquired)? A cohort of individuals born in Scotland in 1921 underwent intelligence tests at age 11 years in 1932, while attending school. The authors then …
Time scaled collision cone based trajectory optimization approach for reactive planning in dynamic environments

The current paper proposes a trajectory optimization approach for navigating a non-holonomic wheeled mobile robot in dynamic environments. The dynamic obstacle's motion is not known and hence is represented by a band of predicted trajectories. The trajectory optimization can account for large number of predicted obstacle trajectories and seeks to avoid each predicted trajectory of every obstacle in the sensing range of the robot. The two primary contributions of the proposed trajectory optimization are (1): A computationally efficient method for computing the intersection space of collision avoidance constraints of large number of predicted obstacle trajectories. (2): A optimization framework to connect the current state to the solution space in time optimal fashion. The intersection/solution space computation is build on our earlier proposed concept of time scaled collision cone, which can be solved in closed form to obtain a set of formulae. These formulae describe how much and in what manner the temporal specification of a trajectory needs to be changed to avoid a given set of dynamic obstacles. This allows us to quickly evaluate solution space of time scaled collision cone over various candidate trajectories, thus reducing the problem of computing the intersection space to that of generating multiple homotopic trajectories. The optimization framework used to connect the current state to the solution space in time optimal fashion is based on the concept of non-linear time scaling, which induces a difference of convex form structure. Thus, on the theoretical side, we show that the various components of the proposed framework are computationally simple and involves solving sets of linear equations and using state of the art convex programming techniques. On the practical side we show that the proposed planner performs better than sampling based planners which treat dynamic obstacles as static over a short duration of time.
ART failure: oocyte contributions to unsuccessful fertilization.

BACKGROUND The complexity of fertilization failure during assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is often under-appreciated, as this failure can occur at any number of essential mechanistic and cellular events. Importantly, successful fertilization is heavily dependent upon inherent qualities of the oocytes, and thus reliant upon fidelity of oocyte maturation. METHODS Pubmed and medline were searched up to April 2008 for papers on oocyte fertilization and its mechanistic components. References to clinical/human studies were selected wherever possible. RESULTS Successful oocyte maturation cannot simply be determined via visual assessment of polar body extrusion, but rather entails coordination of numerous cytoplasmic processes not readily observed. Proper regulation of intra-oocyte signaling cascades is crucial for sufficient production and storage of carbohydrates and proteins, successful relocation of organelles and regulation of metabolic pathways required for an apparently mature metaphase II oocyte to complete subsequent fertilization events; such as cumulus penetration, sperm/oocyte binding, fusion, oocyte activation, sperm processing and pronuclear (PN) formation. Regulation of oocyte maturation begins during oocyte growth and is intimately connected with events influencing folliculogenesis. Therefore, the oocyte is subject to a multitude of potential effector impacting fertilization potential and developmental competence long before encountering the artificial environment of the IVF laboratory. CONCLUSIONS Although meticulous care and continued research is essential for future improvement, failure to fertilize and properly form PN following clinical ART is likely to be dependent on historical events in oocyte maturation, not easily explained or prevented through simple modification of contemporary laboratory protocols.
Deep-space Optical Terminals (DOT) Ground Laser Transmitter (GLT) Trades and Conceptual Point Design

The research described in this publication was carried out by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. © 2010 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged. A conceptual design for the Deep-space Optical Terminals (DOT) Ground Laser Transmitter (GLT) has been developed. Two trade studies were performed: one to determine the most cost-effective uplink pointing system including the use of multiple and single apertures, and the second to determine the optimal type of laser transmitter for use as a beacon reference source. The baselined design resulting from the trade studies incorporated a single 1-m aperture capable of 16-μrad pointing accuracy with multiple fiber-laser sources providing up to 5 kW average optical power at 1030 nm.
Cost-minimization analysis of treprostinil vs. epoprostenol as an alternate to oral therapy non-responders for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

ABSTRACT Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Treprostinil was compared to epoprostenol for the economic impact of treating IPAH patients who failed or were not candidates for bosentan. Methods: The model was a cost-minimization analysis, assuming clinical equivalence was achieved by proper dosing of both drugs, in terms of survival and surrogate measures. Two theoretical cohorts of 270 patients were treated with subcutaneous treprostinil and intravenous epoprostenol, and were evaluated over 3 years using a spreadsheet model. Annual survival rates were estimated for the cohorts so that at endpoint 114 (42%) patients survived in both groups. The model utilized resource valuation data for medication and supply costs from Medicare; hospital, consultation, surgical, and diagnostic procedural fees from North Carolina hospitals; and costs to treat adverse events from published sources. Costs were obtained from standard lists and were presented as 2003 US dollars, discounted at 3%. Sensitivity analyses were performed testing all model uncertainties. Results: In the base case analysis, treprostinil demonstrated savings of $22 701 and $37 433 per patient over 1- and 3‐year time horizons, respectively. The greatest savings came from reduced or minimal hospitalizations attributed to the dose titration and treatment of adverse events, such as sepsis, associated with epoprostenol and its delivery system. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses resulted in average 3‐year cost-savings of $41 051 (Standard Deviation = $13 902) per patient. Conclusions: By initiating and continuing treatment with treprostinil over a 3‐year period, the economic burden associated with IPAH may be reduced compared to treatment with epoprostenol. The greatest saving with treprostinil was attributed to decreased sepsis.
Development of a 3 D Disparity Estimation Processing Architecture

The dislocation of Camera focus from the movement of an object in mono-camera or variation of an object in stereocamera. Using the Digital Image Processing can correct this problem. Projection is one of these Digital Image processes. It is accumulated axes of data pixel and utilizes to process like correlation. In this paper, we propose a hardware implementation technique of divided region projection for Real-time disparity correction. By dividing the whole image into three-sub regions (left, central and right partition). We have verified some advantages such as less computation in high estimation precision, and Central Region's projection value, one of the three-sub regions, use to correct shift value for realtime image stabilization.
Sélection de variables pour la classification non supervisée par mélanges gaussiens et pour l'analyse discriminante gaussienne

Les procedures actuelles de selection de variables dans le cadre de la classification non supervisee supposent souvent que toutes les variables sont independantes ou sont toutes liees aux variables significatives pour la classification des donnees. Nous proposons une modelisation plus generale basee sur une repartition des variables en trois roles : les variables significatives pour la classification et les variables non significatives; ces dernieres etant reparties en deux categories, celles dependantes d'une partie, voire de la totalite, des variables significatives pour la classification et celles totalement independantes. Cette modelisation du role des variables est exploitee dans le cadre de la classification non supervisee par melanges gaussiens et dans le cadre de l'analyse discriminante gaussienne. Dans les deux contextes, le probleme associe a celui de la selection de variables est ramene a un probleme de selection de modeles. Un critere de type BIC est propose pour la selection. L'identifiabilite des modeles et la consistance du critere sont etablies. L'interet de notre methode de selection de variables dans les deux contextes etudies est mis en evidence par son application sur donnees simulees.
Image Stitching using Harris Feature Detection and Random Sampling

paper the problem of fully automated panoramic image stitching for 2D image is introduced. In this work, stitching two images using invariant local features is used. This algorithm recognises multiple panoramas in an unordered image dataset and uses Harris Corner Detection for detecting the key point i.e. features. RANSAC method is used to choose the closest match between the two images by separating inliers and outliers. For the Image stitching using the inliers, homography matrix is used which requires least 8 feature points . Once the homography matrix is calculated between the two images, a panoramic view by wrapping the two images is generated. To get the efficient homography matrix, the feature points which fall onto the corresponding epipolar lines are selected. In this rectilinear projections are used to project the resulting image. In rectilinear projections images are viewed on two dimensional planes. Harris Corner Detection method is more robust for detecting the corners in the images than other methods. Hence, Harris Corner Detection with RANSAC which gives efficient image stitching.
How Affect Relates to Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Research Agenda

The study of how affect relates to entrepreneurship has become a relevant topic of research in recent years. Unfortunately, such rapid developments have led to theoretical inconsistencies and empirical gaps that could result in an incomplete understanding of entrepreneurship's affective dimensions. To address these issues and motivate future work, the authors conducted a systematic review of 65 articles on the role of affect in entrepreneurship. The results show that research has focused on the valence facet of affect, has paid little attention to affect's role beyond the individual level of analysis, and has devoted more attention to the consequences of affect than to its antecedents. The results also show that unbalanced attention has been paid to affect's role in different stages of the entrepreneurial process. Building on these analyses, the authors propose a research agenda that not only encourages investigations of previously overlooked topics and facets of affect, but also stresses the potential of examining competing cognitive and non‐cognitive arguments relating to affect's role. The authors also encourage future investigations of affect's role across levels of analysis and stages of the entrepreneurial process.
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY IN THE SPANISH CARIBBEAN

THOUGH ESSENTIALLY MONOLINGUAL and Spanish-speaking, the Dominican Republic contains enclaves of native English speakers whose roots there go back to the early 1820s.1 The historical record shows that several regions of the country were settled by some 6,000 American ex-slaves or their descendants who immigrated there through arrangements between the Haitian rulers of Santo Domingo and American church and philanthropic agencies (Commission of Inquiry 1871; Hoetink 1962; Rodriguez Demorizi 1973; Puig Ortiz 1978). Typhus soon decimated many of these settlements, but a number still exist. In this article we describe research among residents of one such community in the peninsula of Samanai, which is largely separated from the rest of the country by a gulf of the same name. In 1981 and 1982 we tape-recorded conversations with nineteen people ranging in age from 71 to 103, who referred to themselves as "Americans" and spoke fluent English, some to the apparent total exclusion of Spanish, even in the third and fourth generations. Nearly all cited Philadelphia, New York, or New Jersey as the place of origin of their ancestors. Though there is ample documentation of sailings from these northern ports to Haiti, many of the passengers likely originated from various other parts of the United States as well.
Disparities in Health Insurance Among Children With Same-Sex Parents

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine disparities in health insurance coverage for children with same-sex parents and to investigate how statewide policies such as same-sex marriage and second-parent adoptions affect children’s private insurance coverage. METHODS: We used data from the 2008–2010 American Community Survey to identify children (aged 0–17 years) with same-sex parents (n = 5081), married opposite-sex parents (n = 1 369 789), and unmarried opposite-sex parents (n = 101 678). We conducted multinomial logistic regression models to estimate the relationship between family type and type of health insurance coverage for all children and then stratified by each child’s state policy environment. RESULTS: Although 77.5% of children with married opposite-sex parents had private health insurance, only 63.3% of children with dual fathers and 67.5% with dual mothers were covered by private health plans. Children with same-sex parents had fewer odds of private insurance after controlling for demographic characteristics but not to the extent of children with unmarried opposite-sex parents. Differences in private insurance diminished for children with dual mothers after stratifying children in states with legal same-sex marriage or civil unions. Living in a state that allowed second-parent adoptions also predicted narrower disparities in private insurance coverage for children with dual fathers or dual mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in private health insurance for children with same-sex parents diminish when they live in states that secure their legal relationship to both parents. This study provides supporting evidence in favor of recent policy statements by the American Academy of Pediatricians endorsing same-sex marriage and second-parent adoptions.
Italian Local Government

Most works on Italian local government are formalistic and legalistic. In the course of the'unification, 1859-61, the institutions of local government then existing in Piedmont were extended to the rest of the country; these institutions had been borrowed from the French; consequently the formal structure of Italian local government is very similar to the French. The original law on local government was the law of October 23, 1859, sull' amministrazione communale e provincial. Various relations and modifications to this law proposed by the Chamber of Deputies in the period 1862-64 are to be found in Camera dei Deputati, Sessione 1863-64, Documenti, Vol. I. The extension of this system of local government to all Italy provoked considerable opposition, particularly from the northern states. In Milan a school of federalist thought, led by Carlo Cattaneo and G. Ferrari, had a strong following for some time. Cattaneo's works are scattered but show a mind of exceptional quality. The best collection is ed. A. Bertani, Opere edite ed inedite di Carlo Cattaneo (3 vols., Florence, 1890). There is apparently no complete collection of Ferrari's works, but G. Schinetti has edited a small volume of Le piu belle pagine di G. Ferrari (Milan, 1927). The most notable supporter in political life of a different form of regional government was M. Minghetti, Minister of the Interior after the unification. He wrote a book on the subject, Le regioni (Florence, 1867), and his proposed law, with speeches, is to be found in his Discorsi parlamentari (Rome, 1888). In I partiti politici e la ingerenza loro nella giustizia e nell' amministrazione (Bologna, 1881), he developed a theme common to many writers of the period: that much of the malaise of political life was due to the occult influence of territorial groups, forced by the nature of the centralized state to maneuver in Parliament. Three important jurists of the late nineteenth century made similar criticisms in their writings on local government: G. F. Ferraris, Teoria del decentramento amministrativo (Palermo, 1898); G. Saredo, La nuova legge sulla amministrazione communale e provincial (2 vols., Turin, 1889); and Riccomanni, Lo Stato ed i poteri locali (Rome, 1873). A penetrating exposure of the situation which still existed after the Great War is in the Relazione della Commissione Parlamentare d'Inchiesta sull' ordinamento delle amministrazioni di Stato e sulla condizione del personae (2 vols., Rome, 1921). A coordinated and consolidated text of local government laws was issued by the Regio Decreto of March 3, 1934: Testo unico della legge communale e provinciale; an up-to-date version of this was edited by C. Martino and published in 1953 by Ilte in Turin. This text covers the administration, personnel, finance, tutelage, and recruitment of provinces, communes, and the government of Rome. A commentary on the text was made by A. Lentini, Commento al T. U. delta legge communale e provincial (Milan, 1950); the same author discussed the position of local government personnel in his Lo stato giuridico dei dipendenti
Cultural Relativism in Earnings Management

The purpose of this study is to examine the possible impact of value systems on earnings management in France, Tunisia and Canada. Cultural values include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity and long-term orientation. The cross-cultural study uses the method of structural equations trough LISREL approach. The examination covers the period between 2003 and 2009. Findings show first of all, that ecological factors are able to determine cultural dimensions in the sample countries. Secondly, we found that all studied cultural dimensions are able to define national culture in the sample countries. Yet, results indicate that only three of cultural dimensions are significant in explaining differences in earnings management in the studied context. In fact earnings management seems to be positively related to uncertainty avoidance and negatively related to power distance and individualism.
Visual speech recognition: aligning terminologies for better understanding

We are at an exciting time for machine lipreading. Traditional research stemmed from the adaptation of audio recognition systems. But now, the computer vision community is also participating. This joining of two previously disparate areas with different perspectives on computer lipreading is creating opportunities for collaborations, but in doing so the literature is experiencing challenges in knowledge sharing due to multiple uses of terms and phrases and the range of methods for scoring results. In particular we highlight three areas with the intention to improve communication between those researching lipreading; the effects of interchanging between speech reading and lipreading; speaker dependence across train, validation, and test splits; and the use of accuracy, correctness, errors, and varying units (phonemes, visemes, words, and sentences) to measure system performance. We make recommendations as to how we can be more consistent.