Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Costs and cost-effectiveness of a universal, school-based hepatitis B vaccination program.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the costs and cost-effectiveness of a school-based grade 6 universal vaccination program against hepatitis B. METHODS We performed a descriptive cost study and cost-effectiveness analysis of British Columbia's vaccination program for 1994 and 1995. Since 1992, public health nurses have administered hepatitis B vaccine to grade 6 students in schools. We measured costs of vaccine, vaccine administration, and net program costs and used a validated Markov model to calculate the cost-effectiveness of the program. RESULTS Vaccinating each student cost $44, $24 of which was the cost of vaccine administration. The net cost was $9 per person; considering productivity costs, net savings were $75 per person. Marginal cost per life year gained was $2100. Universal adolescent vaccination is also economically attractive in the United States but less attractive in regions with incidence rates below 3 cases per 100,000 per year. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis B vaccine can be delivered in North American schools at a reasonable cost. Adolescent vaccination is economically attractive in North American regions of high and average incidence rates. Our analysis supports vaccination in adolescents who remain at risk for hepatitis B virus infection.
A Meta-analysis:Effect of Tai Chi on Single-leg Standing Time of the Elderly

Background: Crohn disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing disease. Imaging modalities are essential for the diagnosis and assessment of CD. Small intestine contrast ultrasonography (SICUS) is a well-tolerated, noninvasive and radiation-free modality and has shown potential in CD assessment. We aimed at evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of SICUS in the detection and assessment of small-bowel lesions and complications in CD. Methods: We searched PubMed database for relevant studies published before April 24, 2016. We integrated the true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative into the pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. Forest plots were to represent the pooled results of all studies. Results: Thirteen articles were finally considered eligible. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of SICUS in detecting small-bowel lesions were 0.883 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.847–0.913) and 0.861 (95%CI 0.828–0.890), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 39.123 (95% CI 20.014–76.476) and the area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic was 0.9273 (standard error: 0.0152). In subgroup analyses, SICUS represented fine sensitivity and specificity in proximal and distal small intestine lesion, as well as in CD-related complications such as stricture, dilation, abscess, and fistula. Conclusion: SICUS is accurate enough to make a complete assessment about the location, extent, number, and almost all kinds of complications in CD small-bowel lesions. Abbreviations: AUC = area under the curve, CD = Crohn disease, CI = confidence interval, DOR = diagnostic odds ratio, FN = false negative, FP = false positive, IBD = inflammatory bowel disease, NLR = negative likelihood ratio, PLR = positive likelihood ratio, SICUS = small intestine contrast ultrasonography, SROC = summary receiver operating characteristic, TN = true negative, TP = true positive.
Beyond Capital: Values, Commons, Computing, and the Search for a Viable Future

The financial/social cataclysm beginning in 2007 ended notions of a great moderation and the view that capitalism had overcome its systemic tendencies to crisis. The subsequent failure of contemporary social formations to address the causes of the crisis gives renewed impetus to better analysis in aid of the search for a better future. This book contributes to this search by reviving a broad discussion of what we humans might want a post-capitalist future to be like. It argues for a comparative anthropological critique of capital notions of value, thereby initiating the search for a new set of values, as well as identifying a number of selected computing practices that might evoke new values. It articulates a suggestive set of institutions that could support these new values, and formulates a group of measurement practices usable for evaluating the proposed institutions. The book is grounded in contemporary social science, political theory, and critical theory. It aims to leverage the possibility of alternative futures implied by some computing practices while avoiding hype and technological determinism, and uses these computing practices to explicate one possible way to think about the future.
On computing with general sparse third derivatives in unconstrained optimization

In this paper it is shown that when the sparsity structure of the problem is utilized higher order methods are competitive to second order methods (Newton), for solving large unconstrained optimization problems when the objective function is three times continuously dieren tiable. It is also shown how to arrange the computations of general sparse third derivatives.
Evaluating Private Information Retrieval on the Cloud

The goal of Private Information Retrieval (PIR) is for a client to query a database in such a way that no one, including the database operator, can determine any information about the desired database record. Many PIR schemes have been developed, but are generally not deemed fast enough for client needs in today’s fast-paced world or do not scale well to large databases. We implement a parallelized version of one PIR scheme and evaluate it in a cloud computing environment. We show that our parallelization improves the performance and scalability of this PIR scheme. We also discuss what should be done if multiple queries are needed and how to split the database to get the most out of this improvement.
"The Magic Potion" - An Adventure Game for Learning

This communication presents the Magic Potion, an adventure game for learning that has been developed by the EPINOISI project in Greece for students with mild intellectual disability, and discusses in detail the design principles that have been adopted, and choices that have been made, regarding the game’s narrative and gameplay structure as well as the balance that it has been necessary to maintain between these two.
Lymphocyte Glucose and Glutamine Metabolism as Targets of the Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Exercise

Glucose and glutamine are important energetic and biosynthetic nutrients for T and B lymphocytes. These cells consume both nutrients at high rates in a function-dependent manner. In other words, the pathways that control lymphocyte function and survival directly control the glucose and glutamine metabolic pathways. Therefore, lymphocytes in different functional states reprogram their glucose and glutamine metabolism to balance their requirement for ATP and macromolecule production. The tight association between metabolism and function in these cells was suggested to introduce the possibility of several pathologies resulting from the inability of lymphocytes to meet their nutrient demands under a given condition. In fact, disruptions in lymphocyte metabolism and function have been observed in different inflammatory, metabolic, and autoimmune pathologies. Regular physical exercise and physical activity offer protection against several chronic pathologies, and this benefit has been associated with the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of exercise/physical activity. Chronic exercise induces changes in lymphocyte functionality and substrate metabolism. In the present review, we discuss whether the beneficial effects of exercise on lymphocyte function in health and disease are associated with modulation of the glucose and glutamine metabolic pathways.
Genetic epidemiology of primary osteoarthritis

Primary osteoarthritis (OA) is a late onset disease that fits most accurately into the oligogenic, multifactorial class of genetic diseases. Twin pair and family risk studies have highlighted a surprisingly large genetic component to OA and have prompted the search for predisposing genes. These searches have taken three forms: (1) parametric linkage analysis of rare families in which OA segregates as a Mendelian trait, (2) model-free linkage analysis of affected sibling pairs, and (3) association analysis of known candidate genes. Within the past year linkage analysis studies have highlighted that chromosomes 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 16, and the X may each harbor an OA susceptibility gene. Chromosomes 2, 4, and 16 were identified in multiple genome scans and are therefore the most likely to encode susceptibility. Association analysis of candidates suggests that the syntenic genes for type II collagen and the vitamin D receptor (12q12–q13.1) may also encode for OA susceptibility.
Burst‐generating neurones in the dorsal horn in an in vitro preparation of the turtle spinal cord.

1. In transverse slices of the spinal cord of the turtle, intracellular recordings were used to characterize and analyse the responses to injected current and activation of primary afferents in dorsal horn neurones. 2. A subpopulation of neurones, with cell bodies located centrally in the dorsal horn, was distinguished by the ability to generate a burst response following a hyperpolarization from rest or during a depolarization from a hyperpolarized holding potential. The burst response was inactivated at the resting membrane potential. 3. The burst response was mediated by a low threshold Ca2+ spike assumed to be mediated by T‐type Ca2+ channels since it resisted tetrodotoxin and was blocked by 3 mM Co2+ or 100‐300 microM Ni2+ and resembled the low threshold spike (LTS) described elsewhere. 4. Some burst‐generating cells also displayed plateau potentials mediated by L‐type Ca2+ channels. In these cells the burst following a hyperpolarizing current pulse, applied from the resting membrane potential, facilitated the activation of the plateau potential. Wind‐up of the plateau potential was produced when the hyperpolarizing pulse generating the burst was repeated at 0.1‐0.3 Hz or faster. 5. The burst response and the underlying low threshold Ca2+ spike were activated synaptically by primary afferent stimuli in a voltage range hyperpolarized from the resting membrane potential. 6. Cells with bursts were morphologically distinguishable from cells with bursts and plateau properties. 7. Our findings in this and the preceding paper show that the intrinsic response properties of particular subtypes of neurones in the dorsal horn have a profound influence on the amplitude and time course of the responses mediated by primary afferent fibres. We predict that these postsynaptic properties are probable targets for synaptic modulation.
Mitigating the impact of oil‐palm monoculture on freshwater fishes in Southeast Asia

Anthropogenic land‐cover change is driving biodiversity loss worldwide. At the epicenter of this crisis lies Southeast Asia, where biodiversity‐rich forests are being converted to oil‐palm monocultures. As demand for palm oil increases, there is an urgent need to find strategies that maintain biodiversity in plantations. Previous studies found that retaining forest patches within plantations benefited some terrestrial taxa but not others. However, no study has focused on aquatic taxa such as fishes, despite their importance to human well‐being. We assessed the efficacy of forested riparian reserves in conserving freshwater fish biodiversity in oil‐palm monoculture by sampling stream fish communities in an oil‐palm plantation in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Forested riparian reserves maintained preconversion local fish species richness and functional diversity. In contrast, local and total species richness, biomass, and functional diversity declined markedly in streams without riparian reserves. Mechanistically, riparian reserves appeared to increase local species richness by increasing leaf litter cover and maintaining coarse substrate. The loss of fishes specializing in leaf litter and coarse substrate decreased functional diversity and altered community composition in oil‐palm plantation streams that lacked riparian reserves. Thus, a land‐sharing strategy that incorporates the retention of forested riparian reserves may maintain the ecological integrity of fish communities in oil‐palm plantations. We urge policy makers and growers to make retention of riparian reserves in oil‐palm plantations standard practice, and we encourage palm‐oil purchasers to source only palm oil from plantations that employ this practice.
Elevation and temporal distributions of Chrysomelidae in southeast Brazil with emphasis on the Galerucinae

Abstract In this study we present an ecological pattern of elevation and temporal variations found in the Chrysomelidae in one of the highest mountains in southeastern Brazil. Monthly surveys using an entomological sweep-net were conducted between April 2011 and June 2012, at five different elevations (800 m, 1000 m, 1750 m, 2200 m and 2450 m). A total of 2318 individuals were collected, belonging to 91 species. The elevation and temporal patterns of distribution of Chrysomelidae were heavily dominated by the Galerucinae. This subfamily had the highest richness and abundance at intermediate altitudes and during the rainy season. Probably the food availability as well as abiotic factors this time of the year favor the development of Galerucinae. Also, most of the more abundant Galerucinae species showed broad elevation ranges but approximately 20% of these species were only collected on the mountaintop sites. We would expect these species to be ones most prone to extinction in a scenario of climate warming or even after local disturbances.
Partition of Discrete Numerical Interval Based on Local Outlier Coefficient Wave Method

The partition of discrete numerical interval is the foundation of discrete numerical data mining, and its research is significant in application. A new method for the partition of discrete numerical interval is proposed here. In the method the original samples are preprocessed, and then the local outlier coefficient of each data calculated. Eventually, the discrete numerical interval is partitioned by local outlier coefficient wave (LOCW), which keeps original distribution of data. The partitioned intervals have advantages of data aggregation in same interval and data sparsity between different intervals. The experiments demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Risk‐sensitive sizing of responsive facilities

We develop a risk‐sensitive strategic facility sizing model that makes use of readily obtainable data and addresses both capacity and responsiveness considerations. We focus on facilities whose original size cannot be adjusted over time and limits the total production equipment they can hold, which is added sequentially during a finite planning horizon. The model is parsimonious by design for compatibility with the nature of available data during early planning stages. We model demand via a univariate random variable with arbitrary forecast profiles for equipment expansion, and assume the supporting equipment additions are continuous and decided ex‐post. Under constant absolute risk aversion, operating profits are the closed‐form solution to a nontrivial linear program, thus characterizing the sizing decision via a single first‐order condition. This solution has several desired features, including the optimal facility size being eventually decreasing in forecast uncertainty and decreasing in risk aversion, as well as being generally robust to demand forecast uncertainty and cost errors. We provide structural results and show that ignoring risk considerations can lead to poor facility sizing decisions that deteriorate with increased forecast uncertainty. Existing models ignore risk considerations and assume the facility size can be adjusted over time, effectively shortening the planning horizon. Our main contribution is in addressing the problem that arises when that assumption is relaxed and, as a result, risk sensitivity and the challenges introduced by longer planning horizons and higher uncertainty must be considered. Finally, we derive accurate spreadsheet‐implementable approximations to the optimal solution, which make this model a practical capacity planning tool. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008
Sowing seeds for future generations

In this longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between the trajectory of generative concern measured at ages 23, 26 and 32 and environmental narrative identity at age 32. Canadian participants completed a questionnaire on generative concern at ages 23, 26 and 32 and were then interviewed about their personal experiences with the environment at age 32 (N = 112). Narratives were coded by independent raters for meaning, vividness and impact, with higher levels indicating a more salient environmental narrative identity. Latent growth models revealed significant individual variability in the trajectories of generative concern from ages 23 to 32. This variability was associated with the salience of environmental narrative identity at age 32 through two different developmental processes: (1) having a higher level of generative concern at age 23 predicted a more salient environmental narrative identity at age 32; and (2) those who developed higher levels of generative concern during the course of emerging adulthood (from ages 23 to 32) also appeared to display a more salient environmental narrative identity at age 32. Implications of these findings are also discussed.
TRANSAMINATION OF d-AMINO ACIDS BY BACILLUS SUBTILIS

A wide variety of transaminase active on L-amino acids has been demonstrated in microorganisms (Feldman and Gunsalus, 1950; Fincham, 1951), mammalian tissues (Cammarata and Cohen, 1950; Rowsell, 1951), and plants (Wilson et al., 1954). Cohen (1939, 1940) did not find transaminase activity with any of several D-amino acids when he tested minced pigeon breast muscle or purified enzyme preparations although other workers (Euler et al., 1939; Braunstein and Azarkh, 1939) reported that certain D-amino acids were slightly active when tested with mammalian tissue preparations. It has been suggested (Herbst, 1944) that the reports which ascribed activity to D-amino acids may have been in error because of inadequate analytical methods. Stumpf (1951) reported that D-alanine behaved as an active amino donor in reaction mixtures containing a-ketoglutaric acid and enzyme preparations from plants. It was not clear, however, whether D-alanine participated directly in transamination or whether it contributed the amino group in some indirect manner. In studies on the mechanisms of synthesis of D-glutamic acid and glutamyl polypeptide by Bacillus subtilis, we observed that sonic extracts of this organism catalyzed a series of transamination reactions involving D-amino acids. The results of some of our studies on these D-amino acid transaminations are presented here.
Benzodiazepines modulate calcium spikes in young and adult hippocampal cells

GABAA receptor-independent effects of benzodiazepine receptor (BZ-R) agonists on calcium and barium spikes were recorded intracellularly in the presence of bicuculline from CA3 hippocampal cells of young and adult rats. Zolpidem (ω1 BZ-R agonist), had no effects in young animals but decreased calcium and barium spikes and barium currents in adults. Midazolam (ω1 and ω2 BZ-R agonist) increased barium spikes in both young and adult animals. The effects on calcium spikes were more complex since a decrease was sometimes preceded by an increase. Thus, in adults zolpidem acting on ω1 BZ-R reduced calcium influx while in young rats midazolam acting on ω2 BZ-R increased barium influx. This modulation of calcium spikes by benzodiazepines could be relevant because of the developmental role played by calcium dependent processes.
The effects of physical exertion on decision-making performance of Australian football umpires

ABSTRACT Decision-making is a key component of an umpire’s in-game performance, with each decision potentially having a direct impact on the result of the game. Additionally, umpires have to be physically fit to ensure they keep up with the gameplay. While research has identified the decision-making demands and running demands of umpires separately, few have explored the relationship between them. The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between physical exertion and decision-making performance of Australian football umpires at the sub-elite and junior levels. A total of 18 Australian football umpires (sub-elite, n = 10; junior n = 8) performed 10 × 300 m runs, with each repetition immediately followed by a video-based decision-making test, then 1 min of recovery. A Mann–Whitney U assessment indicated a significant difference between the sub-elite and junior level umpires for decision-making accuracy (U = 13.00, z = −2.43, P = 0.016, r = −0.5). However, there was no significant difference in response time (U = 28.00, z = −1.07, P = 0.315, r = −0.25). The sub-elite umpires completed the running efforts in significantly less time than the junior umpires (P < 0.05). Further, there was no significant correlation between decision-making performance and running times for either skill level (P > 0.05). This suggests decision-making performance may not be affected by physical exertion. Therefore, it may be suggested coaches of football umpires allocate more time to the decision-making development of their umpires instead of focusing largely on the physical fitness side, as is currently the trend.
Psychiatry beyond labels: introducing contextual precision diagnosis across stages of psychopathology

George & Klijn (2013) provide cogent arguments for a change in terminology regarding the syndrome that currently goes under the name of schizophrenia. A name change at this stage would introduce significant improvement, but can only be regarded as the first intermediate step towards the much more incisive final goal of a complete redesign of psychiatric diagnosis, guided by two important parameters. First, given that an alternative system of mechanism-based system of diagnosis, based on specific ‘biosignatures’, is still a long time away – if ever (Kapur et al. 2012), a symptom-based approach will remain necessary for the foreseeable future. Second, given that diagnosis in medicine essentially refers to classification with (treatment and prognostic) utility, this should be the guiding principle for any diagnostic system, with a focus on reduction of suffering and incapacity of those who seek our care (Pies, 2012). In the following, we will describe, within these parameters, three requirements for a novel system of diagnosis in psychiatry based on (i) the need for a more individualized approach, based on causal influences in symptom circuits (precision diagnosis), (ii) the need to take into account the fact that symptoms reflect responses to context (context diagnosis), and (iii) the need to take into account that syndromes develop over time and have recognizable stages of expression (staging diagnosis) (Fusar-Poli et al. 2013).