Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence of Patients in Kosovo

Setting The poor patient adherence in tuberculosis (TB) treatment is considered to be one of the most serious challenges which reflect the decrease of treatment success and emerging of the Multidrug Resistance-TB (MDR-TB). To our knowledge, the data about patients' adherence to anti-TB treatment in our country are missing. Objective This study was aimed to investigate the anti-TB treatment adherence rate and to identify factors related to eventual nonadherence among Kosovo TB patients. Design This study was conducted during 12 months, and the survey was a descriptive study using the standardized questionnaires with total 324 patients. Results The overall nonadherence for TB patient cohort was 14.5%, 95% CI (0.109–0.188). Age and place of residence are shown to have an effect on treatment adherence. Moreover, the knowledge of the treatment prognosis, daily dosage, side effects, and length of treatment also play a role. This was also reflected in knowledge regarding compliance with regular administration of TB drugs, satisfaction with the treatment, interruption of TB therapy, and the professional monitoring in the administration of TB drugs. Conclusion The level of nonadherence TB treatment in Kosovar patients is not satisfying, and more health care worker's commitments need to be addressed for improvement.
Prognostic impact of tumour‐infiltrating Th2 and regulatory T cells in classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) is morphologically characterized by a small number of tumour cells, Hodgkin and Reed–Sternberg (HRS) cells, surrounded by numerous tumour‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). The functional role of these TIL is still controversial. While generally considered to represent an anti‐tumour immune response, TIL in cHL might result from the profoundly deregulated immunity of cHL patients. Eighty‐seven cases of cHL were available to evaluate the prognostical significance of tumour‐infiltrating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), T helper 1 (Th1) cells, T helper 2 (Th2) cells and regulatory T cells (Treg). We confirm that in cHL the microenvironment is dominated by Th2 cells and Treg and show that large numbers of Th2 cells are associated with significantly improved disease‐free survival (p = 0.021) and event‐free survival (p = 0.012). Furthermore, a high ratio of Treg over Th2 cells resulted in a significantly shortened disease‐free survival (p = 0.025). These observations suggest that Treg may exert inhibitory effects on anti‐tumour immune responses mediated through Th2 cells and that Th2 cells may be more important for effective anti‐tumour immunity than anticipated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recombination, gain, band structure, efficiency, and reliability of 1.5-μm GaInNAsSb/GaAs lasers

We present temperature-dependent measurements of the local Z parameter, which reflects the dominant recombination processes. At room temperature, Z increases with current from 1.2 at low bias up to a threshold value, Zth, of only 2.0, demonstrating the existence of significant amounts of monomolecular recombination. At elevated temperatures, Zth rises above 2.5. We calculate the laser’s band diagram and estimate 35 meV of band-gap renormalization at threshold through polarization-resolved measurements of exciton peaks in the absorption spectrum and inflection points of the absorption, spontaneous emission, and gain spectra. The small effective valence-band barrier height of 115 meV leads to hole leakage due to thermionic emission and carrier spillover into the barriers. This could explain the increase in Zth at elevated temperatures and decrease in internal quantum efficiency from 57% at 15 °C to 47% at 75 °C. We also analyze the spontaneous emission and gain spectra below and above threshold. The spontan.
Gap-Filling and End-of-Sentence Effects in Real-Time Language Processing: Implications for Modeling Sentence Comprehension in Aphasia

We present an on-line study showing different sources of lexical activation during sentence comprehension, distinguishing in this respect between reflexive syntactic and less temporarily constrained nonsyntactic sources. Specifically, we show that both the syntactic process of gap filling and a nonsyntactic end-of-sentence effect can be measurable in real time and can be temporally separated. The distinction between activation sources provides a new perspective on real-time sentence comprehension in aphasia and accounts for the disparate results reported in the literature.
The Current Landscape of Pitfalls in Ontologies

A growing number of ontologies are already available thanks to development initiatives in many different fields. In such ontology developments, developers must tackle a wide range of difficulties and handicaps, which can result in the appearance of anomalies in the resulting ontologies. Therefore, ontology evaluation plays a key role in ontology development projects. OOPS! is an on-line tool that automatically detects pitfalls, considered as potential errors or problems, and thus may help ontology developers to improve their ontologies. To gain insight in the existence of pitfalls and to assess whether there are differences among ontologies developed by novices, a random set of already scanned ontologies, and existing well-known ones, data of 406 OWL ontologies were analysed on OOPS! ’s 21 pitfalls, of which 24 ontologies were also examined manually on the detected pitfalls. The various analyses performed show only minor differences between the three sets of ontologies, therewith providing a general landscape of pitfalls in ontologies.
Comorbidities and Kidney Transplant Evaluation in the Elderly

Background/Aims: The elderly are the fastest growing subpopulation with end-stage renal disease. The goal of our study was to define characteristics of elderly patients who were considered ineligible for transplantation compared to those who were listed. Methods: 984 patients were referred for evaluation during a 2-year period. Records of patients ≥65 years of age (n = 123) were reviewed. Patients who were listed versus not listed were characterized. Factors associated with waitlisting were determined using standard statistical tools. Results: Half of elderly transplant candidates were accepted for listing compared to 75.4% of those aged <65 years. In multivariable logistic regression, older age (OR 1.29 per year ≥65, 95% CI 1.14-1.45), coronary artery disease (OR 8.57, 95% CI 2.41-30.53), and poor mobility (OR 13.97, 95% CI 4.76-41.00) were independently associated with denial of listing. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed good discrimination for denial of listing (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88). Conclusion: Elderly candidates carry a heavy burden of comorbidities and over half of those evaluated are deemed unsuitable for waitlisting. Better delineation of characteristics associated with suitability for transplant candidacy in the elderly is warranted to facilitate appropriate referrals by physicians and management of expectations in potential candidates.
Adjoint Operators on Banach Spaces

In this paper, we report on new results related to the existence of an adjoint for operators on separable Banach spaces and discuss a few interesting applications. (Some results are new even for Hilbert spaces.) Our first two applications provide an extension of the Poincar\'{e} inequality and the Stone-von Neumann version of the spectral theorem for a large class of $C_0$-generators of contraction semigroups on separable Banach spaces. Our third application provides a natural extension of the Schatten-class of operators to all separable Banach spaces. As a part of this program, we introduce a new class of separable Banach spaces. As a side benefit, these spaces also provide a natural framework for the (rigorous) construction of the path integral as envisioned by Feynman.
Ultralow-Voltage Bilayer Graphene Tunnel FET

In this letter, we propose the bilayer graphene tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) as a device suitable for fabrication and circuit integration with present-day technology. It provides high I on/I off ratio at ultralow supply voltage, without the limitations in terms of prohibitive lithography and patterning requirements for circuit integration of graphene nanoribbons. Our investigation is based on the solution of the coupled Poisson and Schrodinger equations in three dimensions, within the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism on a tight binding Hamiltonian. We show that the small achievable gap of only few hundreds of millielectronvolts is still enough for promising TFET operation, providing a large I on/I off ratio in excess of 103 even for a supply voltage of only 0.1 V. A key to this performance is the low quantum capacitance of bilayer graphene, which permits to obtain an extremely small subthreshold swing S smaller than 20 mV/dec at room temperature.
Proteasome-mediated effects on amyloid precursor protein processing at the γ-secretase site

Aβ (β-amyloid) peptides are found aggregated in the cortical amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. Inhibition of the proteasome alters the amount of Aβ produced from APP (amyloid precursor protein) by various cell lines in vitro. Proteasome activity is altered during aging, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, a human neuroblastoma cell line expressing the C-terminal 100 residues of APP (SH-SY5Y-SPA4CT) was used to determine the effect of proteasome inhibition, by lactacystin and Bz-LLL-COCHO (benzoyl-Leu-Leu-Leu-glyoxal), on APP processing at the γ -secretase site. Proteasome inhibition caused a significant increase in Aβ peptide levels in medium conditioned by SH-SY5Y-SPA4CT cells, and was also associated with increased cell death. APP is a substrate of the apoptosis-associated caspase 3 protease, and we therefore investigated whether the increased Aβ levels could reflect caspase activation. We report that caspase activation was not required for proteasome-inhibitor-mediated effects on APP (SPA4CT) processing. Cleavage of Ac-DEVD-AMC (N-acetylAsp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin), a caspase substrate, was reduced following exposure of SH-SY5Y-SPA4CT cells to lactacystin, and co-treatment of cells with lactacystin and a caspase inhibitor [Z-DEVD-FMK (benzyloxycarbonyl-ValAla-DL-Asp-fluoromethylketone)] resulted in higher Aβ levels in medium, augmenting those seen with lactacystin alone. This study indicated that proteasome inhibition could increase APP processing specifically at the γ -secretase site, and increase release of Aβ, in the absence of caspase activation. This indicates that the decline in proteasome function associated with aging would contribute to increased Aβ levels.
Promoter (4G/5G) Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Genotype and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Levels in Blacks, Hispanics, and Non-Hispanic Whites: The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study

Background—The 4G/5G polymorphism of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene has been related to cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results—Insulin resistance was measured with a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS), and PAI-1 4G/5G promoter genotype was established by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification of genomic DNA. There were 287 subjects with the 4G/4G genotype (18.4%), 691 heterozygote subjects (44.2%), and 586 carriers of the 5G/5G genotype (37.5%). The genotype distribution was different across the 3 ethnic groups (P =0.001). PAI-1 levels were lower in blacks than in non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics and lower in non-Hispanic whites than in Hispanics (all P =0.0001). Subjects homozygous for the 4G allele had the highest plasma PAI-1, heterozygote subjects were intermediate, and 5G homozygotes had the lowest levels of PAI-1. These patterns remained unaffected by adjustments for age, gender, clinical center, glucose tolerance status, body mass index, waist, triglycerides, and insulin resistance. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the 4G/5G genotype explained very little of the variation in PAI-1 levels (0.63% in non-Hispanic whites, 0.99% in Hispanics, and 2.37% in blacks), and interaction analyses revealed no significant differences in the relation of circulating PAI-1 levels to the 4G/5G genotype by ethnicity (P =0.4). Conclusions—We have shown ethnic differences in the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism along with corresponding differences in circulating PAI-1 levels. The association of the genotype with PAI-1 levels was seen consistently among all 3 ethnic groups and was unaffected by metabolic covariates, including insulin resistance.
Active Open-Loop Control of Plates with Multiple Piezoelectric Patches via the Maximum Principle

The active vibration of plates integrated with distributed piezoelectric actuators is studied using control theory. The optimization problem consists of finding the control voltage applied to distributed piezoelectric patch actuators, which suppresses the transient displacements and velocities of plates with the least control effort. An explicit optimal control law is derived by utilizing the maximum principle theory for the structural dynamic systems in two space dimensions. The implementation of the theory is presented in an example, and the effectiveness of the proposed control is investigated by a numerical simulation.
Programmer and Analyst Time/Cost Estimation

The ability to estimate the personnel time and costs required for the completion of programming and systems projects is an important managerial tool for the information systems department. This article presents a survey of the estimation techniques found in the literature by describing each technique and discussing its strengths and weaknesses. Some empirical evidenc3e on how the various program and programmer/analyst characteristics affect project time and cost are also reported.
Dynamics of squirrel monkey linear vestibuloocular reflex and interactions with fixation distance.

Horizontal, vertical, and torsional eye movements were recorded using the magnetic search-coil technique during linear accelerations along the interaural (IA) and dorsoventral (DV) head axes. Four squirrel monkeys were translated sinusoidally over a range of frequencies (0.5-4.0 Hz) and amplitudes (0.1-0.7 g peak acceleration). The linear vestibuloocular reflex (LVOR) was recorded in darkness after brief presentations of visual targets at various distances from the subject. With subjects positioned upright or nose-up relative to gravity, IA translations generated conjugate horizontal (IA horizontal) eye movements, whereas DV translations with the head nose-up or right-side down generated conjugate vertical (DV vertical) responses. Both were compensatory for linear head motion and are thus translational LVOR responses. In concert with geometric requirements, both IA-horizontal and DV-vertical response sensitivities (in deg eye rotation/cm head translation) were related linearly to reciprocal fixation distance as measured by vergence (in m-1, or meter-angles, MA). The relationship was characterized by linear regressions, yielding sensitivity slopes (in deg.cm-1.MA-1) and intercepts (sensitivity at 0 vergence). Sensitivity slopes were greatest at 4.0 Hz, but were only slightly more than half the ideal required to maintain fixation. Slopes declined with decreasing frequency, becoming negligible at 0.5 Hz. Small responses were observed when vergence was zero (intercept), although no response is required. Like sensitivity slope, the intercept was largest at 4.0 Hz and declined with decreasing frequency. Phase lead was near zero (compensatory) at 4.0 Hz, but increased as frequency declined. Changes in head orientation, motion axis (IA vs. DV), and acceleration amplitude produced slight and sporadic changes in LVOR parameters. Translational LVOR response characteristics are consistent with high-pass filtering within LVOR pathways. Along with horizontal eye movements, IA translation generated small torsional responses. In contrast to the translational LVORs, IA-torsional responses were not systematically modulated by vergence angle. The IA-torsional LVOR is not compensatory for translation because it cannot maintain image stability. Rather, it likely compensates for the effective head tilt simulated by translation. When analyzed in terms of effective head tilt, torsional responses were greatest at the lowest frequency and declined as frequency increased, consistent with low-pass filtering of otolith input. It is unlikely that IA-torsional responses compensate for actual head tilt, however, because they were similar for both upright and nose-up head orientations. The IA-torsional and -horizontal LVORs seem to respond only to linear acceleration along the IA head axis, and the DV-vertical LVOR to acceleration along the head's DV axis, regardless of gravity.
IMAGE FUSION USING NSCT: DENOISING AND TARGET EXTRACTION FOR VISUAL SURVEILLANCE

Image fusion is a method of combining information from multiple images of same scene to get a composite image that is more suitable for human visual perception or further image processing task. In this paper we propose a fusion framework based on Non-Subsampled Contourlet Transform of infrared and visible images. The fused result contains the details of target present in the infrared image. For the identification and extraction of the target from the IR image the threshold and watershed algorithm is used so that only the relevant information from the IR image is introduced into the fused result so that the result becomes more accurate. A NLM filter is then used to denoise the fused image.
Aggregation and manipulation in prediction markets: effects of trading mechanism and information distribution

We conduct laboratory experiments on variants of market scoring rules prediction markets, under different information distribution patterns, in order to evaluate the efficiency and speed of information aggregation, as well as test recent theoretical results on manipulative behavior by traders. We find that markets structured to have a fixed sequence of trades exhibit greater accuracy of information aggregation than the typical form that has unstructured trades. Prior theoretical predictions of differing strategic behavior under complementary information distributions and substitute information distributions are confirmed when the trading order is structured, but not in markets with an unstructured trading order. In the case of the market with a structured order, we find that the information aggregation is consequently slower when information is complementary, as traders more frequently engage in bluffing and delaying strategies. In comparing two commonly used mechanisms, we find no significant difference between the performance of the direct probability-report form and the indirect security-trading form of the market scoring rule.
AUTOMATED RHYTHMIC TRANSFORMATION OF MUSICAL AUDIO

Time-scale transformations of audio signals have traditionally relied exclusively upon manipulations of tempo. We present a novel technique for automatic mixing and synchronization between two musical signals. In this transformation, the original s ignal assumes the tempo, meter, and rhythmic structure of the model signal, while the extracted downbeats and salient intra-measure infrastructure of the original are maintained.
Analysis of Antenna Parameter Optimization Space for 3GPP LTE

—The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of various antenna parameters to the down-link performance of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. The network performance impacts of horizontal and vertical half-power beamwidths (HPBW) as well as downtilt angle of antenna systems are investigated. Cell coverage and capacity in different macro-cellular network scenarios for various combinations of antenna parameter configurations have been studied in terms of signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) performance and cell throughput. Simulation studies are performed for uniform UE distribution and full-buffer traffic by using LTE snap-shot simulator where propagation is modeled in three dimensions.
Hrs-2 Regulates Receptor-mediated Endocytosis via Interactions with Eps15*

Hrs-2, via interactions with SNAP-25, plays a regulatory role on the exocytic machinery. We now show that Hrs-2 physically interacts with Eps15, a protein required for receptor-mediated endocytosis. The Hrs-2/Eps15 interaction is calcium dependent, inhibited by SNAP-25 and α-adaptin, and results in the inhibition of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Immunoelectron microscopy reveals Hrs-2 localization on the limiting membrane of multivesicular bodies, organelles in the endosomal pathway. These data show that Hrs-2 regulates endocytosis, delineate a biochemical pathway (Hrs-2-Eps15-AP2) in which Hrs-2 functions, and suggest that Hrs-2 acts to provide communication between endo- and exocytic processes.
Linear Hybrid System Falsification Through Descent

In this paper, we address the problem of local search for the falsification of hybrid automata with affine dynamics. Namely, if we are given a sequence of locations and a maximum simulation time, we return the trajectory that comes the closest to the unsafe set. In order to solve this problem, we formulate it as a differentiable optimization problem which we solve using Sequential Quadratic Programming. The purpose of developing such a local search method is to combine it with high level stochastic optimization algorithms in order to falisify hybrid systems with complex discrete dynamics and high dimensional continuous spaces. Experimental results indicate that indeed the local search procedure improves upon the results of pure stochastic optimization algorithms.
An algorithmic error-resilient scheme for robust LDPC decoding

To fit into multiple communication standards, flexible Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) decoding is desirable to be implemented in a chip multiprocessor (CMP) system. However, reliability issues, such as soft errors and timing errors, are severer in future advanced CMP systems when CMOS technology scale. Therefore, enhancing error resilience for a CMP system becomes an important design issue. In this paper, we propose a design methodology to achieve a robust LDPC decoding based on algorithmic error-resilient method. We firstly analyze the performance degradation caused by the soft errors which occur in the computing units (check node units and bit node units), and then explore the inherent error-tolerant characteristic of LDPC decoding algorithm. In our proposed method, we exploit some characteristic distribution or behavior in the operations of the LDPC decoding algorithm to validate the computing results. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithmic error resilience can approach the error-free decoder while facing high injected soft-error rate of 10-3 in computing units, but with only 6.07% computational overhead. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first discussion about the LDPC decoding algorithm in terms of soft errors in computing units.
Hello World

Plan 9 from Bell Labs has recently been converted from ASCII to an ASCIIcompatible variant of Unicode, a 16-bit character set. In this paper we explain the reasons for the change, describe the character set and representation we chose, and present the programming models and software changes that support the new text format. Although we stopped short of full internationalization —for example, system error messages are in Unixese, not Japanese —w believe Plan 9 is the first system to treat the representation of all major languages on a uniform, equal footing throughout all its software.