Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Analysis on the Utilization Efficiency of Health Care Service by Measuring the Technology Gap: The Efficiency Evaluation of Health Care Service

Since 1995, Taiwan implements the National Health Insurance (NHI) system that aims at enhancing the sufficient supply of health care service and reducing the barriers of hospitalization. Until now, approximately 99.7% of total population has been covered by NHI. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the utilization efficiency of health care service and to analyze the allocation equity of health care service. The different social characteristics across regions are incorporated into the efficiency estimation model that employs the meta-frontier Data Envelopment Analysis. Totally 25 counties in Taiwan that are divided into two subgroups according to the population density and the spatial difference are examined. Eventually, the Tobit regression model is employed to analyze the factors that affect the healthcare resource utilization efficiency. The result finds that the spatial inequality of healthcare resource allocation exists in Taiwan. Urban regions with higher population density are found to have more healthcare resource with less allocation efficiency.
Dynamic control of powered wheelchair with slip on an incline

Most people take freedom to move for granted. However, to physically disabled people who can only depends on wheelchair for their daily movements this freedom is out of reach. Ability of wheelchair users and the access methods used in driving these wheelchairs vary. Variety of users therefore requires systems that are adaptable for many types of access devices. Authors of this paper believe that safety of wheelchair users depends not only on the type of controller used, but also on the model used. As a result a real life wheelchair dynamic model that accounts for uphill and downhill gravitational disturbances, frictional forces and slipping effect is considered in this work. Euler Lagrange procedure is applied in the derivation of the equations of motion of the wheelchair model used in this paper. To imitate a normal wheelchair and develop a system that is adaptable to nearly every access device considered, input-output feedback linearization has been applied in tracking linear velocity and angular orientation and in the development of the control law applied in this model. The developed controller successfully tracks and maintains desired angular orientation and linear velocity of the wheelchair before and after slipping.
Multiple-Instance Learning for Music Information Retrieval

Multiple-instance learning algorithms train classifiers from lightly supervised data, i.e. labeled collections of items, rather than labeled items. We compare the multiple-instance learners mi-SVM and MILES on the task of classifying 10second song clips. These classifiers are trained on tags at the track, album, and artist levels, or granularities, that have been derived from tags at the clip granularity, allowing us to test the effectiveness of the learners at recovering the clip labeling in the training set and predicting the clip labeling for a held-out test set. We find that mi-SVM is better than a control at the recovery task on training clips, with an average classification accuracy as high as 87% over 43 tags; on test clips, it is comparable to the control with an average classification accuracy of up to 68%. MILES performed adequately on the recovery task, but poorly on the test clips.
Early neurobehavioral outcome after stroke is related to release of neurobiochemical markers of brain damage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The study aimed to investigate the predictive value of neurobiochemical markers of brain damage (protein S-100B and neuron-specific enolase [NSE]) with respect to early neurobehavioral outcome after stroke. METHODS We investigated 58 patients with completed stroke who were admitted to the stroke unit of the Department of Neurology at Magdeburg University. Serial venous blood samples were taken after admission and during the first 4 days, and protein S-100B and NSE were analyzed by the use of immunoluminometric assays. In all patients, lesion topography and vascular supply were analyzed and volume of infarcted brain areas was calculated. The neurological status was evaluated by a standardized neurological examination and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission, at days 1 and 4 on the stroke unit, at day 10, and at discharge from the hospital. Comprehensive neuropsychological examinations were performed in all patients with first-ever stroke event and supratentorial brain infarctions. Functional outcome was measured with the Barthel score at discharge from the hospital. RESULTS NSE and protein S-100B concentrations were significantly correlated with both volume of infarcted brain areas and NIHSS scores. Patients with an adverse neurological outcome had a significantly higher and significantly longer release of both markers. Neuropsychological impairment was associated with higher protein S-100B release, but this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Serum concentrations and kinetics of protein S-100B and NSE have a high predictive value for early neurobehavioral outcome after acute stroke. Protein S-100B concentrations at days 2 to 4 after acute stroke may provide valuable information for both neurological status and functional impairment at discharge from the acute care hospital.
DRIVERS and challenges of ICT adoption by SMES in Accra metropolis, Ghana

The purpose of this study is to explore the key drivers and challenges of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) adoption by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana. SMEs play a major role in developing and developed economies in job creation and diversification of economic activities. The literature shows that while there are many drivers of ICTs adoption by SMEs, there are equally many challenges from various factors. SMEs that effectively utilize ICTs can compete efficiently in both domestic and global arenas. Understanding the drivers, and challenges to ICT adoption by SMEs especially in the less developed countries, and in the Accra metropolis of Ghana in particular have not been addressed adequately. This paper attempts to address this gap. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 189 working MBA students from different SMEs in Accra, Ghana. Quantitative approaches were used for data analyses. The study identified the key challenges to ICT adoption as lack of internal capabilities, high cost of ICTs, poor infrastructure, financial constraints, and lack of information about suitable ICT solutions and lack of time to implement. The study also identified the key drivers of ICT adoption as the desire to increase customer service and responsiveness, increase ability to compete, improve overall communication, increase sales and profit, and to have better access to information. The result of the study will be beneficial to current and future SMEs in the Accra metropolis.
Grapefruit‐Drug Interactions: Can Interactions With Drugs Be Avoided?

Grapefruit is rich in flavonoids, which have been demonstrated to have a preventive influence on many chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, since the early 1990s, the potential health benefits of grapefruit have been overshadowed by the possible risk of interactions between drugs and grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Several drugs interacting with grapefruit are known in different drug classes, such as HMG‐CoA reductase inhibitors, calcium antagonists, and immunosu‐pressives. Currently known mechanisms of interaction include the inhibition of cytochrome P450 as a major mechanism, but potential interactions with P‐glycoprotein and organic anion transporters have also been reported. This review is designed to provide a comprehensive summary of underlying mechanisms of interaction and human clinical trials performed in the area of grapefruit drug interactions and to point out possible replacements for drugs with a high potential for interactions.
Time Evolution via S-branes

Using S(pacelike)-branes defined through rolling tachyon solutions, we show how the dynamical formation of D(irichlet)-branes and strings in tachyon condensation can be understood. Specifically we present solutions of S-brane actions illustrating the classical confinement of electric and magnetic flux into fundamental strings and D-branes. The role of S-branes in string theory is further clarified and their RR charges are discussed. In addition, by examining ``boosted'' S-branes, we find what appears to be a surprising dual S-brane description of strings and D-branes, which also indicates that the critical electric field can be considered as a self-dual point in string theory. We also introduce new tachyonic S-branes as Euclidean counterparts to non-BPS branes.
Consistent Parallel Relationships among Myocardial Oxygen Consumption, Coronary Blood Flow, and Pericardial Infusate Adenosine Concentration with Various Interventions and β‐Blockade in the Dog

Coronary blood flow responds uniquely to changes in myocardial oxygen demand, regardless of the stimulus. If adenosine mediates this response, interstitial fluid adenosine concentration should also change in parallel with myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow during alterations of cardiac work. We tested this hypothesis by measuring coronary blood flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, and the concentration of adenosine in pericardial infusates, an index of interstitial fluid adenosine concentration, during six experimental conditions and control states in anesthetized, open-chest dogs. Significant alterations of myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow during aortic constriction, vagal stimulation, atrial pacing, or intravenous infusion of calcium chloride, norepinephrine, or isoproterenol were accompanied by significant alterations in pericardial infusate adenosine concentration. Significant linear relationships were determined among myocardial oxygen consumption, coronary blood flow, and pericardial infusate adenosine concentration for each of the experimental stimuli and their paired control values. There were no significant differences among the six different conditions for any of these relationships. In addition, these relationships were not altered by β-blockade in five dogs subjected to aortic constriction and calcium infusion. Although β-blockade may alter the effects of a stimulus, myocardial oxygen consumption, coronary blood flow, and adenosine all are affected proportionately. The results suggest that adenosine production responds to alterations of myocardial oxygen consumption independently of the stimulus which produces the change in oxygen demand, and the resultant change in interstitial fluid adenosine concentration may initiate the change in coronary blood flow to maintain the balance between oxygen supply and demand.
Two types of mouse T helper cell. IV. Th2 clones secrete a factor that inhibits cytokine production by Th1 clones

A cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor (CSIF) is secreted by Th2 clones in response to Con A or antigen stimulation, but is absent in supernatants from Con A-induced Th1 clones. CSIF can inhibit the production of IL-2, IL-3, lymphotoxin (LT)/TNF, IFN-gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) by Th1 cells responding to antigen and APC, but Th2 cytokine synthesis is not significantly affected. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) also inhibits IFN-gamma production, although less effectively than CSIF, whereas IL-2 and IL-4 partially antagonize the activity of CSIF. CSIF inhibition of cytokine synthesis is not complete, since early cytokine synthesis (before 8 h) is not significantly affected, whereas later synthesis is strongly inhibited. In the presence of CSIF, IFN-gamma mRNA levels are reduced slightly at 8, and strongly at 12 h after stimulation. Inhibition of cytokine expression by CSIF is not due to a general reduction in Th1 cell viability, since actin mRNA levels were not reduced, and proliferation of antigen-stimulated cells in response to IL-2, was unaffected. Biochemical characterization, mAbs, and recombinant or purified cytokines showed that CSIF is distinct from IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF, TGF-beta, TNF, LT, and P40. The potential role of CSIF in crossregulation of Th1 and Th2 responses is discussed.
Objective measurement of levels and patterns of physical activity

Objective: To measure the levels and patterns of physical activity, using accelerometers, of 11-year-old children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Setting: ALSPAC is a birth cohort study located in the former county of Avon, in the southwest of England. This study used data collected when the children were 11 years old. Participants: 5595 children (2662 boys, 2933 girls). The children are the offspring of women recruited to a birth cohort study during 1991–2. The median age (95% CI) of the children is now 11.8 (11.6 to 11.9) years. Methods: Physical activity was measured over a maximum of 7 consecutive days using the MTI Actigraph accelerometer. Main outcome measures: Level and pattern of physical activity. Results: The median physical activity level was 580 counts/min. Boys were more active than girls (median (IQR) 644 (528–772) counts/min vs 529 (444–638) counts/min, respectively). Only 2.5% (95% CI 2.1% to 2.9%) of children (boys 5.1% (95% CI 4.3% to 6.0%), girls 0.4% (95% CI 0.2% to 0.7%) met current internationally recognised recommendations for physical activity. Children were most active in summer and least active in winter (difference = 108 counts/min). Both the mother and partner’s education level were inversely associated with activity level (p for trend <0.001 (both mother and partner)). The association was lost for mother’s education (p for trend = 0.07) and attenuated for partner’s education (p for trend = 0.02), after adjustment for age, sex, season, maternal age and social class. Conclusions: A large majority of children are insufficiently active, according to current recommended levels for health.
Partitioning parallel discrete event simulation

Parallel Discrete Event Simulation (PDES) allows to speed up the execution of a simulation by distributing the simulation's workload between multiple processors. The mapping of the simulation entities over the processors is very important with regard to the efficiency of the overall process of simulation. This paper presents an approach for automation of the process of mapping over distributed environment (network of workstations) for optimistic simulation based on the synchronization protocol Time Warp.
Synchronization of Nonlinear Coupled Networks via Aperiodically Intermittent Pinning Control

In this paper, pinning synchronization problem for nonlinear coupled networks is investigated, which can be recurrently connected neural networks, cellular neural networks, Hodgkin-Huxley models, Lorenz chaotic oscillators, and so on. Nodes in the network are assumed to be identical and nodes' dynamical behaviors are described by continuous-time equations. The network topology is undirected and static. At first, the scope of accepted nonlinear coupling functions is defined, and the effect of nonlinear coupling functions on synchronization is carefully discussed. Then, the pinning control technique is used for synchronization, especially the control type is aperiodically intermittent. Some sufficient conditions to guarantee global synchronization are presented. Furthermore, the adaptive approach is also applied on the pinning control, and a centralized adaptive algorithm is designed and its validity is also proved. Finally, several numerical simulations are given to verify the obtained theoretical results.
An evaluation of the importance of gastric acid secretion in the absorption of dietary calcium.

Since calcium solubility is a prerequisite to calcium absorption, and since solubility of calcium is highly pH-dependent, it has been generally assumed that gastric acid secretion and gastric acidity play an important role in the intestinal absorption of calcium from ingested food or calcium salts such as CaCO3. To evaluate this hypothesis, we developed a method wherein net gastrointestinal absorption of calcium can be measured after ingestion of a single meal. A large dose of cimetidine, which markedly reduced gastric acid secretion, had no effect on calcium absorption in normal subjects, and an achlorhydric patient with pernicious anemia absorbed calcium normally. This was true regardless of the major source of dietary calcium (i.e., milk, insoluble calcium carbonate, or soluble calcium citrate). Moreover, calcium absorption after CaCO3 ingestion was the same when intragastric contents were maintained at pH 7.4 (by in vivo titration) as when intragastric pH was 3.0. On the basis of these results, we conclude that gastric acid secretion and gastric acidity do not normally play a role in the absorption of dietary calcium. Other possible mechanisms by which the gastrointestinal tract might solubilize ingested calcium complexes and salts are discussed.
Cochrane reviews compared with industry supported meta-analyses and other meta-analyses of the same drugs: systematic review

Abstract Objective To compare the methodological quality and conclusions in Cochrane reviews with those in industry supported meta-analyses and other meta-analyses of the same drugs. Design Systematic review comparing pairs of meta-analyses that studied the same two drugs in the same disease and were published within two years of each other. Data sources Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2003, issue 1), PubMed, and Embase. Data extraction Two observers independently extracted data and used a validated scale to judge the methodological quality of the reviews. Results 175 of 1596 Cochrane reviews had a meta-analysis that compared two drugs. Twenty four meta-analyses that matched the Cochrane reviews were found: eight were industry supported, nine had undeclared support, and seven had no support or were supported by non-industry sources. On a 0-7 scale, the median quality score was 7 for Cochrane reviews and 3 for other reviews (P < 0.01). Compared with industry supported reviews and reviews with undeclared support, Cochrane reviews had more often considered the potential for bias in the review—for example, by describing the method of concealment of allocation and describing excluded patients or studies. The seven industry supported reviews that had conclusions recommended the experimental drug without reservations, compared with none of the Cochrane reviews (P = 0.02), although the estimated treatment effect was similar on average (z = 0.46, P = 0.64). Reviews with undeclared support and reviews with not for profit support or no support had conclusions that were similar in cautiousness to the Cochrane reviews. Conclusions Industry supported reviews of drugs should be read with caution as they were less transparent, had few reservations about methodological limitations of the included trials, and had more favourable conclusions than the corresponding Cochrane reviews.
Calcineurin Regulates Skeletal Muscle Metabolism via Coordinated Changes in Gene Expression*

The metabolic property of skeletal muscle adapts in response to an increased physiological demand by altering substrate utilization and gene expression. The calcium-regulated serine/threonine protein phosphatase calcineurin has been implicated in the transduction of motor neuron signals to alter gene expression programs in skeletal muscle. We utilized transgenic mice that overexpress an activated form of calcineurin in skeletal muscle (MCK-CnA*) to investigate the impact of calcineurin activation on metabolic properties of skeletal muscle. Activation of calcineurin increased glucose incorporation into glycogen and lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle. Activated calcineurin suppressed skeletal muscle glucose oxidation and increased lactate release. The enhancement in lipid oxidation was supported by increased expression of genes for lipid metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. In a reciprocal fashion, several genes of glycolysis were down-regulated, whereas pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 was markedly induced. This expression pattern was associated with decreased glucose utilization and enhanced glycogen storage. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and PPARγ coactivator 1α (PGC1α) are transcription regulators for the expression of metabolic and mitochondrial genes. Consistent with changes in the gene-regulatory program, calcineurin promoted the expression of PPARα, PPARδ, and PPARγ coactivator 1α in skeletal muscle. These results provide evidence that calcineurin-mediated skeletal muscle reprogramming induces the expression of several transcription regulators that coordinate changes in the expression of genes for lipid and glucose metabolism, which in turn alters energy substrate utilization in skeletal muscle.
Sensitivity Analysis of Random Port Hopping

Although DoS (Denial of Service) attacks making the amount of network traffic increase excessively are threats to availability of communication services in our internet society, the complete prevention and avoidance are impossible because the conventional ways such as fire wall and packet filtering are still infeasible and incomplete. The random port hopping (RPH) by Badishi {\it{et al.}} (2005, 2007) provides a robust communication protocol to decentralize influences by malicious attacks and to realize an exact packet filtering with light load. Since the utility and limitation of RPH against general DoS attack patterns are not clear, however, it has not been used yet as the standard communication protocol in the real world. In this paper, we carry out the simulation study and take place the sensitivity analysis of RPH in terms of the communication success rate. After pointing out a drawback of the existing RPH, we also propose a fine-grained RPH algorithm for more general DoS attack patterns.
Movement Intention After Parietal Cortex Stimulation in Humans

Consciousness and Intention Where in the brain are our intentions formed and how do we become aware of these intentions? Desmurget et al. (p. 811; see the Perspective by Haggard) investigated the effect of direct cortical stimulation of parietal and premotor regions in patients undergoing brain surgery for tumor removal. Stimulation of the parietal lobe provoked the conscious experience of wanting to move the upper limb, lips, or tongue without any concomitant motor activity. When stimulation intensity was increased, patients believed that they had actually moved or talked, but again no muscle activity was detected. When, however, the premotor region of the frontal lobes was stimulated, real complex multijoint movements were induced. However, patients did not experience these movements as produced by a conscious internal act of will. Indeed, they were not even aware that they had moved. Increasing stimulation intensity increased the amplitude or complexity of the movement but never made it reach consciousness. Stimulation of the parietal cortex causes subjects to report having moved, even in the absence of actual motor responses. Parietal and premotor cortex regions are serious contenders for bringing motor intentions and motor responses into awareness. We used electrical stimulation in seven patients undergoing awake brain surgery. Stimulating the right inferior parietal regions triggered a strong intention and desire to move the contralateral hand, arm, or foot, whereas stimulating the left inferior parietal region provoked the intention to move the lips and to talk. When stimulation intensity was increased in parietal areas, participants believed they had really performed these movements, although no electromyographic activity was detected. Stimulation of the premotor region triggered overt mouth and contralateral limb movements. Yet, patients firmly denied that they had moved. Conscious intention and motor awareness thus arise from increased parietal activity before movement execution.