Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A conceptual framework for evaluating data suitability for observational studies

Abstract Objective To contribute a conceptual framework for evaluating data suitability to satisfy the research needs of observational studies. Materials and Methods Suitability considerations were derived from a systematic literature review on researchers’ common data needs in observational studies and a scoping review on frequent clinical database design considerations, and were harmonized to construct a suitability conceptual framework using a bottom-up approach. The relationships among the suitability categories are explored from the perspective of 4 facets of data: intrinsic, contextual, representational, and accessible. A web-based national survey of domain experts was conducted to validate the framework. Results Data suitability for observational studies hinges on the following key categories: Explicitness of Policy and Data Governance, Relevance, Availability of Descriptive Metadata and Provenance Documentation, Usability, and Quality. We describe 16 measures and 33 sub-measures. The survey uncovered the relevance of all categories, with a 5-point Likert importance score of 3.9 ± 1.0 for Explicitness of Policy and Data Governance, 4.1 ± 1.0 for Relevance, 3.9 ± 0.9 for Availability of Descriptive Metadata and Provenance Documentation, 4.2 ± 1.0 for Usability, and 4.0 ± 0.9 for Quality. Conclusions The suitability framework evaluates a clinical data source’s fitness for research use. Its construction reflects both researchers’ points of view and data custodians’ design features. The feedback from domain experts rated Usability, Relevance, and Quality categories as the most important considerations.
Using SEM to Verify the Impacts of Intellectual Capital Accumulation and Corporate Governance upon Corporate Values : A case of Taiwan-Listed Information and Electronics Companies

The purpose of this study is to verify and understand how the accumulation of Intellectual Capital (IC) and corporate governance affect the corporate value of Taiwan-listed information and electronics companies. While simple random sampling was used to yield knowledge from the population, the linear Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was adopted to verify the goodness-of-fit among the overall model, structural model and measurement model. Findings from this study show that, firstly, IC accumulation has a positive and significant influence on the corporate value of Taiwan-listed information and electronics companies; secondly, satisfactory corporate governance has a significantly positive influence on the corporate value.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM–5) Maladaptive Personality Traits and Their Connections With Normative Personality Traits

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM–5) proposes an alternative model for personality disorders, which includes maladaptive-level personality traits. These traits can be operationalized by the Personality Inventory for the DSM–5 (PID-5). Although there has been extensive research on genetic and environmental influences on normative level personality, the heritability of the DSM–5 traits remains understudied. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by assessing traits indexed by the PID-5 and the International Personality Item Pool NEO (IPIP-NEO) in adult twins (N = 1,812 individuals). Research aims include (a) replicating past findings of the heritability of normative level personality as measured by the IPIP-NEO as a benchmark for studying maladaptive level traits, (b) ascertaining univariate heritability estimates of maladaptive level traits as measured by the PID-5, (c) establishing how much variation in personality pathology can be attributed to the same genetic components affecting variation in normative level personality, and (d) determining residual variance in personality pathology domains after variance attributable to genetic and environmental components of general personality has been removed. Results revealed that PID-5 traits reflect similar levels of heritability to that of IPIP-NEO traits. Further, maladaptive and normative level traits that correlate at the phenotypic level also correlate at the genotypic level, indicating overlapping genetic components contribute to variance in both. Nevertheless, we also found evidence for genetic and environmental components unique to maladaptive level personality traits, not shared with normative level traits.
Nonlinear Adaptive Wavelet Control Using Constructive Wavelet Networks

In this paper, an adaptive wavelet-network-based control approach is proposed for highly nonlinear uncertain dynamical systems. Wavelet network, as a kind of universal approximator, has two novel properties-orthonormality and multiresolution. The orthonormal property ensures that adding a new resolution (new wavelets) does not affect the existing wavelet network that may have been well tuned. In the sequel, the online adjustment of the structure of the nonlinear adaptive wavelet controller (AWC) can be done in a constructive manner by gradually increasing the network resolution. The multiresolution property, on the other hand, assures a guaranteed improvement of the approximation precision when a new resolution is added. In real life problems we are unable to know the adequate size of a network, either a neural network (NN) or a wavelet network, to produce the required approximation precision. By virtue of the novel wavelet network properties, a coarse or very simple structure can be selected first. If the system fails to converge after the elapse of a dwell time, a new wavelet resolution is considered to be necessary and added directly. In this manner, the AWC can be easily constructed and tuned from the coarse to finer levels until the performance requirement is satisfied. The trial and error way of selecting the network structure, which may lead to either an inadequate or a highly redundant structure, can be avoided. In this paper, the proposed adaptive wavelet network is applied first to a class of nonlinear dynamical systems with a partially known model and an affine-in-input structure. Then, the adaptive wavelet network is applied to a class of nonlinear nonaffine dynamical systems
Implementation of a Soft Switching Converter with High Input Voltage

This paper presents an interleaved zero voltage switching (ZVS) DC/DC converter with high input voltage applications. In order to reduce the voltage stress of MOSFETs, two half‐bridge zeta converters are connected in series at high voltage side. Thus, the voltage stress of MOSFETs can be clamped at one‐half of input voltage. Asymmetric pulse‐width modulation (APWM) is adopted to control power switches. With the resonant behavior by the leakage inductance of transformer and the output capacitance of MOSFET at the transition interval, MOSFETs can be turned on at ZVS. For each half‐bridge zeta converter, two series transformers are connected in series at the primary side and in parallel at the secondary side in order to reduce the current stress of secondary windings for high load current applications. Interleaved PWM scheme is used to control two half‐bridge converters in order to reduce the size of output filter inductor and capacitor due to the partial ripple current cancellation. Experimental results, taken from a laboratory prototype rated at 1 kW, are presented to demonstrate the converter performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signal analysis and stochastic modeling of evoked responses in brain circuits grown in culture

The evoked responses (i.e., input-output dynamics) of small brain circuits grown in isolation are studied, with a focus on understanding state changes related to sleep and waking. In particular, brain circuits grown on multi-electrode arrays are subject to impulse-train stimulations, and analyses are undertaken of the resulting electrical responses. The data analyses indicate that brain circuits fluctuate probabilistically between discrete states, which modulate spectral characteristics of the evoked response. Based on these observations, a stochastic switching model for evoked response profiles is proposed.
MyosinVIIa Interacts with Twinfilin-2 at the Tips of Mechanosensory Stereocilia in the Inner Ear

In vertebrates hearing is dependent upon the microvilli-like mechanosensory stereocilia and their length gradation. The staircase-like organization of the stereocilia bundle is dynamically maintained by variable actin turnover rates. Two unconventional myosins were previously implicated in stereocilia length regulation but the mechanisms of their action remain unknown. MyosinXVa is expressed in stereocilia tips at levels proportional to stereocilia length and its absence produces staircase-like bundles of very short stereocilia. MyosinVIIa localizes to the tips of the shorter stereocilia within bundles, and when absent, the stereocilia are abnormally long. We show here that myosinVIIa interacts with twinfilin-2, an actin binding protein, which inhibits actin polymerization at the barbed end of the filament, and that twinfilin localization in stereocilia overlaps with myosinVIIa. Exogenous expression of myosinVIIa in fibroblasts results in a reduced number of filopodia and promotes accumulation of twinfilin-2 at the filopodia tips. We hypothesize that the newly described interaction between myosinVIIa and twinfilin-2 is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of slower rates of actin turnover in shorter stereocilia, and that interplay between complexes of myosinVIIa/twinfilin-2 and myosinXVa/whirlin is responsible for stereocilia length gradation within the bundle staircase.
The Impact of Sex Work Interruption on Blood-Derived T Cells in Sex Workers from Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract Background: Unprotected sexual intercourse exposes the female genital tract (FGT) to semen-derived antigens, which leads to a proinflammatory response. Studies have shown that this postcoital inflammatory response can lead to recruitment of activated T cells to the FGT, thereby increasing risk of HIV infection. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of sex work on activation and memory phenotypes of peripheral T cells among female sex workers (FSW) from Nairobi, Kenya. Subjects: Thirty FSW were recruited from the Pumwani Sex Workers Cohort, 10 in each of the following groups: HIV-exposed seronegative (at least 7 years in active sex work), HIV positive, and New Negative (HIV negative, less than 3 years in active sex work). Blood was obtained at three different phases (active sex work, abstinence from sex work–sex break, and following resumption of sex work). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and stained for phenotypic markers (CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD161), memory phenotype markers (CD45RA and CCR7), activation markers (CD69, HLA-DR, and CD95), and the HIV coreceptor (CCR5). T-cell populations were compared between groups. Results: In HIV-positive women, CD8+CCR5+ T cells declined at the sex break period, while CD4+CD161+ T cells increased when returning to sex work. All groups showed no significant changes in systemic T-cell activation markers following the interruption of sex work, however, significant reductions in naive CD8+ T cells were noted. For each of the study points, HIV positives had higher effector memory and CD8+CD95+ T cells and lower naive CD8+ T cells than the HIV-uninfected groups. Conclusions: Interruption of sex work had subtle effects on systemic T-cell memory phenotypes.
Integration of Care in the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act: Changes in Treatment Services in a National Sample of Centers Treating Substance Use Disorders

ABSTRACT This study examined patterns of medicalization in substance use disorder (SUD) that are aligned with the goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Using a nationally representative sample of SUD treatment programs, we examined changes in several treatment domains. While observed changes were modest, they were in directions that support the thrust of the ACA. Specifically, we found an increase in the percentage of treatment referrals from other health care providers. We found an increase in the number of physicians for programs that did have a physician on staff, and an increase in counselors certified in treating alcohol and drug addiction. There was significant growth in the availability of oral and injectable naltrexone but not of other pharmacotherapies. There was a decrease in support for the 12-step model and an increase on the emphasis of a medicalized treatment model. Finally, we found a shift away from federal block grants and other public funding, consistent with the expectations of the ACA. These data indicate that, while progress is slow, the environment of the recent past has been supportive of the goal of SUD treatment’s integration into mainstream medical care.
Executable source code and non-executable source code: analysis and relationships

The concept of source code, understood as the source components used to obtain a binary, ready to execute version of a program, comprises currently more than source code written in a programming language. Specially when we move apart from systems-programming and enter the realm of end-user applications, we find source files with documentation, interface specifications, internationalization and localization modules, multimedia files, etc. All of them are source code in the sense that the developer works directly with them, and the application is built automatically using them as input. This work discusses the relationship between 'classical' source code (usually written in a programming language) and these other files by analyzing a publicly-available software versioning repository. Aspects that have been studied include the nature of the software repository, the different mixtures of source code found in several software projects stored in it, the specialization of developers to the different tasks, etc.
Analysis of the presence of erroneous Qnr sequences in GenBank

Background Twenty years ago the first transferable mechanism of quinolone resistance (TMQR), QnrA, was described. Thereafter, innumerable TMQRs, either Qnr related or not, were described. Ten years ago the exponential description of Qnr genes/alleles led to the proposal of a common nomenclature. Objectives This analysis aims to determine the degree of correctness of the Qnr sequences currently present in GenBank. Methods The Qnr amino acid type sequence of the first allele (e.g. QnrA1) of each Qnr family present in http://www.lahey. org/qnrStudies/ was compared with what is present in GenBank. Only the first 30 obtained annealings or those with a >90% identity were considered. No synthetic or chromosomal sequences (other than those included in http://www.lahey.org/qnrStudies/) were included in the analyses. Results Overall, 1657 amino acid sequences were analysed: 224 QnrA, 499 QnrB, 1 QnrC, 102 QnrD, 13 QnrE, 758 QnrS and 60 QnrVC. Of these, 340 (20.5%) sequences presented a major error, including erroneous gene name, erroneous Qnr family attribution, erroneous allele identification, presence of partial sequences with allele assignation and/or erroneous initial codon. In addition, 449 (27.1%) Qnr sequences were present in GenBank with a partial identification or not identified as Qnr. Finally, nine new transferable Qnr alleles were detected. Conclusions These data highlight the frequent presence of erroneously identified qnr genes in GenBank and the need to be fully adherent to current nomenclature rules.
Types of Non-kin Networks and Their Association With Survival in Late Adulthood: A Latent Class Approach

Objectives Integration into social networks is an important determinant of health and survival in late adulthood. We first identify different types of non-kin networks among older adults and second, investigate the association of these types with survival rates. Method Official register information on mortality is combined with data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). The sample includes 2,440 Dutch respondents aged 54-85 at baseline in 1992 and six follow-ups covering a time span of 20 years. Using latent class analysis, respondents are classified into distinct types of non-kin networks, based on differences in number and variation of non-kin relations, social support received from non-kin, and contact frequency with non-kin. Next, membership in network types is related to mortality in a Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results There are four latent types of non-kin networks that vary in network size and support. These types differ in their associations with mortality, independent of sociodemographic and health confounders. Older adults integrated into networks high in both number and variation of supportive non-kin contacts have higher chances of survival than older adults embedded in networks low in either amount or variation of support or both. Discussion A combination of structural and functional network characteristics should be taken into account when developing intervention programs aiming at increasing social integration outside the family network.
A Systems Approach to Evaluate One Health Initiatives

Challenges calling for integrated approaches to health, such as the One Health (OH) approach, typically arise from the intertwined spheres of humans, animals, and ecosystems constituting their environment. Initiatives addressing such wicked problems commonly consist of complex structures and dynamics. As a result of the EU COST Action (TD 1404) “Network for Evaluation of One Health” (NEOH), we propose an evaluation framework anchored in systems theory to address the intrinsic complexity of OH initiatives and regard them as subsystems of the context within which they operate. Typically, they intend to influence a system with a view to improve human, animal, and environmental health. The NEOH evaluation framework consists of four overarching elements, namely: (1) the definition of the initiative and its context, (2) the description of the theory of change with an assessment of expected and unexpected outcomes, (3) the process evaluation of operational and supporting infrastructures (the “OH-ness”), and (4) an assessment of the association(s) between the process evaluation and the outcomes produced. It relies on a mixed methods approach by combining a descriptive and qualitative assessment with a semi-quantitative scoring for the evaluation of the degree and structural balance of “OH-ness” (summarised in an OH-index and OH-ratio, respectively) and conventional metrics for different outcomes in a multi-criteria-decision-analysis. Here, we focus on the methodology for Elements (1) and (3) including ready-to-use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for the assessment of the “OH-ness”. We also provide an overview of Element (2), and refer to the NEOH handbook for further details, also regarding Element (4) (http://neoh.onehealthglobal.net). The presented approach helps researchers, practitioners, and evaluators to conceptualise and conduct evaluations of integrated approaches to health and facilitates comparison and learning across different OH activities thereby facilitating decisions on resource allocation. The application of the framework has been described in eight case studies in the same Frontiers research topic and provides first data on OH-index and OH-ratio, which is an important step towards their validation and the creation of a dataset for future benchmarking, and to demonstrate under which circumstances OH initiatives provide added value compared to disciplinary or conventional health initiatives.
Automatic Identification and Ranking of Emergency Aids in Social Media Macro Community

Online social microblogging platforms including Twitter are increasingly used for aiding relief operations during disaster events. During most of the calamities that can be natural disasters or even armed attacks, non-governmental organizations look for critical information about resources to support effected people. Despite the recent advancement of natural language processing with deep neural networks, retrieval and ranking of short text becomes a challenging task because a lot of conversational and sympathy content merged with the critical information. In this paper, we address the problem of categorical information retrieval and ranking of most relevance information while considering the presence of short-text and multilingual languages that arise during such events. Our proposed model is based on the formation of embedding vector with the help of textual and statistical preprocessing, and finally, entire training 2,100,000 vectors were normalized using feed-forward neural network for need and availability tweets. Another important contribution of this paper lies in novel weighted Ranking Key algorithm based on top five general terms to rank the classified tweets in most relevance with classification. Lastly, we test our model on Nepal Earthquake dataset (contains short text and multilingual language tweets) and achieved 6.81% of mean average precision on 5,250,000 unlabeled embedding vectors of disaster relief tweets.
A Snapshot of Histone Modifications within Transposable Elements in Drosophila Wild Type Strains

Transposable elements (TEs) are a major source of genetic variability in genomes, creating genetic novelty and driving genome evolution. Analysis of sequenced genomes has revealed considerable diversity in TE families, copy number, and localization between different, closely related species. For instance, although the twin species Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans share the same TE families, they display different amounts of TEs. Furthermore, previous analyses of wild type derived strains of D. simulans have revealed high polymorphism regarding TE copy number within this species. Several factors may influence the diversity and abundance of TEs in a genome, including molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic factors, which could be a source of variation in TE success. In this paper, we present the first analysis of the epigenetic status of four TE families (roo, tirant, 412 and F) in seven wild type strains of D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Our data shows intra- and inter-specific variations in the histone marks that adorn TE copies. Our results demonstrate that the chromatin state of common TEs varies among TE families, between closely related species and also between wild type strains.