Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating the proportion of Americans ever experiencing poverty during their elderly years.

OBJECTIVES This study estimates the age-specific and cumulative proportions of American adults who will experience poverty at some point during their elderly years. These life-span proportions represent a substantially different approach to understanding poverty than calculating either yearly cross-sectional rates or poverty spell durations. METHODS Our estimations are derived through a series of life tables built upon 25 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). RESULTS The analyses indicate that 40% of America's elderly population will experience a year below the poverty line at some point between the ages of 60 and 90, and 48% of elders will experience poverty at the 125% level. The data further reveal that this life-span risk of poverty has remained relatively stable throughout the period of data collection (1968-1992). Finally, the likelihood of elderly Americans ever encountering a year below the poverty line increases dramatically for those who are Black, not married, and/or who have less than 12 years of education. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that in spite of relatively low cross-sectional rates of elderly poverty in America, the likelihood of impoverishment at some point during the later years of life remains a very real possibility.
Multidimensional poverty measures for analysing educational poverty in European countries

This paper studies the degree of educational poverty in European countries by focusing on data from two editions of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA): 2006 and 2015. We focus on students’ proficiency levels in various literacy domains and propose a multidimensional approach that enables the measurement of not only the incidence of educational poverty but also its depth and severity. Subsequently, we perform a microeconometric analysis of school factors that are associated with the probability of educational poverty using a Partial Proportional Odds Model. The main results demonstrate that in recent years, the incidence of educational poverty became more relevant in many countries, while most of them experienced a reduction of poverty depth and severity. Several school factors can be manipulated to avoid the trap of educational poverty, such as improving the disciplinary climate, adopting an adaptive style of teaching, and increasing the amount of instructional time.
A New Codebook Structure for Enhanced Multi-User MIMO Transmission in mmWave Hybrid-Beamforming System

A multi-user hybrid-beamforming (H-BF) system consisting of both analog beamforming and digital beamforming is considered for millimeter-wave (mmWave) channels. In the hybrid-beamforming system, analog beams are first allocated to scheduled users and then each user reports channel state information of the effective channel, i.e. channel between transmit and receive digital paths. Since amplitudes of the effective channel elements can largely be different from each other due to the analog beamforming which has a certain directivity, the conventional feedback scheme, e.g. precoder matrix indicator (PMI) in long-term evolution (LTE), that does not reflect this channel characteristic may not work well. In this paper, we propose a new feedback scheme for multi-user H-BF systems in mmWave channels. The proposed feedback scheme jointly utilizes two types of codebooks: 1) a direction of the H-BF channel; and 2) amplitudes of the channel elements. In numerical results, it is shown that the proposed feedback scheme largely improves the average throughput performance, especially when the analog beamwidth is narrow.
Revascularization for femoropopliteal disease. A decision and cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relative benefits and cost-effectiveness of revascularization for femoropopliteal disease using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or bypass surgery. DESIGN Decision analysis using a multistate transition simulation model (Markov process) and cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the health care system. SETTING Based on mortality, morbidity, patency, and cost data from a literature review. PATIENTS Hypothetical cohort of patients with chronic femoropopliteal disease who desire revascularization. Subgroup analysis for patients defined by age, sex, indication, lesion type, and graft type. INTERVENTIONS Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, bypass surgery, and a strategies combining the two treatments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Five-year patency results, quality-adjusted life expectancy, lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS For 65-year-old men with disabling claudication and a femoropopliteal stenosis or occlusion and for 65-year-old men with chronic critical ischemia and a femoropopliteal stenosis, initial angioplasty increased quality-adjusted life expectancy by 2 to 13 months and resulted in decreased lifetime expenditures compared with bypass surgery. For patients with chronic critical ischemia and a femoropopliteal occlusion, initial bypass surgery increased quality-adjusted life expectancy by 1 to 4 months and resulted in decreased lifetime expenditures compared with angioplasty. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that angioplasty would always be the preferred initial treatment if the angioplasty 5-year patency rate exceeds 30%. CONCLUSION Angioplasty is the preferred initial treatment in patients with disabling claudication and a femoropopliteal stenosis or occlusion and in those with chronic critical ischemia and a stenosis. Bypass surgery is the preferred initial treatment in patients with chronic critical ischemia and a femoropopliteal occlusion.
Expert-led didactic versus self-directed audiovisual training of confocal laser endomicroscopy in evaluation of mucosal barrier defects

Abstract Background and study aims Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) allows mucosal barrier defects along the intestinal epithelium to be visualized in vivo during endoscopy. Training in CLE interpretation can be achieved didactically or through self-directed learning. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of expert-led didactic with self-directed audiovisual teaching for training inexperienced analysts on how to recognize mucosal barrier defects on endoscope-based CLE (eCLE). Materials and methods This randomized controlled study involved trainee analysts who were taught how to recognize mucosal barrier defects on eCLE either didactically or through an audiovisual clip. After being trained, they evaluated 6 sets of 30 images. Image evaluation required the trainees to determine whether specific features of barrier dysfunction were present or not. Trainees in the didactic group engaged in peer discussion and received feedback after each set while this did not happen in the self-directed group. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of both groups were compared. Results Trainees in the didactic group achieved a higher overall accuracy (87.5 % vs 85.0 %, P = 0.002) and sensitivity (84.5 % vs 80.4 %, P = 0.002) compared to trainees in the self-directed group. Interobserver agreement was higher in the didactic group (k = 0.686, 95 % CI 0.680 – 0.691, P < 0.001) than in the self-directed group (k = 0.566, 95 % CI 0.559 – 0.573, P < 0.001). Confidence (OR 6.48, 95 % CI 5.35 – 7.84, P < 0.001) and good image quality (OR 2.58, 95 % CI 2.17 – 2.82, P < 0.001) were positive predictors of accuracy. Conclusion Expert-led didactic training is more effective than self-directed audiovisual training for teaching inexperienced analysts how to recognize mucosal barrier defects on eCLE.
Developments in Banking Research and Areas for Future Study

Abstract There has been an explosion of research into banking issues following the global financial crisis of 2007–08. What was once regarded as a somewhat esoteric subject area, nestled halfway between economics and finance, has now become mainstream attracting significant academic and policy attention. The following review aims to outline areas of topicality and highlight possibilities for future research. This paper covers recent empirical work on: bank capital; systemic risk; corporate governance; consumer protection and financial inclusion; size and diversification; and the impact of government intervention and unconventional monetary policy in banking.
A study on the P.H.A.S (Piezoelectric energy Harvesting based Access control System) using motor vibration

In this paper, we propose a method for worker safety accident prevention and, predicting replacement cycle for motor management in the field of industrial robot using P.H. A.S (Piezoelectric energy Harvesting based Access control System). The proposed IoT sensor is attached to the motor that generates vibration, and it produces electricity through piezoelectric energy harvesting. It detects the beacon tag according to the operator approach through the built-in beacon scanner, and transmits the signal to the industrial robot to control the operation for operator's safety. Furthermore, vibration data collected from the sensor is transmitted to the server, and the machine learning algorithm is used to analyze the life cycle of the motor to provide a function of predicting the replacement, so that the productivity can be increased and work line also can be more efficiently managed.
The evolution and involution of Peyer's patches in fetal and postnatal sheep

The Peyer's patches (PP) of sheep have a number of important anatomical features and functional characteristics which are similar to tissues that have been classified as primary lymphoid organs. The prenatal maturation of PP occurs in the absence of any antigenic stimulus as immunogenic molecules are not normally encountered by the sheep fetus. Primordial PP were first detected in the small intestine of fetal sheep at about 60‐days gestation; lymphoid follicles were present by 75‐days gestation and vigorous lymphopoiesis was occurring in these follicles by 100 days. From 120‐days gestation until birth, at about 150 days, the PP follicles were histologically mature and they had the greatest density of proliferating lymphoid cells found anywhere in the body. The total number of PP and their constituent follicles had developed before birth when there were 25–40 discrete PP in the jejunum and proximal ileum and one single continuous PP in the terminal ileum. There was no evidence of any change in the rate of growth of the PP follicles at birth which could be related to the advent of the first antigens in the gut.
Antithrombin III-Independent Effect of Depolymerized Holothurian Glycosaminoglycan (DHG) on Acute Thromboembolism in Mice

Summary A previous study in this laboratory showed that depolymerized holothurian glycosaminoglycan (DHG) has two different antithrombin III (ATIII)-independent inhibitory effects on the in vitro blood coagulation system: heparin cofactor II (HCII)-dependent inhibition of thrombin, and ATIII- and HCII-independent inhibition of factor X activation by factor IXa-factor Villa complex (Nagase et al. Blood 85, 1527-1534, 1995). In the present study, we compared the antithrombotic effects of DHG in normal and in ATIII-deficient mice with those of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). DHG, unlike UFH and LMWH, exerted an in vivo antithrombotic effect even in mice with decreased plasma ATIII activity (about 30% of normal). We then compared the anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects of DHG in mice with those of high molecular weight (HMW)-DHG, low molecular weight (LMW)-DHG, and dermatan sulfate (DS). In terms of in vitro anticoagulant activity assessed by use of purified human components, DHGs (DHG, HMW-DHG, and LMW-DHG) had different anti-thrombin activity in the presence of HCII and anti-factor Xase activities, which differences were dependent on the molecular weight. With respect to in vivo antithrombotic activity, DHG, HMW-DHG, and LMW-DHG showed almost the same inhibitory effect on acute thromboembolism in mice (minimum effective dose [MED]: >0.3 mg/kg). Since the antithrombotic activities of DHGs were not correlated with the anticoagulant-specific activities, the contribution of the two anticoagulant activities to the in vivo antithrombotic effect of DHGs remains unknown. However, DHG was more effective against acute thromboembolism in mice than DS (MED >1 or >3 mg/kg), which showed no inhibitory activity toward factor Xase. Therefore, it seems that factor Xase inhibition contributes greatly to the antithrombotic effect of DHG and that DHG exerts this effect in mice mainly by inhibiting factor Xase.
Stable rearrangements of the β3–β4 hairpin loop of HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase in plasma viruses from patients receiving combination therapy

Objectives:To study the genetic rearrangements of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) in circulating viruses from patients under combination therapy, and to determine the impact of these changes on the virological response to treatment. Methods:Blood samples were extracted from total RNA and amplified by RT-PCR. The HIV-1 RT and protease genes were sequenced by fluorescent dye terminator cycle sequencing. Results:Specific rearrangements in the RT coding region (between amino acids 66 and 71) were documented in nine patients. This region, which corresponds to a loop between the β3 and β4 strands of the fingers subdomain of RT, is involved in the interaction between the enzyme and the template primer. In vitro data with recombinant enzymes have shown the importance of this domain in the processive polymerization of HIV-1 RT. The rearrangements (eight deletions/insertions and one deletion with conservation of the reading frame) did not affect the overall secondary structure of the fingers subdomain, as assessed by the Garnier–Osguthorpe–Robson prediction method. The changes were generally stable over a follow-up of 10–12 months. With the exception of two cases, most of the patients of this study did not respond efficiently to antiretroviral therapy as assessed by measurements of plasma viraemia. Correspondingly, the RT and protease genes sequenced from these patients displayed numerous resistance-associated mutations. Conclusion:Functional and stable rearrangements in the β3–β4 hairpin of HIV-1 RT can be found in circulating viruses from patients under combination therapy. These rearrangements may affect the virological response to antiretroviral therapy by increasing the processivity of RT, an enzymatic parameter that reflects the fidelity of the polymerization process.
L2 Writing Conferences: exploring learner beliefs and strategies

One to one writing conferences are a relatively recent practice on EAP courses at UK universities. Conference advocates see such interaction as prime opportunities for dialogic feedback to occur about an academic text between student writers and teachers. Yet when the writer is an international student, unaccustomed to the conventions and practices of the western academy, participation during conferences can be challenging. Carrying beliefs about language and learning forged within their own personal, cultural and educational experiences, such L2 writers often approach conferencing with expectations regarding their structure, outcomes and the roles they need to play. If we wish L2 writing conferences to be more successful, a first step is to better understand what beliefs such writers carry with them about conferencing and how it impacts upon their conference behaviour. However, research in this area has been limited in both number and scope. This study sought to investigate what L2 writers believed about writing conferences, the kinds of strategies they employed during conferencing and the relationship between their beliefs and strategies. The study followed four international students’ writing conferences over 2 semesters of an international foundation programme at a UK university. Their beliefs and strategy use was captured using questionnaires, stimulated recall interviews and audio recordings of their conferences. Adopting a socio-cultural perspective, the data was then analysed in the form of in-depth case studies. The study both supported and challenged previous findings in the literature. For example, L2 writers were found to hold multiple beliefs about conferences, use a range of conference strategies and there was a link between some of their beliefs and strategy use. Furthermore, students seemed to hold a ‘defining’ belief that influenced their other beliefs, their use of strategies and indicated a preference towards a more product or process-oriented view of writing and conference behaviour.
Evaluation of Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Pregnant Women Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) in pregnant women. Methods: In this prospective and cross-sectional study, 100 pregnant women and 100 age-matched nonpregnant women were enrolled. The SFCT was measured by EDI-OCT. The refractive error, intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) were also measured. Pregnancy-related factors including gestational age, maternal weight gain, and fetal weight were noted. Results: Mean SFCT was 371.1 ± 61.8 µm in the study group and 337.2 ± 62.4 µm in the control group (p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between SFCT and spherical refraction, IOP, AL, CCT, OPP, gestational age, maternal weight gain, or fetal weight. Conclusion: Our results suggest that subfoveal choroidal thickness increases in pregnant women compared with age-matched nonpregnant women.
Investigating receptor-ligand systems of the cellulosome with AFM-based single-molecule force spectroscopy.

Cellulosomes are discrete multienzyme complexes used by a subset of anaerobic bacteria and fungi to digest lignocellulosic substrates. Assembly of the enzymes onto the noncatalytic scaffold protein is directed by interactions among a family of related receptor-ligand pairs comprising interacting cohesin and dockerin modules. The extremely strong binding between cohesin and dockerin modules results in dissociation constants in the low picomolar to nanomolar range, which may hamper accurate off-rate measurements with conventional bulk methods. Single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) with the atomic force microscope measures the response of individual biomolecules to force, and in contrast to other single-molecule manipulation methods (i.e. optical tweezers), is optimal for studying high-affinity receptor-ligand interactions because of its ability to probe the high-force regime (>120 pN). Here we present our complete protocol for studying cellulosomal protein assemblies at the single-molecule level. Using a protein topology derived from the native cellulosome, we worked with enzyme-dockerin and carbohydrate binding module-cohesin (CBM-cohesin) fusion proteins, each with an accessible free thiol group at an engineered cysteine residue. We present our site-specific surface immobilization protocol, along with our measurement and data analysis procedure for obtaining detailed binding parameters for the high-affinity complex. We demonstrate how to quantify single subdomain unfolding forces, complex rupture forces, kinetic off-rates, and potential widths of the binding well. The successful application of these methods in characterizing the cohesin-dockerin interaction responsible for assembly of multidomain cellulolytic complexes is further described.
Retinal and Peripheral Nerve Toxicity Induced by the Administration of a Pan-Cyclin Dependent Kinase (cdk) Inhibitor in Mice

Cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) play a crucial role in cell cycle regulation and are considered promising targets for cancer therapy. Intravenous administration of AG-012986, a pan-cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (cdki), resulted in unexpected retinal and peripheral nerve toxicity in mice. AG-012986 was administered daily to CD-1 or B6C3F1 mice for 5 consecutive days. Mice were euthanized 24 h after the last dose (study day 6) or after a 21-day post-dose period (study day 26). Compound related microscopic findings were seen in the sciatic nerves (axonal degeneration) of both strains and in the retina (retinal degeneration/atrophy) of CD-1 mice only after the post-dose period. Although retinal degeneration/atrophy was not detected by routine histology in mice euthanized on day 6, apoptotic retinal cells were evident at this time using TUNEL assay. To our knowledge retinal or peripheral nerve toxicity secondary to the administration of cdkis has not been previously reported. Although the pathogenesis of these lesions is unclear, the toxicities may reflect the unique profile of cdk inhibition, off-target kinase inhibition or receptor binding, or metabolism/distribution properties of AG-012986. Multi-targeted-inhibitors may interfere with cdks and other kinases involved in a wide range of functions other than cell cycle regulation, which could result in unexpected toxicities that may hinder their clinical applications.
Risk Factors for Growth of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Understanding risk factors for intracranial aneurysm growth is important for patient management. We performed a meta-analysis examining risk factors for intracranial aneurysm growth in longitudinal studies and examined the association between aneurysm growth and rupture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the literature for longitudinal studies of patients with unruptured aneurysms. We examined the associations of demographics, multiple aneurysms, prior subarachnoid hemorrhage, family history of aneurysm or subarachnoid hemorrhage, smoking, and hypertension; and aneurysm shape, size, and location with aneurysm growth. We studied the association between aneurysm growth and rupture. A meta-analysis was performed by using a random-effects model by using summary statistics from included studies. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies including 3954 patients with 4990 aneurysms with 13,294 aneurysm-years of follow-up were included. The overall proportion of growing aneurysms was 3.0% per aneurysm-year (95% CI, 2.0%–4.0%). Patient risk factors for growth included age older than 50 years (3.8% per year versus 0.9% per year, P < .01), female sex (3.2% per year versus 1.3% per year, P < .01), and smoking history (5.5% per year versus 3.5% per year, P < .01). Characteristics associated with higher growth rates included cavernous carotid artery location (14.4% per year), nonsaccular shape (14.7% per year versus 5.2% per year for saccular, P < .01), and aneurysm size (P < .01). Aneurysm growth was associated with a rupture rate of 3.1% per year compared with 0.1% per year for stable aneurysms (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Observational evidence provided multiple clinical and anatomic risk factors for aneurysm growth, including age older than 50 years, female sex, smoking history, and nonsaccular shape. These findings should be considered when counseling patients regarding the natural history of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
Novel channel materials for ballistic nanoscale MOSFETs-bandstructure effects

Performance limits of unstrained n- and p- MOSFETs with Si, Ge, GaAs and InAs channel materials are investigated using a 20 band sp3d5s*-SO semi-empirical atomistic tight-binding model and a top-of-the-barrier seminumerical ballistic transport model. It is observed that although the deeply scaled III-V devices offer very high electron injection velocities, their very low conduction band density-of-states strongly degrades their performance. Due to the high density-of-states for both electrons and holes in Ge, nanoscale devices with Ge as channel material are found to outperform all other materials considered