Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of a Tiered Network on Hospital Choice.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of a tiered network on hospital choice for scheduled admissions. DATA The 2009-2012 patient-level claims data from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA). STUDY DESIGN BCBSMA's three-tiered hospital network employs large differential cost sharing to encourage patients to seek care at hospitals on the preferred tier. During the study period, 44 percent of hospitals were moved to a different tier based on changes in cost or quality performance. We relied on this longitudinal variation for identification and specified conditional logit models to estimate the effect of the tiered network (TN) on patients' hospital choices relative to a non-TN comparison group. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The TN was associated with increased use of hospitals on the preferred and middle tiers relative to the nonpreferred tier for planned admissions. The results suggest that if all members were in a TN plan, relative to all members being in a non-TN plan, scheduled admissions to hospitals on the nonpreferred tier would drop by 7.6 percentage points, while those to middle and preferred tier hospitals would rise by 0.9 and 6.6 percentage points, respectively. CONCLUSION Differential cost sharing can steer patients toward preferred hospitals for planned admissions.
Bayesian analysis of overdispersed chromosome aberration data with the negative binomial model.

The usual assumption of a Poisson model for the number of chromosome aberrations in controlled calibration experiments implies variance equal to the mean. However, it is known that chromosome aberration data from experiments involving high linear energy transfer radiations can be overdispersed, i.e. the variance is greater than the mean. Present methods for dealing with overdispersed chromosome data rely on frequentist statistical techniques. In this paper. the problem of overdispersion is considered from a Bayesian standpoint. The Bayes Factor is used to compare Poisson and negative binomial models for two previously published calibration data sets describing the induction of dicentric chromosome aberrations by high doses of neutrons. Posterior densities for the model parameters, which characterise dose response and overdispersion are calculated and graphed. Calibrative densities are derived for unknown neutron doses from hypothetical radiation accident data to deterimine the impact of different model assumptions on dose estimates. The main conclusion is that an initial assumption of a negative binomial model is the conservative approach to chromosome dosimetry for high LET radiations.
Using genetic means to dissect homologous and heterologous protein-protein interactions of PKR, the interferon-induced protein kinase.

The interferon-induced protein kinase, PKR, is a pivotal component of interferon (IFN)-induced cellular antiviral and antiproliferative response. The identification and characterization of proteins, of both viral and cellular origins, that interact with PKR have proven to be a valuable probe for unraveling the cellular regulation and function of PKR. Several studies have demonstrated that PKR forms dimers and that dimerization is likely to be required for activation and/or catalytic function. It is therefore important to elucidate the mechanism of PKR dimer formation and the role of PKR effectors in modulating kinase dimerization. Herein we describe the use of the two genetic approaches, the lambda repressor fusion and the yeast two-hybrid systems, to detect and analyze homo- and heterotypic interactions with PKR. We also describe several biochemical methodologies commonly used in our laboratory to validate the genetic results. Although the examples in this article focus on PKR, the techniques can easily be adapted to investigate protein-protein associations in a variety of experimental systems. Finally, given the important role of PKR as a mediator of IFN-induced antiviral and antiproliferative effects, these studies may provide clues to the development of reagents that target PKR to enhance the therapeutic use of IFN in the treatment of disease.
Cuticle heterogeneity as exhibited by Pasteuria spore attachment is not linked to the phylogeny of parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)

The cuticle is a major barrier prohibiting the infection of nematodes against micro-organisms. The attachment of bacterial spores of the nematode hyperparasite Pasteuria penetrans (PP1) to field populations of root-knot nematodes (RKN, Meloidogyne spp.) from Burkino Faso, Ecuador, Greece, Malawi, Senegal and Trinidad and Tobago were assayed in standard attachment tests. The attachment of spore population PP1 to different field populations of root-knot nematode showed that the rates of attachment differed between countries. Similar tests were also undertaken on P. penetrans spores from these countries against 2 species of RKN, M. incognita and M. arenaria. The results showed a high degree of variability in spore attachment with no clear distinction between the 2 species of nematode. It has been hypothesized that Pasteuria spore attachment is linked to nematode species designations and this study clearly shows that this is not the case. Further tests showed that variation in spore attachment was not linked to nematode phylogeny. The results therefore beg the question of how do parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes maintain cuticle variability in the face of such an aggressive hyperparasite.
Schéma multidimensionnel dédié pour l'OLAP des Tweets

Les tweets permettent l’echange de faits et d’opinions entre les utilisateurs du reseau social "Twitter". Le nombre de tweets echanges ne cesse d’augmenter et constitue ainsi une nouvelle source importante d’informations. L’application des techniques OLAP "On-Line analytical Processing" sur ces gros volumes de tweets permet d’extraire de nouvelles informations et/ou connaissances concernant par exemple le comportement des usagers ou les sujets emergents. Cet article propose un schema multidimensionnel generique dedie a l’OLAP des donnees dynamiques (tweets).
A Modified Modular Ring Network and Its Synchronizability

In this paper, a modified modular ring network model is proposed and discussed. The theoretical analysis indicates that, it is most effective for building a modular ring dynamical network with shorter characteristic path length via adding shortcuts randomly. Step forward, the synchronizability of this type of ring modular network are compared. Synchronizability of modular ring networks consist of different kinds of modules with different interior connection density, different inner module connection density are discussed in detail. Numerical experiments further show that, the synchronizability is influenced heavily by the inter module connection density, and little affected by the inner module density of connections.
Human Co115 colon carcinoma cells potentiate the degradation of laminin mediated by tissue‐type plasminogen activator

The plasminogen activation (PA) system of human Co 115 colon carcinoma cells was investigated. Analysis at the levels of protein and mRNA of cultured cells and of histozymography of tumor xenografts in nude mice showed that Co 115 cells produce only tissue type PA (t‐PA) and no urokinase (u‐PA). Also, mRNA for the u‐PA receptor and for PA inhibitorr type 2 (PAI‐2), but not for PAI‐I, were detected. We developed a quantitative degradation assay using glutaraldehyde‐immobilized125I‐Iaminin to investigate the capacity of Co 115 cells to degrade laminin. Laminin degradation by Co 115 cells was completely inhibited by 100 μg/ml of polyclonal anti‐t‐PA IgG, by the plasmin inhibitors aprotinin (100μg/ml) or ε‐aminocaproic acid (EACA; at 0.3 M), but not by antibodies against u‐PA or u‐PAR nor by nonimmune IgG. Cycloheximide‐treated Co 115 cells were unable to degrade laminin but increased laminin degradation induced by conditioned medium of Co 115 cells or recombinant t‐PA. No potentiation was observed when Co 115 cells and laminin were kept separated by Transwell™ inserts. Our results suggest that Co 115 human colon carcinoma cells degrade laminin by potentiating t‐PA‐mediated plasminogen activaton at the cells surface which requires close contact between tumor cells and laminin substrate. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genetic programmes and epigenetics in kidney development

Renal function starts to develop in foetal period and continues to evolve throughout the first years of life until it reaches its complete, adult level. Under this process the kidneys are obliged to changes that give the renal function during childhood its particular characteristics. The human kidney begins to develop in the 5th gestational week and starts to produce urine between the 10th and 12th week of gestation. Nephrogenesis is complete around the 35th36th week so that a term neonate is born with all its nephrons, something which is not the case for a premature one, born before nephrogenesis is complete. The entire process of foetal kidney development has been recently shown to be regulated by many genes and gene products, such as cytokines and growth factors, as well as the intrauterine environment itself, in a particular way known as epigenetics. The kidney regulates homeostasis by two fundamental functions, the glomerular and the tubular. In neonates both functions are deficient and although the neonatal kidneys are well equipped to sustain physiological processes, they are severely limited in their response to stress. Neonates have glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as low as 20 ml/min/1.73 m2 at birth, which rises gradually to reach the adult rates at 18 months. Additionally, due to immature tubular
Determination of FWM products in unequal-spaced-channel WDM lightwave systems

Recently, unequal-spaced channel-allocation techniques have been studied and analyzed to reduce four-wave-mixing (FWM) crosstalk in high-capacity, long-haul wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems. It will be helpful to system designers if there exists a fast tool to measure the strength of FWM crosstalk in such WDM systems. In this paper, we develop two algorithms, using frequency difference triangles and frequency difference squares, that can determine the total numbers of FWM signals falling onto the operating band and each channel, respectively, of unequal-spaced WDM systems. By knowing these two numbers, one can adjust the system parameters, such as minimum channel spacing, in order to keep a good balance on the adverse effects of FWM crosstalk and interchannel interference, or avoid the assignment of channels at locations with the most severe crosstalk.
Modes of persuasion toward unanimous consent

A fully committed sender seeks to sway a collective adoption decision through designing experiments. Voters have correlated payoff states and heterogeneous thresholds of doubt. We characterize the sender-optimal policy under unanimity rule for two persuasion modes. Under general persuasion, evidence presented to each voter depends on all voters' states. The sender makes the most demanding voters indifferent between decisions, while the more lenient voters strictly benefit from persuasion. Under individual persuasion, evidence presented to each voter depends only on her state. The sender designates a subgroup of rubber-stampers, another of fully informed voters, and a third of partially informed voters. The most demanding voters are strategically accorded high-quality information.
7 Neuroprotective Effects of Interferon-β in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered an immune-mediated, demyelinating, and degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The immune-mediated pathogenesis is supported by the significant infiltration of leukocytes into the CNS parenchyma and by the finding of a substantial similarity between active MS plaques and lesions in the CNS of animals with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE); EAE is produced by an autoreactive T-cell response. The favorable response of many MS patients to immunomodulatory drugs, including use of β interferons (IFNs) and glatiramer acetate to decrease the number of relapses and reduce magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity (1–4), also corroborates the hypothesis of immune-mediated injury. The pathology of MS lesions provides clues to the important role of T cells in the disease. Active MS lesions are characterized by perivascular lymphocyte infiltration that spreads into the parenchyma. A prevailing hypothesis of MS pathogenesis is that T cells are activated in the periphery by unknown antigens (5,6) and both myelin and nonmyelin antigens may be involved (7–9). Although auto-antigen specific T cells are present in the immune system of MS patients, they are also found in healthy people, leading to the concept that these cells need to be activated to become mediators of disease. Different mechanisms have been suggested for the activation of autoreactive T cells, such as molecular mimicry, epitope spreading, mistaken selfand bystander activation (Fig. 1). Molecular mimicry describes conformational similarities between epitopes of myelin proteins and epitopes of foreign antigens (e.g., viral or bacterial origin). For this reason, T cells would recognize self-antigen as non-self. More recently, it has been reported that structural similarities between different proteins of the major histocompatibilty complex (MHC) human leukocyte antigen class II, one recognizing the foreign antigen and the other a self-antigen, can induce an autoimmune response (10). Another proposed mechanism of T-cell activation is epitope spreading; inflammation and tissue destruction would induce antigen presentation of previously hidden epitopes and cause the activation of T cells of different specificities. In this way, the immune response spreads from the first self-antigen to others that induce their own immune responses. Although epitope spreading is documented in EAE, there is still little evidence that this process occurs in MS (11). In addition to epitope spreading, the same inflammatory environment, because of the high concentration of cytokines, can induce activation of immune cells per se by a mechanism called
Development and evaluation of an educational interactive CD‐ROM for teens with cancer

Cancer is the number one disease killer of children and adolescents in North America. For adolescents, this diagnosis comes at a particularly vulnerable stage. Educating adolescents with cancer from diagnosis through treatment teaches and empowers them. Increasing evidence shows that these adolescents want more information. Few educational tools exist for young cancer patients; none are interactive; therefore, a CD‐ROM was developed to meet this need.
Meta-heuristics based load balancing algorithms in grid and clouds-a review

Cloud computing is an innovative technology that mainly relies on sharing of computing resources, data as well as information over the internet. Cloud computing has been evolved from technological growth in Grid systems, Virtualization and Web2.0. Efficient Load Balancing (LB) and scheduling techniques are required for optimal utilization of computing resources and to reduce turnaround time. Load Balancing balances the load among nodes by shifting load from over-utilized node to under-utilized node. This paper presents an extensive review of different meta-heuristic techniques that are applicable in grid and cloud systems to generate optimal load balancing solution.
Simultaneous Confidence Intervals for the Difference of Two Survival Functions

In comparing two treatments with failure time observations, confidence bands for the “difference” of two survival curves provide useful information about a global picture of the treatment difference over time. In this note, we propose a rather simple procedure for constructing such simultaneous confidence intervals. Our technique can also be used in the one‐sample case, which has been extensively studied in the literature.
The Human Dnmt2 Has Residual DNA-(Cytosine-C5) Methyltransferase Activity*

The human Dnmt2 protein is one member of a protein family conserved from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Drosophila melanogaster to Mus musculus and Homo sapiens. It contains all of the amino acid motifs characteristic for DNA-(Cytosine-C5) methyltransferases, and its structure is very similar to prokaryotic DNA methyltransferases. Nevertheless, so far all attempts to detect catalytic activity of this protein have failed. We show here by two independent assay systems that the purified Dnmt2 protein has weak DNA methyltransferase activity. Methylation was observed at CG sites in a loose ttnCGga(g/a) consensus sequence, suggesting that Dnmt2 has a more specialized role than other mammalian DNA methyltransferases.
A Research on the Structure of Customer’s Service Recovery Expectation

Aiming at the actuality that the research about costumer service recovery prediction structure is relatively deficient under the background of China culture, based on literature analysis, profound interview, opening investigation and expectation research, we adopt exploratory factor analysis method and confirmatory factor analysis method to develop and validate the scale used to measure customer service recovery expectation in this article. The confirmatory result shows that the scale possesses better reliability and validity level, and the basic content of customer service recovery expectation includes recovery attributes, failure attribution and empowering employees for problem solutions, and in these three factors, the dimension of failure attribution has the largest influences to the satisfaction after customer service recovery.
Identification of differentially expressed genes in brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) responding to host plant resistance

Abstract The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens Stål is one of the major insect pests of rice Oryza sativa L. The host resistance exhibits profound effects on growth, development and propagation of N. lugens. To investigate the molecular response of N. lugens to host resistance, a cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) technique was employed to identify the differentially expressed genes in the nymphs feeding on three rice varieties. Of the 2800 cDNA bands analysed, 54 were up-regulated and seven down-regulated qualitatively in N. lugens when the ingestion sources were changed from susceptible rice plants to resistant ones. Sequence analysis of the differential transcript-derived fragments showed that the genes involved in signalling, stress response, gene expression regulation, detoxification and metabolism were regulated by host resistance. Four of the transcript-derived fragments corresponding to genes encoding for a putative B subunit of phosphatase PP2A, a nemo kinase, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and a prolyl endopeptidase were further characterized in detail. Northern blot analysis confirmed that the expression of the four genes was enhanced in N. lugens feeding on resistant rice plants. The roles of these genes in the defensive response of N. lugens to host plant resistance were discussed.
Analysis of time-stamping-based synchronization of a PEBB system

In the last few years, the design of power electronics systems has been towards modularity. The focus has been on finding solutions for integration of distributed power electronics systems. Distributed systems set new requirements for control systems compared with the traditional centralized solutions. Using intelligent power electronics building blocks as a basis for power electronics systems results in reduced cost, easier reconfiguration, and improved reliability. A cascaded ring topology has become a prominent control solution. In many applications, accurate synchronization of the building blocks is of crucial importance; it is therefore essential to understand the factors that affect the synchronization accuracy. This paper addresses ring topology synchronization methods and the factors that define the overall synchronization accuracy. A new time-stamping-based synchronization method is presented, and its accuracy and jitter behavior are analyzed. Experimental results of synchronization jitter of the proposed method are presented.
Bibliometrics: a Publication Analysis Tool

Bibliometrics has become an increasingly necessary tool for studying and analysing an institution's scientific activity. Research librarians must be able to extract, interpret and represent bibliometric data in different ways depending on the user to whom they are to be presented. In this article, we describe the process of creating a bibliometric data management and consultation tool, called Bibliometrics, whose goal is to cater for the needs of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's different users. We describe the reasons that have led us to create this tool, the information sources from which the data are taken (both bibliographic and bibliometric), and the bibliometric indicators used to present the information.
Modeling of FinFET Parasitic Source/Drain Resistance With Polygonal Epitaxy

In this paper, we introduce a new compact model of the parasitic resistance of a FinFET with a hexagonal-shaped raised source–drain (S/D) structure. In contrast to previous models that divided the extrinsic S/D region into three parts, we redefined the region boundaries and modeled them as a series connection of accumulation resistance, gradient resistance, bulk resistance, and contact resistance. The newly added bulk resistance model accounts for the highly doped silicon region. We also significantly improved the contact resistance model to reflect the contact area and contact resistivity for better accuracy in the raised S/D region. We validated the accuracy of our model by varying the gate voltage, doping diffusion length, epitaxy silicon height, and contact resistivity, finding the model errors to be within 2% of the 3-D technology CAD device simulation results.
MILLIHERTZ QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS AND THERMONUCLEAR BURSTS FROM TERZAN 5: A SHOWCASE OF BURNING REGIMES

We present a comprehensive study of the thermonuclear bursts and millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations (mHz QPOs) from the neutron star (NS) transient and 11 Hz X-ray pulsar IGR J17480−2446, located in the globular cluster Terzan 5. The increase in burst rate that we found during its 2010 outburst, when persistent luminosity rose from 0.1 to 0.5 times the Eddington limit, is in qualitative agreement with thermonuclear burning theory yet contrary to all previous observations of thermonuclear bursts. Thermonuclear bursts gradually evolved into a mHz QPO when the accretion rate increased, and vice versa. The mHz QPOs from IGR J17480−2446 resemble those previously observed in other accreting NSs, yet they feature lower frequencies (by a factor ∼3) and occur when the persistent luminosity is higher (by a factor 4–25). We find four distinct bursting regimes and a steep (close to inverse cubic) decrease of the burst recurrence time with increasing persistent luminosity. We compare these findings to nuclear burning models and find evidence for a transition between the pure helium and mixed hydrogen/helium ignition regimes when the persistent luminosity was about 0.3 times the Eddington limit. We also point out important discrepancies between the observed bursts and theory, which predicts brighter and less frequent bursts, and suggest that an additional source of heat in the NS envelope is required to reconcile the observed and expected burst properties. We discuss the impact of NS magnetic field and spin on the expected nuclear burning regimes, in the context of this particular pulsar.