Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intergenerational transfers in the era of HIV/AIDS: Evidence from rural Malawi.

BACKGROUND Intergenerational transfer patterns in sub-Saharan Africa are poorly understood, despite the alleged importance of support networks to ameliorate the complex implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic for families. OBJECTIVE There is a considerable need for research on intergenerational support networks and transfers to better understand the mechanisms through which extended families cope with the HIV/AIDS epidemic and potentially alleviate some of its consequences in sub-Saharan Africa, and to comprehend how transfers respond-or not-to perceptions about own and other family members' health. METHODS Using the 2008 round of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH), we estimate the age patterns and the multiple directions of financial and non-financial transfer flows in rural Malawi-from prime-aged respondents to their elderly parents and adult children age 15 and up. We also estimate the social, demographic and economic correlates of financial and non-financial transfers of financial intergenerational transfers in this context. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Our findings are that: (1) intergenerational financial and non-financial transfers are widespread and a key characteristic of family relationships in rural Malawi; (2) downward and upward transfers are importantly constrained and determined by the availability of transfer partners (parents or adult children); (3) financial net transfers are strongly age-patterned and the middle generations are net-providers of transfers; (4) non-financial transfers are based on mutual assistance rather than reallocation of resources; and (5) intergenerational transfers are generally not related to health status, including HIV positive status.
Effectiveness of an Online Group Course for Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Randomized Trial

Background Depression is a serious mental health problem, whose first onset is usually in adolescence. Online treatment may offer a solution for the current undertreatment of depression in youth. For adults with depressive symptoms, the effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy has been demonstrated. This study is one of the first randomized controlled trials to investigate the effectiveness online depression treatment for young people with depressive complaints and the first to focus on an online group course. Objective To evaluate and discuss the effectiveness of a guided Web-based group course called Grip op Je Dip (Master Your Mood [MYM]), designed for young people aged 16 to 25 years with depressive symptoms, in comparison with a wait-listed control group. Methods We randomly assigned 244 young people with depressive symptoms to the online MYM course or to a waiting-list control condition. The primary outcome measure was treatment outcome after 3 months on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes were anxiety (measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and mastery (Mastery Scale). We studied the maintenance of effects in the MYM group 6 months after baseline. Missing data were imputed. Results The MYM group (n = 121) showed significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms at 3 months than the control group (n = 123) (t 187 = 6.62, P < .001), with a large between-group effect size of d = 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–1.23). The MYM group also showed greater improvement in anxiety (t 187 = 3.80, P < .001, d = 0.49, 95% CI 0.24–0.75) and mastery (t 187 = 3.36, P = .001, d = 0.44, 95% CI 0.19–0.70). At 12 weeks, 56% (68/121) of the participants in the MYM group and 20% (24/123) in the control group showed reliable and clinically significant change. This between-group difference was significant (χ2 1 = 35.0, P < .001) and yielded a number needed to treat of 2.7. Improvements in the MYM group were maintained at 6 months. A limitation is the infeasibility of comparing the 6-month outcomes of the MYM and control groups, as the controls had access to MYM after 3 months. Conclusions The online group course MYM was effective in reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety and in increasing mastery in young people. These effects persisted in the MYM group at 6 months. Trial Registration Nederlands Trial Register: NTR1694; http://www.trialregister. nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp? TC=1694 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/683SBoeGV)
Natarajan Jeyaprakash and Che-Hua Yang

The surface properties of a bulk material are not accepted totally and independently. The tribology is the most important field that comprises the component design with static and dynamic relations for a reliability and performance. Hence, it is believed that the surface contacts, atmosphere, and lubrication significantly change the wear resistance of the material surface. However, the wear process is more complicated, in that a surface wear properties based on many tribological factors namely sliding type, mode of loading and working atmosphere. In this chapter, will explore the tribology fundamental, friction, various lubrication, wear types and mechanism on the wear process.
Many Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Sample and Setting

We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance to examine variation in effect magnitudes across sample and setting. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples and 15,305 total participants from 36 countries and territories. Using conventional statistical significance (p < .05), fifteen (54%) of the replications provided evidence in the same direction and statistically significant as the original finding. With a strict significance criterion (p < .0001), fourteen (50%) provide such evidence reflecting the extremely high powered design. Seven (25%) of the replications had effect sizes larger than the original finding and 21 (75%) had effect sizes smaller than the original finding. The median comparable Cohen’s d effect sizes for original findings was 0.60 and for replications was 0.15. Sixteen replications (57%) had small effect sizes (< .20) and 9 (32%) were in the opposite direction from the original finding. Across settings, 11 (39%) showed significant heterogeneity using the Q statistic and most of those were among the findings eliciting the largest overall effect sizes; only one effect that was near zero in the aggregate showed significant heterogeneity. Only one effect showed a Tau > 0.20 indicating moderate heterogeneity. Nine others had a Tau near or slightly above 0.10 indicating slight heterogeneity. In moderation tests, very little heterogeneity was attributable to task order, administration in lab versus online, and exploratory WEIRD versus less WEIRD culture comparisons. Cumulatively, variability in observed effect sizes was more attributable to the effect being studied than the sample or setting in which it was studied.
"Smart Home Sweet Smart Home": An Examination of Smart Home Acceptance

Technology acceptance in private spaces has not received much attention, although users' behaviour may be different due to the space in which usage takes place. To address this gap, the present study proposed a model exploring individuals' values, users' perception of technology performance and attitudinal beliefs in relation to use behaviour and satisfaction when using smart technologies in their homes. The study employed a sample of 422 participants in the USA. Structural equation modelling was utilised to test the proposed hypotheses. The model provided robust results explaining factors underpinning the use of pervasive technology in private settings. Specifically, the study showed that hedonic and utilitarian beliefs are critical for the perception of task fit, whereas privacy and financial factors were found to be not significant. The fit between tasks and technology demonstrated a significant role in predicting perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, use behaviour, and satisfaction. Lastly, use behaviour showed a positive correlation with satisfaction.
Robust recursive linear quadratic regulator for wheeled mobile robots based on optical motion capture cameras

In this paper, we deal with nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots (WMR) modeled as uncertain nonlinear systems. Sources of uncertainties can be due to erroneous estimation of mass, inertia, and center of gravity and due to payload time‐varying. They also can be considered as external disturbances generated from unstructured environments. We are proposing the use of a robust linear quadratic regulator (RLQR) to deal with tracking problems of WMR. In order to guarantee the effectiveness of this control approach, the robot posture is measured through a high‐precision motion capture system. This RLQR encompasses in a unified framework all state and output uncertain parameters of the system and does not depend on any auxiliary parameter to be tuned. It is useful to be used in online applications. Experimental results are presented with a comparative study among the R‐LQR, the nonlinear H∞ control via game theory, and the standard proportional‐derivative controller plus computed torque (PD+CT).
Seasonal dynamics of above-ground biomass and nutrients of Kobresia tibetica meadow in Yellow River headwater area.

Seasonal nutrition dynamics of fenced and grazed Kobresia tibetica meadow in Yellow River headwater source were studied with methods of field investigation and lab analysis.The result showed that the total biomass of grazed and fenced meadow decreased from August to the next April and the natural biomass loss were 46.2% and 49.6% respectively.The natural loss rates were 5.1% from January to April and 5.9% from April to May in fenced grassland.After grazing,the factual utilization rate of grazed grassland was around 48.4% of the total biomass of fenced grassland in April,and 24.4% of that in August.The contents of crude protein and crude fat decreased from August to the next January in the grazed grassland,while the crude fiber content increased.The nutritive type of meadow was NC in summer and C in winter.
Multicultural Organizations in Asia

1. Introduction: Boundaries and Organizations in Asia (8000 words) Heidi Dahles 2. Conflict and Politics of its Management in International Joint Ventures in China (8000 words) Chan Kwok Bun 3. Beyond the Family? Recruitment Practices and Cultural Boundaries in Singapore Chinese Small Enterprises (7000 words) Helen Kopnina 4. A Multicultural Joint Venture under the Post-Developmental State in Singapore (8000 words) Heidi Dahles and Merel Bruckwilder 5. Culture and Power Relations in a Multicultural Organization in Thailand (8000 words) Geeske Boode 6. Cooperation and Rivalry in a Japanese Organization in the Netherlands (8000 words) Hyunghae Byun and Sierk Ybema 7. Ethnicity as a Management Issue and Resource: Examples from Malaysia (8000 words) Mhinder Bhopal and Chris Rowley 8. Crossing Cultural Boundaries: A Multicultural Kindergarten in Hong Kong (8000 words) Rebekka Spijker 9. Conclusions: Organizational Boundaries Reconsidered (6000 words) Heidi Dahles and Loh Wei Leng
Knowledge, attitudes, practices and intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19: results from a cross-sectional survey in three peri-urban communities in South Africa

Introduction South Africa has the largest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Africa. Data to inform public health strategies to mitigate the spread of new variants and severity of disease is needed, including information on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19, factors associated with intention to get vaccinated, and viewpoints on reliable sources of data. Methods we investigated these topics as part of the COVID-19 healthcare utilization and seroprevalence (HUTS) cross-sectional survey in three communities in South Africa: Mitchell´s Plain (Western Cape Province), Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal Province) and Klerksdorp (North West Province) during and after the second wave of COVID-19 prior to vaccine availability. Results primary caregivers from 5799 households participated in the study, 41.1% from Pietermaritzburg, 34.2% from Klerksdorp and 24.7% from Mitchells Plain. Two-thirds and 94.7% of respondents had correct knowledge on the cause and spread of COVID-19, respectively. Knowledge measures were significantly associated with age less than 65 years, the highest level of education and site (Mitchells Plain). Desired preventive behaviors were associated with higher socio-economic status. While 64.7% of people intended to get vaccinated, those over 64 years of age were more likely to intend to vaccinate (aOR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.06-1.47). Vaccine intention related to protection of self (58.4%) and family (40.0%). The most trusted source of COVID-19 information was television (59.3%) followed by radio (20.0%). Conclusion these data can be used to design targeted public health campaigns for the current COVID-19 and future epidemics, ensuring that socio-economic constraints and preference for trusted information are considered.
Detecting biased validation of predictive models in the positive-unlabeled setting: disease gene prioritization case study

Abstract Motivation Positive-unlabeled data consists of points with either positive or unknown labels. It is widespread in medical, genetic, and biological settings, creating a high demand for predictive positive-unlabeled models. The performance of such models is usually estimated using validation sets, assumed to be selected completely at random (SCAR) from known positive examples. For certain metrics, this assumption enables unbiased performance estimation when treating positive-unlabeled data as positive/negative. However, the SCAR assumption is often adopted without proper justifications, simply for the sake of convenience. Results We provide an algorithm that under the weak assumptions of a lower bound on the number of positive examples can test for the violation of the SCAR assumption. Applying it to the problem of gene prioritization for complex genetic traits, we illustrate that the SCAR assumption is often violated there, causing the inflation of performance estimates, which we refer to as validation bias. We estimate the potential impact of validation bias on performance estimation. Our analysis reveals that validation bias is widespread in gene prioritization data and can significantly overestimate the performance of models. This finding elucidates the discrepancy between the reported good performance of models and their limited practical applications. Availability and implementation Python code with examples of application of the validation bias detection algorithm is available at github.com/ArtomovLab/ValidationBias.
Analyses of structure of planetary boundary layer in ice camp over Arctic ocean

The vertical structure of Planetary boundary layer over Arctic floating ice is presented by using about 50 atmospheric profiles and relevant data sounded at an ice station over Arctic Ocean from 22 August to 3 September,2003.It shows that the height of the convective boundary layer in day is greater than that of the stability boundary layer in night.The boundary layer can be described as vertical structures of stability,instability and multipling The interaction between relative warm and wet down draft air from up level and cool air of surface layer is significant,which causes stronger wind shear,temperature and humidity inversion with typical wind shear of 10 m/s/100 m,intensity of temperature inversion of 8 ℃/100 m.While the larger pack ice is broken by such process,new ice free area in the high latitudes of arctic ocean.The interactions between air/ice/water are enhanced.The fact helps to understanding characteristics of atmospheric boundary layer and its effect in Arctic floating ice region.
Mutational signature assignment heterogeneity is widespread and can be addressed by ensemble approaches

Abstract Single-base substitution (SBS) mutational signatures have become standard practice in cancer genomics. In lieu of de novo signature extraction, reference signature assignment allows users to estimate the activities of pre-established SBS signatures within individual malignancies. Several tools have been developed for this purpose, each with differing methodologies. However, due to a lack of standardization, there may be inter-tool variability in signature assignment. We deeply characterized three assignment strategies and five SBS signature assignment tools. We observed that assignment strategy choice can significantly influence results and interpretations. Despite varying recommendations by tools, Refit performed best by reducing overfitting and maximizing reconstruction of the original mutational spectra. Even after uniform application of Refit, tools varied remarkably in signature assignments both qualitatively (Jaccard index = 0.38–0.83) and quantitatively (Kendall tau-b = 0.18–0.76). This phenomenon was exacerbated for ‘flat’ signatures such as the homologous recombination deficiency signature SBS3. An ensemble approach (EnsembleFit), which leverages output from all five tools, increased SBS3 assignment accuracy in BRCA1/2-deficient breast carcinomas. After generating synthetic mutational profiles for thousands of pan-cancer tumors, EnsembleFit reduced signature activity assignment error 15.9–24.7% on average using Catalogue of Somatic Mutations In Cancer and non-standard reference signature sets. We have also released the EnsembleFit web portal (https://www.ensemblefit.pittlabgenomics.com) for users to generate or download ensemble-based SBS signature assignments using any strategy and combination of tools. Overall, we show that signature assignment heterogeneity across tools and strategies is non-negligible and propose a viable, ensemble solution.
Comparative efficacy of quetiapine by dose and formulation for psychosis in schizophrenia: A systematic review and dose–response model-based network meta-analysis

Background: Quetiapine has varied dose ranges and immediate-(QTP-IR) and extended-release (QTP-ER) formulations. Aims: We hypothesized that QTP-IR is inferior to QTP-ER at any dose in efficacy for the acute treatment in schizophrenia and tested using a dose–response model-based network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CINHAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized placebo-controlled trials comparing QTP-IR and/or QTP-ER for acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia up to September 21, 2022. A random effect Bayesian dose–response model-based NMA was performed to compare the dose–response relationships between QTP-IR and QTP-ER. Results: The relationship between doses and antipsychotic effects was partially bell-shaped for QTP-IR but not for QTP-ER. The respective peak effect dose was 279.7 mg for QTP-IR and 557.2 mg for QTP-ER, with no significant difference in peak effect. QTP-IR ranging from 100 to 300 mg were significantly superior to QTP-ER at the same doses. In addition, QTP-IR ranging from 100 to 400 mg were significantly better than placebo, whereas QTP-ER ranging from 500 to 800 mg were significantly more effective than placebo. Moreover, QTP-IR 600 mg was significantly less effective than QTP-ER at the same dose. Furthermore, QTP-IR 700 mg was significantly superior to placebo, but significantly inferior to QTP-ER 600 mg. Conclusions: QTP-IR may reach comparable peak responses and exhibit enhanced antipsychotic effects at lower doses than QTP-ER; the converse may be true at relatively high doses. Collectively, we propose a novel strategy to enhance the efficacy of QTP administration.
Large off-shell effects in the 
D¯*
 contribution to 
B→D¯ππ
 and 
B→D¯πℓ¯νℓ
 decays

We stress that, although the D∗ is very narrow (one hundred of keV), the difference between the full D∗ contribution to B → D̄ππ and its zero width limit is surprisingly large : several percents. This phenomenon is a general effect which appears when considering the production of particles that are coupled to an intermediate virtual state, stable or not, and it persists whether the width is large or not. The effects of various cuts and of the inclusion of damping factors at the strong and weak vertices are discussed. It is shown how the zero width limit, needed to compare with theoretical expectations, can be extracted. One also evaluates the virtual D ∗ V contribution, which comes out roughly as found experimentally, but which is however much more dependent on cuts and uncontrollable "offshell" effects. We suggest a way to estimate the impact of the damping factors.
Proline provides a nitrogen source in the retinal pigment epithelium to synthesize and export amino acids for the neural retina

It is known that metabolic defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can cause degeneration of its neighboring photoreceptors in the retina, leading to retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. However, how RPE metabolism supports the health of the neural retina remains unclear. The retina requires exogenous nitrogen sources for protein synthesis, neurotransmission, and energy metabolism. Using 15N tracing coupled with mass spectrometry, we found human RPE can utilize the nitrogen in proline to produce and export 13 amino acids, including glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, alanine and serine. Similarly, we found this proline nitrogen utilization in the mouse RPE/Cho but not in the neural retina of explant cultures. Co-culture of human RPE with the retina showed that the retina can take up the amino acids, especially glutamate, aspartate and glutamine, generated from proline nitrogen in the RPE. Intravenous delivery of 15N proline in vivo demonstrated 15N-derived amino acids appear earlier in the RPE before the retina. We also found proline dehydrogenase (PRODH), the key enzyme in proline catabolism, is highly enriched in the RPE but not the retina. The deletion of PRODH blocks proline nitrogen utilization in RPE and the import of proline nitrogen-derived amino acids in the retina. Our findings highlight the importance of RPE metabolism in supporting nitrogen sources for the retina, providing insight into understanding the mechanisms of the retinal metabolic ecosystem and RPE-initiated retinal degenerative diseases.
Minimization of energy functionals via FEM: implementation of hp-FEM

Many problems in science and engineering can be rigorously recast into minimizing a suitable energy functional. We have been developing efficient and flexible solution strategies to tackle various minimization problems by employing finite element discretization with P1 triangular elements [1,2]. An extension to rectangular hp-finite elements in 2D is introduced in this contribution.
Model-based causal feature selection for general response types

Discovering causal relationships from observational data is a fundamental yet challenging task. Invariant causal prediction (ICP, Peters et al., 2016) is a method for causal feature selection which requires data from heterogeneous settings and exploits that causal models are invariant. ICP has been extended to general additive noise models and to nonparametric settings using conditional independence tests. However, the latter often suffer from low power (or poor type I error control) and additive noise models are not suitable for applications in which the response is not measured on a continuous scale, but reflects categories or counts. Here, we develop transformation-model (TRAM) based ICP, allowing for continuous, categorical, count-type, and uninformatively censored responses (these model classes, generally, do not allow for identifiability when there is no exogenous heterogeneity). As an invariance test, we propose TRAM-GCM based on the expected conditional covariance between environments and score residuals with uniform asymptotic level guarantees. For the special case of linear shift TRAMs, we also consider TRAM-Wald, which tests invariance based on the Wald statistic. We provide an open-source R package 'tramicp' and evaluate our approach on simulated data and in a case study investigating causal features of survival in critically ill patients.