Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered Gray-Matter Volumes Associated With Betel Quid Dependence

Betel quid (BQ) is one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive substances. It has been suggested to be associated with various health issues, especially oral cancer. Evidence also points to possible decreased cognitive functions after long-term BQ chewing, such as attention and inhibition control. The present study aims to investigate the brain structure basis of BQ chewing in Hunan province of China. Twenty-five BQ chewers and 25 controls were recruited to participate in this study. Voxel-based morphormetry analysis revealed that there were three key regions showing structural differences between BQ chewers and controls, including bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)/insula, ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and left orbitofrontal cortex. Moreover, the GMV in the DLPFC could potentially predict BQ dependence scores, level of daily BQ chewing, and history of BQ chewing. These results suggested that participants who showed BQ chewing dependence may have deficit in inhibition control and affective decision-making, and the level of deficit was dependent on the level of daily BQ chewing, and history of BQ chewing. Understanding the neurobiology features of BQ chewing would help us develop novel ways to diagnose and prevent BQ dependence.
Analyzing Telegraphic Messages

Most people have little difficulty reading telegraphic-style messages such asSHIPMENT GOLD BULLION ARRIVING STAGECOACH JAN. 7 3 PMeven though lots of material has been omitted which would be required in "standard English", such as articles, prepositions, and verbs. Our concern in this paper is how to process such messages by computer. Even though people don't send many telegrams anymore, this problem is still of importance because many military messages are written in this telegraphic style:2 FLARES SIGHTED 230704Z6 SOUTH APPROX 5 MI SPA ESTABLISHED(here 230704Z6 is the time, and SPA is the Submarine Probability Area).
Development of an In Vitro Bioassay for Clostridium botulinum Type B Neurotoxin in Foods That Is More Sensitive than the Mouse Bioassay

ABSTRACT A novel, in vitro bioassay for detection of the botulinum type B neurotoxin in a range of media was developed. The assay is amplified by the enzymic activity of the neurotoxin’s light chain and includes the following three stages: first, a small, monoclonal antibody-based immunoaffinity column captures the toxin; second, a peptide substrate is cleaved by using the endopeptidase activity of the type B neurotoxin; and finally, a modified enzyme-linked immunoassay system detects the peptide cleavage products. The assay is highly specific for type B neurotoxin and is capable of detecting type B toxin at a concentration of 5 pg ml−1 (0.5 mouse 50% lethal dose ml−1) in approximately 5 h. The format of the test was found to be suitable for detecting botulinum type B toxin in a range of foodstuffs with a sensitivity that exceeds the sensitivity of the mouse assay. Using highly specific monoclonal antibodies as the capture phase, we found that the endopeptidase assay was capable of differentiating between the type B neurotoxins produced by proteolytic and nonproteolytic strains of Clostridium botulinum type B.
Sacrifice Ratios with Long-Lived Effects April 20 , 2001

This paper contains a theoretical and empirical study of sacrifice ratios with long-lived effects, including possible strong persistence effects, or even hysteresis effects. The empirical analysis is based on G-7 quarterly output data as well as unemployment data from 1960 to 1999. In this paper, I develop some new methods to measure sacrifice ratios with long-lived effects. I reach four conclusions: First, sacrifice ratios with long-lived effects are larger than sacrifice ratios that do not account for long-lived effects. Second, from a theoretical model and simulation, the “standard method” of measuring sacrifice ratios by Ball (1994) has a larger downward bias for countries with larger long-lived effects. Third, both random and fixed effect models show that there is a negative relationship between sacrifice ratios and initial inflations, which can provide one explanation of the large magnitude of sacrifice ratios with long-lived effects in the 1990s, compared with other periods. Fourth, there is no significant negative relationship between sacrifice ratios with long-lived effects and nominal wage rigidities.
Genetic and Clinical Risk Prediction Model for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Background—Postoperative atrial fibrillation (PoAF) is common after coronary artery bypass grafting. We previously showed that atrial fibrillation susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the chromosome 4q25 locus are associated with PoAF. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a combined clinical and genetic model incorporating atrial fibrillation risk SNPs would be superior to a clinical-only model. Methods and Results—We developed and externally validated clinical and clinical/genetic risk models for PoAF. The discovery and validation cohorts included 556 and 1164 patients, respectively. Clinical variables previously associated with PoAF and 13 SNPs at loci associated with atrial fibrillation in genome-wide association studies were considered. PoAF occurred in 30% and 29% of patients in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. In the discovery cohort, a logistic regression model with clinical factors had good discrimination, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.76. The addition of 10 SNPs to the clinical model did not improve discrimination (area under receiver operator characteristic curve, 0.78; P=0.14 for difference between the 2 models). In the validation cohort, the clinical model had good discrimination (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, 0.69) and addition of genetic variables resulted in a marginal improvement in discrimination (area under receiver operator characteristic curve, 0.72; P<0.0001). Conclusions—We developed and validated a model for the prediction of PoAF containing common clinical variables. Addition of atrial fibrillation susceptibility SNPs did not improve model performance. Tools to accurately predict PoAF are needed to risk stratify patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and identify candidates for prophylactic therapies.
Surveillance guidelines after removal of colorectal adenomatous polyps

Most colon cancers are assumed to have a premalignant adenomatous polyp phase, therefore colonoscopic detection and polypectomy provides the opportunity for cancer prevention. Some patients who have undergone colonoscopy and have had adenomas removed are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) in the future, and therefore might benefit from colonoscopic surveillance. However, it is important to appreciate that colonoscopy is an invasive and costly procedure with some associated morbidity. It is also an under-resourced procedure in the UK, with a serious lack of fully trained endoscopists. Around one third of the population will develop an adenoma by age 60. Most adenomas are asymptomatic and remain undiagnosed. If colorectal screening is introduced this situation will change dramatically. There are few data on the benefits of colonoscopic surveillance in preventing colorectal cancer after a baseline clearing colonoscopy. It is therefore important that this practice is applied judiciously, balancing the risks and benefits in each individual case. Using published evidence, this guideline recommends appropriate surveillance after adenoma removal. The decision to perform each follow up colonoscopy should also depend on the patient’s wishes, the presence of comorbidity, the patient’s age, and the presence of other risk factors. ### Risk of colorectal cancer and adenomas with advanced pathology (≥1 cm or severely dysplastic) (see fig 1) Figure 1 Surveillance after adenoma removal. Risk can be stratified according to findings at baseline and refined at each subsequent surveillance examination. (Recommendation Grade B) #### Low risk Patients with only 1–2, small (<1 cm) adenomas. Recommendation: no follow up or five yearly until one negative examination . #### Intermediate risk Patients with 3–4 small adenomas or at least one >1 cm Recommendation: three yearly until two consecutive negative examinations . #### High risk If either of the following are detected at any single examination (at baseline or follow up): ≥5 adenomas or ≥3 adenomas at least one of which is ≥1 cm. Recommendation: An extra examination should be undertaken at 12 months before returning …
Conceptualisation et actions didactiques propos de la reproduction vgtale

Travailler sur les representations de la reproduction vegetale chez les eleves selon le cadre theorique des champs conceptuels de Vergnaud permet de comprendre a la fois les avancees conceptuelles et les difficultes. Ainsi, les theoremes-en-acte quotidiens developpes par les eleves peuvent etre des obstacles a la conceptualisation et par la-meme expliquent leur pregnance et leur resistance. Mais la representatio n evolue avec le temps et les situa­ tions . rencontrees ; elle devient progressivement plus "scientifique". L'etude des invariants operatoires et du systeme dans lequel ils s'organisent avant, pendant et apres les situations didactiques permet de mieux saisir le processus de conceptualisa tion : glissement de sens du quotidien vers le scientifique grâce a des actions et a des ruptures.
Kalman Filter for Robot Vision: A Survey

Kalman filters have received much attention with the increasing demands for robotic automation. This paper briefly surveys the recent developments for robot vision. Among many factors that affect the performance of a robotic system, Kalman filters have made great contributions to vision perception. Kalman filters solve uncertainties in robot localization, navigation, following, tracking, motion control, estimation and prediction, visual servoing and manipulation, and structure reconstruction from a sequence of images. In the 50th anniversary, we have noticed that more than 20 kinds of Kalman filters have been developed so far. These include extended Kalman filters and unscented Kalman filters. In the last 30 years, about 800 publications have reported the capability of these filters in solving robot vision problems. Such problems encompass a rather wide application area, such as object modeling, robot control, target tracking, surveillance, search, recognition, and assembly, as well as robotic manipulation, localization, mapping, navigation, and exploration. These reports are summarized in this review to enable easy referral to suitable methods for practical solutions. Representative contributions and future research trends are also addressed in an abstract level.
Waterpipe tobacco smoking: what is the evidence that it supports nicotine/tobacco dependence?

Objective Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) involves passing tobacco smoke through water prior to inhalation, and has spread worldwide. This spread becomes a public health concern if it is associated with tobacco-caused disease and if WTS supports tobacco/nicotine dependence. A growing literature demonstrates that WTS is associated with disability, disease and death. This narrative review examines if WTS supports nicotine/tobacco dependence, and is intended to help guide tobacco control efforts worldwide. Data sources PUBMED search using: ((“waterpipe” or “narghile” or “arghile” or “shisha” or “goza” or “narkeela” or “hookah” or “hubble bubble”)) AND (“dependence” or “addiction”). Study selection Excluded were articles not in English, without original data, and that were not topic-related. Thirty-two articles were included with others identified by inspecting reference lists and other sources. Data synthesis WTS and the delivery of the dependence-producing drug nicotine were examined, and then the extent to which the articles addressed WTS-induced nicotine/dependence explicitly, as well as implicitly with reference to criteria for dependence outlined by the WHO. Conclusions WTS supports nicotine/tobacco dependence because it is associated with nicotine delivery, and because some smokers experience withdrawal when they abstain from waterpipe, alter their behaviour in order to access a waterpipe and have difficulty quitting, even when motivated to do so. There is a strong need to support research investigating measurement of WTS-induced tobacco dependence, to inform the public of the risks of WTS, which include dependence, disability, disease and death, and to include WTS in the same public health policies that address tobacco cigarettes.
Childhood residential mobility and health in late adolescence and adulthood: findings from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study

Background The relationship between childhood residential mobility and health in the UK is not well established; however, research elsewhere suggests that frequent childhood moves may be associated with poorer health outcomes and behaviours. The aim of this paper was to compare people in the West of Scotland who were residentially stable in childhood with those who had moved in terms of a range of health measures. Methods A total of 850 respondents, followed-up for a period of 20 years, were included in this analysis. Childhood residential mobility was derived from the number of addresses lived at between birth and age 18. Multilevel regression was used to investigate the relationship between childhood residential mobility and health in late adolescence (age 18) and adulthood (age 36), accounting for socio-demographic characteristics and frequency of school moves. The authors examined physical health measures, overall health, psychological distress and health behaviours. Results Twenty per cent of respondents remained stable during childhood, 59% moved one to two times and 21% moved at least three times. For most health measures (except physical health), there was an increased risk of poor health that remained elevated for frequent movers after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics and school moves (but was only significant for illegal drug use). Conclusions Risk of poor health was elevated in adolescence and adulthood with increased residential mobility in childhood, after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and school moves. This was true for overall health, psychological distress and health behaviours, but physical health measures were not associated with childhood mobility.
Representational Issues in Machine Learning of User Profiles

As more information becomes available electronically, tools for finding information of interest to users become increasingly important. Building tools for assisting users in finding relevant information is often complicated by the difficulty in artioalating user interest in a form that can be used for searching. The goal of the research described here is to build a system for generating comprehensible user profiles that accurately capture user interest with minimum user interaction. Machine learning methods offer a promising approach to solving this problem. The research described here focuses on the importance of a suitable generalization hierarchy and representation for learning profiles which are predictively accurate and comprehensible. In our experiments using AQISc and C4.5 we evaluated both traditional features based on weighted term vectors as well as subject features corresponding to categories which could be drawn from a thesaurus. Our experiments, conducted in the context of a content-based profiling system for on-line newspapers on the World Wide Web (the IDD News Browser) demonstrate the importance of a generalization hierarchy in olxaining high predictive accuracy, precision and recall, and stability of learning.
Molecular Epidemiological Interpretation of the Epidemic of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa

ABSTRACT We show that the interpretation of molecular epidemiological data for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is dependent on the number of different markers used to define transmission. Using spoligotyping, IS6110 DNA fingerprinting, and DNA sequence data, we show that XDR-TB in South Africa (2006 to 2008) was predominantly driven by the acquisition of second-line drug resistance.
On the Application of Quasi-Degradation to MISO-NOMA Downlink

In this paper, the design of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in a multiple-input-single-output (MISO) downlink scenario is investigated. The impact of the recently developed concept, quasi-degradation, on NOMA downlink transmission is first studied. Then, a Hybrid NOMA (H-NOMA) precoding algorithm, based on this concept, is proposed. By exploiting the properties of H-NOMA precoding, a low-complexity sequential user pairing algorithm is consequently developed, to further improve the overall system performance. Both analytical and numerical results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the H-NOMA precoding through the average power consumption and outage probability, while conventional schemes, as dirty-paper coding and zero-forcing beamforming, are used as benchmarking.
A RENEWAL THEORY APPROACH TO PERIODIC COPOLYMERS WITH ADSORPTION

We consider a general model of an heterogeneous polymer chain fluctuating in the proximity of an interface between two selective solvents. The heterogeneous character of the model comes from the fact that monomer units interact with the solvents and with the interface according to some charges that they carry. The charges repeat themselves along the chain in a periodic fashion. The main question on this model is whether the polymer remains tightly close to the interface, a phenomenon called localization, or there is a marked preference for one of the two solvents yielding thus a delocalization phenomenon. We propose an approach to this model, based on renewal theory, that yields sharp estimates on the partition function of the model in all the regimes (localized, delocalized and critical). This in turn allows to get a very precise description of the polymer measure, both in a local sense (thermodynamic limit) and in a global sense (scaling limits). A key point, but also a byproduct, of our analysis is the closeness of the polymer measure to suitable Markov Renewal Processes.
Tidal Tales Two: The Effect of Dark Matter Halos on Tidal Tail Morphology and Kinematics

We examine the effect of different dark matter halo potentials on the morphology and kinematics of tidal tails in a merger model of NGC 7252. We find that models of merging galaxies with low halo masses of Mh ~ 4-8 Mdisk+bulge (Mdb) can fit the observed morphology and kinematics of the NGC 7252 tails, while galaxies with high-mass halos (Mh ~ 16-32 Mdb) fail in this respect. In high-mass models, the deep potential only allows weakly bound disk material (stars or gas) at R ≳ 5 disk scale lengths to be ejected in tidal tails that tend to fall back onto the parent galaxies before the final merger. Galaxies with massive, low-density halos are somewhat more successful at ejecting tidal debris during mergers, but they still have difficulties recreating the thin, gas-rich tails observed in NGC 7252. Our models suggest upper limits for the dark halo masses in the NGC 7252 progenitor galaxies of roughly Mh ≲ 10 Mdb. We note, however, that our calculations have focused on the rather idealized case of the isolated merging of galaxies with distinct dark matter halos; calculations that employ more realistic ("cosmological") initial conditions are needed to fully explore the use of tidal tails in constraining dark matter in galaxies.
MicroRNAs and Myocardial Infarct: Investigating the Controversial Role of Second Generation Biomarkers.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major manifestation of coronary heart disease that causes cardiac tissue necrosis, myocardial inflammation, pathological remodeling and dysfunction of the left ventricle. It is thus very critical to diagnose myocardial infarction in chest pain patients as soon as possible. The golden standard for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction is still cardiac troponin I (cTnI) which is not a very sensitive or specific assay. Therefore, detecting specific and accurate biomarkers at early stage is a necessity for optimal diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment. miRNAs have proved to be good biomarkers in MI, in this review we will focus on four miRNAs (miRNA-133,-208,-1,and -499) that are intensively studied as biomarkers in AMI patients. Most studies have revealed that these micro-RNAs show low or no expression levels in the plasma of healthy individuals, while they are released into peripheral circulation in time dependent manner in AMI patients. This gave them the power to be used as a diagnostic tool for AMI. Additionally, some miRNAs were used for the prediction of future cardiovascular death as follow up studies have publicized.
Sulfhydryl Reactivity: Mechanism of Action of Several Antiviral Compounds—Selenocystine, 4-(2-Propinyloxy)-β-Nitrostyrene, and Acetylaranotin

The addition of 5 mM dithiothreitol to a cell-free assay system for influenza ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase activity reverses the inhibitory activity otherwise possessed by three established antiviral compounds: selenocystine, 4-(2-propinyloxy)-β-nitrostyrene, and acetylaranotin. Although 50% or greater enzyme inhibitory activity is repeatedly achieved for these compounds at a concentration of approximately 50 μg/ml (0.1 to 0.25 mM) in the absence of dithiothreitol, no inhibition is seen in its presence at inhibitor concentrations as high as 200 μg/ml. Against the deoxyribonucleic acid-directed RNA polymerases of Escherichia coli and chicken embryo cells, acetylaranotin and 4-(2-propinyloxy)-β-nitrostyrene caused very little inhibition. Only selenocystine significantly inhibited these two enzymes in the absence of reducing agent, but to an extent substantially less than that obtained against the viral enzyme. These results appear to suggest that influenza RNA polymerase is uniquely sensitive to a variety of structurally diverse antiviral compounds as a consequence of their sulfhydryl reactivity—a fact which might aid in the search for and development of more potent chemotherapeutic agents.
Maternal Perception of Barriers to Utilization of Prenatal Ultrasound in Prenatal Care in the Northern Part of Nigeria

Prenatal ultrasound has in the past one decade gained acceptance as a standard tool for obstetric management in North-Central Nigeria but it is however faced with barriers hindering its utilization in prenatal care. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of pregnant women about the barriers to utilization of prenatal ultrasound in prenatal care in North-Central Nigeria. A hospitalbased cross-sectional prospective survey was conducted at the antenatal clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State in North-Central Nigeria between December 2008 and June 2009. The survey targeted pregnant women who were attending antenatal clinic in the hospital. A convenience sample of 596 patients who have had at least one previous prenatal ultrasound were included in the study. Results showed all the barriers were rated high with necessity of scan (attitude) and satisfaction with prenatal ultrasound service rating higher than the rest; being 2.91±1.12 and 3.00± 0.63 respectively on a 4-point scale. Socio-demographic variables correlated significantly to the identified barriers (p < 0.05) while one-way ANOVA showed that all the socio-demographic variables were significant contributors to their ratings of various barriers (p < 0.05). In conclusion, negative attitude, long distances to service providers, considerably heavy financial cost, long waiting periods and unsatisfactory previous scan experience are major barriers to prenatal ultrasound. Socio-demographic variables have significant influence on these barriers and improvement on these variables can help overcome the barriers.