Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sudden cardiac death: the Rotterdam study.

AIMS Both sudden cardiac death (SCD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common conditions in the elderly. Previous studies have identified an association between COPD and cardiovascular disease, and with SCD in specific patient groups. Our aim was to investigate whether there is an association between COPD and SCD in the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS The Rotterdam study is a population-based cohort study among 14 926 subjects aged 45 years and older with up to 24 years of follow-up. Analyses were performed with a (time dependent) Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age, sex, and smoking. Of the 13 471 persons included in the analysis; 1615 had a diagnosis of COPD and there were 551 cases of SCD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was associated with an increased risk of SCD (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio, HR, 1.34, 95% CI 1.06-1.70). The risk particularly increased in the period 2000 days (5.48 years) after the diagnosis of COPD (age- and sex-adjusted HR 2.12, 95% CI 1.60-2.82) and increased further to a more than three-fold higher risk in COPD subjects with frequent exacerbations during this period (age- and sex-adjusted HR 3.58, 95% CI 2.35-5.44). Analyses restricted to persons without prevalent myocardial infarction or heart failure yielded similar results. CONCLUSION Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with an increased risk for SCD. The risk especially increases in persons with frequent exacerbations 5 years after the diagnosis of COPD. This risk indicator could provide new directions for better-targeted actions to prevent SCD.
Effect of Tannin Addition on the Rheological Properties of Starch-based Adhesives

Abstract Starch-based adhesives play a relevant role in paperboard production and are becoming more and more interesting, for different uses, because they are based on renewable biopolymers. Starch modifications or additive addition are becoming frequent to obtain the macroscopic properties desired for specific uses. In this paper the effects of the addition of four different tannins on a typical adhesive, adopted for corrugated paperboard production, were investigated by using fundamental rheological techniques, both in dynamic and steady conditions. It was found that tannins increase the onset of starch gelatinisation, estimated as the knee point of the storage modulus in a dynamic temperature ramp test, and decrease the steady shear viscosity. This is due to the interactions between tannin and starch that affect the gelatinisation and retrogradation reactions weakening the starch network. Even though a partial reinforcement effect was also observed, owing to the polymeric nature of tannin components, a lower consistency, with respect to the neat adhesive, was found for all modified samples. Tannin has shown itself able to modify technological properties such as gelatinization temperature and viscosity, since the specific results are determined by the nature and amount of tannin; therefore it could be used to adapt adhesive characteristics to specific applications, potentially improving starch-based adhesive competitiveness with respect to different adhesives.
Administration of Zinc plus Cyclo-(His-Pro) Increases Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Rats during the Early Phase of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes

The effects of zinc supplementation on hippocampal neurogenesis in diabetes mellitus have not been studied. Herein, we investigated the effects of zinc plus cyclo-(His-Pro) (ZC) on neurogenesis occurring in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus after streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. ZC (27 mg/kg) was administered by gavage once daily for one or six weeks from the third day after the STZ injection, and histological evaluation was performed at 10 (early phase) or 45 (late phase) days after STZ injection. We found that the proliferation of progenitor cells in STZ-induced diabetic rats showed an increase in the early phase. Additionally, ZC treatment remarkably increased the number of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and immature neurons in the early phase of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, ZC treatment showed increased survival rate of newly generated cells but no difference in the level of neurogenesis in the late phase of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The present study demonstrates that zinc supplementation by ZC increases both NPCs proliferation and neuroblast production at the early phase of diabetes. Thus, this study suggests that zinc supplemented with a histidine/proline complex may have beneficial effects on neurogenesis in patients experiencing the early phase of Type 1 diabetes.
Exploring Determinants of Handwashing with Soap in Indonesia: A Quantitative Analysis

Handwashing with soap is recognized as a cost-effective intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with enteric and respiratory infections. This study analyzes rural Indonesian households’ hygiene behaviors and attitudes to examine how motivations for handwashing, locations of handwashing space in the household, and handwashing moments are associated with handwashing with soap as potential determinants of the behavior. The analysis was conducted using results from a UNICEF cross-sectional study of 1700 households in six districts across three provinces of Indonesia. A composite measure of handwashing with soap was developed that included self-reported handwashing, a handwashing demonstration, and observed handwashing materials and location of facilities in the home. Prevalence ratios were calculated to analyze associations between handwashing with soap and hypothesized determinants of the behavior. Our results showed that determinants that had a significant association with handwashing with soap included: (1) a desire to smell nice; (2) interpersonal influences; (3) the presence of handwashing places within 10 paces of the kitchen and the toilet; and (4) key handwashing moments when hands felt dirty, including after eating and after cleaning child stools. This study concludes that handwashing with soap may be more effectively promoted through the use of non-health messages.
The relation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity and heart rate fluctuations at rest

Recent studies applying functional magnetic resonance imaging have focused on the description of cerebral substrates of changes in cardiac function during diverse autonomic maneuvers or stressful cognitive tasks. These studies might be limited by the indistinguishable neuronal activity due to cognitive processes, which are known to influence autonomic function, and the ‘baseline’ activity in the central autonomic network. We therefore investigated 26 healthy volunteers in the magnetic resonance scanner to simultaneously obtain functional brain images and RR intervals (intervals between ventricular depolarizations) of the high‐resolution electrocardiogram. The mean RR interval length within each functional scan was computed, which was finally convolved with the canonical hemodynamic response function to obtain a regressor for the functional time series. The resulting individual contrast image indicated a positive covariation of the blood oxygen level‐dependent signal and RR interval length in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Furthermore, a reduced mean cross‐approximate entropy value was shown for the interaction between the vmPFC and individual RR intervals. This suggests reduced asynchrony between the heart rate and vmPFC activity in contrast to other brain areas. Our findings confirm data obtained in animals describing the vmPFC as an important forebrain structure of the central autonomic network and an influence of the vmPFC in the cortical generation of efferent vagal activity. This finding needs to be investigated in diseases with known suppression of efferent vagal modulation.
Systemic and local human papillomavirus 16‐specific T‐cell immunity in patients with head and neck cancer

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC), in particular those of the oropharynx, can be caused by human papilloma virus Type 16 (HPV16). Whereas these HPV‐induced oropharyngeal carcinomas may express the HPV16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins and are associated with better survival, the nonvirally induced HNSCC are associated with overexpression of p53. In this study we assessed the presence of systemic and local T cells reactive against these oncoproteins in HNSCC. An exploratory study on the presence, type and function of HPV16‐ and/or p53‐specific T cells in the blood, tumor and/or metastatic lymph node as measured by several immune assays was performed in an unselected group of 50 patients with HNSCC. Tumor tissue was tested for HPV DNA and the overexpression of p53 protein. Almost all HPV16+ tumors were located in the oropharynx. Circulating HPV16‐ and p53‐specific T cells were found in 17/47 and 7/45 tested patients. T cells were isolated from tumor cultures and/or lymph nodes of 20 patients. HPV16‐specific T cells were detected in six of eight HPV+ tumors, but in none of the 12 HPV‐tumors. Tumor‐infiltrating p53‐specific T cells were not detected. In depth analysis of the HPV16‐specific T‐cell response revealed that this response comprised a broad repertoire of CD4+ T‐helper Type 1 and 2 cells, CD4+ regulatory T cells and CD8+ T cells reactive to HPV16. The local presence of HPV16‐specific T‐cell immunity in HPV16‐induced HNSCC implicates a role in the antitumor response and support the development of immunotherapy for HNSCC.
A Compact Short-Channel Model for Symmetric Double-Gate TMDFET in Subthreshold Region

This paper presents a compact analytical <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> model for short-channel double-gate transition metal dichalcogenide filed-effect transistors in the subthreshold region. A closed-form expression is proposed for the characteristic length in the scale length approach, which is based on physical device parameters. It is then used to find the channel potential and drain current in the subthreshold region. This model is verified with the numerical results of a nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) simulator. There is good agreement between the results of the proposed model and the numerical NEGF simulations in the subthreshold region, while it captures the effects of the device’s physical parameters.
Development of Leadership Skills Scale for Students

The purpose of the research was to develop a valid and reliable scale aiming to measure the leadership skills of students attending grades 6 to 8. The sample of the research subjects consists of 571 students who attend from grades 6-8. To validate the scale, the authors consulted with experts to establish content validity. To establish construct validity, exploratory factor analysis conducted on the scale. The scale of 41 items factored into 10 sub-scales. After confirmatory factor analysis, we found that the model of the scale is hypothetically and statistically convenient. To establish reliability of the scale, internal consistency coefficient, split half reliability and test-retest reliability was used. The study found that the psychometric properties of leadership skills scale are acceptable and suitable for use. © 2013 IOJES. All rights reserved
Comparison of Nasopharyngeal and Oropharyngeal Swabs for the Diagnosis of Eight Respiratory Viruses by Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays

Background Many acute respiratory illness surveillance systems collect and test nasopharyngeal (NP) and/or oropharyngeal (OP) swab specimens, yet there are few studies assessing the relative measures of performance for NP versus OP specimens. Methods We collected paired NP and OP swabs separately from pediatric and adult patients with influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory illness at two respiratory surveillance sites in Kenya. The specimens were tested for eight respiratory viruses by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Positivity for a specific virus was defined as detection of viral nucleic acid in either swab. Results Of 2,331 paired NP/OP specimens, 1,402 (60.1%) were positive for at least one virus, and 393 (16.9%) were positive for more than one virus. Overall, OP swabs were significantly more sensitive than NP swabs for adenovirus (72.4% vs. 57.6%, p<0.01) and 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (91.2% vs. 70.4%, p<0.01). NP specimens were more sensitive for influenza B virus (83.3% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.02), parainfluenza virus 2 (85.7%, vs. 39.3%, p<0.01), and parainfluenza virus 3 (83.9% vs. 67.4%, p<0.01). The two methods did not differ significantly for human metapneumovirus, influenza A (H3N2) virus, parainfluenza virus 1, or respiratory syncytial virus. Conclusions The sensitivities were variable among the eight viruses tested; neither specimen was consistently more effective than the other. For respiratory disease surveillance programs using qRT-PCR that aim to maximize sensitivity for a large number of viruses, collecting combined NP and OP specimens would be the most effective approach.
Insulin resistance precedes weight loss in adults without diabetes : the Rancho Bernardo Study.

Insulin resistance is closely associated with both aging and overweight; yet in old age, weight loss is common, although insulin resistance increases. To study this paradox, the authors evaluated the role of insulin resistance in weight change among older adults from the Rancho Bernardo Study cohort. Participants were 725 nondiabetic men and women who were aged 50-89 years when weight and insulin were measured at baseline (1984-1987). The participants were evaluated again in 1992-1996, at which time weight was remeasured. Fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) measurements were evaluated in separate but parallel statistical models as surrogates for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, when defined as the top quartile of fasting insulin level or HOMA value, was significantly associated with weight loss before and after adjustment for baseline weight and age (fasting insulin: beta = -1.30 kg, p = 0.01; HOMA: beta = -1.18 kg, p = 0.01). Results were the same for men versus women, for the overweight (body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) > 26.6) [corrected] versus the normal weight (body mass index < or = 26.6) [corrected], and for younger persons (age <70 years) versus older persons (age > or = 70 years). Insulin-resistant individuals had a threefold increased likelihood of losing 10 or more kg compared with those without insulin resistance. The authors conclude that hyperinsulinemia, independently of age and baseline weight, may have a catabolic effect in the elderly.
Fungal Innate Immunity Induced by Bacterial Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs)

Plants and animals detect bacterial presence through Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) which induce an innate immune response. The field of fungal–bacterial interaction at the molecular level is still in its infancy and little is known about MAMPs and their detection by fungi. Exposing Fusarium graminearum to bacterial MAMPs led to increased fungal membrane hyperpolarization, a putative defense response, and a range of transcriptional responses. The fungus reacted with a different transcript profile to each of the three tested MAMPs, although a core set of genes related to energy generation, transport, amino acid production, secondary metabolism, and especially iron uptake were detected for all three. Half of the genes related to iron uptake were predicted MirA type transporters that potentially take up bacterial siderophores. These quick responses can be viewed as a preparation for further interactions with beneficial or pathogenic bacteria, and constitute a fungal innate immune response with similarities to those of plants and animals.
Low-Energy Laser Irradiation Reduces Formation of Scar Tissue After Myocardial Infarction in Rats and Dogs

BackgroundLow-energy laser irradiation (LELI) has been found to attenuate various biological processes in tissue culture and experimental animal models. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of LELI on the formation of scar tissue in experimentally induced chronic infarct in rats and dogs. Methods and ResultsMyocardial infarction (MI) was induced in 50 dogs and 26 rats by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. After induction of MI, the laser-irradiated (LI) group received laser irradiation (infrared laser, 803-nm wavelength) epicardially. Control MI-induced non–laser irradiated (NLI) dogs were sham-operated, and laser was not applied. All dogs were euthanized at 5 to 6 weeks after MI. Infarct size was determined by TTC staining and histology. The laser treatment (P <0.05) lowered mortality significantly, from 30% to 6.5%, after induction of MI. The infarct size in the LI dogs was reduced significantly (P <0.0001) (52%) compared with NLI dogs. Histological observation of the infarct revealed a typical scar tissue in NLI dogs and cellularity in most of the LI dogs. Only 14±3% of the mitochondria in the cardiomyocytes in the ischemic zone (4 hours after MI) of LI MI-induced rats were severely damaged, compared with 36±1% in NLI rats. Accordingly, ATP content in that zone was 7.6-fold (significantly) higher in LI than in NLI rats. ConclusionsOur observations indicate that epicardial LELI of rat and dog hearts after chronic MI caused a marked reduction in infarct size, probably due to a cardioprotective effect of the LELI.
Are Consumers Strategic? Structural Estimation from the Air-Travel Industry

Consumers often consider delaying a purchase strategically, anticipating that prices might decrease. Combining two unique data sources from the air-travel industry posted fare data and booking data, we use a structural model to estimate the fraction of strategic consumers in the population, assuming different levels of sophistication in consumers' perception of future prices: perfect foresight and weak-and strong-form rational expectations. We find that 5.2% to 19.2% of the population is strategic across markets, measured by the first and third quartiles. Our intermarket analysis indicates that shorter trips with more attractive outside options are populated with more strategic consumers. Using a nonparametric approach, we further find that most strategic consumers arrive either at the beginning of the booking horizon or close to departure. Finally, our counterfactual analysis shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the presence of strategic consumers does not necessarily hurt revenues. Rather, the impact varies by market. Commitment to a nondecreasing pricing strategy is more likely to benefit business markets than leisure markets, or it could even hurt leisure markets. Intermarket analysis shows that city pairs with lower Internet penetration, higher average price, and shorter distances tend to benefit more from such commitment as well. This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.
Learning Dense 3D Correspondence

Establishing correspondence between distinct objects is an important and non-trivial task: correctness of the correspondence hinges on properties which are difficult to capture in an a priori criterion. While previous work has used a priori criteria which in some cases led to very good results, the present paper explores whether it is possible to learn a combination of features that, for a given training set of aligned human heads, characterizes the notion of correct correspondence. By optimizing this criterion, we are then able to compute correspondence and morphs for novel heads.
Xensible interruptions from your mobile phone

Mobile phones may interrupt in any place at any time. Using the SocioXensor research tool on people's own mobile phones, we conducted an experience sampling study to explore which context information predicts a person's availability for a phone call, and which context information people wanted to disclose to particular social relations. Like other studies, we found that a small set of context information can help initiators of phone calls to improve their ability to know when recipients are receptive to phone calls. We also found that if we restrict the information to information recipients actually want to disclose, which is only a small subset of all information, enough context information is still available for initiators of phone calls to improve their ability to know when recipients are receptive to phone calls.
AgentSpeak(L): BDI agents speak out in a logical computable language

Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) agents have been investigated by many researchers from both a theoretical speciication perspective and a practical design perspective. However, there still remains a large gap between theory and practice. The main reason for this has been the complexity of theorem-proving or model-checking in these expressive speci-cation logics. Hence, the implemented BDI systems have tended to use the three major attitudes as data structures, rather than as modal operators. In this paper, we provide an alternative formalization of BDI agents by providing an operational and proof-theoretic semantics of a language AgentSpeak(L). This language can be viewed as an abstraction of one of the implemented BDI systems (i.e., PRS) and allows agent programs to be written and interpreted in a manner similar to that of horn-clause logic programs. We show how to perform derivations in this logic using a simple example. These derivations can then be used to prove the properties satissed by BDI agents.
Tactile-based torque illusion controlled by strain distributions on multi-finger contact

Humans experience torque when using a tool such as a stick or a stylus when exploring or manipulating an object. Forces that exert on the tool affects the pressure distribution on contact areas of the digits involved. In this paper we proposed a tactile rendering method that can elicit torque illusion by controlling the strain distribution beneath the contact areas. We assume that controlling the strain distribution on multiple fingers can affect strain energy density to a relative extent. Also, we expect that Merkel Disk response increases with the strain energy density. We control the strain distribution beneath the contact areas using a unique vacuum driven tactile interface. Six participants are requested to perform a psychophysical experiment and evaluate the torque sensation on the tactile interface. The device can move in a rotating frame with one degree of freedom. Experimental results suggest that participants felt an increasing torque sensation during strain redistribution. Point of subjective equality increases as much as 56% from lowest to highest stimuli level. This data shows an early confirmation on a method that can induce torque illusion.
Implementation of a Brain-Computer Interface Based on Three States of Motor Imagery

A motor imagery based brain-computer interface (BCI) translates the subject's motor intention into a control signal through real-time detection of characteristic EEG spatial distributions corresponding to motor imagination of different body parts. In this paper, we implemented a three-class BCI manipulated through imagination of left hand, right hand and foot movements, inducing different spatial patterns of event-related desynchronization (ERD) on mu rhythms over the sensory-motor cortex. A two-step training approach was proposed including consecutive steps of online adaptive training and offline training. Then, the optimized parameters and classifiers were utilized for online control. This paradigm facilitated three directional movement controls which could be easily applied to help the motion-disabled to operate a wheelchair. The average online and offline classification accuracy on five subjects was 79.48% and 85.00% respectively, promoting the three-class motor imagery based BCI a promising means to realize brain control of a mobile device.