Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depression and diabetes: a large population-based study of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors associated with depression in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with depression in type 1 and type 2 diabetes and test whether these differ from factors associated with depression in the nondiabetic population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In an unselected population study comprising 60,869 individuals, potential sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors were investigated in participants with and without diabetes. The associations between hyperglycemia and depression in types 1 and 2 diabetes were also studied. The levels of depression were self-rated by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS Several factors were correlated with depression in types 1 and 2 diabetes. However, these factors were not different from those of the nondiabetic population. Comorbid chronic somatic diseases were associated with depression in type 2 but not type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, those without comorbidity had the same odds of depression as the nondiabetic population with no chronic somatic diseases. No significant associations were found for hyperglycemia in relation to depression in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Type 2 diabetes without other chronic somatic diseases did not increase the risk of depression. Factors associated with depression in type 1 and type 2 diabetes were shared with the nondiabetic population.
Objectively Measured Physical Activity Predicts Hip and Spine Bone Mineral Content in Children and Adolescents Ages 5–15 Years: Iowa Bone Development Study

This study examined the association between physical activity (PA) and bone mineral content (BMC; gram) from middle childhood to middle adolescence and compared the impact of vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) over moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA). Participants from the Iowa bone development study were examined at ages 5, 8, 11, 13, and 15 years (n = 369, 449, 452, 410, and 307, respectively). MVPA and VPA (minutes per day) were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers. Anthropometry was used to measure body size and somatic maturity. Spine BMC and hip BMC were measured via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Sex-specific multi-level linear models were fit for spine BMC and hip BMC, adjusted for weight (kilogram), height (centimeter), linear age (year), non-linear age (year2), and maturity (pre peak height velocity vs. at/post peak height velocity). The interaction effects of PA × maturity and PA × age were tested. We also examined differences in spine BMC and hip BMC between the least (10th percentile) and most (90th percentile) active participants at each examination period. Results indicated that PA added to prediction of BMC throughout the 10-year follow-up, except MVPA, did not predict spine BMC in females. Maturity and age neither modify the PA effect for males nor females. At age 5, the males at the 90th percentile for VPA had 8.5% more hip BMC than males in the 10th percentile for VPA. At age 15, this difference was 2.0%. Females at age 5 in the 90th percentile for VPA had 6.1% more hip BMC than those in the 10th percentile for VPA. The age 15 difference was 1.8%. VPA was associated with BMC at weight-bearing skeletal sites from childhood to adolescence, and the effect was not modified by maturity or age. Our findings indicate the importance of early and sustained interventions that focus on VPA. Approaches focused on MVPA may be inadequate for optimal bone health, particularly for females.
Comments on “Multiple Transporters Affect the Disposition of Atorvastatin and Its Two Active Hydroxy Metabolites: Application of in Vitro and ex Situ Systems”

In response to the comprehensive study from Lau et al. (2006), I would like to point out that many of its findings, originating from experiments with in vitro (cell culture monolayers and rat liver microsomes) and ex situ (isolated rat liver) systems, do not conform well with results already obtained in humans. Thus, rifampicin (RMP or RIF) is presented as an inhibitor of MRP2, although it is an inducer of MRP2 in humans. For example, a 9-day treatment with RMP induced MRP2 mRNA and protein in human duodenum (Fromm et al., 2000). In a similar vein, the authors hypothesized that RMP might inhibit the P-glycoprotein (MDR1, ABCB1), although RMP is an inducer of MDR1 (Westphal et al., 2000). Furthermore, RMP is presented as an inhibitor of CYP3A-mediated atorvastatin (ATV) metabolism, even though it is well established that multiple doses of RMP markedly induce P450 enzymes, thereby considerably reducing the serum concentrations of various drugs that undergo P450-mediated metabolism. Accordingly, RMP (600 mg/day for 5 days) decreased the total AUC of atorvastatin by approximately 80% in healthy volunteers (Backman et al., 2005). The mechanism of this interaction is probably induction of the CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of atorvastatin by RMP, which contrasts with the authors’ conclusion that “Our study further confirms the dominance of [rat] Oatp in mediating the interactions between ATV and the Oatp inhibitor RIF. ” Many typical P450 inducers actually behave like P450 inhibitors in acute studies with human liver microsomes, but such findings are not relevant to continuous drug treatment in clinical practice. In the study of Lau et al. (2006), in acute conditions, the AUC of atorvastatin was increased by RMP in the isolated perfused rat liver model. Caution is warranted when attempting to characterize mechanisms of drug disposition and drug-drug interactions in humans by means of in vitro cellular studies and animal studies.
Modelling the spectral energy distribution of ULIRGs II: The energetic environment and the dense interstellar medium

Aims. By using the spectral energy distribution (SED) from the near-infrared to the radio of a statistically significant number of luminous infrared galaxies we determine important physical parameters for this population of objects. In particular we constrain the optical depth towards the luminosity source, the star formation rate, the star formation efficiency and the AGN fraction. Methods. We fit the near-infrared to radio spectral energy distributions of a sample of 30 luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies with pure starburst models or models that include both starburst and AGN components. Results. We find that although about half of our sample have best-fit models that include an AGN component, only 30% (9/30) have an AGN that accounts for more than 10% of the infrared luminosity from 8 to 1000 μm, whereas all have an energetically dominant starburst. Our derived AGN fractions are generally in good agreement with measurements of the mid-infrared line ratios, Ne[V]/Ne[II] and O[IV]/Ne[II] by Spitzer IRS, but much lower than those derived from PAH equivalent widths or the mid-infrared spectral slope. Our models determine the mass of dense molecular gas within which active star formation takes place via the extinction required to reproduce the infrared part of the SED. Assuming that this mass is that traced by the HCN molecule, we reproduce the observed linear relation between HCN flux and infrared luminosity found previously. We also find that the star formation efficiency, as defined by the current star formation rate per unit molecular gas mass, falls as the starburst ages. Conclusions. If the evolution of ULIRGs includes a phase in which an AGN contributes an important fraction to the infrared luminosity, this phase should last an order of magnitude less time than the starburst phase. However, we find no convincing evidence that an energetically important AGN is associated with a particular phase of the starburst. Because the mass of dense molecular gas that we derive is consistent with observations of the HCN molecule, it should be possible to estimate the mass of dense, star-forming molecular gas in such objects when molecular line data are not available.
Broadband terahertz characterization of the refractive index and absorption of some important polymeric and organic electro-optic materials

We report broad bandwidth, 0.1–10 THz time-domain spectroscopy of linear and electro-optic polymers. The common THz optical component materials high-density polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyimide (Kapton), and polyethylene cyclic olefin copolymer (Topas) were evaluated for broadband THz applications. Host polymers polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and two types of amorphous polycarbonate were also examined for suitability as host for several important chromophores in guest-host electro-optic polymer composites for use as broadband THz emitters and sensors.
Even Faster Accelerated Coordinate Descent Using Non-Uniform Sampling

Accelerated coordinate descent is widely used in optimization due to its cheap per-iteration cost and scalability to large-scale problems. Up to a primal-dual transformation, it is also the same as accelerated stochastic gradient descent that is one of the central methods used in machine learning. In this paper, we improve the best known running time of accelerated coordinate descent by a factor up to $\sqrt{n}$. Our improvement is based on a clean, novel non-uniform sampling that selects each coordinate with a probability proportional to the square root of its smoothness parameter. Our proof technique also deviates from the classical estimation sequence technique used in prior work. Our speed-up applies to important problems such as empirical risk minimization and solving linear systems, both in theory and in practice.
Maternal Personal Exposure to Airborne Benzene and Intrauterine Growth

Background Studies relying on outdoor pollutants measures have reported associations between air pollutants and birth weight. Objective Our aim was to assess the relation between maternal personal exposure to airborne benzene during pregnancy and fetal growth. Methods We recruited pregnant women in two French maternity hospitals in 2005–2006 as part of the EDEN mother–child cohort. A subsample of 271 nonsmoking women carried a diffusive air sampler for a week during the 27th gestational week, allowing assessment of benzene exposure. We estimated head circumference of the offspring by ultrasound measurements during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and at birth. Results Median benzene exposure was 1.8 μg/m3 (5th, 95th percentiles, 0.5, 7.5 μg/m3). Log-transformed benzene exposure was associated with a gestational age–adjusted decrease of 68 g in mean birth weight [95% confidence interval (CI), −135 to −1 g] and of 1.9 mm in mean head circumference at birth (95% CI, −3.8 to 0.0 mm). It was associated with an adjusted decrease of 1.9 mm in head circumference assessed during the third trimester (95% CI, −4.0 to 0.3 mm) and of 1.5 mm in head circumference assessed at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy (95% CI, −3.1 to 0 mm). Conclusions Our prospective study among pregnant women is one of the first to rely on personal monitoring of exposure; a limitation is that exposure was assessed during 1 week only. Maternal benzene exposure was associated with decreases in birth weight and head circumference during pregnancy and at birth. This association could be attributable to benzene and a mixture of associated traffic-related air pollutants.
Decreasing malaria prevalence and its potential consequences for immunity in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND As malaria control is intensified, pregnant women may be less exposed to malaria, thus affecting the acquisition of protective antibody. METHODS Plasma samples were collected from Malawian and Papua New Guinean (PNG) pregnant women enrolled over 7-year periods, during which malaria prevalence fell by over two thirds. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels to schizont extract, merozoite antigens, and VAR2CSA-DBL5ε were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Levels of IgG to variant surface antigens of infected erythrocytes (IEs) and merozoites and levels of opsonizing IgG to IEs were measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS In both settings, levels of antibodies in pregnant women to recombinant antigens and to intact IEs but not of opsonizing antibodies decreased over time. After adjustment for coverage with insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), these differences disappeared in the Malawian cohort, whereas in the PNG cohort, time was independently associated with a decrease in several antibody responses measured by ELISA. CONCLUSIONS The impact of falling parasite prevalence on anti-Plasmodium falciparum serological indicators in pregnant women varies by setting. Increased ITN coverage may affect development of antibodies to recombinant antigens, but levels of opsonizing IgG remained stable over time. Opsonizing IgG against placental-binding IEs may persist, thus offering longer-lasting protection against malaria during pregnancy.
THE RADIUS–LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: THE EFFECT OF HOST-GALAXY STARLIGHT ON LUMINOSITY MEASUREMENTS. II. THE FULL SAMPLE OF REVERBERATION-MAPPED AGNs

We present high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images of all 35 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with optical reverberation-mapping results, which we have modeled to create a nucleus-free image of each AGN host galaxy. From the nucleus-free images, we determine the host-galaxy contribution to ground-based spectroscopic luminosity measurements at 5100 Å. After correcting the luminosities of the AGNs for the contribution from starlight, we re-examine the Hβ RBLR–L relationship. Our best fit for the relationship gives a power-law slope of 0.52 with a range of 0.45–0.59 allowed by the uncertainties. This is consistent with our previous findings, and thus still consistent with the naive assumption that all AGNs are simply luminosity-scaled versions of each other. We discuss various consistency checks relating to the galaxy modeling and starlight contributions, as well as possible systematic errors in the current set of reverberation measurements from which we determine the form of the RBLR–L relationship.
ORAMAS, TUYTELAARS: SCENE-DRIVEN CUES FOR VIEWPOINT CLASSIFICATION 1 Scene-driven Cues for Viewpoint Classification of Elongated Object Classes

In this paper we present a top-down, scene-driven, approach to classify the viewpoint of elongated objects. Viewpoint classification is achieved based on the correspondence between the image evidence acquired by a detector on one hand, and bounding boxes of object proposals generated from scene consistent cues on the other hand. We explore several methods to generate scene-driven proposals: first, by generating object proposals in the 3D scene and, using the ground plane, projecting them to the image space, and second, by sampling objects from a history set of objects previously seen with the same camera setup in the scene. Experiments on the challenging KITTI dataset show the performance of the proposed method for viewpoint classification for controlled-camera applications such as autonomous navigation.
Modelling Radiological Language with Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Networks

Motivated by the need to automate medical information extraction from free-text radiological reports, we present a bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural network architecture for modelling radiological language. The model has been used to address two NLP tasks: medical named-entity recognition (NER) and negation detection. We investigate whether learning several types of word embeddings improves BiLSTM's performance on those tasks. Using a large dataset of chest x-ray reports, we compare the proposed model to a baseline dictionary-based NER system and a negation detection system that leverages the hand-crafted rules of the NegEx algorithm and the grammatical relations obtained from the Stanford Dependency Parser. Compared to these more traditional rule-based systems, we argue that BiLSTM offers a strong alternative for both our tasks.
Coronary sinus-based percutaneous annuloplasty as treatment for functional mitral regurgitation: the TITAN II trial

Objective Functional (or secondary) mitral regurgitation (FMR) is associated with greater morbidity and worse outcomes in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and cardiomyopathy. The Carillon® Mitral Contour System® is a coronary sinus-based percutaneous therapy to reduce FMR. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of a modified version of the Carillon device in the treatment of patients with cardiomyopathy and FMR. Methods 36 patients with CHF, depressed left ventricular function (ejection fraction <40%) and at least moderate FMR underwent the Carillon device implant. Results There was 1 major adverse event within 30 days—a death (not device related)—occurring 17 days after the implant. Reductions in FMR and improvements in functional class and 6 min walk tests were seen, similar to prior studies. Device fractures in the high strain region of the proximal anchor (seen in prior studies) were not seen in this study. Conclusions The modified Carillon device was associated with improvements in clinical and echocardiographic parameters in treating patients with FMR, while successfully addressing the issue of anchor fracture. This version of the Carillon device will be used in a blinded randomised trial of symptomatic patients with FMR.
A High-Efficiency Active Battery-Balancing Circuit Using Multiwinding Transformer

This paper presents a simple circuit for balancing series-connected battery cells. The circuit is composed of one low-voltage metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) for each cell and a symmetrical multiwinding transformer for a group of cells. Only one control signal is needed for all MOSFETs, and energy can be directly transferred from higher voltage cells to lower voltage cells. A small capacitor is added to form a resonant circuit with the transformer magnetizing inductance so that soft switching can be achieved in some operation range to obtain high efficiency. The circuit balance function and soft-switching condition are analyzed and verified by simulation and experiments. A circuit for balancing a 4- and 12-cell battery group is tested. The experimental results showed the effectiveness of the circuit. The energy transfer efficiency between cells can reach up to 93%. The circuit can be easily scaled to battery strings containing up to 12 battery cells, directly applicable to consumer electronics application where the number of cells is typically less than 12. A battery pack containing a large number of battery cells, such as the ones used in electric vehicles, can be balanced in groups, for example, in modules containing 12 cells each and with one additional circuit to balance among the modules.
Who Engages in Water Scarcity Conflicts? A Field Experiment with Irrigators in Semi-Arid Africa

Does water scarcity induce conflict? And who would engage in a water scarcity conflict? In this paper we look for evidence of the relation between water scarcity and conflictive behavior. With a framed field experiment conducted with smallholder irrigators from semi-arid Tanzania that replicates appropriation from an occasionally scarce common water flow we assess what type of water users is more inclined to react in conflictive way to scarcity. On average, water scarcity induces selfish appropriation behavior in the experiment which is regarded conflictive in the Tanzanian irrigator communities where strong noncompetition norms regulate irrigation water distribution. But not all react to water scarcity in the same way. Poor, marginalized, dissocialized irrigators with low human capital and with higher stakes are most likely to react with conflictive appropriation behavior to water scarcity. Viewed a political ecology perspective we conclude that circumstances in Tanzania are conducive to resource scarcity conflicts. Water scarcity and water values are increasing. Water governance institutions entail exclusionary elements. Moreover, a higher likelihood to react in a conflictive way to water scarcity coincides with real economic and political inequalities which could form a basis for mobilization for more violent ways of competing for scarce resources.
Quality in use: incorporating human factors into the software engineering lifecycle

The relationship between the different approaches to quality in ISO standards is reviewed, contrasting the manufacturing approach to quality in ISO 9000 (quality is conformance to requirements) with the product orientation of ISO 8402 (quality is the presence of specified features) and the goal orientation of quality in use in ISO/IEC 14598-1 (quality is meeting user needs). It is shown how ISO 9241-11 enables quality in use to be measured, and ISO 13407 defines the activities necessary in the development lifecycle for achieving quality in use.
Research and Interventions in Sport Psychology: Issues Encountered in Working with an Amateur Boxer

Sport psychology has had an internal debate about whether to conduct research in the field or in the laboratory. At the same time, concerns have been raised about interventions (particularly for performance enhancement) being performed without any reasonable evaluation of their outcome. This paper reviews the issues in consultation with an athlete and a coach, the development and modification of interventions, and the attempt to develop a single-case experimental design to assess the utility of the intervention. Although some situations caused the design to be less complete than would be desirable, the data obtained from behavioral observations and subjective ratings showed good reliability and validity and provided useful information. It is suggested that better designs can be developed but that events in the actual sport situation may require adjustments in the intervention and evaluation processes.
An Overview Of Matched Bandstop Filters Using Lossy Resonators

The overview of theory, design, development and application of matched bandstop filters using lossy resonators are presented in this paper. Theoretically, high notch depth and selectivity of matched bandstop filters can be produced by using only two lossy low Q resonators. Many matched bandstop filters have been developed during the last few years where the main targeted applications are advanced communication and electronic warfare systems. This article is mainly to provide the readers with some basic knowledge and insights about previous works of the matched bandstop filters using lossy resonators
Multiplex sequencing of pooled mitochondrial genomes—a crucial step toward biodiversity analysis using mito-metagenomics

The advent in high-throughput-sequencing (HTS) technologies has revolutionized conventional biodiversity research by enabling parallel capture of DNA sequences possessing species-level diagnosis. However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based implementation is biased by the efficiency of primer binding across lineages of organisms. A PCR-free HTS approach will alleviate this artefact and significantly improve upon the multi-locus method utilizing full mitogenomes. Here we developed a novel multiplex sequencing and assembly pipeline allowing for simultaneous acquisition of full mitogenomes from pooled animals without DNA enrichment or amplification. By concatenating assemblies from three de novo assemblers, we obtained high-quality mitogenomes for all 49 pooled taxa, with 36 species >15 kb and the remaining >10 kb, including 20 complete mitogenomes and nearly all protein coding genes (99.6%). The assembly quality was carefully validated with Sanger sequences, reference genomes and conservativeness of protein coding genes across taxa. The new method was effective even for closely related taxa, e.g. three Drosophila spp. , demonstrating its broad utility for biodiversity research and mito-phylogenomics. Finally, the in silico simulation showed that by recruiting multiple mito-loci, taxon detection was improved at a fixed sequencing depth. Combined, these results demonstrate the plausibility of a multi-locus mito-metagenomics approach as the next phase of the current single-locus metabarcoding method.