Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Serum Uric Acid and Coronary Artery Disease in Premenopausal Women

Objective To date, no study in the published literature has investigated the role of various serum uric acid (SUA) concentrations in the development of angiographically-proven coronary artery disease (CAD) in premenopausal women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role SUA levels may play in the prevalence, severity, and prognosis of CAD in premenopausal women. Methods This cross-sectional retrospective study included 607 premenopausal women who had undergone coronary angiography. The CAD diagnosis was based upon stenosis affecting ≥50% of the luminal diameter. Association of the SUA levels with CAD prevalence, severity, and clinical outcomes were assessed by statistical analysis. Results In total, 369 (60.8%) of the patients were diagnosed with CAD. The CAD patients had significantly higher SUA levels than those without CAD (5.3±1.9 vs. 4.8±1.7 mg/dL, P = 0.001). The SUA levels were found to be significantly associated with CAD prevalence (P = 0.013). Patients with higher levels of SUA also showed increased rates of multivessel disease and composite end-points, such as major adverse cardiac events. Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified abnormally high levels of uric acid (hyperuricemia) as an independent risk factor for CAD (OR 1.51 (1.11–2.53), P<0.05). Conclusions The SUA levels are significantly associated with the prevalence of CAD. The SUA levels may be a predictor for incidence of major cardiovascular events in premenopausal women.
The functional architecture of the shark's dorsal-octavolateral nucleus: an in vitro study

SUMMARY Learning to predict the component in the sensory information resulting from the organism's own activity enables it to respond appropriately to unexpected stimuli. For example, the elasmobranch dorsal octavolateral nucleus (DON) can apparently extract the unexpected component (i.e. generated by nearby organisms) from the incoming electrosensory signals. Here we introduce a novel and unique experimental approach that combines the advantages of in vitro preparations with the integrity of in vivo conditions. In such an experimental system one can study, under control conditions, the cellular and network mechanisms that underlie cancellation of expected sensory inputs. Using extracellular and intracellular recordings we compared the dynamics and spatiotemporal organization of the electrosensory afferent nerve and parallel fiber inputs to the DON. The afferent nerve has a low threshold and high conduction velocity; a stimulus that recruits a small number of fibers is sufficient to activate the principal neurons. The excitatory postsynaptic potential in the principal cells evoked by afferent nerve fibers has fast kinetics that efficiently reach the threshold for action potential. In contrast, the parallel fibers have low conduction velocity, high threshold and extensive convergence on the principal neurons of the DON. The excitatory postsynaptic response has slow kinetics that provides a wide time window for integration of inputs. The highly efficient connection between the afferent nerve and the principal neurons in the DON indicates that filtration occurring in the DON cannot be mediated simply by summation of the parallel fibers' signals with the afferent sensory signals. Hence we propose that the filtering may be mediated via secondary neurons that adjust the principal neurons' sensitivity to afferent inputs.
Both Intestinal and Hepatic Lipoprotein Production Are Stimulated by an Acute Elevation of Plasma Free Fatty Acids in Humans

Background— Hepatic lipoprotein production has been shown previously to be regulated by free fatty acid (FFA) flux to the liver, whereas intestinal lipoprotein production is stimulated mainly by ingested fat absorbed from the intestinal lumen. Emerging evidence indicates that intestinal lipoprotein production is increased in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, conditions that are associated with increased levels of circulating FFAs. Here we investigated whether short-term elevation of plasma FFAs stimulates intestinal apolipoprotein (apo) B-48– and hepatic apoB-100–containing triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) production in humans in the fed state. Methods and Results— TRL apoB-48 and apoB-100 metabolism were examined in 12 healthy men during a constant fed state. The studies were as follows, respectively: (1) Intralipid/heparin was infused intravenously immediately before and during the kinetics study to induce an ≈3-fold difference in plasma FFA compared with the saline study; (2) saline was infused intravenously as a control. ApoB-48– and apoB-100–containing TRL production and clearance were determined with a 12-hour primed constant infusion of [D3]l-leucine and multicompartmental kinetic modeling. TRL apoB-48 production rate was 69% higher in the Intralipid/heparin study than in the saline control (5.95±1.13 versus 3.53±0.58 mg/kg per day; P=0.027), and there was no significant difference in TRL apoB-48 clearance. TRL apoB-100 concentrations were also increased (P<0.001) and TRL apoB-100 production rate was 35% higher in the Intralipid/heparin study compared with saline (28±4 versus 21±3 mg/kg per day; P=0.020). Conclusions— This is the first study to demonstrate that intestinal TRL apoB-48 production is increased after short-term elevation of plasma FFAs in humans in the fed state, similar to the well-described stimulation of hepatic TRL apoB100–containing particles by FFAs.
The Dynamics of Residential Segregation in Buffalo : An Agent-based Simulation

Race and class factors have been studied as underlying causes of segregation for many years. Individual choices on race and economic constraints of living in one area versus another play an important role in residential segregation. An attempt has not yet been made to simulate the interplay of neighbourhood racial and economic composition in forming segregation using empirical micro-level data. Using City of Buffalo data, this study explores how individuals’ housing location choices with respect to racial composition and housing sale prices in their neighbourhoods can give rise to aggregate patterns of residential segregation and how segregation at one point in time was contributing to increased segregation at later stages. The results show that observed patterns of segregation in the city could plausibly arise from the interaction of racial and economic factors. This study also demonstrates the application of such models on exploring the possible effects of proposed integration efforts.
Hypoxia-Induced Retinal Angiogenesis in Zebrafish as a Model to Study Retinopathy

Mechanistic understanding and defining novel therapeutic targets of diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have been hampered by a lack of appropriate adult animal models. Here we describe a simple and highly reproducible adult fli-EGFP transgenic zebrafish model to study retinal angiogenesis. The retinal vasculature in the adult zebrafish is highly organized and hypoxia-induced neovascularization occurs in a predictable area of capillary plexuses. New retinal vessels and vascular sprouts can be accurately measured and quantified. Orally active anti-VEGF agents including sunitinib and ZM323881 effectively block hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization. Intriguingly, blockage of the Notch signaling pathway by the inhibitor DAPT under hypoxia, results in a high density of arterial sprouting in all optical arteries. The Notch suppression-induced arterial sprouting is dependent on tissue hypoxia. However, in the presence of DAPT substantial endothelial tip cell formation was detected only in optic capillary plexuses under normoxia. These findings suggest that hypoxia shifts the vascular targets of Notch inhibitors. Our findings for the first time show a clinically relevant retinal angiogenesis model in adult zebrafish, which might serve as a platform for studying mechanisms of retinal angiogenesis, for defining novel therapeutic targets, and for screening of novel antiangiogenic drugs.
Quarterly Progress and Status Report Spectral changes in the tom-tom related to striking force

This study has investigated the question how the radiated spectra of a tom-tom changes with striking force. Five tom-toms of different size were recorded at four dynamic levels (pp, mp, mf and ff) and their averaged spectra analysed. It was observed that the number of modes excited increase with playing strength, seen in the radiated spectra as a characteristic change in slope for higher frequencies. At louder levels, there is also an initial frequency shift that causes the lower partials to gain width as well as amplitude. Measurements of the contact between drum stick and the drum head showed a decrease in contact time with increasing playing strength. * Summary of thesis work for the degree University Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Lower level, at KTH College of Engineering, Haninge. Introduction Research on drums is a wide field in which a few selected topics have been studied in detail , like the kettle, bass and snare drum (Fletcher & Rossing, 1991). The theoretical foundations of vibrating membranes are well known since long (Rayleigh, 1877), but many applied cases have still not been examined. An interesting question is whether the radiated spectra of drums change with excitation force like other traditional instruments. An increase in high-frequency content could be expected as it is a common behaviour of most traditional instruments, particularly well studied for the wind instruments and the piano. In this study, the radiated spectra of drums played at different dynamic levels are analysed. The type of drum examined has been the tomtom, a common part of the drumset and frequent in many music styles. Membranes, drums, and pitch The basic components of a drum are a shell and one or two membranes. The frequencies of the normal modes of vibration for an ideal membrane are given by
test of two methods of arithmetic fluency training and implications for ducational practice rew

Children are exposed to multiple training tasks that are intended to support acquisition of basic arithmetic skills. Surprisingly, there is a scarcity of experimental research that directly compares the efficacy of those tasks, raising the possibility that children may be spending critical instructional time on tasks that are not effective. We conducted an experiment with 1st through 6th grade children comparing two arithmetic training tasks that are widely used: answer production training and fact triangle training. Results show
Antioxidant responses of wheat plants under stress

Abstract Currently, food security depends on the increased production of cereals such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which is an important source of calories and protein for humans. However, cells of the crop have suffered from the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause severe oxidative damage to the plants, due to environmental stresses. ROS are toxic molecules found in various subcellular compartments. The equilibrium between the production and detoxification of ROS is sustained by enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. In the present review, we offer a brief summary of antioxidant defense and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) signaling in wheat plants. Wheat plants increase antioxidant defense mechanisms under abiotic stresses, such as drought, cold, heat, salinity and UV-B radiation, to alleviate oxidative damage. Moreover, H2O2 signaling is an important factor contributing to stress tolerance in cereals.
On avoiding framing effects in experienced decision makers

The present study aimed to (a) demonstrate the effect of positive–negative framing on experienced criminal justice decision makers, (b) examine the debiasing effect of visually structured risk messages, and (c) investigate whether risk perceptions mediate the debiasing effect of visual aids on decision making. In two phases, 60 senior police officers estimated the accuracy of a counterterrorism technique in identifying whether a known terror suspect poses an imminent danger and decided whether they would recommend the technique to policy makers. Officers also rated their confidence in this recommendation. When information about the effectiveness of the counterterrorism technique was presented in a numerical format, officers' perceptions of accuracy and recommendation decisions were susceptible to the framing effect: The technique was perceived to be more accurate and was more likely to be recommended when its effectiveness was presented in a positive than in a negative frame. However, when the information was represented visually using icon arrays, there were no such framing effects. Finally, perceptions of accuracy mediated the debiasing effect of visual aids on recommendation decisions. We offer potential explanations for the debiasing effect of visual aids and implications for communicating risk to experienced, professional decision makers.
A Parallel-Layered Belief-Propagation Decoder for Non-layered LDPC Codes

In this paper, we proposed a Parallel-Layered Belief-Propagation (PLBP) algorithm first, which makes a breakthrough in utilizing the layered decoding algorithm on the “non-layered” quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC codes, whose column weights are higher than one within layers. Our proposed PLBP algorithm not only achieves a better error performance, but also requires almost 50% less iterations than the flooding algorithm. Then we propose a low-power partial parallel decoder architecture based on the PLBP algorithm. Our PLBP decoder architecture requires less area and energy efficiency than other existing decoders. As a case study, a multi-rate 9216-bit LDPC decoder is implemented in SMIC 0. 13μm 1P6M CMOS technology. The decoder dissipates an average power of 87mW with 10 iterations at a clock frequency of 83.3 MHz. The chip core size is 7.59 mm 2 , and the die area occupies 10.82 mm 2 .
Blockholder Ownership, Dividends and Firm Value In Continental Europe. 12

Blockholder ownership may increase firm value because of incentive alignment or lower it because of expropriation of minority investors. Dividend policy provides a way to distinguish between the two effects since large owners may prefer low dividends if they derive private benefits from controlling firms, while minority investors may prefer high dividends that benefit all shareholders. I examine the relationship between blockholder ownership, dividend policy and firm value in a panel of the largest EU and US/UK companies 1998-1998. I find a negative effect of blockholder ownership on firm value in continental Europe, which is particularly strong for firms with high reinvestment rates and high equity-asset ratios. No similar effect is found in the US/UK. Moreover, in continental Europe blockholder ownership has a negative effect on dividend payout ratios. The findings indicate that there are conflicts of interests between majority and minority investors in European companies and that concentrated ownership leads to a preference for retained earnings, which lowers the value of the firm to minority investors. 1 This paper was supported by financial assistance from the research project on corporate governance of companies with concentrated ownership - GOCOW – under the Danish Social Science Research Council. 2 The paper has benefited from generous comments from Delia Ionascu, who could easily have been a coauthor. I am also grateful to Michael Emil Ollinger for research assistance. 3 The Porcelain Garden - Porcelaenshaven 24A Building # 65 2000 Copenhagen F Denmark
American Journal of Epidemiology Original Contribution Maternal Consumption of Coffee and Caffeine-containing Beverages and Oral Clefts: a Population-based Case-control Study in Norway

A large, population-based case-control study of facial clefts was carried out in Norway between 1996 and 2001. The study included 573 cases—377 with cleft lip with or without cleft palate and 196 with cleft palate only—and 763 randomly selected controls. Maternal consumption of coffee and other caffeine-containing beverages in early pregnancy was recorded shortly after birth. Compared with that for no coffee consumption, the adjusted odds ratios for cleft lip with or without cleft palate were 1.39 (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.92) for less than 3 cups a day and 1.59 (95% confidence interval: 1.05, 2.39) for 3 cups or more. Coffee consumption was not associated with risk of cleft palate only (for 3 cups vs. none, adjusted odds ratio ¼ 0.96, 95% confidence interval: 0.55, 1.67). Tea consumption was associated with a reduced odds ratio of both cleft lip with or without cleft palate and cleft palate only. There was little evidence of an association between caffeine exposure and clefts when all sources of caffeine were considered. Adjustment for known confounding factors in general had minor effects on risk estimates. Still, the authors could not rule out the possibility of uncontrolled confounding by factors associated with the habit of drinking coffee. Orofacial clefts are among the most common birth defects , and the prevalence in Norway (2.2 per 1,000 live-births) is particularly high. The etiology of clefts is complex and largely unknown. The high risk of recurrence of clefts among first-degree relatives (as much as 56 times the background prevalence) suggests a strong genetic component (1). However, environmental factors such as maternal nutrition (2–4), vitamin supplements (5), smoking (6), and binge alcohol consumption (7) also appear to contribute. Coffee consumption is relatively high in Norway. In the latest nationwide study, average coffee intake was half a liter a day, with peak intake among those aged 40–60 years (8). Data from animal studies suggest that large single doses of caffeine may cause palatal clefts as well as other birth defects (9), although studies of coffee consumption in humans have provided little evidence of teratogenic effects (10). In a systematic review of 3 studies of orofacial clefts and caffeine , high coffee intake was associated with a slight increase in risk (11). According to a recently published article, maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with fetal growth restriction (12). Coffee is a commonly consumed beverage among pregnant women, and even …
FingerReader: a wearable device to support text reading on the go

Visually impaired people report numerous difficulties with accessing printed text using existing technology, including problems with alignment, focus, accuracy, mobility and efficiency. We present a finger worn device that assists the visually impaired with effectively and efficiently reading paper-printed text. We introduce a novel, local-sequential manner for scanning text which enables reading single lines, blocks of text or skimming the text for important sections while providing real-time auditory and tactile feedback. The design is motivated by preliminary studies with visually impaired people, and it is small-scale and mobile, which enables a more manageable operation with little setup.
Comparison of Zebrafish tmem88a mutant and morpholino knockdown phenotypes

Tmem88a is a transmembrane protein that is thought to be a negative regulator of the Wnt signalling pathway. Several groups have used antisense morpholino oligonucleotides in an effort to characterise the role of tmem88a in zebrafish cardiovascular development, but they have not obtained consistent results. Here, we generate an 8 bp deletion in the coding region of the tmem88a locus using TALENs, and we have gone on to establish a viable homozygous tmem88aΔ8 mutant line. Although tmem88aΔ8 mutants have reduced expression of some key haematopoietic genes, differentiation of erythrocytes and neutrophils is unaffected, contradicting our previous study using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides. We find that expression of the tmem88a paralogue tmem88b is not significantly changed in tmem88aΔ8 mutants and injection of the tmem88a splice-blocking morpholino oligonucleotide into tmem88aΔ8 mutants recapitulates the reduction of erythrocytes observed in morphants using o-Dianisidine. This suggests that there is a partial, but inessential, requirement for tmem88a during haematopoiesis and that morpholino injection exacerbates this phenotype in tmem88a morpholino knockdown embryos.
Changes in Local Governance—Collaboration through Networks

The purpose of this article is to explore the extent, scope and nature of emerging networks in education and examine their implications for local governance. It draws on two sources: a case study of post-16 education, and an analysis of a wider examination of changes in public service management which includes three parallel network studies. From this it is proposed that the impact of recent legislative change has been to create a move away from control by single hierarchical organizations (local authorities) to a more dispersed governance operated through a complex range of organization markets and networks, creating costs, as well as benefits. Networks have emerged in an attempt to create integration and coherence in a system which has become fragmented, and in which accountability to the public has become dispersed.
Computing latency of a real-time system modeled by Synchronous Dataflow Graph

Mixed applications that gather real-time tasks and best effort jobs require a research effort in order to be effectively modeled and executed. Therefore, in this study we define a general and intuitive communication model between multi-periodic real-time tasks. We first demonstrate that the communications between real-time tasks can be directly expressed as a "Synchronous Data-flow Graph". This modeling allows precise definition of the system latency. Accordingly, we develop an exact evaluation method to calculate the worst case latency of a system from a given input to a connected outcome. Then, we frame this value using two algorithms that compute its upper and lower bounds. Finally, we show that these bounds can be computed using a polynomial amount of computation time, while the time required to compute the exact value increases linearly according to the average repetition factor. Furthermore, the gap between the exact result and its upper (resp. lower) bound is evaluated between 10 and 15 % (resp. 20 and 30%).
Sound distance perception comparison between Wave Field Synthesis and Vector Base Amplitude Panning

Creating a realistic distance perception by means of spatial audio reproduction systems is not an easy task. Cues such as the ratio between the direct signal and the level of reverberation have been traditionally employed in stereo and surround systems. With the introduction of advanced spatial audio systems such as Wave Field Synthesis (WFS), it is possible to synthesize within the whole listening area the correct wavefront curvature produced by a virtual source located at a given distance. Some previous studies suggest that this curvature can be an additional cue for the listener to extrapolate distance. In this work, a subjective perceptual test has been carried out to compare the capabilities of WFS and Vector Base Amplitude Panning (VBAP) to reproduce accurately sound distances. Different variables were studied; type of sound, listening angle and reverberation at different distances. The analysis of the collected data suggests that WFS is better at reproducing distances than panning systems.