Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
O R I G I N a L I N V E S T I G a T I O N Open Access

The inflammation, vascular repair and injury responses to exercise in fit males with and without Type 1 diabetes: an observational study Abstract Background: Type 1 diabetes is associated with raised inflammation, impaired endothelial progenitor cell mobilisation and increased markers of vascular injury. Both acute and chronic exercise is known to influence these markers in non-diabetic controls, but limited data exists in Type 1 diabetes. We assessed inflammation, vascular repair and injury at rest and after exercise in physically-fit males with and without Type 1 diabetes. Methods: Ten well-controlled type 1 diabetes (27 ± 2 years; BMI 24 ± 0.7 kg.m
Author's Personal Copy Computers and Mathematics with Applications Momcmc: an Efficient Monte Carlo Method for Multi-objective Sampling over Real Parameter Space

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t In this paper, we present a new population-based Monte Carlo method, so-called MOMCMC (Multi-Objective Markov Chain Monte Carlo), for sampling in the presence of multiple objective functions in real parameter space. The MOMCMC method is designed to address the ''multi-objective sampling'' problem, which is not only of interest in exploring diversified solutions at the Pareto optimal front in the function space of multiple objective functions, but also those near the front. MOMCMC integrates Differential Evolution (DE) style crossover into Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to adaptively propose new solutions from the current population. The significance of dominance is taken into consideration in MOMCMC's fitness assignment scheme while balancing the solution's optimality and diversity. Moreover, the acceptance rate in MOMCMC is used to control the sampling bandwidth of the solutions near the Pareto optimal front. As a result, the computational results of MOMCMC with the high-dimensional ZDT benchmark functions demonstrate its efficiency in obtaining solution samples at or near the Pareto optimal front. Compared to MOSCEM (Multiobjective Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis), an existing Monte Carlo sampling method for multi-objective optimization, MOMCMC exhibits significantly faster convergence to the Pareto optimal front. Furthermore, with small population size, MOMCMC also shows effectiveness in sampling complicated multi-objective function space.
System Spectral Efficiency Analysis of a 2-Link Ad Hoc Network

This paper analyzes the system spectral efficiency of a 2-link ad hoc network. The analysis shows that there are exactly three operating points that maximize system capacity: either both links transmit with maximum power simultaneously; or one single link transmits with maximum power while the other is silent. The impact of the scheduling policy on the system spectral efficiency is also studied: simultaneous transmission or sequential access where the two links share the medium by dedicated time/frequency slots without causing interference. An exhaustive numerical search over a wide range of pathloss parameters shows that sequential transmission is superior to simultaneous transmission in about two third of the cases. Even when simultaneous transmission outperforms sequential transmission, the gains are typically not substantial. Furthermore, we show that in case of simultaneous transmission power control causes only marginal degradation in terms of system spectral efficiency, while transmitting with maximum power pays off for sequential transmission. This highlights the importance of the joint optimization of power and rate adaptation together with scheduling for power constraint ad hoc networks.
The Culturally Situated Process of Personality Judgment

Personality psychology has made tremendous progress in demonstrating important outcomes of personality traits. Yet the process by which people make personality judgment needs to be better understood. In this chapter, it is argued that to provide personality judgment, people must rely on a reference group of the target, a lay theory of the trait, or both. Importantly, the specific reference group and lay theory that people naturally choose are situated in their immediate cultural milieu, affecting trait judgment in systematic ways. Moreover, the relative impact of reference groups and lay theories on personality judgment can change under different circumstances. Postulates concerning the nature of these circumstances, consideration of how traits are inferred, and possible routes to better compare cultural groups on traits can also stimulate new understanding of the personality process.
The relationship of parental overprotection, perceived child vulnerability, and parenting stress to uncertainty in youth with chronic illness.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship of parent-reported overprotection (OP), perceived child vulnerability (PCV), and parenting stress (PS) to youth-reported illness uncertainty, and to explore potential developmental differences. METHOD Eighty-two children and 82 adolescents (n = 164) diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) or asthma, completed a measure of illness uncertainty, while their parents completed measures of OP, PCV, and PS. RESULTS After controlling for demographic and illness parameters, both PCV and PS significantly predicted youth illness uncertainty in the combined sample. Within the child group, only PS significantly predicted illness uncertainty, whereas only PCV significantly predicted uncertainty for adolescents. CONCLUSION Specific parenting variables are associated with youth-reported illness uncertainty; however, their relationship varies according to developmental level. Although OP has been identified as a predictor of child psychological outcomes in other studies, it does not appear to be associated with illness uncertainty in youth with DM1 or asthma.
Anterior and Posterior Femoral Head-Neck Offset Ratio in the Cam Impingement

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if the anterior-posterior offset ratio is altered in patients with symptomatic cam impingement. Study Design: Preoperative radiographs of 15 symptomatic patients with isolated cam-type impingement diagnosed by physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging arthrogram (MRIA) and confirmed by hip arthroscopy findings were assessed. Fifteen asymptomatic volunteers made up the control group. The anterior offset (AO), posterior offset (PO), and AO/PO ratio were calculated. Results: The mean ± SD AO/PO ratio was 0.56 ± 0.1 for the symptomatic group and 0.9 ± 0.2 for the asymptomatic group. This difference was statistically significant. Intra- and interobserver correlation factor for calculating the AO/PO ratio was 0.8 and 0.5, respectively, and differences were not statistically different. Conclusions: The AO/PO ratio in this study was a useful radiological parameter for the assessment of patients with a cam-type impingement.
An Analysis of Deceptive Robot Motion

Much robotics research explores how robots can clearly communicate true information. Here, we focus on the counterpart: communicating false information, or hiding information altogether – in one word, deception. Robot deception is useful in conveying intentionality, and in making games against the robot more engaging. We study robot deception in goal-directed motion, in which the robot is concealing its actual goal. We present an analysis of deceptive motion, starting with how humans would deceive, moving to a mathematical model that enables the robot to autonomously generate deceptive motion, and ending with a study on the implications of deceptive motion for humanrobot interactions.
Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soils along major roadside areas in Botswana

Assessment of heavy metal pollutants: Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni and Zn was conducted along major roadside soils of Botswana, lying between latitudes 18°S to 27°S and longitudes 20°E to 29°E using enrichment factor ratios (EF), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) methods. The studied sites were demarcated into five zones referred to as FN (Francistown-Nata), NM (Nata-Maun), MG (Maun-Ghanzi), GK (Ghanzi-Kang) and TS (Tshabong-Sekoma). All the four pollution assessment methods revealed that zones FN, NM and MG are pollution impacted as compared to GK and TS zones. Results of multivariate analysis suggest mixed origins of pollution sources including human activities, vehicular emissions and lithogenic occurrences. Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Co is of mixed origins of pollutants, with Fe and Mn being predominantly lithogenic, and vehicular emissions characterised by Pb and Ni. The findings in this study will serve to create awareness of vehicular heavy metal pollution to Botswana policy makers in the mitigation of vehicular pollution, as it is barely monitored. Key words: Heavy metal contamination, roadside soils, enrichment factors, contamination factor, pollution load index, geoaccumulation index, cluster analysis, factor analysis.
The diversity of PAH-degrading bacteria in a deep-sea water column above the Southwest Indian Ridge

The bacteria involved in organic pollutant degradation in pelagic deep-sea environments are largely unknown. In this report, the diversity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading bacteria was analyzed in deep-sea water on the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). After enrichment with a PAH mixture (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene), nine bacterial consortia were obtained from depths of 3946–4746 m. While the consortia degraded all four PAHs when supplied in a mixture, when PAHs were tested individually, only phenanthrene supported growth. Thus, degradation of the PAH mixture reflected a cometabolism of anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene with phenanthrene. Further, both culture-dependent and independent methods revealed many new bacteria involved in PAH degradation. Specifically, the alpha and gamma subclasses of Proteobacteria were confirmed as the major groups within the communities. Additionally, Actinobacteria, the CFB group and Firmicutes were detected. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis showed that bacteria closely affiliated with Alcanivorax, Novosphingobium, and Rhodovulum occurred most frequently in different PAH-degrading consortia. By using general heterotrophic media, 51 bacteria were isolated from the consortia and of these 34 grew with the PAH mixture as a sole carbon source. Of these, isolates most closely related to Alterierythrobacter, Citricella, Erythrobacter, Idiomarina, Lutibacterium, Maricaulis, Marinobacter, Martelella, Pseudidiomarina, Rhodobacter, Roseovarius, Salipiger, Sphingopyxis, and Stappia were found to be PAH degraders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time these bacteria have been identified in this context. In summary, this report revealed significant diversity among the PAH-degrading bacteria in the deep-sea water column. These bacteria may play a role in PAH removal in deep-sea environments.
Carbohydrate-Mimetic Peptides for Pan Anti-Tumor Responses

Molecular mimicry is fundamental to biology and transcends to many disciplines ranging from immune pathology to drug design. Structural characterization of molecular partners has provided insight into the origins and relative importance of complementarity in mimicry. Chemical complementarity is easy to understand; amino acid sequence similarity between peptides, for example, can lead to cross-reactivity triggering similar reactivity from their cognate receptors. However, conformational complementarity is difficult to decipher. Molecular mimicry of carbohydrates by peptides is often considered one of those. Extensive studies of innate and adaptive immune responses suggests the existence of carbohydrate mimicry, but the structural basis for this mimicry yields confounding details; peptides mimicking carbohydrates in some cases fail to exhibit both chemical and conformational mimicry. Deconvolution of these two types of complementarity in mimicry and its relationship to biological function can nevertheless lead to new therapeutics. Here, we discuss our experience examining the immunological aspects and implications of carbohydrate–peptide mimicry. Emphasis is placed on the rationale, the lessons learned from the methodologies to identify mimics, a perspective on the limitations of structural analysis, the biological consequences of mimicking tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens, and the notion of reverse engineering to develop carbohydrate-mimetic peptides in vaccine design strategies to induce responses to glycan antigens expressed on cancer cells.
Embedding Cellular Automata into Reversible Ones

To oli showed that every cellular automaton of an arbitrary dimension d can be embedded into a reversible cellular automaton of dimension d+1. He asked \whether an arbitrary cellular automaton can be embedded in a reversible one having the same number of dimensions" and conjectured that this is not possible. We show that his conjecture is true. Even if one imposes only a weak, natural condition on embeddings, no cellular automaton which possesses a Garden of Eden con guration can be embedded into a reversible cellular automaton of the same dimension.
Event-triggered stabilization of coupled dynamical systems with fast Markovian switching

In this paper, stability of linearly coupled dynamical systems with feedback pinning is studied. Event-triggered rules are employed on both diffusion coupling and feedback pinning to reduce the updating load of the coupled system. Here, both the coupling matrix and the set of pinned-nodes vary with time are induced by a homogeneous Markov chain. For each node, the diffusion coupling is set up from the state information of its neighbors' at their latest triggered time and the feedback pinning uses the target's (if pinned) information at the node's latest event time. The next event time is triggered by some specified criteria. Two event-triggering rules are proposed and it is proved that if the system with time-average coupling and pinning gains are stable, the event-triggered strategies can stabilize the system if the switching is sufficiently fast. Moreover, Zeno behaviors are excluded in some cases. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical results.
Asynchronous version advancement in a distributed three version database

We present an efficient protocol for multi-version concurrency control in distributed databases. The protocol creates no more than three versions of any data item, while guaranteeing that: update transactions never interfere with read-only transactions; the version advancement mechanism is completely asynchronous with (both update and read-only) user transactions; and read-only transactions do not acquire locks and do not write control information into the data items being read. This is an improvement over existing multi-versioning schemes for distributed databases, which either require a potentially unlimited number of versions, or require coordination between version advancement and user transactions. Our protocol can be applied in a centralized system also, where the improvement over existing techniques is in reducing the number of versions from four to three. The proposed protocol is valuable in large applications that currently shut off access to the system while managing version advancement manually, but now have a need for automating this process and providing continuous access to the data.
Linking the “two‐hit” response following injury to enhanced TLR4 reactivity

Severe injury can initiate an exaggerated systemic inflammatory response and multiple organ failure (MOF) if a subsequent immune stimulus, “second hit”, occurs. Using a mouse thermal injury model, we tested whether changes in innate immune cell reactivity following injury can contribute to the development of heightened inflammation and MOF. Using high‐purity Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to selectively stimulate Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4), we demonstrate augmented interleukin (IL)‐1β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), and IL‐6 production by 1 day but particularly, at 7 days after injury. The in vivo significance of enhanced TLR4 responsiveness was explored by challenging sham or burn mice with LPS at 1 or 7 days after injury and determining mortality along with in vivo cytokine and chemokine levels. Mortality was high (75%) in LPS‐challenged burn but not sham mice at 7 days, although not at 1 day, after injury. Death was associated with leukocyte sequestration in the lungs and livers along with increased proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels in these organs. Blocking TNF‐α activity prevented this mortality, suggesting that excessive TNF‐α production contributes to this lethal response. These findings demonstrate the potential lethality of excessive TLR4 reactivity after injury and provide an explanation for the exaggerated inflammatory response to a second hit, which can occur following severe injury.
Proximity to Pollution Sources and Risk of Amphibian Limb Malformation

The cause of limb deformities in wild amphibian populations remains unclear, even though the apparent increase in prevalence of this condition may have implications for human health. Few studies have simultaneously assessed the effect of multiple exposures on the risk of limb deformities. In a cross-sectional survey of 5,264 hylid and ranid metamorphs in 42 Vermont wetlands, we assessed independent risk factors for nontraumatic limb malformation. The rate of nontraumatic limb malformation varied by location from 0 to 10.2%. Analysis of a subsample did not demonstrate any evidence of infection with the parasite Ribeiroia. We used geographic information system (GIS) land-use/land-cover data to validate field observations of land use in the proximity of study wetlands. In a multiple logistic regression model that included land use as well as developmental stage, genus, and water-quality measures, proximity to agricultural land use was associated with an increased risk of limb malformation (odds ratio = 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.42–3.58; p < 0.001). The overall discriminant power of the statistical model was high (C = 0.79). These findings from one of the largest systematic surveys to date provide support for the role of chemical toxicants in the development of amphibian limb malformation and demonstrate the value of an epidemiologic approach to this problem.
The X-Ray Cluster Dipole

We estimate the dipole of the whole-sky, X-ray flux-limited sample of Abell/Abell, Corwin, & Olowin (ACO) clusters (XBACs) and compare it to the optical cluster dipole, which is known to be well aligned with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) dipole and which converges to its final value at ~160 h-1 Mpc. We find the X-ray cluster dipole to be well aligned (≲25°) with the CMB dipole, while it closely follows the radial profile of its optical cluster counterpart, although its amplitude is about 10%-30% lower. In view of the fact that the XBAC sample is not affected by the volume incompleteness and the projection effects that are known to exist at some level in the optical parent Abell/ACO cluster catalog, our present results confirm the previous optical cluster dipole analysis that there are significant contributions to the Local Group motion from large distances (~160 h-1 Mpc). In order to assess the expected contribution to the X-ray cluster dipole from a sample that is closer to being purely X-ray-selected, we compare the dipoles of the XBACs and the brightest-cluster sample in their overlap region. The resulting dipoles are in good mutual agreement with an indication that the XBAC sample slightly underestimates the full X-ray dipole (by ≲5%), while the Virgo Cluster contributes about 12% to the overall X-ray cluster dipole. Using linear perturbation theory to relate the X-ray cluster dipole to the Local Group peculiar velocity, we estimate βcX (≡ Ω00.6/bcX)≃0.24±0.05.
Effect of feeding type on the efficacy of phototherapy.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of phototherapy for nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia and rebound bilirubin levels in breast-fed newborns as compared with mixed-fed (breast milk and formula) newborns. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Prospective study of effects of feeding type on response to phototherapy in newborns. METHODS The subjects were 53 full-term healthy newborns with nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia [defined as total serum bilirubin 12 mg/dL (205.2 micromol/L) in the first 48 hours of life or 15 mg/dl (256.5 micromol/L), on subsequent days]. Groups were formed according to type of feeding. Group 1 consisted of 28 breast-fed newborns and group 2 consisted of 25 mixed-fed newborns. Phototherapy was terminated when total serum bilirubin concentration fell to 14 mg/dL (< 239.4 micromol/L). Rebound bilirubin measurements were obtained 24 hours after phototherapy ended. RESULTS The groups were comparable with respect to age at the start of phototherapy. The amount of weight loss (relative to birth weight) recorded at the start of phototherapy was significantly greater in group 1 than in group 2 (8.1+/- 3.9% vs. 5.4+/- 2.6% p = 0.004). The duration of phototherapy was significantly longer in group 1 than in group 2 (38.6+/- 12.6 h vs. 26.8+/- 9.4 h; P < 0.001). The 24-hour rate of decrease in bilirubin concentration in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1 [5.4+/- 2.2 mg/dL/d (92.3+/-37.6 micromol/L/d) vs. 4+/- 1.3 mg/dL/d (68.4+/- 22.2 micromol/L/d); p = 0.01]. The overall rate of decrease in bilirubin concentration in group 1 was significantly lower than that in group 2 [0.16+/- 0.05 mg/dL/h (2.73+/- 0.85 micromol/L/h) vs. 0.22+/- 0.09 mg/dL/h (3.76+/- 1.53 micromol/L/h); p = 0.01]. There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to rebound bilirubin concentration (P = 0.184). CONCLUSION Phototherapy effectively reduced bilirubin levels in breastfed newborns with hyperbilirubinemia, but these patients show significantly slower response to this treatment than mixed-fed newborns.
Optimal Flow Experience in Web Navigation

Flow is the process of optimal experience [1]. The concept of flow has been used to describe a perceived optimal experience when people are engaged in an activity with high involvement, concentration and enjoyment, and experience an intrinsic interest and the sense of time distortion. As Csikszentmihalyi [2] points out, the flow state is achieved when all levels of consciousness are in harmony with each other. When in the flow state, people become absorbed in their activities, while irrelevant thoughts and perceptions are screened out. Under the flow state, the inner experience is occupied with the sense of discovery. It includes the excitement and the enjoyment of finding out new ability about oneself and the potential possibility of interacting with the activity itself [3]. Because he flow state is so enjoyable, people will attempt to replicate it whenever possible. Chess players, rock climbers, surgeons, composers, dancers and painters are those persons who frequently experience the flow state during their working process.
Symbol calculus and zeta-function regularized determinants

In this work, we use semigroup integral to evaluate zeta-function regularized determinants. This is especially powerful for nonpositive operators such as the Dirac operator. In order to understand fully the quantum effective action, one should know not only the potential term but also the leading kinetic term. In this purpose, we use the Weyl type of symbol calculus to evaluate the determinant as a derivative expansion. The technique is applied both to a spin-0 bosonic operator and to the Dirac operator coupled to a scalar field.