Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Education and its Effects on Survival, Income and Health of those aged Sixty-five and over in the United Kingdom

We explore the effects of income and, additionally education on the income, self-reported health and survival of people aged sixty-? ve and over in order to identify bene? ts resulting from education which are omitted in the conventional analysis with its focus on labour income excluding employer contributions. We ? nd, for men, that income after the age of sixty-? ve is signi? cantly in? uenced by educational attainment and has a signi? cant effect on survival. Even after controlling for circumstances at age sixty-? ve or when ? rst observed, we identify bene? ts discounted to age sixty-? ve of £170,000 for men with higher education quali? cations as compared to those with minimal quali? cations. However, similar effects are not observed for women.
Role of Large Clinical Datasets From Physiologic Monitors in Improving the Safety of Clinical Alarm Systems and Methodological Considerations: A Case From Philips Monitors

Background Large datasets of the audit log of modern physiologic monitoring devices have rarely been used for predictive modeling, capturing unsafe practices, or guiding initiatives on alarm systems safety. Objective This paper (1) describes a large clinical dataset using the audit log of the physiologic monitors, (2) discusses benefits and challenges of using the audit log in identifying the most important alarm signals and improving the safety of clinical alarm systems, and (3) provides suggestions for presenting alarm data and improving the audit log of the physiologic monitors. Methods At a 20-bed transplant cardiac intensive care unit, alarm data recorded via the audit log of bedside monitors were retrieved from the server of the central station monitor. Results Benefits of the audit log are many. They include easily retrievable data at no cost, complete alarm records, easy capture of inconsistent and unsafe practices, and easy identification of bedside monitors missed from a unit change of alarm settings adjustments. Challenges in analyzing the audit log are related to the time-consuming processes of data cleaning and analysis, and limited storage and retrieval capabilities of the monitors. Conclusions The audit log is a function of current capabilities of the physiologic monitoring systems, monitor’s configuration, and alarm management practices by clinicians. Despite current challenges in data retrieval and analysis, large digitalized clinical datasets hold great promise in performance, safety, and quality improvement. Vendors, clinicians, researchers, and professional organizations should work closely to identify the most useful format and type of clinical data to expand medical devices’ log capacity.
The Deubiquitinase USP47 Stabilizes MAPK by Counteracting the Function of the N-end Rule ligase POE/UBR4 in Drosophila

RAS-induced MAPK signaling is a central driver of the cell proliferation apparatus. Disruption of this pathway is widely observed in cancer and other pathologies. Consequently, considerable effort has been devoted to understanding the mechanistic aspects of RAS-MAPK signal transmission and regulation. While much information has been garnered on the steps leading up to the activation and inactivation of core pathway components, comparatively little is known on the mechanisms controlling their expression and turnover. We recently identified several factors that dictate Drosophila MAPK levels. Here, we describe the function of one of these, the deubiquitinase (DUB) USP47. We found that USP47 acts post-translationally to counteract a proteasome-mediated event that reduces MAPK half-life and thereby dampens signaling output. Using an RNAi-based genetic interaction screening strategy, we identified UBC6, POE/UBR4, and UFD4, respectively, as E2 and E3 enzymes that oppose USP47 activity. Further characterization of POE-associated factors uncovered KCMF1 as another key component modulating MAPK levels. Together, these results identify a novel protein degradation module that governs MAPK levels. Given the role of UBR4 as an N-recognin ubiquitin ligase, our findings suggest that RAS-MAPK signaling in Drosophila is controlled by the N-end rule pathway and that USP47 counteracts its activity.
Potassium Hexacyanoferrate (III)-Catalyzed Dimerization of Hydroxystilbene: Biomimetic Synthesis of Indane Stilbene Dimers

Using potassium hexacyanoferrate (III)–sodium acetate as oxidant, the oxidative coupling reaction of isorhapontigenin and resveratrol in aqueous acetone resulted in the isolation of three new indane dimers 4, 6, and 7, together with six known stilbene dimers. Indane dimer 5 was obtained for the first time by direct transformation from isorhapontigenin. The structures and relative configurations of the dimers were elucidated using spectral analysis, and their possible formation mechanisms were discussed. The results indicate that this reaction could be used as a convenient method for the semi-synthesis of indane dimers because of the mild conditions and simple reaction products.
Translation and validation of the Cancer-Related Fatigue Scale in Greek in a sample of patients with advanced prostate cancer

Objective To translate and validate the Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) Scale in the Greek language. Design A cross-sectional descriptive design was used in order to translate and validate the CRF Scale in Greek. Factor analyses were performed to understand the psychometric properties of the scale and to establish construct, criterion and convergent validity. Setting Outpatients' oncology clinics of two public hospitals in Cyprus. Participants 148 patients with advanced prostate cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Results The Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) had good stability (test–retest reliability r=0.79, p<0.001) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient for all 15 items α=0.916). Furthermore, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (KMO value) was found to be 0.743 and considered to be satisfactory (>0.5). The correlations between the CFS physical scale (CFS-FS scale) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 physical subscales were found to be significant (r=−0.715). The same occurred between CFS cognitive and EORTC cognitive subscale (r=−0.579). Overall, the criterion validity was verified. The same occurs for the convergent validity of the CFS since all correlations with the Global Health Status (q29–q30) were found to be significant. Conclusions This is the first validation study of the CRF Scale in Greek and warrant of its use in the assessment of prostate cancer patient's related fatigue. However, further testing and validation is needed in the early stages of the disease and in patients in later chemotherapy cycles.
Comparison of Quantum Dots and CM-DiI for Labeling Porcine Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Progenitor Cells

Autologous bone marrow mononuclear progenitor cells (ABMCs) are now being used for several regenerative medicine studies, but questions remain on the fate and function of the injected ABMCs. The ability to track the cells within animals is important in understanding the regeneration process, and both quantum dots (Q-dots) and the organic dye CM-DiI have been used frequently in cell tracking studies. Since there has not been a comparative analysis of Q-dots and CM-DiI for labeling ABMCs, the aim of the following study was to examine these probes for their ability to label ABMCs and to determine if the labeling affected the ABMC function. We found that ABMCs were easily labeled with either Q-dots or CM-DiI, with the CM-DiI being faster to load within the cells. Both Q-dots and CM-DiI could still be detected in the ABMCs after 10 days in culture. The loading of the ABMCs with CM-DiI had no effect of the ABMCs to form colonies in a CFU-F assay or on cell proliferation over two weeks. The labeling of the ABMCs with Q-dots had a small but significant inhibitory effect on CFU-F formation as well as inhibition of cell proliferation at two weeks. There was no effect of Q-dots on cell viability immediately after labeling. In summary, both Q-dots and CM-DiI can be used to label ABMCs, but CM-DiI was found to be more advantageous due to its faster loading time, ease of use, and lack of effect on colony formation and proliferation.
Decreased Glial Cell Death in the Spinal Cord of Mice Lacking the CXCR2 Chemokine Receptor

Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells in the central nervous system (CNS) which originate from oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). It appears that OPC development is regulated by limited growth factors, and that those cells that do not survive are eliminated via apoptosis. The interaction between chemokine growth-regulated oncogene-a (GRO-a) and its receptor CXCR2 has been shown to play a role in the regulation of OPC proliferation (Robinson et al., 1998). To further determine the roles of GRO-a and CXCR2, we compared the amount of apoptosis in wild types and knockouts of the CXCR2 receptor at postnatal ages 0, 7 and 14 days (P0, P7 and P14). We used cut sections of the thoracic area of the spinal cord, stained them with the TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling kit (TUNEL) and counted cells in the white matter regions. From the mice studied, there appears to be more apoptosis in the wild type than knockouts at all ages. This evidence supports previous research showing that the interaction between GRO-a and CXCR2 helps to regulate OPCs’ proliferation and differentiation.
Critical behavior in inhomogeneous random graphs

We study the critical behavior of inhomogeneous random graphs in the so‐called rank‐1 case, where edges are present independently but with unequal edge occupation probabilities. The edge occupation probabilities are moderated by vertex weights, and are such that the degree of vertex i is close in distribution to a Poisson random variable with parameter wi, where wi denotes the weight of vertex i. We choose the weights such that the weight of a uniformly chosen vertex converges in distribution to a limiting random variable W. In this case, the proportion of vertices with degree k is close to the probability that a Poisson random variable with random parameter W takes the value k. We pay special attention to the power‐law case, i.e., the case where \documentclass{article}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}\begin{align*}{\mathbb{P}}(W\geq k)\end{align*} \end{document} is proportional to k‐(τ‐1) for some power‐law exponent τ > 3, a property which is then inherited by the asymptotic degree distribution.
Morphometric Wing Characters as a Tool for Mosquito Identification

Mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of important infectious diseases, causing millions of deaths every year and endangering approximately 3 billion people around the world. As such, precise identification of mosquito species is crucial for an understanding of epidemiological patterns of disease transmission. Currently, the most common method of mosquito identification relies on morphological taxonomic keys, which do not always distinguish cryptic species. However, wing geometric morphometrics is a promising tool for the identification of vector mosquitoes, sibling and cryptic species included. This study therefore sought to accurately identify mosquito species from the three most epidemiologically important mosquito genera using wing morphometrics. Twelve mosquito species from three epidemiologically important genera (Aedes, Anopheles and Culex) were collected and identified by taxonomic keys. Next, the right wing of each adult female mosquito was removed and photographed, and the coordinates of eighteen digitized landmarks at the intersections of wing veins were collected. The allometric influence was assessed, and canonical variate analysis and thin-plate splines were used for species identification. Cross-validated reclassification tests were performed for each individual, and a Neighbor Joining tree was constructed to illustrate species segregation patterns. The analyses were carried out and the graphs plotted with TpsUtil 1.29, TpsRelw 1.39, MorphoJ 1.02 and Past 2.17c. Canonical variate analysis for Aedes, Anopheles and Culex genera showed three clear clusters in morphospace, correctly distinguishing the three mosquito genera, and pairwise cross-validated reclassification resulted in at least 99% accuracy; subgenera were also identified correctly with a mean accuracy of 96%, and in 88 of the 132 possible comparisons, species were identified with 100% accuracy after the data was subjected to reclassification. Our results showed that Aedes, Culex and Anopheles were correctly distinguished by wing shape. For the lower hierarchical levels (subgenera and species), wing geometric morphometrics was also efficient, resulting in high reclassification scores.
LOCOMOTION IN LAMPREY AND TROUT: THE RELATIVE TIMING OF ACTIVATION AND MOVEMENT

Most fish swim by the rhythmic passage of a wave of lateral displacement from head to tail, thereby developing a reactive thrust from the water which pushes the fish forward (Marey, 1894). Breder (1926) classified this type of swimming into different modes according to how much of the body performs undulations. In the anguilliform (eel-like) mode most or all of the body is flexible and participates in the passage of the wave, whereas in the carangiform mode the amplitude of the lateral movement becomes significant only as the wave approaches the tail. Anguilliform swimmers tend to have a fairly constant lateral projection along the length of the body, whereas the carangiform swimmers have the more familiar fish shape, with the body tapering to a minimum in the caudal peduncle and then widening again in the caudal fin. The hydrodynamic models appropriate for the theoretical analysis of these two types of swimming reflect these differences in form and function (Lighthill, 1969). The kinematics of swimming are well documented for several species. Less attention has been given, however, to the role of muscle activation in the production of the observed movements. In the static case, activation of the lateral musculature at a point along the body will develop a local curvature concave to the active side (see Gray, 1933; Alexander, 1969; Wainwright, 1983). During swimming, however, activation does not, in general, coincide with concave curvature, because of the time-dependent interactions of the physical properties of the fish and the water (see Blight, 1977). It has been shown in the early newt embryo (Blight, 1976) and for escape swimming in the carp (Kashin et al. 1979) that a propagated mechanical wave can be produced by muscle activation which simply alternates on the two sides of the body. In this case, energy stored elastically is released as a passively propagated wave that performs work against the water (see Blight, 1976).
Money Transfer and Birth Weight: Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend

type="main" xml:id="ecin12235-abs-0001"> The positive relationship between income and health is well established. However, the direction of causality remains unclear: do economic resources influence health, or vice versa? Exploiting a new source of exogenous income variation, this study examines the impact of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (APFD) on newborns' health outcomes. The results show that income has a significantly positive, but modest effect on birth weight. We find that an additional $1,000 ($2,331 in 2011 dollars) increases birth weight by 17.7 g and substantially decreases the likelihood of a low birth weight (a decrease of around 14% of the sample mean). Furthermore, the income effect is higher for less-educated mothers. Based on a gestation-weight profile in the sample, increased gestation owing to the APFD could explain a maximum of 34%–57% of the measured weight increase, although we are unable to examine all the potential mechanisms. (JEL I10, I18, I12)
Dietary determinants of obesity

Obesity has become a serious public health problem worldwide, and dietary composition can play a role in its prevention and treatment. However, available literature on the impacts of different dietary factors on weight change is inconsistent, or even conflicting. In this review, we briefly summarized the mechanisms and influences of several major dietary determinants of weight change, with a focus on their potential in the prevention of weight gain or regain.We discussed the intake of fat, protein, total carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, fibre, free sugars, fructose and sugar sweetened beverages, dietary energy density, portion size, eating outside home, glycaemic index and glycaemic load. Popular weight loss diets, including the Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, Ornish diet and Zone diet, are also briefly discussed for their safety and efficacy in the maintenance of weight loss.
Excess of Rare Variants in Non–Genome-Wide Association Study Candidate Genes in Patients With Hypertriglyceridemia

Background— Rare variant accumulation studies can implicate genes in disease susceptibility when a significant burden is observed in patients versus control subjects. Such analyses might be particularly useful for candidate genes that are selected based on experiments other than genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We sought to determine whether rare variants in non-GWAS candidate genes identified from mouse models and human mendelian syndromes of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) accumulate in patients with polygenic adult-onset HTG. Methods and Results— We resequenced protein coding regions of 3 genes with established roles (APOC2, GPIHBP1, LMF1) and 2 genes recently implicated (CREB3L3 and ZHX3) in TG metabolism. We identified 41 distinct heterozygous rare variants, including 29 singleton variants, in the combined sample; in total, we observed 47 rare variants in 413 HTG patients versus 16 in 324 control subjects (odds ratio=2.3; P=0.0050). Post hoc assessment of genetic burden in individual genes using 3 different tests suggested that the genetic burden was most prominent in the established genes LMF1 and APOC2, and also in the recently identified CREB3L3 gene. Conclusions— These extensive resequencing studies show a significant accumulation of rare genetic variants in non-GWAS candidate genes among patients with polygenic HTG, and indicate the importance of testing specific hypotheses in large-scale resequencing studies.
Path following control of snake robots in unstructured environments

As a step towards enabling snake robots to move in unstructured environments, this paper considers control strategies where environment adaptation is combined with directional control of snake robot locomotion. The first contribution of the paper is a general framework for motion control of snake robots, which allows the motion to be specified in terms of a body wave component, an environment adaptation component, and a heading control component. As a second contribution, we employ the controller framework to propose a control law for straight line path following control of snake robots in environments with obstacles. The paper presents simulation results where the path following controller is combined with a waypoint guidance strategy in order to steer the snake robot between waypoints in an obstacle environment.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Mediates Anandamide Metabolism in the Mouse Brain

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mediates inflammation and contributes to neurodegeneration. Best known for its pathological up-regulation, COX-2 is also constitutively expressed within the brain and mediates synaptic transmission through prostaglandin synthesis. Along with arachidonic acid, COX-2 oxygenates the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in vitro. Inhibition of COX-2 enhances retrograde signaling in the hippocampus, suggesting COX-2 mediates endocannabinoid tone in healthy brain. The degree to which COX-2 may regulate endocannabinoid metabolism in vivo is currently unclear. Therefore, we explored the effect of COX-2 inhibition on [3H]AEA metabolism in mouse brain. Although AEA is hydrolyzed primarily by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), ex vivo autoradiography revealed that COX-2 inhibition by nimesulide redirected [3H]AEA substrate from COX-2 to FAAH in the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and periaqueductal gray. These data indicate that COX-2 possesses the capacity to metabolize AEA in vivo and can compete with FAAH for AEA in several brain regions. Temporal fluctuations in COX-2 expression were observed in the brain, with an increase in COX-2 protein and mRNA in the hippocampus at midnight compared with noon. COX-2 immunolocalization was robust in the hippocampus and several cortical regions. Although most regions exhibited no temporal changes in COX-2 immunolocalization, increased numbers of immunoreactive cells were detected at midnight in layers II and III of the somatosensory and visual cortices. These temporal variations in COX-2 distribution reduced the enzyme's contribution toward [3H]AEA metabolism in the somatosensory cortex at midnight. Taken together, our findings establish COX-2 as a mediator of regional AEA metabolism in mouse brain.
Determination of stellar shape in microlensing event MOA 2002-BLG-33

We report a measurement of the shape of the source star in microlensing event MOA 2002-BLG-33. The lens for this event was a close binary whose centre-of-mass passed almost directly in front of the source star. At this time, the source star was closely bounded on all sides by a caustic of the lens. This allowed the oblateness of the source star to be constrained. We found that a/b = 1.02 +0.04 -0.02 where a and b are its semi-major and semi-minor axes respectively. The angular resolution of this measurement is approximately 0.04 μarcsec. We also report HST images of the event that confirm a previous identification of the source star as an F8-G2 turn-off main-sequence star.
Four Timely Insights on Automatic Chord Estimation

Automatic chord estimation (ACE) is a hallmark research topic in content-based music informatics, but like many other tasks, system performance appears to be converging to yet another glass ceiling. Looking toward trends in other machine perception domains, one might conclude that complex, data-driven methods have the potential to signiﬁcantly advance the state of the art. Two recent efforts did exactly this for large-vocabulary ACE, but despite arguably achieving some of the highest results to date, both approaches plateau well short of having solved the problem. Therefore, this work explores the behavior of these two high performing, systems as a means of understanding obstacles and limitations in chord estimation, arriving at four critical observations: one, music recordings that invalidate tacit assumptions about harmony and tonality result in erroneous and even misleading performance; two, standard lexicons and comparison methods struggle to reﬂect the natural relationships between chords; three, conventional approaches conﬂate the competing goals of recognition and transcription to some undeﬁned degree; and four, the perception of chords in real music can be highly subjective, making the very notion of “ground truth” annotations tenuous. Synthesizing these observations, this paper offers possible remedies going forward, and concludes with some perspectives on the future of both ACE research and the ﬁeld at large.