Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional differences in milk and complementary feeding patterns in infants participating in an international nutritional type 1 diabetes prevention trial

Differences in breastfeeding, other milk feeding and complementary feeding patterns were evaluated in infants at increased genetic risk with and without maternal type 1 diabetes (T1D). The Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk is an international nutritional primary prevention double-blinded randomized trial to test whether weaning to extensively hydrolyzed vs. intact cow's milk protein formula will decrease the development of T1D-associated autoantibodies and T1D. Infant diet was prospectively assessed at two visits and seven telephone interviews between birth and 8 months. Countries were grouped into seven regions: Australia, Canada, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe I, Central Europe II and the United States. Newborn infants with a first-degree relative with T1D and increased human leukocyte antigen-conferred susceptibility to T1D were recruited. A lower proportion of infants born to mothers with than without T1D were breastfed until 6 months of age in all regions (range, 51% to 60% vs. 70% to 80%). Complementary feeding patterns differed more by region than by maternal T1D. In Northern Europe, a higher proportion of infants consumed vegetables and fruits daily compared with other regions. Consumption of meat was more frequent in all European regions, whereas cereal consumption was most frequent in Southern Europe, Canada and the United States. Maternal T1D status was associated with breastfeeding and other milk feeding patterns similarly across regions but was unrelated to the introduction of complementary foods. Infant feeding patterns differed significantly among regions and were largely inconsistent with current recommended guidelines.
Detection of aortic porcine valve dysfunction by maximum entropy spectral analysis.

A high-resolution method of spectral analysis, of the class generally called "maximum entropy method," was used in a study of aortic porcine valve closing sounds in 37 patients (ages 19 to 76). Spectra from 27 normal xenografts, implanted from 2 weeks to 61 months previously, were characterized by a dominant frequency peak, F1, at 89 +/- 15 Hz (mean +/- SD), with a lower amplitude peak, F2, at 154 +/- 25 Hz. Eight of nine patients with aortic porcine valve dysfunction were proved surgically to have leaflet degeneration or infection and had either F1 (139 +/- 54 Hz) and/or F2 (195 +/- 74 Hz) significantly higher than normal (p less than .001). In two patients with paravalvar leak but no leaflet abnormality, F1 and F2 were in the normal range. Estimation of F1 and F2 was highly reproducible and was unaffected by duration of implant up to 5 years. Spectral analysis of aortic porcine valve closing sounds by the maximum entropy method may be useful for detection of intrinsic xenograft dysfunction.
Effect of inorganic and organic depressants on the cationic flotation and surface charge of rhodonite-rhodochrosite

Silicates (rhodonite, tephroite, spessartine) and the carbonate (rhodochrosite) of manganese are of economic interest in silicate-carbonated manganese ores. The recovery of both mineral classes by flotation constitutes a challenge; rhodochrosite is a slightly soluble mineral that can release Mn2+ ions in pulp. In this work, the effects of inorganic and organic depressants on the cationic flotation at pH 10 with ether amine acetate and the surface charges of rhodonite and rhodochrosite have been investigated. For rhodonite, the influence of Mn2+ species on its recovery and surface charge at the conditions of maximum yield with amine has also been investigated. The organic depressants, especially the corn starch, were more effective depressants for both minerals. The poor recovery of rhodonite conditioned with MnCl2 is probably related to the colloidal Mn(OH)2 deposition on mineral surface. The increase in the rhodochrosite recovery with increasing water glass content is probably related to its negative value of species adsorbed on the mineral surface, since the rhodochrosite zeta potential, conditioned with this reagent, becomes more negative compared with the mineral without reagent, which attracts the ether ammonium.
Does vowel space size depend on language vowel inventories? evidence from two Arabic dialects and French

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of the number of vowels a language has on the size of its vocalic space, in the production of speech from two Arabic dialects, Moroccan and Jordanian Arabic, and from French. 5 speakers per language (or dialect) recorded a list of vowels in 3 conditions: vowels were embedded in 1) Words, 2) Syllables, and 3) produced in Isolation. For each condition, there were 3 consonantal contexts: /bdk/. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that vowel inventory size affects the size of the acoustic vowel spaces: the larger the vowel inventory, the bigger the acoustic vowel space.
Clinical measures of disease in adult non-CF bronchiectasis correlate with airway microbiota composition

Rationale Despite the potentially important roles for infection in adult non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis disease progression, the bacterial species present in the lower airways of these patients is poorly characterised. Objectives To provide a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of bacterial content of lower airway samples from patients with non-CF bronchiectasis using culture-independent microbiology. Methods Paired induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage samples, obtained from 41 adult patients with non-CF bronchiectasis, were analysed by 16S ribosomal RNA gene pyrosequencing. Assessment of species distribution and dispersal allowed ‘core’ and ‘satellite’ bacterial populations to be defined for this patient group. Microbiota characteristics correlated with clinical markers of disease. Measurement and main results 140 bacterial species were identified, including those associated with respiratory tract infections and opportunistic infections more generally. A group of core species, consisting of species detected frequently and in high abundance, was defined. Core species included those currently associated with infection in bronchiectasis, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, and many species that would be unlikely to be reported through standard diagnostic surveillance. These included members of the genera Veillonella, Prevotella and Neisseria. The comparative contribution of core and satellite groups suggested a low level of random species acquisition. Bacterial diversity was significantly positively correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and bacterial community composition similarity correlated significantly with FEV1, neutrophil count and Leicester cough score. Conclusions Characteristics of the lower airways microbiota of adult patients with non-CF bronchiectasis correlate significantly with clinical markers of disease severity.
The uneven geography of crowdfunding success: Spatial capital on Indiegogo

Optimists contend that crowdfunding, in which project backers use online campaigns to assemble numerous small donations, can democratize access to finance, but there are legitimate concerns that this funding approach remains discriminatory. Drawing on recent readings emphasizing the geographic components of Bourdieu’s field theory, we argue the relationship between crowdfunding teams’ resources and crowdfunding success is mediated by spatial capital—the ability to draw capital from other social spaces due to geographic context. We use logistic regressions predicting success rates for 134,098 campaigns launched in the USA on the Indiegogo platform between 2009 and 2015, combined with other spatial data, to model the relationship between spatial capital and other success predictors. Our models suggest spatial context mediates the relationship between resources and success. Rural areas, in particular, have lower success rates than urban areas, and affluent areas have the highest success rates. Given that only around 10% of Indiegogo campaigns are fully funded, spatial inequalities place significant limits on who can benefit from crowdfunding campaigns, suggesting crowdfunding may not democratize access to finance, as optimists hope.
Viral Hepatitis in South Korea

In South Korea (S. Korea), viral hepatitis is a major public health burden. Advances in healthcare policy, evidence-based medicine, and therapeutic strategies in S. Korea have brought a rapid change in the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of viral hepatitis. This review discusses the innovative approaches that S. Korea has taken to curb the epidemic of viral hepatitis. In addition, the efficacy of various preventive and therapeutic modalities is discussed. This review aims to provide a brief overview to guide future research direction and healthcare policy changes. How to cite this article: Pak SC, Alastal Y, Khan Z, Darr U. Viral Hepatitis in South Korea. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2017;7(2):163-165.
CLUSTERED MOBILITY MODEL & EFFECT OF NODE CLUSTERING IN MULTI-HOP WIRELESS NETWORKS

An ad hoc network consists of wireless mobile nodes which can communicate without the aid of any existing network infrastructure. Mobility plays an important role in performance of ad-hoc networks and therefore mobility models used in simulations should represent realistic scenarios. Popular mobility models assume the initial node distribution and movement to be independently and randomly distributed over the simulation area. However in real life nodes usually tend to form clusters (concentrate in certain regions) leading to a non-homogenous node distribution. The goal of this thesis is to study the performance of static wireless multi hop networks in presence of node clustering. For this purpose a mobility model that can generate clustered scenarios has been developed and implemented in Ns-2 and termed as the Clustered Mobility (CM) model. Extensive simulations were carried out using the CM model for static scenarios. Results from Random static scenarios have been used as the reference. It has been found that the performance of a static clustered scenario can vary significantly depending on the traffic pattern. In particular a scenario with larger proportion of intra cluster traffic performs better than a scenario with larger inter cluster traffic.
Interactive Schemes for the AWGN Channel with Noisy Feedback

We study the problem of communication over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with an AWGN feedback channel. When the feedback channel is noiseless, the classic Schalkwijk–Kailath (S-K) scheme is known to achieve capacity in a simple sequential fashion, while attaining reliability superior to non-feedback schemes. In this paper, we show how simplicity and reliability can be attained even when the feedback is noisy, provided that the feedback channel is sufficiently better than the feedforward channel. Specifically, we introduce a low-complexity low-delay interactive scheme that operates close to capacity for a fixed bit error probability (e.g., $10^{-6}$ ). We then build on this scheme to provide two asymptotic constructions, one based on high dimensional lattices, and the other based on concatenated coding, that admit an error exponent significantly exceeding the best possible non-feedback exponent. Our approach is based on the interpretation of feedback transmission as a side-information problem, and employs an interactive modulo-lattice solution.
Association of Tat with Promoters of PTEN and PP2A Subunits Is Key to Transcriptional Activation of Apoptotic Pathways in HIV-Infected CD4+ T Cells

Apoptosis in HIV-1-infected CD4+ primary T cells is triggered by the alteration of the PI3K and p53 pathways, which converge on the FOXO3a transcriptional activator. Tat alone can cause activation of FOXO3a and of its proapoptotic target genes. To understand how Tat affects this pathway, we carried out ChIP-Chip experiments with Tat. Tat associates with the promoters of PTEN and two PP2A subunit genes, but not with the FOXO3a promoter. PTEN and PP2A encode phosphatases, whose levels and activity are increased when Tat is expressed. They counteract phosphorylation of Akt1 and FOXO3a, and so activate transcriptional activity of FOXO3a. FOXO3a promotes increased transcription of Egr-1, which can further stimulate the transcription of PTEN, thereby reinforcing the pathway that leads to FOXO3a transcriptional activation. RNAi experiments support the role of PTEN and PP2A in the initiation of the Tat-mediated cascade, which is critical to apoptosis. The increased accumulation of PTEN and PP2A subunit mRNAs during Tat expression is more likely to be the result of increased transcription initiation and not relief of promoter-proximal pausing of RNAPII. The Tat-PTEN and -PP2A promoter interactions provide a mechanistic explanation of Tat-mediated apoptosis in CD4+ T cells.
Psychological Consequences of Screening Mammography

Objective- To examine the psychological consequences at a number of stages in the screening process for women attending a screening mammography programme. Setting- A pilot mammographic screening programme in Melbourne, Australia. Method — The psychological consequences questionnaire (PCQ; a reliable and valid measure of the psychological consequences of screening mammography) was used to measure the emotional, social, and physical functioning of women in a mammographic screening programme and a control community sample. A screening group (in whom no abnormality was detected at initial screen; n=142) had four measurements: at screening clinic; before results were received; one week after all-clear results were received; and eight months after initial visit. The recall group (who were recalled for further investigation which showed the detected abnormality to be benign; n = 58) had measurements at the same points as the screening group and an additional measurement while waiting at the recall assessment clinic. A randomly selected community control group (n = 52) had measurements one week, two weeks, three weeks; and eight months after consenting to participate. Results - Emotional, social, and physical functioning of women in the screening group did not change over time and at no point differed significantly from that of community controls. The profiles of emotional and physical dysfunction of women in the recall group differed significantly from those of the screening and control groups. The level of emotional and physical dysfunction in the recall group was highest while waiting at recall assessment clinic, and scores were still significantly higher than scores obtained at comparable times from screening and control groups one week after obtaining notification that there was no sign of cancer (emotional P< 0·001; physical P < 0·05). This difference had disappeared eight months after the screening visit, when the level of emotional and physical functioning was similar to that of the screening and control groups. Social dysfunction scores did not change significantly over time and were similar for all three groups. Conclusions - Given that up to 10% of women are recalled for further investigations on first round screening, significant numbers of women may have psychological consequences. This speaks for the necessity for accurate reading of mammograms to minimise the false positive recall rate, and for counselling services to be available at recall assessment centres.
Comparison of Two Fingerprinting Techniques, Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis, for Determination of Bacterial Diversity in Aquatic Environments

ABSTRACT We investigated bacterial diversity in different aquatic environments (including marine and lagoon sediments, coastal seawater, and groundwater), and we compared two fingerprinting techniques (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism [T-RFLP] and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis [ARISA]) which are currently utilized for estimating richness and community composition. Bacterial diversity ranged from 27 to 99 phylotypes (on average, 56) using the T-RFLP approach and from 62 to 101 genotypes (on average, 81) when the same samples were analyzed using ARISA. The total diversity encountered in all matrices analyzed was 144 phylotypes for T-RFLP and 200 genotypes for ARISA. Although the two techniques provided similar results in the analysis of community structure, bacterial richness and diversity estimates were significantly higher using ARISA. These findings suggest that ARISA is more effective than T-RFLP in detecting the presence of bacterial taxa accounting for <5% of total amplified product. ARISA enabled also distinction among aquatic bacterial isolates of Pseudomonas spp. which were indistinguishable using T-RFLP analysis. Overall, the results of this study show that ARISA is more accurate than T-RFLP analysis on the 16S rRNA gene for estimating the biodiversity of aquatic bacterial assemblages.
Examining procedural learning and corticostriatal pathways for individual differences in language: testing endophenotypes of DRD2/ANKK1

ABSTRACT The aim was to explore whether genetic variation in the dopaminergic system is associated with procedural learning and the corticostriatal pathways in individuals with developmental language impairment (DLI). We viewed these two systems as endophenotypes and hypothesised that they would be more sensitive indicators of genetic effects than the language phenotype itself. Thus, we genotyped two single nucleotide polymorphisms in DRD2/ANKK1, and tested for their associations to the language phenotype and the endophenotypes. Results showed that individuals with DLI revealed poor procedural learning abilities and abnormal structures of the basal ganglia. Genetic variation in DRD2/ANKK1 was associated with procedural learning and microstructural differences of the caudate nucleus. The association of the language phenotype with DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms was non-significant, but the language phenotype was significantly associated with the endophenotypes. We suggest procedural learning and the corticostriatal pathways as effective endophenotypes to aid molecular genetic studies searching for genes predisposing to DLI.
The opioid methadone induces a local anaesthetic‐like inhibition of the cardiac Na+ channel, Nav1.5

Treatment with methadone is associated with severe cardiac arrhythmias, a side effect that seems to result from an inhibition of cardiac hERG K+ channels. However, several other opioids are inhibitors of voltage‐gated Na+ channels. Considering the common assumption that an inhibition of the cardiac Na+ channel Nav1.5, is the primary mechanism for local anaesthetic (LA)‐induced cardiotoxicity, we hypothesized that methadone has LA‐like properties leading to a modulation of Nav1.5 channels.
Selective Impact of Disease on Coral Communities: Outbreak of White Syndrome Causes Significant Total Mortality of Acropora Plate Corals

Coral diseases represent a significant and increasing threat to coral reefs. Among the most destructive diseases is White Syndrome (WS), which is increasing in distribution and prevalence throughout the Indo-Pacific. The aim of this study was to determine taxonomic and spatial patterns in mortality rates of corals following the 2008 outbreak of WS at Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. WS mainly affected Acropora plate corals and caused total mortality of 36% of colonies across all surveyed sites and depths. Total mortality varied between sites but was generally much greater in the shallows (0–96% of colonies at 5 m depth) compared to deeper waters (0–30% of colonies at 20 m depth). Site-specific mortality rates were a reflection of the proportion of corals affected by WS at each site during the initial outbreak and were predicted by the initial cover of live Acropora plate cover. The WS outbreak had a selective impact on the coral community. Following the outbreak, live Acropora plate coral cover at 5 m depth decreased significantly from 7.0 to 0.8%, while the cover of other coral taxa remained unchanged. Observations five years after the initial outbreak revealed that total Acropora plate cover remained low and confirmed that corals that lost all their tissue due to WS did not recover. These results demonstrate that WS represents a significant and selective form of coral mortality and highlights the serious threat WS poses to coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
A Compliant Parallel XY Micromotion Stage With Complete Kinematic Decoupling

This paper presents a novel compliant parallel XY micromotion stage driven by piezoelectric actuators (PZT). With the purpose to obtain complete kinematic decoupling and good stiffness performance, the stage is designed using a symmetric 4-PP structure in which double four-bar flexure is chosen as the prismatic joint. Matrix method is employed to establish the compliance model of the mechanism. Based on the model, dynamic analysis is investigated after static analysis is carried out. The dimensions of the mechanism are optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm in order to maximize the natural frequencies. Finite-element analysis (FEA) result indicates that the mechanism has an almost linear force-deflection relationship, high first natural frequency (720.52 Hz), and ideal decoupling property. To cope with the nonlinearities such as hysteresis that exists in the PZT, the control system is constructed by a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback controller with a feedforward compensator based on Preisach model. The fabricated prototype has a 19.2 μm × 8.8 μm rectangular workspace with coupling less than 5%. The result of the closed-loop test shows that the XY stage can achieve positioning, tracking and contouring tasks with small errors.
An Explanation of Generic Behavior in an Evolving Financial Market

The Santa Fe Artificial Stock Market [13, 4] is an agent-based artificial model in which agents continually explore and develop expectational models, buy and sell assets based on the predictions of those models that perform best, and confirm or discard these models based on their performance over time. The purpose of this paper is to classify the different types of behavior that emerge in the market as a function of evolutionary learning rate, and to explain these emergent behaviors. We observe four different types of behavior, which are distinguished by their effects on the volatility of prices, the complexity of strategies, and the wealth earned by agents over time. We also show that the differences between these behaviors may be attributed to variations in the rate at which agents revise their trading rules and the subsequent types of rules---technical or fundamental---that emerge in the market. To appear in Proceedings of Complex Systems '98: Complexity Between the Ecos---from Ecology to Economics.