Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Beaver Dam Health Outcomes study

The Beaver Dam Health Outcomes Study (BDHOS) is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of health status and health-related quality of life for a random sample of adults (age range at interview was 45 to 89 years; mean = 64.1, SD = 10.8) in a community population. In a face-to-face interview lasting approximately an hour, each participant responds to several batteries of questions. Included are a history of chronic medical conditions, current medi cations, and past surgeries; the SF-36 (a general health-status questionnaire); the Quality of Well-being index; self-rated health status on a five-point scale from "excellent" to "poor"; and evaluation of current health using the method of time tradeoffs. The authors present results from 1,356 interviews on these four principal measures, reporting mean scores by sex, by age, and for persons reporting being affected by various medical conditions. They believe data from the BDHOS will provide researchers and policy makers a reference col lection of vital statistics for health-related quality of life. Additionally, the data provide a way to compare results from studies that utilize different indices from among the four principal measures of the BDHOS. Key words: health status; quality of life (health-related); population study; cohort study. (Med Decis Making 1993;13:89-102)
Nitric Oxide Enhances Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission and Neuronal Excitability in Guinea-Pig Submucous Plexus

Varicosities immunoreactive for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) make synaptic connections with submucosal neurons in the guinea-pig small intestine, but the effects of nitric oxide (NO) on these neurons are unknown. We used intracellular recording to characterize effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, NO donor) and nitro-l-arginine (NOLA, NOS inhibitor), on inhibitory synaptic potentials (IPSPs), slow excitatory synaptic potentials (EPSPs) and action potential firing in submucosal neurons of guinea-pig ileum in vitro. Recordings were made from neurons with the characteristic IPSPs of non-cholinergic secretomotor neurons. SNP (100 μM) markedly enhanced IPSPs evoked by single stimuli applied to intermodal strands and IPSPs evoked by trains of 2–10 pulses (30 Hz). Both noradrenergic (idazoxan-sensitive) and non-adrenergic (idazoxan-insensitive) IPSPs were affected. SNP enhanced hyperpolarizations evoked by locally applied noradrenaline or somatostatin. SNP did not affect slow EPSPs evoked by single stimuli, but depressed slow EPSPs evoked by stimulus trains. NOLA (100 μM) depressed IPSPs evoked by one to three stimulus pulses and enhanced slow EPSPs evoked by trains of two to three stimuli (30 Hz). SNP also increased the number of action potentials and the duration of firing evoked by prolonged (500 or 1000 ms) depolarizing current pulses, but NOLA had no consistent effect on action potential firing. We conclude that neurally released NO acts post-synaptically to enhance IPSPs and depress slow EPSPs, but may enhance the intrinsic excitability of these neurons. Thus, NOS neurons may locally regulate several secretomotor pathways ending on common neurons.
The Time Window for Therapy with Peptide Nanofibers Combined with Autologous Bone Marrow Cells in Pigs after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background We previously showed that injection of peptide nanofibers (NF) combined with autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) immediately after coronary artery ligation improves cardiac performance in pigs. To evaluate the clinical feasibility, this study was performed to determine the therapeutic time window for NF/MNC therapy in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results A total of 45 adult minipigs were randomly grouped into 7 groups: sham or MI plus treatment with NS (normal saline), or NF or MNC alone at 1 day (1D) post-MI, or NF/MNC at 1, 4, or 7 days post-MI (N≥6). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography and ventricular catheterization. Compared with the NS control, pigs treated with NF/MNC at 1 day post-MI (NF/MC-1D) had the greatest improvement in left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF; 55.1±1.6%; P<0.01 vs. NS) 2 months after MI. In contrast, pigs treated with either NF/MNC-4D or NF/MNC-7D showed 48.9±0.8% (P<0.05 vs. NS) and 43.5±2.3% (n.s. vs. NS) improvements, respectively. The +dP/dt and -dP/dt, infarct size and interstitial collagen content were also improved in the NF/MNC-1D and -4D groups but not in the -7D group. Mechanistically, MNC quality and the states of systemic inflammation and damaged heart tissue influence the therapeutic efficiency of NF/MNC therapy, as revealed by another independent study using 16 pigs. Conclusions Injection of NF/MNC at 1 or 4 days, but not at 7 days post-MI, improves cardiac performance and prevents ventricular remodeling, confirming the importance of early intervention when using this therapy for acute MI.
Depinning and nonequilibrium dynamic phases of particle assemblies driven over random and ordered substrates: a review

We review the depinning and nonequilibrium phases of collectively interacting particle systems driven over random or periodic substrates. This type of system is relevant to vortices in type-II superconductors, sliding charge density waves, electron crystals, colloids, stripe and pattern forming systems, and skyrmions, and could also have connections to jamming, glassy behaviors, and active matter. These systems are also ideal for exploring the broader issues of characterizing transient and steady state nonequilibrium flow phases as well as nonequilibrium phase transitions between distinct dynamical phases, analogous to phase transitions between different equilibrium states. We discuss the differences between elastic and plastic depinning on random substrates and the different types of nonequilibrium phases which are associated with specific features in the velocity-force curves, fluctuation spectra, scaling relations, and local or global particle ordering. We describe how these quantities can change depending on the dimension, anisotropy, disorder strength, and the presence of hysteresis. Within the moving phase we discuss how there can be a transition from a liquid-like state to dynamically ordered moving crystal, smectic, or nematic states. Systems with periodic or quasiperiodic substrates can have multiple nonequilibrium second or first order transitions in the moving state between chaotic and coherent phases, and can exhibit hysteresis. We also discuss systems with competing repulsive and attractive interactions, which undergo dynamical transitions into stripes and other complex morphologies when driven over random substrates. Throughout this work we highlight open issues and future directions such as absorbing phase transitions, nonequilibrium work relations, inertia, the role of non-dissipative dynamics such as Magnus effects, and how these results could be extended to the broader issues of plasticity in crystals, amorphous solids, and jamming phenomena.
Population Structure, Abundance and Movement of Whale Sharks in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

Data on the occurrence of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman were collected by dedicated boat surveys and via a public-sightings scheme during the period from 2011 to 2014. A total of 422 individual whale sharks were photo-identified from the Arabian Gulf and the northern Gulf of Oman during that period. The majority of sharks (81%, n = 341) were encountered at the Al Shaheen area of Qatar, 90 km off the coast, with the Musandam region of Oman a secondary area of interest. At Al Shaheen, there were significantly more male sharks (n = 171) than females (n = 78; X2 = 17.52, P < 0.05). Mean estimated total length (TL) for sharks was 6.90 m ± 1.24 (median = 7 m; n = 296). Males (7.25 m ± 1.34; median = 8 m, n = 171) were larger than females (6.44 m ±1.09; median = 7 m, n = 78; Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.01). Of the male sharks assessed for maturity 63% were mature (n = 81), with 50% attaining maturity by 7.29 m and 100% by 9.00 m. Two female sharks of >9 m individuals were visually assessed as pregnant. Connectivity among sharks sighted in Qatari, Omani and UAE waters was confirmed by individual spot pattern matches. A total of 13 identified sharks were re-sighted at locations other than that at which they were first sighted, including movements into and out of the Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. Maximum likelihood techniques were used to model an estimated combined population for the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman of 2837 sharks ± 1243.91 S.E. (95% C.I. 1720–6295). The Al Shaheen aggregation is thus the first site described as being dominated by mature males while the free-swimming pregnant females are the first reported from the Indian Ocean.
Stable and Intuitive Control of an Intelligent Assist Device

Safety and dependability are of the utmost importance for physical human-robot interaction due to the potential risks that a relatively powerful robot poses to human beings. From the control standpoint, it is possible to improve safety by guaranteeing that the robot will never exhibit any unstable behavior. However, stability is not the only concern in the design of a controller for such a robot. During human-robot interaction, the resulting cooperative motion should be truly intuitive and should not restrict in any way the human performance. For this purpose, we have designed a new variable admittance control law that guarantees the stability of the robot during constrained motion and also provides a very intuitive human interaction. The former characteristic is provided by the design of a stability observer while the latter is based on a variable admittance control scheme that uses the time derivative of the contact force to assess human intentions. The stability observer is based on a previously published stability investigation of cooperative motion which implies the knowledge of the interaction stiffness. A method to accurately estimate this stiffness online using the data coming from the encoder and from a multiaxis force sensor at the end effector is also provided. The stability and intuitivity of the control law are verified in a user study involving a cooperative drawing task with a 3 degree-of-freedom (dof) parallel robot as well as in experiments performed with a prototype of an industrial Intelligent Assist Device.
Resilient moduli responses of polymeric-treated pavement foundation materials under repeated loading

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been shown to enhance strength, stiffness and durability characteristics of granular materials, in addition to providing lower carbon footprints when compared to traditional stabilisers. In this study, the responses of granular subbase materials for flexible pavements, under simulated traffic loading, have been investigated using repeat load triaxial (RLT) testing. Three types of granular materials treated with PAM have been tested to assess changes in engineering performance and responses to simulated traffic. Untreated materials were also tested for comparison. The engineering performance of these materials (treated and untreated) in terms of strength and stiffness were assessed by conducting unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and RLT tests. Results indicate that samples treated with PAM yield higher UCS and resilient modulus values than the untreated samples, with the magnitude of the resilient modulus being dependent on compaction effort. Data related to response under simulated loads has also been collected and used to calibrate an existing model to predict resilient modulus response for each soil type from its physical and engineering properties. The calibrated models were found to satisfactorily simulate the resilient modulus response of the RLT experimental test data.
Creep damage analysis of simulated-HAZ notched bar specimens of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel

From the standpoint of evaluating Type IV creep damage in the fine-grained heat affected zones (FGHAZ) of welded joints, an analysis method combining continuum damage mechanics (CDM) and a cavity nucleation model is proposed and applied to the creep testing of simulated-FGHAZ notched bars of mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel at 650°C. The Perrin-Hayhurst CDM model is adopted, which considers both softening by precipitate coarsening and damage by creep cavities. For the cavity nucleation model, a proposal by Gonzalez and Cocks is employed, which considers the randomness of grain-boundary-facet orientations in a polycrystalline material and gives a nucleation rate that is a function of the creep strain rate and a tri-axiality factor. The critical value of the damage parameter, corresponding to the initiation of micro cracks due to the coalescence of creep cavities, is expressed in terms of a critical value of the number density of creep cavities as determined from grain-boundary-resistance model simulations by the present authors. Creep rupture experiments have been conducted for circumferentially notched bar specimens with two kinds of notch acuities. The applicability of the combined CDM and cavity nucleation model is demonstrated by comparing the distribution of creep cavities observed experimentally with the simulation results. The final rupture life of the circumferentially notched bar specimens was also predicted to within a factor of two.
The expression of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein in oral cancers and precancers: A clinicopathological study

Background: The role of retinoblastoma (Rb) protein in cell cycle regulation prompted us to take up this study with the aim of assessing its role in the progression of oral cancer and to correlate with various clinicopathological parameters, including habits such as smoking, Paan chewing, and alcoholism. Materials and Methods: This observational study included surgical specimens from 10 apparently normal oral mucosa, 14 oral reactive lesions (ORL), 29 precancerous lesions and 43 oral cancers. The expression of Rb protein in tissue samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological data. The percentage and mean expression of Rb protein were statistically analyzed using Student's t-test and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant difference. Results: The expression of Rb protein was found to increase from normal, ORL, precancerous lesions to cancers. A consistently high expression of Rb protein was seen in oral cancers, with an increase in well-differentiated and moderately differentiated tumors. Patients with combined habits of Paan chewing, smoking, and alcohol consumption had a higher expression compared with those without habits. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it seems that overexpression of Rb protein noted in oral cancer, with an increase in well and moderately differentiated tumors suggest a possible role of Rb in differentiation. The high expression of Rb in patients with combined habits of Paan chewing, smoking and alcohol consumption indicates that Rb pathway may be altered in habit-related oral malignancies.
Intravesical Liposome and Antisense Treatment for Detrusor Overactivity and Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome

Purpose. The following review focuses on the recent advancements in intravesical drug delivery, which brings added benefit to the therapy of detrusor overactivity and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS). Results. Intravesical route is a preferred route of administration for restricting the action of extremely potent drugs like DMSO for patients of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and botulinum toxin for detrusor overactivity. Patients who are either refractory to oral treatment or need to mitigate the adverse effects encountered with conventional routes of administration also chose this route. Its usefulness in some cases can be limited by vehicle (carrier) toxicity or short duration of action. Efforts have been underway to overcome these limitations by developing liposome platform for intravesical delivery of biotechnological products including antisense oligonucleotides. Conclusions. Adoption of forward-thinking approaches can achieve advancements in drug delivery systems targeted to future improvement in pharmacotherapy of bladder diseases. Latest developments in the field of nanotechnology can bring this mode of therapy from second line of treatment for refractory cases to the forefront of disease management.
Wearable Wireless Tactile Display for Virtual Interactions with Soft Bodies

We describe here a wearable, wireless, compact, and lightweight tactile display, able to mechanically stimulate the fingertip of users, so as to simulate contact with soft bodies in virtual environments. The device was based on dielectric elastomer actuators, as high-performance electromechanically active polymers. The actuator was arranged at the user’s fingertip, integrated within a plastic case, which also hosted a compact high-voltage circuitry. A custom-made wireless control unit was arranged on the forearm and connected to the display via low-voltage leads. We present the structure of the device and a characterization of it, in terms of electromechanical response and stress relaxation. Furthermore, we present results of a psychophysical test aimed at assessing the ability of the system to generate different levels of force that can be perceived by users.
Fair Play Equilibria in Normal Form Games

For a social code of conduct to gain universal acceptance in a society, it would have to satisfy minimum requirements of consistency and procedural justice. The so-called universalizability principle in ethics says that any moral judgement made for an action of a person in a situation should be universalizable to other persons’ actions in situations that are identical in relevant respects. By adapting standard axioms in social choice theory, we formalize this principle in the framework of normal form games and study its implications on equilibrium outcomes. A social code specifies socially acceptable responses against other individuals’ behavior. A fair play equilibrium is an action profile where everyone behaves optimally subject to the social code. We show that for any admissible social code, the set of fair play equilibria coincides with that of Nash equilibria in all games. The result identifies a conflict between the universalizability principle and what a social code can achieve as equilibrium outcomes. JEL Classification: C70, D63, D71
MiR-410 Is Overexpressed in Liver and Colorectal Tumors and Enhances Tumor Cell Growth by Silencing FHL1 via a Direct/Indirect Mechanism

FHL1 is an important tumor-suppressor that is downregulated in multiple tumors by unknown mechanisms. We demonstrated that miR-410 specifically targets the 3′UTR of FHL1. Furthermore, using DNA bisulfite modification and sequencing experiments, we demonstrated that the FHL1 promoter is hypermethylated in cancer cells. FHL1 methylation is increased upon miR-410 expression, suggesting that the regulation of FHL1 by miR-410 occurs by a dual mechanism. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we observed that miR-410 overexpression results in the increased binding of DNMT3A at the FHL1 promoter, which could explain how miR-410 regulates FHL1 methylation. Importantly, in vitro and in vivo results suggest that miR-410 may have oncogenic properties. Furthermore, both miR-410 and DNMT3A are upregulated in clinical human liver and colorectal tumors cancers. Our results suggest that miR-410 may function as an oncomiR and are consistent with its key function in regulating FHL1 in certain digestive system cancers.
Lipid-modifying therapies and risk of pancreatitis: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Statin therapy has been associated with pancreatitis in observational studies. Although lipid guidelines recommend fibrate therapy to reduce pancreatitis risk in persons with hypertriglyceridemia, fibrates may lead to the development of gallstones, a risk factor for pancreatitis. OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between statin or fibrate therapy and incident pancreatitis in large randomized trials. DATA SOURCES Relevant trials were identified in literature searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science (January 1, 1994, for statin trials and January 1, 1972, for fibrate trials, through June 9, 2012). Published pancreatitis data were tabulated where available (6 trials). Unpublished data were obtained from investigators (22 trials). STUDY SELECTION We included randomized controlled cardiovascular end-point trials investigating effects of statin therapy or fibrate therapy. Studies with more than 1000 participants followed up for more than 1 year were included. DATA EXTRACTION Trial-specific data described numbers of participants developing pancreatitis and change in triglyceride levels at 1 year. Trial-specific risk ratios (RRs) were calculated and combined using random-effects model meta-analysis. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic. RESULTS In 16 placebo- and standard care-controlled statin trials with 113,800 participants conducted over a weighted mean follow-up of 4.1 (SD, 1.5) years, 309 participants developed pancreatitis (134 assigned to statin, 175 assigned to control) (RR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.62-0.97; P = .03; I2 = 0%]). In 5 dose-comparison statin trials with 39,614 participants conducted over 4.8 (SD, 1.7) years, 156 participants developed pancreatitis (70 assigned to intensive dose, 86 assigned to moderate dose) (RR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.59-1.12; P = .21; I2 = 0%]). Combined results for all 21 statin trials provided RR 0.79 (95% CI, 0.65-0.95; P = .01; I2 = 0%). In 7 fibrate trials with 40,162 participants conducted over 5.3 (SD, 0.5) years, 144 participants developed pancreatitis (84 assigned to fibrate therapy, 60 assigned to placebo) (RR, 1.39 [95% CI, 1.00-1.95; P = .053; I2 = 0%]). CONCLUSION In a pooled analysis of randomized trial data, use of statin therapy was associated with a lower risk of pancreatitis in patients with normal or mildly elevated triglyceride levels.
The clinical presentation of attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Background: Although attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in children with 22q11.2DS, it remains unclear whether its clinical presentation is similar to that in children with idiopathic ADHD. The aim of this study is to compare the ADHD phenotype in children with and without 22q11.2DS by examining ADHD symptom scores, patterns of psychiatric comorbidity, IQ and gender distribution. Methods: Forty‐four children with 22q11.2DS and ADHD (mean age = 9.6), 600 clinic children (mean age = 10.8) and 77 children with ADHD from a population cohort (mean age = 10.8) participated in the study. Psychopathology was assessed using parent‐report research diagnostic instruments. Results: There was a higher proportion of females in the 22q11.2DS ADHD sample in relation to the clinical sample (χ2 = 18.2, P < 0.001). The 22q11.2DS group showed a higher rate of ADHD inattentive subtype (χ2 = 114.76, P < 0.001), and fewer hyperactive‐impulsive symptoms compared to the clinical group (z = 8.43, P < 0.001). The 22q11.2DS ADHD group parents reported fewer oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder symptoms (z = 6.33, P < 0.001) and a higher rate of generalized anxiety disorder (χ2 = 4.56, P = 0.03) in relation to the clinical group. Two percent of the 22q11.2 DS ADHD sample had received ADHD treatment. The results were similar when the 22q11.2 ADHD group was compared to the population cohort ADHD group. Conclusions: The clinical presentation of ADHD and patterns of co‐morbidity in 22q11.2DS is different from that in idiopathic ADHD. This could lead to clinical under‐recognition of ADHD in this group. Examining psychopathology in 22q11.2DS can provide insights into the genetic origins of psychiatric problems with implications beyond the 22q11.2DS population. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.