Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relative validation of a short questionnaire to assess the dietary habits of pregnant American Indian women

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare a short dietary screener developed to assess diet quality with interviewer‐administered telephone 24‐hour dietary recalls in a population of pregnant Northern Plains (NP) American Indian women. Participants were recruited from NP clinical sites of the Prenatal Alcohol and SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network, as part of a large, prospective, multidisciplinary study. Prenatal PASS participants who enrolled prior to 24 weeks gestation were eligible to participate. Repeated 24‐hour dietary recalls were collected using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) software and a short dietary screener was administered intended to capture usual dietary intake during pregnancy. The available recalls were averaged across days for analysis. Items were grouped from the recalls to match the food group data estimates for the screener (e.g., total vegetables, total fruit, total dairy, total and whole grains). Deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the two data sources after correcting for the within‐person variation in the 24‐hour recall data. A total of 164 eligible women completed the screener and at least two 24‐hour dietary recalls and were included in the analyses. Pearson deattenuated correlation coefficients between the diet screener and the dietary recalls for the majority of food groups were 0.40 or higher. This short diet screener to assess usual diet appears to be a valid instrument for use in evaluating diet quality among pregnant American Indian women.
Sample size calculation in epidemiological studies

Summary Sample-size determination is often an important step in planning an epidemiological study. There are several approaches to determining sample size. It depends on the type of the study. Descriptive, observational and randomized controlled studies have different formulas to calculate sample size. In this article, we discuss the formulas that can help to estimate sample size in an epidemiological trial. We present a few examples from clinical practice, which may contribute to the understanding of this problem.Keywords: sample size determination Determining an appropriate sample size for a clinical trial is an essential step in the statistical design of the pro-ject. An adequate sample size helps ensure that the stu-dy will yield reliable information, regardless of whether the ultimate data suggest a clinically important difference between the treatments being studied, or the study is in-tended to measure the accuracy of a diagnostic test or the incidence of a disease. Unfortunately, many studies pub-lished in medical literature are conducted with inadequate sample sizes, making the interpretation of negative results difﬁcult. Conductingastudywithaninadequatesamplesize is not only futile, it is also unethical. Exposing pa-tients to the risks inherent in a research is justiﬁableon-ly if there is a realistic possibility that the results will be-neﬁtthosesubjects,futuresubjects,orleadtosubstantialscientiﬁcprogress. How many individuals will I need to study? This ques-tion iscommonly asked by a clinical investigator and ex-poses oneof many issues that are best to be settled before actually carryingout a study. Consultation with a statisti-cian is worthwhilein addressing many issues of study de-sign, but a statisticianis not always readily available.Sample Size (n) is the number of individuals in a group under study. The larger the sample size, the grea-ter the precision and, thus, power for a given study de-sign to detect an effect of a given size. For statisticians, an n > 30 is usually sufﬁcientfortheCentralLimitTheo-rem to hold so that normal theory approximations can be used for measures such as the standard error of the mean. However, this sample size (n = 30) is unrelated to the cli-nicians’ objective of detecting biologically signiﬁcantef-fects, which determines the speciﬁcsamplesizeneededfor a speciﬁcstudy[1].
Continuous Distributed Stream Querying using Sketches 1

While traditional database systems optimize for performance on one-shot query processing, emerging largescale monitoring applications require continuous tracking of complex data-analysis queries over collections of physically-distributed streams. Thus, effective solutions have to be simultaneously space/time efficient (at each remote monitor site), communication efficient (across the underlying communication network), and provide continuous, guaranteed-quality approximate query answers. In this paper, we propose novel algorithmic solutions for the problem of continuously tracking a broad class of complex aggregate queries in such a distributed-streams setting. Our tracking schemes maintain approximate query answers with provable error guarantees, while simultaneously optimizing the storage space and processing time at each remote site, and the communication cost across the network. In a nutshell, our algorithms rely on tracking general-purpose randomized sketch summaries of local streams at remote sites along with concise prediction models of local site behavior in order to produce highly communicationand space/time-efficient solutions. The end result is a powerful approximate query tracking framework that readily incorporates several complex analysis queries (including distributed join and multi-join aggregates, and approximate wavelet representations), thus giving the first known low-overhead tracking solution for such queries in the distributed-streams model. Experiments with real data validate our approach, revealing significant savings over naive solutions as well as our analytical worst-case guarantees.
Economics and Reality

'No reality please. We're economists'. There is a wide spread belief that modern economics is irrelevant to the understanding of the real world. In a controversial and original study, Tony Lawson argues that the root of this irrelevance is in the failure of economists to find methods and tools which are appropriate for the social world it addresses. Supporting his argument with a wide range of examples, Tony Lawson offers a provocative account of why economics has gone wrong and how it can be put back on track.
A Post-Swirl Maneuvering Propulsor Application to Undersea Vehicles

A method to generate vehicle maneuvering forces from a propulsor alone has been applied to a generic undersea vehicle. Open and ducted post-swirl propulsors were configured with an upstream rotor and downstream stator row. During normal operation, the downstream stator blades are all situated at the same pitch angle and generate a roll moment to counter the torque produced by the rotor. By varying the pitch angles of the stator blade about the circumference, it is possible to generate a mean stator side force that can be used to maneuver the vehicle. In addition, the side force can be increased with increasing thrust producing side forces at very low vehicle velocities enabling low-speed maneuvering capability. The viscous, 3-D Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) commercial code Fluent was used to predict the vehicle and propulsor component forces as well as the velocity field. Open and ducted geometric configurations were studied and force coefficients computed and compared with currently used control surface forces. Computations predicted that the maneuvering propulsor generated side forces equivalent to those produced by conventional control surfaces with side force coefficients on the order of 0.25 for the open propulsor at the self-propulsion point. This translates to 50% larger forces than can be generated by conventional control surfaces on 21$^{\prime \prime}$ unmanned undersea vehicles. The ducted configuration produces maximum side force coefficients on the order of 0.15, which is still sufficient for vehicle control. Both configurations produced side forces for the Bollard pull condition indicating low-speed maneuvering capability.
Vpr Is Required for Efficient Nef Expression from Unintegrated Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 DNA

ABSTRACT Unintegrated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA are viral DNA products formed naturally during HIV replication. While the integrated proviral DNA form is transcriptionally active and results in productive infection, unintegrated DNA is also capable of expression of viral RNA and proteins. Previously, we showed that HIV Vpr enhances expression from integrase-defective HIV. Here we show that Vpr activation of expression is partially dependent upon the presence of a transcriptionally active HIV promoter and results in increased transcription of unspliced gag and spliced nef viral RNA. While Tat is detectable during infection with integrase-defective HIV, Tat levels are not affected by the presence of Vpr. Mutation studies reveal that Tat is dispensable for the Vpr-mediated enhancement of expression from unintegrated DNA. We find that virion-associated Vpr is sufficient for Nef expression from unintegrated viral DNA, resulting in the efficient downregulation of CD4 from the surface of infected cells. These results provide a mechanism by which Nef expression from unintegrated HIV type 1 DNA expression occurs.
Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein A and Alpha-fetoprotein and Prediction of Adverse Perinatal Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and adverse perinatal outcome. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study of 8,483 women attending for prenatal care in southern Scotland between 1998 and 2000. The risk of delivering a small for gestational age infant, delivering preterm, and stillbirth were related to maternal serum levels of PAPP-A and AFP. RESULTS: Women with a low PAPP-A were not more likely to have elevated levels of AFP. Compared with women with a normal PAPP-A and a normal AFP, the odds ratio for delivering a small for gestational age infant for women with a high AFP was 0.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5–1.6), for women with a low PAPP-A was 2.8 (95% CI 2.0–4.0), and for women with both a high AFP and a low PAPP-A was 8.5 (95% CI 3.6–20.0). The odds ratio for delivering preterm for women with a high AFP was 1.8 (95% CI 1.3–2.7), for women with a low PAPP-A was 1.9 (95% CI 1.3–2.7), and for women with both a low PAPP-A and a high AFP was 9.9 (95% CI 4.4–22.0). These interactions were statistically significant for both outcomes (P = .03 and .04, respectively). There was a nonsignificant trend toward a similar interaction in relation to stillbirth risk. Of the women with the combination of a low PAPP-A and high AFP, 32.1% (95% CI 15.9–52.4) delivered a low birth weight infant. CONCLUSION: Low maternal serum levels of PAPP-A between 10 and 14 weeks and high levels of AFP between 15 and 21 weeks gestation are synergistically associated with adverse perinatal outcome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2
Anthrax lethal toxin‐induced inflammasome formation and caspase‐1 activation are late events dependent on ion fluxes and the proteasome

Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) is cytotoxic to macrophages from certain inbred mouse strains. The gene controlling macrophage susceptibility to LT is Nalp1b. Nalp1b forms part of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex involved in caspase‐1 activation and release of interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18. We confirm the role of caspase‐1 in LT‐mediated death by showing that caspase inhibitors differentially protected cells against LT, with the degree of protection corresponding to each compound's ability to inhibit caspase‐1. Caspase‐1 activation and cytokine processing and release were late events inhibited by elevated levels of KCl and sucrose, by potassium channel blockers, and by proteasome inhibitors, suggesting that inflammasome formation requires a protein‐degradation event and occurs downstream of LT‐mediated potassium efflux. In addition, IL‐18 and IL‐1β release was dependent on cell death, indicating that caspase‐1‐mediated cytotoxicity is independent of these cytokines. Finally, inducing NALP3‐inflammasome formation in LT‐resistant macrophages did not sensitize cells to LT, suggesting that general caspase‐1 activation cannot account for sensitivity to LT and that a Nalp1b‐mediated event is specifically required for death. Our data indicate that inflammasome formation is a contributing, but not initiating, event in LT‐mediated cytotoxicity and that earlier LT‐mediated events leading to ion fluxes are required for death.
Simultaneous analysis of quality of life and survival data

In many phase III clinical trials, particularly in the field of cancer, the comparison of treatments is based on both length of survival and quality of life. Subjects are followed over time until death and during this period, quality of life is assessed on a number of occasions. Simultaneous analysis of these two outcomes supplements the comparison of treatments in terms of each outcome independently with an assessment of the net effect. In addition, it provides a means of accounting for the informative dropout due to death of patients within the time frame of the quality of life study. The methods also have the potential to be extended to allow for informative dropout from the quality of life study prior to death. There are a number of broad approaches for the simultaneous analysis of quality of life and survival data. The most widely used approach in clinical research is quality-adjusted survival analysis, where treatments are compared in terms of a composite measure of quality and quantity of life. The paper reviews the different techniques for quality-adjusted survival analysis, illustrating the methodology by application to data from a phase III clinical trial in pancreatic cancer. In addition, alternative approaches using multistate survival analysis and joint modelling methods are also discussed.
Statistical prediction of laminar-turbulent transition

Stochastic versions of stability equations are considered as a means to develop integrated models of transition and turbulence. Two types of stochastic models are considered: probability density function evolution equations for stability mode amplitudes, and Langevin models based on representative stability theories including the resonant triad model and the parabolized stability equations. The first type of model can describe the effect of initial phase differences among disturbance modes on transition location. The second type of model describes the growth of random disturbances as transition proceeds and provides a natural framework in which to couple transition and turbulence models. Coupling of parabolized stability equations with either subgrid stress models or with conventional turbulence models is also discussed as an alternative route to achieve the goal of integrated turbulence and transition modeling.
Characterization of Cimetidine–Piroxicam Coprecipitate Interaction Using Experimental Studies and Molecular Dynamic Simulations

The crystalline states of cimetidine and piroxicam, when coprecipitated from solvents containing 1:1 mole ratio, were transformed to amorphous states as observed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Amorphous forms of drugs generally exhibit higher water solubility than crystalline forms. It is therefore interesting to investigate the interactions that cause the transformation of both the crystalline drugs. Intermolecular interactions between the drugs were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was performed for the first time for this type of study to indicate the specific groups involved in the interactions based on radial distribution function (RDF) analyses. RDF is a useful tool to describe the average density of atoms at a distance from a specified atom. FTIR spectra revealed a shift of the C≡N stretching band of cimetidine. The 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra indicated downfield shifts of C11, C15 and C7 of piroxicam. RDF analyses indicated that intermolecular interactions occurred between the amide oxygen atom as well as the pyridyl nitrogen of piroxicam and H-N3 of cimetidine. The hydrogen atom (O–H) at C7 interacts with the N1 of cimetidine. Since the MD simulation results are consistent with, and complementary to the experimental analyses, such simulations could provide a novel strategy for investigating specific interacting groups of drugs in coprecipitates, or in amorphous mixtures.
Neural cardiovascular control during exercise: influence of sex and ovarian hormones

Cardiovascular control during exercise results from three main mechanisms, namely central command (descending neural input), skeletal muscle afferent feedback (metabo - and mechanoreflex) and the arterial baroreflex. The studies outlined in this thesis sought to examine the potential sex- and ovarian hormone influences in neural cardiovascular control during exercise. It was observed that the activation of metabolically sensitive skeletal muscle afferents (i.e. muscle metaboreflex) by partial restriction of blood flow to the exercising skeletal muscle contributes to the exercise tachycardia via a reduction in cardiac baroreflex sensitivity from rest during dynamic exercise. Importantly, the magnitude of this metaboreflex-mediated reduction in cardiac baroreflex responsiveness was not different between men and women during the early and late follicular phases of the ovarian cycle. Baroreflex perturbation during dynamic exercise, by means of hypotensive and hypertensive stimuli to the carotid baroreceptors, revealed that baroreflex control of blood pressure was similarly maintained during exercise in men and women. Finally it was demonstrated that the sympathetic vasoconstriction in the exercising limb is similarly blunted in men and women. Overall, the results of this thesis suggest that there are no differences between men and women in baroreflex function and sympathetic vascular responsiveness during dynamic exercise.
An efficient group key agreement protocol for ad hoc networks

A group key agreement (GKA) protocol is a mechanism to establish a cryptographic key for a group of participants, based on each one's contribution, over a public network. The key, thus derived, can be used to establish a secure channel between the participants. When the group composition changes (or otherwise), one can employ supplementary GKA protocols to derive a new key. Thus, they are well-suited to the key establishment needs of dynamic peer-to-peer networks as in ad hoc networks. While many of the proposed GKA protocols are too expensive to be employed by the constrained devices often present in ad hoc networks, others lack a formal security analysis. We present a simple, secure and efficient GKA protocol well suited to dynamic ad hoc networks. We also present results of our implementation of the protocol in a prototype application.
Channel identification machines for multidimensional receptive fields

We present algorithms for identifying multidimensional receptive fields directly from spike trains produced by biophysically-grounded neuron models. We demonstrate that only the projection of a receptive field onto the input stimulus space may be perfectly identified and derive conditions under which this identification is possible. We also provide detailed examples of identification of neural circuits incorporating spatiotemporal and spectrotemporal receptive fields.
Study of dienogest for dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain associated with endometriosis

Objective To evaluate the effect of orally administered dienogest (DNG) for dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain associated with endometriosis. Methods For this study we recruited 89 patients with dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain associated with endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopy. All patients complained of persistent dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain despite surgical treatment 6 months previously. After 6 months of DNG treatment, we used a 0 to 3 point verbal rating scale to measure the severity of disability in daily life due to dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain, and the use of analgesics. Weight gain, serum lipid and liver enzyme tests were performed before treatment and after 6 months of DNG treatment. Results Total dysmenorrhea scores assessed by the verbal rating scale significantly decreased by the end of treatment (P<0.001). The mean (±standard deviation) pain score for dysmenorrhea before and after treatment were 1.42±1.1 and 0.1±0.3, respectively. The mean non-menstrual pelvic pain scores before and after treatment were 0.52±0.6 and 0.18±0.3, respectively, showing a significant difference (P<0.001). The use of analgesics significantly decreased by the end of the treatment (P<0.001). The associated adverse effects were weight gains (in 56 of 89 patients, 63%) and uterine bleeding (in 28 of 89 patients, 31.5%). The weight gain (before treatment, 57.9±9.7; after treatment, 61.1±12.6) was statistically significant (P<0.040). Conclusion This study demonstrated that orally administered DNG could be used to effectively treat dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain associated with endometriosis although the side effects of weight gain and uterine bleeding should be considered.
An emerging movement ecology paradigm

Movement of individual organisms, one of the most fundamental features of life on Earth, is a crucial component of almost any ecological and evolutionary process, including major problems associated with habitat fragmentation, climate change, biological invasions, and the spread of pests and diseases. The rich variety of movement modes seen among microorganisms, plants, and animals has fascinated mankind since time immemorial. The prophet Jeremiah (7th century B.C.), for instance, described the temporal consistency in migratory patterns of birds, and Aristotle (4th century B.C.) searched for common features unifying animal movements (see ref. 1).
Specificity of Familial Vulnerability for Alcoholism Versus Major Depression in Men

There are various hypotheses regarding comorbidity between alcohol dependence (AD) and major depression (MD). We interviewed 3372 pairs of male twins assessing DSM-III-R MD and AD. Individuals with comorbid MD and AD exhibited greater severity of each disorder than individuals with only one. MD in one twin was associated with risk of MD alone and MD plus AD, but not AD alone in the cotwin. AD in one twin was associated with risk of AD alone and AD plus MD, but not MD alone in the cotwin. The best fitting biometrical comorbidity model was the reciprocal causation model in which AD can cause MD and vice versa. However, a model in which genetic and environmental influences on each disorder were correlated could not be definitively rejected. Our data are most consistent with a mechanism of reciprocal causation, whereby MD increases risk for AD and AD increases risk of MD.