Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community-level education accelerates the cultural evolution of fertility decline

Explaining why fertility declines as populations modernize is a profound theoretical challenge. It remains unclear whether the fundamental drivers are economic or cultural in nature. Cultural evolutionary theory suggests that community-level characteristics, for example average education, can alter how low-fertility preferences are transmitted and adopted. These assumptions have not been empirically tested. Here, we show that community-level education accelerates fertility decline in a way that is neither predicted by individual characteristics, nor by the level of economic modernization in a population. In 22 high-fertility communities in Poland, fertility converged on a smaller family size as average education in the community increased—indeed community-level education had a larger impact on fertility decline than did individual education. This convergence was not driven by educational levels being more homogeneous, but by less educated women having fewer children than expected, and more highly educated social networks, when living among more highly educated neighbours. The average level of education in a community may influence the social partners women interact with, both within and beyond their immediate social environments, altering the reproductive norms they are exposed to. Given a critical mass of highly educated women, less educated neighbours may adopt their reproductive behaviour, accelerating the pace of demographic transition. Individual characteristics alone cannot capture these dynamics and studies relying solely on them may systematically underestimate the importance of cultural transmission in driving fertility declines. Our results are inconsistent with a purely individualistic, rational-actor model of fertility decline and suggest that optimization of reproduction is partly driven by cultural dynamics beyond the individual.
Purified anthocyanin supplementation reduces dyslipidemia, enhances antioxidant capacity, and prevents insulin resistance in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND Oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Anthocyanin, a natural antioxidant, has been reported to reduce oxidative stress and to attenuate insulin resistance and diabetes in animal models; however, the translation of these observations to humans has not been fully tested. OBJECTIVE This study was designed to investigate the effects of purified anthocyanins on dyslipidemia, oxidative status, and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS A total of 58 diabetic patients were given 160 mg of anthocyanins twice daily or placebo (n = 29/group) for 24 wk in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Participants and investigators were masked to treatment allocation. RESULTS Anthocyanin supplementation significantly decreased serum LDL cholesterol (by 7.9%; P < 0.05), triglycerides (by 23.0%; P < 0.01), apolipoprotein (apo) B-48 (by 16.5%; P < 0.05), and apo C-III (by 11.0%; P < 0.01) and increased HDL cholesterol (by 19.4%; P < 0.05) compared with placebo after the 24-wk intervention. In addition, patients in the anthocyanin group showed higher total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power values than did patients in the placebo group (both P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, and carbonylated proteins in patients in the anthocyanin group were significantly less than in patients in the placebo group (23.4%, 25.8%; P < 0.01 and 20%; P = 0.022, respectively). Furthermore, supplementation with anthocyanin lowered fasting plasma glucose (by 8.5%; P < 0.05) and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (by 13%; P < 0.05), and elevated serum adiponectin (by 23.4%; P < 0.01) and β-hydroxybutyrate (by 42.4%; P = 0.01) concentrations compared with placebo supplementation. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that anthocyanin supplementation exerts beneficial metabolic effects in subjects with type 2 diabetes by improving dyslipidemia, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and preventing insulin resistance. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT02317211.
A Comparison of Patient State Index and Bispectral Index Values During the Perioperative Period

The patient state index (PSI), a quantitative electroencephalographic index, has been recently introduced into clinical practice as a monitor for assessing consciousness during sedation and general anesthesia. We designed this observational study to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the PSI with that of the bispectral index (BIS) with respect to their ability to predict the loss of consciousness and emergence from anesthesia, as well as to assess changes in IV (propofol) and inhaled (desflurane) anesthetics during the maintenance period. Twenty consenting patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic surgical procedures were enrolled in this prospective clinical study. Anesthesia was induced with propofol 2 mg/kg IV and fentanyl 1 &mgr;g/kg IV, and tracheal intubation was facilitated with cisatracurium 0.3 mg/kg IV. Desflurane 4% in combination with nitrous oxide 60% in oxygen was administered for the maintenance of anesthesia. Comparative PSI and BIS values were obtained at specific time intervals during the induction, maintenance, and emergence periods. The changes in these indices were recorded after the administration of propofol (20 mg IV) or with 2% increases or decreases in the inspired concentration of desflurane during the maintenance period. With logistic regression models, both the BIS and PSI were found to be effective as predictors of unconsciousness (i.e., failed to respond to verbal stimuli) (P < 0.01). The PSI also correlated with the BIS during both the induction of (r = 0.78) and emergence from (r = 0.73) general anesthesia. However, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for detection of consciousness indicated a better performance with the PSI (0.95 ± 0.04) than the BIS (0.79 ± 0.04). During the maintenance period, the PSI values were comparable to the BIS in response to changes in propofol and desflurane but displayed greater interpatient variability. Finally, the PSI (versus BIS) values were less interfered with by the electrocautery unit during surgery (16% versus 65%, respectively). In conclusion, the PSI may prove to be a viable alternative to the BIS for evaluating consciousness during the induction of and emergence from general anesthesia, as well as for titrating the administration of propofol and desflurane during the maintenance period. However, further studies with the PSA device are needed to determine its role in anesthesia.
DroneNet: Network reconstruction through sparse connectivity probing using distributed UAVs

In this paper, we consider a network reconstruction problem using UAVs where stationary ad-hoc networks are severely damaged in a post-disaster scenario. The main objective of this paper is to repair network by supplementing aerial wireless links into the stationary network to reconnect isolated ground networks each other with a limited number of UAVs. We propose a distributed motion planning that guarantees complete coverage to probe network connectivity from the air over stationary networks, while reducing duplicate coverage with other UAVs. Given the collected local connectivity information over region of interest, we deploy UAVs as relays into the locations of network holes to repair network-wide data delivery most effectively by formulating the problem into a binary integer program. Simulation results show that our network traversing algorithm outperforms a multi-agent exploration algorithm Ants in terms of complete coverage time, travel distance, and duplicate coverage. Also, our deployment optimization enhances network-wide routing performance compared to a practical baseline counterpart.
Experimental and Image Processing Investigation on the Diffusion of Dust Particles in the Atmospheric Area

The diffusion and transfer of dust particles in the atmospheric area were investigated with experimental and image processing methods. In a flat field, the rising of dust particles into the air by plowing the field with a tractor and their spreading along the surrounding environment as a real model of dust diffusion in the atmospheric area. The experiments carried out for specifying the particle-size distribution of the bed dust and its density. The experimental photos of dust diffusion were analyzed by image processing. The intensity of the diffusion of dust particles in the atmospheric area at the different roughness of surfaces for the different speeds of the tractor movement was obtained. The roughness of the surface increases the impact threshold and reduce the number of splashing particles. As particles velocities increase, the particles height increases and the proportion slope decreases at the high velocities. A relative concentration parameter Cα was defined. The results of this study compared with previous works based on this relative concentration. The concentration of dust particles decreases exponentially by increasing up to a certain height and after this height, changes in concentration are minor. Also, the role of mid-air collisions is significant, especially at high speeds. Review History: Received: 5 May 2018 Revised: 25 September 2018 Accepted: 17 November 2018 Available Online: 28 December 2018
Merging of 3D visual maps based on part-map retrieval and path consistency

This paper presents a map-merging method which builds a 3D visual map by connecting part maps. The purpose is to increase flexibility and robustness in 3D mapping. Map merging is performed by combining image retrieval using bag-of-words, geometric verification, and pose adjustment. A key issue is robust data association. To cope with false matches, we perform group matching with pose propagation, which checks the geometric consistency of point correspondences over multiple frames. Also, we perform path consistency check, which examines the accumulated errors along a loop to eliminate inconsistent part map connections. Experiments show our method successfully built detailed 3D maps of indoor environments.
The Role of Knowledge Management Strategies and Task Knowledge in Stimulating Service Innovation

Are service firms that enact strategies to manage their new service development (NSD) knowledge able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA)? Based on analysis of data from a large survey of service companies, the answer is yes. The authors find that companies employing the knowledge management strategies of codification and personalization reflect higher levels of NSD knowledge. However, the two strategies vary in their individual performance outcomes, with codification promoting NSD proficiency (an ability to execute NSD activities) and personalization promoting greater NSD innovativeness (market perception of the company as novel and as an innovator). When used together, the two strategies magnify NSD knowledge, which when combined with NSD proficiency and NSD innovativeness, promote an SCA. Therefore, companies planning to invest in a knowledge management system should heed the outcomes desired from their NSD process. A system based on documentation exemplifies a codification strategy and will drive NSD proficiency; a system emphasizing interpersonal communication exemplifies a personalization strategy and will drive NSD innovativeness. A system that blends the two strategies appears the most advantageous for service companies’ NSD efforts aiming to build a long-term sustainable competitive advantage.
Lossless Compression of Medical Images Using 3-D Predictors

This paper describes a highly efficient method for lossless compression of volumetric sets of medical images, such as CTs or MRIs. The proposed method, referred to as 3-D-MRP, is based on the principle of minimum rate predictors (MRPs), which is one of the state-of-the-art lossless compression technologies presented in the data compression literature. The main features of the proposed method include the use of 3-D predictors, 3-D-block octree partitioning and classification, volume-based optimization, and support for 16-b-depth images. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the 3-D-MRP algorithm for the compression of volumetric sets of medical images, achieving gains above 15% and 12% for 8- and 16-bit-depth contents, respectively, when compared with JPEG-LS, JPEG2000, CALIC, and HEVC, as well as other proposals based on the MRP algorithm.
The Effect of Ageing on Ocular Blood Flow, Oxygen Tension and Retinal Function during and after Intraocular Pressure Elevation

Purpose To investigate the effect of ageing on the recovery of ocular blood flow, intravitreal oxygen tension and retinal function during and after intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. Methods Long Evans rats (3- and 14-month-old) underwent acute stepwise IOP elevation from 10 to 120 mmHg (5 mmHg steps each 3 minutes). IOP was then returned to baseline and recovery was monitored for 2 hours. Photopic electroretinograms (ERG) were recorded at each IOP step during stress and at each minute during recovery. Ocular blood flow and vitreal oxygen tension (pO2) were assayed continuously and simultaneously using a combined laser Doppler flow meter (LDF) and an oxygen sensitive fibre-optic probe, respectively. The combined sensor was placed in the vitreous chamber, proximal to the retina. Data were binned into 3 minute intervals during stress and 1 min intervals during recovery. Recovery data was described using a bi-logistic function. Results Rats of both ages showed similar susceptibility to IOP elevation, with pO2 showing a closer relationship to ERG than LDF. During recovery, both ages showed a distinctive two-phased recovery for all three measures with the exception of the LDF in 3-month-old rats, which showed only 1 phase. In all animals, LDF recovered fastest (<1 minute), followed by pO2 (<10 minute) and ERG (>1 hour). 14-month-old rats showed surprisingly faster and greater LDF recovery compared to the younger group, with similar levels of pO2 recovery. However, the ERG in these middle-aged animals did not fully recover after two hours, despite showing no difference in susceptibility to IOP during stress compared to the young group. Conclusions Young and middle-aged eyes showed similar susceptibility to IOP elevation in terms of pO2, LDF and ERG. Despite this lack of difference during stress, older eyes did not completely recover function, suggesting a more subtle age-related susceptibility to IOP.
Scaffold Diversity of Exemplified Medicinal Chemistry Space

The scaffold diversity of 7 representative commercial and proprietary compound libraries is explored for the first time using both Murcko frameworks and Scaffold Trees. We show that Level 1 of the Scaffold Tree is useful for the characterization of scaffold diversity in compound libraries and offers advantages over the use of Murcko frameworks. This analysis also demonstrates that the majority of compounds in the libraries we analyzed contain only a small number of well represented scaffolds and that a high percentage of singleton scaffolds represent the remaining compounds. We use Tree Maps to clearly visualize the scaffold space of representative compound libraries, for example, to display highly populated scaffolds and clusters of structurally similar scaffolds. This study further highlights the need for diversification of compound libraries used in hit discovery by focusing library enrichment on the synthesis of compounds with novel or underrepresented scaffolds.
STAT3 promotes motor neuron differentiation by collaborating with motor neuron-specific LIM complex

The motor neuron (MN)–hexamer complex consisting of LIM homeobox 3, Islet-1, and nuclear LIM interactor is a key determinant of motor neuron specification and differentiation. To gain insights into the transcriptional network in motor neuron development, we performed a genome-wide ChIP-sequencing analysis and found that the MN–hexamer directly regulates a wide array of motor neuron genes by binding to the HxRE (hexamer response element) shared among the target genes. Interestingly, STAT3-binding motif is highly enriched in the MN–hexamer–bound peaks in addition to the HxRE. We also found that a transcriptionally active form of STAT3 is expressed in embryonic motor neurons and that STAT3 associates with the MN–hexamer, enhancing the transcriptional activity of the MN–hexamer in an upstream signal-dependent manner. Correspondingly, STAT3 was needed for motor neuron differentiation in the developing spinal cord. Together, our studies uncover crucial gene regulatory mechanisms that couple MN–hexamer and STAT-activating extracellular signals to promote motor neuron differentiation in vertebrate spinal cord.
Prognostic Value of Heart Rate Increase at Onset of Exercise Testing

Background— The initial response of heart rate to dynamic exercise has been proposed as having prognostic value in limited studies that have used modalities other than the treadmill. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of early heart rate parameters in patients referred for routine clinical treadmill testing. Methods and Results— The heart rate rise at the onset of exercise was measured in 1959 patients referred for clinical treadmill testing at the Palo Alto (Calif) Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 1997 to 2004. Multivariable Cox survival analysis was performed for 197 all-cause and 74 cardiovascular deaths that accrued during a mean follow-up of 5.4±2.1 years. Decreased heart rate changes at all initial relative exercise workloads were associated with significantly increased all-cause mortality. The heart rate rise at one-third total exercise capacity, however, was the only early heart rate variable that significantly predicted both all-cause and cardiovascular risk after adjustment for confounders. Failing to reach 1 SD in the heart rate rise at one-third total exercise capacity was associated with a 28% increased all-cause mortality rate (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.85; P<0.001) and a 35% cardiovascular mortality rate (hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.86; P=0.003). Of all heart rate measurements considered (initial and recovery), the heart rate increase at peak exercise was the most powerful predictor of cardiovascular prognosis after adjustment for potential confounders. The Duke treadmill score, however, was superior to all heart rate measurements in the prediction of cardiovascular mortality. Conclusions— In the present study population, a rapid initial heart rate rise was associated with improved survival, but the heart rate increase at peak exercise and other conventional measurements such as exercise capacity and the Duke treadmill score were more powerful predictors of prognosis.
Severe Hindrance of Viral Infection Propagation in Spatially Extended Hosts

The production of large progeny numbers affected by high mutation rates is a ubiquitous strategy of viruses, as it promotes quick adaptation and survival to changing environments. However, this situation often ushers in an arms race between the virus and the host cells. In this paper we investigate in depth a model for the dynamics of a phenotypically heterogeneous population of viruses whose propagation is limited to two-dimensional geometries, and where host cells are able to develop defenses against infection. Our analytical and numerical analyses are developed in close connection to directed percolation models. In fact, we show that making the space explicit in the model, which in turn amounts to reducing viral mobility and hindering the infective ability of the virus, connects our work with similar dynamical models that lie in the universality class of directed percolation. In addition, we use the fact that our model is a multicomponent generalization of the Domany-Kinzel probabilistic cellular automaton to employ several techniques developed in the past in that context, such as the two-site approximation to the extinction transition line. Our aim is to better understand propagation of viral infections with mobility restrictions, e.g., in crops or in plant leaves, in order to inspire new strategies for effective viral control.
Memory Efficient Kernel Approximation

The scalability of kernel machines is a big challenge when facing millions of samples due to storage and computation issues for large kernel matrices, that are usually dense. Recently, many papers have suggested tackling this problem by using a low-rank approximation of the kernel matrix. In this paper, we first make the observation that the structure of shift-invariant kernels changes from low-rank to block-diagonal (without any low-rank structure) when varying the scale parameter. Based on this observation, we propose a new kernel approximation algorithm - Memory Efficient Kernel Approximation (MEKA), which considers both low-rank and clustering structure of the kernel matrix. We show that the resulting algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art low-rank kernel approximation methods in terms of speed, approximation error, and memory usage. As an example, on the mnist2m dataset with two-million samples, our method takes 550 seconds on a single machine using less than 500 MBytes memory to achieve 0.2313 test RMSE for kernel ridge regression, while standard Nystrom approximation takes more than 2700 seconds and uses more than 2 GBytes memory on the same problem to achieve 0.2318 test RMSE.
Delivery of chemo-sensitizing siRNAs to HER2+-breast cancer cells using RNA aptamers

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression in breast cancer is associated with an aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis, making it an appealing therapeutic target. Trastuzumab, an HER2 antibody-based inhibitor, is currently the leading targeted treatment for HER2+-breast cancers. Unfortunately, many patients inevitably develop resistance to the therapy, highlighting the need for alternative targeted therapeutic options. In this study, we used a novel, cell-based selection approach for isolating ‘cell-type specific’, ‘cell-internalizing RNA ligands (aptamers)’ capable of delivering therapeutic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to HER2-expressing breast cancer cells. RNA aptamers with the greatest specificity and internalization potential were covalently linked to siRNAs targeting the anti-apoptotic gene, Bcl-2. We demonstrate that, when applied to cells, the HER2 aptamer-Bcl-2 siRNA conjugates selectively internalize into HER2+-cells and silence Bcl-2 gene expression. Importantly, Bcl-2 silencing sensitizes these cells to chemotherapy (cisplatin) suggesting a potential new therapeutic approach for treating breast cancers with HER2+-status. In summary, we describe a novel cell-based selection methodology that enables the identification of cell-internalizing RNA aptamers for targeting therapeutic siRNAs to HER2-expressing breast cancer cells. The future refinement of this technology may promote the widespread use of RNA-based reagents for targeted therapeutic applications.
Predicting pressure ulcer risk

WHY: Pressure ulcers (PUs) occur frequently in hospitalized, community-dwelling and nursing home older adults, and are serious problems that can lead to sepsis or death. Prevalence of PUs ranges from 10-17% in acute care, 0-29% in home care, and 2.3-28%in institutional long-term care (LTC); incidence ranges from 0.4-38% in acute care, 0-17% in home care, and 2.2-23.9% in institutional LTC. A key to prevention is early detection of at risk patients with a valid and reliable PU risk assessment instrument and timely interventions.