Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The potential of neuroimaging for identifying predictors of adolescent alcohol use initiation and misuse

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Dysfunction in brain regions underlying impulse control, reward processing and executive function have been associated previously with adolescent alcohol misuse. However, identifying pre-existing neurobiological risk factors, as distinct from changes arising from early alcohol-use, is difficult. Here, we outline how neuroimaging data can identify the neural predictors of adolescent alcohol-use initiation and misuse by using prospective longitudinal studies to follow initially alcohol-naive individuals over time and by neuroimaging adolescents with inherited risk factors for alcohol misuse. METHOD A comprehensive narrative of the literature regarding neuroimaging studies published between 2010 and 2016 focusing on predictors of adolescent alcohol use initiation and misuse. FINDINGS Prospective, longitudinal neuroimaging studies have identified pre-existing differences between adolescents who remained alcohol-naive and those who transitioned subsequently to alcohol use. Both functional and structural grey matter differences were observed in temporal and frontal regions, including reduced brain activity in the superior frontal gyrus and temporal lobe, and thinner temporal cortices of future alcohol users. Interactions between brain function and genetic predispositions have been identified, including significant association found between the Ras protein-specific guanine nucleotide releasing factor 2 (RASGRF2) gene and reward-related striatal functioning. CONCLUSIONS Neuroimaging predictors of alcohol use have shown modest utility to date. Future research should use out-of-sample performance as a quantitative measure of a predictor's utility. Neuroimaging data should be combined across multiple modalities, including structural information such as volumetrics and cortical thickness, in conjunction with white-matter tractography. A number of relevant neurocognitive systems should be assayed; particularly, inhibitory control, reward processing and executive functioning. Combining a rich magnetic resonance imaging data set could permit the generation of neuroimaging risk scores, which could potentially yield targeted interventions.
Symptoms of Nervous System Related Disorders Among Workers Exposed to Occupational Noise and Vibration in Korea

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between vibration and noise exposure in the workplace and certain nervous system related symptoms (NSRS) among Korean workers. Methods: Using data from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey, we investigated the influence of vibration and noise with three categories; none, mild, and severe, on sleep disturbance, overall fatigue, and headache/eye strain using logistic regression analysis with stratification by personal protective equipment (PPE) wearing status. Results: Severe noise/vibration exposure was associated in a dose–response fashion with NSRS; the odds ratios (ORs) for sleep disturbance, headache/eyestrain, and overall fatigue were 1.48/1.06, 1.46/1.26, and 1.56/1.28 for severe and mild noise/vibration exposure, respectively, compared with no exposure. Workers who did not wear PPEs were the most affected. Conclusions: Occupational exposures to vibration and noise are associated with NSRS. Additional longitudinal studies and tightened education and safety measures are warranted.
Pharmacokinetic characterization of three novel 4-mg nicotine lozenges

Objective: Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) increases the probability of smoking cessation. This study was conducted to determine if three prototype 4-mg nicotine lozenges produced locally in India were bioequivalent to a globally marketed reference product, Nicorette® 4-mg nicotine lozenge. Materials and methods: Healthy adult smokers (N = 39) were treated with three prototype 4-mg nicotine lozenges in comparison with a reference 4-mg lozenge in this single-center, randomized, open-label, single-dose, 4-way crossover study. Pharmacokinetic sampling was obtained to test for bioequivalence using maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) and extent of absorption (AUC0–t). Secondarily, AUC0–∞, time to maximal plasma concentration (tmax), half-life (T1/2), elimination rate constant (Kel), and safety of the prototype lozenges versus the reference lozenge were compared. Results: Each prototype 4-mg nicotine lozenge was found to be bioequivalent to the reference 4-mg nicotine lozenge based on the ratio of geometric means and 90% confidence intervals for Cmax, AUC0–t, and AUC0–∞. Although tmax was significantly longer for prototype III, all four lozenges achieved maximum plasma nicotine concentrations at a median of 1.5 hours. The safety profiles of the three prototype 4-mg lozenges did not differ from that of the 4-mg reference product. Conclusion: Each prototype 4-mg nicotine lozenge was bioequivalent to the reference 4-mg nicotine lozenge and was well tolerated. Furthermore, as these bioequivalent prototypes differed in in-vitro dissolution profiles, these data suggest that performance from the in vitro method deployed is not a firm predictor of pharmacokinetic behavior.
Association between Thrombophilic Genes Polymorphisms and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Susceptibility in the Iranian Population: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Studies have indicated that thrombophilic genes polymorphisms are associated with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in the Iranian population. We aimed to evaluate the precise association between thrombophilic genes polymorphisms (MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, Prothrombin G20210A, FVL G1691A, and PAI-1 4G/5G) and RPL risk in the Iranian population. PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ISC were searched for eligible articles published up to April 1, 2017. In total, 37 case-control studies in 18 relevant publications were selected: 1,199, 1,194, 630, 830, and 955 RPL cases and 1,079, 1079, 594, 794, and 499 controls for MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C,Prothrombin G20210A, FVL G1691A, and PAI-1 4G/5G, respectively. The results indicated a significant increased risk of RPL in all genetic models in the population. Also, Prothrombin G20210A and FVL G1691A as well as PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphisms were associated with RPL risk in the Iranian population. Hence, thrombophilic genes polymorphisms are associated with an increased RPL risk in the Iranian population.
Survival prediction in mesothelioma using a scalable Lasso regression model: instructions for use and initial performance using clinical predictors

Introduction Accurate prognostication is difficult in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). We developed a set of robust computational models to quantify the prognostic value of routinely available clinical data, which form the basis of published MPM prognostic models. Methods Data regarding 269 patients with MPM were allocated to balanced training (n=169) and validation sets (n=100). Prognostic signatures (minimal length best performing multivariate trained models) were generated by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression for overall survival (OS), OS <6 months and OS <12 months. OS prediction was quantified using Somers DXY statistic, which varies from 0 to 1, with increasing concordance between observed and predicted outcomes. 6-month survival and 12-month survival were described by area under the curve (AUC) scores. Results Median OS was 270 (IQR 140–450) days. The primary OS model assigned high weights to four predictors: age, performance status, white cell count and serum albumin, and after cross-validation performed significantly better than would be expected by chance (mean DXY0.332 (±0.019)). However, validation set DXY was only 0.221 (0.0935–0.346), equating to a 22% improvement in survival prediction than would be expected by chance. The 6-month and 12-month OS signatures included the same four predictors, in addition to epithelioid histology plus platelets and epithelioid histology plus C-reactive protein (mean AUC 0.758 (±0.022) and 0.737 (±0.012), respectively). The <6-month OS model demonstrated 74% sensitivity and 68% specificity. The <12-month OS model demonstrated 63% sensitivity and 79% specificity. Model content and performance were generally comparable with previous studies. Conclusions The prognostic value of the basic clinical information contained in these, and previously published models, is fundamentally of limited value in accurately predicting MPM prognosis. The methods described are suitable for expansion using emerging predictors, including tumour genomics and volumetric staging.
Prevalence of Rheumatic Regional Pain Syndromes in Adults from Mexico: A Community Survey Using COPCORD for Screening and Syndrome-specific Diagnostic Criteria

Objective. To assess the prevalence of rheumatic regional pain syndromes (RRPS) in 3 geographical areas of México using the Community Oriented Program in the Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) screening methodology and validate by expert consensus on case-based definitions. Methods. By means of an address-based sample generated through a multistage, stratified, randomized method, a cross-sectional survey was performed on adult residents (n = 12,686; age 43.6 ± 17.3 yrs; women 61.9%) of the states of Nuevo León, Yucatán, and México City. Diagnostic criteria for specific upper (Southampton group criteria) and lower limb (ad hoc expert consensus) RRPS were applied to all subjects with limb pain as detected by COPCORD questionnaire. Results. The overall prevalence of RRPS was 5.0% (95% CI 4.7–5.4). The most frequent syndrome was rotator cuff tendinopathy (2.36%); followed by inferior heel pain (0.64%); lateral epicondylalgia (0.63%); medial epicondylalgia (0.52%); trigger finger (0.42%); carpal tunnel syndrome (0.36%); anserine bursitis (0.34%); de Quervain’s tendinopathy (0.30%); shoulder bicipital tendinopathy (0.27%); trochanteric syndrome (0.11%); and Achilles tendinopathy (0.10%). There were anatomic regional variations in the prevalence of limb pain: Yucatán 3.1% (95% CI 2.5–3.6); Nuevo León 7.0% (95% CI 6.3–7.7); and México City 10.8% (95% CI 9.8–11.8). Similarly, the prevalence of RRPS showed marked geographical variation: Yucatán 2.3% (95% CI 1.8–2.8); Nuevo León 5.6% (95% CI 5.0–6.3); and México City 6.9% (95% CI 6.2–7.7). Conclusion. The overall prevalence of RRPS in México was 5.0%. Geographical variations raise the possibility that the prevalence of RRPS is influenced by socioeconomic, ethnic, or demographic factors.
Towards locating execution omission errors

Execution omission errors are known to be difficult to locate using dynamic analysis. These errors lead to a failure at runtime because of the omission of execution of some statements that would have been executed if the program had no errors. Since dynamic analysis is typically designed to focus on dynamic information arising from executed statements, and statements whose execution is omitted do not produce dynamic information, detection of execution omission errors becomes a challenging task. For example, while dynamic slices are very effective in capturing faulty code for other types of errors, they fail to capture faulty code in presence of execution omission errors. To address this issue relevant slices have been defined to consider certain static dependences (called potential dependences) in addition to dynamic dependences. However, due to the conservative nature of static analysis, overly large slices are produced. In this paper, we propose a fully dynamic solution to locating execution omission errors using dynamic slices. We introduce the notion of implicit dependences which are dependences that are normally invisible to dynamic slicing due to the omission of execution of some statements. We design a dynamic method that forces the execution of the omitted code by switching outcomes of relevant predicates such that those implicit dependences are exposed and become available for dynamic slicing. Dynamic slices can be computed and effectively pruned to produce fault candidate sets containing the execution omission errors. We solve two main problems: verifying the existence of a single implicit dependence through predicate switching, and recovering the implicit dependences in a demand driven manner such that a small number of verifications are required before the root cause is captured. Our experiments show that the proposed technique is highly effective in capturing execution omission errors.
A Preliminary Study of Daily Interpersonal Stress and C-Reactive Protein Levels Among Adolescents From Latin American and European Backgrounds

Objective: To examine the association between the experience of daily interpersonal stress and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker that is a key indicator of cardiovascular risk, during the teenage years. Methods: A total of 69 adolescents (Mage= 17.78 years) completed daily diary checklists each night for 14 days in which they reported their experience of negative interpersonal interactions in the domains of family, peers, and school (e.g., conflict with family and friends, peer harassment, punishment by parents and teachers). Blood samples were obtained an average of 8.63 months later and assayed for circulating levels of CRP, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Measures of body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status (SES), substance use, stressful life events, rejection sensitivity, and psychological distress were obtained. Results: A greater frequency of daily interpersonal stress was associated with higher levels of CRP, even after controlling for BMI, SES, substance use, life events, rejection sensitivity, psychological distress, and frequency of daily interpersonal stress 2 years earlier. Conclusions: Experiencing a high frequency of interpersonal stressors that are typical of adolescent life is associated with higher levels of inflammation even among a normative, healthy sample of adolescents. Additional work should focus on other daily experiences during the adolescent period and their implications for elevated risk for later cardiovascular disease. BMI = body mass index; CRP = C-reactive protein; CVD = cardiovascular disease.
Input Prices, Productivity and Trade Dynamics: Long-run Effects of Liberalization on Chinese Paint Manufacturers

Input tariff liberalization encourages direct importing by lowering the relative price of directly imported intermediate inputs relative to domestic alternatives. In turn, the action of importing itself encourages productivity growth. We develop a dynamic structural model to illustrate how input tariff reduction affects trading decisions and firm performance. The model features firm heterogeneity in both input prices and productivity. We find a mild short-term effect of input tariff liberalization from China's accession to WTO in the paint industry. The effect is amplified in the long run by induced trade participation, resulting in even higher aggregate productivity and lower input prices. Overall, this effect increases the average present firm value by 2.3 percent.
Aspects of Hyperglycemia Contribution to Arterial Stiffness and Cardiovascular Complications in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Controlling the blood glucose level is of outmost importance for the prevention of the micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications observed in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although the pathogenesis behind the complex cascade of complications is far from solved, one possible mechanism could be a negative effect of glucose on the arteries resulting in a stiffening of the arteries and ultimately in vascular complications. Intriguingly, patients with T1D have been shown to suffer from premature arterial aging compared to nondiabetic subjects—an association that is even more evident in the presence of diabetic complications such as diabetic nephropathy. Arterial stiffness has in several patient populations been shown to independently predict cardiovascular disease. However, interventional studies aimed at attenuating arterial stiffness to reduce cardiovascular disease in T1D are yet to come. Moreover, most of the data on pharmacological treatments of arterial stiffening are directed toward pathophysiological pathways other than hyperglycemia. Interestingly, the sodium-glucose transport-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin was recently shown to reduce both blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes. Whether, these effects can also be replicated in patients with T1D is an intriguing question. Tight metabolic and antihypertensive control are still of central importance for the prevention and the treatment of diabetic complications. However, the need for a noninvasive intermediate marker to identify at risk patients for aggressive treatment is evident. One such tool might be arterial stiffness linking diabetes to increased cardiovascular risk. Future research efforts exploring large-scale databases will play a key role in the identification of other clinically useful markers.
Influence of Cutting Direction on Cutting Forces in Wood

Samples of China fir,Mongolian pine and Manchurian ash were used in this study to examine the influence of different cutting directions on cutting forces.The results showed that the cutting force was dependent upon wood grain direction.It was also observed that the cutting force reached the highest during cross cutting,while the cutting force during longitudinal cutting was higher than the force during transverse cutting.For the same cutting pattern,the cutting force on Manchurian ash samples was the highest and the China fir had the lowest resistant force.
Carbon Disclosure, Emission Levels, and the Cost of Debt

In this paper, we investigate the effect of voluntary carbon emissions disclosure on the cost of debt of publicly listed firms. Using a unique and comprehensive database on carbon emissions from CDP (formerly ‘The Carbon Disclosure Project’), we study whether firms which choose to voluntarily disclose their carbon emissions enjoy more favorable lending conditions - in the form of lower spreads on their bank loans - than their non-disclosing counterparts. Our empirical results reveal a significant and negative relation between voluntarily disclosing carbon emission levels and the cost of bank loans for informationally opaque borrowers. Furthermore, we find that higher industry- and firm-size-adjusted carbon emissions have a positive and significant effect on loan spreads. These effects are common to all loans and not limited to loans which have been arranged by norms-constrained lenders suggesting that spread premia are driven by environmental risks rather than investor preferences.
The Sources of Urban Development: Wages, Housing, and Amenity Gaps Across American Cities

This paper asks whether worker utility levels—composed of wages, rents, and amenities—are being equalized among American cities. Using microdata on U.S. urban workers in 1980 and 2000, little evidence of equalization is found. Comparable workers earn higher real wages in large cities, where amenities are also concentrated. Moreover, population growth between 1980 and 2000 has not been significantly different in low- and high-utility cities, suggesting that other forces are at work shaping the sorting processes that match workers and firms. We outline an alternative view of the drivers of change in the American urban system, and urban development more generally, by applying theory from economic geography.
Asymptotically Optimal Sequential Tests for Anomaly Detection: Switching with Memory

The problem of sequential detection of independent anomalous processes among K processes is considered. At each time, only M ( 1 ≤ M ≤ K ) processes can be observed, and the observations from each chosen process follow two different distributions, depending on whether the process is normal or abnormal. Each anomalous process incurs a cost per unit time until its anomaly is identiﬁed and ﬁxed. Different anomalous processes may incur different costs depending on their criticality to the system. Switching between processes and state declarations are allowed at all times, while decisions are based on all past observations and actions. The objective is a sequential search strategy that minimizes the total expected cost, incurred by all the processes during the detection process, under reliability constraints. We develop sequential tests for the anomaly detection problem and prove their asymptotic (as the error probability approaches zero) optimality when M = 1 under both the simple and composite hypothesis cases. Strong performance are demonstrated for M > 1 by simulation examples.
The involvement of serum exosomal miR-500-3p and miR-770-3p in aging: modulation by calorie restriction

Recent studies have shown a role for miRNAs in aging and age-related diseases, and the modulation of miRNA expression by diet attracts attention as a new therapeutic strategy. Here, we focused on identifying specific exosomal miRNAs derived from serum of aged rats and the effect of short-term calorie restriction (CR) on their expression. Exosomes from serum of young (7-month), old (22-month), and old-CR Sprague Dawley rats were isolated and characterized by transmission electron microscopy analyses, dynamic light scattering measurements, and Western blotting. A total of 12 significantly expressed miRNAs in serum exosomes of young and old rats were identified by next generation sequencing. After analysis of qRT-PCR, we found that miR-500-3p and miR-770-3p expression was significantly upregulated by aging and downregulated by CR. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that the selected miRNAs represented high accuracy in discriminating old rats from young rats. Finally, PANTHER analysis predicted selected miRNAs targets genes involved in Wnt/chemokines and cytokines -related inflammatory signaling pathway and function as transcription factor. In conclusion, our results suggest that the expression of serum exosomal miR-500-3p and miR-770-3p was significantly increased with aging, whereas these were decreased by CR, and age-/CR-modulated exosomal miR-500-3p and miR-770-3p could potentially be used as informative biomarkers candidates for aging.