Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short term exposure to airborne microbial agents during farm work: exposure-response relations with eye and respiratory symptoms

OBJECTIVES Exposure to high levels of non-infectious microbial agents is recognised as a cause of respiratory disease in working populations, but except for endotoxins, little is known about exposure-response relations. As these effects do not depend on viability, exposure to non-viable microbial agents is important. Various methods not based on microbial cultures were explored to study the complex microbial exposure of farmers and associations with acute symptoms during work. METHODS Airborne exposure was measured when farmers carried out specific tasks. Fungal spores, bacteria, endotoxins, β(1→3)-glucans, fungal antigens specific for Penicillium andAspergillus species, and mites were measured by methods not based on microbial cultures. Also silica, inorganic and organic dust, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, and nitrogen dioxide were measured. Respiratory, and nose and eye symptoms experienced during measurements were recorded by a short questionnaire. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to assess the relations between exposure and acute symptoms. RESULTS 106 Farmers and their spouses participated in this study. Prevalences of work related symptoms were: wheezing 3%; chest tightness 7%; cough 14%; eye symptoms 18%; and nose symptoms 22%. Prevalence ratios for nose and eye symptoms were 4–8 after exposure to 20–500×103fungal spores/m3 and higher, and a prevalence ratio for cough was 4 after exposure to 500–17 000×103 fungal spores/m3. Nose symptoms were also associated with exposure to silica with prevalence ratios of 4–6 after exposure to 0.015–0.075 mg /m3 and higher. CONCLUSIONS Farmers had a high occurrence of symptoms of the nose and eyes as well as cough during work. These symptoms were associated in a dose dependent manner with exposure to fungal spores. Nose symptoms were also associated with exposure to silica.
Chronic opioid use is a risk factor for the development of central sleep apnea and ataxic breathing.

BACKGROUND Chronic opioid therapy for pain management has increased dramatically without adequate study of potential deleterious effects on breathing during sleep. METHODS A retrospective cohort study comparing 60 patients taking chronic opioids matched for age, sex, and body mass index with 60 patients not taking opioids was conducted to determine the effect of morphine dose equivalent on breathing patterns during sleep. RESULTS The apnea-hypopnea index was greater in the opioid group (43.5/h vs 30.2/h, p < .05) due to increased central apneas (12.8/h vs 2.1/h; p < .001). Arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the opioid group was significantly lower during both wakefulness (difference 2.1%, p < .001) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (difference 2.2%, p < .001) but not during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (difference 1.2%) than in the nonopioid group. Within the opioid group, and after controlling for body mass index, age, and sex, there was a dose-response relationship between morphine dose equivalent and apnea-hypopnea (p < .001), obstructive apnea (p < .001), hypopnea (p < .001), and central apnea indexes (p < .001). Body mass index was inversely related to apnea-hypopnea index severity in the opioid group. Ataxic or irregular breathing during NREM sleep was also more prevalent in patients who chronically used opioids (70% vs 5.0%, p < .001) and more frequent (92%) at a morphine dose equivalent of 200 mg or higher (odds ratio = 15.4, p = .017). CONCLUSIONS There is a dose-dependent relationship between chronic opioid use and the development of a peculiar pattern of respiration consisting of central sleep apneas and ataxic breathing. Although potentially significant, the clinical relevance of these observations remains to be established.
Experimental Syntax and Island Effects: What vs. who and which: Kind-denoting fillers and the complexity of whether -islands

We present results from three acceptability judgement experiments investigating the effect of discourse linking (d-linking) and animacy on whether-islands and interactions with resumption in Greek and English. Based on Anagnostopoulou’s referentiality hierarchy, we test the acceptability of four types of wh-phrases, what, what X, which X, which of X in a range of configurations (simple questions and questions involving extractions out of (non-island) that-clauses and whether-islands). We further test interactions between animacy and d-linking in English. Our results show that d-linking improves whether-islands in both Greek and English. However, d-linking does not alter the overall interactions: whether-islands remain mostly less acceptable than that-clauses. While acceptability increases overall as predicted by the referentiality hypothesis, we obtain two unexpected contrasts: (i) a contrast between which X and what phrases and (ii) an independent effect of animacy; who is better than what, on a par with which X phrases. These contrasts affect the acceptability of whether-islands but not that-clauses. We propose that what sets what phrases apart, is the contrast between kind-denoting (what) and ordinary individuals (which,who), which can be triggered by d-linking or animacy. This denotational hypothesis predicts that the distinction is only relevant for scopal islands like whether-islands. The denotational contrast affects the processing complexity of whether-islands. Kind-denoting wh-fillers have higher integration costs (in the sense of Gibson’s complexity model). The denotation of the filler interacts with its complexity (e.g. who vs. which X); together, they may improve the acceptability of whether-islands; however, they cannot cancel their overall complexity, as they cannot cancel ∗We would like to thank John Hawkins, Philip Hofmeister, Napoleon Katsos and the editors of this volume for comments and suggestions.The first author acknowledges support
Globalisation, Structural Changes in Exports and the Portuguese Terms of Trade

Fluctuation in the terms of trade is an issue frequently addressed in economics. The terms of trade have direct effects on welfare, since they condition the domestic resources that must be assigned to assure the same level of imports, but they are also extremely volatile, and a major source of economic fluctuations. Thus, it became frequent to use formulas to measure the effect of terms of trade on GDP mechanically [see Gutman (1981)] and to consider the terms of trade as an important factor in business cycle fluctuations [Backus and Crucini (2000)]. This paper analyzes the evolution of the Portuguese terms of trade over the last few decades. The focus is on trade excluding energy, as the short and medium-run effects of energy import prices on the terms of trade are clearly visible and easy to quantify, given the big volatility of international oil prices, the high share of net imports and the low price elasticity of demand. Section 2 characterizes the recent gains in the terms of trade (excluding energy) recorded by the Portuguese economy. It is important to evaluate this phenomenon from an historic perspective and to look into whether this evolution is a special feature of the Portuguese economy. Additionally, it analyses whether this behaviour in the terms of trade is more related to the evolution of export or import prices. In Section 3, the evolution in the terms of trade is broken down by products following very closely the approach used in Baxter and Kouparitsas (2006). The first component of this decomposition measures the effects of the specialization of each country across various sectors. An economy tends to face an increase in its terms of trade if it is more specialized in products where international prices are growing faster. Those effects can be interpreted as being relatively exogenous - at least in the short run – given that it is not easy or even possible to change output rapidly across a range of sectors. Typically, this type of specialization depends on endowments of labour, capital and natural resources. The second component is related to differences between export and import prices for each type of product, and thus to the position of national production in several market segments and also to the country’s capacity to import from markets with lower prices. The results show that terms of trade developments have been dominated by the specialization effects related to the evolution of oil prices. Excluding energy and focusing on manufactured goods, the increase in terms of trade is strongly connected with the positive evolution of relative exports prices in some groups of products, in particular what are usually designated as traditional sectors: textiles, clothing and footwear. Sections 4 and 5 go deeper into these results, which suggest that the effects of globalization on import prices and some structural changes in traditional export sectors are factors that explain the recent
Testing for cross-sectional correlation in panels with various cross-sectional dimensions ( N ) and various time-series dimensions ( T )

The past decade has witnessed a rapid development in models with crosssectional correlation. Apart from the traditional approach in spatial statistics, which uses the so-called spatial weights matrix (see, for instance, Kelejian and Prucha, 1999), a number of approaches are suggested in the literature of panel data econometrics. Notable examples include (a) Economic distance (Conley, 1999), (b) Factor model (Bai, 2003), and (c) Using proxies (Pesaran, 2006). Re-visiting the test for error components first suggested in Breusch and Pagan (1980) (see also the extensions in Honda, 1985), we interpret this test as a test for cross-sectional correlation and derive its asymptotic distribution under the following cases: (1) both time-series dimension (T ) and cross-sectional dimension (N) go to ∞ (jointly), (2) T → ∞ while N is fixed, and (3) N → ∞ while T is fixed. Case (1) is in contrast with that in Honda (1985) (see also Quah, 1994) who considers T = ρN while N → ∞ (the diagonal path limit named by Phillips and Moon, 1999). The results under Cases (2) and (3), to the best of our knowledge, are new. Interestingly, while the distributions under (1) and (2) are normal, that under (3) is not and it is not symmetric either. The critical values under (3) can be easily approximated by Monte Carlo simulations though. Finite (2 + δ)th (δ > 0) moments are required for independently but non-identically distributed (i.n.i.d) data, while only finite 2nd moments are required for i.i.d data. A Monte Carlo experiment is performed and it aims to throw light on the choice among the critical values suggested in the three cases, given a T and an N .
Evolution of Hot Gas and Dark Halos in Group-dominant Elliptical Galaxies: Influence of Cosmic Inflow

Hot interstellar gas in elliptical galaxies has two sources: mass lost from evolving stars and a much older component that accompanied galaxy formation or arrived subsequently by secondary cosmic infall toward the galaxy group containing the elliptical. We present here an approximate but comprehensive study of the dynamical evolution of the hot gas in massive elliptical galaxies born into a simple flat universe. Baryonic and dark matter are both conserved. We use NGC 4472 as a prototypical massive elliptical having a well-observed hot interstellar medium. We allow for star formation in a simple single burst using a Salpeter initial mass function but treat the gasdynamics in detail. The galaxy has a de Vaucouleurs stellar core and a Navarro-Frenk-White dark halo surrounded by inflowing cosmic matter. Using rather standard assumptions and parameters, we are able to successfully reproduce the gas-density and temperature distributions—n(r) and T(r)—in the hot interstellar gas determined from recent X-ray observations. Our model is sensitive to the baryon fraction of the universe, the Type II supernova energy released per unit stellar mass, and the time of galaxy formation. However, there is some degeneracy; as each of these parameters is varied, the effect on model fits to n(r) and T(r) is similar. Nevertheless, secondary inflow of cosmic gas is essential for successful fits to n(r) and T(r). Some gas is expelled from the stellar galactic core at early times when the Type II supernova energy is released. As a result, the present day baryonic fraction has a deep minimum in the outer galactic halo. Interstellar gas that cooled since the time of maximum star formation cannot all have collected at the galactic center but must be spatially dispersed; otherwise both gas temperatures and stellar dispersions in the galactic center would be larger than those observed. Finally, when relatively gas-rich, X-ray luminous models are spatially truncated at early times, simulating tidal events that may have occurred during galaxy group dynamics, the current locus of truncated models lies just along the L-X-ray size correlation among well-observed ellipticals. This is another striking confirmation of our model of elliptical evolution.
The Logic of Compromise: Monetary Bargaining in Austria-Hungary 1867-1913

This paper examines the historical record of the Austro-Hungarian monetary union, focusing on its bargaining dimension. As a result of the 1867 Compromise, Austria and Hungary shared a common currency, although they were fiscally sovereign and independent entities. By using repeated threats to quit, Hungary succeeded in obtaining more than proportional control and forcing the common central bank into a policy that was very favourable to it. Using insights from public economics, this paper explains the reasons for this outcome. Because Hungary would have been able to secure quite good conditions for itself had it broken apart, Austria had to provide its counterpart with incentives to stay on board. I conclude that the eventual split of Hungary after WWI was therefore not written on the wall in 1914, since the Austro-Hungarian monetary union was quite profitable to Hungarians.
The effect of corneal thickness on intraocular pressure measurement in patients with corneal pathology

Background/aim: To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements taken by the Goldmann applanation tonometer, the Tono-Pen and the ocular blood flow pneumotonometer in eyes with varying central corneal thickness (CCT) due to penetrating keratoplasty (PK), keratoconus (KC), and Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy (FED). Methods: IOP was measured with the Goldmann applanation tonometer, Tono-Pen XL, and OBF pneumotonometer in 127 eyes with the following corneal abnormalities. There were 56 eyes that had undergone PK, 37 eyes with KC, and 34 eyes with FED. CCT was measured using an ultrasound pachymeter after IOP determinations had been made. Results: Mean IOP measurements in all three patient groups were significantly higher when measured by OBF pneumotonometer. Linear regression analysis showed that patients with FED had a significant increase in IOP with increasing CCT of 0.18 mm Hg/10 μm using the Goldmann tonometer, 0.15 mm Hg/10 μm with the Tono-Pen, and 0.26 mm Hg/10 μm with the OBF pneumotonometer. In patients with KC and after PK, linear regression analysis did not show a significant effect of CCT on IOP. A multivariate linear regression model controlling for age, sex, graft size, and patient group, showed that the effect of CCT on IOP for Tono-Pen (0.13 mm Hg/10 μm CCT) and Goldmann (0.14 mm Hg/10 μm CCT) were significantly lower than for the OBF pneumotonometer (0.26 mm Hg/10 μm CCT). Conclusions: This study found that mean IOP measurements using the OBF pneumotonometer were significantly higher than those made using the Goldmann applanation tonometer or Tono-Pen in eyes with a variety of cornel pathologies. The OBF pneumotonometer was found to be most affected by variation in CCT. For all three instruments, the relation between IOP and CCT depended on the corneal pathology and was greatest for FED.
Frequency, composition, and causes of summer phytoplankton blooms in a shallow coastal ecosystem, the Kattegat

We propose a new operational definition for summer phytoplankton blooms based on station‐specific chlorophyll a distributions. This definition has been applied to a large monitoring data set from the Kattegat, a shallow marginal sea affected by man‐induced eutrophication, in order to describe spatial and temporal variations of summer blooms as well as their underlying cause. Blooms were associated with relatively higher salinity, nutrient concentrations, and wind speed prior to observation as well as relatively lower temperature, which suggests that entrainment and the upwelling of nutrient‐rich bottom water are the main causes of summer blooms. The station‐specific frequency of blooms was, on average, 8.7%, with higher frequencies in the frontal area toward the Skagerrak as well as in the shallow western area. Blooms generally had a limited extent in localized regions, and we suggest that blooms could be initiated in hydrodynamically active regions and subsequently transported to other parts of the Kattegat. There were no trends in the bloom frequency over the study period (1989–1999), but interannual variations were linked to external nitrogen input, through upwelling of regenerated nutrients, which suggests that blooms are increasing in frequency over longer timescales. Summer blooms were dominated by large species (Ceratium spp. and Rhizosolenia spp.), which indicates that size‐dependent grazing affects the development and probably also the fate of summer phytoplankton blooms. This bloom definition can be generally applied to other data sets to investigate the properties of high phytoplankton biomass.
Talking Numbers: Technical versus Fundamental Investment Recommendations

Market efficiency is often evaluated through the ability of fundamental analysis or technical trading rules to exploit predictable patterns in asset prices. The evidence following decades of empirical research is mixed. This paper reexamines the evidence using a novel database from the TV show “Talking Numbers. ” We assess the performance of 1,599 investment recommendations, where each recommendation features a fundamental and a technical forecast. We show that technicians are able to predict individual stock returns to economically significant degrees up to a one-year horizon. Beyond that, the null hypothesis of market efficiency is not rejected for market-wide indices, equity sectors, bonds, or commodities.
Coronary heart disease The chromosome 9 p 21 risk locus is associated with angiographic severity and progression of coronary artery disease

CLINICAL RESEARCH Coronary heart disease
Efficient Finite Field Processor for GF(2^163) and its VLSI Implementation

A high performance finite field processor for elliptic curve cryptography is presented. One of the contributions in this work is the modified bit-parallel word-serial (BPWS) finite field multiplication algorithm and its corresponding pipeline-fashion multiplier architecture. The proposed multiplier achieves a throughput of one multiplication every N + 1 clock cycles, in contrast with at least N + 3 clock cycles required in the recent other designs, where N is the ratio of field size to word size. Another contribution of this work is to explore parallelism at the instruction level in the proposed processor. Separated hardware modules for finite field multiplication, squaring and addition make it possible that up to three finite field arithmetic operations be executed in parallel. At a higher level, data dependencies are detected at compile-time by analyzing the data interdependency when performing elliptic curve point operations. Implemented using a CMOS 0.18mum chip, which runs at 125MHz and performs one scalar multiplication in 62mus
Amplifier-aware Multiple-input Multiple- Output Power Allocation Amplifier-aware Multiple-input Multiple-output Power Allocation

—We propose multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmitter power allocation which takes dissipation in the power amplifiers into account. We derive the equations of the general problem with full channel state information (CSI), discuss its challenges, and supply solutions in two special cases, namely for a multiple-input single-output channel with a linear beamformer constraint, and for a parallel MIMO channel. The proposed algorithms show substantial gains in terms of rate and total consumed power compared to previous state of the art over a wide range of parameter settings, and have low computational complexities. I. INTRODUCTION Today's cellular multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems increase both robustness and capacity [1]. If the transmitter has full knowledge of the channel, it can apply power allocation in order to optimize the transmission according to different criteria. For single-user (SU) MIMO with circularly symmetric complex Gaussian noise with equal variance for the i.i. d. real and imaginary components (Gaus-sian) noise and full channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter and receiver, Telatar shows in [2] that singular value decomposition-based diagonalization of the channel together with waterfilling transmit power allocation achieves capacity. A special case of the MIMO channel is the multiple-input single-output (MISO) channel, where the above strategy reduces to maximum-ratio transmission (MRT) [1, p. 180]. A sum-power constraint is not realistic in that it does not take the maximum output constraint of the individual amplifiers into account. Per-antenna constraints are considered for SU MIMO in [3]. The papers [4], [5], [6], [7], and [8] investigate the multiuser downlink channel with per-antenna constraints. For the SU MISO channel, the capacity under per-antenna constraints but without a total power constraint was established on closed form in [9]. In the above works, the mutual information was maximized under an assumption of a limited output power. However, in many applications it is desirable to instead limit the total consumed power, consisting of both output power and losses in the transmitter chain. As we discuss in Sec. II, the scientific literature agrees to a rather high extent that the power amplifier is the largest source of losses in the transmitter, and there is also agreement on what analytic form the losses have.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Retrieval practice, with or without Mind Mapping, Boosts Fact Learning in Primary School Children

Retrieval practice is a method of study in which testing is incorporated into the learning process. This method is known to facilitate recall for facts in adults and in secondary-school-age children, but existing studies in younger children are somewhat limited in their practical applicability. In two studies of primary school-age children of 8–12 years, we tested retrieval practice along with another study technique, mind mapping, which is more widely-used
Ieee Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine @bullet Shadow as Route Quality Parameter in a Pedestrian-tailored Mobile Application

—Most of the applications for pedestrian navigation are based on information that is useful for car navigation systems, while the basic needs of pedestrians are seldom considered. We contribute to the current research in the field by proposing a pedestrian-tailored navigation application based on path attributes, that as of yet have not been considered in a pedestrian route calculation. We focus in particular on shaded paths, which are considered preferable during hot, sunny days, especially by pedestrians of advanced age, those with small children or persons that suffer from sensitivity to light. Evaluation results regarding the performance of the application provided a significantly better acceptance rate by the end users in terms of light intensity , amount of shade and positive affect that was derived from walking through the suggested routes. IEEE IntEllIgEnt transportatIon systEms magazInE • 16 • winter 2016