Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical trapping of gold aerosols

Aerosol trapping has proven challenging and was only recently demonstrated.1 This was accomplished by utilizing an air chamber designed to have a minimum of turbulence and a laser beam with a minimum of aberration. Individual gold nano-particles with diameters between 80 nm and 200 nm were trapped in air using a 1064 nm laser. The positions visited by the trapped gold nano-particle were quantified using a quadrant photo diode placed in the back focal plane. The time traces were analyzed and the trapping stiffness characterizing gold aerosol trapping determined and compared to aerosol trapping of nanometer sized silica and polystyrene particles. Based on our analysis, we concluded that gold nano-particles trap more strongly in air than similarly sized polystyrene and silica particles. We found that, in a certain power range, the trapping strength of polystyrene particles is linearly decreasing with increasing laser power.
Differential requirements for IRF4 in the clonal expansion and homeostatic proliferation of naive and memory murine CD8+ T cells

Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) has critical roles in immune cell differentiation and function and is indispensable for clonal expansion and effector function in T cells. Here, we demonstrate that the AKT pathway is impaired in murine CD8+ T cells lacking IRF4. The expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a negative regulator of the AKT pathway, was elevated in Irf4−/− CD8+ T cells. Inhibition of PTEN partially rescued downstream events, suggesting that PTEN constitutes a checkpoint in the IRF4‐mediated regulation of cell signaling. Despite the clonal expansion defect, in the absence of IRF4, memory‐like CD8+ T cells could be generated and maintained, although unable to expand in recall responses. The homeostatic proliferation of naïve Irf4−/− CD8+ T cells was impaired, whereas their number eventually reached a level similar to that of wild‐type CD8+ T cells. Conversely, memory‐like Irf4−/− CD8+ T cells underwent homeostatic proliferation in a manner similar to that of wild‐type memory CD8+ T cells. These results suggest that IRF4 regulates the clonal expansion of CD8+ T cells at least in part via the AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, IRF4 regulates the homeostatic proliferation of naïve CD8+ T cells, whereas the maintenance of memory CD8+ T cells is IRF4‐independent.
Educational attainment and socioeconomic status of patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer disease (AD) have different educational attainment and socioeconomic status than subjects without neurodegenerative disease. DESIGN Comparison of 2 groups of autopsied patients. Information on education and occupation was obtained by telephone interview of relatives conducted post mortem. PATIENTS One hundred fifteen patients enrolled in the University of Western Ontario Dementia Study with dementia and fulfilling diagnostic criteria of AD at autopsy were compared with 142 patients 65 years or older without dementia who died in the hospital and in whom autopsy did not show neurodegenerative disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Highest education level attained, years of education, occupation, and socioeconomic and income levels. All results were adjusted for sex, age at time of death, and year of birth. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in education, occupation, or socioeconomic and income levels between the groups. CONCLUSIONS There is no evidence that educational attainment is different in patients with AD than in subjects who die in the hospital from other diseases. These results indicate that education does not protect against advanced AD.
Classification of Measured Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds Based on Noncancer Health and Comfort Considerations

Building occupants are exposed to complex mixtures of air pollutants including many volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A recent review summarized the central tendency and upper limit indoor VOC concentrations measured in North American residences and office buildings since 1990. Although this database is limited in many respects, it serves as a useful starting point for evaluating the potential health and comfort effects of indoor VOC exposures. Excluding cancer and birth defects, the primary concern is chronic inhalation exposure to toxicants that can cause serious health problems. Additionally, building occupants react to the quality of indoor air through their sensory perceptions and frequently experience unpleasant odors and irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract. In this paper, we conduct a simple screening-level assessment of indoor VOC concentrations. We compare measured VOC concentrations to published odor thresholds, sensory irritation levels derived for the general population, and noncancer chronic health guidelines. Hazard quotients are individually calculated for these three effects by dividing maximum or derived 95 percentile VOC concentrations by our selected best estimates of guidance levels for the general population. These results provide a basis for broadly classifying commonly encountered VOCs into groups according to the likelihood that they will produce effects among building occupants. 1 Corresponding author. Tel. : +1-510-486-5301. E-Mail: ATHodgson@lbl.gov
Beneficial Effect of the Nutritional Support in Children Who Underwent Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate nutritional status in children who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant compared with a healthy control group. A secondary aim was to utilize mid-upper arm circumference as a measure of nutritional status in these groups of children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study group included 40 children (18 girls, 22 boys) with mean age of 9.2 ± 4.6 years (range, 2-17 y) who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Our control group consisted of 20 healthy children (9 girls, 11 boys). The children were evaluated at admission to the hospital and followed regularly 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after discharge from the hospital. RESULTS In the study group, 27 of 40 patients (67.5%) received nutritional support during hematopoietic stem cell transplant, with 15 patients (56%) receiving enteral nutrition, 6 (22%) receiving total parenteral nutrition, and 6 (22%) receiving enteral and total parenteral nutrition. Chronic malnutrition rate in the study group was 47.5% on admission to the hospital, with the control group having a rate of 20%. One year after transplant, the rate decreased to 20% in the study group and 5% in the control group. The mid-upper arm circumference was lower in children in the study group versus the control group at the beginning of the study (P < .05). However, there were no significant differences in mid-upper arm circumference measurements between groups at follow-up examinations (P > .05). During follow-up, all anthropometric measurements increased significantly in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Monitoring nutritional status and initiating appropriate nutritional support improved the success of hematopoietic stem cell transplant and provided a more comfortable process during the transplant period. Furthermore, mid-upper arm circumference is a more sensitive, useful, and safer parameter that can be used to measure nutritional status of children who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Immunohistochemical analysis of nestin, CD34 and TGFβ3 in facial tissue of children with complete unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate levels of expression of nestin, CD34 and transforming growth factor β3 (TGFβ3) in facial tissue of children with complete unilateral (CU) and complete bilateral (CB) cleft lip and palate (CLP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-nine CLP patients were enrolled in this study (18 boys and 11 girls). Tissue samples were collected during primary and repeated plastic surgery correction for CU (n=10) or CB (n=19) cleft palate (age range 3 months - 9 years, 6 months). Immunohistochemistry was used to assess levels of nestin, CD34 and TGFβ3. Positively stained cells were graded semi-quantitatively. Data were analyzed to compare cell counts between CUCLP and CBCLP, and CLP at an age before and during primary dentition and CLP in mixed dentition age patients using the Mann Whitney U-test (P<0.05). RESULTS Moderate to abundant numbers of nestin immunoreactive structures were observed in the oral mucosa. CD34 antibodies labeled all microvessels in lamina propria of the CLP affected tissue, while low numbers of TGFβ3 positive cells were scattered in the connective tissue. There were no statistically significant differences between the study groups. CONCLUSION Expression of nestin in complete unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate affected soft tissue indicates a potential increase of tissue regeneration. CD34 positive oral mucosa cells suggest increased angiogenesis, while the sporadic expression of TGFβ3 indicates an insignificant role in the maintenance and growth of cleft affected oral mucosa stem or progenitor cells. Nevertheless, scarce expression of TGFβ3 suggests a role in cleft morphopathogenesis.
Neural network simulations, cortical connectivity, and schizophrenic psychosis.

Recent studies have suggested that reduced corticocortical connectivity is associated with schizophrenia. My colleagues and I have used neural network simulations to explore parallel, distributed processing systems with reduced connectivity. These systems often behaved in a "schizophrenic-like" manner. Excessively pruned attractor networks became functionally fragmented, suggesting "loose associations," and produced recurrent, intrusive representations suggestive of delusions. Pruning backpropagation simulations of speech perception networks produced spontaneous output, which provided a model of auditory hallucination or "voices. " This model also suggested how dopamine-blocking drugs may reduce positive symptoms, and why negative symptoms arise in the wake of positive symptoms.
How Does Social Media Impact Bitcoin Value? A Test of the Silent Majority Hypothesis

Abstract Bitcoin’s emergence has the potential to pave the way for a technological revolution in financial markets. What determines its valuation is an important open question with far-reaching business and policy implications. Building on information systems and finance literature, we examine the dynamic interactions between social media and the monetary value of bitcoin using textual analysis and vector error correction models. We show that more bullish forum posts are associated with higher future bitcoin values. Interestingly, social media’s effects on bitcoin are driven primarily by the silent majority, the 95 percent of users who are less active and whose contributions amount to less than 40 percent of total messages. In addition, messages on an Internet forum, relative to tweets, have a stronger impact on future bitcoin value. Overall, our findings reveal that social media sentiment is an important predictor in determining bitcoin’s valuation, but not all social media messages are of equal impact. This study offers new insights into the digital currency market and the economic impact of social media.
Plasma Physics Intrinsic rotation reversal, non-local transport, and turbulence transition in KSTAR L-mode plasmas

1 Division of Graduate Education for Sustainability of Foundation Energy, Seoul National University, Korea 2 Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea 3 National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea 4 CMTFO and CASS, University of California, San Diego, USA 5 Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea 6 National Institute of Fusion Science, Toki, Japan Email address: yjshi@ipp.ac. cn, yjshi@snu.ac. kr
EpiModel: An R Package for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Disease over Networks

EpiModel provides tools for building, simulating, and analyzing mathematical models for the population dynamics of infectious disease transmission in R. Several classes of models are included, but the unique contribution of this software package is a general stochastic framework for modeling the spread of epidemics on networks. This framework integrates recent advances in statistical methods for network analysis, temporal exponential random graph models, which allows the epidemic modeling to be firmly grounded in empirical data on the contacts and persistent partnerships that can spread infection. This article provides an overview of both the modeling tools built into EpiModel, designed to facilitate learning for students new to modeling, and the application programming interface for extending EpiModel, designed to facilitate the exploration of novel research questions for advanced modelers.
Viral acute gastroenteritis: clinical and epidemiological features of co-infected patients.

BACKGROUND Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common disorder that affects children worldwide. It is usually caused by viral agents, including rotavirus, enteric adenovirus, norovirus, and astrovirus groups. Currently, there are few reports about co-infection among these viruses, mainly in Brazil. METHODS This is a retrospective study in which 84 rotavirus-positive samples from hospitalized patients at a teaching hospital in Southern Brazil, collected in the 2001-2010 period, were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), for the investigation of enteric adenovirus, astrovirus, and norovirus. RESULTS In total, 12 of the 84 (14%) samples were positive to enteric adenovirus or norovirus. Clinical, laboratory, and demographic data showed statistically significant differences between mono and co-infected patients, including age and depletion rate. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the need for implementation of other enteric virus detection assays in clinical diagnosis for a complete laboratory investigation of hospitalized pediatric patients with AGE, in order to understand the impact of these pathogens on disease severity, spread within hospital, and consequently, prevent the dissemination of nosocomial infections.
Patterns of dental caries following the cessation of water fluoridation

OBJECTIVES: To compare prevalence and incidence of caries between fluoridation-ended and still-fluoridated communities in British Columbia, Canada, from a baseline survey and after three years. METHODS: At the baseline (1993/4 academic year) and follow-up (1996/7) surveys, children were examined at their schools. Data were collected on snacking, oral hygiene, exposure to fluoride technologies, and socio-economic level. These variables were used together with D1D2MFS indices in multiple regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries (assessed in 5,927 children, grades 2, 3, 8, 9) decreased over time in the fluoridation-ended community while remaining unchanged in the fluoridated community. While numbers of filled surfaces did not vary between surveys, sealed surfaces increased at both study sites. Caries incidence (assessed in 2,994 life-long residents, grades 5, 6, 11, 12) expressed in terms of D1D2MFS was not different between the still-fluoridating and fluoridation-ended communities. There were, however, differences in caries experienced when D1D2MFS components and surfaces at risk were investigated in detail. Regression models did not identify specific variables markedly affecting changes in the incidence of dental decay. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a complicated pattern of disease following cessation of fluoridation. Multiple sources of fluoride besides water fluoridation have made it more difficult to detect changes in the epidemiological profile of a population with generally low caries experience, and living in an affluent setting with widely accessible dental services. There are, however, subtle differences in caries and caries treatment experience between children living in fluoridated and fluoridation-ended areas.
Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Monolingual vs Bilingual Homes: A Scoping Review

Background: Approximately 20% of children in Canada and the United States are raised in bilingual family homes. Current recommendations for typically developing children are to encourage and support bilingual exposure in the home; however, there are no specific guidelines for families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a disorder in which communication deficits are considered a hallmark feature. Objective: The aim of this study is to present a scoping review of studies that compare cognitive, linguistic, and behavioral outcomes for children with ASDs raised in monolingual vs bilingual homes. Methods: A systematic search of 6 databases for peer-reviewed literature and gray literature search through dissertation databases, conference archives, and reference lists of pertinent studies was conducted. Results: Nine studies were included. No consistent differences were observed in the categories of core ASDs behaviors, cognitive function, or language. The studies suggest a potential bilingual advantage on nonverbal intelligence quotient scores, adaptive functioning, and expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: There is no evidence of a detrimental effect of raising children with ASDs in a bilingual home.
Youth Crime / Adult Time : Is Justice Served ? By

Over the last ten years, nearly every state has changed its laws to make it easier to prosecute juveniles as adults. Traditionally, since a separate court for young people was created in Chicago in 1899, juveniles who broke the law were brought before the juvenile court. In rare cases, judges decided which youth were so violent or such chronic offenders that they were "not amenable to treatment" in the juvenile court. In such cases the jurisdiction of the juvenile court was "waived" and the youth were transferred to adult criminal court. Some states had legislation that automatically excluded youth charged with the most serious offenses, notably murder, from juvenile court jurisdiction.
Effect of lycopene from cooked tomatoes on serum antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation rate and lipid profile in coronary heart disease.

INTRODUCTION This present study aims to evaluate the beneficial effect of tomatoes, a rich source of lycopene, which is a relatively new carotenoid known to play an important role in human health and disease. METHODS We investigated the lipid peroxidation rate by estimating malondialdehyde (MDA), levels of serum enzymes involved in antioxidant activities such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione and lipid profile, which includes total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein in a coronary heart disease (CHD) group and an age-matched control group. RESULTS We observed significantly lower levels of serum antioxidant enzymes and very high lipid peroxidation rate in the CHD group, when compared to the controls (p-value is less than 0.001). At the same time, we observed significantly higher levels of lipids in the CHD group, when compared to the controls (p-value is less than 0.001). 60 days of tomato supplementation in the CHD group showed a significant improvement in the levels of serum enzymes involved in antioxidant activities and decreased lipid peroxidation rate (p-value is less than 0.001), but there were no significant changes in lipid profile (p-value is greater than 0.10). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that tomato lycopene may have considerable therapeutic potential as an antioxidant but may not be used as a hypolipidaemic agent in CHD.
Distributed particle filtering via optimal fusion of Gaussian mixtures

We propose a distributed particle filtering algorithm based on optimal fusion of local posterior estimates. We derive an optimal fusion rule from Bayesian statistics, and implement it in a distributed and iterative fashion via an average consensus algorithm. We approximate local posterior estimates as Gaussian mixtures, and fuse Gaussian mixtures through importance sampling. We prove that under certain conditions the proposed distributed particle filtering algorithm converges to a global posterior estimate locally available at every sensor in the network. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance advantages of the proposed method in comparison with other posterior-based distributed particle filtering algorithms.
Intelligent fault management system for wireless sensor networks with reduction of power consumption

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), when a hardware error is not identified and promptly corrected, all monitoring of a sensor network is compromised. This work presents a new approach to centralized fault management system for 6LoWPAN WSN. The system is based on two fault detection levels. A first level is performed locally, by all sensors within the network, using statistical methods. The second level is performed by the base station, through an ensemble of Multilayer Perceptron type Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) classifiers. One of them is continuously trained with streaming data, while the other one is used to take actual decisions about fault detection. The inputs of these ANN are outputs from a Kalman Filter and from an accelerometer. Experimental results indicate that this approach is capable of reducing message traffic and power consumption within a WSN, keeping the detection accuracy rate higher than 97%.
The link between guanxi and customer–salesperson collusion: : The case of Taiwan’s insurance industry

Purpose In the insurance industry, it is common for the insurance salespeople to sell insurance products to friends, relatives and associates. However, permitting (or encouraging) salespeople to sell insurance through personal relationships may result in some ethical conflicts. For example, some insurance salespeople may help relatives or friends with pre-existing medical conditions buy the health insurance. Previous studies on insurance fraud have rarely focused on this problem. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effects of guanxi (guanxi refers to the durable social connections and relationships a Chinese person uses to exchange favors for a specific purpose) on the salespeople’s acceptance of customer–salesperson collusions. Two types of guanxi are discussed in the research. The author further focuses on how the ethical attitudes and intentions are affected by the salespeople’s guanxi considerations, consequence evaluations, perception of peers’ attitudes, perceived harm to other policyholders and perceived probability of being caught. Design/methodology/approach Full-time life insurance salespeople from Taiwan were surveyed, and partial least squares method was used in the study. Findings The results showed that the types of guanxi, guanxi considerations, consequence evaluations, perception of peers’ attitudes and perceived harm to other policyholders were important in forming the salespeople’s ethical decision-making in the customer–salesperson collusions. Originality/value This is the first time that guanxi has been studied as the factor influencing collusive behaviors in the problems of insurance fraud. The results challenged an established belief that the insurance salespeople should first target close relations as they build their portfolio of customers.
Evaluation of the functional properties of cryopreserved buffy coat–derived monocytes for monocyte monolayer assay

Monocyte monolayer assay (MMA) is a compatibility testing method for evaluating the clinical significance of red blood cell (RBC) alloantibodies. Time‐consuming monocyte isolation procedures and requirement for fresh monocytes have limited application of the MMA. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the utility and efficacy of cryopreserved buffy coat (BC)‐derived monocytes for MMA application.